#everyone is mean in this story lol

[hauntedonfire]

I'm torn on making this stripper Steve thing a full fic or just a little drabble cause I know myself and if I try to make it a full fic I'll probably never finish it. Also I wouldn't even know how to tag it or define these relationships, mean dom Eddie Munson but also whipped as hell Eddie Munson and mean sub Steve Harrington but also reluctant switch Eddie Munson and mean daddy Jim Hopper who he's insanely jealous of because he wants to be Steve's daddy...and would it be considered dub-con if Eddie's only letting people fuck him to stay close to Steve? Like he doesnt want to do it but he's not not liking it, as long as Steve is there. 🤔

[luuxxart]

evil win! the ones plotting for your mysterious death are uncle and nephew!

[luxaofhesperides]

Post-Apocalypse + Soulmate AU ; requested by @burr-burr!

When Danny was a kid, he used to imagine how the world would end. It was never a zombie apocalypse or the fallout of a nuclear war, but the death of the sun, the expansion of their star in death that would swallow their planet whole, leaving no survivors.

It would have been nicer than the post-apocalyptic world he stands in now, knowing that it’s his fault the world has ended. 

He’s still struggling to wrap his head around it. To understand that all of this is his fault because he cheated on one test, desperate to pass after being unable to study for it with how exhausting and time consuming fighting ghosts is. Everywhere he looks, there’s more destruction. His own home is rubble, with only the partially untouched Ops Center remaining to let him know that this is where he once lived.

The rest of Amity Park is in worse shape. Buildings are hollowed out, the skeletons of their foundations visible, if they still remain standing. Most homes have been burned to the ground, leaving blackened corners of walls and nothing else. The roads are cracked and difficult to walk through, as if an earthquake tore through the city. Cars are scattered along the road, overturned or left abandoned, doors still open.

Danny has yet to find any bodies. He doesn’t know if that’s a good sign or not. 

He’s only caught a few glimpses of his future self, the cause of all this, and can’t bring himself to chase after that monster. He feels sick to his stomach knowing what he’ll become. 

That monster has to be stopped. The world has already ended, but that doesn’t mean his future self can be allowed to go on like this. If there are any survivors, they need protection. They need to know they’ll be safe to try to start rebuilding, and that can only happen if his future self is dead.

Danny knows what he has to do; he has a responsibility to protect what little remains of Amity Park, and to do that, he needs to kill himself. 

But his head it spinning from the horror of the situation and his throat is tightening up the way it only does when he’s about to have a panic attack.

He needs to stop his future self, but he also can’t stay another second in the ruins of Amity Park without destroying himself.

The guilt sits heavy in his chest as he goes ghost and takes to the sky, flying blindly towards the setting sun. Danny doesn’t know where he’s going, and he doesn’t really care. He just needs to get away for a bit, until he can calm down and put together a plan of attack so he can take out his future self in one go.

He just…

He never thought he’d be a monster. But here they are.

Flying away from Amity Park reveals the truly harrowing extent to which this world has suffered under his future self’s hands. There are no intact cities or towns. Roads are broken beyond repair, highways littered with empty cars, most bridges crumbling into the rivers below them, and everything is covered in overgrowth. All signs of humanity’s careful cultivation of the world has been erased. The earth takes back what humans took from it, covering everything in green. 

There is no movement. No people. Barely any birds flying beneath him. 

What remains of the world is silence.

Danny is terrified that there’s no one left. That his future self has so thoroughly destroyed the earth that no human survivors remain. 

That gives his guidance, some idea of where to go: a big city. Any big city, really. 

He flies lower, searching for some sort of landmark, or a sign that will tell him where he’s going. A rusted over green sign farther down the road tells him that he’s 50 miles from Gotham.

Oh, Danny thinks, Maybe Batman can help me.

If anyone could survive the end of the world, it would be the superheroes, right? If anyone stands a chance at defeating his future self, it would be a superhero. Superman might have been a better choice, but Metropolis is the opposite direction and multiple states away; Danny’s not sure he can make it before his future self catches wind of him and hunts him down. 

Danny has no doubt about what would happen to him if he’s caught; there’s a reason he hasn’t seen any ghosts around, after all.

Gotham is a city of secrets and rumors. What little he’s heard of it is baffling and, frankly, insane. There’s no city in the country like it and Gothamites prefer it that way, stubbornly loving the home that will kill them. For all the manmade horrors they survive on the daily, they would be more prepared for the end of the world than anyone else. 

Gotham may be another casualty of his future self’s destruction, but it also offers him hope.

Danny follows the broken road towards Gotham, pushing himself to fly faster than he ever has before. What should have been a half hour flight is completed in fifteen minutes. 

As soon as the towering buildings of Gotham, dark and semi destroyed, come into view, Danny drops from the sky and returns to human form. The strain from pushing himself has exhausted him and he feels it like an ache in his chest, his heart twisting and trying to burst from how hard it’s beating. 

He collapses to his hands and knees and gasps for breath on the outskirts of Gotham. 

It takes a good few minutes to calm down and breathe normally, then another to gather his strength to stand up and begin walking. 

The world is eerily quiet as he enters the city, feeling the chill fall upon him as he is consumed by the shadows of tall buildings. It’s much more intact that Amity Park, but there’s no denying the destruction that still surrounds him. Buildings are empty and worn down, decaying and slowly being consumed by new growth. Burnt out husks of overturned cars fill the street, leaving Danny to carefully pick his way around them, unable to walk in a straight line. 

He feels like the only person in the world. He feels like he’s being watched by a hungry eyes. 

Danny shivers and walks faster. 

The deeper he goes into the city, the more he starts to hope that he’s not alone in this world. There’s small signs of life: the smell of smoke, recently burned, certain streets cleaned up, makeshift walls constructed from rubble to block access to certain areas of each block.

He swears he can see people move above his head, but anytime he looks up, the windows of every building are empty. 

“Batman,” he whispers to himself, “I just need to find Batman.”

He turns a corner and continues walking. Apartment buildings give way to stores and businesses, all with their windows broken and nothing on the shelves. Then the buildings end abruptly and he’s left staring at an overgrown park that resembles a jungle more than it does a part of the city.

The scent of something sweet lingers in the air. Fruit, perhaps, or flowers. 

If he was left in the aftermath of an apocalypse, he would go to where he could find growing food. If there’s anyone left in Gotham, he’s willing to bet they’re in here, surviving off of what food can be grown in the confines of the park. 

Danny crosses the road and takes three steps onto the grass before someone appears beside him and points an electrified baton at him.

“Who are you?” they demand, eyes hidden behind a cracked helmet, but the bottom half of their face is visible, revealing scars crossing on dark skin. 

Danny takes a step back, eyeing the electric baton warily, and lifts his hands to show he means no harm. “Danny. I came from out of town. I was hoping to find people here.”

“You don’t look like you’ve been traveling.”

His clothes are clean and intact and he has none of the world-weariness that weighs down this Gothamite. Danny winces, and says, “My situation is kinda complicated. But I did just get here. I’m looking for help, actually. Do you know where I could find Batman?”

There’s a long moment of tense silence, then he hears a quiet sigh and the helmet comes off. An exhausted looking man looks at him with one blind eye, turned a milky white, and his voice is low and stricken as he says, “Batman’s dead. But maybe I can help you.”

“Batman’s dead?!” Danny repeats, shocked.

“Yeah. Sacrificed himself in one of the last times Phantom attacked Gotham. Got me and Nightwing out of that encounter alive. We’re really the only heroes left in Gotham, not that there’s much need anymore with everyone trying to survive.”

Phantom killed Batman. His future self killed Batman. 

Danny feels sick to his stomach.

“Oh,” he manages to say. 

The man’s expression softens. “Don’t worry, we’ll help you as much as we can. Why don’t you come on in? Ivy can get you some food if you’re hungry.”

Danny nods numbly as he follows the man deeper into the park. He walks with ease, taking paths that only become visible when he walks them, leaving Danny to follow close behind. It takes some time before he realizes that the plants are moving out of their way just enough that they don’t trip, and when he looks back, the path is covered again, hidden from sight.

He’s taken to the heart of the forest, where the trees shift to the side to reveal a large encampment of survivors all living together. Beds are strung up as hammocks between trees and rope ladders dangle from branches to help people move up and down. The ground is full of small fire pits, a few in use to make make food, and sections in the back full of vegetable and herb patches, separated by berry bushes. 

The people here all look tired and worn down, but they still smile and speak in light voices, adjusted to a new life after surviving so much horror and destruction. He even spots a few people using powers, or just looking different, including one large man who looks like a crocodile. 

“Pick up another stray?” a raspy voice asks, humor lighting the tone. They both turn to see a woman with long red hair and a green tint to her skin be lowered to the ground by a vine. She’s also heavily scarred and her right arm is completely gone, replaced by a wooden limb covered in moss that moves as if it’s always been a part of her body.

“Hey Ivy,” the man greets, “I don’t think this one is staying. He came to Gotham looking for Batman.”

The words make Ivy’s gaze sharpen, and Danny feels a trickle of dread go down his spine. She’s dangerous and standing before her feels as if he’s in the mouth of a hungry beast.

“Is that so,” she says, voice flat. “How interesting. I’ll let you two talk somewhere more private.” Her gaze flicks to the side, and when Danny turns to look, he can see some of the people in the encampment observing them warily, bodies tense and poised to either flee or attack.

Ivy turns and the plants part for her. Danny waits for the man to begin walking before he follows, trying not to feel trapped as the plants close the path behind him. She takes them to a small pond full of water lilies, gives the man a careful look, then leaves, swallowed up by the plants.

“Is everything okay?” Danny asks hesitantly. “I didn’t mean to cause any trouble.”

“Nah, you’re good,” the man replies, “It’s just that people don’t trust me much.”

“Why? You’ve been really nice.”

The man shrugs. “My soulmate is Phantom. He’s the one responsible for doing all this and killing almost everyone we love. I didn’t know until the first time I fought him, but they hate anything to do with Phantom, including me.”

Danny’s heart stutters in his chest. This is his soulmate.

Most people don’t subscribe to the belief that they’re meant to be with their soulmate. Meeting your soulmate is rare enough that most people don’t try, and plenty of people have spoken of how important it is to have a variety of relationships, to not close yourself off for the slightest chance of meeting your soulmate. 

Danny never looked for his; he didn’t want to subject them to his parents, and then he became a halfa and gave up on all dreams of having a normal life or any relationship with someone who didn’t know he was Phantom.

And now he’s here, in a ruined future, standing before his soulmate who understandably hates him for destroying the world. 

“You’re Phantom’s soulmate,” Danny breathes. His hands are shaking. He wants to cry.

The man sighs. “Yeah. I am. Not that it’s stopped him from trying to kill me. Don’t worry, kid, I’m not working with him. I swear.”

“He’s your soulmate and he hurt you.”

“He hurt everyone,” he says, then gestures at his blind eye. “This is barely a thing compared to what he did to other heroes.”

Danny can’t find the words to expression his horror at seeing the damage he did to his own soulmate. His future self is heartless and cruel and bloodthirsty. He has to be stopped.

He doesn’t want to kill his soulmate. 

“I came here for Batman,” Danny says, “Because I thought he could help me stop Phantom.”

“That’s rough, kid. Batman couldn’t beat Phantom. I don’t think anyone can. We’ve tried, but most heroes are dead and we can’t just go out there and risk the lives of everyone here. We gotta focus on survival, not revenge.”

“I have to stop Phantom.”

“Sorry kid, but that’s a terrible idea. Don’t go out there trying to be a hero. You can stay here, alright? Ivy will get you set up and the others will help you settle in.”

Danny takes a step back and shakes his head. “No. I have to stop him. It has to be me.”

“And why is that?”

“Because I’m Phantom,” Danny whispers. 

The man immediately reaches for his electric batons again, taking a step back. “Not funny, kid,” he says with a tense voice. 

“I’m not joking. I am Phantom, just from the past. I’m not supposed to be here.”

“You’re Phantom?” the man repeats. “You. You’re just a kid, and you’re going to destroy the world one day?”

“I don’t want this to happen! That’s why I need to go back, so I can stop the event that will set me down this path. And to go back, I need to defeat the Phantom that exists here.”

“He’ll kill you, kid.”

“That still solves the problem, doesn’t it? If I die here, then he’ll never live long enough to destroy the world. He’ll die too.”

The man stares at him with cold eyes, then turns away, dropping his hands away from the batons. “Don’t turn this into a suicide mission, kid,” he says. “The Phantom who’s here isn’t you. You don’t have to pay for his crimes. Just… stay here and I’ll go fight Phantom.”

“He already hurt you,” Danny says. 

“What’s a little more hurt? I can handle it.”

“No,” Danny says firmly. He shoves away the fear and hurt in his heart and finds his strength in determination. No more running away. No more hiding. 

The timeline should not exist. He can’t hesitate at the thought of erasing this version of his soulmate from existence; he’s tired and injured and an outcast in the only community that still exists in Gotham. He deserves better. Everyone here does.

And to give them a better life, Danny needs to stop this one from ever happening.

“This is my future. It’s my responsibility. I’ll stop it and make sure this never happens. And… I’m sorry for everything I did.”

“It’s not your fault, Danny. You’re not this version of Phantom.”

That’s not at all true, since Danny’s actions lead to the end of the world, but he’s not going to argue when he’s preparing to fight a stronger, more ruthless version of himself. He takes a deep breath, then goes ghost and floats into the air. 

“Before I go,” he begins, hesitantly, “What’s your name? Since you’re apparently my soulmate.”

The man smiles sadly and answers, “Duke. If we ever meet in your time, tell that version of me to look for my mom’s favorite book.”

It’s an odd request, but if it’s important enough to be asked for, then Danny will do it. “Your mom’s favorite book,” he repeats, “Got it.”

“Take care, Danny. Good luck out there.”

Danny nods and takes one last look at his soulmate, older and worn down, stubbornly getting through each long day, and swears to make things better.

Then he flies off, ready to fight his future self and make things right again. 

. . .

He thinks of his soulmate for years after he’s back in the present. The timeline where his future self exists is gone and the world is safe, but he still remembers the pain he caused Duke. 

When the time comes to apply to universities, Danny sets his sights on Gotham. His parents take him on a trip during spring break to tour the campus, and it’s after the tour, as he wanders around on his own, that he bumps into a student walking out of a building.

“Sorry,” they both say at the same time, reaching for each other to help each other keep their balance. 

As soon as their hands meet, it’s as if lightning runs through him. From the look on the other guy’s face, he felt it to. 

This is his soulmate.

“Duke,” Danny says, amazed and disbelieving all at once. And the request crosses his mind, something he wondered about almost every night since he returned to his time. “Look for your mom’s favorite book.”

“How—?”

“I met you in the future. You asked me to take back a message for the you that’s here. So: look for your mom’s favorite book. What does that mean, by the way? I never asked.”

Duke blinks, then slowly retracts his hands from Danny’s. “My mom’s favorite book was a hand bound journal from my dad. They were soulmates and he wrote about their first year in a relationship together. It’s full of pictures, and she loved it more than anything. That message is to remind me to have faith in soulmates, to believe that something good can happen to me.”

“Oh! That’s… wow, sorry, I didn’t mean to pry into something so personal.”

Duke shrugs. “It’s fine. I needed the reminder. I would have already run away by now if you didn’t say that. You already know my name, but I think now’s a good time to introduce ourselves.”

“Right!” Danny says, flustered. He sticks his hand out, which Duke shakes with an amused smile. “I’m Danny. Fenton. I’m coming here next semester.”

“Duke Thomas. I’m a freshman here and I’d really love to get your number.”

He’s not hitting on Danny, not really, but it still makes him blush. The way Duke looks at him is full of light and laughter, so different from the exhausted and wary way he looked in the future now rewritten. 

This is what the future version of himself tried to kill. He doesn’t understand how anyone could ever hurt Duke when he’s so full of life. 

But he’s safe now. Everyone is; Danny changed the future and what lies ahead is wholly unknown to him.

The world is safe and full of promise. 

No matter what comes, Danny is sure he and Duke are going to be just fine.

[linkbetweenlinksau]

Some references and written descriptions of the lbl boys. I’ll update the rest later, but for now, take Sky, Minish, Time, Legend, Hyrule, and Twilight.

Please for the love of all things that are holy read the tags and don’t tag this as LU

Next one

[puppetmaster13u]

SO I was inspired by This Reblog and absolutely adore any and all dragon Aus. And was hit with a rapid bit of inspiration.

Danny sighed through his nose, rolling his shoulders as another blob coiled across his arm like a serpent. It was an interesting thing, how they mimicked other forms, though he didn't understand all of it.

Normally they wouldn't mimic him so much, not so strongly at least. But well, the ghosts here were mere whispers, visible to a few and unable to interact much. Which is what really brought him here in the first place.

Apparently something is blocking the access to the Realms here, enough that someone needs to do something about it. And look, he's not the Ghost King (thank fuck, he'd never be able to have Star-Time if he was) but he does sort of have a job to do. As the child of Time and new Ancient of Space to-be.

Not to mention that as said new Ancient-of-Space-to-be the Observants can't complain that much about him entering a world they didn't like.

And oh boy, this world. Yikes. There's some corrupted stuff freaking everywhere (even if not visibly), and monsters. And he does mean monsters, a lot of these things are corrupted as all heck- though thankfully the skeletal undead ones leave him alone no matter what form he takes.

On the other hand? There's this little gremlin child that reminds him of Ellie that runs into him repeatedly. Danny is starting to think it's on purpose actually. Child? Child where are your caretakers, you can't just charge at the lion-horse people- ... Danny despises prophecies. Alright child, he's going to start following you because you haven't even eaten tonight apparently. And your weapon has broken. Twice. And you're apparently surrounded by ghosts, how has he not noticed- alright. OKAY. This is fine.

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

Link, would like everyone to know, that he is actually having so much fun right now! There's this sort-of Hylian that he found when looking for Koroks whose sort of like a stal-hylian? Or something? But they're nice!

And they have wings! He thought it was some sort of cloak at first, but no, they're full on wings! And he's going to convince them to take him flying. He will.

After he takes care of this itching on his back, because it's getting really distracting...

Yes I used Flight Rising specifically because @fairy-lights-and-blobs mentioned it specifically for Danny's wings.

A Danny & Link <3 But also feel free to imagine them as mixed with any dragon really.

[liquidstar]

crazy take: aside from actual lesbian romance stories, obviously, nothing passes the bechdel test better than moe "cute girls doing cute things" anime. its always just a group of girls, few to no named male characters, boys and dating are hardly ever brought up beyond the abstract, if at all. like we're focusing on the girls hanging out rn, we dont need to worry abt that shit. mugi just ate mio's strawberry.

[rebouks]

Previous // Next

Ivan: What, I ain’t even allowed t’talk about it no more? Bruno: Not when there’s nothing new to say. Ivan: Well, it’s alright for you, y’already got one! Bruno: [sighs] He’s not really-… Ivan: He’s biologically yours, B! You’re his dad, he’s gonna come t’you for advice, t’learn shit-.. n’ whatever else. Bruno: He’s gonna have you for that too. Ivan: It ain’t the same. Bruno: That’s a bit dismissive. Ivan: You’re the one being fuckin’ dismissive! … Ivan: I’m gonna say somethin’ I’ll regret if you don’t get y’ass back inside. Bruno: I need-… Ivan: I’ll bring your precious truck back before mornin’, don’t worry. Bruno: Look.. I’m sorry my past is getting in the way of what you want, but yours isn’t exactly much better. Ivan: I ain’t blamin’ you. Bruno: It sure feels that way. Ivan: I just wish y’wouldn’t-… Bruno: Be realistic? What do you want me to suggest? We can’t adopt, we can’t foster, we can’t afford a surrogate-.. so, unless you wanna go n’ find someone you can knock up the old-fashioned way, I don’t know what else to say! [Ivan scoffs, staring at Bruno incredulously] Bruno: I wasn’t saying-… Ivan: Are y’seriously tryna goad me into fuckin’ someone else? Bruno: No, I just meant-… Ivan: [snorts] Whatever. Bruno: Ivan, wait-… [Ivan slams the truck into reverse, two tracks of crumpled flowers left in his wake as he turns around and speeds off] … Bruno: He’s not angry, he’s just.. passionate. [Jacob fussing] Bruno: We like that about him though.

[wraith-caller]

Never been a fan of people trying to shape the Golden Order into conservative Christianity. Reading fics where they talk about women needing to be "traditional" or seen but not heard, when the figurehead of the Order is a woman who has waged loads of wars, had two husbands, makes a point of examining her faith rather than submissively accepting it. Seeing posts that seem to say the GO is villainizing the use of sorcery, a way of deriding the carians, when one of the greatest champions of the Order himself studied sorcery of his own volition, and married perhaps the greatest sorceress ever known. There's nothing to indicate the GO ever had a beef with the practice of sorcery, and it's not like they shuttered Raya Lucaria after the union of the Moon and Erdtree. Cringing every time someone describes Fundamentalism as the "thoughtless extremist" wing of the Order when it's supposed to be about taking a scholarly approach to the examination of the laws of causality and regression.

Idk. It's just, there's so many reasons to be skeeved out by the GO, and it exists within a fantasy with a totally distinct history from our own world. While there are obviously influences from a wide variety of real-world sources on the mythology and world of the game, it's not a direct copy of reality. It's lame to see sth so full of opportunity for interesting world building from fans just turned into a watered down copy of what they despise in reality.

[unproduciblesmackdown]

set out to create a serious, canonesque drawing with which to say "feel free to go in my lackadaisy tag and help me mystery speculate" but only got going when i made it bowling and the rarepair agenda

[raiiny-bay]

apocalypse patty (wip)

[123pixieaod]

Inspired by this godly post which unlocked a part of my brain I didn't know existed, and solidly gave me complete and utterly brainrot until I wrote something

A thousand thanks to Lily for her wonderful help :))

"Does Kelly not mind you spending all your time with me?" Daniel asks, because she's Daniel and once she's thought something she can't keep her fucking mouth shut, even if she knows it's trouble.

Max looks up, pausing his set of weights, and blinks at her. Daniel feels her cheeks warm. One day, that mouth of yours will run you straight into trouble, young lady, her mum used to tell her, voice firm. Good girls know when to keep quiet. Daniel used to just laugh at the warning. Her laugh is loud and the opposite of quiet, but she used to know that everyone always loved her laugh.

"No," Max says after a beat and then continues lifting. Daniel hates the way her gaze tracks over him, lingering on the movement of his muscles, the ease with which he lifts the weight. Tawny hair brushed out of his eyes, cheeks dusted warm from the exertion. "Of course not."

"Why of course not?" Daniel asks. She wants to sew her mouth shut. This time, Max didn't look over as he answers.

"Kelly's very secure, she's not like other girls. And besides, she knows you."

It's strange. When Daniel was seven and Michelle eleven, they'd gone rock pool fishing. Michelle had been crouched over a shallow pool of water, her finger delicately brushing the tentacles of the anemone. Daniel had been scaling the rocks, wanting steeper, taller, more.

She'd found the shark first, nestled high at between the rocks, and for a beat she hadn't known what she was looking at. Just details, but nothing collective. Rotting smell. Shrivelled holes where eyes should be. Scales of silver lightning. Rubbery fish picked clean. The flash of bone, pearl white.

Then she realised what she was staring at, and screamed. Her father held her while her mother scolded her. I told you not to go climbing! It's too dangerous, Daniel. Why can't you just be good like your sister and stay by the shallow pools?

And then, later, ice cream. Her dad, beside her, explaining the horror away.

It's just nature, Dani. The waves wash them up, and they get stuck there. They can't get back to the sea, and then the sun dries them out.

They drown on air, Michelle helpfully pointed out, her feet kicking happily as she licked her 99. Daniel just just nodded, ice cream untouched. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the sunken holes, the rotting flesh.

She hasn't thought about that moment for years, but suddenly it washes back over her. She feels simultaneously both. The child, staring at the carcass, frozen in shock. The shark, burning up in the sun, chocking on air.

"What does that mean?" She asks, and somehow her voice is normal, is fine. She's fine. She's not a girl or a shark. She's stupid and a fool and a gawky, ugly idiot, but she's fine.

Max manages to shrug, even with the 50kg weights. "You know. Just that Kelly knows you. She knows what you're like. And she knows me too, of course."

Daniel swallows. She nods. She hates everything about herself.

"That's sexist," she forces herself to say lightly because if the silence stretches anymore, Max might notice and set his weights down and look at her, and Daniel can't bear that. She doesn't want his eyes on her, taking in every blemish and imperfection. The boyish, ratty clothes she works out in and her curls gone frizzy with sweat and her inked skin, so different to Max and Kelly's pale, perfect complexions.

"What's sexist?"

"Saying she's not like other girls," Daniel tells him, setting down the weights she been doing. Instead, she goes to grab the skipping rope, just for something to do.

Max laughs. Daniel's glad she's turned away. Her cheeks are burning again.

"It's the truth. You, of course, Daniel, are not like other girls either." He says it lightly and ends with a chuckle, as if it's all just a joke. Daniel drags a sweaty hand over her cheeks. Burning, burning, burning.

Apparently, in Max's mind, she and Kelly are the same; both not like other girls. Kelly, with her faultless makeup and wonderful daughter and classy dresses and perfect feminity. One end of the scale. Daniel, the other. Barely even considered "a girl." Always one of the boys, only woman in f1 for a reason.

"Thanks," Daniel says. She wants to make it sound humorous, like she's in on the joke too. Instead, it's too cold; muttered as if she actually gave two shits about the conversation anyway. She has an F1 season to prepare for, she's too busy to care about stupid shit like this.

There's a beat of silence as Daniel stretches out the rope, feeling the plastic flex and give. Then, Max exhaling, the gentle bump of his weights against the floor, the workout bench shifting as his centre of gravity changes. Daniel keeps her back to him, ignoring it all.

"I did not mean it as insult," Max finally says, stubborn. Daniel forces a laugh, turning to give him a smile, all teeth.

"Of course not Maxy. I get that." Voice light and blithe. One of the boys.

She thinks he'll drop it, but instead, his frown only grows. Pinched brows, thin lips, cheeks growing blotchy. Blue eyes regard her, intense and unyielding. She burns from the inside out.

"I've upset you," he says, in that blunt, genuine way only he can do. Daniel barks out another laugh.

"Don't be stupid. You're not important enough to ever be able to get under my skin." She gives him another smile with only teeth. She feels insane. Her mother tells her good girls stay quiet.

"I'm sorry," he tries again, growing frustrated now, "I did not mean -"

"I told you, you didn't upset me," she drops the skipping rope without actually using it. "Anyway, I'm bored. Wanna get lunch now? Or are you still trying to pump those muscle with more testosterone?"

Max gives her one last, searching look before standing. They're almost the same height. She wants to shrink to nothing.

"That is not how testosterone works, Daniel," he says with the air of an overworked teacher. He looks at her with a smile, uncertain but genuine. She laughs, allowing him to move the conversation on.

She walks out of the gym first but holds the door for him. He grins, relieved. His fingers skim hers as he takes it and she lets go. A chill runs through her. Cold like scales, cold like ice cream untouched.

Follow up here!

[simgerale]

me after attempting to get back into sims and realizing i had a lot more to do than play the game

[kennyomegasweave]

As a Zouey hater who stopped liking him hella early on, I actually feel bad for him about how it played out with Nant. I was vindicated with the reveal cause I knew he was NOT the only one clean in this entire story (that's Puen), but at the same time, it wasn't Nant's story to tell about what Jason did to him. Jason needed to be brought down, but I'm not cool with the implication that Nant was in the right to want to reveal Zouey's rape. Especially when Zouey clearly doesn't want that to be publicly known (Nant was the ONLY person who knew). Zouey didn't owe anyone his story. He was already violated in the worst way a human can be violated, so no shit he lost the plot entirely while panicking knowing Nant wanted to publicize what happened as if it was his right to talk about what happened to his actual body.

I'm not excusing the role Zouey played in the kidnapping and the outright lying he did to everyone for months and I will never excuse what he did to Nont the entire time, but I get how Zouey was definitely panicking and in survival mode during this show.

(And technically, Zouey didn't kill Nant nor even really play a part in it. He's responsible for the kidnapping, obviously, but Phop killed Nant when he showed up to say goodbye to Nuth. That had nothing to do with Zouey, unless you count him trying to get Nant out of the country as being the cause, but technically Nant would have needed to get out of the country anyway cause he wanted to turn on Jason for everything, including the drugs, so he would have been on his kill list anyway.)

[oozeandgoo-art]

had an odd dream that i was reading a comic book. sketched a couple of the pages i could remember.

[nashishishi]

i've seen a lot of theories about what the virtual singers signify to each character. the two main theories i've been seeing are that they're either symbolic of what the members of the sekai need to grow, or are just milestones of their growth and/or their desires. i'm not quite sure which camp i fall into personally, but i do think both theories are really interesting. especially since, when you think about it, what do the wonderlands x showtime virtual singers signify?

first of all, we have miku. miku is a bubbly younger sister type character. she's curious about everything, thinks everything is wonderful and amazing, and she literally has stars in her eyes all the time. she talks in onomatopoeias and is high energy. she was part of the sekai when tsukasa first discovered it.

then we have kaito. kaito is a parental/older sibling figure. he takes care of the plushies in the sekai, takes care of the other virtual singers, takes care of the unit members, and basically takes care of the sekai as a whole. he's shown bits of being a workaholic as well. he was also part of the sekai when tsukasa discovered it.

next is len. len is curious about anything he finds interesting. he's willing to learn from others, constantly spouts about how cool everyone is, and is always looking for ways to improve himself in the things he likes doing. he manifests right after the main wxs story ends, but only makes his actual first appearance in the story during "It's On! Wonder Halloween!".

after that is meiko. her characterization is the trickiest. she seems to be a "supporting role" kind of person, happy to be on the sidelines helping out, instead if being the center of attention. she first appears in "On This Holy Night, I Sing".

next is rin. she "completes" len, in that she's curious about her friends. she always wants to learn more things about them so they can be better friends. she first appears in "Musical Twilight Parade" (which isn't actually a wxs-centric event but they are there).

and last but not least is luka. she's always sleeping. she's said to sleep when everyone is happy, because she can rest knowing everyone is doing well. she appears during the "Doll Festival at the Tenma's" event (which is a tenma siblings centric event).

so. what do they symbolize? well, the easiest ones are len and rin.

like i said, len first manifests right after the main story of wxs, and him being curious of things he finds interesting could be symbolic of tsukasa actually making new friends after like. a decade. which i WILL get back to.

it works with both theories. tsukasa needs to be more curious to get his friends to open up/get himself to open up to his friends, but it could also signify tsukasa Actually Being Curious About His Friends. he's never known anyone like emu, or rui, or nene, so he wants to get to know them and what they do. it also fits that len's first proper appearance was during the halloween event (or, if you remember events by the songs, the Becoming Potatoes event), because that's the same event where tsukasa gets injured by one of rui's robots, rui shuts down, and tsukasa has to reassure him that it's okay.

rin is basically the same. she's symbolic of love, care, and curiosity for her friends. i haven't read the twilight parade story in full, so i'm not exactly sure how she ties into the story, but it makes sense that she'd show up then, because right before her was meiko.

SPEAKING OF MEIKO! meiko is also relatively easy to figure out. like i said, she's a "supporting role". there to help out when needed, not to take the lead. it makes sense that she'd show up during the christmas event because the event isn't tsukasa-centric. it largely doesn't involve him. but meiko is also loving and caring and, as i said before, supportive. she's symbolic of always wanting to help and support friends, even if from a distance. tsukasa reflects this by complimenting nene in the event, often saying things like "that's our diva!" and such.

again, this works in both theories. nene needed support and, seeing this and (likely) wanting to help (idk like i said he isn't shown much lol), meiko manifested. but she could also be symbolic of how tsukasa has grown past his earlier actions in the main story, where he yells at nene for messing up the show. meiko is a symbol of how he's come to care for her, and genuinely wants to help her.

luka is. a bit trickier. as i said, she sleeps when everyone is happy. that means, if she's wide awake, someone is upset. she first appears in the doll festival event which is. worrying.

in the doll festival event, tsukasa misinterprets a memory from his childhood. when he was younger, he wanted to give his little sister saki these 2 dolls, but on his way to the hospital, he trips and ruins them. when he shows them to saki, she cries. he misinterprets this to mean that she hates him for it, when in reality she was touched by the gesture.

luka's appearance in an event like this is... concerning, because tsukasa is also shown as a bit of a workaholic at times (kinda like kaito). he doesn't stop until he reaches his goal, and even then, he quickly moves on to an even greater goal. this means, depending on which theory we're following, luka could either signify

a.) how tsukasa needs to rest every once in a while. how he doesn't need to shoulder everything on his own. how he's Allowed to Rest When Everyone's Happy. or

b.) how tsukasa FINALLY LEARNS EVERYTHING IN A.

so then. we get to the last 2. the duo that had been there from the very start. miku and kaito.

miku and kaito are kind of polar opposites. one is bouncy and bubbly and full of energy, while the other is calm and collected. one is a playful little sister figure, while the other is a responsible older brother or parental figure.

i want to briefly talk about another theory (or rather, headcanon), separate from this, that has become quite popular lately: the theory that miku and whoever else was there since the discovery of the sekai has been there since the unit members were children. i mention this theory because...

miku is a little sibling. she thinks everything is wonderful. she thinks everything is amazing. she literally has stars in her eyes.

she could have only been made when tsukasa was a child because, depending on the theory, she's either:

a.) a manifestation of how tsukasa needs to let loose and have fun and enjoy life like a kid would?? (which doesn't make sense bc of kaito)

b.) a manifestation of either tsukasa's childlike wonder, tsukasa's Want to experience childlike wonder, and/or his want to spend more time with saki

and kaito is an older brother/parental figure. he's responsible. he's calm and collected. he's cool. so depending on the theory, he's either:

a.) a manifestation of tsukasa needing to be a reliable/responsible older brother figure for everyone around him (which is worrying)

b.) tsukasa's need for a parental unit in his life, or tsukasa's desire to be seen as a reliable older brother figure (Which Are Both Worrying (seeing as kaito seems to be a workaholic and tsukasa has also been shown to be a workaholic as well!!))

which brings me to my next point: the designs of some of the virtual singers.

miku, rin, and luka are designed a bit specially in comparison to the others. they all have elements of animals in them, implying their designs are supposed to resemble plushies. (which makes sense considering how many "fluffy" elements and pompoms they have in comparison to all the other characters.) miku is a cat plushie, rin is a bunny plushie, and luka is a sheep plushie. but.

why?

why is miku, the embodiment of childlike wonder, a plushie?

why is rin, the embodiment of excitement and love and care for friends, a plushie?

why is luka, the embodiment of resting well knowing everyone is happy and healthy, a plushie?

actually, why are plushies way more important to tsukasa than they ever were to saki?

tsukasa's sekai is all made of things he made for SAKI, right? all of the things, from the giant train in the sky to the singing flowers, were for SAKI, right?

but saki barely ever mentions it in her story. in fact, it only ever comes up when TSUKASA is involved. saki sees them as nothing more than toys, meanwhile tsukasa has personified them. it may just be because of his sekai, but let's not forget...

while these were SAKI'S plushies, they were also TSUKASA'S co-stars. they were with him when he put on all those shows for saki in the hospital. they were with him when the plushies were brought back home.

and what else is a lonely little boy at home, with no family and no friends, supposed to do, other than to anthropomorphize inanimate objects to keep him company.

suddenly, we have a reason why miku, the embodiment of childlike wonder, is a Plushie. we have a reason why luka, the embodiment of being able to Rest now that Everyone is Happy, is a Plushie. we have a reason why rin, the embodiment of the Excitement of Friendship, is a Plushie.

because tsukasa's childlike wonder Started with plushies. he made them act out scenes from the wonders created in his brain, and the plushies were there to bring them to life.

because tsukasa always used plushies to cheer people up (like in the shows he put on for saki). because the plushies were always there to cheer Him up.

because for the longest time, for maybe a decade, or more, for most of tsukasa's childhood...

his only friends

were

the plushies.

[birdsong-warriors]

Hey Bird, just wanted to let you know that I'm enjoying Swifthawk's comic a ton! Is it okay if I add my own thoughts as to why Firestar snapping at Swifthawk might have taken people by surprise? (Though, yeah, Swift really deserved it that time). I think if you look at the Darkest Hour with Darkstripe poisoning Sorrelkit and his trail and exile, Firestar was pretty cool, took time to question Darkstripe's side, and was even thought he wanted to give Darkstripe a fair trial so not even Tigerstar's allies could accuse him of favoritism despite, you know, attempted murder being the crime. So I think it surprises people that Firestar's calm and collected in an attempted murder trial and snaps at one of his warriors trying to goad him. In fact, I don't think it's until Sunset when the Clan is arguing against allowing Stormfur and Brook to stay that Firestar snaps that his mind is made up, and it's treated as being very shocking and out of character for Firestar. Though I hope you don't take that in a negative way, as it's made very clear that Firestar's upset by what he just had to say and do, so I don't think it makes him unlikable or unsympathetic. And I am excited to see how Swifthawk and Firestar can eventually reconcile though (as you said he does find his way home again)! Keep up the great work!

As I was reading this analysis, I really tried to ask myself why Firestar's response felt accurate and even inevitable, and I think I found it.

Firestar trusts Swifthawk.

Swift wasn't just another Darkstripe that Fire could never relax around. While they haven't always agreed, they maintained respect for one another as clanmates. While Swift's escalating anger was concerning, Fire still had no doubts about his loyalty to both himself and ThunderClan. So to hear Swift echoing his father's opinion was a stab in the back. It invalidates every encounter up til now, where Swift showed some respect for Fire, proving he never stopped seeing him as a kittypet and little more.

(I actually tried to foreshadow this a few times, particularly when he asks Bramblepaw, "What's it like training under a kittypet?" Despite everything Firestar has done to try to help him, Swift struggles to see past his origins.)