#the angsty return

[artistdove]

Some extra dopey doodles

[ghosthoodie]

you’re just following orders, but it’s chaos when you’re gone

[wolfram-but-art]

i adore ur engie having a chord tail so re: requests how does spy feel about/interact with it

he'd mostly think it's endearing, part of Dell's silly charm. sort of like when you see a puppy

sometimes Dell uses it to get Spy' attention, or to make sure he's still with him and Spy sometimes uses it to make sure Dell doesn't impulse buy a set of power drills or a tablesaw

though, no matter how much spy thinks the tail is cute, he knows it was designed out a desperation.

things rarely go without complications when dealing with amputation and prostetics - things like phantom pain or conectivity issues and basically an every day issue Dell will be forever insecure about the fact he can't just engineer it all away, he definitely regrets cutting half his arm off.

so he designed the tail as a way to counter his weakness. but what if Dell doesn't just stop at the tail? what if he tries to mess with his anatomy further? what if he ends up doing something that irreversably destroys his body? sure he's an engineer, but not a medical proffesional.

what if the pain becomes unbearable for Dell though? what if further modifications are necessary for him to live in peace? will Dell know when to stop? Will Spy know when to draw the line? when to put his foot down?

what if Dell loses himself to the idea that he can elliminate all that is wrong with him with mods like this? what if this is just the beginning?

for now it's probably fine. probably

[whumpacabra]

Whump that is about change. Whump that is about acceptance. Whump that is about adapting to loss. Whump where there is no rehabilitation, no getting back what’s gone. Sometimes things happen and there is no going back, there is no getting better. Sometimes the person that comes out the other side is different and they will never be the same again. Sometimes you need to grapple with the reality that most people don’t bounce back from traumatic brain injuries, from severe burns, from lost limbs and are their old selves ever again.

Whump that is about change, with no going back, and how the world won’t end because of it.

[an-established-butt-dent]

One of my many Solavellan head cannons.

They traveled together for months, years even. Don't tell me these lovesick fools didn't regularly disappear into the woods together, to have a quiet romantic moment away from the prying eyes of the other companions.

Mixed media on paper.

[not-with-you-but-of-you]

Forgive me, Jess, please know that I tried To hold on to the days When you were mine

— requested by @emmafallsinlove

[lunarharp]

orufrey

[caligvlasaqvarivm]

Do you think if the trolls all came back, like everything in the main comic did happen and they were alive again. Do you think Feferi would actually forgive Eridan? Or want to even be his friend after everything? I don't personally like the erisol and fefertasprite interaction…felt rushed…..so I just wanted to know your opinion if things were different! :)

Yeah, I think they would be! Feferi is one of the trolls who takes dying the least badly (relentless optimism) and Eridan does genuinely feel bad, which means a lot when it's Eridan. I think she really is genuine when she says she wants them to be friends and also that she's really not the type of person to hold a grudge, and like... death is SUPER cheap in Homestuck, it's really not the horrific, irredeemable, irreperable damage that it is IRL - and if you're talking about (Feferi) and (Eridan), then they're both dead (and irrelevent) now, so the score is kind of even.

In general, the fandom - I mean, people in general, really - tend to have difficulty divorcing themselves from other people. We tend to assume that the people and characters they like will hold similar opinions to themselves. This is how people who like Karkat and don't like Eridan can mentally gloss over or even block out their clear, close friendship, or how people who dislike Cronus can end up overlooking that Meenah actually takes his opinion seriously and unironically defends his wizard thing. Feferi really isn't mad at Eridan or upset about dying the way we probably would be, because she's friends with the horrorterrors, relentlessly cheerful, comfortable with death in general, and death is also just not really that big of a deal in this setting. "I'm really sorry about that, that was shitty of me" is honestly probably all the apology she needs, especially if they came back to life anyway.

[irenespring]

Maybe House has made me more in-tune to the secret unhinged side of my favorite characters but I'm watching SVU and Alex Cabot is a menace. (/pos)

"I have to enforce the law, and the law is not always about justice" except random times when she disagrees and will fully become the lawyer for an opposing party in full defiance of her bosses.

"Your honor I simply do not vibe with the law" and will say so in court to the point where she once got held in contempt.

Started her legendary string of "Go After The Large Company Instead of the Obvious Target" cases just because Liv asked.

She will actually do literally anything that Olivia asks...sometimes when she does something especially unhinged I go to check the scene before and 90% of the time she's doing whatever it is to appease some vague whim of Liv's.

Ride or die for the SVU squad as a whole after working with them for less than a year and knowing that they have cost her like all her political capital (something that was very important to her...she says so in her introductory scene).

Exactly predicted fetal personhood legal issues 25 years before the Supreme Court overturned Roe.

Wanted to execute a woman for the first time in NY history for feminism reasons.

Spends like 80% of all work meetings, with other people in the room who are often actively talking to her, just staring at Olivia.

Always down for a Crazy Scheme (especially when she gets to deceive others).

She has a lot of moments of understanding the law as a weapon (ie how to I use it to my own ends as opposed to viewing it as a holy ideal) that is only now actually becoming a common philosophy in law school circles.

WAY more loose-cannon moments in general than I remembered.

Also I feel the need to reiterate just how many bridges she will burn and loops she will jump through for the slightest hint of approval from Olivia. Just...so gay.

Seriously just like how in House a casual viewer may get distracted by Wilson's "Definitely a Normal Person" disguise and miss how he is just as crazy as House, Alex is just as batshit as known exhibitionist-asphyxiation-in-the-middle-of-the-courtroom fan Rafael. And I love her dearly.

[calloohly]

wow haha what a fun guy i bet he has normal thoughts and feelings about human connection and interpersonal relationships haha

[toastybugguy]

No compass pointing home…

[jomiddlemarch]

The Pump Room was excruciating and the lovely golden Crescent a horror. There was no delight to be found in the gardens, no diversion over tea or cards, no lace or ribbon tempting. Anne’s reticule hung from her wrist and her eyes stared sightlessly at the great blue sky, the kestrels and sparrowhawks aloft. Dear Lady Russell was kind and her friend Sarah Follett was as amiable as when they had been at school together and it was all worthless. Anne had broken her heart herself, sending Frederick away, and nothing in Bath would soothe her. She’d never, never return.

Posted for Day 3 of Janeaury, prompt "Bath"

[briar-oses]

squished geomjon

[xxlady-lunaxx]

sanemi had grown accustomed to the smell of cigarettes, how it clung to his clothing and followed him where he went. he was used to discerning whether his siblings would be safe by the density of the smoke in the air. if the smell was lighter, less recent, he took the opportunity to do everything he could when their father was away. somehow, even if kyogo didn’t actively have a lit cigarette with him, the smoke followed him like a plague. which he spread through the house, informing his family of his presence. because of this, the fainter scent of it became a shade of safety for sanemi. he found some solace in it, despite everything. so that, even after years, it soothed him. allowed him to relax for a moment, his mind instinctively thinking that it would be alright for now. he sought out the familiar incense, after some time, wanting to cling onto the tugs of nostalgia when things had been so much better. when his dread had derived from his father, and not from living another day. sanemi would never smoke, he was set on that. then it would only solidify the nagging feeling that he was slowly becoming more and more like the man he used to hide everyone he loved from. but, despite it all, the tension in his limbs loosened when he walked into a city and was greeted with the wavering smell of cigarettes. it wasn’t strong; the air was moving idly. it was just enough to put sanemi at ease as he headed towards his next mission, allowing himself to think that things would be okay until his father returned.

[methoughtsphantom]

plot bunnies about an idea i don’t have enough motivation juice to write. red hood identity reveal variety

smol jason

So, Red Hood reclutantly working alongside the Bat to take down a child trafficking ring when he is hit with a de-aging spell. It even isn’t the first time Batman encountered the end of this particular spell so he already knows the victim would have no recollection of their memories, so he protects the now child (he guessing 11 estimate age) and guides him through the panic of not being able to take off the Red Hood helmet. the one that canonically has a bomb in it (cause older Jason is a dramatic bitchTM) so like, Batman catches the child’s prying fingers and takes them away from the latches because Hood has implied the existence of a bomb and that’s enough for dread to set in his gut. Bruce gently coaxes the child to let him confirm this with a device he takes out of his belt and raises it eye level to the kid’s head. It beeps. And B feels the ground sweep out under him. Because indeed this child has a bomb to his head. (and he’s suddenly hearing another bomb go off in the distance and a warehouse and —)

anyways, B ends up taking (read kidnapping) this twelve year old to the Batcave so they can pry off the helmet and I can only picture the ANGST because this is Jason and Bruce each unaware of who the other is. Jason still lives in the streets in his mind according to him and well, according to B, he’s dead. So they start bonding, kinda awkwardly at first cuz of the helmet’s voice modulator, but Jay at that age (at any rlly) was a spitfire and like he genuinely makes B forget this is a crime lord for a second (kinda difficult to that when the kid is stuck in the helmet) but whatever. I can only see Jason being his cautious self but kinda being at ends here because he kinda does need Batman’s help to get this thing off him, so he can only, just like narrow his eyes when the Bat approaches him for a blood sample. (“Need to check for magic residue, lad.”)

(Jason’s only allows this because he has a knife he found in the clothes he’d was drowning in earlier)

As u can guess, Bruce was obviously lying and wanted to run the blood sample to see if it matched any from his database (as the Red Hood has also implied that they have met before)

Anyways Bruce just gets the alert that the blood reading was finished almost at the same time they can pry the helmet off, and because he got a little attached, he just wants to see the face of this lively if wary teenager that has the same name as his (dead) son. (he managed to pry it from him earlier, how, i dunno) It’s literally Bruce’s martyr and huge guilt-complex that goes like ‘ah yes let me see the face of a child that was failed so throughly by the people who should’ve taken care of him’. So they pry off the helmet and then Bruce feels like he’s been doused by cold water. it’s like he’s staring at the ghost of his dead son again, the image completed with ruffled hair, slightly upturned lips and blue guarded eyes that look up to him with recognition but not recognition.

Bruce immediately hardens, shuts down any hope he can feel rushing in and desperately tries to close the dam and let his confusion and rage turn into anguish. “Who are you?”

The boy—the imposter quickly tracks the 180 demeanor change and immediately goes defensive. A painfully familiar scowl appears in his face.

“I’m Jason, I already told you that, what, your old age catching up to you?”

Batman stalks closer and then the boy’s taking two steps back for every one the Bat takes. He tracks the loose outline of a hand closing in tightly around the hilt of a knife in the boy wearing his son’s face and he can only think how dare he.

“Lies! You’re not my son! Who are you?”

Heart in throat, Jason struggles to keep distance between him and the towering black shadow that’s so angry he can sense it in his very bones. He doesn’t understand.

He doesn’t.

“I-I my name’s Jason. Jason Todd. My father is Willis Todd, not—not, Batman.”

And there’s that for the little snippet. Sorry this is so disjointed😭. After that’s just the mental image of Dick cutting in with Zatanna trailing closely behind him and being all “Hey I got your message about a de-aging spell and—“ and just stopping at the scene.

Because that’s Batman towering over a clearly scared kid. Said kid using the distraction to try and stab Batman. The action clearly enraging Batman—that doesn’t make any sense?! B would never— Dick immediately sprints into action and steps in between the two.

like Dick just giving his back to the kid and not seeing. Batman clearly shaking his head in denial and snarling, treating the kid like his crime lord self and Dick not understanding. Having to receive help from Zatanna to get the kid the hell out of here (but like where would they even take him? The manor??)

Zatanna just takes them to the other side of the cave and takes note of the teenager. How he has a dead grip on a red helmet and his gaze is stuck upon it.

Meanwhile Dick has to physically restrain Batman from going after the kid and he raises his voice just enough to demand what the hell is happening?? Why is there a kid in the Batcave? …Batman??? Report. As he is demanding answers Dick had slowly loosen his grip on his dad only to now found him staring at his gauntlet’s data hologram.

The information displayed? 99.98% Match confirmed to Jason Peter Todd.

So as this is clearly pure angst, I want Jason to lash out, sticking only to Zatanna only to realize she’s the magic user that’ll quote on quote will return him back to normal.

Jason is just like on really uneven ground here, even though he doesn’t think he’s ready to retur. But then Batman is just like “Jaylad” … “Jay…” and taking off his cowl and reaching up to him and looking at him like he knows him, like he’s something fragile and precious. Which is sooo fucking jarring you can understand. Jason internally is all what the fuck

Jason just wants them to back off. Jason is an overwhelmed bean. He looks up to Nightwing for help but the man is also mirroring the Bat, domino off and eyes suspiciously bright.

Zatanna is literally the only person in the room not emotionally compromised. She’s with Jay in the ??? train.

Suddenly she looks down and there’s the little boy whose eyes are pleading in helpless confusion. Eyes practically conveying the question you can return me back to normal right?? he pointedly doesn’t rip his eyes from hers as Zatanna puts a hand on his shoulder, pretending she doesn’t notice how he trembles and wordlessly asks if he’s sure.

cut scene

Bruce interrupts because information overload and he can’t compartmentalize this is too important and he and Dick stop Zatanna to which she too is ?? because that was literally what she was called for here. Dick is no help.

Dick is torn.

[lawsofchaos1]

Shadowhunter Promptlet: Empath Alec Lightwood

Imagine an AU where certain powerful Downworlders and some Shadowhunters from the oldest bloodlines, the ones most connected to Raziel, have special powers.

Alec is the eldest son of two ancient lineages and no one is surprised when his gift is unusually strong. Alec is an empath/psychometric and can feel everyone's emotions through touch. The emotions are overpowering and hurt, so he wears gloves almost every waking minute of the day and avoids touch from pretty much everyone, only occasionally allowing Izzy or Jace close, but never any direct skin contact.

Magnus, son of Asmodeus, is equally strong in his gift - a telepath who can influence people's emotions in addition to reading minds. Although, people are horrible, so Magnus has iron clad shields to prevent that as much as possible.

Magnus has locked his heart away for centuries because he is terrified that his partners only 'love' him because he's influenced them without meaning too.

When Magnus and Alec meet, Alec is absolutely entranced. Nobody has ever felt so good to him before, and feeling the edges of Magnus' emotions is like sinking into a warm bath. Magnus resists his own fast fall into love until he finds out that Alec is immune to being influenced by his emotions - he can feel them, but he knows they're not his. Magnus cries for the first time in centuries when he realizes that Alec's open adoration for him isn't something Magnus unknowingly manufactured in the thrall of loneliness and desperation.

Alec is touch-starved, their kiss at the altar the first time Alec has touched anybody's bare skin since he was a child. Afterwards, Alec indulges in Magnus' touch every chance he can get, reveling in every brush of warmth from Magnus' hands and lips and arms.

[Only hit Keep Reading if you want some optional hella angst before returning to the happy ending as scheduled.]

They’re still the wonderful, schmoopy Malec we adore, but Alec always feels in the back of his head like he somehow lucked out and stole Magnus from someone more deserving - he was literally Magnus’ only option after all.

On a mission one day, however, Alec discovers a lead on a magical artifact that would enable Magnus to selectively neutralize his powers.

Alec would do anything for even a small chance at changing his husband’s life like that- letting him be able to finally hug Ragnor and Cat and Raphael, let him hold Madzie’s hand.

But Alec knows in the deepest part of his heart that with every step he comes closer to finding the artifact, he takes one step closer to losing his husband. Why would Magnus choose Alec if this discovery opened up the whole world for Magnus to choose from?

Three weeks later, in an abandoned dockside warehouse, Alec stares down at the gem in his hand and thinks that it’s a cruel irony he would find this on the evening of their third anniversary.

He contemplates waiting, contemplates giving himself just one more time with Magnus, one more night to burn in his memory to last for the rest of his life, but he knows that every stolen touch would feel tainted and wrong.

The only question is, after giving the gem to Magnus, does he wait for his husband to ask for his freedom or does he offer to give it to him before he is forced to hear that request cross Magnus’ lips?

Alec doesn’t know which one will hurt worse.

[Return to happy ending post-haste after suitable amount of Miscommunication and Angst]