#not that he's bad now it's just been a while LOL

[diamonddaze01]

38 “I am not losing to you again!” + Seungcheol (naturally lol) ☺️

game over!

pairing: seungcheol x fem!reader | wc: 929 words prompt: "I am not losing to you again!" | warnings: none

The neon lights of the arcade bar pulsed in rhythm with the bass-heavy music, painting streaks of pink and blue across the glossy black floor. Seungcheol leaned against the bar, one hand wrapped around a sweating glass, when his attention was pulled toward the growing crowd near the DDR machine. Cheers erupted as someone nailed another perfect combo, her movements sharp and fluid, like she was born to do this.

“Who’s that?” Seungcheol asked, tilting his head toward the commotion.

Joshua followed his gaze, then smirked. “Oh, that’s Y/N. Umji’s friend. We graduated together.”

“You know her?” Seungcheol narrowed his eyes, his competitive streak already buzzing to life.

Joshua shrugged lazily. “Kinda. We’ve hung out a couple times. Didn’t know she was, like, a DDR god, though.”

Jeonghan, propping himself up on the bar beside them, chuckled. “Cheol, isn’t DDR your thing? You’ve been bragging about being unbeatable since freshman year.”

“I am unbeatable,” Seungcheol muttered, straightening his posture. He set his drink down and adjusted his sleeves, eyes locked on the DDR machine like it was a battlefield. “Guess I’ll have to remind everyone.”

Joshua raised an eyebrow as a playful smirk tugged at his lips. “She’s been going for thirty minutes straight, man. You sure about this?”

“I’m not losing to anyone tonight,” Seungcheol declared, his jaw set.

The closer he got to the DDR machine, the clearer you became—a whirlwind of movement that barely seemed human. Your feet moved like they were magnetized to the arrows, hitting every beat perfectly as your eyes remained glued to the screen. Sweat glistened faintly on your forehead, but your breathing was even, steady, like this wasn’t even a challenge.

As the final song came to an end, the crowd burst into applause. You stepped back from the platform, brushing stray strands of hair from your face, and laughed as Umji handed you a water bottle. “Easy,” you said with a grin, wiping your forehead.

Umji nudged you suddenly, her gaze darting to Seungcheol. “Heads up. Challenger approaching.”

You turned to see him: tall, broad-shouldered, and exuding a quiet confidence that teetered on cocky. His dark eyes met yours, and his lips curved into a small smirk. “Mind if I take you on?” he asked, his tone casual but competitive.

You cocked an eyebrow, unable to hold back a grin. “You think you can keep up?”

“I don’t think. I know,” he shot back, stepping onto the machine with the kind of swagger that made Umji stifle a laugh beside you.

Five minutes later, that swagger was gone.

Seungcheol was bent over, hands on his knees, gasping for air as you hopped off the platform without a single misstep. The crowd’s cheers blended with laughter as Jeonghan slapped the bar in delight.

“That was fast,” you teased, offering Seungcheol a sip from your water bottle. “Not bad, though. For a beginner.”

Seungcheol straightened, his pride taking a visible hit. His hair stuck to his forehead, and he looked up at you with a mix of disbelief and begrudging admiration. “Beginner? I’ve been playing since middle school.”

“Really?” You feigned surprise, lips quirking. “Well, you’re doing great. For someone who just started.”

A new song began to blare from the machine as the crowd egged him on for another round. “One more,” Seungcheol said, stepping back onto the platform. “This time, I’m winning.”

He didn’t.

Five games later, the scoreboard was a massacre. Your name dominated the rankings, while his sat embarrassingly low. By the seventh game, his foot slipped mid-song, and he barely caught himself from face-planting.

“Okay, okay, I’m done,” he finally groaned, throwing his hands up in defeat. He staggered off the platform and leaned against a nearby table, panting. “You’re not human. I’m convinced.”

The crowd, now thinning, clapped you on the back and murmured their farewells as you stepped off the machine. “You’re not bad,” you told him, an amused glint in your eyes. “Just… not good.”

Seungcheol looked at you, red-faced but grinning. “You’re brutal.”

“And you’re dramatic,” you shot back with a shrug, your tone light.

Jeonghan and Joshua approached then, Joshua slinging an arm over Seungcheol’s shoulder. “Man, I thought you’d last longer than that. Seven games, and you didn’t win a single round?”

“Shut up, Josh,” Seungcheol grumbled, but his smile lingered as he wiped his brow.

He glanced at you again, and this time his confidence wavered. His fingers twitched at his sides, like he was working up the courage to say something. “So,” he began awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck. “Can I, uh… maybe get your number? For a rematch. Or something.”

You raised an eyebrow, feigning skepticism. “A rematch? After that?”

“Well,” he said, his tone softening. “Maybe it doesn’t have to be DDR. We could just… I don’t know. Talk sometime?”

Umji elbowed you in the ribs, her grin practically splitting her face. You rolled your eyes at her, but a smile tugged at your lips as you grabbed a napkin from the table. Scribbling your number down, you handed it to him. “Next time, try to keep up.”

Seungcheol stared at the napkin like it was the key to redemption, his cheeks tinged pink. Jeonghan laughed so hard he had to steady himself on Joshua’s shoulder.

“You’re done for,” Jeonghan said, clapping Seungcheol on the back. “Completely wrecked.”

Seungcheol didn’t care. He folded the napkin carefully, tucking it into his pocket. “Yeah,” he murmured, looking at where you disappeared into the crowd with Umji. A sheepish grin spread across his face. “But it’s worth it.”

send me an ask for my drabble game!

[soobuneary]

A Kiss, and then a Bite (5) - Choi Soobin X Reader

Warning: cursing, mentions of blood, angst lol

Summary: You knew something was off about your roommate Soobin ever since the beginning of your living arrangement. One night he reveals his true self to you, and you know you can never go back to how things were before. Not that you would want to, anyway.

Word Count: 3.5k

*cross-posted on ao3

part one! part two! part three! part four!

Song: Walk This World With Me by The Home Team

You don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself into. We should meet up. I can help you.

After opening the DM, you clicked the account of the person who sent it. The face staring back at you confirmed what you had feared. Her name was Ava. She was one of Soobin’s donors, but one you hadn’t seen come to the apartment in a while. Then again, you rarely saw them come and go, but there was a bad feeling in your gut about this one. You suspected she didn’t want to throw you a welcome party.

However, it wouldn’t hurt to meet up with her anyway. You didn’t need any help, but it could be beneficial to at least know one of the other donors. The tone of her message made it clear that you weren’t welcome into the clique. Perhaps against your better judgment, you started typing back to her.

I don’t know how you know about me, but I’ll meet with you.

She was typing back almost immediately. Your uneasy feeling now was stealing away your pleasure of moments before. What was with this timing?

Her message was direct. This Thursday?

At that moment Soobin entered the living room, so you locked your screen and decided to answer it later. His face still held the agitation it did when he took the call. “Is everything alright?”

He sat back down next to you as he answered. “Yeah. Family stuff.” He sounded tired, but he still gave you a small smile. He always managed to smile for your sake it seemed. “Are you feeling better now?”

“I feel fine.” You weren’t sure if he was done opening up for the night, or if this were a topic he would want to talk about, but you wanted to be there for him. “What’s going on with your family?”

His smile fell and he hesitated for a moment, but he did answer. “They want me to go back to the main house for winter break. To be honest, they want me to drop out of school and go back indefinitely.”

“Why would they want that?”

He was silent for another moment before turning his body to face you. “Why do you want to know?”

His voice was a little harsh. It was the most pointed he’d ever been with you, but you persisted. “I’m sorry if I seem nosy. I just want to be someone you can rely on.”

His face didn’t show any clear emotion as he processed what you said. He leaned into the back of the couch, then finally spoke. “The vampire I see as my father is the leader of our clan. He is in charge of mentoring and looking after those of us who are newer to this lifestyle.” He ran a hand through his hair and stared downward at nothing in particular. “He wants me to take his place as head of the family.”

You didn’t know how many vampires were in his clan, but you were sure you’d never been given such a big responsibility. “And I’m guessing you don’t want to?”

“I’m only two hundred and fifteen years old.” When he saw your confused expression at his words he continued. “You might not understand, but that’s young for us. There’s still way more I want to do before I settle down like that.”

You joined him in leaning back on the couch and stared at the ceiling. “I might not understand being immortal, but I do understand that.”

You sensed him turning his head to fully look at you, but you stayed unmoving. “You’re still very young, Y/N. Who’s pressuring you to settle down?”

“Not to settle down, but the pressure to figure everything out is still there. I know it’s because they care, but my parents are breathing down my neck about how I won’t get paid well as a writer, and how I need to figure out something more stable.”

“I know this might be easy for me to say, but…” He trailed off, causing you to turn your head and look at him.

It had been a critical mistake. Soobin’s eyes were clear and held so much empathy and understanding it made your chest feel slightly constricted.

He spoke quietly. “Time passes too quickly. You shouldn’t waste any of that precious time trying to appease them.” The corners of his mouth slowly lifted. “You should do what you want to do.”

You faced the ceiling again and tried to lighten the mood with a joke. “You’re right. That is easy for you to say, centuries-old rich vampire.”

His voice was still calm and low. “Y/N.”

You hesitated before turning to face him one more time. You hadn’t processed him moving closer to you, but his face was near yours this time. He was no longer smiling. Your voice came out as a whisper, “Yes?”

“You see me as a friend, right? You care about me?” You weren’t sure if it was rhetorical, but you slowly nodded anyway. He continued, “Then let me care about you. I will always support you, so,” he grabbed one of your hands. You hoped desperately he couldn’t feel your rapid pulse through the touch. “Do what you want to do. I’ll always be here.”

The words ‘do what you want to do’ bounced around your head and echoed. Was this an encouragement to follow your dreams or more? You looked down at his cute, plump lips. He was so close, and instinct was calling you forward. Had his words been an invitation?

You could only pray you were reading the mood right. When your eyes flicked back up to his your heart nearly stopped. He looked so enamored, and if you hadn’t been so blinded by the want for physical touch you would’ve been bewildered. Sure you had been developing feelings for him, but how could he look at you like that? He normally looked like he wanted to eat you whole in moments like this, but this time it was so much softer. No one had ever looked at you like this. Like they cared so deeply for you it made their eyes shine.

You wanted to kiss him. You needed to kiss him. So, you closed your eyes, steadied your heart, and moved closer. Your warm breath collided with his cold, and you could almost feel his lips against your own.

But he pulled away.

Your eyelids felt heavy as you opened them, and you watched as he opened his. He didn’t look at you, and you weren’t sure if you were upset at the fact or grateful. You could feel the flames of embarrassment heat your cheeks.

Your voice sounded strange in your ears. “I’m sorry.”

As you backed away from the intimate space between your faces the realization of what you did crashed down. Whatever weird, sexual vibe the two of you had when he was taking your blood could not exist outside of those times. That was painfully apparent now. He had trusted you to be a donor and friend, and you had misread the situation and made a move on him.

You were the worst.

You quickly stood up. “I’m sorry.”

As you were turning to getaway to your room he grabbed your wrist. “Wait, Y/N.”

After grumbling another ‘sorry’ you shook him off and escaped.

Mortifying didn’t even come close to how you felt. Embarrassed, sad, confused, and so many other emotions swirled around your mind as you lay in bed.

You’d be lucky to get any sleep.

-

It was Thursday, and you were at the agreed-upon meeting spot with one of Soobin’s other donors. Being a bit early was normal for you, so you weren’t surprised when she wasn’t there yet. You had a book you were reading for class spread on the café table in front of you, but the words blurred together as you thought about the last two days.

Soobin had been avoiding you, or at least, that’s what it felt like. You hadn’t seen a trace of him since Tuesday night when you had tried to kiss him. Part of you hoped he was giving you space to recover from your embarrassment, but another part believed he was feeling awkward and upset with you. The idea of Soobin cutting you off from friendship and your donor relationship broke your heart, after all, he had opened up so much to you. He had been vulnerable. He had trusted you, and you didn’t want to lose that. You didn’t want to lose everything.

The other donor, Eva, pulled out the chair in front of you effectively getting your attention. She was beyond beautiful, with her long, dark curly hair framing her face and a mole on her cheekbone.

You smiled awkwardly. “Hello.”

She sat. “It’s Y/N, right?”

“Yeah.”

You anticipated a silence to settle with the weird atmosphere, but she cut to the chase. “I’m going to be very direct. I know what kind of relationship you’ve entered with Soobin. We used to be like that too.”

Your eyebrows shot up at her unexpected confession. “Used to?”

Her voice was lower this time as if she was overly aware the two of you were in a very public place. “I used to be a donor to him. But things got complicated,”

You closed your book and placed your arms on it leaning forward. “Complicated how? And how do you know about me?”

She sighed lightly. “Soobin told me about you. I never saw you there, but you’re his roommate?” You nodded, but your head was floating somewhere higher. Soobin had mentioned you. You couldn’t ponder the implication of that before she continued. “I shouldn’t tell you what he said about you, but you should know, that things like romance and relationships don’t work with him.”

Two conflicting ideas were at war within your head. Soobin had mentioned you to Eva, and the conversation had been about relationships. Had he said he considered you a romantic interest? Did he say he thought you were interested in him but he didn’t feel the same? You were temporarily paralyzed by the ‘what ifs’ occupying your brain.

Sensing your racing thoughts, Eva decided to keep talking. “I tried it, you know.”

The thoughts all stopped. “You dated Soobin?”

She laughed bitterly. “Something like that. The closest thing he can get to dating.”

Something dull stirred inside you. She was his ex. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that he’s not like us.” She paused. “People like you and me have the luxury of dating and falling in love. But something like him, something inhuman, is jaded. They can’t feel the way we do. He doesn’t have that privilege.”

“How can you be so sure?”

You could hear the pity oozing from her voice. “You like him, don’t you?”

Knowing you would sound pathetic, you answered her anyway, “Why should I tell you that?”

“Look, I’m telling it to you like it is. Think about this in the long run. You enter a relationship with him, yay, whatever.” She was the one you sounded jaded, you thought. “Say it all works out. What do you do every ten or so years when you have to move because people notice he doesn’t age? What do you tell your family and those around you? What do you do when you become old and he doesn’t?”

The fact you hadn’t thought about him long-term hit you like a brick. She had a point. Several points, in fact.

But that didn’t do anything to lessen your affection toward him, scarily enough. “So what do I do?”

“The same as me.”

She looked sad, and you couldn’t help but wonder if he had been vulnerable with her. If she had done the things with him you had done. If she had kissed him.

Her voice held the determination your heart lacked. “You move on.”

-

As much as you wanted time to process your conversation with Eva and your last encounter with Soobin, final exams were next week. Yeonjun had insisted on coming over that Saturday to study together. So instead of wallowing alone, you sat in the living room with him and went over a review guide for your grammar class.

Yeonjun could tell from looking at you that you weren’t processing any information. “Y/N.” When you didn’t respond he called out to you again.

You looked at him and apologized. “Sorry, I’m focused.”

He laughed at you. “You’re anything but focused.”

You put the review down on the table in front of the couch. “It’s obvious?”

Yeonjun put his textbook down as well and turned his body to face you. “What’s wrong? Maybe we can talk it out so you can focus better after?”

Where did you even start? Your vampire situationship was ignoring you and you weren’t even sure if you should be in a situationship with him to begin with.

You were silent too long, it seemed, as Yeonjun spoke again. “You can talk to me, you know.”

“I know.” You could edit some parts and still make sense, you hoped. “There’s this guy-”

“Y/N has a crush!” Excitement lit up his features and his voice was a purr. “You sneaky little thing, since when?”

Your hands fidgeted in your lap. Since when? “Not too long. This is new.”

“It better be. I’d be hurt if you waited a long time to tell me.”

You swatted his arm playfully. “Let me explain, silly.” He gave you his full attention and nodded for you to continue. “He’s very kind, and we’ve gotten close very quickly. But…”

“But what?”

You took a shaky breath before continuing. “But when I tried to make a move, he rejected me.”

“Wait.” He ran a hand through his hair as if he was confused about why someone would reject you. It made your heart feel fuzzy to have such a good friend. “Rejected you how?”

The embarrassment at your actions flooded your senses again and your voice got softer. “I tried to kiss him, and he pulled away.”

Yeonjun was quiet for a moment before he huffed out a laugh. “Y/N.”

His laugh made you feel further embarrassment. “What?”

“That doesn’t mean he rejected you.”

“What else could it mean?”

He sighed. “Listen to my perspective, okay? There are so many possible reasons why he didn’t kiss you, and while rejection is one of them, you need to open your eyes to the other possibilities.”

You leaned back. “Like what?”

“If it’s somewhat new and you haven’t been talking long, maybe he thought you were moving too fast.”

The memory of Soobin’s face inches from yours with your blood smeared around his lips flashed in your mind. When the two of you had been intimate in that way it couldn’t be possible that you were moving too fast.

But there was no way you could tell Yeonjun about that.

“Maybe.” You paused, “But what else?”

He laughed again. “I don’t know, I wasn’t there. Think about it. Was there anything off about the vibe? What were you talking about before?”

You weeded through the awkward memory to remember. “His family.”

“Of course he wasn’t in the mood, goofy.”

“Hey!” You got defensive. “You weren’t there. The mood felt right!”

“Relax, Y/N.” After he calmed his laughter, he smiled at you. “If you are so worried about it, why don’t you talk to him about it?”

You sat up straight. “He’s been avoiding me.” You took a shaky breath. “I think I fucked up bad.”

Yeonjun pulled you into a hug. His soft hoodie made his arms feel like a refuge. “Hey, it’s okay.” He rubbed your back slowly and you could feel your worries easing up. “All you can do is try to talk to him, and if it’s meant to be it’ll work out.”

Before you could say your thanks you heard the sound of the front door opening, and you turned in Yeonjun’s arms to see Soobin walking in. He stared at you blankly while closing the entrance.

When neither of you said anything to each other, Yeonjun slowly released you from his arms. Soobin stared at you a moment longer before walking toward his room. The silence was loud.

Yeonjun quickly began to gather his things. “Let's pick up where we were tomorrow if you’re not busy. You weren’t getting much studying done anyway.”

He turned toward Soobin to nod in acknowledgment of his presence, but Soobin was already closing his bedroom door. He whispered to you, “Did you guys fight?”

“Something like that.”

You walked Yeonjun to the door, and he gave you another hug before he left. You only made it halfway to your bedroom when Soobin emerged from his own. He intercepted you before you could get to your door.

His voice was flat. “Did we fight?”

You should’ve guessed being a vampire would come with perks like enhanced hearing. “You’ve been avoiding me, so it feels like we fought.”

He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back on your door. He was far too tall, and you found it annoying and unfair how good he looked right now peering down at you. “I wanted to give you space. You didn’t let me explain last time, but I guess it doesn’t matter now.”

His sharp tone was starting to agitate you. “And why not?”

“What do you mean ‘why not?’ Did I not come home just now to you all over someone else?”

You mimicked his stance by crossing your arms. “All over him? He’s my friend and he was comforting me. Even if it was something else, why do you care?”

You saw a hint of worry flash in his dark eyes before he quickly concealed it. His resolve was weakening. In this moment when he was angry with you for whatever reason, he still cared for you.

You continued. “I’ve been friends with him much longer than I’ve known you, and yet I’ve never questioned why you get so close to me.”

He scoffed. His attitude was returning. “It’s not like it bothered you.”

You hated that he had a point. The agitation was growing much stronger. “Can you tell me what your problem is, Soobin?” You repositioned yourself on your feet and uncrossed your arms. Bringing it up might make things awkward, but you needed to make your perspective known. “You rejected me. I’m trying to get over it, but here you are acting like a dick over a fucking hug.”

He stood straight off your door and took a step toward you as he repeated himself. “You didn’t let me explain.”

You accepted his challenge and took a step closer to him. “Who wants to hear an explanation in a situation like that?” Your voice was involuntarily rising. “Why would I want to hear you say it?”

He took another step, and suddenly the two of you were closer than you anticipated. His chest was in your face, but you looked up at him and hoped you looked somewhat intimidating.

His voice was gruff. “What was I going to say, Y/N?”

You blinked at him. You didn’t want to hear him say it then, and you didn’t want to say it yourself now.

The small hope that you were wrong persuaded you to say it anyway.

“That you don’t feel the same way for me that I feel for you.”

His expression softened from anger to something you couldn’t read. His voice was quiet. “Do you actually believe that?”

Your voice mirrored his delicate volume. “What am I supposed to think?” You looked down at his chest. It wasn’t moving, and the reality of what he was washed over you once again. Eva’s words about him resurfaced in your thoughts.

But something like him, something inhuman, is jaded. They can’t feel the way we do.

His fingertips met your chin, and he tilted your face up at him. He had started to look like the Soobin you knew again. His bangs fell in his face, partially obstructing his eyes. You could still see them glimmer with fondness.

His hand moved to cup your jaw as he leaned down slightly, and he stopped when his face was unbearably close to yours. His other hand held your lower back to gently pull you closer.

His lips ghosted over yours. You could faintly feel the deep rumbling of his low voice in your chest.

“No human mind could ever comprehend the depth of feelings I have for you.”

You had daydreamed many times about what it would feel like to have his cold lips on yours, but the electricity of it all far surpassed your imagination. The sensation of his kiss and his hands caressing you completely overwhelmed your senses. He deepened the kiss and you could feel the scraping of fangs on your lips.

It was maddening.

You raised your hands to grip both his shoulders. After steadying yourself, you kissed him back with every ounce of emotion you’d felt ever since the first time he bit you. All of the longing and yearning, and all of the confusion and passion, poured out and overflowed from your heart and soul.

It was you who had a depth of affection that was incomprehensible.

-

I'm thinking about making a tag list for this fic, please reply if you would like to be added! <3 Thanks for reading!

[jinxini]

thoughts while watching episode 2! ☆

summary: necessary amount of love for jinx, unnecessary amount of child hate lmao

oh my baby girl i love u it's ok don't be sad please

jinx focused episode let's gooo

me: omg was that a flash of powder?!

*rewinds*

me: ...who the fuck is that.

me: oh no. oh no. this kid is important enough to make it to the intro, jinx is going to take care of this child isn't she. that sure is... a choice

oh no the kid is here

ugh for me personally the only thing worse they could have done is make her pregnant or have a baby. i hate storylines like this im so sorry. it's different when the parent-child relationship is like the main focus or the premise of the show/movie (the mandalorian, the last of us, the walking dead game, silco taking care of powder who's the main character), but when a random ass child shows up years late to the party and needs someone to take care of them and the child character has no previous connection to the audience... i really dislike that in stories im so sorry. leave jinx alone

also, in what world is jinx ready to be a mother figure to anyone lmao she's very much stuck in a child-like state herself half the time. this is not what she needs, we both deserve better

i like the child's design though

honestly, i hope arcane makes me take all that i just said back, but we'll see

jinx i love you

her voice is so good, the voice acting is sooo good oh my god

does she kinda have a different vibe or is it just me?

honestly thought she would be doing a lot worse than she is. good for her!

don't get me wrong, i get that from the orphan's point of view jinx just saved her life and she's clearly super strong, what else is she supposed to do than follow

what i'm saying is that i personally do not want jinx to take care of a child right now. i want this to be about the sisters. the fact that i don't like this is on me, the writers can obviously do whatever they want with their story buuut.....

sevika<3

can't wait for her and jinx to team up

wait does sevika even know that jinx was the one who killed silco?

i don't know what's going on with viktor and whatever he's saying here is not helping

did she though?

everything viktor does now is so slow. the way he speaks, the way he moves...

im not a jayvik girlie but i imagine that those who are felt rly sad after this scene

ekko my boy! the biker mouse from mars can speak?

my brother: he really does look like one

i literally facepalmed and my brother groaned

ekko please ditch this creature you're better on your own

shut up. you're not cute, you're not funny.

i should probably clarify that heimer is my least favourite character in the show, i kinda have no patience for anything he does 😂

i literally said DO IT JAYCE out loud

this made me laugh

same, ekko, same.

can we talk about the way he's holding the cup lol

it's also kinda funny and kinda sad at the same time that this is probably his first time tasting tea

SHUT UUUUPPPP

i screamed

vi? nooo, what the hell 😫 i thought it was the bad guys after her but no it's VI? don't hurt jinx like this, don't hurt me like this

the animation is making me feel like i'm the one who can't breathe damn

hasn't my girl been through enough?? stooooppp

this looked really cool though

there's no way those were the only two times he saw her cry

also, she's insane, blinking and getting even closer. i am obsessed with her

YESSSHHHH

after getting her ass kicked by vi and jinx repeatedly in season 1, i have a feeling this is a battle she's finally going to win 😆

the whole-body movement she did here, so cute, i love her so much 😭

GET JINXED OMG!!!!!!!! 💙💙💙💙💙

holy shit you can always trust arcane with fight scenes

my brother: no one does fight scenes better than arcane.

me: i know right?! that was so good! best scene in season 2 so far!

brother: yep.

oh wow ok. girl, 1st of all, ew. 2nd of all, that thing was like 80% machine what was there left for you to eat? 3rd of all... this begs the question, what do these people eat, exactly? do they draw the line at cannibalism but everyone else is fair game? huh.

i doubt the people in piltover eat like this

no, let's not do that<3

what is he, jesus? this is a bit too much.

[gingernut1314]

Just A Bedtime Story ch. 4

Summary: You are out for a swim during your work break, only to stumble upon a fight on the docks. A fight starring a very familiar face.

Content: female reader, gendered terms, pre-season 1 arcane, introduction to Sevkia and Nadia (my oc...though technically she's low-key canon lol), Canon typical violence (description of a fight), young Silco, young Sevkia, young reader, reader using water manipulation, confirming friendship, slight Arcane season 2/League of Legends spoiler (Janna)

Word Count: 3.7K

A/N: This is a bit of a long one sorry. I caught a little too much in their interactions. Next chapter we will finally get them all aged up!! I hope you all enjoy!

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The waters of the Undercity had always been a comfort to you--a second home. No matter how freezing--no matter how polluted they got, you always found yourself swimming within them. 

People who knew you often said if you didn’t need to breathe, you would stay down in the inky depth. And they would be very much corrected. 

It was truly too bad you hadn’t developed gills and webbed fingers. 

You had just resurfaced to take a much-needed breath when a sound other than lapping water and the creaking of wooden ships caught your ear. It was faint. So faint you found yourself swimming out from under your boss’ dock and toward the sound. 

Not only were you an avid swimmer, but you were nosy as hell. A nosiness that got you in trouble more times than not. 

The closer and closer you swam, the clearer the sound grew. 

Sounds. 

Stomping and shuffling feet, grunts and shouts, bone hitting flesh, the sharp zing of a blade flying through the air and cutting through the skin. 

It was a fight you were hearing. 

You swam toward the ladder on the wall and climbed slowly upward, water dripping off your body and making too much noise. You doubted whoever was fighting could tell the difference between the water swooshing against the wood and your body leaving it, but you could never be too careful. 

Peeking your head up over the wooden dock, you found a cluster of boys all around your age or older. You recognized them all instantly as the gang that thought they owned the docks. As the gang that tormented you to no end. Who you had stolen from only two months prior. 

They had stayed under the radar since then. You could take a pretty good guess as to why, that being they were embarrassed about their defeat. They were bloodied, bruised, and some dead, and word of their loss had spread like wildfire.

Partially because you had fanned the flames. 

But even when you knew they knew you had spread the word, they hadn’t come out of hiding. Not until now. 

You pulled yourself a little further upward, trying to catch a glimpse of who they were beating on this time. Slowly and carefully you scanned over the scene and…

There. 

You found them. Him. And fucking hell--

It was Silco. 

You wondered what the hell he was doing all the way over here? Especially since The Last Drop, his territory, was located in the heart of the Undercity while the docks lay closer to Piltover’s borders. Too close to your liking but you really couldn’t do anything about that.

You wondered why the hell he would draw their attention when he knew they would be out for blood--his blood specifically. While Vander had beat them into a bloody pulp, Silco had killed a good handful of their members.

You had greatly enjoyed this fact, but it still didn’t make it a good idea for him to be wondering about over here where they knew the area best. 

It was a ten-on-one fight. Seemingly unfair odds but somehow Silco was still standing. Somehow he was making it nine then eight then seven against one the longer the fight went on. 

His movements, while not the most graceful, were ruthless. Movements you knew spoke volumes to the amount of fights he had waged. To the number of fights he had won. 

You were awestruck by it. So hypnotized by his fighting that you failed to spy one of the fallen members get back up. To see him grab a loose plank of wood and rush at Silco, who was busy fending off two nasty-looking members. 

You and Silco both didn’t see the plank until it was crashing over the back of Silco’s head. He went crumbling to the ground, his knives clattering beside him as he went. 

The gang seemed to hesitate. Like maybe they believe he was faking it. Hesitated as if he were some beast who would snap up and crush them between his jaws, but Silco stayed down and your throat tightened. 

You rushed up the rest of the ladder, pulling the attention of most of the remaining members just as they went to beat Silco further into the ground. 

“Little fishy,” You were disappointed to see Rotting Teeth was still standing, blood running from a deep cut on the ridge of his nose. “I’d say you were here to save your little boyfriend, but your weak as all shit.”

“Good to see your mush-filled skull can still come up with shitty insults.” He grits his rotting teeth at you. 

“You still haven’t learned your place, have you?” You blinked at him slowly. 

“My…place?” You spoke, mocking confusion. “I don’t know what you mean?” He growled, too easily annoyed. 

“You bitch--”

“Oh, gods.” You groaned. “Where is the originality? Little fishy’s good, but bitch? Really? Everyone uses that.” 

“Here’s what's gonna happen, bitch.” You shook your head in mock disappointment. “I’m gonna kill your boy toy and then I'm gonna kill you. Understand?” He pulled a very dull-looking knife from his pocket, brandishing it your way like it might scare you. 

“No. I don’t think I do, because you won’t be killing anyone.” Rotting Teeth and his gang gave howling rounds of laughter at your words. Laugher you used as a slight distraction as you felt for the water below your feet. Water your magic sung the same melody with.

“Get--” But before Rotten Teeth could give his commands, you yanked the water upward, it hissing sharply as it shot between the planks. 

Startled shouts sounded from the gang. Shouts that turned painful as you moved your hands around, guiding the water to shoot into their eyes and nose. 

The breath in your lungs grew heavier the longer you used your magic. Magic you knew you could only control for so long before growing too exhausted. 

So, with great effort, you willed the waters to wrap around the throats of the remaining eight gang members. They gave strangled and fearful yelps before you were yanking them towards the waters below with a great grunt. 

As soon as you heard them splash into the cold waters below, you released your magic quickly. The strain of using such power had you stumbling forward, your vision blurring and every breath pulling in with a slight, whistling wheeze.

Janna had told you to start out small. Exploding the flask being a perfect example. It was at your skill level and you could do it without much thought anymore. 

Fully manipulating water like it was a second limb? While very cool, it definitely was still something you were working on…even when you wished to prove the wind spirit wrong.

“You have magic.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement and it was coming from Silco who had at some point regained consciousness. 

“Magic’s just a bedtime story.” You huffed and puffed out. Swallowing down air, you wobbled over to him only to nearly trip over his long legs, which were still sprawled out over the dock. 

“Bedtime--I just saw you control water.” You gave another swallowed-down bit of air, your vision starting to focus and breathing finally beginning to even. 

“I think that asshole hit you harder than I thought.” You knelt down in front of him, grabbing a hold of his head to shove it down and get a better view of the back of it. 

“Get your hands off of me.” He hissed, slapping your hand away. You gave a little fake ow at the hit.

“Wow…not even a thank you for saving your life?” You gave a mockingly hurt shake of your head. “That hurts.” 

“Oh please.” He all but rolled his eyes, pulling his legs under himself as he prepared himself to get up. “I had it under control.” 

“Okay. Yeah. ‘Under control’. We can call it that.” Silco ran one of his hands over his face, showing off his newly split knuckles. 

“Where did you even come from?” You held out your hand for him to take. He eyed it for a moment, as if to deny your further help, but reluctantly took hold of it. You helped pull him upward, savoring the feel of his chill skin against yours before it ended a few seconds later. 

“Went for a swim. Heard you getting your ass beat--”

“I was not--”

“Swam over here and saved it.” Silco gave you an exasperated sigh through his nose. “This makes us even, ya know. You saved my life, I saved yours.” 

“Fine.” He gruffly said. It pulled an all too cheerful smile to your lips that only seemed to annoy him further. “Just don’t tell Vander, yes?” The words quickly fell from him as he passed you. So quick that you almost didn’t catch it.  

You had planned on telling Vander the next time you made your way to The Last Drop, but that look in Silco’s eyes…you couldn’t place your finger on it, though your ability to understand emotions was growing much better thanks to hanging around actual humans. 

It was a look that was--near animals. Like the thought of Vander finding out you had saved him was turning him into a cornered animal. One that would snap its jaw at anyone that came too close.

Whatever it was, you didn’t like it.

You hopped to his side, wanting to follow him wherever he was heading. 

“Okay.” Silco looked at you like he didn’t quite believe you. “If you really don’t want me to, I won’t.” 

“But--why?” You gave a shrug. 

“I cut into a fight you definitely could have won.” You added a bit of a playful tease to your tone. But even when you kept things playful, you willed your eyes to remain serious. To try and tell him silently you wouldn’t. “Why would I want to brag about my own dishonor.”

“Dishonor? I didn’t know there was honor between thieves and murderers to begin with.” Silco ran his thin fingers through his shaggy hair, trying to tame back the frizzled mess it had become in his fight.

Your own fingers itched as you watched him. 

You wanted to do that.

“Oh yes. There’s a code and vow and everything. Very official.” You gave a dead serious nod. “Did you miss that meeting?” An amused smile pulled at the very corners of Silco’s thin lips. Lips you wanted to see sport a full smile. One you wanted wide enough you could look at the V-shaped chip there fully. 

You felt bad about it, but damn it was cute. It just completely complimented him. 

“Damn. Must have.” You gave him a small chuckle as you came upon your boss’ shop. 

“This is where I work.” Silco looked over the gray, stone backing of the shop. Took in the small sign above the door and empty, fish gut-stained crates lining the back door. 

“Are you working now?” You a small nod.

“Breaks about to end.” Silco gave a matching small nod, seafoam eyes landing on you once more. 

“Ah.” 

“Yeah.” Silence filled the space between you two. A silence you didn’t like and was quick to fill. “Why’d you come all the way over here anyway?” Silco ran his fingers through his hair once more, eyes falling away from you as he kicked at an invisible pebble. 

“Vander’s helping open The Last Drop. Went for a walk. Ended up here.” You really couldn’t help the smile that pulled at your lips then. 

Had he come here to find you? Had he come here to--dare you say--hang out? 

It had a giddy feeling bubbling in your chest you had to shove far down. 

“Do you want to come inside? I can introduce you to Nadia and Sevkia.” He glanced back up at you, brows furrowing the slightest bit. 

“And they are…?” 

“My friends. Nadia is super sweet. She can clean and wrap your knuckles and take care of any of your other wounds.” Silco subconsciously looked to his bleeding knuckles. You knew he probably wouldn’t take the offer but it was there if he did.

“And the other?” 

“Sevkia?” He nodded. “Well, Sevika’s…Sevika.” You shrugged. “She’s great. I think you’ll like her.” You grabbed hold of the door handle, which was dented here and there. “Come on. I can sneak you some food too.” At the prospect of food, Silco perked up instantly. 

“Fine. But only for a moment.” You beamed at him as he followed after you. 

The clatter of plates and pots filled your ears as you shut the door behind Silco, the kitchen a beehive of cooks and dishwashers and the heavenly smell of food. The chef shouted something to one of the other cooks who shouted right back as you reached to grab hold of Silco jacket sleeve. 

“Okay so…try not to be so tall.” You whispered, beginning to pull him from behind the wall. 

“Wha--am I not supposed to be in here?” You shushed him much to his dislike. 

“Technically no. Boss isn’t a big fan of men so…” You thought of how your boss didn’t even like Nadia’s husband, who was probably the sweetest man on this earth. Boss hated men so much she only hired women to work in her diner and on her ship. Hated them so much she only interacted with male customers if it was absolutely necessary. 

Silco gave a great sigh, so you tossed him a mischievous smile.

“Don’t worry. She stays in her office most of the day.” But just as you spoke, the door leading out into the front of the house swung open, making you startle so bad it showed physically. 

A lithe woman came through carrying a plate of food that looked like it had been picked through by an all too picky customer. Her wild, ruddy red hair had been wrestled into a ponytail that was fighting to escape its confines, and her pale, near pearlescent skin was covered in faint speckling of freckles. 

“Chef, I fear they--” Her burnt gold eyes flickered over you, pinkish lips pulling thin. “What have I told you.” She spoke again, her Ionian accent thick yet added another layer to her melodic voice. “If you go for a swim you must dry off. Dragging a mess in with you.” She shook her head, “I left a towel for you--” Again she cut herself off when her eyes looked just past you to Silco. 

“Nadia, this is Silco.” Her eyes lit in recognition of the name. A name that may or may not have been spewed from your lips many, many times since you first met him. She gave a small shake of her head once more, blowing a deep sigh from her lips. 

“Take this,” She all but shoved the plate of food into your hands, before rushing you and Silco into the locker room. “Give me a moment.” She smiled kindly Silco’s way before rushing back out of the door, washing the room in silence. 

“See. Food.” You flopped down on one of the wooden benches, crossing your legs as you placed the plate beside you. When Silco continued to stand in the middle of the locker room looking too out of place, you waved him over. “What? Are you scared?” Silco rolled his eyes, following your gesture and sitting down beside the plate. 

“Of course not.”

“Then stop acting like a chicken.” You teased, grabbing a few french fries and all but shoving them into your mouth. “The fish is fresh. Caught it this morning.” You spoke around the food in your mouth. Silco’s nose wrinkled at you in slight disgust but he wasted no time in ripping a bit of the fried fish. 

“You caught it?” You hummed in yes, grabbing a bit of the fish yourself.

“Boss takes me with her when she goes out to sea. Calls me her good luck charm 'cause we always catch a good haul when I’m around.” Silco nodded, chewing the fish slowly. 

“Because of your magic?” You were quick to shush him again. “Oh, would you stop--” Another long shush. 

“It’s not magic.” Silco rose a brow at you, not believing it for a second. “And if it was…sure. Maybe that’s the reason.” 

“Is it maybe the reason you can swim submerged in the waters and not reap the consequences as well?” You watched him for a long moment, slowing your own chewing. 

“I don’t like this line of questioning.” Silco ripped another bit of the fish off. 

“Well, magic is rare. As you said, just a bedtime story. It is only natural I would be curious.” He popped the fish into his mouth. 

“It is just a bedtime story.” You insisted, messing with a fry between your fingers. “But…probably. But I think it also has to do with how my guardian found me. Just a newborn drowning within them. Someone threw me in.” You held a hand up showing your inky black fingertips, the darkness fading out around your knuckles. Silco’s own eyes scanned them over, then your face. “Use to be worse. Use to have glowing black and red eyes too.” 

“That is…horrid.” You shrugged, popping the fry you had been messing with into your mouth. 

“Eh. Seen worse.” You mused, grabbing up another fry. Silco’s seafoam eyes darkened in understanding. 

They’d all seen worse. Experienced worse. 

It came with the territory. It was the unfair truth they all had to live or it would crush them if them is they tried to deny it.

“Why tell me?” Silco’s voice came out quieter. Soft. Like he didn’t even want to ask but needed the answer. 

“Because you asked.” You shrugged again. 

“That can’t be the reason.” 

“I mean--it’s you.” Silco’s eyes narrowed slightly in confusion to your answer. “I--you’re my friend. We’re friends. And…I guess I trust you to know. I want you to know.” You suddenly felt your stomach hollow out and your palms begin to sweat. 

Nervous. 

He made you so nervous. 

You hated it but found you wouldn’t try to change it.

“We’re…friends.” Silco carefully said. Like it was a secret itself. 

“I mean--I guess we don--” Silco shushed you just as you had him. It was an unexpected thing for him to do. One that had you gasping.

“We’re friends.” He confirmed, offering you a small smile. A smile that only made your heart twist and turn in your chest. One you couldn’t help but copy and copy brightly. 

“Yes. Good. I’m glad.” He gave a small nod, turning his all-too-seeing eyes back down onto the plate between you two. 

Oh, you could giggle. Oh, you could jump up and down and giggle. 

“After I get off of work--” But your words were cut off by the door to the locker door banging open. 

Nadia was hushly shouting, grabbing hold of Sevkia’s strong arm and yanking as if she could actually move the girl. 

Silco was quick to his feet, readying for a fight he might have to wage against the girl. You watched his calculating eyes take in the muscle-ripped teen as if already searching for weaknesses to exploit.

Sevkia went right up to him, bending down to look him straight in the eyes when she truly didn’t need to. It was just her way of telling him she saw him as inferior until he proved otherwise. 

“This is him?” Sevkia asked, eyes never once leaving Silco’s own. 

“Sevkia, enough of all this.” Nadia tried again, but Sevkia was quick to shake her off.

“I’m not doing anything, Dee.” She responded nonchalantly, but her demeanor was anything but. Nadia turned to look at you for help but you just shoved another fry into your mouth. 

Silco’d be okay.

“Awfully close.” Silco calmly said. Though, just like Sevkia, his demeanor was anything but. 

“Small room.” She shrugged. “Come to see her?” Sevkia shoved a thumb your way. 

“She found me wandering.” 

“Wandering? So far from the heart of the city?” 

“It gets a bit boring staying in one place for too long, wouldn’t you agree?”

“I guess I would.” Sevkia leaned in ever closer. So close you were almost jealous, wanting to be that close to him too. “You gonna hurt her?” 

“Hasn’t given a reason to.” Sevkia nodded at this, gray eyes having yet to soften into their normal gaze. 

“Play cards?” Silco nodded back.

“Of course.” Sevkia's eyes finally softened, her plump lips pulling as she gave a laugh. Silco’s shoulders loosened as she backed away, looking back to you and Nadia. 

“Didn’t tell me he played cards.” 

“Why would I ask that?” Sevkia gave a deep, almost irritated sigh that was only teasing. 

“Come on, guppy. That’s the most important question.” You gave an elongated sorry. “Guess you wouldn’t ask, seeing as you suck ass at playing any kinda card game.” You dramatically gasped, throwing a fry her way. The bit of fried potato bounced off her skin like she hadn’t even felt it. 

More shouting sounded from within the kitchen. Shouting that had you, Naida, and Sevkia all tensing at the sound, Silco the only one not privy to who it belonged to.

“Boss’ll kill him.” Sevkia laughed. “See you ‘round, Silco. If you escape.” And back out the door she went. 

“Oh dear, oh dear.” Nadia was ringing her apron between her hands. “You must go.” She insisted to Silco, “Oh dear--forgive Sevkia for us. Oh, and your knuckles.” She gave a look like his wounds were her wounds. “Forgive me. They look painful.” 

“He’ll live.” You waved her off, the shouting growing closer. Shouting now joined in by Sevkia trying to keep the boss at bay.  

“Will I?” He asked as you shoved the half-full plate into his hands. 

“Probably.” You gave him a mischievous wiggle of your eyebrows. He opened his mouth as if to say something against whatever you were about to do, but you grabbed his wrist and yanked him back out the locker room before any sound could leave it. 

You’re boss all but bellowed your name, Nadia’s nervous voice trying to calm her down as you threw open the back door and shoved Silco out of it. You watched him stumble out, losing a few fries, before turning back around, looking very much bewildered.  

“I get off work at nine. I’ll bring you dinner, yeah?” You called to him. Silco had just started saying your name as you shut the door in his face.

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[fear-is-truth]

𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐆𝐄 𝐃𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐁𝐀𝐆 … rodrick heffley — loser!bf headcanons

tags — fem!reader﹒sfw + nsfw﹒headcanons

loser bf!rodrick, who makes a huge show of pda whenever his brother is around. he’ll sling his arm around your shoulder and be like, “yeah, greg. my girlfriend. isn’t she hot?” greg is still fully convinced rodrick’s paying you to be his fake girlfriend, though he has no idea where he’s got the money.

loser bf!rodrick, who lets you sit in on band practice and tries so hard to keep it together, but the second his bandmates start flirting with you, he completely falls apart. his drumming gets so off-tempo that they have to stop and start over.

loser bf!rodrick, who lent you his algebra textbook and completely forgot he’d been doodling your name with his last name all over the margins. when you handed it back, smirking, he looked like he wanted to die.

loser bf!rodrick, whose idea of a date is a night drive to the gas station, where you both load up on slushies and hot dogs. you sit in the parking lot and steal bites off each other’s food (even though you have the same toppings)

loser bf!rodrick, who awkwardly asked his mom to use the “nice-smelling” laundry detergent on his shirts because he knows you like to steal them after having sex and he doesn’t want you thinking he’s gross.

loser bf!rodrick, whose mom acts like you’re already part of the family, offering you snacks and calling you “sweetie” every time you visit. she loves to (unintentionally) embarrassing her eldest son by showing you all of his baby pictures. all the while rodrick hides in the basement.

loser bf!rodrick, whose dad corners you during family dinners and awkwardly tries to sell you on how “rodrick is really a fine young man, despite, uh… some quirks.” you just nod politely while rodrick sits there, sinking into his chair with a beet-red face.

loser bf!rodrick, whose bandmates are constantly making moves on you, asking if you “need anything” during practice or offering to carry your stuff. rodrick will get so pissed that he threatens to kick them out of the band. you think it’s hilarious how defensive he gets.

loser bf!rodrick, who always gives you the front seat in his van, no questions asked. greg has to squish in the back with the instruments, too bad lol.

loser bf!rodrick, who pretends to be terrible at eyeliner just so you’ll do it for him. in return, he paints your nails—or you can also paint his (in exclusively black).

loser bf!rodrick, who acts reluctant whenever you drag him into photobooths at the mall. the two of you end up making the dumbest faces before you lean in and kiss him right on the mouth… with tongue.

loser bf!rodrick, who lets you doodle on his arm with a sharpie, and he refuses to wash them off. they stay there until they fade completely.

loser bf!rodrick, who finally starts wearing deodorant consistently because of you. it’s not even something you asked him to do—he just noticed you sniffing his shirts a little more critically and panicked. now, he’s always freshly applied before seeing you.

loser bf!rodrick, who gets hard every time you kiss him.

loser bf!rodrick, who tries his best to keep his room somewhat presentable whenever you come over. he knows it’s still a fucking disaster by normal standards, but for rodrick, clearing a path to the bed is a grand romantic gesture.

loser bf!rodrick, who’s obsessed so with seeing your hickeys on him. he never bothers to hide them—in fact, he wears them like badges lol.

loser bf!rodrick, who almost accidentally used the wrong side of the condom when you had sex for the first time.

loser bf!rodrick, who absolutely melts when you tug on his hair during sex. he didn’t even realise he had a thing for it until the first time you did it. now, he practically begs for it without using words, tilting his head back and grinning like a total idiot whenever your fingers get close.

loser bf!rodrick, who keeps every random thing you’ve ever given him — notes you’ve passed to him in class, concert tickets, even candy wrappers.

loser bf!rodrick, who hates being bossed around but will do anything you ask, especially if it involves you kissing his cheek or ruffling his hair in thanks. he’s so whipped and everyone knows it.

loser bf!rodrick, who brags to greg about how sexy and smart and pretty you are, just to rub it in, but secretly feels like he doesn’t deserve you. he gets this dumb, soft look on his face whenever you’re around, like he still can’t believe you chose him.

 fear-is-truth 2024 — all rights reserved. do not modify, repost, translate, or plagiarise my content.

[puff-the-bunny]

PUFF HI SMILES I am just dropping by to say hello and also happy late Hallowed Ween!!!!! hopefully your day went good yesterday :D woop woop

HIIIIII SUUUUN !!!! Grinning and waving IT WAS GREAT !! Super low-key, but I got to cosplay at work and then came home to play horror games with my brother >:]c

[starry-bi-sky]

Blood Blossom Au: Baby's First Commissioner Meeting :)

TL:DR This Post: Danny (orphan) gets poisoned with blood blossom extract by Vlad. He runs away from him and ends up under the care of one Pre-Robin Battinson Batman! Starry is loudly pushing her batdad agenda.

(Also known as "Late At Night, When The Nightingale Sings" on my ao3!)

This was a fun rough idea I've been sitting on for weeks, thinking about how Commissioner Gordon and Nightingale's first meeting might go.

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

Commissioner Gordon likes to think that he's adjusting to the new normal of Gotham very well, -- the new normal being grown men running around dressed like bats, in military-grade strength body armor, committing acts of vigilantism, -- and slowly, little by little, he was no longer being surprised when this new normal pops up out of the shadows like the world's most terrifying daisy. His shaving lifespan thanks him for it.

....

The kid is a surprise though.

Granted, he seemed to be a surprise to the Bat too.

There's been a string of murders lately, -- which, in Gotham, is kind of like saying there's been another storm during monsoon season. And there's just been another; in some dilapidated building down in south Gotham, with the broken, boarded-up windows and mildew-crawling walls to match. The victim is a man in his thirties, multiple gunshot wounds to the chest, left in the center of the room for the blood to pool out around him.

The place is already secured when he arrives, the building swarmed with officers and the forensic detectives. The Bat emerges shortly after he does -- or, he might've been here the whole time, hiding someplace dark and shadowy. For his own sanity, Gordon doesn't think about it too hard.

The kid is a surprise, and he appears like a bolt of lightning.

He shows up in the middle of a conversation Gordon is having with the Bat.

A whistle, sharp and loud, slicing through the air, meant for open air rather than a confined space. Gordon's ears pierce and protest the sound, and the solemn, murmured chatter floating through the room abruptly cuts off like the swing of a gavel. As he turns towards the sound -- as they all do -- he swears, up and down, that he sees Batman's shoulders jump, just slightly.

At the source, perched on the window, is a boy. A boy in a gray-blue scarf and an oversized black hoodie, one that hangs off his frame and has ace bandages wrapped around the wrists in some attempt to cinch the sleeves. The hood is up, big like the rest of it, and threatens to swallow the upper half of the boy's face whole in the fabric. What upper half Gordon can see, is smeared with some kind of opaque, black face paint. He's holding onto the side of the frame with one hand, on his hip is a grappling hook. A familiar grappling hook.

Gordon has multiple questions, and his officers tense up.

Martinez puffs up, brows furrowing as his face shapes into a frown. Shoulders rolling back. "You can't be here, kid--"

The reaction is immediate, like a spark to gunpowder, the boy yanks his fingers from his mouth and his mouth twists into a scowl. Head snapping over to Officer Martinez, his hood manages to stay on but Gordon swears that as he bares his teeth, the glint makes them look sharper than they should be. His voice is rasp and quiet and harsh; snappish in its hissing; "Put a fuckin sock in it, Martinez. I'm not stayin."

Martinez reels back, and the boy immediately veers his attention off him. Like a switch, his demeanor drops. Despite half his face being covered, his mouth twists into a cringing, apologetic smile. Slanted and off-beat, embarrassed. It'd be disarming if this wasn't Gotham, and if he didn't just hiss at Martinez like he was about to bite his head off.

"Sorry." He whispers, voice deceptively polite and softer now. Gordon has to strain his ears to hear him. "I was looking for him."

He points his finger towards-- Gordon? No, Gordon follows the direction, and finds himself looking at -- the Bat.

The Bat, who always looks stiff as a pole, now looks even stiffer. Somehow. Well, the explains the grappling hook attached to the boy's waist.

"What are you doing here?" The Bat says, gruff and unable to completely smother the stumble of surprise in his tone.

The boy still holds a sheepish smile, and slips off the window ledge. His feet hit the creaky boards with a near-silent thud, the Batman finds his feet and rapidly begins crossing the room.

Gordon notes the slight tremble in the boy's legs as he straightens. He adjusts his scarf, which droops close to his knees now that he's standing, and slings a backpack -- how long has had that? -- off his shoulders. When the Bat reaches his side, he does as he always does, and looms over the boy like a spectre. A threatening mass of shadows cloaked in all-consuming black. Standing next to him, the boy looks teeny in comparison.

The Bat is a man who terrifies even the most hardened criminals, Gordon has seen grown men shiver in fear at the mention of his name. And yet when the boy looks up at him, he doesn't even flinch.

Instead, his sheepish smile melts away like ice under the sun, holding only traces of his previous embarrassment. It remains as a shadow on his face, a small upturn at the corners of his mouth. The boy pushes his hood back just enough to reveal glinting, ice-flint eyes surrounded in tar-black face paint. He holds the backpack up with one arm. "You forgot this."

[pepperpixel]

SAID HE LIKES CRAZY GIRLS,

BUT HE HATES WHEN I ACT CRAZY,

IT TAKES TWO TO TOXIC!

FINALLY!!! Finished these pics of jinx I’ve been working on!!!!! HOLY SHIT, these took so long…. But finally… they’re done… pls enjoy this art of my beautiful princess w a disorder. Featuring alternate colors for the big pic and also a closeup! Cuz I rlly like how both the lines and coloring on her face turned out… like the pink gradients w her eye… her deer in headlights expression,, like uve just startled a raccoon digging thru ur trashcan and r two seconds away from getting mauled.. m proud of it!

[merlins-strawberriesandroses]

TO be honest. I don’t understand what it means when people say Merlin was Arthur’s bane. Mayhaps I misunderstand but. Arthur was a bit of an assassination magnet (not to mention all those magical creatures and bandits... so many bandits), and Merlin actively prevented Arthur's death for years, which would have occured without him anway in the very first episode. I can see why one might argue that Merlin was just delaying the inevitable, or that he didn't succeed in keeping Arthur safe until Arthur could enact the golden age, but certainly I don’t see how he could have been Arthur’s bane.

Also, it’s implied in the last episode that the golden age does occur, but under Guinevere. Which makes sense as she knew Merlin was the sorcerer and that she was pleased about it (and I recall it was confirmed in interviews), so I also don’t follow the twin train of thought that Merlin was his own bane or even Camelot’s. Camelot was already bane-d(?) under Uther. But partly because of Merlin's steady friendship, Arthur matured into a king who was kinder than his father. He also actively sought magic's aid on multiple occasions, so he knew magic had potential for good (like healing his queen) without Merlin needing to tell him about his magic.

I don't think it's fair to say Camelot's laws on magic remaining relatively static was because no one close to Arthur came out as having magic. There was still much risk in that, and for Merlin a lot at stake, not just his life. A law change was still possible (and almost seemed to be set up that way) without Arthur needing someone he was personally close to having to do the work to humanize it for him (in the sense that the episodes with the druids, the druid boy with Elyan, and the dolma seemed like they were pointing to a law change because Arthur sees the diversity of magic and those who have it).

At worst Merlin’s efforts didn’t change the status quo, but we do have things indicating that they did. And Merlin was not single-mindedly serving Arthur at the expense of everyone else. He saved Camelot as a whole multiple times. He was also very willing to stick out his neck for many others even during the height of his anxiety and agitation in season 5. (Also only being slightly silly when I say this, but he was also THE wingman for Arthur when he was getting with Gwen, so in a way Merlin’s help led to their courting being a success and thus contributed to her being in a great position to change the laws. so personally I give points to Merlin for that). Most of the decisions centering Arthur's safety seemed to stem from the fear that Albion would crumble before it began if Arthur were to die, so he tried his best to prevent that from happening in any way he knew. (Like, when Arthur is dying, Merlin asks "So I failed?" regarding the whole golden age thing, which I think is telling that the prophesy and his role in it was still VERY much at the forefront of Merlin's mind).

And this is a digression but I know people think Merlin should have done more for Camelot, or for folks with magic (like, as a revolutionary or something akin), which I understand but no one reached out to network with him really? It'd require resources, people (always confused why there weren't a whole bunch more folks offering Merlin material/intellectual/emotional support if they thought he should be the one to bring about the golden age. all he was told was that the forseen way it actually happens succesfully is through Arthur), time (I doubt it’d have been much of a ‘quicker’ way necessarily), and incredible planning + foresight if it's meant to be something that works out effectively + long-term. Okay I think I've digressed enough now. This is a whole seperate thought that I don't think I'm gonna do any justice here lol, and I'm already rambling, so I'll stop now :,)

But anyway, in terms of being his own or Arthur’s bane, we know Arthur will return, and we don’t know how Merlin spent his years. His magic can play with time and maybe he learns how to control that, or he could have entered a stasis like in various legends, etc etc etc. And I mean it is tragic on many levels, and it’s sad we didn’t see Arthur’s arc completed, and that Merlin sacrificed so much for a goal that didn't get much acknowledgment by the show at the end, but still. I don’t think Merlin was Arthur’s bane, or Camelot’s, or his own.

[ganondoodle]

i have grown kinda tired of all the studio ghibli and totk comparisons bc i love most of miyazakis movies and its so annoyingly obvious that if totk actually took inspiration from them its all just the surface level aesthetic and none of the good story telling

[skrunksthatwunk]

thinking about when guts sent a bunch of his men directly into zodd's meat grinder without even knowing demons like him existed. and that moment after the fight where casca runs to griffith unconscious on the floor and tells guts it's all his fault. and the time gambino tells him he's bad luck and should have died instead. and about how he tells griffith he cares about his men, and how casca doesn't seem to see it. and the time guts is thinking about casca telling him it's all his fault (after he got griffith hurt) and then griffith comes to him and says (like it's nothing) do i need to give a reason every time i come to save you? or whatever. like he's worth it. like he's worth dying for, and like it can be a choice people make because they value you. like he's a good luck charm, like griffith needs him to reach his goals, his full potential. like griffith is not enough to make it without him. like griffith finds out when guts leaves. fuckin.g gnawing someone else's legs off because i still need mine to run into traffic

[crybaby-bkg]

Being in the forest, you’ve come across all kinds of things, people, beings. You, being one of them, a fairy, an olden one of your kind, the kin that’s far and few to find just lurking around. So you’re special, held in high regard to those who frequent your area of the forest, respected and highly praised. Most know to bow and smile without teeth when they see you, except for one.

He’s new, you suspect, with his too big green eyes and tilted head. He takes in every part of the forest, mumbling to himself, picks at his bottom lip. His hands rests on his hips, and you notice his chest is naked and his lower half is covered in thick, dense fur. It tapers off into shiny hooves that he taps into the soft grass, and you wonder when the last time you saw a satyr was.

He’s a pretty one, you think, with thick curly green locks and curious eyes. His ears are pointed and they twitch in your direction at your giggle when he trips over a tree root. His gaze swivels over to the flower you rest on, and he perks up at the sight of it, clumsily making his way to you.

Everything’s all giggles from you, until he picks up the flower you rest on, mouth opening as the flower comes quickly to his mouth. Before he can devour you, you screech at him, something in your old tongue that nobody in a thirty mile radius could understand. But he stops, pulling the flower back, his curious green eyes widening when he finally makes out your camouflaged body sitting prettily in the bud of the flower.

“Have you no manners?” You ask, voice a huff that makes the satyr’s head tilt in the other direction. He blinks a few times before his eyes widen in excitement, mouth dropping open as he takes you in.

“You’re a…” his voice delves off, as he realizes what kind of fairy you must be. One he’s only heard of in tales, ones that are as old as time. He can’t believe he’s seeing one in real time, much less almost eating one!

“Give me your name, and I’ll forgive your indiscretion.” You offer him, chin jutting out in his direction. He knows he shouldn’t, knows you guys are full of tricks, that he should only admire from afar. But you’re so pretty in that ethereal type of way, and so, so tiny in his hands, that he wonders just how much damage you could actually cause. So he bites the bullet, doesn’t even realize that with just a name, he’s sealed his fate.

“Izuku. My name is Izuku.”

Izuku, or Deku as he likes to be called, has become so subservient to you as the days go on. Carries you everywhere, despite your wings working perfectly fine. Feeds you the fruit from trees without a single complaint, bathes you in the lakes despite his face always turning so red.

He even touches you the way you like to be touched. Lets you stay in his palm, figure hidden behind thick trees, a patch in the openness of the forest where only you two reside. He holds his thickest finger above you, watches with intent vermillion eyes as you lay on your back in his palm, rubbing your tiny little clit all over the pad of his finger. He could crush you in this position, but all he can think of is how immoral it would be to kill an ancient fairy from trying to shove you on his too big cock.

And despite using his big fingers to get you off for so long, it still isn’t enough. He’s surprised, one dusky morning, when he enters that patch in the forest that’s become you guys’ special spot, and doesn’t find you sleeping on a leaf. No, instead, Deku finds someone who looks eerily like you, only bigger in size—so, so much bigger.

Your hair looks so soft and your skin glows an eery golden haze around it. Your wings look iridescent in the slithers of morning light, as they flap lightly when he enters the thicket. Your body is bare, and it only feels that much intenser when everything is so much bigger, so easier to see in the broadening of your skin.

Your eyes are devious, with a downright cruel smile. You stretch where you lay, yawning a little, flipping on your back as you look at Izuku upside down, body bare and on display. It makes him think back to how hard he would have to strain to look in between your legs, now looking away at just how clear everything is.

“It’s time to prove your usefulness to me, Izuku. Are you ready?” You ask in a voice so sultry, he thinks he might melt on the spot. He should’ve known better than to give an ancient fairy his name, knows he’s spellbound to you and your every wish for eternity. But a part of him wishes he only would’ve met you sooner.

“I’m more than ready.”

[telesodalite]

Sort of a ramble, sort of me just writing my thoughts out while I'm stuck with writer's block, but I keep thinking about how Fulcrum was in stasis for roughly 3 million years??

Like, that's a long time, even for Cybertronians. Not a really long time, not an entire lifespan. But still, it's a large chunk of a normal lifespan just gone. Poof.

One second you're crawling across the pockmarked terrain of an alien planet, surrounded by the sound of gunfire, and the shouting and screaming before and after each earth shuddering impact of another k-con hitting the ground. And then it's quiet. You're not there anymore. You're drifting somewhere between not alive and just asleep. Preserved somewhere in the background of a doomed body, ignored by time and space, still here, but also not.

And then there's sound. Not gunfire. Not shouting or screaming. Not the sounds that'll haunt you till your dying days, your own death sentence pounding in your head. No. Just voices, talking, standing out against a silent, dead world. Wondering. Joking. Bickering. Familiar. Just, not familiar to you. And you're awake. Pulled back from the nothingness you've been frozen in, consciousness tugged forwards with the yank of a fuel pump and the nearness of life.

These two moments are roughly 3 million years apart, but only minutes, maybe even seconds, to him. From a hectic harrowing battlefield, to an old silent graveyard in one blink.

How long did it take to really sink in? I mean, he seems to just roll with it. He doesn't seem particularly bothered. But like, what happened outside of what we see? How did he really feel?

Also, his body aged without him. While his mind preserved itself, freezing him as he was right then, his body was left to weather Clemency for all those years. No wonder it crumbled to dust when he jumped off the world sweeper. It's probably a miracle of some kind that it didn't just fall apart each time someone leaned on him.

And even after they rebuild him, give him a better, newer body. His spark, it's casing, all the irreplaceable core bits that make up their inner bodies, it aged in the time without him. Does he feel it? Does it make his body even more foreign to him?

Then he's also a technician with information that's 3 million years out of date. Lucky him that the scavengers probably weren't working with top of the line material. But still it's gotta be weird when faced with anything brand new, because a lot can change and progress in 3 million years, and now some of the knowledge he once prided himself in is obsolete.

Besides those things, his view of the galaxy, of the war, of their kind, of other kinds, is one of the few things actually pointed out when it comes to him being stuck in the past. So, how often were his old views challenged? Facts of life he held close proved to no longer true? There's 3 million years worth of new science, new beliefs, new words, new terms, new views.

And sure, some of it can be familiar, because they're an ever evolving kind, and they have patterns, core beliefs, repeating behaviors, but a lot of it's gonna be unfamiliar at the same time, because it's 3 million years worth of catch up, it's not like missing last week's trend.

In a way, it makes him a living relic of a bygone era for Decepticons. It would've been really interesting to have had that explored a little more.

[cerealmonster15]

i always think about that '[thing] is so good when you dont got a bitch in ur ear tellin you it's not' meme when im doing something i remember The Internet getting mad about,,, been having a lot of fun with pokemon violet this week 🙏

[todayisafridaynight]

NO YOU’RE SO RIGHT ABOUT THE MAJIMA STUFF THOUGH. GOD. God forbid you speak poorly about the fandom silly guy etc etc. I rt’d one post about someone being annoyed abt majima getting an insane amount of merch (especially compared to other characters- even other PLAYABLE characters) and suddenly my TL is filled with ppl taking it as a personal attack….. like?? Settle down???

My one fear is that instead of Mine content we’re just gonna get Majima Saga 2 for yk3 and rgg will call it a day. WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO SAY ABOUT THE GUY !!! GENUINELY!!!

at this rate we’re going to have a complete record of Majima’s life from birth until modern day bc you knowww they’re never gonna let the cash cow die or retire. + god I lowkey need the 3jimas to break up Now so saejima and daigo can stand on their own again (w/out being overshadowed by Majima)…. Saejima especially… I miss the days when he felt like a character………

(I may have a lot to say on the topic) (he’s a fun character but at this rate I’m getting so sick of the fandom around him)

gen is kinda funny how when there's the Monthly Critique Of Majima post on twitter the rggtwt part of the tl is flooded with majima fans being upset. its like clockwork really LOL

as for saejima, i do miss him being solo... like he's funny with majima at times, but as wack as Y4 was i still really liked his coliseum scene, and his prison adventures in Y5 were a real treat too..

[bonsaibudz]

second date went very very well (with maybe the exception that he's starting to be a little *too* frat boy for her..) with a teeny tiny surprise below the cut that explains pic 2

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um so a little secret random genuinely unexpected hookup maybe occurred while she was out on the date.. don't look at me i didn't do anything i absolutely made all the decisions :)