#and people are wondering how they made his ‘costume’ so realistic

[justanotherbarrelrat]

Halloween Costume Ideas for Jordie Rietveld

Lifeguard

Ghost

Zombie

[yandere-daydreams]

Title: Final Girl.

Pairing: Yandere!Chrollo x Reader (HxH).

Word Count: 1.4k.

TW: 'Girl' Is In The Title But Reader Is Gender Neutral, Death and Blood, Mentions of Guns, Manipulation, Implied Kidnapping, and Spoilers for the Ninteenth-Century Novel Dracula.

The night you met him was, by no coincidence, also the night you learned what it meant to feel your blood run cold.

‘Met’ might’ve been an exaggeration. You didn’t meet him so much as you stood still and stared at him – lumbering down the hallway, clutching a gore-splattered butcher's knife, his suit disheveled and stained with a dark, blotting substance you couldn’t bring yourself to put a name to, in your fear-induced paralysis. With the manor's high ceilings and dim lighting, he seemed impossibly tall, his black eyes blank and terrible, his smile manic in a way that sent a chill up your spine, that left you frozen where you stood and unable to run as he came to stand in front of you, as he raised a hand and—

And pointed to the book tucked under your arm, a yellowed paperback beaten to hell and back from weeks of loving abuse. You’d spent hours wondering if you should bring it with you, if there was anyone else on the face of the planet who’d be stupid enough to bring a book to a mascarade ball, but you figured you’d have to step out for a breath of fresh air at some point, tonight, and phones weren’t really an option at this kind of thing. Looking back on it, you struggled to remember why you’d spent so much time agonizing over something so inconsequential, especially when whoever found your body likely wouldn’t pay it a second glance. “Is that—” He started, pausing to wet his lips before correcting himself. “Is that Bram Stoker’s Dracula?”

You blinked several times, shifting your weight. “It is,” you managed, eventually, just before the point of no return. “I… I’m only a few chapters in, though. They’re only on the second blood transfusion.”

His smile widened. “I’m reading it for the second time, now. That’s one of the best passages - you can practically feel the dread mounting in the prose.” While he spoke, you stole another glance at his attire. With your shock beginning to fade and your nerves given a few seconds to cool, you could see that he clearly hadn’t just walked out of a crime scene. His clothes were wrinkled, but not torn, not displaced the way they would’ve been if he’d been in a real fight, and he was covered in a cartoonish amount of (presumably fake) blood. He couldn’t have meant for it to be realistic, not unless you were supposed to believe he’d bled twenty people dry on his own.

He must’ve noticed you staring. His rambling trailed off into an airy chuckle, his free hand drifting to his blood-soaked shirt. “I’m afraid I might’ve misread my invitation,” he admitted, with a slight shrug. You were almost in awe of his nonchalance. Showing up to a masquerade ball in a costume fit for a b-rated haunted house would’ve left you catatonic for… god, the rest of the year, at least. “That’s how I found my way back here, actually. You can understand why I wouldn’t want to stay in the ballroom for very long, considering I’m dressed for a very different party.”

“No, no, that makes a lot of sense! I mean, a costume party would be more in-season.” You felt like an idiot. You could only hope you hadn’t looked as scared as you felt. “Honestly, I’m just surprised they let you in with a prop.”

He glanced to his ‘knife’, too, as if he’d forgotten he was holding it. “Oh, this little thing?” He took the blade in his free hand, bending it downward. Unceremoniously, it snapped into two pieces as easily as if it’d been made of little more than tin foil and plastic - which, to be fair, it probably was. “Most people struggle to see me as a threat, for whatever reason.”

“The doormen probably just felt bad for the strange man who showed up to a charity gala covered in blood.” You spared a small smile, then genuinely brightened, taking up your novel and fishing out the spare mask you’d shoved between the pages while you were getting ready. He should’ve counted himself lucky that you could never be bothered to find a real bookmark. “Mine came in a set of two,” you explained, signaling for him to bend down. A little too easily, he obeyed, stooping just low enough for you to work your spare mask over his head. It was cheaper than anything you would usually like to show off – the base simple black cloth, the embroidery meaninglessly gaudy, the main body kept in place by little more than a simple white ribbon that never seemed to sit just right, but he accepted your offering with a grateful hum. “It’s not much, but—” You paused, buttoning his suit jacket, doing your best to make it look a little less like he’d just walked out of a bad slasher movie and a little more like a tragically color-blind, but ultimately well-dressed party-goer. “It should get you through the door.”

He straightened his back, and you thought you might’ve seen something spark in his dark eyes. Then again, it could’ve just been the moonlight. “I don’t think I ever got your name.”

Oh, right – that was something most people did before offering to fix a stranger’s clothes, wasn’t it? You rushed to introduce yourself, and he did the same. “Chrollo Lucilfer.” And then, offering you his hand, “Perhaps I’d be more warmly received with a plus one?”

As hesitant as you were to slip back into the ballroom on the arm of a disheveled stranger who’d already made an impression of his own, it would’ve broken your heart to turn him down. That, and you might’ve had a weakness for disheveled strangers who fell on the more handsome side of the spectrum.

You laughed as you threaded your arm through his, letting Chrollo guide you back to the main event. A second passed with only the sound of your footsteps and distance music to fill the quiet, then another. Eventually, you broke the silence. “It’s very well-written,” you started, trying to fight the urge to fidget. “But… I don’t think I’m the right audience. I care too much about Lucy. Seeing her go through so much and knowing she’s not going to make it is just—” You sighed, shook your head. “It’s agony. Especially when the villain is literally in the title. I mean, I know the characters don’t know that, but still.”

“The benefit of a voyeur's perspective.” For all his glowing praise, he didn’t seem very offended. “I think the dramatic irony is part of the appeal. By the time the tension breaks, it’s nearly too painful to keep going.”

“Which is exactly why it hurts to read,” you groaned, slumping into his side. “I get why it’s happening, but I just can’t stand spending so long on the build-up knowing how it’s going to end. It probably doesn’t help that Lucy’s one of my favorites, either. Well, aside from Mina, but it wouldn’t be fair to compare her to the author’s self-insert.”

The two of you came to a pair of rounded oak doors. There’d been a pair of attendants stationed outside when you left, but Chrollo didn’t seem to mind shouldering it open himself, ushering you inside with a smile and an idle gesture. You took a second to steel your nerves, still not entirely prepared to throw yourself into a very crowded room filled with very loud music and very eager socialites, then crossed the threshold, coming face to face with—

Carnage. Pure, unadulterated carnage.

There were bodies everywhere, each corpse mangled and bruised and broken in every possible way. Dark blood and broken glass covered the formerly pristine ivory floor, and the walls were painted with the remnants of gunfire. A few people were still standing – the murderers, you figured, judging by the blood on their outlandish clothes, the weapons in their hands, the indifferent agitation written across their expressions as you stared at them in horror, as your heart threatened to give out for the second time that night. The tallest man you’d ever seen pointed a hand-held machine gun in your direction, but Chrollo found his way back to your side, resting a hand on your shoulder as he spoke. “Hold your fire,” he said, casually, as if you weren’t standing at the edge of a bloodbath. As if he’d known what he was leading you into. “I think I’m going to keep this one.”

You didn’t say anything. You couldn’t speak. You couldn’t move. You couldn’t breathe. The air hitched in your throat as he brought a hand up to your chin, tilting your head back and forcing you to meet his unblinking stare. You’d been right the first time. There was never anything his eyes could’ve been but terrible. “I always did like Mina.”

There was never anything he could’ve been but a monster, prowling for his next kill.

“I guess I just have a soft spot for survivors.”

[lawrites]

Just Enough (NSFW)

Jonathan Crane x Plus Size Gender Neutral Reader

You've always fantasized about Jon and his Scarecrow persona...well...what if he felt the same?

CW: dead dove, talk about getting dosed with fear toxin, Jon being creepy and scary, bit of non-con if you look at it but nothing explicit.

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

Do you feel a little bit bad that you are attracted to Jonathan while he's in his full scarecrow costume? Well...no...but you probably should, which does make you feel bad.

It's no secret that Jon is a slight man, and his figure, while attractive to you, is not exactly intimidating when dressed in his sweater vests and khakis. But when donning his alter ego? He drapes himself in flowing, dark fabric that hides him, making you see shapes, limbs, even faces where they aren't there. It builds him up, even makes him intimidating.

His fingers are extend into needles which look like claws, to you. It makes you fantasize about how they would feel...tracing along your body...pressing into your skin. And his mask...it's a grim visage with deep, dark buttons for eyes and an eerie smile stitched in blood-colored thread.

All of that together would make most people run, even without the knowledge of who The Scarecrow is. But you? You've found yourself crossing your legs more often than not as he starts getting ready to head out. You usually lounge around, wearing a comfortable set of pajamas and watching him don his terrifying (sexy) garb, trying to babble away about any inane thing so he can't tell how much you want to jump his bones.

Tonight is a bit different. Jonathan doesn't know it, but you have something pretty for him under your usual comfy clothes. He hasn't told you of any plans to go out, so you are hoping that he will return from work, collapse, and let you spoil him for a bit. He does work so hard, and you would love to give him a nice treat. And maybe...you could bring up something you've been wanting to try for a bit.

You return from your daydreaming to your current focus, lazily stirring the chicken stew you have put together and making sure there are no burned bits on the bottom. The slight chill outside is making you feel like you need to take care of the handsome, skinny Professor. He must be freezing.

And with that thought, you hear the jangle of keys being inserted clumsily into the front door. You smile and turn the burner to low heat, giving the stew one last stir and tapping the spoon on the edge before laying it down. You wipe your hands and hurry to the living room just as Jon opens the door.

"Jon! Hi! Welcome back!" You do your best to not immediately run into his arms.

He looks a bit haggard, shaking off the bits of snow from his coat, but he also looks invigorated. His eyes glow with excitement. "Darling!" You blush. "I have had the most wonderful idea for a target for my fear toxin. It must be done tonight but I think-"

You don't catch the rest of his sentence, feeling yourself collapse a bit in defeat. His sentence ends and you manage to get out, "That's great Jon!" Before turning to go back to the kitchen, trying to hide your irrational tears.

It wasn't like he promised to be available tonight, so the only person who let you down tonight is yourself. You shouldn't hype yourself up with plans when you know he has goals that he has to achieve. It's time to start being more realistic, especially with Jon as a partner. He would understand your feelings, but would be more annoyed by them than anything.

As you hear him set down his briefcase and meander around the living room, you let a few tears fall before wiping them away and trying to get yourself in order.

"I-I made chicken stew, Jon! If you want some!! It looked cold out there."

Jon's voice responds, too close and right behind you, "Sounds delicious."

You jump, involuntarily, causing a bit of the hot soup to splash on your hand. A hiss leaves you as the sting registers, reddening the back of your hand.

Jon tuts and turns you around, immediately inspecting your hand gently. He grabs a paper towel and wipes the soup off, holding it up to the light and turning it to and fro. He nods at it, almost to verify that you aren't seriously injured. "I'm sorry, dear, I just wanted to see you a bit afraid." His smile is wolfish. "You know I would never hurt you without your consent first."

He winks, and you can't help the blush that takes over your face. One of his hands comes up to lightly brush your cheek, and it makes you want to swoon a bit. At first, you think maybe he is just trying to comfort you after your injury, but then you realize that he is tracing the tear tracks that must be visible, moving his thumb up and down, his brow furrowing.

"I have to do this, tonight, darling. And I'll be back, don't worry." You can't escape his gaze, and your blush deepens a bit further when you realize that he knows why you are upset in the first place. Of course he does, it's his job to read people.

You nod, still a bit sad that your plans won't work but happy that he at least is acknowledging your feelings. "I understand." His brow stays furrowed, and he opens his mouth like he is about to argue, but you cut him off. "Really! I do. I...I want you to succeed, Jon. Your work is important to you and you are important to me."

He seems to at least be placated by your answer, releasing your cheek and moving to hold both of your hands instead. Silence takes over for a bit, both of you unsure how to change the subject. You start, unsure of what he wants you to do tonight. "Would you like me to stay up? I can wait until you get ba-"

He vehemently shakes his head, cutting you off. "Don't worry, I may be out late. Go to bed at your usual time and get a full night's rest."

He releases your hands from his gentle hold, clapping his own together. "Well! I must have some of this stew and then head out to work. You are right, it was cold out there," he admits with a sheepish grin.

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

Watching Jonathan get ready to go was even more taxing than usual today, knowing that you had lingerie underneath your clothes the whole time. The temptation to tear them off, showing him what he would miss by leaving you here tonight...maybe timing it so he would be in his full scarecrow costume...

It had you fantasizing and looking off in the distance instead of prattling on as usual. Jonathan may have noticed this, as he reached out with one gloved hand, a needle extending to gently press right into the softness under your chin. Even if you weren't paying attention before, you are now. You try not to breathe too heavily, knowing that even a slight prick could have you seeing visions for hours.

"You'll be good and go to bed on time for me? Hmm?" His voice is deeper, lower, when he's in the mask. It comes out whispered, like he wants you to lean in to hear him and pierce yourself on his needle. Your thighs subtly shift together.

You would nod...but that's probably not the best idea. "O-of course, Jon. I'll go to bed on time, for you."

His needle clad finger retracts, and he reaches over to find his cloak, placing it over his shoulders in a sweeping motion. "Good. I'll be back soon."

And with what seems to be a swish of his cloak, a bathing of your vision in darkness, he's gone.

Thank God.

If you weren't going to get any direct action from him tonight, especially after he seemed to be more loving than usual, then you needed to find relief in other ways before bed. Having his hands on you and knowing that it would lead nowhere tonight was torture.

You hum to yourself, stripping off your clothes and looking at what you had picked out in the mirror. A burnt orange babydoll shift, in his colors. The sheer, silky fabric hits just right at the midpoint of your hips, which allows the tiny panties you had on to peek through. So much discomfort, if you're being honest, was worth at least a bit of enjoyment, even if it's just on your part.

Suddenly a chill moves through you, once you are only in your lingerie. Someone's here, your body is telling you. They're in the window. You glance at the window...and see nothing. Shaking your head and trying to convince yourself not to look, (this is how people die in horror movies!), you walk slowly over to the window to check, pulling back the sheer curtains.

You see nothing there. Chuckling, reminding yourself that you are on the 8th floor and the fire escape is so flimsy you would hear someone breathing on it...you walk away. But the nervousness doesn't fade as it should. It sits, uneasy, in the depths of your body.

It works for you, in an odd way. Maybe Jon had a point about the intersection between fear and pleasure...because your nipples had pebbled in the cold air near the window and the chill you experienced from the fear. It makes them sensitive to the silky fabric encasing your chest.

Finalizing your preparations, you pull back the comforters, set down two massive towels, and turn the lights off, leaving only one lamp on your bedside table.

Settling back against the pillows, you reach for a silky bag you keep in your bedside drawer. The toy encased inside is lovingly maintained, batteries replaced and the outside sanitized after each session.

The bottle of lube is opened by your hands, carefully measuring out a perfect portion and running them up and down the main shaft of the toy. Your mind drifts, already thinking about Jonathan. You imagine it's him you are running your hands over and an involuntary sigh of his name leaves your mouth.

The fire escape creaks.

Ending all prep work as your heart drops to your stomach, you freeze and your muscles stiffen. Carefully placing the toy down, you walk slowly over to the window again, feeling your heart beat in your throat.

Step. Beat.

Step. Beat.

Step. Beat.

Your hands grab the curtain and yank it back, trying to stare into the inky blackness of a Gotham night. And you, again, see nothing. The howling of the wind outside picks up, and your eyes are drawn to a slightly loose panel of the fire escape as it clanks, metal on metal.

You must be on edge tonight, being alone, you tell yourself. There is no reason to think that anyone would be coming for you. Jonathan must just...be in your head. Maybe he did prick you with some fear toxin earlier...or maybe it's just hard for your brain to focus on anything when he's not near.

Tired of standing by the coldness seeping out of the window and hugging yourself to stay warm, you make your way back to your bed. Your eyes fall on your toy...right.

And suddenly, a wave of warmth takes the place of the coldness. You had finished lubing it up before, so all that was left to do was to prepare yourself.

Laying down right in the middle of your towels, you sigh as a hand traces over your chest. You see thin, clever fingers doing the work in your mind's eye.

Jonathan. You sigh again.

The wind howls, the fire escape creaks, and you ignore it. Your thoughts are consumed with your love, instead.

Running your hands down the sheer fabric encasing your body, hearing his gorgeous voice in your mind, "My colors encasing your form...does that make you mine?"

Your hands grip at the softer flesh of your hips like he would, digging your nails in and gasping. "Yes Jonathan!"

Another creak, but you don't even notice it this time.

Desperately, you reach for the toy, surprisingly keyed up tonight and already ready for it. (You try not to think about Jon's theories any more). Pushing aside the fabric covering you, you tease around with the toy and your own fingers for a bit, moaning and wanting to be filled, soon.

You are so, so desperate, that you don't even notice the window opening. Maybe it was the hum of the toy vibrating...maybe it was the expert way that the perpetrator knew the window. But either way, you don't see a shape moving in the dark.

You gently ease the toy in, letting out a groan of Jon's name. "Jon, please!"

The shape gracefully keeps to the shadows, pausing when your groan reaches its ears. It stops, then, watching as you fill yourself slowly, letting out mumbles of nonsense around your pretty sounds.

You get a feeling that something is watching you, somewhere in the back of your mind. But, as you've gotten that feeling all night, you ignore it, favoring the pleasure coursing through your veins as you manage to work the entire length of the toy into you with a gasp.

Deciding that Jonathan would tease you, you let it still for a second, and then your mind imagines him filling you, asking you what you want around your moans.

"What do you want? You are so desperate, I can't understand you. Use your words, darling."

"Jonathan, please, move!"

And just as you begin to pull the toy out of you, the shape pounces out of the dark.

With expertise, the shape finds your mouth quickly, silencing your scream. The feel of its body surrounds you, a cloak and sharp claws are what you feel against your skin as you kick and struggle.

And then, a singular claw finds its way to the soft underside of your chin. Your mind jumps back to only an hour earlier, when your lover pulled the same move...

You pause, for just a moment. "J-Jon?"

A dark chuckle reaches your ears. "Clever mouse."

Expecting him to move the needle away, you are instead surprised to hear his breathing pick up as he traces it down your body, digging into your flesh just enough to not break it. You can't see his actual eyes in his mask, but you notice how his head angles towards where the toy landed on the towels. His mask snaps right back to where that toy was only moments ago. "I noticed, you know." His voice rumbles out.

You are a bit dazed. Pleasure, fear, pleasure, fear, pleasure...it's left your mind floating, especially since Jon is actually here, now. His needle traces over your nipple and it makes you squeak out in response: "W-what?"

Another chuckle, and suddenly you feel the rough texture of his mask against your cheek as he leans in to whisper. "I noticed, all those times you wanted to fuck me in my Scarecrow costume."

He pulls back, and you can't help your reaction to his voice, clenching around nothing and watching his mask angle to take it in. Hoping you didn't somehow make him uncomfortable, after the initial onslaught of warmth from his words, you try to explain yourself, "Oh, Jon, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"

He cuts you off by carefully gripping your chin with his gloved hand so his needles don't pierce it, forcing your mouth to meet his. A deep groan emanates from his throat, making him pull apart from you after he ravaged your mouth. "Dear, do not apologize. I am delighted you find me attractive in this form, for you see..."

He rests his chin on your shoulder, hugging you to him tightly and whispering into your ear, "...you are my perfect test subject for a theory about my toxin."

You balk a bit, "T-test subject?" Trying to get out of his hold, he instead keeps you close, chuckling.

"Please, darling, let me explain. For you, at least, I'll need...informed consent." If you could see his face through his mask, you can tell he would be smirking by the tone of his voice. The needle continues tracing your body, moving to your ass and digging slightly into the soft flesh, making Jonathan pause. "God, I've been thinking about piercing you here for ages, now. Testing how the toxin causes reactions when injected in different areas of your... delectable form."

But the needle keeps moving and he continues his explanation, as well. "You have been paying attention to my lectures about fear and lust, haven't you pet?" You nod, unable to use your voice as his needle is tracing up and down your soft side, paying special attention to your hip. "Good." You shiver as his usual baritone deepens, and Jonathan lets out an exhale of air to show his amusement.

"All of my theories are, so far, theories...at least where my toxin is concerned. But seeing you so eager to...what is the term...jump my bones in my cloak and mask made me consider a new experiment." Your whole body is keyed up thanks to the low sound of his voice and his needle tracing the softness at your belly, picking up the silky fabric with it.

"You see, I need to test my theories, and I need a subject that is not only attracted to me, but that I am attracted to as well." His mask nuzzles into your neck, "And you obviously fit the criteria, my pretty crow." His hips press against you from behind, causing you to moan as you feel his cock hardening already.

Another chuckle can be heard from behind his mask, "And you have already given me wonderful notes to start with, haven't you?" He grinds against your ass, making you whimper and causing his hands to dig deeper into your hips, careful to avoid his needles, "Calling my name while so afraid of what was outside your window. Were you really that desperate for me?"

You nod, "J-Johnathan, please! I've been ready for you all night." He groans, and then he suddenly moves your body so you are facing him. When you try to get closer, he once again presses a singular needle into the softness of your chin, keeping you at bay. He pushes up with it, forcing you to look up at him to avoid being pierced.

His voice comes out of the mask, flustered, "W-we'll keep you in the apartment. I don't need anyone else seeing what is mine." The last word comes out in a growl, his needle moving from your chin to the side of your neck. You obediently keep looking up at him.

His voice struggles with the next sentence, seeming to be affected by your gaze. "T-this will give us the best results, and I-I'll start with a low dose." He gathers himself, more sure, "What do you say, pet?"

Your mind struggles, trying to consider what this truly entails. His fear toxin isn't a joke, it has seriously injured people in the past...and even if it is a low dose, you know you'll be out of your mind, not even yourself for a while.

His mask gazes down at you, unfeeling, unreadable, but you can hear his breathing. He's trying to keep it subtle, but he's gasping for air, already desperate for you and this as much as you are for him. And...as much as Jonathan is terrifying...if he truly thinks you are in danger, you have enough trust in him to stop you and possibly administer an antitoxin. It will hurt him, but he will do it. You just have to trust him.

"Jonathan..." You look unsure. He gently traces the needle up and down your neck, making you shiver. "Pretty crow, I need a concrete answer." Convincing yourself, you reach up to grab his hand.

"Yes. I'll do it. Just...treat me gently."

If you could see behind his mask, you would see his face practically split in two by his grin. "Excellent. And don't worry."

You feel the sting of his needle as it pierces your neck. "I'll give you just enough to make you whimper for me."

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

So yeah. uhhhh lemme know what you think lol

[glorious-sunset]

LBFAD is the most inspiring series I have ever watched and here is why…

Although Love Between Fairy and Devil (LBFAD) only caught my eye on Netflix in December 2023, I’m so glad it did and that I didn’t miss out on this stunning and thought-provoking masterpiece. It is the most inspiring series I have ever watched for many reasons. Aesthetically, I found the beautiful 4K production quality as enjoyable as high-budget productions such as Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones. I frequently felt the need to pause and admire the well-designed sets, and exquisitely detailed costumes of even minor characters. The acting is superb across the board, and the leads act and respond very naturally to each other. The long hair of male characters is especially well-done, falling naturally with subtle highlights and looks real. All these details breathe life into this fantasy world and make it very realistic.

Every line of each song from the phenomenal OST is brimming with hidden meanings related to the series, adding lots of additional context! The artwork created for the opening and ending sequences is also full of meaning (minor spoilers ahead). Take, for example, the last picture where the OTP are sitting on a boat in the Oblivion River, the junction between their two tribes, the male lead has removed his crown and hence his responsibilities at least for the moment, and they are watching the sunrise together for the rest of eternity after the close of the series (sigh!)

Every single character of note in the series goes through profound character growth, the only exception being the abstract ultimate villain Taisui. Even the secondary villains and dictator of Shuiyuntian have grown and changed their perceptions by the end. It made me believe that anyone is capable of opening their minds and bettering themselves. Both lead and side characters are repeatedly faced with overwhelmingly bleak choices and heartbreaking challenges, especially in the last ten episodes. Yet every time, they show courage, sacrifice and selfless love that is amazing and very inspiring.

It is rare to find this kind of poignance in any production. I used to find Game of Thrones inspiring due to Daenerys freeing the world of slavery…until Season 8 happened. LBFAD tops Game of Thrones in this regard by freeing two distinct realms from conflict. The actions of the OTP break through a hundred millenia of mutual hatred and relentless conflict between their people with no end in sight, to create a new dawn of lasting peace. LBFAD reminds me of Lord of the Rings in terms of its cinematographic beauty and themes of never losing hope and prevailing over overwhelming odds. However, the stronger focus of LBFAD on the lead couple’s development and on creating multidimensional villains and side characters made it, for me, more engaging to watch.

The world-building and depth of characters has many layers in LBFAD, to the extent that much of the context was clear to me only in retrospect on rewatching the series and on deep reflection. The fast pace of the series also means that a lot of action occurs off-screen in between scenes. There are no filler scenes, there is no room for them. Every scene adds new plot twists and depth to characters, making the series highly addictive.

I am not a native mandarin speaker, and came to realise how beautiful the language is only on encountering LBFAD and its OST. It inspired me to learn mandarin, which makes rewatching the series highly enjoyable as I am able to pick up new nuances. I’m embarrassed to be late to watch LBFAD after its release in August 2022, but have thoroughly enjoyed the posts on Tumblr from fellow fans, including enthralling artwork, meta and links to fanfiction. It has encouraged me to post on Tumblr myself. I have started to post my interpretations of artwork, mandarin names, xianxia concepts, and story-format reflections on each episode. I am thrilled to be a part of this wonderful community!

Links to some of my other LBFAD articles:

Character Names in LBFAD - Meaning and Significance

Location Names in LBFAD - Meaning and Significance

LBFAD Opening Artwork - Hidden Meanings

Here is a link to my episode 1 review (contains spoilers). All of my LBFAD articles and episode reviews can be viewed with the tag #lbfad reflections (hyperlinked) and the table of contents to these is here.

[billpottsismygf]

The Devil's Chord! This was my most highly anticipated episode of the series because of The Beatles - who I'm very nostalgic for, sue me - but they had a much smaller part than I expected. That may be for the best, as the actors don't look anything like the real deal, but they did an admirable job considering the circumstances.

I love the idea behind this one. I'm a musician myself and love things about music. Music being important, music being holy, I love it all. Everything from Maestro playing us into the theme tune, to the way it aligns with the characters' established personalities (the Doctor's jukebox and Ruby's band), made me very happy. The music battle was especially cool. Very The Devil Went Down to Georgia. Out there, but I liked it a lot.

Maestro was also a lot. I liked them, though. Great costumes, great performance. A campy villain in the best way. They're the Toymaker's child, which is interesting in itself, and I like that the rules around fair play seemed to extend to them as well.

There was a lot of series arc stuff here. So, Ruby has Carol of the Bells deeply ingrained within her. There was some important figure (another of the Pantheon, presumably) at her birth - is Ruby herself a child of the Pantheon? More snow, as well. There's also the One Who Waits coming up again. It all feels a little too self-conscious and crammed in - "remember, there's pay-off coming for these random mysteries that you have no context for!". I know we live in an era of heavily serialised media, in large part because of streaming and the binge model, and obviously Doctor Who has been semi-serialised since the revival, but it just seems like a lot. Maybe even too much, especially since the first episode was quite heavy with it too.

Although, I did wonder if this one was meant to be later in the series. First Ruby saying "you never hide" and then "you always know what to do" signaled a far longer association with the Doctor than she has had, but then it was especially jarring when she said it was hard to keep track of when her time is and it could be June or July... That sounds like someone who's been travelling with the Doctor for a while, not like someone who's on their second trip. And it was Christmas for her only last episode. Obviously there can be off-screen trips, but usually for the first couple of episodes we want to feel that this is the start of their journey as the audience gets to know them. Did this get plucked from later in the series and dropped into the episode 2 slot? Because it seems a bit of a shame, if so.

There was a lot of fourth wall breaking in this one as well. There was a wink to camera each from Maestro and the Doctor, as well as the Doctor's comment about thinking the music was non-diegetic (a nice little moment that probably a lot of people will miss). I do quite like a meta moment, and particularly loved the Twelfth Doctor's partaking in them, but I wonder if these serve a particular purpose, because we also had Mrs Flood talking to camera at the end of the Christmas special. Since RTD seems to be going with a theme that the rules of the universe have changed and become a bit more magical, I wouldn't be surprised if the meta elements tied in somehow.

Then, this is less meta and more fully surreal, but that whole ending musical number was... odd. I don't know what I think about it yet. The Doctor with his wink and "there's always a twist at the end" seemed to signal that we were leaving the normal reality of the show, but then... Did that musical number literally happen? How about the Abbey Road zebra crossing acting like a piano? It's part of my specific brand of autism that I struggle with surreal things when it's not clear how/whether they relate to the more realistic things going on, so maybe other people love it. It just made me feel confused, though, and slightly annoyed. I expected a musical number because the trailers showing this made that fairly clear, but I'd assumed it would be explicitly connected to the strange happenings of the episode. Instead it's just plonked at the end after everything has been fixed.

A lot of this latter stuff sounds quite negative, but overall I really liked this one! As I said before, the music stuff speaks to me personally very much, and I'll withhold final judgement about the serialisation stuff and even the meta/surreal stuff, as it may well pay off yet.

Small things

Love their outfits so much, and obviously we've known about them for a while, but it was funny they were worried about blending in when both of them (especially Ruby) were wearing pretty 60s adjacent outfits at the start. The Doctor was more 70s, but I don't think many people would have looked askance.

Ahhhh, Fifteen mentioning that One was in the junkyard made me exceedingly happy! The speculation about what happened to Susan also has me hoping beyond hope that this might be set-up for a Susan return.

I loved that extended instrumental scene where Ruby just played on the rooftop and people listened. It was quite moving!

Love hearing the word "lesbians" on Doctor Who <3 - I don't think even Bill explicitly got to use that word!

Just the general queerness is really nice. Ruby writing a song for her friend's gay break up. Maestro being they/them and it not really being a thing beyond their introduction. Ruby's mum having a "girlfriend" who was a Beatles fan that makes me wonder if that's in the platonic or gay sense.

I want to know the behind the scenes details of how they chose the music they did, especially when it comes to the chords that both summon and banish Maestro.

Henry the child is real and alive at the end! (Though it's during the musical number, so I guess real is dubious.) When he vanished into nothingness (and his music teacher didn't seem to care), I had thought he wasn't real. Does he have his own world-ending powers?

The Doctor referring to bigeneration as having had his soul "torn in half". Hmm, don't like that! I won't rehash my feelings on bigeneration here, but this implies that there is not continuity between the end of Fourteen and the start of Fifteen, which mucks up one of the only ways I could hold onto being just about okay with it.

[fishfingersandjellybabies]

I noticed that as fandom we don't talk much about how Damian technically doesn't have a civil persona anymore. Basically every Damian adventure comic is just enemies and allies find out his secret indent (Colin, Maps, Maya for example and his enemies on that island), and the best part of this is HIS FAMILY HAVE NO CLUE ABOUT THIS

For some heroes the public persona and hero identities are important to protect who they love and also give them the opportunity to live a normal life. Clark is a human by heat, but he can't stay quiet see the people who his love being hurt, because of that he becomes superman

Bruce also takes care of his public persona (Brucie), he give lecture after lecture to his children about this (Dick and Bruce arguments a lot in the past because of this) then we have Damian, who fights without a mask, everyone knows his mom, he doesn't ever try to change his way to talk and participate in the family tradition in being a "pretty idiot to journalists"

This boy basically lives in the Danny Phantom situation where everyone knows his name and where he lives but no one goes to confront him in his house

What is the funniest thing about this boy to me. Also it's really nice because few superheroes don't care for their public persona, and also put him together with Kon El in somehow. Let's explain, Kon in his origins doesn't have a civil identity, because he is truly a superhero by heart. He was made for this and he is this, a superhero (I know how important it is to him being "El" but I want to focus on his hero life) and Damian slowly approximate himself from that status

Don't get me wrong he understands the necessary evil of public persona and hero persona, but he can't do it. Then he slowly destroyed this barrier and became a superhero as one and only identity

Idk if he doesn't do this consciously or unconsciously, but this is funny because no other batkid did that before him (even Terry have a civil persona and a hero one)

Bonus because I can't stop thinking about this:

random boy from school: Damian, if you're the Robin this means your dad is the batman, no?

Damian, lying to protect Brucie persona: my father is barely a man

In conclusion Gotham knows two things: 1. Batman is truly Bruce Wayne's sugar baby and 2. Damian Wayne really deserves being called Wayne Brain Cell

(I'm sorry for bringing all of this in your ask box but I feel that as a fandom we don't talk much about this)

it is true, his relationship to being a 'normal person' is pretty warped.

I feel like it all kinda started when he died to the Heretic. I wonder what Bruce told the public. And then I wonder if, when he came back, Damian pushed for his father not to mention it. Makes Damian's personal missions that much easier after all. He's already a recluse. Leave him a mystery. The rest of them can go galavant around.

I still think Damian wouldn't outright say it to THAT many people, if any at all that he doesn't know on a traumatic level like he does his friends/enemies. So becomes like...the cosplay kid at school. Because his Robin costume is SO realistic. Then Damian shows it off a little bit. Bruce is a bit concerned. Alfred is just proud about how Damian is showing off his expert craftsmanship to others. Proud Grandpa.

[dangermousie]

I think it's a pretty good choice to skip over Li Xun's time in prison both because the details are not story relevant and because cdrama that can show even vaguely realistic prison condition has not yet been made. But we know it's been bad and between prison, the destroying betrayal of the person he trusted, his having no family left and having set his relationship on fire in a fashion that he doesn't even consider can be recovered, the man who is released is a dead eyed barely opening his mouth person with the intensity of unsheathed sword.

I mean, even as he speaks (and he barely does, as if each word is expensive), he barely even opens his mouth. Dude has turned into a stone. Compare and contrast:

He went from an expressive puppy, with every emotion written on his face to a rock.

This was glorious btw:

The way FZJ freaks! But also, Gao invited FZJ as one of the mains into the company - the man who LX holds responsible for the death of his sister (well until Gao's little jail visit after which he holds them both responsible) - this is the man he took to run the company he stole from LX. It's like he's spitting into LX's face every way he can. He isn't even a good thief! The only way he got the company was because LX signed it over and it was because LX doesn't have people skills and was a bad judge of character, Gao was not diabolically clever at manipulation or anything. And he stole it and perverted it and no matter how he boasts, it will never be his and a part of him is screaming that at him day and night in the back of his head (watching him give ZY a tour and boast boast boast is as if he's trying to fill an enormous hole in him but the hole has a sieve at the bottom so it's never enough.)

Side note, I totally get why LX fixates on getting the company back and not love - not only is he convinced that after what he pulled he can't and shouldn't get his princess back (unlike Gao, he is pretty clear on what behavior has what deserved consequences), but to leave it in Gao's hands would be unjust - unjust to him and to his sister.

Excuse MEEEEEEEEEEE. He's delusional the way only SMLs are in costume dramas, this is impressive! But horrifyingly realistic. Nobody likes to be a weak envious villain in their own minds.

Zhu Yun not mixing words is glorious (she was never afraid of confrontation however ladylike she was; at their base, despite their differences, both LX and her are steel but also are secure in themselves and what they view as right - that is why for LX Gao's betrayal and for her LX's seeming betrayal hit them so hard - it went against their fundamental sense of self) but also just shows how a just and right moral compass a person she is. She does not know Li Xun lied his ass off to save her from trying to tie her life to a man who was gonna likely spend a decade in prison. At this point, Li Xun is a man who let her chase him because he enjoyed the thought of showing up her mother and for connections in the industry and dumped her the moment he realized his ambitions would not go far with her family.

And yet, she fully jumps at his defense here, once she realizes Gao stole the company. She believes Li Xun wronged her. She has no plans to get back together with Li Xun. Any feelings she has for him she buried so deep I don't think she even realizes they are there. She doesn't even have plans to see him again. But none of this has to do with the fact that it is WRONG to steal a man's company from him in the most disgusting way. She can separate personal hurt from what is just. (And also unlike Gao, can follow both cause and effect AND proportionality; not only is theft of his dreamed of company has no connection with his being a user boyfriend and she can't find former OK because he supposedly was the latter, but PROPORTIONALITY! He's more than expiated any sin of being a user and dumping her rudely by three years of hard jail time! She doesn't hold a grudge any more since she's not a psycho.)

I do wonder how on earth Li Xun will ever trust anyone again after he's out of jail. He barely did before and then he mellowed and let people in and had barely a few years of normalcy only for all of that disaster and betrayal to happen.

[knchins]

Secret Ingredient - Fushiguro M.

Summary: After dragging him to a Halloween party, you and Megumi fall into the trap set by Inumaki Toge. 

Pairing: Fushiguro x Reader

Reader Type: AFAB - gender neutral

Rating: E+

Word Count: 3k

Kinktober Prompt: Costume Play + Aphrodisiacs

Collab: Thrills 'N Kills by @alterbubs

Warnings: College AU, supernatural elements, costume play (sorta), mild dubcon, Gumi has social anxiety, alcohol consumption, aphrodisiacs, a lil blood, biting, reader and Gumi are turned into hybrids, bruises, feral Gumi, some degradation, cunnilingus (brief), rough vaginal sex, begging, unsafe sex, cream pie

Kinktober Masterlist

The thing Fushiguro hated most about college was the parties. He didn’t mind studying or doing homework or applying himself to his work. In fact, he loved the way you’d sit in his lap while he worked on things for his classes. You were like a weighted blanket, taking away his anxieties about not being smart enough or maybe not succeeding. You were his little good luck charm, but it came with a price. 

And that price was the parties you’d inevitably drag him to. 

He had a small group of friends that he didn’t mind hanging out with. Inumaki, Itadori, his cousin Maki and her girlfriend Nobara were all people he could be at ease around. He didn’t feel pressured to participate in the conversation and didn’t have to put up walls to protect himself as he did with everyone else. It could actually be fun with them, but with strangers? Strangers made him incredibly uncomfortable to be around. 

To make matters worse tonight wasn’t just any party, it was a Halloween party and costumes were a requirement to get in. You had been so excited about it all week, bouncing around your shared apartment happily, planning both of your outfits to the very last detail, making sure everything was in order for a wonderful night of drinking, playing games, and hanging out with people from your university. 

Thankfully, you knew your boyfriend better than anyone. You told him he could wear whatever shirt and jeans he wanted to so he would be comfortable, he just had to wear a pair of black wolf ears on his head and a matching tail clipped onto his belt loop. Though he was still hesitant at first, you gave him the saddest and poutiest look you could muster in order to convince him. 

It had worked. He had given in and agreed. Now he was sitting on the couch feeling like an idiot as you finished getting ready in the other room. He didn’t rush you, mostly because it put off the social event that much longer. He scrolled through social media on his phone, seeing pictures of his friends already dressed up and having fun. 

Fun would have been staying home and marathoning scary movies with you cuddled into his side and a big bowl of popcorn. While you had promised that you could do that tomorrow, he was still not looking forward to being around a bunch of drunk strangers tonight.

"How do I look?" Your voice called out, tentative and full of uncertainty. Megumi looked up from his phone, breath catching in his throat as his eyes greedily took in your body. 

You had gone with a classic bunny suit: skin-tight black, strapless leotard with nude pantyhose. On top of your head were a pair of upright black bunny ears, one of them bent slightly to make them look a little more realistic. Your feet held a pair of black pumps, perfecting the sultry outfit you had planned for the night's festivities. 

Your boyfriend's silence and bewildered expression had a sigh leaving your lips, "I guess I'll try my backup costume..." You muttered, about to leave to find your Kigurumi. 

"Wait, no," Fushiguro said quickly, standing up. "You just look so..." He paused, "good." His long legs made it so it only took him a few strides to get to you, pulling you up against his body as his mouth found yours. The familiar sensation of his soft lips against your own flooded you with newfound confidence and perhaps a small bit of embarrassment. 

"You look good enough to eat," He said, playfully before starting to kiss down your jaw and neck. You giggled as you pushed him away, not wanting to be any later than you already were. A part of you wished he had rushed you or reminded you of the time. 

"Come on, Wolfy," You teased him back, reaching up to pretend to scratch behind one of his faux fur ears. "We're already running behind." 

He rolled his eyes at you, "You know there's a thing such as being fashionably late." He said and watched as a cute pout formed on your lips. 

"You've been listening to Gojo-sensei too much." You replied accusingly and he scoffed in response. He took your hand and grabbed his keys before leading you outside and locking the door behind you. The party was in the same apartment building thankfully so neither of you had to worry about being a designated driver. 

Once you two made it to the appropriate floor, you headed toward the familiar apartment. Inumaki was the host for the night and the party had already spilled into the hallway with multiple people with costumes hanging out there for a bit more space. 

Manning the door was Hakari Kinji, an upperclassman that was two years Fushiguro's senior. He was in charge of ensuring the costume rule was upheld, and that no one was attending without one. 

His magenta eyes roved over your form, a smirk on his face as he checked you out thoroughly. Fushiguro didn't look too pleased as Hakari's gaze turned towards him. Hakari, wearing a suit styled to look like an old-school American gangster, was clearly unimpressed with Megumi's simple accessories. 

"I guess that counts," He said as he moved aside to let you both in. "Next time put some effort into it, damn." 

Megumi resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he went inside with you, giggling happily in tow. "Gumi, let's get a drink!" You said, tugging him towards the kitchen, "Inumaki said there was going to be a special punch just for tonight! His own recipe!" 

He didn't have the heart to tell you that you probably shouldn't trust something Inumaki made. He knew it wouldn't be worth crushing your excitement. As much as he didn't want to be here, he didn't want to risk ruining your good time. 

You found an orange cooler marked drink if you dare ♡ with a stack of red solo cups next to it. You quickly drained the mysterious pink liquid into two cups and handed one to your suspicious-looking boyfriend. 

Megumi looked into the cup, observing the swirl of green edible glitter suspended in the slightly frothy beverage. The secret ingredient is rainbow sherbert. He thought to himself, his guard relaxing as he clinked his cup with yours in a mock toast before taking a sip. 

The taste was fruity and sweet, the flavorings concealing the absurd amount of alcohol that had been added to it as well as another secret ingredient that Megumi could not figure out. Little did he know that Toge had let the sherbert detail slip on purpose. The real secret was something that only he himself knew. 

Fushigruo found his hand linking with yours once more as the two of you walked into the living room. You had already almost finished your drink, noting how delicious it was and that you hoped there was more than just the one cooler. 

He agreed with you, sitting down on the couch and pulling you into his lap as he noticed other couples hanging around were all making out, groping each other without care of who could see. Fushiguro made a face of slight disgust, not really being into watching other people suck face. 

You sat sideways in his lap, protesting that if you sat normally it would crush your fluffy bunny tail that was really just a large ball of faux fur velcroed to your backside. Megumi placed a large hand on your thigh, not liking some of the looks you had been getting from a few of the men passing by. 

You giggled as you finished your drink and set it aside. Megumi finished his drink as well, not wanting to get left behind and knowing the alcohol would at least help him relax. You shifted your weight in his lap and he felt his cock twitch at the rouge thought about how close your pussy was to it. 

He nearly let out a groan. He quickly reminded himself that he wasn't some horny seventeen-year-old anymore. He was twenty-one and knew how to control his impulses and wandering hands. 

His left hand was at the small of your back just above your tail, thumb rubbing small circles into the fabric of your costume. The air started to feel thick, anxiety creeping up the back of his throat at the thought of being around so many people. He pushed it back down, again not wanting to ruin your night. 

A lazy hum vibrated against your lips at the tingles his touch was giving you. Normally you weren't this easy to turn on, it took more than a hand squeezing your thigh or rubbing your back. Still, there was a wetness between your legs that you could not deny. 

You wondered what he'd do if he knew you weren't wearing underwear. He probably assumed you had worn a thong, any other cut of underwear would have been visible due to the way the leotard tended to sink between the cheeks of your ass. But when you had tried it with a thong a few days prior, you could still see the faint lines at your hips due to how tight the one-piece was. 

Inumaki was making his rounds, delivering drinks to guests. He was trustworthy enough that no one suspected anything of the mysterious cocktail he had made. After all the not-so-secret ingredient was relatively well known by now. 

"Looks like you two could use a refill." He said with his tattooed grin. He handed over two cups, one to you and one to Fushiguro. "Drink up!" 

Again Megumi looked into the red plastic cup at the foamy liquid. There was a swirl of a rainbow from the slowly melting sherbert and he wondered if it had been this bubbly before. He shrugged to himself before chugging it and setting the empty cup inside of his old one. 

"Thirsty, Wolfy?" You teased as you drank yours a little more slowly. It seemed to be affecting you more than him already, which made sense. Your boyfriend always had a higher tolerance than you, even though he didn't drink often. 

His eyes connected with yours and something ignited deep within him. He didn't know if it was the way your head was cocked slightly to the side or the adorably innocent expression on your face, but he suddenly felt the need to devour you whole. 

"We need to go." He said, his pants growing tighter as lust blossomed forth and grew within him. 

You pouted at him, "We just got here..." You said, looking forlorn. "Do you need to go somewhere quiet?" You knew that sometimes in social situations, Megumi would become overwhelmed with anxiety. He had been working on it in therapy but progress was never linear. 

"Yes," He rasped as he felt like something was clutching at his throat. He thought it was a panic attack, rather than what it truly was: the incredibly intense desire to be balls deep inside of you. 

You stood up, holding your hand out to him so he would grab it and hoist himself to his feet using you as an anchor. "Toge? Can we use your bedroom for a moment?" 

Inumaki glanced at you, a knowing and mischievous look on his face, "Sure. You know where it is." He replied. You thanked him before leading Megumi through the closed door and into the dimly lit room. 

Once inside, Megumi quickly slammed the door, causing you to jump in surprise. "Gumi? Are you-" Before you could finish you found yourself trapped between his solid frame and the wooden door, his lips on yours as his hips began to grind against you. 

You could feel he was already hard through his jeans. A gasp left your lower lip vulnerable to his teeth and you could have almost sworn that his incisors had somehow grown.

With the taste of blood now on your lips, Fushiguro moved to nip at your ear lobe, your neck, your collarbone, anything his mouth could easily reach. You had no idea what had gotten into him, how his actions almost felt predatory as he pawed at you through your costume. 

"I'm going to devour you whole, Bunny," He hissed between bruising kisses. A threat that shot electricity down to your core and made your thighs press together helplessly. Your own instincts felt different, felt more timid and mild while a heat began to overwhelm you. 

A half-hearted attempt to push him away left his hands attaching to your hips and fingers digging into the flesh there. His nails felt sharper and you soon realized they were cutting open the fabric of your leotard. 

You felt something twitch on the top of your head, a curious sensation that had you reaching up to feel that the two bunny years you had worn were now a part of you. Fear, confusion, and terror all washed over you as you realized your boyfriend's ears had done the same. They had melded into his hair and were now pinned back with aggression. 

"Gumi, something's wrong,"  You tried to tell him, your voice sounding higher than normal. "Our ears they're-" 

"You can't escape, Bunny." He said, suddenly moving back. His black furry tail swished back and forth in quick, low sweeps. "I can smell it all over you. How wet you are right now. How much you need to be fucked. You can't hide it from me." 

It was true. Your body was on fire and the fabric between your legs was soaked with arousal. Megumi's dark eyes were unfamiliar, maddened even. A small piece of you worried that he really would eat you. 

You found yourself being forced onto Toge's bed, guilt wracking up as you knew you were about to ruin his pristine sheets. Fushiguro didn't seem to care, his reason was now lost deep inside his mind as he used his newly acquired claws to cut out the crotch of the leotard. 

"Not even fucking wearing panties." He panted, sounding more like a canine as time passed. "What a dirty little slut I have." 

"I'm not," You protested as you felt him rip open your tights to fully expose your vulva to him. He lifted your hips ups before his tongue dove into you, lapping and sucking at the juices that had collected along your sex. 

You put a hand over your mouth to muffle your cry of surprise. His nose was pressed into your slit, inhaling deeply as if you commit the scent to memory. "Fuck you smell so goddamn good." He growled as he pulled away, his face now soaked with spit and slick. 

You could hear him unbuckling his leather belt and pulling out his long cock which was now flushed pink at the tip. You moved your hand away from your mouth briefly, "Hurry, Wolfy." Your voice came out as a needy whine that only earned a rumble of approval from Megumi's chest. 

"Hurry and do what, Bunny?" He asked as he spread his precum along his shaft. He was throbbing in his grip, ready to dive into you but needing to hear you beg for it first. "What does my little whore want?" 

"Fuck me," You whimpered. The air in the room was stifling from the smell of pheromones, the heaviness of it increasing with the impending act of sex. "Please fuck me. I need it, I'm going crazy," You continued, wiggling your hips in an attempt to entice him. 

Another growl left him and you finally felt his tip push past your folds before he roughly thrust into your core. You cried out, forgetting to muffle your voice as Megumi hunched over you much like a dog would, humping furiously as he held onto you tightly. 

Deep and fast, you couldn't keep up with if he was in or out. His head kissed your cervix in a way that had you mewling beneath him. Megumi drank in your sounds, huffing wildly as he continued to snap his hips into you. The sounds of balls slapping and slick squelching filled the small bedroom. Had you been more coherent you'd be praying the music outside was loud enough to cover it. 

Clawed fingers ran over your chest before finding their way between your legs, rubbing at your clit in rhythm with his thrusts. You practically bucked into his hand at the new sensation, his other hand now placed firmly over your mouth to keep you quiet. 

While you had totally forgotten about the party outside, Megumi's now sharp hearing was picking up voices from outside the door asking what was going on. He could hear Toge laugh and mutter, "A little too much party punch." 

The wall of pressure that had begun to build within your lower abdomen finally burst with orgasm. Sweet relief and ecstasy flooded coursed through your entire being, your ears now laying flat on your head as you twitched and jerked beneath the still-rutting wolf. 

"Squeezing me so damn tight," You heard him mutter as he picked up the pace, abandoning your clit and ignoring the drool he felt against his hand from your mouth. "Fucked you stupid, Bunny?" He asked between pants, his balls tightening with the upcoming release. 

You nodded your head pitifully, unable to form coherent thoughts as you still floated down from the intense orgasm. Without warning you felt his cock unload into you, filling you to the brim with white cum. 

Fushiguro's movements slowed before stopping. He remained inside of you as he removed his hand from your mouth now that you had stopped moaning. 

Clarity was starting to set in for the both of you. Megumi was scratching at his new ears, trying to figure out if they were real or not. He felt your plush tail against his bully button twitch and he snorted back a laugh at the ticklish sensation it gave him. 

He finally pulled out and laid down next to you as you curled into his side affectionately. "What the hell was in that cocktail?" He muttered to himself.  You hummed back a response before lifting up and straddling his waist. Arousal was already weeding it's way back into you, pussy clenching at the need for his cock to be inside of you once more. "I don't know. But I like it."

A/N: ahahha once again the prompt kind of got away from me. Kinktober is now complete! I hope you enjoyed it <3 I may write a part two to this for Halloween next year :>

[kerubimcrepin]

Episode 30 - Bonta Folie's (part 1)

This says: "COCO PEOPL PLAQU"

I wonder what this magazine is about, as someone who doesn't read magazines. Swimwear? Beaches?

Guys are we sure she was shaving "him" off, and not "it"? Because I'm scared, Mr submaker.

There are multiple things to point out here:

Simone is basically Joris's babysitter whenever Kerubim leaves. And by god, Kerubim seems to leave a lot.

Living/working across from Kerubim, Julie is familiar with him and Joris, and has a prior relationship. She is an ecaflip, and a fellow business owner, — besides that, being an ex-hairdresser, Kerubim probably has taught her a thing or two. So, she's very happy to see him. Cute.

She discussed Simone's hair, and how to style it with him, without Simone's knowledge.

It's so sad that Simone is trapped in a reality where at times Kerubim Crepin really is as cool and knowledgeable about everything as he likes to present himself.

Imagine if the world's most entitled person entered your coffee shop and turned out to be a 30-year-in-a-row winner of the coffee making competition. Imagine if this happened every day to you at every single place you went to, with the exact same guy.

He's recommended your girlfriend what dresses to put you in, and they're all amazing. Yesterday he forgot a knife on the table, his son began running around with it. You want to beat his ass for both.

The translation here doesn't really carry across that he's saying that he wasn't a male hairdresser, but a Female Hairdresseresse.

"I was a Girlboss, my Jojo! A girlslay, gaslight, gatekeep one!"

Here Julie confirms what I already supposed: that she knows this story, and that he's taught her things.

I want to believe this is Ecaflip's doing, because Kerubim slipping on a banana peel that evil fucking cat left behind twice, and it making his life better each time, would be the funniest brick joke to date.

"LOU PRESENTE

LA _RAIE"

It doesn't look like a V at all, but it would make sense if it said "La Vraie," and they simply didn't bother to add any detail to the letter under his finger.

I think Lou is bisexual, and told him repeatedly about the cool sapphic cabaret she went to, to him, and this man who has never before been interested in cabaret was like "yeah that's probably the best one, the most renowned coolest one." and never understood it's a., lesbian thing.

I think this is the easiest way to explain how he knows about it, yet knows nothing about it.

I will be real, it's heart-warming to see him drink something that isn't beer while in a bar. Though the little artistocratic pinky thing he's doing is... very distracting.

Thank you, ecaflip psychiatric ward, for making him a bit saner, yet insane in new, weirder ways.

Feminism.

(Eric Andre voice) Oh you think the Bontarian Sapphic Cabaret has girl power? Well then, do you think the Bontarian Sapphic Cabaret effectively utilized their girl power by propagating the Bonta-supremacist view among their viewers using their sex appeal, in service of the corrupt nobility?

God, redressing from that costume in five minutes sounds hellish.

A lot of shows would have made an episode, where their male protagonist cross dresses, and infiltrates a "female space", one filled with Goofs about him being a pervert, or uncomfortable, or would have him act visibly flustered. Because it's "funny", man in drag fails at being a woman, laugh.

...I am very happy this one doesn't go in that direction, for many, many reasons.

Realistically, after losing his fiancée, after weeks, or months, in a psychiatric ward, he really wouldn't have "this is a place full of pretty women", of all things, on his mind.

Beyond that, the whole concept of drag as a joke at the expense of the person wearing it, is, well, offensive, and to see it being something more than that, is quite refreshing.

His nerves come from how much he has to do, and how out of depth he is.

This guy has never worked in a high-stress environment like that, he's never done a girly thing before either! He just fucked up a woman's wig, and is about to burn a hole through these clothes. Things are bad.

The real Lili wasn't fucking lying: this really is hell.

Your daily reminder that, for all the jokes of Joris being a manlet, Kerubim is almost the exact same height as he, give-or-take like, ten centimetres.

The thing is that, he used to hate himself so much, that he developed 30-50 addictions and gave her magical amnesia about it.

Now he wants her back so badly that he's drinking tea in taverns, dressing up as a woman (despite, y'know, his incredibly fragile sense of masculinity), and he's chasing her despite knowing how badly he fucked up and that she may never forgive him, simply because he wants to try to make it work anyway.

What he hadn't solved, is his issue with lying, but it is a nice sentiment, — for him to be ready to toss aside his previous identity that used to serve as his shield, in favour of this more vulnerable, girlfailure-esque one.

He can't even muster it in him, to feel bad, when Lou's teasing him here.

I think it's also important to point out that this episode is, funnily enough, one where we see young Kerubim at his most carefree and happy, and his relationship with Lou at it's peak.

He isn't forcing himself to learn how to do make-up through gritted teeth just to get closer to her. He's learning that his girlfriend's interests are fun, and that he likes it. That he's been missing out all this time.

Yes, as an old man he views it as "forgetting who he really is," but to say this didn't affect him greatly, would be a big, big lie. He is still implied to, at times, do drag. He's far more emotionally open with his peers, and doesn't really view it as a weakness anymore. He knits, for god's sake.

Also, and I'm sorry for this., but he has an actual fucking Single-Mom Syndrome. A fatal case of it, in fact. So that's just one last nail in the coffin, proving that this really was one of the most profound thing to ever happen to him, and one that changed his brain chemistry forever, for better or for worse.

[magicaldogtoto]

I've mostly avoided any discourse surrounding Wonderful Precure, mainly because 1.) I don't want to get sucked into it (there's only so many hours in a day, and I work full time), and 2.) I for the most part genuinely find the show entertaining (as a dog person and fan of older shows like Scooby-Doo, I find Komugi and Iroha's dynamic a lot of fun).

But I knew when I watched Cure Nyammy's debut last weekend that there was going to be some discussion regarding her use of physical attacks on the Garugaru, and how Cure Wonderful and Cure Friendy's response to it essentially condemns the use of violence (in a Precure show, which is a franchise that in previous installments has relied heavily on action scenes).

Look, I'm not going to lie: I like action scenes in shows I watch, magical girl or otherwise. They can be very cathartic when done right, and shows like Precure, Super Sentai, Kamen Rider, and Ultraman tend to do them very right. Even as Wonderful Precure is airing, I'm also watching the original Futari Wa Precure and getting a kick out of it. (I also like lore and worldbuilding more, but that's for another time.) I found people reacting negatively to this part of WanPre's recent episode interesting, not only in the context of a magical girl show, but in the context of superhero fiction in general (which the warrior type of magical girl is a part of).

Twitter user @/MagicalGirlOTD made a small thread relating to this that got me thinking about the use of fighting as a solution to problems in works of fiction. Particularly, they commented that many magical girl shows that feature fighting run the risk of feeling the same all the time. Adding to this, they commented "This is the end result of the genre heavily favoring 'we can fight but we also need peace!' for the last 30 years."

It made me think of an old blog post by American comics writer J.M. DeMatteis (whose work I have complicated feelings about, though I admire his idealism and enthusiasm for his craft). In his 2018 blog post "Slugging It Out," DeMatteis spoke on the then-recent premiere of the CW's Black Lightning, and how (though he found it to be to a good start and was looking forward to how the plot panned out) it seemed to highlight what he called "the massive crack in the foundation of the entire superhero genre." As DeMatteis goes on to explain: 

"No matter how much these characters talk about high ideals, non-violence or the power of love, in the end it often comes down to two people in costumes dropping buildings on each other’s heads.  (And the more street level, the more realistic, your story is, the more difficult those scenes become:  A space battle against aliens plays out very differently than, say, Batman beating the hell out of a common criminal*.)"

People like to talk about magical girls and how idealistic they are in areas like love and friendship; there's nothing wrong with that. In fact it's one of the things I admire about the genre. But one can just as easily see the same people also talk about how much ass their favorite magical girl can kick. (In fact, there are more than a few characters I'm introduced to through people just saying "So-And-So can kick [Insert other character/magical girl from another show they find overrated]'s ass easily!")

I don't think there's a clean-cut solution to this--it's just human nature, in the end. DeMatteis himself has spoken about how he's often tried to address this problem in superhero stories, only to be rebuffed by editors because doing so would call into question the very nature of superhero fiction. He's still happily writing for Marvel and DC, though, so he doesn't seem too bothered by it (but personally I do like his non-superhero work, since he doesn't have to worry about those limitations).

I'm not a pacifist, by any means. I think there is a time for fighting. And I like reading and watching stories that feature cool battles in addition to cool characters and fun adventures. But there's always a small part of me that does think about these kinds of things. Maybe I'll always be thinking about it, until the end of my life.

There's already a lot of magical girl stories where the girls end up fighting monsters and bad guys. There's also a lot of shows where the magical girl doesn't really fight (I personally like Princess Tutu and the way Tutu goes through her conflicts). Maybe this concept of not wanting to harm the monsters is something one doesn't really expect in Precure. But I don't know, I don't think it's really bad to show children they have a non-violent option now and then. Just my two cents.

(*Yes I'm aware that what Batman does is the subject of its own discourse; I'm just quoting the guy. And he's written for Batman, to boot.)

[in-newjersey]

So here are my thoughts on my first time seeing a live BMC production!

Making this non-rebloggable, I am not a real theater critic and I do not want to draw any attention to this actual cast on an anonymous blog to strangers on the internet

For starters, casting!

I respect the variety going on here and the degree of diverging from famous character appearance-tropes. Tiny Latino Jeremy who's as fit as a gymnast and can (and does) do acrobatic spin kicks sometimes? Love it. Plus-size butch-esque Brooke? 10/10. Genderfuckery long-haired Michael who gesticulates with a huge fan through most conversations? Hell yeah. Pink-haired Nirvana-grunge-style trans guy Jake? Now we're talking. Christine a head taller than Jeremy? Awesome.

I will not get too into describing actual real people on here much more than that but in general it was wonderful to see a wide range of character-actor types inhabiting these roles. As someone involved in The Fandom, even though I have frequently expounded upon the mutability of character traits per the text, you do still absorb a general idea of what the characters "look" like; so it was a fun twist to have literally none of the performers fall into those tropes.

I will also say - and this is not a read - that I am no longer going to assume I'm too old to play any of these characters, because I guess that's the magic of community theater lol

On to Thoughts, which I will loosely group by characters:

Rich was fucking awesome. Like I was impressed by the singing skill across the board, but this guy fucking killed it at every turn. I looked at my friend I went with after The Squip Song and we both were like OH OK. Rich also wore mostly KISS T-shirts? Like the shitty glam rock band? But yknow, work. Excellent voice (if casting were a little more 'stereotypical,' he probably would be an excellent Michael). Emotionally, he was on the more explosive side while SQUIPped, melting toward just charmingly cute once in 'real Rich Goranski' mode.

The aforementioned Jake was an interesting take on the character. Definitely leaned more into the kind of douchey side of things, but did at least at one point seem genuinely into Christine (although the actor was very much leaning into the interpretation 'yeah he has multiple interests and he honestly likes them all in the moment but gets bored quickly, and that includes girlfriends'). Is that kind of shitty? Yes. Is that a realistic take on what a rich popular 17 year old might be like? Also yes. Nirvana-fan Jake was not a concept I thought of before but I was down for it (though I discovered later on the cast instagram page that the guy playing Jake said that his version of Jake thinks Nirvana is a clothing brand which, like, galaxy-brain take lol).

THE SQUIP!!!!! Actually cycled through Keanu Reeves costumes, which I loved. Started out in Bill & Ted, then Matrix, then POINT BREAK of all things, before landing on a pretty-impressive-for-the-budget version of the light-up circuitry priest robe thing from the Broadway style. He had the hair and beard pretty close to present-day Keanu too, which made him both line up with the resemblance and seem significantly older than the other characters; voice-wise, this guy was clearly a skilled baritone, which meant his delivery on some of the more rock-style songs was a bit unusual, but not bad. This SQUIP was suave at the right parts but did NOT shy away from being scary: the 'take me inside you' part with Brooke during Upgrade was staged very menacingly with regards to how he was physically moving around/behind Jeremy. The Play was delightfully sinister, leaning HARD into the SQUIP as literally puppeteering everyone: saying their lines and moving his hands like marionnettes throughout, keeping things very creepy and villainous.

On the topic of the play, the fight choreography kicked ass. Mr. Reyes's ALL THE WAY TO BROADWAY rant was delivered while he yanked Jeremy off the ground by his shirtfront and then threw him furiously across the stage, genuinely concerning and upsetting to watch (especially as the SQUIP was miming the same actions and lines behind him, obviously in control of Reyes's body) (I literally said 'oh fuck' out loud when it happened and got a Look from the presumably-grandma in the row ahead lol). The fight choreography during Two Player Game Reprise was also solid: the guy playing Jeremy was FIT and did a lot of impressive acrobatic kicks and such, and the person playing Michael being a lot taller and larger worked well with letting him like bounce off, lift him up for spin kicks, etc.

And in general, I respected how much this production was willing to let certain moments be dark. The Play in general was pretty horror-movie-climax; I also respected that the costuming did indeed look like so-so high school mockups of a modern zombie movie. But the whole number was eerie, SQUIPPED character movements and voices became unnervingly smooth and robotic, and positioning the SQUIP as the puppetmaster in the middle, literally moving the characters around, just sold the whole thing wonderfully. Very appropriately leaning into the horror part of horror-comedy.

Similarly, Do You Wanna Hang? was scary. AS IT SHOULD BE. My friend who came with me compared it favorably to the car scene in the movie 8th Grade, where you're just On Edge the whole time you're watching. The actress playing Chloe did a good job with it, that's an uncomfortable thing to portray but she went for it and it paid off in the moment.

Chloe and Brooke had a fun dynamic: the styles of the costuming/performers did add some interesting dimensions. Chloe was, as usual, pink and perfect and feminine, head-cheerleader vibes; Brooke was short haired and dressed a lot more masculine. Brooke had a very earnest sense of vulnerability to her, and excellent comedic timing during Do You Wanna Ride and The Smartphone Hour, as well as just the minor background-acting moments. They leaned pretty hard into the 'Chloe will take things just because Brooke wanted them, because she likes that Brooke is always a little jealous of her, and thinks that that's friendship' and, like the portrayal of Jake: is that a shitty thing to do? Yes. Is that a realistic thing teenagers might do, especially poisoned by toxic ideas about femininity and power? Also yes.

Which is a good spot to add, the ensemble was small (4) but they were serving it. The band appeared to be octogenarian church volunteers (oh, yeah, this was at a church??? Wesleyan Methodists, so the cool liberal branch of American Christianity) so I will say that with what they had, they were making it work. It would have been served well by a second keyboardist and/or guitarist to do the trumpet parts (it was drums, bass, guitar, and piano). One of the ensemble members, a tall goth-femme person with hot pink hair, played the role of the theremin by doing the melodies in remarkable and ethereal bel canto. And honestly, work.

Jenna Rolan was fun: could belt for the gods, had some pretty-intense Crazy Eyes thing going on that really sold the comedic moments and made her appropriately frightening as the Final Boss in the squipped battle at the end, styled like an early 2000s-lesbian-coded-soft-goth best friend archetype. No notes, 11/10.

The actor playing Mr. Heere/Reyes/Stockboy did a fantastic job of making those three seem separate, and as I mentioned above, really made Mr. Reyes come to life in a dynamic way. Sidenote, this production changed all references to Hobby Lobby to Michaels, which I found both funny and appropriate. Fuck Hobby Lobby, we all hate Hobby Lobby.

Back to characterizations, Christine was sweet and straightforward. Not as quirky or dynamic as Stephanie or a lot of other actresses make her, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Very gentle and smooth voice, she just really likes theater and wants someone to like the real her. They went with ballet-style choreography to introduce her during More Than Survive, which is always a wonderful touch for the way the music swells. There were points where I think a little more creative movement or a wider emotional range might have worked well, but the take on the character was consistent.

I am going to keep that positive thread through the next sections: while I might not have agreed with the interpretation through the text, I do respect going in a starkly different direction to how most productions and fans usually take such things.

I have enormous respect for the performer playing Michael for radically making it their own. The cast bios had pronouns, and Michael's performer was they/she/he, which as a fellow they/she/he who would love to play Michael someday was rad to see. They kept the CREEPS shirt and a hoodie with a lot of patches (albeit a black one with red accents), but that was about it. Michael had light-up cat ear headphones and a huge black fan which he used throughout, alternated between baggy sweatpants or just a floor-length hippy skirt, usually high-heel ankle boots, and some kind of green bathrobe thing for The Pants Song? Characterization, again, respect for making such an iconic character so heavily different. This Michael was not....very emotional. He was usually snippy and sarcastic in a very erudite and matter-of-fact way, at pretty much all points in the show. Not a lot of emotional range going on: this is a Michael who is in some combination of 'doesn't give a shit' and 'not going to let this bother me,' which came off....interesting. The chemistry this created with Jeremy was a starkly different one than we usually see. The original productions - and most since, and the majority of fandom depictions - imagines a Michael and Jeremy who, at their core, love each other a lot. However that manifests of course varies, but you Usually get the impression that (even with a little bit of codependence), these two genuinely love each other and spending time together, which makes moments in the show either heartwarming or devastating to see happen between them.

Not these versions of the characters.

Which didn't make it bad, but it did shake things up. This Michael and Jeremy didn't give deep-love-friendship so much as they gave 'we sat next to each other in 1st grade and don't have other friends. so. I guess we're best friends, huh.'

Which is an INTERESTING and somewhat bleaker, but not unrealistic, take on them. That, sadly, summarizes a lot of friendships, especially at that age and with the sort of vacuum of suburbia on your social sphere (nevermind how a lot of society discourages boys from emotional connection with their friends; if anything, the fact that this Michael was definitely queer might suggest that Jeremy even pulled back emotionally because he didn't want to seem gay or give this Michael the wrong idea). It definitely sells Jeremy feeling lonely, even with his best friend hanging around. Two-Player Game came across a LOT better than I was prepared for - I have waxed about how it's a hard number to pull off - not in spite of, but almost because of this. Like, sure, they've played through this game a million times before, they know every beat, they love it like they love each other, right? even though they seem.....kind of bored. Or at least like they're waiting for something else to happen. College? Girlfriend? Different friends? Just wait two years. Whatever.

To get critical, I will say that this dynamic did not really help Michael in the Bathroom. The fight beforehand and the song itself did.....not really lend themselves to a not-very-emotional friendship between them. The singing was perfect, so not faulting that: it's THE big song of the show, so that's a lot of pressure and the performer had a splendid voice, but the snarky-not-caring-that-much attitude didn't quite do it for me - Michael didn't seem sad or upset so much as pissed off, but still fully keeping it together (despite the lyrics saying otherwise). Tonally, the 'wish I'd offed myself instead' just sounded sarcastic ("wow, SORRY I CARED AT ALL, could've just killed myself for all you seem to care" kind of vibes) THAT SAID, it was consistent with the rest of the characterization, so I admire it as a very specific acting choice. There were also characters on stage - presumably outside the bathroom door, listening in - that turned a good portion of MITB into a comedic number; as I have said before, not my personal take on how that should go, but the audience was laughing along with it! So that's the wonderful mutability of theater.

Strangely enough, this actually made Michael and Jeremy's relationship at the end of the story work out just fine? The SQUIP experience kind of sparked a "wow we really do care about each other, huh" realization from both of them. Again, mad respect for taking such a different approach to such a well-worn character relationship.

So, overall, I am very happy I got to see this. Love to support live theater, love to be surprised by a story that I thought I knew pretty well inside and out, came away with plenty to think and talk about. If you can, go support your local community theater!

[youngandwild99-blog1]

The Batman Part II: My Theories

Please take this with a block of salt because as of right now all we have are rumors. Maybe take that block of salt home to your cows :)

Theory #1: Clayface

So, word is that Clayface may appear as the main villain in Part II. I've noticed some people in various comment sections being doubtful, because a giant shapeshifting monster made out of clay is a sharp left turn from the "grounded realism" of the first movie. They make a good point, which is why I predict that, if Clayface is actually going to appear, he'll be based on the Golden Age version. This was Basil Karlo, a failed actor who took on the alter ego of Clayface, a villain he used to play, to kill various actors and was thwarted by Batman and Robin.

Now, having two serial killer villains in a row would be repetitive, so I theorize that this Clayface will take a different approach. Imagine Basil Karlo using his skills in impressions and makeup (maybe a cutting-edge prosthetic face mask called a "clay face") to impersonate celebrities in Gotham, only to purposefully get caught in scandals. The real celebrity insists it wasn't them, but it's too late, and they're effectively "killed" in the courtroom of public opinion. And Clayface didn't even need to lay a finger on them.

Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne is finally trying to develop his public image after ~20 years, only to discover a villain with the ability to singlehandedly undo all his progress in the eyes of Gotham. In the comics, this would be the part where Batman and Robin are on the case, which leads me to...

Theory #2: Robin

We haven't had a well-received Boy Wonder on the big screen since Burt Ward played him in 1966. If you're anything like me, that's pretty damn frustrating (Dick Grayson appeared in the comics before the Joker AND before Alfred!). So hearing this rumor of Dick Grayson appearing in Part II is both exciting and nerve-wracking, because writing a believable child sidekick in a "grounded, realistic" superhero movie is a challenge. Just logistically, it works in stories like Logan or The Last of Us, because X-23 is immortal and can shrug off most injuries, while Joel eventually taught Ellie how to shoot. But with Batman and Robin, you have a very-much-mortal kid wearing a colorful costume going up against the kinds of people who quite literally emptied their magazines into Batman's chest last movie. How do you make that character fit believably into the world you've made?

Obviously the only ones who can answer that question are Matt Reeves and Mattson Tomlin, the writers for Part II. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't notice some ways that Dick Grayson might've been set up in The Batman. First off: the mayor's son. Bats interacts with him three times throughout the movie. He saves the kid's life twice, once as Bruce and once as Batman. Furthermore, the mayor's son is the first civilian to trust Batman after the flood: he walks towards Bats first, and everyone else follows. In the wise words of Red from OSP, if you can't imagine your Batman comforting a scared child, then you haven't written Batman, you've written the Punisher in a funny hat.

Second: HBO's Penguin series. The fact that they're introducing other gangsters from the comics (Sofia and Alberto Falcone, Salvatore Maroni) gives me hope that they might take the opportunity to introduce Tony Zucco, the gangster who killed Dick Grayson's parents. There are quite a few actors cast in undisclosed roles, maybe one of them plays Zucco...? Either way, setting up Zucco's extortion of Haly's Circus in The Penguin and following it up in Part II with the Flying Graysons' murders would be a good way to tie those stories together.

Third: Bruce Wayne's reappearance. Part I was all about Batman discovering that he has to be more than vengeance, and Reeves has said we'll be seeing more of Bruce Wayne in Part II. Perhaps Bruce's first major public appearance is attending a performance by Haly's Circus, and he just so happens to witness the deaths of the Flying Graysons. And we know what happens next. What better way to force Bruce to take his image seriously (aside from Clayface's shenanigans) than for him to suddenly have an angry, traumatized, highly impressionable kid in his life?

Fourth: This is the weakest reason, but at the end of the movie Selina mentions she's moving to Blüdhaven, which also happens to be where Dick Grayson goes after growing up and becoming Nightwing.

That turned out longer than I thought it would be. Again, these are all just rumors, but I wanted to put my thoughts and theories down in writing in an organized way, and to see what anyone else thinks. Thank you for reading.

[burnwater13]

Concept art Christian Alzmann, Din Djarin holding Grogu, Din Djarin's back is to the viewer. The Mandalorian, Season 1 concept development.

Grogu looked around and wondered what the heck was up with this planet. The place they landed seemed a lot like Coruscant or Naboo or, well, Grogu didn’t know another planet like it. The place they landed wasn’t actually a starport, it was more of a port, port. For ships. Water ships. Which was kind of cool and a couple of the water ships looked like the N-1, which made him wonder if this planet actually had a starport somewhere and they just hadn’t found it. 

It seemed like a nice enough place. They were walking down the street and no one seemed to care. No one. They got a bunch of funny looks, but no one drew a blaster on them. No one even pointed at them and laughed. One person walked over to them and took a vid with them. A vid! 

That had been a funny sequence of events. Grogu’s dad had walked over to this one lady and asked her if she knew where they could find a privy. She didn’t seem to understand Huttese, so then Din Djarin had tried Jawa Trade Language. No luck. Then Mando’a, which Grogu thought was ludicrous. You only had to look around and realize that Mandalorians had never lived on a planet this pretty. 

Finally his dad said, “I wonder if they know Tusken sign language?”

“Oh, you speak English? I was wondering… could I take a photo with you? Your costume is amazing and your uh sidekick there… wow… is it a puppet? It’s amazingly realistic.”

She was speaking Gal Basic, but Grogu had no idea why she thought he was a puppet. He was clearly not a puppet. He was about to say something when his dad shook his head ‘no’. Grogu sighed, but didn’t protest. 

“Ah. Fine. Can you point us to a cantina or an inn after that?”

“A cantina? Just down at the end of the pier area you’ll find some food trucks. Maybe try there?” 

Then she stood next to them, held up some sort of small device and told them both to smile. Grogu wanted to laugh at that. Was she related to his mom? How else would she be able to tell if his dad was smiling?

Grogu would have liked to have talked to her a little longer but she had said a word he understood really well and that mattered to him deeply at that point in time. Food. He wasn’t sure why trucks of food were waiting any where but he wasn’t going to look a gift fathier in the muzzle. He wanted his dad to head down that way sooner rather than later and hopefully they would find a privy on their way. 

His dad thanked her and they walked down the pier until they reached the trucks. 

They were the strangest trucks Grogu had ever seen. First they weren’t floating. He’d never seen a speeder truck that didn’t float when it was stationary. Then they had pictures all over them. Some of them showed food. Others showed images that weren’t food, but at least they were brightly colored. He liked that. And he liked that they smelled good. Better than good really. They smelled like food cooking. Hot and fresh. Yum.

Grogu went to jump out of the soft cloth bag his dad was using to carry him, but again, his dad shook his head ‘no’.  

“Buddy, I don’t think the people on this planet have met anyone like you before. I think it’s better that we kind of keep you under wraps. Okay?”

Grogu nodded his head, but he wasn’t actually listening to his dad. He was too busy smelling the delicious smell of some sort of meaty stuff that was spicy and a little sweet. It was coming from one of the funny trucks with a flame painted on a white background. 

Then Grogu did something he’d never done before. He used the Force on his dad. 

Yes. He’s used the Force before. But not on his dad. He really wanted the Mandalorian to take him to the white food truck because it smelled so great. There were only a couple of people standing  there and they weren’t paying attention to Din Djarin or Grogu at all, although people standing near the other trucks were starting to point and stare.. 

“White Flame”, Grogu thought really loudly in his dad’s brain. 

His dad stopped and looked down at him. 

“Buddy, just ask next time. I understand that you’re hungry. I don’t know if they take credits here or if I’ll have to find a credit exchange.”

Grogu was about to respond to him, when a tall man with dark, curly hair noticed them. 

“Wow. Great costume man. You buy that at an auction?” The man asked his dad.

Grogu imagined that this is what Paz Vizsla looked like without his armor. Funny meeting one of his relatives here, wherever here was.

“No. My tribe’s armorer made it. Tell me. Do they take New Republic credits here?”

“Hey, Roy! Come look at this guy. He’s got the best cos-play… Wait, did you say New Republic credits?” 

Not-Paz seemed shocked by that. 

“Yes. The food smells good. My son would like some.”

Grogu looked up at Not-Paz and coo’d a greeting. He didn’t think he was breaking any rules doing that.  

“Your son? That’s Yoda.” The big man pointed at Grogu and he saw his dad subtly shift his right hand onto the grip of his blaster.

“No. His name is Grogu.”

Grogu grinned at Not-Paz. He seemed pretty startled by Grogu’s name. A lot of people were until they got to know him. He just hoped his dad wouldn’t take that poorly. Grogu thought that he must be a friend if he knew Master Yoda. Right?

{Let me know if you want more of this story.}

[katsushika-division]

Happy Halloween from Death Row Block (+ Akari)

Akihisa - Alucard

“I held no interest in dressing up this year, but I was ganged up on by the other three. I’m positive this costume is the vampire from that anime they recently watched. They even managed to temporarily dye my hair black to match his. Now, Rintaro is trying to get me to say this one line that this character is known for saying. *sighs* I’m surrounded by children. My punishment for everything that I’ve done in life. Now then, take this for the occasion.”

You received a treat!

Liquid Blood. An IV bag filled with a realistic red liquid. Perfect for anyone brave enough to sink their fangs into it. Be careful not to spill any.

Touya - Succubus 

“Hi! Hi! Happy Halloween! Awwww look at you getting all shy and bothered. You like my costume, right? I know because you can't keep your eyes off me. Hmmm…I wonder how many people I can lure looking like this. So, Kai-chan and I made a bet to see who could seduce more people this year. The winner gets to [CENSORED] and [CENSORED] the loser. *giggles* Wanna be my first victim of the night? Teehee~! I have to go meet up with Kai-chan now, so have this~!”

You received a treat!

 Dxxk Suckers. Lollipops in the shape of a certain male part. If you're not careful it’ll leave quite a mess on your lips. Perhaps it is best that you keep this candy away from children. 

Rintaro - Raijin

“Happy fucking Halloween. Since I’m not legally allowed to be even remotely near an open flame not like that would stop me. I’ve decided to go with the next best thing, of course. Fucking lightning. Now who better to represent that than the fucking God of Storms? Akari helped me build the taiko drums, and we even managed to get electricity to spark when we hit them. Ha! The look on everyone's shity faces when I show that off is gonna be great. So, here take this and fuck off. I gotta get the Old Man to say a certain phrase right now.”

“I’m not saying it, Rintaro.”

“Just fucking say it, Old Man.”

“Ugh, fine…Bitches love cannons.”

“Ha! Fuck yeah!”

You received a treat!

Gummy Lightning Bolts.  Super sour gummies in the shape of a lightning bolt. Each one strikes you quickly with a sharp citrus flavor.

Bonus! Akari - Junko Enoshima

“WHAT’S UP? IT’S JUNKO FUCKIN' ENOSHIMA! HERE TO SPREAD DESPAIR TO THE MASSES! HAHAHA! Haa.....so what do ya think? Junko suits me right? Well, I’m less about spreading despair and more about causing pure and complete destruction. Either way, the world best be prepared for me. Anyway, I'm off to hand out some punishments and then I have an invitation to attend Scorpion Den’s Halloween Bash so here, have this.”

You received a treat!

Monokuma Cookies. Soft sugar cookies in the shape of a certain franchise’s mascot and coated with black and white frosting. Careful while eating them now or else it's punishment time!

[sunshinereddie]

WAIT OK I KNOW I JUST MADE MY REDDIE HAUNTED HOUSE AU YESTERDAY BUT....... WHAT IF I MADE IT SPOOKIER

neibolt richie is the kind of ghost who doesn’t like to do harm on people (unless it’s some asshole coming into his house and disrespecting the place, then he has no problem giving people a lesson) and he finds “harmless haunting” very very fun. he also, one day, finds that he can leave neibolt house, the place he died and thought he would be stuck in forever. 

he goes back to explore derry, the town he grew up in and always hated, until he stumbles across a little halloween carnival that the town is putting on. now, as a ghost, richie looks quite gruesome (something that is well-respected in the ghost community, something that richie is quite proud of) and he realizes ohhhhh this could be good. he’s been getting bored of life (or should he say, death) at neibolt, so he heads over to the carnival, walking around, taking in all the compliments from people walking past him, telling him how good his costume is, how realistic his makeup is, asking to take a closer look, asking him how he got all those scratches and the stitches in his face to look so real. 

richie’s having a great time, and just after he gives two little kids a good laugh by pretending to be scary, he comes up to a haunted house, and decides to take his scaring to the next level. 

in the haunted house, he really starts scaring people. like, crawling up to the ceiling, having his eyeballs pop out of his head, jumping out at people from behind corners, making his face look extra horrifying. he gets some good screams, but he always makes sure to hide when another staff member of the haunted house comes close, trying to figure out why all these people are screaming like that in a part of the attraction where none of their actors have been placed.

meanwhile, on the other side of the haunted house, eddie kaspbrak, who got roped into working the haunted house with his friend and is currently dressed up as a vampire with fake blood covering his face, can’t stop wondering where all those screams are coming from. seriously, this was a haunted house on a budget- even their scariest attraction couldn’t make someone scream like that. so he decides, during a lull of customers, to sneak off from his post, and go investigate himself.

[hoardlikegoldenirises]

He's a biter, you know.

details and un-shaded version (and also lineart version) under the cut:

I meant to draw this for peterfel week and made the sketch in like, literally February but didn't get around to finally finishing it until now… lol… well it's done now!!!

i dunno if i love how the dark shaded version turned out...

These are my base colors, but I guess I just felt like spending a couple hours with color overlays and fucking around to make the final moody blue version lol

as an aside the bokeh is a brush by Bunabi/Eriart which you can find as a freebie on her patreon - i saw it and was like omg wait i could use that

...the buildings are also brushes (well the windows are)

anyway here's the lineart

I also used a chain brush of course cause I ain't fuckin drawin all of that lmao —I used a brush from this set, they're pretty nice

😻 there she is oh i also used a diamond stamp 😂 the lesson to learn about me is if i can use a brush for something that would otherwise be tedious and it looks decent i will because i am lazy. unless i only have like a Single instance then I'll usually just draw it but when I have more than one it's either brushes or copy pasting lol

Felicia's outfit is a mix of sources, inspired by both her original costume, with the furry chest (in this case unzippable) as well as obviously more modern sexy latex outfits and so on... but i did NOT give her cleavage to her bellybutton cause I think that's dumb. though. to be fair in this case it would be more justifiable 😂

i love drawing her long long hair (angel medina's fault tbh) (sensational spider-man my beloved...)

rawr 😼

he's trying very hard not to laugh 😂 but he's into it, he's having fun

the muzzle ended up being like multiple designs from photo refs mashed into one so idk... how realistic it is other than the nose-forehead piece which was the same on both my refs. admittedly it looks a little loose but 🤷 still looks nice 😏

claws 😏

I also drew Peter in the classic suit, which I don't normally do, but I was doing more of the comic book look here instead of my own AUs and so on lol

he broke the cuffs so he could touch her butt 🙄 god peter don't you know how much real leather BDSM gear costs (don't tell him)

this new pen tablet is a lot of fun, it's way more comfortable to draw on and the increased pressure sensitivity makes it a lot easier to draw my favorite thing to draw: peter's arm hair 😂😂

the only weird thing is if I press down medium or harder while I'm drawing it... creaks? which is very funny, my old pen did not do that. it really is weirdly like using a felt tip pen or a very fine point marker. except it's plastic.

shoes. it may be classic style but I can never resist giving Peter sporty soles lol I know some people hate that but I just think it looks nice and I can handwave the sticking away as electrostatic forces or something. negative charge. electron transfer. blah blah blah. (in my AU i decided Peter has both electrostatic sticking that encompasses his whole body and ALSO adhesive secretions so if he gets his hands and feet bare i guess he has double the sticking power lol)

shaded versions just cause

tits

i really like drawing latex lol

also if you're wondering why i didn't give peter a boner to match his red face well i have an out and it's that long ago i decided he wears a dance belt under the costume so as not to inflict the outline of his dick and balls on the people of NYC on a daily basis, and dance belts are first of all designed as mentioned to smooth out and hide that outline but also you wear them with everything pointing north and the waistband is like 5 inches wide so i don't think he has to worry about his little buddy escaping LOL (though I'm sure it's possible it would be more visible... i didn't bother trying to google it lol)

really i just didn't feel like trying to draw a boner 😂