#definitely for sure yeah its super obscure

[gratuitousvictrix]

Wanna start a fight club with me?

i'm game, but what would the first rule be?

[starshadyy]

what your favorite splatoon character says about YOU!

obligatory “this is a joke” disclaimer, please don’t take offense i’m only being silly👉👈

☆ ★ ☆

callie: you are a diehard squid sisters fan. you have an intrinsic sense for design and are probably super creative. you hate it when people misinterpret her. others wouldn’t assume it, but you actually need therapy more than most others on this list…😔

marie: you’re really intimidating but probably super nice. you’re actually good at the game and are well-versed in the meta. you may not be the best at communication, but you have a strong intuition and are good at reading people

pearl: an absolute feral crackhead who needs to be kept on a leash. definitely queer. nasty majesty is your national anthem. you breathe life and energy into every situation you enter, and others appreciate you for it. you are pearlina’s strongest soldier! 🩷🩵

marina: you are a massive nerd /affectionate. you either wanna be her friend or you have a fat crush on her. you listen to splatoon ost all the time. your room is packed with stuff from the media you like, including mountains of plushies

shiver: you join her team during splatfests even when you don’t necessarily agree with the platform. you’re likely very sarcastic and always speak your mind. oh yeah, and you’re a weeb

frye: you loved her from the start and defended her honor back when everyone was clowning on her design. you’re very talented but humble about your accomplishments. you would bite someone if allowed

big man: you act laid back but are probably filled with anxiety. i get the vibe that you would own an unconventional pet of some kind [turtle, frog, ferret, etc.]. you’re for sure the mom friend. you know nothing about splatoon lore

captain 3: you are the BACKBONE of this fandom and i have nothing but respect for you. you’re probably ranked pretty high in competitive and are likely a completionist

agent 4: you grew up on splatoon 2 and were sure that they would show up in side order only to be… uh, half right? i’m so sorry sweet prince /gn. don’t you worry, your day [splatoon 4] is fast approaching…

eight: you’re very analytical and derive great joy from the story aspects of splatoon. you either write or read fanfiction and maybe cosplay too. you LIVE for the found family trope, and also probably ship them with captain 3. you have amazing taste :]

neo agent 3: you think lil buddy is the most adorable creature to walk the planet. you wish their initial outfit was actually accessible in the game. you’ve probably only played splatoon 3

cap’n cuttlefish: you’re an og who’s been around since splatoon 1 but still know next to nothing about the lore. you don’t main a weapon, and instead prefer to bounce around. you are… an inscrutable crackhead who i want to study

dj octavio: you’re willing to die on the hill that he is not a villain and only did what he did to support his people [you’re right btw]. you’re actually really chill and fun and i have a lot of respect for you. also, i’m liable to believe that you ship him with cuttlefish, don’t you? DON’T YOU?!?

commander tartar: you’re… ME??? villainous characters are always your favorites. you think octo expansion is a masterpiece [and you’re entirely right]. you’re a splatoon scholar and scour every obscure twitter post and artbook note to satiate your hunger for that sweet sweet lore. there’s something deeply wrong in your head.

mr. grizz: you play a lot of salmon run but are actually kinda bad at it [shhh i won’t tell]. you suffered through after alterna just for his backstory log and the bear ears. i’m going to go out on a limb here and say… you have daddy issues

smollusk: you LOVE the idea that marina and pearl are its adoptive moms. you’ve beaten side order with every palette. you overuse the “🥺” emoji. you miiight be a little annoying, but your heart is in the right place… probably

acht: either the chillest person you’ll ever meet or the most insane. probably both. you’re 100% queer and probably neurodivergent too. i bet you listen to will wood and / or tally hall. i wanna be your friend

harmony: you know every chirpy chips song by heart. you’re probably really sweet and i know you make banger fanart. you have an affinity for cute things and i bet your favorite pokémon type is fairy. DEFINITELY neurodivergent.

cq cumber: ???you both confuse and frighten me!!! what can i even say? you’re a cryptid! but honestly, you’re kinda iconic. i salute you, you freak of nature🫡

iso padre: I LOVE YOU. you’re accepting of all people and are just an absolute saint in general. daddy issues, but you’re coping way better than the grizz fans. also, i’m betting that you’re neurodivergent

sheldon: i didn’t think you existed, but turns out that you do? you actually listen to his rambles. splatoon 2 is your favorite game in the series. you’re able to see the value in things that others tear down and y'know what? i respect that [not saying i approve of your character choice though]

judd: wait, why him? ohh wait, i know! you probably just don’t care about splatoon’s story at all and / or love cats. there, that’s totally it, right?

lil judd: you either DON’T know his lore and just like the cute little kitten, or you DO know his lore and you’re unhinged. i’m scared of you

spyke: you’d bark for him without hesitation and DON’T pretend you wouldn’t. you clown. you absolute freak. i know what you are. /j

murch: if i had to bet, you’re probably the shy type who prefers to let others do the talking for them. you might secretly be a little freaky though, and i think you should embrace that side of yourself. you’re safe here. be free.

[icyfox17]

New tag game bc I'm bored

List 5-10 of the most obscure crossovers you have floating around in your brain !!

1. Dumbass!crimeboys x halcyon!crimeboys

-> arguably the most obscure since it's a crossover between two aus that aren't even posted publicly, but i gen adore it sm<3 db!crimeboys is a hero au where tommy is just. Welp. A dumbass<3 he's my fav tommy ever guys 😭😭 he's my friend's au and I just SOBS most precious guy ever... And halcyon crimeboys is a detective au. Basically take the dumbest tommy and tired older brother Wilbur and make them meet the smartest crimeboys. It's very silly:))

2. Psych x Dsmp

-> okay hear me out. Hear me out. Shawn Spencer is literally Tommyinnit. They are the SAME. Now Phil as Chief Vic, Techno and Wilbur as twin detectives who both function as Jules and Lassiter (platonic ofc), and Tubbo as Gus. It fits way better than it should 😭😭

3. Critical Role (specifically Mighty Nein) x Dsmp

-> guys. Guys. I went on a rant on here like a year ago BUT CADUCEUS AND TECHNO'S CHARACTER DESIGNS ARE EERILY SIMILAR TO EACH OTHER. Tall pink dude w animal traits (cad is more cow, tech is more pig)? Cad is like c!Phil and c!Techno to me... (Is it bc of the tea obsession? Maybe...). I just also think that clingyduo would get along with Jester and Nott/Veth like a wildfire. OR OMG FOOLISH-- Does anyone remember Foolish building dick statues everywhere?? Yeah, he's definitely a follower of the Traveler.

4. 911xMCU

-> okay ngl guys this just came 2 me bc I realised that everyone calls Bobby Cap like how all the Avengers call Steve Cap and I was like lmfao imagine a scene where someone says Cap and they both respond to it.

5. Cw Flash x Pjo

-> okay this isn't my idea but it's one of my fav fics ever WHY DOES IT WORK SO WELL LMFAO

6. Spider-Man x Dick Grayson & Wally West

-> PETER IS LITERALLY DICK AND WALLY IN ONE PERSON 😭😭 SUPER SMART SCIENCE BRAIN + SILLY GOOFY + ACROBATS they're the same. I need them to meet so badly sobsosbsosbsosvsosbsosbsisbsjs Not sure which versions of which I just. Need it. Pls 😭😭😭

7. Justice League Unlimited x Young Justice (tv show)

-> This one has its own separate post here, but omg it makes me SO UPSET GUYS 😭😭😭

8. TMNT x Batfam

Okay not obscure bc they have had both a movie and a comic BUT HEAR ME OUT. SPECFICALLY THE 2007 MOVIE VERSION OF TMNT. This scene is literally Dick and Jason I can't do this guys WHY DO THEIR COLOURS EVEN MATCH

9. Dceu!Bruce & Barry x MCU!Irondad

-> okay my mental illness is full blast here but omfg they are the same duo THEY ARE THE SAME I need them to swap sons for a day plspslspslspspspdlfkfdishskdfjdksklaskd

10. Any vigilante au Tommy x Spider-Man

-> this is hidden in my notes app and is both like my own version of Tommy and Spidey but omfg I'm attached it's such a fun idea to play around with rahhhshshshss. I have a scene where Tommy and Spidey have a miscommunication over Blade lmfao and it lives rent free in my mind. Like Blade is a vampire but does NOT dress the same as Technoblade who might also secretly be a vampire in Tommy's universe lmfaooo

Okay and Bonus One that literally no one will understand except me

11. Magnum PI remake x Orphanduo (Techno and Skeppy)

-> Katsumoto is literally Technoblade guys. THEY ARE THE SAME PERSON. And omfg Magnum and Higgens are so happy duo ngl 😭😭😭

OKAY THAT'S ALL FOR NOW YIPPEE

Tag time :D

@sammiekel @jiksvokrat @cristalmystery @ghosts-and-blue-sweaters @sleepdeprivedofmycorn @sunflowervc @angrilydancing and anyone else who wants to join in!!

[entertext]

HGSN 21-1

Chapter (Japanese)

(Please hit the green thumbs up at the end of the chapter to show support)

Rough translation by me

P1

(sfx: cicada calls: kumazemi)

(sfx: cicada calls: higurashi)

P2

(txt: smaller grave marker labeled "Caw-tarou" in childish handwriting)

(txt: bread wrapper labeled "Cream pan")

Yoshiki: Sorry this is all there is

Yoshiki: As long as he's around, no one will hold a funeral for you...

P3

Yoshiki: But, if he's here, I can go without forgetting you, so I'm glad

Yoshiki: 'cause that's...what scares me...the most...

Hikaru: Whoa

Hikaru: So you were here? Brings me back...

Hikaru: We used to always play here back then right?

Hikaru: Ah, look at this

P4

(txt: "Start→" written in childish handwriting)

Hikaru: The Super Maruo stage I made. The one you played with your finger while making "pwing" noises and stuff.

Yoshiki: Yeah

Hikaru: ...

P5

Hikaru: Hey...what are the differences between me and Hikaru?

Yoshiki: You're completely different...

Yoshiki: He'd read the room more than you do, he was more mature...

Yoshiki: And he was harder to understand

Yoshiki: He was more of a rascal. He'd tell lies, and he could be pretty wily.

Yoshiki: And...

Yoshiki: he'll definitely never come back. So you're different.

Hikaru: ...

Hikaru: ...did you 'like' him?

P6

Yoshiki: ...why?

Hikaru: No...it's nothing, just...

Hikaru: 'cause

Hikaru: Before, you looked away after seeing my bare chest...

Hikaru: And like...

Hikaru: I was just wondering... why...

Yoshiki: ...I don't want to say

Hikaru: ...why?

P7

Yoshiki: ...Now, even if I look at your body, I don't feel anything in particular anymore

Yoshiki: ...And also...when it comes to these feelings

Yoshiki: I think its fine if you don't understand them

P8

Hikaru: ...what's with that?

Hikaru: ...It's true that they're...not something I have. Those feelings...

Hikaru: Compared to humans, on a fundamental level,

Hikaru: I'm totally different, I guess

Yoshiki: There are things we have that only we have

Yoshiki: Also...

Yoshiki: You don't need to turn into a human or anything

P9

Hikaru: Huh..?

Yoshiki: In fact, please don't ever become anything like a human

(sfx: grab)

Hikaru: Hey!

Hikaru: Sure...?

P10

Yoshiki: (He's a being different from us in every way)

Yoshiki: (There's no way we could come to terms with each other on every point)

Yoshiki (That said, given that he's here)

Yoshiki: (it still doesn't make it okay for him to kill people, but...)

Yoshiki: (Rather than forcing him to fit in with humans)

Yoshiki: (if there was a place where he could live as himself instead...)

P11

Yoshiki: (For that, I'd...)

Yoshiki: (give everything...)

(sfx: cicada calls: kumazemi)

(sfx: cicada calls: higurashi)

--

(sfx: marker on paper)

==

Next chapter: 2023/09/19

Twitter Extras (link):

'Hikaru's vocabulary is limited, so he'll say "like", but it differs from what humans mean by "like".

Why do dogs dig holes?

Why do cats sharpen their claws?

Just as humans can't understand these intrinsically, 'Hikaru's "like" may also not be understandable to humans.

==

T/N:

Regarding the cicada sounds in Japanese:

- Up until now, cicadas cries in HGSN have been represented with the sound "shawa shawa shawa"

- This is likely to represent the cry of the kumazemi (Cryptotympana facilis) which is very common in Western Japan and associated with summer: video sample

- In this chapter although there are still some "shawa shawa shawa" cries in the background, the largest cries are "kana kana kana" instead

- This is likely to represent the cry of the higurashi (Tanna japonensis) which is associated with late summer/autumn, and is thought to have a melancholy or lonely sound: video sample

By the way, in the final frame, we can see the word Nounuki partially obscured and the name Matsuyama, as well as an unfamiliar proper noun circled in the center. I expect next chapter to give more context and a full image for the chart in the final frame.

[glowyfissh]

hi guys whats up its me jamie and i have vocaloid headcannons for the yv boys cus im bored like really REALLY bored and also ive been hyperfixating on vocaloid for the longest time and yuurivoice

UMMM WARNING FOR THE LINKS lots of flashing lights and for the scary one uhhh blood and ooky spooky things like GORE and KNIVES!!!!!!!! BAHHHHHHHHH!!!!! and also plenty of disturbing topics (mainly for Okaasan, Secrets of Wysteria and The Fox’s Wedding those are freaky deaky)

Faust:

- before i start i wanna say that he definitely used to be a scene kid i can smell it i can smell the sour patch kids and monster energy off of him

- ok anyways this guy was also a HUGE vocaloid fan and im not talking about he only listened to miku songs he listened to ALLLLL of them

- back in the day if u asked him which song was his favorite he’d probably mention some scary, obscure and super old song like idk Alice of Human Sacrifice or (my favorite) Fear Garden but really his favorite song was probably either Romeo and Cinderella (ALSO MY FAVORITE) or World is Mine

- his favorite vocaloid is probably IA

- he’s probably the only one out of the boys that actually knows other vocaloids other than miku

- if you went up to him now and asked him what his favorite song was (cus i know motherfucking well he still listens to vocaloid) he’d still say some obscure shit just to sound cool and original but shhhhh its ok buddy i know your favorite song is Matoryoshka and Magnet

Alphonse:

- i know damn well he listens to vocaloid in private

- “i can’t let the bros know i fuck with this”

- he leans more towards the pop side of vocaloid like GimmexGimme and Freely Tomorrow

- he’s too scared to listen to any of the creepy vocaloid songs cus he’s a PUSSY (this is very lighthearted) he heard one kikuo song and couldn’t sleep

- his favorite vocaloid is rin

Auron:

- you know damn well he also listened to vocaloid i mean like he HAD to because of Faust

- at first he thought it was cringe and told Faust that all the time just to spite him but after a while be was like holy fuck this goes hard????

- he most definitely got too curious when Faust mentioned the scary vocaloid songs and went down a horrible HORRIBLE rabbit hole (its ok me too)

- it started out with Rotten Girl, Grotesque Romance then Secrets of Wysteria and ended with Okaasan

- he ended up pretty NOT normal after that

- his favorite song would either be uhhhh Q or maybe Closer to You

- when it comes to his favorite vocaloid he’d probably tell you its miku just because but i like to think his favorite is ACTUALLY vflower because of how strong her voice is

Charlie:

- HUSH I KNOW HE HAD TO LISTEN TO VOCALOID BECAUSE OF CASPER

- hey do you know what a vocaloid is “is.. that an anime?”

- after hearing about it he got a little curious and started off with a classic Ievan Polkka because everybody knows that song

- he doesn’t really care about vocaloid that much and wouldn’t have a favorite song but shhhhhh he dabbles a little bit into it

Jack:

- i mean come ON guys he said he was a theater kid why wouldn’t he listen to vocaloid at least a LITTLE

- he probably wouldn’t be THAT into it like charlie but if you mentioned it he’d be like “oh yeah! i’ve listened to a couple songs!”

- i know DAMN WELL this man fucks with wowaka HEAVY

- “fuck man unknown mother goose is so good” TWINNNNNNN

- his favorite song would probably be Roki tho

- im still not too sure who his favorite vocaloid is but i think it’d be kaito

Finn:

- i can smell it off of him. he fucks with miku HEAVYYYYY

- also would not fuck with the scary songs if you told him to listen to uhhhh idk The Fox’s Wedding he’d cry

- he likes the much softer songs which is why kaai yuki would be his favorite because of her soft voice BUT he would really like meiko too

- his favorite songs (since he’s indecisive) would probably be Patchwork Staccato OR Deep Sea Girl

[zhoudadudugongjin]

Damn sounds like he's a team's carrier

It reminds me of that new modern slang in my country which translates to English means "team's carrier", who's essentially the backbone of the team, they may not be the leader of the team, but they definitely work out every unexpected issue that comes in the team's ways and more often than not, not recognized or known for that matter

I'm pretty sure the team's carrier characters are important but not as recognized, it's like that time when I learned in my country's history of this obscured imperial official who's essentially "the Man behind the Emperor" who did a lot for this famously known Emperor but literally almost no one knows about his accomplishments in the present, but they do know the Emperor who he worked for WELL and who didn't almost lose the right to be Emperor thanks to the official (The Emperor guy got a notorious reputation and not one one might expect, the guy got his wife, the Empress, pregnant BEFORE MARRIAGE cuz his dad, the previous Emperor, told him he can't marry his girlfriend, who's the would be Empress so he went and got her pregnant so his Dad can't say no to that and that's how he married his wife, he took responsibility for her so no hate in that, but damn that was super daring considering the time period)

I'm from Vietnam btw :3, The 3 Kingdoms is very famous in my country for its great history, hope you don't mind the small history fact dropped

Hi! Thanks for your message!

I just want to preface this with a BIG disclaimer. I am not Chinese, I am British, and I kinda just fell into the 3k stuff this summer and Zhige Liang is now Bloro from my history books. The whole era is virtually unknown to the general public here, so with that in mind, I would consider myself FAR from an authority on such matters!

In terms of being someone who carries the team, that absolutely does explain Zhuge Liang to a tee! Not just because he was given so much responsibility, but also because he put so much upon himself (and he was a bit of a control freak too which didn't help matters!)

In terms of it being unrecognised, that very much seems to not be the case, both at the time and subsequently through history. Especially after Liu Bei died. His son Liu Shan was only 16 when he took the crown and very reliant on Zhuge Liang. Everyone knew it, in fact his competence was so well known that many other ministers were suspicious that he would usurp power for himself.

Liu Shan himself was Zhuge Liang's adopted son and he loved and respected him so much that he ended up being the only emperor in Chinese history to commission a temple for one of his subjects. There's a fun little post about that matter linked below (and I really reccommend @mademoiselle-red 's blog if you're interested in historical tidbits because she's awesome and knows what's what!)

Sorry for the long essay lol. But yeah I do have a bit of a soft spot for long-serving/long-suffering ministers who basically ran the country lol. I'm looking at you, Sir William Marshal my beloved, who is the closest example i can think of for England. Sadly nobody these days seems to know much about his life and story because they don't teach about him in schools... So I guess you can say he is a bit of a team carrier ...

[underratedandoverit]

Some Nights I Dream Of You (And I Regret It)

~1,4k words orangekip (orange cassidy/kip sabian)

set in immortal fears/the belt corruption au. so uh. this started as what i wanted to call "soulmates as horror", but i dont think if thats in the end an accurate thing to describe this with, so im going to use that at some point later. but definitely in the same spirit as this cause. yeah

warnings; mentions of bodily harm, implied body horror, angst, nightmares, unreality. nothing is super explicit and things are much more just implied than actually shown or anything, apart from the final one so a slight warning for purposefully breaking someones finger. other than thats its very much just between the lines, but if the idea of body parts being potentially removed or such bothers you, even as an obscured idea, this probably isnt a very nice read

kip is also jealous and possessive, just generally an asshole dont worry about it

@midnightpretenders0 @stormbornpirate

on ao3

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

“Oh, Clementine…”

The sing songy voice reaching his ears, it was almost as if Cassidy snapped out of some sort of a trance, maybe even sleep. His head bounced up, senses sharpened, eyes opened.

Except that he didn’t see anything. Everything was dark, wherever he looked was nothing but pitch black. He couldn’t even see shadows moving around him, it was nothing but darkness.

But Cassidy was so sure he had opened his eyes. He could feel himself blinking. There was nothing on his face, nothing obscuring his vision. And yet.

He couldn’t see anything.

“Clementine.”

The voice was a hot whisper against his ear, making him shiver. Except nothing moved. Cassidy could feel his body reacting to the voice, the sound, the mockingly charming nickname he had gotten so used to. He knew it belonged to him, he recognized the lips that single word fell from. Almost too intimately so.

He just couldn’t make a single move to respond to it, despite not feeling any restrictions on his body. He couldn’t turn his head away from it, not come face to face with it. A hand didn’t move to reach closer, no feet would take him away. Just…

Nothing.

“What’s the matter?”

Cassidy didn’t respond. It wasn’t a matter of not having anything to say, he just simply couldn’t. He tried opening his mouth, but just like every other action, it seemed futile. No matter how much he willed himself to do so, his lips stayed sealed, as if controlled by some power outside of his own. He couldn’t make a single noise, no protest, not even to agree to whatever he was saying, deny that anything was wrong.

Something was wrong, and Cassidy couldn’t tell him.

“Are you… Having some difficulties?”

The mild British accent was slowly driving him up the wall. Cassidy could visualize it in his mind, Kip watching him struggling, a smirk tucking in the corner of his mouth. The look Cassidy hated. Despised. Kip just enjoying seeing him not being able to hold the situation together, failing to answer to him, to respond to his taunts.

He knew Kip was enjoying every second of this, whatever it was that he was struggling with, and savoring the sight.

“Oh,” he heard Kip sigh, feeling a soft gust of cold air brushing against what Cassidy assumed to be an exposed skin, feeling like alongside the back of his neck. “The little darling is struggling. How tragic.”

Cassidy wanted to answer him, so badly, but he simply couldn’t. Words couldn’t leave his mouth, even if they were yelling at maximum volume inside his head. He wanted to call Kip a coward, to stop doing whatever this was, to let him go. Cassidy might have not been sure in the moment what exactly was going on, but with each passing second, soft, teasing little touches against his skin, Kip’s clearly satisfied tone, it was more and more obvious that he was behind it, whatever it was.

“That is fine,” Kip finally stated, Cassidy feeling a hand brushing through his hair. The way it carded through his coils was clearly mocking, making him want to break through his state even more, to tell him to stop, that it was becoming too much. “I like you better when you don’t fight back anyway.”

The hand moved from his hair to the back of his neck, the fingertips slowly trailing past the side of the neck, just underneath the ear to his jaw. The way they moved so slowly and felt like they flicked every single hair of his beard was agonizing.

“You don’t have to fight anymore.” Cassidy could have sworn he heard the smile on Kip’s voice, despite not seeing it, despite being surrounded with nothing but darkness. His fingers stopped at Cassidy’s chin, giving it a few soft taps before brushing over his lips. “You are free now. To just be mine. And mine alone.”

The hand suddenly left his face, leaving Cassidy alone with just the lack of his own senses again. He felt an almost frantic need to get that touch back, no matter how much he also hated it. Kip was playing with him, playing with his prey, but there was something so comforting in it at the same time. A familiarity that was a welcomed taste in the darkness Cassidy was currently floating in, without anything he could do about it on his own.

He tried to fight it. Blinking his eyes, not recovering his vision. Trying to tell Kip to stop, not having a mouth to open or voice to speak out loud the words that were so loud in his head. No hand to reach for him, to beg him to come back, to give Cassidy something coherent and tangible to hold onto.

Nothing. He had nothing. He could do nothing.

He was completely at Kip’s mercy.

“Although I’m… I am sorry, Clementine.”

Cassidy felt a shiver running down his spine, followed by a hand landing on what he assumed to be his. The touch was burning hot against his skin, what he presumed to be his skin at least. It felt comforting, but still distant, as if he was experiencing it secondhand somehow. An out of body experience.

“I admit I may have overdone this a bit.”

The fingers tapped against the back of his hand a little bit, every tap feeling like it had enough force behind it to shatter his bones to pieces. Cassidy wanted to scream, let out the pain, but once again, nothing. He couldn’t do anything, just bear the feeling of Kip’s fingers slowly lacing with his, giving his hand a little squeeze.

“I just didn’t like the way you looked at anyone else. I had to do something before you would… Change your mind.”

Cassidy blinked. Or he would have, if it would have been possible.

“I couldn’t let you do that. To change your mind. About this.”

The second squeeze on his hand was much stronger, and after Kip locked it in he didn’t let go.

“About us.”

His voice lowered with the words, matching the grip he had on Cassidy’s hand. The pain shot through him, but once again nothing moved. He couldn’t react to it, couldn’t resist it, all Cassidy could do was let Kip lead this dance, and follow helplessly along while Kip did seemingly whatever it was that he wanted to do in the moment.

“I might have to do something about you feeling others too.” It was almost as if Kip was pondering his words out loud, rather than giving out a statement he might have wanted Cassidy’s opinion on too. He moved the hand in his, observing what Cassidy felt like was a pile of broken bones at this point, even though it wasn’t possible that Kip simply holding his hand was going to cause that kind of damage to him. But it sure felt like it. “Your hands are… So beautiful. I don’t want anyone else holding them but me.”

Kip’s other hand joined in grabbing his hand, fingertips trailing along the back of his fingers. Without warning he grabbed a hold of the ring finger, bending it as far backwards as he possibly could, letting it audibly snap.

Cassidy winced. He could finally let out a scream, pull his hand away.

He heard Kip cackling at him as he stumbled backwards, tripping on something, getting swallowed by the darkness again.

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

Cassidy’s head snapped up from the pillow, forcing him to sit up, taking in a sharp breath. It took him a moment to stop his heart from racing, to focus back in the real world, into the dark bedroom at the late hours of the night. He closed his eyes, quickly opening them again, making sure that he was awake and being able to see this time.

Everything felt real again, helping Cassidy ease his breathing as he wiped a hand over his face and through his hair as he confirmed all of that had just been another nightmare.

Feeling the bed shifting by his side a little, his eyes shot towards it, watching as Kip just rolled from one side to another, still fast asleep. Cassidy inhaled deeply, trying to calm himself down. It was just a dream. Another one of the never ending nightmares.

As real as it felt, he knew that Kip didn’t want anything bad to him. Not anymore, at least.

[weirdmarioenemies]

BURT THE BASHFUL: Oh, there You are.

YOU: I'm not sure we've met.

SWORM: Heh, good one! We've been waiting for You.

YOU: Have you? You seem...

SWORM: Big?

BURT: Yeah, we're Big Boys.

SWORM: Big Boys.

BURT: Big Boys. Try and keep up, mate.

YOU: No, I think I get it. You're quite big.

SWORM: Yeah, and we're so big we don't just sit around and learn about one enemy at a time...

BURT: Yeah, that's for dummies and wimps.

YOU: Really? Okay, great!

BURT: We do two at once.

YOU: ...Right. Uh, well...

SWORM: What's wrong? I thought You were up for pushing the boundaries?

YOU: Yeah, but two at—

WALLEYE: That’s right, boundaries are important!

YOU: No, look-

Name: Walleye Debut: Super Mario 3D World

Walleye’ll be! This little guy is sort of a spiritual successor to Wallops from Super Mario 3D Land in that it’s an animated wall creature that blocks your path by shuffling back and forth, but it’s actually got quite a bit going on to differentiate it from its relative!

YOU: Look, that’s not what he meant!

BURT: What?

YOU: I said look-

SLAMMER: Look where? Somewhere else?

YOU: What? No! Oh, come on…

Name: Slammer Debut: The Super Mario Bros. Super Show

Pleased to meetcha! Today we'll be looking at Slammer, arguably one of the most iconic Mario characters of all-time... unless you look somewhere else! As a minor one-off character from the Super Mario Bros. Super Show, he's about as obscure as obscure characters get... but that's what this blog is for, isn't it?

Walleye is constantly moving, regardless of the player’s position, whereas Wallop only activates when you get near enough to it, and tries to mirror your movement to block you off, even jumping up when you do!

Now it might be hard to tell what Slammer is, just by looking at him, but did you know? Slammer is a working man! He's the assistant to Sam Shalam, who sells the finest carpets in all of Cloud Land... if your definition of "the finest carpets" involves being covered in bugs!

Walleye can’t jump, but it does have spikes on its top and sides!

But bugs don't bug me, so I'd be more than happy to buy from them! How can I resist that face?

YOU: Stop it!

SWORM: Shh! We’re about to streamline!

BURT: Try and keep up, mate.

They even have their own temple! That being said, Slammer's irresistible face is slammed against the carpets. Can Wallop say the same? As it unfortunately turns out, it's his job to keep the bugs out! I didn’t think so! So unfortunately, as long as Slammer's around, you'll never find bugs in your carpets... Well, it probably wasn’t built for them but maybe they were animated from its walls or something. Unless you look somewhere else!

You look somewhere else...

[lucky-clover-gazette]

it's dangerous to go alone

two years after shadow and vio's evil takeover, the gang reunites for dinner. this is a multi-chapter continuation of the oneshot "thank darkness for that," which introduces a corruption-type au that's actually super chill. definitely read the one-shot before following this one!

chapter 7 of 7: the final boss (4441 words)

Red takes Blue by the hand, leading them both to a large painting on the wall opposite from where they entered. It looks out-of-place with its ornate frame, and a small golden plaque that Red currently obscures.

“All art is good art,” Red remarks, “but this composition still feels wrong.”

Blue cocks his head, sizing up the piece. It’s a nighttime scene in dark blues and greys, depicting a tree-lined path leading towards a dark mountain.

“There should be something in the foreground,” Red continues. “It’s weird, but I feel like I’ve seen this somewhere before…”

“Guys!” shouts Shadow across the room, although Blue can’t quite bring himself to look away from the painting. “I think I know who’s been living down here!”

“Oh,” Red says quietly, something in his voice breaking Blue out of his trance. “There’s a plaque.”

Red steps backwards, finally allowing Blue to read the name of the strange painting:

Evil Spirit from Beyond

PHANTOM TINGLE.

read the rest on ao3 or under the cut:

“So we just have to insert the swords, right?” Blue asks, sizing up the puzzle-lock on the dungeon’s (hopefully) final door.

“Only one way to find out,” Green says, sliding his sword into one of the four slots. They hear a loud click and Red follows suit.

Green cups his hand around his mouth and turns his head. “Hey, Vio! We need your sword!”

The Kings of Hyrule rejoin the group hand in hand. Seeing Vio, Red beams.

“Finally, you’re wearing it!”

Vio sheepishly rubs the back of his now-exposed neck. “The scrunchie is really nice, Red. Thank you again.”

“I can make more, as long as we survive!”

With that somber reminder, Blue takes a deep breath and relinquishes his sword. Vio does the same.

The Links are no longer surprised by the puzzle-solve jingle, but they certainly aren’t expecting the sudden appearance of a whole other door. But there it is, right beside the large now-unlocked door, as if there’s always been an easy way out.

“That’s weird,” Zelda says, cracking it open. Daylight pours into the dark hallway, and Blue has so many questions about the teleportation magic holding this entire dungeon together. How is Tingle capable of this? And why is he only doing it now?

Zelda cranes her head. “It leads to the woods outside Castle Town.”

“No shit?” Shadow asks, joining her. “Well, no shit.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Vio says, arms crossed over his chest. “I’m not letting Tingle take the throne. He wants me to play his game—so I’ll play, and I’ll win.”

Blue watches Shadow take his husband’s side. “Right there with you. Who knows if we’d be able to get into Castle Town, anyway? Tingle could have turned the entire Royal Guard against us already.”

Vio nods. “That’s what I would do in his place. I’d then put out a cash reward for us, dead or alive, and make sure everyone in Castle Town knows it.”

Red turns to him with deep concern. “You’re kinda evil, Vio.”

“Yeah, Red, I know.”

“But why would Tingle even include this door in the first place?” Green asks no one in particular. “Seems counter-intuitive to the whole ‘making us betray each other’ theme we’ve seen so far.”

Blue crosses his arms over his chest. “I think it makes perfect sense—kind of a final ‘screw-you’ to Vio and Shadow, giving us the chance to abandon them while they have no choice but to clean up their mess.”

Vio’s gaze is razor-sharp. “So, will you?”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Aw, Blue,” Red coos, taking his hand. “I’m so proud of you!”

Blue, ironically, can feel himself turn red. “I… shut up.”

Zelda locks eyes with Shadow. “You already know I’m staying. Green, you too, I assume?”

“Yep,” he answers, not even skipping a beat.

Shadow looks from Zelda to the room’s only other occupants. “We should tell our new friends what’s going on, don’t you think?”

She gives him a thumbs-up, addressing the four hinoxes who appear to have started a game of cards during Vio’s emotional outburst-monologue-apology. “We think the next room is the last,” Zelda informs the group. “You don’t have to come if you don’t want to. There’s a door out of here and you’re welcome to use it.”

The largest of the four crosses his arms over his chest and gives the hinox closest to him a look. She only shrugs, while the smallest of the group seems to struggle with her words.

“I think it’s just… I’m not really a fighter,” she eventually says, and the hinox beside her nods in agreement. “I want to help you all, and I’m not very happy I was used in this weird dungeon thing, but…”

“It’s okay,” Shadow tells the group. “You’ve already been put in enough danger on our behalf.”

“Good luck out there,” Shadow tells the hinoxes as they head for the door. “Hopefully we’ll see you soon.”

“Hopefully not,” the largest says kindly, “but we still appreciate your help. Good luck to you all… even the nepotism hire.”

The hinoxes depart without further discussion, and in their absence Green cracks a smile. “So Vio’s the nepotism hire, right?”

The nepotism hire scowls. “I—I’m not! I… well… if you define it in a certain way… never mind. Let’s just figure out a plan before we rush into anything.”

“My plan is to stab whatever’s in there until it dies,” Blue says, already reaching for his sword.

It doesn’t budge.

“Never mind.”

Green reaches for his own weapon with equally discouraging results. “Tingle must want us unarmed.”  

“Wish I had my powers,” Shadow mutters, and then pauses. “Wait. Are my powers, like, permanently gone now?”

Blue and Red wince. “Sorry,” they say in unison.

Shadow takes a deep breath. “It’s only fair, I guess—I relieved you of your burdensome Triforce powers, and you took my super fun and cool Dark World magic. Not like you had a choice, anyway.”

“If it makes you feel any better,” Red says, “I can get you in touch with an amateur magician I know from the craft store.”

Vio makes a stink face. “Pull a rabbit out of your hat and we’re getting a divorce.”

“A-ha, but the real trick is that I get to marry you again!”

Green claps his hands together. “Guys, focus. Weapons—what do we have?”

“Red’s got his fireplace poker,” Blue says, and Red raises it enthusiastically. “Put that down, you maniac, you’re going to take someone’s eye out.”

“That’s the plan!”

“Do you still have your stake?” Vio asks Shadow, who shakes his head.

“Nah. Burned up. You?”

“Same, actually.”

Green turns to Zelda. “You still have something, right? From the stolen furniture room?”

She sighs. “Just a fountain pen. Not sure what I was thinking, really.”

Green tries and fails to smile reassuringly. “You never know.”

“I think I should lead,” Red tells Blue, tugging at his sleeve.

Blue frowns. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. I know you guys have my back.”

Blue’s heart skips a beat as Red approaches the large door. It opens with a loud creak, revealing a large circular room. The six file inside and allow the door to slam shut behind them.

“It looks empty,” Blue observes, scanning over the space. They appear to be in some kind of servants’ quarters, long abandoned by Hyrule’s current leadership. A few wooden tables litter the center of the room and bunk beds line the walls. The only other doorway is open, seemingly leading to a small kitchen.

“No exits,” Vio says. “What… what is this place?”

“It’s your castle,” Green retorts, not unkindly. “Zelda, any ideas?”

“I don’t think servants have actually lived inside the castle since my grandparents assumed the throne. Everyone has housing in Castle Town.”

Shadow is the first to separate from the group, walking over to the bunk beds. “Looks like one’s unmade.”

Blue watches Vio quickly join his husband’s side, while Green and Zelda search the tables for useful items.

“I think someone’s been living here,” Green says, holding up a glass bottle full of milk. “Smells fresh.”

Red takes Blue by the hand, leading them both to a large painting on the wall opposite from where they entered. It looks out-of-place with its ornate frame, and a small golden plaque that Red currently obscures.

“All art is good art,” Red remarks, “but this composition still feels wrong.”

Blue cocks his head, sizing up the piece. It’s a nighttime scene in dark blues and greys, depicting a tree-lined path leading towards a dark mountain.

“There should be something in the foreground,” Red continues. “It’s weird, but I feel like I’ve seen this somewhere before…”

“Guys!” shouts Shadow across the room, although Blue can’t quite bring himself to look away from the painting. “I think I know who’s been living down here!”

“Oh,” Red says quietly, something in his voice breaking Blue out of his trance. “There’s a plaque.”

Red steps backwards, finally allowing Blue to read the name of the strange painting:

Evil Spirit from Beyond

PHANTOM TINGLE.

Thrown back by a sudden flash of light, Blue and Red scramble towards the center of the room. Green and Zelda help them to their feet, while Vio and Shadow vault over tables to join their friends. The six watch in horror as a spectral form begins to emerge from within the painting.

Hovering a few feet above the ground, a ghostly version of Tingle flashes them a menacing grin. It holds up what Blue first thinks is a sword, but quickly recognizes as a wooden spoon. Phantom Tingle swings the spoon with a grunt, sending a dangerous ball of light in Blue’s direction.

“Guys, scatter!”

As if in slow motion, Red throws himself between Blue and the projectile. He whacks it back with his fireplace poker, temporarily stunning Phantom Tingle with his own attack.

The other four do as they’re told, running to opposites of the large room, but Blue stays at Red’s side. “I’m not leaving you,” he huffs, and scans the surrounding tables for anything he can use to help.

Phantom Tingle sends another attack towards Red, who deflects it flawlessly yet again. Unfortunately this time the boss is prepared, and parries the energy ball for a sequence of nail-biting back-and-forth volleys. It takes a few passes, but Red finally manages to land a hit again.

This time Blue acts, running over to the stunned enemy and throwing a punch as a last resort. He misses the ghost entirely, and to add insult to injury, gets whacked on the head by the wooden spoon.

“Ow!” Blue rubs the point of impact and rolls out of the way as Tingle prepares another energy attack. He watches Red brace himself and then glances back at their enemy, who seems to be taking just a little more time than expected to send out a projectile.

It’s changing the timing, Blue realizes, and knows Red isn’t prepared to respond. A strange instinct causes Blue to snatch up an empty glass bottle and use it to deflect the attack—and despite this being a terrible idea, it somehow fucking works.

Phantom Tingle takes the hit, and this time it’s more than stunned. Red grabs Blue by the arm as the single boss splits into four. The Phantom Tingles, plural, are only distinguishable by the colors of their spectral forms: green, purple, red, and—of course—blue.

It appears they’ve entered the second phase.

─────────────────

“Look out!”

Green dodges at Zelda’s warning, just in time to avoid the green(er than usual) Phantom Tingle’s attack. The enemy taunts him as it zooms around, phasing in and out of thin air. It seems able to turn invisible at will, making it impossible to even tackle.

Beside Green, Zelda narrows her eyes. “Really wish you had your sword right now.”

“Yeah, join the club. And hey, Zel?”

“Yes, Green?”

“Sorry for being a jerk about your dinner party plan. You were right the whole time.”

Zelda turns to face him, her expression soft. “Aw, it’s—OW!”

Out of nowhere, Tingle manages to land a hit—nothing too serious, but enough to tear the fabric of Zelda’s business-casual attire.

“Get behind me,” Green says without hesitation, but Zelda shakes her head. She runs a hand along the now-torn neckline of her dress, scowling… but then her expression shifts.

“Actually,” she tells Green, “you get behind me.”

She withdraws the stolen fountain pen from within her bra and twists it in half, revealing the cartridge inside. Zelda swings half of the pen in an arc, coating their invisible enemy in black ink.

With the other half of the pen—the sharp top half—she brutally stabs Phantom Tingle until it disappears.

Green’s jaw drops as Zelda turns to face him. She tosses the pen pieces over her shoulder with an easy smile.

“Not sure why I ever doubted myself,” she says, and Green thinks she’s the coolest person in the world.

─────────────────

Vio and Shadow take Blue’s command to scatter seriously, ducking inside the small kitchen Tingle has been apparently using on a daily basis. A large pot of pumpkin soup remains on the stove, with an empty potion bottle beside it.

“We should have been paying more attention,” Vio mutters as he crosses over to the oven. He makes sure it’s off, because Hylia forbid Tingle try to murder them and leave the burner on, and then turns back to Shadow across the counter island.

Well, back to Shadow and… Shadow.

“Wait,” Vio says slowly, “I thought you couldn’t shapeshift anymore… which… well, you wouldn’t shapeshift into yourself, even if you could… and there are two of you… I am very confused.”

Both Shadows roll their eyes.

“Purple Tingle flew in here and shapeshifted into me,” explains one of them, while the other crosses his arms.

“No, that’s Purple Tingle, he’s describing what he did.”

Vio looks from one Shadow to the other, already hating where this going.

“Well? What are you waiting for? Kill the imposter!”

“I’m obviously me, Vio, kill him—”

“Both of you, shut up,” Vio says tiredly, picking up a kitchen knife still covered in pumpkin guts. This feels like the third time he’s felt directly responsible for his husband’s potential death tonight—how many times will he have to prove his devotion?

Vio thinks back to earlier, in the throne room, when he’d been so stressed out about the sunlight hitting Shadow at the wrong angle. Then in the chamber of stolen furniture, where they’d both been immobilized, and in the dark hallway, where they’d been forced to separate. He thinks about Zelda, fiercely protective of Shadow, and Red, being kind enough to make him a gift by hand. Vio remembers his own conflicting emotions when Blue had described his time in the Dark World—the revelation that Shadow hadn’t been dying at all, but simply letting go of the darkness that had once defined him.

Vio remembers standing in front of the Dark Mirror, so many years ago, struggling with the mallet’s heavy weight and Shadow’s precious life in his hands.

His grip tightens around the knife.

“I could tell you something only your real husband would know,” one of the Shadows offers, and it could be his Shadow, but there is no guarantee. Vio doubts any single piece of evidence could be reassuring enough for him to hurt either of these creatures.

But if he doesn’t act in his husband’s defense… who will?

“Okay, fuck this.”

Shadow—the real Shadow—rips a frying pan off the kitchen wall and smashes it against the imposter’s skull. Not-Shadow transforms at once, first into a purple ghostly Tingle, and then into nothing at all.

Vio looks at Shadow, dumbfounded. “You… you just…”

Shadow just shrugs, that infallibly irreverent grin on his face. “I know you’d do anything for me, Vio. But I can do things for me too.”

Vio drops the knife, takes a deep breath, and allows himself to be held.

─────────────────

The red Phantom Tingle is basically made of fire, and it’s ironically the one thing Red’s fireplace poker can’t defeat.

He shakes out his hand as the weapon clatters to the ground, its metal far too hot for Red to grip, even by the handle. Whatever makes up this thing, it burns much more intensely than any natural fire. Not even the fire rod could omit this level of heat, and forget destroying the monster—Red has absolutely no idea how he’s even supposed to touch it.

Red steps backwards and catches Blue out of the corner of his eye, struggling with his own color-coded enemy. His Phantom Tingle appears to be made of ice, and he’s having similar trouble figuring out how to approach it.

Until he throws a punch, that is, and is frozen in place.

“Again?” Red exclaims, rushing to his friend/employee/roommate’s aid. As expected, the fiery Tingle follows him right over to Blue, melting him free just by proximity.

“Holy shit,” Blue says and Red envelopes him in a hug.

“Glad you’re okay! But we still have to fight these—”

The red and blue Phantom Tingles collide, instantly defeating each other with opposite elemental energies.

“Oh,” Red remarks. “That makes sense.”

“Really hoping that’s the last phase,” Blue groans as Vio and Shadow exit the kitchen. They look fine, if a little shaken, and Green and Zelda…

“Why are you covered in ink?” Blue asks them. Zelda just grins.

“Fountain pen?” Shadow asks her with a similar expression.

She nods. “Fountain pen.”

“Are we done?” Vio asks the group, and also maybe Hylia herself. “Can we be done now?”

Green shakes his head. “I haven’t heard that noise yet…”

The six stand in a circle at the center of the room, back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back, scanning their surroundings for any sign of Phantom Tingle’s final form.

“Oof.”

Six heads swivel to find a final, life-size Phantom Tingle standing in the center of their circle. He looks up at them all, sheepish, and raises both hands in surrender.

Blue looks to red, already rolling up his sleeves. “I don’t think we need weapons for this, do you?”

Red considers what he had almost lost today—his friends, his life, Blue—and shakes his head. “Nope! But can I say something first?”

“Make it quick,” says Vio, who looks extremely eager to start kicking the shit out of Tingle-once-removed.

Cracking his knuckles, Red smiles. “I just think it’s just really nice we can all work together again.”

─────────────────

One relentless beating later, a new door appears below the Phantom Tingle painting.

“There it is,” Shadow mutters, watching the other Links react to the tune in their heads. Zelda, bless her heart, is still visibly confused by the whole thing.

“Swords,” Blue reminds the group before they can head for the exit. Turning his head, Shadow sees that the lock puzzle seems to have disappeared. The four swords lay unceremoniously on the ground beneath the heavy door.

Shadow follows Vio as he retrieves his weapon. “Glad to have it back?” he asks as the six return to the exit door.

Vio nods. “Yes. I don’t think we’re quite done here, Shadow. There’s still Real Tingle to worry about.”

“We’ve got your back,” Green tells them both. Blue, Red, and Zelda nod in agreement.

Shadow takes a deep breath and reaches for the doorknob. And then—because there’s no use in delaying the inevitable—he opens the door.

“CONGRATULATIONS!”

Shadow is blinded by artificial light, bright colors, and flashes from party decorations. Ironically, when he does manage to see, things makes even less sense—Tingle floats from a balloon before them, flanked by the instantly recognizable faces of castle staff and acquaintances, with a decidedly un-sinister smile on his face.

This can’t seriously be happening, Shadow thinks to himself.

Tingle throws confetti at the stunned six heroes, and by Hylia, this is seriously happening.

“You’re all friends again!” Tingle enthuses, so incredibly earnest that Shadow worries for his immediate safety.

Speaking of which…

“No, Vio, no!” Shadow scolds, already reaching for his husband. It takes the combined might of Shadow, Blue, and Green, but they manage to hold him back.

“I am going to tear you limb from fucking limb, you deranged son of a—“

“Vio!” Shadow repeats, squeezing his arm. “Stop it.”

Vio turns to him, incredulous. “Shadow, he almost killed us all! Multiple times! He basically tortured you, and he took your powers—”

Shadow shakes his head. “I appreciate your passion, beloved, but I can fend for myself. And I gave those up willingly, remember? I told Blue to shatter the mirror.”

“Deep breaths, buddy,” Red tells Vio, who now looks more embarrassed than pissed off.

Shadow watches Zelda pinch the bridge of her nose. “So, Tingle, let me get this straight—you created this entire dungeon, put something in our soup and forced us through an elaborate series of dangerous trials… as a teambuilding exercise?”

Tingle nods, as if that’s the most normal thing a person could possibly do.

Zelda turns to Shadow. “Do you believe him? He’s your employee.”

Shadow thinks back to the time he’s known Tingle, the genuine moments of trust and familiarity he’s felt in the strange little freak’s presence, and...

“Honestly, yeah, I do,” Shadow says, surprising even himself. “We’ve talked a lot about wanting to make things right with you guys—I mean, that was the point of the dinner in the first place.”

“The Kings did say it wouldn’t be an easy task,” Tingle explains. “I went along with the dinner party idea, but really… what else could have brought you all back together?”

“I don’t know,” Vio seethes, “something other than near-death? Something proportionate to the circumstances at hand?”

“My plan was completely proportionate to the circumstances at hand.”

“We did corrupt the world,” Shadow tells Vio, resisting the urge to fix his tousled hair. “Even if it was, like, chill.”

“Hylia, whatever,” Vio groans, shoving off Blue and Green. “I need a drink.”

“What you really need,” Green says, “is a better hiring manager.” He grabs a glass of evil root beer from a  passing castle employee and downs the entire thing in one go.

Shadow acquires drinks for Vio and himself. “Last time I checked, we’re the hiring managers.”

“Well, you’re both atrocious at it. I’m finding a seat.”

“Of course!” Tingle says, ushering the six towards a nicely-decorated table in the center of the room. “I invited everyone you know to celebrate, arranged the catering and everything!”

“Did you also arrange the murder dungeon?” Blue asks dryly, grabbing a mozzarella stick off a banquet table as they pass.

“Because if so, you did a great job!” Red adds, because of course he does.

The six settle at the table, each in a different stage of shock, as Tingle continues to explain his involvement in the evening’s events. “I won’t bore you with the details—”

Vio scoffs. “I sincerely believe there is not a single detail about this night that could be boring.”

“—but I assure you, everything was planned. The hazards, the puzzles, the magic pulling it all together, were all completely controlled circumstances.”

“Uh,” Zelda says, “the hinoxes? Were they in on it?”

Tingle frowns. “Well, hm. No. I kinda left that room until the last minute, so I ended up using extra potion to knock out some landscaping specialists. It wasn’t too hard to do a temporary charm convincing them they were Vaati’s henchpeople.”

“I didn’t even know you could do magic,” Shadow tells Tingle, almost impressed.

“Oh, but I can, with the help of Force Gems and the royal library!”

“I don’t know enough about Force Gems and the royal library to dispute that.”

“It tracks,” Vio admits, clearly hating the words as they leave his mouth.

“But back to the hinoxes,” Zelda says, taking a sip of her drink. “That doesn’t sound very controlled to me. And what about the Dark Mirror, and Blue’s trip to the Dark World? Shadow losing his powers? How could you have anticipated all that?”

“Yeah, uh,” Shadow tells Tingle, “I was in very real pain for a bit there.”

Tingle sighs. “I didn’t know that the mirror being fractured would hurt you. I thought Blue or Red would simply fall in and realize they needed to break it completely, and that’d be that.”

“But did we have to break it at all?” Red asks, although his voice remains empathetic. “Shadow losing his powers is a pretty severe consequence of events that didn’t actually need to happen.”

Tingle turns to Shadow, addressing him specifically. “It was going to happen soon enough. Surely, you could tell something was going on with your connection to the Dark World. I realized it myself when you told Vio about being comfortable in the sunlight.”

“Sure” Shadow concedes, “but you still have to admit this whole thing was pretty insane. A lot of things could have gone very wrong.”

“I was almost killed by a lizalfos,” says Green.

Vio’s expression turns somber. “And I had to sacrifice the Fire Temple throne.”

Shadow slams a hand over his own mouth. “No!”

“It sounds like you had good intentions,” Red tells Tingle with a reassuring smile. “And the party is very nice.”

Tingle frowns. “Yeah… okay, I’m starting to see the flaws in my plan. Sorry I got overzealous. I’ll, uh, make sure to send the hinoxes gift baskets or something.”

For some reason, Shadow feels compelled to comfort the strange little man. Maybe he sees himself in the guy, just a little—hadn’t he and Vio thought the same thing about hiring him in the first place?

“You know what?” Shadow says, not quite smiling but not frowning, either. “At the end of the day, your plan was successful. It brought us all together again. And I’m thankful for that.”

Tingle gives him a tiny bow, which looks particularly strange since he’s suspended mid-air by a balloon. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Shadow glances at Vio, who nods for him to continue. “But, Tingle… you’re still fired. Not banished or anything—but very, very fired.”

Tingle takes a moment to consider, and then shrugs. “Yeah, that makes sense.”

Seemingly inspired, Red turns to Blue. “You’re fired too!”

“Sorry?”

“You hate working at the shop. You need to do something you actually care about!”

“Hylia, are you evicting me from the apartment too?”

“Of course not, silly! I love living with you!”

Shadow notices Blue’s blush and smirks. Okay, something’s definitely going on there.

“Fine,” Blue says, “yeah, thanks, actually. I think I want to try my hand at some actual dungeon crawling. I have always claimed to be the real Hero, after all.”

“By all means, go ahead,” Green tells him. “I’m perfectly happy on the ranch.”

Shadow reaches for Vio’s hand and squeezes it. “Not to be tacky, but I think we should do a toast.”

Vio raises an eyebrow. “That is very tacky, actually. Let’s do it.”

Everyone at the table, Tingle included, raises their glasses.

“To the future,” Shadow says, basking in the attention of his new friends.

“And to friends,” Vio adds with a shy smile.

Red beams. “And to fun!”

“And adventure,” contributes Blue.

Green looks to Zelda. “To courage.”

“And wisdom.”

“And pumpkin soup!” Tingle exclaims, and even Vio can’t help but chuckle at the sheer absurdity.

Shadow clinks his husband’s glass and takes a sip from his own. “To the darkest timeline,” Vio says quietly, just between them. Shadow goes in for the headbonk with no hesitation.

“Thank darkness for that.”

[baratiddyslut]

Yall.

Looking back at my history with Sonic... it's so fucking surreal that I got to witness the births of 90% of this fandom's pairings.

I remember when Sonails used to be the absolute norm along side Sonally because most people were on the fence about whether Tails was a boy or not so they just defaulted to making him a girl. I still remember reading fanfics that referred to our little yellow menace as "she". This quickly got shut down though when Sega confirmed Tails as a "he". Sonails fell into obscurity because "GAY BAD" and it hasn't quite recovered from it... I dont think the people of today really want it to... but you can't really blame them. Nowadays it's hard to even imagine that Tails could've been mistaken for anything other than a dude. History is so fun lol.

I remember when Sonadow was invented. With the rising popularity in anime (specifically shounen anime), Shounen-Ai was creeping its way up there. Gay relationships were so goddamn taboo compared to nowadays but goddamnit if the taboo didn't capture your heart in some weird demented way- then I guess people got tired of the soft and fluffy "Shounen-Ai" and just wanted the gay porn, the "YAOI" and by god if Sonadow wasn't the most popular yaoi ship in existence... It still very much is but it's toned down in it's depraved raunchiness over the years. I still remember when it used to have like 5 names because people were so into trying to categorize it in the "Seme/Uke" fashion. Shadic/Shadonic/ShaSoni for Seme!Shadow and Uke!Sonic- which was and still very much is the most popular iteration of the ship, then you had SoniSha/Sonadow for the Seme!Sonic and Uke!Shadow version. Somewhere down the line, Westerners got too lazy to categorize and decided that "Sonadow" sounded the best because it rolls off the tongue nice and has a good mouth feel so it shall be the umbrella term for every iteration of Sonic x Shadow x Sonic. Sonadow has literally withstood the test of time for a whole 20 goddamn years and counting, if ANYTHING, yall HAVE to give this ship mad props for that. Not even Sonally can compare to that and Sonamy is a close second. I say Sonamy is a close second because it was never really enjoyed as Sonic and Amy being cute together (yes, like every ship, there are people who actually genuinely enjoyed it but the climate was the complete opposite). Sonamy was "enjoyed" because it was either better than Sonally or because it wasn't "gross gay yaoi shit" like Sonadow and other upcoming ships.

NEXT IS SONKNUX. It's always been an understated ship but it definitely became a little more popular when Sonadow got big because "MORE YAOI". I remember not having very strong feelings for the ship. I didn't hate it but I didn't care for it either, it was more like "yeah ok that makes sense if you're going to make it gay". It was never "OMG SO POPULAR" but it did have a following you had to acknowledge, like even the most delusional people couldn't deny this ship lol. There was also Knuxadow but at the time it was barely even a thing, it was an obscure rarepair but not so much anymore.

Now the go to for Knuckles ships was and still definitely is Knuxouge. God I remember all of the misogynistic flavored fan art and fan fics for this pairing- like, I get it. Rouge got nice curves, big ass, and fat tiddies while Knuckles got that big dick (which I'm going to say he doesn't because there's literally nothing there... there's nothing there except for smooth red fur... nothing-) and hypermasculinity. I get it. I loved this ship tho, there was more porn of it than genuine fan art and fan fics, but I mean yall get the picture. Im pretty sure yall can grasp the climate that surrounded this ship back in the day.

Knuxpio is also a ship but it was super obscure, like only deep divers got into it. I guess that still kinda rings true today because although there are definitely more people to appreciate it, it's still not on the public stage like alot of other ships. Same goes for Knuxighty and most other Knuckles ships.

CRAILS... TAILREAM... TAILS X CREAM. I am almost positive we still don't have a definitive ship name for these two but boy do I remember when these two little demons blew up. I used to like this ship because I thought it was super super adorable- like, here you have Sonic with all of these love interests but what about Tails? Tails should have a little someone of his own. In walks Cream in all of her adorable little bunny glory..... and Charmy too- BUT EVERYTHING WENT SO BAD SO FUCKING FAST. IT WAS NO LONGER CUTE. Welcome to the big popularity boom of shotacon and lolicon outside of Japan.

This post is already miles long so look out for a second one... probably... it's just so fun recalling the fruition of all of these ships and comparing some of them to how they're received today. Much nostalgia very punch to the gut~

[reidsnose]

Neighborly

overview: spencer has a new upstairs neighbor who arrives at the same time as the BAUs newest agent

genre: fluff

a/n: this one isnt very romantic but i think its cuteee and could definitely maybe have a part two or something if yall want so lmk what you think :)

masterlist

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Spencer could not stand his new upstairs neighbor.

she had moved in a few months ago. he had never met her (he assumed she was a girl based on the fall of her footsteps and the music she would sometimes blast) but she always seemed to be up when he was getting home from a case. infact, she was always home when he was and she paid absolutely no heed to her downstairs neighbor when she was walking around at 2 in the morning. not that Spencer could sleep anyway, but if he could, it would be exponentially more annoying.

he assumed she was some sort of first responder, maybe a nurse or doctor, because she had incredibly weird hours. or maybe she had no job, or worked from home. after all, he had never seen her and he had no proof of whether she was home when he was not.

he would come to work and occasionally complain to the team about her, how she was walking around and keeping him up.

"why don't you knock on her door and ask her to stop? thats what i would do but all my neighbors are quiet as a mouse." you offered, spinning nonchalantly on your chair one morning.

"yeah newbie is right. just ask her." morgan agreed.

"i cant do that! that would be rude." Spencer shook his head as he spoke.

you laughed, "think of it as being neighborly."

"i dont think telling someone theyre bothering you is very neighborly." he chuckled.

"bake her a cake that says 'kindly shut the hell up' in icing."

"i cant bake!" he whined

you laughed, ruffling his hair, "i dont know what to tell you. just suffer i guess."

he groaned, stifling a smile at the obscurity of your sentence. or maybe at the entire essence of your being. you could always make him smile, and that was a difficult thing to do. you had only been welcomed to the team a few months ago but in a matter of days he decided he probably liked you best on the whole team.

you definitely felt the same about him.

after some regular banter, everyone got to work, filling out and organizing old case files. paperwork days were a breeze for Spencer, almost therapeutic. writing up a report on a case and then being done with it, never having to think about it again after that.

you were breezing through work today as well, wanting to get home as soon as you possibly could. there was a new episode of your favorite show airing tonight and you did not want to miss it. and you had another reason.

theres is a rumor in your building about an elusive man that lives in the apartment below yours. all the old women on your floor always talk about him to you. they said he's rarely home, and when he is, you wouldn't know the difference. but he's very kind, often rushing to help them up the stairs or with groceries. and apparently, you always just miss each other by a matter of minutes.

so you've been trying to arrive home at different times, switching it up by a matter of minutes. but so far that hasn't worked.

when the clock struck 5pm you were ready to practically run out of the doors of the bullpen, excited to finally be on time to watch your show and maybe hopefully run into mystery man.

the team sent you confused glances as you rushed to stuff your belongings into your bag.

"my show!" is all you said explanation, as you slung your bag across your shoulder and speed walked out of the building, "bye guys!"

"she is something," prentiss chuckled after you left, sitting on the corner of your now empty desk.

"how does she have all that energy?" morgan laughed, shaking his head slightly.

"she takes her coffee/tea [ur coffee/tea order]. and she naps all the time." spencer's responded eyes glued to his computer screen. all eyes were now on him and his vast knowledge about you. he looked up and felt his face flush, "i- i think." he looked back at his computer in attempt to hide his embarrassment, "or maybe she just doesn't have an annoying upstairs neighbor keeping her up."

a couple of snickers followed as they dispersed back to their seats and began getting ready to go home as well. Spencer thought about his neighbor, wondering if he hurried home, maybe she wouldn't be there yet.

so he packed up and began heading out, hopping on the train and wondering if his hypothesis would be correct.

it wasn't.

when he got home he heard the rhythmic stomping of his upstairs neighbor dancing. he rolled his eyes; she was dancing to some short song that was likely the intro to a tv show. he sighed. there was no point in complaining now, it wasn't late at night and she turned down her tv volume once the song was done.

he collapsed exhausted on the couch, turning on some quiet piano as his eyes drooped closed.

your show finished after an hour and you started getting a little sleepy so you decided to take a nap on your couch.

you weren't sure how much time had passed but you woke up on the floor, your hip aching. you had fallen off of your couch in your sleep. you groaned as you sat up.

Spencer jolted awake at the sudden thud from upstairs, his eyes shooting open and his heart racing. he wasn't sure if he was more annoyed at the fact that she woke him up, or how she woke him up. but he felt bad, it sounded like a person falling. was she ok? what if she was hurt and he was sat here rolling his eyes about it? it was very late, his clock read 1:34am.

he was curious to meet her finally...and maybe going upstairs would make her more conscious and considerate of her poor, tired downstairs neighbor.

should he check on her?

you were startled by the knock at your door, glancing over at the clock and seeing how late it was. you cursed yourself for putting an obnoxious wreath on your door because it was covering your peep hole. you grabbed a baseball bat that you kept hidden under your table.

just as Spencer was about to walk away, the door opened and his eyes gazed up from the floor to finally see the face of his insufferable upstairs neighbor.

"Spencer? are you alright? come in. what are you doing at my house in the middle of the night?" you chuckled, tossing the baseball bat aside.

"no way.." he breathed in utter disbelief, looking around for a roommate that could be the one making all the noise.

"um...what?" you furrowed your eyebrows.

his mind moving a mile a minute and suddenly it all made sense. the music was the same as what you played in the car because it was your playlist. the steps were obviously female because they were yours that he'd often heard echo around the office. and you had never crossed paths because he took the train, and you took your car, so you would never leave at the same time. and you were always home when he was because you'd come back from cases at weird hours.

"i should have baked you a cake," he said finally breaking the silence.

you let out a confused laugh, "why?"

"so i could write 'kindly shut the hell up' on it with icing." he laughed as your eyes widened as your brain connected the dots.

"IM THE ANNOYING UPSTAIRS NEIGHBOR?!" your hand flew to cover your mouth, embarrassed at your volume level this late at night.

"i cant believe i didn't connect the dots!" he laughed, dumbfounded.

"wait.." your eyes grew impossibly wider, "if i'm you're annoying upstairs neighbor...that makes you mystery man!"

"mystery man?"

"can i explain tomorrow its like ass o'clock in the morning right now."

he laughed, "yes but only because someone woke me up from my nap."

"i was just being neighborly."

"mhm," he hummed.

you were sleepily staring at each other, dopey smiles complimenting the comfortable silence settling in the air. the sudden butterflies erupting in your stomach startled you into breaking the silence.

"goodnight Spencer," you whispered.

"goodnight y/n." he smiled, giving a small wave before heading down the stairs back to his own apartment.

-

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ultra mega super cool taglist:

@mac99martin @imhreid @spencersmagic @hollydaisy23 @raelady1184 @a-broken-pact @padfootswife @hey-there-angels @star-stuff-in-the-cosmos @sonnydoesrandomshit @coffeereid-deactivated20210303 @averyhotchner @laurakirsten0502 @reidyoulikeabook @rem-ariiana @spencerreid9

[deaddovecoterie]

- 𝓭𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓻𝓮𝓰𝓰𝓲𝓮 𝓹𝓮𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓼 -

fandom: julie and the phantoms

rating: like K-T

pairing: reggie peters x reader

a/n: a series of miscellaneous headcanons about our best boy reggie :') heres your birthday gift you beautiful mf <3 @whoseblogsthis BUT SERIOUSLY HAPPY BIRTHDAY BITCH

this man is so forgetful, like he would lose his head if it wasn’t connected to him, but he always remembers really random and specific dates like your half birthday, national girlfriends day, national cuddle up day, etc. he always remembers to make small little efforts like that to remind you of how special you are to him

he never liked the corny cliche things that people do for valentine’s day so instead of giving you flowers or something like that, he takes you to block buster to get the most obscure, awful looking movies and you guys watch them all and judge them/make commentary as if you’re movie critics while snuggled up on the couch

reggie loves to be the little spoon :’)

on your first date, he was so nervous to the point where he was shaking the whole time.

this man is so scared of thunder storms, like he absolutely detests them. the loud noises, unnecessary bright flashes? not for him. so every time there’s a storm, you and him make a blanket fort and play video games

you two dressed up as ghosts for halloween and went trick or treating together even though you’re both “too old” to. his reasoning was “it’s free candy and no ones even gonna know??? we have blankets on our heads??” and that was a pretty solid argument

he definitely would facetime you at 3am just to tell you that they found one of your socks that you left at his house

this man has a stash of twinkies hidden somewhere, i just know it

okay so think of 2am drives to get icecream? yeah, that, but hot chocolate at 5am to watch the sunrise together

on early Saturday mornings he would drive to your house with lucky charms and sugary cereals so you guys could watch old cartoons together :')

he's someone who would remember all the little things about you, like why you want to travel to a certain place, your favourite set of sheets to have on your bed, etc

he leaves you random voicemails when he thinks of something

like

"hey baby, its like 6am and I know you're asleep but I just saw a picture I took of you the other day in my camera roll and I just wanted to remind you of how pretty you are. okay bye, love you"

cute shit like that

concerts. every singer that comes to town? you're going. does it matter if either of you knows who it is? no, but you're going anyway. he just loves the loud music and the cheering crowds and having you and him live in the moment jumping up and down with the rest of the people

will most definitely tuck you in if you fall asleep on the couch. he'll take a blanket and tuck it up around your neck so you don't get cold

in the summertime, you guys will go star gazing on the roof of his house, like he'll go all out too, blankets snacks and everything. he'll name off like the only two constellations that he knows (orion "cause he has a cool belt y'know" and Cassiopeia "cause the name's funky")

after naming off those two he'll start making up random ones and giving unbelievably in-depth, tragic backstories to which you cant help but laugh at

hes definitely into astrology and is always rambling on about if your signs are compatible-

"baby my horoscope said I should stay away from aries people this month- oh my god wait no-"

he'll get super worked up about it too and you'll be like "luv I'm sure you'll survive"

very cuddly !!

will hug you from behind at any given moment

a firm believer in generous amounts of kisses on the cheek throughout the day

WHEN YOUR HANDS ARE INTERTWINED HE'LL SWING THEM BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN THE TWO OF YOU WHEN YOURE WALKING

takes pictures of you when you aren't looking so he can go back and see them when you have to leave

sways back and forth on the spot when you guys hug

will interrupt you overthinking with lil kisses

jam sessions but make it him teaching you a few chords on his guitar with his hands over yours guiding you :')

and that's it <3

[transarsonist]

public stuff? (carefully discreet, of course, or in a space where people have consented)

No | rather not | I dunno | I guess | Sure | Yes | FUCK yes | Oh god you don’t even know |

ohhhh, my god, so im gonna actually do a readmore for storytime

so back in like 2014-2016 i lived in this 2 br apartment with 2 of my besties and 1 besties girlfriend, and they had an open relationship but they werent really Polyam in the 'making plural romantic commitments' way so my best friend in the whole world and ex-datemate had one room, and the other bestie, now ex bestie and enemy, had the other room with his girlfriend i had the dining room, which was not a separate room with doors but i had cleverly placed a bookshelf and hung drapery such that it was visually obscured anyway ex bestie was an emotional abuser, and emotionally abused his lover quite a bit, now i had told him to his face that he was gonna loose her if he didnt cut that out later down the line said gf of bestie informed me that shed had a crush on me since high school, and i revealed that it had and still was reciprocated, to make a long story short i had Many good reasons to break them up and come on to his girlfriend and while i successfully did the first thing i had no need of the second cause she came Right to me (the most toxic ive ever been, i never want to be even a quarter this toxic again but i dont regret it) anyways one day he comes to me like "hey, its super uncomfortable to hear my girlfriend cum for u, can yall stop fucking when im home" and in my mind i had the fastested decision to make in my life cause, 1) there was no way he heard her 2) he DEFINITELY heard me which leads to A) how embarrassing for him to not be able to tell his girlfriends orgasms from mine B) how gender affirming for me that he cant tell me apart from his Incredibly cute sounding girlfriend C) wait has he ever even heard her cum cause now that i think about it she Had insulted his endowment & skills in the bedroom on more than one occasion. D) he can know NONE of this "yeah sure dude" (and then i did fully respect that boundary)

[leonardhoee]

Ikevamp Boys In Vegas

Leonardo:

Ok Leo wouldn’t really be into the expensive nightlife part of Vegas. He’d probably like the old bars and pubs in downtown Vegas where all the original casinos are. He’d also like to explore the nearby mining ghost downs (Rhyolite Ghost Town). (He’d also take everyone to the ghost tours of those places at night). He would probably just wake up and leave the hotel and when all the others wake up they can’t find him but don’t really question it since they probably expected him to go off exploring on his own. He would also go to the Neon Graveyard and Madame Tussaud’s + any other cool art display with Vincent and Theo. He would take MC to the gondolas in the Venetian hotel. They would also go to the Ceaser’s Palace mall and just run around there for hours looking at different stores and get lost. He’d like the Avengers Exhibit and he’d try to make some of the things he saw there. (There was also a Da Vinci exhibit that MC would definitely take him to see). One time Leo and Dazai were smoking together at a fancy rooftop bar and ended up sharing a blunt with Snoop Dogg. Both of them wake up the next day thinking it was a fever dream. (Listen I just really think Leo and Snoop Dogg would be good friends. They are basically the same person)

Arthur:

He would immediately go to an expensive rooftop bar to flirt with women (If MC isn't part of this). His favorite places would be the strip clubs and bars (he drags Theo with him). He and Comte go to a Burlesque club together. He got kicked out of a bar once because he was unknowingly hitting on someone’s wife. This boy would also take Theo Gucci shopping with him. The two of them will probably get into several bar fights and either get kicked out or arrested. (Comte bails them out). He would take pictures with every showgirl he meets and gets Theo in on some of them (Theo is just standing there glaring at the camera with his arms crossed). He loved going to the Pitbull concert, wants to be called Mr. Worldwide now but no one will call him that. He would also go to Casinos and somehow win big to impress MC. Security is keeping an eye on him.

Comte:

One of the chillest ones on the trip. He just goes to fancy restaurants and watches Cirque Du Soliel shows. Every time you see him he just has a glass of expensive wine. He takes Leo to clubs with him, even though they just sit by the bar the whole time having a drinking competition. Comte also runs into Arthur at a Burlesque club. (This man would be into burlesque you can’t tell me otherwise).  He mostly just manages everyone’s schedule, helps them book tickets for whatever they want to do, and occasionally bails people out. Also goes to Italian restaurants with Leo (because Vegas has the best Italian food I’ve ever had ong) What? No ofc its not a date. He buys MC a new dress and leaves it on her bed with a note telling her to be ready by 6 and takes her to an exclusive restaurant in a limo. He goes all out for their date.

Shakespeare:

Bruh he would absolutely LOVE all the different shows. The whole environment that THRIVES off entertainment. This would be his dream city. He would somehow get backstage for a Variety show and help them add scenes and dance numbers. He’d come back with so many ideas for his own plays. He would also follow around some of the wilder residents to see if they do something he can include in his plays. I also believe he’d somehow find the most romantic places to take MC if she was there with them. He would also be interested in the Mob Museum and the mafia history. He would LOVE Criss Angel’s Mindfreak show (No I’m not just saying that because I love it too)

Napoleon: 

I think he would like exploring the various hotels more than going out clubbing. Let’s be honest, Comte would get the super expensive suites so Napoleon would just be sleeping in half the day. He would use it as a chance to unwind and would take full advantage of the room service and spas. He would go to the pool with MC and Sebastian. I can see him being everyone’s designated photographer and bag holder. If MC wants to go somewhere he would come with her to make sure she gets there safely (The amount of creepy old men who have stared at me when I walk through casinos is gross).

Vincent: 

He and Theo would definitely go to the Neon Graveyard with Leo. They would also love seeing the abstract art pieces and murals that are all over downtown Las Vegas. He would be so amazed seeing the seasonal decorations in the Bellagio hotel. MC would take him to the Van Gogh art gallery so he and Theo could see how successful his art has become. He also like exploring the hotel with everyone and going to the pool to relax. He would take amazing pictures of MC and make an album for her. One time he was walking to a show with everyone when a few showgirls asked if he wanted to take a picture. And being the absolute angel he is, he told them how beautiful they are and just had the most wholesome heart- stealing interaction with them. 

Theo:

He would go to old bars and pubs with Leo and Arthur in downtown Vegas (They got into a bar fight that Leo helped them hide from Comte). Arthur would drag him to various clubs but I think he would have an overall artistic appreciation for Burlesque. I think he’d be happy to see that artistic expression isn't being censored anymore like it was in his time. MC would take him and Vincent to the Van Gogh exhibit. He would also love the different murals and abstract art that's all over downtown Las Vegas. MC would buy him one of those glass art sculptures and he would be all “oh Hondje brought me a toy?” but he would actually be super touched and would blush when she gave it to him. Arthur would also drag him into taking pictures with various showgirls and then would get jealous when Theo gets more attention from them (even though Theo isn’t a big fan of it).

Isaac:

Isaac would go to all the different museum exhibits with Leo, MC, and the Van Gogh. He would also enjoy the Avengers Exhibit because of all the crazy technology and scientific concepts used in creating it. He would also go to the spas with Napoleon and MC because that boy needs to relax himself. I think most of the time he would either stick with Leo, Napoleon or MC because Vegas is... a lot and he might get overwhelmed. Arthur would rope him into taking a picture with the Showgirls and he would be flustered for the rest of the day. He mostly just gets dragged into whatever activities the others are doing.

Dazai:

Dazai would love all the different comedy shows. He would also be exploring the hotels but instead of finding the spa he would find the most random hidden storage areas and rooms of the hotel. By the end of the trip he would somehow know the whole hotel inside out. One time he went missing and no one could find them until he came down the elevator with this rich elderly couple who gave him a tour of their whole VIP floor. He would also go out to bars with Leo in the middle of the night and they’d come back and just smoke together on the balcony. He would find the best obscure dessert places in the whole city and somehow make friends with a celebrity that he met purely by accident. (He just shows up to lunch with Pitbull one day and he’s like “yeah I just met him in the bathroom”. MC and Sebastian are  s h o o k)

Mozart:

Mozart would be very interested in seeing the street musicians and how they're able to play songs from everyday objects.He, Comte, and MC go shopping together and then they’d go to exclusive lounges together. He gets dragged to clubs by everyone but god forbid he gets touched by a sweaty person dancing, he will LOOSE IT. He gives pointers to the DJs and he actually likes listening to different genres of music. (Funny story, one time my dad went to a club in Vegas where Calvin Harris was DJing and he gave him tips on how to mix songs. He had no idea who Calvin Harris was). Mozart loves the spa and huge bathrooms, hates casinos since he thinks they're noisy and filthy. He goes to the mall and buys expensive skincare items. 

Jean:

Poor boy is so lost. Just like Isaac he kind of gets dragged everywhere. He likes going to the lounges with MC and Mozart but most of the time he will just want to enjoy the hotel room alone. MC doesn't want him to be alone the whole time so she takes him to see the Bellagio decorations and takes adorable candid pictures of him while he's there. He is amazed at how they were able to create something like that. He’s also amazed at the fountain show that MC takes him to at night. Mozart and MC take Jean with them when they goes shopping and he buys Jean some nice things (because he DESERVES IT). Would avoid clubs at all costs and if he somehow gets dragged there by everyone he leaves the first chance he gets.

Sebastian:

Like Shakespeare, Sebastian also follows around the residents, seeing how they react to such a new environment. He takes notes on all their activities and exchanges info with Shakespeare. He made all the reservations and keeps track of everyone’s itinerary. He is the only other person who knows about Arthur and Theo’s bar fight because Leo told him in exchange for modern cigarettes. He was so excited when Napoleon asked him to join him in their spa trip. Most of the time Sebastian goes with Comte and Napoleon to their activities. He would also love seeing some of the historical exhibits, like the Titanic and Ancient Egypt ones in the Luxor hotel. He’s mainly just happy to have enough free time to write as much info in his book as he wants.

[sunsetcurvecuddles]

hi!! can i request willex and “cuddle”?

- @julieandthequeers

(i cried at 9am reading touch starved willie i LOVE your writing)

this was for the send me a ship and a prompt game and these responses are super late but i am simply going ahead with it as though nothing happened (also I LOVE U SO MUCH)

so here ya go this is a follow-up to touch-starved willie which you can read here, this installment is also available on ao3 here

--

Alex is doing his best with Willie.

He’s been doing his best the whole time, obviously, but it’s hard. Willie won’t talk to him, or to any of them, about what happened in the in-between time. It’s just a mystery, from when Alex said goodbye to him outside the Orpheum to when Julie broke Willie’s curse on the street corner where they freed Nick from Caleb’s possession, all of it this blank, empty picture frame where Willie won’t connect any of the dots.

So Alex has been trying not to push him. At first he was trying to give him space, because that’s what Alex knows he’d want if he was in Willie’s position. Which, in hindsight, was stupid, because Willie is nothing like Alex at all.

Since the night when Alex checked on Willie before bed, and something in Willie cracked open and, bright and burning, spilled out of him right into Alex’s hands, Alex has realised he has to do his best in a different way.

So he’s doing what he can. Pressing their legs together on the couch, when they’re sitting in the garage. Putting his arm around Willie’s shoulder when they’re walking. Running his fingers through Willie’s hair when they have a quiet moment alone.

It seems to be working, for the most part. Willie’s eyes are brighter, his smiles are easier. Whatever weight was on his shoulders seems to be easing off. He still won’t talk to them about anything Before, but he’s more like himself, even if it’s a different self to the one Alex met when they first escaped from the dark room.

(He feels like Willie’s time away is sort of a dark room of its own. He gets why Willie doesn’t want to share it.)

One night when they’re finishing up from dinner, Willie comes up to Alex, asks him quietly, “Hey, hotdog, can I talk to you?”

He looks sun-touched, and glowy. He’s been spending a lot of time skating at the beach, down by the pier, which honestly makes Alex relieved and anxious in equal measure. Relieved, that Willie feels safe enough to venture further from the house than he did, because for awhile, he wouldn’t even let Julie out of his sight, let alone go exploring on his own. But anxious, too, because Alex still worries that something will happen to Willie, even though he doesn’t want Willie to be scared about it any more. There’s been no sign of Caleb, but still. Alex can’t help but worry.

“Oh,” says Alex. He glances back over his shoulder, but Luke and Julie are clearing the table, and Reggie’s started the dishes. Catching his eye, Reggie gives him a big, soap-sudsy thumbs-up, which Willie definitely sees. Alex dies a little inside. “Yes, sure, let’s just - move somewhere else.”

Willie stifles a laugh, but it seems nervous, flighty, like his lungs are too much for his body. So Alex nods up the stairs, and follows after Willie.

Willie takes him to the spare room, the one Willie’s sort of made his own.

(Luke pretended to throw a fit about being Ray’s least-favourite son-in-law, but they all knew it was to save Willie from having to share the already crowded studio with the other three restored-to-life boys. Alex thinks this is reasonable, since that studio bathroom is definitely at capacity with the three of them.)

Willie turns to Alex as soon as they’re both inside with the door closed, and he looks resolute, but there’s an edge of nerves to his movements. Sighing, Willie runs his slender hands through his long hair.

Alex forgets what he’s thinking about for a moment. He’d seen guys, before, when he was alive, attractive guys even. After all, it hadn’t taken dying to work out he was gay. But whenever he saw Willie it just seemed like whatever he’d felt with those other boys had been a mistake, an imitation. Willie was the prettiest boy he’d ever seen.

“You said I could ask,” Willie says finally. His hands are clasped behind his head and he presses his elbows together, partially obscuring his face from view as he exhales. “You told me to.”

It takes Alex a scrambly moment to work out what he means. “Yeah. Yeah, I - is this...?” Are you asking? he wants to say, but he doesn’t know if his own asking that would defeat the purpose.

Willie grips his own hair for a moment and then shakes himself, puts his arms down. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m asking for cuddles. Lame as that feels. Could I have a hug? Please?”

“Not lame,” Alex reminds him softly, smiling, even though it absolutely makes his heartbeat triple. Maybe he’s the one who’s lame. “Of course.”

“And I want to talk,” Willie says, just when Alex starts to reach for him, so he pauses. “I - can I tell you about what happened? I was worried about making you worried. But you told me not to worry about that, anymore.”

Alex feels a lump in his throat. Willie really listened to him. When Willie looks at him, resolved but a little haunted, Alex realises how much Willie must trust him, to ask for both those things at once.

“Okay,” he whispers, then hastily adds, “only if you want to, obviously.”

Nodding, Willie rubs down his own arms with his thumbs. “I do want to, I think. I think I’m ready.”

Willie sits on the edge of the bed. Alex sits down next to him. Almost instinctively, he realises he’s reverted to that same jumpy caution he had around Willie for weeks after they were reunited, but that was exactly what had caused the problem last time, so he takes a deep breath and pulls Willie close.

The warmth that blooms in his chest must be nothing compared to how Willie feels, because Willie’s body melts, practically turns to putty in Alex’s arms.

Willie’s been there for Alex through so much, listened to so many anxious rants, helped Alex express himself in so many ways he never felt able to before. It’s just what Willie’s like, and always has been, right from the start. It’s a relief to be able to finally return the favour.

“Talk to me,” Alex murmurs, hiding his face in Willie’s hair.

Willie reaches for one of Alex’s hands, and links their fingers together, one by one, his fingertips tapping Alex’s knuckles like they’re piano keys. He takes one last deep breath. And then he talks.

[hopelikethemoon]

Starlight || (Ezra x Reader) || {Moonbeams}

Title: Starlight Rating: PG-13 Length: 4,000 Warnings: Angst, mentions of medical procedures, mentions of pregnancy, brief conversation about abortion, and some more angst.  Notes: Casual reminder that I do not write stories with plans in mind, I simply let the muses guide the story as I write. I’m fortunate that my mind litters in allusions and foreshadowing that I can pick up on later. This is one of those chapters where a lot of foreshadowing comes full circle. I’m super nervous that this chapter will lose my readers, but I’ve simply allowed the story to flow how it wanted to. Also shoutout to anyone who gets the extremely obscure British history reference in here.  Part ten of the Moonbeams series.

Taglist: @princessbatears @djarin-junk @absurdthirst @hdlynn @legally-a-bastard @opheliaelysia @heather-lynn @sabinemorans @crazinessgraveyardsandcartoons @pedrospunk @maybege @chews-erotically @katlikeme @lose-eels @youmeanmybrain @theindiealto @irishleesh93 @seawhisperer @hdlynn @demigod-dragonrider-schoolidol @theindiealto @grapemama @roxypeanut @kochamcie @kiwi-the-first @hellomothermoon @soft-fanfics @spacegayofficial @storiesofthefandomloversreblogs @kindablackenedsuperhero @goblinqueen95 @nominalnebula @wheresthewater @letmybabysleep @hayley-the-comet @corrupt-fvcker @i-ship-it-ironically @mrsparknuts @the-feckless-wonder​ Hopefully I got everyone! Please message me to be added, comments to be added get lost in my activity.

Leaving Lykaois hadn’t been nearly as difficult as previous departures with Shiva accompanying you back to the Block. Not to mention having a way to communicate with Ezra when you were off-world really softened the issue of distance. You could go to sleep listening to him read to you, just like he was laying beside you in your bed. 

The only real downside to returning to the Block was Shiva all but forcing you to visit the medic. You felt fine. You really did. But apparently dying, coming back to life, and losing your memory warranted an immediate visit to get poked and prodded by the resident medic on the Block. 

It wasn’t as though you could tell the medic you were visiting because you had mental confusion related to dying. So you made up some excuse about feeling fatigued after being off-world. That wasn’t even a lie, technically. 

The medic tutted quietly as she scanned through the results on her datapad, “Were you aware that your stim was deactivated?” 

“What?” You jerked your head to the left to stare at the woman. “What do you mean it’s deactivated?”

She glanced up at you briefly before looking back at that datapad, “A high voltage of electricity can sometimes cause the system to malfunction. Have you had any incidents during transport repairs?”

You felt like a bucket of cold water had been thrown over you. The only shock of electricity you had received had been before going to Ay-7 and Quinn—

“Well, this is different.” The medic stepped around the examination table with a perplexed expression. “The stim appears to have reported back to the manufacturer that it was disengaged due to expiration of the client.” 

“Not because of an electrical current?” You questioned, your fingers curling around the edge of the table. 

“It appears the stim registered a time of death just over a month ago.” The medic’s brows furrowed together as they looked up from the chart. “Were you sexually active during this period?”

“Uh, yeah.” You blinked, shaking your head. “I was.” 

“Out of an abundance of caution, I would like to run a few more tests before we reactivate your stim.” She passed the datapad to you, “In the event that you have conceived due to a faulty stim, rest assured the corporation will billed for the termination of your pregnancy. You can just sign right there and we can handle that quite simply following a positive—“

You were quick to cut her off, “That won’t be necessary.” You couldn’t actually think that far ahead and if — and it was a huge if — it had occurred, you weren’t going to jump to that decision before telling Ezra. 

“Alright, then select here.” She scrolled the screen down to a line that declined immediate intervention. “Sit back and relax. The test services AI will be with you shortly.” She offered you a kind smile. “I’m sure it’s nothing to be concerned with.”

What the hell were you going to do if you were pregnant? 

Your hand drifted down to your stomach. Could you be? It wasn’t as though you and Ezra were the least bit careful — you thought your stim was functioning after all. There had never been any reason to be careful. 

Thank the gods it hadn’t started malfunctioning before Ay-7. But you were probably working yourself up over nothing.

What if Ezra didn’t want it? In the past few months with him, children had never come up. Not to mention what you had learned about Sybil and Cora’s situation. 

The door opened and the AI bot rolled into the room. You hated getting tests done at the clinic. Some of the missions you were assigned to would require full health panels before shipping out — you should’ve been used to it by now. 

The bot took a vial of blood from you and started processing it within the hollow of its artificial chest, while commencing with various body scans. 

“The medic will return shortly to provide you with results.” The bot’s grainy voice informed you, before it wheeled out of the room. Leaving you all alone with your thoughts again.

Could you even handle having a baby on your own if Ezra didn’t want any part in it? If things went sour with Ezra, you’d have to work your way back into the program and that wouldn’t be possible while pregnant.

If worse came to worse, you could probably find some kind of work on Ay-7. 

It felt like an eternity before the medic returned to confirm that your anxiety wasn’t entirely misplaced. “Well, it would appear that in the short window of time between the malfunction and now, that you have conceived. Based on your hormone levels, I would safely guess implantation took place within the last two weeks. You’re in the very early stages of pregnancy.”

You weren’t even entirely certain you could understand the medic. She was speaking words, but you couldn’t really hear them. 

“Should you and your partner choose to terminate, you have a few non-invasive options at this stage. I can provide you with a resource file or you and your partner can come back for an appointment together.”

“He’s off world.” You told the medic, resting your hand on your stomach. “Did everything look normal?”

“It’s too early to detect any defects with your fetus. While you do have slightly higher than average iron levels, it isn’t anything to be concerned by.” She assured you. “If you have any questions, you can login through the portal and get answers from one of our aides.”

“Thanks.” You said quietly as you slid off the exam table. When Shiva had convinced you to get checked out at the medic — this was the last thing you had imagined. 

Pregnant. 

You had never imagined yourself as a mother — not really. The program was a dangerous situation to be in, at the best of times. Pregnancy would’ve made you vulnerable and worse, it would’ve meant being vulnerable with someone who would’ve just screwed you over in the end. 

Ezra wasn’t like that. But in reality, his situation didn’t really allow him to be like everyone that came before him. You knew where he was, you could come and go as you pleased, and you were his only connection to the world beyond Lykaois. 

You had all of the control in the relationship. But this — this might’ve been more than he had bargained for. It was more than you had bargained for. 

You’d had only a handful of months together, if you cobbled the days together and now… 

How would Ezra react? You couldn’t picture him as a father. Even if the situation hadn’t been dire — if he wasn’t trapped on the moon, if there weren’t those that wanted to hurt you… Would he want to bring life into the world? 

There was very little good in the galaxy. You knew more than a few people who had made sure that they could never bring life into the world. 

You didn’t even know if you wanted it. It was such a fresh concept. A terrifying one at that.  

Shiva looked up from the engine part they were reconfiguring. “There’s our Lazarus. How’d it go at the medic?”

Your hands went to your hips as you stared down at them, “Well…” You started. “My brain seems to be fine.” 

“But?” They looked up at you, tossing a wrench aside as they got up. “There’s a but in there. What is it? Did you get fleas? Sexually transmitted disease?”

You snorted, “I definitely caught something from Ezra.” 

Shiva’s brows furrowed together, “Caught what? Like the curse or…?”

You grimaced a little as you tried to find the right words to explain your situation. “Apparently my stim malfunctioned after whatever the guardians did to me and… I’m in the very early days of pregnancy.”

“Oh, sweet Yrica’s left tit.” Shiva swore. “Are you serious?” 

“How early are we talking?” Quinn questioned as he strolled around the corner, his brows knit together with concern. 

Your head snapped towards him, “What are you doing here?” You looked back at Shiva. “What is he doing here?”

“He’s in a bit of a rough patch.” Shiva shrugged. 

“I’m avoiding a collector.” Quinn admitted, before his gaze fell to your stomach. “Back to the kid you’re gestating.”

“I wouldn’t be standing here talking about it if there was even a chance that it’s yours.” You snapped. “I’m about a month, I guess. It happened after I died…”

Shiva grimaced, “Not the post-death side effect I was expecting. What are you going to do?”

You rubbed at your forehead, sighing heavily. “I’m going to go back early and tell Ezra.” 

“Can’t you just com him?” Quinn questioned. 

You glared back over your shoulder at him, “I think it’s a face-to-face discussion.” You looked back at Shiva then. “What do you think?”

“I think it’s dangerous.” They admitted. “If what you told me about Proctor’s family is to be believed, then you might be giving birth to a werewolf.”

Quinn crunched loudly as he bit down on a crisp, “Does that mean you fucked the beast or does it just happen regardless?”

“Quinn.” Shiva sighed. 

“What? Her life is a mess and I’m amused.” He hoisted himself up on the side of a fuel barrel, eating another crisp from the bag he had been snaking from. 

“That’s not what happens with the beast.” You corrected him, before continuing. “It’s possible Cora was born a werewolf because her mother is. Maybe it won’t be the same for me?” 

You couldn’t even believe that you were having this conversation. 

Shiva clicked their tongue against their teeth. “I think your best bet is to go back to the medic and have it terminated, get your stim recalibrated, and move on with your life like it didn’t happen.”

“I’m telling Ezra before any of that happens.” You ghosted your hand over your stomach. “He deserves to know. He’s already lost so much, I’m not going to add to it.”

“What if he doesn’t want anything to do with you or it?” Shiva questioned. “Ezra seems like a good man, but we both know they can be shit.”

Quinn cleared his throat, “I would be happy to pretend your kid is mine. Not that I have much to offer.” 

“Thanks.” You rolled your eyes. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m good.” 

“And you’re certain about the timing?” Quinn questioned, tapping the heels of his boots against the metal side of the barrel. 

“One hundred percent.” You assured him. 

“Good. I really didn’t want to add child support to my debts.” Quinn shrugged dramatically. “I mean, it would certainly be a sacrifice I would be willing to make—“

“Why are you still here?” You questioned, picking up Shiva’s wrench and chucking it in his general direction. “Get out of here.” 

“Easy. Easy.” Quinn tsked. “Pregnant women aren’t supposed to be stressed.” 

“My stress would be relieved if you took a quick trip out of an airlock.” You shot back. “Can you make that happen?”

“Such hostility.” He laughed, crunching down on another crisp. 

“When are you leaving?” Shiva questioned. 

“As soon as I can pull my things together.” You rubbed at your temples. “This wasn’t in my plan.”

“It doesn’t have to be.” They reminded you. “You have options.” 

“Trust me, I know.” You sighed, worrying at your bottom lip. “It’s just a lot to think about.” You gestured to your stomach. “I feel like I’m going to wake up any moment.” 

Shiva stared at your stomach, “How do you feel?”

You shrugged, “Like it’s any other day.” 

“And they’re certain?” 

“Unfortunately,” You tugged your satchel off your shoulder, swinging it around to grab your datapad out. “I have everything right here. Blood test confirms it. They can’t do too much more until I’m further along.” 

“Do you think it will be like it’s dear furry father?” Quinn questioned, tapping his heels against the barrel again. “Are you going to have a werewolf fetus wiggling around during the full moon?”

That made your stomach turn. “I don’t know.”

“Hey,” Shiva grabbed your arm. “We’ll figure this all out together.” 

You smiled a little, “Thank you.” 

“Do I get a thanks?” Quinn questioned, a little too jovially. 

“Fuck off, Quinn.” You seethed. “Why are you still here?”

“I enjoy being a thorn in the side of my acquaintances. I’m also broke.” He shrugged. “Shiva’s letting me crash until things smooth over with a few connections.”

You gave Shiva a skeptical look. 

“I like strays.” They walked past you to grab the wrench you had thrown at Quinn. “He’s occasionally useful.”

He grinned and gave you a thumbs up. “All jokes aside, I do recognize our ship has long since left the port.”

“There was never a ship.” You grumbled. “It was an escape pod. A badly banged up escape pod.” 

Quinn wiggled his brows, “Ah, but you took that escape pod frequently.”

You rolled your eyes again, giving him an annoyed expression, before turning your attention back to Shiva. “Why?”

“He’s amusing.” They nudged you in the shoulder. “And you know it’s true.”

“Unfortunately.”

“So how do you think Ezra will react?” Quinn questioned. “I couldn’t really get a vibe from him.”

“Your guess is as good as mine.” You admitted, folding your arms across your chest. “We’ve never discussed children. We’ve never discussed what could’ve been situations.” You touched the spot on your arm where your faulty stim was. “We thought we were covered.” 

“The oldest story ever told.” Quinn quipped. 

Shiva finally looked annoyed, “Can you grab the manifold? It’ll be in the engine room somewhere.” 

“Trying to get rid of me?”

You both turned to him with an in unison, “Yes.”

You sank back in the pilot’s seat, stretching your legs out in front of you while you waited for the com to connect. The connection buzzed a handful of times and you wondered if Ezra was dealing with the side effects of the full moon. 

On the last buzz of the connection, he picked up. 

“Sorry, moonbeam. I was in the fresher.” He drawled out, his voice just as warm as it was when you sat right beside him. “And as tempting as it is to use the com panel in the fresher…” 

You laughed softly, chewing on your thumbnail as you tried to keep your tone as casual as possible. The last thing you wanted to do was to blurt out what you had to tell him. 

Not that you could even think about the situation without feeling like you wanted a black hole to open up and swallow you whole. 

“Did you hear me?” Ezra questioned. 

“Sorry, yes.” You exhaled slowly. “Sorry.”

“You alright?” 

“Just tired,” You lied. “And as tempting as it is to hear all about your time in the fresher, I’m not really in the mood tonight.”

“What are you in the mood for, little lamb?” 

You rubbed at the crease between your brows, “I could really go for a quiet evening with some quality cuddling time.” 

Ezra chuckled softly, “My bed feels rather empty without you.” He sighed a little. “What’s got you feeling down?” 

“Nothing in particular,” You answered easily. “It’s just been a really long day. How have you been?”

“Alright.” He sighed a little. “I felt like this month was harder, you know? We managed last month and I had something to focus on. I’m a bit sore.” 

“Sounds like you could use a quiet evening too.” 

Ezra hummed. “It would certainly make things easier.” He was quiet for a moment before he added, “Are you sure you’re alright, moonbeam?” 

“I will be as soon as I’m back on Lykaios with you.” You propped your chin up on the arm of the chair. “Which may actually be sooner than planned.”

“What?”

“I got everything together quicker than I anticipated.” You told him with a slight smile, even though he couldn’t see you. “I’m a few hours out.” 

“That’s certainly a welcome surprise.” Ezra said warmly. “And what do I owe this surprise to?”

“I might miss you.” You teased lightly. “And I…”

You both fell silent for another long moment. 

“And you, what?” Ezra sounded nervous and you didn’t blame him.

“Nothing.” You told him as you flipped on the autopilot and transferred the com connection to your datapad. “I want to wait until I get there.”

Ezra hummed curiously, “And you’re certain all is well?” 

“Well, I managed to track down a book of Herrick’s poems for you.” You told him as you meandered down the corridor to your quarters. “Quinn sent along a book of Byron’s poems he had. I’m not sure what message that sends.”

“I think I know.” You rolled your eyes. “A different little lamb.”

He sighed heavily, “Are we certainly Quinn’s clever enough to make that connection?”

You snorted, “Touché.” 

“I would actually be impressed.”

“It’s not unlikely,” You shrugged, kicking off your boots and sinking back onto your bed. “He used to be really obsessed with British history.” 

“Interesting.” You could practically picture him grinding his teeth. “How long have you known Quinn?”

You thought for a second, “Early into the program. He’s just always been around.”

“And you never—“ 

“He doesn’t belong in the same box as Alia or Mars.” You assured him, “He was just a nice way to scratch the itch. You know?”

“Yeah.” Ezra sighed. “I suppose I can give him credit for owning Byron in the first place.” 

You laughed, snorting a little at how begrudgingly he said it. “I miss you.” 

“I miss you too.” He murmured. “Are you in bed?” 

“I just laid down.” You told him, laying the datapad on the bed beside you. “Only one more sleep before I’m there with you.” 

“Why are you coming back early? Don’t get me wrong, I’m elated, but… your hesitation earlier is going to keep me up tonight.” 

“It’s something I’d prefer to discuss when I’m with you.” 

“Wait, does this have to do with your trip to the medic?” Ezra questioned. “Did Shiva make you go?” 

“It’s related to that.” 

“Is something wrong? Fuck.” Ezra hissed out. “Moonbeam, just tell me. I’m going to worry an ulcer into my stomach before you arrive.” 

“I wouldn’t call it wrong.” You sighed a little, trying to resist the urge to cry. You didn’t actually know if he would think it was “wrong”. He might. 

“You can tell me.” His voice wavered. “If the guardians have hurt you, I’ll rip them limb from limb.”

“Ezra, please calm down.” You said lightly. “We’ll talk about it soon. I promise it’s not as bad as you’re thinking. I’m fine and I’ll be fine.”

He was quiet for a moment. “I don’t want to lose you because of something I could’ve prevented.”

“You’re not going to lose me,” You assured him. “This is why I didn’t want to have this conversation over a com-call.” 

“Only a few more hours,” Ezra sighed again. “Right?” 

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything at all…” You raked your hands over your face. “All of this is new for me.”

“It’s new for me too.” Ezra drawled out. “I still think I’m going to wake up and discover it was all an elaborate dream.” 

“All of it?”

“Just you.” 

“I feel the same way.” You admitted as you rolled onto your side. “I expect to wake up on the Block, ready to ship out somewhere. It doesn’t feel real most days.”

“I hate when I have to let go of you.” 

“I hope you don’t ever let go.”

Ezra scoffed, “I could never.”

“Are you in bed?”

“Yes, I’ve returned to my dreadfully lonely bed.” 

“Did you get dressed after your shower?”

 He chuckled, “I thought you said you weren’t in the mood, my sweet little lamb.”

“What? I want to picture what I’m missing.” It was a nice distraction at least. You wouldn’t have to worry about questions about anything. 

“What’s the point of putting clothes on when you’re alone?” Ezra questioned, his voice a little raspier. 

“Well, I’m fully dressed.”

He tsked quietly, “How disappointing. Then again, you were fully dressed in my bed when you—“

You groaned dramatically, “It’s not my fault that you smell so good.”

“I could say the same. It drives me crazy, moonbeam.” His breath caught in his throat. “We should sleep.” 

“I’ll be there soon.” You promised him, smiling sadly at the datapad. There was no way you were going to actually sleep, your anxiety wasn’t going to allow that to happen. “Ezra?”

“Mhm?” 

“I love you.”

“Oh moonbeam, I love you too.” He said warmly. “And I plan to count the moments until you are safely in my arms again.” 

You switched screens on the datapad, “I am five hours out.”

“Would you be adverse to me coming upon your arrival?” Ezra questioned.

“I would be disappointed if you didn’t.” You say the datapad back down beside you. “I’ll see you soon, Ezra.” 

“Until the morning.” Ezra whispered. “Sleep well, love.” 

You stared at the datapad, even after the line went dead. There was a part of you that wished that you’d told him what you wanted to tell him, just to pull the bandage off and find out what he thought without being there. 

How were you supposed to guess what his reaction would be to discovering that was going to be a father? 

The man had lived alone for five years, keeping himself away from everyone who was like him. He feared losing the last vestiges of his humanity. He warred with wanting you to stay with him and wanting to cut you loose. He loved you, but did he love you like that? 

And for that matter, was this what you wanted? 

This romance with Ezra had been a whirlwind, but it had been different than any love that came before. You spent hours on end with him, cooped up in your transport or his and you never got bored. There was never a moment where you found yourself ready to leave, you never wanted to. 

When you thought you loved Mars, you loved him in small doses. It was intense and all-consuming, but you always needed to come up for air. Alia… You would have willingly drowned in your love for her, but she always needed her own space. 

You recognized that this might be too much for him. He couldn’t escape from you, not really. You came in and out of his life, but he was fixed in one spot. 

But neither of you seemed ready for your time together to end. If you were at his transport before you left to return to the Block, he would always follow you into yours and spend another hour with you before reluctantly parting ways. 

It was different. 

Maybe he could feel that invisible string connecting the two of you. The one that always felt drawn taut when you weren’t with him. The sensation that always drew you back to Lykaios. 

But would a child change all of that? Shiva may have been right. You could’ve gone back to Lykaios without having to worry about any of this. Though, what would you do if one day Ezra did express his desire to become a father — a possibility that was taken from him by the curse and by you. 

You just had to hope that things would sort themselves out. That he would understand. That his love for you wouldn’t falter.