#ai lucky series

[lees-chaotic-brain]

Quiet (Inumaki x Reader)

Part three of the you die in Shibuya mini series

Note: the image for this header is not ai generated like normal. this one is a screenshot from ep.19

CW: season two spoilers, blood and gore, death, angst, trauma response, this one hurts a lot

Taglist: @starlightanyaaa @unforgettabie (let me know in the comments or shoot me an ask if you want to be added!)

YDIS Mini-Series Masterlist | JJK Masterlist | Blog Navigation

Before, his head had been so loud. Loud with frustrations. Loud with jokes. Loud with insecurities and words unsaid.

Then he met you. You, who was immune to his cursed speech. Suddenly, his mind was quiet, and his world was filled with bright, beautiful sound. He could laugh with you after he shared yet another cheesy joke. He could comfort you with his words when you cried. He could finally tell someone about how he was insecure about not being good enough. That he would never amount to anything because his cursed technique hurt himself more than it helped others.

And you listened. Soon, the two of you stayed up late night after night laughing, trolling people on the internet, discussing and doing anything and everything. 

Slowly, Inumaki fell in love with you.

And he was lucky enough to have you love him in return. So the two of you began dating, and he had never been happier. You were his first love, his best friend, the person he wanted to marry, and his other half. 

You were his person. And he was yours.

So why? Why was this happening?

You had noticed the immeasurable spike in cursed energy a split second before he had and reacted just as quickly. Shoving him out of range of the attack, the two of you locked eyes and you smiled at him.

Then the attack hit.

Reaching out to you, his fingertips had barely brushed yours before his left arm was reduced to little more than bloody mist. And you-you-

You were gone. Nothing more than a spray of blood, disintegrated bone and tissue covering his front.

He collapsed to his knees, stunned.

Quiet. It was so quiet. 

Later when help finally arrived and someone found him, they found him kneeling in a puddle of blood and shredded fabric.

When they tapped his shoulder he didn’t respond, just blankly murmuring your name. Over and over again.

The quiet. Maybe if he filled it with the sound of your name, you would return and fill the air with your beautiful laughter.

That’s right. 

When you got back, you would make it all better.

You would take the quiet away.

[genericpuff]

On this week's episode of "Webtoon Controversies That Could Have Been Avoided If Only They Had Some Damn Quality Control"-

Oh boy, prepare yourselves, there's some TEA on this one.

Quantum Entanglement, a new Webtoon Originals series from creator Arts Angel (aka Sarah Ellerton) is uh... a teeny weeny painfully obvious that it was made with AI.

AI is getting better, but when it comes to comics, there are still a lot of "tells" you can pick up on once you know where to look. Hands are certainly one of them.

Not knowing how to draw hands efficiently and consistently is definitely an Artist Problem(tm) but it becomes a lot more obvious it was made by AI when you get weird little off-putting mistakes like a fingernail being just a little too long or missing joints (hot dog fingers, eyo) or the distinction between fingers not being clear.

But there's also hair and other detailed parts that are often lost in the translation process between prompt to final piece. Jewelry, text on a screen, phones, that sort of thing. The insinuation of a 'thing' is there, but it's like looking at it through a fishbowl.

And ultimately, a lot of AI art tends to just be a little too 'perfect'. Everything is just a little too smooth for it to look like it was naturally made by a person. Faces end up veering into the uncanny valley territory and there are inconsistencies between the eyes and the rest of the body. Backgrounds become lost in what I like to call "AI goop", becoming nothing more than weird blurred/filtered out insinuations of what's supposed to be behind the character.

Basically, at this point, it's undeniably clear that AI is being used to create this comic. While there are also plenty of signs in the handiwork that show a human was involved in some parts, there are other places that are undeniably filled in with the use of AI. So it's not necessarily a 100% made-by-AI comic, but it's absolutely AI assisted.

But what's REALLY absurd about this whole situation? The creator denies it. To the point of including a disclaimer in the first episode trying to "get ahead" of people who are assuming it's AI by saying, "No, it's not made with AI, here's the proof! Don't look at the blood on my hands or the body in the trunk of my car!"

Now, first off, the absolute absurdity of making yourself look guiltier by trying to prove your innocence before people have even started to suspect you... I'd like to think that this was edited into the first episode after the initial accusations started rolling in but considering it's an Originals series, it's hard to know if it was, as creators typically don't get as much control over just editing their episodes on the fly like Canvas creators do. Typically it's their editors who do that sort of thing for them. And even if it was edited in afterwards, it's still there for people who have no idea going into the comic blind and might not automatically assume it was made with AI, so it just looks like you're bringing up the potential of AI being used completely unprovoked. By planting the idea in your audience's brain that AI is even a question, you're making them suspect everything.

It's kind of like when Dream was suspected of cheating in a way-too-lucky-to-be-real speedrun of Minecraft a couple years back, so he went to all these painstaking efforts of hiring a quantum physicist to "prove" his innocence with a straight up THESIS documenting all of the reasons he couldn't have cheated through math and figures and jargon. Ironically, this just made Dream look guiltier, and sure enough, he eventually admitted he had cheated.

That said, did you notice something in that "art process" pic?

That finished panel isn't even what showed up in the final comic.

So the absurdity of this all, again, just makes Arts Angel look a lot more guilty of actually using AI, especially when it's basically undeniable in so many of those panels above. People don't paint like that.

But that brings us to talking about Sarah Ellerton, aka "Arts Angel", the creator. Many long-time readers of her work are defending this, claiming that she has, in fact, "always drawn like this".

What's insane? She actually is who she says she is. This isn't like some kid who came out of the woodwork with AI and claiming that they had 20 years of experience, Sarah Ellerton's main site, The Seraph-Inn, has been live and crawled by Wayback Machine as far back as 2005.

And you can see the art evolution over the years, starting with Inverloch-

-into Phoenix-

-and all the way to Immaterial-

But here's the thing about that last comic. The main protagonist is, apparently, the same girl from Quantum Entanglement, the newest installment in this series where it becomes abundantly clear the creator has started using AI.

You can see the effects of this being parsed through AI, because she's gone from being a unique character with two-toned hair and darker skin, to being turned into a generic Instagram anime girl. And lemme tell you, AI used in comics has NOT gotten better at depicting darker-skinned characters (I actually tested an AI-coloring tool WT was planning on putting out a year or two ago, it was uh... not great.)

But the most damning thing about Sarah?

She works in IT.

That on its own wouldn't be so telling if it weren't for the 20 years she clearly spent actually honing her craft, only to suddenly switch to using AI as a crutch.

Quantum Entanglement was picked up for Originals in July 2023. It launched two days ago, with four free to read episodes and 6 more under the FastPass paywall. Three months after it got picked up. That turnaround speed is insane for an Originals series. Now, I'm more inclined to believe that maybe she's using the exact same pages she used in the Canvas version (there's unfortunately no way of checking through Wayback, it never crawled the Canvas version, so unless someone has backups of the Canvas pages they're willing to share, we'll never know) but that short turnaround time is insane for a comic that's this insanely detailed. It likely means they didn't need much pre-production time to get a strong buffer going, and that it doesn't take them as long to produce these episodes on a weekly basis so they could be under way less crunch than creators who do this by hand.

By comparison, the winners of the Call to Action contest from last year are STILL working on their pre-production. Many other greenlit Canvas series are known for getting picked up and stuck in pre-production for several months and even a year or more simply due to how the company operates with when it chooses to launch these series and how much pre-production is necessary. Some creators have literally said that their pre-production was done, but WT still kept them waiting to launch. So three months for a freshly greenlit Canvas series to launch is NOT the norm.

All that said, I feel for the people who are trying to defend her. But it's so undeniably AI with the creator herself providing fake proof that it makes it really sad to think that this person was honing their craft for 20 years just to wind up utilizing AI. Being a good artist does not make you immune to the temptation of using cheap methods or developing bad habits. Going through "the struggle" does not make you immune to taking shortcuts that wind up cheapening your work or taking advantage of the work of others.

Now, maybe Sarah trained AI around her art. If this didn't play out the way it did, I'd be willing to give her benefit of the doubt and assume that. Training AI off your own work, while still up for debate as to how ethical that is, at least doesn't hurt other artists, because it's your own work the AI is "stealing". There are definitely ways AI could be used to make life easier for artists without replacing the art process entirely, the same way artists have learned to use 3D assets and digital art filters to make their process more efficient and boost the quality of their art up to the next level.

But the fact that she's being so cagey over it, claiming she's not using AI period when she very clearly is, providing "proof" that actually proves she definitely used AI, while operating under a penname that's strangely similar to a name Grimes - former tech wife of Elon Musk and staunch supporter of AI - used for one of her studio albums-

- that's what makes it a lot more clear she's using it maliciously.

The AI is very likely trained off another artist's work. Maybe someone whose art style is similar enough to hers that she could integrate it into her own and pass it off as legitimate. Someone whose art style is cartoonish but still modern, like if Disney made anime. Someone who's so prolific and consistent in their stylization that training an AI off it would seem like a no brainer to those who want to replicate that style quickly and easily.

Damn. What a disappointment. Do better, Sarah.

And for god's sakes, Webtoons, pay more fucking attention. I've been steadily picking away at moving the entirety of my comics over to other platforms on a weekly schedule, but at this point I kinda just wanna dump the last 30 or so chapters onto ComicFury all at once so I can ditch this platform for good, especially if it turns out AI comics getting greenlit is a feature, not a bug. The ratings for Quantum Entanglement have dropped significantly overnight, now sitting around 5.09 and still dropping, but is Webtoons going to do anything about it? That remains to be seen.

[trashmouth-richie]

♡ ziggy, 31, she/her, your cool older sister, writer, ♉︎ , mashed potato enthusiast, i like to laugh..a lot. dm or slide into my ask box I love chatting and simping over the hot boys (eddie, steve, argyle— occasionally jonathan and billy, + always hopper) of Hawkins

♡ this is an 18+ only blog, minors will be banished by the power of 3

♡ latest works blurbs: love’s never meant much to me

cold shower 18+

the raven told me of you 18+

♡ latest works series: open arms 18+

♡ popular works (series): honey i’m home (roommate!eddie) 18+

requests: closed

asks: open

tag list: comment on this post to be added

𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

ao3

♡ pls support writers with reblogs + comments

i do not give anyone permission to copy, steal or repost my works on any other platform. i do not give permission to put my work into AI systems of any kind. copyright @trashmouth-richie

LATEST WORK ·˚ ༘

OPEN ARMS: escaping Hawkins was impossible, but he did it. when a ghost from your past shows up unexpectedly, bringing with him old memories and holding up a mirror to the train wreck life you’re living… you find it hard to trust him again.

*new* HIDE + SCREAM : Hawkins Annual Halloween Festival is in town, and this year you and your friends were lucky enough to work the event. But when some of your co-workers are missing, and a trail of blood leads to the woods behind the festival. Your friends work together to find out what’s going on. A killer is on the loose but who could it be? Or is it the town’s spooky secret of what really happened at Hawkins Lab?

LILITH : a series of blurbs about crazy!reader x crazy!eddie.

LIE TO ME: lovesick! Eddie *new!*

SERIES ·˚ ༘

TWINFLAMES : (ongoing) Eddie Munson x Fem!Reader —the annngst, the smut, NO VECNA, it’s gonna be a ride (15/??) (on permanent hiatus)

HONEY, I’M HOME desperate for a roommate, you place an ad in the paper. Eddie x Fem!Reader (enemies to lovers, menace!Eddie )

DO YOU LIKE THE WAY THE WATER TASTES? a day at the pool with your best friend, his gf, and his best friend Eddie— who has a crush on you.

HEATED taking the back roads to Indianapolis was Eddie’s idea. the day trip there was Steve’s. But when Wayne’s borrowed truck grinds to a halt on the hottest day in September, the tension and the boys’ tempers aren’t the only thing to rise.

ONE SHOTS ·˚ ༘

FORTY THREE BELOW *new* blizzard au, reader is fighting a cold

COBBLER *new* blizzard storm with a crabby eddie

TWELVE HOURS *new* smutty 12 hours of bf! eddie worshipping you until christmas

DIFFERENCES *new* a blurb about the way Steve & Eddie fuck you

IT’S 3 AM *new!* [early early morning smut with Eddie]

LEAVE ME IN THE DARK *new* [eddie angst: before & after s4]

CONFESSION *new!* [smut] eddie x fem!reader

LANDLORD! MEAN! OLDER!EDDIE [smut]

SOMEONE LIKE YOU [steddie angst]

LETTING SOMEONE GO *new!* [angst]

RUN

HELLFIRE THANKSGIVING [smut]

BAD DATE CHRONICLES

PREP SCHOOL [smut]

WANTING YOU

AT THIS MOMENT, YOU MEAN EVERYTHING steve x reader smut

more fics under the cut

MINI SERIES ·˚ ༘

WE’RE THE LAST IN LINE [on Hiatus]

MINI MINI SERIES ·˚ ༘

TEASING

CHOKE ME, BITE ME

QUEEN OF THE DAMNED eddie x fem!reader { corruption kink }

ANSWERED ASKS ·˚ ༘

VALENTINE’S [fluff]

LITTLE MUNSON [fluff]

UNO

ICE ICE BABY

WHEELS ON THE BUS

KITCHEN SEX steve x fem!reader

DESSERT

FERAL + BREAD

GLASSES + LIGHTS

BEST FRIENDS

BILLY X EDDIE X YOU

ROOF SEX : Eddie x Fem! Reader

LET’S NOT KEEP SCORE *new* coach! steve x fem reader

[parsnippety]

Cecilia

Sounds are powerful. That goes without saying- the most severe (?) sounds you'll find your average sentient species making are soft clicks/rumbles. Most languages developed through touch, or something like sign language. The species that can make noise don't have much control over their pitch. They don't need to. Others "hear" with specialized pads, designed to pick up the slightest vibration... (Don't ever touch them, you hear?) Anyway-

You know how the human voice can literally break glass? Yeah, so do the higher-ups in any organization that knows what they're doing. In the Rhusngi's Immigration fleet, crews are chosen through a complex AI system. Applications take Jovian aeons to process- But this ain't Rhusngi Immigration.

There's no one name for what we are. A bunch of idiots, taking random jobs here and there- wait, what? No, we're not- We just do deliveries! *unintelligible alien muttering* Sure, it can be dangerous, but we're not stupid. Our crews communicate, for Dsheng's sake.

I understand your concern- Ship 7 does have a more, er, potent blend of species... they balance each other out- The two humans? Hhhhhhharmless. *xe hisses, frustrated.*

｡.:*☆*: .｡:*.:*☆☆*

"Aaaaaalright, Bumblebees! Another day, another dollar! Everybody, up, up, up!"

Kit's voice crackled with enthusiasm and static. It reverberated through the black-and-yellow ship, signaling the start of another shift. Most of us had been on board for "decades"- that's what Faizan says, at least. We've gotten used to each other by now, what with all of us being so... different.

It's been a few months since we picked up Kit and, erm... There have been some difficulties, sure, but yeah. It's made us closer, if anything. -Besides, now it's even. Seventh ship, seven crew members! Faizan chimes in, startling the mantis-like being. She promptly donks him upside the head with one blade-like arm.

He chuckles, then looks her in the eye- or tries to. "We just got some new cargo. Needs scanning." He holds a small device up to his mouth and speaks into it, making a series of clicks. He presses a button, adding- "Kit, you too- be at the loading deck in 5."

☆☆

Pretty soon, most of the crew joined Needih (insectoid), Faizan (human), and the new cargo. Kit (also human) was late- as per usual. But eh, she's on time when it really matters...

The cargo wasn't particularly large today, nor moving- thank God. "...And it's our turn to scan it in, got it?" Faizan lectured the younger human as he carried a box across the room. The two got to work, moving packages from the hatch as the rest of the crew chattered away.

Kit laughed when he stopped talking-

"You know you're breaking my heart..."

Faizan stopped in his tracks, a smirk on his face.

"You're shaking my confidence, daily." He replied.

--Here's a link for y'all--

He didn't know what he expected- The song was old. Really old. And Kit had never even set foot on Earth...

Kit started tapping the side of the box and stomped to a rhythm Faizan hadn't heard in forever-

"...'Celia... you're breaking my heart..."

Faizan's eyes lit up. Of course Kit sang the higher part, and of course he knew the lower one.

"You're shaking my confidence daily!"

Needih was in awe. She felt her shell shake with the vibration- it was impossible to describe. Sometimes, on her home planet, wilder sounds would align- but that was incredibly rare. Almost mythical. The crew all "heard" in different ways. We're lucky 'cause they're similar enough to communicate...

"... I'm beggin' you please to come home!"

Jaws dropped. Scrounge and Sdaer put down their drinks, eyes wide. Scrounge let out a deep rumble and tilted his ursine head. Faizan rolled his eyes and kept singing- the crew had never seen him like this...

The two humans sang like nobody else was in the room. They felt a sense of belonging, of harmony, like nothing else in the universe.

For the first time in years, Faizan dropped the package. He and Kit tapped out a beat on every available surface- the walls, the floor, even the boxes. And they laughed. It scared the hell out of the rest of the crew, who were too stunned to do anything but stare.

Goodness knows how Kit was able to sense Faizan's movements before they happened- and vice versa. Sure, they both missed a beat here and there but what did you expect? They're only human.

"Pick it up, pick it up, pick it up!" He exclaimed, conveniently skipping to the good part. Kit grinned.

☆☆

"God, I haven't sang in years..." Faizan paused and looked around the room. The crew was just. In shock.

"To, skh..." Sdaer struggled with the English. "To quote you, what the fUCK was THAT?"

"That was harmony." Kit said with a smile. And the humans just? Got back to work? Kit hummed softly, and Faizan smiled (without baring his teeth, to be polite- as if he and the newbie didn't just break goodness-knows-how-many-galaxies' regulations).

"How do you know Simon & Garfunkel, anyway?" the captain asked.

Kit looked down at the box they were holding. "...Does it matter?"

"No. No, it doesn't."

[deathmetalunicorn1]

Ai Hoshino!reader x Strawhats.

I’m not super well versed with this character as it’s not a series that I watch, but I’m gonna try my best!

-When you woke up on a pirate ship in a new world, away from your babies, you were both stunned and distraught, remembering dying in front of your child, being stabbed by an unknown assailant.

-You had been lucky when you landed on the Sunny, falling out of the sky, and while the crew initially thought that you were an assailant, thinking they were being attacked, when the realized that you were unconscious, they calmed and Luffy agreed to treat you.

-When you woke up, they were all amazed by your star-like eyes, thinking they were unique and beautiful all at the same time.

-You explained what you remembered, being stabbed, and after Chopped checked, he did confirm that you had no wounds, not even a scar, it was like you had never been stabbed in the first place!

-Robin was helpful, trying to research the strange phenomenon about your situation, being transported from one world to another upon your death, but so far she hadn’t been successful.

-Luffy adored you, thinking you were unique and immediately asked you to join his crew. You were hesitant in accepting, telling them that you didn’t have any special skills, other than singing, but you were willing to help Sanji out in the kitchen.

-Sanji was elated to be with you, but when he twirled over to take your hand, welcoming your help, you stunned all by stepping behind Nami, a bit scared of him.

-They all learned that despite being so young, you had twins in your previous life, the result of a toxic relationship that you didn’t realize was toxic until much later, after he abandoned you when you wound up pregnant.

-Robin and Nami were impressed with your drive, as you told them that you had worked hard to provide for your children, being a good mother to them until your murder.

-Zoro didn’t trust you at first, thinking that you were just telling lies, threatening you if you were ever to hurt anyone on the crew, which ended with him being punched and yelled at by both Sanji and Nami.

-Zoro warmed up to you after a while, as he saw you as a kid sister, as he saw you a lot like Luffy, so full of life and passion that he couldn’t help but like you.

-Franky loved you, as you adored his machines, as you found out that this world wasn’t as technologically advanced as your own, at least in some places, and you were constantly giving him new ideas.

-You enjoyed sitting with Usopp, who would tell you grand, but fake, tales of his past adventures, you knew he was fibbing, but you never said anything, as you saw how happy it made him.

-Brook had scared you the first time you met him, as you had never met a talking skeleton before, but he was polite and sweet to you, playing his violin or guitar for you. He was going to ask to see your panties, until he saw how you reacted to Sanji, and a gentleman would never make a young lady such as yourself feel uncomfortable!

-Jinbei also scared you, as you had never met a Fishman before, but he was… so warm, he was comforting to you, and he would allow you to sit and vent to him, with him offering you advice, and if you needed to, he would let you cry.

-Nami thought of you as a little sister, despite the air of maturity around you, and she loved to teach you about this world, as you wanted to know more, as much as you can!

-That’s how you bonded with Robin as well, as this world was completely different from your old world, and the best way to learn was to have someone knowledgeable teach you!

-You loved Chopper, as he was like a stuffed animal for you, and he would let you hug him while he was working in his clinic, just as long as you didn’t interfere with his work.

-Sanji loved having help in the kitchen, but he was respectful of you and your slight aversion to his flirting, and while not professionally trained like him, you knew your way around the kitchen and he enjoyed teaching you new things, something you would always appreciate and smile for.

-Luffy was… so unique to you, he was so loud and rambunctious, but he was so kind and funny at the same time, you couldn’t help but like him and he loved having you on his crew, as you helped everyone in your own way.

-They also loved it when you would sing, after they discovered you had an amazing voice and that you used to be an idol in your world! You had so much fun, singing along with Brook’s music, creating mini concerts for your crew that would make them smile and have fun with you, dancing and singing along with you.

-You loved your new crew, your new family, as you felt so safe and happy with them, but you missed your babies, you missed your old friends, and you knew that you always would. At least, in this new world, you weren’t alone.

[travlersjoy444]

request/writing idea!!

could you do a oneshot/headcannons(whichever you prefer) for a reader who acts as the teams medic?

Sounds like a plan!

On the Job

2012(ish) Turtles x reader

Platonic, and I say 'ish' because I was kinda picturing 2003!Don and Mikey, and 2012!Leo and Raph, as well as mentioning some 12 series specific villains/events.

Work count: 5.1k

Warnings: Non-graphic descriptions of injuries, mentions of blood, mentions of the film 'Twilight'

***

  “How the hell is it that you are somehow injured to the point of being near death yet again?!” You snapped at the turtle that had perched on your fire escape.

  Raph flushed, looking mildly embarrassed somehow despite his unwavering grimace of pain.

  You sighed and opened the door, slinging his arm over your shoulder to lug him to the couch.

  “Sorry.” He grunted through his wince as you set him down as gently as you could. “I can explain-”

  You smiled ruefully. “No, no…lemme guess. Ya got mad- probably at Leo, though it could also be Mikey- and stormed off to go fight crime on your own. And now that you’ve sprained your ankle and busted your lip, you’ve come to me so that you don’t have to return home with your tail between your legs.”

  He looked surprised, raising his brow ridge at the amount of accuracy.

  “Dude you did this like…just last month.” You sighed, and he mouthed ‘oh’, reaffirmed that you were indeed not a stalker.

  “Well…you’re the medic.” He shrugged, smiling weakly.

  You scoffed. “Wrong. Donnie is.”

  “Donnie once strapped me to a table and threatened to saw my plastron open.” Raph scowled. “And I don’t care that he was joking- I don’t trust him with medic privilege anymore.”

  “But Don knows more than I do about how to fix you up.” You said, grabbing the first aid kit.

  “Well…I like you better.” Raph grumbled, crossing his arms.

  You tried to resist smiling at that. “Flattery will get you nowhere.” You lied.

  Raph rolled his eyes. “It’s not…I’m not trying to….whatever, just do your thing, would ya?”

  You snorted. “Sure, King Raphael.”

  “Please?” He added, and you sighed.   “Okay, okay. Fine. Just stop getting hurt, would ya?”

  “Well…it’s sorta in the whole ‘ninja vigilante’ job description, genius.”

  You smiled ruefully, and began to wrap his ankle. “Yeah, I know. Maybe I just don’t like seeing you injured. But still…I’m glad you trust me to patch you up, dork.”

  He yawned and punched you lightly on the shoulder. “Wouldn’t trust anyone more.”

  You rolled your eyes and handed him some ibuprofen pills before sitting on the couch next to him.

  “Wanna watch a movie while you procrastinate on telling your brothers that I had to save your shell again?”

  “Yeah,” He murmured sleepily, swallowing the pain meds.

  “Hm. ‘Kay, Twilight it is.” You grinned. 

  Had Raph been even slightly more alert, he probably would have protested, but at this point, the adrenaline of the night had caught up with him. So instead of protesting, he rested his head on your shoulder and watched the movie about glittery vampires.

  You smiled and wrapped a soft blanket around his shoulders. Maybe it was sorta annoying and stressful how often Raph got injured, but you had to admit, it was pretty nice hanging out with him like this. And it was also sorta nice to know he trusted you to take care of him.

  He yawned and put an arm around you. “Hey (Y/N)?”

  “Yeah Rafa?”

  “Thanks for doing this for me. It…well, it really does…y’know, mean a lot to me and stuff.” He whispered before fading into sleep.

  You smiled and hugged him back.

***

  “Hey (Y/N), is it normal to have the world sorta…sorta spinning n’ stuff?” Said Mikey.

  You stared at him wide eyed. 

  “Angelo, buddy, pal, you just got thrown into a fucking wall!” You screeched.

  “So that’s like…noooot normal?” Mikey said slowly.

  “Ai ya. You are so lucky that Raph and Leo don’t need my backup right now.” You muttered, more to yourself than to him as you dragged the injured Michelangelo off the battlefield.

  You’d come along today to kick Foot Ninja butt and smash robots, not treat concussions. But apparently Raph wasn’t the only one under the impression that you were suddenly team medic. God, where was Don when you needed him?!

  “(Y/N)...my head hurts.” Mikey whispered, clutching it in his hands, before seeming to notice his change in location. “I-I mean, I’m totally mondo, bro! Lemme go back to fighting! I can’t let my bros down (Y/N), seriously-”

  “Shut up Mikey, you probably have a concussion-”

  “S’okay, I can still fight good! I’ve done it before, seriously-”

  “Ah, so you’re delusional too…” You said, pretending to write it down.

  “(Y/N), really man-”

  You sighed and dropped the act, as your nonchalant attitude clearly wasn’t working. “Mikester, you fight great. But your brothers are fine. It’s just a few Footbots, nothing they haven’t handled before, and besides, you took out a heck of a lot of them before you got wall-thrown. You really even their odds! But now you're injured, and the best thing you can do for your brothers is take a break!” You exclaimed, propping him up against a wall a block away from the fight.

  He frowned, brow ridges knit together. “You sure- oohhh did someone just stab my eyes with a glowing sword bro…?”

  “Nah man, that’s just the streetlight.” You said gently, unpacking the first-aid kit that you were lucky to have had the foresight to bring along, and mentally ran through the concussion tests you knew. 

  You tapped Mikey’s hand and ankle at the same time. “Okay. Where am I touching you?” You said.

  “Uhhh…my hand.” He mumbled out.

  “Nothing on the ankle?”

  “Nah…”

  Shit, okay, he’d failed that test…

  You swallowed and read the instructions for another one off your phone.

  ‘1. Tap the bridge of the patient's nose. 

They will begin to blink, but should stop after 2-3 blinks. 

After more than 3 blinks the subject is considered concussed.’ said the article.

  You tapped his snout gently, and he blinked in shock. 

  “Ow!”

  “Sorry.”

  One blink, two, three, four, five- uh oh. 

  “Okay…you’re officially concussed, Mikey!” You said weakly.

  “Ohhh…that’s not good, is it, bro?” He moaned.

  “No... Look, I’ve got this bag of ice, I’m gonna hold it onto your head, okay?” You said, making sure to speak as calmly and clearly as you could manage.

  He nodded, before groaning in pain at the movement. You eased the ice onto his forehead as gently as you could manage, and grabbed some pain meds out of your first aid kit.

  “Here, swallow these.”

  He complied.

  “Woah, what’s going on here?!” Said a voice from behind you. 

  “Don!” You grinned, spinning around to see the familiar turtle. He was by your side in an instant, studying Mikey himself.

  “He’s got a concussion.” You sighed.

  “Ooh, that’s…not ideal.” Don winced. “Look, I’ve gotta grab the Shellraiser- I’ll pick you up in a minute, Mikey. In the meantime, stay with the medic and don’t do anything stupid.”

  “I’m not the medic-” You argued.

  “Aren’t you?” Don frowned, pointing to your first aid kit.

  “Well even if I was -which I’m not- I have a name, dude.” You protested, but he had already darted off to grab the car. You sighed and mumbled something about those ‘dang teenagers’ as if you weren’t also one.

  “S’okay (Y/N), I believe in ya! You can be medic if you set your mind to it…”Mikey grinned loopily.

  You facepalmed. “No, that’s not what I- augh. Whatever. Sure, Mikey.” You sighed.

  “Anytime, dude.” He said, giving you a weak thumbs-up.

***

  “Is he okay?” You said, frowning as Mikey lay passed out on the cot in Don’s lab.

  “He’ll be fine. He was lucky to have you there though, it would’ve been way worse if he’d tried to go back to fighting the way you said he wanted to.” Don shrugged, smiling. “So, good job, Team Medic!”

  You frowned. “Whoa whoa woah, no. Donnie, you’re the team medic.”

  Don shook his head. “No, I’m Team Scientist. I only have an arbitrary understanding of medical stuff- I’m more of a ‘mechanics’ guy. And occasionally chemistry, nowadays, but y’know.”

  “So you think I  -Me, an untrained ametuer- would be a better medic than you, a full fledged genius scientist?!” You said indignantly.

  “Well…yeah, you have basic first aid training, which is more than even I have, and you’re great under pressure- Um…do you not want to be?” He stammered awkwardly. “See I just figured …the more the merrier, right? But if you don’t want to, obviously we don’t have to do that…it’d just be nice to have someone else, I guess…” He continued, fiddling with his duffle bag strap anxiously.  

  You sighed, running through the mental pros and cons list. 

  On the one hand…It would mean more safety for the boys, finally getting to use your medical training, and a  bit of pressure off of Donnie- who already shouldered the huge burden that came with the title of ‘Scientist/Engineer/Argument Breaker-Upper/Mechanic/Chemist/Ninja’.

  But on the other hand, it was a huge responsibility. What if one of them got injured so badly that you couldn’t help? What if you were at school or work or on vacation or something, what would they do then?

  Well…then again, Donnie was still there and able to help. And plus…you’d be the medic, not the doctor. You weren’t sure you could handle long term stuff, but if you were just the first aid…well actually, that didn’t seem too bad. After all, you were already Raph’s personal human first aid kit, and that was only mildly stressful, so maybe doing the same for the other brothers wouldn’t be too terrible?

“Well- I mean, I guess you have a point, what with how often you guys are injured…” You said, considering it. “It’s a huge responsibility, but I guess so long as I have you as backup, Dee…”

  Don blinked. “Wait…so you’ll do it?” He said.

  Eh…sure why not.

  “You know what? …Yeah, I guess so.” You said finally. “But only if you promise you’ll help me out, genius.” You decided, holding out our hand to shake on it.

  He grinned and shook it weakly. “Thanks so much, (Y/N). You have no idea how helpful this is.” He said, relieved.

  You smiled despite yourself. “Hey, wouldn’t want the world’s best scientist to deal with even more shit than he has to, right?” You said, only half joking.

  He blushed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well best is a strong word...”

  You chuckled at his reaction. “Well, you’re certainly the best I know, Don. I’m honored that you trust me with something like this, seriously.”

  He smiled, suddenly shy. “Hey, thanks for agreeing to it. This is super helpful- and you’re the best candidate by far.”

  “Gasp, better than Casey?” You said in mock surprise.

  He chuckled. “Way better than Casey.”

  “You know, one time I stubbed my toe, and his go-to instinct was to chuck a hockey puck at it to, quote, ‘get the blood flowing’. So I guess you’re right there.” You mused.

  “Dude! I WAS HELPING!” Yelled Casey, summoned by the sound of shit being talked about him.

  “We’ve been over this Case’- YOU INJURED ME MORE!” You yelled back, and Don doubled over laughing.

  “Oh yes, I’m glad my suffering amuses you.” You said, falling against the wall dramatically.

  “S-sorry-” Don wheezed as he leaned on his staff to straighten his posture, very obviously not sorry.

  “Y’know what?! It totally does amuse me!” Casey sassed, tossing his hair just as dramatically.

  “You guys are so mean.” You said, faking a voice crack as you pretended to wipe away tears.

***

  “Hey (Y/N)? I’m sorry I ruined your chances to fight.” Said Mikey a while later.

  You looked up from your math homework. “You’re awake?” You said, surprised. Don had estimated that it would be another hour or so before he regained consciousness.

  “Uh…apparently. How long was I out?” He mumbled. 

  “Just a few hours, dude. How’s the head?”

  “...Hurts.” He said, cringing. “Aw, man.”

  “D’you want me to dim the lights a bit?” You offered. The lab’s lights were already dimmer than usual, but you did have Donnie’s extremely bright desk lamp on for your homework.

  “Maybe?” Mikey grunted. “Is everyone okay?”

  You complied and turned off the desk lamp, leaving the room shadow-y but not fully dark. 

  “Yeah, everyone’s fine, Mike’.” You nodded. “You’re the only one that got injured, and that’s just ‘cause one of Shredder’s goons threw your head into a wall.”

  “Okay, lame! What a buzzkill.” Mikey whined. “Thanks for patching me up.”

  “No problem!” You said firmly.

  “It kinda was though, ‘cause I messed up your chance to fight…isn’t that why you were so angry about having to treat me?” Mikey mumbled, looking away.

  You cringed, remembering how you had indeed complained. “Aw, Angelo- I…I didn’t mean it like that. That was the stress talking more than anything else, and besides- that’s how I act around Raph, y’know? All like…sarcastic and begrudging because he alway gets hurt for dumbass reasons. I guess I kinda forgot that you’re…not Raph, you know what I mean?” You shrugged, trying to ignore the burning wave of regret and embarrassment that was washing over you.

  “Kinda?” Mikey said, still not meeting your eyes. “So does that mean you’re not…mad at me?”

  “Of course not.” You said, scooting your chair up next to his cot. “You didn’t do anything wrong, dude, how could I ever be mad at you? Ya did good today, Mikey, you know that?”

  “You think so?” He smiled, looking up at you- almost shyly, as if he didn’t believe it….you made a mental note to compliment him more often. 

  “I know so, genius.” You grinned, punching him lightly in the shoulder.

  “Hey! Hitting the sick dude? Not cool brah!” He grinned, punching you back.

  “Oh hey- we ordered pizza a bit ago! You feelin’ up for a slice?” You suggested, remembering how Leo had set some aside for whenever Mikey woke up.

  “Uh no duh?! Of course I want pizza! Where is it?!”

  You laughed, standing up. “Okay, I’ll go get it for ya, dude. Good job today bro.”

  “Ditto, mondo-medic!”

  “Oh boy, a new nickname. How tubular.” You grunted, smiling good naturedly before you ducked out of the lab.

***

  Now you were used to Raphael showing up on your fire escape. But tonight, there was a turtle on your fire escape who not only was not Raphael, but was also one of the least likely people to ever show up injured, ever.

  He rapped on the window. “Hey, (Y/N)!”

  “Leo? What the hell are you doing here?” You shoved the door to the fire escape open, and let him in.

  “Thanks.” He rasped, limping into the living room. “Sorry to bother you, (Y/N). I just…needed some help from someone who isn’t one of my brothers, and…y’know, the medic.”

  “What happened?” You said, taking in his all-black getup. “What’s with the goth makeover? …And your voice being raspier than usual?”

  He chuckled nervously, and it faded into a cough. “Uh…y’know, Karai stuff?”

  You blinked. “...What?”

  He rubbed the back of his head. “Look, it’s a bit of a long story,” he smiled awkwardly, “...But Karai and I may have sorta…y’know, committed arson…?”

  He said it as if it were something like ‘Karai and I cheated on a test’ or ‘Karai and I got a parking ticket’.

  “...Leo?!” You said, staring at him in awe.

  “Look that’s unimportant-  The issue is that I think I knocked my bad knee out of it’s socket while we were running away, and obviously inhaled more smoke than I should’ve-”

  “Why the fuck were you commiting arson?!” You exclaimed, cutting him off.

  He sighed, fiddling with his katana’s strap. (-oh wait no, that was a…seatbelt? Right, he was in an emo phase, apparently.)

  “I mean I understand the urge- who hasn’t been tempted to start a fire, all that or whatever- but you?!” You exclaimed, throwing your hands into the air wildly. “Like, I’d expect this from Raph or Casey but…you?!” You continued, not even sure what to say.

  He opened his mouth and closed it. “Uh…”

  You sighed and sat down on the couch, shaking your head. “And you fucking hurt your bad knee…agh. Leo…”

  He sat down next to you, staring at the floor.

  “...No.” You grunted, staring at the ceiling. “The couch is for people who don’t commit arson. You get the Stool of Shame.”

  “-Huh?”

  “The Stool of Shame, dude.” You reiterated, pointing at the rickety old tin seat in the corner that, based on the size, you were pretty sure was made for elementary school children. 

  Leo swallowed in embarrassment, but limped across the room to uncomfortably perch on the tiny stool.

  You stifled a smirk at the visual of the gothed-out Leonardo staring at the ground in shame, fidgeting with his hands as he sat in the much too small chair.

  “Do you feel ashamed?” You said flatly.

  He nodded. 

  “Good. You should be. Arson is bad, Leo, and we both know that you know that it’s bad.” You said, standing up and walking towards the kitchenette to make yourself some tea.

  Leo nodded again, rocking side to side on the chair anxiously.

  “D’ya want mint tea or green tea? Ooh, and there’s also cherry coke I think in the fridge.” You added absently.

  “Uh…green is good, no milk?” Leo said slowly.

  “Cool cool. You mentioned smoke inhalation?” You said, putting the kettle on.

  “Yeah…”

  “Alright. How’s the throat, then?” You said. You’d been reading up a bit on throat injuries after Leo complained lightly about his long-term injuries acting up, and if it was bad then, you had a solid hunch it would be way worse now.

  “...Well, I mean…It…hurts,” He shrugged, shifting in the Shame Stool as he tried to downplay the ramifications of his dumbass choices.

  “Shocking.” You said, turning back to preparing the tea.

  “Look, it was an accident!” He said defensively. “We didn’t plan on the alarms closing the East exit, that didn't happen last…time…oooh.” He winced, realizing his mistake a second too late.

  You slowly turned back towards him, feeling your eye twitch.

  “Ya wanna say that last bit one more time Leon?” You said as evenly as you could manage.

  He gulped, but met your eyes. “...That didn’t…happen…last time.” He said in a small voice.

  “Last time.” You repeated.

  “LAST TIME.” You said, louder this time.

  Leo cringed. 

  You took a deep breath and tried to calm yourself. “So your knee is re-injured and your throat is hurting.” You mumbled, listing the symptoms in the hope that focusing on the task at hand would keep you from flipping out at him. “And you’ve fucking done this…twice…” 

  He coughed, as if he wanted to say something, but held his tongue.

  You made a sound of frustration. “Okay, more than twice?”

  He nodded, brow ridges knitted together as he stared at his feet.

  “You are…so lucky that I don’t have Splinter’s phone number.” You hissed.

  He nodded again. “You’re right.” He said in a small voice.

  “Yeah, I know I’m right!” You snapped, stirring two tablespoons of honey into his tea aggressively. Some of it spilled on the floor. “Unlike some of us, I’m not an idiot!” 

  You sighed, walking across the room to hand him the mug. “Lemme go get the first aid kit. In the meantime, you have about two minutes to think of a good explanation for this.”

  “Yes sensei- uh I mean (Y/N)! Yes (Y/N).” He nodded, flustered, and saved himself from meeting your eyes by taking a giant sip of tea.

  You rolled your eyes and left the room to grab the first aid kit.

  When you came back, he was gagging on tea.

  “Is something wrong with it?” You said flatly.

  “Nah, it’s- it’s fine! Maybe a little too much sugar-”

  “When will you learn that your actions have consequences, Mr. I-just-inhaled-tons-of-smoke-fumes? …Heh. It’s honey, soothes the pain.” You said, smiling.

  “Oh. Okay then.” He mumbled.

  “So if your knee is dislocated, I’m gonna have to shove it back into place, which is gonna hurt like hell, okay?” You warned. “I do have some pain meds, but obviously they’re not exactly professional- just the drugstore over-the-counter stuff.”

  He nodded and accepted the pills. 

  “Cool. Now…why the hell were you committing arson, Fearless Leader?” You sighed, sitting against the wall next to the Stool of Shame.

  He shrugged. “Well…first off, it wasn’t like, random- It was Shredder’s stuff. Karai, Shinigami, and I were burning Shredder’s stuff.  Secondly, Karai was gonna do it whether I participated or not! I had to come along to keep her safe!”

  “Karai’s a tough girl, Lee. She doesn’t need you to keep her safe- plus, she’s older than you. If anything, she should be keeping you safe, right?” You said gently.

  “(Y/N)- yeah she’s tough! But like…she’s not exactly as…well, y’know, stable as us!” Leo tried to explain. “I mean, she’s had a tough life, and only recently started therapy- and even then, she can’t really be forthright with her therapist because she’s gotta keep all the mutants and gang stuff secret- And so maybe I just wanna be there to keep her from doing something impulsive and hurting herself!”

  You glanced over at him, and he broke eye contact in favor of taking another sip of tea.

  “So then…you know exactly how I feel, huh?” You said softly.

  He blinked. “Huh?”

  “Feeling worried about someone who matters to ya doing impulsive shit and getting hurt?” You prompted, shooting him a half-hearted smile.

  His eyes widened. “...Oh.” 

  You patted his shell. 

  “I…I’m so sorry, (Y/N), I didn’t think-”

  “That I have feelings? I know, I know, I do tend to go for the emotionless robot vibe.” You joked, putting your hand on your heart dramatically. “But beneath the layers of deadpan stares and blunt comments…I hurt…” You swooned. 

  Leo chuckled, shoving you lightly. “Alright, alright, laugh it up…”

  “But seriously, Leo.” You said, leaning on the wall again. “It’s scary when you go out there and get hurt. You’re one of my best friends in the universe, and y’know…I don’t like seeing you get needlessly injured. Karai’s a big girl, let her handle her own problems. Maybe try bonding with her over…I dunno, bubble tea instead of arson, you know?” You chuckled.

  He smiled, leaning back. “Alright, you’re right.”

  “Now…look. All the nice feelings stuff aside…” You said, studying his knee. “I’m sorry but I’m gonna have to call Don about this one. I don’t exactly trust my ability to do this without causing a fracture.”

  “Aw, (Y/N)-”

***

  Over the past few months, being the team medic had grown into a more comfortable position. You actually felt you were helping, and more importantly, it was kinda fun! 

  However, all of that was under the watchful eye of one Donatello Hamato. He was far more useful in terms of the steps after first aid, and you weren’t too sure you’d be able to trust yourself as a medic just yet without his minor help- that’s to say, he was a nice safety harness in the risky rockwall that was being an ametuer medic.

  So when you lost said safety net, you weren’t 100% sure how to react.

  It had been a normal night of waiting in the lair while the turtles went on a normal patrol until it wasn’t.

  There was a flurry of movement in the tunnels, a yelp, and the siblings were storming into the lair in a panic.

  “Lab! Now!” Leo cried.

  Mikey was tearful, Raph panicking, and Leo’s face was trying to be stoic and failing. Your gaze shifted to Don, who hung from Leo and Raph’s shoulders, unconscious.

  You threw the lab doors open, and Raph laid Don down on the work counter before sinking to the floor in a stunned silence.

  “Wha- What happened?” You said, trying to bite back your panic. Right, pressure, pressure, I’m- I’m good under pressure, be chill (Y/N)-

  Leo paced the floor. “Ambush. Tigerclaw and co. Didn’t think they were gonna be there… I-I didn’t know-”

  You patted his shoulder. “Of course you didn’t, Lee, take a deep breath- What happened to Don?” 

  “They got him in the shoulder.” Mikey supplied.

  You stifled a ‘Ya think?!’ and tugged on some latex gloves. You approached Donnie, biting your lip nervously.

  There was a… a lotta blood. He was losing it by the second. 

  “How long has he been bleeding?” You asked, your voice coming out so much calmer than you felt.

  “Half an hour? Maybe?” Leo said helplessly. 

  Half an hour and still bleeding… so so much…

  I’m definitely not experienced enough to handle a transfusion operation, so- just gotta stick with Don’s emergency med stash and- and stitching-

  He was pale. You didn’t know that scales could be pale. You swallowed the bile in your throat and opened the drawer of sterile equipment. 

  Needle and thread, needle and thread, needle and thread… Your brain chanted unhelpfully as you tried to locate them. 

  Hydrogen peroxide, disinfect the wound-

  You soaked a cloth with the hydrogen peroxide and cleaned the gashes, and his breathing sped up. Understandable. You were confident that it stung.

  Wincing, you continued cleaning. 

  “Is he- is he okay?” Raph whispered from the floor.

  I- maybe?! No?! I- I don’t know, I’m just- ah-

  “He will be.” You said firmly, as if you weren’t mentally spiralling.  You tried to focus on the repetitive motion of cleaning the wound.

  You swallowed and reached for the needle.

  Raph tracked your actions, and, eyes going wide as he realized what you were planning, covered his mouth in horror and discomfort, no doubt picturing the feeling of stitches in his own shoulder. Huh, you hadn’t expected Raph to be squeamish, ha. Oh god you also sorta wanted to throw up-

  “Leo, we should get Raph outta here before he hurls!” Mikey said, as if he wasn’t feeling just as freaked out. 

  “Actually, all of you should probably step out so I can focus.” You said, hoping to end the performance anxiety and pressure all the pressure all of-

  “Are you sure?” Said Leo. 

  “A hundred percent.” You said firmly.

  Raph bolted out and Mikey followed.

  Leo shot Don a final nervous glance.

  “He’ll be okay.” You said, faking stoic confidence. “I promise.”

  He nodded, and followed his brothers out of the lab.

  You swallowed nervously and got to work.

***

  “Oohhh…” Don moaned.

  Uh-oh.

  You were really glad he was conscious- but you were not glad that he had chosen to wake up before you finished stitching his skin back together. 

  “Shhh, it’s okay-” You tried to whisper, but Donnie’s eyes shot open.

  “Oh my god….why does my shoulder feel like- eugghhhh….” He groaned. “Tigerclaw…”

  “You’re on the best pain meds in your collection, but uh….” You mumbled guiltily. “I wasn’t quite finished with ya.”

  Don gave a double take as his eyes traveled up to his half-stitched mess of a shoulder.

  He gave a weak sound of discomfort and nausea.

  You took a deep breath and smiled weakly. “Uh…did I fuck it up?”

  “No…it looks…ha…great.” He said with a laboured breath. “Well, obviously not great, but like- you know- solid stitchwork…”

  You winced. “Aw Don, don’t strain yourself by talking…”

  “I’m-...I’m okay.” He insisted despite the weak warble of his voice. “See? I told-...I told you we’d need a medic that isn’t me, remember? Looks like I….picked the right person, huh?” He smiled.

  You gave a weak sound that might have been either a laugh or a sob. 

  Your hands trembled in their blood-stained gloves, and you tried to ignore it as you continued stitching.

  His breath hitched everytime  you pierced his skin, and you tried to ignore the involuntary- and illogical- guilt at hurting him.

  “How ‘bout- y- Ahem. How about you?” He said softly.

  “Huh?” You hummed, pulling the largest wound closed at last. 

  “Are you okay?”

  You drew in a shaky breath and tried to keep your hands from shaking. “I mean…I’ve been better,” You deadpanned, although your heart was clearly not in it.

  “Ditto. Hope I don’t look too much like Frankenstein’s monster once we’re through with this, eh?” He chuckled, but it died in a whimper of pain.

  You cringed. 

  Don’s smile faded, and he glanced at you. “Seriously though…are you okay?”

  You sighed, wringing your bloody hands. “...Are you sure I’m the best person for this job?”

  “Do you….do you not want to be?” He asked.

  You shrugged noncommittally. 

  Maybe you didn’t. What had these past few months been if not stressful? Maybe April was better for the job. Maybe you didn’t want it.

  No, that wasn’t true. 

  Admittedly, fixing Donnie’s wounds yourself was far less scary than it would have been to wait outside with the others, unsure if he was getting better or not. And you maybe-sorta-liked being the one Leo went to when he hurt his knee, the one to comfort Mikey as he dealt with feelings, the one to fix Raph up when he did dumb shit as per usual.

  Yeah, you liked being a medic. What you didn’t love quite so much was the grimace of pain on Donnie’s face as he worried about whether or not the person he trusted with his life even wanted to help him.

  You sighed and began bandaging his shoulder. 

  “...I do, Dee, I guess I just worry is all…’Cause what if I do something wrong? This is far more high-pressure than like…a math test, y’know?”

  Don frowned. “Well you’re doing great right now if it makes you feel any better…”

  “Oh yeah? Thanks.” You smiled. “You taught me well, genius.”

  “Nah, I never showed you all the procedures and stuff- that’s all you, you know.” Don smiled, closing his eyes. 

  You glanced down at the bandage, realizing that he was right- you’d learned this in a life guard training lesson a few summers ago. Huh.

  “Besides, can you imagine like- Mikey or Casey or someone being in charge of this? I’d end up even more injured than before!” He chuckled.

  “I mean…I won’t argue with you there…” You snorted.

  “Anyways, I trust you, (Y/N). I know that I’m in good hands.” He said with another smile.

  “You sure? ‘Cause these look more like zombie hands or somethin’ to me,” You joked, holding up your blood-stained gloves. It was a true testament to Don’s hidden unhinged-ness that he burst into laughter rather than scolding you for the joke that you admittedly realized was in poor taste.

  “It’s just…ketchup, don’t worry about it!” He quipped through his laughter.

  “Mm, yeah, totally!” You grinned, tossing the gross gloves into the trash before washing your hands.

  “Well Don…I think you’ll be okay. D’you want me to go get your brothers?”

  He nodded. “Sounds good. And (Y/N)? Thank you. For everything.”

  You smiled, punching him lightly on his good arm. “Hey, I’m just doin’ my job.”

***

[pinkhairswagtourney]

please give a warm welcome to the 128 contestants of the pink hair swag tourney, part three !!

we have 57 new contenders and 71 returning competitors vying for the crown !! starting on 06/21/2023, we'll start voting to determine which of these pink haired characters is the swaggiest of all time !!

ROUND ONE MATCHUPS

PART ONE - 06/21 Iris Lovefeather - Tales of the Rays VS Lightning Farron - Final Fantasy Molli Pop - Candies n’ Curses VS Lily Tabacchi - Lily’s Well Yuyuko Saigyouji - Touhou Project VS Kasen Ibaraki - Touhou Project Madoka Kaname - Madoka Magica VS Aya Maruyama - Bang Dream! Vivian - Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door VS Anne Faulkner - Paradox Live Reona West - Prism Paradise VS Mirai Momoyama - Sparkling Prism Channel Crona - Soul Eater VS Chibiusa - Sailor Moon Satsuki Momoi - Kuroko no Basket VS Alice Asmodeus - Mairimashita! Iruma-kun

PART TWO - 06/22 Meninas McAllon - Bleach VS Neon Nostrade - Hunter x Hunter (1999) Shima Renzou - Blue Exorcist VS Szayelaporro Granz - Bleach Ln'eta - Sucker for Love: First Date VS Miyako Shikamori - Shikamori’s Not Just a Cutie Hot Pants - Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure VS Yasuho Hirose - Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Sheena Murphy - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles VS Scary Girl - Total Drama Cleo - Dragalia Lost VS Amy Pile - Grand Chase Mashiro Nijigaoka - Hirogaru Sky! Pretty Cure VS Nodoka Hanadera - Healin’ Good Pretty Cure Rina Tennoji - Love Live VS Mei Hatsume - My Hero Academia

PART THREE - 06/23 Mizuki Akiyama - Project Sekai VS Utena Tenjou - Revolutionary Girl UtenaSakura Miku - Vocaloid VS Goku Black - Dragon BallRose Quartz - Steven Universe VS Bonnibel Bubblegum - Adventure TimeLilim - Puyo Puyo VS Harpy - Puyo PuyoUlala - Space Channel 5 VS Jerrica Benton - Jem and the HologramsKohaku Oukawa - Ensemble Stars VS Ramuda Amemura - Hypnosis Mic Sara - Tales of Link VS Meido - Heaven’s Design TeamNatsu Dragneel - Fairy Tail VS Marluxia - Kingdom Hearts

PART FOUR - 06/24 Popuri - Harvest Moon VS Lyla - Harvest Moon Ramsey Murdoch - Epithet Erased VS Yoomtah Zing - Epithet Erased Trixie Roughhouse - Epithet Erased VS Giovanni Potage - Epithet Erased  Estellise Sidos Heurassein - Tales of Vesperia VS Sophia - Stardew Valley Expanded Clover Field - Zero Escape VS Zizel - Witch’s Heart Nikki - Love Nikki VS Zero Two - Darling in the Franxx Nana Hiiragi - Munou na Nana VS Amu Hinamori - Shugo Chara! Maggie Pesky - The Buzz on Maggie VS Jinmay - Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!

PART FIVE - 06/25 Reo Maruyama - Paradox Live VS Kazuichi Souda - Danganronpa Seraphine - League of Legends VS Violet - Arcane Jewelry Bonney - One Piece VS Koby - One Piece Perona - One Piece VS Shirahoshi - One Piece Minato Aqua - Hololive VS Himemori Luna - Hololive Mina Ashido - My Hero Academia VS Anya Forger - Spy x Family Kaoru Sakurayashiki - Sk8 the Infinity VS Nadeshiko Kagamihara - Yuru Camp Molly - Bubble Guppies VS Toadette - Mario Series PART SIX - 06/26 Hitori Gotoh - Bocchi the Rock! VS Mitsuri Kanroji - Demon Slayer Hinako Mishuku - Your Turn to Die VS Nao Egokoro - Your Turn to Die Riamu Yumemi - The iDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls VS Miyu Sakurada - Dig Delight Direct Drive DJ Sucy Manbavaran - Little Witch Academia VS Chuatury Panlunch - Gundam: The Witch from Mercury Ran - Urusei Yatsura VS Akira Kogami - Lucky Star Ilima - Pokemon VS Pastille - Starry Flowers  Kumatora - Mother 3 VS Amy Rose - Sonic the Hedgehog Setsuno - Toriko VS Genkai - YuYu Hakusho PART SEVEN - 06/27 Aubrey - OMORI VS Iris Sagan - AI: The Somnium Files Muku Sakisaka - Act! Addict! Actors! VS Tori Himemiya - Ensemble Stars Ribbon - Kirby VS Strawberry Crepe Cookie - Cookie Run Cotton Candy Cookie - Cookie Run VS Rambutan Cookie - Cookie Run Narciso Anasui - Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure VS Diavolo - Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Yanagi Hanabusa - DREAM!ing VS Shion Mikekado - DREAM!ing Delta - Honkai Impact VS Elysia - Honkai Impact Kory Anders - Titans VS Gamora - Marvel Cinematic Universe PART EIGHT - 06/28 Sakura Haruno - Naruto VS Euphemia Li Brittania - Code Geass Kipo Oak - Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts VS Tom Lucitor - Star VS the Forces of Evil “Big” Jack Horner - Puss in Boots VS Princess Poppy - Trolls Machi Komacine - Hunter x Hunter VS Chika Fujiwara - Kaguya-Sama: Love is War Slurpuff - Pokemon VS Tinkaton - Pokemon Hilda Valentine Goneril - Fire Emblem: Three Houses VS Yae Miko - Genshin Impact Ortega - Pokemon VS Nurse Joy - Pokemon Tenebria - Epic Seven VS Tecna - Winx Club

[hamliet]

thoughts on how oshi no ko has portrayed what happened to hikaru (thus far) and any ideas for what his motives/role in the story is?

Honestly? I think it's doing a pretty good job of portraying it. TW for discussions of childhood sexual abuse below.

When it's first introduced to us that Hikaru was raped by the adult actress, Aqua doesn't have much reaction. On an intellectual level, he gets it, but on an emotional level in terms of what this means for Hikaru, for his development and for his pain, he doesn't get it at all. It's only when we get to Akane's expressed horror ("that's sick!") that we get an actual reaction.

The previous chapter was honestly acting and a flashback as it actually happened, and I appreciated that they showed it as violent.

That's something so often missing from stories of older women who rape younger boys (see Mary Kay Letourneau). It's not a love story. He's not lucky. It's violence.

Like, I spoke about this with a friend after the chapter, but the wiki literally says he was "implied to have been raped." Implied? He was ELEVEN.

I don't think the wiki writers are intentionally being obtuse or dismissive, but there is a subconscious way in which a lot of the world, across cultures, reacts to female predators of young boys in a way that is incongruent with how we react to men who prey on young girls. And to be fair, the latter is a far more prevalent issue but still.

So anyways, I was grateful the final panel of the flashback showed Hikaru being dragged, violently, away from a girl his own age whom he likes by an older woman who won't even introduce his son as his son. Anything Hikaru has, he cannot have.

I've written about Hikaru before, but yeah, he's a scary serial killer at this point who is likely going to target Ruby and/or Kana. He's a final antagonist, obviously, and his past abuses don't excuse him. He's somewhat modeled after Lucifer, and not the Hazbin Hotel version.

But I don't think Aqua's final challenge is stopping Hikaru.

Aqua playing Hikaru in these scenes is challenging him to do what playing Ai has provoked Ruby to do: to empathize and further understand their parents. But, the problem is that Aqua can relate to Hikaru's anger and hatred already.

Again, as I wrote previously, Aqua already is very much like Hikaru (albeit at a far earlier stage): trying to reenact and kill the perceived causes of his trauma and not able to see that he's not going to be happy with such an ending because you can't kill your way to peace.

What Aqua actually needs to do is to come to understand Ai. Ruby, imo, is the one who will come to understand Hikaru, and probably forgive him (not excuse, but this is very likely where it's going).

Ai seemed to, after all. She reached out to Hikaru's proxy (the stalker) and definitely recognized the white roses and knew who had sent him.

Yet she still reached out to her stalker as a human being and empathized with him after he had stabbed her.

If it had been Hikaru standing there himself, she would have done the same.

And lest we think this is solely an example of her toxic wanting-to-please-people trait taking control, this was also the moment--the only moment in Ai's life--where she was finally able to express herself without a lie. It can be both an indictment of the entertainment industry prioritizing pleasing others over your own life and pain and Ai's moment of triumph even amidst tragedy.

Hence again why Aqua's challenge is to understand his mother, not to kill his father as justice for her. He needs to recognize her love for him as her son. She wanted him to live. She wanted him to love. She didn't want him to obsess over her in death.

Ruby, on the other hand, needs to understand Hikaru... and Aqua. Thus far, while she's had the best growth of everyone in this entire series, she is still idolizing Sensei and Aqua thereby.

She needs to see him as a person just as Aqua needs to see Ai as a person. Seeing Hikaru's anger and pain and seeing Aqua's go hand in hand for Ruby (again, not a coincidence Aqua is playing young Hikaru in the movie).

As for where Hikaru goes from there, I don't know. He might end his own life like the stalker proxy did, but I think the fact that that's already happened makes it less likely. He might find new life even if like, in prison, or he might die sacrificing himself for his kids. It's too early to make those exact predictions... but I think Ruby understanding him and empathizing is key.

[an-idyllic-novelist]

dark schneider with shinobu!reader headcanons - part two

Warnings: ooc, violence, KNY manga spoilers, Bastard!! anime season two spoilers, strong language, violence, mentions of PTSD.

If you are not comfortable reading this type of story, please push the back button and read something more pleasant.

Hey guys, welcome to part two the fluffier version of the yandere headcanons, featuring the handsome, arrogant wizard Dark Schneider of the Netflix's anime series Bastard!! Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy and the character!reader who is Shinobi Kocho from the beloved world of Demon Slayer aka Kimetsu no Yaiba! The link to them will be here.

For those who just came here and haven’t read part one, please do so before proceeding. The link to part one is here.

As it is portrayed in the series, there will be multiple references to heavy metal bands. I claim no ownership over them, including the lyrics of Operation: Mindcrime, composed by the American heavy metal band Queensryche in 1988 under the album of the same name.

Special thanks to @ccruzmoon, @anniespostssworld, @enryegotrip, and @mitra555 for their feedback and help with making this one of the best sequels I’ve written for a headcanon series in a long while! :)

So, with that being said, sit back, relax, and let's dive back into a world of magic and musical mayhem!

Golems from the ancient world aren’t much different than the ones used today. They are sentient, programmed to perform certain tasks, and able to regenerate themselves should their bodies be destroyed by an enemy. In fact, they were deemed as prototypes of an ‘AI - Drone’. Yoko didn’t know much beyond what her father had shown her in the temple’s sacred texts, but she did emphasize just how lucky you were to have discovered one in a weapons’ storehouse belonging to the Dark Rebel Army, with its parts and programming still in excellent condition. You have had it for over a year, and you can certainly tell that it wasn’t used for thermal optics or firing weapons at opponents from great distances like the AI-Drones were originally designed to do in war. 

For one, Led Zeppelin was made of metal dripped in gold, with stubby legs and a long feathery tail as well as wings. It could change its body’s mass from the size of a dumpling to a pillow in the blink of an eye, and had a mouth of razor-sharp teeth that served two purposes: storing items in its body, and showing recordings it took from its point of view. Oh, and biting people who came too close to you, its owner. Apparently, according to the technicians in the samurai residence, Led Zeppelin immediately bonded with you, the first person it saw once they had reactivated its factory settings. 

Well…supposed it is still a tad bit rude to keep referring to Led Zeppelin as an ‘it’ when ‘he’ has always been by your side, acting as a personal assistant and a subsequent comfort pet because goldfish have been extinct for the last century. When the night terrors began occurring last month, however, your Zeppelin had been stuck in the mechanical shop for a month because a few of his corroding parts were getting more difficult to find, courtesy of the Dark Rebel’s Army growing power in the country. 

But now the remaining safe haven in A-Ian-Maide was under attack by two Samurai Shoguns and a herd of sphinxes, your golem’s role would be more important than ever. He would keep Lucien Renlen safe, along with the women and children and the samurai who are stationed to look after them. When you gave this order, the golem shook his body rapidly - clearly he wanted to follow you into the battlefield outside. 

You smiled sadly as you shook your head too, cradling the tiny Zeppelin in your hands. “You have to. If there is anyone in this world who is capable of defeating the Dark Rebel Army and preventing them from reviving the God of Destruction,” You looked up, seeing a raven-haired young man in standard leather armor and about to burst into tears as he looked at you with wide, dark blue eyes. “It is the boy you are protecting. This is my final command as your owner.” When you said this, Zeppelin started weeping. You were startled. Since when golems could cry?

“Ara, ara, come now.” You cooed, wiping away the golden, oily tears with your thumbs. “You must be brave for me, Led Zeppelin. Farewell, my dearest companion.” Pressing a kiss against his tiny horns, you reluctantly took a few steps forward and placed Led Zeppelin on top of Lucien’s head. Giving the golem one final pat on the head, you turned around, ready to sprint from the main lobby and toward what might become your tombstone when a pair of wiry arms wrapped around your waist, squeezing you tightly from behind.

“[First Name], please don’t go!” You couldn’t feel his tears through your leather armor, and yet his voice was cracked. Desperate to keep you here behind the safety of the castle’s walls….even when these walls may come crumbling down the longer you are here. Untangling Lucien’s arms from your body, you turned around and faced him, covering his quivering hands with your own. 

“Lucien, I can’t. I need to be there for them, for Yoko. I can’t fail as I…as I had failed the two of you in Meta-llicana, the citizens. If I had only been quicker, stronger….none of this would have happened. And you wouldn’t have taken so long to recover. I’m so, so, sorry.” For a brief moment, you saw a glimmer of recognition in Lucien’s eyes. Perhaps you were already losing your mind? 

Shaking your head, you released Lucien’s hands from your grasp….and pulled him into a tight embrace. “Remember this, Lucien. To be born is a blessing. Do not look back in remorse, because nothing good comes from it. And remember to smile, even when it seems like suffering is coming towards you like an avalanche and it’s hard to breathe. But above all else….never forget that you are loved. Yoko loves you, and I love you. You are strong, and even if something happens to me…I know you will keep moving forward.” 

Leaning forward, you gently kissed Lucien. This is the same ritual Yoko had secretly been performing when she thought no one was around, oblivious to just how many times Led Zeppelin has caught her in action and you’ve seen it via the recordings. As the high priest’s daughter, she was the only other person left who could perform the Accept spell that would release Dark Schneider. Yet for the last two years, Lucien’s second identity never emerged. 

But you had hope. You believe that he will return…because he is the handsome, unsaintly, powerful hero of this universe. The show wouldn’t be the same without its main star, and it’s already been five episodes into the second season. 

Reluctantly, you took a step back from Lucien and Led Zeppelin, then another before you turned around and blitzed down the carpeted corridor towards the sound of battle cries, spell-casting, and the deafening roar of the sphinxes. A genocide opera almost fitting for an Insect Hashira ready to lay her life on the line….and bring her enemies down with her, no matter the cost. 

“Let me out! Damn it you brat, I said let me out! Let me help [First Name] or else she’ll get killed out there! Do you want her to die, or do you want her to live with us as the queen of the world we’ll conquer?!” Dark Schneider screamed inside Lucien’s head, pouring more of his magic through the seal that has kept him imprisoned in this weak body. “I’m ready! I’m strong enough to destroy these bastards now! SO LET ME OUT ALREADY, GODDAMMIT!!” 

The rain made the rocks slick, so blitzing from one area of the crumbling castle to another at your speed was almost impossible without slipping and spraining your ankle.  Leaving yourself wide open isn’t an option either, especially when one of the Shoguns was using wire to incapacitate his enemies, just like what he had done with Jorg. Making yourself scarce wasn’t your fighting style, but you couldn’t always do what you wanted to do on a battlefield. 

Still…the wires….

You carefully thumbed one of them, eyeing it carefully before recognition flashed through your mind. Ah, now  you remember! It had been when that girl who fancied herself as redeemable even after she allowed her little brother to kill so many humans and make them his spider familiars! If that’s the case….

You unsheathed your sword, palming the leather handle for a moment before you swiftly swung the blade, cutting down the wires that kept you from reaching the other samurai, Vai leading them. As you walked towards them, it took all of your willpower to not look down and see the bloodied corpses of the men sprawled at your feet. 

He was surprised, yelling how it was possible that you could see the threads. His statement made you blink in shock, pausing your treatment of an injured samurai. The wires were invisible, and yet you could see them? How odd. You were sure they could see it too. 

Shaking your head, you quickly administered the necessary aid to your patient from the sewed pockets of your haori. 

 A full vial of Dragon’s Breath to cauterize the wound, dried vermillion petals soaked in alcohol for disinfection, followed by bandages. “Believe me, I wish I knew too, but this is neither the time nor the place, Vai.” You said, helping the patient onto his feet. “All right, let’s get him somewhere where he can lay low -“ 

That was when you all heard it: a roar that shook the earth, ripping across the air through the valley followed by warmth seeping down your neck. Fear coiled itself in your stomach as the low thudding of footsteps grew closer. Blinking slowly, you turned your head and saw it. A magnificent specimen of a male sphinx, it’s orange mane bristled and teeth baring. 

Oh, dear. That is not good. It’s one thing to have a magical creature being controlled by a wizard, but an angry one? Definitely not good. You licked your cracked mouth. 

“Vai?”

“Yeah?”

“Can you distract that sphinx?”

“What?” 

“I said, can you distract this incredibly terrifying animal long enough so I can strike it from behind?” You said, patience wearing thin. “Can you do it or not?” 

Vai faltered for a moment, glancing at the sphinx before he groaned. “F-Fine, but be quick! It’s resistant to magic!” He exclaimed, taking the injured samurai from you and passing him to another comrade. 

You grinned. “Good thing what I have in mind does not involve using spells.” Bending your knees, you leaned back and blitzed forward. The sphinx unfurled its massive feathered wings, releasing strong gusts of wind that blew most of the samurai away, and high up in the air. Just where you needed to be. You inhaled sharply through your teeth, spinning your body so you were facing the sphinx, your dominant arm pulled back and holding your gleaming ninichrin blade. 

“Insect Breathing: Butterfly Dance Caprice.” 

You lunged forward, stabbing the sphinx in its backside and hind legs with the poison you had applied to the sword prior to the invasion as part of your weekly maintenance routine. You could have targeted the chest and behind the ears, but it would have taken longer for the poison to be absorbed into its body. The areas you struck in the male were much more vulnerable simply because they were used to attract potential females through an intricate dance, similar to what certain exotic birds did during mating season, at least that’s what you read in the encyclopedias back in your old world. 

Landing on the fractured stones of a destroyed keep, you watched in sadistic satisfaction as the sphinx crumbled into a heap, struggling to stand up for just a brief moment before losing consciousness. Good. It’s working. You thought. 

“I’m going ahead!” You yelled. “I’ll take down as many of these sphinxes as I can, and provide cover! If you see any threads blocking your path, tell me and I’ll cut them!” 

“How are you even doing this?!”

“Strike first, ask questions later!” 

And that was exactly what you did. You struck down the sphinxes who weren’t too high up in the air with your poison and sliced through the wires that weren’t coated with the heavy oil Yoko had released, flying across the battlefield like a butterfly just as you had done as a Demon Slayer. 

Who would have thought that one of the people you had saved during an outbreak of purple fever had been a magician gifted in the art of reconstructing an entire object to its original condition, so long as she had a piece of it? 

But there was no time for being sentimental, even for a second. The samurai were counting on you to even the odds that were in their favor. 

 Darting across the ruins of the castle, you heard a maniacal, grating laugh from amongst the sphinx’s roars. Skidding to a halt, you glanced up and saw a figure dressed in white and balancing himself in midair on a wire, holding Joshua captive in a web. Ah, that must be the Sorcerer Shogun responsible for killing Jorg. 

Supposed….it’s time to also test that too, hm? 

You inhaled a deep breath, closing your eyes as you crouched down towards with your sword by your side. Focus on opening the blood vessels in your legs, pumping oxygen through every muscle fiber and remaining absolutely still until you’re ready. You waited…and then you felt it. The muscles in your legs grew taunt, like a bowstring being pulled back and the faintest trace of thunder crackling beneath your feet. You smiled sadly.  Forgive me for using your own Breathing Style, Zenitsu. 

[Eye Color] irises snapped open. “Thunder Breathing: Thunderclap and Flash!” 

You pushed on your back leg, catapulting through the air as blue-white bolts of lightning swept beneath your feet. You raised your sword, slicing through the threads and allowing Joshua to get free.  Because you were ‘running’ at a high speed, you were not able to stop until you collided with the cliffside. You backflipped, using the momentum from your feet and the remainder of the Thunder Breathing technique to propel from the rocky terrain and propel towards the Sorcerer Shogun.

Dark brown hair matted down, half of it covering the right side, with a single red eye widening in surprise as you flew towards him, smiling and inhaling through the mouth again. 

“Insect Breathing, Dance of the Centipede: Hundred Legged Zigzag. Thunder Breathing: Thunderclap and Flash!”

Using two separate Breathing Styles at once is almost impossible because of the strain it puts on the body and having complete control over both techniques without it faltering either of them. You zigzagged across the sky, and with the lightning under your feet, it allowed you to close the distance between you and the Sorcerer Shogun, sword aimed at his neck. But instead of putting the poor fool out of his misery, you just grazed his clavicle area. 

Still, a graze will allow the poison to seep into his body. Won’t be long before he’s knocked out as well. You thought, landing on the ground on wobbly feet. You blinked, steadying yourself and trying very hard to ignore the black dots clouding your vision. Oh dear, methinks that was a bit too much. Well, can’t stop now. You thought, sheathing your sword just when you heard your name being called. Turning around, you saw Joshua running towards you, his mouth open and….saying something? 

Darkness suddenly enveloped you from behind, yet before you could do anything you felt something heavy and furry collide against your back, knocking the air out of your lungs as you were suddenly planted face-first into the ground. You wheezed. You tried to push yourself up, but the pressure just increased. Damn it, you might have broken a rib. Maybe two of them. The deafening roar that pierced your ear told you what was pinning you down. A sphinx. Not the smaller males. This was a female, and it is the larger one of the aggressive species. More than that, she doesn’t play with her food. 

If she’s hungry, she’ll swallow you in a single gulp. 

Nausea clenched at your throat like a fist, making it difficult to breathe through your nose. Your vision was starting to grow blurry. No. No…I can’t…I need…to get…up! 

“It’s okay.”

You froze, startled upon hearing a very familiar voice inside the recesses of your mind. Lucien? Is that…how did you…?!

“Everything will be okay, [First Name]. We’re here now. Just hang tight.”  

That was when the smell of sulfur hit you. The sphinx’s paw that had you pinned down was suddenly off, allowing you to roll onto your back and let air enter your body, even as the flames were grazing  the sleeves of your haori.  You watched with blurry eyes as the magical creature was incinerated….along with the others that were in the sky…by vortexes of red flames that jutted…from the castle’s baileys and rooftops? 

There’s only one person in the world who could perform magic on that scale. You smiled. It’s him. He’s back, after two long years. 

Dark Schneider is more than a little annoyed right now. 

He might have been able to take over after promising Lucien that he will keep [First Name] once he took possession of the body, but the badass comeback he had been planning to make in this series totally got screwed up by that weird-lookin’ peasant! Royal bodyguard? Sorry, no one gives orders to Dark Schneider, he’s the one that hands them out on a silver platter to his loyal servants. 

And why the fuck did the Sorcerer Shogun with Yorazashi threads quickly recover from the poison that his queen had personally given him?! No one is supposed to have plot immunity except for him, the gorgeous and saintly protagonist! 

He’s scripted to have a flashy battle with these clowns too, damn it! Macapine and Ba Thory are going down. He didn’t care if his salary was going to get cut in this episode, [First Name] needed him, right now. 

Raising his hand, the mighty evil wizard summoned the Goa Cyclone spell, followed by Spears ‘o Stone. The last one impaled the Shogun that had bugs in his body. Macapine was sent flying somewhere, and Dark Schneider hoped he would never come back for the rest of the season. Closing his eyes, he began to channel magic into the next incantation; this was a tricky spell, since it required a considerable amount of concentration for him to be able to accurately track down the person he wishes to find. 

Come, you know that you cannot refuse me

Let me into your mind,

So that we can watch the dragon burn 

Beneath the moonlight and stars of Revolution!

Operation Mindcrime!

Purple smoke and sparks of lightning billowed around him, swirling like a rising mist before immediately sinking into the crumbled stones beneath his feet. Dark Schneider’s magic thrummed as it traveled beneath the earth, driven by his desire to seek out the Insect Hashira, looking for the tiniest spec of her own white magic. Once his magic found that thin tendril, he was able to find her. 

She was being cradled by Kai’s arms while Yoko kneeled in front of her, the high priestess using her holy magic. Dark Schneider almost snarled at the sight of small lacerations on his queen’s face, the bruises on her hands and the sound of ribs being pushed back into place, eliciting a pained groan from her.

That’s enough. He thought, walking down the stairs, past the onlookers and Mifune, towards the battlefield with Lars tagging along behind him…and [First Name]’s golem. Yeah, the little bastard didn't like him one bit, not with how much he’s growling and snapping his teeth. He quickened his stride, almost blitzing through the carnage towards where the others were….wait, what is [First Name] doing?!

Yoko and Kai were yelling at her as she wobbled unsteadily towards a partially-eaten samurai, his lower half covered with what looked like the same creatures Ba Thory summoned to try to use on him, the greatest sorcerer in the world. 

“I appreciate your concern Yoko, Kai, but please let me…see what these creatures are. If they are what I think they are….we still have a chance to save everyone!” She looked at them with wide eyes, tired and desperate. “Please.”

Dark Schneider quickened his pace, almost running towards them with a furrowed brow. “Idiot.” He muttered. What could [First Name] even do in her current condition. Moreover, why is she trying so hard to save nobodies who barely made an impact on the second season of this show? She needed to take care of herself before taking care of others. How many close-calls of collapsing from overworking and suffering from night-terrors is it going to take until she understands that she can’t do everything if she’s weak? 

“Hey -” He called out, wanting to know what exactly is going on in this scenario when someone struck him in the back of the head with a fish. Glancing over his shoulder, the wizard felt annoyance and fear coil in his stomach simultaneously as he saw Yoko glowering down at him. 

“Late, late, late! You are so late!” She screamed, relentless in her assault as she continued to hit his head. “What took you so long?! What have you been up to for the past two years?! Almost the entire new cast of characters and we’re at risk of getting canceled unless we do something!” Her fists were quickly replaced with a mace that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. “But on top of it all, [First Name] says she can save everyone but we don’t even know how or what she’s talking about!”

“And why should I care what happens to them?” Dark Schneider barked as he rubbed his sore skull, his eyes narrowed in annoyance. “I don’t care about anyone else except for [First Name].”

The high priestess shook her fist in the air.  “What was that, you ungrateful little-!”

“That’s enough, Yoko!” [First Name] snapped, kneeling beside the fallen samurai next to Kai. Pulling out a scalpel, forceps and corked vial from her haori. 

She made an incision on one of the worms, causing it to squeal and writhe. Kai immediately plunged the tip of her sword into the leech, keeping it still long enough for [First Name] quickly used the forceps, pulling out a slimy, translucent worm about an inch, two inches long, holding it up in the air. 

“I knew it.” She whispered. “This is it.”

“What is it?” Kai asked. 

“This, my dear friend, is a regeneration worm. Difficult to find due to its rarity, but it is capable of healing wounds that cannot be repaired by magic,” [First Name] shared a hopeful smile with the taller woman. “Maybe…bring back our comrades from the brink of death. Like Schen Karr here.”

“You’re serious?”

“Quite.” [First Name] said. “Yoko! I need him!” 

“What?” 

“Trust me! Darsh, could you come here please? You too, Yoko!” [First Name] asked, waving her hand up and down in the air as she looked at him, hope and determination dancing in her eyes. 

Dark Schneider groaned. He knew that look. She wasn’t going to stop now until she collapses, so why does it turn him on so much? Well….he’ll just have to sweep her up in his arms like a princess and give some TLC later, right? Wait….did she just call him Darsh? He felt his face heat up a little. Damn it. Why does it sound so much better when she says than how Arshes called me that in the past?!

[First Name] quickly explained what he already knew about regeneration worms, and where Yoko’s healing magic comes into play. Kai was all for it and took off to inform the remaining samurai to gather what’s left of their fallen comrades. The high priestess went to work on Schen Karr, chanting blessed spells around Schen Karr while Dark Schneider and Led Zeppelin collected the worms. He had no problems finding the bastard Ba Thory and taking him apart piece by piece to get what his queen wanted, but how and why would a golem help out?

He knew about their storage capacity, nothing else beyond that. 

When he saw its jaws open and devour the leeches on the samurai’s body in three bites and regurgitate the worms on the ground in a neat pile by his feet, Dark Schneider withdrew his previous statement. 

While the handsome hero and his trusty sidekick Lars helped collect the worms, [First Name] would insert them inside her patients after she patched them up the wounds that Yoko's magic couldn’t reverse. The reddish-orange hues of dawn soon appeared over the mountainside as the heavy rain dissipated into a light sprinkle. The samurai crowded around, hugging each other or rushing around to help the citizens who got caught in the crossfire, bringing them to either Yoko or [First Name]. 

However, Dark Schneider could see that the healing process was taking its toll on his queen. She kept rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, trying to keep them focused on her task. She needed to rest, and yet there was still a line of people who needed treatment. He commended [First Name] for being as patient as she had been, because he would’ve snapped the whiny warrior’s neck in half right now for refusing to lie still. No one wanted a weird-ass worm inside of them, but she would never deliberately endanger a patient. Yoko agreed, trying to coax the man that everything will be alright, yet he remained defiant. 

Dark Schneider’s eyes narrowed when the idiot slapped his queen’s shaky hand, causing her to drop the forceps and the worm to fall onto the ground. Led Zeppelin gobbled up the little bugger so it wouldn’t go to waste, and [First Name] had the patient pinned down by the throat.

 She needed to stop, now. 

He pushed past the crowd, walking right behind Shinobu and carefully removing her hand from the bastard, pressing his chest against her back for a moment before he scooped her up in his arms. 

“And you’re done! Hey asshole,” He glowered at the sniveling rat. “Show a little more compassion that it was my queen treating you second-rate servants and not me, or you’d be dead already. Actually,” The wizard turned to Yoko. “Let them  die if they keep acting like this. The casting department should have more than enough money left in the budget to hire more actors for this season.”

Yoko shook her head, the corners of her mouth tugging into a small smile before someone else, one of the civilians, came forward and offered to take over. The high priestess nodded, with Led Zeppelin reluctantly staying behind as Dark Schneider walked away with [First Name]. 

“Thank you, Darsh. Although if my memory serves me correctly, I did not say that I am your queen.” The Insect Hashira said, looking up at him with an inquisitive frown. 

“So you’re telling me there’s still a chance.” Dark Schenider responded with a grin.He watched in amusement as she just stared at him, wide-eyed before she sighed,  closing them as she shook her head at him fondly. “You haven’t changed a bit. Still…I’m glad you and Lucien are all right.” 

“Why wouldn’t we?”

“The last battle did take a toll on you, the both of you, Darsh, and if I-” 

“That wasn’t your fault.” 

“But -”

“You weren’t the one who summoned the Demon Mail and used it to attack Princess Sheila or me. That was Abigail. You did what you had to do to ensure everyone had a chance to survive. What happened to Meta-llicana was not your fault, so don’t you dare say it is or so help me I will drop you right now.” He hissed, halting in his trek to look down at her. “Do you understand?” [First Name] didn’t respond, instead she just blinked rapidly at him, face frozen with shock from the words he said before he scoffed, turning his attention to their surroundings. 

It’s not exactly an ideal place to rest, but this area wasn’t too far from the others and didn’t have as much debris lying around. Using his magic, Dark Schneider levitated and transformed  two of the largest rocks into a pillow and a small mattress. He remembered [First Name] referring to them as a ‘futon’. He remembered her telling him, as Lucien, the difference between a four poster bed and what she had been used to sleeping back in her old world. This was the closest thing he could create from how she described them

His queen was…well, she was in awe of his greatness. Her hands clenched, fisting and pulling on the fabric of his shirt before he set her down. Well, actually he kept her in his arms as he kneeled down and tucked her under the duvet. “There. All cozy, isn’t it?” He smirked, resting his chin with one hand as he laid on top of the futon while the other stroked the top of her head. 

Laying on his side next to her, the wizard smiled as he saw [Eye Color] irises fluttering beneath his touch, trying to fight off the exhaustion when it was already a losing battle for [First Name]. Then all of a sudden, she sat up from the futon and he felt something warm and soft press against his cheek. Her lips. She just kissed him. Willingly. Holy fuck. 

[First Name] smiled sleepily. “Thank you…Darsh.” Her serene voice muddled down to a soft, drowsy murmur before she laid flat on her back under the futon, her eyes closing. Five minutes later, her breathing slowed to soft inhaling and exhaling through the mouth. All Dark Schneider could do was stare down at her with a wide, goofy grin and pink cheeks while the dog ears on top of his head wiggled. 

[First Name] loves me. She loves us, Lucien! He exclaimed in his mind, the bushy tail behind him wagging in excitement. If everything goes well, we might even hit third base before the second season is over! When all he heard was a disapproving silence in the background, Dark Schneider chuckled weakly, continuing to pet [First Name]’s head gently. Okay, okay, maybe that’s a little too soon, but c’mon, not even a kiss for the handsome hero who busted his ass to save this show from being canceled forever? We gotta give these viewers something!

[Next will be season 2’s famous bath scene 😉 who wants to get tagged?]

Taglist:

@sleep-all-day-everyday

@theanimekid

@saltyfruitbat

@ccruzmoon

@cassanderasblog

@technikerin23

@justamegafan

@harame

@mitra555

@nunezs-stuff

@xoxo-shy

@currentlyinhell

@swallowtailcherry

[redgoldsparks]

January 2024 reading and Reviews by Maia Kobabe

I post my reviews throughout the month on Storygraph and Goodreads, and do roundups here and on patreon. Reviews below the cut.

Electric Bones volume 1 by Hazel and Bell 

Lucian is the son of a minor nobleman and the CEO of the galaxy's biggest AI company, but he's not so rich that he can't get in trouble. After being fired as a programmer from Echo Station he joined a startup with a couple friends and is now fishing for funding at an elite tech expo on board an expensive and exclusive space vessel. There he sees someone he thinks he recognizes- Ezra, a grey robot, an fully sentient AI who worked on Echo Station as a researcher and partially cost Lucian his job. So why is Ezra now working on the space vessel as an escort? Unless it's not Ezra, but just a look-alike robot model? These questions drag Lucian into the beginnings of tangled web of intrigue which include kidnapping, AI-hacking, and murder. I've been reading this story online as a webcomic for years; you can still read all of volume one here: https://electricbonescomic.com/index.... But last year I also backed the kickstarter, and just sat down to re-read the whole story in print form, including a sexy little bonus comic. I love these characters, I love the rich colors, the lovely sense of flow and design of the pages. I can't wait for volume two!

The Fox Maidens by Robin Ha

Action packed and exciting, this family drama is full of unexpected twists and turns. I loved the focus on female characters: passionate Kai, whose love of martial arts and sense of justice cannot be contained by the normal rules of Joseon society; her mother, Meorhu, a fragile woman with a surprising past; Sura, a thief turned mercenary; and the Gumiho herself, the deadly but alluring fox spirit who impacts the lives of all the others with her magic and charisma. The art is rich with historical details, beautiful nature scenes, and fast paced fight scenes. Lovers of ghost stories, kdramas, and queer re-tellings of fairy tales will find much to enjoy here. I was lucky enough to read an advanced copy of this book! Pre-order it now, or look for it in bookstores in mid-February 2024.

A Nobleman’s Guide to Seducing a Scoundrel by KJ Charles read by Martyn Swain

What a delightful return to Romney marsh! This book picks up 13 years after the dramatic conclusion of the previous installment. Luke Doomsday is now a secretary, looking for a new position in a large house were he can keep books and solve his master's problems. Rufus, the recently minted Earl of Oxney, formerly a major in the army and son of a draper, has problems. For one, he never expected to inherit and his uncle is doing everything he can to prove Rufus illegitimate in court. For another, the previous Earl of Oxney was a selfish old bastard who let the estates fall into terrible disrepair, while Rufus' timid cousin kept poor account of the estate's money in a chicken scratch handwriting. Rufus struggles to read at the best of times, and he can barely make sense of his newly inherited account books. When Luke shows up on his door, it feels like a godsend. The men are immediately attracted to each other, though both have reason to be wary. And Luke, in seems, may have come to Stone Manor looking for more than a job. This series is such a fun mix of spicy romance, action, mystery, and danger. I'm really enjoying the setting and time period, which is just after the end of the Napoleonic wars. I really hope there will be more books to come!

Translation State by Ann Leckie

No one is doing it like Ann Leckie! This sci-fi novel uses six different pronoun sets (actually kind of seven, except one is the same set just used culturally very differently by different groups of people). It’s fantastic. We’ve got they/them, e/em/eir, sie/hir, it/its, he/him, she/her, and she/her again except used as a universal pronoun regardless of gender (which works great inside the Radch Empire and badly outside of it). I'm on the fence about whether this book can be read as a stand alone, or if it would only really make sense after having read at the Imperial Radch trilogy and Providence. I suppose it depends on what level of baffling alien customs and politics you are willing to tolerate. This book opens with Enae attending hir grandmaman's funeral, only to learn that the seemingly wealthy old woman had sold her entire estate to a stranger before her death. For the first time in her life, Enae leaves home with a Foreign Affairs job: to see out a fugitive who left Presger space some 200 years prior. Enae isn't expecting to succeed, but sie gives it hir best shot- and in doing so completely upends the lives of a widening circle of bystanders including Reet, a man of unknown parentage, and Qven, a juvenile Presger. This book finally begins to explain this inhuman and terrifying species, and the reason why the Presger-Radachii Treaty defines the rules of so much of this universe. I deeply enjoyed this installment; it makes me want to go back and re-read the original trilogy.

Brooms by Jasmine Walls and Teo Duvall 

Set in an alternate 1930s, Mississippi, this story follows a group of friends and found family who have to hide their magic from the restrictive and racist government. They survive at the margins, but they don't let the fear of prosecution stop them from doing what they love: racing together as a team. Deep in the woods seers and witches host carnival like events where racers on brooms compete for prize money and glory. Each of them has reasons why they need to win; lives and futures depend on it. This book is deeply queer with a diverse and magical cast. If you're looking for historical fiction where the trans and lesbian brown witches win, this one's for you.

Boys Weekend by Mattie Lubchansky

Sammie is a recently out nonbinary transfemm but their college friend group has not picked up on that fact yet. When Sammie is invited to be the "best man" at their friend Adam's wedding and attend a bachelor weekend at a high-tech, no-laws resort built on top of the Pacific Garbage Patch they decide to go in stealth mode. The resort is a pyramid scheme mutated with a strip club, business conference, all you can drink brunch bar, pro-gamer, most-dangerous-game corporate nightmare. Also, the waters around it are infested with terrifying flesh-eating monsters and someone is trying to raise an eldritch god. It takes every bit of queer resistance Sammie possesses to survive this bleak, hilarious, and surprisingly moving tale. In both their fiction and nonfiction comics, Lubchansky continues to hold up the black mirror to our own dystopian times.

Belle of the Ball by Mari Costa 

A very queer high school rom-com comic with a satisfying message about growing into yourself and seeing others truly for who they are. It opens with a love triangle, but subverts that form into a more complicated shape by the end of the tale. Strong character designs and very effective limited color palette.

The Moth Keeper by K. O’Neill 

In a desert village, a group of folks choose to live a nocturnal life to keep the moon company, and to care for a small group of magical moths, the only creatures who can pollinate a magical tree which helps sustain the whole ecosystem. One youngster, Anya, volunteers for the important but lonely job of Moth Keeper. She yearns to be of service to others, and feels she must earn her place in the village. In reality, help and friendship are only an ask away, and in this space everyone is cared for. This is a very beautifully illustrated and brief tale of responsibility, community, and resilience.

Feeding Ghosts by Tessa Hulls

What an accomplishment! I savored every page of Feeding Ghosts, absolutely floored by the labor and courage that went into the writing of this book. The inking is gorgeous, the history is clear, digestible, and devastating. This book threads the line between honesty and compassion in a way that I appreciate so much in any memoir, but especially one dealing with family. Hulls lays out the story of three generations of women starting with her grandmother, Sun Yi, a Shanghai journalist who faced intense persecution during the rise of Communism in China, who penned a popular and scandalous memoir and then suffered a mental breakdown. This left her only daughter, Rose, a student at an elite boarding school with no parental figures and no other family to lean on. Eventually Rose earned a scholarship to an American university and in the end moved her mother into her California home. Sun Yi haunted that home during the author's own childhood. The unexamined trauma and codependency of Sun Yi and Rose drove the author to the extreme edges of the Earth, seeking freedom from their ghosts. But in the end, she stopped running from her family history and turned, instead, to face it. Shelve this book with Maus, Fun Home, Persepolis and The Best We Could Do.

I Keep My Exoskeletons To Myself by Marisa Crane read by Bailey Carr 

I really struggled with this book. I almost DNFed at 25%. Ultimately, I did finish it, and I am glad I did because I think the final act was my favorite part of the story. However, I think the title and cover set me up with expectations of what this book would be which were very different than what the book actually delivered. This is not science fiction- despite the fact it was nominated in the science fiction category in the Goodreads Choice Awards. It is only barely speculative. This is a book about grief, depression, and parenting a baby and then a young child as a single mom struggling with loss and borderline alcoholism. There were passages of the book which struck hard, individual observations and lines which rang like bells. There is also nearly no plot and I was frustrated by the lack of world building. I wanted to know more about the laws governing extra shadows- were Shadesters allowed to vote, hold passports, travel across state lines? Had anyone experimented with the removal of Shadows? When and how did cameras get installed in apparently every home in American, and how did the government hire and pay for a workforce of seemingly 1:1 surveillance agents to citizens? Also, how on earth did Kris manage to pay for a whole apartment on a single salary working a call center job, especially when as a Shadester she had to pay extra taxes? I understand that this is literary fiction, and these questions are obviously not the ones the book was interested in answering. But it felt strange to me that a book so focused on parenting would not include a single passage about struggling to pay for or arrange childcare. The "pop quizzes" that break up the text did not work well in audio, and did not add anything to my experience of this book. Ultimately, I would only recommend this novel to a vary narrow audience of readers who enjoy lit fic, and are willing to spend a lot of time in the POV of a character teetering on the edge of a mental breakdown through much of the story.

Atana and The Firebird by Vivian Zhou

Atana is a mermaid, but she was banished from her home to live alone on island for a reason she doesn't understand. One night a curious young firebird leaves her flock in space to come down and visit Earth, and she convinces Atana to go an adventure. They are soon pursed by magic hunters, but they also make friends, and end up as invited guests in the Witch Queen's palace. She makes them welcome in her massive library and gardens, but she also has ulterior motives. This is a fast paced story of magic, friendship, and young people slowly learning about the forces larger than themselves that shape their world and their lives. I really enjoyed the art, it has a very active, energetic line which serves the action scenes particularly well. I can tell the author came from an animation background! I am glad that the ending set up potential future installments in this world.

Portrait of a Body by Julie Delporte  

I really loved the colored pencil illustrations of this book, especially the botanical drawings, and the kind of abstract relation of the text and images. I thought the drawings paired extremely well with the hand lettering even if at times I struggled with some of the cursive capitals. This is a candid memoir of recovering from sexual assault and a dysfunctional relationship to ones body and sexuality, of stepping into queerness and self-acceptance. I couldn't really relate to the author's journey, but I appreciated the honestly and thoughtfulness with which the more challenging themes were handled.

Fool’s Fate by Robin Hobb read by Nick Taylor 

This book, and this series, has earned Robin Hobb a permanent place in my list of favorite authors. This story goes so hard, weaving together threads that are 9 volumes and 30 plus years of in-story history in the making. The final confrontations, reunions, and farewells at the end of this story were hard earned and so well written. This very much felt like it could have been a final volume of the Realm of Elderlings series, but I know that there are 7 more books to come and I can't wait to see what else this series has in store for me!

System Collapse by Martha Wells read by Kevin R Free 

This book picks up right after the end of the previous volume and I had, unfortunately, completely forgotten most of the previous plot. Once I got myself oriented I still had a great time with it. Wow, I just love watching Murderbot learn and grow and solve problems in unique and interesting ways! I kind of want to go back and re-listen to the whole series.

The Chromatic Fantasy by H.A. 

This comic blew me away. One of the most beautiful, strange, artistically ambitious and deeply trans books I've read in a while. Aesthetically, its as rich as a stained glass window or illuminated manuscript. Its narrative is psychedelic but emotionally it rings so tender and true. The story opens with Jules, a transman trapped in a nunnery who accepts a deal with a devil who promises to help him live as a man. Possessed and impervious to physical harm, Jules turns to a life of debauchery and crime. Then he meets another trans criminal, the poetic thief and thespian Casper, and they begin to fall for each other. They see each other as no one else ever has, they validate and treasure one another, but Jules' devil is a jealous master. The devil would rather see Jules burn than thrive. This is one of those books that made me want to draw, made me want to write, made me want to be bolder, weirder, freer, wilder in my story telling. An instant favorite, I expect I'll return to this over and over.

Mall Goth by Kate Leth

Liv's parents are on the verge of divorce; they've just moved to a new town and Liv will be starting at a new high school. At her last school, Liv was bullied for being openly queer and an unapologetic mall goth, and she is understandably hesitant to accept friendship overtures at the new school. However, a supportive male English teacher and a fellow goth gamer boy start to make Liv feel welcome. The goth introduces her to an MMORPG and the English teacher praises her essays and gives her Lolita. Both of them start regularly DMing Liv late into the night, more than is appropriate for the relationships they have. This book is in large part about a teen navigating confusing advances and how and when to disclose things that make her uncomfortable but feel hard to speak about or define. I thought that aspect of the story was handled very well. Some of the pacing in the friendship plot lines surrounding it felt a bit rushed, a few sections underdeveloped, but ultimately I think this book tackled an important issue not often seen in YA comics. It is also steeped in early 2000s Hot Topic/emo music/pop culture references- if you were there, you'll know.

What’s Wrong? Personal Histories of Chronic Pain and Bad Medicine by Erin Williams 

Williams illuminates, through memoir, interviews, and mixed media illustrations the extreme failures of the US healthcare system to address chronic pain. These failures are especially common for patients of color, patients who struggle with addictions, patients who are queer or survivors of assault and trauma. If you had any illusions that the systems of medical care are working in this country, shed them now. This book is half cathartic, half infuriating to read. I really appreciated the honesty and vulnerability of the interviewees and the trans and nonbinary inclusiveness of the language surrounding pain tied to the reproductive system.

[venturethroughtheveil]

Beyond The Pines [Pt. I]

[Series description: Two years ago, dad died from cancer, leaving you to raise your younger sister, Vivian, alone. Your best friend, Ellie, was one of the few support systems you had until your feelings for her seemingly put a strain on your relationship. When Vivian goes missing, can you trust Ellie to help bring her back?]

[Author comments: I've put together an audio to go play along as you read. Voices are *ALL* AI-generated using ElevenLabs. I did not include Y/N's voice in order to preserve your own inner dialogue. This series will be slow-burn, and will have smut and graphic depictions of violence. 18+ only.]

[Credit to Youtube Channels Ambient City (horse stables); Hursty Outdoors (walking/snow); Music: Gustavo Santaolalla (Opening Suite; Longing; Unbound)]

Be sure to expand the audio to play from the beginning!

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

You slipped a glove off, braving the winter chill to scavenge your jacket pockets.

Sugar cube.

A rare commodity for your generation; you were lucky to find a small box of them while scavenging a ravaged coffee shop. You twiddled the rock-hard substance between your thumb and index, anything to dissociate from the girls’ conversation. Something about Dina falling into a pile of shit; you tried not to smile at that.

Fresh, powdered snow crunched beneath the heel of your boots. The warm glow of faerie lights danced across the ground at the stable’s entrance. 

Jackson was quiet. Peaceful. Safe. A stark contrast from the nightmarish infected and worse – bandits – roaming the mountains outside town limits.

They pass you.

“C’mere, Phantom,” The sleek, black mare whinnied and happily trotted into her refuge, “my pretty girl.”

She was a young horse, strong, with a spitfire nature. You had that in common.

When you weren’t on duty, you and Ellie used to race her and Shimmer on Cirque Trail, stopping to stuff your pockets full of wild huckleberries, which Joel made into killer pies. You frowned at the thought.

Gently, you threaded your hands through Phantom’s mane, silently thanking her for keeping you safe another day.

"Because you've been so good today," you murmur, presenting the sugar cube in a cupped hand. Immediately, Phantom gnashes it between her teeth, nose flaring.

Her face is just too comical. You laugh, wiping the slobber from your palms on your worn blue jeans.

The shrill creak of another stable door shutting disrupts the moment. Dina laughs at something Ellie says.

“Night, Ellie.”

From your peripheral, you see the woman leave.

The last six hours of patrol were miserable, from the clutch of infected you cleared to the dry dialogue between you and your friends.

Well, you were friends until three months ago at the town dance when you watched Ellie and Dina kiss. At this, you passed your glass of whiskey off to an equally dumbfounded Jesse and walked straight out of the hall, tears pricking your eyes and bile rising in your throat.

Beyond patrols with them– which, despite your pleas, Maria continued to schedule, likely to force a reconciliation – you hadn’t talked to either since.

Apart from working well together, you and Dina weren’t inseparable, so avoiding her has been relatively easy. On the other hand, avoiding Ellie, your ex-best friend, has been excruciating. No matter how hard she tried – showing up at your door in the dead of night to beg you to come outside, leaving joints on your windowsill, landing snowballs square in the back of your head – Ellie couldn’t get more than cut-and-dry responses out of you.

Eventually, she stopped trying.

Part of you was embarrassed at your childish behavior, but you couldn’t face her, not after that night.

You closed the latch to Phantom’s stable, hyper-aware of the forest green eyes that bore into your side profile.

Without a word, you make your way over toward Mike, who was on duty tonight.

“Hey - thanks again for picking up a shift so short notice, Y/N,” he gave you a sympathetic smile, “with the horde that’s passing through, we can’t be too careful.”

‘Bullshit. This is all Maria.’

“Sure, don’t mention it” Your tone was casual, but irritation and exhaustion were etched into your features. Desperate to go home and avoid Ellie – who was clearly waiting for you, you quickly scribbled in the logbook.

‘Four runners + three clickers in Tetonia. Cleared.’

You said goodnight to Mike and walked straight past the freckled girl. She was propped up against the stable entrance, brows furrowed and lips in a tight line. She looked tired.

“Uh - hey...”

You keep walking.

“…okay…”

‘Fuck off,’ you wanted to say. Instead, you shook your head and gripped your backpack tighter, eyes unable to meet hers.

No more stargazing with her. No more all-nighters snuggled up watching cheesy 1980s horror films. No more spitballing ideas for her next set of tattoos – a rabbit skull; an arrow; the numbers 000129 – she never explained that one; an ouroboros. No more. You had bigger things to worry about.

She made her choice, and it wasn’t you.

‘UGH,’ Your face scrunched up in a cringe.

She could have at least told you. While her head was in your lap – your fingers gently combing her auburn locks to the soft tune of Johnny Cash’s Hurt filling your bedroom – she was dreaming of Dina the whole time.

And you could have it all, my empire of dirt.

I will let you down.

I will make you hurt.

Heat bloomed across your face in embarrassment. You never told Ellie that you loved her – that you were in love with her – hell, you didn’t even understand it until you saw them lock lips at the dance. Now, you were cursed to watch them fall in love while you self-isolated and grew more bitter by the day.

The walk home was about thirty minutes from the stables. A good chunk of land on the outskirts of Jackson that's been in the family for generations.

Hopefully, your sister wasn’t asleep. You needed to vent.

‘If I walk fast, I’ll probably get home at 10ish.’

Fragrant pine and earth filled your frost-nipped nostrils. Even with your heavy parka, and thick, fur-lined boots, the cold settled deep in your bones. Without a flashlight, seeing your hands in front of your face would be impossible. It was that dark out.

The metal of your keys stung your battered hands. You became keenly aware of something behind you as you turned the lock. No need to reach for your pistol; it was obvious who was in your driveway.

‘How the fuck did I not notice her?’

“So, you’re stalking me now?” Without turning around, you tapped the heel of your boots against the worn, wooden deck to knock off the snow. You then kneeled to untie them. “Go home, El.” There was an authority in your voice.

Footsteps approached, crunching through the snow. 

“Maybe I’m not here to see you,” Ellie shrugged, “maybe I’m here to see Vivian.”

“I really doubt that.”

You turned and looked up at her, batting snowflakes from your lashes. It was the first time you’d really studied her face in weeks.

Dark circles hung beneath her eyes, cheeks hollow as if she’d not slept or eaten, yet, with that constellation of freckles smattered across her face, the deep forest green of her eyes, those lips, she was still the most beautiful girl you’d ever seen, more beautiful than any model from those Vogue magazines your sister collects.

“You look like shit.” You lied.

“Gee, thanks.” A smile tugged at the corner of Ellie’s lips. “Can I come in? It’s cold as shit out here.”

You hesitated; time seemingly slowed as you studied her. Ellie’s eyes met yours, unwavering. That stupid cocky smirk was still etched into her face.

“Take your shoes off,” you conceded. “Don’t track horse shit into my house.”

Family pictures, odds and ends from your grandparents’ vacations to Maine, and cheesy words of affirmation your mother hung years ago adorned the entrance of your home. It wasn’t your style, but it felt wrong to take them down.

Ellie’s eyes traveled around the room, searching for changes.

The cabin was simply too spacious for just Vivian and yourself. Two stories tall, there were four rooms and three baths. Maria has scheduled to move incoming residents downstairs sometime next month. This angered you more than Viv. This was your family’s home, and you certainly didn’t want strangers sleeping in what once was your parents’ bedroom. You didn’t have any say in the matter.

Your younger sister, on the other hand, was enthusiastic. For her, it was ‘too quiet,’ being just the two of you. You couldn’t really blame her, though. Most interactions between you since your dad’s passing have stuck to mostly your venting about patrols and Maria and all the house repairs needed. Vivian would talk about her newest boyfriend – if you can even call them that – the boys never lasted more than a month.

Dad passed two years ago from cancer.

It was a devastating loss to both of you, but you especially had little time to grieve. Vivian was just 14 at the time. She’d started supervised patrols with Jesse only one week prior. Dad was proud.

When everything went to shit, you took extra patrols to cover Viv’s duties. You did this for a few reasons, to let her have the chance to be a kid and grieve, to provide for your baby sister, and to avoid facing the reality of your situation. You two were alone in the world, and you weren’t ready to raise a 14-year-old.

Ellie made the extra effort to be there for you both. She’d walk Vivian to school and training, cook dinner, and often help with chores. She’d spend ration coupons on old, crumbling makeup or cheap-smelling candles that your sister adored.

It wouldn’t be totally out of character for Ellie to walk all this way to check on Viv, not at this hour, though, and you both knew it.

‘So why did you let her in?’

You set your shoes down at the entrance, inviting Ellie to do the same. The grandfather clock in the adjacent dining room read 10:13 pm.

“I’ll tell Vivian you’re here. I’m gonna head to bed –“

“Come on, Y/N,” Ellie grabs your arm, “I can’t live like this anymore. You don’t answer the door, you won’t talk to me,” she grips you tighter, “you won’t even fucking look at me.”

Her touch burned your skin. You try to yank back your hand to no avail. She was much stronger than you.

“I fucking miss you, I miss my best fucking friend, and I don’t even know what I did wrong.” Her eyes are pleading, desperate.

“Let go of me, asshole,” you demand in a whisper-yell. “you’re gonna fucking wake Viv.”

But it was useless; Ellie’s eyes were determined, glossy, as if she were on the verge of tears.

She pulls you closer to her, chest pressed against yours, and you’re sure she can feel your heartbeat pounding out of your ribcage. This is too close. Intimately close.

“Talk to me. Say what you need to say.” She demands. “yell at me, hit me – anything – so we can move on and pretend you haven’t been acting fucking insane the last few months.”

Her lips are too close to yours.

“Don’t make me.” Your voice was small, eyes welling with tears. Emotions that had been bottled for the past three months. It was your turn to beg. Beg her not to do this. Not here, not ever. All you wanted was to grieve the loss of your friendship and move on so you could get your shit together for your sister. There was no room for weakness in your life anymore. Cutting her off is easier than a painful rejection.

Ellie’s eyes searched yours for an answer, and her lips were pulled in a frown.

“I need to know, Y/N.”

‘Don’t do it.’

You weren’t the best at impulse control. It was a trait you got from mom, something you thought you’d begun to improve at. But the body heat between you, the desperation in Ellie’s eyes, and her nails digging into your now-bare shoulders were too much.

Ellie’s lips were chapped compared to yours. Salty from the tears that had flown moments prior. The kiss was innocent, sad. Your lips moved gently against her still ones. This wasn’t how you dreamt it happening.

The kiss was over as soon as it began.

Ellie pulled back, freeing you from her iron grip. You both stood there, facing each other for an eternity. The grandfather clock ticked loudly.

She looked dumbstruck, cheeks blooming red, and it wasn’t from the cold.

“Shit”

White-hot shame finally engulfed you as you realized what you’d just done.

‘So much for self-control.’

Without another word, you grabbed the jacket at your feet and rushed upstairs, two steps at a time.

Part of you wanted to seek refuge in your sister’s room, cuddle up, and cry into her shoulder like when you were kids and mom and dad would have screaming matches downstairs. Instead, you barged into your room and locked the door behind you.

Ellie doesn't follow.

[da-birb-writes-sometimes]

Reader’s Cooking is Worse than Lilia’s?!  -Octavinelle Edition

Somehow, your cooking is worse than Lilia’s. Was it always like this, or did travelling to TWST change it?

Characters: Azul Ashengrotto, Jade Leech, Floyd Leech

Content: platonic, crack, gender neutral reader

Find the rest of the Series: Heartslabyul, Savanaclaw, Scarabia, Pomefiore, Ignihyde, Diasomnia

Author’s Note; As a reminder, do not put my work — or others for that matter — into AI as it steals. Link to Masterlist

Azul Ashengrotto

He thought that Ace and Deuce were over-exaggerating. There’s no way that your cooking is worse than Lilia’s! So he invites you to the Lounge just to see what those two were blathering about. This is just an easy way to get two extra workers!

… he looks at you in quiet horror. Ace and Deuce were right?! He thought he’d never see the day. No time for that though, he has a contract to complete… and a kitchen to rebuild, oh Sevens.

He tries to teach you how to cook by following some of the Lounge’s recipes. And despite following the instructions your cooking is still terrifying. How is it this bad?!

Jade and Floyd would usually be making fun of him but they ‘had business’ and left when they heard you would be in the kitchen. Damn those eels for abandoning him!

Jade Leech

Oya? Azul is helping you cook? He knows better than to stick around. No, he hasn’t eaten your cooking, but he has seen Ace and Deuce looking worse for wear whenever they had to endure your treats.

He is curious though, why is your cooking like this? Do you do it on purpose? Are you fooling everyone? 

Whenever you do give him snacks you’ve made, he convinces Floyd to try them, saying that they are from the Prefect. Judging from Floyd’s reaction they were as bad as Ace and Deuce sobbed and now he has to deal with a sick Floyd. He does smile to himself, thankful that he didn’t eat them.

He may also keep any of the snacks you make him and use them as a bargaining piece against Azul, Floyd, and anyone avoiding the contracts. Everyone thinks it’s poison, but he knows that it’s nothing more than a friend’s love imbued home-cooking.

Floyd Leech

He should have known better than to eat something offered by Jade, but his Shrimpy made it! How could he refuse! Well, due to that he ends up sick and is now terrorizing everyone because of his horrible mood. There’s no way Shrimpy made that crap!

Well, lucky for him you made him some get well soon food! Oh, so Shrimpy did actually make that crap. He’s not apologizing for hitting Jade the other day though.

When he catches wind that you’ll be in the Lounge’s kitchen he tags along with Jade to get out of there. Yes, he loves pestering you, but he doesn’t want to get sick again because of your cooking and he’s not taking any risks.

In the meantime though, he’ll make sure to pay a special visit to his favourite crab and mackerel and question them about Shrimpy’s cooking!

[celepom]

The Infinity Particle

By Wendy Xu

In this gorgeous graphic novel by Wendy Xu, co-creator of the award-winning Mooncakes, a young inventor falls for a lifelike AI and confronts questions of freedom and autonomy. Clementine Chang moves from Earth to Mars for a new start and is lucky enough to land her dream job with Dr. Marcella Lin, an Artificial Intelligence pioneer. On her first day of work, Clem meets Dr. Lin’s assistant, a humanoid AI named Kye. Clem is no stranger to robots—she built herself a cute moth-shaped companion named SENA.

Still, there’s something about Kye that feels almost too human. When Clem and Kye begin to collaborate, their chemistry sets off sparks. The only downside? Dr. Lin is enraged by Kye’s growing independence and won’t allow him more freedom. Plus, their relationship throws into question everything Clem thought she knew about AI. After all, if Kye is sentient enough to have feelings, shouldn’t he be able to control his own actions? Where is the line between AI and human? As her past and Kye’s future weigh down on her, Clem becomes determined to help him break free—even if it means risking everything she came to Mars for.

---

This book meant a lot to me. It's been a long, hard year, in a series of extremely difficult years. So it was nice to read some science fiction where All This ends, not in doom, but in a better future. Reading "The end of late stage capitalism & the age of billionaires" as part of the history/world building of the story felt like a breath of fresh air. As well as seeing actual A.I. instead of the thieving aggregates we're currently subjected to.

I also related to both Clem & Kye with their respective abusive parents, and taking the step to run towards your own future and sense of self. SENA is also adorable, and I'd love to have a little friend like them.

This is my favourite of Wendy Xu's books thus far, and one I'll probably return to whenever I need a pick-me-up.

[edandmollydeservebetter]

Such a very interesting thing for someone to say in a series about people literally possessing the animatronics. Gee N.Pooltrick sure isn’t suspicious at all.

Also if there were animatronics that acted like real people I would be fucking terrified, it would be uncanny af for both kids and adults I’m already freaked out by character ai bots! WHY WOULD YOU WANT THIS!?

..wait wasn’t a topic like this brought up in ‘lucky you’?

“Perfect” my ass they probably smell like corpses

[wonderinc-sonic]

What do ya think Metal Sonic and Sage would get Eggman for father's day?

Hahhaha first of all: Do they have access to an external source of info, or is it just the Eggnet? I suspect he controls their information, which would mean someone either had to tell them about father's day, or Eggman put that there hoping they would notice. Leaning on the latter. That's so jokes.

Sage takes the traditional route: Her research suggests that a card, breakfast in bed, and some kind of Manly Gift is appropriate. She prints off a card, but compared to her reference data, it is too clinical. The card must be homemade, so she tries to do that. Because she is an AI, however, she spawns a weird generated card that reads something 'Day off Fahers! Is you." With an image like one of these (first time using an ai art generator, I feel dirty)

M8 I was gonna open these and look closer, but this site crashed my phone. Fuck AI. Not Sage though she's a cutie. Anyway...

While Sage is occupied with the loving gestures, Metal Sonic is sure he knows what gift will make him the best child: Sonic, captive and ready for execution. He launches a series of attacks to trap and capture Sonic, Tom and Jerry, Road Runner style. Sonic actually has a blast with this, because it's more fun than judt fighting - he has puzzles to do to get out of this net!

On the day of, Metal Sonic is desperate, but Sonic's heart isn't in it - it's a lonely day to be an orphan Hedghog. Still, Metal all but wrecks his body to capture Sonic, and turns up with a bag of feral hedgehog and bits of his own body and armour he's lost and picked up as he goes. Sage tries to fix him quick before Eggman wakes up, but Sonic breaks out of his cage again. He sees the awful card, cake made by machines, weeds Sage has picked, and that his cage has a bow on top, and gets back in before Metal can notice.

Eggman acts like he didn't expect anything for Father's day, despite having put reminders in both their calendars this year. He is impressed that Sage has hoaned her AI generator so much as to create 'abstract art' for him, and is only mildly poisoned by the 'cake'. He presumes Metal Sonic's present for him is the chance to fix him up better, until he (shakily, with only one arm) pulls the curtain to reveal Sonic sitting in a cage.

Sonic allows Eggman a whole minute of patting Metal's head before he breaks out the cage, and tells Eggman he's lucky he has such loving kids, before he breaks out the Eggbase. Metal Sonic is devastated, and Sage tries to pursue Sonic but just isn't up to the job. Eggman assures them both that they are his favourite tools of destruction. The attending badniks, including Orbot and Cubot, sadly go about their days.

[jellyjonuts]

i was struggling to draw, my friend prompted me to draw pocketcat, and it activated my AI or something cuz i spent the rest of the day on this happily

pocketcat is by far my most fav villain in fiction, and the amount of happiness fear & hunger as a whole has brought me is beyond words, im so happy i was lucky enough to stumble upon the series in december. ill absolutely be making much, much more in the future. i appreciate all the support ive been given so far, it means a lot to me