#it’s so not fair that nearly all their episodes together are missing

[abominandus]

stevensaras of the assorted variety. can anyone hear me

[pa1nrema1ns]

You've Seen the Butcher || Sung Jin-woo Headcanons (18+ MDNI)

Featuring: fluff, smut, and the lingerie he loves most on you

You slowly enter 'Cause you know my room And then you crawl your knees off And then you shake my tomb

A/N: I've been meaning to make a thirst/shameless smut post for this scrumptious man, and his appearance in the last episode finally gave me the push to do it. As always, please be mindful of the content warnings listed below.

༺♡༻ Dividers by @animatedglittergraphics-n-more

༺♡༻ Lingerie set images from @martysimone

Content warnings: 18+ MDNI, shameless smut, body worship, praise, slight degradation, afab!reader, A-rankhealer!reader, established relationship, feral!Jin-woo

Sets featured (top left to bottom right): 1.) Agent Provocateur | Dianah in leavers lace + crystals | Spring Summer 2024, 2.) I.D. Sarrieri | Venetian Glass in Blue Jeans embroidered tulle + silk, 3.) Dita Von Teese | Victresse in Kingfisher Blue satin + embroidered tulle, 4.) Dita Von Teese | Rosewyn black + green embroidery on tulle + velvet straps + finishes

Dungeons are harsh, unforgiving landscapes devoid of warmth or light. There was no room for error in these dangerous outliers. Even attempting an "easy" raid in a D-rank gate can come at the cost of your life. The double dungeon incident was more than enough proof of that. Due to the unpredictability in their line of work, many hunters simply could not afford the luxury of a love life much less a committed relationship. Sung Jin-woo was one such hunter.

As the man once mocked as being the “weakest hunter of all mankind”, he had more than his fair share of life stressors: a father who's been missing and presumed dead for the last ten years, a sick mother whose hospital bills would’ve totaled in the billions of won if not for the Hunters Association, and being the sole provider for his hardworking and studious little sister. Compound all this by him nearly dying every day and it was easy to see how romance was furthest thing from Jin-woo’s mind.

And then you stepped into his life –

Prior to entering a relationship, you and Jin-woo were fellow hunters who embarked on many of the same raids together. Despite being an A-rank healer, you chose to frequent E- and D-rank gates to render aid to those in need. Many of your peers sneered at your actions deeming them to be beneath a hunter of your caliber. But you paid them no heed. You enjoyed being able to use your mage craft to help others.

You're constantly crossing paths with Jin-woo because of how often he’s injured. He's never left a raid without at least one broken bone, a nasty gash, or some other form of bodily harm. Yet no matter how grievous his wounds are, he’s always coming back to participate in more raids. You can’t help but feel for the young man especially after witnessing his sheer grit and determination. You find Jin-woo's strength of will to be admirable and in your opinion he's far more courageous than most of the A- and S-ranks you’re acquainted with.

You tend to be very hands-on when it comes to healing Jin-woo: cradling his head in your lap, running your fingers through his hair, and speaking in soothing voice to distract him from the pain. He was just so vulnerable like this; you couldn’t help but coddle him. Within the span of a few weeks, you became comfortable enough around Jin-woo to share the intimacies of your life with him. And he did as well. Ironically it’s in a dungeon of all places that a deep emotional connection develops. It isn't long before your mutual friendship progresses into something more.

Unfortunately, the former E-rank was too insecure at the time to act on his feelings. It’s not until he acquires the system and starts leveling up that he becomes confident enough to confess to you. The radiant smile that blossoms across your face and the sensation of your soft lips molding against his has Jin-woo mentally kicking himself for not doing this sooner. He’d only had a small taste but he was already addicted to you.

It's only after he falls in love that Jin-woo discovers his appreciation of lingerie.

He's never given much thought to women’s undergarments before. Sure, the intricate patterns of tulle, silk, and lace appealed to the eye, but Jin-woo much prefers you bared in all your naked glory. To the reawakened hunter there was nothing more gorgeous than the sight of your lush body writhing in ecstasy as he fucks you into oblivion.

Jin-woo absolutely adores fucking you. He just can't get enough of his pretty girl. He'll make you cum repeatedly until your mind melts and you're completely consumed by pleasure. The man revels in your softness, delights in your cute moans and sighs. Hell, he’d spend all of eternity with his head buried between your thighs if you'd let him. Jin-woo wants to drown in you and your perfect little cunt.

Making love to Jin-woo is an otherworldly experience. He's the most selfless and giving partner you've ever had, bar none. Part of this can be attributed to his high perception stat. It enables him to be fully attuned to all your sexual needs and desires. He can even sense when you're ovulating, and it’s at the peak of your fertility when your normally gentle and considerate lover becomes downright insatiable.

Running his calloused hands all over your smooth thighs while he spreads them apart. Grunting rough and low into your ear when he sees just how much of "wet and needy little slut" you are for him. Sinking his deft fingers into the fat of your hips as he bounces you up and down on his cock at a frantic pace. Every delicious drag of his thick cockhead has your eyes rolling back into your skull and pressure continuously mounts in the pit of your stomach. He's hitting all your best spots just right causing you to keen and arch against him. And just as your climax washes over you he silences your cries with his lips, kissing you to completion.

Although he can be incredibly rough with you at times, Jin-woo always ensures you receive an ample amount of body worship and after care. You’re the most cherished person in his life after all. You were there for him when he was at his lowest point. A source of solace in a world filled with violence, deception, and betrayal. How could he not treat you with the utmost reverence?

As you come down from your high, Jin-woo gently caresses your inner thighs with his hands, trailing a path of feather-light kisses from your ankles to your calves and all the way up to your hips. He then brings his face towards your soaked pussy, still puffy and swollen from being ravished earlier. Jin-woo smirks and shoots a smoldering gaze at you.

“Want me to kiss it better, pretty girl?”

Your only response is to stroke his mussed-up hair and push him directly into your cunt. Liquid heat courses through your veins as Jin-woo lavishes attention on your core. You almost tumble off the bed when he abruptly takes your aching clit into his mouth and sucks hard on it. At this rate he’d be making you cum for the sixth time that evening.

Throughout his ministrations a ceaseless stream of praise falls from his lips in between wet smacks and groans.

“You’re doing so good, so fucking good for me sweetheart.”

“You needed this, didn’t you pretty girl? Big strong hands all over your body and that perfect little pussy.”

“You’re gonna cum? Go ahead and cum then, sweetheart. Take what you need, yeah. Take what you fucking need.”

“Mhm –  yeah, that’s it! Cum all over my tongue! Good girl, perfect fucking girl!”

Suffice to say the man is enamored with every last inch of you. The very idea of impeding your mouthwatering curves with flimsy pieces of fabric seems like a crime against nature to Jin-woo.

After a series of particularly grueling raids, Jin-woo wants nothing more than to return home, wash away the day’s frustrations in a hot shower, and fall asleep with you in his arms. You had other ideas, however.

A sudden vibration from his phone catches his attention. When he retrieves the device from his pocket, he's greeted by a text from you with an image attached to it. Shit, he forgot to call or text you as soon as he closed the gate! Jin-woo hadn't been able to stay in contact while traversing through dungeons due to the interference from their magical energy, so he always made sure to reach out to you as soon as he was back. He must've been so tired that it slipped his mind. He'd also been gone longer than he intended to. Dammit, you were probably worried about him...

When he opens your text, he expects you to have sent a short message to check in on him like you usually do in these situations. However, there's only the attached image. The moment Jin-woo takes in what's seeing, he nearly ends up crushing his phone from how hard he was gripping it. The text contained a picture of you, dressed to kill in a royal blue lingerie set. Your body was splayed out provocatively over the king-sized bed you both shared. Jin-woo finds himself at an utter loss for words. You were just stunning, like sex incarnate.

An embroidered bra comprised of tulle and silk cups your supple breasts, accentuating their beauty. The matching garter belt and thong are equally flattering, trailing across the dips and curves of your figure like running water. Kohl rimmed eyes and rouge lips round out your sumptuous appearance, making you even more beguiling. Jin-woo feels as if he's been enraptured by an enchantress; he can’t tear his eyes away from you. Unable to bear being apart from you for another second, he performs a hasty Shadow Exchange with the high orc appointed as your bodyguard.

A coy smile tugs at your lips as you see Jin-woo manifest behind you from the top of your vanity mirror. His timing was impeccable, you had just finished touching up your make up. He all but pounces on you before you even have the chance to turn around. Jin-woo captures your lips in a flurry of hot, open mouthed kisses. His hands grope and wander all over your form, pinching and teasing your nipples through the sheer material of your bra. You moan and tilt your head back, granting him access to the column of your neck. You chuckle breathlessly as he mouths against the tender flesh.

"I take it you liked my surprise for you, huh Jin-woo?"

"Mhm," Jin-woo hums as he leaves a small love bite under your ear, "I loved it. You're the hottest thing I've ever seen, sweetheart. I couldn't last another moment without having my lips on your skin. Fuck, how did I get to be so lucky?"

You wrap your arms around the back of his broad shoulders and lean forward to whisper seductively in his ear.

"It's been so long since I've had you, Jin-woo. Please, don't stop. I need you inside of me."

He pulls his head back, and the look he sends you almost causes your knees to buckle. His eyes have taken on a beautiful amethyst hue and there's a voracious hunger in them. You felt like a rabbit staring into the gaze of a wolf, and it thrilled you. You loved when Jin-woo got like this – completely unhinged and feral for you.

He effortlessly hoists you over his shoulder and tosses you onto the bed like a ragdoll. It knocks the wind out of you, and you can only stare up at him as he begins to remove his shirt, his eyes never once leaving yours. You drink in his appearance as more and more tantalizing skin is revealed. The muscles of his chest and abdomen are drawn taught, and his biceps flex and bulge when they come into view. Your legs spread automatically at the sight, and Jin-woo proceeds to pin you to the bed, unable to control his lust any longer. You feel yourself sinking into the abyss as he has his wicked way with you. Neither of you end up leaving the room for the next three days.

From that point on, Jin-woo made sure to fill your wardrobe with multiple sets of expensive lingerie. He was finally beginning to understand the appeal of an S-rank hunter's exorbitant salary. One would think Jin-woo would be drawn to darker, more mature pieces that matched his tenebrous aura. But his taste in lingerie was very much the polar opposite.

Teal, sky blue, navy blue, and neutral shades of green, beige and white are his favorite colors on you. He's also obsessed with garters, sheer material, and lace. Nothing gets Jin-woo more fired up than seeing his girl all dolled up. You're a goddess in his eyes and you only deserve the best.

[wingzie]

Live Reactions to Jikook and Are You Sure?

There was a tweet that gained a fair amount of backlash, stating that Jikooker’s were over-hyping Are You Sure? and making it something that it wasn’t. That the show was just the two members filming some trips together. That is indeed a very loose summary of Are You Sure? But it is missing something vital: Context.

Those that have seen the Chapter 2 Timeline for Jikook will know how busy they were over the last few years, both wanting to focus on music for different reasons. Either to share their personal stories or to challenge themselves. They worked so hard and grew in their own ways, for which I am very proud of them. We also knew that Jungkook was sick just before the US episodes, but I don’t think we truly knew HOW sick he was until we saw the behinds in I Am Still. Jimin and Jungkook were also able to organise these trips amongst their busy schedules, reminding me of the clip of Jikook on the sofa from 2018. This is something they clearly wanted and planned.

The show itself is a reflection of how close Jimin and Jungkook are. There are so many scenes that are perfect examples of their dynamics. We can also trace patterns of their behaviours from previous years to Are You Sure. They have not changed and, in a way, Jimin and Jungkook going through the buddy system process is a very “them” thing to do. There was an extra appreciation that they went together and would continue to give each other support, as they have done throughout their lives.

However, not everyone is aware of their history if they haven’t seen all the content. There is an obvious gap of knowledge, of BTS and the different members individually and together. Not knowing that Tae and Hobi went around Amsterdam together at night with their film crew. Or that Jin went to an amusement park with staff. Who they are as people is just as important as the music and shooting they do. If anything, they are interlinked. And it shouldn’t take the most recent content for people to recognize that. Though that person’s tweet was rather obnoxious, I am always pleasantly surprised by how many did actually talk about the series as soon as each episode was aired. I have nearly finished with the Live Reactions for each episode and there are so many hyping it up or their bond, whilst being somewhat sentimental about them. The series had a certain rawness to it too, as we know what was looming in their minds at the time and where they are now. We saw their different emotions on the topic from the US to Jeju to Sapporo. The added emotional tug is that Jimin and Jungkook enlisted together using the buddy system, something they weren’t aware if they were successful or not until halfway through filming. 

It’s not just the travel show that gained attention either. I still see recent tweets discussing a possible Jikook sub-unit, due to the “Keep Going” phase in the Who MV and the Are You Sure teasers. There were also a lot of people who correctly guessed that Jimin’s favourite food was “Tteokbokki by JK.” These discussions were mentioned several times (even now) about content right in front of us. The same can be said for when Jungkook showed Jimin his newly shaved head and the recent Weverse posts on the day before Hobi’s return. We all see the same things, and a lot of the time we actually react the same way. It's something we can't help, because it's Jikook and it's who they are.

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

Well, that was fucking beautiful. I mean, obviously I was going to think it was beautiful. I wasn't going to hear John Oliver on The Bugle in 2024 and think it was shit, was I? Obviously, that was a wonderful episode of podcasting.

However, even though there wasn't really any way for it to be bad, I think that exceeded my expectations. Because it could have been just nice, you know? It could have been a couple of guys re-hashing all their old jokes, reminiscing, making a few references to how far the world has fallen since they were last taking it on together, giving us all warm fuzzy nostalgia. That's kind of what I was expecting, I would have fucking loved that if it was all we got, and yet, we got so much more. We did got all of the above, but we also got so much more.

For one thing, I was not expecting John Oliver to turn up with so much material! It's been ages since we've heard John Oliver do pre-prepared material on The Bugle. There was none of that in their 2022 anniversary episode (their anniversary episode was pretty much what I described in the previous paragraph, and I did love it). And even John's other 4000-series appearance from 2020... it was good, but I felt like something was missing there. It didn't reach the highs of the days when they were always working on this.

And in John Oliver's last year or so of episodes of the original run, he was increasingly phoning it in. Which is fair enough as he had quite a lot of other shit going on, but you could track Andy Zaltzman picking up more and more of the slack in terms of amount of prepared material.

But this one. Episode 4325. That felt perfect. That felt like it could have come from any point in the peak of this podcast. Andy did his weird and convoluted opening, and I waited for John Oliver to happily react to that and then throw in a few of his own jokes, but suddenly, John pulled out what sounded like pages of his own tightly written material on events that have just happened, so he must have written it for The Bugle. And then Andy's reacting, and then Andy's countering with his prepared material, and then John's fitting his pages around the stuff that Andy wrote perfectly, and they're back and forth like a tennis match, and I always find myself unable to describe this particular double act without falling into sports analogies, and it may as well be 2012 again. This, more than anything else from the last ten years, feel like they decided to give us one more episode of the old podcast.

John Oliver's bounty of material felt, to me, like a Chris Addison situation. The way Chris Addison always turns up to The Bugle way more prepared than anyone else, and has explained that it's because he doesn't do stand-up anymore and misses it, so this is his chance to write material again. John Oliver did not sound like he'd thrown something together for a one-off podcast to help out a less famous (but not by nearly as much as he used to be, Taskmaster champion!) friend; he sounded fully into it!

I kept thinking, "Where else is he going to use this stuff?" Because a few of those jokes could be repurposed for some Last Week Tonight monologues, but not many, especially as the news will have long moved on by the time the next season starts. I know he's been doing a few stand-up shows with Seth Myers lately, he must have been saying something on that stage in The Stand in Edinburgh over the summer, he's got stuff. He's got ideas. I know we're all very excited about the possibility of John Oliver on Taskmaster someday, but hear me out: John Oliver solo Edinburgh hour run 2025. I will personally shoot down every one of the hundreds of purist stand-up fans who would be (justifiably) angry about a world-famous act using his overwhelming fame disparity to mess with the festival. But if Oasis insist on doing exact that with their fame, maybe the best option is to fight fire with fire.

Anyway, back to the realms of reality (I am aware that the above paragraph is not in the realms of reality, but let me dream), every moment of that latest Bugle episode reminded me of why I very literally think they have the best double act chemistry I've ever heard. They're both brilliant on their own, but together there's that perfect dynamic, and I'm amazed its still there after all those years of not working together. They have this perfect rhythm of being able to see which of their jokes can fit perfectly onto the end of the other's joke even before it's been told - like those top-class hockey players who can skate to where the puck will be before it gets there (seriously, it becomes a sports analogy every time) - and they can go back and forth like that for ages, even though they always write their Bugle material separately and don't see each other's before performing.

Of course, the separate writing also gives us the advantage of listeners getting to hear their initial reactions to each other's jokes, which is an absolute delight. Listening to this episode also reminded me of a huge piece of why their dynamic worked so well, which that they find each other so incredibly funny, and I never get tired of hearing them laugh at each other's jokes. You can also hear the way they both aim the writing and delivery of their material toward the goal of making each other laugh; I'm convinced that doing that for years is what pushed them both to improve as comedians so much more than most people do in the same timeframe.

And they're both great on their own, but Andy Zaltzman and John Oliver bring out a side in each other that's just the best version of their comedic talent. I like Last Week Tonight. I think it's a great, important show that has done large amounts of genuine good in the world (certainly far more actual good than most TV shows manage to do - via fundraising for good causes, but also via awareness raising, consciousness raising, and combating misinformation), and I think it's fun to watch. It's informative while being good entertainment. I can acknowledge it's a good thing that it exists, even if I am rather bitter that video killed the [podcast] star.

However. Last Week Tonight is... you can tell it was written by committee. By all accounts (as in, the accounts of people who work on the show and have discussed this in interviews), John Oliver is far more involved that most TV hosts are in the show's creation; he doesn't just turn up on Saturday to read an autocue, he works all week with the research and the writing. But so do a bunch of other people, and they have to make the show accessible to a mainstream TV demographic, and sometimes there are little jokes clearly shoehorned in because their audience will lose interest if they go more than fifteen seconds without a meme reference. It can be amusing to hear John Oliver do some ironic young people speak, but also, that is not what made me a John Oliver devotee.

What made me a John Oliver devotee is that side that Andy Zaltzman brings out in him when they fall into that rhythm together, the sardonic yet sincere, the way you can hear his real excitement when they catch onto a good bit and find a way to run with it (sports analogies). The back and forth, having enough respect for an audience's intelligence to assume we're all on the same page and can just come with them on this, the ability to change direction on the fly (sports analogies).

And, like I said, John Oliver also brings out a side of Andy Zaltzman that we very rarely hear when they're not working together. Specifically, John Oliver turns Andy Zaltzman into a man who sounds like he's probably had a conversation with a human being at some point in his life before. I'd actually forgotten, until this episode, just how much I enjoyed the more relaxed, loose, collaborative version of Andy Zaltzman that's reserved for interactions with John Oliver. And occasionally Chris Addison - Andy sometimes sounds slightly more socially competent when Addison's on. Once in a while Mark Steel can bring it out, occasionally even Nish. That's about it. Andy Zaltzman has chemistry with very few people, but when he has it, he really has it.

I've focused mainly on John Oliver in this post, because he's the one who isn't usually there there days, but Andy was on fire throughout that episode too. That pun right, Jesus Christ. You could hear how he'd upped his game to celebrate The Return of the King.

That was everything I wanted. Everything I wanted except answers to listener questions, but I'm glad those weren't in there, because I assume they'll be in a separate podcast, and separating them out means that the listener stuff didn't eat into the time allocated for just John Oliver and Andy Zaltzman (and, exactly the right amount, Producer Chris) going back and forth. I'm greatly looking forward to the listener questions as well (they're probably coming soon, right?), but this was enough. This was as good as audio topical inter-continental comedy gets.

[intothemultifandom]

– 𝐆𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒 || 𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 (𝐝𝐚𝐬)

SUMMARY: Your brother always knew you were a good kid. PAIRINGS: Lee Chun-ho x sister!Reader ; minor Kwon Il-ha x f!Reader WARNING/TAGS: Canonical character death; Angst; Descriptions of violence AUTHOR NOTE: Takes place during Episode 5: "Maesong City University"

1.8k words

You were a good kid.

Truthfully, Chun-ho expected you to be harder than you were. With Eomma dying shortly after your birth, Appa skipping town not long after and him just starting his mandatory conscription by the time you were left with Harabeoji, Lee Chun-ho expected you to be a lot more angry and disobedient when he returned to take you with him.

Kids who didn't have parents to discipline them often were, he'd heard.

But Harabeoji was, well, Harabeoji.

"I may be old, but don't forget I raised your Eomma," Harabeoji smiled, eyes warm as you shuffled at his side, eyes darting between the two men curiously.

You'd spent nearly your entire childhood with him–longer than Chun-ho had anticipated–but he'd been offered a more permanent role with the military, one that meant staying a lot longer to plan taking you in and raising you with military benefits, and Harabeoji hadn't minded your extended stay.

Chun-ho may have inherited your Eomma's face, but you had her mature and easy-going spirit.

Raising you was easy, Harabeoji told him whilst you packed, because you were a good kid. Something Chun-ho got to see for himself overtime. In your spare time you liked drawing, listening to lofi music and reading.

When you were with Chun-ho, you liked testing out new recipes for the two of you to try, asking him about anything interesting happening at the base and joining him to watch the sports movie he'd play after a long day, nestling into his side to watch, too.

You hated bean sprouts, horror movies and washing the dishes but didn't mind drying so long as the space between you was filled with idle chatter.

Of course, like any other siblings you two had your fair share of arguments, too.

Sometimes you played your music a little too long into the night. Chun-ho was guilty of tracking muddied boots into the apartment, and you didn't understand why he'd wanted you to drop judo as an extra curricular, didn't understand the way the floor gave way beneath his feet the day you came home, face bruised and swollen.

But like Harabeoji and like Eomma, when you got upset with something Chun-ho said or a new rule he imposed you didn't yell or break things like Appa used to do (and Chun-ho, before conscription straightened him out) but would instead act rationally. Disappearing from Chun-ho's side before returning when you calmed.

You studied hard, joined extracurriculars that challenged you (as you'd defended judo), kept yourself surrounded with good people and updated him on anything he missed when he was gone.

Above all, you were happy.

Never lamenting on Eomma's passing or Appa's abandonment or faulting Chun-ho for his own shortcomings.

Truly, when Harabeoji said raising you was easy, he wasn't kidding.

Chun-ho was grateful.

Grateful that you'd grown up so normal and healthy, and that in your time together he got to see you come into your own hobbies and interests.

Grateful that you were always so easy with him, although convincing Harabeoji to let you join your class in mandatory training was anything but.

Chun-ho knew what the training was for, as prettily disguised as the government made it be with their promises of CSAT credits in lieu of early admission.

He knew just how dangerous and life-threatening the Spheres really were and had already proven to be, with Young-Hoon's needless death marking the beginning of the end.

Which is why when the Spheres finally attacked Sungjin High School and your platoon was forced to evacuate, Chun-ho was infinitely more grateful that you were right there with him.

Always at his side, even when at times he wished you weren't.

Admittedly though, in the aftermath of the chaos, of the bloodshed and massacre, the realisation that there were still things he hadn't known about you was something Chun-ho did not expect but something that crept up on him during the long nights spent overseeing your platoon.

In the two months your platoon stayed waiting in the downtown Sungjin Military base, Chun-ho learned that Kim Yoo-jung and Jo Jang-soo were perhaps two of your closest friends. Always the first to gravitate toward you during trainings and during lunch.

Though Yoo-jung could get overwhelmed at times with her role as Class President, Jang-soo seemed to be your other half, your main confidant—a constant in a class that seemed to shift around you.

One such force was Yeon Bo-ra, a spirited girl who was all sharp glares and sharper words and everything Chun-ho expected you to be once upon a time.

The past two months may have been hard on everyone, but you'd endured it with the surety of someone who had your family close by. A luxury not everyone had, as Bo-ra liked to point out.

Surprisingly, as often as Yoo-jung and Jang-soo came to your defence against Bo-ra during one her tirades, it was the natural ease that existed between you and Kwon Il-ha that had Chun-ho more intrigued into your place amongst your peers.

One night during dinner Il-ha had given you his bottle of water, hands brushing against yours longer than what was necessary.

It was there that Chun-ho realised that there was something, something more, between you and the usually hot-headed boy.

Your cheeks, usually pale, had been flushed as you accepted the bottle with an appreciative smile. Falling back into your conversation with Yoo-jung all the while Il-ha watched you with the kind of calm and attentiveness Chun-ho hadn't seen in him until then.

It had been a brief interaction, one your brother couldn't place exactly at the time, but the sincerity was there all the same, lingering in the space between you.

Chun-ho hadn't expected it, but seeing you with a first crush, teetering on the edge of something more–well, Chun-ho considered it a small mercy, all things considered.

Even if the War seemed endless and bleak, seeing you just be a kid was something your brother would always cherish. Now more than ever as he stands in the long abandoned classroom of Maesong City University, ready to die.

The room your brother's trapped in is quiet.

Where your platoon waits in the Seolbong Building across, is not.

Somewhere out there, in the desolate campus building, the mechanical and otherworldly whirring of the Spheres looms closer.

It had been risky, luring the Spheres in the neighbourhood to Maesong City University so they could blow them up with the bombs they'd made from dynamite and depleted uranium. But it had to be done.

And as this War had shown him, the kids in your class–yourself included–were made of stronger stuff.

In spite of the danger, of the fear and uncertainty he was sure you all felt, your class carried on, sticking together and covering each other when it mattered most.

As your Commanding officer, it was a humbling development but as your brother, it was reassuring and relieving all in one.

Knowing you were across from him, safe as you could be surrounded by your friends and platoon, Chun-ho felt nothing but calm serenity. And then–

"–Sir please," So-yeon's voice crackles through the device, wet and choked. "You promised."

The sound of her voice, so young and so scared, drags him back to reality — to the stifled quiet of the abandoned classroom where he almost falters.

But then the rational side of him wins out, and your brother thinks about your class and of you, of how you're somewhere in that room with So-yeon, and reminds himself that just like your class, he can be strong, too.

Firmly, he presses down on his mic.

"I'm sorry I can't protect you until the end as I promised," Chun-ho says, finding his voice.

"And for dragging you into this war as an adult. At first, I thought you were disobedient kids. But now that I think about it, I'm so grateful and proud of you all."

Through his walkie, Chun-ho can hear the raw grief and sorrow of your platoon. Different voices whimpering, crying and begging him to change his mind; but he can't, and he won't.

Quietly, he calls your name. Blinks away his tears as he listens to movement on your end, before a quiet voice rasps:

"Oppa?"

In your next life, Chun-ho resolves to tell you more often how much you mean to him. Resolves to spend his next life making it up to you everyday for leaving this way.

There's so much Chun-ho wishes he could say, but time is a privilege he doesn't have so your brother settles for something shorter, something only you'll understand.

"You have been the best sister I could have asked for. And the time we had together, it was glorious. So live well, okay?"

It's not goodbye, but Lee Chun-ho is confident those are the words that will bring you the most comfort right now. The words that will give you the strength to do what the others can't do in this moment.

And he's right.

In another life, Kim Yoo-Jung would've stepped up to initiate the bomb as Class President. And if not her, than Sergeant Kim as your brothers' second in command.

But in this life, you're here.

And because you've always been a good kid, you press the button in Yoo-jung's place.

And your brother? Well, your brother closes his eyes, and smiles.

Chun-ho's latest pick is playing on the TV. It's an American move: McFarland USA, or something like that.

You're tucked into his side, all warm and lazy contentment and outside, there is the quiet patter of rain.

"Oppa?" you ask, when the movie reaches a lull.

"Hmm?" he replies, tilting his head toward you.

In the next few months, you'll be taking the CSATs. Graduating high-school before making your way into the big wide world. It's a scary thought, daunting really, but you're confident that whatever you do your brother will support you.

There is one thing you'd like to know, though.

"What if I still don't know what I want to do after school?" you ask, hesitant.

Your brother blinks, as if momentarily surprised, before his face relaxes. "I think by the time CSATS are done, you'll have an idea of what you want to do. You're the smarter one between us, so you'll be fine."

"You think so?"

Chun-ho smiles, playfully knocking your knees with his.

"I know so," he repeats, sure and confident.

"And if you're still unsure, don't focus too much on what everyone else is doing and think about what you like. Sometimes, the best thing we can do in life is find what we love and follow it to glory."

"Is that you how feel about the Military?" you can't but press, curious.

Chun-ho lets out a quiet laugh, eyes soft and gentle as he takes you in. "Not just the Military," he says, something meaningful in his tone, right before a bang resounds from the TV.

"– Now shush, it's starting to get good!"

[thgfanfictionlibrary]

Mature Rated Fics Masterlist (22)

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10 / Part 11 / Part 12 / Part 13 / Part 14 / Part 15 / Part 16 / Part 17 / Part 18 / Part 19 / Part 20 / Part 21 /

Created: December 16th, 2023

Last Checked:------

Little Deer, Little Sun, Little Coincidence-orphan_account (ao3) Summary: Katniss is less than enthused when Prim all but forces her to spend the evening at the fair with Johanna instead of with the twins, especially when Johanna's friend-of-a-friend joins them under the Ferris wheel. That is, until she recognizes this friend-of-a-friend: Peeta Mellark, the personable boy who went away to some fancy, big-city college six years ago. Obviously there's some catching-up to do, and more than can be done on a Ferris wheel, too, but being a single mother for nearly five years has left her a bit rusty in the flirtation department.

Miles Cross-Mejhiren (ao3) Summary: ‘And they that wad their true-love win / At Miles Cross they maun bide.’ Katniss holds Peeta through a critical episode, paralleling Janet in the old Scottish ballad of Tam Lin (often told as a fairy tale in prose form). “Miles Cross” is the crossroads where Janet pulled her lover from his horse and, by holding him through his many frightening transformations, won him from the fairies. Canon oneshot, post-MJ; written for the THG Fairy Tale Fic Challenge.

Rebound Girl-Diana_Flynn (ao3) Summary: Katniss Everdeen only goes for only one type of man. It doesn’t matter how tall he is, the color of his hair, or even his personality. What she wants is the man fresh out of a relationship. She likes being that temporary girl the guy uses to lick the wounds of his bruised heart. Too bad Peeta Mellark changes everything for her.

Refuel, Restore, Realign-JennaGill (ao3) Summary: Peeta and Katniss take a chance they missed in high school, changing life paths and testing family loyalties. “No son, it’s a family business. And blue means loyalty, family loyalty. It means obligation. It means duty. Values we Everdeens and Hawthornes hold high.” Mr. Everdeen takes a deep breath and looks me over once more. “I can see from your expression that you’re not following me son, forget the damn sign. It means my daughter will not date you. Katniss’ path is not with you.”

The Dreadful Beauty-Diana_Flynn (ao3) Summary: She watches him, the beautiful blonde boy who has become a fixture at the bar/brothel she buses tables at. He just sits there and waits, and she wishes she knew what gave him that chip on his shoulder. Mutt is her name, and no one cares to remember what her real one is, or even notice her. She doesn’t care either, as long as she makes ends meet . But her life will change when that boy with so much to hide notices her. Everlark Fanfiction Inspired by East of Eden. Takes place in World War I Era, Monterey CA.

The Mockingjay and the Mutt-Abagail_Snow (ao3) Summary: While taming a hijacked Peeta in District Thirteen, Katniss comes to understand a side of him that she had never allowed herself to see. Loosely based on Beauty and the Beast.

The Need for Speed-Peetabreadgirl (ao3) Summary: Race car driver, Peeta Mellark, is chasing his first racing title, but along the bumpy road he ends up lost, stuck in Panem Springs where he meets an enchanting, silver-eyed trophy of a different kind.

The Unexpected Message-Diana_Flynn (ao3) Summary: Years after the war has ended Katniss has a fight with Peeta, but she finds an a gift that changes her perspective.

This is Halloween-bubblegum1425 (ao3) Summary: Katniss Everdeen has been in love with her best friend, Peeta Mellark, for nearly as long as she'd known him. They'd grown together, carrying on their yearly Halloween tradition of watching The Nightmare Before Christmas and other scary movies, but this year was going to be different. This year, Katniss is finally going to use their time together to tell Peeta how she feels…if he doesn't ruin her plans first. College Everlark. Modern AU

We will call this place our home-JLaLa (ao3) Summary: “She closed her eyes, trying to hold in the disappointing sting of being duped. This man was indeed Peeta Mellark, her husband.” An arranged married in three parts. Everlark.

[maymayandthehog]

OKAY. I GUESS THAT'S FAIR ENOUGH. LOOK, LET ME MAKE ONE THING CLEAR UP FRONT, OK? I'M NOT TRYING TO DO SOME KIND OF BACK DOOR STUNT HERE, LOOKING TO WEASEL INTO A PLACE WHERE I ALREADY KNOW I'M NOT WANTED SO I CAN GET "ACCESS" OR WHATEVER. I'M SO OVER THE WHOLE MESS. I DON'T HAVE "REVENGE ON MY MIND" OR A "COMEBACK TOUR" OR WHATEVER. HAD TIME, BEEN FORCED THROUGH INVOLUNTARY PSYCHIATRIC CONFINEMENT, HAD MY WHOLE HISTORY DOXXED ALL OVER THE INTERNET, ALL THAT JAZZ.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO CIRCLE THE WAGONS. I WANTED TO MOVE ON BUT ONE OF THE BIZILLION UNIVERSAL VARIANTS OF YOUR GRUNKLE JUST CRASHED INTO MY LIVING ROOM, AND HE WANTS TO MAKE A DEAL WITH ME, AND I'M... NEVER MIND. THIS ISN'T YOUR PROBLEM.

(@annoyangle)

Candy, cut the stream.

"What? But we haven't even gotten to the Caps for Capybaras segment yet—"

I said cut the stream!

---

She pushed back in her seat, wheels scraping against the floor as they fought desperately against the decade's worth of grime, rust, and sugar that had built up in their axles.

Candy and Grenda exchanged a look. The emails were blind printed in advance in order to provide a truly authentic host reaction. There had always been some level of risk involved in this, and over the years they had received a few oddball questions (typically signed with a cursive double G), but this was the first time they had to kill a stream mid-response.

One of the capybaras chittered to itself. Grenda set a large box of hats down on the table next to it, and gave it a stern shhhh.

"NOT NOW. THE HOST IS THINKING."

Mabel stood, the abrupt movement nearly sending her chair toppling backwards. Clapping her hands together, she turned to face the two, and gave both a slightly strained smile.

"Girls! It's been a long day, right? We've all worked hard. Grenda, you carried all SIX of those capybaras up here on your shoulders! I know my back would be screaming!"

"MY MUSCLES ARE LIKE IRON, BUT EVEN IRON CAN BREAK," Grenda wearily agreed.

"It's important to remember to bend with your knees," said Candy. She looked a bit uncertain. "Perhaps we could take a short rest..."

"Great!" Mabel began folding the print out, and slid the paper into her back pocket. "We have the capybaras until tomorrow morning. Let's meet early and we can hammer out the rest of today's shoot. It wont be a live audience, but, I mean, given our track record, I think our fans will find it in their hearts to forgive us—"

"Oh, ah, of course, but, Mabel—"

"I mean, twelve years and not a single missed episode. I'd say that's pretty good!"

"Yes, it's excellent, but Mabel—"

"And it's not like we didn't save the world or anything! If nothing else, they gotta cut us some slack for that, right?!"

"Mabel!"

"Errr.... yes, Candy?"

"It's okay. We don't have to finish the episode. We are just... worried! The question—it seemed to upset you."

"Oh," Mabel faltered a bit. Her hand hovered briefly over the small, paper rectangle, then dropped at her side. "No, I'm okay. Just... a lot to think about, you know? School's starting Tuesday and I still have soooo much to do... Just your typical pre-class jitters. Every teacher gets 'em!”

“You have never gotten the jitters.”

Mabel circled out from behind the table, so that she could throw an arm around Candy's shoulders and begin steering her towards the door. “Haha, what can I say? You’re looking at a more mature Mabel this year! With age comes anxiety! I guess it’s bad enough that one weird email was enough to throw me off my game. But I'll be better tomorrow, promise."

"Hmm,” hmmed Candy.

"I'll let you take the capybaras home,” Mabel offered, weakly.

"YEAHHH! CAPYBARAS!" Grenda flung her fists into the air. "THEY'RE LIKE BUNNIES THAT YOU CAN RIDE!" She reached down and grabbed one of the rodents by its mid-section, then hauled it up over her shoulders. It squeaked.

Candy turned towards her, alarmed. "Your knees, Grenda! Use your knees!"

As Grenda barreled out of the room and down the creaking stairwell, Candy gave Mabel a final look. "Well, so long as you're sure... I suppose we can finish Sunday." She looked down at the five remaining animals. "And they are very cute."

"They're soooooo cute.”

"Okay. Sunday. What time?"

"Uhhh... I'll text you?"

"Right." For a moment, the ghost of a frown weighed down Candy's features, but dissipated as she seemed to reach a decision. Carefully, she began to usher the rest of the capybaras into the hall. "Okay, capybaras. This way."

"Bye, Candyyyy!"

"Goodbye, Mabel. Let us know if you need to talk. Our ears are always open."

"Yeah..." Mabel waved, still smiling as the lock clicked into place. "I know."

Standing in the now empty attic, Mabel sighed and glanced towards the streaming set up. The light were still on, the boom mic still stood by her seat. She navigated back to the table, bent, and unplugged the powerstrip. The lights shut off.

"Okay, Bill," she said, straightening. "I know you're here. Let's chat."

[snickerzanddoodlez]

The “Emotional” Wordgirl Episodes

Wordgirl has the occasional episode that just feels…different. Perhaps with somber undertones, or a bittersweet feel, or just feeling generally….different. I was always waiting for those episodes, and they remain some of my favorites.

For anyone else who’s like me and wanted o hunt them down, I’ve compiled a list of said episodes. Spoilers will be included. (Suggestions Welome!)

Note: while many of these are my favorites, I am not claiming they are “the best” (although some of them are!)

Where is The Remote? - A personal favorite of mine, this episode always hit different. The plot follows Tobey and Wordgirl, as they scour the city for the remote to Tobey’s robots (unbeknownst to Wordgirl, Tobey has a tracking device for it- he just wants to spend time with her). It’s cute to watch them genuinely have fun, especially since nobody was really in danger.

Yes Monkey - Any long-time follower of mine will know that this may be my favorite episode in the whole show. Leslie, fed up with Mr. Big’s self-centered attitude, finally resigns- and Huggy, who is fed up with being put down, does the same. Seeing Leslie so sad without her boss and Mr. Big so happy to see her at the end is rather sweet, especially with the smile they exchange at the very end.

Rise of Miss Power - Of course this is on here- the movie that focuses on a newcomer encouraging Wordgirl to antagonize her foes, leading to some pretty rough moments (my heart goes out to Tobey). Two-Brains nearly gets publicly executed, Tobey shuts down after being bullied….and nobody talks about how, when Sally says that the city “can’t stand (the villains)”, all of the villians- INCLUDING THOSE SUCH AS GRANNY MAY!- droop a bit and seem saddened by this fact.

Showdown At The Super Secret Spaceship Hideout - THE Dr. Two-Brains angst episode. Boxleitner is mentioned often, both by Two-Brains and Wordgirl! The scene where he recognized the book he wrote….this is a PBS Kids’ show, those eyes should not have been so emotional!

Dr. Three Brains - Most episodes would have been demoted to Honorable Mentions if their bittersweet feel came only from one scene- however, that didn’t feel fair to this episode. The episode stars Dr. Two-Brains and Wordgirl working together to stop Glen Furblam. This has one of my favorite scenes in the whole series at the very end between Wordgirl and Dr. Two-Brains, with them reminiscing on their old partnership (something that scarcely happens outside of Showdown at the Super Secret Spaceship Hideout), and when Wordgirl leaves, we see Dr. Two-Brains look very sad and slink off into the shadows….so melancholy and bittersweet, and it’s a season finale!

A Questionable Pair - Nobody talks about this episode! Brent and Ms. Question are very underrated, yet somehow not nearly as underrated as Reginald and Ms. Question. I love how she likes listening to him talk, and he just likes actually being asked questions 😭…. I don’t know why, but the way this episode ends always made me super sad. In the end, Reginald feels so betrayed by what her (and Invisi-Bill’s) original plan was that he pretty much cuts off their little friendship. Reginald seems so hurt, and Ms. Question looks so so sad….

Even more melancholy is Reginald looking agh the pictures of the two of them, and seems like he’s trying not to cry. Wordgirl what the frick why would you make me feel things

A Few Words from Wordgirl - An episode that I maybe should’ve swapped with a certain episode in honorable mentions? But I think it juuuust earns its place here. I love this episode, and there are so many cute dad!brains moments in it. It’s nice to see them so civil.

Rhyme and Reason - The show finale, and overall a great pair of episodes. There’s not a single moment without some sort of almost-uncomfortable subtext or even details just shown loud and proud. You’re WAITING for Reason to snap whenever he and Rhyme are onscreen, and then the Violet-Wordgirl plot….I hate Violet with a burning passion, and this episode is a big part of why, but it is extremely emotional and earns its place here.

Becky Knows Best - I don’t remember this one well, but it’s the episode starring Ms. Question and Brent. A very different episode as far as its tone and story. I’m a little iffy on whether it should go here or in honorable mentions, as at the moment I don’t remember it very clearly and can only find clips, but it would be in this post either way. The happier ending to “A Questionable Pair”.

Honorable Mentions:

By Jove, You’ve Wrecked My Robot! - The episode that got me into this fandom, and one that remains a favorite. “The same sparkling smile! The same ruby lips! The same…..I realize I’ve said too much.” I didn’t think this episode fit with the others, but was absolutely worth a mention.

A World Without Wordgirl - I don’t remember this episode very much, but it was worth a mention for DtB’s alternate universe self and the general uniqueness of the episode. You really feel bad for Becky.

When Chuck’s Mom is Away - Not an emotional episode, but one very focused on character dynamics and very standout. I figure that anyone who’s looking for the more emotional character-driven episodes would enjoy this one as well!

Tobey Goes Good - A normal episode changed by one scene, but to a lesser degree than Dr. Three Brains. Tobey genuinely seems willing to change long-term, and I’ll admit that seeing him entertain some smaller kids was really cute, but when Violet (unfairly lol let’s be real) wins the contest he’s been competing in, he completely snaps. Oddly enough, he seems genuinely hopeless and even cries. If I’m not mistaken, this is the only episode where he actually tries to kill Wordgirl. Aside from maybe Miss Power, this is absolutely his lowest point.

Oh, What a Tangled Knot You Tie, Amazing Rope Guy! - Not emotional, but this episode does make me a little sad for some reason. I don’t know. It is character focused, though!

It’s Your Party and I’ll Cry If I Want To - This is a sweet episode. Tobey, for once, ends up unable to fulfill his goal, which today is destroying the birthday party of a classmate (as he was not invited). He seems to feel quite bad at the end and even tries to make it up to her, and it’s cute seeing him and Wordgirl bond over the situation.

Invasion of the Bunny Lovers - Here only due to Scoops discovering Wordgirl’s identity. Scoops exemplifies everything Violet *should’ve* done in Rhyme and Reason. Maybe I’ll make a post about that.

[simslegacy5083]

NSB (Straud Legacy) Gen 9

Today's (7/16/2024) Episode: Missing You

Luigi was exhausted when he finally got home from the hospital, changing into his PJs immediately before checking in with his folks and Skye.

He found Peachy and Valentina in the living room, watching a late-night talk show. His father jumped up to embrace him: “I’m so sorry you and Noemi went through such a scare today. You know you can count on your step-mom and I to be here for as long as you need us.”

In the dim room, lit only by the big screen TV, Luigi’s view of the two concerned sims blurred with tears. “Thank you, for everything” he replied, “I don’t know how we would manage without you guys right now.”

Wishing them good night, Luigi then headed into the nursery to check on his boy. He changed his squishy diaper and settled him back to sleep with one of the last of Noemi’s pumped milk bottles, making a note to grab some formula first thing in the morning.

Watching Skye fall back asleep in his bassinet, Luigi was hit with a wave of resentment. He knew that wasn’t fair to his son, none of this was his fault, but if he hadn’t been born then Noemi would be here instead of recovering from life saving surgery in the hospital.

Unclenching fists he hadn’t even realized he was making Luigi quickly turned away and headed into his own room, hopeful that some sleep would adjust his outlook and more grateful than ever to know his dad and step-mom were sleeping right down the hall.

Following that night Luigi let the grandparents take on many of the hands-on childcare tasks as he continued struggling with his new, uncomfortable, feelings. He did his best to pull his weight in other ways that didn’t involve one on one time with the tiny sim that had nearly cost him Noemi.

He would make a big mixology production of preparing baby bottles, then deliver Skye to Valentina for “grandma time” while he worked on something else in the house. At least all his nursery upgrades refreshed the love of handiness that he shared with his dearly departed Papa Jack.

Having his family on hand was no substitute for having his fiancée home, but it was nice to spend time in the kitchen with his father again.

Noemi didn’t much like cooking, even if she was decent at it. Peachy of course adored it and encouraged Luigi to mix up the perfect drinks to go with his gourmet creations, “just like old times”. When Valentina brought Skye in to “supervise” three generations of Lawbourne men enjoyed meal prep together.

Of course, the best thing about having Peachy and Valentina in residence was the freedom it gave Luigi to spend a lot more time with Noemi.

He would never be the best when it came to romantic gestures, but a bunch of colorful balloons and a card that said all the sappy, sentimental things he struggled to put into words seemed to hit the right note, if his girl’s smile and thank you kiss were anything to go by!

When Noemi’s lunch was served Luigi ran out to the nearby cafeteria to grab a bite himself, joining her at the small table in her room to eat and chat.

Of course, Noemi wanted to know all about Skye. “How he’s doing, is he adjusting to the formula OK?” she asked worriedly. “I wish I could just pump and send you home with the milk, but they couldn’t say for sure that the meds they have me on would be safe for him.”

Luigi told her “Skye is doing just fine. He was a little extra gassy after the changeover but that settled down fast.” He paused then, considering whether to tell her about the strange new resentment he was struggling with. He usually shared everything with her; maybe she could help.

“I know its not fair,” he began, “But I can’t help feeling that without Skye’s birth, you wouldn’t be stuck here recovering from being on death’s doorstep. It bugs me and it’s made enjoying time with our tiny man a lot harder. Do you ever feel the same way, or blame me for our… happy little accident?”

A concerned frown crossed her face as she responded “No, I don’t blame Skye or you at all, and you shouldn’t either. What happened was terribly unfortunate, but it was just a coincidence that he was the baby I gave birth to. Even if I hadn’t gotten pregnant when I did, we both knew we wanted to have a child, someday, and we always agreed that I was going to be the one to carry them. This could have happened with any delivery.”

Noemi went on “If you’re struggling, you should call Dr. Valasquez or maybe even talk to some of the professionals here about how you’re feeling.”

Luigi shook his head, glad he'd been honest with his fiancée. “No, I’ll be OK. Just hearing that you don’t blame Skye makes me feel better, and I’ve got the old folks around now to remind me how a healthy family deals with problems.”

He helped her back to bed, giving her a kiss and receiving a book in exchange. “My mother brought it over for me, read to me while I rest my eyes?”

He smiled down at her. “happy to.” He began reading in his best gruff starship captain voice as she nestled into the bed to work on getting better.

View The Full Story of My Not So Berry Challenge Here

[ffxiv-f13ndish]

return to sender (and deliver) Collab. drabble w/ @ro-valerius [Tofu] !

Virgil hadn’t put much thought into how strange it may be that he was going to go visit Tofu. He wasn’t necessarily close to Tofu, and perhaps could even scarcely say they are friends. Nevertheless, a few days after Virgil had heard of Tofu’s state following the pirate ventures, the elezen was knocking at the door of the Flower house with intentions to see how he was doing. 

“Might I come in? There is something I insist on bringing to Tofu,” he said when the front door finally opened. Virgil held up a basket. “And I brought bread.” 

Blomma blinked in surprise at their guest, and her confusion grew as he spoke. She hadn’t been under the impression that Tofu and Virgil got on, let alone that Virgil would go through the trouble of a journey to see Tofu. She tilted her head, but opened the door wider for him to enter, her brow still knitted together. 

“R-right, sure thing. Thanks…?” she managed in her confusion.

Virgil said nothing as he entered and walked past Blomma. He set a wrapped up parcel on the counter. 

“Sourdough. Break it, if you will. Or butter. Whichever,” he blandly explained before walking off to look for where Tofu was staying. 

“St-straight on from the stairs, through the first door, then the second door on the right,” Blomma called after him as she stared at the bread in confusion.

Virgil continued on as instructed. He reached out to knock on said door, only for it to open before his hand could make contact.

Miyu nearly jumped several feet back. 

Virgil gave them a blank look, then squeezed past them to step inside.

“Yeah, that’s fine, you can come in – how nice of you to ask,” Miyu called out sarcastically. Rather than stepping out, they leaned up against the wall to monitor as Virgil went to approach Tofu. 

At Miyu’s response to the visitor, Tofu looked over to see Virgil. He furrowed his brow, but pushed himself to sit up regardless, wincing heavily as he did so. 

“You…are the last visitor I would have expected,” he managed, offering a tense but well meaning smile.

“It is not a very long waitlist. I was certain that you were aware of the fact that outside of your family, you don’t have many who would venture to visit you to see your condition. At least… not many with the best intentions. I presume it’s fair to say I am not the last person you expect to see,” Virgil frankly responded. From the corner of his eye, he noticed the aggravated flicking of a tail, but paid no attention to it. “Albeit, I’ll admit that this is something beyond my comfort zone. But considering the severity of your condition, it mayhaps would be unwise to be the last person to visit.” 

Virgil’s eyes narrowed a fraction as he examined Tofu. He stepped a bit closer to the foot of the bed.

“You look terrible. And this is after healing magics have been utilized, hm?”

Tofu looked away sheepishly. "I suppose there's no waitlist at all, huh?" he murmured before clearing his throat. "Healing magic, uh… doesn't go well with me so…" 

As if on cue, a slight pain flared up briefly, bringing a slight wince across his features as he pressed a hand to his chest; it wasn't bad this time, but the small episodes were generally a prelude to a bigger one on the horizon. He certainly hoped Virgil concluded his business before then… The elezen was the last non-enemy person he wanted to witness the extent of his condition. 

“I’m aware. But with the extent of your injuries, I presumed that some sacrifices were made.” Tofu’s grimace wasn’t missed by him, nor was it for Miyu. Virgil heard hasty footsteps behind him out the door as Miyu went to retrieve something. 

“Your guards are gone. Briefly, I presume. Do you intend on doing anything foolish?” Virgil spoke dryly, despite how he was only making a light jest. He opened up the basket, taking out what appeared to be a target, with several darts affixed to it in a small baggy.

“If you do survive this, don’t let it be that your skills rot in lieu of your body. Hang this up in here, and perhaps you can still proceed with some form of training while you are bound to bed rest,” Virgil suggested, placing the board down for Tofu to look over. 

“You think me so weak that a simple scratch is enough to undo me?” Tofu remarked flatly, turning his gaze away almost carelessly. “I’ve had worse and survived, though your concern is…surprising, and appreciated?” 

His words were immediately undermined by a more intense flare up. He clamped one hand over his mouth to minimize the amount of blood that hit the blankets, but several drying spots indicated this was not the first episode of the day, nor would it be the last. His other gripped the fabric of his shirt over his chest tightly. He had managed to bite back a cry of pain this time, though his breaths still came out ragged as he tried and failed to not react to the intense pain. After it subsided, he cracked a weak smile at Virgil. 

“Let’s…keep that one between us, yeah?” he said sheepishly as he grabbed an already bloodied rag off the edge of the bed, beside the pillows, making sure to wipe as much blood off his hand and face as he could before Miyu returned. 

Virgil’s expression didn’t shift, though he gave a little tilt of his head and leaned down to get a closer look at Tofu as a more severe episode took hold of him.

“Not nearly so. But recognition of magic applied to others is among one of the more rudimentary principles for casters,” Virgil matter-of-factly responded. He eyed the bloodied rag, noting all the splotches of both fresh and old blood. “But if there was a chance of someone to get you now… scratch or not… that would be enough to undo you. You are not invincible, and it's foolish to act as such. Do carry on as you wish, but to whom does your behavior benefit? Because it's not you.” 

Virgil’s head tilted in the other direction, a nondescript hum sounding from him.

“I have no intention to. They’ll all see this again anyways. Your efforts to hide it are, frankly, a waste of energy. You have people eager to help you, I suggest accepting it in your condition.”

“I-it’s not to hide it, or to not accept help. I just…want to minimize the worry, at least a little, or as much as I can,” Tofu said softly, nearly a whisper, though he still didn’t look over at Virgil.

“Nonsense. People who love will worry either way. If that is really your goal, you’d break it off now and go far away,” Virgil remarked rather coldly. “If anything, your feats to protect all of them at the expense of your own being could perhaps even be cruel. And you care for them, so you should drop it, save if you are to leave.”

Tofu’s hands clenched into fists in his lap, tightening at each word. 

“I just need to be stronger. Just need to be faster, so that I can protect them better… If I run away, I can’t protect them. I am looking for a balance between protecting them and minimizing their worry,” he said, jaw tense. “But right now, I’m not strong enough. I need to be better.”

Virgil grabbed Tofu by the collar, shaking him as he pulled him up closer. Tofu winced as the motion jostled his injury.

“I am dying, Tofu. Rotting. My being rips apart day by day in increments. For the sake of becoming better. Is that what you wish to do? Because you will be just like me. Look at me and see what your future will be,” he hissed into Tofu’s face. “I-”

Virgil was cut off as something hard and cold smacked his cheek. 

“What in hells is wrong with you? Back up now,” Miyu snarled, already flinging another ice cube from the bowl in Virgil’s direction. 

With a narrow of his eyes, Virgil let go and took a step back. Miyu briskly walked over, squeezing in between Virgil and Tofu. 

“Mere chatter. I was just about to leave.”

"Wait, before you go…" Tofu picked up the small bell Ro had left on the pillow he wasn't using and rang it almost gently. With a flurry of sparks and a flash of bright light, Daen Lad twirled into the space between Tofu and Virgil. 

"Oh, ew, the stinky aether man is here-"

"Don't start, Daen Lad, please. Can I ask you to retrieve what I had you hold for me?" Tofu asked, his tone more patient than Virgil probably deserved. 

Daen Lad huffed and crossed their arms, stubbornly turning away from Virgil and snapping their fingers before returning to their crossed arms stance. A book dropped into Tofu's waiting hands. He lifted the book slightly, then looked at Virgil with an even gaze, holding out the book properly. 

"I'll take your words into consideration. Rest assured I do not intend to go so far as to fall apart or lose myself in the process. It is a simple matter of training, nothing extreme. I, uh, didn't plan to give this back, but… Something in you has shifted. It led you here, in this moment, with no ill intent. So…sorry for lying about it being gone," he said, his expression neutral with a bit of softness around his eyes. 

Virgil shot Tofu a pointed look when his book appeared.

“Procured straight from the fireplace, hm?” Virgil grumbled, unenthused. He gave a curt nod at Tofu’s words, also taking them into consideration. Virgil tucked his book into an inner pocket of his jacket and turned to leave. Daen Lad stuck their tongue out at Virgil before twirling and disappearing in a shower of lights.

"Understand, you were a threat until things got hectic," Tofu said evenly. 

“I am aware. Your biggest threat right now is yourself,” Virgil dryly joked back in response.

Miyu only stared, uncertain if he was joking, and not just egging Tofu on more. They reluctantly sat down beside Tofu, wetting a cold rag and holding it to the side of his neck to cool him down as they continued to side eye Virgil.

“Well, I’ll be off. Good luck caring for your ward, you will need it,” Virgil called out over his shoulder as he exited.

"See ya, do try to stay out of any more chests, yeah?" Tofu called back, going with the poorly indicated jest.

Miyu stared in confusion. 

“That… that was weird, right?” Miyu mumbled, briefly questioning if they were going insane while they dampened the rag again before they dabbed it against Tofu’s temple. “So what was that all about?” 

Tofu shrugged. "Weird that he came to see me, yeah. Maybe he started to suspect that I still had his book after all?" he said with a tilt of his head. "After all, he had a point. There's not exactly a waitlist to check on me." 

“Or maybe he has a little crush on you now, and he’s just being a weirdo about it. Either way, I hope applications are closed,” Miyu grumbled. Tofu rolled his eyes and shook his head at the thought.

A faint scowl formed across their features as the words of Tofu’s last statement sunk in. With their free hand, they gently tilted his face in their direction with a single finger. 

“Not everyone has the fortune of seeing a rare gem. That is what makes it a treasure. Part of what makes you a treasure,” they insisted, sternly. Their stare held, only to be interrupted upon a glimpse of speckles of blood on Tofu’s shirt. Their hand lowered, smoothing out the shirt as they examined it to see if it was really fresh blood. 

Tofu didn't have time to blush before he realized they had noticed the blood. There was a soft 'ah, fuck' as he looked away again before he plastered a smile on his face and brought his eyes back to them 

"It wasn't that bad," he murmured gently.

Miyu brushed their fingertips against his cheek. 

“I’m sorry. I should have been faster to help,” they quietly apologized with a kiss to his temple. They reached out for the nearby talismans they had retrieved in preparation, in case another swell came. There was a pause, Miyu freezing as a memory of healing following the events on the ship struck them. 

“It’s fine, it’s far from the worst condition I’ve ever been in,” he said, his smile taking on a more soft edge. 

He couldn’t tell what they were thinking, just that they were distressed about it, and did the only thing he could think to do; he placed his hand on their far cheek and gently leaned them towards him so that he could place his lips softly on their forehead. The motion still felt foreign to him, but he wanted to start trying, for Miyu, and for Kore, to return their affections.

Miyu’s eyes softened, their tense limbs relaxing as they leaned in towards him. A faint smile tugged at their lips.

“Hey. It’s my job to distract you, not the other way around.”

[utilitycaster]

i saw a comment on reddit about what previous villains may return as result of magic prisons dispelling, like Trent or Vecna. And it got me thinking I prefer C2's separation from C1. While bringing 3 campaigns together is fun. With the Mighty Nein, Keyleth, J'mon, Vax and everyone involved it feels like Bell's Hells are a tiny cog in the wheel, not the heroes? Which is realistic. But (bar Imogen and Orym) it doesn't feel like their story anymore? They keep asking 'why us' and I don't know either

So I'm going to just state that I dislike and don't use Reddit as a platform anyway and have specific reasons to mistrust the CR Reddit's rules and moderation. I take any comment made on the Reddit with an entire shaker of salt and would advise people to just not look at it, because I don't think worthwhile discussion is encouraged there.

On the one hand, "why us" is at some point a question most D&D groups ask (and that does include Vox Machina and the Mighty Nein). This is such a massive undertaking that any one group or individual cannot just fix it, and significant and powerful NPCs are a normal part of the game even for past campaigns; J'mon couldn't fix all of Vox Machina's problems so there's no reason to believe they can fix Bells Hells' problems either. Bells Hells are a small cog right now, but missing a small cog will still entirely stop the gears from turning properly.

It's fair to say that because of the setup of this campaign, that sense of "why us" is heightened: most campaigns would probably either build up to the events of episode 51 as the final boss battle, or alternately introduce it very early, before the party can do much about it at all, as something they will build up to solving. Having it as the party hit mid-levels and when they were extremely involved in the lead-up, sometimes at the cost of character development/party meshing is admittedly tricky, and I've said before, the lead-in suffered at times. But that doesn't mean it's not their story. I have had my frustrations, and to be clear if we spend a protracted amount of time in Zephrah I will not be a fan of that specific decision, but since the solstice it has finally, to me, felt like they've been properly in the driver's seat.

I'd also add that my takeaway for quite some time from this campaign has been the theme that imperfect but thoughtful action nearly always is far superior to unrealized perfect ideology. "Why us" isn't really a question they need to answer. Who cares why. It is them, so it's time to shoulder that responsibility. Honestly it's when someone like Ludinus says "yes, it should be me" that we get problems. Had he perhaps looked at all of the things he claims are problems, after serving in positions of power within two separate major governments, and made an effort to actually fix them in real time rather than developing a centuries-long master plan involving draining the life out of various fey creatures, and blowing up the moon we might not be having these problems.

I do still prefer the Mighty Nein as a campaign for a number of reasons, and I still believe that a lot of what I found rough in the earlier campaign would have been improved by, if not the same limitations of the Nein, at least a similarly well-informed character creation process. But that's not something that can really be addressed now, and the appearance of, say, J'mon Sa'Ord is a nonissue entirely unrelated to that.

This is not the first question I've gotten in this vein recently so I'm going to repeat a bit more clearly: I respect people finding that this campaign isn't for them, and as all the above outlines I have had my own issues. However, this is something you should be talking about on your own blog and not my inbox. I probably will answer some, especially if I see a hook to talk about my thoughts, but I'm not going to be terribly validating to you if that's what you're looking for, and I'm not really a good person to vent to if that's all you want.

[queen-of-writing-bad-things]

Henry Danger Reader Insert | Captain Man x Reader: SEASON 3

Episode 9: Double Date Danger

~In the Man Cave~

Well, Miss Shapen sure knew how to pull numbers on people. Because she was a crazy cat-lady and just an all-round weirdo, Henry's teacher had badgered him into letting her attractive niece, Noelle stay at his house because the girl was allergic to cats (of which Miss Shapen had many) and nuts. This all would've been fine normally, Henry was perfectly happy to have a pretty girl stay in his house, where he'd be free to woo her, but Jasper wanted in on the deal. He didn't see why it was fair for his best friend to have all the ladies and for him to be left as a sad, lonely loser.  

Of course, the best friends rarely fell out, they had been through so much together, but if there's one thing that can get teenage boys to argue, it's a girl; one they both want, but both can't have and as such, Henry and Jasper had been arguing from the left moment they left school and arrived at the Man Cave.

"You know I'm right," Jasper whined at Henry as they and Charlotte stepped out of the elevator. The poor girl had been in the middle of the bickering for way too long and just wanted to sip her soda in peace. The boys were so loud and rambunctious, it drew the attention of the Man Cave's resident love birds, who were more than happy to talk about all the mushy stuff of relationships.

"Yeah, I know you're annoying me." Henry snapped back as the kids dumped their bags around the place and (y/n) nudged Ray when she picked up on the new tension in their home. 

"Come on, you pushed my last girlfriend out of a window." Jasper recounted, the memory of Henry shoving Courtney the nutter through Charlotte's bedroom window because she nearly killed them all.

"Only because she was chasing Charlotte and (y/n) with a power tool!" Henry defended himself, not seeing why Jasper was still hung up about that psychopath. She was hardly a girlfriend, more like a jealous, rampaging lunatic who nearly committed mass murder.

"They're fighting, sort it out." (y/n) whispered to Ray and gently pushed him in the direction of the quarrelling boys. She was backup, but Ray was the boss so it made more sense that he stepped in first.

"All right, all right...What's this back-n-forth banter about?" The superhero asked the boys as he and his girlfriend sauntered up to them, her wrapping her arms around his waist as he looked between both his sidekick and shop assistant.

"Okay, when two guys are buddies, like the same girl, which guy gets her?" Jasper asked his boss, thinking that he was a guy too, he had guy problems, surely he'd be able to help them. He had a girlfriend, plus lots of other experience they wouldn't mention, he could probably write a self-help book.

"Yeah, which guy gets her?" Henry added, looking at Ray with the same eagerness, but neither girl in the room was particularly happy about their word choice.

"Hang on a minute, "gets her"? That's a bit medieval, don't you think?" (y/n) butted in, not liking how they were essentially designating women as property claimed by men. That was some prehistoric bullshit; sure, she liked it when Ray provided for her and protected her, it was her cavewoman DNA speaking, but that didn't mean she belonged to him. Not in that sense.

"Oh, I think they mean, like, which guy obtains her." Ray clarified, thinking that a synonym would make things clearer, but it just resulted in (y/n) and Charlotte shaking their heads.

"Yeah, like gets to have her," Jasper added, seeing nothing wrong with how they were speaking. and it seemed like Henry was on their wavelength.

"Mmm-hmmm, for his own." He nodded, making the girls frown. Had they gone back in time thirty years? 

"You guys! Miss Shapen's niece is a person. She's not yours to get or have. She's not the last half of the sandwich." Charlotte explained in terms they'd understand, but it still didn't go in. Obviously, Henry and Jasper had skipped the class on gender equality.

"What's she saying?" Jasper hissed to Henry, who tried to give him an answer, but honestly, he had no clue what their friend was driving at and now, all he could think about was sandwiches.

"I'm saying, you should both ask her out and maybe let Noelle decide which one of you she wants to go out with," Charlotte rolled her eyes when all three boys started to laugh at her suggestion and (y/n) put her hand on her hips. Was this some dumb guy thing that she didn't get? She thought Ray was less of a jerk than this, but he still knew how to surprise her.

"Raymond..." She said in a low, warning tone and the laughter and amused scoffs soon died down when the three noticed one woman scowling and one girl smirking. 

"What? Are you guys afraid to ask Noelle which one of you she wants to go out with?" Charlotte's lips wobbled as she tried to stop herself from smiling at the boys' reaction. She was bang on with her assumption and they sure as hell didn't like being called out for the cowardly behaviour.

"Pfft, yeah right. More like not afraid"

"No, I doubt it...I fear no man." Henry and Jasper shrugged off the blatantly correct statement from Charlotte as Ray was suddenly distracted by his phone. He had dinner reservations booked and he wasn't going to mess this one up. She deserved a proper night out and he was going to give her one, even if it killed him.

"Oh my god, you two are terrible. You should ask the Shapen girl out and feel happy for whoever she says yes to, or support each other if she both turns you down." (y/n) told the boys, who bit their lips at the third possibility. It hadn't crossed their minds that Noelle might refuse both of them, but hey, they'd take their chances.

"Hey, I just don't want you to be upset when Noelle chooses to take the J-train," Jasper smirked at his best friend and gestured to himself as he said the odd nickname for himself. Charlotte didn't want to hear anymore, leaving (y/n) to stay loitering around the two as they continued to argue.

"Uh, okay. Well, the only thing more powerful than the J-train is...the H-bomb." Henry bragged and cooly adjusted his sweater as he breezed past the boy and the young woman snorted. She had to take a step back so they wouldn't hear her giggling at their ridiculous names and she found herself wandering over to Ray as she chuckled.

"I'm sorry, H-bomb, but here come da J-train. Chugga-chugga, chugga-chugga, choo-choo!" Jasper pretended to be a train and got up in Henry's face as they began to attempt to outdo each other with their "coolness". Ray was forced into the corner with his girl in his arms as the boys continued to childishly make bomb and train noises, but he wouldn't let her see the restaurant booking on his phone. He wanted it to be a surprise.

"Chugga-chugga choo-choo!"

"Boom! Bam!" Jasper and Henry paced around the floor loudly and everyone waited for them to calm down, but it just wasn't happening. This was a pretty girl they were fighting over and they were desperate to be the one who got to take her out. Still, it was. nothing a good old-fashioned gun blast to the face couldn't solve and Charlotte was ready to fire.

~The next day~

That Noelle bitch. Well, she wasn't a bitch, not really. Henry was angry and bitter and jealous, all the emotions that a boy feels when the girl they were crushing on chooses their best friend because "she liked his smile". Yep, that's right, the dapper, boyish Henry Hart had been beaten by Jasper Dunlop in charming Noelle into a date.

He just couldn't believe it, girls never rejected him, not over Jasper anyway. Sure, the boy wasn't bad-looking, but Henry certainly had a certain appeal that ladies liked, but not Noelle. She had chosen Jasper for his quirkiness and unattainable charm, which left Henry sulking in the Man Cave with (y/n)'s arm around him as she and Ray did their best to help him through this "difficult time". He should've been happy for Jasper, the kid who never got any girls, but he couldn't help it. Noelle was so pretty...

It wasn't all bad though, Jasper had fallen headfirst into a compromise with Piper, some boy she liked and Mr and Mrs Hart. Something about the teens supervising the kids on a double date, meaning what was originally a sweet, romantic meal for two, was now going to be an awkward chow time for four. Every cloud has a silver lining. 

"There'll be other girls." (y/n) told Henry in an attempt to comfort him, but all the boy wanted to do was sit in a slump and mope. 

"Not like her." He mumbled and focused on messing about with a clackers toy he'd found lying about. He barely knew the girl, but rejection is a hard pill to swallow and it left the poor kid with a hole in his heart. It had been so long since his last date that the idea of having one in his grasp was exhilarating, but then having it so cruelly torn away was agony.

"Hey...what you doin'?" Ray asked as he came over with an iced frappuccino and sat down next to his girl so he could interrupt their little moment. He was terrible at giving any emotional support, but it pained him to see his usually plucky sidekick so down.

"I don't wanna talk about it," Henry grumbled grumpily and stared at his hands as both adults looked at him. This would pass, he'd realise that there were plenty more fish in the sea and if Noelle fancied Jasper then he would be happy for them, but he needed a bit of time first.

"He's putting because Noelle wanted to go out with the J-train and not the H-bomb," Charlotte revealed from her seat at the supercomputer, not giving a shit if it hurt Henry's stung pride. It sounded ridiculous out loud, but Henry was still bitter.

"I said, I don't wanna talk about it, so let's not talk about it, all right? Gahhh..." He replied in a flat tone, wishing they'd all just leave him alone to mope. Well, (y/n) could stay, she was the nicest out of the three and would soon figure out a strategy for getting him to perk up. The boy stood up from the ledge where they had been sitting and stomped across the room moodily and Ray saw that he'd have to handle this delicately.

"Okay...okay. So, where'd Jasper take her for dinner?" Ray smirked, deciding to just rip the bandaid off and get to the juicy information, even though Henry's wounds were still unhealed. Delicate? Yeah, right, like he knew what that meant.

"Oh, I don't know." Henry rolled his eyes and marched off angrily, showing that underneath all that mature, superhero stuff, he was still a teenager and prone to emotional outbursts. 

"Ray!...give me that!" (y/n) hissed to her boyfriend, not liking how he ignored Henry's sadness and just poured more salt into his wounds. Seeing no other fit punishment, she swiped his cold drink and claimed for herself by taking a long slurp from the straw. The brain-freeze made her eyelids flutter, but it was worth it when he snuggled up to her to win back her affection and his frappucino, 

"Oh, I think it's some new restaurant called, The Basement," Charlotte answered, momentarily looking up from her PearPad so she could answer Ray's question.

"The Basement?" The man said, trying to act as though he had never heard of it even though it was coincidentally the precise place he'd chosen for his and (y/n)'s little dinner date. It looked classy but cool and he just wanted to give his girl a night off, where they could just be alone and spend some time together,

"Where's that?" Henry asked and he had genuinely not heard of it. He wasn't in the habit of checking up on every restaurant that opened in the city, especially when his crush was being wooed there.

"Noelle found it. She said it's supposed to have amazing seafood." Charlotte shrugged, making (y/n)'s eyes light up. Now that sounded like her kind of place.

"Oooh, can we go there? Please?" She turned to her boyfriend excitedly, making him chuckle at how excited she got. If only she knew that he was one step ahead of her and dying to see her grin when he revealed his secret.

"Maybe, sweet girl." He mumbled and bent down to kiss her sweetly before she could ask anything else. She accepted it hungrily and didn't notice how he was coyly playing hard to get just so the surprise would last until the very last minute.

"Wow, amazing seafood, I sure hope Jasper doesn't choke on a shrimp." Henry pouted even more at the young woman's enthusiasm and the fact that she was happily in a relationship like him and it made him grumpily flop down on the couch. Stupid girls, they always left him lonely.

"Now, come on, Hen. You know you don't mean that." (y/n) told the boy, who deep down, knew was right. Jasper was his bud and he'd hate for anything to happen to him, shrimp-related or not. It was just his anger speaking.

"Hey, you know what'll cheer up a teenage pouty-pants?" Ray smiled and leaned on the back of the couch so he could glance over Henry's shoulder. Here came Captain Counsellor and all his divine wisdom for a frowny boy.

"What?" Henry grumbled, not feeling like doing anything apart from sitting glumly or finding solace under his bedsheets and it wasn't like Ray could offer that or anything helpful at all.

"Cleanin' the boss's bathroom." Ray smiled, making (y/n) fo a double-take. He had a way with children and his lack of an ability to read the room was astounding to her. Also, why the bathroom? She could swear it was clean.

"I don't think that---" Henry tried to tell him to fuck off in a polite way, but no. matter how hard he tried, Ray needed someone to scrub his toilet and he couldn't bear to watch Henry sit around doing nothing any longer.

"I'm serious," Ray told him and pulled a blue toilet brush from his back pocket. How he had been hiding it was anyone's guess and Henry told him where to go by accepting the brush and then promptly throwing it to the far side of the room. Yeah, like he was cleaning the floors all day.

"Would you prefer this pink one?" The boss smiled and held out a second toilet brush. He'd had a feeling that Henry would say no and dispose of the other one, so he grabbed a spare just in case.

"Ray, I cleaned the bathroom yesterday. How can it be dirty already?" (y/n) asked her boyfriend, seizing the brush from his hands and dumping it on the couch. Seriously, what had he been doing in there? She wanted an answer, but she'd have to wait to get one because right on cue, the emergency alarm started to ring.

"Uh-oh," Charlotte said and began to tap away on the computer keyboard to figure out what was going on.

"What's up?" Ray asked, snapping into action and dashing over to look at the monitor with (y/n) behind him. Henry chose to remain on the couch, it was nicer there anyway.

"Emergency. Looks like...it's a video from Swellview Police." Charlotte answered and pulled up the clip for the superheroes to watch.

"Captain Man, Miss Danger, Kid Danger, listen. We just found a kid lying in this alley and his teeth are all gone. But, uh my partner and I need to go 'cause we gotta go take our wives to see that new show, Mamma Mia? So, we're gonna leave the kid with no teeth here, lying in the alley. Bye!" Ray frowned at (y/n) and (y/n) frowned at Ray, how could those bozos leave that kid alone in an alley?

"What? That's it?" The young woman facepalmed but accepted that they were going to have to go out. Someone needed to help and as Swellview's greatest crime fighters, it fell to them.

"Mamma Mia! Why do the Swellview cops always dump everything on me, (y/n) and Henry? That's not fair!" Ray whined in frustration, wishing that just once, the police would be responsible and do their jobs. 

"Oh, let's just go. At least it's something to do." Henry sighed and moodily got to his feet so he could chew a gumball and transform. Well, this was going to be a fun night if his mood was this crappy.

"Fine, whatever. Charlotte, if you get bored here, there's a toilet up in my bathroom that could really use a good scrubbing—" Ray smiled at the young girl charmingly, hoping that someone would clean up his mess whilst they were out, but Charlotte wasn't about to do that. She picked up her trusty blaster and disintegrated the pink toilet brush out of Ray's palm.

"Look, doofus. Christ knows what you've done in there, but I'll clean it up when we get back." (y/n) told her pouty boyfriend, who was suddenly missing the brush that was now particles in the air. He didn't want her to clean up though, he was hoping that if this toothless kid thing wrapped up quickly, they'd still have time to make their reservations. Being a superhero was tough, especially when it made getting dinner so tough.

~In the alley~

"Hey! Hey, over here!" Henry yelled to Ray and (y/n) as they searched the back alley that the police had left. It would've been nice to know where to look, but as usual, the cops had scarpered before the superheroes could ask for any finer details. No matter, the couple had ice cream cones to keep them occupied and with Henry's sharp eye, it didn't take long for them to come across some poor kid laying facedown on the concrete.

"You wake him up." Ray nudged (y/n), who looked at him mid-lick of her ice cream with wide eyes. He was the boss, why couldn't help wake up the kid?

"Wha—? Why me?" She mumbled, trying not to let her ice cream drip as she analysed the boy. He could be a mad strangler or something, she didn't want to piss him off.

"Because you're beautiful, kind and good with children." Ray smiled at her sweetly and she blushed at his words. He really knew how to butter her up and she cupped her cheeks to press a kiss to his lips for being so cute, but...

"Oh my god, just wake him up." Henry groaned, not impressed with how even in a dirty, trash-filled alley, they were still able to be all kissy and cuddly. Seriously, they had a job to do and they could be gross later.

"All right, all right, geez...Hey, 'scuse me, kid. Wake up. Come on, it's time to wake up..." She knelt in front of the boy and gently shook his shoulder, causing his bloodshot eyes to snap open and his hands to instinctively grasp at her throat. He must have thought he was under attack again and squeezed hard as his fear clouded his vision.

"Okay, okay. Take it easy, please. I can't breathe." The woman gasped and felt for Ray's knee as she struggled for air. For such a scrawny kid, this guy had a strong grip. Seeing that she needed help, Ray used skilled fingers and a little bit of muscle to prise the boy's fingers away from his girlfriend's throat and reassured him that they were here to take any more of his teeth.

"Hey, hey, it's all right. Can you get on your feet? There you go..." Henry and Ray each grabbed one of the boy's hands and pulled him up, making him blink as the shapes of Captain Man and Kid Danger became clearer. Miss Danger stumbled onto her feet too, mourning the loss of her ice cream that was now on the ground. Oh well, at least she could breathe now.

"I'm Captain Man," Ray told the kid in his superhero voice, making Henry roll his eyes. Everyone in the city knew who he was, why did he do that every time?

"You don't have to introduce yourself." The sidekick lectured his boss, who ignored his tetchy attitude. Just because he was in a bad mood didn't mean he had to rub it off onto everyone else.

"What's your name?" (y/n) asked the boy calmly, ignoring her bickering boyfriend and fellow sidekick. This boy looked traumatised and when he tried to reply, all he could say was a garbled noise. 

"Son, what happened to you?" Ray questioned him further, thinking that the kid just had a weird name, although anyone who names their child "Mowhaleshma" is evil. Again, the boy tried to explain his situation, but all he could do was a gurgle and wildly wave his hands around like a madman.

"Ahhh...okay, we're not gonna be able to understand this freak." Ray put his arm around Henry and the two turned their backs on the boy so they could think of a plan. Giving the confused kid a small smile, (y/n) trotted over to them no plucked the ice cream cone from Ray's hand, intent on stealing his iced dessert for the second time that day.

"He's not a freak, he just can't talk with no teeth. They're really important for being able to speak properly." The young woman told her boyfriend and ran her tongue over the strawberry goodness of his ice cream. He frowned as she ate was should've been his, but he didn't care. Yeah, he loved ice cream, but he loved her more and seeing her so happy was even better than having it to himself.

"Yeah, I guess you're right, sweet girl." Ray sighed and just as he was thinking about what to do, two elderly men came shuffling down the alley. Hmmm, old people...they might have some teeth they could borrow. It would be beyond gross, but if it worked, who cares?

"Be right back." the large man told his sidekicks, who looked at him puzzled when he placed a soft kiss to (y/n)'s cheek and then walked off, intent on nabbing some grandpa teeth for their new friend.

"Gentlemen! Just a second, fellas...I notice you're both old, so...do either of you by any chance have false teeth?" Ray asked them with a pleasant smile, only for his friendly greeting to fall flat when the old men sighed grumpily. 

"What? What I'd say?" Captain Man looked between the glowering grandpas, who weren't best pleased with him making them as old, toothless codgers, who were societal rejects. He would be old one day too, not that he liked the notion, and they thought he should've been more respectful to Swellview's senior citizens.

"Thinking that all old people have false teeth is a stereotype, okay? And we don't like stereotypes." One of the grouchy old men snapped, making Ray cringe. Geez, someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.

"Okay, but...do either of you wear false teeth?" The superhero asked tentatively, hoping not to aggravate them even more. He just really needed some and then they could help the gummy-looking boy.

"Yes, we both do." The old man sighed, feeling annoyed that the irritating stereotype was proven to be true in the case of him and his friend. 

"I see. Well, on my authority as Captain Man, I need to borrow your false teeth." Ray commanded the men, who surprising volunteered to give them up quite easily. Not quite the struggle Ray was expecting but at least it made (y/n) weak in the knees when she heard his powerful voice.

"Thanks." The large man grimaced when a pair of slimy, warm dentures were placed into his outstretched palm and he was so grateful at the wore gloves. God, false teeth are so gross.

"Okay, son. Open your mouth and I'll try to get these in...Don't fight it." Ray stalked towards the terrified boy and started to force the grandpa's teeth into his mouth. The kid was gagging at the thought of sharing some old dude's teeth, but Captain Man was so much stronger, so he just had to take it.

"On behalf of Captain Man, may I apologise for...all of this." (y/n) chuckled nervously as the boy finally let the teeth slide over his sore gums and Ray relented.

"All right, try to tell us your name." The superhero told the kid and after getting used to the acrid taste in his mouth, he began to timidly speak.

"I'm--I'm Sebastian." He replied, everything making sense now. So that's what he was trying to say, Sebastian.

"Ohhhhh, Sebastian!" Henry realised and nodded along with Ray, both of them thinking that boy had been saying Samantha or some shit. Dummies.

"So what happened?" Henry moved on to the next question swiftly when he remembered that there was a dazed and confused child in front of him.

"Well, uh, I met this girl...and she asked me out to dinner, but then she took me to this place called...The Basement." Sebastian recalled, making Ray's heart stop when the restaurant's name was mentioned. Screw Jasper being there, he was more worried about where he could take (y/n) for dinner.

"The Basement? Wait, wait, that's where Noelle took...took you-know-who to dinner!" Henry gasped and looked at the worried couple urgently. Oh god, suddenly his gut was giving a very different feeling about Noelle and it wasn't a good one.

"Voldemort?" (y/n) giggled nervously, trying to make herself feel better with a little humour, but it didn't work. 

"Noelle! That was the girl's name!" Sebastian exclaimed, making their worst fears come true. Looks like behind that pretty face, Noelle was a bitch after all. Go figure.

"Look, kid, do you remember anything or anyone from this um...basement place?" (y/n) asked, grabbing Seb's elbows so he'd look into her eyes and see how she needed this information stat. Jasper had booked himself, Piper and Piper's crush into a madhouse by the sounds of it.

"No...Wait, yeah! There was a man, she called him...Drill Finger!" Sebastian took a moment to remember the evil name, but when he did, the revelation made the superheroes gasp.

"Drill Finger!" Ray grabbed hold of Henry's costume tightly and curled a protective arm around (y/n)'s waist. Of course, that crazed dentist would be behind this had his fingerprints and drill holes all over it.

"Oh my god." Henry paled and noticed how tightly his boss was clinging to his girlfriend suddenly. He wouldn't let her go, would he? Sure, there was no stopping her, but he hated to put her in danger and with Drill Finger involved, there was going to be peril. Lots and lots of peril.

~

Well, The Basement was disgusting. Not as disgusting as the alley, but pretty gross. It was dark and smelly, the perfect place for a villain to have his heinous setup, but not really this place to have a classy restaurant. How anyone dined here blew (y/n)'s mind.

"This place is so creepy." She shuddered and stuck close to her boyfriend's side as they crept through the creaking hallways. It sounded like the party was going on in the basement (well, duh, that's what it was called), so that's where they were headed. All they needed to do was avoid the elderlies stalking the place out.

"Yeah, who would ever come here?" Henry wrinkled his nose at the smell of damp in the air and the fading, outdated wallpaper. It looked like his grandma's house in a horror movie, not like the fine-dining experience Jasper had described, but hey, maybe that was his idea of a good night out.

"I know right, only idiots would." Ray laughed dryly in an attempt to cover up the fact that he was an idiot and he had tried to take his girlfriend to this shithole. Thank God he didn't, otherwise, they would've ended up like Sebastian, or escorting a load of criminals to the county jail, one of the two.

"Right..." (y/n) looked at him with suspicion and wondered why he was acting shifty all of a sudden. The colour was draining from his face and she was certain that if she removed one of his gloves, she'd find his palms to be sweaty. Highly suspect, indeed.

"I mean, I would never book a table for two here this evening, I'd have to be mad, right?" The superhero rambled, letting the truth out before it ate him up from the inside out. He had tried his best and had failed, but seeing that made (y/n) smile all the same.

"Wait, you made a reservation here? For us?" She asked in a shocked yet mirthful voice as her eyes lit up at the thought of going out with him. They'd had dinner before when they were still completely clueless as to each other's feelings and on little runs to the ice cream parlour down the street, but that didn't count. A nice, calm sit-down meal with the pair of them dressed to the nines, now that sounded like heaven, as long as it wasn't in the Addams Family's house.

"Well, yeah, but now we can't go 'cause Drill Finger runs this place. And I'm too fond of your smile to let him have it." He couldn't help the lovesick comment at the end. It made Henry gag and tiptoe faster, but (y/n)? Well, she was smitten, through and through; the effort was good enough and even though a date would be nice, just knowing that he cared was enough.

"You're so cute, doofus. I love you." The young woman grinned at him and threw her arms around his shoulders, making the couple stop for a moment just before they descended the dark stairs to the basement. Henry looked over his shoulder to see Ray tilting his forehead against (y/n)'s and decided to just wait for them at the bottom. He definitely didn't want to see them making out, he'd had enough of love for one day.

"I love you too, sweet girl." Ray smiled against his girl's lips as they met for a gentle kiss, both of them not caring about their location or whether or not time was on their side. Just one kiss, that's all they wanted. The superhero tilted his head to the side and gently bit her lip to get her to part even further, which allowed him to explore the depths of her honey taste. The whimper she released was greedily swallowed by him and he tried to push her against the wall, but a delicate hand on his chest pushed him back.

"Want you." He mumbled against her lips and (y/n) breathily giggled when he tried to follow her lips as she pulled away. So needy, he was adorable.

"We have a job to do." She told him and placed one, final peck against his lips before leaving his embrace completely and jogging down the steps. Ray was left by himself to stroppily stamp his foot in frustration throw his head back so he could curse the god that forced such torture onto him. Still, he knew his girl was right and stomped after her, catching up to both his sidekicks as they approached a door.

"What took you two so long?" Henry questioned them, but he immediately regretted it. He did not want to know the gross details of what they did in their free time and was more than happy to just get to fighting the bad guys.

"Ray's hot, not my fault." (y/n) shrugged, laughing when Henry nearly doubled over in nausea. Gross, gross, gross! He was a teenage boy, not the kind of person who wanted to be on the receiving end of a young woman and her desires for her boyfriend.

"All right, all right, just kick the door down." Ray rolled his eyes at the teen's overreaction and decided that a suitable punishment was making him be the one to go busting shit down.

"Why me?" Henry gawped. He didn't have super strength, why did he have to be the one exerting himself? Sure, his best friend was in some serious danger on the other side of the door by the sounds of the screams, it was getting pretty intense in there, but come on!

"Because you're the one mouthing off. Just kick it in, it's not that hard." (y/n) encouraged him and stepped back so the sidekick would have room to swing his leg back. The screams were getting louder and more terrified and when combined with the whirring of a drill (no guess as to who that was), the three panicked even more.

"Hurry up!" (y/n) hissed and Henry saw that there was no time to lose. Pulling his leg back, he jammed his steel-toe boot into the wood, but shockingly, the door stayed intact. The same couldn't be said for Henry's big toe though, which was probably bruised or broken.

"Owwww! The door didn't even break!" He wailed, grabbing his aching foot with both hands so he could tenderly nurse it. Honestly, never work with children or animals and if you want something done, do it yourself.

"Then here, let me help you." Ray pushed Henry to the side, making the boy tumble into the mildew-stained wall as his lone foot lost balance. Looking up and down at the barrier in front of him, Ray's experienced eyes found the weak point he was looking for and he moved to strike.

"Wait, what are you do--" Too late. All that pent-up frustration in the man was released as he seized Henry and used his body as a battering ram so he could break through the door. Well, Henry was useful in a way, just not the way he was expecting.

"Holy shit..." (y/n) breathed out and dashed through the splintered hole so she could lean over the railing and see if Henry was okay. Ray followed behind her but was less concerned about the groaning boy on the floor below them. He'd be fine, hopefully.

"It's Captain Man, Miss Danger and Kid Danger!" Noelle cried in fear, but Piper was smiling instead. Her entire body was flooded with relief at the sight of the heroes, unlike the criminals, who were bricking it. One more minute and Drill Finger would've had their teeth lined up for some pensioners to claim for falsies.

"You threw me through the door!" Henry whinged at Ray, getting back to. his feet once the soreness had melted away. His toe was still painful but he could ignore that.

"Well, the past is the past." Ray shrugged and took a slurp of some soda that he had found lying around. Christ knows why he wanted to drink, but there was no time for questions, just well-planned quips and fighting.

"All right, Drill Finger." Ray turned to the villain and tossed the soda in the trash. God, he looked so hot when he was playing the hero and it made (y/n) whimper internally.

"What?" Drill Finger hissed, returning the glare under his mask, even though no one could see it. 

"I'm taking you downtown!" Ray growled and began to stalk towards his enemy, who was just as ready for a fight. He needed those damn teeth and he wasn't about to let Captain Man get in his way.

"No chance!" Drill Finger yelled and when Ray tried to grab the evil dentist's collar, he flipped the superhero's arm under his and made him lean back helplessly.

"Feel the finger!" Drill Finger yelled and Henry looked to (y/n) for help as his boss screamed at the sight of the drill spinning towards his chest. However, contrary to how Henry thought she would look, (y/n) wasn't worried, in fact, she was calmly checking her manicure. She knew Ray would be fine.

"What the--? It was turning before..." Ray's screams stopped when he remember one very important fact; he was Captain Man and Captain Man is indestructible. The drill caught in the sturdy material of his tunic and the criminal felt his stomach drop when the weapon jammed up and went kaput.

"You broke my drill finger!" The man snapped, clutching his iconic weapon with his other hand. Well, that sucked for him, but none of the heroes could bring themselves to care.

"Dude, he's indestructible, what did you expect?" (y/n) shrugged, glancing up from her nails when she realised that her boyfriend was still undrilled. Some villains were so dumb.

"Kid, toss me that thing!" Captain Man ordered his sidekick dramatically, but Henry wasn't picking up on his urgency or his need to look cool. Why couldn't he just reach over and grab it himself?

"Uh, okay, but it's right here--" Henry rolled his eyes and slowly grabbed the thing Ray was pointing at. It was a pair of scissors and the man knew just what to do with them.

"All right, Drill Finger, I'm no rabbi, but..." Ray quipped and held his enemy's hand firmly under his arm. Taking the scissors, he snipped the drill bit in half, leaving the dentist useless and harmless. With no drill on his finger, he didn't even have a name. Maybe weirdo dentist would suit him better now.

"Mazel tov." Ray released Drill FInger, who dropped to his knees from the loss of his greatest weapon. Damn Captain Man, he always knew how to hurt criminals where it stung the most.

"Yeah, from now on, you're just Finger." Henry mocked the man, who hated being in the position he was. How was he supposed to extract the teeth of children now?

"That's not as good!" Drill Finger whined, but Ray ignored him. Right now, he had three terrified kids to help and a load of elderlies to deal with.

"Kid, Miss Danger, you release those three, round up those elderlies and that evil teenage girl." The sidekicks got to work, (y/n) going to untie Jasper, Piper and her date, whilst Henry made a beeline for Noelle. Sure, she was evil, but she was still so pretty and you can't blame a guy for trying one last time.

"Stay right there and don't move," Henry ordered her, making her frown at the command. She wasn't going to do as she was told, she hated authority. 

"What if I have an itch?" She asked defiantly, testing. Henry's patience. Okay, yeah, he didn't fancy her anymore. Noelle had a bad attitude.

"You let it itch, you let it itch!" He hissed and left her to sulk so he could help (y/n) untie his sister and friend. She was working on the knots securing Piper to the dental chair, so he decided to help her date before Jasper. He could wait a little longer.

"Hey, can you untie me?" He asked Henry as he walked past, hoping that their friendship would help him get free first. His wrists were really cramping up.

"Why you?" Piper asked him in an offended tone, not seeing why her boyfriend had to be the one to suffer longer.

"Because I need my lip balm! My lips are getting drier by the minute!" Jasper exclaimed, making (y/n) giggle behind him. He had nearly lost his teeth and was still in the middle of an evil secret hideout, but that was what he was worried about? He had weird priorities.

"Here, kid, use my lip balm. It's strawberry paradise flavoured." (y/n) momentarily stopped untying her knot to pass Jasper her favourite, and Ray's, favourite lip balm. She always wore it for everyday use and it made her honeyed lips taste even sweeter.

"But I'll get your germs!" The curly-haired boy protested, not liking the idea of sharing even if it was a kind offer. Plus, he was a boy, he didn't want to have that pearlescent shine on his lips.

"Yeah, you're welcome." She smiled at him sarcastically, but whilst she had been busily bantering with him, she nor Henry had seen the senior citizens conspiring behind their backs. These young whippersnappers, they'd ruined their chances at strong, healthy teeth again and they were gonna pay. 

"And you are free--ow!" As (y/n) undid her hands, Henry untied Piper's feet, meaning neither of them saw two old people coming up behind their backs and whacking them with their zimmer frames. The two sidekicks fell to the floor from the blow and seeing that they were down, that's when the elderlies struck.

"Attack them!" An old woman cried and they swarmed. A whirl of beige pants, walking sticks and creaking bones descended onto Henry and (y/n), who suddenly found themselves amid a fight. It wasn't all bad though, yeah the smell was bad, but old people aren't exactly good fighters.

"Back off, granny!" (y/n) snapped and she and the boy next to her leapt to their feet so they could push the elderly crowd back. Henry thought old people were supposed to be nice, but obviously not.

"Stamp on his feet!" A frail voice cried out and an old man crushed his walking frame into Henry's toes, which were still hurting from kicking the door. Not wanting his feet to suffer anymore, Henry seized the frame and used it too. shove the elderly backwards and into the ledge. Piper cheered the kid on as he made the man's forehead collide with the railing. and when more old guys tried to beat Henry down with their walking sticks, (y/n) was there to back him up.

When a stick came down to hit him again, she jumped in ad stopped it with a strong grip, ripping it from the old man so she could whack him back and block the next blow. She beat the second man away from her and then grabbed his elbow so she could shove him into another oncoming elderly. The men fell on the floor in a groaning heap and it was about this time that Noelle started to get antsy. She needed an escape route and quick.

"Okay, ladies and gents, stop moving! Hitting old people sucks!" (y/n) shouted, but the bitterness ran too deep and the elderlies who still had some strength left carried on with their attack. Henry picked up two bundles of stuff from the ground and swung them into several attackers, watching them fall like dominoes as their delicate skin easily bruised. It wasn't nice to do, but it was necessary, but they were mad.

"Kid Danger, look out!" Piper yelled when she saw a particularly sneaky man creep up to Henry and the boy dodged just in time before he could be skewered by a walking stick. Thank god for his hyper-motility, otherwise, that would have been a crappy death.

Avoiding every punch from the elderly man, Henry ducked to grab his ankle and pulled him off balance so his pelvis crunched on the floor. The sound made (y/n) cringe, but there was no time to feel bad because another pensioner was trying to kill her. A quick roundhouse kick to the face took him out, but then, a feisty old hag began to beat her with her handbag. It wasn't a particularly vicious attack, but her adrenaline was running high and she wasn't going to take any crap from her, so the young woman harshly shoved her into a wall.

That was that, or so she thought; (y/n) was ready to move on to the next fight, but her heart broke when the little old lady began to sob against the wall. Seeing an old person cry because of her made her kind nature droop with guilt and she rushed to see if she could do anything.

"Oh, god, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hit you that hard, are you okay?" Her fierce fighting aggression was gone instantly as she cooed at the woman, but it was all a lie. As soon as she was crouched in front of her, the devious pensioner slapped (y/n) harshly across the face and then kneed her in the stomach. 

"Stupid millennial!" The granny hissed as the girl collapsed on the floor, but the pain faded sooner than she expected. No one beats Miss Danger like that and gets away with it.

"I'm not a millennial, I was born in 1987!" (y/n) corrected her and happily tipped the woman onto a conveyor belt so she could press the button and send her off to god knows where. It was a brilliant move...until the other elderlies sought revenge for their fallen comrade. They fought back with more violence and fury, making the sidekicks struggle as they each faced three or four foes at once.

"Kid Danger! Miss Danger! Noelle's getting away!" Piper suddenly cried out as she spied the girl making her getaway amongst the chaos. She was an opportunist and with the heroes currently outnumbered, she was free to slope off.

"Oh, we're kinda busy!" Kid Danger gasped as a granny and grandpa pinned him to the conveyor belt tried to send him down like (y/n) had done to their friend moments earlier. Speaking of (y/n), she was having problems of her own, mainly that one guy had his cane pulled tightly across her windpipe, whilst two of his associates tried to bend her wrists in all kinds of unnatural ways.

"Why don't you deal with her?" The young woman choked, struggling to move with a limited air supply. Not wanting to see the bitch that did this to her escape, Piper picked up an orange purse from the ground and charged at Noelle with it wide-open. The blonde teen paled as the furious child tackled her and pulled the bag over her eyes so she could jump on her back. 

"You ruined my date!" Piper screamed as only Piper could and thumped his fists against Noelle's skull as the girls struggled across the floor. Ray burst back into the room after locking up Drill Finger and his eyes widened as he witnessed the brawl occurring. His sidekicks were having their asses kicked and Piper was taking matters into her own hands. Geez, he was only gone for a few minutes...

"All right, all right...that's not your job!" He told the young girl as he peeled her off of Noelle. He appreciated her help, but he didn't want to see Henry's sister get hurt because she thought she could save the day.

"She tried to escape!" Piper hissed at him and glared at Noelle, who had only just removed the purse from her head.

"Thank you, now go wait outside." Ray scolded her, trying to not be intimidated by the child and her temper. He was the superhero here, not this romper-wearing little girl.

"I wanna go wait outside!" Piper yelled and stomped off to see if her date was still hanging around. He probably wasn't, the poor kid had run off terrified and after this, he would never want to speak to her again. Oops.

"And you, stay there." Ray snapped at Noelle and shoved her towards a dental chair where she could wait patiently for her ride to jail. With the teen criminal under control, Ray could focus on helping his sidekicks, who were still struggling to fight back against the elderlies. (y/n) was breathing again, but now she was being whacked with two walking sticks and Henry wasn't doing any better.

"All right, that's enough! Leave them alone, come on! Let's go!" Ray's imposing frame spooked the elderlies into scuttling off obediently and the sidekicks could breathe a sigh of relief as the fight was over. 

"Come on, move your heinies! Keep moving!" (y/n) herded them to the door with Ray by her side and Henry made sure that Noelle wasn't left behind. They could deal with the old people and he could deal with the girl. And Jasper, no one could forget Jasper, who was still trying to moisturise his lips with (y/n)'s lip balm.

"You know, Captain Man, you're real hot when you're ordering people about." (y/n) whispered into Ray's ear as they guided their captives to the awaiting cop cars outside. Now that the real work was over, the police had finally shown their faces and were ready to slap the cuffs on two dozen pensioners.

"Oh yeah? Is that why you keep staring at me like that, little girl?" He smirked down at her and revelled in her blushing cheeks. That would be a yes to that question. Ray caught her wrist to stop her from walking and tugged her into his chest.

"Maybe..." She whispered shyly and quivered under his gaze as his eyes raked over her features until they landed on her lips. His hand was caressing her jaw so he could tilt her into him just as he liked, but...

"Wait, Ray..." She suddenly gasped and jerked in his hold as the penny dropped. Normally, there would be the noise of retching and complaining at this point, but there was nothing but the sound of the old floorboards beneath their feet. 

"Sweet girl, I just want to kiss you, what's wrong?" Ray whined against her lips, wishing that for once, they could go interrupted with no one spoiling the moment.

"Where's Henry?" Her eyes flickered to his and she saw the realisation grow in them. He was one sidekick down and the last time they'd seen he was alone with...

"Noelle!" They gasped together and dashed back down the corridor and the stairway so they could stop Henry from making a massive mistake.

~

"Well, maybe you could...change me, y'know. Teach me to be a better person?" The couple heard a sweet, sultry voice from inside the lair and knew that the young, attractive girl was trying to charm her way out of trouble. It was a particularly cruel move, flirting with him in front of Jasper, even if she didn't know that under his regalia, Kid Danger was actually Henry Hart.

"Oh, man. Uhhhhh--" Peeking through the doorway, Ray and (y/n) could see Noelle with her arms around their friend's shoulders and that he was seconds away from giving in to her seduction. 

"Kid? Are you letting that girl trick you into kissing her?" Henry jumped at the sound of his boss's voice and whipped around to see Ray glaring at Noelle and (y/n) struggling to keep in her giggles. Kid Danger had one weakness: cute girls.

"What? No, ew, gross! I don't wanna kiss her! Gross!" Henry gagged, but his actions spoke more than his words. The couple rolled their eyes as he tried to fool them by removing Noelle's arms, only to wrap them back around him immediately after. 

"Do we look stupid?" (y/n) asked him with a raised eyebrow and the boy sent her a pleading look. She got to kiss her boyfriend whenever she wanted to, why couldn't he smooch Noelle just a bit?

"Uhhh, can you just wait outside for like, twenty minutes?" Henry asked tentatively, hoping he could push his luck just a little bit. One kiss, just one.

"Kid!" Ray growled, his tone leaving no room for argument. He smirked as his girlfriend tensed up beside him and Henry instantly did as he was told. Noelle was pretty, but she was also a criminal and Henry had to remember that.

"Okay, fine. You're going to jail, let's go. Come on! No kisses for you, tryin' to trick me. Wearing a romper..." The teen ranted as he gave into his moral compass and marched Noelle out of the room, her hands twisted behind her back. Stupid girls and their good looks.

"There's a police car waiting for her outside." (y/n) told the boy as he moodily brushed past her and Ray. It was a shame that the girl he liked turned out to be an evil, wannabe villain, but oh, well. He'd find someone else and in the meantime, Ray was finally alone with his girl.

"Please, let me kiss you." He mumbled into her ear and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind so she'd feel his warmth surrounding her and his breath on her neck. It was working, she wanted to give in and let him take her home, she really did, but, there was one more thing.

"What about Jasper?" She breathed out and Ray released a growl of frustration when he remembered that his favourite assistant was still tied to his chair. That kid always ruined his plans to get some and it really pissed him off.

"I'll come back later." Ray offered and tried to sweeten his deal by kissing up her exposed shoulder. Jasper would be fine for a few hours here, sure, it was dark and damp, but he'd survive. Probably.

"No, you're going to go untie him and I'll be waiting in the Man Van, Captain." She smirked and felt his arms tighten around her waist. He didn't want to leave her, not when she was looking so lovely in her super suit and willing to let him feel her up, but he had no choice. She wouldn't leave without Jasper and if she stayed here then so would he. 

"Stupid Jasper." He mumbled and reluctantly let go of her hips so he could go do as he was told. He brought her hand to his lips so he could give her a parting kiss and watched as she left up the stairs with nothing more than a giggle. He was certain that the sway of her hips was deliberate and he cursed the boy he was about to untie. The smile on his lips was so infuriating and Ray prayed that his patience would last, after all, he had a sweet reward waiting for him.

[krash-8]

so!!!! sonic prime thoughts/me getting my ideas straight before tomorrow/theory 👍👍 this will literally all be irrelevant by tomorrow but whatever this is for Me !!!! fair warning I have no idea if any of this makes sense, also I am probably an idiot <3

so here I go. uh. what I'm getting personally: when the prism split, everything was all divided and reality formed its ownnnn..... branches, for lack of better word. branches off of each shard. the previously singular world seperated, formed the shatterverse. that's the wiring of it all, connecting the shards, because they are meant to be one. sonic didn't split because of paradox energy reasons. shadow escaped the blast. but the others didn't (nor the environment itself), and now they're all different versions, none quite.... right. but most alive.

that brings us to saving the 'real' characters! getting sonics old friends back. all the energy back in one place will, in theory, bring back green hills. well, one place in particular. (altho we're missing some. sonic. but that's another story.)

there isn't exactly a lost, true version out there that'll spring back out of nowhere when the energy is together, they're mostly all just parts of a puzzle. with a base, a guideline to be filled in, which I assume you know what I'm thinking as to where.

no matter how I put this it's gonna sound dramatic bc of the way I'm writing it but yep! ofc it's ghost hill. (which I really like the name of btw lol)

yes, ghost hills is basically a copy of the original world. everything was "the same." literally where the whole paradox prism fit was right there, an outline of where it was before. a place to put them back and fix everything.

but though it IS the most similar, it's not some frozen over green hills that needs to be ‘freed.’ even though when the prism was formed there everything sprang ‘back to life,’ it wasn't them being TRAPPED in there the whole time. they weren't entirely there at all. they were incomplete.

even though they had one prism shard to start, like all the other worlds, they were still not as "real." that's because this shatterspace is the exception, less a world and more a host. a shell of a place it was before. ghost hill is different from all the other worlds in the sense that it's physically incomplete and isn't meant to be habitable that way, rather than a new world itself.

(prob why shadow can get in, something likely important plot wise but also just. this place isnt new it's not keeping you out, it's just hurting!! but it recognizes you!! you're meant to be here, home!!! of course you can come in, here I am, nothing added while you were away, I just.... lost. but you may still come in. there are no gates. insert that undertale it's still you thingy or whatever)

this part finished world held the space the shards needed to fill by drawing energy from other shatterspace shards, sucking it back in to become whole. and eventually it was working. it took almost all of the energy for them to wake up, this living color washing over them. and when they did, as soon as the energy was gone, the world went grey again. but it was working. the world covered in color and they were returning.

green hills and ghost hills are the same, one is missing things. it was their home drained of nearly all it had, but if it just…. got its parts back, it could be whole again.

too bad it blew up.

i don’t know if it was because nine took the one shard it did have, or because the prism as a whole was formed somewhere else than it was meant to be (probably more the latter) but it’s gone. but if it’s gone it can’t be the only place that can host, as we have more episodes after the explosion lol, or it’s not truly destroyed irreparably. sonics energy, sonics tie to the very shatterverse and prism, can probably fix a lot.

the grim is a reasonable option for another site if it really doesn't require ghost hill, as it's oddly empty and we don't know why. there must be something we don't know about it.

no matter what ghost hill and the grims fate really is, as of right now the shatterverse is being torn apart, and ghost hill was the first to go. and I'm accidentally disproving my own theories here so I'm gonna shut up now.

oh oh!!! important note I want to address: I'm fairly certain when the world would go back to normal, the "parts" (aka shatterspaces) will be gone as their own thing, their core puzzle pieced back into the real green hills and morphed back into what it was before. along with everyone in it.

I don't think sonic knows this.

nine and shadow do, I believe, or at least shadow and mostly nine. I have a post in drafts about this but grr bad timing.

anyways yeah ghost hills is weird, all the characters are basically going to be gone, nine probably has the suspicion he's doomed, and I need to go to bed !!!

[gloriousmonsters]

Hey btw I absolutely want to hear that Yu-Gi-Oh propaganda. Hit me

*sam reich voice* you have until I cut you off to sell me a manga about a Japanese teenager being possessed by an Egyptian pharaoh

Honestly, recommending Yu-Gi-Oh is a bit hard just because of its multiple forms; the manga, the first anime, and the second anime. All of them have good points; some more than others, but there's a few things each has done that I prefer. If you got into just one, I'd rec the manga; if you go anime only, you HAVE to watch at least a few episodes of the original anime before the follow-up.

This is because Yu-Gi-Oh is two (or three. four?) stories stuffed in a trenchcoat and if you miss out on the story it was at the beginning, what happens later will not be nearly as good. I have a lot of other things I want to say but I'm going to put a short version after all my screaming so ctrl-f 'give me the short version' for that, lol

HIT ME WITH THE LONG VERSION. I WANT A TED TALK

Yu-Gi-Oh is a horror story that takes a swerve into shonen through the Power of Friendship, but never loses its horror elements. You might know the basics, but I'll lay it out--Yu-Gi-Oh focuses on a sweet, shy boy named Yugi, who has no friends and gets occasionally bullied by another student, Jounouchi. But when an opportunity arises to take revenge, Yugi passes it up, choosing to treat Jounouchi as his friend instead. Jounouchi turns out to be a golden retriever at heart and immediately becomes his ride or die for life (their names put together literally form the word for friendship. it's stupid i love them). Oh, and a dark personality takes over Yugi and engages the guy who hurt the two of them in an unhinged 'penalty game' where the guy's left tormented by visions :)

Yu-Gi-Oh does a few laps through the grubby teen horror genre, and it's amazing. People are in danger of getting stabbed daily at this school and ALL of them want to stab the protagonists (or beat them up, or steal their spot at the school fair, or--). The only thing that makes Yugi's 'dark personality' the good guy is that the people he tortures are so awful. Yu-Gi-Oh Season 0, as the first anime is usually called, captures this vibe beautifully, everything is dark shadows and bloody sunsets and glowing eyes. It pretty much went wherever while the manga struggled to catch up, so it really builds its own little world; not something you need to watch more than a handful of eps of if you want the overall canon, but delightful in itself.

The horror era doesn't end, but peaks before it really mixes with shonen, with an arc villain called Kaiba Seto, an unhinged rich boy who's taken over his adoptive father's company and is in the process of converting it from a vague business + military tech operation to gaming and theme park related stuff + vague business (king shit) and who after suffering a penalty game from Yugi's dark side proceeds to construct a revenge that involves a death amusement park where he tries really hard to kill all of them, and an attempt to beat Yugi('s dark side) in a card game in front of an audience. Yugi('s dark side) promptly wins and shatters his mind, shrugging that he'll pick up the pieces if there's anything left to salvage.

Then everyone starts playing card games all the time. 

The thing with Yu-Gi-Oh is that you have to buy into the central narrative, which is that this card game is essentially sacred. It's called 'dueling' for a reason; it's about honor and proving yourself and philosophical argument and Friendship and, rarely, about actually having fun. If you can buy into this, dueling is SO fun I promise. Although I'm always nostalgic for the wild west 'different game/toy every time' of early Yu-Gi-Oh, many of my favorite moments in the series are duels.

And when you've bought into the premise, Yu-Gi-Oh rewards you with ALL the juicy emotional moments and dysfunctional characters fumbling toward better things and gay shit you could want. I love it primarily from two angles--one, it's at its heart (especially in the manga and the last-ish arc of the anime) about becoming a better person in whatever way you can. It sounds cheesy, but I will go on record as saying that the Battle City arc is one of my favorite narratives about trauma and finding ways to move on from it.

The other angle is that it's batshit and LOADED with characters that are just. So fucked up in various ways. It's a kooky Ancient Egpytian fantasy narrative stuffed into a sports manga about cards continually being stalked by its horror roots, you can pick and choose your own elements of worldbuilding because shit does NOT make sense, and every villain is a GOLDMINE of not only delight but noncon opportunities (*mabel voice* noncoppurtunities). We've got somewhat hinged sadists. We have unhinged sadists. Combat sadomasochists. We have mind control that's actually pretty inventive and creepy. We have people with all-consuming grudges and pretentious depressed bitches who sublimate their trauma into murder. The more consensual ship options are just as varied and delightful.

Kaiba Seto also crawls out of his coma to become the third main character and trust me, if you like Kinnporsche you will almost certainly LOVE Kaiba, especially in the manga. He is a Kinnporsche-ass character. Narrative about trauma and cruelty and power and daddy issues up to here. Huge asshole. My sweet baby boy. Every filler arc the anime added is basically about him and he deserves it, even if they don't fit with the overall narrative.

Oh, and in the fourth season of the anime the writers do a bunch of drugs, watch Atlantis: The Lost Empire, notice that the censors have gone out for lunch, and rapidly assemble an arc where you put up with about forty-five combined minutes of pure stupidity in order to get a urban fantasy horror shonen fusion where we talk about the horrors of war and the fate of humanity and how cults pull vulnerable people in and radicalize them, and do some of the most glorious indulgent fanfiction bullshit ever. It's the horniest and darkest season and will probably punch you in the gut if you have depression and gives us the best filler villains in existence (one of whom was the guy I originally made that post about, lol). Despite its flaws, it functions remarkably well as a conclusion for the story, which is good because the last arc of Yu-Gi-Oh mostly doesn't exist? Like there's a little bit of content at the beginning of the manga arc but other than that it's just. Not there. Weird!

THAT IS A LOT OF WORDS, VIC

I apologize, I have a lot of feelings.

GIVE ME THE SHORT VERSION

Yu-Gi-Oh is a paranormal romance bundled with a story about friendship and personal growth wrapped in a horror story masquerading as a shonen manga and it FUCKS. There are so many little guys you look at and go 'wow! there's something incredibly wrong with you!'. If you can get into it it will Get You. Also I need more people in this fandom that aren't solely into my NOTP or twentysomethings that call ships 'illegal' please for the love of God. I will write fic for you if you get into it. Yes, this is a bribe. pspspsps

WHAT ARE YOU EVEN SAYING I SHOULD READ/WATCH

bare minimum is read the manga best minimum read the manga up to the end of battle city and then watch YGO season four and then read the beginning of the last manga arc as if it were a gradually fading ancient text that crumbles into the dust the moment you say 'wait, what the fuck' out loud. you can also just watch the anime with the background assumption that everything was 2x darker and 1.2x gayer in the manga

THAT SOUNDS DAUNTING, HOW DID YOU EVEN GET INTO IT

Honestly I don't know how I got into it either but this pit's great once you slide down to the bottom. 

WHAT IS YOUR PARTING WISDOM, SAGE?

I don't know if this needs to be said but never expose yourself to the English dub it's horrendous

[toointojoelmiller]

please don’t go: a last of us fic

chapter 12

----

after David / Silver Lake / post-episode 8

angst, Joel & Ellie bonding, 99% canon compliant

rating: mature - content warnings re: s/a, violence, more

I'm no longer copying this over to tumblr because it got way too long and it's too much!!!! Read on ao3 for the updated chapters

ch 1 | ch 2 | ch 3 | ch 4 | ch 5 | ch 6 | ch 7 | ch 8 | ch 9 | ch 10 | ch 11 | ch 12

----

The few fleeting years that he got with Sarah were spent spread thin. Time, energy, money, sleep – never enough of any of it.

On the first night that it was just the two of them – along with some newly blank walls, empty dresser drawers, and a bathroom counter that looked alien without brushes and sponges and bottles scattered across it – he had the first panic attack of his life. In the middle of warming up a bottle, he realized couldn’t get any air into his chest - and then he was on the floor, back pressed against the cabinet under the sink - formula spilled, bottle needing to be sanitized again. When the pounding in his ears softened and the world started to leak back in, he heard what he’d been missing for however long he’d spent shrinking into ground - Sarah’s hungry little wail from the living room - calling out for him, helpless and alone in her bassinet. It felt like the start of a lifetime of letting her down.

She was colicky her first year - the sleep deprivation felt like it was breaking him apart - sometimes so exhausted he didn’t trust himself to hold her out of fear he would drop her, so she’d suffer then too, crying for comfort he was too afraid to give. There were life-giving, blissful moments that made him whole - little coos and finger grasps, the feeling of holding and snuggling and breathing her smell in - all perfect and warm - but in between he thought the impossibility of it all would smother him. When she would finally sleep he’d lay on his bed with his heart racing, palms sweating, panting his way through sheer terror - and then she’d wake, and he’d swallow it down - try to hold himself together again.

Tommy helped out where he could, but he was just a kid himself - and then he was overseas - and on minimum wage full-time didn’t even come close to cutting it so Joel needed to work more than full-time hours just to keep her fed with a roof overhead - which meant paying for more than full-time child care - and he hated that he was working for money to spend on leaving her with strangers all day - hated that so much of the time he got to be with her was spent asleep. Most nights he’d stay up too late just to have more time to look at her, watch her breathe - and, always, work away at the never ending list - laundry, dishes - look for better jobs, more jobs - decide which bills to short that month.

The hardest to live with were the weeks, in those early years before he got into some decent paying work, where an unexpected expense would pop up and he’d find - doing the math at the kitchen table at night - that they didn’t have enough money to feed them through to his next pay day. Sarah never went hungry, of course - he did sometimes - but the shame of nearly not being able to provide his baby the bare minimum she needed to grow, to live – felt like it stained him.

It felt a bit like now. He’s craning his neck and squinting to try to sharpen his vision, even though he already knows – it’s obvious from a fair distance that there’s nothing in the traps. It’s not a surprise - probably twice in 20 years has he caught something in a snare that’d been set for less than a day - but he still sags with disappointment. Hates that he went out to look in the first place - something might have been scared off by the sight or smell of him – and Jesus Christ does he smell.

And now he’s walking back empty handed – Ellie will be hungry for another night, tiny body wasting away, eating itself up to keep her going.

He starts heading back to the little building, his brain wandering on its own - he’s wishing he’d never watched those TV specials about eating disorders in girls. He hadn’t actually worried about Sarah that way - girl would clean out the whole fridge in one night if he’d let her - but the perils of teenage-hood had seemed like a terrifying threat on their horizon sometimes.

If only he fucking knew .

All any of that was good for, turns out, was the nagging worry he’s been feeling all day, unable to ignore just how thin Ellie’s become. Unable to stop imagining her little heart suddenly giving out on her.

She’s up and on her feet now - he can see the pale blur of her face peeking out the window in his direction as he makes his way back - raises a hand at her in a little wave.

Most of the day had passed by in a slow daze - Ellie curled up, sometimes sleeping but mostly uncomfortable, repositioning and shuffling with groans - Joel staying at her side, repeating their ice-pack routine a few more times when she’d ask him to.

When she was sleeping, he’d nodded off a few times - struggling to keep himself up, foggy and drained - the warmth built up under the thick sleeping bag-blanket and the sun streaming in the window making it all too easy to relax. He was getting too weak to fight it.

A bonus that he hadn’t expected - the sun was so warm he’d tried putting the first aid kit - half-slush half-water - up on the shelf to bask in it, and when he checked it after a few hours, only water remained - slightly less than absolutely freezing cold to the touch – enough to refill her thermos, and half of his, too. He’d been able to get a good amount of water into her here and there, and got her to crunch up another two glucose-tubes - but she stubbornly refused to have the other, insisting that it was for him.

She’s a bright kid, but if she thinks that he’s going to be having their last one, well -

When he opens the door, kicking the snow off his boots before he steps back in, she’s standing next to window, leaning over a bit, supporting herself with an arm braced on the shelf.

“Nothing?” She asks, not really a question.

He grunts in confirmation, then says - “Oughta get somethin’ tomorrow - mornin’, hopefully. You should lay d-”

“I know - just needed to get off my ass. Feels like it’s gonna fall off.”

He rolls his eyes at her, mainly for her amusement, as he slips the rifle off and sets it against the wall again. Shrugs out his shoulder, trying to loosen up the twinge pinching in his neck.

“I hate just sitting around,” she mumbles.

He snorts a bit at that - “No kiddin’ - think I figured that out about you on day one,” he says. When she doesn’t say anything he adds, “S’just temporary, kiddo. Won’t be for long." 

An anxious look passes over her face as she asks, “When can we leave?”

He sighs. Knows he needs to answer this carefully - not sure if she’s ready to hear what he’s going to say. No clue how much of the logistics of the situation they are in she’s really thought through yet - doesn’t want to distress her.

“Well,” he starts – trying to be cautious but feeling clumsy as he talks through it - “you gotta be able to walk, for - for a few miles, so… And - we’re both - if we run into, uh,  trouble - we need to be able to handle it. Need to get some food in us, first, before we can do much.”

He doesn’t need to say anything further - her face crumples in disappointment - there’s no way around the truth. Still, with the way she’s looking so defeated - he wishes he could take the words back.

“Hope we fucking catch something,” she mutters. She looks down at her feet.

“Yeah,” he says, “Me too.” Still too scared to ask how long it’s been since she’s eaten.

“You warm enough?” he says instead. “Want the jacket for a bit? I’m fine without.”

“Nah. I gotta sit back down in a minute. My fucking head … when astronauts are in training they go in these big spinny things – called a centrifuge -”

Joel feels a small smile tug at his lips - “Centri-fuge,” he corrects her gently - she’d said it with a hard “g”. The sound of her voice, talking in full sentences – talking about the usual shit she loves to talk about - has him feeling a bit lighter.

“Really? ‘Centrifuge’ - anyway, they practice so they don’t like, hurl and pass out when they launch for real — it kinda feels like my head is in one of those.”

Dizzy, nauseated - not unexpected - she’s still only somewhere between 12-24 hours out from whenever her head was hit – “lots”, she had said. The sad little line she’s drawn connecting her space fascination and this hell she’s living through makes the almost-smile drop from his face immediately.

She turns a little to look at the shelf under the window, and he notices for the first time that she’s got the map out spread open in front of her. “Look,” she says, and he steps over to see her finger pointing south of where they are, near Denver - a little red square, next to ‘Dinosaur Ridge’. “And - ” she slides her finger over to the left a bit, until she lands on ‘Dinosaur Journey Museum’ - “was Denver the dino-capital of the country or something?”

He hasn’t let himself think about those days in so long – Sarah always in the lead and pulling him along behind her, chattering away – had something to say in front of what seemed like nearly every exhibit, knowing things she had no business knowing - “Nerd alert,” he’d tease in a stage whisper, and she’d stick her tongue out at him over her shoulder, quipping back “Well somebody has to bring the Miller family IQ up from the depths and it sure ain’t gonna be you or Uncle Tommy” -

The list of things that Ellie deserves and will never get is endless, and this doesn’t compare to the fundamentals she’s been robbed of — family, safety, peace — but he feels a surge of anger at the cruelty of it anyway. It should be about an hour’s drive - they should be climbing in the truck on a weekend morning for a drive-thru breakfast and a fight over the radio station - he should spend way too much money on crap at an overpriced gift shop, a stupid dinosaur hat she won't take off for weeks – instead she gets to look at the names of long gone places on an old, bloody map, daydreaming about what she’ll never have.

“Earth to Joel,” Ellie’s saying in a voice that makes it clear it’s not the first time she’s tried to get his attention.

“Sorry - just thinkin’ –”

She’s looking at him expectantly. He has to work hard to keep his voice sounding light.

“I got no idea what ‘Dinosaur Ridge’ is, but – Denver’s not all that special – I’d guess there’re more than, ah – I dunno – a dozen museums about dinosaurs – nah, more. Maybe one in every state.”

Her eyes widen at that, and keeping up the trend of making her promises he’s afraid he won’t be able to keep  -

“Tell you what - we’ll go someday, find one somewhere still standin’. They have these, ah – sign things all around museums, tellin’ you about the stuff – can finally fact check you, see how much you’re just makin’ up.”

“Shut up,” she says - but her eyes are soft, and she could almost be smiling when she follows up with a quiet, “That’d be cool.”

The nice moment doesn’t last long – she sighs, looks out the window a bit forlornly, and then mumbles, “I have to pee again. Your fault for making me drink all day.”

He puts an arm across her back to help her outside. When the door opens she cringes, hard, scrunching up her face, hissing “Ugh, fuck.”

“Y’alright?” He asks, looking down at her in concern.

She nods, putting a hand up to partially cover her eyes for a few seconds. “Too bright - hurts.”

Even though it’s clearly painful for her to do so, as he helps her get down the steps he catches the way she’s glancing around them in every direction - looking for threats on the horizon.

It’s a repeat of the night before - he shouldn’t have expected anything else. She’s limping, wincing with every step - ends up just tucking around the corner of the building again - so unbalanced he wonders how she didn’t fall over standing up on her own inside. He gives her some space for a few minutes, wandering around aimlessly on the other side of the building, never going far.

When she reappears after a few minutes, steadying herself on the building with her hands, her face has gone completely flat. She looks like a different kid than the one he’d been talking to inside, minutes ago. His heart sinks.

“You alright?” he asks, knowing she’s not. She doesn’t answer – doesn’t seem to hear him at all - looking ahead, eyes distant in that wounded way he’s too familiar with.

“C’mon, you’re ok,” he says - arm back around her to hold her up, hurrying her back up to the door. It seems like she’s barely picking her boots up off the ground – toes dragging each time she steps. Back inside, he takes her straight across the room to her sleeping bag again. She doesn’t fight him on it when he helps her lower back down to the ground, sitting against his pack again.

When she’s tucked back in the sleeping bag, she tugs it up so it’s almost fully covering her head, and turns to her side. Facing the wall, her back to him.

“Ellie?” He tries softly. Feeling helpless.

She’s not asleep, but she doesn’t respond.

Doesn’t move again at all until they hear the gunshot.

----

link to whole story (work in progress) on AO3

[writer-citation-needed]

It may sound crazy, to want to live the same day over and over again with no end in sight. Hell, I would have even thought it was ridiculous before I ended up here. However, it's really not as bad as the movies make it seem. Consider the following:

My social anxiety is practically gone. Don't want to talk to someone? I already know exactly where nearly everyone in my town is at basically every single minute! At this point I can pretty much navigate social life like a video game- the dialog tree only reaches so far after all.

So much time to watch TV, movies, read books, listen to podcasts, etc etc. This one seems like a pretty obvious perk. There's a lot of great stuff I would have missed out on with the loop, plus with the state of media I doubt anything good will come after me.

Well, I was pretty lucky to have my loop on a day with no bills or appointments or any major responsibility, really. I hated being an adult. It's great being able to just chill (not to mention, no more periods!)

I woke up with a warm feeling across my face, a beam of sunlight having been gracing my features for some time now according to my phone. Before all of this time loop business I wouldn't have woken up past eleven AM, but I don't exactly have a shift to wake up for anymore (I thank myself every day for having taken the day off) so I don't feel the need to rise and grind per se. Besides, nothing around here opens until later in the morning anyways.

As I dress and wash my face (I'm not so far gone in the loop as to stop caring about my hygiene, although of course I've had my fair share of lazy days) I try to make my mental to-do list for the day, knowing I'll have to write it down after breakfast. I've really taken to journaling the past few months of the loop, since it allows me to keep a record of everything I've done and how long I've been here. Otherwise, I think it would all run together.

Alright, list time, I think.

Today's a good day to finish up that sweater; it's nearly done. Kara will like the surprise. When is she at the library? Wait no, she doesn't go to the library. I'm thinking of Milly. Crap. I think Kara's at home 'til three, so I can pop by if I can finish that up soon. Great!

I haven't gotten around to trying Grouch's strawberry latte yet, that would be a nice treat. I'm honestly shocked it's taken me this long to get around to their coffee, I didn't hate it that much before the loop.

Maybe then I'll finish up Drag Race Canada. There's only what, five more episodes? Psh. (Thank god for Rupaul's franchising. The only way you could watch all those seasons is if you were in a time loop.)

That sounds like enough for today. I'm exhausted from running around yesterday. Someone should have told me not to make a batch of soap without knowing fifteen other people that wanted it! Oh well, it probably made their nights.

After a nutritious meal of Eggos and peaches I got to work on that sweater. Crochet didn't take to long to learn, and luckily there's a million patterns online for me to work through. It's a good hobby for me. I do feel bad for the library stitch group's yarn that I keep 'borrowing' for all my projects though. Luckily they won't remember me asking by the time the sun rises again.

I do sometimes wonder what happens to the material things within the loop. People I get. They wake up exactly how they were the day before. Objects, though? I've never had anything mysteriously disappear at night, nor has something broken magically reformed during the loop. This sweater for instance- once I give it to Kara, what will happen to it? Surely it won't stay in her closet forever. She'd notice a handmade sweater randomly at the back of her closer and know it can't have just have shown up. Maybe the material gets recycled throughout the universe or something, I don't know.

Without realizing it, I came to the last stitch. It's a nice little garment, not really meant for this summer weather but would do quite nicely in October.

I shove the sweater in my good old tote bag and slip on my sneakers before embarking on my quest to Kara's neighborhood, right by the elementary school. Going out used to be unnerving with the deja vu feeling being unavoidable, but I've found comfort in it after all these days. It's a lot like Stardew Valley in my opinion, With the right timing, I know exactly where everyone will be and how they'll react to whatever I do to spice up the day. Even someone like Kara, who I had only spoken to a few times before the loop, is someone I now know inside and out. I can hear her reaction now, "When did you have time to make this? Just yesterday you said you were swamped with assignments. It came out lovely though. Thank you." She wouldn't even-

I lose my thought alongside my footing as I stumble on the sidewalk and fall flat on my face. At least the sweater blocked some of my body from the impact. I look back to make sure I didn't drop anything, but what I see confuses me more than anything that could have fallen from my bag.

A person.

On the sidewalk.

I know it doesn't sound like something that would warrant such a reaction, but you need to understand that there hasn't been a single person on this road in all the hundreds of days I've taken this route in town! That's why I go this way. So imagine my surprise to see a real, genuine human being curled up on the ground much like I am now after my graceful maneuver.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..." The figure begins to say. Their voice pierces through my ears like when metal scrapes against itself. I wasn't meant to hear it. It's wrong. Why?

"Who are you?" I blurt instinctively. I don't recognize their tone, their accent, their vocal quirks.

"I'm Dell," they reply. A name I've never heard around these parts.

My guard goes up.

"I'm Lila."

"Again, I'm really sorry for making you fall. I hope you aren't hurt." I look closer at Dell's face. They really do look sorry. Maybe for more than just our collision. Their eyes look puffy, their hair unbrushed. To summarize: a wreck.

"It's okay. Nothing a bandaid can't fix." It sounds foreign coming out of my mouth- I've never said anything like that before.

I barely hear when they mutter "I wish a bandaid could fix all this."

Again, alarm bells. Why haven't I ever seen Dell here before? I can practically count the leaves on the trees after the number of times I've walked down this very road. Surely I would have stumbled into them (literally) one of these days. Still, I can sense that they have something more going on. I can't let myself treat the people around me like NPCs just because I (usually) know their every move.

"What's wrong? If you don't mind my prying." I've sat up at this point. We both face the road now.

"It's not something I can really explain."

"Dell, believe me when I say I am probably dealing with something weirder"

They sigh. "Okay. I guess it won't really matter anyways. You'll forget it too."

Dell thinks, choosing their words wisely.

"I just feel like- like I'm trapped. And the world keeps going on without me, and I can't figure out how to change it. Change anything."

My eyes widen. It makes sense now, their unfamiliar face, strange voice and sudden appearance in my once comfortably unchanged routine.

Dell's like me.

"Me too!" I say a bit too enthusiastically. Seeing their look of disbelief, I continue, "no, I really mean it. I've been here for a while. On this day."

It's Dell's turn for shock. "Really? You aren't messing with me?"

"Nope. If you want, I have proof." Dell nods. You open your tote bag and reach for your notebook (you've grown accustomed to taking it with you so you can take note of any creative ideas you have or interesting things to mark for the future). As you flip through the dozens of pages already filled, Dell's jaw drops.

"How long have you been here?" They ask meekly, like they don't want to hear your answer deep down.

"I only started keeping a serious record about five months ago but it was a while before I thought of it."

Dell frowns. "And you don't know how to end it?"

"I haven't tried. Honest, it's not so bad. Like reading the script for a play. Everything falls into place perfectly." I offer them my favorite upside.

"I just wanna go back. I miss my life. My real one. With unpredictableness and everything." Dell whimpers. They look like they're going to cry, and it makes them look younger than they already did. I hadn't thought of it before, but it's entirely possible that they're a child. It must be hard for them.

New item added to my to-do list: help Dell leave the loop.

I don't know if it's even possible, really. I certainly haven't thought about learning the lesson that landed me here. Why would I? I get to enjoy all the best parts of adulthood without any of the responsibilities. It rules. I try to explain this, but it falls on deaf ears.

"Don't you miss your family, Lila? Your friends?"

Another thing I hadn't thought much about. I had fallen out of touch with my friends after high school, and since moving away from my parents I don't call them much.

Huh. I haven't called them at all.

My stomach churns.

Dell can see the way my lips frown. "Lila?"

It must be harder with loved ones near you. Not celebrating holidays or good news or anything other than one day's set events. Not being able to tell them what's happening, or worse confessing to them and having them wake up the next morning with no clue of your situation. No one to turn to, no one who understands. Not a single unplanned moment.

"We'll get through this. I'll make sure." I take a deep breath. I don't know what to do for know, but I know that I'll be able to think better with some caffeine.

"Have you tried Grouch's before? It's a really good cafe."

Dell shakes their head. "My dad says they have terrible coffee."

I laugh. "I thought that too, but give it some time and your mind might change"

We stand up and I lead the way. The sweater can wait- I can just deliver it again tomorrow.

Now, I have a much more important goal.

I have to get out. For Dell. For myself.

You are stuck in a time loop, but you have no intention of ever breaking out of it. After literally millions of resets a new person appears in the loop and asks you why you are still in the loop.