#they're all ''oh other cons have the opportunity to do this too they just need to ask'' or something but lets be real Who TF Is Gonna Do It

[gor3-hound]

can't fight this feeling pt.2

ft. leon kennedy x fem!reader

part one, part two

cw: 18+ content, dub-con, stepcest, mentions of past non-con and somno, obsessive behaviour, idek what the tag for this is so um - outercourse?? brief mention of murder n non-con recording

a/n: hiii! originally i hadn't planned a part two of this, but here we are! not sure if i like it as much as part one but we move... hope you all like it :))

word count: 1.7k words

Leon couldn't stop thinking about you. You'd crawled your way into his brain and settled down. His entire body itches when you are near, plagued with the knowledge he'd be unable to touch you how he wanted. How he needed.

He loved how pliant you were when he slipped a sleeping pill into your nightly tea, but it wasn't enough. He needed to know how pretty you'd sound moaning his name. He needed you to be awake. He'd had practice now, sneaking into your room at night. He needed to show you how good it would be, make you crave him as much as he craved you.

The perfect opportunity comes up a few weeks later. Your parents tell the both of you they're going away for a couple of days on a couples trip, leaving Leon in charge of the house. He gives them the sweetest smile as they get ready to leave, an arm casually draped over your shoulder as he promises to take care of his baby sister.

“Leon!” You start as soon as they're gone, smiling up at him excitedly. “We've got the place to ourselves! What d'you wanna do?” 

Oh, he can think of a few things, alright. But he's gotta ease into it. It wouldn't do him any good if he scared you off, so he shrugs, playing it casual.

“I dunno.” He replies, using the arm that's still wrapped around your shoulder to guide you into the living room. “Play some games or something? Have a movie day? Up to you, sis.”

“God, you're so boring.” You whine, playfully pushing at his chest with a giggle. He grins at that, squishing you close with his arm and ruffling your hair, ignoring your protests.

“You sure you wanna start a fight with me? You know I'll kick your ass, right?” He says with a playful grin, sliding an arm down to your waist, his hand gripping you there.

“No you wouldn't. You're a big baby.” You say with a laugh, looking up at him and sticking your tongue out. He cocks an eyebrow at your display, and before you can react, he's pinning you to the couch and tickling you.

“Lee!” You exclaim, laughing and trying to kick him off of you. Your arms push at his shoulders, but he's using all of his body weight to pin you down. You wriggle and squirm as much as you can, but nothing seems to get you loose.

“Come on, I give up, alright?” You manage to force out between giggles, using all of your strength to tug at his fingers and try and get his hands off of you.

“Nah, too late for that.” He says with a grin, pressing himself against you as he continues to tickle you. His hips meet your stomach, and he seems to realize that's a mistake as soon as it happens.

His cock is rock hard, and he can see the exact moment you feel it. The way your eyes widen and you freeze up. His own movements halt, his breath hitching as he finds himself unable to move away from you.

“Okay, seriously. Get off now, Lee. That's so weird.” You say with a frown, pushing at his chest. When he doesn't budge, your brows furrow, and you try and squirm away.

His grip on your waist tightens, and you find yourself panicking slightly. “Leon! What the fuck? Let me go.” 

“M'sorry. You're just so pretty. Can't help it.” He all but whines, grabbing your arms and pining the above your head with one hand, the other pinning your hip to the couch. “You got me so hard, princess. Just let me deal with it, yeah? Promise I won't hurt you.”

“Leon, this isn't fucking funny-” You start, your words being cut off by his lips meeting yours. Your eyes widen, and you jerk your head to the side to separate them. 

He whimpers, pinning your thighs down with his own instead so he can use your free hand to grip your jaw and keep your head still. It hurts a little, but he tries his best not to grip you too hard.

He kisses you desperately, digging his fingers into your cheeks slightly to pry your teeth apart so he can stick his tongue into your mouth. He's never been able to kiss you like this before, always too scared of waking you. You're so soft and warm everywhere, it drives him insane.

He begins to rock his hips against you, shifting so he's rubbing over your clothed pussy. You moan quietly into his mouth as he brushes your clit, already feeling your panties dampen. 

Your heart beats rapidly in your chest, the thoughts about how fucking weird this all is on the forefront of your mind. You let yourself be kissed by Leon, no longer trying to fight it. You find yourself kissing back before you even realize, tongue sliding against his as your eyes flutter shut.

When he pulls back, you feel a heat rising to your cheeks, and your breath comes out a little heavier than usual. He's still grinding against you, and you're doing your best not to show how much you like it.

“Leon, come on. That's enough. Mom and dad will kill us if they find out. This is so fucking weird.” You protest weakly, brows still pinched together as you look up at him.

“You're the reason that I'm so hard. The least you could do is help.” He grunts, dropping his head to suck bruises into the skin of your neck. You don't stop him when he reaches for your pants to tug them off, or when he starts fiddling with the bow at the top of your panties.

“Cute.” He says with a grin, sitting back on his heels between your legs to look at you. He dips the tips of his index fingers in the waistband, slowly pulling them down.

“Leon… we can't.” 

“Hmm? Why is that? It's not like you're actually my sister. And look. She likes it.” He says with that cheeky smile you've grown so accustomed to. You never thought you'd see it in this scenario.

“I'm a virgin.” You say quietly, eyes darting to the side like you're embarrassed to admit it to him.

No, you're not. He thinks to himself, trying his best not to give anything away with his expression. He almost feels bad lying to you like this, but it makes it so much sweeter knowing he's the only one that's touched you like this. 

Figured out you were taking the pill when he snooped in your room one day and assumed you must have been sleeping with someone else. He's happy to know he was wrong about that.

“S'okay, sis. I'll take it slow. Won't even put it in, pinky swear.” 

You pause, swallowing hard as you look up at him. You had no reason not to trust Leon, right? He'd been nothing but nice to you… it's not like anyone had to find out.

“You promise?”

“Yeah. Promise. I'll make it feel good for both of us.” He replies easily, leaning forward to kiss you again. He could be patient. It would feel so satisfying when you finally let him fuck you willingly. He doesn't mind taking it slow.

He frees his erection from his boxers as he kisses you, adjusting your panties so he can slip in them. He pushes himself between your folds, sliding back and forth. His tip brushes your clit every time he pushes forward, his thumbs holding his dick firmly against you.

You gasp softly at the feeling, hips bucking towards him as your hands grip his shoulders. He moans into your mouth as your nails dig into his muscles through his shirt, rutting against you faster.

Your moans are ever prettier than he imagined. His kisses turn even hungrier, his teeth nipping at your bottom lip before he sucks it into his mouth.

You're even better when you're awake. He can't believe it took him this long to gather the courage to make a move on you. You're so wet, dribbling all over his cock and making the slide even easier. 

He's not gonna last long like this, so he focuses on grinding the head of his dick against your clit, trying to get you to cum. Maybe if he makes you feel good enough, you'd let him fuck you before your parents got back.

“Leon… Leon, fuck.” You whimper, breaking this kiss and burying your face in his neck. It doesn't take long for you to be pushed over the edge, coating his cock ever more.

Just hearing you moan his name is enough for him to coat your pussy in cum, making a mess of your cute panties until the fabric is transparent.

He collapses on top of you, pressing his weight against you. He tucks his face into the crook of your neck, inhaling your scent with a sigh. He feels his heart start to race when you try and press closer to him.

He's finally got you where he wants you. He knows you so well, knows he can make it so you'll be ruined for anyone else. He wants you with him forever. He'd kill anyone who tried to come between the two of you, and he's not above using his badge to scare off any men who so much as look in your direction.

As much as it pains him, he knows he's gonna have to wipe the videos he's taken of you off his phone. He can't risk you coming across them one day and ruin what you have going. He'd get some more, convince you to record a proper home video with him.

“Told you I'd always look after you.” He mumbles into your skin, rolling off you only to tuck you into his side, running a hand through your hair.

You smile up at him, your eyes shining with affection that only serves to drive him insane.

Yeah, you'd be his. He'd make sure of it.

Whatever it takes. 

[mychlapci]

Sorry my liege... this peasant is doing such a poor job at not clogging the royal inbox...

Absolute nonsense idea today but consider if fulcrum's k-con reframing came with cat ears and tail. The minor code alterations based on the cybercat and those additional audial receptors help them target better. They do essentially have to learn to airdive in basically no time at all, so any additional sensors really help. And honestly the only reason the choice form factor of said sensors is Cat Ears is purely for the humiliation aspect. The k-cons were set for death after all. High Command would have wanted this to be as unpleasant as possible.

Anyway I don't think it would have bothered fulcrum too much at first. He was going to be deactivated anyway like. Who cares about some cat ears.

Later tho. When he eventually wakes up again, somehow still alive... well... suddenly he's here to stay. Suddenly he has a team of sorts. And suddenly he has to deal with the mortifying reality of having these funny appendages.

Really living for the first time in a long long time, and especially having other mechs around to comment on them, he starts to realise those appendages do quite a lot of things. They move around. A lot.

The tail is so stupid. It flicks around all the time. He accidentally whacks his tail too hard on objects around him a few times and it hurts. It also flicks around when he's excited and curls around when he's nervous- It's embarrassing really.

Or maybe it wouldn't have been so embarrassing if his weird little posse didn't keep pointing them out. They really don't need to keep telling him when his tail flicks around. He doesn't need to know!!!

Misfire especially. The jet loves to tell him exactly when he sees the thing move. Its like really bad sports commentary. Oh it's swooshing!! Look it's all bristled now!! Fluffy!!! He doesn't want to know. He doesn't want to know he's 'cute'

The ears are somehow even worse. They're even more closely linked to his emotions, if that was even possible. Sometimes he may look passive, but those ears give him away. Not that he would usually mind. But he does mind when misfire takes every opportunity to be like 'awwww you sad? Your kitty ears look sad'

....the only good thing about the appendages turns out to be that they do feel kinda good. Misfire loves to grab anything he can get his sticky servos on. It's no surprise when he pokes at fulcrum's ears one day, happily kicking his legs when the fluffy ears twitch.

It's stupid and annoying and fulcrum swats at misfire in hopes of getting the mech to stop. Or at least he does until the poking and prodding suddenly morphs into gentle scratching. Misfire's digits smooth over the fur and then start scratching behind his ears.

Fulcrum just melts immediately. It feels like he's lost power to all his joints. His struts cease to exist. Even the little servos that control every flick and swivel of his stupid ears relax.

He finds himself slumping onto the jet, engine purring as he struggles to keeps his optics online.

He doesn't know what's come over him but it feels good. He continues to lay against misfire even as the other's servos wander. He's stroked along the back of his helm, down his back... His engine continues to purr in contentment.

But when misfire's servo reaches the base of his back strut, stroking over the base of his tail, it's really good. It's a little bit too good. He arches a little into the touch and he hears misfire giggle. Stupid mech probably thinks it's funny.

An amused misfire is a troublesome one, usually. His digits wrap around the base of the tail and stroke, sending a shiver down fulcrum's back struts. It's kinda weird but he doesn't quite have it in him to tell misfire to stop

The digits sink lower until they press against the joint between the tail and his aft. He really should have realised this was bad when he actually pressed back into the touch, lifting his hips to push against the fingers.

By the time misfire starts massaging the base of his tail, it's too late. It's too late to realise he's been feeling the Wrong Kind of Good as he very nearly lets a needy mewl escape his vocaliser.

He would pull away- he would- but that would be suspicious now, wouldn't it? He'd let it get this far. It would be weird to suddenly jump away. That's the only reason he stays. Really. That's the only reason he lets misfire continue to push his digits into the base of his tail.

He tries his best to keep his hips still. He is Not going to start rutting against his crewmate. If he's good at anything, it's forcing joints to keep still.

It's tempting though. It's very tempting. His panels ping him incessantly to release his array, but he dismisses every alert. He tries to keep his hot little pants quiet as misfire continues to toy with his the base of his tail.

He's determined to be still. He won't be weird about this. He won't be suspicious at all-

But it turns out maybe he does too good a job at being uninteresting. He hears something crash down the hallway and misfire is immediately on his pedes, wings perking up in interest, and running towards the noise.

"Wait-!"

Fulcrum whines, suddenly alone, plating burning and array aching. At least that solves one of his problems. Kind of.

this one has been around for like a month and i honestly have 0 idea what to do about this one. All I can say is that i admire horny cat boy Fulcrum and an oblivious idiot Misfire.

Now that I'm here, actually, I wonder if Fulcrum has spines on his spike. There is no practical reason for it, but since he's already a cat boy, we can dream...

[bronx-bomber87]

Happy Tuesday evening lovely fandom :) The work flirts continue on and in front of EVERYONE at the station might I add in this one. Like they’re not even trying to hide it at this stage in their relationship. God I love s4. Lets get this started eh?

4x03 In the Line Of Fire

We first catch Tim talking to Grey in the locker room. (Lucy did appear earlier but was for SL don't care about with Nolan ha) Wade suggests a Sergeants aide to him. Tim being Tim sees it as a sign of weakness. Like he can’t handle his workload. He is defensive and says he doesn’t need one. Grey knows where his head is and says it’s not weak to need one. They're short staffed it makes sense to. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Wade suggesting Lucy to him.

He’s not wrong they’re seamless together. They miss riding together (not that either will admit this) It makes perfect sense on paper. You can see the wheels turning in Tim’s head above as he considers this. Now I think his immediate gut reaction is Lucy. Not a doubt in my damn mind. But as he continues to mull it over he sees the cons of it. If you’re not in tune with Tim you might not get his motives for not choosing her right away.

We will delve into that later in the episode. But I know when he thinks on it more it’s because he wants to protect her. On multiple levels by not choosing her. I love this about him. His first instinct is to protect Lucy above all else. Emotionally, her career, you name it he’s protecting it. Love this man.

Friggin Nolan overhears this and jumps the gun. What else is new? Foot in mouth disease is his go to. He is causing unecessary friction because he can’t keep his mouth shut. (I mean it leads to a delightful episode for them but I have to give him shit.) It's setting both Tim and Lucy up for failure with the aide news. Nolan telling Lucy that Tim is going to pick her to be his go-fer with such certainty does just that. Saying he heard Grey tell Tim to do so. Getting her all excited he’s going to choose her.

When Tim picks Webb instead Lucy is CRUSHED. Tim is looking in her general direction too which is even more misleading. Her actions above are screaming very loudly how upset she is. I love how much Lucy uses her hands when she is upset. She fidgets and doesn’t know what to do with herself at all. I’m Italian so I can relate haha I feel like she is going through so many emotions in this moment. Hurt he didn’t choose her, agitated that he chose Webb, confused why he would choose anyone but her and lastly pouting because he didn’t choose her.

Petty Lucy is born in this moment and I love it. It's like being told your crush is gonna ask you out and then doesn’t…. You also know she’s going to be jealous and try and lure it out of Tim why he didn't. Because well Lucy LOL She’s doing all these things while Nolan is catching Grey up about his case. Having a loud pout session front and center for Tim and all to see haha Makes me laugh so much. She is deeply upset and everyone will know about it haha

Lucy gives Nolan more grief (as she should) about misreading the Sergeant-Aide situation. Now she’s in analysis mode. Trying to break down why he did what he did. Nolan stating the obvious that it's bothering her Tim didn't pick her. (Duh. You should be a detective. Oh wait....) Lucy explains why this opportunity would be beneficial to her above. She’s not wrong but she is also refusing to beg. Wants him to come crawling to her. Admit he wants her there not the other way around. Oh petty Lucy you are hilarious to watch.

Doesn’t want to give Tim the satisfaction of having her ask. Or having her fate in his hands again. Wants him to be the one to give in and want her around. To Lucy she’s earned that spot with him. Wants Tim to recognize she should be his aide. Nolan should be smart enough to stay clear of this couples spat. But it is Nolan so…he is dealing with her going off haha Lucy finishes off her rant telling John if there is one thing she knows its Tim is definitely missing her right now.

We cut to Tim having a blast with Webb LMFAO They're talking about the game last night. How Webb has season tickets to both the Dodgers and Angels. That he can hit him up anytime for some. You can tell Tim is having a good time with Webb. If Lucy could see this interaction right now it would break her heart. Not really missing her at the moment haha He’s in sports heaven right now.

The way Lucy is reacting to Webb being Tim’s aide is so funny. She literally stomping her foot like but that’s my Tim and my position. Minute she sees Webb at the food trucks she’s on him. Lucy is so jealous they’re having a good time. The way she says 'Really? that's....awesome' (Sure it is..) Sabotage becomes her next play.

Asking Webb if he’d like to know how to stay on Tim's good side. She checks behind her to make sure Tim isn't catching her trickery ahaha She knows he wouldn't like these 'tips'. Smh. Lucy Chen you are playing dirty…. Transparent as a glass house my dear. They get interrupted by a sniper shooting a car that crashes into their lunch spot. So we don’t get to hear these ‘tips’ of hers. All we know is it won't end well for Webb.

We cut back to Webb and Tim in their shop. Talking about the weird case they have right now. He starts going on about his cat personality. Tim’s face. I’m dying. Eric is the king of expressions and I'm laughing so hard. He is so uncomfortable. When Webb asks Tim what his is? It's then Tim knows where this is stemming from. He immediately asks if Lucy put him up to this? Knows his wife too damn well. Like he wasn’t going to figure that out ASAP. Or maybe that was part of her plan. To torture him and have him know she was the reason behind it. These two are ridiculous and I love it.

So begins the ridiculous childishness that is these two in this episode. (I'm loving this BTW) Well Lucy was already there. Been living there for a hot minute heh. Now that Tim knows she wants the job it’s game on. Because why talk about this like adults? When they can work flirt this to death. LMAO Not only that but torture each other along the way. Be more married you two my god. They clearly miss riding with one another but won't be the first to blink. Their competitive nature not letting them yield any control.

The amount of flirting going on in this scene. My god. And it's happening in roll call of all places. Shamelessly flirting in front of the entire station. Tim calling Lucy out for wanting the job. Her innocently saying 'What?' Like she didn’t just sabotage that man out of insane jealously and pettiness LOL

Tim straight up calls her out on it. Saying the cat personality was ALL her. Lucy continues her clueless act with the hint of a cocky smirk. She’s trying so hard not to break this battle of wills they have going on. Her body language betraying her so badly. Tim is onto her and it’s so damn funny. Tim thinks he has the upper hand in this conversation. Knowing she wants the job and is very aware of her sabotage. Thinks the scales are tipping his way right now.

That is until Lucy crushes him with her words and flirting. He’s stunned into silence. You know this man loves it when she does this stuff. He’s mad he likes it. Lucy drives him insane and he goes back for seconds every time. I love how Tim is so caught up in this flirt he forgets where he is. The way he double checks behind him is hilarious. Like she said something dirty to him in public and he’s red baha Also making sure no one else is hearing this convo of theirs. How she just owned his ass during it. Can you spot the married couple?

To continue the petty childish run they're currently on Tim gets back at Lucy quickly. Saying he wants to spread the love. Give someone else a shot at being his go-fer. Her face in that second gif LMFAO. Lucy could not be more smug if she tried. The way she pumps her eyebrows at him. Thinking she has won this battle of theirs. He’s going to pick her. Game over. She's wondering what to him so long. Then he picks someone sure to get under her skin. Smitty…

He makes sure to look her in the damn eye as he says it. The audacity of this man. He knows EXACTLY how to get under her skin. Looks her in the eye, smiles that devious smile, and says Smitty. Such an ass lmao but he’s her ass. Drives her just as insane as she drives him. I’m sure the room is thinking. ‘God just make out already’ LOL Damnit love them so much.

Lucy notes her frustration very loudly. Grey may not totally understand what’s going on but knows it’s something. Calls Lucy out on it. Asking if she has a problem? She is immediately defeated with a ‘No….’and ends with a even sadder ‘sir….’ Tim has won this round and she can’t do a damn thing about it. These two are so ridiculous and I love them for it. It’s like she forgot their little feud was in front of Roll Call and Grey had to bring her back to reality poor girl. lol

Lucy gets her's in the end though. Smitty being Smitty. Tim is regretting his decision so much already. He's telling Tim all the things he can't do. Lucy hangs back and is enjoying the show. Her smugness returns quickly as Tim has to load the war bags cause of Smitty's 'bad back' LMAO

I love how the scene starts with her eyeing him across the bullpen. She come over and asks why Smitty isn’t doing the paperwork? Tim says he claims to be allergic to paper LMFAO. Lucy's smugness continues. Tim tells her it’s not funny.... Leads her right into her convo with him. Saying he should’ve just asked her instead. Tim replying he was trying to do her a favor. That people might view her riding with him again as a step back. Now we can loop back to why he hesitated in the first place in detail.

You can hear the hurt in her voice. The way she feels offended that he would prefer the station to know he’d rather ride with Smitty than her. When its anything but that. I talk about Tim always wanting to protect Lucy. Whether that is physically or emotionally. His first gut reaction is to shield her. That’s what he was doing in this moment. He respects her so much and thinks so highly of her as an officer.

The last thing he would want ANYONE in the station to think was she didn’t earn it. He definitely didn’t want to be a proponent of that either. Tim has seen how hard she's had to work to get to a good place in her career. Last thing he would want to do is jeopardize that with people thinking otherwise. Just because he wants her back as his partner. I love that so much. He’s guarding her career in this moment. Doesn’t want her to endure any unnecessary BS for being his aide. Refuses to be selfish and puts her first.

Also I think he is aware people know of their dynamic. That people will think she got it for unsavory reasons. Reasons he would never allow but people will think it anyways. His intentions are so very Tim Bradford in how crazy honorable they are. Lucy is listening intently and understands why he’s doing it. But she can’t help but fight against it. Saying screw what others think. Voicing how archaic it is for people to just assume it's something untoward cause she's a girl and he's a boy.

Tim saying he’s very handsome boy to her LMAO It’s ok babe she knows you are. Painfully aware of it really. He needs that validation from her and it cracks me up. Not the first or the last time he does this either. Lucy’s ‘oh gag’ Oh please woman. You’d jump his bones in a heartbeat if you could. That look in 5x12 alone when she is checking him out once his shirt is off contradicts this moment so much. Showing what a lying liar she was. But sure let’s pretend you think he is ‘Oh gag’ biggest lie yet my friend haha

This next section is my favorite part. Their battle of wills continues down to the friggin wire. From Lucy calling it aide and Tim saying go-fer. HA Then her battling back with why she wants to be his aide (not go-fer) I LOVE the way he is looking at her while she passionately defends why she wants this. Careful Timothy your feelings of admiration/love are showing. Lucy wants this so badly. People and their thoughts be damned.

She’s impressing him once again and it’s written all over that devilishly handsome face of his. Lucy saying what she could get out of it alone is worth putting up with him and his ways. (Like you don't want to be doing this anyways) D and I talked about how this before. How part of her wanting to be his aide is more than just a promotion. Do I think that is truly part of it? Yes. I have no doubt about that. I also think part of it is the safety and familiarity of Tim.

He supports her in a way she will never get with Nolan. Jackson is gone and all she has left emotionally is her person. Her safe space. So her ‘putting up’ with him again is her really just missing him. Craving that familiarity. They both miss each other and this is a way of getting that back. I think Tim’s initial instinct when Grey brought her up was an immediate yes. Then he got his in his head and wanted to protect her instead of what he wanted. Which was to ride with her again.

Before we continue let’s first note how sexy his biceps and forearms are in this part. The way he crosses his arms in a way that just does things to me. Sex on a stick. Just his arms. Also the forearm porn is fantastic. I’m in a river of drool at this point LMAO Man is so fine it’s unfair really. No one should be this handsome and sexy doing something so simple .*ahem* Anyways I do adore Lucy mirroring his body language. Crossing her arms as well. Still not willing to give into him. Look at the stare down in the third gif.

She is smirking because she's on the verge of victory and knows it. Making Tim be the one to break and go for it with her. It’s funny to think about with S5. Because he HAD to be the one to go for it. They were gonna stay in a holding pattern unless he did. Took the leap and the risk. Just like he does here. He’s contemplating holding out longer. The way he taps his fingers on that delicious bicep deciding. He cracks and says ‘What the hell. Let’s do it.’

Lucy lights up like a Christmas tree. Heart eyes galore for him. Tim tells her to show up to roll call an hour early. That way he can go over new procedures and such with her. Lucy thanks him all smiles and so grateful. She throws down one last work flirt as she is leaving about paperwork. He is just as flirty back with his signal for her to go haha Gah I love these two so much hurts my soul lmao. So much chemistry it blows my damn mind. They’re so into each other and don’t have a damn clue. Ah idiots in love. Truly.

Last bit I adore her shirt ‘Tell your dog I said hi' I would so wear this shirt. Very fitting for Melissa. Love Lucy wearing it. Damn I love that episode one giant flirty moment . S4 truly is a gem. All this suppressed UST/love streaming through 22 episodes.

Side notes-non chenford

I love Aaron and Nyla bonding in this one. I’m so glad she chose James. He was the obvious winner between the two. I love watching them develop they so cute. Aaron fixing things at the end was very lovely.

Thank you as always to those who like, comment (oh how I love the comments) , reblog and such. You are the real MVPs. Shall see you all in 4x04 :)

[theaviatorthatcouldnotfly]

I miss Milo Murphy's Law :(( did you have any Season 3 ideas?

jsbfksjflls I HAVE SO MANY IDEAS ANON YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE-

of course milo and zack getting chased by something big and round in the first episode (maybe some topiary thing because it would be spring)

milo and his new telepathy!! chad feels kinda down and milo gives him a hug and tells him he hopes he feels better soon. joni is uncomfortable in class because it's way too cold and milo gives her a spare jacket. bradley is nervous about not doing well on his math test and milo wishes him good luck and tells him he'll do great. amanda forgets her eraser at home and panics for a second before milo, from across the room, tosses one onto her desk.

(and all the whole everyone's just like ".........how'd you know when I didn't even SAY anything" and milo's all "well, what doesn't kill you on an alien planet only gives you telepathy!" and no one can tell if he's joking or not)

oh and speaking of bradley: an episode where he and milo get trapped in a classroom or just have to spend the entire day together and within the span of 11 minutes of one-on-one interaction with milo he kinda has a "huh. you're not so bad" kinda moment. he even lets milo hug him for an entire 2 seconds at the end!!!!

for the sake of continuity some recurring character/s have their "a big round thing is rolling through the school and it may or may not be caused by my own actions so I need to stop it before things get destroyed!!! also 'just roll with it' is magically playing in the background idk how that happened" subplot

an episode with the kiddos (the entire mid-afternoon snack club group + chad pls) spying on mr drako (chad insisted) to determine whether he really is a vampire. in the end there is still no definitive answer and everyone but chad is tired

i need dakavendish follow-up i need them to be the biggest losers in existence with each other

they absolutely have to call each other "balthazar"and "vinnie" at least once

joshua pruett mentioned that they were playing around with dakavendish being promoted and actually getting opportunities to save the world but they (particularly cavendish) end up hating it. I need that to happen. I NEED IT. the angst potential has entered the room

ZALISSA FOLLOW UP!!!! a bit of awkwardness perhaps bc they are dorks. romantic directness on the same level as S2 milanda please

also more milanda more milanda more milanda im-

another school dance episode!!

zack has to take care of his twin siblings for the day and they want to meet the other two members of the infamous trust triangle so he goes and invites milo and melissa over. chaos ensues and by the the time milo and melissa leave the house the front section of zack's lawn has been burnt to a crisp and the twins have fallen fast asleep even though it's barely 7 in the evening

MEETING YOUR SECOND DIMENSION COUNTERPARTS???? since season 3 was supposed to be directed towards interdimensional stuff??

bonus points if dakavendish is canon in the second dimension

milo goes over to amanda's house to work on a project at one point and amanda already warned her parents about murphy's law and told them to baby proof their most prized possessions. they both end up taking a liking to milo and his positivity while also being slightly terrified of him. by some miracle the project does get finished but not without the typical dose of chaos and fires

an episode dedicated to bradley, mort, chad, and amanda and what they do all day when they're not actually part of the main plot

and more bradley mort chad and amanda in general I just love of all of them

more saneal!! I need them and milo to go to a dr. zone comic con together and dress up and be the gigantic loveable dorks that they are together

doofenshmirtz still needs to continue his professor time arc so he's still gotta be there ofc but give him less screen time than s2 pleaseeee. it's milo murphy's law and at the end of the day the focus should always be coming back to milo, zack, and melissa as well as dakota and cavendish

MORE JUST GETTING STARTED!!!

dakavendish finally gets that trip to hawaii

the murphys go on vacation for spring break and yet again total chaos ensues

more school field trips to the museum

for the sake of middle school shenanigans and continuity another sports-academics thing. I'm coining the term cherography (chess-marathon running-geography) but literally anything would be fine by me

the kids go to a public middle school so the inevitable standardized testing episode must be done

I'd love to see a school talent show or a school play episode (run by amanda and assisted by milo of course)

episode/s where melissa is just trying to go about her day with milo and zack when she suddenly disappears after getting caught up in the newest Time Travel Related plot of the week. zack and milo are confused until suddenly she and savannah reappear out of nowhere to deliver an out of context warning ("DONT GO NEAR THE DUMPSTER" or "GO BUY COTTON CANDY NOT ICE CREAM") before disappearing again to fix things

just more melissa and BOTT shenanigans in general honestly i love to see it

an episode focusing on the mml gals!! it could be brigette and sara it could be amanda and melissa and lydia it could be all of them it could be other characters but just an episode like that!

there's a mandatory science fair thing and milo and zack are partners so they decide to go with the most convenient option possible which happens to be a potato-powered lightbulb. somehow they literally flood the school gym with their potato-powered lightbulbs but as it turns out half the class didn't bother to or forgot to do their projects so they just take the lightbulbs and use those as their projects. by the end mrs. murasaki gives everyone a 'C' for functioning but unoriginal projects apart from melissa and bradley as well as amanda and joni

yeah that's all from me but first and foremost I wish mml would get renewed!!!!! for s3!!! usvfkajnfkajmfmalmdlanfms

[i-literally-cant-with-this]

A/N = I'm on a big Toji thing right now. This one actually turned out how I wanted it to. Yay me. =|.

PLEASE READ BELOW FOR TW:

C/W = F!Reader = Degradation // Praise (backhanded compliments) Toji's toy, not given: direct consent for any of what happens except for 1 person and even that was iffy. Reader is broken, hopeless, sad, stuck in the world Toji has pulled her into. Toji takes and gives what he wants. When he wants. It's NOT non-con, but it's not like "oh yes make love to me you sweet sweet man" either. Far from that. F!Reader gets used by Toji, passed around, I'm still learning all the terminology for this stuff. So, I'm at a little bit of a loss as to what to put here. If you have any suggestions, message me and I'll adjust as needed.

WC = 2263

WHAT GOES AROUND

Toji held you up over the kitchen counter as he fucked you from behind. His massive chest nearly swallowed your back as he ground into you. You were wrapped backwards around him like some carved beauty on the front of a ship.

He was fucking you so hard your head was hitting the black cabinets in ... you didn't know whose house you were in. One of his friends probably.

"Not havin' a good time, pretty? C'mon, let's hear you whinin' and beggin' for my cum. Y'know, the way I showed you how I like to hear it. That's it, that's a good girl, my good slut."

His good slut.

"Turn around now, I wanna see your tits jiggle."

You were trying to work around, but your legs were shaking so hard you could barely hold yourself up.

Toji took notice, but he didn't offer to help. He just continued to fuck into his hand, exhaling more and more impatiently the colder his dick got.

It was a rare day when you didn't do what Toji told you to do. You weren't afraid of him, per se. But anything you could do that would help avoid pissing him off was always in your best interest.

Finally able to maneuver yourself around, he moans loudly at the shift in the position of your body.

"Oh - oh- ffffuckk, th- I don't know why you're always calling yourself stupid. You're the smartest l'il thing I know right now."

'Right now.'

"Ya feelin' good, feelin' real fuckin' tight today, swee'heart."

That was supposed to be praise. But Toji couldn't resist the opportunity to give you a backhanded compliment.

'Tight' today means you felt like a 'loose whore' yesterday.

"Put y'hands out, spread 'em out on the counter more 'n arch that back for me, stick that fat ass of yours up, too, pretty.

The front door of the house opened and you heard 2 very distinct voices getting closer and closer to where you were.

"Good, good. They're here." Toji said, talking right through pounding into you like this were any other Tuesday to him. "Y'like showin' off for my boys?"

You did. You were glad to put on a show for them, you'd had years of practice at being his perfect little whore. And unlike Toji, his friends didn't treat you like absolute dirt.

Someone told you to jump and you said how high. You always said how high.

You tried to make yourself more presentable, fixing your hair and wiping the tears off your face. You wanted to look good for them.

"Well, well, well. Look at you, little Miss Popular." Gojo said, his crystal blue eyes fixated on you. He spoke to you first.

"Oh, Toji, you can't tell us you've got her all to yourself. You gotta share her with us!" Geto chimed in, trying to get you to him. His tone was playful but he wasn't joking.

Toji smirked. "I thought I was sharin' her with you anyway."

Gojo walked up to you, running his thumb over your lips and down your chin, tilting your face up to meet his.

"You wanna suck my cock, little one? I know you do." He asked, his voice low and sultry.

You nodded and he pulled his pants down.

He was already hard, and you wasted no time taking him into your mouth. He moaned loudly as you sucked him off, using your hands to stroke whatever part of him you couldn't fit into your mouth.

Gojo's hands were tangled in your hair, pushing your head down onto his dick.

He groaned loudly and you could hear him say "Oh, fuck, yeah," as he came inside your mouth.

You swallowed his cum and wiped your lips.

Geto was next, pulling his pants down and letting his dick spring out.

You looked up at him with wide eyes, and he grinned. "Hi, doll."

Geto was always so different from the other men. You couldn't ever figure out why he hung around these two. And you had to keep your inquisitions to yourself or Toji would get pissed and forbid you from seeing him anymore. Geto was the one you really liked. But he was also the one you had to work the hardest for.

You started to stroke him, and he let out a loud moan. "Fuck, that's it, baby. You're such a good girl."

You wrapped your lips around his cock, sucking and licking and swirling your tongue around him.

Geto's moans were much quieter, but you knew you were doing a good job. He ran his hands through your hair, gently tugging and holding you at the base of your neck as he came into your mouth.

He looked down at you, his face flushed and his lips parted slightly. "Fuck, you're amazing." He whispered.

You smiled at him and wiped your mouth again. A few tears fell from your eyes, but not because he shoved his dick down your throat. You were genuinely sad that you couldn't be his. Everything about him was the opposite of Toji's hard nature.

"Alright, alright, my turn." Toji said, pushing Geto aside. He flipped you over and pulled your ass towards him, thrusting into you with all his might.

You screamed out in shock and pain, your body tensing up as he fucked you harder and faster.

He was breathing heavily and his words came out between gasps for air. "Oh, yeah, fucking take my cock, you filthy fucking whore. You like that, huh? You like being used like a piece of meat?"

"Fuck, I love it, please don't stop!" You cried out, almost sarcastically, tears streaming down your face. Your eyes never leave Geto's. The gaze so intent he found himself having to look away. Lucky for you, Toji didn't have the sense to catch your tone right now and he just fucked on.

As your body betrayed you, you came hard, your body convulsing and shaking with each thrust.

Toji pulled out, stroking his cock a few times before coming onto your back.

You winced as his cum hit your skin, it was hot and sticky.

"Good girl, yeah, that's it," Toji panted, rubbing his hand over your ass.

"That was amazing," Gojo said, "I think she really enjoyed herself."

You just stood there against the floor cupboards. Legs still spread, ass out, pussy leaking as if you did truly enjoy yourself at the hands of that bastard.

God, you wanted to leave. The city. The country. You felt like you couldn't get far enough away from him and most of his friends.

But you were trapped. Trapped by his words, his actions, his constant threat of violence.

He was the devil himself and you were his willing victim.

A slave to his whims and desires. And he would never let you go. Not until he was done with you.

You knew it, and so did he.

So you stayed.

You stayed for the money and the sex.

You stayed hoping one day he'd wake up a changed man. Or not wake up at all.

And you stayed knowing that even if he did change and let you go, you'd never be good enough for any other man.

Not now.

Not ever.

Not when your mind and body were already ruined by him.

But maybe that was okay. Maybe you didn't deserve to be loved anymore.

You looked at Geto when the thought crossed your mind. It made you want to cry. You knew you could have been happy with anyone else. Or no one else. But it was too late for that now.

"Hey, let's get out of here. I'll take you home." Geto said, walking over to you and helping you stand up.

"Wait wait wait, where the hell are you taking her? She's stayin' with me. C'mere." Toji gestured to you to sit on his lap.

You looked up at Geto, again. "Go on. It's fine. I'll see you later." He said, his eyes sad.

You sat down on Toji's lap and he wrapped his arms around you. "That's a good girl." He said, his voice dripping with disdain.

Geto and Gojo left the house, and you could feel your stomach sink as the door closed behind them.

You knew you had made your bed. And now you had to lay in it.

A fitting punishment for someone who had fallen in love with the wrong man.

A lesson to learn the hard way.

"Hey, hey, stop crying, you're not goin' anywhere." Toji said, his hand on your neck as he held you close to him.

You didn't respond. You just sat there, feeling the tears fall from your eyes and your heart fall from your chest into your feet. You had an idea of what was coming.

And you couldn't do anything to stop it.

"I'm gonna make you scream so loud the neighbors are gonna think I'm killing you. But I won't be killing you. You're mine, remember? I would never hurt you like that." Toji whispered into your ear, his words sending a shiver down your spine.

You knew this wasn't a threat. It was a promise. And you knew he meant every single word.

You were his.

His whore.

His toy.

And he would never let you go.

He held you tightly, his hands gripping your hips as he pulled you closer to him. His body was pressed against yours and you could feel his cock hardening between your thighs.

"You're so fuckin' beautiful. Your body is so fuckin' perfect." He growled, his hands roaming over your bare skin, his lips grazing your ear as he spoke.

You wanted to push him away, but you couldn't. You were powerless. You were trapped.

And he was all you had.

"You're so fuckin' stupid, but I love you like this. I love you like you're my little fuck toy. You're so perfect, so tight, so wet, so good at takin' my cock."

You whimpered softly, your body responding to his words, betraying your mind.

"Yeah, that's right. You're such a good girl. I know you like it when I call you that."

You could feel your pussy getting wetter and wetter as he spoke. You hated yourself for it.

"You wanna make me cum, baby? C'mon, let's hear you beg for it."

You looked up at him, your eyes watery and your voice cracking as you pleaded. "Please, Toji, please, I'm yours, I'll do anything you want."

You were sobbing by now.

He couldn't get enough of your pathetic shit.

"Good girl." He said, smirking as he pushed you off his lap and onto the floor.

"Get on your knees. Show me what a good girl you are." He said, pulling his cock out of his pants and stroking it in front of you.

You looked up at him, your eyes wide and your lips parted slightly.

He grabbed your hair and pulled your face towards his cock, forcing it into your mouth.

You gagged as he shoved his cock down your throat. You couldn't breathe and you could feel yourself getting dizzy.

He moaned loudly as he fucked your mouth, his fingers tangled in your hair, his hips bucking against your face.

You wanted to bite him, to fight him off, to do anything to get him out of you, but you couldn't.

He pulled his cock out of your mouth, a string of saliva trailing from your lips to the tip of his dick.

"That's a good girl. Now, I wanna see you suckin' on my balls, too. C'mon, be a good slut and lick them."

You obeyed, licking and sucking on his balls like a good little whore.

You felt sick to your stomach. You had never felt more used and degraded than you did right now.

You knew you shouldn't have enjoyed it. But you did.

You wanted to feel his cum all over your face. You wanted to feel his cum dripping down your chin, your chest, your tits.

But he wouldn't let you. He wouldn't give you the satisfaction.

You were his whore. His toy. His plaything. And he was going to use you as he saw fit.

"I'm gonna fuckin' cum on your tits, you like that? C'mon, you're gonna look so pretty with my cum all over you."

You nodded, your eyes closed tightly, your body tense.

You jumped as you felt his cum hit your chest, his hand wrapped around his dick, squeezing out every last drop.

He moaned loudly and you could feel his cum dripping down your chest and onto your stomach.

"That's a good girl. You're so fuckin' good for me, you know that? You're mine."

You looked up at him, your eyes filled with tears.

"Don't cry, baby. You're so good for me. You're so perfect. You're mine, forever." He said, his tone softening slightly.

He leaned down and kissed you, his lips pressed against yours.

You didn't respond. You just let him kiss you, his cum still warm on your chest.

He pulled away, looking down at you with a smirk. "You're so fuckin' beautiful, you know that? Even when you're covered in my cum. You're so perfect." He said, his words sending a shiver down your spine.

He stood up, pulling his pants back up and zipping them up. "C'mon, let's get you cleaned up." He said, grabbing your hand and pulling you towards the bathroom.

You followed him, feeling like you were in a trance.

You knew you should have run. But you couldn't.

He was never going to let you quit him.

[onewomancitadel]

I'm trying to think if I have any more to say about Volume 9... there will probably be things that come up when the fabled rewatch happens. Because a lot of it supplemented things I have already talked about it would probably get tiresome saying 'oh btw. I'm right. Did you know that?????' I don't really know what to adjust for currently. I feel like I'm failing as a R/WBY blog right now, as if that's a normal thing to feel

I guess also like, I did like V9, and I think overall its production quality seemed very high (the actual animated expressions and movement were very beautiful, noticeably), and probably a contributing factor is that out of so many characters featured I had personal attachment and resonance with two of them (which is unusual because Yang was a favourite of mine during V5) such that my enthusiasm is not totally... there... the way it was with V6-V8. Even with the relative Cinder drought of V4/6 (relatively? In retrospect it doesn't feel like it too much) those are still some of my favourite volumes to rewatch.

Obviously I did overall have a problem with some of the dialogue and pacing - and if I had actually got the volume release date correct I think I would've been catastrophising about their position on the whole fairytales aren't real thing - but some of it is just reflective of an ongoing issue with R/WBY and an ongoing issue with addressing Very Specific Parts of the Audience who need handholding. I generally accept that there are some anime hijinks bullshit that I am not going to be amused by (and frankly I find it a little weird because R/WBY subverts a lot of anime tropes. There is some discordance there).

Like, if I were being mean and making a tier list, my tier list of volumes is: V8, V7, V6, V4/V5 (tied), V9, V3, V1-2 (tied). That's a holistic analysis and includes like, basic plot beats, and probably when I do a rewatch my position might change, and as much as I really liked V9 the overall plot of Ever After did not end up being that interesting to me. It definitely established meaningful narrative stakes and actually developed Jaune and Ruby relatively well, I just don't think I was the audience member this volume was intended for. The team R/WBY relations this volume felt like a missed opportunity and I wasn't someone before who ever complained or felt like they had dropped the ball previously. But if they're going to spend a volume specifically alienating and then reintegrating Ruby (in a way which should echo Pyrrha's identity break were she to survive), it does really just feel like they had potential they didn't reach which I know they're capable of reaching.

But then I do think it does come down to personal taste because I am interested in the Remnant plot, and all I have to go on in Ever After is the interior journey of Ruby's; this obviously comes with a lot of fruitful set-up for the Ozlem resolution which I think they got concrete and obvious about to make it really really clear what needs to happen as a narrative resolution. So I get it.

I also get that from a purely developmental perspective, if they had all of these special assets for Ever After, it is literally too much work to write Vacuo at the same time etc. But on the other hand, if this is your opportunity to lean into what I think R/WBY does really well, why did they... not.

This isn't a 'I'm not going to watch R/WBY' post. It's not like I'm dealing with reeling from the fact that Cinder's redemption is like, beyond possibility. I also really liked a lot of the volume. R/WBY just happens to be my favourite show and I know what I like about it and why and probably a fair bit of it comes down to personal taste.

It also feels really mean that I feel this way, because Jaune and Ruby's development were pretty much beat-for-beat the kind of stuff I love/expected with them, but they skipped through it too quickly. I don't think this is a previous mistake they've made with other characters and I feel this comes down to the consideration they would make ten episodes and the halfway point would be the Jaune twist. The problem is that I think you could effectively fit those first five episodes into probably three or even four, and that would give you the needed space for Jaune and Ruby's respective turns later. I think that there were potentially functional concerns at hand (narrative twist halfway through to draw viewership back in) that I don't think lent the artistic product what it actually needed.

But then again I think my issue with this volume is that katabasis is a really fruitful opportunity in general and I think that was an overall missed chance for going even more extreme and exploring even more extreme fairytale ideas (and potentially even making Alyx at least a little more genuinely villainous/having changed Ever After), so like, as ever my criticism of R/WBY is 'commit harder'.

There is something fundamentally good about R/WBY that isn't just superficial bland anime tropes or superficial bland friendship hijinks (the actually resonant friendship hijinks they do really well) or just anything superficial in general. It's what's endlessly frustrating about this show and part of its viewership. It's hard not to read the handholding clumsy dialogue or the lampshading as direct address to That Part of the Audience and for me to fear that oh, maybe they would genuinely try to cater to those idiots with Weiss' character assassination. I do think when it comes to Neo, for instance, who was definitely brought back as fanservice but integrated into the story well it's clear they don't completely give into that stuff, though.

This kind of became a retrospective post of V9, and maybe my feelings will change. V6-V8 was an incredible run of R/WBY and with works-in-progress their intentions are revealed and come clearer. I think it's obvious that V9 made it clear that R/WBY is not grimdark or cynical and fairytales are real, actually; V7-V8 weren't just miseryguts for the sake of it.

I look forward to how V9 is potentially recontextualised by further volumes. Touch wood, lol. I love R/WBY but my trust in storytelling is also dead, so it's not good that I'm always assuming the worst - which maybe influenced part of my feelings about this volume.

But to circle back to the impetus of this post - that feeling, partly informed by the fact I've had some things in my life immediately get in the way after the end of the volume lol, which is that I almost... am not sure what to say is there for a few reasons. I also think that some of my reflective Jaune posts mid-volume, for instance, potentially held up well? I'm not entirely sure because it depends how they end up playing the Jaune/Weiss-Blake/Sun angle or if they don't, and then you get back to that question of Knightfall is what holds the thematic glue of R/WBY together for me, blah blah blah, here we go.

Really I want to use this interim between volumes to post more fanfic. So I'm thankful for that. Most of all I think that even if Knightfall doesn't end up ~being canon~, it's been a pretty good run so far. Lol.

[hospitalterrorizer]

diary407

11/3-4/24

sunday - monday

sad now... because the con is over,,,

actually growing quite sad about that. i guess it's too much excitement and being around people for me to take and also so much it makes me really excited and to not have that social world anymore, and to be reminded of, today, what is outside that for me, the world of writing mfas doing dull readings in bars that would be fine if they were not there and all so hostile feeling making me feel the only response possible is to equal their hostility and to not care about social rules or whatever, which tonight i did by videotaping them. maybe that's evil. i don't know. i don't think i know how to be a real person or something, i'm just the same things that go on inside the cockroaches i kill probably, i like light and sound, i'm afraid of light and sound, i feel catastrophic or something, i feel like, i don't know, i guess i wish i knew how to have more friends or something from times like that, like i almost had an opportunity to, and didn't or something. i guess though i depend on my gf too much for such things. she is the only reason i've met new people at all actually. and for her it's via work and school but that's normal. i'm never getting hired at places where... oh, carrying on like this, what's the point. i don't know why after a good day though, sitting and thinking back, this little stretch of time, form given to my little life, it's over. now i have to fend for myself a little more. i think i'm really bad at that... yes, i certainly am, because i over-focus, i obsess, i need help to not obsess, i want to make things and not make it something that makes me want to feel crazy. i need to learn how to not be insane. i think i'm stuck there though. i just have to do them, i just have to... take things in too i guess. carrying on like that, i might die or something. maybe it's also like, cosplaying or being around people who seem to not care very much about things, things like gender i guess, or not i guess, it is what i mean, except some clearly did but they, well, whatever, it felt like it wasn't ever expected i would explain myself, i was just whatever, but that was also a source of dysphoria i guess because it's not how things are, on top of that, it was by embodying some silly thing, that i was able to be received in a way that was like, you're not imagined as needing to speak for yourself. i'm so terrible at speaking i think, maybe i just want to be mute... is it a retreat? it seems like it might be i guess. i never feel like i have anything to really say for myself anyways. is it getting to me that i let others do? i don't know at all. in some ways i like being handled that ways, in others sometimes i get sad. but what is accurate, everything feels alienating.

okayokayokay, that's all just too much now, maybe the being depressed will make it possible to read, at least.

uhm, jiluka, and miura ayme, and the opener, were really great. the opener was called twist off, they played some fun stuff, i'm surprised how well it worked, listening to it not live, it's not really as good, but it's basically cute, in that it is what it is:

i hope the cute comment makes sense. it's goofy, somehow live, it just plays rather well, i mean even here it's not terrible, they're competent enough it's just live it sounds a little more ugly, and the slower parts feel heavier. they covered the misfits, last caress, which that being in their dna explains why they can rock out so well live. i just wish on recording they'd have better attention paid to that aspect.

after that, miura ayme performed and there's not much to say, as he only sings over recordings, his voice is fine, it's good really, it's just he gets messed up live it seems like because he's singing over the backing track and trying to keep in perfect time with what is basically a click, since the drums seem super perfect, and that's fine but he also is constantly checking his in ear monitors + wrangling the mic cable. it was sad, not in like, he's a failure, it's just sad stuff wasn't perfect for him, like if it were, if he were unrestrained, it'd be really nice to see i think, he's very charming and works the crowd well, he comes off very nice. he is also very pretty in person, which, i dunno, a lot of the v-kei idols i've always wondered if they're really that attractive in person, he and jiluka seem to confirm that they really are.

jiluka, then, were super great live. i have to say i'm not always, or even still w/r/t them, the biggest fan of the super metalcore-y v-kei, but you take what you can get, and i think it sounds interesting in lots of ways if you think less about it in terms of riffs but instead kinds of zones songs move through, the breakdowns are all very similar, you know, but there's these strange and interesting textures that come out of the guitars sometimes. or idk. it's strange music, that breakdown oriented kind of metalcore, they often mix it w/ like brostep bits, at random. it's just such a weird kind of music because i don't think it really works like other kinds of metal or even other sorts of heavy music i normally like, it's about going through these parts, populating them with these textures in a particular form, and going to the next. in a way it's inspiring, in other ways it's like, i can't sit and listen to it on my own, i love to look at them, and live it does sound like this noise in the mid-range, it's so bizarre, it's this blur that kind of just hits you, and the kick drums are constantly blasting, and ricko's screams are genuinely really good i think. they're all really pretty and fun to watch move around, they all do certain moves that are really charming, that's really one of the things they do incredibly well, they put on a show so well, and it is kind of freakish music, my gf got a little standee of sena. i dunno. i liked it, i liked the energy of it in the room, it's sad that it's produced so cleanly... there were times where sena's playing of the scare chords was really moving me, but in the recording of the song, it sounds like their song venom, it's just not as interesting. i like how much they try though, in each song, they really throw stuff at the wall, try to make it stick.

ultimately it's not like i dislike this, i like, like them, as a band, but a band is sometimes more than the music, with v-kei sometimes my feeling is that they're far beyond the music, they're a stage presence and a traveling mote of particular energy unleashed in rooms, i'm very lucky to have been in a small room basically, a small venue, up close, waving at them, giving them little hearts with my hands, doing the fist thing you do when they tell you to, bobbing up and down, sometimes jumping a little more (shoes were not fit for that so much though...), just a lot of things make them special and fun, even with such mutant music. well, mutant by being un-mutant? does that make sense? i dunno. i'm just happy i was there seeing them, i'd do it again, i hope they have a really great tour in america. they deserve it, for being sick, in their strange ways.

now i'm listening to number girl b-sides... they're maybe the best band ever. sometimes i forget about that.

this song, this song is like, insane, because everyone wishes they could do this fucked up plodding thing. but it's hard, it really requires that you commit to this, and find something that can go on forever in this way, and just do it. they're also loose enough to make it work, to make it really feel punishing. it's a miracle of a song i think, and this performance of it is so great. the way hisako tends to these fucked up textures in her playing, it's very attentive how she turns the guitar from something that plays music to this thing that sounds like a metal pipe flying through the air, and back to something semi tuneful, or making a tune happen in the metal tube. i dunno. it's what registers as heavy and beautiful to me.

the recording of the song, though, is so totally different, it's equally beautiful though, it's like this dubby thing almost.

i love both a lot, thinking of them, i love this version for being totally sensitive, the little bell... it's sweet almost. it makes me feel more fucked up, it's so internal feeling. they're so weirdly a band that can go there, i think on sappukei, probably in the top 10 best albums recorded in all of history for me, they get to this place where they do this sound and the more fucked up stuff simultaneously, this internal thing, i think it's mostly the drum sound that lends it that? idk. it's maybe the most perfect sounding record. and i forgot how they handle the noise stuff in this one, it's so amazing, i love how it goes full white noise fuck you riffing with this psychedelia surrounding it.

super pukey feeling music. it feels how i feel now, too. maybe it's goofy to be like that. it's such an extreme piece of music, how can i feel so sad after a good day? i guess i just always worry the good times are over for no reason. but it's not like i'm going to be killed or something, right?

one last song... this album meant so much to me in highschool, more insane, i couldn't listen on spotify, so i had to get home before i could listen to it, so i'd spend all day at school in such a mood wanting to hear it, and get home, and have that release, and read manga, like, punpun, was one thing.

okay it's almost 5 am i gotta goto bed!!!

so,

byebye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[anime-fyi]

Back home from Sakura-Con and beginning to get back to work on my queues and closing out the winter anime season. Spring's just about here too, needing to figure out what I'll watch for that.

Overall, had a pretty good Sakura-Con, spending most of my time going to panels.

The mainstay Zapp ones were chaotic as ever, the infamous Loveline scheduled in the middle of Friday afternoon?!?

The Art of Translating Anime was by an industry professional and went into theory around it with examples which gave some good context to why modern subs are what they are. Really fascinating

Anime That Deserve A Chance was a nice set of recommendations, a few I'd even watched myself

Anime By The Numbers wasn't at all what I expected, going more into all the stats of who's watching and what they're watching, which was a nice bit of grounding to the fandoms online

Awesome Anime Openings was ... exactly that

Let's Talk About Harems ended up being a nice comedic take/attack on the genre that felt like it met the audience pretty well. I find these kinds of panels hard, sometimes you hit the right note, other times it's just kind of dreadful to watch

Got in late on Toonami: The Era that saved Anime and was pleasantly thrown back in time. I wasn't a huge Toonami person back in the day but some of the bits sparked memories

Popped in and out of The Sega Saturn: Ojisan's Console of Choice and Oh! That's a Baseball Episode!!. Both fine panels, just wasn't the exact topics I was looking for

Winning Love By Daylight: Sailor Moon and Queerness was an interesting bit of dissection of the sexuality of characters from the series based on canon from the anime and manga. I have no familiarity with the show but am a little curious to put it on the long term list to check out eventually

Beside those, there were a few panels I bailed on that just weren't what I was looking for. I also set notifications on a few LGBT related panels that overlapped with others so unfortunately missed those. Finding myself wanting to branch out more so a miss on my part.

Looked through Artist Alley and the industry halls and saw a few things that caught my eye. I'm always reluctant to buy stuff so wishing I had caught a few more of their accounts.

Right, and there's the place called Seattle. I went to college there and miss the place terribly, so Monday served as an opportunity to go exploring before I flew out that night. This year it was sunny so it was opportune time to be outside fortunately.

On the whole, a good Sakura-Con year though I do miss the feeling of there being some central spot to catch cosplayers. On to next year.

[taylorcline]

there's nothing like new york. the city that never sleeps. oh, taylor loves it. it's so timeless. whenever she wasn't touring, nashville was always the home base. always. it was where her family was and the place she felt most like herself. but she had found herself with an la condo, too. maybe this was the next city that she needed to get a place in. another thing she loves? award shows. they're just so fun. she'll probably always feel nervous, but she loves any opportunity to get dressed up and mingle with others in the industry. this particular award show she was looking forward to see someone special. taylor abbott: twilight heartthrob, the current object of every teenage girl's obsession, and the reason why she has so many butterflies lately. it was no secret that taylor cline's dating history was the talk of gossip. any woman in the industry could tell you, women can't write songs about their exes without being seen as obessesive and crazy. but men? men are untouchable and they know it. so instead of receiving backlash for breaking up with his girlfriend over a twenty seven second phone call because he met a brunette actress on his video shoot, taylor got all of it for mocking him with his doll on video. suddenly she was the immature one for acting like a kid, even though she literally was one. but he was just a kid! he didn't know any better! she's crazy, no wonder he dumped her! the cherry on top being the cheap attempt of song writing that was released this past summer. a five year old could've written a better song than that. so he was mad that she was mad. it's not her fault he didn't have the balls to break up with her in person. besides, he should feel so lucky the other songs she had written about him were not seeing the light of day. well, there was always another album. after all, the brunette actress was just so much better than her.

but taylor-- taylor abbott came out of left field. the blonde didn't consider herself an actress. no way. sure she did a csi episode or two, but a rom com? it was simply insane. she loves rom coms and a song on the soundtrack? there were no words. meeting him was a breath of fresh air, if you will. not that she was really looking to date, the media would make a joke to stay away from her because she will write a song about you and ruin your life. (and it's a promise, she can assure.) however, with all the time the two had spent together, she couldn't help it. enchanted, from the moment she met him. the need to want to know everything about him, seeing things that reminded her of him and wanting to tell him about it, being excited and wanting him to be one of the first to know about things, the sickness she felt when they were apart. nothing about it felt platonic. it was more of a 'oh my god, if i don't hold his hand, i'm going to drive off a cliff' way. she had always been a hopeless romantic, falling fast, it was both a pro and con. it felt utterly ridiculous. well it did until she found out it was very much mutual. and now all she wanted to do was protect it. it was all so delicate and she wanted it to work so bad. plus, it was a funny thing, dating someone with the exact same name as you. taylor squared. nothing like it.

"taylor brooke!" "you don't have to middle name me, mom, i'm ready!" taylor announced, taking one last look in the mirror, red lipstick complimenting her silver dress. the carpet, a nomination, a quick outfit change, and a performance. then she could spend all the time she wanted with her other half. leaving the hotel and settling into the limo, she pulled out her phone from her bag. a few notifications graced the front of her maroon lg env2, the (1) missed call from tay tay <3 and the voicemail notification immediately catching her eye. hm? she has to fight back the huge smile as she hears his voice on the other line. oh, is she completely enamored with him. he's everything she's ever wanted and more. cliché? maybe she's just really happy. the flashing of the lights almost enough to blind a person, but never fully. this was the life she chose, after all. there's a sea of hellos, hi, oh it's so great to see you, how are you? as she makes her way through the crowd, blue eyes finally settling on a pair of green ones. the amount of time it takes for her face light up? a second tops. well, there was still some time before the show officially started, right? everyone move out of her way, please and thank you. excusing herself with a smile from her previous conversation, he now had all her attention. "so, you leave all your costars really cute voicemails, or am i just the lucky one?" taylor teased, pearly whites on full display.

a distinct, crisp bite of a september evening whistled through stand lights of new york. ribbons of hazy fog cuddled against the blades of grass that lined the corridor of radio city music hall, colliding abruptly with the geometric design of idle porticos. fingertips crested the lip of the opening of his suit chest, smoothing the soft grey fabric as if it were the millionth time he had done so that night. nerves sprouted from the depths of his feet, slowly cascading up a warm, novel sensation to his neck. the hollow dome held a multitude of collaborative echoes, including a sea of audiences matched with the appearances of celebrities of all walks of life. tonight, taylor abbott was simply another fan. a fan of taylor cline’s, that was evident. the relationship was still so brand new, clunky footing of an actor paired tantalizingly with america’s sweetheart. their origins were deeply rooted earlier that year. flushes of longing gazes and petrified conversations that he pleaded wouldn’t allow his soft crush to show form. at least, not yet. they were co-stars, sharing time onscreen while harbouring the inevitable feelings that he adorned for her now. it was somewhat spontaneous, how overnight he morphed from laggy co worker to imagining her delicate, dainty hands enfolded in his own. how each breath he inhaled was swiftly evaporated from his chest within nanoseconds as his jade irises settled on her. even for just a split moment, that was all it took for taylor cline to completely and irrevocably encapsulate him. but he was a nervous, rattled actor on the cusp of what he had hoped was a fulfilling career ahead. taylor cline had everyone’s attention. it was a risk, to believe he had any shot of mutuality, and yet? there he was, now into an amber, sun-setting september night as a plus one to witness greatness. within the last few months of keeping company, the nineteen year-old sat front row at the abundance of potential of her career. of course, that reasoning wasn’t a tactic in climbing any sort of social ladder at hand to abuse and manipulate the trust the two had already set out for one another. paparazzi had a predominate role in stirring up fabricated mess to evoke a reaction to those they spoke about. taylor was still wobbly fumbling through the highs and lows of newfound fame, an unsung blessing to be traipsing through it with the curly tow-headed singer by his side. he beamed with unadulterated pride of her accomplishments. if the future was any indication, he anticipated it to be just the beginning for her. whipping his razor phone out of his breast pocket, nimble fingers made work of him calling his girlfriend, hoping against all hope he would receive her voicemail. when it rung and beeped, that was his signal to speak, clearing the lump that invaded his throat before forming his words. “hey, cline. superstar. should i gear myself up to share you with all of these people who love you? kidding. i know how to share. i just wanted to let you know that i’m so proud of you, you deserve this. i’m right here cheering you on…just call me your biggest fan. break a leg tonight, sincerely your valentine’s day costar,” taylor concluded, a flash of a smile curled at each corner of his lips, front teeth sinking into the border of his bottom lip. ending the call, he shoved the device back into its rightful place, a slow sigh escaping into the air as he was ushered into the building. tonight, he wanted nothing more than to celebrate taylor. the girl whom he was gracious enough to call his girlfriend. girlfriend…girlfriend. girlfriend. that word was something to get used to.

[girlwiththegreenhat]

there’s a reading of cancelled TFA season four premiere ‘trial of megatron’ at TFnation this year with the original ten year old script:

but it wont be recorded or otherwise made available for people who can’t be there:

[bemusedlybespectacled]

I posted 5,941 times in 2022

That's 3,533 more posts than 2021!

300 posts created (5%)

5,641 posts reblogged (95%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@hadeantaiga

@sorrelchestnut

@do-you-have-a-flag

@vaspider

@piratewolf

I tagged 1,460 of my posts in 2022

#our flag means death - 383 posts

#personal - 235 posts

#askbox - 98 posts

#whump - 45 posts

#castlevania - 42 posts

#someone get that man a dom - 42 posts

#the witcher - 36 posts

#con o'neill - 32 posts

#izzy hands - 32 posts

#bb is a lawyer - 31 posts

Longest Tag: 138 characters

#my religious affiliation is 'nothing unless we're discussing different denominations of christianity at which point i am catholic on main'

I sent 1 gift in 2022

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

honestly, I'm okay with spending money to get rid of ads my ad-blocker normally can, and I appreciate @staff giving us this option instead of making it a patreon clone. I pay for a subscription to Reddit and TVTropes and Dropout because I can afford it and I like to support websites I want to stay active. I'm actually even more willing to spend that money on Tumblr.

7,753 notes - Posted February 24, 2022

#4

okay I know the popular conception of stede and lucius' relationship is a father/son thing but like, okay, I get it, and I'm here for it, but I also don't get that vibe at all.

like, I don't think lucius admires/looks up to stede in a parental way. he likes stede, he's supportive of stede, but personally I wouldn't call my dad a bizarre little man or ask him how his breakup is going. like, that's way too informal. that's more a relationship of equals than anything else.

nope. I think their relationship is actually elder gay/baby gay (in the sense of experience rather than chronological age). lucius has been out for years, he has a lot of experience in relationships, he is way more able to read relationships (e.g. knowing that ed and stede are flirting before they even realize they're flirting), and because of that he is extremely well equipped to give advice about navigating queerness.

stede, on the other hand, has just barely started to dip his toes in the gay pool. like regardless if you go with the theory that stede didn't even realize he was gay until he met ed or that he knew for years but couldn't acknowledge it openly until he met ed, stede has zero practical experience. he is, in his forties, experiencing a bunch of "firsts" that lucius probably did in his teens or early twenties. the entire emotional landscape is foreign to him (and I was going to make a joke about how pirating is also foreign to him but then I started thinking about how piracy in this show is a metaphor for queerness and that's a whole second essay)

basically I think lucius spent the first however-many weeks on board the revenge being like "oh my god this guy is a naive idiot but at least he's paying me," and then he heard nigel badminton joking about how he used to bully stede in school and his gaydar went off like mad, and at that moment his attitude changed to "someone needs to protect this naive gay idiot and that person is me" and that's where it is for the rest of the season.

9,160 notes - Posted April 14, 2022

#3

the best part is they politely gave alex jones’s lawyer the opportunity to fix their mistake and they DIDN’T DO IT. smh shaking my head

TEN DAYS. THEY HAD TEN FUCKING DAYS. AND THEY DIDN'T DO SHIT. AND THEN THEY HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT THE TEXTS AND OBJECT BEFORE THEY WERE ENTERED INTO EVIDENCE AND THEY DIDN'T. the unmitigated GLEE in bankston's voice when he's like "and as of two days ago, it fell free and clear into my possession, and that is how I know you LIED TO ME" is just fucking awe-inspiring. i love this man.

9,412 notes - Posted August 3, 2022

#2

i feel like every activist should read about fruitlands.

fruitlands was a transcendentalist utopian commune founded in the 1840s. the founders (including louisa may alcott's dad) thought that the existing capitalist economy was evil: alcott described it as a tree “whose root is selfishness, whose trunk is property, whose fruit is gold." so they decided to create a commune that was completely divorced from the economy. like, their response to the "you say you're against capitalism but still participate in it! checkmate socialists!" people was literally "you're right, let's not!"

they refused to consume any materials or foods that couldn't be locally grown, like tea or sugar. they were also highkey vegan: not only was it immoral to eat animal products and use animals for leather and wool, but using animal labor or even using manure as fertilizer was forbidden. and they refused to trade for anything they didn't have within the commune because participation in an oppressive economy was bad, especially if it supported slave labor (ex: wearing cotton fabric).

it fell apart in less than a year because they didn't have enough food to survive the winter.

why?

well, part of it was circumstantial: the site they picked had little arable land and they arrived a month behind in the planting schedule. part of it was the impracticality of living in the 1840s and being so vegan that they couldn't even use oxen to plough their fields or wear clothes that were warm in cold weather.

but the main reason was that the men of the commune (and they were almost all men, except for alcott's wife and another woman, ann page) didn't actually, like, do anything. they left all the household chores and childcare to the women, plus most of the farm work, while they sat around and philosophized about how cool their utopia was. even before it fell apart, most people there had began taking "vacations" away from fruitlands so that they could take hot baths and avoid trying to till the soil with their bare hands.

there are a lot of good lessons here.

1. it's very easy to talk about your great ideas for society but putting them into practice is much harder. you have to actually do the work to achieve the goal: you can't shunt it off onto other people based on the same oppressive systems you're trying to subvert.

2. you need to consider the practical implications of what you're arguing for, including potential downsides. banning wool for ethical reasons is all well and good until you're stuck wearing linen clothes and canvas shoes in the middle of a massachusetts winter.

3. you can't expect that a utopia is going to be all the things you like about society staying the same and everything you dislike being changed. that is at best naïve and at worst intensely selfish.

tl;dr: talk is cheap, praxis is hard.

20,261 notes - Posted January 26, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

I already knew a lot of criticisms about cryptocurrency and NFTs but HOLY SHIT Dan Olson just spent two hours very carefully and viciously picking apart every single aspect of the entire operation and explaining exactly why it's capitalism at its worst and is basically a perfect scam machine

23,874 notes - Posted January 21, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[thelastspeecher]

Here's an idea! It's one of the hottest summer days in Gravity Falls and Danny and Daisy leave to do some business at the golf course, taking a wagon full of supplies. Stan and Angie just assume they're off to collect golf balls. But when they go to bring them home for lunch, they find their daughters conning rich people out of their money selling expensive "homemade lemonade and cookies" to customers. Hiding the store packaging in a bag. Stan looks on with pride, while Angie is flabbergasted!

Sorry it took me a hot minute, but here it is! Hope it's to your specifications! And I'm now officially done with the prompts in my inbox!

———————————————————————————————————–

              The bell over the Gift Shop door jingled.  Without looking up from the money he was counting at the register, Stan spoke.

              “Gift Shop’s closed fer lunch.”

              “It ain’t closed fer yer wife now, is it?”  Stan looked up.  Angie stood in the doorway.  “If it is, we might have to have a chat or two ‘bout shared property.”

              “The Gift Shop’s never closed fer you,” Stan confirmed.  Angie stepped inside and let the door close behind her.

              “Good.”

              “I mean, you’ve got a key.”

              “Stan.”

              “Of course, if ya let me teach you how to pick a lock, ya wouldn’t need one.”

              “Stan.”  Angie rolled her eyes.  “Enough with the lock pickin’.  And don’t think I ain’t aware that you’ve already taught not just the girls, but the boys, too, how to do it.”

              “Who snitched?” Stan asked.  Angie crossed her arms.

              “No one.  I caught Emmett tryin’ to get into the gun safe.  I figured if ya taught him, ya had to teach the others, too.”  Angie sighed.  “I didn’t ground him, but I did tell him to spread word to his siblin’s that they’re not s’pposed to use those lock pickin’ skills to get around our house rules.”

              “It’s not like groundin’ would do anything,” Stan muttered under his breath.  He put the cash back into the register.  “Kid barely leaves the house.”  Angie walked over and punched his arm.  “Ow.”

              “Oh, pish posh, that didn’t hurt ya.”

              “Physically, no.  Emotionally…” Stan said slowly.  Angie snickered quietly.  Seizing the opportunity, Stan flung his arm across his face dramatically.  “Punched in my best arm by my own wife!  I don’t think I’ll ever recover!”  Angie’s snickering became full-on laughter.

              “Dork,” she said, once she was finished laughing.  Stan winked at her.

              “Yer dork.”

              “Yes, yes, yer my dork.”  Angie kissed Stan on the cheek.  “But seriously, try to be a bit more supportive of Emmett, okay?  I know he’s a bit odd and anxious, but he’s a good kid.  And he’s been tryin’ to be more outgoin’ lately.  Or did ya forget that he and Emory are out at another kid’s house?”

              “I know.  That’s why I had to put Soos on register this mornin’.”  Stan frowned.  “Where are the girls, again?”

              “The golf course.”

              “Why?  I thought we raised ‘em better than to spend time ‘round rich people,” Stan said.  Angie shrugged.

              “They’re collectin’ golf balls.  There’s good money in resellin’ ‘em if ya retrieve ‘em from sand traps ‘n ponds ‘n whatnot.”

              “Huh.”  Stan nodded slowly.  “Good.  I knew those two were smart.”

              “All the kids are smart.”  Angie checked her watch.  “Speakin’ of the girls, I figured we’d drop some lunch off fer ‘em.  Don’t want ‘em to use their hard-earned money on junk food or somethin’.”

              “It’s their money, they can spend it on what they want.”

              “We have perfectly fine food at home.  They shouldn’t spend money to buy ice cream from the lil shop across the street,” Angie said firmly.  Stan raised an eyebrow.

              “There’s an ice cream shop across the street from the golf course?”

              “Yes.”

              “Let’s get goin’.”  Stan grabbed his car keys.  Angie sighed.  “Ang, we’ve been over this.  I can be immature as long as I’m technically still more mature than the kids.”

              “I hate when ya nickel ‘n dime stuff like this,” Angie muttered.  Stan kissed her forehead.

              “Don’t act like yer not in the mood fer ice cream, too.”

              “…Maybe,” Angie conceded.  Stan waggled his eyebrows at her.  “All right, we can get ice cream.”

-----

              When the Stanleymobile turned onto the street the golf course was on, they immediately saw the line.

              “What the hell?” Stan muttered.  “Is golf really that popular here?”

              “Given how long we’ve lived in Gravity Falls, I think we’d know if golf was the most popular pastime fer folks,” Angie said.  “There’s got to be some other reason folks are lined up like that.”  She leaned forward.  “Looks like the crowd’s in the parkin’ lot.  Ya best park at the ice cream shop.”

              “Gladly.”  Stan turned into the ice cream shop’s parking lot, came to a stop, and turned off the car.  He looked at a poster on the outside of the shop, advertising a new flavor.  “They’ve got yer favorite flavor, Ang.”

              “Really?!”  Angie looked over.  She gasped.  “Places almost never have peaches ‘n cream!”

              “So we’re definitely stoppin’ after we give the girls their lunch?”

              “Oh, definitely,” Angie said firmly.  She and Stan got out of the car.  Angie grabbed the bag lunches before closing the passenger side door.  Stan looked across the street.  Now that they were closer, he could see the cause of the crowd.  There was some sort of stand set up in the parking lot.

              “What’s that stand sellin’ and where do I get some cheap?” he asked idly.  Angie rolled her eyes.

              “You sell more ‘n enough as is.”

              “We’ve got smart kids that need to go to college.”

              “Yes, and ‘cause they’re smart, they’ll get scholarships.  Like I did.”  Angie began to walk away.  “Or did ya forget?” she called over her shoulder.  Stan jogged briefly to catch up with her.

              “I know they’ll get scholarships, but you gotta be prepared for everything,” he said.  “The kids sometimes have issues in school.  What if they lose their scholarships over that?”

              “By the time college comes ‘round, they’ll be better equipped to handle what causes issues fer ‘em,” Angie said.

              “Yeah, but-”  Stan came to a sudden stop.  He’d heard a familiar voice.  He looked at Angie.  Judging by her expression, she’d heard the same thing.  “Are ya sure the girls wanted to come here to collect golf balls?”

              “They didn’t actually tell me what they were doin’.  I assumed.”

              “Ya know what they say about assumin’,” Stan muttered.  The familiar voice from before carried above the chatter of the crowd.

              “That’ll be five dollars, thank you, sir.”

              “They’re not collectin’ golf balls,” Angie said quietly.

              “Not unless somethin’ stole Daisy’s voice like when I got my face stolen that one time.”

              “Ugh.  Don’t remind me.”  Angie sighed.  “Should we get in line?”

              “What?  No!  We’re their parents.  That makes us VIPs,” Stan said firmly.  He grabbed Angie’s free hand and pulled her through the crowd, ignoring people scolding them for cutting ahead.  When they got to the stand, they could see it was surprisingly well-made.  A sign at the top read “D&D’s Homestyle Treats”.  And behind the stand stood their thirteen-year-old twin daughters, Danny and Daisy.

              “Uh-oh,” Danny mumbled quietly.  Daisy, however, grinned toothily.

              “Hi Ma!  Hi Dad!  Do you want some homemade stuff?” she asked.  Angie crossed her arms.

              “Homemade?”

              “Yep!”

              “I don’t recall ya makin’ lemonade ‘n cookies at home ‘fore ya left.”

              “You’re getting older, maybe you’re forgetting,” Daisy suggested.  Danny gasped.  She punched her twin’s shoulder.

              “Daisy don’t say somethin’ so rude!”

              “What?  It’s true.  Anyways, Ma and Dad, could we have this conversation a bit away from our customers?”

              “Smart,” Stan said with a nod.  He and Angie walked a few feet away.  Danny carefully placed a sign that said “Back in ten minutes” on the stand, then she and Daisy joined their parents.  “All right you two.  Spill.”

              “We’re just bein’ entrepreneurs like you raised us,” Danny said.  Angie frowned at her.  “What?”

              “Are ya actually sellin’ homemade goods?”

              “Uh, no,” Daisy said.  “They’re store-bought.”

              “Then why are ya claimin’ it’s homemade?”

              “There’s better money in it,” Daisy said simply.  Stan nodded again.

              “Smart,” he repeated.  Angie gave him a look.  “What?  It is!  I think we should be proud of the girls fer bein’ so savvy.”

              “I-”  Angie kneaded her forehead.  “I didn’t raise y’all to lie.”

              “Too bad,” Daisy said with a shrug.  “Dad did.”

              “We’re not completely lying,” Danny put in.  “There’s an asterisk on the sign after the word ‘homemade’ and if anyone asks we’ll tell ‘em the truth.  We’re also saying the asterisk out loud, but since asterisks don’t make sounds, they can’t hear it.”

              “Heh!”  Stan grabbed his daughters and gave them affectionate noogies.  “That’s my girl!  Havin’ a way out on a technicality!  I’m so proud of you two!”

              “It…is very clever,” Angie said slowly.  She sighed.  “Did yer Uncle Fidds help ya set up the stand?”

              “Yep!” Daisy chirped.

              “Where is he?”

              “The ice cream shop across the street.  Don’t worry, he’s been keepin’ an eye on us,” Danny said.  Angie nodded.

              “Good.  Good.  I’m fine with the two of ya doin’ things unsupervised, but even in Gravity Falls, I feel more comfortable knowin’ yer sellin’ stuff to strangers if’n ya have someone we trust nearby to watch ya.”

              “Especially in Gravity Falls,” Stan corrected his wife.  “Or did you forget when the gnomes tried to kidnap Danny?”  Danny shuddered.

              “Stupid weird little men,” she muttered.  Angie sighed again.

              “All right, all right.  I’ll let this slide.  You two can go back to makin’ money by lyin’.”

              “We did learn it from Dad,” Daisy pointed out.

              “That’s precisely why I’m lettin’ it slide.”  Angie smiled fondly.  “Ya best get back ‘fore yer customers get impatient.”  Stan let Danny and Daisy loose.  “First, take yer lunches.”  Angie handed over the lunch bags.  The girls quickly gave each parent a hug before scurrying back to their stand.  Stan looked at Angie.

              “Yer proud of ‘em.  I can tell.”

              “I can’t deny that you were right ‘bout this bein’ savvy behavior,” Angie said.  “Thinkin’ things through like this will help get ‘em far in life.”  Stan put his arm around Angie’s shoulders.

              “Yep.”  He grinned.  “So…ice cream?”

              “Yes.  Ice cream.”

[angsty-nerd]

Meta: Echo’s Big Fight in 3x09

Let's talk about the Big Echo fight. Because wandering around in the fandom this past week, I’ve seen a lot of very specific conclusions as far as what they were or weren't arguing about, and I’m not sure my take on that scene really aligns with other folks. So let me try to break it down a bit and give y’all an alternative perspective on it.

To start with, the scene opens with Max on edge because they're breaking and entering. Liz is singularly focused on the mission, and he's kinda freaking out. Instead of responding to his concerns, Liz gets straight to business.

"Ooh, ooh, this is interesting. Heath left Genoryx two days after I did. Must have realized he didn't need to be working underneath their corporate thumb."

Liz is kinda projecting here. Heath never once displayed any discomfort with Genoryx as a company the way that she did. He wanted her to stay. He wanted the resources there. We know these things as an audience, and Liz would too if she was thinking through the big picture at this point in time.

Max, on the other hand, doesn't know any of that. Here's what Max hears from Liz: he hears surprise. He hears Liz acknowledge that this is unexpected news. And right as he’s processing this unexpected reveal...Max sees Heath's Wild Pony t-shirt.

Weird coincidence #1 from Max's POV was Heath (the guy who is currently so pissed at Liz that he won't take her calls) supposedly rescuing Liz's science out of the good of his heart so that Genoryx doesn’t get their hands on it? This doesn't add up.

Weird coincidence #2 was Heath quitting Genoryx - a decision Heath made that Liz wasn't expecting.

The Wild Pony t-shirt is now the 3rd thing that doesn't add up. And if the t-shirt clue isn't adding up for you, see my post about it here:

The T-shirt is strike 3 for Max. He can't really pretend that he's not suspicious of Heath anymore. So he broaches the subject with her.

"How much do you know about this guy, Heath? How close were you?"

Max is feeling uncomfortable and looking for more information. He's trying to make the clue make sense. Why would Heath have the T-shirt? Does he have a connection to Roswell that Liz doesn't know about? And Liz doesn’t listen.

"This isn't the time to be jealous about a boy I met."

For all that Liz is clinical and on mission, she jumps very quickly to assuming that Max is NOT on mission. Yes, Max is inherently more emotional than she is. But throughout the episode he's been asking questions about Heath and NOT JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS. That's one of the keys to me here. Max really is trying to give her the benefit of the doubt about him.

At Liz's house, he asked about "the boyfriend" but he wasn't doing it in a jealous or judgy way. If anything it could almost be interpreted as concern. He started with "were you happy" and only when Liz kind of metaphorically admitted that any happiness was a façade...that's when he brought Heath into it. And yeah, Liz says that he impacted her life and helped her grow, but she didn't exactly express romantic feelings that would make Max jealous. So when she basically jumped straight to the jealousy assumption instead of actually discussing this with him, he starts getting worked up. Because she is not hearing him. She is not acknowledging that the facts they have found during this investigation are not adding up. So he is honest and blunt about what he's thinking.

"I'm just saying it's possible that he took your one-of-a-kind alien spores and quit, so that, just like you, he could use the research himself, free of Genoryx."

Max is the one who brings the science into this conversation. Not Liz. And he's not criticizing or questioning HER application of the science. He's questioning the trustworthiness of Heath. Because the lies are starting to jump out at him like a friggin’ neon light.

BUT — now that he's specifically brought up the science, he has her attention. Because Max questioning her science is HER sore spot. So what does she say back to him? Something kinda judgy.

"That grand trust speech certainly had a short shelf life."

Side note: I really don't think there actually was a "grand trust speech" in this episode. I can think of a few scenes where there might have been an opportunity for one. In particular during the milkshake scene when he admits to saving her tapes. But they actually don't talk about trust in that scene. They talk about having hard conversations. They talk about moving forward instead of looking backwards. But they don't talk about trust. My guess is that there might have been content cut for time at some point in this episode, that may have included some grand declaration from Max, but that's really just speculation on my part.

Regardless…Liz's response to Max bringing up the science is to basically accuse him of not trusting her. Which is not what he was saying. He was not questioning her use of the science. He was questioning her trust in Heath through the context of her science. So he elaborates on what he IS saying, and as he does, he's getting more and more worked up...because this does relate directly to his personal fears, and, frankly, his buried trauma that he's never properly addressed.

"I trust you. Okay? But I don't trust some guy I have barely met with a secret that could endanger me, could endanger my family and break the frickin' Internet if it came out."

Max doesn't know Heath, and he doesn't trust Heath with a secret that could endanger Michael and Isobel. His emotions are escalating, because now he's thinking about the science that scares him in the hands of a guy that all signs points to being potentially untrustworthy, and he's triggered.

BUT he doesn't back up his argument. He doesn't point out the very specific evidence he's identified that Heath is probably lying to Liz.

And Liz is inherently reactive and sometimes overly defensive (see 1x09 list of Liz's flaws). So even though he's focused on Heath, she immediately reacts defensively and takes it as a criticism of HER.

"You think I would let myself be conned?"

"No, I think you came out here looking for a partner, and it could blind you."

*deep breath* and this is where it starts to get personal. And rough. Max isn't entirely wrong here. But he also kind of is. Liz didn't choose Genoryx for partnership. She was looking for resources, freedom to do the science she wanted to do, and to save her father from deportation.

But partnership? Yeah, Liz wanted that. But she wanted that from MAX. She was looking for partnership in life, not in science.

And now that Max has thrown that direct criticism out there, Liz is going to throw a bomb right back at him.

"Just because you sabotaged me when I thought you were mine does not mean that Heath would take the same path."

Ouch. This is the hardest line in this whole scene for me to work with. Because it is combative. And purposefully hurtful.

BUT…she is NOT TALKING ABOUT HER SCIENCE. She has not said a single word about her science in this argument. She moved past that. She had the epiphany that she was wrong and she apologized (3x03). That is in the past for her.

This argument, for Liz, is about betrayal. This is about her believing that they were going to be partners and move their lives forward together (2x12), and right when she believed in that future, Max made another massive decision that directly impacted her life (just like he did in 1x13) instead of working with her to make big decisions together.

"And just because you changed the wallpaper doesn't mean you've mended your blind spots."

I really hate this "change the wallpaper" line. It feels like they're mixing metaphors. Liz called her life a commercial. Max is saying that she's changed her decor. Like...pick one and stick with it.

That aside… I think this barb is about her arrogance. Earlier in the scene, she seemed baffled at the idea that Max believes she could have been conned by Heath, because Liz is used to always being the smartest person in the room. She thought she was smarter than Diego and he figured her out. She believed her lab was secure, but Diego (possibly) got in. Sometimes, like most scientists, Liz is so bogged down in the complicated, brilliant details she’s thinking through, that she misses simple things that contribute to the big picture. And I think that's what Max is getting at here. In her arrogance, she believes that she can control the Heath situation. But she's not acknowledging the human factor here - that Heath is a person who may have his own unspoken ulterior motives driving him. Just like Diego did. She's just not seeing what Max is seeing.

BUT - again I'll say. Max is also not communicating the scope of the evidence he is collecting. They're both wrong here.

"I have learned my lessons, but you... oh, my God, you sound an awful lot like the guy who blew up my lab. So forgive me, but you're making it perfectly clear why I felt like I had to go and change the wallpaper."

This is the only line where Liz even comes close to talking about her science, but again, she's talking about his betrayal. She's talking about him undermining their partnership. She's talking about her need for a change of scenery from HIM.

And that’s when Max blows out the safe and they put the fight on hold to finish their investigation.

But, to sum it up…the fight was all about trust and betrayal. It was necessary for them to work through it, though frankly? I wish they could have finished the discussion. Because instead of them coming to some sort of peace with their trust in each other, the truth came out about Heath, Liz realized that she was wrong, she apologized, and they moved forward together, on mission.

I can’t help pointing out though…after the fight and Liz's epiphany about Heath, Max and Liz spent at least 15 hours in a car together. And I'm sorry, I refuse to believe that they didn't talk about anything important for 15 hours. Fic writers assemble? 😆

Many thanks to @ober-affen-geil for doing a quick review and checking me on opinions vs facts. Very important.

And for my next trick… road trips, life choices, and Robert Frost! Coming soon to a Tumblr near you…

[grailfinders]

Fate and Phantasms #202

(Woof, we were almost a day late. Sorry about that, just got a second job. The first one at Facebook isn't working out that great. Anyway!)

Today on Fate and Phantasms we're getting a little bit beastly with the help of Atalante (Alter)! Move fast, hit hard, and outlast anyone who gets in your way. She's a Beast Barbarian for some beastly armaments and extra mobility, plus a Brute Fighter to hit harder and last longer.

Check out her build breakdown below the cut, or her character sheet over here!

Next up: They say every mentor learns from his students. This next servant really took that lesson to heart.

Race and Background

This Atalante is still a Shifter, but thanks to that beast's hide she's wearing, she's now a Beasthide Shifter, giving her +1 Strength and +2 Constitution (Thanks, Tasha!) She also gets Darkvision, Keen Senses for Perception proficiency, and a Toughness that gives her proficiency with Athletics. The big purpose of the class, however, is Shifting. You can transform into a fuzzier version of yourself for up to a minute once per short rest. Because you're a beasthide, your shift is a bit tougher than most; you gain 1d6+your level+ your constitution modifier temporary hit points, and your AC goes up by 1.

You're also still an Outlander, giving you Survival proficiency to live off of hydras. You would normally get athletics too, but you've got that already, so grab Persuasion instead. You're able to keep Yagas together, that's no small feat.

Ability Scores

You might be a wild animal now, but your speed is still your greatest asset, so your Dexterity should still be pretty high. Second highest now is your Constitution, that hide you've got on is really tough. And distracting, I mean you look like a goddamn Power Rangers villain. You kill things with your bare hands, so your Strength has to be up to snuff too. Your Wisdom is also above average, the Yaga seem to like you fine. This means your Intelligence isn't that great- you're not Chiron's star pupil this time. Finally, dump Charisma. You're a terrible liar, and you're hard to get along with.

Class Levels

Barbarian 1: Starting off as a barbarian makes your AC even better, thanks to Unarmored Defense. Now you can add your constitution and your dexterity modifiers to your AC while unarmored. (I know you technically get armor later, but it completely avoids your vital organs, so I'm not counting it.) You also get Rage, spending a bonus action to make you stronger (advantage on strength saves & checks), tougher (resistance to physical damage) and more brutal (bonus damage from strength-based attacks). Oh right, you also get proficiencies. Strength and Constitution saves, plus Intimidation and Nature skills. You're a scary wild animal, yes you are, yes you are!

Fighter 1: You still need weapons though, and rather than wait for two levels for your subclass, we'll go into Fighter right now for an Unarmed Fighting Style. You can punch people for 1d6 damage (1d8 if you have two hands free), and you can deal damage to grappled creatures if you start your turn holding onto them. You also get a Second Wind, healing yourself as a bonus action.

Barbarian 2: Second level barbs can make Reckless Attacks; you get advantage, your enemies get advantage, everyone wins! Except your enemies, because they'll all be dead before they get a turn. You also get a Danger Sense that gives you advantage on dexterity saves. You're still kind of a cat, I guess.

Barbarian 3: Third level barbarians set down a primal path, and the path of the Beast is for those who want to rip and tear, until the job is done. Right now you get a Form of the Beast when you rage, giving you one of three natural weapons. You can bite, dealing 1d8 piercing damage and regaining HP once per turn if you're bloodied. Otherwise, you can use your Claws to deal 1d6 slashing damage, and you get one extra attack with them per turn. The last one's less in character, but you can still grow a Tail if you want, dealing 1d8 piercing damage on attack, and you can use your reaction to apply a d8 to your AC against an attack that hit you. You also get Primal Knowledge in another barbarian skill. Pick up Animal Handling, it might help with the Yaga.

Barbarian 4: Bump up your Strength for better fighting. Real simple.

Barbarian 5: Fifth level barbs get an Extra Attack each attack action, as well as Fast Movement giving you an extra 10' of speed each turn. Turns out, you're fast! Who knew!

Barbarian 6: Sixth level beastbarians find their Bestial Soul, making their rage weapons magical against resistances. Whenever you finish a rest, you can also Self Evolve in one of three ways. You can gain a swiming speed and breathe underwater, a climbing speed that negates the need for climbing checks, or you can add an Athletics check to your jump distance once per turn. Normally, you can make an 8 foot long jump without runnig. Now you can jump a distance between 15' and 34'. It's a pretty good jump boost. The jump is the most in-character, but feel free to evolve whatever you need for the situation.

Barbarian 7: Seventh level barbarians grow even faster, with their Feral Instincts giving them advantage on initiative rolls, and you can ignore a surprise round by raging. Which you'd probably do anyway, so just roll with it. Speaking of raging, when you do so, you can make an Instinctive Pounce to move half your speed as part of the bonus action. You're not as fast as your archer self, but this'll help close the gap.

Fighter 2: Yep, we've got enough primal stuff, time to make it hurt. Bouncing back to fighter now gets you an Action Surge. Once per short rest, you can add an extra action to your turn, no strings attached. Use this to attack and you can hit people four times per turn, or five times with your claws!

Fighter 3: Third level fighters get their martial archetype, and becoming a Brute makes you a bit more heavy-handed. Your Brute Force lets you add a d4 to every damage roll you make with your weapons, and the die grows as you level up. This means your teeth are now arguably as strong as a greatsword.

Fighter 4: Another ASI! Bump up your Strength.

Fighter 5: Unfortunately, the fifth level of fighter gets you absolutely nothing. Extra attack doesn't stack like that. :(

Fighter 6: Use this ASI to grab the Mobile feat, for extra movement and the ability to shut down the attacks of opportunity from anyone you tried to hit this turn. Getting hit is for slow people.

Fighter 7: Seventh level brutes get Brutish Durability, adding a d6 to every save they make, up to and including death saves. If this brings a death save to a total of 20 or higher, you automatically pop back up with 1 HP. Barbarians tend to make the most death saves out of any party member, might as well be good at it.

Fighter 8: Another ASI! Grab the Martial Adept feat for a superiority die (1d6) that you can use to perform one of two Battle Master Maneuvers once per short rest. A big part of this build is adaptability, so the final say in what maneuvers you get is up to you. That being said, I highly recommend Ambush for a boost to stealth and initiative rolls, or Maneuvering Attack for even more mobility. It adds damage to your attack, and you can let one friendly creature (including you) move half its speed without provoking opportunity attacks from the target.

Fighter 9: Now that you're Indomitable, you can re-roll a failed saving throw once per long rest. I know berserkers are glass cannons in FGO, but that's just how they flavor their easily tricked nature, really they're hard as hell to fight, even if you've got fireballs and shit.

Fighter 10: Tenth level brutes get a bigger Brute Force die, now you add 1d6 to every attack, so your hands are as powerful as a greatsword. You also get an Additional Fighting Style, so grab Superior Technique for a second superiority die per rest and a third maneuver of your choice.

Fighter 11: Eleventh level fighters get another Extra Attack, and this one does stack, so you can attack up to 6 times per turn, or 7 with your claws and your action surge.

Fighter 12: Use your last ASI to become Resilient to Dexterity saves. You get +1 dexterity, and proficiency with that kind of save. So yeah, you now have advantage, proficiency, and an extra 1d6 against that fireball. Good luck, spellcasters.

Fighter 13: Our capstone level is a second use of Indomitable per day. Not the flashiest way to end a build, but at least you're not a sorcerer.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

When you want to hurt someone, they really hurt. With four claw attacks and three unarmed attacks, all boosted by rage, maneuvers, and brute force, you can deal 3d8+13d6+42. And those are all with advantage, so you've got a good chance of dealing a crit. Even without that chance, you can still deal over 100 damage in a single turn with average rolls.

You've also got plenty of Mobility to stay on top of your prey, with a base movement of 50' per turn and the ability to jump an absolute minimum of 20', or you can swap in other kinds of movement if you're going to the sea or a cliff face. You've also got several ways to pour more speed in if you need it. You won't be able to win a race against your archer self, but you'll definitely make her work for it.

Your saves are ridiculous, especially your physical ones. You've got proficiency in all three, good scores, an additional 1d6, and your strength and dexterity saves probably have advantage. If people try to get through your hide, they'll find your skin is just as tough, with an AC of 16-17, damage resistance, almost 200 HP, and plenty of ways to heal yourself.

Cons:

If you can't catch up to a person, your range means you're screwed. Your best weapons are all melee range, and you'll just end up chasing them around like a fool. (Technically you can just... pick up a bow and use it, you're a fighter after all, but we're playing to character.)

Despite your save shenanigans, your low charisma means you still might end up getting shunted to another dimension. That would explain how you got to the lostbelt, though....

We spent a whole feat and fighting style on those superiority dice, and to be honest they're probably not worth the effort. Bumping up your strength and picking up the Mariner style would be just as useful, if less customizable.

[rusty-tetanus-nail]

[Gunshots] Through Your Heart

a The C*W Sniper x Reader fanfic

The story of how You finding your One True Love finally released the Jackles Tapes™.

Author’s Note: If you actually read this fic, I will judge you.

It's the first non-virtual con since the finale and you've paid half a month’s rent to see the monkeys on stage awkwardly talk their way out of giving the gays what they really want. You've long since lost hope of anyone so much as acknowledging Cas' confession, but as long as Jensen keeps his sexy silence intact you're at peace with that. 

The fandom knows what's up anyway, even if the C*W tries to silence everyone involved with the show. You chuckle, remembering that one time when you opened tumblr and everyone was talking in riddles about [gunshots]. It took you at least an hour to figure out where that particular meme came from, but that's just season 16 for you. The confusion is half the fun. Of course the fandom would come up with the most ridiculous explanations as to why the cast and crew aren't allowed to validate Hellers, instead of just facing the reality that they all don't get it and have wrong opinions about things.

You open yet another nondescript brownish looking door, trying to find your way back to the panel hall. Whoever thought colour coding every single signpost and door instead of just using letters and arrows to point the way deserves to be fired. 

You take a deep breath to calm down and look at your phone.

"Fuck!" You curse out loud. You're so late. The main panel has already started and you're still utterly lost with no one nearby to ask for directions.

...not that you would ask for directions. You shudder. Egh people. 

You hear a faint cheering coming from behind the dark wooden door at the end of the deserted corridor. Bingo!

You run across the hallway, so ready to see the convention madness for yourself and open the door with a grin.

Instantly, the cheering grows louder and then subsides, leaving room for someone to speak. You look around confused. You can hear the panel just fine, but you’re not in the main hall.

Cautiously, you take a step forward. No that's not quite right. You are in the right room, but in the wrong place. Instead of being on the ground floor looking up at the actors on the stage, you’re on a balcony of sorts, hidden away near the ceiling. From here you can see everything. The whole crowd of fans, the stage. It's not the first row seat that you paid the other half of this month’s rent for, but it’s a nice view nevertheless and feels far less claustrophobic than downstairs with all the people around you doing their best to give you a headache. Maybe you'll just stay here and enjoy the rest of the show. No point in missing more of it than you already have.

You lean against the railing and watch as a staff member gives the microphone to a nervous looking fan. You cross your fingers, silently cheering them on, hoping they'll get through this in one piece.

The fan starts to talk and from the corner of your eyes you see something move. Startled, you stumble forward over the railing and for a moment you're certain that this is how you die.

A hand grips you tight by your several layers of flannel and pulls you back onto the floor of the balcony saving you from certain death.

You look up in a daze and see the silhouette of your saviour illuminated by the ceiling lights standing over you holding a sniper rifle. Somewhere in the distance you hear the fan continue their question ignorant of your almost death.

Your saviour moves with practiced ease back to the railing and aims their weapon at the people below. 

Shit. This can’t be happening. You try to get up and stop them from whatever they're about to do, but when you reach the figure and grab their wrist it's already too late.

"So about the Cartwright Twi-" [gunshots]

The fan falls to their knees and is carried off as someone on stage lets out an uncomfortable laugh and makes a joke about fainting. You watch the proceedings in shock, still gripping the sniper's wrist.

"What did you do?" You bite out, more harshly than you intended. In the back of your mind you know you should probably run away instead of arguing with the assassin, but there’s just something about them that makes you feel safe and unthreatened.

"My job." A gruff voice replies and as they turn you finally catch a first proper glimpse at the sniper's face. You let go of them almost immediately.

Oh no. They're hot.

The sniper pulls their wrist close to their chest and strokes the parts of their skin that your hand previously occupied. And odd knot forms in your stomach. You take a step closer and they shift away unused to the presence of another person.

You try to reach out again, but think better of it. You don’t want to scare the beautiful person in front of you. Your hand falls down limply to your side and the sniper follows your movements with their eyes still refusing to look directly at you.

You open your mouth to ask who they are, but you get interrupted when Jensen starts speaking. Instantaneously the sniper is all business again, aims their rifle and-

“Actually I think Dean is b-” [gunshots]

Jensen bends over and starts coughing violently, his sentence hanging forever unsaid in the room.

The sniper lowers their gun and looks emotionlessly at the scene they just caused.

“You’re-” You start, but the sniper holds up their hand to stop you.

“Don’t. Just go and pretend you never saw anything or I’ll shoot you as well.”

You shake your head.

“No. I don’t think you will.” Taking a chance you close the distance between the both of you and take the sniper’s free hand, intertwining your fingers with theirs. Their breath hitches as you touch them and they lower their eyes, but don’t move away. You take it as a good sign.

“You’re the C*W Sniper, aren’t you?” You whisper astonished. “I can’t believe you’re real.”

A fan with a faintly Spanish sounding accent is given the microphone. With their free hand the sniper reaches down and pulls out a gun from their thigh holster and- [gunshots]

What was once an almost unnoticeable accent is now unrecognizable word salad. Everyone laughs and writes the incident off as the fan simply being nervous. You frown.

“This isn’t right.”

“They’ll be able to speak again in a couple of minutes.”

You tighten your fingers around the snipers hand and try to unsuccessfully catch their eyes.

“Still doesn’t make it right. You didn’t even know if they’d mention anything about-”

The sniper aims their gun at you.

“I have my orders.”

Your eyes finally meet for the first time and the previous argument is forgotten as the world around you bursts into vibrant colours. 

“What the f-”

This isn’t possible. You’ve always been severely colour blind. People don’t just randomly heal from that. You shouldn’t be seeing any of this.

The sniper's cold eyes grow warm and mirror your own in wonderment. They look around before settling their eyes back on you and a soft “oh” escapes their lips.

“You’re my soulmate.” Their rough voice takes on a heart wrenching tone and you shake your head disbelievingly.

“No. Soulmates aren’t real. They were made up for fanfics.”

“That’s what the CW wants you to think.” The sniper says with a sad smile and breaks eye contact again. “The CW’s reach and power is far greater than anything you could possibly imagine.”

You cup the sniper’s face with your free hand and softly stroke their cheek with your thumb, almost entranced at the new connection you made with the not quite stranger in front of you. The sniper closes their eyes and leans into your touch. Your heart starts pounding and you wish for the moment to never end.

“You should leave.”

“Not without you.” You reply not missing a beat, trying not to get distracted by the sniper’s full lips and delicate features contrasting their hard battleworn exterior.

“I’m not safe to be around. I’ve hurt people.” The sniper turns around and lets go of your hand, but you hold on tight, too scared they’ll disappear as suddenly as they entered your life. Clutching their hand tightly, you pull them close and swirl them around forcing them to face you.

“I don’t care.” You say resolutely. “Whatever hold the C*W has on you, we’ll figure it out. Together.”

The sniper shakes their head and looks frantically over to the stage where Jensen is about to give his phone to a staff member.

“I- I can’t. I have to- I have nothing else but this.” They aim their gun at the stage, but you gently push their raised arm down. Your sniper doesn’t resist, but their hands are trembling. They’re scared, you realise. They’re scared and they need you.

“You have me. Please, I promise. Everything will be alright. Let me take care of you.”

The gun falls to the ground and the sniper lets themself be enveloped into your embrace. You hold them tightly as they fall apart in your arms and wait patiently until they stop shaking all the while whispering sweet reassurances into their ear.

“It won’t be easy.” They mumble against your shoulder and straighten up to look into your eyes. “The C*W will want to eliminate us. I’m not their only assassin.”

“Let them come. We’ll make them regret ever messing with us.” You say with a wicked grin and your sniper grins back with tears in their eyes.

You throw your arms over your snipers shoulders and lean your forehead against theirs.

“I’d really like to kiss you now.”

“Yes please.” The sniper says, almost breathlessly and you capture your soulmate’s lips for the first time. 

Fireworks explode in your soul and the crowd cheers as the Jackles Tapes are finally released and played on the big screen behind Jensen and Misha, who take the opportunity to ask every minor to leave the room as they’re about to reenact the secret good ending of Supernatural.

[wickedbarnes]

Guns and Roses (Pt. 1) | John Wick x Reader

Part 2

PROMPT: With Helen's passing, the infamous assassin, John Wick is finding ways to recover and find meaning to his life once again. It wasn't until he comes across the new flower shop downtown that he realized he will do whatever it takes to grip onto the tiny leverage of salvation that's wearing sundresses with flowers in her hair.

THEME: Non-Con. DubCon. Obsession. Dark!John x Innocent/Naive!Reader. Abduction. Lots of smut. Don't read if any of these make you uncomfortable.

NOTE: This is the newly reconstructed plot for Beauty and The Beast that I had put on hold for many weeks. I hope this makes up for the inconvenience I've made for putting that story on hiatus. In this fic, Helen Wick was killed rather than dying of an illness that's why John is taking it way harder than in the movies.

John remembers it like yesterday. It haunts him in his dreams every night, making it harder to fall asleep everytime. The bags under his eyes were the constant reminder of his sleepless nights. He doesn't even remember the last time he even slept properly. He only slept peacefully when he was with Helen. But now that she was gone, sleep felt more like a chore that he couldn't really finish.

A sigh had left his lips as he put the empty mug in the sink, deciding to just wash it later on when he gets home. Home. Is this even home anymore? John looks around the house that he had built specifically for Helen and him and noticed how gloomy it was despite how classy and refreshing it looked. It was empty and quiet and... and it lacked the energetic aura that it once had.

John closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. He needed to stop moping around and finish his tasks for today. After Helen's death, John had found himself going right back into the world he had worked hard to get out of. What was the point anyway? It was all he had left. Might as well die working surrounded by his enemies rather than die alone.

But then again, he'd die lonely either way.

John solemnly got ready. It was Helen's death anniversary, he had to look his best. He got dressed in a fine tailored suit. A brown one, for a change. The same suit that Helen loved so much. John also made sure to pack an extra black suit on his way to the Continental. He didn't want to waste the day away by feeling down all the time. He knew Helen would be disappointed in him.

When his hair was gelled to perfection, John had packed his weapons and hoisted a pistol or two and some knives in their holders. After that, he was good to go.

John brushed his fingers against Helen's picture that was hanging on the wall before he got out of his house and locked the door behind him, walking over to his beloved Mustang that also had memories of Helen in it.

Flowers. He needed to get some flowers for her. He hoped there was a near flower shop so he wouldn't have to drive so far. The nearest one was an hour away from him and the cemetery where Helen rests. He wasn't in the mood for such a long drive.

But it seemed fate had taken pity on him. Because not long after, he had spotted a small flower shop that seemed as if it was fairly new. A fair amount of customers were inside and John decided to park his car on the side of the road before he turned the engine off and walked inside, the bell ringing as he opened the door.

The people inside looked up at him curiously, some seemed to know him and gave him a nod. Some of them were too scared to even acknowledge him.

John wondered where the staff were and his question was answered when a woman walked in carrying a bouquet of carnations with a soft smile plastered on her face before she handed it to an elderly woman.

"Thank you so much, my dear. You never fail to make the best bouquets." The woman's compliments emits a laughter from the girl that sounded so melodious in John's ear.

It reminded him of how Helen once laughed. But hers sounded more carefree and gentle.

"Anything for you, Mrs. Jameson. Do have a good day." The girl smiled and with that, the woman left and it was just her, John, and one of the assassins he had recognized from the Continental.

"And what can I get for the two gentlemen?" The girl asked and John heard the man beside him speak but he found himself tuning him out as he took the moment to stare at the girl who was wearing a yellow sundress. The assassin would watch her write down on her little notepad, taking notes of what the man beside him was asking her to do and what kind of flowers he wanted.

John watched her move around, noticing the little daisies that were tied around her hair. She pretty much looks like a fairy and the fact that she was much smaller and daintier than him didn't help either.

No, he shouldn't be oggling her like this, he's married!

A widowed man, you mean.

He had to bite back the groan at the thought. But instead, he gathered his composure and smiled down at the woman when she came back carrying the bouquet her other customer had requested.

"Here we are. Fresh tulips for you, sir." She happily handed the bouquet to the man who paid her generously and put some tip in her tip jar.

"Thank you, miss, they're beautiful and uh..." The man glanced at John and smirked slightly at him, "And do have a safe day. It gets dangerous these days."

The girl seemed to miss how the man looked at John with mischievousness in his eyes and John was kind of thankful for that because he didn't find it amusing at all.

"I'll keep that in mind, sir, have a nice day." The girl smiled and averted her gaze to the notepad she had as the man patted John's back before whispering quietly near his ear.

"Shouldn't stare too much, Mr. Wick." John looked at the man on his way out, ignoring the way how he taunted him by giving a two fingered salute.

"And for you, sir, what would you like to have today?" The girl's voice brought him out of his thoughts and looked down at her as she looked up at him patiently waiting for his answer.

"Oh, uh... daisies, please." He answered, ignoring how shocked he was with his answer. Daisies weren't Helen's favorite flower. But the girl seemed to beam at his reply and John smiled softly at that. Smile. It's been a while since he smiled.

"Nice choice, I like daisies." She said and wrote it down on her notepad, "Do you want the daisies to be mixed with something else?"

John thought for a moment and saw the tiny rose tattoo that she had on her wrist.

"Roses. Red, please."

The little fairy in front of him smiled and wrote it down on paper before she looked up at him, "These are good combinations, no one has made these one up yet, I haven't made them up yet to be honest."

"Well I guess I have a new profound talent now." John replied as a giggle escaped from the girl's lips.

"That, you do! The person you're gonna give this to is gonna be happy with them, I'm sure."

"I wish they were here to appreciate them."

"Oh, are they somewhere far away?"

He sighed, "Yeah, something like that. She uh, passed away."

Murdered, he wanted to say.

The girl's eyes widened and John could tell she immediately regret asking any questions but he didn't feel the need to take any offence.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know, I shouldn't have asked." She said apologetically but John found himself shaking his head and smiling softly, feeling patient with the lady in front of him.

"No, it's alright. It's been three years, I've moved on."

Have you? He questioned himself.

"Still. I shouldn't have been so nosey." She bit down on her bottom lip and gestured over to the chair behind John, "Please, sit! This'll take a while I hope you're not in any hurry."

"No, please, take your time." John would say as he took the opportunity to sit down.

John didn't want to oggle at the girl while she worked but he found it hard not to. She moved with such grace and poise it was as if he was watching a gracious ballerina dancing in front of a thousand audience. The sundress she wore flowed freely with her moves and the slight breeze that came in from the windows blew her hair softly until a tiny daisy fell from her soft mane and landed onto John's knee.

The assassin carefully took it and while the girl wasn't looking, he quietly placed it in the pocket of his coat, making sure he wouldn't lose it. And it surprised him why he was keeping it safe with him in the first place.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when he heard her softly calling out to him. And John immediately stood up and walked over to the counter where she happily handed the bouquet in his hands and John took in how elegant yet adorable the arrangement looked.

"I made sure to pick out the prettiest red roses I had. I believe all of them had recently bloomed." The girl smiled and placed something on the counter and John looked down to see a tiny cactus situated on a small pot, "To make up for being so nosey earlier."

Innocence. John felt an overwhelming wave of innocence from her that it almost shook him to the core. Not even Helen was this soft.

Oh, God. Why was he comparing Helen to her?

"Oh, no, I can't take that. It's alright, I didn't take any offence." John would say and gently pushed back the cactus to her but she almost looked as if she was about to pout at him but instead, pursed her lips together.

"No, please, I insist. I feel guilty for even asking you such a personal question. Just look at it as my gift to you, you wouldn't decline on a gift now, would you?" John stared down at her for a moment and watched her take his calloused hand in her softer one and made him hold the small pot.

"It's rude to refuse gifts from people, sir." She smiled and pulled back and John suddenly remembered how Helen had told her the exact same thing back then.

"Oh, come on, John!" Helen whined and pushed the velvet box back to him, "It's your birthday, you deserve this!"

"But, honey, this must've cost a lot, you shouldn't be wasting money on me." John reasoned out and pushed the box gently back to her.

"Wasting? I'm not wasting anything, Jonathan, you're being ridiculous!" Helen sighed and grabbed his hand and made him hold the box, "John, please?"

"But, I-"

"No buts."

John sighed deeply and finally gave in when he saw the twinkle of hope in his wife's eyes when she finally realizes he's taking the gift she gave.

"It's rude to refuse a gift, John. Especially a gift from your wife." John playfully rolled his eyes and grinned at her.

"Alright, alright." He chuckled, "Thank you, sweetheart. The watch looks incredible, I love it."

"Oh, I know it is. But you're welcome, baby. You know I'd give you anything and everything."

"Thank you." John replied after he zoned out for what seemed like eternity. He hoped she didn't notice him doing so, "It's adorable, I love it."

"It is, yes. I wish I could tell you some tips on how to care for one but I wouldn't wanna keep you from your errands. Besides, a simple search on the internet would help you out anyways."

John looked down at his watch and noticed he had been here for about fourty-five minutes now.

"Yeah, I'm sure I'll be fine by here." He fished out his wallet and handed some cash to the fairy girl and dropped a fair amount of tip inside the tip jar.

"Thank you, sir. And have a nice day ahead!" She smiled and John could've sworn the twinke in her eyes made her smile even more breathtaking than it already was.

"I sure will. You too, doll." And with that, he walked out of the store and silently hoped she didn't latch onto how he had called her doll.

Hopping inside his car, John carefully placed the bouquet and his new cacti on the passenger seat and began to slowly drive to the local cemetery.

"God, why the fuck would you call her doll?" He asked himself, gripping the steering wheel a bit tighter, "And you didn't even ask for her name!"

John felt frustrated. But why? Why was he? Is it because he called her doll and possibly sounded like a creep? Or is it because he forgot to ask her name?

Why would he ask for her name anyway?

John shook his head and focused on the road ahead. No, this is Helen's day. He shouldn't he dwelling on a certain woman who reminds him so much of a dainty little fairy.

When he pulled up at the cemetery, John carefully parked his car and grabbed the bouquet before he got out and walked over to where Helen's grave was.

Upon seeing her name, John felt more at ease but the sadness in his heart never seemed to go away even until now.

"Hey, sweetheart." He greeted her and lightly brushed his fingers against the tombstone.

"I got you flowers." He crouched down and gently placed the flowers on the ground before he reached up and lightly traced her name that was engraved on the stone.

Helen Wick.

A sense of guilt coursed through his veins. This was the first time he brought a different set of flowers for her. These were red roses and daisies and he only got it because of the girl from the store. Because he reminded him of her not because it was Helen's favorite.

Helen's favorite were gardenias. Why the fuck would he even get these flowers in the first place?

John's frustration was slowly growing and he was almost close to throwing and ruining the whole bouquet itself but something stopped him from doing so.

"It never gets easy, Hel. It's so hard without you." He spoke softly.

And somehow, he began to hope. That maybe it doesn't have to be so difficult.

That maybe there was something more than just Helen.

And John couldn't help but think back to the girl from the flower shop that wore a yellow sundress with daisies in her hair and a rose tattoo on her wrist.

It wouldn't be too bad if he paid her a visit next time...

Right?

TAGS: @a-really-bi-girl @fanficsrusz @fairylightsandchai @pinkzsugar @edgiestwinter @paanchu786