#will still not reveal the names in a chance that someone does manage to find them

[dedtoot]

The story i told in the tags of a previous post made me remember a real funny thing

One time i was threatened over making a joke about yoyo, comparing him to ghiaccio from jjba

That person?

The same one who created the tab hot take

On a fucking series anniversary no less

Remember this happening very clearly cuz i just got into jsr back then

So yeah small world

[mellosdrawings]

How are Vil's fans (and Leona's fans, as I'm sure he have some) with the n2 team? Have they had a big reaction to the fact that it's a polyamorous relationship? How does Jamil deal with this attention?

Do the Asims know about their relationship? I mean, I think Vil as a public figure and Leona as a prince would draw attention.And how does Jamil's family react? I think they want Jamil to be happy, but they're afraid of what the Asims might do. And I think they expected Jamil to end up with a servant (I'm using the reasoning that Viper is Jamil's father's last name, but his mother also seems to be very used to being a servant, so she must be from a servant family of the Asims, less important than the Vipers) or at least a commoner and lower class person than Jamil's current boyfriends.

For now I'll only answer for Vil's fans. The Asim and the Viper reactions will be coming sometime soon.

Vil dropped the news little by little. Leona and Jamil in the background of more relax pics, a couple dance sessions with Jamil, inconspicuous things. Just to get his fans used to their sight.

The he dropped hints, bigger and bigger, until the reveal. Aside from the few fans who are far too into parasocial relationships and are salty about Vil dating coz that means they have no chance anymore (not that they had any), it went relatively fine. They took one look at Leona and went "Yup, our Queen deserves a prince, good for him good for him."

The thing that surprised Vil though is that his fans latched onto Jamil more than Leona. After all as you said Leona is a public figure. They know him. Jamil though doesn't even post pics of himself on Magicam. He's a total mystery. They know he's a dancer so they try to check music videos (useless), they try finding his magicam (they don't), and eventually someone finds out those two pics taken at the Tapis Rouge event (which doesn't help much coz they still don't know who he is lol)

The mystery actually helps fans ease into it. They're just so obsessed with finding who Jamil is that they forget to (maybe) be upset about their Queen's love life.

As for Jamil... he just doesn't deal with the attention. He's not much on socials so he doesn't care, and despite being eye candy he isn't all that charismatic so people don't pay much attention to him. He got cornered by a few hardcore fans who miraculously managed to recognise him and he just plastered his best customer service smile until they left him alone. He's dealt with worse than pushy fans before. He might not be used to being the center of attention, he's still good at dealing with stressful situations.

[snootlestheangel]

Royal Ghoap AU idea

Soap grows up as Prince, his family is royalty blah blah blah

Simon Riley is in the poor part of the city, which under Soap's father's rule, becomes the recruitment for Knights. It's a program designed to take the youth and prevent them from falling into criminal traps and becoming responsible people. It helps the families. Simon is recruited at a much younger age than most with the intention that he grows up alongside the only son of the King (ie Soap)

He and Soap grow up together, slowly falling in love by the time Simon is a full fledged Knight and they're adults.

Roba is the leader of a gang of criminals that burn the part of the city where Simon is from. The Riley family dies in the fire, and it is presumed that so does Simon, because he had fled the safety of the castle to save his family.

While in the castle before all of this, he had been courting Soap, only for Soap to express concerns that if they let their relationship develop into something more, that the people would say things. Basically Soap rejects Simon's physical advances (cock blocked)

Soap: I'm afraid of what they'll say of you, mo chridhe

Simon: let them talk, so long as I have you, nothing can harm me.

Soap lives for several years thinking that he could have had Simon and yet threw it all away.

Eventually his parents are mysteriously assassinated, and he, along with the King's Guards Price and Gaz, travel far as they follow a series of clues that will lead them to the assassin.

Along the way, they encounter The Ghost, a famed assassin with over a hundred assassinations credited to his name. Ghost is believed to have served under Roba.

There are two major ways I want to approach this.

The first way:

He reveals Roba is behind Soap's parents' assassinations, and tells them his plans to murder Roba himself. Price warns Soap not to trust him, but Soap can't help but feel the phantom is familiar.

One night, slipping away from the watchful eyes of Price and Gaz, Ghost enters Soap's private tent

They have a conversation where Ghost basically begs for forgiveness and Soap is confused and then he drops it, only for Soap to ask him if they know each other. Ghost doesn't directly respond, but Soap thinks it means he's uncomfortable because they don't. However, Simon quickly says "you look good as King, Johnny" not long after Soap falls quiet

Soap turns and then whispers his name. Begs him to take the mask off, asking how Roba has hurt him, etc. Simon eventually takes it off to reveal a very scarred face. Soap touches his face and the scars with tears in his eyes. Simon thinks it's because he's now ugly or not worthy of Soap's love anymore. But Soap finds him still as loveable as ever.

"I see scars. Which means you survived, and you healed, and you live to fight another day. Which means you're here, you're alive, and I finally have another chance to keep you."

"Will you let me have you? Even if just for tonight?"

"Of course. Only if you'll let me have you."

"I trust no other soul."

They get together (obviously) and then Idk where to go from here

The second way:

Soap catches word that Roba has been finally captured in a neighboring kingdom, so he brings Price and Gaz with him. The king of this place is Alejandro, with his partner Rudy, and they are joined by Shadow Company who captured Roba.

They are in the royal hall when Ghost manages to kill his way inside, where he uses his weapons to hold Rudy hostage.

His weapons in question are bladed: two large scythes that can cut from both sides (within the curve and outside), making them versatile and intimidating. Truly a character of Death

Alejandro makes a trade: Roba for Rudy. Everyone expects Ghost to leave with Roba, but instead he attacks him and kills him, kneeling back once the deed is done.

Alejandro asks "if you were not loyal to Roba, then who do you pledge to?" Because it's commonly accepted that assassins aren't solo: they have someone that pays them and provides what they need. Ghost stands, slowly makes his way towards Soap, and raises his weapons.

He proceeds to immediately drop them and uses the Royal Guard salute to show his loyalty to Soap. The salute is used in private by Knights/Guards to the crown/royal family. Only Soap, Gaz, and Price would know this, everyone else would be confused as to what that means.

Graves and a couple Shadows quickly attack Ghost and take him into custody. He keeps eye contact with Soap the entire time, Soap is shitting his pants cause how the fuck does THE GHOST know the private salute????? And why would he say he's loyal to me??? What the fuck???????

While Soap is freaking out, the others are trying to figure out Ghost's plans and blah blah blah. He's not giving anything away.

But Soap suddenly appears, saying that he should ask the questions privately because Ghost pledged his loyalty to him. They're upset Soap is in the room, to which Price, out of breath just goes "he's slippery"

They agree and let Soap "interrogate" Ghost.

Soap asks how he knew the salute. Ghost doesn't answer.

Soap asks why he suddenly pledged loyalty to him.

"To save yourself?"

"No."

"No?"

"Cannot suddenly pledge to something you are already pledged to."

Soap is now confused and he's starting to get a weird feeling. He can't think of something to say, he's so confused. Ghost begins to look at him with the saddest, most emotional look he can despite the mask.

"You look good as King, Johnny."

Don't know where to go with this one as well but I'm definitely partial to the second way.

Anyways what y'all think?

[alice-after-dark]

Another RadioStatic AU Because I Can't Be Stopped

(I need to hurry the fuck up and actually turn one of these into a fucking fic...)

So this may have been inspired by the song "Alastor's Game" by the Living Tombstone and a horror movie called "Late Night with the Devil." Definitely recommend giving it a watch. It's a fun ride. Spoilers for the movie will be under the cut.

TW for murder, violence, and other canon-typical triggers.

Very brief rundown of the movie: a late night TV host in 1977 makes a deal with the devil to gain success and fame. Shit goes sideways when it's time to pay up.

RadioStatic Time!

Imagine Vox, still human and still Vincent, is a struggling late night TV host. He's got the cards stacked against him in every way possible. He doesn't come from a wealthy or celebrity background, he's given the worst program slot, he's got the bare minimum crew, and zero budget for guests or any other extras. And when he tries to argue for more, he keeps getting reminded that he's "fucking lucky" that he even has this chance at all. And still somehow he is managing mediocre results with next to nothing. Imagine what he could do with a proper budget and team, he tells them. No one listens. And then, one day, he's told that if he can't double his ratings by the end of the month, his show will be canceled.

Deep in depression, Vincent (either accidentally or on purpose) summons the Radio Demon (Alastor does not give him his actual name right away), who promises the young TV host 10 years of success in exchange for Vincent doing any favor that Alastor requests of him for the span of those 10 years (with the caveat that the favors are limited to once per day and must not interfere with Vincent's success). Alastor, in all his ulterior-motive glory, is using this deal to get himself access to the Living World and...finish some business (the use of his powers in the Living World are exclusively limited to fulfilling his end of the deal). Vincent, blinded by his own desperation, agrees, never once imagining those favors of Alastor's would involve murder. But if he refuses even a single favor, Alastor gets his soul. So he does what he's told.

At first the favors start small, with Alastor easing Vincent into taking commands from him, getting him used to fulfilling Alastor's requests. An authentic 1930s Philco Cathedral Radio here, an Ella Fitzgerald record there, nothing too big, nothing too fancy. Yet. Then, with Vincent's fame on the rise, he is asked to be a guest host for a show in New Orleans (which is certainly interesting because the show in question has never had a guest host before so Vincent suspects this is Alastor's doing somehow). And suddenly Alastor ups the ante. He needs Vincent to find someone, you see. A local hunter. Kind of a strange request, but okay. He's not all that hard to find either. Under the guise of doing some research on the local area to better understand his audience, Vincent finds an old article from 1933 about a hunter who shot a popular radio host in the bayou after mistaking him for a deer. The death was ruled an accident and the hunter was never charged with a crime. Some further digging reveals that he still lives in the bayou outside the city. Now comes Alastor's next favor: kill him.

Vincent is horrified. He tries to argue that this breaks their deal of interfering with his success, but Alastor insists that as long as Vincent follows his instructions to the letter, he will be just fine...unless he feels like handing over his soul? So Vincent does as he's told. One late night, with Alastor whispering in his ear, he stalks the man, knocks him out, and brings him to the basement of this old rotting house in the bayou (it looks as though it's been abandoned for at least a decade). And, after some nudging from the Radio Demon, Alastor takes it from there. After all, what's a little possession between friends?

Over the next 10 years, Vincent's fame grows and so does his relationship with Alastor. He begins enjoying the demon's presence and quirks and even their back and forth as to the superior form of media. He is beyond stunned when he discovers that Alastor is the very same radio host that he idolized growing up (and the very same radio host who was killed by the hunter). He's even more stunned when he finds he doesn't mind the torture and murder as much as he thought he would, even eventually asking to be a conscious participant. He's watched the Radio Demon so many times before plus he's always been a fast learner and Alastor guides him effortlessly and his powers make cleaning up the mess easy (though he still finds the void in which they dispose of the bodies eerie and unsettling; he swears there's something in there watching him whenever they travel through and Alastor has made it abundantly clear that under no circumstances is Vincent to let go of him while they do so).

When their 10 years comes to a close, there's an unspoken disappointment that hangs in the air. He doesn't understand the rules of Hell, but apparently Alastor's frequent trips to the Living World are gaining some suspicion and he can't risk extending their deal, so this is goodbye. Vincent realizes with reluctance that he's going to miss the Radio Demon. He wonders if Alastor will miss him too. He doesn't ask. And on the nights when he misses Alastor the most...well, the Radio Demon is nothing if not an exceptional teacher (even without the assistance of the creepy void magic).

It's hardly a year later when Vincent dies, shot in the head on live television by a crazed fan of the actress Vincent has recently begun dating (for the fucking publicity, no less).

---

Alastor knows the second Vincent arrives in Hell. Sooner than he expected, but he is delighted to be reunited with his friend/pet/protege nonetheless. He finds it rather hilarious that his head has taken on the form of that ridiculous picture box he was so enamored with. What a delicious form of irony! Hell truly never fails to amuse hi-

"If you're gonna fucking make fun of me, at least introduce yourself, asshole!"

Pardon?

Well...he was certainly right about Hell having a particular brand of irony.

But no, his noisy picture box does not remember him. He remembers all their deeds and the favors (and he continued killing after they parted, how splendid!), but Alastor's presence in them has been scrubbed clean, replaced and painted over by others. It doesn't make him sad of course! Perish the thought! Why would something so trivial make him feel something as mundane as sadness?! No, no, it's simply...an inconvenience. But not one he can't handle. He'll just have to start from scratch. After all, his memories are just fine, so he already has the advantage and it takes little convincing to get the newly fallen Sinner to accompany him as he continues about his day (he has some hunting that just can't wait).

New beginnings and all that jazz.

---

(My personal fav look for human!Vox if anyone cares)

[fixinit-au]

THE FIXINIT AU

"A different form, A different time"

After Bill Cipher invoked the Axolotl's name, the deity sends him to Theraprism, to go under indefinite karmic rehabilitation.

After hundreds of years of therapy, Bill has lost count. After useless attempts to break free, to resist professional help, to make himself believe that he will be free... Eventually, he gave up. Went along with whatever they wanted. Let them believe that this is actually worth something... He let Theraprism strip him of his own self, let himself become a shell of everything he once was; What's the point, if he will never be the same anyway, he will never be FREE?

This was it, until the Axolotl has made their decision, regarding Bill's case. He was always a special case, after all... And so he got a special chance. To be with a special someone.

Bill Cipher, now transported back to our dimension, wakes up in a human body, in the 1980's... And with a mission, which the Axolotl said to be his final trial;

"Fix his mistakes, before he even made them."

FIXINIT1:

A human Bill Cipher, back in the 80's.

Bill is given a human body, the body of a creature who he always thought to be lowly and pathetic.

But other than that, he is given a mission, or rather, a "list" of the final things Bill has to get done, that would finally put an end to his karmic rehabilitation at Theraprism.

What does that list contain? Only one person knows; And that is Axel; or, rather, the Axolotl themselves, disguised in a human body, to watch and monitor Bill's progress. To finally let him go, and give him a chance at the life he didn't know he want, there are things that need to be done. Just to name a few; "comfort someone", "open up to someone you trust", but most importantly... "Tell Ford the truth".

(That's right, this is just another Billford AU. Sorry if you thought otherwise.)

Ford Pines, as he canonically did in this time period, lives in Gravity Falls, doing research, building the interdimensional portal... Still believing Bill to be his brilliant, all-knowing Muse. So when he finds his so-called Muse, in a human form, all alone in the forest... You could say he's confused, but more importantly, he is overjoyed to welcome his Muse to his own dimension, regardless of why. So he takes him in, much to his own delight... But also to his assistant's dismay.

#FIXINIT1 focuses on the question; Will Bill be able to change the past, or is he doomed to make the same mistakes? Crippling with depression, identity crisis, and a feeling of hollowness after all the centuries spent at Theraprism, sprinkled with the pressure of eventually having to tell the truth, therefore being frustrate to no end with Ford still worshipping him with blind trust and calling him Muse, Bill is forced to confront himself, in order to finally get his second chance at like, and his second chance at getting Ford.

RELATIONSHIPS; There may or may not be a romance sideplot with Fiddleford and eventually Stan.

Setting: Heavy with angst, occasional fluff and overall Mystery Quartet whimsiness.

Main themes: Forgiveness, second chances, identity crisis, survivor's guilt, PTSD, trust issues, body dysphoria, vulnerability.

FIXINIT2:

Gravity Falls; But Bill is not the villain.

Let's jump 30 years ahead, shall we?

Going with the route that Bill reveals the truth about his true self and his lies, and Ford, taking his time to consider it carefully, but ultimately forgives him. And they kiss. And they do more, but let's not get into that.

What does it change, regarding the canon timeline? The portal-test and portal-incident never happen; Ford and Bill managed to find another way to uncover Gravity Falls' weirdness. What's the Mystery Shack in the canon timeline, is now their own, small research center. Given how the portal-test never happens; Fiddleford doesn't go insane. His memory may be a bit messy because of previous uses of the memory gun, but he's in a much better shape, helping Bill and Ford with building their equipment, and also creating and selling his own inventions. Given how the portal-incident never happens either; Stan (having reconciled with Ford in a different way, more on that in FIXINIT1), is in a relationship with Fiddleford, and also runs a smaller, but also (kinda) more real gift shop.

#FIXINIT2; In this fixed timeline, Bill is also like an uncle (Grunkle? Not sure what Bill would count tbh) to Dipper and Mabel, a very fun one at that. A partner-in-crime, if you will; Someone who escorts them on their adventures, provides them with all the information they need, and fiercely protecting them if needed.

But, you might ask... If the canon Bill is now reformed, what's the point? What makes this interesting? Who is the "big threat", if not Bill Cipher?

(First of all, how dare you– I love tooth-rotting fluff and happiness, okay?)

Someone eerily similar to what Bill once was. Someone who might remind him of his journey, and how much of a thin line is keeping him from turning back. Someone who can provide a cruel, twisted mirror, forcing Bill to once again reflect on everything that now would be just brushed off as an inside joke.

That's right. Pyramid Steve. And his goal of bringing the Oddpocalypse.

Setting: At first, lots of fluff, whimsiness and happiness. Just fun! And the second half... Kinda like the canon finale, yknow.

Main themes: Second chances, identity crisis, found family, bits of psychological horror??? Thank that to Steve. (Might add more later, this is the more wip of the two)

————————————————————————

There are hundreds of Bill AUs flying around since the release of TBOB, so I might as well make my own, yknow?

As the name and the unusual amount of happiness (?) suggests, this started out as a redemption/fix-it AU. Why? Because I'm a goddamn pussy and I need my favorite characters to be happy, even if it doesn't make any sense canon-wise.

OR HAVING FUN, I GUESS

So yeah. Into the Cipherverse

————————————————————————

GALLERY

1. human Bill; canon design

2. Overall Bill without clothes (for science)

3. FIXINIT1 Bill; The Twink

4. FIXINIT2 Bill; The Uncle

5. Axel; Axolotl's human form

6. human Bill; secondary reference

7. FORD: Main Reference

8. BILL: Main Reference

9. BILL: Details

10. Pyramid Steve

[ominouslywritinginmyhead]

@anonimusunnoaniswriting @erebus-et-eigengrau please enjoy 😊

wc: 936

Notes: Regency au, fem!reader, dark-ish romance? Idk, he’s a vampire so he does what he wants

Imagine meeting your vampire lover for the first time in a glittering Regency-era ballroom one dark night.

You have no prospects and are only here thanks to the charity of wealthier relatives. The dance card on your wrist is only a formality, for you will probably be betrothed to some widower you have never met, and married to him within the month.

So imagine your surprise when a gaunt yet handsome young man approaches you with a smile, apologising for his impropriety and for not being introduced to you by someone else, before asking if he may write his name on your dance card.

You stammer out something like assent, drawn to his deep brown eyes. There is something almost otherworldly about them; maroon more than brown, perhaps, with a strange glow. His gaze seems to hold you in place while he gently takes your wrist in his hand and carefully writes his name at the very top of the card.

His lips are so close to your glove that he could kiss the fabric above your veins if he so wished. Instead, he remarks, “How unusual. A lovely lady such as yourself should have suitors falling over each other for a dance with you.”

“That-that is not likely,” you manage, “f-for I am not one who has prospects that merit dances with multiple suitors.”

“Is that so?” He raises an eyebrow, eyes still trapping you where you stand. “Then perhaps they cannot see the prospects that I can.”

You wonder what he means, but before you can ask, he lets your hand go and smiles, dark hair combed back too perfectly, clothes pressed too neatly, teeth far too white and gleaming.

He is beautiful and mysterious and almost unheard of, for he was practically raised on the Continent after his mother died giving birth to him. He returns following the death of his father, after whom he was named, and whom he resembles to a shocking degree.

Some might say they are the same person.

He has neglected much of the social season since his return, particularly events that take place during the day. But he does attend a ball or two. A special favour for the few friends he keeps and those who knew his equally reclusive father.

When he returns to collect you for the dance, you feel the ton’s judgemental eyes on you. How dare a little nobody like yourself dance with the most eligible bachelor of the season? How dare the daughter of an insolvent drunkard go anywhere near this respected gentleman?

You know what they must be saying behind your back. You know what your jealous and spiteful cousins will say to your face later on.

But when he takes you in his arms for the dance, none of it matters anymore.

He takes your gloved hand in his, brushing his cold lips against your knuckles. But his eyes do not leave yours for even a moment during the first part of the dance. The maroon looks more red than brown as he takes you in.

His hand rests on the small of your back, fingers splayed across the laces of your gown, sending a tingle up your spine. You suddenly find yourself conscious of how revealing your gown must be - a hand-me-down from your relatives that was hastily (and improperly) redone for you, revealing a little too much of your unblemished neck and chest.

There is no chance of you besting the other ladies at dancing; they have learnt from the best dancing masters in the country. But the movements you make aren’t yours; it is as though your dance partner is controlling every step you take, every gesture you make, every way your body moves. You are simply a spectator of your own dance.

You feel your cheeks burn as his eyes travel down your neck, his gaze landing on your collarbones. He drinks in every inch of you as he practically carries you through the dance. And he’s thirsty for more.

The look he gives you is that of a man who has spent years travelling through the desert and has finally found water for the first time in his journey. The darkness of his gaze frightens you, but when he feels you tense, his expression turns gentle. “Do not be afraid, my lady,” he whispers in your ear, making you shudder. “I will not hurt you, nor will I ruin your reputation. Whatever else, I am still a gentleman.”

“I never had any reputation to be ruined in the first place,” you tell him. “My family was ruined long ago.”

He looks sympathetic, and would say more, but the dance comes to a close and he lets you go.

His smile is absolutely brilliant; it’s impossible to take your eyes off him and his gleaming white - sharp? - teeth. “We will meet again,” he says.

It sounds like a promise — and a command.

For he heard the quickening of your pulse, sensed the rush of rich blood flowing through your veins, saw the perfect place on your skin in which he could sink his fangs. He saw the kindness in your eyes, how you looked away when embarrassed, felt you relax while dancing in his arms.

You will meet him again. He will make sure of it.

He will not ruin your reputation. As he assured you, he is a gentleman. He will follow the rules of propriety and court you.

But he longs for the day you will come to his arms forever and he can slake his thirst.

He wants you. He needs you.

And he will have you.

Part 2 here 🤭

[writers-ex]

the red spider

??? x fem!reporter reader

warnings: g!p, breeding, degrading, dirty talking, rough manhandling, unprotected sex, exhibition kink, mentions of blackmail photos, mentions of violence and smoke bomb

word count: 1.1k

Taking the company scooter you rush upstate and find a crowd of civilians and police circling the building. Following their gaze you see a black spider-woman fighting the goblin. Debris falls from the sky making people run in panic away from the building using that as your way in you sneak inside and make your way up to the rooftop. The fight keeps their attention away from you as you find a good spot to take close-up shots as you hit the shutter button. the noise goes off faintly making her turn to stare directly at you through the lens making you shiver at the stare just as she gets hit by the goblin right in the gut. Managing to stand up she turns her blows toward him and continues to fight as you adjust the settings on your camera. You continue to click away just as he types in something on his wrist and throws a smoke bomb toward the ground causing Yeji to cough and lose sight of him while he makes his grand escape. The smoke clears and you sigh checking the wasted shots you took of the fog. As Yeji stares off in the direction he went you tiptoe your way toward the door and see that the handle is webbed shut.

“And just where do you think you’re going?” The voice comes from above you revealing a very pissed vigilante. “If it wasn’t for your picture taking I would’ve had him behind bars!”

“It’s not my fault you’re just that bad at fighting!! The real spider-woman wouldn’t have let this happen! You’re just some wannabe poser that got in my shot. So if you’ll excuse me I need to go find- HEY!!” You stop dead in your track as your hands get tied together by her webs. 

“Where do you think you’re going? Someone needs to pay for these damages and it’s not going to be me!” Walking closer she points at the ledge and crosses her arms. You walk over reluctantly and face the city, despite the situation you were in you couldn’t help but be in awe over how beautiful your city looked this late in the evening. Caught up in the view you feel something hard against your ass and gasp before you get a chance to turn around she has her arms caging your body in place. 

“Look poser or whatever your name is if you could just let me go this-“

“Call me Yeji.“

“… as I was saying ‘Yeji’ if you could please let me go back to work I can print out the photos I took and-“ gasping you feel your skirt and panties drop to the floor, something pointy touches your hole making you yelp.

“The way I see it someone needs to pay for these damages so what will you use- your wallet or body?” Before you have time to speak Yeji strips the rest of your clothes off you leaving you naked overlooking the crowd still below you lingering as the police ask them questions. Face red you try to wiggle out of her grasp only to feel it slip inside you causing you to let out a surprised noise. 

“Stop! I-is this what a real hero does to its citizens? Fuck them blindly?!” With her hot breath against your ear, you can feel her smirking.

“Lucky for sluts like you I’m no real hero~ now shut the fuck up and take my cock before I let all those people down there know what we’re doing up here.” Biting your lip you feel your face hot with embarrassed tears before you give her a small nod. Leaning back you give her full access to your body to which she responds by fucking you doggy with your chest and breast hanging from the ledge as she holds you down tightly. “I wish people could see us now look at you taking me so good you’re the perfect little toy!” With steady, hard thrusts Yeji keeps the pace as you try your best to hold in any noises not giving her the satisfaction of knowing how much you were actually enjoying this. Not hearing you Yeji pouts and slows her thrusts.

“Come on slut I know you want to tell me how good I make you feel. Let it out watch everyone look up and see us~ don’t be shy.” Leaning back she gives you a few reaaaaaally hard thrusts making you scream out as she groans harshly. “There…it …is!” You mumble a few words with your head down seeing someone look up at you, your nipples harden as you drip onto her feet. “What did you say? Speak up.” With the same mighty force, Yeji pounds into you making you scream the same words again.

“MORE! FUCK PLEASE!!” huffing she takes a quick breath and keeps the harsh pace causing you to squirt against the concrete ledge. Your body leans against it for support as Yeji eventually fills you up with her cum letting out a satisfied grunt. Pulling out she watches her and your cum leak out of your hole. Stepping back Yeji drags you with her toward the door and using her web-shooters she has you hanging on top of the billboard of the building your body stretched out for all to see. She grabs your camera and starts taking pictures of your tired face as you cry hot tears embarrassed at the exposure.

“Come on slut smile for the camera~” after a few pictures Yeji places it to the side and climbs up to you. Upside down she plays with your clit and sighs watching your legs twitch. “Maybe we should try round two like this? I’ll deep-throat you and give you the best oral you’ve ever had, what do you say?” Moving your head away from her dick you attempt to look down at her but see just how far up you really are. The blood in your blood drops as well as all the strength you have making you lifeless hanging on her spider web. A sharp sting wakes you up in your room with a random shirt on, confused as to how you got here a white piece of paper sticking out from under your camera catches your eye. You read it and throw your head back on your pillow frustrated. 

Hey, pretty little thing thanks for your down payment <3 I look forward to getting your payments in incriminates, let’s try dinner soon.

-Yeji

ps. I took your SD card to track goblin and keep our little show for myself if you want it back call me and we can arrange something xxx-xxx

head back and find the black spidey

[idyllcy]

from one admirer to another : steamed?

pairing: leon kennedy x reader || masterpost: from one admirer to another

synopsis: from one admirer to another, an online penpal service, allows for two people with common interests to write to each other without ever revealing their actual address! Luckily for both you and Leon, you get matched up! What do eggs and Christmas even have in common anyway? sure hope it's that modeling business and NOT that Ada Wong addiction.

featuring: reader as scrambled eggs // leon as christmas

Dear scrambled eggs,

I kissed someone on new years. I kissed that model I was talking about in my last letter on new years. Oh my god. I'm like. I don't know I'm like going through it right now. But you know what happened to me?? I FORGOT TO GET THEIR NUMBER. Sorry, I know I don't usually write like this but I'm so mad at myself for completely missing her number. Ugh...

I've decided to draw fireworks to indicate that it's the new year. I hope you had fun on new years as well. Maybe you were with your best friend? Tell me more about it, will you? I realized very quickly after leaving with my two friends that day that I have like no friends. Are we friends? I'm guessing yes since you're... well, giving me love advice and whatnot.

Other life updates... I've been home with my dog a lot more often lately. He's called Sunny. He's a golden retriever. I've had people tell me that he looks just like me, and, well, obviously because he's my son. I'm his dad, who else would he look like? (joke (am I using this right)). My manager told me to take the week between christmas and new years off, and a handful of days off in the beginning of January off. I have a shoot in a little bit, but it's less of a modeling shoot and more of a... face-modeling gig? I'll be the face model of a game or something. Sounds a little familiar, but oh well.

Okay, back on the topic of that model. I didn't get to bond with her but in the blurred memories of my drunk self, I did get to kiss her. quite passionately too. Like, I was fully hunched over her on the couch or something. And get this, she called me sugarlips. sugarlips. Crazy! Does that mean I was a good kisser? Okay, my rationality is telling me that it was just because she was drunk or whatever, but she picked me so that's gotta count for something.

Ugh, what is this? A stereotypical high school romance? I'm not a teenager anymore. I really gotta get my life together and start having my manager book more. Maybe I'll see them— I mean, I gotta forget about them, obviously.

Thank you for the stickers! One of the dogs look eerily like Sunny, so I'm sending you two polaroids of him. I hope you don't mind that he's the one I'm sending this time. I keep all of my cameras on me at all times, so maybe I'll send you a photo of Ada if I ever get the chance.

look forward to your next letter, Christmas

True to his word, Leon is back to modeling back and forth as soon as his little break ends. He meets new models, small talk easy on his lips as he makes acquaintances. He finds that it's not all that hard to talk to people, and he's sure it has to do with the fact that he's no longer someone who prefers sticking to the shadows. Well, he wouldn't have been able to get far if he did in the modeling industry. He still needs to meet Ada.

"Oh, Leon, was it?"

Leon jumps in his skin at the sight of Ada with the same dots on her face as him.

"A-Ada! I'm honored you remember my name." Well, there goes his cover or a normie.

Ada laughs, waving her hand. "Did you get scouted for this too?"

"Yeah." He mumbles. "I don't know what to expect from this."

"Well, neither do I, so... we'll tough through this together?"

"Please take care of me." Leon nods.

"I can't take care of you if I don't know what's going on either." Ada laughs lightly, turning her head as she spots a familiar sight in the crowd. "Oh, found them."

"Are you..." Leon follows her gaze and spots you of all people, and he blinks. "Friends?"

"Something closer than that." Ada nods, waving. "See you around, rookie!"

Leon nearly has a heart attack at the first half of his undercover twitter username. No, there's no way she knows — and, while he's calming his heart, he barely notices the way you step up to him, brow raised amusedly as he jumps in his skin.

"Ah, so that's where your eyebrow ends." You blink at his face, humming slowly as you map it out with your eyes.

Leon blinks back at you, holding his breath from your proximity.

"Sweetheart, the poor man isn't breathing."

You take a step back at Ada's words, continuing to blink at his face, and Leon wonders if you even remember that you kissed on new years.

"Hey, do—"

Ada cuts in, smiling at Leon, and Leon wonders if it was on purpose. "Wanna say hi to Luis and Wesker? They're here too."

"Oh, god, yes!" You gasp, turning on your heel, waving bye to Leon before skipping after Ada.

Was that... was that on purpose?

prev post : masterlist : next letter

[ladyazurith]

Thoughts on and Headcanons for Rook Hunt

Rook is a very divisive character for me, and I’ve gone back and forth on how I feel about him. I absolutely hate how he treats the nonhuman students. I also hate the vin where he comments on Vil gaining weight when it wasn’t even noticeable to someone with normal eyes. That’s not a healthy mindset. Nor can I ignore the wall of hidden photos we see peaking out behind the wallpaper in his (canon) room. 

I do not like how he handled the end of Chapter 5. The way he gushed about Neige and revealed his obsession, right in front of Vil, after everything that had just happened. I know people get upset over the fact he voted for RSA, and while I think it was a dick move for him to have revealed that it was his vote that cost them the show. It’s more that he hid something like that from Vil, and given how they talked about everything related to the theater together, and he knew Vil’s connection to Neige it just feels…really shitty that that's how it came out. 

On the other hand, I really do think he cares about Vil. I have never truly shipped them together (the only time I’ve written them in a relationship together was in a poly with Cater) I do think he loves Vil in a brotherly fashion. And I think they’re important to each other. Vil especially I think values Rook’s friendship more than he wants to admit. (This is also kinda why I think his actions at the end of chapter 5 were so crappy)

At the same time, I think he suffered from character assassination at that point. They needed Rook to do what he did to thematically fit the narrative and his role as the royal Hunstman. And they cared about that more than if it was something Rook would truly do. As much as I love twist and the story, I find myself having this complaint often. They’re more concerned about the overall narrative than what actually makes sense for the various characters. I could write an entire essay on this especially where Cater is concerned, with him and his interaction with the other characters and his place in the overall narrative. (Again a subject for another time)

On a less serious note, as far as romance goes, I’m reminded of a line from a very old Christmas movie called “White Christmas” where one of the main characters goes. "I'm not the marrying kind or the engaging kind, I'm more the I don't mind pushing my best friend into it but I'm scared stiff when I get anywhere close to myself kind" I can see Rook endlessly encouraging Vil to pursue his heart (With me it's him insisting to Vil he does have feelings for Cater and should give him a chance) But the idea of his own actual love affair terrifies him. He’d rather just watch other people fall in love. 

I do think he has several secret perches around campus that no one knows about. 

I also think he and Cater would be absolutely great and chaotic friends, that would strike fear into Vil’s heart. They both share a love of photography and him. I can just imagine Vil having to endure the two of them talking about him while he’s sitting right there lol. 

I also gave them an anonymous magicam account where they post pictures of student life on campus (Mostly taken by Rook, but some by Cater) 

I developed Rook’s Family for a fanfic I wrote a while ago. So some of this comes from that. I know if we ever get to meet his family this will all be obsolete but its still fun to work with. I also won't go into to much detail here, because his Family could be an entire post on its own. (Just like Cater’s) 

His father works directly for Leona’s brother (And previously their father) as head of Royal Wildlife Management in the Savanah, a position his family has inherited for generations after they made the move there.  A position his eldest brother will inherit one day. His eldest Sister I made a traveling exotic vet. 

Rook himself is a fraternal twin. Reinette (the name I gave her) also has magic but doesn’t attend NRC because it (appears) to be an all male school. But she acts much like Rook did in his Savanaclaw days. Longer hair, sunbaked skin, and loaded with freckles. 

His younger brother I named Florent and idolizes his big brother, and is the only other Hunt child to have magic. He’s set to go to NRC as a first year when Rook is a 4th year. 

His youngest sister and the baby of the family is Fleur, and shares Rook’s and their father’s love of theater, albeit for the more technical side, and also has more than a slight obsession with Vil.

At his core, I don’t think Rook really feels like he fits in anywhere. Pomefiore and Vil have come as close as it gets for him, but it’s still not right. He’s restless, and is still searching for his “home”. 

As an adult, I’d given him the profession of a wildlife photographer (French Steve Irwin is how I described it) It’s something I think he’s well suited for. 

That’s probably enough for now, thank you if you made it this far ^^

[melishade]

Me after Reading the Optimus Dinobot what if

Love your what ifs

Previous Episode of the Dinobot Timeline

I guess this is a timeline now lol

So Optimus is obviously in hot water for not revealing this form to the Survey Corps and Megatron, even though he has explained that he can't control it. Hanji immediately wants to run experiments, but the Survey Corps has to take care of the coup. The bad news is that the ruling party got wind of Optimus' chaotic form and used that to slander Optimus' name throughout the public. Now the titan that was lauded as being a Savior was now being seen as someone to be feared.

It makes Optimus feel bad, obviously. All that hard work and he's being scorned and ridiculed. He can't blame the humans for their fear. However, the Survey Corps and Megatron are obviously pissed off for this injustice.

Reiner and Bertholdt are still in the Survey Corps, helping them out and obviously buying time to try and get at least Annie back. Pieck managed to worm her way into the outer rim of the rulers of the inner wall. So she's getting a substantial amount of information. Specifically about Annie's location and their experimentations on her, Eren holding both the Founding Titan and the Attack Titan, and Historia Reiss being of royal blood. Meaning the most valuable players that could turn the tide in this war and make up for the loss were standing right there. Zeke and the Jaws were no doubt a small price to pay if they could somehow get Annie, Eren, and Historia.

Rod is still able to successfully replicate the energon serum and use it on Annie while also making spares of the energon. Pieck, being closer to the inner circle, is able to find Annie, free her and take her out right before Armin, Mikasa, and Megatron get there. Pieck also manages to spot a spare energon titan serum and grabs it before bolting. Armin, Megatron, and Mikasa don't find Annie, but after a little more digging, the trio find notes on the energon serum, and now there's more of an urgency to find where the rest of the serums are and where Annie is.

The coup itself plays out like it does in the anime, not like in AOP. Because Optimus is currently feared for his titan form, Hanji thought it would be unwise to use him, and the people of Trost probably wouldn't rally behind him when marching to Sina considering what they've learned.

So the Survey Corps and Megatron break into the underground cavern to get Eren and Historia back. However, Pieck is close by, debating her options on whether to take the energon serum. She knows if she doesn't, the chance to take Eren and Historia are gone. But, she has to take a chance. Pieck takes the serum and transforms into her titan form, busting through the ceiling of the underground cavern, startling everyone. They try to use their weapons on her, but because of the energon, she's immune. The Survey Corps have to take cover, but Reiner and Bertholdt use the distraction to get to Eren and Historia. Megatron sees this and immediately bolts after them.

But because of Pieck, there's a delay. And Historia still makes the decision on her own to judo flip Rod while Kenny is watching in delight. But Rod still takes the energon serum and becomes that massive titan with energon in its system now. Kenny manages to leave unscathed because his team isn't coming in to break his focus. Reiner and Bertholdt come in to 'help' rescue Historia and free Eren. And as they're ready to bolt out of there, Megatron screams at Eren and Historia to run before fatally shooting Reiner in the neck. However, Reiner uses whatever energy he has left to transform into his titan form to take Bertholdt, Historia, and Eren out of there. Megatron is ready to pursue in his bipedal mode, but there's the matter of the Survey Corps still being in danger and the massive lumbering titan heading towards one of the walled towns. Pieck does manage to catch Reiner in titan form running away and quickly bolts after him, surprised at how fast she's able to run now. Reiner gets out of his titan form and he and Bertholdt take a depressed Eren and screaming Historia away. The Survey Corps do manage to escape the rubble, and so does Kenny, but not his team as they get crushed. Megatron informs them all that Reiner is a titan shifter and he took Eren and Historia. Ymir quickly turns into a titan and bolts after them, ignoring the screams of her comrades. She barely manages to see Pieck climbing over the wall and screams Historia's name in titan form, while Historia screams Ymir's name.

Normally, the Survey Corps would have pursued, but again, Rod's titan form. They have to focus their resources there to prevent civilians from being killed. Megatron and Optimus end up tag teaming to take out Rod's titan form with the civilians in the walled town watching. Optimus also uses his Dinobot form during the battle, and everyone is in awe to see Optimus and Megatron work together like this.

When it's over, Ymir informs them in sorrow that Historia and Eren have been captured by Marley, and everyone is devastated, but Megatron is the one asking what Marley is. Ymir explains that's its the most powerful nation in the outside world, and that humanity is not extinct at all.

A few notes:

-The monarchy government is replaced with the military government, but because of the Survey Corps actions and Optimus and Megatron's battle prowess, the public don't seem to mind them being in power. Megatron and Optimus were able to prove they are trustworthy.

-Because Reiner and co flee to Marley, the Survey Corps are able to retake Wall Maria with no casualties, using Optimus, Megatron, and Ymir to eliminate the titans.

-Kenny's been captured and interrogated for obvious reasons, but Kenny is willing to spill what he knows. Specifically how Eren's father Grisha stole the power of the titans from Rod years ago. With Mikasa's help, they do find the basement and manage to pry open the drawer with the notebooks with brute force. And they get more history about the current outside world since Ymir's knowledge is no doubt outdated.

-Ymir, Armin, Mikasa, and Optimus are the most devastated out of the loss of Eren and Historia for obvious reasons.

-Megatron does notice the photo and how the kid looks similar to Zeke, now that he's completely healed. No one actually knew Zeke's name up until the notebook's discovery. So Megatron brings it up during interrogation of Zeke. He brings up his name first, which gets a visible reaction. Then Megatron shows the picture, which Zeke is surprised by, then Megatron brings up Grisha Jaeger by name, pointing at the standing man. Zeke realizes that the Founding Titan is being held by Eren Jaeger, his brother and decides to offer his help to the Survey Corps on the condition he be granted immunity. Megatron questions why he should even bother doing that, and Zeke retorts that if Marley has both someone of royal blood and the Founding Titan, that it's only a matter of time before they get around the vow renouncing war. They need him in order to stop Marley's continued reign over the world and the abuse of Eldians everywhere. Megatron says he'll run it by the military first.

(Man this was not something I was not expecting with the Dinobot timeline)

[szallejhscorner]

The Truth That Couldn’t Be Denied - Part I

Mel_Mio once more commissioned me to write the following idea:

“What if Chishiya returns to the real world after the events of CiaD and HLiF, and he does remember y/n, but y/n doesn’t remember him?”

So here’s part I, and part II will follow!

@rainsoughtflowers​ there it is :3

Soul mates, fairy tale romances, lovers for life. Things little children dream about in their glittering dresses, while wearing plastic crowns and watching Barbie movies where people always have their happy endings.

Those dreamers have yet to wake up, and it will happen eventually once they have to face the real world outside of their hope-filled bedrooms.

Chishiya Shuntarou never actually got the chance to dream such dreams. And yet he had found a person to reach through all the walls he built throughout the years, in a world full of death and cruelty. Never would he have thought to find you in the Borderlands – he never wanted to find someone at all. You had been no one to him at first, and up to this day, he couldn’t tell how you had managed to change that. The truth was, though: you had.

You had taught him that his heart was not only there to pump blood through his body, but that it could actually make him feel something. Up to this day, he refused to call it love. But whatever it was, it was there. And that he could not deny.

At night, he lay wide awake in his hospital bed, listening to Niragi’s rattling breaths. They both should be dead now, yet somehow they had managed to survive even the most severe injuries after trying to kill each other. Still, Niragi didn’t remember him for some reason. He didn’t remember anything about the Borderlands, about the games or how his whole body had been burnt in the fire of judgment.

Chishiya on the other side remembered everything, from the shooting between him, Niragi and Arisu, how he had caught the bullet that had been meant for Usagi and how you, the stubborn woman he came to like had kept talking to prevent him from succumbing to death. Chishiya remembered how you had told him hundreds of times how much you loved him, and how you had revealed memories about your childhood and whatnot. He didn’t recall most of it because the pain had prevented him from listening too closely, but your voice had kept him alive. This thought alone sounded so cheesy that Chishiya had to snort, and never would he speak it out loud to anyone.

Impatiently, he had waited for the day of his discharge, because he wanted to find you and see how much you remembered. Chishiya was sure that she shouldn’t remember anything about what happened. He had been supposed to lie there just like Niragi and believe that they all had suffered a one-minute cardiac arrest because of a comet crashing down on Shibuya; nothing more. It could be assumed that you didn’t remember him too – a thought that Chishiya didn’t approve of.

“Allowed to go home already? Lucky bastard”, Niragi laughed as Chishiya switched the hospital gowns for his normal clothes. Home. He had a certain image in his mind when thinking about home, but it wasn’t the place he lived at.

A tiny paper note was resting in one of the pockets, and Chishiya touched it with his hand. He knew exactly what stood on it, without even looking. It was your name, written by his own hands. You had a note as well, only that yours had a university on it instead of a name. While you had promised to find him in the real world, Chishiya hadn’t wanted to make it too easy for you by just giving you his full name. But if you didn’t remember him at all, you wouldn’t fulfill that promise anyway. You’d probably look at the note and throw it away since it had no meaning to you.

It was annoying, but the fact that you wouldn’t come for him meant that Chishiya had to find you instead. He could simply continue his bleak life, of course. Go back to being a medical student, in a world where money ruled even inside a hospital, and shake his head over all the pathetic human beings he observed. Although the Borderlands had taught him that there was a different option, one that came along with you. An option that didn’t make him feel so empty and hollow.

He threw one last glance at Niragi, who was still covered in bandages with several monitors tracking his vitals. That man had been burnt alive, shot several times, and yet he was still breathing somehow. Impossible to kill, the one thing devils and vermin had in common.

The other man continued his rattling laughter that soon turned into a cough. “No get-well wishes? You are a heartless fellow, eh.”

Chishiya smirked and gave him a little wave of his hand before closing the door behind him. Niragi didn’t remember, but Chishiya knew who that man really was. A murderer, a rapist, a psychopath. Deep inside, nothing of this had changed after leaving the Borderlands. It would stay hidden as long as the rules of this world forbid it to wake up, but inside it would growl and scratch to be unveiled.

Because the Borderlands revealed who a person really was. It didn’t turn someone into a murderer if that person hadn’t been ruthless before. He and Niragi would never have become friends, neither here or in the Borderlands. Chishiya didn’t care to be friendly to a man he knew didn’t even deserve to breathe this air.

Not that Chishiya deserved it, either. But just like Niragi, he was still alive and breathing and searching for the one person who made him feel something other than disdain and arrogance.

It was easy to find you. In a world so trapped by social media, almost everyone had several accounts on different sites, sharing way too much information about their real life. Pictures of themselves and their children, their birthdays, where they had gone to school, where they worked. Someone with hostile intent could easily track a person down using all this information, even if the address had never been given. But knowing where the primary school was, that they passed a giant oak tree on their way to the bus station, or that the neighbor had a dog breed with annoying poodles – all that could be used to pin the location down pretty closely. One of the main reasons why Chishiya didn’t give away anything on the internet.

He had even convinced the hospital director to leave out his surname on the hospital’s website, and avoid any images where his face could be seen.

You weren’t as naïve as to give away too much delicate information, but knowing your name and your face as well as some bits about your life that you had told him in the Borderlands, Chishiya soon knew where to find you. Of course he wouldn’t just ring on your door, assuming he’d most likely be a stranger to you. He intended to find out in a more subtle way if you remembered him or not.

The café was a tiny little shop, cozy with its brick walls, steel lamps and different-colored sofas. Chishiya had never been here before, since there wasn’t much interesting around besides a small book store and a pet shop, but it didn’t seem to be all too bad.

You had posted an image of the café not long ago, praising their drinks and cakes as the best that could be found in the whole city. The range did look quite tasty, that much Chishiya had to admit. But the cheesecakes, blueberry muffins and chocolate chip cookies only got a few seconds of attention from the blonde, since he soon found something much more interesting: you.

You were seated on one of the sofas in the back, legs crossed with a book next to you and a hot drink in front. Focusing entirely on what you were reading, Chishiya watched how your lips were slightly parted in concentration and how a lone strand of hair had fallen into your face.

It made him remember the last time he’d seen you; tears in your eyes, dirt on your face, begging for him to survive. On your wrists, the scars from the King of Hearts could still be seen, and Chishiya knew that your shoulder would be scarred from the bullet you had caught in the Witch Hunt. If he pulled up your sleeve, he’d be able to see the cut from that asshole in the Jack of Clubs, and he couldn’t help but wonder if your hands still trembled now and then from all the shocks you had endured on that electric chair. How did you think you’d acquired those wounds? All from the comet, nothing else?

“Can I help you, sir?” asked the waitress and expectantly stared at Chishiya, who ordered a piece of cheesecake and tea to blend into the crowd. He sat down on a sofa close to yours, and you lifted your head for a moment to eye the newcomer. Chishiya wouldn’t admit it, but he wanted you to recognize him. His heartbeat increased, only a little, and it was hard to keep up a neutral expression. Yet you only scanned his face for a second with no recognition at all before you continued to read your book.

The pain was different from being shot since there was no physical wound, and still it hurt more than he liked. Back in the Borderlands, when he had claimed emotions to be a weakness, this had been exactly what he’d meant. You had asked to be his strength, and now all you did was stab an imaginary dagger right through the heart you had claimed as yours.

Pathetic. I’m not better than those little children whose dreams have yet to be crushed.

The cheesecake was supposed to taste sweet, but Chishiya didn’t taste anything at all. He stared into his tea until it got cold, and even when you got up and left the café after finishing the book, he didn’t get up from his seat.

You had been reading the Metamorphosis. The exact same book Chishiya had been reading in the Borderlands, when he and you had spent some days in the abandoned caravan. It could have been a sign that there still was a connection, although it left nothing but a bitter taste. For almost an hour, you had been sitting close to him, and several times your eyes had met his. Not once did Chishiya see the spark you used to carry when looking at him.

You didn’t remember him anymore.

[dragontamer05]

Man despite technically being a kids/ younger audience aimed series it is wild the stuff Darren Shan got away with especially in the later books with the Vampire's Assistant series.

Now when I say kid I do mean older kid, minimum I probably wouldn't recommend it to anyone under 10 maybe even 12 (which works as that is the age our protagonist starts as) because it does touch on more kinda mature themes as the books go.

While not as extreme as the Demonata books Darren Shan still gets decently descriptive about things including the more violent scenes plus there is a lot of death. Which might come off as obvious being a book about Vampires / supernatural stuff but he still manages to surprise cause there's no real line between characters who might die and those that are safe from death. Especially as it gets closer to the end and get the feeling maybe not even our dear protagonist is safe.

Like off the cuff only in the second book and a character winds up dead- and they aren't just some rando either. We get to spend time with them and get to know them and okay sure you might get some vibes that this character may not get to stick around with our protagonist having to say goodbye and go their separate ways by the end but I'd say it's also not perfectly clear cut if that will be the case. (Bonus is that the death itself ends up serving multiple purposes even during a part later on)

I would personally be shocked at anyone who could even guess the ending of the book- in a good way. Cause Darren Shan does a great job of sprinkling bread crumbs and foreshadowing here and there so at no point does anything feel like it was just pulled out of thin air but quite often neither is it something blatantly obvious

And even then on the off chance you do figure something out and no the reveal before it happens personally I still find it well written enough that you could believe the characters not having realized X thing yet as well as just the anticipation of when and how will they know.

This series also has an extensive cast of characters and while some are obviously going to end up more developed then others - especially with a lot of those at the Cirque at the same time none of them feel flat or there just because. Sure okay if you really wanted to name a problem there aren't a lot of female characters but personally (as a woman/girl myself) I was never bothered by it. The ladies we do get in the series are fun and decently well written as it is.

Darren Shan also has some of the more interesting takes and ideas on Vampires that I really like.

I love the concept of being able to make someone only half a vampire and that the easiest way to blood someone is by doing it through cuts on your fingers and pressing them together.

Vampires aren't immortal but do age vert slowly thus living incredibly long lives. And while hardly anything new (especially now) I do love them even bringing up and making fun of the idea that obviously a stake to the heart would kill a vampire because that would kill anyone/thing.

Going out in the sun isn't an immediate death sentence but there are limits for how long they can be out.

Being able to use their saliva to heal over cuts if needed.

Even bringing up how while animal blood is an option and they do drink from them but 1) They can not live and sustain themselves only off animal blood thus the need to occasionally drink a humans but 2) not needing to drain a human dry - which is how they've stayed mostly undetected although it does seem pretty implied there are some people here and there who are in the know

There are also some animals of which they cannot drink and is essentially poison.

Which leads into the 3rd point Vampaneze, a group who choose instead to follow you could almost say the old ways and drain people dry and when they feed. And for as twisted and vile most Vampaneze are even they still have their own codes and rules they follow (as you can guess our antagonist group of the series)

The other thing I love is compared to somethings I've watched/ read where a character just ends up going of somewhere and we don't get much on what's going on back home or even just a characters thoughts about all this we frequently get to hear/see Darren thinking about his friends and family, that while he may not regret his choice he does still miss his home, still thinks about them. (Also the way they handle having him leave is great )

Heck to a degree they even become a motivating factor for him in multiple instances from what I recall.

We get a decent enough time line of events - if there's a time skip they make sure to acknowledge it was X amount of days/weeks/months.. ect

But back on the main point is despite having a slightly younger target age range it gets hella dark sometimes, the writing is just so good as well that even as an adult be it in Novel or Graphic Novel form I still very much enjoy it and find myself rereading it.

The author even wrote a sort of prequel series of 4 books following the mentor character of our protagonist- as well as various other characters that appear within that series also making appearances which is cool and it's so good. My favourite part being the way he ties it in right at the end, ending where the Vampire's Assistant books pick up with his introduction.

It should be noted they are written in first person, basically supposed to be MC's like diary / journal that he wrote into like book sorta thing. I was personally never bothered by it but I know it's not everyones cup of tea for writing styles.

[undinegeist]

This is a made-up MCR tour story in which Y/N is the guitarist for G Way's (fictional) wife's band.

- 1 - 2 -

a small but important disclaimer: I get why this storyline might suggest a connection to Lindsay but this is purely something that came out of my brain; I'm not here to comment on their relationship, and anything here that resonates with something in their real life is unintentional, even if this did start loosely based on Gerard Way's life as it's somewhat known publicly.

-xx- G -xx-

I don’t know what kind of coincidence this is, but I’m coming down the hallway when I see her…with a security guard and a backpack, Lana’s tour manager in tow.

I can’t tell if she’s moving in or out, they’re just standing in the hall; talking, clearly not a pleasant conversation, but I really don’t care.

“Hey.” Why do I always start like that?

“Oh, hey, Gee. I was just…Lana called, said she…uh, I shouldn’t…”

“I know what she told you. What’s going on?”

“I thought Y/N should switch floors until we find someone to take her place…just in case.”

“Right. Thank you.” Why am I dripping cynicism? This isn’t his fault.

He takes this as the dismissal it is, though, and then it’s just me and her; I’m scared to look at her, but I do it anyway.

“What did they really tell you?

“That Lana wants me off the band…as if I didn’t know that already.”

“Do you have a plan?”

“Going back to LA, I guess.”

“You could stay.”

“And do what?”

“How good are you at backstage stuff?”

“Decent.”

“Then that’s it.”

“Why does this even matter to you?”

“I like you, I guess.”

I just want that look in her eyes to go away; we barely know each other, maybe this is weird, but she’s holding so still, so far away…it makes me nervous.

“Lana’s not in there, is she?” There’s a teasing note to her voice, something darker underneath.

“No, I always get a spare room, just in case things get weird.”

She nods, like she’s had that too…must have had, they’ve been together for weeks, and no one can be around Lana without at least one kind of tension for longer than four days.

“Smart of you. Does it suck that I wish she knew so she’d be pissed?”

I unlock the door, hold it open for her. “Maybe, but I think you’d be exempt from that, given the situation.”

-xx- Y/N -xx-

His room is already lived-in; there are books everywhere, sketches all over the bed, a bag thrown down on the floor, clothes spilling out of it…red, black, leather, rockstar stuff.

But he’s wearing a plain black shirt with a checkered open button-down on top…not the usual rockstar stuff.

“I’m sorry it’s such a mess…I can’t seem to keep from exploding.”

He shoves papers to the side, pulls the bag up to the bed, starts looking through it.

“I don’t mind…mine wasn’t much better.”

He sighs as he stands, but then he smirks. “How long did it take you?”

“Two seconds…couldn’t find my favorite pair of shorts so I threw everything off my backpack all over the floor, got pissed ‘cause it wasn’t there then just went the way I was…never put anything back, just shoved everything in the closet until tonight and had to find a way to shove everything back in sans folding.”

He laughs. “Put it down somewhere til you go…I hear you about the shorts, though. Can’t find chocolate…maybe I can get some from room service.”

He’s going for the phone, I’m leaving my backpack over the desk, the only place that doesn’t have paper, ironic as all hell, when there’s a knock on the door; I can tell he thinks it’s Lana by the way he starts, scaring me too, though I try not to show it.

He opens it anyway, though, and I relax when I see him sigh, pulling it open the rest of the way, to reveal a skinny blond kid whose hair could use some fucking up…he’s pretty enough that I’d do it, too, if I got the chance.

“Fuck, Mikey, you scared the crap out of me…”

“Thought I was Lana?” The voice holds a smirk, just like his lips.

“Yeah…she doesn’t know, does she?”

“Nah, I just know your fake hotel names too well, Gee. Heard about the stuff downstairs…thought I’d check on you.”

“I’m fine…this is Y/N, by the way.”

“Oh…hi. Are you the same Y/N Lana wants to kill?”

“Yeah.”

“Cool…she wants to kill me too.” I like him already.

“Mikey…” Gee sighs, but I can tell he’s not all that upset, by the flick up one side of his lips.

“You know she does…but whatever. What are we doing?”

“I think mom slipped cocoa powder off my stuff again. Why doesn’t she ever do that to you?”

“‘Cause she still thinks we’re kids, gets upset that Lana keeps you from seeing her as often as she’d like, overcompensates by trying to baby you. Why don’t we get out of here?”

“Isn’t it too late for that?”

“It’s never too late. Do you want to come with us?” This he says to me, all challenge, still smirking.

“Where are we going?”

“Some diner…I want waffles. Or pancakes. Gee…get something over your hair. Do you need to hide too?”

“No…not that famous, thank fuck.”

“Lucky…you’re the attention-getter, then. Did you pack your fingerless gloves?” He’s messing around Gee’s stuff, too, without even asking.

“I don’t really wear them anymore…”

“Maybe not, but they’re here. Mom knows better…want to wear them? They’ll go well with you.”

I take them when I realize he’s talking to me. “Wish I could fuck up your hair.”

“Me too, but it’s gotta stay hidden…trademark from hell. Let’s go?”

Gee’s wearing a similar kind of beanie, most of his hair tucked in. “Yeah, lead the way.”

[staticl0ve]

The Pig and the Fox - Ch.2 (Connor/AFAB!Reader)

The gif isn’t gender neutral, but I dig the vibes.

Pairings: Connor/AFAB!Reader (no pronouns used) Rating: Mature/Explicit/NSFW 18+ Link (AO3): Read it Here Chapters: [ Ch. 1 ] [Chap 2] [ Ch. 3 ] [ Ch. 4 ] [ Ch. 5 ] / 6 Words: 2.8k Warnings: implied drug use (supporting character), so much swearing, reader does wear feminine attire Summary: When a thief meets a cop, they’re on the opposite sides of the law, two flips of a coin. However, there’s more to life than things being black and white. In a post android revolution, not much has changed for the common citizen. The rich get richer and the poor, well, they work. They adapt. They sacrifice. You straddled that fine line, one toe in the light and one in the dark. So does Connor, but you don’t quite see that yet. Notes: It’s been fun making this Cinnabun spicier than he should be.

Chapter Two - Duality

This was not ideal, coming home with a glitchy arm, sleeping it off and waking up to find it miraculously fixed. Although, “fixed” was putting it lightly. The sparkly tingle that crept up your fingertips faded but the cybernetics were still making a light-show on your arm. It took all of the weekend perusing debug logs, only to learn nothing new. Then a whole week before you managed to toss your laptop off the side of your bed.

Even stranger were the settings of your dreams. You saw places you had never been to before: an old yellow home with chipped paint, rain pouring down windows and a doorbell, rung twice. One night, you were seated on a boat, watching rose petals drift in the wind when a man’s voice called to you from a bridge. He demanded to know who you were and what business you had roaming around his garden. 

You didn’t have a chance to turn around before waking up and trying to cling to what you could before the details were lost, consumed by a fleeting thought like, “it’s morning already?” None of it made sense. At least the glowing managed to disappear by the end of the week. Back in its rightful home, your laptop rested on your desk, mocking you with a black terminal filled by blocks of red text.

“Yeah, I get it. There’s a bug, thanks,” you complained.

Besides staring at a computer all day, your phone was buzzing nonstop. A majority of the alerts were from a group chat between friends. Tonight was Markus’ big reveal for his year long collection of work and people were hyped to see what the former deviant leader had to share.

Your cab was set to arrive soon, so you set aside debugging for now. Before you headed out, you brought up your contacts list, scrolling through names until the alphabets landed in the middle. You weren’t sure what possessed you to call Leo, but his sickly face kept popping back up whenever you had a quiet moment to yourself.

He wasn’t a bad guy, just a typical spoiled brat unable to process his emotions in a healthy way. On his good days he could crack a few good jokes…and when the laughter died down, he’d give you pause with an introspective question. People were multifaceted, existing on a spectrum. Leo didn’t have many close friends, at least ones that haven’t dumped him for the kind of man he had become. No one had the time or the patience left to check in on him. With the economy as it was, it was a surprise anyone had time for anything really.

It helped, being Fox, feeling like someone else. The disconnect meant you didn’t have to drag the weight of your nightly activities into the light of day. Cybernetics was a fast growing field with lots of cash flow. But it didn’t hold a candle to those who flew in private jets on a daily basis. You were comfortable enough to have recreational time to dedicate to a second life. Leo wasn’t your problem when he couldn’t be found and you didn’t bother him. You knew he’d spring back up when the money dried out. He was persistent, a parasite to his friends and family but you tolerated him, saw the gray area in an ocean of black.

Were you aware of the irony that you were less than kind to anyone in a police uniform? Obviously. And there were hundreds, if not thousands of books on American history documenting all the reasons why you felt the way you felt. In fewer words: it was complicated.

But back to Leo: a week was a long time between his usual annoying form of communication of animated images and funny captions. You should have gotten a dumb text with a joke you wouldn’t understand.

“Huh.” You clicked your tongue, worrying the flesh of your cheek between your teeth.

Voicemail.

—

The gallery was packed from room to room, filled with a variety of characters dressed to impress. The location was a quiet one, away from the neon lights of downtown. A few streetlights lit the empty roads and the small gallery was flanked by smaller boutiques and cafes which were closed for the night. It stood out as a bright square with floor to ceiling windows, showcasing all the contents within.

This wasn’t your average grandparents’ art show. Markus brought new energy to a scene that his father had dominated. At the entrance was a large white wall and boxes of paint markers with an instruction mounted on a plaque: express yourself. There were rooms lined with paintings and in each one, a blank canvas was in the center, accompanied with different prompts. It seemed the goal tonight was to encourage cooperation and creativity. People milled around, scribbling innocent visuals or laughing as someone added eggplants to one corner of the wall.

Beverages were served for all guests, ranging from fancy sodas and alcohol to holographic drinks. The new tech drink had a chip on the bottom of each glass, allowing androids and those with cybernetics to feel a buzz without the calories. Plus, one could customize the look of the contents, chug the stars of a Milky Way or drink a glittery rainbow.

You arrived fashionably late, at a point where the energy of the party was at its peak. An irresistible beat dominated the music, driving people to sway or dance while contemplating artworks. Since your arrival, a few people you knew had dragged you from one conversation to the next. When you spotted North, sandwiched between her main crew, she raised a glass in your direction. Two men to her side were crowded around a painting, busy waving their arms in a heated discussion.

“I thought you weren’t coming,” she said as you settled to her left. To her right, Josh and Simon started laughing, they seemed too distracted to notice you.

“You’re late,” North added when you innocently hummed and pretended to be way too into some paint strokes.

“Oh…It’s what…only been an hour since opening?” you replied, tilting your head and batting your lashes. North had played a major role in planning the event, arranging caterers and vendors. She wanted her closer circle there for an opening photo session and you agreed to it in the group chat.

Alright, so you lost track of time. But…but! This wasn’t her first rodeo. She’d thrown dozens of fundraisers in the past year. Although, from the nervous fidgeting of her fingers and her gaze shifting between the mob of people, this event meant a lot to her.

She let out a good natured scoff. “What do you think so far?”

“The party is amazing! You’ve outdone yourself. Where else could I find such brilliant art? Just—” You turned away to wave a hand at the entrance. “—look at all the colorful dicks on the wall.”

Her eyes rolled before she laughed. “After how far we’ve come, I really thought my faith in humanity was restoring…until today.”

“Can’t trust anyone with a marker and a blank wall these days,” you agreed.

From over her shoulder, you caught sight of a man in a tan suit. Smiling to yourself, you recognized his silhouette instantly as Markus. You placed a reassuring hand on North’s arm before excusing yourself.

Weaving between other attendees, you got close enough to notice that the deviant leader was talking to another man. A man who’s brown slicked hair and pale freckled face looked all too familiar.

It was like being dunked into a cold pool, your breath lodging in your chest, head swimming with a thousand thoughts—all of it screaming the same thing: Oh shit.

You wanted to spin around, maybe say hello to Josh and Simon instead. But Markus spotted you and that was more than enough for Connor to look up from their conversation.

“Hey, Markus!” you said, greeting the RK200 with an arm out. He immediately went in for a warm hug, breathing out your name in a soft voice. His arms easily engulfed you, adding a distinct bonus squeeze to the embrace—a thing he did with close friends.

“I haven’t seen you in a while. Have you been busy?” he asked.

You tried your best not to side-eye Connor’s reaction when you answered Markus.

“Yeah, between the weather and traffic, work’s been a real drag. But!” You cut him off before he could comment. “I am so excited to be here for your first show.”

“It’s all thanks to North and all of my supporters,” Markus replied. He brought a hand to Connor’s arm, pulling the RK800 into the conversation. “Speaking of supporters…have you met Connor?”

If you were waiting for the brunette to recognize you, the moment never came. Connor merely offered you the bare minimum of a polite smile, his lips pressed firmly together.

“Hello,” he said.

Despite what you thought of Connor’s profession, your public image was well curated to appear polite and friendly. You had half a second to decide on how to proceed and the voice that left your throat was more starstruck than you meant for it to be.

Well, whatever works right?

“Wait,” you gasped, feigning surprise. “I know you! You’re the uhm, the uhm.” You snapped your fingers and watched his smile fall slightly. “Uhm…some video called you the Terminator?”

“The former deviant hunter,” he said, shifting on his toes. The title alone made him shrink on the spot. His arm wrapped around the front of his torso, head falling slightly. You didn’t see the change as you were too wrapped up in delivering your excitement believably.

“Yes! I’ve seen you on TV! Saved a little girl and freed a bunch of androids—wow.”

“Connor has made huge strides for our cause,” Markus said. You wanted to ask how since you’ve never seen him around New Jericho, at least, not when you were there. It wasn’t like you were very involved with android politics, but surely, you would have heard something about him from North.

“Markus…” A flash of guilt washed over the younger android’s face. There was an exchange you didn’t catch as Connor’s indicator flickered.

“Our history is complicated but it’s all behind us now,” Markus reassured.

You held out your holodrink to toast his efforts.

“To new beginnings. And…” You gave Connor your name in a quick introduction. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” Connor answered, lips spreading slowly in a smile.

With a gallery as full as tonight, it was impossible to hold Markus’ attention for long. A patron was excited to discuss purchasing one of his paintings and the RK200 hardly had time to say a quick goodbye. Connor remained, out of consideration or curiosity, you weren’t quite sure. Hell, you weren’t even sure where to look: back at Connor for what you imagined would be terrible smalltalk or in the direction of the bathroom so you could make up some excuse about needing it.

As you pondered, the universe decided for you.

A guest brushed into you, the unexpected pressure at your side knocking you forward. Your palm found Connor’s chest, fingers spreading over the smooth texture of his shirt. You could feel his Thirium pump buzzing beneath his undershirt and the subtle divots of strong abdominal muscles. He was so ready to play the hero, his arm automatically raising to wrap around your elbow.

It took a lot of self control to not grimace, your contempt for him consuming all rational thought. Fortunately for you, Connor was easy on the eyes. His features tugged inward in concern and you had to bury a fleeting thought about how endearing it made him look. You were beginning to see it, a way out of this scenario undetected by doubling down on your starstruck persona.

“Sorry. I can be such a klutz,” you joked. “It’s like I have two left feet.”

“That’s alright.” While he stepped back to give you an inch of space, his hand remained like a leech that found its mark. A tingle prickled down your spine and you had a funny feeling you were scanned.“Your shirt…was the choice intentional?”

Your blouse was loose, billowy around the sleeves with bright, bold sets of squares outlined by thick black lines. A splash of Piet Mondrian in your wardrobe seemed fitting for attending an art show. You smiled, standing more upright to showcase the full extent of the pattern.

“What do you think?” you asked.

Connor took his time answering, enjoying the fluttery movement of your eyes as you waited. His face was inches from yours, dipped lower to listen to you better in the crowd. Although, you knew enough about androids to know he could hear you just fine if he stood straight. You squirmed under his syrupy sweet smile. In your ears, a faint twang grew, like the swell of a violin finding its highest note. His smile widened, angled gallery lighting casting long, dramatic shadows over his face and sharpening the edges of his teeth.

“I think it looks good,” he answered, his tone easily skirting the line over friendly territory, like he was too shy or sensible to add: “I think it’d be better, off.” His actions indicated otherwise, innocently removing his hand and stepping away.

You meant to mirror his civility, but you couldn’t find anything interesting to say while looking at him. Compared to a gallery full of eccentric guests dressed in fantastical fashions, Connor was as exciting as milk toast. His crisp white shirt and pressed gray slacks were the definition of vanilla and safe. All he needed was a boring striped tie to complete the image of a man going door to door with a black book in hand. In fact, the most adventurous part of him was his slightly loosened collar, baring his pale throat in the same way a 19th century woman might flash her ankles.

“If I may ask…have you had a chance to browse the gallery?” Connor inquired.

“Not yet.”

“Neither have I. Would you like some company?”

You, enjoying the company of a pig? Absolutely not. Your body language said differently, wrist twisting to point at a room with your virtual drink swirling between the glass.

“After you.”

All things considered, being around Connor was…tolerable. He kept his distance when he could but the rooms were small and crowded. When he wanted to guide your attention to a painting, his hand found it’s way to ghost over your shoulder. The contact was too short and faint to cross any boundaries but it unnerved you all the same.

Those hands nearly had you.

Talking about art was one thing, but you couldn’t get a good read on him. Everything Connor said was laced with an eager to please demeanor that was at odds with his sharp gaze and looming figure. He was worse than a pond with no ripples, a mirror surface hiding the jaws of a monster. It irked you that you couldn’t take a dip and make some waves. When there wasn’t much else to discuss, you found yourself relying on much dreaded smalltalk.

“So…what do you do for a living?” you asked as if you didn’t already know.

“I’m a detective.”

“Like Sherlock Holmes!” You winked and lowered the volume of your voice. “Any cool cases? Or…are you not allowed to talk about them?”

“I specialize in homicide.” His head tilted to the right, concealing his LED from your angle. “There was a case that reached my desk recently. A beginner thief set off some alarms in a wealthy neighborhood, but it’s nothing to be worried about.”

“Ah.” You used your disappointment to mask the flare of irritation that made you grip your drink harder than necessary. “Well, with you around, Detroit feels safer already.”

He shook his head, eyes twinkling proudly.

“I do what I can, I’m no hero.”

Connor was infuriatingly humble. You wanted to roll your eyes. A buzzing in your pant pocket demanded your attention instead.

“Sorry, I gotta take this,” you said, bringing out a phone.

“Of course.”

“Nice meeting you, Connor.”

He held his hand up in a small, awkward wave that you didn’t see. His gaze lingered on the sway of your hips as your legs carried you out of the gallery and into the cold streets of Detroit. Your spine was hunched over to one side, leaning into your phone in some archaic habit of making the call sound clearer. Night swallowed your silhouette and you were gone faster than a fairytale beauty swept away by a clock’s chime.

When Connor went to gather his things, he noticed your coat in a hanger near his. He knew it was yours from a quick scan of a few stray hairs. His thumb brushed over the collar and he made his decision to take it off the rack.

It was cold. You could freeze out there. Surely, you wouldn’t want to be without your coat?

He couldn’t hold back a smug grin. “Nice meeting you too, Fox.”

—

“A fox had never seen a lion before, so when she happened to meet the lion for the first time she all but died of fright. The second time she saw him, she was still afraid, but not as much as before. The third time, the fox was bold enough to go right up to the lion and speak to him.”

The Fox and the Lion (Aesop’s Fables)

[shipcestuous]

For some reason, today I found myself thinking back to the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic cartoon. Specifically, the season six ep "Flutter Brutter," where Fluttershy's younger brother, Zephyr Breeze, is introduced.

Now, I haven't actually rewatched MLP in years, so my memories are vaguer than I would like while writings this. But the gist of it is that Fluttershy is (as her name implies, lol) is a shy, delicate, kind-hearted character who, through all the previous seasons, has become a heroine of her world together with her friends and worked to become braver and more assertive, while Zephyr Breeze is a brash, flighty, self-centered character but is actually hiding some deep-seated insecurities.

Zephyr keeps dropping jobs and classes and then crashing at their parents', knowing they're even meeker and less likely to stand up for themselves than Fluttershy, but this time, we he does just that, Fluttershy decides she's putting her foot (well, hoof) down, especially after seeing him take up as much space as he pleases in their parents' house with no regards for their needs or comfort. She makes it clear that he has to find another place to stay... but when he shows up at her house instead, telling her that technically it does count as "another place," she doesn't have the heart to turn him away. However, she does set one condition: if he really wants to stay, he'll have to find a job to support himself.

Zephyr agrees but, knowing Fluttershy will probably try to put off his job searching as long as he can, Fluttershy asks her friends to find him some menial tasks to do around their houses or for their business to get him started. Still, he manages to get fired and chased off by all of them, sometimes for tricking other people (or even pets!) into doing his job for him. Fluttershy eventually gives him an ultimatum... but, feeling wounded and slighted, Zephyr decides he'd rather try his luck camping out in forest.

Suffice to say, he's... not quite cut out fo forest life. And the forest is a dangerous place, too. So, despite the animosity between them, Fluttershy goes looking for him. When she finds him, she tries to bring him back but also to get him to tell her why he won't just stop slacking off and put some effort into making something of himself.

Finally, he reveals that the problem is actually that he's scared. He may pose as someone confident and even arrogant, but doesn't really think much of himself or his abilities and is sure that, if he started putting effort into things, it would just hurt even more when he inevitably failed. Plus, having a heroine who's literally saved the world multiple times as his big sister makes him feel like he's nothing in comparison and will never get out of her shadow.

However, Fluttershy tells him she believes in him and gently coaxes him into picking himself up and going back to his classes, because he while he may be afraid of failure, he'll never succeed if he doesn't even try... and she knows he can succeed, if he would only give himself a chance. Zephyr isn't quite convinced, but he lets himself be dragged along, if reluctantly. Until, finally, he sees that there are things he's good at and gains some real self-confidence!

He does still crash at their parents, by the end. But this time, it's a solution he wants to be temporary, and he's serious about looking for his place to live in.

The episode is honestly really sweet and showcases what I find to be a very realistic dynamic between siblings, with its up and downs, support and fights and grudges and love and everything else. Moreover, I remember the first time I watched it... hit fairly close to home, with the way it dealt with feeling paralyzed by fear and lack of self-worth and trying to mask that. Zephyr Breeze, for all his flaws, is a character I still have a lot of sympathy for. And his contrast with Fluttershy? The loud, rambunctious brother who's really insecure and fragile inside feeling inferior to the soft-spoken, sweet sister who is full of her own inner strength and determination? Lovely!

But, from what I remember of MLP fandom (or at least, how it was back then) not many people liked the episode or the character as much as I did. Part of it was how, unfortunately, Zephyr was given a crush on Fluttershy's friend, Rainbow Dash, and it was really unpleasant and even sort of creepy, with him hitting on her all the time and assuming she must be in love with him and "playing hard to get" despite her obvious distate and even discomfort, with the implication that at some point he even convinced his parents they were going to become a couple. Another is that some male adult fans (you've probably heard of Bronies, right?) felt Zephyr was meant to be a caricature of a stereotype people assumed they themselves automatically fell in.

I don't think things got any better when a later episode implied Zephyr was back to his fickle ways and to putting appearances over substance... personally, I chose to ignore that or at least think it was just a little relapse and he'd say "wait a minute, what am I doing?" and go back to his newly matured self soon after, lol.

Anyway, I always felt I little sad I could never find any Zephyr/Fluttershy incest fics. Or, at least, any platonic hurt/comfort fics for them. The sheer potential there... sigh! I do remember some good incest fanworks starring Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, literal royalty and technically sun/moon goddesses with an angsty backstory... and it's not even like there's the kind of age gap between Fluttershy and Zephyr that could squick even most incest shippers out. Fluttershy and the other main characters are generally assumed to be in their early to late twenty during the course of the series, and Zephyr has to be at least college-aged or a little older by the time we meet him, so... but yeah, it probably just comes down to the fandom not liking Zephyr much, in the end.

Ah, well. I hope I at least made someone else see why they're shippable to me here!

Btw, here's a gallery with some images of them! Just because cute ponies.

https://mlp.fandom.com/wiki/Zephyr_Breeze/Gallery

That does sound like a very realistic storyline between siblings. It sounds really sweet, and I love the dynamic between their contrasting personalities. It's too bad there's not more content for them!

[darkx-the-dragon-kn1ght]

Pokémon Reborn Screenshot Let's Play: Chapter 8

Hello hello, and welcome to 2024 everyone! The world is strange and still chaotic, but one of the many constants in this life (or, I should say, my life) is Pokémon! And if you’re here for this next installment, then chances are it’s at least some sort of constant in your life too! But after the excitement of the last chapter, it’s time to wind down at least a little bit and move on to some new plot developments!

In addition, it has been brought to my attention that my game might be at least somewhat…bugged. You might have noticed that, in the few screenshots featuring the Pokémon’s moves, some of them have missing type icons. This hasn’t been that big of a deal, I mean knowing the typings of moves is more or less second nature to me. But I was also informed that- well, remember how I talked about the layout of the Field Notes app and how I thought it was confusing? Turns out, it’s not supposed to look like that- there’s supposed to be more text, but on my game some of it is just…missing, I guess.

This also isn’t that debilitating, and as far as I can tell it’s only some of the move type icons and the Field Notes text that are glitched, doesn’t seem like the UI is messed up anywhere else. So, I’m gonna keep trucking along even with those bugs, I can handle it; if it gets worse, like really worse, then I’ll consider more drastic measures to see if it can be fixed. Maybe this can be like a form of challenge playthrough. Nuzlockes? Monotypes? Forget all of that, bugged UI run is where it’s at!

But before we see the new stuff, how about we go over those other developments, hm?

In preparation to take on Julia’s Gym, we went out to catch some leftover event Pokémon, starting with Bloom the Budew thanks to the Rose Incense.

We catch Twig the Bidoof in order to evolve it into Bibarel for a trade with the one Street Rat, but are interrupted when we walk by Dr. Pharmacist again, now with a much shorter line to contend with.

A thug steals Dr. Pharmacist’s remaining painkillers, and since he cannot leave his last patient unattended, he asks Xera to go chase him down.

While searching for the thief, Xera runs into a pair of Team Meteor Grunts plotting to “liberate” someone’s Pokémon (something to be dealt with later).

Xera manages to find the thief and defeats him in a battle, forcing him to return the stolen goods. Dr. Pharmacist commends Xera for her work and fortitude, finally introducing himself as Corey.

Twig is evolved into a Bibarel, which we trade with the guy to obtain Shimmer the Munna.

Xera also catches Crescent the Teddiursa- the same Teddiursa that had been fleeing from her since she first arrived in Peridot Ward.

In a house to the north, Xera defeats the two Meteor Grunts from earlier, who were attempting to steal a woman’s Igglybuff. Concerned over whether the Grunts would return, the woman gives Igglybuff to Xera so she can protect it, and thus we obtain Kirby the Igglybuff.

Behind the Electric Gym, we find a present that an old man had misplaced. As thanks, he ensures that Xera will be “showered in presents” in return, and he gives her Claus the Delibird.

After giving a bit more money to one guy, Xera is able to access a house in an alley, where she finds an abandoned Minccino; we catch it and name her Trim.

That night, Xera goes into an apartment building having a power outage due to a Pokémon sucking up the electricity. This Pokémon is none other than a Grubbin, which we catch and name Prong.

With the party all filled out and trained (including Bloom evolving into Roselia, respectively), Xera steps into the Electric Gym for the first time. She defeats the Trainers within and solves the puzzle (read: she blows up a bunch of gates with Voltorbs), gaining access to Julia’s room.

Before challenging Julia, we head back north to pay the Magikarp thief those 500 Pokémon Dollars for the Pokémon’s return. Predictably, he does not uphold his end of the bargain, revealing he and the salesman were actually in cahoots to scam Trainers.

Xera defeats the two in a battle, but it’s revealed the thief can’t give back the Magikarp- because it was stolen from him for real, by a pickpocket who fled to Obsidia Ward. Something else to be solved later.

With some final training (including Riptide evolving into Croconaw), we return to the Gym to actually challenge the Gym Leader.

Julia engages Xera in her first Gym Battle in Reborn. After a lengthy and tense battle charged by Electric Terrain, Xera emerges victorious and earns the first Badge of the Reborn League: the Volt Badge.

Outside, Xera encounters Victoria. After congratulating Xera on her win, Victoria mentions the situation in Obsidia Ward regarding the plants apparently growing out of control. She wishes to go there and help, and suggests Xera do the same.

So that’s what we’re gonna be up to now! All signs point towards Obsidia Ward being the next destination, and I for one am excited. Finally, we’ll get to see some new sights and characters after spending so long in Peridot Ward! Will this go well? Will it go wrong? What kinds of new Pokémon will we encounter, wild encounters or static/event ones? And most important of all…will we be able to spend even more time with Victoria? We’ll have to see!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

Part 9

Part 10

Part 11

Part 12

Part 13

Part 14

Part 15

Part 16