#fine i'll write it ...

[clonerightsagenda]

I was rambling on the issue of museums and human remains and how certain populations are more likely to have their bodies put on display to be gawked at and then went "well I guess the Pompeii casts were of Europeans. there are bones in there right?" and Googled it to make sure, at which point I confirmed that yes there are bones in there, but more interestingly DNA testing revealed that a cast of an adult holding a child everyone assumed was a mother and child were, in fact, a man and a kid entirely unrelated to him. Honestly that's more moving to me. Maybe they were connected in a way other than blood, but maybe a stranger saw a child when the world was ending and thought the one thing he could do was hold them.

[the-raindeer-king]

(A/N: This is part 2 to my Mama Riley au! Thanks for all the love on the first one. ❤ no content warning and I'm trying to keep this gender neutral. Enjoy!!!)

You never expected your angry rant to actually change Simon's behavior. But it has, based on Mama Riley's weekly updates. He's stopping by more, staying longer. He's actually telling her things, mainly about his coworkers, but she's just happy he's finally opening up to her.

While you believe her, you're not seeing the change yourself. Fridays are when you have dinner with Mama Riley, and now apparently Simon too. He just… stares at you, a permanent frown on his face. As if you're the one intruding.

Part of you is glad he doesn't talk much. The few sentences he does speak, the low timber of his voice makes your heart race. Behind the scars and unwelcoming attitude, Simon Riley is a handsome man. But your loyalty lies with his mom. He needs to be a better son, and some silly crush isn't going to change your mind that easily.

Ironically, it's said loyalty that makes Simon fall for you so fast. His loyalty is rock solid, a promise held steadfast, an ache he feels in his chest every morning. There's no one Simon cares more about than his mom, and to see someone else care so deeply and fiercely about her makes you so insanely attractive to him. On top of that, your concern for Mama Riley made you willing to say something to him, and Simon knows he's off-putting and scary.

What I'm getting at is that this man is so down bad, it's not even funny. He'd literally take you to the court house and marry you immediately, if you were willing. But you're not, and he's kind of clueless on how to convince you to give him a chance. He'd rather catch a live grenade bare handed than ask his mom.

His mom who clocked the crush immediately, and is trying to help him without helping him. Even if their relationship is strained (much better now thanks to you!), she knows her son, and she knows he has feelings for you. And while she's not trying to meddle, she is trying to create opportunities for y'all to interact and get to know each other.

Opportunities that Simon keeps fumbling because he clams up so bad around you. He's never been good around people in general, and his crush on you just makes it twice as bad. Plus, he's aware that you hate him, and that's not doing him any favors either.

Mama Riley gives him time to make an attempt, only to watch him struggle and usually fail. But the attempts he's making with small talk, bad jokes, bringing you small knick knacks from deployment; it seems to be working. You're both opening up to each other, growing a friendship.

But as the months pass, nothing grows beyond a friendship. You don't want to ruin things between yourself and Mama Riley. Plus, you're not entirely sure where Simon's feelings lie. He's just as weird and off-putting as he was in the beginning, just now he tells you bad jokes and calls you ‘love’.

And, while Mama Riley promised herself that she wouldn't meddle - Simon's a grown man after all, he should be able to handle this - it's almost painful for her to watch the way you and Simon dance around each other. Nobody here is getting any younger, and after almost a year of watching you two, she decides to take matters into her own hands.

Simon's two months into deployment, when Mama Riley invites you over for routine Friday dinner. You're barely one glass of wine in, when she drops the bombshell on you.

“You know, Simon's in love with you.”

[jaynovz]

-slams table- I don't WANT Viktor to wake up reverted to a more human shape in post canon "oh we're alive???" fics

I WANT him to still be 12 ft tall terrifying and beautiful praying mantis wife with a hex claw and a giant crater blown out his mask!!!!

And JAYCE WOULD BE INTO THAT SHIT bc there's no version of Viktor he's not obsessed horny for, and crucially he has already proven to be a FREAK

AND SCENE

[astro-can]

i want the most drop-dead, gorgeous, breath-takingly beautiful girl to show up at camp half-blood and everyone is like "yeah she's definitely an Aphrodite kid" and then she gets claimed by hephaestus and everyone is like WHAT

[infernal-lamb]

more doodles, since I've been so busy! Sketched out Shamura finally....along with exploring the idea that Shamura's prophecies also appeared in abstract webs they've weaved along the years....I think its just Neat(tm)

also: when ur vessel keeps dying just to stare at you with unyielding saucer-like eyes filled with an indescribable bloodlust silently. just fucked up lamb things

[daemon-in-my-head]

At last, here it is. A while ago, I had the pleasure of commissioning the wonderful @lokorum to portray my beloved idiots in all of their tragic glory.

So without further ado, after months, here's the first chapter of my durgetash-centred, possibly very long, post-canon Genfic (cuz even if he's not featured in the picture, he's very much the one behind it, and yes, I said genfic but they do fuck, there's just also other themes that are more important than whatever it is those guys got going on).

https://archiveofourown.org/works/63147115

Rated M; further elaboration, summary etc behind the cut.

As per usual, please mind the tags. This is rated mature and may turn explicit depending on—let's be so fr—nothing but my mood. It IS a tragedy. I know how it ends. Trust me when I stress the tragedy part. I'm writing this story through tears at times. There's fluff, there is hurt comfort, there is true old man yaoi but there is just as much 'doves that aren't simply dead but rotten' and pain.

So to everyone who's not scared shitless yet (which is very valid), here's a summary:

The year is around 1530 DR. The once-revered and reformed Bhaalspawn returns to the city he had both saved and nearly doomed, emerging from his exile in the Underdark. Though he claims to seek only rest, the city's de facto ruler, Archduke Gortash, sees through the monster’s carefully crafted facade. Perhaps if the elf had never saved the Banite all those years ago—when he was little more than a blurred and distant memory—his own fate might have unfolded differently, perhaps even more mercifully. But regrets have long since lost their weight. The past is immutable, and all that remains—all that truly matters to him now—is the purpose that once again draws him into this treacherous den.

And on a personal note; I'm still squealing and shoving this artwork into the face of everyone I meet irl. I absolutely adore it. I'm not sure I'll be stopping with that soon. You will see reblogs.

Again. Tragedy. I mean it. There's fluffy moments, but I will absolutely exploit them to enhance the pain. I'm dead serious about Bhaal being able to learn from me. I caused his kid more agony than he could ever dream of delivering. And I haven't even shared the worst parts yet.

Edit: I also mean the psychological warfare tag. It's my guilty pleasure. And whatever over one year of obsession amounts to.

[chancheols]

"I feel like I had nothing to hide. I didn't feel like I had to show you my good side. I feel like I can be myself around you."

[jammatown919]

I've said to a few people that my ratio of blame for the argument that broke the camel's back is about 80% Yaz and 20% Sammy due to Yaz's attitude about her and Sammy's disagreement over Brooklynn (both sides had completely fair points and valid feelings but Yaz was very unfair in the way she spoke), but I think for their problems in general it's more of an even split where they both have several bad communication habits they need to work on to avoid something like this happening to them again. Yaz

Isn't always honest about how she feels

Decides what she's going to do and just does it with little to no discussion even if it's not what's best for the unit

Can get too stubborn about thinking she's right to the point she trivializes and dismisses feelings she doesn't agree with instead of trying to understand them

Has shown at least two instances of resorting to name-calling and/or other rude remarks when she firmly believes she's right and the other person is wrong (I believe this was largely due to a highly stressed out state of mind in which she was concerned for Brooklynn's safety and lashed out because she was worried the others' reluctance to help her might get her hurt, but it still happened)

Sammy

Isn't always honest about how she feels

Bottles up emotions until she's really, really upset and can't control them

Can be passive aggressive when upset

Doesn't completely respect Yaz's need for space during arguments (gets mad at her for suggesting taking a beat in season one) but expects hers to be respected (gets mad at her for continuing to pursue the conversation in season three)

This is something that, as far as we know as the audience, has been slowly building up over the course of several months to a year, primarily due to a severe delay in honest communication. From what I can gather, ever since Yaz has started trying to recover from her PTSD on her own without Sammy's help, they have stopped telling each other when they have a problem. Yaz most likely did not try to have a real conversation with Sammy about feeling coddled (according to Sammy, there was little to no communication about her moving at all). Sammy most likely did not try to directly tell Yaz how lonely she was after the move (I simply cannot believe that Yaz would not have made more attempts to reach out if it had been plainly laid out for her).

By the time they tell each other their grievances, they're upset and defensive because they've been sitting on their problems for months. They both feel that they have completely valid reasons for what they're doing and they both feel that the other has done something wrong, and they're both right. The lack of honest communication is a mutual problem and the foundation of the majority of their issues. Without this background, I do not believe that they would have broken up over the Brooklynn argument, nor do I think Sammy would have felt as strongly about it because a lot of her feelings toward Brooklynn right now parallel her feelings toward Yaz.

But they have to realize this now. Maybe they could ignore it when they were back to being fine soon after every argument because some threat caused them to come back together without talking about anything. But now it's caused them to break up. They have to know now that something has to change if they're going to make this work again. They're so, so obviously still in love, and with the two groups heading to the same place and them inevitably coming back into proximity with each other, I don't know how long they're going to be able to hold themselves back from approaching each other. They both clearly want to talk. Yaz kept asking for Sammy before leaving Italy. Sammy watched her through the door like she was considering coming outside to say something.

Dysfunctional communication over a long period of time can completely drain a person emotionally, and I completely understand the decision to just walk away from it. But these are two people who love each other deeply, and even at the worst of their problems, want to connect and be together and are devastated by the idea of losing each other. They need to sit with this for a bit. Come to terms with what really caused it to get this bad. And once they do, they'll come back to each other, because they love each other too much to not fight for this relationship. They both have work to do, but they love each other too much not to do it.

[wandixx]

Christmas in Mount Justice

cartoon version of Young Justice, written instead of sleeping and I'll be honest, I kinda run out of steam at the end, but it'd take me until next year if I didn't push through, so here it is, and hopefully it's not quite visible where I started pushing through it, I hope you'll enjoy

words: 4633

“Since, hopefully, this is the last time we're seeing each other before Christmas–” Black Canary announced, stretching after finished training“ I wish you all merry and healthy and boring Christmas” she finished with a wide warm smile. Danny barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes. This goddamn worst time of the year. He checked once more if his mental shields were up. According to M'gann, ghosts were really loud on mind reading wavelengths so he needed to keep them up most of the time. He wasn't an asshole to drown his friend in absolute hatred of Christmas.

“You too Black Canary!” Wally yelled, running like the earth was burning to get cookies M'gann baked “By the way, what are your plans?” he asked upon his return.

Did they really have to keep talking about it? Danny was half considering just dropping through the floor to escape this conversation but chose against it because he really didn't want to answer all the questions it would cause or hear a ‘you can't deal with all unwanted conversations by escaping them’ lecture again any time soon. He could and he would, the Freakshow incident was just one way to prove it.

“B and I have to attend some stuffy rich people party” Robin said with clear displeasure “I still need to plan what mess to stir there. Chandeliers swinging are banned and so is arson so I have to get creative.”

“You actually set something on fire?! That's sick as hell!” the speedster's enthusiasm didn't waver as he threw a few cookies at Danny. It was nice that someone remembered about Danny's slightly enhanced metabolism. They (both Young Justice and Amity squad) still didn't understand it completely but the working hypothesis was that he needed to eat more to make up for ectoplasm he couldn't consume in quantities big enough for his ghost side since it was poisonous to humans and he had to dose it carefully. Being a halfa was rough like that some(most)times. 

“Well, lighter is easy to sneak inside–” Robin explained and honestly Danny never expected to hear Gotham’s feared vigilante go over logistics of arson but he guessed it was his life now, he could use this info to do something about at least one Christmas tree in Amity or share it with Sam. She mentioned some upcoming rich people party too”–and amount of alcohol there is astonishing, really you'd think that people would try to stay sober on event like that but apparently–”

“I'm having dinner with my mom and some family friends–” Artemis interrupted “Can't wait spend God knows how many hours with all of them talking over each other and asking awkward questions” she tried to sound displeased but there was no way she could hide her fondness and wasn't that a wild thing to see. Seriously, he almost choked on a cookie. In theory Danny knew some people genuinely liked Christmes but–

Just like that? Just happy to–

Yeah, he knew but couldn't quite comprehend. Sam was exactly like that, found but trying to seem annoyed to keep up with her goth persona. Tucker was way more open about his delight.

For Danny Christmas was only too loud because everyone was singing badly and too bright because of lights and too stuffy and there was this damned argument about Santa and yelling and fe–

“Oh, me too! We also planned a movie night with Central Rogues, this time it's Cold’s turn. I wish he won't pick Die Hard again…”

Well, Danny guessed movie night with Rogues, that clearly meant an off evening since they wouldn't try to stir things up while watching the movie, sounded like a really nice idea. Personally he would do without people who try to turn him into a pulp every other day but apparently things worked differently in Central.

“King Orin wanted to introduce me to some surface celebrations as well,” Kaldur said with a warm smile and halfa forcefully stopped himself from giving their leader a weird look. Even him?! Betrayal, absolute betrayal! 

“Well, I don't really celebrate so I'm staying here, maybe training a bit, I'm not sure yet,” M'gann announced shyly and it took all his willpower to not hug her for being the only sensible person in the room.

“Yeah, I'm staying too. Apparently I'm not invited to family gatherings” Conner added bitterly. 

“Honestly your not missing much,” Danny muttered “It's just perfectly prepared and measured argument breeding space, believe me”

Wally tried to protest but one pointed glare and it dissolved through power of ‘don't make Conner feel about it any worse than he already does’. Danny felt a little guilty for using it to sooth his own hatred towards Christmas but not too much. He really wanted to reassure his friend and ways he went about it were no one else's business. 

“And what are your plans, Danny?” M'gann asked gently after he didn't continue. He really wished he didn't have to answer but keeping his emotions hidden meant nobody could see that something was up and say ‘you don't have to tell if you don't want to’ or other shit like that.

“Not sure yet. I think I will crash with you here honestly. If we believe this magic book we found, there is a Christmas truce in Zone, so there shouldn't be any ghost attacks and your company is always great,” he smiled sincerely.

“Wouldn't your parents ask questions if you just skipped Christmas, though?” Wally asked a bit cautiously but Danny waved his concern off with a vague ‘eh’ sound.

“Will you show us some Christmas traditions then? As a part of ‘earthly traditions’ course?” M'gann's eyes almost shone with excitement and Conner looked hopeful and it made him feel conflicted. The whole point of crashing in Mount Justice with two aliens was to not touch anything Christmas related with thirty feet long stick but alas M'gann asked nicely and was pretty. These were two big ideals fighting inside of him then and there while he tried to keep his face and outer mind blank enough to not bring any suspicion.

Betrayal to second, no third, power! He wanted to escape this hell of an experience! 

But well, he could shape the experience in a way that's the least painful and M'gann and Conner were really great friends…

“Sure”

He couldn't quite match her enthusiastic grin or even Conner’s bit smaller one.

He was going to regret it, wouldn't he?

***

“Guys, I messed up so bad…” Danny whined,  curling on Sam's enormous bed covered in fluffy blankets and nice pillows.

“What did you do this time?” girl asked with a smirk. Halfa was sometimes mad how well his friends knew him and didn't take his dramatics as seriously as he would like to.

“I wanted to have a sleepover at Team's HQ during Christmas, you know, to escape it. Only ones who will stay are Miss Martian and Superboy, aliens, so I thought it's a good idea. And then they asked me to show them ‘earthly Christmas traditions’ and I AGREED!” he yelled, his hands flying dramatically at the confession.

His friends, little traitors they were, just laughed.

He came to get some help, advice on either doing this introduction well because Danny Fenton was known for a lot of things but half-assing projects he agreed to do wasn't one of them (homework was obligatory without his consents ergo didn't count) or gracefully getting away from mess his idiocy brought onto him, not to be laughed at! He had enough of it at other times.

Though they got to work when they calmed down, making Danny revisit the idea of not talking to them ever again and throwing it out of the window.

“Alright,” Tucker started, preparing his note and planner apps before continuing “what do you want to show them? Gingerbread house?”

“Of course” Danny huffed because as much as he hated Christmas and its traditions, gingerbread house was decent one. Making one at Tucker's place three years ago when he had been introduced to the idea was one of his best memories related to the holiday. Even though it was cut short by trip to the ER because dumbass little Danny had wanted a little gingerbread man he set aside and he had eaten him still all fresh and 350°F hot and got severe burns in his mouth and throat because apparently his instinctual response to burning in his mouth was to swallow instead of to spit.

“Gifts.” Sam raised in a way that meant she was not taking any complaints and Danny didn't really want to argue. His track record with gifts from his parents wasn't too good ever since he had a brief just-like-dad phase and they didn't realize it ended after a month but other people knew how to fix it. The Voyager Lego set he got from Sam the year before still made him smile when his eyes landed on it. 

Tucker noted it down. “What else? Christmas tree?”

Danny winced but nodded. He wasn't too fond of it but it was too big to miss it.

“Ugly sweaters?”

“Superboy would actually develop laser vision if I tried it”

“Movie marathon? I can lend you some DvDs”

“Yeah, it's probably a good idea. Kid Flash mentioned it too.”

“Santa Claus?” Sam asked with a smirk and Danny threw a pillow at her.

“Who is Santa Claus? I never heard of him, must be a Rhode Island thing” he answered with a straight face, not knowing how many times he will have to repeat it.

**

Phantom: hey guys!

Phantom: want a Crisscross Christmas

Phantom: ?

Artemis: The what?

Phantom: oh, you know

Phantom: this thing were we draw aech othres names anf have to buy a gift

Kid Flash: you mena Secret Santa

Kid Flash: ???

Phantom: never heard of that

Phantom: thats a wierd naem

Phantom: but if rules match, call it whatever yoyu wnat

Aqualad: I like this idea

Robin: GIft drop-off on 27th is okay for everyone?

7 people liked this message

Robin: i take that for yes. 50$ budget?

Kid Flash: Robin, Rob, Bob, my best pal. I have 5$ and single slice of bubblegum to my name rn

Kid Flash: No, actually no bubblegum anymore

Kid Flash: 10$ is top I could spend

Phantom: Same

Artemis: Same

Aqualad: Me too

Miss Martian: I'm not sure if me and Superboy have any money, actually

Phantom: See Rob?

Phantom: just be a good samamritanina and give them 10$ instead og flaunting batmans money

***

"Important question. How do one pick a present?"

"You know, it's good if it's something personal, either in a way that it's something they want or need, a gag gift that'd be funny for both of you, or just something that made you think of them"

"Yeah, yeah, I read the mom blogs, none of this actually helps, what am I supposed to get for Artemis?!"

***

"Alright, so. I have a list of things I think you need to learn about Christmas. We're kinda late to the party, so I cut off some stuff because there is no way we would make it in time."

"Sounds about right, what do we start with?"

"Most classic of classics, the Christmas tree, Batman already greenlit it, so it's waiting outside"

***

"So, Christmas tree is evergreen plant, conifer, sometimes only branch or synthetically made model, that, if living, is cut down from Christmas tree nursery, and then put inside the house, usually in the living room or other space that is considered repre-"

"Danny, we live in society, we have basic knowledge on American traditions that is literally everywhere. We don't need it to be spoon fed to us in a voice more robotic way than Red Tornado, literal robot"

"Conner!"

"What?! I'm not wrong"

"Sorry. Let's get to decorating then?"

"If you want to ramble, we'd be more than happy to listen. It's obvious that you took a lot of care to learn everything."

"Speak for yourself"

"Conner!"

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, with what exactly do we plan to decorate it?"

"Oh, this one is easy. I asked around people to donate some stuff, and Batman got us few things after I asked for permission for the tree. He even asked Justice League to drop us some things too."

"That's nice of them"

"Yeah, though I'm a bit worried about gifts from Arrows and Robin, y'know. They all had this type of smile that means either a gag idea, merch or exploding glitter and I'm not sure which option scares me the most"

"Glitter"

"Glitter"

"Yeah, you're right"

***

"Did… um… did Superman bring anything?"

"Yes, actually! He brought pretty big box of stuff and mentioned dropping of some food for Christmas in the morning or the afternoon of the first day. He said he was happy that you got the experience even if he isn't able to be the one to give it to you. I think he is coming around"

It was an interesting thing about Danny. He wasn't all that good with authority figures or frankly adults in general, and he never passed on the chance to tear in Superman for his treatment of Conner, if he saw the man, but in private he was surprisingly pro-Superman and tried to make them "see his perspective" with some pretty convincing arguments. Everyone else was still unimpressed but Danny never gave up.

M'gann still wasn't sure if in these circumstances she found it cute or annoying.

"Bullshit"

"If that's what you want to believe in"

***

"Oh, hello Megan! Red Tornado, would you like to join us in decorating the Christmas tree?"

"This… seems like a decent idea. What is the procedure of it?"

"We already put on the lights, so now we're placing baubles and other hanging decorations, before we finish off with paper chains and these fuzzy boas. We need them evenly spread out on all of the tree, preferably in a way, that things in similar colors aren't right next to each other, alright?"

"Yes, Phantom, instructions are clear"

"Great. Do we want some music in the background? My friends usually play some Christmas songs to get us all in 'the right mood' as he calls it?"

"Good idea, I'll play something."

"Thanks Meg"

"Just hear the sleigh bell jingling…"

"Is this… yeah, it's Carpenters, it's Jazz's favo- oh shit"

"Got it!"

"Nice catch Conner! Red Tornado, sorry I didn't clarify before, we're not decorating the side by the wall."

"Understood"

***

"We have only one last thing left then"

"Yeah?"

"The star at the top. The youngest child of the family usually get the honor. Conner, it's you time to shine~"

"Shut up already"

"How is he supposed to reach the top though? He can't fly"

"Step stool or someone has to hold him up lion king style"

"Lion king- Don't you dare! Keep those hands to yourself! Danny!

***

"So, what's next on your magical list?"

"Gingerbread house. It's a moment for you to shine Meg, because I'm absolute mess in the kitchen and I don't think Conner is much better"

"Actually-"

"blah, blah, blah, absolutely perfect, could be hired at Michelin star restaurant right this instant blah, blah, blah"

"Oh, you little-"

"I believe the arguments are supposed to start at the Christmas table and not before. It seemed to be consensus in my sources. Was I mistaken?"

Conner stopped dead in his tracks, as confused as M'gann at the question.

Danny laughed so hard he fell on the ground.

"Red Tornado, what does that mean?"

"There is no need to spread misinformation until we can get confirmation whether my sources were correct or not"

"Danny? Danny?! What does he mean?! Why are you laughing?!"

Danny just stayed curled on the floor, almost wheezing.

***

"So, we have all of the ingredients, right? Flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves-"

"I think it's still in the cabinet, let me grab it real quick"

"Alright, other than cloves, do we have salt, vegetable shortening, granulated sugar, molasses, an egg- I mean, applesauce? Yeah? Let's hope it'll work. Okay, I think were ready"

"Ginger?"

"What?"

"Do we have ginger ready?"

"I don't think so, I'm pretty sure we've run out about a week ago? Why- oh wait"

"Did we seriously forgot to get ginger to make The Gingerbread House?! It's literally in the name!"

They all just stood in silence for a long moment.

"We're idiots"

"Well said, well said"

"I believe there are better names to describe you in this situation. Unfortunately, I cannot recall them"

"Thanks Red Tornado, that was helpful"

"Maybe we can still buy it?"

"It's 10:34 PM, December 23rd, M'gann, what shop would even be open?"

"Shut up Conner, it's actually not a bad idea. I think I've seen- yes, there is something open until eleven, about five minutes out if I fly"

***

"There was no ginger at the shop, but I got cranberry for later, if needed, and some chips to snack on"

"It's fine, we found unopened pack of powdered ginger in the back of the cabinet"

"That's great! Give me a minute to return this packet I liberated on my way home?"

"Danny!"

***

"Hey, M'gann!"

"Yeah?"

"Would you like to invite your uncle to our dinner?"

"That's a great idea Conner, thank you!"

***

"Okay, wait, wait, wait, before you two get weirdly aggressive about it again-"

"We're not that aggressive and it's a serious matter"

"I don't have any ghosts to get of my misplaced aggression out on so I'm funneling it into cake decorating instead"

"M'gann, you literally are trying to choke him right now, Danny, even I know it's concerning and I have less than half a year of learning what is considered normal under my belt. Anyway, before you escalate it again, how about each one of us gets one side of the house and then we work in pairs on the roof?"

"I like that"

"But what about aesthetic integrity!"

"It's quite literally against the point of gingerbread house"

***

"Before we go to sleep, I believe it's a widespread tradition to leave milk and cookies for the Santa Claus on the Christmas Eve evening"

"Huh"

"What is it this time?"

"Nothing really, chill out Conner, I just never heard of that"

It was so clearly a lie it probably couldn't even be called that, but at this point everyone realized, that for some reason bearded man in red was a sore subject, and they stopped trying to learn why. Maybe some day he'd tell them.

***

"Sorry. This person is currently unavailable. Please leave a message after the tone."

"Hey Dani, it's Danny. Merry Christmas, please let me know when you get that. I'm celebrating outside of home, safe, with some friends, so if you want, I can give you an address and you can drop by. They're all more than okay with ghost stuff and have a history of accepting someone similar to you without any questions. I'm sure they'd love you. Let me know you're alright and if you want to join us. Sorry I keep calling, I'm at the worrywart stage. Love you, please stay safe."

Danny was doing pretty well with this whole "organizing Christmas". Really. M'gann did kick him out to breathe a bit of fresh air (and wait for the Superman and food he was supposed to bring in) because his hands were shaking too much, but other than that he was fine. Really. He was getting a bit panicky because he didn't hear a word from his sister in the past week and usually she let them know if she knew she would go somewhere where that could happen but she just as often didn't because she spontaneously decided to do something else. Trackers they made her wear showed she was fine.

It didn't really help, he wasn't sure if there was anything less than actually hearing or preferably seeing her that could reassure him.

It wasn't even talking about all of the trouble that was a bit closer to home, because Christmas never meant anything good for him, with or without his parents stirring up the Santa-fight. They weren't there and yet, he still couldn't make himself believe it could be any better this time. For Ancients sake, he made sure there was no Santa Claus in whole Mountain, nothing to remind him of how it always was and his brain still decided to be stupid about it.

So now he was standing in thin hoodie out in Rhode Island winter, in hopes that cold would shock him out of spiraling, trying to keep his breaths even and not fly away because it felt all like a little too much at the moment. he was standing in thin hoodie out in Rhode Island winter, waiting for a man who would awkwardly try to do the whole 'I'm an adult you can trust' routine and then treat him like messenger pigeon to contact the child that actually wanted and needed him. He couldn't entirely blame him but-

"Are you quite alright?"

"I'm fine"

"Are you sure? It's quite cold to be dressed like this and your heartbeat is quite erratic."

"I'm fine as old wine Superman, please say your piece before someone comes to see what took me so long"

"Danny-"

"I'm serious. Leave it alone and just give me the food"

Superman looked a bit conflicted, clearly considering all of the potential pros and cons of digging in further and choose wrong.

"You're worried about Dani"

"You're the last person I want to talk to about her," Danny spat out, anxiety quickly turning into anger.

"Of course, but-"

"Have two civil conversations with your clone before trying to tell me how I should handle mine" As soon as these words left his mouth, Danny regretted them, if only a little, but he kept pushing "I told you about her to explain why I'm willing to vouch for you. It doesn't make you someone I'll confide in. It doesn't make you someone I trust. It doesn't make me approve of the way your handling it. It just means I understand. But you're an adult man and experienced hero with stable job and adult shit figured out and I'm a teenager with home just safe enough for me to stay and family that'd question how third child just showed up. We are not the same."

Superman flinched away at some point during the rant, looking properly humbled. He avoided eye contact and just reached forward to pass him hard plastic case filled with food containers and smaller boxes wrapped up in nice Christmas themed paper.

"Alright kiddo. Get it inside before you turn into a icicle. And tell Conner I wish him Merry Christmas, alright? I mean, I wish it to everyone but…"

Damn, if the "never meet your heroes" person wasn't right.

"You're a coward Superman. Come in and tell him that yourself"

***

Conner lashed out, as expected, but it was far more subdued than it would be just few month before. To his credit, Superman stayed the whole time it went down and only left when boy mostly calmed down and wouldn't feel like he was being ignored. Man even tried to respond to some allegations, though he wasn't really heard. Conner ranted some more after hero left, but overall it went better than Danny thought it would.

Then they had dinner, which went… surprisingly well. Apparently, not having to worry about being attacked by the main dish did wonders to Danny's overall jitters (and didn't everyone get super weird when he mentioned it). Not having people start nonsensical fights also helped. He knew better than to mention that.

Also, turns out that Superman or whoever he got to make them food was freaking amazing cook, thank you very much. Danny wasn't necessarily fasting, not in a way he knew some people did in the period preceding Christmas or at least on Christmas Eve, but the tension of past few days made it hard to eat a lot. It definitely lessened now that the thing was happening and seemingly going well, so he was absolutely ravenous. To be completely honest, as far as he could tell, everyone else matched his enthusiasm.

There was a bit off moment at the beginning, when Martian Manhunter asked him if he shouldn't be with his family during holidays, but Danny quickly and subtly brushed it off and nobody mentioned that afterwards.

He may have overeaten, actually, for once in his live, which he may regret in the morning, but at the moment, it made him quite content.

Then came the gifts, which also went better than he expected. For once there was no need to act like he enjoyed the gift despite already planning on how to get rid of it. Even better, focus was almost fully removed from him, obviously, because it wasn't his first rodeo.

Conner looked so lost and confused with the gift he got from Superman's mom, it was almost heartbreaking. It was beautiful crocheted scarf, black and red, with his symbol on each end, and an apology note explaining that Mrs Martha Kent would give him something more note worthy but she learned about him way to late to make something better. There was also promise of more worthy gift in near future. Danny knew all that because Conner read it out loud, asking everyone to help him make sense of that. There was only so much they could do.

Other than that, he got some nice flannel shirts from M'gann, quite a few sweets. He also got a book from Danny (it was a sin he didn't read "The Martian" before) and concepts of new hero suits for him, that Sam somehow sneaked between the pages. It was certainly a lot to explain without making anyone angry.

M'gann got two different cook books, that unfortunately didn't include Fenton fudge recipe (Dad was really protective over it), some surprisingly obscure merch from "Hello Megan" and more sweets.

Red Tornado got an apron and few tokens of appreciation, that robot quite liked, as far as Danny could tell.

Martian Manhuter, due to how rarely he visited, was the hardest to pick presents for, which resulted in some general little trinkets.

Danny got night sky projector, which was really cool, and potted plant, for some reason, which, while also cool, because plants are cool (Sam would rekill him if he thought otherwise), he knew far too well, would not survive until July. It wasn't only because he could barely take care of himself, let alone whole ass plant (see also, that one time he either drowned or dried three cacti), but also because of the times ghosts (or home security) attacked him in his room. He was thankful anyway. Maybe it could push him into finally getting some contingencies against that, that’d actually work. After all, it was quite a pretty plant.

By the time they moved to the couch to watch “Die Hard” of all things (it was only DVD that Tucker provided that didn’t have Santa Claus as a prominent character, because of course that little traitor would do that), Danny had to admit that this Christmas was… nice. Enjoyable. Pretty amazing actually. Good enough that he could understand people waiting for it the whole year. He couldn’t tell that he joined their ranks, but he certainly could understand them.

It was also downright exhausting and at some point even dynamic fights of John McClane couldn’t keep his eyes open. It was fine though. He was safe, he was warm, almost squeezed against his friends. It was good place to just relax.

It’s been first time in a long time since he felt that on Christmas.

********

I'm not sure if I managed to properly Conner's... whole thing, if he turned out too hostile, let's just say he was still pissed about the whole "wasn't invited to Clark's family gathering" thing and it made him a bit more antsy.

I'm not sure how well I managed to handle it, but I don't want to bash neither Clark nor Conner. They're both victims in this situation and while the way Clark handled it was far from ideal, it's also far from worst he could do and I believe he deserves a bit more grace. In the end, on psychological level he is just human and humans don't always handle being baby trapped perfectly. Maybe I have more understanding towards him because my prefered way of handling conflicts is walking out and locking myself in my room, but idk. Maybe I'm capable of more coherent explanation when it's not 3:44 AM

Ginger shenanigans were inspired by my own Christmas preparation adventures, when I was making bread dough for the Christmas Eve and decided to add rosemary to make it more ✨festive✨ and got really attached to the idea. My mom agreed, then it turned out we didn't have any, then I went to the shop like twenty minutes before it closed at 11PM so at least one guy was there to replenish his alcohol suplies. My mom called to tell me to also buy some powdered garlic and beetroot. Turned out we had rosemary at home. At shop I only found garlic. I also brought energy drink, because I was tired but had more stuff to do and some snacks just because.

Bread turned out pretty good.

I sincerely believe if I was solely responsible of making gingerbread, I would forget to get ginger (or like, to fit with "it's in the name" thing, pepper, because in Polish it's "piernik")

I'm really sorry if the drop in quality by the end is noticable, if this thing stayed unfinished whole another year i'd do something I'd regret later.

[cupcakewebkinz]

Uhm... Vee angst... Yeah.

(I'm so creative with titles /silly)

✮ Vee wasn't the most well treated toon in Gardenview when she was still the host of her tv show... And not the best at keeping up her appearance during live shows. This is just one of the milder incidents that happened... ✮

☆ Prequel to the Caretaker Shanon au - which belongs to me - canon events that won't be brought up in the official story. You're free to skip if you'd like. ☆

✭ @soupiestzilla we're both making our children suffer, aren't we? ✭

⚠ WARNING: This includes non descriptive depictions of abuse and a slightly described panic attack - feel free to skip if you may be triggered. Take care of yourselves! ⚠

It all started with a slight trip. A tumble on stage, her just tripping over a cord that nobody taped down. She sat there, shaking, looking at the live audience - who were laughing. At her. Thinking it was just a bit for the show, thinking it was on purpose. Vee could hardly breathe, her face felt warm, her stomach ached terribly. She wanted to cry... But she would've been punished if she cried. She was humiliated - she was absolutely embarrassed - she was an absolute embarrassment and Delilah was going to be so mad. Her vision blurred as her breath hitched, a sob nearly escaped her mouth, her body trembling even more as she tried to get up - but it refused to work with her. Her leg ached terribly bad, it couldn't hold her weight, but she kept trying. She had to - if the live show was cancelled because she was stupid - she was so punished. Another hiccup came out - a soft cry of pain followed - she was an embarrassment. Why wasn't anyone helping her..? She looked at where her handler usually was, shaking even more as she struggled to get up once again, but she wasn't there. She wasn't there to make the pain better... She wasn't there to make the laughing stop... Why..?

Vee hung her head and gripped the pants she was forced to wear tightly, shaking even more.

The clothes were so itchy. The lights were too bright. The laughter was too loud. The air was too hot. She was too hot. She was exhausted. She was in pain. She was uncomfortable as hell. It was too much - all of it was too much, why was it too much? Why was she there? Why couldn't she leave? Why couldn't she stand up?

What was wrong with her?

Vee attempted to stand again, but accidentally let out a loud cry of pain on that one. She immediately froze. She was so embarrassed- but there was a saving grace from this madness, an unexpected but welcome save. She was picked up gently by someone and just carried away, she couldn't see who through her tears and blurry eyes though, she just clung to them and let out a pained sob. The one holding her stayed silent, cold, uncomforting. Vee couldn't care - she just sobbed and begged for her handler - her mom - the one that always fixes things. The one that always made things better, the one that always believed her when she said things were too much and let her have a break. That wasn't her though. It couldn't have been. Especially when she was carelessly dropped onto her couch, given no time to react and bouncing right off of it. She slammed onto the ground, face first, a crack being heard. Her screen... She sat up and quickly climbed onto the couch - her safe spot - and curled up into a little ball, sobbing uncontrollably as she held her screen. It hurt so bad... Everything - hurt so bad... She managed to mutter out "help me", but it fell on deaf ears. She was instead smacked across her back.

"I didn't make you just for you to be a fool on stage, Version One. I didn't put all my time and money into something that'll be so defective. You're lucky you're a favorite, I would've made a version 2 long ago if you weren't. You're so damn lucky I can't melt you down for scrap metal." The other said, and soon another smack happened, this time on her side. Vee curled up a little more, tugging on an antennae. That soon stopped though as her wrist was gripped into a death grip, nearly breaking under the pressure. She let go of her antennae. Her wrist wasn't let go of. Vee stared at it, scared, soon letting out another cry of pain when it was squeezed so tight the joint broke. She hurt so much everywhere... Why couldn't she stop it..?

"Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. Maybe I should let you become scrap. Get up. You have to go back soon, or I'll actually punish you. Pathetic." The other muttered, then turned and started walking out, obviously not helping Vee. Vee just laid there, stunned, breathing heavily, crying uncontrollably, shaking so bad she swore she would've been a motion blur if she was caught on camera. She couldn't move, she desperately willed her body to move, but it didn't listen. She wanted to cry out for her mom, but when she opened her mouth, all that came out was an exhausted squeak. She was so pathetic... She closed her eyes and lowered her antennae more, letting herself nod off as much as she could despite the searing pain. Maybe a nap will make it better...

That nap didn't happen.

The door was burst open suddenly after a few minutes, and the trio she looked to for help whenever her handler wasn't there ran in. Glisten held a medkit, a screen repair kit and other supplies, Shelly was armed with blankets and stuffies, Bright unarmed and probably the one they put in charge of moving her that day. The trio all gasped at the horrible state Vee was left in, Bright soon shaking her so she would wake up.

"VEE- STAY WITH US, GIRL, GET UP!" She yelled as Shelly quickly put everything down and started taking off the tux Vee was forced into, Glisten gently tending to her screen silently with the most gentle precision ever. Vee just shakily looked at them after waking up fully, spitting up a little ichor onto herself. Glisten, without even blinking, wiped it off with his thumb.

"Shelly I'm so glad you caught her show today, we would've never known this happened if you didn't." Glisten mumbled, getting a shy little laugh from the fossil as she gently draped Vee's favorite blanket over her.

"I love watching her shows, I wish I could be on one someday. I'm not great at facts that aren't dinosaur related though..." Shelly replied quietly as she grabbed Vee's injured wrist, getting a yelp in pain in reply, but soon was gently putting it in a brace to help it stay steady. Vee whimpered, but the trio immediately softly shushed her.

"We got you now, it's okay." Bright murmured as she pet her head between her antennae, getting a nod from Glisten as he gently finished up her screen repair, and a nervous sigh from Shelly as she put Vee's leg in a brace and gently propped it up on some pillows. Once the injured toon was taken care of, and armed with her beloved stegosaurus plush, the three sat around her, Shelly holding her injured hand as they just peacefully existed together. Vee had stopped crying, her body relaxing, her eyes slowly closing.

"I'm so exhausted..."

"It's okay to sleep now darling, we'll fight off anyone who tries to hurt you again." Glisten softly reassured, getting nods from Shelly and Brightney.

"Who do you want to read to you, hon? Shelly brought your favorite books, I have my glasses on so I can read if you'd like me to." Bright offered, getting a simple little yawn in reply. Vee slowly gripped Shelly's hand and looked at her exhaustedly, sniffling. Shelly gave her a quick kiss, not caring about anyone seeing it.

"I'm really here honey, I'm really right here. I promise." Shelly reassured, watching as Vee slowly closed her eyes fully. The trio soon were just watching over a napping robot, one covered up in soft blankets, soft love and lots of care. Sure Delilah had threatened her not even an hour ago, sure she still felt sick and exhausted and was in massive amounts of pain, but it felt safe now. It felt like it'll all go away with a nap, and so she let herself sleep. Just this once. The trio never left, all staying with her until she felt better - just like a true, loving family would.

Veronica came back from the handlers meeting an hour after the initial incident, slowly opening the door.

"Hey, Vee, sorry I wasn't-"

She cut herself off when she saw what was in the room. The trio protecting Vee were all asleep, sitting right in front of the still fast asleep Vee. Shelly was in the middle, hand still tight in Vee's, head resting on Bright's shoulder, open book on her lap. Bright was using Shelly's head as a pillow in return, hands neatly folded on her lap, a book placed at her side. The medkit they used resting on top of the closed book. Glisten was the only one covered in a blanket on the floor, his head was rested on Vee's good leg, a hand tucked under it as well. Vee was still snug, good arm around her plush, bad leg still propped up on the pillows, head half buried in her favorite pillow. They all looked incredibly peaceful, like nothing ever happened to hurt them. Veronica just walked over and covered up Shelly and Brightney with their own blankets, then turned on the nightlight she set up for Vee and turned off the lights. She watched the star projector as she sat in her own chair, watching over the four napping toons to make sure they stayed at peace.

It was the most she could do without Delilah firing her... Unfortunately.

[jynmelshian]

everything good about this season is amazing breathtakingly fantastically good but everything bad about it is the most disappointing dissatisfying baffling shit 😭 it doesn't make any sense because the bad stuff was so avoidable like I thought the andor writers were intelligent. and they prove themselves to be intelligent by writing 70% of the show intelligently and make the depth of it so gripping and believable. and then the other 30% is so underdeveloped and lackluster that it kind of blows my mind. Like what do you mean we never saw bix being a mechanic on yavin i don't understand. what do you mean cinta was killed by friendly fire and the only retribution we got from that was a tearful speech from her girlfriend who's had hardly any screen time herself. what do you MEAN brasso hasn't even been mentioned since episode 3 😭 and then it's hard to stay upset because every single other character has just had hit after hit after chart topping hit in their arcs. it's like the world's most tumultuous relationship i love this show but it makes me want to me tear my hair out when i think about it too much

[capesch-arts]

The King's Joy

(Richard Joy centric drabble)

Tw: implied transphobia, slight described gore.

"UNACCEPTABLE! COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE!"

There he goes again, babbling like a complete idiot.

"We need to- what the hell are you doing?!"

"Watching how well you've handled things on your end since my father's departure from this world, dear uncle. Have to say, not impressed"

"We are in a crisis! And you dare fool around while our master demands us of-!"

Oh. Don't cross it.

"Don't. Use. Our lord's name in vain, uncle. Your position as High Priest is unofficial. You're only here because your better half had suddenly passed away and you saw fit to take his title, unworthy as you are"

"UNWORTHY? Boy, if you don't shut your mouth, I'll -"

"Or you'll what? As far as I'm concerned our King has no interest in a talentless pathetic second son who leeched off of the wealth and gifts bestowed upon HIS chosen. And may I delightfully remind, that YOU lost his HEART to a couple of nobodies, nonetheless. At the very least my father dealt with more formidable nuisances, you lost to two ordinary people".

"Listen here you INSOLENT-..."

Here we go...

"... CHILD. I have been working alongside your father for YEARS! I am more than capable of leading us towards our goal! Our FUTURE!-"

I should gut you here and now.

"-I don't need the lectures of a confused lunatic!- *GASP*"

"Do you really want to cross that line, uncle? I have no qualms in ending you right now. Just one swipe and the knife on your neck would cut and paint these floors in stark crimson. And you won't be missed whatsoever. The only reason you're alive right now is that The King wishes it, not because he wants to, but because he is merciful. But, that mercy is starting to fade with your apparent incompetency. Did you think that I came all the way here because I want to follow you? Please. I'm here on the behest of our Lord to ensure that the rest of you don't fall short.

Tick tock, uncle. The King's patience for you and like-minded followers is thinning. Now, get out. The King calls for me, and I doubt he'll be happy to see you."

*stuttering* "You- I- Fuck-!"

Spineless fuck. All of them.

My Joy

Oh, that voice. That sweet sweet voice.

"My liege, Lord of Carcosa. Him who must not be named. Lord of Interstellar Spaces. The King in Yellow".

I'm pleased that you've arrived. I trust that your loyalty and service to me is unbound.

"Yes, my lord. Anything you ask of me, I will ensure it be done"

So, why is it that it took you so long to come and join the rest of them here? Have your faith wavered?

"No, my lord. I've taken initiative to learn about our foes before-"

Perhaps you thought that my satisfaction with you allows you to be bold and arrogant. Should I remind you of your place?

"Forgive me, my lord. Please, if I am unfit to be yours then I welcome your wrath and justice. I will die with content."

Hehehe. Delightful, my joy. Your devotion is needed. Amongst these fools who are driven by greed and desperation for my grace, you are a beacon. In time, you will not only be my eyes and ears in this plane of reality, but you'll be my golden tongue as well.

"Thank you, my King. Thank you for mercy"

Now, please. Continue. What have you discovered?

"Our foes. Their names are Peter Yang and Arthur Lester. Both are private investigators who reside in Arkham. Nothing of note from them aside that they specialised in missing person's cases. Why they stumbled upon your heart, My King, was complete coincidence. They were looking for Roland Cummings, but instead they discovered my father and the book."

What else have found about them?

"That they are very acquainted with one another, so much so that Arthur Lester allowed Yang to raise his daughter together. They're practically family".

Perfect, Richard. Perfect. And I trust that you know where they are?

"Their pattern, where they frequent, everything. Should you give the word, I'll strike them down and claim what you've desired."

Please.

I want it to hurt.

Yes

I want them to suffer both body and mind.

YES

I want you to kill and carve Arthur Lester into a wonder of blood and carnage. And as his daughter sees her father's fate, her screams of dismay and sorrow would haunt Peter Yang with drowning guilt and nightmares. And finally, finally, you'll do unto him with the same courteousy as you did his partner. Make it a tragedy, Richard.

"Oh... My lord. I thought you'd never ask."

[actualbird]

"why arent there as many fic writers these days?? why are fanfics getting abandoned??? why doesnt anybody want to write anymore---" because we're treated like dogshit in fandoms, thats why.

[yandere-daydreams]

do you ever get hate? I'm a new dark content writer and got my first anon who obviously has conflicted views. I guess how do you cope with it? Do you just delete and move on? Figured I'd ask the best of the best this question 💙

i still get the occasional death threat from time to time, but it does kind of taper out as your blog grows and people realize they can not dissuade you from your sinful, hedonistic ways. my recommendation is always to delete it as soon as possible (out of sight out of mind etc.) unless it happens to be particularly funny or you have something funny to say in response. otherwise, it really isn't worth it. arguing with people on the internet is a frustrating and exhausting way to spend your time and we have better things to do (writing fucked up porn).

[triangular-static]

look i understand if people just don't like the idea of billford, i think we have a different internal concept of what shipping means (they're not good for each other at all but i need to dissect their dynamic like a bug. you understand. it's fun) but it's fine to avoid things you don't like, good for you genuinely

however people saying they like. don't see it. like. i'm not saying there's no platonic way to read it, i'm aroace spec myself i'm all for reading things in different ways. but i do think saying they weren't partners in any queer sense at all is trying too hard to go against what the narrative is trying to say, or missing it. somehow

anyway media literacy time if a character makes a joke like this

and the previous context of that joke within the show is that it's about an ex wife. what connection do you think the text is trying to get you to make.

and that's just from a writing point of view. not even noting that from an in universe perspective ford likely knows the joke from the same source as stan. and is therefore. placing himself in that role of the joke are you seeing where i'm coming from

(not to mention bill's side of this text which is. extremely manipulative but also does not read very platonic. again, it can technically be read as platonic! bill literally can manipulate ford's feelings. but the specific wording used is very much meant to look like possessive ex partner wording whether the character means it that way or not. it's coding. look again i'm not saying it was good for them i'm just saying there was something there.)

and then there's also the divorce/break up/rock bottom input on the website. like. how else is that supposed to be read. and the corresponding page in the book itself.

the language being used here. like yes he's saying it in a joking way but then there's the other side that isn't joking which is him crying at the bar. it's the both sides (the very coded language on top of the very genuine emotions and dynamic beneath)

i know most of us are on the same page with this i've just seen a couple people saying they don't see it when this is some of the most clear cut coding i've ever seen. and these are just the things that explicitly reference a relationship off the top of my head i'm not even including the general vibes of Everything

tl;dr it's barely even subtext anymore it's all but straight up text. what's not clicking have we forgotten what coding is (lighthearted i just enjoy the phrase what's not clicking. what's not clicking)

[thatonecrazysidekick]

I was working out character dynamics between Hyrule, Dawn, and Aurora, and I ended up sketching designs for them instead as well, sooo...here's Dawn, I guess!

I DID come up with some more details for the actual story while I was doing that tho, so this wasn't a complete tangent lol

(Edit: I was operating under the assumption Hyrule was 12 during LoZ, but it looks like he was actually 10? I like to think that Dawn is 2 years older than him for no reason, so Dawn would be 12 during LoZ, 18 during the LoZ II AU, and 20 by the time LU happens.)

(Edit 2: here's Legend's character sheet as well!)