#so i can totally get where he's coming from but gosh does it hurt to see

[bbnibini]

I saw your tags in the Solomon post about his pact with Asmodeus tbh I agree with you maybe because I played the old game and know how cruel demons were shown at the start before they started overhauling the dialogue.

It wasn't until the brothers realized MC is related to Lilith so they started becoming nicer too. I just think it's unfair to put these characters in a box and expect them to act consistently that's called caricature not characterization but hey it's just my opinion.

Hi there! Solomon seems to be even more of a polarising character than Belphie was even if the latter committed an actual murder while the former hadn't done anything as severe (for now...jk lol).

Joking aside, it's completely valid to like and dislike a character. And I can totally see your point. I guess your opinion on Solomon changes depending on how long you had known him or how far you are in the story. Sometimes it doesn't even have a reason at all and that's valid too. It always amazes me how we interpet scenes so differently. Like for example, the current lesson (lesson 17).

In my eyes, the vulnerability he had shown in the bar/tavern was NOT intended. He had even insisted numerous times that we should forget everything that he said. That it was shameful he had even reacted that way. That he was being emotional. He was not in his right mind and it's shameful and disgusting and he should have never acted like that. This is the same man who said that he couldn't stand the thought of being hated by MC, so I think he must have reacted so strongly because this is a rare chance we see him at his weakest point: his true self. Being out in the open to someone who he wants to be loved by so badly TERRIFIES HIM. A lot of unexplored self-loathing in this man that's for sure. He even said you can call him insane because emotions had never been a factor in his decision making process. He's usually very emotionally intelligent and composed but your involvement. Your existence is beginning to shake his values. Because in the end, that air of confidence. Superiority. Magical prowess are years of building up defences against others from SEEING THE REAL HIM. I really like how the person I RB'd the blog from worded it. He's trying, but he's not perfect. He's human. He's hurt but in the cruel world he lived in all his life, he only had himself to rely on.

And there's something tragically poetic about that. Could his desire to make a pact with Lucifer be because he sees Lucifer as a "what-if" version of himself that had fallen from grace WITH people who loved him and believed in him? That if he gains Lucifer's trust, he would also be healing a part of himself who never had the chance nor the privilege to connect with others? If you recall in one of his SSR cards (the Comiket one forgot the name), the Lord of Corruption is his favourite character (possibly because he relates to the Lord of Corruption the most?), and it's been shown in the game a few times how he and Lucifer are comparable to each other (the Cyber event, TSL quiz battle, etc).

He seems to really be clinging into his humanity despite being isolated and even scorned by humanity itself at some point. Is it a saviour complex? Survivor's guilt? Either way, Solomon had been through a lot and he didn't seem to have a reliable guardian to rely on which is why he was acting like that. A stark contrast to how he and Diavolo were treated by Barbatos when his role in their lives had obvious parallels.

That's what's bothering me too. If Barbatos made Solomon "the way he is", then why is he so hostile towards him compared to the guilt and subservience he exhibits with Diavolo? Is it because like Asmodeus, he was also tricked into a pact(highly doubt this tbh unless that's actually the reason for Barbatos' deep disdain towards him? Because he had once treated Solomon with trust and compassion until it had been broken at some point)? Or could it be something deeper than that? A blight to the Fountain of Knowledge? Some forbidden boundaries that Solomon had crossed?

In my case, I have a considerable amount of background knowledge on him based on his "real life counterpart" before Solmare retconned it :'), and it has guided me surprisingly well (almost too well) in understanding him. King Solomon in the Bible had many enemies. But he is also kind and wise and benevolent and fickle and lustful and scheming. Loved by his people. Even given a blessed name by God. He had 700 wives and 300 concubines. He was a player, a fool in love, but for some reason, despite it all only had one named heir and had only one official wife, and when his actual heir had even taken over the throne, the United Kingdom of Israel was close to collapsing...which is weird because he's supposed to be wise and discerning. He could have totally predicted that from happening by defying God's word but kept on building pagan temples and marrying foreign wives anyway (despite how seemingly loyal he is to Naamah??). It's almost as if he wanted it to fall.

Sorry if I rambled too much lol. For me personally I don't really care if you like him or not. I think it's good they're trying to flesh him out although I have very very mixed feelings about them abandoning what they already worked on for his character in the OG. I do want Solmare to at least give us an option to side with him by our own terms. Not as blindly as the limited options they sometimes offer. (Ex. Okay, I'm on your side but can we please deal with this with more heart and consideration? AND HUMAN DECENCY? Not everyone is out there to get you and not all demonic transactions have to be heartless and calculating. Do you want a hug? :( )

EDIT: Idk why people are still liking this but tl;dr - Solomon was morally grey in the original source/Biblical King Solomon already so him being morally grey here should be no surprise. The entire cast is morally grey (except Luke probably). They're demons. You can hate on a character, but you should not bring it to an extent where you're already hurting a real live person for differing opinions.

[sillygoofyqueer]

Either before or after would be delightful, though I was thinking it was after Bing-ge became emperor.

I was imagining the situation with Shen Yuan being a transmigrator forced to steal stuff from Bing-ge because that was his character’s original role in the plot. He wants to be inconspicuous about it so as not to get murdered (like canon… also murder of crows, lol) but shiny qi rich things are just too tempting!!! Stupid crow brain won’t let him steal things that are less obvious. ;_;

And yay! You know about the crow tendency to make friends with people then be “helpful” with gifts or savage in their defense. That’s why I like crow-Shen Yuan so much. I can totally see him getting help from his full-crow demon family members (or regular crows if he can control them like ZZL can snakes) to harass assholes by dropping rocks, pooping on them and such while in their full crow forms. 😂

He absolutely feels bad about stealing stuff from people he likes (especially Bing-ge) so of course he always offers payments in exchange. Rare plants, animal parts, non-shiny artifacts, etc. all suspiciously selected to be super useful in upcoming plot events, to Bing-ge’s bafflement. Probably doesn’t help the obsession. How TF does this thief know what he’s going to need soon???

AAAGGGHHHH, THIS IS SO FUN!! I love this idea that Shen Yuan either has like, demon family members that he can relax with (oh em gosh, seeing his original family in these demons?) or just hangs out with like, a murder of crows and is like "aight, get these fuckers" and they just swarm whoever irritated him that day. He definitely has a nest in a mountain somewhere, just filled with these shiny things that he steals from people, and oh my god can he just be like a safe haven for other crows (demon or otherwise) and have little perches that he makes for them and helps the ones that are too injured to hunt for themselves. He's like a master of crows and (despite being just a thorn in the side of the demon emperor) he is known to be terrifying lest these crows get hurt (I'm picturing half human Shen Yuan standing in the shadows of a forest with wings outstretched and just staring down at the culprit) BACK TO BING-GE, I'd find it really funny if Shen Yuan first steals shiny and qi rich things that are small and he can just take in full crow form because they aren't really heavy, leaving Bing-ge like "no fucking way a literal crow has been stealing from me. This feels humiliating what the hell". Later on, he sets a trap for Shen Yuan to steal this big trinket (a statue or something that radiates qi) because he knows it would be too heavy for the crow to take and he can grab it! He waits, then watches as Shen Yuan observes the statue a little bit, before shifting into his half-crow form and just scooping it up into his arms, scowling at the weight before flying out again. Bing-ge is sat there for a while like "what the fuck just happened" and then he watches as Shen Yuan returns a few minutes later with a herb that is supposed to be extremely useful for a poison or something, drops it where the statue was, and darts away again. After that, it's like the only thing on Bing-ge's mind is "how can I get this pretty demon to come back?" and he doesn't even think about his harem (if he has one in this), leaving them all around his palace absolutely confused and questioning what has happened to their emperor. {part two! Part one, part three, part four, part five, part six, part seven!!}

[ichatake]

im curious since in ur request rules you have that you write yandere characters. What is your definition of yandere? How do you write them and what do you think about them? btw I really love your work.

and since we're on the topic, what characters would you see being a little yandere? What type of yandere would they be?

Hi Anon! I appreciate the question! Many people have different ideas of what a yandere is and how they should be portrayed. I’d like to start off by giving you the definition of what most people see a yandere:

Now, my definition of a yandere is a person who is completely devoted to another, to the point where they develop unhealthy tendencies. I tend to write my Yandere characters in a more realistic way. (I tend to stay away from the whole ‘oh gosh you just killed this person because they looked at me weird’ kind of writing style. It’s just not my cup of tea)

Since I’ve always been a big fan of psychological horror and dark romance, I portray yanderes as narcissistic, manipulative, and simply not safe to be around. They might have stalkerish tendencies, yes, but I like to focus more on how they would affect the person they like. (I know it kinda takes away from the whole definition of yandere) Basically, I just like turning the usual lovestruck, insane yandere into a more realistic version of themselves (as realistic as they could get in the ninja world. I hate completely altering a character’s personality into something they’re not).

What do I think of yanderes? Well, I certainly wouldn’t want to meet one in real life. I like reading and writing them in fiction, but in no way shape or form do I romanticize or agree with whatever the Yandere does. I do not condone any type abuse because it’s absolutely vile that someone might go out their way to hurt others. Having said that, I think many people might not find the way I write yanderes very pleasing, because it’s not what they’re used to seeing, and that’s totally okay!

Now to answer you final questions:

I believe there are a few characters that might have the possibilities of becoming a Yandere or having Yandere tendencies:

Obito (way too obsessive):

I know a lot of people think the same way as I do. I believe that Obito is a man with serious problems.

He technically grew up alone, just with his grandmother. He almost succeeded in putting everyone in an infinite genjutsu, where he could distort reality to his liking and be with the girl he loved.

It’s safe to say that he would be a yandere where if push comes to shove, he will do whatever it takes to have you near him.

He is obsessive (he had a lot of pictures of Rin when he was young, so…). He needs to remember your face clearly, even when he’s away from you. You’re the reason why he breathes. He lives because you allow him to. That’s what he thinks.

Madara(protective and controlling):

Hear me out, this man is complicated.

Sometimes he would put his desires over you, but if we’re going to be honest, he’d shred down the world for you.

If something ever happened to you, Madara would take no time in avenging you. He’s a little different to Obito. Although he’s obsessive, he doesn’t completely revolve his life around you.

He likes feeling possessive over you, but he can leave at any time that he needs to. You have to wait for him. He’ll be a protective yandere, looking out for you and making sure you understand that he’ll be the only one there for you.

Kakashi (protective, pathological liar) :

Whoa? Kakashi? Really? Yes really. This man has grown up alone. He made friends, they died. They left. Anytime he got close to someone, they’d disappear. It’s only logical that if he were to fall for someone, he’d like to protect them.

However, this protectiveness can get overwhelming. He knows you’re capable of protecting yourself, he simply doesn’t want you to. If one thing he’s done wrong in life, it’s protecting those around him. This was his time to make up for all those times he failed.

He isn’t used to affection, but when he has it, he craves it. Badly. You need to remind him that you love him too, or else he might just think you’re ready to leave him at any time.

He isn’t above lying to get you to do something. He’s lied before, so why not lie again? If it gets things going his way, he won’t care. A little harmless lie can turn into a bunch of them.

Sasuke (distant, but protective) :

If he likes you, he definitely won’t show it. If he genuinely cares, he won’t be above doing anything inhumane. He’s already done a lot of things in this world that got him hate, adding another one to his list wouldn’t be a problem.

He’ll work from the shadows. He’ll love you from far away. He isn’t really affectionate and doesn’t know how to show it.

One things certain though, you’re his lover. He will give his life for you or take another.

You ask him for the moon and he will serve it in a silver platter before leaving.

Do I think other character could be Yandere? Well yes, this is fiction after all, but these are the best that fit that description. Anyways, thank you for your questions! I’d love to answer more if anyone else is curious or wants to request some Yandere content!

[opossumloverr]

✪ RAPHAEL HAMATO DATING HEADCANONS ✪

Summary:

Just some silly lil headcanons to start of the summa❗️🫶🏾

Warning(s):

None! all fluff up in here

A/N:

OKAY GUYS ITS SUMMER VAYCAY, IM BACK AND HAVE NOTHING TO DO FOR 75 DAYS, IM A FREE MAN, SO LET'S START IT OFF WITH MY FAVORITE BOY (Gender-neutral reader!)

I would like to start by saying this man loves you very much and would drop almost anything for you

You need help with a school project? Big red is on his way, you don't know what shoes will match the outfit you picked, oh what a coincidence! he just so happens to have a matching pair of shoes that fits you perfectly, you just want cuddles? lock and loaded baby, come at him

I think I can speak for everyone when I say we all need a Raph in our lives

He protects you from his brother's teasing, even if it's just playing or goofing, he is NOT taking any chances.

He loves to scoop you up randomly, you'll get used to it don't worry

Very cautious when picking you up though, doesn't want his spikes to hurt you, he will feel mad guilty if he was the one who caused you even a little bit of pain, even if it wasn't attentional (please comfort the man)

Appreciates the little moments he shares with you, oh my gosh I actually have the perfect scenario, just imagine...

After a long day full of fun cahoots and mysterious adventures, you two finally decided to go home, you usually go your separate ways after a day like this one, but it was rather late at night, and New York lets the creeps roam at this time, so he offered to ride the subway train with you, even though you were a bit hesitant but agreed cause there's no way your gonna allow yourself to get mugged in the middle of the night and like I said it was late at night so the subway cart that you guys were on was empty, he did wear a Hoodie and mask, just in case, the ride was silent, no noises but the constant screeching of the train tracks, but other than that it was just comfortable silence, Raph was lost in his thoughts, thinking about how the next day will be and how it will end, will it be a good or bad day? or something in the middle; what's the meaning of life? and what happens after death? Where does your soul go to, to heaven? or is it just pitch black forever, will today be his last day-- suddenly, he felt a lightweight on his shoulder, the thoughts that were coming in like a rapid wave started to smooth down to a calm stream of water, he glanced down at your sleeping figure, apparently you thought it was a perfect time to take a quick power nap, how cute! he coos softly at you, loving how you're so comfortable and calm around him. god, he loves you so much ♡,

"I promise I will always be here when you need me, you're my everything, sweetie"

Sorry guys I just felt a little kooky at the moment

If you like to play fight he's totally down, doesn't fight too hard obviously, and lets you win all the time, what a gentleman

He'll hold doors open for you, push your seat out, and then push it back in, hell, he would even do that thing where a guy puts his coat on a puddle so the lady could walk through it even though she's fully capable of walking around it

Takes so many pics of you and him at places, and has a particular folder on his phone with pictures of you guys

When it's family game night or movie night, he always invites you, you are practically a part of the family so why not? (The others don't mind)

It's so common to find you in the lair with how much you go down there on a daily basis

Yall have to do lovely dovey things in a private area cause of his brothers (mostly Leo, his bitchass) constantly changing the mood

Likes it when you watch him workout, it motivates him so much, sometimes he uses you as a weight

Loves to give you piggyback rides for some reason

He likes pickles, LISTEN LISTEN, if you don't like pickles in your burger you'll pick them out and give it to him cause you know he loves em (THE OLIVE THEORY ♡)

I GOT SOO MUCH MORE BECAUSE OF HOW MUCH I LOBE HIM BUT ILL KEEP IT INSIDE, FOR NOW, CAUSE ITS 5:08 AM RN 💀 sorry for being dead for 5 months, AGIAN, but imma be back on my grind now 🙏🏾 and I'll try to complete all of my 15 drafts 😓 and if you see any grammar mistakes, no you didn't.

[rosypenguins]

I am NOT the you are to drew like Henry is to me anon I am a completely different person however. I'd like to share a little something about Henry.

I had a friend on discord once and we talked about Henry quite a lot, and we made what is what I think my FAVOURITE Henry theory of all time.

Okay, think about it: what's the ONE tmf character that has a design trait that literally HIDES or CHANGES their real appearance to the audience? That's right; HENRY. Henry's real EYES are never seen (except for the glow up video which I'm really not counting because that's like... a silly little thing BUT ANYWAY) in the show. And we all know eyes are the window to the soul. What I'm getting at here is that I don't think that Henry is genuine, not in a malicious way, but in some sort of... like, joke... way?? Gosh I can't explain it but here look.

Think about it. Why the hell would Henry spit gum into Zoeys hair? ZOEY, aka Drew's girlfriend, aka THAT ZOEY? For the comedic value. Because its funny.

Why does he like lettuce juice? Really think about it. Really. What. Does lettuce juice. Taste like. Just fucking water. Maybe terrible water but you can't juice a fucking lettuce. This is a gag, yes, but the only closer similar gag is maybe Zander drinking grape juice I guess... but that's not similar. Grapes can be juiced. Where would you even GET a lettuce juice box? That's right, NOWHERE. Henry must've crafted those boxes, or at least stuck a sticker onto a green juice box, for a bit. Wouldn't that be insane ass effort to put into a bit? Hell, the juice is green. If you juice a lettuce it wouldn't be green. It's not a lettuce smoothie, it's a "lettuce juice". Meaning that Henry either getting green juice or dying water himself isn't out of the picture.

Why is he always goofing around? Sure, you can say thats just his silly goofy aura, but just THINK. He is DESIGNED with silly goofy in mind. His literal physical appearance is silly. HE LITERALLY HAS MEME EYES. HE'S THE ONLY ONE WITH MEME. EYES.

I know this is just an archetype. I know he's just a character.

But just. Think.

He isnt just "a comedic relief character", he IS the comedic relief character. In their show. That's the role he put on himself. The role he's putting effort to play no matter the consequence.

But why would that be? I mean, look at Liam! He's silly and goofy too, why am I doing this whole ass essay?

I bring another point into discussion; the fact that he's a WEEB.

A DORK.

A GEEK.

Now, I may be projecting just a smidge here, but that just means I have personal experiences of that happening.

We all know Drewy Bear loves to adopt absolute fucking losers and up their status, as shown with Jake. And, come on, think about it, Henry is like THE most bulliable character in the show, no offense. So, what I'm proposing,

Is that Henry must've gotten bullied before too. It would make total sense! He's a weeb, excitable, probably says "nani!?" Unironically, etc. And you know, sometimes when you're picked on... you really start to internalise that shit. Sometimes the attention you get from people laughing at you feels good. Terrible, hurtful, and devastating... but good. Because they find you funny.

And you then put ALL your effort into being funny. That's the only thing you're gonna be, after all, you're hillarious. Oh, you can only eat X food? What are you, a rabbit? Hahaha, turn that into a funny bit! Etc, etc etc.

We don't know how long this went on or how long Henry was a Dromie, but one things for sure (in my theory): all of this slowly made him less and less of a person, and more and more of just a joke.

And no, the lettuce thing isn't a reach. I've had this genuinely happen to me personally; people kept on making fun of me because I had to soften my food because of my chronic fatigue, so i turned it into a bit. I'm not ruling this out for Henry.

....

But hey that's just a theory A FREAK THEORY thanks for watching aaaaand send ask

That is a WILD theory but I TOTALLY see what you’re getting at!! That makes so much sense! And it takes his silly role as comic relief and spins it around to be hella depressing. (Turning yourself into the joke just to make people laugh is way too real-😭)

Almost makes me wonder too what if ALL the Jomies were bullied prior to meeting Drew? I mean Liam’s not exactly the definition of cool either. That’d be really interesting to see.

[rayofmisfortune]

NO ONE FRIGGIN BLINK

TODAY IS LORE EPISODE DAY AND I SWEAR IF WE DON'T GET A FULL EPISODE FROM RUIN CLIPSY'S POV I'M THROWING OVER A FEW TABLES

I guess this can be considered my prediction for a future "RESCUING RUIN ECLIPSE in VRChat" episode I GUESS???

~

But basically, imagine an episode from Ruin Eclipse's pov, we get to see new Eclipse friggin torturing them and whatever else. They'd beg for him to stop, insisting that the others would come for them, that they were looking for them.

Eclipse would laugh in their face, not without zoning out at least 3 times during the thing and questioning why the hell he's doing any of this. He'd then leave off to wherever tf he goes.

We'd get a moment of Ruin Eclipse's internal private thoughts, but of course, they'd be guarded because they (hc time) KNOW they are being watched. But I'd imagine with what Eclipse put them through, they would hardly care for what some invisible broadcasting all seeing eye thought of them.

Then, after this, we'd see (still from Ruin Eclipse's pov) Solar and Moon entering the holding cells area. Ruin Eclipse would not let a peep out, unsure, even when they kept on insisting to Eclipse, if they really are getting rescued or aren't just seeing some cruel last hope of freedom made up by their desperate mind.

Solar and Moon would look around, check all the holding cells, because this is the likeliest area of where the alternate bot could be, no? They'd eventually find their way up the stairs, closer and closer towards Ruin Eclipse, who lays defeated on the ground, refusing to so much as move a finger as everything hurts, (hc) again.

Haha uhhh yea that's it, I like theorizing of the script for future episodes, I know I'm probably (more like totally) wrong but it's fun to do so ^^

~

Explanation for the hc's:

hc: Probably something a lot of people theorize about, Ruin and by extension Ruin Eclipse can see the viewers, or at least the cameras when they're watching. We obviously never get to see any of them OUTSIDE of the camera's view, so... I'd imagine Ruin Eclipse is more careful of what they do when they are being watched.

hc: I hc that while Ruin Eclipse were still broken, they were in constant pain from all the open cracked and shattered holes in their casing, not to mention their gosh darn leg and hands. If they- if they got broken again, got to feel the persistent pain they thought they were rid of by fixing themself up? Gosh, haha wooo angst

~

If anyone likes this little idea of mine, I'm not opposed to people making their own take of this if they feel like doing so! Pretty please lmk if anyone does (no pressure ofc) I'd love to see it!

[fishsticksloser]

Can I have a request that the rottmnt turtles s/o died with karai by the shredder and then came back as a ghost to reunited their boyfriend as they got their hamato ninpo they can defeat the shredder

Ghost of You

Raph x gn!reader

Warnings: death, injuries, angst, comfort, yo'kai/mutant!reader, this is pretty long...

A/N: I'm only doing one turtle because I wasn't really sure how to do the others without sounding redundant. Reader is either yo'kai or a mutant due to the fact that when they unlocked their ninpo, NYC was in the orb. I skip quite a bit of what happens, but this is still pretty long.

You had gone to the lair because you hadn't heard from your boyfriend all day. You hadn't seen him since the day before the Battle Nexus Big Mama held in New York.

"Raph?" You call, walking through the demolished lair. "Raphael!?"

Something explodes and you are buried under rubble. You can't move, even breathing hurts due to the dust.

"Gram Gram!" You hear Leo yell.

"No! The Hamato must live on!" Raph tells him. You wanted to yell for him. You were trapped, you needed him. You hear a lot of commotion before hearing someone yell about the Turtle Tank.

"For the boys." Draxum sighs.

"For our boys." Splinter corrects.

You hear fighting. Still trapped under the rock. Everything stopped soon after. You heard the Foot Clan play a video.

"I've got the Empyrean." Draxum grunts.

"Draxum! I cannot believe you are doing this you turned out..." Splinter groans.

"You knew this day was coming, rat." You could hear Draxum's evil smile. "He hates me. I hate him. It's kind of our thing and now I win."

"Where is the Empyrian?" Shredder asks.

"Down there in the Hidden City."

They left. You were still trapped. There was no sign of help. You didn't know how long you were there before you heard someone run in. You heard someone else moaning in pain.

"Guys, I'm coming!" You hear April call. Rubble starts moving somewhere nearby. "Karai!"

"Stop, we don't have much time..." Karai answers.

"No no. I gotta help you, take you to a hospital..."

"I will not be able to finish this journey. Now you must teach the family..."

"How can I? I'm not... I'm not one of you!"

"Oh my child... You have always been one of us..."

You see a bright green light and you felt power.

"April!" You cough. "April."

"Oh my god!" You feel rubble sliding off you. "Y/N! What... Does Raph know you're here?"

"April..." You gasp, you felt like you were drifting.

"No... Oh, please. Hang on!" You see tears slowly fall down April's face. "I'll get you to the Hidden City and we can get you some help, okay?"

April pulled you out of the rubble and helps you stand. You both limp out of the lair and you stumble. You start to fall, but April catches you and she lays you down.

"You're not going to make it, are you?" April sniffs. You shake your head, trying to get your final thoughts in order. She presses her forehead to yours. "I'm so sorry, y/n."

"It's not your fault." You breathe. "Please... Tell Raph..."

You couldn't finish, tears of your own falling. You couldn't think, couldn't speak. Still April nodded and held you.

"I'll tell him..." Her voice breaks as you finally drift away. "I'm so sorry, y/n... You deserve so much better."

˗ˏˋ ꒰ ⋆｡❤️ ｡⋆꒱ ˎˊ˗

"Guys! Guys guys guys guys guys!" April calls, running up to the turtles. They were in the woods with Todd.

"April?" Leo asks.

"Oh my gosh! You won't believe what happened." April tells them. "I went to the lair which is totally destroyed and found Karai and she turned into light and now I hear her voice inside my head!"

"Wanna say that one more time?" Donnie sighs.

"Karai. She did a Hamato glowy light thing and now I think she lives inside of me?" April repeats, the boys hug her.

"Gram Gram's alive?" Leo smiles.

"Gram gram, it's Mikey I miss you!" Mikey yells into April's ear.

"Gram gram would like you to let go and never do that again." April shoves Mikey away.

"Okay new plan. Gram gram tells April to tell us what to do. Please instruct us April Gram Gram sensei." Raph decides.

"She wants me to teach you the art of pinpo—" She hums.

"Ninpo." Donnie corrects. They continue to discuss the plan and what happened at the lair.

"Hey, Raph... Can I talk to you, privately?" April mumbles to him. Raph nods and they walk away from the group. "Something else happened at the lair..."

"What?" Raphael questions.

"Y/N was in the lair when it was demolished..." April begins, looking at the ground, tears starting to fall again. "They didn't make it... They wanted me to tell you um... They love you and they believe in you."

Raph didn't answer. He walked away, into the forrest.

"Is everything okay?" Mikey asks, they all watched Raph disappear.

"Y/N's dead..." April chokes. The other boys run after Raph. They find him sitting, back against a tree, crying. His brothers kneel next to him and wrap their arms around their eldest brother, tears also falling from their eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Raph..." Leo mutters.

˗ˏˋ ꒰ ⋆｡❤️ ｡⋆꒱ ˎˊ˗

Slowly, Raph leans backwards, falling to the cliff. "Anatawa Hitorijanai.". Realizing this, his brothers jump after him, screaming at the top of their lungs. "RAAAAAAAAAPHHHHHH!"

Their markings begin to glow in the gorgeous light and their Hamato sign appears on their chest. Their clothing becoming black as night. Their bandana tails grew.

"Saving like a Boss!"

Leo, Mikey, and Donnie form a hand, Raph grabs it hand, and joins in the transformation. They land in the water, where April was watching. The turtles have gotten their true selves back.

˗ˏˋ ꒰ ⋆｡❤️ ｡⋆꒱ ˎˊ˗

"Hey Shredhead! We heard you were looking for some Hamato energy. Guys?" Raphael grins, turning to Leo and Mikey.

"Oh I think I got some for him." Leo chuckles, his trowels transforming into katanas.

"That's right it's us and we've had a bit of an upgrade." April smiles.

"Big time!" Mikey cheers, his rope transforming into num-chuks, Donnie's hoe turns into a bo staff.

"And this time around...." Donnie smirks.

"We won't lose." Raph chuckles, his hand rakes becoming sais. A drill erupts from behind them, explosions flood the sky.

"My drill is out of beta!" Donnie yells.

"Donnie nice. Now put it in action." Raph laughs.

"I did. It's just for hero poses." Donnie answers.

"Respect!" Leo applauds, leaning over Raphael's shoulder.

The fight begins, the boys and April flying around Shredder. Cassandra watches Splinter wither away. She knew she had to save him and eventually she has a change of heart. Casey attacks Shredder. She shatters one of the chains, the boys run to help Splinter. They join their mystic powers.

"Oh no it is not enough. I have failed." Splinter frowns.

"No dad we can do this. You may not have taught us everything."

"But you did teach us the most important thing."

"Be there for each other."

"Remember what your mom said to you that day at the park. You are not alone!"

"My sons I..." Splinter sniffs.

"Yoshi…" A woman appears, floating in front of them.

"Mom? You're here." Splinter smiles sadly.

"I have always been here."

More Hamato ancestors appear, grabbing the shaft of the spear. "We all have."

Raph locks eyes with you. He smiles wistfully, tears threatening to spill. The others see you too, all of them smile softly.

"Hot…" Yoshi's mom began.

"SOUUUUUUUUP!!!!!!" Everyone calls. The spear shatters the armour. Shredder is destroyed once and for all and Oroku Saki returns. Karai leaves April's body and hugs her father for the first time in 500 years.

"My daughter…" He breaths.

"Thank you my young Hamatos. We will always be with you." Karai tells the turtles.

Karai, her father and all of the ancestors bow to the Turtles and their family. With this, all the Hamato spirits fade away into the night. You stay. Raph rushes forward and hugs you.

"I'm sorry..." He sobs, pulling away to look at you. You hold his face in your hands. "I should've been there for you."

"I will always be with you, Raph..." You tell him, he leans into your touch. "I'll always love you."

[staceymcgillicuddy]

If you’re still taking prompts for the writing one, 2 or 23 mayhaps? 💖 No worries if not. 😘

I am, in fact, still taking prompts! And I'm going to answer both of yours! Here's number 2, and I'm going to start work on 23 now. I'll tag you when I post it!

“Wait a minute. Are you jealous?”

The concept is so ludicrous, so ridiculous, so beyond the realm of comprehension that Eddie has never considered it in the three months he’s been privileged enough to call Chrissy Cunningham his girlfriend, his sweetheart, his one-and-only. Like, he’d prostrate himself at her feet daily if she’d let him, and maybe he’d tried once or twice before she’d “oh my gosh-ed” at him in a way that had him swooning and grabbing at her knees and kissing her ankles and yeah, alright, he worships the ground she walks on. Fuck him, right? 

So, the idea that Chrissy could be jealous? Does not compute. Beep-bloop, broken robot, bye-bye. 

Yet, there Chrissy sits, arms folded and a frown on her face, in the front seat of his van where he’s giving her a ride home after Corroded Coffin’s standing weekly gig at the Hideout. Chrissy can’t always come—her mom and dad aren’t exactly down with Eddie, so her attendance is contingent on whether she can sneak out—but she was there tonight, looking perfectly delectable in one of his old Dio shirts that she’d cut up and turned into, like… some girl shit where her boobs are pushed up and fantastic and it nips in at the waist, and yeah, he’s gonna eat her out. He’s gonna eat her out so hard, what with the flippy black skirt that’ll be so easy to get underneath.

Only that’s not looking so likely, judging by the way her bottom lip is shaking. 

She also hasn’t answered the question. 

Eddie pulls the van into the curb, ignoring the indignant crash of a loose cymbal. 

“Chrissy,” he says, reaching for her hand, only she turns away. “Hey. Baby…” 

“You were flirting with her!”

“With Alice?” Eddie is stumped. Shboggled. Stupefied. Alice is like… the bartender. That’s it. She’s not even a girl, really. Or, well, she is a girl. He’s made out with her twice, and she gave him a handjob once. But she’s older—in college in Indianapolis—and she only picks up shifts at the Hideout when she’s home on break because her uncle owns the bar. And, like, yeah, she has a great ass and a cool haircut, and she’s fun to talk to, but he wasn’t flirting. He was just, like, kidding around. Teasing her a little. Coercing her into a free drink and a smoke and…

Huh. Yeah. Now that he thinks about it, he can see where Chrissy’s coming from. 

“Allie’s just like, my buddy, though?” He offers by way of explanation. 

“Eddie, come on,” she says, and her chin is still wobbling. 

“I’m serious, though! You don’t have anything to worry about.” 

She rounds on him with a glare, and he’s suddenly quite sure that he’s stepped in a pile of dogshit. “Oh my gosh, I’m not worried, Eddie! I’m embarrassed!”

“Th—why?” 

“Because it’s humiliating to have to sit there while my boyfriend flirts with another girl in front of his friends, is why!”

Oh. Huh. Eddie never thought about it like that, but then, he never had a girlfriend before Chrissy. But, if the tables were turned and she was being real cute with some random dude while he had to sit there and watch, he probably wouldn’t be thrilled with the situation, either.

“Fuck,” he says. “Chrissy…” 

“Don’t do that crap, okay?” She blinks, and there are tears in her eyes. Eddie officially wants to kick his own ass up one side of the street and down the other. “It really hurts my feelings.” 

“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he says, and he means it. “That was a dick move.” 

Chrissy softens slightly, and this time when he reaches for her hand, she lets him take it. “I don’t care if you… if you have friends, or whatever. But don’t flirt, okay? Don’t do that.” 

Eddie nods, and if the gearshift wasn’t between them, he’d have flung himself across the seats and onto her lap by now. “Got it. Yeah. Totally. Just… new to this, you know?” 

“Uh-huh.” She shrugs, then offers him the tiniest hint of a smile. “You want to make it up to me?” 

“Depends.” 

“On what?” 

“What you’re wearing under that skirt.” 

Other prompts from this meme!

[helianskies]

'please don't fall!' for PruSpa :)

why of course >:3

Ladder

“Do you want me to hold the ladder?”

“I'm fine, it's not that high!”

“It was just an offer!”

“Oh, God, be careful up there, Gilbert! Please don't fall!”

“No point appealing to him,” Mikkel tells Antonio, who has just wandered into the room. “Stubborn as hell, as always!”

“I’m fine, seriously,” Gilbert assures them both all the same. “Your concern is flattering, but totally unnecessary!”

The three of them are amongst a small group of volunteers (or ‘elves’ as it had been put) to help decorate ahead of the annual holiday get-together. This year, it has become Francis’ undertaking, but as if he was going to get up a ladder and decorate the Christmas tree himself! Gilbert has a list of strict instructions (which he’s mostly ignored so far) and as he approaches the top, he’s glad he’s nearly finished. 

But of course, being all the way up a ladder while decorating what was apparently a ten foot tall tree is ‘alarming’. Gilbert’s been dealing with Mikkel’s disguised worry for the last twenty minutes, but now that Antonio is now also here, he just knows it’ll worsen. Darn old men and their weak, weak knees! Not everyone is a liability!

As predicted, nevertheless—

“Do you want me to hold the ladder?” Antonio offers as well, hands on hips as he watches on from below. “Or maybe one of us should go up there instead…?”

Gilbert waves him off, and continues titivating the silvery tinsel. “I’m almost done,” he says by way of reassuring him, the worry-wart. 

“I’m gonna leave you to it,” Mikkel surrenders with a gentle sigh. “Reckon I’ll be more use elsewhere.”

“Yep!” Gilbert agrees, eyes still glued to his work. 

He hears some mumbling from below—Antonio and Mikkel exchanging some quiet words and a laugh about something, he notes—before one person’s footsteps pad away, and the room falls silent once more. 

The silence only lasts so long, though.

“I’m looking forward to tonight,” Antonio muses. A quick glance down reveals that he’s looking around the room, at the tall ceilings, the chandelier, the snow-adorned garlands… “Something about Fran’s parties are always so magical, don’t you think?”

Gilbert hums along to appease him. He isn’t sure if ‘magical’ is the word. But he will admit he enjoys these nights, the festivities, the friends, the laughter… That’s what the holidays have come to mean: spending time with the important people in his life while they can.

But then Gilbert finds himself, after a moment, looking down once more. Below him, Antonio is eyeing some of the decorations already on the tree—glass baubles, ceramic birds, hand-painted globes—and a small smile seems to have appeared on his face, eyes wide like a child in a sweet shop.

Antonio is an even bigger fan of the holidays. For the same reasons, at heart. But there’s a part of him that also just loves the lights, the ornaments, the wreaths—every little detail. And even if he maintains his traditions in January, Antonio has not shied away from Christmas Day celebrations either in recent years. Gilbert likes seeing him enjoy himself in that respect. There was a short period where his presence was… Well…

It’s good to see him. 

“Oh my gosh, I f—”

“FUCK—!”

“GILBERT!”

It happens so fast. There’s a wobble, then more wobbling, and then only falling.

It feels funny. A leg slips briefly between rungs—a misplaced foot is the root of his problems—and he feels himself fall backwards, light, helpless, fast. He braces himself in that single second to hit the ground—maybe even the ladder—to hit his head, or hurt his back, or land on a shoulder. Sustaining an injury is far from ideal, especially since these days he’s not quite so well-equipped to heal, but if he—

He does not hit the ground, but something just a little bit softer. Something that has arms that try to catch him, and something that inevitably falls down beneath his weight.

So much for not falling!

But that fall has repercussions, now, on more people than just himself. 

With a groan, Gilbert tries to move and get up. Antonio, however, who is beneath him and sprawled across the floor, asks him, strained and quiet, to stay put.

Gilbert worries. His arse hurts, as does his shin. He’s glad to see the ladder went towards the tree and that Francis’ baubles survived the ordeal, but…

“Are you okay?” he asks Antonio, who still holds him, arms wrapped around Gilbert’s torso. 

“Eh…” His breathing is a bit heavy, yet bated. “I thought I told you not to fall…”

“Yeah, well,” Gilbert scoffs, “you made me jump!”

“And you’re welcome for saving your neck!”

With that, Gilbert carefully pries himself from the other’s grasp and slowly sits up. Antonio softly groans, and decides to stay lying down; the other perches next to him, his own heart still racing a bit, and they look at each other.

The worry is certainly mutual.

“You okay?” Gilbert asks again, another layer to his question implied in the way his face morphs. 

“Sore,” Antonio says. “Gimme a minute. I’ll— I’ll be fine.”

“Idiot.”

“Well.” His smile returned, albeit somewhat mischievous. “After that, I guess you could say you—”

“Don’t.”

“—fell for me?”

“Ugh.”

“The heck happened to you two? I heard a scream!”

Gilbert rolls his head to the side and finds Mikkel, reemerged at just the right time, and in a dramatic display of surrender, he riffs a slew of curses and joins Antonio on the floor properly. 

Paying no mind to Mikkel’s presence, then, Antonio seeks out Gilbert’s hand and holds it gently in his own. It is warm. It is kind, in spite of what has just occurred between them. And Antonio looks at him with such warmth, too, and Gilbert looks back, and the other smiles once again, and Gilbert warms and buzzes and breathes and—

“No more ladders for you, Gil.”

“If you say so, Toni.”

And with that, their laughter only resumes.

[ fic collection on ao3! ] [ prompts list here! ]

[dmwrites]

It wasn’t like Zedaph to ever pay attention ever. He lived in a hole in the ground, did totally ethical science, and only left his home to find a resource he didn’t already have. Needless to say, it took a man literally crashing into him full force to figure out that something weird had happened on the Hermitcraft server.

“ZED! Holy s- crap!”

Zed turned around just in time to be knocked over by some blue and black thing.

“Ah! Please don’t hurt me, I’m only here for greenery!” Zed said. “Oh, wait, hello xBcrafted!”

xB was kneeling beside him on the ground, eyes wild. “Oh my gosh, Zed, you have no idea how good it is to see you!” xB helped him to his feet and put a hand to Zed’s face, eyes still wide but now with an almost desperate look in them.

“Are we about to kiss?” Zed asked.

xB took his hand away and laughed, eyes crinkling up. “My god, Zed, you sure are something else, I feel like I’m talking to Keralis.”

Zed chuckled. “I’ll take that as a compliment. So, why are you so excited to see me, of all people? And how have you been- oh! You should come in my hole, we can do a Zedvancement together!”

xB gave him a funny look. “Well, I’ve mostly been worried about where everyone else could have gone to in that rift.”

“Rift? What rift?” Zed frowned, racking his brain. “Oh, that rift thing in Grian’s basement? What, did it do something?”

xB raised his eyebrows. “You’re kidding, right?”

“What?”

“Zed, where are we right now?”

“The shopping district.”

“And does anything seem… different here?”

Zedaph hummed, looking around. He always liked a puzzle. “Well, it is awfully quiet. Where is everyone, anyway?”

xB stared at him expectantly.

“Wait…” Zed turned on the spot in Cub’s shop, where they could see almost the entire shopping district. “Didn’t there used to be giant signs blocking some of the buildings here?”

xB put his head in his hands. “Zed.”

Zed huffed. “Don’t worry, xBcrafted, I will solve your riddle!”

“Everyone’s gone, Zed!” xB exclaimed. “It’s quiet because everyone’s gone! They all went through the rift- didn’t you get a compass?”

“You know, I did get a compass. It had coordinates on it, right?” Zed said slowly.

“Yeah!” xB replied.

“Oh, well, i thought it was a gift from someone, and put it in my hall of all, since I didn’t have one yet.” Zed laughed. “I guess the numbers being coordinates makes a little more sense!”

“Zed. I thought I was alone on this forsaken server. Started talking to… myself and everything. You’re the first person I’ve seen in like a week, dude!” xB said. “And you’re… you! The rift, I saw the hermits, like a whole bunch of them, going into the rift! We have to figure out where it goes!” xB took Zedaph by the shoulders. “I can’t be alone anymore, Zed. Please stay with me?”

Zed looked into xB’s eyes, saw the pleading and perhaps a bit of fear, too.

“Sure, xB. I love science, after all.” Zed said. “I can even get us lab coats.”

So, they set up at Grian’s base. The rift had changed since Zed had been in the basement to spy on Grian. It was darker now, weird and glitchy. xB and Zed spent the next few days just studying, testing, theorizing. Zed slept in a small room he’d found in one of the floating boulders. xB slept in the boulder covered in skulk, saying it almost felt familiar to him.

It was odd, to work so closely with someone else. Both he and xB were more of the independent types, but they got on quite well together. xB had a wealth of information about the rift, mostly from the security cameras that Zed did not ask about. They often worked late into the night, Zed usually turning in first, leaving xB still staring at the broken rift.

Perhaps it shouldn’t have surprised him that xB went in. xB was more… involved then Zedaph was. He was the one who would always mutter about finding a way in, the one up late and early just staring at the thing. And yet, it was surprise that Zedaph felt when he woke up one morning and went down to the rift, only to find a note on the loadstone in front of it that read “went in. sorry.”.

Zedaph consulted his notes worriedly. The rift still looked the same, still glitched and dark. It wasn’t fixed by any means, and they’d agreed that going in could be dangerous. Maybe it would lead to the other hermits, maybe. But nothing was known for sure. And it was then that Zedaph, for perhaps the first time, really and truly felt alone. He’d been alone before, but always on his terms. Now he knew there was no one. Well, assumed there was no one. But it wasn’t a long elytra flight to prove it.

Days passed, and Zed wondered if he was living the same timeline as xB had. How much longer until he started talking to himself? How much longer until he went in the rift himself out of desperation? It seemed impossible that everyone had gone, impossible that he was the only one left. He kept looking, thinking he’d find them all giggling in some tiny hole in the ground, watching him suffer.

It’s always the last place you check where you find what you’re looking for. And as soon as the whoosh of Beef’s nether portal cleared Zed’s ears, he heard what he had been straining to find for days. Someone humming to themselves.

“Oh, hey Zedaph! Nice to see you!”

Zed stared in shock at VintageBeef himself, who was sorting through some cards, completely at ease, in his own world out on the ocean.

“You’re here!” Zed gasped.

“Well, yeah, where else would I go.” Beef joked.

“I forgot you were here.” Zed whispered, horrified.

“Ah, well, you know how it is. Everyone forgets about good ol’ Beefers. I am kind of out in the middle of nowhere.” Beef chuckled.

“Well, now you’re the most important person in my life, Beef, because it’s just us here.” Zed said.

Beef frowned at him. “What does that even mean, Zedaph?”

“There’s- okay, do you know about Grian’s rift? That huge portal thing in his basement?”

“Hm, you know, I think I saw it once, yeah.” Beef nodded.

“The hermits all went into it. I don’t know what called them to walk into it, but I just lost xB to it too. And I thought I was all alone here. Beef, I need your help. We have to find them or get them out or something.”

Beef looked down at the paper in his hand and then back up at Zed. “Well, if there aren’t any other hermits around, my game won’t get played. So of course I’ll help you.” Beef chuckled, but stopped when he saw Zedaph not doing the same. “Are you alright, Zed?” He held out his arms, and Zed rushed into them.

“I just am glad I’m not alone.” Zedaph said quietly. “Im glad you’re here.”

[your-divine-ribs]

I’m With the Band Part 27

Words: 2k words

I’m With the Band Masterlist Main Masterlist

"So what's all this about then?" I grumble, eyes raised up to the ceiling as I flop down on to the sofa in the living area, pretending to stifle a yawn like I'm not really interested in what Larry's got to say. I know I'm acting childishly but I can't help it, Larry's overbearing nature brings out the worst in me.

"You really have to ask?" He says, sliding his phone out of his jeans pocket. I know what's coming. I can see the annoyance etched all over his face as he jabs at the screen. My heart's already sinking and I can't bear the thought of going over what's happened again.

"If this is about Sam then you can save it," I say quickly, sitting forward. "I've learned my lesson, blah, blah, blah, I'm very sorry and all that shit."

"You've about broken the bloody internet Bells!" Larry exclaims, his voice going high-pitched. "I reckon your post on Instagram has had more comments than everything that's been posted on Catfish's whole band account... ever."

I shrug, absentmindedly picking at a snag on the arm of the sofa. "Can't help being popular can I?"

"Popular?" Larry echoes. "I thought our Van had lots of followers but you've totally eclipsed him overnight!"

I can't help the smug grin that surfaces at this, imagining winding Van up about this very fact. "That'll come in handy when I start posting about the tour then won't it? Bit of free publicity for the band, eh?"

"I don't know about that. I'm beginning to think it might not be such a good idea you coming on tour after all..."

"What?" I'm up on my feet before the word's even left my mouth. "You can't be serious! I'm young and I'm single, I'm not doing anything wrong! So what if I had a one night stand? Are you trying to tell me you've never had one? Fucking hell, I never took you for a prude!"

"I'm not a prude!" Larry says defensively. "I'm very open-minded if you must know!"

A giggle erupts from me at this comment, much to Larry's annoyance, and I'd love to carry on needling him but I'm aware that I need to tread carefully to ensure that I get what I want. Even so, it's not my style to completely back down and start begging.

"Look Larry," I say, placing a hand on his arm, fixing him with my biggest doe-eyes which usually works wonders in getting boys to see things from my point of view. "You told me how you felt about me hooking up with any of your mates, so I didn't... I just... chose someone else."

Larry looks completely unimpressed. "Is this what's gonna happen then? You're just gonna jump into bed with every musician you fancy that you meet on tour... all the time whilst leading on my best mate?"

Ahh... now here's the real issue. Larry's looking out for Van. It's quite touching really, how close they are, how they always have each other's backs. It almost makes me feel sentimental, not that I'd let on to my cousin.

"Aww, I don't think Van needs you to hold his hand all the time. He's a big boy now you know, he can look after himself."

"I just don't wanna see him get hurt, that's all!" Larry almost hisses at me, making me recoil slightly. "And I don't want you fucking up the band's dynamics, alright? We've all worked bloody hard to get to where we are, and I don't want you coming in and messing things up!"

This again. Gosh... he looks serious... really serious. I'm only having fun, what sort of damage could I really do? I'm sure the lads aren't angels when they're on the road touring. They no-doubtedly have more than their fair share of flings and flirtations. What makes me so special that I could single-handedly cause such a rift that would send the whole band into turmoil? I'm actually quite flattered that Larry thinks that I'd be capable of such a feat.

"How the hell am I supposed to mess things up, huh? Scared that Van might have so much fun with me around that he won't need his little sidekick anymore?"

As soon as the words leave my mouth I wish that I could pluck them back out of the air and swallow them back down. Larry looks furious, and he never gets furious. He steps closer, right up in my face.

"That's all this is to you isn't it? A bit of fun? Well, it's more than that to us. The lids are on the bill to play Reading and Leeds! Fucking Reading and Leeds! You don't get that by slacking off and dicking about. It's been hard bloody work... a real slog! Being in a band isn't all about partying and getting pissed at parties and fucking about. It's staying up all night to post fliers over town, driving 300 miles to play a gig in some shitty venue to a handful of people just in case it's the big break you've been looking for. Living off a fiver a day and eating cold pot noodle in the back of the van because you're not sure where the next pay-check's coming from."

My natural reaction to a lecture of this magnitude is an eye-roll, but I stop myself, pulling in the pout that's already starting to form. I slump my shoulders a little, a defeated pose. "Okay, okay, I get it... this band means the world to you. I still don't know how I'm supposed to be some kind of threat to it though. I told you I wasn't interested in any of the lads in that way."

Larry sighs, his temper already starting to fizzle out like a damp firework on Guy Fawkes night. Maybe it's the hard-done-to expression I'm now wearing or the way I'm standing there with Van's too big t-shirt thrown on over my slip, mascara-smudged and dishevelled from being practically dragged out of bed. I can't imagine I look very threatening right now. More street-urchin than femme fatale.

"Ahhh I hate all this. You know I hate fighting with ya, dontcha?" Larry reaches up to absentmindedly adjust his bandana and I bite my lip to stifle a laugh. I don't know why the hell he wears those ridiculous things. In fact his whole image leaves a lot to be desired. He could really do with a makeover from me. In fact the whole band could. I file the thought away for future reference, letting a small smile surface, nodding my head in agreement as I force my thoughts back to the matter in hand.

"Me too... so let's not fight then... hey?" I keep my voice soft, watch Larry visibly calm even more. "Honestly, I'm not gonna lie, when my parents first said they were sending me to spend the summer in Llandudno I thought my life was over..."

"Bit dramatic!" He chuckles and I laugh too.

"Not literally of course! But... you know... I have such a busy social life back home, I didn't know how I'd cope going away, but actually... I'm having the best time! All the band stuff's crazy exciting, the lads are funny as fuck, and the thought of going on tour with you all... this might actually be my most memorable summer yet!"

Larry eyes me disbelievingly. "Yeah right... where did you spend last summer? Island hopping in the Maldives wasn't it? I saw your pics on Instagram."

I let my mind wander back to sun-kissed days on white sandy beaches and downing cocktails on Grace's dad's yacht whilst the sun dipped into the Indian Ocean. It was certainly luxurious, but apart from a couple of brief flings with some instantly forgettable resort workers, there was a distinct lack of my favourite type of entertainment... the male variety... specifically the scruffy-haired Indie boys that seem to be able to scratch that itch like no amount of clean-cut good boys can.

"I mean it," I say in earnest. "Watching the guys play tonight was something else... and how dedicated and driven you all are... it's kinda infectious. I just wanna to be a part of it."

I'm aware I'm laying it on thick but it's working. I can a little spark light in Larry's eye as he sees a kindred spirit in me... a connection we've never shared before. And what's more, as much as I tell myself I'm just playing Larry to get what I want, I'm realising the words are coming out too easily, with too much conviction. I actually mean everything that I'm saying.

Larry slips an arm over my shoulder. "Well, it's gonna be a bit different to your usual summers, being cooped up on a tour bus with the lads and staying in shitty hotel rooms. It's not all luxurious like this one when we're touring. The record company's paid tonight. We're on a budget usually, we're not exactly big time yet."

"I really don't mind," I say, already planning how my weekly allowance from my dad will go some way to keeping me in the lifestyle that I'm accustomed to, even when I'm on the road. "I swear we'll have so much fun. It'll be like old times, yeah?"

Larry chuckles at this. "What? Van pulling your hair and you kicking him in the shins when he makes you cry?"

"I can look after myself much better nowadays!" I grin, glancing towards the doorway that leads on to the decking as I catch sight of a tall hatted figure hunched over, sparking up a cigarette. "So what d'ya say then?" I'm suddenly eager to get this conversation all wrapped up.

"I swear you have everyone wrapped around your little finger, I don't know how ya do it!" Larry's smiling, but it fades quickly, a serious look taking over as he lowers his voice. "Just promise me one thing Bells..."

"Yeah..."

"No more one night stands with random rockstars okay? Please? Just whilst we're on this tour?"

"Uh-huh," I nod, picturing myself at nine years old, blatantly lying to Larry with my fingers crossed behind my back like the simple gesture cancelled out the misdemeanour.

"And as for Van..."

Oh... he's not finished yet. I shift my weight from foot to foot, getting impatient, my eyes darting behind him to check whether Bondy's still outside, then quickly back to Larry. "What about Van?"

"He's out of bounds... in that way... and you know exactly what I mean by that."

"Absolutely," I reply without hesitation. "Like I said before... I'm really not interested in him like that anyway. I actually have taste."

Larry nods, pleased with my keenness to comply, believing every word that comes out of my treacherous mouth.

"Are we done then?" I'm already stepping away, trying to look casual even though I'm now a woman on a very important mission.

"Hold up..." Larry holds up a hand and I pause, waiting.

"And the same goes for Bondy too... and Bob and Benji whilst we're at it."

I feign outrage at this even though I'm laughing inside, imagining trying to juggle hooking up with that many partners in a clandestine fashion on a poky tour bus. That would be wild, even by my standards. "Bloody hell Larry! Have a little faith in me, would you?"

"So that's a yes then?"

I hope my expression looks genuine as I nod in agreement, still backing slowly away. "Of course it's a yes... you have my word... I'll be good... promise."

But I'm not nine anymore. I don't need silly superstitions like crossed fingers to cancel out my lies.

I watch as Larry smiles in return before heading back in the direction of Van's room. As soon as the coast's clear I'm turning myself, making my way out to the terrace.

[bougiebutchbitch]

Bougie your art is so pretty oh my gosh 🥺 you always put such nice details into clothes folds and your shading. Your most recent art piece + the one where they’re kissing on the table you drew awhile back, those are my favorites so far, especially with the colors!!! please infodump to me about the two funky little dudes you’ve been drawing!! I must know more about them so I can swan dive into your newest fics!!! -🌟

AHHHHHHH Gosh gosh starburst anon - as always, you flatter me! And also as always, i love it

The two funky little dudes are House and Wilson from the highly bingeable hospital procedural, House MD. They're basically Holmes and Watson, but instead of investigating crime, they're trying to diagnose and cure dangerous rare diseases! They're both very interesting, multi-dimensional, and, frankly horrible characters - they care for each other very much, but also constantly hurt each other.

It's like watching a car crash! You just can't look away.

House is your classic tortured genius - autistic coded, addicted to painkillers, in chronic agony from an old wound to his leg (yes I know it was Watson with the cane and bad leg originally, shhh), depressed-borderline-suicidal (he attempts suicide. many times. on screen.). A savant with an attitude problem who struggles to let anyone close, he's emotionally closed-off yet also incredibly vulnerable. He has more daddy issues than the average seahorse, and - oh yes - he's canonically a massive brat.

He's a total prick to everyone around him, with an average of thirty hatecrimes against minorities per episode. On the rare occasion he lets someone get close, he will then spend the rest of their relationship pushing and pushing and pushing and pushing until they snap and leave him, because he's incapable of feeling secure and uncomfortable with being loved. Yet at the same time, he clings to anyone who puts up with him and will fight in the most underhanded and dirty ways to make them stay close to him, because he's absolutely desperate for human affection.

He's also just... an ass.

He's played by Hugh Laurie of British comedy fame - he of the Exceedingly Expressive Eyebrows and incredibly versatile musical talents. In this series, he shows off that he has range, and can also play a scruffy, sharp-cheekboned Sad And Snarky Doctor with very pretty big blue eyes.

Wilson is House's sidekick, his carer, his best friend, his brother, his totally-a-lover, his dom, his everything, his reason for living. He just struggles to figure out who he is outside of House. He's an Oncologist who specifically went into a field where the ends are almost always pre-determined. Kind, mannerly and gentle, he is beloved by his patients and has such a sympathetic bedside manner that he regularly gets thanked for delivering terminal diagnoses.

He is authoritiatve and stubborn - but incapable of making decisions in his own interest, rather than to please someone else. Ridiculously competitive - but a total enabler when it comes to watching House ruin his life in a thousand different and entertaining ways.

He's also an awful person. A compulsive cheater on each of his wives, he's a manipulative asshole, and isn't afraid to gaslight House to get his own way. He is very, very, very good at convincing everyone that he's Nice and Friendly - himself included - even when he's doing the most heinous things. He plays House's conscience so much that he's 100% convinced of his righteousness - as is House, to a degree. Even when Wilson is very, very wrong.

(But most of the time, he does have a point.)

These two have a wonderful, fascinating and dangerously codependant narrative, and I love them both so much.

[felicitykings]

you explained that so well! I guess I always assumed Beth had a crush on Rick from the very beginning because she looked back when he walked away from the table. But I feel like Beth isn’t THAT oblivious because the ending of season two when she said things would be okay as long as they would be together, she looked directly at Rick. And she was disappointed when he said he was going to leave. I really saw Rick as the oblivious one untill ep 10 of this season because i kind of feel that there must have been a reason why he went all up in Beth’s face. Like idk it felt deliberately cruel for him to go right up to her face and say that (i know he wasn’t in his right mind tho) like he wanted to hurt her and knew that she could hold him in his hands so he tried to break their connection. Does that make sense?

But for Rick to put his hand on Beth like that in front of her park make me think that they’ve been physically affectionate before. Like maybe they were in a somewhat flirtatious relationship at the beginning of season 3. They really were sitting really close to each other in the first half of the season. Sorry I am also rambling now… What do you think?

thanks! x

oh, i could totally see that, actually. i always saw the way that she looked back at him in that moment as 'oh, there he goes again' (resignation to it almost?) but it could ABSOLUTELY have been because she was harbouring a crush. and i have seen a few fics where beth admits to having a crush on rick as early as this.

i LOVE that moment at the end of s2 simply because of how she turns to look at him and the way she smiles, oh my gosh! you know what? you might be right actually about beth having feelings here. at the very least there's clearly more there with rick than court or yolanda.

yeah, i agree about rick in ep 10. it was definitely deliberately cruel of him to get into her face like that - especially compared with 1x08 where there was more distance between them. and he knew that he had to step it up in order to hurt her since he knows from the 1x08 exchange that she doesn't back down easy. i mean just the comparison of those two scenes really shows how much things have changed between them. like in 1x08, i'm not sure if rick considers beth a friend (though i would assume so) while beth makes it clear that she cares about rick here (and courtney and yolanda). and she's able to get him to back down and listen to her. so this is how the scene plays about between them as friends, including the physical distance. jump ahead to 3x10, and we have a similar situation playing out again. and even with the addition of what the hourglass is doing to rick, the whole things ends differently. they're friends for sure this time, best friends, maybe with awareness of growing romantic feelings at this point. rick gets in her face and says "don't ever tell me what to do" and unlike "what are you gonna do, stare at me?", beth doesn't respond. in fact, she looks shattered in that moment. the difference is staggering. and i think the only explanation would be that it hurts more this time. most likely because rick knew that he'd have to really hurt her this time because they're closer now and of course beth is really hurt so she's unable to come up with a retort.

also YES being affectionate in front of her parents is such a huge step. i mean when is rick that openly affectionate even in private with just the person/people he's being affectionate with? so, for rick to be so affectionate in front of her parents suggests to me as well that they've most likely been physically affectionate before now. to the point where he's comfortable being this way in front of other people. i can definitely see them getting closer between s2 and s3 so that when we pick up with s3 they're basically almost dating without actually dating.

no worries, i'm happy to read any rambling and i'll most likely ramble straight back XD x

[emotionallychargedtowel]

Hoo boy. I'm no acting expert but it seems clear that the degree of immediacy and authenticity that Louis Chiang brings to this scene is really remarkable. Not that it's something he's doing on his own--in addition to Nat Chen's contribution, which is impressive (I'm in awe of anyone who can act drunk in a believable way), there was clearly a lot of effort put into preparing the actors in this series through workshops and rehearsals (which, of course, Taiwanese BLs in general are known for). But the setting just provides an opportunity for an actor to work, and it's up to them whether they make the most of it. Louis Chiang just seems to go into these intense scenes committed to the task and ready to put himself on the line. Pretty remarkable for someone with a rather short resume. But then, he did win a Golden Bell (a Taiwanese Emmy, basically) for his first tv series.

It's impossible to watch this footage and not sympathize with what it must be like for Chiang to get in touch with so much raw emotion. That might sound weird since getting in touch with it was his goal. But even if it's exactly what he wanted to attain in order to fuel his performance, there's no way that work like this doesn't hurt at least a little bit.

I was thinking about this when I noticed an interesting little thing that happens after the director says "cut." I don't even know if I would have picked up on it if I hadn't been thinking, "Gosh, I hope Louis Chiang has the support he needs to put himself back together after a scene like that." As they get up from the bed, Nat Chen helps Louis Chiang up a bit. Nice, but not that remarkable. But then he keeps holding his scene partner up for an extra half-second after it’s strictly necessary, letting him lean on him just one beat longer. Then he does this almost imperceptible back pat. I just thought that was really sweet and illustrative of real rapport between these co-stars.

I keep coming back to why they didn't use some of this audio as diegetic sound. I don't get it. It's really affecting, and it's not like making use of it would have precluded using music as well. Even in a behind-the-scenes context where I'm totally conscious that this is an actor performing, my heart breaks every time I hear Louis Chiang's ragged breathing. It seems like a waste for that not to show up in the episode.

The bts where you can hear Louis crying-kissing 🥺 he was so deep in the role 😭

Video cr.@segasakii on X

[axvwriter]

Short Spelldrive disccussion

plus Twst Bobo book 2 draft/idea

Since the Spelldrive cards are coming out for the Japanese server, I’ve heard chatter about the discs. I did think they were bulkier than frisbees considering one knocks out the MC. I saw one blog say the discs are made of gold? People been saying it’s lucky all it did was knock out MC.

Though from what I recall, Grim accidentally threw the disc at MC while being real close to them. So to me my thinking is that he released too early so it didn’t have the full power and momentum of a proper throw? I don’t know physics so I’m uncertain.

I’ve been hit with a soccer ball to the stomach while within close range before. It hurt bad, but it didn’t leave a bruise. So with that little information and imagining a metal object being sent to the head, I could totally see it knocking someone out. Probably even doing more damage than that.

Though I do wonder why have the disc be gold and/or heavy at all? If Spelldrive is based off of american football, then the dangerous aspects should come more from the players ramming into each other along with the spells they throw. The disc itself shouldn’t also be a hazard?

If Spelldrive is a bit inspired by Quidditch from the Harry Potter series, then I understand the disc being a danger as well. Quidditch has literal balls that are meant to harm players. Messed up but I guess who cares about damage when there’s potions to regrow bones. Have a Bludger bash out your brains or be tackled so hard your body breaks… I find myself questioning american football considering we don’t have bone regrowing potions as far as I am aware.

So despite the dangers of Spelldrive, I assume the medical staff at NRC is able to handle anything. Though gosh I would hate being the MC forced to play Spelldrive. Like what can MC even do? Maybe throw the disc once if it’s not too heavy… it’s such a magic-heavy sport that all MC can surely do is just run beside the others? Call out warnings and openings, but still, I would like to participate more than feeling like a on field coach.

I also find it a bit disappointing that MC never bothers to ask to see the recordings of the other matches. I know it’s to keep MC from realizing who Hornton is, but we could have had some of the boys decide MC only gets to see certain matches? Like finding any match against Diasomnia to be embarrassing so no watching those?

Ehh, I’m not going to spend too much brain power to figure that out. I just know that such a spell-heavy sport must be so interesting to watch. Though maybe MC is a bit traumatized to the point they don’t want to think about the sport anytime soon. Or has been hit hard enough to forget the tournament was being recorded.

But this does give me an idea for Bobo. I’ve read the translations for the first two manga books and in those both Yuus were suggested to have basically died? Like one almost hit by a vehicle but ends up taken by the carriage to NRC.

So I have the idea that for Bobo splitting off of her canon timeline and into fan twst is where one battle her armor doesn’t activate. She suffers a head injury and blacks out. So upon waking in Twisted Wonderland, she’s quite confused. Was she really hit in the head? What’s going on?

Thus I think being hit in the head by the disc could be a bit of a repeat of her “death”. Heck I need to make some banners to help divide up my posts as I’m about to write a rough draft of what that scene could be like.

~~~

You slowly feel yourself becoming aware of the… nothingness. You must have been sleeping quite deeply. When was the last time you’ve had such a deep, vulnerable sleep? That was something you’d grant yourself within the safety of your home, when naps would no longer suffice. But this time you hadn’t granted such a privilege to yourself.

Aching. Your head is aching. Right, the last time such a deep sleep was forced upon you was when you were… when you were killed, right? But that doesn’t make sense. Those that die don’t wake up. Were you attacked? That lizard… it shouldn’t have been able to land such a painful, ringing blow.

Is your head ringing right now? No… focus… it’s… voices? Voices, which means you aren’t alone awaiting for that lizard to rightfully consume its prey. There’s no sound of fighting, so that must mean… you’re safe.

How did it hit you? Right, your armor never turned on. An impossible feature. It was impossible that defective armor pins were handed to you. Impossible that they weren’t charged. To let such a mistake happen would be a death sentence. Mistakes like that never happened.

Something must be terribly wrong. You have to wake up now! You need to know what went wrong! How could your armor fail?! How could you die?!

Something is touching you now. Something that isn’t human? It feels like fur. Are you not safe?! No no no no no no no No! Calm down, it must just be a bat. If it wasn’t, you’d be hurt by now. The voices wouldn’t be so low.

Where are you? You want to wake up, demand answers, you need to know it was only your armor that didn’t work. That only you died. Died… why do you keep thinking of that word? You’re clearly alive… Something is terribly wrong and you wont get answers sleeping like this!

[tonydaddingham]

hi there! i'm so sorry to bother you, and apologize for how obnoxious this probably sounds, but i am genuinely curious: do you actually like crowley as a character and his relationship with aziraphale? from reading a number of your posts, it seems like there isn't a single thing you find redeemable about crowley and it seems like there's isn't any merit you can find to his love for and relationship to aziraphale. i'm just wondering if i'm reading that wrong, which i totally could be. this of course isn't to say characters can't be toxic and we can't still like them, but some of these points really confuse me because it just seems like you're purposely injecting toxicity into each and every single aspect of his relationship and his character which just sometimes seems reductive and removing any nuance or complexity from him/his relationship to aziraphale. or you liken him to his abuser (aka heaven) in how he treats aziraphale. i just don't understand, especially when you analyze aziraphale in a completely different fashion, even in instances where he directly treats crowley as heaven does in how he refers to him/demons/hell.

hi anon!!!✨ oh gosh no, not bothering me at all, and it's a completely valid question!

i utterly adore crowley! please - and anyone else reading that is asking the same question - don't think i don't! i think not only is he a really fantastic character and utterly likeable, but he's so complex and intricately written... i honestly and completely love him!!!💕

but what you (general) have to understand is that i see these characters - aziraphale too - as just that. very, very complex characters with hundreds of complimentary and opposing facets, and are equally questionable as they are lovable. i find their relationship as romantic and poetic as i do (sometimes) toxic and reductive. they might be supernatural beings, but the story is also (to me) an examination on human condition, and being human is messy!!!

what i suspect - and i mean this kindly - is that you might be reading only a handful of posts/ask responses that deliberately look at crowley specifically in a critical light. and i think it possibly stands out because actually, i personally don't think a lot of people do view crowley critically. perhaps that's a bias in my part - in fact, definitely is! but unfortunately i think the fandom is relatively one-sided in this respect. talking about asks specifically, i dont really get a lot regarding aziraphale (although id love to, if that would give me an opportunity to parse out where aziraphale is equally questionable!) so im not as vocal in my critique of him. but it's not because i think crowley is the only one of the duo with flaws and that displays problematic behaviour.

furthermore, please remember that you are only seeing snapshots of individual aspects where i critique crowley; what i mean by that is that there isn't a single instance (unless i did a mighty multi-thousand word dissertation!) where i could talk about all of my observations of crowley's character. if i did, i promise you there would be a hefty amount of good things about crowley that i could discuss.

i will also say that whilst i appreciate how it must come across, i don't purposely inject anything anywhere - i don't do it out of any nastiness or vindictiveness. i consider myself a relatively experienced adult, with a good degree of objective emotional maturity, that has had quite a bit of practice in examining human behaviour (job) and analysing different patterns and characteristics (also job). if i call out toxicity, it's because i see toxicity. if i call out horrible or hurtful behaviour, it's because i see horrible or hurtful behaviour. that doesn't mean i hate any character (if anything, it endears me to them more because - gasp! - they're not perfect and actually very relatable!). it also does not mean that i expect anyone to agree with me, not at all, but i deserve - same as anyone - to offer an interpretation that whilst may not be agreeable, is objectively just as valid.

my analysis (or critique, whichever) is my own opinion, interpretation, and perspective. it is not necessarily right or wrong, and whilst i may joke about it, i don't think i have ever categorically stated or alluded to the fact that i must be right, and every other interpretation is wrong. if everyone had the same opinion and saw crowley - and aziraphale for that matter - as completely flawless, or at least we all interpreted them in the same way... well, it'd be utterly boring, right?

all i aim to do is offer an alternative perspective on these characters and their relationship, maybe something that others might not have considered. the general reaction to them and their relationship is positive, and maybe offering a different take on that, for some people, might be interesting. if they're not interested, or disagree, all they have to do is scroll on, or challenge me the way you have - respectfully and eloquently! discussion and conflicting interpretation is good; it offers different perspectives and experiences, and maybe offers some the opportunity to step back from loving a character (as they should, they're so lovable!), and instead look at them objectively, and ask questions. personally, i don't think there's anything wrong with that✨