#neon the blob

[c-kiddo]

i bet cad falls asleep during tmn group conversations and theyre all just like . oh. ok. hold him so she doesnt fall on the ground. also i think that instead of the rly straight yass but kind of lifeless hair in his level 20 art it should be big frizzy 70s hippie hair instead 🙂‍↕️

[neon-glowing-rainbow-stims]

👁️👁️ ~ The Blob ~ 👁️👁️ (pilotslime)

(Credit this post if you use these!) (kofi)

[starry-bi-sky]

Clone^2 question! How's clone Dami and Tim here? I mean Tim's terrified of getting re-stabbed, but this Damian is infinitely chiller, and skateboards like him! Maybe there's a chance!

For sure! I like to imagine that baby dames after chilling out with Danny would be so bratty towards the Waynes if they found out about him while he was still little - but the chance of him stabbing Tim would be so much less. He'd be like, regular little sibling bratty. Not "i'm going to stab you at any moment" bratty.

(If you've seen the solo clone damian post, tim shows up with batman at the end and Damian's a little shit to him - but that's only because he's asking a lot of questions towards Danny, and Damian has been perfectly content with his awesome older brother, and doesn't like that father and co have now found out about him. His entire internal monologue is essentially "what are YOU doing here?!? >:(( Go Away!!!")

But as teen? There's for sure a chance for them to get along. I think he'd remain a little shit to them to an extent, just because I think it's funny. I have this image superimposed in my brain of teen Damian - wearing ripped jeans, a band tee, and a flannel, his hair slightly shaggy but still maintained - leaning against a piece of furniture lazily and saying to DW; "You need to get that stick out of your ass, dude."

Like, Clone Damian as a teenager is so funny to me to think about because he's so... American teenager to me. It's a testament to how different his upbringing was since he moved in with Dany (and Danny and his friends' influence on him). He uses slang, he speaks casually, he wears grunge. He skateboards and spray paints, he volunteers at an animal shelter and uses specialized ghostified spray cans to spray glitter and paint in the eyes of the ghosts he fights. He still uses his swords, that's not something he'll ever give up, but like, he has all of these other things too.

[mythicalmagical-monkeyman]

so, so this spawned from talking to @hyperfixation-tangentopia and my own brainrot over this au and these two nerds lol

under cut @murkystarlight & @fruity-legos

Summary:

A recently reformed Mateo has to carry Cooper home after he passes out while ignoring his own growing feelings and Snivel

Additional Tags:

Villain Mateo au, post redemption, what if. Developing Crushes. Snivel is a Menace. Sleep Deprivation, Cooper is sleep deprived and suffers the consequences. Implied Lore. Snivel used to be Mateo’s henchman. T for light swearing and talk of murder. Mateo’s in denial. Fluff with under lying angst tones. Cooper drools and it’s gross. Alternate Universe, VM Au adjacent. no beta we die like the nightmare king. Mateo being a little shit.

A light breeze ruffled at Mateo’s clothes and hair as he walked along an abandoned path in a random park in Brooklyn. The night was cool enough that wearing a hoodie was within the question yet the sweet smell of summer was on the air and the promise of hotter days to follow grated on Mateo’s consciousness like a million little knives, amongst other things of course. 

Summer, it was almost summer. He’d been stuck as The Nightmare King’s slave for almost two whole years. Gaw, he couldn’t even remember what it was like not to feel Nightmare King’s mind control crawling around inside his head. To be able to exist peacefully in the dream world without having all of his moves constantly monitored. Honestly even to just be able to hang out with Cooper and go get ice cream with his old friend without his mind screaming ‘Enemy, he is the enemy! Do not trust himmm!’ at him was a breath of fresh air. 

With a small smile, Mateo shot a quick glance back to see Cooper still trailing a little ways behind him. The taller teen was dragging his feet slightly but still seemed to be keeping a steady pace so Mateo didn’t dwell on why his friend had fallen behind, instead he tuned back into to listen to whatever Snivel was yapping on about to Z-Blob. 

Snivel waddled along, Z-Blob who was balanced on his head bobbing with every little step, as Snivel stuck an entire stray napkin in his mouth. 

Through a mouthful of tissue he then got out, “So then they found out the killer had been the one to place the anonymous call and got the police to dig up that patch of land because then they took the body of the victim and just buried them where the police had just dug. It was a smart move at first but then it SO backfired when it turned out the burial was right above a water line and the neighbors started getting decaying human tainted water coming out of their taps! So stupid!” 

Snivel laughed to himself like he thought the whole thing was hysterical and Mateo felt a small laugh bubble out of his throat too. Yeah ok so his sense of humor was definitely still tainted by his time under Nightmare King. 

A squilish came from Z-Blob as the slime shook himself like he was much less amused by Snivel’s story. Mateo hid a snicker behind his hand before patting Z on the head. 

Mateo opened his mouth to offer some words of comfort to the slime only for a loud thump to sound out behind the three. 

In sync Snivel and Mateo whirled around, Mateo reaching a hand towards his belt to grab his knife but instead he grasped air. Old habits die hard, he guessed. 

“Hey, uh, Boss? Your friend, he kinda…” Snivel trailed off, pointing towards where Cooper had just been standing where now the blond was face first in the ground, his butt sticking up into the air like he had simply collapsed. 

“Is he dead?” Snivel asked. 

Mateo instantly responded to his small grimspawn friend by slapping him lightly upside the head while sending a miffed expression in Snivel’s direction. 

“Owww,” Snivel whined. 

Mateo rolled his eyes, “You’re fine. Come on,” he then started walking over to Cooper as Snivel hurried to catch up to Mateo. 

The pair stopped short as they reached Cooper, Mateo rubbing his wrist nervously as he looked down at his passed out friend like he wasn’t quite sure what to do. Snivel cast a wide eyed look up at Mateo and then reached out a small little hand where he poked Cooper in the side. 

Cooper let out a snort and Mateo relaxed as he realized his friend had simply fallen asleep, collapsed from sleep deprivation if Mateo had to guess. 

With a small sigh, idiot, Mateo knelt down cautiously and hesitated before rolling Cooper over onto his back. Cooper let out another snore as his mouth fell open and spit began to dribble out. 

Eugh, Mateo felt his nose wrinkle up in disgust as he took in his mess of a friend. 

Cooper’s messy yet matted hair like he hadn’t showered recently, the scarring on his neck peeking out from underneath his shirt collar, the spit and dust clinging to Cooper’s face, and the dark eye bags under his eyes that left a gross feeling in Mateo’s stomach. Gaw, Cooper must have been so tired if he could just collapse like that, but Mateo had to admit his friend looked… 

Snivel spoke up just as Mateo noticed his hand had started to hover over Cooper’s stomach. 

“He looks so weak , if only Nightmare King had told you to attack him in the waking world while he was asleep. Could’ve solved a lot of struggles,” 

Mateo shot Snivel a scowl, who only shrugged. 

“Hey I’m just saying. You know what my brain is like, can’t help what slips out.” 

Shaking his head, Mateo turned back to Cooper and watched his hand shake slightly as it continued to hover. 

Mateo exhaled, “‘Kay Mateo, it’s just Cooper. It’s just Cooper.” 

At that Cooper let out a sniff and rolled over onto his side, and whether Mateo wanted it or not his hand brushed against his friend. 

Mateo drew his hand back and clutched it like it had touched hot coals and gapped at Cooper. 

Shit. 

Snivel did a full body waddle turn to look at Mateo as he forced himself backwards onto his butt, trying to keep his distance from Cooper. Wordlessly, Mateo stared down at his hand as he began to cradle it. 

Snivel blinked slowly, one eye and then the other, before tilting his head back slightly to try and look up at Z-Blob. 

“Boss is acting weird again,” Snivel pointed out, “What do we do?” 

Z-Blob shook himself and patted the top of Snivel’s head with what Snivel figured would be what the slime would consider feet. The slime then pointed his head in Mateo’s direction before hopping off Snivel’s head and landing next to Cooper. 

Snivel waddled himself around again to face Z-Blob, “Ugh, I get ‘knock some sense into boss’ duty again?” 

Z-Blob nodded. 

Snivel groaned loudly, “UGHHHH, fine but you seriously owe me Boogers,” 

There was an annoyed chirp and Z-Blob narrowed his eyes. Snivel held up his hands in defeat, “I uh mean Z-Blob,” 

Z-Blob’s mood seemed to lighten and Snivel was sure if the blob had a mouth he would’ve pulled out an award winning smile. 

Snivel backed off, restraining himself from rolling his eyes and hopped closer to Mateo who was still transfixed by his hand. The flame headed grimspawn did a quick once over of his ex-superior. Making a split second decision Snivel planted his feet and launched himself at Mateo, crashing into him head first and causing Mateo to end up sprawled on the ground as he grunted in pain. 

Yeah, Snivel was never one to think about things too much. He was the brawns, other people were the brains. 

“What the hell you little-“ Mateo started to yell, struggling to get back up into a sitting position but Snivel was quick to grab him by the hoodie collar and get right up into Mateo’s face. 

Mateo stopped short as he locked Snivel with his infamous glare but the grimspawn was unfazed. 

“BOSS GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF IT’S THE WAKING-DAMMED RACER BOY, YOU’VE TOUCHED HIM A MILLION TIMES!!” Snivel yelled loud enough Mateo was sure people outside the park heard him screaming as Snivel put everything in his small body into trying to shake Mateo. 

Mateo bit back a growl and grabbed Snivel by the sides to pull him away so the candle looking grimspawn would stop yelling directly in his face. Snivel began to wriggle as he was manhandled but before he could begin to bite Mateo set him down harshly. 

“Get. OUT of my face!” Mateo ordered.

Snivel grinned crookedly, “Welcome back boss man,” 

Mateo shook his head and glanced around. His sight eventually landed on Cooper for a split second before he fixed Snivel with another glare. 

“What was that for you animated candle stick?” Mateo bit out. 

“You decided to be all weird cause you touched Racer Boy over there so obviously I had to knock some sense back into you,” Snivel explained. 

Mateo squinted, “I was not… Cooper’s just a frr-SHUT UP!” Angrily, Mateo got up and walked back over to Cooper while Snivel watched him with an eat shit grin on his face. 

“Oh yeah, sure, sure. Friend !” 

“I will send you back to the dream world the hard way!” Mateo called over his shoulder as he crouched down again. He chewed on the hairs on the back of his thumb as he noticed that Z-Blob had snaked under Cooper’s head and was now allowing himself to be used as a pillow. 

Cooper for his part hadn’t changed much in the last minute but his drool flow had significantly increased. 

A small sigh escaped Mateo as he held out his hand where he let it hover again. 

Snivel was right, he’d touched Cooper a million times, in friendly ways… and unfortunately some not so friendly ways, so why now was it suddenly so hard? 

A slightly stronger than normal breeze cut through the air and Cooper shivered, curling into himself some more. 

Dammit, so cute. 

Mateo blinked, wait where had that come from? He didn’t… 

Z-Blob let out a muffled chirp and Mateo came out of his thoughts. Right, Cooper needed him, he couldn’t just let his friend sleep away on the ground in a shitty long sleeve. There were a number of things that could go wrong if he left Cooper here. 

Now, if only his body would respond. 

Mateo stayed frozen where he was trying to mentally will his body into working with him. He had been in charge of an entire legion of the Nightmare King’s army. He has fought Dream Chasers, Grim Wolves, hell even Zoey who was a notoriously tough fighter. So why, oh why!? Was he flaking out so badly right now? Why did his heart feel like it was going to beat out of his chest if he touched Cooper? 

“Why are you being such a wimp right now? Just touch him!” Snivel was suddenly at Mateo’s side, startling him as he spoke up. The flame headed grimspawn was looking down at Cooper with disinterest as he chewed on a leaf that was half hanging out of his mouth. 

Mateo sneered at Snivel, “Oh screw you, I’m not a wimp! And I’ll show you that I’m not too,” 

There was a brief hesitation but Mateo forced through it, he had a Snivel to prove wrong. 

Mateo slipped an arm under Cooper’s armpit and began to half lean over the blond as he worked to sling Cooper over his shoulder without waking him. There was a bit of a struggle but Mateo eventually got Cooper over his shoulder and stood. 

Z-Blob unsquashed himself and hopped back on to Snivel’s head. The two then cast Mateo twin looks of what Mateo almost wanted to clock as disappointment. 

Z patted Snivel’s head and the grimspawn tried to glance up at the slime as the slime let out a squiem . 

Snivel nodded, “Uh yeah, Boss, no offense or ‘nothing, but it looks like you're kidnapping him. And trust us, we know kidnapping.” 

Mateo frowned and with a sigh that was dripping with embarrassment he let Cooper slip back down into his arms. He quickly fixed his grip, slung an arm under Cooper’s knees, and took up holding the blond bridal style. 

Some happy sounding noise came from Cooper and he rested his head on Mateo’s shoulder while curling his fingers into Mateo’s chest. Much to Mateo’s dismay he then nuzzled his face into his shoulder as drool started to seep into Mateo’s hoodie. 

Mateo could already feel the red coming to his face. 

“Not one word,” he muttered at Snivel and Z-Blob as the two started to giggle. 

All he had to do was endure this long enough to get Cooper home. 

Mateo started to walk off down the path, vaguely trying to remember where Cooper lived now, as Snivel quickly found himself running after Mateo to keep up with his swift pace. 

As Snivel’s head bobbed wildly as he tried to keep up with the other, Z-Blob wrapped a small section of himself around Snivel’s strange antenna-like head protrusion so as to not risk falling off. 

Within no time the three found themselves at the entrance to the park where they were greeted with the still lively city of Brooklyn that existed right outside the hidden green haven of the park. Thankfully for Snivel and Z-Blob’s sake there didn’t seem to be very many pedestrians around but Mateo still adjusted his hold on Cooper for a brief second to untie the fireproof windbreak that was wrapped around his waist. 

“Z,” Mateo said, moving his arms back to their original position as Cooper began to shift uncomfortably, “Windbreaker.” 

Z-Blob let out a chirp of agreement and stretched a part of himself out so he could grab the back of the windbreaker and pull it free. The blob then draped the windbreaker around himself and Snivel. 

Snivel groaned unhappily, “Not the jacket,” 

“Yes the jacket,” Mateo commented, “And unless you want to be scooped up by government soldiers and experimented on I suggest you wrap that thing around you tighter.” 

Snivel grumbled unhappily but he zipped up the windbreaker and threw the hood over his head thus extinguishing the flame coming from the end of his antenna. 

Snivel’s color instantly started to dim, “Let’s just hurry up and get Racer boy home,” 

Mateo nodded numbly and looked down at Cooper who was somehow still fast asleep, drooling all over Mateo’s shoulder and yet completely unbugged by the noisy city surrounding them. How sleep deprived was this poor boy? Or perhaps he was just a heavy sleeper. 

Mateo wasn’t sure which one was worse. 

There was a squish from Z-Blob that reminded Mateo what they were currently set out to do so against the loud screaming in his head to ‘ no don’t do that’ Mateo nuzzled his nose against Cooper’s chin before tilting his head upward. Cooper let out a little cough as his mouth closed and the drool stream cut off. 

There. That was much better. 

It was less so that the drool was gross, Mateo had touched more gross things in the dream world than he’d like to admit, and more so that he’d hate to be caught like this. Ex-second in command of the Nightmare King’s army, reduced to being drooled on by one of the saviors of the dream world. Albeit Cooper was his friend but it still felt very unbecoming for the both of them. 

About five seconds later, just as Mateo started to walk off again, Cooper’s mouth fell back open and the drool stream came back. 

Welp, he had tried. 

Begrudgingly Mateo accepted his fate as Cooper’s drool covered pillow and kept walking as Snivel waddled along behind, trying his best to keep up without tripping on the sleeves of the windbreaker. 

Though it took awhile to remember where Cooper lived, once Mateo saw it again after wandering around for a bit and risking one too many close calls with someone accidentally seeing what Snivel actually looked like, a wave of familiarity washed over Mateo and in an instant he knew the house was the right one. 

Snivel started to take off the windbreaker as Mateo walked up the steps to the house but after a quick wack from Z-Blob he stopped himself from taking it all the way off. 

“Is this the place boss?” Snivel asked as he struggled to climb up the front steps. 

Mateo cast a glance at the numbers nailed into the wall of the house, yep this was that place, he was sure of it. 

“Yes,” 

Snivel finally reached the platform of the stairs that was level with the door and struggled to stand without tipping back over. Once he did he squinted up at the door in front of them. 

“It’s all dark, is anyone even home?” 

Mateo let the question simmer for a bit before responding, “I don’t know,” 

Mateo knew Cooper lived with his brother now after his parents had been arrested for fraud and his brother was a nurse who worked odd hours so if Mateo had to guess no one was probably actually home. 

There was a chirp as Z-Blob freed himself from under the hood of the windbreaker and hopped up onto Mateo’s shoulder so he could also look at the door with the two. 

Mateo wasn’t sure how long they all stared at the door until Snivel pulled at his pant leg and asked, “What do we do?” 

Mateo blinked and looked down at the welcome mat under foot. 

As he took a step back off the mat he informed Snivel, “It’s probably locked but the Williams always used to keep an emergency front door key under the welcome mat,” 

“Ohhhh,” Snivel cooed curiously. The grimspawn then bent over and ripped the welcome mat from its resting place that it flew over the railing on the sides of the landing and went crashing into a bush. Thankfully however the key underneath was left undisturbed. 

Mateo sighed, rolling his eyes at his friend’s brutish behavior, “Thanks Snivel, I wanted to do more things tonight.” 

There was a laugh as Snivel picked up the key and waddled over to strain up and stick the key into the lock, “Nice sarcasm boss!” 

With a bit of a struggle Snivel managed to turn the key and the door opened. 

“Aww yeah,” Snivel cheered and without even waiting he sauntered into the Williams house. 

“Hey wait-“ Mateo started to protest but Snivel had already disappeared into the depths of the house. 

Mateo grumbled some Spanish swears under his breath only for Z-Blob to nudge the side of his face. Mateo tilted his head to the side as he watched his little blob friend jump off his shoulder and into the bush below. 

“Ah, yeah, you’re dealing with the mat now?” 

There was a chirp. 

“I see, well thank you,” Mateo told the slime, “I’ll go put Cooper in his bed and be back in a bit.” 

Mateo shifted his grip on Cooper before turning to the side so they could both fit through the door. Once inside Mateo looked around the dark house, keeping an eye out for Snivel but after not finding the candlestick akinned grimspawn he continued on to the stairs. 

Though a feeling of fear cropped up in Mateo’s stomach at the thought that he could lose his balance and fall down the stairs as he climbed, he eventually made it to the second floor and began to duck his head into a few rooms to find Cooper’s bedroom. 

After about the third door Mateo found Cooper’s room; the yellow and red walled room cluttered with a bunch of instruction manuals, race car and F1 posters, invention bits a bobs, piles of dirty clothes, and so many other things that had Mateo questioning how much of a hoarder his friend actually was. 

Mateo wrinkled his nose and entered the room, stepping over an empty box of twinkies that had a model car sitting on top of it, and dancing around a cacophony of other items to make it over to Cooper’s bed without tripping. The one pro to come out of working with the Nightmare King: night vision. Finally he made it to the bed and tried his best to gently place Cooper down on his side while his arms screamed at him to just drop the blond. 

With a huff Mateo freed his arms from underneath Cooper and began to rub them. Gaw why did he carry Cooper all the way here? He should’ve just woke him up. 

Cooper let out a pitiful whine and Mateo felt himself freeze up as Cooper moved his arm to rub it against his pillow thus pushing up his sleeve and revealing the lightning scars crisscrossing up his arms. 

Ah, those. 

Mateo ignored the guilty feeling that started to stir in his gut. He knew that Cooper and his sister were covered in a patchwork of what were called Dream Terror Scars; which were scars obtained in the dream world from nightmare creatures that would carry over to one’s waking world body. Mateo had his fair share too but he felt more pain over the ones Cooper and Izzie had as unfortunately plenty of those ones Mateo himself was responsible for. 

Mateo shook himself, he was a good guy now. Izzie and Cooper knew he was sorry for what he’d done and they forgave him, he didn’t need to dwell on it. Silently he turned and sat on the edge of Cooper’s bed, raking his eyes across the room. 

“Why is your room such a pigsty?” Mateo muttered though he knew Cooper wouldn’t respond. 

There came a snore from Cooper, followed by some shifting and Mateo felt himself go red as Cooper curled into the lower half of his back.  

Mateo looked down at Cooper, gapping slightly, “What are you doing?” 

Cooper curled in a light tighter as he shivered. 

“Oh you’re cold,” Mateo hummed, carefully he detached Cooper from himself and stood so he could grab the crumpled up blanket from the end of the bed and throw it over Cooper. 

Cooper let out a happy hum and wiggled himself deeper under the covers. Mateo couldn’t help the small little chuckle that came from him and before he knew it he found himself brushing some of the dirt away from Cooper’s face with his thumb. Too little too late did he realize what he was doing and Mateo yanked his hand away. 

Why did he do that? 

Mateo stared. Cooper was screwing with his brain he swore, why else would it feel like his heart was going to beat out of his chest whenever Cooper smiled at him? 

A distant clatter came from downstairs and Mateo was shocked back into reality. 

Dammit Snivel. 

Mateo looked down at Cooper one more time before giving the blond an awkward pat on the head and with that he carefully made his way back over to the bedroom door to leave. 

Mateo shut the door quietly as he left and then made his way downstairs. 

What he found was the door of the Williams brother’s fridge wide open as Snivel, who had ditched the windbreaker on the floor, dug around inside it as Z-Blob struggled to catch everything Snivel threw aside. Apples, pudding cups, and a carton of milk all went flying and Z-Blob hopped around to catch each item before they could go spilling to the floor but just as quickly as the slime managed to catch the item another went flying. 

Mateo watched the chaos for a moment but as an entire bag of carrots was thrown he stepped in. He caught the bag of carrots midair and set them on the counter only to then stride over to Snivel and rip him out of the fridge by the antenna. Mateo bit down on his lip as he felt Snivel’s antenna squish around his hand like he was touching a living hard boiled egg. 

“Hey!” Snivel complained. 

“Stop raiding their kitchen,” Mateo ordered as he grabbed Snivel by the sides like a hamburger and Snivel began to wiggled around in his hands. 

“I just wanted some cheese!” Snivel yelled, struggling to reach out and grab the block of cheese that was still sitting in the fridge. 

“Uh hu, sure,” Mateo commented as he started to walk away, signaling to Z-Blob that the slime was free to put everything back in the fridge, “We have cheese at home if you really want it but I know you’re just being a menace.” 

Snivel shoved his feet against Mateo’s stomach, struggling to free himself, “It’s Racer Boy, I have to torment him somehow!” 

Mateo scooped up the discarded windbreaker and threw it over his shoulder, “We’re not even enemies anymore, leave him alone.” 

Snivel finally managed to wiggle all the way around and grinned up at Mateo, “Force a habit!” 

There was a clatter from behind them, followed by a squish and the sound of the fridge door closing as Mateo reached the front entrance. Mateo turned slightly and watched as Z-Blob hopped out into the hall and then again to jump up onto Mateo’s shoulder. The slime gave Mateo a gooey head bump once he had landed. 

Mateo smiled, “Thanks Z,” and with that he shoved a complaining Snivel under one arm so he could exit the Williams house and lock it up behind them. 

[the-bl0b-x]

EVA unit 014 complete.

[freakasaurus-rex]

Mipmi is now dancing again... to some music, because it's ahoge turned into a phone, a working one... damn mipmi is weird <also im curious, very curious, what do you think mipmi looks like>

god youre interesting. i would love to study you

[midavalanche]

It works off intent. It can shoot lasers that match the power Jason actually wants to use to hit something. Jason wanting to freak out a sibling? It shoots a harmless beam of light. A sibling or teammate getting on his nerves? Doesn’t do lasting harm, but will sting with direct correlation to how annoyed he is. He wants to dramatically shoot out a light? The lightbulb is the only part that is broken without any other damage. The Joker decides to get in line of sight? The clown and the three walls behind him no longer exist.

I’m also thinking it works at various levels for the different bats. It works the best for Jason because a) it was made for him and b) he has spent the most time dead. Damian gets the next best results, followed by Cass and Bruce. Dick and Stephanie can barely get something stronger than harmless light (as they were only dead for a few seconds before reviving). Tim and Barbra can rarely get it to work at all. Duke also can’t fire the gun, but he has deflected a couple of shots away from him, and the reflected shot has no reliable pattern on how strong it is.

It takes the batclan an embarrassingly long time to figure out the reason for the difference in power levels. Especially since there is a cartoon ghost on the butt of the gun.

Barbra is the first one to call out the lack of gun safety and then to attempt to shoot it.

Jason has a favorite Pointing Gun (i.e. a gun he uses to wildly gesticulate with during conversation and frightens others over the lack of gun safety).

His new favorite one is from this small company called FentonWorks.

[emacrow]

Justice league judged through the eyes of a child.

Justice league, Dark Justice stood in a very, very large courtroom in the infinite realm.

The Young Justice and Teen Titans were in the front row seat with the Ghostly audience and as witnesses.

The court was in session for the Justice League and Dark Justice crime of Neglection and abuse of a Revenant close to collapsing due to a serious infestation of heavy tainted ectoplasm also known as Jason Todd also known as Red hood.

Jason, after he had gotten the proper care and cleansing blob ghosts weeks before to manifested shift in a proper halfa state sat on the other court side.

In ghost form, sat a 18 years old jason todd, in a reversed color palette robin suit that hasn't been seen since that very night.

The judge was a little boy with glowing white hair, neon green eyes with a DP hazmat suit, the court session being written by a modern looking pharaoh, the security were a lady who was similar to poison ivy except with black and purple hair and purple eyes with a giant glowing green dog.

The lawyer on Jason side was Jazz Fenton, and on the Justice League side was Dinah Lance.

And when someone were to ask why a Ghost king as a child was the judge afterward. There is nothing more honest than being judged through the eyes of a child.

[bananasplit133]

BETROTHED?!?

Invincible | Mark Grayson x Tamaranean(Starfire)!Reader

----

(this is kinda rushed, sorry if some things dont match with Tamaranean culture.. i havent watched TT in FOREVER)

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Mark had seen a lot of weird things since becoming Invincible. But nothing—nothing—compared to stepping foot on your home planet.

Tamaranean architecture stretched high into the sky, golden spires glowing against the twin suns. The air buzzed with energy, vibrant and warm, as ships zipped past. But what really threw him off was the people.

They didn’t just fly. They soared. They moved through the sky like it was second nature, spinning and twirling mid-air like it was a casual stroll. Bright laughter filled the air as children zipped past, their hands glowing with neon fire.

Mark swallowed. “Uh. You didn’t tell me everyone here was like you.”

You grinned. “What did you expect?”

“I don’t know. I just… I thought you were special.”

You nudged his arm playfully. “I am special.”

Before he could respond, a voice boomed across the palace courtyard.

“You return at last, sister.”

Mark barely had time to react before a tall, striking woman dropped from the sky with all the elegance of a hawk locking onto prey. Her black hair spilled down her back, and her armor gleamed in the sunlight.

His stomach twisted. Oh. This was your sister.

“Komand’r,” you greeted stiffly.

Her glowing eyes flicked to Mark, sharp and calculating. “And who is this? Another Earthling?”

Mark bristled. “Another?”

Your sister smirked. “I assumed my dear sibling would have learned her lesson after the last one.”

Oh. That stung.

Mark shot you a look, but you were glaring at your sister. The tension between you two was thick enough to cut with a blade.

“I see your attitude remains as unbearable as ever,” you muttered.

“And I see your taste in men remains questionable.”

Mark scoffed. “You got something to say?”

Komand’r leaned in, smirking. “Only that you are… soft.”

Mark’s eye twitched. Soft? The last time someone called him soft, he ended up half-dead in space.

You groaned. “Komand’r, please, let’s not do this—”

A loud, wet squelching noise cut through the tension.

Mark turned—only to see a massive, green, multi-eyed blob squirming forward, its trunk-like appendages wiggling with purpose. Its body jiggled slightly as it stopped before you, making a series of deep, guttural gurgles.

Mark stared. Horrified.

“…What the hell is that?”

Your face paled. “Oh. Right. That.”

The blob let out another series of noises, its trunks wiggling in what Mark somehow understood as… pride?

Komand’r smirked. “Did she not tell you? She is to be wed. It is the only way to protect our people.”

Mark turned to you, eyes wide with betrayal. “You’re engaged?!”

“I—it’s complicated!” you said quickly. “I didn’t agree to this!”

The blob burbled.

Mark’s eye twitched. “What do you mean you ‘thought I knew’?? I don’t even know what you are!”

It gurgled again.

Mark recoiled. “EXCUSE ME?!”

Komand’r chuckled. “He says he is deeply honored to take you as his mate.”

Mark gagged. Audibly.

The blob let out a low, vibrating sound that Mark somehow understood as laughter.

His stomach flipped. “Oh, HELL no.”

Komand’r smirked. “You would rather risk war?”

Mark clenched his fists. “Over my dead body is she marrying—” he gestured wildly at the blob “—THAT.”

The blob let out a long, warbling moan.

Mark’s jaw dropped. “I did NOT just insult your lineage! What lineage?! You’re a blob!”

The blob squished aggressively in response.

Mark pointed. “SEE?! THAT'S NOT NORMAL.”

You buried your face in your hands. “Mark, please—”

“NO. NO ‘MARK, PLEASE.’” He turned to you, looking betrayed. “Why didn’t you tell me about this?”

You groaned. “Because I didn’t think it mattered! I never agreed to it!”

Komand’r raised a brow. “You would rather defy our customs?”

Mark snapped.

“She’s not marrying that thing.”

The blob let out a wet, vibrating honk.

Mark whipped around. “Oh, YOU wanna fight me now?!”

More squelching.

Mark’s eye twitched. “Did—did you just call me a ‘puny, hairless primate’??”

The blob wobbled menacingly.

Mark didn't answer.

He just punched it through a wall.

Gasps echoed across the courtyard. Komand’r burst out laughing.

“Oh,” she purred. “I like him.”

You groaned, dragging a hand down your face. “By X’hal, this is going to be a long day…”

[bleue-flora]

Saw some reblogs of this post and it reminded me that recently I came across this scene

where c!Tommy outright comments on c!Dream’s skin and c!Dream actually says “it’s a mask.” Which I suppose puts a whole wrench in my original idea. I guess they just used the helmet in the finale as the Minecraft stand in representation, which makes sense.

The assumption then is, as you said, that his mask and face reveal lines up with his real life face reveal. Implying that the only people who have seen his face prior to October 2022 are a select few and c!Dream taking off his helmet in the finale (November 2022) is c!Tommy’s first time seeing it. Given the closeness of dates for cc!Dream’s reveal and the finale, I’m curious if we could also connect other dsmp events to the timeline of when cc! members saw cc!Dream’s face and derive a canon around that. Like I’m pretty sure cc!Punz for example saw cc!Dream’s face before the reveal, so depending when that was perhaps we could connect that to something that happened in the dsmp that led to c!Punz seeing c!Dream’s face…

So, if in the finale c!Dream’s helmet, that he takes off for c!Tommy, represents his mask, does that mean that when c!Sapnap puts on c!Dream’s armor, Nightmare, he is putting on and stealing c!Dream’s mask? - Because I’m not gonna lie that really puts a new perspective on that betrayal… Furthermore, when c!Techno brings c!Dream armor in prison, did he make him a mask and bring it to him… and then take away the mask later? - If so, again that’s kinda screwed up. Though you could argue that perhaps he made c!Dream a mask for the jailbreak so he had one to face the server with and then because they were trying to not seem like allies he took it back, knowing that c!Dream would get another one. Which also begs the question, did c!Punz make c!Dream a mask for after prison or is he simply handing over one of c!Dream’s masks?… When c!Tommy in the minecart skirmish stole c!Dream’s armor, was he taunting him with his own mask? - Because oof that’s some serious violation and disrespect…

In other words, if you think that c!Dream’s helmet in the finale represents the mask (which I’d say is implied by c!Tommy) does that same logic apply across the board or is it just for that moment? And if it does apply to rest of the lore, wow does that have some implications…

[mythicalmagical-monkeyman]

Heeeeey dreamerzzz fans

um, I wrote a thing because the ao3 tag is, uh, in shambles (cries) to put it buuut anyways I’ll put the story under the cut if you wanna read it here

Summary: Sooooo, ig I kind of have it in my au that Cooper’s been in love with Mateo for forever but I thought it’d be funnier if he accidentally confesses instead doing some serious reveal Thus This

Additional Tags:

First dreamzzz fic woo! I have no idea what I’m doing Wrote this on a whim. - logan is only there for cameo points, Cooper has implied anxiety, Mateo goes non verbal for a little bit, Aged-Up Character(s), But it’s not specifically said how old they are, Crack turned hurt/comfort, trigger warning for a slight mention of drowning, Love Confessions, accidental love confession, t for light swearing, No beta we die like Lunia, Fluff, Physics bashing

— — —

Mateo chewed on the nail of his thumb as he mulled over the physics homework on the table in front of him as Logan, who sat across from him, did the same. Well Logan was less doing homework and more rocking out to an air guitar. 

Cooper was also at the table with the two only he had finished his work about fifteen minutes ago and was now engrossed with a video game on his phone. 

Mateo sighed and took his eyes off his paper. He was starting to understand why Cooper insisted that physics wasn’t a real thing, it honestly kind of sucked. 

Maybe he just needed a quick comic break. 

Mateo turned in his seat so he could more easily zip open his backpack and pull out his tablet. Z-Blob greeted him as the slime was able to see light again. 

“Hey bud,” 

Mateo looked around and seeing that no one else was in that part of the library, reached into his bag and pulled out his tablet. Z latched on to his arm as he reached in and when Mateo pulled his arm back out Z-Blob came with. 

Z-Blob flopped to the table and looked down at the pages of homework he had landed on as Mateo set his tablet down only for the slime to shake himself as if he was disgusted by the papers. 

Mateo snickered, “Yeah homework is pretty gross,” 

Z-Blob looked down at the homework again before looking up and pointing his head in Cooper’s direction. 

“Hm?” Mateo hummed, cocking his head to the side in confusion. 

The slime looked back down at the page for a third time. He then hopped off the paper towards Cooper and pointed his head again. 

Finally it clicked what Z-Blob was trying to communicate. 

“Ooooohhhhh,” Mateo said, picking up his pencil and glancing at his paper to see which questions he still had to answer, “Hey Coop?” 

“Yeah?” Cooper wondered, not taking his attention off his phone. 

“What is Mach Number?” Mateo quizzed, preparing himself to write down the answer. 

“Mach number gives the ratio of the speed of the object to the speed of sound in the fluid. It's formula is m equal u over c and it was figured out by a guy named Ernst Mach,” Cooper muttered. 

Mateo grinned and scribbled down what Cooper had told him, “Thank you,” 

“Yeah, no problem. Love you too,” Cooper responded in the same somewhat out of it voice he’d been using. 

All in the span of a couple seconds many things ended up happening. Logan instantly started laughing as red sprang to Mateo’s face as he dropped his pencil and put his head in his hands to hide the blush. Cooper seemed to mentally blue screen for a second before he realized what he had said and started to stutter out swears and apologizes. 

Logan threw back his head as he laughed, “PFFFFF HA, BRO WHY’D YOU ADMIT TO THAT DURING HOMEWORK TIME!? HAHA!” 

“I don’t- I DONT KNOW! It-it just slipped out!” Cooper shot back trying to deflect only to let his head drop in embarrassment, “Mateo I’m so sorry! I didn’t-!” 

“It’s fine!” Mateo squeaked. 

Cooper groaned and grabbed his hoodie hood to throw it over his head. He pulled on the drawstrings and the opening of his hood shrunk so half of Cooper’s face was no longer visible and then Cooper face planted into the table. 

Logan kept on laughing for a bit before it died out to just the occasional snicker but Mateo had mostly tuned it out at that point as too many thoughts swarmed around in his head. 

Did he really just admit that? Cooper wasn’t actually in love with him right? There was no way they were at that point in their relationship yet! 

A nervous laugh came from Cooper and he abruptly stood where he swung his bag over his shoulder. 

“I’m going to drown myself in the bay now,” He announced before speed walking behind the nearest bookcase and disappearing. 

Logan sniffed as his snickers died completely, “Hey, did he just—“ 

Mateo was already shoving his things into his bag to go after Cooper however. He was only slightly concerned that Cooper might actually try and drown himself so most of his urgency came from the fact that he didn’t want to end things on note that had just happened. 

“Come on Z-Blob,” Mateo told his green little friend as he picked him up, “Let’s go catch up to Cooper.” 

Logan blinked, “Wha-bro! You just gonna leave me here?” 

Mateo gave Logan a look that he hoped came off as more curious than pissed, “You can come if you want, I never said you couldn’t.” 

Logan stared at Mateo with his weird beast like stare for a moment before shrugging, “I was just being dramatic, this doesn’t really seem to need us getting involved,” and just as Logan started to lean back in his chair to relax he stopped and added, “Ai, you probably know this but physical contact will help keep him from going off to anxiety land.” 

Mateo nodded sharply, “Noted,” 

—————————

Mateo had to admit that keeping up with someone as tall as Cooper was an exercise in and of itself. By the time Mateo had even managed to find him Cooper was already all the way down the street heading in the direction of the park. 

After spending a few blocks closing the distance between them Mateo called out, “COOPER! Wait up!” 

Cooper tensed at that, his shoulders rasing, and instead of slowing down he started walking faster. 

Mateo groaned, add physical activity to the list of things he hated. 

“Hey! Cooper! Cooper stop!” Mateo yelled, deciding to take the speaking approach instead of continuing to chase after him, “I just wanna talk!” 

Cooper slowed slightly but he still wasn’t stopped completely.

A sour taste grew in Mateo’s mouth, god this was starting to remind him of something he’d much rather forget. In spite of it though Mateo called out, “Don’t run away from me again! Please!” 

That stopped Cooper in his tracks but it left Mateo with a growing guilty feeling that made his gut churn. 

Mateo hurried over to Cooper and once he was within an arm's length away he grabbed Cooper’s fisted hand in his own and rounded around to face Cooper. 

Cooper’s face was scrunched up like he was in physical pain but Mateo couldn’t blame him, they were no doubt remembering the same thing. 

Of course that’s when Mateo’s words failed him, but he couldn’t just say nothing! 

Mateo growled at himself why was drawing and writing so much easier than talking? Why couldn’t he just make this a comic and explain to Cooper everything he wanted to? Izzie was so much better at words than him. 

“‘Teo?” Cooper asked. 

Mateo grit his teeth together but rather than force himself to meet Cooper’s eyes he let go of Cooper’s hand and pulled him into a hug. 

Cooper stiffened but as the hug continued he seemed to melt into Mateo’s grip and hugged him back just as tight. 

“Words… suck,” Mateo grumbled. 

Cooper only hummed and buried his face into Mateo’s hair where he pressed a kiss. 

“Yeah I know, they love betraying you,” Cooper agreed.  

Mateo nodded and then pulled away slightly, “But did—“ 

Damn words. 

Luckily Cooper picked up on what Mateo was trying to ask, “I do, I do love you.” 

Mateo couldn’t help the small quiver that came to his lips, he felt like if he smiled too wide he’d start crying. So he buried his face back into Cooper’s chest and squeezed as hard as he could. Maybe he’d never have the words to convey what he was feeling but Mateo was pretty sure Cooper knew him well enough to know. 

[callsign-mayhem]

heaven is a place on earth (b.b)

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female!Reader Word count: 4.6k CW: Smut and swearing. MINORS DNI.

A roller rink with the Daggers, a bet with Bradley Bradshaw, and a photo booth that’s about to get way too hot. Lose the game, make the move—neither one of you is backing down, especially when the stakes are so high.

Rollerskating was—of course—Mickey’s idea. Who else, at the ripe age of 32, would suggest it when faced with the question of what to do on a Friday night?

It had come about earlier in the week when Javy complained that he was bored of spending every Friday at The Hard Deck. At first, you were shocked to hear it, but the more you thought about it, the more you realised that you felt the same. The Hard Deck was great and would always be the Dagger Squad’s designated hangout spot, but you could do with a change.

Everybody agreed, but by Thursday night, there was still no plan for the following evening. Jake had suggested a country bar in the city, which you and Reuben had liked the sound of. Turns out, you were the only ones.

Natasha had suggested sushi, but you weren’t a fan and Mickey didn’t think it was exciting enough for your first Friday adventure away from The Hard Deck.

You were getting ready for bed when the text came through to the Dagger Squad group chat.

And that’s how you found yourself lacing up the old pair of skates you’d dug out from the back of your closet.

‘Since when do you own rollerskates?’ Jake retorted.

‘Since college.’ You replied. ‘I got a lot of use out of them. I had a friend who loved skating, and she forced me to buy a pair.’

Jake raised a brow. ‘Doesn’t match up with the version of you I have in my head.’

‘You’re just annoyed ‘cause I’m gonna show you up. Bet you’re shit at skating.’ You smirked.

Bradley, who was lacing up his own skates next to you, huffed a laugh. Jake’s shit-eating grin faltered. He was getting that look he always got when he challenged someone.

‘How hard can it be?’ He asked, full of fake bravado.

‘It’s harder than it looks.’ You told him.

‘Ten bucks says you fall on your ass before I do.’

You looked up at him and smirked, reaching your hand out so you could shake on it. ‘Oh, you’re so on.’

‘Material Girl’ by Madonna blasted through the overhead speakers, and disco lights spattered the rink with colour. The neon-coloured seats outside the rink were shaped like giant blobs of paint, and the Daggers were spread across three of them, getting ready to make total fools of themselves.

Bob shifted uneasily as he eyed his feet, trying to figure out how to stand up without sprawling flat out on the ground. You stood up easily and glided over to him, earning you a whistle from Reuben.

‘You okay, Bobby?’ You asked, even though you already knew the answer.

He offered you a weak smile. ‘I’ve never skated before.’

‘That’s okay, I’ll help.’

You held out both hands and he took them tentatively. His palms were slick with nervous sweat, and you had to swallow a laugh. It would only make him more nervous if he thought you were making fun of him.

‘Alright, on the count of three. One…two…’

And then you pulled him up. He couldn’t straighten his legs at first, and he wobbled a bit, but after a couple of seconds he was standing up straight and steady.

‘There you go.’ You praised. ‘Easy peasy.’

Nat, who was leaning against the edge of the rink waiting for everyone, clapped.

‘Now you’ve actually gotta move, Floyd.’ She called out.

Bob glanced at her nervously.

‘Ignore her. You fly in multi-million dollar jets every day, Bob. You can get yourself from here to the rink.’

Thankfully, this turned out to be precisely the right thing to say. You held on to one of his hands, and the two of you gently edged over to Nat. It took longer than it should have, but he was still upright by the time he got there, so you counted that as a win.

‘Well done.’ You beamed.

You were about to step out onto the rink when Mickey called out your name.

‘Can I get a ride, too? I’m stuck!’ He yelled.

You rolled your eyes. ‘This was your idea!’

‘Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I know how to skate!’

You whizzed over to where Mickey was standing. He smiled sheepishly as you took his hand and repeated the same steps you’d taken with Bob. Mickey almost fell over, but he was right by the rink by that point, so he grabbed the edge to stop it from happening.

Effortlessly, you spun around. ‘Okay, anybody else?’

Bradley rolled over almost as effortlessly as you had. He was wearing one of his more ‘out there’ Hawaiian shirts, and the pink flowers seemed to glow in the dark. Honestly, you were a bit gutted that he didn’t need your help—it would’ve been a good excuse to hold his hand.

He leaned down so you would be able to hear him. ‘Hangman needs help, but he’s too proud to admit it.’ Bradley murmured, his breath warm against the side of your neck.

You hoped he didn’t notice the goosebumps that broke out across your skin.

‘I wouldn’t help him even if he asked.’ You retorted.

Javy and Reuben managed to get over to the rink's edge without much trouble, but Jake was checking his phone one last time and ensuring it was secure in the pocket of his jeans.

‘What’re you waitin’ for, Hangman?’ You shouted.

He rolled his eyes, and you and Bradley both laughed.

Jake on roller skates reminded you of a baby deer that hadn’t learned to walk properly yet. You suspected you would be ten bucks richer in the next five minutes.

Madonna gave way to ‘Take On Me’ by Aha, and Bradley nudged your arm with his elbow.

‘I love this song, let’s get out there. Hangman will catch up.’

His smile and joyous energy were infectious, so you followed him onto the rink without a word, and without looking back at poor Jake who was stuck behind a group of kids who were skating better than he was.

‘It’s the carpet.’ You heard him say. ‘I’ll be fine once I get off the carpet.’

Reuben, Coyote, and Nat were right behind Bradley and you. You mistakenly thought it would be a while before any of them could catch up on you, but then Nat glided past you, her dark hair billowing out behind her.

‘Whoa, Phoenix! I thought you couldn’t skate!’ Bradley exclaimed.

She spun around, so she was rolling backwards. ‘I never said that. There are plenty of things you don’t know about me!’

She sped off. Reuben and Javy tried to catch up, but their glides weren’t long enough, and they wobbled a lot.

‘You’re shuffling, not skating.’ You instructed. ‘You need to push the tips of your toes into the floor and then push forward.’

They wore matching confused frowns, and you huffed in annoyance. ‘It’s hard to explain. Just watch my feet!’

When the song's chorus kicked in, you pushed off and started taking long strides across the rink. When you got close to the edge, you leaned to your left to get around the corner, and then picked up your speed. It felt like being 21 again, carefree and full of boundless energy.

By the time Mickey, Bob and Jake finally joined the rest of the squad on the rink, you'd done three loops.

Reuben and Javy watched you closely; before long, they were building their confidence. Bradley was skating next to them, watching you with an impressed smirk.

It was easily the most fun you’d had in months.

Especially when Jake got too cocky, sped up and went straight into the barrier around the rink. You felt it in your body when he smashed into the floor.

You got to him quickly and helped him back onto his feet.

‘Are you hurt?’ You asked.

‘Just my pride.’

You grinned, clapping him on the shoulder. ‘In that case, you owe me ten dollars.’ You said, and then you were on your way again.

Nat was teaching Bob and Mickey the same technique you’d taught Javy and Reuben, who were now racing each other around the rink. You’d slowed down next to Bradley to watch the commotion that was sure to end in tears.

Not five seconds later, the same group of kids that had gotten in Jake’s way were right in their path. The pair of them were going way too fast to stop, and before you could shout, the whole lot of them were in a pile on the floor. Both you and Bradley doubled over in hysterics, unable to breathe properly.

You were laughing so hard that you almost fell over. Bradley grabbed your waist with his big, strong hands, steadying you immediately. The warmth of his touch through the skin-tight fabric of your tank top was something you doubted you’d be able to forget anytime soon.

‘Easy, sweetheart.’ He said gruffly.

Your heart pitter-pattered, loud and fast enough that you were sure he could hear it over ‘Heaven Is A Place On Earth.’ Your mind wandered to the other places you wouldn’t mind those hands being, and you were nearing dangerous territory. Like, not-being-able-to-look-Bradley-in-the-eye-without-kissing-him territory.

But then Mickey rolled up beside you, the rest of the Daggers in tow, demanding your hand. Apparently, there was a first time for everything, because suddenly, you’d all made one long link. A friendship link, as Mickey had so gleefully yelled. You were skating around the rink in one long chain, laughing and singing along to Belinda Carlisle. It was a neon-coloured, cotton-candy scented dream.

Nearly two hours passed. The time flew by so quickly that when someone announced over the intercom that the seven o'clock group had only 5 minutes left, you were genuinely gobsmacked.

‘There’s no way we’ve been here that long already!’ Mickey exclaimed.

‘I know right,’ you said, pretty bummed out. ‘We’re gonna have to come back, I really enjoyed tonight.’

Nat looped her arm through yours. ‘I think even Hangman enjoyed himself towards the end.’

Jake was in front of you, trying to learn how to skate backwards with Bradley, who kept catching your eye on purpose.

There had always been chemistry between you, but nothing had ever come of it. In actual fact, tonight was the most obvious the two of you had been about it.

Unfortunately, you didn’t have time to dwell on this too much, because you had to get off the rink. The group chatted happily as they removed their skates and put their shoes back on. Everybody else had rented skates, so you went outside to wait while they returned them.

After two hours of skating, the fresh air was a relief. Your skates were tied together, slung over your shoulder, and you closed your eyes and lifted your face to the sky, breathing deeply. A night with your squad always left you feeling whole in ways that alone time didn’t.

‘Y/N!’ Bradley called.

You turned around to find him standing in the doorway holding what appeared to be two beers.

‘There’s an arcade upstairs, and bowling. You comin’ back in?’

This wasn’t part of the plan, but you were happy that the night wasn’t over yet.

‘What, so I can kick your ass at every game?’ You teased.

Bradley cocked a brow, the corner of his mouth twitching as he suppressed a smirk. God, you wanted to kiss that stupid mouth.

‘How about we make a bet of our own?’ He said, watching as you strolled over to him.

You didn’t stop until you were right in front of him, close enough that if you stood on your tiptoes just slightly, your lips would be touching.

‘What do you have in mind?’

He stared at you intently, eyes dark with lust. His brief glance at your glossed lips was a dead giveaway. ‘First one to lose a game has to make the first move.’ He rasped.

You looked up at him through your eyelashes, and he released a short, exasperated breath.

��Deal.’

Reuben, Javy, Bob and Mickey were locked into a serious game of bowling. You weren’t sure, but you thought they were playing for money. Nat and Jake were playing air hockey—rather viciously. After dumping your skates, you and Bradley set about choosing a game to play.

Mickey had really lucked-out by finding this place. The arcade was chock-full of different games and amusements—so many that you were overwhelmed by choices.

Bradley suggested Mortal Kombat, to which you politely declined. You counter-offered the race car sim, but Bradley wasn’t feeling it.

After playfully debating pros and cons for most of the games, the pair of you found yourself in front of Dance Dance Revolution.

There were so many pros for this one. For one, you kicked ass at DDR. For two, you would be in close proximity the entire time. You could accidentally trip him up or something.

Bradley shook his head slowly. ‘Uh-uh. Nope.’ He made a point of popping the ‘p’.

‘Why?’ You whined. ‘Please, it’ll be fun. Besides, I suck at this game so I’ll probably lose anyway.’ You lied.

Bradley eyed you suspiciously. Then, he got distracted and he trailed over your entire body. You might as well have been standing naked in front of him, for the way it made you feel.

He licked his bottom lip and you shivered. ‘Fine. Dance battle it is.’

You stepped onto the DDR platform, rolling your shoulders as the neon lights flickered over the screen. Bradley took the spot next to you, cracking his knuckles like he was about to go into battle.

He glanced over, that cocky smirk already tugging at the corner of his mouth. ‘Think you can keep up with me, sweetheart?’ He teased, nudging your shoulder.

The machine beeped, the song selection flashing across the screen, and you scrolled through the options with deliberate slowness, dragging out the moment just to watch him fidget. His hands settled on his hips, chest rising and falling as he exhaled through his nose. Oh, he wants to win. Badly.

But when you finally picked a song and stepped back, Bradley leaned in—just enough for his breath to ghost over your cheek—and murmured, ‘Hope you don’t get too distracted.’

The countdown ticked down, and the first notes of the song exploded from the speakers. The arrows rolled up the screen, and you both moved in sync, feet tapping out the rhythm like it was second nature. You were laser-focused—at first. But then you glanced over, and Bradley was watching you, not the screen.

He was still nailing every step, his body moving effortlessly, but his eyes? They flickered over to yours, his smirk widening when he caught you looking. Oh, he was playing dirty.

‘You’re slowing down, sweetheart.’ He taunted over the pounding bass, his voice smug and dripping with amusement.

You gritted your teeth and snapped your gaze back to the screen, doubling down—faster steps. Perfect timing. Your score started climbing, matching his. But then—distraction struck back.

Bradley suddenly rolled his hips with the beat, his arms lifting slightly like he was actually dancing instead of just playing, and your brain stuttered.

‘Oh, come on.’ You huffed, missing an arrow.

His laughter was rich and victorious, but you didn’t have time to glare at him. The song kicked into high gear, the steps coming rapid-fire, and you forced yourself to focus, willing your feet to move faster, faster, until—

The screen flashed.

PLAYER TWO: GAME OVER.

Your heart sank as you realised what just happened. One tiny misstep, one moment of distraction, and—

Bradley whooped, punching the air. ‘And that, sweetheart, is game.’ He crowed, stepping off the platform with the swagger of a man who knew exactly what was coming next.

Your stomach flipped as he turned back to face you, grinning like the cat who got the cream. ‘You remember the bet, don’t you?’

Oh, you remembered.

And from the way he was looking at you—his lips slightly parted, his hands twitching at his sides like he was holding himself back—so did he.

You’d felt pretty confident up until about five seconds ago, and now the rug had been ripped out from under you. The DDR machine was in a poorly lit corner at the back of the arcade. Panicking slightly, you scanned your surroundings, trying to devise a plan. What if someone saw you? Were you supposed to kiss him?

Then your attention was snagged by the photo booth against the opposite wall. It was nestled between the back wall and a claw machine full of Jellycats. If this next part went well, you made a mental note to bring Bradley back here and make him win one for you.

Now you had a plan, your confidence was slowly trickling back in. After one more glance around the space to make sure none of the Daggers were watching, you grabbed Bradley’s hand and pulled him towards the photo booth.

‘Romantic.’ He quipped, a shit-eating grin to rival Jake’s plastered on his face.

If you thought DDR was close quarters, this was something else entirely. The bench was just big enough for the two of you.

You pushed the button to start it up, and prepared to pose for the first picture.

You knew the first one would be cute, because you and Bradley were both grinning like lovesick fools. As the countdown began for the second picture, your confidence finally hit max capacity…

Without giving yourself time to back out, you put your hand on the top of Bradley’s thigh and just before the camera snapped, you (not so) gently grabbed his dick. Now you were the one sporting the shit-eating grin, and Bradley’s head snapped towards you. That move had made him practically rabid.

You stared each other down, the countdown totally forgotten about. It didn’t matter, anyway. You were perfectly on time without even trying.

One minute, you were staring, and the next, Bradley was on you. Your hands were in his hair as he pulled you onto his lap and let both of his hands rest on your ass. The kiss was sloppy and frantic; you didn’t dare stop even though you were breathless. You’d been waiting a long time for this. You silently thanked your past self for choosing this little white tennis skirt. You could feel Bradley’s hard-on through your underwear.

His hands, which were on top of your skirt, now reached under so he was touching bare skin (another thank you to your past self for the pretty white thong). This only seemed to intensify the moment, because his lips moved to your neck. It was your turn to make noise when he began sucking on the sweet spot just below your earlobe. Honestly, you hadn’t meant for the moan to escape you, but it had, and he’d definitely heard it.

Bradley stopped only to tease you. ‘Oh, you like that do you?’

‘B-bradley.’ You breathed.

‘Okay, okay.’ He whispered. ‘I’ll carry on.’

And he did. You became a squirming, writhing mess on top of him, and he was eating it up. You’d lost the bet and you wanted to take some control back. While he was busy kissing your neck, you undid the button and zipper on his jeans, and reached in. You were sly and quick about it, and he barely had enough time to register what you were doing before you were palming his dick over his boxers.

Bradley’s breath caught in his throat as he tilted his head back up to look at you. His eyes were all pupil, and his cheeks were as red as the photo booth curtain. How was it possible for a man to be so fucking sexy and so adorable at the same time?

You had him right where you wanted him. Or so you’d thought. Stupidly, you found yourself getting distracted by the size of him, and that’s when he took two fingers and slipped them underneath the wet fabric separating you from him. All he had to do was make one stroke, and you were mewing in his lap.

‘Unless you want me to fuck you in this photobooth,’ you snapped. ‘You better cut that shit out.’

A deep, husky chuckle rolled through him, vibrating against your chest. You were half-joking, but he took your threat seriously. Adjusting slightly, he pulled his jeans down so they were at his knees, and then let you resume your former position. If you shimmied forward slightly, you’d be sitting directly on his dick, just his boxers and your flimsy underwear between you. Luckily for you, you didn’t have to decide whether to do that or not, because Bradley gripped your thighs and pulled you forward.

Dizzy with lust, you reached around and pulled his length from his boxers. Following your lead, he pulled your thong to the side, and slowly pushed two fingers deep into the heat of you. You bit back a moan that would have been far too loud, and his smirk was so frustrating that you had to cover his mouth with yours to hide it. He licked your bottom lip, and you let him taste you. It was a good distraction from the noises you were thinking about making.

‘I don’t have a condom.’ He whispered against your lips.

You were in such a state of ecstasy that you could barely get two words out. You just about managed to say one, which was simply ‘pill.’

He chuckled darkly again, and you tightened around his fingers. ‘Can you give me a full sentence, pretty girl? I need to make sure we’re both on the same page.’

He was being genuine, but he also couldn’t help himself. He added another finger and watched your eyes roll into the back of your head.

‘Sweet girl?’ He prompted.

You had a death grip on his bicep. ‘I’m. On. The. Pill.’ You said through gritted teeth.

‘See,’ he whispered, positioning himself beneath you. ‘That wasn’t so hard, was it?’

‘I’m gonna get you back for that someday, Bradshaw.’

‘I look forward to it.’

His tip pressed against your entrance. Briefly, you wondered what would happen if one of the Daggers, or some random stranger, came down to this end of the arcade. But then you were sinking onto Bradley’s cock, and the worries just melted away. As he gripped your hips and to help you get a rhythm, the phrase ‘rearrange my guts’ took on a totally new meaning. You groaned, and Bradley captured your lips in a brief kiss.

‘Quiet, sweetheart.’

Something about his commanding tone made it harder to keep quiet. You bit down on your lip to keep from shouting his name at the top of your lungs.

You were having sex. With Bradley Bradshaw. In a photo booth.

If Bradley hadn’t suddenly grabbed your hips, lifted you slightly, and started thrusting up into you, you would’ve laughed.

‘Fuck,’ he stuttered. ‘You feel so good.’

You were close. You tightened around him and he groaned again—it was your new favourite sound.

‘I’m-’

‘Me too.’

And then both of you were coming. Hard. His head rolled back as he tipped over the edge and spilled into you. It felt like someone had used your nerve endings to light a match.

You rode out your highs together, and when you were spent, you let out a long, shaky breath.

‘Holy fuck.’ You said.

Bradley ran a hand through his hair. ‘Well, I hope you like souvenirs, baby, ‘cause we’re keeping those pictures.’

You laughed. ‘We should probably get out of here. We’ve been missing a while.’

He kissed you again, for good measure. ‘I need to ask you something.'

You cocked your head. ‘What?’

‘Was that a one time thing?’

‘I really, really hope not.’

Back at the bowling lanes, Jake and Nat had joined in the fun. When you and Bradley appeared, everybody turned. Jake grinned wickedly. You locked eyes with Bob and he diverted his gaze very quickly. Nat was glaring at Bradley like a disappointed mother. Mickey and Reuben both handed Javy twenty bucks. All of this happened over the course of five, extremely drawn-out seconds.

‘You two were gone a while.’ Nat pointed out, folding her arms.

You and Bradley glanced at each other, unsure how to approach this situation.

‘We were playing Dance Dance Revolution.’ You told her. ‘I lost a bet.’

‘Really.’ She droned, sounding almost bored.

Oh, she knew alright.

You scrambled for something to say, tried to ignore the heat of everyone’s eyes burning into you. It was like they could see your sinful act written all over you.

And the ground might as well have opened up and swallowed you whole when Nat said: ‘Take any nice pictures?’

A/N: Just a little one shot while I try to motivate myself to finish my WIPs. This is my first time writing smut, so if it sucks, go easy on me.

[ssweeterthanfiction]

Green Eyes, Freckles, and Your Smile

finnick odair x fem apprentice stylist!reader summary: After arriving at the Capitol for the 65th Hunger Games, Finnick meets his prep team and is intrigued by a certain apprentice.

masterlist

The minute Finnick stepped into the prep room, he knew he was going to hate it. Everything in the room was so bright, so shiny, so noisy, so extra, so were the people. To him they all looked like walking blobs of paint. One had extravagant gold lashes, another had neon blue hair.

They all fluttered around him, their high-pitched, excited, sickly sweet voices overlaping as they proded and examined his every feature.

"Such potential!” “Oh, those eyes!” “We’ll have to highlight that jawline!”

He wanted to react, he wanted to swat them away, but he knew he couldn't, so he sat still. But as he did, something caught his eyes. Or rather, someone.

He saw you standing near the racks of clothing, partially hidden behind the sparkling fabrics. You didn't look like the others. Your outfit was much simpler, a white dress with flowers embroidered on it that fell just above your knee and a simple pair of shoes, nothing like the bright neons and extravagent flourishes that the other stylists had. The only thing that he noticed that was "sparkly" about you was the gold dust on your eyelids and face.

He noticed how you stayed there, observing all the moment around you. He noticed how you held your sketchbook close to your chest like a shield.

And then he finally locked eyes with you.

As he looked at you, he realized that you looked like you were close to his age. And while he looked at you, he felt something. He thought it was just the nervousness in him, but it wasn't. This feeling was something different.

His attention and everyone else's was then pulled away when the head stylist clapped her hands together.

"Alright people, lets get to work!"

The chaotic buzz of voices surged again, and the brightly dressed team closed in on him like a swarm of bees. He resisted the urge to flinch as they tugged at his hair, tilted his chin this way and that, and debated loudly over his “look.”

“Should we go for a sea-green theme? Bring out those District 4 vibes?” “Hmm, no, gold! Gold to highlight those eyes!” “Oh, but his skin! We need to make it shimmer!”

Finnick swallowed his irritation and forced himself to sit still. He didn’t have the energy to care about what they’d do to him. It wasn’t like any of this would matter once he stepped into the Arena.

But then, just as he felt himself shutting down again, he caught a glimpse of you out of the corner of his eye. You’d moved closer, still clutching your sketchbook, though now it was open in your hands. You weren’t speaking, just sketching furiously, brows knitted together in concentration.

And then the head stylist’s voice broke through again.

“Finnick, darling!” she trilled, waving her hand dramatically. “Let me introduce you to my apprentice. She’ll be assisting with your look.”

He turned his focus to you and saw the faint tension in your shoulders as you looked up from your sketchpad. Despite your obvious nerves, you stepped forward, your movements careful and deliberate.

You offered him a small, polite smile. “Hi, Finnick. I’m…I’m here to help however I can.”

Your voice was quieter than he expected. Softer. It lacked the Capitol’s usual syrupy sweet, sing-song quality, he knew you were different.

Later, when the others leave to gather fabrics, Finnick finds himself alone with you. The room feels quieter now, the absence of noise amplifying the tension he’s been holding in since his arrival.

You’re seated at a table, her head bent over as you draw in your sketchpad. He hesitates, unsure why he’s drawn to you but unable to resist the pull.

“So… you’re not like the others, huh?” he says as he takes a step towards you.

You look up, startled by his sudden presence.

“What do you mean?”

He leans against the edge of the table, crossing his arms.

“You’re not loud and shiny. You don’t talk to me like I’m some… product.”

“Maybe because I don’t think you are. You’re…a person. Not an object.”

He doesn’t know how to respond, so he just nods, his lips twitching into the faintest hint of a smile.

When everyone comes back, there's still a hint of...something in the air. But he still couldn't figure out what it was.

"Dearest, go find something so we can use to accessorize Finnick" the head stylists says to you as she takes some of Finnick's measurements.

You nod and Finnick watches as you look through a large display of extravagent jewlery.

A few minutes later, as the stylists continue arguing over colors, he watches as you approach him, holding a delicate necklace with a small ocean-blue pendant.

“This one,” you say softly, your voice barely cutting through all the chatter. You hold it up for him to see. “It suits you.”

Finnick shrugs, offering a crooked grin to mask the nervous flutter in his chest. “If you say so.”

You step a little closer, your hands steady but hesitant, "I’ll put it on for you- just, uh, tilt your head down a little?”

Finnick obliges, ducking his head slightly so you can reach. He feels you move closer, the faint scent of something floral surrounding you, soft and sweet.

As you loop the necklace around his neck, your fingers brush against the back of his skin. It’s such a light touch, almost nothing, but Finnick feels it like a jolt of static electricity. He swallows hard, trying not to react, but his cheeks warm anyway.

You can feel it too. Your hands falter for just a second as you fasten the clasp, and when your fingers accidentally linger against the nape of his neck, you pull them back quickly, cheeks blooming pink.

“Done,” you say quietly, your voice barely above a whisper.

Finnick straightens, letting the pendant settle against his chest. He glances down at it for a brief moment but finds his gaze drifting back to you instead. You’re still standing close, looking up at him with an expression he can’t quite place—somewhere between shy and thoughtful, with a tiny hint of pride in your work.

“Thanks,” he says, his tone coming out softer than usual.

“You’re welcome,” you reply, your smile small and almost bashful.

He watches you step back a little, clutching your sketchpad to your chest again like a safety net.

For a moment, neither of you know what to say. Finnick gazes at the faint gold shimmer on your eyelids and wonders if you’ve always looked this... nice. Meanwhile, you try not to stare at how the necklace highlights his features perfectly, the pendant’s soft blue making his green eyes look even brighter.

The silence lingers, but it doesn’t feel awkward. Instead, it feels like a spark waiting to catch.

Finally, you clear your throat, breaking the moment. “It, um, really brings out your eyes. The pendant, I mean.”

Finnick smiles, the warmth spreading to his ears. “Yeah? I guess I’ll take your word for it.”

You laugh softly, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear, and Finnick finds himself grinning too. It’s not much, just a simple moment, but it’s enough to leave them both feeling like something’s shifted—something feels like everything has changed.

He watches as you turn back to your sketches but he can’t help but steal another glance your way, wondering why out of all the shiny, noisy, extravagant things here, you’re the one that’s caught his attention.

A/N: UGHHH I LOVE THEM SO MUCH MY CUTIES☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️ THEYRE SO CUTE☹️

LMK IF YOU GUYS WANT MORE OF THIS READER AND FINNICK

[stickyfrogs]

Today’s Napping Frog-Blob Buddies are Jens and Round Frog! Jens is wearing his Freckled Neon Pyjamas and Round Frog is in her Deluxe Chestnut Sleeping Cape!

[madisonya]

Ok this is her brightened her rebrand might be a neon green smile but girl idk mrs blob please dont leave us

[gaykarstaagforever]

Okay, DS9 fans. I found my first bad one. "Melora" sucks.

What the hell are we even doing here? A dreadfully hamfisted disability metaphor...except she's NOT disabled, she's just a pain in the ass who is hot and blonde and CAN FLY.

And her so-called disability makes absolutely no sense in this universe. She can't tolerate average Starfleet artificial Earth gravity. ...IN SPACE.

Just shut the fucking plating off when she's in a room, guys. They act like it's impossible for these people to tolerate a few hours of low-Gs. You're ASTRONAUTS. They don't train these idiots how to manage in low gravity? YOU LIVE IN SPACE!

Oh, but if it isn't carpeted and temperature controlled and doesn't have artificial gravity, fuck space exploration, I'm gonna go play tennis. Come on, you fancy pricks.

I mean, if that's what we're doing here, fine. But it immediately makes everyone look like a big baby.

I realize DS9 is a Cardassian station and they're Space MAGA, so fine, they'd be ableist pricks. But then Sisko gives her shit about flying alone in a low-G runabout. Why did you let her join Starfleet if you're not going to accommodate this? What about all the Federation species that breathe neon, or are lava monsters, or are sentient deep-sea blob fish? Obviously you're going to have to let them serve in segregated situations.

"SHE DEMANDED THEY LET HER DO THIS!"

Well, no she fucking didn't, because she spends most of the episode bitching about how they're not going out of their way enough for her. And either way, she's an ensign. You don't let her dictate that. Sort it out, admirals. You live in a universe where some people are glowing orbs who don't understand time. Not everyone gets to just show up and do whatever they want.

And even accepting all this, why would the one huge gap in the Federation's medical science be helping people from low-gravity planets live in standard gravity environments? They can beam individual cells out of the body and cure blindness and make everyone live to 170, but they don't have gene therapies to correct tissue density? Clearly it isn't that hard to figure out, because Bashir sorts it out in like 10 minutes, and he was doing the calculations the whole time with his boner.

Which is another problem. She's an ensign, Bashir. I don't care how enlightened this future is, that sort of power imbalance is fundamentally unworkable in a romantic relationship. How could anyone trust that to work out? The officers sleeping with each-other and everyone fucking civvies all the time is bad enough. But you can't run a military organization if the officers are kissing the soldiers.

"STARFLEET ISN'T MILITARY!"

Oh shut up.

Of course, these people let commanders of war ships bring their families along to get exploded by panels, so I guess they just don't care.

That's not enlightened. That's the kind of thing ancient tribes did. It's always been a goofy part of this universe, but we accept certain things about a fun TV show. But Bashir sexually preying on an ensign is the kind of Kirk / Yeoman stuff that was inappropriate when they did it in the 60s.

Why didn't the writers just make her a ranking cartography officer? Why did you make her an ensign? Of course, if she WAS an officer, they surely would have figured out how to accommodate her by now, and we don't get to see a space-wheelchair.

...Also, fun fact, THEY HAVE PORTABLE ANTIGRAV UNITS! THEY'VE HAD THOSE SINCE TOS! THEY USE THEM TO MOVE CARGO ALL THE TIME! Why the fuck are you replicating wheelchairs?? Why isn't she wearing one of those antigrav things on her narrow ass so she can just float around everywhere all the time???

...Spock had rocket boots in the one movie! We were there! We all saw that! That was YEARS ago! Guys!

Who produced this episode that they didn't know any of this by this point in the franchise? It's surreal.

Also, doesn't Starfleet employ sentient dolphins to do stellar cartography? Or was that just a non-canon thing from the technical manual? Minor point.