#well possibly - the girls ARE telepaths after all

[kalinara]

I think most fans of Cyclops have, by now, seen that truly wonderful panel where he's happily eating a giant philly cheesesteak sandwich.

I'm not sure how many people know that these are the panels right after that.

I appreciate how accepting Scott is about his son dating the entirety of the Stepford Cuckoos.

I do wonder if there's been any other context where Emma has had to scold Scott for trying to speak around a considerable log of meat. Ahem.

(Cable #2)

[gavisuntiedboot]

We Can't Be Friends (but I'd like to just pretend)

Pedri x Stylist! Reader

Part 2

Warnings: None

Word count: 4.3K

A/N: Back with part 2! I'm warning y'all now - it's going to suck until it doesn't. Please bear with me. Also, I have included the links to both the shirts being sold for Gaza and the direct donation link. Please check them out! And if you can't donate yourself, I donate $1 for every watermelon comment under this post! So please make sure to share at the very least.

~~~

Being scolded was the worst feeling in the world. Well, actually, sleeping with a famous client and then having him immediately chase your coworker was the worst feeling in the world. But boy was this meeting with Katerina a close second.

“There needs to be a case study on this kid.” She muttered under hear breath as she moved sticky notes around the December calendar. She darted her eyes around her current configuration, before turning sour and looking up at you. The dark circles under her eyes had darkened a shade since you had seen her the previous week, and a twinge of guilt played against your sternum for contributing to her fatigue.

“Let’s go over some basic rules, my dear. First and foremost, you cannot block your client’s number.”

“But I-“ You began to protest, but your boss lifted one finger, silencing you instantly.

“I do not care. I do not care if he is a dick. I do not care if he is going to make my stylists kill each other. Honestly, that might be a blessing.  I do not care if he is the father to a litter of bastard children running barefoot around your home. You work for SDF. You work for Pedro Gonzalez. He will have access to your phone, your email, your address, hell your underwear size if he asks. Understood?”

You bit back the urge to protest, just nodding silently. She breathed in deeply before continuing.

“Second, you will not share his information with the other girls in the office. That includes his photoshoot timing, the PR being sent to him– anything. I’m tired of having to file reports to Milan about my girls fighting.”

The command was followed by another nod, this one more genuine. You had no intention of getting within 100 meters of either Tania or Sylvia, who were still not speaking but had also telepathically decided that you were a common enemy. You had been stepped on a suspicious number of times while collecting their pins from the floor, and you always caught them whispering to the other girls in the office about “la naranja podrida”. Didn’t take a detective to put those pieces together.

You were still in a state of agitation regarding the whole ordeal. In your fit of anger, you had done the mental calculations of how long it took Pedri to text another girl. He had left just as the sun was rising, so about 5:30 am. Google maps said you lived 25 minutes from the stadium, but he would have gone home first, because that’s where the damned boots and more damned note would have been. That brings us to 6 am to account for wherever the gremlin lives. By all your most optimistic estimates, he had waited at most a hour between leaving your bed and texting your coworker.

“Hey Silvia” was the text heard around the world. After the report (and a few hair samples) was filed away, a company-wide letter from HQ was sent out reminding employees of professional boundaries with clients. The giddiness and satisfaction that had come from a harmless prank had dissolved, leaving a queasy feeling in its wake. Day damn one. You lasted 4 hours before you crumpled like a convenience store receipt over a boy at work. Ignoring every caution sign, you dove head first into a pool of prospective romance - and promptly hit the concrete.

The worst part was that you couldn’t tell anyone. Bryce had responded to your gushing sonnets in the worst possible manner: with logic. You had brushed aside every one of her very appropriate questions, looking through your rose-tinted lenses at your life. You had gone as far as to tell her she was being a bad friend for trying to find any possible negative in this situation, causing her to pull back.

“I just don’t want to see you get hurt, that’s all.”

The words of her static-garbled voice memo never left your head. There you were, only a few hours later, stomach turned and heart shredded, completely and utterly hurt. And you weren’t ready to face the sting of “I told you so” that was waiting for you, so you just… never said anything else. When she asked about Pedri, you responded formally with his upcoming campaign schedule. Lucky for you that she was too busy with her own life to keep pestering.

The upside to the current tragedy in your life was that you were working in fashion. It was hard to cry when you spent hours upon hours looking at some of the most beautiful clothes in the world, getting full creative freedom to bring your visions to life. Not impossible, because there were definitely a couple of wet spots on the Margiela from yesterday, but harder. Barca Femini had been in and out of the office for fittings, and it was a relief to be able to work with something other than khaki trousers and blazers. There were seemingly hundreds of hangers carrying vintage sports pieces, colorful jackets, and silky skirts. It sparked little moments of happiness, knowing that you were so good at playing dress-up that now you were getting paid for it.

It had been a week since your unfortunate altercation, and though the evening (and unfortunate following morning) had never left you, it had seeped from the front of your mind to the base of your skull, a dull throb that could be ignored during the course of the day. That was, of course, until you received an email from Adidas.

~

"Okay, Pedri, I hate to be the one to break this to you, but this means you're blocked."

There was a snigger that floated through the lunch room that, had he been able to pinpoint the source, Pedri would have promptly quieted with a slap to the head. But it whizzed around like a gnat between some of the younger players.

"How could I be blocked, Fermin?" The question was met with a raised eyebrow from Fermin, who was mentally cursing his college education.

"Maybe it has something to do with you sleeping with her and then disappearing?" Gavi offered up that brilliant hypothesis between bites of grilled chicken.

"No, it couldn't be. She's American - they don't take sex so seriously. Besides, we just met! What was I supposed to do? Propose?"

Pedri resisted the urge to shrink back from the judgmental stares he was receiving. He was used to being questioned by Gavi, who believed in the "stare at her intensely until she falls for me and confesses" method of romance. But now that he had roped in Fermin (the most tech-savvy of the squad), he couldn't handle the intensity of the silent disapproval.

In all honesty, Pedri was tired of the emotional rollercoaster that had plagued the entire day. The previous night had been incredible. He wasn't quite sure what to expect when La Naranja stepped through her front door, but she surely exceeded expectations. Pedri believed he was happy in his normal routine: DM an Instagram model, engage in the little cat-and-mouse game where she pretended she wouldn't bend to his every will, and go back to her place for a decently fun time. But there was something about the way you walked, so coy and bashfully, looking up at him through delicate lashes with wide eyes, that warmed the most primal part of his being. His heart quickened at the sudden desire to chase, to capture, to consume. He wanted to protect this pretty little thing from the sharp eyes and sharper teeth of his friends. He was ready to savor everything you offered.

Over the course of the evening, the feeling gnawing at the inside of his chest became harder to ignore. The soft grip you maintained on his bicep to keep him close, the warmth of your fingertips searing his skin. He wanted to bark at Ferran to never look your way again. To sink his teeth into your neck, have you cry out his name so every man would know to never come near you again. Your hand, so delicate and soft in his own, maintained a firm grip as he dragged you out of the club, and a firmer grip on his hair once he was finally able to kiss you senseless. He felt like a wild animal unleashed in bed with, unable to slow or take pause. You were so hypnotizingly innocent, and he was going to destroy that.

The warmth in his chest remained till the following morning. As he kissed your cheek and whispered his goodbyes, he allowed himself to imagine what kind of arrangement the two of you could have. He was more than eager to feel the caress of your soft lips again. Maybe you would be open to picking up his late night calls, spending long, tedious days together talking and fucking and laughing at nothing in particular. He thought about the flush in your cheeks that would arise whenever he came into work, dropping subtle hints about your activities in the days before. He could really make you a permanent part of his rotation with little difficulty, facilitated further by the fact that you had been assigned as his personal stylist. Filthy as it may sound, he contemplated not showering upon his return home. He would have to later in the day following practice, but until he could secure a second audience with you in a bedroom, he wanted to savor the scent a little longer.

His front doorstep was littered with packages once again, about half from Adidas and the other from Springfield. He was not a designer by any means, but he appreciated that he was at least sent the collections that were meant to be his. Fer was sipping on a coffee when Pedri walked in, and expertly avoided ay questions of where he had been the previous night. He was a concerned older brother, but he was also a guest. He instead asked to see the piles of PR that his younger brother had hauled through the door.

"I don't understand why they bother sending you all this stuff. Why wouldn't they just send it to the styling team."

"Because I actually have to play in the boots, hermano." Pedri said, lifting the lid off his newest pair. He was excited for another Adidas campaign, or any campaign really that would bring him closer to you once again. Oh how he wished he could have captured the way you looked in that dress forever, immortalized it in an oil painting and hung it on his wall (right beside the ripped remains of the dress, which he so desperately wanted to destroy). His daydream had been broken by a crisp white envelope contrasted against the bright orange of the boots. There was a feminine wave of scent in the air, and the heart pumping in his ears drowned out the sounds of his brother’s whistles and taunts. Had you done this? Had you been planning ahead to send him a note had he neglected to ask you out while at the office?

He tensed his forearms to disguise a slight tremble, ripping open the envelope and scanning the page only to find-

“Ay dios mío. Silvia.” He allowed his head to thud against the counter, Fer’s tittering laugh clear as a bell now.

“Is she the scary one or the weird one?” His brother asked, prying the crumpled letter from Pedri’s dejected form.

“Both are fitting adjectives. She’s the shorter one with the silver hair. She kind of looks like our Tia Marisol?”

Another tittering of laugher, and this time Pedri joined in with a cracked smile of his own.

“She wants to tell you how much she admires you, how much you make her … quiver? Ew.” Fer squinted at the note further.

“Listen to this line. Ehem: ‘I am ready to serve you, worship you, give you my body and soul because I love you.”

Pedri groaned so loudly he was sure the neighbors heard. Honestly, what were these girls thinking?? That he would start blushing and giggling at the mention that they would sleep with him? That was the least most girls would do. It turned his stomach, constantly fearing that he would be trapped with a child.

“Let me text this girl. I have to go in next week and I don’t want her bent over a table spread and waiting when I arrive.”

He typed in the number on the note, drafting a long text before deleting everything but the “Hey Silvia” at the top.

“It’s too forceful to say ‘hey I don’t want to fuck you’ right off the bat, no?”

He hit send, reluctantly heading off to shower away his escapades before he went into training, waiting for a reply before he asked not to receive any more erotic letters from his stylists. Oh how he wished she hadn’t.

~

“So run us through it one more time.” Gavi said, Ferran deciding to stifle his groan. The last thing he needed was to enrage Gavi further, as he suspected it would result in him finally getting the punch that was coming to him. Ansu and Fermin were nodding along vigorously, eager to hear all about Pedri’s first experience having feelings.

“We went out, we fucked-“

“Pedri!”

He rolled his eyes at the indignation from the boys. Kids these days.

“Okay. We went out, we had a magical lovemaking experience, and then I had to come to training. I texted her about her being my stylist to ya know break the ice. And I found myself in deep shit and promptly blocked on like everything.”

“I think your first mistake,” said Fermin, “was not texting her about last night. Why would you start with her working for you?"

Pedri dragged his hand down his face in frustration.

"What was I supposed to say? Good morning linda, great pussy last night?"

Gavi stood promptly with his hands up, leaving the room.

"I don't want to hear about another girl's vagina."

"Yes," Ferran muttered, "God forbid he cheat on his crush by listening to a story."

"Whatever happened to 'Hey, I had fun last night'? Is that not a normal thing to say?" Ansu asked, as shaken as Gavi but remaining planted by his desire to be in the loop.

"I think my agent is texting SDF to get her to unblock me. Not super easy to talk to my stylist if I have to do so through messenger pigeon. Where did Gavi go?"

Pedri followed his friend out of the locker room, watching as Gavi stared dejectedly at the Doctora’s office.

“Are you done moping?” Pedri asked, clapping him on the shoulder.

“No. She might lose her job and we play her stupid boyfriend’s team tomorrow. I just want to keep her safe from that asshole.”

For a minute, something sparked in Pedri’s chest. Was that jealousy? He had never before felt that there was something missing in his life, content with being surrounded by friends and family and teammates. But there was something about watching Gavi pine, listening to the way he spoke of this girl, and it caused him an ache. He was in awe of this foreign spectacle: loving someone so deeply, so intensely, that it led to begging for crumbs of their time and attention. He almost wished to be in the Doctora's position, always having someone waiting around the corner for him.

"I have a styling meeting today. Do you want to come and keep me company?"

~

"Naranja, the bastard is here."

You didn't even lift your head when Maria informed you of the arrival of your client. You had worn all black to mourn the death of your self esteem, prepared to ass-kiss as much as needed to preserve your job. Unfortunately, it was difficult to push down the burning rage in the pit of your stomach when you had to kiss the ass of the man who has hurt you so intensely.

Pedri strolled into the room clad in the ugliest jeans known to man, his doe-eyed teammate (Gavin?) trailing behind him. At least the littler one knew how to dress. He was in baggy jeans and an Amie Paris t-shirt, clean sneakers in the same shade of blue as his top. Pedri, on the other hand, was an abomination. His black hoodie was far too baggy on his frame, making him look somewhat inflated. It was made worse by the tight and ribbed denim hugging the (admittedly stunning) legs that ended suddenly in some chunky clompers.

"Good morning, Naranja."

God. Even the sound of his voice was like swallowing razor blades. You wished that you could hear the lilt in his speech without remembering the soft whispers against the column of your throat, guiding you to ecstasy at his command. The way that he encouraged you, coaxed the gentle sighs and high moans with just an ask.

"Let me hear you, pretty girl."

And who were you to deny? But now, looking at his soft eyes and confident stance, you wish you had resisted. Pretended you didn't speak Spanish that first godforsaken day in this office.

"Good morning Pedro."

A stifled laugh and wide eyes from the boy behind Pedri (God what was his name? Gustavo?). Pedri's shoulders had dropped significantly, his thick brows coming together in confusion.

"No one calls me Pedro. Not even my mother."

"Well, maybe it's a good time for you to learn what disappointment feels like. Especially since you're so comfortable giving it out to others. Do you have your boots?"

You could tell Pedri was lost for words, and it caused you a mild spark of satisfaction. You had spent the last week boiling silently, unable to unleash all the rage simmering in your chest. He nodded silently, pulling the box out of his bag.

"Great. Gabriel, there is a coffee shop on the second floor if you want to grab a drink while I'm fitting Pedro. I'm sure you've seen him naked plenty of times but-"

"No, no, I'll go. Would you like anything?"

After shaking your head, he exited the room, and you began frantically grabbing different sweat pants and shirts for Pedri to put on.

"His name is Gavi by the way." Pedri said to break the silence, and you turned so he could strip off his shirt.

"Come on, Naranja. Don't pretend you haven't see it already." He smiled somewhat earnestly, softer than he did at the other girls. You were a gentle thing, and he wanted to be gentle with you.

"How many other girls in this office have seen it as well, Pedro?" You asked with as much venom as you could muster, turning to face him and eyes locking as he unzipped his jeans.

"You think that sleeping with me is a company welcome gift, Naranja?"

"That's not my name."

"And Pedro isn't mine. But if you want to poke at me, I'll poke at you right back."

He was now in only his boxers and his socks, and it took everything within you not to glance downwards, a reminder of the sight from one week and one night ago. He took a defiant step forward, the heat radiating off his body.

"You know, Pedro," You began, steadying your voice. "Texting my coworker mere minutes after leaving my bed is a sin on it's own."

"Wait, what? Hold on-"

"But in those mere hours of bliss, I googled you. Looked at your name on Twitter. Saw who you were. And you're just another slimy athlete that uses girls and throws them away."

Your face broke when you heard him laugh loudly at the revelation. It made you angry, expecting him to feel ashamed of his behavior.

"I despise miscommunication, Naranja. So don't go jumping to conclusions and acting foolish. Your coworker sent me a letter essentially begging to fuck me, but I suspect you knew that already. Hell, you might have even been the one to switch the names around."

Your cheeks grew warmer, and a part of your brain registered that Gavi was now lingering in the doorway.

"But beyond that, linda, is that I was texting her to say I wasn't interested." He began dressing, joggers defining his legs in a way acid-washed denim never could. "But I don't like being judged based on rumors on Twitter. I want to be your friend-"

"Again with that word!" The outrage was finally seeping from you, and now that the lid had come off there was no containing it.

"How am I meant to be your friend, Pedro? You hit on me, you sleep with me, and then you moved on to the next girl. How am I supposed to be your friend after everything you've put me through?"

"What did you expect of me exactly?" He shoved his shirt over his head, a sweet bit of relief in a tense situation. "I like you, Naranja. More than a lot of other girls I've met. And I want to keep seeing you," he let his eyes burn a path down your body, "as a little more than a friend. If that's something you're into."

You took a step back, hand over your chest in shock. Did this man just ask you to be a friend with benefits, mere minutes after you asserted your disgust for his very being.

"You must think so highly of yourself." You couldn't raise your voice out of fear of it cracking. Just how much had you deluded yourself into thinking you found something special?

"I don't actually," there was a tone of laughter in his voice, "quite the opposite actually." There was suddenly not enough air between you. You simultaneously wished someone would interrupt you and that the moment would last forever.

"You're a sweet girl, Naranja. Too sweet for someone like me. I know who I am and what I want, and a girlfriend is not on that list currently."

"So what? I'm good enough for you to fuck and not to date?" You asked, the question heavy between the two of you. He remained silent, lips unmoving, the wheels turning behind deep chocolate eyes.

"I like you enough not to want to hurt you, Naranja. So, what do you say? Friends?"

"Go fuck yourself, Pedro."

~

The high pitched noise of the camera going off repeatedly was starting to get to your head. You leaned against the wall, rubbing at your temples to try and stave off the impending migraine. You opened your eyes briefly to see Gavi also leaning against the wall, gnawing on his lip and staring at his phone. Propelled by boredom, you shifted slowly along the wall to peak at what he was doing, desperate for any form of entertainment.

Thank God for the lack of Gavi's vertical blessing. A quick peek revealed that he wasn't actually typing any words, only rereading text from a contact that was saved as...

"Holy shit are you fucking your doctor?" You asked, probably a little louder than appropriate.

His eyes went wide as frying pans and he began to go visibly red. He started babbling out denials, explaining that the two of them were just friends.

"I mean she has a boyfriend and even if she didn't she would never go for me because she's so much older than me and cooler than me and she's way out of my league but all I want to do is keep her safe and make her happy and-"

His brain finally caught up to the words he was letting loose, and he abruptly suspended his word vomit.

"Does she know that you like her?" You asked, back against the wall, shoulder to shoulder with Gavi.

"God, I hope not. I don't want to do anything to make her life harder than it already is."

"Maybe telling her how you feel will make it easier. Maybe she feels the same."

"Yeah," he sighed deeply, looking wistfully at his phone again, "That's what Pedri keeps telling me."

The disgust was evident on your features. "I wouldn't really take Pedri's relationship advice."

"Now now, turning my best friend against me because you want me is a little extreme, Naranja." The voice behind you was too much to bear.

"Someone needs to give your best friend advice on how to not transform into a heartless user."

"Ironic. I remember one of us chanting 'use me, use me, use me' just last week." The response died in your mouth as Pedri's publicist approached. Where did this guy get off? Even if you believed his bullshit excuse about not wanting to fuck Silvia, the teen drama explanation as to why he doesn't "do" relationships compensated plenty.

"Alright you crazy kids! Ready to go shopping?" You spun around so quickly that you almost smacked Gavi with your hair.

"I beg your pardon? I am a stylist, not a personal shopper. I get pieces sent to me."

That was the truth. You weren't in charge or brand relations, and the purchasing department was an impenetrable fortress. Each week, a soulless intern wheeled a rack into the room, and you worked with what you were given. You had several ideas for how you could modernize some of these stuffy athletes, but that wasn't your place. Not yet anyways.

"Yes, of course. But we are redoing Pedri's wardrobe entirely. We have received communication from the team that his tunnel outfits are - what was the official wording? Oh yes, 'a detriment to the team's public image and an offense to the eyes of culers globally'. Springfield have also asked us to film some content during the journey."

"I don't think this is really part of Naranja's job description."

Of course Pedri was the one undermining you. Of course it was his voice speaking out only to call you incapable. You forced on your biggest smile, turning to face the agent directly.

"Oh, there's no issue at all. It would be an honor to makeover Spain's worst looking footballer."

~~~

Okay end of part 2!! I have decided that I want to post more frequent, smaller parts for this story rather than giant updates every three months. Please let me know what you think in the comments and in my ask box, and potentially where you want this dynamic to go! Thanks cutes xoxo gavisuntiedboot <3

(also if you would like to be on the taglist for this story, pls lmk!!)

Taglist:

@girlidekanymore

[obsessedwrhys]

SCIENCE VS MAGIC

ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 .ᐟ Donnie disapproves your magical abilities. Sort of enemies to lovers trope, lots of bickering, reader has telekinetic/telepathic powers (origin will be explained throughout the fic), fluff, angst, this fic is kinda long (didnt proof read I got lazy). Reader is fem!!

ᯓ★

To think that all of this started from a normal dumpster that you ended up crashing into after falling out of the sky was like a cliché opening to a movie. Even from the height of the fall, due to your superhuman abilities, you managed to survive but however you endured some severe injuries that left you unconscious.

The crash was loud enough to catch the attention of the four mutant brothers just a few blocks away. Once they made it to the scene, it was like a scene from E.T. They were actually convinced they just witnessed the crash of a spaceship, but there was no spaceship of any kind, just a girl inside a dumpster bin.

"Did she just fall out of the sky?" The eldest asked out of concern.

"Ooooh, do you think she's an alien?" The brother in the blue nudges his brother with a playful smirk.

"According to the visual evidence before me... no, she is NOT an alien Leo"

"Awwww c'mon, maybe aliens also look... humanly!"

"Then does that mean we're aliens?"

"Alright, enough chit-chatting. All this alien talk is making my brain itch. Let's bring her somewhere safe" The eldest suggested which the rest easily went along with.

Just like that you were brought into their lair, you were instantly taken into Donnie's lab to have your wounds treated. Since the brothers trusted him, they left to let him do his work. With his goggles on, he carefully applied medicine on some of your wounds with the help of his tweezers. It was when you hissed that it made his body jump.

"A bit gentle will you?" You asked and he stares at you for a while.... before skedaddling to his monitor to check on your current health status.

From how fast he ran you almost thought you scared him. Just then it came to the realisation that you weren't in your home realm, you were in a completely different place. You could tell because you couldn't detect anyone of your kind with your telepathy. You watched as the... turtle? A walking turtle? Wait turtles walk. A humanoid turtle? Man what realm is this...?

"You're in stable condition even though you fell from about 100 kilometres from the sky. How is that even possible?" He stroked his chin as he taps on the side of his face while trying to make sense of all of this.

"Well... I drank some milk before I ran away. Maybe it made my bones stronger"

"That is absurd. Milk does not make your bones stronger! That supposition is unjustified and irrational. I refuse to hear any of it" He said, or more of the word, yapped. He then took off his goggles and put it aside to continue typing whatever it is on his keyboard.

"Okay, sorry... but I need to get going" You got up but the pain from your injuries made you stutter in your movements, you hiss from the pain.

"That won't be possible. You will need time and energy to heal due to your condition. Besides, what can be more important?" He said, forcing you to lay back down on the operating table.

"Well... would you believe me if I told you I'm a being with superhuman abilities who also happen to be on the run from some space cops because I was accused of breaking realities by travelling in between too much?" You asked. Your question having him bat his eyes at you a few times. Suddenly he starts to examine you with his eyes sparked with intrigue but it was for the wrong reason.

"Ah, hallucination, one of the most common causes of brain damage. How could I have failed to notice this? Could you stare into this light? How many fingers am I holding up?" He continued on trying to examine you but you just stare at him in disbelief.

Of course he thinks you're crazy.

Guess there's only one way to prove yourself.

"Now if you'd just—" The second he sees all of his things floating from the table was when he finally shut his mouth close, his eyes wide from shock as he began to freak out on what to do in this situation.

"I'm not hallucinating and neither are you... this is all magic" You simply said before putting all his things back to it's rightful spots.

He stands there, his eyes not blinking even once as he seems to be having a very hard time digesting your words. Magic?

M.A.G.I.C.?

His left eye twitched which made you wonder if you had just struck a nerve.

"Magic. Does not exist...!" He said, grabbing what seems to be his tool. A staff?

"Magic roughly translates to the art of manipulating natural forces. Annnnnd that's exactly what science does. Magic is just a thing people make up to downplay the works of scientific discovery because SOME people happen to not appreciate the gift of wisdom but rather on fantasy. It's quite self-centered if so to speak" He crossed his arms with a faint smug. Did he just look at you when he highlighted the word some?

"That sucks... but you can't deny that what I have is magic" You said, using your telekinesis to grab a bag of candy from the shelf.

"DONT TOUCH MY STUFF!!"

"I'm not touching!! Look!" You held up both your hands in the air as you used your power to feed yourself the candy roll. He glares at you as he snatches the bag of candy from the air.

"That's it! If you will be staying at MY lair living in MY lab, you will be living under MY rules missy!"

"Missy?!"

"Yes you heard me louuuud and clear!" He said. Ah some part of you is telling you this is gonna be a complicated stay compared to the rest you've had.

For the next few days, you were able to properly get to know the people who have saved you. They introduced themselves as brothers. The one who seemingly always checked up on you was named Raph whilst the other two brothers who are always hanging out with you were Leo and Mikey. That leaves the brother who was... well... constantly eyeing you being Donnie.

The reason why you'd phrase it like that was because every time you found yourself simply resting or spending time with his brothers, you could always catch him spying on you. Most of the time he'd just be peaking from behind objects or if he's feeling brave, he'll straight up choose to stand on the other side of the room with his eyes locked on you like a hawk.

If the staring wasn't weird enough, he would also ask you multiple questions that he seem to have written down in his notebook. He would have the end of his pen pressed against his chin as he asks his questions.

"Well, with your gifted talents, are you able to read minds?" He asked, seated on the ground as he faces you.

"Yes" You responded with your arms folded.

"Confident, but that doesn't mean you're correct. In order to comfirm that theory, we must carry out a test. Now, what number am I thinking?"

"7"

He'd stay silent, his brows slightly narrowed as he slowly nods to himself.

"Interesting... buuuuut 7 is the most common number people would think of in this scenario... it could just be a lucky guess" He said, brushing off your showcase just now while he jot down on his notebook.

You tried your hardest not to roll your eyes once you heard his response. Why does he even bother asking these questions if he doesn't like the answers you give him? Something tells you he's probably just messing with you.

"Alright, next question, are you able to carry out mind control?"

Multiple times, you've told yourself to be patient but as days go by, his behaviour was really driving you insane... to be fair you've also been driving him insane by sharing his room. He seems crazy obsessed with privacy. Which you get. But he's on a whole different level.

"Seriously?" You'd stand in front of his invention. You have no knowledge of what it's even made out of but you were sure it was programmed to keep you out of his side of the room. See it as a semi-transparent wall that he can activate and deactivate.

"I'm not gonna touch your things. You act like I'm some kind of criminal"

"Which YOU AREE!! Your story of being wanted by these space cops easily proves that point. I will NOT risk my tech to be stolen by a space criminal!!" He'd say, pointing at you before crossing his arms with his body facing the other away.

"..... no hard feelings" He'd add in the end.

Riggggght. No hard feelings.

"Well then, I guess I'll just go and have a goodnight sleep" You'd turn on your heels but after taking just a few steps, you'd stop in your tracks. Your back still facing him.

"Oh and by the way, the name space criminal sounds pretty cool. Don't you think?" You'd ask as you show him the remote he needs to deactivate the wall he has set up. The second he sees he has lost it, he began to panic and check for ways out.

"Nononono...! But how?!" He'd question since he was sure it was on him the entire time you've talked.

"A criminal never reveals her tricks" You'd grin as you happily hopped away. The sound of him slamming on the wall making the satisfaction in you grow.

"NO!! DON'T YOU DARE LEAVE!! COME BACK!! HEY!!"

Despite you slowly getting use to his behaviour, you still wonder why he has this much dislike towards you. You wouldn't say it's hate since he's still generous enough to let you stay in his room. But who knows? What if he did actually hate you? You laid down on the skateboard ramp as you stared up at the ceiling.

Your peace soon interrupted once you sensed the familiar presence of someone approaching you. You tried to ignore him when he suddenly sat down beside you. It was awkward silence for a moment.

"... what are you doing?"

"Resting"

"Resting? Does your abilities cause you to grow tired quickly?" He'd ask, whipping out his notebook from out of nowhere.

"Is it like a video game where you have an energy bar for each time you use it? Does it happen to also drain your life force? Do you age faster?" His questions were being asked quicker than you could answer. It was really annoying you like he was a fly that wouldn't leave you alone.

"Do you happen to burn calori—"

"Shhhh" The sound of you shushing him mid sentence made his eyes go wide. It was like he wasn't sure what had just happened.

"Excuse me I wasn't—"

"Shhhh"

His brows twitched almost out of fury once he realised what game you were playing at.

"I—"

"Shhh"

"Now you—"

"Shhhhhhhhh"

"LISTEN—!"

"SHUUUUUSHHH!" Your words causing him to be so frustrated that he had to turn around and mutter whatever that it is to himself. From a few words you could only pick up being 'Dumb dumb' and 'You're the better person here'. You had to admit watching him lose it was hilarious to watch.

When he turned back around, you quickly stopped yourself from grinning and went back to your poker face. He takes a deep breath before he exhales painfully slow to sooth himself. You're pretty sure he's gone insane.

"It seems there's no use arguing against someone who doesn't listen" He'd speak but you chose not to say anything this time. Your absent of words irritating him bit by bit.

"I see. The common tactic of giving me the cold shoulder in an attempt to make me seem like I'm the idiot, well I hate to disappoint you but i will not easily fall for such trap" He said as he ends up crossing his arms with his chest slightly puffed out. His head facing the other way and his eyes shut from his pettiness.

It's bizarre how you're both the same age but he acts like such a kid compared to you. You sighed.

"Why do you even hate magic so much? Or just me in general. Do you have some sort of grudge?" You questioned and he opened his left eye to look at you, then his right eye. You could see his face relaxing slightly at your question.

"What makes you think I'd tell you?"

Ah what were you thinking... of course he wouldn't tell you...

"... fair point. Have a good day" You got up and ended leaving him there. Your powers helping you sense the disbelief he was experiencing at that moment.

Days passed by and each second that goes, you began to miss the realm you were originally from. Your family, your friends, they must be worried sick about you. Yet you're stuck in this world where you feel caged inside the sewers. There has to be a way to jump back into the realm of your home without triggering the system the space cops have set up.

You'd spend your time drawing out strategies and calculating the possibility of the chances of it succeeding. All of those plans written on plain paper you may or may not have stolen from Donnie's pile but oh well, it's not that you took that many anyways, besides he won't find out since you hide it under your pillow.

After countless tries, you still couldn't find the answer. The security is tight since those space cops are really out to get you. The thought of this being your new life really gives you the shivers. Just as you went in the kitchen to grab a drink, you were then approached by Raph.

"Hey (Y/N), you don't seem to be in good shape" He'd point out the frown on your face which you were quick to drop.

"Oh, that's nothing. Just still adjusting to this world. I haven't really gotten the chance to explore" You said before taking a sip of your drink.

"Well... in that case. How about you join us tonight for patrol?" He'd suggest. The offer so good that obviously you couldn't pass it up.

Which brings you on the rooftop with the four brothers. You had to admit it was nice to finally breath fresh air for once in this realm. The city seems so alive and although the tech isn't as advanced compared to where you're from, it still made the place look so fast paced and pretty. Is that a hotdog stand? You stood at the edge of the rooftop as you admired the streets, failing to notice Donnie who's been glaring at you since you've arrived.

"Alright boys.... and uh... girl. You get the drill!! Let's get this—" Sounds of a scream interrupted his words. All five of you duck to see a woman getting cornered by a gang of thugs in a dark alley.

"Oh no... we gotta help her!"

"Do not worry brother, for I have just the right tool—"

Before he could even finish talking, you have already jump down to the alley with the use of your telekinesis to help you land safely. You threw punches and kicks while simultaneously dodging the attacks thrown at you. Your moves catching the brothers off, each having a reaction of their own.

"Helllll yeahhh!! Save some for me!!" Leo said as he was quick to join you in the fight.

"Wait! Careful!" Raph following close by.

"Man! Who'd knew (Y/N) could fight like that?" Mikey was utterly astonished while Donnie who stands beside him had his teeth gritted out of annoyance.

"Yeaaah... who would have known...." His eyes sharp when examining all of your moves.

It didn't take long until all of the thugs were unconscious on the ground, you used your powers to tie them up with the rope that was conveniently nearby. The woman was safe and had managed to run away safely away from the danger. To avoid anyone from seeing you guys, you were all quick to leave. On the rooftop is where you celebrated your victory with them.

"That was awesome!! Up tops (Y/N)!!" He'd put his hand up and you were fast to high five him.

"What do you say we go celebrate this over some pizza?" Raph suggested which almost everyone went along with, all except Donnie.

Even back in the lair he was quiet. His expression blank like he doesn't seem happy about the pizza or anything. It peaked your interest almost instantly. That's why once the hangout was over and that everyone has gone to sleep, you felt awkward trailing behind him to his room. You could tell from his body language he had his guard up.

"Rough night?" You tried to start small talk with him. Something you didn't think you'd find yourself doing.

Even though he heard you, he still remained silent. This is starting to feel like karma for how you treated him all the time. You watched as he removes his armour to reveal his soft shell. Even though you'd normally just go to your side of the room, you couldn't bring yourself to walk away, you didn't know why but you felt involved with whatever it is he's dealing with right now.

"Is something wrong?" You questioned but he tried to ignore your presence by putting his equipments away.

"You're not your usual self... did something happen?" You asked and you could see his shoulders tense at your words.

"Hey I'm—"

"Just— Just stop!" He'd shout, suddenly turning around to look at you. His gaze deadly cold as he stares into your irises.

"You think you can just come into my life and try to take my spot?! All these countless years of building and inventing machines for my brothers, only for a fairy tale like YOU to pop out of nowhere!!" He'd say, putting out hand gestures to express his emotions.

You didn't say anything but listened with your eyes slightly wide. So this was how he felt about you...?

"It's not fair!! How is it that you can just do all these things with a flick of your wrist while I have to spend restless nights to even achieve that little?! You—!" He'd stop short, unable to finish as he takes a break to catch his breath.

You frown.

Ah you really feel like a terrible person right now... and it's not that you could control how you were birthed with your powers... but it was mostly because of the way you were pushing his buttons ever since you came. You joining their patrol tonight must have been the last straw.

"You're right. It's not fair" You'd utter and he stares at you, a bit taken aback from your sudden confession.

"It's not fair I get a head start compared to the rest... but that doesn't mean you can put out that anger at me! It's not my fault! Besides, you're clearly a smart dude and a very good brother from what I've seen. So why are you comparing yourself to me? It's like comparing a shark to an orca! It was never meant to be fair" You said. His eyes slowly trailing away like he was no longer able to look at you directly like he did before.

"I... sigh you're right... I'm... s—sorry" He muttered, his voice faint but you heard exactly what he was trying to say.

"Don't worry about it... I'm also sorry for the way I've treated you. Let's start over?" You asked, a slight smile on your face and he couldn't help but admit it was a good look on you.

"Yeah"

Ever since then, his behaviour around you seemed to change little by little. His questions seem to become less as he was now more attentive when listening to your answers. He'd also quit his weird staring habit... well just almost... he still stares at you but instead of looking so focused like you're a strange object, he looks at you with a more friendly expression.

His drastic change really got to you.

It was like a whole brand new person.

He began to act kind towards you. Even going as far as to offering to help with your strategy planning, it definitely threw you off guard when he told you he was willing to help. Obviously his constant yapping and disagreements are still there but they seem more playful compared to before. It was when you realised how he has made you laugh multiple times that you start to notice these feelings developing in you.

You almost hated yourself when you came to the conclusion you had fallen for the guy.

The same guy you could barely tolerate weeks ago.

The question now was that, did he feel the same for you? You could try reading his mind but would that be crossing the line? You'd be evading his privacy and that's the last thing you'd want to do. Inside the room where you laid on your bed, you couldn't help but think about these thoughts while also having your papers of plans scattered across you. How did all of these feelings even came from...?

"Well you're up early" He'd come in the room with a cup of coffee. You nearly jump at his voice.

"I'm early?" You chuckled, noting he was the one to be first out of bed.

"Jokes on you I didn't even sleep" He then placed his cup on his table before joining to examine your mess of papers.

"Now, shall we continue?" He asked to which you nodded.

It was hard to even focus being so close to him. Gosh you really are incapable of thinking now. You gulped, trying to remain calm. This was not you. You never act like this around anyone. All of this stressing made you zone out that Donnie took notice after realising you hadn't been listening to a thing he's been telling you.

"Hellllooooo? Have you used your telepathy to block me out? That's really typical" He'd say and it quickly took you back to the present.

"What?"

"What?" He laughs at your confused state. Ah this is giving you even more mixed signals...

"Sorry, just tired from waking up, let's continue" You said, trying to ignore what just happened, feeling as though you were slightly embarrassed.

"Nononoo, you've been constantly daydreaming everytime I talk to you. Something's up" He'd say.

Oh man some part of you wished he wasn't this observant.

"I guess... I'm just missing home...?" You lied, trying to excuse your behaviour. If he ever finds out you might just bury yourself.

"So you're homesick?" He raises an eyebrow.

"Don't worry, there's no shame to it, the sooner we solve this the sooner we get you home" He said confidently.

He then moved closer to you, his actions causing you to freeze. You were unsure what he was trying to do as he inches closer and closer to you.... just to get a pen? You were embarrassed the second he moved back to his spot. With the pen in hand he continued on writing. Ah that was awkward.

All this beating around the bush was driving you crazy.

"I figured it out!" Donnie exclaimed and it got your attention. You turn to him to look at his plan. It was a bit complicated but with the right timing it could work.

Then you wondered what will happen after you finally found a way home.

Are you just gonna simply leave?

"You don't look awfully happy about this. Is the joy too much that you're struggling to express it?" He grinned.

You sigh.

Now would be the best time.

"No I just... uhm... I have feelings for you?" You awkwardly confessed. Your words making the grin on his face drop.

"I'm saying it now so that if you reject me I can just simply go and we can pretend none of this happened" You tried to lighten up the mood with a weak smile but the shock on Donnie's face made you wonder if this was a bad idea.

Suddenly he was blushing.

You had to blink twice to make sure what you seeing was true.

"Ah... why'd you have to make it worse for me? I was trying to get rid of these feelings" He ran his hand across his face.

What?

"Do you not love me?" You asked and it made him panic.

"Nono! It's not that, it's that... how will I love you if you're never with me? You have a home and I realised it's not here" He frown.

Maybe, it was in the heat of the moment, but you suddenly had a solution to solve this problem.

A solution you would blindly do for love.

"Then I'll stay"

"Sta—stay?! You can't—"

"But I can. Those space cops are out to get me and as much as I miss my people, I'm afraid I could put them in danger if I head back. Maybe... I can stay a little longer?" You said and for a second he stares at you... but soon his eyes sparkles with gleam.

"You wanna stay with me?" You smiled at how awfully innocent he sounded when he asked.

"I guess you've grown on me"

"Well wow... haha... okay... um..." He stutters, struggling to even put the right words in the right order.

"Do you want to um... eat lunch... together? I assume that you're starving right now" He said, trying to play it off.

"Sure, will you be cooking my meal?" You joked which he was quick to return with a smile.

"I'm starting to think you're gonna be more of handful now that we're dating"

"Likewise"

[moist-for-xavier]

Would you mind writing a fic where nb reader is doing Charles' make up and they are lightheartedly flirting and in the end when they finished by putting lipgloss on his lips he’s like „finally I can do this?” „Do what?” And he kisses them leaving some of lipgloss on her lips

In your hands

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧ ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

a/n: I loved this request. So adorable. And yes, it’s post Cuba incident Charles. I just want to take care of him. Also I’m a cis girl so I tried my best at gender neutral reader. I hope it’s good 🙏🏼 I also don’t know how to do make up since I don’t wear any because of my raging allergies 🥹

Summary: basically the ask

You smiled as you stood at the doorway of Charles’ room. It was a cold evening where he promised to heaven and back that he would finally spend time with you after blowing you off for grading tests or other paperwork. So now it was just the two of you for the evening. You could already feel the butterflies in your tummy as you closed the door and stepped in.

“You’re already here? What are we doing then?” Charles gave you a lopsided grin as he watched you enter. You could already feel his mind, his mutation unintentionally pushing against yours to let you in. But more precisely you felt his eyes roam up from your fluffy, cow shaped slippers, up your fluffy pyjama pants, your waist and body covered by an equally fluffy robe. You grinned and held up the pink bag you came in with.

The telepath tilted his head to the side like a confused puppy.

“Okay? Care to elaborate?” he asked. You grinned and rolled your eyes at him. You walked over, tossing the bag gently to him as you crawled on the bed to sit by his knees, facing him. He gave you a suspicious look before zipping the bag open and looking inside. He pulled out a couple products, a moisturiser and a primer only to be left confused. It only hit him when we saw an eyeshadow palette and concealer. He sighed and gave you a tired smile.

“Just let me take care of you, beautiful.” you said gently as you scooted closer, sitting hip to hip with him. His kind blue eyes studied your face carefully as if searching for any kind of sarcasm or joking. But all he found was genuine care. He sighed and shook his head.

“It’s not like I can run away” he joked playfully. “What do we start with?” he asked. You could see his body relax as he leaned back into the cushions, looking as handsome as ever as he looked up at you.

“Well, we start with a moisturiser. You have a beautiful skin and our skin tones don’t match, so I won’t put on foundation” you smiled as she dug through the small bag to pull out a gentle moisturiser. Before that, however, you pulled your headband off and put it on him to keep his hair away. Then you plopped a bit of the cream onto your fingers, spreading it around your hands evenly. You grinned as you took his cheeks into your hands spreading the cream around and massaging it in. Your fingers glided nimbly against his soft skin, his head falling back and eyelids closed. A sigh of relief left his lips as your cool fingers massaged the cream into the bags under his eyes, smoothing down the wrinkles between his eyebrows. You smiled, trailing your hands down his neck to get rid of the excess cream. His skin was feverishly hot, not missing the red tint spreading to his cheeks.

“Okay, handsome. Now we make those eyebags disappear” you said, digging through the bag to pull out your concealer. He looked at you with a dazed smile as if in a trance. You glance over at him through your lashes, giving him a quick raised brows and a smile before moving to lean over him again. You opened the concealer, cupping his jaw gently and applying the concealer under his eyes, around his nostrils and the exactly two pimples he’s had in a month. Not having the heart to use the dirty sponge to blend out the concealer, as well as wanting ti touch him as much as possible. So you used your fingers, gently dabbing the concealer away into his alabaster skin.

“Your fingers are cold. Would you like me to warm them up?” he asked, his eyes finding yours. He reached his hands up, taking ahold of your hands, bringing them to his lips. He kissed your fingers gently, blowing some warm air onto them.

“Charles!” you laughed and pulled your hands back from his lips. You could already feel the heat crawling up your neck to dig its claws into your cheeks.

“Quit it, Charles!” you said as you pulled a powdered blush out of her bag along with a fluffy brush. You opened up the case, taking some of the product on the brush and gently patted the blush into his cheeks. Then, after putting that away, you pulled out an eyebrow pencil. You twisted a little out and with couple brushes you filled in his eyebrows, even if it was unnecessary.

“What eyeshadow do you want?” You asked and put the eyebrow pencil away to pull out a colourful palette.

“I don’t know…”

“Yellow and blue then” you ordered with a grin. Opening the palette and taking out couple brushes. You moved up, straddling his waist and pushing him down to rest against the headboard. You smiled, watching him as he stared up at you as if you put the stars in the sky, his cheeks growing red. Obviously, the slightly suggestive position immediately shut down whatever cheeky thing he had in mind.

“Close your eyes for me, my love” you said in a slight sultry voice, watching in delight as he nodded dumbly and closed his eyes. You dipped your brush into the yellow palette, putting it on his eyelids. Your hips slid further up to make contact with Charles’ lower stomach as you concentrated. You felt his shaky breath against your neck, making you smile. Taking out another brush you applied the dark blue to the edge of his eyelid and smoked it out into his skin.

After finishing with that you took out an eyeliner, opening it up and cupping his jaw.

“Tilt your head for me?” you asked gently, angling his head up to you, his chin pressing against the middle of your chest. Your hand slid to the back of his head as you applied the eyeliner to his eyelids, his warm hands settling against your thighs.

“Good boy. Now just mascara and lipstick” you praised with a grin, feeling him shiver ever so slightly. Putting the eyeliner away, picking up a mascara and gently applying it to his eyelashes, staring into his eyes while he stared right back.

“What lipstick colour you want?” you asked and dug through your baggie, pulling out a lipgloss.

“I don’t know. Dark red.” he said with a laugh and a dismissive shrug. You grinned and pulled out a deep maroon colour. Hand on his cheek you angled his face up at you again, opening the tube and twisting a bit out. And with an intense eye contact you applied it to his plush lips.

“Okay. Now lipgloss” you said and opened the tube of lipgloss, spreading it on his lips. Moving back, or trying to if his hands on your hips didn’t stop you, to admire your work.

“Finally. Can I finally do it?” he asked and batted his eyelashes up at you with a cheeky smile on his face.

“Do what?” you asked cluelessly. It took only split second for his hands to fly up from your hips to your face, bringing you down. Your hands fell on his shoulders, squeezing the fabric tightly when he kissed you. It felt as if the time stopped that moment and it was just you two and the electric kiss. You breathed out, arms sliding around his neck before pulling out.

“I wanted to do that for a while….can we call this a date please?” he asked sheepishly making you laugh.

“Yes please…” with that he brought you back down for another kiss, not caring the lipstick has been on his lips for exactly 15 seconds before it got smudged to hell

[etaleah]

Black Doom is the Sonic franchise’s most underrated villain.

He’s not funny like Eggman and he suffers from not being written terribly well, but his interactions with Shadow are deeply disturbing if you think about it.

Consider the cutscene where he teleports Shadow into space and shows him what happened on the Ark. I find myself asking, how did Black Doom know about that? Clearly it happened after he was done working with Gerald, so I doubt he was around for it, and as far as we can tell, he hasn’t had contact with Earth, the Ark, or anyone in either place for the last 50 years. He didn’t even seem to know the Eclipse Cannon existed since he was surprised by the video at the end. So how did he know about Maria?

The answer is: he was looking into Shadow’s mind for memories he could use to manipulate him.

We know the Black Arms have a kind of telepathic connection and that Shadow can “feel” them since he’s part Black Arm himself. Black Doom could have been delving into Shadow’s mind without him even knowing it, looking for memories and anything he could use to get Shadow to do what he wanted. And he found the only memory Shadow had at the time: his worst one ever. The one that involved seeing Maria killed.

So Black Doom gets in Shadow’s head, invading his privacy in the worst possible way, sees a traumatizing memory, and thinks, “Ooh, perfect!” 😈 Then he follows Shadow around (again, seemingly without his knowledge) and forces him to watch the memory and relive it. He doesn’t ask if Shadow wants to know what happened, he just takes him into space and starts playing out the memory without his permission. And as he’s doing this, he pretends to care about Shadow (“You seemed troubled”) and about Maria for the sake of manipulation.

I say “pretend” because we know Black Doom doesn’t really give a fuck about Maria. He hates humans, after all, and I doubt she’d be an exception to that. If Maria had lived, I doubt he would have made an exception for her in his whole “destroy/enslave all humanity” scheme. Hell, I’m not sure he even knows Maria’s name since he never refers to her by it. He just calls it “that horrifying image,” implying he doesn’t even really know what happened or who was involved. And even if he does, it’s not like he cares.

But he knows that Shadow cares. An innocent girl being murdered won’t bother Black Doom, but it will bother Shadow, and he uses that. He uses Shadow’s PTSD and survivor’s guilt as a weapon so that he can trick him into doing his dirty work and then throw him aside when he no longer has any use for him. He’s the only villain who attacks Shadow mentally, rather than physically (at least, not until the very end, when he’s significantly more powerful).

Even the way he attacks the others is really disturbing. He could have easily just had Sonic and friends be shot, stabbed, tossed over a cliff, etc., but instead he tries to paralyze them and have them eaten from the feet up. They would have to watch their bodies be eaten and their friends’ bodies be eaten. How messed up is that? It’s like it wasn’t enough for them to die, they had to die in the most terrifying, slow, and psychologically traumatizing way possible.

Anyway Black Doom is an underrated villain who is actually a lot scarier than his lackluster writing and lack of personality makes him seem.

[ofnightshadeandthornyroses]

Of Those That are Sanguinary    Pt.2

Eager to shed blood; bloodthirsty.

Detailed descriptions of a murder scene and body.

It's The Lost Boys. That should probably be expected.

"Here!"

Laddie yells from Dwaynes bike and they come to a stop just under the boardwalk with the smell of blood in the air stronger than before mixing with an intoxicating scent.

Laddie gets off the bike and starts walking a fast pace towards the smell.

Dwayne caught up to Laddie facing him and telling him to go watch the band currently on stage.

"Why can't I help?"

"Not this time bud. We don't what's up there, okay? Go watch the show."

"Can I get a new ice cream?" "Yeah." "Alright!"

He ran off and they went onwards.

— • —

The sight in front of them left them in various states.

Marco and Paul were obviously drooling with starstruck expressions while David looked more amused and Dwayne interested.

There was the question of who did this?

Who took this man and skinned him? Who recreated him? Revived him.

The man, or well used to be, was skined. That skin was pinned to him and together in the shape of bats wings. Scraps of skin were thrown to the side it seemed, the peices cut to make divots in the wins.

Paul fell to his knees dramatically, Marco soon following after.

"Oh fffuck. This has to be for us. It's to beautiful." Paul says with a dreamy look.

"Someone here finally has a sense of art!" Marco says, spread fingers lightly touching the wings.

David takes the newly lit cigarette out of his mouth to speak."Not a thought in your head questioning who did this, huh? Who might be in our territory?"

Something shiny catches Paul's eye. As he shuffles towards it he see it's small and black with red, ruby eyes. It's a bat. He picks it up and Oh the smell coming off of this small thing. Now being able to differentiate the intoxicating smell from the blood, he knows. That pretty babe from the boardwalk.

He woops and jumps up going to David.

"Looky what I found!"

David picks it up and recognizes first, while Paul caught your eyes the bat caught his while he was scoping you out. Then the smell hit him. An intoxicating smell that was the same as yours and all over the area. All over the body. " Ooo I wanna see!" Marco reached over with his blood spotted hands but David batted him away. "Blood, Marco. You'll get that pests smell on it."

Marco sulks back over to the body.

"Do you think the girl did this?"

David's eyes lock with Dwaynes as uses the link.

"It's a possibility. I don't smell anyone else here. Even Laddies smell is basically nonexistent at this point. Laddie said her name didn't he?" "YN. A beautiful name. Fits." Marco joins into the telepathic conversation. "Guys? There's a bone missing. Like, an entire bone."

Them as well as Paul, who had been listening in, go over to Marco and see that there in fact was a bone missing.

How they missed that before, they don't don't know but now that they see it it's obvious the right thigh is missing its skeletal structure.

"What would she need a bone for?" Paul crouched down, scratching his head.

"What wouldn't you need it for? There's so many things you can do with bones!" Marco nudged his shoulder and gets ip looking towards David. "So where do we go from here?"

"Disposal." He states taking a drag from his cigarette.

"Ack- disposal!? Just like that!? Can't we like dry him out or something?"

David tilts his head and narrows his eyes at Marco,"No."

"A picture! A picture!" Marco rushed taking out his Polaroid from the bag attached to his bike proceeding to take pictures of the proclaimed peice of art before him.

"Now we can have at 'em."

— • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — • —

You walked under the boardwalk hoping to find an empty section of beach or at the very least not get spotted in nothing covering you but undergarments and mesh, ones covered in blood at that, as well as a very incriminating object.

A little ways back you could hear the sound of bikes stopping and your body decided it wanted feel as if a string was a attached, saying hey let's look. We wanna know. We should  know. That's when you decide to quickly and quietly haul ass away from where you came.

Thankfully you only had to dodge one couple making out and hide behind pillars until you got far enough from them to keep on going peacefully.

Eventually you made it to a part that was mostly empty except for a few strays that dotted the beach sparingly. Thankfully it was mostlikely after midnight on a school night in fall and tourists were mostly gone until Christmas or summer.

Stripping out off you mesh top and fish nets so that any one that saw you would think it was a bikini. You came out from under the boardwalkand, covering the trophy as much as possible, and headed straight for the water hoping the dim lighting and distance would be enough for someone to miss you looking like a massacre.

You dropped your shorts and jacket on the sand, keeping hold of your mesh garments, and step into the water. You head into the the water, stopping until you were covered from the shoulders down and began squeezing out the mesh and ultimately using it to help scrub of blood from you body.

It's been so long. All it took was one child bullying asshole and here you were. A memory surfaces of another life, a past life. A different state with police that were getting too close to the truth for comfort.

After cleaning up and wiping down the femur bone you kept, you went back on land grabbing your clothes and hiding bone.

Making your way back under the boardwalk you glance both ways and stall. In the distance you see four large figures in the sky, looking to be carring something, mostlikely prey back to a nest.

Those are some damn big birds.

[robin-the-enby]

Hiya! I would like to request Abe Sapien x my oc it would be the continuation of the first fic and it would include her going on her first mission and how the others react to Abe and my oc getting closer. Hope you have a good day/night ^^

Someone like me p.2

Pairing: Abe Sapien x fem!reader

Warnings: mentions of killing and hypothetical bloodthirst :)

A/N: To all the lovely readers besides riya: I do not write for other people's OCs! This is an exception, since I've already written part one in the past :) With that out of the way, I am happy to come back to this, Abe was the first fictional character I ever published a fanfiction about (Confusing feelings on my masterlist, feel free to check it out ;D), so I have a special place in my heart for this man <3). Also, I would like to point out that you have no idea how much research went into this fanfic XD (but some things are completely made up, so don't come at me when some things can't be fact-checked).

Time passed...as it does. Life at the BPRD was nothing like your calm, quiet and mostly uneventful life in the outside world. The facility was buzzing with life most hours of the day, every day of the week. Luckilly, you weren't completely shut off from the world, like some of your more unfortunate colleagues. You could go outside, thanks to your human appearance. It did take some paperwork and time before your trip got approved, but it was certainly better than being stuck inside. You also had access to the internet and your old social circle, because, well, it would be very strange if you suddenly disappeared.

But you quit your old job and told everyone you're moving somewhere far away, which wasn't a complete lie...And now only few people kept in contact with you. And when they did, you either texted or called. But it was still nice.

And it's not like you minded much. You had a whole new set of friends and a world of possibilities open in front of you. Training with Liz and having some girl time every now and then, because both you and her really needed it from time to time, movie nights with Hellboy- or Red, usually everyone called him red, which Liz almost always joined, and sometimes Abe as well.

Speaking of Abe...

After the accidental confession in the BPRD's exercise pool, the two of you were like two peas in a pod. With your passion for learning about all the different creatures that secretely roam this Earth and your aquatic abilities, you were a perfect partner not only during research, but also on missions that required agents to go underwater. So it's no surprise that the two of you spent a lot of time together while working.

But you never had to worry about being sick of each other. Your personalities mended so beautifully together that you rarely needed to be apart. When you weren't working, you both usually did your own thing, just...together. Of course, you loved to talk and learn about one another, but it was nice to be able to just be...close to someone, with no words needed. Not to mention Abe was a very adaptable person, sometimes you worried he has people pleasing tendencies, but when you needed time alone, he always understood and never pushed past your boundaries. That being said, it's only natural for partner's to argue sometimes. And while that was true and there were instances where you disagreed on one thing or another, you both were smart enough to give each other some time to cool down, when things really escalated, and then talk it through. With Abe's telepathic abbilities, communicating feelings that were hard to put into words was also fairly easy.

Finally, you felt content with the way your life was going. And honestly? Everybody was on board. They were all supportive in their own special ways. Liz was glad that Abe found someone who understood him and wasn't put off by his appearance or his abbilities. Knowing him basically her whole life, it warmed her heart that Abe was happy. Red was proud of Abe. Seeing him always as the more introverted and nerdy friend, he thought Abe would be alone for a much longer time, if not forever. Not that he wouldn't wish a happy romance for the guy, hell, he sure knew about Abe's desire to love and be loved, but the in their line of work, meeting new people is hard and doesn't happen often, and meeting people who stay long enough for romance, or any deeper relationship to bloom is even harder. And he knew that. That was why Red was seriously proud of Abe for shooting his shot. Although when his blue friend revealed to him how exactly the confession went down, Red laughed so hard he couldn't quite catch his breath for a while.

The other agents and staff of the BPRD were happy as well. With the special agents happilly taken, the bureau was just a tad calmer. There was still drama, but nothing serious, like when Hellboy used to escape just to see Liz in the mental hospital, who didn't even want to talk to him at that time. Even Manning seemed calmer, to everyone's relief.

As much as you enjoyed your time at the BPRD, it wasn't always easy. You could still remember the first mission you went on. From your first day at the bureau, you worked hard on yourself to be a good agent. You wanted to go out there and face whatever the world had in store for you. And a few months of intense training and working mostly as a researcher, the day finally came.

Manning had called you, Abe, Liz and Hellboy into the library, for Abe's comfort. And because it was spaceous enough that it easily provided privacy. There, you could go over the details of the mission ahead of you, construct a plan and immediately grab some books to help you learn what you were dealing with at once.

So here you were, sitting around a larger table, listening to Manning tell you about a mysterious creature who, according to secret sources, are responsible for the unsolved disappearings and drownings of multiple people at Wilson lake, Kansas. Based on the evidence and statements from witnesses, every person disappeared at night while going swimming. First outside of swimming zones, but then also right from the designated swimming beaches. First, the victims would swim out into the deep water, where they couldn't feel or see under they're feet. Once they got comfortable, they got pulled under, not to be seen until the next morning. The time the victims spent in water was always different. For some it was ten minutes, for others thirty minutes and for a few even an hour or so.

From what Manning implied, there were some sort of agents scouting the area even before this mission has been ordered, since some of the sources saw a snake like creature, covered in scales, with the head of a cat, or somthng similar. It seems to be able to breathe underwater and above water, and it seems to not have any hind legs.

"First, we need to at least have an idea hat we're dealing with." said Manning with a huff and everyone present turned to look at you and Abe. You tried with all your might, but couldn't remember any creature that would meet the description in a closer way than vaguely. With a slight shake of your head you pushed away from the table and disappeared into the rows of bookshelves in search of amphibian cryptids, monsters, demons and the like. After a few moments, Abe joined you in your search, not knowing sure what it could be either. Luckilly, the two of you knew the library like the back of your hand, so it didn't take long before you came back with what you were searching for.

Each holding a few books, you gave everyone a book or two and you started flipping through them. It couldn't be merfolk, because only a few species live alone and not in groups...it could be a mutant, but most things can be mutants when you think about it...You wondered as you flipped through the pages, sometimes stopping to read the description, most times skipping entire chapters. This went on for roughly half an hour, before Liz suddenly spoke up "And what if it's a Tatzelwurm?"

You all looked towards your raven-haired friend. "The what now?" Red grumbled. "Tatzelwurm, a creature commonly found in Alpine lakes. It's venomous and agressive towards humans. How could it end up in Kansas?" Abe tilted his head to the side. "Look, I'm not saying I'm right, I was just trying to point out that it matches the description almost perfectly." Liz shrugged with a huff and you nodded along her words.

"Well, it seems to be the best we've got so far." Manning said, clasping his hands together. "Are there any weaknesses mentioned in that book? Or something we might use?" you asked. Liz picked up the book and flipped through a few pages, before quickly scanning over the text of one. After a moment, she sighed "No, not really. It just warns to be careful, because a single bite can kill an adult human and supposedly it's able to let out poisonous fumes and has acidic blood." "Well, that's helpful." Hellboy grumbles, not mad at Liz, more annoyed that this case was going to be a tough one.

"Abe, is there a possibility it could be something else?" Manning asked. The amphibian thought for a few seconds about the answer "Well, that depends...Are there any creatures with a similar way of living? Yes, many. Are there any that would match the description given to us that closely? No. Or at least, I can't think of any." he shrugged at last. Manning clapped his hands together and stood up "Alright. We'll assume it's a Tatzelwurm for now. I will have a plan created tonight. Pack your things. Tomorrow at seven o'clock sharp" he looked at Hellboy with that instruction "we'll meet here and you will be given the details of the mission. Then, you'll be leaving for Kansas." he turned on his heel and walked out of the library, dismissing you all in the process.

The next morning, you all met in the library exactly as Manning said. Even Red came on time, although you suspected Liz was to thank for that. Along with Manning came two other agents, the ones who made an elaborate plan for you through the night. It was actually pretty simple, you and Abe would search the water and after you manage to find the creature- there is no "if" as you were told by Manning, you will try to lure it out of the water, where Hellboy and Liz will be waiting to dispose of the creature properly. You and Abe will also be equipped with weapons meant for close combat, which you are strictly advised against, but for safety measures, you'll still have them.

After that, you loaded the super secret garbage truck look-alike and then it was a roughly seven hour journey, spent mostly in silence, as everyone prepared themselves for the mission. You pondered taking a nap, but even if you wanted to sleep, you couldn't. It would be a lie to say you weren't nervous. But you had trained for so long to get to this point. You had done so much in life just to be able to do this. You couldn't, and wouldn't, give up now. But the thought of facing a monster that could kill you with a single bite was terrifying, especially when not that long ago, you were a simple civilian.

As if he could sense your nervousness, Abe softly reached for your hand, encompassing it in his own. As soon as your hands made contact, you knew he could read you like an open book, so you just relaxed and let him feel what you were feeling, hear what you were thinking. In return, Abe reassured you that you had nothing to worry about, that he would do his best not only to accomplish the mission, but to protect you as well. His soothing energy calmed you down significantly and you actually managed to catch some shut eye for the rest of the journey.

After arriving to Wilson lake, you and the rest of the agents set up camp near the lake, away from prying eyes. Since the lake was enormous, and the Tatzelwurm could be literally anywhere, a few technicians came along with underwater drones, which would be placed into the water in several places at the lake, scouting for the creature. After that, you and your friends will be transported as quickly as possible to the place the creature was captured at, where the plan you already were familiar with would be set into motion.

And so you waited. And while waiting, you got you gear set up, Hellboy had his guns loaded and checked, Liz had her gun loaded and checked, as well as her knife and her fire proof jumpsuit. Abe was finally able to get rid of his breathing apparatus and you simply had to put on a tight swimming top, since your legs would turn into a fin.

Abe and you immediately got in the water to warm up for the chase. After such long time of training, you had a better grip on your transformation, so now you were able to get through it more quickly and with less discomfort. Of course, you made sure not to venture too deep into the water, in case the Tatzelwurm was nearby.

After several hours, when the sun was already setting, one of the cameras in a more rocky area of the lake captured something big. A big creature. The technician controlling the drone made sure not to disturb it, and it seemed to have worked, but sadly, the drone caught just a slight glimpse of it, so nobody could be sure if it was realy the creature, or perhaps just a big catfish. But the drones nearby were informed to be on high alert, while the rest were instructed to slowly move towards the one who captured it first. That way, it was nearly impossible to miss it.

While this was all happening, your friends got notified of this progress and you promptly loaded a jeep and were driven to the place where the Tatzelwurm was supposed to be right now. On the way there, your driver got confirmation that another drone got a clear visual of the creature and it's heading towards onbe of the beaches slowly. Putting their foot down on the gas, the driver quickly told you about everything and you and Abe mentally prepared yourself. You needed to be fast, because there were lives in immediate danger.

After finding a good clearing, both you and your blue partner wasted no time and jumped in the water, taking off in the direction you were instructed, while Hellboy and Liz were driven to the location you were supposed to lure the creature to. The bottom of the lake was half muddy, half rocky. It almost seemed like a ghost town, with no creature in immediate sight. They were all probably hidden, but that didn't help the already spooky feeling that was creepin into your heart while looking around for the Tatzelwurm.

You kept close to Abe as you made your way through the dark water. He kept updating you from time to time from where he could sense the creature and if you're getting close. So far, everything was going well. After you made it about a kilometer into the water, where it was more than 8 meters deep, you finally spotted a sillhouette moving almost hypnotically in the water. You both swam faster and each on different side, hoping to be able to get in front of the creature and redirect it away from the beach.

As you got closer, you could clearly see that Manning's informators were right, as well as Liz. It was a Tatzelwurm. It was around two meters long, its scales a rich black colour that reflected the sunrays in small shimmers. Its head was that of a feline, except it had no fur. Its eyes were wide, yellow and wild, hungry for flesh of anything that would cross its path. Its front legs were pretty short, compared to the rest of its body, but they were adorned with long, sharp claws. After a few minutes, you managed get ahead of the creature and you started closing in on it. When you were roughly at the edge of its visual range, you quickly crossed in front of it and darted behind immediately, trying to throw it off guard. At which you succeeded, because the Tatzelwurm stopped dead in its tracks and looked around confusedly, before turning around to finally see what dared cross it.

You simply floated there, not moving for a few seconds, before you flicked your tail swiftly, as if to beckon it, challenge it. The creature's pupils slanted, turning into small slits as it opened its maw, displaying rows of sharp teeth, ready to tear meat from bone. Abe swam slightly closer towards it, seemingly not afraid of the killer cryptid in front of him, although you doubt that if you could see into his thoughts right now, you would see a myriad of emotions going through that brilliant mind of his.

This seemed to rile up he creature even more as it hunched its back threateningly and swam closer to you. You darted a few meters in one direction away from it, but as it turned to look at you, Abe moved exactly in the opposite direction. This was the final straw. The creature, frustrated and angry, let out what would've been a roar on the surface, but here it was just a stream of bubbles coming out of its maw, although that did nothing to make it less imposing. You and Abe started swimming away in the direction where Liz and Red should already be by now, the Tatzelwurm following quickly behind you.

It was a if death itself was chasing after you, the sloshing of water completely ignored by you as the only thing that you could hear was your blood pumping through your ears. The amount of adrenaline coursing through you made your skin prickle and you had to concentrate on keeping the motions of your tail as quick, but also as smooth as possible. From time to time you managed to spare a glance at Abe, who seemed just slightly faster than you, and could afford to look out for you and behind you, to see if the creature was sill following you.

And quite surprisingly, it was. Instead of getting tired of not being able to catch you, your speed, that was putting you just slightly ahead of it, was frustrating it to no end. If you saw any signs of exhaustion or that the Tatzelwurm wasn't interested in chasing you anymore, you'd have to stop and tease it again. However, if you stopped now, it would be certain death.

Slowly, you were reaching the shore. It was just a few hundred meters ahead of you. You could feel the cold water rushing against your sking as you pushed forward, caressing you as if to encourage you to keep going. You could also feel the Tatzelwurm right behind you and you imagine that if there was a way for it to snarl at you, it would, its desire to dig its sharp teeth into your tail so strong you could almost feel it.

Suddenly, you are met with the edge of the lake, the water slightly more shallow. Abe shoots up from the water and before you can stop and ponder how you are going to get out yourself, his hand is reaching for yours. You grasp onto it as if it was the last thing to keep you alive, which in this scenario might as well be true.

Abe pulled you out of the water and away from the shore, behind Hellboy and Liz, who were now dealing with the Tatzelwurm, and continued, until you were safe behind the agents who served as backup for your two friends. You were slightly dazed from the quick change of environment and from the physical strain your body and mind just went through. But feeling Abe's hands on you brought you an unexplainable feeling of safety, though later you started o suspect that was just Abe trying to keep you calm. Nonetheless, under the wave of tranquility and love you were surrounded by thanks to your wonderful partner, you allowed yourself to close your eyes and rest.

You didn't come to until you were in the car again, Abe's arms secured tightly around you with you snuggling into his chest. You closed your eyes as soon as you opened them, relishing in the weight of Abe's head on top of yours, occassionally pressing soft kisses into your hair. Back at the BPRD you learned that the mission was a succsess, the Tatzelwurm having been killed by Red and Liz and even Manning told you that for a first mission, you did a great job.

[lionydoorin]

What are some hcs you have for the core four? Can be happy or whatever. Put them in the blender.

they're my babies i would NEVER blend them <333

i talk a lot about codependent carpenter sisters but the possibility of the entirety of the core four having some degree of codependency. they're bonded by blood dude, sam, tara, chad and mindy are each other's ride or die.

chad and mindy are the only ones who understand and aren't surprised by sam and tara's sibling antics, or how they telepathically get each other, because they're also like that.

sam and tara stay at the meeks-martin household for a while after scream 5, martha taking care of the four of them and acting as sort of a mother figure to the girls as well. it's the closest thing sam and tara ever got to a real mom, actually.

and whenever martha calls chad and mindy to ask how they're doing in NYC, she always checks in on sam and tara. how's little tar holding up? is she doing the leg exercises dr. thatcher told her to? and sammy? is she eating well? following her prescription?

core four (+ kirby) movie nights. they always let mindy or kirby pick when they settle for horror. tara is the queen of indie films. they never touch even ONE stab dvd.

anniversaries are hard for them. in the one year mark of the legacy killings, they avoid the news and decide to stay in for the day, knowing going out would be a nightmare. sam has to run to the pharmacy to buy their prescriptions, and gale makes sure to hire security to escort her to the store.

liv's birthdays are silent days; mindy and tara stuck to chad like a glue as he mourns his late girlfriend. he likes the company during these days - sam makes his favourite meal and they watch liv's favourite movies, always by each other's side.

amber's birthday? tara doesn't say a word for the entire day, locked inside her room. sam knocks on her door once or twice to check in and give her some water, knowing her sister won't want food. mindy texts her constantly and doesn't mind if she's left on read, or if tara's only responses are "i'm ok" or "bit a cookie". chad sneaks in to watch a rom-com with her at night, hugging her tight as tara all but sobs into his chest.

sam is used to going home to find the twins and tara on a cuddle pile on the couch, a blanket over their bodies, as they talk in hushed voices as a movie's playing on screen. they always have a spot saved for her, and tara, in particular, is always expectant of her older sister's body being pressed onto hers.

they rarely text in their groupchat, save for a few memes mindy finds and when they have nightmares. it's usually a quick "couldn't sleep" or "bad dream", followed by a huge description of what they dreamt. sometimes they call each other so they can talk before going back to bed. tara usually ends up in sam's bed during nightmare nights, and chad and mindy are the same way.

chad and tara's date nights sometime turn into a group hangout, and they never seem to mind - honestly, some of these nights are more fun when they're all together.

[animebw]

Short Reflection: Fall 2023 Anime

Is it fair to call 2023 a disappointing year for anime? Maybe it's just that 2021 and 2022 were both so above and beyond that coming back down to normalcy from that peak feels like a letdown. But man, between a mostly uninspiring winter lineup and summer being possibly the single worst anime season since seasonal watching started being a thing, there's been plenty to complain about. Thankfully, there's been plenty to appreciate as well, and while this fall season hasn't been truly transcendent, it's at least left us with a slew of worthwhile anime to close the year out. So let's sift through the rubble and rank all the shows I finished to see which ones ended as true must-watches, which are still worth a look, and which you can skip without missing anything.

Firefighter Daigo (1st Half): 4/10

So, remember Space Brothers? Remember how wonderfully that show balanced naturalistic character building with the excitement and beauty of exploring a high-stakes environment like space? Have you been looking for another show to hit that same sweet spot of grounded maturity and tangible whimsy that makes your childhood dream job feel more achievable than ever? Well... guess you better keep looking, because Firefighter Daigo is not that. There's some beautifully nail-biting tension to the rescue sequences themselves, expertly stacking one thing after another going wrong as our protagonists are forced to think on their feet to save lives under the most pressure imaginable. But the characters are utterly bland, the production is boring on a near-inconceivable level (man, remember when this guy directed a single good-looking episode of To Your Eternity and completely failed to live up to that potential ever again?), it wastes over three minutes each episode on recap footage, and it take such a bizarre, condescending attitude toward its one female character that the whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth. It's an overly cheesy puppet show playing at being a real story, and I will not be sticking around to see if its second cours improves in any way.

Stardust Telepath: 4.5/10

Man, I'm frustrated I didn't like this one more. I always appreciate Cute Girls anime that put this much polish and energy into their adaptation, and the concept of socially awkward Umika Konohoshi wishing she could escape this planet to make friends among the stars, only to find her place on earth on her journey to reach there, has all the makings of a coming-of-age masterpiece. Sadly, it's done in by the simplest of failures: melodrama overdose. All the attempts at heartstring-pulling are so overbearing and browbeating that every moment that tries to drag tears from your eyes just leaves you exasperated instead. It completely lacks confidence in its ability to touch your emotions on the quality of its writing alone, so it smothers you in sappy speeches and ear-bleeding Feel Sad Music until you feel like you're choking on the stuff. Not even the top-shelf yuribaiting between the two leads can wipe the frustration away, and I'm about the easiest mark for that kind of stuff as you can imagine. Someone get this forehead-touch almost-kiss telepathy into a better show immediately!

I'm in Love with the Villainess: 4.5/10

I honestly feel back about being so down on I'm in Love With the Villainess. Lord knows I'm always complaining we need more isekai with an actual point to make, and an unapologetically queer take on the shoujo villainess trope that actually has something to say about the lesbian experience amidst the romantic goofery certainly fits that bill. Except, well... I already watched this show when it was called MagiRevo. And when it was called Mage and Demon Queen. And in a world where those two stories basically perfected the "lesbian disaster courts a closed-off tsundere" isekai-adjacent fantasy yarn, there's nothing this show can offer that hasn't already been done so much better. Well, okay, the conversation in episode 3 exploring the pushy protagonist's complex self-loathing relationship with her own queerness was certainly unique, but you end up spending the rest of the show waiting in vain for it to do something that interesting ever again, only to be met with overly tropey writing, cliches, and unexpected swerves into problematic WTF territory instead. There are good ideas here buried here, but it needed a better studio to refine it to the point it needed to be, and it got stuck with Platinum Vision instead. What a shame.

Uma Musume Season 3: 4.5/10

At this point I have to wonder if even Uma Musume is getting tired of its own shtick. It's been three seasons and an OVA of the most melodramatic sports anime histrionics imaginable, and all that shouting and wailing has to get exhausting after a while. And while season 3 is still every bit as overblown and overbearing as the franchise has always been, it also feels like it's poking fun at itself for taking this nonsense so damn seriously. Two characters have a sappy emotional heart-to-heart while furiously paddling a paddleboat. Former protagonist and resident crybaby Special Week's tearful speeches are basically ignored by everyone else in the cast as they keep talking over her and tuning her out. The running gag of the Overly Serious Race Commenters get upstaged by a pair of even older, more seasoned Overly Serious Race Commenters. Hell, even the fact we only get a single idol performance at the very end seems to hint at just how weary this story's become of its own conceit. Uma Musume has always been an overthought, overdesigned mess of a show, so bloated on anime nonsense and ill-matched tropes that it rarely manages to capture anything real amidst the corporate plasticness of it all. But I'm not gonna lie, there's something equally hilarious and depressing about seeing it finally start to admit its own pointlessness.

Ron Kamonohashi's Forbidden Deductions: 5/10

How good does a show have to be at character banter to make up for a failure of writing in pretty much every other respect? That's the question Ron Kamonohashi's Forbidden Deductions seems willed into existence to answer. As a snappy buddy-cop comedy between an eccentric genius detective and his beleaguered straight-man sidekick, it's every bit the equal of 2011's Sherlock. As an actual mystery thriller... it is also, sadly, every bit the equal of 2011's Sherlock. I could watch the titular Ron fail upwards through his case-solving conundrums dragging the hapless rookie detective Toto with him all day. Their chemistry is infectious. It's just a shame the actual detective work is so hacky and contrived, cheap solutions to mostly dull mysteries that never give you that "Aha!" moment of seeing the puzzle pieces come together. And the overarching plot involving prestigious detective academies, shadowy criminal syndicates, and bizarre involuntary hypnosis powers feels like it purposefully ignores every opportunity to explore any ideas deeper than basic shonen moralizing. I might still pop back in for season 2 to enjoy more wacky hijinks between the leads, but if you're looking for something to scratch your mystery itch, give this one a pass.

Arknights: Perish in Frost: 5/10

Now that's more like it! Sort of. Almost. Okay, look, for the first half and change of its run, the second season of Arknights manages to be every bit the improvement on the first season I was hoping for. It streamlines the plot to keep a constant, propulsive forward momentum, pushing its characters forward and keeping the narrative lens focused so it can do justice to all its major players. And it pushes all those disparate factions on a collision course with each other that leads to constant, meaningful consequences and character building, aided by a production that hits its high water marks far more consistently than season 1. It feels like Arknights has shaken off the bloat and become the best possible version of itself, a dark action season with some genuine muscle behind it... at least until we enter the final stretch and the pacing goes absolutely out of control, speeding into a brick wall so fast and recklessly that you're barely able to understand what the fuck just happened by the time it's over. It's shockingly rushed, to the point you feel like you're watching someone recite the Wiki at you while skipping over all the connective tissue that would make these plot points make sense. It's a frustrating end to a season that came so close to being good, and I can only hope any future installments never make that mistake again.

Undead Unluck (1st Half): 5/10

Undead Unluck is host to one of the single most bonkers sci-fi settings I've ever seen, anime or otherwise. From what starts feeling like just our world with some supernatural freaks and weirdos causing havoc, it gradually reveals itself to be something more akin to a nightmarish cosmic RPG in the hands of a mad god, where none of the rules of our world can be taken for granted and reality is only ever a hair's breadth away from turning on its head. It's a deliriously creative premise to build a shonen battle manga out of, and I can't wait to see what other insanity the writers can milk out of this setup. Which is good, because otherwise, hooooooooo boy this one does not get off on a good foot. What fucking genius decided the main duo's dynamic should be built around the guy molesting the girl to make her powers activate? In what universe was building a love story out of that sexual harassment a good idea? I'm sorry, but when you've mistaken a swaggering half-naked dude-bro casually trying to outright assault his partner as cute hot-and-cold couple banter, you have officially lost the plot. Can somebody break into Shonen Jump studios and teach this company how to write a proper romance one of these days? Deku and Uraraka can't carry the whole genre on their back, guys!

Migi and Dali: 5.5/10

Is Migi and Dali a good show? I honestly don't think I could tell you. What it is, is utterly bizarre in everything in does, yet somehow kind of makes it all work? It's a Diamond-is-Unbrekable-esque off-kilter small town murder mystery, with a pair of identical twins pretending to be one kid to fool their new adoptive parents as they search for the person responsible for killing their mother years ago. The whole thing plays like a pitch-black parody of stereotypical suburban life, finding the cracks in the facade of normalcy and ripping them open until your only options are to laugh wildly or cringe wildly at the resulting desecration. And you will do plenty of both all throughout as it ping-pongs from accidental twincest to toddler play to to not-so-garden-variety abuse to Excessive English and basically everything in between. If there's an aspect of your stereotypical boring, domestic family experience that Migi and Dali can twist into a grotesque mockery of itself, it'll do just that and then some. The unfortunate side effect, though, is that it can be hard to tell where the line lies between intentional commentary and just being gross and uncomfortable for its own sake. And when that threatens to veer into some really misogynistic territory in the final act, it becomes even harder to stomach. Still, I can safely say I've never seen anything quite like this show, and considering the manga's author tragically passed away recently, you can't help but respect the people making it for honoring her memory this way.

Shy: 5.5/10

Shy is one of the rare manga I've read before the anime came out, inspired by a friend who came across it at random and it became their favorite manga of all time after just eleven chapters. I wasn't quite as swept away, and I don't think it's maintained the level of quality its first couple arcs had, but man, there's something special about this one. Which is why I am personally begging you not to watch the anime and go straight to the manga, because this adaptation really doesn't do justice to how electrifying and soul-enriching the manga can be. Masaomi Ando's a good director, but his penchant for paneling and stylistic insert shots, an aesthetic which works wonders on heavily atmospheric mood pieces like Toiled-Bound Hanako-kun and Scum's Wish, is completely at odds with the needs of a straightforward superhero battle series. The manga's artwork has this wonderfully sketchy, explosive quality that makes every action panel feel like a rush of cascading moments; here, every action scene quickly descends into a mess of moving jpegs and awkwardly placed insert frames that cripples its ability to wow you. There's enough of the manga's triumphant spirit preserved that it still shakes out decently- the orphanage arc that closes out the first season is wonderful enough to survive any imperfections from page to screen- but if the story of Teru's struggles and self-actualization touched you at all, you owe it to yourself to check out the source material to experience this story in its best form.

The 100 Girlfriends Who Really Really Really Really Really Love You: 6/10

Listen, you know me. You know how much I despise the harem genre. There's barely a single example of the form I consider anything above mediocre slop. So how did a show with this premise manage to get into my good graces? By understanding one simple fact that so few harem anime seem to realize: if you want something this inherently stupid to work? Embrace the fucking stupidity. Throw caution and common sense and good taste to the wind and just go absolutely bugnuts. Why settle for a scant five or six barely interchangeable waifu bait when you can have one hundred distinct and memorable personalities? Why waste time on cheap melodrama that nobody cares about when there are fourth walls to break and scenarios to push far beyond their logical extremes? 100 Girlfriends knows that the only proper form for this genre is sheer anarchy, going so far over-the-top with its jokes and setups that it's impossible not to get swept up in the sheer audacity of it all. And somehow, by imbuing this madcap nonsense with just a drop of sincerity, it actually makes you care about Best Boy Aijou Rentarou and his ever-growing posse of romantic partners as a strangely healthy polyamorous support system for each other. It's far from flawless and good lord is it problematic from top to bottom, but if you can vibe to its particular brand of earnestly empathetic chaos, it's an experience like none other.

Overtake: 6.5/10

Overtake is the most frustrating kind of anime: a really good show that's constantly threatening- but never fully succeeds- at being great. It has all the pieces you could want! A masterful production from veteran directer Ei Aoki that brings the world of Formula 4 racing to life with tactile, lived-in lushness. Characters who breathe far beyond the confines of the screen, rich with inner life and complex relationships where you come to love the rivals just as much as the scrappy underdog protagonists. A story that tackles genuinely moving and mature ideas as it explores what it means to give your all to something, even when the risks may be too horrifying to reckon with. It's as perfectly positioned for greatness as you could ask from a sports anime... and yet it never quite takes off the way you want it to. It's just missing that little extra something to push it over the edge, but for the life of me, I can't figure out what that might be. It's still absolutely worth a look, but as much as I liked it, I'm gonna be stewing over why I didn't love it for a while.

The Ancient Magus Bride Season 2 Part 2: 6.5/10

Alright, that's more what I was hoping for. After a frustratingly slow and plodding first half, the back half The Ancient Magus Bride's second season finally starts paying off all that torturous setup and reminding us that when it wants to, nothing goes harder than Chise's tale of trauma, abuse and recovery, especially now that she's the guiding light for another girl crawling out of pit much like the one she was once trapped in. It's genuinely powerful watching her try to help Philomena out from under a painfully familiar burden, struggling save someone like her while she's still struggling with the scars her own darkness has left on her. And whenever it's focused on that, it's as good as The Ancient Magus Bride has ever been. It's just a shame that whenever all that potent character drama gives way to fae-on-fae magical showdowns, it's some of the ugliest, clunkiest, most poorly staged action in all of fall's lineup. It utterly fails to capture the sense of eldritch awe and wonder this series' magic invokes, leaving it feeling like a shell of itself even when everything else is operating at full capacity. Hopefully, future seasons will take the time they need to bring that aspect up to par, because a series this steeped in the haunting grandeur of its aesthetic cannot afford to cut corners on that aesthetic.

Spy x Family Season 2: 7.5/10

Do my eyes deceive me? A Yor-centric arc? This show finally gives one of its nominal protagonists a turn in the spotlight after ages of underuse with a big, lengthy, consequential story that lets her shine like never before? It's like Christmas came early. I've been up and down about Spy x Family over the course of its run, but the cruise ship arc that dominates this season is everything great about this show operating at the top of its potential, and god damn is it marvelous to watch unfold. If only it was this good on a consistent basis, it would be an easy shoe-in for one of the greatest anime of the decade. But you know what? As long as it keeps delivering highlights like this, I've got nothing to complain about. At this point, Spy x Family has comfortably settled into being a reliably entertaining action-heavy family sitcom with lovable characters and occasional moments of greatness, and if that's all it ultimately amounts to, well, there are far worse things to be. Just please, for the love of god, keep Yuri off screen as much as possible.

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off: 8/10

So cards on the table: the live action Scott Pilgrim vs the World movie is one of my favorite films of all time. It's such a perfect explosion of geeky awesomeness from one of our greatest living directors, managing to push the medium of live action closer to anime than it ever was before or has been since. So the prospect of seeing the original comic actually made into an anime was very exciting to me. How cool would it be to finally see the source material that inspired this movie brought to life, never mind with Science Goddamn Saru pushing the animation into overdrive? But much to my shock- and eventual delight- Scott Pilgrim Takes Off had much more exciting things in mind than simply slapping a decades-old comic series on screen. Instead, it's something closer to an Evangelion-style Rebuild, taking a sharp left and remixing the story and characters with the perspective of a more mature creator, reckoning with his successes and failures alike as he re-assesses the story he was trying to tell and what parts of it still hold value today. It's Scott Pilgrim as told by someone who's outgrown the transient young adulthood central to the narrative, taking stock of his past from an older, wiser perspective and making amends where he fell short before. And as much as I might have liked a straightforward adaptation, what I got instead was so exciting and fresh that I can't complain. If only every anime was this willing to get creative with its source material.

The Apothecary Diaries (1st Half): 8.5/10

Say a prayer and set off some fireworks, folks: the shoujosei renaissance is here! After a years-long drought, the anime industry is finally remembering that stories targeted at women and girls are also worthy of high-profile prestige adaptations instead of settling for barely animated table scraps. And of all the breakout hits we've had this past year and change, none have slapped quite as hard as The Apothecary Diaries, a historical Chinese mystery drama that marries fascinating courtly intrigue with a bitterly honesty exploration of how the lowest rungs of society- women and poor people especially- are systemically crushed by the structures that govern their world. As hilarious as this show can be, it's also unnervingly frank about the darkness the Emperor's courtesans and their servants must reckon with as pawns in a patriarchal society. And it drives that message home with a truly wonderful protagonist in Maomao, a girl who just wants to keep her head down and get through life without drawing unwanted attention from the forces that could easily squash her like a bug, but has too strong a moral compass to look the other way when she sees the people around her suffering from those same injustices. It's the story of a powerless person using all the tools at her disposal to keep the world's cruelty at bay, and watching her struggle to win what small victories she's capable of against such an overwhelming power structure makes for some of the most gripping television I've watched in quite a long time. And if the second cours is even half as good as good, it will still earn its place among the years' best.

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (1st Cours): 9/10

The big fantasy adventure is over. The demon king is dead, the world is at peace, and the heroes who defeated him slowly grow old and die in the new age they ushered in. All, that is, except Frieren, a near-immortal elf with such a long lifespan that a human's life is a mere drop in the ocean for her. But with the passing of her former party's leader, she realizes just how much the short time she spent on that adventure have affected her. Ten years- a mere millisecond in the life of an elf- has changed the way she sees the world more profoundly than she ever could have dreamed. So she sets out on a journey to retrace the steps of that adventure, to reconnect with her memories of the old friends she's only now realizing she wished she got to know better before it was too late. Along the way she picks up a couple of those friends' young disciples to join her party, walking reminders of the past she left behind and the future that awaits her. And through their travels, she slowly begins to understand humanity and her place within it... and all the experiences she will carry with her long after they've faded into mere memory.

I'll admit, there are times I like being an anime hipster. There's something inherently indulgent, if not exactly healthy, of feeling superior to a mass-market piece of entertainment that you're too Smart and Intellectual to be fooled by. But sometimes, you just gotta call a spade a spade. Sometimes, the weeb consensus gets it really, really right. Yes, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End is every bit as self-evidently spectacular as everyone says it is, so on-its-face magical it's almost kind of insulting. It's a quiet, meditative fantasy exploration of grief, longing, the passage of time, and what it truly means to live a fulfilling life when everything you cherish within it must one day fade into nothing. It's poignant and intimate on a level that's hard to describe, yet equally grand and majestic whenever it wishes. It's also one of the funniest goddamn shows I've watched in a while, with jokes that hit from unexpected, awkward angles that left me rolling on the floor. If his work on Bocchi the Rock hadn't already proven it, this cements Keichirou Saitou as one of our greatest modern anime directors, a master of melding tones and moods and imbuing every shot with vibrant inner life. It's almost disappointing whenever it leans into action; as spectacularly animated as its battles are, it's those quiet moments of grace and warmth that truly make this show something remarkable. Bottom line, Frieren is a runaway leader for 2023's best TV anime, a show we'll be talking about for decades to come. I can't think of a better high note to start 2024 on.

Dropped:

Shield Hero Season 3 (4 Episodes)

My Daughter Left the Nest and Returned an S-Rank Adventurer (3 Episodes)

[justwearthegoddamncardigan]

hello :) how are you ? i saw that you followed me, thank you by the way ! may i request a adhd!reader x thomas fanfic please ? They have a telepatic link together. She is mejack. Being in the glade wasn't easy for her because of the works, she needed to focus and being fast and it exhausted her also some gladers wasn't very nice to her so one day she has a ouburst and yell across the glade. Thomas her boyfriend was the first to comfort her.

sorry for my english im french

Hey! I'm doing pretty well, ty for asking

Yeah I looked at your page and saw maze runner, teen wolf, and taylor, so I absolutely had to follow ❤

Thanks for the request, I hadn't gotten to explore the telepathy thing from the books in my fics yet, so that was fun to write. Hope you enjoy!

Calm and Storm

Thomas x adhd!fem!reader

Set during tmr (movieverse)

Notes: I am not personally close with anyone with ADHD, so representation of ADHD in this fic is completely research-based, like my fic Tides which had an autistic reader. Let me know if anything should be changed.

More notes: I also added an emotional empathy-type bond on top of the telepathy thing. Canon divergence where Thomas is in the Glade for at least a few more weeks before everything happens i.e. Teresa coming, the Grievers attacking, all the stuff. it happens later.

Warnings: language, minor injuries, some asshole men and suggestive comments, I feel like it's not written that well :( hopefully it's ok

You remember the first time you met Thomas.

"And in here, we've got the Medjacks." Newt's voice floated in from the entrance.

You'd missed seeing the Box come up, cause one of the Gladers was sick and needed to be watched.

You turned and smiled at the new boy. "Hey, I'm Y/n."

You're a girl, you heard.

"You've got some stellar observation skills there," you said, smirking.

Thomas had looked surprised, and Newt looked between the two of you, confused.

"Uh- Y/n, what?"

...did Newt not hear what the Greenie said?

"Um... anyway, you here for a crash course on Medjacks?" You decided to just continue and skip over that weird exchange.

Little did you know that was the first of many telepathic conversations to come.

You found out about your mental link with Thomas the next night.

When he was stuck in the Maze with Minho, you'd called out to him in your mind, and been stunned when he responded.

After confusedly realising that you clearly had some sort of mental connection, you stayed up all night talking to him and supporting him.

Holy shit, I just killed a Griever

What the shuck? How is that even possible?

I ran and baited it until it was crushed between the walls.

You must've looked pretty strange that night, alone in the Medjack hut making hand gestures and facial expressions to nobody, and pacing around the room restlessly.

What're you doing now?

I'm with Minho, we need to get back to Alby.

Okay. Stay with me, alright? Just keep updating me.

Sure, oh- ohhhh shit!

What? What happened?

I just heard another Griever, I don't think I can kill another one, holy shit, what do we do-

Thomas! Calm down. Breathe. Focus on my voice.

Minho- Minho's saying something.

Okay, good, just follow him.

Shitshitshitshitshit

You realise you can feel emotions through the bond too, and Thomas' fear is spiralling straight into you.

Thomas?

Yeah, I'm here. Just say anything. Tell me about anything, just distract me.

Okay, you keep following Minho alright?

Yeah yeah, just talk to me so I don't hear the Grievers as much.

You got it.

You try to channel your own emotions too.

Hey, when you get back, I can ask Frypan to make pancakes.

There's pancakes in this place?

Only for special occasions. We put the good fruits on them and everything.

You mentally push as much comfort as you can through the bond. It feels weird, and you don't know if it works, until-

Hey, Y/n, is that you?

What?

I can feel like... calmness, or something. Are you doing that?

Shucking hell, it actually worked.

You just keep talking all through the night.

When he gets back, the two of you sort through how the bond works.

Basically, you can talk to each other through telepathy, and also send emotions through sometimes.

Usually, the emotions won't go if you don't push them across on purpose.

But, if it's strong enough, like Thomas' fear from that night, it'll be felt by the other person.

Having that bond brings you closer to Thomas, and before you know it you're practically attached at the hip.

You trade little jokes with each other during meetings and meals, and sometimes you chat while you're working.

⭒----⭒

It's a few weeks after Thomas arrives in the Glade that you start dating.

Boys had always tried to hit on you, cause you know, you're shuckin' pretty (and also hot, obviously), but you were never interested in any of them.

Until Thomas.

You started crushing on him when you became friends and got to know him better.

He makes you laugh, and his smile is intoxicating, and he has an insane knack for remembering the little things you mention in conversation.

Things you'd only mention once, for half a second, like bringing up the little flower garden by the lake.

But he still remembers.

And that's how he confessed his feelings to you.

You can still feel the nervousness coursing through the bond from him as he handed you a bundle of white flowers, smiling shyly.

Then you felt joy, both his and yours when you told him you liked him too, and you had your first kiss.

⭒----⭒

Aside from casual conversation and sharing emotions, the connection also helps you a lot, cause Thomas can feel when your frustration seeps through the bond, and he can come over to look after you.

As a Medjack, the work isn't always the best - sometimes it feels like you're fighting your own brain to do your job.

Most of your work includes sitting at a table in the Medjack hut and repetitively making cures for various ailments and injuries.

You often feel restless sitting at that desk, finding it hard to force yourself to stay seated and focus on the task.

That's not to say you're bad at your job.

You make the most effective hangover cures the Glade has ever seen, and you can bandage a wound faster than both Jeff and Clint.

You just hate doing one thing for too long.

Oftentimes you'll impulsively switch to rolling bandages halfway through mixing fever medicine, or you'll be constantly fidgeting during the Medjack segment of council meetings.

Essentially, being a Medjack can be a lot sometimes.

Like today.

Most of the Gladers are good guys, but there's still a few that you loathe to treat.

There's a Builder, Derek, a grade-A asshole who can never stop sending you that smarmy, suggestive grin and making obscene comments about you and Thomas, as well as outright insulting your work.

Unfortunately, Derek is clumsy as klunk, and is always getting cut up on sharp pieces of wood.

He thinks being littered with scars is cool, and wears his stupid shirt with the sleeves obnoxiously cut off, because apparently having scratched up arms from being unable to stay on a ladder is a good look that must be shared with the world. (or just wear a singlet bro, you didn't have to cut up a t-shirt).

Anyways, Derek is once again injured, and is yelling at the Medjack hut from where he and another Builder are working on the council hall.

"Oi! Can we get some help over here? People are injured!" His grating voice cuts through the peace of the hut.

Clint looks up in concern. "Shuck, must be bad. Y/n, let's go take a look."

You take a breath to steady yourself. You've had a rough day already, dealing with some difficult Gladers, and having to treat Derek might just push you off the edge.

Plus, you only got like, two hours of sleep last night, so you're pretty exhausted.

You gather some supplies and rush out of the hut to where Derek is waiting.

He's sitting calmly on a rock, legs visibly uninjured.

Even Clint's annoyed at this point. "Couldn't've even walked to the hut?" he mutters.

There's blood dripping from Derek's shoulder, which; how do you even get injured there.

Medjacks treat all patients with care, you tell yourself, gritting your teeth.

"I'll take Derek, you take care of John," says Clint, clapping a hand on your shoulder. He leaves to grab a needle for stitches.

You nod gratefully; Clint's probably remembering your many rants about Derek in the huts.

You carefully examine John's sprained wrist, grabbing supplies to make a brace before bandaging the injury.

"Hey Y/n," calls Derek. "Any chance you can hurry up with that? I need some help here."

Clint must be stuck in the hut with something.

"Just. Wait." you say stiffly, through clenched teeth.

At this point, you're about one more comment away from taking a swing at Derek.

You feel your anger start to build as Derek steps closer.

Y/n?

Shuck, you're mad enough to alert Thomas.

It's fine, you send back.

"Seriously?" Derek's leaning over John's wrist right now, inspecting your brace. "It's just a sprain. How is this taking so long?"

"Dude, back off," says John.

You ignore Derek despite being ready to punch him. "You should ask Frypan for ice later," you tell John. "Don't work for at least the rest of the day okay? I'm gonna bandage it now."

"That's how you're leaving the brace?" Derek stares down at your work.

"Look, do you wanna do it?" you huff, before berating yourself for giving in and speaking to him.

"I guess your hands are busy doing other things for Thomas to practice doing actual medical work."

You stand abruptly, hands clenched furiously.

"What is your problem?" you exclaim. "Just shut the fuck up and leave me alone!"

"Woah there," says Derek, laughing a little. "Chill out girly."

You're actually seething by now, and-

Y/n!

What.

Hey, you're okay. What's wrong?

Nothing. It's fine.

You can almost hear him sigh half-fondly and half-exasperatedly through the bond. I'm comin' out of the Maze now. I'll be at the hut in two minutes.

"Uh- hello?" Derek waves his hand in your face.

You shove his hand away before bending to bandage John's wrist.

"Finally," says Derek when you're done. "Can you do my shoulder now?"

"No," you say flatly. "It's a minor cut. You can wait for Clint."

"Hey, I'm pretty sure it's your responsibility. I'd prefer to wait for Clint, too, but I-"

"Shucking hell, enough!" you shout, voice rising quickly. "Can't you just leave me alone, you piece of klunk! God, you're always looking for someone to bother, finding some way to annoy someone. What, do you just want attention? Please just get out of my face."

The Glade seems frozen, with people looking up from their work to watch.

Then a soft voice breaks the silence. "Hey," says Thomas. He comes up behind you and gives you that signature grin.

"Derek, a pleasure as always." He flips him off with one hand, using the other to take your hand, and you let him lead you into the Medjack hut.

"Clint," says Thomas. "There's a dickhead outside who needs stitches. Is it okay if you..."

"Oh shuck, sorry." Clint grabs the needle and thread he'd initially come in from. "Got distracted," he explains.

You snort. "I get that."

Clint leaves, leaving you and Thomas alone.

You take a seat on one of the beds, and he sits facing you in a stool.

He gently kicks out a leg, nudging you in the shin.

"You alright?" he asks.

"Yeah," you say. "Just- you know."

"Just what?"

You sigh, scrubbing your face with a hand. "That was embarrassing."

Thomas looks at you incredulously. "Are you kidding? Everything you said was more than valid. Derek's just a horrible person, don't let him make you feel embarrassed."

"Yeah... but everyone was watching."

"I'd watch too. I'd watch the strongest, coolest, prettiest person in the Glade ripping into this sorry excuse for a human."

You huff out a laugh at his dramatics. "Thanks."

"Hey, c'mon." Thomas pulls you into a hug, before pressing a kiss to your forehead.

"Wanna have dinner in the flower field today?"

"I'd love that," you reply, grinning.

Heyy I'm loving the diversity of readers in my asks lately. Thanks for sending this one ❤❤

Also, I know my tense is messed up in this one. I usually write in present but idk this one's just funky. Hope it was alright.

In general I'm a little unsure about how this fic turned out, I feel like the writing wasn't really good. This weekend was pretty hectic and I didn't get in the flow of writing :((( idk I hope it was still an enjoyable fic.

Anyway, is asshole Derek based on someone I know? nope just an oddly specific OC. in other news I have a family friend I always have to see at get togethers who loves making his furniture from scratch and can never stay safe while making his fucking chairs and lets us know proudly every time he has to go to the ER. he's a douche not a misunderstood hot guy trust me on that

[susandsnell]

for the character asks - 2 for sue snell and 4 for armand!

thanks so much nixe dear!!! hope your day was good!!

Character Ask Game!

2. Favorite canon thing about this character? - Sue Snell

It's so hard to pick one thing I love the most about her, so I'll pick the fact that she published her own book about the events of the prom, My Name is Susan Snell. There's so much to be said in horror fiction (and, more broadly, gothic fiction) about the role of the archivist, the narrator, the messenger; the survivor who acted as witness, who brings us the tale, and how their agenda and emotional realities colour the way they tell it.

Sue is, for all intents and purposes, the Final Girl of Carrie while also being the unwitting instigator of the latter reaching Killer status. As a bully, she was her monster's monster, partaking in the incident that would precipitate Carrie's descent into villainy. But crueler still, it's her attempts to atone and go from stepsister to fairy godmother that set the final tragedy in motion. In any version, the compassion and regret Sue feels turns to love and an ironclad will to do right by Carrie -- but no good deed goes unpunished. Sue is put through nine circles of hell. Everyone she knows except her immediate family -- her teachers, her boyfriend, her soulmate, her friends both current and former -- are dead, and she was powerless to stop it. In the 76 movie, she's left as we leave many final girls - screaming, howling spectres of the trauma they've absorbed. In the musical and the book, she's the scapegoat interrogated by police and committee, forced to identify Carrie's body before given proper medical help.

And the existence of the book turns so much of that on its head. She's taking back the narrative into her own hands to communicate the truth of what happened, to reinterrogate her own experience and to honour the memory of her dead, not as heroes or villains, but as humans. She willingly plunges back into hell itself and then brings that hell to the public eye, to communicate the truth, and hopefully, gain peace and closure through disclosure. (And maybe help some other tragic telepaths along the way, we don't know and that sequel is not canon to me.) Less than 10 years after the fact, Sue is the messenger on her own behalf and on the behalf of all those who aren't there, admitting her sins and contextualizing those of others. I know the excerpts from the book say she will be "thinking until she dies", because there's no leaving what happens to her behind, but as messenger, she doesn't simply evoke the memory of the prom, she shapes the status it will hold in the public's consciousness. Sue's nightmare is compounded by the fact that her greatest suffering is in the hands of the public to judge and understand as they will, but through her telling, she is grabbing it back and giving it the shape and status that only one who lived it can; she is the witness to the horrors demanding in turn that the world be her witness. It's in the title: My Name Is Susan Snell. (A parallel to all that's made of knowing Carrie's name?) A whole, complete person with her own voice, and not the villain or victim you'd have her be.

4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in? - The Vampire Armand

Oh, here's a fun one! I'm actually working on a top-secret AMC!verse crossover with a friend (can't give away much, but it's with Tanz Der Vampire), but I will talk about other possible media I'd like to see him in. Honestly, the gremlin would do just about great in most psychosexual horrors you put him in; the biggest no-brainer for me would be that he'd absolutely rock it as a Cenobite in the Hellraiser universe, since we know that even if he never wanted the leadership role in the coven/cult, he does manage solidly well for centuries, adaptive-yet-stagnant as he is. He would probably take great enjoyment in the entire mindfuckery-aspect of corrupting someone, reshaping their will, and exploring the intersections of agony and desire in the process; it might even be something that would benefit him in a twisted way, given that it normalizes what the crux of his suffering is with respect to the ways his relationship to pleasure and trauma are so tightly intertwined. (I also think Armand could totally, easily Saltburn someone, but I don't think he'd keep the same ending; there's no way he'd want to be alone in a big house like that!)

On a completely different note, I think he'd do well in a Moulin Rouge or Sucker Punch style backstage drama films or stage musicals (hell, even Phantom of the Opera?), especially since Sucker Punch involves a lot of reality-bending and the director's cut directly has seduction to accepting one's death as a comfort. He's a theatre kid and a snippy, exacting director at that. I'd love to just watch him occasionally throw around his breathtaking elder-vampire powers when push comes to shove with the drama and tension and potential patrons/investors, but not half as much as I want to watch him get overly invested in micromanaging stage productions of increasingly questionable quality. Put Armand in The Producers or Something Rotten. I want to hear his Andrew Lloyd Webber takes.

Or -- just throw him into Derry Girls. I think if anyone could outwit him to his defeat and then befriend the guy, thus kickstarting the world's most bizarre redemption (?) arc, it'd be them.

Thanks so much for this! <3

[twothpaste]

some PSI headcanons

Ness' PSI developed from a very young age, but never grew powerful enough to do anything particularly impressive 'til he went on his journey. A little bit of clumsy wimpy telekinesis, usually dropping stuff in the process. Mending small cuts & scrapes. Talkin' to dogs. Nothing too flashy, almost mundane even. His efforts to practice or show off usually ended in goofish blunders, or incredulity from others. While his best bud Porky flip-flopped between jealousy and dismissal. So Ness grew up feeling sort of insecure about his abilities. Meeting Paula & Poo was kind of a game changer for him, realizing he really wasn't a lone psychic weirdo.

Paula was well-known for her PSI in Twoson. Practically Ness' opposite, she was a natural child prodigy. Loved to show off her abilities like party tricks, much to the delight and amazement of her community. Her mother encouraged it, kinda parading her around (vicariously soaking up the praise & awe). She's never been ashamed of her powers, but did grow to feel misunderstood & a little taken advantage of when she realized most folks (her mother included) just saw them as a novelty. Her visions of Ness are actually a rare precognitive ability. However, Paula can't exactly provoke visions on command, and can't tell whether or not the futures she sees are set in stone. Since she's got so much proud finesse over her offensive PSI, having little control over her precognition actually frustrates her to no end. Meeting Ness & Poo humbles her, and comes as a huge relief when she finally has fellow psychics in her life who really get it.

Poo's trained with fellow psychics all his life, but was taught only to use his powers under formal discipline. When he meets a little fat kid who telekinetically juggles chicken wings, and a snarky girl who uses PK Thunder for static electricity pranks, he's kind of blown away. The freedom granted by using his powers loosely & Teleporting around the globe cannot be understated. Dude lowkey develops a bit of a rebellious streak, finding crafty ways to employ PSI for fun. He can definitely read minds, which probably unnerves his friends at first. I like to imagine he can't learn PK Fire 'cause it embodies a sort of brazen fury that just isn't present in Poo's character - whereas Thunder and Freeze are more focused and composed.

Lucas n' Claus had latent psychic abilities from birth - but contrasted with Ness' flashback where he was using telekinesis as a baby, I get the impression they were comparatively late bloomers. Maybe due to their hometown upbringing; Tazmily's defined at its core by such a profoundly repressed peace, after all… They could communicate with animals, and assumed everyone else could too (adults lackadaisically humored their babbles about whatever Boney was sayin'). They had a strong telepathic link with each other, and assumed that was just a normal twin thing. It's interesting how trauma, urgency, and an implied survival instinct is what "awakens" their true potential. I could probably make a whole post about that alone, oh no, I'll go on instead.

Since he didn't grow up actively using PSI, Lucas tends to forget he has it, and often overlooks or forgoes its practical applications. He rarely uses telekinesis, he cleans & bandages wounds before recalling he can use Lifeup, he doesn't often consciously employ his empathic abilities. Said empathic abilities are extremely potent, though. Kid picks up on everybody's feelings all the time, and can never quite tell if it's a psychic thing or his anxiety or just his natural compassion for others. He can't actually read the minds of strangers though - the mere possibility is deeply unnerving to him. He can passively hear Claus' thoughts (or ominous lack thereof 😶). And he's at least sorta sensitive to the thoughts of other folks he's grown dearly close to (Kuma, Duster, Flint post-reconciliation, etc).

The Masked Man's powerful PSI is all just tightly-channeled fear and rage and love and despair, so warped beyond recognition that neither he nor his handlers can correctly identify it. Fassad trained him through dubiously brutal methods, forcing him to inflict pain, conditioning his subconscious mind to relish what little power it could wield over its surroundings. My post-canon Claus goes through a long phase where he swears off PSI, afraid of its potential, convinced he doesn't deserve it. Only for it to re-emerge from his fingertips anyways in moments of stress or concern (oops, sorry little dude, it is a fundamental part of who you are). Once Lucas n' Kuma show him how to use it in a healthy way, Claus does a 180, eager to reclaim it. He's got all of the same abilities as Lucas (including Lifeup & Shields, which'd been thoroughly repressed along with the rest of his compassion, before). His empathic capacity is literally the same too - but since Claus ain't nearly as emotionally intelligent as his brother, and his head's usually rattling with his own mess of feelings, he can't often make much sense of other peoples'. It kinda just forms a layer of background noise, which he tends to tune out. As his disabilities progress with age, he grows more comfortable relying on telekinesis.

Kumatora's such a natural psychic, she was literally having telekinetic fire-breathing tantrums as an infant. Which is the main reason why the Tazmilians passed her onto the Magifolk, knowing they'd be able to raise her better than a bunch o' amnesiac bumpkins ever could. Though not exactly structured or formal, her training was baked into her upbringing. Thus, PSI's baked into her everyday lifestyle. It's hard for Kuma not to use her powers casually, to fetch writing utensils from across the room, or heat her tea with PK Fire, or overhear your thoughts and respond to them aloud. (Probably a hilarious challenge when she was posing as Violet). She was the only human psychic she'd ever known, right up until Lucas rolled up packing new powers he was mildly to severely frightened of. It's only thanks to Kuma that he learned how to handle himself with care and confidence. And only thanks to Kuma that the postgame world's got any proper knowledge about PSI. I like to imagine she offers tutelage to any new psychics that may emerge. The one person who's left to bear PSI's history and proper training methods, carrying on a tradition passed down by her guardians…

I headcanon all psychics have telekinesis, but some are better or worse at it than others. And they all have some degree of telepathy, though very few are focused & skilled enough to straight up read minds. Communicating with animals falls somewhere relatively low along the same scale. They can learn techniques from each other (a la the adorable explanation given for Ness & Lucas' Smash Bros movesets) - but it takes a long period of dedicated one-on-one teaching, hence why we don't see it happen during the fast-paced storylines of the Mother games. Though PSI is very uncommon, it isn't really hereditary, and can manifest in literally any rando. But it does appear more often in some locations / populations than others (ie. Dalaam as a place of longstanding psionic spiritual traditions, Nowhere as a blessed place sitting atop a draconic embodiment of the Earth's power, you get the idea 🤷‍♂️). I like to portray it more as a cerebral brain power than a 1-to-1 with fantasy magic. It does have a wishy-washy hippie sorta vibe to it though. Something that comes from a connection to Mother Earth, a way to channel emotions and love and the gift of life itself.

(I personally find M1's explanation for PSI's origin incompatible with the other two games, which both present a much more grounded, ancient, and Earthly take on it. Which is fine, since M2 plays out more like a reboot than a sequel anyways. But in an earnest effort to try and connect the threads, maybe PSI is simply a kind of power that exists within every planet? Thus, when George "steals" the secrets of PSI, he's learning how humans can unlock the powers granted by the Earth, the same way aliens presumably unlocked the powers of their homeworlds?? Who knows.)

[anyaprincessa]

since there are a lot of people creating theories about Anya's name,her backstory and discussing about chapter 90.1,I wanted to share my own opinion｡⁠◕⁠‿⁠◕⁠｡

tbh,I was surprised that Ania's name had all this time a meaning and it wasn't just a mix of Misha and Ashe from Endo's previous works kinda expected it though,I'm not sure why Endo was hiding it all the time,maybe because it was supposed to be a surprise..

I honestly think that Ania is a Russian name took from Anna,is she a reference of princess Anastasia?my own question leaded me to an imagination of her backstory,hehe(⁠^⁠^⁠);

Ania was the princess of a royal family,they all were under serveillance,all the members conversations were encrypted in classic language so that the content couldn't be understood it wasn't the native language of the country by the way

Desmond was the one behind everything happening to the country and the royal family,he nuked/destroyed the country it's kind of confirmed that he's doing suspicious activities,right?,all the family were killed but Anya wasn't,instead those monsters kidnapped her and she became their new test subject for the Ostanian project apple subject 007

everyone in the lab treated her as a tool and forced her to study..

There was a scientist,he was cruel like all of them and for some sort of reason,he changed later on and became a kind person,he was the one who helped Anya escaping the lab,she will surely start a new happy life with a new family,well,after a short period,the little girl was adopted and returned to the orphanage 4 times,till one day a spy codenamed Twilight waku waku came searching for a 6 years old child,ends up adopting her to become a part of a fake family,the forgers for the sake of operation strix (⁠ ⁠ꈍ⁠ᴗ⁠ꈍ⁠)

there is also a high possibility that there is a reason behind Anya's freedom...probably nobody helped her escape the cursed lab,the scientists just started a new experiment is her freedom itself, this experiment is designed to train her to become a skilled telepath naturally, so that they can kidnap their tool whenever they are ready to start the war

Melinda knows about her past herself, that's why she wants Anya and Damian to become closer because of some other hidden reasons idk myself..

and before I forget,here's some canon proofs supporting the princess theory;

Ania loves castles,she talked about servants in the first chapter,we even had a whole episode about her as a princess and her her papa saving her,most of the anime episode was an original though was it for a foreshadowing purpose from Endo himself?!

there's also several mentions about royality in the manga,for example in chapter 42,etc,etc..the lastest and the most important mention was in chapter 88,Melinda choosing specifically the royal top elite cakes as a gift for Anya wich Damian told her to buy,he didn't said for who exactly

"they were cakes said to originally have been created by king Willy II,as a conciliatory gift for the queen of an enemy country"!!! this line alone raised a lot of suspicion inside me...so I had to do some search(⁠.⁠ ⁠❛⁠ ⁠ᴗ⁠ ⁠❛⁠.⁠)I found out later on that King Willy and the queen from the enemy country are actually a reference of king Frederick the great and Empress Elizaveta!! probably I'm gonna make a thread talking about them

In addition to my proofs,we also had Anya comparing the Griffin wich is the symbol of the Desmonds and Chimera the possible symbol of her royal family and her dear friend who knows everything about her

I'mma include the Authens since they are 100% getting involved in this arc and were introduced just before the chapter we got a new hints about Ania's past and the confirmation of her backstory arc

First of all,Sigmund Authen might be a reference of Sigmund Freud the founder of Psychoanalysis,is related to minds?!!mind reading powers in sxf universe??!?the theory of super powers and all this stuff might be proposed by him since he was a professor teaching in the berlint university is owned by the Desmond family,you can notice the letter "D" in the logo

he is likely to be from Anya's same country,he's talking in Classical language most of the time,both Yor and Anya didn't understand most of what he said either Anya because the majority of what he was saying is complicated,unhearable and she didn't care

I think he is retired or perhaps not ,he seems that he loves Barbara sm and he definitely loves kids(⁠◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠)

the important person this arc is either him or Barbara

[josefavomjaaga]

Dragon AU fluff (involving Mortier)

A rather pointless fluff scene, inspired by @cadmusfly's dragon marshalate AU. Basically a dragonized version of what might or might not have happened in 1798/9 Koblenz. I'm not sure if I've taken too many liberties with the world's rules and general settings, if so, please pretend it's all just a misunderstanding by humans with very little knowledge and understanding of these things.

-

„Girls!“ Anna-Margarethe yelled, her voice echoing through the house. „Run and hide, girls! The French dragons are back!“

Eva heard the desperation in her mother's words, the tears barely held back. She shooed her younger sisters down the ladder into the basement, where they would be safe until the danger was over. Then she closed the door and went to find her mother in the kitchen.

The inn „Zum Wilden Mann“ was quiet, its rooms empty since the last French troops had moved out. They had occupied the inn for quite some time – and for free, of course - until being called to join a larger army gathering nearby. An army with several dragons, and those, on their arrival two days ago, had scared Eva's poor mother almost to death.

They seemed so much more ferocious. The dragons in the Austrian army they had seen earlier had always been accompanied by several Habsburg Dragon Wardens and had never dared to as much as look too closely at the humans living in Koblenz.

Not only did French dragons roam around freely, often even without any rider, they even held titles and military ranks within the Revolutionary army. They commanded soldiers! One of the dragons had interrogated Eva's mother, and she claimed to still have a headache from hearing his booming telepathical voice echoing through her thoughts.

„Mum? Will you be alright? Are you sure the dragons are back? It's still dark outside.“

„Oh, I saw him well enough.“ Her mother gave a nervous laugh. „He was hard to overlook, the beast must be as big as our house. He's just landed on the pasture, in front of the cowshed. Probably to get the last of our cows, after he devoured the other yesterday.“ Eva saw her shaking.

„Somebody should go out and ask what he wants“, she suggested.

„No. I'm not going out there! Just let him eat poor Gertrud and be done with it!“ She started sobbing uncontrollably.

Usually, Eva was not somebody to take the initiative. On most occasions, she was quite happy to let others make the decisions and to fade into the background. But seeing her mother in tears strengthened her resolve. Without a word, she turned around and left.

There was still one large ham left in the larder. They had kept it hidden from their French guests. But sacrificing it to the appetite of the dragon lurking on the pasture behind the house would still be preferable to loosing their last cow.

Carrying the ham in both arms, she ran out through the backdoor. Morning dawned on the horizon.

Eva stopped hard in her tracks. When her mother had estimated the dragon to be as big as their house, Eva had naturally assumed her to exaggerate. None of the French dragons she had seen before had been much bigger than a horse. Maybe a ´small carriage. A hay wagon, at most.

But this one was … huge. He covered half of the pasture, cowering on four legs and, at least that's the impression Eva had, trying to make himself as small as possible. He had his tail curled up around him and his wings neatly folded on his back.

To Eva, it still looked as if a mountain had grown out of the ground.

The idea to feed this … thing with the tiny ham she carried in her arms suddenly seemed ludicrous. Even a cow could not mean more than an appetizer to him.

„Excuse me?“, she said nevertheless. „May I … uhm … help you … sir?“

-

He heard a voice calling for him, somewhere down in the shadows. Mortier squinted. It was a young woman, tiny as all humans. Though this one looked small and fragile even by human standards.

Her voice however pleased him greatly. It reminded him of birds singing in the trees in spring. Mortier liked those little birds, especially when they were singing.

He lowered his head carefully, so as to not scare or hurt her – he sometimes found it difficult to correctly estimate the distances when dealing with humans. He once had knocked over half a batallion of grenadiers just because he had not been careful enough with his tail.

Things like that embarrassed him greatly.

Good morning, Mademoiselle. - She had adressed him in French, so obviously she knew the language. - Very pleased to meet you. I hope I did not wake you up? Apologies for calling on you so early in the morning. It was the only time I was free. And, to be honest, a soldier's sleeping schedule tends to be thoroughly messed up. - She nodded, but did not reply. Maybe he had already scared her. Mortier wished he was a little less clumsy. - You see, I've come because of your cow.

-

Eva was stunned. Never had she expected a dragon to be that … polite. Considerate. Almost nice. As a matter of fact, this soldier dragon seemed a lot nicer than most human soldiers she had met over tha last months! If one ignored his size (admittedly, that was more easily said than done), he did not even look all that threatening. Maybe it was because, while his long body was covered in reptilian scales, some brown, fine fur spread from his long snout over his enormous head and down his chest. The two large horns winding backwards and down from the top of his head gave him the look of a large, floppy-eared dog.

Unlike her mother, she also found hearing the dragon's voice in her thoughts far from unpleasant. To the contrary. It was a warm, guttural … sound, for lack of a better word, that reverberated through her and made her feel safe and relaxed.

The feeling evaporated as soon as the dragon mentioned poor Gertrud.

„Please“, she blurted out, „do not eat Gertrud! She's the last cow we have!“

He seemed astonished, almost shocked. - What? No! I didn't mean to eat your cow. I came to apologize because I ate the other one yesterday.

„Oh. So you did eat Bella?“

The dragon gave a sheepish nod, the movement causing a draught that made Eva's hair and skirts fly. - But merely because it was the only food I could find close by. I have a lot of work to do here, so I need to keep up my strength. If not...

Eva nodded. Everybody knew about dragon stupor.

But I did not mean to cause you any grief. So I wanted to let you know that as soon as we have got some cattle from the Austrians, I shall send you another cow to replace the one I ate.

„How kind of you to care. This would indeed help us greatly. You see, since my father’s death, my mother had to run the inn alone, with only us girls helping. And war has not helped business, as you can imagine.“

I can! - Again the excited nod, this time the draught almost made her stagger backwards. - So you are all alone here, only women in the house? With all those soldiers roaming about? But that will not do, that will not do at all! I’m afraid for your safety. Shall I send you a safeguard? Some trusted men who would make sure nobody bothers you?

The offer rendered Eva almost speechless. This was the nicest soldier she had met so far! „We’ve had some problems in the past, that is true… Could you really do that?“

-

The girl looked up at his face with huge brown eyes full of trust, gratefulness and … well, something that bordered on admiration. Or at least that’s what Mortier chose to see. It was a very flattering feeling.

What a nice girl this was. Now he felt twice as bad for having eaten her cow yesterday. But he had been so damned hungry. Truth be told, he still was. He always was. Given his size, he could have eaten half a dozen of cattle – but what would be left for the humans then? Resources were always scarce. So he usually restrained himself to what was strictly necessary in order to keep him going. He had gotten used to his stomach constantly growling, and to feeling a little dizzy and sleepy most of the time, because whenever he strained himself even a little too much, he was immediately on the edge of falling into stupor.

But how could he act otherwise, when truly satisfying his hunger meant hurting innocent little humans like this girl?

Of course I can give you a safeguard, he bragged, raised his head a little and carefully clawed at the fur covering his breast. - I’m a general, you know. They gave me a sash and all. I’m wearing it now, but it always gets lost in the fur.

He discovered the large tricolor sash, twisted and out of place as usual. - Could I ask you a favour, Mademoiselle? Would you be so kind as to properly rearrange it for me? That’s the kind of thing I will never manage to do with these claws… Oh, but I see you are carrying something. Is that – is that a ham?

Mortier’s stomach gave a painful little growl.

-

Eva found her situation rather surreal. Here she was, on a dark pasture with a dragon looming over her, and having a polite conversation. The most surreal thing, of course, being the fact she was thoroughly enjoying herself in the presence of said dragon. His awkward attempt at correctly placing the signs of his military rank on his chest were so cute she immediately would have come to his aid, had it not been for the stupid ham.

„Yes, indeed“, she said sheepishly. „I had brought it out, hoping to trade it in for our cow. Of course I had no idea at the time what a small gift this would mean to you.“

Oh, but it isn’t! - His enthusiasm seemed real. Even the end of his tail, that he had curled up around himself, started to wag up and down, tapping on the ground every time, like that of an excited dog. - What a kind thought of you! If you really want to part with it, I would love to taste it. Is it smoked?

„Boiled actually. Oh, I never wondered! Can dragons even eat cooked food?“

Well, there are of course such purists among us who demand a dragon’s diet must only consist of raw meat. - The dragon general rolled his eyes. - But, let’s be honest, everbody who has been living around humans knows that cooked food just tastes so much better! When we celebrated a victory over the Austrians last, the boys roasted two oxen, only for me. With a filling, made of bread and potatoes! It was heaven!

The dragon tail wagged again and almost made Eva laugh. She could not help but feel that this huge scary dragon general had a lot in common with a hungry stray dog.

I see you smiling, Mademoiselle, the dragon’s voice echoed in her head, but let me assure you, in a soldier’s life pleasures are simple. A good meal, a friendly conversation with a beautiful lady, like we are having right now, this is all we aspire to most of the time. In this aspect, a soldier dragon differs very little from a human soldier, and a general very little from a private.

„Well, in this case I surely shall not be so harsh as to deprive you of this tiny pleasure.“

And tiny indeed it seemed to Eva, as the dragon general eagerly opened his mouth. She prepared to throw the ham over the fence of – stunningly white – dragon teeth but a pink tongue, wide enough for a blanket, slipped out of his mouth, and Eva gingerly placed the ham on it.

The dragon consumed it eagerly and even made a bit of a show chomping on it, despite the fact he probably could have swallowed it whole. Then he gave a deep, content sigh.

What a wonderful treat this was! I have not felt this sated in ages, she heard him exclaim in her thoughts.

„You are very kind, general, but I can tell that you are only saying this to please me. You can hardly have tasted the ham.“

-

But that was the weirdest thing about it: Mortier was telling the truth. The ham, as small as it was, had really satisfied Mortier’s hunger to a stunning degree. It should not have had such an effect on him. But it had.

Then maybe it was not so much the meat but the conversation with this kind (and pretty!) human girl?

Mortier had never given much thought to the metaphysical background of human-dragon bonding. Truth be told, he did not give much thought to metaphysical stuff at all, at least compared to some of his comrades. Mortier knew there were humans whom he liked, just like there were dragons whom he liked, and he knew that the presence of humans he liked made him feel a lot better, less hungry, less sleepy, sharper and more energetic. More alive, in a way. This knowledge sufficed for him.

Now he realized that he had rarely felt as alive as in the presence of this human lady.

Maybe he should have paid more attention to this whole „bonding“ thing. He only knew about the official practices, standardized by the government of the French Republic, that had young ladies, usually the daughters of politicians and wealthy citizens, function as dragon riders at parades or festivities. These girls were nice enough, and Mortier felt comfortable and somewhat flattered in their presence.

But it was nothing compared to what he felt when the girl in front of him now touched his fur in order to rearrange the twisted tricolor sash. It wasn’t any particular instance he could have put his claw on, no feeling that struck him like a lightning bolt or anything. Yet he started to realize that his body was tingling all over with contentment. If that even made sense.

And she seemed to realize. Or to experience something similar? Mortier almost felt as if he could sense an echo of her thoughts in his mind. He also suddenly realized he had neither introduced himself nor even asked her name yet.

-

Eva was astonished. She had expected the dragon fur to be rough and scratchy. But it felt softer under her touch than that of a kitten. She could not help but bury her hand in it and stroke it. „What wonderful fur you have!“

Do you like it? I’m rather proud of it, if I may confess such vanity. It’s not all that common for our species to have any fur, and mine surely is not among the worst. If you want to feel, it’s even softer here…

He eagerly started to turn a little to the side to offer her a view of his underbelly. There was a sound, a crash, of breaking, splintered wood, and he froze mid-movement, his eyes bulging.

Oh god! What was that?

„I think it was old Cesar’s shed“, said Eva.

Cesar?

„Our dog.“

I killed your dog? - The dragon almost shouted in Eva’s thoughts.

„Oh, no, no“, she reassured him. „Cesar died last winter, of old age. We have not gotten a new dog since.“

Good. I mean, not good of course, I’m very sorry for the poor animal but … The dragon general seemed equally relieved and confused. His next question came somewhat unexpected.

Mademoiselle, may I inquire: Are you afraid of heights?

„Of heights?“ Eva was too astonished to ponder the reason for the question. „No, I do not think so. I often need to climb the roof of our stables as we have some hens who love to fly up there. It never bothered me.“

Perfect! Do you think you would enjoy flying over your town? I would love to take you. I regularly have riders during military missions but with you it would be a pleasure…

Another sound interrupted him. One by one, the church bells of Koblenz started ringing.

Oh dear. Is it so late already? They’ll start the battle without me! - Mademoiselle, quickly, what’s your name?

„Eva Anna Hinnes.“

Ève! What name could compliment you more! - It sounded as if he tasted her name on his tongue like he had done with the ham, but then the church bells rang again, and he sighed.

I need to leave. - He abruptly unfolded his wings and narrowly avoided taking down Gertrud’s cowshed in the process. - Please do not go anywhere, Mademoiselle Ève!, she heard his voice in her thoughts, as the draught from his wings almost knocked her off her feet. - As soon as we have killed the Austrians, I’ll be back. I’ll bring you cows and oxen and … maybe a new dog? Whatever you like. But please do not go anywhere!

„I won’t“, Eva said silently, somehow convinced that the dragon could hear her even if he was already hovering high above her. She of course did leave the pasture however, once she could not see the dragon general anymore, in order to get back to the inn’s kitchen.

Her mother almost cried with relief.

„Eva! For heaven’s sake, you’re fine! Where have you been, what took you so long? I was scared the dragon had eaten you!“

„Mum?“ Eva said, deep in thoughts. „You know I always wanted to one day take over the inn? I think I have changed my plans. I think I want to become a dragon rider.“

Anna-Margarethe was too stunned to answer.

[mistdrake]

So between reading MC2 Spider-Girl, listening to Cerebro and having a 40 minute drive home... I thought up a hypothetical daughter for Emma and Tony because I very much enjoy them as a couple. Behold and perhaps let me know what you think!

Emma never planned to have children of her own, not counting the Cuccos of course, but there was just something about Anthony… Granted, both of them were convinced neither of them would survive the fight with Orchis to come and they both desperately needed one last good thing before they went to war. At first, part of her wondered if perhaps she should even keep the child, what sort of world would exist after the dust settled after all. It would be simple to do, no one would ever have to remember, not even herself…but there was some small voice in the back of her head that said otherwise. This child meant a future, one for both mutants and humanity. Once she made up her mind to keep the baby, she made sure to flaunt that fact, as she did with all things. She would not let motherhood slow her down or make her look weak. Poor Anthony, he tried so hard to get Emma to just sit down for a minute but she refused to listen to him on the topic, what did he know about pregnancy after all. Once the baby was born, there was much debate on the baby’s name, “I didn’t take your last name Anthony and neither shall she.” Emma insisted, though they did eventually reach a compromise by naming her after her father, Antoinette Frost. 

Growing up, it became apparent that the girl had inherited her father’s brain and her mother’s personality and drive. Sneaking into Tony’s labs, he became something of a tiny assistant for his projects. Fully aware of what her parents did with their lives, she insisted her dad make her her own Iron Man suit as soon as possible, he was able to come up with excuses until she turned 11 and he finally broke, though he made sure her’s didn’t have some of the more dangerous features. Even though she was tested as an infant to prove she had an X-Gene, there was no certainty of what sort of mutation she may develop. While her half-sisters were telepathic like their mother, she instead inherited  Emma’s secondary mutation and was able to turn her entire body into a living diamond. Being able to make herself indestructible did create a bit of a redundancy with having her own Iron suit but at the same time, she couldn’t fly or shoot repulsor blasts. Tinkering with her father’s tech(against his wishes) she developed a set of gauntlets and boots that could contract into a set of stylish bracelets and shoes for when she didn’t need them. The first time her parents saw her out fighting, Emma was incredibly proud but Tony was very distraught at the idea of his daughter flying around basically in the nude as whatever outfit she wore typically did not stand up to combat as well as her body and armor. A compromise was eventually reached, a small arc reactor pendant she could wear that could expand to cover her modesty…though she made sure it still looked stylish on her.

[twilightimagines28]

Hello! I would like to request a scenario where let's say that Jacob has imprinted on the reader and he tells her but she doesn't take it too well, not fully rejecting him, but she kinda doesn't want to get into a relationship with him at the moment because she was recovering from an abusive relationship with an ex-boyfriend, and one day while she is out she comes into contact with her same ex, immediately she starts to panic and when she cries out for Jacob in her head, he senses it through the telepathic link and immediately runs to come save her, after driving her ex away from her after he grabbed her arm harshly, she explains to Jacob about what had happened before with the ex, and then he understands and he realised why she wasn't so keen to get into a relationship, but after talking about it with him, she decides she will give him a chance to show her that he is different. Please let this end in fluff🥺

WARNINGS: Abuse, ex trauma

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Readers pov

It was just another day my alarm went off, i took my good natural time getting out of bed and ready.

After about two hours of procrastination I headed out the door to go to Emily's to help cook up breakfast, just like her I was just a simple human no powers, no strengths just heart break.

Emily is about the only friend i have (girl wise anyway) I let myself in turning on the kitchen light and getting the bacon, muffins and any other breakfast food in the house ready to cook.

As i was doing so the glass door behind me opened, I turned around to see a rather tired looking Jacob.

"Hey sleepy." I chuckled he gave me a tired grin and sat himself at the table "Little early for breakfast aren't you?" I asked

"No i was hoping Emily would be awake, kind of something i wanted to talk to her about."

"Oh? Care to share with the class?" I asked

"Well, I guess i should she'll only tell me to talk to you anyway." "What's going on?" "Well you know how Sam and Emily are soulmates?" i nodded my head."The whole imprinting thing, yeah, i know a little. Why?"

"Well, i kind of imprinted on someone, but i don't know if she'd be ok with it." "Really, who? Please tell me it's not that Bella chick, sorry bud, but you can do way better." he chuckled and shook his head.

"No, it's kind of someone everyone might approve of."

"So spit it out, who is it?" "You." My eyes went wide, and i dropped the spoon i had been holding in my hand. "M-me?" i asked, making sure i heard him right. He nodded again.

"yeah listen i know it's sudden, and you don't have to rush into anything. i was just hoping we could talk about it."

"No, I-I can't." I said, walking out the door to the porch, "Y/n, please, I know this is a lot. And you don't have to make any decisions right now."

"JACOB." I raised my voice. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breathe "Just leave me alone, ok?." I walked off, getting into my old beat-up Chevy, praying it would trun over.

Later that day, i decided staying in the house and worrying wouldn't do me any good, I went walking around town, went to the library, into a few shops to look around, my last stop was the dinner for something to eat.

As I neared it, an all to familiar face exited the building, my ex. I tried to turn away, but I never had luck.

"Y/N?!" He said, running up to me, "hey Max." I said, "Hey, it's been awhile how are you?" He asked.

"I'm fine, I umm kind of late meeting a friend but it was nice seeing you." I said trying to get away as quickly as possible, I went to walk past him when he grabbed my arm, it was definitely going to bruise.

"Hey! I'm not done talking to you!" He snapped, my heart nearly stopped, "Max let go of me." I said.

"You know you've always been, such a bitch, maybe someone should put you in your place." He said raising his hand.

'Jacob, help!' I thought as Max's hand contacted with my face, I lost my balance and feel for the ground, 'how was nobody interfering' I thought.

"No wonder you're still single. You'll never find anyone as good as me." He spat just then Jacob rolled up on his bike, "The hell are you doing?" He asked, walking up to Max, "none of your business." Max said, getting in his face.

"You just put your filthy hands on my girl, so yeah, it is my business." Jacob said, closing the gap between them, Max laughed,"Your girl, that's funny."

"Last chance." Jacob threatened you could nearly see the steam coming off of him, just then a friend of Max's shouted for him to hurry up. He gave a disgusted look at jacob and I and walked off.

"Are you okay?" Jacob asked, "Yeah, I'm fine,I'm sorry about him he's always been like that."

"Please don't tell me you have awful taste in men too." He joked, hugging my arm i laughed."I used to definitely."

"Yeah, know I was thinking maybe trying this imprinting thing wouldn't be such a bad idea." I said Jacob perked up.

"But we start off slowly." "Of course." He said before I could get another word out, he wrapped me in a big bear hug, lifting me off the ground and spinning me.

Stopping he looked deep into my eyes, "I swear this oath right here and now, that i will never hurt you. I promise to protect you from any and all harm, I will love you to the ends of the earth." I smiled and closed the space between our lips.

I wasn't completely sure about this whole imprinting thing, but somehow, it felt right.