#lots of things would have been solved if he were even just like. remotely a little more normal

[bluegarners]

in the voice of this post: what if YOU were jason todd and you LOVED bruce wayne so much and you treated him like a FATHER, but the enormity of your DEATH and what YOU did AFTER being brought back to life prevents that former connection from returning so there is ALWAYS the underlying knowledge that YOU could have prevented so much of the GRIEF in bruce's life had YOU just COME HOME

[darkstaria]

Yandere Batfam - Soulmate Soul Animal AU.

Chapter 4:

Chapter 1. Chapter 2. Chapter 3. Chapter 5.

This chapter is brought to you by myyyyyyy🎉birthday🎉 woohoo 🥳 I hath aged

It's a little bit shorter, but I mean come on it's a unique chapter soooo it's cool guys I swear

Lots more Batfam content this time, albeit Tim centric. I'll balance it out in the future I swear! Also it's still platonic, but you could probably get a romantic reading from this a lil bit if you try

Taglist: @moonchild-artemisdaughter @jjsmeowthie @madine11-blog @xxrougefangxx @hadesnewpersephone @neerathebrightstar @mel-star636 @jaythes1mp @rosecentury @lov3vivian @gaozorous-rex-blog @victoria1676 @vrsin @silverklaus @ryukyuin @kurai-hono-blog @thisisafish123 @isawyourbrowserhistory @ain-t-no-way-bsfr @realifezompire @lunaluz432 @nickey-diano @sukiiluvs @sara0055 @alleakimlala @kdidgg @paperhermits @lavender-moony @alishii @emmbny @sirenetheblogger @fantasy-angelo @andrasia @vinnvinnvintage @nyra-42 @armystaysatnct @beyond-your-stars @starsdotalk @adeptusxia0

----

A few days have passed since your encounter with Red Robin. He hasn't shown up since, but another thing has.

Your work had sent you an email. An invitation to Wayne Enterprises, to represent them. According to them, your location was the closest to Wayne Enterprises, and so you were selected. You lived 50 minutes away from Wayne Enterprises. Their home office was 30 minutes away. You weren't sure who was doing the math here, but they needed some more practice.

That being said, you could notice a pattern when there was one. This was Tim Drake's attempt to get you out of your home. And unfortunately, it was going to work. You needed your job. It was perfect, remote, didn't bother you as long as you got the work done. Jobs like that were rare, especially in Gotham.

Not for the first time, you kinda felt like crying.

If Red Robin, your soulmate, was indeed Tim Drake, then what was this? Did he have you figured out? Or was he continuing the investigation?

You didn't know...

Refusing to show up would get you fired. There was no way around that. But, what if you couldn't go?

What if you were too injured to go? There's no way you could fake something, the bats are quite literally master detectives. That and your soul animal form would likely reveal the uninjured truth.

Maybe if you injured yourself?

No, no no no. That was a bad route to go down. If this meeting is to check whether you are soulmates with him, a matching injury on your soul animal form would be like a criminal and a suspect having the same tattoo.

There wasn't really any option here. Which, really, is just typical for the vigilantes of Gotham.

"Ughhh." You groaned to yourself, cradling your hands with your head. You glared over at Red, who had been showing up much more frequently these past few days (which was saying something, since all your soul animals were already by you 23/7). Red gave a small chirp in reply, some sort of smugness in its tone.

Maybe it was time to invest in wind chimes or something. You heard they can scare off robins.

You felt like you were going to need it.

~ ~ ~ ~

Tim's developed something of a guilty habit.

It wasn't a bad thing, per se. Nothing B would particularly frown at. Dick might even agree.

He imagined you wouldn't quite feel the same, though.

You looked especially fragile, as you slept. During the day your face was haunted by false bravado, a paranoid edge to every smile. Sleep smoothed out the lines of your face, giving a softer touch to your slumbering form.

You frown when he reaches out to poke your cheek. It's cute. His hand twitches for his camera. You're always cute, whether it's a small little frown on your face or beaming joy.

He's developed a new favorite activity. Alongside solving cases, he's now watching you. He wants to observe it all. From little habits to obvious passions, he wants to know everything. Hobbies, skills, loves, DNA. He'd only just found you, the answer to the mystery that he's been in since birth. He's had a lot of time to build up this obsession.

He wants and wants and needs. He can wait to take.

You are a light sleeper, but he's a quiet stalker. You don't always drink milk before bed, but when you do, you'll get a little more tired than usual. Your groggy face is cute, too.

He reached out, stroking your hair with the slightest of a smile beginning on his face. It was soft. It reminded him of you, your soul animal form. It had flinched away from him earlier, as it always does whenever they were in uniform. Finding that you do the same as a human wasn't so surprising.

They had adapted to your soul form’s skittishness. They could do the same again. His mind briefly flashed through some ideas, an ankle bracelet, a watch, a collar? If it was on the ankle, you'd match.

He broke out of his musings at the shift of movement. A flutter of wings. B’s soul animal flew down perching on a piece of furniture nearby as a vantage point. He smirked. Looked like he wasn't the only one feeling a little possessive tonight.

He must've been thinking of you. Not surprising, given that your soul form was scheduled time with him today. They had to work out a schedule, else there would have been a lot more stabbings. Not that it didn't prevent sudden abductions occasionally, thanks Jason.

That was fine though. B could have you tonight, Damian could have you tomorrow, Dick the next. Because Tim had the real you, right here.

And he wasn't planning on letting go.

There's a room he's preparing inside Drake manor. He’d put your name on it, but that would be too obvious if anyone came around. Instead, it would be his little secret with you. He's only just met you, but he has plenty of ideas for it already.

He didn't feel guilty for this. Not at all.

You were his as much as he was yours after all. If there was a problem with these feelings, then why would fate itself tie you to him?

If anything, the only guilt he’d feel is not telling anyone else. He couldn't help it, he just wanted you to himself for a while. He caught you, so he was allowed to have you.

But was that really guilt? Or just annoyance at the idea of getting caught?

An alert on his communicator made him frown, taking him out of the trance he had felt into. There was more he had to do.

A shame, but it was fine. He got to spend some quality time with you, taken a few things for the future. He’d make more time. And you'll have all the time in the world for him. But first…

Tim withdrew a specialty camera from his utility belt, raising it to his face. He adjusted a few settings, then…

Snap!

~ ~ ~ ~

You fought the urge to yawn. You have been so sleepy lately. You had to wake up especially early for today. Lovely.

At least today was the moment of truth. You'd show Red Robin for once and for all that you were perfectly normal, and not at all his soulmate. He’d lose interest, and your life would return to its domesticity.

The one good thing going for today was that you're somehow accompanied by none of your soul animals. A truly rare occasion that is ruined by the fact that you're instead visiting a soulmate in the flesh. If any of your soul animals do show up, you have your old reliable bag to shove them into. So, you should be alright.

Wayne Enterprises was a terrifying image, but you steadied yourself with the fact that your whole life’s freedom was at stake here, which was much more terrifying. After that you could get through the door. Security just letting you through after giving your name almost had you running out the door though, you'd admit.

The elevator ride was long and solemn, giving you time to think about everything. Maybe you should think about moving, staying in Gotham was perhaps a ridiculous sentiment to begin with. It was a shame though, you were a Gothamite through and through, you didn't want to leave the country your parents lived and raised you in.

Still, perhaps it was time to leave. Things were getting too risky. Thinking about it, Wayne Enterprises? Honesty what even was your life.

The ding of the elevator door interrupts your musings, an assistant directing you to Tim Drake’s office.

As you walk over, you can't help but listen in to some shouting coming from the room.

A younger voice is yelling. “Give me them! You do not deser-” The voice gets cut off, as an older voice yells back. “It is my turn, you do not get to just steal them!”

The younger voice starts up again, but so does the older voice, alongside what you can only presume to be fighting noises.

You just kinda stare at the door. You are a working professional, representing your company to the prestigious Wayne Enterprises. You came here with lofty expectations and responsibilities to fulfill. And the CEO… is fighting someone in his office.

You have no idea what to do.

A minute passes.

You started to think about signaling an assistant to come help, but before you could do so the fighting seemed to end with a shouted “Fine! But B will hear about-” you can't hear the rest, as the shouting returns to a normal volume.

A door is opened and slammed, footsteps retreating away from the office. You take a moment to appreciate the fact that Tim Drake’s office has two doors that lead in different places, because it means you didn't have to meet whoever he was fighting.

A second or two later, the door in front of you swings open. Tim Drake is facing you, his hair a little askew, and his cheeks a little red. He smiles, an easy thing. It's as if the sight of you brought it to his face.

“Welcome!” He waves you in, somehow not acknowledging what you just heard in any form. The objects in his office are perfectly aligned. Nothing looks disturbed at all. How?

He waves you over to a chair, settling into one himself.

“Well.” He begins. “It's nice to see you again, Y/n."

You hope this goes by quickly.

[sexlapis]

Actor!Toji has my heart and soul.

Imagine while they’re still trying to hide their relationship something gets out that it’s a real relationship and now the internet is going crazy. They’re still trying to deny it, but sadly there’s a paparazzi photo of them in a very.. interesting position, and they really can’t deny it. One of them on live or in an interview and all they are being asked is about the relationship and the photo. How far is either one willing to go before they crack and confirm their relationship?.. I’m going crazy

UHM…ARE YOU GUYS DATING?

ʚɞ actor!toji x gn!reader

s4w, one shot, short fic, fluff, crack, unintentional relationship reveal (toji’s fault ofc…)

a/n: these asks have been in my inbox since november 2023 so…sorry about that.

actor!toji masterlist

general masterlist

*

What you and Toji were doing was just a complete joke at this point.

The blatant glances in interviews, the paparazzi pictures of you two together in cafes, museums, on set, at parties, the shocking innuendo replies under each others posts, the way you were always caught wearing a clothing item of Toji’s at least once a month…

…Just who did you think you were fooling?

Because it definitely was not the internet.

Every so often, after a questionable photo of the two of you or a clip of you both being overly physical in an interview, your names would be trending or your ship name.

Parasocial relationships on social media have no bounds.

People were assuming, guessing, planning, solving and just plain trying to figure out what on earth was going on between the two of you.

Some thought you were just close friends, others believed you two were so obviously dating.

But everyone agreed on one thing: there was no way that the relationship you and Toji had was platonic.

No way.

Of course, when asked about the nature of your relationship, which was very often, you both denied it.

“We’re both just friends”, you’d say.

“We’re just really close”, Toji would say.

“I couldn’t ask for a better person to be friends with”, you’d say.

“Well, yeah, I like her a lot…doesn’t mean anything’s going on!” Toji would claim

But all of these lies come to an end when a picture comes to a light.

You and Toji, at the park, sitting on the grass and…you’re stradding his lap, facing him and cupping his cheeks and Toji’s smiling, no, not one of his sleazy smirks, he’s really smiling like he’s looking at the love of his life.

There was nothing either of you could say - no like you could utter, no truth you could tell - that would stop everyone from stating the very obvious.

You and Toji are a couple.

And the internet is going crazy.

The top three hashtags that were trending on the day the photo was leaked were: #TOJIYN, #THEY’RE DATING?, and #I KNEW IT.

So it is safe to say that…everyone knew.

And nobody is shocked. Not really.

A week after that compromising photo was leaked, Toji is invited to speak on a popular podcast.

It barely even takes ten minutes before it is mentioned.

“Toji, thank you for coming! It’s really great to have you here!” The host praises, his eyes sparkling mischievously.

“Yeah, of course, thanks for-“”

“Are you and y/n dating?”

Toji stops mid sentence, his mouth open and seemingly surprised by the hosts’ straightforwardness.

“Uh-“”

“Because there’s a photo of the two of you.” The host presses on. “You know that, right?”

“I-“”

“Let’s a take a look.”

The podcast host picks up a remote, one that controls the computer monitor, clicks a button snd there it is…the leaked picture of you an Toji.

“See? Look at that.” The podcaster says, shaking his head. “What do you have to say about that, Toji?”

“Uhhh…” Toji bites his lip. “…I had something on my face. She wanted to take look at it.”

“Look at it or sit on it?”

“LOOK at it.” Toji confirms, a soft blush rising on the apples of his cheeks. “Just wanted to…you know, see what his was.” He shrugs, scratching the stubble on his face.

Toji and the podcaster are silent for a few moments, staring at each other.

“You guys are dating.”

“Yeahh, we’re dating.”

*

໒꒰ྀིᵔ ᵕ ᵔ ꒱ྀི১

[jillsdoll]

--Summary-- You meet your Professor at a bar and it goes better than you expected.

NSFW Content, Oral Sex (F recieving), Vaginal Sex, Age difference! (I imagined Death Island Leon for this), Teacher!Leon x Student!Reader, dilfs with big boobies, Bad wording (English isn't my first language), and cringe. like big cringe. Also, this is my first fanfic, and I'm just transferring it from AO3 to Tumblr. I didn't do a rework sadly, but I hope it's not too bad-

You had always been a good student. You got along with everyone, even your teachers. Nobody could hate you, you were always cheerful, happy and nice to everyone.

But there was one single person that somehow hated your guts, and you never knew why.

Your history professor, Mr. Kennedy.

You didn't know why, but he liked everyone else in his classroom, except you.

Snarky remarks about your work were a daily occurrence by now, and to be fair, it did make you feel very upset. He just seemed so unbelievably mad at you, and for what?

Leon was a grumpy guy in his 40’s, and you were just a college student. You always paid attention in his classes, and you would always raise your hand at any given opportunity to solve a problem he had given, but everyone else got A’s and B’s while you got a D-.

It really sucked since it managed to lower your grade average by a lot. This guy really made you mad. You were a good student, and you had never done anything remotely wrong to him! So why was he being such an asshole towards you?

———————————♡———————————

Even if you were popular, you barely had any friends. And that was what brought you to this bar, all alone in a pretty dress, dolled up and wearing heels with a bit of makeup highlighting your features. To be honest, you were really lonely, and it had been a while since you had had the time to go out due to the stress of your exams.

But now? You had all the time in the world, and you could treat yourself for once. Well, the cheap bar down the street wasn’t exactly the best place to celebrate, but at least nobody you knew could see you get drunk with a few middle aged men, probably in their 40’s trying to get in your pants by buying you drinks.

Of course, you had always been a good girl, never believing in one-night stands and being a mere cocktease for those men, but hey! At least you get free drinks out of it!

Whenever you entered the bar in your short, beautiful cocktail dress, everyone’s eyes were immediately focused on you. You felt so… validated receiving this kind of attention from men (Even if they were just drunkards trying to fuck a young college girl ‘cause she’s got nice tits).

Most of them watched from a distance, including someone you would rather not have watching you right now. A few of them approached you at the bar, subtly stealing glances at your body, which was hugged tightly by the short dress. They’d buy you a drink, laugh with you, and stare as you danced the night away. You were having so much fun, and nothing could spoil that for you right now.

Well, that was until he approached you.

While you were dancing around with your strawberry mojito in hand, you could feel two rough hands slide up your waist. It made you flinch a bit as you could feel the person’s fingers squeeze your waist before sliding further down to your hips. You could hear a low chuckle from behind you.

„And I thought that little miss A+ Student would be at home studying with her parents. You do this all the time?“ You could hear a deep baritone voice rumbling behind you, arms wrapping around your waist. You knew exactly who this voice belonged to.

Leon fucking Kennedy, your history teacher.

Out of all people it just had to be him.

„Mister Kennedy, Sir- I can explain all this, I swear.“ You spoke, voice wavering a bit. This man could ruin your reputation alright. The worst thing was, you hadn’t even slept with anyone, but knowing the size of the stick up his ass, he would probably tell everyone you fuck middle aged men for drinks and money at a bar no one knew.

Fuck, you had to think. Fast.

„Mhm, you know I could ruin that reputation of yours within days now, darling. All it takes is a single rumor to ruin your entire reputation and future career.“ He whispered into your ear. You could hear the smugness on his face right now. Oh, how much you wanted to wipe that smirk off his face. But this man had power over you. He could ruin your reputation and make you fail your class, or even worse, get you expelled. Fuck, what were you going to do?

„What do you want from me?“ You asked softly, voice shaky and hesitant as you did not dare to look at him. You bit your lower lip anxiously, your teeth stained by your dark pink lipstick. But that was the least thing you had to worry about right now.

„Who said I wanted something from you, Miss?“ He replied, a low chuckle following once more. He was pissing you off. Man, this guy didn’t have a stick up his ass, it was a whole tree trunk.

You looked down at yourself, noticing the way his hands were caressing your waist. And Jesus fucking Christ, why did it feel so good? It wasn't supposed to. You repeated yourself once more, „What the fuck do you want from me?“

Your voice was shaky and you were at the verge of tears, thinking your hard-earned respect would go down the drain because of this asshole of a man. You were just having fun, dancing the night away and partying like every other college girl your age. But you had expectations to uphold.

„Just please, don’t tell anyone.. Please, sir.“ You begged your professor, voice at the verge of cracking as tears welled up in your eyes. You were desperate. Really desperate. And to be honest, Leon thought you sounded crazy hot begging him like that. How would you sound like begging for something else instead- Was he really just getting turned on by his student begging him not to tell on her?

He needs to get his mind out of the gutter. This was his student, for fuck’s sake. Plus, she was barely 18, not even allowed to drink alcohol. He should be telling on her instead of letting his hands slide across her body.

…fuck.

He was getting hard.

Just like that, he removed his hands from your body, and to you it felt so.. weird somehow. Like you wanted him to touch you more-

Stop right there. This man could be your father judging from his age.

Weeeell, he actually doesn’t even look that old. And goddamn, that shirt- it hugged his rather fit physique perfectly.

Wait, what were you thinking? There’s no way you would ever bang your professor (Even if he was very attractive and looked like he worked out a lot).

Silence filled the room after he removed his hands from your body, desperately trying to hide the obvious tent in his pants. His cheeks were tinted pink as he avoided your gaze, trying to stare at anything except you. Well, you were shamelessly checking him out.

A shame that he was your professor. One with a huge stick up his ass, too.

You have so tried to get in his pants.

Clearing your throat, you finally spoke up, breaking the long, awkward silence. „Look- Just please don’t say anything- I like coming here, and I don’t want you to ruin it for me just because you hate my fucking guts okay?“

Leon stared at you in silence, before gesturing at a table. Just then you realized.

Everybody was staring at you both. The music was suddenly really quiet. And that is when you took his hand as quickly as possible and led him to the table, sitting him down before taking your seat across the table.

„F’me, man.. never thought I’d come to see the day. You? Sitting in a bar, dancing the night away with some ugly guys in their 40’s just cause they buy you drinks? And I thought you were one of those good girls that always study so hard for every single test and exam... If I knew about all of this beforehand, I would've given you a better grade than a D-. That would’ve been if you had let me take you out on a date first, that is.“ He flirted, like it was second nature. You looked down, hands balling into fists at his statement.

„Listen, I’m not just some cheap whore- I don’t do one night stands, okay? In fact, I’ve never even had sex before and-“ you started yapping like a mad Chihuahua, before realizing what you just said.

Oh fuck.

You did not just tell him that, did you?

Leon’s eyebrows were raised in surprise before that smug smirk crept back on his lips.

„Oh? So you’re a virgin, I see.“ He chuckled to himself, causing you extreme embarrassment. To be fair, you were getting pissed. He was laughing at you just because you hadn’t had sex yet? How pathetic was that?

„Yeah, you probably can’t relate though. Have you ever seen yourself in that shirt? It screams 'Take me home with you‘! You– you probably have sex like 5 times a week!“ You continued yapping, making him laugh even more.

„Listen here - my sex life is none of your business, little girl. Why do you care so much about what I’m wearing? Were you checking me out, perhaps?“ He flirted effortlessly, not really helping with the redness of your face. You wanted to say something- a snarky remark, but you just couldn’t speak. You stuttered a bit, frantically trying to form a sentence inside your head, but nothing worked.

Leon, being the smug bastard he is, simply laughed at your inability to speak. „Fuck, you actually did? I never pegged you to be into older men, you know. So like, did your dad leave to get some milk and cigs?“

He clearly thought you had daddy issues or some shit like that.

„My dad is at home! I don’t fucking have daddy issues- why do you care so much, anyway? My family issues are none of your concern!“ you bit back at him, your eyes shooting daggers.

„...So I was right, you have some family issues.“ He replied, clicking his tongue as he shook his head at you.

„Hah, bet you even secretly have a daddy kink or something like that. Hey, I’m not kink shaming though, I like that.“ He spoke so casually, like he was talking about the weather.

You groaned, holding your head. „Your bullshit is giving me headaches. You’re so fucking nosy- and I would never call anyone that! Gosh, that would be so weird-“

Your remark didn’t faze him in the slightest, and you could soon feel a hand on your lower thigh. Your posture quickly straightened as you sucked in a breath, clearly surprised at the older man’s touch. But the thing was…

You didn’t hate it. Fuck, you’d go as far as to say you liked the way his warm hands felt on your body.

„You know you can confide in me, Sweetheart. C’mon, I won’t judge. You like being daddy’s good girl, right?“ He teased you, that same fucking smirk still on his lips. You hated that you actually got off on how he was talking to you. It didn’t help that his hands slowly crept up higher and higher and higher…

„A shame. You got a nice body, and a bright little head. And you’re putting all of it to waste. Fuck, if I was your age, I probably would’ve fucked you so hard, you wouldn’t even be able to sit, or even stand anymore-“ he remarked, as if he had no shame at all. Yeah, he probably just had too much to drink, right? He wasn’t being serious about what he said.

Then again, alcohol made you more honest. Did he really feel that way about you?

You had to try.

„If I offered you to do so, would you… take my virginity?“ You asked hesitantly, lips pursed together as you leaned over, giving him a heavenly view of your tits.

And that was apparently the only thing needed for him to finally snap.

He leaned forward, staring at you with his blue, piercing eyes as he scanned your body.

„You want me to fuck you?“ he whispered, and you could smell the bourbon on his breath. It wasn’t too unpleasant, if you were being honest.

You merely nodded when Leon scoffed and spoke in a lower voice, „You don’t know what you’re asking me to do, right? Yeah, I’m too old for you, even if you got daddy issues, I couldn’t just- you know, have sex with my student. How desperate even are you, offering yourself to a guy that could easily be your dad judging from the age?“ Leon spoke firmly, and you could see the way his cheeks went red.

„No you couldn’t, my dad is three years older than you.“ You remarked, the smug smirk on your face for a change. You were enjoying teasing him like this.

„Even so, I’m too old for you, sweetheart. And plus, you don’t mean that. You’re just a bit tipsy, and you don’t mean what you're saying. I’m sorry, darling.“ He laughed gently, his hand on your thigh squeezing lightly. You saw him bite his lip with a guilty look in his eyes, before you finally leaned in, your lips hovering over his.

„...Fuck, you’re such a Minx, you know that?“ He whispered against your lips, before closing the space between the both of you.

Damn, that actually felt kind of nice.

His free hand cupped your cheek affectionately while the other continued it’s dangerous shenanigans under the table, rubbing and squeezing the fat of your thighs.

„You really, really want me to take you home with me?“ He whispered into the kiss, messily licking into your mouth as soon as you opened it for him. You had seen enough romance movies to know that that was probably the best way to set the mood.

For a few minutes, you actually completely forgot that the both of you were actually still in the bar, having multiple men staring at the both of you.

But of course, you knew you two couldn’t do this here.

So you quickly pushed Leon away, effectively stopping him .

„Not in public. That’s weird, I don’t wanna have old men jerking off to me later.“ You started, frowning at Leon who simply laughed.

„Well, I’ll have you know that I will definitely be doing that later, you know.“ Leon shamelessly admitted, before his hand left your cheek to sit on top of yours.

„Are you really sure about this? There’s no backing out once we get out of here, y’know. I can't hold back after that.“ He whispered to you, and you could swear you saw a dangerous glint in his eyes.

„‘M really really sure, Sir, don’t worry about that, yeah?“ You flirted, a smile forming on your lips.

„Oh you naughty little-“ he rasped, before removing his hand from your thigh and taking out his wallet to slam money on the table for his drinks.

He gripped your hand tightly right after, dragging you outside of the bar really quickly, before taking you to his car. A BMW E36. He had good taste, you gave him that.

His hand was placed on your thigh for most of the ride, until you pulled into the parking lot of one of the most expensive hotels you had seen. Your jaw dropped in shock as you stared at him in genuine disbelief.

„What? First time? Oh yeah, forgot you’re a virgin.“ He teased you, before getting out of the car to open your door for you and pull you out of the seat. Just how fucking rich was Leon?

„Didn’t know you make that much money to be able to afford.. this.“ You muttered, utterly shocked as he led you inside. He quickly got the both of you checked in, and mere minutes later, you found yourself in the bathroom of the hotel room, looking into the mirror to see if your makeup was still intact. Well, luckily it was.

Well, that wasn't gonna last though.

As soon as you opened the door of the bathroom, you saw Leon sitting on the bed, in his slutty compression shirt which didn’t do a good job at hiding any of his muscles or his tits. You could swear they were bigger than yours.

„Okay, I’ll ask one more time. Do you really, really, really want this?“ Leon rasped at you, his gaze lingering over your body. You sighed softly, letting yourself fall back onto the bed as you looked at the ceiling.

„I wouldn’t be here if I was a pussy. Plus- maybe this could help me with my grade in history?“ You laughed softly, a genuine laugh. Leon's heart skipped a beat. Hearing you laugh was the most heartwarming thing he heard in a while.

He quickly turned before crawling on top of you fairly quickly, taking your hands in his. Fuck, you felt so small under him. You’d be lying if you said you weren’t soaked already. He placed a gentle kiss on your lips, before traveling down, trailing kisses along your jaw, down to your collarbone, until he reached your dress.

Right, that was supposed to come off.

„Take it off.“ Leon commanded, before going back to lazily kissing your neck, maybe biting down once in a while and sucking a bit too much, maybe creating a hickey or two (or 7).

Your hands reached for the zipper of your dress, and it wasn’t easy due to the fact you were literally on your back and Leon wasn’t making it better, covering the soft flesh of your neck in countless hickeys and love bites. As soon as you managed to pull the zipper down, you felt Leon’s rough hands trying to gently slip the tight dress off you, without breaking it on accident. You arched your back awkwardly as he removed the dress from your body.

Today was a great day to be wearing black lingerie.

„Funny how you say you haven’t banged anyone and you’re wearing that. Were you expecting to get laid today or what?“ Leon asked, his kisses traveling downwards until they reached your bra. His hands easily cupped your tits, before disappearing behind you, unclasping your bra with ease.

The poor article of clothing was quickly tossed away without a care in the world, before Leon’s thumbs slowly grazed over the hard peaks. He chuckled to himself, one of his hands sliding down further to explore your southern regions. He quickly followed after his hand, his face now directly infront of your pussy.

This was embarrassing, but you were rather surprised when you felt his finger poking at your underwear.

„You’re fucking soaked, baby. I could just slip my dick right in, and you’d probably be able to take it without much of a struggle.“ Leon commented, chuckling in between your legs. You merely gulped as soon as you felt his fingers hook around the edges of your panties, pulling them down and discarding them just like the rest of your clothes.

„Jesus fucking Christ, your pussy’s glistening. Are you really that desperate to get fucked by an old man like me?“ He mocked, before gripping your thighs tightly. You were about to say something when you felt him lick a stripe up your slit. You choked on a moan as you looked at him, eyes widened. He looked so relaxed, lazily licking another stripe up your cunt, making you let out noises you didn’t even know you could make. You covered your mouth rather quickly, embarrassment burning on your face as you apologized.

„Fuck, 'm so sorry-“ You apologized, noticing the way he looked at you in confusion. „The fuck are you apologizing for? Jesus, you sound so fucking divine.“ Leon stated, before getting back between your legs, but this time his tongue dipped straight into your poor, glistening pussy, his nose gently bumping against your clit. His tongue was inside you, and you could feel it. Your eyes were wet with tears and your head was thrown back, a loud, involuntary moan leaving your mouth.

Your hands were instinctively placed on his head, gripping his hair tightly as he ate you out on the expensive white sheets of this bed. Leon's hips desperately rutted against the bed, trying his best to get a bit of friction as his dick was painfully hard. The way you gripped his hair didn’t help either, or the fact that you were squeezing his head in between your thighs.

And fuck, your moans were so perfect. You sounded like a fucking porn star, moaning for him like that.

Tears were starting to spill from your eyes as you were clearly not used to any of this stuff.

But Leon was gonna teach you everything you needed to know.

That being said, it didn’t take that long for you to tighten around his tongue and cum all over his face and the expensive silk sheets of the bed.

You were panting really hard as you looked down at Leon, seeing his face covered in your juices.

Fuck, it was like a scene right out of a porno. The way the slick glistened on his lower lip and jaw-

You were too overwhelmed to realize that he came closer, before kissing you messily. You could taste yourself on his tongue.

„‘Kay- fuck I need to be inside you so bad.“ He whined, quickly unbuckling his belt and removing his pants while you tried your best at removing his shirt. You took a bit longer than you hoped, eventually giving up and tearing the shirt off him anyway.

To your surprise, Leon didn’t give a single shit and proceeded to remove his boxers.

…Oh, you were in for a wild night.

„Jesus fuck- That’s never gonna fit-“ You exclaimed, clearly more than just intimidated by his size. Leon just chuckled darkly, staring at you with that dark, malicious glint in his eyes.

„I’ll make it fit.“ He rasped, aligning his tip with your glistening entrance. Leon held onto your hips with one hand, the other trying to help you take him inside.

„Fuck, you’re slippery, can barely slide inside.“ Leon groaned softly, before finally managing to get the head of his dick inside. He bit his lip, already feeling how your walls hugged him tightly.

He gradually pushed more of himself inside, slowly, his ears focused on the noises you were making. You squirmed around a bit before he sighed and handed you one of the fancy pillows on the bed.

„Bite down on it if it hurts.“ He ordered, pulling out just a bit to slide himself deeper inside you, making your eyes roll back. He wasn’t even fully inside yet. Leon could soon feel the small wall of resistance, which he quickly surpassed with a single, hard thrust.

Your eyes rolled to the back of your skull as you let out a loud moan. He was now fully buried inside you. Leon was panting against your collarbone while waiting for you to adjust to his size, which was easier said than done.

„O-okay- fuck… you might bleed a little after this, but don’t be scared love, that’s normal-“ Leon whispered into your neck before looking up at you. You looked so fucked out. It took everything and more for him to not just finish inside your tight little pussy right away.

He waited for a few more seconds before gently pulling out and thrusting back inside you, watching the way your mouth stood agape and how your nails dug into the pillow you were holding. It normally took Leon a while to finish, but with you? He could fucking cum on the spot with the way you looked at him.

Tears welled up in your eyes once he starts with a slow yet hard pace. Fuck, he was so big- how was anyone supposed to be able to take him like that? His tip repeatedly hit your cervix, making you bite down onto the pillow in both pain and pleasure. It hurt, but at the same time, shivers ran down your spine.

Leon was so focused on watching his dick disappear inside your hole, biting his lower lip while he thought about recording this. You’d be fine with it, right? Fuck, what was he thinking? He couldn’t just touch himself to a video of one of his students getting dicked down by him.

But goddamn, if this would’ve been more than just a one-night stand, who knows? Maybe you’d allow him to film himself cumming deep inside you, too- Why was he even thinking about that now?

„Oh fuck- you’re so nice and tight, 's like you were made for my cock-“ He panted on top of you, beads of sweat running down his forehead. You on the other hand could barely think straight due to the aggressive fucking you had to endure.

„Kiss me please, daddy-“ You whined softly as tears ran down your face, your mouth standing agape while you tried your best at not being too loud. Leon quickly leaned in, combining both of your lips in a messy and desperate kiss. He messily began licking into your mouth while you gave him access, still not stopping his thrusts inside you.

You moaned into his mouth, feeling his chest pressing against yours, like he wanted your bodies to melt into one. He was hot and sweaty, but you didn’t mind it at all since you probably were, too.

Leon’s right hand quickly slid down, gently rubbing your clit to feel your walls tighten around him even more. He was trying to make you cum.

„Fuck, you feel that? You’re getting so fucking tight- You’re gonna cum, right?“ He groaned into your mouth, before continuing to make out with you. His thrusts got a bit sloppy as soon as he could feel his own orgasm building up.

„S-shit- wrap your hands around my throat, daddy-“ You whimpered beneath him, feeling his left hand gently choke you and make you feel lightheaded. Leon pounded you just a bit harder upon hearing that nickname again.

Your back arched a bit and you choked on a moan as you finally reached your climax. Your walls tightened around Leon, triggering his own orgasm and milking him dry. Leon humped against you for a bit longer, before eventually pulling out and leaving you feeling warm, yet empty inside.

He let himself lie down next to you, hair messy and sticking to his forehead due to the sweat on his body. You quickly got under the sheets, the cold air now feeling a bit too cold for your liking.

Neither of you said anything until Leon finally decided to speak up, „You’re not gonna tell anyone about any of this. Understood?“

You weakly nodded, nuzzling your face into his neck as your arms wrapped around him. Maybe he was actually less of an asshole than you thought.

„Also, don’t you even dare think that I will change your grade just because you’re the teacher’s little whore.“ He remarked with a faint chuckle following. His arms snaked around your upper body before he could feel your lips on his collarbone, placing a hickey there. He let out a low groan at the feeling, his hands gripping your hair tightly.

As soon as you were done, you admired the purple bruise on his collarbone, which would probably be easier to hide than the ones he had placed on your neck. Fuck, what were you gonna tell your parents?

Wait.

Oh fuck.

Your parents were still waiting for you at home. And it was already past midnight.

You quickly got up from the bed, still fully naked as you ran to the wardrobe to get your phone.

19 missed calls.

Oh, you were so fucked.

You quickly called your parents back, making up some lame excuse about how one of your older friends got drunk, and you helped him by booking a hotel room and taking him there.

Leon watched you, trying his best not to laugh as you stood there, making up some story while being completely naked after he fucked the shit out of you.

The call lasted about 5 minutes, and ended with you telling your dearest mother that you had your own hotel room and would be staying there. As soon as you hung up, you could hear Leon laugh his ass off.

You walked over to the bed before lying down next to him once again, getting under the covers before playfully hitting his upper arm while you pretended to be mad.

He teased you a bit more, before you yawned and rubbed your eyes, clearly exhausted. Leon played with your hair before placing a kiss on your cheek as you drifted off to sleep.

——————————♡————————————

The following morning, you woke up with Leon lying on your chest, sleeping like a baby. You smirked, taking your phone from the nightstand you had placed it on and took a photo of him.

Now it was your turn to laugh your ass off. Your grumpy history professor was lying on your chest, sleeping like a baby after you had sex.

You heard a low groan coming from his throat, and you shot a few more pictures, before he could open his eyes to look at the camera in front of his face.

„The fuck are you doing?“ He asked groggily, seeing you snap another photo of him. Just then, he realized you were snapping pictures of him.

He quickly snatched your phone away and deleted the pictures, before groaning a bit more about how his back hurt. Just then, you actually realized the way the both of you smelled. Like sweat and sex.

Yeah, it was definitely time for a shower.

As soon as Leon got up, you dragged him into the shower, placing him in there before getting in yourself. It was easy, considering the fact that the shower was huge. Like, it was twice the size of your shower at home.

Showering took a bit longer than usual, though, maybe because of the fact that Leon had to punish you for taking pictures of him while he slept. He fingered two more orgasms out of you, effectively overstimulating you until you swore you would never take pictures of him sleeping again.

Exiting the shower, you felt fresh, but at the same time, you could barely walk straight, your legs feeling like jelly.

The two of you finally got dressed and left the hotel together. He even drove you home like a true gentleman (as an excuse for taking your ability to walk normally). You thanked him as you got out of the car, and he quickly drove away, well not without winking at you and telling you to stay safe.

——————————♡————————————

The next Monday was your last day of school. You got your reports back, and you easily passed. Even though, you were really surprised to see a B+ as your grade in history. Just then, you checked your phone. You had gotten a text from Leon. Wait, since when did you have his number?

Leon ♥︎ Be happy I saved your ass by changing your grade. You owe me now. Today, 10:30 A.M.

Leon ♥︎ So… since this is your last day, can you drop by the teacher’s office after you get out? I got something for you. Today, 10:31 A.M.

A smile tugged at your lips as you looked at your phone before typing a reply.

You Does this ‘something‘ involve having sex at the teacher’s office, Sir? Today, 10:35 A.M.

You quickly put your phone away while giggling to yourself. The bell began ringing shortly after, and you got up with all your stuff. Taking out your phone, you read his reply.

Leon ♥︎ Maybe. Today, 10:35 A.M.

You sighed and chuckled as you made your way to the teacher’s office.

He was going to be the death of you.

(Credit for the dividers goes to @cafekitsune btw!) AAAAA thank you for reading this piece of brainrot I cooked up at 3am lol. Please let me know if you liked (or hated) this little fic in the comments aaaa (I also take commissions, plspls commission me I have 0 motivation to write anything on my own)

Tags:

[utilitycaster]

The thing that I think gets me about Neve the most, and this is past the point where I personally am in the game, is that you can still romance her after you've chosen to prioritize Treviso (which you can't do for Lucanis if you do the reverse). The thing is, it makes sense. Neve judges you negatively for trusting her. There's a dialogue in the Shadow Dragons hideout where Tarquin (Shadow Dragons faction agent) gripes about The Viper (Shadow Dragons faction agent and leader) running background checks on him, before admitting he'd probably do the same. And the thing is, if you tell Tarquin that this seems reasonable he accepts it, but he seems irritated. Neve doesn't.

You meet Neve striking a pose, having frozen her assailants, needing none of your help. Neve does not, on the whole, ever seem to want your help until she begs you to save Minrathous. She approves of you taking her to interrupt the ritual, and seems to be entirely unbothered by the fact that it leaves her badly bruised - indeed, you have to actively choose to leave her behind later when you go looking for Bellara.

Neve loves Minrathous and Dock Town, which means she also hates them. She takes you there, if you do the companion quest, which you should. She invites you after Bellara fangirls out over some news pieces about her (Neve drily remarks they were hit pieces), to go pick up some leads and some serials Bellara wants. For all she's sarcastic, gruff, and even a little snide with Bellara (and with my playing of Rook, who is fairly direct and positive with the Veilguard companions) and doesn't believe a Tevinter serial would ever truly end happily if it were remotely realistic, she still wants to get those serials for her teammates. She's not here to make friends, though she's slowly doing so, but she also believes in working with your allies even when they're sunny and scatterbrained or bracingly positive and you're an exhausted, cynical detective.

Exhausted is I think the most salient point. Neve is fucking tired. She tells you she's lived in Dock Town her whole life, and she became a detective, taking on cases for people who weren't helped by the Templars (who, you learn in one of the core missions prior to your choice to save only one of Minrathous and Treviso, are corrupt all the way up to the top). After solving a missing person case successfully, with an implication that she freed a slave in the process, the Shadow Dragons recruited her, but she's been doing the same work she always done. And the Shadow Dragons, meanwhile, in addition to attempting, with limited success, to infiltrate the Magistrate and fight for abolitionism, also do a lot of work like Neve's: helping people on the street. Their basement is full of unhoused and hungry people with nowhere else to go.

Neve is tired because, I think, she doesn't really believe Minrathous will get much better in her lifetime. She tells you in her companion quest, as you eat street food on the docks, looking out into the ocean, that she treasures the small wins because that's what she gets. Whereas the Crows remember a free Treviso and fight for that, Neve, in particular, feels like she's just trying to keep things from getting worse, and maybe help a few people. She's cynical because dreaming big probably won't pan out and she knows it so she's not going to waste her time.

Her work is her life. Her gift is literally just more evidence. Harding, Lucanis, and Bellara all reminisce about friends and family, but Neve still hasn't yet. You get the sense that Rana, one of the few clean Templars with whom she works, is probably the person she'd put down as an emergency contact. She doesn't even really get along with Tarquin, though, to be fair, doesn't seem like anyone does. Her world is a network of people who are useful.

I'm going somewhere with this, and that's, unsurprisingly, to Critical Role Campaign 3, because after all that here's my thesis: Neve is what people want some of Bells Hells, but especially Ashton, to be.

I've seen defense of Ashton's abrasiveness because many leftists are abrasive people, and the thing is, that's not untrue, but they're abrasive because they're like Neve: they're doing endless difficult work with very little reward or thanks, and at most they get small wins.

What has Ashton done for their communities? The Nobodies and Krook House aren't feeding the hungry or fighting corruption; the former is a group of thieves with no particular cause and the latter a punk co-op house. What was Ashton doing for the people of Jrusar or Bassuras? I struggle to find anything tangible. There's a lot of talk and no action - punk aesthetics and a lot of talk about standing for the weak, but when do they actually do that? It's all very surface level, and so the defenses of Ashton must focus entirely on what and who they are (nb, disabled, punk, had a terrible childhood) and what they say but never, ever, what they do. It's posturing.

Neve? It's entirely what she does. She is, for what it's worth, disabled and queer (and played by a woman of color, though whether she's coded as such in-game probably requires an academic background in both the history of Thedas and the history of the real-world Black Sea region) but we don't know a damn thing about her childhood yet. We don't know if she's been hurt or heartbroken or abandoned until we, as Rook, have to decide whether to do that to her. And when we do? She takes her time (she's not back yet in my game) but in the end, she blames the actual root causes of the elven gods sending the dragon and blight, and the Venatori working with them and, as far as I know, gets back to work. As she always has.

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

OOOH!that ghost kid thing with the digital circus performers was amazing!!! I cant resist but ask.but can you make a headcanons of the performers would react if spirit kid Y/n is more absent today and suddenly after a while appear with more blood than usual..static noise around them..and points at the group and is like “I know who killed me now…” and poofs again away?? they found out who but as like a scare they prank the characters by making them think maybe one of them did..

I feel evil so- XD

Hope u have a good day!!

I'm glad you liked the hcs! Spooky season may be over, but I'm definitely not done writing spooky content 👻

.........

Jax

He blinks, and then immediately turns directly to Gangle.

"Oh Gangle, I knew it was you all along. Tsk, tsk." He shakes his head, putting on the cheekiest grin as the ribbon gal cries out that she didn't do anything.

He knows you were just pranking all of them, although he does wonder who really murdered you and how you figured it out.

Given how much you've been disappearing lately, he's sure that it's only a matter of time before your spirit moves on.

Or maybe...you were cursed to forever live inside this game since you had no body to return to.

Then again, he's not sure if any of them do...

All he knows is that during the times he does see you with the group, you seem happier (although the blood and static noises are still prevalent and aren't any less unsettling to see/hear).

Maybe you've already made peace with your existence after solving this huge mystery, content with making dark jokes to cope.

Pomni

At first she's happy..

Then she's utterly terrified once it sinks in that you didn't specify who exactly murdered you.

All you did was point to the group like you were accusing one of them before disappearing for the remainder of the day.

This poor jester can't remember anything for the life of her....so she can't help wondering if she might've been your killer.

You did arrive not long after she did.

After Jax points this out, she's 100% convinced it was her.

Maybe she unknowingly killed you while wearing the headset and this was some sort of eternal punishment.

It's a thought that keeps her up all night (not that she needed sleep to survive, but she was quite exhausted in the morning).

You do end up visiting her to say it was just a little prank. It wasn't anybody in the group and you didn't mean to freak her out this badly.

That brings her a lot of relief.

Although she's not a fan of your morbid humor (not that she'll say anything about it, though).

Gangle

The second you vanish after revealing you knew your killer, everyone looks at each other in confusion

"Th-They didn't say who, though, did they...?" She mutters.

"Right, because they know it was you, Gangs." Jax remarks, causing her to freeze.

She's outright horrified he would even remotely suggest that.

Poor girl's scrambling to justify how she couldn't have possibly killed you when she's been stuck in the game longer than you.

Imagine her awkwardness as Jax openly states that he was in fact kidding around..

He also expresses his doubts she'd even be capable of murder...as he recounts her crying over accidentally stepping on a digital ladybug.

She's not sure whether to take that as a compliment or not.

Gangle only fully calms down once you go to her personally and reassure her you were just pranking the group.

Although you'll haunt Jax as payback for trying to throw her under the bus.

Zooble

They just turn to the group and sigh.

"Okay, who did it? Because they've officially given me the f***ing creeps popping in and out like that."

She's strangled Jax on a number of occasions, so they are very much capable of committing violence...

But she has her doubts since you still hang around the group.

Alongside Jax, she quickly sees through your little joke and rolls their eyes when you admit that it was indeed a prank.

She can tolerate your dark humor, knowing you can't help it given your "spooky" theme.

They suspect Caine murdered you since he seemed most alarmed by your arrival. Plus you never spoke to him much.

But no, he actually helped you track down your killer--who abstracted the second they set foot inside the game and got thrown into the cellar.

Zooble never thought she'd see the day where they were actually impressed at Caine's actions.

Kinger

Like Pomni and Gangle...he's probably gonna overthink it and grow distrustful of the others, wondering who did it.

You seemed quite confident and serious in your confession---and scary as hell, too.

He proposes they all discussed it at the dinner table and hold a vote on who to cast out (sorta like a certain video game with a name that sadly slips by him).

Ironically, he refuses to say anything and just....stares uncomfortably at Gangle the entire time.

But before any of the talks could end in fighting or her getting sacrificed to the Gloink Queen...you show up again, looking calmer and less bloody than before.

When you reveal it was just a little prank, Kinger sighs in relief.

"Good heavens, you nearly gave me a second heartattack, [y/n]! Why didn't you just say so?"

"...thought it would be funny."

"........"

"........."

"......AH!! GH-GHOST!!!"

"Aaaand there's "heartattack #2, ladies and gentleman," Jax shakes his head, kicking his feet onto the table with an amused smile.

Ragatha

She's genuinely happy to hear that you knew who your killer was...

Although before she can ask you who, you disappear without warning.

Judging from the way you acted, you were accusing one of them...yet you didn't signal out anybody in particular.

She knows that she couldn't have possibly done it.

So she spends most of the day trying to calm down Pomni and the others (but mostly Pomni) who think they might've somehow accidentally killed you.

It begins to stress her out a little, so she searches for you, and you prank her with something silly.

After making her laugh, you use that opportunity to explain that you were joking with the group earlier, reassuring her that it wasn't any of them and the killer had already abstracted.

Her face falls flat as she realizes you just wanted to see how they would all react.

"[Y/n], that's just...mean." She frowns. "Pomni was freaking out all day, you know."

"Tell her I didn't mean any harm...I guess..nobody here understands my humor."

"I mean I do, but dark humor is more Zooble's and Jax's shticks."

"....true. My bad, Rags."

".....it's okay, dear." She sighs, unable to stay mad at you forever. "I'm just glad you didn't drive yourself insane trying to find them."

[lesabear]

Thoughts on Veilguard

TLDR: If empty calories were a video game it would be Dragon Age: The Veilguard. The game is a pleasant enough - if generic and unremarkable - action RPG that basically abandons the themes and feel of the previous games, resulting in a bland story that largely avoids dealing with anything that might remotely cause conflict in the party or force the player to consider anything other than surface level good-bad morality.

If this is the direction they're taking DA, then I think I'm done with the franchise. If I wanted a generic, thematically uninteresting, action RPG there are so many other games to play.

Spoilers in my detailed thoughts below

The good:

It looks very nice - I wish I could have spent even more time exploring the world areas.

Very few bugs or technical issues unlike Andromeda (or most new games in general). I had a few minor issues near the end but overall was very impressed.

Manfred and Assan are great secondary companions. If anyone knows where to find a skeleton and/or griffon friend please let me know.

I quite like Emmerich, Davrin and Bellara and romanced the latter two and (Generally) really liked both. Disclaimer: I tend to have different tastes than the majority of DA fandom when it comes to romances. I expected to have mixed feelings on Bellara because of my issues with Bioware and their cutesy awkward naive/inexperienced female characters but I thought they (mostly) got her right.

Some interesting lore stuff, though I quibble with how it was delivered at times. Still was fun to get a lot more info on the Evanuris, Solas, Mythal, the Titans, etc. And there's also some fun lore stuff in the codices, although again I question whether that's the best way to deliver them.

The final mission is a lot of fun and the clear standout quest other than Weisshaupt maybe. Both are a lot of fun and combine multiple story elements with good gameplay for a satisfying experience.

Combat is engaging although it does get repetitive once you "solve" it. I did a lot of grinding to complete content though so that might be my fault.

Solas is very Solas-y in the game and the highlight of the antagonists by far. I wish there had been more of him and I say that as someone who finds the Solas fandom somewhat exhausting at times. He was far more interesting and compelling than the "even-worse" gods and the fact he's a fuck up who keeps making things worse because he's an egotistical fuck-up who thinks he's the only one that can fix things was is both tragic and fun.

Neve-Lucanis and Taash-Harding are both very cute. I actually think they might be my favorite companion romances off the top of my head (Tali-Garrus does absolutely nothing for me, and I don't even romance either character with my Shepard).

The not good

Why is the Inquisitor wearing pajamas.

Bioware can fuck off for making me pop about a zillion blight pimples. It's really not that much fun after the first 1000

Extremely disappointed with how sanitized the narrative is. There's little attention paid to major facets of the DA universe that are directly relevant to the plot (religion, Tevinter slavery, racism toward elves etc.) and you also get stuff like the Crows now being far lighter of an organization than they were previously.

Just as an example - both Davrin and Bellara touch on what it means to have their gods be the villains but they're just topics for conversation and there's no meaningful impact (especially as the bad guys rely on Antaam and Venatori forces - oh and generic mercenaries). The Dalish are just there (or victims of the bad guys) for the most part. I've read comments from Bioware that confirm this but it seemed obvious Bioware wrote themselves into a corner with making Elven gods be the main antagonists, as you then run into the issue of having the elves not only already be a persecuted minority but also be worshipping evil gods - but instead of writing around it they just avoided dealing with it and acted like it's just the Dalish getting a big win by not joining them.

Speaking of enemies, lots of bland dialogue from the non-Solas big bads. And the Venatori/Antaam/mercenaries gave off major "Cerberus in ME3" vibes - nameless, faceless goons thrown at you in waves that got very boring very quickly.

The way a companion gets hardened because of a choice early in the game is mostly meaningless unless you wanted to romance them. People getting mad about that happening are being ridiculous - if anything the game is too afraid (as usual) to have it actual matter beyond them briefly being upset before moving on.

One of the big choices is to decide whether to protect Treviso or Minrathous when both are attacked by dragons, but it happens so early you might lock yourself out of quests without realizing it. Worse, the ensuing mission is incredibly short and boring (basically a couple of packs of generic enemies and then a very brief dragon fight)

Why is the Inqusitor wearing pajamas.

Why can't I be a mean/"bad" Rook? Even the jokey responses feel super tame compared to previous DAs (let alone the borderline assholish purple hawke). Basically you're only allowed to be slightly different variations of a heroic figure.

While the companions are all nice they all top out at "I like them", with none matching the story or emotional peaks of previous Bioware games. Emmerich comes closest (especially if you account for Manfred) but there's just enough meat to him.

Disappointing romances compared to previous Bioware games(especially but not limited to Lucanis.). Not a ton of depth dialogue wise and at times it feels like they put more time into the companion romance than the Rook version (this time I am definitely talking about Lucanis).

Speaking of which, Lucanis was the biggest disappointment of the companions. I didn't want a Zevran clone but you have a hardened assassin possessed by a demon who (if you choose not to save Treviso, which cuts off a lot of his content) just drinks coffee and likes Neve and uh....

Completely forgettable soundtrack which is a major bummer after previous installments. Also, while I didn't have many technical issues, the music not always playing was one of them (although maybe it doesn't really matter given the lack of quality!)

Bad to horrendous incorporation of previous DA story which was also incongruous with the general tone, especially with the handling of the Inquisitor and the treatment of southern Thedas (especially if you get the Emmerich and Harding picnic conversation at an awkward time like I did.)

Lots of disappointing cameos but especially from my Pirate Queen/Wife from DA2. Isabela's hat is indeed very nice but what is that outfit? And I get they didn't want to deal with too complex a world state but man was it a bummer to see her basically reset after everything her and Hawke went through in my main DA2 playthrough.

Why is the Inquisitor wearing pajamas.

What did they do with Harding? Why did she basically get Dagna's story, even if Titan lore is interesting? She's such a nothing character in this game which is such a weird choice given that she's clearly there because they know fans like her.

The "Actually Varric was dead all along" did nothing for me. He barely shows up in game anyway and the weird framing of every appearance and the fact no one other than Rook ever interacts with him gave it away (at least partially)

[dutiful-wildcraft]

I've been watching a lot of I'm on Observation Duty/Spectator playthroughs and I'm feigning for spooky season. Have a little thing~

Just some fluff and humor, not edited 🎃

Price × Plus size OC

Price watches as Ruby prepares for one of her favorite nights. Autumn had  slowly replaced the muggy summer heat, shifting the leaves golden and leaving the nights pleasantly crisp.  

His sweet girl had been practically buzzing all week, excitedly explaining the history of Game Night.  But not just any game night, no, horror game night. 

Not played by her or course, but Darren, who excelled far more than she did.  It was a past time they'd both had since they were kids and Ruby far preferred to watch the playthroughs rather than struggle with the buttons. 

Price can easily imagine it, his sergeant perched in front of an old box television, his baby sister dutifully sat beside him, helping him solve puzzles, cheering him on with the monsters. It was adorable to see her still so excited about it.

She’d laid beside John in bed the days prior, asking about the rest of the 141’s favorite snacks. Should she do beer or soda? Does anyone have allergies? Tapping notes out in her phone like it was her job. 

She’d spent the day baking and making goodies. Putting up her little spooky knick knacks and pestering Price into sniffing themed candles. (He’d settled for cinnamon apple, after having a rather befuddled and then hardy laugh over the mashed potato scented candle she’d snuck in his hands).

As the sun set they piled into the living room. A makeshift nest built onto the floor where Gaz and Darren were sat shoulder to shoulder, square in front of the tv. Simon and Johnny piled onto the side couch, the bulk of them barely fitting as the pair practically inhaled the caramel covered popcorn Ruby had made. 

John was never one for video games, but having his soft girl beside him and his team laughing? He would spend every night like this.

The game isn't terribly graphic, really more of spooky spot the difference. Something all of them could join in on. Settings of graveyards, rundown hospitals and haunted homes. They're tasked to go through rooms and report any anomalous activity.  

Price had anticipated something fairly cheesy, maybe even a little boring. But the game had proven more challenging than any of them truly anticipated. The small group huffing and puffing as they failed again and again to report enough anomolies on time. 

I told ye tha’  cup was on the left and the remote on the right!!

I know that pillow wasn’t that color, you think it’d be that subtle?

Quit clickin’ through the rooms so fast!!

The fock they mean we missed an intruder? 🤨

Check all the corners sergeant.

It'd actually become pretty amusing. What had started out as articulate explanations as they bounced from room to room slowly devolved into caveman-esque shouting.

MUG BIG!

LAMP MOVE!

DOOR OPEN?

HEAD IN THE SINK!!!!!

John’s favorite however, was his brave thing slowly but surely scooting closer and closer to him the creepier things became. She'd been determined at first, pillow in her lap, leaning forward, just her knee brushing against his thigh.

The jumpscares had her flinching bodily, slowly sinking back into the couch cushions and hugging the pillow as a soft shield. Squinting at the screen with sour suspicion.

The next scare had her latching onto him. Pillow abandoned in favor of his arm, soft cheek pressed against his bicep. 

She's not scared of course, just protecting him from the digital danger. (Obviously).

The rest of the boys took pleasure in making up stories for the various intruders. Truly disturbing ghosts and monsters made silly.

Ah he prolly just forgot his wallet

Yeah, looked like you were havin a hard time shitting yourself mate, thought he'd help out.

Maybe he's just shy?

That's just how Simon hangs out.

…It's true.

A particularly harsh scare had her squealing, pointing frantically at the screen as the speedy intruder barreled toward them on the screen, breathing into the camera with sharp jaws. 

Darren naturally took this time to admire it, much to his siblings dismay.

“Report is Darri, report it Darri, report it Darri.”

“Now this is a specimen, you don't get monsters like this every day”

“DARREN”

“Ru, what animal ya reckon this was based off of?”

“It's about to be based off my foot in your ass.” she hisses, face tucked into Price's shoulder, refusing to look any longer. 

Price can't help but chuckle at her, pressing a kiss to her hair before shaking her off and curling his arm around her, tucking her snuggly against his side with an appreciative pat. 

The rest of the night goes similarly. The team becoming quite good at navigating the anomalies, and instead attempting to scare each other at any opportunity.

Ruby makes the mistake of slipping off into the bathroom down the conveniently long dark hallway.

Only a moment passes as the bathroom door swings open, followed by a loud scottish growl, a frantic gasp, and the dull thud of Ruby's fist connecting with the drywall instead of Soap's skull as he scampers out of the hallway laughing his ass off. 

“John Mactavish I will hunt you for sport.” his angel snarls, barreling around the corner after Soap, sore fist clutched in her opposite hand. The rest of the boys giggle furiously. 

Price is already out of his chair. A. to hide his own laughter, and B. to fetch the small med kit in case she hurt herself.

“All of you twats” she hisses the word with a faux english accent “better sleep with one eye open.” 

She continues her glaring as Price fusses with her hand. A little red, but she'll make it. He presses a bristly kiss to her knuckles, instantly drawing her attention back to him. He preens at how easy it is. Just his touch enough to have her smiling at him.

“Ready for bed?”

Even if she wasn't, she'd go with him regardless.

Price leaves the rest or his men to tidy up as he leads her off to bed. Waits patiently as she does her own little security ritual, double checking the lock and avoiding the mirror on her vanity. She even subtly checks the window, fussing with the curtains to appear nonchalant. 

Finally she crawls in beside him, curling against him snuggly and tossing a warm thick thigh over his hips. Clinging to him like a big soft octopus. 

He peppers her face in more kisses, easing away the mean pinch between her brows and easing it into something more serene. 

As her eyes flutter closed and her breathing evens out he murmurs against her hair.

“I've got an idea on how we can scare the piss out of Soap.”

[fluentmoviequoter]

Scooby-sidious

Sunday, October 29, 2023

Fic-tober Masterlist

Summary: You and Dalton watch Scooby-Doo and find yourselves in the episode, offering to help solve the mystery.

Warnings: spoilers for Scooby-Doo, Where are You? episode "Spooky Space Kook" (1x15), fluff, slight jealousy, brief mentions of the events of The Red Door (2023). 2.6k+ words

A/N: This is inspired by my love of Scooby-Doo, and the Supernatural crossover episode "Scoobynatural" (13x16)! I hope you enjoy and please let me know what you think! Happy Halloweekend! :)

You’ve been begging Dalton to watch Scooby-Doo with you for weeks. It’s a Halloween must, but he keeps telling you he’ll do it later.

“It’s Scoob-tober, Dalton!” you exclaim as you collapse onto the bed.

He stares at you before shaking his head and dropping his shoulders. “Fine. Which episode are we watching?” he asks as he sits beside you, tossing an arm over your shoulders.

You squeal excitedly and grab the remote before leaning against his chest and answering, “Spooky Space Kook, A Night of Fright is No Delight, or Mine Your Own Business. Those episodes have the best villains, but you have to pick.”

Dalton looks down at you with furrowed brows as he asks, “Umm, Space Kook?”

“Excellent choice,” you say, nodding as you find the episode and press play.

As you settle into Dalton’s side, your head resting above his heart, he’s glad you convinced him. Even if he watches you instead of Scooby-Doo.

Just after the Space Kook lands the first time, red sparks light across the screen.

You lean forward as Dalton says, “Please tell me you see those too.”

Before you can answer, the TV turns off, and you fall to the ground.

➣➣➣➣➣

You hit the ground with a painful thud and turn to check on Dalton, shocked to see him in cartoon form before a cartoon background.

“Dalton, you’re a cartoon,” you say nervously, standing and wiping the dirt from your pants.

“You’re a cartoon,” Dalton parrots as he points at you.

“What just happened?”

“We were watching the show and then those sparks showed up,” Dalton answers.

“The red sparks. Do you think this is a Further thing?”

“No, we closed the door.”

A car sputters somewhere behind you, and you stop speaking, turning to follow Dalton’s hand as he points to a farmhouse in the distance.

You gasp as you see the source of the sputtering noise, hitting Dalton’s shoulder as you squeal, “That’s the Mystery Machine! We’re not just cartoons, we’re in Scooby-Doo!”

➣➣➣➣➣

You and Dalton approach the farmhouse from the same direction as Mystery Inc., listening to their conversation as you wait beside a tree, invisible to Scooby and the gang.

“Like, nobody home,” Shaggy says after their knock goes unanswered.

You point to the side of the porch just before the farmer appears with a shotgun and bellows, “Get off of my property! I’m sick of you reporters pestering me night and day! Now, get!”

Dalton pushes you slightly behind him as you watch the ordeal from the yard.

“Reporters? We’re not reporters,” Fred responds.

“No, uh-huh,” Scooby agrees.

“We just want to buy some gasoline,” Daphne says.

“Gas, huh? I don’t believe you. Now, get on out of here, the lot of you!” the farmer yells. “You two in the yard, too!”

Dalton steps back, pushing you with him. Your eyes are still on the gang as Fred glances over to see who the farmer is talking to. His eyes catch yours, and he smiles before turning to the farmer as Velma speaks.

“Excuse me, sir, but why would reporters want to bother you?” she asks.

“They’ve been running me ragged ever since it showed up.”

“It? What’s it?” Fred adds.

“A ghostly craft from another world moving across the sky like an evil spirit.”

Dalton tenses, and you raise your hand to press between his shoulder blades. It’s your silent way of reminding him that you’re with him and he’s not alone.

“Evil spirit?” Scooby repeats before swallowing harshly.

“You mean, like a haunted flying saucer?” Daphne questions.

“Right, but that’s not all. Something’s been creeping ‘round here ever since it showed up.”

“Then it must’ve just crept by,” Velma announces, “Look over there!”

She points to the footprints, which go right behind you and Dalton. Dalton looks at the tracks and then back to you.

“We need to get out of here,” Dalton whispers harshly.

“Footprints,” Fred says.

“Zoinks!” Shaggy exclaims.

Your eyes widen, and you tap Dalton’s back excitedly at the firsthand experience of hearing Shaggy say, ‘Zoinks.’

“I’ve never seen footprints like those before,” Daphne says.

“Neither have I,” Dalton agrees.

 “They’re boots dipped in phosphorous,” you tell him.

Dalton turns to look at you with raised brows, and you shrug and say, “What? I love this episode.”

“I see ‘em all the time,” the farmer informs.

“They sure are strange-shaped tracks,” Velma says, leaning over to inspect them.

“Let’s us make tracks the other way,” Shaggy implores.

“He gets it; let’s listen to Shaggy,” Dalton mutters to himself.

“I’m with you!” Scooby agrees.

“Hold it!” Fred demands as the footprints fade. “They’re gone!”

“Hmm,” Velma begins, “Ghostly flying objects, strange tracks that glow in the dark…”

“And something creepy creeping around in the night,” Daphne finishes.

Dalton cocks his head as he watches Scooby get his tail bitten by a chicken before jumping toward Shaggy. Scooby overshoots his goal and lands in Dalton’s arm as he exclaims, “He rot me! He rot me! Oh, help, he rot me!”

Shaggy walks over to Scooby and Dalton, and he says, “Aw, you big chicken. It was only a chicken. Get down.”

Shaggy pushes Scooby from Dalton’s arms, and Dalton sighs with relief. Scooby chuckles as he hits the ground, and you kneel to pat his head as you listen to Fred.

“Well, those footprints weren’t made by a chicken. It looks like we’ve found ourselves a mystery,” he announces.

“Um, excuse me,” you call as you stand, laying your hand on Scooby’s head. “I’m a huge fan of Mystery Inc., and this is Dalton. We have some experiences with creatures like this. Any chance we could help solve this one?”

“Sure!” Fred agrees. “Sounds swell.”

You silently cheer and stick your hand into your pocket, surprised to see a Scooby Snack in your hand when you pull it out.

“Scooby,” you whisper, passing it to him as you and Dalton walk to the Mystery Machine.

“Mmm, rank rou,” Scooby says as he licks his lips.

Fred says your name, and when you look up, he smiles and asks, “Want to sit in the front with me?”

Dalton’s jaw clenches beside you as he waits for you to answer.

“I can sit in the back with Dalton and Scooby,” you respond. “But thanks!”

➣➣➣➣➣

“Sure was nice of the farmer to give us some gas,” Daphne says as Fred drives down the road.

“Yeah, now we can go look for that ghost craft,” Fred agrees before a high-pitched pulsing cuts him off.

“Well, we don’t have to look any further. There it is,” Velma points out.

“Zoinks! What a creepy-looking crate,” Shaggy yells.

“We’re in luck. It landed behind that hill,” Fred says, turning to follow it.

“Yeah, we’re in luck, and, like, it’s all bad,” Shaggy adds.

Dalton looks at you over Scooby’s head and nods his agreement.

➣➣➣➣➣

“It looked like it landed somewhere around here,” Velma says as everyone exits the van.

“What is this place, anyway?” Daphne asks.

“Looks like an abandoned airfield. Hasn’t been used in years,” Dalton answers.

Fred agrees with Dalton before smiling at you, causing Dalton to step closer to you.

“I’m for abandoning it, too. It’s, like, got the creeps!” Shaggy adds.

“Uh-oh!” Daphne calls. “Do you guys see what I see?”

“It’s those spooky glowing tracks again,” Shaggy says.

“Oh, no!” Scooby exclaims, jumping behind Shaggy’s legs.

“It’s our first clue, let’s follow them,” Fred says before walking alongside the footprints.

“Let’s don’t and say we did,” Shaggy suggests.

“But the gate’s locked. How will we get in?” Daphne points out.

The gate opens on its own, and Dalton turns to roll his eyes at you before flinching and smiling when you elbow him in the ribs.

“This is awesome,” you whisper as you step closer to him when Scooby jumps between you and Shaggy.

“Ghosts!” Scooby yells.

“You mean wind. The gate wasn’t locked. Come on!” Fred says.

➣➣➣➣➣

Fred calls you over and asks you to help him follow the tracks. Dalton stays right beside you as everyone heads toward a shed. The prints vanish into the shed, and Scooby jumps up to look in the window, surprised to see himself.

“What’s in there?” someone asks.

“Scooby!” Scooby answers.

Fred steps closer to you as you look into the window beside Scooby.

“It’s his reflection,” you say as you stand up.

“Window’s dirty,” Scooby adds.

As you step away from the window, you hear a humming sound from the other side of the door. Daphne asks what the sound is, and Fred expresses his confusion about how to get inside.

“May I?” Dalton asks before kicking the door and opening it.

“Wow!” Daphne expresses, grabbing Dalton’s bicep as she walks by, “You’re so strong, Dalton!”

Dalton looks at you, and you smile before asking, “We’re even?”

“Not even close,” he whispers as you walk in front of him.

You stop when you reach the generator, and Dalton’s hands land on your waist as he waits behind you.

“It’s the generator,” you announce, pointing to the device.

“Why would an abandoned airfield need a generator?” Daphne asks.

“And, like, why is it on?” Shaggy adds.

You turn your head at a strange sound and see the spaceship land in the field. Dalton turns to and alerts the gang.

“Let’s split up, gang, and find this space creature!” Fred commands. He invites you to come with him and Velma, but Dalton’s hand on your lower back feels like a better invitation.

“I think Dalton and I should go alone, we can cover more ground that way,” you suggest.

Fred agrees, and everyone goes their separate ways to find the Space Kook.

➣➣➣➣➣

“Do you know what’s happening right now?” you ask Dalton as you walk toward the radio tower.

“Fred is developing more of a crush on you?” Dalton suggests.

You bump your shoulder against him and laugh. “No, Fred just got stuck in a hoist, Scooby and Shaggy got caught up in sheets and think the other is a ghost.”

“You really do love this show.”

“Yeah. We do you think I tried so hard to get you to watch it with me?”

Dalton stops, wrapping his fingers around your wrist to make you stop. 

“I’m sorry if you thought I didn’t want to watch it with you. I- just- I was trying not to spend time with you because I didn’t want to have to walk away if you didn’t feel the same way.”

You twist your hand to hold Dalton’s and step closer as you brush some of his hair out of his eyes.

“I do feel the same way, if it’s the way that makes you want to spend time with me.”

Dalton raises his hand to your neck, pulling you against his chest and tilting your chin toward his.

“I really want to kiss you,” he whispers.

“While I’m a cartoon?”

“You’re a very pretty cartoon.”

You shake your head and hear Scooby yell. Smiling at Dalton, you keep your hand in his and gesture with your head to where the gang is meeting.

“You still missed the entire episode,” you point out as you turn the last corner and see Scooby and Mystery Inc.

“We can watch it as many times as you want when we get back,” Dalton says.

“Will you actually watch it or just try to kiss me?”

Dalton simply looks at you as you join the group. Mystery Inc. expresses that no one found any clues.

“It seems to me that this ghost is using this airfield for something else besides haunting,” Velma says.

“Gas,” Scooby announces, pointing to the exhaust pipe of an old Jeep with flat tires.

Dalton looks under the car with Fred, telling the girls about the extra set of usable wheels. As they stand, the car drives away, and an entire army of Space Kooks appears. Scooby and Shaggy retreat to the radio tower as Fred, Velma, and Daphne run the other way.

Shaggy uses the radio speakers to call the gang to the tower, expressing that he found something, but you remain still.

“Should we go?” Dalton asks.

You shake your head and answer, “Space Kook beats them there and Shag and Scoob parachute down. We’ll wait for the sheriff.”

Dalton wraps an arm around your shoulders, content to wait with you. When Scooby returns, you give him more Scooby Snacks and kneel to pet him.

“How did you know to come, Sheriff?” Velma asks.

“I called. I saw your van was still here and got worried,” the farmer answers as he approaches.

Space Kook appears behind you, and when he sees the sheriff, he runs into a building labeled ‘Research Lab.’ Fred is waiting by a panel and presses a button after Space Kook runs by, turning on the wind tunnel. As the wind picks up, the helmet comes off, and the phosphorous on his boots illuminates.

“Well, I don’t believe it,” the farmer exclaims. “It’s Henry Bascomb, my next door neighbor.”

“But what about those weird noises and the flying thing?” Daphne asks.

“C’mon, I’ll show you!” Shaggy announces before leading them to the radio tower.

“It was a very clever plan. Here’s our ghost craft,” Fred says before turning on a projector.

“But what about those odd voices?” Daphne asks.

“It was just a speeded-up soundtrack…” Fred begins.

“Played over the loudspeaker,” Shaggy finishes.

“But we did see a whole bunch of those creepies over by the motor pool,” Daphne points out.

“Stuffed dummies, if I had to bet,” Dalton suggests.

“And I’d bet that crazy jeep was run by remote control!” Shaggy agrees.

“The last remaining puzzle in my mind is ‘why?’” Fred says.

“I can answer that. This Bascomb fella got wind that the Air Force was planning to open the field again and would be needing more land for jets,” the sheriff explains.

“Aha! So that’s it! He wanted to scare us off so he could pick up the land cheap,” the farmer concludes.

“And I’d have done it, too, if you kids hadn’t come along,” Bascomb yells.

“Weren’t you kids scared like the rest of us?” the farmer asks.

“Oh, no. Solving mysteries is our hobby. It takes a lot to scare us,” Shaggy answers.

Fred turns on the Space Kook laugh soundtrack, causing Scooby to jump into Shaggy’s arms and Shaggy to jump into Dalton’s.

➣➣➣➣➣

“So, where are you going now? We’re on the hunt for another mystery if you’d like to come,” Fred offers as Daphne talks to Dalton.

You look at Dalton and smile. “We have to get home. Thank you so much, Fred, this was a dream come true. Working with you was everything I dreamed of.”

“No problem,” he says, hugging you. “It would be an honor to have you back sometime.”

You smile, and he climbs into the Mystery Machine, followed by Velma and Daphne, who wave at you while Dalton returns to your side. Scooby stops before you, and you kneel, petting him as you feed him Scooby Snacks.

“Can I have a hug, Scooby?” you ask, smiling as he indulges you and lets you hug him.

“Like, thanks for everything,” Shaggy says before opening the door for Scooby. “See ya around!”

You watch the Mystery Machine drive away and turn back to Dalton. He pulls you into a hug and brushes his hand over your hair.

“Thank you,” you whisper against his chest.

“Of course. Now let’s get home so I can kiss real you.”

“Scooby Dooby Doooooo,” you howl. 

When your voice fades, you look expectantly at Dalton. He sighs before copying you, and everything fades to black.

➣➣➣➣➣

You open your eyes and find yourself on the couch, wrapped in Dalton’s arms again.

“Start the episode over,” Dalton says, slipping his hands onto your cheeks.

“We’re not going to watch it, are we?” you ask as you press play again.

“Does Scooby-Doo like Scooby Snacks?” Dalton responds, smiling against your lips as he kisses you.

[bionicle-ramblings]

Having more Lhikan thoughts, and they involve the Ta-Metru Trio

Just imagining him as the unofficial guardian of the three because trouble keeps finding them

Imagining after a mission to keep the peace with Metru Nui and other places, Lhikan returns and is essentially having an "everyone is an idiot" moment(he talked to a very ostentatious stelt). He winds up going the same way as Vakama, who just acquired some Kanoka disks after AN HOUR of negotiating. Lhikan doesn't give too much detail on who he talked to, but he does give the basics. When he asks about the disks, Vakama admits he bartered for them, but he would have been better off trading with Takua because at least when he's with his friend, his time isn't wasted. Lhikan points out that Takua is usually at either Vakama's side or Jaller's, but Vakama says they can convince him to stay working and stay out of trouble. And the three live together now thanks to the Morbuzakh. Lhikan calls him lucky, but doesn't elaborate. Vakama doesn't pry either because that's not their thing. As they near the Ta-Metru forges and the Coliseum, they part ways, Lhikan telling Vakama to stay out of trouble, and says one of the disks is faulty before walking away. It makes Vakama freeze and immediately check each disk. None of them are faulty. Still makes Lhikan smirk, especially when Vakama calls him a liar and says his jokes are awful, in a cheeky friend way, before returning to his forge

Imagining Lhikan after the events of the Toa v. Dark Hunter war, after the murders were solved and the conflict was resolved. Lhikan's somewhere remote in Metru Nui(very hard to find on occasion), like a cliff face that overlooks , and he's just processing what happened and the fact he's the only Toa left. It's pretty gutting knowing he's alone in his duties, but what distracts him is the sound of rocks falling and hitting other rocks, over and over, like they're being thrown. Lhikan looks and finds Jaller, who's throwing rocks into the vastness. Turns out Jaller's just letting off steam after everything that's happened; he did help with figuring out the Matoran murders afterall. Lhikan still asks him how he's held up, and Jaller, respectfully, asks Lhikan the same thing, giving how worn he looks. Lhikan is hanging in there, admittedly, but doesn't go further than that because he's curious as to why Jaller is out on his own and not with his friends. Turns out Jaller was with some friends out of his Metru and just needed some quiet for a moment. A lot's hairbrush and he just needs a second. It's a feeling Lhikan gets. There isn't much talking between the two after that; they're just coexisting in the silence for a while. After a moment, Jaller guess back to his friends, though he did than Lhikan for everything he does. Lhikan tries to brush it off, but Jaller insists; Metru Nui wouldn't be standing if it weren't for Lhikan and a lot of Matoran would have gotten hurt or killed. With that, Jaller leaves and Lhikan takes in what he said, resolving himself to fight for the city and the Matoran, even if he's alone, though also has a feeling of, "it's all I have left," with that resolve

Imagining Lhikan battling some smaller, less powerful Morbuzakh vines and ending up in a bit of a pickle. Luckily, a couple shots from a disk launcher and some well aimed strikes to debris wins the battle and the vines leave. Once he's taken a breath, Lhikan turns to see who helped, and sees Takua throw down the disk launcher he used and say, "I just showed up. Did you see who shot that?" Lhikan isn't stupid, and he asks what Takua was doing, not in the mood for shenanigans because he almost died. Takua comes clean: he was looking for something, namely a rare weapon, or piece of a weapon, that he can hold on to. Lhikan asks what he'd want with such a thing and Takua just says that he thought it would be interesting as he looks through a pile of dicarded stuff like disk launchers, broken masks, and tools. Lhikan keeps a very stem eye on him; Takua is good at running off. With the weapon not found, Takua admits he'd been searching all day and has been very unlucky. As it's getting late in the day, Lhikan essentially escorts Takua back to Ta-Metru, not wanting the Vahki to get to him again. Takua reluctantly agrees, though as they walk it's clear that Takua is kind of off in his thoughts. He's not upset about the weapon, but before Lhikan can ask, Takua asks him if he's ever been outside of Metru Nui. Lhikan doesn't really answer, but does want to know why Takua asks. Takua did try saying he's just curious, but light prodding makes him admit he actually wants to see more outside of Metru Nui; there has to be more than just a metropolis in the middle of the sea, right? Where do all the creatures in the archives come from, if not outside Metru Nui? Lhikan tells him that there is more outside of Metru Nui, but none of it is safe for one Matoran. Takua asks what that "more" is, but Lhikan simply tells him it would be enough to make his head spin. Takua asks Lhikan for a favor. Not a trip outside Metru Nui like Lhikan thinks, but rather a "report" of what's outside. He can say it's practice for reporting to Turaga Dume if need be. Lhikan agrees and tells Takua to stay out of trouble before leaving.

[jaksalot]

League of Villains x Child!Reader

fAll Platonic of course

I’m thinking you, reader, were a grown up and a hero at that

That is until you were hit by a villains quirk and were kidnapped and taken to the LOV before the heroes could save you

Having no memories and being helpless Shigaraki thought this was the perfect opportunity to take you down.

But, unfortunately, Toga and Twice stopped him

Saying something about how cute you are

So he spared you, for now

Toga!

Toga’s a terrible babysitter, I don’t know what to tell you

She almost stabbed you on three different occasions to make you not sad anymore

When she isn’t trying to stab you, she’s like a big sister(that has issues)

She’ll often take you to the mall and be called an excellent by sister by the oblivious people around her

She’ll most definitely steal thing from the store

But it’s for you!

She loves to let you play with her knives

She dresses you up in little cardigans and dresses no matter what gender you are

She’ll do your hair too, even though you might hate it, she’ll sit you down and demand to do your hair

She was denied babysitting privileges after the league found you surrounded by knives

If you gave her a deku plushie, or something that even remotely reminded her of Izuku, she’ll love you until the end of the world.

Her hugs are very scary

Mostly because she’ll breath in your ear and tell you how much you mean to her in a very terrifying way

Twice!

Twice is the greatest/worst babysitter on the team

He’ll give you cuddles, and then suddenly decide you’re gross

Will apologize for hours afterwards though

He confused you 

A lot

But your tiny child brain can’t help it

He’s gonna steal you away from Toga after he saw you playing with knives

No child is going to lose their finger on his watch

He’s often in the background when you’re playing with Toga, making sure she doesn’t hurt you too badly

He loves you/hates you at the same time

I mean look at how cute you are

But you’re taking all the attention off of him from Toga

Little attention grabber

Will mistakenly give you booze, but then over react when he remembers booze for babies is wrong

Goes all throughout the league trying to find a cure

Atleast until Dabi trips him and tells him to shut up

Twice will take you to the park at night, or just walk you around

If you can’t sleep he’ll probably waste out all of your energy running around, and then you’ll pass out on the way back home

Saved you from being lit on fire or turned into dust many times

Mr Compress!!!

He’d be a very fun guy to be around, and probably is great at entertaining kids

If you can’t sit still long enough to watch his magic show he’ll absolutely teach you

But you can’t teach with those baby rags on your body

Shopping it is! 

Will be like Toga and dress you up in a matching uniform with him

Little assistant

You’ll sometimes eat his marbles and give him a heartattack

What if one carried acid and you just injested it????

You’re one of the few that have seen his actual face

Which you hated

He’ll take you to renaissance fairs and perhaps a rodeo or two 

Just for fun

Will teach you to steal

But with flash

He’ll turn Dabi or Shigaraki into a marble if they ever try to hurt you

Problem easily solved

You’ll stay in his room for a while

At least until Dabi learns that you’ve been eating marbles and will casually snatch you up one night

Kurogiri!!!

Father of the year award goes to:

He’s very responsible with you, and raises you like he did with Shigaraki

Gives you an ipad and sits you down on the couch

Lets say, just for some reason, you HATE that ipad

Maybe it’s been touched by stinky Tomura 

Or you just hate technology as a child

You would get in the way with everyone else

And despite you being a hero you’re still a child

A child that Kurogiri adores

He’d absolutely carry you around and let you rest on a dark cloud pillow he created

Will NOT let you drink anything in the bar

You’ll cry if he’s not right there with you, so he just gives you some applejuice and a book to read

(He’s raising an introvert) 

I’d find it funny if he gave you a wine glass and poured applejuice into it and called it “Wine”

He’d bust out a gut from laughing so hard if you acted like a customer

Stealing some money and slamming it down on the counter

He calls you his little shadow and wraps you up in his mist

When you’re playing hide and seek with Toga and Twice he’ll hide you in his mist and when they both give up you’ll jump out

He gets emotional when you call him dad

He’ll take you on walks at night like Twice, and will treat you to little fast food places(eventhough he despises them)

Shigaraki

Crusty Big Brother

Will shove you around

Acts like a little brat 

Teaches you terrible things

“Hey kid go decorate Dabi’s room with this endeavor merch I somehow found lying around”

He treats you like shit, but platonically

The more you’re around him, the more he’ll let you play star dew valley with him

You two will just hang out in his room after a big mission

He’ll play league of legends and you’ll play star dew valley

This man will absolutely murder for you though

He’s like a mean big brother that will kill if someone hurts you

You find his quirk very funny and will laugh if he dusts something

You two are a menace to society

Sometimes when the itch gets too bad he’ll cuddle you

He’ll either cuddle or tease you

depends on his status

He got so proud so quickly when you said he was better than All Might

Bro practically crashed when you somehow made a plushie of him

When Kurogiri is busy he’ll just take you to the mall or even a playground to run around in

The king of terrible fast food places

Finally

The one you simps have been waiting for

Dabi!

This man knows his shit about kids

He might be burning himself and have family issues

But he has the most experience

You’re def infatuated with his quirk

You find it so cool!!!

He’ll find it very flattering and will sometimes show you

But it’ll only last for a few seconds

Will tell you stories about things he’s done

don’t be surprised if they’re lies

This man has a tattoo some where I just know it

And when you find it you’ll use markers to color it in

It’ll look terrible, and he’ll be honest with you about that

Play fights

All the time

He got you a shirt that said “Fuck Endeavor”

He calls you shit stain

While you call him “Dab-Dab”

Will take you arson hunting with him

By that I mean that he’ll take you with him when he lights something on fire

After he found out Mr Compress wasn’t stopping you from eating unknown marbles you were snatched with him

He have a tiny little mattress beside his

He’ll wake you up by throwing his blankets on top of you

Will carry you around the league so you don’t get trampled by villains

If someone ever hurts or talks bad about you at the league

Don’t worry

They don’t exist anymore

He’s a good big brother

Just not very good at not murdering people

Thank you for reading! I am always taking requests so pop one in through the asks. 

[dross-the-fish]

You know why your Hyde reminds me of a child specifically? Because of the brawls me and my siblings would get into over things like. The TV remote. Or a certain seat. It was nothing like how fights break out on TV where there's foreplay with insults and those involved thinking about their honor and pride, or whatever. You would just want that thing, so you would attempt to snatch it, and the other person still wants it so they're going to try to keep it, and then your tactics just escalate the more each of you try for the thing, with no regard for other ways you could possibly handle this. There would be a brutality to it that adults aren't usually capable of because it comes from not judging how much force is actually proportional to the situation. Or at least, not restraining yourself based on that. Looking back on it, I'm sure there were at least a few times where we were in mortal danger from each other. We definitely would've seriously hurt each other most of those fights had it not been for how ready each of us were to defend ourselves at any given time. Sometimes I (the firstborn) would have to change tactics right in the middle of a fight and just try to restrain my brother so that he couldn't hurt my little sister. We don't do it anymore, obviously, because there are much easier ways to solve things if you just talk about it first. It's a just bit surreal to imagine an adult as smart as Edward using the kind of violence he does, maiming, beating people to death over items. It's not just the school yard bully flavored cruelty. It's the fact that (while I'm aware some adults ARE like this), solving problems that way is a kids thing.

It makes me think he would hiss at people like a twelve year old girl who just discovered the Warrior Cats books. I can't help but imagine him doing that actually, would he do that?

I understand what you mean but I'm not sure I completely agree with the take. It could be poor writing skill on my part if it comes off like he's childish but as I interpret it a lot of his violence is deliberate. He's full of bitterness, rage and self-loathing and he enjoys hurting people because there's something in him that projects that everyone around him has already or will eventually condemn him. There is the hair-trigger temper but it's a symptom of a larger complex. He does have a mean streak. There is a "school yard bully" quality to his brand of sadism and the way he likes to harass and humiliate people. But I do try to steer away from any implications that this is a child-like or childish man. I noted in the book that even as Hyde he has the full capacity to control himself and chooses not to. He was able to be fully civil when the occasion called for it and opted to whip out Jekyll's checkbook rather than try to fight a mob. He doesn't pick fights he can't win. His major targets in the book are a child, women and an elderly man. We don't hear about him picking on people his own size and that says a lot about him IMO. That's also what he hates about himself, when he returns to being Jekyll he's horrified at what he's capable of when he lets every ugly, resentful, cruel, sadistic and perverse inclination do as it pleases. He's never not aware of the consequences or apologetic for the people he hurts because he believes that the moment they see the real him they'll hate him and want to kill him. And he's not wrong, Edward triggers that kind of reaction that makes people recoil or turn hostile despite not having any notable physical differences. he wouldn't hiss at people per se but he is looking for any excuse to harm someone because he is just that angry and resentful. I tend to work with the idea that while there are lower inhibitions on the Edward side of the Jekyll/Hyde spectrum there is a finer line between the two than the man would have you believe.

[streamdotpng]

Pubert didn't really know his sister's love that well. He doesn't mean in the sense of his sister not showing him love. He was probably one of the few people left who she openly showed affection to.

What he meant was he didn't really get to know Enid when she would stay at his family's home. It wasn't like she wouldn't talk to any of them. Honestly it was the opposite. She'd talk to all of them about anything and everything. The conversations weren't ever about her.

She was definitely nice, though, which he thought was weird since his sister had kind of sworn off affection or anything remotely "nice".

So while he hadn't really gotten to know her, he knew she'd been a good influence on his big sister. When Enid was still with Wednesday, his sister smiled with all her teeth and laughed more in a day than he'd heard his entire childhood. So he decided that he liked her. She made his big sis happy so he was happy, too.

He liked that she would go to the greenhouse with him sometimes. She would walk around and just look at different plants. Sometimes she'd even ask him questions and he'd get to show off all the stuff his Mama had taught him. Enid would smile at him with this really soft smile. He liked it. Liked having her around. Liked how happy she made his big sister. He showed her how to feed some of the carnivorous plants in a way where they couldn't get a bite of you.

He thinks that the plants liked Enid too.

Some of the grouchier plants weren't as quick to sneak a bite out of her. Like they just naturally respected her. He's got a theory that it has to do with her being a werewolf but he'd have to run tests and his mama said he isn't old enough for that just yet. Until he is though he'll just take notes. He asked his big sister if all werewolves smiled like the sun but Wednesday only shook her head and said it was something that only Enid was capable of. He takes note of that, too.

Enid is nice enough that she even lets him touch the scars on her face. He makes sure he's super careful since he doesn't know if they still hurt or not.

("You know, Grandmama could make a potion to make them go away if you want?" he offers.

"I know." Enid tells him, a smile playing on her lips.

"You don't want them to go away, do you?" he asks.

"Nope." she says, popping the "p".

He's pretty sure he gets why.)

But then she stopped coming around.

He was still pretty young when it happened so no one really explained anything to him and Wednesday wouldn't ever talk about it with anyone. He figured maybe she was just busy and Wednesday was being sulky like his Papa does when Mama goes away for a trip and he has to stay at the house. But more time passed and she just didn't come back. Eventually he did go and ask his big sister why the smiley werewolf wasn't coming over anymore.

Pubert won't forget the look on his sister's face for as long as he lives.

Wednesday just looked so haunted. Which is something he'd know a lot about given that the house was literally haunted by his family members. She looked like she'd died and the body in front of him was just what ever was left. It scared him. He remembers grabbing the sweater she was wearing with both hands and burying his face into her stomach. His big sister wrapped herself around him and the two of them cried together. (It was the first time he'd ever seen her cry.)

Pubert would follow in his big sister's steps and attend Nevermore. Not the high school part but they had recently added lower grades so he would be attending the middle school section of the campus. He was excited. He had heard all about the exciting things that had happened while Wednesday had attended and he hoped to have at a fraction of the fun she had. Maybe he'd get his own mystery? It would impress Wednesday if he solved one all on his own.

Morticia and Gomez were there to see Pubert off on his first day of school and while he thought they'd leave right away, his Mama just smiled and said she had business with the headmistress and her assistant. Pugsley had already headed towards the high school campus to see some of his old buddies.

Pubert glances back at the family hearse; Wednesday had decided against coming with them. She did give him a hug and a kiss before he left but he was still kinda sad she wasn't here to see him on his first day.

Wednesday rarely ever left the property anymore.

He sorta understood but... he also hoped that one day she'd come back out. His family made a home in the shadows but he was worried his sister hadn't seen sunlight in far too long. Mentally Pubert shrugged the thought off, he'd think those thoughts some other time. Right now was the time for exploration. One of the first things Wednesday ever taught him was to always familiarize yourself with your surroundings.

The middle school campus wasn't so different from the rest of the school. The buildings looked the same and the curriculum wasn't all that different if a bit simpler for the younger students to better understand. He'd heard that the grounds had a greenhouse though. That's where he wanted to go. From what he tell it was only on the high school campus. Obviously that wasn't going to stop him so Pubert just asked a passing upperclassmen how to get to that side of the campus. They pointed him in the right direction and off he went.

The greenhouse was beautiful. It wasn't as cool as the one back home and didn't have nearly as many exotic species but it was still a sight to see. Flower beds galore, and trees that bore fruit and some that didn't. He even recognized some of the more poisonous plants in a far off section. Pubert casually made his way through the greenhouse, mentally cataloging every plant or shrubbery that he could identify and keeping a separate list of the ones he couldn't so he could research them.

He had just caught sight of something really interesting when a hand grabbed his shoulder. The grip was firm and gentle at the same time. It was the grip of a mother about to reprimand her child. (He was very familiar with the feeling.) He turned into the direction of the person with an apology on his lips before the words were stolen from his breath.

Enid Sinclair, alive and in the flesh.

For a moment, both of them were stunned silent before Pubert watched panic start to fill her eyes.

"She isn't here." he says, not softly but not harsh either. Factual.

"I-" Enid looks as if she was going to refute something but ultimately decided against it. Pubert appreciated it.

He watches her take a deep breath in and then slowly release it. Finds himself mimicking it unconsciously. He counts the breathes in his head and recognizes it as a calming technique his sister taught him when he was smaller and still prone to occasional fits of panic. Something in his chest aches. He doesn't understand why.

"I don't think you're supposed to be on this side of the campus, Mr. Addams." Enid says, at least attempting to be professional about this.

"No ma'am..." Pubert starts, not really sure how this works and so following Enid's lead "But I wanted to see the greenhouse. The middle school doesn't have one. I don't think that's fair." He knows he sounds a little sulky towards the end but he can't really help it. He wants to spend time with the plants.

"We house a lot of dangerous plants here and don't want to run the risk of anyone getting hurt. You all are still young. At least by the time you've reached high school, you would know better than to just touch plants willy-nilly." Enid begins "There will be times when a class will call for a trip to the greenhouse. Its how we teach everyone the proper way to handle all the things that call the greenhouse home."

Pubert can tell this is a conversation that has happened more than once. Still...

"I know how to take care of everything here. Almost everything. I even know how to make the antidotes, too. I promise I won't mess with them. Come on, Niddy-" he cuts himself off. He hadn't meant to call her that. It'd been years since he'd called her that but the habit was still there. He immediately looks down. He messed up. He knows it.

He hears a soft sigh and the shifting of feet. Softly a pair of fingers nudge his chin until he looks up again. Enid has crouched down in front of him so they're closer to the same height. (He could tell that he'd take after his papa in height. He wasn't all that upset about it. He loves his papa after all.) She doesn't look mad. But there's something in her expression that makes Pubert want to cry. He can feel it building behind his eyes.

A tear must have snuck its way out because she carefully swipes her thumb at the corner of his eye. Her hand stays there cradling his face and that ache in his chest comes back full force. He wants to hold back the tears. He wants to be strong like his sister. But Pubert is only 12 years old and Enid is still as warm as he remembers. He throws himself in her arms and buries his face in her neck. He had missed her so much. He didn't even get to say bye.

Pubert cries like he hasn't in years.

Enid holds him tight.

He feels one of her hands stroke his back, following the curve of his spine. The other nestles itself in his hair. He feels himself relax into the embrace and slowing he starts his breathing exercises. Just like his sister taught him. He can feel Enid copying them. It brings him some comfort. The two stay like this until his breathing returns to normal. Pubert knows he should let go of her, knows that things aren't the same as before.

He holds her tighter.

He can feel the huff of a laugh. He feels arms wrap fully around him and then feels his feet leave the floor. He hasn't been carried like this in at least a year or two. He had decided he was grown enough that he didn't need it anymore. And yet, Enid was holding him like he was still 6 years old trying to trail after her and Wednesday. Maybe in a way he was. Either way he really couldn't deny that he liked the way being carried and held by Enid felt.

He can feel her swaying them slightly and some part of him is mildly embarrassed that he's being treated like a baby but a much larger part is soaking up all of her affection.

Eventually she slowly and carefully lowers him back to the ground where he takes a moment to straighten his clothes. He doesn't really know what to say. What exactly does one say to an ex paramour of a sibling who is now a staff member of the school you're now attending?

"Sooo... am I still in trouble?" he asks.

A laugh startles its way out of Enid and she ruffles his hair "Yes you're still in trouble but I'll let you off easy just this once, kay?" she adds with a wink. He smiles bright and follows her as she leads him out of the greenhouse and back to the middle school campus.

He feels like he understands his big sister a lot more now.

I honestly really enjoyed writing this section. I don't think the Addams media really touches on what Pubert is like so I think he's got more of a sunny disposition but like 3 steps to the left. Still an Addams just not at first glance. Silent killer if you will.

ZHAUFOABUWUFIAOAK???

PUBERT IS JUST A LIL GUY,, HE JUST MISSES THE SUN THATS HIS OLDER SISTER

Oh this is lovely frog, thank you. He had the serious vocabulary of an Addams but he's so flipping in love with everything like his dad that it's adorable

Bro I'm distraught, but in a positive way yknow? This is so good froggy thank you again

Then Wednesday being described as haunted and holing up in the manor,, dude I just want them to meet 😢 i really need to know what happened between Wednesday's letter and the wedding

Yknow I feel like pubert is gonna start following around. Why? Bc it looks cute in my head and I think Enid deserves it

[thosearentcrimes]

Read The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert Caro. Very good book, worth a read, no wonder it won a Pulitzer.

One of the things about The Power Broker is that the whole way through you marvel at Caro's ability to locate information, to extract what are basically confessions, and so on. But it's only at the end of the book, once you reach the notes, that you realize just how exhaustive the reporting is, and how well-founded. And that's just the research that made it into the book in some form.

As far as the subject matter goes, there's too many interesting nuggets to list them out. Here's one though, only one among an endless number of questions raised or implied by the book.

In the 50s and 60s Americans were universally in the business of ruining their cities by running highways through them. Nowhere were they more in the business of doing this than in New York City, where it basically all occurred under the aegis of Robert Moses, Power Broker.

Now, the thing about running highways through cities is that it is consistently billed as a solution to devastating traffic problems, and is never actually a solution to these problems. The reasons for this are mildly complex and quite well-known these days, but fundamentally boil down to the fact that basic logistic features of the automobile make it non-viable as the primary form of transportation in anything that can remotely be called a city.

In the 50s and 60s, this was only slowly becoming apparent as the demand for automobiles turned out to be bounded only by road capacity, but surely the people in charge of highway planning would have been able to notice induced demand early? Like, they would have had to have seen eventually that they were constantly saying the next highway would solve traffic and that it never did? Did they, though? Moses' projections consistently underestimated future traffic on his bridges, for decades. Was he low-balling statistics that could be sold as demand for or interest in the bridge? If so, why?

The book doesn't say, and in fact doesn't particularly indicate that Robert Moses ever became aware of induced demand, but there are a handful of plausible reasons for him to notice and to then conceal it.

Obviously, the first explanation is that making the phenomenon of induced demand public would have reduced political interest in road construction. This would free Moses to explain the phenomenon to car companies, construction firms and unions, and bankers underwriting his bond issues privately to secure their continued support, without endangering municipal, state, and federal contributions. Perhaps.

Here's another one. Let's say Robert Moses puts together a correct projection of the number of cars going on a planned future bridge of his, and he goes up to federal authorities asking for a substantial contribution to build it. If they continue to believe it's worth building even though it'll obviously be a permanent traffic jam, they might still say "well with these projections, you could take on a significantly larger part of the costs with bond issues and still pay them down pretty quick from tolls".

Even if they hadn't responded that way, Robert Moses' power lied largely in his big pot of unregulated cash. That cash consisted of unexpected revenues from toll bridges, leveraged to the moon as new bonds. If he had accounted for those revenues during planning, he would have to pre-leverage them, and even if he didn't have to spend those new bonds on the bridge and hid them somehow, it would have probably made restructuring the bonds a lot less convenient. His money supply would have been irregular, maybe.

I dunno.

Anyway, car bad, damn near everything other than car good purely by comparison (except probably horse-carriage those seem worse). Public-private partnership is an exciting method of maximizing the rate of corruption involved in a given project. New York City is just absolutely dogshit at electing mayors, holy shit, what is wrong with these people.

[lizziefox]

Mystery Kids as the Hashira from Demon Slayer!

I was brainstorming about different ideas and I thought of this and how fun the scenarios could be. So I might do it once I get a better grasp on the story of Demon Slayer as well as the characters. I know each character’s backstories but I’d rather know more about the world building before I write an au or crossover.

Anyways, on to the topic of why exactly you clicked on this post;

Gyomei (The Stone Hashira):

Now this one is a tough one to start with. There’s not very many characters from my AU of Mystery Kids that are like him. But if you guys have any ideas or suggestions let me know!

(I do love Gyomei however which is why I hate leaving him without a counterpart.)

Tengen (The Sound Hashira):

This one is difficult too but a lot easier than Gyomei. I’d nominate Eddie Munson first lacking any better options then I’d consider Steve Harrington or literally any other remotely flirty character.

Regardless, I’m open to suggestions for him as well!

Kyojuro (The Flame Hashira):

Rengoku is a force of nature. He gets put through the wringer and he just keeps on going. I love him for that and even more after Mugen Train. He’s eternally optimistic and you don’t see that a lot in any characters really. Which is why his spot as the Flame Hashira in my opinion would be given to none other than Enid Sinclair.

She’s very similar to him in her ideals and how she sees the world. She’s also an incredible fighter when she needs to be and when it matters most.

Sanemi (The Wind Hashira):

I know Sanemi gets a lot of flack for being extremely violently over the top towards Nezuko in the beginning and towards everyone else. But I honestly understand why he is the way he is. He lost people that were important to him and he’s in a profession fighting the very things that took those people away.

I think his widespread dislike among the fandom is why I’d give a more beloved character his spot. So his spot would go to Wednesday Addams.

Giyu (The Water Hashira):

I adore Giyu! He has a character trope you often see portrayed in differing types of media. He blames himself for tragic things out of his control. Which is why there are so many good options for him! I considered Dipper Pines, Bill Denbrough, or Mike Wheeler.

Let me know who you think would be the best option!

Mitsuri (The Love Hashira):

I think a lot of people misinterpret Mitsuri. Most viewers’ first impressions of her are that she’s boy crazy. Which is a common occurance with Mabel Pines as well (even though Mabel actually is for the majority of the story). Despite this, I think she’d be perfect for the role given her character development.

And also, the aesthetics totally match up.

Muichiro (The Mist Hashira):

First off, he’s my favorite so I’m going to gush about him as much as I can without sobbing. Before he gets to know Tanjiro, he’s disconnected from himself and his past. But as he and Tanjiro learn from one another, his memories are reintroduced to him and he slowly becomes himself again. I understand both perspectives in this arc which is why I’d give Norman Babcock this position.

They not only share an MBTI type but also similar demeanors and ideals. They’re both very kind hearted, seemingly harsh on the outside and enjoy being around certain people rather than large groups. It’s a perfect fit!

Obanai (The Snake Hashira):

(MARRY ME OBANAI) Who said that? Anywho, this man is scary but secretly gentle. He’s been through way too much for one person to handle. Despite this, he is still motivated to pursue his career and interest in Mitsuri. While he is scary, I think he should be given a less scary character to take his place. This would be either Klaus Baudelaire or Stanley Uris.

Those options are really funny in hindsight because I also fell for those two. But they are very similar. They often close themselves off and try to solve problems on their own which often gets them into trouble. So I think either of them would be a good fit as the Snake Hashira.

Shinobu (The Insect Hashira):

(Everybody make some noise for the one, the only-SHINOBU KOCHO!!! Aka my second favorite!!) Now, as a Laika kid by nature and by heart I’d have to give her spot to Coraline. Nobody truly matches the position quite like she does. She doesn’t let anyone define her worth let alone manipulate her.

And while most people believe Shinobu to be quite smart, she was much of an airhead before the events of the series and Coraline isn’t entirely bright either. Neither of them are stupid by any means but I believe it’s a common phase in people who grow stronger in intelligence and bravery over time.

I hope you enjoyed my ramblings on this very niche AU I came up with on the fly. Let me know your thoughts in the comments! Much love and many blessings,

BloomingSkeletons

[avaritia-apotheosis]

Shannon Number

Danny and Damian have a conversation. The chessboard has traditionally been neutral ground. 3rd installment of the Hey Brother AU

A DPxDC crossover // Read on [AO3] or [FFN] // Fic Masterlist

◆◆◆

Chess was a game Danny never learned to appreciate until later in life.

It just wasn’t a game that he found interesting. An idea first born from a strange preconception that chess was a game for geniuses and the rich, and then, later on, evolved to hatred just to spite Vlad. Mostly it was to spite Vlad.

It was Dani that ended up changing his mind. As each other’s only constants, time had only driven the two closer together. Early after their first century of living, the two of them began to retreat from society to live an idyllic life in some remote cabin with enough woods for Dani to run around in, and the night skies dark enough for Danny to observe the stars. They still appeared when called—a hero’s work was never done—but for the most part, their existence to the rest of the world eventually shifted from ‘people’ to ‘figures of myth and legend.’

Retreating from the world would do them good. Gave them time to adjust to the cruel reality that everyone who once knew them outside of the name Phantom was six feet below.

One of the many things they did to pass the time was play chess. Dani, apparently, was a huge fan of the game, even as she said that she wasn’t the best at it.

“Vlad taught me,” she said. “Before, I mean. It was, like, one of the first things he taught me that didn’t have anything to do with acting like you. Chess was probably the only time where he treated me as his daughter instead of his experiment.”

The chess set Dani bought from the nearest department store for twenty dollars. It was one of those Classic Game Collections, where the box had ten different board games to play and a dozen others that didn't require a board. Their chessboard was just a thin piece of cardboard with black and white checkered boxes printed atop it, a row of numbers on one side and letters on the other. Printed on the other side were the same checkered patterns, sans the numbers and letters. Probably for checkers.

Danny knew the basic moves of each piece, but not much else. That was Dani’s forte. Throughout their many, many chess games, she taught him about all the different gambits, openings, games, and defenses people have done. It was…interesting, really. 32 pieces, 64 squares, an endless combination of games.

“Do you think chess has a winning strategy?” Danny asked one rainy afternoon. They’d moved to play chess on the floor so that they could give their table and poor hands a break. The back of his own palm still stung after one too many rounds of Slapjack.

Dani was laying on her stomach, chin propped up by her arm, legs swinging. She picked up a white pawn and moved it forward two spaces to E4. “What, like, if you move these pieces in this specific order at this specific time, you’re guaranteed to win 9/10 times?”

“Something like that, yeah.” He responded by moving his black pawn forward one space to C6.

She shrugged, moving her other pawn to D4. “Maybe? Some people believe there has to be one. A way to ‘solve chess,’ or something like that.”

Danny moved another pawn to D5, baiting Dani. It was a classic Caro-Kann Defense, a patient strategy, meant to give him as much control over the center of the board as possible.

Dani continued. “It’s all theoretical, though. Kind of like how people theorize about the ‘perfect game of chess.’” She developed her white knight, A2 to C3, completely ignoring her center pawn. Danny captured it in his next move, taking the plastic piece off to the side. “There’s this mathematician, you know, from way back when, that tried to show people that trying to use brute force to ‘solve chess’ was stupid and impractical, because he calculated that there were at least 69 trillion possible games after the first five moves.”

“Wow. That’s…a lot.”

“Mhm.” She hovered her hands over her knight but drew back. Sitting up, she adjusted her positions so that she was sat cross-legged across from him. “In total, I think he estimated around 10120 possible games? Counting illegal moves and assuming that the game lasts 40 moves as usual.” 

“That’s more atoms than there are in the observable universe.”

“Wait— really? How many are there?”

“About, uh, 1078 I think?”

“And you just know that?”

“What, like how you just know how many possible chess games there are?”

“Ok, good point.” The white knight went on the attack, toppling over the black pawn on E4. Dani gave the board one more glance as she pocketed her captive, a gleam in her eyes. “Anyway, the perfect chess strategy is probably in there somewhere, but at that point, who cares? It’d take forever to actually find it. And if someone does figure out the perfect 100% win-rate chess move, then is chess even a game anymore?”

Danny shifted his sitting position, almost mirroring Dani. One leg crossed, the other propped up for his chin to rest on. “I guess not.” He drummed his fingers against the top of his socked feet. “It wouldn’t be as fun, anyway.”

It was time to get his knights out of their pen. Then, he could start freeing up his bishops. He moved his black knight to D7, giving the queen behind it some protection.

Dani nodded. “Vlad once said that chess is a game of errors. In the end, you’re just waiting to see who makes the first mistake and who’s smart enough to capitalize on it.” She moved her queen in front of her king, blocking the bishop next to it from the playing field.

“That’s such a Vlad thing to say.” Knight to F6.

“I know, right?” She laughed. “It was one of the worst parts of him teaching me. I’d make a move and then he’d click his tongue and say something like ‘oh no, that wasn’t the best move you could have made’ which freaked me out so much. But, like, who cares, really about making the best move all the time? If people did that, then every chess match would end in a draw, and what’s the fun in that?” Knight to D6.

Dani grinned, wiggling in her seat. “Checkmate.”

Danny blinked, looking at the board once more. “Aw, fuck.”

His king was completely entrapped by his own pieces and the D6 knight was in a perfect position to capture. Even if he did try to remove the threat with his pawn, he’d still be checked by Dani’s queen.

“It’s 74-30 going to me, and….65 draws?”

“Sounds about right.”

“Want another round?”

“And have you beat me again? Hell no. Let’s just play checkers.”

◆◆◆

Danny wasn’t the one who taught Damian chess. That would be Ra’s al Ghul.

Technically, Ra’s taught both of them. Though while Damian took to it like a duck took to water, Danny…did not. Or, at least, he pretended he didn’t. Ra’s once said that seeing how someone plays can give you a glimpse into their mind, and Danny would rather Ra’s see as little of his mind as possible.

Chess with Ra’s was literally a game of “how long can Danny stay in the game without resorting to any kind of strategy.” Honestly, it reminded him of his early days as Phantom. No thoughts, just punch.

(Ra’s ended up brushing Danny off as strong but with no head for strategy. Talia gave him a strange look in response to that. She had seen Danny’s matches against his brother and had quite a different opinion.)

(When Ra’s found out that Danny never took any of their games seriously…

Well— thank god for his mother.)

Whenever Damian asked for a match, Danny would oblige. Honestly, chess wasn’t his favorite game in the world but it was his little brother asking and there were only so many things you could do in the League outside of training or missions or lessons.

It was also one of the few instances that Damian would willingly seek him out.

Long story short, the chessboard was neutral ground.

So when Danny finally, finally managed to sort himself out (hopefully, probably) enough to return to Gotham, he invited Damian for a game of chess.

Discreetly.

Danny wasn’t sure how bad of an impression he made on the Waynes and he didn’t want to make it worse by tripping their alarm or knocking on the front door. So instead he contacted Damian through more, ah, roundabout ways. A king’s piece he fashioned out of his own ice, clear as glass, with an engraving on the side that spelled out ‘Park.’ He placed it somewhere Damian would be able to easily spot in his room and left.

◆◆◆

A small shadow was cast over him around the time Danny died another round in his shitty mobile game. The ‘High Score’ screen popped up for a few seconds before being overtaken by another thirty-second ad; the fifth one he got in the past fifteen minutes.

Damian placed the king’s piece in its rightful spot, surrounded by the other crystalline chess pieces Danny had made himself. “Kingsway Park. It was child’s play to figure it out, are you underestimating me?”

He turned his phone off, flipped it around with his thumb and middle finger, before setting it face down on the wooden chess table. “Figured I’d go for efficiency, but if you wanted me to set up a scavenger hunt for you, that could be arranged.”

“What, like that escape room you built in Nanda Parbat after mother asked you to test my deductive skills?’

“Hey, I could’ve made it much worse.”

“Danny. You made me translate the entire FitnessGram Pacer Test from morse code to Esperanto to English to decode that last lock. How did you even know about the FitnessGram?”

Danny cheekily grinned. He was actually kind of proud of that one. The solution itself was very easy to people who already had to suffer through the FitnessGram, but considering that Damian (and supposedly Danny, but that wasn’t the point) had never even heard of it back then, it had taken him more than an hour to solve it in its entirety. Sure Danny loved his brother to death and back, but he was not above being petty when Damian was a being a brat.

“Are you just gonna stand there all day, or are we gonna play?” Danny gestured to the empty seat across from him.

“Chess. Tt .” Damian pulled up the seat and plopped himself down with a huff. “Do we really still need a board game to talk?”

“Hey, neutral ground is neutral ground. Gotta make sure you don’t yell at me.”

“I won’t yell at you.”

“Just because I died, doesn’t mean I got amnesia. I distinctly remember you screaming at me to fight you almost every time we met.”

“I was challenging you to a duel .”

“Ambushing me with a sword isn’t very sportsmanlike if you ask me.”

“I was only making sure you weren’t resting on your laurels.”

“Hah. Sure you were.”

One of the reasons Danny chose Kingsway Park—other than it being a public area that had enough trees and tall bushes to give them privacy—was because it actually had decent chess tables. The tabletop was made of a dark-stained wood with a chessboard engraved on top, and a single wrought iron column that held the table bolted to the floor. The chess pieces were lost at some point in time, though, but that wasn’t a problem for Danny. He made his own pieces out of ice. The white pieces were made with barely any mineral content to produce that crystalline quality, and the black pieces made out of frosted ice made it appear cloudy.

Damian eyed the board. “So I get white?”

“We could always draw for it.” Danny opened his hand. “Here, give me your king.” He took both king pieces and hid them behind his hand, mixing them up. When he finished, he presented them to Damian, one piece in each fist. “Your pick.”

Damian picked left.

Danny uncurled his fist. The black king.

“Well,” Damian said. “You’ll need all the advantages you can get.”

He stuck his tongue out. “Shut up and give me your pieces.”

They exchanged their pieces. And with that, they had begun the game with Danny moving a pawn to E4.

Pawn to E5.

Knight to C3.

Bishop to C5.

“I’m sorry.” Knight to A4. “I know I already said it over the phone, but I should probably say it again in person.”

“Tt.” Damian’s bishop captured Danny’s pawn on F2, now leaving the white king in check and with only two ways to escape. “So are you actually going to explain what you meant on the phone?”

Danny’s king took the bishop. “What do you want me to say?”

Black queen to H4. Check. “Maybe start by explaining what you meant about father.”

“It’s…nothing you really have to worry about.” The white king moved diagonally to E3.

Damian placed him in check again, moving his queen to F4. “I’ll be the judge of that.”

“I had a realization, I guess. Do you know what made us such good assets to the League?”

“Our skill, no doubt.”

“That, yes, but I’m talking about something else. What makes us so good at what we do is that, officially, we don’t exist . Birth records, legal ID, Social Security, hospital records— all of that shit that people are supposed to get when they’re born? We don’t have that. For the past ten or seventeen years, there had never been anyone by the name of Danyal and Damian al Ghul, and that lack of presence gave us an advantage. The less of a footprint we leave, the harder it is for people to find us. Rumors are one thing, but unless the documentation is there, we’re veritable ghosts.”

“Where exactly are you going with this?”

“I’m saying that Damian al Ghul never existed up until he became Damian Wayne. And as Damian Wayne, that anonymity you have is lost. You exist now, in the world. In official documents, in papers, on the internet— you are real . And because you now exist in the real world, socially and legally, the Waynes have more familial claim to you than I ever will.” King to D3. “I guess I got, heh, spooked at the idea of it all. That if I made a bad impression—which I ended up doing anyway—they’d have all rights to keep me away from you and the ability to back it up too. Well, maybe not completely, but you get what I mean, right?”

Pawn to D5. “You’ll always be my brother,” Damian parroted.

King to C3. “As Talia al Ghul will always be your mother. Doesn’t change the fact that you chose the bat over her.”

Damian glared, knocking over the white pawn as the Black Queen captured the E4 square. “And what is that supposed to mean?” 

“Nothing! Nothing, I just…” Danny moved his king again. “I’m not…I’m not trying to antagonize you, I swear I—” He sighed, shoulders slumped. “Damn it. Why is it that neither of us managed to inherit Talia’s way with words? That would have been so helpful right about now.”

He rubbed his face with his hand before setting both palms down flat on the table. “You know what, I— I think I should just, umm… Gimme a sec to figure out what I want to say.”

Damian tried to give off this air of nonchalance, poker face masked squarely in place. But Danny’s too experienced with the different facets of Damian al Ghul—( Wayne. Damian Wayne, now)— to be fooled by it. He could see the cracks in the slight crease between the brows, the way the jaw was too clenched, the shoulders a bit too straight. Not that Damian ever slouched, but there was a certain tightness present in his posture that indicated Damian’s worry.

Danny looked down at the chessboard once more. They’ve been moving pieces every so often during their conversation. Danny’s king was busy dancing its way across the board, always so close to being captured but managing to wiggle just out of reach. Damian’s pieces were more aggressive, all his resources turned to capture the white king. Danny had lost a knight. Damian had lost a queen.

The black knight advanced to C5. Danny nearly wanted to laugh.

“Look, I’m sorry for what I said. It’s…insecurity, I guess? I don’t know. Other than mother, you’ve been my only family for so long. And it’s one thing to know that you have other brothers, but it’s another thing entirely to, you know, see them.”

“Really, you? Intimidated by them?” Damian scoffed. “Grayson and Brown are too silly for their own good, Todd, despite what you might assume from his demeanor, is what they call a ‘nerd,’ and Drake has such a severe caffeine addiction that I’m surprised they hadn’t yet sent him to rehab.”

White king to B4. Black pawn to A5. Check.

“Cain and Gordon are alright, I guess. And while all of them are formidable heroes, none of them could ever match you. And none of them would I consider more of a family to me than you.” The white king captures the black knight. Damian’s second knight had begun to advance. “So I don’t understand why you are so apprehensive about all of this. Did you not also wonder about our father when we were little? Were you not the one that imagined fleeing the League to find him? Well, we found him. And he wants us—”

Danny slammed his bishop down, ice cracking between his fingers. Check . “I was thirteen and stupid and the only thing that was on my mind at the time was getting you out of the League.” He raked his hand through his hair, fringe falling over his eyes. “You’re out now. We both are.”

Damian stared at him. Calmly, he moved his king out of check. “What is this really about, brother?”

Danny didn’t answer.

“You know, I always wondered how you always seemed to be so open but still managed to be so secretive.” He advanced his pawn. Check . “You keep dancing around this conversation and it’s…I don’t…just tell me what you want to say to me.”

The white king stepped away.

“You already said that the League let you go. That mother let you go. There’s no external hurdle that would keep you from joining me at father’s side.”

Danny’s bishop was captured by the black knight. Danny took the offending piece out of play.

“You’ve always been the more heroic one. The one to stand up against injustice even if it meant failing the mission. You would have no trouble settling in.”

Damian’s bishop advanced to B7. Check.

“You’re afraid that father would keep you away, but you’re wrong .”

King to B5. Bishop to A6. Check.

“He grieved for you. He worries for you, even now. Did you know that there’s even a goddamn room in Wayne manor that was meant for you? It was where you would have grown up if mother never hid you away. He kept it . Refused to tear it down even when he thought you were dead.”

King to C6. Bishop to B7. Check.

“I don’t get it. I don’t understand . You want to stay with me but you don’t want to deal with the Waynes, and I don’t understand why .”

King to B5. Bishop to A6. Check.

“They’re good people, Danny. They were good for me and they’ll be good for you, so I don’t—”

King to C6. Bishop to B7. Check.

“I don’t—”

King to B5. Bishop to A6. Check

“Can you stop playing games and just look at me?”

Danny snapped his eyes up, meeting Damian’s gaze. His brother was red-faced, brows scrunched together. His shoulders were wound tight, almost shaking.

He looked down at the board. A three-fold repetition. If they keep continuing, it’ll turn into five-fold, or a ten-fold, or— Well, they could keep continuing till the end of time but it would never change the fact that Danny had nowhere to go that won’t end in a check, and Damian would forever be trapped trying to catch him. The game would go on forever and ever because you couldn’t skip turns in chess. You had to make a move. Had to make a decision.

Danny couldn’t run anymore.

The game would end in a draw.

He took a deep breath. Ran his hand “his face, rubbed his eyes, then wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans. Then he looked at Damian, again.

(Sometimes, Danny couldn’t help it. Sometimes he’d look at Damian and see, in his place, someone Danny used to call cousin. Used to call sister.)

Ten years old. So young. Too young, really, to deal with all of Danny’s bullshit. All of their family’s bullshit.

“Do you know,” he began, “how old I am?”

Damian stared at him in confusion. “You’re seventeen.”

“Well, yes, but actually no.” He laughed, inwardly. “It’ll be hard to explain, and maybe I’ll finally figure out how to tell it to you someday, but for now I want you to keep in mind that I’ve lived much longer than just seventeen years.”

“All of this—” Danny gestured to his surroundings. The neatly trimmed green hedges. The passing joggers. The dog barking in the distance. The wide canopy of trees that shaded them. The flock of birds flying in the bright expanse of clear blue sky. “Being born, growing up, having parents, having siblings, making friends. Living and mourning and dying. In another world, in another life, I’ve done all that before.

“I buried my parents with my own hands. Then my sister. Then my friends. I watched everyone I knew grow and age and die . Even the only other person who was like me, eventually they left too.”

When Death eventually came for Dani— (and it did come, the both of them could feel the signs years before Death ever appeared. Could see it in the way Dani would start melting more and more, and each time it’d take longer to put her back together. Her small hands would push the green ooze of her not-flesh into the right spots, holding it in place as Danny injected a larger dose of Ecto-Dejecto, praying that the serum would still work.) — it came quietly. One moment, she was sleeping in her bed. The next— gone.

Danny took her remains off the coasts of Denmark and scattered them in the ocean blue.

(Her favorite princess was the little mermaid.

“She dissolves into seafoam at the end, did you know that? A lot of people like to leave the story off there, called it a tragedy, but— That’s not really true. She became seafoam, sure, but because her heart was so good she became a spirit of the air. That’s— that’s a much better ending don’t you think? It’d be nice if…”)

Drawn back to the present, Danny continued, “The thing about letting people in, Damian, of loving them, is that it hurts . It hurts knowing that one day they will die and you will be left alone. Because you were always the one being left alone.” He locked eyes with Damian and saw his confusion, saw his worry. “It’s inevitable, Damian. One day I will bury mother and one day I will bury you. That, alone, will break me . Do you really want me to add more people to that list? There’s only so much I can take.”

Danny saw how the Wayne family interacted with one another. Observed their little quirks and personalities when he was nothing more than a shade haunting Damian. Danny knew, knew with full certainty that if he joined them he would come to love them. And he can’t—

Not again.

Mother and Damian were enough.

They were already too much.

“Do you want to know something I’ve learned as Robin that I never thought I’d have to learn?” Damian said.

“Being sensitive to other people’s emotions?”

“Shut up. No, I’m talking about the multiverse. Infinite worlds that are so similar or so different to our own, with infinite versions of you and me.”

“The many-worlds interpretation, yeah.”

“I’ve never had to deal with being thrown into another dimension or meeting an alternate version of me, but father and the rest of his associates have dealt with it enough times that they’ve developed procedures and contingencies in case something like that happens. It was no problem memorizing it, of course, but as I looked into the different universes father had encountered, I began to realize just how… vast everything is. So many worlds, so many universes that are shaped by our choices alone. Some are worse, some are better, but none of them are really perfect .

“Maybe somewhere out there, there’s a universe where everything is fine and no one gets hurt. Maybe there’s a universe out there where we all made the right choices at the right time and we all get the happy future we want. But trying to anticipate every future, every ending, to find the best one is—”

“—A fool’s game.”

Damian nodded. “What’s important, I’ve learned, is to focus on the here and now. We can plan for as many contingencies as we want, but at the end of it all, someone’s going to make a mistake and we just have to learn to deal with it. ”

Danny stared at him, then laughed. He reached over the table to ruffle Damian’s hair, and though he could see his brother scowl at his hair being mussed, Damian didn’t try to push his hand out of the way. If Danny squinted, he could even see that the tips of Damian’s ears were pink. “When did you get so smart?”

“Oh please, I had always been the more intelligent of the two of us.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Danny withdrew his hand, and Damian’s face sobered once more. “I won’t— If you don’t want to become part of the family, then I won’t push you. But please don’t try to push out others either. In my experience, doing that just makes you even more miserable.”

Danny’s eyes softened. “I can only promise to try .”

“That’s all I’m asking for.”