#especially to crane operators

[richo1915]

Motherf*#king Crane Driver!

Ran my bloody wallet over.

That’s what you get for paying the kids school fees and rego (for a car in bits) at work rather than concentrating on the task at hand.

[stellar-collective]

Ollie had never heard Phoenix talk so fast or with such an edge of sheer, desperate panic to their voice. Pale and bruised and wild-eyed, they looked like they hadn’t slept in days. He didn’t want to think about what they must’ve gone through to get to him.

But at least they were here, and at least he could help.

“Thank you for keeping your promise,” he said as they both stepped back out into the light drizzle.

“Huh?”

“Your promise to call me if you got in trouble so I could help.” Ollie gave them the most comforting smile he could muster. “We can solve this together, yeah? Now, this Operative Tear— you’ve talked to him?”

Phoenix nodded shakily. “Through Reggie’s mic. He introduced himself, said that ‘details were to follow’ and he ‘looked forward to working with me.’”

“Ooh. We’ll have to work fast, then. Good news; if Zor trusts him to oversee this kind of operation, he has to be well-established, and if he’s well-established, finding info on him will be a piece of cake! Somewhere, there has to be a clue as to Mr. Crane’s whereabouts. Then we can form a plan.”

Phoenix gave him a small, teary-eyed smile. “I knew you’d know what to do.”

first ~ prev ~ next

working on this is so fun bc i’ve had some of these scenes in my head for soooo long (i’ve been thinking about the panel of Ollie grabbing Phoenix’s hands for over six months) so it’s very satisfying to finally get it where you guys can see it :]

[fuckyeahgoodomens]

Oooh! A great Gavin Finney (Good Omens Director of Photography) interview with Helen Parkinson for the British Cinematographer! :)

HEAVEN SENT

Gifted a vast creative landscape from two of fantasy’s foremost authors to play with, Gavin Finney BSC reveals how he crafted the otherworldly visuals for Good Omens 2.  

It started with a letter from beyond the grave. Following fantasy maestro Sir Terry Pratchett’s untimely death in 2015, Neil Gaiman decided he wouldn’t adapt their co-authored 1990 novel, Good Omens, without his collaborator. That was, until he was presented with a posthumous missive from Pratchett asking him to do just that.  

For Gaiman, it was a request that proved impossible to decline: he brought Good Omens season one to the screen in 2019, a careful homage to its source material. His writing, complemented by some inspired casting – David Tennant plays the irrepressible demon Crowley, alongside Michael Sheen as angel-slash-bookseller Aziraphale – and award-nominated visuals from Gavin Finney BSC, proved a potent combination for Prime Video viewers.  

Aziraphale’s bookshop was a set design triumph.

Season two departs from the faithful literary adaptation of its predecessor, instead imagining what comes next for Crowley and Aziraphale. Its storyline is built off a conversation that Pratchett and Gaiman shared during a jetlagged stay in Seattle for the 1989 World Fantasy Convention. Gaiman remembers: “The idea was always that we would tell the story that Terry and I came up with in 1989 in Seattle, but that we would do that in our own time and in our own way. So, once Good Omens (S1) was done, all I knew was that I really, really wanted to tell the rest of the story.” 

Telling that story visually may sound daunting, but cinematographer Finney is no stranger to the wonderfully idiosyncratic world of Pratchett and co. As well as lensing Good Omens’ first outing, he’s also shot three other Pratchett stories – TV mini series  Hogfather  (2006), and TV mini-series The Colour of Magic (2008) and Going Postal (2010). 

He relishes how the authors provide a vast creative landscape for him to riff off. “The great thing about Pratchett and Gaiman is that there’s no limit to what you can do creatively – everything is up for grabs,” he muses. “When we did the first Pratchett films and the first Good Omens, you couldn’t start by saying, ‘Okay, what should this look like?’, because nothing looks like Pratchett’s world. So, you’re starting from scratch, with no references, and that starting point can be anything you want it to be.”  

Season two saw the introduction of inside-outside sets for key locations including Aziraphale’s bookshop. 

From start to finish 

The sole DP on the six-episode season, Finney was pleased to team up again with returning director Douglas Mackinnon for the “immensely complicated” shoot, and the pair began eight weeks of prep in summer 2021. A big change was the production shifting the main soho set from Bovington airfield, near London, up to Edinburgh’s Pyramids Studio. Much of the action in Good Omens takes place on the Soho street that’s home to Aziraphale’s bookshop, which was built as an exterior set on the former airfield for season one. Season two, however, saw the introduction of inside-outside sets for key locations including the bookshop, record store and pub, to minimise reliance on green screen.  

Finney brought over many elements of his season one lensing, especially Mackinnon’s emphasis on keeping the camera moving, which involved lots of prep and testing. “We had a full-time Scorpio 45’ for the whole shoot (run by key grip Tim Critchell and his team), two Steadicam operators (A camera – Ed Clark and B camera Martin Newstead) all the way through, and in any one day we’d often go from Steadicam, to crane, to dolly and back again,” he says. “The camera is moving all the time, but it’s always driven by the story.” 

One key difference for season two, however, was the move to large-format visuals. Finney tested three large-format cameras and the winner was the Alexa LF (assisted by the Mini LF where conditions required), thanks to its look and flexibility.  

The minisodes were shot on Cooke anamorphics, giving Finney the ideal balance of anamorphic-style glares and characteristics without too much veiling flare.

A more complex decision was finding the right lenses for the job. “You hear about all these whizzy new lenses that are re-barrelled ancient Russian glass, but I needed at least two full sets for the main unit, then another set for the second unit, then maybe another set again for the VFX unit,” Finney explains. “If you only have one set of this exotic glass, it’s no good for the show.” 

He tested a vast array of lenses before settling on Zeiss Supremes, supplied by rental house Media Dog. These ticked all the boxes for the project: “They had a really nice look – they’re a modern design but not over sharp, which can look a bit electronic and a bit much, especially with faces. When you’re dealing with a lot of wigs and prosthetics, we didn’t want to go that sharp. The Supremes had a very nice colour palette and nice roll-off. They’re also much smaller than a lot of large-format glass, so that made it easy for Steadicam and remote cranes. They also provided additional metadata, which was very useful for the VFX department (VFX services were provided by Milk VFX).” 

The Supremes were paired with a selection of filters to characterise the show’s varied locations and characters. For example, Tiffen Bronze Glimmerglass were paired with bookshop scenes; Black Pro-Mist was used for Hell; and Black Diffusion FX for Crowley’s present-day storyline.  

Finney worked closely with the show’s DIT, Donald MacSween, and colourist, Gareth Spensley, to develop the look for the minisode.

Maximising minisodes 

Episodes two, three and four of season two each contain a ‘minisode’ – an extended flashback set in Biblical times, 1820s Edinburgh and wartime London respectively. “Douglas wanted the minisodes to have very strong identities and look as different from the present day as possible, so we’d instantly know we were in a minisode and not the present day,” Finney explains.  

One way to shape their distinctive look was through using Cooke anamorphic lenses. As Finney notes: “The Cookes had the right balance of controllable, anamorphic-style flares and characteristics without having so much veiling flare that they would be hard to use on green screens. They just struck the right balance of aesthetics, VFX requirements and availability.” The show adopted the anamorphic aspect ratio (2:39.1), an unusual move for a comedy, but one which offered them more interesting framing opportunities. 

Good Omens 2 was shot on the Alexa LF, paired with Zeiss Supremes for the present-day scenes.

The minisodes were also given various levels of film grain to set them apart from the present-day scenes. Finney first experimented with this with the show’s DIT Donald MacSween using the DaVinci Resolve plugin FilmConvert. Taking that as a starting point, the show’s colourist, Company 3’s Gareth Spensley, then crafted his own film emulation inspired by two-strip Technicolor. “There was a lot of testing in the grade to find the look for these minisodes, with different amounts of grain and different types of either Technicolor three-strip or two-strip,” Finney recalls. “Then we’d add grain and film weave on that, then on top we added film flares. In the Biblical scenes we added more dust and motes in the air.”  

Establishing the show’s lighting was a key part of Finney’s testing process, working closely with gaffer Scott Napier and drawing upon PKE Lighting’s inventory. Good Omens’ new Scottish location posed an initial challenge: as the studio was in an old warehouse rather than being purpose-built for filming, its ceilings weren’t as high as one would normally expect. This meant Finney and Napier had to work out a low-profile way of putting in a lot of fixtures. 

Inside Crowley’s treasured Bentley.

Their first task was to test various textiles, LED wash lights and different weight loadings, to establish what they were working with for the street exteriors. “We worked out that what was needed were 12 SkyPanels per 20’x20’ silk, so each one was a block of 20’x20’, then we scaled that up,” Finney recalls. “I wanted a very seamless sky, so I used full grid cloth which made it very, very smooth. That was important because we’ve got lots of cars constantly driving around the set and the sloped windscreens reflect the ceiling. So we had to have seamless textiles – PKE had to source around 12,000 feet of textiles so that we could put them together, so the reflections in the windscreens of the cars just showed white gridcloth rather than lots of stage lights. We then drove the car around the set to test it from different angles.”  

On the floor, they mostly worked with LEDs, providing huge energy and cost savings for the production. Astera’s Titan Tubes came in handy for a fun flashback scene with John Hamm’s character Gabriel. The DP remembers: “[Gabriel] was travelling down a 30-foot feather tunnel. We built a feather tunnel on the stage and wrapped it in a ring of Astera tubes, which were then programmed by dimmer op Jon Towler to animate, pulse and change different colours. Each part of Gabriel’s journey through his consciousness has a different colour to it.” 

Among the rigs built was a 20-strong Creamsource Vortex setup for the graveyard scene in the “Body Snatchers” minisode, shot in Stirling. “We took all the yokes off each light then put them on a custom-made aluminium rig so we could have them very close. We put them up on a big telehandler on a hill that gave me a soft mood light, which was very adjustable, windproof and rainproof.” 

Shooting on the VP stage for the birth of the universe scenes in episode one.

Sky’s the limit 

A lot of weather effects were done in camera – including lightning effects pulsed in that allowed both direct fork lightning and sheet lightning to spread down the streets. In the grade, colourist Spensley was also able to work his creative magic on the show’s skies. “Gareth is a very artistic colourist – he’s a genius at changing skies,” Finney says. “Often in the UK you get these very boring, flat skies, but he’s got a library of dramatic skies that you can drop in. That would usually be done by VFX, but he’s got the ability to do it in Baselight, so a flat sky suddenly becomes a glorious sunset.” 

Finney emphasises that the grade is a very involved process for a series like Good Omens, especially with its VFX-heavy nature. “This means VFX sequences often need extra work when it comes back into the timeline,” says the DP. “So, we often add camera movement or camera shake to crank the image up a bit. Having a colourist like Gareth is central to a big show like Good Omens, to bring all the different visual elements together and to make it seamless. It’s quite a long grade process but it’s worth its weight in gold.” 

Shooting in the VR cube for the blitz scenes .

Finney took advantage of virtual production (VP) technology for the driving scenes in Crowley’s classic Bentley. The volume was built on their Scottish set: a 4x7m cube with a roof that could go up and down on motorised winches as needed. “We pulled the cars in and out on skates – they went up on little jacks, which you could then rotate and move the car around within the volume,” he explains. “We had two floating screens that we could move around to fill in and use as additional source lighting. Then we had generated plates – either CGI or real location plates –projected 360º around the car. Sometimes we used the volume in-camera but if we needed to do more work downstream; we’d use a green screen frustum.” Universal Pixels collaborated with Finney to supply in-camera VFX expertise, crew and technical equipment for the in-vehicle driving sequences and rear projection for the crucial car shots. 

John Hamm was suspended in the middle of this lighting rig and superimposed into the feather tunnel.

Interestingly, while shooting at a VP stage in Leith, the team also used the volume as a huge, animated light source in its own right – a new technique for Finney. “We had the camera pointing away from [the volume] so the screen provided this massive, IMAX-sized light effect for the actors. We had a simple animation of the expanding universe projected onto the screen so the actors could actually see it, and it gave me the animated light back on the actors.”  

Bringing such esteemed authors’ imaginations to the screen is no small task, but Finney was proud to helped bring Crowley and Aziraphale’s adventures to life once again. He adds: “What’s nice about Good Omens, especially when there’s so much bad news in the world, is that it’s a good news show. It’s a very funny show. It’s also about good and evil, love and doing the right thing, people getting together irrespective of backgrounds. It’s a hopeful message, and I think that that’s what we all need.” 

Finney is no stranger to the idiosyncratic world of Sir Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.

[greenglowinspooks]

(DCXDP) The obligations of a rogue versus those of a parent (Pt. 5)

—

Tw: torture scene (GiW agent receiving), general angst, canon-typical violence (DC), nobody is having a good time

Will be crossposted to AO3 eventually

(Masterlist/subscription post)

—

It was pretty easy for Danny to forget that Dr. Crane was a rogue at times.

Most of the time he wasn’t comically evil, like what he’d expect of a Gotham rogue. He was helping Danny, even if only because he didn’t want to be taken in by the GiW as well. He was even downright nice most of the time, or at least neutral.

Sure, he had a strange obsession with fear and psychology, but that wasn’t really out of the ordinary for Danny. It didn’t feel like living with a rogue, just like…staying with a distant relative, or something.

He seemed like just an ordinary person.

Today, though, Danny was brought back to reality.

The GiW agent they’d tracked down together writhed on the ground, screaming in pain and terror. Scarecrow was sat a few feet away, setting up a syringe of the antidote he’d made.

After a few more moments, he injected the man with the antidote, watching him like a hawk the entire time.

Suddenly, the man surged forward, lunging at Scarecrow with a feral scream.

Unluckily for him, though, he was still weak from the fear toxin in his system, and from the beatings he’d received prior. Scarecrow easily wrestled him to the ground, settling himself on the broad part of the agent’s back with a vice grip on one of his arms.

“Let’s try again,” he said sharply, all of the warmth Danny had grown used to gone from his voice. “Where is the GiW base of operations?”

The agent took several shuddering breaths before spitting at Scarecrow, defiance and hatred written all over his face.

For just a moment, the room was utterly silent.

“Fine, have it your way.”

Scarecrow began to twist the man’s arm further. It wasn’t long before the agent began to squirm, then writhe, beneath him. Danny’s stomach churned.

“You know,” Scarecrow began, almost conversationally, “there are plenty of jobs that one can get without the use of their legs, especially with the level of education you have. Anything that doesn’t involve hard labor, really.”

The man’s face was beginning to turn red in his struggle not to scream. He took in gasping breaths, the way that his mouth moved almost reminding Danny of a goldfish.

(He felt awful for the comparison, but it was true.)

“However,” Scarecrow continued, “I find you’d be rather hard-pressed to find a job without the use of your arms. Especially in a place like Gotham, where you can always be replaced by someone eager to do your job for even less money. Of course, you could most likely coast off of savings and severance pay for a while, but…”

He leaned closer to the man’s head, his voice lowering.

“Would you be able to live like that? To live with yourself, if you no longer have a purpose?”

He allowed the agent a few seconds of rest before increasing the pressure on his arm. The agent gasped, letting out a strangled hiss. His arm bones were making fascinating noises in response to the strain. Danny felt sick.

“You seem like a rather driven young man. I’m sure your family would hate to see you unmotivated, directionless. Would they resent you, do you think?”

“Fuck you, you—”

The man was cut off by his own scream as Scarecrow finally allowed his arm to break, audibly splintering into thousands of useless shards of bone.

He had the exact pressure memorized. Clearly, he had done this before.

This was wrong. This was wrong.

Shouldn’t Danny step in, do something?

“That won’t heal cleanly. Even with the best medical care in the world, you’ll end up with permanent damage.”

The man below him wheezed and sobbed, choking on air as Scarecrow let go of his arm carelessly, letting it flop back onto the ground.

“Just the sort of thing something like you deserves,” Scarecrow hissed, his voice cold.

“You tortured a child, and you enjoyed it. You laughed with your friends about it. In your notes, one of your friends complained about the screaming,” Scarecrow brought his leg around, grinding his boot into the man’s broken arm. He howled in agony, writhing uncontrollably.

“Was it inconvenient to him, do you think? Too loud? If you were joking about it, clearly you thought so, too. I could fix that as well.”

He drew out another needle, this one once again filled with fear toxin.

“Scarecrow, wait,” Danny choked out.

Scarecrow turned to look at him.

Even his posture was different than usual. He looked… stiff, more like an animal than a man. When he tilted his head at Danny in a silent question, it looked like something in his neck had snapped, his head lolling to the side.

Danny wondered if he was consciously moving like that, or if it was habit at this point.

“You—we don’t have to do this. We can get information some other way, right? You don’t have to…”

Danny looked down at the GiW agent below Scarecrow. He didn’t even have it in him to glare up at Danny like he had before. Instead he laid limply on the ground, tremors rolling through his body uncontrollably.

“We’ve exhausted every other option and you know it,” Scarecrow said, his voice low, “this is the only way we can move forward.”

“Still, I—I don’t,” Danny swallowed, his throat tight, “this isn’t—this isn’t right. Isn’t there some other way to do this? Like—a truth serum, or something?”

“Truth serums are notoriously unreliable. They’re almost as bad as lie detectors. We’re much more likely to get a reliable result from this.”

Danny just stared at the GiW agent and his splintered, ruined arm. He began to weakly wriggle in Scarecrow’s grasp, which was graciously ignored.

He vaguely remembered himself doing the same thing when he was on the operating table; even if he knew there was no chance of escape, he still thrashed and screamed, desperate to get away. The jagged I-shaped incision on his torso felt uncomfortably warm.

What was there left to say?

“The Bat does the same thing at times, you know,” Scarecrow said, “him and the rest of his brood. By using my toxin, I’m actually lessening the amount of permanent damage that I’m doing. Physically.”

“Still, that doesn’t make it right,” Danny said desperately. “Even if—even if everyone in the world did this, it wouldn’t make it right.”

Scarecrow hummed.

They were both silent for a moment.

His next words were gentle, absurdly so when compared to the scene in front of him.

“I would love an alternative. But…”

He shrugged, hand coming to rest on the break in the GiW agent’s arm. Even without applying any pressure, the man stopped squirming immediately.

“There aren’t any other options,” Danny repeated, his voice flat and his body numb.

“Yes,” Scarecrow said. “I’m sorry.”

There was a pause. No one moved a muscle. Eventually Scarecrow spoke again, his voice strangely empty.

“You can stand outside and keep watch, if you’d like. At such a short distance their radars won’t pick us up.”

Danny said nothing, leaving the room silently.

He sat outside for quite a while.

He was grateful that Scarecrow had, with his help, dragged the agent to one of his previous hideouts. It was soundproofed, after all.

He was glad that he didn’t have to hear the rest of what Scarecrow did to the man.

After what felt like an eternity, Dr. Crane left the building, joining him outside. He guided Danny back to his beat up old truck and they drove home in silence.

“Did you at least…do you know where they are, now?” Danny asked as they entered the apartment, his voice small.

“They didn’t share the details of all of their locations with any one person. I know where one of their locations are, but not their main base of operations.”

Danny felt disgusted. With himself, with Dr. Crane, with the GiW.

He was disgusted by the agent, too. Did he just hate the restless dead so much that he would prefer to be tortured than to give them the upper hand? Did he really think he was in the right?

Was there a chance that he was?

Danny felt very, very small, and very stupid. Stupid and weak and cowardly.

“Danny,” Dr. Crane spoke, his voice soft.

“I’m truly sorry that this is happening to you. I really, truly wish that you didn’t have to endure my company. I…”

He fell quiet. Danny wondered if he was just saying this to pacify him, or if he truly meant it. He wondered if it really mattered in the end.

After a few moments of silence, Dr. Crane sighed, looking truly pained.

“I don’t know. I’m sorry.”

Danny was quiet.

“I’m going to bed early,” he finally said, turning away and leaving without a second glance.

—

[fatcathappycat]

Narumitsu flavoured Case Fic Recs

YAY!!! CASE FICS!!! Who doesn't love a good case fic? So here are some of my favourite Narumitsu-flavoured case fics. Or hmm, maybe it would be more accurate to class these as case-flavoured Narumitsu fics? As usual, these are in no particular order, because fanfics are gifts to be enjoyed and celebrated, not ranked.

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1) The Phoenix, and Other Early Birds by Wildfey

Rating: T Words: 10, 1411 Time to read: 7 hours

A wonderful long fic by one of my favourite authors. This one is written from Apollo’s point of view and builds so much empathy for him and all the characters. It’s au, but you forget that as you are reading. This reads as a really good case fic too! You are in good hands, as are our beloved characters.

❤️💙🩵🩷💜💚 Found family is a beautiful thing. This is part one of the 2-part Other Early Birds (a beautiful missing scene that didn't quite fit into part 1)

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2) Dating for a Turnabout by Mikomikono

Rating: T Words: 89, 597 Time to read: 6 hours

Investigations into a smuggling operation lead Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth to a hotel on a beautiful resort island where they pose undercover as a couple... and you know, unnecessary feelings happen. Sweet, funny and entertaining case fic, crafted with an incredible level of detail {:-) :-)

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3) Maybe In Time (you'll want to be mine) by YourAverageBystander

Rating: T Words: 25, 571 Time to read: 1.45 hours

This was so much fun!!!! Fast and loose, very sweet and funny as heck, and a really decent case fic to boot! #pocket noodles #lotta hart is a good friend

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4) Not Perfect, But Loved by zombolouge

Rating: E Words: over 1.1 million! Time to read: 78.5 hours

You like long fics? I like long fics! And I especially love finished long fics! So this fic is for us. Insanely long, insanely fun two-part series with really wonderful FranMaya, Klapallo, Skymahdi and of course our beloved Narumitsu blorbo moments - And these are seriously solid case fics! Buckle up, pack some snacks, and stay hydrated, and seriously consider pacing yourself as you as you are going to be spending some quality time with these fictional folks to the tune of 78 hours, 20 mins and 3 sec, according to my reading time calculator.

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5) Kindred by timepatches

Rating: G Words: 96, 162 Time to read: 6.5 hours Yay! This one is a case fic and a PESS FIC!!! Super charming origin story of Miles and how Pess came to be, with a smartly written mystery at its core, and yes, there is Narumitsu in it. This feels like a novel and I have taken it with me more than once for company over a holiday weekend. It is wonderful.

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6) Folding the Crane by poodlepunk

Rating: M Words: 19, 121 Time to read: 1.25 hours

"Outside, the streets are familiar, but looking at them causes a slight uncanny valley feeling. Different clothing styles and cars and buildings in different places, combined it all makes Miles feel like a lost time traveler. He wonders if he should be more frightened and upset at his situation–his lack of memories, the injury. His childhood friend–now his emergency contact and haunting him like a stubborn ghost."

Miles has amnesia and Phoenix, Kay and loved ones try their best to help him as he recovers. Read if you like getting hooked by good characterization and mystery!

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7) Skin on Metal by KrisseyCrystal (IceCreAMS)

Rating: T Words: 50, 118 Time to read: 3.5 hours

In my Ao3 bookmark, I wrote: "You like tension? You like excitement? You like finely crafted characters and the fantastic edge of your seat, feel your breath hitch, pulse quicken type of thrillers? THEN THIS FIC IS FOR YOU BUDDY!!!" > This two-part series is so GOOOOOD! It really got my adrenaline running. I had read it in the early days of my fan fiction exploration and didn't bookmark it because I was a guest at the time I think. Anyways, a year later and I was still thinking about it so I put a call out on Tumblr and Reddit - thank you again to @littlestuffstohide for reuniting us with this awesome case fic!

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7) los angeles, japanifornia (or, conflicts of interest) by allicanseeispink

Rating: T Words: 50, 958 Time to read: 3.5 hours

It's hard to describe the excitement I felt when reading this fic. It feels so fresh and grounded in reality. This work reads like a movie or a really, really high quality legal drama. Beautifully descriptive, set in actual, physical locations in California, this work comes across as so authentic and experiential. I felt like I learned more about the US legal system when reading it. It's powerfully good and I highly recommend it.

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7) The Disappearance of Trucy Wright by ziskandra for MoonGoddex

Rating: T Words: 10, 953 Time to read: 45 mins

Satisfying one-shot of Trucy and Miles and Phoenix in the early days of their relationship. Good Larry, Franziska and Gumshoe moments too :)

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8) Turnabout Masquerade by cassibee

Rating: T Words: 9, 908 Time to read: 45 mins

Ugh!! This one hurts to share in a way. It is SO good! Truly a mini-bang! Delightful, sweet, tender, endearing and above all, clever, super entertaining... seriously everything you want in a Narumitsu case fic. It's probably of the best Narumitsu aus I’ve read so far but it’s too short and sadly unfinished. My heart broke a bit when I saw that it hadn't been updated since 2022 (on chapter 3 of 4!). But it's all about the journey, right? And the travel is good, my friends. Wishing the author all good things and hoping they are well and healthy, and that maybe one day, I will see an update in my inbox ❤

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9) Talk me down by halfdemonvash

Rating: E Words: 69, 063 Time to read: 5 hours

I bookmarked this one immediately after the first chapter because of the quality of the writing. It is easily one of the best 7 year gap fics I’ve read with solid characterization and some really, really nice schexy times. It's a wonderful case fic too. One of my 'go to' fics when I want a shot of endorphins. So good.

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10) Play Your Cards Right by poodlepunk

Rating: E Words: 29, 723 Time to read: 2 hours

"Phoenix has somehow been dealt a winning hand. Miles Edgeworth wants to go out on a date with him! But after so many years, is it even possible to make the leap from friends to lovers? Also, can the two of them get through one date without stumbling over a dead body? " Another one by Poodlepunk and one of my very first fan fic reads. Still one of my favourite works too {:-) :-)

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BONUS 11) The Dark Turnabout by HopeStoryteller

Rating: T Words: 21, 783 Time to read: 1.5 hours

This one is only Narumitsu flavoured if you squint but I'm including it anyways because I'm so excited to have found HomeStoryTeller as an author. This case fic features our beloved Mia Fey suring SL-9, “State vs Joe Darke.” It’s funny and heartbreaking and exciting even though we know what’s going to happen. Featuring fun scenes with Angel ‘the Cough up Queen’ and lovely moments of baby Phoenix and Mia sibling energy.

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Do you have a favourite case fic that I've missed? Please add to the comments or tags!

Enjoy! 🔎 ₍˄·͈༝·͈˄₎ ੭ ♡* ੈ✩‧₊˚

[gojipink]

happy ending

ஐ ft. diluc

ஐ summary. diluc just wants to take care of you when you come home with sore muscles. and whats better than a massage? a happy ending massage!

ஐ warnings. N!SFW, mdni, fem!reader, body worship, fingering (f. rec.), from behind, creampie. 3.6k words

ஐ notes. i wanted to write something for my darling love @lunargrapejuice since it was her bday (a few weeks ago) happy belated birthday, my sweet angel ♡

your boots feel like 30 pounds of iron on your feet and your body aches all over as you slowly trudge up to the front door of the mansion. this week of commissions has been especially physically demanding and the only thing on your mind right now is a warm dinner with diluc and a boiling hot bath. 

these past few weeks, you and diluc have been operating on completely different schedules, most days only allowing for a quick kiss before you leave for the city. you would be lying if you said part of your fatigue wasn't from the lack of quality time spent with your lover, fleeting kisses doing nothing but making you needily plead just one more. you miss his presence desperately and you have half a mind to take a day off just to follow him around like a lost duckling while he works around the winery, just to spend a little time with him.

Luckily, earlier this morning, diluc caught you right before you left, declaring that work has slowed a tad and that he’ll be home in the evening. As excited as you were to finally get much needed time with him, physical and mental exhaustion catches up to you throughout the day leading you trudge through your work counting down the hours until you could finally have your much needed relaxing evening with diluc.

finally entering the house, you bend over to messily unlace your boots, unceremoniously kicking them to the side. 

“y/n?” diluc calls out as he emerges from the kitchen, “there you are, i was almost going to meet you on your walk since i saw it getting dark out.” he frowns slightly when he sees you rolling your head around your shoulders trying to stretch out the knots. 

“hi ‘luc,” giving him a tired smile as you look around, “is everyone else already gone?” 

“i sent everyone home a little early for the weekend. i figured we could use a nice quiet night in, just the two of us,” coming closer to you and brushing some loose strands of hair out of your face, cupping your cheek as you lean into his touch.

“it has been awhile since we’ve both been home at the same time,” you sigh as the warmth from his hands seemingly spreads throughout your body, somewhat soothing the tension you hold.

diluc leans in to press a lingering kiss to your other cheek, “dinner is still hot, go ahead and sit while i fix our plates.” 

turning your head you give him a quick kiss whispering a soft thank you before diluc gently guides you to the kitchen. after washing your hands, you drag yourself over to the dining table where you inelegantly plop yourself down in a seat and immediately lay your head down on the table. a minute later, diluc places two bowls of delicious smelling stew on the table, his hand coming up to caress your head, “let’s eat, my love, it’ll make you feel better.” 

rising back up you give him a sleepy smile thanking him for the meal before digging in. gradually, the food does fill you up with more energy and the two of you naturally settle into conversation about the day.   

while you listen to diluc talk about events that occurred while you weren’t home, you can't help but repeatedly crane your head side to side, trying to get rid of the deep ache settled in your neck and shoulder muscles, bringing a hand up to work at the knots. 

diluc pauses his story, “darling, are you feeling alright?” 

“yes! yes, i'm sorry, i swear i’m listening,” you look at him a little sheepishly, “to be honest, i might’ve pulled something earlier or maybe it's just an accumulation of things but i'm just feeling a little tight all over.” you sigh, bringing your hand down and away from your neck, “tomorrow i was going to see if there’s a masseuse in town or hmm… if not, i guess i could try liyue the next time i'm sent there.” you muse out loud.

diluc hums in agreement while he reaches a hand over to softly knead your stiff shoulder for you, frowning at how taut the muscles are, ���perhaps a long bath would help, hm?” his hand slides down your arm and takes your hand bringing it up to his lips to leave a kiss onto each knuckle, “let’s head upstairs, love, i'll draw one for you.”

once in your shared bedroom, diluc leaves you some privacy to strip out of your day-old clothes  in the bedroom while he prepares the bath.

fully undressed, you walk into the bathroom where diluc finishes pouring the epsom salt into the steaming water. he turns around at the sound of you coming in, immediately breathless at the sight of your perfect naked body. 

“beautiful,” he whispers, reaching out to take your hand as his soft adoring eyes stay locked on yours. you give him a grateful smile as he leads you into the bath.

“you don't want to join me?” you pout up at him while he helps ease you into the water, “not right now, i have something to do really quick but i'll be back before you're finished, i promise,” he presses a kiss to the back of your hand, “you take all the time you need in here, you deserve it.” 

still slightly frowning since all you want is to spend this entire evening glued to his side, you reluctantly let go of his hand. diluc lightly chuckling at your still pouty lips, and bends over to give them a sweet kiss before departing the bathroom, closing the door behind him. 

a little disappointed by diluc’s absence but nonetheless thankful for the bath, you lean your head back against the tub and sink down further into the water. 

after about 45 minutes of soaking and rinsing off, you finally emerge from the bathtub, body already feeling lighter from the bath.

wrapping a towel around yourself, you open the bathroom door and step into the bedroom, surprised by the scene in front of you. the bedroom was dimly illuminated by the help of a handful of candles scattered around the room while imported lotions and oils were arranged neatly on the nightstand. diluc was standing at the foot of the bed, semi dressed down in a loose white shirt paired with his usual pants, laying a towel on top of the blankets.     

“diluc,” you gasp out, “what's all this?”

he smiles as he comes around the corner of the bed to greet you, his hands coming up to rub along your arms,

“well, you’ve been working so hard and you said you were wanting to go to a masseuse and i just thought that maybe i could give you one tonight,” he breaks eye contact for a moment, looking a little bashful, “granted, i have no massaging experience, i just thought that maybe i could help you relax a little more to take some of the soreness away.” 

“oh, ‘luc,” you breathe out, still awestruck by the effort he put into this, “this is the sweetest and most thoughtful idea, thank you.” 

“there’s no need to thank me, darling, i wanted to do this for you. here, come lay down” 

gently, diluc unwraps the towel covering your body, discarding it onto the floor, then guides you to lay down on your stomach. your arms come up to wrap around the down pillow supporting your head and your body melts under the tranquil atmosphere he created. 

standing on the side of the bed, diluc pours some of the body oil into his palms activating his pyro vision to heat up his hands. upon first contact you hum in satisfaction, his warm hands sliding gently along your back and shoulders spreading the oil. once pleased with the even coat of oil, he began kneading at both of your shoulders. thumbs digging into the sizable knots in your trap muscles then sliding up along the nape of your neck. you softly moan at the repetitive movement as he diminishes the knots, slowly working his way down your spine to focus on the muscles along your shoulder blades. 

“does it feel alright, my love?” he gently asks, not wanting to disturb the relaxing air too much.

too blissed out to even attempt words, you give him a hum of agreement, the sound slightly muffled by the pillow you currently have your face buried into. 

huffing out a small laugh, diluc continues his ministrations along your back, putting on extra pressure whenever he feels a knot, the sensation always causing you to breathe out a moan.  

if he were being completely honest, diluc has been sporting a boner since he first saw you naked in the bathtub. it's been almost two weeks since you have last been intimate together and repeatedly seeing your body be on full display for him hasn't allowed his straining dick to catch a break. 

but everyone knows diluc’s self-discipline is unmatched. tonight wasn't about him, it was entirely about you and making you feel good. he wanted to do this right and take care of his love who walked through the front door with her body aching painfully. 

while a little lost in thought, diluc’s pressure lightened up slightly causing you to whine out, “mmph…harder ‘luc,”

attention snapping back to you, diluc mentally squashed down all feelings of arousal, “y-yeah angel, i’m sorry,” he breathes out, “can i get on top? i'll have more leverage.”

seeing you nod your head against the pillow, diluc gently splits your legs apart creating enough room for him to kneel between. diluc wills himself not to take a peek at your pretty pussy as he situates himself in between your legs. he resumes his massage along the laterals of your spine going further down until he focuses on your lower back making you let out a lewd moan into the pillow. diluc takes a deep breath in, closes his eyes for a second, trying to steel his composure.

in this moment, youre past the point of self-awareness. you almost feel drunk with the way you sink into the bed, diluc taking over each one of your senses. your fuzzy mind is completely saturated with his scent, his warmth, and his overwhelming touch. your limbs feel like jelly, soft and pliant, completely laid out for him to do whatever he wants. your body instinctively reacting to his touch, a ball of pure need forming deep inside you, your pussy oozing and dripping onto the towel under you. sighing out his name, your legs naturally part wider for him, subconsciously trying to guide him to the place where you require the most attention now.

diluc shakily exhales, his cock painfully throbbing against his pants, a tiny wet spot forming as his precum seeps through his flushed tip. swallowing thickly, he moves away from your back and places a hand on each calf, kneading at the muscles. his oil-slicked hands continuously press upwards along your calves slowly inching up towards your thighs, his eyes following the trail of his hands. grabbing a handful of your thighs and spreading them to massage the muscle, his cord of reason finally snaps when he catches a peek of your drooling cunt glistening in the candlelight. 

a guttural groan escapes him and he folds over, pressing wet searing kisses along your back,

“baby,” he breathes against your spine, “you want me to take care of you there?” massaging the crease where your thighs and ass meet, causing your hole to make a small wet squelch sound each time he spreads you apart. the sound nearly makes him lose his sanity as he practically pleads with you, “let me take care of you, baby, let me make you feel good, hm? i'll go slow, i promise, i'll be gentle.” 

“y-yes please, ‘luc, please,” you whimper out spreading your legs more to make more room for him

“i've got you, sweet girl,” he quickly soothes, “you don't need to beg for me, i'm always right here.” 

he grabs one of the unused pillows by the headboard gently raising your hips to slide the pillow underneath you, positioned perfectly to allow him a clear view of your pussy. diluc uses one hand to spread one thigh apart, the other slides over to your pulsing core, his thumb dipping in between your folds, gathering the slick before tenderly smearing it along your clit. 

you gasp feeling him trace light circles on it, “d-diluc..ngh!” muffling your cries into the pillow as your arms wrap around the cushion tightly.  

leaning over again to place pacifying kisses between your shoulder blades, he whispers gently, “shhh baby, relax. just feel me.”

the hand gripping your thigh slides forward, grabbing the meat of your ass and kneading the muscles while keeping you spread open for him. diluc sitting back up to watch your little hole gush and twitch at his treatment, captivated by the way it seemingly begs him to stuff it with his fingers, his tongue, his cock, anything. 

your needs always coming before his, he slides his hand away from gripping your ass to softly rub at your entrance before sinking middle two fingers down to his knuckle, other thumb still toying at your clit. your moans ringing through the room as your head lifts up in surprise from his intrusion but you quickly bury your face into the pillow once more when he begins to slowly thrust in and out, his fingers gently massaging your fluttering walls.

he really tried to stay at a slow pace. really wanted to take his time with you, bring you gentle waves of mind melting pleasure rather than earth-shattering orgasms. wanted to maintain the tranquil air in order to provide you with the kind of relaxation you deserve. but both of you are pent up with sexual need due to the previous lack of contact and you’re certain that diluc could use a feather on your clit and your mind would still split in two. besides, how could he say no when his perfect girl sobs broken cries of m-more! mmph! while your hips lift up trying to coax him into going faster and deeper. 

eyes transfixed on your twitchy cunt, lips parted enraptured at the sight, diluc gives your clit a heavier rub while pairing it with a hook of his fingers, abusing that special gummy spot. 

“mmh!! dilu-aah!!” you attempt to warn him, your pussy sucking his fingers in locking them in a vice grip 

“cum, angel. i'm here, i’ve got you.”   

his soothing words of encouragement wash over you like a wave and the coil nestled deep in your tummy snaps, white hot pleasure ripping its way through you. your body surges forward virtually running away from him but diluc follows you, not letting up for a second trying to prolong your high until your hips twitch and buck away from overstimulation. 

gently pulling his fingers away, he slides his hand across your thighs, ass, and sides. massaging at your skin all while leaning over to press loving kisses down your spine, gently guiding you back down from your orgasm. 

diluc’s still desperately trying to ignore the near painful throbs of his suffocating cock, still locked away in his pants. your soft skin glowing radiantly in the candlelight, your soft gasps and breathy moans, the way you gushed and creamed around his fingers- it was all becoming too much for him to bear. crystal clear mind now hazy with only thoughts of you and being inside you.

ever the gentleman, despite the lewd images and desires that flash through his mind’s eye, he 

still prioritizes you. readjusting his position, he stretches his body over your back, his lower half resting lightly on your ass. his forearm coming to rest by your head as he leans his weight against it, his face appearing in front of yours.

“how do you feel, my love?” he checks in on you while his other hand comes up to brush the hair out of your face. 

you peek up at him through blissed out eyes, “thank you, baby. thank you for taking care of me.” you whisper to him. 

he gives you a warm smile, his eyes filled with so much love and adoration for you it could bring you to tears. 

“thank you for allowing me to take care of you,” he replies as he leans in to kiss your lips. 

mind swimming in a post-high fog, you're desperate to feel more of him. the feeling of his lips softly pressed against yours makes you dizzy with need as you reach a hand to grasp at his shirt, tugging him towards you. gentle, slow kisses quickly turn urgent as tongues poke out and teeth teasingly bites the other’s lip. 

breathlessly seeking out for more of him you push your hips back, dragging your bare pussy against the bulge of his pants. “want you, ‘luc. need you.” you whimper against his parted lips. his pupils are blown wide with desperation, lips slightly swollen from biting at them to keep his urges at bay, cheeks flushed pink- diluc’s thankful for the dim lighting because he knows he looks like a fucked out wreck.

“i know, darling, me too,” he thickly rasps out. 

kissing your lips once more, he rises up and resumes back to his original position of kneeling between your legs. his hands quickly undo the button and zipper, tugging his pants just low enough for his heavy cock to spring out. the motion causing his leaky tip to brush against your soaking pussy, making both of you gasp at the sensation. 

feeling a little impatient, you rock your hips back, capturing his cock between his abs and your slopping pussy.   

“a-aah,” diluc groans at the feeling of your perfect cunt rubbing on him.

“i-i got it, baby ugh-” placing both hands on your hips, he stills your hips making you whine at the loss of contact.

“ill do it all for you, love, no need to rush, im here” 

diluc swallows thickly before lining up his swollen tip to your twitchy entrance.

sliding in torturously slow, his pace forces you to feel every ridge and curve of his thick cock while he feels every inch of your impossibly tight gummy walls.

finally bottoming out, tip kissing your cervix and feeling fuller than ever, you bury your face back into the pillow. diluc’s mind is reeling from the vice grip your pussy has on his hard cock, feeling like it's trying to break it in half. giving a shallow experimental thrust proves to be all a little too much for diluc. the feeling of his sensitive cock dragging through your sticky walls forces him to stop all movement, mere seconds away from cumming prematurely.

“f-fuck!” he chokes out a rare curse as he squeezes his eyes shut, teeth grinding together. 

you whine out at the lack of movement, desperate for any sort of friction causing your body to involuntarily shift to feel anything.  

hissing at your movement, diluc’s hands grip your hips tightly, “h-hold on, darling, just-just give me a second-mmh”

you turn your face away from the pillow to gulp down some fresh air, trying to tame your mind into thinking about anything else other than the slight burn of being stretched out.

after a few more moments, diluc begins to thrust again. this time pulling out a little bit more before shoving his cock guts deep.

“mmph-! ‘luc!” you cry out

the pillow angles your hips up perfectly, allowing his cock to nudge that little spot with deadly accuracy with every thrust. he knows neither of you can last very long, his mind reeling at the feeling of your pussy trying to swallow him whole. 

“ha-ah-! harder, baby, mmph-! please! need it,” you beg, lifting your head up from your pillow creating a deeper arch in your back. 

grunts punctuate each one of his thrusts as he fucks you like a feral man, something that only happens when his desperation for you completely clouds his mind.  

feeling your gushy walls pulse and clench around him, diluc knows your moments away from cumming.

“c-clo..ngh-! m’close!” you try to warn him as the familiar flames of pleasure lick along your spinal cord. 

“i know, baby, i know” diluc’s hand slides away from your hips, his thumb rubbing tight circles on your clit making you cry out.

“cum, pretty girl, i've got you, need you to cum” he pants out, his hips stuttering signaling his own impending orgasm.

two more harsh circles on your clit and youre having to bury your head into the pillow once more to muffle out the scream diluc pulls from you. 

feeling your pussy clench down on his throbbing dick he couldn't help but follow you over the edge. a low throaty moan is ripped from him as he shoots white ropes deep into your twitching hole, his body subconsciously thrusting his cum further into your womb.

slumping over, he rests his forehead on your back as both of you try to catch your breath, half-hard cock still plugged inside you making sure your pussy doesnt leak a single drop.

you hum out a purr of content, fucked out pussy still twitching around him from the aftershocks.

“thank you, mmh, needed that so much, needed you so much.”

lifting his head up from his resting spot on your back, he stretches up his body to smear lazy kisses on the tops of your shoulders.

“i know, my love. words cannot describe the ache that came from yearning for you.”

you hum in agreement, sighing dreamily as diluc continues to lay worshiping kisses along every inch of skin he can reach. 

“y’know, you're a very good masseuse. should do a side business in it or something,” you tease.

huffing out a laugh diluc playfully nips at your skin, “my massage parlor is open to you and you only, darling. you say the word and ill set up shop for you anywhere.” 

[ponderingmoonlight]

Gojo recklessly flirting with Choso's little sister at Shibuya

Pairing: Gojo x Choso's sister! reader

Word Count: 1,5k

Synopsis: After being set in Shibuya to distract and exhaust none other than Satoru Gojo, Choso's little sister soon learns that the rumors about his charm are true.

Warnings: This has no major plot, basically just a fic to tease y'all, Gojo being a smooth operator, furious Choso lol

Tags: @celestair

„You‘re late“

Your sweet voice echoes through the hallway, figure unseen by Satoru Gojo in your hiding spot on the ceiling. Urgh, you’ve been sitting here for what feels like hours, the voice of your big brother lingering through your mind.

“Don’t cause trouble, (y/n). I’m serious, we have a mission to fulfill.”

“Yeah, whatever. Working with that idiots won’t bring back our brothers tho.”

“Careful.”

He stepped closer to you, eyes glistering so deadly that you had to swallow.

“Don’t forget why you’re here.”

“I’m here because you forced me to”, you remembered him.

“If Satoru Gojo is half as strong as that guy told us, he’ll kill me. I’m nothing but a bait, you know that right?”

“I won’t let any harm come over you, (y/n). I promise. Also, you have immense powers, just use them. I’ll meet up with you again later.”

One last hug. One last hug before he sent you away.

“Sorry for keeping you waiting, I was expecting a larger reception committee to be honest”, he comments dryly.

Your eyes roam over his body in the dark. Rumors were true as it seems, Satoru Gojo is indeed a handsome man for being human. Tall and quite muscular, an undercut to die for and that blindfold that holds the mystery of his powerful orbs. You crane your neck to catch a better glimpse of him. Interesting appearance.

“Be assured that I am more than enough for you.”

With a swift motion, you lower yourself onto the ground, feet landing elegantly right in front of him.

Your breath hitches when your gaze meets his. How is this man so good-looking even though a blindfold covers half of his face? He smells absolutely intoxicating, the way his cocky smile decorates his face makes your heart beat a little faster.

Stop. You shake your head, trying to get these thoughts out of your head. None of this matters. You are here to distract him, to drain him, to lead him to the others. Satoru Gojo is nothing more than a mission you have to fulfill.

“Oh, and you are?”, he questions, putting an arm casually on his hip.

“The villain”, you clarify with a satisfied grin.

“Too bad. You look way too good for being a villain.”

He really wants to play with you, cute. You’ve been walking on this earth long enough to know how men work, especially those like him. Always so sure of themselves, convinced that they can get any woman. Way too easy to manipulate, though.

“Yeah? Let me show you what I’ve got in store, then.”

Blood manipulation makes it easy for you to attack him from a distance over and over again. You aren’t a fool, though. The way your attacks simply bounce off him shows you more than any words could specify how fucking strong the man in front of you is. When using his technique, there’s absolutely no chance for you to win this fight. But still, you promised. You promised Choso to distract and tire Gojo out. The sooner he’s gone, the sooner you can take revenge for the death of your brothers.

“Blood manipulation, huh? Interesting, so you’re a descendant of the Kamo family.”

The amusement that radiates from his voice irritates you. It’s like he isn’t bothered by your powerful technique at all, making fun of you instead of fighting back.

“You know I could just kill you on the spot, right? Why are you here on your own?”

“Maybe to fight you, maybe to seduce you. Who knows?”, you remark, now trying to land a hit on him in close combat.

He grabs your hand faster than you are able to react, making your eyes widen. Fuck, this isn’t good. His radiant touch alone would be enough to kill you on the spot.

“I have to admit, you are a decent jujutsu sorcerer, maybe a semi grade 1. Could make you a grade 1 if you ask nicely.”

Gojo hates to admit it, but it’s way too easy to get lost in your mesmerizing orbs. Are you a curse? No, your skin feels too real and soft for that against his palm. You are human. Maybe reincarnated, but you are human. A striking human, to be exact.

Even though he is very aware of the fact that you are here to distract him from something bigger, he just can’t help but play your little game.

“You know I could make you kneel just by touching you, right?”, you purr, head tilted to the side.

“Oh believe me honey, I could do the same without using any technique.”

For the split of a second you can feel your cheeks heat up, heart pounding hard against your ribcage. What the hell is this strange feeling? You are reincarnated, you aren’t supposed to feel anything. But why…Why does the way he hold your arm so close against his body and the way he smiles down at you send shivers down your spine? You’ve been alive for so damn long, meeting countless men on the way. What makes him so different?

“I know you’re here to distract me. I gotta say that’s pretty rude considering I’m the strongest. Do they want to get rid of you?”

“Maybe I’m a good match and they know that”, you reply with a sweet grin.

“You’re fighting on the wrong side. When this is over, I’ll show you that you’re capable of so much more. With the right motivation, of course”, he hushes.

“Is this an offer?”, you question.

He can tell by the look in your eyes that your mind is racing. To be honest, he isn’t asking exclusively because of your striking powers.

“Absolutely.”

Softly, his touch traces along your arm, up your shoulder, over your back. Gojo’s other hand joins, brushing over your waist. You see stars, it’s like you’ve forgot how to function. Even though it was part of the job many times to wrap a man around your finger, it never really bothered you when they touched you. If you felt something, it was nothing but disgust and anger. But that right now, that isn’t anger or disgust. This is a completely different feeling, foreign in the way it makes your knees weak. No, not even the emotions you hold towards Choso can compare to that.

Is this what attraction feels like?

“You’re dangerous, Satoru Gojo.”

Your voice is as cold and calculating as ever while you feel like dying and flying internally.

“What’s your name?”

“(y/n), can you hear me?”

Fuck. The voice of your brother inside your ear makes you tear away from him in an instant.

“Yeah. What is it”, you mumble.

“So your name is (y/n), huh? What a beautiful name. Fits you perfectly”, Gojo coos behind you.

“Did that guy just flirt with you, (y/n)? Bring him here. Right now”, Choso hisses.

“Sure. Already on the way.”

“You heard him. Get your ass moving”, you instruct the man in front of you while rolling your eyes in annoyance and moving towards the main hall.

“What a bummer, I thought we had more time alone."

“Don’t say that out loud when my brother is here. He’ll kill you right on the spot and I want to have this honor”, you warn him.

The way you walk in front of him with your delicate hips swinging from side to side makes him smile into himself. You’re a feisty woman, not that easy to get, unapproachable at first glance. But oh how you caught his attention. Not only with your immense powers, but also your sharp tongue and striking looks.

“You’re too good looking to be one of the bad guys”, he comments before he can stop yourself.

“And you’re too good looking to fight for the wrong side”, you reply dryly.

“And how do you know I’m on the wrong side and you’re on the right?”

“Because your students killed my brothers without flinching.”

“And the people you are working with killed thousands of innocent humans with countless brothers and sisters still grieving them.”

You turn around slowly, just about to reach the meeting spot you agreed on with Choso.

“I would recommend to not say something like that to my brother”, you hiss.

“Choso, I’m here!”, you announce loudly.

Another figure appears out of the shadow.

“I hope you didn’t hurt her, Satoru Gojo. Otherwise I will have to kill you right on the spot.”

“I guess sneaking up to other people is like a family thing”, he notes.

“Don’t worry, she was really nice company. Made me almost forget that this is a trap.”

“Gojo”, you warn him.

“Watch your mouth”, Choso hisses through gritted teeth.

“Tell me you didn’t flirt with him”, he continues whispering in your ear.

“Oh, I absolutely did”, you reply without thinking twice.

[ajqwrites]

Simon "Ghost" Riley

Age: 38

Nationality: British

Occupation: Lieutenant in Task Force 141

Personality: Simon "Ghost" Riley is the enigmatic and reserved member of Task Force 141. 

Known for his cold efficiency and unmatched combat skills, Ghost operates with a laser focus that makes him one of the most feared soldiers in the field. 

Beneath his mysterious exterior, but, lies a deeply loyal and protective man who cares deeply for his team and his wife, Gabby. Though he may come off as standoff or grumpy, his wit and well-timed comebacks always strike a mark, making him a formidable presence both on and off the battlefield.

Ghost keeps his emotions tight and guarded, using his infamous skull mask as a symbolic shield against the world. But with time—and especially with Gabby—he has started to let his guard down, occasionally relaxing without his mask around those he trusts the most.

Ghost's past is filled with tragedy and loss, with his childhood and early military career marred by betrayal and violence. These experiences made him into a highly skilled operative but left him emotionally scarred. Although, he does have physical scars. 

He had a left scar on the left cheek, that runs from the middle of the cheekbone and stop right above his upper lip at the corner. He has a small scar on his lower lip, a tiny scar across the bridge of his nose, a deep scar on the right side of his neck (like he had been cut in a attack). A small scar on the underside of his jaw from being punched, and a small scar in front of his right ear.

He has scars all over his body, but those are the ones seen are on his face and neck. His eyes are a mixture of blue and hazel but lean more into blue or hazel, depending on the lightening or his mood. In short, his eyes are blue hazel.

He does have many tattoos on both his arms and his chest, including his back. With many symbols that resemble his loyalty, his grief, and the weight of his choices.

Right forearm of a (grim reaper holding a skull) that symbolize a codename, "Ghost" that associate with death on the battlefield.

Left Bicep of a British Flag (Union Jack) that represent his loyalty to the United Kingdom and his roots.

His back tattooed with (large crow in flight) that resemble mystery or his nature.

His left side of the upper arm have a sleeve tattoo with a raven in mid-flight with its head craned down along with a trail of feathers from the bird's tail falling into the sleeve. It was known as a symbolism of him breaking free from his past.

His left had a ring tattoo before he married Gabby is where his dark ring over cyan ring over.

Each ribs/side tattooed with fallen comrades of a (dog tag chain with names) as a paying tribute to the soldiers he's lost over the years.

Include about a tattoo ring that he added it before marrying Gabby since he thought he could leave a mark if he reaches his last breath and he wanted her (and his kids) to remember of his love to her.

Simon had rose through the ranks of the British Army, excelling in covert operations before being recruited into a selection of SAS and passed it until he was selected by John Price to be a part of Task Force 141.  

Hobbies

Ghost loves to collect knives and building his collection, finding it both therapeutic and practical.

Enjoys spending time with Gabby and Ivory.

He regularly hones his sharpshooting skills, viewing it as both a necessity and a way to focus his mind.

Ghost enjoys listening to rock, country, electronic indie rock, metal rock, pop, and phonk as he uses music to unwind. His music taste varies and it depends on his mood.

He does have his own acoustic guitar and plays with it, either in freestyle or when he writes it to sing it. Sometimes, he plays with it because music is his coping mechanism.

He's a movie junkie which he prefers the classics than today.

——

Likes

Holding onto Gabby when she sleeps or to hold her hands or her body.

Spending time with Ivory (father and daughter time).

Quiet moments where he can reflect or focus when playing his acoustic guitar.

A good, sturdy weapon he can rely on.

Loyalty and integrity among his teammates.

——

Dislikes

Betrayal or disloyalty, which he finds unforgivable.

Recklessness that endangers the team. Including Gabby.

Overly talkative or "too" cheerful individuals. (Like Soap.... but he's an exception).

Political interference that complicates missions.

Being forced into social situations or sharing personal details.

Teammates in Task Force 141

Ghost's relationships with his teammates are built on mutual respect and trust, though his reserved nature often keeps an emotional distance.

John Price: Ghost respects Price as a leader and values his ability to make tough decisions. 

While their relationship is professional on the surface, Price is one of the few people Ghost allows into his inner circle. 

Ghost trusts Price implicitly and follows his lead without question. Though, he was encouraged to make decisions if Price isn't present. Their trust and decision making is known to be pragmatic and straight forward as their trust to each other are implicit, given that they've worked with each other in the past under Captain MacMillan.

Johnny "Soap" MacTavish: Ghost and Soap share a unique dynamic that blends their opposite personalities with unwavering trust. 

Soap's humor and high energy often challenge Ghost's quiet demeanor, but the two have a deep bond forged through shared experiences. 

Despite Ghost's quiet demeanor, he secretly appreciates Soap's ability to bring levity to their dangerous missions.

Kyle "Gaz" Garrick: Ghost values Gaz's calm and analytical approach, seeing him as a dependable teammate. 

While their interactions are often professional, Ghost respects Gaz's ability to stay composed under pressure and quietly acknowledges his contributions to the team.

Gabrielle "Gabby" Marisol Knocks-Riley: Ghost's wife and fellow operative within Task Force 141. 

Gabby is an expert in sniping, coding, close-quarter combat, espionage, intelligence gathering, and interrogation. Ghost have kept his distance from her, but over time, she broke through his walls, becoming the only person who truly knows him beyond the mask.

Cameron "Cam" Faith Price: Ghost and Cam share a quiet but mutual respectful bond.

Unlike Soap, who is loud and teasing, Cam is more reserved, and Ghost likes that.

He recognizes her strength and resilience, especially after surviving her near-fatal accident and making the decision to return to the skies.

Though they don't speak often, Ghost keeps an eye on her, ensuring she has the support she needs.

However, now that Soap is dating Cam, Ghost finds endless amusement in watching Soap tiptoe around Price's watchful eye—though he himself wouldn't want to be in Soap's position.

——

Other relationships

Kate Laswell: Ghost appreciates Laswell's ability to manage the political side of their operations, allowing the team to focus on the mission. 

While their interactions are limited, he respects her no-nonsense attitude and ability to provide critical intelligence.

Charlotte "Charlie" Daniels: While Ghost has limited direct interaction with Charlie, he recognizes her importance to Price. 

Seeing how much Charlie means to his captain, Ghost respects her and has no problem about her presence in their  inner circle.

His relationship with Gabby

Ghost and Gabby's relationship is a powerful and complex bond, balancing their roles as teammates and life partners. 

Though they serve together in Task Force 141, Ghost maintains a fiercely protective stance over her, ensuring she is safe in every mission they undertake.

Their dominant and submissive dynamic is deeply intertwined with their relationship. 

Ghost's need for control extends beyond the battlefield and into their personal life, shaping how he expresses love and devotion. 

His dominance is not just physical but psychological—he thrives on discipline and ensuring that Gabby knows she is his. 

He sets boundaries and enforces them with unwavering authority, making it clear that his love is both possessive and deeply protective.

Gabby, though independent and skilled in combat, may surrender to Ghost's dominance, finding security in his control, but she may flip the role and he would willingly surrender to her since he admires her. 

She understands that his possessiveness stems from love, not restriction. While she challenges him at times, she trusts him to lead, allowing their bond to flourish through devotion and respect.

Their dynamic creates a balance—Gabby is the fire that keeps Ghost human, and Ghost is the dangerous force that keeps Gabby protected. 

Their love is built on total trust, an unbreakable tether that extends beyond words. Whether in the field or at home, Ghost ensures that Gabby is his in every way, reinforcing their bond through both protection and passion.

While others may not understand the depth of their connection, for Ghost and Gabby, it is everything—love, loyalty, and the unspoken vow that neither of them will ever be alone.

✨Return to Main Post (RTMP)✨

[inexplicifics]

Is there a way for Cahir to stay in contact with MEN and Letho and any other friends he makes this winter without it seeming like spying? Is the treaty enough to allow that kind of communication between courts, or would it have to be a secret (at least in Nilfgaard)? I think you’ve said in the past that Seraphina and the Cranes improved xenovoxes so they are two-way like walkie-talkies now, but they’re still crazy expensive and I’m not sure if you said whether they needed some kind of magic to operate, but I’d be worried that giving him a little portal box like Milena’s friends could be an issue of safety considering how much more access to mages Nilgaard has than Redania and and how carefully warded the keep is. If those don’t work, it feels like the only options are spell ravens and normal couriers, but both are conspicuous and the latter leaves room for easy interception... My brain is breaking while trying to find a solution that isn’t just that they won’t be able to correspond until they see each other in person, but that seems so sad.

My current plan is to give Morvran a two-way portal letterbox heavily enchanted so that no one but Morvran and Cahir can actually open it, as well as some pendants from Yen which prevent mind-reading (or, more likely, make it appear that the person whose mind is being read is thinking something innocuous, so as to prevent suspicion).

They'll still have to be careful, but a little less so. And Cahir will be able to write to his friends.

Morvran will be able to send correspondence more openly, especially to Ciri, who he's still supposed to be not-quite-wooing. But anything he doesn't want spies to read will need to be sent via letterbox.

[briebysabs]

Lu Guang is a hypocrite and that’s okay (great even)

I must stand ten toes for this man because I’m noticing the slander that went on in September and I cannot allow it. I know I’m six months late but just bear with me. We are introduced to Lu Guang as a rational, stoic, sort of wise protagonist. The brains of the operation if you will (although Cheng is clever in his own right but that’s a whole other discussion). Qiao Ling and Captain Xiao describe him as more mature. Shiguang’s relationship is strong but it’s structured, especially for their work, to where Cheng has to depend on Lu Guang. Should only do as he says and not do anything impulsive.

And it gets to a point where Cheng doesn’t know what to do without him and when LG isn’t there he relies on his past words to guide him. The thing is, we’ve seen that CXS can come up with great plans and make good decisions without Lu Guang’s voice in his head. Like how he caught Min Liu or planning how save Lu Guang from Li Tianchen. But the story has built LG up so much to be a reliable character so it can’t be untrue. But then the s2 finale happens, Cheng gets shot and Lu Guang loses his mind.

And then the ending basically tells you that he’s been winging it and gambling this whole time. Experimenting with god knows how many timelines, simply using his knowledge from the previous one to see if he’ll get lucky this time. Lu Guang has been playing a crane game. So in a story that is all about mistakes, guilt and regrets. Of showing the imperfections of people. Of showing the struggles of moving forward, of being satisfied with the present. Of sacrificing your sanity, your voice, your desires, and happiness for the people you love. How is this bad writing?

Link click has been tricking the audience to believe Lu Guang is an infallible character.

But Link Click was never about perfect people.

What he’s trying to do is no different from Li Tianchen, one of our antagonists. And I love CXS to fucking pieces but this show raises the question of a life’s value. LG is trying to save Cheng and so refuses to change the past for anyone else. Bc it may alter things and doom CXS in the process and ruin all he’s worked towards. But then you ask yourself, is CXS’s life worth more than the twins' mother? Is it worth more than Chen’s mother? Is it worth more than Emma?

It doesn’t matter because it is to Lu Guang. It’s like the question if your sibling and a mailman are trapped in a burning building but you can only try to save one. Unless they’re the absolute scum of the earth, chances are and possibly even despite that, you’re going to pick your sibling. That don’t mean it’s objectively more valuable than the mailman or you didn’t have sympathy for that person, they have loved ones, hopes and joys too. “Lu Guang is a hypocrite, selfish, unreliable, and a liar” yes he is. Because there is something called ‘flawed characters’. It’s okay for your protagonist to not be the best person. It’s okay to write a protagonist whose trauma has defined some of their actions.

If you’ve been forced to have someone you love die in your arms over and over, why is it surprising that you would lie to them? How is it surprising that you’d try to keep secrets? That you’d set things up to be in a position to control the situation? That’ll force you to plan better so maybe, just maybe things will be different? You think Lu Guang lacks self awareness and doesn’t know what this makes him? Of all things you can call LG, he’s not delusional. He knows the weight of his actions.

Link Click has and always will be a story about people. Where our emotions and choices take us. Lu Guang isn’t a robot so why would he be an exception?

Plus everyone should’ve been knew Lu Guang was sus anyway. Idk how that’s mischaracterization, there’s proof of him lying and keeping secrets from CXS in s1. It doesn’t ruin anything it recontextualizes what we were shown back then.

[kingkatsuki]

— photobooth

Arcade dates are like my favourite dates so I had to write a little something.

Pairing: Bakugou Katsuki x f!reader.

Warnings: fluff, not proofread.

Word Count: 0.9k.

Bakugou Katsuki didn’t get nervous.

At least, that’s what he was trying to convince himself as he walked around the bustling arcade with you. Trying to rub his sweaty palms against the front of his jeans as you gushed over the adorable prizes that sat inside the crane machines.

It had seemed like a good idea at first, a casual date at the arcade during the early afternoon. The perfect location to give him things to talk about when he’d inevitably run out of things to say to you, and to distract himself from the crippling nerves of not only his first date ever, but his first date with you.

It didn’t help that you’d dressed up for the occasion, making you look even cuter as his heart rattled against his ribcage. Certain you’d be able to hear the heavy thud of it over the loud, cheesy music playing in the venue.

“How about this one?” You pointed towards a row of smaller cranes.

The controls so small that Bakugou was certain he’d only be able to operate it with his thumb and forefinger as you rustled in your purse for change.

Slipping a 100¥ coin into a small claw machine as the deceptively catchy music begun to play, your fingers guiding the control towards a small sparkly keychain of the Pro-Hero All Might. His crimson eyes focused on the look of concentration on your face as your tongue poked out from between cherry glossed lips to position the claw perfectly. Pressing the flashing button to confirm your spot as the claw began to descend, wrapping around the chain before dragging it towards the chute. It looked as though it was moments before sliding out from between the arms as the glittery chain bounced against the glass and then dropped down into the prize area.

“I got it in one!”

It made up for the 800¥ you’d wasted on the previous machine trying to win a creepy looking dog, that Bakugou was thankful that you didn’t manage to snag for his own sanity. The toys beady little eyes seemed to bore into his soul through the glass, as you pouted when the claw released the plush deliberately near the chute.

“Good job, sweetheart.” He smiled softly as you showed off your prize.

He was certain he could win you something himself, even though the machines were clearly rigged. Something that wasn’t as creepy as the plush you’d been determined to win, as he began to look around the arcade for a claw game that he could play for you.

But nothing had Bakugou more nervous than this.

Standing outside the purikura machine as you fed multiple coins into the catch as he glanced at all the sickly cute couple pictures advertised on the outside.

There was no way he could be this close to you already, especially not when he was this nervous. All the advice from Sero, Denki, Mina and Kirishima had left his mind the moment he’d met you at the train station and Bakugou was just trying his best not to make a fool out of himself.

You shuffled into the small booth as you tugged his forearm to join you on the tiny bench inside. His thigh pressed against yours as he was certain you could feel how warm he was right now, furiously rubbing his sweaty palms against his jeans again to try and quell the scent of his quirk seeping into the small area.

The first flash caught Bakugou off guard, crimson eyes blinking back white spots as he frowned at the camera.

“Hey,” Your hand slapped his thigh lightly as he turned to face you, and Bakugou swore the Earth stopped spinning when he caught sight of the adorable pout on your face, “You can smile, you know.”

The second flash went off as you were staring up at him with that same pout as he was certain he looked like a lovesick fool staring back down at you as though you’d hung the stars in the sky.

Turning back to the screen just in time for the third flash, his lips curling into the slightest hint of a smirk as he felt you lean into him.

Your cheek pressed against his for the final flash, no longer looking at the camera as he gazed at you from the corner of his eyes. A relaxed, content grin now settled on his face as he inhaled the saccharine scent of your perfume as you gushed about how fun that was— even though Bakugou felt as though it was pointless as you shuffled in your chair waiting for the photographs to develop and print.

It was far too hot in the booth, especially when you were still pressed into his side. And yet Bakugou didn’t want to move, so content being close to you as the photo strip finally finished processing and you leaned forward to pick it up.

“You look so grumpy in the first one,” Your fingers held the strip so daintily as you looked through the reel, “And we’re not even looking in the second one. We really messed this up, huh?”

You sounded disappointed but Bakugou was certain he’d never recover from how beautiful you looked in every one. Taking the strip from your hands as he took a closer look, his thumb swiping over the glossy strip as you continued to pout beside him.

“Can I keep this?” He rasped, “I can pay for another one—“

“You want it?” Your gaze softened as Bakugou nodded, “I didn’t think you’d like it.”

“I love it.” He mumbled, “You look so pretty.”

“My eyes are barely even open in this one,” You pointed at the third one where your grin was so big your eyes began to squint.

“Nah, you look perfect.”

That same strip of photos sat in his wallet for months after your first date, folded neatly so the picture that was on display when he opened it was the one of you both staring at each other with that cute pout on your face inside the booth.

[byemambo]

4Minutes EP. 6 - My Takeaways

Y'all...The way I was working OVERTIME trying to figure out how I wanted to explain my thoughts for this episode (this post is extremely long: take that as you will). So please welcome OG TymeGreat vs. NDE (near death experience) TymeGreat and their timelines (everything else under the cut!):

Great Version

Tyme Version

Key Events: Assessing the Timelines

I listed out key events that I felt matched up within each existing timeline (and I'm sure I missed more key events/details that aren't listed in my findings), no matter the person nor alternative reality they're in. For Great's timeline, the key events include:

Waking up to take his exam

Hitting Manee with his car

Receiving the call from Title

Korn being attacked

Great learns Tyme's identity as the attacker

Great confronting Tyme at the hospital the next day

Great confronting his parents for their crimes

Great renounces his ties to his family

While these events occurred regardless of the different decisions Great could make, what was striking to me was Great's distinct characteristics that existed in both timelines while also having characteristics individual to their respective timelines. For OG Great, he's extremely defiant and cynical, especially if he's able to get a rise out of his father for reasons prior to knowing about the business, I'm not exactly sure (except for him being the mistress's son before the first wife committed suicide).

Episode 6 vs. Episode 1

Given that we didn't get any scenes of him bonding with Korn throughout the episode unlike NDE Great, I can only imagine there's a bias towards Korn as the favorite son between the two where one listens and submits while the other vocal and disobeys. Along with being defiant and having the guts to gauge the wold with cockiness, he is also a coward that's easily persuaded and manipulated. This shows up most during scenes like the hit and run or when Title demanded Great to help get rid of Dome's body and in turn, become an accomplice to the crime.

Episode 6 vs. Episode 1

OG Great also operates on this mindset of being silver spooned his entire life more explicitly than NDE Great, and becomes hot headed when placed under immense pressure once he's unable to play mind games with his targets such as Tyme. Even though their hook up and Tyme leaking his sex tape caused a scandal with his dad's company, the amount of trauma Great has dealt with growing up (this kid never played a crane machine game so I can only imagine how lonely his upbringing was) resorts to him chasing after those dopamine hits and becoming shameless as a result.

One of the few times OG Great chose his own morals and acted upon them in the storyline was when he found out about his parents and their involvement with the scheme, but this decision only occurred when people he cared about died or got hurt, like Nan and Tyme. Because he had developed a short spanned codependency on Tyme (whether for more sex or because he found his serious demeanor amusing), once he had been left with nothing due to reasons beyond his control, he leaves his family behind after the confirmation of their crimes.

Unlike NDE Great, OG Great is self centered and only acts when pushed beyond his limits, but only if the consequences of that limit involves someone he genuinely cares about (this is the stark difference between Dome's demise versus Tyme's meltdown after Nan's death). Sure, people can argue that Great knows Tyme at a similar level of depth like he knew Dome (apart from being sexually involved with one another), but his interests peaks in Tyme once he finds out that he's seeking revenge against his father and finds that mere effort entertaining for him. In the OG timeline, Great's flaws directly causes his detriment in the end, getting shot by Dome's older brother Tonkla in vengeance.

Episode 6 vs. Episode 5

In Tyme's timeline, there aren't as many moving parts that we saw on screen as much as Great's (since their particular story is limited narrative through Great's perspective) but these events remain consistent in his story:

Tyme works a hospital shift

Den tells him about his NDE research

Tyme works the night shift with Great in his proximity

Tyme attacks Korn in search of Nan

Great confronts Tyme at the hospital the next day

What I found most interesting in OG Tyme's timeline was how linear and straightforward the events occurred in sequence, which would have been the case if Great never asked him about his occurring NDE symptoms like he did in the NDE timeline while being under Tyme's care. Tyme's prior knowledge to Den's research served as a seed planted in the back of his mind, which if Great hadn't asked him (if he chose to help Title get rid of Dome's body), Tyme would have went along with his plan and shelved Den's research with no intention in intervention. The difference in approach between OG Tyme and NDE Tyme was rooted in their initial encounters, both being Great bumping into Tyme and how it was handled.

If Great continued heading his way, Tyme's initial impression of Great would have been slightly annoyed (which we saw a preview of how he yelled at Great during the first cardiac arrest Great had when he bumped into Tyme and didn't help him). But if Great stopped to apologize and even help Tyme with the papers, there is a hint of consideration in that gesture, even if Great himself is a flawed person capable of doing bad things. For some, basic human decency isn't a mind blowing trait for people to fawn over, but this can be contrasted when Tyme asks P'Anne for his information and finally gets confirmation of Great's identity.

Episode 6 vs. Episode 1

Episode 6 vs. Episode 3

From the perspective of Tyme who's dedicated his personal life in bringing down the family responsible for the death of his parents, I'm sure having a painted image of what inhumane and vulgar things the family is capable of, Great's first impression as the younger son of the enemy is somehow normal? As if this man isn't capable of hurting a fly, let alone killing people like his father does (why did I think of fucking Lord Ozai and Prince Zuko when proofreading this loooooord someone send me to bed asap). Rather than treating Great as just a means to an end with no prior attachment and full intent in harming the family's reputation as OG Tyme would have, NDE Tyme's prior interactions with Great by him helping Tyme with his papers (the readiness to correct his faults while providing a solution to aid in the damage caused, big or small), Great bringing his hurt friend to the hospital without acknowledging his own injuries (a sign of selflessness and reliability) and asking Tyme about his symptoms related to his cardiac arrests and moments of NDE, there are layers being shed off of Tyme's preconceived notions about the family.

Episode 2

Episode 6

Not only are there layers, Tyme's curiosity peaks because why is the son of the family who killed his parents seemingly harmless and clumsy? Shouldn't someone of his background be more cautious and conceal himself more, especially when speaking to a stranger such as Tyme? Does he know what his parents do and the damage they have caused for countless families and victims? In comparison to OG Great who's callous and bold, NDE Great is soft and easily startled, therefore, needs a more calculative and somewhat honest approach to secure a connection to get closer to bringing the family down.

Episode 6 vs. Episode 3

Characterization: A vs. B

When writing my reflections, I found it interesting how TymeGreat's relationship develops within their respective timelines, especially how each encounter they had with one another fueled different emotions and residual feelings. In the OG timeline, their relationship is innately lustful with distance between them, their main objectives involve concealed vengeance, amusement in the series of events occurring between them and not being able to access the full story of the two worlds both individuals were a part of before their paths crossed.

Whereas in the NDE timeline, their relationship began with a curiosity that defied expectations and welcomed communication, such as asking intimate questions and offering valuable solutions to majority of their problems: Great asking Tyme about his cardiac symptoms, Tyme consulting Den about his research after Great's conversation, Great confiding in Tyme about his upbringing, Tyme revealing the cause of his parents' death, Great confronting his own family for their crimes and seeking accountability. All of these traits wouldn't have been present if that initial hit and run played out differently: they would have crossed paths regardless but their attitudes and motives would shape the state of their relationship.

Episode 6 vs. Episode 3

Episode 6 vs. Episode 5

However, there are innate traits that remained consistent in both characters. Great with his impulsivity and tackling his problems head strong, Tyme with his nonchalance and caring attitude towards the people he loves (such as his grandmother). What really caused the divergence of their whims were purely based in the circumstances they find themselves in during their initial encounters. When they met at the bar, Great's impulsivity charged the motion of their relationship, ending with his cowardice separating the two once Nan died at the hands of Samarn. Tyme's detached attitude that drove his girlfriend away from him and poses concern from Den as a fellow doctor in how he denies his patients of their own identity and autonomy, causes him to take advantage of Great's relations to the family, ending in his own death after denying the bribe by Great's father.

Episode 6

Episode 6

Episode 1

Despite it all, the most significant element that both Tyme and Great share is the leverage both have over one another through their emotional attachments, which may seem small in comparison to more flashy events within the storyline but for these two characters: it makes a world of a difference. When NDE Tyme reveals his identity during the ambush against Korn, which led Great to help Tyme find Nan and as a result, saving her life. This is critical as OG Great is inherently a coward with a dopamine deficiency and enjoys causing trouble for his father's reputation at his own demise.

Episode 4

When Tyme is willing to risk his life exposing Great's family to the press, Great reminds him of his grandmother, driving Tyme to accept the bribe from Great's dad and find safety at Aunt Ging's house together. Unlike OG Tyme, whose reserved and passive attitude enables his life to be filled with the absurd and mundane, that money is the driving force of life and the root of all evil that took his parents away from him, so what else is there to live for as long as he avenges his family?

Episode 5

Now for my questions for the last two episodes: if Great dies in the OG timeline and is actively dying in the NDE timeline, since Tyme's destined fate to die in the OG timeline has been altered once he's notified of Great's condition in the emergency room by Den, he has a chance of avoiding death that OG Tyme suffers from. It may be a stretch but look at the two hit men who targeted Tyme and Great.

Episode 1 vs. Episode 5

The hit man in episode 1 look significantly younger than the hit man in episode 5, but same facial hair? The shadow in the first image throws me off but it's freaky to speculate as it sent shivers down my spine whenever I got a better screenshot of them. If I put my two brain cells together: in the OG timeline, Tonkla targets and shoots Great but Tyme is also shot in episode 1, which makes me believe that their timelines are converging somehow as both of them enter their 4 minutes of limbo and their memories and experiences are warped.

In the NDE timeline, because Dome is saved and returns home to Tonkla, the only person reasonable in targeting Great would be Manee after she finds out which family is responsible for her son's involvement in illegal business (which her giving up her life savings and being given the 4th card during her ritual that calls for separation of loved ones). This separation in question is the separation of Tyme from Great as Great's fighting for his vitals to stabilize just as Tyme rushes to the OR?

Because NDE Tyme goes with his grandmother to Aunt Ging's instead of sending her on her own as OG Tyme does, both of them are technically off the radar from being targeted, or at least bought enough time to make a safe escape if Great's father goes back on his word outlined in the proposed bribe. Seeing as Tyme's wearing the same shirt in both timelines at this point, we're now waiting to see how this will play out, and I'm literally so excited to lose sleep all over again.

Episode 1 vs. Episode 6

If you made it to the end, pat yourself on the back! And if you've been actively reading my previous posts regarding my takeaways, I really appreciate the love they've been getting! I'm more than happy to hyperfixate on this series and help out with really digging deep in the details that could help those who are having difficulty following along with the series. Idk, y'all got to yell at Bible on Twitter then because he thinks he's so funny tweeting this:

If y'all would like to read more, check out my tags and thank you again for sticking around, see y'all next Friday or whatever day my brain finishes finalizing its thoughts to share with y'all :)

[definitelyunhingedagentphoenix]

Agent Phoenix: *laying on an operating table, looking up at the machinery that's about to stab into their chest with several large needles*

Reginald: *barging in* what is going on in here?!

Phoenix, Roxana, and Fabricator: *all look up at him*

Roxana: I know this looks bad but-

Fabricator: Don't look at us like that, Crane! They volunteered to be our lab rat!

Reginald: and I'm supposed to believe that?!

Phoenix: oh, no, I did volunteer. That's why I'm not strapped down.

Reginald: why would you do that?!

Phoenix: I just think that women, especially scientist women, should be allowed to do whatever they want forever. And since I'm the one who often destroys their work, I'm making amends.

[nova-amor]

༘☁︎⋆ ◜ 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 ◞

simon wasn't sure how it had happened. how you had wiggled your way into his life.

for such a stern, closed off individual, he was surprised by how easily you had ensnared him into a trap, caging him in like he was the rabbit to your fox. he usually wasn’t one to give in so easily, at least until you came along.

you had basically cornered him the first night you two had met— the setting having been the annual military ball, the holidays just around the corner. he had showed up to the event by the request of his team, dressed to his finest in his issued mess dress and signature black surgical mask, the event a little too formal for him to wear his skull mask. or, atleast that’s what price had said anyway.

he hadn't worn the dress uniform in years, his thickened muscles straining the jacket sleeves and pants. he felt like a monkey in a clownsuit, hating every second of his participation in such a meaningless event.

it was meant to be a base-wide bonding experience, an opportunity to mingle and network with all the other soldiers that worked on base. yet, no one really wanted to be around the special operations soldiers— especially not after last year’s fiasco where the men had gotten so piss drunk; some of them even had to write apology letters to the commander of the base and all the other attending officers.

he had spent the evening downing glasses of bourbon— the woodsy liquor burning his throat, washing his annoyance away with each long swig. he had been left alone at the table while the rest of the team partied away on the dance floor, acting as a pseudo watchdog for all the wives’ and girlfriends’ purses and phones. each song that went by meant that he was closer to leaving the event— closer to getting home, changing out of his damn mess dress, and drinking his night away with a handle of whiskey and a pack of smokes.

“drinkin’ all by yourself, handsome?” he almost snorted at the corny question, a smirk tugging at his lips, thankfully concealed by his mask. he couldn’t deny that you were beautiful, cleavage on full display with the way that you were leaning close into him.

he had seen you before, another soldier— a dog handler to be specific. his team had worked alongside you in training operations, and according to what he had heard through grapevine, you were freshly divorced.

the little devil on his shoulder whispered encouraging words into his ear, and with the way you were looking at him with those big beautiful eyes and scarlet red lips, he wasn’t going to deny you.

“s-simonn!!” your whines were high-pitched in his ear, almost pornographic. if it wasn’t for the way your cunt was clenching ruthlessly around his cock, he would have just left you high and dry. “faster, please— need more— ohmygod!”

simon rolled his eyes, his hips rutting against your ass with each deep, unforgiving thrust. he couldn’t wrap his mind around how you two had ended up in the backseat of your sedan, his head and neck craning for comfort as you laid face down, ass up across the seats. the windows had fogged up, the loud slap of skin smacking against skin filling the air.

“would you shut the fuck up,” simon hissed, landing a harsh smack to your ass cheek. he almost laughed at the way your body jolted away from his touch, your greedy pussy clenching harder around him. “you’re gonna take what i fuckin’ give you— and you’re— gonna— fuckin’— like it—,”

your head bobbed along the cushions of the seat, a string of ‘yes, sir’s and his name filling the air. simon leaned over your hunched frame, encasing your entire body within his long torso and drool-worthy arms.

“fuck, love, g’na cum— where’d you want it?” simon groaned into your ear, his hot breath fanning over the cartilage. your head buzzed from the ecstasy, every fiber of your being having ascended to an astral plane.

“in me,” you whimpered, arching your back impossibly deeper. the walls of your cunt began to milk simon’s cock, body instinctively preparing itself for the massive load he was preparing to dump into you. “in me, si— need it, need it so fuckin’ much,”

“is that so, love? think you deserve my cum in you? huh? you think you deserve to be stuffed full with it?”

“yes! yesyesyes,” you were on the verge of crying. under any other circumstances you would have felt so humiliated, so embarrassed. and, even so, you were still so close. the peak of your orgasm drawing impossibly closer with each passing second. “simonn— g’na cum with you— so fuckin’ close— g’na cum all over ya cock—”

simon was cocky, more so than any other man you had ever interacted with. yet, no amount of alcohol could have prepared you for his next words.

“i don’t think so,” simon stated, retracting his cock from the depths of your cunt. without hesitation he spilled his load onto the globes of your ass— skin glistening with the semi-translucent body fluid under the peering street lights. “you’d need t’ prove it better next time, love.”

“if there’s a next time, that is.”

[doctor-jonathan-crane]

Recovered Private Journal—DR JONATHAN CRANE

Office of the Chief Administrator, Arkham Asylum

Today, another round of interviews with the “chronically disturbed.” The staff believe I document behavioral patterns. I do. Just not the kind they understand.

Carmine Falcone remains predictably primitive. Guys like him view influence only through wielding crude instruments. His ambition is to own the city’s judiciary, the police, every visible lever of power. As you wish, Mr. Falcone. So long as the shipments remain punctual and the arrangements secure. But he is just a useful, entirely replaceable, variable.

I suspect I am the same; my role is subsumed within a larger framework determined by an external actor. That’s fine. I am still essential to the operation. I have access to the perfect funnel into Gotham’s infrastructure, with the added benefit of institutional cover.

Arkham also offers me exactly what I need to pursue my independent projects. Provided Mr. Falcone refrains from dragging me into court again to fabricate psychological defenses for his thugs, I see no reason for concern. The patients are ideal vectors: unstable, forgotten, and disposable.

And their so-called tormentor is nothing more than an anthropomorphized embodiment of their paranoia. A straw man to deflect from genuine introspection and rehabilitation.

Perhaps someone will question it. The relevance of the Scarecrow. It’s remarkably easy to dismiss the rambling of the clinically insane. Especially when they’re mine.

J.C.

[traintrainingmontage]

How about Cranky, Harvey, Judie & Gerome, and Rocky met each other? If you could somehow figure out how to add Colin or Reg in there too, more props to you Te! Have a nice day even if you don't do this one

Ahhhh, the crane gang! They're all so much fun. I especially love Cranky; cantankerous characters are always such a joy, especially compared to how bouncy the engines on Sodor tend to be. Thank you for the prompt, and I hope you like this one!

(Prompts are closed, and as stated, I will be finishing the rest on my own time, although I'm hoping to finish them all in June. I had to take a good break after March—life became incredibly busy and I needed some time and space to make sure I didn't burn out—but the rest of the prompts WILL be done! Thank you for your support and your patience <3)

(If you're interested in seeing what I've written so far, you can take a look here!)

One harmonious night on the island of Sodor found the moon quietly making her rounds in the skies overhead, with many of the engines having been put up in their berths for the night. All was silent—or at least, it would have been, if not for the sounds of absolute madness currently assaulting Cranky's poor ears. "Alright, alright!" the crane growled, "settle down! Tonight, we are conducting a test of the inter-crane wireless communication channel, so—"

"Oh, this is so EXCITING!" came a loud, static-filled voice from the radio, and Cranky had to bite back a curse before he said something... regretful. "I can't believe I get to be part of the group! Oh, this is so thrilling. I—"

"Kevin," the larger crane forced out through gritted teeth, effectively silencing the smaller vehicle. "Do you remember what we talked about? Our operators aren't here right now, so they can't manage the radios for us. We're all live right now, so DON'T. INTERRUPT."

"...Yes, Cranky."

"Right," the large gray crane sighed. Already, he was starting to think that this had been a terrible idea, but the managers had insisted that they test the system after hours, in the event that there was an emergency and appropriate personnel needed to be notified. Of course, HE had also been put in charge for some godforsaken reason. Some shit about being "the most patient and responsible crane among them."

Well, whatever. He had a job to do, and the sooner he did it, the sooner he could get to sleep. "Alright, we're doing roll call. Carly?"

"HERE!" burst a loud, excitable voice, and in response, a loud chorus of assorted "ahhhhh!"s and "owwwww!"s, as well as some "ughhhhhhhh!"s and a good old "goddamn mothercrankin—" for good measure all made their way onto the airwaves as the feedback from both Carly shouting and her shout being picked up by Cranky's mic as well.

"Ok, OK!" Cranky grimaced. "Carly, no shouting! Ever!"

"...Got it."

"Thank you. Big Mickey?"

"..."

"...Big Mickey?"

"...Hello."

It took every ounce of Cranky's willpower to not blurt out something nasty, but the tantalizing idea of actually getting some good sleep when all this was over forced him to hold his tongue. "Ok. Good. Harvey?"

"Oh, yes! I'm ready!" a cheerful voice resounded. "I'm always ready to go; in fact, I could go all by myself! Hahahahahahahaha!"

"THANK YOU, Harvey," Cranky drawled before the engine's booming laughter gave him an even bigger headache to compliment the one already forming deep in his plating. "We all know how talented you are, what with being able to move by yourself. Quite amazing. Rocky?"

"Yes! Just let me know what's going on, and I'll notify the appropriate people."

Short, sweet, and to the point. These were all things that Cranky liked about Rocky, and truth be told, it was something of a shame (well, relatively, given his line of work) that he didn't tend to find his way to the docks that often. "Excellent. Thank you, Rocky. Judy? Jerome?"

"Yes, Cranky!" "We're here!" "Quite awake!" "And raring to go!" "Nothing to report so far, of course!" "Nothing except the lovely evening. Can you see the moon from where you are?" "Oh, of course he can, Jerome! Don't be silly!" "I'M silly?! Look here, Judy—"

"Yes, good, thank you," Cranky interjected, feeling The Look that Carly was shooting his way crawling up his tower, but Cranky had already used up his daily allotment of fucks trying to handle a kerfuffle over a shipment of Thomas the Tank Engine poseable plush toys this morning, and so he had come to the conclusion that he simply could not be bothered with politeness. It wasn't his fault that there was ALWAYS some reason or another why he couldn't be bothered with politeness. "Next is Kevin—no, you don't need to speak. I already know you're here."

Choosing to ignore the slightly dejected "Awww..." that came through the speaker, Cranky continued with his list. "Colin? Are you there?"

"Yep! Glad to be here, and I'm glad I get to talk to you all! It's so quiet over here, so I'm happy that we'll have a place to chat!"

Cranky felt his jaw clench and his eyes screw shut as he hissed out, "May I remind you, Colin, that this is a channel for emergencies? It is NOT for socializing!"

"But... isn't that what we're doing now?"

"NO! We are testing the system!"

"But can't we have a good chat while we're testing it? Or is that not allowed?"

If he had hands, Cranky would most assuredly have ripped himself from his perch and thrown himself in the ocean, destroying his radio forever so that he would no longer have to be part of this conversation. As it was, he could only suffer through it, the promise of a good night's sleep swiftly slipping through his, as established, non-existent fingers. "No. No irrelevant conversation while we are testing the system. Besides, we're almost done, and then we can all get some sleep, as we should. Reg? Are you here?"

"Nope."

"...Do I dare ask what you mean?"

"I'm not at Brendam Docks."

Oh. Oh, great. Of course, Reg had chosen NOW to joke around. But no, he'd responded. That was all Cranky needed, and now he could be done. "Fine, fine. Are you there?"

"Yep!"

"Good. Excellent. Alright, we're done here. The testing has concluded. Thank you for participating, and good night."

Cranky was about to shut off the radio, when he heard a quiet "Thank you, Cranky."

"...What are you thanking me for, Kevin?"

"For running the meeting. This sort of thing is good to have, and you're the only one who could get everybody to listen."

"...You know, he's right. That did go by fairly quickly..."

"Huh! Well, that's true. And I guess without a guy like Cranky running things, they might not let us have this."

"It's true! Some of you are so easily distracted!" "Oh, speak for yourself, Judy!" "Oh, SHUT IT, Jerome—"

Cranky tuned out all of the chatter, immersing himself in his own thoughts instead. He'd just been doing his job, all to try and get to sleep. He hadn't done anything special, especially since he had been against this idea the whole time. Kevin's kindness was wasted on him. Still... it was hard to deny the little spark of satisfaction that flared within him at the gratitude. Maybe he didn't deserve it, but it was always nice to be thanked.

"...You're welcome," he finally replied, interrupting whatever conversation the others had been having. "I didn't ask for this or anything, but... I'll do my best. Anyway, I'm going to sleep, but..." He paused a moment, then sighed. Sometimes he surprised even himself by how soft he was. "It's not like I can turn off any radios except for mine. So it's not like I would know if any of you ignore my good advice to go to sleep and keep talking, since our testing is over. Now... good night."

With that, Cranky directed his radio to turn off, and settled in for the night, allowing himself to be lulled to sleep by the ambient, joyful noise filling the air from his fellows' radios.