#this is mostly just vibes but i do love it also

[kalpeavaris]

Jecka

Voice - Themesong - Toyhouse Profile - Pinterest

She'd be the person to look at the late 1990s/early 2000s and say "I was born in the wrong generation" B)

Anyway here's the finished design for my Jessa fankid, Jecka! Read more about her below the cut

Jecka's full name is Jessica, though she doesn't really like being called by it - it had the vibes of "mom's mad" whenever she gets called by her government name.

She's... quite the enigma. Due to Tessa's own code being tinted by her biological data (DNA, memories etc.) it had been quite difficult and straining to even get a compatible match with J in order to produce enough code for a UNN to be established. It took them 4 fails and 1 successful transfer to finally 'conceive' Jecka and even then it wasn't without isse..

Jecka frequently shuts down and has to be rebooted via another Drone's OS to get her starting again - mostly experienced whenever she's stressed or angry (high/intense emotions make her overheat easily... which is unfortunate seeing how much of a hot head she is).

During her later childhood/teenage years she struggled fairly hard with her existance, especially seeing how some folks in her age range would call her "mutt" due to her 'defective' code and the fact that one of her parents was a literal human before being transferred into her drone body. Jecka doesn't take lightly to this and had often beaten other kids up who insulted her or her parents, struggling to cope with the feeling of 'not belonging' or even being 'different' from her peers.

Her only true friends were and still are Angel and Becky, despite her and Angel butting heads from time to time. Jecka's relationship with her mom's is... strained, especially with J. Tessa's 100% her favourite parent and she mainly tries to stay around her while often argueing with J. As J struggles to break out of her cooperate-esque mindset and being very strict with their daughter, Jecka doesn't take well to this. Matching her mom's energy they often fought, even if J does love her daughter dearly.

This worsened when Jecka became aware that J has and is still somewhat struggling with the fact that Jecka shares not only relations (code) but also appearances with Cyn. Jecka doesn't acknowledge Cyn as some sort of parent, she's more like a... estranged aunt to her. They get along, but both sides just don't force interactions.

Despite everything Jecka's a "ride or die" kind of person/friend. She'd do anything for Becky and Angel, especially Angel - since she slowly finds herself developing a crush on them. She might be hot headed, but there's alot of hidden traits Jecka's afraid to openly show due to her fearing that it might be used against her. She only ever truely feels comfortable around Angel and her immediate family.

While Jecka can display the Solver emblem on her visor it's merely cosmetic. Similar to J and the other Disassembly Drones she's a dormant User - able of regeneration and cannot be controlled by Solver abilities like telekinesis, she cannot use it. J and Tessa made sure not to make her into a Solver User herself.

[sparrowlucero]

Hello sorry I am being shy and anon but do you have any advice for someone who wants to get into Doctor Who again after briefly dabbling (and enjoying it very much) in like the early, early 2010s? I know this is mostly your art blog but you were the only person I could think of to ask you're like the Doctor Who authority of blogs I follow

Oh yeah of course! People can be really confusing about this so I'll try not to be.

So first, the majority of doctor who episodes are self contained stories that you could just watch and understand perfectly without any further context. even when there is some overarching context it's usually written in a way that's either pretty easy to glean and/or just doesn't impact your understanding of the story. 99% of the episodes don't even care if you know the premise and are just like "what if some people were on a spaceship and the devil was there? wouldn't that be fucked up or what??". Don't feel like you have to binge a 60 years long show to watch it. Some standalone episodes I think are fun if you (or anyone else) just want to check out one or two:

The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances (A supposed-to-be-dead boy in a gas mask haunts a young woman in world war 2)

Blink (A woman gets wrapped up in a mystery involving statues that make people disappear. This one is especially good if you flat out know nothing about the show. Has some really great time travel stuff.)

A Christmas Carol (A christmas carol pastiche (of course) where the doctor tries to rewrite the past of a cruel man who's going to let a lot of people die. very sad and sweet. I love the "wintery planet with sky fish" setting of this one)

Vincent and the Doctor (The famous Vincent Van Gogh Episode™)

The Rings of Akhatan (A pretty lowkey little adventure story about an alien festival. has supreme autumn vibes)

Flatline (A species from a 2 dimensional world tries to break into our 3 dimensional one. really fun special effects)

Midnight (A tour bus breaks down on a diamond planet where nothing can survive. Something knocks at the door.)

Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead (The Doctor and friend go to a library that covers an entire planet and finds that everyone has disappeared. Has a lot of really great, interesting concepts baked into it that I won't spoil)

It Takes You Away (A girl is left alone in a cabin in the woods when her dad disappears through the mirror. Has a famously goofy ending that I really love)

73 Yards (A character is steps on a fairy circle and is followed by an old woman who always stands exactly 73 yards away)

The Devil's Chord (This doesn't really have, you know, a plot, but it does have jinkx monsoon as an evil music god)

Boom (The doctor steps on a landmine on an alien planet and cannot move)

Wild Blue Yonder (A two hander where the Doctor and co are trapped on a dilapidated spaceship at the edge of the universe. really atmospheric with some fun/strange visuals.)

That being said, it does add a lot to watch it in order; there's a lot of plot twists, character dynamics, and general payoff you get if you marathon it. I would personally recommend starting with either the first episode of the 2005 show ("Rose") or the first episode of the 2010 season ("The Eleventh Hour") and just watching in order from there. I think you could also start with "The Snowmen", "The Pilot", or "The Woman Who Fell To Earth" if you wanted, but the first two (especially rose) are the better jumping on points.

some other little notes of advice I don't often see people mention:

it's stupid sometimes just roll with it

once in a while the show sort of "reboots" with different writers, actors, directors, and a new tone. it's much more like watching several small shows than one long show, so don't be too put off by the length!

IMPORTANT: pretty much all streaming services will separate holiday/anniversary specials from the show proper and you have to deliberately search them up on the same service to find them. It's really necessary to be aware of this because many of these specials are the first or last episodes for characters/whole eras of the show and are genuinely unskippable. I strongly recommend looking up a list of the episodes and checking it after finales just to make sure you don't skip anything on accident.

there's two spin offs (Torchwood, a more adult (read: gay sex) show about a mysterious agency that solves sci fi crimes, and the Sarah Jane Adventures, a pretty good monster of the week kids show) that ran concurrently with season 1-4. You don't have to watch them to understand anything happening in doctor who, but sometimes they cross over with the show in fun ways, Ex. the first season finale of Torchwood continues directly into season 3 of Doctor Who. My friend and I got a kick out of watching them at the same time so maybe you will too. (either way I recommend watching "Children of Earth", the torchwood miniseries, if you want to see a weird dark sci fi show about the government making contact with aliens. It's a bit like arrival (2016) if it was way nastier.)

alternatively, you can inject fast acting brain poison into yourself with this

anyways I hope this all reads as, you know, more approachable than the way dudes on quora recommend this show:

[factorialsotherfandoms]

Okay, here are my rambling list of a few things I love about the EdM demo, plus you know some little things. I am a puzzle game and rpg game sort, less so horror and definitely not action. Real time combat even extremely simplified is hard for me, so look elsewhere for that.

I really love that the puzzles have clues in multiple places. Once you get to an actual puzzle you do have to poke around multiple locations and slot all of the clues together. My favourite puzzle games all need a notebook and pen, and this demo alone I used half an envelope.

Sneak attack that actually works my beloved?!?!?!?!?!?!?! I foresee myself using that trick a lot

Mia, Samuel, and Agatha have a really fun dynamic and I'm genuinely excited to see more of them.

Mia is a lovely protagonist. Did you know she has Monophobia/Autophobia severe enough that Lupi is her service dog? That is, a fear of being alone, isolated, abandoned, etc. Which I am sure will combine "amazingly" with the fact her Dad has vanished.

Fun fact! Agatha is also disabled. I won't say how or why, but it's referenced pretty early on. She's also a lesbian with a complex relationship to gender, which I hate being a way I'm trying to sell a game but I know how tumblr works. Anyway I adore her and have for a while. All 3 of the main group are established Ordem NPCs, but Agatha is the only one with a particularly regular and strong presence.

I don't have much to say on Samuel. Anything I could say is massive Ordem Paranormal spoilers, and so far in EdM he's mostly just your hints guy. Give him some love though.

Puzzles!!! Puzzles [chomp]

Soundtrack my beloved, it works extremely well with the game

The plot pieces we have been given are... I am brewing. Not cooking, more bent over a cauldron with herbs and eyes in jars and nonsense, you know? I am a witch making potions not a baker making a cake. But yes I have IDEAS which I will not share here because shhh. And also evidence to an idea I had *before* the demo came out which is cackling.

Cuuuuute

I love how much personality is in the environments, and the feel you get for the characters via it.

Can I please give love to puzzles? It's very very much a different vibe and game to my beloved Botany Manor (someone PLEASE give me an excuse to open it up again and write about it), but there are some similarities in how at least the demo puzzles work. All I need now is for it to start giving me charts, tables, and diagrams I need to make copies of and constantly refer to <3 I am puzzle person, not horror person. It's a thing.

Anyway you have a day left for the Demo, please give it a try if you're not sure. It's a free demo. Even if you hate it, well, all you lost is a bit of time?

[zomboivex]

My predictions for each character in TKDB (please don’t take this seriously I’m not here to debate I just want a pat on the back and oatmeal cookies, thanks).

Frostheim

Jin -he will never get full use of his stigma back and the more he uses it the emptier he feels on the inside. Whoops. Speed running depression out here. But he’ll at least get some motivation to ‘take over the institute’ and it will be his goal to work towards.

Tohma - he will locate the ‘spy’ and will learn that the spy isn’t actually what he was thinking it was. And also- he’s a spy as well. Why? Because he gives me major slimeball vibes. Like he’s actually looking for the ‘spy’ because he is a spy as well. And that spy is double crossing. Idk man. Why not?

Kaito - he is going to have a sort of King Arthur type arc. Where he realizes he’s ‘royalty’ and will replace Jin as ‘king’ (in the way future when Jin graduates or whatever). He’ll become less cowardly and gain confidence and strength. And learn that whatever his ‘useless’ stigma is actually quite useful. There’s a reason we haven’t seen it in action. Because we, the audience, would be able to tell that it’s actually very useful from a narrative standpoint but to the characters may seem useless.

Lucas - he’s going to find out that his brother was the ‘exchange’ for his wish. This will reveal to us that every ghoul who makes a wish exchanges something in turn (since they didn’t die- there was something else exchanged and I personally think it’s connected to their stigma usage). The more they use their stigma, the worse off they become with whatever it was they exchanged. But in Lucas’ case- his brother was exchanged so he doesn’t experience the negative effects directly.

Vagastrom

Alan - is going to find out whatever is going on with Dante and will regain some of his ‘self’ because brother he just needs a hug. But otherwise- he’s mostly just going to be pretty stable despite saying he is the least stable/safe to be around. Good for him.

Leo - is going to get demoted from vice-captain. Lose his friendship with Sho. And have a complete turnaround as a character and go through some sort of arc where we find out he’s not actually that big of an asshole. I have more thoughts on this but I want to really wait until the next chapter comes out because he’s been a lot less schemey from the Vagastrom chapter and maybe I thought of his character arc wrong originally so I need more screen time of him but I love him anyways.

Sho - he will think he has a one up on whatever his brother is asking him to do but he’s going to have circles run around him. His friendship with Leo will be damaged (but they’ll eventually make amends). Leo probably will get Sho out of whatever weird shit Hyde is dragging him into.

Jabberwock

Haru - is going to reveal what house he’s originally from (Sinostra) and that he changed houses to keep a closer eye on something. Especially after the clash. But ehhh I don’t really want to speculate too much on Haru. All I know is that Towa is enamored with him.

Towa - is going to watch the tree wither away and then attack Darkwick to ‘unite’ them so that the houses work together to stop him and it begins to grow again. He is NOT going to be revealed as the mermaid. But he’s definitely not fully human. I’m not going to speculate on what he is right now. But maybe he’s that fucking weird oracle thing at the beginning but ‘split’ off from it to try and take human shape. Idk fight me.

Ren - is going to find meaningful friendships and have a very basic but fulfilling story. We’ll watch him slowly start to become more involved in things on campus and actually care about the outcome of things. Also we’ll learn why he hates the ocean so much. My guess is that we’ll find out more whenever we find out more about the mermaid. Because bet he watched a family member die via mermaid attack.

Sinostra

Taiga - Taiga is going to be one of the ones we find out that the more a stigma is used, the more damage it causes to the user. It’s why his memory is so scuffed. He has anomalous dementia probably. I don’t know if I think his stigma lets him have ‘foresight’ because I think his is just letting him be lucky. And that includes some level of foresight but not in the way everyone thinks. He’s going to reveal to us that Hyde is a piece of shit. He does NOT like Hyde (and same, buddy. Same).

Romeo - we’ll learn more about Taiga through Romeo. And how he’s definitely changed. Romeo will also show us what Hyde is up to (as well as Sho). And probably will get himself into a can of worms. Rescue Romeo mission in the future. Taiga gonna go feral.

Ritsu - We’ll find out some shit about how his father helps hide whatever bullshit the institute is coming up with. Probably will reveal to him that his family (father ahem) isn’t as great as he once thought. Will become disillusioned. But he will want to then eventually reevaluate his goals and ‘right his father’s wrongs’.

Hotarubi

Subaru - Subaru is the spy. I’m joking. Maybe. I don’t trust him, though. But I think it would be wildly crazy and funny if he was actually the reason the Clash started. He has some pretty strong opinions that he does keep to himself. He’s scheming and plotting and we’re going to find out much more about him through Leo snooping. Because Leo has good instincts, I think. He’s right to not trust Subaru.

Haku - Haku is the ‘spy’ but not really. He’s a double agent type thing. Works close with Darkwick to try and get info from them by exchanging not as important info. After all- why keep Zenji a secret? Why not rat Subaru out? I think he keeps the real shit to himself but exposes fake things. Maybe. Who knows. He’s got beef with Tohma though and he also works with Rui but also keeps him on a sort of tight ‘watch’ because he has to because Obscuary is under tight observation to begin with. Idk. I don’t think he’s actually fully the spy. He doesn’t seem the type to me.

Zenji - he’s going to keep watching over his brother. And he definitely knows more than what he’s sharing but he’s an ally. There will be an arc where Darkwick finds out about him (Subaru ratted him out 💀💀💀) and then they will try to exorcise him but something will happen to where they decide not to. He’s ‘useful’ enough to keep around and he’s not malicious.

Obscuary

Ed - we’re gonna learn he can time travel and read minds and be OP. It’s why he acts the way he acts. Because he’s known these people in this loop for far too long and knows how it plays out and there’s nothing he can really do to stop it. So he’s just vibing with whatever happens and is just sorta fucking around with everyone. It’s also why he’s not as strong now because he’s still aging every time the loop resets. But we can’t see that actually happening because he’s a vampire so he doesn’t physically age.

Rui - is going to stay cursed and be very tragic. We’re gonna watch him wither into even more of a shell of a man. He’s going to become disillusioned about everything and just try to stay the same as he is but will fail utterly and horribly. But also whenever we get a beach day mission- he’s going to be the happiest. Also we’ll learn he was originally from like Ultio and helped to run the prisons pre-curse and pre-move to Obscuary. And that his curse made him completely change as a person due to now being the ‘monster’ he once held in prisons. I’m gonna be way off base with this. But whatever they do with him I’m ride or die for this bitch all the way.

Lyca - is going to discover Neros sold him out to the institute (for what reason who knows but hahahahaha) and he’s going to come to terms that he’s more anomaly/werewolf than human. And he’s going to be bitter for a while but will eventually overcome it and decide he’s fine how he is because he doesn’t need to be more or less of anything.

Mortkranken

Yuri - is going to dismantle Darkwick General and Frostheim with his bare hands. He’s gonna rip into them with his teeth. He’s going to shred them apart. He’s going to-!!! He will definitely be the one to find MC’s cure. He has to. Plus Mortkranken is the only house with a fucking secured anomaly under their belt. Everyone else has destroyed them.

Jiro - Will find out about his brother’s ghost. Will have memories return to him. He will be the one to tell us what happened with the clash probably (maybe not idk). But he’s going to also have a really bad episode where he goes into another coma. It will be sad hours. Zenji will be almost exorcised. But then MC will do something to help them both probably.

I dunno guys.

I’m throwing shit at the wall and seeing what sticks.

[shebeafancyflapjack]

hello hi and omg the Stockholm syndrome with calypso thing. I've never thought of it that way for some reason. woah do you have any other thoughts on that I'd love to hear!!

Hi!

Couple things; so this has been one of my favorite songs long before the saga came out as the demo out on YouTube was pretty much the full version. It's so beautiful and tragic, but I kept assuming that - given the sympathetic vibe of the song - Jorge was going to change this part of the story to make Calypso less of a villain.

Like my assumption was she wouldn't be the one keeping him trapped, it's just the curse of her island and even if she let him go he'd just come back or get hurt. So she's as much of a prisoner as him, basically. But also that it would be clear she didn't SA him as in the Odyssey. It would just be an innocent one sided infatuation that she would keep hoping he'd fall for her over time but wouldn't. So at first I assumed the "I love you" line would be like "I love you as a friend, I would have been alone and gone mad here for years without you, you gave me a bit of peace after all the trauma." Etc.

But then the Wisdom Saga came out...

And Love In Paradise definitely has SA and manipulation vibes. Rather than helping Ody heal in any way, he becomes even worse. Athena says outright "she's kept you trapped out of your control". There's no wriggle room for that. It's not just an innocent love. I would love to have confirmation from Jorge if this Calypso did force herself on him in any way as I think it would clear up things in the fandom.

So with that all in context, I can't hear the line as "I love you as a friend". It doesn't feel earned, we've not glimpsed anything from Calypso that would have Ody respect her that way. So for me it would be more affection born out of captivity and isolation and feeling sorry for your captor, but still wanting to get as far as fuck away from them.

It reminds me a lot of the real life kidnapping of Natasha Kampush whose book describing her ordeal where she was kept trapped underground for eight years is a chilling read. But it is a fascinating insight into what we think of as "Stockholm Syndrome" and how it's not like people imagine where they're brainwashed to be hopelessly devoted to them (and before anyone jumps down my throat, yes I know there's some debate over the name and having it be seen as a mental health condition when it's mostly just human empathy and survival tactic). Natasha's complex feelings towards her abuser and how media tried to romanticise it after her escape reminds me a lot of Odysseus and Calypso. She feared this man, he made her life a misery and treated her worse than a dog - but he was still the only company she had for eight years. There would be times when she felt fleeting moments of normalcy and affection, it's just human nature for that to create a bond. And she would grow sympathy for how messed up he clearly was, probably in much the same way Ody felt sympathy for Calypso being trapped alone.

Yes Calypso is a goddess but she feels the most human out of all the ones who appear in Epic, in the most messy way humans can be.

Hope I've explained that well. 😅

[i-am-creacheur]

okay listen. I get the urge to talk about my favorite life series ship like it's Canon in every season...BUT. THAT HAS NEVER ONCE BEEN THE CASE.

Yes, Jimmy would be upset if Tango canaried (technical scientific term for that). Everyone would be- even I would be, and I've never watched a single one of his videos. Canarying sucks, and it hurts. Of course I would be upset. THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT I THINK JIMMY WOULD BREAK DOWN SOBBING FROM A CHARACTER STAND POINT. They have had only like... THREE on screen interactions. One is Tango murdering a man infront of Jimmy and another is Tango cheerfully burning down something one of Jimmy's teammates worked very hard on. WildLifeChara!Jimmy has more reason to hate or be afraid of WildLifeChara!Tango than to be madly in love with him.

I promise you, if Tango had offered Jimmy a life instead of Ren, people wouldn't shut up about for MONTHS. But, because it's Ren, somehow the interaction isn't NEARLY as homoerotic??? I understand having NOTP's, but the Jimmy/Ren ship doesn't even show up ONCE on ao3. Zero fics. ZE-RO. There's no reason to hate something that doesn't even exist.

This same concept applies for Flower Husbands as well- not just in Wild Life, and Secret Life and Limited Life and Last Life and Real Life though- in Empires.

I have no clue about Empires Season 1, but they barely interacted in Empires Season 2- and yet the amount of ship art I sift through on a weekly basis for my side blog is actually insane. Yeah, the few interactions WERE important, but I think Scott only flirted (in video) with Jimmy maaybbeeee three times. I have no idea what the count of that for streaming is, but I swear it is not enough to keep that number so inflated.

Although, honestly, this problem might just be affecting me because of my personal view on shipping- if it's in a context where it doesn't make sense for the characters to be romantically engaged, I won't read it or write it.

For example, my beloved Solidwood! I mostly get their vibes or read their fics from the following series: Evo, Last Life, New Life, Empires2, Secret Life. That's because those settings make sense! They are active, they are engaged, they have near constant interactions or very close base locations. It makes SENSE for them to be shipped. However, if you showed me art or fic of them in, say, Limited Life, I'd furrow my brow and tilt my head and say "no, that doesn't do anything for me." BECAUSE THEY HAVE ZERO REASON TO BE INVESTED ROMANTICALLY IN ONE ANOTHER THERE, AS A STAND ALONE SETTING.

Most of the major Jimmy ships, though, don't follow this rule. I can understand loving a ship so much you want to see it everywhere- but, I promise you, stepping back and looking at which characters actually have chemistry regarding the new setting and social system will do wonders... you won't have to think of new Au's to insert your favorite ship into a new setting... all ships will be your favorite ship (unless they give you the ick). Join the multishiper hivemind /j

No but honestly it's gotten to the point where I will like or dislike a creator/character of theirs by what ship is their most popular given the context of the setting. Like, Tango in Double Life? Awww the sweetie!! I love him :) and then Tango in Empires2 sets off alarm bells in my brain screaming at me. He is NOT meant to be here bringing that ship here, this is NOT its territory. Same problem for Scott in nearly damn near every SMP both Jimmy and him are in... except Wild Life because he's actually been pretty nice and not condescending or forcing on Jimmy. I guess also power imbalances in how fans view them is a major no-go for me...

Idk if you read this whole thing thanks I guess... for anymore needed context I am a Jimmy rarepair obsessed multishiper.

TLDR; Lots of popular ships are inserted into settings without a thought for what that would mean for the setting and any changes in the established social connections, which gives OP the ick. I'm also not policing ships I'm just begging people to please either understand more ships using in setting context or list their AU details in the summaries of the fics. This goes hand in hand with misinterpreting characters in writing also... the more ships you like the more characters you will get to get good at writing!!!!

[shouyuus]

hi rainnn !! just wanted to say that i. absolutely. love. you. (++ your works but mostly you)

AND AND AND i wanted to discuss this v important matter 🏃‍♀️💨 which lads li would make mc cum again and again until she finally squirt ?! just—a thought that mc doesn't have experience in it and tells them that it's impossible to do so which leads li to basically overstimulate mc just to prove a point >-<

can i plzplz indulge u with that thot 🙏🙏🙏 (i'd love to be 🍀 anon if u do that stuffz <3)

hi !!! T^T thank u!!! yes you can def be 🍀 anon! ive never had an emoji anon before, so ur the first one!!!! <333 also ur love???? UNO REVERSE CARD RIGHT BACK BABY

and yES a v v v v important matter indeed! i think of the four current LI's, sylus for sure gives that vibe. and after him, probably... raf. reason being. he's such a whiney brat, if you tell him that it's either something you wanna try, or something you've never experienced, he'll be so hell bent on making it happen and being the first one to make it happen for you that he'll just hyperfixate on it till it happens u__u so yeah. those r my top two picks.

tho. i mean. highkey. you could make a case for all of them LMFAO.

and like. i don't think i need to explain why sylus is my first pick for something like this lmfao

[lullabyalikpoptarot]

Enhypen Group Dynamics

I will now look into the overall group dynamics of this group. I mostly get messy energy from them as a group, but let's see what I get here. This doesn't look too bad from what I see here.

Overall Energy (6 of Pentacles) It is a nice balance of give and take when it comes to the members. There are a lot of exchanges that come with this group. They enjoy being of service and help for each other, more on the practical end of things, not so emotional here, but that is okay. They all seem to be really generous with each other overall. There is this energy of wanting to have the upper hand though. I sense undertones of that. The powerplay keyword is sticking out to me as well. But there is this overall energy of being supportive to each other. It seems they have each other's back.

Heeseung (5 of Cups rv) In the group dynamic he tries not to be too negative or dwell on things too much. He tries to find the positive and look at the bright side, so he may try to help lift up the other members when they are feeling down. I feel he has a way of words to help the members feel better. I hear cheer up, also he may invite members for some drinks, or give them a drink to help release stress. I just see a hand offering a drink in the card and made me think of that. He might also remind them of the good things they may have, so they don't focus on the negative. This is cute.

Jay (8 of Pentacles) I say, he is the one who keeps them on task. He helps keep them focused and reels them in. It seems he is very hard-working and diligent, so he may inspire the other members to do the same. The ace of wands also popped out, so he does inspire them with his skills and work ethic. I feel they really like his work ethic and try to emulate that. Sometimes he can be way too focused on work and may not focus on the members and what is going on with them with this energy.

Jake (7 of Cups) This does not surprise me, he is the dreamer of the group. The one who struggles to actualize and make his plans or dreams come to life. I see this being a struggle with him a lot. There is a lot of confusion with him, procrastination is a thing with him. It is like he is the one that may tell them he wants to do something, but never actually gets to it. He struggles to take action. It is also hard for him to stay focused. He is like the opposite of Jay lol I am not sure what this has to do with the dynamics though. It is like within the dynamic he is the dreamy one. I also just got filled with illusions. I don't know he may confuse the members, like he may say one thing and do another. He is confusing to be honest.

Sunghoon (6 of Pentacles) Okay, this one is not giving me the best vibe, so the 6 of Pentacles, which did represent their overall energy, can be a good exchange between parties, but the card image makes me feel a bit bad for him. It is giving me he puts his all, gives his effort to the others, but may not get much in return. In the card, there is this one person giving to all these people, but they don't seem to be giving much to her. I see that as him. I feel they may not appreciate his efforts as much as maybe they should. Anyway, he does give to them members as much as he can when they need it, more of being of service, not so emotional on his end.

Sunoo (2 of Cups) It seems he is the one that likes to connect on an emotional level with the members. He may enjoy one on one time with them, since he represents the 2 of cups, which is an emotional connection. I feel emotional connections is important to him, but I feel this group could struggle to be more emotional, so that could be a struggle for him. There could be a specific member at the moment that he feels very connected to as well. It seems he enjoys the intimate connections he could have with the members. I do feel this is specific to one member, not sure who though.

Jungwon (Page of Pentacles) This card loves to pop up in these readings. The third time this came out in all three readings I have done so far. He is the studious. The one who gathers information. If you read his perspective reading this will make sense. He does the work and puts in the time. I swear he gathers information on the members and observes what they do, it is like keeping tabs or taking notes on them. I got this in other readings I have done for him in the past. He studies a lot and maybe tries to help the others with the information he has learned. I just see him as an observer, like that is what I see from this card. Like these boys better not slip up in front of him, because he seems to know everything about them, or tries to, now what he uses that on, I don't know. I just see all those books and it is like him gathering all that information. It is like yup, I got information on all of you lol

Ni-Ki (2 of Swords) I feel this boy tries to keep his distance from the others. Can be pretty standoffish and stubborn. He seems to oppose them a lot or stay neutral. He may struggle to make decisions within the group, or just does not give af There is a phrase on the card that states, pretending there is no problem, I see that with him. Like if members inquire, he doesn't let them in or let them help him. He has a defensive energy and doesn't like the others to get too close. He just kind of does his own thing most of the time. Also, if there are disagreements between members, I see him not picking sides and staying neutral, not getting involved, which is fair to be honest.

Okay, going through this, yeah, a bit of messiness with this group. I wouldn't say messy, but they don't give me close besties vibe with this energy. But I do find their dynamics interesting though, so I will take it.

[fluffs-place]

I wanna do this with stached cowboy

Cassidy McCoy

1, What was the original thought that led to the creation of this character?

My husband has a character he loves for rdo, Makwa. We started talking about him one day and somehow decided to start roleplaying. So I made Cassidy as a partner for him

2. How long was the process before the character reached its final version? (or a version that would be clearly recognizable as the character?)

He's still techinally a work in progress but he has most his backstory, character traits, and personality. I just dont have his cowboy design. He has his army fit and his face and hair and stuff like that is done. His now cleary recognizable version was first made on 8/27/24 and his doodle sheet was finished on 9/23/24. So bout a month later. Im also still working on getting his shire/cob mix drawn with his new pattern marking. I used a f2u base but the stature isnt the same so i need to now translate it onto his actual body.

3. What was the first thing you decided on, the character's name, appearance, personality or their role in the story?

So it went kinda backwards from how theyre listed. His role came first since Lamb and I decided to make him Makwa's boyfriend. Then came his personality which plays off Makwa a good bit. Then his design and finally his name.

4. And reverse, which one of the four things did you struggle with the most?

His design. His clothes have been very difficult. His army fit not so much since I can just look at historical uniforms but his cowboy fits been a whole lot harder. I still dont have his cowboy fit cause i cant figure out what kind of silhouette I want for him and the extra details. I want him to look unique and not boring. A lot of cowboy designs just feel really lacking on details. So idk

5. How did you choose their name and why? Was it simply based on vibes or is there any specific meaning behind the name? Are the reasons behind their name different in- and out of universe?

So his name means White Fire Fire. I thought that was hella funny so I chose to use both of those. Hes also a pyromaniac so yknow. I also wanted to make sure he had an Irish last name since his mothers 1st gen Irish immigrant (so shes irish herself) and his dads 2nd gen (so his parents were irish). I just looked around in name lists. I think I specifically looked for male names popular in the year he was born. So like 1850 sumn I think. I have it in my notes somewhere lol

6. What was the thought process behind their appearance? Did you go mostly for the aesthetic or are there other reasons they look the way they do?

Honestly it just kinda immediately was in my head. I was thinking of that one guy in Captain America: The First Avenger. The ginger guy in Steve and Buckys team with the stache. He was my first thought but I wanted Cassidy to look more unhinged which made me then think of Charles Manson and his eyes. Also with some color palette changes. Speaking of which his colors are mostly in the red to yellow range with blue because of fire :)

7. What is an aspect of their appearance that you like the most?

His stache. I dont draw a lot of facial hair and it just is him. It makes him so noticable. Its either that or his eyes. I like the shape and his crazed expression or yknow the opposite when he gets angry and the tops of his eyelids actually touch his iris.

8. What is the origin of their personality? And let's be honest - how much of it is projecting?

He does have some projection but lets be honest again all my characters will have projection. Whether I know or not i just dont know how to make characters without some degree of it. I only know myself completely like that so ofc in creating a whole new person im gonna use myself as reference. Any mini ramble over, he got my pyromania cranked up to 11. Like hes actually an arsonist, I am not. I just like watching fire and watching stuff burn. Idk where the rest of his personality really came from though. Just me brainstorming and givin him stuff.

9. How big is their role in the story? Do they make a frequent appearance or are they a character with little "screentime" but big influence? Or are they just a favourite background guy?

Seeing as its roleplay centered on him and makwas story id say pretty massive lol. I love him but I think lamb and I both kind of see it as Makwa being the main character while Cassidy is his supporting character

10. What is their main character arc in the story? Where do they start and how do they develop? Do they get a happy ending or is their story a tragic one?

Honestly? Hes not a good guy. He never gets redemption. He is intrinsically bad. He kills for the fun of it. He quite literally will kill you (general) if youre too boring and dont bring him entertainment or if your death would bring him entertainment. His main motivators are protecting Makwa and having fun. The most "development" he has is basically developing a set of morals which is just not doing stuff Makwa doesnt like. As for an ending he doesnt really have one yet. We dont know where thats going but we have a few general plot points that are in a timeline.

11. Is there any existing character from other media that your character resembles? Was the resemblance intentional or was it a coincidence?

Without his stache, he honestly looks like Julian Devorak to me. Idk if theres any others tho personality or looks wise.

12. Do you have a playlist for the character? What songs do you associate with them and why?

I do!! Lambs helping me build it but mostly its built off vibes. Anything slightly unsettling or creepy while upbeat. Theres also a ship playlist but its only got like 4 songs rn and that ones Lambs

13. Do you have a voice claim for the character? What do you imagine the character sounds like?

I dont yet. At first I was thinking like southern American accent with notes of Irish but I couldnt find any references to that. So now Im just thinking southern cowboy with some words said with the pronouncation of brit english. Seeing as his father has the southern accent since hes usa raised and his mother died when he was a young kid, he doesnt have a lot of the Irish accent influence anyway.

14. Do you have any quotes tied to the character, either from the story itself or from another source that fit them?

I have some from roleplay but not really. Heres a few from rp i like ig: "Got teeth like the god damn hounds. If your name aint Dog already, it should be." (after Makwa bit him on the hand during their first meeting) Makwa: "...you have to bite the hand that feeds you." Cassidy: "I didn't feed you shit, mutt." "No plan makes a dead man."

15. Have you ever made a moodboard for them?

Hub and I have a Pinterest board for the both of them. It's called Blazen Arrow which is their ship name.

16. Is there any memes or running jokes associated with the character, both in- and out of universe?

in universe, he gets the outlaw name "Fire Boy McCoy" and he absolutely hates it. I cant think any others right now.

17. Are there any motifs or symbols associated with the character? How are they represented, in their design, personality or in some other way?

Fire. Lots of fire.

18. Does the character have other characters connected to them? Do you have a family tree and "offscreen" connections made up for them or do they exist in a vacuum purely for the purpose of the story?

He does have a family which consisted of him late father, late mother, and older sister (and the inlaws and nieces and nephews). Then yknow Makwa. And his horse and cat. Theres a few others but those are the important ones.

19. What is your general favourite thing about the character? What is your least favourite?

Idk. I just love all of him. Him being completely unhinged probably if i had to pick.

20. Bonus question: share any additional thoughts, art, favourite scenes, anything you've been waiting for a chance to ramble about.

this has taken me so long and now my brain is fried so i cant think of anything BUT if anyone wants to ask questions about him feel free.

Character asks!

These are more focused on the background stuff rather than the usual "what would the character do in XY situation" kinds of asks. I've been looking for something like this for quite a while and in the end decided to make my own. Feel free to use, go wild, enjoy

What was the original thought that led to the creation of this character?

How long was the process before the character reached its final version? (or a version that would be clearly recognizable as the character?)

What was the first thing you decided on, the character's name, appearance, personality or their role in the story?

And reverse, which one of the four things did you struggle with the most?

How did you choose their name and why? Was it simply based on vibes or is there any specific meaning behind the name? Are the reasons behind their name different in- and out of universe?

What was the thought process behind their appearance? Did you go mostly for the aesthetic or are there other reasons they look the way they do?

What is an aspect of their appearance that you like the most?

What is the origin of their personality? And let's be honest - how much of it is projecting?

How big is their role in the story? Do they make a frequent appearance or are they a character with little "screentime" but big influence? Or are they just a favourite background guy?

What is their main character arc in the story? Where do they start and how do they develop? Do they get a happy ending or is their story a tragic one?

Is there any existing character from other media that your character resembles? Was the resemblance intentional or was it a coincidence?

Do you have a playlist for the character? What songs do you associate with them and why?

Do you have a voice claim for the character? What do you imagine the character sounds like?

Do you have any quotes tied to the character, either from the story itself or from another source that fit them?

Have you ever made a moodboard for them?

Is there any memes or running jokes associated with the character, both in- and out of universe?

Are there any motifs or symbols associated with the character? How are they represented, in their design, personality or in some other way?

Does the character have other characters connected to them? Do you have a family tree and "offscreen" connections made up for them or do they exist in a vacuum purely for the purpose of the story?

What is your general favourite thing about the character? What is your least favourite?

Bonus question: share any additional thoughts, art, favourite scenes, anything you've been waiting for a chance to ramble about

[dxppercxdxver]

little something i've been tweaking for that collaboration with @chiropteracupola :)

(placed under a cut because it's Long)

when the sun breaks to no more bullets

Sunrise dawned bitter over the horizon of what was to be the final day of this long and gruesome war. Not the war for the colonies, no, that raged on all around them, but the fight for the Pauling Estate, shrouded in ink-black shadows, sharp as knives between the bricks.

Samuel took a deep, steadying breath, letting his exhalation ring his head in a halo of frozen air. Against the winter chill, the sprawling expanse of a harsh pale sky, the faint whisps of fog only reminded him of how small he was, against the enemies they were facing today. They had firepower, but at the end of the day, they were but ten, and Helen Pauling had every advantage: territory, ranks, and skill.

It was hard not to realize how pitiful their efforts truly were. How, despite his gun, despite their knives, depite their conviction, if it all went to shit, belief would not be enough to save them.

Sighing, Samuel slung his rifle over his back, and trudged away from the mansion, unable to bear the sight of it any longer. His footsteps were far from silent, crunching through the thick coat of snow coating the forest floor, but he could not bring himself to care. Helen would know they were coming, of course, he had seen the patrols, the glint of a muzzle through an open second-story window, and so stealth was more or less left by the wayside. There was only so much surprise they could muster.

A short distance away, Samuel knew, was a clearing that overlooked a valley boasting a river glittering with sunrise flowing through the bottom. Soft oranges and pinks bathed the grass in a tranquil haze, and Samuel held his hand up to the sky, watching the play of the rays through his outstretched fingers.

“Going somewhere?”

By now, Samuel had become accustomed to Julien’s tendency to sneak up on him, and was proud of himself for not jumping. Instead, he simply let out a sharp breath, lowering his arm. He shrugged.

In simple response, Julien nodded. “Of course.” Rummaging in his bag, he added, “Could I interest you in a smoke?”

When Samuel neither confirmed nor denied, mind decidedly elsewhere, Julien slipped a pipe into his hand all the same, pressing the spill to the tobacco until it began to smolder. Plumes of smoke coiled and writhed upward, like they were desperate to escape, and Samuel half wanted to go with them.

Beside him, Julien tapped an impatient finger against his upper arm, before he gently grabbed Samuel’s wrist and guided the pipe to his own mouth. Whem Samuel raised an eyebrow, Julien replied, “Were you going to? No? Thought so.”

The heat of the pipe against Samuel’s fingers was a comfort, almost, contrasted with the numbness spreading across the rest of his body. It forced him to be aware, to remember where he was, and what he was doing. And… who stood next to him, patiently taking drags off the pipe he refused to let go of just yet.

In the ephemeral glow of early morning, the angles of Julien’s face seemed simultaneously harsher and more rounded, with deeper shadows, but an inexplicable tenderness too. His eyes had a faraway look about them, fixed on some nebulous point in the distance. Even in the present circumstances, he retained much of the poise he did his best to cultivate. Julien’s jacket was buttoned up high, his cravat neatly tied, and there was nary a hair out of place in his wig. All the same, Samuel could sense the anticipation coiling in his stomach, coming off of him in waves.

“You alright?” Surprising himself, Samuel was first to break the silence, and Julien seemed just as taken aback, nearly choking on the pipe stem. He was quick to regain his composure, as usual, but it still felt strangely comforting to see someone else clearly uncomfortable with themselves and the situation they found themselves in.

“You know,” Julien said vaguely, tapping Samuel’s wrist with a glove-clad finger. “You know, mon fleur.”

Shifting slightly, Samuel idly scratched the back of his neck. Something about Julien’s comment sat oddly with him. He had always been fond of petnames, idle epithets, even before they became something more, so that was unlikely to the be the source of his disquiet, but even so… Perhaps it was the subtle shift in intensity, or the implication that Samuel was privy to the inner workings of a man whose entire livelihood relied on obscuring everything there was to be known about himself, or perhaps the blatant declaration of affection only hours before their imminent annihilation.

Perhaps it was all of those things, or none, or Samuel was getting in his own head again.

A soft squeeze around his forearm coaxed him back to reality, and when Samuel came into his senses again, Julien was looking at him curiously, lips pursed and gaze unreadable.

“Samuel?”

“Yeah?” His voice sounded painfully weak to his ears.

Julien smiled in that quiet way of his, so faint it could be missed by all but his closest friends, which Samuel thought, with a shock, now included him. “You are lovely in the light.” Leaning in, Julien kissed his cheek, cradling his face with his empty hand.

Breath rattled in Samuel’s throat, fighting an overwhelming sense of sadness creeping into his lungs, and he clasped Julien’s hand with his own, leather against leather. The enormity of his feeling bloomed within his chest, and Samuel cursed his own clumsiness with the spoken language for barring him from taking Julien in his arms and explaining exactly what he meant to him until he was certain he understood. Tears threatened to spill over, but the young Thornton’s rallying cry in the distance saved him from sinking too far down into the amber-gold depths of this moment he wanted to hold as it existed, forever.

“Come,” Julien whispered, fingers trailing down Samuel’s sleeve until their hands interlaced, “we will be needed.”

The walk back to their makeshift camp reminded Samuel far too much of a last march to the gallows. Julien carefully rubbed his thumb over Samuel’s knuckles, but even the solace found in his tender contact barely detracted from the dread clouding his thoughts like cotton. His rifle swung against his leg in time with the beat of his heart.

When they arrived around the campfire, Doe was already several minutes into a rousing speech about strength and honor and Samuel, as hard as he tried, could not force himself to take in his compatriot’s words. His thoughts kept straying to Julien, who had hung back just inside the treeline with him. Notably, he was still holding Samuel’s hand.

“I’m scared, love,” Samuel said, hoarse. “I’m really, really fucking scared.”

“Do you think that I am not?”

Blinking, Samuel rounded on Julien, looking for a trace of his usual insincerity and startling when he found none.

He wanted to protest, because Julien was the most unflappable of them all, but at the same time… “You’re not afraid of anything, spook.”

“Oh, darling,” Julien said, “I am always afraid. That is my secret.” Drawing his knife from his shirtsleeve, Julien considered the blade, tilting it against an errant sunbeam. “A fearless spy is sure to become a dead spy.”

“Then, how…” Samuel replied. “How do you do it?”

“Do what?”

“How do you keep going? With the fear?”

Tilting his head, Julien seemed to consider the question. “You keep going simply because you must. In this line of work, there is no other option, no way to back out. No fallback, no…” he gestured upward, “other tree to hide in. Once the job begins, you go until you win, or you die. Be afraid, let it help you, but do not let it claim you.” Julien turned to face Samuel, face set hard against the imminent battle. “My love, you must be afraid, and you must be brilliant all the same.”

In the background, Doe’s speech seemed to be wrapping up, if the raucous applause from the rest of their teammates was any indication, and Samuel rode the enthusiasm as far as it would take him, throwing caution to the wind and gathering Julien into his arms, pulling him in for a kiss. No matter the battle, no matter their friends, Julien was there and Samuel would sooner run himself through with his bayonet than leave him alone on the eve of their destruction.

Julien sighed against his mouth, breath ghosting over his lips, and Samuel let himself slump, their foreheads touching, limbs entwined in a hug.

“Be good out there,” he said, like a command, like a prayer. It was time, and Julien must be good, must be better than good to survive.

Smiling, Julien kissed Samuel’s nose, before drawing his pocket watch from inside his coat. Golden filigree across the back shimmered, elegant, spelling out Dead Ringer with a horrible feeling of irony.

“Mon cher,” Julien murmured, winding the watch and letting Conagher’s technology work its magic until, in a puff of smoke, a picture perfect replica of Samuel stared back at him, “I always am.”

He winked, tipped his hat, and disappeared into the trees, and Samuel could not bring himself to move until the sounds of his boots vanished into thin air.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Master manipulator vs Master manipulator

 [First] Prev <–-> Next

[crystallizsch]

really weird ramble but uhhh i’m really tempted to go somewhat multifandom with this blog ;;;

idk why i’m so hesitant since the other fandoms i wanna yell about seem to have some overlap with twst fans here and there 😭

i COULD do another side blog but that is too much work 😔

“post whatever you want it’s your blog” but >:[ …

anyways. posting this just a heads up in case i do randomly post anything other than twst one day

[beheamothscreamoth]

I'm an absolute SUCKER for Greek mythology, so I'm gonna try to take a crack at it!! Some decisions may seem a little wack, but that's okay aksjnd- /lh I also decided to include more than one god for the LIs, I hope that's fine!

Ais

Ares, God of War

I feel like I don't need to explain this one, aksjnda- Ares represents the grisly and bloody side of war, and Ais is all about having a good fight!

Horkos, God/Spirit (Daimon) of Oaths

I'm mainly putting this god here because of Ais's connection to Ocudeus and the Seaspring- This is going to sound like a massive reach, but you could kind of see the Seaspring as a place of oaths?? You're healed from whatever ailment you have, but you become part of Ocudeus's groupmind? Or maybe Ais himself made a sort of oath to Ocudeus?? I'm mostly just spitballing with this one aksjdajk- Ares is a better fit though in my opinion /lh

Vere

Aphrodite, Goddess of Love

Aphrodite is linked to sexual desire and lust, and Vere himself is very sensual, so it fits! Ares and Aphrodite are also lovers, so,, 👀 Aphrodite is also very petty which I think fits with Vere as well *COUGH*

Apate, Goddess/Personification of Deceit, Trickery, Deception

Vere's said to be a natural liar, and he's got his own stat for scheming, so I think the goddess/personification of guile and cunningness is a fine fit!

Leander

Hecate, Goddess of Magic

Leander is a powerful mage, and so my brain went to the god of magic and sorcery! Alongside magic, Hecate is also a goddess of the moon and necromancy. I might be remembering this wrong, but doesn't Leander have something to do with the moon on his belt?? (This might be another major reach on my part asdknjka- /lh) As for necromancy,, *looks over at the fandom theories* *looks away*

Dogs are also closely associated with Hecate, and,, *looks over at the Leander's Bloodhounds* *looks awa-*

Dionysus, God of Wine, Parties, and Madness

Leander definitely seems like the type to throw a lot of parties and drink a lot, so Dionysus seems like a fine fit! The madness attribute of Dionysus makes me think of the scene where MC touches Leander and he's able to not be affected by their curse that inflicts madness,,

Kuras

Prometheus, God of Foresight

Prometheus brought fire to humanity, which began the rise of civilisation, but caused Prometheus to be eternally punished by the gods. I think that has similar vibes to Kuras - he's a teacher who loves humanity but he's locked himself into a sort of punishment of his own making (repenting through suffering).

Prometheus is also a crafty individual, and Kuras himself is a little bit mischievous! We see him trick someone from the Senobium, after all.

Asclepius, God of Healing

This choice is mainly attributed to Kuras being a doctor- Asclepius is a healer who was so good at what he did he could bring people back to life, which makes me think of how Kuras was able to sew MC's arm back on?? And not let us die?? Kuras you still need to explain that- His father Apollo would also fit well with Kuras, I think!

Mhin

Astraeus, God of Astrology, Stars, and Planets

Choosing a god for Mhin is actually kinda hard,, 💀 This choice isn't grounded on anything except for the fact that Mhin likes to stargaze aksjdfa- /lh

Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt

Mhin is a sort of hunter like Artemis, and they're both experienced at what they do! Artemis is also a goddess of the moon, and Mhin is very moon-coded to me,,, orz Cats are also associated with Artemis and Mhin likes cats-

Because of Epic: The Musical, I've been drowning myself in Greek mythology again, so... What Greek god would you guys attribuate/associate to the Touchstarved LIs?

Might try to do something with some of y'all thoughts.

[necrotic-nephilim]

"How else am I supposed to learn if you don't punish me?" With Jason x Bruce ship pls 🙏

send a quote and a ship and I'll write a short fic!

fucked up BruJay my beloved. this is. honestly more emotional whump than physical and the romance is implied, but i do like this piece a lot, even if i struggled with it a bit. have 2.2k of Bruce and Jason struggling to get along. enjoy <3

Sometimes, Jason did it on purpose.

He knew Bruce’s patrol route better than anyone. Which was by design. Jason wanted to know where Bruce was, what he was doing, and who he was doing it with at all times. And really, Bruce didn’t seem to be stopping Jason from keeping tabs. None of Jason’s carefully placed trackers were removed, and Jason knew better than to assume Bruce had lost his touch. Bruce knew they were there, and he knew they were Jason’s.

So if Jason wanted to avoid Bruce, he knew how to do it. And when he really did want to get work done under Bruce’s nose, it was easy for Jason to dance around Bruce’s schedule and send him tail spinning just trying to keep up with Jason.

But some days, Jason didn’t want to avoid Bruce. He wanted the thrill of the chase.

So he got caught on purpose.

He picked a gang on the side of town Bruce always patrolled at this hour. He used the loudest guns he had with no silencers. He started the messiest brawl he could.

And he waited.

Jason didn’t have to wait long.

Like it always was with Bruce, the entrance was dramatic. Shattering glass as a large form with an unfurled cape descended from the skylight. Jason smiled under his helmet.

There were already at least half a dozen dead. The rest were running around like ants, either trying to get away from Jason or futilely trying to fight him.

“You’re late!” Jason shouted over his shoulder. He dodged a batarang thrown in his general direction. “I expected you to get here at least five minutes earlier.”

“Robbery a block away,” Bruce said brusquely. He turned to a few gang members with tire irons and shivs lifted, ready to charge Jason. “Run. Now.”

They didn’t need to be told twice.

Jason raised his gun to shoot one. He wasn’t particular about who he picked. He knew it didn’t matter. The bullet wouldn’t actually hit them.

Because just on time as Jason squeezed the trigger, a batarang buried into his hand. He swore and dropped the gun.

“Enough, Hood,” Bruce said coldly.

Jason smiled under his mask. “Someone’s gotta clean up this city.” He lunged for another thug.

Bruce’s body was like a battering ram, slamming into Jason. He was heavy enough to knock the wind out of Jason, sending them both tumbling to the ground. Jason groaned, trying to throw Bruce off of him. When that didn’t work, he went for his belt, grabbing his kris dagger and flipping it around.

“Do you hold any value for human life?” Bruce demanded. He grabbed Jason’s wrist and pinned it against the ground. “These aren’t supervillains, they’re normal people down on their luck-”

Before Bruce could finish talking, one of the gang members bashed him over the head with a wooden plank. Bruce’s cowl was reinforced, but the little bastard had managed to hit hard enough to snap the plank clean in half. A grunt was forced out of Bruce and his whole body buckled.

Now that was just rude. Bruce was Jason’s meat, not some stupid punk’s. Possessive jealousy flared through Jason, watching Bruce wince in pain to a wound Jason didn’t give him.

“Yeah, they seem real grateful to their savior,” Jason sneered. He threw Bruce off of him and grabbed the gang member. A wiry thing, probably still a teenager. Jason twisted them around to hold his dagger against their throat with his fingers buried into their hair, holding them still. A horrified noise came out of them. Not that Jason particularly cared. He wasn’t the one stupid enough to try beaning Batman with some plywood.

Bruce was on one knee, looking up at Jason. “Don’t.” His fingers twitched toward his utility belt.

“You can’t stop me,” Jason taunted, pressing the blade against tender flesh until the person was squirming in his grasp and blubbering out incoherent pleas for mercy. “Hands where I can see ‘em, B.”

If Jason was anyone else, Bruce would’ve stopped him by now. A quick flick of his wrist to hit Jason with a tranq dart, was how he guessed Bruce would do it.

But he wasn’t just some rogue. He was Jason. And that made Bruce go still, actually listening to Jason’s demands.

“You’re just doing this for attention,” Bruce said carefully, keeping his whole body tense, but not moving it. “Let them go.”

“It’s working.” Jason shrugged, adjusting his hold on the stranger. “So can you blame me?”

“There are other ways to do it without-” Bruce briefly looked around the room at the bodies littered everywhere- “casualties. And innocent hostages.”

“Innocent?” Jason laughed. He turned to address the person he was holding. “Do you think you’re innocent? Why don’t you tell the Batman where these drugs were getting funneled.”

“I don’t- please, I just help packaging- I didn’t-”

Jason huffed in annoyance. “I’ll tell him for you. The middle school down the street. And if there was extra supply, the youth center just around the corner from it too. You remember that youth center don’t you, B? I slept there sometimes as a kid. It was warmer than the streets.”

Bruce’s mouth faintly twitched. His jaw was set. Jason could see him grappling with the rage of knowing exactly who these low lives were dealing to, while still wanting to tell Jason off for all the ugly murder.

How contradictory that nasty little moral code of his could be.

“Let them go,” Bruce spoke slowly, “and we’ll work together to figure out how-”

“Oh don’t even pretend,” Jason laughed. “Don’t pretend you would work with me for a second.”

“Let them go,” Bruce repeated. He seemed to pointedly avoid admitting to Jason’s point.

Jason let out a long hum like he was thinking about it. “I don’t know. What’s one more to my body count?” He started to press the blade.

Bruce moved inhumanely fast. He kicked up, knocking the knife out of Jason’s hand without hitting the gang member. His hands went for Jason’s throat and he managed to get Jason back on the ground. The gang member ran off, footsteps echoing until they were gone while Jason and Bruce grappled, trading punches and kicks until Bruce managed to pin Jason down. Blood was pouring from Jason’s nose and Bruce had human claw marks across his cheek.

Rough. Animalistic. Just the way Jason liked it.

“Why do you do this?” Bruce spoke through grit teeth. “Why do you make me do this?”

“Like you said,” Jason grunted, trying to twist out from Bruce. “I like the attention.” His struggles only got him pinned harder. Bruce forced Jason facedown against the concrete, with an arm twisted behind his back. Jason’s helmet was torn off and tossed to the side.

“I never want to hurt you,” Bruce actually sounded choked up about it. “Why do you have to take it too far every time?”

Jason would give anything to see his face, right now.

“Maybe I want you to hurt me,” Jason said. He looked at his hand resting against the concrete, blood still pouring out of the wound the batarang left. it was a bright, pulsing pain that danced across his reality, making his blood sing. He hoped it would scar. Another to add to the collection of ones he’d goaded Bruce into giving him.

“Why?” Bruce’s voice broke on the word. It was an ironic thing. How badly Bruce wanted to show Jason his mercy. His gentle side. And how badly Jason wanted Bruce’s violence. He wanted Bruce to fight Jason until Bruce’s knuckles were bloody and Jason was barely conscious. He wanted to feel Bruce’s violence down to the marrow.

Jason craned his head back to look at Bruce and smiled. “How else am I supposed to learn if you don’t punish me?”

Bruce stared. For a long moment, he was silent. Jason listened to his breathing like a lifeline. “You don’t actually believe that.” his voice was soft and laced with something that sounded dangerously close to concern.

Sentimental bastard.

“No,” Jason admitted. “We both know I’ll never learn.”

To prove his point, Jason grabbed a stray piece of glass from the ground and stabbed it into one of the weak spots on Bruce’s armor. It made Bruce’s grip loosen enough for Jason to roll free and try to kick Bruce in the face.

Bruce wasn’t fighting him. He only blocked Jason’s blows, and even then, let some of them hit. It was like fighting a brick wall. Hard and unrelenting.

It was starting to piss Jason off.

“Don’t be afraid to hurt me now, Bruce,” Jason said through grit teeth, throwing another punch. It sailed uselessly over Bruce’s shoulder when Bruce easily dodged.

“No.” Bruce’s expression was unreadable under his mask. “I’m not playing your game, Jason.”

“Damnit!” Jason could feel his anger threatening to take control. He kicked Bruce hard in the shin, forcing the man to his knees. Jason ripped Bruce’s cowl off. He wasn’t stopped by Bruce. Hard blue eyes stared up at him. Practically emotionless. “I know you hate me. I know you’re itching to rip my head off for…” Jason spread his arms, gesturing to all the bodies. “For this! For everything I’ve done.”

Bruce shook his head, hair stuck to his forehead with sweat. “I don’t hate you, Jason. I could never-” He doubled over when Jason’s knee connected with his stomach.

“Well you definitely don’t love me,” Jason snapped, ice dripping from his tone. “If you did… if you loved me, you would let me have this.”

“Killing people?”

“Hurting me,” Jason corrected. He snatched his kris off the floor from where it’d fallen to. He stared at the blade. “I’m sick of your pacificism. I’m sick of you pretending you don’t crave hurting someone and pretending to be someone you’re not.”

“I’ve never pretended,” Bruce looked at Jason through careful, hooded eyes. “That want… that need has always been a part of me. I take too much pleasure in hurting people. Pleasure in believing they deserve it.” He studied Jason for a moment. “I never wanted it to consume you the way it consumes me. Because I know it’s something you can’t come back from, once it takes root.”

Jason hated it when Bruce waxed poetic. It was a whole lot of bullshit that meant nothing to Jason. It did nothing to fight the roar of rage building in Jason’s chest.

“Do you want to hurt me?” Jason asked.

He needed Bruce to say yes.

He knew Bruce wouldn’t.

Even if it was the truth. Which now, Jason wasn’t so sure.

Bruce was silent. He didn’t give Jason any answer, not even a change in expression. Bruce just pushed himself to his feet and looked at his cowl that Jason was still holding.

“I love you, Jason,” Bruce said. He grabbed the cowl, but Jason didn’t let go. “I want to help you. Please let me help you in any other way that’s not… this.” Bruce’s thumb brushed over the still bleeding gash on Jason’s hand.

Jason tightened his grip on the cowl. “I’m not giving you the free pass to sleep easy at night,” he hissed. “You can’t take back any of the scars you’ve given me. And we both know sooner or later, there will be new ones.”

Bruce tore the cowl out of Jason’s hand. Before putting it on, he started to reach out for Jason’s face, but seemed to think against it, hand abruptly dropping. He opened his mouth to say something. An apology, probably.

A muffled, crackly voice came from inside the cowl. A police scanner, by the sounds of it. Jason only caught the words bomb threat and hostages.

So much for Bruce’s attention.

“Come with me?” Bruce offered, pulling his cowl on.

Jason shook his head. “You know you don’t want me there.”

“I always want you-” Bruce cut himself off, seeming to realize how dangerously vulnerable his words were. “The offer to come to me will always be open, Jason. You know that.”

Jason’s fist curled and his blood dripped onto the concrete. “Go to hell.”

Like that, the intimacy was gone. Bruce put his emotional mask back on to go with his physical one and turned heel, walking away. Jason just watched him go, some part of him foolishly waiting for Bruce to turn back and say something. Anything. He could get any other hero to handle the bomb threat. He could spare Jason just a few more moments of arguing and fighting. Maybe even something more.

But of course, he didn’t.

[mashmouths]

so i started this show and it just gets worse and worseeeee not only did it lift the romance subplot directly from twilight (and not well) but they also are trying to play the forbidden love angle hard in the fantasy racism vein except it's a "cross-species" relationship between the two whitest people i've ever seen in my life and there are three people of color in the whole (first season of the) show who aren't villains and it seems that every other episode (and sometimes ebery episode and sometimes twice an episode!) there is a man physically or magically subjugating a woman and i keep waiting for the big reveal at the end to be stolen from fucking rainbow rowell

[pitske]

I think you need a Software Upgrade!