#guilt and understanding

[aventurineswife]

Feel free to ignore if it's already been done before :P

Sunday, Aventurine, Ratio, Jiaoqiu and Dan Heng with artist reader who secretly dreams him a lot and plans to keep it a secret forever but OH NO! 😱😱 The sketchbook somehow fell into his hands‼️‼️

Beyond the Paper

Tags: Aventurine x Reader, Sunday x Reader, Ratio x Reader, Dan Heng x Reader, Quiet Admiration, Introspection, Secret Affections, Artist!Reader, Emotional Tension, Unspoken Feelings, Subtle Romance, Guilt and Understanding, Vulnerability, Forbidden Attraction (?).

Warnings: Mild Embarrassment, Subtle Angst, Vulnerability, Emotional Confusion, Quiet Tension, Unrequited Feelings (?).

The Astral Express hummed gently as it glided through the cosmos, its crew scattered across the various compartments, each with their own quiet thoughts. Sunday, as usual, was deep in contemplation, his wings fluttering faintly as he wandered through the hallway. His gaze was fixed on the swirling lights outside the train, but his mind was elsewhere.

You had been following him for days, subtly sketching him from afar whenever the opportunity arose. You had grown fond of him, but never dared to express it. Your admiration was captured in every stroke of your pencil—his serene demeanor, his ethereal features, the way his wings fluttered ever so slightly when he thought no one was watching.

But it wasn’t just admiration that you felt. There was a quiet longing in your sketches—a longing you knew you could never voice. Sunday, the quiet, distant figure, who seemed to drift like a celestial being, was out of reach. His complexities, his quiet sadness, only added to the allure.

Today, as you sat in the corner of the crew lounge, sketching him as he spoke with Welt, your heart raced. You never expected to be caught, and yet, as you turned your attention back to your sketchbook, you realized it was no longer in your hands.

Sunday stood before you, the delicate golden halo behind his head softly shimmering. The edges of his wings shifted nervously as his eyes—those eyes that had often watched you with a mixture of quiet concern and introspection—now studied the pages of your sketchbook.

The silence was thick with tension. Your heart dropped to your stomach.

“I… didn’t mean for you to see that,” you stammered, quickly rising to your feet. But Sunday simply stared at the drawings, a faint flicker of understanding crossing his face.

“I see,” he said, his voice as gentle as always, yet laced with something else—something you couldn’t quite place.

His gaze lingered on the pages before he met your eyes. There was no judgment in his expression, just a quiet reflection, as if he had understood something about you without you having to speak a word.

“You see the world differently than most,” he continued, lowering the sketchbook slightly. “Your art… it tells a story, not just of what is, but what could be.”

You swallowed hard, unsure whether to explain, or to let the moment pass. His presence, always so serene, now felt different. Closer, perhaps. But still, distant.

“I… I never meant to make you uncomfortable,” you managed.

Sunday tilted his head slightly, his wings shifting in that familiar, almost nervous way. “I am not uncomfortable,” he said softly. “It’s just... I suppose I never considered how others might see me.”

You felt your cheeks flush with a mix of embarrassment and relief. Your heart thumped erratically, but his gaze remained steady, reassuring in a way you didn’t understand.

“I’ll… I’ll keep it a secret, if you want,” you said quietly, feeling the need to offer something in return, even if your words didn’t make much sense. “It’s just that… I… I think you’re someone who carries so much weight in silence. And I wanted to understand that.”

Sunday looked at you for a long moment, and then his gaze softened. “You do understand,” he said, his voice almost too quiet to hear. "More than most. Thank you."

With that, he gently returned the sketchbook, his fingers brushing against yours briefly, before stepping back. His wings fluttered softly as he gave you one last look, then turned to leave.

For the first time since you had met him, Sunday’s gaze lingered on you in a way that was not distant—but thoughtful.

The room was dark, save for the soft glow of the overhead lights. Aventurine leaned against a table, his eyes scanning the faces of those around him, all unsuspecting of the game he was about to play. His confident, charismatic smile played on his lips, a mask for the tumultuous thoughts beneath.

You had always been a quiet observer, taking in his every move, every word, as if they held the key to some mystery that you desperately needed to understand. You didn’t let on how much you admired him—how you found the sharpness of his mind, the fluidity of his movements, the way he approached every situation as a calculated gamble, utterly captivating.

And yet, in the privacy of your quarters, you sketched him in secret. Your pencil danced across the paper, capturing his essence—the tilt of his head, the playful glint in his eyes, the way his fingers drummed against a surface when he was thinking. You never let anyone see your sketches, not even him. These were your secrets, your silent musings.

But fate had other plans.

One evening, as you walked through the halls, your sketchbook slipped from your hands, its pages fluttering open as it hit the ground with a soft thud. You cursed under your breath and rushed to retrieve it, but before you could, a voice interrupted you.

“Well, well, what do we have here?” Aventurine’s voice was smooth, laced with amusement, as he crouched down, picking up the sketchbook with casual ease.

You froze, heart hammering in your chest. There was no escape now. The damage had been done. As he flipped through the pages, you could see the smirk slowly forming on his lips.

“You really do know how to capture a person,” he said, his tone teasing but not unkind. His eyes flickered up to meet yours, catching the subtle flush that had crept up your neck. “This is... unexpected.”

You could barely form words. “I—I’m sorry, Aventurine. I never meant for you to see that. Please don’t—”

“Don’t what?” He interrupted, leaning in a little closer, his expression unreadable. “What do you think I’ll do? Tell everyone? Embarrass you?”

Your throat tightened. You weren’t sure what would happen next. Would he mock you? Dismiss you?

Instead, he gave you a playful smile, that same enigmatic grin that you had come to associate with him. “You know, I think this is a gamble I’m willing to take.”

He closed the sketchbook with a snap and handed it back to you, his fingers brushing yours in a fleeting moment that sent a jolt through you.

“I won’t tell anyone,” he said quietly, his eyes glinting with something you couldn’t quite place. “But I’ll be watching you, artist. I’m curious to see where this gamble takes us.”

Ratio stood in the middle of his study, surrounded by ancient tomes and manuscripts. His wavy hair fell around his face as he adjusted the alabaster sculpture perched atop his head. He was deep in thought, as always, when he heard a faint sound—the soft rustling of paper. His eyes narrowed, immediately recognizing the faintest shift in the room.

You had been here for hours, working quietly in the corner, sketching the scene before you. It was something you had done countless times: capturing the brilliance of Dr. Ratio, his intense intellect and passion for knowledge.

But today, you had drawn more than just his exterior. The sketch on the page revealed something deeper, something you had never meant to show anyone—an intimate portrayal of him, not as the brilliant scholar, but as a man who carried the weight of his own expectations.

Just as you finished the sketch, the sound of footsteps approached. Ratio turned, his sharp eyes locking onto yours with an unsettling clarity.

“What is this?” he asked, his tone calm but laced with something else, something more pressing. He had noticed the sketchbook before you had a chance to hide it, his keen intellect immediately seeing the significance of what you had drawn.

You felt the blood drain from your face, your hands trembling as you looked up at him. "I—It’s nothing. Just a... a study."

He arched an eyebrow, stepping closer. His gaze softened for a moment as he flipped through the pages, the faintest flicker of intrigue crossing his face.

“Interesting,” he said, his voice becoming more contemplative. “You see more than just knowledge in me, don’t you?”

You didn’t answer immediately, unsure how to respond to the unexpected intensity in his voice. “I… I didn’t mean for you to see it. It’s just a sketch. It’s nothing important.”

Ratio paused, his expression unreadable as he placed the sketchbook down on the table. His fingers lingered over the pages for a long moment, his usual confidence momentarily tempered by something deeper.

“You have a unique way of looking at things,” he said finally, his voice softer than you had expected. “I suppose... I must admit, I find it intriguing.”

You blinked in surprise. “You do?”

He gave you a small, knowing smile. “Yes. But be warned, artist—your view of me is... uncomfortably accurate. The question is, do you truly wish to understand what lies beneath?”

For a moment, you could only stare at him, heart racing in your chest. What had started as a harmless admiration had now turned into something far more complex. But you weren’t ready to pull away—not yet.

You'd always been careful, meticulous. Your sketchbook was a treasure trove of quiet thoughts, rendered in careful lines and strokes. Most of your sketches were of abstract ideas, fleeting emotions, or tranquil scenes from your travels on the Astral Express. But there was one, a recurring subject: Dan Heng.

You never intended for it to become such an obsession, but his quiet, stoic presence had captured your imagination. You’d sketch him in moments of solitude, capturing the subtle way his eyes would dart from side to side or how his movements always exuded quiet confidence. But that was just it: it was a secret. A dream, captured only on paper. Something you swore you’d keep to yourself, tucked away in the safety of your sketchbook.

However, fate had different plans. The evening had been typical, the usual hum of conversation filling the train's lounge as you sat quietly, your sketchbook open in your lap. Dan Heng, ever distant, had drifted over to the window, deep in thought. You couldn't help but glance at him, your pencil moving on its own, capturing the serenity he exuded.

Suddenly, your sketchbook slipped from your grasp, falling open to the page you’d worked on just that afternoon—a sketch of Dan Heng, his profile deep in concentration, his eyes drawn in soft detail. You cursed under your breath as you scrambled to pick it up. But it was too late.

Dan Heng had already noticed.

“Is something wrong?” His voice was calm, but there was a slight edge to it as he stared at the open page, his expression unreadable.

Your heart dropped. The sketchbook felt heavier than it ever had before.

"I... uh, no. It's nothing," you stammered, cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "It’s just a drawing. Of... just an idea."

But Dan Heng didn’t say anything, simply flipping through a few more pages, his brows furrowing slightly as he studied your work. There was a long silence, and you felt the world around you freeze, waiting for him to speak.

He finally glanced up at you, and for a brief moment, you thought he might ask questions, or worse, tease you. Instead, he closed the book gently and handed it back to you with a quiet, unreadable gaze.

"...It's a good sketch," he said, his tone as neutral as ever.

You blinked, unsure if you had imagined the faintest trace of something else in his words—something that seemed almost like understanding.

"Thanks," you whispered, taking the sketchbook back from him. You couldn’t meet his eyes, your heart still racing.

And as he turned away, returning to his usual spot by the window, you couldn’t help but wonder: had he seen through you? Or had he just offered you an unexpected kindness, one that didn’t quite make sense?

Either way, one thing was certain: your secret was no longer yours alone.

[infinitelystrangemachinex]

Mel's protection should have saved Viktor too, and she's trying to figure out why it didn't

(Editing to add: see this post for details on the Mel's armor/shield theory)

S2 ep1 shows a circle of protected stone where Mel and Jayce were during the explosion. My theory is that Mel's magic armor activated and saved them both. It seems like it casts a sphere of protection around wherever Mel is.

The center of this circle is not Mel's seat - it's Jayce's. She ran to Jayce to save him.

No other Councilors were in range of Mel's protection, so they all got hurt or killed.

But Viktor was, in Jayce's words, "right next to" him. He was easily within Mel's circle of protection.

1) Viktor tried to run and mistakenly left the circle of protection. But are we meant to believe that Viktor, close to dying already and using a crutch, would have outrun Mel?

2) Viktor's augmented body clashes with Mel's

Why does Mel try to touch Viktor in episode 1? It seems like a throwaway moment, but not even Jayce touches him in this scene. So why Mel?

She's curious. And possibly, feeling responsible. She's wondering why her protection didn't work.

Is this Hexcore brand of the Arcane trying to reach out to Mel? Or trying to defend itself from her?

Mel was trying to protect both Jayce and Viktor, which is reflected in how she holds Jayce as well as Viktor's cane when she promises to protect Hextech:

But if, for example, Mel's magic is Solari in origin, and Viktor's is from the Void - or the Arcane equivalent of similar opposing forces - then it's possible that their magic rejects or hurts one another. So Mel's circle of protection either rejected Viktor, or was what hurt Viktor, and not the explosion.

[ravenmccookies]

Weird phenomenon I've seen on tumblr

[verysadlesbian]

Sky practically called Viktor a fruitcake and then faded away. That is queen behaviour.

[luanna801]

Oh so when Nie Huaisang tricks a guy into stabbing his best friend to death it's ""justified revenge"" and ""very girlboss of him"" but when I, Xue Yang--

[loriache]

"I've been waiting for ages for somebody to unmask them."

This moment tends to elicit negative reactions in a first read through, and I've got some opinions about why where Kabru is coming from here actually makes a lot of logical sense. So I thought I'd elaborate on that.

I think people hear this and go, "He thinks they must be hiding something because they gave money to someone? What a cynic." Or "he dislikes them because they did charity?? What's wrong with this guy!". And obviously, a lot, a lot is wrong with him. But I think this makes more sense than it seems at first glance! What people evaluating this judgement miss is why Kabru is paying attention to Laios and co to begin with.

Kabru knows of the Touden siblings because (he's a little bit of a stalker-) he is keeping an eye on all the relevant parties in events developing on the island, in order to be able to guide them to his preferred outcome. This includes adventurers because they are the ones actually exploring the dungeon! He's well aware that something as minor as internal tensions between party members could be key to the historical events that are developing. (He would love the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.)

His desired outcome is that whatever the rewards are of breaking the dungeon's curse, whether that's kingship or the ancient elven secrets of dungeons, are claimed by:

A) a short lived person

B) Someone who will be a good, effective leader and/or use those secrets and the power they carry wisely, with foresight, and to establish a political bloc for short lived people.

The person he can best trust to do this is, of course, himself. But due to his PTSD regarding dungeons and monsters, he's not able to develop the necessary skills to conquer the dungeon. Once he realises this, he starts looking for someone else who he can support to that end.

But most of the adventurers don't have any intentions of conquering the dungeon, don't have the skills, or are unsuitable in other ways. In fact, it seems like some potentially suitable people are the Toudens. There are a lot of good rumours about them going around - they actually seem to have a very positive reputation! That's what Kabru means when he says "unmask".

So when Kabru is observing something like them giving money to an old comrade from their gold-peeling days, he doesn't consider it a problem because "they're giving money to this person who doesn't actually need it" or because they must have some dark secret if they act superficially nice. I think he actually understands this situation and what it implies about Laios (in particular) perfectly well.

Laios and Falin gave money to an old comrade who got injured and couldn't work. That person then healed up but kept taking their money. Then he used the money to start smuggling illicit goods to the island.

The key is that for Kabru, the problem here is the same as with the corpse retrievers - people using the dungeon's resources to fuel dangerous, selfish, or violent pursuits cause problems for the island, attract more criminals and people with motives other than breaking the curse, and increase the chances of the whole situation ending in tragedy.

Kabru is willing to work with the Shadow Lord of the island if it gets him to his goal - he isn't scrupulous - but the criminal element of the island increasing is something he sees as a major issue.

Also, when you're evaluating someone as a candidate for power, riches, secrets, potentially kingship - then being curious about how the money you give to people is going to be used is kind of a relevant trait!

Interpersonally, Kabru's actually very easygoing - I mean, Mickbell isn't exactly an upstanding guy, is he! But Kabru likes him and they get along well. These traits wouldn't be a problem at all in a friend, or a comrade, or someone Kabru was confident he could use. But he can't get a handle on Laios, and Laios is someone who has the potential to be a major player!

On Laios' end, this is the same as with the marriage seeker who joined their party. She kept asking for things and he gave them to her, because he tries to be nice to others. He even gives her money! It's the exact same thing.

That's fine, but it became a problem because he basically wasn't interested in her motives, didn't notice she was trying to manipulate him, and it also didn't occur to him that the other party members would notice or be affected. We can assume the situation with the gold peeler is the same. When Kabru says that "It's not that they're bad people, they just aren't interested in humans," he isn't wrong.

The extent to which this is true of Laios is linked to his autism imo, (because it isn't just disinterest - he genuinely isn't able to notice nonverbal cues that people are lying to him or have ulterior motives) but to a greater or lesser extent I think it's a very common trait. Most people aren't actually that interested in other people who aren't close to them. Kabru is the weird one here. It isn't an issue except as a leader - which is why we see an immediate comparison to the Island's Lord, because that's how Kabru is evaluating them.

And disinterest in/lack of ability with people to the extent Laios exhibits it, it does, actually, make him a worse leader... it's just that as we see in the story, people can help him out. The rest of the party tell him the marriage seeker is taking advantage of him so he tells her he can't give her special treatment anymore. They're pissed and it's a crisis point - he couldn't have recovered their trust without Marcille and Falin - but that's exactly the point. With Marcille and Falin, he was able to recover their trust.

And he has other good traits that make up for it, such as his intelligence, strategic knowledge, open-mindedness and sense of fairplay.

Kabru doesn't disqualify Laios as a candidate based on what he sees about him from afar, though - he still tries very hard to get close to him, obviously hoping that if he manages he can steer Laios to defeat the dungeon and make up for his lack of people-skills in the aftermath. (Which... he does eventually achieve that goal!) He completely fails until the events of the story, so... definitely I think "They just aren't interested in humans" could also partially be a stung reaction to Laios' complete disinterest in him.

Anyway, that's my read on what exactly Kabru's "issue" with Laios is. Obviously, once he does find out what Laios' true nature is like - about his love for monsters - he develops an entirely new set of fears about Laios' priorities. But since Laios kept that a secret until the start of the story, he has no idea of that yet.

Given all that, I think it's interesting that he says that he doesn't think that the Toudens are suitable to defeat the dungeon, and that he's hoping they'll turn out to be the thieves. As some of his few potential candidates, people who he thinks may play a big role in the island's future, you'd think he'd hope they would be good people!

I suppose it's better, in his eyes, because it means that he's involved in something "interesting". They haven't just had their stuff stolen by regular criminals (boring, puts them further away from his goal) - they've been caught up in the beginning stages of "a historic event". The desperate and dwindling group forgetting morals in their quest to retrieve their lost comrade probably appeals to his sense of melodrama. Because he also just... loves drama.

Despite it being "uglier than anything he was expecting", he still pursues Laios as the person he wants to conquer the dungeon pretty much as soon as it becomes clear that he won't be able to do it himself and they are out of time. That's because... well, to be fair, there aren't any other options. And he fits standard A: he's short-lived!

and Kabru still hopes he can fit standard B, too, and be persuaded to use the power he wins for good. No matter how many nightmares he has about Laios, or whether he thinks about killing him. He doubts him, but ultimately he puts his faith in him and seems happy after the manga's ending that he made the right decision.

[bookalicent]

yeah so this was insane

[rachelamberish]

girl what do you mean it doesnt matter that bethany is literally a warden and AT Weisshaupt what do you mean it doesnt matter that my warden is alive and searching for a cure for the blight what do you mean it doesnt matter that alistair is the king of ferelden and leliana is divine girl WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT DOESNT MATTER THAT MORRIGAN HAS A SON AND HAWKE WAS LEFT IN THE FADE PRESUMED DEAD AND MY INQUISITOR DRANK FROM THE WELL OF SORROWS HELLO????

[strangersteddierthings]

Jealousy Looks Different On You

[Part One] ✨ [You Are Here] ✨ [Part Three] ✨ [Final Part]

Steve can be a jealous man. He can be.

Just not in the same way that Eddie seems to thrive on it. Steve doesn't have a right to jealousy outside a relationship, so even if he feels jealous, he'll never act on it.

He thought it was just one of the many ways Eddie and he were incompatible romantically.

It was the same song and dance when they'd go out. Eddie would drag someone onto the dance floor and spend most of the dance making eyes at Steve until his catch of the night got jealous enough to pull Eddie out of eyesight.

Steve is used to that. That's the routine.

Except.

Well, except Eddie's broken the routine now, hasn't he?

Flipped the entire script by saying the things Steve has wanted to hear for years. I wouldn’t have rejected you and Jesus, Steve, you’re the only one I’ve really wanted.

Steve knows Eddie well enough to know that Eddie believes he's telling the truth or believes he really does want what he's saying to be the truth.

And now, sitting in silence in the back of a taxi that Eddie's gotten them, Steve can't bring himself to hope about it. Eddie's not a liar, as far as Steve knows, but that doesn't mean he actually wants Steve. Not for real. Not in the long run.

Steve can't give Eddie all the things Eddie seems to enjoy most. He's heard enough about Eddie's sex life to know they aren't super compatible in that department. And as far as he knows, Eddie's never even had a relationship. Just one-night stands and friends with benefits situations, which, y'know, Steve's not judging him about because Steve had all that once, too.

And maybe it's shitty of him to think but because Eddie's never been in a long-term monogamous relationship, Steve's not sure that one between them will work.

Okay. It's a lot shitty for him to think.

There's no real basis for Steve to think this other than that everything Steve wants out of a relationship, Eddie's shown him he wants the exact opposite.

Maybe Steve's just thinking shitty thoughts because it's easier than hoping that this might work.

The ride to the apartment is awkward only for Steve. They can't exactly talk about liking each other romantically in the back of a taxi where a stranger can clearly hear them, so they don't. Instead, Eddie chats up the cabbie about everything and anything that comes to his mind and Steve sits with just his thoughts.

Which are not being kind.

God, he's kind of a shitty person, isn't he?

Steve lets them both into the apartment and it feels different now. It's not like Eddie's never been in Steve's apartment. Hell, he's been sleeping in his old room for this whole 'break from the LA stress' he's taken. Has been here three days already, so this isn't even the first time this week that Steve's let them both into the apartment.

It's just different now that Eddie knows. Steve's been living his life with the assumption that Eddie knew but now he knows and everything is different.

"You, uh, want a beer?" Steve asks as he toes off his shoes, stalling because he doesn't know how to start this conversation. Isn't even sure he wants to because having this conversation means there is no going back. He won't be able to unsay these things, Eddie won't be able to unhear them. It'll be out there. All his hurt and love and fear and hope.

"Steve," is all Eddie says, in a tone that says 'we need to talk'.

So, Steve swallows thickly, nods, and heads for the living room. It's so stupid but he suddenly feels exposed, so he picks up a throw pillow from the couch before he plops onto it. He turns completely sideways, back to the armrest of the couch and legs crossed, pillow in his lap to act as a barrier of some sort. Something to feel less exposed.

Eddie takes longer to join him because, unlike Steve, he'd gotten completely done up for the bar and that includes full lace up combat boots that he can't easily slip out of.

Eddie finally joins him in the living room, pausing when he sees Steve before he moves to sit on the couch, one leg folded under him and the other on the floor. He leaves a respectable foot of distance between them and Steve's not sure if he's disappointed by that or not.

There is a tense silence that falls on them, neither brave enough to really begin the conversation that could be the end of everything.

"Steve, I- I don't even know where to start, man," Eddie finally says, running a hand through his hair.

"Me either," Steve says, looking down and picking at the pillow. "You were the one who said we needed to talk."

"Because we do?" Eddie sounds confused. "I, fuck man, I basically accused you of being in love with me and you confirmed it. We gotta talk about that."

Steve frowns because he doesn't agree. They don't have to talk about it. As far as Steve was concerned, they've been successfully not talking about it for years. Nothing has really changed from Steve's perspective. "What's there to talk about?"

"That you love me! And that I was, am, in love with you, too! That feels like a big deal!" Eddie cries, voice not loud enough to bother the neighbors yet but he can easily get that way. "You- why don't you seem as happy about this as I am?"

"Because I'm not," Steve says, stern and biting as he finally looks up from the pillow. "How am I supposed to be happy about this? This is going to change everything between us. Everything! And I've been- I've made peace with how this wasn't- with how things were between us."

Eddie stares back at him, eyes wide and mouth agape in his shock. It takes him a moment to recover. "I don't... understand. Why, why aren't you happy? Of course this will change things between us, but you make it sound like it'll be for the worse? I thought-"

"What? You thought you'd tell me you love me too and I'd jump into your arms?"

"Well, kinda," Eddie starts, but Steve doesn't want to hear it.

"I can't! Eddie, I can't. I'm not- I-I get that you, that you've just realized I loved you, but I've been living with the assumption that you already knew. I thought you knew for years. And now you're sitting here, telling me that you've felt the same. What, this whole time?"

"Yes! For longer, probably!" Eddie argues back, anger and hurt mixing on his face. "I've never known you to not go after the person you want, so why did you say anything sooner?"

"Why didn't you!?" Steve shouts, feeling the heat of tears in his eyes. He throws the pillow at Eddie and jumps from the couch to pace the living room. "We lived together for years! And I watched as you brought home guy after guy after guy. I listened as you waxed poetry about the perfect man for you; a fellow metalhead who would want to go to concerts with you, someone who'd play DnD with you and enjoyed your other nerd things, and-and-and," Steve stutters over the word, fighting back making a sobbing sound because it's one thing to let Eddie see his tears; it's an entirely different thing to let him hear the whole sob-fest Steve's fight back. "And a laundry list of all the kinks they have to b-be into so you don't get bored. I- God, you'd laid out your incredibly long list of standards that I didn't fit before I'd even realized I liked men. That I liked you! Why would I even try when I already knew I'd never measure up?"

He's pacing still. Movement helps him push the urge to cry down and makes the tears dry up. It takes him a while to realize that there's been no answer from Eddie. So, Steve finally gets his emotions under control and turns to look at the couch, to see Eddie's response.

He's not expecting to see tears falling down Eddie's own cheeks and wearing a face of heartbreak and regret.

[anistarrose]

to be honest when i see people say that "moral center" characters are boring, i'm like. well, to each their own i guess, you can have your taste and i can have mine. but also: 99% sure that's a straight-up skill issue on behalf of whoever's writing the characters you're thinking of. because when they're written well, characters at the moral heart of their story can also be interesting, complicated, evolving and contradictory, messy, flawed, in possession of Complexes, and most importantly, perpetrators of mistakes so tragic and devastating that they shape the entire narrative. and i know for a fact that all of that is true because of my best friend Lup Adventurezone

[willyhoos]

you, and what little remains of your brother.

[peace-hunter]

Hi! I love your Ghost Primes with Optimus AU! It’s so good.

I have a question though, do the Decepticons know that Optimus can see the 13 prime ghosts or do they just get increasingly confused each time they fight?

Thank you for the lovely artwork!!

oh they Know something funky is going on for sure lmao

a little more serious answer: they can tell something is going on with optimus and they desperately want to pretend it's not. they don't want to know how he's aware of things he shouldn't be, how he knows stuff that should have long been forgotten, how he seems to be more familiar with them than he should be. how sometimes he speaks and it's like the dead are talking through him. how sometimes he will answer to empty air and somehow they can just tell what he's responding to. who he is talking to.

they Know. and they really, really want to pretend they don't.

they already carry the guilt of failing them once. the idea of doing it once more is unbearable and they'd rather deceive themselves than face it. they'd rather their friends stay dead and gone than think of them seeing what they've become.

haunted au

[chimerafeathers]

i love that isafrin can be the most straightforwardly romancey, wholesome pairing on a surface level and then you go one (1) level deeper and run into siffrin’s seething guilt and convoluted feelings around touch and intimacy and the extent to which they want or don’t want those things in a specifically romantic way or if he was trying to seek connection and love in any way he could once he knew that Isabeau wanted those things from him in that context, and the combined power trip/self disgust at “manipulating” Isabeau’s desires without his knowledge to make themself feel wanted and in control. and then you keep going and there’s also Isabeau’s own warped self image (still, in spite of all his changes, fearing that he’s someone that would be shameful to know), his “emotionally stable pillar” role and self-taught therapy talk masking his deep fears of real confrontation (struggling loop after loop to confess, not wanting Odile to confront Siffrin about their weird behavior in the sus quest bathroom talk) and how Siffrin’s fear of vulnerability and Isabeau’s fear of Pushing Too Hard allow both of their issues to fester unspoken long after it’s clear that the problems exist.

all this to say. duality of isafrin. makes my heart full and warm and happy to see the sweet, fluffy, silly love and connection between them (mutually romantic or otherwise). and then also. the delicious, delicious complications. gnawing on them like a dog with a beloved bone

[bet-on-me-13]

Unknown, the Wandering Hero

So! We all know the typical Vivisection AU, right? Danny is revealed to his parents and they take it in all the wrong ways. They capture him, Vivisect him, and eventually he manages to escape with the help of his friends.

But what about his Rouges?

Sure, we all like to think of some of the more friendly ones like Ember, or Sydney, or Johnny 13 and Kitty, but he has WAY more Evil Rouges than good ones.

Without Danny there to reign them in, the Rouges spread out across the world to fulfill their obsessions, unhampered by the Heroes and Villains of the world that have no means to fight them.

And Danny? He feels responsible. He was the one to open the Gate, he was the Sacrifice, the one to let them through. And when the going got tough he just up and left? No, that won't do.

His Obsession is Protection for a reason, and nothing has changed. All he needs to do is expand his area of focus a little.

Danny, after healing up, starts wandering the world in search of the Ghosts who have escaped into the Mortal Realm. He battles all of his old foes, as well as many new ones who he hadn't met before.

His travels take him far and wide.

He defeats Skulker in Metropolis, as he is trying to hunt down the Super Family for their pelts. They are the last of their race after all, so he is inclined to try and hunt them. Honestly dealing with Skulker was easy, dealing with the Rich Asshole who was funding him was a nightmare.

He chases down Spectra in Gotham as she tries to feed on the misery of an entire City. (Thanks to @impyssadobsessions for the idea, this Prompt specifically). She is actually a very tough fight, especially powered by both the Misery of an Entire City as well as his Own Misery, but he manages.

He defeats Technus is Central City, as he tries to Raid Star Labs for their advanced Tech. It actually took a while to beat him after he amped himself with all that Power, and he did need help from the Local Hero to deal with him. He's just thankful Technus is one of the more "Harmless" ones.

After every Victory, he sends them back to the Realms using the Banishing Spell that Sam taught him a while back (the only bit of magic he ever really managed to master).

He knows they'll eventually find their way back out, but it's all he can do anymore. It's his eternal Punishment for unleashing them out into the World in the first place. He was the Catalyst for this Situation, now he was tasked with Fixing it, no matter how long it took.

...

The Justice League is caught in a tricky situation a the moment.

In the past few months, they have been encountering more and more of these Extra Dimensional Beings known as Realms Ghosts across the World.

Justice League Dark has had some success in battling them, but even they are getting tired of having to deal with every single incident alone.

They did get approached by a Government Agency known as the Ghostly Investigation Ward that seemed to want to help, but it didn't take long to realize that their main Aim was to Genocide the entire Race. The JLA had quickly cut ties after realizing that, and took what little Tech and Information they had been able to gather.

Still, it wasn't easy to deal with these Entities.

Thankfully, they have had some outside help. An Unknown Being has been routinely showing up whenever a Realms Ghost appears and defeating them, before using a (as described by Constantine) "Rudimentary Banishing Spell held together by willpower and luck" to send them back to their home Dimension. There's honestly no way it should be functional, but he did make it work either way.

They don't know much about this Unknown, aside from the fact that he seems to be the only one able to consistently damage the Realms Ghosts. His Powerset leads them to belive he may be from the same Dimension, or at least drawing his power from the same Source, but as he actively avoids the League and takes every opportunity to not talk to them, they know they aren't getting any answers any time soon.

Over the past few months, they had affectionately started referring to him as Unknown, creative they know, because they could never get his Real Name. Sure, some of the Realms Ghosts seemed to recognize him, but they always called him stuff like "Whelp" and "Punk" and "Usurper", which were not very good names to use when referring to him. Although the last one was a bit concerning.

They had only managed to trade a few quick words with Unknown in the past few months, but it was enough to get the Gist of it. He was just doing his job, sending the Realms Ghosts back where they belonged. There was apparently a Tear in Reality letting them through, but he seemed hesitant to reveal what he knew about it.

After a few months of sparse interactions, they eventually managed to convince him to at least take an Emergency Communicator. Just in case. They even let him take it apart to look for any Tracking Devices, which earned them a small bit of trust. They took whatever wins they could.

Fortunately, it seemed he never did need it. In fact he was getting more and more efficient with every battle, defeating his foes in half the time it would have taken before.

Unfortunately, it didn't last forever. One day, the Communicator went off, a distorted voice quickly saying, "Need backup, some of them decide to Team Up" before cutting out.

They quickly rushed to his location, finding an active battlefield with no less that a dozen Ghosts battling Unknown. And he seemed to be on the ropes.

With their arrival, the combined force of the Justice League and Unknown eventually managed to defeat the Group of Ghosts. Justice League Dark volunteered to work on the Banishing Spells while the others cleaned up the damage from the Battle.

One of them approached Unknown to make sure he was ok, and froze.

During the battle, Unknown's Mask had been Torn off, and they could finally see the face of the Hero they had been working with for the past few months.

And he was a Child.

[four-pointed-leaf]

get a room guys

[kotikaleo]

My art got stolen, edited and used for commercial purposes

This store claims to be "official" Grian merch shop and oH BOI they are clearly not. The amount of stolen art on this store is simply owherwhelming. This is just an example.

They took my art, made 5 designs and slapped it on everything they could mass produce, resulting in more than 55 merchandise pieces with art they have no right on. And I am not even counting Grian Official (like TRUE OFFICIAL) mech, and some other artist I don't know, but clearly they haven't given their consent to this. Examples below.

Official Grian merch that was limited edition btw:

Artist I don't know, please help me find them:

This one is by TheElliPelli on twitter, here is the link

And if you think that i was kidding about erased signature... HA

I already contacted them, and asked to take down absolutely everything that includes my art, and also I emailed Grian himself, i don't know does he bother or not, but worth a try.

PLEASE SPREAD THIS POST

Thank you all uwu