#the amount of cool epic is kinda feels like ‘yeah okay I can… maybe make a comic or something’

[seeminglyseph]

I’m such a mess because I absolutely will get into a State where I start mapping the bloodlines of the royal families involved in the Trojan War and like. Even if once they were based on real people who have been mythologized, like… half of them have apposing lineages of you look hard enough.

But his might be an easier choice than “try to decide a timeline for myself to work with for my own project, of which events happen and when in my version of Greek mythology” which like.

Man. I cannot alway tell what order Zeus’ kids are born in. Even if I exclude the mortal ones.

Part of this is because I am not smart but other parts are like. Because. Man there is a whole lot of incomplete information that is hard to filter through. And I am unorganized. I’ll like. Freaking work on it. I’m becoming motivated. Yeehaw.

But first I need to immediately become asleep.

[fktonofwhatnow]

Is anyone else absolutely terrified of how SJM is going to write Elain's book because I AM

I think it's time I finally actually try to put a cohesive post together about the world building of this series because uhhhhh it's BAD.

Ok so, pretty generic epic dark fantasy setting right? Pinnacle of Pinterest fantasy boards with high contrast-low exposure pictures of fancy dresses and knives and men's abs and vague enough cultural references that it's not enough to be appropriation but you know it's ethnic and stolen images of people's dragon age elf OCs--

Anyways, this all ties into Elain, and her powers and stuff. Bc if your world is build just on the aesthetic, your magic system will suffer. It would be okay to not have a thought out magic system, and there are ways to have a vague magic system (e.g, The Chronicles of Narnia, LoTR, stuff like that) that work, but uh... Not if you give every single one of your characters epic magical powers. It... Kinda has to make sense in order for the story to make sense, you can't just pull this shit out of your ass, hate to break it to you. If your magic doesn't have rules, then your world doesn't have rules, and then your story doesn't have rules. And then why do we even care about the conflict, can't the characters just idk, blast their enemies into oblivion, since they can do whatever they want? You see what I'm saying?

Like ok, Nesta's power already makes no sense. I thought Feyre was the most powerful ever but now Nesta is the most powerful ever and I'm concerned to see how Elain is gonna top that.

And the thing about that IS: Elain is gonna have to be the most powerful in her own book right

It's actually an issue I've noticed in a lot of people who make characters: their characters always have to be the best and the strongest. I used to rp with a few friends, and I stopped doing so bc their characters always had to be better than mine, regardless of how good I established my own characters were, or how good my canon muses canonically were. My friends wouldn't let my characters be better than them. (They also always blamed my characters for every misunderstanding like conflict doesn't drive plot and my characters didn't also have thoughts and feelings of their own cough couGH sound familiar Mrs Maas)

In the entirety of ASOSF, I was out here BAFFLED by the amount of time SJM spent trying to prove that Nesta was the new strongest and best ever, while also trying to make sure that we knew that Feyre and Rhysand (mostly Rhysand bc Feyre was preggers uwu) were the still the strongest and best ever, and at some point I was like "why do these people still have problems" bc Briallyn was a plot point for like half a chapter before they straight up kicked her ass and then the next biggest problem was Feyre not being able to have a baby...? I though y'all were the strongest and best ever, can't y'all just reset the entire universe if it suits your fancy JJBA style at this point?

Ok so back to Elain....

Yeah so like, my question is: How is Elain's super vague and cryptic and horribly written poetic "Seer" power gonna top all this? (watch her be the one who can open fuckin portals n stuff just watch)

I would absolutely love it if Elain's book is just a slow(er) paced love(ish) story and it's soft and gentle and we don't need to demolish kingdoms and create portals into the multiverse and find random vague magical items with little to no sound worldbuilding behind them besides a keysmash of a name and another ancient war

It would be so cool if Elain gets to be the one doing the rebuilding, maybe she goes to help the Summer Court out, or maybe even the Spring Court! Maybe she meets sweet new friends and forms long lasting and meaningful relationships! My girl needs to feel needed, and she needs to help those in need.

But watch them have to find even more weird artifacts and stuff that only Elain can control or whatever and there's some new random enemy with no sound worldbuilding behind them either bc SJM Couldn't pull a character plot twist to save her damn life like god FORBID Eris actually have ulterior motives and be like evil or whatever nah we have to hear all about this random new guy who is terrorizing the Night Court now and then there's an ABSOLUTELY ATROCIOUS love triangle/square with Lucien in there bc I guess he really hasn't suffered enough yet and also Gwyn even though she's new BUT Azriel looked at her like twice so its fair game I guess-

Or maybe the whole book will just be about Azriel and how he's into a bunch of kinky shit idk I bet it will be tho-

[irish-urn]

You are most certainly NOT talking out if your ass and I fucking love that you referenced Gilmore Girls because YES, EXACTLY. 90% of the time, Lorelai and Rory get along swimmingly– because they're friends before anything. But as soon as there's even a slight disagreement, Lorelai treats it as if it's WW3. We see this as early as EPISODE ONE. and Rory, rightfully so, does not take well to her mother acting like a mother. And yes, she was a teen mom, and yes she did leave an emotionally abusive situation (I know Emily and Richard got better but BIG yikes early on) and I know she really did grow up with Rory– all of that is valid, BUT by doing all of that, Lorelai needs to face the consequences of her actions which she doesn't do. She just expects Rory to listen to her when she's in Mom Mode.

(There are a crazy amount of parallels between Gilmore Girls and LWD and I'm kinda freaking out because I've never come across someone else who's seen it. Derek really is a mixture between Logan and Jess GAH NO WONDER I LOVE HIM SO MUCH)

But!!!!!! It's so realistic (I'm the same anon who comes from a blended family) I DID have the mom who treated me more like a friend than a daughter. I DID have the mom who got remarried and who's kids were kind of shuffled off to the side because she was too busy with life, and her new marriage, etc. etc. (Not trying to trauma dump here just trying to say how realistic I feel like LWD is 😂) and I WAS the asshole daughter who just raised an eyebrow on the rare occasion that my mom tried to discipline me.

I can go on for hours about how perfectly dysfunctional the McDonald-Venturi's are.

(Let me be clear, I do think everyone is happy and everything worked out. But YIKES, G&N did NOT think through their marriage and their current relationships with their children before they tied the knot.)

YES LET'S CONTINUE YELLING AT EACH OTHER IN EPIC-LONG RESPONSES.

(If these are different anons, that's cool too!!! I'm just laughing at how we're literally writing essays to each other — I love it, but it's funny.)

OKAY, so there are so many things here I want to respond to, and it's gonna be a big ol' mess because now we're talking about two of my favourite TV shows at the same time.

SO. Lorelai Gilmore is a very good mom in many ways, especially in how she almost always puts Rory first. She very obviously considers Rory in almost everything she does (a couple of exceptions being her love life, but Rory's 16 before that happens, and Lorelai is kinda rusty with the dating-thing, and honestly, flaws make characters interesting) and has tried her best to ensure that their life together is as different as possible from HER childhood because, yes, emotional abuse and trauma is there for sure. BUT, in creating a family that is so vastly different from her upbringing, she's gone to the opposite extreme, so that they can be co-dependent on each other, AND, yeah, Lorelai doesn't do well when Rory thinks things very differently than Lorelai (see the whole Jess thing, and her relationship with Emily and Richard). She's not a perfect parent, but she ADORES Rory.

Is the biggest difference between Lorelai and Nora&George that Lorelai was always a single parent, and G&N are divorcees, or is it that Lorelai only had Rory while N&G had multiple children? Maybe both? Either way, all three of them obviously love their kids and are trying to raise them... But, like, there's a lot of letting the kids raise themselves because they're too overwhelmed to give the effort/time needed (and I would argue that Derek needs a lot more raising than Casey; here's another question: is that because of who George and Abby are, because there's 3 kids instead of 2, because there's such an age gap between Marti and Edwin (and therefore, Derek), or because of who Derek is as a person?). And, again, I'm not hating on them for this or calling them terrible people. They're not; they're very human. But it makes for interesting discussions and critical analyses.

NOW. Is Derek a combination of Jess and Logan???? Uh. Wow. Yes. Damn.

Okay, so for all that I'm a MASSIVE Literati shipper, I actually like Logan as a character very much. He amuses me and I think he's interesting. The reason I ship Jess/Rory is because I like who Rory is with Jess more than who she is with Logan. I like that Jess sees Rory's flaws, will call her out on them, and then encourage her to fix her problems, give advice, and try to help her be the best version of herself that she can be (a LOT of this only happens in Season 6 and the Revival, but that's because Jess is finally okay enough to offer that kind of support), all the while working on himself to be the best version of himself that he can be. He wants them to grow together and bloom and thrive. Logan always struck me as seeing Rory's flaws and saying, 'Hey, cool, you're just as flawed as me;' and instead of trying to work on them together, he used it as justification for him to continue on his merry way. If they're both selfish, entitled, ambitious, fun-seeking hotties, then there's no need to improve, because they're in the same boat. He wants them to stay just the way they are, because he's happy with the way things are.

Wow, never done a critical analysis like that before, but here we are.

THEREFORE: Although I realize that high-school Derek is more of a Logan than a Jess (although there is a LOT of Jess traits in there too), I think I write adult!Derek more like Season 6 Jess with the Logan gift of gab and faux-casualness because that's how I see him maturing when he's working on becoming the best version of himself. I am a romantic at heart, I think, and so my college-verse is a bit of a "in a perfect world, Casey and Derek would understand each other and work as a team to grow as they go" (blatantly quoting Ben Platt there, but that song nails a good part of what I think a healthy relationship is). Casey is only a Rory in that they're both nerds and keeners and a little clumsy, but they are very different and I like that. :)

THE OTHER THING is thank you for some insight into the realism of this kind of parent-child relationship. It's fascinating to me, who doesn't think of her mom as her friend at all, even though she is probably one of my best friends, but I would never call her that, because she's first and foremost my mother.

(Dad is def DAD. He's amazing and I'm so lucky to have him and his wisdom and his consideration, but he is not my friend. He's my father.)

FINALLY: I do think that the McTuris are happy and that overall, the family did work out, yes!! But, yeah, like you, the lack of consideration on how to blend the families and how to make it easier on the kids (especially the older ones who aren't as adaptable as the younger ones, and who probably feel entitled to a lot of say in what happens to their family) is, uh... problematic.

[ohnoiyo-yoyle]

TPOT 1 SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!!!!!!!!

So! First off, tpot was soooooo goood like oh my gosh I didn't expect it to be that good and the intro was SO well animated and the character interactions and just aaaaaaahhhhh!!! Okay, maybe I'm overhyping it a bit but that's just how I feel. TPOT reignited that spark for BFB that was starting to kinda fade for me. Since Battle for BFB is more comedy based and silly I was starting to get a little bored with it, so it's nice to finally get started on a more, I guess serious? show that focuses on character interactions/relationships and development/arcs and all that. But anyways, ONTO THE HIGHLIGHTS!!!

So time passes in the bfdi world the same way as it does in ours. Good to know

Happy Flower

2 is a cryptid confirmed. Always there, always watching

Oh!! The Yoyle Needy is like, fallen over. Along with part of the mountain

How did that happen???^^^

“It’s time for Cake at Stake!” “What?” “I SAID IT’S TIME FOR CAKE AT STAKE!!!” “Get them up for me Nickel!!” “Huh?”

WOO NEW CONTESTANT YESSSS!!!!

OH!! THE ORIGINAL CAKE AT STAKE INTRO IS BACK!!!

I will admit, I will miss the epic™ remix, but it’s also nice to be back with the original! Feels nostalgic!!

The doodles!!! Omg I love them!

THEYRE SO CUTE WHAT THE HECK THEY REMIND ME OF THE REQUEST DRAWINGS WHEN THEY SIGN STUFF

“Oh! Now I remember!” “Good for you” *pauses, looks at camera* “So-”

Purple tomato (toe-mah-o)

Pen being positive and cheering up the newbie

Thanking the voters: Speedrun Edition

“Looks like it’s curtains for......” “Looks like it’s curtains for....” Ō—Ō

“Don’t you trust me Clock?!” “Uh, of course NOT-” “Well prepare to get over it!”

Ah yes, my favorite: Cammy, Blendy, and Onigiri...y....

Pencil >:(

awwww Foldy misses him so much

OH NO TAPEY!!!! I VOTED FOR THEM :((((((

NOOOOO TAGGY NOOOOOOOOOO

Well at the very least Winner won. I’d rather have an actual character be in the game instead of, y’know, nonexisty?

MmM! Tasty

*GASP* PRIME NUMBER!?!?!!!

Anime expression activate =͟͟͞͞(ō_ō)

Waaaiiit a minute....are they gonna

“We’ll have to add someone instead!!” PLEASE DONT GIVE ME FALSE HOPE AND ADD NONEXISTY AMD THEN IGNORE THE CONTESTANT’S PROTESTS OF THERE STILL BEING AN UNEVEN AMOUNT OF PEOPLE JUST FOR THE SAKE OF A JOKE PLEASE DON’T

41 + 0 = 41 OH MY GOSH IT’S ACTUALLY GONNA HAPPEN THEY’RE ACTUALLY GONNA ADD TAGGY

YYEEEEEESSSSSS YEEEEESSSSS YEEEESSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!! OMGOMGOMGOMG YEESSSS!!!! THEY ADDED THEM HSJFBSHAKGNFBJK!!!!

They have such a cool gimmick with their face being emoticons and text!!!

At first I thought that Price Tag was a girl and Winner was a boy (based on their voices) and thought “Oh cool! The gender balance stays even then!” But now I know that they’re both non-binary and I’m thinking “Oh cool! The gender balance still stays even AND there are two canon non-binary characters!!!

The bfb/tpot crew really be out here, continuing to give to the lgbt+ community and I am all for that

“I take back all the things I said about Winner while I was down there!” H-honey? What did you say???

“You do equal 1 right?” “I can if you want me to! :D” “*gulp* $1”

Well at least 2 isn’t like the previous hosts where they shove the eliminated contenders into a tiny cramped space and give them sometimes less than the bare necessities. These guys get to chill in what’s pretty much a nice hotel (tho they might be locked in)

“Cool! So you wanna stay on the same team? ‘:D” “No :)” “oh.. okay. :0”

Donut and BarfBag frienship solidarity

W.O.A.H BUNCH RETURN!!!!! W.O.A.H. BUNCH RETURN!!!!!!!!!!!!

“Who the egg is that?”

Oh??!!?!?? Loser backstory?!?!?! In THIS SHOW?!!?!? It’s more likely than you think

Chicken nuggets

Clock is a Loser stan

OH NOOO CAKE NOOOOO

YAYYY CAKE AND NAILY FRIENDSHIP!!!!!

GOLF BALL AND TENNIS BALL FRIENDSHIP!!!! AND SHE EVEN SAID SHE APPRECIATES HIM!!!! THATS SO SWEET!!!!!!

Ha. Balls (as in actual balls. Not whatever you’re thinkin about, ya nasties)

Yay Pen and Eraser friendship!!! They’re finally on the same team!!!

Either you prevent death, or you’re a murderer. There’s no in-between

“Did someone say h8ers?!!!” She sounds like a skater kid

Blocky is no longer with us. We shall miss him greatly

OH NOO BASKETBALL SHE DIDNT MEAN YOU Oh oh well i- there she goes I guess

Two moms and their son

So can they actually see those logo things or what??

Aww Rocky actually wants to be with them!!! And he’s taking initiative!! Way to go buddy!!!

Awww noo Book!!!! She’s trying her best but ultimately, they’re right!!! She needs to leave them be and get some new friends!!!!!

Please don’t tell me she’ll be the next Leafy. But so far she seems to be heading in the right direction

Uhhh Pillow?? What are you doing hun?

Yeah!! Clock and Icy alliance!!

Zigzag crew woo!!!

AWW NO LIGHTNING!!!

“Don’t worry Lightning! You have me!l “I don’t really..want you.” oooooh!!

Epic™

This just.....this ^^^

THEY’RE SO CUTE TOGETHER WTF I LIVE THIS FRIENDSHIP SO FAR

And there was even the little beeping cashier sound when Price Tag changed faces omg I love little details like that!!!

Snowball: Gets owned. Me, @ Naily and Price Tag: Good for them

NO! Marker!!!

Corporate needs you to find the difference between this picture and this picture: An egg and a ball.

Basketball: They’re the same picture

“I thought you were gonna collect me! Ha!” “Ha...haha......ha”

Cloudy’s secretly a kidnapper 0_0

DeathPact be ruining Bottle’s good time and she having non of that

Pillow doesn’t know how to read

The >:3 intensifies

She’s trying.....so hard...to make friends

Yay!! Lightning turning over a new leaf!!

“Well, I’m sure whoever it is, they’re gunna be just f-huueughh....,”

Continues in Part 2!! Which will be out sometime tomorrow cause these things take long to make

[daisylincs]

Today is, officially, the last day of 2020 - so it's literally just in time that I'm getting to @aosrecweek's amazing challenge. But that does go to show the nature of this crazy year a little bit, right? Time has just been INSANE, and I honestly cannot believe it's so close to over.

That said, I want to put it out there that everyone - absolutely everyone - who created something in this mad year, is a SUPERHERO. Like. We could have hidden away in dark corners, curled into little balls, and lost touch with our creativity entirely - but instead, we made some of the most fantastic content I have ever seen. And, excuse the language, but that is fucking amazing, of each and every single one of us. We're bloody INCREDIBLE, you guys. We really are.

Now, the rules of this challenge dictate that I've got to start with some of my own things, then repeat with the same number of creations by other people. So I'm going to do that, and I apologise for the sheer length (and self-plug-iness) of what is about to follow - but, bloody incredible, remember? I really mean that. 💜💜💜

My Own:

you could call me babe for the weekend - 19k of Spideychelle being oblivious, mutually pining IDIOTS while being snowed in. And, you know, fake dating. (This thing was SO MUCH FUN to write and though, yeah, it got completely out of control, as evidenced by the 19k, I still really love it.)

'tis the damn season - my first attempt at writing a multi-chap, and, yeah, it only has one chapter as of now, but I really love said chapter. Basically, it's Daisy and Mackelena being friends, and honestly just the BEST friends - I adore the style I managed to achieve in this thing. Plus, the Skimmons I have planned up next is going to be da bomb.

the closest thing - Philindaisy plus fake family. Also; amusement parks. And for a fangirl like me - well, it was pretty much a dream come true to write!

oh valley of plenty - in this fic, I basically told myself, so AoS won't give us Huntingbird in the finale? Fine. I'll just do it myself then - in the fluffiest way possible. And that's exactly what I did - making them, and their kids, be best friends in Perthshire.

maybe life should be about more - a very angsty Skimmons and Daisy-centric AU, focusing on the internalised homophobia Daisy has experienced through her life, and shaking it off (and eventually, y'know, getting together with Jemma.)

and it's dark in a cold december (but i've got you to keep me warm) - Fitzsimmons just make such a supreme pairing for hurt/comfort, what with how insanely well they understand each other and care about each other, so I'm really glad for the Fitzsimmons Secret Santa giving me the chance to write this! Basically, this follows our science duo through a stressful mission on Christmas Eve (so yes, it's a mission fic!!) and realising that the two of them can do anything together.

july second - ahhh, one of my personal favourites to write! Daisy birthday surprise fluff will always be top-notch for me, especially for all the team-as-family fluff you can add in, especially especially that this is set in Staticquake times! Also, it's from Hunter's point of view, which will forever be the most insanely fun thing to write, I do think.

i just wanna be with you - man, I'm such a big royal fan, so getting the chance to write a modern royalty AU for my OTP was nothing short of amazing!! This is Princess Daisy and her fiancée Lincoln Campbell at their official engagement interview

see the line where the skye meets the sea - shameless season 1 bby Bus Kids fluff, featuring movie nights, singalongs and... so much fluff your teeth will rot. Also I'm really freaking proud of the pun in the title okay

'cause all that you are is all that i'll ever need - Huntingbird waking up together fluff (because, fight me, Huntingbird in their sweet moments is one of the sweetest things you will ever get to read or write.) This is also my, fluffy, take on the origin of the Franny's Saloon keychain.

we love you, we love you (and we hope you love we too) - aha, my first polyship fic! Also my first try at some actually fancy HTML formatting (forever thanks to Kat for explaining.) Both of these things combined to form a fic that even I think is ridiculously fluffy and funny, and kinda amazing, at that.

and man I don't know where the time goes (but it sure goes fast like that) - Another Bus Kids movie night fic, but this one set post-season 7, and reflecting on how far they've come. A little bit more hurt/comfort-y than it's pure fluff prequel, but still super fluffy and soft. And, of course, with a happy ending.

she shares my dreams, i hope that someday, i'll share her home - snowy Fitzsimmons fluff, complete with them falling in love at the Winter Olympics, as you do.

then you walked in and my heart went boom - 16k of Dekesy for the wife, and remarkable for that, because literally a month ago from this, I hated Dekesy with my entire soul. Then I started reading Kat's fics, and, well, fell in love with them... so much so that I wrote sixteen thousand words of enemies-to-friends-to-lovers, bed sharing holiday fluff for them.

a love like that - a Fitzsimmons Cinderella AU, featuring my two favourite science babies, in true science bby style, falling in love over science and how stupid the whole courting thing is. Also, Daisy makes a brief appearance, and she's the freaking best.

ever after - ah, probably the one single fic I'm proudest of. A post-season 7 Daisy character study focusing on her emotional rollercoaster re: losing her family/things never being the same again, which just achieves... an emotional level that I have never managed to replicate again. I was full-on sobbing while writing it, and, guys, it also part-holds the Closest To Making Kat Cry prize.

blue - Daisy character study spanning snapshots of seven seasons, and before - but tied together by something blue in every moment. Researching for this, and finding all the blue moments, was very interesting, and immensely satisfying, especially since all the moments where a little bit of blue was present actually combine to chronicle Daisy's journey on the show remarkably well.

who is that girl I see - the one time I decided to write straight angst, and straight angst with no happy ending. Melinda May post-Bahrain, folks.

take my hand, take my whole life too - aww, the first thing I wrote that I really and truly loved. A Staticquake and Fitzsimmons Actors AU, featuring a proposal on set and INCREDIBLE amounts of fluff and softness.

hold out your hand, 'cause friends will be friends - the wife's favourite, and, as second fics go, pretty damn good, if I do say so myself. It's a Soulmates AU for Staticquake and Mackelena, with the focus being on DaisyMack friendship, and lots of denial, angst, and guilt about finding their soulmates. (They figure it out eventually, don't worry - it's me, of course I made them happy.)

Fitzsimmons + Fake Dating moodboard - Fake dating will always be FAB, and picturing it out in a moodboard - especially for my clueless bby best friends in love - was the best, and super satisfying.

Staticquake + Orange moodboard - One of the cooler ideas I had for Trick or Treat (which I still have not finished, heaven help me) was to make a series of moodboards for my OTP plus different colours. This orange one is just so light, and cheerful, and happy, and honestly I kinda adore it.

This Philindaisy + Family Moodboard - making moodboards can be insanely frustrating when you just can't find the photo that fits exactly right. With this one, however, I found all the pics I needed pretty insanely fast, and, better, the whole thing just worked, and really nicely so, too.

This Bus Kids + Baking Cookies moodboard - there's absolutely NO faults to be found with tiny, adorable Skye, Fitz and Jemma concocting choc chip cookies - but I'm actually doing a tiny cheat here, because, cute as my moodboard here is, the accompanying fic by my love @eowima is the SWEETEST and best thing you could ever wish for!!!

This Daisy Johnson Appreciation Week Photoset - Day 3 of Daisy Johnson Appreciation Week focused on an emotion, and I picked confidence and power, because honestly, it's nothing short of amazing how confident and powerful our gorgeous girl has become.

This Daisy Johnson Appreciation Week Photoset - One of the times I wish I could gif, because this quote about struggling though never giving up just suits Daisy perfectly. The photos I found are cool, though, and I mean, it's Daisy, so that's already absolutely fabulous.

Other People's:

I managed to find twenty-six of my own things that I liked enough to put up there (because, yes, I'm that big a dork, 26 things for me being 26 is the way to go :D) Anyway, now that gives me the amazing chance to spotlight twenty-six of my favourite creations by my FANTASTIC mutuals! 😍

To start, my wife - Kat said I couldn't put everything she's ever written on here, so, ugh, I guess I'll just do my top five then. *grumbling* Everything by Kat is on here in spirit, though!!

Chasing Cars (even after the story ends) by @aleksandrachaev - the epic Dekesy roadtrip AU and incredible Daisy character study itself, which, I do believe, finishes today!! Words aren't enough to describe how freaking AMAZING this thing is, or how spectacularly well characterised. Just: if you haven't read this yet, you are missing out. You will laugh, you will groan, you will want to wrap Daisy in a very tight hug, and you will probably cry, too. This fic just has it all, really!

there goes the maddest man this town has ever seen by @aleksandrachaev - the post-season 7 Deke-crashes-the-Framework-Zoom-call fic I didn't know I needed (but spent the next two weeks rereading every single night.) It is absolutely INCREDIBLE, with all the Deke & Team feels we missed in the final outro scene, and honestly just the most fantastic writing. I cannot recommend it enough!

To Box It Up And Start Again (everything must go) by @aleksandrachaev - bloody hell, this BROKE me. Deke never really got to say goodbye in canon, but Kat gave him the chance to do it here. And, my freaking GOODNESS, she made it so incredibly bittersweet and heart-shattering. 10/10

i am a leaf on the wind by @aleksandrachaev - a little bit of a stretched-out, reflective moment in the season 7 finale. As Daisy lingers on the edge of death, she reflects on all the lives she could have had - and, man, what a study in bittersweetness!! This entire fic is utterly incredible, and something I think all Daisy fans should read.

Falling Into Place by @aleksandrachaev - here's a tiny cheat from me (sorry, babes, lmao) because technically this isn't one fic, but a series of three. Way too amazing to miss out on, though!! Set mid-season 7, this has the Chronicoms go after a young Mary Sue Poots to kill Quake before she can become a problem for them. They stop the Chronicoms, yes, but not without a TREMENDOUS dose of feels and hurt/comfort. There's also a wonderful little dose of Dekesy friendship, and then an adult adoption (!!) that honestly made my entire day to read. Actually, that's true for the entire series - I really canNOT yell about it enough!!

destroyer of worlds by @bobbimorseisbisexual - a study in incredible parallels between Jiaying's daughters. Utterly breathtakingly done, this will give you ALL the feels for this small and complex Inhuman family.

Muscle Memory by @robotgort and @bobbimorseisbisexual - a Huntingbird!! Bones!! AU!! And also a collaboration between two of the most fabulous Huntingbird authors in the fandom - honestly, what more can you ask for?! This will make you laugh, and gasp, and wince, and keep you guessing at each new plot twist (and also screaming at your screen for Hunter and Bobbi to get their acts together and TALK ABOUT IT.) In short: it's completely and utterly amazing, and I cannot, cannot recommend it enough!!

You Belong Among the Wildflowers by @libbyweasley - a freaking incredible Scis & Spies Regency AU! I only just started reading, but I was hooked all the way through, especially on the way Libby writes all four characters' complex relationships (and their attraction, and their history!) Everything about it is just completely stunning, and I for one cannot WAIT for these beautiful idiots to figure out they all belong together.

Family Snapshot by @tomatobookworm - if it's family fluff you're after, especially Staticquake family fluff, look no further! This tremendously soft and utterly amazing fic follows a day in the lives of a pregnant Daisy and her husband Lincoln, and their not-so-little family of Inhumans, both adopted and biological. There's also shopping with Grandma May, lots of feels, lots of shippiness, and just AMAZINGNESS all the way through!!

Best Day Ever by @loved-the-stars-too-fondly - Jemma and Daisy want to adopt a pet, and make a very special trip to Wisconsin to do it. Also, whether he knows who he is or not, Jemma has an important question to ask Cal - and just, AHHHH, everything about this is utterly stunning! For starters, Aubrey's writing is FANTASTIC, and the scene she sets is absolutely beautiful, and so very bittersweet. I was actually misting up a little with happy tears towards the end of this - really, I cannot recommend this enough, to any Skimmons fan.

so why don't we go somewhere only we know by @loved-the-stars-too-fondly - more Skimmons (platonic this time, though), more hurt/comfort, and, yes, again, more absolutely INCREDIBLE writing. This one is canon compliant, following a shaken Jemma struggling to sleep after Maveth, and how Daisy finds a way to help her out. Incredibly sweet, tender and BEAUTIFULLY written, this one was an instant favourite the moment I read it!

Unspoken by @anxiouslynumbme - a birthday fic for yours truly, and, honestly, one of the most STUNNING Staticquake introspectives I've read. It follows Daisy and Lincoln in a beautifully tender missing moment in season 3, with them both realising their feelings, and just... AHHHHHHHH, everything about it is utterly incredible!! I cannot, cannot recommend this gem of a fic enough

the thing about water droplets and ruffled hair by @que-mint-tea - here's another fic that proves, once and for all, how good Kat's Dekesy is, because it managed to convert T to write some Dekesy smut. And, oh my GOSH, what Dekesy smut - so goshdarn angsty, but so FANTASTICALLY characterised and written that it leaves you more than a little breathless, and gaping at your screen. The first chapter initially left us on the most HORRIFIC cliffhanger, but then T fixed it, and it's just... this thing is really a whole new level of emotional writing, raw and gripping and intensely perfect for both of these characters. My haw still drops whenever I think of this thing, and how utterly AMAZING it was, so yeah. Fic rec!!!

beautiful stranger, there you are by @justanalto - I do believe I still owe Serena a long and very gushy comment on this thing, because, MAN, does it ever deserve that!! Pipsy and fake dating, with the most HILARIOUSLY incredible writing, plot and characterisation, and honestly just a giddy "askhdfkhsfh" whenever I think back to how much I enjoyed it. Yup, it was that good.

Jumping to conclusions by @eowima - a very special one, because it marks my love Océane's first venture into writing AoS fic! It's an AU of 1x06 (the Fitzsimmons episode of s1) where Fitz does actually jump out of the plane to save Jemma. Realisations of feelings, and some of the most genuinely FANTASTIC Fitz characterisation I've read in a while, follow - and, yup, I was shouting at my screen for them just to get together already. Amazing stuff, really!!

Look into your eyes and the sky's the limit by @eowima - okay, this. This. Another gift for me, and one that I will probably treasure forEVER, because it is just?? so?? utterly?? perfect?? Just for starters, the title is a Hamilton reference - and then the theme of Hamilton references continues into the fic itself, I'm delighted to say. There's also the most BEAUTIFUL, playful Skimmons friendship, and teasing, and then of course the bet about who can make out with their crush first... Staticquake & Fitzsimmons perfection. And all rendered in Océane's delightful, best-thing-ever-to-read writing!! I'm going into a giddy keyboard smash just THINKING about this, so yeah, cannot recommend it enough.

lullabies and clear blue skies by @springmagpies and @bobbimorseisbisexual - okay, I never thought I'd catch myself shipping FitzBobbi, let alone shipping it this hard, but... wow. Maggie and Al teamed up to completely blow me away, and MELT MY WHOLE ENTIRE HEART with the sheer cuteness of this!! It features Fitz, Bobbi and adopting two daughters, and it's just the most tender, beautiful development through that little family - I love it so, so much.

We made all the wrong choices by @browneyedgenius - the winner of the AoS Angst War 2020, how could I not include this one? It is such a well-deserved win, though, whoa - I was sobbing, full-on sobbing, at least twice while reading. It follows the season 5 team through the events of the time-loop, after they failed to save the world - and, oh my gosh, it ripped my heart right out of my chest, but beautifully so. Everything about this fic just hits so hard, and it's written so well - yeah, really a most AMAZINGLY deserved win, for an utterly SHATTERINGLY incredible fic.

I threw stones at the stars (but the whole sky fell) by @nazezdha321 - this is Z showing us all how to write a backstory for a minor character, and write it so well that everyone's hearts break all over again when she dies. This one is about Victoria Hand, and it builds a stirring and profound childhood for her, also making her rise through the ranks of SHIELD and just her entire character mean so much more. Really, fic-wise, this is goals, and I take my hat off to you, Z, 1000%, for writing it.

in which the universe is put together by @besidemethewholedamntime - Rebecca's emotional writing, particularly Fitzsimmons' emotions, is incomparable, and she proves it all over again in this fic. If follows Fitz and Jemma before, after and during the bloodwork, and I just... wow, honestly. The emotion!! And the characterisation!! Absolutely stunning, and honestly all I could wish for in a we-had-time fic.

Agents of SHIELD Season 8 by @egumal - THIS. This, this, this, oh my gosh - as fix-it fics go, this has to be the most spectacular one I have ever read. What it does is find a way - a potentially canon compliant way, too - to bring back Lincoln Campbell, and reunite Staticquake. Basically: just about as season 7 finishes, the Astro Ambassadors get an unexpected visitor from another timeline, who asks them to come help out against Hive. Case in point, Daisy meets her lost love again (... but he has no idea who she is) and also has to relive the Fallen Agent drama. It all gets even more complicated when Kora restores Lincoln's memories, and Daisy meets the full team Deke has assembled around him in the 33 years (for him) that they've been apart... in short, this is one of the most thorough, well-written and downright SHOCKING plot-twist-wise fics that you will ever read, and honestly, saying "I can't recommend it enough" is an understatement. This thing is thd BEST, plain and simple!

Black Roses aren't real (but you and I are) by @ohwriteiforgot - ahhhh, a fic that will always have an incredibly special place in my heart, because it introduced me to one of my best fandom friends. The main focus is on Clintasha, it's true, but it's also a crossover with AoS in the sense that Clint was adopted by Coulson and May. Also, Daisy is his little sister, and their bond is gold. Also - there's Staticquake!! And flower shops!! And rivals to friends to lovers!! All I'm going to say is, what more can you ask for?!

A book to shield my story by @maybebrilliant - Staticquake High School AU, ahhhhhhhh!! There are only two chapters out so far, but the way this is shaping up is making my DAY - with Daisy as the new girl who meets Lincoln and his group of friends, and, though her foster parents are absolutely shit, starts to find actual happiness in a school for the first time in her life. Also - THE REFERENCES. Guys. I'm crazy for those, and in this book, so are my favourite dorks, Daisy and Lincoln - and let me tell you, it's nothing short of the best thing ever.

This AoS Finale Gif Edit by @heysteverogers - AoS really has been the most INCREDIBLE journey through the years, but what's really made it special is the company - and that's summed up perfectly in this gorgeous gifset. Also, the graphics on this are just, ahhhh, stunning - I'm in awe, and I've spent very long periods of time just looking at this thing in a state of heart-eyes.

This AoS Finale Gif Edit by @jemannesimms - combining Auld Lang Syne and the final scenes of my favourite show was a raw emotional - but utterly brilliant experience - for me. It's just so absolutely beautiful, and perfectly suited to the team, and their goodbyes!! Breathtaking editing work here, too.

This Daisy as Peter Parker and May as Tony Stark moodboard by @agentsofcomedyandchaos - ahhhh, a crossover of two of my favourite fandoms!! And what a lovely one, too - the colour scheme, quotes, and just the whole FEEL of this is absolutely genius, and I am guilty of being inspired by way too many fic ideas by it. Stunning stuff!!

And... whoa, that was long, but I really do feel that we deserve a bit of a proper pat on the back after creating such magical content in such a messed up year. So that's the note I'm going to leave you with for 2020, my friends: hell-year or no, look at the absolute beauty we were still able to create!! We really are freaking amazing, guys.

[ghost-in-between]

More Than Enough - Christmas Truce 2020

Merry Late Christmas @dailudannos! I’m sorry again that this is extremely late. Kinda funny thought that we had each other :D Hope you enjoy this sall piece. (I don’t think I’ve written Technus or Skulker ever for more than 2 lines, so I hope it’s still fun to read.)

Headaches were different for ghosts. Or maybe it was a weird personal thing for Technus. He hadn't asked. All he did know is that headaches sucked and being a ghost sucked and Christmas sucked.

Almost on autopilot, he was decorating the tree in the living room, putting ornaments too close together or too far apart. It wasn't his living room, or his tree, or his ornaments. The only reason he cared enough to put up with this was because Skulker had so nicely asked him to. Why he'd want to spend his time with Technus, he had no idea.

There wasn't much about him, really. He was the kind of person that was so lame that they try too hard to be cool. Skulker was the kind of person that was just cool without trying at all. Technus didn't know when they had started hanging out or how, but he still wasn't sure how much longer Skulker would want this. Neither was he sure how many more ornaments fit on this tree. Was this an appropriate amount yet? Probably. Maybe. Hopefully.

"Are you sure that's enough yet?"

Turning around, he was greeted by a smug grin, framed in metal. Unsure, he glanced at the tree, counting the ornaments silently, until he was interrupted by a chuckle.

"I was teasing you. It's more than enough.

Letting the air escape his lungs and coughing to hide his embarrassment, he closed the box of tree decorations. "I know that," he grumbled. A sudden increase in pain made his grip on the box loosen, but he managed not to drop it. Headaches always left a lingering wave of pressure rolling through his entire body. It was as though the pain didn't know to stay in one area.

Skulker grabbed the box from his hands and set it down by the table. "You good?" he asked, lightly masking his concern behind a grin.

Technus nodded, forcing a grin onto his face as well, dropping it the second the other turned away. Pretending to be cheerful for one holiday should really not be this hard. Music started playing from an old-timey record player, the tunes crackling gently as a Christmas song filled the air. "Oh, really? Is this necessary?" Technus wondered, less irritated about the song choice than the technology.

"Yes," Skulker confirmed, winking at him. Technus didn't have a response. "Be glad I didn't sign us up for the choir."

Oh god, the choir. Technus remembered hearing other ghosts talk about it. It might have also been in the weird newspaper that Ghost Writer has been sending out. He didn't care much for it. All it did was give him more headaches. "Yeah," he agreed, sinking into the couch. "I wouldn't have joined if you'd signed us up though."

Picking up some green and red lights, Skulker chuckled. "You think I would have given you a choice?"

"I would have simply not done it." Technus shrugged, watching the other finish up the decorations, by hand, no ghost powers.

"That's what you think." Skulker fiddled with the lights, getting them tangled up. "But-" He tugged on them. "In reality-" They got even more tangled. "You would have- ugh." He threw the lights on the ground in frustration. "Stupid lights."

"Here let me." Technus got up and swiftly pulled them apart, handing one end over to Skulker so they could hang it up together. He didn't get a thank you, but the fact that Skulker quietly accepted his help told him enough. The hunter was tough but he never failed to remind Technus of his soft side. It made him feel special. But it also scared him.

"I think that's all the lights I had left. I put some outside. Remind me to take them down again as soon as Christmas passed."

Technus nodded as he returned to his position on the couch. Couldn't have anyone see Skulker being a sucker for Christmas decorations of course. Another spike of pain made him screw his eyes shut, pushing himself into the cushions. Why did he have to be plagued by headaches, all the time? Part of him felt like he knew what caused them, but it was buried somewhere in his mind and he didn't have the energy to dig it out.

"What's wrong?"

Opening his eyes, he was met with the sight of Skulker, looking at him suspiciously.

"Nothing." He forced himself to loosen his shoulders and shake off the pain. "The record player is just painful to look at." Skulker rolled his eyes at the comment. "Shouldn't you like all technology?"

Technus crossed his arms. "I have standards."

"So do I, that's why you're here."

Taken aback by the compliment – flirt? – Technus blinked and shook his head. Skulker did love to tease him. "Because I have standards and won't spend Christmas Eve without anyone to admire by epic power and wit?"

Skulker pushed him lightly, or at least lightly for him. "Me? Admire your power and wit? Dream on."

He know it was a joke, a tease. But then why did it feel like a jab between his ribs? "Ah, of course," he said, intending to make it sounds confident and like he was playing along to the joke. Instead it came out sounding bland and disappointing.

Skulker looked the tiniest bit horrified, uncomfortable, like he didn't expect this response and now had to think really hard on how to react. "I mean, you-" He cut himself off. Had he realized it was the truth?

The headache was a constant pounding by now, shaking his limbs. This was beyond stupid. He was letting his own thoughts get him down, on Christmas Eve, a day that was supposed to be cozy and nice, apparently. He didn't get the hype, really. A knock on the door interrupted the awkward situation and Technus quickly got up to check the door. Only on Christmas would he ever witness anyone actually knocking before entering. Swinging the door open, he was met by the sight of Ember and a bunch of other ghosts, wearing Christmas hats. Before he could say anything they took a deep inhale and started singing.

"Oh, please no."

Skulker came up behind him, looking torn between being amused and irritated. "Guess you couldn't escape them fully, after all."

Technus felt him look at him from the side, hoping his expression wasn't betraying how tired he felt and how much he regretted not saying no to today. It was silly, maybe. One day wasn't so bad, one song from a choir of people that wouldn't have stopped by his lair anyway. Not that he would have wanted that. Of course not.

Suddenly he was being pushed back inside, before Skulker said "Thanks, Merry Christmas!" and shut the door on the other ghosts.

"What-" Technus looked at Skulker, at the door, then back at Skulker. "Why did you do that? I thought you enjoyed it?"

"But you weren't."

Taken aback, Technus focused his gaze on the wall behind to Skulker, unsure what to say. The pain in his head felt loud. As a ghost, he didn't need to sleep, yet he felt so, so tired.

"Why did you come?"

"What?"

Skulker was mustering him, like he was trying to analyze his thoughts. He was glad that telepathy was an uncommon ghost power. "You don't like Christmas, so why did you come here today."

He thought about it, thought about his feelings for the holiday, about his feelings for Skulker, about the constant ache in his body that reminded him that he was different from the technology he controlled. "I don't know," he admitted.

Nodding, Skulker sat back down on the couch, patting the space next to him. Afraid of what was going through the other's head, Technus hesitantly complied. He opened his mouth to say something, apologize, maybe, but Skulker was faster.

"It's okay. I think I need to apologize."

Wait, what? Technus was so surprised even his head seemed to clear for a moment of confusion.

"Don't give me that look. Listen-" Skulker looked directly at him, unafraid. "I think I've been taking you for granted."

"What, no-"

"Please. Let me finish, alright?"

Technus nodded.

"I've been taking you for granted because I assumed if I enjoy hanging out with you, then so do you." Technus felt the movement on the couch as Skulker shifted. "And not just that. I've been assuming that if you tell me you're fine, you are fine. But you're not like that, are you?"

Looking away, Technus shrugged. He wasn't the tough one. It didn't really matter, did it?

"Hey, I know I'm the one wearing a metal suit, but you're the one that makes himself untouchable. You can tell me when something is wrong, you know?"

It sounded so foreign to him, yet the concept seemed familiar. He was untouchable when he encased himself in hardware or when he turned intangible, but was he untouchable as a person? Was he even still a person? As if in response, an invisible knife plunged into his head, making him stop the habit of pulling hair in through his nose. Yes, it seemed to say. Just because he died, he wasn't not a person anymore. He still felt pain, just a little differently.

Glancing at Skulker, who looked so genuine that it was hard to imagine him on the hunt, he sighed. It was Christmas, he was here, the lights on the tree shining on them and mixing with their own glow. Would a bit of honesty, a bit of showing weakness even be able to ruin this?

"I just," he closed his eyes for a moment. "I just have a terrible headache." Skulker seemed surprised, whether it was at the fact that he was troubled by a headache or that his words had gotten through to him somehow, he didn't know. "And I'm tired," Technus continued. "And I don't like Christmas." Before Skulker could reply, he smiled at him. "But," The headache was still pounding in his head, but he felt like he was letting himself be wrapped in a blanket. "I guess I'd still rather be tired here with you, than alone. So if you still like me when I'm weak and lame-"

Skulker took his head , effectively making him shut his mouth. "I like you how you are, strong and interesting and right here."

And Technus believed him.

[nachohypno]

Nate and Dave Ch. 2

Needless to say, I kept the jock with me for the night.

We had dinner at my place (Mom was very surprised to see me hanging out with a guy from the football team. We had to make up something about being together for a project and befriending each other) and I tried to examine Dave’s behavior as much as I could.

How many persons can say that they had dinner with a werewolf? 

He seemed to eat like a bodybuilder in a bulk while training for a tournament (I’m sort of interested in those topics, so I know what I’m talking about).

We just did some casual chat with my mom, until we finished and went back to my room. I closed the door and looked at the jock on the center of the room. “Hey” He said with a smile.

“Got a few more questions about the… werewolf thing” I went straight ahead to the interesting topic.

“You sure it’s safe to talk about it here?” He said, looking over my shoulder, probably checking if the door was closed.

“Yeah, the walls are good” I said. Mom wouldn’t hear anything unless the door was opened, which wasn’t. “So tell me, are your parents werewolves too?”

He nodded. I walked over to the bed and sat down again as he explained “Yeah. I’m a purebred, both dad and mom are werewolves” He said, quite proudly.

“But don’t you guys have to find your soulmate?” It didn’t really make sense.

“Well, yes and no. It’s kinda a random thing? Like, some of us don’t really have a soulmate to give themselves to, so they chose to be together on their own” Ouch, that sounded like he didn’t really want to be with me. He noticed and quickly retracted though. “Meanwhile, I want to give myself in mind and body to you, for some reason. And I’m loving it, bro!”

It wasn’t as complicated as I thought it was. But I still had some questions.

“What about full moon? Do you have to… chain yourself or something?”

He laughed “Movies don’t really do me justice, huh?” I raised an eyebrow and waited for more explanation. “I just change to my werewolf form, nothing painful or anything. Just a pain in the ass if you want to fuck your girl at that night but they can’t know about your nature”

I opened my eyes, a bit surprised “Can I see your werewolf form?”

He nodded, happily “Yeah, bro! But you may want to lock your door, just in case”

I went and locked it from the inside. This was going to be really epic and mom couldn’t know about this.

Dave looked over at me and took a deep breath “Wait, bro. May I take off my clothes first? I really like this shirt”

“Uh… Sure?” Were his clothes going to be ripped apart if he changed to his werewolf form while dressed?

He took off his letterman jacket and his shirt, revealing his sculpted body. He was hairy, but that wasn’t a surprise. His torso had a small amount of hair. He probably tried to keep himself smooth, but couldn’t? God, I had so many questions.

He kept undressing, until he dropped his underwear. I noticed he was hard. I remember he said he enjoyed obeying me, and that it made him happy. Never thought it would make him this happy.

I whistled a bit at his looks. He blushed and gave me a sincere smile. “Like what you see, bro?”

“Can’t lie, I really do” I said, returning the smile.

He chuckled, but his expression turned a bit sad “Please, don’t be afraid of me, bro. I won’t be able to handle seeing my love afraid of me”

“I’ve asked you to transform, so don’t worry” I wanted to sound brave, but it was actually unnerving.

Dave remained still for a few seconds, when I noticed his corporal hair started to grow. His head also changed, the lower part resembling more and more to a wolf snout rather than a normal human head. With where his human nose used to be morphing into a dark brown spot.

The snout was brown while his body got light brown hair all over it. It didn’t seem painful at all, like he just concentrated and zoned out while his body morphed. Maybe it was magic?

His ears got pointy, like that of a Hylian, from Zelda. His brows grew thicker, and his eyes grew a bit too, they also remained blue. His short hair got a bit longer too, and messier.

Shoulders grew wider. His body was now completely covered in fur, ranging from lighter brown tones at the front to darker tones at the side and back of the wolf-jock.

His hands got those paw pads, and his nails turned into claws.

Needless to say, his cock also grew a few inches, and surprisingly that zone had shorter to no hair.

That’s a good wolfie.

A tail appeared at the start of his butt cheeks, which made me chuckle a bit. He didn’t even notice; he was like in a trance during his whole morphing process. He didn’t look THAT menacing either. It was like some kind of… humanoid wolf. Or a furry, if you prefer that way.

He looked cute.

When it was over, he smiled. Or what seemed like a smile. Four fangs where visible on his mouth, and just like I said before, I found it cute.

“Well?” He asked “How do I look?” His voice sounded a bit deeper and rougher than before.

I walked up to him and hugged him. He was like a human (really tall human) sized plushy bear and I loved it.

He hugged me back, I could feel the nervousness fading from him as he pressed me tighter. “You’re really cute” I told him after breaking the hug.

“That wasn’t… what I expected, but thanks bro. I’m so happy you don’t mind me being…” He pointed at his body “…Like this”

I admired his body frame a bit more before returning to my senses. “D-did… Did it hurt? It seemed like you zoned out while you transformed”

He shook his head, like it was the most usual topic in the world “Uh, no. It only hurts for those who have killed off another person. It’s a kind of punishment, you break the rules and you pay for your entire life”

I nodded. A bit dark, not exactly what I was expecting but still, it made sense.

I looked at the discarded clothes on the floor “Did you get naked to avoid ripping your clothes?”

He looked at the clothing at the ground and proceeded to grab it all “Uh… Kinda. I can wear clothes, but I’m afraid to rip them off when my body grows to the werewolf form” He put on his letterman jacket, but left it unbuttoned.

You could still see his ripped abs and pecs. I passed a hand over them and noticed him smiling.

“You’re cute too, bro” Then he snorted “Thought it would be weird. Saying that to another guy, but it feels right when I’m with you”

I gave him a kiss on the cheek. I don’t think we could make out if he had a wolf snout. May try someday, but not today.

Just then, I noticed his cock was still hard. The foreskin was the same color than the light brown hair at the front of the guy, meanwhile the actual cock contrasted with a strong red-pink.

“Hey, touch me if you want. I belong to you, remember? In mind and body”

Seeing Dave, the star quarterback from high school, telling me that he wanted to be played with was amazing.

I’m a virgin, and I don’t think I’m ready to be with another guy yet. I would like to wait some time, but… a hand job doesn’t count, right?

I gave his cock a few strokes, and noticed he started panting. Tongue lolling out again and eyes unfocused.

“You like that, don’t you big boy?” Would he like being talked to like a dog? I mean, he acted like one already.

“Yeah bro… keep going…” he panted, in pleasure.

“You want to be a good puppy boy, isn’t that right?”

“Yeah… a good puppy boy…”

I let go of his cock. I had an idea.

I went over to my closet as he returned to his senses, snapping out of what seemed to be a relaxed state. “Did I say something wrong, bro?” He asked, with a sad tone.

“No! You were perfect! But…” Got it!

Inside a box in my closet, I had stuff from when I was little. One of those things was my old dog’s collar. His name was Donut (Rest in peace).

A red collar with a little tag. I removed the tag and showed the collar to Dave. It didn’t fit his style at all… We’ll go buy some puppy stuff tomorrow.

He was a bit confused, but stood still as I put the collar around his neck and buckled it in a way that would be comfortable to him and would also stay in place.

“And… done” I mumbled. I looked up at him. “Comfortable?”

He moved his neck for a few seconds before nodding “Yeah, pretty cool. Is it a gift? From the love of my life?” He asked, excitedly.

“Unfortunately, no. It’s from my old dog, but I’ll buy you one tomorrow if you want a gift.”

He immediately gave me a hug “I want to kiss you but I can’t”

I laughed “Easy puppy, sit down”

He let go of the hug and sat down on the floor, looking up at me.

I petted him “Good boy, now human time!” He nodded and stood still as the morphing started again, but this time in reverse.

His snout went back in as his head returned to the normal Dave. His fur… vanished? It started to grow shorter until it was just like before. Dave’s shoulders got reduced too.

The pads at his hands disappeared, and the claws turned back into normal human nails.

He was again the human, naked jock, with an open letterman jacket showing off his pecs and abs and a dog collar around his neck.

As soon as his morph finished, he got up and leaned towards me, grabbing my face and pulling me into a warm make out session.

His hard cock was still leaking pre. Again, he noticed me looking and said “I’m okay if you want to have sex. Done it a lotta times and I would focus on making ya feel good, bro”

I shook my head “Not ready yet” Grabbed his underwear and passed it to him. He took the message and wore it back on. I assumed he was a bit disappointed because of the lack of sex.

“Did you tell your parents you’re staying the night? I’m worried that they’ll think someone caught you or anything” I was mostly scared about a possible couple of werewolves tracking me down because of their son.

“Did back at the dinner, also thought about breaking up with Leslie but…” he shrugged “I would be a real asshole if I broke with her via message”

I nodded, turned off the light and got on the bed.

He just stood there, then laid down on the floor. His dog manners were a mix of cute and weird, but it was nothing I couldn’t handle.

“What are you doing? Get on the bed, Dave” I told him.

He got up immediately with a big smile and climbed the bed, laying down next to me. (He was actually bigger than me and pressed me against the wall. It was warm, though).

“I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable, I’ll make up for it, bro” He pulled me closer to him and I laid my head in the space between his shoulder and his pec. “I love you”

I still didn’t know how I felt about the jock. I mean, yeah. He is hot, and we’re supposed to be soulmates but… “Sleep” I said.

Just like if I pressed some kind of shut down button, he gave me a last smile before falling asleep, complete with an almost silent snoring and everything.

I didn’t know how I felt about this whole situation.

To summarize, and see if I got everything correctly. One of my classmates, and one of the hottest guys around school, is a werewolf. Not only that, but he has to do everything I say, without any limits at all. He’ll also do it in complete bliss because he’s my soulmate…

Does that mean he’s the only love I’ll be able to have, or something like that?

I remember him being really asshole-ish to everyone, a guy who wouldn’t hesitate about beating up a nerd who didn’t comply to what he said, or a gay dude just for being gay.

He never got to me, luckily, I just heard rumors.

But he wasn’t lying, and this seemed real enough. I even saw him transforming in front of me, twice.

A lot to process, I guess. Maybe this is all a dream? It couldn’t be, as I said I just watched him transform in front of me.

I hope things get clearer tomorrow, for now I just want to sleep.

I closed my eyes and cuddled with the jock, quickly drifting off.

---

Next morning, I noticed Dave was hugging me as we cuddled together.

Good thing that it’s Saturday, I still haven’t figured out how things are going to be at school. Having some time to think was really nice.

I opened my eyes and found the guy staring at the ceiling. I bopped his cheek and he turned his face to me.

“Oh, you’re awake bro” He smiled “Morning”

I yawned “Good… morning. How long have you been awake?” I said, as I tried to stretch, but the werewolf apparently wasn’t going to get his arms off me. “And could you give me a bit of space?”

He nodded, and he got up from the bed. That wasn’t what I meant but it was still appreciated. “Uh... I don’t know, bro. A while?” He scratched his head. I noticed he still had the dog collar on and it made me smile.

Just like yesterday, his cock seemed to be hard again. Was this going to be a normal thing? I heard jocks are horny all the time, so maybe it doesn’t have anything to do with him being a werewolf?

“Can you turn your morning wood off? It’s sort of making me nervous” I said.

Surprisingly, his cock got soft almost immediately. I looked up at him his eyes were a bit unfocused again, with his trademarked idiot smile on his face.

Great, I can also control his hard-ons. “There’s really no limit to my control over you, right?”

Dave snapped out of his… whatever that was, and looked down at me. “You’ve seen it yourself, bro” He started, as I sat on the bed. “You have complete control over me, as my lovely soulmate”

I rubbed my eyes for a bit. This was really happening; it wasn’t just a weird dream.

The almost naked werewolf jock was really standing in front of me, talking normally about me being his soulmate and controlling his mind and body. “Am I making you uncomfortable, bro?” He asked again, with the same sad tone from last night.

“Why do you think that?”

“You don’t seem happy to have me around” He got on his knees in front of me, giving me puppy eyes. He looked so cute. “I’m serious, bro. I love you, but if you want me to stop bothering you…” He looked at the door for a second before looking back at me with his sad gaze.

I sighed and scratched behind his ear again. It was the sweet spot, his eyes unfocused again and his tongue lolled out. I don’t know if he was voluntarily acting like a dog, but I liked it.

After I stopped scratching, he returned to his senses and I told him “Don’t worry about that. Just… forget about it, alright?”

His eyes got glassy for a few seconds, then he answered “What were we talking about?”

Wow. That was actually scary and amazing. I think I should really think my words before speaking to him.

“Breakfast” I lied “We should go down and get some” I looked at the watch on my wrist and noticed it was quite early, 9 am. We had a lot of time for the shenanigans I could try with my new werewolf pet.

He nodded and headed for the door, but I stopped him. “Wait!” I said, reaching out to him. I unbuckled the red dog necklace around his neck. “There, and put on some clothes before going downstairs”

I knew mom would go to work in a few hours, but in the meantime, I had to follow the rules of not going downstairs almost naked.

He stared at the necklace until I placed it back on the box where I grabbed it from, like he grew to like it the few hours he had it on.

Or maybe he just liked being treated like a dog by his soulmate?

He put his pants back on, and his tee, before we both walked downstairs and to the kitchen.

He offered to cook something for me, but I refused. I could use having him around more often to do my tasks, but I still wanted to process everything I learned so far.

Besides, he’s not my… servant, of sorts. He’s my classmate, and he has feelings. Even if he gives me full control of his whole self, I still choose to respect him.

I wondered if he needed to eat like a beast, but since I didn’t want him to cook for me, he settled for cereal as breakfast.

“So, I don’t want to head home yet” He said, before taking a spoonful of cereal with milk. “What would you like to do, bro? Just say it and we’ll do it”

I thought about it, and I think I should buy him a real gift after not giving him Donut’s collar last night.

--- 

We walked through the shopping street. Dave drove us here after finishing with breakfast.

I liked this place, it was crowded yeah, but it had a lot of interesting stuff to do. The arcade was my favorite place. Pizza and videogames, I felt like a little child in there.

But it’s not what I’ve came here for.

Dave put his arm around my shoulder, causing me to shiver a bit and almost fall to the floor because of the weight. 

Still not used to his werewolf strength, and he mumbled a "Sorry, I'm too excited, bro" after controlling himself.

We went to the local pet shop and were greeted by a nice guy, who seemed my age. I hoped he didn’t attend my school, this was a big town, after all. What are the chances?

I told him we just wanted to look around, because I wanted to buy some stuff for my new dog at home.

Dave smiled and caressed my shoulder a bit when I said that, but remained calm.

We went through the store’s shelves, looking for cool stuff for my new friend. 

I noticed a bowser collar (A black, leather collar with little spikes around it) and decided to grab one, after checking the measures. 

Mostly because the guy just shown to be pretty big heavy and almost crushed me by putting his arm around my shoulders? Yeah.

I also got a leash. I don’t think I would be able to use it, since a high school student taking one of his classmates out for a walk wouldn’t be well seen around the neighborhood. But we could probably make up something on my room, after I opened up a bit more.

Dave offered to pay for the stuff, but I decided to not be a jerk and pay for it myself. We walked outside with a bag, and Dave couldn’t hold himself back.

He grabbed me and gave me a tight hug, leaving me almost breathless.

“Thank you so much, bro! You’re the best soulmate I could’ve ever imagined to have!” He said after releasing me from the hug.

I tried to breathe a bit, before answering “But I just bought dog stuff to you, don’t you care that I’m treating you like some kind of dog?”

He shook his head, still smiling “Of course not! I live to serve my soulmate! If you want me to wear dog stuff, I’m alright with that, bro!”

He lifted his hand for a high five, but my reflexes made me take a step back. He noticed this, and said “Bro?”

I got back to my senses and high fived with him, making him smile again.

“I love you, bro” He said, giving a little kiss to my head as we walked back to his car.

----

Chapter 3 is already available in my Patreon!  And by pledging you also get access to other stories before they go public!

[imagine-the-phantom-thieves]

since you've beaten p5r, any thoughts regarding kasumi and maruki? and new content in general?

get ready fellas I’m about to pop off

Also? There’s gonna be some spoilers, yikes.

Okay so for starters, I find it totally worth what I paid, and this is coming from someone who has technically paid full price for Persona 5 on four different occasions now, and played probably well over 500 hours of vanilla.

I like the changes made to the palaces to help veterans have a fresh experience for all of them so it doesn’t feel like you’re just going through the motions for more times than you’d like to admit, and tweaks to the bosses are fun and help them come together into something more complete feeling. Except for Kaneshiro. 

Also apparently everyone hated the old Madarame boss fight? I didn’t know this but apparently it was super frustrating? Personally I find the new one more annoying but I onno, maybe I’m dumb.

I like that you can see a lot of later introduced characters like Haru and Ohya just hanging around before they’re properly brought to the player so things like Haru being abruptly shoved in the story aren’t nearly as left-turny. 

And something I have endless amounts of love for are things like the darts minigame, and how we have more times where the thieves just hang out together that aren’t obnoxious, intrusive and boring. Not that I’m trying to throw shade at other remakes of Persona games.

Why would I do that?

No, I don’t have a blind hatred for a certain other remake of a Persona game, you’re projecting. 

Speaking of things that are obnoxious, intrusive and boring, which, as a way to compact the phrase, I’ll just use the word ‘Marie’. No particular reason, but, y’know. So, speaking of Marie, you know what isn’t? Kasumi.

Kasumi is so not Marie, it was the best surprise to me. Like, when I found out she wasn’t going to be an MC, which made me sadder than it would and why I just decided to do it myself I couldn’t help but dread she’d just be Marie. Like, bro?? Bro??? She’s so pleasant and sweet, she isn’t an ‘endearing’ tsundere, she’s just a girl with a completely understandable conflict. Also? Her abilities are good. Unless you want to make good on using Ryuji’s new instakill. Then Chaines Hook kinda sucks.

Her actual character arc about not only trying to cope with her sister’s death, but also trying to force herself to accept that she is Sumire and the feeling of survivors guilt that spawns from her feeling of inferiority toward her sister is also really compelling, and really reminds me of Beat’s character arc from The World Ends With You? This isn’t a bad thing, Beat’s the best character in TWEWY and that’s a hill I’ll die on. 

But seeing her go from ‘Well, I hope I can win, but I’m not much without Kasumi’ to ‘Yeah, I will win internationals, for both of us!’ is one of the most heartwarming things in a game chock full of ‘em. 

Also she’s real cute

Although what I don’t like about Sumire is how late in the game you get her. Like, let’s think for a minute. She awakens to her Persona during the Okumura arc, but she has other things she needs to do. Yeah, okay, fine. Sae arc? She’s just kinda hanging out, even follows you into the palace. Still doesn’t join. Okay, whatever, it’s annoying, but I’ll deal.

Except then Morgana just kinda cans her during the Shido arc for no actual reason. I can only assume they didn’t want to try during the Shido arc which is why the Ruse Cruise is still one of the worst dungeons in the game, second only to ‘Padding: The Dungeon’, also known as Kaneshiro’s bank.

Oh also??? The reworked confidant abilities?? Fucking yummy. The most notable ones I can think of off top my head is Ryuji’s instakill actually being worth it, Ann’s sexy technique actually being pretty useful, the Velvet Room privlages  being shuffled around so if you want to do the whole Strength confidant in the middle of July, you can, and also Akechi has them now.

Also this so isn’t important, but I like how each Thief’s ‘talk’ ability affects different types of Shadows. Like, it’s cool.

Jose is also a fun addition. Do I know what he is? No. I’ve just been calling him the egg child, so he’s just,,, egg. Egg does sippy sippy on some flowers, is adorable, and makes Mementos tolerable. Egg good.

Probably the best actually change from vanilla though is probably the fact that the song. Y’know... that song. The Mementos song? It’s almost completely gone, and that’s great because the Mementos song makes me wanna die, and it mostly gets replaced by bops. 

Now, you may be going, “Maruki, aren’t you forgetting someone? Like, I onno, your namesake?” 

Yeah bud, time to shift the spotlight to the star.

Takuto Maruki is the absolute highlight of Royal, and if he was the only change that was made, I’d recommend it anyway. One of the best things about him is that his presence makes it so there’s more than like, two adults that all of the thieves can have a degree of trust with. The fact that he’s so pleasant to interact with doesn’t hurt either. Also? Those confidant abilities? Good shit. 

Although it’s probably just good game design to have some of the best confidant abilities go to the people you need to max out to get the best ending...

That didn’t stop ‘The Mishima incident’ but oh well

Anyway, spoiler time. Again.

Maruki being the final boss, in retrospect, really shouldn’t have been surprising. Although I was kinda expecting Sumire to inexplicably be God, but like, sad angsty God because that’s how low my standards got pegged for no reason in particular. 

But Maruki’s character motivations are real good? Which is weird, because normally ‘guy who tries to control the world because his loved one is dead/traumatized’ is a gross and also boring plot, but something about him just... makes it work? Mostly because he isn’t on a brutal murder rampage and literally just wants it so everyone at all is happy without a worry.

Which is apparently a bad thing?

And while you can argue that the final boss is kind of an ‘anti-climax boss’, may I guide you to why I defended the vanilla Okumura fight- 

Boss fights don’t need to be epic, and some of the best ones are just appropriate. 

Am I saying I wasn’t dissapointed that Adam Kadmon wasn’t an actual boss fight and was just another ‘press X to win’? No, I totally was. I was really mad. But the ‘fight’ afterward, one on one against Maruki, is a weirdly satisfying conclusion, with the cutscene afterwards also striking a chord with me.

But basically, Takuto Maruki is the best character in Persona 5. I would say in the whole Persona series, but I haven’t played 3 in a while, so Junpei may still have that crown, but I also haven’t played one or either version of 2, so series veterans are gonna call me a loser.

Those were my scattered thoughts on Persona 5 Royal, and I’m 80% sure I’m forgetting something, but oh well, I’ve been here for over an hour.

[dirtreally]

kokkuri3replied to your post“every time i publicly complain about an artist that isn’t japanese but...”

No I want to see your long post about this this is interesting

Okay this ended up being a lot because this is something i’ve been thinking about a lot so here’s too many words about me being too mad about anime

I first have to preface this by talking about a very deep uncertainty: i don’t know what i’m talking about but i only know what i’m talking about. everything i am about to say is based on what i feel are fundamental truths. everything i am about to say feels so deeply obvious that half the time i spend thinking about this is spent wondering if i’m just running in circles. But also like: every artist i am about to mention here has some level of large, clout-able, mainstream success but like, 0 substantial critique whatsoever(critique that isn’t just: hey check out this artist cuz i like them/we’re collabing), much less critique that even pokes at any of these deeply obvious truths. So i’m stuck here wondering if i’m a crazy person or if like, all the cool epic kids Whose Art I Personally Like already realise this, but like they comprehend it so thoroughly that such a thing doesn’t even need to be said. To some extent, the latter has to be true, cuz like, the Cool Epic Kids don’t usually fuck with a lot of the art i’m about to shit on, so on some level we must realise these same things about this art. But at the same time that kind of doesnt matter? because both possibilities (either that you already think of this in the same way that i do OR that you have a different understanding about what i’m about to talk about) BOTH have to end with the same conclusion: that by the end of this post, it will be deeply obvious that this has been an exercise in running around in circles. this post is the seinfeld of talking about anime.

okay so i get mad about this specific thing a lot but let’s just look at the specific studio that kicked it off today:

and here’s the thing i got mad at for good measure:

Okay so here’s the background info: local singaporean graffiti studio, they really like anime, and they were the source of that one dumb ass screenshot i posted earlier. and like just look at this

this literally just looks like youtube is recommending me a future bass playlist but in real life. This tells me nothing about anything that has ever mattered. This is a math equation. This is just: kitschy faux-retro aesthetics because they’re popular, rendered in a modern cel-shaded style cuz it’s popular, and with katakana thrown in because if cool anime art wasn’t enough to convince you that these guys were hip then maybe some fucking  A E S T H E T I C S will. Nothing about this communicates to me that anybody who had any part in the creation of this actually wanted to be here. This goes beyond any idea of like, art competency, or even being good at art. if you want you can change the subject matter, make your art more dynamic, sure:

But even this piece, arguably the studiomoonchild work with the most energy to it, feels completely lifeless. Like yeah, i could say that it’s cuz all of their anime girls have like those weird dead eyes but that’s almost certainly a copout: the simple truth is that this thing and the earlier one with the robot are the exact same piece of art. they are both interchangeable, they both tell me the exact same nothing.

If you like go through all of their work it’s basically the exact same thing through where like everything they do has this exact feeling of “nobody really had to be here”. even the way this art is produced reflects this because studiomoonchild and their contemporaries are all part of the same sycopanthic surge in the popularity of “”legal graffiti”” in singapore that’s all just this problem repeated for infinity. nobody doing legal graffiti in singapore actually really cares. there is so much art that is absolutely nothing other than like, 1. YO IS THIS HIP? 2. YO DOES THIS TOE THE LINE OF BEING EDGY? 3. YO IS THIS IMMEDIATELY SAFE ENOUGH TO NOT ACTUALLY CHALLENGE OR COMMUNICATE ANYTHING? all of this is literally just stock music but with extra steps i don’t want anybody to tell me how much they fucking hate kevin macleod ukeleles while liking this its all the same bro!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But here’s the kicker: studiomoonchild actually has art that pulls away from this i mean look at this!!

it’s definitely still pulling on that same vein of like, youtubebait anime art, but there’s an undeniable sense of PRESENCE that doesn’t exist in any of their other work. It feels like the people who drew this actually WANTED to draw this, and it’s vibrant and fluid in a way that no amount of weird katakana placement and anime lo fi hip hop girl playlist thumbnail type art can convey. AND LIKE even then, it doesn’t shake off the gender thing, where in the world of studiomoonchild, the female subjects can only ever be pretty and silent and cool or cute while the dudes are actually allowed to have flesh in their face, to have big defined noses and cheekbones and laugh lines, and perhaps most importantly, to transcend the flesh by being a cool robot that gets to shoot all the laser beams and like how apparently this is their entire conception of anime. OH WELL we can’t hit it out of the park every time i guess.

CONCLUSION

conventional thinking about art and the way it exists in society suggests that it is better, perhaps even more virtuous, to be technically skilled but stylistically conventional than it is to be unique but unrefined. think about every single “ohhhh i could draw that though???” type comment ever.  Like, there’s this buzzfeed draw-off video ive posted about before where hae-joon and jonni phillips redraw superman

the comments are basically what you expect: 

this is just two of them but like its sooooo much worse literally every single top comment is some version of shitting on jonni but like heres the thing; all of these bitches will, without a shadow of a doubt, remember jonni’s superman before hae-joons’. A single look at jonni’s superman already communicates so much. we understand that it’s not supposed to be a literal 1:1 depiction of the truth of superman as he appears in the cartoons or comics or movies but rather a rendering of her own emotional truth on the subject of superman: he’s literally just kinda whatever!!! he’s just a strong cool man who wins fights epicly and has all the powers and loves his wife and has Logo That Makes Grown Men Spend 27 Dollars On Mug. Jonni understands this and is able to use this to her advantage, creating this single drawing tgat is apathetic, disdainful, and playful all at once. 

You kind of can say the same thing about hae-joon’s art, but you kinda can’t? There’s the same core idea here: that hae-joon also has no strong feelings on superman apart from “i know of him, and i know you know of him”. But the thing is that like: he knows it, but he doesn’t Know it. hae-joon cannot take this fundamental, deeply funny, truth, that one of the biggest fictional characters ever mainly exists as the emotional, narrative, and aesthetic equivalent of white bread, and bring it to its logical conclusion.

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 142: HHAH!! *GRUNT* *PUNCHING NOISES*

Previously on BnHA: Tamaki faced off against three villains on his own. At first he managed to keep them at bay by generating a bunch of giant kraken arms, which was badass. But then it turned out one of the villains had an eating quirk and just kept eating the damn arms like fucking Gluttony or Monkey D. Luffy or something. The other two villains worked together to beat Tamaki up, but then Tamaki neutralized one of their quirks and fucking absorbed the other one’s quirk and used it against him. Needless to say, he beat them, and it was pretty cool, although I’m not quite sure it was cool enough to warrant an entire chapter being devoted to it, but what are you gonna do. We’re moving on now anyway, so that’s that.

Today on BnHA: Tamaki passes out after winning his fight. We cut back to the rest of the heroes as they make their way down the neverending corridor. Mimic starts messing with the walls again and tries to crush Aizawa, but Fat Gum knocks him out of the way and takes the hit for him. At this point things become very jumbled, but basically FG and Kirishima end up separated from the rest of the group, and find themselves in a pit somewhere with two new villains. One of the villains is a big guy who likes punching shit, and the other is a Buddhist monk who likes to stand around and do absolutely nothing at all. The punching guy punches FG and Kiri a bunch, and Kiri has trouble withstanding it even with his quirk. FG yells at him to not give up and to maintain his will to fight no matter what. He and Kiri face the bad guys in determination and are all “we’re gonna punch ‘em some more, goddammit.”

(As always, all comments not marked with an ETA are my unspoiled reactions from my first readthrough of this chapter. I’ve read up through chapter 175 now, so any ETAs will reflect that.)

all right kids. it’s been two weeks since I last read a chapter. I just did a quick refresher of the past dozen chapters or so, partly to remind myself of everything that was going on, and partly to remind myself of all the cool things that have happened in this arc. it kinda helped. somewhat

Tamaki’s fight didn’t really drag on that much. it was just two chapters. it felt like an eternity -- despite the fact that I actually like Tamaki a lot -- but it really wasn’t that long

and yeah, it’s been like four chapters since they started this raid, and all they’ve basically done so far is run down a few hallways. but I feel like things have to pick up soon, so we’re going to press on

BnHA got the Jump cover again! hopefully that means things are about to get exciting

ooh and there’s a color page too

basically, now that he’s finished beating these three assholes, he’s dosed them with a bit of poison to keep them in check, and now he is passing out. shit

also, “that was far more trouble than it should have been” is one of the more accurate summaries I’ve read in some time

so now we’re finally getting back to our badass 1-A boys! yesssss. I missed you lunkheads

I kinda just want the rest of the arc to be them busting through wall after wall of the labyrinth until they finally catch up to where Mirio is. then Aizawa neutralizes Overhaul’s quirk and they knock him out and rescue Eri and everything is happy and good again. and Nighteye announces that All Might is not going to die after all, and it turns out this whole time he was just misremembering an old cliffhanger episode of the canon All Might anime. and they all live happily ever after etc. etc.

(ETA: you know that anon ask about what I’d change about this arc? scratch everything I wrote in response to that. pencil this in. done and done)

but SOMETHING TELLS ME this is not going to happen

all right, so we’re back in the ol’ villain labyrinth

I’m having so much trouble spelling the word ‘labyrinth.’ I keep mixing up where the y and the i are supposed to go. stupid English language

what the fuck is this title

lol wtf

(ETA: now that I know the meaning of this title, I simultaneously have new respect for the title itself, and new exasperation towards Horikoshi for somehow still failing to see the problem with this extremely dull matchup. listen dude. no one fucking cares if “defense wins championships.” I’m just a poor soul trying to stay awake during panel after panel of blurry punching action. please never do this to us again)

Kirishima’s all “is senpai gonna be okay”, and no one fucking knows, Kiri

but no. he’s not. why on earth did you all leave him. whatever

FG is annoyed that they’re doubting Tamaki

um, no, this is the kind of stupid policy that this series has so far done its best to avoid. in fact, FG, I’ll see your point and raise you one “a true hero offers help even when it’s not asked for”, which is almost the exact opposite of what you’re saying. so WHAT IS THE TRUTH

oh my god Kirishima is immediately doing a 180 from being worried about Tamaki to being all “HE’LL BE FINE”

so am I to understand that you can get Kirishima to say or do anything just by implying that it is or isn’t manly

...actually, yeah, that checks out

so Kiri is fiercely saying that he’s still worried, but he has no choice but to believe in him

meanwhile Rock Lock, whose name was actually mentioned back in like chapter 138 but I missed it but I picked up on it when I went back to refresh my memory, is being annoyed by their enthusiasm. yet again

I feel like Rock Lock actually loves these kids now. right? they’re so fucking lovable. how can you not

(ETA: everyone gives in to class A’s charms eventually)

so now they’ve found some stairs and they’re all “let’s take these stairs”

but then they’re like “maybe we shouldn’t take these stairs”

this kind of indecisive bullshit is exactly why this arc has taken 500 chapters so far you guys. come the fuck on already

Aizawa is suspicious because wth happened to that guy who was manipulating the corridors before

well wasn’t he high af though? so maybe the quirk enhancing drug just wore off and he passed out?

Aizawa is speculating that his range might be limited and he can’t sense them all the way over here. or maybe he’s distracted by the other guys who were still fighting him earlier

I’m tired of trying to sum this all up so I’m just gonna post it

this is the room where Tamaki just finished kicking these guys’ asses. oh shit

now Irinaka’s eye is peeking out, and he’s all mad that the three of them lost to just one guy

and now for some reason we’re cutting back to where Bubble Girl and Captain Cockroach (I forget his name. but it was basically something like that) are restraining the villains who they previously stayed behind to battle

they’re questioning why the villains who were in hiding came out of the woodworks to attack them when they could have potentially gotten away if they’d just stayed put

but one of the villains says that if they’d done that, “Overhaul would have our heads”

this is why I don’t really understand villains like that last bunch who are so fucking loyal to a guy who clearly could not give less of a shit about them

and it seems like most of the current Eights are more loyal to the previous boss than to Overhaul

clearly the previous boss should have picked a 13-year-old peace-loving suburban Japanese kid to be his next heir rather than Chisaki. this is what happens when you don’t have Reborn around

anyway, even though these guys are all complaining about Overhaul, they’re all certain that the heroes aren’t going to succeed in capturing him

-- WHAT IN THE

DID A GIANT BATTERING RAM THING JUST EXPLODE OUT OF THE WALL AND SLAM INTO AIZAWA BECAUSE HOLY SHIT?!

AND NOW IT’S MAKING A HOLE IN THE WALL AND SHOVING AIZAWA INTO IT SHIIIIIT

LEAVE AIZAWA ALONE FOR ONCE, HE NEVER GETS TO DO ANYTHING IN THESE ARCS. LET HIM KICK SOME ASS

Fat Gum is tackling the giant wall hand and knocking Aizawa away from it!

so now Fat Gum has been punted through the hole in the wall instead

I’m relieved Aizawa is still with the kids, but we’re staying with FG, and I s2g if we have to spend another two chapters away from the protagonist watching characters who -- as lovable as they are -- we’d never even met before the start of this arc, I’m not gonna be super happy

-- OH MY GOD

KIRI YOU BLOCKHEAD WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE

motherfucker, he jumped in to take the hit for Aizawa too and then Fat Gum obliviously jumped in behind him and Kiri got sucked in and FG didn’t even realize

well this is just fucking great

so now some guy is emerging from the shadows ready to have fisticuffs!

and Kiri is going into Unbreakable mode again!

should you really be using your trump card right away like that. the trump card which you can only hold for a very short amount of time

um what in the

I’m not really enjoying how blurry and indistinct and difficult-to-follow these action panels have been getting as of late. it’s starting to feel like this series is finally entering a sophomore slump. get it together BnHA, c’mon

anyway, this guy looks to be punching Fat Gum really hard and possibly repeatedly. kind of like when All Might fought the Noumu at USJ

hmm

honestly it sounds like this guy was born to fight Kirishima in an epic showdown

“people oughta kill each other using just the power they got in their bodies” oh, you wacky Honorable Villains. you guys are always all over the place

FG’s turning to Kirishima, but OH SHIT

relax, I’m sure he’s fine though

ah, yes, good

this is probably gonna look really cool in the anime which will make up for this panel being something of a blurry mess right now

(ETA: just to clarify, when I originally read this chapter, I wound up with FA’s original scanlation which was significantly lower in quality. I’ve since found their version 2.0 which used cleaned-up scans which are very much improved.

here’s the original for comparison:

so yeah, the improved scans alone help to make this fight a significantly better read this time around. it’s still dull, but at least it’s readable now lol)

now FG is... trying to punch the other guy, but like. well, take a look

FG is very confused

and now another villain is there! were you there this whole time omg

okay so it must be his barrier then, right?

must... resist... urge to call him Chance the Rappa. no one else thinks it is funny. just you

but you know what. it’s my recap though. so

(ETA: honestly, this association is the only reason why he’s one of the few Eight Expendables whose names I actually recall)

so now Chance is punching FG again and it looks like it hurt him. damn

you know what I didn’t sign up for here. another fight with a tier 3 character where there is no plot advancement and where the villain’s quirk appears to just be “I punch stuff real hard.” wtf. goddammit BnHA, I’m rooting for you so get your shit in order already

so now the barrier villain is referring back to the title and clearing all of that up

actually, Kiri is spear and shield all in one. just saying. boy knows how to throw a damn good punch. who do you think was smashing through all your labyrinth walls earlier

so now Kiri is climbing back to his feet and thinking that the dude’s punches hurt him even in his Unbreakable mode

now there’s a single flashback panel of Bakugou, and my god. I’ll take it. where are you, son. how’ve you been. how’s my other son. I’ve been stuck in a villain labyrinth with side characters for the past half dozen chapters. I hope you’re off having a nice time somewhere

Kirishima is looking like he’s about to get all When The Going Gets Tough THE TOUGH GET GOING

oh! what’s this??

is this... flashback Kiri???

are you telling me he’s not a natural bright flaming redhead. what the hell. next you’re gonna tell me Mina’s not a natural pink and that Deku’s been dying his hair green since childhood

although in Kirishima’s case, he did look up to that Crimson Riot guy seemingly in the same way Deku, Shouto, and Kacchan admired All Might, didn’t he? so maybe it’s got something to do with that

FG is shouting at him not to let up his Unbreakable mode, and that if his spirit breaks that’s when he’ll really lose

and the last page is just Kiri and FG looking gritty and determined. but Kiri’s in his Ben Grimm mode so it looks weird lol

look, I’m hella down for some Kiri flashbacks. I just don’t want this fight to take longer than one and a half chapters. that’s it. that’s my limit. starting a timer... now

BONUS:

I think maybe this bonus page is supposed to go with chapter 143, but eh. it works here too

so Rappa’s quirk is explained in another omake, and basically it’s something that allows him to rotate his shoulders really fast so he can punch a lot. to think, he could have been the next Michael Phelps, but instead he wound up being a third-rate villain in the most boring arc. such a waste

Tengai’s whole character just makes no sense to me whatsoever. why are you a villain. you’re so boring. nothing in your personality or backstory offers up any type of explanation for why you would be working for a murderous crime syndicate. it’s a complete mystery, but not in a cool way, more of a “none of this adds up in the slightest” type of way. just because you never open your eyes when you talk doesn’t make you cool you asshole

[iatethepomegranate]

Wally getting backed into a corner, hurt and unable to escape. How would he react if Dick tried to protect him? If Dick had gotten hurt would he blame himself?

(So… I kinda took this prompt and wrote a 2k fic instead. Oops? I was originally going to do pre-season 2 but then I thought: what would make this worse? Ah, post-Endgame. Wally is back because of *mumblemumble* reasons.)

The wound in his leg was deep. Too deep. Wally slumped against the wall. Every time he tried to tap into the speed force, the wound bled faster, pain lancing through his thigh with enough force to make him see stars. It would heal eventually, but eventually did not help when half a dozen heavily-armed and heavily-muscled guys were bearing down upon him.

He let himself slide to the floor, lightheaded from the effort it had taken to remain upright. He wasn’t even supposed to be here. Black Canary hadn’t cleared him for active duty yet, and he didn’t even have a new hero name to replace the one he’d given to Bart.

But most of the Team had been on other missions, and he wasn’t about to let Nightwing go into the field without backup. God, he hoped Nightwing was in better shape than he was. This was supposed to be a simple recon mission. In and out. Automated defence systems Nightwing could take out in his sleep.

Their intel had been wrong. Badly wrong.

And now Wally was trapped in a corner, his rabbit-heart pushing blood out of his wound faster than his body could clot it.

One of the men had a scythe. A scythe. It still glinted with Wally’s blood, wicked and hungry for more.

“We could take him,” said the shortest of the men. “He could have useful intel.”

“We’re not equipped to trap a speedster,” the scythe-wielder replied. “Besides, he’ll bleed out before we get him to base. Keep it clean. No witnesses.”

“What about the other guy?”

“Psh. The other six went after him. He’s dead.”

Wally didn’t want to believe that. Nightwing–Dick–was endlessly resourceful. He’d faced worse odds before. 

Besides, weren’t they owed some good fortune by now? They’d been through enough.

Six Months Ago

“Dick, we need to talk about that kiss.”

“Do we?” Dick still had a weird look on his face, like hefully expected to wake up any second. Wally couldn’t blame him.

“Uh, yeah, dude,” Wally told him. “It’s not every day yourbest friend plants one on you.”

“It’s not every day your best friend comes back from thedead,” Dick said, his voice oddly cool. Wally tried not to take it personally;there was tension in Dick’s shoulders that betrayed his discomfort.Embarrassment, more likely. He’d kissed Wally in front of the entire team.

“Speedforce.”

“Whatever.” Again, that wasn’t really in character for him.Dick had become more and more fact-oriented as he’d grown older, possibly aside-effect of leading the team while running a complex undercover operation…and being Kaldur’s only point of contact for a long time before Artemis joinedhim.

Wally sat on the couch in Dick’s Blüdhaven apartment. Dickhad made a hasty escape after the debrief at the Watchtower, and Wally hadgiven him a ten-minute head start before coming after him.

He’d hoped sitting down would encourage Dick to do the same,but he just kept standing there, his hands curling into fists and uncurlingrepeatedly. It wasn’t like him to have such a blatant tell. Wally could usuallyread his tells anyway, owing to how close they’d once been, but this was somethingelse.

“I’m not angry,” Wally said. “I’m just surprised and I wannaknow where that came from.” He could feel his hands shaking, but out of respectfor the fact Dick clearly couldn’t hide his tells, he didn’t try to hide his,either.

“You really don��t know?” Dick said in a small voice. Wally’sheart stuttered.

“Let’s just say I don’t,” he said. His voice as small asDick’s. Could this mean what he thought it meant?

“Wally…” Dick’s voice cracked, and he lowered his gaze toblink rapidly. “I’ve been in love with you for years.”

“How long?” Wally croaked.

“Seven years.” Dick let out one rueful laugh. “Maybe evenlonger.”

So, Wally had been dealing with his fair share of curveballssince he was unceremoniously dumped back into the physical world after spendingmonths in the speedforce. But none of them had knocked the wind out of his gutlike this one.

“I’m still fuzzy on my timelines, dude,” Wally said, and hecouldn’t stop his voice from shaking. “When was what, exactly?”

“Not long before we saved Superboy,” Dick replied. He wasstill tense.

“I… me too, then. Huh.” Wally had never given it muchthought, mainly because he hadn’t thought it’d amount to anything. He’d alwaysbeen good at denial.

“You…” Dick let out a sharp breath. “Are you saying…?”

“Yes.”

“Oh my God.” Dick finally flung himself onto the couch, onlyto hide his face in his hands. “I’ve been sitting on this all this time for no reason.I thought you were straight.”

Wally snorted. “Ditto.”

“This is a disaster,” Dick muttered.

“Guess we better do some crisis management,” Wally replied,poking Dick’s shoulder. “I… look. Everything’s a mess right now. I need time toget my head sorted out, but… I wouldn’t mind giving us a shot… I mean, if youwant.”

“I want, Wally.” He sat up, his blue eyes overbright as if holdingback tears. “I thought I’d lost you forever.”

“I’m here, babe. I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere.”

Now

“Shit, it’s Nightwing!”

Wally jerked awake, just as one of the guys looming over himtook an escrima stick to the head. How long had he been out?

A streak of bluecrossed his vision, and then another guy was down. Nightwing slowed, and eventhrough the haze of Wally’s blood loss, he could plainly see the look of sheerfury etched onto his face. He was pissed,and all on Wally’s behalf. That was kind of flattering. And maybe a little hot.

Wally had definitelylost too much blood.

The four remainingmen took on Nightwing at once. The motions made Wally lightheaded, but hecouldn’t stop watching. Nightwing ducked, swerved, hit, blocked, kicked. Thescythe caught his arm, flicking blood in an arc. Nightwing grabbed the scytheand slammed the handle into the man’s face, knocking him out cold.

The other three went down quickly. Nightwing stood theregasping for a moment, pressing a hand to his bleeding arm. Then he rushed toWally’s side, pressing a cloth to his leg.

“Nightwing to…” He growled under his breath. “To anyone. Original Kid Flash is down. Epicblood loss. Need immediate assistance at my coordinates.” Nightwing pressed thecloth harder to Wally’s leg, but Wally couldn’t feel very much anymore. “Hey.Dude. Don’t you dare die on me.”

Wally must’ve closed his eyes. He couldn’t remember doingthat. He forced them open, but they were heavier than a food truck.

“I’m… trying.” It was all he could promise. God, he wastired.

“Wally, you promised.” Dick took in a sharp breath. “Staywith me. I still technically outrank you. I will make that an order.”

Wally laughed weakly. “Yes, sir.”

He tried to stay awake, tried to listen to Nightwing’sincreasingly frantic rambling, but his injuries could not be denied. Soon enough,he was dragged out of the waking world once again.

Next he woke, he was in a nice hospital bed. The soft mechanicalwhirring told him that he was on the Watchtower. Dick wasn’t nearby. Where was…

Oh, no. He’d been hurt, too. He didn’t heal like Wallycould.

Wally sat up, probing the spot on his thigh the wound hadbeen. He found a bandage, and the telltale bumps of stitches. They’d dissolvesoon enough. There was an IV hooked up to his arm, so he’d have to drag thedamn thing with him to find Dick.

He should’ve fought harder. Dick probably already tired fromfighting the rest of the guards, and then he had to save Wally’s sorry ass. Wallywasn’t even supposed to be on the mission. Maybe he should’ve listened to Dick’sconcerns and stayed home.

Sometimes having super-speed was a curse. Too many thoughtsat once.

The doors leading out to the corridor hissed open, and thenin walked Dick, having replaced his Nightwing gear with a pair of sweats and sunglasses.His arm was bandaged to hell and back, held in place in a sling.

“Hey,” he said quietly. “Sorry I wasn’t here. Had to debriefBats. Been awake long?”

Wally shook his head. Dick came to sit beside him, wincing alittle.

“How’s the leg?”

“Just waiting for the stitches to dissolve.” Wally wanted togather Dick into a hug, but couldn’t bear to cause him any more pain. “How’sthe arm?”

“Our wannabe Grim Reaper got me pretty good,” Dick said,seeming to relax now that he was talking about his own injuries. “I’ll be offactive duty for a few weeks. Have to watch for infections, look after thebandages, blah blah blah. It’ll be fine. I’m fit, and Alfred will make sure Ieat my vegetables.”

Wally had gotten Dick off patrol for weeks. God damn it. Heshould’ve been faster, smarter, or not even gone on the mission at all. Dick hadbeen relying on him, and he just made the whole thing worse.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“Don’t do that,” Dick replied. “We weren’t meant to have anyresistance at all. Besides, everyone gets hurt. If anyone should beapologising, it should be me… for not getting to you sooner.”

Wally didn’t feel any better. Dick always tookresponsibility for things he didn’t have to.

“Don’t give me that look,” Dick said sharply. “It’s not yourfault you got hurt.”

“It’s not your fault either!” Wally hadn’t planned to yell,but it burst out of him like he was possessed.

“Okay,” Dick said primly. “Neither of us is at fault.”

“No, I…”

“Shh. The decision’s been made. You didn’t mess up, andneither did I.”

“Since when do you ever give up responsibility?”

“When it’s the best decision. This isn’t the first time. Youknow that.” Dick sighed, and the fight drained out of him. “Wally, I can’t argueabout this anymore.” He swallowed visibly, and the fingers on his unbound hand grippedthe edge of the bed. “I nearly lost you. Again. Please… can we just…”

Wally still hated himself a little bit for getting Dickhurt, but he couldn’t keep fighting, either. They were both exhausted andemotionally wrung out.

So Wally set all of it aside and put his hand on the smallof Dick’s back. “Let’s get out of here. You can watch me eat my body weight inpasta and put on a bad movie we can laugh at.”

Dick managed a tiny smile, but one that was far more genuine.“I like the sound of that.”

They hadn’t really resolved anything, but sometimes it wasbetter to take a step back and deal with it later. The fear of losing Wallyagain wasn’t leaving Dick’s eyes any time soon, and Wally wasn’t about to shakeoff the guilt of getting Dick hurt, but they could comfort each other tonight.

Sometimes that was more important.

[littlehollyleaf]

GOTHAM S05E04 “Ruin”

okay listen I know other stuff happened in this episode and it was even stuff I enjoyed and was interested in (like - WTF jeremiah??!) but I don’t have time to talk about any of that when there is SO.MUCH.FOXMA.AWESOMENESS to squee over (and you can’t say I didn’t warn you)

fyi - I’ve incorporated MULTIPLE VISUAL AIDS to assist in my flail!

let’s start by going through my FOXMA WISHLIST because there is WAY MORE to check off it that I thought possible in one hit!

Touching - bonus points if it’s beyond practical, like Foxy resting a hand on Eddie’s arm to offer comfort or Eddie gripping Foxy to emotionally steady himself

they flunked on the bonus points but still, FUCKING CHECK!

and you know what? I’m awarding A WHOLE SET OF DIFFERENT BONUS POINTS for Luscious Lucius Fucking ‘down boy I’m in charge’ Fox fucking MANHANDLING ED LIKE IT’S NOTHING because it’s EVERYTHING I NEVER KNEW I NEEDED IN MY LIFE and didn’t even think to put on the list omgomg!

like... I’ve seen a TON of fic and fanart with Foxy being physically dominant with Ed and I do think it makes all the sense characterisation-wise, but for some reason I’d never properly envisioned/embraced it as part of their ship/dynamic (perhaps because in my one and only fic I had Eddie being more dominating when it came to physical stuff due to various contextual reasons... or maybe because we’ve never actually seen Foxy get physical with anyone in canon before, aside from wacking Alvarez with that chair that time, after which he looked frazzled as opposed to the glorious calm and in control he is here so it didn’t really convey his ability to be so.... UNF. while physically taking charge...   idk)

(god I could watch this gif all day honestly....)

(it’s the way Foxy doesn’t hesitate, he’s just - BAM! I’m in control now)

(and juxtapositioned with Eddie’s epic flailing so they are just so perfectly, beautifully opposed)

(then the way Eddie, on seeing it’s Foxy, JUST.FUCKING.TAKES.IT, his fear and flailing dropping all at once as he submits and just holds himself all still and expectant under the hold, clearly THRILLED it’s Foxy who’s found him)

(and Foxy is only using his GODDAMN FINGERTIPS FOR FUCKS SAKE, so firm and commanding with so little effort I just - *fans self*)

(shit we’re only on point one and I’ve spent forever - strap in everyone!) 

Speaking in tandem - ie. figuring out the same thing simultaneously and excitedly shouting out the answer together 

Actually the talking in tandem one is really important to me so I’m adding it again

Okay the talking in tandem doesn’t have to be them figuring out the same thing, it could just be them reacting the same way to something and discovering they are like-minded

FUCKING CHECK!! The one thing I WANTED THE MOST, SO MUCH I PUT IT ON MY LIST THREE WHOLE TIMES. FUCKING CHECK??! ALREADY??!

Lucius: Unless whatever ignited those heated oil tanks - Together: - smashed through that window

(guys pls though look at the above travesty, I only have MSPaint, for the love of god someone gif this??)

I really can’t... there aren’t words for how ecstatic I am about this! 

I was watching with my good friend @enchantersnight, who will attest that I squealed and grabbed her in excitement (which she took with good grace considering she didn’t even know about The List, so must have thought I was just being a mad woman for no reason :p)

And the way they both wave their hand at the window together. And Foxy’s little satisfied nod because he’s not thinking of Ed as a criminal in that moment, all he’s thinking is ‘fuck yeah we just cracked it.’ And they both turn their heads all synchronised because they are so perfectly on the same wavelength, so completely lost in solving the mystery, the parts of themselves that match are so beautifully ALIGNED! 

Showing how they are similar people in many ways - check and check!   

Foxy telling Ed he is a genius and pleading with him to use his intellect for the greater good

K, we’re not all the way there, but HALF A CHECK, because -

Plus he explicitly said he needed Ed’s ‘expertise.’ All of which amounts to acknowledging (and appreciating!) Ed’s genius, so -! *hearts eyes*

(this set covers it perfectly XD)

...and there is still time for Foxy to plead with Ed to use his genius for good *crosses fingers*

Eddie calling Foxy ‘Lucius’ just the once as part of a serious, emotionally charged moment

Not really what I was going for (I was thinking more Ed yelling his name out of fear for Foxy, or as a desperate plea for Foxy to help him), but A+ for effort for Eddie’s wild yell for ‘Lucius’ here -

Because I love the fact that Eddie was so caught up in working the case at this point that he wanted to keep helping even without personal incentive :)

(aside: Eddie you bad bad bad man killing that innocent old lady though, that was really NOT NECESSARY, pls! ...but it was also somewhat hilarious, in a black comedy kind of way :p 

see - THAT’S the level of villainy/immorality I’m happy for Eddie to exist in, killing/torturing/maiming individuals, even innocent ones, yes, cool, because Eddie IS NOT A GOOD PERSON... but... not killing hundreds of innocents, including CHILDREN, in one hit, that’s... that’s a different kind of villainy, you know?)

One/either thinking the other is dead and being relieved to learn they are alive

Again, not quite. But Foxy does comment in the filing room that he thought Ed was dead. No, he doesn’t show any kind of relief that Eddie ISN’T, but since it’s now canon that Foxy somehow learnt of Ed’s supposed demise this opens up avenues for plenty of headcanons :) 

Because - WHEN did Foxy hear that Ed was dead? and HOW? and even WHY? Was he ACTIVELY LOOKING for news on Ed because he personally WANTED TO KNOW? Did it MATTER to Foxy if Ed was alive or dead? Did he feel a pang of sorrow/regret on hearing the news at the fate of a man he saw potential in to be better and wished that somehow Ed’s life could have been different?

(look, Occam’s Razor suggests Jim was probably looking for news on Lee and heard back that both she and Eddie died in the Narrows and THAT’S how Foxy heard about Ed’s death, but SSSSHHHH - I’m gonna imagine Foxy was making quiet enquiries for himself and no-one can stop me!)

PHEW!

We made it to the end of the points on my Wishlist that got fulfilled. 

KUDOS SHOW

Now - let’s talk about THE OTHER STUFF that was amazing!

Like -

Lucius RELEASING ED and HOLDING HIM IN PLACE JUST BY POINTING A FINGER AT HIM LIKE FUUUUCK!

And again there’s no fucking hesitation. The SHEER CONFIDENCE Foxy has that he CAN AND WILL exert this much power over Ed just. Wow. Just wow.

...there’s something interesting to make of this maybe actually...because Foxy...wasn’t this...commanding, with Ed before. No he was never intimidated, but during the whole riddle crime spree and the confrontation with Harvey on the stairwell Foxy was... nervous around Ed? Like Ed was a live wire or dangerous animal, someone Foxy found a little UNPREDICTABLE and thus was less firm and more pleading with? But NOW... 

okay, the stakes are different here ofc - before there were lives on the line and Foxy’s interaction with Ed was the one thing that could save them, so that pressure would have made him hesitant to try and take control...

yeah, that’s it isn’t it - Ed needs a viable threat in order to exert power/control over Foxy (and anyone really)

but without that threat the balance of power absolutely lies with Foxy (so obviously here, with Eddie unarmed and in such a state of disarray! but was also true in that scene with them at the GCPD lab when Eddie was investigating the Red Hood Gang)

Then also EDDIE’S.FUCKING.SMILE!! 

Anyone else displaying this much power over him, exposing his vulnerability, his ‘inadequacies’ (so Eddie might see it), would surely make Eddie furious, scared even perhaps - he might rail against them, scowl, try to fight or run. 

But here with Foxy he just FUCKING SMILES. He is so GODDAMN HAPPY to have been caught by FOXY. He doesn’t try to fight or escape because HE WANTS TO HAVE A MOMENT WITH FOXY, he WANTS TO BANTER. Because, dare I say, he LIKES BEING IN FOXY’S POWER??

Likewise when Foxy busts out the blackmail THIS is Eddie’s reaction

THIS -

Just look at him he’s FUCKING DELIGHTED that Foxy has been smart enough to immediately suss out Ed’s desire for the file is something he can exploit.

And then the way he kinda gleefully tries to figure out what Foxy could possibly want from him - I ADORE IT. 

Because it’s become a GAME to Eddie now ofc - he and Foxy playing off each other. 

And it’s a delicious blend of Foxy being all controlling and also flippant in the way he talks to Ed, thus him gently leading Ed into taking it this way, and also Eddie’s clear respect and personal interest in Foxy making him inclined to put a positive spin on the situation, to find it enjoyable. And like... it doesn’t feel esp planned or manipulative on Foxy’s part? Their reactions to each other just feel... genuine? Obviously Foxy IS trying to convince Ed to help him but... the way he speaks to him and looks at him... it just feels like Foxy being NATURAL with Ed to me? Like, he’s not spending all the time carefully choosing his words and behaviour, calculating what he needs to do to win Ed over, he’s just... going with the flow? Reacting to Ed... in the way he WANTS to, and Ed is doing the same? 

Sure they’ve both got end goals they want to achieve, but during their banter those almost seem secondary, just for moment, to the mutual enjoyment they are getting from their interaction?

And yes, mutual - look at this and tell me Foxy isn’t having fun as well!

Other great things about this scene -

Eddie calling Foxy ‘the second smartest man in Gotham’ <3 <3 Absolute proof he respects Foxy’s intellect :D

Eddie trying to surprise grab the file from Foxy’s hands. Because LOL. Foxy’s dry ‘...why?’ and shake of his head at Eddie’s childish antics totally makes it! Plus the way Eddie makes one last half-hearted grab before his eventual ‘fine.’ 

@vampirebillionaire pointed out it’s kinda crazy Eddie was able to physically capture a Street Demon thug, but can’t muster enough strength to yank a file from a scientist :p 

I like your suggestion, Daisy, that this adds to the ‘mind controlled Eddie’ theory - ie. when Eddie is under the influence he becomes more physically capable perhaps.

May I also suggest another possibility - that the file grab was just for show? Because Eddie desperately WANTS to team up with Foxy for a bit. But he has to convince himself it is absolutely his ONLY OPTION in order to do so? Because Eddie is a confused and repressed and psychologically mixed up prawn and can’t accept just wanting to work with Foxy just because. Plus a blackmail scenario/game has already been established. So to Eddie’s mind the only way that makes sense for him to work with Foxy in this moment is for Foxy’s blackmail to hold up. Meaning before Eddie can agree he has to establish that he CANNOT get the file by other means? Hence all the huffing and puffing and extra lunge at the end - it’s all him adding to the pretence?

...idk it’s prob too involved for what the show was actually going for, but it crossed my mind :p Felt like ‘Riddler logic’ you know? And involves a bit of theatrics, and Eddie lying to himself...

Anyway, the other PHENOMENAL THING about this scene -

I am given and I am taken, 

I was there from your first breath 

and I will follow you until your death

You know, that riddle for ‘name’ that clever fandom people cleverly extracted from the voice over line in that dramatic pre-S05 promo? (’I will follow you until your death’) The one that lots of us were taken by because of the vague, possible nygmobblepot associations? (and some of us, ahem, one of us, even used to title a fic), but that was also suspected to be a possible exchange between Ed and a hallucinatory version of himself - maybe being about how the name and/or persona of ‘Riddler’ has been with Ed all along and will be part of him until he dies.

WELL TURNS OUT EDDIE SAYS THAT RIDDLE TO FOXY CAN YOU BELIEVE??

I mean, look, I know it’s just a riddle for plot purposes. But that doesn’t change the fact that Eddie, CANONICALLY, stands there, INCHES from Foxy -

STARING DEEPLY INTO HIS EYES, voice slightly whispery and husky

and he tells him

I WILL FOLLOW YOU UNTIL YOUR DEATH

I Just -

And they fucking end liKE THIS GUYS -

Literally POINTING AT FOXY LIKE HE’S MAKING A PROMISE?? (and oh shit I just thought is he pointing at Foxy’s HEART?? ...also does this technically fit my bonus point for touching? hotdamn)

And look at Foxy’s smile! Yeah it’s mocking but... maybe in a FOND way??

All - ‘name, the answer’s ‘name’ Ed, but you had to make a song and dance out of it didn’t you, you dork?’

*dreamy sigh*

Other stuff -

Eddie investigating the crime scene and working it all out was some GENUINE PI RIDDLER SHIT right there *swoon*

I love the way Foxy just steps back and lets Ed get on with it. I flail over Eddie showing his respect for Foxy, but there was real respect in Foxy for Ed here, which was beautiful <3

On the rooftop - *hearts* over Eddie genuinely praising Foxy for figuring out it was the exact spot of the shooting from angles etc, showing he CLEARLY rates Foxy’s intelligence very high :) Only for Foxy to admit that he worked it out because he noticed the weapon’s casing had been left behind :p (which - SLOPPY of blacked out Ed now I think about it?). That was both a fun gag, lightly highlighting how Eddie sometimes misses the obvious and reaches for the most complex option when a much simpler one is on hand (making his advice to Oswald way back when about how sometimes the simpler solution is best really just... lolz... take your own advice Eddie, pls), as well as, I think, maybe hinting that Eddie really may be SMARTER than Foxy on a purely intellectual level - because it was potentially suggesting that Foxy could ONLY tell it was the right place because of the weapon case and might not have been able, at least as fast, to have worked out the angles etc like Eddie did. Maybe...

Eddie telling Foxy in complete seriousness that he hopes Foxy finds the criminal and makes them pay - playing out just like I hoped in the tags over here after seeing the Eddie preview clip of the episode, yes win!

(#holly you're an idiot going to the gcpd is how ed is gonna team up with foxy it's an excellent plan!!! #...I bet that 'make them pay' line in the trailer fits here #ed is talking about helping foxy found the haven bomber and how they should make them pay #but ~plot twist Eddie - it was you!! #yus I like that #pls be true!)

aside: Foxy now has that weapon case and is going to see if it has clues as to the perpetrator - Eddie thinks it won’t but I wonder... while blacked out Eddie left himself a message... I wonder if it’s possible he may have left the weapon case on purpose in the HOPE that he will be found out? that someone will catch him and put a stop to him being mind controlled??

...in any case, this opens up the possibility of Foxy finding out the shooter was Ed and OMG I HAVE ~HOPES AND DREAMS ABOUT THAT

In my hopes and dreams Foxy simply DOES.NOT.BELIEVE that Eddie would/could have committed such a crime, at least not willingly. And especially since Ed literally helped him solve the crime and he saw and heard Ed be GENUINELY affected by the crime enough to want the criminal to pay - and yes, sure, Ed could have been playing him and faking that, getting a kick out of giving Foxy clues to his own crime, but Foxy just feels sure Ed was being honest on that rooftop, that he really didn’t seem to know he was responsible, and it convinces Foxy there is something much more sinister going on here...

*CROSSES FINGERS TIGHT*

(omg - we know Babs gets Eddie at some point... WHAT IF Foxy ends up trying to save Eddie from her??! UGH IT’S TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE IT’LL NEVER HAPPEN BUT WHAT A DREAM! Foxy could even go to Oswald maybe to get help saving Ed, maybe providing evidence that Ed is in fact innocent... and in doing so he frees Ozzie from any personal anguish he might be suffering due to believing that Eddie really did commit the crime perhaps? even less likely, but I’m gonna roll with it for now :p)

Right one last thing. I did also have on my wishlist a proviso of the ‘talking in tandem’ thing -

When they talk in tandem they have to finish smiling at each other

Obviously this didn’t happen (POINTS DEDUCTED!!). 

But then, we did get THIS as their final moment so ALL IS FORGIVEN -

In conclusion

I am dead

Gotham?

(here’s hoping for the remainder of the Wishlist in their next episode together! :p)

[dcarevu]

DCAU #17: The Cat and the Claw (Part 2)

“Oh, I've been going to the Paris Grand Prix for years... You know, one of these days I think I'll enter it.”

Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back. So how much did Part 2 of our first Catwoman story satisfy? Does it get a bowl of cream, or a spritz of water?

Episode: 16 Robin: No Writers: Sean Catherine Derek (story), Laren Bright (story), Jules Dennis (teleplay), Richard Mueller (teleplay) Director: Dick Sebast Animator: Akom Airdate: September 12, 1992 Grade: C

The first part of The Cat and the Claw had me interested, but certainly not blown away. It was a hit-and-miss episode with enough good ideas in it to allow me to enjoy it and wonder where the story was going to lead. I liked that it did give out a sense of substance, but honestly, I don’t think that the substance held steady between the credits of part 1 and the first scene of part 2. Part 2 does continue the story, but sucks out a lot of what made part 1 worth watching, and if I had never even watched part 2, I would not have been missing a damn thing aside from the realization that Catwoman ends up okay and the day is saved. But I think it was safe to assume that anyway, you know what I mean? Part 2 left very little impact on me, positive or negative, and for that reason I’m labeling it a C. Ironically, this is probably the episode with the highest stakes so far, right? With a conclusion that has a pretty epic scale. But it’s just not handled in an epic way. The concept is there, but the execution is lacking. Even if a studio like TMS or Spectrum were the ones to take care of the visuals, it still would have given the same feelings. The team knew what they were doing, giving it to Akom. Yeah, Akom’s work here is pretty bad, and Part 1 is more visually appealing in addition to being simply more entertaining. Even though it didn’t look the best, I could appreciate Sunrise’s unique style. When Sunrise failed, it still made for something that you don’t see everyday. Akom’s work was just plain old underwhelming. This is especially noticeable during the climax with their work on the fire (yeah, fire count, by the way). 

That fire looks like something from a Hanna-Barbera cartoon, guys. I’d expect to see similar on Scooby Doo. You don’t get a sense of the danger or the heat coming off that thing, and so you don’t get a sense of worry as Batman tries to get the hell out of there. Another very Akom scene is the car chase that happens when Bruce and Selena are together, out of costume. It looked laughably lame. That scene could have been so exciting and dynamic! But, at the same time, like I said, I understand why Atom was chosen. Even if the animation got me a little bit more invested, it still would have felt empty because of a lack of why I should be invested. It’s like watching a Transformers movie. Just brainless action. And why waste money on sending this episode to a better studio when a much better episode could be? The only real Akom-caused highlight was the train stuff. That looked pretty cool, likely because even though the train was moving, it still provided a static, stable platform for our characters, so it required less technical stuff to animate. All of the other cool stuff to look at was definitely in the storyboards. I liked the bit where the Bat Plane flew across the moon, kinda emulating that iconic moment in the 1989 film. And my favorite visual moment was when Selena’s secretary put on her glasses, and we see it via a POV shot. But then once things are crystal clear, a second later she walks into the shot, seamlessly transitioning it from POV to third person. 

More things like that could have probably almost created a B-level of enjoyment, admittedly. This part is also campier than part 1, with a lot more cheesiness thrown in, and that is to the episode’s detriment. The idea of Red Claw’s group of terrorists stealing a vial of disease from a military-guarded train is a really cool one, and I’ll take that over another standard police chase any day (until those chases start getting more god damn interesting). But something about watching them ride their little vehicle, leap on top of the train like ninjas, walking around on the train effortlessly, and dismantling it was pretty hard to take seriously. 

(This thug was in the last episode too, and he’s got this constant, static grimace. Makes me chuckle.)

Seeing Batman glide in with the bat-glider for the first time was neat, but then again, we get flown into a corn field. This is some of the cheesiest dialogue/line delivery on the show so far, even dwarfing the stuff from I’ve Got Batman In My Basement. No easy task! It’s like the writers here were aware of the serious tone, and trying, but still could only make a guy dressed like a bat so rational. I especially cringed at Batman’s shock that Red Claw was a woman. Having Catwoman be an admirable, strong character is doing feminism in a cartoon right. But this episode was too on-the-nose about it. Another instance is when Catwoman and Batman are tied up. Catwoman says something about their savior being a “woman’s touch”, and then she claws them out. Outside of the show trying to push a feminist message, why, in universe, would she say that exactly? Batman was not being sexist toward her. Red Claw certainly wasn’t. Red Claw is a woman for crying out loud! And how are her claws particularly feminine, anyway? Are they supposed to represent those stereotypical secretary nails? C’moooooon. Lame, lame, lame. I’m a feminist, and I’m all about cartoons showing that women are every bit as capable as men are. But if this is how they do it, then just don’t even try. And to add insult to injury, after we get Catwoman saving both of them, we end with her getting the shit beaten out of by Red Claw in a fight, merely because she does absolutely nothing to defend herself. Catwoman is an athletic cat-burglar who, in the previous episode, managed to give Batman a challenge. And now she’s just letting Red Claw kick her over and over in a way she easily should’ve seen coming. What a…confusing approach. 

While the superhero stuff was seriously below par, it’s slightly made up for because of how it explores Bruce and Selena’s relationship a little bit more. I liked seeing them on another attempted date, and so did Char! They’re really charming together, and it was incredibly satisfying to see Selena begin to enjoy his company. But as things start to go right for him, things also start to somehow go more wrong, and he discovers that Selena is Catwoman. To me, it’s believable that he wouldn’t have made that assumption right away. First of all, what are the odds. Second of all, a much different environment, mindset, and appearance. Plus, it’s not as though he was seeing Catwoman every single night, right? Most of his interactions of her was as normal human beings dressed in normal human clothes. Bruce mentions that he hasn’t felt a fondness of a woman like this in a very long time (Mask of the Phantasm entered my head for a second), and it feels so genuine. Somehow over these 16 episode and pilot, with a pretty small amount of spoken words for a main character, we’ve gotten to know Bruce…or…Batman…quite well. We can tell when he’s being phony, we can tell when he’s being sincere. This was sincere. And because his Bruce persona is such an exaggeration of his decency, spotting cracks in that just makes you feel something, man, especially when it shows us that hint of affection. This can be compared to Bruce Wayne talking to Harvey Dent about how proud he was that Harvey was seeking psychological help (Two-Face Part 1). These moments show us that Batman still has this warmth to him. It may be like a candle in the wind, fighting to stay alive, but every now and then there is a spritz of gasoline. For a second, Bruce Wayne and Batman are one. But y’know what? This is all well and good, however it makes me wish that the Red Claw stuff was absent. In part 1, it was different. I wanted to know where it was going. But without decent payoff, there is no reason for the terrorist story element at all. This would have been so much stronger if it were a half hour dedicated to building up the relationship of two troubled adults, fighting for what they believe in, succumbing to a certain level of darkness, all while not being able to find common ground. Paul Dini could have done it. Alan Burnett could have done it. Y’know what, Tom Ruegger probably could have done it. But no. We got writers who felt the need to add in that unnecessary, goofy superhero stuff that was not meant to be the focus of Batman the Animated Series when it didn’t need to be. But if there is one major strength of the superhero stuff, it’s the very ending. Because despite what Batman and Catwoman just went through together, saving countless people, Batman still needed to put her in handcuffs (and not in the way he probably wishes he could). 

(Blurry screenshot, apologies...by the way, are bat-handcuffs really necessary, Batman?)

That was paaaaaainful, but the right kind of painful (again, not in the way Batman probably wishes it was). Having Batman state that he didn't want her taken away like a common criminal was a great addition, and I really want to know which writer came up with that line. Whoever did got what makes Batman and Catwoman so interesting. If only they could have gotten a crack at this episode on their own. As some final words, despite me giving this episode a C, I went back and forth between a C or a D many times. I’m still not entirely sure which is my true grade. It depended on what I was writing about. When I was complaining, I was sure that I should make it a D. But as I was talking about some of the more positive elements, I thought maybe a C was more appropriate. Bottom line, I’m not sure. I think a C is the most fair, though, because aside from just being a middle of the road grade, it could also represent me being completely confused on my opinion. Is that understandable?

(Here we clearly see that the section of the train that was bombed is still very much intact)

(Batman was very much on model throughout the episode, particularly in the face)

Fire count: 8 Char’s grade: B

Next time: See No Evil Full episode list here!

[shortmania]

Could you tell Ham’s backstory?

Sure thing, bud. Under the cut.

So let’s start with what I’ve already revealed in-story: Ham’s got feelings for someone and it’s messed him up. I know I’ve hinted as much. Someone told Pam that he’s “tainted meat” or something when she tried to hit on him. Not a shock, look at who his parents are, but the thing I’ve teased at for years is WHO. Who does Ham like, and why is it messed up?

K, so again, not gonna be a huge shock, but it’s Kori. Anyone shocked? You shouldn’t be, I’m not exactly subtle.

So I’ll stop roasting myself now and just go ahead with explaining. If you don’t remember Kori, she’s Gerald and Phoebe’s youngest kid. She was created by @feels-ova-woman​, actually, I just got permission to play with her. Pictures here, here, here, here, here–Mm, plug it in, plug it in. Anyway, she’s been Ham’s best friend since they were babies, like they had an instant connection from a young age and have pretty much always been attached at the hip, unlike with Zack and Jaron, who barely even blinked at each other before they were 10. They’re unique that way, the perfect amount of both their parents to get along like jam and toast. She’s his closest and dearest friend and he’s had a crush on her for… I don’t think even he knows how long, he just kinda realized it randomly one day when he was like 9-10. But Ham’s one of those kids who get crushes on rocks if they’re wearing enough makeup, so he told himself it wasn’t a big deal and – for a while – it really wasn’t. He dated other girls, had other “epic romances,” got his heart broken, moved on.

He got older, though, and the crush evolved into something more serious. By Breathing Slowly, when he’s 11, it’s started screwing with him. S'why he’s getting into arguments with her more often over silly shit. Phil’s whole thing during that period doesn’t help, either. Ham never talks about it, though. It’s pretty much just his dirty little secret until he hits 14, and Kori… Well.

The thing about Ham’s backstory is that it’s really Kori’s backstory. Everything leads back to her struggles and Ham’s forced obliviousness to them; the fact he’s supposedly got such strong feelings for her and yet has this habit of ghosting her at every turn–both out of an honest lack of scope and maybe just because ignoring the deeper aspects of her gets to be the only way he can be around her at all and not explode.

Because Ham and Kori have a lot in common. They’re both reserved, bold adventure-seeking types, and feel left out a lot in their own households. A great deal of Gerald and Phoebe’s energy goes into managing Taro (cuz… have you seen Taro? There’s a lot going on there) and Jaron (save him), so Kori can feel very pushed aside sometimes. Like she doesn’t really have anything of her own and she’s in this box. Her mom’s always busy, Taro’s always busy, Jaron’s always either busy or just being lame.

And it gets to be that even with Ham, the person she’s closest to and who can sometimes feel like the only person she can 100% be herself with, she feels stifled and trapped. Cuz Ham, for all that he has the heart of a sweet awkward little wallflower, is still a Shortman and people gravitate to him regardless of his attitude. He’s attractive, he’s talented, his dad is well-known and well-loved. It isn’t quite like that for Kori. By the beginning of High School, she’s gone from the cool, tech-savvy, keeper of legends to just some geek. She starts getting called his sidekick, that strange nerd always hanging around him, rumors start spreading that she does his homework and that’s the only reason he lets her hang around. And Ham gets more distant every day. It gets to be miserable very quickly and she grows to hate High School.

She grows to hate a lot of things.

So she joins the Skip It program and breezes through it. Graduates early. Before she knows it, she’s getting offered all these amazing opportunities. Universities overseas and fancy foreign engineering programs and whatnot. Things Taro and Jaron got offered but waved away, she grabs onto like a lifeline.

Because unlike Taro and Jaron, the only things holding her to Hillwood are her dad (who knows better than to keep her from her dreams), and Ham (who’d much rather she stick around with him cuz hey, he’s miserable, too, okay?!).

So, much of Ham’s chapter is Kori trying to talk to him and him avoiding the inevitable, I guess. Like literally my plan was to have Ham focused on all this other junk–other friends, girls, sports, his family, wrestling, what have you–and to have Kori kinda popping in from time to time being weird, and then you, as the reader, have only a vague suspicion of what’s really going on until the final confrontation. This is all rough since I haven’t written it, but the basic idea is they get into a huge fight, where Ham declares himself to her in a bid to keep her in Hillwood and Kori snaps on him and tells him she’s sick of always following him around, basing everything in her life around him, always him. But what about her? Has he ever even thought about her once? Has she ever mattered? Because she wants to matter. She wants to go to Japan, to meet and live with her relatives, connect with her roots, discover herself and what all there is of the world outside of all this other bullshit.

And Ham is flabbergasted by all this, because yeah, he really hadn’t thought about it, he hadn’t wanted to, and he yells back at her and yada yada. She goes, he says nothing about it, and they don’t talk anymore. Ham eventually stops being angry and starts hating himself instead, eaten up with guilt about how he reacted. Because she was always his best friend first, and he’d been a shit friend to her. Had tried to use his feelings as leverage to keep her locked in a situation she hated. And he doesn’t even know if she felt the same about him–in his desperation, her feelings, good or bad, had ceased to mean anything. He’d just wanted her to consider how she was making him feel. To pity him, if nothing else. It’s a lot for a depressed, hormonal fourteen-year-old to have to think about, and on top of it all, he still loves her and feels insanely jealous any time he hears any stories of what she’s up to and hates himself all the more for it. He doesn’t date anymore. Or, that was the plan before Pam showed up. His chapter’s meant to end with Ham finally taking that first step towards recovery and accepting Pam’s offer to a date. Which is cool, it’s good. I’m pretty happy with that outcome. Positive character development is tasty.

Phil’s supportive about the whole “unrequited feels for your ex-bff” thing. Or, well, as supportive as Phil’s capable. Zack’s a bich about it. Helga just hates it all a whole heaping ton for obvious reasons. And that’s it, that’s the end.

OH, and Ham and Helga have a heart-to-heart about the whole thing and he ends up the first (and only?) kid she confides the full extent of her romantic history with Arnold to. Like straight-up, she tells him about the shrines, and Ham’s like, “QUE?!” (sorry, had to). Anyway, so absent-mindedly one day, Ham makes a little pencil-version of Kori, realizes what he just did, snorts at it, and throws it away in a drawer to be forgotten. I think… Zack finds it, though? Yeah, I’m pretty sure it was Zack. And so that’s a thing that gets laughed about for years then, lol. If anyone even remembers the Shrine discourse from way back in Looking Up. Now you know.

So there it is. Not that exciting and probably exactly what everyone expected, but I just love Kori and I enjoy exploring the darker aspects of Ham’s character. I love him, too, though, I do. Poor confused lemon head. He just needs to grow up, that’s all. On his own time and without all the pressure and unearned expectations.

Hope it was all you wanted, Anon. Sorry for rambling a bit at the end there. Have a good day. 💛☕

[queerficwriter]

Clexa surfing fic...

This is for @srfann thanks for the prompt. You were first so I wrote for you:) Thanks for helping me out:)

Art on Water

There was sand everywhere, quite literally everywhere, and there were places that Clarke didn’t want sand. Her skin almost prickled, despite the copious amounts of sunscreen, as the sun beat on relentless in its heat even as it sunk lower in the sky.

“What’s up with Clarke?” Octavia asked sinking gracefully onto a sun lounger, looking tanned and gorgeous, fresh from a shower and ready for dinner and drinks.

Raven snorted her response as she threw a handful of sand at Clarke’s back, “she’s in love.”

“With the beach? So what?” Octavia frowned. “Why are you two not ready? I thought we were all going to go get ready? That’s what you text? It wasn’t like I wasn’t having fun in Lincolns bed – I could have stayed longer.”

“We were about to leave but then she showed up,” Raven pointed at the water, at the epic waves and the surfer riding them with more skill than even Clarke had.

“Who is that?”

“My next girlfriend,” Clarke sighed dreamily before casting a look of utter contempt at the sand filled cast on her ankle.

“Huh,” Octavia nodded thoughtfully staring at the tall, dark haired goddess who had paused in her efforts and was sitting on her board casually soaking up the sun.

“Clarkie here is waiting for her to get out of the water because she can’t go in and get her,” Raven explained helpfully. “I’m waiting for her much less talented, but equally gorgeous friend,” she nodded to another woman who’d managed to reach her friend who was laughing, and clearly handing out tips.

“Either of you two bozo’s consider the fact that perhaps they’re on a date together? That hot girl one is teaching hot girl two to surf in an attempt to woo?”

“Nope,” Clarke shook her head with confidence, and ungracefully got to her feet, bending to reach her crutches, and staring irritably at her foot. Once she was balanced she fluffed her hair, adjusted her bikini top ensuring her cleavage was good, shook the sand from her shorts and dragged her eyes from the beautiful, talented girl and looked at her friends.

“How do I look?”

“Hot,” Raven answered and Clarke smiled before her friend continued, “because you’ve been out roasting in the sun all day…”

“Seriously?” Clarke’s face and confidence fell.

“You’re a babe, ignore Rae,” Octavia reassured. “I mean your hair is a little messy, and you’ve…uh, caught the sun…”

“I’m burnt?” Clarke was outraged. “Why didn’t you tell me?” she turned to Raven with a glare.

“Hottie watching the same as you,” Raven shrugged.

“Fuck,” Clarke stomped one of her crutches into the sand. “I have to speak to her. Seriously, I cannot leave this beach and the perhaps never see her again.”

“She might be a jerk,” Octavia pointed out.

“I’m a jerk and we still like me,” Clarke huffed.

“Well, most of the time,” Raven grinned.

“See, she’s a jerk and we still like her,” Clarke prodded Raven’s foot with her crutch.

“Fine, okay, so she’s out of the water – go chat her up so we can go get drinks and food.”

“On it,” Clarke swallowed down her nerves and tried to pretend that she looked as fresh as Octavia, as she hopped her way efficiently across the beach, and positioned herself in front of the deity scrubbing wax on an epic surfboard, feeling her mouth go dry, and everything else get wet at the sight of black tattoos on smooth, tanned skin. “Hi,” her voice came out in a low timbre and the girl looked up, bright green eyes taking her in, clearly appraising.

“Hi,” she smiled and then returned to waxing her board.

“You here for the competition?”

“Yeah. You here to watch?” the girl stopped waxing her board and looked at Clarke, tapping one of the crutches with a long, nail filed finger.

“This time,” Clarke shrugged.

“You do that surfing?”

“Kinda,” Clarke flushed.

“Then I’d have beaten you,” the girl gave her a wink.

“Those are fighting words,” Clarke relaxed because flirting was something she could do, even with a broken ankle, sunburn, and sandy hair.

“Surfing is my life.”

“Hmmm, hot surfer girls with tatts are mine,” Clarke responded with a smirk, and watched red tinge beautiful cheeks.

“That’s a bad line,” the girl mumbled.

“Well it was unrehearsed unlike my surfing.”

“Writing checks your body can’t cash, huh?”

“A Top Gun line?” Clarke laughed out loud. “My dream woman.”

“I’m Lexa,” the girl nudged her hand against Clarkes, and Clarke thought she might die because her body swooped with a swarm of horny butterflies.

“Clarke,” she tried to nudge Lexa’s hand back in the same sexy way, but she dropped her crutch and it flopped in the sand rather pathetically.

“Smooth,” Lexa teased.

“I try,” Clarke reached out a second time, and nudged Lexa’s fingers, thrilling at the way they tracked over hers.

“Will you be watching on the weekend?”

“My friends are competing.”

“And you want to watch me thrash them?” Lexa asked, cheeky.

“I just want to watch you. Not sure I care about who you thrash.”

“You’ll care when you see me surf,” Lexa promised.

“I’m pretty fond of you post surf, you know,” Clarke allowed her eyes to rake over Lexa’s abs, and couldn’t help but lick her lips as she imagined how they’d feel under her tongue.

“You really show your emotions, you know?” Lexa’s cheeks were tinged red yet again.

“You mean you can tell how insanely attracted to you I am?” Clarke asked, trying to look casual as she leaned on her one crutch.

“You want to go for a drink?” Lexa responded, and then leaned in and whispered against Clarke’s ear, “can you tell that I’m feeling some pretty strong attraction for you?”

“Hmmm,” Clarke shifted her head, feeling the pheromones zing between them as their faces hovered close together. “Fuck,” she breathed in Lexa’s minty breath, felt its warmth on her cheek, against her lips. “I want to surf,” she admitted to break the tension and then cursed herself for not breaking it by surging forward and kissing the girl.

“Hmmm,” Lexa stood back, arms crossed under perfect bikini clad boobs, eyes staring at her plaster cast covered foot and leg. “Whatever you want,” she shrugged and tugged her board from the sand before dropping it flat on the sand and then moving behind Clarke. “Permission to touch you?”

“Granted,” Clarke murmured, sighing as Lexa’s hands clutched at her hips and lifted her onto the board. “Fuck, granted times a hundred.”

“Now, I can usually do some pretty epic moves when I double surf with my friend Indra, but given your plaster cast imposition we’ll keep it simple.”

“Simple is good,” Clarke’s breath was stuck in her throat. Every part of her that was even in proximity to Lexa, let alone touching, was zinging, like her cells were more than alive, like they were vibrating. Lexa’s hands withdrew.

“Close your eyes, and pretend, because I’m not going to be responsible for fucking up that leg and extending your time off the water.”

“Keep talking romantic like that and I’ll be yours forever,” Clarke teased, looking over her shoulder and into green eyes, eyes so beautiful she ached inside, unable to explain or rationalise how this girl was making her feel. “Fuck, can I be yours forever?”

“We’ll see,” Lexa smiled brightly, and it was so beautiful, so wonderful Clarke attempted to be her smooth self and pull the girl into a kiss, to turn, slide a hand onto her waist and press her lips to those gorgeous, plump, kissable lips. Only her ankle was fucked up, and instead of spinning smoothly, she was caught off balance and fell into the sand with an oomph. Lexa dropped to the sand beside her, “you’re adorable! Is that how you broke your leg?”

“I was going for sexy and no,” Clarke shrugged, and struck a pose where she lay in a heap on the sand.

“Yeah, success at the sexy,” Lexa murmured, tucking a strand of fair hair behind her ear.

“Good!” Clarke grinned, pleased with herself, but was then lost in green eyes which were locked on hers, “please kiss me.”

“Isn’t a date a good idea first?”

“This isn’t a date?” Clarke pouted and Lexa laughed.

“Sure, this can be a date, but maybe dinner, a movie, sitting on a beach around a campfire…maybe all of those things then a kiss?”

“A kiss now is a really good idea,” Clarke reassured, hand finding Lexa’s jaw, her fucking epic jaw, and brushing over a perfect cheekbone.

“I agree,” Lexa murmured before leaning forward, her soft lips pressing into Clarke’s, her tongue tangling with hers, as Lexa kissed her so fucking thoroughly she thought she might come. Clarke wanted more, but when she tried to deepen the kiss Lexa was gone.

“Hmmm, come back,” she pouted.

“A date. What if I’m an asshole?” Lexa’s hand was sliding over her stomach and Clarke’s mind was chanting ‘lower, lower, lower.”

“I’m an asshole.”

“Well, I’ll consider myself warned.”

“Hmmm, you should. All I wanna do is surf, or art. People say it’s annoying.”

“Sound’s awful,” Lexa was so close Clarke felt like she was on fire.

“I think I might wanna do you more than either of those things.”

“Fuck,” it was Lexa’s turn to swear.

“If I promise you dates will you kiss me again?”

“What if I don’t like you?”

“Lexa, you’re gonna love me,” Clarke sassed.

“What makes you so sure?”

“Why don’t you find out?” she winked and Lexa laughed before kissing her again.

“Now let me take you to dinner?”

“Later, later, more kissing,” Clarke frowned.

“Dinner, then so much more kissing.”

“More than kissing?” Clarke arched an eyebrow and was rewarded with another chuckle.

“I was not expecting you!”

“Hmmm, well you shouldn’t be hanging about looking so sexy and in command and all that jazz – it attracts all types.”

“You’ll do…”

“Who’s your friend Lexa?” the cool voice interrupting them barely registered.

“This is Clarke,” Lexa rolled off of her, and stared at her friend from on the ocean. “Anya, Clarke, Clarke, Anya.”

“You coming with me or taking this girl somewhere nice?”

“Are you really asking that?”

“See you tomorrow, Lexa,” Anya laughed and strode off down the beach.

“Come on Clarke,” Lexa murmured, standing, and holding out a hand. “I wanna hear the truth about how you broke that ankle.”

“You’ll need to get me tipsy if you want a demonstration,” Clarke fluttered her eyelashes as Lexa pulled her to her feet, and retrieved her crutches.

“I cannot wait,” Lexa knotted her hand in Clarke’s hair and pulled her in for a kiss. Clarke dropped her crutches and threw her body against Lexa’s strong, lean one, and Lexa laughed into the kiss. “Is it wrong that I adore you already?”

“Nope!”

[alexwolffe]

Top 10 favorite Wakfu episodes (with your thoughts and facts)

@thetristevaguard

My top ten favorite Wakfu episodes? Lol this is kinda hard,I kinda wanna say them all, but I’ll do my best (I’m gonna do it from season 1- season 3)

1) s1ep The Child from the Mist - just because of the waythey introduced the characters and world captured my much younger mind (lolI’ve been a fan since it first came out on Netflix) in a way that kept meinterested and invested in the characters and plot that have continued to thisday.  I love how grougaloragran wasintroduced and asked what was in the baby carriage (a baby, what else?) andRuel and Alibert’s dynamic, how adorable Yugo is, that there was a guybasically reading a pin up magazine in the restroom (sigh Anakama, this is akid’s show) and how Percedal is introduced.

2) s1e4 The Ugly Pageant - Okay this episode never fails tocrack me up. Ever. I’ve watched it so many times, because it’s so funny!  Plus it’s the second episode where the BotT(before the naming) is actually actively on the quest.  It starts to show the established dynamicsand roles within the group without giving away too much.  Percedal shows how he is a knight byattempting the “typical knight trope” with rescuing a princess from atower.  Which doesn’t go as planned.  At all. I also love how Eva looks reallypretty but feels uncomfortable in such nice clothes, Amalia doesn’t even try tobe “ugly” (until Yugo “helps” lol Siamese twin princesses), and Ruel’s A+costume. Seriously Ruel’s costume was FANTASTIC.

3) s1e21 – I enjoy this episode because we get to see Adamaitraining Yugo in how to use wakfu and use his unusual powers.  Not only this, but we get to see how Nox andIgol’s relationship. (It’s passive aggressive just saying). We also get to seeIgol’s one track mind and relentlessness when giving chase. Also that sun burnyikes!

4) s1e25 –I remember so clearly watching this when it wasout on Netflix and knowing this was the only season (at the time). I was heartbrokenwas Percedal died. Yeah Yugo was my favorite but stupid, loyal, and kindPercedal the Knight dying? With no continuation? That was just shocking. Plushe stayed dead. There wasn’t even abody to “revive.” And to see the strong Evangelene sobbing? And the sweet Yugoso enraged with grief? Nope, I was heartbroken; the gang had gotten togetherbut Percedal was dead. It had a huge impact on me.

5) s2e3 – DALLY WAS ALIVE. My pure joy and Percedal being like alive and attainable, heh heh fairlycertain my fam thought I was crazy (but hey my bro was excited too lol). AlsoRemington, lol he and his cat brother, I really like them honestly. I alsoreally love how he and Eva flirt with each other but it’s not even friendly,they literally insult each other with every snide flirtatious remark. I justfind his random appearance in this arc (and later other arcs) to be anenjoyable breath of fresh air.

6) s3e8 – This was actually the first time that I realizedthat Yugo was trying to hide something under his hat. That’s right, it took meup to the 8th episode of the second season to realize that Yugo washiding something under his hat. I just thought it was a part of his otherwisesomewhat plain costume. I never thought there was a secret, I never had anysuspicions or anything. I mean Sadida males have plant heads *shrugs* I neverquestioned it. Also the boys stripping and Yugo asking what “inhibit” means butneither Ruel nor Percedal knowing. Basically it’

Bonus: “Justice demands…….justice!” And the size of your armordecides how much of a “good guy” you are lol

Bonus bonus: Yugo’s tofu underwear

7) s2e26 – Yugo’s wings and the Percedal family starts. Thatshould pretty much sum it up, yep. Seriously, sex between Eva and Dallyhappened sometime off screen during the second season…..that’s just boldAnakama, dang. But in all seriousness that fight between Yugo and Qilby said somuch about the two characters, and really showing the sad reason for why Qilbywas sooooo warped and twisted. Honestly his entire existence would be sofrustrating exhausting….but he still needed to be locked in the void. He waspsychopath. *shrug*

8) The entirety of The Quest for the Six Dofus Eliatropes –cuz they could have just been a movie, just saying. No episode stood outbecause they were all AMAZING. Not even kidding. These three episodes? Well Iwatched them sooooooooo many times, trying to figure out what was going tohappen for the past few YEARS. Years, Anakama, years. Not cool bro. Anyway, theamount of detail and character development in these 3 episodes? Wow, there wasso much character development and I realized things I never had before. LikeYugo had a crush on Amalia? Yeah that’s when I discovered this ship….I reallyam oblivious. And Percedal and Eva had 2 kids? Time had clearly gone by at thispoint.  But my favorite parts? The fightagainst Count Hareburg (RIP s3), Yugo’s fight with Adamai (heartbreaking but Istill feel like Adamai was putting too much trust in what I called “the creepysnake lady”) (and he was getting on Yugo’s case about caring/trusting someoneelse over their brother?) (sorry still salty) (there better be repercussions ins4) and the epic battle that raged above the world of 12

Bonus: baby Ogrest calling Otomai “Daddy” *death by too muchcute*

9) s3e2 – The emotions that are present in this episode arebeautiful and heartbreaking. And Princess Amalia with her gravely sick father,a usually strong and occasionally goofy character, that, that was reallyrelatable. Even if that’s never happened to you, you at least have probablyknown someone or known someone who knows someone who that’s happened to. AndArmand was really getting on my nerves, but that might have been how he copes,I guess. Still rubbed me the wrong way though. I don’t he’s a bad characterthough, just not super likeable but I can’t figure out quite way yet. Then poorYugo was also crying, he was probably feeling so many emotions, I’m notsurprised he was crying. More than likely I’d say it was most likely a mixture ofguilt, anger, fear, remorse, and maybe some mourning. It was stated in s1 thatYugo can feel the Wakfu presence of other beings, and that was when he was juststarting to learn how to use his powers, so he’s much stronger, now? Could hehave felt the king’s wakfu presence slowly disappearing? I dunno. Also Dally isjust so sad and Rubi is such an old softie, he’s just lucky that Dally isoblivious….and dumb.  Okay Elely, isprecious and perhaps slightly OP, but not in a bad way……never pick a fight withher. EVER.

10)s3e7 – Battling to keep their underwear. *breathes in,breathes out* boi. Anakama I applaud thee, only you could make a serious battleabout fighting for underwear. But it was a fierce and well fought battle which youvaliantly won in the end. And then the kiss. Now that was a passionatekiss.  It was well done, but the emotionsthat followed after it…..were FANTASTIC. Typically the kiss fixes everythingbut this kiss both makes Yugo and Amalia closer and farther, leading todifficulties later.  But what somewhatannoys me is that dragon blood makes Yugo age slower but Adamai looks like hehad steroids with a growth spurt. Kay guys that doesn’t compute, just saying.  But back to Yugo and Amalia, I find theirrelationship so interesting honestly, and personally I can’t tell if it’d workout or not. Cuz clearly they both want each other but neither (mostly Yugo) canmake up their mind.  Like Yugo is precious,but he either needs to accept Amalia accepting his younger self or let her moveon…..as harsh as that sounds

But yep my top ten episodes plus reasons and facts, phew,you have no idea how tempted I was to copy and paste the Wakfu episode listWikipedia page…..this whole series is fantastic….

Now your turn ; )