#it'd be weird if she interacted with characters

[momentokori]

Hehe

Heheheh

Uhm,,yeahhh

She communicates through songs, not just the lyrics though. The lyrics sometimes help but they don't always convey exactly how she feels. S slow song to show she's tired, an upbeat one to show she's in a good mood. Etc.

She uses instrument sounds to, well to make sounds. A sigh, a yawn, a yell, etc. All made by a random instrument. You hear a loud blaring trombone sound? She's got something to say!!

You ask, Kori? Why the fuck is there a whole rest? When she's really upset she just goes quiet. She won't make a single sound until she feels better. Not even a squeak of a clarinet.

I feel like this was the best way to convey myself. I mostly just sing songs all day anyways. And while I only know the notes to a flute I know how to play other instruments. Ik it's stupid but like I said, the best way to convey myself.

[welcometogrouchland]

ANOTHER SKETCH DUMP! Featuring more of me playing with lineless art. Batman reborn era trio (dick, damian and steph) I miss you...when will you return from war. Also featuring Steph designs bc I've seen ppl dissatisfied w/ her current look, some good mom Talia, and Jason Todd poetry club. Duke is confused not that Jason would start a poetry club but that he'd have such mid poetry opinions. (ID in Alt)

[bumblingbabooshka]

AU where the Alter Ego storyline takes place over a longer period of time (The Harry-Tuvok portions stay the same in content but maybe we delve a little deeper into both of them and their burgeoning friendship when given more time...but this post isn't about that!) and Tuvok comes out as trans (not in those words) to Marayna while thinking she's just a hologram. Marayna is not trans but she resonates deeply with the loneliness she senses from Tuvok (just as she did originally) and the feeling Tuvok expresses of being 'stuck' the way you are for a multitude of reasons despite it slowly making you more and more miserable. In the alpha quadrant being a man made Tuvok a 'Husband' and 'Father' for decades - roles that have brought fulfilment. Now, alone, what does it bring? Tuvok asserts that Marayna can change, she can return to her people. She doesn't have to just bear it. "What about you, Tuvok?" she asks. The Lieutenant has no answer....things will surely remain as they've always been. Tuvok doesn't know how to change them now. Is it even worth it to change them? Tuvok's not as bad off as the emotional Marayna. There's no need to change. Why rock the boat unnecessarily, because of a (decades long deep-seated) whim? Marayna is later able to sporadically contact Tuvok somehow (she's traveling instead of being among her own people) which leads to them finally meeting up in some alien virtual space. Marayna uses the 'Marayna' (not her real name) model so Tuvok can quickly identify her and Tuvok uses a Default Vulcan Model...the fact that the model is female was sheer coincidence. It was just the first one that popped up and Tuvok doesn't care either way. Obviously. The two of them have a wonderful time observing the alien program - standing apart from the crowd but also being together. Tuvok begins spending more and more free time in the program even when Marayna isn't there. Eventually, on the last day the program can be activated (Voyager's moving out of range) after saying goodbye to Marayna Tuvok's noticed by an alien and spends the rest of the night talking with them. The alien doesn't know Tuvok and acts as if they're speaking to any other woman. When asked for a name, Tuvok says "T'Vok." Immediately afterward, Voyager goes out of range. Tuvok stares at the ceiling. Meditates. It was the same as going undercover. Nothing has changed. Nothing. That night the Vulcan dreams of someone: That fuzzy childhood-static-filled image of herself as an adult...as a woman. Waking up, Tuvok meditates again - this time not seeking to accept and overcome (as a Vulcan normally would) but to repress, erase. 'It is unnecessary' Tuvok repeats, erasing her yet again.

What if Tuvok was a closeted trans woman and the episode 'Alter Ego' got a whole lot sadder

[lurker2773]

Characterization for the Hex if the Operator were sent back instead of the Drifter

I like to think about what 1999 could have been if the Lotus sent the Operator back to follow Entrati and not the Drifter. I know it makes the most sense from a character development standpoint to send Drifter, but the Operator is a much more experienced and capable (lorewise) warframe combatant with countless years of practice under their belt - it'd have been equally pragmatic to send the Starchild to 1999 to make sure whatever needs to get done in there happens and have the drifter get trained up and acclimated to the Origin system where there are other tenno to rely on to make up for inexperience and general rookie-ness.

So instead of the Hex getting a grown-ass person with magic void powers from the future, they'd get to have a war veteran trauma child - bonus points if that child is nonverbal or refuses to speak directly to them, and the Hex have to interact with them through the KIM.

And also, consider that most players from a gameplay standpoint habitually keep their Operators cloaked to prevent them from getting shot once they leave their 'frames to do whatever - canonically, the Operator and Drifter don't have a time limit on cloak, I don't think. The Hex are basically never even going to see the kid, and that could be more terrifying. Imagine seeing a puppet version of what you could be, dangling from the strings of some invisible, intangible thing with superpowers and magic lasers coming out of their hands.

Imagine mid mission Arthur turns to look at the weird and mysterious time-travelling entity and just sees a collapsed Baruuk on it's knees or frozen completely still in a weird position before it suddenly zooms about thirty meters away midair and starts straightening itself back out again in ways that joints shouldn't move in before slamming into the ground and rushing headlong into a crowd of Scaldra to 'build melee combo,' whatever the hell the demon child means by that.

Here's the meat of the post, though - the Hex (and newcomers like Flare and Kaya) can play the Context(TM) game like they do with Drifter through KIM and slowly piece together that this is a magical child soldier with a bodycount larger than all the people they've ever collectively laid eyes on, and then react in interesting ways that would lend interesting characterization.

Eleanor and Arthur would be horrified, probably, and Arthur might start talking down to the Operator because it's 'just some kid' who's clearly in over their head. Most of it's concern, but I think some small amount would be bruised pride - how could some kid be better at killing than a trained soldier?

Aoi would be heartbroken at the revelation that their new ally is a child soldier - how could anyone let that happen to them? How sick do you have to be to make children kill whoever the government pointed at with techno-organic corpses?

And Quincy would definitely be fucked up in the head for a few days after he figures it out - that could open up some opportunities for more characterization given his soft spot for kids. Would he try to keep up his aloof act, like he does with the Drifter, or immediately discard it to try and comfort a child that has already made peace with their ridiculous capacity for murder?

Amir might do something similar to Arthur, but more patronizing than hostile - he means well, but this is a kid. If Amir himself feels out of his depth in the current situation and he's an adult, then surely a child would feel even worse than he does about killing a person.

I think Lettie would be the most chill of the original Hex, though. She's jaded enough that she'd be concerned, but would probably decide that it's not really any of her business - especially considering just how talented the Operator is at mass homicide.

Velimir and Minerva could also be really interesting. On the one hand, they could see little bits of Rusalka in the Operator, but that could also lead to coddling or 'replacement goldfish'-like behavior not unlike how I imagine Amir's reaction would have been.

Flare would have been the first to know. One wayward comment from Lizzie calling the Operator demon-child or something of the like, and they'd have put it together pretty quickly after that.

Kaya would just be glad there's someone else who understands being underestimated by older people just because they're younger.

[crushedsweets]

Love Bonnie interacting with Toby and Kate, curious on how she'd act with the others. Sorry if this sort of ask was answered before!

You guys flatter me too much . I will self indulgent talk under the cut

ok i havent really thought THAT hard about bonnie in Creeped because 1. i only put her in self-insert OC worlds with my friends 2. she's not that interesting to interact with 3. i'm putting her in place of the hypothetical Y/N i wouldve done for a Creeped visual novel (not dating sim...just visual novel LOL) ....maybe i'll redo this with the ghost bride bonnie i made for a slender mansion AU? she's a lot more interesting

HOWEVER. i think with the main cast it could be kinda funny. cuz bonnies just kinda weird and awkward and difficult to talk to. she's so quick to just go right home.

with Nina, i could see nina fawning over bonnie a little. "your hair color is so pretty do you know how many girls at the salon would kill for this?" "oh my god where did you get that top" "smell my perfume do you like it let me spray you!". bonnie would get overwhelmed and unsure if nina is making fun of her or being genuine, BUT i think the second nina's like "oh yeah im from california too" bonnies like ! OK WE R LIKE THE SAME ! i could see bonnie inviting nina out to a cafe to study but ninas writing fanfic the entire time (unbeknownst to bonnie). bonnie would get along the best with nina, on account of them both being friendly girls with similar interests

With clocky. bonnie would 1000% frequent the restaurant clocky works at, always order the same stack of pancakes, and nothing else comes from it. clocky would be alright with her cuz bon tips well + cleans up her table before leaving (mom was a server so she developed the habit + she's nervous about being a bad guest LOL). BUT . as you can see in the pic. i think it'd be funny if bon immediately called camila(my friends oc) and started going on about "oh my god you wouldve fucking loved my server she was so tall dude come visit me im gonna make you come here" and walked past clocky with a coat so she didnt even realize it was her. dumbass

bonnie would have 0 reason to interact with jack... but bonnie has her issues with ghosts that land her freaking out in forests trying to get away from them. and she'd freak the fuck out if she saw jack, cuz bonnies anxiety/nerves/paranoia is already maxxed out all the time. now imagine a 6'7 grey man in an ominious mask being the only person youve seen in your involuntary hike through the woods after having ghosts swear theyre gonna kill you. shes gonna throw up

she'd have 0 reason to talk to jeff too. they would never be in similar circles(not that bonnie really Has a circle), but. i like the idea of them constantly coincidentally getting stuck on the same train/bus and it being hell on earth. for her, at least. he dgaf. maybe he had plans to kill her one night and started following her and something went wrong and he gave up. dunno

i legit struggle to get in-depth with bonnie and crp characters cuz she's just. so not in their realm. she legit just exists and has bad ghost shit happen to her and is like Guys this is really unfair.

[thistlerock]

Okay Fantasy High webtoon. I fuck w/ you. (I've read the three free eps so far so this is only about those.)

It made me laugh a few times and I generally found it pleasant, and even if there's some design choices I don't super agree with the art IS very charming. I also enjoyed the composition a lot it's just nice to look at. I can't super tell if I'd be as into this if I was a new fan coming in or of I'm just excited because I love Fantasy High (gonna have my girlfriend tell me /hj) but I personally really liked it :)

Minor lore differences I noticed is that Penny went missing quite recently? When originally she'd been missing for the longest iirc? Also Torek was already AT Agueford with the skater dwarves rather than being a middle schooler at this point. Ultimately neither of these should affect the plot much just noticed that.

Speaking of plot, I like that we follow Riz!! He's really fun and being focused on the character focused on the mystery is probably the most useful for a comic (though I'm assuming we'll eventually also follow the other Bad Kids more like with the Fabian and Adaine cutaways and I'm also looking forward to that). I was initially a little put off by the fact we skip everyone but Riz's introductions, but it would have been awkward in comic form to give everyone a turn like in actual play, and I think they handled it nicely and the characterisation in their respective first scenes is still clear and good. So far we haven't seen much of Adaine but I assume we're gonna get more about her (and Fig, and Kristen — though Kristen's whole deal is already pretty clear with just one scene, lmao) in later chapters.

My one gripe that I think is worth mentioning here so far is that I kind of hoped Penny and Sam would look closer to their The Seven designs! But I also understand that those are more complex than their original ones, and they shouldn't look like main characters or whatever. Just personally kinda awe-ed at it.

Other super minor changes include Kristen and Gorgug instant bestism?? Hello? Give me more. Also Gorgug and Fabian's fight was slightly more elaborate I think? Which was cool! (Reminds me that I'm curios to see how combat is portrayed, seems fun.) Though I will mourn the loss of "hey you seem pretty non-violent-" "I got into a rage."

A less minor change is that Gorgug made the tin flower himself? I think his mum just gave it to him originally. I'm gonna assume he doesn't start out multiclassing that'd be kinda insane (though I also find it interesting that in this format you don't technically have to tell us what level they are. And I'm curious to see how faithful to dnd mechanics this is gonna be. Personally I think it'd be fun to be very meta or not meta at all, but weird in-betweens tend to be awkward.), but it's cool he already tinkers. Maybe he becomes an artificer sooner in this? Or this is just setting up his eventual genius in building that cell tower or something similar? Idk. It's just nice to see him do the thing his parents also do. I also enjoy how Riz got detention in this version because it's delightfully cringe and gave me second hand embarrassment however I do find it interesting that this doesn't set up Ostentatia? Are we gonna meet her later or are we not gonna know her when she gets plot relevant? I could also see her and Fig having an interaction instead but idk, we'll see.

In general I'm curious as to how the plot is going to progress, because I think comic form makes it both easier to set up and follow and harder to make entertaining. Also there's a lot of dice motifs in the promotional art, do rolls ever get portrayed or is that for the aesthetic? If you read ahead already don't tell me I wanna find out myself lol.

So yeah my overall opinion is that I like it so far. Pleasantly surprised! It was really awesome to see all my favourite little guys repeatedly drawn, especially Ragh. If you know me you know I got so excited over Ragh aha. He's going through it right now but soon,,,soon he'll be perfect.

Anyway. Here's my favourite panels that I just HAD to screenshot and send to my friends on discord (or well some. Tumblr mobile has a ten image limit. I sent them about half the damn webtoon.)

Special shoutout to this one. How dare you do this to me. So sick and twisted.

ALSO WAS ZAYN ALWAYS SO. LIKE THIS??? WHO IS THIS TWINK. WHY IS HE STRUTTING. WHAT IS THAT BACK BEND INSTEAD OF TURNING AROUND LIKE A NORMAL PERSON. WHY IS HE WEARING LOW JEANS AND A BODYSUIT IN SCHOOL. CAN YOU HAVE SLUTTY HIP CUT OUTS IN SCHOOL I CANT?? (Obsessed w/ him)

I wrote this between four and five am after starting the webtoon at like. Three thirty. Any spelling mistakes are because I'm tired and not because I can't read Ragh style, I prommy. (Ragh is just dyslexic. Randomly placed headcanon, or whatever.)

[locke-esque-monster]

I got real nervous they were doing Lila x Five really early in the season. It wasn't even explicitly stated, it was just a feeling from how they were setting up and framing things. Lila disagreeing with Diego and going to talk to Five. Lila keeping secrets from Diego that Five knew about. The tension of Five covering for Lila to Diego. Lila's dissatisfaction with her relationship with Diego and asking for a break. Without actively being romantically into Five, it kept setting up the narrative for Lila to leave Diego and Five was all tied in with what she was going to as an alternative to Diego. Add that to the promo pics with them together - even having watched it later and avoided spoilers I had a real bad feeling where this was going long before 4x5. (Or at least avoided until I already had my theory - my phone helpfully suggested an article days before I got to 4x5. I was not pleased to say the least.)

But there's a lot of reasons I take issue with this pairing and how it was done, so Christ, I guess let's get started:

Five explicitly stated in season 3 that Lila is not his type.

Five murdered Lila's parents. Sure, on the Handler's orders. But you think it's easy to have a romantic relationship when you know those hands killed your parents (aka my biggest critique of Tony/Bucky shippers in the MCU).

Five is indirectly responsible for the Handler's death. He saved everyone but her when he time traveled back. Sure, Lila was upset with her, but this woman raised her. She's got to have some complicated feelings about that and Five is all wrapped up in them now.

Five also had a weird relationship with the Handler, where she was a little flirty with him, which was all kinds of uncomfortable. Lila briefly mimicked this in season 3, which was even more uncomfortable. It's unclear if this was deliberately copying her "mother" or not. But adding Five and the Handler's complicated relationship on top of the other issues means there's a whole carousel of baggage to unpack here.

Five has always seemed kind of annoyed or tolerant of Lila, which extended into early this season. It's maybe a hair kinder at the start of season 4, but definitely not where it should be if there's potential here. It'd be one thing if they were friends after 6 years, but their relationship hasn't substantially changed at the start of this season to suggest otherwise.

If you have to do an all musical montage to show 2 characters falling in love, I'm sorry, you're not doing this right. That's telling, not showing. These characters have had tons of interactions to build off of. If you can't do that, then you're effectively saying that you have no foundation for this relationship.

Also, if it takes 6 1/2 years of being each others sole companions under adverse conditions for you to get together - maybe you shouldn't be together. It's one thing if it's treated like "Finally" or "Oh I didn't think you also felt this way". It's another if it's like it's a new idea entirely - that suggests loneliness and a desire for companionship and they're you're only option.

Five's history includes him having a pseudo-romantic relationship with a mannequin when he's left alone in the apocalypse at 13. The next time he's separated from his family for years he's with Lila. I'll allow that it makes sense he developed feelings for her specifically because of his history. That said, that makes this a wholly unhealthy relationship when he has a history like that. Lila is filling a gap Five's psyche has clung to before in similar harrowing times.

Frankly, the fact Lila was first looking for excitement out of her home life and is now upset she can't get back to her family isn't a good headspace either. (I'm also deeply frustrated that Lila feels trapped at home. Lila is so capable and she has a buttload of family members who apparently can take their children on a whim during all this chaos. You're telling me she couldn't have found a better outlet to work on their marriage or get some freedom before it got to this point of lying to Diego?)

Five is volatile and Lila is unpredictable. They're nothing but a menace to practically every other character they meet, including each other. But once they're a couple, they're perfectly pleasant the whole time. I don't buy it. The only fight they have is when Five lied to her. I'm not saying they can't be sweet. But this is all sweetness. For me to buy this couple they need to lovingly bicker. Instead, they've both had personality transplants.

So they decide to go back to the greenhouse after 6 years 5 months and 2 days. Five admits to having the book 5 or 6 months on their 7th anniversary of being lost. Let's be generous and assume they kissed within a couple days of getting to the greenhouse, because they look reasonably settled. That means that best case, Five decided that after being in a relationship for less than 2 months, he was going to throw his whole family away and run away with Lila. That is a hell of a lot of commitment for a short relationship.

And keep in mind, it's not like their family is safe. Last they heard, they hadn't solved the Cleanse. So they're either actively in danger or dead. Five - The man who spent 45 years trying to save his family. Who survived decades in the apocalypse alone (minus Delores the mannequin) and murdered his way through time for the chance to get back and save them - is going to let his family die for a 2 month relationship. I call bullshit.

Also, I will give Five credit that he tried to stay on task during the fight with the Cleanse. He only seemed to fight in retaliation for Diego - he actively looked towards the fight at least once before Diego pulled his attention. But you're telling me he's ready to keep fighting Diego and is threatening to kill him over Lila? That his powers only work correctly after 7 years of having them back because Lila begged him? I once again call bullshit.

And Five was going off to mope alone and never come back and potentially let his family die from an active threat, all because Lila didn't pick him? That is not the Five I know.

I also feel like we maybe did all this arc to get Lila to the point where Five has to convince her to stay because no one else could even if she hates him for it, but still get her family on the train to get the planned ending. And that feels very clunky and I hate it.

Outside of plot lines - it is a bit disturbing to me that we're pairing up an actor whose barely an adult with a woman 15 years his senior - practically old enough to be his mother. This is a aside from the fact he's a what, 71 year old man internally at this point and Lila (if we assume even living at the commission she's a similar age to Diego) is in her early 40s by the time she kisses a physically mid-20s Five. There's so much about that I am not okay with I don't even know where to start.

I also hear the writers wanted a romance for Five. First, okay, then have a longer season. Develop a character for Five earlier on in the season or the show you can pair him with. God knows with that history and age issues it'll be tricky. But also frankly - why? Why does Five need a romantic love interest? He's been fueled by the love of his family and that's done so many impressive things out of love for them. Not everyone needs a romantic love of their life to find happiness and it feels very heteronormative (is that the word I want?) that we need to have that for Five. Give Five an apocalypse-free world and his family alive and then we can see what happiness he can find.

[timeslipcamp]

f the teachers tbh

literally from the prologue i was like what is this dude's deal....maybe it was just the discount gojo vibes or the 12 year old being in charge who knows. either way, i didn't trust them.

so let's get into that!

vague spoilers through ep 16

the prologue itself is insane enough, and then you walk onto an insane campus and up to the principal's office and then you find a literal CHILD who tells you that you will die in a year

bartender? i'll have what she's having

i did think nicolas was the hottest person in the game for a while though. and then you've got discount gojo and his ex boyfriend who was dead last year and then the assassination classroom substitute--

the teachers are just. so interesting. and shady. literally from the beginning something just felt odd, like the explanations about the ghouls that the chancellor was giving us just felt weird. the further it's gone on, the more i'm thinking that the faculty is in some way responsible for the clash and breaking up whatever good vibes the ghouls had in order to keep them disorganized and unable to unionize against the staff.

lmao can you imagine sinostra getting into union business

but i digress.

let's take a look at some of the times we've interacted with the staff and what led me to believe they would be the antagonists here.

nicolas was up first and i love him. honestly, if we have any allies on the staff, i'd put money on nicolas. he's a medical professional studying anomalous medicine and continues to be kind to yuri even though yuri is sooo bitchy to him. i love yuri lmao you hold that grudge babe.

he's been kind at every turn and does seem to be genuinely helping us. if he flips it'd be a hans from frozen level betrayal. (fun fact that was one of the ONLY characters i didn't catch ahead of time lmao. usually i'm pretty good at guessing but that one blindsided me. fuck you hans.)

i could see him going the way of him siding with the institution but only because he thought it was the right thing to do to help us. like we saw in mortkranken's more recent episode, the second he saw yuri was right, he full on supported us. so again, he might be on the institution's side for now, but if he sees that they're wrong and we're right, he'll flip.

so the second teacher we meet is hyde. he's pretty chill and 100% gives discount gojo and even kakashi vibes. i like him, honestly. if he goes the route of gojo and kakashi he's gonna come off as shady and then end up being on his students side, so. and like even with what we see between him and romeo and taiga, it doesn't feel malicious. it honestly just feels like he's trying to make money on the side 😂

i do love the taiga shovel talk though. if i'm being completely honest, i feel like he's at least partially eating the anomalies so romeo can't sell them to hyde. would love to know why he doesn't like hyde though. it's taiga's wariness and anger that keeps hyde on my shady list. that being said, i think the main reason taiga doesn't like hyde is because of romeo.

he's a real one for this though

but i think it's important to note that nicolas says there's no other teacher that cares more for the students than hyde. that's another reason, even after episode 16, that i still think hyde is on our side against the institution. i think he's playing both sides, and he's going to look shady until the end.

next is the chancellor.

what the hell is up with this dude

he looks like a child from genshin impact

but that's not why i don't trust him. in the beginning he seemed harmless enough, but given his reactions about the gala and ed and the way moby covered his mouth a few times...idk something isn't adding up. i don't have a solid motive or reason yet other than how the ghouls talk about the staff. we have rui, lyca, and sho all speaking openly about how they're bad and we should avoid telling them too much, their wack stances on imprisonment, etc; we have haku saying to just keep your head down and push through; we have one of them back from the dead and alan and tohma looking into it...the list goes on. it does seem to be more the institution rather than the faculty themselves but still

i don't trust them

zero idea what's going on with dante btw. how tf did he come back to life? is he a ghoul now too? hes hot though

the janitor has now been double confirmed to be elias, and that's the one that's working with haru (and taiga and their faceless allies gen and mio and s-something) but he still seems a lil off to me. i saw someone say former dionysia captain but idk how i feel about that. i definitely think he was a former student, and i'm inclined to think he's a ghoul despite having zero evidence because he's working with haru's lil team, but i dunno. something still feels off. i don't trust him, he knows too much.

speaking of weirdos

i hate this dude lol

my opinions aside, he's presented as kind if goofy and money grabbing and all about his kpop band or whatever it is, but this dude is my number one suspect. is he a demon? anomaly? other creature?

i don't trust him one bit. i think the first obscuary chapter is so important because it shows us that the LEADING PREMIERE RESEARCH FACILITY is incompetent at containing anomalies. ed even implies their research methods are wack. once again, it looks like they really don't see anomalies as anything other than creatures and beasts, so why wouldn't this extend to the ghouls?

i'm so fully on the train of thought that something about containing anomalies (aka actual thinking creatures, potentially another ghoul or person) was a big cause of the rift that may have had the faculty do something to cause the clash.

my main theory is as follows:

the staff and the institution don't see the ghouls as people. demons may be involved in the highest ranks of the institution. the ghouls at darkwick were staging a rebellion of some sort in regards to anomaly/ghoul treatment. a traitor was planted, hearts were broken, there goes the clash.

as usual, we have like, zero information still. i think we're about to get a lot more coming up on the one year anniversary of us being cursed, and especially as we start to go back in the loop. but that's my general guess that i'm going with for now

fuck moby tho he a freak

asks and dms always open!

[miss-musings]

How badly was Tech's Death handled in The Bad Batch S3?

I'm planning to do a full season review for The Bad Batch Season 3, and while prepping, I started thinking back about how Tech's death was handled.

I wonder if The Bad Batch never really mourned Tech on-screen because they all blamed themselves for his death:

Hunter bc he's the leader (even Hemlock noted this)

Wrecker bc he was trying to hold the rail car

Crosshair bc they were trying to save him from Tantiss

And Omega had never really lost anyone before, so she probably didn't know how to cope.

The time jump didn't help either.

Arguably it'd be in-character that their "mourning" style is just avoiding the topic. They hardly brought up Crosshair in S1 after he was mind-controlled.

Hunter shuts down the group's conversation about Crosshair in 1.03 partly bc he feels guilty about leaving Crosshair behind (even tho they didn't really have a choice). Consequently, the group doesn't really mention Crosshair except in passing after 1.03.

Look, I ultimately think the writers *should* have let the characters mourn Tech in a meaningful way. It'd allow them and us to have some closure. But they didn't, and that's partly why so many people expected him to come back (namely as CX-2).

Tech also just had such a suspicious "death":

No body on screen

He fell with all or most of his gear on him, and Hunter survived a 500+ foot fall on Daro without much issue

Hemlock as an unreliable death certificate

A character running around in S3 who was conditioned by Hemlock (who supposedly found Tech's body) and who moves & talks like Tech, and has significant interactions w/ Crosshair and Omega plus a weird scene w/ Phee

It didn't help that CX-2 survived *everything* - multiple explosions, falls, etc. Plus, we never saw him without his mask, unlike CX-0 in S2 and CX-1 in 3.06.

If the TBB creators wanted to avoid any theorizing that CX-2 was Tech or anyone else we knew, all they had to do was show him without his helmet at the end of 3.07. Boom, problem solved!

I really expected a CX-Tech reveal up until 3.14 "Flash Strike." But by then, we'd run out of time to bring him back properly. It really feels like the writers baited us, or something was changed last-minute during S3 production.

Even if we'd gotten a scene in, let's say, 3.05 "The Return" where the Bad Batch finally and properly mourned Tech once they were all together, I'm sure people still would've theorized CX-2 was Tech. But, I do think there would've been fewer.

As it stands, neither the characters nor the audience ever had a proper send-off for such a prominent character.

And CX-2 had all that screentime & build-up to justify cutting off Crosshair's hand???

TBB S3 was great in many respects, but how it handled Tech's death was a major flaw.

But, I just wanted to play Devil's Advocate for a bit. Maybe it wasn't as bad as we thought, and arguably was in-character for Tech's brothers to hardly ever mention him.

He's mentioned 7 times in S3:

Wrecker has an indirect mention in 3.02

Omega in 3.03

Echo in 3.05

Phee in 3.08

Crosshair in 3.09

Phee in 3.12

Crosshair in 3.15

And we know that last one is the most heartbreaking one of them all.

Phee and Echo seemingly have made some peace with losing Tech after 5-6 months. But it's clear Hunter & co still haven't. They all compartmentalized his death and never addressed it. Crosshair's little "Plan 99" speech in 3.15 proves that, I think.

Anyway, just throwing this out there. I'm planning to do a S3 review soon and go over the three best and three worst things about the season. SPOILERS: Tech's death and the CX-2 baiting was definitely one of the worst!

[angstigone]

(A/N): hello there lovelies,

this is mostly a gift to @akifordessert for tolerating my silly thots.

WARNINGS: mostly crack, fake-dating, fake-infidelity, mention of murder and fore, sexual tension, ooc! nagumo, ooc! hyo, she-her pronouns/afab character.

«my dear, I do hope that you won't think me nosy» said mrs. moriyama, the gossiper of the neighborhood, while sitting down on the sofa in your living room.

she had come inside with the offer of baked goods, although you knew it'd have meant a good hour of your time lending ear to her weird neighborly conspirations.

«mrs. moriyama, you could never be nosy» although your feelings veered onto the opposite.

still, the downside of being in an undercover mission was that you didn't act onto your own wills and wants, but instead you did everything for the good for the mission.

comprehended being nice to ladies you couldn't stand.

«well, it could be... it could be a sensitive topic».

you wondered whether it'd be that she had noticed mrs. kaori a few houses down sneak sugar in her muffins for the bake sales or if she had finally caught onto the fact that the tall and lanky man she always described waving at her was a tree.

«either way, it'll do us little good if I don't get it out, immediately».

and gently holding out her hands for your own as if she was a concerned sister, she sought out your gaze and ushered.

«are you cheating on your husband with your neighbor?».

the words didn't properly hit you till after a few - incriminating - minutes in which the old lady just went through her own conclusion as she shook her head both judging and soft as if she was definitely aware that you were a cheater but for your own reasons.

«oh, well, I can only understand you, my darling» except her tone didn't imply pity at all «... with a man that works such long hours and a bride so young... although back in my days, if I had been caught by my husband doing such a thing...».

«I am not... cheating on my... husband» although your acting skills were better, you couldn't help but be slightly taken aback by the accusation «... especially not with our... with my neighbor!».

the old lady didn't believe her a single bit as she promptly accused further.

«but... I... I saw him... he's pretty touchy, isn't he?» she brought forward «... and he does visit you often, doesn't he?».

«simply as he's concerned about hyo spending so much time away and leaving me alone».

the justification came out of your mouth convincingly enough and you accompanied it promptly with a good amount of judgement of your own.

mrs. moriyama had at least the decency to fluster lightly.

«... as for being touchy, yoichi is especially touchy with anybody. I don't think I am any special».

now, the woman looked less convinced and more embarassed: better striked the iron while it was hot.

«if you see malice in our interactions, mrs. moriyama» you got up from the sofa swiftly as if bitten, feigning a genuine hurt «... it must be in your eyes».

hook and sunk.

the old lady blabbered unconvincingly as if she couldn't believe that she was wrong for once, and to give her even less of a chance, she grabbed the muffins from the ground and went to pick them in the kitchen as if feigning to be busy.

to leave the woman no other option.

«... I apprecciate your words, but I think that it'd be best if you went back home, mrs. moriyama» keeping a civil relationship with your neighbor had been a request of the mission, but you doubted that such a ground was salvageable, and it was better to have the old lady feel too ashamed to ask any further inquiries. especially when it was right.

«oh my dear, it wasn't my intention to offend you».

«and you didn't, mrs. moriyama» except your tone lingered on the exact opposite «... but I think that both hyo and yoichi would find offense into such a thing».

«oh, I shall apologize and...» but by now you had managed to drag the lady to the entrance and with a promise to contact her once you felt 'easier' you promptly chose to slam the door in her face. for good measure.

you had crumpled against it with a breath of relief when a familiar laugh came from the stairs of the household.

«... ugh, we have such lively neighbors».

«don't even start, nagumo» you felt an headache brewing into your mind.

«oh, I thought I was yoichi just a few moments before» the complacent asshole appeared as he sat himself halfway through the stairs with a meaningful 'oomph'.

of course, he had been spying onto the conversation while mooping around the house.

«... weren't we friendly enough to be thought as lovers?».

«don't let it get into your head» you pointed out, promptly moving into a defensive stance. technically nagumo yoichi was your ally. technically speaking as every conversation with him felt like a sparring session «... it was a lady with catharacts that said it».

«well, even with her terrible eyesight she could tell that you and I were perfect for one another».

«she said no such thing» you should have known better than to let the trained hitman get underneath your skin; it had been all he had wanted since you had joined the order. unlike him and his squadmates, you lacked the distinct ability for killing but were an expert spy who prided yourself onto a perfect control. you were just right for recon and undercover missions.

as long as you weren't paired with the main annoyance, nagumo yoichi.

«hhm, she implied it».

«I don't think so».

«I do».

he had gotten up from where he stood and now he had come to where you had moved to collect the traces of the small afternoon tea. his closeness always created a series of mixed feelings into you and you couldn't deny that in part what mrs. moriyama had said had been true: nagumo was excessively friendly and touchy with you, a thing that terrorized and thrilled you.

there was a slice of danger in every way that nagumo moved; it wasn't just the fact that this man could have easily killed you with a child's toy, but he held himself in a way that was too friendly and yet, not close enough.

he treated you like his newest toy, on top of that, and you didn't enjoy the thought of the lack of control that came with this.

it had startled you when you had seen him while on the mission when he had introduced himself - in disguise - as your newest neighbor, before coming into your house when hyo had left for 'work' and ask you why you hadn't been partnered.

"I am better than that oaf at disguising".

you didn't think that in the years in which you had worked together under the order, you had ever noticed him that evidently pissed, as he had cornered you into your own house. it had you feeling like a prey and the whole emotion was burning in both embarassment and something else that you refused to discocern.

"that clown" hyo had said after nagumo's appearance while he feigned to read his newspaper as a proper husband "... always putting his nose where it didn't belong".

but this time it felt personal. to you.

«... hhm, still» he had come close enough that one of his hands was quick to gently caress your cheek, tenderly enough and yet to you it felt like a slap.

when had he come so close to you... without you noticing it?

for god's sake, you were meant to be a renown spy! and here you were acting like a skittish housewife.

the end of this mission couldn't come any faster.

«you aren't helping with the rumors» you shot back with an annoyed glare. or at least you fixed one on your face «... I told you not to get involved. there must be a reason if hyo was chosen in your pla...».

his hand was quick to push itself onto your mouth. it could have wrapped around your throat.

you might not be at his level in a fight, but you knew how to hold your own, had he actually fought against you. instead, he acted like a petulant child.

«don't remind me» he hissed as if he was seething with such a thing «I wanted to be your husband».

"dear heart, hold still".

you knew that nagumo was as trained as you in reading micro-expressions. anything could have given you out.

«and yet, it was me who was assigned».

never had you been gladder for hyo's intervention as the man closed - loudly - the door behind himself, and you used the startlement to duck your head and distance yourself from nagumo.

how close had you been to...

«... also why did mrs. moriyama stop me on the way to get in to apologize?» he raised an eyebrow as you came to his side, graciously grabbing his jacket to keep up the feigned appearance fo a domestic bliss .

nagumo's gaze might as well be a bullet aimed at your head.

no wait... it was a few centimeters higher... it was aimed at hyo.

«did the old bitch finally crook?».

«you won't like this» you spoke, instead, ignoring his crassness «... she just came here to accuse me of cheating on you. with nagumo».

hyo's eyes fell onto you and then back onto nagumo.

«I wonder where she got that idea».

«so, you also agree that I'd make the best husband, don't you?» nagumo had to obviously brush it in.

«... I have seen the state of your laundry» now that was smething that you were definitely curious about, especially in which occasion such a meet up had happened between hyo and nagumo's laundry «she's better off with me».

«boring» nagumo simply pouted, as you instead brought the matter at hand back.

«what do we do about mrs. moriyama?».

«I thought murdering her was off the table» you brushed off hyo's attempt at humor «not sure. what did you tell her?».

«that she was seeing things» but you doubted that'd be enough although the woman had been genuinely embarassed in the moment «still, I know she'll prod».

«what if we simply... let it happen».

both you and hyo turned to nagumo with honest confusion, as he simply smirked while slumping onto your sofa.

«you could become a widow and I could...».

«would that involve my death?» hyo said bewildered.

«this is a fucking undercover mission, not the fucking sims» you shot back «no need for fucking plot twists or shit... I... we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place if you had stayed in your lane».

«this whole situation wouldn't have happened at all, if I had been allowed to be your husband, instead of that brute!»

«I think I want a divorce» hyo promptly muttered as he moved to the kitchen and from the sound of it, you heard the liquor cabinet being opened.

not that you could blame him.

on his own, nagumo had this shit-eating grin on his face, much to your aggravation and annoyance.

«if he gets a divorce, do I get you, by the way, sweetheart?».

you better figure out a way to poison your supposed lover.

you definitely wondered whether mrs. moriyama had any pointers in that department.

[skruttet]

What are your thoughts on s4? Personally I was actually kind of disappointed, a lot of the characters felt... off?? Not like themselves. Snufkin really didn't appear much and the Comet Episode was confusing and wasn't really all that Book-Accurate... And Snufkin got the 90s Movie treatment :(

Like there were definitely scenes and a few episodes I liked, but overall I feel weird about the season. And I'm curious what your thoughts are.

I will say that overall, I was disappointed.

To be fair to the series though, it arguably largely stems from my personal expectations and hopes? The two biggest disappointments for me were Joxter and Snufkin not meeting, and snufmin's relationship.

The Joxter stuff on the whole I adored, and really could never have dreamed of happening. Just seeing him - or any of the Oshun Oxtra crew, really! - interacting with the characters in "modern day" is great. And then he reunited with Mymble and it was so exciting, and then Little My started wondering about him and Snufkin, and then-! ...They didn't meet. Honestly baffles me why they'd give us so much fanservice but not include probably the main thing most fans would want to see with Joxter. Also interesting that they're afraid to even touch Snufkin's issues with family but they KEEP bringing up Little My's.

The snufmin thing surprised me because my expectations were LOW; during the wait I kept telling people not to get their hopes up, that snufmin would never be explicitly "canon", etc. And I still say they would never do anything explicit with them, however, I was expecting at least for the relationship to be on the same level as it was in season 3, but it seemed to take a step down unfortunately. I wanted more romantic subtext, more hints that something was up between them, and for about the first 4 episodes I thought Moomintroll and Snorkmaiden were finally just interacting as friends and I was hopeful, but unfortunately it was soon clear that they were still supposed to be romantically linked. To their credit, Moomintroll and Snufkin's relationship does maintain some of the development it grew throughout the series, and it funnily ends up presenting it almost as one-sided on Snufkin's side; he's now so much more openly affectionate and patient with Moomintroll, and their communication is a whole lot better, but the latter continues to pursue Snorkmaiden instead. I think Snufkin himself feels so mellowed out in this season, like he's no longer fighting against his own feelings or pulling away from others as much, which is nice to see (though I can see others complaining he's too out-of-character compared to his original counterpart, which is understandable, but I'm personally fine with the characters being "different versions" of themselves in adaptations).

Another disappointment for me was, like you mentioned, the Comet finale... it just wasn't as epic as I thought it'd be, and the stakes weren't high from the start, and after the journey was over the rest of the episode taking place in the valley was a bit dull and directionless. And inaccuracies from the book I expect by this point, but I'm personally not a fan of the ending change with them all just waiting outside to die but the Groke sacrificing herself but actually this is a family show so she's actually alive yaay 😂 Just a bit strange and not the send-off I was quite hoping for.

On the positive side, I LOVED Mamma and Pappa this season. Moominpappa kinda stole the show, and whilst the creators clearly favoured him in past seasons, in this one he finally lost that meanness he sometimes had in s1-3, so he was just a delight to watch.

The guest stars and characters were fabulous, which is a bittersweet thing as it makes it all the more sad that this is the final season and it's all we'll see of them.

The animation and music and sound and acting were all as wonderful as they always are. The crew did such a great job and it's a shame the story decisions dampened the experience for me.

[hard-core-super-star]

cross that line again [Y.Belova + K.Bishop]

pairing: kate bishop x kate bishop; yelena belova x yelena belova

summary: kate calls yelena for help fixing the mess she created. things don't exactly go to plan and the russian is forced to face some uncomfortable truths about her desires.

warnings: SMUT -> minors do not interact [selfcest; porn with little plot; character exploration in the midst of spicy stuff; yelena seduces herself; face sitting/cunilingus; fingering; yelena's in a bit of a domme mood; bishova is more than implied; did not proofread this enough

wordcount: 5k

a/n: a second commission has hit the blog! (yes, this is a smosh reference, shut up-) i was absolutely captivated by this idea the first time around and this second part did not disappoint. i don't write for yelena very often so getting to explore her character like this was super interesting for me. i think that's all i have to say, hope you enjoy and thanks for the support <3

[buy me a coffee]

* * * * * * *

If two days ago you would have told Kate that she'd be waking up in the morning next to herself, she would have assumed you were playing a joke on her. Sure, she'd seen a lot of weird things ever since becoming an official Avenger but that was a bit much.

At least that's what she would have thought at any other time.

Today, though, the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was herself. Looking at her with a smile brighter than the sun coming in through the windows.

"Hey, you."

She was still getting used to hearing her voice come from somewhere that wasn't her own mouth. It was strange but she found herself getting more and more used to the familiarity hidden inside those pale blue eyes.

Sure, they were the same person and all but that didn't stop her thoughts from wandering whenever they looked at each other too long. It'd been so long since she'd felt like this for anyone and she'd be an idiot to ignore her desires.

"Morning, sunshine," she replied. "Sleep well?"

"Hell yes." Somehow, the smile on her face grew wider. "I feel reborn."

"I don't think that's because of the sleep, though." The smirk on her face made the double meaning in her words more than clear.

Her other self laughed, her hand coming up to playfully punch her shoulder. "Shut up, jerk."

"Jerk? That's not what you were calling me last night."

She was sure she'd never seen someone blush so hard so far. It was one of the most adorable things she had ever seen and she filed away the new discovery for later.

"Oh my god, shut up!"

"Make me." Her hands gripped the brunette's hips and she pulled her closer, laughing at the way she instantly tried to hide her flustered face in her neck.

"You're the worst."

She could hear the smile in her words and in turn, she snuck her hands under her shirt, drawing random shapes just to hear her gasp. "You're such a crybaby, Kate."

"Stop talking," she grumbled, getting her revenge by attaching her lips to a particularly sensitive spot on her neck.

Kate let out a soft gasp of her own at the feeling and she took advantage of the moment to dig her nails into the brunette's skin.

They spent most of the morning like this, riling each other up until the teasing grew to be too much to bear and they ended up tangled in each other. Over and over and over again.

Guess they really did sleep better than they had in months considering how much energy they had.

It took a long time, and more than a few orgasms, before they were able to keep their hands to themselves long enough to get up from her bed. It took all her self-restraint to not follow past Kate into the bathroom after she announced she was going to shower. She really really wanted to but she held back in order to call Yelena and briefly update her on what had happened.

Needless to say, the Russian didn't believe a single word she said and accused Kate of taking one too many edibles. Instead of arguing more ("That was one time, 'Lena!"), she simply told the blonde to come over and help them figure out what to do next.

She did sort of leave out the part about her and her other self being…more than friendly with each other but they'd cross that bridge when they got there.

A bridge that got way too close way too fast.

It wasn't like she wanted Yelena to walk in on them in the middle of an unplanned make-out session. But of course, the Russian decided to let herself into the apartment, without making any noise because she's "far more talented than that", and caught them in quite a…compromising position.

In her defense, it was hard to concentrate on making breakfast for them when the other brunette was wrapping her arms around her and kissing her neck. They were lucky she did it before she turned the stove on.

That did mean she ended up getting turned around and pressed up against the fridge but she didn't really mind.

At least, until Yelena coughed loudly and broke them out of their lust-filled bubble.

"Shit!" They exclaimed as they broke apart, their faces wearing matching blushes.

"You…you were not lying." She was sure she'd never seen Yelena look so genuinely shocked before. "There are two of you."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Kate said with an affectionate eye roll. "Tell me something I don't know."

"First, you have to tell me how this happened."

The Kate's shared a quick glance, the softness in their eyes directed toward the blonde and the way certain phrases still flew over her head. It was incredibly endearing but they'd never tell her that (mainly because she would instantly kill them afterward).

Despite the incredibility of their situation, they told Yelena everything that happened. Well, almost everything. They told her about the witch coven and the weird spell and the time travel but not about their hookup. Maybe it was silly considering she'd seen them making out and all but they still decided against it.

It would have all been fine if the blonde hadn't noticed something while they were in the middle of planning their move against the coven.

"Bishop," she said, her eyes trained on the side of Kate's neck. "What is that?"

"What's what?" Kate responded as her hand instinctively came up to cover her neck like she was a teenager sneaking around her mom's back again.

One simple look from the blonde had her wishing she didn't try to hide the truth from her. Damn Yelena and her scary assassin glare.

"Do not play dumb with me." Her tone left no room for sarcastic responses or stupid jokes.

"It's a, uh…a hickey," she mumbled, her eyes shifting from Yelena to her alternate.

They shared a long look, although the other brunette looked far too amused for her liking, and completely missed the shock that covered the Russian's face. Shock that was mixed with a bit of curiosity…and a lot of confusion.

"How does that even work?"

Past Kate jumped at the opportunity to answer far too quick for her to stop her from talking. "Well, when two people like each other very much-"

"Shut up!" She smacked the other brunette's shoulder right as she erupted into laughter. Of course, only she could find embarrassing her funny.

Yelena let out a long sigh at their antics. "That is not what I meant, Kate Bishop."

The disappointment in her voice made Kate laugh too and it helped reassure her that at the very least, she didn't think there was something wrong with them for being with each other in such an intimate way.

She most certainly thought it was weird but she couldn't blame her for that when even they thought it was weird. But good. Very good considering the way past Kate moaned their name all night.

It was incredibly hard for both of them to focus after that, especially since they could now be as affectionate as they wanted without feeling awkward about it. Kate had always dreamed about having a partner who allowed her to be touchy and borderline clingy without getting annoyed with her. She just never dreamed about said partner being herself.

It made more sense than she'd like but she wasn't about to complain. Not when the other archer knew exactly what she liked, how she liked it, and how often she needed it.

She could definitely get used to this.

Yelena, on the other hand, did not want to get used to this. To the way the Kates clung to each other, whispering snarky little comments to each other and and making each other giggle nonstop.

It wasn't like she was jealous or anything, she was simply annoyed that it took them an extra hour to come up with a plan since the handsy brunettes kept getting distracted by each other. It also didn't help that Kate was the only one out of them who had actually been inside the coven's meeting place and she couldn't focus for more than a minute at a time.

She was used to her short attention span but this was getting ridiculous.

It didn't help that there were two of them and she was the only one genuinely trying to solve their problems. Problems that would have been avoided had Kate actually listened to her for once and avoided interacting with their target.

She wished she could be mad but, sadly, the archer was too endearing for her to be genuinely upset at her. (She could practically hear Natasha making fun of her for being such a "softie" after all.)

Thankfully, they managed to somehow come up with a plan that didn't totally sound like a failure and didn't include them crashing through the ceiling of the hideout.

That being said, she still thought it was a shitty plan. Especially since it relied on Kate not getting distracted by her affectionate alternate.

She decided not arguing was the best course of action and before she knew it, she was getting dragged along by two overconfident archers. There was no rush but neither of them listened to her (what a surprise) and insisted they put their plan in action sooner rather than later.

Her initial complaints about bringing no supplies with her were instantly silenced by "future" Kate who reminded her of all the things she'd stored in the spare bedroom. Maybe storing some of her weapons and vests at the archer's apartment hadn't been the worst idea in the world.

And no, she wasn't just saying that because it made the brunette smile when she admitted she had been right.

Unfortunately, it seemed like Kate was worse than a broken clock and she could only be right once a day. She wasn't sure why she still blindly trusted her when it was clear she was the worst strategist she'd ever met.

That being said, the archer did technically manage to get them inside the building without much hassle. It was what happened afterward that solidified how little she should trust her from now on.

When Kate told her what had happened when she faced the coven the first time, she conviniently forgot to mention the part where they were looking for Yelena. And now the archer had brought her right to the witches doorstep.

"I have to give it to you, Ms. Bishop," the so-called leader said. "You have a way of making my job way easier."

She cursed under her breath, her annoyance growing as two pairs of slightly panicked blue eyes found each other.

They had done everything right, or at least they thought they had. They'd even listened to Clint's usual advice! They watched from afar, cut the lights and caused a distraction to make sure the leader was left by herself. The plan couldn't have been more badass than that!

And yet here they all were.

"What? Not even two of you can come up with something to say?"

"Only I can make fun of them," Yelena said, her hand already reaching for her knife. "And you are not as smart as you think you are."

"Bold words coming from exactly the person I was looking for."

"There is one thing you clearly do not know about me," the Russian said as she pulled out her knife, her feet carrying her closer to the woman. "I do not waste time chit-chatting."

Kate grimaced while she watched her do the one thing she told her not to do: rush at her enemy. She shouldn't have been surprised, though. When did she actually listen to her?

Both archers did what they could to back Yelena up but what happened next was inevitable.

One second, Yelena was right in front of her, knife in hand as she charged at the coven leader.

Then, she blinked.

And the blonde was gone.

Thankfully, the other archer managed to tackle the witch as Kate stared dumbfounded at the spot where the Russian had just been.

It took her a few seconds to realize what her sudden disappearance meant.

Yelena had been sent back in time.

Shit.

The Russian was going to kill her for sure. * * *

There weren't many things Yelena was sure of but she was sure Kate Bishop was going to be the death of her.

Not because she made her feel things she wasn't used to feeling or because she somehow always came up with the weirdest mission plans. No, she was going to be death of her because she got her sent back in time by a fucking witch coven.

What had her life turned into?

Maybe she would have been more on edge about the whole thing if she hadn't been forced to listen to not one, but two Kate's explain how she'd been sent back in time and found some sense of peace in herself.

As weird, and annoying, as their obvious feelings for each other were, it made her feel a bit better about the whole thing. At least she wouldn't be alone…although she was doubtful her other self would be as excited to spend time with herself as the archer had been.

She tried not to think about it too much, there was no use worrying about how she was going to explain this situation to her past self. All she could do was hope she wouldn't have to fight herself. There was no telling how long that could last.

The walk to her homebase was longer than she would have liked but eventually, she arrived and went through the long process of getting inside. Everyone thought she was a touch too paranoid but she'd rather be safe than sorry. Plus, Kate had offered to "buff up" her home security for free and she couldn't find it in herself to refuse.

That's how she ended up with a ridiculous amount of locks and a high-tech digital identity verification system. It was pretty cool in her eyes, even if it made getting pizza deliveries a pain in the ass.

She made her way through her front door, doing her best to not alert her alternate self of her presence. Sneaking up on her would surely be a bad idea but she also didn't want to burst in and risk getting attacked.

She found her past self in the kitchen and loudly coughed to get her attention.

The blonde instantly looked up, her eyes widening slightly once she saw her.

"Who are you?" Her past self asked, her hand already reaching for the knife tucked into her belt. "How did you get in?"

"I'm you, idiot," she replied, unable to stop her eyes from rolling. She understood her other self's apprehension, she would be reacting the same way had she not spent far too long in the company of one too many Kate's. "I have security access."

"That is impossible."

She suddenly understood what Kate meant when she said she often had "dry and obvious" responses. She still didn't understand why the brunette liked it so much, though. It was definitely annoying.

"If it was, I wouldn't be here right now," she replied just as drily.

Somehow, her response seemed to make sense to the Russian. A beat of silence passed before she nodded in what seemed to be approval. "Good point."

"That…that is it?" She asked, eyeing her suspiciously. "That is all it took for you to believe me?"

"Would you like me to fight you? Because honestly, I am still sore from my morning workout."

They locked eyes for a second before bursting into laughter. It was so weird but it felt right, somehow. She didn't have to guess or walk around eggshells, they both managed to understand each other in seconds without even using words.

Shit.

She was starting to think like Kate Bishop.

It seemed borderline impossible but maybe…Kate had a point. Maybe no one could make her feel as seen and understood as herself.

Maybe there was nothing wrong with wanting to explore a connection that deep.

"So, how did you get here, anyway?" Her past self asked once their giggles had died down. "I am assuming a mission went wrong?"

"You have no idea how wrong," she replied with an eyeroll. "I'm never trusting Kate Bishop's plans again."

"Why am I not surprised Kate is involved?" The amusement in her tone was difficult to hide. "Maybe we should go to her apartment and talk to her."

Her mind instantly filled with thoughts she didn't want to have. Thoughts filled of the activities both Kates were currently involved in…and the hickies that would be left behind. "I do not think she'd enjoy the…interruption."

"What are you talking about?"

"She is…enjoying some quality time with herself."

"What do you-" Past Yelena's face twisted into a mixture of surprise and confusion as the realization hit her. "You cannot be serious."

It was strange but she found herself growing somewhat defensive over the archers. She swore it wasn't because she approved of what they were doing or anything. It was simply because she saw how happy Kate looked with her other self. As much as it pained her to admit, she'd never seen her look like that before.

"I am," she replied, doing her best to keep her voice level. "Is that a problem?"

It was almost comical how quick she was to fluster. No one was ever able to make her blush and she felt a little proud of herself for achieving it so quickly.

"What Kate Bishop does in her free time is none of my business."

She couldn't stop herself from laughing. Her words would have been believable if they weren't the same person. Unfortunately for her past self, she knew the truth hidden beneath the surface.

The secrets she'd never tell another soul…except herself.

"So…you do not mind, then?" She asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. "It is not weird?"

They were the same person, she knew that, but she also knew what she would have said 24 hours ago. It wasn't like she was thinking of doing anything with her past self but…maybe she wanted to know she could.

"It's not the weirdest thing I've heard about Kate Bishop," the blonde said with a shrug. "I do not think it's for me, though."

Yelena should have let the conversation die there. It would have been easy to simply shut up and do something else. Talk about anything else. And yet she couldn't let it go.

She couldn't stop herself from asking the one question that had been on her mind since she'd walked in on both Kates making out.

"You are not even a little curious?" Her feet carried her across the kitchen floor without her even thinking until she was standing right in front of her past self.

She expected the blonde to shrug and step back from her. Maybe throw a warning her way and move on. But after all, they were the same person and the same things made them tick.

They shared the same, unspoken, fantasies and she knew exactly what to do. Where to look, where to linger with a soft touch.

She almost couldn't believe she was doing this but then again, she'd spent the past day more than a little frustrated. Haunted by ridiculously bad ideas featuring two pairs of identical blue eyes. Who better to give her some relief than herself?

"Curious about what?" Her alternate tried to appear unaffected but she knew herself better than that. She caught the clench in her jaw and her distracted eyes. "We are the same, your body is my body."

"That may be true…" She trailed off, her hand trailing down her arm. "But it will not feel the same."

The blonde rolled her eyes in response but she didn't push her off. She didn't seem to fully agree with her thoughts and yet she wasn't doing anything to stop her.

Yelena smelled a challenge and she wasn't about to back down without a fight.

Her hands found their way onto past Yelena's waist, slowly slipping under the hem of her muscle tank and tracing her stomach. The shiver her actions drew from her made her smirk and she couldn't help but feel a little proud of herself.

"This is wrong, you know that?"

The question made her chuckle. All it did was make her more emboldened, rather than embarrassed. Compared to all of the horrible things she'd ever done in her life, this felt like a walk in the park.

This was her choice.

And after years of feeling like she had no choice but to do what someone else wanted her to do, this moment bordered on therapeutic. Not to mention, ridiculously arousing.

"I don't know, you seem to be enjoying it a lot." She emphasized her point by gripping the hem of her shirt and pulling it off in one quick move.

"Fuck off."

She opened her mouth to tease her again but her other self didn't let her get very far. The blonde gripped her arms in a tight hold and moved her back until they made it to the living room.

A part of her wanted to fight back but she was a little too intrigued to stop her.

She allowed her to push her down onto the couch, taking a seat and subconsciously spreading her legs.

"Do not get any ideas," her past self said as she dropped to her knees in front of her. "I am just doing this to shut you up."

"If you say so." The amusement in her voice was more than clear.

It took the other blonde almost no time to reach out and start taking off her vest. Her fingers worked fast to undo the straps and push the garment off her shoulders.

With the vest out of the way, she was able to remove her tight compression shirt but not before very clearly admiring the way the fabric hugged her breasts. It momentarily reminded her of Kate which only served to remind her how desperate she was for relief.

"I think you are the one that's enjoying this a lot," past Yelena murmured, groping and squeezing her breasts through her top.

"Well, it was my idea," she replied as she arched her back into her touch.

The blonde hummed in response, her eyes darkening slightly despite how unaffected she claimed to be. "Naughty girl."

"Careful, I'm the one in charge here."

Her words were met with an eye roll and a pair of impatient hands that continued undressing her. Neither of them were complaining, though, so she allowed her shirt and bra to be removed in one quick move.

The cold air of the room caused her slightly hard nipples to fully harden and she could see her other self's restraint slipping in real time. That was all it took for her to move.

She reached for the blonde's hands and did her best to not smirk when she felt how tense she got as she pulled her hands toward her breasts. "What is the problem? Scared you'll like it?"

"You need to stop talking," she grumbled.

Despite her feigned annoyance, she fulfilled Yelena's unspoken order. They both shivered the second her hands wrapped around her breasts, her thumbs instantly rubbing over her nipples.

The moan that left her lips came out more like a growl, her nails digging into the other blonde's wrists. "And you need to start behaving."

Her words were met with a low chuckle. "Is that what you want? Did you run out of people to order around or something?"

She couldn't help but find her defiance attractive. She knew the reasons for it, the fire that burned underneath the surface, hot enough to burn anyone who dared get too close. But she wasn't just "anyone".

She pulled her past self closer until their faces were inches apart, her alternate's arms almost fully wrapped around her neck. Her words were a mere whisper as she spoke. "Maybe I just know you'll be far more obedient than anyone else."

If looks could kill, she'd be six feet under right now. "You are wrong."

"Then why are you on your knees for me?"

It was subtle but the fire in the blonde's eyes changed. The traces of defiance were still there and yet there was no denying the desire that was slowly starting to overtake the green in her eyes. She was sure she'd never seen a more captivating sight.

She waited for the snarky reply that was surely about to fly out of past Yelena's mouth but it never came. Instead, she was met with a smirk before she crashed her lips against hers.

The kiss felt wrong in all the best ways. It was messy and rough and far more passionate than anything she had shared with her recent flings. They had all been stupid moments of weakness meant to distract her from her unprofessional thoughts about a certain archer.

This was different, though.

It bordered on forbidden and yet that made it all the more exciting. Something the other blonde was feeling too given the way she was attempting to straddle her leg.

She wasn't quite ready to give her what she wanted yet. She had a much better idea.

"Lay down, detka." The roughness of her voice contrasted perfectly with the softness of her fingers as she caressed the side of the blonde's face. "And do not make me repeat myself."

Past Yelena huffed but she obeyed her perfectly just like she had expected. With her obedience came the rush of power that turned her on like nothing else.

It took her no time at all to discard the few articles of clothing left on her body, doing her best not to laugh at how desperate her alternate looked. The way her eyes trailed over every inch of revealed skin did little to soothe the throbbing between her legs.

Her intentions were more than clear once she sank down right above the other blonde's face. She briefly considering ordering her to keep her hands to herself but the way she instantly gripped onto her thighs to pull her down was far too arousing to tell her to stop.

A sharp gasp left her lips as she felt her mouth make contact with her soaked cunt. She hadn't even realized how wet she'd gotten from just a few touched. She'd be embarrassed if she wasn't so sure the other woman was on the same boat.

"There you go," she murmured as her hands landed on her other self's chest for stability. The action made her have to lean forward and she relished the strangled moan her movements earned her.

She ground her hips against the blonde's face, her eyes fluttering closed at the feeling of her desperate licks against her clit. "Come on, you can do better than that, can't you?"

She expected to hear a complaint but it didn't come. That didn't mean her other self didn't express her dislike for being ordered around in a different way, though. It's how she ended up with her lips fully wrapped around her sensitive clit and two fingers teasingly poking at her entrance.

The urge to ask for more was strong despite her desire to stay in control. It wasn't her fault considering her pleasure wasn't exactly in her hands. It was in the hands of her alternate self who was having too much fun being a brat and pushing her buttons.

Thankfully, it seemed like all she wanted was to hear her moans turn slightly whinier. Once she got what she wanted, she sunk her fingers into her pussy and doubled her efforts in an attempt to make her completely fall apart.

"Fucking hell-" She gasped, unable to stop her hips from chasing after her fingers every time she pulled out. "Don't fucking stop."

"Or what?" Her other self muttered.

A part of her wanted to tell her off for stopping to talk but the vibrations felt incredible.

"I'll tie you up and leave you there all day." It was, admittedly, a shitty threat but it wasn't like her brain was currently working at full capacity.

"You think I will not like that?" Her fingers sped up once more, curling just enough to bring her closer to the edge with each thrust.

"I don't think you want to find out, oh-"

The rest of her words died in her throat as she started to suck on her clit again, her tongue drawing rapid circles against the swollen bud.

"Just like that- Fuck!"

Her orgasm hit her like a truck. Her hips shook almost uncontrollably as she continued to grind against the other blonde, the feeling of her nails digging into her skin only adding to the pleasurable sensations currently overwhelming her body.

For someone so obsessed with being in control and having the upper hand at all times, this moment felt freeing rather than uncomfortable. It felt far better than anything she'd experienced before and a realization hit her as she rolled off of herself before she took advantage of her blissed out state.

"Motherfucker," she mumbled with a laugh.

"What?" Her other self asked, her eyes dancing with amusement.

"Kate Bishop was right."

They shared a look before erupting into a fit of giggles, both of them far too breathless to actually laugh.

"We are never telling her that."

"I agree," she replied as her smile turned into a smirk. "But for now, I think someone deserves a reward."

Even if they didn't tell her, she'd be able to notice the peculiar marks that covered their necks and the obvious blush on their cheeks whenever they made eye contact.

Who could blame them, though? After all, Kate had been the one to put the idea of spending quality time with herself in their head in the first place.

[justseedee]

Poses I made specifically for TKDB characters

Omg this took forever! but it was fun

This started as an idea I had right after the first Obscuary Episode released. Originally, this was meant to be in a chibi style (but for some reason chibi is just harder for me to draw and I'm not about to pay for the chibi models) where the captains/vice-captains had their "charges" on toddler backpack leashes. I don't think I could make it work in this style, so a few things had to change

Anyhoo...

Haru/Towa and Subaru/Lyca

This is the "original" original idea

Haru and Subaru are kinda like parents taking their toddler to the park

In the back, Towa blowing bubbles with his wand while Lyca plays with them

Tohma/Jin and Rui/Ed

At first this one was going to be similar to the first where Tohma and Rui are complaining to each other about their captians but I decided to make them two separate pics instead

This is one where the chibi style would've been funnier; Jin was going to have his limbs wrapped around a pillar or fence or something, while Ed deadweights on the floor (idk i just couldn't make it work with these models)

So instead Jin smokes and ignores Tohma

Ed hides from Rui

Kaito/Luca and Sho/Leo

I'm grouping these four together because my alternate idea was to have either the captains or the vice-captins have all the other ghouls in their house on leashes (which I still might do) but I figured it'd be easier to start them off as pairs

At first, I was going to set up a scene where Leo pisses off Luca again, but idk it felt weird to me soooo yeah, these are separate now

Also, I just now realized that Kaito is the only one that actually looks like he has a leash (but I refuse to redo any of these.... again. Idk, maybe I'll crop it and make it look like he's grabbing Luca's arm)

Yuri/Jiro

Aah, my (mostly) unproblematic duo decided to take a break from researching inside Mortkrake to reviewing research outside or something idk

There's really not much to say about these dorks, imo Jiro is well trained enough not to need a leash lmao

Romeo/Taiga

Toddler leashes didn't work on Taiga

Neither did regular dog leashes, slip leashes, or barbed leashes

And here is Romeo discovering that shock collars have no affect either lol

It also kinda looks like Romeo just got off a call only to look up and see Taiga eating..... something....

Haku/Zenji

I was going to make a joke here and have Haku by himself, holding one of those invisible dog leashes, but then it made me sad, so I didn't do that

Yeah, idk Zenji is just like a photogenic puppy that smiles at cameras, but only because Haku is holding up treat above the phone

(Another realization I just had is that I switch back and forth between toddler and puppy with these lol different guys different vibes, I guess)

Ren/Ritsu

I wasn't really sure what to do with these two since we don't get a lot of them interacting outside of the diner

I like to think their at least comfortable enough to naturally fall into "parallel play" dynamics

Neither of them gives off outdoorsy vibes, so this can be interpreted as taking place inside the diner

That being said, I was going for a "day at the park" deal, but whatevs

MC/Alan

Okay, so this one literally exists only because I didn't know what to do with Alan after deciding to do pairs, and I didn't want to do any of the characters more than once (because that's not fair!)

Then I realized that the MC is literally right there, so she gets a little lunch date with Mr. Guard Dog over here

Okay less "date" and more "they ran into each other and realized they hadn't eaten, so they got some bentos from the store and decided to eat together" (in my head this is what happened, y'know to make it fair)

Soooooo yeah, it may be a while before i actually get to drawing any of these scenarios, and I'm starting to get sick of staring at my phone because of these

[jackabbot]

what’s a brilliant minds character pairing (any dynamic) that got little to no one-on-one interaction in s1 you’d like to see team up for a subplot or two in s2?

ohh that's an interesting question hm

i guess we didn't see all that much of Carol and Josh one-on-one, like i think the only scene they had like that was when she was trying to set him up with her "weird friend" lmao

we are told that they are friends and they talk and presumably hang out, i would love to see it! especially after the way the show left both of them in the finale, it'd be great to see them have a drink and vent to each other

[diamondcitydarlin]

so I've shipped lydia x beetlejuice since I first saw the film when I was like 3 or 4 (reinforced ofc by the cartoon, which I watched after) and still do, but in that sort of way that I just like when they interact, they have that sort of chaotic person vs straight man dynamic that can be sO funny that I think Winona and Michael specifically have a lot of potential to explore further. I have ideas about how a romance story could work for them in this new era, but I'm also 100% fine with them just having to work together (as MIGHT be the case?? hard to tell from the trailer for sure) and becoming reluctant friends. Like idk, the idea of a middle-aged Lydia still struggling with depression and what life means to her, still sort of craving 'death', but having to repress a lot of that from her daughter over the years- the repression not helping her outlook at all, but necessary nonetheless (even if it seems her daughter leans towards morbidity too) until BG slithers his way back into her reality, a creepy, slimy dead guy with the most joie de vivre of anyone she's ever known, who somehow shows her what it means to actually be alive and love it. I feel like it'd be a way to pick back up on that brief conversation they have in the first film when BG's trying to talk her into helping him out of the afterlife and she says, "I wanna get in." and he asks, both confused and concerned which is the most emotional range he's shown to that point, "....why?" before going back into his sales pitch. There's SOMETHING there, right?? That weird but interesting dichotomy between living person who wants to be dead and dead person who wants to be alive again. I just think maybe that could be explored further, maybe they could even learn from one another?? Idk, bottom line I cannot wait to see Winona and Michael revisit these characters together, I cannot wait to see how their dynamic might change or evolve if they're forced to be around each other a lot for whatever reason, which I hope they are lol

[see-arcane]

(to not flood your thread) "Wonder what it'd be like for the Undead Karnsteins to run into the Gorcha Vourdalak crew. See how the dynamics stack up against each other"

Now that would be interesting to see... Both groups are in similar situations. And like, a "cruel strange love" took Carmilla's life and turned her. Gorcha would get that instantly. But they have the difference that one group used to be lords, the other is not. At the time Austria-Hungary and Serbia were allies due to having common enemies, but would the vampires have tensions still due to being neighbours? Would they snap at eachother? Would ironically the Karnsteins feel safer with the foreign undead peasants than in their own country, the civil wars of which having ravaged them to ruin? Lots to think about. (Also there's Doligen's nearby vampire village, Dracula's 'castle family' aside.)

hhhhggghh There really is so much potential waiting to be played with in terms of all these vampire groups just hanging out in the classic lit crowd, not just the iconic Single Bloodsuckers

Carmilla's traveling crowd. Gorcha's sedentary Vourdalak colony. Countess Dolingen's undead village laying dormant in Munich. Dracula and the Weird Sisters in the castle. Thinking on it, only Lord Ruthven and Clarimonde come to mind as being both prolific in their interactions with humanity, but not being at the center of some undead group; Ruthven because he purposefully goes out of his way to murder all his victims rather than turning anyone into conscripts, Clarimonde because she's so adamant about taking as little blood as possible for fear of harming who she drinks.

Every other Big Name(ish) vampire that comes to mind has a colony they're part of/have made. Being a singleton undead is not the norm.

As far as Carmilla Crew VS Gorcha clan goes, I think the Vourdalaks might just be too freaky/violent on principle regardless of what national histories are involved. Because as Gorcha's transformation proves, Vourdalak vampirism causes some extreme alterations in character, splitting everything between 'I love you therefore I Must Turn You,' and 'I don't care for you. Therefore I hate you. Therefore I think you should die about that.' (Case in point the vicious offscreen beheading of Gorcha's quarry and the killing of his former favorite dog for barking at him.)

Carmilla and company might be cool with drinking up all the local pretty young things, but Gorcha and his family/neighbors are on a much grislier kind of undeath.

I like to think they got a psychic ping when passing too close to that territory once upon a time, read the room, and promptly turned their carriage around to get the fuck out of there before anyone started losing pieces due to -checks notes- existing in proximity to Vourdalaks while not being a relative or loved one.