#oh also in case anyone wondered these two bits are connected

[infiniteseriesofhalfways]

good lord, i just read some shit i wrote back in October, and it fucking hurts, like-

He doesn't hate his father. He loves him like an ant loves a magnifying glass, like ex-smokers love a new pack, like holding your hand to a fire and begging for once, for it to only warm and not burn. His father is a force beyond his control, a god who forgot the verses on mercy. On forgiveness. He doesn't pray to anyone, not since they stopped going to church. But at night he lies awake, pleading with the universe, allow his father to see the truth. His mother is a good woman. He has done his best to be a good son. They have given their entire lives to him, sacrificed nearly every bit of their own desires to try and make him happy. If, someday, his father should wake up and see all of it, maybe then he would start believing in god again. Until then, he can't see anyone looking out for him. He can't find any father in the stars who actually loves him back.

why did i say any of that at all??? could've kept every bit of that to myself.

When CA turns away from him, his heart aches. He wants so badly to reach over, to hold CA until everything bad that has ever happened to him comes tumbling out. He wants to let CA spill his secrets and leave them here in the sand, buried beside forgotten beer bottles and toy shovels. It's in the rise and fall of his chest, faster and faster as he spirals. He can't imagine where CA's thoughts have gone, what fucked up memory he's gotten lost in. He considers his own past, good experiences tainted by the way they ended. He could tell the story, be the first of them to cut himself open tonight. A bloody invitation for CA to do the same. Not a demand. Not a requirement. An open palm and a promise under moonlight.

like idk who i was thinking i was but i have in fact depressed the shit out of myself three months later

[slayfics]

Explosive Tendencies a slow burn fanfic about the readers developing relationship with Katsuki Bakugo.

Chapter four: You study with Katsuki.

Chapter links

With the completion of the internships, the end-of-term tests were coming up. You sat at your desk studying but couldn't help but wonder how your classmates were doing.

Everyone had gone into a frenzy in class about meeting up to study and being prepared. Multiple students had planned to go over to Momo's since she was at the top of the class. But since you weren't explicitly invited, you didn't want to show up. You still hadn't really connected too much with your other classmates.

You also overheard Eijiro and Katsuki make plans to study at a diner today. Fuck it I'll show up there, you thought. Katsuki did kind of owe you for fixing his hair anyway. Worst case if they seemed super irritated by it you could play it off as if you were just going to that diner regardless. That seemed a lot easier than randomly showing up at Momo's house considering you hadn't even spoken to her much yet.

You made your way over to the diner and almost as soon as you entered you were greeted with an overly enthusiastic "Hey!" that made you jump.

Eijiro had spotted you right away and waved at you to come over. Katsuki turned around with his usual annoyed expression to see who Eijiro had so openly invited to their table.

"Oh it's you," Katsuki mumbled.

"Hey, how's the studying going?" You asked, making your way over to their table.

"Uh, not so good," Eijiro laughed. "Bakugo's trying his best but I think I'm hopeless. Sit down and join us!" He said, smiling at you.

You reluctantly sat down next to Eijiro feeling a bit anxious. Aside from the times Katuski had snuck into your room, this was the first time you had spent outside of the classroom with any of your classmates.

"I'm kind of surprised you're not at Yaoyorozu's with everyone else," Eijiro stated.

"I wasn't really invited, and I didn't want to just invite myself like everyone else," You replied.

"You had no problem inviting yourself here," Katsuki said, looking up at you from his book.

You felt frozen, guess you didn't pull off pretending to just accidentally come to the same diner.

"Ah don't be so mean Bakugo, maybe they can help me. I know you are at your wits end with me," Eijiro said, laughing.

"Yeah whatever," Katsuki grumbled.

"Now that I think about it, I guess I really haven't seen you hang out with the others much," Eijiro stated curiously.

You're face flushed at his words, was it really that obvious that you hadn't befriended anyone in your class? "I uh.. well..." You stuttered trying to figure out how to answer him.

"Hey dumb ass, are you going to chat their ear off all day or are we going to study?" Katsuki barked at him.

"Right! Let's get back to it then," Eijiro said, focusing back on his book.

The three of you studied for almost the whole day. It surprised you to see how intelligent Katsuki was, his delivery was always harsh though. He'd get frustrated easily when Eijiro couldn't pick up on something right away, but you were able to explain in a calmer manner and that seemed to help.

Although, it did still take Eijiro an extended amount of time to fully understand concepts. With the sun going down you three decided it was time to finish up.

"Wow, ok I feel prepared for the written test now! I'm just worried about the test exercises," Eijiro said.

"It'll be fine shitty hair, you worry too much. You'll both do fine, and I’ll finally be able to show everyone how worthless that nerd Deku is and how much better I am than that Icyhot bastard," Katsuki replied.

You sighed, “Bakugo I already told you- I’m pretty sure everyone knows you would have beat Todoroki regardless of him using both sides or not.”

“Hm?” Eijiro looked at you both curiously. “Told him before? You two have hung out before?” He asked.

Your face flushed at Eijiro’s correct assumption and you weren’t sure how to respond. It seemed a little suspicious to say the truth- that Katsuki had snuck into your room three times now.

“Don’t be so nosy dumb ass,” Katsuki grumbled at him.

“Oh right-! Sorry! Anyway… Maybe the test exercise will be a team exercise and we'll get paired together or something! After today I'd say the three of us make a good team," Eijiro said smiling.

You smiled back at him unsure of how to respond to so much positivity. Katsuki just rolled his eyes at Eijrio.

It was striking how night and day it was between Eijiro's cheery demeanor and Katsuki's quick temper.

Tags: @unofficialmuilover @anon-mouse223

[ashoss]

Oops you got me going on two of my seven evil hyperfixations (batfam and pjo) so i'm gonna keep going ❤️ I think for Cass it really depends on what aspect of her personality/history you want to focus on! I've always liked Bellona (Roman goddess of war) for her as a connection to her fighting abilities. I feel like she'd have a similar relationship to her mother as Frank Zhang does to Mars. Hades of course for the connection to death. I also like Nike is another good one, especially with how CONFIDENT she is in the comics that she never loses. Like she's so smug about it, i love it!

Actually, if you still want Cass to have a relation to Hades without her being a kid of the big 3, you could have her be a legacy of Hades and have a different god be her other godly parent (like Frank)! Two for one because Cass is that special ❤️

Another one that I've never seen anyone mention, but one that came to me and won't leave my head, is Nemesis. Nemesis is vengeance, yes, but she is also justice and balance, passing judgment where it is and in proportion to what was deserved. Our first introduction to Cass was that she felt so much guilt over killing a man that she felt that the only way to redeem herself was to die. We see this fuel so much of her actions as batgirl, and even though she eventually grew out of that mindset, that really struck me that Cass was someone kind and fair. She values life so much that she couldn't forgive herself for something that wasn't her fault (passing judgment like Nemesis, but inward instead of outward), so now she fights so that others have a right to live and to right what she thinks of as wrongs

Also depending on which origin you use for Diana, the batkids being demigods means that cool aunt diana REALLY IS their aunt now! Or even better, their cool older cousin (which i think would be incredibly funny) LMAO aunt would be if Diana is directly the offspring of Zeus (along with Cassie Sandsmark, who would also technically be Tim's aunt in this case? LMAO) Cousin would be a bit looser, but going the clay doll route, diana could be regarded as being "birthed" by the other gods, or at the very least, is their champion and near-like their child in that way.

akhjds no please keep going!!! you have fantastic takes on this oh my god

god, nemesis Cass is honestly so interesting. i was focusing more on her relationship with fighting and death for some of my other ideas but honestly it makes so much more sense. (and me taking just the justice/retribution for me wanting her to be Jason's mom) but god that makes so much sense i am actually so in love with this take. (hades legacy cass is also sooo good ugh)

and yes!! that is absolutely their aunt Diana!! (when Jason actually gets claimed his first thing is "like wonder woman???") i also think their connection with some of the other Amazonians would be interesting in this case because it could be the cause for the FUNNIEST shenanigans that the other people don't get.

like Tim complaining to Cassie: ugh yeah there was a couple harpies on my way here. they're such a pain to fight.

Cassie: ugh yeah i know.

Kon and Bart: harpies????

or like, "hey Tim why are you covered in gold glitter?

Tim: had to fight a cheerleader.

[katsona-the-katsequel]

Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad Activity Report

Part 7

11/10 (Tue) - Reporter: Yukari Takeba

Wh, wh, wh... J, Junpei! What's with the smell of love?! Don't make such random accusations! I'll kick you away! Ah... It's Takeba... Ahahaha.

Ahem. Well, today, Kirijo-senpai finally came back. As expected, she seemed to be more worn out than I expected, and even though she had come home, I could hardly talk to her...

Also, I'm a bit worried about Sanada-senpai. He seemed really calm while Kirijo-senpai was away, so maybe he was pushing himself too hard. Seeing Kirijo-senpai trapped, Sanada-senpai also felt depressed, just like she was...

For now, we think the best we can do is to not cause trouble for our seniors. So, the second-year students of Gekkoukan Academy, Amada-kun representing the elementary school, and Koro-chan representing the animals will be doing their best to support the two of them.

11/16 (Mon) - Reporter: Mitsuru Kirijo

Sanada-senpai and Kirijo-senpai, if there's anything we can do for you, please let us know. Junpei will take full responsibility and fulfill his mission. So, Junpei, please take care of them. This was Takeba.

11/11 (Wed) - Reporter: Fuuka Yamagishi

Good evening, this is Yamagishi.

Yukari-chan, you're overreacting... So it's obvious even if it's not Junpei-kun? But Junpei-kun, do I smell love too? Hmm, that's a no-go. Unfortunately, I don't think I'm connected to anyone like that yet.

Speaking of love, the transfer student Ryoji-kun is somehow interesting, isn't he? Oh, I'm not saying anything about him... but don't you like Aigis' reaction when she first met him? It was the first time I've seen such an intense reaction as "No way!"

He seems to be very popular with girls, but even without that, it's a little strange. Am I overthinking it?

By the way... or rather, this is the main topic, but is Kirijo-senpai okay? We're currently exploring Tartarus again, little by little. With the school trip approaching, the Student Council work must be busy, so please leave it to us and relax for a while.

11/12 (Thu) - Reporter: Aigis

A school trip...a ​​very interesting event. I've learned quite a bit about school life, but sleeping in the same room as my classmates is a rare experience.

Now that I think about it, I would have called it a "special mission" school trip in the past, but now I'm pretty much a high school girl, so a school trip is not a special mission. It's a major event. I'm welcome!

But Ryoji-san, that's a no-no. Field leader, please be careful not to let your emotions get the better of you in an extraordinary environment like a school trip and deepen your relationship with Ryoji-san.

11/13 (Fri) - Reporter: Ken Amada

School trip... In high school, we're going to Kyoto. Yukari-san looked strange when she heard it was Kyoto, so maybe she doesn't like it? In my case, I hardly ever had the chance to travel, so I'm just jealous that you can go out somewhere.

For now, I've requested souvenirs from the field leader, but if you can give me something else, I'll have no complaints.

Oh, Junpei-san. I'll tell you now, wooden swords are a no-no. Also, anything that says "love," "friendship," or "effort" is a no-no.

By the way, speaking of Junpei-san, did you go to the hospital today? I wonder how Chidori-san is doing. Did you get to see her? You see, everyone except Chidori-san from Strega lost the battle during the last operation... She's having a hard time too. It may be strange for me to say this, but please be sure to stay with her.

11/14 (Sat) - Reporter: Mitsuru Kirijo

It's Kirijo.

Phew... It's been a while since I've been in this room.

I'm sorry for causing trouble to everyone. I'm not sure if I can be a valuable fighting force, but I'm finally feeling motivated.

...For now, I still haven't found the purpose of the battle, but there's no doubt that the number of people suffering from Apathy Syndrome due to the shadows' damage is increasing. In that case, we have no choice but to hunt shadows, even if it's only a symptomatic treatment.

It may be a little lonely with a captain like this, but I intend to come up with a plan soon. Please stay like this for a while...I'm counting on you.

Now for the school trip...

11/15 (Sun) - Reporter: Yukari Takeba

Well, it's Takeba.

Kirijo-senpai, you still seem tired... But I think it's understandable considering the situation. You suddenly lost your goal.

I don't know if this will help, but before we joined SEES, when the large Shadows hadn't appeared yet, you had no idea how to make the Dark Hour disappear, right?

But you, Kirijo-senpai, started the squad on your own five years ago and survived the seemingly endless battles with Sanada-senpai and Aragaki-senpai. Is it unreasonable to think that even if you lose sight of your goal, you've just gone back to that time...?

…Hmm, sorry. I may have been a bit pushy without considering the feelings of the senpais. To be honest, I'm also at a loss as to what to do from now on. Anyway, if you need anything, please let me know anytime. This was Takeba...

It's Kirijo.

Takeba, you've been a big help with the other day's activity report and today's work. I've also been a nuisance to everyone else because of my incompetence. I'm really sorry.

To tell the truth, I've been a lot of trouble to the Student Council. Today, because I disappeared without a trace, even the general students were hunted down and searched for. I hope no one in this dorm was involved.

Anyway, both the shadow fighting and the Student Council are scheduled to be fully restored from today. I'll be counting on you.

By the way... should I ask Iori or Takeba? Um, who is this transfer student called Mochizuki? He seems to have transferred while I was away, but is he the son of some company CEO or something?

I was suddenly invited to a meal at a hotel today. I have had meals with clients and business partners in the Kirijo Group before, but this was the first time I had met them face to face, so I was a bit hesitant. Was I being rude?

11/17 (Tue) - Reporter: Ken Amada

Mitsuru-san... If you're serious about that, I think you should learn a bit about your awareness of danger as a woman. I hope you haven't gotten caught up in some weird pick-up scheme in Kyoto. I wonder if you'll be okay...

So, starting today, everyone is on a school trip. Only Koromaru and I are in the dorm. It would be a problem if we lived in a normal dormitory with just one elementary school student and one dog, but we are still members of SEES. At least in terms of crime prevention, it's completely safe. Please feel sorry for the thief.

Well, I'm looking forward to the souvenirs.

11/18 (Wed) - Reporter: Ken Amada

It's the second day since you all left.

I'm not lonely, but... I think the distance between Koromaru and I is starting to get a bit tense when we're alone together. I wish I could understand Koromaru's words like Aigis does.

Today, after school, I took Koromaru for a walk. However, I was a little late with the planning and forgot about Koromaru's walking route. We crossed Moonlight Bridge on foot, went to Port Island, and returned to the dormitory...

I just had dinner and I'm going to bed now. Good night.

11/19 (Thu) - Reporter: Ken Amada

Third day of the school trip.

Where will everyone be today? I'm sure most of you will have visited the standard tourist spots of Kiyomizu-dera Temple and the Kyoto Imperial Palace on the first day of the school trip, but maybe you'll go a little further and visit Kinkaku-ji Temple or Ginkaku-ji Temple?

Maybe you think you know a lot about it even though you've never been there? Hehehe. Actually, I was just using the terminal here to look at some Kyoto tourism websites.

Kyoto seems like a nice place... Oh, I'm not saying that I want to go there. I'm just impressed by the beautiful scenery. Oh, if someone is interested in going again, I might be happy if they invite me too... The open-air baths would be great.

…No, I'm not urging you or anything. If you want to go, you can go by yourself. Please come back early tomorrow. Be careful on the way back.

11/20 (Fri) - Reporter: Akihiko Sanada

It may sound cliché, but to be honest, I feel like I'm the best. Yes, I feel like I've finally found the teleportation device in Tartarus and escaped to the entrance...

Ah, it seems like Amada has been very lonely. Well, I'll invite him on a trip sometime. As for the open-air bath... well, someday...

11/21 (Sat) - Reporter: Junpei Iori

Hi, Junpei here. Amada, it seems like you had a really hard time staying home alone. So why aren't you accepting the souvenir I went to the trouble of buying for you? It was really hard to find, the ornament from Kinkakuji that says "All-out attack." No, I never imagined something like this would be serious either.

I don't want anything with words like "love," "friendship," or "effort" written on it, so I wondered if there were any words that would make Amada happy. I want to be paid for my labor!

Oh, now that I think about work, I remembered. I have a hands-on study session starting the day after tomorrow... This school doesn't allow part-time job.

I've lived my life avoiding work to the point where I'm glad there's a school rule that prohibits part-time jobs, so why do I have to go through the trouble of doing it in class?

What's more, I wish they'd picked a job that looked at least a bit interesting, but from what I've heard from my seniors, it's either unloading, carrying, or shouldering luggage, which are all the same!

Kirijo-senpai, do you have any secret tricks to use the Kirijo group's powers to give everyone in the dorm the easy work?

For now, my hopes are that there will be 20 minute breaks every hour, I won't have to lift anything heavier than a rice bowl, and it would be nice if there were cute girls working with me, would that be okay?

11/22 (Sun) - Reporter: Mitsuru Kirijo

It's Kirijo. Junpei Iori... Don't be so selfish, you idiot!

I thought someone had gone all the way to the head of the Kirijo family's household to talk about work and had returned tired, but to be greeted with such a pointless report is beyond anger; it makes me dumbfounded.

To begin with, the Kirijo Group has nothing to do with experiential learning. If you send students from the school Kirijo runs to Kirijo's company, they'll have an easy time, that's for sure. That would defeat the purpose of off-campus training!

Well... I guess it's not possible this year, but next year I might be able to get you into a company that's a good fit for you. I heard recently that the president of the mail-order company, Tanaka's Amazing Commodities, heard about our off-campus internship and asked me if I would like to have some students attend. That place is famous for its harsh working environment, with 24-hour full-time work. For people like you who have little motivation to work, they make you work even if you don't say anything. What do you think? They make you work really hard, so it's a good place to work, isn't it?

…Yeah, it feels like I'm really getting back to normal. I guess this is how I should be. Iori, your silly story seems to have cheered me up just now. Thank you. Well, I guess I'll rest before the Dark Hour today.

11/23 (Mon) - Reporter: Fuuka Yamagishi

Something sad... happened. It was during the Dark Hour last night...

Uh... uh...

Wait...

I guess I shouldn't push myself after all. Oh, it's nothing.

It looks like it's tough for Fuuka, so I'll start recording from here. Um... where should I start? Yes, it was yesterday's Dark Hour.

Fuuka caught Strega's presence before Tartarus, and it was that Chidori, Junpei's precious one.

Actually, she was supposed to be hospitalized, but I found out today... there was an attack on the hospital, and she went missing at the time. And then, that Chidori suddenly attacked Junpei... she was really in love with Junpei, but she didn't know what her feelings were, and she said it was her fault because Junpei was there... what an idiot, that girl. She was tempted by that perverted Strega guy! Y-Yes. After that, two men from Strega appeared and shot Junpei...

I'm sorry, but I don't remember that part very well. I'll leave out the details, but Junpei was close to death once. But that girl's Persona... I think she was called Medea. With the power of that Persona, she gave Junpei life... Medea's power is the exact opposite of Fuuka's Juno's; it's not the power to sense life, but the power to release one's own life. And so, even though she was weak from fighting us before, she gave all her remaining life to Junpei...

I'm sorry. I'm still confused and can't put it into words well. It's not something that can be said so easily, I want more...more...!

Yukari-chan...

I'm fine now. Let's take over. Right?

This is Yamagishi. I'll take over. Chidori-san has passed away. She gave her life, and Junpei-kun is safe. However, I allowed Takaya and Jin, the two who call themselves Strega, to escape.

As of today, Junpei-kun has gone somewhere and is gone. I'm very worried, but I don't think the worst will happen. Junpei knew very well that Chidori gave him his life. So, I think it will be okay.

Chidori's body has now been moved to Kirijo. They need to identify her... I wonder what they'll do about the funeral.

Anyway, we're waiting for Junpei to return. I'm sure he'll be fine.

11/24 (Tue) - Reporter: Akihiko Sanada

Today, the second-year students came home exhausted from their field trip. I didn't go to their rooms to check, but I think they were so tired that they fell asleep around 10 o'clock. Well, that's what happened. I'm sure they were grateful in a way for being so tired that they didn't have time to think about anything.

However, Junpei still hasn't come back to the dorms, and he hasn't participated in the field trip. I'm sure he'll come back, but... it's too heavy for one person to carry. It's several times heavier than the baggage you carry on a field trip. When I was there, there was Amada, who felt the same way. We shared it between the two of us, and somehow we managed to carry it all.

…Junpei, come back soon.

The only way to rise from sadness is to stand on your own two feet. But when you can't stand on your own, someone will hold your hand. The people in this dorm are all good-natured, so there will be plenty of arms outstretched to help you. You know that, don't you?

I'm sure she's waiting for that too.

11/25 (Wed) - Reporter: Mitsuru Kirijo

It's Kirijo. The second-year students are going on an experiential learning session today. Even to begin with, everyone is quiet.

Furthermore, the number of people has decreased, so the dormitory is so quiet it feels like no one is living there... Iori hasn't returned yet.

Akihiko says he's fine, but when I think of my mental state when I lost my father, I can't fully relax.

Well, I have no choice but to believe him... Regarding the girl named Chidori, I'd like to report what Kirijo's lab has learned. When the results of the tests from when she was hospitalized were revealed, it was a side effect of the suppressor, and even if this incident hadn't happened, she would have had about two years to live.

Nothing about her identity remains a mystery. It's doubtful whether her last name, or even the name Chidori, was real. If we could find out the true identity of the mastermind who turned the Strega into Persona Users, we could investigate, but there is no information on that either. For now, I have instructed them to continue the investigation.

That's all we know. The guys at the lab were interested in the artificial Persona Users, and some even insisted on an autopsy, but I stopped them from doing so. That's all for now.

11/26 (Thu) - Reporter: Aigis

The third day of the experience program has ended. Everyone except for me seems to be exhausted.

Junpei-san has still not returned. Where is he?

Chidori gave her life with a will that went beyond biological instinct. Junpei, who inherited her will, will inevitably return. I'm sure of it.

11/27 (Fri) - Reporter: Yukari Takeba

Well, this is Takeba. I've finally finished my hands-on learning. My arms are sore, my back is sore, my eyes are droopy, and I feel like I've aged all at once. I'm sure the others are feeling the same way. Oh, except for Aigis. She was working silently, saying she was good at this kind of thing.

And then...Junpei finally returned home.

Seriously, that idiot caused me so much worry...

Although he's safe, he looks more depressed and weak than I've ever seen him before... But I'll wait. The guy I know is the kind of guy who always bounces back even when he's down.

I'm watching closely, Junpei.

11/28 (Sat) - Reporter: Junpei Iori

…Hehe, it's Junpei. I'm so sorry for worrying everyone. Well, I just heard about the activities while I was away. I don't know, but I feel sorry, but I'm also grateful... I'm really touched, I guess. Well, I've finally come back, so I'll do a report on my activities to celebrate my return. It's a matter of settling things, a matter of settling things.

...a...matter of...

Oh, no, I'm not going senile, I just realized that I've never really made a proper report in the first place, hahahaha.

Wow, so this is to celebrate my return and my first report? That's pretty fancy, isn't it?

Anyway, there was only one thing that related to SEES today. I'll just give you a quick report.

Well, should I start by saying that Tatsumi Memorial Hospital... has delivered Chidori's belongings to Kirijo-senpai. Well, when I say belongings, it was just one sketchbook.

But I was a little surprised by the contents of that sketchbook...

The pictures of Chidori that I know are kind of unintelligible, like avant-garde art, surreal, rare...Real Madrid...no. They're just messy pictures like that.

But...the drawing on the last page was an amazingly good one, I was amazed that she could draw something like that...

...Well, to be honest, it was a really handsome portrait of Iori Junpei-sama!

However, when the details are made to that extent, it's really embarrassing, or rather, I get a little embarrassed.

…So that’s why I’m here talking to you like this right now.

Okay, the report is over! I'll be back working hard starting tomorrow, so please keep me company!

11/29 (Sun) - Reporter: Fuuka Yamagishi

Good evening, this is Yamagishi.

I'm glad you're feeling better, Junpei...and once again...welcome back.

It feels like it's been a while since we've been able to report on our activities in a normal atmosphere. However, it seems like everyone is still tired from all the hard work that's been going on, so there's nothing special to do today...

Ah, there was! That's right, something special.

Someone other than SEES showed up as a guest at the Iwatodai dormitory.

That person was actually the much talked about transfer student from Class F, Ryoji Mochizuki. Apparently, he became friends with Junpei on the school trip, and they were chatting for quite a long time in the room. Ah, but apparently I just didn't notice, and he'd already been here before, although I'm not sure if it was before or after the field trip.

It's kind of an unexpected combination, isn't it? Ryoji is fashionable, flawless and popular, and Junpei is, um, a bit of a different type. I wonder what they had in common?

11/30 (Mon) - Reporter: Ken Amada

Tonight, the atmosphere was a little different than usual. Well, I know the reason why. Everyone except for me, Aigis, and Koromaru has been holed up in their rooms studying all day. ...And Junpei too!

When I asked Aigis, she said that the final exams are coming up in two weeks, so I think they're studying for those exams. But with a normal exam, Yukari would start to push herself about a week or two before, and then Sanada would start nagging Junpei, who never seems to start studying, and then Mitsuru would motivate everyone. But this time it's different...

I guess it's just a result of you all growing up through a lot of things, right?

Still, it's surprising that Junpei is starting to study at this time of year... And what's more, I've been watching him for over an hour and he hasn't even come out to the break room... People can change all they want. Good luck to everyone.

12/1 (Tue) - Reporter: Akihiko Sanada

It seems like all the members are studying hard on their own for this final term. As a mother-in-law, I feel like there isn't enough for them to do.

…Just kidding.

But Junpei really started studying on his own. I'm not joking, it looks like it's going to rain or snow here. Well, do your best.

…Actually, there's something that's been bothering me today. What on earth happened to Aigis? Has she always shown such a sad expression? Maybe you should be a little more careful and considerate of her. I know this sounds strange, but she just seemed like a normal scared girl. Is she okay...?

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Tag List: @kerto-p

[dragon-communion]

Considering one of the very glaring issues about Omens is excessive, debilitating horn growth that cannot be removed without extreme agony and blood loss despite everything perfumers can throw at them… I wonder if it’s possible to at least do mitigation work on horns by trying to “train” their growth like bonsai trees with wired guiding and tension. Like I cannot find this technique being applied to natural horned animals, since I don’t know of any that have quite the same issue as Omens, but in theory it might be able to avoid incidents like Mohg’s eye getting gouged out.

What’re your thoughts on it?

Oh you have unlocked Pandora's Box hon. When I was a kid I hyperfixated on unicorns, and because I was a strange kid I hyperfixated on unicorn scams. Also I grew up near an ungodly amount of cows. While I am certainly not an expert on horns, I know enough about them to say:

calves can be chemically dehorned

modifications like any of the following are best started young

horn weights are used in real life to encourage the curvature of horns

filing is another fairly easy technique, involving filing one side of the horn a bit to encourage it to grow that direction

other suggestions I've seen include tying the horns or housing the cow in a particularly small stall so the horns are bumped often

On young cattle, the horns actually start as little buds detached from the skull like so:

And as they age, they grow in and connect like this:

Even young cattle can still be dehorned entirely, but after... two years, or thereabouts, it becomes pretty risky. I'm pretty sure you can take an inch or two off the top of an adult cow with no problems, but don't quote me on that.

Chemical dehorning is basically like when they chemically freeze off a wart at the doctor. Kill that entire section of skin, let it scab off, no more horn. Best done very young.

I'm mostly using cattle as an example because I know of cases where a horn just curled around and tried to impale the poor thing's own head, and also you're probably only going to find horn training in domesticated horned animals anyway. I'd be curious if anyone does this to goats, but my guess is goats do what they want regardless of man or god.

So! In summation, particularly for Mohg, I think it would've been extremely possible to train his horn away from self-mutilation. By the time he was old enough for it to be a problem, though, he was likely already in the Shunning Grounds and I hear the healthcare down there is piss poor.

While there are goats in Elden Ring there is a distinct lack of cattle, and given the stigma against horns in general I really have to wonder if anyone knows how to take care of them? Maybe the Crucible Knights, but if they do they aren't talking.

As a side note: remember when I mentioned unicorn scams? If I'm remembering my facts right, it's possible to move the horn buds while an animal is still young to the center of their forehead, so it'll grow there instead. Considering one can only hope that omens are born with soft little buds instead of horns, it would theoretically be possible to alter the placement of horns too, in addition to removing them entirely.

[baede-6]

I was adopted by a random fireteam in the Tower last night and this was a fun twenty five minutes. If on the off chance any of you are on Tumblr,just know I had a blast. Such a wholesome experience and it renewed my faith in people a little bit. ❤️

This is what happens when two Cayde's meet, by the way in case anyone was wondering. (I'm the gold boots.😘)

I was AFK,and when I came back,the two pumpkins were on either side of me,I didn't think anything of it,just Guardians being Guardians. Ran over to Eva,pumpkins followed me,one pumpkin started dancing by me and I wasn't about to fail the vibe check,so I started dancing. Twenty five minutes later and they had all added me,so I guess I passed with flying colors.

Also,first time an entire fireteam has added me at once. 😄

I only figured out they wanted me to look at my requests because they started flashing their ghosts at me, so I thought I missed something in chat then connected the dots and looked at my friend requests.😂🤣

Oh,and the other Cayde had the same exact Ghost,projection and they had Ace of Spades. Such good fashion sense. Love finding the real ones out in the wild.🤌

❤️♠️

[themurderofcrowscollective]

Alright, I was asked for more protective Damian so here we go! This is for you, @bruciemilf! In case you're wondering where this inspiration also came from, check out the og post right here!

When Damian first arrived at the mansion, as angsty and vicious as ever, he was insufferable for a bit due to how protective he was over Bruce. He didn't trust anyone else in the mansion but Alfred managed to get his trust a bit faster since he's just like his dad. One wrong look at Bruce and you'd be stuck in a chokehold or have a sword's blade at your neck. Years later on, Damian has a profound trust bond with Dick as he grew more closer to everyone else and in a way, became more of Bruce's son than just his blood son. Sure, he'd also call Bruce 'Baba' (which we all collectively headcanon now) and believe that he'd be okay with Bruce around. That wasn't the case when he got wounded so bad and was fighting off the tears while he was getting stitches from Alfred. At that point he just wanted his Baba to comfort him in his time of need, but he didn't want to see Dick yell at him for letting him get hurt and he didn't want to see his Baba close in on himself and walk away solemnly. He just wanted his Baba. When Bruce left the room, he watched Dick freeze in his place while expecting him to run and apologize before Bruce did anything on depression-driven impulse but Dick didn't. He didn't do anything to fix this. Dick damaged his baba and Damian knew that his father meant a little bit more to him than Dick so he froze only for a moment, letting his tears fall. Once his stitches were wrapped in bandages, he asked Tim to find Bruce asap while ignoring Jason ranting and yelling at Dick for what he did. He just wanted his baba back. You can imagine the heartbreak in his eyes when Tim tells him that he went to visit Dr. Fate. Damian knew what his Baba was going to do but he was in no condition to move to stop him, so in his tears that returned, he glares at Dick so coldly that you could feel a chill go down your spine and he says, " I hope you're happy. " Once the timeline was rewritten and no one knew Bruce Wayne, Damian was a special case in this new timeline. He knew Bruce Wayne was his father and Bruce Wayne knew that Damian was his child, but the years of bonding and loving each other was erased and they were cold and distant from each other. Damian reverted back to being a blade and Bruce reverted back to being a broken man mourning the deaths of his family long before he even met Dick. Even bound by blood, they meant nothing to each other but Damian still protected him and shot glares at everyone who came too close. His coldest glares were saved only for Dick who knew he did something wrong, but the two never figured out why. As for the dreams of the Bruce they knew, Damian only became more cold and angry towards Dick but for his father, he never broke out a fight or try to kill Dick. He just knew how to make him wish he was dead by simply doing nothing and never responding to him. And boy did Dick wish for death. Once the timeline was reverted back to the way it was, Dick didn't want to go back to face Bruce at the bridge. He just wanted to stay in his apartment and stay hidden but he didn't expect the tiny terror to knock down his door and demand that he goes to Bruce and apologize. Was Damian in tears? Oh yeah, but he was angry. Really angry. The whole time they went to where Bruce was, Damian felt relieved that Clark was with him to comfort him but he was so close to aim a knife at Dick's neck to make him get out of the car. Luckily he didn't resort to that. Instead he let himself be a child and run to his baba, crying and clinging to him before he was lifted up and held so tightly. Like father like son, they sobbed together. Dick knew he fucked up and really needed to apologize and so he did, without Damian shooting a glare or anyone else who arrived to shove him forwards, he just did it on his own. Afterwards, for weeks on end and even after the wedding, Damian never left Bruce's and Clark's side. He kept sleeping in their bed together, spent more time with the two and slowly but surely built a bond with Clark.

[spiritsong]

A fun anecdote about Aune's name —

So, I've had this note on my phone for YEARS that is just a list of names that I enjoy that sound at least vaguely appropriate for a fantasy setting. I pick from it whenever I'm playing a video game and need a name for my character. The name Aune had long lived on this list, but I had yet to use it.

Before I even got my hands on the EA version of the game, I already knew I wanted to play a half-Drow Cleric of Eilistraee. Though I didn't know that I'd be multiclassing her as a bard yet in the full release, I was at least RPing that she was a dancer and musician, as per the Sword-Dancer tradition. I came up with the bones of her backstory — that a tragic and mysterious event that occurred at the time of her birth gave her a unique understanding & intimacy with the forces of life and death, and as such, ending up as a Life Domain cleric felt right to her. This seesawing between two opposing forces would be symbolic of her journey in understanding her own morality and concept of self. (Also, from a meta standpoint, this backstory gave me the space to change my mind and class as a necromancer while still keeping the same character, because I just really love necromancers.)

I also already knew that she would live some time as a slave, as she'd be born to a parent with a decent social status in Lolthite society (so raising a half-elf would be unthinkable). And of course this would play into her personal connection to Eilistraee.

Well, some time passed after that, and it occurred to me that maybe Aune wasn't an appropriate name for a Drow. Obviously at the end of the day it doesn't really matter, but these sorts of things have a way of bothering me until I can't function anymore lmao so I decided to look up a naming resource. I found a detailed list of prefixes and suffixes in the Drow language, along with associated meanings, allowing you to build a name that's suitable.

WELLLLL imagine my surprise when I found:

Prefix Aun—, meaning: crypt, dead, deathly, death Suffix —aun, meaning: dance, dancer, life, player *Suffix —e, meaning: servant, slave, vassal

yeah. I was honestly a bit scared lol

but if I had been toying with the idea of playing a different Tav, that discovery IMMEDIATELY put the idea out of my head.

Aune was ~ meant to be ~

*Oh, and in case anyone was wondering, Aune's given name was Aun, but the —e was added on when she was first sold as a slave. In present time, she refuses to drop the letter; she prefers to keep it as a reminder of what she endured and how it has shaped the person she has become.

another fun little detail is that the Aun— is the feminine version of this prefix, and —aun is the masculine of the suffix. I was happy about it turning out that way because Aune is agender

[sunstone-smiles]

Hi! I was wondering if you could write something with lee! Clive (Clavell)? I was thinking maybe Juliana is well aware of the fact that Clive and Clavell are the same person, due to how painfully obvious it is. So she decides to mess with him to get him to loosen up and fit in a little more.

A/N: Hello Anon! Cute prompt! I’ve been wanting to write something for Clavell—*Ahem,* or Clive in this case, for a bit now so thanks for sending a request in! Also, thank you so much for your patience! I hope you enjoy!

Young at Heart

Series: Pokemon Scarlet and Violet 

Characters: Juliana and Clive (AKA Clavell)

Word count: 1,415

Summary: To get Clive, or Clavell, to act less stiff, Juliana thinks up a playful method that can loosen him up. Enjoy!

—

“Let’s see…” Juliana talks to herself while she glances at her Rotom phone. She walks along a path that’s bordered by a grassy route, where docile pokemon of Deerling, Lechonk, and Litleo wander. “So according to the map, the next Team Star base should be right around…”

“Ah, Juliana. Perfect timing.”

The girl looks up from her phone and notices another student approaching her. He’s attired in the academy’s gray winter blazer, paired with tangerine-colored academy shorts, usually worn in the summer, that don’t match whatsoever. The most prominent feature of all though is the student’s extravagant pompadour hair that swoops towards the clouds. This absurd outfit can only be one person in particular.

“Oh, Clive! Good to see you,” Juliana greets her Operation Starfall partner. “Since you’re here too, I assume the next Team Star base is just up ahead?”

“Your assumption would be correct,” Clive says a little too formally. He clears his throat. “I’ve already scoped out the perimeter. There’s one member standing at the front gate while the rest are waiting inside, so nothing different from the other base we’ve gone to. I also made sure that there were no unexpected traps laid out for us this time as well.”

“Wow, taking it extra seriously today, huh?”

“I don’t want to take any chances.” Clive pauses for a brief moment. “Although, I hope I’m not being too serious. I still like to stay easygoing like my fellow students,” he ends his sentence with both hands moving to slick the sides of his pompadour hair. 

Juliana lets out a quiet sigh to herself. Even though this is only the second Team Star base the two are heading towards, Director Clavell is still holding on to his silly Clive persona. It wasn’t hard for Juliana to figure out it was the Director the first time she saw the new “student.” When she questioned him, he would deny all relation to anyone named “Director Clavell” and insisted that she referred to him as “Clive.” Per his request, she went along with his act. She knows that his attempts to hide his appearance is his way of fitting in with his students. On top of this, he wants to find out the truth about Team Star when no one else will. She respects him for that.

Although sometimes the masked appearance becomes a bit too obstructive. Juliana wants to connect more with Director Clavell not Clive, but it’s difficult to do so when he keeps up the whole “fellow student” act. Despite this, she still knows Director Clavell is keeping a watchful eye when hints of his mature authority slip through the guise. His hands are usually positioned behind his back, his posture is rigid, and his gaze observes everything around him, just like he’s doing now. 

That settles it then. Before the next Team Star base, Juliana wants to have some fun with him. A game that can let the real Director Clavell shine through, even with the disguise on. Plus, letting loose could help his disguise become more convincing. She scans Clive up and down, focusing on his stiff posture. With this, she thinks up a strategy that she hopes will be effective. Clive had already searched for traps earlier, but now Juliana needs to lure him into one. 

“Well, if I’m being honest, Clive,” Juliana responds to his previous comment, “you do seem a little stiff.”

“Stiff?” Clive straightens up his spine on reflex. “How so?” he rolls his shoulders back and tries to act casual.

“You look a little tense, maybe even stressed,” Juliana lays it on thick, “Not very easygoing if you ask me.”

“I see,” Clive pushes up his purple rimmed glasses, slightly anxious due to his charade being put on the spot. “Do you have any suggestions then on how to prevent this stiffness?”

Juliana smiles. Now for the final piece for her disguise wavering puzzle. “As a matter of fact, I do!”

“Oh! That’s good to hear.” Clive watches as the girl casually approaches him. Juliana stops in front of his side. “So what exactly does this strategy consist of���AH!” Clive suddenly flinches when Juliana darts her hands under his blazer to tickle him as fast as a pokemon using quick attack.

“A tickle attack, of course!” Juliana exclaims.

Clive takes a small step back with Juliana’s fingers still locked onto his sides. A wobbly smile tugs at the corners of his mouth while he attempts to suppress the childish giggles bubbling in his throat. “T-Tickling is the strategy?” Clive tries to cover his twitchy smile behind a balled up hand, also turning his head away from the girl to hide his uncharacteristic expression.

“Yep! It’s a perfect method to get almost anyone smiling and to prevent stiffness!” the girl innocently beams while her fingers skitter across his sides and stomach. “So, do you feel loosened up yet?”

“I d-dohohon’t know,” Clive lets some giggles slip out, which allows the rest of the joyful laughter he was holding back to release like a pack of schoolchildren running outside to play. He’s been completely taken aback from the surprise barrage of tickles that he can’t think of a response as Clive, meaning the plan to see more of Director Clavell is working!

“Well, we can’t have that! Time to boost the attack power!” 

“Nohohow wahahait a sehehecohohond!” Clive takes another step back, then twists to the side to try and escape, but Juliana catches him by his lower ribs and scribbles her little hands into the fabric of his undershirt to reach the ticklish area. 

Clive yelps and squishes his arms to his sides, nearly toppling backwards. “Ohohohoh nohoho! Nohohot the rihihibs!” Immobilized by Juliana’s playful strategy, Clive curls himself up and slides to the ground. Juliana shifts herself to the side of him to keep her tiny fingers caught under his blazer, while Clive repositions himself as a rolled up ball of laughter in an attempt to ward off the tickles.

“Hehe, I didn’t think you would be this ticklish Director Cla—Er. I mean, Clive,” Juliana quickly corrects herself. Luckily for her, Clive was too preoccupied with trying to wriggle away from her fingers fluttering along his tummy that he didn’t notice.

“I fohohohorgot hohohow tihihihicklish I was tohohohoo!” Clive turns onto his side and tries to bury his silly expression in his chest, but Juliana can still see the bright smile on his face. 

Despite Director Clavell saying that he feels out of touch with his students, his own laugh is as giddy as a child’s, filled with little squeaks and carefree cheer. Juliana sees that this looser side of himself removes any worry of that disconnection with his students. She’s glad for that.

“Julianahahaha!’ Clive’s exclamation of laughter pulls the girl from her thoughts, “Nohoho more! Nohoho mohohore, plehehease!”

“Oh! Sorry!” Juliana reels back her hands towards her chest, like she has gotten in trouble. Clive leans his head back onto the dirt path, gulping down air that he had lost in the midst of Juliana’s game. He no longer looked as stiff as before, but Juliana fears that she may have “loosened” him up too much.

With worried eyes, she grabs both of his arms and pulls him forward so he can sit upright. “Are you alright Clive?” she leans on her knees.

He must have sensed her concern. Knowing that a student was in need of reassurance, Director Clavell looks up at her with a soft, comforting smile. 

“I’m fine,” he responds. “Please, don't worry. As a matter of fact, I feel much less stiff than I did before.”

“You…you do?” Juliana‘s voice quivers. She couldn’t tell if he was just saying that to make her feel better.

“I do,” he speaks with the mature clarity of an academy director. “Thank you.”

After observing his expression, Juliana notices the softness lingering on his face. It’s Director Clavell who was talking to her just now, not Clive. Her method really did help. 

“That’s a relief then,” she returns the soft smile. She then lends him a hand back to his feet.

“Now, what are we waiting for?” Juliana swivels to face the path ahead of her. “Look out Team star! Here comes the members of Operation Starfall!” she shouts enthusiastically. Juliana turns to see Clive’s newly relaxed appearance through his disguise. It’s clear to her that he feels more accepted, knowing he’s a part of a team with a caring student by his side.

[lifetimeshipper]

The GrimBee Story

Chapter 21

~~~~~~~~~~

Opening his optics, Ripjaw looked down at Amberblade with a smile. She looks so peaceful. He thought before he felt his spike hardening, "This is going to be a long week," he muttered.

Amberblade woke up with a startle, "We need to move."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"I got this sense that the Autobots are closing in, we need to go," she replied as she got off him and put her armor back on.

With a soft growl, Ripjaw also put his armor back on, "Are you okay? I really fragged the scrap out of you last night."

"I'm fine."

With a silent sigh, he headed deeper into the cave with Amberblade.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Are you following their scent, Grim? Are we almost to where they are?" Sideswipe asked feeling annoyed with all the walking and searching.

Grimlock rolled his optics at Sideswipe's impatience, "Yes, I'm following their scent and no we're not there yet," he snapped as he followed the sweet scent. It was bugging him that he couldn't find it but he knew it was in the same direction as where Amberblade's and Ripjaw's scent were. Sideswipe groaned then jumped up into one of the trees and started jumping through like he usually does.

"Are you okay, Grimlock?" Wheeljack asked, he knew that Sideswipe could get annoying at times but it wasn't like Grimlock to snap at anyone.

"Yeah, I'm alright."

"You're sure? I've never heard you snap like that before."

"I'm just agitated that we can't get these two."

"We will, we just need to keep looking," Arcee assured as they started walking past the cave Ripjaw and Amberblade were in.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Amberblade had stopped and sniffed, "I can smell them."

"Do you know how close they are?" Ripjaw stopped beside her wondering if he should transform or not.

"They walked by."

Ripjaw sighed in relief, "We should keep going just in case."

"I agree."

They headed deeper into the cave. Ripjaw hoped that they would be able to have another good frag, "You'll have to wait, Ripjaw, until we're in the clear of Autobots," Amberblade stated after sensing his desire.

"I know but it's hard to ignore when my spike is pressing against my panel."

"I know it is."

"Out of curiosity, when was your last heat cycle?"

"Not long before we were locked up."

"I see, I bet it drives you wild," he grinned as they entered a large cavern.

"Not really, I learned how to control it."

Ripjaw chuckled, "Perhaps you can teach me sometime."

"Perhaps."

"Are they still following us?" He asked as he looked behind him.

She looked back and sniffed out the air, "No, they moved on."

He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her, "Good," he purred as he took her lips in a rough yet passionate kiss. She moaned softly as she kissed him back. His servos traveled down towards her aft as he rubbed his panel against hers. She moaned as her servos glided over his upper arms. Breaking from the kiss, he nuzzled her neck before caressing it with his tongue.

"Ripjaw?"

"Yes?" He asked as he kissed her neck.

"Are we still gonna sparkbond?"

He paused for a moment before he looked at her, "We are, whenever you're ready," he whispered as he caressed her cheek.

"I'm ready whenever you are."

With a small smile, he opened his spark chamber. She looked at it for a moment before opening up her own chamber, "So beautiful," he whispered in awe when he saw her spark. Lowering himself closer to her he closed the gap between them, connecting their sparks.

She let out a gasp. Oh, his spark is cold.

I'm sorry.

You heard me?

Yes. Is my spark really cold?

A bit.

Your spark is so warm. He purred as he gently pulled her into a hug.

I'm glad. She purred back as she hugged him.

Maybe you could help warm my spark?

Maybe I will.

He smiled as he lovingly nuzzled her neck. I love you, Amberblade.

I love you too, Ripjaw.

Thank you for accepting me.

No problem. Thank you for accepting me.

My pleasure.

I'm surprised you actually agreed to this given the type of mech you are.

You are the only femme that makes me feel this way. He whispered as he sent her a wave of love.

You're the only mech I ever cared for.

Touched by her words he held her close as he sent another wave of love to her. She just smiled as she sent a wave of love back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Grimlock turned around and went back, "We passed them."

"How did we pass them?" Sideswipe asked in annoyance as he hopped down from a tree.

"Not sure."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Amberblade sensed them coming into the cave and started to panic. Feeling her panic, he carefully broke away once their bond was complete, "They're close?"

"Yeah, they're entering the cave."

Closing his spark chamber he quickly transformed and let out a low growl, ready to protect his new mate. Amberblade closed her chamber, "Let's go, Ripjaw."

With another low growl, he followed her. They went deeper into the cave looking for another way out. Coming to a stop, Ripjaw looked at the two tunnels, unsure of which one to take.

Amberblade sniffed, "You smell that?"

Sniffing the air he caught the scent of the fresh late afternoon air, "Yes, let's get out of here." He was ready to leave the cave. Amberblade nodded then headed towards the smell. They soon found themselves outside once more, "It feels so good out here." He sighed with relief.

Amberblade let out a sigh as well, "Yes it does. We need to find another place to make our base and hide from the Autobots."

"I know, hopefully, they'll leave us alone this time."

"I doubt they will, they seem determined to catch us. It's my fault, I shouldn't have taken their lieutenant."

"You were only trying to help," he assured as he gently nuzzled her cheek, "Is your cheek still sore?"

"A little bit."

"I'm really sorry for hurting you like that."

"It's okay."

He gently pulled her close and rested his helm on her shoulder, "We should get going." He let her go and started walking.

"Yes, we should," she said as she started walking beside him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Grimlock came to a stop as he sniffed the air, the scent was faint but it was still there, "I don't think they're in the cave anymore."

"They left the cave!?" Sideswipe asked in complete annoyance and frustration.

"Hey, calm down, Sideswipe. I'm doing the best I can," Grimlock growled. He was getting tired of his attitude.

"Psssh whatever," he said as he walked on.

Grimlock growled as they headed deeper into the cave. Was Sideswipe always like this?

"You need to take it easy, Sideswipe, we're all frustrated but Grimlock's doing the best he can," Arcee said as they caught up to him.

"I know, I just wish we could find them already. They gotta pay for what they did to Bumblebee and the others."

"I know, Sideswipe, I know."

The deeper they went the more trouble Grimlock was having pinpointing the scent. They soon came to the same obstacle that Ripjaw and Amberblade had come across. Grimlock looked between the two choices, he wasn't sure which path to take.

"Which way did they go, big guy?" Wheeljack asked.

"Uh," Grimlock sniffed the air again trying to pick up the scent again. He quickly caught the familiar sweet scent along with the fresh air, "This way." He followed the scent hoping they could find the Decepticons.

They head to the exit and leave the cave, "Now which way?"

The scent was getting stronger now that they were outside, "They're close," he replied as he followed the scent.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"We need to do something to make that Dinobot lose our scent," Amberblade said with a slight growl.

"I agree, but how?" Ripjaw asked starting to get frustrated.

"We need to find a pond or something, I understand the water can take away the scent."

"Then let's get going," he said as he looked for some kind of body of water. Didn't take long before they came across a big lake, they jumped in and got rid of the scent. Going under the water, Ripjaw did his best to get rid of the scent his body was giving off. They stayed underwater and swam to the far side, the whole while making their scent vanish. "That should do it," Ripjaw growled as he got out of the water.

"Yep, our scent is well and gone now. Though we can't frag again until we're certain we're out of range of that Dinobot's nose."

Ripjaw groaned in frustration, "As soon as we find a safe place I'm going to frag you so hard you won't be able to walk."

She giggled, "I'm sure you are."

Ripjaw lovingly nuzzled her before continuing onward to find a safe place for the two of them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Their scent is fading out," Grimlock growled.

Sideswipe did his best to hold back a groan of annoyance, "You'd think it would be easy finding two Dinobots."

"Not if they're smart."

"They must be really smart if you keep losing their scent," Sideswipe muttered.

"They must have gone into some water, it's a known fact that water can get rid of a scent," Arcee stated. Grimlock sighed, he wanted to catch them, for Bumblebee's sake. "Let's head on back, we'll look some more tomorrow," Arcee tells them.

They all headed back to base, Grimlock stayed quiet the whole time thinking of how he could explain that he couldn't catch the Dinobots to Bumblebee and Optimus. "Don't worry, Grim, we'll catch them eventually," Wheeljack tells him.

"I know, guess we can't win every battle," Grimlock replied as he tried to put on a convincing smile.

"No, we can't."

"And that's okay, it happens sometimes," Arcee said trying to cheer up the Dinobot.

"Yeah, you're right."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Grimlock vented out a sigh when he finished telling Bumblebee all that happened, "It's okay, Grim, you'll get them next time."

"Thanks, 'Bee. How was your day?" He asked wanting to move away from the subject.

"It was good."

"Did Ratchet say when you can leave?"

"In a couple of days."

"That's good, I bet you'll be happy to leave," the large mech grinned.

"I sure will be."

"I know the feeling, it's really boring when you have nothing to do all day."

"Yes, it is."

"Bumblebee, how do you feel when your heat cycle starts?"

Bumblebee looked at him in surprise, "Um, very horny all the time."

"Does it give off a scent?"

"Yes. Why?"

"When we were looking for Ripjaw and Amberblade I could smell something sweet mixed in with their scent."

"You think one of them was on their heat cycle?"

"Is that what a heat cycle smells like?"

"Not sure, you'll have to ask Steeljaw. I never really smelt one before."

"Even if it was your own?"

"You can't smell your own, Grim, only others and us regular Cybertronians can't smell another's heat cycle unless their panel is off."

"Ohh, even if one of them is in heat. I'm sure yours will smell even better." He grinned as he gently nuzzled the smaller mech. Bumblebee just smiled as he hugged him. "I love you, 'Bee."

"Love you too, Grim."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Wolf-Con and the Cadet

Chapter 1

Next Chapter

[venjamin-kingdomhearts]

What are your thoughts on the idea of Namine restoring Ventus' memories of Union X? I've seen it a couple times and I don't think it'll happen but I think it could make some interesting fanfics. I also like it since it would mean Ventus and Namine would meet which I'd personally love to see.

OK so I've definitely talked about it a tiny bit in this post here (which someone drew some wonderful art for eheh), and a touch here BUT i ended up making a one-shot based off the idea here.

Hey so. Apologies that this took *checks calendar* 20 days but I kept getting distracted by drawing ideas. I AM here now though and want to thank you so much for you patience and the ASK i love talking abt stuff like this eheh.

Ok, in general I LOVE the idea. Though my biggest fear is that ACTUAL KH will have Naminé recover Ven’s memories offscreen, so I can’t say I want it to be canon just because the fear of like. Ven’s lost memories being magically recovered without any real payoff is just so real. Best case scenario is that it’s a separate plot where we see Ventus struggle with his recovered memories and worst case scenario is that it’s offscreen, so… I’m trying not to get my hopes up (and failing).

BUT onto the actual Nami and Ven interaction. As someone who loves them as friends and a ship there is so much potential here. You can boil it down to two major things though; how Ventus reacts to his recovered memories, and how Naminé feels about having to use her powers again. I feel like this idea allows for SO much angst for each character and a chance for them to connect on a deeper level.

Like, Naminé was made to use her powers to hurt Sora. She clearly carries a lot of guilt still, and I’ve seen SO many headcanons about her swearing to never use her memory powers again that it’s practically canon in my eyes. Of course, she eventually DOES have to use her powers when searching for Sora (as said in re:mind) , but I think she only looks through Xion and Roxas’ memories, no altering them. So, she’s sworn off altering memories, helping people remember and forget. She only searches through memories when she’s told, and of course, never wants to hurt anyone with her magic. Naminé is tired of being “the Witch”… and luckily, Ventus doesn’t see her as that. I’d like to imagine that they’re friends and get to know each other a little before the idea of using Naminé’s powers on Ventus is even a thought. Like, Ventus IS aware of Naminé’s powers from the beginning, but he’s only heard whispers of it, little facts. Nothing super major and concrete, just a general “memory magic is a thing Naminé does”. I think he does ask her a bit about it, but it’s silly questions. Questions no one’s ever asked Naminé, like, “do you ever use your magic to find your keys?” “do you remember everything you’ve ever read?” “oh, if you can control memories, can you read minds? quick, what number am i thinking!” Just silly little ‘can you’s and ‘what if’s. It makes Naminé laugh, because no one’s ever thought of her magic like that. As something that can be used for the mundane, for little situations where no one’s memories are at stake. I think eventually she would open up more to Ventus about her magic, because he sees it as something that’s not too scary.

Course, after a few deeper conversations, Ventus would be able to catch on to the darker parts of Naminé’s powers. He might even… think of how scary they could be. I don’t think he’d ever be scared of Naminé, but one day he might be sitting alone, thinking of what it’d be like to forget what he has right now. Wonder, for himself, how many of his own memories are really real, since he’s forgotten so much. He trusts Naminé. But he realizes how terrifying it would be, to have his memories altered.

But around this time, Ventus starts questioning a lot. His memories have always been muddled, and now that he remembers pieces of his life while he was Xehanort’s apprentice, before Vanitas came to be, Ventus has this lingering sense of “I don’t really know who I am or who I was, do I?” Then there’s Chirithy, who is proof Ventus had another life he left behind. Ventus begins to wonder what that life was like. Begins to question if the Ventus he is now is anything like the Ventus he was before. In a way, he views his lost memories as… a different person, almost. Ventus might even wonder if, with that line of thinking, he’s simply…someone else, pretending to be Ventus. The “replacement” of the original.

I think Ventus would be scared to confront that original self.

But he would have to, because of course there was something special about Ventus’ past life and it was something that could hint to what’s happening right now and where Sora is and who the Guardians of Light have to fight next. So when everyone looks to Ven for answers, Ventus looks to Naminé, and the process begins.

Ventus feels bad that she’s using her powers because of him. But Naminé smiles (it must be fake. It has to be fake, it doesn’t quite reach her eyes) and nods, knowing her magic is needed and everyone is counting on Ven who’s counting on her. But when they’re alone, away from prying eyes and the rest of the Guardians, when the lights are dim and Ventus’ smile fades, Naminé asks him if this is what he wants.

Ventus is a bad liar, but he’s got Sora’s stupid habit of insisting he’s fine. Unlike Sora, Ventus can’t keep smiling and he’s WAY less convincing. So no matter how many times he denies that he’s scared, Naminé whispers:

“I know you’re scared, but it’s not a bother, Ventus. I’ve done this before, you’ll be fine. As soon as I find those Chains, I’ll reconnect them, and then-“

“But what about you?” Ventus interrupts. “I don’t- don’t want to force you to do this.”

They’re both scared. Really scared. And I think they’d realize it then, that Ventus is secretly scared of losing himself to his memories, and Naminé is secretly scared of messing up. They don’t want to go through with this-

“But we have to. For Sora.”

Ventus takes a breath.

“If- if my memories can show us any hints for what we have to do to find him, I-I think we need to do this. But-“

“You’re still scared.” Naminé looks Ven in the eyes.

Ventus swallows. He nods.

“And so are you.”

They leave it at that. Mutual recognition that they’re both scared of what will happen next, but that this is something they must do. They are in this together, and they trust each other enough to acknowledge they are afraid.

Eventually, Naminé has to search through Ventus’ memories. Alter the Chains connecting them, thread them together in ways she’s only even had to do for Sora, when he fell asleep in Castle Oblivion. It’s almost like an operation. Terra and Aqua hold Ventus’ hands and say their “see you soon”s before he drifts to sleep. Angel the Wise and his Apprentices have to assure them that Ventus won’t be sleeping for so long, not a year and definitely not 12. The process will take a while, since Ventus’ memories are so twisted and Naminé needs time to untangle them, but she has support. She’ll be able to help him soon.

Naminé and Ventus are alone again, before he must sleep.

“Hey, Nams?”

Naminé looks at him quietly. Ventus smiles.

“I know you haven’t started yet, but… thanks, Naminé. In advance.”

Ventus felt the urge to say that. He couldn’t tell why, but… well, Master Eraqus always told him to be polite.

Naminé manages a smile, Ventus falls asleep, and she begins her work.

Anyways, things don’t go… well in my head. There’s a lot of remembering bad things and a lot of Naminé going “oh shit, Ven’s gonna have to remember this and he’s going to feel TERRIBLE.” a lot of her realizing what stuff he’s been through and now, she’s in this weird place where she KNOWS and it’s up to her to decide whether Ventus should remember or not. And fuck, it’d be so much pressure for her. just…. you ever had to sit with a friend while they describe something horrible they’ve been through? it had to deliver bad news? Naminé is just feeling all the worst parts of that. Sorry for Ventus, sorry for Strelitzia, sorry for everyone. She wants to help but she doesn’t know how, all she knows is that she can either help Ventus remember or hide all the memories away again and pretend she couldn’t reach them.

(also, Marluxia was there apparently and Naminé does NOT want to unpack those feelings goodness gracious no)

Now, whichever choice Naminé takes will be a mess of angst. Because on one hand, she can let Ventus remember and everyone will deal with the consequences, or she can make him forget, and only she would know about the Age of Fairytales and Strelitzia’s murder and how very young Ventus had been when he was dragged into everything. Either way, there’s no going back.

It’s all a matter of whether Naminé has the courage to ask for help and risk hurting others, or pretend everything is alright and take on the pain for herself and herself alone.

[iqmmir]

@good-beans listen i cant respond to asks properly because um. There is shoujo ai instead of a brain in there . Just have some of my fuuta thoughts okie <3 these also do not make sense i think, but hopefully you can understand what im trying to say

He didn't actively seek out the first two people he called out, but he did encounter them irl. The middle schooler though? I have no fucking idea.

Also, he has some sort of connection (is that the word?) to the first two. First guy goes to the same arcade that Fuuta does, second guy is probably a staff from Fuuta's University. Middle schooler? Once again, i have no fucking idea. Who the fuck is she even. What did she even do.

I was wondering if Fuuta knew this girl. Not as in personally, but like, one of those faces in the street, one of those kids going back home from school while you're going out.

Maybe she did do something fucked up. Did he see her bullying someone? Maybe it was something like, she was being rude to a restaurant worker or being snobbish? What can middle-schoolers do that's all that bad? (That's a genuine question, like I really wonder what did she do that made Fuuta doxx her.)

Also, one more thing is just a thing (theory-ish???) I wondered a bit about while giffing this one scene in Bring It On.

For the college staff guy, he clicked the picture of him harassing the girl, right? Showing that he was definitely present in the scene and not hearing this from a different source.

You know what this also means? He let everyone online know 'Yes, I was there and saw it happen and instead of walking in or something, I decided to call him out online.'

Now, I don't know about Japan, but in my country Universities are… fucked up. Cases of Sexual Harrassment and the like aren't exactly rare, and the authorities doing practically nothing about it certainly doesn't help.

If that's the case in Japan too, then maybe going to the authorities would just result in Fuuta just being told to shut up and not tell anyone about it, and the staff member would probably just be let off with a warning.

Maybe Fuuta realised that, and decided to take the matter online. Or maybe the validation he got from talking about the arcade guy made him want some more attention. Maybe a bit of both.

But, I highly doubt there wouldn't be some people like 'Oh you can only do this online and not face to face coward blah blah blah'. And this is Fuuta alright? Kajiyama Fuuta. He decides 'Fuck you, I can do this shit offline too'

He, most likely, both drunk on the validation and attention he got online for calling out a creep, and in the anger of being told he's a coward, decided to seek out someone. Anyone who the online people would love to tear apart.

Maybe seeing this girl doing something stupid was a complete coincidence and he followed (? Maybe) her to her place and publicised it, with a call out on whatever she did.

Maybe he did see her walking around frequently, and doing something screwed up, and knew where her house was, and decided to show those people online that he can be a hero of justice online and offline.

Maybe he was so caught up in the attention he didn't actually realise if she actually crossed the line between 'its fine, can improve' to 'so fucked up, needs to taken to the guillotine immediately'. Maybe he didn't realise that he was the one crossing the line. (Sorry, I wanted to be a little dramatic)

Finally, I have no idea how to end this. What was I even saying to begin with. Oh yeah. Fuuta. He's just this twitter user who got drunk on attention and he's genuinely remorseful about what he did. I want to hug him.

[ickybby]

open to: anyone dtf who isn't intimidated by seree

plot/connections: loosely based on NDA by billie eillish . this is the first time their current fling is visiting this nepo baby's place (one of them, anyway). usually, she goes to them or they meet up. the two must have gotten pretty close for seree to allow them in like this. or maybe she's just acting like they're closer than they are until she can decide if she trusts them. it's hard to decipher your emotions when you've learned to fake them like a pro before you learn to ride your bike without its training wheels. seree has 100% made them sign a NDA before they even got the fucking address of her home. potential connections; the latest nepo baby vying for her attention, someone who is also involved in the entertainment industry, a professor from the university she's enrolled in bc she just can't mingle with the normie fans in her classes

character: seree hails from reality tv royalty. she also used to be a child actor but turned to modeling in her adolescence when her not-so-private life got in the way of her original career. as an adult, she's in a notoriously elite university to fulfill trust fund requirements. seree is barely keeping her head above water trying to figure out how to pry back any bit of privacy from the public.

"oh... did you think i was serious when i said i didn't understand what i was learning this semester? that's kinda cute. i'm doing fine. but i wasn't gonna just ask you if you wanted to fuck. too messy. this gives me plausible deniability in case anything gets out." she tips some of the wine in her glass into her mouth, sipping with a smile before it's left on the coffee table. "heads up, no one ever spends the night. well, except for the stalker who says he's satan. but he's never been inside so he's an outlier. don't get your hopes up or your feelings hurt. this isn't even my actual home, i bought a secret house when i was 17. my father just needed to find me a private place off campus so he worked something out with the people who used to rent this mcmansion to get them out of here and into their dream property, this place is kind of ostentatious though. so i wonder what THAT looks like for them. —hey, do you wanna skinny dip in the pool? you'll see what i mean about the place being ostentatious. they have some kind of homage to the fountains of bellagio thing going on out there. complete with a light show and everything."

[berenwrites]

Beyond the Battle - Chapter 10 - Stranger Things - Steddie

Beyond the Battle­: Action & Consequence

Click here for All Posted Chapters

Summary: Steve hits things with a bat or gets hit depending on who you ask. He definitely does not have anything to do with the psychic stuff. That is El’s domain. However, as Vecna is defeated, the rules change.

Pairing: steddie (Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson)

Other Relationships: Steve & Robin, Steve & Dustin, Eddie & Dustin

Rating: Teen

A/N: Multi-chapter story, updated regularly. Honestly not sure how many chapters it will have yet because it's still a bit hand wavy in the middle, but definitely more than 12. Thank you to my beta for find my mistakes and to all those who read/like/reblog.💖 Follow #st:beyond-the-battle for updates.

Also on AO3

Chapter 10.    A Couple of Things

Steve rolled over to find Eddie sitting up.

“Eddie?” he asked as he realised that a, it was early morning, and b, Eddie had the most amazing bedhead.

However, any amusement flew out of his mind when Eddie looked at him. That wide-eyed worried stare he had seen too many times while they were in the Upside Down was engraved on Eddie’s features.

“What’s wrong,” he asked, sitting up.

He was pretty sure Eddie was not panicking over simply waking up in his bed, no matter how mostly asleep both of them had been when he’d climbed in.

“I’m really thirsty,” Eddie said quietly, “like really, really thirsty.”

That being said, Eddie opened his mouth. Steve squinted because the curtains were half closed and the light wasn’t very good, but then he saw what Eddie was trying to show him. Two neat little fangs were jutting from Eddie’s upper jaw.

“Oh,” Steve said. “Guess that part didn’t completely go away then.”

“That’s all you have to say?” Eddie asked, sounding just a bit hysterical. “Didn’t go away? Steve, I have fangs.”

“Hey,” Steve said, sitting up properly and reaching out to place a hand on Eddie’s arm. “It’s not like you’re some bloodthirsty monster. We can deal with this.”

“How do you know, Steve?” Eddie challenged. “How do you know?”

“Because I woke up to you freaking out, not chowing down on my helpless neck,” he said, giving Eddie a look. “Now how about we deal with this before anyone else wakes up. I think it will be much easier to explain once we can prove the solution, don’t you?”

He held out his wrist towards Eddie.

“Oh my god, you really are a self-sacrificial idiot, aren’t you?” Eddie said as if he could not believe what Steve was saying.

“No, in this case I’m a practical one,” he replied, “and your friend. It’s not like we haven’t done this before.”

“That wasn’t the same,” Eddie protested. “That was like some other reality.”

“What happens there still has real world consequences,” he countered waving between both of them to illustrate his point.

“It doesn’t feel like then,” Eddie said, expression twisted with worry.

“That’s because I think some of that was meta… metapsy… no that’s not right … meta something,” he tried to explain.

“Metaphysical?” Eddie suggested.

“Yes, that,” Steve agreed. “El and Will were talking about it while we were still staying at the labs and the way El explains it, it’s not exactly a real place. It’s not like going between here and the Upside Down, it’s well…”

“More like astral projection?” Eddie asked.

“If that’s where you leave your body, then yes,” Steve agreed. “Things there can seem physical and have real world physical consequences, but it’s not necessarily the same thing. You remember biting me, I remember you biting me, but I think it was to do with creating a connection between us so I could help you heal, not actual blood. But it doesn’t make much different because it felt real to us anyway and you proved you can control your instincts.”

“I could hurt you,” Eddie insisted.

“I could heal it,” he pointed out.

“I don’t want to hurt anyone,” Eddie all but whispered.

Steve shuffled a bit closer.

“Eds,” he said, wondering after he’d said it where the nickname came from, “we’ve all come out of this a little different. Some of us like you, me, and Will a lot different, everyone else changed by everything we’ve all been through. We stick together, we deal with it. Please, let me help you. If it turns out not to be good for either of us, we’ll stop, and we’ll call our child geniuses and supergirl to figure out something else.”

Eddie sat there looking at him in silence for a few seconds. It was only then he realised it wasn’t a trick of the light, Eddie’s eyes were black too. When the little red ring appeared, Steve knew Eddie had agreed.

“If I hurt you, you stop me,” Eddie said perfectly seriously.

“I promise,” he replied, lifting his wrist once more.

Eddie’s fingers were cold as they wrapped round his bed warmed skin. His nerves tingled. When black, red-rimmed irises looked up at him, he nodded. It felt momentous, and yet not at the same time. It felt right and obvious.

“One second,” he said, just before Eddie lowered his head.

Leaning over, he grabbed a couple of Kleenex from the pack on the bedside table.

“Sorry, just in case of spillage,” he explained, taking up his previous position.

Eddie took a deep, shuddering breath, and focused on Steve’s wrist.

Steve bit his lip. Eddie’s fangs going in definitely hurt, but the feel of Eddie sucking on his wrist, that went straight to his cock. In a way, Eddie had been right, it was very different from when they had been in the Void, but it was in no way bad. Quite the opposite in fact. And Eddie only took a few swallows before drawing back.

Acting on instinct more than anything else, Steve clamped his other hand over the wounds, drawing his wrist back to him. The Kleenex went red as his blood soaked through, but he concentrated. Not really clear what he was doing, he closed his eyes and didn’t exactly will the holes to close, more he pushed them to be right. It was the strangest sensation as, for a moment, everything around him became distant. His wrist throbbed, just once and the real world jumped back to the forefront of his mind.

Not sure he’d managed to do anything, he moved the Kleenex carefully. What he revealed were two, neat little pink patches on his skin, a mere echo of the holes that had been there.

“Now that is metal,” Eddie said.

“Says the guy with fangs,” was the best comeback Steve could manage.

He touched his nose, but his fingers came away clean. No nosebleed either, which felt like a significant victory.

“Oh, wow, I think I might be high,” Eddie said, swaying slightly where he was sitting.

Definitely not the reaction Eddie had had in the Void either. Steve knelt up and gently took hold of Eddie’s shoulders so he could get a good look at his friend’s face. All the while doing his very best to pretend he wasn’t half hard.

“Your pupils are blown,” he said as Eddie looked at him with his pretty dark eyes that were once again brown, but mostly pupil.

“You taste really good,” Eddie told him. “Wasn’t like this before.”

“Yeah, well I don’t think anything is like before,” Steve replied, doing his best to ignore the way Eddie was looking at him was stirring feelings he wasn’t sure how to deal with.

“You have lovely eyes,” Eddie said with a small smile. “Everyone always talks about the hair, but your eyes are amazing. You have a first-class ass too…”

“Okay,” Steve said, feeling his face heat up, “how about you lie down and try to get some more sleep. It’s still early and I don’t think you know what you’re saying.”

“Yeah, maybe, sleep’s good,” Eddie said, moving as Steve gently urged him back towards the bed. “Meant what I said though,” Eddie muttered, relaxing surprisingly quickly.

For a while Steve sat there processing. On the one hand Eddie had definitely been kind of high so anything he said couldn’t be held against him, however, Steve also knew that sometimes that was when the real truths came out. Straight guys didn’t usually tell other guys they had pretty eyes and a nice ass unless they were taking the piss. He was pretty sure Eddie had not been doing that.

Of course, the bigger thing he was trying to deal with was his own reaction. He wasn’t horrified by Eddie’s words, he wasn’t even a little bit worried, quite the opposite in fact, he was pretty sure he was reacting in exactly the same way he would if a pretty girl had told him those things. Now that he looked back, it had started in the Void. Complicated feelings from before had now started to untangle themselves and were making a very obvious pattern.

Climbing out of bed carefully, so as not to wake Eddie, he walked out of his room and down the landing to the second guest bedroom. The door was partially open, and he stepped inside, padding over to the bed and sitting down beside a still sleeping Robin.

“Robin,” he said, gently shaking her shoulder.

The only response was a noise of discontent.

“Robin,” he persisted.

“What?” she asked, not opening her eyes. “You’re still in the doghouse, y’know.”

“Sorry, I kind of need to talk to you,” he said quietly.

Something in his tone must have been enough, because Robin sat up, pushing her hair out of her face.

“Hey, Steve,” she said in a much gentler voice, reaching out and taking his hand, a worried little frown clouding her features, “what’s up? I’m not really mad at you, promise.”

“You know you explained how some people like the opposite gender, some like the same, some like both, some don’t like any and everything else?” he asked.

He could tell by the way Robin’s eyes opened that she hadn’t really expected where the conversation was going.

“Of course,” she replied.

“I think,” he said, going over everything in his head again just to make sure. “I think I might be one of the people who like both.”

“And that’s perfectly okay, right,” Robin said, moving closer to him. “You get that, don’t you?”

He nodded.

“Do you mind me asking how you figured it out?” she asked carefully.

“Eddie,” he admitted.

“Hmmm,” Robin said.

“You don’t look surprised,” he observed.

“Yep,” Robin admitted, “I thought you might say that. You kinda get this look on your face when you’re into someone,” she told him. “I might be shit at telling if a girl is into me, but I’m kind of attuned to when you’re into a girl, or in this case a guy.”

“Oh,” he said as he let that sink in. “But its’s not just because he’s back from the dead…”

“I know,” Robin said, effectively shutting him up.

“How?” he asked, because that was definitely the first thing he had thought of.

“Because you didn’t get that look after Eddie died,” Robin told him, giving him that intense look of her. “That last time in the Upside Down, when we left behind Dustin and Eddie as decoys, you had it then.”

He almost contradicted her, after all he’d barely known Eddie at that point, but he didn’t, instead mulling it over.

“Oh,” he said again as he replayed that time in his mind.

It had not had a happy conclusion and he usually tried to avoid the memories most of the time, but he let it play through his thoughts.

“You never said anything,” he said eventually, not quite sure what to think.

“Didn’t want to pressure you,” Robin said, squeezing his hand. “Kind of something you have to figure out on your own, so I was waiting for you to come to me. Honestly, I was expecting a bit more of a crisis, you’ve always been so very straight.”

He shrugged.

“Probably would have been,” he admitted, “but with everything else, it doesn’t feel quite as big as it might have.”

“I suppose raising the dead could be considered a bit higher on the momentous events scale,” Robin commented.

“He wasn’t dead,” Steve countered automatically and rolled his eyes at her, for which he earned a smile.

“That’s called splitting hairs, Dingus,” she said airily. “So, spill, what made you finally realise?”

The memory of Eddie’s mouth on his wrist flashed into his head and he felt his cheeks heat up almost instantly.

“Steven Harrington, have you been kissing another boy?” Robin accused, teasing him mercilessly.

“Not exactly,” he said, ducking his head.

“Okay, now you have to tell me,” Robin said, “because I have never seen you blush this badly before.”

“Fine,” he replied, “but you have to promise not to yell at me.”

Robin gave him that look as if she was peering over horn-rimmed spectacles or something.

“Eddie woke up with fangs, I let him bite me, bullied him into it really, and there was nothing platonic about it, at least on my end. He got high off my blood and told me I had pretty eyes and a nice ass,” he confessed all in one go.

Robin’s mouth fell into a little ‘o’.

“Please say something,” he begged.

“Eddie is a vampire?” Robin finally asked.

“Kind of, only not really,” he did his best to explain. “I think it’s a hangover from what Vecna did to him. He was dying of hunger when I first saw him in the Void and I told you I let him feed from me, only it wasn’t remotely the same, and I think then it was mostly about creating a connection which let me heal him. He doesn’t have fangs anymore most of the time, so I think it’s an only-when-he’s-really-hungry thing, and he didn’t have them yesterday and he had no problem with sunlight. After all you found us outside and…”

Robin put her finger on his lips, so he shut up.

“Did he hurt you?” she asked.

“No, god no,” he promised. “It was kind of erotic actually, and I healed the bite.”

He held out his wrist where the two little pink patches were already fading.

“Oh my god,” Robin said, running her hands through her hair, “not only have you had a bisexual awakening, but you have a biting kink too. Steve, you never do anything the easy way, do you?”

“What do I do?” he asked, because he felt way out of his depth.

“About Eddie being a vampire or Eddie floating your boat?” Robin asked.

“The second,” he replied. “I think we’ve got the first one covered, although we’re going to have to let everyone else know.”

“I think other people might find the vampire thing a bigger deal than you do,” Robin pointed out, “but let’s skip that for now. What do you want to do about Eddie?”

“Kiss him within an inch of his life,” Steve said perfectly honestly.

Robin blinked at him for a moment, opening her mouth and then closing it again.

“Actually,” she said eventually, “that’s a really cute picture in my head.”

“Robin, focus,” he prompted.

“Sorry,” she said. “I think you need to talk to him,” she went on. “He knows what he said, you know what he said, so be brave, have a conversation about it.”

“What if he says he didn’t mean it?” Steve asked.

“Then he’s full of shit,” Robin said without any hesitation. “Steve, I’ve seen the way he looks at you. You’re not the only one who was giving off signals. I might not read Eddie as well as I read Dingus, but I’m also not blind.”

She made more sense than he really wanted to admit. Not that it made everything any easier.

“But until then,” she said, glancing at her watch, “it’s ass o’clock in the morning. Sleep now, talk later.” She was already lying back down, dragging him along. He surrendered, letting her snuggle into him, but he didn’t close his eyes. He had too much to think about.

End of Chapter 10

Chapter 11

[spacerangersam]

I recently saw your NB4ProblamatocT Julian pat post, and it just made me cry!! You're so talented, and I'm just obsessed! I was wondering if you could tell us some more about NB/Trans femme pat (or trans masc!!) Or the hc you have! It's okay if not! Sorry to bother :^)

thank you so much!! and im sure I can scrounge up some ideas! (and trust me, this is no bother at all. i am always up for the opportunity to rattle on)

She knew she was trans (even if she didn’t have the language for it) when she was fourteen and started going through puberty. the second her voice dropped she was like 'oh I hate this actually, no thanks'

In my Pat lore that’s consistent regardless of Pat’s gender, she has a twin sister Gabrielle who’s also trans and realised a lot sooner when she was around ten, so the second Pat started to feel a bit off, they talked to Gabrielle about it

While they didn’t totally click with womanhood, it felt more comfortable than being perceived as a man, so they started growing her hair out and nicking Gab’s clothes.

All her family just kind of rolled with it. (let us, for a moment, live in a world where transphobia doesn’t exist)

She didn’t even think of a new name until like two years down the line when someone asked her for it at a party and she was like right, probably shouldn’t be going by Patrick anymore. So on the spot, she blurted out Patricia. She’d always been happy being called Pat/Patty, so it worked out

I don’t imagine her being a particularly femme person. She might have worn the occasional long skirt or a nice dress to a party, but otherwise, she had like two pairs of mum jeans she lived in and a variety of bright, colourful button-ups to pair with them. Shoes-wise, she’d stick to trainers and boots, with some jelly shoes for summer. 

I also imagine she wouldn’t have worn much makeup, but she cared so much about her hair. So much. And she is forever grateful she died with her hair freshly permed, and with like, three different scrunchies on her wrist that she can swap out (and just like transphobia, we will be ignoring ghost canon)

obv she's a guide leader rather than a scout leader, and I think to believe she had beef with the local scout group/their scoutmaster and was always trying to one-up him. she's forever miffed about kicking the bucket before getting one over on him

(one day his group visits the button grounds, and she gathers up all the ghosts with powers to make his life a brief living hell even though he's like, ancient now and not even the scoutmaster anymore, just there for old times sake. still, they do it, and she's so happy. revenge? pretty cool, actually)

I imagine after she died, she was pretty hush-hush about being trans, just in case. But when she clocked onto Cap struggling with his sexuality, she decided to take a leap of faith and tell him. He was a bit confused but took it in stride, and while he didn’t come out to her, it definitely made him feel more comfortable about himself

She didn’t come out to anyone else until Alison made a comment about him being nb themselves, leading to them giving all the ghosts a lesson on everything LGBT

Pat found was just overjoyed there was a better word for how she felt, that she wasn’t ‘faking’ being trans because she didn’t connect with the idea of being a woman, she was just trans in a different way

She came out, everyone was obviously accepting, and Alison even got her a little nb flag for her room. Which does lead to questions when people visit and are like? why is there a random pride flag in this empty room?

Alison never comes up with a good excuse

Pat uses she/they/he pronouns, but you're only allowed to use he/him if you’ve been given permission. So far the only people who’ve won that right are her mother, her sister, Cap, and somehow, Julian/Julie. 

Also, it's very important to me that she's surprisingly strong. I just really like the image of this titchy trans femme picking up the blokes of the house and moving them aside whenever they're in Alison's way

um. that's all i've got, i think

[hitchell-mope]

(The Wrath Of Rama Khan. Part 3)

Mon El: I’m guessing that you lot are wondering why I asked you here today.

Cat: you could say that yes.

Mon El: you gave Kara the pregnancy test right?

Cat: I advised her to buy one if that’s what you mean. But yes I know she’s pregnant.

Carter: is Kara okay?

Mon El: god I hope so.

Morgan: out with it then. What did the Luthor’s do this time?

Cat: straight to the point as always I see.

Morgan: it’s always the Luthor’s. If it’s not the mother, it’s the son and if it’s not the son it’s the stepdaughter. So. Out with it Mr Danvers. Who screwed us over this time?

Mon El: the stepdaughter.

Morgan: knew it.

Cat: oh Christ. What did she do this time?

Mon El: she trapped Kara in kryptonite for “lying to her” and left her to die in the Fortress even after Kara told her she was pregnant.

Carter: fucking hell. Sorry.

Cat: no. No. Under the circumstances I’d say your reaction is justified.

Morgan: so what’s the game plan? I assume we’re going to kill her?

Mon El: that is where you guys come in.

(He hold ups the usb)

Morgan: what is that? Some type of lighter case?

Carter: it’s the tardis Mr Edge. Probably the Eleventh’s I’d wager given the shape and hue of the colour.

Mon El: more specifically it’s Winn’s usb stick. And in it is every single piece of information that Winn, James, Brainy and I could accumulate on Lena’s illegal experiments with the Harun El. Including the fatality that resulted from one of them.

Morgan: what’s that got to do with us?

Mon El: I want you to leak it. Or write an exposé. Or send it into a news station. Just make sure that it gets out there.

Morgan: so you want us to kill her. Socially?

Mon El: yes.

Carter: are we allowed to ask why?

Mon El: killing Lena properly would just martyr her. And after last year and especially today that is the last thing that Kara needs.

Carter: understandable.

Mon El: I do have some caveats though.

Cat: okay?

Mon El: if you write an exposé then it needs to be biased. It needs to be scathing. There can’t be anyone room to let people see her nonexistent side of the story. None of that Snapper crap basically.

Cat: done and done.

Mon El: and also. Include William Dey and Andrea Rojas. They’ve been affected by that family just like everyone else. They deserve to help bring them down.

Cat: also done and done. Now you get back to Kera and

Mon El: why do you call her that?

Cat: pardon?

Min El: her name is Kara. Not Kera or Kiera or Kyra or whatever mispronunciation you call her at any given time. For someone you think of as the daughter you never had it doesn’t seem like you respect her all that much if you can’t even say her name properly.

Cat: my apologies. I. I’ll do better.

Mon El: please do.

Lucy (over the comms): Major to Valor. Major to Valor. Come in Valor.

Mon El: Valor here. What’s the news?

Lucy: do you want the good news or the bad news first?

Mon El: oh god. Bad first. Best to get it out of the way.

Lucy: Lord is in the wind. He got away. I’m sorry.

Mon El: Miss Grant. You have a private bathroom right?

Cat: right through there.

Mon El: thank you. Could you please hold the usb for a little bit?

Cat: of course.

Mon El: thank you again.

(He goes into the bathroom and locks the door)

Mon El (slightly muffled but still perfectly clear): FUUUUCK!!!!

(He comes out of the bathroom and talks to Lucy again)

Mon El: and the good news?

Lucy: we have everything else. And she’s just been arrested and out oh a two week psychiatric hold pending trial.

Mon El: thank you Lucy. Thank you so much.

Lucy: don’t sweat it. She’s family. It what we do. Major out.

Andrea (rushing in): sorry I’m late. Some guy was throwing rocks everywhere. Made the commute hell. Oh. Valor. Hello.

Mon El: Miss Rojas. You have a cut on your cheek.

Andrea: oh. Um. Like I said. The commute was hell.

Mon El (already connecting the dots): mhmm. Of course.

Cat: could you please send William in here.

William: I was just about to come in here anyway. My turn for the coffee run. Same as usual Mudd Grant?

Cat: um. No. Not today. The five of us have some work to do.

William: does it have anything to do with the usb in your hand that looks like the 11th Doctor’s Tardis?

Carter: I KNEW IT! Sorry.

Cat: that’s okay honey. Don’t be sorry for knowing things. And yes William. It does have to do with the usb. See Valor-every time.

(Mon El has made his exit and is flying back to the DEO)

Brainy (over the comms): Valor. Come in Valor.

Mon El: I’m here Brainy.

Brainy: supergirl is awake and she’s asking for you.

Mon El (relief washing over him): I’m on my way.

(End of part 3)