#someone please hug tron

[evecolourshock]

...why must my brain give me somewhat-related fic

Tron's eyes go wide at the sight of a User that is not Flynn on the Grid. So wide, and his breath so panicky, that Clu stops whatever he was doing to attempt to comfort the suddenly terrified Security Monitor.

Before Clu can do anything, Tron bolts. He's never done that before.

The User shares Tron's face, and Clu has a horrible sinking feeling. Tron's always fretted about the Grid not being safe enough, not being good enough, not being up to his User's standards. Clu has shared most of those concerns, and been more vocal about it, for a very long time. Flynn's brushed them both off about it for almost as long.

But Tron's User is here, and Tron is afraid.

Alan_One stops close enough that Clu can see his face is set in lines Clu's not confident he can interpret. He fluffs his armour panels slightly, looking bigger than he already is, fully prepared to do anything it takes to save Tron's data.

And yet. And yet Alan_One just sighs and deflates, running a hand down his face like Tron does, visibly exhausted by something Clu can't identify. "What did Flynn fuck up this time?" The User asks resignedly, and Clu...

Clu finds out what it's like to be blindsided.

He doesn't like it, but it's welcome to the alternative of having to fight a User. He can't help the humourless chuckle. "What didn't he would be easier to answer." He responds, and finds his words almost as heavy with bitterness.

Alan_One's eyes flick in the direction Tron fled. "Everyone's been scared of me since I punched Flynn for leaving Sam alone with no explanation." He comments quietly. Clu barely stifles a growl - he didn't think he'd be feeling a kinship with the nebulous new User he's been told is his brother, whatever that means, but being abandoned by Flynn is something he's all too familiar with. "He won't be back until he can get his priorities in order, so in the meantime I'm stepping in." Clu braces himself for new orders, for something that will grate against his directive, but... "What can I do to help?" ...he's pleasantly surprised.

Clu can't find the words for what's wrong, so he just pulls up his task list and shows it to Alan_One. It's grown since he last checked it, and no doubt will grow again before Alan_One has finished reading it.

Alan_One makes a copy of the list and sorts it through a series of categories Clu's unfamiliar with. The User notices his curiosity, and lets Clu see. "These ones in the red category would be better fixed from the other side, through modifying or upgrading the hardware. The blue ones are software upgrades, these yellow ones are things that will require an installation..." Alan_One explains each of the dozen or so categories, and adds that they're ordered by priority as well - the ones at the top of each category list hold a higher priority than the ones lower down. It's sensible, logical.

Clu approves. Mostly.

The entire category related to Tron has his hackles raising, borrowing another of Flynn's expressions. Tron doesn't need to be fixed, he's perfect the way he is. The fact that Clu can't get the system to match up is not the Monitor's fault.

"And this?" He hisses, gesturing at it.

"The only things Tron should be focused on." Alan_One responds firmly. "Everything else in his task list should not be his responsibility. He was written to protect, not fix bugs - I'll be doing those. You've both done a marvellous job so far, but unfortunately some things have just been too out of spec with what you have to work with."

Clu settles, mollified - though he doesn't relax his plating. Tron is scared to the point of flight from his own User. There'll be a reason, even if Clu hasn't found it yet.

Alan_One leaves after fixing some of the more pressing bugs on what had been Tron's task list before he took it over. He fixes Clu with a steely look before stepping into the beacon. "I'm asking you this not as a User, but out of concern for a fellow person. Do not let Tron try and tackle more tasks than what's on the list I curated unless something's about to go more critical than it already has and there isn't enough time to contact me, and do not take on more tasks than on the list I gave you unless the same condition applies. Both of you are already overworked, I cannot and will not let either of you be corrupted by running yourselves until you crash from stress." He sighs, that look softening. "You are too important, both to the Grid and to me."

And then the User is gone. Clu blinks away the afterimages of the Beacon flash, and has to take a moment to process the concept of a User caring.

Tron reappears shortly afterwards, and it's the first time Clu has seen the Monitor skittish. "Alan_One is back in his world." Clu affirms quietly, dropping his normally stoic and distant persona to allow the Monitor the comfort of a hug. "He told me he'll be looking after the Grid while Flynn takes an enforced leave of absence, and that we've done well with what we have available." He's pretty sure Alan_One will permit him one additional task - defend Tron. Glitch knows someone has to.

Tron takes one look at his new task list, and warbles out something relieved and exhausted. Finally, something he can manage.

Clu doesn't think he'll have much fight getting Tron to not take more on - not when Tron curls up on one of Clu's seats and slips into standby, taking an impossibly rare chance to rest.

He looks peaceful like that. Young, despite having a longer runtime than Clu - it is only now that Clu is reminded that while his beta run was rushed, he at least had one. Tron's was interrupted, and the Monitor still hasn't been able to finish it.

Hopefully now he can, and Clu can see more of that enthusiasm and fascination he remembers from the early cycles before things started going wrong.

Alan [in a pre-legacy AU where he finds the Grid instead of Sam]: WHY OH WHY would you borrow Tron without actually telling me what you were using him for?

Flyn: I needed a good partner to work with to stabilize the Grid! It was gonna be so cool man!

Alan: you fucked up a perfectly good program is what you did. Look at him! He's got anxiety.

[somasbrianrot]

Poly! Elite x wrestler reader?

Please I love anything poly elite

Elite's Princess (Poly! Elite x Feminine! Wrestler! Reader)

Warnings : Age Gaps (Reader is 25)

Ever since you were a child you had always loved wrestling, even leading up into your teenage years it was always a passion for you, when you were just 16 you started training, getting into NJPW at the age of 20, you encountered people you looked up to as a kid and that was definitely the highlight of your career.

All of that had led you up to this moment, you fasten the laces of your wrestling boots and tie them up in a neat little bow, you stood up and checked yourself out in the mirror, straightening your puffy skirt out and fixing up the frills on your gloves (The outfit would be something like Mizuki's).

Tonight you had your first championship match since joining the AEW, you had a match against Toni Storm and you were hellbent on taking the title off of her, as I'm straightening my long entrance robe out(Like Charlotte Flair), a swift knock on the door of your locker room door caught your attention and you walk over to the door "Who is it?" you question.

"Guess" you squealed and flung the door open "Kenny!" you pulled him down into a hug and looked past him to see the rest of the elite, you smile widely at them and let go of Kenny "Hey! what are you guys doing here?" "come to congratulate you! not every day someone gets a title shot angel face" Nick spoke up as the boys all came into the room "Thanks! I can't wait till I have the championship gold around my waist!"

"Look at the princess, all suited up" said Adam as he stepped over and stared at your robe, picking it up "Arm's up princess, want to see how you look in this" you follow his demand and he slips it onto you, the boys all stare and nod "You look too good to lose princess, now let's get you out there" you nod and make your way to the guerilla with the boys, waiting for your queue "And her Challenger hailing from (Wherever)! The Princess Of The Elite! (Y/R/N)!" your music suddenly starts up and you sashay your way out, doing little spins in your coat to show the fluff and frill.

The match was going as planned, the crowd was roaring and the cheers were getting louder, until the outcasts came out to ringside to 'spectate' it all went downhill, while Saraya distracted the referee Ruby handed Toni the title and she smashed me across the face with it, I was bent halfway in the ring and Toni ran over, hooking my head between her legs, and hitting me with a storm zero, I felt the air knocked out of my lungs as I struggled to keep my breath, Toni scurries over and pins me, but mid 2 count the lights go out and the ref has to stop the count.

You managed to get up and watched as the titan Tron managed to light up the arena, in a blue shine, your theme was playing as you saw four figures step out from behind the guerilla, it seemed to have all of the outcasts attention as Toni stepped towards the ropes opposite to me "turn around bitch!" I yelled and sprint towards her, hitting her with a V-trigger and watching as she collapses onto the ground, I watch as the Elite start making their way down the ramp but the outcasts block them.

I run to the other end of the ropes and flip over them, taking both Saraya and Ruby out, I look back and Toni got back up so I get myself back up onto the apron and spring board flip over, hitting her with a buckshot lariat, I lay over her as the ref starts counting "1....2.....3!" I scream as I crawl off of Toni, holding my head in shock, then slipping out of the ring, ripping my title from the table and lifting it up.

I back up into the elite with my title raised "I cant believe this! The Elite's Princess actually won the title!" came from the announcers desk, you didn't care who it was, you just cared you were a champion in the arms of your lovers as you made your way backstage.

I had sat down on my couch and immediately got pounced on by all the boys, I giggle as they all hug me "Our little champion, you did so good out there princess" you smile at Adam and peck his cheek "Thanks" all the boys were proud of you and all showed it in their own way, peppering kisses anywhere they could on your skin as they cuddled you into the couch.

"Now we should go out to dinner to celebrate then?" Kenny asks and I immediately smile widely "I CALL SHOTGUN!" everyone in the room laughs, and I couldn't be happier in this moment then with my boys

A/N I hope you like this because I had fun with this

[opossumloverr]

Could you do a headcannon with the Rise Boys with a Seal Yokai reader? I wonder how each would react to it?

✪TURTLE BROS X SEAL YOKAI READER✪

Summary:

The Mad Dogs reaction to a Seal Yokai reader!

Warning(s):

None! Fluff

A/N:

FIRST ASK OF THE SEASON EVERYBODY YEEHAWW, I love seals so much they're so cute, if only it wasn't illegal to own them 😓 (Gender-neutral reader!)

《RAPH》

You're so god damn CUTE

He definitely watches those cute animals compilations on YouTube, so when he saw you, he is in AWE

He cannot get his eyes off you

Please please PLEASE let him cuddle with you, PLEASE that's all he wants

I don't know if seals actually do this in real life but, he'll gladly watch you balance things on your nose

OH MY GOSH! And if you can do tricks, popcorn in hand with a beverage to wash it all down, you don't mind putting on a little show for ol'Raphie, right?

"Encore!" Raph squealed as he started rapidly clapping his hands together, "That was amazing [NAME]!"

"Raph all I did was balance a ball on my nose for 10 seconds"

"And those were the best 10 seconds of my life"

He loves anything that you do

Praises you anytime he gets, just look at you! you deserve it!

I live laugh love this giant man

《LEO》

He thinks you're so silly

A silly little goober

He watches those seal stimboards on TikTok unironically 💀

He will 'boop' your nose, you can't avoid it, it's a cannon event

And if you do that little thing that seals do where they retract their whole head into their neck when he does it, you just dug yourself a grave out of embarrassment cause he will NOT stop bringing that up

"Leo, for the last time shut up!" You yelled at the red-eared slider that was currently getting on your last nerve,

"Aw, cmon! you can't deny it, you looked adorable!" He replied, "I swear you'll be the first yokai to ever kill someone with their cuteness"

Teases you and calls you every cringey name in the book

Y'know how baby seals are called 'pups' yeah, he will call you pup on a daily basis (Leo at this point leave, I'm holding the door open for you)

Likes making you mad or flustered just so he can see your reaction ♡

《DONNIE》

You're adorable, hope you know that

Gives you lots of pats with his robot-arms ♡

Will probably research a lot about your species and what they like so he can accommodate them

Seals are actually pretty smart, so uh take that as you will

Likes to lay down on you sometimes while he rants about his day or some project he's working on, not his fault you feel like a cushion

Likes to watch your tail move, not in a weird way its just, fascinating, the way it moves so smoothly is so satisfying

"Donnie? Don-tron? Earth to Bootyyyshaker9000?" You've noticed how he wasn't paying any attention to anything you've been saying for the past 5 minutes, you looked at his face and followed his eyes to where/what he was looking at, oh! It was your tail, you lifted your tail up to wave it in front of his face, that seemed to snap him out of it,

"Oh! my apologies, carry on, [NAME]" He said sheepishly, you just hummed and continued

He also likes the texture of it and will sometimes graze his fingers on your tail

《MIKEY》

HUGS HUGS HUGS!

He just wants to pet you all over

I feel like Mikey is a HUGE animal lover so if you let him pet you, he's over the moon

Plays with your fins sometimes

Likes to squish your face together, he can't help it! you're too cute!

Since seals do eat small marine life, he will cook you a bunch of seafood (seafood boil)

Likes to stare into your eyes, they're so big and shiny, it's kinda hypnotic

Small little giggles leak through your mouth as you stare into Mikey's eyes, not blinking at all, "Mike? You good?" You asked but all you got was a 'hmm' for a response, your eyes subconsciously moved from his,

"Hey hey hey! what are you looking at? bring those cute eyes back on mine!" He pouted, and you laughed,

"Oh, so you like my eyes? how sweet"

"Yep! And I would very much like it if you don't break my gaze, thank you very much!"

I'm so normal about him guys, TRASTYFDTUFYFYUDFIYDIGU

THIS IS WAYY SHORTED THAN HOW I USUALLY WRITE THINGS, SORRY! I'm trying to get my gears going, thank you for the request! Keep them coming guys! but at a reasonable rate pls 🙏🏾

(ALSO LOOK AT HOW CUTEEE AWH)

[dunk3n9]

BATMAN X JOKER HUMAN AU

(I don’t own the artwork I just got it off Pinterest)

Chapter 1: Who Met Who First

I was in a room laughing as I notice the blood everywhere. I see my mama when I walk forward. She looked over with this sickeningly sweet expression on her face. I felt bliss in knowing I was installing that fear. Soon after I feel the laughter, it was abrupt and angered with insanity. When I look at mother, an item in her hand throws itself at me.

I wake up, opening my eyes with quick breaths and sweat pooling on my everything. It takes a minute before my eyes stop fearfully glancing everywhere before meeting my poster of "The Riddler" a talk show host. When My breathing was stable after laying there reminding myself it wasn't real. Who was it that... No I can't think like that anymore otherwise.

"Joe! It's time to wake up, sweetie," Mother yells upstairs, she must be busy with laundry.

My name is Joe Chill. I prefer my nick name at school "Joker" and I earned it. I get called that for several reasons. My mom calls me that cause of my jokes and silly tricks that make her happy. Not to mention the tricks I've played on my peers at school.

"Joker? Joe? Ah, there you are, how did you sleep?" she spoke in a calm voice smiling when sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Fine. I guess."

I looked down still tired.

"Awww, I know Joker but, it's your first day of high school! Oh my goodness, my little man is growing up and going to school-" she smothered me in motherly words and affection.

"Okay, mom you can let go now! Haha," I spoke while chuckling.

"I'm looking forward to some good things this year," I said with mischievous glee.

Any person that knew me would know that smirk I did wasn't just for laughs.

"Oh no you don't mister! No pranks this year not even if someone bothers you, even if they may or may not deserve it, " she said with a stern tone of voice saying the last part under her breath while walking back downstairs.

"But mom!" I loudly complained following right behind, "My whole class is probably waiting for my pranks. It's traditional!"

she gave a stern look to my dramatic argument.

"No buts. Say 'yes mom' and I'll send you on your way," she spoke standing there facing me.

"Yes mom," I said jokingly in a robot tone.

"Good. Oh, that reminds me, your sister Harleen is going to be at your school, too. A grade higher than you. Also go get dressed my Son-a-tron two thousand," She had spoken so nonchalantly I didn't react till it registered.

I was shocked at this statement. My sister Harley is for lack of better words a psycho she can be rough and violent, when needed but, she present herself as put together and is smarter than she'd admit. She's embarrassed me a lot of times at school, too. I love her to death but she can be annoying at times. One time I was getting bullied and nearly got into a fight she stepped in and got in the guys face. I mean yeah she tried to help but still I could handle myself.

"Please tell me she's not-" I said not even finishing my sentence.

"Yup she's moving back here forever her dad finally took the time and decided it was best if she was with me," she squealed in joy like she hasn't seen Harley in ages... It's only been a year.

Someone knocked at the door and mom rushed to answer it. Harley jumped straight in through the door with a front hand walk over then a cartwheel. She landed in front of me with a "ta-da" she said. She hugged me tightly till I gasped for air she then let me go.

"How's my little puddin doing?" She was practically beaming with excitement.

I shrugged with a chuckle. She hasn't called me that since we were kids. I was really confused by a mark on her upper arm. Like burn marks I frowned a little.

"uh-uh-uh turn that frown upside down I'm not gonna bother you all school semester unless someone gives you trouble," she winked and walked back to the door laughing while grabbing her things.

I'm sure I wasn't imagining those marks. I'll ask when she settles in more. I became intrigued when I heard a noise outside all of a sudden.

"What the?" I whispered to myself of course.

I walked to the door passing mom and Harley in a quizzical conversation. Peeking out the open doorframe I spot the old Cobblepot residence being looked at by a family bringing in luggages inside. Oh, they're moving in.

Just like that there they were... new neighbors. Why at a time like this? It seemed odd. I saw a thin women with good physic and she looks healthy, pretty, house wife I believe by her attire. A man with a muscular physic that most men had, sturdy, business man attitude. Then there was a little boy looking around my age he looks more buff than me. I studied him his facial features he had dark eyes, he had the perfect Chin, his smile had pearly whites just like mine. He had most beautiful black hair unlike me with messy green hair, he also had a tan going on I was a tad bit pale.

I was staring for too long analyzing him and his family I didn't notice he saw me and we shared glances. I was scared. What if he tries talking to me? What if he's a bully? I don't know these people. Looking over when back to reality he was speaking to his mom, pointed at my house, she looked over, smiled, nodded yes to something, and he was suddenly walking over here. I hid against the wall. Someone wants to meet me?

"Um, hello? Green hair guy?" His caramel apple voice was so close.

I peek out the door a little. I almost laughed at the startled look when I suddenly popped up.

"Ah, I'm sorry," I tried to contain my laughter, "yes?"

He fixed his outfit and nodded I'm guessing to compose himself. He cleared his throat then spoke.

"Where is your mother?" He spoke fancy and precise.

My nerves became hyper aware that I was talking to someone. Someone new. I was suddenly nervous and anxious.

"Ummm busy. Why?" I spoke quickly avoiding eye contact.

"Please, do get her."

"Mom! Door!" I yelled while turning towards the kitchen.

"My names Bruce by the way," He spoke so suddenly.

I almost lost my composure and screamed. I just simply turned and waved before fiddling with my fingers nervously. She was at the door in a flash looking at Bruce.

"Why hello there," she spoke in a joyful but confused tone.

I walked away to get ready considering I was in my Pajamas consisting of a Black t-shirt with purple and green HAHA's on it, and black fuzzy pants. I quickly brushed my teeth and hair, got dressed, grabbed my backpack, and headed downstairs. I walked back to see the other family talking to my mom.

"I'm so happy to see new faces in the neighborhood. Don't ever hesitate to ask for help from us," she said excited as I was confused.

"Thank you very much. We've come from so far it's nice to have a fresh start. Well I'm glad it's peaceful over in these parts," the woman sounded so elegant.

"We're happy to have you, mister and miss?" Mom has always been so polite she's a people person.

"Just call us Martha and Thomas. Oh, is this your son?" Martha spoke so precise and high class.

"Why yes this is. Say hi, Joe."

Giving a simple wave I try to give my best smile that hopefully didn't show my nerves.

"He's a little shy," mom said in that motherly way of 'he's still learning' or something like that.

"That's okay most kids are to new people. If it's not too much to ask do you think you could take our son to the school? We got here without looking at where it was," Martha had spoken apologetically.

"I'd be happy to help and afterwards I can help you guys move in if you'd like? It'd give us time for some girl talk and to get to know each other," Mom said friendly.

"Thank you very much, Penny." Martha said holding moms hand.

They said there gratitude towards each other and walked away. The boy went over and grabbed I'm assuming his backpack which looked like a briefcase. I looked down apologetically. Mom gave a confused look and realized.

"Joe it's okay. Eventually you'll be able to talk to people and make a lot of friends. Just for now let's just make some high school memories," Mom spoke reassuringly.

I look up at her smiling. She always knows what to say.

"Thanks mom. Let's bring harley, too," I said happily.

"No can do kiddo I got my own set of wheels, boo yah!" She said with a light punch to my shoulder.

"Alright you two! Now how about after school we go out for Chinese food to celebrate your first days, huh? Would you both like that?" She said enthusiastically.

I nodded my head smiling as did harley.

"Great Chinese it is then. Means I don't have to cook, haha," she laughed grabbing her car keys as Bruce walked back our way.

Me and Bruce hopped into my moms car as she smothered Harley in hug and kisses. I heard harley whining through the window and it made me laugh a little.

"What's your name?" Bruce asked bluntly.

"I- uh. You. Me?" I jumbled over my words.

"Haha, yeah you? Unless the car has a name, haha" He spoke shyly trying to break the ice.

"My- my name is Joe. Joe Chill."

"I like your hair, it's fluffy," He spoke nicely.

I became a flustered mess. I'm actually talking to someone. I can't believe it.

"You ready kids? Because mama has a Coffee with her name on it,"she said jokingly.

Me and Bruce chuckled and we were off to school. Let's hope nothing happens to change this day.

[priscilla-unwind-time]

First Post!

Hello :D.

I am Unwind time but you can call me Unwind

I am Hyperfixated on Splatoon (And the manga) (Someone please Stop Goggles from nuking the city), TRON uprising (Praise our overlord Paige) Genshin impact (I want to hug All), Minecraft (May the Nether beings Rise!), Twisted wonderland (Meet my father figure Lilia), and much more.

I have many oc’s in these worlds that I draw all the time. Oh ya be Warned I draw a lot. Fear me. Maybe I’ll start taking requests. Anyway be prepared for my insanity

[evecolourshock]

Ideas given, story written. Thanks bud ♡♡♡

"So, we have a... complication." Beck announces as he comes in, and Tron's already feeling the start of a headache. He knows enough of Beck's vocal intonations to know this is the kind of cheery calm Beck uses to hide being beyond major panic.

There's a hundred possible issues Tron categorizes before he even turns around. Beck's identity is compromised, someone found his base, Cyrus is being Cyrus again, Clu's taken a page out of Cyrus' manual, Dyson's coming with an army...

None of them are anywhere near as potentially catastrophic as the ball of sunshine tripping along in his Renegade's wake.

"Please tell me I'm hallucinating." Tron barely doesn't plead. Beck winces and shakes his head.

Flint sees him, recognizes him, zips over for a hug. And Tron-

Tron folds, crumples, wraps himself around Flint like he'll shatter if he lets go. "You shouldn't be here." Tron whispers, even as his arms tighten. I missed you. "It's not safe." I love you. "Go home." Don't leave me.

"I am home." Flint tells him, all hurt and stubborn fire.

Beck, astute observer of everyone who isn't himself or his crushes, vanishes off to give them privacy. Tron can hear him in the training simulator, using it to help him write a report of the latest shenanigans. Nearby, but unobtrusive.

"I'm sorry." Tron hugs tighter, breathes deeper. Flint's shampoo and favourite cologne is seared into his memory banks by now, but he allows himself this one refresher. "You can't be here. It's not-"

"I'm not leaving!" Flint snaps at him, hands coming up to cup his face, and Tron whines when one cradles that deep, debilitating scar.

"I- I can't protect you like this." Tron tells him regretfully, taking a shaky breath before allowing the glamour to dissipate and show Flint what's been done to him. The patchwork only barely holding him together, canyons of scars growing deeper by the nano. His very core nicked and stuttering, cracking under the weight of his own existence. "And I can't- I can't lose you too." He pleads, allowing himself weakness in front of Flint. Just this once, before he has to be strong again.

Flint's fingers trace his scars, a thumb brushing under what's left of his wide blind eye. Tron's traitorous self leans into the caress, ragged sobs slipping past his failing resolve. He has to pull away, has to be strong...

...doesn't. Can't. Not here, not now.

"Who did this?" Flint asks, and Tron reaches gently to wipe those tears leaking from warm brown eyes away. "Who did this to you?"

"Dyson. Clu." Tron shrugs one shoulder. "Maybe both, I don't remember."

"I'm going to overwrite them." Flint seethes, and Tron clings to him.

"No." He chokes out. "Please don't-" don't leave, don't let them get you, they'll break us both, I'd rather die than let them hurt you, stay with me, please, I'm so scared and I don't want to lose you.

"Tron." Flint pulls him down, lets Tron be small. "I'm here, I'm home. We'll be okay."

Tron sincerely hopes that's true.

Ok, thinking now abouttttt if somehow Flint broke back into the Grid and interacted with Uprising Tron & like. How that would even go down...

Uprising!Tron is so absolutely intense & like he has attempted to turn off his emotions & he acts cold and harsh since the terrible reality of his existence in Clu's Grid is his life.

Adding in Flint among all of that... like, how would that even go??

Tron would likely be upset and distraught for Flint being added into the fray, but how else while he's already damaged goods be able to protect another he loves without risking derezzing for his own user?

Would he even be happy to see Flint? Is he capable of doing so when in such a poor mental headpace??? Would he be able to even allow himself to advance in his affections for his user?

I dunno I dunno I dunno...

[kingdomhearts-and-soriku-trash]

Well, definitely riku's love for sora. I feel like kh3 was sora's game to understand an act of love and what kind of love that's involved with someone close to you. Plus I've read the sleeping realm theory and yeah

I haven’t read any theories in awhile (I can’t find them) but YEAH I love all of them.

And yeah. DDD is basically Riku talking about Sora the whole time. Like….

1. He is immediately thinking about finding Sora in Traverse Town. He’s so dedicated to it that he trusts a stranger (which from his attitude is probably what he never used to do) to help him MAYBE find Sora.

2. When he DOES see Sora in hologram form, he reaches out bc he wants to touch him, but he knows it’s not real so he pulls back. He wanted to touch him-

3. When they seal Traverse Town’s keyhole, Riku looks over at Sora while he does the same. They know the other is there without seeing them. They can feel it.

4. Riku in Pinocchio’s world, will eventually talk about Sora and how he’s “the best teacher I could ever have.” LIKE?? HE’S JUST LEARNING FROM SORA WITHOUT SORA EVEN DOING MUCH!!! HE JUST!! LOOKS UP TO HIM!!!

5. In Tron’s world, he talks about how he and Sora can take on anything.

6. In addition to what I said above, when Sam mentioned a portal, Riku got a little excited and I bet he thought he could find Sora through this portal. He didn’t want to go with Sam, a stranger, yet he did because once again he thought he could find Sora.

7. When Riku is talking to Quasimodo, he tells him to find friends who care for him no matter what and to listen to his heart, and then he walks away and says, “I wish I could take my own advice.” LIKE?? NOT DIRECTLY TIED TO SORA BUT LIKE….when you think about it it sorta is.

8. RIKU BECOMES A DREAM EATER FOR SORA!! WITHOUT REALIZING IT TOO!! IT JUST HAPPENS “out of instinct,” LIKE AAAAAH-

9. Literally, the whole plot is based around them looking for each other. Sure, they’re helping the worlds, but like said above, any mention of a portal or finding the other, both immediately perk up. Well, I can’t remember right now if Sora has, but we know Riku has like twice.

10. Riku tells Ansem (I think) that he WILL fight to be by Sora’s side and how nothing will stop him.

11. He literally says, “Are you whats trapping him in that nightmare? Because if you are….I’m what nightmares fear!” LIKE??? HE LITERALLY!! THREATENED A HEARTLESS FOR SORA WITH NO HESITATION

12. Dives into Soras heart to wake him up with, once again, no hesitation. He actually insists on doing it because he knows he has to. He wants Sora to feel him and HE wants to help him.

13. Riku isn’t one for touch, but everytime Sora touches him he lets it happen. Sora throws himself at Riku, and he doesn’t push him off. He’s surprised, obviously, but he accepts it when Sora hugs him again. He likes the contact. AND when Sora throws his arm around Riku, he doesn’t push him off or really tense up. It just makes him feel happy bc Sora is happy for him!

The whole game is just like….centered around the worlds and story while ALSO throwing in soriku. Just little hints and words that show that they’re both thinking of each other!! Really!!

Sora just being like, “He just needs time,” when Tron is not acting himself and attacking Sora, is literally! Such a parallel to Sora and Riku!! You can’t tell me Sora wasn’t thinking about Riku in this moment.

Sometime in Pinocchios world, someone mentions a teacher and Rikus like, “yeah. With that stupid grin he’s always wearing. He’s the best teacher I could ever have,” LIKE?? LITERALLY SAYING!!! HE LISTENS TO SORA AND LEARNS FROM HIM! And they BOTH listen to each other.

Sora follows Riku’s lead and Riku follows Sora. They’re following each other!! They’re connected!! They make a SONG TOGETHER!! AND THEY HAVE A KEYBLADE TOGETHER THAT I USED EVEN WHEN THEY ARENT TOGETHER BC THEIR CONNECTION IS THAT STRONG!!

Sorry for yelling but yes. DDD is just soriku content mixed in with everything else. But soriku is the main ingredient when we focus on the characters and the lessons they learn at the end of each world. They both think of the other at the end of each world and I LOVE it.

And I haven’t played KH 3 in awhile but yeah I agree. I believe it’s Sora’s starting point in understanding everything in himself. But it’s also a starting point to the doubt and the pain that’s kinda been resting there. I need it to be addressed in whatever KH game is next PLEASE NOMURA. And there’s no proofreading this my hands are just typing. Thanks for the ask love you💙.

[notgalaxii]

How about... how do the brothers act around their crush?

This one was super sweet to write I- I love them 👉👈. Thank you for the ask! I hope you enjoy 🤞💕✨

Pride

Lucifers crush is the absolute hardest to tell

To the untrained eyes and ears, it seems like he's just being himself, but to those who are close to him, it's a little obvious

Lucifer tends to be more caring in a loving way than in a strict, "do what I say" manner

It's less of "Go to bed so you can go to school and not disappoint Diavolo" and more of "Get some rest, it's not healthy for you to stay up so late."

He also tends to be a little more expressive near his crush

Lucifer's signature knowing smirk twists up a little higher, and his eyes glimmer with not only pride but a bit of satisfaction and compassion around them.

He makes sure to give them small compliments

Typically his pride wouldn't allow him to endorse others, but with them, oooh boy

He will let them know how they look ravishing in such a nonchalant way; it seems like it's nothing

But to him, it could be everything

Bonus: He stood up to Diavolo once for his crush. Sort of.

Diavolo had given them a list of tasks to do and Lucifer felt like it was a bit much

"My lord, do you really believe that some of these are the best idea?"

It wasn't much but lets just say that Satan and Mammon were near by and their jaws hit the floor.

Greed

A mess. He acts like an absolute MESS around them

When he's just walking down the hall, he's composed. All of a sudden, his crush walks by him and awakens this sense of "I must embarrass myself at all times around this person and then punch myself about it later."

He hypes himself up around his crush

"Hah, of course the GREAT MAMMON can open this jar for you! Bow down, little human. Revel in my strength!!" he struggles to open it a little as well

In more serious and personal moments, Mammon is very sweet

As sweet as he can get when he's still trying to aggressively deny ANY sort of feelings

"Don't ever doubt yourself. You're my human, which means you kick ass. I wouldn't pick a human that WASN'T a total badass. N-not that I particularly picked you out of a crowd- YOU FORCED ME INTO THIS."

Bonus: If Mammon has a touchy crush, he would absolutely melt into their hands as he aggressively blushes at them

They'd get close enough to play with his hair and he'd be jelly on the floor

Would get super sad if they left and forgot their hug because he got used to oh how soft they were

Envy

Leviathan tries the absolute hardest to hide it

Unless you count Mammon but come on, is he really trying?

Leviathan's biggest tell would be that he tries to share his otaku passions with his crush

Because if he likes them, they've gotta be into that kinda stuff, right!? They're definitely not a normie and would absolutely LOVE his Manga collection

Would play it off nearly as tsundere-esque as Mammon

"I've decided that you're really nice to me, so I'm going to let you come over today and play video games with me. I have a super special raid spot saved for the two of us!!"

He tries pretty hard to impress them with his vast knowledge on obscure animes and idols

Levi would be at his crush's beck and call

"I saw you called me, I was in a dungeon but I tried to finish it as fast as I could!! What did you need~?"

Definitely a blush-a-tron 3000

All of his crushes are anime characters! How does he deal with someone he likes IN REAL LIFE!?

I'll tell you how, he sticks his hand over his face and tries to freeze time with his super secret power that he has yet to unlock and probably never will.

Bonus: Leviathan tells Henry 2.0 about his crush every time he spends time with them

"They touched my hand Henry, they touched my hand!!" blushes just thinking about it.

Wrath

Satan is ✨gentle✨ with his crush.

He's pretty insecure about how intense his anger can be when it comes to people he doesn't want to hurt, especially if it's a human.

Satan will try to show them his softest side in hopes that when they meet his wrath, they can anchor onto the fact that he's not that bad

That being saaaaid, if he senses their discomfort whatsoever, he tries to put out the flames of rage that are constantly brewing inside of him

And then offer to take them to somewhere to hopefully make them feel better.

"You seem to be tense. How would you like to join me on a little excursion? We could go see the new art exhibit that just opened up."

If that doesn't work, he invites them to his room to drink tea and maybe just chat

If they're into reading, he'll offer to let them look at his collection and maybe even pick something to borrow.

Satan is also pretty playful with his crush

Sometimes he'll say something a little mean just to get a reaction out of them, then immediately reassure them to the max that he was messing around.

"And I should be seen in public with a human because?"

"Hey-!"

"I was kidding!" He'd chuckle, bringing a mischievous finger to rest on his lips, "I only wanted to see how you'd react. I'd love to go somewhere with you."

Bonus: Satan's best pranks are with his crush.

Satan would definitely catch feelings with someone that challenge his brain and make him think bigger. He'd fall for someone bold, adventurous, and smart.

So combining the two of them makes for some of the most CREATIVE pranks

"So you guys are telling me that you switched the body of Mammon and a random woman on the street and then made a bet with Asmo that he couldn't seduce said woman... who had Mammon in her body."

"Absolutely."

Lust

Asmodeus would make his crush so obvious that everyone just thought he was messing around

He'd shower his crush in praise all the time

"Look at you! So beautiful!"

"Tell me, doll, have I ever let you know that your face is so symmetrical? Oh and your nose is so cute!~"

But oh, he gets f l u s t e r e d by them

If they compliment him back, he'll have a brief moment to blush and try to recover immediately

I feel like Asmodeus isn't as narcissistic as he leads on, like part of it is an act. Honestly, he might even be a little bit insecure about a few things so he buffs up his narcissism to distract from it.

That being said, he probably doesn't buff his narcissism around his crush that often

He puts the focus on them

Tries his best to listen to absolutely everything they have to say

Will make sure that they know he's always going to be there

Bonus: Asmodeus will always dress up his crush when he gets the chance to be absolutely stunning, but then gets really jealous when they go out and people start staring.

"Ah! It seems like they're admiring my work a little too much! I think if these dogs aren't put on leashes anytime soon, I might just have to take you back home. You wouldn't mind some alone time with Asmo, would you?~" The last sentence slips his lips in a very smooth and almost sultry tone.

Gluttony

Beel is so fucking precious please lord save me from this puppy

He would talk a lot around his crush

Boy has so much to say, I'm telling you

He's just never found the person to listen

His crush would be THAT person

The rest of the brothers would watch like "What drugs did this guy take? He usually only opens his mouth to eat something or say he wants to eat something."

Beel would also be VERY protective around his crush. Nobody would say anything to them ever because Beel would be looming over their shoulder like "Say it and I eat you."

Bonus: Everyone talks about Beels s/o being an amazing chef but just imagine him falling for someone who can't cook?

Like even though the food is bad he will sit there and eat absolutely eVERYTHING THEY MAKE

Because hes supportive and just wants to make them smile

Sloth

A weird combination of flirty and shy

Sometimes Belphie will tease his crush a little like Satan would, making comments just to see their reaction

But Belphie would see how long it would take for them to catch it instead of immediately reassuring them

He would crush on someone who doesn't mind his lifestyle of napping a lot, taking things slow, and not really caring so he'd be comfortable with them

Sometimes if his crush was sweet to him he'd get a little blushy and shy

Bonus: Imagine Belphie with an insomniac crush who can't sleep at night and takes random naps during the day

They get really tired cause they couldnt sleep the night before and Belphie asks them to come nap with him

He'll get them a pillow and everything to help them sleep at night

[augurhound-a]

MY 02 WISHLIST OR WHATEVER:

- MORE FRIENDS. PLEASE GOD MORE FRIENDS 02 has the least amount of people he considers real, true friends of in everyone in his family. i genuinely struggle to count more than four. i want my son to have friends so he’s not a little pissbaby all the time - POSITIVE ROLE MODEL/PARENTAL FIGURES DEAR GOD. i’m not joking when i say that if a parental figure he looked up to hugged 02 he would instantly shatter. give him. dayud. mom. i dont care he just needs a role model - SOMEONE DRAG HIM TO A DOCTOR. 02 will resist treatment for his faulty code and his mental illnesses tooth and nail somebody’s gotta force him to go - MAKE HIM CRY. 02′s never cried before ever in the history of this blog (i would know, i went back and i fucking looked not ONE tear. not ONE) and i think that would be good for him :) - FIGHT HIM. loser nerd scientist needs to fight more stop backlining you worthless twink - THIS ONE IS EXCEEDINGLY SPECIFIC but i want someone to interface with 02′s positronic brain and perceive his subconscious the way he does it--a weird simulant tron data landscape of sapient code and shifting executables. think the geth server mission from me3. please give this to me please. - did i mention get him a therapist yet - HAVE FUN WITH HIM? JUST HAVE FUN WITH HIM!! help him get out of his agoraphobia. take him for a night on the town to a club or to a restaurant or museum just do something fun with him so he stops being so wound up all the time. go hiking! go camping! just do something fun with him he’s so work steady and sad all the time :( - I WANT A “WE KILLED SOMEONE AND HAVE TO HIDE THE BODY” RP. let me weekend at bernies this - HEY SO DO YOU WANT A FRIEND that has extremely rich and powerful friends that are crime lords, tech CEOs, military spec ops traitors, or master thieves? do you want to meet 02′s inner circle? i want someone to :]

[evecolourshock]

I can't pick a favourite.....

Rinz kinda is surfing (and would probably be good at it provided he doesn't fall in), both of the Tron ones are brilliant and hilarious, someone please hug Clu, and Hal absolutely is an inspiration

Today I found out there’s a Barbie selfie generator.

And this is what I did with that information:

[blessed-but-distressed]

#FindEmmaSwanAFriend

Feeling left behind by her more successful, settled friends, Emma Swan moves to Scotland on a whim. Sure, she’s winning at Instagram, but something is still missing from her new life. Fortunately, her friends back home are on it. #FindEmmaSwanAFriend goes viral. Enter Killian Jones, reluctant columnist, who is on the hunt for his newest subject, and may just have found her. CS AU

***

also on ff.net and ao3

***

Tagging: @katie-dub , @wholockgal , @kat2609 , @whovianlunatic, @optomisticgirl, @ladyciaramiggles, @the-lady-of-misthaven, @emmaswanchoosesyou, @ilovemesomekillianjones, @biancaros3, @cigarettes-and-scotch-whisky, @ms-babs-gordon  @ab-normality, @andiirivera, @fangirl-till-it-hurts, @onceuponaprincessworld , @natascha-remi-ronin, @kiwistreetswan and whoever else asks me.

***

A/N: Part 2 of 2. Surprise, bitch. Bet you thought you’d seen the last of me!

***

Killian

How do you feel about improv? ES

Trepidatious. KJ

What if I told you some random just gave me last minute tickets to a Jane Austen inspired improv drag show, and I have a spare? ES

Curiosity alone compels me to say yes. Pleasance? KJ

George Square. ES

Thank fuck. I forgot my umbrella. KJ

If Killian had any sense, he'd approach the month of August the same way Robin did every year. Which mostly amounted to renting his house out to a troupe of Hungarian acrobats for extortionate sums of money and taking off for the south of France, thus avoiding the whole sorry spectacle.

A privilege reserved for those not living out of their older brother's spare room. Nor stuck writing Fringe reviews for his ailing periodical.

He thought his latest was his best yet.

Do you value your time? Your money? Your life? Then walk, don't run, as far from this act as you can. No one this incompetent should be wielding chainsaws, let alone juggling them. I may have been the only one-handed man at the preview, but with this shambolic spectacle set to run for the rest of the week, I expect I won't be the last. 0 stars.

Liam had accused him of being deliberately cruel, but he hadn't seen the show firsthand. The phrase 'culpable and reckless conduct' came to mind. His review went up online, unchallenged.

To his great surprise, his favourite show so far had been the improv show Emma had dragged him along to. It had all the subtle snark and invariable romance of Austen's classic novels, with the added benefit of Emma nearly passing out from laughing so hard. That alone would have justified his five star review, but the cherry on the cake had been when the man dressed as the elderley Dowager had picked August out from the crowd, and made him part of the act.

Killian generally condemned the casual cruelty of audience participation. Indeed, he lived in constant fear of it at every show he reviewed. But when it came for a certain novelist, he found his views on the matter suddenly rather... fluid.

Try as he might, he couldn't see what Emma saw in the man. What hidden virtues he possessed that had provoked such a ferocious loyalty. Killian wasn't stupid enough to voice such thoughts, of course, but that hadn't stopped him trying to figure it out.

The opportunity to continue this study was surely the only reason he'd opened an unsolicited DM from the man himself, when he should have been watching a Swedish comedy troupe send up classic films in a series of skits.

We have a mutual friend in need. How's your schedule looking uhhh… now?

Killian looked back to the stage. He couldn't be sure, but he thought the red streamers might signify blood. They were either up to Carrie or Jaws.

Trouble? Killian typed back.

Emma. The next message read.

We're in a bar in Leith and things have gotten a little… messy.

Killian checked the time. Barely past one in the afternoon. And fucking Leith? That didn't bode well. But at the same time, his review of the show was supposed to be online within the hour.

With a growing sense of unease, he typed out his reply. Which pub?

***

Stepping into The Marksman on Duke Street was not unlike stepping back in time. More precisely, to somewhere smack dab in middle of the Thatcher era, when Leith was a byword for deprivation and whatever comes after heroin chic. It was charmless, grimy and depressing, and Killian might've never understood the appeal until he caught the sign in the window. It opened at 6am.

Trying to avoid the abject stares of the locals, Killian found his quarry sat at the end of the bar on mismatching stools. Emma slumped forward, her face hidden, but August turned around swiftly at his approach, the alarm in his eyes quickly giving way to recognition.

"Oh thank god." August swept off his barstool, his relief so palpable that Killian thought he might hug him. He didn't look well. Thoroughly debauched, if one might say so, and in desperate need of a bath.

"Nice place," Killian remarked drily. "A bit off the beaten path…"

August pinched the bridge of his nose, looking weary. Or… wearier. "It's been a long night. And morning." He glanced back to where Emma sat propped by the bar, apparently still completely unaware of his absence, and drew closer, his voice lowering.

"You know that Graham guy?"

Killian couldn't explain it, but something inside his chest caught. Like flint striking steel. "Aye," he growled, not liking where this was headed.

"Married," August supplied, without preamble. "She didn't know. No one knew. She ran into them holding hands in the Tron. Matching wedding bands. The whole bit. So she threw her beer in his face and called it a day, right? But this morning, no, yesterday morning, the wife showed up. At the apartment. Emma's apartment."

Killian's fist clenched by his side.

"Yeeaah. It got pretty heated. Long story short, it's been a day and a half. I don't even remember how we got here. I'm not sure I even know exactly where here is. I have to be on a train at 4 to King's Cross or my publisher is going to sue my ass. Now, I can trust you? To get her home safely? You look at her like you're half a drink away from belting out Jessie's Girl at any given moment. I didn't imagine that, did I?"

Of all the places to grudgingly admit his feelings, not least in confidence to this man he wasn't sure he even liked, The Marksman was not the venue he would have chosen. And yet.

"There's very little I wouldn't do for that woman."

He was caught by surprise when the man launched forward and kissed him on the cheek, more still when he went back for the other cheek. August grinned enormously, grasping Killian by the shoulders. "Welcome to the family! Please don't fuck it up." And then consulting his phone, "I really need to go."

August made short work of the rest of his goodbyes, pulling Emma into fierce hug from behind, whispering something into her ear as he let her go. Then, with a wink in Killian's direction and a kiss blown at the nearest crusty Leither, he picked up his messenger bag and fled onto the street.

Steeling himself after that prologue, Killian turned back to where Emma sat by the bar, unseeing reddened eyes peeking out from under a tangle of blonde hair. He pulled out August's vacated stool, and took a seat.

"Swan," he began, with an imaginary tip of his cap.

"Jones," she replied, her voice flatter than he'd ever heard it.

"Of all the gin joints…"

She grimaced. Though her frown was so pronounced already, it didn't make much of a change. "We don't talk about the gin."

"At least tell me it was the good stuff."

She tried to smile, but the action seemed to cause her pain. "Don't do that. Don't be nice to me right now."

"Why not? You're not the villain in this story."

A small noise escaped her, half laugh, half sob. "Sure feels like it."

"No, that's the supermarket gin talking. We've talked about this. Nothing good ever came from a clear spirit at 35p a measure."

She sank further forward in her seat, her forehead resting against the bar top. "Don't be cute. Please just leave me alone to die," she mumbled.

He couldn't resist tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, making sure she could see him. "I'm not going to do that. I have a duty of care."

"Why? Because you'd have to find someone else to write a column about?"

"No," he replied levelly. "Because you're my best friend."

That had her lifting her head off the bar, albeit wincing as she did so. "I thought Robin was your best friend?"

He tapped his chin. "No, it's definitely you."

She considered that. Though how much of her internal brain processes had survived the pickling process over the last 24 hours, Killian couldn't be certain.

Of course, it was at that moment their bartender appeared, a middle aged woman with an ill-fitting polo shirt and bright green acrylic nails she drummed against the bar top. "Another top up, hen?" She didn't even glance at Killian.

He put his hand over Emma's glass. "Actually, I'm afraid we're on our way out."

Their server didn't much like that, a hand finding her hip. "Well that's up for the lass to decide, no?"

"It's okay, Tracy," Emma said, managing a consoling smile. "He's a friend. Are we all settled up?"

"We are." She gave Killian a cool once over. "Friend, you say? Mind you keep it that way. Looks like nothing but trouble to me. And you still raw after the last one. Liars and cheats, the lot of them."

Killian thought to take offence, but Emma already had him by the arm, pulling him off his stool. "Thanks, Tracy. Can you call me a cab?"

***

Getting her into the cab took some doing, not least because she had to pause twice to throw up in the gutter, and the first guy had driven off. Fair play to him. Thankfully by the time the second cab arrived Emma's stomach had settled, and she spent the drive curled harmlessly against Killian's side.

"Your lassie alright?" the cabbie asked, as Killian half lifted, half dragged her from the backseat out onto the gravel driveway. "You need a hand?"

It was a testament to how preoccupied he was that Killian didn't even stop to consider that might've been a crack about his prosthetic until Emma was already inside and passed out on his bed.

He texted Elsa first. A simple heads up.

There's an unconscious woman in the house. Don't freak out. KJ

It went about as well as you'd expect.

At least he had sisterly back up when he broke the news to Liam that he wasn't getting his review.

Needless to say, by the time Emma raised her groggy head from his pillow, the house was no longer silent, and it was no longer still. Elsa had insisted on rushing home, and boyish shrieks permeated the air, punctuated by the usual crashing and banging.

Killian sat in his one armchair, an ugly monstrosity of purple velvet which had been forbidden from the rest of the house, sipping his tea as she came awake. It took some time. One eyelid slithered open. Then the other. Never both at the same time.

"Do I want to know why someone is screaming in the next room?" Her voice was scratchy, and he motioned towards the glass of water by the bedside.

"Nephews," Killian said by way of explanation, as she crawled forward to grasp the glass in both hands, shaking with the effort.

She took a long draught, surveying her surroundings. He wondered how much she remembered from the last two days, if anything. If she even remembered his arrival at The Marksman, or August's leaving. She examined the ornate cornices, and floating beams. The collection of spent paperbacks stacked by the bed and the shabby, unmatched furniture.

"Your house. Your room?"

"My room," he confirmed. "We have guest rooms, but they're upstairs. And quite frankly, just getting you this far was nightmare enough. You're heavier than you look."

He earned a pillow to the face for that remark. It still smelled of her, which in her current state, wasn't much of a testimonial.

"Shower?" he ventured.

"Please," she said, rolling over until she could place both feet on the floor.

"Second door on the right. Elsa left some things out. Towels. Fancy shampoo. Paracetamol," he added with a waggle of his eyebrows. "Should be a set of clothes too."

She cringed. "Elsa knows I'm here?"

"Sorry. It's a new house rule of theirs. Radical honesty. Elsa knows you're having a rough time of it, and are convalescing. But that is the extent of her knowledge. Whether that remains the case, is entirely up to you."

"Right."

"Oh," he said, smacking his forehead. He scrabbled around on top of his dresser, before presenting her with a wooden triangle.

She took it automatically, seeming annoyed at herself for doing so. "Uh, thanks?"

"The bathroom door doesn't have a lock on it. Best wedge it under the door. Trust me when I say, you don't want Lachie walking in on you in the altogether. It's stressful for all involved."

"Good tip," she said, with a ghost of a smile.

She edged past him awkwardly to the door, her bare feet silent on the carpet. She'd already slipped into the hallway when her head appeared back around the door.

"Killian?"

"Aye?"

"I'm horrendously hungover so you probably can't tell, but I appreciate, uh…" she waved the wedge around vaguely. "All this."

"Swan?"

"Yeah?"

"I mean this in the nicest possible way, but please do shut up," he said with a wink. "Also, you're taking me out for pancakes after, so don't be too long."

Her eyes narrowed. "Oh, am I just?"

"You are indeed. Best thing for a gin hangover, in my limited experience. And it was very generous of you to offer."

"Very generous," she agreed, dubiously. "And Killian?

"Aye?"

"You're so full of shit. But... I do love pancakes. And one more thing?"

"Hmm?"

She kicked a toe into the carpet, eyes evasive. "You're sort of my best friend, too." Then she disappeared back behind the door, leaving Killian slack jawed.

***

He'd nearly finished two chapters of his book by the time Emma returned from her trip to the bathroom, shower soft and minty fresh.

"Better?" he asked, putting the novel aside.

"Much," she agreed. "Though full disclosure, I think I just used a $300 tube of lotion, and I kinda smell like a baby Porsche."

"The very best kind of Porsche," Killian assured her, offering her his prosthetic to take. "They're terrors once they hit the teenage years. Shall we?"

They crossed Bruntsfield Links just after sunset, the sky still streaked with pink and orange. He'd always loved summers in Scotland, that neverending twilight. It almost made shivering through six months of winter worthwhile. He was so busy admiring the scene, he nearly missed it when Emma detached herself from his arm, stopping in her tracks.

"Emma?"

She was standing entirely still, her eyes shut.

"Are you alright, love?"

Her eyes flickered open, almost surprised to see him still standing there. "Sorry, just… cataloguing."

"Cataloguing," Killian repeated, deadpan.

"Yeah, smartass," she said, walking forward to loop her arm under his again. "Cataloguing. Sometimes I forget, but this-" she indicated the kaleidoscope sky, the green-gold expanse of grass disappearing into the distant smudge that was Arthur's Seat, the group of laughing teenagers nearby trying to finish their mini golf game before they lost the light, "-Sometimes I still have to pinch myself."

She didn't elaborate, and Killian found himself oddly lost for words. He just reached over to squeeze her hand, and led her back towards the city lights.

For the time of year, they got lucky. The line was short, and it wasn't long before they were led to a red vinyl booth, complete with its very own mini jukebox. They both stared at it for a good minute before Emma fished a spare pound out of her pocket, and dropped it onto the table between them. "Your call. I'm going to the bathroom. Anything but Don't Stop Believin'."

Lord help him, but he thought he might love her.

He settled for a less foreboding tune, which morphed into another, then another, before he was fishing out his own coins to keep the party going. If he didn't know her any better, he might've thought she'd done a runner on him. Fortunately, he did know her better. Or at least, he was starting to.

She came back just in time for the guitar solo in The Chain, her I'm-bearing-up smile indicating she was doing nothing of the sort.

"Ruby texted," she explained, taking her seat opposite him. "About twenty times. She wouldn't stop until I FaceTimed her. I miss anything?"

"Just side one of Rumours. And your drink order." He indicated the glass of fizzy orange liquid in front of her.

She wrinkled her nose. "Fanta?"

"Irn-Bru. Best hangover cure there is."

She cast him a doubtful look.

"I'm serious. There's been studies."

"Oh well, if there's been studies." She slid the glass minutely closer, but didn't partake. Instead she watched as Killian lifted his own glass, and made a face.

He lowered his glass. "What?"

"Nothing. Just thinking about how I'm never drinking again. I didn't even know they served beer here."

"They do, but this is Dry Ginger."

She raised an eyebrow. "Ginger ale? You?"

Killian shrugged. "It's something I'm trying. Like a cleanse. But instead of drinking juice and doing yoga, I drink post-mix dry ginger and be less of a twat."

"Sobriety." Emma slapped her hand against the table. "I wish I'd thought of that. But I've barely seen you, when did you decide this?"

"Roughly…" he counted back the days, "43 days ago." When I thought I'd lost your friendship forever. But he didn't have to say it. From the look on her face, she already knew the significance.

"Huh." Emma sat back in her seat, absorbing that. But if she was planning on expanding on that thought, she was saved by the arrival of their waitress, who was all too eager to expound on the daily specials.

By the time they were alone again, Emma had cracked and was halfway through her Irn-Bru.

"I mean, it's not repellent…" she offered, by way of grudging approval.

"Trust me, it works." And then because he felt like they'd danced around it long enough, "So do you want to talk about it?"

She set down her glass, letting her fingers trace along the edge of the table top. "Nope. But somehow I feel like we're going to anyway."

"It was only about eight hours ago you wanted me to leave you to die in Leith's most depressing pub. I feel like it warrants at least a conversation."

She grimaced at the memory. Or perhaps where the memories ought to have been. It was hard for him to be sure.

"I fell in love with a married woman once. If you're worried about my judgement, you needn't be."

He wasn't quite sure where it had come from. This sudden urge to talk about Milah. But it was how they'd always operated, wasn't it? If he wanted Emma to take down her walls, he had to offer up a few bricks from his own. Well, this was more of a boulder, really, but at least he had her attention.

She snorted. "I wasn't in love with Graham."

"So what's the problem?"

"Because," she reasoned, tears springing into her eyes. "It's just so fucking mortifying. To be played for a fool, again. I thought I was smarter than that. I thought I could just, I don't know, flirt with a cute, intelligent guy and feel good about myself for five fucking seconds without it ending with his wife beating down my door demanding to know if I'd fucked her husband!"

She'd gotten a little loud towards the end there, with more than a few wary eyes glancing their way. Killian quickly stood up, and made his way over to her side of the booth, slipping in beside her. It was a tight fit, but it did succeed in sheltering her from most of the stares.

"Alright, so he's a tosser."

Another snort.

"Liam's bookie knows a guy. I could make a few calls?"

She shot him a sideways glance. "Don't tempt me right now. I just feel so stupid. But like, in an angry way."

"You're not stupid for being taken in by him. It's not a weakness to want to see the best in people, Emma. In fact, considering how many people in your life have disappointed you, myself included, I'd say it's pretty bloody brave."

Emma shook her head. "Is it though? I saw red flags. Even from the start he was kind of flaky. I wasn't even sure if I really liked him. It just appealed to my vanity, that he seemed to like me. So don't I deserve this? Just a little?"

"No." Killian wasn't sure where the vehemence came from, but he could feel it, welling up. "No, you don't deserve to be lied to, and dragged into the middle of someone else's messed up marriage without your knowledge or consent. No, you don't deserve being made to feel like the side-piece. You're not the side-piece. You're the heroine. And he's just a fucking wanker. What you deserve..." He looked up to see their server approaching the table, platters piled high with maple syrup topped goodness. He shot Emma a smile. "What you deserve, is pancakes."

***

It would've been remiss of him not to foot the bill, after his earlier declaration about her deserving pancakes, so there'd been a little bit of an argument about that as they wended their way down Clerk Street in the growing darkness. That Emma could argue about not paying for the pancakes he'd goaded her into in the first place, was a testament to the healing powers of Irn-Bru and a triple stack. No truly hungover person would have committed to such a futile battle.

But when they arrived at the beginning of her street, Emma stopped arguing and grabbed a hold of Killian's arm, pulling him up short.

She was shaking her hands out, like she was fighting off an attack of nerves, and Killian was instantly on the defensive. "Swan?"

She stopped when he said her name, plastering on what seemed to him a rather brittle smile. "Hey. Sorry. I'm just wondering, would you do me a favour?"

He had to chuckle at that. "Swan, if the last twelve hours have proven anything, it's that yes, I am available for favours. Unless of course they involve you paying me back for the pancakes. Because I'm afraid I'm rather immovable on that front."

"Great. So umm… Ruby has this theory."

"Ruby has a theory?" he repeated, hoping at some point, things would start making sense. "What manner of… theory?"

"Oh, god this is so stupid," she said, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'm just going to say it. I'm just going to come right out and say it: I want you to kiss me."

Something very violent was happening inside Killian's chest, a feeling which was neither happiness, nor disappointment, but a crushing combination of the two. He felt hot and cold. He felt light-headed.

"You want-" he started.

Emma's eyes were screwed shut, as if bracing for a blow. Or in this case, the fallout. She already had regrets. And more than that, it had been Ruby's idea. But why would Ruby…?

Of course.

The best way to get over a man, was to get under a new one. Wasn't that the old adage?

It wasn't about him. It wasn't about them.

No, she'd been clear. I want you to kiss me. She'd chosen him. She trusted him to be the one to soothe her wounded pride. Maybe she'd hoped it would be him. Maybe he was just the most convenient option. In any case, the wondering would certainly kill him.

But not as much as going through with it.

He reached out and took her hand, waiting until she opened her eyes. By Christ, people weren't supposed to look so beautiful by yellow street light. It wasn't scientific. And yet.

"No."

Now it was her turn to look like someone had punched her in the stomach.

"Oh." She made to release her hand from his, but he held firm. In fact, he pulled her closer, just a little.

"No, I'm not going to kiss your bruised pride back into place. Because I promise you, it's going to heal just fine on its own. You don't need a kiss from me or anyone to remind you what you're worth. You never have. It's one of my favourite things about you. Understand?"

Her reply was a little choked up when it came. "Got it."

She gravitated closer, her eyes shining, and he felt like he was losing his mind. He was certainly losing his nerve. He settled instead for raising her hand to his lips, brushing a soft kiss across her knuckles.

"That's one for the road."

He released her then, though nearly every part of his was screaming at him to do the opposite. Thankfully, she looked just as shaken as he felt. He nearly twisted his ankle in a gutter trying to put a little distance between them. And then he had one perfect surge of stupid confidence, and turned back to face her. She was still standing under the streetlight where he'd left her, looking oddly incomplete.

"Will you do me a favour, Swan?" he called out.

She held up her hands in a helpless shrug. "Sure."

"When the time is right, ask me again."

Then with his heart hammering a million miles a minute, he turned away and slipped into the adjoining street, and back into the night.

[itsamepatches]

Patches reads the CW "Powerpuff Girls" script PART 5

19 pages out of 60 into this script, and we're with a familial reunion between 25-year-olds Bubbles, Buttercup, and the distant Blossom. Of course, since Ace the cameraman from "Vigro Management" has been recording all this time, Professor Drake Utonium has to make a hilarious question after watching the sisters hug:

DRAKE You getting this?

*canned laughter*

And now, we reach the end of Act 1.

PART 1 (here) PART 2 (here) PART 3 (here) PART 4 (here) PART 5

Can I have some, too, Blossom? I might want some later.

I'm

pretty sure you guys wanted to be superheroes, Blossom.

Forgive me if I'm not entirely right because it's been a while since I've seen season 3 and onwards of the original cartoon series, but, yeah, having moments where a superhero goes "I didn't want this, though" is common especially for a long-running superhero series, and perhaps the Powerpuff Girls had a moment or so of this in the cartoon; however, they still loved what they did. They had an episode where they were stuck inside with no crime happening because it was bloody raining. They were bored to death. Buttercup wanted to punch! CW Bubbles has a good bit here, though. Blossom was the leader, and leaders lead no matter the circumstance.

No Buttercup, it's Chik-Fil-A.

Oh shit, here we go again:

Surprise! Blossom has a PANIC ATTACK again!

If she has it this severe to the brink of losing consciousness, you would think her dumb therapist guy would've done more than simply say "u must think of ur child self mate" but I guess not.

Okay, so as you read the final part below, go ahead and pull up this song (Glow Worm - Mills Brothers) since that's the apparent song that's playing...I think. I checked, and there are several other songs called this, but this one is nice and catchy, so I'll go with this one.

He's dead.

Looks like the cute kid is a smart cookie who makes evil robot caterpillars for a living. I'll bet her parents are proud of her. :B

Hooooo...boy. We're done with the first of many acts. I would go ahead and start the next act in this post, but I'll go ahead and dump some comments I have of what we've read so far.

About the Professor: In the previous "Patches reads", I mentioned the casting choice about Professor Utonium being awkward. For those unaware, Professor Drake Utonium is played by Donald Fasion (Dr. Turk from "Scrubs", Bartik from "TRON: Uprising", a LOT of appearances in "Robot Chicken"). Having Professor black is pretty cool, having Donald playing a guy who is a gentle and intellectual dad to a trio of superhero girls sounds cool!

What isn't cool is how you disregarded the loving professor people grew up loving while watching the cartoon. Why on earth did you find it necessary to do that? As a biracial black person, I want to give an ittsy-bittsy tiny benefit of the doubt that they didn't purposely casted a black man to play freaking Professor Utonium and then make him the complete opposite of what he actually is/was. Let Donald be Professor Utonium, please ;;

(I could do a similar bit with how both Blossom and Buttercup have those unfortunate implications such as a biracial Asian girl play Blossom and a biracial black girl play Buttercup, but plenty of people have already made those; however, speaking as a mixed person myself...some of them were kinda racist towards biracial people for saying they don't look "xx enough". Y'know. Knock it off. I might talk about the thing with the "Buttercup is a lesbian" bit though.)

About Sara: sara got screwed over in this script, next.

About Blossom killing Mojo: Would this plot have been better if they waited longer into the series for her to kill Mojo? I'm not certain. Like, yeah, some people might groan over the "accidentally killed a villain plot" but they'll get over it. I just feel like this would be a really dramatic moment if handled correctly. I know people have done plots like this in their fanworks for the Powerpuff Girls better than this, and if you (the person reading this) did this at any point, I wanna applaud you.

Killing someone on accident is an absolute nightmare - imagine the horror dawning on a superhero who had committed such a tragedy. Sure, some won't care if it was a bad guy, but I don't believe Blossom would be the kind to shrug it off. Like I said earlier in this reading also...Blossom is a leader - a leader isn't supposed to kill unless necessary (or not at all, depending).

I don't hate this plotline! It's just

the effect of the traumatic event is weak, but I'm guessing it's due to it being script-form. ...I think.

Okay, I think I'm done. Since this one was short, Part 6 will be up fairly soon. :B

and if you read all of my nonsensical ramblings, thank you and I'm sorry

[chuckepisodes]

Chuck vs. The Lethal Weapon Part 1

You were sleeping soundly in Chuck's bed when you felt him sneak his arms around you and giving you kisses on your cheek. You began to giggle. "Morning baby." Chuck said. "Mmm...Hi." you greeted back. You turned onto your back and now Chuck was hovering on top of you. "Sleep well?" "Of course I did. Now enough talk and come here." you told him as you grabbed his face and pulled him down and kissed him. It was becoming a little morning make out session when all of a sudden Sarah came into the room. You and Chuck were startled. "Oh! I'm sorry guys. I was just wondering if any of you needed to use the shower first before I do..." "I'm good." Chuck told her. "Yeah. Same here." "Okay. And uh... Just wanted to let you two know that the CIA is working on finding us an apartment right now so... Shouldn't be too long." "Oh. Okay great. Thanks girl." Sarah nodded her head. "I mean consider yourselves lucky. At least you didn't have to move in with Casey right? I'll um...leave you two now to get back to...yeah." Sarah was then gone. "Babe, what are we going to tell Morgan?" You asked Chuck as he got off of you and sat down beside you as you sat up. "I don't know... We'll figure something out. Okay?" "Yeah." you said while nodding your head.

You and Sarah were now both in the washroom, getting ready and brushing your teeth. "Mm, spearmint okay?" you asked Sarah as you handed her the toothpaste. " Yeah, fine." "Chuck is normally a peppermint man, but I guess he's deciding to live on the edge." you said , laughing a little. Sarah smiled. "Sarah, can I ask you a question?" " About the toothpaste?" " Uh, no. Are you, you worried about Cole?" You knew Sarah felt something for Cole and you wanted to help give her a little push towards him. "Uh... of, of course I'm concerned about Cole. But Agent Barker can certainly take care of himself." " Yeah, I get that. It's just, you know, you guys had this connection. I mean, he saved your life and you shared a bit of torture. Girl that's something you can't hide. Take it from me. I tried to hide my feelings for Chuck for  the longest time and I regretted it." " Uh, our connection was purely professional. That's it. There's no feelings to hide." "Oh, okay." you replied, not really believing her.

You and Chuck entered the dining room when you were both all of a sudden pulled into a huge hug. "Hi! Good morning!" She cheered. " Whoa!" you and Chuck said at the same time. " Oh! Oh! Sorry, sorry. I'm just, I'm very excited for Chuck, for the both of you to be moving in together. It's still happening, yeah?" " Oh, yeah. " Chuck said. "Absolutely." "Great. Did you find a place yet? Not that I'm trying to rush you or anything." " Take your time, bro. No pressure. You two lovebirds need to find a nest where you can let the worm wiggle free." Devon said. "You do know that Sarah is moving in with us too right?" you told Ellie as you all sat down at the table and Sarah walked in and came over to join you all at the table. "I know. I'm happy it's you though Sarah and not Morgan if I'm going to be honest." Ellie said, turning to look at Sarah. "Do you need any help packing or throwing things away? Y/N, please tell Chuck that not everything in that room has to survive the move." "I can help make a list." Sarah said. " Make a...Make a list? And of what, may I ask?" Chuck asked. " Oh, well, where should we begin? Maybe the Tron poster that you've had since you were 12." Ellie replied. " Dad gave me that poster." Chuck said. "I know. He loved that movie. Have you and Y/N had any luck finding his address for the wedding?" "No, not yet, but you know, we're, we're working on it still." Chuck told her. "So, uh, how did Morgan take the news that he wasn't gonna get you guys as new roommates?" Sarah asked. " We didn't tell him yet." you told her. "We don't have the heart." Chuck added.

You were pulling up to the Buy More, dropping Chuck off before you went over to work. "Chuck are you sure you don't want me there with you to tell Morgan he can't move in with us anymore?" "Yeah, yeah. I'll be fine. I just want to get it over with. I hate that we have to do this to him." "Me too..." you told Chuck as you grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze. "Well I better get going. See you here after?" "Of course. I'm not going to leave you stranded here you know." You and Chuck laughed a little. "Alright. Bye sweetheart." Chuck said as he leaned over to give you a quick kiss. "Bye. Call me after you talk to Morgan." "Will do." Chuck said before exiting your car and heading inside.

Not too much longer after you started working, Sarah came in for her shift but grabbed you and dragged you down into Castle. "Sarah? What's going on?" You then heard noise and saw Casey bring Chuck down. "Hey, what's going on? We moving?" Chuck asked. " No-tell motel time for Chuck. A secure bunker in an undisclosed location." " Seriously, what's with the boxes?" you asked as Chuck came over and stood beside you. " Cole Barker was picked up 12 hours ago by FULCRUM. We spent the entire night looking for him and failed. Langley thinks when he talks. They're gonna come here looking for you and Y/N." Casey told you two. " We're taking you two off the grid." " Wait, what about my sister? Is she in danger?" Chuck asked. "Devon, Morgan?" you added. " First priority is to get you safe. Then I'm gonna come back and make sure everybody else is okay." Sarah assured you two. "If we get that far. This 240-27. We have a perimeter breach." Casey said as an alarm went off. Sarah went over and grabbed a huge shot gun. " This is it. I'm gonna die underneath a yogurt shop." Chuck said. "I don't want to die underneath my work." you said. "Back door now. Move, move, move." Casey said, rushing you all. " Sarah, Sarah, we need to talk. If I knew this was gonna happen... " you started as you began to make your way out. "Later Y/N." Someone then came up to the door. " Chuck, Y/N, get back!" Casey shouted. You stood behind Sarah as Chuck stood behind Casey. The door then opened and a bloody, beat up Cole appeared. " Cole?" Sarah said confused. She then quickly handed you her gun and walked over to help Cole. "Did you miss me?" Cole asked Sarah " Don't worry. I didn't say a word." Cole said now looking at you and Chuck. "Look at that. Maybe you guys are not going away after all. Lucky you." Casey said. " Yeah. Lucky us." Chuck said.

[silent-stalker]

💖 [ sent in super late, i know, so if this isn't valid anymore then please ignore it. no pressure. :3 ]

How likely they are to enter a relationship with them:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

Would they…

Make the first move? Yes | No 

Say “I love you” first? Yes | No (Megatron would beat him to it)

Cheat on them? Yes | No 

Be the jealous type? Yes | No 

Plan the dates? Yes | No (he’d try, anyway)

Initiate the first kiss? Yes | No (it totally counts if its just a visor pressed against Megatron’s face, right?)

Remember anniversaries? Yes | No

BOLD WHAT APPLIES:

Their Relationship Is:

friends to lovers | rivals to lovers | enemies to lovers | still just enemies | mutual pining | star crossed lovers | old married couple | perpetual honeymoon phase | stable and boring | stable but not boring | secret lovers | best friends hiding their feelings | and they were roommates | friends with benefits | coworkers avoiding HR | one-sided affection | weird sexual tension | it’s complicated | toxic relationship | a secret affair | an actual dumpster fire | other

PUBLIC Displays of Affection:

hand holding | kiss on the hand | kiss on the cheek | kiss on the forehead | kiss on the lips |  cuddling | hugging | affectionate messages or comments | pet names | pictures together | no displays of affection

PRIVATE Displays of Affection:

hand holding | kiss on the hand | kiss on the cheek | kiss on the forehead | kiss on the lips |  cuddling | hugging | affectionate messages or comments | pet names | pictures together | no displays of affection

Do they stay together?

yes, this is endgame | yes but someone is gonna die tragically | something is keeping them apart | they part ways as friends | they part ways as enemies | they’re on-again-off-again | they have a super messy breakup | it was just a fling | other

BONUS

What terrible pet names would they give each other? ‘Tron, love, “living heater” would call him Bucket or Legs when feeling playful. 

[jace-the-writer-guy]

Brotherhood

In a darkened arena in Vale's largest stadium, silence filled the air. A very deathly silence, one unlike anything any wrestling event had ever seen with the exception of the recent events in World Wrestling Entertainment and All Elite Wrestling with Raw, Smackdown, NXT, and AEW Dynamite being aired with no live audience. The world the two rival companies come from had been dealing with a crisis situation, and their wrestlers performed in empty arenas devoid of any crowd reactions except for if wrestlers sat in the front row and pitched in their reactions. It was eerie, it was strange...

It just wasn't right.

"Ladies and gentlemen... we come to you live from VCW's home, right here in Vale," The VCW Heavyweight Champion, Ryder Argent said into the camera and into the silence of the arena, "I know this is a really strange way for someone to make their debut, but to start our special six-hour long show, please give a warm welcome to our new color commentator and ring announcer, Jace Reznor, accompanied by his daughter and one of my closest friends, Ebony."

No music played in the arena. No video on the tron. Just silence as Jace and Ebony made theif way out of the back and down the stage, and into the ring. He was dressed casually, wearing his usual casual outfit. Blue jeans, his black boots, and a black button-up shirt open to show a VCW shirt while Ebony wore her Purple Heart outfit, just without her armor. When making their way into the ring, Jace grabbed himself a microphone, and he stood next to Ryder as Ebony stood behind them.

"So... hi," Jace greeted everyone watching at home, "You guys around Remnant all know me as the Angel of Justice, and more importantly here, the father of the Archangel. We'll cut right to the point of this and of my weird debut here... But first we'd like to include two very special guests."

Ryder stretched his arm out toward the back in a showing motion. "Everyone please welcome... The American Nightmare, Cody Rhodes."

Just like Jace, Cody came down to the ring from the back to complete silence, wearing a great looking tan suit. He stopped on the stage and looked around the arena, and took a deep breath before walking down toward the ring. Just recently, he and The Elite had come to this arena to beat down the invading Inner Circle, and now he was there for a completely different reason. He stepped into the ring with the others after grabbing his own microphone, and he shook hands with everyone there in the ring.

Jace raised his microphone to his lips. "And now, please welcome The King of Kings, Triple H."

And just the same, The Game himself walked out from the back and down the ramp, wearing a black suit with an NXT pin on the collar. He looked around and just felt the silence around him, and he gave a pained grin. "It never gets easier..." He said, and it was clearly heard by the others in the ring. He gave a look toward Cody, who was looking back at him, and gave a small nod before entering the ring with them all, shaking everyone's hands, even Cody's.

"Welcome to VCW, guys," Ryder said to the two, "Jace, the floor is yours."

Jace took a deep breath through his nose and let it out evenly. "These two men from AEW and WWE came here at Ryder's request. The shape their world is in is... bad right now to say the least. Everything is slowly going on lockdown, and their companies and their immensely talented wrestlers have been working in front of empty crowds for the last few weeks. Their world is in a lot of strife. Ryder and I both know strife. We... we both know how it feels to have an uncertain future. We didn't know if we could ever trust tomorrow again, and now the people that live where these two are from are experiencing the same feeling."

Ryder nodded slowly at everything Jace said and sighed. "The wrestlers of WWE and AEW have been pouring their hearts out in the middle of their respective rings in front of no one for the last few weeks, and we don't know how long it will have to last like that, and it pains us here at VCW to see. They do that to provide live entertainment to their fans to help them have some kind of escape from what's going on in their world. That takes such a level of dedication that I just can't describe."

"So like how Ryder and my papa have been accepted into new families of their own, we wanna offer that to both AEW and WWE," Ebony said after lightly taking Jace's microphone, and she smiled her usual, bright, cheerful smile into the camera, "Because... no matter what and no matter what two companies feel about each other, pro wrestling is a big family."

She handed the microphone back to Jace and he nodded in agreement. "Exactly. We at VCW open our doors and formally welcome WWE and AEW to book their shows here in Vale and take their own styles and their stories all over Remnant to Mistral, Vacuo, and Atlas. We welcome them all with open arms. We welcome guys and girls like Jon Moxley, Keith Lee, Kenny Omega, Drew McIntyre, The Lucha Brothers, The Revival, The Young Bucks, New Day, Kris Statlander, Alexa Bliss, Brit Baker, Rhea Ripley, Riho, Asuka, freaking everyone in these companies!"

Jace felt himself shaking a bit after naming off all those talented people, and he took another deep breath. "Bad blood be damned, pro wrestlers deserve to do what they love to do in front of a crowd," Ryder took over for Jace and put his hand on the older Huntsman's shoulder, "We do what we do to make fans rise out of their seats and cheer, or boo, or whatever, and now with this relationship, the men and women of AEW and WWE can do just that. We know scheduling will be a pain for four shows a week, but damn it we're gonna a pull it off for our fans, and their fans back home. Guys, you're both free to talk now." Ryder finished and both he and Jace stepped aside, and Cody and Triple H stepped forward.

Cody spoke first. "I have to say... I'm humbled and honored to have been offered this relationship with VCW. When we in the Elite fended off the Inner Circle, we all felt something special in the air here. We all miss the roar of the crowd, and we miss seeing the smiles on our fans' faces. I know I left WWE on bad terms. It's no secret. But this is bigger than that, bigger than any grudge we have with each other whether it be what I've done after I left to my family name. Ebony here said it best. Professional wrestling is a family. Families squabble and fight, but when it comes down to it, we unite."

"I couldn't have said it better myself, Cody," Triple H spoke up next, and he looked around the arena, "You see, all of what we do is for our fans. We do our best, even if some... questionable things slip out. These days are uncertain for us all, but one thing that is certain is that all wrestlers are part of a brotherhood no matter where they're from. And now, VCW offered their hands in our time of need, and Cody and I pushed all our personal feelings with each other aside, and buried the hatchet so we can provide you, the fans around our world a way to escape reality just for a little bit. Now, we hope to do the same for not only our world via a bunch of technical crap that would take years to explain," He chuckled and grinned, "but to your world too."

"I have to say, this is extremely surreal," Ryder said and looked between Triple H and Cody, "Seeing you two in the same ring, in a VCW ring, and this relationship with our three companies is just... history."

Both Hunter and Cody nodded in agreement. "There isn't any denying that." Cody said.

"This is quite possibly the biggest thing in pro wrestling history right now," Hunter added, and he laughed again, "Maybe even bigger than Wrestlemania."

"So everyone..." Ebony stepped into the middle of the ring between everyone after getting her own mic, "I think there's been enough talk, right? I think our fans are getting restless~"

Slowly, the lights started to come on and even more slowly, cheering began to build and build until the all the lights were on to show the jam-packed arena. It had taken an extreme amount of restraint from the crowd to stay quiet during the opening segment, but now they were roaring, all of them a part of history. Both Cody and Triple H started smiling at hearing all the dueling chants of "WWE", "NXT", "AEW" and "VCW". It was something they both missed and they shared a look with each other before getting on opposite turnbuckles to get the crowd roaring even louder.

"Damn I've missed this!" Cody exclaimed into his microphone, "Come on, everyone! I can't hear you!"

The crowd somehow got even louder after that and both men just relished in the noise. "You guys have no idea how much we've all missed hearing this each and every night!" Hunter said to them all, "This is like music to my ears, and I know all the guys and girls in the back can't wait to come out here to perform in front of you all!"

"That's right, everyone!" Ryder said to the crowd, and he gave a huge grin as Ebony hugged both Triple H and Cody, welcoming them to the VCW family, "For tonight only, this is a VCW, WWE, and AEW Supershow with matches featuring wrestlers from all our companies! And we offer the same to any other wrestling companies on Earth small or large that need a place to showcase their talent! Jace, take it away!"

"With pleasure, Ryder," Jace said and stood in the middle of the ring while the others except for Ryder exited, who took off his clothes to reveal his ring gear, "The following is a Fatal Four Way, champion vs champion match! Already in the ring first is your VCW Heavyweight Champion, The One-Winged Angel, Ryder Argent!"

Jace started grinning even more. "And your next competitor..."

"Shock... the system..."

"Making his way to the ring next... is the NXT Champion, Adam Cole!" Jace exclaimed and the crowd lost their minds when Cole's entrance music sounded over the PA system, signaling the arrival of the leader of the Undisputed Era into the VCW arena...

[jgroffdaily]

Jonathan Groff decides we should take advantage of what might be New York’s last suitable night for al fresco dining in 2019. He sits down at one of a dozen empty tables outside the otherwise packed Hell’s Kitchen bistro and announces, in a tone suggesting more mischief than regret, that he must first make a call.

"Hello," he says, iPhone now at his ear. "Joel Grey?"

Groff is starring in a limited revival of Little Shop of Horrors, and it is a very hot ticket. The Broadway legend on the other end of the line has apparently thrown a Hail Mary in hopes of scoring seats to the night’s sold-out performance. Hamming up this exchange for my amusement, Groff is game to play broker for the Tony and Oscar winner who originated the role of Cabaret’s tuxedoed emcee — and, maybe, anybody else who has his number.

"This is basically my part-time job," says Groff of fielding requests, jotting down credit card information and negotiating pickup times and locations for friends both famous and civilian. "It was the same thing when I was doing Hamilton," he adds of his year playing King George III in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hip-hop history lesson. "But I was really only onstage for nine minutes during that show, so the tickets were probably full-time."

The 34-year-old actor seems eager to please, not unlike current alter ego Seymour. Little Shop’s nebbish, sweet and ultimately doomed florist nurtures a manipulative plant even as the pet’s homicidal tendencies grow more and more apparent. Those familiar with the campy musical comedy know that it suffers no shortage of blood, but it’s a nursery rhyme compared with Groff’s recent work on truecrime thriller Mindhunter. Playing a curious FBI agent in David Fincher’s Netflix series has perhaps done more for his ascendant profile than anything yet. But two seasons on the drama have meant two nine-month stints in Pittsburgh, filming interrogation scenes with character actors who bear uncanny resemblances to famous serial killers.

So even on a two-show day like this late- October Saturday, the rigors of theater are easy work for Groff. Over a couple of hot toddies, in between humoring three smitten waiters at the restaurant at which he’s been a regular since Little Shop went into previews down the block, the actor appears to be in his element. "Theater is such a communal, familial medium and interactive experience," notes Groff, who says he recognizes faces in the crowd during most performances. "Mindhunter, for me at least, is a very private experience."

Groff plays against type on Mindhunter. Wide-eyed with an almost perpetual grin, his is a mug you wouldn’t be surprised to find in an illustrated Merriam-Webster — cozied up to the entry for "baby face." Much of his previous acting career leaned into this, starting with his breakout. The Pennsylvania native came to New York at 19 and landed the lead in the musical Spring Awakening by the time he was 21. "I was just auditioning for the ensemble of Broadway shows," says Groff. "I hadn’t really developed the taste to appreciate something like Spring Awakening until I was in it."

New York’s "It" Broadway show of the aughts, the rock opera about sexual discovery among 19th century German teenagers earned Groff his first Tony nomination. He spent two years in the production before leaving in 2008, at the same time as friend and co-star Lea Michele, to pursue film and television. The work that immediately followed — Ang Lee’s Taking Woodstock, a recurring spin on Michele’s Fox hit Glee, a supporting role in the second season of Kelsey Grammer’s cult drama Boss, voicework in Disney $1.3 billion smash Frozen (he’ll reprise his role as Kristoff in Frozen 2, out Nov. 22) — got him on the radar for vehicles of his own. When HBO began casting Looking, its 2014 dramedy about a group of gay friends navigating an evolving San Francisco, Groff was soon tapped to front the series.

"He will search for the best version of every scene and will work until everyone drops," says Looking executive producer Andrew Haigh, who cast him as Patrick — boy-nextdoor- ish, like the actor, but privileged and problematically fickle. "He is also wholly unafraid to be vulnerable onscreen."

Looking lasted for only two seasons and a wrap-up movie, and its premature demise allowed Groff to do Hamilton, which he joined while the show was off-Broadway in early 2015, and then made the jump to Broadway. His supporting part as the aforementioned royal — with interstitial lamentations for the seceding Colonies, sung like a lovelorn (and supremely pissed) Davy Jones — earned Groff his second Tony nomination. But Groff wasn’t long for Hamilton, either. He was circling his next TV project, a moody prestige procedural about the early days of the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit, based on the 1995 memoir Mindhunter by criminal profiler John E. Douglas.

"I’m not naturally a true-crime person. So reading the book, I was like … 'oh, fuck,' "says Groff of John E. Douglas’ memoir 'Mindhunter.'

Mindhunter, the book and the series, delves into the morbid minutiae of notorious murder cases with an emphasis on interviews between law enforcement and criminals in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Groff was in contention for the role of FBI agent Holden Ford, based loosely on Douglas. First, he had to prove to director and executive producer Fincher — a filmmaker long admired by Groff, who says he has "a boner for his brain" — that a jovial Broadway star most widely known for singing with a reindeer in a Disney cartoon could have the upper hand with serial killers.

It was not Groff’s first audition for Fincher. Seven years earlier, he was in the running to play Napster co-founder Sean Parker in The Social Network. "My agents said, 'You have an audition in L.A. with David and Aaron Sorkin,' " Groff recalls. "If you get it, you start rehearsal the next day, so pack your suitcase for two months. They really like your tape, but they’re also considering Justin Timberlake." The part went to Timberlake.

"I did not feel then — and still don’t — that he had the inherent venality for that role," Fincher says of Groff. "He is as decent and sensitive as anyone I’ve ever met."

If venality is off the table for Groff, darkness is not. And though casting the song-anddance man was a source of curiosity for some in Hollywood before Mindhunter’s 2017 debut, the finished product didn’t elicit any skepticism from critics. Over the first season, Groff’s character goes from eager, milkdrinking company boy to a shell of the man introduced in the first episode. He alarms colleagues with the way he mirrors serial killers, until he has a panic attack after getting a bear hug from a necrophile. The second run, equally well reviewed after its August debut, saw a somewhat recovered Holden sit down with Charles Manson and, for the dramatic fulcrum of the season, investigate the Atlanta child murders of 1979-81.

"It is so impossibly bleak that I don’t think about it while I’m doing it," says Groff, who confesses he finds watching the show more affecting than making it. "All due respect to people who feel like the character is inside of them or whatever, but I don’t have that. I would leave set, listen to Beyoncé, and that was it."

After an hour and a half in his company, Groff reveals himself as a Lucille Ball historian, an avid bike rider, a devout New Yorker and someone who doesn’t seem easily bummed out — except when the conversation turns to success. His excitement over landing Mindhunter, he says, was immediately diluted by a pang of sadness. "Whenever something really great happens, it makes me feel a little bit depressed," he says. "It’s like, this is never going to get better than this moment right now. I’m sitting in David Fincher’s office and he’s giving me this role."

Talk of a third season of Mindhunter is on hold while Fincher focuses on his next feature. But the director did take a recent break from Mank, a biopic on Citizen Kane screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz, to attend Groff’s first Little Shop matinee with wife and fellow Mindhunter executive producer Céan Chaffin. It was a surprise appearance, but only because Groff hadn’t been checking his text messages. "I’m not good at my phone," he admits.

Groff has not looked at his phone since that one call — which, while polite, now has him in danger of running late for curtain. He breaks the bad news of his immediate departure to one particularly adoring waiter, and we walk to the stand where his bike is locked. There, he pulls from his bag a cobalt helmet that could double as Tron cosplay. Bars of blinding LED lights on both its front and back, his headgear tells cabs to get the hell out of the way and signals to everybody else that this is a man who values safety over subtlety.

"Yeah, I do really love riding my bike in the city … I’m just not that hard-core," Groff says of the helmet before encasing his tousle of sandy chestnut hair for the one-block ride to the theater and an expectant Joel Grey. "My mom bought this for me."