#the chance of me being shot should be 0

[asharestupid]

I'm sorry but the fact that USA lawmakers can't seem to realize that 602 is way to high of a fucking number continues to amaze me

[flemingsfreckles]

Physio’s Daughter Pt 8

Read the other 7 parts HERE

Warnings: cursing, suggestions to sex, mentions of throwing up, that should be it!

WC: 4.8k

A/N: hello 👋

“Really? You still have interest?” Jessie looks baffled, her eyes wide with raised eyebrows.

“Oh don’t act so surprised, you saw me staring earlier.”

“Yeah I did.” She smiles, thinking back to how she had intentionally wiped her forehead while facing in your direction. She was more than pleased with herself when she put back down her shirt to see you had been watching.

“Look, you said terrible things, and if anything even remotely close to that happens again, I will never speak to you again. But Jessie I really like you. I want to give you a second chance even though maybe I shouldn’t but I’d like to believe what you and Janine both said is true. This isn’t your typical behavior, you’re just under a lot of pressure.”

“I promise I’m not usually like this.”

“I know, that’s why I like you. But that’s also why this is so frustrating and why the other night hurt me so much. I know you’re not usually like this, I know how kind and caring and sweet you are. And if it wasn’t for all this, the fact that we work together, in this dynamic, I would’ve asked you out on a proper date weeks ago.” It’s true, if you haven’t worked with her, if you’d met her at school, at a cafe, just walking down the street, you would’ve already taken her out. You would’ve asked her on dates, but you couldn’t, not when you worked together.

“Then fuck all this,” she gestures to the room and the Canada logo on her own training top. “Just ask anyway.”

“I don’t want to get you or myself in trouble.” You look at the logo on her shirt, it wasn’t that easy to just say fuck it to the team, the team Jessie had represented since she was 15.

“We can talk to whoever we need to.” She spits out.

“Oh be for real Jessie we haven’t even gone on a date, we don’t need to be in Helen’s office signing paperwork already.” You give her a smile, it was nice she was willing to talk to Helen but a little too early.

A smile breaks on Jessie’s face. “Okay, maybe that was a little premature.” The smile from her face fades as she speaks again. “So, maybe we go with the original plan? Wait until these games are over, see where we’re at?”

You nod in agreement. “But for now, coworkers.”

“Coworkers.” Jessie repeats looking at you before a mischievous smile comes across her face.

“What?” You ask, somewhat afraid of what her answer might be.

“This is I think the third time we’ve agreed to be coworkers.” She scoffs.

“No, this time I’m serious.” You do your best to give her a stern look.

“You said that last time.” She laughs

“Shut up.” You can’t help but laugh with her, you two were terrible at being coworkers.

“At least it’s only a few more days and one more game.” She says softly after she’s done giggling.

“Only one more game.”

You quickly found yourself getting ready for that final game. The reality that you were helping prep players for an Olympic gold medal match had you a little extra nervous. Canada was taking on Spain. Reigning World Cup Champions Spain.

The first 90’ minutes of the game felt like they went by in a blink. When the whistle blew the score remained 0-0. Both teams had good shots, both keepers making impressive saves.

The extra time came and went as well and suddenly you felt like you were back a few days ago.

Penalties. Again.

You watch the first few players step up. Julia makes her penalty 1-0, a Spain player makes her’s as well, 1-1. Feeling overwhelmed, you stare at the ground for the next few players. You watch your feet, you don’t even need to watch. You can hear the silence followed by the kick and you get the answer on save or miss through the reactions of the staff standing next to you. Chloe misses, 1-1, Spain makes theirs 1-2, Jordyn makes it 2-2, a player from Spain misses 2-2, Ashley makes her kick, and the Spanish player misses wide, 3-2.

You feel a quick pinch at your side where your Mom’s hand was resting around your waist. You look up to her and she subtly nods toward the field. You turn and watch as Jessie picks up the ball. You can practically feel the air get sucked out of your lungs. She was taking Canada’s fifth and final kick. If she makes it, it’s over. If she misses, Spain has the chance to tie.

You watch her meticulously place the ball, adjusting it a few times. Once she’s satisfied with the ball, she takes three steps back, and looks down, closing her eyes for a moment. You held your breath, beginning to subconsciously time how long she was waiting. You started to panic, feeling like you could puke, it felt like she was waiting too long again, or maybe it just felt like time had frozen. Jessie opened her eyes, and began her approach. She kicked it and you watched as the ball slammed against the back of the net.

You’re practically yanked onto the field by those around you, you’re not even sure where you were running besides the mass of red and white in front of you. You end up in the mob of bodies, receiving random hugs from whoever was around you. You kept your eyes scanning hoping to find Jessie, her height not helping her stand out. You also know she’s likely in the middle of the mass of her teammates, scoring the winning penalty.

As the initial celebration dies down, the players begin to spread out. Some find their families in the crowd, others moving to sit and soak in the moment. You keep your eyes scanning, hoping to find the girl with the armband.

While you’re busy spinning in circles looking for her, someone grabs your hand from behind.

“Come here.” The captain had found you before you could find her. Jessie grabs your hand, pulling you out and away from the crowd. The two of you move over to the side of the pitch, not far off from her teammates but enough to be in your own space. She turns you toward her, dropping your hand.

“I thought about you.” She says, tears in her eyes, her hands holding your face between them, her thumbs gently rubbing your cheeks. “I thought about you when I took that kick. You were my calm person.”

“I almost threw up.” You admit to her.

“What?” Jessie says, a mix of concern and a smile across her face. Her hands are still on your cheeks.

“I was so nervous watching you kick.”

“Oh.” She laughs. “You’re the reason I wasn’t nervous.” You’re grateful Jessie was able to quickly move past the fact that you had almost thrown up from nerves, embarrassed that you even said it to her.

“Congratulations, you deserve it Jessie.” You say, finally getting out the words you prepared and meant to say when you first saw her.

“I wouldn’t have been here without you, you deserve this too.” Her eyes are still locked with yours. You both stand listening to the rest of the team celebrate behind you. You both break eye contact hearing some screaming getting louder.

“Wooooooooo” you watch as Janine goes running by, a flag in one hand and a bottle of champagne in the other hand with Jordyn and Julia following shortly behind her yelling to give them back the bottle. You watch as Jessie rolls her eyes at her teammate’s behavior. You both turn back toward each other. This time Jessie’s eyes move down to your lips, then to your eyes and back to your lips. She moves her head slightly toward you.

“Jessie.” You warn her, you don’t want her to stop but you want to remind her that you’re both standing in a packed stadium with hundreds of cameras taking photos.

“Who cares.” She whispers before she starts to lean in again. You start to close your own eyes, not leaning in, wanting this to be her choice to kiss you in front of her team, her coaches, her family that was likely here.

“Congratulations Jessie.” You hear a voice you know all too well to the side of you. One of your Mom’s hands coming down on your shoulder while the other comes down on Jessie’s shoulder. You feel a slight push back on you, breaking up how close you and Jessie were.

Jessie’s hands fall from your face as she turns to look at your Mom.

“Oh, um, thank you, hey congratulations to you too, none of us would be here without all your hard work.”

“Thank you Jessie, assuming you were just thanking my daughter as well?” Your Mom gives you a quick glance, you know she’s teasing both of you, Jessie doesn’t get the message, trying to explain herself.

“Yeah, of course. I mean, she’s been great, um obviously, with my injury of course, my calf, she helped me a lot. I was thanking her for all that.” The way Jessie starts to stutter, tripping over her words as she tries to subtly deny the fact that she was about to kiss you, it was cute. You’re sure if she wasn’t already red in the face from playing, her cheeks would be from embarrassment.

“Hey if I don’t see you again before you players go out tonight, be safe, look out for each other.”

“We will.” Jessie assures your Mom before she walks away leaving you two again.

“She really has impeccable timing doesn’t she.” Jessie looks at you.

“She does.” You say before muttering “cockblock” under your breath only it comes out a little bit louder than you expected.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

You both stand for a second, your chance to kiss clearly over as you’ve both been brought back to reality of standing in the stadium, Jessie’s teammates still running around. You watch as she scans the crowd before her head stops moving and she waves.

“There’s my family.” She points in the direction she waved in and you see a small group of people waving back at her.

“Go.” You shove her in their direction and she looks at you giving you one last smile before taking off running in their direction. You watch her, looking at the back of her jersey as she runs away to be pulled into a group hug. You turn back to go find the rest of the staff, giving your congratulations to whoever you passed in a Canada shirt as they did the same back to you.

The stadium is soon only filled with a sea of red, the Spain supporters leaving. The podiums are brought out at you watch as they begin to set up for the medal ceremony.

The team is quickly ushered back into the changing rooms put on their designated podium outfits. They quickly come back out, lining up to step up and receive their medals.

You stand off to the side, watching as France steps onto the bronze medal platform, followed by Spain. And then you watch as the Canadian team steps up. You can’t help but feel tears in your eyes, watching the girls that you’ve been working with for countless days helping at training, at matches, helping them stretch on the bus or in a hotel room, all those moments, all they had worked for and they did it. You watched as they got their medals Jessie receiving hers from Janine and putting one around Sabrina’s neck.

You watched as Jessie picked up the medal around her neck, examining it with her hands, flipping it around. You watch as Janine leans over, saying something into Jessie’s ear, Jessie immediately picking up her head and looking in your direction. She gives you a smile when her eyes meet yours. Janine must’ve noticed you staring and told her. You give her a thumbs up before they begin playing all the national anthems.

Once the ceremony is finished you stand around a bit longer, watching all the players soak in the moment together. You find yourself catching Jessie’s eye every once in a while until she finally makes her way over to you.

“You’re coming out with us, right?” She slings an arm around your shoulder.

“Tonight?”

“Obviously, we’re going to go celebrate, we’ve got a bar rented out.” You had heard discussions of the post game celebrations, but never really read into them too much, you didn’t want to get too ahead of yourself thinking they’d win, it felt like you’d jinx them.

“I don’t want to intrude, if it’s a player thing.”

“It’s not, everyone’s invited, coaches, staff, families, everyone.” Jessie turns so her lips are against your ear. “Plus, I want you to be there.” She says quietly. You feel your skin prickle at her low voice and the feeling of her breath on your body.

You stumble over your own words as you agree to meet them at the bar later, your brain short circuiting from the feeling of her lips against your ear. “Oh, then yeah I’ll be there.”

You quickly found yourself a couple drinks in, courtesy of the Canadian foundation, in a rather large, but dark bar. Loud music and conversation filling the air. You had only arrived about an hour ago, thankfully it was within walking distance from the hotel. You had gone back and changed into a nicer pair of gray jeans and a simple Canada sweatshirt. Since you opted to change you did not arrive at the same time as Jessie, you had been unable to find her since arriving. You felt like you were back searching for her on the field after the match. Most of the players had remained in their sweatsuits, some changing into other t-shirts, sweatpants. You had found just about every other player, who all led you astray in which direction they last saw their captain.

You make your way back to the bar to get another drink, deciding you’ll just go sit with Olivia and the rest of the staff at the table they had occupied.

“Hey, where have you been?” You feel hands grab tightly onto your hips and you turn to see the brown eyes you’ve been looking for.

“Hi, I changed.” You gesture down to the fact that you were no longer wearing athletic clothing like you did while at work. “but I’ve been here an hour or so, I’ve been running around looking for you.”

“I’ve been looking for you.” Her eyes graze over your body. “You look good.” You can smell the alcohol radiating off of Jessie you’re not sure if it’s alcohol she’s consumed or if it’s just a mix of the champagne that was sprayed across her skin in celebration along with the smell of the bar. Her hands are still firm on your hips. “Come here.” She gently tugs you away from the bar.

“Hang on, let me grab this.” You reach for the beer the bartender had placed in front of you and then let yourself be pulled away.

She moves to grab your free hand instead and keeps pulling you, through the mass of red and white, back to the back corner of the bar and into a small hallway.

“Where are we going?” You ask when she finally stops walking.

“Here, where it’s just you and me.” Her hands find their way back to your hips and she pushes you back so you’re against the cool brick wall. “So we can do this.”

Her hand comes up to your cheek as it did after the game, but this time it doesn’t stop at your cheek she keeps moving it to the back of your neck, gently pulling you toward her and she moves in. This kiss was different than the rest, the rest had been timid, soft, gentle. This kiss was firm, her lips starting to move against yours immediately, its only a few seconds before you feel her tongue against your lips. You part your lips and let your own tongue graze against hers. You get the answer to your earlier question as you can taste the tequila and what you think is vodka on her tongue. The taste has you pulling back.

“Hey.” Jessie protests, a frown across her face.

“Are you drunk?” You put your hand without the beer against her chest, holding her back from leaning in to kiss you again.

“What?” She cooks her head at you.

“Are you just making out with me because you’re drunk? I can taste the liquor.”

“No you idiot, I mean yes I’ve been drinking, but I’m not drunk, plus I’ve wanted to makeout with you for weeks.”

“Okay but we’re in public. You team could see.” It’s not that you don’t believe her when she says she’s not drunk, it’s just you couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy with her choices to suddenly makeout with you in a bar, knowing she had definitely consumed something.

“I don’t care.”

“Jessie, no.” You step away from her..

“What? Oh come on? Because I’ve had three drinks? How many have you had?” She posed a fair question, she had had just as many drinks of you but you had been at the bar for far less time, if anyone was the problem here it would’ve been you.

“I just think you’re not fully considering the consequences of making out with me in a public bar. When you’re sober, we can do this.”

She leans down close to you and you think she’s going to kiss you again, but she brings her mouth toward your ear. “Okay, then I’m done drinking because I want to makeout with you. I promise I’m not drunk, not even tipsy, but if you want to wait that’s fine.”

“Okay.” You reply and Jessie turns walking back into the room. You follow her and watch as she makes her way to the bar, when she turns back she has two bottles of water in her hands.

“You should drink if you want to drink, it’s your night to celebrate.” You say when she comes over to your side, shaking one of the bottles of water at you. You don’t want to be the reason she doesn’t celebrate.

“No, I’m not a big drinker anyway, I had already decided to be done, I just got peer pressured into some shots with some of the youngsters when I first got here.” She takes a large sip of water.

“Jessie.” Your conversation is interrupted by hearing someone call from behind you and a girl runs up to her followed by two other men and a woman.

“Hi! Oh I’ve miss you.” Jessie takes the girl into a tight hug before releasing her and moving onto the next person hugging the next person.

“We’re so proud of you honey!”

“Thanks Mom.” Jessie mutters into the women’s hug. That's when you’re able to make the connection, this was Jessie’s family standing in front of you.

“This is my family, my mom, dad, sister and brother.” She points to each person. She introduced her family to you. She starts explaining how you’ve helped her with her injuries, and how you help everyone with stretching and staying healthy. She’s singing your praises to her family, making you blush standing next to her.

You stick around for a couple minutes as Jessie continues to talk about you. Not wanting to force her family to listen to stories about you, you tell Jessie you’ll be over at a table and leave her to enjoy the moment with her family.

You slide into a booth next to Janine and a few other people you didn’t know, assumed friends and family of the team. It doesn't take long for Janine to bring up the topic of Jessie.

“Just so you know,” Janine claps her hand hard against your back, giving you a slight shake. She leans in close to you. “I’m spending tonight, and probably the rest of the nights we’re here in his hotel room.” She points at the man next to you who now you recognize from photos to be her fiancé. “So there won’t be someone else in Jessie’s room.” You pull back to just look at her, you couldn’t believe what she was implying.

Janine must’ve thought you didn’t understand what she was suggesting when you didn’t respond. “Ya know, if you and a certain someone want to-”

“I know what you meant!” You spit out quickly. Taking a sip of the water you had. Upon your snappy response Janine quickly changed the subject, eying up the medal around her neck again, showing it to her fiancé.

It wasn’t long before you felt the booth sag next to you and Jessie alone with her sister found themselves next to you in the booth.

“Elysse!” Janine exclaims reaching over you and Jessie to attempt to hug the girl. Both of them leaning in pushes you and Jessie practically into each others laps.

“Sorry.” You apologize to Jessie, it wasn’t your fault but you felt like you were squishing her.

“All good.” She gives you a sweet smile before returning to her own personal space as Janine removes herself from across you two.

“Hey.” she slaps Jessie’s leg getting her attention. “I just finished telling this one that-” You almost go to cover Janine’s mouth with your hand. You know she’s been drinking and you also knew what was about to come out of her mouth. But you don’t stop her, instead you tilt your head down clenching your eyes hoping it’ll stop Janine’s words, only it doesn’t. “I’ll be in Ethan’s hotel room the rest of the trip, if you want to use it.”

“Oh.” You can feel Jessie’s eyes burning into the side of your head as you slowly open your eyes and send a pointed look in Janine’s direction.

“What?” She says, reading the uncomfortable looks you and Jessie were both giving her. “Oh what, do you two really think you’re doing such a good job of keeping it secret? You were practically making bedroom eyes at each other during the medal ceremony today.”

“Janine!” Jessie shouts at her friend before just shaking her head. You finally have the courage to take a glance at Jessie, her eyes are wide, she looks uncomfortable, you can also see her sister behind her looking between you and Jessie, trying to stifle a laugh.

“Alright, it might be time to get you out of here.” Janine’s fiancé says, grabbing Janine’s hand as he stood up. He gives a quick wave at the table, half as an apology, half as a goodbye. You all wave back to him and Janine and they walk into the mass of people.

You sat for a little bit longer, some teammates coming to join your table for a few minutes to chat before they’d run off to talk with someone else. It was only an hour later that Jessie’s Dad found his way to the table. “Jess, we’re going to get out of here, it’s late and we’re not young anymore, we’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah of course.” Jessie responds, she smacks your leg a few times then pointing to the side of you. You get the hint and stand up to let her out of the table. You watch as she stands up giving her Dad a tight hug.

“Coming now or later?” Her Dad looks at Jessie’s sister.

“Now, just give me a second to use the restroom.” She nods and her Dad walks away after they agree to meet outside.

“I don’t have to pee, I just wanted him to walk away. You two enjoy your night without Janine.” She says with a wink and a look between the two of you. You look over to Jessie who’s sporting a blushed red face. Her sister stands up to hug her and whispers something into Jessie’s ear, making her turn even more red. She gives you a quick wave and heads in the direction of the door.

“I think I’m going to call it a night too, feeling tired.” You say, suddenly feeling the exhaustion of the day hit you all at once. A yawn coming out of your mouth.

“I was actually thinking the same thing.” Jessie flashes you a smile. “Would you want to walk together?” You’re not sure if Jessie actually was ready to go or just decided she was going to leave since you were.

“That would be nice.” You take the empty water bottle from her hand and toss it onto the bin with yours. “Do you need to say bye to anyone?” Jessie just shakes her head.

“Do you?” You shake your head back. Your Mom had gone out with some of the older training staff, not wanting to be in a rowdy bar, Olivia was still around but you’d text her later letting her know you were back in your room. You’re not sure even if you said goodbye to anyone if they’d remember it in the morning or not.

The night was quiet when you stepped outside of the bar, Jessie shortly behind you. You start walking in the direction of the hotel and she quickly jogs to catch up. The two of you walk side by side down the roadway.

“Does it feel different the second time?” You break the silence asking.

“Does what feel different?” Her pace slows down as she turns her head to look at you.

“Winning gold.”

You hear her breathe in and then watch as she tilts her head slightly, deep in thought.

“It’s different, but I’m not sure if it's the winning that’s different. Last time it was an empty stadium, we didn’t get to do the celebrations with family and friends, there weren’t people watching, it felt so isolated, but it was in a weird way more peaceful. We got to just sit on the field, really soak it in.” She took another breath. “We didn’t get to do that, even if we could’ve there would’ve been fans, it would’ve been rowdy. Not to say one is better than the other, but yeah it’s different. I also wasn’t captain last time, so this time was more stressful, I felt like a lot of it was on me. Even though I know it wasn’t, it just felt that way.”

You hum acknowledging her answer as you walk into the lobby of the hotel. It’s thankfully pretty empty, Jessie's teammates still out celebrating and only a few other country’s athletes sitting around. You both get into the elevator, you press the button and you can feel a tension building as you ride up in silence. When you get out you walk Jessie to her door first, wanting to be polite and make sure she gets in alright.

“I’m sorry if Janine made it weird earlier. I'm not sure why she said that. I mean I get it but, I don’t want you to think I told her that was going to happen or anything. I don’t expect it to.” Jessie turns before she puts her keycard to the door.

“It’s all good. Little uncomfortable, especially with your sister there but it’s alright.” You shrug. It was uncomfortable but you didn’t mind too much, you had already forgotten about the conversation until Jessie brought it up again.

“Yeah, I’m sure I’ll have to explain myself to her later, she thought it was funny, she teased me for how red I got.”

“Yeah.” You both stand awkwardly outside of Jessie’s hotel room, you shift your weight between your feet, swaying slightly.

“Um, do you want to-”

“Have a goodnight-”

You both speak at the same time.

“Go ahead.” She gestures to you.

“I was just going to say goodnight.” You didn’t want to invite yourself into her hotel room despite Janine’s offer.

“Oh, yeah okay.” You can tell she seems a little disappointed.

“What were you saying?”

“I was going to invite you in?” Jessie looks up at you, her eyes with a glimmer of hope in them. She blinks quickly a few times before adding “Only if you want to, you don’t have to, I’m not expecting anything, you don’t even have to stay very long if you don’t want to, I just thought,”

“Jessie.” You cut her off, able to tell she was starting to overthink by the way her hands were fidgeting. “I’d like to come in.” You say before you lean down, now it’s her back pressed against the wall as your lips find hers. You pull away before any of her teammates or god forbid your mother decides to take a trip down the hallway and sees you two. Jessie turns to unlock the door and you follow her inside. You pull your phone out quickly texting Olivia.

You: Probably not coming back to the room at all tonight, or if I do it’ll be late, don’t worry about me I’m safe.

It takes a minute but she responds.

Olivia: Thanks for the heads up, I expect all the details of your escapades tomorrow

Olivia: seriously though, be safe, don’t do anything stupid.

You look up from your phone over at Jessie, thinking to yourself at least if you “do” anything, it wasn’t considered doing anything stupid, Jessie was smart.

[thydungeongal]

When you talk about games like Odnd 'not balancing encounters' - could you elaborate more on what you mean by balancing? I've seen you mention that not all encounters were meant to be won by the players but to me that doesn't preclude balance. For example even if the players might not win a fight, choosing to not give a room enemies that can trap and insta kill players is still 'balancing'. You're just balancing for 'they may very well need to just run from the fight' rather than strictly 'they will win this fight and expend somewhere in the range of X and Y% of their resources'

I mean old D&D very rarely balanced for either to be fair. Played as written it was entirely possible to run into a room full of instant death bees that theoretically could one-shot a player character.

But what I mean generally speaking when I talk about this difference between older and newer editions is that older editions of D&D don't take party level or party size into account when generating content. Whether you've got a party of four level 1 characters or a party of twelve characters of levels 5-10 your characters might still end up running into 40-400 goblins in the wilderness.

Meanwhile D&Ds 3e to 5e all ask you to take character level and party size into account when generating content for the game. This isn't inherently bad in my opinion, but it represents a shift in playstyle.

Of course in practice what the old D&D approach often means is that starter level characters stick to starter level dungeons until they can take on higher level threats, but even those starter level dungeons are less concerned with the idea of presenting a fair and balanced challenge for the characters that players can expect them to be able to overcome and more just. Random generative bullshit. And players can't ever go in expecting to have a fighting chance against everything. Those instant death bees appear 1d6 at a time in dungeons, 5d6 in their lair.

But yeah the game is kind of balanced with regard to the idea that characters don't ever really need to engage unless they choose to or unless they get unlucky. Whereas modern D&D often builds a bunch of safety nets into combat (not dying immediately at 0 hp, more hit points per character, ready access to healing, etc.) older editions build that balance through having procedures for detecting encounters beforehand, and even if that fails combat isn't always necessary (catching monsters by surprise means automatically being able to evade them, running away is always an option, sometimes the monsters simply don't react with hostility). I guess it's a certain kind of balance, but it's a very different kind of balance from what I mean when I say "balanced encounters," which I broadly use to refer to encounters that are custom built to take into account party size and level with the assumption that under normal circumstances the party should emerge victorious.

[sonicboomseason3]

this is really fucked up, but one of the reasons why actors tend to not speak out on big political topics is because on some contracts, production companies will include clauses such as not being able to publicly contradict their political beliefs. this is enforced through either monetary penalties and non disparagement agreements, but they both serve the same purpose of having a legal precedent to publicly punish actors who do it

i was originally just gonna respond to this with an "ok" and nothing else but then i caught a good handful of people in my notes dickriding an actor who doesn't even know that they exist (and really only him because i haven't seen anyone doing the same for marsden or pally) so ykw how about i just take this opportunity to bring up a couple of other sketch things that keanu has done that show that he isn't nearly as cool as everyone wants to believe:

the party with netanyahu isn't actually the only time he's rubbed elbows with a prominent israeli - he actually trained with IOF special ops vet aaron cohen in order to play john wick (and on the off chance that anyone wants to dismiss cohen as some guy who was just in the IOF decades ago and left that shit behind, just take a look at his history here). cohen on his own is just an absolute piece of work and a cursory glance at his social media should tell you everything in case the past couple of sentences didn't

and since people want to play the fucking "keanu attended that party a decade ago!!1!" card with me (interestingly enough nobody's doing the same for marsden even though the thing with him was way back in like 2004) i'll go for something relatively recent: he's friends with killer cop toni mcbride. in 2020 mcbride shot and killed daniel hernandez and subsequently got sued by his family for it (guess whose movies they've requested that people boycott?). around the 0:10 mark of this video of the two of them meeting up, they make jokes about "shootin' newton," which is a chant lapd newton division cops came up with to reference the high amount of police shootings that happen there. also in case none of this is enough for you mcbride's a proud trump supporter so yeah she's just a full-on white supremacist and keanu not only decided to hang out with her for a day but also evidently knew enough about the lapd to know about "shootin' newton"

but back to anon's original point, am i supposed to care that he could potentially get fined for saying shit? this past week, hundreds of college students and faculty, most if not all of whom are significantly worse off than an a-list celebrity like keanu, have been brutalized and arrested for protesting the genocide on campuses. and somehow an actor with a net worth of $380 million can't say or do anything lest he run the risk of being fined or fired or whatever

[shokobuns]

ch. 0 — sunday morning

sappy pathetic little me... that was the girl i used to be!

masterlist / ch 1. – sweet nothing

note: this chapter contains mixed media (written + texts)

synopsis: writing songs about the fling that broke your heart catapults your band into fame. unfortunately, his bedroom won't be the last place you see him

ALTERNATIVELY — you and atsumu learn to get along for the sake of your best friends.

warnings: alcohol, college party, suggestive, implied sex, slight angst

In the house of a friend’s friend, the lights are dim, the air is stuffy, and the music is just another layer of sound over the little conversations in the crowd. You’re not sure who the host is. Maybe it’s the person putting out more red solo cups on the counter. Maybe it’s the person directing people towards the backyard to spark up a joint. Maybe it’s the DJ, who’s actually doing a decent job tonight, or maybe they’re all roommates hosting together.

Either way, you’re having fun and that’s all that really matters in a setting like this. You’re in a corner with the close friend you came with and a few other girls you two had just met, doing a mix of giggling at every bad transition between songs and gossipping about the owners of the house.

“Did you guys know that Suna Rintarou lives around here?” 

“No? Who is that anyways?” you ask, sipping from the solo cup in your hand. The drink tastes terrible, but it’s definitely doing the job.

Josie, who you just met tonight scrunches her face in confusion, “You don’t know Suna Rintarou? He’s like everywhere on campus… not like physically, but I mean that there’s a ton of banners with him all over school.”

“You mean the hot guy in those volleyball promotional pictures?” Mika excitedly asks, looking towards you while you break into a fit of laughter.

“You’re joking, right? Mika is literally in love with him. She loves seeing her pookie bear every time his banner’s in the student center.”

“This is her chance to get with him! Unfortunately, I think he went upstairs to go deal with his drunk teammate, who’s also fine as fuck, by the way! Think he’s the one with the spikey gray and black hair who started dancing to 212. Such an interesting guy…”

You know exactly who she’s talking about and it definitely sounds about right. When you came in a few hours ago, he was shotgunning cans of beer, pouring shots and taking them with different groups of people. If you had consumed as much alcohol as him, you probably would have had to go to the hospital.

“His name was Koutarou, right?” 

You hesitantly nod. the name sounds about right. “Speaking of Koutarou being wasted, I think it’s shot o’clock…” you deviously smile as the rest of the girls groan.

“I think I’m one shot away from hunting down all my campus celebrities at this party. You’re gonna have to take this shot by yourself, girl.” Mika replies, shaking her head along with the other girls as you boo them on your way into the kitchen.

The counter still has a decent amount of alcohol despite the clutter of empty bottles and the first thing you grab is a half empty bottle of Malibu. This should definitely be enough for you and more. Pouring some into your cup, you notice someone in your peripheral approaching the space across the counter.

“Need some help with that?”

Looking up, your blurry eyesight and the poor lighting can barely make out a clear picture of his face, but he’s definitely handsome. His doe eyes are shining despite the dim lighting and you can make out the fact that he’s really fucking tall. Broad shoulders, blonde hair. 

“I'll be fine. Did you want any?” you hold out the bottle, offering to pour and he obliges, sliding his empty cup across the counter.

“Cheers!” He immediately gulps it down before you place the bottle back on the counter. 

“You didn’t even give me a chance to tap our cups together… I think we need to pour another shot,” you pout, waving the bottle in his face.

“Awh, man… You’re right, I'm sorry.”

You pour out another one, this time, taking a shot together, clinking your cups before gulping them down. 

“You know anyone here?” he asks, walking around the isle until you turn and he’s in front of you, leaning against the counter.

“If I'm being honest, no!” You laugh nervously, “I came here with my best friend and one of our guy friends. I don't know if you know Tetsu, but he helped someone out with their chemistry homework and that somehow led him to bringing us here.”

“That name sounds familiar. Spikey black hair, right?”

“Yeah! Have you met him?”

“Only briefly,” he recalls, “Really nice guy. Didn’t know he had such pretty friends.”

You squint back at the blonde who casually sips on the drink he just mixed for himself. In those few seconds, you weigh out your options. This guy is definitely flirting with you. And he also stayed for a conversation. He definitely wants to fuck you. And you could just lie and say you have a partner. You could also just tell him that you need to stay with your friends. There’s a lot of excuses you could come up with to leave the situation.

Or you could also fuck him.

It’s been awhile and you aren’t really looking for anything real in terms of relationships. And there’s a decent looking tall blonde right in front of you. Sure, you don’t know if he’s any good, but why not find out? You’re sure Tetsu would pick you up if anything goes wrong–he’s definitely sober tonight after what happened at the last party. When you take a peek at the corner, Mika is laughing with the other girls you had just met and this time, Tetsu is with her.

“I know. He’s really lucky to be around me.”

The blonde scoffs, “Oh, really? What do you get out of being friends with him?”

“He’s loaded. And also ridiculously smart.”

“Yeah, he’s super into math isn’t he?” The blonde turns his body towards you, “What about you, though? I think I wanna get to know one of his friends… for, you know, economic reasons.”

“Using me to get close to Tetsu's money? Why don’t you just sleep with him yourself, sugar baby?”

“You think he would really spoil me like that?” he smiles and you notice a mischievous sparkle in his eye. You are definitely fucking this guy tonight.

“You can try. I think it just might work.”

“I'll wait for him outside of the economics building, then,” he leans in a little closer, lips brushing against your ear, “My name’s Atsumu, by the way. What’s yours?”

You yell your name back at him, hoping your reply didn’t drown under the music. It goes on like this for ten more minutes, talking about school, playful flirting. It's probably one of the most unserious interactions of your life, but you like talking to him. You like the occasional brushes against your cheek and you like how you’re not scared at all. Atsumu was surprisingly really easy to talk to, but it could also be because of the liquor in your system.

Bringing your lips closer to his ear, you cup his face, “You said you live across the street, right?”

“Yea,” he replies, tugging at the strap of your top. You’re practically undressing with your eyes, grabbing his hand and leaning your head towards the direction of the exit.

“Can I see your room?”

“Woah! Are you trying to sleep with me or something?”

You roll your eyes as he grins, “Kidding!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Just let me know when you wanna go and we can bring your friends with you for support.”

“What the fuck, Atsumu?”

“Kidding! I got ya again!”

— osamu and rin saw you around the apartment that week. they questioned atsumu about it, but he gave super vague answers. they figured maybe he wasn’t completely over his ex when they noticed you disappear.

— tetsu tutored osamu for math! he got invited to his house party during their last meet up. before helping out fairy fish's with marketing, he double majored in communications and chemistry.

— you never responded to atsumu’s message because you didn’t even know what to say.

— satoru is a HUGE gossip, he’s really good at getting information from people in a sneaky way. suguru, on the other hand, doesn’t have to resort to sneaky techniques. people just trust him a little too much naturally.

taglist: @ris-krispie

[alicelufenia]

Bagging the Hag's Hair: the Trickster Hero's Way

Auntie Ethel's hair: one of the best permanent buffs in the game, but aside from it being a dicey get on Honor mode, it can be a hard sell to roleplayers who don't want their upstanding hero to make a deal with one of the most evil funniest antagonists in the game. Sure, you can save Mayrina and force her to give you the hair, but what about all the other captives in her lair? With the hag still alive, trying to save them is more likely to kill them in the process.

But with a bit of finesse (and maybe putting the Ethel fight off to AFTER level 4 at least, especially in honor mode) you can not only convince Ethel to give up the hair and Mayrina, but literally backstab her immediately after, leaving her foiled by her tendency to monologue. It's a heist worthy of even the most Good-aligned characters. I could easily see Wyll using this trick, pulling a fast one on the fae, proving himself both moral AND cunning. (Plus, it's a nice palette cleanser if you just got done wiping out the grove while managing to keep the two good-aligned companions with you).

This one's for you, Karlach!

First of all, I assume you're doing your best to pass either the Intimidation or Deception check to convince Ethel to surrender Mayrina. Otherwise why are you even bothering with this?

Anyway, you want to reach this dialogue and then STOP.

Then, switch to the party member you kept out of combat with the hag.

This is important, as if they're entered into combat, they'll be confined to this cutscene along with everyone else (notice the speech bubbles next to the rest of the party). This is the trickiest part, as without a party limit extender mod, it's a big ask to go into the hag fight with just 3 characters (why I recommend taking her on a little later, but you can totally do it before getting into act 2).

If they're not in combat, upon swapping to them, you'll get the Reward Select screen for the hair, but everyone else will still be in the cutscene. If you want a guaranteed way to keep them out of the fight should it get dicey (with lots of Ethel clones everywhere taking up potential hiding space with their vision cones) you can try keeping the one party member outside the arena, at the top of the trap hill past the waterfall, and then just use Feather Fall (any source of it) to jump past all the traps down to the fight arena.

This is important (and a good reason to get her hp as low as possible, not just beneath the threshold of 30 needed to trigger her bargaining). You have to reduce her hp to 0 in one shot. That means the damage has to be dealt all at once (no pause for reactions like sneak attack or divine smite, you want to use those sort of moves directly from the hotbar rather than triggered on reaction). If you don't kill her in one shot, that character will be pulled into the cutscene as well, and your chance will pass.

If you succeed though, she will disappear and the cutscene will immediately proceed (I missed the chance to get a screenshot of the damage dealt, but it was over 25 so more than enough). There won't be a body to loot.

But, because she's been flagged as dead, all the hag's living prisoners can be freed (also shoutout to act 1 Minthara. Sorry you got the wrong impression of me with the whole killing the grove thing, this is also who I am. I contain multitudes).

Other than the mask bearers, I think I feel the sorriest for this guy, tormented by the worst visions of the future for "he's-an-elf-so-could-have-been-centuries" time. Unfortunately I killed all the mask bearers in my run, but if you can knock them out, and the game isn't bullshit about it, they should be safe to remove the masks without them dying.

One lice-ridden hair clump and suspicious potion later (thanks Astarion! Your role in the playthrough is now done!) and I have 20 strength with no ASIs. Perfect :D

Tricking the Hag to give up her hair and still killing her anyway = success!

[unknown-lifeform]

You know I'm just so lowkey baffled by the time in Rebirth Vincent says he could have gotten rid of Sephiroth many times but he could never pull the trigger in the end (paraphrasing). Like... when??? When did he have those chances??? Because the only times Vincent happened to be in close proximity to Sephiroth that we know of was

When Sephiroth was going insane in the library, but as far as we know Vincent was asleep back then? I mean, Rebirth does make it seem like he had some kind of job in the Manor, although I gotta wonder how he even got it. Like did Hojo knock on the coffin and said since you're staying here act like a security guard? It's kind of weird. But in CC Zack is shocked to find Vincent when he does, and Vincent was as far as we can tell fully asleep then, so I imagine being security is like some kind of hobby Vincent picked up in the past couple years. I don't think he had ever actually used that keycard thing ever before

Of course, back when Lucretia was pregnant, and like... I would hope it never crossed Vincent's mind to shoot Lucretia's stomach. And if I remember right Hojo shot Vincent before Sephiroth was even born, or at most when Sephiroth was a newborn, and again I would sure hope Vincent wasn't thinking about shooting what I assume was a perfectly normal and innocent newborn. Unless that was just a very dramatic metaphor and Vincent actually meant he had had many chances to put a condom on and never did which technically

As far as I know there are 0 other times when Vincent had any chance of shooting Sephiroth. The only possible time for Vincent to have thought about killing Sephiroth is if he had woken up when Sephiroth set Nibelheim on fire (because as far as Sephiroth was just losing his mind in the library I don't think he posed an active enough danger to be taken out). And even then it wasn't that Vincent had many chances. He had, what, a timeframe of about one or two hours from when Sephiroth started killing people to when he got chucked into the reactor? I don't call that many chances unless Vincent literally spent the whole time with his gun pointed on Sephiroth

And like idk. I get it if Vincent couldn't kill Sephiroth at the time, regardless of opinions on Sephiroth's paternity Sephiroth is Lucretia's son and Vincent is first and foremost a romantic idiot. But given Sephiroth was out there murdering a whole town I feel Vincent might have, I don't know, spared a bullet to the kneecaps or something. He was a Turk. We know they are trained to put emotions aside to a degree. He should have been able to non-fatally maim a violent murderer without too much guilt

So when! When!! Did Vincent have chances to kill Sephiroth!!! When did this happen! Squenix please explain

(Also if someone knows and could tell me what Vincent says in the original Japanese that'd be nice, like is it something he said in that version too or did the localization team make it up?)

[tumblingghosts]

tbosas time travellers

EDIT: this is an OLD masterpost- please refer to this one

——

rest of the original masterpost:

i ADORE time travel to pieces but have way too many ideas that i'm not sure will ever be expanded into full fics, so i'm just going to start posting unrelated snippets on tumblr with a #tbosas time travellers tag so they get a chance at being out there somewhere

collection on ao3: time travel my beloved <3

might make this a masterpost if i remember to keep editing these:

time traveller (just one!)

sejanus lands in the end of junior year w/ trauma - ao3

sejanus is back at the jabberjay & decks coriolanus - ao3

sejanus comes back with bruises around his neck [tumblr update - posted on ao3 with coryo's pov and sejanus's pov]

livia is back in time and ready to screw over coriolanus - ao3

livia becomes besties w/ sejanus & is very spiteful - ao3

katniss in tbosas times because she & sejanus should be friends

prim in tbosas times because she should get to kick snow in the shin

tigris back in tbosas times and has a hard time rationalizing coryo vs president snow

marcus gets a second chance and runs - ao3

felix is back in time and dill gets a sympathetic mentor - ao3

clemensia is back in time and reaper is very confused by his strange mentor - ao3

sejanus is back at eight-years-old & makes his own fix-it - ao3

multiple time travellers :0

livia is spite and sejanus is trauma (both are back)

coryo dies to the snake and both he and sejanus end up back in time [link on ao3]

time loop where the victors of the games join the loop [link on ao3]

marcus and sejanus are in a time loop (as told by coryo) [link on ao3]

time travel asks & other posts :D

lucy gray & sejanus in the future! re: d12

persephone & mizzen time loop :(

persephone time travel fix it :D

festus time travel fix it :D

katniss time travel (ft. jessup) + expanded au

pup & treech time loop [links]

felix time travel & abyssal’s additional felix au

livia time loop fix it (ft. facet)

felix & clemmie time travel scenarios

coral time travel + treech & circ & clemmie

iphigenia & solarmoss time loop

mentors' kiddos but it's solasta & mossring

mentors' kiddos prevent evil coriolanus

time travelling clemmie and hector dovecote :0

festus creed disaster time loop :P

medea's time travelling clemmie masterpost

lily's iphigenia & dennis time travel plot

hector dovecote joins the narrative + time travelling clemmie

medea’s response to clemmie going back post snake bites

sejanus going back to the dark days (ft. strabo)

time travelling kiddos but with different kiddos

time travelling kiddos but solasta has a power

medea’s time travelling dovecote duo + part 2

sheaf time loop & tribute escape plan

treaper time travel love story fix it

time travelling ginnee & tribute escape plan

festixia back at the tenth hunger games

sejanus back to when he moved to the capitol

victor facet landing back at the tenth games

misc time travelling posts & fics :3

eurylochus goes from the thunder saga back to troy saga

snape time travel one-shots (whumptober 2023) - ao3

snape and draco land in the marauders era - ao3

draco time travel one-shots (au of tdbland by rbooks) - ao3

===

intro stuff for the pinned post:

hi! i'm backpacks! :D

major time travel enthusiast [i'm always open to yap about time travel -- send me asks on it anytime] <3

expect to see a variety of reblogs here; including, but not limited to: tbosas (snowjanus, sejarcus, sejanus plinth <3), harry potter (marauders era, snape & draco, snegulus), mcyt (hermitcraft, dsmp, life series, technoblade), epic the musical (polites & eurylochus are my favs), mcu (loki & thor), orv (kimcom), saiki k, etc.

current obsessions: tbosas, epic the musical, & hp (but more than happy to talk about any fandoms i am familiar with!)

other things for the pinned post:

tbosas time travellers: posts about time travelling tbosas or thg characters

miscbackpacks: miscellaneous posts and reblogs

backpacks asks: asks i’ve answered

backpacks asking: asks i’ve sent to others

backpacks draws: any of my doodles

<3: posts that i want to save

any of my non time travel aus & related:

thoughts about ravinplinth (w/ past festix)

tribute!sejanus and mentor!marcus + pretty art by @/julietasgf

the troublesome trio (accidentally) bringing reaper to the capitol

hector dovecote joins the narrative + time travelling clemmie

perimedes “helps” in troy snippet

eurylochus smuggles polites out of the underworld snippet

tbosas mentor swap au - clemmie & dill | felix & reaper | coral & persephone (+ overall fix it) | iphigenia & hy

gryffindor draco & slytherin ron au

pippa & sej are platonic soulmates

other posts & aus i like a lot:

medea's tbosas hp au - ashcote fanfic

sejanus would rather die as district than to live as capitol

dr suess esque poetry post about the essence of hope

wolf and lamb fable but it’s snowjanus

hermitcraft 'that's not my hermit au' comics

hermitcraft dbhc - doc & xisuma lore comic [+analysis]

the potions mistress - time travel addendum

coriolanus snow & sejanus/katniss parallels

all of @/moreespressoformydepresso's tbosas fix-its at once

catindabag’s tbosas crack au & 24 og mentors

official time loop account & very cool time loop post

the scorpion and the frog - time loop & reincarnation

in another life - reincarnation & loving someone in all lives

epic trio (ody, eury, polites) being fashionable

epic trio character designs (troy & cyclops saga)

epic time travel fix it with steven-dave the side character

eurylochus is tired of thematically significant reprises

gorgeous snowjanus artwork by @/fleebites

bdubs comment - privated

[tavyliasin]

Upon The Devil's Stage - Raphael Romance Event

My second entry into the Make Raphael Romanceable event by @dmagedgoods because I felt like the first wasn't quite romantic enough. This one could follow on as a sequel, or stand on its own as a little one shot~

--- Raphael has returned to sweep Tav off their feet, wondering if they can truly dance to the steps he has set before them. Tav has long waited for this chance, the unspoken promise, drawn to the warmth of the Cambion's flame. --- Click here to read on AO3 1860 Words

Pairing: Raphael x Gender Neutral Tav SPICE Rating: 0/5, we're only here for the romance again~ Content Warnings: None Spoilers: End game and post game spoilers alluded to though not the focus. Canon Compliance: Ah, if only~ This can be the canon of your post-game dreams, if you wish!

Paired Song Whisper by Burn the Ballroom "His favorite days were the mornings She came with confessions of cardinal sin A beast in the business of selling forgiveness Dead eyes on a treacherous grin Yet he laps up the vice like a wolf in the night He's the left hand of God on the stage And with one hand he offers salvation to lovers The other, it taketh awaySo give me your fire, give me your fear Give me your faith when love gives you tears Give me your heart, give me your fate Give me your hand when love gives you hate Give me your prayers up on your feet And I'll give you a show, it helps fill the seats So give me your sins, give me your lies But whisper your love, and I'll whisper mine."

--- Full Fic Below The Cut! ---

Upon The Devil's Stage

Poetry. That’s what he was, a song written in lyrics designed to enthral whilst the music of his rhyme captured Tav’s heart and soul.

Thief. Though he would never admit to such a word being applied to himself, he stole the stage he walked upon, took the spotlight and outshone even that.

Playwrite.

The script he wrote became a performance all were drawn to, characters populating his world, a whole cast of little mice rushing through the maze and hoping to find the promised prize at the centre.

Raphael.

A Devil in name and nature, and yet he was also far more than the abject evil of old fairy tales written to warn Tav away from the temptation - temptation which evidently they had not been warned clearly enough about as they let him lead them in a waltz of his own composition. He called himself a saviour, once, and perhaps it would amuse him to see the daydreams in Tav’s head of the devil as the knight in shining armour, the prince coming to sweep them off their feet.

And yet…no romance novel printed on cheap parchment could compare to the image of the cambion dressed in his finest silks, hair swept back between horns that curved wickedly above like a crown without jewels. Raphael was purple prose brought to life on reality’s page, a vivid violet swirl of perfect cursive script spelling out the poise and grace he wove into every word and motion. 

It didn’t take a contract to have Tav accepting the hand offered to them, to follow him onto the dancefloor that appeared around them as the reality of the mundane melted away. Perhaps the ease in which he transported them both across planes without so much as a question first should have been a concern, but their only worry now was putting a foot astray in the devil’s dance. 

—

Raphael smiled. His favourite client, his Little Mouse, and they were radiant in the glow of his glory. A simple spell had transformed their dreary armour into fine silks that far better matched their status at his side - the soon-to-be Archduke of the Hells could not allow appearances to slide, even without any audience.

How he loved the way they hesitated for half a second before placing their small hand within his own, the way he could hear their heart stop for just a moment as his claws closed around their fingers. Such a fragile mortal soul, and yet Raphael could not deny that they had impressed him. He had told them once, that he had grown fond of them in his own way, and not one syllable of that had been a lie.

—

“Where’s the orchestra?” Tav finally found their voice in the genuine confusion at how there was now a swirl of beautiful music wrapping around them, as they gazed up towards the Cambion’s stern features as if looking for their answer in the charming wrinkles that decorated his face so beautifu- 

“The invisible choir sing when they are bidden, Little Mouse.” He spoke with a slight smile in the edge of his voice, the implication of a hundred lost souls just out of sight and at his command… It was not helping slow the rate of Tav’s racing heart. Raphael held such power so easily, so casually… His words were law, and his laws were as immutable as the Devil’s own capricious charms. “Do you not like the melody? It can be changed in but a moment if-” “No, no! It’s wonderful, really.” Tav almost bit their own tongue to punish it when they realised they had interrupted him mid-sentence. “I- Sorry I didn’t mean to…” Their voice lost all power under the burning gaze of the cambion above them, though to their surprise his expression creased into a smile within a moment. 

“Music, Mouse, was made to be danced to.” Raphael pulled them closer, one hand still entwined with theirs, his other wrapping easily around their waist. It was difficult to reach his shoulder when he was in this form, so Tav had to settle for gripping the sleeve that barely hid the strength beneath.

The musicians, still unseen, rose to a crescendo with a swell of strings as the devil began to lead their dance. 

Masterful feet wove a path around the ballroom, sweeping Tav between the shadows of a hundred fellow dancers who had neglected to attend the grandiose event made for two. No dream that had drifted through their sleepless nights could compare to the reality of the warmth of his hand on the curve of their back, no waking reverie of romance could match up to the almost weightless sensation of their waltz. Nothing could have prepared Tav for the moment he leaned over, taking the balance of their weight on his arm as he dipped them low, leaving his lips just a hair’s breadth from their own. 

Before they could catch their breath, or gather their senses enough to steal the kiss they had long dreamed of, the devil smirked and lifted them back to their feet. Their mind was spinning in the same manner as their body did while the dance continued, each move a push and pull that brought them tantalisingly close only to create distance once more. 

The heat of the cambion’s body, the grace of his movements, the danger of being so close to the power and devilish charm he possessed… Tav felt like they were dancing in the heart of a fire, and they had not one care if they were to burn to ash right there and then. 

—

Raphael savoured each moment like a delicacy. Watching the breath catch in Tav’s throat, seeing their pulse quicken almost imperceptibly through the exposed part of their neck, noticing how their lips almost wanted to chase him every time he pulled away. 

He had often spoken to them of how he preferred clients to be desperate, to be left with no option, no thought beyond turning to him and begging for his aid. This was…not the same, not quite. He did not want them broken and bowed with their knees in the dirt, he wanted…not an equal, but something close. Someone who could challenge him. Someone who would desire everything he was and everything he could be, but one who would not be afraid to chase it. 

And thus, Raphael had set the lanceboard pieces upon the table, making each move and daring Tav to take what they wanted. Were he to be the one to show his desire for them openly? That would not do, the balance of power would shift. He had perhaps gone far further than he might have liked in creating this moment, in calling them his favourite client, in revealing his fondness for them more than once… But that was the limit of his grace in showing them he was receptive to an advance. They had to be the one to want him, and he was to be the one to so generously allow them to be close. 

“You dance well, Little Mouse.” A simple compliment, earning him a smile and the blush that spread across their cheeks - of course, it helped that his whisper was directed into their ear, lips almost brushing the ever reddening tip.

“I could say the same of you, Raphael.”  Ah, there it was. A little more confidence, that edge of bravery returning, driven by the desire he was stoking within them so carefully. He allowed one more soft breath across their ear - a gentle bellows to grow the flames within them - before he pulled away again. 

This time, however, Tav was faster.

—

The tension was infuriating. Tav couldn’t tell if Raphael was merely teasing them, or waiting for them to make the first move. Either way, if they didn’t do something about it soon, they were certain it would leave them with nothing but a lifetime of regret when the music reached its final cadence. 

The depth of his voice, the heat of the air that carried it, the scent of his perfume so close to them… When the cambion tried to move away this time, their hand found a grip on his horns instead, holding him a few inches from their face as he embraced them in a dancer’s dip in his arms. 

“Not this time. Wait.” They had meant it as a request, but desperation turned the words to more of a command.

“Issuing orders? To me?” Raphael’s eyebrows raised, a slight smile toying at the edge of his lips. “My, my, Little Mouse. We have become so very brave in the face of the cat. Perhaps I should drop you right here upon the floor.” 

“You don’t want to do that.” Tav continued, emboldened in the knowledge he could have fully pulled away at any moment…yet he allowed them to hold him here. They even softened their grip to caress his horns, smooth, sharp, dangerous and regal… Everything that they admired in him.

“Oh? And what is it that I want from a mere mortal such as yourself?” His voice was subtly lower now, the spaces between his words saying far more than the sound. 

“I don’t know,” Tav admitted, their hand drifting from his natural crown to the side of his cheek, “but I know what I want. And I’m tired of waiting for it.” They threw caution into the depths of the inferno and stole his lips in a kiss, savouring the heat of his touch and the scent of cherry that was almost intoxicating as he softened, yielding - in so much as a devil would ever yield to a mortal - and returning their affection with his own. The cat might have set the trap, but as long as they still got the reward they had yearned for, the mouse did not care that the cambion’s claws were firmly embedded in their soul. They had danced to his tune, waltzed right onto the board of his game willing to sacrifice every piece they had if he were to ask.

—

Devil. The name that most would give the man with a crown of horns, eyes like living fire, and a burning desire to rule all the hells. And what would that make Tav, now? Willing to take his hand, to follow him into the depths of Avernus and beyond just to be at his side… Ally. No, more than that. This was no brokered deal of warring nations, nor a mere friendship between neighbours. Their goals had aligned, in such a way as they might. Partners, perhaps… Putting a name to the lack of space between their lips felt like a fool’s errand. Saviour. The title he gave himself when they first met had proven true, in its own way. Appearing when he wished to, giving them not what they wanted but only what they needed to prove themselves. To be worthy of him. “Raphael.” His name tasted all the sweeter whispered into his kiss, the last seal of a fate they would choose a thousand times without a second thought as he swept them away into the night.  

--- --- ENDING NOTES --- --- Would you dance with the devil? What song might you pick for his invisible orchestra to play for you as he whisks you around the ballroom? Thank you for joining me with these little event pieces, it's always fun to write some Raphael content~ He's truly fascinating and captivating as a character, we were blessed by some wonderful writing and performances in the game, with the stunning art and animation to match.

[moongothic]

imagine s-crocodile shows up and they’re protective of luffy

I imagined it and I loved it (the post gets to S-Croc speculation towards the end, I swear)

I really can't wait to see S-Croc in general though, because while we haven't seen the other Seraphim like, just casually hang around, the little glimpses we have gotten at them have been really interesting, because of both the similarities and differences between the Seraphim and the OG Shichibukai

Like, as of chapter 1103, from what we've seen S-Bear has seemed Quite Stoic and quiet, very similar to Kuma as we first met him in Thriller Bark/Sabaody. S-Shark seemed very serious and quiet too but it's hard to compare him to Jinbei proper. Meanwhile, the way S-Snake got flustered and shy was quite similar to how Hancock behaves around Luffy, although in a much more child-like, cutesy manner. And S-Hawk seemed a bit more child-like as well, seemingly being a bit more open with his emotions? (Like for example he seemed quite annoyed about getting captured)

So it's kind of hard to say right now, but it does kind of seem like while the Seraphim ARE clones of the Shichibukai and they DO share the mannerisms of their "parents", they are also children. Like, while part of their stoicism could be chalked up to how they are Pacifistas, they are still like a step "above" the basic Pacifistas (pure robots). Like they're somewhere between the Pacifistas and pre-lobotomy Kuma. They don't have full free will, they are (fleshy) robots who can be programmed and ordered to do tasks, but also they do have that partial free will and mind. And that's all so incredibly interesting to me. Especiall because the remaining missing three Seraphim should be like the rest; they have the personalities of the OGs, but maybe lack their maturity in some ways because the Seraphim are still kids. They may be more open and/or less filtered with their emotions and thoughts. Maybe. Again, kinda hard to tell rn because we've seen so little of the brats.

Based on that though, we can kinda make some guesses on what the remaining Seraphim might be like though. S-Mingo especially because we have the benefit of knowing what Doflamingo was like as a kid to begin with, and I doubt S-Gecko will have any surprises in store for us.

But S-Croc is so interesting. Because he could go either way. Like he could be stoic and serious much like S-Bear and S-Shark, as lowkey suggested by his calm expression in that one panel we saw. That would match how Crocodile has been On Average post-Alabasta too. But what if he was more like Alabasta!Croc? When he was much happier and like, openly jovial? But in a child-like way? Or a mix of both because people are complicated and stuff sdjfhsf

The reason I'm bringing that up at all is that like. Okay so I don't think S-Croc would be protective of Luffy by default. Like Crocodile himself wasn't protective of Luffy when they first met by a long shot, and arguably still isn't canonically (his actions in Marineford are, rn, canonically just petty revenge at the World Government), so it'd make no sense for S-Croc to take one look at Luffy and be like "nobody hurts this one" right away, right?

But. Could S-Croc BECOME protective of Luffy?

...Unless S-Croc did turn out to be a Crocodile Zoan with that Weird Zoan Instinct and Crocodad Real, in which case S-Croc being randomly protective of Luffy right from the get-go would work just fine. But this remains to be seen ((To be fair, it did take Hancock time to get her crush on Luffy while S-Snake went 0 to 100 with Luffy, so maybe there could be a chance for S-Croc to be protective by default. ...Unless Luffy just happened to be Hancock's type to begin with and it was just her trauma that kept her from immidiately crushing on the idiot at first glance, while S-Snake doesn't share Hancock's emotional trauma so she was able to jump straight into crushing on him))

And this is where we get to the Absolutely Wild, Off-The-Rails, Borderline Fanfiction Speculation. Because we're here to have fun, and it's fun to think about hypotheticals like this.

But as we know, Crocodile. Bit of a sad loner. He has trust issues. He has been hurt A Lot. Happily spends decades of his life by himself. Very tragic. This probably contributes to his stand off-ish demeanor. S-Croc could have that same demeanor. But he shouldn't have the same trauma, the same root cause to being a sour puss. And most importantly, because he's a child, he might be more emotionally "open". Like he could become more obviously upset about stuff, and he might be more receptive to people if they're nice to him. Maybe. Big big big maybe.

Another fun thing to note; S-Croc seems to have been dispatched away with S-Mingo and S-Gecko (wherever the fuck they're going (probs Emptee Bluffs but if they go there then we can't have him interacting with Luffy so we need to pretend that's not where they're going arrite)). This is important, because as we all know. Crocodile and Doflamingo Do Not Get Along. And if the real ones can't get along, I could not imagine their Seraphim being much better.

The thing is, it could be kind of worse with the Seraphim, actually;

Based on the single panel of him that we've seen so far, S-Mingo seems to just ooze Middle School Bully Energy (and even if he isn't one, Doflamingo had a thing for annoying the shit out of Crocodile, his Seraphim would probs be the exact same in that regard, right)

S-Croc could be pre-T

If so, and especially if Crocodile being trans isn't public knowledge (as then it'd be possible Vegapunk could've labeled S-Croc "a failed Seraphim")

-> S-Croc being "the wrong sex" (compared to the OG) could easily become a painful sore spot for S-Croc

Especially because if Crocodile's trans, then S-Croc would also probably be trans, and insist on being a boy

And boy fucking howdy, would that become an easy ass fucking way for S-Mingo to bully the shit out of S-Croc, in a way that could really get under S-Croc's skin in a really horrible way

So. You know.

I could totally imagine S-Mingo being an asshole and annoying the fuck out of S-Croc in a way that would lead into a straight up fight. Because they're kids, and may not have the maturity to not escalate shit, especially if one got openly upset (god knows Crocodile can't handle being humiliated as a grown ass man) and another was having the time of their life mocking the other. But of course, these are Seraphim we're talking about, they could just keep on fighting forever and absolutely wreck everything in sight if someone doesn't stop them/give them the orders to stop.

I'm not saying Luffy would like step in or anything (dude doesn't have the authority to boss the Seraphim around either, it'd have to be Vegapunk), like I don't think he'd care enough to try to stop the two from fighting (as long as they aren't putting anyone else and/or the Sunny in danger). But between Luffy defeating Doflamingo being a more recent event in his mind, and him kind of owing one to Crocodile, I could kind of imagine Luffy feeling slightly more inclined to take S-Croc's side. Like considdering Luffy loves and respects trans people, I could imagine him feeling a little bad for S-Croc. Just a little though.

But I think that could kind of become key here. 'Cause like, Luffy wouldn't have to do anything big to defend S-Croc or anything (he's a man, he can defend himself, if anything Luffy defending S-Croc would hurt his honor (shounen logic)). Just, calling S-Mingo an asshole casually, or choosing to hang out (or at least try to) with S-Croc, or something like that. Just Luffy showing the tiniest amounts of compassion and care, to make S-Croc feel a little less alone.

I think that could make S-Croc become a little protective of Luffy in turn.

[risingriverphoenix]

Can I get a KAY/O x Radiant S/O? Perhaps S/O is the same level of dangerous as Reyna

Hi I am so sorry this took so long to finally post. Thank you all for sticking around as my health finally became manageable. I hope this turned out well, but I do apologize for some and any errors as this was mostly done when I was suffering from migraines daily. Song Inspos: Show Me How The Hunter (mostly for reader's ultimate inspo)

KAY/O x Radiant!Reader Warnings: typical game violence, nothing in detail. But if anyone needs any warnings added please let me know! Thank you! Words: 4,000+

Writing under Read More

-In his timeline, you were unmatched, any sign of humanity in you was lost. You were a feral radiant who took no regard for anything or anyone. Didn't matter who or what you were, everyone to you was an enemy in the way.

-Normally one would say you were more beast than human. But that would mean there would have to be some part of humanity left in you. There was nothing but bloodlust.

-So when meeting this universe's you, Kay/0 felt like this was some kind of a curse. It was difficult to separate the face of a monster with that of someone who would never even have the thought to hurt innocent people.

-When fighting it was like you entered a different mindset, your focus entirely on the fight. You could hear better, sense traps nearby that a teammate might miss, if someone’s foot stepped too heavily you would know exactly where they were. 

-But this meant little room for banter or chit chat during missions. You had to stay focused, if you didn’t, you might accidentally hurt a teammate during your abilities. And when fighting mirror agents, who look exactly like your friends, makes it all the more difficult to tell who is friend or foe

-So when you were forced to resort to using your ultimate, no one was to be near you.

-Your mind would become nearly primal as you would enter a feral state, your body able to withstand what should be fatal blows, and a punch to rival Breach’s Rolling Thunder.

-it is such a last resort tactic that you've only used it a handful of times. However because of the lack of usage, you had zero to no control of yourself during that time.

-You were to never use your ultimate, unless strictly ordered to. And that would be a last ditch effort. It was too much of a risk to your teammates and yourself. Coming out of that mindset was taxing on you, physically, mentally, emotionally, you name it.

-The best (and safest) way to bring you back was that sound of a music box, a lullaby from your childhood that you had long forgotten the words to, but never the melody. Every agent had the file saved on a device on them, just in case.

-Reyna was someone who, of course, thought it foolish to hold you back. Your potential was being wasted. Besides, if you were to enter that state more, it gives you the chance to be more used to it. “Practice makes perfect, no?” She’d say with a coy smile.

-Her idea was immediately shot down, unsurprisingly. But… her words did hold some truth. You needed to eventually learn to control yourself in that state of mind. Brimstone ordered that you work with Killjoy and Kay/o to make a device that could help you better control your powers. Possibly even let you use a smaller percentage of that power when needed.

-Kay/o bluntly suggested the use of a suppressing collar, Killjoy scolding him harshly on that one, you weren’t an animal! But the idea of some type of device that could emanate suppression on your powers was a good start. Killjoy decided to come up with a few drafts, leaving the two of you alone for a while.

Kay/o seemed comfortable in the silence, minding his own business and working on his arm at a table as you awkwardly sat behind him. “Thank you for helping out, Kay/o.” You tried to break the ice. He’s never directly talked with you, maybe he just wasn’t good at starting conversation?

“Brimstone ordered that I help create a device to help contain your radiant powers.” He said almost coldly. “Nothing more than that.”

Sure, he’s slowly gotten around to seeing the others as themselves, and even becoming friends with them. Casually bantering with Phoenix even. But in the case of you… it was harder. In his timeline, at least there were senses of human emotions in radiants, even if they were evil. But you? That… thing that was supposed to be you, it only seemed like it wanted to destroy anything and anyone that moved. He never saw any piece of humanity in you. And now, meeting you and helping you feels wrong. He was built to destroy radiants like you. 

Instead of the eyes of a killer, you had the eyes of a nervous child at the first day of a new school.

His answer left you feeling shunned. You knew somewhat of his situation, that he came from an alternate future where radiants nearly destroyed humanity, and traveled in time to the present in order to help prevent that from happening again. It made sense that he wouldn’t much like you, but he was friendly with the other radiants, or at least most of them, so what made you different?

“Oh… I see.” You looked away. “I’m sorry to have troubled you. You probably wanna be doing anything other than being stuck babysitting.” It felt like there should be more to apologize for, but you didn’t know what for.

The sound of your voice softening makes Kay/o glance over his shoulder. You looked dejected, wringing your hands as you sunk in more to the couch.

…Dammit. You really weren’t the other you, he reminded himself. It wasn’t your fault that the two of you shared the same face and name. You were being friendly and considerate ever since you joined the protocol. If you ever had ill intent, you would have never even mentioned the dangers of your power. You seemed to want this power under control more than he wanted to prevent it. You were making an effort to avoid disaster, and yet he still gave the cold shoulder.

Kay/o looked back at his opened arm, resuming the small adjustments he was making. You weren’t some monster changed by war, you were just some newbie to the team, one who wanted to fit in and keep others safe. And he was acting as if that was a bother to him. How idiotic. 

Though never needing to breathe, Kay/o gave the sound of a sigh. “If I’m stuck babysitting, you’re the tallest baby I’ve ever met.” He loosely tried to restart the conversation.

The sudden light hearted comment makes you snort. His voice had changed, sounding more like how he normally does tone wise. “Fair enough, but what kind of babysitter wears pants, but no shoes or shirt?” You ask with a laugh.

The frigid tension previously surrounding the two of you melted fast. Why did he had to be a, as Jett has put it, ‘a hard ass.’ Kay/o shakes his head. “One not getting paid enough apparently.” His voice held a grin.

-After finally breaking the ice with him, you and Kay/o easily became pals. Despite being a robot, his sense of humor is immaculate, easily fitting in with the banter of the other agents.

-Killjoy had come up with the plans of supresent bracelets. “Much better than a shock collar if you ask me.” Her glare at Kay/o even made you shudder. Kay/o did apologize for the implications of the original idea though.

-You wore a bracelet on each wrist, fitting tight enough not to ever slip off. They seemed unbreakable as well, as they were supposed to hold up even in your unleashed form.  The feeling of the suppression was a bit of an adjustment to get used to, it was like a weighted blanket surrounding your very being, but in time you were able to.

-Kay/o was the one who helped and specialized in the suppression tech side of it. There were days with lots of hand holding as he helped adjust that day’s suppression. Many of which you began to take advantage to loosely flirt during.

-“Y’know if you just wanted to hold my hand, you could just ask me.” You’d say, trying not to giggle at your own awful flirting. Kay/o caught on pretty quick, and had a hard time deciding to either shut you down or tease you back. At times he’d deadpanned as he dropped your hand, hearing you quickly apologize and ask for him to continue helping. The other times he’d hum, asking if you really needed an adjustment or if you needed an excuse to come see him.

-Though one day when he said that, you reminded him that it was him that requested you to visit him that day. He had no face to show any embarrassment, but his hand still came up to cover it, but enjoying the laugh you shared with him.

-It’s been some time now since first putting on those suppression bracelets. You’ve grown accustomed to it.

-After so many missions together, you and Kay/o became quite the dynamic duo. Which led to many nights in the training room talking to each other. You opened up about your fears of losing yourself, that one day you might not be able to “come back”.

-Kay/o finally explained in detail what happened to him, how he saw the world basically fall apart, and defeated Reyna in his timeline. The curiosity of what you were like on the other side ate at you, and you asked him. He was hesitant on telling you, he hadn’t thought about the version of you in a long time. But the look on your pleading face broke him, and he told you. The pained look on your face as he told you your greatest fear had come true made him wish he didn’t tell you. “But that isn’t- it wasn’t you, and it won’t be.” He reassured you. “I promise.”

-You may or may have not cried when he said that. Ok you cried.

-Kay/o panicked at first, thinking you thought of it as a threat or something negative, but you shook your head telling him it actually warmed your heart that he said that. “I know it’s not as much of the same, but I promise that we’ll keep rebooting you.” You smiled. “Even if I gotta hook you up to some double A batteries.” He chuckled at your statement, saying you’d need a lot of batteries if that was the case. But he thanked you.

-While you’ve made some small progress on using your strength outside of your ultimate, you were still nowhere near safe to be around during it. Though able to banter and hold conversations with your team, your ultimate was still another story. You would still need direct permission to use it. And unfortunately, this was going to be one of those rare missions where you might need it.

“Evac is still less than 5 minutes out, what’s the situation, you two?” Sage asked on your ear piece.

“Low on ammo and we’re pinned down.” Kay/o reported behind the concrete barrier.

“Don’t forget to mention that they blew your freaking arm off!” You piped in, firing off the last of your clip haphazardly at the enemy agents, then ducking back down next to Kay/o.

“Yes, they also ‘blew my freaking arm off’, Mirror Raze had a lucky satchel.” Kay/o informed. “Support fire is currently limited.”

The crack sound of a bullet ricocheting off your cover makes your head duck. “If you guys could kick it into a faster gear, that’d be great!” You said over comms.

“We’re hurrying as fast as we can, but it will still take us a few minutes till we’re there.” Brimstone answered.

Gritting your teeth, you curse as you reload your gun. Your bracelets pulsed with another wave of enforced suppression, your hand subtly shaking with pain. Normally the enforcement isn’t needed, but during these tight firefights it puts your powers into overdrive, that primal power trying to claw its way out.

Grunting in annoyance, you sent another flurry of bullets at the enemy. “Not sure how much longer I can hold them off for, but I’ll try.” You said to your team as you hid again.

There’s a few beats of silence on the comms, when Brimstone speaks again. “Y/n, are you in a position to use your ultimate?” 

The question startles you, making you hesitate to answer. You look towards Kay/o, seeing the sorry state he’s been put in, you weren’t going to make it worse. But before you can give your answer, Kay/o does.

“Only collateral would be me, Brim.” He looks at you directly. “Just make sure to fix me up right, and make sure Raze stays out of my stuff.” Though he says it over comms, he says it to you.

You furrow your brows. “What? No-“

“Understood. Y/n, you’re clear to engage.” Brimstone gives his order.

“I’m not doing that, you could get hurt!” You shake your head, talking directly to Kay/o.

“In the end I’ll be fine, you on the other hand-“ he’s interrupted by another few shots into your shared cover.

“I’ll be fine in the end too, than.” You plead. “If something happens, just hand me off to Sage. I’m not going to become that thing!”

Kay/o didn’t understand. He’s had to be rebooted before, this wasn’t new. And you hadn’t expressed your fear of being lost in a long time. “Y/n, I promised you that we’ll make sure you come back-“

Footsteps interrupt him as you hear footsteps come closer. You swing up, shooting the Mirror Phoenix down. But before he’s downed he manages to clip your ear, making you hiss in pain as you come back down. Touching your ear, you bring your hand down to see your own blood.

“Y/n,” Kay/o reaches his hand towards you. But you know he’s trying to remove the suppression from your bracelets.

Yanking your hand away from him, you hold it close to your chest. “I don’t need to come back if I’m not changing.” You snap. “I’m not letting you see me that way. Not ever again.”

Before he can register fully what you said, what you truly meant by that, you get up to fire off again. Even after hitting the enemy Skye, you refused to back down. Vaulting over your cover, you run over to the downed Phoenix’s gun, using what ammo it had left to push them back.

Kay/o couldn’t manage to get himself up in time before hearing the final shot from your gun. The enemy Viper and Sova lay dead. You were left panting and riddled with grazes from bullets, but not dead. But your arms still clutched the gun as if still ready to fire the next shot. The glow from your bracelets rivaling that of Astra's arm.

Before Kay/o can confront you, he hears the sound of the Valorant aircraft nearing. “Y/n, Kay/o, we’re nearing your position, what’s the status of your situation?” Sage speaks again through the comms.

“They’re down.” Your voice is strained, your shoulders finally slacking. Looking behind you, you see Kay/o. “Both still alive.” The gun drops out of your hands as you breathe out harshly, the adrenaline dropping off quickly. “Ready for a nap.”

“Well good job you two.” Brimstone responds. “Sounds like you didn’t need your ultimate. Makes it easier for us too."

Everything gets blurry as you chuckle, shaking your head trying to clear your head. “Yeah. Don’t need that crap.” You don’t notice that you’re about to fall over when Kay/o grabs you, steadying you in place enough for you to focus on him. “See? Told you.” You whisper at him.

But whatever he replied with, you have no idea. Passing out just as the team arrived.

-Refusing to remove the suppression from your bracelets caused your body to basically go into adrenaline x2. Though it didn’t affect your mind luckily, it took a toll on your body.

-Kay/o struggled keeping you up, almost falling with you as he held you up from falling to the ground. Holding someone up properly while you can barely hold yourself up, plus missing and arm, is harder than you think.

-Sage and Skye helped patch you up easily while Killjoy and Cypher (and Raze watching from afar) fixed up Kay/o. But despite your wounds being minor, they kept you in the med bay in order to watch over you for the next few days. You’d be out for a few days, Sage had informed everyone.

-When the debrief was done, Sage pulled Kay/o aside. “I have already mentioned this to KJ, but I know you helped create their suppression device as well.” Her brows knitted together in concern. “There were burn marks beneath the bracelets.”

-Kay/o explained what had happened back there, how you refused to remove the suppression, and as well with what you had said. She slowly nodded. “It would be different if they had let themselves change, but they were awake and fully aware of the suppression burning them.” You had gone through that pain just to stop him from experiencing anymore trauma, he realized.

-The next few days Kay/o could have been mistaken for a statue, he never left your side. He didn’t need to eat or sleep. But he needed you and he needed to see you ok.

-During the days of waiting gave Kay/o time to think, to go over what happened. What you said. What it meant to him, to you. He thought back to previous missions, how you were the one to cover him the best, despite the fact he didn’t need it as much. And he was unknowingly doing the same. When did he ask you to stop by, when did you stop asking when to come by, you just would. Almost every day he never expected you to stop by, he knew you would. If you didn’t, he would miss you, and even go out to find you himself. When did these jokes and teasing become real? Why only now was he seeing what you’ve become to him?

In another life he saw you rip a human's heart out. And now you unknowingly, but delicately, hold his.

The groan from you makes him sit up straight. Your hand came up, pressing against your forehead as your eyes fluttered open. When your eyes finally focus you see Kay/o next to you. “Mornin’ sunshine.” You give a tired half grin.

Before he can answer, Sage enters, coming over to check on you. “Good evening, Y/n, glad to have you back. How do you feel?” She places a glass of water on the bedside table.

“Mm… like I got hit with a truck.” You grumble, rubbing your eyes due to the bright fluorescent lights. “But alive, I suppose.”

Sage hums in acknowledgment. “Given what you put your body through, I’m not surprised.” She glances at Kay/o, sensing his anticipation on needing to talk to you. “I’ll inform the others that you’re awake now, and grab you a meal to eat so you can take some medication for your pain.” Bowing her head at the two of you, she leaves.

There’s a few beats of silence before either of you speak.

“Why?” Kay/o asks.

“You’re gonna have to be more specific.” You sarcastically reply, rolling your eyes. But you knew what was coming.

“Would you like a list of my questions?” He matched your sarcasm, except his tone was much more annoyed. “Why did you refuse to use your ultimate?”

“I already told you before.” You shrug, looking away from him.

"Then look at me and tell me again." He said, leaning in.

You side eye him, a weary smile growing. "Want me to look deeply into your eyes?"

"Y/n." Ok he's serious.

Sighing you finally give in. "I don't want you to see me like that. I remember what you told me. What I was."

"But you've never been that because that was never you. I know you, I see you, you are you. You are kind, giving, and protective. That monster was not any of those things.

"But I BECOME like that person-"

"Like them and being them is different. The other you couldn't come back no matter what, nor showed any sign of wanting to." He looks at your hands.

There’s silence between you two. More should really be said right now but… neither even knows where to begin.

Before the conversation can continue, that’s when Sage returns with your food, followed in tow by some of your friends wanting to eagerly check in on you. Kay/o took this as a sign to leave.

-Your recovery is quick enough thanks to Sage and Skye treating you

-Brim gives you a bit of a talking to about not listening to his orders but understands your hesitations. He orders (supervised by Kay/o) training with Reyna for you to get a tackle on your ultimate. If things get too wild, the two of them are capable of handling things.

-Its rough, and emotionally taxing, but the reassurement not just from Kay/o but your teammates as well has really helped.

-Speaking of teammates, they tell you just how worried Kay/o was about you. How much time he spent helping you seemed more than just friendly or because Brim told him to.

-Maybe it’s time to finally talk with him.

It's not surprising that he's at the shooting range.

"Y/N," he nods at you. "Did you need something?"

"Oh, nothin. Just y'know, visiting." Oh god don't get cold feet now.

"I'm pretty sure I've told you before that I can tell when you're lying. So what is it that you need?" His voice light, joking, your nerves settle down a little.

"Ok well I don't need anything, but I um… I did want to talk with you." You wring your hands together as Kay/o fully turns towards you.

"I…” you swallow hard. “I really like you. And not as a friend or teammate, but more. I just, I just think that you're sweet and funny, and I think you're incredibly caring.” you smile softly as you look at the floor. “No ones ever cared so deeply about me.”

“But I… understand if you don't feel the same, or if you can't even feel the same.” and awkward chuckle leaves you. “And of course the obvious" you look at your hands, opening them up. "I'm a radiant, the very thing you are meant to…" your hands close as you trail off. "I'm the very thing that goes against who you are, what you were made for."

When you finish there’s silence in the air, and you dare not even look up. Which begins to unnerve you again.

“Uh, you know what you can just- Ignore this, or delete it from your memory and we can act like none of this happened!" You wanted to melt into the floor and disappear.

He’s not responding and now you’re going to lose your mind-

"I… I do feel those emotions.” Kay/o finally speaks, stepping closer towards you. “And I do feel the same, y/n. It is confusing to feel this, but I also know who you are. You are, well, you. Not the other version I knew… I am glad to have met you, the real you." He closes the distance and holds gently onto your hands as you finally look up at him, his presence warm.

“I’m glad to have met you too.” You smile, pressing your forehead against his.

(small bonus)

-Eventually you do become capable enough to control yourself and powers that you no longer need your suppression bracelets.

-They’re finally deactivated but Kay/o doesn’t understand why you still wish you wear them.

-he says there’s no need for it since there’s no purpose to keep wearing them.

-”yes but you made it for me. And it feels weird without it.”

-there he finally understands

-"it… reminds me of you, and of how far I've come… I'm sorry this probably sounds silly-"

-"It's not, y/n. I'm honored that you hold me in such a high regard that you want a memento of me."

"Ok come on now, you're my boyfriend for crying out loud."

[unitedbydevils]

Match Review: Manchester United 1-0 Fulham

A late Zirkzee finish in front of the Stretford End gives United an opening three points against a tough Fulham side.

I had written a lovely, long review about the game. Then my postcode had two powercuts and my motivation took a beating. We go again.

United looked a lot better than last season. We lack that cutting edge at present, but you can hone a team with time. United have an injured Hojlund and a slightly unfit Zirkzee. Playing a false 9 for most of the game saw United miss chance after chance without a focal point. Future games will be better - with or without the striker options.

The biggest positive was United at the back: Mazraoui looks GOOD. Like, Dalot should be worried about his spot good AND with only a few days to train with the squad and attempt to gel.

The upside is LB is fucked with Shaw/Malacia, so Dalot as an inverted playmaker LB could work... but I don't like him there as much as RB. Still, solid from him today. Great from Martinez, Maguire and Maz.

United as a whole were better defensively too; pressing was as a team unit, ala Klopp's Liverpool last season. The effort didn't feel wasted or disjointed. Fulham managed just 10 shots, and only 2 on target - figures we could only DREAM of last season.

That said, Fulham weren't shoddy either. Smith Rowe seems to have settled in immediately, Muniz played the target man role well, and Antonee Robinson looked really nice at LB. Potential summer '25 signing levels of nice (though he does turn 28 next August).

There are three issues remaining for me at present:

Casemiro lacks positional discipline to be a 6. We need Ugarte or similar.

Rashford lacks confidence. He should have been greedy and finished that chance at the end, not offload it to Garnacho. It wasn't selfless, it was scared.

We're way better with actual strikers than doing the false 9 schtick.

That said, given the wonky season last year, this was markedly better. Non-United fans were calling it boring, but it's not an easy game agaisnt Marco Silva's sides. He's a good coach, drills teams well, and Fulham will be firmly mid-table this year, if not maybe higher. Rashford with confidence finishes that late chance. That's 2-0. Bruno and Casemiro each came close, there's 3 or 4 nil. Maybe with confidence Rashford forces something else to happen, opens a gap for other players... these things matter.

A winning start to the season is a good start, and it quietens the doubters. We have to of course keep winning and keep performing, but form and fitness both come with time, and if today's performance is anything to go by we're only a few little improvements off being a genuine force and back to Top 4 levels.

Shoutout to Mazraoui, Maguire, Licha, and Bruno today. Four big shifts that kept United in control of the match. Keep it up.

To finish, enjoy this little post-match interview from Lissandro (ft. Jamie 'He's too small' Carragher)🔥

[settphel-enthusiast]

The new age of Guardians

- Vi, Caitlyn, Sett, Aphelios & Alune and Jayce

This is just my silly little story of the next age of Star Guardians, I'm not entirely well-versed in the lore. I just know the basics, and i have a problem with Settphel, and I have 0 reason for selecting these sets of champions for the new age of Guardians. But alas. Here you go!

This will be chapter one?? I guess??

This is probably cringe af, but idc. Sorry for any typos, I'm on my phone ;^; I'm not sure how many words but it's long. Kekw

Now. Summers were never.. Empty. Not like this.. Sett always had Aphelios to spend his summers with. But this year was eerily quiet, ever since Aphelios left and got himself corrupted for the sake of the team.

The sacrifice in question? To give Sett one more chance at finding his father and to get revenge.

The Guardians needed that Intel, so? Aphelios sacrificed himself up for it. Against Vi's wishes, against Sett's demands.

But.. Sett kept Aphelios' gem, close to his bed side drawer.

"Where ever you are, you can reach me with this."

Those were Aphelios' last words to Sett.

The vastayan stared up at his ceiling, it was late.. He rolled onto his side and looked at the time;

2:32am

He sighed and climbed out if bed with a wave of his hand; brushing over his gem, with a flurry fo sparkles and a symphony of shimmers, his familiar sparkled out of his gem with an inquisitive chirp,

"We're going to find him, Nico," with a confident smile across Sett's lips; exposing those pearly fangs he kept sharp for his Ma!

Grabbing his cap, he put it on, making sure his ears poked through the appropriate holes, and he opened his window; climbing out, jumping down from the second story, landing with his knee bent and his palm on the floor; catching himself.

Sett, using Nico to his advantage would give him a little boost as he began running, picking up speed rather quickly.

Where was he off to?

Just a simple rooftop in Valoran, where he would rummage through his pocket to pick out Aphelios' soft orange-purple glistening gemstone.

He took a deep breath in and sighed it out with puff of his cheek, and he brought the gemstone close to his chest, concentrating on his power to bring the gemstone to life.

To create a portal directly linking to Aphelios.

And without a shot of a doubt; Aphelios climbed through, his rich dark purples and blues covering his outfit, with his eyes star-struck,

"What?" He signed,

"You uh.. Still lost your voice, huh?" Sett laughed nervously,

"Yes. Zoe doesn't want me spilling secrets," he explained through quick signing, which Sett only picked up a few words,

"Right uhm-- Listen," Sett's hand reached up, rubbing the back of his neck, "Summer vacation is almost over, Ma is worried about you," he sighed.

"Really?" Aphelios seemed.. Interested, even a little glint of joy filled his eyes, albeit his aloof expression.

"Yeah, man! She asked if you were coming this year, it was weird without you," Sett awkwardly clapped his gloved hands together.

"I see.. Tell her I said hello and I miss her," Aphelios' expression grew saddened, softer.

"Yeah, I will- and.. Classes are starting tomorrow, so.. We'll all be together again and we'll save you this time, okay?" Sett wore that iconic, dumb, bright smile across his lips.

"Okay," Aphelios signed,

Sett's arms stretched out, offering a hug to Aphelios.

And he took it; wrapping his arms around Sett. If he could feel anything else but the agony of being star struck by the corruption, he'd cry. There was a single tear rolling down his cheek, but.. He quickly pushed Sett away,

"I need to go back. You should get some sleep," Aphelios signed before turning his back to face the whirring portal, wiping away a tear with the back of his fist,

"I will, sleep well, Mooncake," Sett looked down at his arms, as the corruption started sinking into his skin, adding to his grit for his next fight.

Every time they met up; Sett took a little bit more of Aphelios' corruption.

His theory was working. He could almost see Aphelios smile.

His theory was; if he could use the corruption the creatures used on him, and let his body turn it into light, why couldn't he take Zoe's corruption?

Sett went back home, satisfied with his solo mission.

He got a few extra hours of sleep before he went to school; kissing his Mom goodbye,

"Settrigh! Don't forget your lunch!" She rushed to put it in his bag- sighing,

"Thanks, mama! I'll be back before you know it," he waved with a vibrant smile.

Now, the dorms were separated; but the school kept the Guardians close to one another for emergencies.

But last year was empty without Akali, Rakan, and Aphelios.

Akali was MIA, Rakan was in and out of treatment for his corruption that still riddled his soul, and Aphelios was.. With Zoe.

Sett went for his dorm; putting his things down, keeping his locket with Aphelios' gem on his chained necklace, hiding it under his shirt.

Classes were.. A bit difficult; Settrigh had a hard time sitting still, but he remained upbeat and like the typical jock he was; making sure everyone was smiling around him.

The next night was.. Strange.

Sett had a dream about losing control and hurting the people around him; like he was some sort of mangled beast, afraid but attacking everything and destroying everyone - and when it came to Aphelios, he gasped and clutched his chest, reaching out with the other.

He was drenched in sweat, looking down at his hands. They were still normal. Looking at his clock;

2:32am..

The second night in a row he's been up at this time.

Settrigh stood up, heading to the bathroom with sleepy steps; in nothing but his PJs; which included just his boxers and a tank top.

Turning on the water, he watched as the running water scurried down the drain. Deep in thought.

Should he tell Aphelios about his dream? Should he tell Vi?

No.. He couldn't tell them a thing. Not a soul.

Sett's hand came down to the water, gathering some of it and letting it pool in the curve of his palm before he'd bring it up to his face to wash it. Taking another deep breath in as he'd wipe his hand down his face.

Looking up in the mirror; only to get a glimpse of that dark, rich purple and blue frame of Aphelios-

Sharply, Sett turned around to grab him but..

There was nothing.

He closed his eyes and turned the water off, slumping off to bed once again.

But this was a sacrifice he was willing to take.

Come the next day; and Sett was out of it, for the most part.

"Hey! Spiky!" Vi called out, slamming her hands on the table,

"Huh? What?" Sett perked up, looking up at Violet with Caitlyn close to her hip.

"Are you okay?" Caitlyn lowered herself so that she could put her elbows on Sett's desk,

"Yeah, oh.. I just didn't sleep very well, bad dream, you know how they are!" Sett couldn't help but smile around his peers; especially his leader.

If Vi were to find out his plans? He'd be kicked and prohibited from working with them ever again.

"Right.." Vi's eyes narrowed, "We have a mission after classes, just some nemesis scum, you in, pretty boy?" Vi cocked a brow, tapping his desk with her finger,

"Yeah! Damn straight, I am, always ready to beat up some corrupt fools!" He'd punch his palm with a smug grin,

"See? Told'ja he was fine," Vi motioned to Sett before turning her back to walk to the dorms,

"Well, see you soon then, Settrigh," Caitlyn offered a smile to him.

He sighed and stood up; he wasn't far behind the girls, and they grabbed Jayce along the way.

Upon heading to the rooftops of their dorms, they all got changed into their assigned Star Guardian attire while prepping their weapons, "Ready, big guy?" Jayce smiled at Sett,

"You know I am," Sett cracked his neck while slipping his gloves on; they were designed to withstand the negative energy of the corruption, and run it through his body and turn it into positive energy (grit)

Vi waved her gauntlet to open a portal to another place in Valoran city; ruined with all these corrupted pests. Clearly ran by Rek'sai, a pet of Morgana's.

As they jumped through the portal without hesitation, falling from the sky above, down to the ground in a flurry of sparkles,

Rising to their feet, Vi cracked her gauntlets' knuckles, "Let's go!" She called out,

"That your version of a pep talk?! Could use some work!" Sett called out, his smile obnoxious and wide, exposing his fangs as he ran into the heat of battle.

"Your form could use work, fluffy!" Vi only teased back as she did the same; following the motion of Sett's body; making sure she had his back covered.

Caitlyn pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed, but she quickly loaded her gun up with stardust and begun aiming for the heads of the corrupted bugs.

Jayce kept Caitlyn's back clear; blasting any that got too close to the both of them.

"Don't go far you two!" Caitlyn called out.

Vi huffed and checked their position; they were in a bit deep, "Sett! Pull back!" Vi called out.

But Sett? He was in the heat of it, all he could think about was Aphelios and how he gave him up. His punches flowed like water, one after the other. He couldn't hear anything else but his own heavy breath as it pierced into his lungs, and the squelching, screeching of these corrupted insects.

Sett kept going and going, until he was at maximum grit.

That's when he turned around to the few corruption he let through and unleashed a splash of light and stardust; using all his prowess to eliminate the insects that charged forth.

He stopped, with a heavy pant, freezing in place. And he'd stand up right, "How's that for flashy?" He chuckled, looking back at the rest of the team.

They looked.. Troubled.

Settrigh pivoted his hips, looking over his shoulder. There was a glimpse of Aphelios, and his heart sunk, "Phel," he mumled.

Aphelios' dark purple eyes, almost solemnly settled on Sett, turning away and closing the portal behind him.

Clenching his fists, his knuckles turned white, and he clenched his jaw, bringing a hand up to his chest; where his gem resided, "I'll find ya, Phel, don't worry," he whispered.

"Over here!" Caitlyn called out, kneeling down in front of a few of the insects,

Everyone ran over pretty quick; Sett, taking his time, his eyes on where the portal was. But he rushed over,

"What's up?" Sett knelt down onto one knee,

"Aphelios leading this attack shows that he's gained Zoe's trust, when we get him back, he can give us the Intel we need to take her down, he's making this worth it," Caitlyn inspected the bugs closely,

"And these were made by Rek'sai, she's having more influence lately," Vi butted in,

"We'll get him, Settrigh, hang in there," Caitlyn put her hand on Sett's shoulder,

Sett smiled, "We all miss him, not fair to be worried about just me, right?" A laugh, he stood up and rolled his shoulder, "Let's clean up before anyone sees," Sett pivoted,

All of them eliminated the bodies, disintegrating them into stardust.

And of course. Back to the dorms, they went.

Making sure nothing was destroyed on their way back.

Sett fell behind, "I just need to pick something up. Don't wait for me," Sett's hand raised, almost waving the group off,

"Oh, alright- be safe!" Caitlyn's voice choed through the empty streets as the street lamps started lighting up. And off they went.

Dinner was delicious as usual; steak with roast vegetables and apple pie for desert.

Sett was really missing out!

The Vastayan found himself back at the scene of the crime; searching, scanning.

Until he heard footsteps behind him and instinctively, Sett's body pivoted; ready to swing but..

He stopped and sighed, "Don't sneak up on people like that, Mooncake," he laughed, bringing his hands back to his body,

"How're you doing? You didn't get hurt, did you?" Aphelios' voice, barely above a whisper,

"Well hey! Look who's found his voice," Sett couldn't help but tease with his signature smile across his lips,

A nervous laugh came from Aphelios, lowering his head, kicking some dirt, "Yeah, I think Zoe gave me permission to speak," lies. The corruption burdened Aphelios' body, the pain and discomfort keeping him from talking.

But the more Sett took, the easier it was for Aphelios to deal with it.

"Ah, yeah, that's good! Fantastic even," Sett rubbed his hands together, "But I'm fine, you know how I am, big toughie," his elbow nudged Aphelios' arm,

"Yes, you were always the strong one," Aphelios' hand ran across the bridge of his Severum,

"We--" Sett bit his lips together for a moment, "I miss you," he muttered out, running his fingers across his gloves slowly,

The corners of Aphelios' eyes welled up with tears. He sniffled and cleared his throat, turning his head, "Yeah! I miss you too," trying to stay strong, his walls were crumbling.

"Phel," Sett whispered, and he'd step forward; hooking his fingers underneath Aphelios' chin, getting his head to turn, "It's hard, you're doing great, let me help you," Sett lowered go Aphelios' height,

"What?" Aphelios' brows knitted together, confused, wiping away his tears with the back of his hand,

Saying nothing else, Sett brought Aphelios in for another hug; this time it was tight, desperate, greedy. Like he was saying goodbye.

It didn't take long for Kai'sa and Xayah to show up; they quickly pieced together what Sett was up to,

"Settrigh! Stop! You don't know what that's going to--" Xayah called out, reaching her hand out.

A flurry of starlight, swishing, and swooshing of galaxies around them; keeping Xayah and Kai'sa out of the way.

Another portal shredded through time and space, and Morgana curiously peaked her head out, a raise in her brow as her arm would rest under her bosom, tilting her head, "What's this?"

And with the compression of stardust and galaxies, the two of them vanished.

Sett and Aphelios were not to be found.

Xayah and Kai'sa were left dumb founded, looking around for them, and Morgana closed that portal up. Not wasting her time with an unnecessary fight.

"Settrigh! Aphelios!" Xayah called out, her heart sinking. Where would they have gone?

"Call the others. We need to find them before Morgana does," Kai sa, instructing Xayah with the full confidence of a leader. While pulling her phone out, Kai'sa kept her eyes peeled, pacing back and forth anxiously, calling as many of the Guardians as they could to get this search party underway.

"Pick up.." She chewed her thumb nail; trying to call Sett.

While Xayah fled the scene to gather Rakan, Senna, Seraphine, and she'd hope for Orianna, as well as any of the others, if they so wished.

With Sett's prowess? The things that Morgana could do..

[scxttershot]

So I copied this over from my Discord rants last night - a brief text-based analysis of Floyd Lawton's character depth.

Re. Possessing no outward feelings except sarcasm and general assholery, suppresses everything else, subconscious belief that we deserve to be punished, chronic intimacy issues probably stemming from how fucked up his family is, actively suicidal with a death wish, debatably has 0 redeeming qualities on the surface, generally homicidal [bitch me too to all of this!!!!]. Despite everything, Floyd cares. He wouldn't be around other people by choice if he didn't. Waller has canonically offered him the chance to walk several times, as he's served multiple sentences. He wouldn't have damn near agreed with Peter/Ragdoll saying the Secret Six were his family if he didn't. Wouldn't have manipulated a doctor at gunpoint into telling a young woman who he at that point barely knew that she didn't accidentally cause her father's end stage lung cancer re. Lori/Black Alice. Also yeah his flings with Jeannette, Michelle, etc. were a lot more than just sex if you read Deadshot: Bulletproof or Gail Simone's Secret Six series, there's actual romance and protective feelings there. Susan Lawton who knows, it's hard to say and I really think what they had completely fell apart after their son was murdered, + her character wasn't super developed. In any case it's the classic machismo thing of "showing human emotion makes you weak and a liability" coupled with what I'm damned sure is PTSD. The reaper follows Lawton like a shadow. re. The Get Out of Hell card, he specifically steals it because he doesn't want to watch the Six tear each other apart over it. Also re. Floyd cares, 1987 Suicide Squad: he went with Digger to Digger's mother's funeral as a plus one and stuck around without even being asked. Meanwhile the entire time he's claiming not to like Captain Boomerang.

 And eventually, Floyd breaks out of that hard shell a little. It takes fucking RAGDOLL calling him [and Catman] out over it, and it's literally the final issue of the 2008 Secret Six series, but he's genuinely concerned and pained when Catman gets shot. For reference. If the guy who replaced all his joints with cybernetics and banged his own sister calls you out and makes an actually good point while doing so, that is both concerning and something you should probably listen to. Earlier in the run he also cares enough about Thomas to ask him personally to chaperone a date with Jeannette because Floyd is legitimately scared she'll take advantage of him, also. Is that referring to physically? Sexually? Emotionally? Probably all three. But nothing happens. Like. Damn. There's not a lot of content that goes out of its way to specifically show that a lot of Floyd's generally abrasive personality is an act. AS IT STANDS given pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths Floyd Lawton, lately DC has made him far too sympathetic for a homicidal contract killer. There is a very fine line between "likeable asshole" and "this is watered down to the point where sometimes it's but the vapor of a character". We need a balance, DC. And I hope, one day, someone can write that again.

[squish--squash]

WHY YOU SHOULD VOTE SCAR FOR MCYTBLR SEXYMAN

I've seen people mention they want propaganda, SO I'LL GIVE THEM PROPAGANDA!

First point is this entire slideshow I made: https://www.tumblr.com/squish--squash/708473005838417920/ it mentions a good few points and I don't just wanna repeat what I've already said, so I HIGHLY suggest reading that first, bc this post is almost a continuation of it

So... why should you vote scar as the mcytblr sexyman, other than the aforementioned points? Well, I can give you many reasons!

(quick preface: aside from point 1, I'm talking about the characters, not the content creators! this will make sense of why I'm saying this on point 4...)

Scar hasn't campaigned he's in the finals. There is a chance scar will win the entire thing. AND HE HAS NOT CAMPAIGNED, OR EVEN MENTIONED IT. hell, there might be a chance he has no clue it's going on! I truly respect joe hills and their campaigning but c'mon. c'mon, you HAVE to give the tumblr sexyman crown to the guy who doesn't have a clue about the competition, it's just so fitting! AND HILARIOUS

Round 3 Round 3 was trench warfare for many contestants, scar included! we went up against TECHNOBLADE, and WON! Do y'all really wanna see the guy WHO DEFEATED TECHNOBLADE to wind up in SECOND PLACE? I know I wouldn't!

Joe Hills is too fucking cool to be a tumblr sexyman Look, if this tournament has taught me one thing, it's that joe hills is one of the coolest and most interesting people I've heard of. He's too cool, in fact. I know I prefaced this in my earlier post, but I wanted to break it down further here. Tumblr sexymen over the years have shared a vast difference of traits, but have ended up having a few qualities that are checked out by all of them. One of these traits? Being at least moderately pathetic. It's part of why they're tumblr sexymen in the first place; the people of tumblr love their blorbos to be at least a little pathetic! joe hills tho? I'm sorry but I can look in a thesaurus for antonyms of "pathetic" and it would be pictures of joe hills- JOE HILLS IS THE OPPOSITE OF PATHETIC, SHE IS SIMPLY TOO COOL

ships ahoy! smth that I've noticed in most, if not all tumblr sexymen, is that they're often shipped with either themselves and/or other people. Now, I don't know exactly how many people scar is shipped with, but I have seen him shipped with the following on this website: grian, cub, bdubs, ren, mumbo, himself (mayor!scar x captain angry eyes, on more than one occasion!!), and even during the polls I saw multiple people on my dash draw ship art of scar and schlatt during their battle. That is 7 alone, and I know there's possibility of there being a couple more out there.

villainous roles tumblr sexymen are well-known to be either canon villains or having morals that are quite gray. And scar has many villainous and/or morally gray roles. Here, I'll list some of them out! mayor!scar (lead of HEP, a villain to the mycelium resistance); captain angry eyes (villain to the hippies); wizard!scar (morally gray- he sells "magical crystals" to others that's just stained glass with 0 magical properties); hotguy & royal court!hotguy (morally gray- hotguy has shot both "villains" and regular people, and scar on the royal court was downright murderous, looking for anyone to kill for any reason, including the king)

smooth talker scar's a conman at heart (which can tie in with my previous point, actually). he's the type of guy that could talk me out of my own home and I wouldn't even be mad about it! I literally watched this man scam people out of their ARMOUR in third life. There's a reason he was able to sell those "magic crystals". And while this isn't a trait you see in all your tumblr sexymen, I think it's a trait that makes scar one of the best candidates for being mcytblr's sexyman

competent, but not too competent this ties into something I mentioned in point 3. the people of tumblr love their blorbos and sexymen to be at least a little pathetic. They also love for them to be threading the line of being both competent and incompetent. Like, these characters can draft up magnificent plans, but those plans are gonna end up failing so bad in due time because of some obvious detail they were missing. and scar is literally that character. He is 100% that guy who would land the sickest mlg-water bucket and then kill himself accidentally to something ridiculous about a minute and a half later.

you're not immune to the good times YOU ARE NOT IMMUNE. YOU ARE NOT IMMUNE. YOU ARE NOT IMMUNE TO THE GOOD TIMES. VOTE SCAR! VOTE SCAR! VOTE SCAR!

thank you for coming to my TED talk. now, hopefully you know what to do now (vote for scar)

[lowcallyfruity]

little birdie told me you were starving for LeoVil so here's a thought seed: Neige x Vil x Leona

Neige desperately pinning for Vil who is already in a secret relationship with Leona. Vil already hates Neige and we all know that Leona is one possessive motherfucker so Neige's chances are 0. But because he's so oblivous and the relationship is secret, Neige keeps desperately trying to shoot his shot. This plot involves comedy, exagerrated typical romance attempts, pissed off Vil, jealous Leona (but not toxic), and mayhaps Neige having his heart shattered should he overhear the couple making out.

WAIT THIS IS SOOOOO GOOOD HELSPSOSOSO?!?!!!!!!!! 😼😼😼😼 I LIKE THIS IDEA *eats it up*

AUFHHHHHGHHHH UAGHHHGAUUGHFHHH

😍 ok so for the ending they either end up being friends(?) idk it all works out, or. Wait for it guys. POLYCULE!!!!!!!

It seems so interesting I kinda want to read a little fic about it…..

👍👍👍👍 thank you for the idea Lex :3 👍👍👍👍