#like things are normal; a false sense of security before he finds out just like with -

[lisbonsteresa]

oh god

[lurochar]

Before It All (Pt. 3)

Warnings: Obsessive Alastor

Part 1 + Part 2

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

It really was you.

His nameless Doe.

You seemed tense, clearly uneasy by the static he emitted and his presence alone by the looks of your erect ears and puffed fur of your tail.

(How cute, you had your clothes altered for your tail. A shame he hadn’t noticed it back when he had summoned you).

Alastor was now used to fellow demons being unnerved and frightened in his presence and so they should be, but you – there was no reason for you to be so anxious in his company, though he supposed he could understand it somewhat.

The power dynamics were completely turned around.

You had no advantage over him, he wasn’t that weak human anymore.

But still, Alastor didn’t like the fact you were so wary of him, so he needed to lighten the mood, break the tense atmosphere, and there was no better way than reminding you of your encounter with him when he was the weaker one, when you had the power over him, was there?

“How I’ve missed your wonderful ears, my nameless Doe.”

Alastor always did find your ears fascinating.

He may have his own pair of deer ears now and they had their uses – his auditory senses were vastly superior when compared to his human self, so much so, it took a week or two for him to adjust to sensory overload. They also gave any would-be attackers a false sense of security, he was just a deer demon, so he had to be weak.

Ripping those sorts to shreds felt much more satisfying.

But his ears were so damn sensitive to touch that Alastor had no idea how you didn’t just melt into a trembling mess when you allowed him to stroke your ears all those years ago.

He needed to move on from these thoughts before–

You blinked at his odd greeting, your body relaxing slightly from its earlier tensed position that had been poised to flee at any given second.

You blinked again.

And then you let out a loud yelp of surprise, springing forward when you felt icy cold hands playfully tug on your ears from behind. 

–before his shadow acted upon them.

You reeled around to see what had touched you, not expecting to see a grin right up in your face and you stumbled back a bit, happy enough that you didn’t embarrass yourself in front of the Radio Demon/Alastor by letting out some sort of pitiful sound like a scream or shriek.

“I do hope you can excuse my shadow’s behaviour. The poor thing can hardly contain itself, seeing it is a reflection of me.” Alastor gestured the shadow away, which it did after giving you a last glance before it vanished. “Well then, should we do now what we should have done twenty-four years ago?”

You’re unsure what he is talking about.

“Introductions, my nameless Doe! Unless you prefer that name over your real one.” Alastor bows in a flashy way. “Alastor Hartfelt! But you already knew that, correct?” He stood up straight and eyed you expectantly.

“It’s nothing special, it’s just Y/N.” You shrug before eyeing Alastor intently and you hope you don’t get killed or worse for your question. “You just seemed like a miserable boy brought up in a miserable situation, so I gave you a pass. I thought if I got rid of your main problem, maybe you could live the rest of your life normally. You didn’t even make it to forty. What happened?”

Alastor hummed. “It would turn out that my father was only a drop in the bucket. After that wretch was gone from our lives, my Mama instilled in me the importance and value of women. Women are not second-class citizens nor are they property, but this way of thinking was uncommon and misogyny was everywhere.”

You think you can guess where this is heading to…

“I killed men, men like my father. Men who see no problem in beating their wife. Degenerates that stalked the alleyways for their next rape victim. For over a decade, I was the ‘Bayou Butcher’. It’s only due to the incompetence of a hunter that I am here now.” The expression on his face was that of delight. “I have no remorse. I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it.”

Oh.

It’s… it’s not what you wanted for Alastor, but you remembered that sheer hatred in his eyes. Something that deeply rooted wasn’t so easily erased, even if the main cause was taken out of the situation.

Unfortunately, you were not wrong in guessing Alastor would eventually condemn himself to Hell.

Fortunately, you had held onto Hartfelt for the past twenty some years.

You do have another question, but you know better than to ask.

Some demons don't care, but some demons can get quite offended if asked about their appearance and why they ended up looking the way they do. It’s personal, tied to their sins in life and their manner of death.

Asking Alastor why he ended up as a deer demon, a prey-based demon, could get you killed or maybe worse.

“I was mistaken for a deer by an inept hunter who took a shot before bothering to confirm what he was shooting at.” Alastor answers easily and casually, as if reading your mind and knowing what you want to ask. “Do not be afraid to ask me anything, my lovely Doe. I assume you heard my message on one of my broadcasts, yes? I meant every word of what I said.”

Lovely Doe?

‘I told him my name…’ You decided it didn’t matter too much as it wasn’t demeaning or degrading. You’ve been called much, much worse and on a regular basis by Hartfelt, so hearing an affectionate(?) nickname was a bit of refreshing change–

Should you be thinking that way?

Your ears dropped.

“Listen, Alastor,” you noticed his eyes seemed to glow brighter from you simply saying his name, “I messed up that day. I… I shouldn’t have touched you, let alone hug you. There are countless reasons why most demons don’t have free access to the human world. Contact with demons tends to screw humans up. Even just one night with a Succubus or an Incubus can fuck up humans for months and they’re low-class demons.”

Alastor simply tilted his head.

“I’m mid-class and… and I should have known better.” You sighed. “I think I messed you up in some way by touching you and letting you touch me.”

You were taken back when Alastor started to laugh and your ears flattened completely, slightly bothered by his reaction to your words.

Did you say something amusing?

“Oh dear me, you have twisted it all around in your worrisome mind, haven’t you?” Alastor chuckled. “So you have yet to realize you saved me and my Mama from that piece of scum I had to call ‘father’? My life even? Had you not killed that man for me, I would have made a clumsy attempt to murder that man, whether I succeeded or not. Such a thing would have cost me my life much earlier. I would not have been able to pursue my career and take good care of my Mama until her final days.”

You flustered, not sure what to say back.

“I lived my life the way I wished to because you freed me from that man. I am here in Hell purely of my own actions, though perhaps a little earlier than expected. You are very much downplaying what you are to me and I cannot say I care much for it.” Alastor couldn’t help the loudening crackle of his static.

“...okay…”

“Pardon?” Alastor’s ears twitched at the mumble of your voice, though he heard you just fine. He wanted you to clarify what ‘okay’ meant and look him in the eyes as you did so. He wouldn’t trap you in a contract like the fools whose souls he owned, but with his guaranteed protection for nothing more than just staying at his side and within his sight, how could you refuse?

(Though, if you wanted to give him your soul, he certainly wouldn’t turn it down).

“Okay! Maybe I didn’t fuck you up! Maybe you were… a little ‘different’ from the start!” You weren’t sure how to say ‘psychopathic’ in a nice way. “I still felt guilty about it this entire time. I hoped differently, but I knew you would probably end up in Hell.” You admitted, huffing when Alastor let out another chuckle. “So I did something to try to make up for it in case I did mess with your mind somehow.”

“Hmm, and what is that, my lovely Doe?” Alastor’s smile seemed to widen and it may be hidden from view, his tail wagged in excitement. “You thought of me, even before I landed myself in Hell? I must say, I’m quite flattered!”

“I looked for him as soon as I got back from the human world and found him before he understood how… things worked around here.” You didn’t feel bad in the least. “So I tricked him into making a deal with me. Shelter, food, simple basics for his soul. He didn’t seem used to living on the streets, so he took it right away. He didn’t understand what it actually meant to give your soul away.”

“Well done! What a delightful little tidbit! I had no idea if you would be interested in the art of deal-making. I would be more than happy to guide you. Why, I already own a great number of souls myself.” Alastor’s smile turned a little more sinister and he felt his blood heat at the thought of watching you trick some desperate fool into giving you their soul.

He would slaughter an entire district just to see that.

“I’ve… never really thought about it? I just do what I can to get by. Prey and livestock-based demons don’t have it easy in Hell.” You were sought out for your meat after all. “Anyway, I thought I’d make it up to you by – well, that demon whose soul I own is your father’s.”

The static around Alastor went completely silent.

You swallowed thickly, suddenly nervous. “I, uh, I always intended on giving you ownership of his soul whenever you ended up here, if you ended up in Hell. You can do anything you want to him, I have no intention of interfering if you… wanted to broadcast his torment or something.”

Shit, why was Alastor staring at you like that?

Was it the wrong choice? Did he want nothing to do with his father?

“W-WAH!” It was the most pitiful fucking noise you could probably make, worse than that earlier yelp when Alastor seemed to melt into the floor through a void of shadows and then reappear right in your personal space before you comprehended what happened. That was not the reason you let out a damn bleat before you could help it, though.

Alastor was stroking your ears just as he had done twenty-four years prior.

“A gift from you is always welcome, but this – I never imagined one that would bring me such… joy. Truly, you were always meant for me, my lovely Doe.”

“S-so, I take it you want ownership of his soul?” You struggled to get the words out, feeling your vision blur for a moment. You let out a breath of relief when Alastor reluctantly released your ears, but he didn’t step away from your personal space.

“Yes. I’m more than willing to give you a soul – ten even, in return. Mama may disapprove of it, but I will pay back a thousandfold and more for what that man put her through. He will suffer the worst torture I can possibly think of.” To your amazement, Alastor’s pupils spun into a shape that resembled radio dials before returning to normal.

“It’s a gift. You don’t need to give me anything back in return.” You blinked in surprise when Alastor poked your cheek, pinching it playfully before tutting at you. “What was that?!”

“You have been here longer than me, but it seems I must teach you a few good lessons.” Alastor held out his hand invitingly. “Before this transaction, would you like a tour of my radio tower?”

You placed your hand in his. “You’re going to have to explain it like you would to a child how this radio stuff actually works. I can turn my radio on and change the station, that’s about it.”

Alastor felt that chill that followed him all his life leave him and his smile felt genuine for very few times that it was as he felt your hand wrap around his.

He may be dead and in Hell, but his (after)life was looking rather bright – he still could enjoy his passion for radio and he no longer had to hide his true sadistic nature and homicidal thoughts. Better yet, he could combine the two and broadcast tortured screams for denizens of Hell to hear!

He was powerful and feared, toppling Overlords to become himself in an extremely short period of time and he owned multiple souls to do his bidding whenever and whatever he wanted – and soon, he could add his miserable wretch of a father to his collection to torment all he likes.

Best of all, he finally found you, the demon who made this all possible for him and now that he had you in his grasp, there was no conceivable way he would ever let you elude him. He could certainly give you the illusion of freedom and space if that’s what you wanted.

He was charming, he knew that, it’s all he needed to win you over.

Perhaps it would take a little time and patience, but he would get what he wanted in the end like he always did.

His lovely Doe. His new wife.

It was a dream that Alastor was going to turn into his reality.

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I hope this ending was satisfying

Tags: @alishii @yourdoorisunlocked @godsent69 @eris-norwega @catticora @tayraedoll @michi-keinz @martinys-world @n0tmentallystable @xalygatorx @everwolf-20 @yui-onnero

[carpetbug]

welcome to the beginning of my ML Feline Blue AU!

in which Marinette is forced to become guardian before ever wielding a miraculous. Chaos ensues when she uses the black cat ring to become feline blue and through a silly little turn of events, Adrien gets his hands on the ladybug earrings and becomes beetle rouge

BIIIIIG thank you to my lovelies @isabugs and @thimbleb3rries for being so kind and encouraging, for their WONDERFUL ART OH MY GOD, and for beta-ing this!

The beginning: Becoming Guardian

1 • 2 • 3

“You’re not going to beat me like that, old man” The looming figure taunted.

Hunched in a ball before him, a much smaller elderly man struggled for breath. Blood trailed from his mouth, combining with his saliva to messily drip from his lips as he fought for air. Just by the effort he had to put into continuing breathing, he could tell this was not a fight he could win. Still, his fists clenched in defiance as he pushed himself from the floor and steadied himself upright on his feet. His spine screamed in protest and searing pain at the task, but he managed to remain standing.

“I know I can not beat you, old man” He coughed, hands trembling slightly. “But I must continue to fight”

The taller man scoffed before taking a step forward “I’ll make sure it's the last thing you ever do, you pathetic excuse of a guardian” He spat, tightening his grip on his cane as his rage boiled beneath his skin.

“I’d expect nothing less from a villain like you, Hawkmoth”

“No need to act like you’re so much better than me. After all, we've all made mistakes, haven’t we Master fu” Hawkmoth sneered.

“Leave my past out of this. I’ve worked to fix what I have broken, you only aim to destroy” Master fu panted, feeling his shoulders to check if his bag was still on his back, and letting out a small sigh of relief when he felt the thick material. Next his hands slowly traveled to support and feel the bottom and sides of the bag, searching for an object. He took another relieved breath when he felt the item's weight, and then he prepared himself for the worst. Bunching his muscles, he sprang into action and bolted away from Hawkmoth.

He focused only on moving forward, getting as far from this wretched evil as he could before time ran out. When he finally collapsed, legs giving out from under him in pure exhaustion, he found himself at the Pont de Arts, above the seine. Hawkmoth was nowhere to be seen, but master fu knew that was only a false sense of security. The villain would find him soon enough. He needed to find someone. Anyone.

“-ir? Are you okay?”

A voice. Master fu looked up, vision shaking just slightly. In Front of him stood a teenage girl, dark hair pulled back into pigtails and eyebrows pushed together with worry.

“Sir? Can you hear me?” She asked with a panicked look in her eyes. “How can I help?” She stepped closer and offered him a hand.

Master fu gathered his strength to pull his bag from his back and carefully draw open the zipper before reaching in to pull out the contents. The girl watched intensely, eyes following his pained movements. He pulled a large dark wooden box from the bag and held it close to his chest, then brought his eyes upwards to meet her face. “I’m sorry, young hero” He said sadly, then joined his hand to hers before she could respond.

An intense feeling washed over him, and he closed his eyes to take a deep breath. This girl was strong. He hoped she will forgive him for the burden he will make her bear.

She flashed an anxious smile “That’s okay, and I promise I’m no hero. Just a normal g-” He cut her off with a sharp tug, then slammed the box into her chest. She gasped as he knocked the air from her lungs, clearly not expecting such a feat of strength from the battered man. As she fought to breathe, Master fu gathered the last few remnants of his strength and lifted the girl from the ground. “I, Wang Fu, hereby relinquish the Miracle Box-”

“Stop! What are you doing!?”

“-and name Marinette Dupain-Cheng the guardian” His body lit up, skin glowing as the box between them lifted upward and burned like a star in the air.

“How do you know my na-?!” Before she could finish what she said, the box dropped back into her hold and the elderly man -still glowing like some sort of deity- held her over the railing and dropped her into the rushing water below. She hit the surface with a loud splash, getting thrown under but quickly resurfacing a few feet away, miracle box still in her arms.

The last thing she saw before being pulled away by the fast moving current was the man falling backwards to the ground in exhaustion as the light emitting from his skin dimmed.

Master fu slowly blinked his eyes open, carefully taking in his surroundings with an expression of pure shock and confusion on his face. He seemed so frail, all of a sudden. Like he had lost all his fight.

“What did you do?!” a booming voice hissed behind him. He started to turn his head to look, but something beat him to it. All of a sudden, a hand tightened around his throat and picked him off the ground, nails digging into the thin skin of his neck.

“What- what’s happening?” Master fus strangled voice hardly escaped his lips. He tried to thrash his legs, do anything to get free, but a fatigue he couldn’t explain had overcome his muscles. Weakly prying at his attackers hands, panic began to set in. There wouldn’t be any escape. “Who are you?” he managed out in a pained mumble.

“I am the next guardian of the miraculous” the seething voice responded as nails began to break through his skin. “I am the consequences of your greatest mistake” the words rang through his head as his vision went black, and sickeningly warm blood poured from his throat.

Marinette struggled to hold her head above the surface and keep the container in her grasp as the river pulled her this way and that. Her mind raced and her lungs screamed, everything inside her begging to let go of that weird old man’s weird old box and save herself instead. Still, her grip remained glued to the sodden wood, as if she would rather drown than set the box free to face the waters’ wrath. Nothing was making any sense. And despite the deafening chorus of the racing water that surrounded her, the only thing ringing in her ears was the man’s words.

He had called her a hero. He had entrusted her with something clearly important to him. He had thrown her into the seine. He had been badly wounded. He had been a complete and utter stranger. What did everything mean? Suddenly, her feet felt solid ground beneath her, and she hurriedly moved to follow it. She pushed forward, focusing on reaching the bank that lay on the other side. Eventually Marinette was able to pull herself and the box from the water onto an empty platform beneath a bridge.

As soon as she was safely out of the water, Marinette threw herself backwards in exhaustion. She laid against the cool pavement underneath her and passed through all the events that had just occurred. What the fuck was this ‘miracle’ box? And why was she the ‘guardian’? Ignoring the new aches in her body, she sat upward and brought the box closer to her.

There she sat for a few moments, toying with the lid and gently tracing the intricate pattern displayed. Taking a deep breath, she slowly opened it.

“HELLO YOUNG MASTER” A loud chorus of voices rang out as a beam of light emitted from the open container and what looked like small differently colored masses of stars flew all around her. Marinette fell back onto her elbows, overwhelmed at the sudden sensory overload. Her vision was a blur of nauseating colors accompanied by what she could only imagine to be auditory hallucinations.

Before she had a chance to speak, to catch her breath or try and scream for help, the almost magical colorful masses slowed until they were still, then began to morph into a solid form. Marinette watched, intrigued and terrified, as these small creatures took shape in front of her. They each seemed to be a different animal, though they all shared an alien-like anatomy. Some had tails, others long whiskers and a few antennas. Two of them caught her eye, a sleek black cat and what she thought to be a ladybug (though it looked much more like some sort of bug-mouse combo).

As if the creatures could read her mind -which they could, for all she knew-, they began to speak in sync. “WE ARE THE KWAMI, MAGICAL BEINGS THAT CAN BESTOW POWERS UPON OUR WIELDERS.” They said, in an almost sing-songy voice.

“AND YOU, MARINETTE, ARE OUR NEW GUARDIAN.”

[58sei]

The demons got to me and I ended up with a doodle page of a Yuma and Yomi role swap

Ramblings below cut as usual, there’s some spoilers but only for chap 2 so yeah

- I turned hitman zilch into Yomi’s shinigami lol, he’s basically normal zilch but a lot more quiet and tired. Yomi constantly tries to make Zilch open the portal to the mystery labyrinth like, as soon as someone gets on his nerves lol or when he finds a body, and Zilch has to constantly tell him he can’t do that bc they don’t have enough clues, can’t use it to kill random people, etc. Also yes, Yomi just kills without hesitation whatsoever 💀

- He doesn’t rly get along with the other detectives either except for maybe halara

+ additionally, Yomi does not have a forte. Used unconventional methods to climb his way to no.1, but also ig he’s just smart asf???

- When entering the mystery labyrinth, Zilch gives Yomi the keys normally. Everything else is the same. Yes, they gotta do the dance and zilch has to put on swimming trunks for the shinigami puzzle every time (much to both of their dismay). Bc of that, zilch tries to use the puzzle game as little times as possible.

- I highly doubt peacekeeper Yuma would appear much in public or flaunt his power like yomi does. Like normal yuma, he has a reputation of being a shut in and uses a double to give out orders in his stead. He’s still a very secretive person, so he just uses a disguise instead. No one’s seen his actual face anyway except probably makoto, shinigami (calling her that for convenience’s sake) and huesca so, yk. He’s always kinda just wandering around kanai ward disguised as an information broker who frequents the sun&moon hotel’s restaurant. Also uses his innocent appearance to fool people into a false sense of security.

- Detective yomi will prolly meet peacekeeper Yuma around chapter 2 while searching for desuhiko. Yomi runs into Yuma in the hotel’s dining hall, then asks around about desuhiko’s whereabouts, Yuma just so happens to be there and gives him clues to find the guy. I haven’t thought too deeply on how they meet and start talking, Yuma probably strikes up a convo after that, then somehow directs the topic to aetheria. Feeling the convo is getting weird, Yomi prolly tries to leave or smth, then right before he does Yuma just casually drops hints ab karen’s murder that’s about to happen like some offhand comment and it’s just been in the back of his mind ever since.

- But yeah basically yuma has information that even kurumi doesn’t and as uncomfortable it is to talk to him Yomi needs intel so he kinda just bites the bullet and visits him in sun&moon frequently. Also, kurumi does not like Yuma at all, he gives her the heebie jeebies. He reveals himself as the director of the peacekeepers to yomi in chap 4.

There’s still more thoughts but I’ve already rambled too much lol this entire thing is kinda supposed to be silly goofy so :p. Anyway that aside, closeups since text on some of the smaller ones may be harder to see

[hopepetal]

My piece in the fourth edition of the @trafficzine! I wrote about Impulse's boogey kill on Pearl :)

(Spot the boatem knights au reference in the fic lol)

Read on AO3!

Enjoy! :)

--

The curse looms over Impulse like storm clouds over the sky, and he thirsts for time like grass for rain. He catches his breath as the curse settles on him, choosing him as the boogeyman. 

He releases the breath through his mouth, quietly forming the words “not the boogeyman” with his lips. It's not the truth, but it sounds enough like it for no one to suspect a thing. He's gotten good at lying, at deceiving and backstabbing, over the course of the life series. He and Skizz are different in that way. Where his friend remains honest and loyal, he weaves treachery and lies into his words. 

Impulse isn't strong enough to be honest. That, in his opinion, is one of his greatest flaws. He's too weak to hold any true loyalty to his team– he supposes that's why the thought of just killing one of them crosses his mind instantly. 

No, he rebukes instantly, if I kill too quickly, they might want to do a reroll. He thinks back to the first boogey, how Grian had claimed it wasn’t “entertaining enough”. How Skizz had died twice in quick succession, just because there hadn’t been enough suspense to make things interesting. 

Impulse joins the bad boys and Tango in teasing Grian– he’s well and fully asleep, passed out on the llama– and pretends that he isn’t thinking of killing every single one of them. He thirsts, thirsts for time in a way he knows is just beginning. It will get worse over time, so he’s been told, and that is not something he’s looking forward to.

They have a brief conversation about the bread bridge and gold. Jimmy’s upset with Joel, Joel is flusteredly trying to explain, and Impulse somehow manages to keep a pleasant smile on his face the whole time. He ignores how his fingers twitch, itching to grab onto his sword and swing it right into one of the bad boys' chests. 

Impulse and Tango manage to leave without spilling any blood, leaving the two bickering bad (bread) boys behind. The trek back to their base is mostly silent– Impulse is trapped in his thoughts for the most of it. He wonders once more if he should just get an easy kill on his teammates, or if he should tell them about him being the boogey. 

He almost does tell them. Instead, he innocently asks “anyone the boogey?” and feigns ignorance and joy when they all confirm that they aren’t. He supposes that’s one good thing about being the boogey; he doesn’t have to spend the entire session worrying about whether someone was lying to him or not, watching his back and fearing for his life.

Everything continues as normal. Skizz pulls Tango aside to talk while Etho begins placing red concrete in the water, watching it harden before mining it. And oh, it would be so easy to kill them– they’re not even looking! Their backs are turned! None of them even have their weapons drawn, so lulled into a false sense of security that–

No.

No.

He can’t do this. Not again. He won’t betray his teammates. He’ll just have to find someone better to kill.

There’s Scar, running over the hill and pulling Skizz aside. Impulse draws his sword but the other is too quick to disappear around the tower with Skizz in tow, claiming that it’s a “private meeting.” Impulse looks between Tango and Etho with a nervous chuckle that has no actual anxiety behind it. He knows Skizz is safe. Scar is green, after all, and the only one who could really put Skizz in any danger is Impulse himself. 

“Scar could be the boogey for all we know,” he points out, the smile on his face a contrast to the more serious words he’s saying, “are we sure we want to leave them alone?”

They leave Skizz alone with Scar anyway. If he was in any real danger, they’d get him out of there. There’s a team meeting (“Three quarters of a team meeting!” Tango jokes) and they begin to discuss skynet. Impulse makes his worry over falling off quite clear, and suggests that he goes and grabs some ender pearls. 

He does exactly that– the monotony of mining and healing and trading does enough to take his mind off of the ever growing thirst in the back of his throat. His communicator buzzes in his back pocket when he finishes up, Tango sending an excited response when the notification goes out. The communicator buzzes again as he begins to trade, and he wonders why in the void’s name did anyone ever think that achievements were a good idea. He gets what he needs, though, clutching eleven ender pearls in hand before returning to the surface.

And– oh boy, there’s Bdubs and Scar on the opposite bank, yelling about something incomprehensible. Things usually are that way, with the clockers. Cockers? Whatever they were calling themselves. Upon noticing Impulse, they wade through the water to join him, bringing their dogs with them.

“How are you, Impulse?” Scar asks in his pleasant voice, a smile on his lips as Bdubs helps him out of the water while rambling about something “blasting him all over the place”. 

“I’m doing great, how are you–” Impulse begins, but is interrupted by Tango falling from the sky and crashing into the water with a demonic sort of squawking. 

Bdubs is unphased by this, shouting out an excited “hi, Tango! That was cool!”

Tango clambers out of the water and immediately is staring at the small puppy shaking water out of its fur. “That dog’s head is way too big for its body,” he points out, and Bdubs shrugs and says something about the cuteness factor.

Impulse pulls out the ender pearls stashed away in his inventory. “Since you guys are friends…” He hands one to Bdubs before throwing one to Scar. “...do you want one of these?”

Bdubs’ eyes widen, and he takes his pearl with a grin. “Stasis chamber?” he asks enthusiastically, and Impulse smirks.

“You never know,” he says with a shrug, before turning and handing a pearl to Tango. 

He takes out some of the building bloodlust on the zombies that spawned in the tower (flamboyant, Bdubs calls it, to which Tango exclaims disbelievingly through laughter that it’s stone, one of the most basic building blocks). Impulse makes some joke about how Tango and Etho are competing for best accidental mob farm, and tries to hide how he relishes in the zombies’ demise. 

Monotonous work seems to help keep the murderous urges at bay, so Impulse volunteers to help Tango with the bubble elevator. Tango’s busy explaining to him what the plan is when Skizz drops into the water from above, splashing them both and spooking Tango. “Guy knows how to make an entrance!” Tango yelps, to Impulse and Skizz’s laughter.

“I hate to interrupt, but…!” Skizz makes his way over to Impulse, looking up at him with wide eyes. “Impulse! Do you have any ender pearls, buddy?”

“Oh yeah!” Impulse replies easily, and hands Skizz two ender pearls– the yellow name would need them. 

…not like they help much anyway, because not that much long later, Skizz falls off a ladder and dies. Again. There’s a brief discussion with Tango– how did it happen? Why did he die?– and then Skizz returns, yelling about how he doesn’t even know what happened. 

“Are you the boogey?!” he asks Impulse as they’re climbing back up the tower, and it takes everything Impulse has to keep moving up that ladder, to not freeze at the realization that Skizz thinks he did that on purpose. And, if he had, if he claimed it as a boogey kill– it would count! He could take this and the curse would break and…

No. He wouldn’t.

“I didn’t boogeyman you!” he insists over Skizz’s shouted accusations, “you fell on your own accord! Don’t you be blamin’ the boogey!”

“I’m gonna blame somebody!” Skizz spits, pulling himself up off the ladder. “What happened?! Why is this hole here?!” 

“It’s under construction–!” Impulse splutters– “I tried to tell you that!”

Skizz keeps yelling, and Tango’s laughter echoes from above. “Oh, I love the bickering,” he wheezes, and Impulse shoots him a glare. “Sorry, sorry, not helping.”

“I lost another hour, man!” Skizz cries. “I keep dying so much!”

Impulse gives him a weak smile, chuckling softly. “Okay, okay, but let’s talk. That was my fault, right? Because I’m the one that put the hole there?”

Skizz shakes his head instantly, dismissing Impulse’s concerns. “Nah, dude. Not at all. Of course it’s not your fault!” 

Impulse frowns, tilting his head slightly to the side. “But you just said it was,” he points out, and Skizz winces.

“Ehhh, heat of the moment sort of thing. Ya know?” 

Impulse laughs. “So if I happened to be boogey…” he trails off for a moment, testing the waters, before continuing. “...would that have counted?”

Something registers in Skizz’s brain, and he looks right into Impulse’s eyes. “I would’ve counted it. I really would’ve.” It’s an offer, almost. Skizz is giving him a way out of this. A way that Impulse has decided already not to take, but a way out nonetheless. “Are you the boogey, then?” Another offer. This time, it’s a chance to come clean and be honest with his teammates. 

Impulse hardly doubts that Skizz knows he’s boogey. They’ve been friends for decades now, and Skizz knows Impulse better than anyone else ever could. It’s part of the reason why Impulse is so glad Skizz is on his team and not an enemy; Skizz would be able to see right through him were he to lie or try and deceive anyone. 

“No,” Impulse practically breathes out, and tries not to wince when he sees the disappointment shine so briefly in Skizz’s eyes. “If I was boogey, I wouldn’t be going after you guys.” Relief swells in his chest when he sees Skizz relax and give him a slight smile. At least Skizz knows he can trust Impulse– the nice thing about knowing when someone is lying is that you know when they’re telling the truth as well. 

“I know,” Skizz tells Impulse, before weaving a little lie of his own. “I didn’t think you were boogey!”

Your ‘secret’ is safe. For now. 

They’re immediately distracted by Tango’s noisy complaints about how he built something wrong, his distressed sounds making Skizz laugh. Impulse joins in as Tango laments his mistake with a long, drawn out wail. Skizz’s laughter is infectious, and they quickly begin to tease Tango over the error. For the moment, things are fine, and Impulse almost forgets that he’s cursed. Doomed to either kill or die. 

Well, he’s doomed to die no matter what he does, but the game is all about delaying the inevitable.

When Skizz is gone, Impulse whispers the truth to Tango. He’s the boogey, and Tango laughs a little nervously at that before muttering that he’d figured, that question earlier had tipped him off. They joke about it for a moment before Tango confesses that he’s actually really nervous and Impulse is quick to reassure him that he has no plans of targeting team T.I.E.S. Tango nods, lowering his shield, and begins to figure out a plan. It ends up being quite simple– get TNT from Etho, then drop it from the sky and kill someone. 

They end up meeting Skizz on Skynet, high above the ground with a drop that would spell death for anyone unfortunate enough to fall. It’s dizzying, looking down at the ground, players like ants below them. So small. So fragile. 

Impulse wants to kill. 

“Why don’t you just do it?” he asks Skizz, voice quivering with barely held back excitement when his friend says he wants to blow someone up. Adrenaline is coursing through his veins, his blood turned to fire from the curse’s rage. 

Skizz can’t kill any yellows– that’s fine. Impulse will do it himself.

He lights the first block of TNT and watches it fall.

“...are you boogey, dude?”

Impulse is silent.

“You’re boogey.” 

“You knew that,” Impulse murmurs, and Tango and Skizz erupt into laughter.

“You are!” Skizz crows triumphantly, and Impulse can’t help but grin, expression turned maniac from the bloodlust. 

His eyes shine red.

The want becomes a need. 

“You’ll help me, right?” Impulse breathlessly asks his teammates, ignoring how his hands won’t stop trembling as he peers over the edge, gazing down at the drop that would sate his thirst, that would give him what he needs. All he has to do…

Skizz smiles, and he would’ve wrapped an arm around Impulse’s shoulders were they not in constant danger of falling to their deaths. “‘course, dippledop. What are friends for, if not to help a guy kill someone?”

…is kill. 

“Who do you want to kill?” Skizz asks, and Impulse considers his options. They’re allied with the clockers, and team T.I.E.S stays true to their allies. 

The bad boys, however…

“How about Joel?”

It’s perfect. He’s right beneath them, too caught up in his own duty of protecting Grian to pay attention to the sky. Impulse can hear his own heart beating, can feel the sweat dripping down his neck, can taste the blood as he bites down too hard on his cheek, can–

Footsteps that don’t belong to any member of T.I.E.S are picked up by ears far more sensitive than anyone else’s, and Impulse looks up to see Pearl running over Skynet with her diamond hoe in hand. “Pearl’s coming,” he warns, “Etho’s behind her.”

Now this…

This is his target.

It’s not every day the universe presents him with the perfect opportunity and means for revenge.

(Deep down, Impulse doesn’t really blame her for what happened in Double Life. But the boogey curse changes a person down to their very core, at least until they kill.)

“Let me shoot her,” Skizz whispers, and Impulse has to bite back a cry of frustration when he shoots. He misses, thankfully. Impulse has to do it, has to be the one to kill her. Otherwise, and this he realizes with growing certainty, he’s going to die. And soon. 

Pearl yelps as the arrow flies by her, wings fluttering behind her as she comes to a halt a few feet in front of them. “What’s going on here?” she demands, smiling, not taking her near death seriously whatsoever. 

“It’s not safe here,” Impulse tells her, and he knows the softness in his voice is only because of the bond they shared in their home server, only because he still considers her family. 

Family is not enough, and Impulse realizes this as bloodlust washes over him once more, the curse reaching its peak. He carefully steps forward, keeping an expression of concern on his face. Tango realizes what he’s doing and gives him the space to move around so that he’s face to face with Pearl. She still suspects nothing, her words lighthearted and posture relaxed as she banters with Tango and Skizz. 

It’s perfect.

Impulse takes the ground out from under her feet, and Pearl falls.

Maniacal laughter erupts from him as he watches her fall, listens to her rapidly fading scream of terror, and finally sees her die. “Boogey!” he cries, to the laughter and cheers of his teammates. “Done!” 

The curse recedes, Impulse taking a shaking breath as a weight is lifted off his shoulders. His hands still shake slightly as he continues to laugh, more out of relief now than from excitement and glee.

And Impulse…

Impulse killed Pearl. 

Maybe, in a world different from this one, he would've seen her fall and know she'd be caught on wings as strong as their owner's love for her. But not this time. Not in this world. 

As he drinks in the time– Pearl's time, ripped from her dead hands, quenching his thirst and soothing his parched throat– the vice grip of the curse over his heart fully lifts, and Impulse realizes what he's done. 

It's a necessary evil, he knows, and Pearl will forgive him eventually. She always does. But as he thinks back to the kill, back to Pearl's scream and broken, useless wings spreading in an attempt to catch her fall, Impulse feels... more than a little guilty. 

He doesn’t have time for guilt.

“Ohhh…” he breathes out, leaning against Skizz, “oh, that– I feel so much better. That feels so much better.”

Skizz helps support him, keeping him steady. “You all good, dippledop? Is the curse gone?”

Tango and Etho step closer as Impulse nods. Now that the bloodlust and adrenaline have faded away, Impulse feels tired, exhaustion settling in fast. “We’re all good,” he gets out, smiling weakly. “Though I think I’ve made a new enemy today.”

Tango waves him off with a grin. “Hey, whatever happens, team T.I.E.S will have your back.”

Skizz lets out a cheer, Etho nodding along to Tango’s words. “Yeah, man. Don’t worry about it. You just did what you had to do. No harm in that,” the masked man points out, and Impulse finally relents.

“All right, all right. Let’s get down from here, though– I still don’t trust myself up here.” 

Later, Impulse will apologize to Pearl and say that it wasn’t really him. It was the crazed boogeyman version of himself, his mind driven mad by the ever growing bloodlust and need to kill. He won’t truly mean it, and she won’t ever accept his excuse for an apology. 

In the end, that’s not what matters. The betrayal, the lies, the deceit and the fake apologies– none of it will matter at all. In the end, they will both fall. Nothing they do can stop the ever flowing river of time.

Time keeps ticking. Sand continues to fall through the hourglasses that measure their lives.

Impulse lives today, but tomorrow he will die.

[cc--2224]

Second Impressions

Pairing: Crosshair x GN! Reader

Summary: You expected the worst when the Bad Batch were assigned to be your bodyguards, but first impressions aren't always everything. It doesn't take long for you to get close to them, well, most of them.

Warnings: Canon-Typical Violence, mentions of broken bones/injuries

Notes: Can be seen as platonic or romantic, however you'd like! Also, softer than normal Crosshair because I'm into that

Word Count: ~2.5k

Taglist: None, let me know if you'd like to be added!

Read on AO3

Masterlist

You didn't have a chance to react to the nearby explosion before you felt something collide with you. It felt like durasteel barreling into you, you felt a sharp pain and then a weight on top of you before it went quiet. Your eyes were glued shut, fearing what you might see if you opened them.

It was supposed to be a normal day, or at least as normal as it could be. You had been traveling with Clone Force 99 on a series of expeditions, with them acting as somewhat of your bodyguards while you conducted your research on different planets. 

They hadn't really been keen on the assignment at the start, deeming it "too boring to just go around looking at plants" and "not a job worthy of their skills" as you had heard them say. In all fairness, you weren't sold on the idea either, but your protests had fallen on deaf ears. The war had become too dangerous for you to venture out on your own, and nearly every other unit was too preoccupied fighting that war to assist you. 

As your research continued, however, you got used to them, even growing to like them. They were much different than any other clones you had worked with, each of them had enhanced abilities, and incredibly different personalities. Over time, you had begun to consider them your friends. 

Wrecker became willing to help you with the heavy lifting that your job entailed, bringing the larger samples you had to gather back to the ship. Hunter's astute senses started to come in handy when you were tasked to locate rare vegetation that no one seemed to be able to pinpoint the location of. Tech was always okay with having his brain picked whenever you had questions or needed someone to bounce ideas off of. And then there was Crosshair. His sharp eyes, always watching from a distance, never getting too close to you. His tongue was just as sharp as his eye, and the few times he did speak to you, it was never to exchange pleasantries or words of comfort. You were positive that if the others had considered you a friend, Crosshair most certainly did not. 

Your first impression of him left much to be desired, as much as you tried to befriend him.

You learned early on that it was best to let him do his own thing, although there was a part of you that was almost upset by that. You had heard him on more than one occasion joking with the others, and you had tried to use that as an opportunity to speak to him, figuring the other times he was just in a bad mood and now it had been lifted, but when you'd open your mouth, he would close back up. You wished that you could have gotten to know him as well as you had his brothers, but his boundaries were set and you did your best to respect them.

When your research brought you to Felucia, you were slightly apprehensive to go there. You had heard of recent skirmishes between the Republic forces and the Separatists, but decided you would be far enough away from any outposts to get in and out without issue. 

The ship landed about a klick away from the co-ordinates your supervisor had sent you, and when you exited the ship, the dense forest seemed empty. Feeling a false sense of security, you insisted on going to find the fungi you were sampling on your own. The others didn't see any problem with that, so they accepted the idea, but only if you remembered to comm them if there was danger. Their terms seemed reasonable enough, so you agreed and made your way into the forest.

You hadn't been gone long before there was unrest in the Marauder.

"Was it really a wise decision to let them go on their own?" Crosshair asked with his teeth grinding against a toothpick. 

"They'll be fine, there's hardly ever any conflict around here, and definitely not this deep in the forest." Hunter tried, unsuccessfully, to reassure him. 

"If you are so worried about their wellbeing, why did you not go with them?" Tech glanced over at him before looking back to the control panel he had begun fiddling with.

"Yeah, Cross, you like them or something?" Wrecker joined in with more of a teasing tone than his brothers had.

Crosshair simply scowled at all of them in reply before standing from his chair. 

"I'm going to take a look around."

No one said anything else while he made his way outside, but they each exchanged their own secret looks.

His eyes scanned the area, but found no trace of you aside from your footprints in the mud, and thankfully no sign of any danger. But just as he was about to walk to the other side of the ship, he heard the sound of distant blaster fire coming from the direction in which you had taken off. 

Without thinking, he started off into the forest, following your footprints as best as he could. Through the trees, he could see a tank crushing the trees in its path and a patrol of droids following it.

"Kriff." He muttered under his breath as he tried to find your trail again. 

You had gotten lost in your work, you didn't really know where you were relative to any occupied villages on the planet, and you didn't know how long it was taking you to retrieve the samples you were instructed to obtain. Until you had heard blaster fire, you weren't even aware there could be anyone this far out. It sounded far away, so you thought you could finish what you were doing before going back to the ship. The return fire sounded much closer, and this worried you. You sighed and reached for your blaster in case things went awry, but found the holster empty.

This seemed like the kind of danger the others would have expected you to comm about, and just as you were bringing your commlink up to speak, you saw a flash coming toward you, and that's when you felt something colliding with you.

It was dark.

Death? Is that what this was? 

No, your eyes were closed, that's why it was dark. Death wouldn't hurt this much. You were suddenly very aware of a pain radiating from your side into your chest.

But you couldn't find the will to open your eyes, when you did eventually try, your vision was blurry and you were forced to shut them again.

You felt a weight on top of you, halting your movement and shallowing your breath. The nearby conflict you heard, and now the ringing in your ears meant there must have been some kind of explosion. You tried to piece together what just happened, but with limited movement and blurred vision, that task was proving difficult. You must have been lucky enough to miss the explosion, but unlucky enough to be in the range of flying debris, and you couldn't bring your comm up to call for help.

You figured that if death didn't find you already, it soon would.

As you resigned yourself to your fate, you heard a muffled voice, it didn't sound like a battle, it just sounded like one almost desperate voice, you thought you heard it say your name but you couldn't be sure. 

The weight lifted from your chest and you heard the muted sounds of blaster fire before it was silent again. In the silence, you felt your head being lifted slowly from the ground, almost like you were being cradled.

"Please..." The voice returned, becoming more clear. "Wake up." 

Your eyebrows furrowed and a groan sounded from your throat. Slowly, your eyes opened, you had to blink a couple times before you could clearly see the figure holding you.

"Cross..hair?" 

He sighed in relief. "You're okay."

"Y-Yeah but.. what happened?" You tried to sit up on your own, but his hand was still firm on your back, stabilizing you. You felt the sharp pain in your side and your chest more furiously as you breathed in, and you winced in response. "I feel like I was hit by a railspeeder." 

"No, luckily just plastoid." He looked over you, trying to assess any injuries, but he almost looked guilty when he met your eye. "...Sorry." 

You looked at him with a confused expression.

"There was a clanker patrol in the area, must have been targeting a nearby village, but a tank fired this way. I tackled you out of the way, I guess doing so injured you."

You looked down at his chestplate, and pieced together that the impact you felt, as well as the weight on top of you, it had been him. 

"Can you stand?" He asked, standing up slowly and offering you a hand to help you up.

You took it but when you tried standing, the pain you felt in your side became worse, shooting in different directions across your torso and bringing tears to your eyes. 

He stopped trying to help you up and in a swift movement, he carefully scooped you off the ground. 

"We'll take a look at that when we get back to the ship." He said and started walking back.

It took a few moments to feel comfortable, both with your injuries and with his demeanour. He had never expressed interest in being near you, and now he was willingly carrying you back to the ship.

As if he could feel your stare, his eyes darted over to meet yours. "What is it?"

"Why are you being so nice to me?" You asked quietly, still looking at his face intently, like you were trying to draw out his usual annoyed expression.

"What do you mean?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I mean... you never even talk to me. And now you apparently saved my life."

He looked ahead with a stern expression. 

"We were hired as your bodyguards." He reminded you.

"I didn't even know you were there."

"I was wor- …I disagreed that it was safe for you to go out by yourself, and then I heard the blasters, so I came to find you." He paused, considering your earlier words and how he acted toward you prior to this.

In truth, he had seen how close you had gotten to Hunter, Wrecker, and Tech and he didn't feel you had a place for him. He tried to be content to watch from afar as he always had, it was what he was made for after all. Keeping his distance was his role in every mission they took, and he was certain this mission would be no different. But watching from afar, observing the way your eyes lit up when you spoke about your research, your smile that grew when you'd talk to his brothers, everything about your interactions with them planted a bitter, jealous seed inside of him. Knowing they could talk to you so freely, that they could draw those smiles from you, a smile that he wished he could see up close. And knowing that he could too, if he hadn't pushed you away anytime you tried to get near him. He was petulant in the way he craved your affection, while also refusing to get close to you, to let you in, but he'd never admit that to himself much less to you.

"As for not talking to you," He continued, "I'm just… not talkative."

"You're talking now." You countered, and you were met with a slight smirk. "I always assumed you just hated me or something."

He didn't answer for a long time after that. You were nearly at the Marauder when he finally spoke again.

"I never hated you. It just takes time for me to get used to people. I like you." His eyes widened just slightly enough that you notice. "I mean, I like having you around."

You could feel yourself blushing. You tried shifting to bring your face closer to his, but you were unable to without causing yourself more pain. He noticed your movement and stopped for a moment so you could readjust yourself in his arms.

"Crosshair, can you.. come closer for a second." 

He glanced down at you before obliging, bringing his head down so he was level with you. You slowly moved your head toward his and kissed his cheek. 

"Thank you… for saving me."

He snapped his head back and you smiled slightly when you saw the tips of his ears reddening. He didn't say anything, but he gave you an acknowledging nod.

When you finally returned to the ship, Crosshair laid you down gently on your bunk as your injuries were scanned and treated as best as they could be, unfortunately bacta patches wouldn't do much for broken ribs, but bedrest would.

Crosshair kept you company as much as he could while you healed. His visits were often silent, there were many times where he just stood and watched over you. It was awkward at first, but you started to understand that was how he'd feel he was keeping you safe. Although, sometimes he would attempt to get to know you, he's sit at the end of your bunk asking you questions about your research. A topic that would always send you into a verbal frenzy for which he wouldn't accept any apology. On occasion he would also allow you to ask him questions about himself, but there was never any consistency to how much or how little he would tell you. You knew he was trying to open up to you in his own way, and this led you to reconsider how you first felt about him. You wished you hadn't jumped to conclusions about him, but at the same time you were glad that he was willingly opening himself up to you rather than you breaking a boundary by mistake. You began to feel closer to him the more time you spent with him, and you slowly began to understand that he considered you a friend long before the events on Felucia, even though he never made it clear. 

Everything about him felt different now. His discerning eye always watching, somehow always being able to read you with ease regardless of what you did and didn't tell him. His sharp wit always countering your own. You learned that he was never one to exchange pleasantries or offer words of comfort, but you didn't hold it against him as you once had. Even after you had healed, he was more open to speaking with you, when you heard him joking with his brothers, he no longer closed himself off when you approached. Instead, he'd usually make a small joke at your expense. 

Your second impression of Crosshair was much better than the first, now that you understood him more than you thought you had early on.

While you hoped you wouldn't have to deal with a couple broken ribs and bedrest again any time soon, it wasn't the worst thing to happen to you. Although getting even closer to Crosshair without having to go through all of that again would be much more ideal.

[empressofthewind]

I know Near says in the warehouse scene that he doesn’t think Mello thought far ahead enough to realise that Mikami’s notebook was fake, but I’ve been thinking about that entire plan in a lot of depth for a fic and I have come to the conclusion that he absolutely could’ve. because Mello is extremely intelligent, obviously, and we know that Halle told him everything about the investigation except the real identities of Mikami & Light. so he knew there was some guy doing the killing for the original Kira, and that Gevanni was following him, and presumably all of the evidence they had seen up to that point that this unspecified guy was X-Kira.

if all of that is true, it means Mello would know that Mikami killed someone on a train, in front of Gevanni and numerous other witnesses, and that he was talking to himself clearly enough for Rester to flawlessly lip-read from a video captured at a reasonable distance (and unless Rester is fluent in Japanese, he might’ve even been saying this in English, which is even MORE notable). I could 100% believe that Mello would notice something off about all of that. since he doesn’t know who Mikami is, he wouldn’t know whether this kind of behaviour is normal, but he DOES know well enough how Kira operates, and he knows that he is extremely strategic in his moves. and the fact that Gevanni has been watching him for a while but has only seen each of these happen once would seem terribly convenient.

so I think Mello could easily pick up on the fact that Mikami is doing this on purpose to lull the SPK into a false sense of security, and that it’s working. from there, I think he’d also figure out that the notebook Mikami carries around is a fake, and would likely think he switched it out right after using it on the train. but he can’t just tell Near all of that, because a) he has too much pride to act as if he cares about whether or not Near survives (even if he does), and b) it wouldn’t do anything to reveal the location of the real notebook. simply knowing that the notebook is fake doesn’t do him any favours - he needs to prove it, and to reveal its actual location in the process. I think he probably guessed that the notebook was with Takada, since the killings were still happening which, in his mind, would rule out the possibility that Mikami still has the real notebook somewhere on him. but even if he thought it WAS with Mikami, he couldn’t do anything directly to him anyway since he didn’t know Mikami’s identity, so going through Takada was the best way to go about it.

the other thing that's really interesting to me about this is the implication that this plan was a last resort for Mello. Near lays out the plan for January 28th three days before, on the 25th, which means Halle would have relayed the information to him on that day. and look at his reaction to that:

to me, these two panels are SO telling about his intentions. the line "then I guess I'm going to have to do it" suggests that he's had this planned for a while, and was waiting so see how Near was intending to end the case before making the decision to go through with it. I imagine he was hoping Near might catch onto Light & Mikami's plan himself, and would take measures to stop it, but the details given to him by Halle confirmed that this was not the case.

and the other thing this shows, to me, is that Mello intended to die. he knew he had to sacrifice himself for the plan rather than calling in a stand-in, and I think there are several reasons for that. one, there’s the fact that it would be extremely difficult for him to find a stand-in, since he clearly did not want Matt to die, the whole mafia was already gone, and he didn’t have the legal power that L did to find a death row inmate or even just the general connections to call in someone he considers expendable - not to mention how incredibly short notice this is. there’s also the fact that his name is out there, and he knows that, so he probably thinks there’s a high risk he will die or be imprisoned regardless, so at least this way, he’s dying for a cause. and I think it’s also important to remember that even though he hates Near, he believes that Near is better than him. he was raised on that belief; it’s been drilled into him since he was a kid. that’s why he hates Near. so even though he’s dedicated his entire life to beating Near, I do think in a situation like this, where he thinks that one of them is going to die, he would probably assume it’s better to be him.

[the-slasher-files]

[[CALL OF DUTY]]

THESE BOYS - HEADCANONS

Hi friends! Welcome to my new fixation lol. I just wanted to start out with some headcanons just to kind of bulid them how I would like... Hope you enjoy🔪💕

MASTERLIST

SIMON "GHOST" RILEY

As he says in the game, Simon has a heart, a very cold one, however to the people he truly loves and holds close you get to see his heart and it is one of gold. He is a man that has seen a lot in life and been through too much bad that he thinks there is no way he could ever be good or meant to find love, however that is completely untrue and sometimes Simon needs that reminder. It may take a solid year before he even smiles at you under the mask or let alone share a deep conversation with you. It takes a long time for him to trust, but when he does, you are his family. No if ands or buts.

Because of this Simon has a very small social circle. Ghost knows many due to work and connections, people he has worked for and favours he'd have favours to return, however Simon only knows a couple people, truly knows them. And when he knows you he reminds all of your subtle mannerisms, your childhood stories, want you like and what you hate. No detail will be forgotten and it is a pleasure to know him.

Ghost watches everything.... absolutely everything. On missions you often see him stepped aside or behind the others but that definitely doesn't mean he will stand there and take it, we all know that well, and at home is no exception. He likes to observe you in all ways from making your coffee in the morning to just watching you get ready for bed. This carries over into the bedroom, that's right, Simon loves to give orders and watch you do so much for him. You're his perfect little baby and he wants to see you a mess.

Also one of his favorite things is to have you sit in front of him and please yourself, watch you struggle to get the feeling only Simon can give you. Normally he doesn't have the patience of a God but for moments like these he will take his time to watch you fall apart for him only because Simon knows the world of pleasure and pain he will give you after.

Surprisingly however, this man is an incredibly giving person behind closed doors, just for you to see. Simon enjoys getting you little gifts after long grueling missions, buying your favorite food, he just doesn't like the kind of gifts that are overly showy like walking around with a bunch of flowers is not his style. Speaking of giving behind closed doors, Ghost loves to push you to your absolute limit in the bedroom, with all his observations of you he takes every little hint and move forward to get the best results so to speak. He simply cannot get off if you haven't at least twice before him.

However, do not let that pleasing and giving nature in the bedroom lull you into a false sense of security because Simon is a big fan of edging you over and over again, making you cry and squeal, hit him and claw at him, he wants to see/hear it all. Ghost is a sadist after all (just not as much as König).

Nights are the hardest for him, even though he will never admit it. Simon has a horrendous time trying to sleep and when he finally does it is very light, waking up if he hears a truck pull up or if you move too much in bed. No matter what you try he will just brush it off and say "Nothing to worry 'bout, love" but it does worry about you. Often times you will try to stay up with Simon and he appreciates it everytime but will always hush you to bed and watch you on his chest.

KÖNIG

He may have severe social anxiety but when he is out in the field he gets so hopped up on adrenaline and stress that he becomes outgoing and more than capable of everything the mission needs, even becoming a leader when he needs to be. The problem comes when he is on the bases and in meetings, he shifts a lot in his seat, bounces his leg and even nibbles on his lips so badly they begin to bleed behind the mask. Even when König is home, the anxiety sets in so he relies on trying to keep constantly busy so he doesn't have to sit with his own thoughts.

With that, he surprisingly has a major caffeine addiction, it keeps him awake, alert and oddly makes him calm when he is on that high. Always the day has to begin with a black coffee then a redbull then whatever else he can get his hands on, even if he is on a mission König will try anything for energy drinks.

Although this man is a mountain, good luck keeping him still and being able to relax for the day. König will try for you to have a relaxing day on the couch and just watching movies, however, he just finds it impossible. If you want a day in bed, he doesn't have an issue but it just means you will be getting busy the whole time.

König is a big boy and that doesn't mean his stamina is low, no, no. It's the absolute opposite. One round is never enough for him, never, ever. When he gets home to see you, there is no way you are getting out of the primal, animalistic urges he has. There is a reason his name is "king", he always gets what he wants in not exactly the softest way. König's energy is more rough and needy, desperate I'm a way as he takes you in anyway possible, even forcing you to take it when you can't any longer. The man loves to use ropes as well, tying your writhing body down to watch you beg and cry with overstimulation as me makes you cum over and over, forcing you and breeding you animalistically. It will be hours before his knife comes out to cut the ropes and lap up any blood that comes from it.

Speaking of knives and blood, König has an honest love for it. He is gross the field, brutal and a 250 pound beast. His passion for knives is unmatched and sees pleasure in the kill when he plunges the blade within a body or when he gets a sniper shot.

König might be a huge mountain with anxiety, a passion for the thrill of the kill, often a stubborn bastard who can be a prick and his the libido of a God but when König finally finds his partner as awkward as he might be at first, he falls hard and is full of fire, feeling deeply and truly just wanting someone to talk with on the nights he can't sleep, although he sleeps like a fucking immovable rock. Now, you won't go out much to bars or movies or restaurants for dates, he just loves the quiet places and long drives.

[r0-boat]

Can I please request sfw slice of life headcannons for reader and Volo? (Ps. I hope you had a great Easter!)

Thank you so much and I hope you have a good *looks at calendar* April 27th

Volo x gn!reader slice of life hcs

Sfw cut for length

Cw: slight Angst with a happy ending.

Scars heal, although some take longer than others... after years, you finally begin to accept that you may not be able to go home ... however, slowly but surely, you begin to cultivate your new life in the strange lands of Hisui. Still hurt knowing that you could never go back home, but you knew there was your second home.

The village was remorseful of how they treated you, offering to all help and build you an actual home. You now live in a small humble Cottage a little ways outside the village you could still get there easily on your Pokémon's back. While the boarding that Cyllene gave you was nice you wanted something else...

Sometimes you wonder how he is doing. After he disappeared, he left your heart better and broken. Making you question if the time he spent with you was real... if all the things he did to you and said to you were honest and not just to lull you into a false sense of security... you knew the village would never accept him back, but you also knew how painful he was. You saw in his eyes when he threw out his Pokeball; underneath that mad smile was a scared, confused man, who had no one in his life other than a dream. Volo claimed he hated you, but was it true?

As your Pokemon snooze is away while you brush its fur you hear a knock at the door... you weren't really expecting anyone today you opened your door expecting to greet Lavington, Cyllene... your eyes widen seeing a blonde-haired man standing in your doorway. His standing failed looked like the days alone in the wilderness had not been treating him well recently, and his face filled with regrets and sadness. "V-olo?" His name Falls from your lips.

After years of searching for Arceus, he knew he finally had everything.... his life dedicated to one God sacrificing everything he had and everything he built. To him, it was worth it... until he found you, he first saw you as your stepping stone, a simple obstacle in the way of his true dreams... But after he spends more time with you, something that he has never felt before begins to stir inside of him... it scared him... he tried to push it back as much as he could, thinking that nothing would matter once he finally reached his goal.

After Spear Pillar, he couldn't look you in the eyes anymore, he fled...

He has been better in recent days, choosing to live with you instead of chasing a dream till it drives him to Madness. You made him realize that he deserved a normal life that he earned his own path.

He reassures you that the feelings he has for you is genuine that he was an idiot for leaving you on Spear Pillar, Volo expected you to hate him... But you didnt?

The two of you now live in the cottage together every morning when the weather was nice volo goes outside in the garden and either relax or studies some old historical texts (still a history nerd)—occasionally going out on his own Adventures to look for more ancient ruins. Your Pokemon who once stood as great enemies now frolic and play as friends.

Volo's heart melts when he wakes up to the smell of your cooking no, he does not miss being a gingo guild member and finding what he can eat. He claims your homemade potato mochi is far better than the ones they serve in the village.

Volo does claim that he never once cared for that Village since how they treated him and you, but Volo did regret his actions and what he did even if the village would never accept him even if the gamegoeso Guild would never accept him, he still wanted to grow as a person and have everyone remember him as what he is now.

Volo has learned how to cook when he was just a traveling Merchant. He would only eat the wild berries he would find and had no time to cook..., but with you on his mind, he wants to make you smile with something he pours as hard into.

Sometimes you still have nightmares of The Village casting you out alone and cold as Giratina staring down at you. you wake up in a cold sweat, ready to cry, only to be held by Volo. I am making you remember that you are safe now and you are not alone.

Volo also still has nightmares of Giratina swallowing him down to this Distortion world where he belongs or Arceus standing before him to judge him on his sins of Pride and envy, greed, gluttony, and Wrath... but he feels at ease when he holds you close

Volo once asked you what was life like in your old time... you told him everything he seemed a little lost on the topics of technology and buildings however he seemed more intrigued when you told him about the many different kinds of Pokemon and places that you've seen... there is a bigger world out there.

Maybe one day the two of you should leave Hisui and travel the world just like in your stories...

No more worries no more expectation just you and him and the wild Untamed Wilderness and the Pokemon within them.

[whoareyoueventhough]

hey y'all are we ready for me to be normal about Nerdy Prudes Must Die? Are we ready?

(oh and before you tell me I'm over analyzing, that's the point. I have no clue if these are all intentional or "reading to much into it," but I enjoy reading into it a LOT so if that's too much for you, you don't have to read this)

Hahaha I tricked you!!! I'm not normal actually

so the opening number, high school is killing me, is one of my top songs in the whole show. It opens with a riff very similar to Richie's "I'm not a loser," his last sung words. This whole thing has an emphasis on last words so get ready for that. Anyway, we hear a nod to his last words and then we see his corpse/ghost, and we know he's dead because he tells us: "I'm dead. The blood is all but draining from my head. The nightmare started there, but now has spread. My pulse is certainly droppin', and my life is hangin' on by a thread." So we're gonna take this line by line!

"the blood is all but draining from my head" interesting line, as neither of the police officers spoke about a head injury (other than drowning.)

"the nightmare started there, but now has spread" partnered with the previous line, this foreshadows Max pretty well. The nightmare started with his death (blood draining, there was a lot more blood in his death than Richie's) before spreading (Max comes back, killing people. (spreading death? Like it started with his death and spreads.))

"My pulse is certainly dropping, and my life is hanging on my a thread." I'm dead/my life is hanging on? Sounds like you were dead but now you aren't quite. That's familiar.

Ruth enters! Overlapping with "thread" her first line is "I'm scared," which very obviously ties in with her anxiety and stage fright, however, it also contrasts with Richie's first line "I'm dead," saying she's not dead yet, but she's scared she will be, letting the audience know that the students are aware and terrified of the killer. It also adds a false sense of security for the Ruth fans.

"someone comes for me, I'm unprepared" someone comes for HER specifically, implying she's a target for a reason. She's unprepared, she didn't expect to be a target.

"the wait has got me sweatin', cant cut through all the tension" this line goes up with no resolution, unlike the other lines thus far, emphasizing the feeling of terrifying wait, the inevitable (heh) end to her life.

*"it's hell on earth you know" any line said by the ensemble has a double meaning. There are a few exceptions but this is a good rule of thumb. Here it's "waiting for the killer to find me is hell/high school is hell," a fun little joke that twists your expectations the first time through.

"I'm tweetin all about it" the first hint to the audience that the song is about to get a lot less dark.

"I take it blow by blow, but I'd never scream or shout it-" blow by blow, death by death, missing person by missing person. The hatchetfield high students have to take it all, because there isn't anything they can do about it. They just gotta keep going. I think screaming and shouting may be a reference to Grace telling everyone to remain quiet about the incident instead of telling the cops it was an accident, but that one is definitely a stretch.

"passing period is over, find your seats" the easy part of life (pre Maxs death) is over, find your place in the world.

ok that was the first chunk of lyrics, how are we feeling? Good? Good! This is the intermission of this wall of text, go drink some water

"high school is killing me, got me all out of rhythm and my melody" the obvious double meaning here, I fuckin hate high school/ someone is literally killing me in this high school. Also fourth wall break, it's a musical!

"it's not cool, it's a fallacy. It's a cruel and unusual brutality" 'not cool' is referencing that only nerds get killed, but it's a fallacy because everyone is a nerd in his eyes. It's a cruel and unusual way of killing, swirlies and wedgies and a fuck ton of puns.

*"and I can survive it for only so long" I just really like this line, the harmonies are so cool. Anyway, I can only survive so long before I drop out/ I can only survive so long before he gets me. A good callback to Ruth's wait and tension.

"High school is killing me" we aren't going to talk about repeat lines like this one unless they're in a new context.

"I'm so fuckin dead" figuratively/literally. This is also a great callback to Richie's first line, faking out so we might reconsider if he's actually dead.

I have literally nothing to say about Stephanie's verse/ dialogue. It moves the plot and establishes her personality.

"There's nowhere to turn, for the class of twenty twenty one" they can't turn to the cops without confessing to manslaughter. Also it was originally 2026 but got changed, but I don't know why.

"got me all out of rhythm and my melody (my melody, my melody)" despite the addition of lines, the melody stays the same. However, you could say the rhythm has changed because there are more beats.

"A cesspool, faux democracy. It's one hell of a normal abnormality" faux democracy is acting like you actually like Max Jägerman. Hell is foreshadowing his destruction, and a normal (Max bullying nerds) abnormality (he's dead and they're dead)

"I'm so fuckin dead" repeated in the background, emphasizing this line more than Richie saying it at the start of the show

ok here's my favourite part to scream about here we go. This is all speculation I don't know if there's any meat to it but I like to think

"8 o'clock bell ring place my head on my desk" eight: Grace, Peter, Steph, Richie, Ruth, Max, Officer Shapiro, and Mr Lauter. The people involved, who know about the ghost.

"12 o'clock Girl Scout, can't I just get my rest?" Our lovely Girl Scout Grace, the one who came up with the plan and the one who got them in to the Waylon place to begin with. And because she got into the Waylon place, Maxs soul cannot be at rest.

*"3 o'clock countdown, everyday lockdown, classroom arrest! Is god the one giving the test?" My school day ended at three o'clock when I was at school, so I found myself counting down until three pretty often. I feel like a lot of people interpret the "countdown" in this line as a three two one, starting with three, but I think it's a five four three. Three numbers, ending with three. Five nerds, three survivors.

"CHEATERS!!" I just wanted to say that Grace is my favourite and I love her thats all :)

"It's got me all out of rhythm and my melody (my melody, my melody)" this time the melody changes! Wow!

"It's not cool it's a tragedy, I've been thrown to the wolves of this community (*howling*)" Max, people don't think you're cool because you kill people. It's a tragedy. Anyway the fact that the students are howling means they ARE the wolves, everyone thinks that everyone else is out to get them, and the closer they are to Jägerman the truer that sentiment is.

"and I'll still despise it, when I am gone" gone as in graduated/ gone as in dead

"Fuck you biology" the biology that lets you feel pain? The biology that mean you will inevitably die?

*"grace just be cool" "never!" Are your beans not cool, Ms Chastity? Also did I mention I love her

"high school will murder me" getting heavier on the darker implications (you better have been thinking about the implications)...

"Yeah!" ...but lightening it up with a classic "everybody pose" ending! This musical definitely won't take any turns towards horror, look at it! Everybody is posing and saying yeah in unison!

If you read this whole thing please please please reblog it and put something in the tags, I'm obsessed with this musical and would be so happy to know someone read my analysis.

oh and any line with an (*) before it just means I really like that line :)

[snakebites-and-ink]

CW: FORCED SUICIDE, drug overdose, mind/body control, major character death. This is the darkest thing I've written thus far, so reader beware.

It was ridiculously easy for Holland to get into Ezekiel’s house. Not that his security was bad; it would have kept any normal person out, and he never forgot to lock his door. But for Holland, it was a simple matter to reach inside with their mind and turn the mechanism as perfectly as if they had the key. They had yet to meet a lock that could so much as challenge them.

They saw themself in with all the ease and confidence of someone letting themself into their own house. They started looking around for Ezekiel, using both their eyes and their telepathic sense.

It was his fault their sibling was dead. They were going to settle the score.

Ezekiel wasn’t in one of the rooms within view of the door they’d just come in, but his car was in the driveway and Holland hadn’t seen any sign of him leaving. Though he was further back in the house, it didn’t take long for them to find him.

They leaned against the doorway of the room he was in, not bothering to conceal their approach. His head snapped up, startled to hear any noise when he’d thought himself alone in the house.

“What?” he said, stunned.

“Hello, Ezekiel,” Holland greeted without a hint of warmth.

Ezekiel looked at them and paled. Holland smiled, but there was no joy in it: only malice.

“You…what are you doing here!?” he asked nervously.

“I’m going to kill you,” they said simply.

A tense beat passed, then Ezekiel broke into a run and tried to bolt past them. Holland caught him with their power before he could even leave the room, sending a silent command to stop that overrode the signal from his own brain. He stood in place, body not even coiled to spring again, his desperation showing only on his face. “Please let me go,” he plead tremblingly.

Holland ignored the request and stepped closer to him.They were tempted to simply make him stop breathing and watch as he writhed and turned blue, unable to resist their influence even as it killed him. But asphyxiation without a discernible cause was too easily tied to a powered murder. 

“I don’t want to die,” he sniveled.

“I want you to. You don’t get a say.”

"I'll do anything!"

"You want to know what it would take to earn my forgiveness?"

"Yes! Please! Whatever it takes."

"Get me my sibling back." Their gaze went dark and cold, shutters closing over the hint of teasing lightness in their expression.

"But that's impossible!"

"Hm. Then I guess it's impossible for you to be spared."

“No, please—” he cut off with a flinch as he felt a foreign presence invade his mind. Holland had gotten information without him feeling anything before, so he knew they must want him to know they were in his head. They presumably didn’t want him to know what it was they were doing, though, because he couldn't tell the specifics, just that they were there.

As if he wasn’t already acutely aware of his helplessness.

“I came here for revenge, and I am going to get it. You aren’t going to make it out of this alive.” They spoke with a false casualness that belied the situation. “There’s nothing you can do about it.”

“Don’t kill me, I can’t die yet—”

"Your relations won't even have the closure of hunting a killer,” they went on. “It'll look exactly like a suicide."

The corner of their mouth twitched in a small smile as presumably they found what they were looking for. The sense he had of their presence in his mind faded somewhat.

“Come on.” They headed down the hall, and against his will he trailed after them like a dog called to heel.

They came to a stop standing next to his medicine cabinet. Holland opened it with their mind, and from their expression it was clearly exactly what they expected. They hadn’t had to search, knowing exactly where to find what they were looking for thanks to the information they’d found in Ezekiel’s head.

Holland’s gaze settled on a full bottle of drugs. They telekinetically lifted the bottle from the cabinet, and sent it to Ezekiel, who took it. Or rather, his hand did. Ezekiel himself had no part in the action.

He realized, then, what they intended. "Please, no," he plead shakily.

"There's nothing you can do to change my mind. Keep begging though. I rather like it."

He did beg more, though out of neither compliance nor psychic influence. Out of fear. He couldn’t help it. He didn’t want to die.

Not that that mattered. He didn’t get a say in his own actions, much less his life.

He shook a few pills out onto his palm. He couldn't even pause there and stare at them to brace himself before Holland made him pop them into his mouth and swallow. Then they repeated the process.

They were forcing him to down the bottle a few pills at a time. He wondered why they didn't just make him pour the whole thing down his throat at once. 

You could choke. I don't want this over too fast.

Of course they didn't. And they were still in his head, listening in on all his thoughts. He grimaced as they made him swallow another palmful.

Again and again his hands tossed the unwanted pills down his throat under Holland’s direction. There wasn’t a thing Ezekiel could do.

He polished off the bottle and was forced to just sit there and wait for the drug to take effect. It didn’t take long.

Instead of allowing his mind to get overwhelmed by it, the psychic held his consciousness above the drug, so he was all too aware of his dying moments. As he was kept from the mental effects, he felt the physical effects all too clearly.

It was getting hard to breathe. He panted and still felt short on oxygen. He was sick to his stomach and in pain. Tremors racked through him repeatedly.

Holland sat and watched pleasedly, chin resting on their hands. They looked as satisfied as the cat that caught the mouse.

He felt a tickle on his face and wiped it to find that he was foaming at the mouth. Distantly Ezekiel thought maybe it was good that this would be over soon and not leave him to live with the repercussions. Maybe in a way it was also good that the psychic wanted him to feel the real fear of his death if it kept the overdose from stealing his sanity as well—but that thought was quickly rejected as another bout of pain shot through him.

He convulsed and gurgled and struggled to breathe, and Holland watched as the life left him. They stayed as they were for a few moments as the now-motionless body cooled. His death didn't fill the hole in their heart, but it eased something. 

"Well, this was fun," they said to the corpse. They psychokinetically wiped the fingerprints from everything they might have touched and scanned for any hairs or other traces they might have left, then took their leave.

[bronx-bomber87]

Happy Tuesday evening :) This is such a good one. Jealousy thy name is Lucy Chen is what this ep should be called. The Green eyed monster coming out real hard for her in this one. But then Lucy has no feelings for him right….

3x11 New Blood

Our ep starts out with our trio scoping the new rookies. Lucy talks to Katie first. Asking who her T.O. Is going to be? We find out Tim is her new teacher. Lucy is tying not to gush too much about him. Saying she will learn so much but trails off. Katie catches on that Lucy is burying the lead a little. Lucy fesses up Tim can be a little intense. HA You got him at his most intense dear Lucy. He was a radioactive trap ready to gobble her up at first. Then after that was mostly based on his intense need to make sure she succeeded.

Katie doesn't seem intimidated by this info but very appreciative of it. Lucy tells Barnes to reach out to her if she ever goes into a self doubt spiral. So sweet. Also she has a feeling that this new rookie will have one. It's Tim no way she wouldn't right? Gotta love her trying to help the new girl out though. Pre-warn her of what's to come. We all know how ‘Intense’ Lucy’s first shift was with Tim. So it’s very thoughtful of her to reach out and offer help if she needs it.

The jealously begins at the food trucks. Tamara is there with Jackson and Lucy. They’re talking about getting her set up in her new housing. Tim’s new rookie catches Tamara’s eye. She asks who Officer Zaddy is with? LMAO I remember having to look up what that meant the first time haha but it’s accurate to Tim. In case you need a refresher it means ‘Sexually attractive older man, who is charming and self confident’. That’s our Tim haha Yum.

Tamara asks how it feels to be replaced? Lucy shrugs it off saying she's glad Tim is torturing someone else. Ok honey we believe you..... That mindset lasts all of two seconds before Jackson points out he’s paying for her coffee. Lucy’s jealously begins here and doesn’t stop for the majority of this episode. She is intently watching and sees he’s letting her drive too. She is absolutely incensed by this whole thing. He’s also smiling while he’s paying for her coffee. Lucy is none too pleased about this. Her face says it all as they walk way. Jealously and resentment party of one.

Lucy can't actually fathom him being nice on day one like this. So she then she comes up with a plan to explain it all. Because it’ll help with her jealously if she does. Saying how Tim is only doing it to lull her into false sense of security. She’ll be wearing that coffee before too long. Lucy is all smiles till Jackson calls her out on it. Oof. Telling her how messed up it is she is enjoying this. Her bubble bursting rapidly even Tamara can’t look at her LOL Oh my girl you are as transparent as glass. The jealously is seeping out of her. Melissa kills this scene with her facial expressions. The whole episode really.

Tim and Katie catch a call about a robbery. I do love watching Tim with her because they’re so like minded. Except Tim knows how to be a cop vs a soldier. Fascinating to watch tbh. Lucy and Jackson show up as their backup when they start to take fire. Katie has injured one of them and is rendering first aid. Something that seems foreign to her. In the military you aren't doing that for your enemies.

Tim see's Katie is struggling with this concept. So he put his hand on her shoulder as a sign of support. Lucy immediately notices this and voices her jealously once again. Jackson doesn’t even notice what they’re doing. He asks her 'What?' Thinking it’s something egregious. Nope just Tim putting his hand on Katie’s shoulder….The green eyed monster is fuming at this moment. Telling Jackson she didn’t even get a fist bump when she saved his life day one...

Lucy is so aggravated and jealous. I saw a post once saying 'She's a ten but terrible at hiding her feelings.' Ha It's true Lucy wears them on her sleeve normally. This is another level though. Not even trying a little bit to hide it. He’s bought her coffee, been nice to her, let her drive and now she’s getting an empathetic touch all on day one. Driving Lucy nuts. She had to fight and claw for every inch with Tim. So this whole situation is seeming very unfair to her.

That Barnes is getting it handed to her on a silver platter in Lucy’s eyes. The thing is Lucy changed Tim so much for the better in many ways. Another part of her is jealous because Katie is getting an emotionally healthier version of Tim. Where she got a dumpster fire ready to implode at a moments notice. Took her time to breakthrough. The kicker is Tim is in the place he is now because of Lucy. But she can't see that atm. Jealously doesn’t tend to allow one to see logic LOL She is legit pouting above as they load their suspect up.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this next part with Tim and Katie. Anytime we get to delve into Tim past i’m a happy girl. Not only that but his military past. Trying to teach her how to live in the world she's currently in now. Not the one she was in before the LAPD. He’s trying to help reset her brain. I love him taking her to this peaceful park to accomplish this. The little bit of funny sass when he says 'No it's adorable.' HA Who are you and what have you done with Tim Bradford?

He can tell Katie is still unsettled from their encounter earlier. So he's trying to redirect her focus. i.e. the lady bug. You know Tim had to do something similar when he returned. I’m sure he struggled coming out of that mindset into a less controlled one. Where you’re not told what to do and when. Everything happens in a split second based off your decisions. The way he easily connects to what they’re doing. His insightful words of wisdom for her. He was Katie when he returned home. Thinking he’s still in country, everyone is either hostile or friendly. The way he speaks is from deep experience.

Tim tells her to take a deep breath, feel the sun on her face, close her eyes. He would cover her when she closed them. This scene gets me all emotional. I know what it's like to have PTSD. How it can control your entire life. To be in a consistent state of fight or flight. Because you've forgotten what it's like to have a safe space. What it's like to have your guard down. Tim is creating that safe space for her right now. By telling Katie he has her covered. To let herself just be in the moment. This scene showcases a couple things. One it show's Tim's good heart. How badly he wants to help her. I love this man so very much.

Two just shows how damn good he is at his job. Taking his past pain and experience and using it to help transition Katie. To help her transition better than I'm sure he did. Because he knows how sideways this can go if she doesn't get ahold of this. That if she continues down this path it’s not going to go well. Telling her to live in the moment. It’s hard but it’s the only way he got past the war. To move forward again. This soft side of Tim doing things to me. Already love this man but this just increases it ten fold. The soft way he speaks to her the entire scene. Phew lord. Getting weak in the knees.

Tamara calls Lucy asking if she can come get her. That her cousin is drunk and won’t let her get her stuff. Lucy grabs her off duty weapon and is on her way. I love how confidently she walks up and yells at Tamara's cousin to get her stuff. Get ‘em Lucy! Her stance is amazing. He listens like a smart man. Doesn't test Lucy. Tim would be so proud of her. Love me some confident BAMF Lucy. He gets her stuff tells her not to come back. What a jackass. Lucy asks what happened? Tamara tells Lucy her new place has black mold. It’ll be couple months before she can get in there.

We find out she asked her cousin if she could extend her stay. He lost it on her. Apparently his GF can't stand her staying there. Hence Tamara calling her for help. Says she will figure something out… Lucy refuses to let her drown. Tells her she can stay with her till the new place is ready. That she’s family ❤️ They really are found sisters and I love it sfm. They say family isn’t always blood. It isn't the same last name or bloodline. It's the people that constantly show up for you. Lucy has done this with Tamara and she's finally accepting it. Truly believing and trusting Lucy's word now. Her relief above is so sweet. I love their relationship so much.

We've now reached Lucy's boiling point of the episode. She legit implodes with jealously when she see Tim doing Katie's paperwork. She can’t take it any longer. Has to say something. Starts by making a snide comment about him doing paperwork day 2.... The way he looks up at her in the second gif LOL Tim is smart enough to know he’s in a fight with Lucy he’s just not sure why…He asks her if she has something to say? Knowing damn well she has a lot to say. Lucy is trembling with anger and jealously. Asking why he’s being so nice to her? The hurt in her tone is evident af. Her body language matching that tone.

Tim has opened the flood gates by asking her if she has something to say. Lucy doesn't hesitate and goes OFF on him. Her body language really betrays her so much in this scene. She is so damn revved up. Listing all the ways he tormented her in the early days. Mentioning when he stole her duty belt when she had to pee. The way he reminisces about that moment above has me rolling so much. Like ah yes I was so very mean to you LMAO Thinking damn that was a good one. Lucy telling him he called her boot so much she has PTSD from the word itself.

Now when Lucy says this it prompts Tim to say Katie has other issues. Lucy is so angrily blind in her jealously she goes off more. Saying like what? Then goes on a very insecure and specific rant about her. Oh Lucy when you start listing physical attributes like that it’s screaming you’re so VERY jealous. Her emotions betraying her wholly in this scene. Listing all the things Lucy feels like Tim doesn’t see in her. Which is a damn lie but she isn’t seeing straight right now. All she can see is her jealously and unfairness of his kindness.

Her insecurities are coming out in spades right now. Not only does this woman get soft Tim she’s also beautiful and smart. Lucy feels threatened on so many levels. This scene is screaming that. Tim follows up her rant with 'She won’t wear any perfume.' Lucy is so caught up in her emotions she forgot he’s answering her question from before. She’s confused and asks what that has to do with anything? Getting more irritated. Tim realizes she needs his full attention for this. Puts his pen in his pocket and turns toward her.

Stops what he’s doing and tells her how he teaches his trainee's. Saying he teaches his recruits according to what they need. You can see Lucy is riled up still but listening to him. He starts with a continuation to his previous statement. Saying she won’t wear perfume because she’s still worried it’ll give away her position. Telling Lucy a part of her is still in Afghanistan waging a war that is over for her. He continues on to say if she’s ever going to be a cop that instinct has to go.

Before Lucy can say a word he compliments her. Calling her a kind and insightful person. How she sees the good in people. Now I love this because he is doing build, break, build here. Building her up before breaking her back down by letting her know WHY he trained her the way he did. Vs what he's doing with Katie. Man has a reason for pretty much everything he does with this job especially teaching.

Trying to show Lucy that she and Katie view the world very differently. So his approach with her has to be the polar opposite. Lucy looks mortified by the time he’s done. Like she’s embarrassed she showed her hand emotionally and was wrong. Also it being over something she would've supported had she known the facts. Lucy immediately asks Tim if she’s going to be ok? That empathy of her's kicking right into gear now that Tim has calmed her down.

Tim says in time she will be ok. Which had she given him the chance to do this she would've been. He then ends the conversation with the best compliment she could’ve received from him. Tim basically saying she’s an incredible cop. That one day Barnes might even be as good as she is now. That shuts Lucy up effectively haha He does some heart eyes and does a mic drop of a walk away. Knowing there isn't more to say. That he needed to quell her insecurities and he did just that. It's the way he softens in that second gif as he compliments her. Gah I love them so much. He's so proud of his girl and lets her know it.

Lucy's reaction is the best part. She’s so full of giddiness it’s adorable. Her person just complimented her in the best way possible. Validating she’s amazing at her job. The little smirk and twirl is so cute I can not. It’s like when the guy you like says he likes you back. Lucy can’t contain her glee. He just made her whole damn year. His opinion of her is everything so she is on cloud 9 right now.

Love that Tim doesn’t make her feel bad for being jealous or questioning why he’s being nice to Katie. Just breaks it down and does what he does best with her. Says the right thing in the perfect way so she doesn’t spiral any further. The fact that he did that and complimented her not once but twice. Sigh How far we have come everyone how far we have come. ❤️

Side notes- Non Chenford

It is a bummer Katie doesn’t stick around. I get why she doesn’t. Transferring from one stressful environment to another is a lot when you still have ptsd issues. Telling Tim when he let her have her guard down, feel the sun on her face was the first time she felt at peace in a long time. He so desperately wants to help her transition. Because he’s been there done that. She declines and resigns.

Then Tim does something that makes me love him even more if thats even possible. That even though he’s disappointed she’s leaving he lets her know he’s going to check in on her. *heart clutch* Tells her she has 3 years before her POST certification expires. That she will always have a home here if she needs it. Oh Timothy be still my heart sir.

I love Tim having to be the neutral third party for Wopez and Wes’s mom for the wedding plans. It’s fantastic. He is a negotiator for them it’s so funny.

Harper/James flirty flirts for self defense class. Silas being his wing man to help him secure a date with Nyla. Too damn cute.

[wedriftlikelonelyplanets]

please tell us more about 'Small Talk, Big Love' <3

OOOH happily, i've posted a little bit about it here, and between "I'm So Lonely and You're the Only One That Knows Me," this is the only other fic that I've been working on (mainly bc i started my a/b/o charlos one but then got distracted by having to do a bunch of looking into the race schedule for Reasons tm

More below the cut because i LOVE monologuing

The long and short of it is as follows, Charles and Carlos are teammates first, it's normal, everything is fine. Really, they're both incredibly good at ignoring their feelings, both masquerading as straight, both pretending they're completely normal. They run into each other at a sex club/dungeon (which really is a word I despise using but whatever) and Carlos has the most REELING experience in his life when he sees Charles down on his knees for someone, pretty and perfect and everything he wishes he could have, and that's just...that. He can't stop thinking about it, can't stop orbiting around Charles, and it becomes something more.

It starts off as a D/s relationship, before they both become increasingly unable to be normal about each other, and end up getting married about 1.5 years into whatever the hell they have going on. And then it's all well and good for a while before mid-way into the 2023 season, which is kinda where everything goes to shit. (i'd love to have it go to shit in the mattia era but then they really wouldn't have had time for things to develop between them)

I'll likely be following the 2023 season as closely as possible but we'll see based on timelines. Anyways, a combination between them fighting on the track, and a scene that just kinda goes sideways because Carlos gets a little out of hand and Charles has to safe out and just RUNS, Carlos starts pulling away, because it's the only thing he knows how to do.

Charles asks if he wants a divorce, he says yes in a panic, because he doesn't know what else to say, and it spools out from there.

The premise of the fic is them realizing they never stopped loving each other to begin with, and that they just hit the worst of a hard patch and stopped trusting each other. With the handy-dandy help of the ferrari media team (HAVE YOU SEEN THE BLINDFOLDED TRACK DRIVING VIDEOS?!?!) they find a way back to making it work again.

BECAUSE i am who i am, and I don't trust myself to write multichaps, this is probably going to be one long-ass oneshot, HOWEVER, I may break it up into a few chapters because i have so much background information i want to explore with them and the dynamics of their relationship.

Especially because i definitely have a scene planned where Charles gets upset bc no one doms him the way Carlos doms him so 🤭

IF you've made it this far, i apologize PROFUSELY for the absolute rambles of this, please appreciate another small snippet. AND if you have more questions PLEASE send me more asks I love to yap.

The worst part is that sometimes he simply forgets how calculating Charles can be. It was easier when their relationship went hand in hand with Charles’ submission, because when Charles was on his knees, head resting in Carlos’ lap, he was his most transparent. He never turned the calculation towards Carlos unless they were on the track. 

And maybe it brought false hope, a false sense of security. Maybe it was his mistake for letting his guard down, for thinking love was enough to shield him. 

[spacelizzbian]

Ahsoka s1ep7

That guy be like: false Jedi? Witches?? Space whales??? In my star wars?¿?¿? Unheard of.

Respectfully, please stop wasting precious time from these last two eps on this new republic nonsense 😭

Omg please let it be an audio recording of Leia saying "fuck off" in pg way

Do you think Carrie Fisher would've been on this show as a cameo if she could? Would've loved to see her say fuck off (in a pg way)

You can tell Ahsoka hasn't put these recordings on in forever...the little bow?

She be healing 🥺

I also like the tone Ahsoka used in "he was a great master" cause you get the sense that she mourns for him.

Idk I think that's a neat way of her moving forward regarding her feelings on Anakin/Vader (though I still wish they acknowledged it more in ep 5 but I'm still chewing on my thoughts on that whole episode)

Ahsoka really out there pretending she doesn't give a shit if they're in the wrong galaxy lmaooo such a troll, I love her

NO ARE THEY SHOOTING THE WHALES?!?!

NO STOP NOOOOOO

IF I SEE A WHALE DIE I WILL CRY I LOVE WHALES SO MUCH

The relief I felt when they all jumped thank god

Poor Morgan, she's so aware of the nonsense the good guys get away with when defeating their foes but she comes off so paranoid in universe. Doomed by knowledge of star wars' silly narrative quirks 😔

"Put her on a path of her own choosing so that no matter what direction she takes, we'll always be one step ahead of her"

That makes no sense

Just cause Thrawn says it and it's briliantly acted does not mean that was sound logic 💀

Huyang is me, I too find it bs that they sensed Ahsoka coming for their asses via space whale

Love how Ahsoka and Thrawn are out here playing 3D chess while Sabine and Ezra are just vibing in these big pods lmao

"The emperor died" "that's what people say"

Ahaha don't remind me of that, I will start biting

Omg Sabine being so offended and Ezra being so confused has me in stictches haha

Same bro, wish they showed us how exactly that happened

Fellars, when she says "it's complicated" she means "I saw my master get murdered before my very eyes and disregarded the last thing she said to me all in a desperate move to find you"

WTF WAS THAT SHOT TO THE SCARY WITCH RIGHT AFTER AHSOKA IS LIKE "I SEE HER" 💀💀

Sabine upon seeing Shin and Baylan: "NYO" 😡

Baylan, tf do you mean Shin's path leads her in a different direction?!?! All I've gathered from the 5 lines of dialogue she was allowed is that she wants to be on top, secure.

She did not seem too keen on joining the witches and sees the Empire as a means to an end. What's stopping her from just outright joining the new republic if you leave her on her own?! Seemingly the only thing stopping her was her connection to you and your teachings, ya dingus.

I like this show, but this makes no sense for the characters they've set up, why wouldn't he take her with him so they can both wield the ancient superweapon?? 🙃

Wait. The raiders in this whole different galaxy shoot normal ass blasterfire?¿?¿?

Come on, that's so boring

(They do look cool if not like normal star wars bounty hunter types)

Huyang is such a little shit, honestly his banter with Ahsoka has been one of the highlights of this show for me. Especially now that Ahsoka seems to have regained some of her original snark spark

DEAD ASS

Ahsoka dropping out of that ship RIGHT where Baylan is, IS THE FUNNIEST SHIT 😭

He really be like "huh, was sure I killed you 🤔"

"The Force is my ally, it's all I need" very Jedi of him, Kanan would be so proud

That shot of the hermit alien headbutting a raider with a pot is my fav thing ever

Yooooooo, seeing the saber actually lose some of its form when being pushed back with the force was sick

That piano 👌

Did Huyang just know Ahsoka was in trouble and instinctively thought "guess I'll shoot flares at her" 💀

Ahsoka is riding a space wolf, Filoni can finally rest

Sabine getting flipped was such a funny shot

Fight choreo go weeeeeeeee

Ok this guy really embodies Ezra well, this is EXACTLY how he would bs his way outta this pickle lmao

Props to Shin, if I saw Ahsoka barreling in like that smirking like a real psycho I'd have noped the fucke outta there instantly

Did Ahsoka just kick a hand that was swinging a lightsaber at her?!?!?

Truely deranged behaviour, pop off queen 😌

Why did Thrawn have a whole ass ppt prepared 😂

Ah yes, time, the thing I feel like this whole show did not know how to spend correctly

I can feel this season ending on a cliffhanger, I don't even know if a second season was announced beforehand but ain't no way all of this is concluding satisfyingly in one more ep

Ahsoka seeing Shin looking like a wet stray cat and going pspspsps is so her

Not Ahsoka being 110% aware she must be immortal or smth and using that knowledge for trolling 😂💀

That was such a good hug omg

And the laugh?!? I dont think she's laughed since rebels 🥺😭

[footballffbarbiex]

Cramps.

player: darwin nunez words: 553 request: Can u write a Darwin Nunez fluff where the reader has cramps?

-

You’d been feeling off yesterday. Nothing major, just a little sluggish, sleepy and just…well, off. You’d trudged off to work like normal, but by the end of the day, you knew that it was probably not nothing. You’d tried to hide your grimaces throughout dinner and once you’d sunk into a hot, bubbly bath, you accepted that soon, very soon, you’d find yourself on your period.

So waking up, with a feel that a fist is gripping your organs tightly while someone else is applying pressure to your back, you don’t have to move to know it’s happened. You’d shuffled off to the bathroom, peeled off your clothes and stepped into the shower before taking the clothes and putting them in the wash.

Darwin had had an early training session this morning and so, you’d found the kettle still warm to the touch and evidence of his breakfast remains in the sink. The kettle is refilled and switched on while you unscrew the lid of your hot water bottle and let out a low groan as you lean against the counter.

Somehow you’d managed not to get any pre-period symptoms other than tiredness in the week leading up to today; leading you into a false sense of security that maybe this one wouldn’t be too bad but now it appears your body had simply just saved it all up for the main event.

-

Darwin finds you in bed, cocooned within the duvet watching your favourite comfort movie on the tv when he comes home.

“Mi pequeña oruga,” he chuckles, leading to a bigger laugh when all you can do is roll your eyes. “How’re you feeling?”

“Awful.” You grumble.

“You were tossing and turning a lot last night. I thought this might be the case.” It’s only now you notice he’s holding a small bag when he begins to lift it up to show you. “I bought things to maybe help. Mostly snacks, but I thought it was better than nothing.”

The gesture is enough to make you smile and pull yourself ever so slightly from the nest you’ve created for yourself and sit up. “How was training?” You ask and pat the bed beside you. He needs no encouragement and comes immediately to you.

“Want a cuddle?” He asks. Your instinct is to say no, but past experiences tell you that you’ll feel better once his warm hands are on you.

When you nod, he pulls out the duvet from under you and crawls beneath it, tugging it back into place before moving behind you when you turn on your side. He nuzzles against your back, lips pressing light and soft kisses over you while his hand splays over your belly and gently applies pressure as he strokes.

“Training was good. I was almost late. Almost.”

“Set off late?”

“Traffic more than anything. But at least I wasn’t the only one. Robbo was in the car behind me doing car-aoke. I tried it with him once, and vowed to drive myself next time.”

“You’re saying he’s a bad singer?”

“No. Yes. But no. It’s too small of a space for that kind of enthusiasm.” his words make you chuckle and for the first time since you woke up, you’re thinking about something other than the repetitive ebb and flow of the cramps.

[sanguineterrain]

omg just a random ramble (and a bit of a request hehe) about your recent fic about "this is for your own good" Jason:

i don't know if you've seen this scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqK4UOMha2Q which is basically where Jason confronts the Joker in Death in the Family (2020) [i think this is the timeline where Bruce is the one who dies but we can take these scenes out of context JSHJS]

But I really, really found the idea of memory repression super interesting - and mix a little pit madness maybe 👀 Think about it, after everything's done, Red Hood's debut and with the finale between him and Batman, Jason comes to and realizes the fucked up things he did to Vigilante!R (the drugging, the chains) while Vigilante!R's left with being a compliant and dependent shell of themself; how do you think he'll approach this? Will he decide to keep her "safe"? Would he try to rehabilitate her himself? Would he let her go? I find it terribly heartbreaking for him to see one of the most important people in his life broken because of him

[also btw, i absolutely love how you characterized Jason here because he seems so detached despite being so obsessed and how there's this false sense of security ughhhh; i feel like the neuron activation monkey every time little details and the sentences you put connect with like with "This is a man who was trained by Batman." to Jason saying "'I know my mistake.'" which then leads to the drugging because that moment was so terribly Batman I could probably write a thesis about it if i had time 🥸 anyways, hope your week was great!]

Oooh just watched that scene! Wow, Joker's dialogue was amazing. I miss the days where superhero movies had meaningful dialogue 😭 absolutely diabolical of him to manipulate Jason like that. The way Jason became a child again when Joker got inside of his head (and he really is young to begin with!) ohhhh my boy 💔

Anyway, I think it's so interesting that most of the reactions to my fic have been requesting a fix it. It's like we love Jason so much, we can't bear to see him go dark 🫶

In my universe, Jason never "realizes his mistake" because I think he'd be in too deep at that point to face what he's done. And protecting someone he loves by any means necessary is very Batman-esque of him. Jason genuinely believes he's doing the right thing, even though it's causing R mental distress. I actually like the idea of the entire Batfamily going dark and helping Jason if the Reader ever seriously escaped. I also think it's interesting if the dynamic shifted over time and Reader used Jason's guard dog personality for their benefit. Jason is truly dedicated to them, that's no lie. They'd make each other worse 🥰

But let's say he did realize his mistake! Honestly, I think Jason wouldn't forgive himself and he'd let them go before doing something really self destructive. Reader would be the only one who could pull him back, and after everything, it's hard to say if they'd want to do that! Jason would've caused them a lot of grief at that point.

But yeah. Maybe I'll write a niceys Jason fic next because it seems like dark Jason makes all of us sad 😂 I admit that it felt weird to write him this way but I enjoyed it too. I think my favorite iteration of Jason is where he's insane and dedicated and wants you soooo bad but he tries so very hard to be normal. He would kill and die and eat people for you but he's super normal :) prommy!