#because playing mostly blind was funnier

[claire-starsword]

Landstalkers JP manual - Characters, Monsters and Items

Prologue here

Nigel - Protagonist Being a treasure hunter, a sort of thief aiming for treasures and gold, he is burning with enthusiasm when it comes to the treasures of King Nole. He is skilled with the sword and light on his feet. Nigel was born in a small elf village in the mainland, and has dreamed of adventure since he was a child. He's a forest elf, and 88 years old. Friday A kinda mean succubus (little devil) girl. She's 120 years old, and born in Mercator. She can heal others upon eating her favorite food, the EkeEke. Stays on Nigel's bag.

Kayla The boss lady of the trio of stooges who bother Nigel and Friday through their adventure. She has a harsh personality, and punishes Ink and Wally with her whip. No one knows what they want. Duke Mercator The lord dispatched to this island by the emperor of Gamul in the mainland. He lives at Mercator Palace. Being a pleasant guy, he is respected by the islanders, but due to his noble origins, he's not satisfied with life in the island, and holds greater ambitions. Something seems fishy about him.

Princess Lara Princess of the region of Shurel in the country of Maple. She was raised in a strict manner due to being of the royal family, and is thus not used to being in the real world. She speaks nonsense at times. It seems she came to Mercator to study music, but… Wizard Mir A great wizard said to have great magic power. He creeps around the underground of Mercator Palace. Zak A mysterious man who calls himself a bounty hunter, despite being of the noble race of dragonewts. The handsome and playful type. King Nole The tyrant who ruled the continent many centuries ago. Did he hide his vast treasures in this island?

Notes for characters:

Mir isn't underground in game, he lives in a tower away from the actual town.

Let's talk names. Nigel's original name can be read as Ryle or Lyle. I do'nt know why they changed it but I appreciate not having a repeat name with the Shining Force guy, so I stick to it.

Kayla and Lara are Kara and Loria in the original, this is a very meaningless change just to make the names flow better I suppose.

Kayla's goons are not important enough to even have their own profiles here, but I wanna talk about them anyway. Their original names are Goose and Zuwham. Goose is a pretty on the nose name for a bird guy. Zuwham on the other hand is a weird one but after cracking my head about for a while I think it might come from some japanese onomatopoeia for sliding or thumping, and "wham". That because this guy is heavily based on the bouncing ball enemies from Shining in the Darkness, while Goose is based on a treasure chest enemy from there as well.

[Edit: I've since realized that Kayla herself is based on the item shopkeeper of SitD as well. Gang's all here.]

Zak is Zed in the original version.

Monsters Mercator Island is home to people of many different species, but once you take a step out of towns and villages, you find lots of monsters crawling around. Slime An organism born spontaneously due to magical elements drifting in the atmosphere. Its body is mostly liquid, and it envelops opponents with it. It can also move by jumping. Orc Soldier A kind of monster race found anywhere in the world. They movements look sloppy, but they have strong muscles, and crush enemies swinging their axes from above their own head. They fight in groups. Rough Lips A giant carnivorous plant more than one meter tall. They're shaped like mushrooms, and the caps release strange spores. They usually hide underground, and pop up suddenly when an enemy approaches. They're slow, but relentless in their chase, frightening adventurers.

Skeleton Immortal monsters summoned from the world of the dead. Being dead spirits, they don't know fatigue and don't fear death, attacking with sharp sword skills. It might be impossible to dodge they swift stabbing? They can also avoid attacks, blocking the enemy's blade with their shield. Larva An earthworm monster with a human face. They can be larger than two meters, and move underground looking for corpse flesh. Monoeye The strongest hunter race who lives in Mercator since ancient times. Their culture is not very developed. They attack with no mercy those who come into the island. Being more than three meters tall, a swing of their clubs has massive power. They're more violent than other races.

Lizardmen A humanoid race close to reptiles, who live in marshlands and such. They look like dragonewts, but are not a dragon race. They are not very smart, but their skin is incredibly thick so their defense is high. Guard Knight Sword wielding soldiers who are the main force of the personal troops commanded by the lord of Mercator. It's unknown what species is within the armor. The thick armor gives them high defense, but their movement is slow. Unicorn Trooper A humanoid race with unicorn heads, who can be found in big amounts on the Mountain Region. They're known as a warrior race, and many work as mercenaries. They're prodigious fighters, quick and skilled at melee combat. Growl Ghost A by-product of King Nole's evil magic experiments. Swarms endlessly on enemies due to their deep grudges.

Silent Commando The most different monster race out of all summoned by King Nole. They're the dead spirits of those killed in combat during wars with the eastern countries, called by King Nole's strong magical powers. They terrify opponents attacking with absurd jumps and teleportation.

Chaos Visitor As their name says, they're visitors from Chaos, the land of the dead. These monsters too were created by King Nole's magic experiments. Besides gathering treasures, King Nole is said to have also devoted himself to arts such as alchemy and raising the dead. Maneater Monsters that look just like the chests within dungeons. They bite on people who happily approach to grab treasure. Most believe they come from the grudges of old treasures hunters lost during their hunts. Hangman Immortal monsters said to bring others to their death. To protect King Nole's throne, they were turned into their current evil forms. Many monsters were born due to King Nole in this way.

Notes on monsters: I used the japanese names here since the english one are barely used anyway, and these are more interesting. Not totally sure about the ghost one, but others should be okay.

Equipment and Items for Nigel Swords Broad Sword A regular sword made of reinforced iron. Not easy for regular humans or elves to use, though. Nigel's standard equipment. Ifrit Sword A sword engraved with enchantments of fire spirits. Incredibly rare in Mercator, only a single one is recorded to have been imported to the island. Sword of Ice A sword filled with the condensed energy of ice spirits said to reside in the northernmost point of the continent. Anything cut by this sword becomes completely frozen. Armor Leather Breast Armor made of flexible leather. Since it's light it makes movement easy, but it's not made for battle. Nigel's standard equipment. Steel Breast Chest armor made of steel treated to still have flexibility. It's strong, but its height still slows the user down. Chrome Breast Armor made with chrome, an alloy of steel and other metals. The sturdiness of the materials weakens enemy attacks pretty well.

Boots Leather Boots Like the Leather Breast, these too are made of leather. Light and easy to move in, but not trustworthy for battle. Nigel's standard equipment. Aqua Guard One size fits all boots made of a semi transparent and heat insulating gelatinous material. They're nice and cold and soft, and protect your feet.

Rings Mars Stone A ring made with polished minerals that some wizard acquired from another planet with magic. Wearing it protects your body from blood and paralyzing poisons.

EkeEke Fruit A perennial plant that looks a lot like mulberries. It is the specialty of Mercator Island and known as a energetic. They can be eaten raw, but are far more delicious when put on alcohol. Super high valued, only nobles can get their hands on them in the mainland. They're the favorite food of Friday, inhabitant of this island, and eating them gives her a boost on magic power, making her capable of healing Nigel. He hates this fruit. Antidote A weed used since ancient times as antidote to poisons. Poison from the monsters of Mercator Island can be nullified with it. Mind Repair There are monsters whose attacks cause hallucinations as well. When stricken by those, you won't be able to move in the direction you think you are. But using this medicine, you'll be free of the hallucinations and return to normal. Anti-Paralyze When struck by monsters, you may suffer strong muscular paralysis, and become unable to move for some time. This medicine restores you back to normal. It is a precious item extracted from the liver of deep-sea fish, so its price is high.

Ticket Entry ticket for the amusement center in the town of Mercator. It's not sold anywhere so it's hard to get your hands in one, but lots of people say the casino sounds super fun, so you definitely want one. Golden Goddess Statue In Mercator Island, there are many mysterious goddess statues, and the villagers make copies of them to sell as souvenirs. They boost the power used by Nigel's magic swords for a certain amount of time. They disappear after a single use. Gaia Statue A wooden statue made in the image of Gaia, guardian goddess of the earth. It is said that by holding it up you can borrow the power of earth spirits, causing a massive earthquake, but the details are unknown. They disappear after a single use. Jewels Five jewels said to be in somewhere in the island since ancient times. But no one knows their significance. Perhaps they have some relation to the treasures of King Nole…???

Notes on items: again just used the japanese names as there isn't much difference and also as someone who likes special weapon names, changing Ifrit Sword to Magic Sword is some sort of war crime. Also, the "Aqua Guard" is a peculiar name in the manual only, they're called Flame Boots in game.

#landstalker #shining series #yes it's going in the tag #landstalker manual #nigel landstalker #friday landstalker #kayla landstalker #zak landstalker #'claire you were looking for the aqua boots in your playthrough didn't you notice they were just the flame ones' #nope! i hadn't actually read the description i just skimmed over the manual #because playing mostly blind was funnier #in particular once i noticed they spoil the duke's betrayal. it was pretty know to not entirely know that #like it's not hard to suspect him but there's a lot more ambiguity in the situation #he actually plays the part well enough #which makes it even funnier to see him turn into one of the most annoying villains ever #the slowwalking scene killed me

[kabutoden]

Sorry if youve answered this before, but how do you chose the bugs to assign to each character ? Also they are all really cool and fun :3

Hi, I’ve explained this before but I’ll do it again! Last time I explained it was less specific to the character and more to the caste, so this’ll be a little different. I use the metaphors and associations of the insect to pick their species as well as their diet. I’m calling the species a troll mimics their ‘morph’.

Aradia: Fly. Associated with death. Detritivore. Tavros: Craneflies. Frailty, timidness, clumsiness. Thinking longhorn beetle might be a funnier pun though, so I might change it. Herbivore. Sollux: Bees. Construction, intelligence, connections to groupthink/hiveminds/psi. Herbivore. Nepeta: Caterpillar. It’s a pun. Herbivore. Karkat: Isopod. Highly social insect. Durable shell representing defensiveness/personal barriers, but also serving literal aspect of ‘thick skin.’ Detritivore. Kanaya: Hornet. Dangerous but caring parents, association with femininity. Omnivore. Terezi: Dragonfly. Good eyesight’s associated with clarity, though large eyes would also be easier to blind. Good at flying. Dragon pun. Carnivore. Vriska: Spider. Manipulative, association with femininity. Carnivore. Equius: Beetle. Strong. Omnivore. Gamzee: Praying mantis. Associations with religion due to unique praying pose. Carnivore. Eridan: Anolomacaris. Extinct skilled distance hunter. Carnivore. Feferi: Trilobite. Large curved spines, trident tongue, ‘ruler of precambrian seas.’ Detritvore.

All insects before Jade are herbivores or detritivores, and all insects jade and after are middle to highblood can hunt. This was to set up an intentionally antagonistic relationship between lowbloods and highbloods. It’s also a new way to play with themes in my personal work which are all about animal dynamics.

I mostly did the human kids as bugs as a joke, because they’re not aliens at all so its funny!! But I had a ton of fun with them so here we go again. I chose them off colors and gimmicks.

John: Spitbug. They’re bright green and gooey boys. Like ectoplasm. Rose: Rosy maple moth. Name association—also bright pink and yellow against their will. Rose wishes she was a cool goth all-black moth. Moths are associated with ‘seeking light.’ Dave: Assassin beetle/wheel bug. Have a gear shaped bump on back, large black eyes, efficient predators, some red coloration. Fits in with his expectations and pressures. Jade: Wooly aphid. They’re white, fuzzy, with rainbow wings. That’s so her.

Jane: Candy-striped leafhopper. Bright cyan with red highlights, food-themed name.Roxy: Pink-spotted cattleheart. Gorgeous pink and black coloring. Butterflies are nectar-drinkers, associated with celebration and inebriation. Kinda clumsy too. Dirk: Tiger beetle. They can move in bursts of motion faster than they can see. That’s flash stepping. Orange and black. Jake: Diving beetle. Dark green with orange highlights, explorers who go where other beetles cannot.

#long #ask #bugstuck #kabuto rambles #buggy trolls #homestuck #lore

[a-local-idiots-shitpost]

Yuu can use magic but never bothered to correct anybody-Savanaclaw

Leona

he literally does not care and immediately goes back to sleep

and when he wakes up he cares even less, as if he would care about some stupid Herbivore tricking everybody him included

okay maybe he does care a little bit but more so because he wants to know if you have some agenda in mind on why you would do that

he might even try to get you to some things for him, it mostly includes tormenting shared enemies which sounds like fun

and he tries to get you to use your own magic to make it easier for him to sleep

he could use his own but it´s a lot easier to just force you to do it

Ruggie

yeah he can understand why you would do that, it´s a lot easier to fool people if they think you´re a lot more helpless than you actually are and as soon as they think they are save you can strike

and he will be disappointed if you say that wasn´t the reason why you did it, why would you even do that when you aren´t planning to rob them blind

you could have even got him involved, he might have even split 50/50 with you but no turns out your boring

and yes you´re getting shamed for it

the least you could have done is play along and help him get some money or at least acted as a distraction

Jack

the first thing Jack said that this sounds like something Ruggie would do

and yeah kinda sounds like something he could do but you didn´t do it as way to easier rob somebody

actually you don´t even know why you decided to not do anything and just say you can use magic

maybe it was because you thought it would be funnier this way

because that sounds like something you would do

and to your defense at the moment you said you didn´t actually know that you can still use magic, different dimensions and such things

but yeah Jack didn’t like the answer that you just did it just cause you could

he´ll probably scold you for it

#disney twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland imagines #twisted wonderland headcanons #leona kingscholar #ruggie bucchi #jack howl

[happilychee]

HC for Cana: She is a really good gambler. With her card magic, unique upbringing at the guild, and need for drinking money, she's grown pretty adept at understanding how the games are played and the math involved. She especially likes to run betting pools at the guild and lower people's guard by playing dumb and drunk before she robs them blind. If she likes you, she may take you out gambling, give advice on a winning bet, or have you give her a loan and giving back triple from her winnings.

these are golden, anon

gambling with cana

cw: slightly suggestive because. c'mon it's cana.

♡ I can't decide what's funnier: cana being a math genius and card-counting, calculating probability, assessing her opponents... or winning through dumb luck and tomfoolery. for the sake of these headcanons, let's go with the first one (though I think it would be a combination of the two.)

♡ you've just finished a job with the card mage, and the reward was quite hefty. you split it 50/50, and you manage to put most of it in a safe place before cana's nagging gets to you. you're in a bustling seaside town renowned for its casinos. it would be a waste not to try them out! a "missed opportunity." but when have you ever been able to resist indulging cana?

♡ you have no idea what you're doing. your evening outfit is cute and just shy of sexy, while cana's dress leaves little to the imagination. the blinking lights of the various machines, card tables, and roulette wheels has your head spinning. you let cana lead you around until you reach a table of old men who are definitely not looking at your face. before you can take your own seat, cana pulls you into her lap. your face burns when her hand settles on your thigh, squeezing just slightly.

♡ "don't worry about the game, 'kay? just enjoy it. these geezers won't know what hit them." you can barely breathe with the way cana's looking at you, eyes smoldering. her expression is serious and fiery, a look reserved for you, as she whispers into your ear, "can you do that for me, pretty girl?"

♡ you don't get a chance to respond because suddenly cana's laughing wildly, yelling for the dealer to throw her a hand. "we're gonna be rich, baby!" she yells. you look between her and the complicated card game, and the worry in your voice isn't completely unfounded when you say, "but, honey, you don't know how to play blackjack...?"

♡ your comment causes the other players to start laughing. cana gives your waist a slight pinch, mostly for being cheeky. they're really underestimating the two of you now, because this is certainly not a game of blackjack. not that it matters to cana. with alcohol flowing through her veins and your warm form in her lap, she feels on top of the world. the casino didn't stand a chance.

♡ "drinks on me, babe?" cana wiggles her eyebrows at you over the pile of casino chips in her arms. you laugh, your own haul shaking in your arms. you'd doubled, no- tripled what your reward for the job had been, and you were excited to not have to worry about bills for a while. that, and a small shopping spree with the fairy tail girls.

♡ "I feel a bit bad; I barely did anything!" you protested. "nonsense. I'm very lucky, because..." cana rolled her eyes, shoving the casino chips to a distressed looking employee. you ignored him as he filled one, then two, then three bags with fat wads of jewels. "...you're my good luck charm, aren't you?" cana brought her fingers under your chin, locking you in place as she leaned in. "I am?" you could feel her breath on her lips. "yeah, you are, sweet thing, cuz without you I would have lost that entire bet." you don't get to respond, because cana's pressing against your body and pressing bruising kisses to your lips. as you melt into her arms, you think that between the two of you, you're the lucky one.

#lychee writes #I go feral for cana #if it wasn't obvious #I just want her to call me a pretty girl #grgrgrgrgr #fairy tail #fairy tail headcanons #fairy tail x reader #cana alberona #urhgherghhghg

[mintmoth]

OKAY I'm gonna do a big ask response here! There's a few I didn't grab which are mostly just people saying sweet things- to which honestly I can't thank you all enough 😭 it's so wild to me to see people enjoying my art so much

I'm gonna keep most of the replies under the cut since it's gonna get a bit long but I wanted to touch on this one real quick-

Absolutely anyone is free to use my art as an icon wherever! Just be sure to have something crediting somewhere and yeah absolutely go for it!

OH ALSO my submissions don't work on mobile for some reason? The formatting messes up I guess, but check out this awesome coloring!! I love how the layers of shading look 😭

LMAO okay so I've seen a good handful of older/mafia au designs for Floyd and Jade and a lot of them have either both of them with double sleeves or Floyd with sleeves and Jade with a back piece- though I've also seen somewhere both of them having one sleeve on the opposite side

Right now I'm just messing around so I don't have any official tattoo designs for either of them, but I do know I want Floyd with at LEAST the double sleeves, and Jade with some pieces he keeps hidden by mostly wearing business attire lmao

XBSISNK THANK YOU 😭😭 honestly drawing hair is one of my absolutley FAVORITE things to draw lmao, most of my ocs have long hair I just can't help it honestly

YES ABSOLUTLEY probably not too often but I could definitely see Azul going to bed and waking up to a very full bed lmao. Funnier yet because I think all three of them are the type to cling in their sleep when they have someone else beside them. They're just weird sea creatures used to small comfy spaces

I actually haven't thought about this! Honestly I think that would be really cool! Or even if he found that he had a specific shade range of color blindness as a human- though I could see Jade and Floyd taking advantage of that by doing something like giving him the wrong color shirt to wear that day or something lmao

Though you also reminded me! Eels also have terrible eyesight! So I've seen people both having the headcanon that the twins wear contacts, and also the headcanon that Azul needs glasses now because he did a deal to give part of his vision to both of them

Honestly it's really cool to think about! I don't know which headcanons here I like the most, but I love seeing them

Okay honestly I absolutley have to draw this because I LOVE this idea and part of why I'm answering this is to mentally catalogue that I need to draw this lmao

I also love this idea! Like at lunch, after classes before they go to work at the lounge, and after the lounge closes up for the night it just becomes the twins' gossip hour lmao

Because yeah they do spend a lot of time together, but they're still apart a lot, and there's no way they're not telling each other about all the nonsense they're getting up to once they meet back up

DBSISNSK DONT CRY LMAO I got a handful of questions about Niles I want to try to touch on here

Absolutley he wouldn't mind helping anyone set up games on their computer lmao, especially if it's a hard to get visual novel that he's a fan of because he's the type to want everyone to play and love the games he loves

He's definitely dropped hundreds of hours into "creature crossing" with one of those islands with tons of customization and cute shit, and his "island creatures" are mostly cats with a couple dogs and the pegasus LMAO

Also while he's not directly inspired by any specific character, since he's in Ignihyde he does have a little Greek mythos theming and has some inspiration from Eros, which is also why he's very "love" themed/romantic

OH MAN I'm actually not 100% sure which moray I think the twins would be, I'd have to look more into them specifically

But I did want to mention that my idiot self is tempted to make Yet Another Oc (though I probably won't post this one since I feel very oc heavy already) that's also a moray- but specifically a snowflake just because wow I want to make a design around the coloration they have 😭

ALSO!!! Regarding Eel Anon!

I wasn't able to screenshot everything you sent but it was absolutley fun hearing about the dorm idea you have!! I love hearing about new dorm concepts and I've seen a couple nightmare before christmas dorms so it's neat to see the different ideas people have! Also no way do Eri and Rika sound like knock offs of the twins lmao they both sound really fun and I like how they juxtapose one another- also how you have their whole family worked out??? It just reminded me I need to do some more backstory work for my group lmao but honestly it was really cool reading about them so don't even worry about long asks or anything!

#ask #anonymous #felix-the-lemon-king #verticalsea #freedfromthedark #echoversit #eel anon #mint rambles

[cloudcountry]

i created my own ikemen wrapped for 2023. this is how i feel about the routes i played by the end of the year!!

this isnt spoiler free so tread carefully!!

IKEMEN VAMPIRE!!

im sorry jean you would have had a higher rating if i DIDN'T play your route. i'm mostly neutral towards a lot of them but i ADORE the top four. it becomes even funnier when you realize that the top four are the only ones whose routes i have completed.

i played isaac's route twice, shakespeare's route twice, vincent's route once, and arthur's route once. i started comte's route only to drop it, and i am currently on jean's route!! i did not diversify my suitors at all JAHSJASGHD

a memorable thing about each suitor i played this year:

one thing i remember about isaac is when he started to fall in love with her, the scene in the church when he tied that ribbon in her hair. i nearly choked when he called her darling, he was smiling so sweetly and holding her so close. it was such a tender scene.

( honorable mention to that certain fanart i was tagged in so many times that the op called me a true isaac lover or something along those lines. it made me really happy that so many people, even people i didn't know, knew how much i adore him. )

for will, my most memorable moment of him was when i realized i loved him after playing vincent's route. i hadn't cried that hard over a character's misfortune in a while, but will's always been good at giving me a rollercoaster of emotions.

( honorable mention to vio calling my love for will blinding, ive thought about it a lot ever since she said that C: )

my most memorable moment of vincent was when he tried so hard to make mc genuinely smile on her first few days in the mansion. he didn't want her to feel uncomfortable so he tried his absolute best to make sure she could be herself and be happy. he really is an angel.

for arthur, it is one hundred percent his apology to mc for almost biting her. i've never seen him look more like a sad puppy in my five months of playing and honestly, it was so nice to see him reflecting on his actions and actually being able to admit his feelings (since we know arthur isnt the best with that.)

( once again, honorable mention to my enemies to lovers arc with this man. he's really not as bad as he appears, he is one of the most tender hearted and sweet men in the whole game. give him a chance if your heart allows it!! )

even though i'm not done with either comte's or jean's route, comte's most memorable moment was when he called the mc strong in chapter one. it was nice too see someone acknowledge her situation and try their best to help her instead of biting her. side eye.

and on that note, i'm sorry jean but your most memorable moment is the only one that made me angry. i hate that he bit her and i hate that the writing just skipped past it like it meant nothing. im blaming this on the writing itself because i believe jean's route is a good route so far, but it would have been so much better if it had a different beginning. but if i pick one that was actually wholesome, i'd say whenn he took her to the field of lilies and said the flowers were very her.

i started playing on july 2nd, 2023!! and what a journey it has been ^^

IKEMEN PRINCE!!

my first route was yves!! i wanted to play licht's first but people talked me out if it because his route is HEAVY!! i ended up playing rio's, then licht's, then nokto's, then i played about halfway through clavis's before keith's route was released. i played keith's route twice and then hopped back over to clavis, and i'm currently finishing up his route!!

a memorable thing about each suitor i played this year:

when mc chased after yves when he was leaving for obsidian just to tell him she loved him i was SCREAMING. i remember really admiring how much strength it must have taken to go to the kingdom that abandoned you.

for rio, it was 100% the discussion he had with nokto about how he doesn't want to be with mc because he might put her in danger by being with her, but ultimately he can't help himself. that was such a good insight into his character.

licht's route was. intense. and because of that it was packed with moments that i agonized over. but overall, i think what nokto told mc about how the closer she got to licht, the more she was hurting him stuck with me the most. it really showcased the bond between the twins and sent a knife through my heart :C

i actually forgot i played nokto's route and skipped right over him, and that probably says a lot LMAO oops. honestly i thought his route's pacing was weird but the romantic ending was very cute. the most memorable moment from his route wasnt even a cute one HELP!!! when mc straight up slapped him for no reason and he was like "oh so slapping me helps you huh??" and she was like " :(( no...." and then they made out like WHAT!!!

clavis is also a very memorable person, and after spending a lot of time analyzing him i know why so many people love him now. something that really stuck with me was his philosophy on government and how the current ruler decides whats right and wrong. i think the same about people in power so it was nice to see my sentiments reflected in a prince.

oooh its time for my favorite prince!! keith also had a lot of memorable moments and ive been sitting here for like ten minutes trying to pick out the best ones.

for nice keith, i'd say the moment when he told mc he would try his best to stop saying "a guy like me" and "i'm sorry" over and over. it really touched me because i know how hard it is to break that habit and it made me really happy when he said he'd try ^^

wicked keith was such a TEASE but the most memorable moment with him was when he and mc went out to that cafe and he actually answered a lot of her questions. i know that may seem trival but it felt like a sigh of trust to me and that felt really sweet.

( honorable mention to the scene were they gave mc the earrings they picked out for her during the christmas event, i actually cried. )

i started playing on july 11th, 2023!!

IKEMEN REVOLUTION!!

my first route was kyle ash and honestly i'd say for a guy i don't like romantically his route was very memorable. he's a great first route and if anyone is a bit indecisive as to who they want to pick i'd definitely recommend him!! ANYWAYS moving on, i played harr's route next, then edgar, zero, jonah, then i tried playing ray's but he was being stinky so i started lancelot's route.

a memorable thing about each suitor i played this year:

like i said, kyle had one of the best route i've ever read. listen to vivi aka the ikerev authority people. i remember lots of bits and pieces from his route, such as his determination to keep people alive, his pig goo, mc making him soup so he wouldnt drink himself to sleep, his gentle care for her once he figured out he liked her, how he pointed out the full moon and told her she could go home and was happy when she chose to stay, how he waited until everything was over to let her know how he felt, how he DIDNT DRINK on the night he wanted to make love to her, OUOTUOROUGUOUROHGH IM TELLING YOU HIS ROUTE WAS TOP TIER. but the thing that stood out to me the most was how him and mc worked together to save amon, and furthermore, to uphold kyle's principles. it was so heartwarming when mc told him to stick to what he believed in (even if i wanted to punch amon's teeth out during that scene)

i would keep talking about kyle's route but i have to move!! on!! because harr's route was peak domesticity. the first time he took his mask off in front of mc is one of my favorite moments (i actually did a happy little dance when i saw the other half of his face ehhe) because it shows such beautiful trust in her and arghgougohugo INSANE.

the most memorable moment of edgar's route was absolutely when he was so hesitant to let alice hold his hands, but when she takes them so comments on how warm they are. it was such an emotional moment because edgar was definitely feeling very complicated but alice was still there for him. i love them together :((

( honorable mention to vio saying i was alice reincarnated when i talked about that scene were they were all calling sweets evil LMAO that made me very giddy ^^ )

( second honorable mention to edgar asking mc if she thought pickles were a wolf in sheep's clothing??? weirdo. )

i was intrigued by zero all the way back in harr's route, and i started to really like him during edgar's route when he was trying his best to protect mc, which was really sweet. absoLUTELY the most memorable moment in his route was when he was fighting against the magic tower and he emerges from the rubble with an injured arm and a smile, just to tell alice "i'm home." i was crying like a BABY. zero i love you. please marry me.

jonah's route is a classic and a fan favorite, and i can see why. he starts out being arrogant and hell (and its irritating tbh) BUT he melts so quickly under gentle love and care. anyways, the red army routes seem to have a theme of giving up your position for what you believe is right because it happened like three times okay!! and jonah became a "traitor" to the red army just to protect alice. it was him and her against cradle and i will NEVER forget that.

lancelot's first impression was really bad but after playing all the red army routes and finally, his own route, i've grown to like him a lot. what really sticks out to me about his route is when he takes mc away from the dance floor because they're being stared at and they have a heart to heart. he tells you a single white rose would suit her or smth along those lines and when i looked up the meaning and saw it meant hope and renewal i DIED.

i started playing on july 27th, 2023!!

IKEMEN SENGOKU!!

my first route for sengoku was mitsunari, then kenshin, then kennyo, then sasuke, then kanetsugu, then yoshimoto. the only routes that didn't bore me to death at the end were mitsunari's, kennyo's (i was actually shocked when the route ended, it felt like the perfect length to me), and sasuke's. i can't speak for yoshimoto though since i just started. i feel like ikesen has a tendency to reallyyyy stretch out the routes but maybe thats just me.

a memorable thing about each suitor i played this year:

mitsunari was such a good first route for me, and the most memorable part of his route was definitely when he challenged nobunaga for mc. not only was it unexpected but i was so proud of him for betting so much on his plan AHGRHGG mitsunari my beloved.

kenshin's route was crazy but EASILY the best part was when mc rode into battle with an army of her own to stop kenshin from FLATTENING the country. she kicked ASS and earned the title "goddess of war" for what she did and that was so cool of her.

i played kennyo's route because of the parallels between him and kenshin and WOW i did not regret it. his route was phenomenal but the most memorable part was when mc and him buried the bell that kennyo had kept with him to remind him of all the lives he felt he was at fault for losing. it symbolized finally letting those people have their peace, and furthermore, kennyo's inner peace. it was beautiful.

sasuke really got me when he THREW himself into battle with kenshin after kenshin lied about him and mc liking each other. sasuke's desperation to let her know that he couldn't stand her being with someone else made my heart RACE. it was so nice to see a suitor finally being on the more "selfish" side.

kanetsugu's route had the Wonderful experience of mc carrying a head!! a decapitated head!! and while i'm sure he has a lot of cute moments (one of them being when he told mc he loved her and she FREAKED OUT) I CANNOT GET OVER MC PICKING UP A DECAPITATED HEAD LIKE ITS NOTHING!!! shes a trooper.

yoshimoto's route gives you the unique (and memorable!!) experience of a warlord actually viewing you as a friend instead of an enemy!! (keep in mind this is coming from someone who has only played ONE oda forces route. im constantly on the "enemy side" oops) i thought his mindset was very refreshing after months of "oh nooo we cant see each other we're enemiesssss"

i started playing on july 27th, 2023!!

this took me so long to write oh my goodness. it was fun though!! im thinking about how all of this information is only five months worth of playing so i dont know how im going to handle TWELVE MONTHS PLUS A NEW GAME but i'll figure it out. i might leave the fandom before then idk!! who knows!! but anyways thank you if you read my thoughts i love sharing them even though i know its a lot hehehe

#ikemen wrapped for sillies!! #ugh i loev keeping track of things #organization my beloved #auburn talks ikevamp <3 #auburn talks ikepri <3 #auburn talks ikesen <3 #auburn talks ikerev <3

[ruthlesslistener]

your tags on the blindfolded bottle-on-ceiling-fan thing actually have me haunted in the best way possible. If PK actually was able to open up to his kids they would gain the dark knowledge that this man is a complete dweeb. "we are of the impression hornet is cheating" he says, completely deadpan, getting hit in the face a fifth time by a hollowed gourd stuck to a ventilation shaft. they're testing new technology and it's very important.

video in question is here!

YES awkward parental bonding with PK and his kids is the BEST- mostly because, like you said, the whole 'regal, cold, distant person who somehow contributed genetically to their creation' aura would very quickly be worn down to a realization that their dad is sort of really quite terrible at being a person, and that him seeming so put-together and in-control is really just because he's accidentally very, very good at hiding this fact. And, well, he's always either in his workshops or busy being King of Hallownest, so it's not like they've ever been around him long enough to figure that out. Maybe Hollow has, but they're only marginally more socialized than he is/practically grew up as his shadow, so they don't really have much context for that sort of thing.

To make the matter even funnier, the concept of 'testing new technology' would likely be an elaborate cover-up on PK's end to try to awkwardly play a reflex-honing game with his children under the excuse that the ventilation fan should be spinning at x rotations per second, which means that they should theoretically all be able to duck the hollowed gourd without looking at it, and if they are incapable of doing such then that would indicate an error in his construction. It's a very hollow excuse, of course, because PK never makes errors in simple engineering work and would never do something so ridiculous to test that theory...but, well, if he's got the time to bond with his children, then he's likely attempting to right old wrongs, so going along with it can't be too terrible. It's better than hiding away in the White Palace, at least, and it makes Hollow happy, so Hornet has no choice but to begrudgingly oblige.

So they play said game, with everyone expecting for it to be a stiff and awkward affair- only for PK to completely misjudge the length of his own horns, and to somehow get millennia of sightless spacial awareness tripped up because he's just a tad less used to navigating blind in this form than he would in his old wyrm body. Hollow and Ghost are delighted by this (they were disqualified preemptively on the grounds that void beings are capable of 'seeing' the difference in the empty space where the gourd isn't and how that's changing with the seconds), and Hornet is trying very very hard not break into laughter and let her father know that she's actually somewhat enjoying an activity that he suggested

PK, on the other hand, is utterly perplexed by this. He expected this made-up game of his to be a useful sort of instinct-honing activity for his children, much in the way pouncing on toys or playing tag is a great way to hone hunting skills, and instead he is being bonked repeatedly in the horns because he was so preoccupied with his newly-formed hands after his rebirth that he never thought changing his way of mentally mapping places without sight would be useful.

At least the children are happy, though. There's a first for anything.

#ganymedesclock #hollow knight #the pale king #the hollow knight #little ghost #awkward family bonding with the worlds worst parents (pk and wl) is super fun to imagine #reply #lurien probably already knew pk was a massive dweeb but he always tried to keep a straight face when hornet complained #bc he had to be the Responsible Adult:tm: who told her it was rude to be mean to her dad #now he's reading off Hollow's signs and struggling not to break face bc of it

[fungusry]

MAFIA of MONSTERS?? Tell me more 👀 👀 👀

OHOHOHO YOU JUST OPENED A CAN OF WORMS, BUDDY!

I’m going to put this under a read-more because I’ve got a lot to rattle off!

The Monster Mafia is exactly that: a group of monsters that engage in organized crime! They operate in New Haven, a heavily magically-influenced city that's home to a whole plethora of magical creatures dubbed “Monsters”.

Marx Spinnerrett, who l just answered an ask about, is our lovable protagonist, a country boy with a heart of gold that was accidentally hired by said mafia. The story (which I desperately need to write) follows his misadventures as he comes to term with his new lifestyle.

He’s also technically immortal, but that’s a whole ‘nother story.

I have at least 16 other members designed!

Anna Bychkov-Devereux is a bull-like Monster that was born in Russia. She immigrated to New Haven when she was only a teenager and ended up becoming a pit fighter (which is how she lost her right eye). Joined the Monster Mafia not too long after! She’s a professional boxer now and is married to Sophia Bychkov-Devereux :)

Sophia Bychkov-Devereux is a squid-like Monster that was born in France. She immigrated to New Haven after graduating from college and pursued a profession in law, where she was adopted into the Monster Mafia as a master of finances. She’s married to Anna and is actually her accountant!

Jin Vertebræ is the bartender/owner of the Black Rose, a bar where the Monster Mafia base their operations! No one actually knows much about their background, but some people have spread the rumor that they used to be human, but became a Monster after living in New Haven for too long. Nobody asks, though. Last person that did ended up on the bar’s menu.

Holly Hammerhands is an autistic Monster and talented surgeon! She was recruited by the Monster Mafia sometime in her twenties for her skills and has been an indispensable member ever since. She’s blind and senses the world around her my clacking and grinding her teeth, as well as making different clicking/squeaking noises. Also kicks ass at darts.

Sinclair Hammerhands is Holly’s adopted Monster daughter, who was left on her doorstep as a baby! She isn’t necessarily a member of the Monster Mafia, but happily claims she will be one day. Holly does not like this claim. She’s a big fan of picking locks and getting into places where she shouldn’t be.

George and Lenny Slithera are a pair of conjoined, snake-like Monsters often referred to by the rest of the Monster Mafia as “Snake-Eyes”! They bicker constantly and are pretty unreliable as a result. Pretty good at playing Poker and Craps, but that’s probably because they work ok tandem cheat.

Tobias Thunderhorn is a beetle-like Monster that works with his parents as a butcher. He’s a sweet guy, really, and would actually rather be a baker! Never really tells anybody that, though, since they’d just poke fun at the guy.

Charlie Caine is a worm-like Monster that functions as the Monster Mafia’s primary loanshark! Most of the time she works at a local strip joint as a standup comedian. Her sense of humor is absolutely atrocious and consists mostly of dark/immoral jokes. She’s essentially what happens when you season a tapeworm.

Mortimer Sporestool is a fungus-like Monster that owns a casino! He used to sell used cars and scam people out of their money when he was younger. Smells like cigar smoke and always keeps cards hidden in his sleeves. Do not take bets from this man.

Travis Valentino is a burlesque dancer! He acts as an informant for the Monster Mafia, in a way, since he tends to... get around. Ever since Marx moved to New Haven he’s been all over him, but it’s all been a harmless little game, really. Mostly.

Willow Waxing is a Monster made out of wax that works for New Haven City Hall as a receptionist! She’s smarter than she lets on to be and is incredibly ruthless in the workforce. Snacks on candles like they’re Hershey’s Kisses.

Greta Folter is a goat-like Monster that films “home movies” as a source of income, and by “home movies” I mean snuff films, which is why she’s a part of the Monster Mafia to begin with. Certified MILF hunter. Likes a woman who can kick her ass.

“Tío” Tony Umbraluto is actually the big bad bastard in charge of the Monster Mafia! He’s a slime Monster, with all of that goop kinda wrapped up in a dark, congealed skin. Was groomed into assuming the mantle as a child by his parents and filled that role well. He’s incredibly charming and compassionate in the public eye, since he works in City Hall as the mayor’s aide, but is ruthless and cutthroat behind the scenes. Unsure of whether or not to murder Marx and bury his remains under a construction site.

Thomas Umbraluto is Tony’s twin brother and Marx’s love interest! He works at a joint called the “Sanguine Café” as the vocalist of a jazz band. Defected from his parent’s demands to join the Monster Mafia when he was of age; led to a horrible split between him and the rest of his family. He can’t stand being around Tony anymore, five minutes in a room together and they’ll start throwing hands.

Ennard Blackthorne Copperfield Mirrormask is a marionette-like Monster that owns his own magic shop, called “Ennard’s Enchantments”! He’s more of an affiliate of the Monster Mafia, supplying illegal magical items and things like that. Most of the time, he’s either experimenting with black magic or ripping holes in the fabric of reality. It’s fine.

Borris Crowfoot, last but not least, is a bird-like Monster and the chief of the New Haven Police Department! He’s a dirty cop and often risks his career to aid the Monster Mafia (probably forced into joining the family against his will when he was younger). Has two little girls and is recently divorced since his wife discovered she was a lesbian and it’s funnier than her being dead.

#thanks so much for asking! it felt good drawing them all together again too! #ask #the-worm-man #maddy draws #oc junk

[queer-cosette]

Miraculous OC: How Carlotta Sugrue-Dupain has developed since I last posted about her

I was inspired by @gale-of-the-nomads‘s post about his character Arséne Manachot! Only this ended up a lot longer than his post because I am Wordy.

Description:

As Carlotta: Carlotta got the Dupain height; she’s 5′11 with waist-length dark brown wavy hair with shorter curls around her face that is always very well-kept. She has very naturally tanned brown skin and is covered in freckles from head to toe. She’s curvy and has toned calves and biceps; she’s an excellent swimmer and got her scuba-diving certificate as soon as she could. Her eyes are dark brown with blue flecks, giving them a violet appearance in certain lighting. She’s covered in small scars from various old injuries and treats them like a badge of honour; her favourites are the one on her right cheek and the one on the left side of her chest from her collarbone to the bottom of her ribcage. She's very near sighted; she suffered CRAOs (Central Retinal Artery Occlusion) in both eyes as a small child and has spent some periods of her life (months at a time) mostly blind in both eyes. She only bothers wearing glasses in class though. She dresses almost exclusively in crop tops, knee-length cargo shorts, and converse. She always wears stripy knee socks. She has piercings in her right eyebrow, the left side of her nose, her tongue, and her belly button, and often wears sparkly earrings.

As Cachalotte: Her hair is up in a high ponytail with a white ribbon that sticks up like a whale spout. She has a single purple highlight, and her ponytail is tied near the bottom so the end splits like a whale tail. She wears a black leotard with attached gloves, silver fishnet tights, and black thigh-high boots with purple soles. On top she wears a grey sleeveless zippered vest with a long coattail that ends in a whale tail; it has purple lining and the bodice is decorated with two thin white stripes. She also has small purple shoulder pads styled to look like Sperm Whale fins and doubling as extra armour. Her Miraculous is a silver S-shaped hairslide made to look like a whale’s blowhole, and is decorated with five violet gems that turn black when not transformed. Her mask extends down over her cheeks to hide her scar; it’s grey with a black stripe across the top and black eyelids.

Personality:

Carlotta is deeply caring about those important to her; she would throw herself in harm’s way to protect her loved ones without a second thought. She doesn’t tend towards thinking things through; she is wild and impulsive and stubborn, and only thinks about the immediate future rather than any consequences. In spite of her caring nature she can be extremely selfish on occasion.

She gets along well with most people; she’s good at making stories funnier than they actually were (even if they’re disgusting) and has a very infectious laugh. Despite coming from a fairly wealthy family (they have a yacht) she’s grown to dislike ostentatious shows of wealth, and her only real personal splurges are a nice skateboard (she loves skating) and her beloved purple electric violin.

Speaking of, she loves music! She plays violin well and is a pretty good singer. She loves Spanish pop music especially. She’ll often sing with her little sister Génevieve, and harmonise with her. Génevieve’s the really good singer though; the whole family expects to see her in an opera some day.

Siblings! She has three younger ones: Génevieve and Juan-Miguel Jr (twins four years younger than her), and Victoire, who is thirteen years younger than Carlotta and nine years younger than the twins. Besides singing with Génevieve, Carlotta dotes on Victoire and shares a sense of humour with Juan-Miguel (the family joker), but like all sibling relationships her friendship with the twins is either ‘I’ll help you hide the body’ or ‘don’t even breathe at me’. Being older, with the twins being each others’ natural playmate, Carlotta’s closest family friendship is with her paternal cousin Marinette, who is only three months younger than her. Since Carlotta moved from Asturias, Spain to Paris, they hang out pretty often and Carlotta is quickly integrated into the class group.

Carlotta’s fatal flaw is her single-mindedness; when she’s set her mind to something she’ll go through hell to get it with no regard to her personal safety or often the feelings of others. Marinette, Tom, Sabine, and Carlotta’s own parents (Juan-Miguel Sugrue and Vivienne Dupain) are the exceptions to Carlotta’s disregard; she’ll stop if they tell her to. Recently, there are two more people Carlotta has started listening to - Luka Couffaine and the whale Kwami Klikk.

As Cachalotte, she started out as a bit of a Dark Knight: a protector in shadow, who tries to work behind the scenes to reach justice - unfortunately, she was oblivious to City Justice and Law Justice, and more concerned with settling personal scores. Then after a few incidents involving some classmates, Marinette clocked onto her identity and told her to cut out her bullshit or she would personally hand the Whale Miraculous back to the Guardians. Since then, Cachalotte has aided Ladybug and Chat Noir when she thinks they need it, and approaches battles with her normal singlemindedness that becomes utter focus on the situation at hand.

The Guardians have yet to try and retrieve the Whale Miraculous; they believe it to be lost forever at sea. The truth is, a thousand years ago the previous wielder drowned, and the Miraculous became lodged in a living Sperm Whale’s tooth. The Miraculous unintentionally caused the whale wild longevity until it became dislodged a few months ago, and the whale beached in England. Carlotta’s father, as one of the leading cetologists involved in the unbelievable discovery of the thousand-year-old whale, sent it to María as a gift, not realising what it was.

Powers and Abilities:

As Carlotta:

Carlotta is fairly powerfully built for a girl; while she’s no professional weightlifter she can hold her own in a fight against even a faster or more agile opponent. Being a sibling has taught her to wait for the moment to strike to deliver the most powerful blow. She’s also sharp-minded and good with noticing and remembering details in stories, personalities, and habits (actual visual details, not so much). She’s deeply informed on cetology, top of the class at general biology, and pretty good at motion physics. In fact, there are few school subjects besides chemistry that Carlotta doesn’t excel at. When it comes to sports, she’s an amazing swimmer, beyond average at strength sports, above average at gymnastics, and a fast runner. (But she falls apart at sports that require good aim or precision such as basketball or fencing.) She’s also a very good skateboarder, although not great at tricks beyond ollies and going down stairs. With decent lighting and reasonably large text, she’s a fast reader.

As Cachalotte:

Carlotta’s strength, flexibility, agility and speed are upgraded, like all Miraculous wielders. Her style of fighting is similar to her civilian style - fists, kicks, and waiting for the right moment to strike. She rarely uses her weapon to aid her in a fight except to get where she wants to go; originally the Whale Miraculous came with a harpoon gun, but since Cachalotte has no need for one (and also, given her love of whales, rather dislikes the thought of using it) it upgraded into a grappling gun á la Kim Possible. It matches her costume, with a fin-styled purple handle, a grey gun with zig-zagging white stripes, and a silver grappling hook that, like Ladybug’s yoyo and Queen Bee’s spinning top, has an infinitely long and unbreakable string. She prefers to dodge an attack rather than deflect it. 

Special Ability: “CODA!”

Echolocation. To use, the user must think of what they wish to find in the fight - the weak point, the area their opponent will be next, their opponent’s power source - even the best path for the user to use themselves. In use, the user’s eyes glow purple and they see the thing they want to find highlighted in purple light, invisible to anyone else. The glow only appears for ten seconds maximum, and at its weakest (if the user is badly injured or as an adult after multiple uses) only three seconds.

Whale Add-Ons:

Qualities unique to the Whale Miraculous include mega-upgraded pain tolerance, resistance to air/water/magic pressure, and super-long-range hearing, only beaten out by the Rabbit Miraculous.

Klikk

Carlotta’s beloved Sperm Whale-themed Kwami companion. She is the Kwami of Lost Things. Klikk is rather mischievous, and can tend to encourage some of Carlotta’s more reckless behaviour (like, um, the time Cachalotte ran headfirst at a brick wall to see if she could leave a human-shaped hole like in a cartoon) (spoiler alert: she couldn’t and broke her nose) (which made Carlotta very glad she did it as Cachalotte and not as Carlotta like originally planned) but ultimately gives pretty good advice when María needs it. Transforms at the words “Klikk, Flukes Up!” and detransforms with “Klikk, Flukes Down!”. Klikk likes to hide in Carlotta’s hair, and despite loving physical contact, Carlotta refuses to let people touch her hair for Klikk’s safety. Klikk enjoys Blue Planet, cuddles, and deep-fried calamari.

#long post #coco writes #carlotta sugrue-dupain #original character #original miraculous #whale miraculous au #whale miraculous #miraculous ladybug #miraculous fanworks

[enigma-im]

More Than Just a Line of Code Pt.1

Robot x Female Character. Tracey Romero recieves a bot from her Auntie Carol. Little does she know that he isnt just some everyday house bot.

Rating: Teen Relationship: Robot X Female!Human Warning: fluff, exposure of genitals, pg13 at most, robot and human relationships

Word Count: 3835

Part 2

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

I walk up the steps to my two-story bungalow. Juggling the keys in one hand while adjusting the phone against my ear.

"Two weeks, tops! You can’t expect me to give you quality when you take away my clock," I chided. I unlock the door and head inside. The voice on the other end rants out some excuses and reprimands. It was idle threats, just some big dog talk. I throw the keys onto the side table, missing the bowl I bought for them.

I roll my eyes as I toe my shoes off," Let me explain how this will work if I do what you are asking. First, I will be rushed, I’ll work late with a fishbowl of coffee beside me at all times. Then after about three nights of this, I'm going to get sloppy. Which for me is still really good work but it’s not the best. I always promise my best but only if you work with me on this. So I ask you, do you want it done or do you want it done perfect?". I waited in the foyer for his answer. I already knew what he was going to say. No one wants subpar work, it’s understandable. He is paying big money for my expertise and it would be foolish of him to deny me now.

After a moment I heard the beautiful sound of his begrudging approval. I fist pump, "Two weeks and you will have the best software on this side of the Mississippi. The Tracey Romero guarantee.". With a few words, I hang up. I smirk down at my phone before shoving it into my pocket and walking to the kitchen.

I shimmy around the kitchen, dancing to my own music." I got the extend, I got the extend," I sing. I grab some bread and make myself a sandwich while still patting myself on the back.

I didn’t need the extend, his software was mostly done already. His team did a great job. It just needed some touching up then to be properly tested. Take about two afternoons at the most. I just wanted to go on break and get paid for it. Call me a con, it’s just a living.

-

As I sat at my computer, I heard the chimes of my security system. Then the quick thuds from the front door. I huffed as I pulled up my front door camera. I saw my front porch and a man walking away from the steps to a van.

"Someone has a package," I quirked to no one. I hopped off the chair and headed to the front door. Once I opened the door, I looked down at a huge box crate. It was as generic as they came, even had the large text of the word 'Fragile" on every side.

"Well, I have no idea how to move this," I mumbled as I tried to push it with my foot. It was heavy for sure. I bent over to try to pick it up, but it mostly just hurt my back. Rubbing my spine I pondered how to get this thing inside.

I would consider myself smart, maybe even a genius. I was a straight-A student, graduated top of my class at CMU in Pittsburgh. So using my beautiful mind I came up with a way to move the box. I pushed it inside.

Using a pry bar in my foyer to open the crate. The nails were removed smoothly, and the lid slid to the floor. Looking inside I first noticed a large black dome near my knees. Looking down from there I saw a large trapezoid shape then the rest was submerged in the shredded bits of cardboard. After a few moments of observing I figured out what it was.

"Of hell yea, it’s a robot," I shouted with giddy. I dropped to my knees and shoved my hands around the head. In most standard bipedal robots the on switch was near the neck. Right towards the faceplate. "Come on, momma wants to play with her new toy," I chuckle. With a flick, the faceplate turned on in a blinding light. It switched off quickly but still left me seeing stars. I jerk back when it jolted forward. It sat up straight then the soft sound of buzzing echoed in the room. I waited patiently for their system to boot up.

I got off my knees and walked around to watch it. Its face was blank, it just had the reflection of light. Showing off the dust and pieces of cardboard it laid in. getting bored I looked over at the lid to see who sent me a full robot. Even though robots are common it didn’t mean they were inexpensive. I make good money; I live very comfortably. Still buying a robot would set me back and make me eat nothing but microwave dinners for a month.

As I found that it is my aunt who sent it, I noticed the bot was staring at me. I turned at looked up at them and still, their faceplate showed nothing. I waved at them as I sat up. To my amusement, they waved back, but more jerky motions.

"Do you talk," I ask.

It dropped its hand, "Yes."

"Then mind introducing yourself," I smile. Its head tilted to the side for a second then back to normal. It faces plate lit up with a standard face. It was cartoony but it was most likely meant to be comforting. No one wants a robot with a mean-looking face. It smiled wide at me then dropped it to neutral. I quirked an eyebrow and they copied me. "You copying me," I chuckle.

"imitating, but yes," he answers. His voice isn't obstructed like in most bots. It sounds basically human, normal even.

"semantics, either way, I'm Tracey. Who might you be,” I greet. I try to coax them into introducing themselves.

"You are very appealing," they look me up and down.

I snap my fingers catching their attention," Getting off track, doll. Name please."

"Yes, I am D-4N1-3L," they finally introduce. I mumble out their text to myself.

"Daniel," I offer. They nod. "Alright, Daniel, do you mind if I call you a he?"

"He," he cocks his head.

"Give ya male pronouns. Or would you rather them/they," I clarify.

"He," they repeat, "I'm a man."

"Alright then Daniel, shall we get you out of that box," I stand and offer a hand. He looks at it before cautiously grabbing it. I don’t need to offer actual help because he stands on his own. He steps out of the crate and I get a good look at him. His build is standard if not a bit retro. Most robots I've seen are completely covered in their shielding plastic. Hiding all of their technical bits. Yet he has his joints exposed and everything else covered. His neck showed his wiring and the air cylinder that limits his neck movement. To anyone else, he would look like junk, some outdated pieces of hardware. But to me, oh to me he looks terrific.

-

I leaned against the island in the kitchen, watching as he wanders around. He snoops through my cabinets, investigating everything he finds. I look down at my phone that's ringing near my arm. I have set out to call my aunt about Daniel. I placed it on speakerphone so Daniel could listen if he felt inclined to.

After the fifth ring, she picks up. "Whose got three thumbs and is excited you called? This aunt," there was a confused pause," This would be funnier if you saw me, I'm holding a thumb right now. Either way what's up Chica?"

"If I didn’t know you were a mechanic id assume the worst about that severed thumb you are presumably holding," I eye Daniel as I answer. He was currently messing with the microwave. Pressing buttons and jumping when he turned it on.

"besides my possible dismemberment what do I owe this pleasure," She asks. In the background, I could hear some loud tinging noises. Probably in her workshop, or she does in fact have a human finger. Then probably a different workshop if that were the case.

"Well, I’ll give you a hint," I lean on my elbow.

"Oh goodie, I love games. Three hints," she chuckles.

I can’t help but chuckle as well, "alright three hints. Its long, hard, and came in a box."

"Tracey," She scolds, " I don’t believe you should talk about that kind of thing with your aunt. It seems more like a mother conversation."

"I don’t know, mom would be upset that I have him in the house," I answer vaguely.

"Oh, batteries not included? Who needed powered boyfriends when you can get the real thing," She jokes.

I shake my head," we both know battery-operated is better. Humans don’t tend to vibrate.". This caught Daniel's attention.

"I can vibrate," He informs pointing to his face.

"I'm sure you can, doll," I look up at him.

"And who is that," my aunt asks.

"My new boyfriend, best model out there. Even has same-day delivery," I joke. Daniel cocks his head and his electronic eyebrows furrow.

"A robot," she asks before it clicks," Right! The robot, god I'm a terrible creator. How could I forget my baby boy."

"Terrible mother indeed," I click my tongue," tsk, tsk. Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of him.". I look up at Daniel again and give him a wink. He turns his head as a pink color shines from his screen. "Aw, he blushes," I coo.

"Of course he blushes, he has a full range of emotions. My best work if I do say so myself," she pats herself on the back," Practically human."

"So it’s an A.I.," I ask," here I thought I was getting a butler. But I shouldn’t be so disappointed, I got a new friend instead."

Daniel turns his head to look at me," friend? I thought I was your boyfriend."

"We can talk about that later, doll," I answer.

"Aw, breaking up already. Poor Daniel, only been alive for a year and now he has his first broken heart," My aunt coos.

"We are talking about its later Carol, I'm sure it will be fine," Daniel says to the phone.

"You have me on speaker," My aunt asks, "Hi Daniel darling, how do you like Tracey's place?"

"It is cozy, living here would be most joyous," He answers.

"that’s a great sweetie. be nice to Tracey, ok?"

Daniel cocks his head," Why wouldn’t I be anything but?"

"No reason, sorry I doubted you," She apologizes.

"Well, I'm going to get off. Just making sure that you did indeed send me a bot. you can never be too sure," I call out.

"Oh absolutely. Love you baby, take good care of him. He is a sensitive bot, you may forget that he is more than a robot sometimes," She warns.

"Goodbye Carol," Daniel calls out. With that I press end. I cross my arms and lean forward. We both look each other over, observing in the silence.

"Do we need to talk," He asks with an adorable head tilt.

"About what," I answer with a question.

"Us. Are you breaking up with me?" I can’t help but laugh. This only confused him more.

"We aren't together, Daniel. That was just a joke I made with aunt Carol," I answer. I step away from the table and walk around to the fridge.

Daniel stepped away from the table as well and laces his fingers together. It was interesting, robots generally don’t have nervous ticks or idiosyncrasies. Auntie did a good job with him.

"Well, that I won’t lie and say that I'm unfavorable to that," He dropped his head. I was a bit confused about his reaction. He is a strange robot.

"You want to date," I ask. What did she program into this guy? It got my brain moving, how could anyone get a robot to seem so human. Most had applications built in to pretend to empathize with someone, but this was too detailed.

He looked up with a wide expression," Yes."

"Why?"

Daniel looks me up and down before walking over. He takes a hold of my hands and intertwines them.

"You are very appealing," He mimics his earlier words. I pull my hands from his and stare up at him confused. A strange robot indeed.

-

I sit at my computer with my legs crossed. I hunch over my keyboard and stare with my mouth partially opened. I'm working on pulling up Daniel's code and programs. He is currently hooked up to my tower with a bunch of cables. He is sitting patiently, if not happily, against the wall. His 'eyes' were darting around the room, taking in all the area has to offer.

"What is a battery-operated boyfriend," He cuts the silence. I jerk away from the computer, not use to having someone around in my office.

"what? Why do you ask," I blush.

His eyes focus on me, "you said it earlier, I was curious. Technically I'm a battery-operated boyfriend but I'm assuming it isn't me you were referencing."

I can’t help but smile," I guess you are a battery-operated boyfriend. But you are correct, I wasn’t referring to you."

"Then what is it," he asks again.

I look back to my computer, "I'm not going to answer that." I glance over at him for a second and see him pouting. Another curious attribute.

-

I stare amazed at the lines and lines of text. His code was so long, even too long. There were programs for such minor things like when to twitch his finger or raise an eyebrow. Looking further I found a curious program label 'Surprise'. Of course, I clicked on it, I'm only human. Looking it over I was nosy to turn the function on.

"Oh, this is new," Daniel mumbles to himself. I look over as he raises his hands from his lap. Looking down I see a protrusion.

"Oh indeed," I say shocked. He was majority matte black with traces of blue deep in his wiring. The protrusion was more on the blue side and had the lining of matte black. It was definitely an eye-catcher.

-

"Why does he have a cock," I nearly shout into the phone.

"Cutting to the chase, I guess. No foreplay, but I'm going to guess there was some if you found this out," My aunt jokes.

"Not funny, I looked through his programs. Also seriously, you named it surprise," I sneer. This was extremely uncalled for. Auntie has always been a mischievous person. Last year she spiked the punch at the family reunion to 'spice up the party'.  But this was too much. "Seriously, you sent me a sex robot? Not to steal your joke from earlier but I feel this would be a better present for mom," I scold. Mom divorced dad about five years ago, this seemed like a better gift to a lonely mother than a 25 y/o.

"First off, ew. I don’t want to think about my sister's sex life a-"

I interrupt her, "And you want to think about mine?"

"Do not use that tone with me. You haven't had a boyfriend since high school, you bury yourself in work. You convinced yourself that it’s enough, fulfilling even. Excuse me for thinking of you. Also, I will make this clear, I made his A.I. as a little side project. He was not for you till after he was made. His personality seemed perfect for you, so sue me for being kind," Carol snapped. I grabbed the bridge of my nose and sighed.

"Fine, I'm sorry. It was kind of you to think of me but It's a bit much that you added such a personal feature," I say calmer.

"I know you will find some use for it, till then please don’t treat him differently for it. I'm sure he doesn’t know what it’s even for," she pleads. I sigh again, this is just weird.

"Alright, I will still take good care of him," I relent. He is but a vessel for my aunt's ignorant kindness.

"I'm sure you will," she laughs.

"Goodbye carol," I hang up. I drop my phone onto the kitchen counter and exhale. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Daniel peaking his head out from my office.

"Are you angry with me," he asks. I look up at him and can’t help but smile.

"Of course not, just surprised," I answer. It was honest, I can’t be mad at him. I've known him for a few hours and I already adore him. He has such wonder for everything around him that makes my jaded self feel humble.

-

A few weeks with Daniel have been both tiring and rejuvenating. He asks so many questions that I gave up answering them and just introduced him to the internet. I got curious one day and checked his history, he goes on a lot of tangents. Now that he can answer his own questions online, he has moved on to asking about myself. He would ask about my interest or my job. Even comment on things he likes about me. For a robot, he was a bit of a flirt. His favorite thing about me was my hands. He said they were 'gentle and talented'.

We currently stood in the kitchen. He watched me as I cooked, he says he enjoys watching my human rituals. He can’t eat so he just likes watching me eat.

I stir the pot of food as I call out to my home bot," Home, play 90's hits." There was a chime then the music began to play softly from the speakers. Daniel looks around the room a bit confused.

"what was that," he asks her.

"My home bot, it controls some electronics around the house like lights or locks," I explain. He nods his head.

I get into the music and shimmy a bit as I finish off my meal. I slide towards my cabinet and pull out a bowl. With a twirl, I slide the bowl to the stove. Shaking my hips I pour a large helping of soup. Another twirl and I turn to Daniel. His face had its pink cheeks and wide-eyed expression. I set my food down and stare curiously. Why was he blushing?

Before I could ask, I caught sight of his blue swelling. I raised my eyebrows in shock and acknowledgment.

"I'm sorry," he stepped closer to the island to hide himself from view.

"N-No needs to be sorry," I stutter," I'm just curious why it decided to make itself known."

He turned his head as he continued blushing," Y-you."

I point to myself," Me?"

He nods, "You w-were dancing around. You have a firm r-rear."

"O-Oh, thank you," I blush. For the time he has been here I have never witnessed his, um, member. Since the first day it has never come up, pun intended, it’s never been noted again.

"Have you ever, um. Have you ever had this happen before," I ask a bit nervous. We have flirted a bit but I'm still off-put of using him. To have a boyfriend was simple, but to fuck him felt wrong. It was a bit taboo to keep a fully functioning robot around as a sex toy. Even if he seemed human, he wasn’t.

"Yes," He answered short.

"When," I look up at him.

"Depends. Sometimes when you bend over, other times when your shirt drops a bit too low. Most the time is when we sit together on the couch," He answers calmer than earlier.

"When we watch movies," I ask. We watch movies every weekend, I never noticed anything. Not that I would be looking at his crotch.

"Yes," He steps around the island and stops on the side. His crotch still blocked but he was in arms reach. "when u start to daze off and you rest your head on my shoulder. I feel the tingle and I want nothing more than to touch you," he smiles. He places his hands on the counter, not moving them but keeping them where they are. Daniel was leaving me to decide.

Daniel is very smart, never doubted it. Yet he still surprises me with his emotional intelligence. It’s easy to program a robot to see patterns or understand words on a paper. To explain an abstract concept like emotions was hard. You can fake it, but it always comes across as wrong, almost psychopathic. In Daniel, it came off as authentic. It felt real, like he honestly felt those things.

I bounce my finger on the counter as I stare at his hands. He still waited on me.

"You want to touch me," I ask softly. I look down at his fingers. One hand was stretched a bit farther than the other. His hand was sideways, his fingers were slightly splayed.

"more than anything," He murmured. His index twitched a bit.

I skidded my fingers across the table and let our fingers tap against each other. He didn’t move more than his fingers, leaving me with the choice still. Daniel was really smart indeed. I moved closer and grasped his hand, intertwining our fingers. I could hear his body make a low buzzing noise and his chest expand slightly.

My other hand grabs his free one. I pulled him around the table and towards me. Releasing my grip, and him reluctantly doing the same, I reach forward and hug him. I rest my hands on his lower back and my head on his chest. He does his form of a sigh again before wrapping his arms around me. He rests his head on mine and we just stand there.

This feels nice. I can’t remember the last I hugged someone. It had to be over seven years ago when I dated that saxophone player in high school. This felt better though, Daniel was warmer. I ran my hands up his back along the cylinders that controlled his back. I leaned back and looked up at him. I reached for his neck and pulled him down. I kiss him where his lips were on the screen. The whirling in his chest became a bit louder and his hold on my back gets a bit tighter.

I pull back with a shy smile. It felt silly to kiss a screen, but his reaction made it less so. He smiled at me too, even had his adorable blush on his screen.

Daniel led his head down and tapped his screen to my forehead. He pulled back after a moment and looked down at me.

"You look pretty when you blush," He mumbles.

"I could say the same thing about you," I smile.

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

There is a part two. Also i did a lot of unnecessary research on this. even the name of the main character is shared with a famous programmer John Romero. He designed games like Doom or Wolfenstein. But check out my Archive page.

#robot x human #exophilia #fluff #programming #john romero #pt1 #pt 1 of 2 #D-4N1-3L #Tracey Romero #Enigma-IM #monster boyfriend

[yumeka36]

I just got home from the Frozen 2 advanced screening at Disney Studios (as pictured above, got more swag than I thought I would). Gonna give my immediate thoughts and comments, with a more coherent post at a later date. Obviously, if you don’t want to be spoiled, don’t read below:

WARNING! MAJOR FROZEN 2 SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT!

-I’ve been listening to “Show Yourself” non stop since the soundtrack came out and it was gorgeous seeing the accompanying animation. The song starts as Elsa is riding Nokk towards Ahtohallan and continues as she makes her way through the cave. What was also unexpected for me is that she transforms into her “final form” at the end of the song, so she’s wearing that outfit throughout a good portion of the movie, not just the epilogue, so I hope that means there will be more merchandise for it!

-After that, she wanders through Ahtohallan which is made up of moving “sculptures” made of snow/ice that show memories: she sees some of herself and Anna when they were young playing with Olaf, various people in Arendelle, and of Iduna and Agnarr (I believe Iduna was saying something about being afraid to reveal what she really is, a Northuldra). Some funny parts, Elsa walks by a memory of herself at the end of “Let It Go” and makes a face like “yeah, I was silly back then” XD But the best part was when she walks by a scene of Anna and Hans about to dance at the coronation. She gives it a cold look and then breaks the Hans sculpture, lol.

-The important memory she finds is that King Runeard was using the dam against the Northuldra - something about cutting off their resources so they’d be forced to trade with Arendelle, or something like that, I don’t remember exactly. A poignant part was when Elsa first sees the memory of Runeard and he’s talking about how he hates and doesn’t trust anyone who uses magic, to which she says angrily that his fear is blinding him. And again, Elsa is wearing her final outfit during all this, so there was so much time to ogle it XD

-The “gone too far” part is when she follows the memory of Runeard as it fades down into a deep abyss. He was talking about something suspicious regarding the Northuldra, so she decided to jump down into the depths to find out even though she remembers the song’s warning. She sees that Runeard attacked (and likely killed) the Northuldra leader. She begins freezing as she’s down there and before she gets completely frozen, she sends a burst of magic up above, calling out to Anna (and the fact that Elsa “dies” here is proof that she’s not immortal even after becoming the fifth spirit). Her magic reaches Anna and Olaf in the cave and shows them what happened. They realize they have to destroy the dam but Olaf starts to “flurry” - pieces of snowflakes peel off him and drift away, and he tells Anna that Elsa isn’t okay. Anna pulls Olaf into her lap and holds him there as he fades away. He doesn’t melt exactly and we don’t see the full process: we see his flurries gently flow out of the cave and land in a pile somewhere else. Bruhni watches sadly from a ledge below.

-The saddest thing to me was that, after the aforementioned scene of Olaf’s “death,” the scene fades to black, then opens up again overlooking the same cave but it looks like a different time of day, then cuts to Anna crying inside - so she was literally crying alone in the cave for what could have been hours! I thought right after Olaf melts is when she’d start singing The Next Right Thing, but she spends who knows how long grieving. That is just too sad 8_8 Before she starts singing, she says “Olaf...Elsa...what do I do?” My heart shattered then. Another part that shattered it more was when Anna confronts Matthias and the soldiers as they try to prevent her from approaching the dam. When they ask her why it has to be destroyed, she tells them and says “My sister gave her life for the truth, we can’t lose anyone else.”

-Oh my gosh, the reunion at the end was my favorite part and so sweet~ After the mist around the forest fades, Anna and Kristoff approach the pillars with Anna looking like she’s ready to burst into tears...until some snow crystals flutter around her and then behind to where the shore is (not sure if it’s the shore of the Dark Sea since it’s daylight at this time, or it could just be a nearby beach). She sees Elsa riding Nokk - she starts running toward her but then stops because she’s still not sure it’s really Elsa. When Elsa says her name and holds out her arms, she runs to her and they share a beautiful hug (while Anna is sobbing). Honestly I can’t remember exactly what was said because I was an emotional wreck at that point, but Elsa tells Anna that she’s the fifth spirit, that Anna saved her, and that the bridge has two sides: herself here and Anna in Arendelle, and they’d fix the past wrongs together. And I also loved the fact that Kristoff comes over and is relieved that Elsa’s okay: he says “Elsa, you’re alright!” and gives her a hug, then (humorously) says “ you look different...did you cut your hair?” She also gives Sven a little pet. I’m so glad they included this part as it shows that Kristoff doesn’t just see Elsa as a cockblock to Anna, lol. Kristoff proposes to Anna here as well (Sven tears up a little seeing it XD)

-As for Olaf’s revival, Elsa tells Anna “I have a question for you” “What is it?” “Do you want to build a snowman?” She then concentrates and we see the pile of Olaf’s “flurries” come flying down from the cave to become Olaf again. Elsa says it’s a good thing water has memory, implying that he still remembers everything despite being “resurrected.” The epilogue just had so many cute moments - Anna and Elsa share another hug as they walk back to the stone pillars, Elsa wipes away a tear on Anna’s face, they put there foreheads together at one point when they’re talking, Elsa takes Anna’s hand and leads her to one of the now tamed earth giants and they both gently touch his giant nose, and Frohana share a warm hug. I cannot wait to get HD screenshots of it all!

-And for Anna’s coronation? To be honest, it didn’t seem like a coronation to me - it literally just had Kai announcing Anna as she walks outside (onto a stage I think? Don’t remember exactly) but right after that she’s out in the streets with Olaf, Kristoff, and Sven, who are dressed up. So it must have been some kind of event, but wouldn’t the coronation have a party in the castle and a ceremony, like Elsa had? We then see Matthias outside with another Arendelle citizen (he’s discovering the new technology of photograph, lol) - wouldn’t they be part of the ceremony if there was a coronation, and not just out in the streets doing whatever. It just didn’t seem like a major event was happening, I’ll have to see the movie again. Regardless, they reveal statues of young Iduna and Agnarr (they should have had statues of Anna and Elsa too!) and Anna notices Gale flying about and asks if he/she (does Gale have a gender?) to deliver a letter to Elsa. Gale carries it over to the forest and Elsa reads it. As we know, it’s a reminder about charades. Anna ends the letter saying “I love you” to which Elsa says “I love you too, sis” (that’s where this line that we heard in one of the teasers came from - pretty crazy they’d use a line from the very end of the movie, knowing we wouldn’t figure it out!)

-I mostly talked about the ending here but I’ll say a few things that stood out in the rest of the movie to me: Some Things Never Change was adorable. Anna and Elsa share a sweet hug at the end, during the “holding on tight to you” lines. And I absolutely cracked up during Kristoff’s verse when he’s doing Sven’s voice and telling him about getting down on one knee with the ring - some nearby townspeople see him and it looks like he’s proposing to Sven and they get the most awkward looks on their faces XD The scene in their parents’ ship was really emotional: Anna and Elsa clinging to each other with tears in their eyes as they see the memory of their parents take shape...my heart was breaking. The ensuing scene where Elsa’s overcome with guilt and runs outside with Anna telling her she’s not responsible for their actions, and she believes in her more than anything, etc., More was said between them here and I’m having trouble remembering it exactly but it was deep.

-Oh, and the post-credits scene was hilarious: it’s Olaf telling the events of the story to Marshmallow and the Snowgies (Frozen Fever is canon!) just like he does earlier when he describes the first Frozen to Matthias and the others (”it began with two sisters...”) The funniest part was his dramatizing lines of the latter part of the story - ”Elsa is dead,” “Olaf is dead,” “Anna’s crying alone” - it’s hard to describe, it’s funnier when you see it.

Later I’ll write a post with more coherent thoughts about the movie itself and not just a spoiler list - I might do that soon or wait until I see it again this weekend. But I will say that I loved it - having seen it for myself, I truly believe there’s no “tragic separation” that we’ve been fearing. There’s really nothing bittersweet about it, nothing like Anna saying “will I ever see you again?” because it’s a given that they can still be a family and nothing is keeping them from seeing each other whenever they want. At this point, it’s not that I dislike the ending as it is “I want to see what happens next!” It left me even hungrier for more Frozen, like a short reassuring us that they’re still a family by having another charades scene or something like that. Or another movie is always welcome! There was also some lore/plot-wise things I’m a little confused about, but that’ll be for another post. It’s 1am here and I need to decide if I can sleep or not, lol. If you have any questions, please send them via direct message. I’ll either answer them right away, or tomorrow if I do manage to sleep tonight.

The shock of finally seeing this movie after six years of pining hasn’t sunk in yet but it will soon.

#frozen 2 spoilers #frozen 2 #frozen #disney frozen

[fanfic-scribbles]

Dark Nights

Fandom: MCU Captain America/Avengers

Summary: Sharing someone’s company doesn’t mean the same thing at all times. You learn to compromise in the face of a pandemic, and look forward.

Quick facts: Romance – Steve Rogers/Reader – Nondescript Reader

Warnings: Real-life inspired, Coronavirus/COVID-19 mentions, slight angst, mostly fluff, hopeful ending

Words: 1314

A/N: I have been working on this entirely too long for how short this is. Funnier, this was supposed to be even shorter and 100% dialogue, but it sort of went where it willed. Oh well; it’s a peaceful little thing and I hope you enjoy it.

  ~

The night is gloomy and quiet. It’s actually kind of nice– the rain provides noise that has been lacking on your street. Not something you thought you’d say about New York, but, well, these are strange days.

You sit in your armchair with a drink in your hands, thumb idly chasing beads of condensation, and listen to the ‘pitpatpitpatpitpat’ landing outside. It probably doesn’t help the quiet that the TV is off, but you’ve been so unable to focus you don’t see the point. There are a handful of hobbies stashed around your apartment that could be started, a plethora of shows that could be watched, but you’ve been spending your days sleeping, waking up tired, sitting, wandering around 800 square feet, and alternating between general unease and active worry. Mostly.

The sound of your phone is enough to jerk you out of your current apathy, and you struggle to keep your drink from falling while also struggling to get at your phone to see who’s calling you. Just a glimpse of the ID then has you scrambling to answer. “Hi,” you say breathlessly, even though your ass never left the cushion. “Are you okay?”

It takes a second, but a warm chuckle floats from the receiver, through your body, and melts your bones so you sink into the chair. “I’m fine,” Steve says. “I’m good at my job, remember?”

“I know you are,” you say and lean your head back. “It’s other people that are the problem.”

“Well sometimes other people can be made to see reason,” he says. “How are you?”

You’re quiet, because that’s a question with an unpleasant answer, but Steve is weathering this just like you. “I’m fine,” you say. “I miss you.”

“Is this a new game?” he asks, gently teasing. “One lie, one truth?”

That gets a weak chuckle out of you, mostly for his sake. “The punishment for getting it wrong is that I’m going to come over there.”

“I’ll get it wrong on purpose,” he says. “But we’ll have to postpone that ‘punishment.’”

You start to reply, but it falls away. You don’t know what to say that wouldn’t come out wrong, so you don’t say anything at all. That’s a problem when you’re on a phone call and all you have is the other person’s voice. “I’m sorry I’m boring,” you say.

“It’s fine. So am I. I’m just…happy to hear you.”

He sounds so at peace and you wish that could be you, but instead you’re rocked by the feeling that you could walk to him, except you can’t, and it’s all you want in the world. “I miss you,” you say through a throat trying to close up.

“Oh sweetheart, I miss you too,” he says. “It’s going to be all right; we’ll get through this.”

“Will we?” you don’t mean to say, but do.

“We absolutely will; we’re going to pull through this.”

You don’t know if it’s the repetitive words or if there’s something in his voice, but he sounds almost desperate when he says that and, no, damn it, you didn’t want to drag him down with you. He has to keep himself as separate as anyone else, because he actually has to go out sometimes into emergency situations, and he needs to be all right. You need him to be all right. “I’m sorry,” you say and rub your face. “I don’t mean to–…I didn’t mean…that.”

“You don’t have to apologize,” Steve says, his voice softer and gentler now. “It’s awful. I know it’s awful. And I miss you too. But I believe that we’re going to be okay.”

“How do you do it?” you say and look out at lights scattered in the near-empty night. A group of people smoking together under a streetlight fills you with such revulsion that you pull the blinds tightly shut. “How do you keep…doing it?”

“Probably the same way you do. But it helps that I’m a public example.”

“You’d do it anyway.”

“Yeah, because it makes sense. And I care.” His voice drops. “It’s still hard though.”

“Mmm.” You exhale. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to drag you down. We just have to…get through it.”

“In whatever way we can.”

“Like talking to you.”

“Exactly,” Steve says. You can hear him smile when he adds, “I hope you don’t think you’re going to have a second to yourself when all this starts to lift. Prepare to say goodbye to your alone time; I’m making plans.”

“What kind of plans?” you ask and lean your head on one shoulder.

“We’re gonna go back to the park. Maybe every day,” he says. “Hold hands. No gloves.”

“What if it’s cold?”

“I’ll bring your hands up and blow on them,” he says matter-of-factly.

It sounds so ridiculous it makes you laugh. Because he would. “What about when it’s too hot?”

“Tough,” he says. “I’m going to hold onto you. All the time.”

Your smile twists somewhat, because it won’t be any time soon. “Someday.”

“It’s going to happen,” Steve says, fervently. But it’s strong, like he truly believes it, and not like he’s trying to make himself believe it. “I’m going to come back and I won’t leave you alone for a long while. When you get so sick of me that you kick me out of the bed, I’ll just sleep on the couch.”

“I would never.”

“Except that one time after–”

“You were being a disgusting asshole on purpose,” you say. “You won’t do that if you really want to be with me all the time.”

“No, I won’t,” he says. He chuckles. “I’ll behave.”

“That’ll be a first,” you say, almost under your breath. Of course he hears it and he laughs and even after he stops you cling to the memory of the sound, to his words, to his conviction. Hopefully it will sustain you until, indeed, all of this is an unpleasant memory that only vaguely passes through your mind when Steve is running his hand up and down your spine as he helps you fall asleep.

Silence passes and you can hear his breathing slow and deepen, and he shifts on the other end of the line. “I’m sorry; you must be tired,” you say.

“Not that tired,” he says. “I have an idea actually.”

“What’s that?”

“Open up Netflix. I haven’t seen that…witch show?”

Your smile grows a little bigger. “What show?”

“You know.”

“Hmm, sorry, not familiar.”

“Don’t make me do this,” he pleads.

You chuckle. “Just one hint?”

He sighs heavily. “The one with the guy…he has a sword…he wears really tight pants…and there’s witches?”

You laugh. Just a little, but it’s enough. “Ah, ‘The Witcher?’”

“Yeah, sure, that,” he grumbles.

“I love you,” you say sweetly.

“Sure you do,” he says and sighs again. “The things you put me through.”

“Mm hm. Absolute torture,” you say but you do as he said. “Why am I bringing this up if you’re the one who hasn’t seen it?”

“When I say ‘start’ we’ll both hit play, and this way we can watch it together,” he says.

You’re set up and ready to go by the time he finishes and it actually sounds…nice. “It’s not as fun when I don’t get to watch you ogle Henry Cavill in his “really tight pants.’”

“You wouldn’t watch me because you’ll be too busy ogling too,” he says. “But if it’s as good as everyone says it is I wouldn’t mind watching it again when I’m over at your place after all this is over.”

Settling against a pillow isn’t as good as the real thing, but for now Steve is with you in whatever way he can be, and eventually you’ll be past the worst of it. As hard as it is now, you can believe that. You smile, and say, “I’m looking forward to it.”

#steve rogers x reader #reader insert #captain america fanfiction #captain america reader insert #hopeful ending #coronavirus mention #long-distance...sort of

[horansqueenandpaynesqueen]

Next-Door Neighbours : Chapter Ten

A Liam Fanfic, A Niall Fanfic, MA Rating

New neighbours, new drama. Sometimes what you need is the last thing you’re looking for.

CHAPTER 1 | CHAPTER 2 | CHAPTER 3 || CHAPTER 4 || CHAPTER 5 || CHAPTER 6 || CHAPTER 7 || CHAPTER 8 || CHAPTER 9

+NOTES+

1- This fic is written by Julie ( @paynesqueen​ ) & Livia ( @horansqueen​ ) 2- Julie will write the odd chapters and Livia the even chapters 3- This fic will have romance, drama and smut.

Chapter Ten by Livia (horansqueen)

To respect the boundaries she had put herself, Olivia decided to sit far from Niall on his couch. He looked at her as she put the bowl of popcorn between them but they both had to stretch to be able to grab some and it made the whole thing funnier than it was supposed to be. She was starting to regret all of that but she was not sure what exactly was driving her to that conclusion. Was it lust or was it something a lot scarier?

The first movie ended and she was glad she had seen it about a million times because she wasn't sure she actually followed it at all. It was annoying to be so focused on one person and it was a bit exhausting too. Niall turned to her and sent her a smile, raising his eyebrows.

"Not bad for an 90's movie."

"Not bad?" Olivia asked, raising her eyebrows with judgement in her voice. "You better not say that kind of semi-insult after the second one."

It made Niall laugh and he shook his head. "You're something else, did you know that?"

She shrugged with a satisfied smile and got up to change the DVD. She was still thinking about Louis' proposition and when Niall had asked her about it, she had answered that she didn't know what she was going to do because she really had no fucking clue. Could she just spend time with a guy and then go to an other one and practically just pretend it was okay? Was it fair or healthy? Wasn't it a bit dangerous? For her heart, mostly? At the same time, she didn't want to play with them but she had been clear, right? She didn't want any form of relationship and they could stop spending time with her whenever they wanted, it's not like she was forcing them to do anything. Despite all these truths, she still felt guilty and she was not sure why. Who was she really betraying? Them, or her own self? She shook her head and pushed her ridiculous thoughts away before going back to the couch.

It's only in the middle of the movie that Niall just grabbed the remote and paused it. Olivia turned to him and frowned but when their eyes met, her traits softened again.

"Something wrong?"

"Yea, something very wrong." he added with a small nod before looking down at his lap. "I can't concentrate on this movie."

"Alright, fair enough, it's not the best of the series but it's also not the worst. Trust me, it's more realistic to see Bruce Willis passing out because of a fucking luggage falling on his head than him literally falling off 80 stories without a scratch like it actually happens in the fifth!" she pointed out with a laugh.

He licked his lips and pressed them together and somehow, she was distracted by the way his fingers played with one of the cushions. She held her breath as she stared at his hand and finally, she blinked a few times and moved her gaze back on him.

"I meant that I can't concentrate because I can't stop imagining you riding me."

She felt her cheeks burn and she cleared her throat before reaching out for her beer and swallowing half of it. She closed her eyes and breathed in, trying to push away the thought of straddling him and feeling his hands all over her. She heard his voice again but this time, he seemed closer. Her eyes fluttered open and once again, she stopped breathing. He was close but not close enough to be at arm's reach and for some reason, it disappointed her.

"Are you a moaner?" he asked. Her jaw dropped and it made him laugh a bit. "Sorry, I know we said 'just hanging out' but I couldn't help it."

She stared at him for a few more seconds and finally licked her lips. It would be a lie to say that she didn't want Niall. In fact, she couldn't remember the last time she wanted someone so bad. She wanted to give in and have sex with him, but at the same time, she knew that after, she'd regret it. She knew that the desire she felt for him was blinding her and not doing anything with him was the only way she found to keep lust as the predominant feeling inside her. If she didn't quench the fire inside her burning for him, it couldn't turn into love, right? It would always remain simply lust?

On the other hand, how bad could a little teasing be?

"I am." she just answered with a small smile.

"Loud moans or low whimpers?"

"Both. Depends how good you are." she pointed out with a smirk.

"Oh I'm really good."

She chuckled and his lips curled into a smile too. There was something about him that was so hard to ignore or push away and she had no idea how she was going to resist again.

"Still remains to be proven." she let out, tilting her chin up.

"I'm ready to prove it any time you want."

Slowly, she turned around and sat to face him, noticing that his eyes never left her. Why did she like it so much? She wanted his attention more than she could admit and she licked her lips again, raising her eyebrows up.

"Tell me what you'd do to me, perhaps it will make me want it bad enough."

His smile turned into a surprised one and he squirmed on his seat, turning a bit to face her too. His eyes roamed on her face and she pressed her lips together, trying to stop the erratic beating of her heart in her chest. Instead to start talking, though, he moved closer and this time, he was so close she could feel the heat from his body emanate against hers.

"I'd brush my lips here." he let out, running the tip of his fingers on her jaw before moving it slowly down her neck. "Then down here, slowly, before getting back to your mouth and suck on your lip." His finger stopped on her bottom one as he mouth opened slightly.

"That's a lie." she whispered, making him raise his eyebrows. "Every time we kissed our mouths crashed so hard against each other's that my lips remained swollen for 15 minutes after we were done. Don't pretend that us having sex for the first time would be slow and passionate. It would be hard and dirty."

This time, he boomed with laughter and she tilted her head with a bigger smile.

"Okay, I give you that, we've both been pretty impatient. But I could take my time, you know. Make you enjoy every kiss, run my fingers on your whole body, make you feel every inch of my cock inside you."

Her whole body throbbed before the sensation focused between her legs. He brought two fingers under her chin and made her look up in his eyes. It's only when his lips touched hers that she moved back and smiled. It had taken her a lot of self-control to do that but she didn't mention it.

"Keep talking." she just said, her eyes dropping to his lips for half a second before looking up in his eyes.

He chuckled low. "How about you tell me what you'd do?"

It took her a few seconds to answer and she breathed in, licking her lips and pressing them together for a while. Could she really do that?

"I'd straddle you. Quickly. And kiss you hard while I'd rub myself on you, just to feel your cock. I'd slip my fingers in your hair and pull on it. Slide my other hand under your shirt. I'd moan in your mouth until I'd feel you rock hard between my legs."

"And how long do you think that would be?" he asked in a very low tone, raising his eyebrows.

"I don't know, you tell me." she smirked.

"Like, 10 seconds." He chuckled and she tilted her head as he kept going. "I'd slip my hand in your pants and panties. Bet that rubbing on me would make you very wet. Wet enough for my fingers to slip inside you easily. I'd love to see you fuck yourself on my fingers."

Her lips parted again and her nails scratched on the couch, making him glance down at her hand. A small smirk played on his lips and he moved closer again.

"You'd moan loud, and I'd make sure my thumb rubs on your clit while you fuck yourself knuckles deep. I'd run my mouth on your tits until you'd shake over me and cum all over my fingers and drip on my thighs." he added in a whisper. "I probably couldn't resist longer and I'd just grab your waist and sit you on my cock. Can't stop thinking about how that would feel."

This time, she was literally gripping the couch so hard that her knuckle were red and he chuckled.

"That whole conversation made you horny, didn't it?"

"Shut up, you know it did." she let out with a smile.

"Made me fucking horny too." he admitted in a whisper.

His eyes roamed on her and they remained silent for a while. They wanted each other, there was no doubt about it, but Niall thought about the text message she had received at the grocery store and his smirk turned into a sad smile.

"I think you should go with Louis this weekend."

She frowned as her heart skipped a beat. Did Niall blatantly tell her that he didn't want her at all? Did he just ask her to go spend the weekend with an other man as if he didn't give a fuck about what she did? And why did it bother her so much anyway? After all, she didn't want a relationship, right? Niall was giving her exactly what she wanted and somehow, it made her feel like shit. She had tried to stop herself from feeling things for him, things that weren't related to sex, but with this simple proposition, she knew she had failed miserably. Maybe it was true. Maybe she wanted Niall to fight for her. Maybe she wanted him to prove to her that she'd be happy with him and that he could love her the way she needed to be. Not as a second choice, not to fill a void... She wanted him to prove to her that he could love her because of who she was, and that he wouldn't leave with her best friend when things would get complicated.

"You... want me to.." she shook her head. "I don't get it."

Niall sighed and rubbed his eyes, a bit pissed at himself for ruining the moment, but he knew he had to say something. He didn't know if she was confused but he certainly was. Of course, they were just 'hanging out' but there was lust between them, too. Some sort of crazy craving that you don't get that often when you're sober. The kind of desire that doesn't seem to leave with time but instead, seems to grow more intensely. There was also something else, something he hadn't even dared to scratch the surface of in fear of what it could be.

"He likes you, doesn't he? Or maybe even loves you?" he asked, waiting for an answer that didn't come. "You don't seem really sure how you feel for him so maybe going there will help you figure it out. And... if you think about me while you're with him, maybe you'll just accept to go on a date with me when you come back."

Her traits softened and her lips parted. Clearly, it was not the answer she had expected.

"You don't need to do all that just to have sex with me, you know?"

"Do all... what?" he asked, frowning as she shrugged.

"Pretend that you want to get to know me, that you want to hang out, be friends, and bring me on a date." she explained. "It won't change anything. It's not that I don't want to have sex with you... I really do, it's just..." she sighed and looked away before closing her eyes.

"Okay first off, I'm not lying. If I just wanted to have sex with you, you know what i'd say? I'd either tell you that you can fuck us both and call me whenever you'd want to ride this." he let out, grabbing his cock and making the left corner of her lips raise slightly. "Or I'd ask you to let me fuck you so you can compare it with the way he fucks and pick after. I wouldn't go through the whole date and flirt and hanging out process."

They both went quiet for about a minute and she finally licked her lips trying to process what he had said.

"Wait, are you saying that you like me?"

This time, he sent her an amused smile. "Yea, that was way too many words to say exactly that. I don't know if you like me too, but I know you're reluctant. I don't know why but I'm thinking it may be because of Louis? So go with him. See how it goes, find out how you feel for him and then, i don't know, Liv, just let me know?"

She moved closer to him, taking him by surprise, and pressed her lips against his. Her eyes were closed and he decided to close his too before she moved a bit closer, holding herself on his thigh with both hands. The warmth of her skin against him, even through his pants,  seemed to burn and he pulled away to look at her. Her eyes fluttered open and her lips curled.

"That sounds like a plan, then." she finally said, tilting her head. "Can I text you through the weekend anyway?"

He laughed and just nodded, glancing at her lips again. "As much as you want."

She wanted to straddle him and kiss him but she was scared that it would just make things even harder for both of them. Would she even be able to pull away? Probably not.

"If I knew I could stop myself, I'd sit on you right now and make out with you." she admitted with a sigh. "But I know I wouldn't be able to pull away."

"It's okay. We've been waiting since we met." he pointed out with a smile. "I'm sure we can resist for a few more days. And if you can't stop thinking about me this weekend then you'll be fixed. My lap will always be yours to sit on."

She chuckled low. "I'll remember that."

"Good. Do you want to finish this movie?"

She stared at him and her eyes fell down on his thighs before moving up to his face. She nibbled on her bottom lip for a few seconds and finally sent him a smile.

"Only if you go back to your side of the couch."

#niall horan #niall horan smut #niall horan fluff #niall horan story #niall horan fan fic #niall horan fanfic #niall horan fanfiction #niall horan fan fiction #niall horan writing #liam payne #liam payne smut #liam payne fluff #liam payne fanfic #liam payne fan fic #liam payne fanfiction #liam payne fan fiction #liam payne story #liam payne writing

[thanks--for--listening]

Siren Call

okay i’ve been convinced lol so here it is. another BOP fanfic. DinahxHelena but pre-relationship bc thats my fav thing to write. also on ao3

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It always happened in the quiet moments. The early hours of the morning, when the leftover energy from a mission hadn’t quite disappeared yet. The sleepless nights, when memories clawed their way into her mind and wouldn’t let go until her screams released them. The lazy afternoons, when the radio played softly and melodies she’d almost forgotten danced around her lips. It was only when the world went still that Dinah felt her watching. 

She didn’t remember the first time she noticed it. The staring. Maybe it was because Helena was always watching everything and everyone around them that Dinah didn’t realize how frequently that attention fell on her. How it felt different. Helena looked at the world with suspicion and anger and indifference, but not her. She looked at her with something much softer, something she hadn’t found a name for just yet. No word in her arsenal was deep enough or strong enough to describe it.

Whatever it was, she could feel it now. 

The question she longed to ask sat on her tongue but she forced it to wait. She just wanted a minute, because they were both sitting here, and the silence between them was comfortable and easy and precious. They were all still getting used to this living together thing, but right now, sitting with Helena, both of them done with breakfast but not ready to move on with the day yet, felt like the most familiar thing in the world. It was early enough that the sun had both risen and was still rising, it’s light shining through their window at an angle that, when Helena sat in the kitchen chair in front of her, made her look almost angelic. Dinah gave herself a second to appreciate the view.

“What do you see,” she finally asked, “when you look at me?” 

Helena’s eyes widened, and Dinah couldn’t help but laugh. “I—I don’t—I don’t look at you,” she said, her eyes now uncharacteristically cast towards her lap. Dinah followed her gaze, saw her hands fidget with the hair tie around her wrist. It hadn’t taken her very long to discover that the Helena who showed up during a fight was a completely different person than the Helena who showed up anywhere else. Fight Helena never got nervous, never second-guessed herself. She was all confidence and muscle and focused rage, nothing like the woman in front of her, quiet and awkward and hesitant, avoiding eye contact and twisting a hair tie in her lap over and over again. She didn’t know how she could have two completely different people inside herself, how she found a balance between that. If she found a balance. 

“You look at everyone,” Dinah answered, “but not in the same way.”

“What do you mean?” She didn’t know if it was a genuine question or a way to deflect, but she answered it anyway. 

“You know,” she said, “like Harley. Every time you watch her, you always get confused. Your eyebrows scrunch up right here,” Dinah pointed to the spot on her own forehead, and watched Helena mirror her, “and your eyes get a little squinty.”

“They do?”

Dinah nodded. “And Renee, you always look a little scared of her. Which is crazy, because you could totally beat her in a fight. Don’t tell her I said that,” she added quickly, glancing at the room where Renee was sure to be in bed for at least another two hours, “but you totally could. And yet when you’re with her, there’s always at least one moment where you get so...skittish. It’s like the elephant afraid of the mouse.”

Helena smiled, just barely, and Dinah felt a warmth that the sun couldn’t provide. “I don’t think you’re giving her enough credit,” she said softly. “She could beat me.”

“Oh, she’d make you work for it,” Dinah said, “but when it comes down to it, my money’s on you, Crossbow.” Helena’s smile grew, and she didn’t know if it was because of the sentiment or the nickname. She wished she did, if only so she could keep saying whatever made her look at her like that. “You know,” Dinah continued, “modesty is not something I would have pegged you as having after our first meeting.”

“What, you’re saying saving everyone’s asses didn’t make me seem modest?” 

“Excuse you, that was a team effort.” She joked, and Helena kept smiling, which made her smile, which left them sitting there, smiling at one another underneath the sunlight. “You know what, I take it back,” she said, pretending to look away. “You’re as arrogant as the rest of us.”

“Oh no, I’m heartbroken.” She deadpanned, and Dinah lost it. She didn’t really get it, but somehow everything was funnier when Helena said it. Maybe it was because she didn’t joke around that often. It was as if she didn’t know how to, or didn’t trust herself to be funny, but that only made it more special to Dinah when she did. 

They sat in that feeling for a while, the warmth of getting along. Dinah wanted to keep talking, but there was something about the silence she didn’t want to interrupt yet. So she watched, and she tried to memorize this moment, draw it out and stick it in her pocket so she could look back on it later and remember what it felt like to truly relax.

“Can I tell you something?” Helena said, and even though they were technically in the middle of a conversation, it still caught her by surprise. Helena wasn’t the one to break the silence. She seemed so comfortable in it. She could spend hours without ever making a sound. Dinah didn’t understand it. She knew she wasn’t Harley, who couldn’t stand any moment passing by without making noise, but Dinah still liked to have something to fill the space around her. It was what she was used to. The quiet unnerved her in a way that Helena seemed immune to.

She realized Helena was waiting for a response. She did that a lot. Stuff like rhetorical questions and sarcasm and pop culture references often went right over her head. Harley and Renee liked to poke fun about it, but Dinah secretly found it endearing. It added to her genuity. Made her really easy to trust, despite her inclination for silence. 

Dinah nodded, and Helena kept talking. “You’re why I stayed to fight. That first day.”

“Really?” 

“It was when you took the gun from Cass, when you fought for her. That’s what made me stay.”

“Why?”

“I couldn’t tell,” she said, “with Harley. What her intentions were with the kid. But you — you wanted to keep her safe. I knew it. So if you were in, and you trusted the others enough to fight with you, then I figured I could trust them, too.”

Helena finished her sentence and looked up, almost as if looking for approval. Dinah smiled at her, and she watched as her shoulders relaxed just slightly. 

“Oh, I’m definitely telling Harley that,” she said, and Helena looked almost confused, so she added, “I’ve gotta rub it in her face. She still thinks it was her rousing speech that brought us all together.”

Helena laughed, an occurrence as rare as her starting a conversation. Dinah secretly thought it was partly her fault. She’d come to realize that Helena might have looked at each of them differently, but when she was watching the group all together, it was like she was studying them. Like she was learning how she was supposed to act with them. After their first team-up, when Harley and Cass stole her car, Helena had straight up cackled, but she’d stopped when she saw her and Renee. Something in the way they looked at her made her stop. In the couple months since then, she’d never laughed like that again. 

“Hey,” Helena said, “you never told me how I look at Cass,” and Dinah tried to control her face, she really did, but Helena noticed everything. It was almost annoying, how hard it was to hide around her. She didn’t always get what it meant, but she always saw the emotional stuff. Shifts in mood, tone changes, body language, none of it went unnoticed. She was blind to sarcasm but saw sadness before you even felt it. Dinah watched her process the shift she felt happen, watched her body tense back up again. “Sorry,” She said, even though Dinah knew she didn’t know why she was apologizing, “I—um, I shouldn’t have—“

“No,” she stopped her, “don’t. It’s not you. I just—“ she sighed. “With Cass, I noticed you...you always look a little sad. And I don’t know why.”

Helena gave her a look she couldn’t quite pin down. She almost looked scared, although of what she wasn’t sure. “I don’t want Cass to think she makes me sad,” she said after a minute, her voice so quiet Dinah could barely hear her from across the table. 

“It’s not that obvious,” she said. “It’s just...it’s like you’re seeing two things at once. Like you see her happy, and you look happy, but there’s something in your eyes that sees something else, and that’s what’s sad.”

Ten seconds of agony passed as they sat there, the words lingering between them, before the silence made her too restless. 

“What do I know, though, right?” Dinah said, with a smile that was only mostly forced. “Forget about it. I’m probably just making shit up, or—“

“I think you’re right.” Her voice was soft but the words were loud somehow. Dinah waited. She hoped the silence would do for Helena the opposite of what it did for her. Minutes passed, one right after the other swallowed up by the quiet. Helena didn’t talk like this very often, but when she did, she spoke as if every word mattered, as if each sentence was a puzzle and she had to wait to find the right pieces before she could put it all together. 

Eventually, she found them. “Sometimes, when I see Cass, and I see the life she has, I think...I think that we’re too late.”

“What do you mean?” 

“I think we saved her too late.” She looked up, and Dinah felt like she was staring right through her. “I think about the shit she’s seen already. I think about how we’re all she has, and I think that we’re not enough. I think that she probably wakes up screaming like you do, and I think about whether she’ll always wake up screaming or whether she’ll learn how to stop it, and I think that’s a terrible lesson for a kid to learn, and it makes me so angry but I won’t let her see me angry because I refuse make her life worse. And then I think that makes me really fucking sad.”

Dinah had never heard so many words come out of her mouth at once, each one more heartbreaking than the last. Helena just sat there, eyes wide and breath a little shaky. She could see her hands balled up in fists, could feel the pain rolling off her like waves onto a shore. She could feel the anger in the aftermath, tension in the air so thick she wondered how there was still any oxygen left to breathe, pain so heavy she wondered how Helena walked around every day without shattering under the sheer weight of it all.

Dinah couldn’t stand it. 

“Don’t freak out,” she told her as she stood up, “but I’m going to hug you now, because I don’t know the right thing to say and because I think you need it.”

Dinah walked around the table slowly, part of her waiting for a protest that never came. Helena just sat there, staring straight ahead as if it was the only thing keeping her together. It wasn’t until Dinah placed a hand on her shoulder that she acknowledged she’d left her seat. Dinah reached out her hands, waited for Helena to take them, waited until she’d pulled her up out of her chair, before putting her arms around her. 

Helena just stood there. Dinah had her head against her chest, could feel her heart racing and her body trembling, just slightly. She realized she’d never hugged her before, and she tried to think of the last time someone hugged Helena. Had Harley or Renee? Cass? Any of the men who raised her? Or had she not felt the comfort of familiar arms around her since before she lost her family? The thought made her squeeze tighter. 

She let go after a minute. Helena’s arms never moved from their position at her side, but Dinah didn’t mind. She looked up at her, and she thought she saw tears in her eyes, but it must have been a trick of the light, because she’d never once seen Helena cry. 

“I know talking isn’t really your thing,” Dinah said, “but you know if you ever want to, you can talk to me.”

She turned, walked back to her seat, but stopped when she realized Helena hadn’t moved, was still staring at the place Dinah had stood, as if she saw something that wasn’t there. 

“You alright, H?” She asked hesitantly. 

“I don’t know.” The words came out as a whisper. She looked over, and she wished she had Helena’s skill, because her face was a mosaic of emotions and Dinah couldn’t make out a single one. “Harley says I need therapy.”

Dinah chuckled. “We probably all need therapy. Harley included.”

“Yeah,” She said, but there was something in the way she spoke that made Dinah hesitate. 

“Do you…” She started, not sure if she was crossing a line in asking but also not sure she could just leave the conversation alone. “Is that...something you want to do?”

Helena didn’t say anything for so long Dinah wondered whether she was still here or whether she’d drifted off into her own head, whether she wanted Dinah to come find her and bring her back down to earth. “I don’t want to be angry all the time,” she finally said, her voice soft and strong and tired all at the same time, “but I don’t know how else to be.”

“I get it.” Helena raised her eyebrow at her, just slightly. “Don’t look at me like that, I’m not just saying it,” Dinah sighed, the words coming out without her permission. “When I lost my mom, I spent so much time pissed off at the world. Part of me still is, I guess. It just always felt like if I wasn’t angry, then what happened to her was okay. Like, if I let go of my anger, then I’m letting go of the last thing I have of her.”

Helena was quiet again, and she knew she just had to wait for it, but she was impatient and emotional and desperate to fix what was almost certainly unfixable. “What happens when you do let go?” Helena asked.

Dinah shrugged, tried to keep herself grounded. Psychoanalyzing her traumatic past was not something she’d anticipated doing this morning. “If I figure it out, I’ll let you know.”

Helena just nodded. Neither of them spoke for a while, until the quiet became too much, left too much room for her mind to wander. “How can you stand it?” She blurted out. Helena gave her a confused look, and she elaborated. “So much silence. You never seem phased by it.”

“Growing up, I was taught to meditate. I used to—“ she stopped herself, and Dinah was desperate to know the end of the sentence but knew she couldn’t rush it, had to wait and see how deep the well would go, how much Helena would give her if she showed she was willing to listen. “I didn’t stop hearing it for a while,” she finally said, and she didn’t lower her voice but something in the way she spoke felt different than before. “The shots. The echoes. The screams. But a killer who can’t live in silence will always get caught. So I had to learn. And now,” she shrugged. “Now I don’t mind it.”

Dinah almost didn’t ask, but she didn’t think she’d get another chance. “Do you still hear it?”

Helena sat very still, before nodding ever so slightly. 

“Yeah,” Dinah sighed, running a hand through her hair. “Me, too.”

“I know.” She must have made a face, because Helena hesitantly added, “I hear you when you wake up at night. I used to scream like that, too.”

“Used to?”

“Learning to stop was one of the first things they taught me.”

“And how did they manage to do that?”

Helena looked away, and she felt a pit in her stomach drop. “Ask me anything else,” she said, and Dinah knew it was both a deflection and an invitation, one she wouldn’t let pass on either account. 

“You never answered my first question,” she told her, and Helena glanced back up, and God, there was just something about the way she looked at her that made her brave and bold and desperate in a way she’d never felt before. 

“You’re the one who’s paying attention,” Helena responded. “How do I look at you?”

She wanted to tell her that her face was a language she didn’t quite understand yet, that every movement and shift was sending a message but when it came to her, she just couldn’t read them, or wouldn’t, because she didn’t know whether she saw what was real or what she wanted to see. “I don’t know,” she answered instead. “That’s why I asked.”

Helena was quiet again, but Dinah would wait ages to get an answer. She buried that realization deep into the back of her mind, let it sit there for her to contemplate later. Or never. Never worked, too. 

“When I look at you,” Helena started, and Dinah expected her to look away but instead she stared right at her, “I feel safe. And I haven’t felt safe in a long time.”

Dinah smiled. She didn’t realize how often she did that now. Ever since they started fighting together, ever since they started spending the time in between fights together, she hasn’t felt like she was waiting for the world to fall apart, like being happy wasn’t worth it because it was temporary. She wondered if that meant she was finally living. Not just surviving— living. 

She wanted to tell Helena it had been a long time since she’d felt that way, too, but she didn’t. She had a million things she wanted to tell her, things she’d never told anyone else before, and knowing just how badly she wanted it scared her in a way she couldn’t quite describe. When Helena looked at her, when she spoke, it was like a siren call, and Dinah felt every open every wound and sealed memory beckon to be released. More than anything, she wanted to let them go.

But not today. She knew that both of them had probably already passed their limit for emotional vulnerability for the day (or week), so she left it alone, let the words die on her tongue and silently vowed to give them life again soon. She had time, a realization that didn’t feel as daunting as it used to. The thought kept the smile on her face, even as she stood up. Grabbing both of their plates, she hummed a tune as she walked to the sink and hoped Helena heard her, hoped she knew that the song on her lips was for her and no one else, hoped she recognized it for what it was: a siren call of her own. 

#bop #birds of prey #pleaaaaase let me know what you think! #i thrive off the validation from others #dinah x helena #dinah lance #helena bertinelli #TFLAO3 #fanfic #bop fanfic #ao3

[linphd]

monoma x neutral!reader | summer camp

neito monoma x reader

gender neutral

Neito gets worried about you when the League of Villains attack the students at the summer camp.

no warning

You didn't really know what your relationship with Neito was. Maybe you guys were in a 'flirt only' relationship. Well, it was mostly for him ; you were just getting along with it. ''(L/N), stop being so bright, people in your class need to look at the sun and become blind only because of you !'' And you would brush it off. How could he be flirty with you and still hate on 1A at the same time ?

Moreover, whenever 1A and 1B had to paired up, he wanted to be with you. At first, you were kinda disappointed to be with him, but throughout time it only became automatic. Actually, your first interaction with Monoma was when the 2 hero classes were going to the USJ to have a common class. In the bus, Mina talked about how pretty the girls in 1B were. ‘’We got the handsome boys, though.’’ Jiro commented.

You nodded. ‘’Only 1 of them is good looking.’’ You said, pointing to Juzo. Mina giggled, Momo gasping at how disrespectful you guys were. Monoma was actually sat close to you all, and had rolled his eyes. ‘’Dont be mad, you’d be considered good-looking if you weren’t an ass all the time.’’ You told him.

Throughout time, he became comfortable around you. You couldn��t even tell when the transition began. According to you, it simply went from ‘I don’t know Monoma’ to ‘he’s that guy who flirts with me’. Not that you actually minded ; he really was good-looking, despise his attitude. And he looked really into you and wasn’t actually pushing you or anything. He even had some good intentions, like that one time at the cafeteria.

‘’(L/N) ! I got you your favorite dessert !’’ He said at lunch, when there wasn’t any of those anymore and he had noticed you were disappointed. ‘’How do you even know what I prefer ?’’ You asked, taking it gladly, giving him the dessert you had taken instead. ‘’I just know it !’’ You rolled your eyes. ‘’Fucking stalker.’’

He simply giggled, thanking you for the exchange, and went to eat with his classmates. Yours, well, they were used to it. But they still were mad sometimes that the blonde was nice only to you and no one else.

That’s why in the bus for the summer camp, while you were sat next to Kaminari, Monoma decided to sit right behind you. He didn’t talk to you, but you knew he had sat there on purpose, like the fucking stalker he is.

The first day was great, even with the hard training, and the night was much funnier, even if everyone was tired. The second night, however, took an odd turn. The League of Villains had decided to attack, and with your quirk, Aizawa had told you to rescue as much people as possible, trying not to get in a fight.

‘’Bakugou is in danger ?!’’ Kirishima exclaimed, in his class with Vlad King ; he knew the villains’ target was Katsuki. ‘’Wait, is (Y/N) outside ?!’’ Neito asked, suddenly. ‘’We have to help them !’’ Sero said, turning to the teacher. ‘’No, we have to stay here. We’re much more safe here than we would be outside. We’re not moving until we’re getting the order to do so, or if I find it too dangerous there.’’

Of course, everyone was nervous about Katsuki being the target. However, Neito couldn’t care less, his main focus being you. Of course he was always flirting, even trying to make it funny. But he actually really loved you and cared about you, and just didn’t know how to properly ask you out.

When the students taking the late classes could finally go out, they found you, Tokoyami, Izuku, Shoto, Shoji and Tenya all together. You were sat on the ground, crying. Neito ran to you, not even noticing that Izuku had two broken arms and looked much more hurt than you were. In fact, you didn’t look hurt at all.

Still, the blonde sat in front of you to take you in his arms, like it was something you guys would usually do. ‘’Are you okay ? Are you hurt ? Why are you crying, is something wrong ?’’ He asked, actually worried. You gulped, trying to catch your breath. ‘‘They got Bakugou, we couldn’t save him ! I had to rescue everyone but I didn’t rescue him !’’ You said, between sobs.

Neito was actually glad that you weren’t hurt. But seeing you that pained made his heart ache. He cupped your cheeks, wiping your tears, and giving you a sad smile, for some reason. You looked at him, and then rest your head against his chest, finally hugging him back. He was glad you did, since he started to rub your back to try to make you feel more comfortable.

Because of that incident, the summer camp trip was over, and everyone had to already go back in the bus. Neito insisted on sitting next to you, and you actually let him do it. You were resting your cheek against your hand, trying not to break down again. But he noticed it. ‘’(L/N)... (Y/N), they’ll save him. They are pros, it’s what they do. It’s their job.’’ You nodded, not really caring about what he was saying, though.

Well, that was until he pulled you in a hug, kissing the top of your head when he was done settling you. ‘’Sleep, (Y/N). Don’t worry about him, they’ll rescue him.’’ You wanted to argue with the blonde. But you were too tired right now, and simply nodded, hugging him to use him as a pillow. He snorted at the sight, playing with your hair as you drifted to sleep.

Both Neito and you didn’t talk about you two being that close when you were back at U.A. And after that, well, you were busy being a member of the Bakugou rescue squad, so you didn’t have time to talk to the blonde at all. And even if you got grounded from getting endangered to save your friend, you couldn’t care less ; Katsuki was alive and safe.

Moreover, you were quite fond of the idea of living in dorms by now ; you were much closer to the school, and you could call a pro directly when there was a danger. Oh, and also because Neito was in a dorm as well, so you could see him very often. And that’s why, the next morning, when everyone was settled, you went to find him.

‘’Neito ?’’ You asked, quite unsure about if you could use his first name, even if he did use yours. He turned and smiled. ‘’Thank you, for the camp. You were nice with me.’’ He chuckled. ‘‘No problem, (Y/N) ! It’s good that your friend’s back, you won’t have to get sad anymore !’’ You nodded, staring at him.

Noticing it, he started to laugh. ‘’What ? Do I have something on my face ? You had never seen a guy that handsome before ?’’ And he didn’t look done, but you cut him off... by kissing him. When you pulled away, he was frozen in place. ‘’Did you... did you just kiss me ?’’ You nodded, once again. That made him laugh again. ‘’That’s what I was saying ! I’m so handsome you had to kiss me !’’ But you brushed it off.

‘’That also means that I’m very grateful you tried to cheer me up and that you can stop your cheesy pick-up lines and the flirting. I wanna go on a date with you.’’ Once again, he stopped laughing, and simply widened his eyes. He smiled, and hugged you. ‘’I’m glad you’re agreeing even before I ask you out.’’ You snorted. ‘’Else we would’ve never gone on a date. You’re too weird to ask properly.’’ He snorted as well ; maybe that’s why he liked you. You were witty, and you didn’t care picking a fight with him. And oh, how happy he was.

#bnha #mha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #monoma neito #neito monoma #neito x reader #monoma x reader

[marvelousmatt]

The Accidental Comedy of Matt Berry

The star of IFC’s detective-series spoof ‘Year of the Rabbit,’ famed for his booming voice and over-the-top faces, never set out to be funny

Matt Berry as Detective Inspector Rabbit in 'Year of the Rabbit.'  Ben Meadows/IFC

If you know Matt Berry from his most famous roles — such as The IT Crowd’s idiot boss Douglas Reynholm, Toast of London’s pompous struggling actor Steven Toast, or the preening and lascivious vampire Laszlo on What We Do in the Shadows — talking to him over the phone is sort of like meeting his un-evil twin. Where his characters are outrageous and inappropriate, Berry is circumspect and gentlemanly. While they pronounce every word as if they’re doing Shakespeare in the Park, with a ponderous theatricality, his signature rich baritone comes over the line from London sounding muted by comparison. It’s as though he’s playing the straight man in a sketch of his own life.

Whatever absurd and profane notions he has rattling around in his head, Berry saves them for his work. His latest offering, IFC’s Year of the Rabbit (a collaboration among Berry, producer Ben Farrell, and writers Andy Riley and Kevin Cecil), is a send-up of the period detective shows that are a staple of British television. Set in Victorian times, it centers on his titular character, Rabbit, a cranky copper who bumbles through every episode but slyly solves the whodunit in the end — a kind of gruff, English Columbo in a waistcoat. In the “why not” fashion typical of Berry’s comedy, the character is missing an eyebrow (a trait the show repeatedly explains away with the intentionally unconvincing line that it was chewed off by a dog last Christmas). He’s named Rabbit — his actual first name, with no surname — not because of any correlation with, say, the Chinese calendar, but because… well, just because.

“His father couldn’t be bothered giving any of the kids any normal names, so he just named them after animals and then left them outside a church,” Berry says matter-of-factly, as if Rabbit and his father are real. Pressed on the matter, he adds, “We have a huge history over here of these shows, Agatha Christie and stuff, and they all have these names, Inspector This and That. I just wanted to do something stupid with that — give him an animal name and not anything else. So he really is as earthy as you can get in that way. There’s nothing fancy about him at all.”

Rabbit is an inveterate boozehound with a colorful vocabulary. He beats up a schoolteacher on career day to demonstrate interrogation techniques to the children. He tells his rookie partner that the way to keep warm during a wintertime stakeout is to piss himself. He describes the London of his day as “a rat eating its own babies. Babies made of shit. And once it’s eaten its own shit babies, it shits them out again.” He is paired, reluctantly, with two bright-eyed and bushy-tailed colleagues to form a crack investigative team, a juxtaposition which only underscores his baser qualities.

“He’s basically trying to hide the fact that he’s incredibly hungover and not firing on all cylinders,” Berry says. “Whereas his younger sidekicks won’t be, because when you’re that young, you know, you get over a hangover by like 10 o’clock in the morning. I wanted him to be dull, in terms of reactions to things, but effective.”

Robert Bathurst, Matt Berry, and Harry Peacock in Toast of London. Photo Credit: Kuba Wieczorek/IFC/CH4

Ineptitude and buffoonery are much more the calling cards of Steven Toast, whose massive ego blinds him to his own failings. He is an oblivious object of mockery at the hands of his voiceover producers, a pair of douchey hipsters named Clem Fandango and Danny Bear, and his mistress, Mrs. Purchase (wife of Toast’s acting nemesis Ray “Bloody” Purchase), looks eternally bored during their trysts. His long-suffering agent has to force him to become a laxative pitchman, yet he complains that she’s not scoring him Oscar-caliber roles.

If Toast is the character closest to Berry’s heart, it’s for good reason. Despite a brand of humor that seems firmly rooted in the British tradition — the surreality and silliness of Python, the cartoonish prurience of Benny Hill — Berry, 45, maintains that he wasn’t especially interested in comedy growing up. He cites as his primary influence not comedic greats such as Peter Sellers or contemporaries like Steve Coogan, but “straight actors, people that normally weren’t trying to be funny.” The more “mannered” and “self-important” the star, Berry says, the funnier he found them. The line to Toast is clear — especially in his puffed-up diction and bizarrely exaggerated pronunciation of ordinary words (such as his praise of guest-star Jon Hamm’s “charismaaaaaaaeeeeeee”). Imagine the famous outtakes of a drunk Orson Welles filming a Paul Masson wine commercial, and you’re on the right track.

Berry’s career in comedy came as a complete surprise to him. He grew up in the hamlet of Bromham in Bedfordshire, about two hours north of London, in a wholly unartistic family who had “normal, decent jobs,” he says. “My mom was a nurse, my sister went into law — nothing like what I ended up doing.” Still, his parents were totally supportive — worried, but supportive — as he stumbled through temp gigs and patches of unemployment as a young man.

He was far more interested in painting and music — and, in fact, today is an accomplished musician who’s recorded eight studio albums (prog rock-ish, inflected with funk) as well as the scores and themes to numerous TV series, including Toast. That show’s frequent musical interludes, gonzo song parodies a la Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, speak to Berry’s true comedic beginnings. In between stints at the London Dungeon — a haunted-house experience where actors play figures from gruesome corners of the city’s past, like Jack the Ripper — he managed to book solo gigs as a singer-songwriter. But he found that spiking his performances with humor won over a crowd.

Natasia Demetriou and Berry in What We Do In the Shadows.  Byron Cohen/FX

“I was playing before comedians, and the gigs just seemed to go quicker and better if I put some comedy into the songs or the bits in between the songs,” Berry says. “I only did it so I’d fit in with what was going on after. Then I really got to like it.”

Fellow performers Richard Ayoade and Matthew Holness noticed his act, and cast Berry in a horror/sci-fi spoof they created called Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace. From there, his television career exploded, with recurring roles in several series before his breakout in 2007 with The IT Crowd. Despite a nomination for “best newcomer” at that year’s British Comedy Awards and a 2015 BAFTA for Best Male Performance in a Comedy for Toast, Berry insists he doesn’t have any particular aptitude for the form, and draws a blank when it comes to defining his style. Mostly, he chalks it up to timing (“Whether it’s music or comedy, that’s the most important thing for me”) — as well as a lack of training.

“I’m not held back by any sort of rules and regulations in terms of performance,” he says. “I’ll just do what feels natural, and because nobody’s said in the past, ‘Well you can’t really do that, because of this,’ you just do it. If it works, it works, and if it doesn’t, you just try something else.”

He does acknowledge one foolproof stylistic flourish that may be deeply ingrained: a true relish for the scatological and sophomorically sexual. See: Laszlo’s vulva topiaries, or the preposterously elastic faces Toast makes while he’s shagging Mrs. P (“Hang on — my balls are about to fizzzz!”) or pleasuring himself to old-timey images of women in military uniforms. A key moment in Rabbit involves the inspector having a pocketful of dog poop.

“I suppose that’s the British toilet humorist in me,” Berry admits. “It doesn’t matter where you go in Europe, toilet humor is enjoyed by all. Being from the U.K., it’s in you, like, from birth. You know, if you’re little and people are laughing at something all around you, it kind of sticks. If it’s something that my granddad laughs at and my dad laughs at, there’s a good chance that I’ll laugh at it, too.”

#matt berry #year of the rabbit #what we do in the shadows