#just in case. there's no doubt they'd be buddies

[fl00mie]

first thought on what happened yesterday (sans au tumblr sexyman poll)

[bellaxgiornata]

Seeking Forgiveness [Part Nine]

Pairing: Matt Murdock x Fem!Reader Word Count: 4k [Series Masterlist]

Warnings/tags: 18+ contains angst, emotional hurt, delayed comfort, pregnant Reader, mentions/fear of miscarriage

a/n: Long time no update, I know. I was stalled with this fic because it wasn't supposed to be long, but then it grew into something bigger and needed a new direction and it took me a bit to figure that out. Now I think I've found it. Feedback and reblogs are always appreciated!

Matt’s fingers slowly ran over the braille document on the table before himself, his mind struggling to focus on the work he was supposed to be accomplishing right now. He'd promised Fog yesterday at the office that he'd help him sift through some more information for a case they'd been working on first thing in the morning, but his mind just couldn't stay on task. Repeatedly he'd had to run his fingers over the letters just to get a couple of them to form words in his mind, but then in mere seconds he'd forgotten what he'd just read.

But how could he focus on work right now with what he was doing later today? The only thing he could think about since the moment he’d woken up and shuffled out of his bedroom this morning was you. Because today was Saturday. It was the day you’d agreed to meet with him for that coffee where you’d planned to have an important conversation with him. And as much as Matt had tried not to let himself hope for too much to come from this talk, he couldn't stop that hope from growing inside of himself. It had been steadily growing brighter and brighter ever since you’d first agreed to meet the other night. 

As his fingers traced the braille letters of the same line on the page yet again, Matt could feel the weight of Foggy’s eyes on him from across his kitchen table. He could tell Foggy had begun to notice his behavior, his increasing annoyance becoming apparent in the way his fingers had been steadily tapping faster against the table in less of an absent fidget and more of an agitated rhythm.

Once more Matt tried to read the line again, retracing his fingers over it as he leaned further over the document, as if getting closer to it would somehow help him to concentrate. But then he found his mind once more diverting from its task, instead thinking of himself sitting with you over coffee in only a matter of hours. Because soon he'd actually be talking to you, hearing your voice again, possibly even the sound of your laughter that he so sorely missed. And if he was lucky, maybe you'd let him hold you in his arms again, even if it was just to say goodbye.

“Alright,” Foggy said in exasperation, slumping back in his chair. “What is it that's got you so distracted? Because I've been here for almost a half an hour now and you haven't even read the page that's been sitting in front of you for just as long. Is it some Daredevil thing that's on your mind? Because buddy, that can wait until later tonight. We have actual legal work to accomplish right now.”

Matt released a defeated sigh, sitting back in his chair and pushing the document away from himself as his attention shifted over to Foggy. He felt guilty for not being able to focus on work–a problem he'd truly struggled with for far longer than just this morning if he was being honest. Ever since he'd learned you were pregnant his mind was often elsewhere.

“It’s nothing to do with that. It's just–I'm meeting with her this morning. To talk over coffee,” Matt told him. 

Foggy suddenly sat up straight in his chair, the annoyance in his body language immediately disappearing. He said your name in question, the tone of it hopeful.

“Yeah,” Matt acknowledged with a nod. “She agreed to talk and that's all I can focus on. I'm sorry, Fog. I just–just can't think about anything else because I don't want to mess this up with her. I doubt she'll give me another chance to sit down with her.”

“I don't know man,” Foggy disagreed. “I think she wants things to work between you both. From what I hear, it sounds like she's just scared.”

Matt pulled a face, his head canting to the side. “Scared?” he repeated. “Scared of what?”

“Of things not working out between you both,” Foggy answered. “I think you both really want the same things. And from what I’ve heard, I think she’s scared you might hurt her again.”

Matt frowned as he shifted his attention away from Foggy, his right hand reaching up to messily run through his hair. He wasn't certain of the truth in everything Foggy had just said. Matt had a feeling that he wanted far more from you than you wanted from him. And that scared him . But he absolutely refused to ever be in a situation to let you down again. He’d learned from his mistake–he would never break a promise to you again.

“So what exactly are you both planning to talk about this morning?” Foggy questioned. “Just the baby? Or…is there talk about you two getting back together?”

Matt's hand ran another pass through his hair in nervous frustration. Of course that's one of the things he’d wanted to discuss with you, but he was certain that particular topic wasn't even on the agenda for this morning. It probably wasn’t even remotely on your mind. It didn’t matter if you’d asked him to hold you in your bed the other night after the scare you’d had because he’d known exactly what that had meant. He was just happy that at the very least, you found his presence comforting still.

“I think we're just talking about me being more involved with the baby,” he answered. “That’s all the talk is about. And don't get me wrong, I'm happy we're even discussing that after the mess I made of things over the past few months. Because I do want to be more involved in things with her and our daughter even if she hasn’t been born yet. But I…”

Matt trailed off, the frown deepening on his lips as his focus dropped down towards the table. He heard Foggy lean forward, resting his elbows along the surface of it as his pulse accelerated in anticipation.

“But what?” he pushed.

Licking his lips nervously, Matt's eyes slowly closed. “I want more,” he admitted aloud. “And I know after how I messed things up that I don't deserve it with her. She's far too good for me, Fog. I get it. But I still want it.”

“Want what, exactly?” he asked. “The relationship?”

“Yes,” Matt answered immediately. “And I still want her to move in with me like we had been planning before everything fell apart and she found out she was pregnant,” Matt confessed, finally bearing his heart to Foggy. “I want her here . I want to set up the crib in our room that’ll be our daughter’s bed. I want them all in that room,” Matt said, gesturing behind Foggy to his bedroom, “where I can sleep next to both of them every single night. Knowing they're both safe with me. And I want to make space in the closet and the dresser for both of their things. I want to accidentally pull out baby pajamas instead of a tie in the mornings.” A sad smile tugged at Matt’s lips as he imagined everything in his mind while he spoke. “I want her to keep that growing stockpile of diaper boxes in her apartment right over there,” he continued, gesturing a hand towards the closet past his couch where he kept his Daredevil suit. “And I want to wake up and make coffee to the sound of a baby babbling.”

Tears were beginning to sting at Matt’s eyes as a flood of emotion began to well inside of him. He'd never realized quite how much he had been wanting until he’d suddenly given voice to it.

“I just want her to be here so that I can make her breakfast in the morning and dinner in the evening,” he continued softly. “I want her here so I can rub her back when she's throwing up or her feet when they're sore after work. I just–”

He paused, wincing. He found himself wanting so much that he never realized he'd even wanted until you had come into his life. But how would he ever be able to have any of that? After how he'd ended things with you and walked out on you when you'd begged him to stay? How did he get you to still move in with him? Let him be a part of your life again? Trust him again?

“I just want it all,” he whispered, fighting back the burn of tears. “But that's not what this talk is about today, and I understand that.”

“You could still tell her,” Foggy suggested gently. “You could still let her know how you feel, Matt. Be open with her about your feelings.”

Matt shook his head, his heart feeling leaden in his chest. “No,” he told him. “I think that's the last thing she wants to hear right now. I can't push my luck, Fog. Maybe someday I can tell her all of that, but I don't think today is that day.”

“I don't know, man,” Foggy countered.

“I can't ask for too much when I don't deserve it,” Matt said. “She needs to know I'm serious first, so that's my focus. I'll take whatever she gives me and show her that I mean it when I say I want to be a part of things. That I’ll really be there when she needs me.”

“For the record, I don’t exactly agree with that route,” Foggy told him. “But if you think telling her how you feel will somehow push her away instead of bring her closer, then I’m not about to argue because you’re obviously not going to listen. I’m just happy to hear that you’re both sitting down together to talk finally. We’re all rooting for the both of you to figure this all out, Matt.”

Matt’s attention focused on Foggy across the table from him. He heard the truth in his words with how steady his heartbeat had been. It felt good to know at least his friends believed in him. But he knew it would feel amazing to finally have you believe in him again, too.

You didn’t have to search hard to find Matt. He’d sent you a text when you’d left your apartment and made your way to the coffee shop letting you know that he’d already arrived early and grabbed a table. And now there he was, sitting in a corner booth with a coffee in front of himself and another across the table from him. A wave of nerves hit you at the sight of him in his dark jeans and snug-fitting gray shirt, your stomach twisting anxiously as the reality of sitting down with him actually hit you. It had been so long since you’d both really sat down together to talk; the only other time had been earlier this week on the night he’d shown up at your apartment because he’d heard your panic. But that had been under entirely different circumstances than this. 

Matt’s head instantly spun in your direction as the door to the shop shut behind you. You figured he’d probably picked up on your strong reaction to seeing him, and that only increased the nerves running loose in your stomach. Beginning to make your way over towards the corner booth where he sat, his covered gaze focused on you, you chewed your bottom lip while awkwardly maneuvering your small bump between the tables and chairs. Briefly you were reminded of your third date at this very coffee shop with Matt. The memory of it had you longing to be able to slide into the booth beside him and wrap your arms around him now, desperate for some of his strength to transfer to you. 

“Hey, Matt,” you greeted lightly, slowly sliding into the bench across from him. “I hope you weren’t waiting too long on me.”

A timid smile spread over his lips as he shook his head. “Not at all. Though I already ordered you a coffee.” His hand gestured to the cup now in front of you. “Vanilla latte, iced. I hope that’s okay. If not, I can grab you something else.”

“No,” you said, a nervous smile forming on your own lips as you shook your head, getting comfortable in the booth. “It’s perfect, actually. Thank you. I’ve been on an iced vanilla latte kick for weeks now.”

The smile on Matt’s mouth turned sheepish as you reached out and picked up the ice cold cup. You drank down a sip of the coffee, reveling in how good it tasted as you watched Matt’s hand awkwardly scratch at the back of his neck.

“So I’ve heard,” he said. “Karen mentioned that the other day actually. I figured it would be a safe bet.”

“Oh,” you said. “That makes sense then.”

Lowering the cup back to the table, you shifted anxiously in your seat. Normally things had never been this tense between you and Matt, but you weren’t certain how to navigate whatever the pair of you were now. You weren’t entirely sure how to just be around him anymore, especially not while currently carrying his child.

“So how’re things at the office?” you asked him.

“Good,” Matt answered. “Busy. There’s a handful of cases that we’re working on and I think we’re all realizing we may have overextended ourselves, but we’ll figure it out.”

You nodded, your finger toying with the condensation on the outside of your plastic cup. “That’s good. How’s uh–” you paused, not certain you were allowed to be asking him something so personal, but the question had already started to come out before you could stop it, “–how’re things going at night? With, well, you know…?”

Matt sent you a small smile, his covered gaze focused on you from across the table. Your eyes dropped back down to your coffee cup, your heart beating a little harder. You forgot the effect he had on you, but with him sitting right there after months apart, you couldn’t entirely ignore it now. 

You missed him.

“Also good,” he answered. “Not quite so busy, but still…busy.”

“Right,” you muttered awkwardly.

How the hell were you supposed to talk about the baby growing inside of you when you could barely look at him to discuss normal pleasantries? It felt so wrong being so awkward with him as you sat across the table. You found yourself struggling with this meeting more than you’d anticipated, wishing things just felt like they used to be between you both.

“How’re you doing?” Matt asked softly.

The gentle tone had caught you off guard, your gaze flitting back up towards his face. He looked just as nervous as you felt. And Matthew Murdock didn’t generally get nervous.

“Do you want the polite response I usually give people?” you half-joked. “Or do you want the honest answer to that question?”

“The honest one,” he replied.

“Well,” you began, your gaze dropping back down to your coffee cup, “I’m tired all the time. I’ve probably finally reached your level of tired.” 

You paused, smiling down at your cup when you heard him laugh lightly across the table from you. The sound had a warm, pleasant sensation gradually settling in your stomach.

“I almost always have a headache I can never seem to get rid of,” you continued. “I’m guessing that’s something to do with the hormones and increased blood flow. And I feel like my lower back has a personal vendetta against me as of late.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” he said, amusement in his tone. “How’s the nausea?”

You shrugged a shoulder, your eyes once more returning to his face. Internally you cursed him for being so handsome. It only made you long to grab him and kiss him like you used to be able to. Clearing your throat, you tried to ignore that thought.

“Better,” you answered. “Not magically gone like I somehow assumed it would be once I got out of the first trimester, but I don’t want to vomit all the time. Though uh–” 

You paused as a grin spread over your mouth, noticing how it was quickly mirrored on Matt’s face as his head tilted curiously to the side. That flutter of warmth in your stomach felt like it was steadily heating you from the inside at the sight of it.

“What?” he pressed curiously.

“So when you’re pregnant,” you began, the grin remaining on your lips, “your sense of smell heightens. Also because of the hormones, I assume. But I’d wanted to tell you about that little symptom the moment I started experiencing it because I figured if anyone else would understand how gross passing a dumpster smells, it’d be you.”

“You’re certainly not wrong,” he agreed with a chuckle.

“And that symptom hasn’t exactly disappeared yet,” you told him, your grin having grown into a smile. “So some things still make me want to puke. Particularly the smell of bell peppers for some unknown reason.”

“Duly noted. I’ll make sure not to bring any near you,” Matt teased. “But I’ve read that ginger helps–”

You raised a hand, cutting him off and shaking your head as you pulled a face. Matt’s brows furrowed beneath his dark lenses, his mouth suddenly closing.

“Sorry,” you said, your stomach churning. “It’s just that I tried using those hard candies they make for morning sickness so much that the ‘g’ word now makes me immediately want to puke. They’ve had the reverse effect on me.”

“Oh,” he breathed out, the smile falling from his lips. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

“That’s alright,” you assured him, picking up the cup of coffee from in front of you again. “I didn’t expect you to.”

That uncomfortable, awkward silence fell over the pair of you again. You took a sip from your cup, watching as Matt’s left hand on the table began anxiously tapping along it. Swallowing down your drink, you supposed you should probably discuss the real reason you were both here.

“So uh,” you began, clearing your throat as you set the coffee cup back onto the table, “we should probably talk about the baby.”

Matt nodded, a tense smile now drawing itself across his lips. As if he was nervous about this topic of conversation.

“You were saying the other night that you wanted to be more involved?” you asked. 

“Yes,” he answered earnestly. “If that’s alright with you, of course. I know she’s not exactly here yet, but I’d like to be as a part of things as I can be.”

Eyes dropping back down to your coffee cup, your index finger smeared a drop of condensation along the side of it. There was a heaviness in the air between you both, one you didn’t need Matt’s senses to detect.

“How involved?” you asked softly. “You want updates if something is going on or…do you want to actually attend appointments with me?”

Matt perked up in the booth across from you, the movement drawing your attention back over to him. He was sitting a little straighter now, something hopeful written across the features of his face even with his glasses on. 

“Would that be alright?” he asked. “If I wanted to go to some of your appointments with you?”

“I suppose so,” you answered slowly. “But I don’t know how interesting they’d be for you. Unlike the rest of us, you don’t need technology to hear her heartbeat. I’m assuming you’ve already been listening to her since I got here.”

Another sheepish smile slipped onto his lips. “You wouldn’t be wrong,” he admitted. “I’ve grown quite fond of the sound of her heartbeat. Especially hearing it beating so close to your own.”

A flush crept up your neck, your gaze dropping back down to your coffee as one hand nervously began spinning your cup on the table. You hadn’t expected him to tell you that, or for how it made you feel. 

“I have an appointment in a couple of weeks,” you told him, trying to ignore the heat in your cheeks. “I can let you know the details when it gets closer if you’d like to come with me.”

“I’d like that,” he replied. “A lot, actually.”

Nervously gnawing on your bottom lip, your gaze still averted from him, you weren’t sure how to broach the next thing you’d considered bringing up. Matt had wanted to be more involved, but how much more did he truly mean? 

“So you also said that you wanted to be around when I didn’t necessarily need you,” you began carefully, your eyes slowly drawing back up to his face. “What’d you mean by that exactly?”

You saw the way his throat bobbed as he swallowed hard, his finger tapping faster atop the table. His other hand reached up to readjust his glasses along the bridge of his nose before he spoke.

“I know we’re not together,” he answered slowly, “but I’d like to spend time together. With both of you. If that’s okay? Not–not all the time. Like I said, I know we’re not together and I’m not going to delude myself into thinking things are other than what they are right now. But I’d like to help you out if I could. Cooking or cleaning occasionally so you can just rest. Grabbing groceries if you need. Anything like that.”

“You…really want that?” you asked, eyes narrowing curiously. “Especially with how busy you are?”

“I want to help,” he assured you.

You nodded slowly, aware that having him around you more often would only make you miss him more. But if things were ever going to progress back to how they once were between you two, you figured this was a good first step to reaching that.

“Okay,” you whispered.

His dark brows jumped up onto his forehead in surprise. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” you answered. “If we’re going to figure this parenting thing out together, I suppose we should start figuring it out before she’s born. Right? It only makes sense.”

A broad smile broke out across Matt’s face immediately. The sight of it nearly blinded you with how happy he’d suddenly looked. 

“You mean that?” he asked. “About doing this together–raising her together? Do you really mean that?”

“With how much you clearly seem to want to be a part of this,” you told him, “it seems cruel not to try to see if things can work out. So yeah. I think we should focus on taking small steps towards that and see if things can actually work out eventually so we aren’t just…co-parenting.”

There was a faint tremble to his lips that you’d just barely caught despite that beaming smile on his face. The sight instantly reminded you of the other night when he’d asked for permission to feel your baby bump. He’d gotten so emotional the moment he’d felt your daughter move and experiencing that with him had felt special in a way that you couldn’t exactly describe. You just knew that after that moment, you didn’t want to keep any more of those experiences from him. Not if he was truly going to give you and your daughter all of himself.

“Plus, I could use help thinking of a name,” you added with a small smile. “She’s not just mine, after all.”

Matt sniffled softly, his lips still faintly trembling. He almost seemed to be on the verge of crying, and you wondered if he wasn’t wearing the glasses right now, if you’d have seen his eyes rimmed in red and filled with tears.

“Thank you,” he whispered, his hand sliding across the table towards you. “For giving me this chance despite everything.”

Your eyes dropped down to his outstretched hand, studying it for a moment. You knew what that hand meant beyond the obvious gesture. Hesitantly your right hand released your coffee cup and slowly slid across the table towards Matt’s. Carefully you wrapped your fingers around his, your heart beating a little faster when his gripped yours in return.

“She deserves both of us,” you whispered. “As long as we can find a way to make this work.”

Tag List: @mattmurdocksstarlight @just-going-through-the-motions @paracosmic-murdock @yeonalie @auroraslibrary @1988-fiend @will-delete-this-later-probably @two-unbeatable-beaters @danzer8705 @ragamuffin285 @callmebrooklynbabes @spookyboogyuniverse @peachy-aisha @stevenknightmarc @nerdytreeflower @fucktthisworld @remuslupinwifee @kmc1989 @thychuvaluswife @mywellspringoflife @thornbushrose @yarrystyleeza @shiorimakibawrites @marvelcinematiquniverse @vallovesthedilfs @scoliobean @this-is-music @mattmurdocks6thscaleapartment @ashlynhasmanyhyperfixations @swissy23 @babygorewhore @that-girl-named-alex @warsaur @lareinaisabelle @pazii @senjoritanana @mischiefmanaged71511-blog @xxdrixx @jess-rye @hannahbohen @theclassicvinyldragon @karolamurdock @theoraekenslover @mr-underhills-things @jennifer0305 @capswife @amazexng @blackhawkfanatic @ladywholikesreading @powellssaturn @sunflower-tia @indestructeible  @allllium @gamingfeline @kezibear @vallovesthedilfs @the-skys-musical-echo @justanerd1 @better305 @n3versatisfied @scriptedmoon @loves0phelia @roxytheimmortal

[yanderes-galore]

Could you make Yandere Platonic Arven vs Nemona?

I'll try my best! If anything is wrong, it's because I haven't played the Main Game's story in a long time and never bought the DLC. Sorry for the wait and that it's short! I ran out of ideas :(

Thank you to those who helped me remember their dynamic! This is lighter than the usual rivalries I write since I can't see them hurting each other.

Yandere! Platonic Arven vs Nemona

Pairing: Platonic - Rivalry

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Jealousy, Friend rivalry, Manipulation, Clingy behavior, Stalking, Dubious companionship.

The two are way different in personality.

Arven was more isolated and is jealous easily.

Meanwhile Nemona is easily excited and always looking for a challenge.

Honestly, the two of them are easily attached to you/the player in the games.

Well... Arven takes longer due to personal reasons but he certainly gets there.

I imagine Arven is the one more invested in the rivalry as Nemona seems oblivious to Arven's irritated mood at times.

Nemona often takes up your time as a guide, friend, and rival.

She's energetic and just wants to have fun with you.

She lives by your home and already tends to clash with Arven and Penny in game since she seems to be in her own world.

Nemona tends to just focus on you.

She often follows you around and wants to battle with you in all ways.

Then there's Arven... who while he gets used to Nemona in the game, he seems to still dislike her at times.

They have clashing personalities and Arven is more grounded than Nemona.

He's known to cherish those he cares about, in this case that's you... His dearest "Buddy".

The two are good friends to have, even if they seem to have some tension between one another.

One of my followers had a good point in saying their rivalry is mostly one-sided.

Arven is definitely the more serious one while Nemona is more... aloof?

They wouldn't hurt one another but there would be subtle competition.

In this rivalry I feel Nemona would be a bit more aware.

She's very focused on you, so when she sees Arven take your attention and get snappy over you... She has a feeling she knows what's going on.

Nemona's more light-hearted with the rivalry than Arven... but she can't turn down a good competition.

The two definitely care a whole lot about you.

Arven teaches you new recipes, Nemona drags you off to battle.

However they both want to be around you and it often conflicts with one another.

As I said before, to you things are subtle.

That's because Nemona isn't as invested as Arven, but they are definitely still getting into small fights.

It may actually irk Arven when Nemona brushes him off.

Nemona acts like Arven's jealousy isn't a big deal.

Although Arven usually gets her back by distracting you.

The most I can see them hurting each other is like... feeling-wise.

They'd sabotage one another, get into verbal fights, but they wouldn't like... physically hurt one another.

Both are quite clingy with you, Nemona is already following you around often and Arven is doing his best to convince you to stay beside him.

They probably both emotionally manipulate you, although Nemona is more accidental.

While Nemona primarily ignores Arven, I can see her occasionally rubbing it in his face that she spends so much time with you.

Arven sees himself as your best buddy, Nemona sees herself as your true rival.

They usually hide their rivalry and I can see Nemona trying to solve arguments with Pokemon battles.

I don't doubt that they'd both stalk you.

They want to compete to see who's your true friend.

To see who deserves to be your only friend.

They could compromise, but you'd have to hope one of them gives up first.

If you're lucky, their rivalry will fizzle out.

That may actually happen since it's not fully mutual.

However, until then (if it ever happens), you're stuck between the two.

They both want the best for you...

Yet they can't seem to agree on sharing you without clashing with one another.

"Nemona, I think you spend way too much time with them! They had something planned with me today."

"I spend too much time with them? No way! They're meant to battle me today! If anything, YOU spend too much time with them cooking!"

[rinzler-smoocher]

Actually kinda love the idea of Tron and Flint having animosity between them... starting when Flynn brings Flint into the system & assigns Tron to be Flint's mentor/bodyguard while Flynn's new sorta user "partner in crime" gets used to the Grid... & while they spend their first few days getting Flint acquainted with everything in this digital world, Flint is enamored with Tron, thanks to having been saved by him more than just once. After all, Tron is very friendly and endlessly patient with Flint despite him being a disaster-prone mess, but....

After a long day of some very nearly critical mess ups, Flint's about to sign off and exit the portal to the human world. He's tired, feels just a bit more than a failure for all the trouble he caused during this cycle, but it's ok. Tron assured him everything was going to be fine snd was easily fixed, so Flint felt better with every passing minute, knowing the program was on his side.

Before rezzing out, though, Flint stopped by Flynn's office to check in with him before he went back to the real world.

Right as he found himself a few centimeters from knocking against the dark metal of the doors leading to Flynn's office, Flint stopped dead in his tracks, noticing a tense conversation going on inside.

There, Tron was arguing with Kevin something about: "When I suggested you bring a new user in, I didn't mean HIM."

Flint flattened himself against the door and listened in, trying desperately to stifle his breath and vanish into the wall.

Cold dread creeped up his spine as he heard Flynn retort: "Hey, give Flint some credit. He's amazing. I know you haven't seen him shine yet, but man! I promise you he's the best we could ever hope for."

"I doubt it," Tron snorted. "Have you seen what he did today?"

They... they were talking about HIM.

Flint knew he should run away - this was something forbidden like hearing your parents talk about you behind their closed bedroom door when you were supposed to be sleeping. But...

He couldn't move an inch.

"Listen, I know you wanted Alan in here, but it wasn't gonna happen, buddy. He's got a kid on the way, and there's no way in hell I would risk blowing up his whole understanding of the world when he's living his own busy life himself."

Flint hears Tron groan in annoyance.

"Just because he's my creator doesn't mean I'm so biased and narrowminded that I had meant only Alan. If you had picked ANYONE that was less of a nuisance, we'd all be better off!"

Flint's heart felt like it had been ripped straight from his ribcage and tossed into a cold, endless, bottomless pit.

Tron had seemed so happy and in such a pleasant mood while they'd been together since Flint had first signed in to the Grid.

Had he been harboring all this anger and annoyance this whole time while Flint was completely oblivious to it?

This felt like a punch to the gut.

After all, how stupid could he be, if that was the case?

"C'mon, man, now that's not fair," Flynn returned. "It's the kid's first few days here. He's just getting used to the Grid. Give him some time. I'm tellin' you, he's going to do great."

"Well, if you're determined to keep him around, find someone else to babysit him." Flint heard a hard THMP that rattled the walls. He shrunk back in fear, assuming it was Tron hitting his fist against the other side of the door he was plastered to. "I have enough work to do, I don't need a liability like HIM weighing me down and adding more on my plate."

"Tron, calm down."

Feeling hot tears pricking at his eyes, Flint forced himself away from the wall and began backing away down the hallway toward the elevator, needing to get out before he could ever see Tron face to face again.

"No, I'm done here. Figure it out yourself. Flint is NOT my problem."

Then, the unthinkable happened.

Before he could even retreat a foot into the shadows, Flint found himself rooted to the spot as the office doors burst open, and Tron stood there opposite of him, and the program registered instantly what must have happened.

Tron's face was stoic as always, but his eyes betrayed the shock he must've felt finding Flint there before him. All too quickly, his frown quirked upright into a smile, but... the warmth didn't reach his icy eyes.

"Hey, Flint, uh... How long have you -"

"I'm leaving," Flint snapped, cutting off Tron before they had to have THAT conversation confirming that Flint had heard every single insult Tron had cruelly spit his way behind his back. "I just wanted to let you guys know I'm logging off for tonight."

Flint looked past Tron, if not completely THROUGH the program, towards Flynn sitting there at the edge of his desk, looking dismayed but quietly waiting for his protoge to continue.

"I... I, uh, don't know if I can come back," Flint found himself saying, his body near trembling as he forced himself to remain calm despite the tear curving down the swell of his cheek. "I'll email you tomorrow. It might be my two weeks notice, I'm not sure yet."

Flynn sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Hey, no problem. We'll talk in the real world tomorrow. Get some rest, and I'll see you in the office first thing then, ok, kid?"

Flint nodded before turning his gaze to Tron.

"You know," Flint said, his voice waivering only slightly. "You could've just said something to me. Now, I think... I think you've ruined this entire place for me."

Tron's throat bobbed as he swallowed harshly. "Wait, Flint, I -"

"G'night," Flint said over him, before he turned quickly on his heel and hastily made his way toward the elevator to get out of his personal hell.

Tron watched on as the elevator opened and Flint ducked inside it. Keeping his dead gaze glued to the floor, the user was swallowed up by it at once.

After the user finally was gone, Tron turned back to Flynn, ready to defend himself at once.

"I didn't mean for... for THAT to happen."

Shaking his head with a hand to his head covering his eyes, Kevin Flynn hoisted himself off his desk and sighed.

"Way to go, Tron. You probably just cost us the best chance we had at getting this place online."

"I-I didn't mean..." but he couldn't finish his thought. Tron DID mean every word he had said, but now in retrospect, with the user having heard every single word thrown out his way...

"It wasn't supposed to..."

"That's enough," Flynn replied, his voice endlessly calm but undeniably stern. "I'll talk with Flint tomorrow and try to straighten up this whole mess. But, either way, I can't stop the kid from making his own choice."

Tron's fists clenched at his sides. That user - that KID - wasn't his responsibility. He shouldn't feel bad that he had overheard all of Tron's true grievances about Flint, but still, Tron couldn't stop an awful feeling of dread from mucking about his core.

"Shit, if you cost me him and he leaves the company, I'm going to reconfigure you into a BIT, I swear god."

"Flynn, I -"

He waved Tron off, cutting through his words.

"You already said enough. Get back to your work. We're done here. And if I have the luck to convince the kid to come back, you better damn well be sure to keep 'fighting for the users...' if that really IS what you do, anyways."

Tron huffed out a heated breath before nodding and heading back down the hallway, as well.

It might've just been a weird feeling, but Tron hated to imagine this nightmare was only just getting started.

[thanatologie]

even if it doesn't like...shake my overall thoughts on the whole thing (like bruh do you realize how fucking unhinged it is to begin with), playing through the lich path has me reframing a lot with like...firsthand experience (amanda's crusade for playing/watching/reading a thing yourself because it is different continues), not least of which is the argument before tearstone island.

like, yeah, okay, this is bog standard for either version, right. in the mortal path he's working himself up to give rook an out, but in the lich path...

and you know a lot of the...actual gut punch here is strictly in his voice because he doesn't have a face, how it frames things - you can read it all day long and still not know that he's clearly meandering to a topic that's gonna go over like the hindenburg, because that's not a statement, that turns up at the end when he says stay back a ways, there's a lot of hesitance in it.

like rook's already squaring up for it.

buddy you're in the wrong genre to have that work and with the wrong kind of hero, and your logic is actually pretty shitty, but honestly it's not like emmrich runs on logic to begin with, he feels things real big, overthinks everything, makes assumptions.

also let's take a moment to appreciate the i'll be far more difficult to kill bit. oh, so you're saying lichdom wasn't the complete cure all for that whole dying thing. (i mean, we knew that in the beginning, right, we all knew that.) but i just think it's interesting that he upsold it as the fix-all when i'm pretty sure lichdom has some heavy limitations on it.

sidebar: the ethereal reverb his voice takes on gives me the shivers for some reason. like if nothing else you'd hope his voice would at least stay the same, and it doesn't. nothing does.

gee, idk, rook, maybe it's because emmrich's fear of death was never addressed in actuality and now you get to be the lucky winner of emmrich trying to wrap you in bubble wrap because he's terrified you'll die.

should have brought back manfred.

like, you know, maybe you should have entered that into your lichdom spreadsheet, i guess, but like. honestly what did he think would happen??? like of course he is, and as big as he feels things, of course he'd carry it forever, whether he went a wayward path or not, like. sincerely, what did he think was going to happen? they'd live happily ever after forever and ever?

i think it's interesting that this is the choice for:

like this is where i once again wonder wtf rook was even thinking because like again: when has this man ever not been Like That about anything. ever. in the entire time you've known him.

this in particular kills me, part of me thinks he'd expected some detachment on his part, on things like all those things he's feels so deeply to be dulled. well, he chose poorly if that's the case, because he has an absolute bear of a time even making eye contact during this whole conversation, he keeps looking at the floor.

i mean i don't know what else to say about this that i haven't already said, but it's true. emmrich would explode if he tried to hold things in, up to and including his well ackshuallys.

also, this guy's still not over his parents, he'll probably never get over manfred completely (i mean he and manfred spent twenty years together, you don't just get over that), so uh. i sincerely doubt he's going to be able to honor that one. just saying.

and see, we almost ended this on a good note. we almost did it. this is a fairly reasonable request, i think, on emmrich's part. it's a world away from maybe hang back because i'm invincible or some shit, it's a reasonable thing to ask someone you love to be careful.

aaaand rook ruins it.

i mean...he has a point? like, hey, we're gonna go try to kill literal gods tomorrow, could you please at least try to be careful a little? is not something you get your dander up over.

rook, buddy. pal. friendo. he was like this when you signed on to this two man rowing team, what makes you think he's going to change now? expecting him to, when - again - you're going up against literal gods is maybe being kind of...i don't know. insensitive? jerkish? when you knew he was like this?

should have resurrected manfred.

honestly in this version of the whole fight thing i'm actually glad to see emmrich get a little annoyed about it here tbh, because he's been showing his belly since rook walked in. like the first part, yeah, you can't ask someone to hang back like that in something like this, but tempering it to a reasonable request and still getting shit for it?

nah, mans is correct in his exasperation. i, too, am exasperated with rook right now because emmrich is not being the unreasonable one.

sure, rook's correct here. absolutely, emmrich has transferred that fear of death to them 100%. but you know what? is not helpful or productive? being like this. it's basically the equivalent of stomping your foot because you got told no. but i appreciate that you can tell rook immediately absolutely regrets saying it.

thiskillstheskeleton.jpg

if this man could still burst into tears he'd absolutely be bursting into tears at this point like!!!! that hurt him.

the ending, the we should get ready thing, is still bog standard i think for all versions of this fight except you know!!! at this point there's no manfred to ask him what's going on and for him to be tetchy with, johanna's keeping her mouth shut, and it's just emmrich. in an otherwise empty room, left to sit with it and stew.

it's funny because the mortal argument puts me mostly squarely on rook's side, he's being ridiculous. like he's literally trying to break up with them because he's scared they maybe don't see it as forever after the way he does instead of using his fucking words.

but this one...man, i feel sorry for him. like, yeah, he came out the gate wrong, knew it was gonna be the wrong thing to say but said it anyway, and then tempered it and got his head bitten off for it.

[system-community-corner]

support people with DID!!!! but not people with DID who think endos are real!!!

take that shit out of ur bio

Check your entitlement towards another person's blog.

I will always support people with my disorder, even if they support people who make a mockery of it. Do you know what DNI stands for, Anon? it stands for Do Not Interact. It's exceedingly simple.

I doubt you'd care enough about the reason as to why I have such a simple, easy to follow rule for my blogs. Yet I'll always be willing to repeat myself. Pro endos and the endogenic community heavily traumatized me and my system.

We were avidly groomed by multiple people who either identified or supported endos. We were told point blank our trauma would never be enough, that the abuse we went through as a child and young teenager wasn't actual abuse in any way and that we should be thankful to have it so good compared to others.

We were manipulated into believing that our trauma was point blank - not real. The symptoms we showed meant we were endogenic and that we deserved much worse treatment if we ever disagreed with that. We were manipulated into sending adults sexualized photos of ourselves to prove that we supported endos against those bigoted anti-endo sysmeds!!

We were threatened with being doxxed, among other things, if we talked about our experiences publicly. It sounds so stupid as an adult who Knows Better - but I need to be kind to our younger self. We just wanted to fit in, we craved approval, and we didn't care how we got it or from who just so long as we were liked and valued.

Got to the point where we eventually met our ex partner system, one that over time convinced us that alter death was a real thing and that they were able to system hop and kill our alters for stepping out of line.

Multiple people routinely used our trauma against us (after they couldn't claim it wasn't real anymore) to cause us to forcibly split new parts to mold into however they wanted. Oftentimes, they'd attempt to mold the alters into a new efuck buddy <3 our in our ex partner systems case yet another fictive to roleplay with and date <3<3

It took us far too long to recognize that as harmful and abusive behavior because it was heavily normalized in the spaces we were in. We are WELL aware that not every single pro endo or endogenic person is like that.

That said, I don't think its unreasonable for not wanting them to interact with the damage a certain subset of the community has caused me. Even still with how the majority of the community continuously harms people with severe disorders with the blatant misinformation they push - willingly.

[piracytheorist]

Episode 31 reactions!

Okay, first off, mind. blown. There's some VERY good action in this one!

Yor's coworkers are at the "Well, we're still better off!" jealousy stage. It's a small thing but something I can definitely see people like them do. Sharon seems to be the most passive-aggressive one, so it was a bit revealing that she was the first one to go like "Hey I got beer and sausage, I'm not jealous at all!" Our truest selves come out in the hardest times...

A very beautiful shot of the ship!

By the way, if Yor's coworkers knew what she was going through, they'd definitely stop being jealous.

Yor appears a little too nervous, if you ask me. Granted, we only saw her once before working, and when she was imagining what she'd tell Anya she sounded quite secure in her abilities. But now that she's been living in a family, her way of work has indeed changed, if anything else because she's worried they may find out the truth about her.

At first I thought McMahon had kicked her in the shin, but upon rewatching I realized he kicked the leg of the chair. I'm sure if it were the Shopkeeper he'd probably kick her leg, if not stomp down on her foot just to get her to focus.

Gram was sneezing again? Should I pay attention to this or is it just a baby being a baby?

Yor is smart to try and think how the enemy would think in order to be prepared for their plan, but she doesn't take into account the fact that some of the assassins are actual psychopaths who don't care about taking innocent people's lives in their effort to do their job. That's what being too kind of an assassin will do to you XD

And it's driven to the point even more with Yor being cute like that - and probably remembering the times she played with Yuri when he was little - and Olka saying she doesn't look like a criminal. She really doesn't. Sweetest assassin ever <3

The "mmm" Yor made at the end was the exact same "mmm" Anya made while stuffing up her face with food XD

Loid is not impressed, and this is only the beginning.

It's so fun having the actual, physical copy of the manga in front of me as I watch the episode! I notice here that when Anya talked about Yor missing, she also told Loid "You miss dinner all the time", but the anime omitted that. STOP DENYING US THINGS!

Anyway, Anya calls him out for catching feelings, and Loid is quick to drop his voice a couple octaves to show how secure he is.

I AM NOT LONELY I AM NOT.

Sure buddy, sure.

The office guys are on the opposite side of relaxing and actually enjoying themselves on this trip, going out and drinking a little too much, while the "Greys", Yor and McMahon are walking on eggshells.

The anime team obviously had enough time available for this chapter, as they have a couple of added lines from the office guys, so I doubt they omitted Anya's line about Loid missing dinner due to time issues. I wonder what might be the reason - it's not like they're trying to make us think he doesn't miss dinner? We know the guy's schedule is tight as a drum.

Anyway. Assassin-ing time and holy shit.

I'm pretty sure I gasped at this.

And the rest of the scene, of course!

Obligatory mention that it's been proven time and again that torture is not an effective means of interrogation. People can and do lie while being tortured for information, so the things they say may or may not be accurate. Torture may make them speak, but whether they speak the truth or not is another issue, unrelated to torture itself. So while there can be various goals of torturing someone (illegitimate, of course, like punishment, making an example out of a "traitor", or in very few real-life cases, gratification), obtaining information has proven to not be a feasible one. I understand the point of the scene was to show McMahon's abilities and to establish that there are multiple people on board after Olka, I just needed to say that.

I've been certain they'd go the "dumping bodies into the ocean" route. A cruise is a great setting for that!

The knock on the door was intense! Especially since it's put right after the scene of McMahon and Furseal walking back to the room, but just those few seconds of slowed down tension make you think "Oh no. It's not them. It's them".

I expected the "Oh, it's just room service!" and of course, I expected the "I didn't order any" reply.

Great animation of the attack and Yor protecting Olka and Gram though I'm begging the animators to look a bit into trigger discipline, at this point whenever I see a gun my eyes go immediately on the trigger and I go D: whenever there's a finger on it that shouldn't be

But oh, McMahon is good, and resourceful!

The assassin points his gun at them, Furseal freaks out while McMahon marches on.

We also finally see one (1) eye under the reflection of his glasses. I get that the reflection makes it easier in animation and such, but still I appreciate this detail, especially in such a moment.

And more action! Yor being a badass and at the same time caring for the baby!

"I can excuse murder in self-defense but I draw the line at scaring a baby"

THE GUY WAS STILL WIGGLING. WHILE HE HAD A DAGGER THROUGH HIS SKULL.

(probably last uncontrollable movements from his dying nervous system but still. it was fucking chilling and I love it)

Also, I can understand Yor being strong enough to break the door. But I think it takes a different kind of strength to throw an object, even a sharp one, and make the object break through the door, a human skull, and then latch onto a wall. Absolute unit.

Seeing the body was freaky, too! If I'm correct, I think this is the very first time we see a person being murdered on screen in the story.

Ah no wait we do see a guy in the second episode getting a dagger to the back and falling down. But it was much more palatable than seeing a dagger go through someone's skull and practically nailing him to the wall.

I'm gonna think about this for a long time, lmao. It was brutal!

I just noticed this on my rewatch! McMahon is wearing a ring in the shape and place of a wedding ring! He then goes on to tell the ship's services that the "mister and missus had a fight" though in the manga he says "me and my wife" so is his cover that he's on board with his wife?

And here's the same thing that shows Yor's side. She sees assassins as people doing their job and "cleaning out trash" especially in her case, not people who do this job just because they have no issue killing.

I mean, I don't want turtleneck guy to defeat Yor, but he's got my respect for now.

He also says there are other members from the gangster family on board? Just how many people did manage to get on this ship XD

The eavesdropping guy tells turtleneck guy that he sells his information equally and practically tells him good luck getting ahead, so now I'm thinking, there's another eavesdropping guy, or is he selling all his intel to other assassins that weren't there in that scene?

Also, good luck getting them to work together without getting greedy and/or paranoid, lol

Furseal was actually blushing while wearing the mask XD and the plague doctor mask on the baby!

The poison guy thinks he's some dude. He has no idea who he's dealing with.

This arc will be perfect for creepy shots of Yor, won't it XD

Furseal asks for his button back and dude! Priorities much? This button saved all your lives XD

Blonde mask guy tries to go for Olka right in the middle of the crowd like wtf and the moment Yor grabbed his hands I went like "BREAK THEM. BREAK HIS FINGERS." And then she did <3 We stan <3

That's it. That's their dynamic in one shot.

While Anya is having an overdramatic tantrum, we see how even when Twilight is trying to not be on the lookout - he even says he just has to stay away from suspicious people - his skills are so fine that they kinda work subconsciously. He spots the listening devices (I mean, there are a ton of them) and notices all the suspicious people even if he doesn't make a conscious list of all of them.

Then Twilight has a fucking breakdown over one (1) silly keychain. I mean it is a skeleton keychain so his mind immediately went "IT'S EITHER THAT OR MY OWN DEATH" is anyone even surprised

Anya is still learning how easily Twilight overreacts. And like the scene with the sandbox in the hospital, she realizes she caused him a little too much anxiety and tries to take some burden off.

This entire tension is going on and Twilight is still stuck on whether he should buy a stupid keychain. This man is incapable of relaxing, you tell him to relax and he goes like "Okay spy mode on standby, parent with anxiety mode is on".

I love how this reads a bit like "Papa considers hating frogs as much of a dealbreaker as being an assassin!"

It's so weird - though fitting - to think that Anya believes she can keep this up indefinitely. She has no idea how easily they could discover each other's identities and believes she can stop that from eventually happening. It makes sense for her age, though.

It's also a bit sad, how quick she is to think that she would be abandoned if they found out about each other. It's probably what makes her go "I have to keep this up as long as possible". Her young mind can't comprehend an alternative.

And oop! Taking part of the next chapter too, I see!

I might have lost it during these shots.

"You go around having battles" is definitely something Anya would come up with. It's why she's so hard to write and why Endo should receive an applause for how accurate to her age and experience he writes her.

Next, Twilight's biggest foe; the unreadable expression of a five six year old who is trying to take responsibility for her actions.

I love how when Twilight is facing actual danger and difficult missions he's all cool and collected. Meeting Desmond? Piece of cake. Taking down entire groups of people aiming guns at him? No problem. Anya acting unpredictable? THE WORLD IS ENDING.

However funny the scene is, it slowly drifts into a sadder territory. Twilight actually worries over Anya's mental state, and though he has no idea Anya is having the time of her life, there must be a part of his understanding of her trauma that is true. Now why he undermines completely his own trauma... It's projecting, isn't it?

Anyway, he concludes that the Handler knew from the beginning that Anya needs some vacation in order to recover from her trauma, and for some reason, instead of going like "Yo give her a break" she conjured up this entire idea for a vacation... But in reality, the Handler was only saying that in order to justify his time off in paper.

Like, the man can be so off sometimes that I want to shake him and then hug him because god I cannot imagine going your entire life like this and not even comprehending the idea of actual time off.

Anya: Have fun! Twilight: Cannot compute!

Like yeah it's funny but how am I supposed to not feel just a little bit sad with how he's completely unfamiliar with the concept of relaxing and having fun 😭😭

This is going to be a disaster XD

Anya prepares to run for it, realizes he can change and wear everything within seconds, and freezes... But then Overanalyzing TwilightTM takes control and he starts spending long minutes in front of the mirror freaking out about how his weird ensemble will manage to fix Anya's mood.

This truly is his most difficult mission. Anya is the perfect age to teach him about how sometimes he cannot control how people will react to his manipulations... and then there's the mind-reading, too.

Anyway. I love how Anya goes like "That's not how I expected to win some time but it works" and just steps back into the corridor XD

OH MY GOD

I love me a good fight choreography! Here Yor pushed Olka down from the shoulders, and at the same time pushed Furseal's knees to the front so they'd bend and he'd go down just enough to miss the sickle. Awesome!

The guy just starts a fight right in the middle of the crowd. And Yor has no choice but to stop him, Anya has to hide and also keep Loid from coming out of the store...

That IS a very interesting cliffhanger! I nearly screamed when it ended there, lol. It even ends in the middle of the page! I had to cover it with my hand to avoid spoilers XD The things I go through in this crazy experience XD

Overall, awesome episode! Though I felt that the Twilight panicking scene dragged on a bit. I don't know why. Maybe it's just that I'm an angst ho and I wanted a bit more angsty vibes from that scene. It's not bad, but maybe I still haven't realized just how much on comedy the show belongs in. It has a peculiar but for some reason very efficient balance on everything.

[lovevalley45]

#fictober24 - day nine

"Is this normal?"

fandom: dc's legends of tomorrow

word count: 815

a/n: just in case it wasn't clear, zee is zari 1.0 and zari is zari 2.0... having characters who are literally the same person from different timelines is so confusing for modern AUs!!

Astra had heard enough about the Tarazis to know she would be in over her head when they invited her to dinner. 

"You'll love them," Behrad told her. "Nate and Zee are great." 

"Right. I'm sure I will." She'd grown up an only child, and certainly not with a pair of twin older sisters who were different in every way - aside from looking eerily identical, that was. Astra had met Zari Tarazi - the Zari Tarazi, influencer and surprisingly easy to get along with - a few times, since she also lived in California. 

But Zee and Nate lived in Seattle, doing whatever a white-hat hacker and historian did to keep themselves busy. Visits from them could be rare, which meant she hadn't yet met the third Tarazi sibling.

That changed tonight. 

As they walked up the steps of Zari's mansion, Astra was more worried than she thought she'd be. What if they hated her on principle? What if Zari had made too many jokes about her being Behrad's sugar mama and they'd think he deserved better?

Behrad knocked on the door before she had too much time to spiral. They barely had to wait before the door swung open to reveal a buff white man with too much hair gel and a giant smile. '

"Nate, buddy!" Behrad opened his arms wide for Nate to give him a hug. 

Astra raised her eyebrows. "Should I be jealous?" 

"Maybe," he admitted, pulling away. "Nate, this is Astra. My girlfriend." The way he grinned, both wide yet sheepish, made her feel all warm inside. "Astra, this is Nate." 

"Hey." Nate held out a hand - thankfully not going in for the hug. "B's told me all about you." 

Astra had also heard a lot about Nate: he had a PhD in history and the random facts up his sleeve to prove it, that he used to be Behrad’s stoner buddy before he moved to be closer to Zee, but most importantly, that he was a giant sweetheart. She didn't doubt that last point as she shook his hand. "It's nice to finally meet you." 

“Ooh, strong handshake,” he said. “Come on in, Zee and Zari are in the kitchen reportedly getting together some snacks for us to munch on while we let B do the real cooking.” 

“Tell me; why didn’t we just host this at my apartment again?” Astra asked, following him inside.  

“Because you hate having company,” Behrad said. 

That was true. It wasn’t that she hated having people in her space, it was - actually, it was exactly that. 

“Better than your place,” Nate teased, with a shrug. 

“Hey, I clean,” he said. “My kitchen is spotless.”

“And your bathroom?” Astra asked. 

Behrad spun on his heel towards the kitchen. “Let’s see how Zee and Zari are doing, shall we?” 

Nate turned to Astra with a conspiratorial grin. “Been that way since we were roommates.” 

She shuddered. “I hope you’ve improved your quality of living since then?” 

“Yeah. Helps when I’m living with the Tarazi sibling who sheds the least.” 

Behrad had beat them to the kitchen by the time they came in, right at the heart of… whatever siblings got up. Zee was sitting on the counter, taking nuts from the snack tray Zari was trying to assemble as their brother puttered around the kitchen. The three of them were too busy to notice Nate and Astra approaching the doorway.

“Seriously, how am I supposed to prep dinner when you’re both all in my space?” Behrad was asking. 

“Don’t mind B, he’s just nervous about us making a good impression on his little girlfriend,” Zari told Zee. “Stop stealing my almonds.” 

“No one else is gonna eat them,” she said. “It’s gonna be fine. We won’t scare her off.” 

Zari pulled the snack tray out of Zee’s reach. “You sure you aren’t going to hit her with the ‘if you hurt my brother, I’ll kill you’ routine?”

She stretched over to try and snag another almond. “I thought you had that covered.” 

Behrad turned from where he had looped an apron over his nice clothes. Astra was momentarily distracted by how hot and domestic he looked in an apron to miss what he was saying, only catching, “...so embarrassing, oh my God.” 

Zee jumped off the counter. “We’re your older sisters. That’s what we do.” 

Zari turned to face him, pinching his cheek. “Yeah, B.” 

“Seriously, guys-” He tried to push Zari away gently, but soon found himself dogpiled by the twins. 

“Is this normal?” Astra whispered to Nate. 

“Totally.” He sized her up. “You an only child?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Me too. It takes some getting used to.” Nate patted her shoulder. “Welcome to the family.” 

As he stepped forward to join in the joshing, Astra smiled to herself. She was definitely in over her head with this bunch. But she found she didn’t mind it too much.

[alicepao13]

Hudson and Rex S04E10 - Blood and Diamonds - Part B

That was your best behavior? You were goading Tennant half of that time.

Dama mention! I like dama.

Hey, we just got everyone to trust Rex, we don't need outsiders to come and doubt us.

It's about the sense of self-preservation. Which, of course, goes out the window the minute Charlie asks something.

His nose is doing all the job, ma'am.

"Otto Hart is your nephew." Dum-dum-dum.

I believe that. Otherwise Tennant would have heard all about Charlie kissing Eva already. Not very fan of "my team", though.

"I needed to make sure Major Crimes took my opinion on this case seriously." Joke's on you because they'd do what they always do anyway.

That's a good line.

You pushover! Yeah, it's that bad. The higher up the ladder you are, the worse you can influence a case. Not to mention (because they don't know yet) that the fact that Tennant has now said the whole truth doesn't mean her nephew did.

The thing is that cases like these with familial attachments shouldn't happen often but in crime shows there's a 10% possibility you'll hit a family member in each case. So, this scenario, which realistically should be totally non-relatable, is in fact totally relatable for most. That's why Joe doesn't have a rebuttal.

More unnecessary touching.

Some undercover work for Sarah too.

The fucking seagull on the camera lol

Jesse was not ready to improvise at all. And we see Charlie rushing to cover for him, then he realizes he's got his badge strapped on his belt and he covers it with his jacket.

They look like a couple of gay PIs on a show I just made up.

Not Terry! Come on, Jesse.

She just wanted to pull out her badge so bad. But I kinda wanted her to as well.

Adele: "Well, from where I'm standing, you were made." Charlie: "To a point." No, like, completely. Let's be honest. The cover is supposed to get someone to either trust or ignore you. The target thinking you're a PI does the exact opposite.

"This is why you don't bring a dog to a stakeout." What? Rex didn't blow our cover.

We're the only ones in the inner circle of trust.

Get him!

You've got a lot of nerve, buddy. You just made a fool of her in front of her subordinates. Aside from the whole murder and diamond smuggling thing.

We got intruders in our bar. Just kidding.

Not that I didn't know that Rex was calling the shots all along.

All their faces are like, "Charlie why?" lmao

Rex: "I don't believe you. Grovel a bit more."

"An apology with food? How can I say no?"

I mean, they totally humiliated her, so no, I wasn't a fan of that. We see every time that this team, and especially Rex, are better than literally any other cop or agent or whatever, they didn't need to do that. But the episode is enjoyable even like that. There's a lot of comedy which helps. It's just that I don't think we needed to be introduced to a character of a female deputy chief who from the first interaction to almost the last needed to be taken down a peg. And that's made abundantly clear throughout the two episodes that we have of her. Not to mention all the gossiping everyone does behind her back. I'm not a fan of these elements.

[senblades]

To follow up on my comment about Fftsr + pq2

would futaba go behind everyone’s back to form her own “revenge squad” alongside ryuji and makoto, maybe including Ken, who would definitely sympathize with her

what if sumi and haru pop out of one of the labyrinths with kotone in tow, and now futaba’s revenge squad have blocked off the door to that screening room, and now Fuuka and Ann are trying to talk everyone down

oh ho ho I love fucking around with pq2 au's- there's just so much potential for fuckery! (and judgement from the other persona teams HA)

(this is also a good opportunity to analyse everyone's behaviour in the latest chapters of fftsr lmao)

Hm... Ken is an interesting one, since I think Akechi has a lot of similarities with both Shinjiro AND Ken, and I think they'd both recognise that. Additionally, it's not an exact 1-to-1 situation, so I think that if Futaba stayed in a state of "FUCK THIS" long enough to try and get revenge, I think a solid chunk of the p3 squad would want to stay solidly out of it (or, damage control- I think you're right that Fuuka would be with Ann on this one)

Ultimately, though, Futaba in the most recent chapters of fftsr is being impulsive. She's angry, hurt, and most of all: confused. She doesn't have the full situation. She made an irrational and impulsive descision in the midst of her panic, and the rest of the thieves are either feeling too betrayed (Ryuji, Makoto), or too panicked/confused (Yusuke, Morgana, Ann) to not enable her. Point is, that getting q2'd is a GREAT opportunity for Futaba to calm down lmao. In saying that, though, I think that "calming down" is more synonomous to "crashing", in this case. Even if Futaba gets her answers, she isn't going to be happy about them. I think Taba in this pq2 scenario wouldn't be a super effective Navi for a while

As for Sumi and Haru- I think that once everyone gets forcibly thrown together, the misunderstanding would clear up pretty quick. In saying that, though, that just brings on a whole lot of OTHER questions- main one being "time travel???" second one being "Why are you buddies with an assassin, again?"

Oh ho ho the wildcards...

Ren! is fucked! HA- getting q2'd directly after chapter 45 would really just leave him disoriented to hell and back, and it would probably take some time to convince him that what's happening is actually real. I also doubt he'd be in an emotional state to lead... anything. So that's a solid 7-ish persona users without anyone to direct them.

Akechi! :D he's also fucked! HA yeah Sumi and Haru aren't getting any direction outta that one- so that brings our "unattended persona user" count up to 10

So Minato, Yu, and Kotone need to pick up the slack. great! I actually think that Kotone in this situation is best choice for "full group leader". Why? Well, I don't know when exactly the p4 squad gets q2'd, but it definitely takes a while for the "moral greyness of it all" to actually sink into the plot for them- so when confronted with the shitshow that is the p5 squad at the moment, I think Yu would be at a loss.

p3, on the other hand, is very used to morality soup! In saying that, Minato is on that whole "2000's emo boy" bullshit, and doesn't have the assertive force to get everyone under control- considering it's pre-October-4. Kotone meanwhile, though still in "pre-October-4" land, definitely has more of that "Aight! Shut up! Everyone get your shit together!" energy, that the p5 squad would really benefit from HA (and, enough compassion to balance both sides of the equation)

I think at first, everything would be a shitshow of pointing fingers though LMAO

Sorry for the very long answer... I have a lot of thoughts, and I didn't even cover half of them LMAO. I pity the pq2 writers

[monards]

i personally think the "And when the cataclysm occurred, not one of them stood up in defense of their nation, not one came forward to prevent the tragedy… And for that, they shall never have my forgiveness." line from dain is so insane because. what the fuck were they meant to do. like i dont MEAN to be apart of the woke liberal left but when you live your life under the impression of the gods being pretty damn powerful it is in fact human survival instinct to RUN when aforementioned gods are trying to exterminate you like an ant. like im not judging dain too much because i know that boy was indoctrinated to hell and back as a knight. but 1.) dain where the fuck were YOU. and 2.) as far as we can see through just rhine. there was stuff done???? you could not POSSIBLY expect 5 people to save an entire underground nation from 5(?) gods + the heavenly principles;; but its clear they did stuff. above ground. at least?? rhine sent two whole ass dragons on the overworld & archon's asses. NOT TO MENTION THE RIFTWOLVES?? maybe it wasnt wholly for 'avenging' khaneri'ah but it was. definitely more than whatever dain did !!!! this isnt even mentioning the fact dain doesn't clarify they all had their "otherworldly powers" at that point-- they'd, in the case they were there, would HAVE to had been new to them ;; and i doubt any person grappling with powers beyond their world would be all too eager to go fight the gods ( WHO HAVE LIVED HUNDEREDS OF YEARS !!!!!!!!!!!!) with their minimal experience. i promise i do not normally shit on dainsleif. but oh mygod. buddy. please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[would-this-pokemon-be-a-friend]

Some of these are interesting! How about Archen?

(Thank you!) Well, it's a bit of a tricky hypothetical since archens are, sadly, extinct. I've heard there may be some wild ones living out in the Crown Tundra of the Galar Region, but I'm not sure if it's a hoax or not. But let's say you got your hands on an archen somehow, either by revolving a fossil or finding one still living out there somewhere. Would they be a good pet? In most cases, yes!

Archens were tiny and lightweight, just the right size to be a house pet. We don't have a lot of information about how friendly or personable they may have been, unfortunately. It's been recently reconsidered, but it was once believed that they were the ancestors of modern-day bird pokémon (Ultra Sun). Since modern bird pokémon are often pretty friendly to humans, I say its probably a safe bet to assume that an archen could get along with you as well. It has been observed from fossils that archens' diets were made up both berries and small bug pokémon (Shield). I'm not sure how similar these were to modern species, so you would want to investigate appropriate alternatives for your archen's diet if needed.

Archens, despite their appearance, couldn't really fly. Rather, they got around by hopping from tree to tree (Black) and gliding down to the ground with their wing-like limbs (Moon). If you were to adopt an archen into your home, you would need to be aware that they'd be great at climbing around wherever they wished (and may scratch up furniture and walls with their sharp claws!) It would be important to archen-proff your home, to make sure your prehistoric buddy doesn't get into anything or go somewhere they aren't supposed to!

No doubt due to the wild prehistoric world they found themselves in, archens could be really dangerous if they wanted to be. Their move set included a lot of pretty dangerous moves, using their claws and affinity for rocks to deal out brutal attacks. Since we don't have a lot of data about their behavior, we don't know how likely they may be to use these moves on people. We must heavily consider how dangerous these extinct creatures may be when we calculate the likelihood of them making a good pet.

Sadly, it is unlikely that anyone could adopt a archen as a pet. But if they could, they could make a pretty good pet! They may be a handful, but their small size and simple way of life would make them adaptable to the modern day if cared for well by a loving owner. They may be a bit dangerous, but it's hard to say how aggressive they may have been. I say (hypothetically) go for it!

[werecat1234]

Multiverse Madness Chapter Eighteen

Dust was on the couch scrolling through his phone, ketchup bottle in his other hand. Dinner had been fun, with Nightmare kinda pissed off and... almost embarrassed? They'd tried figuring out what happened, but Bill just started laughing and Nightmare just turned his skull off to the side with an 'i don't want to talk about it.'

Insanity of course, hadn't wanted to eat anything, the only thing he did was sip on the salsa and nacho cheese after Dust tested it and made sure it was safe, and even then that wasn't a lot but it was the best they'd get for now. After dinner, Killer went on a scouting mission with Nightmare before everyone went to sleep, and Dust was wondering if Killer had managed to find out what had happened that got Nightmare in the mood he was in yesterday. Speak of the devil, Dust looked up as he heard footsteps approaching, seeing Killer coming out of the hallway.

"morning, dusty!" Killer greeted cheerfully, jacket tied around his hips by the sleeves as he walked by, heading to the kitchen. 

". . . morning?" Dust replied, "you're in a good mood. i take it the scouting mission was fun?"

"yup!" Killer noddeed, opening the fridge and grabbing strawberry milk and a mug from a cabinet, "you want any?"

"nah, but thanks. think we're going out for insanity's room today?" Dust asked, surprised Killer was actually consuming something without Horror getting on his case for it.

"probably? i mean insanity was pretty messed up last night, distracting him might be good for him?" Killer shrugged, pouring the milk into the cup before putting it back in the fridge.

"yeah, maybe. wonder what all he'll find. we don't know... pretty much anything about his interests or anything." Dust said.

"yeah, it's like living with jason." Killer sighed.

"you still pissy he doesn't talk?" Dust questioned as Killer sipped on the milk.

"i mean kinda? i get it from the broken jaw and all, but even then... it's just hard to figure him out." Killer shrugged, "i'm a chatterbox, you said that, and cross can talk someone's metaphorical ear off when he wants to, but we're still playing charades with the guy. just hard to get to know him." 

"he'll come around eventually. we just gotta earn his trust." Dust said.

"yeah, but who knows how long that's gonna take... damn this singlehandedly defeated my mood." Killer muttered, and Dust snorted.

"at least you won't creep out horror. you and genuinely cheerful is a weird mix." Dust pointed out, and Killer snickered. 

"alright! this wall here can be taken out, maybe a nice doorway into the room, put some nice carpeting down, and i really think some drywall would do well here, along with some shiplap on the exterior if we didn't wanna add a fireplace, not to mention-"

Ink's chatter filled Blue's house in the morning, Ink in handyman gear as he stood by the stairs, facing the left wall. Dream was at the bottom of the stairs with Stretch, and Blue was in the kitchen heating up waffles. Murder was laying behind Dream on the couch, Dream having maneuvered out from under him early in the morning before he woke up, since he doubted Murder wouldn't be embarrassed when he woke up. Luckily for Dream, Murder slept in, but unfortunately, Dream has been having to deal with Ink playing house renovator.

"how long's he been like this?" Stretch asked.

"around an hour." Dream sighed. "he watched fixer upper last night and hasn't stopped."

Murder groaned a bit from the couch, waking up, and Dream heard him stumble a bit. Dream turned around to check on him, seeing him steadying himself by gripping the arm of the couch.

"you alright, buddy?" Stretch questioned as Dream asked, "are you ok?"

"yeah, just sat up too fast." Murder answered, letting go of the couch before heading up past them and the stairs, asking Ink, "you do realize you don't need to do this, right?"

"i definitely do! if you're gonna stay here, you're gonna need a room!" Ink responded.

"i could sleep in the shed?" Murder pointed out.

"nope! no teammate of mine is gonna sleep in a shed outside! so, you're getting a room and that's final!" Ink declared, and Murder sighed, pinching the bridge of his nasal cavity.

"you know you can't just wreck your friend's house, right?" Murder checked.

"he gave me permission, and 100% agrees with me!" Ink informed.

"what about stretch?" Murder asked.

"blue pays the mortgage." Stretch shrugged. 

"YUP! I HOLD THE POWER TO GIVE INK THE POWER TO MAKE SURE OUR FRIEND IS COMFORTABLE! OH! DREAM! YOU NEED A ROOM TOO, DREAM!" Blue called out from the kitchen.

"i'm ok with the cou-" Dream started.

"NONSENSE! YOU EITHER GET A NICE PLACE TO RELAX WITH GOOD VIBES, OR I'LL LET INK DRINK A BUNCH OF YELLOW PAINT AGAIN!" Blue grinned, and Dream shuddered.

"what?" Murder questioned.

"ink drank a bunch of yellow paint after i got hurt after a mission, and he was... unbearable." Dream sighed, grimacing at the memory.

"yikes..." Murder muttered, looking over Dream's shoulder at something for a moment before saying, "i'll be right back."

Murder walked out of the room, heading outside, and Dream hesitated for a moment before following him. Murder went to the back of the house, leaning against the building as he stood next to the trap door, Dream watching him from around a corner to make sure he wasn't smoking or drinking again. The drinking had stopped for the most part, thankfully, but Dream still worried about the smoking. Dream could hear him mumbling a bit to himself.

"no, pap, i'm not... i'm not doing this right now. we both know you aren't real." Murder muttered, and Dream focused on his emotions, seeing the same version of Papyrus that he saw last night.

'BUT BROTHER, I COULD BE REAL! YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE ALONE, SANS! I'M HERE FOR YOU!' The hallucination spoke. 

"but you're not, and you won't be." Murder replied.

'BUT I CAN! I CAN AND WILL, SANS! YOU CAN KILL MY BODY BUT YOU CAN'T KILL MY MIND! YOU NEVER EVEN TALK TO ME ANYMORE, AND SINCE YOU'VE STARTED-'

"because you're not him. we both know you're not. all you are is a representation of my guilt." Murder said.

'BUT I'M ALSO YOUR BROTHER.'

"my brother wouldn't want me to hurt others, and i think you know that." Murder glared, "my brother died years ago."

'IT'S FOR A NOBLE CAUSE, SANS! YOU KNOW IF YOU GET LV-!'

"no. i don't want to hear it. i'm done. i listened to you back in my timeline, but i'm done. i refuse to kill anyone. it won't happen." Murder said firmly.

'T H E N  Y O U  W I L L  N E V E R  B E  A B L E  T O  P R O T E C T  T H E M .  Y O U  C O U L D N ' T  E V E N  P R O T E C T  M E .'

Murder shuddered, and Dream heard screams starting to ring out in the area, looking around but he didn't sense any negativity from anyone besides Murder. Murder gripped at his skull, shaking and trembling as the screams grew louder, pulling his hood up to try blocking it out. Dream went to help him, but stopped as Murder reached into his pocket, grabbing an orange bottle and reaching inside, grabbing a green pill and putting it in his mouth, his bones rattling. Murder closed the bottle and put it back into his pocket, and sank down to the snow, holding his skull and trembling a bit, and Dream decided to approach him. Dream could taste the negativity, the taste of it sour and bitter and getting increasingly so, and it was burning his bones. 

"murder?" Dream called out softly, and Murder took a moment before looking over at him as he walked over, "are you ok?"

"i... uh... y-yeah, i'm fine..." Murder answered, looking away as Dream sat next to him, trying to ignore the screaming Dream could still hear, "my negativity give me away?"

". . . kind of... i was trying to make sure you weren't drinking or smoking, but umm... what was in that bottle?" Dream asked, and Murder tensed slightly.

"you uh... saw that?" Murder questioned, looking over at Dream as he nodded.

"yeah, i did... what was it?" Dream nodded.

Murder hesitated for a moment before sighing, "clozapine."

"what's that?" Dream asked.

"it's uh... schizophrenia medication; helps when i see things and with some other stuff... started it a bit ago, and you can't drink alcohol with it, so that was out the window... i was on other stuff before, but it stopped working as well." Murder explained, "i... used to talk to a hallucination of my brother, but uh... i stopped after a while, and the meds keep him and everything else quiet for the most part. the other stuff used to help a bit but it lost effect, so now i'm on this."

'AND THIS WILL FAIL TOO! YOU CAN'T GET RID OF ME, SANS!'

"shut up..." Murder muttered.

'NO, I WON'T! WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME AGAIN, BROTHER?'

"i'm not. you're already dead." Murder looked in front of him, glaring at the hallucination. 

Dream went to speak, but the hallucination cut him off, 'I WILL BE IF YOU KEEP THIS UP. ALL I WANT IS TO HELP YOU! HOW CAN YOU EXPECT TO HELP YOUR 'TEAM' IF YOU AREN'T STRONG ENOUGH?'

"murder, you're more than strong enough, actually." Dream spoke up, and Murder's eyelights shot over to him.

"you can see him?" Murder asked.

"when i focus on your emotions, yes. i hear the screaming too..." Dream answered, and Murder sighed, looking down. 

'THE SCREAMING THAT WILL BECOME REAL AGAIN ONE DAY. YOU AND I BOTH KNOW THAT, BROTHER. YOU CAN'T FIGHT IT!'

"you can and are, murder. you aren't hurting anyone-" Dream said. 

'BUT YOURSELF.' 

"shut up!" Murder snapped at the hallucination, eyelights red and cyan from anger.

"wait, did you ever-" Dream asked, looking at him in concern and alarm, and Murder cut him off.

"no, not like that." Murder reassured. 

'YET.'

"ever." Murder glared. 

"what did he mean then?" Dream questioned.

"just... mentally. he thinks, if he can even do that, that if i don't get lv i won't be strong enough to do anything to help you guys." Murder responded.

"that's ridiculous. of course you help, murder." Dream reassured. 

"i know." Murder sighed. 

'NOT ENOUGH. NOT ENOUGH TO PROTECT THEM. YOU KNOW SOME DAY THEY'LL GET HURT BECAUSE YOU WERE TOO WEAK.'

"not gonna happen." Murder denied, pulling his knees to his chest and resting his forehead on them, done with listening to the hallucination.

"yeah, it won't. everything will be ok." Dream reassured. 

Murder didn't reply, the screams slowly quieting down, the hallucination fading. Dream held him close, wrapping an arm around him and gently pressing him against him, hoping his aura would help Murder like it had last night. After a few minutes, Murder spoke.

"can we uh... keep the clozapine between us? i don't want the others knowing i have to take it." Murder requested.

"why would them knowing be a bad thing? it's for your wellbeing, i don't think they'll mind." Dream replied.

"it's a... very strong medication. one of the strongest, actually. i don't want them knowing i'm that... broken." Murder explained. 

"you aren't broken, murder. you're traumatized, but not broken." Dream reassured him softly, gently rubbing a hand up and down his back, the foul taste and slight burning of negativity slowly lessening. 

"isn't that the same difference?" Murder asked.

"no, it isn't. you... you went through so much in your life, so much pain and sorrow, so much anger and grief.... you didn't deserve any of what happened to you, and i truly wish i could have helped you." Dream frowned.

"you look out for the entire multiverse, dream. don't dwell on me." Murder told him.

"i'm not. i dwell on every soul i can't help, but i still feel bad i wasn't there for you. you're my friend, and i wish i could have prevented your pain." Dream said, "i still want to ease it, though, if only a little."

". . . you already have." Murder responded, and Dream looked over at him, seeing his white eyelights looking at him past his hood, "you... you've shown me kindness and not held my actions against me. you've been looking out for me, and i truly do appreciate that. besides... you remind me of my brother. not the hallucination, but of him. the real papyrus... it's... honestly nice. blue reminds me of him too, but i still see him in you."

Dream didn't know what to say for a bit before settling on admitting, "i see my brother in you too. not what became of him, don't worry, but... in the past, before he became... you know... he was like you. shy but kind, liked reading, and he was smart, brave, stubborn, kinda grumpy but when he was cheered up his smile could light up a whole room.... i miss him too..."

Murder leaned against Dream after a moment, saying, smiling a bit, "guess we both remind each other of siblings we lost, huh?"

"yeah, it seems like it." Dream nodded, just staying there with him.

Dream's mind flashed back to him and Nightmare by the tree, leaning against the bark and enjoying each other's company. Nightmare always used to be reading a book or just relaxing, looking out over the village or up at the sky, and while Dream never read, mainly because he didn't and still doesn't know how, Dream still savored every second they shared under the tree. Sometimes Nightmare used to go on rants about characters or read the story out loud, or even just excitedly tell Dream about a book, and Dream always happily listened, offering input and keeping the conversation alive, making his brother happy. Dream missed those days so dearly, and knowing he would never get them back hurt, but at least he had friends to build new good memories with, and he would never forget who his brother was or the time they shared together. Murder's skull fell to rest on his shoulder before jerking up again, drawing Dream out of his memory as he looked at him in concern.

"are you alright?" Dream asked.

"yeah, sorry... one of the side effects is sleepiness." Murder explained. 

"oh.. do you need to sleep?" Dream questioned. 

"nah, i'm ok... thank you for... you know... everything." Murder thanked him.

"you don't have to thank me-" Dream started, but Murder cut him off.

"yes, i do. so thank you, dream." Murder said, and they both flinched as something crashed inside the house, Murder sighing, "we should head back in..."

"yeah, probably.." Dream sighed, reluctant, and Murder got up, keeping it slow before offering Dream his hand.

Dream accepted it, Murder pulling him up before they headed inside, seeing.... What did Ink do?!

"ink... why is there a hole in the wall?" Dream asked, trying to stay calm.

"INK'S MAKING A NEW ROOM!" Blue grinned. 

"is that murder and dream?! hey guys! murder, come check it out so far!!" Ink called out from upstairs, and Dream could sense how positive Ink was. 

Murder sighed, heading upstairs to Ink, and Dream followed him. There was a door mostly made into the wall, leading into a bedroom with purple carpet and light blue walls, an oak bedframe with a mattress with white sheets and pillows and a blue blanket on it. There was an oak night stand, two oak bookshelves, and one of the walls had a giant board on it with some red string and note cards in a box next to it.

"i know how much dusttales like these things, so here you go! your own conspiracy board! oh, and check this out!" Ink smiled, running from the wall over to the bed, grabbing his paintbrush and painting a window into existence behind the bed, "such a pretty view!"

"i... wow. this is actually pretty cool." Murder admitted.

"yeah! you can add posters or anything else you want here!! fun, right?!?!" Ink asked.

"yeah, thanks..." Murder replied, still a little surprised. 

"you're welcome!" Ink grinned.

"uh... ink? what's holding this up?" Dream asked.

"oh yeah... heh... currently just some wooden posts, but i'm actually making you a room down there, dream!" Ink replied, "your own spot to relax every now and then! you can't be on the move all the time!"

"i can and usually am, ink... speaking of i need to go- NO!" Dream yelled as Ink chugged a lot of yellow paint, Ink's eyelights turning into bright yellow stars as he vibrated with energy and positivity.

"uh... should i run?" Murder questioned. 

"probabLYYYYYYY-!! INK!!!" Dream yelped as Ink tackled him, clinging to him as he laughed gleefully from their spot on the purple carpet.

Ink wrapped his legs around Dream's waist and arms around his neck, his head burrowed forcefully under Dream's chin. Dream sighed, looking down at him as he clung almost painfully tight, giggling into Dream's neck. The positivity was amazing, don't get Dream wrong, but there was so much of it. 

"blue!!! ink drank the yellow paint again!!!" Dream yelled out.

"OH NO!! MURDER, RUN!!!" Blue exclaimed, audibly running out the door with Stretch. 

Murder went to get away, but Ink's skull snapped up to him, skittering towards him on all fours and tackling Murder, putting him in the same situation Dream was normally in.

"ink!! hey, get off!" Murder snapped before looking at Dream, "why the hell did he do this?!"

Dream shrugged, starting to work on getting Ink off of Murder, but he was clinging to him like glue.

"why won't this little parasite get off?" Murder asked, trying to pull him off, but all attempts were unsuccessful. 

"yellow paint makes ink insanely clingy..." Dream sighed

"why did he drink so much?!" Murder questioned.

"i don't know why..." Dream answered, clueless. 

"because then you don't have to go spread so much positivity if you get it from me!" Ink chirped.

"ink, that doesn't- that's not how that works... you're giving me a power up, sure, but-" Dream started, but Ink cut him off.

"then it's working!!!" Ink grinned, squeezing Murder even more.

"oof!-" Murder grunted, glaring at Ink, "too tight, you leech!"

"sorry not sorry!" Ink apologized insincerely. 

"ugh..." Murder groaned, his skull hitting the carpet hard in exasperation.

"hey ink?" Dream asked, grabbing Broomie from off of the floor, "i have your paintbrush..."

Ink's skull snapped towards Dream, jumping off of Murder and towards Dream as the guardian of positivity bolted down the stairs and out of the house. Dream was running as fast as he could, Ink running right behind him, and thankfully on two legs this time. Dream ran back and forth through the town, trying to tire Ink out, holding the paintbrush above his head so Ink couldn't reach it. Dream saw Murder, Stretch, and Blue watching them from in front of the house, Dream running past them before back towards them, hearing a yelp. Dream skidded to a stop a turned around, seeing Murder being clung to again.

"damnit, ink!!!!" Murder snapped, "why?!?!"

Ink just giggled loudly, clinging to him, and Murder sighed.

"DID HE FORGET YOU HAVE BROOMIE?" Blue asked.

"SOMEONE HAS BROOMIE?!" Ink yelped.

"yup..." Dream sighed. 

"WHO?!" Ink asked, looking at him and seeing Broomie, once again lunging off of Murder, chasing Dream again.

Eventually Ink caught him, tackling him in a hug again, Dream sighing and accepting his fate. He was eventually able to absorb the positivity out of Ink, the guardian of AUs slowly calming down.

"ink, we talked about this. no drinking a bunch of yellow paint." Dream scolded him.

"but it's fun..." Ink whined.

"i think you cracked some of my and some of murder's ribs." Dream deadpanned, and Ink giggled.

"DID HE?" Blue asked from a bit away.

"not mine, but maybe dream's?" Murder replied.

"underswap's never gonna see a dull moment, is it?" Stretch asked.

"probably not." Murder sighed. 

"hey blue, you got the waffles, right?" Stretch questioned. 

"OH NO!! THE WAFFLES!!!!!" Blue exclaimed, bolting back inside, and Stretch chuckled. 

Dream eventually got Ink to let him go, heading inside to get some waffled before leaving to spread positivity, Ink following him inside. Breakfast was mostly uneventful after that happened, and Dream left once everyone ate and the dishes were done.

"HEY MURDER, CHECK THIS OUT!" Blue called out to the dusty skeleton from where they were in a store, "I FOUND SOMETHING FOR YOU!!"

Murder walked over to him, seeming a bit tired, but he seemed to be doing his best to stay alert. Blue held up a gray shirt with white writing, reading "Thank you for leaving me alone.", and Murder smiled a bit when he saw the shirt, seeming to find it funny, and Blue put it in their cart. He'd taken Murder to one of the supermarkets in Starlight Plaza, getting him clothes and anything he wanted for his room. So far, they had a few shirts, jackets, shorts, pants, shoes, some star sunglasses (which Blue had picked out for their team for fun, of course!), and some pillows, blankets, and some extra sheets. 

"SO, DO YOU KNOW OF ANYTHING ELSE YOU MIGHT WANT, MY FRIEND? YOU CAN PICK ANYTHING, INK HAS IT ALL ON A TAB!" Blue replied.

"they trust him to remember to pay?" Murder asked.

"WELL, WE ALWAYS TELL HIM HOW MUCH WE SPENT, THEN HE GIVES US SOME G, AND WE GO BACK AND PAY FOR IT!" Blue answered.

". . . you literally have infinite money." Murder realized, "do you realize how much that can destabilize any au's economy?" 

"DREAM'S MENTIONED THAT A FEW TIMES, BUT WE DON'T GO OVERBOARD. WE GET NECESSITIES ONLY!" Blue responded.

". . ." Murder sighed, "at some point this will have some serious repercussions..."

"HOW SO?" Blue asked, but Murder remained silent, so Blue mentioned, "YOU NEVER ANSWERED MY QUESTION, THOUGH. DO YOU WANT ANYTHING ELSE WHILE WE'RE HERE?"

"uh... i don't know-" Murder stopped talking abruptly as he saw the book section.

Blue looked over at it, then back at Murder, saying, "OF COURSE! BOOKS! LET'S GO! MWEH HEH HEH HEH!"

Blue grabbed the cart, bolting to the books, Murder behind him, and Blue watched happily as Murder looked through the shelves, scanning over the titles. It didn't take long for Murder to have a stack of books between his arms, pointing books out to Blue, who added them to the pile, even jumping up to stack them. 

"YOU REALLY DO ENJOY BOOKS, HUH?" Blue asked, smiling.

"yeah, reading's... kinda one of my favorite pastimes..." Murder admitted.

"IT'S A GREAT HOBBY! WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE GENRE?" Blue asked.

"honestly? kinda like the psychology books, but the tragedies are fun too. that and the historic books, and i'm a bit of a physics nerd." Murder answered.

"OH, WOWIE! PAPYRUS, WELL, STRETCH, IS TOO! I LOVE THE OUTER SPACE BOOKS!" Blue told him.

"really?" Murder questioned sarcastically, "i couldn't tell."

"HA HA, VERY FUNNY." Blue rolled his eyelights, and Murder smirked, "ANYWAYS, A WHILE AGO INK EVEN MADE ME A TELESCOPE SO I COULD SEE ALL THE STARS! MAYBE ONCE WE GET BACK, I CAN SHOW YOU?" Blue offered.

"you don't need to go to sleep?" Murder asked.

"WELL, I DO, BUT NOT IMMEDIATELY!" Blue replied.

"what about bedtime stories? i read them to my brother, does stretch read them to you?" Murder questioned.

"WELL, HE USED TO READ THEM TO ME EVERY NIGHT, BUT, WELL, I, THE MAGNIFICENT SANS, SHOULD BE ABLE TO SLEEP WITHOUT A BEDTIME STORY! SO HE ONLY READS THEM WHEN I WAKE UP FROM A NIGHTMARE! IT ISN'T OFTEN, BUT... SOMETIMES THINGS GET TO ME. MEMORIES OF FIGHTS AND CLOSE CALLS.... I SAW DREAM AFTER DUST... YOU KNOW... THAT WAS IN MY LAST ONE... I GUESS PART OF THE REASON I WANT YOU AND THE OTHERS TO STAY HERE IS SO THAT I KNOW YOU'RE ALL SAFE..." Blue admitted, looking down with a frown on his face. 

"hey.... we're all ok, alright? nothing's gonna happen to us. we're gonna be just fine. dust won't do that crap to dream again, and we're going to stop them and nightmare." Murder reassured.

"WILL YOU STAY IN MY TIMELINE EVEN ONCE EVERYTHING IS OVER?" Blue asked.

". . . i might." Murder answered, and Blue smiled at that, before it grew into a grin.

"THEN I'LL ENSURE TO BE THE BEST ROOMMATE EVER! YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE IT IN THIS TIMELINE!" Blue grinned at him, and Murder smiled a little, chuckling a bit.

"heh, yeah... thanks, blue..." Murder replied as he headed to the cart, putting the books inside.

"YOU'RE WELCOME, MY FRIEND!" Blue replied, making sure Murder was done getting books before they left the area.

As they walked to the checkout, Murder's eyelights wandered over to the clothes, specifically the coats, and he started looking through them. Blue watched him curiously, and he saw him grab one, holding it up to himself to check the size. The coat itself was a stormy blue, bits of the material having gray fading into it, like storm clouds. The zipper was silver, and the hood was a dark gray, and it was filled with fluffy gray fur with patches of black in it. Murder seemed to get an idea, because he put the coat under his arm before heading to the shoes, looking through them.

"WHAT'RE YOU UP TO? AWESOME COAT, BY THE WAY!" Blue was confused, watching him grab some gray sneakers.

"i don't want to resemble dust after what he did to dream. i saw the way he looked at me after we found him on that rooftop while dust was torturing him." Murder explained, grabbing a package of dark blue laces.

"BUT YOU DON'T NEED TO CHANGE YOUR APPEARANCE BECAUSE OF HIM, MURDER! DUST CAN DO THAT!" Blue told him.

"he probably won't because he'll see how much of a rise he can get out of dream. no, i don't want anything to do with him, especially because of how buddy buddy he is with that dirty brother killer." Murder growled angrily, throwing the clothes in the cart before looking through an aisle of gloves.

"YES, THAT'S FAIR, AND WHILE I WANT YOU TO KNOW I FULLY SUPPORT YOU IN YOUR ENDEAVORS TO GAIN INDIVUALITY AND SEPARATE ANY COMPARISONS BETWEEN YOU AND DUST, I JUST DON'T WANT YOU TO FEEL THAT YOU HAVE TO. I KNOW HOW MUCH YOU ENJOY YOUR OUTFIT, MURDER. YOU DON'T HAVE TO CHANGE BECAUSE OF IT."

"blue, please, stop it." Murder requested, voice tense, and he put his hands on Blue's shoulders, looking him in the eyelights, "i know what i'm doing, ok?"

". . . OK." Blue nodded, and Murder patted his shoulders a bit before he went back to looking, grabbing some grayish-purple fingerless gloves with gray fluff on the inside from the aisle before putting them in the cart.

Blue watched him look through the shorts next, looking through them before ultimately grabbing a pair matching to his current ones, but these didn't have any dust stains on them, and Murder grabbed a black sweater before hesitating, putting it back before grabbing a dark gray one.

Murder put the clothes in the cart, and he said, "alright, now i'm done. close enough to my regular clothes but different enough there won't be any confusion."

"YOU CAN'T THINK OF ANYTHING ELSE YOU NEED OR WANT WHILE YOU'RE HERE?" Blue asked, and Murder shook his skull no. 

They reached the checkout, and the cashier, a yellow fox monster in ski gear rang them up, putting the items in bags and giving Blue a note on how much G was owed once Blue put it on Ink's tab. Blue accepted the note, putting it on the inside pocket of his glove, and he made himself a mental reminder to give it to Ink later. Blue and Murder both grabbed bags and teleported them to Murder's new room, doing this a few times before the cart was empty, Blue putting it in the cart return before him and Murder teleported to the new room for the last time. From there, Murder and Blue spent a while putting items in drawers, books on the shelves, posters on the walls, and boxes of post-it notes, markers, and rolls of red yarn next to the conspiracy board.

Murder had also picked out a pair of blue headphones and a music player, putting it next to his bed with a blue lamp. Murder had Blue leave the room for a moment so he could put his new clothes on, and once he said Blue could enter the room again, Blue saw him folding up his old clothes and putting them in a box under his bed, grabbing a dusty and tattered red scarf from it's inside pocket and putting it in an inside pocket of his new coat. Blue didn't mention it, though, knowing exactly what it was, though his soul ached at how Murder looked at it before storing it away again. 

Once everything was decorated, Blue led Murder to his room, opening the door for him so he could enter first. The carpet was dark blue and the walls were light blue, a spaceship bed with a star blanket on the left, and there was a large constellation rug on the floor. There was a box with bones on the right by the door, and there was a door with a few stars on it straight across, and there was a desk and computer to the right of the door, and a bookshelf filled with books on the left. To the left of that, there was a poster of the solar system on the wall, and then there was also a desk between Blue's bed and that wall, with some paper and pencils on it, along with a book and a lamp. Blue led him from his room out the door, going to the small porch with a telescope on it.

"FEEL FREE TO USE THIS ANY TIME! I SAW HOW MUCH YOU LIKED THE SKY WHEN YOU SAW IT!" Blue permitted him, smiling.

"i... thank you, blue." Murder thanked him.

"YOU'RE WELCOME, MY FRIEND!" Blue grinned, the two sitting down on the bench by the telescope, looking up at the stars for a moment before Blue asked, "MURDER?"

"yeah?" Murder replied.

"I OVERHEARD YOUR CONVERSATION WITH DREAM THROUGH THE KITCHEN WALLS EARLIER. AT LEAST, SOME OF IT..." Blue started, and Murder tensed.

"how uh... how much?..." Murder asked. 

"NOT A LOT, JUST ABOUT THE CLOZAPINE... MURDER, YOU DON'T NEED TO FEEL THE NEED TO HIDE THAT FROM US, WE WON'T JUDGE YOU. IF ANYTHING, WE'LL SUPPORT YOUR RECOVERY AND ENSURE YOU GET BETTER! BESIDES, I CAN HELP REMIND YOU OF WHEN YOU NEED TO TAKE IT, AND ENSURE YOU DON'T OVERDOSE! I DON'T BELIEVE YOU WOULD PURPOSEFULLY, BUT THINGS CAN HAPPEN, AND I DON'T WANT YOU HURT OR SICK." Blue reassured him, "I DIDN'T TELL STRETCH, AS EVEN I SHOULDN'T HAVE OVERHEARD IT TO BEGIN WITH, AND IT'S YOUR CHOICE, BUT... I STILL BELIEVE WE CAN HELP YOU OUT WITH IT. YOU CAN GET BETTER, AND YOU'LL BE ALRIGHT!" 

". . . how the hell are you so sympathetic and supportive?" Murder muttered after a moment.

"MWEH HEH HEH! I AM THE MAGNIFICENT SANS, AFTERALL! I STRIVE TO BE THE BEST FRIEND I CAN BE, AND YOU ARE IN DESPERATE NEED OF GOOD FRIENDS, MURDER! NOT JUST TO COPE WITH WHAT HAPPENED IN YOUR TIMELINE, BUT ALSO TO KNOW YOU HAVE OTHERS WHO SUPPORT YOU! WE'RE HERE WITH YOU EVERY STEP OF THE WAY, AND IF YOU WANT OR NEED TO TALK, DON'T HESITATE!" Blue smiled, putting a friendly hand on his shoulder.

". . . thank you, blue..." Murder said again.

"YOU'RE WELCOME!" Blue replied with a smile, moving his hand away from his shoulder.

They stayed out there for a while, looking up at the stars and Murder occasionally using the telescope. Eventually Murder fell asleep, slumping on Blue's shoulder and Blue smiled a bit, picking him up bridal style and putting him on his bed in his new room, covering him up carefully with a blanket, clicking the light off. Blue looked up at the ceiling with a smile when he saw glow in the dark stickers light up on the surface, otherwise invisible with the light on, and Blue smiled a bit from Ink's thoughtfulness at the feature. Ink wasn't the most observant at some times, but he still tried to be, and sometimes he was extremely considerate and kind with his actions, something Blue admired about him. Sure, Ink might forget he did it or forget what he's doing while he's doing it before remembering again, but Ink wouldn't be Ink without his memory issues.

"SLEEP WELL, MY FRIEND." Blue told Murder softly, closing the door before heading back to his room to get some sleep.

Blue teleported inside of it, moving over to his spaceship bed and hopping into it gleefully, imaging himself as an astronaut, be it in this universe or another AU. Blue settled into the soft mattress before pulling the galaxy blanket over himself, and he looked up at the ceiling for a moment before he closed his eye sockets with a smile on his face. His eye sockets shot open a moment later, though, as a realization hit him, his eyelights shrinking into pinpricks.

HAS INK BEEN COMMITTING FRAUD THIS WHOLE TIME?!?!

Discord server: https://discord.gg/wQfvxyEuvj

[mortul]

literanis asked: “did you know? the human body has 300 bones when we’re born! as adults, there’s only 206…” she has a huge grin. “that’s a difference of nearly 100! have any idea?” — from raziel!

@literanis: raziel ／ unprompted ／ always accepting.

From the sheer amount of times Christoph's responded, intermittently, with a mumbled, "Uh-huh," there might've been a misconception. Said misconception might've revolved around... perhaps... that he hadn't been listening to her in the first place. It wouldn't have been the first time (not for her, bear in mind. he's not sure if he could handle her big, old puppy-dog eyes in such a case.) he's gotten away with such a rude gesture-- he's rather proud of his current "body count", truth be told.

Him nodding along to her little "infodump", too, could've given way to a far more... well, let's just say: disrespectful outlook. He had occasionally glanced over her way, lips stuck together in a subtle smile with the occasional twitching of corners. Eyebrows remained lax, not bothering in voicing his contemplation with a furrow.

Why would he? It's not like she was asking him anything that was particularly difficult... Okay, well, she kind of was... but. But! That's why he was letting it sink in; she was going all in, asking the hard questions-- the questions that the people needed answers for!

Christoph halfway contemplated, imagining her for a brief moment in politics... then stopped shortly after. Genuine people like Raziel? Nah. Naaah. They'd eat her alive out there. He better not.

It's better for him to have not brought that energy into this world in the first place.

"A hundo, huh?" he asked after a few seconds, turning his head to her with a certain, newfound mirth upon his visage. "Now, where'd you hear such a cornball thing like that, eh? Not sayin' I doubt ya, 'cause... well, shoot, darlin'-- th'human body is fuckin' cuh-raaaazy. It's just that, weeeell..."

Trust him on that, too; he has experience-- buckets of the stuff! Debatably a little too much, depending on who you're talking to.

"...that's edgin' a bit too close t'uhh... body horror territory, y'know?"

"But, hey, fuck it... We ball. Since ya asked," came the long-awaited sequel of his quip, with the pause in-between allowing for him to lean ever so carefully toward her, "here's my theory-- a, eh, "gamer theory", if you'll humor me... yer bestest buddy, that is."

Tilting his head, he squinted his eyes for dramatic effect emphasis. Surely, with that in mind, she'll know he means business... because, honestly, who wouldn't take this mean old mug seriously? Dumbasses, that's who.

Lowering his voice a few octaves, what should've been a whisper comes out a bit more croaky (sometimes he regrets smoking as much as he did... er, does, but too late for that one.) than expected, Christoph delivers the bombshell of the century.

"I think we shit 'em out."

[matan4il]

Good morning Alice! I was gonna wait to send this till after the finale, but then said duck it I'm not predicting anything. I'm just curious about your feelings.

So I always felt like if the network was to cowardly to make Buddie Canon it would only end 2 ways, them maybe dating women or just ambiguity single as a family. Basically I never expected to see an actual fleshed out love story written for either.

And well, S1 Buck is single, S2 Shannon is dead, Ali leaves, and we get good montage hug, S3 single and great party montage. OK S4, if that was the series finale we got Buddie walking into a party, Buck not fullying entering, Eddie uncomfortable and the will reveal. As shippers, we would have never bought it. The general audience would have just shrugged. Again, they weren't left in love with women but did leave with a crazy strong bond. S5 single, and now we approach S6. I have no clue what will happen with Marisol and Natalia, but I think we can all guess it would resemble the S4 ending if anything. So again, if they were unsure about renewing and left it open-ended, the GA would shrug, and we would be like "well then here is what really happened".

So I watched that Love in the Air montage like it was approaching a series finale and felt exactly like I thought I would. I was laughing at how vapid these relationships look on Buddie vs the others. 911 love stories are built on adversity. Couples that don't get a lot of representation because maybe some don't think they are sexy enough. That's what makes me love them is how strong their foundations are. They are not built on meet cutes, you know. You can't write a love story for these 2 that approaches touching the bonds and experiences they have already experienced together. I will use the word again. it seems almost vapid!

So no clue what will happen in the finale with these girls. My gut instinct is not a lot of focus. But I'm already excited to move to ABC, where I think they will actually be invested in.

As always, I loved your meta!! Stay safe, and I hope you are feeling OK and made headway with your new treatment!!!

Hi sweetheart, thank you so much for this lovely ask! And for the kind words about my 617 meta! *HUGS*

I agree with you, if Buddie doesn't go canon, the show would never be able to develop a fully fleshed out and satisfying love story with any other Love Interest, so the show would either use really lame LIs (where it's easy to see that they'd go in the way of Ana and Taylor a short while after the cut off point of the show's finale) or Buddie would be chronically single (and each other's life partners). I admit, I prefer the latter. The former just means a break up to get to the latter, and then in both cases I'd just headcanon that Buddie finally had a feelings realization and confession, getting together at some point in the future that we don't get to see. It's inevitable with their love story.

But without a doubt, when we know that the whole (or at least majority of the) finale is the one call during which the 118 will be going down, that means there won't be much room to develop anything with either Natalia or Marisol. And I feel like that's exactly how 4a left off with Ana, and 4b did the same with Taylor. They exist, something has started there, but it's built on such shaky ground (they really did give us less than nothing for why Marisol or Natalia would work out with Eddie and Buck), we KNOW that this ground would collapse under these new LIs after a short while.

I do think the move to ABC has a lot of potential. I'm thinking ABC bought the show from Fox knowing that things are a bit rocky, so they KNOW they need to bring in more viewers, and I'm sure they understand that letting Buddie go canon has the potential to do just that, make TV history, create buzz and bring in more viewers.

On a personal note, I'm just still blown away that my HMO actually approved this treatment, but it's gonna take another week (exactly) until I get my first treatment. Which sucks, I have to cancel guiding students from Harvard in order to make this appointment, but yeah. Health before anything else, right? If I kept the Harvard tour, the next appointment is mid June.

Thank you, darling! I hope you're having a great day, too! Love you tons. As always, here's my ask tag. xoxox

[purity-in-heart]

okay, this will be my last ask and then I'm moving on, I promise.

I just wanted to clarify something about the nature of commissions and why I don't think the drawing being a commission is an actual excuse (I'm speaking as someone who has friends that take nsfw commissions and has commissioned said friends and other artists in the past, so I'm familiar with the process).

Most artist will have specific rules for what they allow their clients/commissioners to ask of them, some stricter than others, but my point is that the vast majority of artists that take nsfw commissions will outright refuse to take a commission if their potential client asks for a sexual image of an underage character. Yes, if they take the commission they'd get paid for it and we all need to make money somehow, but the commissioner is not an employer, commissioning is freelance work and the artist is not obligated to draw anything that they would otherwise be unwilling to and have every right to drop a client that makes them uncomfortable.

And even if we give Dea the benefit of the doubt that she absolutely had to take the commission (as in she was running low on money and couldn't find another client in time) the artist is also not in any way obligated to post the commissioned work publicly online (in the vast majority of cases at least, I highly, highly doubt this would've been an exception). If she actually had any moral qualms about drawing an underage character in a sexual way but was in a tough spot that didn't give her another choice, she could have handed the drawing off to her client privately and tried to forget about it. Instead she posted the drawing publicly, didn't say the drawing was a commission(which, as far I can remember she usually does), and spoke in a way that implied she was a fan of the characters in question, expressed disappointment that she didn't have them in-game yet in the replies*, and, in her response to my first ask, she said it was a-okay to draw underage characters in a sexual way long at they're fictional (which...while it isn't nearly as bad to draw sexual art of an underage fictional character as it is to draw it of a real-life underage celebrity or something, it's not "a-okay," it's still bad).

Tl;dr: "the drawing was a commission" is not an excuse for drawing an underage character sexually, because A) artists usually have rules saying their clients can't ask for certain things, and B) Dea has demonstrated that she doesn't have any morals against doing so and possibly even had fun drawing the image in question.

*this a very silly and non-important thing to point out, I'm aware, but that's honestly a fair thing for Dea to be disappointed by. I was lucky enough to get Clara (and by extension Svarog) as my starter 5-star a few days after the game came out and they've been on my main team ever since, I can confirm that they're really fun to play and I feel bad for those that want them but don't have them...except for Dea because I'm kinda petty and I hope she gets E6 of her least favorite standard 5-star instead because I don't think she deserves to have the little girl and her robot dad :) (I'm partially joking btw, it doesn't really matter and at this point I don't give a shit)

Buddy, I understand. I think it's time we drop it for now