#ut was one of the few things to do it decently because it made the violence VERY optional and also tedious and annoying

[starlit-mansion]

i think one of the reasons i am so hostile to certain parts of fandom (specifically the "what if innocuous mc rp was FUCKED UP AND ANGST") is that i grew to hate the tone creep in actual plays so much, like starting out with a silly goofus show about swinging your dick around and disembowelling a goblin for slapstick and 45 episodes later it's a therapy session every episode and everybody's stuck in an unending battle against their generational trauma and using the fact that it's a combat game where the main activity is to defeat difficult enemies as a way to psychologically torture their own characters for their complicity in a cycle of violence because it started to get a lot of fandom energy.................. It's not for me. It's the opposite of sitcom tone creep where everyone's essentially resolved their problems so now we keep shoving random side characters together to cobble together a plot, but i hate it just as much.

And I want to be so crystal clear here: this is what's known in the business as a "me" problem. i'm not saying it because i think anyone is making their art wrong. i'm just saying i'm not the audience and maybe other people aren't the audience either but have never seen it articulated, and to them i say, welcome to the middle of the road, let's stand here together where we are surely not in danger of being run off to either side

[floofanflurr]

Hi! I just read your fanfic, 'Heart on a Table' and gosh--It was so amazing!! I was hooked all the way from the start! Most importantly I liked the fact that atleast someone realised the fact that--Despite everything, Frisk is not ok. Like, they are stuck in a place where everyone wants them dead, and completely, utterly alone. And it's like people forget the fact that if it weren't for their determination and resets--Frisk would probably be dead. I Just--thank you for recognising what Frisk went through.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!

(This response is getting long so uh… let me put it under a cut:)

When I first started writing Heart on the Table around… 2 and a half years ago now? I think? (It won’t match the posting date! I wrote a first draft before I started posting online.) Yeah, when I first started writing it, there was… well, there was a pretty big lack of content about things actually addressing what happens to Frisk from a more realistic point of view.

People always treated them like this holy savior, or scorned them when they made a few mistakes, and I always struggled to find fanfiction where the monsters are forced to acknowledge “hey, no, wait, this is a KID. And this… is really fucked up, honestly.” And also for what happened to have a real impact on Frisk. Because, well, I’m pretty sure being murdered by the people you grow to love is incredibly traumatic????? Or even just being beaten within an inch of your life. There’s a lot of real impactful things that that could do to a child’s psyche—PTSD and self worth issues being only part of it.

There were, of course, a couple fanfictions with that I could find! But it was very few and far between.

(And of course, I’m a sucker for a LOT of different ut fanfiction- I’m not saying that stories have to do this! Just that it was a type of story I was looking for and couldn’t find.)

So!!! I wrote Heart on the Table! I tried to do a decent amount of research into child psychology, and the impacts of trauma on a child, and just… I tried to tackle it from a more sensitive, but also a more realistic perspective about what being hurt by your loved ones (while saying that it’s all for the greater good! That you HAVE to die for them to be happy! That you are being hurt because YOU are the problem!!!) would do to a child. …And, how that could lead to the personality traits we see in game.

To my utter delight, it’s easier to find this kind of content nowadays—(I wonder if Undertale Yellow had a hand in that?)—so I’m not one of the only ones outputting that kind of content (art and fics, etc.)

…to my less delight, I haven’t had time to read it! ALAS!

Sorry for the utter ramble here! Just!!! Thank you so much!!! It always delights me when people comment on the core reason Heart on the Table was written. (There were multiple factors and wants of course, but THIS is probably the whole driving force behind the story in the first place.)

[madness-of-void]

Final Cosplay Result!!!!

Here is the part two as promised!

All the goodness below the cut!

BAG

Since the last one screamed at me that I had hit my photo limit, we will start off with the bag I had for the con!

So, I got a plain messenger bag. It was a toss up between black or brown, and I went with black because, well...it just looked better. Then, I went on a pin buying spree to decorate!

I got these all on etsy from Sugarnova, TheGrayMuse, and TheseAreThings. If you like these, definitely give their shops a look! They have a ton more awesome pins and other goodies! (And the pics don't do them justice)

I had this button also lying around! Which, unfortunately, I have no idea where I got it from. And I searched everywhere to find the info for this. But, alas, nothing. So if you know who the artist of this is...please lemme know. I would love to link to their shop if they still have one, or to wherever they post!

Now...with all of that...here is the final result!

And, oh? What is this? Ink keychain? Yes! I do have one from a run in Sanny's kofi! It's no longer on there, BUT! Sanny does have new goodies in the shop right now! Which you should totally check out if you can.

Also...

Surprise Error ;3

LE COSPLAY!!!!

So! A few things:

1 - By the time I finally got a full pic of the cosplay...we were about to leave, I was exhausted, and I looked like a drowned rat. So...the only decent ones I got were...selfies ^^;

2 - The inkblot is on the correct side...but in selfie mode, my camera switches it, so it looks like it's on the wrong side for all but one (and the full shot) ;_;

3 - At one point, the blue vial decided it no longer wanted to be in the sash and yeeted itself to the floor. It didn't break! Thankfully. But the irony of that is not lost on me.

4 - The other person in the selfies is my sis. We also went with our baby sib and their bestie, but I am not posting those since we are adults and they are not.

Okay! That's it. So, without further ado...the very few pics!

(Pardon the setting. Had the best lighting in my current residence.)

Aaaand that's it! Again, was such a rough cosplay for me to throw together, despite it not being the most complex I've seen. But as someone who really doesn't do anything with like...this? It was hard XD

Thanks for letting me ramble about something as silly as this. I won't really be doing that for next year since I literally already have everything, I just have to tidy up the wig.

Once again, as stated in my last post, the hoodie was made by @simakai! And I 150% recommend checking out her shop! They are amazing, super comfy, and there's more than just UT/UTMV goodies there!

Toodle pip!

[autumnslance]

On the topic of picking at the lore of Ultima Thule, I want your thoughts on something that I keep saying to my friends but none of them seem to grasp.

Zenos.

I understand that most people hate him, but to me, he represents an important concept in the narrative message of Endwalker, and Ultima Thule specifically.

All throughout UT, the Scions talk about very typical ways to combat despair. Believe things will get better. Plan for the future even if you think you don't have one. To me, it's all very... "just think happy thoughts". It's trite and fictional and unattainable.

But Zenos, to me, represents a much more attainable type of resistance, particularly for ND people like myself:

Goals. Zenos wants thing. Zenos is aware of despair but it's not relevant because he wants thing.

I'm probably phrasing this badly, but I'd like your thoughts on this take on Zenos during the final events, if you're willing.

All right, let's go below the cut for it then.

To start, I don't think "just think happy thoughts" is what's going on for the Scions; it's more of a fight and hold out hope for a future for others without expectation of seeing it themselves, which is their goal, even if not stated as blatantly as Zenos. It's all for each other, and/or for the WoL, and mostly for the people of Eitherys--not themselves. Also, don't forget the boys' beach conversation very early in Thavnair, where Estinien and Thancred talk about their own worst moments of depression, pain, and even suicidal thoughts.

The Scions have their various hangups and traumas and issues, focusing on what they can do for others even if they can't for themselves. Their response to their various pains are to do something about them and ensure things get better because they tried to make it better, even if there comes a day they don't see those results--which they respond to Meteion/her recreations with a few times when they say "yeah, we're going to die one day, and all our dreams and good and bad works with us--so what? What we do now matters."

(Also there are actual recovery/treatment methods consisting of training oneself to think neutrally, then positively, over time, as a way to combat the various ways our brains can lie to us depending on one's situation, but that's best worked out with a decent therapist, when finally finding one)

That said, Zenos is another angle of the spectrum of ways of dealing with despair. He's had a lot of experiences that would be traumatic as well, but he doesn't bother dealing with any of it. None of it really matters to him. His response to Jullus in Garlemald really puts forth his philosophy best; life has no meaning but what one gives it. It's a very True Nihilist approach, which is not that life sucks so nothing matters, it's that life has no meaning unless we decide it does. It's also An answer to Hermes' questions, and a good point, if made by one of the worst people we know.

The Scions are selfless in their trauma responses to despair and the goals they set to combat it. Zenos is selfish; he has his goal and he doesn't really care about anything or anyone else in the process of attaining it. He incidentally causes pain in others because they really don't matter to him--only his goal does, and it's no excuse for what he does to his own people, let alone the Domans and Mhigans.

He only agrees to help because in the frustration of realizing the WoL isn't going to care about him until they've set aside their distractions, he had to concede Alisaie had a point; no one cared about Zenos because he made himself shunned and irrelevant with those selfish goals. People are inherently social creatures, even us introverts, and Zenos stands outside social contracts by choice.

(though he does work best as a wandering blood knight, not a political or military leader who's boredom and doing nothing is the only reason we free Doma and Ala Mhigo; so much of my annoyance regarding Zenos is just his poor intro and nonsense actions in Stormblood. It was a Zenos fan who pointed out you can remove him from that story and nothing actually changes, which is bad writing for a primary antagonist meant to mirror the Assumed Default PC Hero).

So Zenos helps out in Endwalker, but only because it gets him what he wants. He has no angst because he really doesn't see meaning to life outside of his own chosen, too-narrow focus. He's a lonely, broken little boy who never grew out of his "me me me" bully stage. He doesn't grasp reasons to care enough to have angst. Which works, but not in a good way. He is still meant to be a villain, but I don't think that they succeeded in making him a tragic one, though tragedy is there in the background.

Besides, he got everything he truly wanted. He won, cue the victory fanfare.

I didn't mind the fight in the end. I knew it had to come, I rolled my eyes a bit, laughed a little, and thought the cutscene work was excellent. It works for a Generic Default WoL, mileage will vary on how one likes the fight for one's own WoL, let alone how one cares about Zenos. It's a very Final Fantasy ending harking back to some other games and fitting for the character.

As for the grouses that he should be able to come back yet again; it took a miracle, a desire for home/life/etc for the WoL to get out--but Zenos doesn't have that. He had everything he wanted right there. The Ragnarok is nowhere near the Final Day subdimension (also the "two places at once" thing feels like gameplay with a story lampshade thrown on, rather than story using gameplay elements; there's a difference). As for "being an Ascian in all but name," he's black mask level. He needed a body nearby the last time he accidentally committed metempsychosis, like they did; there isn't any out there. Maybe with time he'd have grown to red mask levels, but most of his power was his own, with the Resonance giving him some handy new tools in his already impressive arsenal.

Also frankly, the writers played with too much of a good thing in Stormblood with all the returns of thought-dead characters. Zenos got what he wanted, and it's good fight with a cool finale. It'd be hard to take him, or the writing team, seriously if they brought him back again, IMO.

I am really interested in what his avatar's gonna do now that they're back in the Thirteenth and freed of the pact, though. Who are they, what do they want, were they influenced by Zenos? Time will tell.

[pythors-pandemic]

the big list of ninjago quotes

on my most recent rewatch, I wrote down any and all lines I enjoyed and for no reason other than @ninja-go-to-therapy was interested in seeing the list, I’m posting them. side note: a lot of these I wrote down simply because of the voice acting, not necessarily the words themselves. with that, here are 279 ninjago quotes

Season 1

“we’re saving a girl?! is she hot?”

“let’s chop sucky this lemonade stand”

“if i see one girl in here, i’m gonna go ballistic”

“uh.. is that wrecking ball staring at me?”

“this is not the time to be cryptic”

“how am i supposed to strike fear in this?! it’s pink!”

“it’s a magic floating rope”

“great observation, mr roboto”

“zane, like a machine. don’t change a thing”

“perhaps if you try the phrase ‘fire DORK’ maybe it might work”

“oh great. just what i like: fighting armed deadly snakes in a highly combustible environment about to BLOW UP!”

“haha, this is heavy and all, but what ever happened to the FANGBLADE?!”

“i mean at least give me a decent mustache” 

“get ready to get kai’ed!”

“woah grease ball! how about warn us before doing that!”

“ninja recover!”

“what?! you try fighting up here!”

“all that action, it makes you so thirsty”

“we’re so HOOPED!”

Season 2

“i can make a little extra if i do the human piñata” 

“it’s a bad boy thing”

“oh that is just so evil”

“why do i always get tied up?”

“this is bad! this is so bad on SO MANY LEVELS!!”

“it makes me feel young, deal with it”

“hey McNasty, i thought ninja were on your menu”

“this does not compute” *shorts out*

“ I believe a big ut oh is in order”

“and nya will never fall head over heels for jay!”

“NO MATTER WHAT YOU NEED TO CONVINCE HIM TO GO WITH YOU!”

“easy big guy! maybe this is a sign you need to lose a few pounds!”

“HEY! OPEN THE WINDOW! LET ME IN”

“what’s my power?” “uhh. hot air?”

“good riddance vampire fish!”

“jay, how did you ever become a ninja? seriously!”

“wrong again, mr. empty-head”

“zane. no”

Season 3

“my name was clearly on it!” “i didn’t see motor mouth on it!”

“who you callin ‘pedestrian’?” 

“yeah well i’m super hooped and i haven’t brushed my teeth in a week!!”

“it almost hit my mother”

“i know it’s a clue, zap trap”

“these toasters never know when to quit!”

“just testing the rules. first rule: cole’s a crybaby!”

“i can’t do it! i can’t do it! I CANT DO IT!!”

“I’m kind of a.. secret agent. *gasps* oops! guess it’s not a secret anymore”

“relax, when have i ever been careless”

“this car is worth far more than you”

“like all boys, you can be reprogrammed”

“his wisdom takes a while to set in. WE DONT HAVE A WHILE!”

“i can’t wait to see the expressions in the faces of those metal chrome domes” “they’re nindroids nimrod, they don’t have expressions”

“i owe you one” “okay, stay away from nya” “maybe a different one”

“it’s a BUG >:(“

“BAD GLOWY! BAD!”

Season 4

“i’m a ninja, and you are wearing makeup”

“fire will melt her icy heart”

“i feel guilt! these are bad feelings”

“see what this island is doing to me?! ITS CORRUPTING ME!”

“jay, would you stopmakingnoise?!”

“you just had to leave me hanging, huh romeo”

“mine are made of rock, what a crock >:(“

“ooo looks like kai’s got the hots for her”

“kai’s heart is on fire! kai’s heart is on fire! kai’s heart is on fire!”

“stop licking your tattoos”

“eat dirt, bluebell!”

“pixel?! you got a girl stuck in your head??”

“aahugh! my leg! get kai off me!!”

“just tell me one thing. was it his idea to make me fall for you, or yours? because it worked”

“you saved me for a reason. and you know i’m far to fetchy to resist ;)”

“curse this fraudulent furniture”

“everything’s a weapon in the big house!” * proceeds to brush enemies teeth*

“when people try to bust out of jail, they do it quietly, not LITERALLY”

“that’s one way to cool off a hot head!”

Season 5

“JUST TAKE THE FLYER!”

“woah! i think he just broke the sound barrier”

“yeah i know we’re terrible students!”

“woah, lloyds gone through puberty”

“hey! no one calls me pathetic!”

“you hear that kai?! we’re gonna fly!”

“why is it when lloyds gone, we always look to kai? we should be following zane”

“he turned my wolloper into a ghost! no one turns my wolloper into a ghost!!”

“no we don’t pinch! we don’t even have pockets!!”

“sure we can’t understand zane, but could we ever?”

“incase you haven’t noticed, there’s flying weapons trying to slide and dice us!”

“what is it?! what’s down there??? oh wait! don’t tell me! i don’t wanna know!”

“why would you touch the scary picture, jay? “i didn’t know it would do that, cole!”

“well, go face him, jay” “arugh! you go face him!”

“ohh i’m such a dummy”

“be the key, cole. BE THE KEY!”

“WHY DO I GET THE UNCONTROLLABLE SLEAD!!”

“you again >:(“ “you say that as if it’s a bad thing”

“you’d fight someone unarmed?” “that’s a good question, yes”

“ hate to spoil what’s next, but just because you’re in my friends body, watch out!”

“*snorts* i’m sorry, he said buttheads”

“i bet that’s what all nindroids say” “if you’re implying that smell came from me-“

“WHY ARENT WE LISTENING TO THE CLUE?!”

“STAY TOGETHER? IM JUST TRYING TO STAY IN ONE PIECE”

“hey guys, guess what?! i get an AWESOME EYEPATCH!”

“all you ninja do is talk, blah blah blah”

“AHH HES ATTACKING AN UNARMED MAN!”

“we’re not stalling! we’re thinking! he’s totally right, i’m stalling”

“augh this guy really chaps my hide”

“ughh! i hate unbeatable creatures!”

“let me handle the blowhard”

Season 6

“my hair is sick!”

“my followers have needs too”

“excuse me, which fruit is black?!” “uh, blackberries?” “shut it, jay” >:(

“it wasn’t me, dad! IT WASNT ME!”

“statistically speaking, your witty banter only gets us into more trouble”

“yeah but are you the master of kablewy”

“and we’re shuffling, we’re shuffling”

“working for a crime boss isn’t a very reliable career choice”

“YOU ATE OUR ONLY WAY OUT?!!”

“not now, sprocketarm”

“gosh why are you pirates so long winded!”

“i told you to hurry up!” “would you be quiet and run!”

“you have to act as our lightning rod!”

“the only thing i can see is your stupid hand, jay”

“AHHH HAAH ITS SO BIG!!”

“if i get out of here, i’m gonna bite YOU!”

“sorry for the delay, i’ve never had to milk the face of a giant spider before!”

“sorry pal, i don’t know who this lost love of yours is, but she ain’t nya”

“we’ll all be hooped if he has infinite wishes”

“you got what you wished for boulder brain!”

“we really need to start LISTENING TO ME!”

“said from the heart?! hearts don’t talk!”

“the world is falling apart and he’s eating soup!”

Season 7

“I DONT KNOW BUT ITS LOUD!”

“self diagnostic indicates negative” *jay hits him* “how about now?” “…no”

“leftie, rightie, nice to meet you. also, DO BETTER!”

“plate! show! clipboard!”

“we have a plan— go kick some butt”

“why am i so good? it’s a curse really”

“you can do this, you can do this. I CANT DO THIS IM TOO FREAKED!”

“you call this stabilizing?!” “i’m trying!” “try harder!!”

“let’s run straight at eachother and see if this will slow us down before we collide!” *all laugh*

“faster, jay!” “you’re so slow, cole!”

“sounds like someone’s earned his blackbelt in being a wet blanket”

“maybe they didn’t hear it!” *a second later* “no, they did”

“bring it on you vermillion doof!”

“yeah! that’s what i’m talking about! vermillion done! workers saved! ninja in the swamp!!”

“no matter how many times you watch those suckers hatch, it’s always gross”

“MOVE YOUR BUTT, ZANE!”

“did you just speak?” “no… okay that time i did”

“not just you you, young you too wu”

Season 8

“i could kiss ya, pix!” “i do not think zane would approve”

“cole, master of earth. and this is jay, master of blabber” “lightning”

“i told you not to introduce yourself as the master of earth, no one knows what that means”

“no you boldhead”

“who likes ice cream? i do!”

“it is nice to have a pooper at the party”

“they’re coles” “they’re BLUE!” “you’re lucky they’re not yellow”

“she’s also creepy” “par for the course in a mystical tea shop, jay”

“what sort of power does the green ninja have?” “it’s some kind of energy or green light. i don’t know, like all our elemental powers rolled into one”

“zane! knock me out! do something!”

“you lied? mystake why would you do that? i thought we were friends :(“

“it’s me zane, cole? or should i say my alias, rocky dangerbuff” 

“what is cole doing?!” “i don’t know but please tell me someone is recording”

“haha! come here you little sucker”

“totally called it!” “you did not” “did to!”

“he did not just!” “he just did!”

“at least cole jr’s fine, so we can give the diapers to jay!”

“who knows! he’s a living fortune cookie. everything he does is a puzzle meant to TORTURE US!”

“i’ve got an itch, you mind coming over here to scratch it ;)”

“this can end one of two ways, either you can hand the mask over peacefully” “i don’t even have to know the rest of the choices, i like that one” “or we’re gonna get all ninja up on you” “what does that even mean?” “i don’t know. i was improvising”

“don’t make me zap you!” *zaps him*

“did you just tell yourself to hold on..?”

“if that’s lord garmadon, i’m lord of the jig” “then you better start jigging”

“and kai knows bad ideas, he’s full of them!”

“to go” “to gooo?” *nodds* “to go”

“i’m sorry, we totally should’ve knocked”

“my brother is coming.” “how do you know?” “i know”

Season 9

“foil, i found foil!!!”

“you not freaking out, is freaking ME OUT” 

“kai baby, it’s much easier coping with life’s problems when you let go of hope!”

“yeah, he’s totally lost it” “no, i’ve totally found it”

“pfft that’s rich, now we’re teaching him lessons he taught us!”

“quit messing with my tunes, man”

“that was a learning experience”

“so, watcha doing, jay?” “it’s my new video game console, i built it myself”

“ooo are we playing hide and seek?”

“who’s diapers are those?” “uh, they’re jay’s— tell them jay” “oh.. i have a weak bladder”

“okie dokie, off we go”

“this isn’t good, jay. this is bad”

“oh boy. i believe jay’s mental state has made him useless to our plight”

“i borrowed it earlier, just like how you borrowed my wisdom”

“can this get any better!” “can you get anymore nuts!”

“and here i thought we were at rock bottom,” *while laughing* “this is so much worse”

“if i’m going out, i’m going out with bells on”

“how do we get out of here alive?!” “the sooner you realize we can’t, the more fun it’ll be”

“i do not believe that is possible…” “i was being scarcastic” 

“we did it! we did it! we did it!”

“then stay at home, tinsil toes”

“tell me you have a plan” “it’s in the works” “he doesn’t have a plan”

“easier to grow a little than to lose a lot”

“a teenager?! now we’re in for it”

“how do we know one of them isn’t already pretending to be ONE OF US?!” “oh zip it, jay”

“you know what you need? confidence” “you mean cocky, like you?”

“haha! we should teach him how to drive next”

“listen to me you silly master of dunce!”

“could you pass a roasted lizard stick up here?! i’m kind of hungry too!”

“did i… did i do that right? a joke?”

“that’s not fair you bullied them!”

“oh my gosh! he just grew a mustache!”

“THEY ARE GONNA EAT US!”

“if you are gonna eat us, eat him first he’s full of cake!” “am not!”

“i know, the commute is terrible”

Season 10

“i find the term ‘freak out’ inadequate and imprecise”

“i can’t believe i have to babysit my own father”

“you gotta just do it, jay! it’s like ripping off an old bandaid, the sooner you get it over with, the better” “uhm did you just compare nya to an old bandage?” “way to go, cole. way to take the romance out of it”

“ha! fat chance”

“i wouldn’t trust you with a… a… a…” “a pillow! what.. it’s the least threatening thing i could think of”

“oh c’mon that was awesome!” “it was adequate!” 

“we thought we lost you, you jerk!”

“we really need to talk about your sense of timing, jay”

Season 11

“get his legs! hold him!” “those are MY legs!!”

“i looked it in the eye!”

“yeah of all the bad ideas i’ve heard, and i’ve heard a few, looking at you kai, this takes the cake”

“guys guys, you’re both to valuable to risk. it should be someone expendable, like jay.”

“cole! you could’ve smashed kai!”

“you say that like i should be totally cool running into a long deceased explorer” 

“i think i swallowed my teeth”

“worst parking spot ever”

“that would save us hours and hours of slow boring back breaking work. oh well, we’ll just have to do it the slow boring back breaking way”

“speaking of slow, where’s kai?”

“fire maker has more miracles”

“you made me go back to the bounty for the travelers tea and it fell of a cliff!”

“pull me up! quick!” “i can’t! you’re too heavy!” “what are you trying to say!?”

“nya, whatever you’re doing DO IT FASTER!”

Season 12

“take that! obsolete file formats!”

“use the VCRs!” “what’s a VCR?”

“yeah, who would know a guy super into stealing things has a lot of stuff”

“not again! cant i go like two seconds without losing my elemental power?!”

“hey guys, do you know who’s totally lame? unagami that’s who!”

“anyone who likes jay that much can’t be normal”

“ninja vs bushes!”

“great! now i can see what i’m looking at, and it’s even worse”

“how do you get a ninja to cross the road? by saying ninja go!”

“that was a terrible joke” “you got a better one?!”

“keep those shoulders back! find your center!”

“lead with your hips!”

“nobody puts cole in the corner!”

“it was time for these two gumshoes to beat feet”

“she had saved my nindroid bacon”

“you are beginning to get on my nerve circuits”

“my heart did not reveal that! every part of me is annoyed!”

“is the mechanic doing your detective thing too? this is just weird!”

“if only this were a pizza joint. pizza would never betray be like this!”

Season 13

“it’s like… like, totally super cool!”

“pfft, that’s gotta be made up” 

“AHHH NOT MADE UP NOT MADE UP NOT MADE UP!!!!”

“it’s not that we don’t believe you…” “i don’t believe him :)”

“hey buddy! hey there. name’s cole, ninja. i heard there was some jerk down here, chaining people up, making them work. you seen any jerks around?”

“baushau it’s in mouth it’s in mouth babbbuuhwv i think i’m gonna barf”

“we aren’t skeletons! i mean we have skeletons obviously, but there’s so much more to us. like veins and organs and stuff” “i have none of those things”

“my first notion as chancellor is for everyone to stop THROWING STUFF AT ME!”

“oh great! now i’m hanging from a skeleton who’s hanging from a root! and i’m talking to myself again”

“don’t think about how gross this is, don’t think about how gross this is. ohuwha i’m thinking about it. i’m thinking about it!”

“you!” “shall!” “not!” “be granted permission to traverse beyond this point!”

“eat my dust!”

“i’m looking at the skull, it’s not as ugly”

Season 14

“zippy!! let’s call him zippy!”

“how can i be a gift?” “yeah? who would want jay?” “uhm… me?”

“we’re friends remember? i’m just a jay”

“i happen to think i am quite valuable thank you very much!”

“you’re gonna see the inside of a jail cell for this, ronin”

Season 15

“this is somewhat troubling”

“we’re being haunted by the ghost of some butler! probably named ducklesworth or something”

“jay honey, that reminds me. i need to teach you how to bleach your boxer shorts”

“zane, you don’t require a breathing device.” “yes, but i like how it completes my attire”

“THIS IS NO WAY TO TREAT A TOURIST!”

“The citizens of bubbletubbuleopolis will not be pleased!! this will affect your tourism!”

“your chair does have a seatbelt, jay”

“cake is usually the answer to everything!”

“that is what i just said! why are you repeating me?!”

“yeah! take that you big worm!”

“SHE THINKS IM A CHEW TOY!!”

“think, what would zane do? actually no. think, what would kai do?”

so yeah i’m deeply in love with this show

[just-here-for-the-moment]

For the DIFFERENT POV GAME:

I want Javi’s POV on this whole adorable scene.

Okay, my Queen @quica-quica-quica, I want you to know that I suuuuucked in a huge breath when I saw this Ask, because I was entirely unsure if I could do this. It seemed like a really hard challenge, but FOR YOU I’ll try anything.

I dug in to see what I could do, and of course because I can’t just write succinctly I had to start waaaaaay back in the beginning of the story to get Javier where I needed him for the phone number scene… hope that’s okay!!

Thank you for challenging me this way! This went from scary to amazing in just a few days! I love you so much, my friend!!!

---

Coffee Shop Girl (a companion piece to “For Now” told from Javier’s point of view)

Word count: 3000+

Rating: mature, 18+ only

Outline: Javier Peña x “You” (Austin coffee shop barista; cis/het female reader; “blank canvas”/no physical description/no name/no use of “Y/N”)

Warnings: slow-burn; references to previous hiring of sex workers; cigarette smoking; Javier masturbating

Javier Peña felt like he was at loose ends. Not for the first time in his life, but it’s different feeling ‘lost’ as a young man than feeling ‘lost’ when you’re on the wrong side of 40. At least a teenager can still expect their whole life ahead of them. Since leaving the DEA and the fight in Colombia behind, he had been feeling directionless.

Spending some time at his dad’s ranch in Laredo had helped, the way that hard labor and sweat always does. It left him too tired to ruminate, to sink into the blues and feel sorry for himself. He had lined up a teaching job at a university in D.C. but it didn’t start until the fall semester, and Javier wasn’t looking forward to an entire blazing-hot summer on the ranch. So when his friend Bill called from Austin and offered a short contract job doing consulting for one of the state agencies, he jumped at the chance.

Javier landed at Mueller Airport at 2:00 in the afternoon on the second Saturday in June. He made his way out of luggage pickup to the Hertz desk and signed for a rental car. It didn’t take him long to find the apartment complex where Bill had arranged for him to stay. Bill’s coworker’s son had graduated from UT Austin in May, and the lease wasn’t up until August, so everything worked out perfectly. Javi could sublet for the remainder of the summer, and the apartment complex was close enough to the office that he could take the bus, meaning he wouldn’t have to put too many miles on the rental car or pay for parking downtown. A small, blandly furnished one-bedroom apartment near work was perfect. He could make it work for two months, and he had certainly lived in much worse places during his years traveling.

On Monday Javier was introduced around the office and given his portfolio of cases to consult on. He also found out that the coffee in the office was total shit. He had spent too many years drinking government-grade slop at the DEA and other agencies to put up with it now. He wasn’t one to complain, or to order any of the frilly new designer coffee drinks that seemed to be making the rounds among the ladies in the secretarial pool, but he had noticed a coffee shop between here and the bus stop. Some local place, one of those Austin things where they boasted about fair trade and locally roasted beans. If they made a decent cup of black coffee he could splurge, buy a cup on his way into the office each day.

The bus dropped him off at the corner at 7:45, so he could grab a coffee and still be on time to work at 8:00. Punctuality wasn’t always his strong suit, but Javier wanted to at least make a good impression while he was consulting. You never knew who might be a network contact to something good, and he didn’t want to screw Bill over after he had recommended him for the contract.

Tuesday Javier tried the coffee shop and found out that their coffee was not only decent for the price, it was actually good. Wednesday he went back again, this time brushing fingers with the pretty barista by accident. He offered her a “thanks” and then went on his way. Thursday he walked in and stood patiently in line behind two stoner kids trying to make up their minds between breakfast tacos and blueberry muffins. The pretty barista was there again, and she waved him over with a smile, indicating he could skip to the counter and leave the hippie kids in line.

“Black coffee, right?” Her smile actually reached her eyes, and for a moment Javier was very glad for all of the body language and psychology classes he had ever had to sit through. It was nice having a pretty lady smile at you to start your morning, and even better that this one already knew his order. She was quick, he figured, and good at her job if she had his order memorized after only two days as a customer. Not that ‘black coffee, to go’ was a difficult order, but he hadn’t expected to become a regular so quickly.

He smiled and nodded, “That’s right. Thank you.” He looked for a wedding ring and then for a nametag on her black apron, but didn’t see either one. He slid a rumpled $5 bill across the counter, larger than the singles he had paid with the previous two days, but she was nice. “Keep the change.”

He thought he saw her bite her lip as she turned away, and while she was fixing his cup he took a moment to check her out. He wasn’t some kind of pervert who would goose her from over the counter, but from what he could see she was attractive. Hell, most women were attractive to Javier. He suddenly realized it had been a while since he’d gotten laid. His last relationship was years past, and he no longer visited prostitutes regularly. Javier wasn’t a ‘reformed man’ by any means, it was just that that habit had been limited to a specific time and place in his life where he wasn’t stable enough to have a long-term relationship, and it had the added bonus of gathering intelligence.

The barista turned back to him with the cup and when she handed it off their eyes locked and their fingers touched again. He saw her pupils dilate and recognized the little spark that turned over in his own gut. Damn, she really was attractive. But Javier didn’t want to be the kind of lecherous guy who hit on a woman while she was working. Too many men mistook the minimum of customer service friendliness for a sexual invitation. Or worse, like the men who hit on waitresses on purpose since they couldn’t be outright rude to stop them. Javier suppressed a smile and took the cup from her, nodding his thanks.

On Friday when he breezed into the coffee shop he saw the pretty barista smile from behind the counter, and she immediately turned and started pouring his to-go cup. She turned back and gave him the ‘what’s up’ chin nod while holding his cup up. Javier walked up and he slid a few singles across the counter to her.

Javier gave her a warm, “Thanks,” and winked at her. That was at least a harmless bit of flirting, in line with her bright smiles and her friendliness so far. If she liked it, great; and if not, then at least he hadn’t made her uncomfortable by asking for her number or hitting on her directly. When he said, “See you next week,” she smiled that bright smile back. Javier noticed that it again reached her eyes, lighting them up just a bit more than last time. A good sign.

The weekend dragged but Javier filled it up with errands: a run to HEB for groceries and to Highland Mall for a new shirt. If there was the possibility of a date sometime in the next few weeks he at least wanted to wear something other than his work clothes. Saturday night he ordered pizza and watched a movie on TV, some lame action movie with giant muscled guys shooting way too many bullets, and of course all the curse words and a sex scene edited out for network TV. Can’t let the kiddies hear the word ‘shit’ while they’re flipping channels, but watching Stallone blow a guy’s head off is good for their growing brains. He finished his pizza and a cigarette and then felt that tug, the loose ends, a little bored.

Javier took a shower and his mind went to the pretty barista, that smile, the sparkly eyes. He thought about those eyes looking up at him through her lashes, or down at him from on top. He wondered what her skin felt like, imagining the rest of her naked, spread out, touching him all over. He felt a little bit creepy touching himself to the thought of her, hoping it didn’t make him a bad person, hoping he would see her again on Monday. But fuck it, he needed the release. Javier came, spurting hot in the steamy shower as he leaned his head on his forearm and groaned into the cold tile wall. He wished he at least knew her name.

Sunday Javier slept in and then did laundry, tidied up the apartment, and took a jog around the neighborhood. He tried to talk himself out of a repeat of Saturday’s shower. It didn’t work.

On Monday Javier lit up as soon as he stepped off the bus. The first week of the consulting gig had gone well, but today was a big meeting and he knew the agency was not going to like his recommendations. He was constantly trying to quit, but at least he had cut back recently. He was down to a pack a day and only one cup of coffee. That had to count for something, right? Maybe his doctor would finally get off his back about that.

He smoked as rapidly as he could on his way to the coffee shop, and stubbed the cigarette out as soon as he reached the big window that overlooked the street corner. He tucked his sunglasses into the top pocket of his blazer and opened the door to the coffee shop.

The pretty barista was smiling, looking right at him and already holding up his cup of coffee like a game show model holding a prize. Javier felt his heart give a little squeeze, and he smiled and winked at her again as he approached the counter.

“You psychic or something? Or am I just that predictable?”

“Both, maybe.” She wiggled her eyebrows at him and gave him a toothy grin.

Javier opened his wallet and saw that his smallest bill was a $10, but he decided not to ask for change back. She was attentive to her customers, she had surprised him by having coffee ready, and she was cute. “Great service, keep the change.”

Her face lit up and she turned to put the money in the register. Javier turned and exited the front door, and then decided to look back through the big plate glass window. She was looking at him, and Javier realized that meant that she had watched him leave. He hoped he wouldn’t have to tip $10 every time to get that look. He lifted his cup, nodded at her, and then made his way to the office.

Tuesday she had his coffee ready again, so he gave her another wink with his smile, and he thought that she purposely put her fingers in a spot to touch his as she handed the cup over. He paid with a $5 bill again, and then thought about her smile and her touch all the way to the office a few blocks north. He didn’t want her to think that the overtipping was him trying to come on to her; it really was nice to have his order ready to go every day.

On Wednesday she had his coffee ready again as soon as he walked in, but Javier supposed that was a testament to the bus schedule more than his own punctuality. This time he paid with singles. But he didn’t want her to think the smaller tip was because of anything wrong with her customer service, so he smiled a little more warmly, turning the charm up as much as he dared without just outright hitting on her. He noticed she was looking again through the glass as he left. But of course the only reason he knew that was because he had looked, too.

On Thursday Javier decided that it wouldn’t hurt to flirt a little more obviously, but to give her an out in case she wasn’t interested. He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable or fuck up his supply of good coffee, so he decided to take it a little slow. When he got to the corner he glanced into the window of the coffee shop and saw the pretty barista looking right at him. He took that as a good sign that she might be receptive to his flirting. He opened the door and let someone exit, then walked up to the counter. She pointed at his cup sitting on the counter in front of her, smiling that bright smile.

He arched an eyebrow up. “You trying to get rid of me? In and out so quickly?”

She grinned at him. “Depends on how long you were planning to stay. We close at 1:00 a.m. after open mic tonight. After that you gotta go somewhere else.” That was the most that she’d spoken to him yet. Javier decided to take his chance.

“And what time do you get off, after the morning shift?”

“Depends on who’s asking.” She winked and then bit the inside of her lips, like she had said something she shouldn’t have.

Javier decided to be direct. At least that would give her the chance to say ‘no’ if she wasn’t interested. He locked eyes with her and said, “I am.”

He was relieved to see her flash that big smile, all pretty soft lips and sparkly eyes. “I finish at 1:00, after the lunch rush.”

“Good to know.” He stuck his hand out to shake. “I’m Javier, by the way.” She continued to smile as she gave him her name. When she took his hand she gave a good firm shake, not like one of those women who went limp as soon as they shook a man’s hand. Javier liked her even more.

He fished a few bills out of his wallet. “Can I maybe stop by after your shift, take you to lunch sometime?”

“You can do me one better than that.” She reached down to grip the lid and spun the cup. He saw her name and seven digits scribbled in Sharpie. “My phone number’s on the cup.”

Javier gave her the eyebrows, very much enjoying how direct she was. It was nice to get a clear signal from a pretty lady, instead of having to play guessing games and worry about overstepping. He pursed his lips and nodded in approval.

“You do that for all your customers?”

“Just the best tippers.” And there was her pretty smile and her wink again, so soon after the first one.

Javier decided to give her both barrels. He put his hand out again, palm up instead of a handshake. When she put her hand in his he lifted her knuckles to his lips and pressed a soft kiss, giving her a look from under his eyelashes before he let go.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Javier picked up the cup and left, and gave her a warm smile through the glass as he walked away. As soon as he got to the office he jotted her name and the number on a scrap of paper and tucked it into his wallet. He felt hopeful in a way that he hadn’t for a long time, and he rolled the cup endlessly between his palms while he considered his options. Options. Something he sometimes had taken for granted in life, until those moments where they suddenly ran out.

Javier drained the last of the coffee and then scribbled over her number with a Sharpie before tossing the cup in the trash. No sense in letting her number out into the world where some creep might find it. He smoked his third cigarette of the day out on the plaza and thought about her smile, the brush of her fingers on his, the way she approached him directly. He could use a friend in town, one who wasn’t a guy at the agency or an old college buddy. One who was soft and sweet and might be open to a date… or more. He checked his watch and calculated the hours until 1:00 p.m.

Normally he wouldn’t go back to the coffee shop until tomorrow morning, but it wouldn’t hurt to pop back over there today at the end of her shift, see if she wanted to grab lunch, right? He hoped it wouldn’t scare her off, going back so quickly. He stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray by the lobby door and jogged back up to his office, taking the stairs two at a time. He wanted to finish up, get this meeting over with, see if he could get over to the coffee shop before she left. He sat in the meeting, watching the clock hands spin slowly, listening to someone drone on about a budget issue that didn’t impact his work, and which could have been a memo in the first place. He felt his irritation creep up the longer the meeting went on.

Finally the meeting closed and Javier hopped to his feet. He told Bill he was headed to lunch and then jogged back down the stairwell instead of waiting for the elevator. He walked the few blocks to the coffee shop, keeping an eye on his watch. He hoped he wouldn’t miss her.

When he got to the coffee shop he opened the door and let his eyes adjust to the dim light for a moment. And then he saw her, slinging her bag over one shoulder and coming out from behind the counter. Javier smiled.

She stopped a foot away and smiled softly, “Hey.”

Javier realized he was still wearing his sunglasses, no wonder it was so dark. He took them off and slipped them into his blazer pocket. He really hoped she wouldn’t think it was weird, him coming back so soon.

“Hey, I’m glad I caught you. Are you busy, or can I take you to lunch today?”

Her face lit up. Good sign. “No, I’m not busy. I’d love to go.”

She gestured out the big window, “There’s a sandwich place around the corner, and a park we can go sit in.”

Javier felt his face split into a wide grin. “That’s perfect.”

---

Just-here-for-the-moment’s masterlist

The only tag list I have: @quica-quica-quica @anaaaispunk @justanotherblonde23 @gracie7209 @nicolethered @honestly-shite @driedgreentomatoes @dihra-vesa @1800-fight-me @the-queen-of-fools @juletheghoul @kesskirata @honeymandos @silverwolf319 @mourningbirds1 @greeneyedblondie44 @spacedilf @maxwell–lord @anxiousandboujee @cevvie @sherala007 @writeforfandoms @libellule2001 @deadhumourist @mandoalorian @javierpinme @eri16 @mandocrasis

[super-hero-girls-netflix]

How about both if you want? If not you can choose.

Emotional questionnnnn: What if a superhero died (including Batman and Superman cause why not >:))?

Uhmm...I'm going to talk mostly about if they just witnessed the death of the others since I don't think I'm ready to unpack the emotional baggage of killing a friend. ( But if you also about a specific kill with specific details on how it happened you can bet I'll give you a specific answer.)

It's clear in the aftermath of Superman vs Barman that Superman's death would take a toll on the civilians. He's iconic that way, I think it would be especially hard on Kara. And it would be terrible for Gotham morale and Batgirl especially, if Batman dies while being a hero.

It'd be terrible if either hero died. Both are incredibly strong and intelligent. If either died it would mean a villain strong enough and reckless enough to simply murder any adversary.

It would be pretty scary to all if Superman died....after all Cryptonien's are supposed to be indestructible, no?

Kara would take the death pretty hard. In denial, probably. Insisting that there is a way to bring him back.

If one of the Invincibro's (yo bros) died then it'll hit hard.

It'll hit differently depending on the counterpart. And the situation.

For example, if Hal died both sides will mourn. And the Invicibros will be a mess (I suspect that Steve and Hal were co-captains, if anything Steve is a bit of a figurehead). Speaking of 'captain' the school, whoever knew the confident brunet will be in shock because Hal always seemed a little invincible. Many would mourn him since he grows on you....like fungi. Jess will be wrecked and she'd blame herself because of course she would. She was his partner, she should have been there. 'And oh gosh she was alone now, she'd have to defend the space sector alone. And even if she's assigned a new partner it wouldn't matter because they weren't an obnoxious, confident, self-centered Hal'. And yes, there will be a certain dampness in the atmosphere for both teams.

If Barry died both teams (the whole city even) would mourn. Barry was beloved as both Barry the dessert slinger and the Flash, superhero speedster. Barry was kind of the kindness of the group. The one who did good for no other motive than the fact that he loved deeply and wanted to keep everyone safe. The team would keep chugging along with this mindset...but I don't think they'd be able to eat at Sweet Justice anymore. It would hit Babs' hard because he was her best (guy) friend and they swore to have each other's backs (in my AU) and she didn't have his and now he's dead. I think the girls would prefer to just move their headquarters since Sweet Justice was painful enough to just think about.

If Carter died I'm afraid no one will notice. Hawkman's death will be acknowledged but not Carter's. Carter's death if given any attention at school would be a mystery much like he was. Same with Hawkman, his death will be mourned but he'd be considered a mystery death because of his quiet nature. This will drive the boys mad because Carter Hall was DEAD and no one seemed to care. How can they not realize that everything has changed? Carter was more or less the level-headed one of the group. It would be particularly terrible for Karen since Carter was big and strong and knowing he's dead? Yes...she wouldn't take it well. She'd most likely try to avenge him.

If Oliver died it would be a bit of a scandal. I'm sure he has quite the fan base as both an aspiring actor and the charismatic Green Arrow. He was always the *cue dramatic gasp* dramatic one of the bunch. His death will be, you guessed it, terrible. Since happy, confident, loyal Green Arrow was killed. The atmosphere around the team would tune quiet, if a little hollow but they'd keep chugging through since Oliver wasn't friends with quitters. And it would hit Zee differently because the last thing they did was fight (of course they did) and now he's dead and she realized that she had fun arguing with him and their rivalry made acting so much more fun and now how is she supposed to perform when her co-star was dead? When the idiot who would make rude faces behind the curtains and then grudgingly admit she did 'decently' was dead?!? It would hit hard because Oliver and Zee shared a passion and they both left a stain there. She'd forever associate her love for the stage to her complicated friendship with a dead actor. (I think she'd hate when in the future people forget Oliver Queen's name). The whole girl said would mourn but they didn't know Oliver as well as Zee and Zee's a wreck so they'd channel their grief into comforting her.

God help the idiot who murders Steve. If Diana hasn't already killed you, the team will. The Invincibro's, I mean. Steve is a bit of a figurehead so kill the queen and they will make it their life mission to avenge him. That is all after the grieving, of course. Steve will be mourned heavily by both teams, especially by Diana and the Invicibros. Diana will be confused at first because she never even thought that Steve could die. Never crossed her mind. She never asked for anything, wanted for anything, but she wanted him. Him to be alive. How is that even possible??! Jeez, I don't see much of him so that's all I can really say.

If Garth is killed well... Both teams will be horrified and heartbroken. It's just that Garth is so innocent and sweet. And he was killed. The whole school I think would notice because the football team will mourn (in my AU) him. The city might be a bit indifferent because despite his confidence he never demanded as much attention as his team. But the team will never be indifferent to it. The Invincibro's will be furious to hide the fact that they are wrecked because yes, Garth can handle himself in a fight but he was only fourteen. He had plans and he was their friend, goddamit. (I really want to go in depth about how the girls and guys would react but I'll resist.) Kara will react similarly because how dare they take her little brother away?? One thing is letting him handle himself when he's getting bullied but killing him?

Okay...this is a quick peek at how the team and counterpart will react to their death....now for the girls!!

(they are all killed, okay? No different or accidental deaths)

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

If Jess were killed the team would be a wreck, of course. Jess, I like to think, was the mom friend and medic of the group. The girls will mourn and healing will be hard. Very hard. They'll remember all the things she holds dear. I have no doubt they'll participate in protests like Jess has been bugging them to do when she was alive. The Invincibro's will be sad too, of course. Initially, then they'll be pissed. Won't rest untill they help the SHG defeat the killer. And Hal? He'll be feral, of course he would. He is very possessive and very loyal. He'd be in denial at first (they all would) because how can Jessica Fricking Cruz, passionate kind selfless Jess be dead?? That's not possible. She cared too much, had too much to do- she can't be dead. But I feel like halfway through his revenge rampant he'll remember that Jess was a pacifist and he'll...I dunno.

If Babs died the team will be swinging from horrified, to unbelieving, to furious. They'd be sad because Babs loved being a superhero and she loved helping people and now she was dead and- they'd be a mess. And don't even get me started on how Barry would take it. Wanna know how he'd take it? Very badly. Why? Because Babs is his best friend and his counterpart and he's supposed to watch her back and she's gone for real and this is terrible and he's so sensitive and everything is fallings apart it seems. He'll definitely be a little more jaded, a lot more protective and burst into tears when anyone orders a candy cake triple ripple tower with rainbow sprinkles. But then overtime it'll turn into a sad smile. Man, the Invincibro's will also be horrified since Babs was close to pretty much everyone.

If Karen died? Absolute pandemonium. The team will be equal parts blaming themselves and torn with guilt and sorrow. They will tear the world apart looking for a way to fix it somehow. Fix it the way Karen would have. The boy team, because despite all their teasing, will be in uproar because no one messed with Karen but them!! And Carter? He'll be at war with himself, because he should have protected her, the pipsqueak was too young and small and fragile to be able to hold off evil by herself and how dare she put herself in that situation? How dare she just leave them like that?? I feel like he'll be in denial for a long time, working through everything to avoid processing his grief but when it does it'll hit hard. Probably because of something small but subtle. Like getting electrocuted because Karen had quite a few fractal scars from her experimenting and super heroing. Or when he realizes he got stung by a bee- it's the little moments when it strikes deep.

If Zee died it would be a bit absolutely scandalous of course. Not only will the girls be horrified and heartbroken but so will Zee's fanbase as an actor and her father's assistant. The girls will have quite some time to even begin to adjust but soon enough they will jump straight into plotting their revenge. The boys will be livid of course but none more that her counterpart Oliver Queen. Oliver won't quite believe it, I don't think, he'll just think that Zee will just magically resurrect herself because the annoying actress who liked hogging his showtime couldn't possibly be dead. She was like a cockroach! No matter how many times squashed beneath your shoe those wretched little things will just come back. All the time...she couldn't be gone. And truly he didn't hate her, he just liked having a goal. To outshine Zee Zatara. So...how could she be dead? This will hit especially hard when he doesn't have a counterpart to fight with. Or when the leading lady role goes to someone new. Clear to say that Zee Zatara's death will be every bit heart wrenching.

If Diana dies be prepared for hell. The girls will fall apart with grief after avenging their leader. I feel that Babs would try to keep everyone together at least. The boy team will be furious because Diana was their battle plan leader too! And how- they'd be confused because how can the immortal Diana Prince die? The school would definitely have a service for the mystery top student. How would Steve react? He'd be horrified and lost, and confused but then he'd help the girls avenge W.W and live the rest of his life upholding Diana's values. (I'm not quite sure how he'd handle the grief.)

If Kara dies then there will of course first be the mourning (at least according to the show). Then the shock. Then the doubt because hasn't Kara 'died' before? And that would lead to hope which will make the moment of confirmation the most painful. For both teams. Garth will be completely blindsided with grief and anger because how dare they take his big sister? How dare they hurt moody, cold, rude at times, big softie at heart, Kara? And well I guess we'll discover that rage is also a prominent feature if the ocean, is it not? So yes, this will be an emotional rollercoaster no doubt about it.

✨✨✨EXTRA EXTRA✨✨✨

This extra will be non-super hero's who will also mourn and attempt to avenge the lost one.

Diana- she is the princess of an island of immortal warrior woman. Her mom is 'a final boss'. She will have plenty of people to avenger her (not that she would want that, per say). I kind of have a suspicion that Queen of Amazon's will either be overly sympathetic ('my daughter has chosen her path, now we can only honor her') or furiously because they were part of her daughters dream that got Diana killed (may you pray we never cross paths again or I will curse you as you have cursed me).

Karen- not sure... but maybe her parents??? They can make a suit too??

Kara- Her cousin because family is family and that's period and she's like the only survivor who doesn't want him (genuinely) dead. And Alex, her step-sister- maybe.

Jess- Green Lantern Corp.? Dexstarr?

Zee- her DAD, remember they are super close and he's super powerful and yeah....

Babs- Her dad- who's like a cop and even though he shown to be extremely lazy I have no doubt that he'd drop the donuts to find out what happened to his precious pumpkin pants. Might even call I'm Batman. Harleen, yes Harleen who tried to murder Robin because he embarrassed Babs will definitely go after her best friends murderer (even after finding out Vans secret identity)

Okay for Steve and Carter I genuinely don't know.

Garth, I'm not sure but if he's actually underwater royalty than you can expect a whole lot of flooding, earthquakes and sea monsters.

Hal- starfire is coming for your but

Oliver- Mortimer Drake, maybe? They are sort of bro's

Barry- DA WHOLE ENTIRE WORLD

Well...this was fun, wasn't it? Thanks for the beautiful ask, as usual @thedevilsmusicbox and I look forward to hearing from you. 😁🙋

[resenhascopiadas2]

When I think of Descendants of the Sun, the first thing that comes to mind is cheese! This show is extra cheesy, and honestly I love cheese! Unfortunately, I am also kinda lactose intolerant, so after eating a certain amount of cheese I am left with regrets, and a stomach ache. That's exactly how I felt after watching the last episode. *Cue the rage of a thousand fans* I think the biggest problem I had with this show is that it tried to mix in three genres without a coherent plot to bring it all together. It's part rom-com, part military drama, and part hospital sitcom. The love story is probably what makes most people excited about the show, the military scenes are a cool action bonus, and the hospital sitcom keeps things from getting too heavy and depressing. Unfortunately, because the script is so weak, I was too disconnected to keep caring about the show, and it started to become very boring. I kept watching for one reason only Song Joong Ki. Song Joong Ki is oddly cast in a lot of ways. He has a super baby face, and boyish charm, but still managed to be a believable bad@ss soldier. I would easily rate his character/acting 10. Not only did I develop a 16 episode crush on him, but I really cared about his assignments. The show would have been a million times more enjoyable for me if they just let his story be the center, or rather, the bromance between Shi Jin, and Dae Yeong. Their relationship was my favorite part of the show. Their characters didn't have much depth individually, but their bromance was solid. There is also great chemistry between Song Joong Ki, and Song Hye Kyo, but not much to their overall story. Every moment with them is exactly the same - they flirt, they separate, she gets mad, he's extra charming, they flirt again. Early on, I really started to dislike Dr. Kang Mo Yeon, which made it hard to sympathize with her anger at him. Eventually I started to like her a little more, but no matter how cute their flirty scenes, or how strangely amusing their brink of death dating was, their story is still repetitive, which gets old quick. The 2nd leads also had a romance, that had a few more obstacles thrown their way (parents, distance, almost dying), but was just as repetitive - fight, confess, spontaneous affection, fight. It's like each story just filled in the same blanks for each episode. It was actually the older minor characters who had the most interesting love story. I thought Seo Jeong Yeon and Lee Seung Jun were really cute, and deserve an honorable mention. The supporting cast was pretty good. Some were much better than others, and some were almost completely useless (the head of the hospital... that ditzy doctor... ugh). I had to bring the acting down to an 8 because of that, but the cast is really the only good thing this show has going for it. What was the point of this drama? At first it seemed like a way to show how hard it can be to date a soldier, but because the show didn't take itself seriously, it was hard for me to take that too seriously, even with that emotionally manipulative 15th episode. The conflicts at the hospital were ridiculous, and mostly filler. The best episodes took place when the medical staff went overseas to Urk, but once that was over, the show seemed to have no clue what to do. Did they run out of travel budget, so they decided to just wing it for the last episodes? Even in Urk, the plot was super predictable, and totally unrealistic, but it was still very entertaining (yummy Cheese!!!). When they returned, my feelings about the show went downhill, and I was no longer excited about watching the next episode. Then suddenly things got very serious out of nowhere, only to end with the silliest (and worst) last episode I've ever seen in any drama (yes THE worst!). I wonder if episode 15 was the original ending, and then it was changed last minute to avoid a backlash. That's the only thing I can think of as an explanation for why it was so bad. The music? meh. The scenery? epic. The english spoken? decent. The shirtless men running? Daebak. Would I rewatch? Not

unless someone makes an edited version of only scenes with Song Joong Ki. Overall It's like they rolled a kdrama dice and just threw stuff in at random to get people hooked, then they just focused on all the ways they can successfully incorporate product placement. Maybe that was the real point, to see how many ads they could sneak into a drama. Even though there were moments I really enjoyed, I can't recommend this drama, especially after sitting through that ending. I wish they cut it down to 10 episodes, removing all the unnecessary fluff, and sneaky ads (subway, hyundai, make up, coffee, snacks, hiking equipments, travel apps... umm... except for the self driving car, because that scene was actually cool ) then maybe it would be a drama worthy of all the hype. Or maybe you can treat my review like Lactaid. Now that you know what to expect, maybe you can better digest all the cheese this show has to offer.

[ateezgf]

See, I have a few problems with your post about Kingdom fans.

I will definitely admit that anon hate is especially popular on Gumblr, and I have no doubt that there are plenty of people who have been nothing but kind and respectfully critical of all performances that were getting hate for no reason.

Ut you are also making a LOT of generalizations in your post. You say "nobody is hating on the performances/groups" because you havent seen it, but there are SO many people genuinely hating on them. Some are honest and open about their hate, some veil it under the guise of neutrality but use words and tone that comes across as very negative.

I understand that your tone cannot be policed online. However, people also have the right to feel however they feel regarding the tone you used, and they also have the right to tell you about that if they feel hurt. You are in no way obligated to answer or change because of their hurt, it is your blog and your life and you are in control of it, but they have the same rights you so. If they feel like the way you speak about groups is hateful, intentional or not, they have every right to say it. (I am not referring to anon hate or hate in general when I send this: If people are not simply telling you that they are hurt by what you said and why, and are instead just sending hate right back or even saying worse things like telling people to harm themselves or sending threats then that is not okay in any fashion and I will never support those messages, but people are allowed to criticize you on what you say just as you have a right to criticize the performances)

So please just understand that you only see one side of the story, and people have a right to feel hurt and you have no right to call them "overly sensitive" for sharing that

See, I was never speaking about general Kingdom discussion in that post at all. The post itself says “all the discourse i’ve seen today.. not one group was mention by the people getting random anon hate”, which were my two friends on my dash. One of my friends had mentioned that they found the common dark theme of these stages to be boring in THEIR OWN PERSONAL PREFERENCE, which then gave them loads of unnecessary hate. After that, another friend of mine had defended them and also gave their own personal opinion as well, which then gave them A LOT of unneeded hate. The main point of my initial post was to talk about that one specific thing that spiraled from criticism against the show into personal attacks against these people & their characters. But if you wanna talk about it, then we can. 

“You say ‘nobody is hating on the performances/groups’ because you havent seen it”

I have seen PLENTY of hate. Not on here because I luckily follow a lot of multis and if they aren’t multis, they’re still very respectful. But trust me, I have seen A LOT of the hate each group is getting on twitter. And as someone who ults Ateez, I definitely see every topic of hate they get and I’ve seen the petitions to get their rankings from EP.1 dropped to a lower score. As a fan of each group (like I had stated in my post as well), I have indeed seen all the unnecessary hate. I honestly try to steer away from it since I’m not avidly watching the show like that. I’m honestly just here for the performances. BUT THAT WASN’T WHAT MY INITIAL POST WAS ABOUT. 

I am also more than aware that people’s feelings are valid and if they’re hurt, then they’re hurt. Those feelings will always be valid and I know it’s extremely hard to convey true emotions through text posts. BUT AGAIN, my initial post (which I never intended to really get rb’d or make it’s rounds around kpop tumblr) was never about Kingdom as a whole. It was about something happening with my friends. Like.. I’m going to assume you’re someone who doesn’t follow me or the people involved. Because if you did follow any of us, you would have seen the bullshit anons they were getting. I also never called anyone overly sensitive? So I don’t know why you chose to put that in quotes.. I was just saying that people should be bare bones decent and not send random hate to someone that literally did nothing. 

The specific people who were receiving the anon hate never mentioned a group. They never said anything hateful in general. All they said was “I find this common theme of the stages to be boring”, but never once was it ever directed at specific groups. It was just about the general dark themes that boy groups have a tendency to lean towards these days. I personally have no issues with this type of aesthetic, but I can see where they come from since it is their opinion. From those opinions came an absurd amount of anon hate, which I do not like. Especially towards my friends. In my initial post, I went on to talk about how Kingdom as a show and MNET as a company sucks because that was another topic of discussion. You’re right, people have the right to disagree with opinions. But why would they take it as far as telling people off and sending unneeded hate about their groups or their personal characters when they don’t know them either? The anons they got went from “I don’t like your opinion” to “You’re a terrible person, leave the site” real quick. 

So your generalization of my post saying that I am only seeing one side of the story is.. not at all what I was even talking about. Trust me, I see the hate towards the groups and I REALLY HATE IT. I know that you can’t police people online and people can’t police you online either. I also am fully aware that people will feel things that they do. However, there’s literally no reason to ever send anon hate degrading someone over an opinion that literally was doing no harm to anyone. Saying you’re bored of the same concept is like saying you don’t like a song. It isn’t that deep and these anons sending my friends hate turned it into something else. Which is why I made that post. 

So please understand that you are also seeing only one side of the story and I really hope this helps you understand that post better. 

[invertedfate]

Random Ask Dump - Anniversary Edition (50+ REALLY OLD ASKS!)

Going through OLD AND CRUSTY ASKS to try and chip away at the inbox. HERE WE GOOOO...

That’s an interesting idea, and I could run it by Cake, but I think it would honestly be a LOT to track from a programming perspective. Especially ‘cause killing Sans is gonna result in a “bad ending,” so to speak.

An attempt was made by Undyne to have all three hang out at the same time. Papyrus was SUPER EAGER. ...but one thing led to another and there were many messy explosions of chemicals and lots of smoke. Alphys had to step in before things got out of hand. It was all very daunting for her. Pap and Undyne are VERY LOUD, VERY AMBITIOUS PEOPLE.

I actually have some ideas of some side comics I may do at some point! :o It’s just that right now there’s a lot going on.

I need to poke Carni about that at some point. He’s just been very busy with other projects!

Clearly he’s standing on the “out to lunch” sign.

I wanna say that it’s very possible in theory. :o It probably affects them differently since monsters’ emotional state affects their magic and their physical state.

I do like little easter eggs like that, though I’m not sure where I’d fit it in atm just ‘cause I already showed Pap’s room, haha.

I made the chase theme for Mad Dummy as well as Mad Mew Mew’s battle theme. @pinewsun​ made the battle theme for Mad Dummy, and @thomasthepencil​ made the Season Dude battle theme and MD’s overworld theme. :o

That’s a really fascinating conundrum! You’re absolutely right- if IF was a standalone game, then from a writing standpoint, having more subtle implications would make sense! The reason I chose a different approach for IF is because it’s set after Flowey’s already known to be evil and I like to give different POVs rather than stick to just Frisk’s.

That’s an interesting thing, actually- both fights lean heavily on the fourth wall. Both are treated as climaxes for their given routes. It’s funny because Asriel’s fight is a lot more straightforward and less meta by comparison.

I agree! The thing with Papyrus is that he’s extremely powerful- he just doesn’t want to kill. But it’s a deliberate choice not to kill- he’s able to force his attacks to do next to no damage. He’s also pretty darn crafty, as he made the Gauntlet himself. It really is just a case of Undyne’s personal biases and concern for him.

That was a deliberate choice. :O Papyrus is very influential toward Frisk. He is best skeleboi.

Papybot loves you, anon! He just wants to feed you WHOLESOME SPAGHETTI!!!

It is possible to whistle through teeth. ...alternatively, magic. As for the music, Undertale implies that the music is heard! Maybe it’s just... a thing that exists in this world. Or it’s just meant to be a silly meta joke. I try to keep it somewhat ambiguous other than occasional nods to it. Chara’s pants are lighter because I just... felt like it, I guess? Haha. I wanted their feet and pants to stand out more from each other, so they have khaki pants. As for the Undyne fight being animated, well, this ask is old by now, but Sparks was the one who was down for it.

Well, the teaser’s been out for a long time now, but that’s the idea! It’s also why this has been in production for so long. The Determinator has some really over the top attacks (that weren’t even shown in the teaser), and Sparks animated in Photoshop. That’s how hardcore he is.

Shhhhh. Don’t give me ideas. I’m already slacking on Tem Village. :P

Sometimes I do have slumps and burnouts (see Antipode’s lengthy hiatus), but breaks lead to me being refreshed and coming back with even more enthusiasm than before!

Oh, there are a lot of these throughout the comic. For instance...

Flowey appears in a few background shots in the Ruins!

When Sans says “or maybe...” he looks at the empty flower pot. This was one of the earliest bits of foreshadowing about who created Flowey, and nobody noticed it at the time!

The MTT vending machines initially look like this but have helpful items.

And then they look like this, with an angry face and pose- Mad Dummy has possessed them!

As of Part 38, it’s been revealed that he did first meet Asgore as “Santa.” As for whether or not he knows the truth, time will tell. :o

Oh, these are excellent suggestions for calls! I’ll try to keep these in mind.

So, I believe Glyde uses the Mysterious Door motif. Jerry uses the motif in its battle theme- I believe it’s a mix of original motif and Wrong Number song?

Sans is a master of power napping. He probably gets a decent amount of sleep, though.

There are a lot of ways to interpret Pap’s lack of sleep! In IF, he can get by without it, but he also has a lot of reasons to avoid sleeping. Some reasons include productivity but also due to a looooot of heavy baggage. More on that later.

I think sleep can definitely make monsters healthier. Rest = better mental health as well as physical health, and with how important mental and emotional help is for monsters, that’s very important!

They just really like socks. Socks are warm. Socks are slinky. And googly eyes are the best. So they took on the form of a really eccentric sock puppet and sock collector. Scandalous.

It also has Alphys’ motif, as the two are the leaders of the royal guard!

I would say the lack of Asgore as an influence has left Undyne slightly less grounded? Like, she had Toriel and Gerson in her life, but her relationship with Toriel is... definitely not quite as close? Like, Toriel by that point kept people at an arm’s length due to losing multiple children (including one from old age). So, while they were on friendly terms until the aftermath of the DT experiments and the tapes’ release, it was more like mutual respect and a sorta professional relationship with Undyne admiring Toriel and wanting to spare her from more heartache.

That is a really interesting idea. While that didn’t happen, I do need to maybe revisit the grumpy dog at some point or another. He’s still a lil’ salty.

I think in terms of layout it won’t change much, but there will be new/different content for sure. :O

Mad Dummy’s base design is mostly original, but she has a wig + headband from DIO from Jojo Part 3! Fun fact: While MTT has Kamina shades, Papyrus’ goggles are loosely based on Simon from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann in terms of color. :O

So basically, when Asriel defeated Frisk, he had the power over the timeline to reset it as he pleased- in theory. However, that power was overwhelming for him, and due his lack of understanding OF said power and one last ditch attempt at resisting from Chara, things went wrong.

There is a track that takes some inspiration from Rage Awakened. It’s not released, and it’s not exact, but it won’t be released for a WHILE. Like until the part comes out.

I think it’s just the fact that tacos are so random. Like, my biggest beef in that regard was that OG Underswap had a lot of arbitrary replacements for things in UT and not all of them made sense. Like, if Sans was to make a foreign food, ramen would’ve made more sense due to Alphys being weeb trash, haha.

Okay, so the rough timeline iiiis... Falling: - Cyan - Green - Orange - Blue - Purple - Yellow Dying: - Cyan - Orange - Blue - Purple - Yellow - Green

You know, it’s funny because this ask is super old, but that’s basically sorta what happened. :O It became a beach-themed resort.

Never forget MTT fangirl Temmie’s pool escapades.

I think Forgespring for me because I had to make the tileset myself (it took a few months, I think?), but Aquarius was definitely in the works for a while. But once I had the tileset from Fours, the rooms were very easy to design!

That woulda been pretty rad! Maybe I can find another spot for it one day, haha.

I think for Dohj, I’d have to check with Fours, but I’m certainly not opposed at some point? Right now, the following chars can take questions: - Frisk - Papyrus - Sans - Undyne - Alphys - Napstablook - Mettaton - Asgore - Chara - Flowey

Cyan appears in Part 45! :O No answer about orange for now, tho.

I do have vague ideas for Tem village. I just haven’t had time to go back and do it.

Stay tuned and you may find out! :O

Hmmmm... I had a lot of fun with MTT SPIRAL and the Determinator, tbh. They were both very time consuming, but I love how they came out! Also, buff Jerry.

Turnabout Storm. :)

It’s a really awesome fan crossover that works way better than it should. :P

None taken! We know that with headcanons, everyone is gonna have their own interpretations. These are just the voices we liked for Fireglobe Production, but everyone has their right to their favored interpretations!

Yeah, Knight Knight is one of the coolest CORE mercs in the original game. It was fun to repurpose them for Inverted Fate as royal guards. :o It made room for unique encounters in the CORE in the form of them robots- as Undyne would rather use machines than other monsters to do her work.

Personally, I see it as an Asriel motif, but I also acknowledge that at one point it WAS gonna be an Asgore motif. Toby has a habit of just using whatever music works for a scene (see sans. at the snail farm.)

I do have a few ideas, though I won’t say for what yet. :o

He’s likely made blueprints for that train. :P

It probably would just have different flavor text/progression!

So basically, I treat the starting motif for BAaTH/Power of NEO is just a “true hero” motif.

MTT is definitely major in IF! As for whether or not he’ll have a hangout, time will tell. There’s definitely more to resolve with him, though.

I’m gonna remake at least a few of the older tracks, including Regret. My goal is just to bring the OST to a similar standard of quality.

So, animated parts coming up: Part 47, Part 49, Part 50. There may be some other parts, but we’re gonna wanna scale things back for a little bit for the sake of all our sanities.

I go with both. ;)

Honestly, probably fairly similar to the bully fight in the Ruins- which is why I ultimately decided not to do one. Both fill similar archetypes, though I think if I did do a battle, I woulda still had Flowey interrupt at the end and scare them off.

It’s a very emotional scene. Far more tragic than her geno death, IMO.

Well, the main goal in that regard is the remasters (Part 9 is in progress). Otherwise, I do think these hiatuses are good for working ahead. I’ve still gotta do more work, though, because my buffer this time around is a lot smaller from the trial-hiatus buffer. Alas!

Honestly, the website is the best thing to happen to IF. It’s allowed us to do so much with the comic’s presentation that would be impossible with imgur. NORIX IS THE BEST...

[momentsbeforemass]

Getting what you paid for

(by request, my homily from Sunday)

I’d like to talk with you today about getting what you pay for.

Think about the last time you went to the drive through. You put your order in. They told you how much it was, so you drove around to the window.

When you got there, you paid for it. And then, they handed you…something else, something you didn’t order.

Now, you are the nicest person on God’s green earth. So you didn’t yell at the kid in the drive through window. You didn’t go all Karen on them, and have one of those “I demand to speak to the manager” moments.

But you could have. Because you’re upset. That’s not what you ordered. That is not what you paid for.

It’s a natural reaction. Even if we’re mature enough to handle it gracefully, we’re still upset.

It’s ours. We picked it out. We paid for it. And we want what we paid for.

Why? Why do we get so upset when we don’t get what we paid for? Because that’s how things are supposed to work in life. You pick something out, you pay for it, and that’s what you get.

It’s the natural order of things.

The thing is, it’s not just what’s supposed to happen. It’s what does happen. In every area of our lives.

Whether we realize it or not, every day you and I are picking out things and paying for them.

And you’re thinking, “sure, I go for lunch, I pick what I’m going to have, I pay for it, that’s what I get. I go to the store, I pick stuff out, I pay for it, that’s what I get. I go on Amazon, I pick stuff out, I pay for it, that’s what I get. What’s your point?”

All of that is true. But making your choice, paying for it, and then getting what you pay for –doesn’t stop there. Making your choice, paying for it, and then getting what you pay for extends to every part of our lives.

Let’s go back to today’s first reading for a moment. Where it says “Before man are life and death, good and evil, whichever he chooses shall be given him.”

The thing is, the principle that the first reading is talking about isn’t limited to just the big ticket stuff. High-drama things that grab our attention, because it’s obvious what’s really at stake. The kind of things that you and I will binge-watch shows about on Netflix.

Making your choice, paying for it, and then getting what you pay for is a principle that extends to every part of our lives.

And whether we mean to or not, you and I are always making choices. It’s something we literally cannot avoid doing. Here’s how it works.

Let’s say that when you took your current job, that job wasn’t your endgame. One of the reasons that you took the job was because of the career path that went with it. It’s the kind of job that has opportunities for growth and promotion. Both inside the company and with other employers in the industry.

You’ve been coming to work for almost 5 years now. You’re doing a decent job of it. No complaints on your evaluations. But time and again, you get passed over for promotion. Why?

Take a look at who is getting promoted. The people who are stepping up to do the special projects. The people who are doing more than they have to. They are the ones reaping the rewards.

Why? After all, you chose the same job. Why not you?

Because there’s a step two. It’s not enough to choose, that’s step one. If you want to reap the rewards, you have to pay. That’s step two.

The people who are getting promoted, they’re on step two. They’re paying. And they’re getting what they paid for.

If you’ve ever wondered why you’re at a point where a relationship seems stuck. Whether it’s a business relationship, your relationship with a friend or a family member, a romantic relationship. This is the first place to look for the solution.

Odds are, you’re not doing step two. You’re not paying.

But I must warn you. Making your choice, paying for it, and then getting what you pay for? It also works in the negative.

If you’ve got a friend that you never do anything with. That you never make time for.

And those few times when you do connect with them? You’re too busy telling them all about the things that you’re doing, that you’re interested in. If you never make time for the things that they’re doing, that they’re interested in.

Or worse, you do make time for the things that they’re doing and that they’re interested in. So that you can second-guess them. Or be critical of them. Maybe even make fun of them.

When they stop taking your calls. When they block your texts. When they unfriend you on social media. Don’t be surprised.

You made your choice, and you paid for it by what you did. You’re just getting what you paid for.

All of life works this way.

The reason that all of life works this way? Because the Source of all life works this way.

This is how God works? Yes. It’s what the first reading is talking about. It’s what Jesus is showing us in today’s Gospel. As Jesus says,

“Whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

If that’s your choice, and you pay for it - by doing it, then that’s what you get.

Again, Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment;”

If that’s your choice, and you pay for it - by doing it, then that’s what you get.

One of the most beautiful truths about God is, if we think about it, also one of the most terrifying.

That the One who made our free will respects our use of that free will. That God will not substitute His judgment for ours. And He will give us exactly what we pay for.

The other thing to know is that our choices, no matter how great or how trivial they may seem to us, our choices add up.

Sometimes they add up visibly. Mostly they add up more like the way that the ocean keeps washing in sand. Little by little. Unseen from day to day. Until one day we realize that there’s a beach where there was none before.

No matter how it happens, the cumulative effect of our choices is either leading us towards God. Or away from God.

And in the end, you and I will get exactly what we’ve paid for. There is no neutral option.

Today, take a look at what you’re getting. Out of every area of your life.

Take a look at the direction you’re headed.

If you’re not getting what you wanted. If that’s not the direction you want to go. Then maybe it’s time to be honest – about what you’re really paying for.

Sunday’s Readings

[leeuwchen]

17 for Ringsy, please?

Hello Anon, not sure if you wanted 17 for Angst, Fluff or Misc. so I simply tried to put all of them into one prompt. It got a bit out of hand, I guess, and I was quite a bit soap-nostalgic along the way, but here it is [it does include spoilers and speculations about how things might turn out for some of the Schillerallee residents during the next weeks]If you don’t hug me right now, I think I might fall apartI’m here for youOkay, so maybe I didn’t see that coming It’s weird being inside the bakery these days. The room is as bright as usual, the walls painted in light colours, the pleasant smell of bread and rolls and the intoxicating smell of coffee hanging in the air. Still, there is this sombre tension radiating from behind the counter where Irene Weigel’s picture has been put up next to that of her late husband Wolfgang, all shiny and new and looking like it doesn’t belong there. Or maybe it’s just him adjusting badly to change. Easy knows that Saskia has struggled with the decision of putting the picture there, fearing it would unnecessarily hurt Robert even more than he is hurting already but he was all for it - telling Saskia that this was where Irene belonged, that it was all about the legacy of the place. So now she has joined her first husband in watching their bakery live on smilingly but the grave tension in the room remains and as Easy is watching Saskia strolling around restlessly behind the counter, he can’t shake off the feeling once more that there’s something else behind it than just Irene passing away. The soft sound of the shop`s doorbell lets him turn around and for a moment everything is – well – easy as Ringo is walking in, as gorgeous as ever, casually gesturing to a sign on the left-hand side of the store to place his order with Antoine and then letting himself slump onto the seat next to Easy, sighing deeply, obviously in sync with the room’s general mood. 

“So I guess, your interview didn’t go well?” 

Ringo nods tiredly. 

“Let’s just say that with players like Huber in my neck and the Richters out wanting my head and Spohn still hating my ass, it is hard to get a fair review.” 

“I’m sorry, honey.” 

He lightly brushes his hand through Ringo’s hair and feels the slight turn of his husband’s head as he is leaning into the touch. 

“Don’t worry about me, okay? Even if there is just one decent job they can’t meddle with, I swear to you I’m going to find it and have the last laugh!”

“Well, I know at least one person who wouldn’t care for anything that Huber, the Richters or Spohn says…”

Ringo raises one eyebrow warningly. They have been over this more than once and as for now it has always been in a light-hearted way but Easy knows that this could change in an instant if Ringo feels too hassled.

“I know, you are all for it, Easy, but… as much as I appreciate Paco wanting to do that… I’m just not made for it. The Turnhalle was fun… the best of times… but I never wanted that for life. It’s just not… you know… it’s not or me.”

“I know”, Easy says with a smile, then – because sometimes when Ringo gets like this, he just can’t help himself but has to tease him – he adds innocently: “Then again, you thought you wouldn’t be one to marry either and I have it on good authority that you are very good at it.” Before Ringo can react, Leni has walked up to them, placing his order in front of him. Smiling deviously, he looks up to her. “Can you believe it? Your stepfather just referred to himself as an authority figure. Weird, huh?” But Leni just smiles back at him. “You know, I listen to him.” She leans down a bit, her voice almost a whisper now. “And so do you.” Ringo shakes his head sullenly. “Yeah yeah, just gang up on me, will you? I’m still not going to open a new gym with your old man.” Amused by his sudden moodiness Leni pats Ringo’s shoulder pitingly.

“You mean, you are not going to open a new gym with my dad for now, right?”

“That’s it, I want to speak to your boss. You are openly bullying your customers, you little…”

The smile disappears from Leni’s face. “Actually, so would I. But Saskia has left again for no reas-“ Before she is able to finish her sentence, a customer walks in and smiling apologetically Leni hurries behind the counter to take his order. “Doesn’t sound like Saskia at all, does it? I really wonder what’s behind it”, Easy murmurs worried but Ringo just shrugs. “Cheating. That’s what behind it. I’m telling you.” Easy rolls his eyes.

“Oh yeah, I forgot. Because you could read that in Paco’s face when we asked him what was wrong with her.”   

 “Yes. I could indeed.” 

“And if you are such a master of this art, Hase, with whom did she sleep then?”

Ringo takes a croissant from his dish and turns it around thoughtfully.

“Maybe it’s Antoine. I mean, a man who can bake heavenly stuff like that…”

“You better not have this then.”

With a swift move Easy tries to capture the pastry but his husband is quicker.

“Oi! No need to get all watchful, Bärchen, all I am saying is that the whole love at first sight, swept me from my feet, shiny white knight stuff they had going on maybe isn’t the thing to last forever, you know.”

Easy sighs deeply but can’t hide his amusement. Teasingly his hand gestures towards Ringo while addressing an imaginary audience.

“And today’s key-note speaker on our ‘Romance is dead’-panel… Richard Beckmann!”

Just as Ringo opens his mouth to shoot back an answer, his cell phone vibrates, and he takes it out to check the message. Now in a bad mood again, he pushes it back inside his pocket only seconds later. 

“Well, romance might not be completely dead but my job life sure is. Took them about what… 45 minutes to turn me down. That’s a new record.”

Once more Easy reaches out and lets his hand slide through Ringo’s soft hair who closes his eyes thankfully for a few moments, but this time doesn’t lean into his husband’s touch and instead starts to straighten his tie and suit as if taking care of his armour before he continues to eat in silence. 

It’s early in the evening and for the last twenty minutes Easy has been standing inside the kiosk, staring out of the window, contemplating the street’s fate… or something like that. He is a positive person in general and he knows that moodiness doesn’t suit him well, but he just can’t put his finger on what got into him today. There have always been bad times at Schillerallee 10. They’ve had to let people go, lost people, hated people, been at each other’s throats over small things or huge betrayal but still - just today - this one feels like the big one. With Irene dead, the Weigels in mourning, Saskia being all weird after probably (Ringo might be on to something here) cheating on Jakob, Bambi and Sina broken up after Sina’s secret abortion, Bambi not talking to either Tobias or Vivien because they’ve known about it, Sina dissociating herself from everyone including her family, Conor on the run or whatever got into him after breaking up with Eva and almost killing his own father, Leni going from sadness to defiantness over her mother’s visit, that strange Luke guy lurking around, Ute and Huber constantly fighting, Huber Bau going to the dogs without Ringo and Ringo constantly being turned down for no other reason than having made enemies for doing the right thing it’s hard to see the silver lining. 

As if to prove him right a lanky shadow appears on the threshold, blocking most of the light coming from there. Ringo is wearing his sports clothes and he must have been running hard because he looks like hell – the kind of hell that makes you consider giving up heaven for it but still… hell. “Water, please”, he begs calmly and after Easy has given him a bottle he empties it in one long greedy gulp before focussing his blue eyes on his husband. “Who died and made you king of the funeral party?” Realising what he has just said, Ringo quickly shakes his head while pinching his own nose bridge with both thumb and index finger. “I’m sorry, that was… highly inappropriate. I just wanted to know why you look so glum. What happened?” Easy shrugs his shoulders.

“Nothing really. But I guess… somehow… all the sadness around me has made me sad, too. Kind of sympathy sadness, you know?”

“I see. That’s why I try not to have too much sympathy for people in general. Makes your life easier. But… since I married the most empathetic guy in the world, and I DO have LOTS of sympathy for him… let me help you. What exactly is making you sad?”

Easy starts looking around the inside of the kiosk feeling a bit clueless. Of course, he loves Ringo and his husband has been an understanding, soothing ally to him in more than one case but maybe this one is a bit out of Ringo’s league… too weird to understand, especially when you are a very structured controller. “Easy?” So apparently, he is not getting out of this by just looking around. He takes a deep breath.

“I know it’s silly, but I just can’t deal with everyone around here being sad. The Weigels understandably and Sina and Bambi of course, but it’s not only them… Ute, Eva, Leni, you…”     

“I’m not sad. I’m frustrated.”          

“But that’s the same thing really.”

Ringo is still leaning against the doorframe but now he has crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes determinedly.

“No, it really isn’t. I know that everyone thinks that I don’t have a lot of emotions and I quite agree but the emotions I have I want to have categorized correctly and I am not sad. I am married to the most wonderful man in the world which is something I would have never believed to happen. I live in a flat share with my stupid annoying idiotic half-brother and I actual enjoy it which is likewise a complete miracle. And in the flat next to us where - as I would have stated just three years ago - only boring losers and gullible push overs live, there are my best friend and his teenage daughter who somehow is my stepdaughter as well and in the maybe most absurd twist in my life I love that too. So yes, being out of work is as frustrating an experience as it ever was but I am not sad. In fact, I am happier than I have ever been in my entire life.”

For a few seconds Easy doesn’t know what to say and he wonders if there will ever be a day, he stops underestimating what greatness and candour and kindness Richard Beckmann is capable of. All of a sudden, all the glumness is gone… well almost gone. There is one more thing ne needs, however.

“If you don’t hug me right now, I think I might fall apart.”     

“I’m all sweaty, Easy.”          

“I don’t care.”

With a swift movement Ringo is inside the kiosk, pressing himself against Easy who equally slings his arms around the – indeed sweaty – body. For a minute or two they are just standing there     before Easy starts to worry about the icy air and Ringo catching a cold in his wet clothes. Carefully one of his hand slips underneath the damp T-Shirt caressing the cold skin of his husband’s back.        

“And why have you been running like this?”

Sighing deeply Ringo lets go of him and takes one step back. 

“I talked to Bambi today. Now that he and Sina are broken up, he wants to sell the house and asked me if I would handle it on his behalf.”     

“That doesn’t sound too bad.”

“It isn’t bad at all. He would even retransfer the money I had to pay him for sabotaging the house if I sold it at a good price.”     

“And that’s a problem?”

“Not really, no. But it means selling it to Huber after all.”

“Oh, I see. Is there no other contractor who would be interested? You said it was a prime spot for a new business park, didn’t you?”

“There would be others, yes, but not right away and Bambi wants it to be done quickly. Huber already has – thanks to me – all the numbers and calculations ready so there was no other option than calling him.”

“Oooh”, Easy exclaims, finally understanding the problem. Sure, there isn’t an open war going on between Ringo and his former boss. Huber even had a good time at their wedding and with the kiosk save and sound Ringo had at least achieved one victory and therefore renounced from taking revenge but still, making a business call to his former work place must have hit his husband like a punch in the guts. “Didn’t he buy then?” Ringo snorts.

“Oh, he bought within a second and for a mighty good price without thinking twice.”

“But he didn’t offer you your job back?”, Easy asks tensely, supposing that somewhere deep down this is still what Ringo would want to happen. The other’s mouth twists into a sarcastic sneer.

“He did. Sort of. Of course, since my lack of loyalty is a given fact and the only reason, he is even considering doing so is the stroke of luck I’ve had with Bambi’s house, he announced right away that I would be demoted until I have proven myself worthy of the second chance.”

“He always was and always will be an asshole, Ringo. His business is going down without you.”

“Tell me about it. Still, since we disagreed strongly on who would be giving whom a second chance, I wished him good luck with Britta Schönfeld in charge of controlling and hung up. Then – as usual - I panicked and almost called him back but stopped myself from doing so and went for a run even though the thing’s not worth catching a cold for.”

“You could have come to me instead. I’m here for you.”

Grinning, Ringo nudges his nose against Easy’s.

“I know that, you idiot. But I thought since you are the only provider in our household, I shouldn’t keep you from making money. Had I of course known that you are standing here, scaring the customers away with that rainy-day face of yours, I would have come earlier.”

“You are very funny, you know that? But I didn’t marry you for being funny.”

“Course not. But I still think you could need some help around here.”          

“What do you mean? I’ve got Paco and Gianni…”

“Yeah, but they are only here when you are not. I meant someone to help you when you get all blue all of a sudden these days. Someone funny maybe.”     

“Are you applying for a job you just made up?”

“Yes. And before you ask… I myself cannot believe I’m that desperate for some work.”

With a serious look on his face, Easy scans Ringo’s outfit. 

“And I cannot believe that you would wear this to a job interview, but I guess you could lose these clothes quickly enough.”

Taken off guard, Ringo raises one eyebrow and slightly turns his head, opening his mouth twice without saying something before he recovers.     

“Okay, so maybe I didn’t see that coming.”               

“Neither did we.”

Without either Ringo or Easy noticing Tobias and Vivien have appeared in front of the window, looking inside now. Frowning, Tobias waves one hand through the air. 

“Sorry to interrupt your kiosk sex talk and everything but Paco and Leni invited the four of us over. Apparently, they have been making tapas all afternoon and stuff got out of hands and now they are having a little get together with food, wine and really bad movies… or let’s say, with your playlist, Easy.”

The addressee furrows his brows. Having eaten nothing since breakfast he could indeed do with some food. But that is no reason to let Tobias get away with insulting his taste in movies. 

“Coming from someone who likes to watch something called Naked Space Patrol that’s really harsh, Kotzmeister, so be thankful I like to spend time with you anyway. Let me just close the kiosk and I’ll be ready.” 

Curiously he looks at Ringo, hoping his husband won’t feel pushed by his spontaneous decision but said husband is halfway through the door already. “I’ll just hit the shower then and be over after.” Satisfied Tobias nods. “Take your time. Stinker will have to hit the park first anyway.” The small dog barks in agreement. “And since his hubby sneaked out of it, I’ll help Easy pack up around here”, Vivien offers and starts taking down the magazines from the kiosk’s front wall. 

As Easy steps out of the small building seconds later to get the ketchup bottles from the tables, he can still see Tobias walking away to the park, using his walking stick only every other step while Stinker is eyeing his owner watchful as if to make sure that the lawyer isn’t overestimating his strength. Turning his head a bit, Easy eyes catch Ringo striding into the inner yard of their house, taking huge, rather bouncy steps clearly looking forward to an evening with food, friends and fun – well, mostly food probably – but still, taking all these things into account, Easy can’t help but think that even the gloomiest of times aren’t  that bad when you are living at Schillerallee 10.

[lethe-rpg]

Joseph Thomas, they named him. Joseph first, because he was the older of the two grandads, and because it was broadly agreed that he’d been a lucky sort of man. The Finedays wanted their son to have that, and all the drive, the grace, whatever it was that kept Joe walking the right way. Thomas second, because he was a good man, a good brother and husband and father, who got in trouble and made trouble and struggled and lost and struggled and won. And that ought to be honoured, too. Joseph Thomas Fineday - or J.T., because Joseph Thomas was the sort of thing you called somebody when they were in for it, and a mouthful besides - didn’t get to know his grandfathers well. Didn’t get to know a lot of things well, in fact, as his mom worked her way around the oil patch, far away from the rez he’d been born on, back in Saskatchewan. Leaving wasn’t an easy choice. But with his dad in the forces, gone for months on end, mom took the chance. For the family, for her son. The money was good; she pushed through night school along the way, set up a contracting business, made more money, made jobs. And when she had to, she could pick it all up and head to the next well. J.T. understood, but he didn’t always want to. Not when he had to get used to new schools and new towns, over, and over, and over. He knew he’d have his mom, and his dad, at least for a while, until the next tour. But mom worked so hard, and the two of them only got so much time together, too - asking for more, for him, seemed ungrateful. So he should just get friends of his own, hey? Only, most of those places they stayed, scattered through the prairie backcountry? Didn’t have too many kids to choose from. And most of those were white. Being one of the few brown faces in the room - or the only one - for a year here, two years there, and so on, putting up with all the bullshit that came with… it wore on him. First, he drew away into books. Tore through tiny libraries and battered secondhand stores. By his teens, that stopped working. Those rare visits home had dried up, cut off by loss, distance, and so on. Those once-precocious grades started sliding, fast. Those “friends” got worse, and J.T. got worse with them, trying to see who he had to be to keep ahold of the few connections he had. It was all sliding apart,  faster and faster - until a dingy school-lunch drama club in northern Alberta managed to hold that shit together. J.T. hadn’t expected it, to say the least. Fought it, for a while. But the lure of bringing something to life, stepping into a story, exploring people and moments and feelings… he couldn’t turn his back on that. Not for long, anyway. And that was just the start. Theater - the act, the history, all of it - became J.T.’s place to be. Wasn’t always easy. The same barriers his dad hit while serving, all the obstacles his mom ran into around the rigs, those homegrown Canadian prejudices, were waiting. But for that feeling, up on stage? J.T. told himself that was worth anything. And he told his students, too, as he somehow fell into teaching, one university improv group and community theatre club at a time. Along the way, he reached out into film, into art, into a world he’d never pictured himself as a part of - and he found that part, became it. Even if his parents didn’t exactly like all this, as a career path, they could love how much it did for their son. And, eventually, J.T. loved it for how much he could do for others, especially kids like he’d been. 

He’d still be doing that, if it weren’t for an exceptionally bad weekend. Exceptionally. A faculty trip out to the interior, a bit of backcountry hiking and so on, that’d sounded like a good time. Be nice to get out of the city, leave Vancouver behind for a couple weeks. So far as risks went, he’d anticipated busted ankles and blisters. Nobody mentioned wolf attacks. The ride to the hospital was long, and bloody. And fucking painful, to say the least. But if he’d gone to pieces, as much as his arm was, well, everybody would have lost it. So J.T. made sure they managed a few laughs, got some real road trip photos, yeah? He kept it up after the stitches went in, after he breezed his way back to work. While trying not to twitch every time he heard a dog growl. Or heave whenever he passed that hellishly nasty staff microwave. Or… there were little things, strange things, that sent him back to the doctor. Until he stopped bothering, because after a few scans and tests and so on, all the man said was that he ought to talk it out with his counsellor, and all his counsellor could do was listen and ask and miss what he meant, which sounded crazier and crazier every time he tried to find a not-crazy way to explain it. So those little things kept piling up, day by day - until it all fell down. Two months ago. Full moon. 

Now, you meet all sorts, in the theatre. Between students and colleagues, J.T.’s collected quite the odd mix of acquaintances - odd enough that somebody was able to suss out just what, exactly, was going on. Lycanthropy has some pretty predictable patterns, after all, and a fresh werewolf has some particular quirks, don’t they? Quinn Cameron, of course, had some personal experience to work from. They were friends - you’ve gotta be decent to whoever’s building your sets - just professionally, maybe, but between that and how jittery J.T. was, he listened when Quinn came around. To actually have someone put a name to it, make it real, was strangely earth-shattering. Or, more accurately, it… ripped the tape off, maybe. That first full moon had cracked J.T.’s world to pieces, broken rules, bent sense and story inside out. By sheer force of will, he’d kept his shit in order. More or less. Held the reality of it at arm’s length, because he had to. Because it shouldn’t be happening. Because it couldn’t be happening. But it was. It was, and he didn’t have any answers, couldn’t even imagine where to look. And as it pressed in on his life, as it tugged and tore at his body, J.T. started to feel something familiar: anger. At circumstances beyond his control, like when he was a kid, pushed around and pulled from place to place. He’d never liked being angry. It was something he wanted less of, wanted to beat and be done with. Hearing the reason, the truth, said - werewolf - didn’t help. What the fuck was that really supposed to mean, anyway? For him? For his plans, unraveling around the full moon, the days next to it, the days further, as he found himself tearing through his apartment night after night, unable to just will away this thing that had chewed its way into his schedule. A busy schedule. At this point, as he arrives in Lethe for what he hopes will be a short stay, J.T.’s trying to see this ridiculous, impossible situation as a temporary inconvenience. If the world’s weird enough for this B-movie bullshit to exist, it better be strange enough for an easy fix to be out there. And, based on what he’s been told, Lethe should be able to supply something like that. Right?

As for his thoughts on Lethe, well, J.T.’s still at the first impressions stage - he’s literally just arrived, and the walk from the inn to city hall has left him a little doubtful, to say the least. It’s weird how weird this place isn’t, given what Quinn told him. As for the Riverborn, or the Council’s shaky standing, or the recent and unfortunately relevant upheaval in the local pack, they didn’t get to that in any detail; at the moment, J.T. isn’t giving it much thought. He has his own problems, and, frankly, he’d like his life to get less strange sooner than later. Should be easy. Sure.

[incomingalbatross]

For the Director's Cut ask: Illumination, as much or as little of it as you would like

Ooh, thank you! :D

(Illumination: part 1, part 2)

Some of this I may have already said in comment responses, but I’ll try not to repeat myself too much. :P

I don’t remember as much about Part 1... But I do remember being very pleased with the title, since the lightsaber is both literally and metaphorically illuminating the scene for Mike.

Rereading Adair’s parts makes me laugh a little, because he is just... not here for the Weird Jedi Drama that’s suddenly popped up. He just wants to escape in peace!

Oh! Here’s my favorite thing about Part 1 that I know I haven’t mentioned before...

Something flickered in Psmith's eyes. He smiled at Mike for an instant. Then his eyes fixed on his lightsaber blade, as he began to twirl it faster and faster before him.

"Don't worry, Padawan," he said lightly, still watching the blade's glow as he began to move purposefully toward the corner.  "I'll be right behind you."

Cool as his demeanor was, there was a note in his voice Mike had never heard from him before.

“Don’t worry, Padawan. I’ll be right behind you,” aka (in my head) the last words he heard from the Jedi Master who died to save him--and whose lightsaber he’s now wielding.

(I know he never reached Padawan himself, but I think either he looked older than he was or he was part of a group of kids being protected? My memory is a little hazy on that, I’m afraid...)

The “something” in his eyes and the note in his voice are both related to this. After years on the run, trying to make sense of the slaughter in the Temple and especially of that master’s sacrifice to save him... Finally, he’s found a good reason. He’s realizing that he’s found something to do with his life that feels like it justifies the price paid for it--and, perhaps paradoxically, it’s repeating that payment. He’s honoring the sacrifice for his life by giving up said life--but, after all, anything really worth living for is worth dying for. And even with the survivor’s guilt, Mike’s life feels more than worth his.

Anyway yes I have Feelings about that bit.

And Part 2! Part 2 took significantly more work, both because it was longer and because it had a lot more moving pieces. (This was the story that made me realize “oh hey, apparently I can write a decent action scene,” which was nice.)

Managing the action-dialogue balance, and trying to find a plausible skill level for Psmith that still worked with the story, was... an adventure. :P

I knew from the start that I wanted the headmaster’s POV, to parallel Mike and Psmith, and also for Dunster to keep his deus ex machina role (albeit a slightly more dramatic one). And I’m glad I got to keep the headmaster’s sympathetic side--I do like him.

It didn’t make it in here, but I think Adair probably killed Downing? I figure he’s very villainous in this setting, and as our most straightforwardly-heroic character it felt fitting for Adair to defeat him.

Hm. I don’t think I noticed this when I wrote it, but...

“Are you really hoping to leave with your friends, at this point? If you don’t catch up within a few minutes’ time, they’ll almost certainly leave without you.”

“Such is my hope, I confess…” for the first time, Psmith let his speech be interrupted by the demands of combat, but soon picked up the thread again, “A forlorn one, perhaps, but I hold fast to it.”

It sounds like he’s saying he hopes he can leave with his friends... But I’m 95% sure that I (and Psmith) meant it as “I hope they leave without me.” He snuck double-talk past me! That is very Psmith.

Psmith had to try a mind trick, because he would--but it couldn’t work if I wanted to give Dunster a meaningful role. I’m fairly certain that’s how the trooper who shot him found his way in--I’m not happy about Psmith’s wound, but I must confess I’m proud of the poor guy’s quick thinking.

(Also, figuring out what to call the Imperial troops was a bit of a pain... I mostly went with “troopers” but I wasn’t sure about it.)

The “speak when you’re spoken to, one-word answers” bit was good tactics, but I also wrote it as set-up for Psmith’s last line. ;)

Psmith’s reaction to Dunster (as I’m sure you noticed) was a deliberate echo of his book reaction. “He laughed, sir.” “Laughed?” “Yes, sir. He rolled about.” I enjoyed the chance to actually write it, instead of just hearing about it!

The headmaster is coming with them because A) I wanted to get them to safety, and he was the POV character, and B) I needed that final exchange between him and Psmith. ;P

Is Mike “the best pilot ever to pass through (their) unhallowed halls”? I don’t know... But this is Psmith talking about him, so of course he says he is.

Psmith may or may not be adding some emotional push to convince the headmaster... but either way, the facts are true, and they both know it.

...I’d forgotten Dunster says “The Force be with you.” I appreciate that (and so did Psmith--it’s not often he gets respectful acknowledgement of Jedi culture, obviously).

“Turning away, he scanned the hangar a moment before zeroing in on one TIE fighter.“ Force powers! Finding Mike’s mind!

“Why?” the headmaster asked helplessly. “I mean, I know why you came here, but why stay so long? Why reveal yourself helping this escape, if you really aren’t part of the Rebellion? Why … Why any of this?” (...)  “Jackson,” he said matter-of-factly. Hey look, it’s my favorite part. :)

This was also intended very much as an echo of his canon talk with the headmaster--I love those few moments of rare, unfiltered honesty, when he drops his masks and flowery language and just tells the truth. Fewer words generally mean more, coming from him, so I took that to its logical extreme. ;)

Thank you again for asking! It was fun revisiting this... Psmith is a joy to write, even if he’s also a challenge.

[popatochisssp]

Make Your Mark, 7/10

Series: Undertale, Swapfell Relationship(s): SF!Sans/Reader Chapter Warnings:  Suggestive themes, general bastardry 

AO3 Link

In a world where soulmates exist, monsters and humans have one thing in common: the first time two soulmates touch, a mark randomly appears somewhere–anywhere– on their bodies to represent their match.

It still doesn’t make relationships easier…but maybe it does make them a little more interesting!

The moment it happened was burned into your brain in perfect clarity.

It goes like this:

You’re outside, enjoying the first real taste of decent weather after a seemingly interminable winter. Your boyfriend is early to pick you up for your date—as always—but he surprises you with an uncharacteristic offer to simply relax and kill time at a nearby park until your dinner reservations.

In hindsight, you think he must’ve seen how tired you were from the less-than-intentional all-nighter you’d just pulled and wanted to give you a chance to rest until you were fully functional once again.

At the time, though, you’re just touched by the suggestion and let Sans lead you to a park bench, excited to people-watch and spend a little time with your favorite skeleton.

The latter was a given, but the former… apparently, not so much.

Somewhere between the crisp, spring breeze and the dulcet tones of Sans chuckling about all the laypeople’s egregious fashion faux pas, you manage to doze off right then and there.

You don’t know how long you’re out, but you wake again to the bony line of warmth against your side—and the surprise that Sans seems to have fallen asleep, too.

You admire him, your skeleton beau: the tired droop of closed eye-sockets, the severity of his handsome features softened somehow by unconsciousness, and slowly, your eyes begin to drift down…to the claws he has gently curled around your knee.

The bare claws, free of the gloves he always wore.

You don’t know what compels you to reach out.

(Yes, you do.)

(Nearly a year of dating, and Sans hadn’t once touched you, skin-on-bone. Hugs and hand-holding and flirty words aplenty, but he ‘LIKED TO TAKE THINGS SLOW, IF YOU DON’T MIND…?’ and you’d agreed to that, no matter how curious you were to know if the two of you…)

(…It’s no excuse.)

With a pathetically thin veneer of deference to your promise, you settle your hand on your own thigh, so dangerously close to Sans’ phalanges that you can feel the magical heat of them, radiating.

It’s exactly as thrilling as you thought it’d be, knowing that all you’d have to do is twitch and it would finally happen, but knowing with even more certainty that you��shouldn’t be doing this.

But…

It’s fine, you reasoned to yourself, over your nagging conscience. I’m not touching him. I’m not gonna move. He’ll never even know. It’s not hurting anybody. It’s fine.

And it was.

Until…

Well, suffice it to say that your brilliant, impulsive, ‘I just won’t move my hand’ strategy didn’t account for Sans moving his hand more than a fraction of an inch.

And with the barest brush of your pinkies, that was that.

-

It’s been three days since that moment.

Three days since you touched Sans for the first time and got away with it, passing off your squeak of surprise as not expecting him to have woken up, going on a lovely date that you managed not to ruin, and later undressing to find what you’d hoped for more than anything—unequivocal proof that Sans was your soulmate.

And also, three days in which Sans hadn’t said a thing about you being his.

The way you see it, there’s only two possibilities.

Either your soulmark did show up on him, somewhere unusual that he just…hadn’t found yet…or…

Or you’d incurred the worst karma in the universe and you were one of those tragic, rare cases where you weren’t a match to your own soulmate.

There wasn’t much you could do about it.

Sans was far too sharp to be fooled by any sneaky attempts to get him to undress around you ‘just because,’ and to simply ask him would be to admit that you’d thoughtlessly betrayed his trust for a selfish reason, and the thought alone was enough to make your heart leap into your throat.

So for awhile…you just stewed in anxious guilt, in silence.

You’re not the type to just sit around forever, though!

You feel the need to do something, and you find yourself heading over to Sans’ house—not to see him, he was working, but maybe you could do something nice for him!

A few chores around the house, some light cleaning, a head-start on dinner, the usual ‘being a thoughtful datemate’ stuff that took a little bit of responsibility off of Sans’ shoulders.

And made you feel less aware of your sins crawling on your back.

You’re bent over Sans’ mattress, struggling with a particularly stubborn yet freshly laundered fitted sheet when…

“MY, MY, WHAT A VIEW…”

You jump, whirling around to find Sans right behind you, his shark-smile spread into a lascivious smirk.

Even as your cheeks heat, you very intelligently squeak, “Sans! You’re home!”

“LOOKS AND BRAINS,” he teases. “YOU NEVER CEASE TO AMAZE, DEAREST.”

You spin right back around and return to making the bed, grumbling a petulant, “Shut up, I thought you were at work…”

“I WAS,” Sans says, “AND NOW I’M HERE. FUNNY HOW THAT WORKS, ISN’T IT?”

“Hilarious,” is your retort, and his only reply to that is an undeniably fond laugh.

The sound eases the tension in your shoulders, though, because despite yourself, Sans has rapidly worked his way into your heart.

Sans has become a little like home to you.

“…SO, WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO SHOW ME MY SOULMARK?”

Home, and maybe also a heart-attack.

“Sorry, what?!” you ask, wide-eyed and stunned.

Seemingly oblivious to your distress, Sans merely shrugs.

“I’VE BEEN QUITE PATIENT,” he says, “BUT REALLY, THREE DAYS IS PUSHING IT. IT IS MY MARK.”

“I! You…! How did…”

Slowly, though, the answer comes to you, the one you should’ve known all along.

“You were awake,” you realize. And then, infinitely more infuriatingly, “You did it on purpose?!”

Sans snorts, rolling his eye-lights.

“OH, COME ON, NOW,” he tsks, “YOU DIDN’T REALLY THINK I’D EVER FALL ASLEEP IN PUBLIC, DID YOU?”

………

You grab the closest thing you can reach and swing, beaning Sans full across the face with his own overstuffed pillow.

The ‘WHOOMPH’ it makes is pretty satisfying…but by the look on his face, you know he could’ve dodged it.

He let you whap him and that kinda makes you want to do it again.

Instead, you hiss, “You son of a bitch, I’ve been freaking out about that!”

Damn him, he thinks this is funny, his eye-lights brightening with obvious mirth. “HAVE YOU?”

“Yes! I thought I’d…! Violated your personal space! Betrayed your trust! I thought I was the shittiest datemate ever!”

Sans laughs—no, he cackles, like a goddamn super-villain and you raise the pillow, fully ready to swing on him a second time.

“OH, DON’T,” he chuckles, “PLEASE, NO MORE…NO MORE PILLOW WARFARE, I’M ALREADY IN STITCHES!”

You open your mouth, fully prepared to say something scathing about his sense of humor.

“JUST LOOK, DEAREST,” Sans says, peeling off a glove and…

………

It is…so funny how the sight of your soulmark seems to rob you of any emotion even resembling annoyance.

It’s a little more abstract than you expected, broken up as it is across several small bones, but you still know immediately what you’re looking at, its prongs arching majestically along Sans’ metacarpals.

It’s a crown.

“DO YOU SEE?” Sans murmurs, giving you appropriate bedroom eyes. “DO YOU SEE WHAT YOU ARE TO ME? WHY IT’S SO FUNNY TO THINK OF YOU ‘BETRAYING’ ME?”

…Oh, stars above, your heart.

“I KNOW YOU LIKE THE BACK OF MY HAND—HEHEH, LITERALLY—OR I’D HAVE NEVER LET YOU SO CLOSE TO ME IN THE FIRST PLACE. NOW, COME HERE…AND SHOW ME MY MARK…”

Something in Sans’ low, husky voice demands your cooperation…and on the heels of your relief at this reciprocation, you’re inclined to give it.

You drop the pillow on the bed and step forward, closing the gap between the two of you.

Sans’ eye-sockets turn to pleasantly surprised crescents as your hands come up to the buttons of your shirt and start to undo them, one by one.

Halfway down, you hesitate.

You’ve never…

Sans has never seen you in quite this state of undress before and beneath his scorchingly intense gaze, you’re not sure you have the nerve…

Your skeleton seems to realize your predicament.

Sounding only a little amused, he asks, “ALLOW ME TO ASSIST YOU…?”

And…you let your bashful silence speak for itself.

Sans reaches out, holding eye-contact with you as his claws pluck at your buttons. They’re razor-sharp, slicing through the feeble threads sewing them on—once, an edge just grazes your bare skin, light enough to raise goosebumps—but the last thing on your mind is your ruined shirt.

Sans can buy you a new one.

You take a breath when all the buttons are gone, trying to be bold as you hold your chest out for your soulmate to see.

Knowing now that it’s mutual, you’re proud of the big, flashy diamond sat right over your heart, swirled with cool colors nearly iridescent against your skin.

Sans seems fond of it, too, his expression abruptly darkening to nothing short of ‘hungry.’

“PERFECT,” he breathes.

And without any further ado, you’re practically tackled backwards onto the bed, instinctively arching up into the pointed claws clutching your hips; the even pointier teeth ghosting along your neck.

You spare less than a second to think about protesting.

Why would you?

It’s been a year, and Sans is your soulmate—you think you’ve both waited long enough for this…

UT!Sans | UT!Papyrus | US!Sans | US!Papyrus | UF!Sans | UF!Papyrus | SF!Papyrus | HT!Sans | HT!Papyrus

[anneimaginesundertale]

Eating Headcanons for the Skelebros

I’ve run out of drabbles and the inbox is currently empty, so have a few random head canons about the skeleton brothers’ eating habits. 

UT Sans — He isn't a slob, but he has weird and kind of gross eating habits. He’ll drink ketchup and goop it over pretty much anything. He eats individual ingredients on their own, instead of putting them together. (Even PB and J. The man eats the bread, peanut butter, and jelly separately!) He has manners and can use them, but usually chooses not to, the lazy bum. His favorite food is Grillby’s burgers and fries (drowned in ketchup, of course). He is an okay cook. He can make basic foods, even if he won't make them for himself (the goblin). He can make quiche, and Toriel taught him to make pie. He doesn't cook a lot, preferring to either get take out, go out to eat, or get frozen meals he can microwave. Or have other people cook for him, if he can.

UT Papyrus — He has excellent table manners, but odd eating habits. There are some foods he just doesn't like. Textures throw him off. He likes dinosaur oatmeal. He dislikes greasy foods. He got a lot better at cooking after reaching the surface. Toriel taught him properly, after he and Undyne nearly burned down her kitchen. He loves trying new recipes. He never eats anything he cooks for other people. He’s never tried his own spaghetti.

US Sans — He has great manners. He believes in cleaning his plate and being polite, even if what he’s eating isn't actually good. He loves foods you can put together before you eat them. Tacos, make your own pizza, even sandwiches. (Unlike UT Sans, he actually puts them together. He can get a little creative with toppings, though.) He prefers healthier food options but has a secret sweet tooth. He loves baking and decorating cookies.

US Papyrus — He is a sloppy eater, and he likes to make weird food combinations. Peanut butter on grilled cheese? Pickles and pineapple on pizza? Sign him up. He also eats a lot of junk food, and has a tendency to horde food in his room. He did the dishes walk of shame once a month before Sans started buying him paper plates and cups so he could just throw stuff out instead. He has a bigger sweet tooth than his brother. He can cook but doesn't do it often, as his brother prefers to do the cooking and Papy is lazy anyway. He likes tootsie pops, especially the orange ones. He’ll also eat honey in anything.

UF Sans — He is a sloppy eater and an over-eater. He’ll eat an entire pan of brownies in one sitting if you let him. Chocolate is his secret weakness. He also loves fast food. He is a decent cook, but he hasn't had much of a chance to get into the kitchen since Papyrus decided he wanted to cook. He puts mustard on any non-dessert food. This is mostly a protective reflex, as he usually eats whatever Paps made and mustard covers the burnt bits. He can also use his magic in mustard to check for any poison or malicious intent. If the mustard turns red, he won't eat the food.

UF Papyrus — He eats three meals a day, planned precisely and prepared properly by the Great Papyrus. He’s actually good at it if he follows the recipe to the letter. It’s when he thinks he knows better than the cookbook that things get…weird. He is aware that his cooking isn't always good, but is far too proud to admit it. He eats whatever he serves. You can tell when he knows it’s bad because he won't talk at all during the meal. He enjoys all forms of Italian cooking, but his favorite food is definitely lasagna. He doesn't approve of things like breakfast for dinner or cold pizza for breakfast. Food has rules, damn it! Don't be disgusting!

SF Sans — He is very proud of his cooking and a bit of a food snob. He won't eat food he hasn't made himself. Part of this is leftover self-preservation instinct from underground. He cooks everything from scratch and makes three meals a day. His food is edible, at the very least. He likes spicy food and doesn't often consider others’ eating preferences. If you don't like it, you can wait for the next meal. He doesn't believe in snacks.

SF Papyrus — He often forgets to eat and then ends up eating odd meals at odd hours. He’ll also overeat to try to make up for the meals he’s missed. His favorite is ice cream, the more mix-ins the better. His brother makes him eat at least one (semi)decent meal a day and doesn't keep ice cream in the house. Papyrus can cook a little bit. Undyne taught him to boil water, at least, and that means he can make instant whatever — just add water. He could also follow directions on a box cake mix. Anything else is kind of beyond him.  He’s used to his brother cooking.