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akutasoda · 8 months ago

Note

hotdog 🤯

Imagine Dazai with a reader who was once his friend before he became an executive, and left once he met chuuya. Only leaving a note claiming they had better things to do. Then when Dazai is in the ADA he sees them again and readers changed a lot and refused to speak to him. The only reason he gets is the past is in the past so stay there.

-🫛Anon!

better off in the past

synopsis - you decide a childhood friend should remain in your childhood

includes - dazai

warnings - gn!reader, angst no comfort, dazai's kinda scummy, wc - 2.6k

a/n: 🤯 - this is the new rewritten version as of 20/03!

taglist - @vi-chan07

you had met dazai when he was a scrawny boy that was around your age. you had caught a glimpse of him from the corner of your eye while you were out and the sight of him practically hunched over in an alley made you pity him. to you, he simply seemed like a child who had no friends and you were determined to change that.

sure his appearance was a little bit worse than it seemed from a distance - unkempt brown hair, bandages galore, and not to be rude but a rather weird taste in clothes, i mean what sort of child wore a full on suit - but you weren't to be deterred. you managed to slip away from any company you had and made your way over to the sketchy boy. some people may say you had absolutely zero spacial awareness but you had a feeling. he was a lonely child and you could sense no form of danger.

your cheery voice called out to him and he spun heel. it was a voice that really contrasted the cold, mocking words he'd hear on the day and so to say he was shocked would be accurate. he merely wished for a little while to himself. some time away from the horrors that awaited him back in the dreaded, looming building that was the port mafia base. sure an alleyway wasn't exactly a contrast but it was better than any stuffy room with the same brick. he didn't really expect anyone to notice him, or if they did they'd have more public awareness and choose not to disturb him. so seeing someone that willingly actually came and over to talk to him, left him surprised - he could've guessed if anyone did it would be a child that seemed to be his age maybe younger.

you would come to learn his off-putting appearance really wasn't a problem it was his off-putting attitude. when you first tried to introduce yourself or even get some kind of conversation out of the boy, you were just met with a cold hard silence as he stared you down. his gaze sort of made you feel small despite him seemingly being around the same age as you, maybe attempting to talk to him was a mistake. however if chhildren were known for one thing it would be a rather oblivious and joyfull nature which paired with you're unrelenting attitude would mean you eventually would earn a disinterested sigh and for the boy to finally stop glaring at you and ask you in a flat tone what you wanted.

you didn't really want to come off as rude, so in the nicest way possible you told him how you thought he looked so lonely and you wanted to change that.

dazai didn't take it as a nice senitiment. he instead took it as pity and he didn't want pity from someone like you. why you were so insistent on talking with him? it was now clear as day to him that you clearly had no sense of danger if you were talking to someone like him in an alley. he wanted to walk away anf leave, he truly had no business being with you but for some reason his body was betraying him. his legs stayed firmly rooted to the spot as you continued to try and strike conversation with him - to which he would eventually cave to. it wasn't much but to you it was an absolute triumph.

he would answer you witha few huffs or sighs and the most that you got out of him verbally was a command to leave him alone and after he spat those words out he finally got himself to turn and leave. you were slightly offended by his attitude but decided to not let it get the best of you, afterall he was a very weird boy in an alleyway - maybe it would've been weirder if he was nice. you decided then and there that if you ever saw him again you'd give him a piece of your mind. and you kept that promise. as not even a week later you found the strange boy and did exactly that. dazai still couldn't understand why he didn't just leave and instead still let you complain at him.

your second encounter with him wasn't much different from it's predecessor. you carried out a very one sided conversation with him - after you complained at him. and eventually he turned cold again, as if he was finally registering that he couldn't indulge in such encounters, before leaving. by the time you saw him a third time, it no longer seemed like a coincidental meeting as each time he was rooted to the exact same spot always looking like he was expecting you - if you ever brought any of that up he'd leave immediately but still show up again another time.

he reminded you of a stubborn cat, perhaps it would be too cruel to refer to the boy as a scrawy stray cat that took the affection he could tolerate before leaving again - now that you thought about you still didn't know his name. you had met him each week in the exact same spot about four times now and you still didn't know his name. it would be the fifth time, after you realised, where you finally pressed him for his name. he seemed hesitant to tell you at first but he very quickly said his name a bit quieter than you would've liked but you still caught it.

it was around the seventh meeting where you started designating him nicknames. you felt weirdly close to dazai after seven weeks of talking to him. sure if you told anyone else they probably would think he was some sort of imaginaring friend or be concerned that you were going insane and judge you but you could feel something between you and him. you knew very well it was one sided but you had hopes he too would eventually see you as a friend and make it less awkward for you - the same way all your conversations were practically one sided.

whenever you met with dazai, you'd tell him all about your day and any new ideas or thoughts you had/created. it may seem weird or a little bit crrepy that he liked listening to you but it made him feel normal. despite being roughly the same age you were so different to him. you lived a life of an actual child and you had a more nurturing upbringing than he had. so him hearing about your life made him imagine himself alongside it, he could imagine having the life you had and that made him feel happy.

he would listen diligently to your stories and day to day happenings and even made mental notes of anything that interested him so he could have a follow up next week. gradually, week by week he became less standoffish and eventually wouldn't always leave with a harsh tone. instead he started visibly lighting up if you called him your friend - much like a curious cat in your opinion.

and after experiencing almost all his harsh words and nature you still couldn't believe how he cut you off. dazai never told you about his life and you never really minded but you guess you probably should of taken that as a warning. you had no clue what kind of life he had and if anything by the fact you met him in an alley, it probably wasn't good. he didn't tell you he became a mafia executive and he had no plans on doing so, instead he planned to cut you off.

originally he just planned to disappear and so he started skipping weeks of seeing you but he really should've just stopped showing up. each and every time you saw him after a longer time of not seeing him, he would see the way your eyes visibly lit up and you always managed to coax him to stay and talk. but then he really started disappearing and became colder again, you hated it as he always dismissed any questions and it made you rather annoyed. you thought he'd atleast give you a reason but no, maybe that was too kind of an assumption. you felt bad about no longer being excited to see him but you always dismissed those feelings when you were reminded of how he now treated you.

so it didn't exactly surprise you when he stopped showing up. it had been atleast a month and you finally accepted you wouldn't see him again. it saddened you but you tried to not let it get to you especially after finding the note. you originally glossed over the scrumpled ball of paper on the floor where he normally stood, mere trash was all you thought it was but when you accidentally kicked it you saw splotches of ink and felt compelled to open it up.

you weren't surprised by it's contents in any way shape or form, if anything it stung slightly and made a bitter anger bubble inside of you. he clearly hadn't put a single thought into it and probably only did it as some sort of final show of how little the time he spent with you ment to him. the scrumpled piece of papersome tears in some places and had lazy, half finsihed strokes of ink on it that barely made out the message -

'don't look for me, my time is precious and needed somewhere more important and necessary'

and at the bottom was a scribble with a million lines through it. the name clearly crossed out but you knew. you thought you atleast deserved the decency of a signed note. sure it hurt you but if you were being honest you tried preparing yourself for this ever since he started not showing up.

dazai had always been half torn between writing you that note or actually having the confidence to face you in person and tell you. unfortunately, his deciding factor was chuuya. to him chuuya was much more useful to him, someone he saw himself actually getting along with instead of you - the lowly civillian that somehow managed to keep him meeting up with you. and so eventually he felt barely any remorse for not saying goodbye properly and he even considered scrapping the note but he thought you deserved some kind of finalality - he reckoned you'd still wait for him otherwise. and while he spent a lot of his time on missions with chuuya, his mind would still sometimes drift to you but never for too long. he didn't care that much. right?

you hadn't seen dazai for the rest of your childhood. you eventually came to not care in the slightest, some childhood friends leave along the way and that was inevitable and so you didn't think about what you could've done for him to change on you so suddenly. instead you focused on everyone and everything else in your life that actually made you feel happy. however your word's would contradict yourself when you still held onto the note. you didn't know why and you never thought about it too much.

however what you hadn't known was that dazai had come a long way and actually grew as a person. he would openly admit to himself that he wasn't exactly a welcoming or polite child, he was a menace who hurt those around him - fitting for the 'demon prodigy'. he could blame the mafia all he wabted but he knew it all come down to him at the end of the day.

his time in hiding after leaving the mafia did give him time to reflect on the people he hurt as a child. from those he didn't even know the names of, to those that he was actually close to. he was fully aware of his actions and it pained him knowing it toom the death of a very, very dear friend for him to realise this. how many people would he have to lose to become a better person? he still held very brief memories of you but only negative ones. he could remember how harsh he was, how dismissive he was of you, all because he didn't want to admit he enjoyed your presence.

somewhere along the line he would start to wonder if you'd ever get the chance to meet him now. working at the agency had made him realise many things and he was confident he was only going to keep growing as a better person. sure he was still far from perfect but atleast the him now wouldn't be as scummy and cowardly to leave a rather harsh note to stop you talking to him because he found someone else - he realises now you weren't some means of disposable company. if you had seen how much he had grown would you wantbto talk to him again? was it too out there for him to wish that he could make it right, to apologise properly? and the answer would be yes.

you still lived in yokohama and part of you used to worry about meeting dazai randomly in the streets but now you realise how silly that was. you never actually ever saw him after you found that letter, it was really like he vanished into thin air. he thought it was the luckiest day of his life when he spotted you in the distance. you obviously had grown older and looked slightly different but he could tell it was you and he wasn't going to let this chance go.

you felt the opposite. you thought it was the worst day when you heard someone call out to you just to turn around and see it was dazai. rather ironic in your eyes. again, obviously older but how could you really forget those brown locks and he still adorned bandages - less but still. after all these years you finally came face to face with the man who, as a child, was rather ruthless in cutting you off. not having the deceny to make it a smooth let down and you really couldn't imagine that kind of denial from someone that young.

you could tell he had a lot to say and based on his opening sentence you knew it would be an apology. unfortunately for him you didn't want an apology. you were over him as a friend and you didn't want to go back to being friends after all these years. some may call you petty but you thought it was justified. but he couldn't tell and all he could think about was finally telling you how much he thought about you lately, how much he felt he wronged you and if you would ever consider befriending him- your voice broke his thoughts and words. you told him point blank you didn't care anymore and he shouldn't either. it was time for him to let go aswell and realise you should stay in his murky past.

you wouldn't let the dejected look ln his face trick you as you simply told him that the past was the past and that was where he would stay. you advised him to do the same. it would be rather unhealthy for the both of you to continue a friendship from all those years ago that went so wrong. it didn't matter to you how much he changed and now you just wanted to get along with your life.

for the first time in ages, dazai really couldn't understand. after all these years he finally had the chance to set things right but he now knew that was too much to ask for. now he had to watch you walk away from him like he did to you all those years ago. except you had the decency to actually tell him in person.

#🫛anon↩#x reader #x gender neutral reader #bsd x reader #bsd x gender neutral reader #bungo stray dogs x reader #bungo stray dogs x you #bsd x you #bsd dazai osamu #dazai x reader #dazai x you

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dmbakura · 4 months ago

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it's so interesting how people have developed this narrative that Astarion's writing was "hijacked" by Baudelaire Welch (BW for short in this post) and Rooney (his main writer) had absolutely no say in it whatsoever, when if you actually listen to any of the interviews he's done, he's literally on the same page as BW regarding Astarion's characterization. Rooney talks about how they pretty much knew early on where Astarion's character was going to go, what the beginning and end was with only the middle going through several revisions. but whatever I guess it's easier to pin the blame on the non binary writer because they clearly did all the BAD parts while the male writer did the GOOD parts.

like it's crazy how much cope there is about him being "completely rewritten from EA" when no he isn't? he's like slightly meaner and a few lines pertaining to his backstory were removed. and EA only covered act 1 so of course you don't see the full scope of Astarion's character in there.

what I think actually happened is people filled in the blanks from EA and became convinced that their version of Astarion was "canon" and then when the full game came out and his character didn't go where they expected, got mad and started looking for a scapegoat that CLEARLY derailed him because that's easier to believe than just accepting they never had a good grasp of his character to begin with.

#the amount of cope from bg3fandomcritical is insane #astarion #this is thinly veiled misogyny #and i say misogyny because a lot of people just end up misgendering bw anyway and dont see them as nb

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ornateorchid · 9 months ago

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V- Virginity Loss.

You're not sure if you want to lose your virginity, but Gaz is there to reassure you.

L.O.V.E. Masterlist

a/n: the beginning got deleted while i was writing it and i was too lazy and unmotivated to put in the effort to make the rewritten version better 😖

warnings: afab!fem!reader, virginity loss, reassurance, protected piv, fingering, some praise

It doesn't take long for innocent kissing to turn into a makeout session. It's not until Kyle's hands wander a little too far, barely dipping into the hem of your shorts, that you start getting nervous. He notices you tensing up almost immediately and stops. "You ok?" he asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just- it's nothing. I'm just getting lost in my head," you answer with a shaky smile.

"What? Talk to me. Are we going too fast?" he asks, a look of concern on his face.

"I mean... maybe a little," you say, blushing furiously. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, no. Don't apologize. It's my fault, I shouldn't have gone so far," he brushes a stray lock of hair behind your ear and leans in for a kiss. "I'll do better. I want you to be comfortable with me."

"It's not that I'm uncomfortable with you," you pause. "It's just that... I'm a virgin," you say as you fidget with your hands, "and I'm a little scared to lose my virginity. I'm sorry for not telling you before we got into a relationship. If you want to end things then that's fine I know how some guys-"

"No!" Kyle interrupts. "No, don't be sorry. And don't think for a second that I want to end this just because you're a virgin. If anything, I want to try harder so you'll be comfortable with me. I love you, and I don't want you to ever be afraid to tell me things."

You sigh and snuggle up closer to him. "I love you too. I'm just nervous, I guess. And I feel stupid for being nervous."

"I'm gonna stop you right there. You're not stupid. Not being ready is nothing to be ashamed of. It's not a big deal. If anything, I'm honored that you trust me enough to admit that to me," he tells you.

"I think I'm ready I just get stuck in my head sometimes and work myself up. Like what if it hurts? Or what if it's not what I expect?" you start rambling, and Kyle just shushes you and rubs your back.

"Don't worry. It'll be good. It's going to be great, actually. We'll make sure of it. And you know what? Even if it's not perfect, I'll still love you just as much, and I won't ever judge you for it. And you shouldn't judge yourself, either. And if you're not ready, then that's fine. We don't have to go all the way. There are plenty of things we can do without going that far. Or, we can just wait until you're ready, or never have sex at all. Either way, I'm here, and I love you."

You laugh weakly. "Kyle, I want to have sex. I'm just... I'm scared. But I'm ready, I promise."

"You're absolutely positive?" he asks, holding your face gently in his hands.

You nod. "Positive."

"Okay," he says and then leans in for a gentle kiss.

You melt into him and the kiss becomes more heated. His hand moves to your thigh and rubs your leg through your shorts, making your nerves flare. But you force yourself to stay calm. He pulls away and asks, "are you okay?"

You nod and pull him back in. He slowly slips his hand under your shorts and strokes the sensitive skin on your inner thigh, making you shiver. He takes your positive reaction as an invitation to move his hand higher, rubbing over your clothed pussy. You can't help the gasp that escapes you.

"Is this okay?" he asks. You nod, unable to find the words to answer him.

"Use your words, baby," he says, slipping his hand under your panties and rubbing your clit.

"Y-yeah," you say, trying desperately not to stutter. "I'm good."

"Good," he replies. "If anything's wrong, or you don't like something, tell me, okay? I'll stop."

"Mhm," you reply, not trusting yourself to speak.

"Do you wanna lie down?" he asks. You nod, and he guides you to lie back against the pillows. He sits between your legs, looking up at you for approval. When you give him a smile and nod, he pulls your shorts and panties off, tossing them to the side. He spreads your legs and presses a finger to your entrance, rubbing the wetness around you. You moan softly, and he looks up at you. "Is this okay?"

"Yeah," you breathe, and he presses his finger inside you. It's weird and slightly uncomfortable, but it doesn't hurt. You wince a bit but quickly relax.

"You okay?" he asks, stopping and looking up at you.

"Yeah, it's just a little weird. Keep going," you nod.

He smiles and continues, gently fingering you and using his other hand to rub your clit. The sensation feels good, and you relax further. "Does it feel good?"

"Yes," you moan, and he picks up the pace. Your back arches off the bed as you feel a tight coil building in your core. Your breathing gets faster and shallower as you get closer and closer to the edge. He's pumping his finger in and out, hitting the right spot every time. You're close, so close. "Please don't stop," you beg, and he keeps going.

He keeps the same speed and rhythm, and you feel yourself getting closer and closer. You're teetering on the edge, and he knows it.

"Cum for me, baby," he whispers, and that's all it takes to push you over the edge.

Your orgasm washes over you like a wave, and you ride the high as he slowly brings you down. When he removes his fingers, he looks up at you.

"Did that feel good?" he asks as he looks up at you reassuringly. You nod, breathing heavily.

"I love you," he says, leaning forward to kiss you.

"I love you too," you murmur against his lips.

After a few moments, he pulls away. "Do you think you're ready?"

You take a deep breath, then nod. "Yeah."

"Are you sure?" The earnestness in his voice has you nodding your head.

"I'm sure," you say, smiling at him.

"Alright," he says, sitting back. "I need you to lay back and spread your legs for me, okay?"

You comply, laying back and spreading your legs for him. As you do so, he pulls his pants and boxers down in one swift motion. His cock springs out, and the size has your eyes going wide, but he doesn't seem to notice.

"You're so beautiful," he murmurs. "I feel like the luckiest man in the world."

You blush and look away.

"Hey," he says, reaching forward and cupping your cheek, turning your head back to him. "Don't hide from me."

"Sorry," you whisper, still unable to look him in the eye.

"There's nothing to be sorry about. But don't hide from me, alright? You're beautiful. I love everything about you, inside and out."

"Oh," is all you can say, completely overwhelmed.

"Now, can you spread your legs a little more for me, please?" he asks.

You comply, and he positions himself between your legs. He reaches for a condom and rips open the foil wrapper. He rolls the condom onto his cock, giving it a few pumps for good measure.

He leans down and kisses you, then positions himself at your entrance. "Ready?"

"Yeah," you say, nervousness creeping into your voice.

"Relax, baby. I'll be gentle," he says, placing a comforting hand on your hip.

"Okay," you whisper.

He slowly pushes into you, and you whimper at the discomfort. He stops immediately, looking down at you with a concerned look. "Are you alright?"

"I'm okay," you breathe. "I just need a minute."

He stays still for a moment, letting you adjust. When the pain starts to subside, you give him the go-ahead. He slowly thrusts in and out of you, going deeper and deeper each time. You bite back a whimper.

"It's okay, baby. You're doing so good. You can let it out," he coos, running his thumb along your hipbone.

At that, you let out a small whimper, and he smiles.

"You're doing great. It's gonna start feeling better soon, I promise," he assures you, leaning down and kissing you.

As he thrusts into you, the discomfort begins to fade and is replaced with a feeling of fullness. You moan softly and grip the sheets.

"Good girl," he whispers, leaning down and capturing your lips in a kiss.

As he thrusts in and out of you, the discomfort starts to dissipate and is replaced by a feeling of pleasure. You moan and grip the sheets, arching your back.

"Does it feel good?" he asks, and you nod.

"Yes," you breathe.

He continues to thrust in and out of you, and the feeling of pleasure builds and builds.

"Oh, Kyle," you moan, throwing your head back.

"That's it, baby. Say my name. Moan for me," he says, thrusting deeper and harder into you. He brings his hand down and starts to rub your clit. The pleasure is overwhelming, and you can't help but moan as you arch your back.

"Come on, baby. Cum for me," he says, his fingers working in tandem with his thrusts. It doesn't take long for the pressure to build again.

"Kyle," you moan, feeling the pressure building in your core.

"I know, baby. I'm close too," he groans.

A few moments later, your orgasm crashes over you, and you moan his name. He fucks you through your orgasm, drawing it out and chasing his own. It doesn't take him long, and his movements become erratic as he cums. He slows his thrusts, and both of you try to catch your breath.

"You okay?" he asks, brushing hair away from your face.

"Mmm," you hum, too blissed out to speak.

He smiles and presses a kiss to your forehead. "Good."

He pulls out and ties the condom, throwing it in the trash. He lays down next to you and wraps an arm around you, pulling you close.

"How was it?" he asks sincerely.

"It was amazing," you say, looking up at him.

"Good. I'm glad," he replies, placing a soft kiss on your lips.

You rest your head on his chest and wrap an arm around him.

"I love you," he murmurs.

"I love you too." You smile and nuzzle his neck, content and blissful.

You're not sure how long you two lay there, but eventually, Kyle gets up and leaves the room. When he returns, he's carrying a washcloth and a bottle of water.

"Here, drink this," he says, handing you the bottle.

You sit up and take a few sips, suddenly realizing how thirsty you are. "Thanks," you say, and he gives you a small smile.

He takes the bottle and sets it on the nightstand, then sits down next to you. "Lay back, please," he says.

You do as he says, and he places a hand on your stomach.

"Spread your legs for me, sweetheart," he says, his voice soft and gentle.

You comply, and he places the warm, damp washcloth on your inner thigh. He rubs gently, and you wince a bit.

"Does that hurt?"

"Just a little. It's not bad."

"Okay," he says, continuing.

He moves the washcloth to your core, gently wiping away the evidence of your first time. When he's satisfied, he tosses the cloth aside and lays down beside you. He pulls the blanket over the two of you, and you snuggle into his side.

"I'm really proud of you," he says, running a hand up and down your arm.

"For what?"

"For being so brave. And trusting me."

You look up at him, and his eyes are full of sincerity.

"I trust you," you say, smiling.

"I'm glad," he replies. "That means a lot."

"I love you, Kyle."

"I love you too," he says, leaning down to press a kiss to your forehead.

You close your eyes, content and blissful, and fall asleep in the arms of the man you love.

divider by @saradika

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s10127470 · 2 months ago

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Nicktoons Unite: Rewritten

I'm pretty sure most of you reading this know about the Nicktoons Unite series.

Running from 2005 to 2008 with a total of four games, the series saw some of Nickelodeon's most popular Nicktoons coming together to stop whatever the big threat of the game there was.

Even after almost 20 years, these games are still fondly remembered for how well they utilized the crossover aspect and how cool it was to see so many of Nickelodeon's most popular characters actually interacting with each other.

But apart from that, the games are pretty mid (specifically in terms of gameplay).

So recently, I've been thinking about what the Nicktoons Unite series would've been like if it actually had good gameplay and even went a little more all-out with the crossover aspect than it already did.

And being the madman that I am, I'm gonna make this a 4-part series!

Starting off with the game that started it all, Nicktoons Unite!

So without further ado, let's get this party started!

Gameplay and Presentation:

Nicktoons Unite! would still have the action-RPG style, but a little better.

And for a few reasons.

For starters, the characters will move much faster than they previously did.

Which is something I appreciate the later games for doing.

And the combat is a lot more fleshed-out.

Each character has a light attack, a heavy attack, a grab and a throw, a trip, a stun, a pop-up, an aerial attack, a block, a dodge, a ground slam, a double jump (though that varies between characters), 6 or 7 special attacks, one or two boosts, a few passive abilities, and a super attack that is able to unleash an insane amount of damage across a wider range.

Along with that, there will be enemies with specific resistances.

For example, say you’re dealing with an enemy that’s heavily resistant to energy/elemental/magical attacks.

So in order to beat that enemy, you’ll have to switch to a character who’s heavily reliant on physical attacks.

Since this is an action RPG, there will be tons of strategy.

And in terms of presentation, the worlds would be more expanded than they originally were.

Including major locations and characters that weren't in the original.

But biggest glow-up in the presentation would be with the music.

Everybody knows that Nicktoons Unite's music is pretty weak.

It's basically elevator music, and doesn't really fit the worlds we go to at all.

But here, the music would actually strive to replicate the scores of each Nicktoon.

So much so that I could imagine they would even receive help from the composers of those respective Nicktoons.

But don't worry, Guy Moon isn't gonna be giving every action its own music cue here.

The Story:

The overall story is more or less the same, but has a lot more content here.

First off, let's talk about the Nicktoons themselves.

The team still consists of Jimmy Neutron, SpongeBob SquarePants, Timmy Turner and Danny Phantom.

But this version would see five more members of the team.

These being Jenny Wakeman, Otto Rocket, Tommy Pickles (the All Grown Up! one), Tak and Avatar Aang.

As for why they're here.

I remember reading something somewhere about how Rocket Power, All Grown Up!, and Tak and the Power of Juju were all meant to be featured in Nicktoons Unite!

As for Jenny and Aang.....why shouldn't they be here?

Jenny especially since at the time of this game's release, My Life as a Teenage Robot has been around for two years.

I've always found it weird how she was never included in the main stories of any of the games.

I'm guessing that they wanted the Nicktoons to be a boys-only thing.

And given Nickelodeon's track record, I could definitely see that being the case....

Though I have no clue why Aang was never included in these games, especially since Avatar: The Last Airbender was one of the biggest Nicktoons on the channel during its run.

Maybe it has to do with the fact that it is was the only Nicktoon at the time at was primarily serialized.

So trying to figure out where the games could take place during the three Books would've been tricky.

But given that Avatar has comics in the Nickelodeon Magazine that took place between their adventures and are presumably canon, I think they could've pulled it off.

Anyway, just like the original version of the game, these nine have teamed up thanks to The Syndicate.

Which now consists of Professor Calamitous, Plankton, Mr. Crocker, Vlad Plasmius, Vexus, Tlaloc and Zuko.

As for how they're each contributing to their team.

Calamitous is who's creating The Doomsday Machine.

Plankton, Crocker, Vlad, Tlaloc and Zuko are each obtaining energy from their respective worlds to power it.

Those energy sources being jellyfish electricity, fairy magic, ghost energy, juju magic, and waterbending & earthbending.

And Vexus is creating an army of special robots for The Syndicate to use in their respective worlds.

Thought with all being said, you're probably wondering why the hell Otto and Tommy are here since they have no notable villains to speak of.

Well it's because The Syndicate have already conquer their respective worlds and are planning to make the inhabitants into cybernetic slaves.

And so, with our heroes united, they decide to head to Ocean Shores and Eucaipah (the All Grown Up! world) to free them first from The Syndicate's rule.

Upon arriving in Ocean Shores, they find the city to be particularly deserted.

But soon enough, they do manage to run into Twister and Sam.

The two reveal that the people of Ocean Shores have been captured by the Syndicate's troops and taken away.

Luckily, Twister and Sam were able to escape.

But the likes of Reggie, Raymundo, Tito and Noelani weren't so lucky....

And with the knowledge of The Syndicate planning on turning the residents into cybernetic slaves, the Nicktoons concur that there's some kind of base in this world where the process is bound to take place.

And so, our heroes decide to search around the city in order to find said base.

The world of Ocean Shores would consist of the following sub-areas:

The Cul-de-sac, Ocean Streets, Madtown, Rocket Beach, The Boardwalk, The Woods and The Town Dump.

And during their search, The Nicktoons find themselves fighting off Syndicate Bots resembling skateboarders, roller-skaters and surfers.

After some time, our heroes run into Eddie, who also escaped capture.

He reveals that the citizens of Ocean Shores have been taken to The Pier, which has been turned into factory.

And with that, The Nicktoons decide to head there.

The Pier Factory would sport a circus/carnival theming to it.

With Syndicate Bots resembling clowns constantly attacking you.

After fighting through the hordes of robo-clowns, our heroes eventually make it to the holding area where the citizens of Ocean Shores are being kept.

Before they can free them, The Nicktoons find themselves having to fight a robotic extreme sports star known Rad-Tron 3000 (who would be voiced by Rob Paulsen).

Rad-Tron attacks with four different modes.

Skateboard mode has him speeding all over the place on his board, all while ramming you his helmeted head.

Roller-skate mode is pretty similar to skateboard mode, but he attacks you with kicks and swings from a hockey stick.

Surfing mode has him ride a surfboard that can automatically create an actual wave of water.

And snowboard is pretty similar to surfing mode, but does it with a wave of snow that can slow down The Nicktoons.

Luckily, our heroes are able to defeat Rad-Tron and free the citizens of Ocean Shores.

And with Ocean Shore now free, they decide to head to Eucaipah next.

Upon arriving there, just like with Ocean Shores, they find the place completely deserted.

However, they would soon run into Chuckie and Susie, who reveal that same thing that happened in Ocean Shores happened to them as well, and that they were only ones who manage to avoid capture.

And so, our heroes head off to find where the citizens are being taken.

The areas of this world include:

The Pickles' House, The Neighborhood, Eucaipah Streets, Jim Jr. Junior High School, and The Mall.

The Nicktoons eventually find the factory, which is now where The Java Lava used to be.

The factory here has an overall fruit-theme to it, and the Syndicate Bots use special guns that shoot juice.

As for the boss here, it's a robotic fat guy known as The Juicer (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson).

He attacks with punches, charges, throwing large fruits, and shoot powerful streams of juice out of his mouth.

Luckily, our heroes defeat him and free the people of Eucaipah.

With that out of the way, The Nicktoons finally decided it's time to take on their villains.

Their first stop is Tremorton, so they can stop Vexus.

Upon arriving, they come across a shocking sight….

Cluster Prime flying high the above the city.

Soon enough, they find themselves surrounded by Cluster Drones.

Thanks to them, our heroes find out that with the help of The Syndicate, Vexus has reclaimed her throne as the ruler of Cluster Prime.

Along with overthrowing and imprisoning the current ruler (and her daughter) Vega in the process.

But she’s not the only one.

Vexus has also imprison Nora, Brad, Sheldon and Tuck.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, Vexus has also conquered all of Tremorton and are forcing the residents to work in the factory creating the Syndicate Bots.

And so, our heroes decide to first free Tremorton from the rule of The Cluster, fighting off Cluster Drones and Syndicate Bots along the way.

The areas of this world include:

Downtown, Tremorton High School, and The Neighborhood.

After defeating all the Drones and Bots and freeing the city, The Nicktoons decide to head to Cluster Prime to confront Vexus and free Jenny’s mother and friends.

Along the way, they fight themselves fighting even more Cluster Drones.

They even run into a mini-boss against Smytus and Krackus.

Krackus attacks with a electricity ray, and Smytus attacks with punches, ground pounds, flying charges, and when he enters his rage mode, claw slashes and shooting spikes.

After defeating those two, our heroes finally reach Vexus, who has her captives right next her and starts threatening their lives.

And soon enough, the battle begins.

For her boss fight, Vexus attacks with punches, kicks, ground smashes, flying charges, teleporting attacks and energy blasts.

After defeating her, Vexus declares that the Nicktoons may’ve stopped here, they still have the rest of The Syndicate to worry about, right before fleeing through a portal.

And with Tremorton, Cluster Prime, and Jenny’s loved ones now freed, The Nicktoons decided to head to Amity Park next to stop Vlad.

Some time later, the team land in Casper High…..or where it used to be.

As they immediately find out, Vlad tore down the school to make way for his new castle.

And he’s captured Danny’s parents Jack and Maddie, Mr. Lancer, and a few of Danny’s classmates such as Dash.

When The Nicktoons try to attack him on the spot, Vlad knocks them all out and banishes them to The Ghost Zone Prison, where they’ll have to deal with Walker.

When they wake up, our heroes find themselves in a prison cell.

Luckily, they manage to escape with some help from The Box Ghost.

And soon enough, they start making their way out the prison, fighting off ghost prison guards along the way.

But right when they’re about finally be free, Walker stops them.

And thus, a boss fight commences.

Walker attacks with punches, kicks, stomps, and ecto-energy beams that he shoots with finger guns.

After defeating him, The Nicktoons finally escape and soon find themselves traversing through The Ghost Zone, trying to find the ghost portal that leads into Fenton Works.

Along the way, they find themselves fighting off all kinds of ghosts.

This section of the game will essentially be a boss-rush, with our heroes having fight against several of Danny's foes.

This include Skulker, The Lunch Lady, Ember McClain, Sidney Poindexter, Technus, Desiree, Johnny 13 and The Dragon Ghost.

As for how each boss would play out.

Skulker attacks with claw slashes, kicks, flying swipes, laser beams and missiles.

The Lunch Lady attacks with charges, throwing fast giant balls of meat, and mini meat monsters.

Ember attacks with guitar swings, sound waves from playing her guitar, and shooting fireballs from her hair.

Sidney attacks with eye beams, ink squirts from his pen, and telekinetically hurling rocks.

Technus (using his robot armor seen in Attack of the Killer Garage Sale and Prisoners of Love) attacks with ground slams, electrical blasts and mechanical tendrils.

Desiree attacks with enlarged fists, energy blasts, and various elemental blasts (fire, ice, wind and electricity)

Johnny 13 attacks with punches, kicks, chain whip strikes, ramming into you with his bike, and commanding his Shadow to attack.

And The Dragon Ghost fights with claw slashes, stomps, tail swipes and fire breath.

After defeating then all, The Nicktoons finally escape The Ghost Zone and make it to Fenton Works.

A short while later, our heroes meet up with Sam, Tucker and Jazz in the Amity Streets.

The trio reveal that they found a way into Vlad's Castle, that being a short-cut through The Graveyard.

And so, The Nicktoons head off to their destination, fighting Syndicate Bots resembling skeletons, vampires and zombies along the way.

But along the way, they actually gain a temporary ally in the form of Valerie, who's also trying to stop Vlad.

Although she refuses at first, she does eventually accept The Nicktoons' help (albeit begrudgingly since they do have the ghost she hates the most as a member of their team).

Valerie herself fights with charges on her hoverboard, her Ecto-Grenade Launcher, ecto guns and missiles.

Upon returning to the castle, the heroes destroy the generators that Vlad's been using to harness the ghost energy from The Ghost Zone.

And soon enough, The Nicktoons finally confront Vlad again in his throne room.

For his boss fight, Vlad attacks with punches, kicks, ecto-energy rays, and duplicates of himself.

He also teleports all over the place and crafts an energy shield around himself sometimes, which Danny will have to use Jack to break through.

After defeating him, Vlad flees through a portal.

And after freeing Danny's close ones, The Nicktoons end up doing the same thing when Jack, Maddie and Valerie decide to jump Danny.

And so, with Amity Park now free, the heroes decide to head to Pupununu next to stop Tlaloc.

Upon arriving in the Pupununu Village, The Nicktoons find out that the villagers have been turned into sheep once again.

Luckily, with the combined magic of Tak and Cosmo & Wanda, they're able to return about half of the village back to normal, including Jibola and Lok.

Thanks to Jibola, the heroes find out that Tlaloc is planning to steal the Tikis in order to summon the Jujus.

And upon doing so, he would instantly capture them and use a special generator to extract their magical energy.

And so, The Nicktoons find themselves having to retrieve the Tikis of Dead Juju, Dinky, Caged Juju, Two-Headed Juju, Belly Juju and Mind-Reading Juju.

This race against time will take our team to The Burial Grounds, Dryrock Canyon, Gloomleaf Swamp, Chicken Island, Wetstone Lake, and Gyre Mountain.

Along the way, they'll be accompanied by Flora and Fauna.

Flora fights with nature energy blasts, whirlwinds, leafy wind blasts and vines that sprout out of the ground and either hit or grab enemies.

Fauna fights by turning into different animals. These include a rhino, an orangutan, a ram, a bear, a boar, a crocodile, a jaguar, a eagle, a python, and an elephant.

And over the course of their journey in this world, The Nicktoons find themselves dealing with Syndicate Bots resembling monkeys, emus, sharks, tigers, alligators, wild dogs and wolves.

Along with some Nerbils.

But unfortunately, everytime, they end up being too late as the Tikis end up getting swiped by Pins and Needles.

Eventually, The Nicktoons head to Tlaloc's lair, The Dark Temple.

There, they find the summoned Jujus, including The Moon Juju, who was captured first via Tlaloc stealing the Moonstones like before, having their energy extracted.

Luckily, our heroes manage to free them and destroy the generators harnessing their energy.

And soon enough, they confront Tlaloc.

Tlaloc attacks with dark magic blasts, lightning bolts, summoning giant thorny tendrils, and casting spells that temporarily turn our heroes into animals.

After defeating him, Tlaloc flees through a portal.

With Jujus now freed and being able to return the rest of the Pupununu people back to normal, The Nicktoons decide to make The Four Nations their next stop in order to stop Zuko.

They arrive at The Southern Air Temple, where they run into Sokka, Momo and Appa.

Sokka reveals that Zuko's crew has kidnapped Katara and the three of them have trying to chase them down.

And with the knowledge of The Syndicate wanting to obtain earthbending to power their Doomsday Machine, our heroes decide to head to both Omashu and The Earth Kingdom Village to save the earthbenders there, namely Bumi and Haru.

Along the way, they find themselves fighting Syndicate-Bots that resemble Eastern dragons and Fire Nation soldiers.

And you would expect, Sokka serves as our ally for this world.

He fights with swings from his club and throws from his boomerang.

Along the way, they also fight against Zhao in Omashu.

He attacks with fiery blasts, fire circles and fire fists.

Unfortunately, the heroes end up too late both times as Zuko's crew manage to take all the earthbenders away.

But not all hope is lost, as while in The Earth Kingdom Village, they received a mysterious note revealing that Katara, Bumi, Haru and the rest of the earthbenders have been taken to The Fire Temple on Crescent Island.

(We would later find out that this note was sent by Iroh)

And so, our heroes head there to free the captives.

After freeing Katara and the earthbenders and destroying the generators, The Nicktoons finally confront Zuko.

Zuko fights with blazing rings, fire fists, fire knives, fire blades, fire streams, fire lashes, and fire walls.

After defeating him, Zuko flees through portal.

With Katara and the earthbenders now free, The Nicktoons head to The Bikini Bottom next to take on Plankton.

Upon arriving at Conch Street, they find the place completely deserted.

And soon enough, they find themselves surrounded by Syndicate-Bots resembling octopuses, eels and barracuda.

Luckily, Sandy comes to help them out.

Sandy fights with punches, kicks, karate chops and lasso grapples & throws.

After going through The Bikini Streets and rendezvousing at The Krusty Krab, Sandy reveals that Plankton has imprisoned the people of The Bikini Bottom, kidnapped Mr. Krabs and has been using jellyfish capturing harvesters to extract their electrical stinging power.

Luckily, she's been trying to take down the harvesters alongside a small resistance she's built.

Soon enough, she sends our heroes to Jellyfish Fields to destroy the harvesters and meet up with the two agents she sent.

Those agents being Patrick and Squidward (who was forced to accompany Patrick).

Unfortunately, the duo end up getting sucked up by one of the harvesters.

Aftering destroying the harvesters and going through Kelp Forest, our heroes find themselves in The Ship Graveyard, where they encounter The Flying Dutchman, who plans on making them his crew for all eternity.

Luckily, Danny persuades him to let them go in exchange for bringing back his old crewmates, which he accepts.

After retrieving all his crewmates, The Flying Dutchman let's our heroes go.

A short while later, they arrive at The Chum Bucket, where they free Patrick, Squidward and the jellyfish, and destroy the generators harnessing the jellyfishes' sting.

And soon enough, they confront Plankton on the roof on his restaurant.

Plankton attacks with a giant robotic crab, which performs swings with its claws, ground slams, and shoots powerful streams of water.

After defeating Plankton, he flees through a portal.

And so, after freeing Mr. Krabs, The Nicktoons head to Dimmsdale to stop Crocker.

Upon arriving there, they find out that Dimmsdale Elementary has been torn down and replaced with a golden fortress built by Crocker.

Soon enough, our heroes find themselves making their way through Crocker's Fortress in order to shut down the power, all while dealing Syndicate Bots resembling elves, pixies and Anti-Fairies.

Along the way, they also free some of the residents of Dimmsdale, who were enslaved by Crocker.

These include the likes of Mr and Mrs. Turner, Chester and AJ, and Trixie Tang.

After doing all that, the heroes finally decided to head to Fairy World to free the fairies and destroyed the generators harnessing their magic.

Along the way, they receive an ally in the form of Jorgen von Strangle.

He attacks with punches, kicks, ground slams and swings from his massive wand.

After that's all done, our heroes finally confront Crocker at The Big Wand.

Crocker attacks with a flying exosuit, which performs punches, flying charges, and magical energy blasts.

After defeating Crocker, he flees through a portal.

A short while later, The Nicktoons finally return back to Retroville.

Jimmy deduces that they need to go the base of The Syndicate and stop them once and for all.

Only problem: they have no clue where it is.

Also, they run into Cindy, who reveals that The Syndicate have also taken over Retroville.

However, their prayers would be answered when Jimmy discovers the Goddard has flea-bots on him, which he deduces that Calamitous had them placed on Goddard in order to spy on Jimmy, hench how he was able to know about the Universal Portal Machine.

And so, our heroes shrink themselves on got onto Goddard and find the main flea-bot.

After battling through swarms of flea-bots, they find the main flea-bot, defeat it, and uses it circuitry to locate Calamitous' lair.

Soon, our heroes make their way through the lair (fighting off all the Syndicate Bots they did before) and finally confront The Syndicate, who proceeded to activate the Doomsday Machine.

Their boss fight has the group constantly switch between member and shooting at The Nicktoons.

Each of the villains' respective dome have some kind of special projectile.

Calamitous shoots electricity, Plankton shoots water, Crocker shoots magical energy stars, Vlad shoots ecto-energy, Vexus shoots energy blasts, Tlaloc shoots dark magic, and Zuko shoots fire.

Luckily, the heroes manage to take down each of the domes' generators, taking down the domes and allowing them to defeat The Syndicate.

A short while later, The Nicktoons have turned Calamitous into the authorities and have trapped each of their respective villains.

Plankton's stuck in a pickle jar.

Crocker's trapped in a Hypercube.

Vlad's been stuffed into the Fenton Thermos.

Vexus has been deactivated and turned into pieces.

Tlaloc's been turned back into a sheep again.

And Zuko's been frozen solid.

And so, our heroes bid each other farewell and return to their respective worlds.

But not before Jimmy gives each of them a Neutronic Recaller, in case something like this happens again.

Playable Characters:

SpongeBob SquarePants:

-Light Attack: A triple karate chop.

-Heavy Attack: A roundhouse kick.

-Grab and Throw: An elastic grab and toss.

-Trip: A sweep kick.

-Stun: A double-handed smack.

-Pop-Up: A high kick.

-Aerial Attack: A drop kick.

-Block: Holding foam-gloved hands out in front.

-Dodge: A roll.

-Ground Slam: An upside-down head smash.

-Double Jump: No.

Special Attacks:

-Chops of Fury: Unleashes a flurry of karate chops onto enemies.

-Water Shoot: Soaks up water whenever they're standing in a body of it and shoots it out as a powerful stream.

-Bubble Bomb: Crafts a solid bubble and when thrown, explodes on impact.

-SpongeBall: Morphs into a ball and bounces all over the place, doing more damage with each drop.

-Jellyfish Swing: Swings a jellyfish net at enemies, trapping them in the process.

-Doodlebob Lure: Uses magical pencil to create Doodlebob, who attacks enemies on sight.

Boosts:

-Kar-Rah-Tay Fury: Taps into heart of karate, increase the damage done by his attacks.

-Bubble Barrier: Crafts bubble shields around himself and allies, decreasing damage taken.

Passive Skills:

-Spongy Skin: Increases all resistances, along with granting a natural increase in attack and defense.

-FUN Mastery: Increases damage and chances for criticals done by FUN attacks.

-Kar-Rah-Tay Master: Increases damage done and chances for criticals done by melee attacks.

-Sailor's Eye: Increases damage done and chances for criticals done by ranged attacks.

-Parachute Pants: Grants the ability to glide via inflated pants.

Super Attack:

-Wipe Out: Absorbs a massive amount of water, jumps into the air and performs a ground slam, unleashing water all over the place, washing enemies away.

Jimmy Neutron:

-Light Attack: A triple laser saber slash.

-Heavy Attack: A dashing laser saber slash.

-Grab and Throw: Goddard rushes in, grabs an enemy with his mouth and throws them.

-Trip: A sweep kick.

-Stun: An electric discharge sent by watch.

-Pop-Up: An upward laser saber slash.

-Aerial Attack: A downward laser saber stab.

-Block: Crafts an energy shield around himself.

-Dodge: A side-step.

-Ground Slam: A smash with the Neutronized Baseball Bat.

-Double Jump: No.

Special Attacks:

-Tornado Blaster: Uses a special gun that shoots a powerful whirlwind, sucking enemies up and throwing them into the air.

-Neutron Flare: Shoots a flare from a repulsor cannon that sets enemies ablaze.

-Quarterback Gear: Uses a football helmet to charge into enemies, knocking them down in the process.

-Hey Batta Batta!: Delivers a powerful swing with his Neutronized Baseball Bat.

-Shrink Ray: Uses Shrink Ray to shrink enemies down, lowering their defenses.

-Plant Attack: Sics the Girl-Eating Plant onto enemies.

-Brain Drain: Uses the Brain Drain 8000 to confuse enemies, lowering their defenses.

Boosts:

-Speed Up: Uses Speed Shoes to increase his movement and attack speed.

-Energy Barricade: Crafts energy shields for himself and the entire team, decreasing damage taken.

Passive Skills:

-Brain Boost: Increases all resistances, along with granting a natural increase in attack and defense.

-Tech Mastery: Increases damage and chances for criticals done by tech attacks.

-Laser Fighter: Increases damage done and chances for criticals done by melee attacks.

-Genius Sight: Increases damage done and chances for criticals done by ranged attacks.

-Jet Pack: Grants the ability to fly via Jet Pack.

Super Attack:

-Think Big: Uses the Shrink Ray to make himself giant, and proceeds to stomp all over the place.

Timmy Turner:

-Light Attack: A triple Cosmo Hammer swing.

-Heavy Attack: A Cosmo Hammer smash.

-Grab and Throw: Wanda turns into a giant hand, grabs an enemy and throws them.

-Trip: A sweep kick.

-Stun: An magical blast sent by Wanda.

-Pop-Up: An upward Cosmo Hammer swing.

-Aerial Attack: A downward Cosmo Hammer swing.

-Block: Crafts an magical shield around himself.

-Dodge: A side-step.

-Ground Slam: A smash with Cosmo Hammer.

-Double Jump: Yes.

Special Attacks:

-Star Flinger: Wanda turns into a special cannon that shoots magical energy stars.

-Freeze Wand: Uses a special wand that freezes enemies, bodies of water, and makes bridges.

-Magical Blast: Shoots a blast of magical energy from his eyes.

-Egg Bomb: Throws an Easter egg, exploding on impact.

-Magic Floss: Uses Magic Floss to lasso, swing around, and throw enemies.

-Magic Chucks: Cosmo and Wanda turn into a pair of nunchunks, which Timmy uses to unleashes a flurry of swings onto enemies.

-Pinata Smash: Has Cosmo and Wanda turn enemies into pinatas, with the possibility of containing goods.

Boosts:

-Cleft the Boy-Chin Wonder: Turns into his famous alter-ego, allowing him to attack enemies with punches, kicks and the Cleft-Arm.

-Crash Nebula: Changes into the costumes of one of his favorite heroes, allowing him to attack enemies with a laser gun and a laser cannon, along with granting the ability of flight.

Passive Skills:

-Godchild's Luck: Increases all resistances, along with granting a natural increase in attack and defense.

-Magic Mastery: Increases damage and chances for criticals done by magic attacks.

-Hammer Time: Increases damage done and chances for criticals done by melee attacks.

-Star Struck: Increases damage done and chances for criticals done by ranged attacks.

-Remedy: 40% chance that Timmy will have Cosmo and Wanda revive a fallen ally.

Super Attack:

-Balloon Bash: Has Cosmo and Wanda summon a whole bunch of balloons, which then explode all over the place.

Otto Rocket:

-Light Attack: A triple punch.

-Heavy Attack: A roundhouse kick with rollerblades.

-Grab and Throw: A simple pull and push.

-Trip: A sweep kick.

-Stun: A double-handed smack.

-Pop-Up: An upward hockey stick swing.

-Aerial Attack: A downward hockey stick swing.

-Block: Immediately puts on hockey gear and holds hands out in front.

-Dodge: A side-step.

-Ground Slam: A smash with hockey stick.

-Double Jump: Yes.

Special Attacks:

-Skate Strike: Performs a double-kick with his skateboard.

-Hockey Bash: Performs a straight of swings with hockey stick.

-Surf's Up: Rides on a surfboard, knocking down enemies in the process.

-Pucker Up: Launches hockey pucks at enemies.

-Snow Surf: Rides on a snowboard, freezing any enemies he hits.

-Alley Oop: Jumps into the air and spikes down a basketball at enemies below.

Boosts:

-Skate Speed: Rides on rollerblades to increase movement and attack speed.

-Safety Gear: Puts on skating gear, decreasing damage taken.

Passive Skills:

-Pro Skater: Increases chances of dodging attacks, along with granting a natural increase in attack and defense.

-Sports Mastery: Increases damage and chances for criticals done by sport attacks.

-Rocket Bash: Increases damage done and chances for criticals done by melee attacks.

-Eye Coordination: Increases damage done and chances for criticals done by ranged attacks.

Super Attack:

-Rocket Rush: Skates all over the place, ramming into and knocking down enemies.

Tommy Pickles:

-Light Attack: A triple screwdriver baton swing.

-Heavy Attack: A double-handed screwdriver baton wack.

-Grab and Throw: A simple pull and push.

-Trip: A sweep kick.

-Stun: A screwdriver baton smack.

-Pop-Up: An upward screwdriver baton swing.

-Aerial Attack: A downward screwdriver baton swing.

-Block: Pulls out a textbook and holds it out in front.

-Dodge: A side-step.

-Ground Slam: A smash with screwdriver baton.

-Double Jump: Yes.

Special Attacks:

-Baton Batter: Repeatedly swings his screwdriver baton at enemies.

-Blinding Shot: Uses camera to temporarily blind and stun enemies.

-Reptar Bike: Rides on a Reptar-themed bike and rams into enemies.

-Soda Shooter: Shoots enemies with a special water gun full of soda.

-Rope Whip: Whips enemies with a jump rope.

-Soda Bomb: Launches a shaken bottle of soda, which explodes upon impact.

Boosts:

-Reptar Rush: Rides around on Reptar Bike to increase movement and attack speed.

-Movie Director: Uses camera to film and distract enemies, lowering their defenses.

Passive Skills:

-Determination: Increases all resistances, along with granting a natural increase in attack and defense.

-Gadget Mastery: Increases damage and chances for criticals done by gadget attacks.

-Screwdrive: Increases damage done and chances for criticals done by melee attacks.

-Carbonated Crush: Increases damage done and chances for criticals done by ranged attacks.

Super Attack:

-Reptar Fire: Rides around the Reptar Bike while it breaths fire all over the place.

Jenny Wakeman:

-Light Attack: A triple punch.

-Heavy Attack: A roundhouse kick.

-Grab and Throw: An Extension Arms grab and toss.

-Trip: A sweep kick.

-Stun: A double-handed smack.

-Pop-Up: A high kick.

-Aerial Attack: A drop kick.

-Block: Holds out the Poppin' Shield.

-Dodge: A side-step.

-Ground Slam: An double-handed ground smash.

-Double Jump: No.

Special Attacks:

-Laser Blaster: Morphs arm into a blaster and shoots at enemies.

-Shiva Swords: Grows more four arms, places scimitars in each one, and rapidly slashes enemies.

-Fire Blaster: Shoots fire from a cannon via her arm, setting enemies ablaze.

-Ice Blaster: Shoots ice from a cannon via her arm, freezing enemies.

-Turbine Hair: Turns her pigtails into massive turbines, blowing enemies away.

-Thunder Fist: Morphs her hand into a giant flail and smashes enemies with it.

-Buzz Saws: Morphs hands into buzz saws and slashes enemies with it.

Boosts:

-Fists of Fury: Makes her fists much bigger and spikier, increasing attack damage.

-Rocket Blades: Morphs her feet into rocket-powered roller blades, increasing her attack speed.

Passive Skills:

-Adolescent Android: Increases all resistances, along with granting a natural increase in attack and defense.

-Weapons Mastery: Increases damage and chances for criticals done by weapon attacks.

-Titanium Tank: Increases damage done and chances for criticals done by melee attacks.

-Precise Aim: Increases damage done and chances for criticals done by ranged attacks.

-Mechanical Might: Grants the ability to lift and move heavy objects.

-Robotic Flight: Grants the ability to fly.

Super Attack:

-Heavy Artillery: Unleashes a barrage of lasers and missiles all over the place.

Danny Phantom:

-Light Attack: A triple punch.

-Heavy Attack: A roundhouse kick.

-Grab and Throw: An simple grab and throw.

-Trip: A sweep kick.

-Stun: A double-handed smack.

-Pop-Up: An uppercut.

-Aerial Attack: A drop kick.

-Block: Crafts an ecto-energy shield around himself.

-Dodge: A phasing side-step.

-Ground Slam: An double-handed ground smash.

-Double Jump: No.

Special Attacks:

-Ecto-Strike: Channels ecto-energy all over his body and delivers a flurry of punches and kicks, doing more damage with each one.

-Ghostly Ray: Blasts a ray of ectoplasmic energy.

-Creepy Charge: Delivers a flying headbutt at enemies, knocking them back.

-Fenton Thermos: Uses the Fenton Thermos to suck enemies up and spit them out.

-Overshadow: Takes over the body of any nearby enemy, gaining their abilities.

-Ecto-Ball: Throws a massive ball of ecto-energy, which explodes upon impact.

-Frightful Flames: Throws green fireballs at enemies, setting them ablaze.

Boosts:

-Disappear: Makes himself and allies invisible, increasing their defenses due to most enemies not being able to detect them.

-Phase Shift: Makes himself intangible, allowing him to go through walls.

Passive Skills:

-Halfa Physiology: Increases chances of dodging attacks, along with granting a natural increase in attack and defense.

-Ghost Mastery: Increases damage and chances for criticals done by ghost attacks.

-Phantom Pummel: Increases damage done and chances for criticals done by melee attacks.

-Ectoplasmic Eye: Increases damage done and chances for criticals done by ranged attacks.

-Paranormal Power: Grants the ability to lift and move heavy objects.

-Ghostly Flight: Grants the ability to fly.

Super Attack:

-Ghostly Wail: Unleashes powerful waves of ecto-energy via a scream.

Tak:

-Light Attack: A triple staff swing.

-Heavy Attack: A double-handed staff wack.

-Grab and Throw: A simple pull and push.

-Trip: A sweep kick.

-Stun: A magical discharge.

-Pop-Up: An upward staff swing.

-Aerial Attack: A downward staff swing.

-Block: Crafts a magical shield around himself.

-Dodge: A roll.

-Ground Slam: A smash with staff.

-Double Jump: No.

Special Attacks:

-Juju Blast: Shoots a beam of juju magic.

-Thunder Strike: Summons lightning to strike enemies.

-Juju Bolts: Shoots multiple beams of juju magic at enemies.

-Jaguar Claw: Summons a giant claw to strike enemies.

-Juju Slam: Jumps high into the air and comes back down, delivering a powerful shockwave of juju magic.

-Dragon Breath: Breaths fire, setting enemies ablaze.

-Piranha Swarm: Summons a swarm a magical piranhas to attack enemies.

Boosts:

-Crazy Feet: Uses juju magic to increase the attack and movement speed of himself and his allies.

-Restoration Spell: Uses juju magic to heal himself and allies.

Passive Skills:

-Pupununu Power: Increases all resistances, along with granting a natural increase in attack and defense.

-Juju Mastery: Increases damage and chances for criticals done by juju attacks.

-Staff of Dreams: Increases damage done and chances for criticals done by melee attacks.

-Juju Sight: Increases damage done and chances for criticals done by ranged attacks.

-Glider Cape: Grants the ability to glide via cape.

Super Attack:

-Juju Surge: Unleashes a massive shockwave of juju magic across the battlefield.

Avatar Aang:

-Light Attack: A triple staff swing.

-Heavy Attack: A double-handed staff wack.

-Grab and Throw: A simple pull and push.

-Trip: A sweep kick.

-Stun: A light gust of air.

-Pop-Up: An upward staff swing.

-Aerial Attack: A downward staff swing.

-Block: Crafts a windy barrier around himself.

-Dodge: A side-step.

-Ground Slam: A smash with staff.

-Double Jump: No.

Special Attacks:

-Air Ball: Hurls a powerful ball of air at enemies.

-Air Scooter: Rides on a ball of air, running down any enemies in his way.

-Air Blast: Sends a powerful gust of wind towards enemies.

-Air Cyclone: Creates a whirlwind that sucks up enemies and sends them flying.

-Water Whip: Whips enemies with a think stream of water.

-Ice Spear: Hurls a long icy shard.

-Water Wave: Rides on a wave, knocking down enemies.

Boosts:

-Air Shield: Crafts windy barriers around himself and allies, decreasing taken damage.

-Ice Shield: Crafts icy barriers around himself and allies, decreasing taken damage.

Passive Skills:

-Avatar Spirit: Increases chances of dodging attacks, along with granting a natural increase in attack and defense.

-Airbending Mastery: Increases damage and chances for criticals done by airbending attacks.

-Waterbending Mastery: Increases damage and chances for criticals done by waterbending attacks.

-Airbending Staff: Increases damage done and chances for criticals done by melee attacks.

-Air Aim: Increases damage done and chances for criticals done by ranged attacks.

-Glider Staff: Grants the ability to glide via staff.

Super Attack:

Avatar State: Goes into the Avatar State and unleashes massive amounts of wind and water all over the battlefield.

Well that was Nicktoons Unite: Rewritten!

I really had fun making this one.

Expanding the story and adding more characters and worlds to explore.

You can't tell me this doesn't sound this would be the coolest thing to check out in 2005!

Anyway, let me know what you guys think about it.

And if you could, and me some ideas for the sequels.

Note: Also, I really hope that @nicktoonsunite sees this! I would really like their feedback on this.

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writingwithfolklore · 1 year ago

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5 Writing Rules I Like to Break

Listen, I am firmly of the belief that writing doesn’t have rules. There’s no one way to do it—no one schedule or technique or tip that’s going to work for everyone and produce perfect narratives. Which is a good thing! I think if we all had to write exactly the same way, our stories would end up looking very similar.

So while in general I tend to say throw out any and all rules (and yes, even including the advice I give on this blog if you so desire), here’s 5 common writing rules I specifically and intentionally break, and why:

1. Write what you know

I already talked all about how I tend to ignore this advice here if you’re interested. The TLDR version of it is that you can absolutely write things beyond your scope of knowledge (in fact, I’d guess that’s where the majority of fiction comes from) as long as you write it genuinely—this rule should be instead ‘write what you feel’.

2. Don’t edit as you write

Booo!! Okay maybe it works for some of you—if so, by all means continue (this applies to all the rules I’m about to mention, so just keep that in mind). Editing as I go is how I get back into the swing of things in a new writing session, and also allows me to try a scene a few different times to get the most I can out of it. I tend to believe that words are words even if they’re edited, rewritten, or even deleted.

If your goal is to finish your project as fast as possible, I imagine going back to edit before you’re finished your draft might slow you down. However, I also imagine editing as you go might save you an entire draft. Whatever works for you here is what you should do, but I personally love to edit as I write.

3. Avoid ‘said’

At least I think a lot of you guys are with me when I say that ‘said’ is sometimes just the best word to use. Using lots of descriptive words like, ‘yelled’, ‘begged’, ‘exclaimed’ can be distracting. When the dialogue speaks for itself, the ‘said’ disappears into the background of the scene, while necessary for grammar, it’s a formality for the actual storytelling. As well, I like to experiment with said by adding a descriptor afterwards. ‘Said quietly’ ‘said through a laugh’ ‘said without taking a breath’ etc.

4. Avoid adverbs

Here’s what I’ll say about word usage in general, as long as you pick your words with thought and care, you may use whatever words you want. Words have different specific connotations, and not always will avoiding the adverb have the same impact. For example, changing “he laughed lightly” to “he giggled.” We may have removed the adverb ‘lightly’, but ‘giggled’ holds a completely different connotation. It evokes a sort of immaturity, not unlike the ‘schoolgirl’ stereotype. If we don’t want that connotation, in this case, laughed lightly may be better.

So don’t count out adverbs for the sake of it. As long as you’re choosing your words with intention and you understand the meaning behind them, you can experiment with a world of adverbs!

5. Never use passive voice

This one I didn’t realize was important to break until quite recently. We tend to be taught that passive voice automatically equals bad and I’m here to tell you that isn’t true. Passive voice should equal focus on action. Active voice equals focus on character. There may be certain sentences in which focusing on either the character or the action is more beneficial.

For example, “the alarm was pulled by Alice” (passive) kind of sounds clunky and wrong, whereas “Alice pulled the alarm” (active) is much more effective.

BUT “Alice was dragged out of the way” (passive) focuses on the action of Alice being dragged, rather than “Something dragged Alice out of the way” (active) focuses on the something that is doing the dragging, which in a moment of action, may take away from the pacing.

As long as you choose your voice with intention, both passive and active voice can be used to create strong, effective sentences.

What are some typical writing rules you tend to ignore?

#writing #writers #writing tips #writing advice #writing inspiration #creative writing #writing community #books #film #filmmaking #screenwriting #novel writing #fanfiction #writeblr #writing rules #5 writing rules i like to break

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aboardthescheherazade · 5 months ago

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is it true that they removed mentions of tintin journaling/actually mentioning his job/etc when they redrew some of the older tintin comics? i swear i remember seeing examples of that once but i have no clue where to find them again

I definitely know which post you're talking about, but I can't find it either. I'll try to compile what I remember and/or know about offhand...

For the most part, the most references to Tintin being a reporter come early on in what are considered the "newsprint editions" of the comics. The first nine albums were serialized in Le Petit Vingtieme and Le Soir Jeunesse, and these pages were later re-collected and coloured (and occasionally cut down/rewritten) for what are now known as the "Casterman editions".

Tintin being a reporter is all over Land of the Soviets, and it's introduced as early as page 1. It's the silliest album, but it's also the only album thoroughly revolving around Tintin going on a reporting assignment.

(Soviets pg. 4. By God, look at that guard in the upper right. He looks like the RESPECT! butler)

Tintin is still a reporter in Congo, but it's scaled far back in the redrawn Casterman edition. In the latter, it's kept to one mention in the very first panel, which was also turned into the first appearance of Dupont and Dupond:

(Congo pgs. 1)

Meanwhile, the newsprint edition has a scene where newspaper agents try to scout Tintin as a reporter, I guess because his stories are just that good. He ultimately declines, claiming Petit Vingtieme is paying him way more than what they offer.

(Congo pg. 17)

Now, I'd had a theory that the series just became too plot-focused to keep pausing for references to Tintin's writing, but Reddit user XenophonOfAthens made a good point about Herge being forced to pause discussion of the press and current events after the nazis shut down Le Vingtieme, thus moving Hergé and many of the same staff to the nazi-overseen Le Soir and Le Soir Jeunesse. Tintin had been introduced as Le Petit Vingtieme's boy reporter who child readers could follow along with, but now with a new (heavily monitored) publication, mentions of the "boy reporter" slowly phased out.

One of the more significant edits to Tintin's reporting comes in Cigars of the Pharaoh. Sheik Patrash Pasha originally says he's followed Tintin's adventures for "several years" and presents a then-new Vingtieme publishing of Tintin in America.

In the colour edition, he instead presents Destination Moon. This album was in production at the time of the redraws, and it was one of the first albums to be published outside of Europe...but now Tintin's reaction is especially visceral, since that album involves him going to the moon with two people he hasn't met yet.

(Cigars B&W pg. 39, Casterman pg. 15. I also gave the Sheik's servant in the latter a quick edit because it was somehow worse than the 1933 version)

The last reference to Tintin's reporting for a long while was in The Broken Ear. We are now in the Soir era:

(Broken Ear pgs. 2)

This line never made it past the newsprint version. Tintin hears the news about the museum theft, and originally, he remarks that it'll make for a nice report...but in the reprint, he's just declaring that he'll go to the museum. I feel like the wording in the original could have referred to something specific about the comic's run in Le Soir Jeunesse, but it also could have been removed under the assumption that the reader would be going into this book knowing Tintin is a reporter. He does have a notepad with him through the rest of the page, but without that context, he just seems like a busybody.

I feel like there were a lot more references to his reporting in Le Journal Tintin, which is where the comic moved its publication to. This adds credence to the possibility that readers would be picking up these books knowing Tintin was a reporter, thus it being less of a focus within each album's plot. There do seem to be little hints throughout the albums about Tintin being a reporter...one of these is a moment in Explorers on the Moon where Tintin describes the moon's surface to ground control, and as a writer myself, this to me feels like him gathering his words for a future story:

(Explorers pg. 24)

However, Tintin's reporting is brought up in an album one more time, decades later, in Picaros. Tintin is referred to as a reporter on televised news, so this is at least some confirmation that he does submit journalist work, at least off-camera or between albums:

(pg. 47)

In short, Tintin's reporting started to fade off suspiciously during an era where nazis were breathing down Hergé's neck, then got a little lost in translation, and then ultimately came back.

My theory for Tintin's reporting slowly becoming less important in the albums happened either due to 1. Hergé and co. becoming more interested in writing about other things, 2. the series being moved to a vanity publication that discussed Tintin being a reporter outside of the canon comics, or 3. it got phased out during the Le Soir era because Hergé's supervisors didn't want to promote a gonzo journalist as a hero during a time with heavy political censorship and turmoil. It's completely up in the air.

#asks #my writing #tintin #resources #this post got WAY out of hand but I hope it helps

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alatushours · 7 months ago

Text

☆ CRYSTALFLIES, feat. xiao — he didn’t ask for much, just to spend precious time with you.

contents. gender neutral reader, fluff, rewritten + reposted from wp. inspired by xiao’s 2021 birthday letter. ♡ word count. 648

notes. this is a rewrite of the xiao oneshot i wrote + posted on my wattpad (link in about on pinned) back in 2021! omg the old version was so cringey and xiao was super ooc so i hope this is better, i hope you enjoy <3

SPRING HAD SPRUNG in liyue, and you were enjoying the lovely weather. golden leaves fluttered along a gust of wind as you sat next to the statue of the seven at qingyun peak, looking down at the natural scenery below.

swinging your legs over the edge of the floating platform, you gazed towards the mountains beyond, lost in your own thoughts.

it had been a few days since you had seen the guardian yaksha, and somehow you found yourself missing him. you were pretty sure he only tolerated your presence whenever you were around him, but over the past few months you had found yourself taking a liking to him. he was aloof but silently caring, protective, and certainly quite handsome too.

his voice echoed in your head, the way he always said he didn't care a bit for mortals, but you had a sneaking suspicion that he enjoyed your company.

as you whispered to yourself, a sudden gust of wind blew past, and xiao appeared before you. his arms were crossed, a look of slight concern in your eyes. "you called my name?"

"oh!" you hadn't realized that you had said his name in your ramblings. "sorry, i was just thinking out loud about some things and i suppose i must have said your name on accident… sorry for disturbing you, i know you're busy."

embarrassed, you started to pick up your things, getting ready to head back to liyue harbor. "i was just about to leave anyway, haha…"

"wait, y/n," xiao called after you. "don't leave, you didn't bother me at all. in fact…" you turned back around, curious, and found the adeptus standing in front of you with his hand outstretched. a small velvet pouch lay open in his palm, full of beautiful sparkling crystalflies.

"i, uh, had nothing to do today," he started quietly as you stared at the crystals in wonder. "so, i decided to find a crystalfly for you… to put in your hair. i thought that… it would look nice."

you smiled, taking the pouch from his hands as he continued. "before long i had caught more than i expected… i hope you do not mind." he turned away, about to leave, but you grabbed his wrist.

"xiao, these are beautiful. thank you so much!" your smile was like the sun, and he looked away, blushing.

"there's no need to thank me, i was just repaying your kindness." his voice wavered, but he continued, "i do not care much for birthdays or other mortal celebrations, and i do not wish to be around large crowds of people. just spending time with you is enough."

your mind wrapped around on particular word in his sentence. "wait, birthday? don't tell me… is it your birthday today, xiao?"

the yaksha coughed into his fist and turned away, face flushed, before nodding.

you squealed. "why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"i suppose there was never really a reason too…"

you took his hands, feeling even more excited than you were before. "well, you should have! i'm really glad you came to me today, xiao. i know you probably find me tiresome, but i really enjoy your company. i want to help you with whatever you might struggle with. so don't be afraid to come to me if you need anything, 'kay?"

xiao sighed, but it wasn't one of exasperation. "i don't require your assistance, but i appreciate your concern. however… if you want to visit the inn more often, i wouldn't be against it."

you laugh, "i guess i'll hold you to that offer then!"

as the sun began to dip into the horizon, you invited xiao to sit with you, asking him to weave the crystalflies into your hair. "i don't really need to go to the harbor until tomorrow morning," you tell him, "so why don't we just spend some time together?"

end notes. i hope you can tell the improvement LMAO but anyways xiao was the first character that i received a birthday letter from (i started on april 9 2021) so he has always held a special place in my heart, if you can’t already tell <3 please look forward to april 13th, when i’ll be posting the next one!

#໒꒰՞ ܸ. .ܸ՞꒱ა mari writes !#xiao x reader #xiao fluff #xiao genshin impact

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thestupidhelmet · 2 months ago

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i remembered your posts about "one difference" fics and i was rewatching jackie and hyde scene on youtube and this just came to me: how would you have written them getting back together s7 eps 16/17 (it still annoys me the way they got back together)

Thank you both! 😊

(The pic of the second ask was sent a few months after the first.)

Of note is the fact Jackie and Hyde didn't reconcile in 7x17 in the original version of season 7. That reconciliation was added once season 8 was greenlit to give fans a few more J/H episodes before the rewritten S7 finale -- originally the series finale, where Hyde and Jackie get engaged -- that leaves the state of Jackie and Hyde's relationship as the cliffhanger (which was intended to be resolved far differently in S8, but the choice of replacement showrunners destroyed it and the end of the show).

My version of the reconciliation episode wouldn't allow for that finale cliffhanger. The following ficlet is one idea I have.

One Difference: Jackie and Hyde Reconcile In-Character

Jackie and Hyde sat in the basement together, him in his chair and her on the sofa. Kelso wanted to show Fez a new trick he learned from Betsy, but they had to go to the Formans' backyard for it.

"But Betsy is an infant," Fez said as they exited through the basement back door."

"Exactly," Kelso said like Fez didn't understand logic. They were gone.

Jackie (to Hyde): You're still here.

Hyde: Yup. That a problem?

Jackie: I'm just surprised. I've gotten used to you leaving me.

Hyde: Let's just watch TV.

Jackie: Sure ... maybe the Price Is Right is on.

Hyde bristled at the mention but kept his attention on the TV. His shades made watching the black-and white images tough, but what he heard was more aggravating.

Jackie: Why did you leave me so abruptly at the public access studio? You were really nice and supportive. I didn't expect that either --

Hyde: I said what I came to say. It was your time. Didn't want to take it.

Jackie placed her hand on her heart. "I was going on about how happy I was about being independent. You know how hard that's been for me, getting that confidence. But you went there to say something else, didn't you?"

Hyde was silent

"Didn't you?" Jackie repeated, but Hyde stayed silent. "Say it to me now."

Hyde shifted his weight in his chair. He might've been more open last week, but that time had past.

"This is our first date all over again." Jackie shook her head and focused on the TV.

"What're you talkin' about?"

"I told you I didn't feel anything after our kiss, and you lied and said you didn't either. You're still lying to me."

"And you're lyin' to me. About what you wanted to tell me at Grooves."

"How do you -- I mean, I did not ... damn." Jackie glanced down at her lap. "What's the point in telling you the truth? That's what you thought on our first date, isn't it? I didn't have feelings for you, so you had no reason to tell me you did have feelings for me."

Hyde exhaled a heavy breath. "Look, I wasn't gonna hijack your victory last week. You've been afraid of not bein' able to support yourself, not bein' a success -- all that crap -- and I get it 'cause I've had the same crap in my skull. What I wanted changed that day."

"Changed ... " Jackie stood and approached him. Her legs were inches from his knees.

Hyde pressed his back hard against the chair; her gaze burned through him. "Not in general, man. Just that day. I wanted you to feel good about yourself. Not us. You."

"Us?" Jackie said softly "Us?" she said louder. "What do you mean us?"

She was shouting now. Hyde winced at the volume but said, "I got intel you'll be pissed about me knowin'. I pushed for it 'cause I ... needed a guarantee before I -- would you back up a little?"

"No." She crossed her arms over her chest and, after a second, gasped. "Oh, my God, Fez blabbed! He told you I -- " She pressed her lips into a thin line. "Nope. I'm not gonna say it to you."

Hyde shrugged. "Then that's it, I guess."

"That's not it. You owe me."

"How do you figure?"

"You have a remarkably good memory. Use it."

Hyde clenched his jaw, but he went over major events in his and Jackie's relationship. The first time she said she loved him and didn't care if he said it back. She'd just needed him to know. The first and only time he said he loved her, not for her sake but because he was scared of losing her.

He'd never stopped being scared. That was his freaking problem. He couldn't commit to her beyond the moment since the moment was all that counted. He learned that truth from his mom and Bud's marriage -- but it was their truth. It didn't have to be his and Jackie's.

He removed his shades. "I love you. That's it."

"Okay, now I'm confused," Jackie said. "That's it what?"

"That's the only guarantee I can give: I love you."

She knotted her fingers together. "For ... for how long?"

"It's a guarantee, not a warranty. It doesn't run out."

"But you ran out on me after promising to go to the LoPPs party."

Hyde stood from his chair, and Jackie stepped back. "I ran away, man. All right? I ran away 'cause I saw us together in the future, and the only futures I know are divorce, prison, and death. That's what 'before life goes to crap' meant." He risked clasping her shoulder; she didn't flinch from his touch. "Nothin' to do with you. All me."

"But our future can be whatever we make it, Steven." She was pleading with him, and his chest ached. "I'm sorry."

"Huh?" His eyes had narrowed. She had to clarify before he filled in the gaps himself.

"Our. Us. We both forgot those words until today. I shouldn't have made you promise to go to another event you'd obviously hate."

She had to mean the LoPPs Christmas party. He held up his hand. "Hold on a sec. You didn't make me promise. I promised, and I broke it."

"You did what Michael used to to, say something to appease me because I was too controlling then go behind my back to get a sense of freedom. But you just played with toys, not another woman's -- toys."

He used ever but of willpower not to stroke her sad face. "Doesn't excuse that I was a dillhole. I hate bein' disrespected, but I disrespected you, man. You didn't deserve that. I could've sucked it up, but my head wasn't there. It was up my ass."

Jackie laughed a little. "And my head was up the LoPPs' asses. They're like a group filled with clones of my mom. 'Being single is a sign you're not good enough to get a man.' 'Marriage is the key to happiness, so get married as soon as possible.'"

"Those direct quotes?"

"Close enough." She grasped his hand. He left his fingers loose. "None of my time with you has felt like a waste. I'm just scared of how much I have to lose. I'd rather lose it now then let down my guard and lose it when I think I'm safe."

She was speaking his language, as she so often did. He tightened his grip on her hand. "You're safe. Actually safe. ... Am I?"

"Oh, God, Steven, yes!" She cradled his cheeks between her palms and kissed him. His lips tingled, and his insides grew warm after a frigid internal winter. He'd missed this sensation, missed her, for too long, but he withdrew from her mouth. "What?" she said. "What is it?"

"I'm not proposing any time soon. You've got to be cool with that if this, if we're gonna work."

"I don't need a proposal. I just need you."

He allowed himself the barest of smiles before kissing her back, this time full of the fiery adoration he felt for her. Her breaths sped from her nose, but she held onto his waist and matched his intensity.

They ended up on the basement's sofa, lost in each other, but a startling image reached his consciousness: him in a jewelry shop, buying an engagement ring. Jackie hadn't graduated high school yet. He was only nineteen, but just like they weren't Bud and Edna, they weren't Forman and Donna. They could get engaged and stay engaged for years. Marriage could wait until they were truly ready

In this moment, though, he and Jackie were reconnecting in every way. That was more than good enough for now. It destroyed his fear. He and Jackie were solid, and he trusted they'd do whatever was necessary to keep it that way.

#that 70s show #jackie x hyde #that '70s show #jackie burkhart #steven hyde #ask #anon #ficlet

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