#they go first and they hit HARD and then the thing they're attacking is dead or almost dead

[bitegore]

if your ocs were bosses in a video game, what do you think their boss fight would be like?

[lvllns]

i love my sneaky dnd rogues but there is something so very satisfying about being able to say "no a 20 doesn't hit"

[impish-baby]

More dad survivor x zombie reader + an old friend :) (tw: dead animal, guns, emetophobia, threats of harm)

"Aw, sugar.." The dead bird is the farthest thing from appetizing but you look so darn happy offering it to him, how's he supposed to say no?

"You're the sweetest, daddy will eat it later, ok?" That at least seems to be satisfactory enough for now, as you drop the poor thing down onto the park table.

The playground has long been abandoned, left in disarray since the apocalypse hit, that doesnt stop Hank from finding it absolutely adorable when you try to climb up a slide. Nearly gives him a heart attack though.

"Baby, come on, you're gonna hurt yourself." He wonders if you remember being little and playing here, your memory isn't the best when it comes to some things but you sure seem to recall what it takes to give him gray hairs. "I know you think it's fun, but your old man really couldn't handle it if you got scratched up while you're messing around."

You get hurt so easily now a days, he's basically toddler proofed the house all over again and yet you still find a way to bang yourself up when he's not around, that's why he's taken to tying you up when he can't keep an eye on you.

When you do finally decide to slide back down, Hank immediately sweeps you up into his arms with a soft chuckle. "Alright, alright, I think you've had enough outside time for today, we should be headin' home."

It would've been a good day, a great one even, if he didn't catch the glittering of a silver barrel from the corner of his eye.

"Shit-" Hank has never been more greatful that he was holding you, because you lunge automatically for the stranger and likewise closer to the gun. "No, sweetheart, shhh..shh..calm down.." God, he'd love it if you listened, it's hard to pull out his own pistol while trying to wrangle you into staying put.

Other survivors aren't very common in town, most people left after the first few months.

"You gonna let that thing go so I can shoot it?" He recognizes that voice, and it makes Hank's heart sink into a pit in his stomach. "I ain't.. Hank?" A familiar face is rare, a friendly familiar face is nearly unheard of.

"Don't shoot, don't shoot, just step back for a minute, alright?" When Hank glances over, he wasn't expecting Bo to be emptying his stomach onto the cement.

"I- Fuck-" The man retches again, dryheaving. "You.. God, the kid.." An honorary uncle, Bo knew you since the day you where born, he didn't see the day that was meant to be your last.

"I know," You stopped struggling once you heard his voice, eyes wide as you simply whine to be let down. "You're gonna have to wait, be patient, hun." That never was your strong suit. "The grown ups need to talk."

"Hank.. man, you gotta let them go.." There's tears in Bo's eyes as he takes a cautious step forward. "They're dead. There aren't any ifs or buts, that's a corpse. You can't-"

"That is my child," He's been a sinner for a long time, if it comes down to it, shooting his brother will be one of his worst. "My baby, what kind of father am I to hurt them?"

"A merciful one!" There are days you wake up confused and scared, you cry for hours or at least your body tries to. "They aren't a person anymore, Hank, they aren't themselves. You're fucking lucky they haven't bitten you yet!"

"I'd welcome it if they did." He's thought about it, that first night when you went cold in his arms and many more after that. "You pull that trigger and that's it, a life without my kid isn't worth living."

"Dammit," Hank almost collapses in relief as the gun is holstered, putting his away as well. "You're still an idiot, huh? Figures.."

Bo approaches slowly, never taking his eyes off your still form. All you do is smile and try to reach out for a hug, but he cringes away with a look of disgust.

Hank's heart breaks as you tuck your teary face against his neck. He doesn't know how to explain in a way you'd still understand, all he can is press a kiss to your forehead and shush your sniffles.

[starmieknight]

Was thinking about Stan's habit of grabbing his chest when he's scared and then thought about what if he did end up having a heart attack or something after Ford came back. Like, he's been stressed for ages and now he's gotta worry about Ford potentially getting the kids into something dangerous like he did and where he's gonna go after the kids leave and what he's gonna do without the Shack.

Maybe it hits him in the middle of tour or something. Like, he's been feeling off all day and looks kinda ragged so maybe Soos is keeping close and sees him go down. At first, people think it's part of the tour or some typical Stan gag. And then he doesn't laugh or try to play it up for money. So the twins run down to the basement to get Ford.

He's kinda annoyed that his planning time's been interrupted by Stanley's antics, but the twins seem genuinely upset so he goes to check it out. And finds out Soos and Wendy called an ambulance and there really IS a problem. Then he kinda disconnects from the situation. Like, he's panicking internally but this isn't the first major medical situation he's been in. So he calmly gets the kids (Soos and Wendy included) into Stan's car and follows the ambulance to the hospital. He's the one wrangling the kids while they freak out and asking all the questions to the doctors and nurses about Stan's condition. He can't take time to worry about his brother because he's got a bunch of kids to reassure and they're all looking to him because he's the eldest person there. He's an old man with all the answers in the universe. If anyone can tell them Stan's gonna be okay, it's gonna be Mr. 12 PhDs.

Except... he doesn't.

He doesn't know anything about his brother's medical history past the age of seventeen. Dipper's the one to mention Stan's medication and Mabel knows his diet and Soos and Wendy know about his boxing hobby and work schedule. Ford has a hazy memory about Stan chewing his way out of a trunk once.

He starts thinking about how Stan's the only family he has left. Sure, the twins are there, but they don't really know each other. Shermie and his son are just over the state line in California, but they don't know who he is anymore. Stanley's been wearing his face for years and they never seemed to notice. His parents are dead. Fiddleford is 30 years in the wind.

Stanley's the only one who truly knows him. Knows about his deepest insecurities and childhood dreams. Who knows his favorite books and comic book heroes. About his first disastrous date and the kissing bot. About how badly things had gone for him and been at his doorstep only a couple of days after receiving a single postcard after 10 years of silence.

And Ford knows nothing of the man Stanley became. Stanley doesn't know how Ford has changed. How he's trying SO HARD to fix his mistakes.

And suddenly being so angry over some paltry little machine doesn't seem so important. Ford's the one who built a doomsday device.

He's still angry with Stanley taking his identity, but what does it matter if no one noticed? Sure, Stan got him a criminal record, but he made one of his own in the multiverse. Their family has always leaned to the gray side of the law.

And now they may never get the chance to know each other again. 40 years without each other and the pain of potentially losing Stanley cuts Stanford so deep he feels like he's the one dying.

So he sits in that cold hospital waiting room, four hysterical kids surrounding him, and wears a straight face while his world falls apart around him.

If you lose your parents, they call you an orphan.

If you lose your twin, they don't stop calling you a brother.

[dexxtrosee]

In the middle of the night

Michael "Robby" Robinavitch x reader

TW: mentions of canon violent mass event, panic attack.

He doesn’t talk to you about it.

Days pass and pass, and then they turn into weeks. More patients come, more patients die, more patients live. Jake doesn’t talk to him, Leah's parents invite him to the funeral. Still, he doesn’t tell you about any of it, aside from shaking his head when you ask when Jake's coming over again. It was on the news, he's not stupid enough to think you have no clue about what he went through, you just don't know how bad it was.

You don’t know any of it from his own mouth, and still, it bothers him when you don’t seem even slightly surprised every time he wakes you up with his nightmares and his crying. You just let him hide his face on your neck, let him clutch your body against his while the sobs wreck him. You push his hair back, kiss his forehead, wait until he's calm enough to manhandle him back to lying down. He falls asleep to your fingers tracing the lines of his face more often than not.

One particularly bad night, he manages to wake himself up in silence, petrified. You don’t seem to notice at first, breath soft and slow, still sleeping. He can’t move, can’t make a single sound. His chest feels tight, his head is drowning in screams and sobs and people telling him he's not good enough.

The bed feels too soft, his shirt is choking him. Why couldn't he save them? Why is he even fucking trying? Fuck, he can't breathe. Adamson died on his watch, he made him suffer through a horrible, long death because he couldn't let go. And everyone had to watch him do it again with Leah, cling to an impossible task while docens of people needed him and she was already fucking dead. Fuck, fuck, fuck fuck fuck fuck-

"Robby. Hey, Robby, look at me. Open your eyes love, come on."

Your voice makes him jump. He realizes for the first time he's hyperventilating now, squeezing his eyes shut.

God, he feels pathetic for putting you through this again and again. You're gonna end up leaving him, he's sure. He's too much and too little at the same time, more baggage than man. He can’t keep doing this to you, he can't, he can't he can't-

"Robby, open your eyes."

He feels you grab his arms and pull him into a sitting position. His entire body breaks into shivers, his heart trying its best to burst out of his chest.

"Robby, open your eyes."

When he finally does, he doesn’t like the concern plastered over your features. He pushes you away slightly, bending to the side.

"I-I think I'm gonna be sick."

You don’t seem to listen to him, instead jumping over the blankets until you're kneeling by his side. You push his head back with the heel of your hand, and he closes his eyes again. He doesn’t think he can handle your worry right now.

A balloon stretches inside his throat. His hands fly to clutch at his neck, but your hand grips them both and pushes them down until they're pressed against his legs. You're seeing right through him, right into all the things he's tried hiding from you ever since he met you.

He doesn’t want it to reach you.

"Robby, I think my lip is bleeding. Can you take a look at it?"

Your question freezes him on the spot. Did he accidentally hit you? Oh fuck, fuck-

"I bit my lip too hard earlier today, I was sewing up my green sweater and got lost in my head. It's the one you gave me, remember? The knitted one."

Robby frowns, squeezing your hand tighter. The green one? The one he got in Philly after your third date?

"The one you say feels too rough unles you're wearing it."

Ah, Robby remembers that one. It felt itchy, he asked about it when he gave it to you and you put it on right there. Then you had shaken your head and smiled, telling him it was softer on the inside.

"Open your eyes, babe."

Slowly, he does. You're bent in front of him, and there's a small speck of blood close to the edge of your mouth.

He raises his hand, cleaning it up with shaky fingers. It doesn’t really help, just spreads it over your lower lip and paints it a faint red. It makes him chuckle, but the sound resembles an animal in agony.

Out of nowhere, he feels something cold and metallic press against his neck. He gasps, unintentionally pulling you closer.

You let him. You shuffle closer until you're kneeling between his legs, and he wraps his arms around you. His face is wet, his entire body feels weak, made of paper.

"Where did you even get that sweater from? You may need to buy me a new one if I can’t save this one."

It was a local, old shop. The owner was an older man, running the store on his own, if he had to guess. Full of old furniture, the kind that lasts generations.

"I-I can try and h-help you mend it."

Your chest shakes slightly against his, laughing. He buries his head on your shoulder. "Sure you can, doc."

Minutes pass. Your hand tangles inside his hair, the other caressing his back up and down. Your warmth seeps into his clothes, his body, relaxing it until he feels he can barely stay upright.

You kiss his cheek, his temble, his shoulder. He can’t really help it when he bursts into tears.

"Take a deep breath, it’s okay. I'm right here."

His sobs rock the entire bed. He wishes he could hug you close enough to merge his soul with yours.

"It's okay love, you can let it out."

In the middle of the night, with the other half of his soul wrapped around his, he finally does.

[meara-eldestofthemall]

Gee, thanks DC! You Just Turned Bruce Into An Irredeemable Ass.

So, at the end of Gotham War Bruce has officially lost everything. Alfred is still dead, Selina is "presumed dead" and Bruce is both financially and morally broke. Why, you may ask, is Bruce so much worse off this time? Let me count the ways.

He preformed a psychic lobotomy on Jason

The "it's for your own good" excuse only makes the mental rape undertaken by Jason's own father that much more heinous.

Just when you think Bruce can't sink any lower he does. When Dick recognizes that Bruce has lost it, he attempts to use a failsafe disconnect that Bruce himself built into the system. How does Nightwing get thanked for that? Well that brings us to number two on the list.

Batman attacks up his eldest son for doing what he's supposed to do when Batman has gone rouge.

Bruce beats him up because nothing proves you are in control of your sanity like hitting your children. While Dick is holding back, Bruce does no such thing. He hits Nightwing hard enough to send him flying. It could have gotten even worse if Tim hadn't shown up.

Tim arrives and attempts to talk some sense into Batman.

Tim tries to talk Bruce down. It doesn't go well. When Robin is trying to help, as he always does, Batman uses the attempt to reason with him to put the smack down on his son. Bruce could have killed Tim but apparently feels no remorse or guilt.

If there was any teeny tiny little doubt that Bruce will not win the Father of The Year award in 2023 it died a horrible screaming death when Batman abandons his children to potential arrest. Yes, he left a batarang for Dick and Tim but any glimer of possible hope associated with that action was instantly extinguished by Damian's reaction to Batman's callous betrayal.

Bruce abandons Damian.

Look at Dami; he's devastated. Since he came into Bruce's life, Damian has struggled with feelings that he can never earn his father's love and respect. Well, that negative self-image was reinforced in way that may never be repairable. Bruce just utterly destroyed a 13 year old child because of his inability to feel any kind of empathy.

And how does this all end? The best part is that Bruce takes all of his parental responsibilities and dumps them onto Dick.

Thank you Chip Zdarsky and Trini Howard. You've taken Batman from being an edgy anti-hero and made him into a callous monster. Part of me hopes that Bruce never comes back because he doesn't deserve his family.

The only positive aspect in this convoluted mess is that Damian and Tim will be far better off with Dick than with Bruce. Yes, Tim is mostly independent but he still needs guidance (particularly since Tim's first instinct is to try and save Bruce). Damian is essentially Dick's son emotionally anyway so this might help to sustain the positive character growth we've seen in him as of late.

The point of this rant is to wonder what on earth DC thinks they're doing. This story arc has been pure character destruction as far as Bruce is concerned. It's bad storytelling too; rushed, frenetic and massively disappointing.

Hasn't the popularity of Good Dad Bruce in Wayne Family Adventures proved that fans are tired of Bruce being a dark depressed and brooding edge lord? We all accept that Batman is a character with deeeeep issues who is in desperate need of therapy. I, however, draw the line at Bruce being an abusive a**hole.

In years to come when fans wonder when Batman jumped the shark, this is the plot line they'll point to.

[hopelessmidwesterner]

Eddie Munson Relationship Headcanons!

fluff, angst, hurt/comfort, drugs (weed), swearing, the term headcanon here is a loose one lol, mentions of rock music (Heart and Motörhead) and anxiety

☠ First met you in the main office of Hawkins High one fateful day. You were new to town, there to pick up your books and schedule, whereas he was there because he'd been sent down for the sixth time this year (and it was only September) due to a bong he made in art class that he swore was supposed to be a vase.

☠ Absolute sucker for casual, stay-in dates. Some weed, a collection of horror flicks, and enough snacks to feed an army? Say less.

☠ Writes you notes as much as he can. You'll find them in your pencil case, your books, your car, and even in your own back pockets. They're usually short and sweet things, always decorated with a goofy little doodle.

☠ Super touchy but in the most innocent, instinctual way possible. A hand on the small of your back, weight leaned into your side, a knee bumped into your own, finger hooked through the belt loop of your jeans, etc.

☠ Was super dead set on that whole "i only listen to metal" facade until you came along and saw the secret Nancy Wilson poster in the back of his closet. You taunt him about it constantly.

☠ A tried and true gentle giant, especially when you're upset about something. He's softspoken and more intimate in some odd way whenever you're crying or simply overstimulated, running a hand up and down the length of your back.

☠ Played the waiting game for far too long. In his mind, someone as great as you would never think of him as more than a friend, so he swallowed his feelings for several months until he choked and couldn't take it anymore.

☠ Might be a little scrawny and clumsy but he won't hesitate to go up to bat for you any day of the week. Some creep hitting on you at a show? One of the jock assholes giving you shit for something? Dustin being a little too harsh with his friendly, boyish teasing? It didn't matter, he was gonna step in.

☠ Graduated, got a real job at a local music store, and quit dealing (excluding to you and your friend group) all because of you. You didn't ever ask or suggest it, either. He just knew you deserved more than what his reputation had become.

☠ Anxiety fears him but in great contrast, you're basically the poster child for unease, worry, and nervousness. He doesn't understand it but he does all he can to soothe you during panic attacks and exhausting days where your head gets the best of you.

☠ Told his mom's grave about you once he realized you were more than just a crush.

☠ Took you to see a Motörhead cover band a few towns over for your first date. He'd been a ball of sweat and nerves since he wasn't sure how you'd take all the hard moshing and noise but you were on cloud nine from the moment you entered the dingy club hosting the show. You both left with wide grins and a few bruises as collateral.

☠ Realized he was deep in love with you just a month after you started formally going out. You'd gone to a rowdy party one of Gareth's cousins was throwing and some drunk guy had been shit talking Corroded Coffin, eliciting you to stand up for the guys like a feisty bulldog that even he was a little scared of.

☠ He's your first everything and you're his.

[onestepbackwards]

(Self-aware PLA) Imagine if the player manages to get transported into the game and due to not being made of code is just ungodly strong when in the game, like able to fight a pokemon bare-handed kinda strong.

Now imagine they somehow get transported by complete accident and are just out in the wilderness and decide to just become the local cryptid for funsies. Made a costume out of whatever they could get and everything.

So now people think this pokemon that is immune to pokeballs and as strong if not stronger than the nobles is just roaming around Hisui, on the prowl for its next target (meanwhile they're just gushing over a wurmple they found and petting it)

You honestly thought you'd be nothing but chopped liver if you ever ended up in the Pokemon universe.

It wasn't hard to guess why. Humans in the pokemon world constantly not only had a lot of disasters due to pokemon and legendaries-

But even regular day people dealt with injuries from pokemon, as if it were simply a small cut from an irritated cat.

If you owned an electric type pokemon, it was natural to assume you'd at best be accidentally shocked at some point. Shocks normal humans in your world wouldn't survive most likely.

So you thought.

Waking up in Legends Arceus was... more than just a surprise. You had wondered if you hit your head, or had something slipped in your food before you went to bed the night before.

Of course, you feared for your life at first.

You had no Arcphone or map. Or any of your own pokemon.

If it wasn't for the fact you were looking at living breathing pokemon in the distance, you would have thought you'd been kidnapped and dropped in the wilderness somewhere.

So when you had tried to maneuver through the wilds in an attempt to find some sort of land marks, (which was awful, by the way. How the hell were you going to find landmarks when things looked so different from a new perspective?), it was inevitable you would be spotted.

By a Golduck no less. One that seemed especially dead set on beating the rocks out of you.

It had chased you, a lot more vigorously than in game, before you were cornered.

You thought you were a goner, or at least going to get quite the beating.

But you weren't going to go down without a fight, at least. Even if you were terrified.

So when you threw a terrified punch-

...You weren't expecting the poor Golduck to flying like Team Rocket blasting off.

You had looked at your fists in slight horrified wonder, wondering if it was a fluke of some sort.

However, it quickly became clear when another aggressive pokemon had tried to attack you, that your strength was no joke.

You defended yourself, and low and behold, the other pokemon went flying. Any other pokemon in the area immediately backed off, giving you space.

Though when you gently said hello to a Pichu, and carefully gave the curious pokemon a pet, many pokemon seemed to relax.

The aggressive pokemon though, definitely still gave you a wide berth, and it then hit you.

They were treating you like you were on top of the food chain, being able to square up with them almost like-

It hit you in that moment.

Were they treating you like some sorta Alpha?

You thought for a moment about what this meant, and considered your options.

Given that you had no idea where you were, and how to contact anyone, you decided you'd roll with the punches. Even if that meant doing so literally.

...Which is how you accidentally ended up scaring the first human you saw.

By that point, it had already been a few days.

Despite your sudden climb up the food chain, pokemon for the most part were very friendly to you. Many were willing to help you out.

Some had given you berries and other fruits and veggies they scavenged. Others had helped find you some clothe, which you were... concerned where they had gotten it from.

But you wouldn't turn down clothes or blankets.

That being said, perhaps you should have realized being wrapped in a blanket in the cold at night, surrounded by some Alpha pokemon would have caused a stir by the first human that actually found you.

The poor merchant took off screaming when you spotted him and tried approaching. He was gone before you could even ask him to wait.

You had been confused, and wondered if it was all the wild pokemon near you that spooked him. No doubt he thought some of the alpha pokemon would attack?

It upset you a little bit, but you understood. There goes another human to talk to and get some directions from.

But that did mean you'd have to adjust your approach going forward if you saw another human.

Which of course, also didn't go well.

You came across a camp, and tried to approach-

...Only for everyone to run screaming as they ran from the 'creature' leading a gang of very large pokemon behind them.

After that, you decided perhaps you wouldn't be in contact with any humans any time soon. Not if you kept being found or finding humans at times you were surrounded by other pokemon.

Which was always.

And you had forgotten that people in this era were very wary of pokemon compared to other games. You figured if you were even surrounded by smaller pokemon, you'd still see fear.

It was not long after that you ended up adopting the 'cryptid' persona.

Nearly any time you came across someone, they never got a real good look at you, and ended up running away, usually screaming.

But hey, you weren't hurting anyone. Plus it was kinda funny to think about how you were some mysterious 'human' or 'creature' that gave people the spooks.

May as well find some humor in it, despite how lonely you were.

Of course, you unknowingly end up causing some discord in the local settlements. Word spreads of the odd creature that is often spotted with different pokemon, especially alpha pokemon.

And the pokemon seem to follow them, like they are a leader of some sort.

Was it a new pokemon? A humanoid lookin' one?

Was it strong enough to wrangle even alphas?

Was it dangerous? Did it hunt humans?

Did the creature only come out at night?

Meanwhile, you are playing peekaboo with an Eevee, blissfully unaware of the conflict people have about your existence.

Questions about your presence spread like wildfire as people pondered who you were. Or what you were.

Maybe you weren't even a pokemon at all, but some sort of spirit or god?

Others, a smaller few, suggested maybe you were just a hermit. (Unknowingly, they were sorta right...)

Some wondered if you were even real, and not some sort of prank going outside a circle of friends.

However, the sightings continue, even in different regions. A cloaked figure followed by all sorts of pokemon, regular and alphas.

Some even wondered if you were an omen of death, or a warning. Showing up to weary travelers when danger was near, instilling fear into them so they would leave the area, and therefore, the danger.

In reality, you were simply exploring. It was interesting how the world connected outside the hub area of the game. You could actually see how regions connected now!

Plus, you were trying to map out everything in an attempt to maybe find a settlement at some point. At this point though, it wasn't as high of a priority as you settled into your new life.

It's not until you end up helping a young woman, a teenager you think, who was lost, that people wonder if the deity or omen theory is true.

What really happened is you found a young teen clearly lost and scared.

You approached them, careful to avoid scaring her. You gave her some of your fruit you had kept on you, and asked a Blissey to help heal her.

All while she stared in shock, unable to get a good look at you with how dark it was.

It was near pitch black, except for the glow from Cyndaquil that was next to you for some light to see where you were walking. The flames from the little guy's tail eerily lit up your cloak, but hid your face.

You point her in the direction you think is a camp, without saying much, and she nearly stumbles away as she takes off, occasionally looking at you behind her shoulder.

...The rumors of you being a deity of protection skyrocket after that. Oops.

At least you were having fun with it!

[evilminji]

You know what I never see explored?

"Not on MY watch!" Superfan Dash Baxter. The young, limnal, quarterback built like a tank and willing to hit like one.

Because let's be real here. Imagine that scenario: Dash, heading to practice with his Bros. His best friends. The team. When? Oh shit! It's PHANTOM! Best day EVER right?

Except it's NOT.

Somethings wrong. He's not as graceful as he usually is. There is no clever comebacks. He looks beat up, man. What HAPPENED? Everyone looks confused when Dash looks around. But before he can call up to him?

Phantom is Shot Out Of The SKY.

Hits the football field HARD. The entire team is already running. Full sprint. It's those fucking GIW. Already driving onto the field and tearing it up. Jumping out, weapons primed.

Phantom's not... oh god, he's not getting up.

He looks hurt. Really hurt. Those bastards are closing in.

Dash's team? Has his back. They're also fans. Friends of his. Not a single one hesitates. They put their BACKS into it and welcome these sick fucks to Tackle Practice. With a follow up of "Taste Your Own Teeth". Amity special, coach would be proud.

But Dash... fuck, he can't wail on these guys AND protect Phantom at the same time. Kwan tells him to go. Throws him his keys. His car is least shit. Dash owes him SO many pizzas for this. First pick on movies for LIFE, man.

It hurts to leave his team behind. His best friend. But Dash has to GO. He can already hear the Fentons closing in. He grabs Phantom, his HERO, and runs for his life.

Barely manages to peel out of there in time. Floors it. Calls Paulina, obviously. She and Star are doing a spa day thing. She picks up because she KNOWS he wouldn't bother her if it wasn't serious. And-!

Oh...

Oh fuck.

In the rear view mirror. The Fentons and GIW just screeched onto the road behind him. Closing distance FAST. What does he do? Paulina he can't... he WON'T hand Phantom over!

And of course she understands. For God's sake, she in LOVE with the guy. He's never heard her sound so scared and furious. They'll get phantom over her twice dead body. She and Star are making some sort of noises, chanting, and...?

Giant Amazons with swords? GHOST Amazons. Suddenly in the road, jumping over his car to attack the cars behind him. Paulina what the FUCK?? She been talking to her Abuela, APPARENTLY. Who's friends aunt's "roomate" was particularly good at communicating with the dead. So OBVIOUSLY Paulina got her to send notes and studied them in secret.

Gotta be able to speak to you future husband's family in their native language. You win brownie points. Gives her a step up. "Not the point"? It's kind of a point! Giant warrior women! Who-?

Paulina made friends while practicing.

Of course she did. Why is he even REMOTELY surprised she chose the giant terrifying Amazons to be beasties with? He's know her for years. He should know better by now.

.....he feels small asking. Hates that his voice shakes. But... but what do they DO, 'Lina?

What he hates even more is the little shake in his childhood friends voice, even though she's trying to sound certain and strong. What they Do? What they DO is Dash drives his ass the her house, gets in her BETTER car, which she is going to load up, and they leave Amity.

She has LOADS of money. All sorts of jewelry. They're very last season. Frankly, she.. she can't WAIT to pawn them if they have too. They just have to drive. Get Phantom as far away from those freaks as possible. Get help.

And? It could go so many ways from there? Paulina LOVES Phantom. How will she reconcile that with her views on Fenton? How will Dash? Seperated from their roles as "the popular ones" and "the crazy people's son". Knowing that... that Danny likes her TOO.

But she's been AWFUL to him. She said so much. DID so much.

Do the even? LIKE each other? Or just the IDEA of each other? The person they made up in their heads.

They're afraid, tired, on the run. But free from school, the expectations of others, the baked in histories of a small town. Who ARE they as people? Do they like each other? COULD they?

I want to believe that Paulina really means it. That no one is at their best in middle and high school. They say and do stupid, mean, shallow shit. Because the world presses and presses and tells them it's all they are worth. Because they don't know who they ARE yet. Because she is a child. Not yet eighteen.

And Danny isn't perfect either. He saw a pretty, pretty face and got distracted by it. Didn't see how HARD she works. How smart she is. How ambitious and brilliant at reading people.

Are they trying to get to an Embassy? To Paulina's extended Family to the south, who would most certainly take them in, and would gladly fight gods for them? Or is this a crossover? Are they going towards other Heros? Older ones?

Is Paulina planning to pull a Lois Lane and Cause Problems On Purpose? Is Dash HAUNTED by "oh fuck, Wes was right." And now knows he's gonna have just... just WALK UP TO THEM. Broad ass daylight. Like "hello, I clearly know your secret identity! Please don't kill me!"?

Whatever the plan? Danny is in the back row of Paulina's once nice, now beat to hell car, bleeding irresistibly damaging acidic ecto-blood all over the seats. Wrapped up like a mummy. Texting Tucker.

The live tweets from Amity are... An Event. A Spectacle for the ages. His parents KNOW now, have speed run their grief STRAIGHT to RAGE, directed that rage at the GIW, and gone to WAR. Once a Fenton, always a Fenton. Jazz was right. "Anti-ghost" sentience testing once a week DID pay off.

Was it a pain in the ass? Absolutely. But results don't lie. He clearly passed. Is clearly sentient, emotional, and their son. All in hard numbers they ran themselves. Will it stop them attack FULL ghosts? Jazz has no idea. But it sure did convince them to put the GIW in a hole and fill it with concrete.

Danny's getting reports of "you SHOT MY BABY!" Being shouted in public. Sam has decided to channel her frustration at being unable to help him into Full Goth Dramatic Shit Stirring. Non-waterproof mascara, disheveled hair. Clutching a picture of him. Dramatic howling and weeping in the arms of her parents.

Apparently now that he's presumed DEAD, the Mansons ALWAYS loved him. Like a SON to them. A sweet, innocent child. Their daughters friend! The GIW are monsters and child killers, they decry.

And the Red Huntress is... Oh, yikes. Yeah he should call her. Val is one more bad thing happening from her villian origin story. At least she... PROBABLY... has killed anyone yet. Note to self: when Danny can actually move torso again, buy Valerie soothing anti-stress...everything. All the things. She responds to stress by punching. Deliver from safe, non-punchable distance.

All in all? My Dash? Needs more Dash! Give the popular kids a chance to prove they aren't just cardboard cut outs! That they can grow beyond the roles high-school and society has pushed them into! Give them some trauma! Why only Danny? Spread the psychic damage!

@stealingyourbones @hdgnj @the-witchhunter @nerdpoe

[spookberry]

i know this pic is pretty old and canon may have changed since then but do you have a more hd version of the lineup of the color guardian generations over the years? its from 2022 on your deviantart but dA compressed it! id love to hear about the older teams, like anita's first squad

You mean this thing??

Honestly the other teams aren't super relevant outside of a few characters and I like the idea of leaving it vague enough that there could've been even more guardians embetween the ones here.

But yeah I can tell you a little about everyone!

-Anita was one of if not the first Color Guardians. She was actually very close to her Green specifically. They were Best Friends even before becoming Color Guardians(this leads to conflicts with Rin later because Anita tends to compare the two). Their group wasn't around for very long, no one knew the stakes or how serious everything was back then... That is until one colorless attack that ended with Robin dead and Anita having disappeared with a spark of light. Robin was cheerful and kind. Seeing him die left a bad mark on his teammates that they haven't let go of to this day.

-because of her disappearance Anita was assumed dead too. Both by Layla, the police and even her own family. Octavia showed up on the scene shortly afterwards. She never knew Robin or Anita, but Layla's trauma and the fact that it was just them two for the longest time left a deep impact on Octavia.

-Even after Octavia outgrew her role as Blue, she still worried for the next generation. She made a point to track down the next Blue to as soon as she could in order to teach him everything she knew. She's an adult now and teaches self defense classes to the general public, but also special classes for Guardians specifically. All the Blues have met her, and Chiyo even introduced her to Kimi so Kimi could get better at fighting. Layla wants nothing to do with the newer guardians, so Octavia avoids bringing them up, but the two do check in with one another still.

-The teams are generally organized by which Blue is active, because theres always an active Blue. I labeled him Remi up there but I eventually renamed him Russell, he's the second Blue. Much like Octavia, he spent most his time as part of a Duo, up until she was killed in the line of action. It was only near the end of his career as Blue that Nia and Charun became Colors. Nia met Sue a couple of times and can remember her fondly, but Charun never met her.

-Dimitri is also an interesting character. The only other Pink that anyones aware of, he was an active antagonist for most of his time. He often got in the way on purpose and would sometimes help colorless out just to see what would happen. With the power of friendship and gay tension he eventually turned a new leaf. Though not before Russell hit him with a car(they're married now).

-Marcy and Nia are the most relevant past Guardians to the modern group. Marcy has a tough start as Blue. Everyone on the team had been a Guardian longer than she had and already expected her to fill the leadership role that Russell had. Not to mention the youngest and littlest Guardian Veronica appeared right after Marcy. It was a lot of pressure to say the least. But the four of them developed a pretty intense bond cuz of it. Unfortunately much like the others, Marcy's time as Blue did not end without tragedy. There was a really hard fight once that they almost lost. Charun and Nia got hurt really bad to the point where Charun outright rejected being Green(a painful process) and now hardly speaks to any of them outside of the occasional pesters from Nia. Nia herself was already disabled, but the fight has made it harder to manage. She always knew the physical stress of being Red would have negative impacts on her but she doesnt regret her time as Red nor does she regret any of the choices she made during that time. Marcy broke a leg as well during this which permanently ended her dance career.

-More on Nia actually, she was always the heart of her group, encouraging everyone to keep face no matter what. Even after it all she still continues to push her friends forward and check in with all of them. Her younger sibling, Benny, looks up to her a lot, his Guardian form mimicking hers in many ways.

-The only one who came out unscathed physically was Veronica, though having watched the emotional fall out made her wary of teaming up with any of the Guardians outside of Benny for a while. Benny's a simp too so he follows her lead on everything.

-Marcy's only 20 when she meets Chiyo but immediately takes it upon herself to support and take care of the new team in a mentor-y role. The way Russell did for her and Octavia for Russell. This usually turns into more of an emotional support role than being active on the field. (She's had to talk Chiyo through her crush drama SO many times). Marcy isn't that much older, but when you're 15 but 20 seems pretty mature in comparison. Due to her own angst about what happened to her last group too Marcy tends to put a lot of the pressure of being The Adult for them onto herself. (no anita you dont count as an adult)

-Anita was gone for approximately 15 years mind you, so the teams are pretty spread out with the occasional overlapping member. She hasn't gone to see Layla yet since coming back to the right time. She's scared of all thats changed during her time trapped in the timestream tbh.

[haropro-confessions]

Already seeing some dumbazz wota crying about something that may or may not happen. Attacking Sakura for the halluncination they're already having that she may graduate in YokoAri when Eripon only got Budokan and saying that's disrespectful. Do they not realize Eripon's graduation concert is in less than a week and still not sold out. Is it not clicking to you that performing in a half dead arena is embarrassing? Why would you want your oshi, if she even is their oshi, performing to a halfdead audience? Come tf on. I'm so sick of every member's wota thinking they deserve YokoAri. I'm sure Eripon herself had a say in picking Budokan because she has sense unlike the fools that support her.

I hate seeing people dunk on MM’s first day sales and blaming the songs or saying it’s because Ayumi graduated. No way. The casual fans were EXTREMELY put off by Rio and Sakura’s scandals because of how messy things became, especially because online news sites painted the entire group as unprofessional and catty. This famous comedian even commented on it on his YT because he covers celebrity scandals and he said Rio’s snaps were funny but he called MM a nasty mean spirited group. That sticks with people. The first day sales are all preorders anyway so they were ordered in advance but this new leader announcement the day before the single dropped ALSO put off a lot of fans because of the way they announced it and the fact that the group seems so stuck so I won’t be surprised if sales don’t pick up from here. UFA needs to do a lot of rebranding and marketing because they’re letting Chel inherit a group that a lot of people are turning their backs on.

Oh man I'm begging for this Morning Musume single to flop so hard it leaves a crater. I want full on crisis mode. The kind of failure that lights a fire under the members' asses and makes them actually push themselves, the way the Furusato lineup did when they thought they were on the chopping block. And that same desperation after Mikan tanked had Tsunku telling the Platinum Era girls to hustle like their lives depended on it because their concert venues were scaling down. What followed both lineups thinking they could fail was masterpieces in LOVE Machine and Resonant Blue. I'm sorry but MM'25 has been coddled into mediocrity. Their sales are always puffed up just enough with cheki events and talk events and signings to avoid a real crisis because their sales are always the same and they're always landing Budokan despite their own tours scaling down in attendance. But a good kick in the bum may be good for the group. It worked for AKB48 because they hit their own rock bottom, felt the heat and clawed their way back because they were terrified of going letting a once million selling group tank. That fear lit a fire under them and their last single is their highest sales in a long time.

[billveusay]

I just watched Gundam Wing and...

Man. Oh man, that was so much fun.

First off, if you didn't know, I liveblogged the whole thing to @theotherwesley, and reposted a bunch of screencaps (413 of them) everyday by servings of 10 for the last few weeks. You can find the first one here, and the index post listing them all, as well as my other reviews and various Gundam stuff here. Now, onto the subject matter:

I remember saying beforehand that even if I didn't expect to find it good, I at least expected to enjoy it very much, because I had seen the scene™ and I live for that cheesiness and melodrama. And I was right, this show delivered beyond my expectations on that level, but it was also actually really good on many others. Not flawless, far from it, but the vast majority of the flaws made it more fun anyway. It's in the delicious sweet spot where there's no gap between unironic and ironic enjoyment, so you're left with nothing but a pleasant experience.

But because a fun mess is still a mess, it's hard to know where to start. So let's stick to tradition and begin with the pacing. It's wild. I'm thinking back to Zeta and Turn A, in which the general situation barely evolves in the first half. Meanwhile in Wing, during the same time frame, the Gundams attack the earth, the world government is overthrown in a coup, the colonies capitulate, the Wing Gundam is blown up, Zechs gets a heel-face turn, everyone moves into space, Sandrock is blown up, Lady Une is revealed to have two personalities, Trowa goes undercover, Deathscythe is blown up, Quatre (momentarily) turns evil, Trowa is apparently dead, Lady Une gets shot, Treize retires... Gundam Wing takes the notion of status quo, shoves it into a rocket and fires it into the sun. In another show, this would probably turn into meaningless noise, but because these constant curveballs work as pretty organic repercussions of preceding events (and curveballs) that are then followed through with subsequent consequences (and curveballs), the plot maintains a sense of flow. Plus the theatricality of it all puts you in the right mindset for expecting wild shit to hit the fan every alternate episode, so it takes effort to be bored.

But that probably would not have carried the show if the characters hadn't been so delightful. I don't think there's a single one I actively dislike, they all range from "Genuine love" to "Fun to poke with a stick" (again, either ironic or unironic entertainment, no unenjoyable in-between), with some of them being a tad forgettable at worse (sorry Quinze). Even putting aside the crazy, they're all pretty well rounded, and the writers are very good at writing fun dynamics and chemistry between them. But I think one of the most brilliant piece of writing is to keep them separated for most of the story. It's the kind of genius idea that sounds deceptively simple and counter-intuitive on paper, but brings a plethora of qualities. It allows the story to go deeper into the dynamics between two characters by letting them be alone with each other for a while, it makes the viewer look forward to new pairings, it ensures that the story always has something interesting to cut to and when they all assemble towards the end, it feels impactful. One of the best example if the way they start off with Heero and Duo's vitriolic dynamic. They let us enjoy the banter for 9 episodes, and then, before it gets repetitive, they split them off so Duo can hang out with Quatre, and Heero with Trowa. Immediately, you can feel that they and their new buddies are much more on the same wavelength, and it gives them and the audience a nice breather after the roller-coaster of the previous episodes. And then after a dozen episodes, Heero saves Duo from execution, they instantly start clapping back at each other and you realise how much you missed it. Great stuff!

But as I said, it has flaws. First off, it's still derivative. Granted, some of the recurring elements are an inversion or a deconstruction of elements from the original timeline, but there are also many places where I wish they took a bit more distance from it, especially when it comes to Zechs. Secondly, it's hard to follow, between the dodgy translation, crazy characters and breakneck speed of the plot, I often found myself pretty lost (the pinnacle of this was the confrontation between Treize and Heero. I completely gave up on trying to understand what these two were on about). I had also heard about the issue of redundancy within the quintet prior to watching the show, with three of them being broody loners. And I agree with that, but it ended up being less of a problem than I initially thought thanks to the aforementioned good character dynamics. And finally... boy do they treat the mass murders over the shoulder. I feel like that could be the deal-breaker for many people since by the end, the number of characters without unaddressed innocent blood on their hands could be counted on the fingers of Daryl Lorenz's hands.

Going back to qualities, I really liked how you could feel that each mobile suit worked differently and varied in danger factor. Most main line Gundam shows will introduce a new one every other episode, but 60% of the time it won't feel that different from previous suits. They will have distinct designs, and maybe induce slight variations in the choreography, but it mostly won't seem like it makes a difference. Here, especially in the first half, the feeling and stakes of a fight scene are very different depending on whether they are fighting a Leo, an Aries, a Taurus or a Virgo, and that makes it much more interesting.

Side note before I do the usual character round-up: The more time passes, the less well-disposed I find myself towards Gundam 00, and watching this didn't help. I can handle derivative, this is the 18th piece of Gundam media I watched, but the madness of Wing also threw the genericness (is that a word?) of 00 in sharp relief. And there are some things that they really shouldn't have brought over, like ruining one of my favourite character with additional, allegedly "nice" personalities that are much less interesting than the mean one (I can accept it for Wing but I'm still genuinely mad at what they did to Soma Peries).

Now for the character round-up:

Heero Yuy. Very much in the "fun to poke at category", but he ended up growing on me. And after reading a few essays on the characters, I agree that he does have some depth and interesting ideas behind him. However, the way everyone latches onto him despite him acting like a feral kitten is a bit weird. Especially Relena, but she's as crazy as he is.

Not only is Duo best boy, I think he does more for the show than people think. A grounded character can work wonders in helping a viewer engage with a story that has weird or hard-to-follow elements. This is why I still (mostly) like Bioshock Infinite, the appealing relationship between the two leads who are as lost and confused as the player most of the time, despite the rest of the story being bonkers and completely up itself. And while Duo is still crazy, he provides some much needed "what the hell are you two on about?" when Heero and Relena are doing their thing.

Trowa is definitely the blandest of the quintet, not helped by his generic amnesia in the middle of the show, but he also grew on me and his undercover arc was very fun, if a tad shaky. Everyone clocked him as a Gundam pilot minute one except for lady Une, because the sharpness of her clothing sadly does not extend to her intellect.

Quatre is a very sweet boy, and I love an uncomplicated likeable character, at least when the rest of the cast provides enough nuance and variety. His wild ride in Wing Zero goes a bit unaddressed (he did blow up a whole colony) but that's in line with most killings being glossed over so I won't lose sleep over it.

Wufei is... I didn't really get his deal, even after reading an essay on the character kindly provided by my liveblogging partner. He is entertaining enough, and has some great moments, but he's still my least favourite of the five.

Next is Relena "Come closer, I am a generic love-interest princess-HEERO WILL YOU SHOOT ME IN THE FACE ALREADY?!" Peacecraft. Not my favourite character either, it does feel like she latches on to Heero because meeting a dark, mysterious and handsome assassin targeting her is the most exciting thing that happened in her boring life of luxury, but she also has great moments, like her cute silent reunion with Heero at the Sanc airport.

Zechs is... well he started the tradition of the Char-clones, but I can't even be mad at him because he also started the sub-tradition of having fun with Char-clones by one upping the dramatic bitch aspect of the character (see also Harry Ord and Graham Acker). He definitely is still the most derivative of the bunch, especially in the final third where he goes full CCA, but he was enjoyable nonetheless, and without him we wouldn't have had...

Click... click... click...

Noin is <3. She's gorgeous, she's adorable, she could kick my ass, I love her.

Treize is a lot. I also had to read an essay to understand his deal (cut me some slack, I'm a Frenchman watching a Japanese show poorly subbed in English), but I think I got a better idea of the character. And even if I had trouble grasping the meaning of his monologues on the nature of humanity (beyond "I love it when people fight, as long as it's done with gusto. And I want Zechs to fuck me"), he was a very enjoyable antagonist.

Lady Une in the first half is in the same family tree as Poe Ajie and Iok Kujan that was started by Jerid Messa (I.E, incompetents fuckups from middle management in the villain hierarchy) but where I forgave the former two because their incompetence was an intentional part of the story, here I mostly forgave her because she's fun to watch and that icy glare could ironically melt my heart. Really could have done without the split-personality though. Not only did it age poorly, but while both personalities are intentionally caricatural, an exaggerated "evil" persona is fun, and an exaggerated "nice" persona tends to be aggravating. And then when the two combine, the result is sadly a character with less personality than the sum of her parts. But it's alright, her bespectacled identity is still great, so much so that I might have accidentally drawn pin-up illustrations of her- whoops, who said that.

Dorothy Catalonia. Wow. She's the biggest nutcase in the whole Gundam franchise, despite some steep competition, and as I mentioned in my liveblog, she's so aggravating that she comes back around to being fun somehow. She also probably emits the same pheromones as Heero Yuy, because I still can't fathom why most people just let this unhinged gremlin hang around and hold positions of authority.

And finally, the Science Polycule. I like them, I like how expressive their designs are, and I mostly mentioned them because I love calling them the Science Polycule.

Onto the animation. Frankly, it might be the most beautiful of the 40+ episodes TV shows I watched. It does use a lot of recycled footage, but I can easily forgive it because the rest of the production value is so high, with fluid animation, dynamic cinematography and lighting, and a bunch of Gundam silhouettes backlit by explosions. On a less technical side, it also has one of the best character designs of the franchise. I could tell because there was only one time where I didn't recognise a character who wore a space helmet. They're all full of personality, distinct, appealing, and a bunch of them are very very pretty. Costume design is also great, from the spacesuits to the fancy uniforms, Heero just needs to put on some real pants. I'm a tad more mixed on the mechanical design for the suits. They're great, but some of them just feel a bit too toyetic for my personal taste, like Shenlong. The Aries and Virgos are great however.

Next Endless Waltz. It did feel like an addition rather than a conclusion or a continuation, if that makes sense. Probably because the movie ends with basically the same status quo as the beginning, as opposed to something like CCA and A Wakening of the Trailblazer (which both ended with drastic game changers to the global situation), or Narrative (which ended with a return to status quo, but featured a different cast). Though to be honest, that didn't really bother me, because of the very character-focused nature of Wing. And even if the global situation didn't change much once the dust settled, most characters evolved in interesting ways, especially Heero and Wufei (at least I think so for the latter, I still don't understand his deal but I trust my friend's opinion and analysis). Story-wise, it's feels a bit rushed, bloated and confusing, but frankly that's the norm for Gundam movies at this point, save for AWatT which I remember being pretty well-paced. I'm just mad about the whole "Redesigns? What redesigns? These Gundams have always looked like this". Animation is stellar though.

And to conclude, an obligatory big-up to the music. Kow Otani's score is great, obviously, he is the composer of Shadow of the Colossus, but most of all...

JUST

WILD

BEAT

COMMUNICAAAAAAAAATION!

Phew, this post took a while to write, and even still, I feel like I didn't write enough to do justice to this show. See you next time for Twilight Axis. I won't lie, I'm very much looking forward to something short and uncomplicated right now.

Gundam Reviews :

> Hathaway's Spark > Mobile Suit Gundam > Gundam Zeta > 0083: Stardust Memory > 0080: War in the Pocket > 8th MS Team > The Witch from Mercury > Gundam Thunderbolt > The Origin > Turn A Gundam > F91 > Gundam Unicorn > Gundam 00 > MS IGLOO > Gundam Narrative > Iron-Blooded Orphans > Gundam Wing > Twilight Axis > Requiem for Vengeance

[jumpywhumpywriter]

Hero Kidnaps Villain Part 9

Warnings: PTSD, panic attack, captive villain whumpee

As requested by several anons, here's a new part for this storyline!

Hero hesitated, then reached out to run her fingers comfortingly through his hair, showing him the most basic human decency.

Obviously Villain's restraint situation needed tweaking after what Hero had witnessed. So while he was paralyzed she swapped out the metal cuffs that had previously tethered him to the headboard for soft leather padded ones he couldn't hurt himself with if he yanked too hard. Then she found an old foam sheet to tape to the headboard itself so he couldn't slam his head against it if he panicked again like before or went into seizures.

Geez, why did Villain have to make keeping him alive so dang hard?!

Hero spent another fifteen minutes panic-proofing the whole bed in case Villain relapsed into hysteria once his physical mobility returned. It meant no nightstands next to the bed edges he could hit with his feet, none of the pillows with sequins on them that could get caught in his hair or scratch skin, and no rough wool blanket - so that all there was left was a few basic pillows and a single large fluffy blanket.

But eventually Hero was satisfied that there would be no way Villain could injure himself with the improved setup. She wouldn't be caught off guard a second time.

She stayed at bedside for a whole hour while the paralytics slowly wore off, watching as Villain's consistent trembling returned.

"Hey... Are you back with me?" Hero asked softly. She hesitantly reached out and combed her fingers through his sweaty hair, hoping the simple action would snag his attention and bring him out of the dissociation.

Villain blinked up at the ceiling, pupils dilated with fear -- but he nodded.

"Ooookay... Can you tell me what happened then?" Hero prodded. "Explain to me why you reacted so strongly earlier?"

Villain near-instantly shut down again, his gaze going glassy and unfocused again as his mind retreated far, far away. Hero had hit a raw nerve with her line of questioning.

Hero frowned, shaking his shoulder in frustration. "Come on, you have to give me something useful," she sighed in annoyance. "The whole point of kidnapping you in the first place was to get information. You're not at Agency anymore. You're safe here. You can talk to me."

Villain's eyes rolled back in his skull as he closed them, grimacing.

"They're all dead," he mumbled weakly, his voice so faded Hero had to lean in close to hear him at all.

"Who's dead?" Hero nudged hopefully, prying for any useful information she could glean.

"Supervillain, Henchmen... I'm next. I'm next." Villain started spiraling again, his breaths quickening.

"Hey! FOCUS." Hero pinched his arm to snap him out of it.

"Why are they dead?" She demanded next. "Why did Agency kill them?"

"...Because they weren't good dogs," Villain whispered. "Not... Not submissive enough. W-Waste of resources. Couldn't be helped... like me. I'm not good enough to be rehabilitated. I'm supposed to be put down. That's what happens to villains who are too weak to survive the correctional facility. They get tortured to death as punishment and for failing the Agency's training."

Hero blinked dumbly, horrified. That... Didn't sound right. The Agency was full of heroes -- they're supposed to save lives, even those of criminals.

...Right?

No good hero would stand for the graphic abuse Villain was describing, that he and others were put through.

But... could that be why Agency was hiding what they were doing? Did the heroes employed by Agency even know what was going on behind closed doors to the villains they brought in? Or were they all unaware like Hero had been before kidnapping Villain to get answers?

⏪️ Back Next ⏩️

Masterlist

@scoundrelwithboba @lumpofsand @isikedmyself878 @iamheretohurt @fleur-a-whump

@ay5ksal @otterfrost @sausages-things @togzy

@whump-till-ya-jump @cravesunconditionallove @whumpwritinglover222 @written-in-the-stars135 @neverthelass

@starz8nk @redwinesupanover @whumpisgoodwhumpislife @theforeverdyingperson @writing-with-olive

@f1sh-bone

[misterbenzadrine]

!!binary bfs ghosts au!!

this is mainly based on school spirits (specifically charley and yuri) but it's just not technically the main plot of school spirits so they're just ghosts :3

demetri alexopoulos (1951-1967)

died of anaphylaxis in the school cafeteria

relentlessly bullied for being gay (though he obviously never came out or even accepted that he was gay)

also bullied for being a nerd who couldn't physically do much

the gay kid that died from a nut allergy; that went over well with his reputation at school /s

in death, he kinda just sits in on stem classes or computer classes bc he's always really excited to see how much has evolved or changed through the years

he's secretly sad he never got the chance to explore the world of science and math and make his own discoveries

eli moskowitz (1973-1990)

died of asphyxiation after a panic attack in the greenhouse triggered his asthma

largely outcast bc of his scar and his "intimidating" energy (he has resting bitch face and is really trying not to have a panic attack every five seconds) (all of this is still true, even in death)

spent a lot of his time in hs skipping class due to anxiety and smoking to calm himself down

in death, he spends his time sitting in the band room playing a guitar

the other ghosts avoid him and think he only speaks hebrew and he lets them bc he wants them to leave him alone

he forces himself to only focus on smoking and playing his guitar, since anything else would force him to confront the reality that he's dead and a ghost for eternity

when they first meet, demetri makes a few bad science puns, thinking eli won't understand it anyway

eli corrects him since he said one wrong, and demetri has a totally normal reaction (he flinches and falls into the percussion section)

demetri comes back every day to figure out how much eli knows about science/math/engineering (a lot, he finds out) (it's just like a whole week or two of him going to the band room and yapping with him about stem stuff then wandering about the school every single day)

eli ignores everyone but demetri, even though they now all know he knows english

demetri indirectly convinces him to leave the band room ("the chemistry teacher on the second floor is pretty good but she sometimes forgets the formulas. you'd probably know more about that than me, though. it'd be nice for you to fact-check her when i sit there. but anyways-")

eli feels like he's exploding with nerves when he steps out of the band room for the first time in actual decades but the excited smile on demetri's face when he sits next to him in the chemistry classroom makes it worth it

they reverse-engineer some old computers together, do some experiments, practice balancing some chemical equations with leftover worksheets, etc.

they also figure out how to use a computer together ("i think i saw someone click this icon one time" "do i have to click here to type a question too?" "you literally know as much as i do. more, even. computers were barely being installed at nasa when i was alive.")

~~internalized homophobia~~ hits demetri hard and when eli makes the first move (for once !), demetri immediately shoots him down and runs off to the roof while eli retreats back to the band room

the other ghosts grow frustrated with them over the following week when demetri mopes in the basement hunched over the same telephone he keeps deconstructing and resetting day in and day out, and eli plays the same sad song over and over again (he also destroys his guitar and lets it reset on one of the days)

one of the other ghosts, miguel, coaxes demetri out of his burrow in the basement and has a LONG talk with him about what happened ("demetri, you've been here longer than most of us. you've seen how things changed. i know stuff was hard in your time but none of us are like that; eli really likes you, dude, and i know he makes you happy. what's stopping you from being happy?")

demetri visits the band room and nervously talks things out with eli, who stays quiet the whole time while he tries to control his breathing

they agree to take things slowly so demetri doesn't freak out about how other people will react

eli teaches him how to play some songs on his guitar (namely "sweet child o mine" bc that's one of my all-time favs) but demetri always prefers to hear it from eli

we need more binary bfs au's

[shinobicyrus]

Maybe I'm being too hard on it, but the Buffy episode Gingerbread simultaneously hits so hard and is immensely unsatisfying to watch in the Year Of Our Lord 2025.

The bones of a great story are there: moral panics, witch hunts, zealous parent organizations, cops breaking open kid's lockers and dragging the "witches" away, cops ransacking a library to remove "dangerous" or "inappropriate" books.

It's the kind of story I think really can't (and shouldn't) be told in a Monster of the Week format, because - spoiler warning - the show conjures a physical monster that is responsible for it all and killing it makes the problem just...solved in a very frustrating way. Everything discussed isn't given closure, everything that transpired (save the 'Amy is stuck as a Rat' gag) simply doesn't come up again.

Yes, I know that's a bit uncharitable to horror-comedy teen drama from 1999, but I'm gonna go off anyway.

From the start, the premise is interesting. I won't do a full recap, but the beats are simple: Buffy's mom Joyce - in an attempt to try and understand her daughter better - decides to invite herself along on one of Buffy's patrols in a mom-like fashion. Joyce sees a pair of dead children with a ritual mark on their hands. The ritual mark suggests witches and Joyce starts getting involved with the school and later city hall, where she makes a speech about taking Sunnydale back from "the monsters, the witches, and the Slayers."

The town starts going on the hunt for witches. First occult contraband, then Giles' books are forcibly removed from the library; witchy students are getting attacked at school.

Only it turns out it's not real. The kids never existed, it was all a trick by a demon who convinces Joyce and other parents to burn their daughters at the stake, but then the demon is revealed and killed. All's well that ends well!

Now I was on board at the start. Watching a boy in makeup get accosted by a gang of bullies for being a "witch," books being taken away by the authorities, troubling speeches by "concerned parents;" it's quite affecting in our, say, current situation.

But when we find out "Oh! It's actually Hansel and Gretel!" is where it all falls apart for me, culminating in a frankly lazy quick fix for, let's be real, is crypto-fascism.

The episode doesn't even have a final tie-up of loose ends where Buffy confronts her mom about her obviously still unresolved issues with her being the Slayer. Joyce specifically called out "slayers" in her speech about what's wrong with Sunnydale. She told her own daughter to her face that she doesn't really solve anything as the Slayer; that she's not doing anything to help in a way that matters.

And that's just left completely unaddressed! No follow-up, no closure. Oh it's fine, she said all those hurtful things while under the influence of Hansel and Gretel surely they're not an expression of her true inner feelings at all!

In order to fix this, to give the subject real justice, I think you'd have to A). tweak a few details and B). make it more than a single episode.

They really didn't need to make the kids some figment. Kids have died in Buffy before - and not just high school students. Children have been turned into vampires before and even killed as vampires. It wouldn't even need to be a witch symbol that kicked it all off, it could have just as easily been a demonic symbol used by like...cultists. Buffy has dealt with people working with demons before! She nearly got sacrificed to a snake demon by a college frat full of rich assholes.

In fact, I think it works even better if Joyce was responding to a semi-real problem: humans working for demons. Joyce (and the parents she recruits) would then take that to mean anyone who has contact with the supernatural is corrupted. Parents and cops seeing no difference between evil demonic symbols and like, the white magic Willow and her friends practice would be such an easy leap. It starts with looking for people who cavort with demons, then it's books about demons, then it's witches, then it's just anyone different.

Even if Buffy were to defeat that particular demon and its human toadies that specific episode, the tension would still be there. The problem of Sunnydale taking out years of enduring horrors they don't understand out on vulnerable people on the fringes could have been an overarching problem that would dovetail so nicely with the Mayor, who is the focus on most of that season anyway!

Imagine a longer arc of Joyce's activism getting her more into politics, more into the orbit of the Mayor. A Mayor who is friendly and charming and more than willing to start passing laws to "protect" Sunnydale. Suddenly, a curfew for anyone under 18 makes Buffy's patrols cut short by the cops, or the magic shop is shut down and the Scooby Gang's jobs get harder. They're not just fighting the Mayor now - they're fighting City Hall, they're dodging the cops, they're opposed to Buffy's mom.

Maybe I'm overreaching a bit. Maybe I'm projecting anxieties as I live in a world where moral panics are in full swings, libraries are being purged and defunded by the government, where vulnerable people are being demonized and targeted by parental activists, politicians, news organizations, and hateful vigilantes.

Maybe living through the past couple of years and then watching something I like from my childhood treat the same phenomenon so cavalierly has made me a little bitter.

But hey, there's always fanfiction.

[jadeylovesmarvelxo]

Drama abounds when you're attacked by monstrous bats after an argument with Eddie and Steve Harrington comes to your rescue...

Warnings: Complicated feelings, unrequited love, angst, mentions of blood.

❤️

This week had officially sucked.

Eddie was too busy following around his new girlfriend like a lovesick puppy to care what you were up to.

You wish it didn't bother you, but it did. All Eddie talked about was her and it drove you mad, jealously that began as small thing had grown and grown the last week or so. It was an awful feeling.

Shouldn't you be happy Eddie had found someone? Someone kind, pretty and who had so much in common with him. That's what a good friend should feel. Right now, this reaction made you feel guilty as hell.

"I don't know what your problem is. Why can't you just be happy that I'm happy! Maybe if you found someone yourself you wouldn't be like this?" Eddie had snapped at you earlier and the crushing feeling in your chest doubled.

It was dark now in Hawkins, Autumn was in full swing, the chilly wind nipping at you as you walked home.

Technically, you should be at Hellfire but after earlier you were in no mood tonight, you just wanted your bed and maybe a good binge of some of your favorite movies.

Anything that would help you forget about your feelings right now. Maybe scary movie, no romance whatsoever.

It was ironic you spoke about scary movies because the next minute you found yourself in one.

Hawkins was creepy after dark and you had heard enough tales from your relatives about the strange shit that went down here. At first you didn't believe it, Hawkins looked like any other picturesque small town... Well, until you looked closer and discovered the rot underneath the perfect facade.

Your friend Robin told you that spooky monsters roamed the woods, the rumours that freaky bat creatures hid in the shadows looking for prey. Not vampires, no actual bats that would rip you apart.

At first you thought it was some kind of old urban legend, that's until the bodies began the pile up and the legend grew and grew.

Now no one went into the woods, not even in groups. No one would risk it. Even walking past the woods to get home creeped you out, even if someone deep inside you were itching to know more about these bats.

Devil bats people called them. The side of you that was a big fan of mystery and investigating had researched as much as you could about these creatures but most of it was flimsy at best.

You're so lost in your thoughts that you miss the screeching sound the first time. The second time however chills you to the bone.

Screams fill the air, a man shouting for help and you freeze for a second before running to help. It's the stupidest thing you've done going straight into a frenzy of bats, but you can't just leave the guy to die.

When you reach the clearing into the woods you find your too late. The man is dead, blood seeping into the ground and bites on his neck.

Hawkins police station isn't far away. Maybe you could find Sheriff Hopper? You're about to run when you hear that screech again and one of the bats swoop down at you.

The tail is long and sharp and it lashes across your stomach before you can even move. Then the second bat is flying at you and you begin to run back out the forest and through the streets.

The bats are following you, four or them whipped up into a frenzy at the smell of your blood. They're smart to and dive down whipping their tails across your legs so you stumble and fall, your head smacks across the gravel on the road and dizziness makes your head spin.

You kick out at one of the bats and it hits the sucker right in the face, the other one uses its tail to wrap around your legs tightly, so hard that the sharpness of its tail cuts into you.

Two of them then work at ripping open your shirt and sinking their teeth into your side. The scream that leaves you is full of terror and pain, no fucking way are you dying now, theres still so much you want to do in life.

Wriggling around you try to throw one of the bats off you and it works but the second little bastard uses its wings and tiny, fierce claws to pierce into your skin to slow down your moments.

Just when it seems all hope is losr something slams into the bat and knocks it off you, you're so grateful for this and peer up to see Steve Harrington wielding a baseball bat covered in nails.

He slams it down on the bats head that has its tail wrapped around your leg and kills it instantly, freeing you. Dazed you stsnd up and Steve tosses you a crowbar.

"Take their heads off"

You don't have to be told twice and make quick work of the bats as more begin to fly your way. Pissed off, you swing the crowbar and tear off one of their tails.

Steve's hiss of pain captures your attention and you rush towards him and pull it away from Steve by its tail, Steve recovers and smashes the bat into its face.

His shirt is torn and you see a small trickle of blood seep through. The screeching stops as the last creature dies.

Tires squeal on the pavement and you hear your name being shouted. Eddie is running towards you, he looks as pale as a ghost when he reaches you and checks you for wounds.

"Eddie, what are you doing here?" Steve steadies you as you stumble. Eddie is still terribly pale as he answers.

"I heard you screaming, I was out looking for you because you didn't turn up at Hellfire and I felt like shit about earlier and then I heard you scream... I couldn't find you and I was terrified"

He's shaking as he takes in your appearance, his eyes wild.

"What the fuck were those things? Sweetheart?" you smile faintly, the adrenaline from fighting the bats wears off and you wince in pain and your head feels like it's spinning.

"I'm fine Ed's... I, woah" you faint and strong arms catch you before you fall.

❤️

When you come to you're at your house and resting on the sofa. Eddie is beside you looking extremely anxious.

"Thank fuck you're awake" his eyes are red and it looks like he's been crying, he won't admit it but you wonder if he was.

"You could have died... Those bats, shit if Steve hadn't found you when he did" His voice trails off and you gently squeeze his hand.

"I'm okay Ed's. Sore as shit but fine" he nods and kisses your cheek gently, then goes to help Steve with the bandages and antiseptic cream.

Gingerly you lift up your shirt and wince, it's soaked in blood which makes you feel nauseated. Eddie gently cleans the blood away as Steve cuts the bandages.

"Shit, these bastards got you good princess" he whispers worriedly. His nickname makes you ache.

"Don't call me that Ed's. Stacy, she doesn't like it" you whisper and he freezes.

"You're my best friend" he murmurs and the tension in the air deepens.

"Another thing she doesn't like Eddie. Maybe you're right and I should find someone. Would stop all this drama with Stacy" Eddie swallows and Steve steps forward.

"Munson, can you get more bandages incase these get bloodied up quickly" Eddie nods and hurries away.

The tension disappears, Steve gives you a sympathetic smile. Yeah, you were sick of the drama with all of this.

Steve gently patches you up and you feel yourself calm down for the first time tonight as you watch him work.

"Let me do yours, just take your shirt off and I'll help" he looks hesitant but nods and slips off his shirt.

You might have complicated feelings for Eddie but that didn't stop you from admiring Steve, he was handsome and now he was here in your house half naked. Georgia would have a field day if she knew about this.

When did he get so hairy? The thought pops into your head unbidden and it flusters you so much that you almost drop the antiseptic cream.

The bites draw you in again, a fresh one from tonight but also old ones. Bites that have left scars, marks from the bats tails that haven't faded.

You reach out to touch one gently, Steve watches you intently, there's a lot of tension in the air and the fact you could have died has you feeling rattled and in need of comfort.

Steve must be feeling the same thing as he dips his head down and his lips hover over yours.

He hesitates then his lips meet yours before he pulls away again. "Shit, I'm sorry. Shouldn't have done that" he mutters.

"It's okay. It was nice and kinda freeing not to think of Eddie every five minutes" he softens and you patch up the rest of him.

"Tell me about it. Felt the exact same with Nancy, it's better now but I still haven't found the right girl I want to be with, who isn't after me for just sex" you peer up at Steve, eager to say something comforting.

"You're awesome Steve, a badass monster fighter to boot. You'll find someone amazing"

Steve smiles and kisses your cheek, lingering just for a moment.

"Thank you sweetheart"

The door slams shut and you jump apart as Eddie comes in. He looks between the two of you with a blank expression on his face, eyes trailing to Steve who is shirtless and then your flustered look.

"Am I interrupting something here or..." Steve barely looks flustered as he shrugs on his shirt.

"Thanks for helping me patch up honey, call me if you need anything okay?" he smiles and squeezes your hand.

He leaves and your filled with a rush of jumbled feelings.

❤️

Could be an Eddie or Steve story :) Your choice.

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