#we're not gonna talk about how long that took me to do. in my defense i'm also watching a playthru of the remake rn

[frightmeister]

really proud that i got to get in a ref to my fave nightmare on elm street movie into the tags. also glad to have those mostly done.

[withahappyrefrain]

The 5 Times You Flirted With Bob + The 1 Time He Picked Up on It

Summary: You've fallen for your friend and have decided to drop some hints that you're flirting. Unfortunately, Bob doesn't realize that immediately.

Warnings: Language, no y/n, female reader, reader has a callsign (Honey)

Thank you to @dissonannce for this amazing idea. Thank you @acewritesfics for the dividers!

"Your hands are so big."

It took Bob a moment to register that you were in fact, talking to him.

"Oh! Um yeah. My ma made me do piano because she felt I was given the hands for them," Bob wiggled his fingers for extra effect, "Y'know, since they're so long."

Yes, they were quite long. It was one of the first things you noticed about Bob. Well, after you noticed his beautiful blue eyes, his endearing lopsided smile, the way he was so considerate of everyone else, so gentle, and yet there was an underlying confidence about him. He was sure of himself, but he didn't feel the need to brag.

Who could blame you for falling head over heels for him?

You flashed him a smile, hand reaching towards his.

"It's just, your hand is so much bigger than mine. See?" You propped his arm up, allowing your palm to press against his, both your fingers spread out to showcase the difference in size.

"See? My hand is so small compared to yours," You giggled. Bob looked down at your hands. Your breath hitched, your fingers twitching, dying to entwine with his.

"Yeah, there is quite a difference in size," Bob said, giving you that small smile you adored so much. That smile gave you the confidence to entwine your fingers with his.

"I think they fit pretty well together, see?" He wasn't letting go. He was still smiling as he looked down at your hand holding his.

Maybe this was finally it, he'd finally realized that you liked him and would-

"I'm gonna go get some more peanuts, can I get ya anything?"

You mustered up a smile, trying to cover up your disappointment, "I'll take a water. Thanks Robby."

As soon as he left, you shot Jake a dirty look, "Seresin, you said that shit would work!"

Jake, who had been pretending to play a game of pool with Bradley, Javy, and Mickey, put his hands up in defense, "Because it usually does! Everyone knows when a girl compares hand sizes it means she wants you!"

"Everyone but Bob apparently," Javy muttered.

"Maybe you just need to be more obvious?" Mickey suggested.

You sighed. You knew Bob. The last thing you wanted was to be so blunt it would overwhelm him. But at the same time, you two had been doing this whole 'friends but also more than that and I'm pretty sure we're flirting?' for the last month and you were getting annoyed with it how seemed to be going nowhere.

Perhaps Mickey was right. You were going to have to be a bit more obvious.

"Bee? You ready?" Bob called out from your living room. Bob's nickname of your callsign (Honey) always brought a smile to your face, as well as heat to your cheeks.

"Almost! Can I get your thoughts on this top?" You asked as you walked in.

"Yeah, I'm sure you look-oh." Bob's eyes widened as he took in the green top you were wearing.

It was tighter than the shirts you normally wore, highlighting your breasts. The fabric stopped right at the end of your rib cage, showing off your stomach and bringing attention to your high waisted jeans, which according to Jake "did wonders for your ass".

"What do you think?" You clasped your hands together, the action causing your breasts to stick out even further.

"Um the uh, the color is really great on you. B-brings out your eyes," Bob said, his eyes looking everywhere except you.

With the way his cheeks were bright red, it gave you confidence to step forward, your body now inches away from his, "I was hoping it would bring out something else besides my eyes Robby."

"I mean you you look great in everything you wear! So mission accomplished," Bob said quickly, his hands fidgeting with his car keys.

"Anything else you want to say about the outfit Robby? I really value your opinion." You stood on the tips of your toes, bringing your chest closer to Bob's face.

It was the first time since you walked in that his eyes landed on your chest. He cleared his throat, as if he was gathering up the courage to say it.

"You should grab a jacket, it's supposed to go down to the low sixties tonight," He said, turning around to head out the door.

God damn it.

You grabbed your phone, quickly texting the group.

Honey: We need to go to Plan C.

Rooster: Plan C?! You're saying the top didn't work?

Bagman: Dude, your tits were like out.

Rooster: Maybe they weren't out enough?

Coyote: If they were out any more, Honey would be getting a public indecency charge.

Phoenix: Maybe we shouldn't use clothes to express our feelings? Just a thought 🤦🏽

Fanboy: Yeah Nat, that's plan C.

Payback: Can we not blow up the group chat tonight? The finale of Insecure is on.

Your right leg bounced up and down in nervous anticipation, your eyes never leaving the entrance to the Hard Deck.

"You don't think this is too much, is it?" You asked your friends/coworkers.

"Nah, it'll be perfect!" Mickey reassured you.

"You and Bob are going to walk out of here holding hands by the end of the night, guarantee it," Jake commented as he lined up the balls for a round of pool.

It took all your strength not to jump out of your seat when you saw Bob walk in. His iridescent blue eyes scanned the room, landing on you. He always seemed to search for you, which had to be a sign that he wanted more, that he felt the same way as you did.

You greeted him with a smile, patting the empty seat next to him.

"Hey Robby! I got something for you!" You called out.

Bob just smiled as he sat down, "I see you got my signature: water and peanuts. Thanks Bee!"

You giggled, shaking your head, "Yes, but that's not just it. These are for you!"

Bob stared at the bouquet of flowers you were holding out for him.

"For me? These are for me?" He asked, eyes wide as saucers.

"Yes! I was just thinking, like why is giving guys flowers not a thing? Because it totally should be! And no one deserves these flowers more than you Robby," You explained, a hopeful smile adorning your face.

Bob gently took the bouquet, admiring each flower.

"I thought they would go well with your eyes-that's why a most of them are yellow," you explained, trying to hide how nervous you were.

"These are perfect," Bob said before leaning down to smell the flowers.

"Really? Each flower has a different meaning," you began, hoping that by fidgeting with your hands, you'd be able to conceal your nerves.

Bob simply smiled, his face the epitome of saccharine, "Oh, I already know."

Your breath hitched, "You do?"

Bob nodded, "Oh yeah! Alstroemerias symbolize support, sunflowers are for loyalty, and violets stand for intuition!"

He wasn't wrong. You couldn't tell if you were upset by that or the fact that Mickey forgot flowers can have more than one meaning.

Time for Plan D.

"Hey Robby! You ready to watch hot people make poor decisions?"

"Ready as I'll ever-that's new," Bob said softly, taking in the new loungewear you had on for your biweekly Love Island watch.

"Oh this? I think I got it last week," you said as you let Bob into your apartment, "It's super comfy and it has pockets!"

It also was cut low, showing off your cleavage, as well as the tops of your thigh.

"Yeah, the uh, color looks really good on you Bee," Bob commented. The compliment brought a smile to your face. He noticed you, noticed you were wearing something new, and seemed to be noticing your now exposed skin.

"Well, let's go see if these folks gain any common sense," you grabbed his hand, practically beaming at how your hand fit perfectly in his.

"Somehow I doubt it," Bob chuckled.

When he offered to hold the popcorn for while you two watched, you weren't disappointed. Sure, it meant you weren't able to hold his hand. But it did mean you could move closer to him, your thighs practically touching.

"I really hope he doesn't take her back," Bob muttered, his eyes glued to the screen.

"He will. They always do," you sighed, gently moving your head so it rested against one of his broad shoulders.

If your action had any effect on Bob, he didn't show it. Which was the problem.

"I would pick you in the recoupling," You revealed, hoping that would be enough, would finally be enough.

Bob smiled, placing a hand on your knee, "That's kind of you Bee. But I think friendship couples go against the nature of the show."

It took everything in you not to scream.

The rest of the night was just a typical Love Island watch night, no touching, no initiating, no declarations of love, and ending with Bob giving you a friendly hug goodbye.

With a sigh, you flopped onto your bed to check your messages.

Bagman: Bee, please tell us it worked and you're marking sweet love to baby on board

Phoenix: you're disgusting Seresin.

Rooster: why would they stop fucking just to text you Bagman?

Bagman: so we can pop some champagne to celebrate

Fanboy: Why the fuck is would we do that?

Coyote: It's a big event! Bee told Bob how she feels AND Bob's getting laid!

Payback: Can I just get one night of peace? Just one night?

You: No one's doing anything bc it didn't work!

Rooster: Not trying to be rude, but weren't you like almost naked?

Bagman: Like 52% nude.

Phoenix: JFC, we're going to plan E folks.

Coyote: Is that when we just lock them in a closet?

Bagman: No that's plan G

"Hey Bee!"

The cheerful, charming voice always brought a smile to your face.

"Hi Robby!" You greeted him with a hug, the comforting scent of rosemary filling your nostrils, "You smell really nice."

"Oh um thanks," A hand flew to the back of Bob's neck, a nervous (and also adorable) habit, "Wanted to smell nice after doing all those pushups out in the sun."

"Well it worked, you smell great," One of your hands reached up to the nape of his neck, toying with the hair that had curled at the end, "Look great too."

The tops of Bob's cheeks were now a dusty pink, "It's just a white Tshirt."

You took a step forward, placing your hands on his chest, "It's a good look Robby. Shows off your muscles. I like it on you.

Bob's lips parted, then promptly closed.

"Uh, t-thanks Bee." He had to know now that you were flirting with him. It was clear as day.

Feeling confident, your hands trailed down to his, grasping them, "We should dance!"

You didn't wait for Bob to answer, dragging him out to the middle of the floor. The sounds of Bradley covering Frankie Valli (begrudgingly, as apparently Jerry Lee Lewis was better) filled the bar.

After a few minutes, Bob's shoulders visibly relaxed, a smile spreading across his face. You threw your head back laughing as he bust out a goofy dance move.

Everyone thought Bob was shy, but that wasn't the case. He was observant, determined to get a good read on someone so he knew how to approach the situation accordingly. Once he was comfortable, his personality shined and he was a sweet, goofy man who you adored with all your heart.

The grin you had was so wide, your cheeks were beginning to hurt. But you couldn't stop, not when he was twirling you around.

"Where did you learn to dance like that?" You asked, having to say it into his ear so he could hear your voice above the music.

Bob shrugged, "I come from a big family. When you know you're going to a lot of weddings, knowing how to dance helps. That and my mom made me do cotillion."

"Well, all that practice paid off. You're a great dance partner Robby." You rested your chin against his broad chest, looking up to meet eyes bluer than the ocean.

In that moment, all you could do was focus on him. The way the corner of his eyes creased when he truly smiled, his comforting scent, his pink, thin lips that you were dying to feel on yours.

You wondered if he could hear your heart pounding, if he could feel it since your body was practically on his.

His hands found their way to your arms, gently placing themselves on your biceps. Was this it? It had to be.

So you stood on the tips of your toes, your lips now closer to his. Your eyes began to close as you leaned in to-

"I gotta go. Jake stuck his foot in his mouth again."

This wasn't a lie. But it still didn't dull your disappointment. Nor did it sedate your growing frustration at this whole situation.

Perhaps you didn't need Plan G or H Perhaps it was time to go with your original plan.

The next time you saw Bob was when Nat threw a small get together to celebrate the end of a long week.

He was wearing that damn white Tshirt again. Whenever he brought his cup of water to his mouth, the fabric stretched across his bicep.

Was he doing this on purpose? Did he know? Consciously or not, that you had fallen for him ever since you two first met at training?

Either way, you were tired of this game you had been playing for the past month.

"Are you sure about this?" Natasha asked.

You simply nodded before taking a shot of vodka. A little liquid courage was always nice.

"Nat, he's oblivious. Honestly, I don't know why we didn't do this the first time," Jake commented as he took the shot glass out of your hand.

"Because we didn't expect him to be that oblivious," Mickey countered.

"Well everyone, wish me luck." You walked out of the kitchen to find Bob still sitting on the couch, glass of water in hand.

His eyes met yours and he gave you a smile sweeter than honey. Your legs began to wobble, whether it was from that smile or your nerves, you couldn't say.

You walked over, making a beeline for him. Bob's eyes widened, his fingers gripping his cup. Your gaze was so intense.

"Hey Bee-oh!" Bob froze as you sat down in his lap, your thighs straddling his lithe hips.

"Hey Robby," your hands found his shoulders, fingers toying with the thin cotton fabric of his shirt.

"Uh Bee, there's um, there's a seat right there," Bob weakly pointed to the empty space next to him.

"I don't want that," you leaned forward, your forehead grazing his, "I want you Robby."

His eyes widened once more, as if he just saw an incoming train, "M-me?"

"Yes. Wanted you ever since that first day of training, when you offered me a mint," you told him.

"I uh, you looked sleepy and mint is known to wake you up and," Bob paused, "Did you say since the first day of training?"

You nodded, smiling at how you were able to see him process this information.

"The first day of training?" He repeated.

"Yes Bob, all you did was offer me a mint and smile to make me fall head over heels for ya," your fingers now went up to the back of his neck, twirling the curled ends of his hair, "Been trying to tell you that for the last month."

Bob opened his mouth, then promptly closed it, his brain still processing everything.

"You good Rob-" You never got to finish your sentence, as Bob decided right then was the best time to press his lips against yours.

His lips were soft and tasted faintly of vanilla, no doubt from the chapstick you watched him reapply. His touch was gentle, his thick fingers ghosting over your thighs, trailing up to your waist. Every move, no matter how small, made your heart fluttered.

Being so close to him, you could smell his aftershave, a mix of eucalyptus and sage. It was intoxicating and you wanted to be surrounded by it all the time, wanted to kiss him all the time.

When he broke away for air, you had to hold back a whimper, your lips desperate for more.

"FINALLY!"

You turned your head to find Bradley, along with Mickey, Natasha, Jake, Javy, and Reuben standing by the doorframe, in perfect view of you and Bob.

You smiled and opened your mouth, ready to make a quick remark. But Bob's fingers hooked underneath your chin, turning your head back to meet his lips again.

Unlike the first kiss, this one was bolder. His lips moved against yours with more confidence. Your whole body felt warm, as if you were floating. His hands now cupped your jawline, which is how you learned that Bob's hands practically covered your whole neck, a discovery that sent you reeling.

Your hands trailed up to his head, desperate to feel his sun kissed locks, desperate to find out if they were as soft as they looked. But just before you could, Bob broke away.

"What?" Anxiety came rushing back, dragging you away from Cloud Nine, your previous location. Did he regret it?

"Let's go."

He moved your body to the empty space on the couch, quickly getting up. You took his hands, allowing him to help you get up. You held onto one hand as he led you to the front door.

"Bob! What are you doing with my backseater?" Javy called out.

"Making up for lost time!"

Maybe you should be a little embarrassed. But how could you? You had finally kissed the man of your dreams, he kissed you back. He wanted to leave with you.

The sounds of the house party fainted, becoming soft background noise as you went outside.

Bob stopped, turning around to face you. Before you could get out a sound, his lips were on you again. His hands pulled your body to his, closing the gap in-between.

You couldn't help but moan when you felt his tongue slide against your bottom lip, immediately granting him entrance. You could hear Bob's breath hitch, his hands roaming across your body, touching your soft skin.

Abruptly, he pulled away, leaving you desperate for more.

"Why do you keep doing that?!"

"I...." His face was flushed, "I meant to ask you if if you drove yourself here. But you looked so kissable. You still do, God I just wanna kiss you again."

"I'm not stopping you Robby," you grinned, stepping towards him, "I'm not stopping you at all."

"Oh don't tell me that darlin'" his Midwestern upbringing laced his words. You always loved his accent, having found it not just unique but also comforting.

Somehow, despite his lips pressed against yours, Bob was able to walk you back to his car, your back meeting the cool metal.

His broad body draped over yours, his tongue frantically exploring your mouth. Your fingers reached up, grasping his hair. It was soft and much thicker than you expected.

What else was there about Bob you had yet to learn? What kind of toothpaste he used, if he drank tea or coffee in the morning. Did he fall asleep to rain sounds or silence? How many pillows were on his bed?

You wanted to know everything.

But right now, you just wanted to kiss Bob.

Your fingers tugged on his hair in an attempt to pull him closer to you. Despite his chest being pressed against yours, it wasn't enough. You wanted all of him.

"We should get in the car," He said, voice breathless. With the way his chest was rising, one would think he had just ran ten miles.

Bob began moving towards the driver's side of his truck, but he stopped, turning back to you.

"I want to take you home," He stated. It sounded like a confession with the way guilt laced his eyes.

"I would love that Robby."

Instead, he just shook his head, "But I shouldn't because you deserve more than that. You deserve a nice date, like that Italian restaurant we always pass when we go to Bradley's. You deserve that and flowers and a lovely dinner with candles and wine that's older than both of us-"

You cut him off by gently pecking his lips, "It's okay Bob. You could take me to that diner up the room from your place tomorrow morning and I'd be elated because I would be with you."

He shook his head, clearly torn between continuing to talk and continuing to kiss you, "But....it's the least I should do. I mean, after all the hints you were dropping. I thought you were just being friendly and-"

"What friend asks another friend to look at their chest?" You asked incredulously.

"I thought maybe we were just really close! That you were really comfortable around me, which is why I didn't think anything regarding what you wore when we watched Love Island. I mean," his face reddened, "I did think about it. Um I thought about it a lot and if you ever want to wear it again, I would not mind-"

"Bob," you stepped forward, placing your hands on his chest.

"I mean, you got me Violets! Those mean loyalty and devotion, as well as delicate love! And believe me I wanted to kiss you at the Hard Deck, but that is entirely Jake's fault-"

"As most things are."

"And looking back it was so obvious and I can't believe I didn't pick up on it," He paused, "Sorry, I I had to get that out. I can take you home or back to my place, whatever you want."

You giggled, delighted by his ramblings. You wanted to hear more of it.

"And now I just want to kiss you. Like all the time," He confessed, his lips moving closer to yours.

"Robby, get in the car," you instructed.

"Oh, um, okay," Bob unlocked his car, moving towards the driver seat.

"No Bob. Get in the back of the car," you instructed.

Bob's brows knitted together in confusion, "But then how will I drive-oh!"

Who knows if you were going to make it back to his place or yours. All you cared about was getting your lips and hands back on Bob Floyd.

[wrencatte]

Febwhump day 5: not trusting reality

Pre Survivor. Cere POV

Another bite-sized idea

Cere steps through the opening torn through the wall, lightsaber still held tightly in her hand even though the area has long since been cleared. Mari is already halfway to her, expression pinched.

"Your boy's over here," she says, gesturing Cere around the cluster of Partisans tending to their injured. Cere follows - silently, because Mari keeps talking, like she knows what is going to be asked. "We're still going through the files so we don't know exactly what's in his system, but he's combative. Already took out two of my men."

Cere inhales carefully. "Are they alive?"

Mari side eyes her. "Yes."

The Forces whispers 'true.'

Cere's shoulders lose the smallest grain of tension. There's that relief, at least, even if it's not much relief at all. Alive does not mean unharmed, and she knows Cal is going to blame himself for a very long time even for this.

She hears the shouting before they turn the corner. Practically sprinting the last few meters, she doesn't think about the weapon in her hand or about what reaction her sudden entrance might evoke. All she's thinking about is how fearful and panicked Cal sounds, about how his shouts to 'stay away!' sound less like demands and more like begging.

As it is, Cere turns the corner. Meets wide, scared eyes, and is slammed back into the opposite wall. She wheezes in surprise, having never personally faced a Force shove from Cal with that much power. She raises a hand to keep Mari where she is and unsticks herself from the wall. It's reinforced, which is mildly disappointing. Her back smarts enough there should be visible evidence on the wall.

"Back away," she orders quietly.

The Partisans trying to pin Cal down immediately disengage. Cal eyes them warily, flickering from one person to the next then back around. He's in a sorry state - dressed in an ill-fitting medical gown, cheeks hollowed, skin pale and dotted with bruises. His inner arms and the back of his hands are scattered with dark, overlayed bruises and puncture marks, some jagged as if he's managed to tear his arm away.

One arm wraps around his middle, hand clamped over a growing red spot. His other hand is raised defensively, blood dripping from his fist where it's gripped too low on a scalpel, the blade digging into his palm.

His gaze settles on Cere - well, settles is a generous term. His pupils are blown wide. His focus wavering. She makes a motion and the Partisans fall back behind her. She clips Cal's lightsaber to her belt. He glances at it briefly, expression contorting slightly before he shakes his head.

"Cal," Cere tries gently. "You're safe now. It's okay."

He shakes his head again, hard enough she's surprised he doesn't topple over. His knees waver, but keep him up. "You're not gonna trick me again," he slurs. He jabs the scalpel into the air. "I'm tired of your, your stupid games."

Cere steps a little closer. "Cal, it's me. It's Cere."

"No! No, you're not! Take her face off!" Cal shrieks, face paling impossibly further, his voice shaking.

She tries to reach for him in the Force, tries to show him the truth, but she hits a wall so solid she knows it's not fully him. Whatever they drugged him with, it's messing with him more than mentally. Perhaps that's why after the initial Force shove he hasn't tried anything else.

"You're not Cere. You're not her. " Cal continues to mutter, fast and feverish. "Won't, won't fall for it. Not again. Not, not again." Then, louder, "Let me go."

"I can't do that, Cal. You're hurt." Her heart clenches when his expression crumbles and he lets out a sob. "If you come with me, though, I can patch you up. Then you can go."

"You're lying," he says. 'Again' goes unsaid, but it's there.

Cere swallows thickly. "I'm not. You can trust me. You know you can trust me. It's Cere," she tries again. "Greez and Merrin are waiting just outside. We've been looking for you this entire time. You're safe now."

"I'm not," he says desperately, more to himself than her. Like he's trying to convince himself what he sees is fake, just another trick.

[fsfghgee]

Hello, I want to ask you something about Bi-han and Sektor, what if Sektor met Union of light Bi-han? I would what's gonna happen between them?

— This cell won't hold me for long, Liu Kang. — Sektor kept her head high even while handcuffed and behind the bars of the small temple cell. — He'll come for me. He'll destroy everything and everyone that stands between us.

— I'm not your enemy, Sektor. I've always wanted only what's best for you two and the--

— Spare me your theatrics! You just want to control our lives like we're puppets. — Finding out that Liu Kang was a titan was a resolution for her. — First the Grandmaster, then my mother…

Liu Kang took a deep breath and turned his back on her. Leaving Sektor talking to the walls and the cells behind.

— I don't know what else to do, Geras.

"It's your fault Bi-Han is still like that!"

"It's your fault his mother is dead!"

— I just hope history doesn't repeat itself. — Geras worried about how frustrated Liu Kang was. — History cannot repeat itself…

"My mother is a fuckin' cook in a mediocre village because of you, Liu Kang!"

— What if…

"You will pay for everything you have done!"

— What, Geras? Did you have an idea?

— Your titan allies in the battle against the titan Shang Tsung brought with them uncorrupted versions of Sub-Zero. And one of them could be a valuable ally in Sektor's moral battle now.

— I see…

— Raiden's vision for his timeline was to abolish combat. His Sub-Zero had a humble demeanor and if Sektor met him…

— Could she rethink her actions? — Geras nodded. — That could work… But I cannot ask Raiden to once again leave his timeline vulnerable without such an important member for its defense.

— What if Sektor was sent there instead?

— "Liu Kang!!!"

— Stall him, Geras.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

— Damn you, Liu Kang! — Lost in the forest of a strange world. — You'll pay for this! — Sektor cursed the god of fire after being teleported against her will shortly after hearing Bi-Han's voice. Nothing in that place seemed hostile or threatening like the chaotic world of the titan Havik, but the hatred she felt for having been forced there made her hate the place a thousand times more. — Where am I?

Frustrated with the surroundings looking the same no matter where she looked and the inability of her armor to give her answers, Sektor ran after an exit following her instincts until she heard screams from what sounded like Vaeternians and the noises of an intense fight nearby.

— "I'll bury you in snow!"

— Bi-Han? — There was no way she could mistake that voice. And following the sound of those ice puns, she saw a version of Bi-Han that closely resembled her Bi-Han before he was transformed into a creature of chaos. Although the attire he wore was a light blue tone and noticeably simpler, this could only be another version of Sub-Zero.

She watched from behind the trees as he bravely fought against 4 Vaeternians and took down two of them before being knocked down.

— It's time for me to feed. — The vampire who seemed to be the leader of the attack flew towards the Lin Kuei warrior, eager to taste the supposedly refreshing and sweet blood of a cryomancer. But before she could satisfy her hunger, Sektor flew towards the vampire and incinerated her.

— I will take your wings, then your life for this affront!

— Who are you?!

— Your worst nightmare.

Surprised and dazzled by the fighting skills of the woman who was beating the two remaining vampires, Bi-Han just watched in silence as she took them down in a matter of minutes.

— Are you hurt? — Worried about the cryomancer who looked like a fragile clone of the man she loved, she helped him up.

— Argh… — Sub-Zero smiled at the impressive — and attractive — warrior who had come to his aid, ignoring the sharp pain in his ribs and back. — A Lin Kuei could do no better.

Amazed, he noticed a certain familiarity in her and when he was ready to ask her name, she pushed him away.

— Watch out!-- A-ah!

— I will enjoy your pain! — The vampire lunged at her again, fast like a jet against the warrior in red who had been knocked down after being thrown by the same vaeternian against a tree. But before the vampire could finish her off, Sub-Zero hit her with an ice ball followed by an ice spear piercing her insides. The vampire gave her final groan and the cryomancer ran to help his savior.

— Miss, are you alright?

— I am. — Hiding her pain, she accepted his help to get up and smiled holding his arms as she looked at the vaeternian's lifeless body. — You finished her off just good. — Sek found it strange how he looked away from her, seeming disappointed by her proud look on him. — What? What's wrong?

— I take no joy in taking lives. Not even those of these types of Vaeternians…

— How can you say that? — Finding the sadness in Bi-Han's eyes strange, she moved away from him in disgust. — They use people like us as food! They don't deserve mercy.

— Not all of them are like that. Most Vaeternians feed on simple animals like we do. I must warn Nitara about these rebellious vampires attacking…

— Nitara? — Disbelieving, Sektor moved even further away from him. — Are you partner of that maniac?

— I don't know what you're thinking. But we are partners in peace between our realms and we've fought some battles together, b-but we don't…

— Enough! I don't want to hear you anymore… — Bi-Han found it strange how she spoke to him as if she knew him, but at the same time she didn't seem to know anything about him or the realms. — I don't know what's going on in this realm, but you're not the Bi-Han I know!

— Wait! Don't go… — Uselessly, he called out to her as he saw her running into the forest. And after losing sight of her because she had flown for a while, he found her sitting behind a tree covering her face. She looked so fragile and helpless that he longed to have her in his embrace. — You're not from here, are you? — Not waiting for an answer, he moved a little closer until she looked at him. — Our realm is quite peaceful, but there are dangers that can fatally encounter you if you are alone.

— And what is this realm?

— Earthrealm.

— Earthrealm? — Looking around, she tried to identify something in common in the middle of that forest with her homeland. — It doesn't look anything like… — Feeling stupid for taking so long to realize, she growled before getting up from the grass and punching the nearest tree. — Who rules this timeline?!

— Lord Raiden is the protector of Earthrealm and all the other realms that make up our world.

— Liu Kang sent me to another timeline?!

— Liu Kang? — Recognizing the name of the titan who he had been informed was a close friend of Lord Raiden the night he was invited to join the support army for the defense of his timeline, Bi-Han understood why she seemed so out of touch with the status of the realms in his world. — You come from Liu Kang’s timeline? I fought not long ago for the defense of your timeline against a tyrant named Shang Tsung. And recently there have been attacks by other evil titans on different timelines. — Cautiously, he moved a little closer to her. Still awkward, he avoided keeping his eyes on hers for too long, fearing that she would move away again. — It is not safe for you to travel through our timeline alone. Allow me to help you return to your home.

— Why would I trust a low-quality copy?

— Copy? — Surprised by the absurd use of the word. He repeated to himself in disbelief before rushing to hold her when she made to run again. — Hey! What do you mean by a low-quality copy?

— You are inferior to my Bi-Han in every way. — She breaks free from his grip angrily and Bi-Han lets her go, surprised by her ferocity.

— Your Bi-Han? Are you and my counterpart from Liu Kang's timeline… — Intimidated by Sektor's hard gaze, he cleared his throat before continuing quietly. — Intimates?

— Much more than that. We are soulmates. — Approaching the cryomancer with her chin held high, she tried to hide the pain of each step towards him with posture. She loved him so much, but that wasn't him. — Perfect. Inseparable.

— So why isn't he here with you?

The cryomancer's question had been genuine, but the blow caused by his words took them both by surprise.

He regretted the question as soon as he saw her seem to lose her breath and her eyes fill with tears.

— We will get together again and make the responsible for keeping us apart pay. — Before he could see her shed the first tear, she turned and wiped it away as soon as it fell. — Come with me or eat dust.

.....

stay tuned for the next episode ;)

[destinygoldenstar]

Ninjago Dragons Rising Season 2 - Is It Good Or Nah?

So, I'm late to the party, aren't I?

Well I've had so much work that I think I'm having an existential crisis. So I had to wait till I had a free day to watch this season because I wanted to watch it with my GF.

We got to Episode 6, and then what did my boss do?

Slap me in the face with long work hours several days of the week.

I feel like I'm in a spiral of work after work after work with no purpose to life besides failure cause I can't trust myself to be capable at anything-

ANYWAY. We finished it now.

You know what the insane part about the season is? That it got the show trending on Tumblr.

That's an INSANE level of hype right there.

So I seriously had to ask myself "What the actual f**k happened in the show that caused THIS much hype?!"

So... here are my thoughts on the season.

SPOILER WARNING

Okay, so this may be a factor of my judgement, but due to my schedule, I was forced to watch only 6 Episodes one day, and then the last 4 Episodes today. Keep that in mind.

When it came to the first half of the season, was it good?

Yes. Obviously.

Was it living up to the insane level of hype?

Uh... not really for me??

Now, don't take that as a negative. This season is still REALLY good.

After the first season took awhile to get started as it needed to set up its characters and this new world, it makes sense for this season to throw the punches immediately.

The season gets started with its main plot right away with Ras immediately putting his plan into action, and by Episode 2, it's very clear the threat level he opposes and it's believable that we should be intimidated by what he wants.

Even though in Episode 2's fight, while AMAZINGLY choreographed, I was just screaming at the screen "HIT THE PERSON HOLDING THE GONG."

Like seriously, more than one of the characters in this fight can use projectiles with their powers AND they have a blaster in the Bounty, and the show never says that Ras has some sort of armor defense preventing him from getting blasted. He's literally standing out in the open. And the gong is clearly what's giving Cinder power. So HIT THE PERSON WITH THE GONG.

GOSH.

Anyway, that's not important. What's important is that this season's fight choreo is genuinely AMAZING. I am obsessed with the way the camera moves with the characters in these fights you have no idea. I was genuinely blown away by the last episode's fight in particular. But more on the ending later.

What also shocked me was how BRUTAL some of the stuff that happens here is, which caught me off guard.

I mean, Episode 2 has Euphrasia getting ambushed and crashed off the Cloud Kingdom with clear injuries, and Wyldfyre getting her leg SHATTERED. Like, WHAT?! HOW OFTEN DOES THAT HAPPEN?!! (Even though the latter's healing was unrealistic. Like, it would realistically take months for an injury like that to heal. Not a critique, just saying.)

Ras body slams Jordanna at one point. He puts Arin in a CHOKEHOLD. And also beats him up so brutally... like OMG this guy does not mess around.

The Fear Cave Trial also REALLY got me tripping. Not only was it such a visually appealing moment, but it also, as the same suggests, showed several character psyches that were insane.

Except Kai for some reason. That's gonna drive me NUTS until I get an answer. WHAT DID HE SEE-?!

Then we get to the dragon mentors, and...

Yeah the season kinda loses me in the middle.

Don't get me wrong, I love the character bits here as much as anyone. But with how dyer they made the threat of Ras before, Ras and his forces take a backseat in the middle portion of the season and we're mostly just sitting at these training grounds talking. And for four episodes of it? It's a little grating, even if it is important.

The middle is mostly where most of my issues with the season stand. And here's where I get all my negatives out of the way:

Like I said, because this season is so long, there's an awkward pause in the conflict on the dragons plotline to learn this Rising Dragon Technique. Which I wouldn't mind if it wasn't FOUR EPISODES of it.

With the exception of the attack at the Land of Lost Things ONCE, Ras's army doesn't go after the ninja at all. I can kinda get the dragons group since they didn't have Bonzle, but he has to know that they ARE a threat, right? They're obviously trying to figure out how to stop you.

And even with the group that has Bonzle, what they NEED, the forces that go after that group is the Administration and the one off magician man villain, the former really didn't need to be in this season even if it was for a compelling Jay cameo, and the latter has overstayed his welcome at this point and I just rolled my eyes when he showed up on screen.

I'm all for Cole being a badass as much as the next guy, but WHY this magician man, who at this point, is so disconnected with the main antagonistic forces that he serves no purpose?

Why not, I don't know, use this screen time instead to explain what in the world happened with Cole when he left?

Seriously, the first season had this huge cliffhanger with Cole's character and him going after Wu's ghost. I wonder what's gonna happen to him and what he's gonna find out-

Oh. He's just back.

That to me is a huge disappointment. What was the point of him leaving the Lost Family in the first place if this journey was basically nothing? He doesn't even talk about it! COME ON NOW.

Also I think Zane should get slay pass on the Administration guy that called him equipment. What do y'all think?

I don't like Egot. Or whatever his name was. He's very condescending and cryptic and talks down to his only hope of the world being saved. But I think I'm supposed to dislike him for it, and there's gonna be more of his characterization revealed later, so don't take this one as a critique. The female one is great though.

The sorceress lady was... a choice in the narrative. My one critique for the ending was the potion shenanigans. Not because they were bad, but because they just felt so out of place among everything else. Like, "Oh, this finale is too dark and intense! We need to occasionally cut to wacky shenanigans with this sorceress's magic to prevent kids from feeling too much dread!"

I don't know, for me, I would've placed this stuff with the Administration instead, and instead have the group fight Jordanna, lose, and have her get away and flow that to Arin getting to her. Especially since the Administration posed such little threat to them and they even say such.

(I also have a theory that this sorceress is Wyldfyre's birth mom. I have no evidence to back this up besides "They both have red hair and similar facial structure")

With Cloud Kingdom getting taken over and Euphrasia captured, I thought she would have more of a role to play in this since this is, you know, her HOME and she's their guardian.

But nope. She does next to nothing up until the very end and plays prisoner and waits for the ninja to save her.

For gosh sake girl, you're the master of wind. FLY.

And finally, my last critique, Cinder.

Yeah I'm sorry, I'm not buying this character so far. Not that I don't think he'll have anything to do in the second part, but for how threatening he was in Episode 2, that threat level kinda vanishes in the middle and only comes back at the end. He does next to nothing and we learn nothing about him other than "He likes power". Jordanna is probably more unlikeable, but at least she has conflict going on with Ras and her magic, and she still serves more of a role in the plan besides being a foot soldier.

And... yep. That's all my critiques for this season. Which all seem pretty minor.

You know what this season is real good at? Characters.

As though that wasn't obvious already.

I did NOT expect Bonzle to play any major role at all, I thought she was just gonna be the dry and cynical side character. But no. She has a history. She has a life. She has emotions. All of which REALLY shine through at the end when you hear her voice have more range in it. The VA killed it. I ended up feeling so bad for her.

Especially considering what happens to her.

They're also not even hiding it anymore with Geo x Cole. They're just NOT. I love them and I hope we see more of their relationship in the future.

I genuinely don't understand the critique of "Geo is so selfish referring to him as Cole's family when it's obvious Cole has other people in his life."

Well no shit, you ever heard of a character flaw?

But it's also a completely understandable flaw. You guys aren't forgetting the part where Geo was abandoned for being a mixed race, right? Of course he's gonna cling to someone as compassionate and encouraging as Cole.

The Jay cameo was nice. I expect him to play no role in this season, but it's really compelling what they showed and I was satisfied with it.

Lloyd's conflict was handled very well in my opinion.

What's it called when it's PTSD, but it's about future events rather than past events? Foresight Traumatic Stress Disorder? FTSD? Yeah let's go with that.

For a kids show that glosses over trauma, (That's not a Ninjago problem, that's a kids show problem), it was really refreshing for them to not do that for once. It's actually explored and talked about and Lloyd is given advice on how to cope with it, and he freezes up in panic attacks when these visions happen and-THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR NOT IGNORING HOW HARD SOMETHING LIKE THIS IS.

Seriously, as someone who is going through stuff like this, minus the magic element, it spoke to me a lot. It really shows that this show grew up with me, and I both love and hate that.

I do think this sort of arc is going to hit hard for adults much more than kids.

Are kids constantly terrified of the future and getting paralyzed with these fears and finding it difficult to cope with the traumas that is time and human life?

No?

Kai is also a standout in this, especially towards the end. This is by far the best Kai has been in a long time in terms of quality. I love how one of his most significant flaws gets addressed here, that being his overreliance on himself and his own abilities over the others, who he feels responsible to protect.

And the way he grasps with that and learns to let loose like he did as a child back in the old days through what he loves the most, that being his family. And the flashbacks with him and his sister. And the whole sequence of him learning Rising Dragon - AUGH ITS SO GOOD.

How poetic is it that the character most devoted to family since childhood is only cocky and angry because of his own desire to be the one with power to keep them safe, gets power by letting that go, being a kid again, and joining the same roots as his own family?

AND THEN HE GIVES UP HIS LIFE FOR THEM-

And finally, Arin.

Oh you poor sweet, sweet child.

First of all, yes, I am completely subscribed to the theory that the show is building up Arin turning on the ninja and becoming a villain. It's all there. It all fits. The amount of times they say how sweet he is as though that's gonna get lost. The dragons, the creators of the world, the gods basically, telling him he's not good enough. Ras confronting him. Sora's stunt even after she's been the most encouraging of him, like the BETRAYAL there. It's all there. And I will be posting my theory scenario on this don't you worry.

BUT, I don't think that's the route they're gonna go. Kids show and all of that. They wouldn't do that to one of their main characters. Unless you're Star Wars. At most I think Arin will be tempted by Ras's master's power in an episode and even do it, but then with the power of love and friendship, it'll get fixed.

So instead I'd rather say that Arin, by far, has the BEST power crisis arc of the entire show so far.

I LOVE that he doesn't get powers. That's something the original show would've done. I LOVE that he doesn't figure anything out in the end and his inner doubts get proven correct. That's something the original show would not have the guts to do.

I liked Arin in the first season, but he didn't interest me too much. Mostly because Sora had the lion share of focus in the first season. Here though? He might just take the crown for THE most relatable character. And I both love and hate it so much.

Like, seeing everyone else succeed in mastery while you can't even figure out your own thing. You get told you have a natural talent and a lot of potential and that you're good at a lot of things, only for that to be put to the test in the real world and you end up letting everyone down. Even when your loved ones encourage you that you are good enough and you're special in your own way, you can't get those voices out of your head and you mess up again and again and again to try and meet the world's expectations. Then those in charge tell you you're not good enough and wasted potential. Then you try everything out in the real world anyway and you FAIL, and those that doubt you and your own insecurities get proven correct as you're left a broken mess of a young child who doesn't know what the hell they're doing-

I'M IN THIS SHOW AND I DON'T LIKE IT.

I probably love Sora more as a character, but I will admit I grasp towards Arin more right now. Sora's a great trans allegory in a world that hates trans people. But I'm not trans so I relate to it a bit less. Arin's a great autistic allegory in a world that doesn't know how to help autistic people. And I am autistic so I relate to it more. That's just a me situation.

I am so invested in where Arin's story goes from here. Evil or not.

So yeah, the season was good, but didn't completely live up to the insane hype, which, to be fair, is a high bar.

UNTIL THE LAST FOUR EPISODES.

And then all of a sudden, I AM SHOCKED AND SHAKEN TO MY CORE.

These last four episodes are an absolute emotional roller coaster that left me shaking and screaming the whole time.

I actually SCREAMED at multiple occasions.

I actually screamed so many times watching this that I am now HOARSE.

THAT'S how hard it hit me.

The story goes from 0 to 100 the moment the Blood Moon shows up. Which was what the whole season was building up to. And it did NOT disappoint.

The race to try and protect Bonzle. The intense visions and paralysis Lloyd suffers from. Ras and the army coming back to the plot to be absolute powerhouses. The last episode of DREAD the entire time to desperately try to stop this ritual.

HUMAN SACRIFICES?! AM I WATCHING A KIDS SHOW RIGHT NOW?!?!

I was begging for Arin to succeed at getting Bonzle to safety, even though I knew he stood no chance against Ras. "Come on Arin! You got this!! YOU GOT THIS, SWEETIE!!"

And then Ras just goes to TOWN on the poor boy and taunts his utter failure, which HURTS SO BAD MAN.

The entire fight with the army, Cinder, and Ras. The destruction of the mechs which knocks them unconscious for a bit. Kai figuring out Rising Dragon again when his family gets put in danger. The way Nya avenges her brother afterwards.

When Bonzle was getting morphed back into spell form, BEGGING, I was begging too.

But they still do it!

And KAI?!?!

I couldn't even process what happened other than me screaming. From the moment Ras alluded to sacrificing Kai against his consent, I was screaming "NO. DON'T DO IT."

AND THEN THEY SACRIFICE HIM.

LIKE HOLY GOSH THIS FINALE DID NOT MESS AROUND.

I predicted a while back, in the first season actually, that Kai was gonna get sacrificed at some point. Who's laughing now? I DID NOT WANT TO BE RIGHT.

Like, usually in Ninjago the character would be willing to sacrifice themselves for the others. But here? This is without Kai's consent at all. Ras might as well have killed him right here.

It definitely felt that way with the way the others react and BEG for his safety. The way Nya avenges him.

And Kai giving up his shot at escape for the sake of his family? BRO. WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

It hurts even more when you realize that when the Merge happened, Lloyd was ALONE thinking only he survived. He only gained hope again because of his reunion with Kai. His beloved surrogate brother!

AND NOW HE'S GONE.

NYA AND LLOYD LOST THEIR BROTHER.

WYLDFYRE LOST HER SURROGATE FATHER.

THEY THINK HE'S BASICALLY DEAD.

BRO. THAT'S SOUL CRUSHING.

And then Sora?! Why you gotta betray Arin like that?!

The most encouraging friend towards Arin, the person who held onto hope and praises for him the most, betrays that hope and doesn't trust him enough to get the winning blow himself. Then LIES about it.

GIRL. WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!

That's going to be SO compelling once that gets outed. Like, morally, that was messed up and she was definitely in the wrong, BUT it led to the best possible outcome for them at the moment. They WON because she did NOT believe in Arin's abilities. Which only proves that the doubts about Arin's said abilities are correct.

And I have a gut feeling she's gonna learn Spinjitsu on top of that. And once that happens... double ouch.

Again, Evil Arin Theory.

I really hate to say it, but this reminds way too much of Arcane. If you know what I'm talking about.

I am totally imagining a situation similar to that in my head, that being a rescue mission for Kai, they decide to leave Arin out of it because of the lack of faith in him, he tags along anyway and he ruins their plan and Kai stays trapped there, Lloyd and Sora lash out on him for it, and before they can apologize they get thrusted back by something and Ras and Ras's master find Arin and take him in-

Again, I'll make a post about that.

The finale was by far the best part of this season. It has been a long time since Ninjago has made me HOARSE from being too invested.

That has not happened to me since Sons of Garmadon.

Because, yeah, I actually have NO IDEA where any of this is headed. How are they gonna save Kai and Bonzle? Why did some of Lloyd's visions not come true? What in the world is going on with Ras? Will the Administration help with that? Will the source dragons help with that?

What I probably do know is that Part 2 of this season is going to turn this into the best Ninjago Product since Tournament of Elements. Maybe even top it depending on my rewatches if my problems are still problems.

So... yeah. Good or Nah? Good. Obviously.

The hype is a little overblown to me, but it still deserves the hype.

[cherryrainn]

hiii!! i love your writing it's so cozy aaaa

may i request an ace frehley (spaceman) x reader where he abducts her and then doesn't let her go back home because he could use the company adn then they just get used to eachother after a bunch of arguments and eventually start dating too?? 😭😭

i've been thinking about it for a while and i think it's a cute but silly idea :>

ACCIDENTAL ABUCTION .

; pairing ; ace frehley x fem! reader

; note ; i wanna kiss him

; warnings ; accidental abduction

you blinked your eyes open, disoriented and surrounded by an otherworldly glow. as you looked around, the realization hit you – this wasn't your porch. panic set in, and you sat up, scanning the unfamiliar surroundings. a spaceship. you were in a spaceship.

before you could fully process the situation, the door slid open, and you found yourself face to chest with a tall spaceman, a pretty one. he had a sweet twinkle in his eye as he greeted you with a happy, silly, little, "hi!"

your initial shock turned into bewilderment. "where am i? what's going on? what- who are you?" you stammered, eyeing the spaceman with a mix of confusion and concern.

the spaceman grinned, revealing a set of pearly white teeth. "relax! you can call me space ace.,, or just ace. you're on my ship.'"

ship!?

your jaw dropped. "you... abducted me?"

ace's smile dropped, and he shook his head, his expression turning serious. "no! it was an accident, i swear. i didn't realize you were in here until after we were already in space."

you narrowed your eyes at him. "an accident? how do you accidentally abduct someone?"

ace scratched the back of his head, looking a bit sheepish. "well, uh... i dunno.

your frustration grew, and you crossed your arms. "well..? well?! well, undo it! take me back home!"

ace's shoulders slumped, and he let out a sigh. "i can't. we're in space now, and turnin' around ain't that simple."

you glared at him incredulously. "not that simple? you brought me to space by accident, and now you're telling me we can't go back? so, what? i'm just stuck here with you in space indefinitely?"

ace raised his hands defensively. "whoa, whoa, calm down, lady. i didn't say indefinitely. it's just... it'll take a while to figure out how to get you back home."

"a while?" you repeated, your voice tinged with disbelief. "how long is 'a while,' exactly?"

ace took a deep breath, looking you in the eyes. "look, i'll be straight with ya… i don't know."

a moment of silence stretched between you as you registered what he had just said. then, you finally broke the tension. "you… don't know? so… you have no idea if i'll get home tomorrow or next year? is that really what you're saying?"

ace opened his mouth, but no words came out. he just silently nodded his head, staring at you with a look of guilt and embarrassment.

"just turn around!"

"i can't!" ace exclaimed, his tone growing defensive.

"why!?"

"i don't know!"

"fuck you!" you walk off, you had no clue where you were going but you were gonna go somewhere

as you walked away, ace called after you, sounding desperate. "wait! i… i'm sorry. i really didn't mean to bring you here. i… i know you don't wanna be here, but let's just… talk or somethin', okay?"

ace's voice sounded sincere, and you realized that he wasn't trying to be malicious or mean. you paused for a moment, trying to decide what to do, before finally turning around and walking back towards him. you just stood there in front of him, arms crossed and not looking at him.

a few seconds passed in awkward silence, neither of you speaking. ace shifted uncomfortably and cleared his throat, breaking the tension. "look, i'll do everythin' i can ta' speed things up, alright? but for now, we're in this together."

you remained silent for a while, weighing your options. finally, after a long moment of silence, you finally spoke again. "fine. we can hang out, i guess. until you figure out how to get me home, spaceman."

ace looked relieved as he heard your response. "ah, good. that's… that's good."

as days turned into nights aboard the spaceship, you found yourself reluctantly adjusting to the unconventional situation. ace, ever the gracious host, gave you a tour of the ship, pointing out the various controls, living quarters, and the breathtaking views of the cosmos from the observation deck.

as you explored the ship, you couldn't help but notice the way the ambient light danced across ace's features, highlighting the contours of his white face and the sparkle in his eyes.

despite the absurdity of the circumstances, there was an undeniable charm to the spaceman who had whisked you away on an accidental adventure.

at one point during the tour, ace caught you stealing glances in his direction, a playful smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. "what?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow in amusement.

you felt heat rise to your cheeks, cursing the telltale signs of your growing admiration. "nothing," you stammered, quickly averting your gaze.

ace couldn't help but notice the faint blush spreading across your cheeks, his smirk deepening. "oh, i see how it is. so i guess i'm not so weird looking after all?" he asked, his tone playful.

you bit your lip, feeling a blush spreading across your cheeks. "it's just… i mean, you're… uh, you're not what i would've expected, that's all."

ace's grin widened, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "oh? and what did you expect? a little green man with antennas?"

you rolled your eyes, unable to suppress a laugh at his antics. "not exactly. but, you know, you're… not so bad."

his grin softened into a genuine smile, and he paused for a moment, as if considering his next words. "well, yer not so bad yourself."

as the months stretched into a quirky routine aboard the spaceship, you and ace found yourselves sharing more laughs, banter, and stolen glances.

one evening, as the two of you lounged in the spaceship's observation deck, gazing out at the stars, ace turned to you with a sly grin. "you know, being stuck in space ain't so bad when you've got good company right?"

you rolled your eyes, but a smile tugged at the corners of your lips. "i never thought i'd say this, but… you're not the worst companion, ace."

ace chuckled, his eyes crinkling with amusement. "high praise from you, y/n. maybe i'm growing on ya."

"maybe," you teased, a playful glint in your eyes.

as the days turned into weeks and months, and the spaceship continued its cosmic journey, the unspoken tension between you and ace reached a point where neither of you could ignore it any longer. one evening, as you shared a quiet moment in the dim glow of the ship's interior, ace spoke up.

"hey, y/n, there's something i've been meaning to ask."

you raised an eyebrow, curious. "what's up, ace?"

ace shifted awkwardly, a nervous look in his eyes. "y/n…" he began, hesitating slightly before finally speaking up. "do you… do you think maybe it's possible that i've grown on ya a little.. more than you realized?"

a beat of silence passed between you as your mind raced, trying to interpret his words. before you could register your thoughts, ace spoke again, a genuine smile spreading across his face as he looked at you. "i mean, the way i see it, after all this time we've spent together, i can't imagine anyone else being more deserving of getting swept off their feet by a galactical hunk like me."

you couldn't help but laugh at his cheeky remark, but as you looked into his eyes, you noticed that his smile never waned. ace was genuinely trying to say something important to him, and it warmed you to see him putting himself out there for you like this. you found yourself nodding in response. "you know, i'm starting to think that maybe that galactical hunk really does have the key to my heart, after all."

ace's eyes lit up with a bright, triumphant smile, and he took a steady breath, as if preparing himself for what he was about to say. "so you're saying that… if i asked you to be my spacewoman, you'd say yes?"

as the words hung in the air between you, your heart skipped a beat. you had hoped for this moment, but you couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed by the reality of it. you took a deep breath, trying to calm your nerves. "yeah," you replied softly, unable to stop the grin spreading across your lips. "i'd say yes."

ace's eyes lit up with joy, and he stepped a little bit closer, gently cupping your face in his hands. "then… will you be my spacewoman?"

you couldn't help but smile and nod. maybe this accidental kidnapping wasn't so bad after all.

ace grinned, pulling you into a spontaneous hug.

you chuckled, a warm feeling spreading through you. "never thought i'd find myself dating an alien."

ace feigned offense, placing a hand over his heart. "alien? ouch! i prefer the term spaceman, thank you very much."

[angelltheninth]

Lying to Keep a Smile

Pairing: Xena x Gabrielle

Febuwhump Day 26: Concealing an Injury

Tags: angst, injury, hurt/comfort, concealing an injury, mentioned fights, flirting, kissing

Word count: 0.8k

Ao3

Ko-Fi | Rules | Fandoms and Characters | Commissions | Event Masterlist

A/N: These two, I still can't believe we got to see so much of their romance on screen, also they literally dressed up and traveled together.

There's been something off about Xena for the past day. Her posture seemed a bit to stuff, her skin a bit paler than usual, and she made no sudden movements even when something caught her attention. This wasn't just her being her normal badass self, there was something here that wasn't sitting right with Gabrielle.

But she couldn't force Xena to talk to her, that would only make the warrior retreat into her shell more. "Should we stop for the day? I'm a little tired." She mumbled against the back of Xena's neck. She knew that Xena would stop if Gabrielle said she needed to. Yes, it was a dirty tactic but one had to resort to them on occasion when one's partner is as stubborn as Gabrielle's.

"Sure, if you're tired. We'll find a good spot and then I'll go find some wood to light the fire." That still didn't sound good to Gabrielle. Xena didn't look so well and the last thing that Gabrielle wanted was for her to get sick so far from any town she knows.

"I'll get the wood, you figure out what we're gonna eat tonight. I chose every time for the past week, it's only fair." Xena would see right through that lie. Here come the arguments.

"I see. Okay then, I'll see what we have." This was worse than Gabrielle thought.

They managed to find a nice spot to settle down for the night and after getting Argo some water and apples, Gabrielle went out to gather wood for the fire. She would have spent a lot more time on it but she was honestly in a rush to get back to Xena as soon as possible. She swears she saw her wince when she was walking.

Only a couple of steps away from their camp she heard Xena cursing.

"Be honest Argo, how bad is it?" Argo nudged Xena in the shoulder. "No, I won't worry her. This will pass, I closed it up well enough."

"You closed what up?" Gabrielle asked from behind.

"Gabrielle! Ah, fuck!" Xena jumped but as she did her hand flew to just above her hip.

Gabrielle set the logs down, her eyes never leaving Xena's pained form. "Take your armor off."

"A-Already? I know it's been a few days but we could at least wash up." She was ready to walk off right before Gabrielle stepped in front of her. She was shorter, didn't have as much muscle mass, but her glare was nothing to laugh at. Xena gulped and shifted in place. "Can you be on top tonight?"

"Xena!" Gabrielle stepped forward. "Either be honest with me or let me see what's wrong."

Xena sighed and looking very guilty she took her armor and shirt off.

The bruise under her ribs was already turning black and blue.

"When did this happen?" What happened in the few hours when she left her alone in the tavern? "Did you get into a fight?"

"Hah, it's been a long time since anyone fussed over me so much. Who is the ex-warlord here, hm, Gabrielle?" Xena tried to brush off Gabrielle's concerns but the bard wasn't backing down at all. In fact she looked at her even harsher. "It wasn't a big deal, but was a big guy. I didn't think he could hit that hard, or hit me at all. In my defense I was defending the tavern keeper from a mob of rowdy assholes."

"I get that, but weren't there guards there? Do you have to get involved in everything?" She reprimanded her even though she would have done the same for sure.

"Yes, Gabrielle, I do." The words looked like they hurt more than the bruise itself. Gabrielle sighed, she knew shy Xena felt this way, she wanted to make everything right, fix everyone's problems, do good whenever she can, never turn a blind eye to the people in need again.

"Then can you at least tell me when there's trouble so I can stay and help. And don't you dare tell me that you don't want me to get hurt! Think of how I feel every time you run into danger and I have to chase after you, or worse when I don't even know about it! I'm your partner, your Gods damn soulmate aren't I?!" While she was angry at her she was also worried about her so she sat her down and angerly kissed her. It was an angry kiss, trust her. "One of these days I'll have to put a bell on you or something."

"Gabrielle you're..." Overreacting is what she wanted to say. But if the roles were reversed not only would Xena fuss over Gabrielle but she would track down whoever hurt her lover. "I love you."

"And I love you but you were still reckless. Honestly, when did our roles reverse?" That was true. Before it was always Xena trying to stop Gabrielle from getting hurt, but now it was the other way around. Honestly Gabrielle didn't like it. She would much more prefer that neither of them got hurt.

However that wasn't part of their reality, so the best she could do right now was make sure Xena got as much rest as possible.

[ily-fictional-women]

Honey Loving

Summary: A sweet vacation for a sweet person

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x fem!reader

Warnings: None that I know of but if I should add anything let me know

Word count: 1409

a/n: Finally posting again!! This is a happy one-shot this time I swear! Also, any text that <”looks like this”> is someone talking in a different language. (Reblogs are welcome and critiques/advice are heavily encouraged, but please no translating.)

It had been a stressful few months for both Wanda and Y/n. Wanda had been on a long undercover mission for about two months. And unfortunately, about a week before Wanda was able to come back Y/n had been sent on her own mission for a month alone.

Finally settling back into being together again Y/n wanted to surprise Wanda with something special to make up for lost time. Y/n tip-toed into the room they share before flopping on the bed and grabbing the remote to the TV.

Y/n pauses Wanda’s show looking at her micheviously, “Pack a bag.” Wanda raises an eyebrow at Y/n’s smile, “And why should I do that exactly?” Y/n pulls Wanda by her arms dragging her out of the bed so they’re both standing.

"Because we're going on a vacation to your hometown." Wanda cracks a small smile, “Wait really?”

“Yeah! I already cleared everything with Steve and bought the plane tickets. You should pack tonight though because our plane leaves pretty early in the morning.” With the confirmation, the two start packing together, with the only detail Y/n’s willing to reveal being that they’ll be gone for two weeks.

//

Boarding the plane and settling into the seats Wanda looks over at Y/n curiously, “Is there something I could help you with.” Wanda sighs, “Can you at least tell me one thing you have planned? Just one.”

“Okay, fine. After we drop off everything at the hotel I was planning for us to go to lunch at the one place you told me about, the one your parents took you to with Pietro when you were little. They re-opened a few weeks ago.”

Wanda kisses Y/n on the cheek at the confession, “Have I ever told you how much I love you?” Y/n lets out a soft laugh, “Yeah, but I’m never gonna get tired of hearing it.”

//

With the two finally making it to the hotel they both flop onto the single bed. After a few minutes of simply laying there, Wanda gets up ramaging through one of the bags. Y/n sits up to see Wanda stealing her own sweater that she packed for herself.

“You have a whole suitcase full of your clothes, and you still insist on wearing mine?” Wanda freezes in the middle of putting on the sweater, “In my defense, I can't help it if your clothes are so comfortable."

Getting out of bed Y/n kisses Wanda sweetly, “Alright, but that does mean I’m taking one of yours. It’s only fair.” Wanda rolls her eyes sarcastically, “Deal.”

After the two change, they make their way walking to the restaurant Wanda hand mentioned. Passing by multiple shops Wanda stops in her tracks looking at different items in a store through a big window. “What caught your eye?”

Wanda’s head snaps back towards Y/n, “The necklace with the little red gem in the center.” Y/n looks over at her, “It’s cute! You should get it,” her voice softens “It would look great on you.” Wanda shrugs, “I don’t know, it’s pricey. Maybe on our last day.”

“Whatever you say.” Y/n intertwines her hand with Wanda’s as they continue making their way to the restaurant.

//

Finally making it to the small restaurant for lunch the two get comfortable at the booth table looking over the menu. The place was family owned and the two who mainly ran the place only spoke Sokovian. Because of this as the waitress came to take the order Wanda started to list the order, <“She’ll take the number three-”>

But Y/n cut her off, <"Actually I'll take the number one on the menu with sauce on the side, please. But she’ll have the number four on the menu,"> you look up at her from the menu, <"did you want anything else love?">

Wanda looked lovesick, "Uh, no. No, I'm good." As the waitress leaves finishing scribbling the order onto her yellow notepad Wanda looks over at Y/n with raised eyebrows, "When did you learn Sokovian?" Y/n grins at her, " I wanted to surprise you."

Wanda kisses Y/n across the table, “God you’re adorable.” Y/n giggles at the light blush growing across Wanda’s face, “Thank you.” Wanda smiles, “So how long have you been practicing? You sounded flunet back there.”

Y/n takes a sip of the water on the table, “I think around five or six months. But I mostly practiced when either of us were away on a mission.” Wanda leans in closer to Y/n squinting her eyes playfully, “Okay, but how did you know what I wanted to order? Last I checked I was the one who could read mind in the relationship.”

Y/n leans in closer to Wanda with a confident smile, “It was one of our earlier dates. I asked you what your favorite childhood meal was and you answered with that specific one. I wrote it down after the date in case we ever visited.”

Wanda rolls her eyes dramatically, “You make it too easy to be in love with you, did you know that?” Y/n leans back into her seat, “I guess it’s a talent of mine.” Once the food comes the two eat and laugh, later exploring some of the area and looking into different stores.

Making it back to the apartment late Wanda lands on the bed letting out a satisfied groan at being able to relax a lie down. Y/n lays next to Wanda, “Did you want dinner?” Wanda shifts in bed getting more comfortable, “Yeah I could eat.”

Y/n pulls out her phone, “I’ll order something right now then.” Wanda looks over Y/n for a moment before slowly shutting her eyes, “Did you want me to come with you and pick it up?” Y/n shakes her head kissing Wanda on the forehead, “No it’s fine, relax. Take a nap or something. I shouldn’t be gone too long.”

“Are you sure?” Wanda asks. Y/n gives her a reassuring look, “Yes, don’t worry about it. Relax for a bit.” Wanda nods in agreement. As Y/n leaves Wanda gets up running a bath feeling the need to wash up after walking around everywhere.

//

It’s been close to an hour now and hearing the close of the main door Wanda gets out of the bathtub putting on one of the complimentary robes. “Hey, sorry it took so long. There was a big line for pick up and then they messed up the order so I had to wait even longer.”

Meeting Y/n in the living area Wanda notices another bag on the table that doesn’t match the ones the food came. “What’s in the black bag?” Y/n glances over at the bag Wanda was talking about.

“Well, I did want to wait until after dinner. But, I do want to see you in it now.” Wanda crosses her arms with a questioning grin, “See me in what exactly.” Y/n pulls out a sleek black box from the bag opening it to reveal the necklace from earlier today.

Wanda gently grabs the box marvling at the necklace, “You looked like you really wanted it so I figured I would buy it for you instead.”

“I love it, thank you.” Y/n looks down at the necklace with Wanda, “Did you want me to help you put it on?” Wanda nods moving her wet hair to one side. Standing behind Wanda Y/n clicks the two clasps together. Wanda turns around to face Y/n.

Y/n moves a stray piece of hair behind Wanda’s ear, “Well I was right about it looking good on you.” Wanda quickly kisses Y/n before grinning to herself, “I think I know a special way to thank you for everything today.”

She kisses Y/n again, the kiss more fervent this time. Y/n breaks from the kiss taking a second to breathe, “And what kind of special thank you would that be?” Wanda rolls her eyes at the question pushing Y/n onto the bed, “I could show you if you want.”

Y/n puts up her hands in mock surrender, “Oh by all means please do.” The rest of the trip itself was full of laughter, good food, love, and many more sweet moments, What more could you really ask for?

[butterflydm]

ever onward in our DAV adventure...

I'm on such a high with this game right now.

The romantic scenes I've gotten to do with Lucanis so far have made me very giggly and happy while I was playing through them. And Neve approves of our romance. <3

My next big main quest made me SO happy! Delightful, delightful! I really do love the quest & flow design of DAV and, even though I have to admit to some protectiveness/defensiveness over DAI (it was my first Dragon Age game), I think that DAV improved on it in several ways. I feel like the tension of the main storyline is a lot stronger here than it was in DAI post-Skyhold. The open world was just... too open in DAI, imo. Pulling back and making it more controlled in DAV (plus eliminating collection quests entirely except for the one) was a good game design decision.

When we got stuck in Elgar'nan's trap and then Rook heard SOLAS reaching out through the thinned Veil to help us through! I was just eating up the conversation between Elgar'nan and Solas as we fought our way through to save the Dalish. This game has been giving me so much great lore and I am loving it to pieces. Sneaking through the Venatori camp was... definitely illuminating on their mindset. They want old Tevinter back again, and the since the old Tevinter gods were actually the servants of the old elven gods...

Also... we're gonna have to kill that big-ass dragon that Elgar'nan just summoned (and then fed the Venatori to after we freed the elves) so... you know. That's coming.

Had a great conversation with Solas afterwards (Rook has officially earned his respect) and we got a bit of him talking with some regretful longing about the Inquisitor after we got a bit of her doing the same in our earlier meeting, so that was sweet (I set them up as having romanced in DAI so I could get any potential extra dialogue). Rook called Solas out on his pride, and we really did get to see a big difference between Solas and Elgar'nan -- Solas knows how to apologize and realizes it when he screws up. Which was true in DAI as well -- if you took the high approval route with him, he's way more conflicted about his ending choices, because he realizes that his initial assumptions about people post-Veil were incorrect. If you prove him wrong, he admits to being wrong.

Solas also gave a pretty clear 'endgame approaching' warning in the game, in the sense of saying that our next encounter with the gods is likely to be our last chance, so my next priority is to finish up any character or region quests, to get everyone as prepped as possible for the next big fight. Companions were my first priority, to try to get them all up to Hero of the Veilguard status alongside Harding.

So, companion updates:

Harding - already a Hero of the Veilguard, but I had a really good conversation with her after the Solas convo, where she expressed how glad she was that she had friends to help her past feeling the weight of the Titans' pain on her shoulders and how she believes that Solas can be saved too. Okay, I definitely need to go with an Inky who doesn't believe that Solas can be saved in my next run, because I'm very curious how her opinion might change if Inky thinks Solas needs to be stopped as opposed to saved! (I'm wondering if it's like how Varric's approval during Mages/Templars choice in DAI depends on what Hawke chose in DA2). Harding firmly believes that Lavellen could save Solas from trapping himself in his regrets and bad choices if given the chance. So it's possible we might have a Solas/Inky happy ending waiting at the end of the game if we play our cards right. Maybe. We'll see! Depends on Solas and his stubbornness, really.

Taash - I wanted to finish up them next, to see if that moved the Taash/Harding romance forward. We've gotten some hints and flirting here and there and it's been very cute. During the quest to take care of the Stormrider dragon, Taash asked Harding about her mom, and they had some good mom-related conversations.

Taash's personal quest really tugged at the heartstrings (I shed a few tears, for sure). I had Taash leaning towards being more Rivani and their mom wasn't a big fan of that. And was confused about Taash being non-binary. And now Taash has to struggle with the pain of never getting to have that big conversation where the two of them work it out. And that's hard but also... really true to life at times. It felt very honest.

Taash's personal quest also crystallized something I was trying to say before about the themes of the game -- for some of the characters, it's not sins of the past so much as the struggle with the weight of your culture and the baggage that it brings. That's become more clear as we've gone through each quest. Because that was definitely Taash, who is torn between two cultures, Rivani or Qunari -- one culture that stresses personal freedoms and is chill about magic and spirits, and the other one which stresses authoritarianism and control and is definitely not chill about magic or spirits. And you can certainly take from both in some ways but there are other ways that the two cultures contrast so strongly that you have to pick one.

But we've had other characters struggling with issues brought about because of their cultural background -- like Bellara, who is dealing with ancient elven history in the form of her brother accepting an offer to serve one of the Forgotten Ones of elven lore; or Harding dealing with the cultural weight of all of the grief and anger of the murdered Titans, and Davrin needing to deal with the 'whatever it takes to win' cultural background of the Wardens coming back around again in the form of the Gloom Howler. The regrets of the past. So... similar to what I was saying before, but slightly modified.

In lighter news: matchmaking successful!

Emmrich - We killed Johanna and destroyed the lantern, but this was a really tough quest on an emotional level. We just lost Taash's mom in the previous quest and then I had to make the call to save Manfred or encourage Emmrich to let him go and move forward into lichdom. And it was a really difficult choice! For this specific Rook, I encouraged him to become a lich but, wow, I was torn. But it is Emmrich's dream, and when we spoke about it... it's clear that it's what he wants. And Manfred isn't any more dead than he was before, since he was always a wisp inhabiting a body. He just won't be... inhabiting anymore. But, yeah. A tough one. Taash got Hero of the Veilguard status at the end of their quest, but Emmrich didn't get it here. Either he'll get it when he becomes a lich, or picking lichdom means that he doesn't get it. I guess I'll find out.

All throughout this, I would go back to the Lighthouse between each mission and run into delightful conversations between my companions. I really love how lively and dynamic it feels like the Lighthouse is. People are always moving around and talking to each other. <3

I moved some other companion missions forward but haven't completed them yet -- I need to do the next story mission in Treviso to complete Lucanis's personal mission, and Neve's mission next goes to the Cobbled Swan, where the Inquisitor awaits for a second check-in (excited to see her again! She's not ~exactly~ my Inky, of course, but you can't distill dozens of hours of characterization into a dozen lines, so I wasn't expecting that). I have some final tie-ups for Taash and Harding, plus the Lichdom ceremony for Emmrich, and I've moved forward to the next steps on Davrin and Bellara's quests.

Speaking of Bellara's questline, this hit me HARD after my recent decision to go no-contact with my brother:

Yeah, that's gonna be a rough one, especially if we have to kill her brother.

My next quest is going to be helping put to rest the souls of the Rivani mages murdered by Templars during DAI (we found a heartbreaking codex entry about this at the time).

[deadpcnned]

hiii!! firstly i just wanna say how much i’m adoring your series, like they’re both so good 🥹💛 i was curious if you have any songs or artists that sort of remind you of them? i’m asking because i was listening to “champagne coast” by blood orange, and the instrumental part reminded me so much of sealed by the storm, like the tension between them two and everything >>>> maybe it’s because i’m so obsessed and can’t stop thinking about it hahaha anyway i was just curious to know if you have any inspo like that 💕 i’m literally so excited for the next chapter!! and i’ve been loving afterglow so much, it’s so sweet!!

(i apologize for how long this is, i got carried away)

hi!!!! i'm so sorry for the late response, i'm literally typing this at 3 am. this is suchhh a fun question!

thank you sm for keeping up w both series 😭 i listened to champagne coast from the perspective you did and woahhhh i would've never thought about that but i totally see it! i'm such a lyrics person that i get caught up in the literal meaning of songs, so it's super cool to think about how the production of a song could connect to the story.

also i always say i have "basic" taste in music bc i'm ur average pop-loving girly so pls no judgment on the song choices hahaha

afterglow: the obvious response is ofc 'afterglow' and 'cruel summer' by taylor swift. after i decided on the plot, i immediately wanted to title it afterglow bc i think what jj's abt to do is pure self-sabotage. despite the fact that he rlly does love the reader, he's going to put her in positions that are totally unfair. then it just naturally worked out that the story takes place in the summer, and there's a secret romance involved. so those two songs are very much jj's perspective vs. reader's. another song is '18' by one direction. i imagine them to be 20/21 and to have been friends since they were 18, so to me, it's the perfect song to show the soft, giddy essence of their relationship.

sealed: ooo okay this one i have sm more to say.

for the reader, i think of 'nonchalant' by suki waterhouse. this song definitely could apply to her romantic relationship w/ jj, but i see it as more her approach to life. she comes off as this sometimes cold and serious person (e.g., when jj mentions in ch. 2 that her humorous side often goes under the radar and sometimes he's the only one to catch it), but it's her defense mechanism because of her fear of losing everything (for a 2nd time in her life). there's a line that goes "i don't want the shoe to drop" that i think encapsulates the reader perfectly. she's constantly waiting for the next thing that goes wrong because that's all her life's been since she was 14/15 (can't wait to get more into her backstory!!). furthermore, her fear of marriage will definitely play a role when it comes to admitting her (future) feelings for jj and that's kind of when you can take the song more literally.

for jj, there's so many songs that i connect to his character (from the show), but in sealed specifically i think of 'glory and gore' by lorde. in this song i believe she's talking abt her fame, so not everything can be taken literally, but there's two parts that i view in tandem for jj's character.

we're slipping off the course that we prepared / but in all chaos, there is calculation / dropping glasses just to hear them break / you've been drinking like the world was gonna end (it didn't) / took a shiner from the fist of your best friend (go figure).

again, not everything is literal, but this is similar to jj's headspace in s4 after learning abt groff and the property hearing.

i guess we're really fighting ourselves / roughing up our minds, so we're ready when the kill time comes / wide awake in bed, words in my brain / "secretly you love this, do you even wanna go free?"

in this part, lorde is admitting to herself that whatever thing she claims to be fighting, she may actually like, which means she's now fighting herself. for jj, his entire life has been chaos - poverty, abuse, death, running. he wants to have that settled life where he owns a shop with his friends, doesn't worry about money, has a clearer future. but someone like jj can't flip a switch and get used to life without all the chaos. when something goes wrong, it's easier for him to "make it worse" bc that's all he's ever known, and he finds comfort in the destruction. now he says he doesn't want that life anymore - and of course, no one does or should - but can he let go of the comfort of his tendency to self-destruct? (i am actually so sad writing this - jj maybank, i'm sorry)

now for their relationship, there's three songs i think of:

the first is 'hate that you know me' by bleachers. this song is very much the anthem of their relationship. in part, their animosity towards each other exists due to their lack of understanding of what makes the other person who they are. but it's also because they know each other so well. they know exactly which pressure points (pressure points / they pressure you right back) to push to get a reaction out of the other, and they use it to protect themselves.

the second song is 'smoke slow' by joshua bassett. to me this is what we'll see of their relationship after they start living on the boat. ugh there's sm abt this one, pls tolerate me, i beg!

she asks for a light / as our secrets spill on the window sill / we're buying more time / while we kill ourselves as we both inhale

making believe there's a future / is it naive to think we could work? / the second it's out, then I lose her

but all that we are is all that we'll ever be / 'cause he's the one waiting at home

there's only so far we can go / next to you, but I'll never be close / so take your time while you're mine

i'm telling you things that I've never said / hope I don't regret this

the entire concept of this song is that two people are pointlessly spending time together because their bond cannot go past the room they're in. once one of them leaves, it's over. jj and reader's marriage, while indefinite, is meant to be temporary. no matter what bond they create during their time on the boat, to them, there's no us after the stuff with groff is settled. furthermore (do i think this is an essay???), jj's life has unfortunately been public for most people to see, but reader's life pre-terrance's crew is still very much a secret. we'll definitely see her open up more to jj and that's going to be something extremely new for her (like, not even cleo knows these parts of her).

addicted to illusions of a love that never was / and never will be anyway

this line is PERFECT. it can be connected to the illusion of love btwn them caused by the simple but glaring fact that they're married. they weren't in love before, and they can't be in love after, so whatever they feel in between must be a mirage caused by misplaced marital obligation. right?

one last one - 'movement' by hozier.

this song is about their physical intimacy as their relationship progresses. the sound is seductive and visually i imagine it as a very dim lit moment between two lovers (which is bound to happen living on a boat). but there are two parts that i think make this song unique to them.

and when you move, I'm moved / you are a call to motion

when you move / i'm put to mind of all that I wanna be

for jj, the reader will become someone who shows him a better version of himself. the person he can be, instead of the person he's been made to think he is. for reader, jj will force her to place trust in someone other than herself (and cleo). they'll both find parts of themselves that they wish could be their whole, and i think that yearning for each other, but also their best selves, will shift the tone for their more intimate moments.

if you've read this far, wow! thank you fr. i clearly love to yap lollll

[maria021015]

SPOILERS AHEAD FOR CHAPTER 48!

“There were so many better ways to do this,” Zaida muttered as Scott cornered Ethan on the empty stairwell.

“Like how?” Stiles scoffed, leaning back against the brick wall on the first landing as he hooked his thumbs through his backpack strap.

“I could have kicked his ass?” She offered and the boy rolled his eyes at her. “What? I could have! Given the right environment…”

“You know why you couldn’t have. Now come stand here, you’re my scary dog privilege.” He reached out and gripped her wrist, tugging her over to stand beside him. “...You know, if that dog were a Chihuahua.”

“Hey! I’m not some short, yappy demon with anger issu-” She started but he raised a brow at her pointedly with an amused grin, causing her to growl. “Okay yeah, I hear it!”

“Why are you even talking to me?” Ethan shook his head at them. “I helped kill your friend. How do you know I'm not gonna kill another one?”

“I’m sorry, were you looking at him?” Zaida raised a brow, narrowing her eyes protectively at the alpha as she pointed to the boy beside her. “That’s right, get a nice long look, because I’m going to come over there and dig a tunnel into your eyes with my nails!”

“I wasn’t looking at him,” Ethan sighed impatiently.

“Does that mean you were looking at her?” Stiles immediately got defensive, talking exaggeratedly and using his hands as a vulgar demonstration. “Are you threatening her? You know what I'm gonna do? I'm going to break off an extra-large branch of mountain ash, wrap it in wolfsbane, roll it in mistletoe, and shove it up your freaking-”

“Whoa, Stiles! Okay, we get it.” Scott interrupted quickly, diffusing the situation whilst his friends glared at the twin. “We're talking to you because I know that you didn't want to kill Boyd. And I think that if something like that happened now, you wouldn't do it again.”

“You don't know what we owe them - especially Deucalion. We weren't like Kali and Ennis when we met him. We weren't alphas.” Ethan shook his head.

“What were you?” Scott asked curiously.

“...Omegas.” The alpha answered bitterly. “In actual wolf packs, Omegas are the scapegoats - the last to eat, the one who has to take the abuse from the rest of the pack.”

“So, you and your brother were, like, the bitches of the pack?” Stiles snorted, amused.

“Something like that.” Ethan muttered darkly - speaking about it seemed to be stirring difficult memories for the boy.

“What happened?” Scott pushed for more information, and Zaida was admittedly surprised when Ethan gave it to them.

“They were killers. I mean, people talk about us as monsters. Well, they were the ones who gave us the reputation...And our alpha was the worst of them.” The boy revealed. Zaida could practically taste his lingering hatred from where she stood.

“Why didn't you just fight back?” Stiles shrugged as if the answer had been simple. “Form Voltron-Wolf, you know? Kick everyone's asses?”

“We couldn't.” Ethan looked at the boy. “We didn't know how to control it back then.”

“Deucalion taught you.” Scott nodded, following along.

“And then, we fought. We took down the whole pack, one-by-one. And, by the time we got to our Alpha, he was begging for his life.” The alpha snarled. “And we tore him apart. Literally.”

“What about your Emissaries?” The smaller werewolf finally got to the crux of the matter. “They're all dead? Kali and Ennis' too?”

“All of them except for Deucalion's.” Ethan tilted his head at them.

“You mean Morrell?” Stiles’ eyes flickered to Zaida and the two exchanged a knowing glance when the brunette felt a spike of panic hit her chest. It wasn’t hard for her to identify exactly which door in her mind the feeling was coming from.

“Wait, something’s wrong with Lydia,” She took in a sharp breath, forgetting that she was supposed to be keeping her powers secret in her worry for the girl. Ethan frowned at her, confused as she pointed a finger at him angrily. “I swear if your brother laid one claw on her, I’m going to rip his head from his body and use it as a bowling ball.”

The boy didn’t have time to respond before he groaned, clutching his chest with a pained expression. “What? What's wrong? Are you hurt?” Scott stepped forward with concern etched in his features.

“Not me - my brother.” Ethan glared at them all, figuring that they’d separated the two on purpose. Without another word, he bolted down the steps with the trio of teens rushing after him. Following the alpha’s lead, they found themselves bursting into the boys locker room.

Cora was huddled on the floor in Lydia’s lap with Aiden standing over her clutching a forty five pound weight, preparing to strike it down over the beta. “Aiden, stop! Stop! Stop!” Lydia was begging the boy with wide eyes.

Ethan intercepted the blow, pulling the weight from his brother’s hands and tossing it to the floor with a growl. “You can't do this!!

“She came at me!” The werewolf huffed and if it were a cartoon, there would surely be steam blowing from his ears.

“That checks out - she’s an idiot.” Zaida drawled, staring at the girl with an unimpressed expression. She was simply relieved that Lydia was unharmed.

“It doesn't matter! Kali gave Derek until the next full moon. You can't touch him or her.” Ethan reminded his brother, furious that he’d gone against the terms of their deal.

“Sounds to me like you guys went from being the bitches of one pack, to being the bitches of another,” Zaida pointed out and both brothers glared at her, so she knew she’d hit a nerve. The two stormed out without a goodbye.

“Hey, guys? I think she's pretty hurt…” Stiles captured their attention, directing it towards Cora who was getting to her feet shakily, the flow of blood from her temple now slowing. “You okay?”

“She doesn't look okay…” Lydia pointed out.

“I'll heal.” She scoffed irritably and as soon as the words left her mouth, she tipped forwards. Stiles quickly intercepted and helped her right her balance. “I said, I'm fine.”

“Do you realise how suicidally crazy that was? What were you thinking, going after them?” Stiles admonished her.

“I did it for Boyd! None of you were doing anything.” Cora cried out angrily.

“We're trying-” Scott defended but she cut him off swiftly.

“And you're failing. You're just a bunch of stupid teenagers, running around, thinking that you can stop people from getting killed. But all you do is show up late. All you really do, is find the bodies.” She glared at them through light brown eyes.

“And what are you, but a stupid teenager doing the exact same thing? All you were going to do by attacking Aiden was become one of the bodies.” Zaida crossed her arms over her chest in frustration, knowing how her words would have hit both Scott and Stiles right where it hurt. “At least we’re not dumb enough to pick a direct fight that we have no chance at winning.”

“No, you’re just dumb enough to think that you can win without actually fighting.” The beta quipped and Zaida’s lip curled.

“You know what bitch, I’m about to fight right now. You can tell me if I’ve won when I wipe your blood off the floor with your own ass.” She snapped and strong hands looped around her waist, pulling her away from the girl who she was steadily approaching.

“Okay, down girl,” Stiles warned her and passed her off to Scott, who held his arm out across her to stop her from moving forward. "What is it with all the violence today?"

“Traitor,” She muttered bitterly to the werewolf.

“Maybe you should put a muzzle on your girlfriend.” Cora sassed with a tilt of her head even though she looked one minute away from passing out.

“Muzzle!?” Zaida blurted at the same time as Stiles exclaimed, “Girlfriend!?”

“Yeah, good to know your priorities are in order, Stilinski.” She shook her head at the boy, disguising her brief flash of hurt with sarcasm.

“Well, she's definitely a Hale…” Stiles sighed heavily. “I'll make sure she gets home.”

“Like hell you will - you’re my ride! Lydia has advanced mathematics during free period this afternoon, and she might wait around for Miss Blake’s memorial recital.” Zaida protested with a scowl. “There’s no way I’m staying back late.”

“Then come with us,” Stiles shrugged.

“I’d rather walk.” She grumbled.

“Would you?” Cora raised a brow challengingly.

As it turned out, she wouldn’t. Maybe in winter, but in the Californian heat? There was no way Zaida was going to walk home in that. So here she was in the passenger seat of the Jeep - at least she had claimed that much of a win and wasn’t relegated to the backseat like Cora.

“You know I was kidding earlier. You’re not actually a Chihuahua…” Stiles broke the awkward silence. “...You’re more like a border collie - just minus the high energy.”

“Excuse me?” She gawked at him, twisting her face.

“What? They’re hyper-intelligent, really fast learners, and are super loyal and hardworking.” He explained his choice.

“Yeah, and if you don’t give them enough stimulation they get bored and are completely destructive!” She exclaimed.

“And your point is…?” He smirked slightly in amusement.

“You know what, whatever!” She huffed in exasperation, turning to look out her window. “Because everyone knows you’re a German Shepherd - aggressive and hostile towards strangers because you’re hyper-vigilant and highly strung, with way too much energy for your own good!”

“I actually take that as a compliment. German Shepherds are smart, loyal, protective - not to mention, they make great police dogs.” He winked at her, entirely unbothered by her attempt at a barb.

“Well you’re just full of animal facts today, aren't you?” Zaida grumbled.

“...Scott’s definitely a Golden Retriever.” Stiles muttered after a long silence.

“You’re still thinking about that?” Zaida dragged out a long sigh.

“Yeah I can see that,” Cora mused from the backseat. “Lydia’s a Poodle.”

“Please, she’s clearly a Pomeranian - and that’s not just because she owns one.” Zaida snorted. Pomeranians were bright, loyal, brave, curious, feisty, attention-seeking and bold - just like the redhead. “Your brother is a Pitbull, and Allison’s a Rhodesian Ridgeback.”

“A what-now?” Cora questioned.

“A Rhodesian Ridgeback - she’s energetic, playful, independent, loving…but can be really aggressive and stubborn.” Zaida elaborated.

“Now Isaac - Isaac’s a Chihuahua.” Stiles snickered and yelped when Zaida whacked his shoulder at the remark. “What!? He totally is! He’s skittish and lashes out with violence.”

“I’m assuming we don’t like Isaac?” Cora leaned back in her seat, picking up on the animosity.

“No, Stiles doesn’t like Isaac.” Zaida corrected.

“Is it because you and him used to date?” The beta blurted, casually exposing the boy. Whilst Zaida frowned at the fact that Cora knew such a thing, Stiles grew increasingly uncomfortable and worried about what would come out of the girl’s mouth next. “It’s perfectly common to be jealous of your partner’s ex - usually senseless and insecure, but common .”

“Ahah! The only partners we are…are partners in crime,” Stiles laughed nervously, the joke coming out far more awkwardly than he would have liked.

“We’re not together.” Zaida spluttered, her cheeks burning.

“Really? Well you could have fooled me,” Cora seemed genuinely surprised this time.

“Is it just me, or is it hot in here?” Stiles cleared his throat and lowered his window, welcoming the loud noise of the air rushing past them as they drove.

“Not just you - it’s definitely hot,” Zaida agreed and hurried to roll her window down as well, the car falling under a tense silence. Why was he acting so weird? Did he find the notion of them together that strange and off-putting?

Both teens thanked whatever powers may be when Zaida’s phone rang, the ringtone playing Taylor Swift’s ‘The Archer’ loudly. “Hey, Allison!” Zaida greeted the girl almost too enthusiastically as she answered the phone. “Did Isaac end up finding you?”

“Yeah, I did, and that’s not all I found.” The boy’s voice greeted her instead of the huntress’.

“We’re in my dad’s office, and as it turns out, it wasn’t just the map that had markings in invisible ink. There were markings on the desk underneath it - the different groups of sacrifices. Virgins, warriors, healers, philosophers, then guardians.” Allison spoke up from the other end of the line. “Which, after yesterday, has to mean something, like, law enforcement, right?”

“Yeah, that’s what we were thinking last night. Deaton told us about the different groups.” Zaida admitted grimly.

“So you’ve already let Sheriff and Xander know, then?” The huntress assumed.

“Well…uh, no. Not exactly.” Zaida winced.

“We didn’t really get that far.” Stiles pursed his lips. He’d made his stance on the matter quite clear last time they spoke about it with Scott. He would do what was necessary, but he was scared for his father’s safety.

"I think my dad’s already gone to warn Xander, but Stiles, you have to tell your dad. Tell him whatever you need, but you have to get him to believe.” Allison urged the boy. “Tell your dad. Warn him”

“Okay, okay, okay. I know.” He agreed and the girl hung up, clearly in some sort of hurry. For what reason, none of them were certain.

“What are you gonna do?” Cora interjected herself into the discussion.

“I'm gonna tell him the truth…and I'm gonna need your help.” Stiles relented. “Both of you.”

Zaida and Cora were sitting side by side at the end of Stiles’ bed, watching the boy pace backwards and forwards over the expanse of floor between them and an increasingly impatient Sheriff Stilinski.

“Okay, okay, okay, okay…Yes! Okay,” He muttered to himself until his eyes brightened with an idea, but then that light faded as he thought better of it, clearly panicking. “No, oh…”

“Stiles?” His father interrupted once he had enough of standing and waiting.

“Dad, I'm sorry, okay? I'm just...I'm trying to...I'm just trying to figure out how to start, here…” The boys fiddled with his hands.

“Hey, I don't have this kind of time.” Noah warned in a not so subtle way of telling his son to hurry it up.

“Um... For the last year, you've had all these cases that you couldn't figure out, right? I mean, all the murders involving Kate Argent, and then Matt killing all the people that drowned him, and all these murders right now!” The boy blurted awkwardly. “It's like-It's like you've been playing a losing game.”

“Stiles, the last thing I need right now is a job performance review from my own son-” The Sheriff sighed, his lined face weary from stress.

“I know, okay? See, but that's…” Stiles took in a deep and shaky breath. “That's just it, Dad. The-the reason that you're losing the game is 'cause you've never been able to see the whole board! I need to show you the whole board.”

“Sorry, excuse me. I’ve gotta take this.” Zaida smiled apologetically when her phone began to buzz, stepping out of the room and into the hallway. “Lydia? Is everything okay?”

“No, Mr Westover is missing. He’s been taken. Miss Blake won’t believe me, but I know he’s the next sacrifice.” Came the girl’s panicked voice on the other end of the line.

“Wait, Mr Westover? But…he doesn’t fit the pattern.” Zaida shook her head.

“Maybe he has a background in law enforcement? I don’t know! We don’t have time to figure out why the Darach has decided to switch target groups. He could already be dead.” The redhead reasoned.

“Look, we don’t know for sure that he’s a sacrifice. I’m not saying you’re wrong, but it could be like Danny. Maybe he knew something?” Zaida questioned. “Where’s Scott?”

“He went to talk to Morrell, but he’s here now…with Ethan.” She explained.

“What? Why would he go to Morrell?” The brunette hissed in alarm.

“He wanted to see if she was the Darach. She denied it - obviously - and claims that she’s been holding Deucalion back from coming after the rest of us.” Lydia repeated the information Scott had revealed to her only moments before. “She warned him that Deucalion doesn’t really care about the sacrifices when he’s ‘focused on the prize’.”

“On Scott,” Zaida sighed, leaning back against the wall.

“Yeah, something about him being a true alpha.” The redhead continued, sounding slightly confused.

“A true alpha is a werewolf who rises to the status without having to kill someone to take it from them - for the pure of heart, you know? Deucalion wants a true alpha in his pack. You’d think that by now he’d figure out that nothing he can do is going to make Scott turn on us.” Zaida snorted in laughter as she explained the situation to Lydia, until she realised what she’d just said. “Oh my God! He knows Scott would never willingly join him. All Scott has done since day one is show Deucalion that he would do anything for his friends. Deucalion’s not putting us through all this to push Scott to become a true alpha sooner…why would he want a true alpha that he can’t control? No…Deucalion is going to do what he always does when he can’t have something he wants. He’s going to destroy it. He’s trying to force Scott into killing so he never becomes a true alpha!

“And he’s going to do it by putting him in the position of needing to kill in order to save the people he loves.” Lydia added.

“We’ve been so focused on the Darach that we’ve been playing defence this entire time - dealing with the alphas as an afterthought. That’s exactly what Deucalion wanted. That’s why he isn’t bothering with the Darach himself.” Zaida gasped as the pieces began falling together.

“What do we do now?” The redhead asked, unable to see a clear path forward.

“You need to warn Scott, then go home. I’ll meet you there when we’re done.” Zaida instructed.

“What are you guys doing?” She could hear the frown of confusion in Lydia’s voice as she inquired.

“Stiles is telling his dad the truth about everything. We thought that given the circumstances, he should know what’s been going on.” The brunette sighed in admittance.

“Probably a wise move. How’s it going?” Lydia questioned and Zaida peeked inside Stiles’ bedroom where he’d set up a literal chess board on his desk and was labeling pieces with post-it notes.

“Not well,” Zaida decided. “At all.”

When she bid Lydia goodbye and rejoined the group inside Stiles’ room, the boy was in the midst of assigning supernatural identities to each colour of post-it. Strolling in and standing behind Stiles, she leaned over his shoulder to get a good view at the board. “Hey, why am I a pawn?” She complained. “That’s incredibly offensive, especially considering Jackson got to be a rook. He’s not even here anymore and he still outranks me!”

“Here,” Stiles rolled his eyes and removed the green strip of paper with her name on it, re-sticking it to the white queen piece. “That better?”

“Not really, now you’re whitewashing me.” Zaida grumbled but decided to drop the matter at the boy’s sharp stare.

“Scott and Derek are werewolves?” Noah spoke slowly as his eyes roamed the pieces before him.

“Yes!” Stiles cheered optimistically.

“And Kate Argent was a werewolf?” He continued.

“Hunter. That's-” Stiles pointed at the post-it with Kate’s name on it. “Purple's ‘hunter’."

“Along with Allison and her father.” Cora nodded to the other two pieces with purple papers.

“Yeah.” Stilinski’s eyes narrowed as they landed on the white queen. “And Zaida’s a mermaid?”

“A naiad. It’s a type of water nymph.” The brunette corrected. “It’s really closer to a faerie than a mermaid.”

“A fairy? Like with wings? Like…Tinkerbell?” Noah’s face screwed into a confused expression as he looked at her.

“You know what, forget about it. Mermaid works.” She waved her hand, indicating that he should move on.

“And... and my friend Deaton, the veterinarian, is a Kanima?” The man added.

“Well, no. No, no, no, no. He's a Druid, okay?” Stiles tapped the blue piece of paper in a form of gentle reminder. “Well, we think.”

“So, then who's the Kanima?” His father asked, still not able to wrap his head around the system.

“Jackson.” Stiles picked up his piece.

“No, before you said Jackson's a werewolf.” The Sheriff’s brows furrowed deeply.

“Jackson was the Kanima first , and then Peter and Derek killed him, and he came back to life as a werewolf.” Stiles explained rapidly, not hearing how bizarre his words sounded to the unfamiliar listener. “Now, he's in London…”

“Who's the Darack?” Noah let out a long sigh, shifting his attention to the piece with the red paper.

“It's Darach…” Stiles corrected his father’s pronunciation, and if she didn't feel so much pity for the boy having to do this, she’d have asked him if that was really important at that point in time. “And we don't know yet.”

“But he was killed by werewolves?” The Sheriff clarified, remembering parts of what Stiles had told him about the goings on behind the scenes.

“Or she,” Zaida interrupted pointedly. “Let’s not limit our options here.”

“Or she.” Stiles agreed. “But yes, slashed up and left for dead.”

“We think.” Cora added impatient.

“We think.” Stiles repeated, acknowledging the uncertainty of the situation.

“Yeah...Why was Jackson the Kanima?” Noah questioned and Zaida was pleasantly surprised by how easily he was seeming to be taking the news.

“‘Cause sometimes, the shape that you take reflects the person that you are.” His son answered.

“And what shape would an increasingly confused, and angrier-by-the-second father take?” The Sheriff raised a brow and Zaida pursed her lips. Ah , she’d complimented him too soon. He thought they were pulling his leg.

“...Uh, that would be more of an expression like the one you're currently wearing…” Stiles mumbled nervously, beginning to stammer and pointing at Cora. “Dad- Dad, would you- I can prove it, okay? Look, she's one of them. A werewolf!”

“Stiles. Stiles!” Noah yelled to get the boy’s attention, effectively shutting him up as he got to his feet. “That's enough.”

“Dad, can you please just hold on? You ready?” He looked to Cora first and the girl nodded, slowly standing. “All right, Dad, just watch this, okay?”

“Stiles, something’s wrong,” Zaida warned, catching a faint wave of dizziness through her blocks. Instead of baring her fangs and claws, Cora’s very-much not-glowing eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she collapsed to the floor.

“Call an ambulance.” The Sheriff called out to Zaida, and she had no choice but to listen. It wasn’t as if they could tell the man to take Cora to her brother’s downtown loft instead of the hospital when she was clearly in need of medical attention.

“What’s he saying? Put him on speaker, I can’t hear,” Zaida complained as she craned her neck closer to Stiles’ phone in an attempt to hear Scott.

“I can’t put him on speaker, we’re in the middle of the hospital hallway!” Stiles pointed out in exasperation. “Someone could hear.”

“We were wrong about it being guardians. It's philosophers, as in teachers. Allison and her father just found Mr. Westover. Lydia was right.” Scott’s voice blurred through the phone and Zaida had to press her arm almost completed flush against Stiles’ face to hear it.

“That makes sense. Tara, she wasn't always a cop - she used to teach middle school.” Stiles drew the connection that Zaida had been missing earlier during her conversation with Lydia.

“Then the last one's gonna be another teacher.” Scott spoke hurriedly.

“Yeah, but there's dozens of them, Scott, and they're all headed home.” Stiles shook his head.

“No...No, they're not. They're all going to the recital.” The werewolf recalled the event that they had all forgotten about.

“Well shit,” Zaida swore.

[dillweedshole]

A really fucking big post entirely about Karrie and (most of) my history with her

i feel like i've rarely touched my ocs in ages so here's one about my favourite. this one's got a hell of a developmental story.

(it's big enough to warrant a Read More lmao)

This is Karrie. You've probably seen her, you may or may not like her, i don't care, i like her. The big fucking thing behind her is also her, that's her Monarch form.

So how shocked would you be if I told you this is how she started?:

Yuck. Gross. This was EARLY 2021 I absolutely COULD do better than that. Let's not talk about the MSPaint Line Tool lineart and instead talk about how she acted. She was a woman. No, there really isn't that much more, I went back and read through my first canned series and I shit you not she really is just super fucking boring.

V2 was still bog-standard basic ol' Karrie. Just, y'know, now the art is a little better. She's still the same fucking woman but now she's just not.. Yuck, y'know?

Now, one day for Lex I made him an alternate 'Twisted' form. I decided "well, damn, i'm bored" and made one up for Karrie. I had plans for lore revolving around Lex's form but Karrie's was to be completely non-canon.

See? Even in late 2021 I was bad at listening to myself.

This is Twisted Karrie. Believe it or not, I don't know how she would act. This and one other drawing are the only ones with this exact design.

The plans were still in effect, I was not going to give her any canonicity whatsoever, this was just me dicking around. .. And then my friend Numi drew this;

(image link: https://www.deviantart.com/cuteario-numi/art/Creepy-twisted-Karrie-888840902)

And then something clicked. Obviously she's a better artist than me, let's not call an orange an apple, that shit slaps does it not??

So i decided to do something to the design because i didn't know where to go with the original one, and i took a couple bits and pieces from what she made here.

Twisted 2.0. Give her arms more beef, puff out that dress, elongate the hair, make her eyes big gaping holes, and make her mouth all melty and tear-y.

Honestly, this was good enough for me at the time. just enough cool but not too much that it became stupid to draw.

Not many more changes happened to Karrie after twisted for a while, she was just gonna be normal woman with dark secret!!

(i also redid the one drawing numi did with the new look.)

And then one day, i just decided to add a single little point of lore, that her Base form should look like the Twisted form is kinda leaking into it, and drew her with that in mind.

We can now see current Karrie peeking out.

This set a spark something fucking FIERCE after that one tidbit she's never been the same.

I spent a good like two months refining the design, she had a small phase where she looked like she had absolutely zero fucking self control.

This was also when I introduced an bigger lore tidbit: Her trainer dies. That's the smoking gun for her going Twisted/Monarch.

You can clearly see that I struck fucking GOLD with the story details, eventually I just decided to calm her down a bunch and now we're about where we are now.

At least for Base Karrie. Let's go back to Twisted for a second.

For a little while she was a little stagnant. I didn't change a whole lot for a while.

Then not long after I finally made Base Karrie good, I decided "how about her Twisted form look like her Base a little more."

I think this was around when I changed "Twisted" to "Feral." That name change also changed her behavior a LOT. She went from "Scared, Defensive Demon" to "Malicious, Cunty Demon" and that's about where Feral should've been.

The only big visual change was really in the hair. She stayed like this for a couple months.

I was drawing for Powerless and i think at some point i decided "Well. That dress fucking sucks. Let's change it."

For a while this was still Feral, but this is basically Monarch as we know it now.

And uh, That's about it. You can definitely SEE my art getting better throughout each design, too.

She's gone from "Woman Side Character" to "Bad Bitch Main Character" especially considering lore.

I can definitely try doing one for Lex, he's had a relatively decent history too, but Karrie's had the most remarkable mixup of any of my characters (asides from her trainer dying lmao gotem ez).

[mmorpg-escapism]

OK! We're into Mt. Gulg now, and boy this is gonna be a doozy. I'm doing the dungeon and subsequent trial all in one go, so bear with me for the longer breakdown. In fact, I'm gonna cut here just because it's *that* long, and it's also late night ramble flavored. You've been warned.

The music for Mt Gulg is this fanfare-y thing that really hypes up that this is the end of the long battle we've been fighting, while still leaning into that "holy" theme that sin eaters are associated with. It's got hints of the other themes we've heard throughout the expansion, too.

For NPC commentary... I took Thancred and the twins again. Thancred comments on the first boss - if you watch the ShB trailer, they've fought before. I'm sure if had brought Ryne in, she'd have something to say too. Mechanics are decent and mildly annoying for melee dps, but not much to write home about.

Box- I mean, Boss #2 is much more... abstract. Thancred is still the only one with anything to say. Might come back through these later with the others... I enjoy the gimmick for this one the most, having to watch the faces on the evil Rubik's Cube to know where safety is.

The final boss is also Vauthry's last line of defense, and, according to Alphinaud, his "favorite". As we've delved deeper into this dungeon, the landscape has shifted from brown mountain rock to gold and white Light-built finery, a mental image of what Vauthry wants the world to become made manifest. The boss itself is lots of echoed attacks, and it gets a "oh god" out of 10 for how much I have to move around to avoid stuff. Very fitting for where it's at in the story.

So we've beaten Vauthry's defenses, and now we get to stab the man himself... right after we get very proud of some character growth expressions. Alphinaud has recognized that at some point, there is no use trying to talk your way out of a fight. Ryne has accepted Minfilia's legacy completely and is determined to take care of it and the people of the First with all her power, and as a result now has the confidence to speak not only for herself, but for the people. She's come a LONG way from when we first met the quiet, scared girl in Lakeland.

Unfortunately, we can't take the NPCs with us to beat up Vauthry. Not enough for a full party, and they have to watch my back. So... PCs it is!

I don't mind this fight, but honestly Titania was significantly more interesting. There's a couple of add phases, a "find the gap" moving danger puddle, and lots of self-righteous voice lines that I'm going to be hearing in my dreams tonight. I did not, however, get *any* time to listen to the music to see if it felt right for the fight, because it wasn't an NPC party.

The mid fight transformation from blob to "why is he this pretty" is not the most horrifying thing that ShB has done (that's reserved for Tesleen, dammit), but it's close. It's easy to miss how it starts if you're zeroed in on your rotation, but his back literally splits open to kick the change off. I hate it. He gets very bright and stabby after that, but is still no match for the full WoL party that we brought against him.

And then... I'm going to bed. We'll deal with all of the impending emotional trauma tomorrow.

[faesjy]

part 1 of the brooklyn99 x marauders crossover

PILOT

[We start off with James Potter walking out of a car. We hear his voice-over while he ducks over some tape, heading inside a store.]

JAMES: [Dramatically] This job is eating me alive. I can't breathe anymore. I spent all these years trying to be the good guy, the man in the white hat. I'm not becoming like them. I am them.

REGULUS: Hey! What are you doing, idiot?

[The camera pans onto a frustrated Regulus Black. We then see James projecting his face onto multiple TV screens inside the store, using what seems to be a video camera that's attached to the ten monitors.]

JAMES: I'm doing the best speech from Donnie Brasco. Or actually, ten of me are doing the best speech from Donnie Brasco. [He stares at the screens of himself.] 'Sup?

REG: Get it together, man. Okay?

[Regulus is now talking with the store owner. He has a notebook open, and a pen in hand.]

REG: So the store was hit about two hours ago. They took mostly tablets, laptops, and cameras.

[We hear a keyboard playing an 80s hip-hop beat. James is seen fiddling with it.]

JAMES: Sorry.

[He stops the music. Regulus returns back to the store owner.]

REG: I'd like a list of all your employees, whoever had access to the store. I'd also like to apologize for my partner. His parents gave him too much attention and now he believes he is the centre of the world.

JAMES: Uh, Detective... [regulus looks to james slowly.] I already solved the case. We're looking for three white males, one of whom has sleeve tats on both arms.

REG: [Walking over to James.] And how do you know that?

JAKE: I had an informant on the inside. He's been here for years. Watching, learning. Waiting. His code name? [He holds up a stuffed bear.] Fuzzy Cuddle bear. He's a nanny cam. [He flips the bear over to show the electronic device inside, which appears to be the end of a camera.]

REG: [Scoffs] You got lucky.

JAMES: No, I got here five minutes before you and figured that in this gigantic electronics store, there had to be at least one working camera. [He plugs the camera into the TV screens, broadcasting the recorded video of two guys stealing. We see their face clearly.] Oh! Hi, bad guys! [He looks to the bear] You did it, fuzzy. You busted 'em. It's time to come home.

JAMES: [Imitating the Fuzzy while holding him up.] I'm not sure if I can. I've been undercover so long, I've forgotten who I am. I have seen terrible things. I haven't known the touch of a woman in many moons.

REGULIS: [Turning away.] All right.

JAMES: [Still imitating Fuzzy, however there is desperation in his voice.] Detective Black! Don't walk away from me!

[At the precinct.]

[James is bringing in the thieves from the store, heading over to the hold-up cells. While putting them in, he ends up bumping into Regulus while trying to get out. Regulus holds his hands up in defense, James pretends as if nothing happens, grinning stupidly.]

[We are then guided into the briefing room. It is 8:31 AM.]

[James is sitting down, in a room full of detectives when he looks to everyone.]

JAMES: Yes, I did crack the case. So, Black, would you do the honors?

[Regulus, frustrated, sighs and gets up from heisspot, heading over to a board. There is a small table in the corner of the board, which has a row called 'Potter', and another called 'Black'. Under Potter, it has 23, and under Black, it has 22.]

[Regulus sighs]

JAMES: Ah, yeah. And you're just gonna add one.

[Regulus changes the 23 to a 24. However, he wrote it really small.]

JAMES: I'm winning.

[The whole room applauds, cheering the situation on.]

[Regulus sighs, again.]

JAMES: It's a good feeling. It's a good feeling. Yeah.

REGULUS: [Returning to his seat.] Enjoy it while it lasts.

JAMES: I will!

[Remus Lupin is now standing up front. He is going to start up the briefing. There is a TV behind him.]

REMUS: Potter, update on the Morgenthau murder?

[James standing up from his spot, heading to the front of the room. There is now a slideshow on the TV which James is controlling.] Yeah! Good news for all you murder fans. Earlier this morning someone decided to shoot and kill luxury food importer Henry Morgenthau. [He flipped through the slides of the murder scene from the TV.] Body was found by the cleaning lady, during her interview, I deduced, using expert Detective work, that she had something super gross on her chin. [He changed the slide to the woman, and zoomed in on the white blemish on her chin. We see Peter Pettigrew perk up on his seat.]

PETER: I think it was flan.

JAMES: Peter thinks it was flan. I think it was butterscotch pudding.

[We now see Dorcas Meadowes with her legs on the table and crossed arms.]

DORCAS:Maybe it was just old person gunk. You know how old people always have that gunk on them.

JAMES: Oldie gunk. Could be, yeah. Anyone else?

REMUS: How about we focus on the murder and not the old person gunk?

REG: Crime techs are at the scene now. We're heading back when they're done.

REMUS: Okay, I want you on this. It's gonna be priority one for the new C.O.

DORCAS: Wait, tell us about the new Captain.

REMUS: Captain McGonnagal will be here soon. She'll wanna introduce herself. Dismissed.

[Everyone gets up from their seats and heads out the room.]

[We see Sirius Black at his desk. There is a template that says 'Sirius Black Civilian Administrator'. He is filing his nails, leaned back on his chair, unbothered. Peter comes up to him, smiling wide and sitting in the seat in front of his desk.]

PETER: Hey, Sirius. You know any scalpers? I wanna ask Dorcas to go to the Rihanna concert with me, but it's sold out. [The camera zones on Dorcas at the end of the room, getting a paper out of the file box.]

SIRIUS: Okay, two points to make here. First, Rihanna... You... [he looks disappointing.] And then Rihanna. [he flares his hands in the air to emphasize on the point.]

PETER: Yeah. What's your second point?

SIRIUS: She's got a type. Which is really anyone but you.

PETER: Yeah, that was my ex-wife's type too.

SIRIUS: Look, a Rihanna concert's a pretty big swing, man. I don't know. She's into watching old movies.

PETER: Cool. Where would I find a place that shows old movies?

SIRIUS: Oh, yeah, just go on the Internet and search for the phrase "I want to buy two movie tickets for a girl who doesn't like me."

PETER: Great. [Genuinely thinking he has given him good advice. He stands up to leave.] Thank you.

SIRIUS: [as he is leaving] Good...

[Reg is leaning against James' desk.]

REG: Hey, you heard anything about the new Captain?

JAMES: Uh, no, and I don't care. I just wish Captain McGintley never left, he was the best.

REG: He was terrible. You just liked him 'cause he let you do anything you wanted.

[We see a flashback of James and Dorcas on their chairs in an open space inside the precinct. They have fire extinguishers in hand and it's pretty clear on what they want to accomplish. Everyone is around them, anticipated for the outcomes while clapping and cheering along.]

JAMES: On your marks, get set...

[The Captain's officer doors open and in comes who we presume is Captain McGintley. Everyone stops.]

MCGINTLEY: What the hell's going on around here?

JAMES: Fire extinguisher roller chair derby?

MCGINTLEY: Okay.

[He goes back into his office, closing the door behind him.]

JAMES: And go!

[They shoot the extinguishers which projects them through the precinct, however it isn't as fast and powerful as a rocket launcher, however they do get pretty far.]

JAMES: Yeah!!

[We now get back from the flashback, where Regulus is looking at James with disappointment.]

JAMES: What's your point?

[he sighs.]

REGULUS: If I'm ever gonna make Captain, I need a good mentor. I need my rabbi.

JAMES: Sorry, dude. But this new guy's gonna be another washed-up pencil pusher who's only concerned with [He imitates a robot.] Following every rule in the patrol guide. Meep morp zeep. Robot Captain Engage.

WOMAN: Is that what you think?

[We now see a woman behind James, who is staring him down. She has the new Captain uniform on, and seems to be the new Captain, Minerva McGonnagal.]

JAMES: He-hey! New Captain alert. [He stands up.] You must be the new C.O. I'm Detective James Potter. Great to meet you.

MCGONNAGAL: Now don't let me interrupt. You were describing what kind of person I'm gonna be. I'd like you to finish.

JAMES: That's not necessary. [McGonnagal stares at him, and James is sort of intimidated.] Or I could recap very quickly, sure. Um, let's see. I think I said some joke about being a washed-up pencil pusher.

MCGONNAGAL: Now do the robot voice.

JAMES: Which-

MCGONAGALL : The robot voice you were doing when you implied I'm a rule-following robot. I wanna hear it again.

[James looks around the room where everyone is watching the scene happen. Regulus seems rather proud in the moment, clearly enjoying the scene.]

JAMES: [Softy, slowly and without any enthusiasm.] Meep morp zarp. Robot.

MCGONAGALL: That's a terrible robot voice.

JAMES: Yep.

MCGONAGALL: The next time I see you, I'd like you to be wearing a necktie.

[McGonagall starts to leave.]

JAMES: Oh, actually, the last Captain didn't care if we wore ties.

MCGONAGALL: [Stopping just before he enters his new office.] Well, your new Captain does. And more importantly, she cares that you follow her direct orders. [She then turns to the rest of the detectives and officers in the precinct.] Everyone, I'm your new commanding officer, Captain Minnie McGonagall.

REG: Speech!

MCGONAGALL : That was my speech.

REG: Short and sweet.

[in minnie's office]

MCGONAGALL : [Standing up and heading to her office window, looking over the precinct.] Tell me about your Detective squad.

REMUS: Um... Well, Barty and Evan [we see two men talking by the vending machines, giggling among themselves, most likely plotting something] They're pretty much worthless, but they make good coffee.

MCGONAGALL : Copy that.

REMUS: Now the good ones. Dorcas Meadowes.

[We see a woman at her desk, browsing online. The internet seems to be slow since she tapped the TV with her hand once. Then again. Then multiple times in a row.] Tough, smart, hard to read, and really scary.

[Flashback time. It is Christmas, and we see Evan at the printer when Dorcas comes in.]

DORCAS: Tell me who has me for Secret Santa.

EVAN: No! That takes all the fun out of it.

[EVAN is smiling, but Dorcas is far from happy. She glares at him while Barty pales slightly.]

EVAN: It's Barty. He got you a scarf. I'll make him return it.

DORCAS: Yes, you will.

[Back to the present.]

REMUS: Peter Pettigrew

REMUS: He's a grinder. Not the most brilliant Detective, but he works harder than anyone else, he really does.

[Flashback to Peter in the staff kitchen, ready to eat a muffin only to drop it on the floor.

PETER: Oh, man! My muffin. [He goes to pick it up, but his head hits the counter instead.] Ahh! Oh, my head! [He looks to the muffin which he accidentally stepped on.] My muffin, my head! And I stepped on the- On my muffin! And my head and my muffin.

[Back to the present.]

REMUS: Regulus Black.

[We cut to Regulus at his desk. A ball of elastics in hand, and his face scrunched up, concentrated.]

REMUS: He’s got mommy issues and a weird love-hate relationship with his brother Sirius, so he’s always trying to prove he's tough.

[Flashback to Reg pouring hot sauce over his hotdog in the staff room.]

BARTY: Careful. That stuff's pretty hot.

[he puts down his sandwich, staring at Barty.]

REG: Oh, is it? Hmm? [he puts more sauce on his sandwich, until the top is filled with sauce. He goes to eat it, some sauce dripping onto his hand. His face starts to scrunch up, and he's gagging, spitting the food right out. Barty doesn't even bat an eye.]

[Back to the present. We see the camera zoom in on James at his desk. He and Regulus have close desks, and we can see that in the frame.]

REMUS: He and Potter have some big bet over who gets more arrests this year. Ever since the bet, their numbers have gone way up.

MCGONAGALL : Tell me about Potter.

[James now has an action figure in hand of a police man, and is examining it. In the light, out of the light, everywhere.]

REMUS: James Potter is my best Detective. He likes putting away bad guys and he loves solving puzzles. The only puzzle he hasn't solved is how to grow up.

MCGONAGALL : That was very well put.

REMUS: I've talked a lot about James in my departmentally mandated therapy sessions.

MCGONAGALL : Look, you know my history. You know how important this is to me. This precinct is doing fine, but I wanna make it the best one in Brooklyn. And I need your help.

[later]

[McGonagall is in her office with Sirius sitting in front of her desk, seeming that McGonagall has asked him to chat.]

MCGONAGALL: So, Sirius. Civilian administrators like yourself often have their ear to the ground. What do Black and Potter have riding on this bet of theirs?

SIRIUS: I will tell you under six conditions. Number one, you let me use your office to practice electric guitar. Second-

MCGONAGALL : How about this? If you tell me-

SIRIUS: Mm-hmm.

MCGONAGALL : I won't have you suspended without pay.

SIRIUS: Oh, that sounds great. [McGonagall sits down.] Okay, the deal is if Regulus gets more arrests, James has to give him his car. It's an old Mustang, and it's pretty sweet. If he gets more arrests, he has to go on a date with him. He guarantees it will end in sex, -which makes me uncomfortable because Reg is my brother but oh well-, I bet on at least some over-the-clothes action. At the very least, some touching-

MCGONAGALL : No, that's enough, Sirius.

SIRIUS: Caresses. I could see James showing up in a silk robe.

MCGONAGALL : That's enough, Sirius.

SIRIUS: All right.

MCGONAGALL : Thank you.

—————

that was the first part, any feedback is appreciated :)

- jules

[sometimesraven]

What Do You Call A Double Life When It Doubles? || Chapter 4 FINAL

Fandom: Quantum Leap x Torchwood POV: Ian Wright

Summary: Jack makes an offer -- and Ian can't refuse. Literally.

(the last chapter, not the last crossover fic don't y'all worry~)

AO3 Link

Ian was quiet on the journey back to the city. They would be lying if they said they hadn't thought about their-.. attempt since it had happened all those years ago, but since breaking up with Rachel, being 'out' in public, the stress of this new job... It had crossed their mind. Something about being on the precipice of seeing those thoughts come true through no control of their own was enough to shake them silent. Gwen hadn't yelled at them again, at least. She mostly seemed to be worried, anyway.

"You know," Jack hummed about halfway into the awkward silence, "we have rules. Nobody was supposed to know about our little operation."

"Gonna arrest me?" they muttered, numbly staring out of the tinted window.

"We're supposed to wipe your memory, actually," Gwen said, her expression awkwardly apologetic, "...again."

"Again?"

"Doesn't matter," Jack hummed, "Not gonna do that this time."

"This t-- you wiped my memory?" Ian's shock was immediately forgotten, outrage taking over as they leaned to glare at Gwen, "That's what happened last time you visited-- Jenn thought I got drunk without her, what the cuss-"

"Cuss? Really?" Jack interjected, grinning boyishly at the term, "Okay, ignoring how much I wanna squeeze your adorable cheeks right now: it had to be done. The work we do is dangerous, Ian -- just knowing about it puts you in danger."

"So why not do it again?"

"Because I like you, Doctor Wright," Jack said simply, "I'm gonna make you an offer."

"Great," Ian groaned, pinching the bridge of their nose as they immediately saw where this was going. "I'm getting poached."

The laugh that rumbled in Jack's throat was almost fond, glancing up in the rearview mirror to address Gwen. "I like them -- have I mentioned I like them?"

"Few hundred times," she sighed.

"You can keep your job, Ian," Jack hummed, "But I want you part-time. I'll have a talk with Magic, see what we can figure out; if he's anything like Al was I'm sure he'll work with me."

"What would I be doing?" they wondered despite themself, "Because just for the record I suck at fighting, like I took some self-defense but I don't think that'll work against literal aliens. And I'm not great in a crisis. Or long-haul flights. Or-"

"Relax, oh my god," Gwen laughed softly, "You'll be doing tech, don't worry."

"You're rebuilding Quantum Leap -- we're doing the same with Torchwood, and we need a systems op," Jack explained, "All we'd need you to do is programming our base, then a couple trips per year for maintainence and emergencies."

"Oh." They could do that. "What if I say no?"

"Memory go bye-bye."

"Right. Love a nothing choice." There were worse ultimatums, they guessed, returning to staring out of the window as they pulled through half a dozen security checkpoints.

They were still pondering even as they led Jack and Gwen into the building, heading straight for Magic's office. Could they really do this? Coding another supercomputer sounded like fun, but they already had so much to do at Quantum Leap, and the danger-..

Not that they hadn't already been in danger just by association. Twice, apparently. Maybe they'd be safer knowing what to look for; what to expect. They could get Ziggy to run a few algorithms in secret to detect alien activity in advance, maybe run a database of sightings...

"Hey, Jack?"

Jack paused mid-stride, just before Magic's door, and gave them a quizzical smile.

"I'll do it."

Jack and Gwen shared a glance and a smile, the former reaching his hand to take and shake Ian's. "Welcome aboard, Doc."

[carbon--14]

i have been stalking looking at your blog and not to be weird but i love you (in a mutuals way not a stalker way) also please tell me more abt your rocket scientist life i’m very intrigued if you’re interested in sharing.

hi nonnie why don't you come off anon and say hello properly ;))) jk. are we mutuals? or do i owe u a follow O___O

seriously though it's not even 1 pm and today has legitimately been one of the worst days of my life (family stuff, don't ask) so this was super needed and appreciated. thx for the little giggle lolz

anyway yeah aerospace/astronautical engineering is kind of a weird place to be :P it's kinda niche and the workload is insane, so people burn out quick and the ones who stick around actually enjoy it a little too much tbch. the vibes are a little weird because half of my classmates are like me and there because it's a long time special interest they're willing to commit several years to and the others are obsessed with military tech and really want to be a part of that development. and they're pleasant people to be around, like they're polite and stuff, but i have actually had a conversation with a classmate who told me (and i'm quoting here) "well, i'm not the one pulling the trigger, so i'm not responsible for anything." and his ideal career paths were working on stealth bombers or hypersonics :///// yikes. there's a reason we're not taught ethics especially since military contractors are the primary ones snapping us up for jobs right out of school. ironically though the actual rotc kids are the nicest of that bunch and tend to be super collaborative and friendly? but i'm not joking in one of my first year classes we took a poll of the group's favorite movies and i shit you not over 50% of the class said one of the two top gun movies and another 15% said interstellar X__X (mine is scott pilgrim btw cuz i have taste)

luckily the yippee creatures of the class are very aware of how fucked up the industry is and willing to talk about it so there's still hope. my personal strat is to make myself a very competitive candidate for a very niche subset of the industry without very many "defense" applications lol. :D especially since a lot of those "defense" jobs are in the middle of nowhere in like, texas and alabama and florida. so not exactly the greatest places for me to be. i'm super interested in ion thruster design and development and there's a couple of startups on the west coast that are working on that so i'm crossing my fingers. tbch i am so fed up with the actual industry that i'm genuinely considering going all-in on my online "content creator™" presence just to have some shot at avoiding it. i have been having an actual existential crisis for about 3 weeks wondering if i actually made the right choices in life

but yeah the actual workload will crush your will to live unless you actually enjoy it. my classes this semester consist of incompressible fluid dynamics, dynamics control systems, structural mechanics, numerical methods, and astronomical computer simulation development >_< i'm gonna dieeeee!! and probably need an insane glasses prescription by the end of the year with the amount of coding work i have to do. plus i'm trying to score a research position and finishing up a senior-level independent study lol AND this semester i'll be driving back and forth between school and home (which is three hours each way eugh) to go to concerts and shit with my dad, but hey free tix are free tix. so in case you were wondering why i barely draw anymore, this is my life now X__X alsoalso my faculty advisor for the independent study is nonbinary and giving me job advice! they're super cool i love them foreverrrr

as for my actual hands on experience i'll admit it's limited :PP mostly because it's super hard to score industry experience before the summer before junior year and i was in recovery the whole summer so i literally couldn't hold myself upright for more than a few minutes. but i've done a bunch of projects for classes + uni-funded ones too!! my biggest claim to fame (lol) is working on a three-stage rocket designed to fly to the karman line (which is the Super Official Divide Between The Atmosphere And Space™ lol). everything except our motor was built in-house and i worked on structural design and analysis, so my job consisted of

a) working on and approving cad models of each component before we sent them to the fabrication team,

b) stress-testing all parts the fab team sent us to ensure they were flight ready (there is a picture of me somewhere sitting on a chair precariously balanced on top of three sandbags on top of a giant tube filled with more sand and our nosecone, because sand under enough pressure puts a similar kind of stress on a nosecone as it experiences in flight),

c) fixing any uneven surfaces or manufacturing errors on our parts, and

d) doing so. much. documentation. i have to be totally honest, like 75% of aero/astro e is writing the most boring papers you will ever read in your life :[

and i also built a 3d cad model of the opportunity mars rover from scratch with only official promo pics and rover "selfies" and that thing crashed the lab computers twice and took a week's worth of 8 hour days in the lab + 3 all-nighters. fml but she was so worth it thooooo

sorrysorrysorry nonnie that was probably 10x more info than you were expecting but tl;dr i'm the world's biggest weirdo who actually loves physics and rocketry so i enjoy everything i'm doing in class but the actual job search is hell on earth and i dread the day i graduate :/ for now it's still mostly fun