#it got longer than I intended...

[dunmeshistash]

hi! i apologize if this question is stupid, but why does falin has feathers in her chimera form? she was fused with a dragon, and as far as i can tell, none of the dragon types have feathers. thank you!

Hello! It's not an stupid question at all (no stupid questions here) it's easier to understand why she might have feathers when you remember that reptiles are VERY closely related to birds! Dinosaurs especially! Not that dragons are dinosaurs but they're as close as it gets and Kui seems to agree, in the Korean Q&A someone asked her this same question and her answer was "Dinosaurs had feathers" ofc that Q&A is all word of mouth so anything from it should be taken with a grain of salt but I think it's an answer that makes sense.

Here's a more in depth post about the subject from before that Q&A

So bullet points of explanations why Falin has feathers without being fused to another monster:

Birds and reptiles (especially dinosaurs) are very closely related

Falin's human half is an endotherm meaning she spents energy to generate her own heat so the transformation gave her feathers help her keep warm (As theorized by Laios)

Chimera Falin is a whole new creature made by Thistle, lots of the red dragon changed to fuse with Falin like creating wings and becoming much smaller, Thistle even words it as giving the red dragon a "new form" so changes that weren't originally in the red dragon aren't that absurd (especially since they make a little bit of biological sense)

White dragon seems to have either fur or feathers I cant tell, the AB describes it as fur but in the wings they are like furry textured feathers

This actually made me google that and turns out some birds do have fur like feathers! And one of them is the kiwi, very cute

The only other monster with wings similar to Faligon (feathered and with claws) is the cockatrice which is classified as a serpent separated from the other bird monsters, along with the Basilisk, so two more reptiles with feathers in dungeon meshi

So yeah, I could go on cause I love talking about animals/monsters/dunmeshi but TLDR Thistle probably had enough with the Red Dragon + Falin to create Faligon as she is, there was no need for another monster or anything else

[savanir]

The Consequences

The comforting ticking of clocks fills the air, Danny cannot help himself but look at the many gigantic gears working in tandem each time that he pays Clockwork’s tower a visit.

“Alright, I’m here” Danny waves the green post it note around.

“Good,” Clockwork appears and gestures to an open door, “there is something I wish to show you, come”

Danny follows Clockwork into the room that appears to be an infinitely stretching hallway both left and right from him with the two of them in what he must assume must be the middle.

The young ghost takes a moment to process this and comes to the conclusion that this is just typical Infinite Realms ghost bullshit because clearly, logically, this is impossible.

There is a line on the hallway wall.

“Okay, what am I looking at”

“Time”

Danny takes a long deep breath of air before exaggeratingly rolling his eyes and giving Clockwork bombastic side eye, which the guy very rudely ignores.

“can you please be a little less vague Clockwork…”

the older ghost who has shifted into the appearance of a child grins at him, “very well, this line represents here, you could say it’s ‘my’ time.” a line which would sound ominous as hell if it were said by anyone other than the Ancient of Time itself.

“Did you call me here to tell me more about yourself” Danny quickly looks from Clockwork to the very important line and then quickly back to Clockwork  “is this a bonding thing, are we ghost bonding? Do you show this to all your favorite ghosts?”

“Daniel” Clockwork has shifted to his elderly form.

Danny rubs the back of his neck, "It's really cool- in a way. I kinda do feel like there is more to it though.” It’s also a little underwhelming, just a infinitely stretching dark grey stone hallway with a line on the wall, He’d expect Clockworks time to be… well… okay, so he’s got no clue what he was expecting Clockwork’s time to look like but it wasn’t this.

One thing is for sure though, Danny is no longer thinking about touching the Time Line.

“you would be correct,” Clockwork has shifted to his adult form, “let’s get back on track, the reason why I am showing you this is this discoloration over here” Clockwork gestures where to look with his staff.

“the blackish bit?”

“Correct, this is what I like to call missing time” Clockwork huffs, “I used to not mind it, but times have changed” he’s got the young king to be to worry about now.

Danny is somewhat startled while taking a closer look at the small black bit of the time line, “you’re missing time!? … please do not ask me to go find it for you”

Clockwork chuckles, “no there is no need, I know quite well where it is.” then it’s not actually missing is it?

“alright uh… I’ll just ask- What happens when you’re missing time, do you just… black out? orrrr, like, just what’s going on here”

Child Clockwork starts to explain, “During that period the Infinite Realms will move without me.”

Adult Clockwork continues, “from what I have learned of these events in the past it’s safe to say something will soon happen in this section of the realms, something big and dangerous, the tower is protected against these events- by going into a form of stasis.”

Elderly Clockwork finishes, “like I said, in the past this was of no concern of mine, the tower functions as intended, preserving me and time itself as it should, but I worry for you Daniel.”

“I’ve called you here to warn you, mayhap you could find out what this danger is, not to prevent it, but to ensure you yourself will not get hurt.” preventing it is sadly no longer possible. with the dark coloration on the wall the event happening is all but set in stone.

“can’t you look forward to see what it is? or maybe give me a hint or something?”

“sadly not, for me the time is wholly missing, in the sense that it will happen, and so in a way has already happened, which means-” Danny quickly waves his arm around to prevent Clockwork from going into a time tangent and give him a legendary headache, “-which means you will not be able to help me now, or during, or after. I understand.” the boy then sighs, “I’ll look into it I guess”

“Be careful” Clockwork says gravely in his adult form.

Danny nods, and deep in his core he can feel the unspoken please.

—✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*---*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧—

The young halfa really does try to figure out what might happen, what might be wrong, but it is incredibly hard when you have no clues what so ever.

Time passes, life goes on as usual- as it always does.

And then it starts.

Ripples go through the realms, an oppressive pressure building up. minor shades and blob ghosts scatter darting in every direction as long as it’s away from the perceived threat.

Not long after that there is strange crackling and rumbling, artifacts start behaving weirdly, powering up rapidly.

Walker’s prison becomes a fortress that he’s quickly losing control over locking everything and anything down tight.

Both Skulker’s and Undergrowth’s domains life grows rapidly. And although Undergrowth doesn’t mind Skulker certainly does, his jungle is his hunting playground, not the other way around! And that wouldn’t even be that much of a problem if his suit wasn’t completely on the fritz.

Desiree hides herself away deeply in her haunt, frightful of her own powers going absolutely haywire with every wish she grants, usually she enjoys the chaos- but this is rapidly getting out of hand.

Clockwork manages to catch Pariah’s keep going into its own magical automated lockdown before his tower does the same in its own way.

More and more ghosts decide to evacuate away from this corner of the realms, opting to temporarily stay somewhere else and return once whatever this mess is is over.

While all that is going on in the realms outside in the realm of the living Danny still has no clue what’s going on but his powers are freaking out more and more and he’s very glad that there are no ghost attacks because he’s not sure what will happen if he actually has to put some power in his abilities.

For now he’s simply not using them, instead deciding that while this is going on he’s just a regular living human boy with no special gifts, and you know, maybe it’ll all just blow over on its own and settle down.

So far any attempts on Team Phantom’s end to figure out what the hell is going on in the realms has led to nothing. They can obviously detect the surges of power slamming through the zone but they can’t find the origin. 

The best they have got so far is that whatever it is has something to do with leylines. a suggestion brought up by Sam after Tucker mapped out some of the ripples and Sam recognized some of the shapes from her occult witchy books.

This sadly didn’t answer much and honestly only made Danny go, “This better not be some culty bullshit then”

and Tucker hissing, “bro don’t jinx it!”

When it all comes to a head it was just a normal average school day. After hearing them all out Jazz decided that the best course of action was to lock the doors of the portal just in case, and look further into ley lines later that day.

English class had a little outing planned, the whole class went on a short trip out of the city and into the forest for a special assignment.

Mr Lancer told them to find a scenery there that would inspire them, take a picture, and then write three pieces about it of various word counts, this was to teach them about word use and what not. Just regular shit, Danny wasn’t paying that much attention.

while trudging around in the woods, trying to avoid Dash and Kwan and find something to photograph does he feel it. It’s like his entire skeleton freezes over, a thin layer of frost over his entire insides that shatters right after.

Tucker yelps, “Danny what the hell was that!?”

Danny slaps his hands over his mouth, “I think that was my ghost sense? but like insane?”

“what”

Then a small portal opens and a tiny green blur speeds out and crashes right into Danny’s chest.

Danny can’t help but catch whatever it is and he quickly identifies it as Cujo when he can take a proper look.

The poor thing is shivering and whining and abrasions on his paws quickly clue the gang in that the little dog is hurt.

“Jezus, what happened to him?” asks Sam looking worried for the little guy.

Cujo whines and burrows down Danny’s jacket and into Danny's shirt, by now the A listers as well as Valerie have noticed something weird is going on. 

once Valerie recognizes the puppy butt going down Danny’s shirt does she shout, “that vile beast! Let me at them! Don’t worry Danny I have something that will deal with that thing real fast, just stand still!”

Sam immediately jumps in front of Danny to shield him and Cujo.

“Uhm, that’s a puppy,” says Paulina derisively while Star next to her starts to coo as Cujo’s small head pops up from Danny’s neckline, snuggled in fully and clearly content to be and stay right where he is.

"Sooooo cute!” Star just wants to snuggle it, if only all ghosts were adorable little animals, then the whole ghost thing all the time wouldn’t be nearly so annoying.

“That thing is evil,” Valerie fumes.

“It’s a fucking puppy, Gray. What the hell is your damage” Paulina and Valerie viciously verbally tear into each other and Sam hates to admit it but she’s really glad for Paulina’s redirection of Val’s ire.

because she’s right, Cujo is just a puppy.

Mr. Lancer shows up noticing the commotion and increasing volume of Valerie and Paulina’s now borderline screaming match to put an end to all that.

And it’s right then, right when everyone is fully distracted that a flash happens in the distance quickly followed by a tremor through that they can feel in the ground.

Then the sound reaches them, a loud boom and right after dark clouds quickly rise up in the distance where the flash originated.

All of it happens incredibly fast but right after Mr. Lancer wastes no time to round them all up and head back to the meeting point

“Holy shit that came from Amity”

“Did the town blow up?!”

“I’m texting my parents”

"Hi? mom? Are you okay? yeah? what the fuck happened!?”

dread pools in Danny’s stomach, it grows heavier as he gets no response, it does not lift even slightly through Mr. Lancer’s general reassurances to the whole class, holding Cujo tightly to his chest helps a little, but the frantic feeling keeps surging through his body as the whole class gets into the bus to head back home.

Back in Amity it’s just chaos, police sirens, fire fighters, people out on the street, for once there are no ghost warnings blaring and it’s all the stranger for it, all the more worrying.

This isn’t a ghost attack, this is a normal explosion, and it’s so much worse because of it.

Everyone is used to ghost attacks, they aren’t used to normal explosions.

Once back in Amity things get a bit blurry for Danny, he vaguely remembers school, there was a lot of rushing of people, he vividly remembers constantly trying to contact his parents and Jazz and being incredibly worried and frustrated that they aren’t responding to anything.

He very clearly remembers that Mr. Lancer was there through all of it, when everyone else got picked up, Danny remembers both Sam and Tucker not wanting to leave him and go with their parents, but he’d… well there wasn’t really…

things stopped making sense when the police showed up specifically for him. 

After that it was all just one big dark smear.

—✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*---*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧—

The street is pulverized, his house and those adjacent to it are reduced to rubble.

The other buildings are badly damaged enough that the people have to be relocated until repairs are completed and they are confirmed to be safe, for the ones closest to the explosion there is a high likelihood that the structural integrity is compromised. 

They might need to be torn down as well if that’s the case.

All the windows are smashed in a very wide radius around the initial point of the explosion, overall the scene looks like… like something out of a war documentary.

Danny doesn’t get to see much of that though, he’s put in a meeting room, or office, with some things to snack on and water to drink, both untouched, and Cujo in his lap.

The basement exploded, well, the lab or even more specifically, the portal exploded. But the local authorities don’t know about all that stuff so for them right now it’s just the basement.

And seeing as there is honestly nothing left, it's very possible that they are never going to realize there was a gateway to the realm of the dead under that house in the first place.

His mom and dad are… gone, as well as Jazz, she was most likely upstairs- studying.

Danny swallows and holds Cujo closer, nobody has bothered him about the ghost dog, everyone is just treating the little guy like a regular dog, Danny would appreciate it if he wasn’t completely numb.

He’s trying very hard to just keep it all together and not start spiraling cause this is all very painfully familiar, explosion, death, they are contacting Vlad, it’s taking really long.

But from this point forward he’s going to have to do everything in his power to not slip, this is it. He can’t afford- Cause Clockwork isn’t availa- is that it? 

Is all this caused by the mess in the realms!?

Now Danny has to fight the thoughts that he should have done more, taken it more seriously, researched harder, he’d gotten an on time proper and clear warning for fucks sake! Why didn’t he- Why didn’t he-!?

But he did didn’t he? There was basically nothing to go off of, he tried really hard with the tools that he had and he had been making progress, it just wasn’t enough, he didn’t- couldn’t figure it out on time, and-

Why is it taking so damn long to contact Vlad and get this nightmare fully going he wants out of this room it’s getting suffocating!

The door opens, the nice sounding lady regretfully informs him that there seems to be more bad news, she brings it very gently and carefully, most likely trying to not re traumatize him again.

But it comes down to this, Vlad’s estate has blown up as well and nobody knows where he is, they haven’t found, ahem, him yet.

Danny swallows, that’s not how this is supposed to go.

“You think Vlad is dead?” he stammers out.

“We-” she starts clearly thinking very hard about how to word this, “Right now he’s considered missing, I’m afraid that any attempts to reach him hasn’t been answered but search and rescue-”

Danny blinks, he knows Vlad’s phone just has reception in the zone, and something as a portal explosion wouldn’t take him out, the guy should be chomping at the bit to come and get him. So he’s… incapacitated.

“-however, in the meantime the Foley’s have generously accepted to temporarily take you in, I have heard you are good friends with their son Tucker so-”

Danny perks up a little, and Cujo sleepily snuffles before settling in again, “that sounds good, as much as anything can sound good right about now”

The lady tries to hide her wince and gives him a pitying smile instead, both suck.

The next thing Danny knows he’s wrapped up in a tight hug by his best friend.

“You’ll get through this man, we’re here for you, Sam is in spirit here with us right now, if you’re very quiet you can hear her furious yelling at her parents to let her go so she can hug you too”

Danny gives him a watery laugh, “thanks, I just- fuck”

“yeah… yeah”

it’s bad, but it’s not like that time with Nasty Burger, he’s still got Sam and Tucker, Mr. Lancer too, who is certainly not stopping checking in with Danny either.

And Vlad is missing.

—✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*---*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧—

The zone is a mess, it’s also devoid of life, more than usual, devoid of unlife might be a better way to put it? 

Suddenly tracing the point where this mess came from is a lot easier, Sam came with the idea that the one or ones or thing or whatever that started all this probably did something to hide what they were doing.

They go past Clockworks tower, still encased in a perfect time still bubble, seeing none of the outer gears move even an inch is rather unnerving.

eventually they reach a gigantic neon green flaming crack in reality, or at least that’s what it looks like. 

with Cujo’s aid they move back into the living world somewhat to the right of the reality tear.

It turns out that on the living side of things the tear is a big erupting neon green magma spewing volcano.

By Danny’s estimates the green is ecto adjacent but feels horrible wrong.

“so this volcano was connected to the realms somehow and when it erupted…” Sam shivers, “so natural disaster?”

Tucker looks from his PDA trying to make sense of the ecto energy readings and the still spewing volcano, “there is no seismic activity here, that volcano was dead, something triggered it”

“or someone” hisses Danny, “I’ll have a closer look around as Phantom, do not hesitate to contact me if you see someone or something” 

Sam and Tucker both agree and Danny transforms and heads into the volcano.

the place is… weird, there are ruins, and some ritualistic areas, there is a huge mostly destroyed pool where new debris occasionally still falls into, causing a new explosion, Danny takes a few samples of the stuff in the pool to investigate later, cause even though it’s the same toxic green it’s clearly different from the stuff the volcano is spewing into the air.

Then he makes a quick sweep through the underground caverns and stumbles upon a sight he was not expecting.

Unconscious Vlad. Though upon closer inspection it’s revealed to Danny he’s very cold and stiff, so properly dead Vlad. 

The idea is… ridiculous.

So is that it then? Vlad found some neat new place to fuck around with shit he shouldn’t and he found out in the most explosive way possible, and now there is some manner of ecto volcano or whatever, though probably not cause it just doesn’t feel like ecto… But anyway it all exploded in Vlad’s face and he died and caused another Pariah Dark level event through the Realms and somehow managed to also kill Danny’s parents and Jazz while he was at it.

Danny lifts Vlad’s corpse up and takes him with him to Sam and Tucker. Whatever happened down there happened, but Vlad’s corpse doesn’t deserve to just be left there to rot, just like Danny’s parents and Jazz, he didn’t deserve to die (fully).

Sam and Tucker startle violently when he carefully lays his body down nearby.

“Ancients! is he-” Sam takes a hesitating step forward

“I don’t sense anything from him anymore, like, there is supposed to be something there and there just isn’t so…”

“fucking hell” Tucker wipes a head over his face, “can we- I would really like to go home now, I think I’ve gotten enough of this place”

The trio agrees and after some back and forth they have decided that Danny will put Vlad’s corpse in a not yet combed through section of his estate. Search and rescue will find his body, and then… uhhh…

“I worry about everything after that when we get there, alright?” Danny says, and that’s that.

It feels… wrong, but none of them can come up with a better plan so…

It’s not long the next day that the same nice lady contacts Danny about Vlad.

Danny was expecting that. 

What he wasn’t expecting was that eventually in that conversation a whole new bomb got dropped on him.

Because apparently Vlad has registered him as his heir, as in like heir to Dalv.co

And heir to a lot of money.

Time passes, the world is in magical chaos, the Justice League is solving it. Danny isn’t involved in any of it. 

He just had a funeral and is now looking at the graves of his parents and his sister, and a little bit over there is Vlad.

Cujo is still with him, the little guy seems to have decided that he’s just not going anywhere without Danny so he has a dog now, he’s always wanted a dog.

There is a man a respectful distance behind him, apparently that’s Vlad’s butler, his butler now, since when did Vlad have a butler? Danny cannot remember there being a butler the last time he was forced to go to Vlad’s creepy mansion.

It’s starting to rain.

“Master Daniel,” oh no, he’s going to have to put an end to that right away.

Danny turns and takes a step to the guy, “please call me Danny”

“time stop”

Danny startles as everything around him stops moving, rain drops freezing in place.

The butler in front of him now looks a lot like Clockwork.

“First I want to give you my condolences, I am very sorry for your loss Danny” Clockwork looks well and truly remorseful, he’s genuine. There is a tiny part of Danny that instantly wants to rage and scream at him about the unfairness of it all. But Clockwork cannot do anything, not this time.

“And secondly,” he changes back into the very regular human butler appearance, “I’ll be around to aid you along this new path”

Danny blinks.

oh, well, okay then.

Clockwork introduces himself as Conrad W. Kronus and makes it very clear that to everyone that matters he’s always existed. 

There will be no need to worry about any paperwork or whatever, from here on out Danny will get to stay at the other estate Vlad got in Amity so he could do his Major work more easily and he’ll get to live there with his butler and his dog.

That way he can finish school in Amity Park comfortably.

There is of course still the matter of Dalv.co to worry about but Clockwork reassures him that he doesn’t have to think about any of that just yet and to focus on grieving properly instead.

He says all that while driving them home in one of Vlad’s fancy cars, Danny didn’t think the old ghost would know how to drive at all…

It’s when they arrive and Cujo jumps out of his arms to explore his new home while Clockwork goes about his own maybe butlery duties while Danny kind of just stands in the main living room that a sudden realization comes to him.

“oh- this is… I’m like Bruce Wayne now”

[d-emeter]

Johnny Mactavish who realizes he likes his girls a little bigger when he visits a museum for the first time — plus-sized!fem!reader x Johnny 'Soap' Mactavish

CW: mid/plus-size reader! this is absolutely far from body neutral, talk of bodies/body image

Some love for my curvy gals🫶🏻

Johnny's first encounter with the beauty of the female form is as expected, almost stereotypical — staring at the pictures in the playboy magazine he stole from his older cousin. Usually hidden under his mattress, only coming out in the dead of night with a flashlight in hand. The girls are pretty. Scantily clad, sultry expressions, and Johnny quickly learns that this is what is considered hot. He sees girls like this in films, too — films shown to him by that same cousin, God forbid his ma ever found out he watched it — and he hears his cousin and his friends drone on and on about how sexy Megan Fox is as she bends over the hood of a car. Desperate to impress the cooler, older boys, he joins in too. This is what he should find hot.

It is what he thinks he finds hot. That is, until his final year of secondary school. He's freshly turned eighteen, overeager to enlist (his ma had insisted he at least finished school before he did), and taking what he thought were the easiest electives to try and coast through to graduation. He finds he actually really enjoys art class, unlike most of his mates who had the exact same plan he did (he's particularly talented at drawing anatomy, and tries not to preen too much when the teacher compliments him for it to avoid teasing).

Said mates and him are fucking around during the busride to the school-mandated museum trip, none of them particularly excited to spend the day between what they deem boring paintings and sculptures. Well, Johnny is actually quite curious — his family never really took him on trips like this — but he pretends to be just as annoyed as the others.

Find a work that calls to you, and use it as a drawing exercise in your sketchbook. That was the assignment. Johnny's friends take the easy way out — beelining towards the modern section of the museum, finding the paintings that are simple squares of colours. He's planning on following them, but then his teacher lays a hand on his shoulder and points him towards another hall — classical sculptures. He's torn, not wanting to be left out of his friends' fun, but also not wanting to disappoint his teacher. He decides to follow the direction of his teacher's outstretched finger.

He's surrounded by white marble and plaster. The genuine old-as-fuck sculptures are displayed on a plateau in the middle of the hall, the plaster copies piled along the walls. He wanders, pausing here and there to sketch a hand, or a nose. And then he spots her.

It's like he's hypnotized, body moving of its own volition, bringing him towards his object of fascination until he's face to face with her. His eyes flick down to the plaque on the floor — Venus. She's a goddess of... something (he wasn't paying attention during that class, okay?). It doesn't matter. The first thing he notices is that she looks nothing like the girls in the magazines, or films — no, her body is softer. Well, it's not really, it's plaster, but she looks softer. There's a roundness to her shoulders, a fullness to her thighs, a pudge to her tummy, the skin in rolls where she's bent to the side. Hot, is the first thing that comes to mind, but then he shakes his head at himself. No, hot doesn't do her justice — she's beautiful. Gorgeous, stunning. He scoffs; she's tucked away in a corner, like she isn't the most breathtaking thing he has ever laid eyes upon. He spends the rest of the afternoon taking down every detail in his sketchbook.

—

Johnny's been searching for her. Or, rather, for that pull he had towards her, all those years ago. He knows it's stupid. His Venus was perfection in plaster, she was made, without faults. No woman can measure up to that, not a real one. And yet he searches. He flirts with the curvy girls, the ones that rarely get any attention among their group of friends. He enjoys the way they react; some fluster, some flourish, none of them expecting his undivided attention. He takes home pretty, plump birds from bars, spends a night worshipping them. Nothing about it is not real, per say. He finds them attractive, frothing at the mouth at the way his hands sink into soft flesh and roam wide curves — but they're not her. He searches.

And then he finds.

It's the day you come waltzing into his life. Or, more realistically, you come waltzing onto base. Price was getting a new secretary, courtesy of Laswell. Johnny hears the comments — she's a pretty thing, young, and smart. He doesn't think much of it. There's plenty of those walking around base.

Then he catches sight of you and — bloody Jesus. You are young, and you are smart, but you're not just pretty. You're beautiful. Plush in all the right places, sending Johnny into overdrive, an incessant need to get his hands on you as soon as possible. It's out of his control, the way his legs carry him over to you until he's face to face with you. He's already decided he'll worship you, if you'll let him.

His goddess. His Venus.

[starrystevie]

it was all supposed to be a dumb joke.

the boys had been sitting around after rehearsal one night passing a bowl and more than a few beers, laughing about how unsuccessful the newest music based social media app would be. mere seconds of songs looping over and over with other songs mixed in would never work, especially for corroded coffin where the story, the buildup of their songs was part of the reason to listen.

it all started with jeff, grinning slowly ear to ear. "what if were to get in there and take some celebrity's name for a user name? like paris hilton or something."

then it moved to gareth, who paused with a scrunched up face. "dude, paris hilton? what the fuck kind of reference is that..."

then it was over to greg, choking on a smoke-laced laugh. "yeah, it'd be funnier if it was eddie's pop prince loverboy instead."

that got everyone's attention. eddie had protested to ears that didn't want to hear it as they cackled in their studio that they rented by the hour, bent over in their rolling chairs, leaning against the side of the mixing board for support.

"loverboy?! you know i can't stand steve harrington and his bullshit lyrics, what the fuck kind of suggestion is that..."

but come the next day, when the weed had left his system and his veins were alcohol-free, eddie stared at the mixr app home screen and the blinking red circle over his inbox with disdain after successfully acquiring a user name he never would have picked for himself.

'steveharrington', eddie's account says, along with an icon of himself and his tongue out.

if it hadn't been for being less than sober when the app dropped. if it hadn't been for his best friends egging him on with taunts and jeers and kissy noises and less than sincere dreamy calls of 'oh steve' in the background. if it hadn't been for the way that eddie secretly did think about a certain head of floppy hair and soft brown eyes and shoulders littered with constellations.

if it hadn't been for all of that he wouldn't have had the chance to have his celebrity crush, the steve harrington, in his inbox at 8am on a random tuesday morning.

"good morning!" the message says simply enough. eddie stares at the words, trying to process what they mean, looking at the verified username of 'steveharrington1' next to an icon of his most recent album along with it. his inbox is flooded with people all asking him random things, thinking he's the real steve harrington, but this one verified account has him shaking.

for all that eddie is, all big hair and black jeans and skull rings and leather, he's still a man. a man who can look at a pop star, annoying as their music may be, and see charm. he can see attractiveness. he can see that smile that steve harrington has perfected behind his eyelids and he can see them strolling off into the sunset together hand in hand and he can see steve all flushed and breathing heavily underneath him on a mountain of plush pillows and he can see-

the message pings again with a new addition. "i know this seems weird and my team advised against it but i'd really like your user name of... well, my name."

eddie blinks slowly. he pictures steve maybe laying in bed, maybe sitting at the breakfast table with a cup of coffee, with his phone in his hand as he types out a message to him. to think that steve has any idea about him existing on any sort of level is doing his head in. his heartbeat races a little faster as he types back with shaky hands and a pit in his stomach.

"is this real?" is all he can type out, leaning against the kitchen counter as he waits for his coffee to brew.

three dots pull up on the app screen before disappearing and eddie pulls his lip in between his teeth to focus his energy elsewhere. he tears his eyes away from his phone and looks out the window to watch the people out for their morning walks. he's just about to the point where he thinks about maybe taking up walking if nothing else to get all the pent up energy out of him when the app dings again. as he looks back, his heart sinks to the bottom of his stomach.

it's a photo of steve that can't have been released before. he's sitting outside in bright sunshine with sunglasses on, tousled hair and grin on his face. he's holding his hand up in a thumbs up and eddie can see the remnants of cream cheese on the side of his index finger.

he sucks in a stuttering breath through his teeth, trying to force his lungs to breath again. the dots pop up on screen once more and the message that comes through is instantaneous.

"real enough for you?" it reads. and then an additional message is tacked on. "need me to hold up a newspaper with the date on it?"

there's a winky face that follows and it feels fake even though it's very real. this whole morning feels wrong, unreal. he's just eddie munson, some singer in some halfway popular band in some kind of shitty neighborhood in los angeles that just happens to have not just some pop star in his dms. this doesn't happen to him.

"why did your team tell you not to message me? does my reputation precede me?"

eddie pulls his hand up to his mouth to bite at the side of his fingernail, watching the screen with rapt attention and waiting for the typing dots to disappear.

"according to this account your name is steve harrington and yes, i'd say his reputation does precede him."

eddie barks out a laugh, not exactly expecting that.

he didn't know what he was expecting out of any of this. he thought that it might help get the corroded coffin name out more if he got tangled up somehow with the steve harrington name. spark a little bit of drama to boost their visibility. but now here he is, talking to the man himself, cracking jokes and trying not to hyperventilate.

"how were you able to get this name so fast anyway? my team was on it right when the app dropped last night."

"i had the power of bandmates and weed on my side," he types back, side of his mouth quirking up into a smile.

"oh so you're a musician? maybe i should be looking into your reputation then, mystery person."

eddie pauses and thinks about every option. he is semi-known in the metal scene, his outlandish stunts on stage and political speeches at shows that garner them becoming an almost brand for him. if he tells steve who he is, would he know? care? run away from the scary guy who may or may not use stage blood in every music video?

but the thing is, he's not a scary guy and he never has been. he might be a little intimidating and he guesses that's the armor he puts on everyday after being bullied in school but it's not an accurate showing of who he is. eddie is sweet, funny, kind of smart in that has random fun facts about dungeons and dragons kind of way.

and he wants the steve harrington to know that guy.

eddie flips over at his middle so his head is nearly touching the floor and ruffles his hair, giving it volume and calming down the frizz that comes from sleep. he shakes it out of his face once he's upright and grabs his garfield coffee mug if only to have something to do with his hands. grabbing his phone off the counter, he opens the camera option in their message thread and snaps a quick picture of himself grinning, mug next to his face with a matching cat-like smirk. he nervously presses send before he can even think about all the flaws with it.

"eddie munson at your service," is what he types out with a saluting emoji and a muttered prayer to whoever would listen to him that things don't end horribly.

it's not like he's expecting to sweep steve off his feet. he knows that steve has picture perfect partners, he sees enough internet news to know that gruff and dark isn't the kind of guy he normally goes for. but he looks back at the photo he sent and hopes that steve sees the kindness in his eyes, the scruff on his jawline that makes it look just the smallest bit chiseled, the whimsy and life that he embodies that comes from a tacky coffee cup.

there isn't an automatic answer and it makes whatever hope eddie has floating around his system falter. ''at this point you've probably searched me and i can reassure you, i'm not actually a vampire like google seems to think i am."

"holy shit."

it's short, two words followed by typing dots that disappear, reappear, disappear once more before reappearing for the last time.

"would you believe me if i told you that i am huge fan??"

choking on coffee hurts, eddie finds out. he coughs as the hot liquid goes down the wrong pipe and concentrates on the messages once he gets his bearings back. steve, the steve harrington, a fan of his? it's a prank, it has to be, there is no way that steve harrington-

"one of my exes took me to your show at the bowl and it quite possibly changed my life. you gave that speech about the pipeline before the encore and i went home and bought every single one of your albums that same night."

he's dead. the papers will read 'eddie munson found dead in his home in a ratty metallica shirt holding onto a garfield coffee mug and cellphone open to a chat where steve harrington tells him he's a fan of his work'. it's the only way that this is possibly happening. he's died and gone to whatever fucked up version of heaven has him still living in his shitty la apartment.

"are you fucking kidding me?" is what he types back, slamming his coffee mug onto the counter to have access to both hands. "you've heard my stuff?"

and then it happens, like out of a shitty teenage rom-com, his phone is lighting up with an in-app call from steve harrington. the steve harrington. careful not to drop his phone in his hurried movements, he presses accept faster than he thinks his fingers have every worked.

"hello?" he questions into the phone and there's no hello back, just steve apparently freaking out as much as he is.

"i hope this is okay," he says and god, does his voice sound wonderful over the phone like this. "but it's faster and i have too many things to say that typing it all out would be stupid."

eddie grins and his feet tap against the ground like an excited kid. "it's fine, i uhm... i get it. god, this is weird."

steve hums in agreement before laughing. and oh, that laugh. it has eddie floating up to cloud nine, heart thumping painfully in his chest, butterflies beating their wings wildly in his stomach.

"yeah, it's definitely not how i expected this morning to go. talking to eddie munson, wow."

"sure," eddie snorts, "you talk to celebrities all the time, i'm sure this is small fish for you."

he hears steve laugh again, soft and gentle, like it's meant just for eddie. "i might talk to celebrities all the times but not ones that i have posters on my wall of like a pre-teen. i'm properly geeking out right now."

eddie short circuits. that's the only way to explain the way his body shuts down as he slumps into an armchair in the living room.

"you, steve harrington, have posters of me on your bedroom wall?" eddie's mouth feels dry as he talks and regrets making coffee at all because he's wide awake now and feels jittery.

"well okay, to be fair, it's of the whole band and it's in my studio but you are shirtless so i contemplated putting it in my bedroom." something shifts on the other end of the line and it sounds like steve sitting down. there's birds chirping in the background and eddie closes his eyes to picture himself sitting with steve on a patio instead of in his dingy apartment.

"you're gonna give me big head, pretty boy." the pet name slips out before he can stop it and the pitch of his voice lowering is out of his control. eddie can't be held responsible for his actions at 8am especially when he's flirting over the phone with his celebrity crush.

"pretty boy, hmm?" steve murmurs back. "so does that mean you have posters of me too?"

the timbre of his voice shoots from eddie's ears all the way down to his toes, lighting his veins on fire as it travels down his body. the hopeful part of his brain supplies an image of steve smirking, relaxing in a pool chair outside of what must be a mansion, phone in one hand and cup of coffee in the other. it could be domestic, if eddie thinks about it hard enough. if he wants it enough.

and god, does he want that. domestic bliss with steve harrington.

"well i wouldn't exactly call picturing you in my dreams every night posters, but it's close enough i guess."

it's gutsy, it's brash, it's too forward for a tuesday morning but steve started it. he hears a shaky exhale on the other end of the line and lets out a chuckle. it feels like they're playing chess and there's no clear cut winner quite yet but if the match ends in a tie, eddie can't exactly say he'd be upset about it.

"i tell you what," steve says in an almost airy voice. "in exchange for giving me my user name, i'll give you my number and you can use it to see me in something other than your dreams tonight."

"...are you bribing me, harrington?"

"is it working?"

eddie takes in a deep breath and thinks about what possible plans he could have with the username 'steveharrington' that would amount to something better than taking the man himself out on a date with his phone number saved as a contact in his phone. he'd put a heart next to it and everything.

"of course it is."

the call drops away and it's quick enough for eddie to think everything that happened in the last 30 minutes could have been a fever dream but then there's three dots on the message thread and his hopeful heart starts to kick back into gear.

"213-555-5469. let me know when you've given up that username and i'll let you know when to pick me up. it's a win-win all around. turns out we each get to go a date with our celebrity crushes, how lucky is that?"

it's signed with a kissing face emoji and eddie's glad that he's sitting down when the last picture steve sends comes through. he's grinning in a way eddie's never seen before, blush high on his cheeks, sweaty shoulders and collarbones and pecs glinting in the early morning sun, and eddie thinks it's probably too early to be in love with someone but he's well on his way.

he texts the number he's sent without hesitation and without shaking hands this time. he signs the message with a black heart like it's a signature of it's own.

"lucky indeed."

[msmimundo]

God I just love how versatile Perryshmirtz is. They are enemies to best friends to lovers. They are hero x villain. They are affectionated sunshine x serious tsundere. They are forbidden romance. They are idiots in love. They are power couple. They have big size difference. They are different species. They are both traumatized. They have a dark relationship with their parents/the people that raised them. They have a dark relationship with the government. They are possesive. There's the whole situation with Peter and Lyla. They are protective. They are good parents. They like to fight each other. They will always be there for each other. They are both tired adults that could drink or smoke. None of their "first languages" is english. They are both males. They both cross dress. You can portray them as future transfem. They both have femenine qualities (Perry laying eggs... Doof having pitchy voice...). You can portray them as intersex/afab transmasc. They are both legally animals. Heinz is a man raised by animals. Perry is an animal raised by men. They are both workalcoholics. They are coworkers. Their jobs is to thwart each other. They like that job. They do stuff outside their job too. They keep hanging out after retirement. Perry falls into traps willingly. Heinz tries to make the traps fun and entertaining. They get sad when they don't see the other at work. They are misserable without the other. They are harsh with the other. They turn soft for the other. They get worried for the other. Like more shady stuff? You can focus on the enemies part of their relationship. You can focus on the interspecies part. You can focus on the age gap/experience part. You can focus on the bondage part. You can focus on the agent and criminal aspect. You can do 2nd D Doof x Platyborg instead. You can drop that animal on fucked up situations. You can drop that man on fucked up situations. You can not give them a happy ending. You can do a major character death. Like lighter stuff? You can focus on the best friends part. You can focus on the idiots in love part. You can make them domestic. You can make them understand each other's trauma. You can make them help heal each other. You can make them be flirty with each other. You can make them be silly at work. You can make them hang out after work. You can make Heinz quit being evil. You can make Perry defend Heinz from authorities. You can make them take care of the other when they are sick (canon on Perry's part so far btw). You can make Perry rescue Doof when he is in trouble (Lost in Danville episode). You can make OWCA ask Doof to rescue Perry(Doof to the rescue comic). You can make them remember and celebrate the others birthday. You can make them a happy family. You can give them a happy ending. There's still stuff you wanna change? No problem! Heinz can build an inator to solve it. Heinz could turn into Doofapus for same species stuff. Perry could turn into a human for same species stuff. They could use an inator to be the same age. They could use an animal translator (if you don't wanna write Perry doing ASL). They could swap bodies for funny shenanigans. They could use an inator to get inside the other's mind. There's also AUs! 2nd Dimension AU. Doof n Puss AU. Steampunk AU. Frankenstein Perry AU. Star Wars AU. Medieval AU. Wizard of oz AU. You can continue Doof 101 timeline. You can continue OWCA Files timeline. You can invent Professor Time timeline. And of course, you can always use fanon AUs! You can do Human Perry. You can do Ocelot Heinz. You can do reverse species. You can do reverse personalities. You can do evil sidekick Perry. You can do good sidekick Heinz. You can even make Phineas and/or Ferb turn into Heinz's evil scientist apprentice for fun adventures!

There's literally so many things you can do with them, so many situations you can put them through!

[arget-star]

some Dad!Sakura thoughts based off this ask :) (written with f!reader in mind!)

tw: mentions of pregnancy, having a child

-It takes a LOOOOOONG time for Sakura to not immediately shrug off the idea of fatherhood. The number of (positive) father figures in his life is 0, nor did he ever imagine himself as being a dad.

-When he does come to terms with the idea, it scares the absolute shit out of him. What do you mean he'll be entrusted with the care and raising of a tiny baby?

-This man is literally ?????? for most of your pregnancy. Doesn't understand why you're craving ice cream and pizza at 3am but he'll make damn sure you get what you want some how, some way. Grumbles a little as he's putting his shoes on and gives you an extra peck on the forehead when he comes back home. (Asks his friends for advice a lot. Will deny it if confronted. You are frequently sending thank you texts to everyone.)

-Secretly loves it when you silently plop your feet in his lap for a massage. Nearly combusts the first time he feels the baby kick. Always asks before putting a hand on your belly (dummy) and in fact turns a charming shade of pink when he does.

-Sakura.exe stops working the first time he holds his baby. Just stares at this itty bitty little face and prays to whoever is listening that baby's hair and eye color is normal. (Even if baby inherits Sakura's heterochromia, he will teach them how to fight/defend themselves and you bet your ass any snot nosed bullies will have Sakura to deal with.) ("Sakura you cannot beat up a six year old." "They made our baby cry! Where's their dad?")

-All jokes aside, Sakura really is such a loving dad. No, he doesn't always handle situations correctly and he gets frustrated easily, especially early on, but his baby will never go a day doubting they are loved and in a safe environment. Sakura raises his voice to be heard over a tantrum one (1) time and feels like the world's worst father. Apologizes to baby, to you, to baby again. Once baby is calmed down, you then calm down your husband who has not said a word since The Incident.

-He will do anything--anything--for his child(ren). Never passes up a chance to say he loves them or he's proud of them.

-(It's not uncommon for Sakura and your little one to play fight around the house. Until one of them breaks a lamp and you forbid them from roughhousing inside)

[anbaisai]

Jamimayu Genie AU

(I’ll likely come back to this idea and make doodles in the future but writing it down now so I remember…)

AU where Jamil’s the genie in a lamp that Mayu discovers, but she’s frustratingly unable to decide on any wishes on the spot so she simply asks him to keep her company until she can decide. (He’s 🙄 about this because he just wants to get it over with so he can return to the comforting solitude of his lamp, but he doesn’t let it show)

She ends up taking him on many random trips to different places together and he goes from being super annoyed that she’s wasting his time ➡️ “Ok this isn’t bad.” He got the chance to see so many sights that he couldn’t have on his own, being trapped in a lamp that was collecting dust inside some forgotten vault. The original plan was to manipulate her into wasting her wishes but… maybe that can wait.

Until the day comes where Mayu finally settles on something for her first wish, and he feels his heart drop because if there’s one, then there’ll be a second and a third, and then what? Is he never going to see her again after the inevitable? (She wonders why he doesn’t seem that happy about her finally making a wish.)

Aaand the (cliche) twist is that she still doesn’t really want anything, but she enjoyed her time with him so much that she wants to repay him with the chance to be free and travel on his own. It's not fair that he's stuck going only wherever she chooses to! She’s sneakily spending her wishes on him to set up her third and final wish for his freedom, so it goes something like:

Mayu: For my first wish I’d like a large sum of money, enough for an individual to live comfortably for several decades ☝️ Jamil: …Uncharacteristically materialistic of you, but I suppose it can be done.  Mayu: Okay! And for my second wish I need some very talented and shady connections that can produce me any documentation I need with 100% legitimacy that no official will ever suspect 🙂 and maybe also be capable of altering government records (This is the part where she makes friends with Azul/Octavinelle) Jamil:  Jamil: What the actual hell are you planning.

When she finally makes that third wish for his freedom, she just hands over the bank details and his definitely-not-fake ID and documents (all under his new name that he chose during a random “hypothetical” conversation they had at one point about what he’d like his name to be if he could have one) and tells him the truth, and that he should be all set up and ready to go for a while! And he’s so baffled, but once he gets over the initial shock he sighs and awkwardly tells her that he’d… still like to stay by her side 😌

[bikananjarrus]

feel a little insane when i think about hera falling in love with kanan.

like. kanan is intrigued by her and attracted to her from the beginning. i mean he's into her from the second he hears her voice. and he's known her a few days max, and he's already thinking to himself, "looking at her in the pilot's chair now, he determined he'd follow her anywhere." like okay lover boy!!!!!

but hera is on a mission when she meets him. and at first, she didn't even intend to recruit him, much less to get to know him, even as a friend: "people with the will to stand up to the empire were worth knowing. but then she remembered that this wasn't a recruiting trip. she needed to keep after her objective. maybe in the next lifetime, pal."

but when things shift and she sees a different side to kanan that has her reconsidering bringing him on board, she knows that he's into her. she knows that he's flirting, and she lets it slide, because she thinks he'll get over it: "he was smitten with her, she could tell - and she was all right with that too. she didn't want to tell him that her war had already begun, and that in war, there was no time for anything else. he would probably understand that eventually."

she makes it very clear that she isn't looking for intimate companionship, that he's being brought on as crew, and nothing more. for her the mission comes first. which also makes it very clear that she never meant to fall for him. but she did!!!

the mission, the fight, the rebellion is still first for her, of course. and from conversations they have in rebels, it seems like hera never let herself think very much about a definitive future for them (because how can they plan for a safe and happy and secure future when the empire is still in power?).

but she opened up to him, opened her heart to him, even after all the personal heartbreak she's already been through. even just becoming friends with him, when he was just supposed to be a helping hand. i doubt it took much for kanan to move from physical attraction to real true feelings for her. but for hera that must have been so much harder to let herself fall. especially when she never meant to fall for him in the first place. and thinking about how hard she must have fallen for him, to get to the point where she would enter a relationship with him in the midst of wartime.

and for them to have built such a strong friendship, in order to then enter such a profound, trusting, intimate, loving partnership. from rebels, we can tell they're equals. they communicate with each other incredibly well; they trust each other; they know that the other is competent and capable.

and i just think that hera finding her person, realizing she's fallen in love with him, and then allowing herself to be in love with him, is just so special and beautiful.

(also thinking about how it took strength and bravery for her to put her heart on the line like that, to fall for him so deeply, and then to have that torn away from her but we don't need to talk about that)

[lillotte17]

Mythal thoughts this morning:

Morrigan said that the "closest" word for the kind of spirit Mythal came from was 'Benevolence' and my immediate reaction was:

Because even her idea that 'when kindness is denied it becomes retribution' doesn't really hold water. That's...not really how kindness works. I would think that a spirit formed around the idea of benevolence would have the same sort of path as Compassion if it became corrupted. Something more like Desperation or Despair.

To me, the idea that seems to fit her is Protection.

Protection is good! It's a feeling and impulse born from kindness and a desire to take care of others! It is also one of the oldest and most primary emotions people have. Desire and Fear came into being, and then Protection must have followed soon after. Because what else can you feel when someone you love is afraid? And a universal symbol for that feeling is a mother guarding her children, which is what Mythal always touted herself as being. "She was the Mother, protective and fierce." The Caretaker calls her 'the protector'. And the name of Solas' regret that you have to fight about her is called 'Fall of the Protector.'

But protection pushed too far becomes overbearing and oppressive. Controlling. 'Just do what I say, this is for your own good.' The cat who eats her kittens so they don't starve. The mother who breaks a precious golden mirror to teach her daughter a lesson.

Solas was Wisdom. He wanted to learn and to teach and to reflect, but even as a spirit, I think he wanted to give his knowledge purpose, and it suits him that he would be drawn to an embodiment of Protection. He could share what he knows and she could use it to keep others safe, and they will both find fulfillment in the exchange. It was mutually beneficial for them, and it was helping other people. A kind of symbiosis and even dependency, to some extent.

And then Elgar'nan makes a body. And he convinces Mythal to do so as well. And it's all downhill from there.

But you can see the thread of how Protection could convince Solas as that kind of spirit, not only as his friend, but because of what she embodies. For example, “it’s not wrong to build bodies from the titans, it gives us strength to protect ourselves and others” and “it’s not wrong to sever the titans' dreams, we’re protecting our people by ending the war” and “it’s not wrong to become a god, because the people need someone to watch over them.” Every bad step she asks him to take with her still echoes with the purpose of her original being, even though it is being pushed to harsh and terrible extremes.

Solas being Wisdom sees how she is wrong, but also doubts his convictions because protection is her nature. They have had a mutually beneficial partnership for thousands of years. He relies on her for fulfillment of his nature just as much as he believes she still relies on him for hers. And he loves her. And he trusts her. And for so many thousands of years, she has wanted to do nothing but good, so what she wants can’t be THAT bad, right?

Narrator Voice: It was, in fact, Much Worse.

And everything spins outward. He is Wisdom and he is a spirit, and spirits don't handle sudden change well, and Wisdom does not handle being wrong well, and the more things fall apart, the more he has to try and fix them. The more he has to justify the choices he made as being right. The more he has to defend the idea and the memory of Mythal being Inherently Good. Because if she wasn't good, then he put his trust in the wrong place. He was not Wise. He has lost not only Mythal, but himself and his true nature in allowing her to lead him to horrible places even when he knew better. He has to make the world the way she wanted it not only to soothe his conscience about what happened to the elves after the Veil, but because he is still clinging to the base of his initial partnership with Mythal. Mythal wanted the world this way because she was Good, and I was helping her which made me Good, and anything I have to do to achieve this goal is Acceptable because the results are Good. He can do what they have always done together. He will give his Wisdom for what she wanted to achieve, and the people will be Protected. Their contract and their natures will be fulfilled. And maybe everything else he did can be justified, even if it cannot be forgiven.

[mikaikaika]

hey so like. the thought of trLukey's reaction lsPangi returning to the realm still covered in blood 👀

Essie... I have so many brain worms.... About trLukey seeing his beloved guard dog covered in blood. Anytime Pangi goes on any bloodthirsty arc (see : ball 2), Lukey is his number one supporter. Watching Pangi go feral fills Lukey with so much giddiness which we can clearly tell by the amount of fondness he told the ball 2 story to lstr Pangi post amnesia.

At first, Lukey's reaction would be panic. He freezes, thoughts going haywire - similar to when Pangi was hurting while testing the cure. But once he's assured, Pangi is okay - they fall back into their same rhythms.

Expect it's slightly different. When Pangi comes back he's a little more on edge, more alert, rougher around the lines. Pangi’s shoulders are tighter, how he flinches before relaxing when Lukey speaks, how his fingers twitch toward his axe at the smallest shift in the wind.

And Lukey never retreats, he engages. So he teases and he pulls at Pangi's string, not just because he loves toying with chaos but because it's also their familiarity. Because he wants to test the waters. And because he wants to see how far the new edge goes. Smiling at the threats he receives, giggling at the growls.

"That’s the fourth time you’ve reached for your axe when I walked in,” Lukey giggles settling in his chair. “At this point, just swing man. I'm starting to think you're weak"

But at the end of its always about meeting Pangi in the middle. Saying, I know you’re more dangerous now, and I’m not scared. I’m still playing this game, if you are. Because no matter how sharp Pangi gets, Lukey will always lean closer.

[a-most-beloved-fool]

For the ask prompt game...

Spirk #17 to distract

"Report," Kirk ordered. The word buzzed low against Spock's ear, quiet and audibly tense.

"Less than two minutes until they reach our location, Captain," Spock replied promptly. "Commander Scott will need at least another eight before the transporter is operable again." His voice was equally hush, despite their perceived solitude. He had seen carelessness take far too many lives during his time in Starfleet; he would not allow it to take his captain as well - and, illogically, Spock could not quite dispense of the phantom sensation of eyes on the back of his neck.

"We'll need to bluff it," Kirk decided, looking grim.

His gaze was strangely intense against Spock, full of rioting emotion, and, almost, Spock wished to look away. He did not. Instead, he nodded, holding steady eye contact.

The odds, Spock knew, that Kirk's gambit - whatever it may be - would succeed were... poor. The guards had, after all, seen their faces. But Kirk would keep fighting right until the bitter end, and Spock, of course, would be right beside him.

Solemn, he vowed, "I shall follow your lead," though he knew Kirk would not have doubted it. Still, the unnecessary words were well worth the way the tension around Kirk's eyes melted away, the somber set of his mouth slipping instead into a golden-edged smile.

Almost wonderingly, a soft chuckle fell from those lips, incongruous in their surroundings and entirely treasured. "What would I do without you?" Kirk asked, reaching up to exert gentle pressure on Spock's bicep.

I pray you never need find out, Spock made to say, getting only so far as drawing in breath before the sound of distant footsteps drew them both from their quiet moment, snuffing the words before they could take shape. "Eighteen seconds," he said instead, after rapidly adjusting his calculations. Faster than anticipated.

Kirk nodded, some unreadable emotion hiding in the soft crease between his brows.

"Forgive me, Mr. Spock," Kirk said softly, and Spock did not have time to question what he meant before Kirk was pulling him down by his shirt, dragging their lips together with great urgency.

Quite suddenly, Spock found that his mind was entirely blank. Strange heat flickered through his whole form, and his universe narrowed to only Kirk, all soft and human-warm, who was pressed flush to his chest and kissing him.

One, then two seconds stuttered by in which Spock thought no thoughts at all, struck utterly motionless in the face of such unexpected attentions. He only felt, swept away by the sensation of pliant lips against his own and warm fingers stroking through his hair, gently mussing.

The very first thought to break to the surface was simply, Jim. A wave of emotion flooded in with it, astonishment and affection sweeping over him in such quantities that he felt nearly lightheaded.

The second was, We will be caught, and Spock jolted as something near to panic rose up inside his gullet, urging him to take Jim into his arms and run.

The third, however, was not his own; it was pressed into his katra from the outside by Jim's careful fingers, his clever mind slipping easily past Spock's shields. Play along, he said, projecting deliberate calm through their connection. Still, Jim was unpracticed in telepathic arts, and beneath that false serenity Spock could feel a tangle of guilt and determination, bitter and writhing.

The truth came to Spock in one fell swoop.

Jim's gambit... was this.

His lips and his hands, which pressed themselves so tenderly to Spock's skin, were not for him.

It was not love which had drawn his captain into his arms, but mere utility. Jim had realized what Spock had not: though they could not hide themselves, they could, perhaps, distract from themselves.

Two men attempting to look inconspicuous would only draw suspicion. Two men locked in a romantic embrace, however, may be overlooked - or even deliberately ignored. Few were comfortable with looking closely at the private passions of strangers, and fewer still would see reason to. Those searching for them, Spock hoped, would not. There would be no logic in halting an escape attempt solely for a kiss, after all.

Therefore, in order to escape unnoticed, they must be convincing.

They must seem, to any observers, to be completely and entirely immersed in one another, with no care for anything going on in their surroundings, and no fear of discovery.

Two lives, purchased with a kiss.

It was entirely logical, then, for Spock to part his lips, inviting Jim's tongue to dip inside of the wet cave of his mouth and meeting it with his own. If a groan rumbled deep within his chest, it could surely only help their cause; there was no need to swallow it down.

This disguise would, Spock observed as Jim's tongue flicked gently at his mouth, be far easier to maintain than it had any right to be.

It was a terribly simple matter for a man in love to behave as though he were a man in love.

The difficult part, then, would be remembering that it was a ruse. Already, heat bubbled deep within Spock, aching want suffusing his every neuron. Every faint brush of flesh sent golden tendrils of telepathic energy sparking across his skin, and it was all Spock could manage to hold himself back from pressing hungry fingers to Jim's meldpoints and sinking into that wonderfully enticing mind.

Instead, Spock slipped a hand beneath the hem of Jim's shirt, rucking up the cloth until he was tracing patterns across a smooth expanse of golden skin. He flexed his hand, allowing his nails to scratch carefully along Jim's spine, and did not permit himself to consider reaching upwards, to Jim's face - or worse: downwards, beyond the waistband of his pants.

He wondered if Jim would have chosen this, had he known how very much Spock wanted.

Perhaps it was selfish of Spock to allow it.

Still, he could not force himself away - not when Jim's life was at stake. The kiss was his lifeline, and so the kiss must remain.

The touch of their minds, however, did nothing to aid Jim. It was solely for Spock's benefit, taken from Jim without his knowledge or intent.

That, Spock could end.

If Jim was to unknowingly place himself into the hands of someone who wanted more than he would wish to give, then Spock would take it upon himself to be his protector - even if the one he must protect against was himself.

And so, Spock opened himself to every offered touch, and girded his mind against every stray thought, until not a single wisp of golden energy could find its way past his defenses.

When Jim's thigh nudged its way between Spock's legs, Spock spread his stance wider, allowing him to press closer, and did not let himself feel. His hands grasped and squeezed at the soft flesh beneath them, drawing quiet gasps from a pink-flushed throat, and no pleasant hum buzzed against his fingertips, carrying with it the flavor of human emotion. Jim nipped at his lips and pet at his hair, and Spock pressed every scrap of yearning deep down within himself to where they couldn't emerge.

Eyes closed and spirit aching, Spock kissed him.

_____________

from this ask game

[stephexmachina]

https://www.tumblr.com/stephexmachina/780723426815082496/tim-and-damian-need-to-go-back-to-hating-each <- could i very kindly ask you to elaborate ? im. Very Interested :P

so the short answer is that i need those two to be at each other's throats for my own entertainment 🙏😌

and the long answer is that i truly believe what's missing from the modern batfamily is the awareness that familial bonds are incredibly complex.

viewing someone as a family member does not automatically translate to being close to them emotionally. for many, many people, "family" means the opposite – it's something that binds you to people you wouldn't otherwise have chosen. the batfamily is NOT a found family because not all of the bats chose each other!! tim didn't choose jason or damian; dick only chose tim and bruce; cass only really chose bruce and babs; and damian took a long time to warm up to even dick. nevertheless, they have each other now, and they make the best of it.

that nuance is largely missing from rebirth. nowadays, someone is included in the batfamily and suddenly they have to have equally positive and meaningful bonds with everyone. two characters are family, thus in the eyes of the writers and the fans they must necessarily be ride-or-die. they have to willingly hang out together and enjoy each other's company. if they bicker it has to be light-hearted and they have to forgive each other afterwards. eugh.

and the thing is that this wasn't always the case!! the appeal of the preboot batclan to me was that their bonds weren't all homogenous. there was no central batfamily unit. take tim. he considered dick to be his brother, but the concept of brotherhood wasn't transitive – jason and damian weren't his brothers initially, they were the brothers of his brother, just as bruce wasn't his father but the father of his brother. those bonds came about much, much later.

damian, on the other hand, considered dick his batman before he truly considered him a brother – his understanding of family was firmly rooted in blood and heritage. cassandra was much closer to steph and babs than she was to any of her brothers, and dick was much closer to the titans than he was to either jason or cass. jason's hang-ups with his family predominantly revolved around bruce, who was unquestionably his father, and to a lesser extent dick, who was more or less his brother. the batfamily did not exist before jason died and it wasn't really something that factored into his thinking.

damian as i see him is significantly closer to dick than to anyone else in the batclan, and he is much closer to steph and duke than he is to jason, cass, or tim. and what interests me most about his and tim's dynamic is that it has always been a matter of competition. from day one they were vying for attention, acknowledgement, and security— particularly when it came to dick.

tim and damian will never be each other's favourite brother, and they shouldn't be. the most compelling thing about their dynamic imo is that they don't like each other, but they share a deeply meaningful bond with the same brother. and in two people with a history of viewing love as a finite resource, the fact of this commonality should realistically put them in direct opposition to each other. we saw a microcosm of this with the robin feud, and we're expected to believe it would simply get better with time, but i honestly wish it hadn't.

which isn't to say that i don't think tim and damian should care about each other!! in my eyes they care about each other the way you care about people who are yours, for better or for worse. but the fact of their being brothers is only one facet of their dynamic, not the determiner, and under certain circumstances it could even serve to drive them further apart.

[threemoonwatchers]

I used to clown on the way Secretkeeper’s realization of Moon’s powers was written as “Secretkeeper makes eye contact with her newborn baby and immediately assumes psychic powers and the funniest part about all this is that she’s right” but honestly?

Maybe Moon’s gaze is just THAT intense. You look her in the eyes and you can just TELL that something’s different about her. You might not be quite sure what it is, but I’d imagine the feeling you get is quite similar to Clearsight’s description of Whiteout’s gaze, where somehow you get the feeling she’s seen deeper into your very soul than even you have.

Then she looks away and you’re left wondering why you ever thought such a thing.

But also on the flip side, imagine BEING Moon in this situation???

Imagine having a gaze so intense that your mom clocks you as the first mind reader hatched in TWO MILLENNIA pretty much the moment you’re born.

But your mother is ALSO trying to make sure nobody ELSE clocks that so you can have a normal life.

She probably tells you to “keep your head down,” and you KNOW she means figuratively, but every time you think about the way she always says she’d at least SUSPECTED that you could read minds the moment she locked eyes with you, you’re not sure you want to take the risk of “locking eyes” with anyone else.

So you keep your head down, not even sparing anyone a glance, even as the thoughts of your peers grow ever more bitter and hateful and they tease you (some may even do more than tease) but you tell yourself it’s worth it, at least for the closest thing to acceptance you’ll ever have.

[spacetimeaccordionfolder]

singin' in the rain, just singin' in the rain

[gomzdrawfr]

I'm curious

[anbaisai]

i've been wanting an idol au since book 5 🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️ let's pray that syder gets attached to this concept just as she did with the mermayu one and starts posting about band au (jamil and leona already mentioned; overblot band, maybe?) with mayu stan ✨✨✨

HELP jkfdsfjdskl 😭 idol AU's always a classic and I too have been hit with the brainworms before... I actually have too many AUs to count (many in the basement rn) but UHHH have a tiiiny sneak peek into my thoughts for idol AU jamimayu:

Jamil and Mayu were long time friends/childhood friends before he became an idol, she was already quite familiar with his passion for singing & dancing

His talent got scouted one day and he wasn't entirely sure about taking up the offer, but Mayu encouraged him to go for it, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity after all

Fast forward several years and he's now successful and widely loved by fans across the world, his family and friends are very proud of him

The one downside is he hardly has time to see Mayu anymore, he's always either too busy or somewhere else across the globe for tour

Even when he does want to spend time with his friend, he has to go out of his way to hide his tracks for both his own and her safety

Sometimes he wonders whether this really was the right decision, but quitting right now isn't really an option - he's signed a contract, plus his family also needs him to keep his career

Mayu on the other hand has ancient merch of his from his debut days that he gave her (worth quite a lot now, but she keeps them all safely stored away), but to most people she pretends she doesn't know him personally whatsoever, totally just an old fan from early days

Jamil also either never mentions her existence in interviews (for obvious reasons) or is very very vague about it, phrased in a way that only he and people who know would know

She attends whatever concerts she can to support him, but she also has her own life to attend to and can't make it to all of them

Nevertheless, his eyes search for her in the crowd out of habit sometimes

And if you're really clever, you might pick up very specific references in songs he wrote lyrics for...