#maybe finally getting to the point where it’s a design I can be proud of 😭😭❤️

[soft-serve-soymilk]

I need to start doing viscomm at 2am more it really shuts off your brains internal critic

[cleolinda]

SILENT HILL 2 UPDATE: I’m moving so slowly through the game in part because I haven’t been able to make time to play every day. The other part, of course, is that I played the early areas multiple times to learn skills. I am proud to report that I am no longer baby (affectionate), I think! After 20 hours logged (!) and maybe a third of the way through the game (!!), I am probably as competent as a normal gamer who’s never played it before! Exclamation point!!!

As of last night, I’m at Brookhaven Hospital where the iconic Bubblehead Nurses are, and I haven’t had any trouble with them at all. I mean, yeah, sometimes James gets a pipe to the face, but we’re practicing shooting (I have 130 bullets), and the nurses have never put his health into the red. We’re doing so good.

I am also very confident with the original two basic monsters. Fighting Pyramid Head 13.5 times for practice will do that for you (I am very good at dodging now). Our training is paying off. Again, I wanted to do actual gameplay with Lore Commentary in the near future, and this practice run means it will actually be watchable, and I will stop getting lost for half an hour at a time.

I really cannot say enough about how well this game is designed, both in terms of the combat and the levels themselves. It’s the first game I’ve played, but I’ve watched many, many playthroughs of various games over the last 2-3 years. They are… not all designed like this. I like to say that this game teaches you how to play it—there are many “use this control to do the thing here” sprinkled gradually throughout the first half hour of the game in a very organic way; it doesn’t overload you. With the combat, the game gives you one monster and tells you how to fight it; it throws that monster at you occasionally, in a variety of situations, then more frequently; it starts adding a second one to an encounter, and so on until you’re boxed in with 3-4 of them to get a quest item, and you’re experienced enough to succeed after dying twice shut up. And then you go to a new location, you meet the second, sneakier type of monster, and the gradual cycle starts over, in addition to throwing more of the first one at you. By the time you leave Brookhaven Hospital, you will be getting swarmed by advanced versions of all three types in the street—in the dark—and you will be able to handle it, probably. The fact that I had never played a video game before and I was able to learn the combat with a little extra practice says a lot.

Like, yes, the game is challenging. The physical locations are also very well designed, in that they ultimately loop around on every floor, and if you just keep running into opening doors, you will eventually get back to where you started. That loop does tend to be very complex, though, and I do get lost, usually because I’ve missed a door somewhere that would take me to the item I want. But if you try everything—James will helpfully mark all openings and obstacles for you on the map—the game will push you towards where you need to go. In fact, I finally realized that the first apartment building you go to is a mini version of the next level that lowkey teaches you to move furniture, climb out onto fire escapes, and use logic to find the room you want, without telling you it’s actually a tutorial.

I have seen professional streamers get lost in this game, so it’s not just me, and maybe the game really is too complicated at times. But you can tell that the devs are really, really trying to give you as much guidance as they can while being subtle about it. I don’t know, I’m just incredibly impressed that I’ve seen people play this game so many times, and it’s still challenging for me, but it’s also doable.

[mykaelaaa]

afterwork hours

✰ agent lee harker and you get carried away in the late hours

✰warnings: crime mention? smut, thing for interrogation lol

"who was she?" your voice echoed down the staircase, arms intertwined as you turned corned to the empty, poorly lit hallway of the FBI building.

it was quite late as you were leaving, she texted you how today had been busy, had to stay past her usual work time blaming it on paperwork and a new case. she will come home to you either way but paying a visit to your hardworking, incredibly hot and intelligent girlfriend with coffee to go never bothered anyone, right?

besides, lee kept you away from her line of work for long enough. she insisted it's for your own good, the less you know about it the less could anyone harm you and she would never forgive herself. 

"sarah. she's security here, checks the cameras."

it was one of those days you had nothing better to do. so, with a little bit of begging and on-the-go promises you landed yourself a free tour of FBI building.

she wasn't really up for it but would do anything for you and you knew it (and took advantage of it).

"you know i shouldn't be doing this," lee spoke quietly, maybe too quiet for some untrained ear to not catch it but doesn't apply to you. 

"i know but risking it once in a while can be fun!" lee looked at you, weighing pros and cons of this short trip around the building with cameras pointed at every corner you turned but she was thankful you took her out of her shell sometimes.

"these are the offices," lee said with not much enthusiasm even though she took her one-time tour guide job seriously. "the cafeteria where we have our break, here's the exit to the garage-" 

"and um, this is the interrogation room, we get information out of people in here." 

"oh, so just like in the movies?" you asked her. 

"pretty much i guess." lee answered ready to move on and wrap it up and just go home with you but you didn't budge from where you were standing. "can i see it?"

"see what?" she looked at you curiously. 

you spared glances between her and the door back and forth, trying to give her a hint, tilting your head slightly. "the almighty and sacred interrogation room." that made her roll her eyes at you playfully. you pulled at her jacket, "please?"

lee towered over you, height difference playing quite a role here. your look made her weak in the knees but she can't let you get away with every impromptu idea that dawns on you.

"i-uh, i don't really think-"

"-there's no one in the building anyway, besides that sarah" you cut her off, doing a quick glance down and up the hallway, lee doing the same. "and? what do you think? pretty please, it will be like 2 minutes top. that depends on you though."  

she looked so captivating under that shitty flickering light, her tired eyes searched your face for whatever you meant by that last sentence. shirt and jacket slightly crumpled from you pulling on it and tie loose. yeah, there was something in the air. something that whatever happens in the next five minutes would go in your favor given that you have the FBI officer wrapped around your finger.

"fine," lee said reluctantly, rummaging through her pocket for keys. you patiently leaned against the wall with your arms crossed, eyeing her fruitless attempts at unlocking the door. she would never admit but you did make her nervous like a teenager.

when the key finally matched, she gave the "can't believe the shit i'm doing for you" look before entering.

lee stood awkwardly in the center of the room which had nothing worthy to be proud of in the context of design, she's been here before so she rather studied your expression. you took a seat at the table in the middle, "this is where it happens?" 

"yes."

you looked at the clock realizing you had some time for what just popped into your head. and to be honest, you've been dreaming about this for some time now, except she doesn't know.

"what kind of questions do you ask?" 

she knew very well she talked your ear off about it at home multiple times because you were always curious, yet she had no problem repeating herself for you, "we usually confirm the basic details of the suspect first then gradually get to the bottom of it."

finding her nerdy answer sweet, you hummed slowly, resting your chin on your hands in amusement.

"well, what do you ask exactly? let's pretend i robbed a bank, what would you ask me?"

lee was at the war trying to decide if you were just mocking her or genuinely curious about this whole ordeal. she paced back and forth the room with no purpose, tracking the tiles under her feet, thinking hard. "i'd ask you what were you doing before it happened."

"mhm, what else?" it made lee slowly turn her body towards you, observing you shift in your seat. she picked up on your, well, at least what seemed to her as teasing undertone.

lee was well aware. she would go as far as claiming she could read you like a book, something she thought was impossible but you made it real. you really did love her and she didn't know to take it.

truth to be told, at the end of the day she was an agent, that was her profession, minus the lack of training for picking up social cues but she's getting there. she'd find it hard to believe but whatever special thing you have going on you got her addicted to it in the best way possible. 

"i-i would ask you what led you to do a robbery. maybe how long you were planning it." 

slowly you rose to your feet, and with annoyingly slow steps you made your way toward your stoic girlfriend who studied your every move. she flinched at your cold hands playing pretend with her collar, fixing it for longer than needed. making contact with her neck both on purpose or not, she wasn't quite sure. 

your hands fell to her tie and she could sense your hot breath so painfully close as the words left your lips.

"let's say agent harker," your fingers now focusing on undoing her tie, she had no clue what you were about to say, or do which made her swallow her question nervously and let you continue. 

"what if i don't want to answer?"

if lee had to be perfectly honest, she wasn't fully paying attention to what you said. it's not that she didn't want to, it's just somewhat impossible with your legs tangled and your body pressing against hers.

the question passed her by quickly, "what do you mean?"

"any techniques or maybe punishment for that? how else would you get answers out of someone, right?" you half whispered, flashing her the best innocent smile you could make up on the spot and she caught on this time. 

lee peeled her eyes off of you and looked to the side, collecting her thoughts and letting her shy smile escape. "i don't think that's a good idea right now."

"why? i remember when you told me it's super soundproof in here for a reason." of course you remembered that.

"darling, we can't-" she couldn't finish her sentence with you tugging at her shirt again. "oh come on, no one is here anyway!"

"i work here and…" she felt your arms making patterns under her jacket, distracting her from whatever excuse she was making.

"you're no fun. you have no problem doing it in the car but here it's a problem. i don't see why-"

in an instant she had you pressed on the table with hands behind your back, gaining a clear upper hand in this nonsense quarrel effortlessly. lee managed to find herself between your legs and by the way her breath was hitting your face it was rather out of frustration with you than the effort it took.

you felt small under her gaze, like her every move depended solely on how you'd act. 

"was i not clear?" lee asked, lips barely inches away, never breaking eye contact with you while taking off her dark jacket. "lee, what-"

"i said was i not clear? do i need to repeat myself?" oh god. she looked so stunning with her unkempt uniform, gaze slightly lowered you're only used to seeing it on different occasions, an attitude she only saves for work and bedroom you wish you had a camera to capture this. 

you were too enamored with the officer in front of you to notice her hands already unbuttoning your jeans.

she whispered, "i'll give you your two minutes."

you pulled her closer, lips crashing for the first time since she left you this morning. lee halted her movements for a while, savoring your taste she missed more than she'd admit. "fuck, lee" the moan you left caused her to take a sharp breath, trying to hold herself together. how she wished you two were at home more than here so she could fuck you properly.

her skilled hands swiftly slipped past your panties straight to your already drenched core. lee grinned, brushing her lips against your ear as the words reached you. 

"you're such a slut, you know that? being so needy while i'm at work." she right away allowed two fingers to slip inside of you which made you let out a near scream before she trapped it, covering your mouth with her free hand. she wasted no time and the risk of being here made you both drown in eachother.

"the cameras everywhere, least you can do is shut up." 

everything about this whole situation made you lose your senses. lee's head dropped into the valley of your neck, leaving feathered kisses while checking the doors every few seconds, making your head spin. you felt her hand leave your mouth with trust that you will be quiet and dropped down to wrap around your neck, leaving pressure.

slim fingers were at a harsh pace, yet careful enough. you loved when she let herself go because clearly you were the only thing on her mind right now and the mission was to prove it.

biting your lip to keep the noises intact was hard, she started hitting deeper, spreading your legs further apart. you were so out of it even if someone opened the door you wouldn't notice. your hands not knowing what to do quickly found support on her shoulders. 

"lee, i'm- i'm so close, please," she wrapped her arm around your waist, helping you with the little strength you have left from collapsing on the table. considering it's late at night and you're having your brains fucked out in the FBI building right now, lee got you covered. 

"oh yeah?" connecting the dots and making a mental note to ask you about it later, if she had the guts, this was obviously something you've been wanting to do. not that it's unusual for her girlfriend to completely crumble under her touch at all, it's just that she feels you are way too into this whole roleplay.

lee felt your grip getting tighter with each second, knowing you're close she curled her fingers the way she knows drives you mad. her other hand cupped your face tenderly, making you look at her, noses barely touching but it was intimate.

"'you gonna cum for me?"  

all you could do was weakly nod before throwing your head back again. as the final moan slipped past you, lee was holding your shaking body close to her, fingers still buried deep inside. 

she gave you time to catch a breath, her fingers regretfully leaving you. you watched her fix your strands that were out of place before she stopped near your lips.

lee brushed her thumb against them, "open." 

you tasted yourself on her fingers, her eyes not once leaving yours while doing so. she had a sly smile on making you think she enjoyed this as much as you did. 

pulling her by the tie you gave her a deep kiss one last time, which she returned back, trying not to get carried away.

"i know the camera was behind you."

"which means?"

"hope that bitch sarah saw us. it's her shift tonight, no?" 

✰this was totally NOT my fantasy or whateverrr i swear on god (what ovulation does to a fanfic writer (im so sorry sooo unnecessarily long u cud see i was going thru it)

[sunshine-and-moonshine]

Baby Matching Outfits

Requested: Yes [Since request are open.........I HAVE ONE.... CAN YOU PLEASE WRITE 141, KÖNIG, ALE, KEEGAN. WERE THEY MATCH THERE OUTFIT WITH THEY'RE KIDS, BUT YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT IT AND THEY COME TO YOU AND SHOW (YOU KEEP THEM ASKING WHERE IS YOURS)🤭💞 PLEASE CAN YOU WRITE 🥹🫶]

Warnings: Sweet enough to rot your teeth

A/N: Trimmed off Price to make this six characters (the limit).

Gaz

Gaz grinned proudly at you as he held your daughter in his arms, the little one grabbing at the controller design on his t-shirt, probably recognizing it as the same thing that she’d see her Daddy holding when she was snuggled up next to him or in his lap as he played. A favorite activity of his, he liked to pretend that she was playing with him.

“I think this is the best purchase I’ve ever made before.” He tells you, bouncing Sunshine in his arms when she started to get a bit fussy. “I think she likes it! It’s a sign that she’ll like playing video games just as much as me.”

Ghost

Ghost does it unintentionally. It’s likely something that you bought because why wouldn’t you? It’s cute, references him, and it was just overall wholesome. But Ghost never really wears the shirt, and even more rarely puts the onesie on Asa. He just doesn’t understand the point. But he’s in a rush one morning to surprise you at work so he throws on the first shirt he sees and dresses your daughter in the onesie at the top of the pile.

Which leads to him holding Asa, surrounded by a group of your coworkers cooing about how cute it is that he’s matching his daughter. It’s very uncomfortable for him to say the least and he’s forever grateful when you finally meet him in the middle, shyly fiddling with Asa’s little hands.

Soap

It was a spur of the moment decision for Soap. He’d already been on his way to meet you, Bombi in his arms, when he saw the matching set in the window of a store. Ever the impulse shopper, Soap hadn’t even thought twice about whipping out his wallet and changing out his shirt and Bombi’s onesie in the bathroom before continuing on his way.

And of course he basked in the attention he got from you, even if 99% of it went to Bombi instead of him. He was proud that you liked it! “Maybe next time all of us can match, yeah?” He says, already coming up with a million and one ideas on how to do just that.

Alejandro

The matching outfits were given to him by his Mama, a late Father’s Day gift! She didn’t read English very well so she really only saw the cowboy hats and went “Perfect!!!!!” And Alejandro couldn’t help but agree. Which would be why he changed them both into the matching outfits right away and swiftly started making his way to your work, a grin on his face at every compliment he received along the way.

And then he was standing in front of you, practically glowing with pride as you cooed over him and your daughter, tickling her chubby tummy before giving him a kiss on the cheek. He definitely wouldn’t mind matching with your little one again.

Keegan

Keegan is really not one for dressing up. Barely owns a decent pair of jeans and a single shirt or two without holes all over. To say he doesn’t really care about his appearance when he’s not deployed is an understatement. Life Ghost, he probably matched with Skully unintentionally. Threw on the first shirt he saw and went with it.

So he was definitely confused when you kept giggling to yourself, looking between him and Skully, tickling the boy’s tummy as you complimented Keegan on his fashion sense. That was when he finally noticed and couldn’t help but chuckle, reaching over to hold one of Skully’s little hands in his. Maybe he could dress up a little better, as long as he matched the little one.

König

König loves to match with Princess! He has several matching shirts and onesies for him and her and he likes to wear them whenever possible. Today is one such day, your tiny baby in his arms, whining all the way to the park where he would be meeting you for lunch.

And oh he just melted when you cooked over them both, praising him for finding such cute clothes as you gently readjust the crocheted cap on Princess’ head, amused by the floppy green ears that were attached.

[cowgurrrl]

Going to The Chapel

Pairing: Joel Miller x fem!reader (plus platonic Ellie Williams x fem!reader)

Author’s note: the wedding day fic is coming but this was the first idea that presented herself so enjoy

Summary: “Where did love begin? What human looked at another and saw in their face the forests and the sea? Was there a day, exhausted and weary, dragging home food, arms cut and scarred, that you saw yellow flowers and, not knowing what you did, picked them because I loved you?” — Jeanette Winterson, Lighthousekeeping [2.2k]

Warnings: quick canonical type of violence, grief, idiots in love, domestic Joel and Ellie

Let the record reflect that despite twenty years of an apocalypse and an insane amount of loss, Joel Miller is still a romantic. It just took him a little longer to find that part of himself again. 

The first time he thinks about it, you're sitting on the floor with Ellie, helping to adjust her hold on her guitar. "It's not going anywhere. You can relax," you tell her. You gently move her hands and ensure she has a pillow under her so she can be comfortable while you teach her chords. The sun slips behind the mountains and makes the light hit your eyes as you watch her gain confidence in her strumming. Ellie looks to you for guidance when she gets stuck or needs reassurance, and you never flinch. By the end of the night, Ellie's fingers are raw, and you tell her how proud you are of her. "You'll be playing circles around us in no time." You say, and Ellie's smile makes you light up. Maybe, he thinks. Maybe here. Maybe now.

It's not that he had never thought about marrying you. He dreamt about it all the time but figured that's all it could be; a dream. He made excuses for why he never proposed. He was too old, too broken, and too scared. The world had already taken so much from both of you that it seemed cruel to even think about creating a family like that. And then Ellie happened. Suddenly, you had this little girl you loved and cared for more than anyone else, and you found a safe home thousands of miles away from Boston. Everything had changed. Why couldn't this change too?

The next time the thought crosses his mind, you're holding Tommy and Maria's daughter. Camille Sarah Miller came into the world and immediately captured both your hearts, but you aren't focused on Camille when he thinks about it. Sure, she's sleeping in your arms, but you're looking at Maria and asking how she's feeling, how much she's sleeping, and what she's been eating. When someone has a new baby, it's easy to get caught up in the latest family addition but not you. You care about Tommy and Maria's well-being as much as Camille's, and tell them never to hesitate to ask you for help. That night, you go home and make two freezer meals for the new parents. That's the night Joel asks Ellie what she would think if he asked you to marry him. Her answer encaptured everyone else's feelings: "Fucking finally."

He asks Tommy where he got Maria's ring the next day. Tommy smiles and claps his big brother on the shoulder before directing him to the local blacksmith. He usually only works with artillery, but he makes special exceptions for things like this. Joel designs the ring himself with some help from Ellie—a simple gold band with wildflowers etched into the sides. They look exactly like the ones you and Ellie would pick while on the way across the country. Joel used to complain about wasting time and asked you about it one night after Ellie had gone to bed. "Ellie's fourteen years old, and the closest thing she's seen to a flower is probably a Cordyceps," you said. "Just… let her be a kid, okay?" He could tell you were waiting for a fight, but he just nodded. That was the first time he realized you were starting to love Ellie too.

"What's this?" Ellie asks, pointing to the year etched on the inner part of the ring. 

"It's the year we met," He says. Ellie smiles and mumbles something that sounds like "you fucking sap" as she hands him the ring back. "So, d'you think she'll like it?"

"I think she'll love it." She says. It's all the confirmation Joel needs. 

He had something planned, he really did, but in true Miller fashion, it didn't work out that way. He planned on taking you to the meadow where you've gone on a few family picnics together, delivering a long, emotional speech where he'd probably cry and then pull out the ring. What actually ended up happening was much less wholesome. You two were out on patrol when a group of raiders attacked you. You managed to take them all down, but not before Joel got shot in the shoulder. You were frantically trying to slow the bleeding enough to get him back on a horse when he asked. "Can we talk about it when you're not bleeding out?" You yelled as you pulled him off the ground.

So, that's why you're holding his hand in the hospital as his drugs slowly start to wear off. You tell him everything the doctors did and that you can take him home in the morning. Ellie gets to sleepover at the Other Miller's (as Ellie affectionately calls them) house and is relieved that he caught a bullet in the shoulder, not somewhere more severe. "And I won't hold you to the bleeding-out proposal, so we're good." You laugh, but he looks serious.

"Check the front pocket of my backpack," He says. You furrow your brows but open the pocket to find the gold ring at the bottom. Your hand flies to cover your mouth as tears fill your eyes, and you look at him. "I was goin' to propose in the meadow. I planned a whole thing, but somehow this feels more like us." He smiles and reaches for you. You let him hold your hand as you stand beside his hospital bed, tears streaming down your face. 

"Does Ellie know?" You ask, and he laughs. 

"She helped pick the ring out." 

"Oh, my god." You cry. He squeezes your hand and takes the ring from you. Tears fill his eyes as he stares at you like you hung the stars.

"Will you marry me?" He finally asks, and you nod. 

"Of course I will." 

"You sure? 'Cause, there's no backin' out after this."

"Yes, I'm sure," You laugh as you bend down and kiss him. Joel's arm isn't strong enough to hold you, and you can't stop crying, but it's perfect. You break the kiss with giddy laughter, still incapable of wrapping your mind around the fact that Joel just proposed to you in a hospital room. "How long have you been planning this?"

"I mean, the gettin' shot part wasn't the original plan." 

"No, I meant, how long have you been planning to propose?"

"Baby, I always thought about marrying you," The gentleness of his voice is enough to make you tear up again. He grabs your left hand and carefully slides the ring on your finger. It's the tiniest bit too big, and you can't help but laugh as he groans defeatedly. "This was supposed to go so much better!" He says. You kiss him again and feel him smile against your lips.

"It's perfect. Thank you." 

You climb into the hospital bed with him, avoiding his injured shoulder, and listen as he points out all the details. He tells you about the engraving on the inside of the year you met and the flowers that were copied exactly from a drawing. He explains the original plan further and then apologizes for getting shot. "As long as you don't get hurt every time we try to make a life-altering change, I think we'll be fine." You say, and he laughs. You stay up talking for a long time even though the nurses urged Joel to get some rest. 

You wonder aloud what Sarah would think about her dad getting married, what all your dead loved ones would think about this. Your parents would've loved Joel, but they would've loved Ellie more. They'd probably listen to her tell shitty jokes all day if they could. You miss them, especially now. You laugh, trying to imagine Tess throwing you a bachelorette party that would inevitably be insane. You talk about what Bill and Frank would say and decide that Frank would definitely cry while Bill would insist on cooking on the wedding day. You'd have Henry stand at the front and sign the entire ceremony to Sam. Eventually, you end up falling asleep listening to Joel's heartbeat, and for the first time in a long, long time, you don't have a nightmare. Instead, you dream of a wedding day full of all your favorite people. 

You were never one to believe in signs from beyond, but you take the peaceful dream as one big group hug from those you've lost.

You're exhausted when you leave the hospital in the morning, but you still make the walk to the Other Miller's house. You can hear Ellie talking to Tommy about her favorite comic book when you walk through the door, not even bothering to knock. "Hello?" You call as you walk into the kitchen with Joel close behind you. Ellie and Maria have a stack of pancakes in front of them as Tommy mans the stove with a sleeping Camille strapped to his chest. 

"Hey! How are you feeling?" Maria asks. You walk over to Ellie and smooth her hair back before kissing her forehead. She scrunches her nose at you but doesn't protest when you wrap your arms around her. You're sure Joel is answering Maria's question, but Ellie catches the glint of your ring before he can finish his sentence.

"Holy shit! He actually did it?" She asks loudly, and you shoot Joel a look. He shrugs, a smile pulling at his lips, as Maria and Tommy give each other confused looks. Ellie grabs your left hand to look at the ring, and it finally connects in Maria's head.

"Holy shit!" She yells, shooting out of her chair and covering her open mouth with her hands. You laugh as she leans over to look at your ring, a happy noise leaving her.

"It only took him getting shot, but he proposed." You say, and the room erupts into cheers. Tommy turns off the stove before walking over to Joel and wrapping him in as big of a hug as he can give him with Camille in the sling. Maria hugs you and rocks you back and forth, practically screeching about how excited she is. When she's done congratulating you, the couple switch, and Tommy hugs you tightly.

"Welcome to the family, officially." He says as he kisses your temple. Your chest could burst from all the love filling the room, and you feel your eyes getting wet again.

"Thank you, Tommy," You say. Tommy declares to make more celebratory pancakes, this time in the shape of a ring, but he barely gets a response as Maria asks Joel for all the details about the proposal. You look down to see Ellie staring at you with a big smile. You crouch down to look her in the eyes and put a hand on her knee. "What do you think about all this, kiddo?" 

"I'm just glad he finally got the balls to ask you. I thought it'd be forever before you guys made it official," she jokes. You smile but stay silent, waiting for her honest answer. She takes a deep breath, glancing between you and Joel before landing on you again. You squeeze her knee to encourage her to talk and see tears brimming in her big, brown eyes. "I'm really, really happy you guys are getting married." 

"You're sure? 'Cause I'll give this ring right back to him if you say the word."

"Hey! I worked hard on that ring!"

"I heard," you say, holding your left hand up to spin the band. "They're the wildflowers we used to pick, right?"

"It was Joel's idea. I just drew it." She says, and your heart skips a beat. You look at your ring again and notice the tiny pencil markings on the petals. A tear falls from your eye as you look at her again, grabbing her hand.

"Your drawings are on my ring?" 

"Do you like them?" She asks nervously, and you pull her into a tight hug. 

"Oh, baby girl," you whisper. "They're perfect." Joel doesn't miss your interaction with Ellie, there's rarely a time when he isn't watching his girls, and he smiles. Maria runs into the other room and comes back with a Polaroid camera in her hands.

"Okay, okay, you love birds! Let's get a picture!" She says, waving her hands for Joel to stand with you. Joel pretends to be annoyed, but you catch the sparkle in his eyes as he walks over to you and Ellie. He wraps an arm around your waist, and you put a hand on Ellie's shoulder to keep her from trying to escape the picture as the camera flashes. You eat pancakes and laugh with your family as the picture develops safely on the counter. Before you can leave, now with Ellie in tow, Maria hands you the picture with her handwriting under it. The Millers, she wrote, even though you haven't decided on whether you want to change your name and Ellie will forever have her mother's surname. 

Names don't mean anything when it comes to family, and you've always been family. You and Ellie have always been Millers, even if you didn't know it.

🍓

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Tag list: @evyiione

[modeus-the-misanthrope]

MODEUS'S BETTER DLC PLOTLINE! (According to my own personal tastes.) Now I am going to order this from, Easiest/Simplest changes to make to the hardest/most complex changes to make.

Stage 1.

Replace Radahn being Miquella's consort with Godwyn. Yes, this makes Miquella, the Brother Lover, still canon. But Miquella has already tried so many ways to fully kill Godwyn in the base game that it comes across as a fixation, it would make sense that if he were in the land where all death resides, and decide, "Well, if killing him fully won't work. What about bringing him back? The only way to do it seems to be taking my own brother as my consort...but I wouldn't mind Godwyn as my consort. He was super nice and really strong." That keeps Miquella's established character motivation from the base game, but also extends it as the DLC did. Why would Freya be there? Make Radahn's body part of the ritual to bring back Godwyn the same as Mogh's was. Easy. I can fully believe that you would need two demigods to bring back someone's soul from the dead.

Yes this does mean a completely new bossfight. Don't care. The final boss of a damned 40$ dlc should not be a remixed or a recycled boss. Tough titties, Fromsoftware.

Stage 2.

Radahn's soul could have still played a factor in the story. Maybe he carried the mental scars from what the scarlet rot made him do into the afterlife, causing him to be nearly broken in spirit. Now he simply sits with his back against a massive tree/rock, in a small area cut off from the rest of the Lands of Shadow, depressed and mourning how he idolized Godfrey when this place and the eternal genocide occuring in it were part of his legacy.

Bonus points if you wanna get spicy with it. Have Malenia also be there if you killed her in the base game, now feeling abandoned by the twin she dedicated herself towards. She sits on the opposite side of the tree/stone to Radahn, in a similar sitting pose as him, as they talk about mundane things like the weather. Basically being two proud warriors who don't know how to apologize to eachother for their fight, both feeling guilty now that they know it was for such horrid or petty reasons.

Stage 3.

Almost all of the Demigods should have been NPC's you could interact with in the DLC. Morgott sitting at the top of the Suppresion Pillar trying to reconcile his faith in the Erdtree with the fact that in this culture he would have been practically worshipped for the traits he and his twin were shunned for. Placidusax lounging next to the Grand Altar of the Grand Altar of Dragon Communion, having forgiven you now that their body has been fully restored in death. Rykard back in human form with a suspiciously large serpent pet, enjoying the tranquility of the Cerulean coast. While obviously scheming to feed his serpent all the corpses inside of the massive Stone Coffins, but not knowing anyway to break them open.

Basically gimme a story that felt like it took two years to write. Cause while the gameplay, level design, and atmosphere are 11/10's. The story of this dlc in regards to Miquella, is TERRIBLE.

[sturnswrites]

can you write a fic where innocent!reader shows one of protective!matts employee’s her sketch’s but he makes fun of them. she then goes to protective!matt for comfort.

plspslsplspslspls i’ll love you foreverrr

The office was unusually quiet, the hum of the day finally beginning to taper off as the clock crept toward evening. You had spent most of the day finishing up designs for Matt’s office and his building’s common spaces. Every line, every shade of color you’d chosen felt like a reflection of who you were. You were proud of your work, but there was always that little bit of doubt that lingered in the back of your mind. It wasn’t easy, showing someone your heart’s work, especially not when it was someone like Matt.

When one of Matt’s employees, Eric, passed by your desk, you felt a flutter of hesitation. You’d seen him around before, always confident to the point of cocky, but you didn’t want to stay stuck in your own head any longer. Maybe he could offer some feedback.

“Hey, Eric?” you called, trying to keep your voice steady. “I’m working on some sketches for Matt’s office. Would you mind taking a look? I could use a second opinion.”

Eric turned and walked toward you with a grin, folding his arms as he took in the sketches you laid out on the table. “Sure, let’s see what you’ve got.”

You felt your chest tighten, but pushed it aside, eager to hear anything that might help you improve. “This one’s for the lobby—I wanted it to feel open and welcoming, but with a modern edge. And this one is for Matt’s office, it’s supposed to reflect some of his more—”

Eric scoffed, not even looking at the page before he cut you off. “This is… cute,” he said, making no effort to hide the condescension in his voice. “It’s like you’re trying to make everything look like a Pinterest board. The color scheme is basic. You could do so much more with it.”

His words landed like a punch to the gut. You had expected some critique, but his delivery felt mocking. Your face burned as he tossed the sketches back down on the table, not even bothering to offer anything constructive. “It’s just not the vibe we’re going for, you know?” He shrugged as if dismissing you entirely before turning and walking away without another word.

You felt a sudden heat rise in your chest, the sting of his words cutting deeper than you wanted to admit. You picked up your portfolio quickly, wanting to get out of the room, away from the sharp, cutting comments that still echoed in your mind. Your fingers fumbled with the handle as you turned toward Matt’s office, needing to get away, to find comfort somewhere.

The door to Matt’s office was slightly ajar, and you hesitated for only a moment. You pushed it open, the low hum of his voice on a call making you pause, but then the sight of him, sitting there so assuredly in his chair, made something inside you relax. You needed him now, more than you ever had before.

Matt’s gaze immediately lifted when he heard the door click shut. “Hey,” he said, his voice warm but slightly strained from the intensity of his call. “What’s going on?”

You didn’t know how to answer—how to explain that you’d just had your heart bruised by a careless comment. So instead, you walked in, your portfolio clenched tight in your hands.

Matt took one look at you and instantly recognized the signs. His brows furrowed as he set down the phone and stood. “What’s wrong?” His voice softened, but there was a hardness underneath it—an edge that told you he wouldn’t accept anything less than the truth.

You swallowed, trying to keep your voice steady, but the words felt thick in your throat. “I showed Eric my sketches,” you whispered, barely able to look him in the eye. “And he made fun of them.”

Matt’s face hardened, his jaw setting with a noticeable tension. “Made fun of them?” he repeated, his voice low. You nodded, too embarrassed to meet his gaze.

“Yeah,” you murmured, your voice barely above a whisper. “He said they were basic. That they were like something out of a kid’s drawing book.”

The words rang in your ears, and despite how much you tried to dismiss them, they stayed. You saw Matt’s expression shift from concern to something darker, something more possessive as he took a step closer. His blue eyes locked onto yours, and it was impossible to look away.

“Eric said that?” Matt asked again, his voice dangerously quiet. You nodded, your throat tight.

Matt didn’t say anything at first. He just stood there, his gaze never wavering from yours. You could see the muscle in his jaw twitch as he fought to keep his anger in check. Finally, he took another step closer, closing the gap between you, his voice barely a whisper. “You don’t listen to him. Ever.”

You tried to force a smile, but the weight of his words, of his protective nature, flooded over you. There was something about the intensity in his eyes that made your chest tighten in a way you didn’t expect.

“I’m sorry,” you murmured. “I just… I don’t know. I thought I could take the criticism.”

Matt’s eyes softened just a fraction, and he reached out to gently cup your face. “You don’t need to apologize. You’re brilliant. Your work is amazing, and if Eric can’t see that, then he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” His voice was steady, a calm assurance that left you feeling small and protected all at once.

You leaned into his touch, the warmth of his hand grounding you in the moment. “Thank you,” you whispered, a tear slipping free despite your best efforts. “I just want to do a good job for you.”

Matt’s thumb gently wiped away the tear, his gaze intense but filled with nothing but care. “You’re doing more than a good job. You’re doing something incredible. Don’t let anyone make you doubt that.”

You felt the sting of Eric’s cruel words start to fade, but you knew that the true healing wouldn’t come from the apology. It would come from the steady, unwavering belief Matt had in you—and the way he always had your back, even when you didn’t realize you needed him the most.

And in that moment, you realized that you trusted him with more than just your work. You trusted him with your heart.

[reqxxyt]

why not december

pairings: oscar p. x f!reader

summary: after discovering the man who once had your heart soaring from a glance was your bestfriends boyfriend, you are confronted with conflicting feelings, needing them to die down but all they do is grow the longer you know him. (part one)

disclaimer: heavily inspired by 'One Day in December' Josie Silver. This is a part two to 'followed by december'

warning: angst, falling in love at first sight, reader is a homewrecker..., cursing

masterlist requests are open!

[uedited] 2.5k

_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐

“y/n?” What was it that made your heart go on a mile drive when you heard your own name called by him? Clearly, your silence as a response didn’t work in your favor, walking forward now leaning against the railing beside you, where you once had peace of mind. The silence lasted only a couple of moments before he finally began “Do you by any chance-”

“y/n!” was now your sister calling for you and looking for any chance to escape, you glanced at him for a second before excusing yourself grateful she cut him off. You walked up to your sister with a soft smile, appearing fine. Because you had to. “Have you received any news on the photographer?”

“Yeah, he’s already at the reception” you reassured her, allowing her to take a deep breath knowing how stressful weddings can be, it took a lot to convince her to have a big wedding from your mom but in the end, your sister ended up winning (being the bride and all) but even then, a small wedding is just as stressful. So you hand her your best smile, a genuine one meaning to reassure “Don’t worry about anything, I got this”

“You’re the best” she complimented and while you usually answered with an ‘always’, you found yourself staying silent, a tight smile tugging on your lips, almost forceful but your sister, already juggling with enough possible problems, didn't notice.

A couple of hours later you managed to not run into Oscar with having to arrange the reception and making sure everything stood perfect until it officially started, guests pouring into their designated places. Until you finally realized, because Martha was the only bearable person that wasn’t your sister, you and she had to sit together. She and Oscar, because he was her plus one. 

Why didn’t you realize this sooner? Now, you had no choice but to eat in front of the person that nearly made you want to throw up, feeling guilty. Instead of enjoying the food, you found yourself picking at it. 

“You okay, y/n?” Martha's sympathetic gaze met yours, which was meant to help but was indeed doing the opposite. 

“Not hungry” you made a poor excuse before glancing at Oscar, taking a quick breath. You needed to appear normal, and while normally you hated interacting with others, you needed to appear like a good friend, because at the moment you felt like a terrible one “So, uhh Oscar, do you study?”

You didn’t miss his look of surprise, you instigated the conversation. But it was your poor excuse for trying to appear normal. Hey, maybe he had a terrible personality in compatibility? That was your only hope at this point. 

“Yeah, literature and English,” he said, taking a sip of his drink and now you find yourself to be stunned. Martha gave you a proud smile, knowing it was the same major as yours. She really wanted you to get along with him.

“That's– that's great” You nod with a small smile, not being able to form a proper sentence. He gave you a soft smile, his eyes brightening but you blamed it on the lights behind you. 

“Yeah, Martha told me you study the same. What university?” He placed his fork down, putting his all attention on you. There seemed to be something behind those eyes, recognition almost but you doubted it. It's been a year, and you never spoke to him up until today, but your heart is aching either way. 

“Adelaide,” you told him, nodding along and his smile only got bigger, you wanted to sink lower into your chair. You took a glance at Martha, and she only held a comfortable smile, no sign of anything wrong. The pit in your stomach grew, in any other scenario you would probably lie to him, make him believe you weren't the girl that made him stop and stare a year ago. But Martha knew everything about you.

“She spent the entire month in the library, practically had to drag her out of there last year” Martha joked and internal panic started to settle, knowing where she was going with this when you spotted the spark in her eyes, “Hey, Oscar does too, maybe he knows about-“ 

“I moved on” you replied quickly and she gave you a strange look, confused to say the least before turning back to Oscar seeing his curious gaze now. Looking back at Martha with a small smile “It was silly anyway”

“Oh, okay” Martha’s gaze dropped, a bit disappointed, taking a sip of her champagne before the presentation began and just like everything my sister, Isabella wanted, it was perfect. Except for the constant glances you would hand to Oscar, to which he glanced at Martha. Forcing your eyes back on the center couple, you lifted your gaze, smile dropped an inch as you clapped along with everyone, canceling out the thunder of your heartbeat. 

Oscar went to the bathroom after that, Martha took another sip of her champagne, turning to me with a mischievous yet excited smile on her features, one that pinched her eyes, a blush slowly but surely rising onto her cheeks. 

"So?" she asked, you gave her a raised eyebrow, pretending to be confused because the last thing you wanted to do was spill your feelings about her boyfriend who she seemed to be fawning over as well. "Oscar," she said, and the way the name so simply rolled out of her mouth, you had to swallow the lump in your throat that began to form. She was clearly in the process of falling in love and you hated the thought of being the one to wreck that. 

"Yeah, he's great" again, a forced smile. But Martha recognized it, immediately dropping her smile making your heart quicken. 

"Just great?" her words don't sound convinced, barely heard over the music blasting. You hated the look on her face, disappointed. But because she was Martha, she took in a deep breath after a silent response, putting back her smile only smaller this time "Do you like him?"

"What?" you couldn't tell if your stomach dropped or if you malfunctioned in the moment but to the best of your attempt, you shook your head, a laugh, one wanting to be genuinely exiting, realizing what she meant, "I think he's perfect for you"

"you think?" her own eyes grew in adoration at the thought that he could be the one, while you clenched your jaw nodding with a small, soft smile before Oscar could arrive back, inviting Martha out to the dance floor leaving you at the table with only your niece in sight, who held her iPad in her hands. 

Only an hour later, Martha stumbled back to her chair with a chuckling Oscar, having his arm around her waist as support. You couldn't help but let out a small giggle, seeing her state as you helped her sit down, you gave a glance to Oscar noticing his flushed cheeks, probably having a few drinks himself and you can't help but think back to last year, his red tinted cheeks and nose, caused by the cold. You wonder if they would do the same now, but you looked away before he could notice your stare. 

"I guess I learned how much of a lightweight she can be" he tried to joke but you could only let out a small smile.

Only a couple of moments later, Martha had slung herself forward, resting her head on the table, sound asleep. You wonder how it was possible, considering the music being blasted but just rubbed her back instead. 

"What year did you graduate?" Oscar suddenly asked, you almost didn't hear him but you swallowed whatever you normally would try to pull and decided: fuck it, you can befriend him because once thing you didn't want to appear as a bitch that wouldn't talk to her best friends boyfriend just because of a silly thing… very silly (send prayers). 

"2021" you said simply, not in a rude way, glancing up at him to answer his own question. 

"2020" he said, understanding your look. "Martha told me you're into films, any favorites?"

A smile naturally rose to your cheeks, sparking an interest in the conversation, and just like that, you found yourself having the best conversation you've ever held in your life. Questions were thrown, answers were given, and while some lead to arguments and disagreements they ended with laughter. You've never felt so close to someone in such a small amount of time. 

It was only until midnight when you realized how late it was getting, servers picking up empty plates and the music began to repeat. Your sister gave you a glance, seeing you enjoy yourself not taking notice of who exactly it was that had your heart open in such a way that your natural smile and laughter would leak. 

"I'll take her home" you offered and Oscar nodded, not wanting to argue but either way you took his offer of having him help carry her to your car. On the walk over, the moments were silent until Oscar said

"if only you didn't leave so soon last year" making you stop in your tracks, you wanted, to dare yourself to believe you had misheard him. But he looked back, still with his arm around your best friend only a couple of feet from your car. Something between an amused smile and a small smirk on display as he tilted his head at you "You forgot, huh?"

You considered lying, hell you should've but instead, you said, softly "No, I didn't" before looking back down, forcing a foot in front of the other before you got to your passenger door, opening it for him to place Martha inside, an insane good excuse as to why he should've never brought it up. 

"I never saw you after that" he whispered, but you shook your head not allowing his words to register long enough to travel where it hurt most. Before he could reach out, you stepped back, wrapping your arms against your chest, body disgusted by all the wants you wanted at the moment. 

Your first thoughts should've been Martha. You were about to open your mouth to say something, but quickly closed it once spotting his upset look dropping whatever speech you made up in a matter of seconds. 

"I know we shouldn't-" he started. 

"No. Don't say anything" you interrupted him, shaking your head not sure if angry at yourself or just overall upset. "Whatever happened last year was clearly just some fucked feelings that occurred after a series of sleepless nights."

"So you feel nothing at the moment?" he countered, taking a step forward. "Absolutely nothing?" his voice low, in a desperate tone, daring me to say the words, ones that he both didn't and wanted nothing more than to hear. 

"No," you said softly, now at a small distance to where you could smell his cologne, mixed with Martha and you felt your own heartache at the familiar scent, stomach-churning now. You shake your head "I can't do this to Martha" stepping beside him and getting in the car, driving the miles to where you hoped he would be buried in your thoughts. 

You felt nothing. Absolutely nothing. Except for guilt as you glanced at Martha for the feelings you held for her boyfriend. Absolutely nothing, your head told you. 

"we broke up" with stained makeup, Martha walked into your bedroom only two months later and you immediately sat up at the news. With a crack in her voice, she softly asked "That's okay, right? You never like him anyway?"

You swallowed the pit back into your stomach, just nodding for encouragement. The truth was that after the wedding, you made up excuses to not hang out with them, denying any plans that could involve him. 

"No, he was a douche" made her chuckle, just hearing her laugh made the corners of your lips lift up. You never wanted to hurt her, had no intention. 

You spent the entire day comforting her and by the end of it, as expected went to the club. Getting wasted with her, although to your high dislike of alcohol, allowed her to drag you to try a couple of sips. The morning after, Martha ended up at some guy's place while you decided to go back home. 

Yet, with very little alcohol having drunk, you still woke up with a throbbing headache. Driving yourself to the local coffee shop, just as a treat, which ended you in front of a bookstore you've been meaning to visit. 

Sipping on your coffee did little to relieve your headache as you scattered around to look for books of interest.

"stalking me, y/n?" the soft, teasing voice nearly sent you to drop the book you were holding. You instead swallowed your fright, looking up at him seeing him with a small smile. Just as you expected, Oscar "It's been a while"

"Yeah," you only said, about to walk away. This was wrong. Not sure whether worse but wrong in any sense. 

"Are you really trying to ignore me now?" His surprised but upset tone followed you through every corner at a fast pace. "I'm not trying to start anything" Exhaustion being heard is what now makes your tracks slow down before coming to a stop. 

"You broke up with her, why?" you turned to him, looking up at him still in a hushed town, aware of their surroundings. He gave you a look of confusion, shaking his head.

"Is that what she told you?" he asked, looking a bit irritated and you only nodded, now the one confused. "She broke up with me. Said she noticed how I fell out of love with her. Said the spark was no longer there"

Your eyes narrowed up at him, realizing he was telling the truth, either that or he was one hell of a good liar but remembering from the wedding, he wasn't the best. "She always was a romantic" You can't help but release a soft smile, thinking about it. Yes, Martha believed in love, she wasn't the only one, but she was a hopeless romantic, believed that the second a relationship loses its spark, its game over, onto the next. 

His eyes gathered a cloud of sadness, "yeah" a small whisper. "Look I know, normally an ex-girlfriend's friend is off limits but" he paused, taking in a quick breath and you can't help but hold yours "Why not, just try being friends? I don't want to lose our spark.. of friendship obviously"

Biting your lip, thinking for a moment as your head pounding was interfering with your moral thoughts, saying a simple "Sure, I can do that"

୨♡୧⠀

tags: @ladywhistledownx @almostjollypizza @hevburn @81astri @thatsdemko @elamultistan

hope i didn't disappoint-

[writerslittlelibrary]

How about a Wanda x blachill daughter!reader.

We are about on a mission and when we come back we see that the team is acting as if they don’t know us, even Wanda, Nat and Maria. We try to talk to them but they act rude and try to kick us out. We investigate and ee that there was an attack on the compound (maybe a gas or something that made them forget about us) so we have to fight for them to remember us.

Also I hope you are having a great day!

-🦈

Please remember me

masterlist requests masterlist

pairing: Blackhill x daughter reader, Wanda x reader

warnings: pain (happy ending)

genre: angst, fluff

words: 1576

a/n: thank you my lovely 🦈anon. I have to admit I really like the Wanda x Blackhill!daughter so you can definitely expect more fics with that dynamic🤭

You do not have my permission to repost, copy or translate my work 

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

You’d been on this mission for days, and while you were proud Fury finally entrusted you with a solo mission (and your moms finally let you go) you were desperate to get back to the compound and curl up on the couch with your girlfriend and a steaming mug of hot chocolate. 

The mission had been successful overall, almost suspiciously easy, you thought. There weren’t a lot of reasons the mission would be a setup though. Even though it was easy, you weren’t ambushed or anything. 

After the mission finally ended, and the Hydra base was successfully taken down, you returned to the compound. You couldn’t wait to hug your moms, and kiss Wanda. 

When you walked into the compound, you got some weird looks from the security guards, but they didn’t bother you as you knew the elevator code so you didn’t mind them. When you reached your floor, you walked into the living area, expecting at least Wanda to be there. 

“Who let the kid in?” you suddenly heard Tony ask from beside you. 

You turned around and looked at him funny. “I let myself in?” you told him questioningly. “This isn’t a daycare,” Tony told you, walking past you without taking his eyes off you. 

“I know,” you told him, walking to the kitchen to grab some water. “Have you been here before?” you suddenly heard Wanda ask. You turned around a little startled. “What do you mean?” you asked her confused. “All the cupboards look the same, yet you know where the glasses are.” 

“Is this some kind of joke?” you asked Tony unamused, and he just looked at you weirdly. 

“You should leave,” he told you. “I live here!” you replied annoyed, but Tony didn’t budge. 

“We got a new member?” you heard a familiar voice ask. You turned around and saw Natasha. “Mama? What the hell is going on?” you asked her confused. She looked at you confused, and took a step back with her arms up. 

“I don’t know who the hell you are, but I’m not your mother,” she told you. “What are you talking about? If this is a joke I really don’t find it funny,” you told her, but she just shook her head. 

“Where’s mom?” you asked her, but she just shook her head again. 

“You really have to leave now, or I’ll call security,” Tony stated, fishing his phone from his pocket to emphasize his point. 

You look at your mom with tears in your eyes, turning to Wanda next. She just looked at you, just as confused as your mom was. Hesitantly you turned around, leaving the common area and walking to the elevator. 

That same night, you returned to the compound, slipping through the windows of your room and going through it. How could they not know you when your entire room was still intact?

You went through your stuff, finding your laptop and starting it up. 

You activated your personal AI, asking it what happened to the compound while you were gone. There appeared to have been a gas leak. The gas was toxic, and especially designed to erase you from the memories of the Avengers. It was synthesized by Hydra, which explained why the mission was so easy. The mission was indeed a setup to ensure you’d be out of the compound so Hydra could erase you from your family’s mind. 

You spend the rest of the night researching for a possible cure. When you found it, you realized you would have to return to the Hydra base again.

You were quick to suit up, never having changed out of your mission tactical suit in the first place, and headed to the Hydra base. 

Once you got there it was cold. The Hydra base looked abandoned, just like how you left it. You went inside quietly anyway, not wanting to take any unnecessary risks. You quickly found the computer room, using it to search for any documents on the gas and the antidote. 

When you found it, you went to the laboratory, going through all the cabinets. Once you found the odd looking, green gas, you stuffed all of it in your bag, taking it with you.

When you exited the lab, however, there were a bunch of Hydra agents, waiting to attack you. 

They jumped you and took you completely by surprise. You managed to fight them off, mostly without injury. You had a few scratches and bruises littering your face and arms, but you couldn’t care less. All you cared about was getting back to the Avengers tower as quickly as possible. You were desperate for a hug from your mothers.

Once you snuck back into the tower, Jarvis immediately alerted the Avengers of your presence. How Jarvis could possibly be affected by the gas was beyond you. 

The Avengers jumped into action, ready to fight you if you made any unsuspected moves. 

“She’s Hydra,” you suddenly heard Steve say. You looked at your bag carrying the antidote gas and cursed yourself for using it when it had such an obvious Hydra logo on it.

You closed your eyes and sighed, before turning to look at the Avengers standing in front of you. You raised your hands, wanting to prove you weren’t a threat. “I’m not Hydra, I swear,” you told them. “That’s exactly what a Hydra agent would say,” Natasha replied, raising her gun at you.

You took a step back in surprise, not knowing what they were capable of when they didn’t remember you. “I can prove it!” you said quickly, keeping your hands up.

“Start talking,” Natasha replied, loading her gun. 

“There’s a photo album on your phone filled with pictures of me,” you told her, and the grip on her gun faltered slightly. “Why would there be?” she asked you. “Because you are my mother, Hydra just made you forget,” you told her, silently praying she believed you. 

She slowly lowered her gun, making eye contact with Wanda to silently tell her to watch you. Natasha pulled her phone from her pocket, unlocking it and quickly opening her gallery app. 

She took a bit taken back, her eyes alternating between looking at her phone screen and looking at you. “It’s impossible. I can’t have children,” she told you slowly, and you lowered your hands. “You adopted me when I was 5. My parents had abandoned me on the side of the road like garbage. I went from foster home to foster home until you took me in…” you explained to her, taking a step closer. 

“I can make you remember. Please let me help you remember,” you begged her, reaching for your bag. Tony raised his hand in your direction, a silent threat to not try anything stupid.

Natasha slowly nodded, and you showed her the green gas. 

“You were poisoned with some weird gas while I was out on a mission. I went back to the Hydra base to find the antidote, hence the bag,” you explained to her, watching as she carefully took the vial. “How do I know you’re not trying to kill me?” she asked you.

“Spray it on me first.”

Natasha was hesitant as she raised her hand holding the vial, and she carefully pressed the button. You were sprayed with the green gas, and it stung in your eyes. You blinked a few times, but that was it.

“See? I’m fine. Now please let me help you remember,” you begged her, and she nodded.

You took another vial from the bag, spraying it in her face once she gave you the ‘okay’. She blinked a few times, rubbing her eyes and shaking her head in confusion.

Once she opened her eyes again, they immediately landed on you. “Y/n,” she gasped as she pulled you into a hug quickly. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” she cried, holding you tightly. 

“It’s okay,” you gasped out, your own eyes welling up with tears as well. She pulled back from the hug and cupped your face, looking into your eyes and using her tumb to wipe away the tears that rolled down your cheek. You smiled at her, and she let out a sigh as she pulled you into a hug again. 

It didn’t take long before your whole family remembered who you were, and you got hugs and apologies from everywhere. 

Once you freed Wanda, you finally got your kiss, after a handful of apologies from her. When you freed Maria she had a similar reaction as Natasha. You hadn’t ran into her while she didn’t remember you, but she knew she forgot who you were for a few days, and that hurt her more than words could ever describe. 

After dinner, your favorite take-out, courtesy of Tony Stark, and a whole lot more hugs you finally made it to your room, cuddling with Wanda while she caressed your back.

“I’m really sorry I didn’t remember you,” she told you softly, and you shook your head. “It wasn’t your fault. It was Hydra,” you told her, lifting your head off her chest so you could look at her. Her eyes were stinging with tears, and you knew she still felt guilty. You leaned down and kissed her, and she was eager to return the kiss. “I love you,” you told her. She smiled and kissed you one more time, before pulling you back into her chest. 

“I love you more.”

[d34dlysinner]

Mc dying after giving birth to the 4 kings daughter and their reactions to it(Ngl I am a sucker for angst and)

THE AAAANGST (thanks for the ask XD)

Satan:

Que rage. He doesn't feel rage at you or your daughter. He feels rage at himself as he looks at your lifeless body. All sounds of your child crying and the others panicking got drowned out by his thoughts. His vision started to go blurry as he tried his best to focus on you. Could he have prevented this in any way? Could he have been nicer to you during the pregnancy so you would atleast leave feeling reassured. He walked to your body and demanded for the others to leave the room. When he was alone with you he took your hand and cried silently. He wished that you could've stayed. Maybe he could make a pact with someone and get your life back. But who's willing enough to risk something like that. Who can he keep close so he could monitor them. When his daughter came into his mind he felt like there was some chance. Maybe she's too young now, but he'll try when she's old enough to understand what he means. Thus the wait for you to be revived started. He just hopes he can succeed in reviving you after the wait.

When it comes to his relationship with his daughter. He loves the girl and sees fragments of you in her. He would protect her even more than he did with you during the war. He didn't want another one he loved this much to disappear.

Mammon:

He was busy with things when he heard about you giving birth. The second he heard that you started, he dropped what he was doing and rushed to be at your side only to find out that his daughter was healthy, but you were in critical condition. He stared as your life faded in front of his eyes. That's when he started demanding others to keep you alive. Long and torturous hours went by with no succes. The doctors and helpers all tried what they could but the king wouldn't let them rest until he was sure that they've tried everything. After some conversations with Bimet and after seeing your crying daughter did he give up. Finally convinced that you were truly gone.

He made a special resting place for you and made sure to keep your healthier form for eternity. He displayed your body in a glass coffin in an winter garden designed for you. Only he had access to it. And everyday he went into the garden to see your resting body decorated with jewellery he picked out for you.

In his relationship with his daughter, he made sure to let her have what she wanted. She became spoiled, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't scold her. He wants her to experience some things that only you could have taught others. Such as putting limits to how spoiled and demanding someone could be. To be humble and kind. It was hard for him, but he's comforted knowing that you would've been proud if he did so.

Leviathan:

He felt as if his ability to feel drained away with your life force. He could only stare at your lifeless body. Not even a tear was shed. He couldn't understand what he's feeling or why he's not feeling anything at all. Multiple emotions raged in him as they started to cancel each other and left an emotionless shell.

It wasn't until he saw your daughter (after hours of silence and waiting near your body) that he started to shed some tears. He held the girl and curled up as he held the child as if the child would disappear soon after.

After a while he decided to have you buried in a special place where you both would hang out privately. He wouldn't want anyone to come near the grave as he fears that it would be disrespected at some point. Only he would come at the start and clean up the grave himself. Later his daughter would join him and help him with cleaning the grave as he told amazing stories of her mother. His envy not present when he tells about you as he felt something stronger like love and pride.

Beelzebub:

He arrived late and hoped for all of it to go well only to see the faces of others. He knew that something went bad and hoped it wasn't what he thought it was. When he entered the room he could hear his child cry for any attention as the scent of metal entered his senses. "Blood-", he thought as he pushed some people away to look at your form. It only confirmed his fears as he saw your unresponsive state. He was in shock. He didn't know how to react as he stood there with his mouth agape. Beel was soon after guided into the hallway and had to wait there. He paced through the hallway and waited until someone comes out of the room to give him some good news, but yet again his hopes got shattered again the moment he heard that you were pronounced dead.

He sat down and ran his hands over his face to his hair as some tears spilled onto his lap. Bael was right there to console him.

After some hours was he able to face you again as he gave you one last kiss on the forehead and held your cold hand in his.

He made a promise right there. He couldn't be there for you each time and would disappear sometimes to chase after his dreams. It caused him to miss seeing you alive for the last time.

He promised to always be there for your child. It was proof to him that you were real. It was proof to him that he could actually love someone. His daughter became his new home. Whenever he leaves he would take her with him unless it was actually too dangerous.

He regrets leaving at times for some adventure. Now he'll stick around to raise his daughter. He may be clumsy at times since being a father is new to him, but he tries to make the girl happy at a times.

[ihavetoomanyocsdealwithit]

Can be read platonically or romantically/beginning of relationship.

Summer Celebrations were well underway, and the Lounge was blossoming. The seamless designs of glass walls and cavern arches blending into familiar walls was time staking. Some portions and rooms weren’t exactly symmetrical, and other areas were some interesting shapes but he loves it. He loves the work and painstaking time he put into it.  

Yuu did as well, he knows that. Often finding her simply curled up on the couches facing the tanks and watching the wave of coral and fish. It was one of the reasons she got along so well with all three of them. An appreciation for land, but a fascination with the ocean. Where he found calm and intrigue on the sands, she found it within the waves.  

But he hasn’t found her curled on the couches, or even lingering in the breakrooms. She wasn’t stopping to chat with any coworkers, or even eating during her required breaks. Her jaw was clenched, her smile polite but tight, and she had even snapped at Floyd. She had apologized immediately afterwards, but the point stood.  

Azul thinks he knows exactly what it is, when he sees her fidget with her uniform again as she ran food. Azul thinks he understands exactly.  

It’s the end of the night, and he asks to see her after changing out of her uniform. When she walks in, she looks tired, that’s not unusual. What is the obnoxiously large black hoodie and sweatpants.  

“Ms. Yuu,” Azul starts, setting aside his pen, “Welcome! May I offer you a drink?” 

“I thought we were past the point of pleasantries, Azul.” she sighs, trying to muster a smile. “What do you need?”  

“Very well, to the point then.” He circles to the front of the desk, leaning against the front. “I’ve received some reports of some out of character behavior from you-” 

“Has it impeded my job?” she interrupts.  

“...No.”  

“Have I been harmful to the business or my coworkers?” she asks, hands tight in her pockets. 

“No.” he sighs, crossing his arms. 

“Then you have nothing to worry about and it’ll pass. If that’s all-” 

“Fine!” he snaps, standing fully. “Fine, I’m not asking as your boss. I’m-as your friend. As somebody who-I think what-maybe...” 

“Where’d that silver tongue go, eh?” she laughs but it’s humorless.  

“Oh, hush!” Azul was never good at this part, fixing his glasses “I’m getting there.”  

He looks out the window of the VIP room, into the lounge itself. They both watch the slow movement of a shark across the room. 

“Floyd tells me that he sees you all the time at the gym recently, at least twice a day. I’m guessing that’s where you're going now?” She doesn’t say anything, pulling the hoodie closer to her body. Azul would understand, she thinks, she knows he might, but she doesn’t know if he could handle her like. If she trusts him enough to not use it as blackmail in the future. But if anybody would understand in this college of entitled, take everything for granted- 

“I lost 50 lbs.” He flinches. “I lost it. I gained muscle and strength. I worked. I worked damn hard. I’m proud of the work I have put in. But I’m never-” she looks down at her shoes, “I’m never going to look like people like Floyd or even Deuce. All the extra fucking skin-”  

He nods, feeling his own throat tighten. Yes, nobody mentions how it hangs, how the stretch marks reach for any available surface. That the mirror never looks right compared to what you can do.  

“And I just-It’s not fair. I know life isn’t fucking fair but damn it!” Her hands wave at her figure before just ripping the hoodie off. “When does it get better?” she looks at him, gesturing to her body, “When-” she chokes, gripping at the baggy t-shirt. “When do I finally get to feel beautiful?” 

He pulls her close, her head dropping to his shoulder and muffling the sounds of quiet tears. Tears that he recognizes all too well. His arms go around her waist, rubbing her back and letting her go. It’s not uncomfortable, surprisingly. Even when she hugs him back, arms wrapped his waist, and he doesn’t worry if she can feel his body through the shirt. It’s perhaps the first time that has ever happened.  

“I can’t tell you that.” he whispers. “But I can tell you that I like you regardless. I enjoy you regardless. I will continue to. And that until you can believe so and even after, I will find you absolutely lovely.”  

Yuu nods, and neither of them say anything when they finally separate and there is a wet spot on her shoulder.  

“I will believe for you too.” She whispers, wrapping the hoodie around her waist. 

Azul only smiles softly. There is a small part of him that wants to disregard it or laugh it off. It’s what he’s done with every other person who has ever hinted as much, even the twins. But a smaller part, smaller than the little pot that he grew up in, wants to believe her.  

[orchid-prince]

My 1st Year of Drawing through Fanart

I really started in July, so it’s not a full year, but taking a look back at where I started in 2024 is pretty cool! Checking for improvement, noticing where I was struggling. I can even see what skill I was trying to pick up at the time based on the jump in the skills quality/the lack of focus on others. So before the year ends here is:

✨My First Year Trying to do Art✨ through the fanart I’ve made! Enjoy!! <3

Would you believe it took me 3 tries to get freaking BILL CYPHER right ?!? This is V2 actually but it’s a good indicator of where I was starting.

This was the first day I decided drawing was fun for me. I woke up, and immediately picked up my pencil to spend all morning drawing, without truly realizing it. Keep in mind I didn’t even have a pencil to draw with before this session, the other work in this notebook are, like, all pen.

🎀My baby spinel!!!🎀 I adore her🥰

Is the art good, not really, but you can tell who she is and at this point that’s kinda my only goal. If it looks like ‘em it’s close enough for me.

Side note: This is the piece that instilled the fear I will mess up any nice sketch by coloring it, a fear I still have to this day.

She may look decent here but in my sketchbook she’s ruined foreverrrr XD

Ok…maybe there’s a pattern with the kinda characters I’m compelled to draw.

Aaaanyway this is where I started focusing on hair more, the spikey look was my thing in the beginning while I was still trying to figure out how hair works. Lowkey I’m still trying to figure it out.

Also WHY DID I DRAW THE EAR LIKE THAT?!? What was I even going for 💀

Fun fact: Daria is my benchmark for progress! She’s been my favorite character since I was a teenager & she’s made of pretty simple shapes. I imagine when I get more confident I’ll take more liberties with how I draw her, like Jane, instead of trying to make it a one to one mimick.

Also bonus Sir Integra Hellsing, she was my first attempt to an actual anime style especially in the hair. And similarly to jinx you can tell this was more focused on learning on drawing her hair rather than her face. This was a trend for a few weeks which did come back to bite me in the ass with this next piece

Ya know what I didn’t see a theme with the characters I draw before I started making this post, and now I definitely do.

But OH you can SEE my struggle with her on the page🤦🏾‍♀️! This genuinely took me 2 days to do because her face frustrated me so much I rage quit till the next night.

After this I went back to practicing eyes and finally trying finding out how to draw mouths and lips in different ways and positions to avoid this problem (Didn’t work, I still often refuse to draw a face if the hair/body is pretty)

And to top it off I inked it & accidentally made her lids look like eyebrows, so now I have a fear of inking 🙄 Thanks Catra >.>

Now THIS is where I actually started staring at my hands for a good 30 seconds after drawing like “MY HANDS MANAGED TO MAKE THIS??” Because this was only 6 DAYS after I rage quit on Catra. Yet I can make this?!!? What?!?

This was genuinely just supposed to be a doodle to practice using his big ol’ grin to learn how mouths work cuz he’s all mouth and teeth. But lowkey, still have no idea how this and the next one happened. It was a weirdly good art-day for me but I had never been more proud. And shockingly I’m still really happy with how these came out, usually I get pretty ‘Meh’ on my favorites after a while. Maybe even kinda nitpicky, but these two feel like my magnum opus for the year.

^^Look at this!! If I could inject this I would! Angel Dust with Pinchers is the BEST version. I will not take criticism.

This, similar to Fizz, was mostly for his eyes and to try to get the flow of hair and fluff down.

By this point I discovered if I find which of my favorite character has a design quality that is unique that correlates to the skill, I can trick my brain into picking up the skill through hyperfixations and sheer force of will.

Aaand welcome to Valentine fails to figure out expressions and head positions, ;-; someone give me back my 3/4 front facing view cuz obviously I can’t do anything else.

This was the most low effort fanart but Marcy became a pretty easy character to draw by this point so I attempted a spooky vibe to try something new. Unfortunately they all just look traumatized, yet that kinda works for her character.

This is the point I started having a little problem, towards the end of October and beginning of November I screwed up.

I usually tried to draw every day if not every 2-4 days. Right before this I skipped over a week, for some reason tho that made me feel like my quality has begun slipping. Like if I don’t try to put lines to the page every day even if I’m just doing circles and not drawing anything productive I’m ginna lose all my progress and go back to square one. This Anya (from the game Mouthwash) is from my 4 inch doodle book I got to combat this problem.

While I’m not particularly proud of this one I will say if July Me saw this I think she’d be really proud and actually love it. So I chose to as well. Besides I adore that sweetheart Anya in any form she takes!

And last but never least: KEN TAKAKURA AKA OKARUN!!!

This is by far my favorite of my most recent drawings. Playing loosely with his shapes was pretty freeing, since I have a very stagnant idea of lines and forms, especially with hair, so getting to do Okarun was fun. His hair and collar felt very ‘scribbly’ to me which was actually fun because I wasn’t so focused on exact shapes how I usually am.

It’s not perfect (like those lopsided ears) and it’s not a direct mimick like Fizzarolli but I still really really like it.

If you go back and compare this one to even my first three I feel like I’ve gotten so much better in the last 6 months. It only makes me wanna keep trying!

***************

If you read all this, firstly thank you!!

Also keep drawing, draw every day you can. Or pick up the pencil right now and start, idc if you think it’s “bad” idc if you make 100 “bad drawings”. Art is first and foremost about having fun, feeling good while creating. Not just to get good at it, which ,not gonna lie, was my focus in the beginning. But what’s actually FEELS good in the moment is to finish up a picture and be like “WHOA I MADE that! It didn’t exist before, I made it exist!” Everyone deserves that feeling.

So pick up the pencil and get to it!

The world deserves to see what you can create <3

[shycroissanti]

how do you think other upper moons think of Kishin (this version is the upper moon 2 au of yours) conduit abilities based on how much he likes/trusts that person? Do you think some of them will try their best to gain that trust? Which ones would even be the best to resonate with?

Well, this AU was totally random and I don't really know how this situation would be🤔

But changing it up a bit, instead of an AU, it's an alternative future of the main story, where Kishin becomes Upper Moon 2.

(In this version his design doesn't change much lol)

In this case, with the canonical characters of KNY, I can only see Kishin getting along with Akaza. And very, very rarely with the Hantengu clones (???)

Kishin doesn't like or trust any of the other demons, so he doesn't have many advantages here.

But now in my OCs' universe, the story is different✨️

Starting with Yudi

Yudi would be so proud of Kishin, and since the two are already very close, Yudi would certainly work together with Kishin and even help Kishin become Upper Moon 1, so the two would share the position of Upper 1.

(Yudi broke Kishin's ribs with that hug😔)

Zenshin would be absolutely devastated for losing the position of Upper 2. He would probably move away, because he would be so angry that he doesn't want Kishin to be able to use his powers.

But after some time, maybe Zenshin will involuntarily get closer and even become friends with Kishin too (but that might be a little hard to happen, that is, Kishin will hardly trust Zenshin).

Now Takahiro... Takahiro would be crazy. He can't accept that a demon as simple and weak (by Upper Moon standards) as Kishin has gotten to this point. He would probably try to finish Kishin off just because he's angry, but Irina stops him. And since Takahiro doesn't want to upset Irina, he calms down and learns to live with Kishin there.

Finally, Taiyou, he's been totally friendly with Kishin since the beginning, so they get along well (apart from the fact that Kishin is terrified of ghosts XD).

In short, Yudi and Taiyou think it's amazing that Kishin's abilities are based on feelings of trust, while Takahiro and Zenshin don't like that.

Honestly, it's fun to think of Kishin as an Upper Moon XD

Le tags💖

@c00kietin @larz-barz @knyinfinity @demonslayerdoodles @night-mince101 @scaredyfurry2 @pinkwisteria @giyubabe @pulim-v @nothingtoseehere1-2-3 @tor-the-tortilla @zenitsustherapist @ayunakatsukiwolfhashira @sunbrokenswords

[bonefall]

BB!Hallowflight

Dang, little dude was a breakout star of the Great Battle outline. Here he is!

[ID: Hollowflight from Warrior Cats, slightly renamed into a cat called 'Hallowflight.' He is a brown tabby with a soft, creamy belly that has gentle ginger gradients and amber eyes.]

Clanmew Name: Shahafyiooaw (Shahaf = Holy, Yiooaw = Flew like a swift or swallow. His official nickname is Shaw. SHahafyiooAW.)

Alignment: RiverClan

Relations: Rainstorm (father), Reedwhisker (mentor), Rushfish & Tanglepaw (siblings), Troutstream (bullied by), Lakeheart (mate), Harelight & Softpelt & Dappletuft (children)

See: Official BB!RiverClan Family Tree And: Dragonkin Family

Previously named Lizardtail, Hallowflight was a Dark Forest trainee who defected at the very end of the battle. He broke ranks when Tigerstar's plan pivoted to the slaughter of innocents, tearing across the territory at record speed, and swimming across the lake itself.

Though he collapsed when he finally fetched help, Mistystar was moved by his incredible display of heroism. While Wind and Thunder were punishing their trainees, regardless of if they had willingly defected or not, she was so awed that she felt it appropriate to bestow an Honor Title.

After OotS, he becomes a respected warrior of RiverClan, taking a place under his great-grandmother Sedgecreek and deceased uncle Rippletail. His honorable renaming solidifies his family as being quite renowned, but also, for having a fair amount of scandal.

More trivia below!

His parent Rainstorm and uncle Rippletail were the products of a HalfClan relationship between Swallowtail and Rainwhisker!

This situation was the breaking point between his great-grandmothers, Sedgecreek and Greenflower, and lead to Mistystar choosing Sedge as her deputy.

Rainstorm was part of the Po3 Apprentice Generation, and a casual friend of the Three. Particularly Lionblaze.

Rainstorm does not share where they got the kits from, invoking Queen's Rights adamantly.

Growing up, Lizardpaw had trouble with Troutpaw and Mossypaw because he was a 'meek minnow'. Always pushed around and had to rely on Rushpaw to save his butt.

The Dark Forest offered to show him how to be stronger than his bullies and he accepted, he was a naiive kid.

But he always had a good heart. Following Tigerstar through most of the battle was cowardice, he was afraid of what they'd do to him

When Hawkfrost attacked Tigerstar to stop him, Lizardtail took the chance to slip away unnoticed and run for help

After the Great Battle, he became close with Lakeheart, and eventually they had three kits together.

Dappletuft died in an attempt on the impostor's life, and was buried like a rogue. Softpelt died in the tyrant's defense. Harefur was exiled for supporting the rebels but returned when Ashfur's identity was revealed, and went into the Dark Forest to avenge his siblings.

Hallowflight is proud of his son and cheers the loudest at his Honor Title ceremony, but ever since then, Harelight has had his parents at paw's length.

He hasn't forgiven them for how they didn't fight for him to attend the funerals of either of his siblings, and just let Dappletuft get buried like a rogue.

IN TERMS OF DESIGN AND DECISIONS:

It's interesting that he's actually a direct descendant of Willowpelt through Rainwhisker. I'm planning to give her some funky teeth and Harelight was also getting a little overbite, so I decided to bridge the two with Hallowflight getting some odd fangs too.

I love his wiki sprite with that little orange gradient, so it's official in this design. I'm not sure where it comes from, maybe his secret mother.

His stripes are in 3s, one thin in the middle, bordered by two thicks.

I merged Lizardtail and Hollowflight, because I was committed to making Hollow survive the battle and Lizard is a convenient living background nobody with a canonical family I can use.

So all canonical roles Lizardtail is getting will be taken over by Hallowflight!

His Clanmew name is pretty interesting. It's straightforward as a translation, but Clanmew doesn't make a distinction between 'Healing' and 'Holiness.' So 'Shahaf' has a bit of a vibe of redemption in the original language, like he's healing from his mistakes.

The form of 'flight' that's being used is the one for the hurried, dashing movements of birds like martins, swallows, and swifts. They're birds that rarely stop flying, and swifts even drink while airborne! They do this by skimming the top of lakes and taking a big gulp of water. VERY cool animals.

So the 'flew like a swift' invokes the idea of him skimming the top of the lake and making a direct beeline to get redemption.

[chemicallywrit]

It’s Audio Drama Sunday and this week was full of bangers! This list is not comprehensive but it is what stuck out this week. Let’s goooooooo

🔥 The Heart Pyre continuously leaves me with the perfect impression of being in middle school reading under my desk. It’s so good it feels like I’m getting away with something. Maybe it’s because Rena is such a relatable protagonist. She’s just a normal girl! She’s just a little teen! What is she supposed to do! And that makes her even more heroic. As always, the choice this week was impossible and I can’t wait to see how it shakes out. Also, Logan And Finn Should Kiss 2k24. @theheartpyre

🗡️ SIDEQUESTING 😭 This episode is so SWEET. I love when Rion grows a little—Sidequesting is episodic and doesn’t lend itself to like, substantial character development. That is fine; it’s not the point of the show. It makes the moments Rion does grow, though, stand out like little jewels. This episode shone. @sidequestingpod

🗝️ Palimpsest is doing its slow burn thing, referencing itself over again as its name suggests it will do, and in this story, I am Very Concerned About That Man Lenore Married. He is condescending and dismissive and he is isolating her, and I DO NOT TRUST HIM.

📼 Within the Wires—oh my gosh, I literally screamed when the canned noises stopped. What is your game, Tony? What do you want with Brian?

🅿️ Podcube was short this week—Podcube is always short—but this episode had me cracking up at work. I love that this team manages to find new conflicts somehow. Man vs man, but they’re assassins and one of them is convinced the other is in love with the target. Why does this work? Why is this so funny? Please listen to Podcube. @podcube

🩸 Hemophobia continues to make my skin crawl. This episode reveals that the characters are Church of Christ, which, for those who don’t know, means they have a really specific set of beliefs about baptism that I KNOW are going to be perfect fodder for the Horrors. And yet it’s all so normal so far. Creepy. Oh, another thing this episode does is portray with perfect gut-wrenching clarity how strange and awful it us to be a devout teenager, and in like, four different ways. Incredible work.

🎣 Eeler’s Choice has some FANTASTIC sound design this episode as Ran comes into their own as a storm chanter—FRICK. I am worried about them. And their new ship. Please be careful and don’t get eaten by fungus. @eelerschoice

✨ Stories from Ylelmore is brand new and SO GOOD, oh my gosh, I am in love with the earnest delivery, the characters who are absolute BABIES, the genuine fascinating mystery. I can’t wait for more. @storiesfromylelmore

🍔 Midnight Burger’s THREE HOUR FINALE brought us home with Clementine. It wasn’t what I expected, and I think that’s kind of Midnight Burger’s MO. The fact that the tone of the dialogue, that the characters themselves, are so cynical and hard—it will trick you into believing that it’s a cynical show. Maybe it is! But it also fights over and over again for the idea that things can be fixed, that love matters, that you can save people and you have to try, you always have to try. And sometimes you win. And that’s how the universe is meant to work. It kills me every time. Also, shoutout to Alan Burgon, always the best, who I love to hear doing his actual accent. @midnightburgr

🐦‍⬛ Leaving Corvat. Oh my word. It’s a wellness cult. Sleeper’s in a wellness cult. I am really pleased with the development his character’s showing, being decisive and brave.

🍵 Gastronaut is going some places and I am OBSESSED. The relationship between Oscar and Polity is everything to me, and the fact that Oscar has gotten to the point where he refuses to ignore his responsibilities, he refuses to leave people behind—he is sometimes stupid, but he is trying and I’m proud of him.

🧟‍♂️ We are getting to the final episode of Precious Cargo in the Dead and y’all….it’s gonna get juicy. I’m not exaggerating, one of the zombie actors used watermelon to get things sounding juuuuust right. Our next story might be even better, too, I can’t wait to show you.

Thank you for reading! If you like what I do, buy me a ko-fi!

[otakween]

Digimon Adventure 02 Best Partner Series - Part 2

Lol why are the girls' butts so emphasized in this artwork. Seems sketchy, but okay (Tailmon's even pointing to Hikari's butt, as a YouTube commenter pointed out).

Questionable art aside, I definitely thought these 6 CDs were a little weaker than the ones in my first post, but I'm biased. I don't have a very strong connection with a lot of the 02 characters, so it makes sense that their songs wouldn't hit as hard for me. On the other hand, I really like Ken and Wormmon so their album slapped. Anyways, full thoughts below.

Daisuke & Veemon

Google Boy - Daisuke (Listen here - subbed)

Daisuke singing about being a hot blooded shounen boy and how his goggles are a mark of his coolness and Taichi's legacy. A very Daisuke song lol.

Pretty funny how goggles just became a signature fashion statement for Digimon MCs. At least they kinda had a purpose in Tamers (although it wasn't explained very well).

Go Ahead! - Veemon (Listen here & Translation here)

Veemon's song is very in-sync with Daisuke. Just talking about having courage and rushing into battle without thought (because your squad will back you up and everything will work out! LEEEEROYYYY JENKINSSSSS)

2-Top - Daisuke & Veemon duet (Listen here & Translation here)

Okay, this was definitely the strongest song on this CD. It's catchy, the boys sound great together and the whole thing's a soccer metaphor which is very on brand. (I tried to google and see if "2-Top" is soccer terminology and came up with nothing tho -shrug-)

I like the little banter breaks in this and then in the song they talk about how their bickering just shows how energetic they are haha.

They mention being a digimon tamer in this song but did they even use that terminology in 02? I don't remember...

Miyako & Hawkmon

Crash with Bingo - Miyako (Listen here - subbed)

The lyrics of this song are pretty nonsensical, but I get what vibe they were going for. She's basically singing about being a hot mess but being proud to be herself. Also mentions that she's not just here to look cute.

I feel pretty neutral about Miyako, but I did appreciate that she could be kinda tactless and brash at times. Traditional Japanese femininity usually means being quiet, submissive and agreeable, which she definitely is not.

Although I've never liked the "bingo" catchphrase, it's fun in a song lol

Knight of Love - Hawkmon (Listen here - subbed)

Man, out of all the digimon partners, Hawkmon's gotta be the biggest nothing burger of them all. I couldn't tell you a single thing about the dude. I feel like the bird digimon are the most sidelined for some reason? (Maybe they're like "little boys don't care about birds, they like dinosaurs and bugs!")

Hawkmon sings about being a "knight of love," but I never got "knight" vibes from him really. I guess he kinda talks like a knight, but nothing in his design says knight...he's supposed to look like an Indigenous person, no? Maybe I'm being to literal hahaha

Fly High - Miyako & Hawkmon duet (Listen here - subbed)

Yeah, I don't really buy Miyako and Hawkmon's partner chemistry. They sounds more like coworkers lol. I did like the part where Miyako was asking to talk to all of Hawkmon's digivolutions in quick succession, that was fun.

Miyako's just spiraling the whole song and Hawkmon's trying to comfort her but she seems to be kinda brushing him off for most of it haha

Iori & Armadimon

My Conclusion - Iori (Listen here - subbed)

This song was...not good. Not the worst of the bunch, but it kinda just felt like it had no melody and Iori was talk-singing the whole time. His voice is cute and the lyrics fit his character nicely, but I was thrown off by how janky the song itself sounds.

The song is about Iori's convictions and what evil vs. justice means to him. You can sense that his philosophy is coming from his kendo practice.

I enjoyed the gratuitous English in the final line lol

Omyaa to Let's Go! - Armadimon (Listen here - subbed)

This one had a good energy and I liked the "Let's go!" chorus, but there was still a lot of talk-singing going on

I hate that the song starts by mentioning that damn Chuu x2 Jelly...it's like the show forgot to give Armadimon any memorable qualities so when they wrote this song they were like "he liked jelly...I guess?"

Armadimon losing steam and kinda flubbing the lyrics was the best part of the song lol

A Message to the Future - Iori & Armadimon duet (Listen here - subbed)

Phew, finally a good one. I was a bit worried I'd dislike this whole album. I really liked the melancholy yet optimistic vibe this one had. It kinda feels like any two characters could have sung this, but oh well. It was a nice duet regardless.

Armadimon telling Iori that "no matter what kind of adult you become, you'll always be Iori" was sweet :)

Takeru & Patamon

Focus - Takeru (Listen here - subbed)

Okay this one made me MAD because it was so ship-baity!! What the heckk??? This song is clearly implying that Takeru has romantic feelings for Hikari ("Am I the focus of your heart?"), but the show led me to believe that his feelings were platonic and almost brotherly. Did I watch the same show as the song writer? I don't mind them as a pairing, but I feel like this is contradicting my interpretation of the anime so I'm just confused.

Aside from my grumblings, I think this song was great for the drama of it all lol. I also liked the callbacks to Hikari and Takeru growing up together and Hikari blossoming into a powerful young hero.

The comment section of the YouTube video I've linked have people arguing whether the song is about Hikari or Patamon lol. Ain't no way this song is about Patamon. There's even a hikari pun in there.

Don't Stop Patapata - Patamon (Listen here - subbed)

Not sure if this is cute...or just annoying. Sounds like a song written and performed by a toddler, which is fitting cuz it's Patamon.

This song captures Patamon's one braincell energy (which was on display in the new 02 movie). He doesn't really sing about Takeru much which feels a bit like a wasted opportunity.

Steppin' Out - Takeru & Patamon duet (Listen here - subbed)

I liked the theme and lyrics of this one but the vocals were pretty rough...It sounded like Patamon's VA didn't match Takeru's VA's energy very well and together they sound kind of off key.

Takeru singing about taking off his ripped shirt kinda made me laugh because I pictured like a sexy romance novel cover dude. So not Takeru's image.

Seriously Patamon just kinda sounds disinterested in this song

Hikari & Tailmon

Gentle Rain - Hikari (Listen here - subbed)

Kind of a boring, slow song, but I liked the overall theme. Hikari's showing her vulnerable side and talking about how she can't be strong/brave at all times.

I'm not sure I really understand the rain metaphor here...I think maybe when she's saying it's not an "intense rain" she's saying it will take a long time for her weakness to wash away, but that's okay? IDK, kinda clunky.

Getting up - Tailmon (Listen here & Translation here)

Pretty similar to Hikari's song, but more melancholy. I found this one kind of relatable because I can get existential pretty often. The lines "What can I do? I still don't know. Because I was born my journey continues" hit me.

Tailmon sings about, basically, how life as a digimon is tough and confusing, with all of the nonstop battling. Still, she wants to stay strong for those she needs to protect. (Tailmon kinda has similar vibes to Renamon...or maybe it's just that they both have deep voices.)

Shining Star - Hikari and Tailmon (Listen here - subbed)

This one felt kinda half-assed lol. I think I might just be getting burnt out with all these songs that effectively have the same message.

So yeah, just like a lot of other songs in previous albums, this was a generic song about Hikari and Tailmon being different but loving each other anyway and striving to be their best for each other. I guess it's nice to hear a more optimistic song at the end of the album since the first two were pretty downbeat.

Ken & Wormmon

ONLY ONE - Ken (Listen here - subbed)

Aw man, I'm disappointed that Ken's solo song is from the POV of his Kaiser days :/ oh well. It's still a fun song. I like his evil laugh at the end.

I think this song does a good job of illustrating Ken's internal struggle between good and evil, but always turning to the darkness in the end. I also enjoyed the rock n' roll vocals.

The Future You Dreamed of, The Future I Dreamed of - Wormmon (Listen here - subbed)

Lol Wormmon's such a simp for Ken, but I love him so much 😭❤️ This song was great!! The jazzy instrumentals, the back up vocals and the passion/love in Wormmon's voice were all on point.

This song is all about Wormmon not giving up on Ken and understanding he has good in him that he wants to protect. So pure and sweet <3

True Strength - Ken & Wormmon (Listen here - subtitled)

Omg I loved this one 😭😭😭 so precious! Sure, it may have the exact same theme as a bunch of other songs ("we're so different, but we love each other!") but it definitely has a greater impact considering Ken and Wormmon's baggage.

I loved the light and jazz vibe of this song, I was picturing Ken and Wormmon in tuxedos with tails doing a lil tap dance routine together.

"Your form reflected my heart" omg 😭😭😭

Ken had a whole mini arc in just this album lol