#little dude that wants to commit various crimes

[weewoow-2060307]

Will Byers and Vecna/Henry Creel are consistently paralleled thought s4. I think this is like, showing how similar the 'hero' and 'villain' are of the story. But! If we learnt one useful thing from Brenner it is that Heros and Villains don't exist. We see this in Vecna as he was very much insane but he also had his fair share of traumatic experiences. Will is the exact opposite, he has every reason to be a selfish prick but his so selfless and giving. My point is, I think that Will would end up being a big part in the defeating of Vecna but it wouldn't come without some morally grey choices on his part.

[lethesomething]

Yakuza and coping mechanisms

Yakuza has been my on and off hyperfocus for years now but also in particular the past month, so let's talk about it. And particularly, how many friggin coping mechanisms are in this game.

Disclaimer: I do literary analysis, not psycho analysis, don't come for me.

For all its silliness about fighting roomba's and disco minigames, the world that the Yakuza games is set in, is fucking brutal. They are, at their very core, crime drama's. People get murdered a lot, lives are ruined in various ways, a good third of protags spend large amounts of time in jail, usually for a crime they didn't commit. Most politicians and police are corrupt, racism is blatant and if you don't have a place in the very strict hierarchy of society, it's hard to get back on your feet (hence all the crime). I tend to read a lot of indictments of Japanese society in these games, partly because they are so clearly based on old school yakuza crime drama's.

This means that the characters go through some shit. And what's fascinating, is how they deal with this.

Spoiler warning for, uhh, almost all yakuza games except Song Of Life (since i never played that)

Pretending it's not real

Kasuga Ichiban

The direct reason I'm even making this blog post because he's the most blatant about it. Kasuga is Peak Himbo in that he's not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he manages to take being beaten down Repeatedly and overcomes that with a sense of genuine good nature and optimism that is… honestly kind of hard to believe. The way he deals with any of this, is that he's a nerd who pretends to be in a video game. It's the whole premise of Yakuza Like a Dragon.

And to be fair, Kasuga suffers from an amount of mistreatment that makes me Very Angry in his stead. He has every right to be upset! He is literally homeless in the beginning of the game. If he requires the escapism of going around pretending to be in a jrpg to survive, more power to him. Especially since it works. Dude goes around helping people and making friends. Which is a good thing, because there's no way he'd make it out of Yokohama alive if he didn't have some back-up.

Side note: something similar happens to at the very least Majima, i think, in the admittedly non-canonical events of Yakuza Dead Souls. (yes i played it solely for Majima, no i do not recommend it, the game is garbage and you get more Majima in Zero anyway). In Dead Souls, Kamurocho is overrun by zombies. As a lover of all things Horror, Majima decides he may as well have a good time mowing them down like he's in an FPS while he trudges through the wreckage of society.

Self sacrifice

Mostly Kazuma Kiryu and  Saejima Taiga

If you hate yourself, at least try to be of use to someone. Let's be honest, a lot of the plot of Yakuza games is driven by self sacrifice or at least following some code of honor to its ludicrous ends.

Kiryu is the main example here. The game kinda glosses over this a lot, but he is, at least in Zero, a criminal. He goes around extorting money from businesses. He consistently solves problems through violence. It's kinda the point of the games. But he's also borderline a saint and 80% of the shit he gets into is because of his need to throw himself to the wolves for any person he cares about. He voluntarily does hard time for Nishikiyama, for one. He picks up a stray kid that he will now protect with his life. And it just goes on from there. See, Kiryu may be the famous Dragon of Dojima and the Fifth Chairman of the Tojo Clan and all that, but he would very much prefer not to be? Dude wants to live a quiet life and raise some kids, it's just that he's the protag of a game series about how hard it is to say goodbye to the yakuza life. So the plot keeps finding ways to bring him back, usually as a reluctant warrior to save the Tojo clan or Haruka  or whatever. If he was a little less honorable, he could still be chilling as a taxi driver with an unreasonably hot girlfriend, I'm just saying.

Saejima is very similar, but somehow even worse? Much as I love the guy, he's an idiot. He suffers from the same loyalty and selflessness as Kiryu, but he doesn't even get a cute daughter out of it. He spends Twenty Five years in prison for a crime he (we later find out) didn't commit. He escapes months before his parole to solve the convoluted plot of Y4. Then Goes Back to Jail to atone for (again) a crime he only thought he'd committed, only to escape (again) when he thinks Majima, his sworn brother, got murdered in Y5. As far as i can tell he goes back to jail one last time to finish his actual sentence, and to like, protect the name of the Tojo clan or some shit. My dude. My friend. Come on.

As a side note, acts of selflessness are kind of a big deal in the Yakuza games and one of the main ways to tell if someone is a good criminal or a villain. Kasuga and his crew are pretty big on the whole 'acts of selfless kindness' thing. It also seems to be one of the traits of Daigo Dojima, whose whole being screams 'I don't want to be here but who else is gonna fucking do it'. But in the case of Kiryu and Saejima it's very much verging on reckless self-endangerment.

Fabricated identities

Majima Goro, baby!

The Yakuza games really love this one, but I'll start with the big guy, everyone's favourite character: Majima. This dude has seen some shit. We see him throughout several flashbacks and the span of the games, but most tellingly we see him in Zero, at his rock bottom hero stage. And he's intriguingly unlike the other times he shows up. This is a Majima that's recovering from torture and backstabbing, and forced to do some dude's bidding for scraps. He's a chained dog (pun very much intended) and he's about to lose it.

What's fun about Majima is that he has So Many of the traits in this list. He has a lot of the reckless endangerment and self sacrifice that his buddies Kiryu and Saejima have. He gave himself up a few times for Haruka, he keeps trundling back to save Tojo and Dojima, but there's also a whole other layer of … Flamboyance to him.

And while Majima probably started out as comic relief, the games make clear that it's not all he is, and we get several glimpses of 'old Majima' throughout the series. He'll be in the middle of a self inflicted fight and drop some wisdom, for instance. He acts erratically, he is blunt, violent, exuberant in his dressing up. When given a task his first thought seems to be 'how can i make this Extra', but that doesn't mean the guy is unstable. You don't become a successful businessman with a building company, or a patriarch of your own family, without being smart and strategic. A lot of classic Majima behaviour, i feel, is a case of a mask he constructed to hide the severe depression, that became more of a second nature to him. Majima is one of the clearest examples of 'do what you need to do'. He's a survivor, through and through. Somewhere in there is a decent human being, but Majima will kill people to survive in a harsh world. It just seems like he constructed an extra layer to shield himself from all that.

Joon-gi Han (Like a Dragon): This is more a case of stolen (inherited??) identity, but again, if you don't want to be you, just be someone else. In this case someone he admires. Again: super tragic backstory, questionable life choices. As an aside, Joon-gi is fun because he is both a deadly assassin with someone else's name and face, but also  a Knight stereotype who would do everything for his queen and I think that's neat.

Zhao Tianyou (Like a Dragon): Somewhat more subtle, but Zhao is also a dude that was at one point confronted with a Situation, namely 'oh shit my dad died and now I'm in charge of a violent gang'. And to deal with that he decided to construct a persona that gives exactly zero fucks. He is very joking and very avoidant but we do learn that a fair amount of his laid back attitude is just veneer. Dude in fact gives several fucks. You don't decide to give up the throne and become a homeless sidekick to Himbo Supreme because you don't care. You do it to stop him from getting ultra-murdered by the parade of heavily armored gangsters he keeps storming into.

Akiyama Shun (Yakuza 4-5): I debated putting him here, because part of me believes Akiyama is just kind of a dick. A dick I love as a character, but still, ya know. At least some of the dickish persona is a front, though. Akiyama is another one that just saw his life's work destroyed at some point, and decided that emotional detachment was the way to go. Akiyama is different because he was never actually a proper criminal. He was homeless for a bit, and then came into some money (through Extremely Convoluted Plot Means) and now he's a moneylender. And like Zhao, he mostly pretends to be completely devoid of feelings, while having a fair amount of feelings. Enough to get into like… fist fights. With actual gangsters. Who have guns.

Vice

Sex, drugs and everything in between

The preferred way for noir drama's to show someone is Going Through It, is by giving them a classic addiction and Yakuza isn't any different. It's why several characters are shown mournfully smoking, in particular Kiryu and Majima. Yes I know it's because it looks cool and harks back to old crime movie atmosphere. That doesn't make it a healthy coping mechanism.

Another obvious one, considering the setting of the games in several red lights districts, is erotica. Both Adachi, the ex-cop from Like a Dragon and Shinada, the ex-baseball player from Y5 and also my least fave protag ever, are both in various stages of obsession about porn, sex work and the likes.

Tanimura, the cop from Y4 has a pretty severe gambling problem in the actual canon, though gambling games and casino's are a general mainstay of the Yakuza series. It's just that when Kiryu interrupts his busy day of solving the convoluted intrigue du jour to gamble in an illegal underground casino, it's not a character flaw.

Also: almost everyone drinks ludicrous amounts of heavy alcohol in these games. Both in canon and as part of the gameplay. 100% ing the games usually involves drinking tons of whiskey, but the whole Ichiban crew, sans I think Eri, is shown drowning their troubles at various times.

Violence: I mean, that's kind of the game, but an unhealthy amount of characters consider fist fights to be a good way to resolve conflict, bond with people and generally reinvigorate themselves. Particularly Majima is shown to get a real kick out of doing damage and being beaten up. There's just a lot of reckless behaviour, which is what makes the games good.

Karaoke: fake it till you make it, man.

Extra note:

You'll notice there's no women on this list, and that's because honestly the game is kinda sexist. So while there's already Very Few women in the game, the ones that are present don't exactly have super complex characters.

Mukoda Saeko, the hostess from Like a Dragon, drinks like a fish but that's about her main flaw.

Other notable female characters are Kiryu's kid Haruka, Kiryu's love interest Sawamura Yumi (Kiwami) and Kamataki Eri, the business lady from Like a Dragon. They're all stereotypical Good Girls who have no flaws apart from indecisiveness and an unhealthy tendency for selflessness.

Saejima Yasuko is ever so slightly more complex: her main trait is self sacrifice. The story promptly fridges her for it.

[a-particular-quetzalcoatl]

Why Bleach’s Ending is Bittersweet

It goes without saying, but massive spoilers for the ending of the Bleach manga.

Why is Bleach’s ending bittersweet? We have the epilogue where everything seems to be going well, and the world is at peace. But there are cracks in the facade, and I think I should point them out as things that actually disappointed me (keep in mind I haven’t read the novel).

The Soul Society is in shambles. A large chunk of the highest ranking officers were taken out, and many more remain MIA. Yet the ending seems to wave it all out of view, with the friends and companions lost seemingly trivial.

The status quo remains: the Soul King is an empty title, with a corpse in its seat. Central 46 remains.  Kurotsuchi remains in office despite the numerous and inhumane crimes he has committed. Nothing has really changed in the wake of it all. A new Head Captain is in place, but the rot remains. If there’s anything the various arcs of Bleach have taught me, it is that most of the enemies of the Soul Society are the ones that have been wronged by it. The biggest weakness remains, and the slate has not been wiped clean. 

The lack of a proper confession from Ichigo, and the cheapening of Orihime’s character. Orihime has been chasing Ichigo from the start, but I would say one of her worst traits is how much of her identity in both her personality and in the plot itself seems to wrap around being useful to him. Her best arc is truly the Arrancar arc when she has to stand alone... but in TYBW she seems to just bounce back to the role of the love interest, with little motive to develop beyond Ichigo and stand on her own. And yet Ichigo... never truly confesses feeling the same. Hundreds of opportunities, and yet he says nothing. There is no emotional catharsis in the jolt to the epilogue where they’re married now. They just are, and the relationship feels stale and cheap because of it. No real conflict, no real resolution.

Chad becoming a pro-boxer. A dude who swore never to fight unless it was to protect others, making money off of fighting.

Uryu ending up alone and a hospital director. This doesn’t seem to be important, but it is one of the cornerstones of this idea. A man who swore never to become like his father, having seen the damage it does... becoming exactly like his father, the same occupation, similarly alone.

Bleach has always been a “battle against fate”. Doing what you want to do, doing what you need most against the constructs of society. And yet, at the end, everyone seems just as imprisoned by it.

Uryu following his father’s occupation despite his passion for fashion, Chad falling into a life that relies on his fists when he sought to prove himself beyond them, the Soul Society proceeding onward without a true reflection of change, Ichigo falling into step behind his father as he always intended, Orihime never really looking beyond Ichigo.

From this angle, the meeting of Kazui and Ichika is bittersweet—for in the end, the cycle continues.

[fandomfourever]

Random Scooby Doo Thoughts My Brain Had in the Middle of the Night

I don’t know why but my brain decided to come up with this whole thing at like midnight-1 am, and I’m not even like, a huge Scooby Doo fan (meaning I have watched several episodes of the original and What’s New Scooby Doo, some movies, the Supernatural crossover ep, and all of Mystery Inc, but I’m not super knowledgeable on all the lore and there’s several versions of Scooby Doo shows and stuff I haven’t watched), so keep that in mind with the rambling going on below, lol.

So as of seeing the discussions on Velma, and various people talking about how it was meant to be a more “adult” version of Scooby Doo and how well that turned out /s, I figured I’d throw my two cents in about what I personally would like a more grown-up/adult version of Scooby Doo to be.

The kind of more adult version of Scooby Doo I’d personally like to see, would be something along the lines of like a combination of Criminal Minds/Supernatural/Stranger Things. Meaning, the Scooby Gang would be adults, probably in their late 20s or early 30s, and solving mysteries would be their jobs, and the mysteries would be perpetrated half the time by humans, and half the time by monsters (or some other kind of split, but I think the addition of the supernatural would be key) but they never know which it is until they’re already on the case, obviously. However, the government would be paying them for the human crimes, and covering up the actual monster crimes. I would’ve gone with the freelancer type business where the government isn’t involved, but I think having this dynamic could open up some interesting plot lines of corrupt government and such.

The mysteries/crimes they’d be solving would be less “masked person scares people off the land they want to steal” (though this could still obviously be part of it), and more like, legit murders and kidnapping happening. The stakes should be bigger, and consequences more severe. It doesn’t have to be super gory, but I think keeping it along the lines of the shows I mentioned would be good.

The tone of this would be obviously darker than most versions—including Mystery Inc—but it would still retain its humor. I’d want it to reference other versions of Scooby Doo, either through characters coming back from older versions, or as past mysteries they’ve solved and talk about.

When it comes to characterization and their roles on the team:

I’d see Fred as for sure the Trap Guy, but he also takes on a more leader-like role (like Hotch from CM) but also still be a little silly (I’d also think of him a bit like Dean from SPN). He’d be the one coming up with the main plans still. The key is that he’s a good dude! A proper Himbo, not a manbaby.

Daphne would mostly handle the PR aspect of the job, though she also is capable of fighting if need be (think a combo of JJ and Prentiss from CM). She would obviously still be going out “in the field” with the group. I think she and Fred would be the ones that would be taking the brunt of actually talking to local government officials and “upper class” witnesses/victims wherever they go for cases.

Velma is their tech girl, and does a majority of the research. She’d have hacking skills, too, but she wouldn’t be left behind, she’d still go with the rest of the gang (think a combo of Garcia and Reid from CM, but also Sam from SPN). Her research handles the more human crimes than monster crimes.

Shaggy and Scooby would still be cowards, but I think this would lend well to their roll in the group. I’d have this be why Shaggy actually has a lot of knowledge of the monsters/supernatural. Due to being scared of so many things, he wants to be ready, just in case the crimes are being committed by monsters.

Scooby would talk in this, due to being of supernatural origin himself. I’m unsure if the alien lore for him is only in one version of Scooby Doo, or if it comes up in multiple versions, but it would either be he and his family have alien heritage, or some sort of fae. Either way, in this none of them would know at first, but Scooby would have the natural ability (though it’d need training) to sense the supernatural.

Eventually we’d get Fred and Shaggy, and Velma and Daphne becoming couples. Because I say so, lol.

When it comes to the actual setting of this, I’m kind of split.

I think one interesting way of going about it could be setting this in the 90s, where they would’ve been born in the 60s/70s (ya know like when the original series came out ;) ). With this, Shaggy would’ve grown up in a hippie family, perhaps nomadic as well up to a point (settling down when he reached middle or high school allowing him to meet the others and forming the gang). Maybe Daphne or Fred’s parents were Reagan types, causing them to rebel against them. Perhaps Velma’s parent(s) were the conspiracy theorist types, thus her desire to prove that it’s only humans committing crimes (though eventually realizing that monsters are real).

Obviously, the other option would be setting this in modern times. Shaggy would be considered more of a hipster in this than an outright hippie. We could still keep aspects of what I said above, but with more modern equivalents, you know? While I’d personally lean more towards the first one, this does allow some fun things. Example: Potential crossover or reference to ghost hunting shows like Ghost Hunters, Ghost Adventures, and/or Ghost Files/Buzzfeed Supernatural. The mental image of the gang coming across Shane and Ryan does make me snort (Shane saying he doesn’t believe in demons or monsters, and Scoob in the background is just staring at him suspiciously lol).

Though of course, if we go with the first option, there’s no reason they couldn’t make reference to the Warrens.

Either way, the backstory for them all would be that they met and formed the gang in middle/high school and started solving mysteries. Then they just continued as they got older and turned it into a proper job, with the government allowing it due to how many cases they solves and how well they did. We'd explore this through flashbacks and such.

Kind of going back a bit, I would love to see the return of several characters/plot lines: The Hex Girls, Ravencroft, Scrappy and other Scooby relatives, the whole Zombie Island thing (I think more could be done with it, or referenced in some way), something to do with the 2000s live action movies, the girls from the Ghoul School, maybe have Shaggy get turned into a werewolf (in a darker way than done in the cartoon).

This sort of show would have the Monster Of The Week, but still have over-arching plot lines each season (assuming this would go on for multiple seasons). I’d imagine some of it would deal with the government corruption, and whether they should keep covering up the supernatural or if it would be better for people to know the truth. Other plot lines could deal with Scooby’s powers and family. We could also have plot lines that deal with how doing this sort of work puts not only the gang in danger, but their family and loved ones. I'd like to see it tackle how doing all this since being teens has affected the gang, too.

I don’t know whether this would be better to go live action, or keep it a cartoon, but I think it could be done well either way. Matthew Lillard is playing Shaggy regardless, lol. I do think there'd be more freedom in a cartoon, but only if the art style was good.

Anyway, that’s all my brain came up with last night.

Feel free to share your two-cents on this! I’d love to know what people think about this, if it makes sense with the Scooby Doo universe or whatever, or if it seems like a bit much for them, or if this gave any of you ideas of how this could be done. Just keep it kind, regardless of if you agree or disagree, this is all just for fun.

[charlieroll]

okay okay okay!!! so this is a silly lil fic that i may or may not do a second part or even third -im already planning it but i dunno if i will ehehe-, about the detective au from @starlightcloudbaby !!! is just a silly little thing and and yEAH hope you enjoy :D i tried making y/n with a personality not soo healthy but still very cheerful -i dont know how to describe it-, and im sorry if the personality isnt much consistent but but i tried!! also sorry if there are grammar errors, im not english huhu

EDIT: i forgor to add that it has mentions of violence! it isnt too graphic but it is there

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

Okay. So this wasn’t the prettiest of situations for you.

It was particularly cold that night, even for autumn, but you were busy tonight. Detective Sun and Detective Moon had been trying to catch you even harder than ever before, working longer shifts and looking on edge every time they saw you. They were acting weird, so weird that you didn’t have the time to look at the news. Until you had.

Your face was everywhere in those papers, saying all those… crimes you’ve committed. You immediately paid that newspaper and flew to your base, ready to read it all. Geez, you couldn’t even enjoy one evening walking around, could you?

Either way, there was little information of those said crimes. Vandalizing paintings –the furthest you have ever gone to paint something where you shouldn’t, would probably be when you drew in your walls- and harming various policemen in the process of escaping. First, you never harmed anyone with your teasing nor fleeing, and second, you were just guessing your favourite detectives weren’t injured. You were oh so sure they wouldn’t want to play anymore if they thought you did it. And also, who thinks is so clever as to take your face and names?

Now you had done some little research and were heading to what you thought would probably be their next location, with wind in your face and a frown to avoid drying your eyes. You were a bit familiar with identity thefts. They would probably be well trained in acting and/or makeup. You just were worried that they’ve been studying you to get a good enough knowledge to appear to be… well, you.

Honestly? You didn’t quite like them. The identity thefts, you mean. Not because it was happening to you, actually you respected them for their capacities to imitate someone; quite a nice ability, to be honest. If they were doing for the good side, they’d probably be very useful. Like you. You only used your gun to harm bad guys, you know? Never towards the very same celestial themed detectives that chased you around practically every day. They weren’t corrupt, you could tell. But back to the point, you just… had a bad feeling about them. You had bad experiences, nothing awfully horrid, but anyways.

You arrived and searched in silence through the building. Not gonna lie, you were just mad they were doing things you didn’t considered ethic –you never stole just to sell, nor harmed people you didn’t needed to harm-, and you just couldn’t stand it. Maybe talking will make them go to your side. Probably they just needed money or something. You hoped so. Oh, and mad you threw your weekend plans off the window. Some mafia dudes were going to show up somewhere in the city and you were planning on at least do something about it. It was better than letting them go without consequences, so you called anonymously the police, alerting about that place with details and hour, just before heading towards the exact same edifice you were in right now. Just left for praying that they don’t let them go out of jail in 48 hours, or you were gonna be so annoyed. It took you weeks!

You tensed immediately at hearing something. Running, some shooting, and you saw someone just like you running, hiding nearby and shoot back. Then some thud, and you knew they were dead. At seeing that awful sight of corpses, you shuddered in silence. Why the need of get rid of your chasers? You had fun with them, nothing else, but that copycat was more… corrupt. They didn’t even doubt to pull the trigger!

You stared in silence, trying to get the disgust out of your face. Instead you focused on them. Same white shirt, same royal blue trousers and dark shoes- What?! They even had the ribbon you used to hold your ponytail. Okay, hold on to your horses, it was fine. It didn’t have the details it had; it was plain red and yellow. Okay, one way more to differentiate you both. Also, their face.

Physically? Nothing different. But it just wasn’t you. No teasing, no amusement, and no nothing you ever had in your face. It was more like… you don’t even know, but it gave you a shudder. Maybe talking wasn’t something that was gonna end well; you had that one feeling you had when something was corrupted as fuck. Like when you fought against that one crimson animatronic (well, you didn’t quite fought but they wanted to hurt you and you were running for your life and the little prize you took off of them and haven’t returned ever since; it was worth though, he was quite the slippery bot, and ever since, you didn’t even needed to search for him, they showed at your door themselves now! Well, with quite a lot of guns and some soldiers and a lot of killing desires towards you but- eventually you were gonna catch them and make them pay for their crimes like everyone else).

They just kneeled and stole some bullets and replaced their gun, and quickly headed to the exit, and you quickly crawled down from the ceiling, carefully getting down from those beams like you once saw Detective Moon do to caught someone –you were spying-, with the pistol in between the teeth you were not aware he had –he never quite used it, you know, but it didn’t meant he shouldn’t have-. With the elegance of an electronic gazelle and lethality of a knife, he looked hella awesome. So you were impressed and tried having that same ability. Some broken bones before and muscles aching, you turned just fine. Hah! That little copycat wouldn’t be able of doing that, would they?

Either way, you had to focus. You were following them as quietly as ever, amusedly thinking how low guard they were, out of character with a bag in their back, probably full of things they just stole; judging by the sound, it was probably jewellery. Guns, even.

They ended up in the ceiling when you decided to appear. For them, you just spawned there, with a mischief grin and a hand in your hip, looking at them confidently. For you it was more like getting in place and posing, to finally cough to catch their attention. They appeared to be scared and surprised, but quickly drew their weapon towards you.

-Hey, fella, calm down a bit –you said, getting your hands up playfully- I just wanna talk to ya.

-Mad for me acting like you? –they imitated your grin perfectly. You ignored your gut feeling.

-No, not really, my fella –you shrugged-, just that I don’t think we’re playing the same game. Maybe we’d like to work with each other, so why don’t we calm down and talk properly?

They lowered it slightly, but it was still ready to shoot at you. –You want to work… with me?

-I think we have to get to an agreement first –you shrugged yet again. Maybe you’d get them to learn gestures you didn’t used at all times, so you could maybe trick them into a behaviour that wasn’t yours while being slight, not notorious-,  and I also have some questions of what you’ve been doing with my face, ya know?

The copycat got tense. –Shoot it.

You didn’t hide your smile from that silly joke coming from the one with the gun. –You’ve vandalized some art pieces and didn’t even steal them. Why?

-They deserved it. No one would pay attention to a random graffiti in a subway’s wall that said that one of the political assholes was an abuser. Especially if that dickhead was the sponsor of that museum, and also its favourite piece, so…

Fuck. Yeah, right, you could work with that. –In the news, it said you harmed various policemen. Did you really need to?

-They shot first!

-I know! But did you need to get to their level? –you tried to hide the little disgust mixed with teasing.

-You can’t say I didn’t have reasons.

-They ended up dead. You don’t even have a scratch, do you?

-Do you support police? –disgust in their faces was the main dish.

-Of course not! –You frowned-, but it isn’t needed that you goddamn shoot at everything and anything. Gosh, you need some serious training in how I work if you really wanna imitate me.

They raised a brow. –Why would you help me be a better you?

-Maybe because we could have much, much fun –you said amused-, like guess how much Detective Sun and Detective Moon could react! I bet Detective Moon would be confused and try to shoot us both but wouldn’t actually pull the trigger, he never does, and maybe he has some kind of problem with being too aggressive? Or having such impulses, I don’t know really. Anyway, while Detective Sun-

-You mean those animatronics that follow us? –Us?-, those bastards, why do you talk so happily about them? They try to arrest you constantly.

-Oh? Yeah, but its way more funny if-

They raised their gun yet again. –You probably work for them, don’t you?

-Excuse me? –you raised your brows.

-Just hear yourself, asking about “crimes” like if you didn’t do different.

It hit you harder than a bullet.

Did you… Were you a criminal just like them? Naughty, as Moon would say?

You shook your head. –I try to do a little good in the world, just that.

-You haven’t denied it –they growled.

-Aw come on! You know very well I’ve been in this far longer than you probably. You know my story probably better than anyone else, other me.

It didn’t seem to convince them. You sighed, taking your hands up, not to avoid violence, but to replace the ribbon in your head to your regular black hair elastic to do your ponytail, and kept the red fabric inside of your inner pockets, safe from falling off. You tried de-escalating the situation, but they seemed ready to pull the trigger if the next thing wasn’t it. You just sighed, rolling up your sleeves as if getting ready to fight.

They seemed to get even tenser, even their voice changing and a finger on the trigger, and you waited and kept talking, but they eventually did shot. Thank goodness you’ve been practicing not getting shot with all the fights you’ve had, and the fact you had been walking through the roof, and so it wasn’t just like point-blank range. Or some shit like so, you just thank every god you knew it didn’t hit you completely, just a scratch that started to bleed –looking again, it wasn’t just a scratch, but it wasn’t inside your flesh!- You ran fast before they shot again, and hit their hand with yours, and punched their face with your elbow after doing a quick turn.

Damn! They had a knife in their pocket, and you just moved away to not be stabbed, but you got another scratch in the nose bridge. Nothing serious, really, but it hurt a bit. Cheating, cheating! Rule-breaker!!

Now, now, you could dodge all the knife swings you wanted, really, but eventually you knew it was gonna catch you. Instead, closer to them, you got on the floor and kicked their ankles. Not the enough to let them fall, but they lost balance and you took the opportunity to take the dagger off of their hands and tackle them next. You could have punched them, but you opened your mouth to say something teasing. You were pushed aside before you could say anything, so yeah… not great. You were starting to get annoyed- but, but, but! You had a good feeling. You were gonna play, they like it or not. Yes. You were. The thing was… what to play?

They were gonna punch you, but they shouldn’t have forgotten you were an escape artist. Yeah, it was about getting out, mostly, but you also knew how to get in. Does that make sense? Of course it does, you are talking to yourself in your head. The point is you trapped them with your own black elastic. You had more than one; thank goodness you always kept extra.

-Fella, we need not to fight –you said-, I actually have something to ask you.

They raised their gaze to meet yours, mostly to make themselves sure that you weren’t gonna shoot or anything. –It’s nothing about surrender or about joining forces or anything if that’s what worries you –you said with a giggle.

They just raised a brow. You were about to ask, just as you collected the rest of information of your cases, but this one specifically meant a lot to you. Of course, you almost always took it on your own hands, but always left they get arrested by some random police officer. With this case, however, it wasn’t gonna be so easy. What for? They were gonna leave jail anyways if they paid enough.

You were not leaving the case to Detective Sun and Moon as you would sometimes so you’d not have a race to see who get to them first, nor you’d take it slowly as you normally would. This. This was different.

Then BAM! Detective Moon’s on the case.

Oh, the only time you were less than pleased to see his black and white face. Faceplate. Whatever.

-Hands up- you… both…? –he shouted, lowering his voices as he tilted his face to stare at you two, like thinking who was who. He didn’t close the door by which he came from.

You slowly breathed deep, without getting your hands up, and neither did your copycat. –Detective Moon –they said instead, without your teasing tone. Well, they failed, because you already had your typical smile.

-Detective Moon! –You greeted-, do you wanna play charades with us? Maybe mimes if you want-

-HANDS UP! –Detective Sun shouted, after going up the emergency stairs, so they were at your left. Oh my! The timing! Hilarious.

There was a little silence before someone else spoke, and you let out a giggle.

-Detectives, calm down, there are enough of us –the other you said, and you nodded.

-No need to share –you added smiling with your teeth.

-…god, they are good at pretending –the lunar animatronic whispered, tired as though his shift just started.

-Are you together? –Detective Sun asked.

-No –they said immediately, and you just stood silent, as the scratches started aching.

-How could I be with someone… uh… what is the word?

-Magnificent?

-Awful morally –you said with a giggle. You were just messing around, to be honest.

-We are here for one only –Detective Moon said, tense-, with the charges of murder for various citizens and other felonies.

-Huh? –You said, getting off character for a second, and then coughed-, are you sure these charges are for that copycat? I mean uh-

-How can you do such awful things? –The other whined-, so inhumane, so cruel.

-Wait, no, this is serious, how many people did they… uh…?

-Enough to be on jail for life.

So they can’t pay their way out? Good. You pulled up your sleeves and thought. How were you gonna catch them? You didn’t have the strength at your side, no. Detective Sun and Moon weren’t gonna help, as they thought that you probably had committed them. What move should you pull? You could maybe tie them up again, but it just wasn’t that fun to repeat yourself… hm…

-I have an idea –the sunny twin said-, let’s do questions, Moon.

-We have to arrest them both.

-But we don’t know who the dangerous one is –Detective Sun said-, what if they shoot?

-I volunteer! –You said, cheerful-, to the questions, I mean.

The copycat –they haven’t said their real name, so you gave them one- stared blankly for less than a second, and returned to the playfulness. –Me to!! Even if you arrest me, I can get out. Am I right, Detectives?

-After all, I have nothing to fear if I’m the original –you said, with a hand on your chest with pride, right below your collarbone. You chuckled at how both the Detectives and the copycat reacted to your if, even if subtle.  

Both Detectives stared into one of them, sometimes shifting their eyes to their brother, and the other you shifted their gaze amongst the three of you.

-Okay. First question.

-Why did you become an escape artist? –Detective Sun asked, inquisitive.

-Answer the one without the ribbon.

-Easy as a lemon pie –you chuckled-, I adored circus as a kid, I told ya once, Detectives, and I really, really liked those kinds of shows, and I started working as a vigilante later, and it was helpful! But, still, come on guys. If you wanna see who is the real me, you gotta ask something spicier, don’t ya think? –you let out a giggle.

The Detectives looked briefly at each other for a second. –Fine. Second question.

-Why don’t you take out your gun? –Detective Moon asked, more like a growl needing answers than a question. Aw, he looked so sweet like that. You mean. What. Wait, yeah. Yeah! As a teasing, you mean. Awful time to debate internally how you meant a joke no one heard.

-The one with the ribbon answers now.

-Easy as escaping you guys! –The other you said-, I don’t because if I shoot someone just like that and kill them, I wouldn’t be better than them. Why getting on their level?

-Then why is your drop leg holster so near your hand?

The copycat froze for a second, as their hand was just some centimetre away from taking their gun out. Their hand slowly became a fist and then cheerfully took their hands up, like shrugging. –Because of safety, of course! I wouldn’t know what that impostor would do, especially considering they’ve committed so much murder! This… beast, if I can call them so, wouldn’t hesitate from hurting me if they get bored!

-Oh, come on, I don’t even sound like that.

-Shut –Detective Moon hissed. It’s not your turn.

Oh well.

You knew what they intended with that question. They’ve studied you, of course, and for much longer, and had chases with you, not mentioning that every time they arrested you and searched for any gun, they never found any. Mostly because you never used one. Of course after some certain event with a certain scarlet animatronic very like-your-favourite-Detectives looking, you started carrying one everywhere, even if you didn’t used to utilizing it. And of course you didn’t leave it so easy in sight as your thigh. They knew your thoughts about it. About violence and harming without the need, of course. And you, joyfully, started noticing they changed their ways too. Not even threatening with taking out their guns, not even Moon, instead just running with the handcuffs and trying so hard on arresting you.

-Lastly.

-Any of you can answer –Detective Sun said,

-How did you get that ribbon? And also, where is it? –that last part was towards you.

You immediately reached your inner pocket to take out your ribbon, with golden details in the red cloth. The other you reacted in less than a second, taking their ribbon and looking and you, then shifting their gaze between both bots. PFFF! THEIR FAZADE WAS STARTING TO BREAK! You didn’t wanted to be mean; you really didn’t, but their eyes, so angry towards you for a millisecond then desperate to the Detectives.

-They stole it from me!! –they shouted.

-Oh, come on, I don’t steal –you shrugged-, also, why would I put it back on your hair?

-And why don’t you have it on your hair?

-Because YOU were going to steal from me!

-Shush you both –Detective Sun said, tired. Oh, right, it must’ve been just the end of his shift; he should be oh so tired. Poor little thing.

-You haven’t answered any question. Stop rambling towards the other.

-We aren’t a daycare –Detective Sun sighed-, stop acting like toddlers, please. How did you get the ribbon?

You stared at the other you, smiling smugly and they stared back, with a drop of sweat through their cheek. No, they were begging with their eyes, please.

Oh, of course you were going to.

-Yeah, you little copycat –you said, playful-, refresh my memory. If you can.

They stayed silent and you approached, putting your hands on their shoulders and passing through their arms as you walked around their back, slowly. The Detectives were as tense as ever. –Oh, come on now, don’t be shy! Or is it that you… can’t? –you whispered at their ear.

Just when you were going to complete the circle around them and tell the answer yourself, they got you by the neck and put their gun on your head.

Oh, you fucking knew it.

You supressed your grin, as the situation didn’t deserve it. Actually, it did, but it just wasn’t fitting for everyone else. The Detectives –oh, your beloved animatronics- got their guns directly aiming to the copycat that growled. You had already hidden your ribbon by now, so no danger concerning your little prize.

-Drop the gun –Detective Sun said, almost like if… worried about you.

-Think about it for a second. How will you get out of here? –by killing you?

-Yeah, not-anymore-other-me, how are you gonna get outta here? –You mocked, even though you were trying to scratch their arm holding you by the neck. It only got their grip tighter and you felt now the cold metal.

-I won’t hurt them if you leave aside your guns.

Detective Moon shook his head with his eyes on his sunny twin that almost hesitated, before holding it as tight as before. –And what do we get with that? Is not like if we aren’t gonna arrest them too –it was a lie… right? Yeah, it was. He couldn’t behave like that! Just so the copycat could perceive things wrong.

-You haven’t shot yet. You care, Detectives? –they mock.

-You learned well the art of teasing –you whispered as an inner joke, but they poke the scratches (that by the way, weren’t bleeding anymore, but oh my, oh my, it hurts like a bitch) lightly, just to get a whine out of you, but you saw the grin.

-learned from the best. Me.

-I could kiss ya if you weren’t you and you were me instead. You are great, you knew? –you said, fawning yourself.

-What are you talking so much about? –the moon-styled animatronic growled.

-You know? We could’ve been allies –they whined.

-Are you together now?

None of you answer.

The Detectives growled. Still, they haven’t let go, so you took it as a sign. Just a bit more…

-Both. Hands. Up –it was more of a warning from the darker animatronic.

-Please. Can’t we talk it up? –the solar one said.

-Drop your guns and I might let him go.

Ugh, spice it up while I’m working, will you?

Click.

The copycat jumped at the subtle sound, and you quickly got away as you stomped with as much strength you had. Oh, the conversation was so pleasant for everyone that between the little struggles to scratch, they didn’t even notice you was tying them up slowly, and got them with a lock. Phew! Ugh! Wait! That didn’t stopped them from hitting you in the jaw with their gun, as suddenly it felt much more lighter, and as you were holding the bullets on your fingers.

You whined at the sudden blow, feeling it was at least going to leave you bruised up, but it was fine. You saw a quick shadow jump towards the copycat even before you could do the second step as you brought your hands to your face.

Detective Moon was already on the other you, arresting them while hissing things you couldn’t hear. While, you heard some more clicks, and you, too, were handcuffed by wrist and ankle to Detective Sun. You just grinned, maybe as tired as him, and he sat at your side.

-Oh, the bruise isn’t too bad, is it? Oh, and those cuts… -he said, taking out a piece of cloth that worked as a tissue or something. Why the sunny brother did have one? Is not like he could sweat, cry or bleed. And it was way too clean to be for oil or some other robotic stuff that were gross to say the least.

-Aw, don’t tell me you are worried about me, Sunny -you said, playful. It didn’t hurt, didn’t hurt, hurt…

The Detective was trying to clean up the blood left in your injuries –that were starting to burn-, and stopped for a second when you said that nickname. Not even his brother called him so.

-We are obligated to serve first aid, even if you are a-

-Vigilante –you interrupted.

He just stared. –Uh-huh.

You just allowed him to treat your wounds –he couldn’t do much since he seemed to just have that tissue on- while watched Detective Moon arrest them. It seemed they blacked out, lying there so still it seemed they were sleeping. Then the celestial animatronic got nearby, and looked at your injuries quickly and nodded. –Don’t let them escape.

-I haven’t tried to yet, Detective Moon –you said with a grin-, don’t you worry.

He just frowned, but crossed his arms. –While Detective Sun treats your wounds, I’ve got a question for you, before the police arrive to take… them into jail formally. For now, it’s safer to keep you still in one place.

You sighed in amusement. –Scared to let go off me?

Detective Moon didn’t answer verbally, just pointing with his thumb to your copycat. –I can chase them off, too, if they try to escape –you offered-, not like this, though –you said, pointing with your free arm to the other.

-I can keep up –Detective Sun said, while taking a little bottle of alcohol to spray on other tissue and proceed to clean up again, and god it hurts, but it was fine. You were going to be fine.

-I always escape for something, Detective Sun –you said, already without handcuffs and did jazzy-hands, but you let your ankle to be connected too. You took your ribbon out and put it again on your ponytail, and you smiled at feeling it was back in place again, where it belonged to.

-You- -he sighed, but Detective Moon put his own connected to your wrist, and you moved your hands back and forth, you intertwining with his fingers, and you noticed he was particularly still.

-As I said –the lunar lad continued-, we have a question.

-Oh! Yes, we have. We overheard your conversation between you two.

-Just the end of it. You were about to ask something, weren’t you?

You nodded. –Yeah. Why?

-What was it?

You narrowed your eyes, in silence avoiding their scrutinizing eyes.

-Why did they chose me to copycat –you lied with a grin-, from all the people that could’ve been, why me?

-Probably because they noticed your prestige –Detective Sun said slowly. His brother punched him lightly to the side.

-Why did you lie?

-Hm?

-You left my hand immediately as soon as I said that, your heartbeat is much faster and your hands are slightly sweating.

You left your grin frozen, more like paused than anything. –Personal business.

They didn’t say anything as they looked at you. You sighed. –Just because you two are my beloved bots.

You breathed deeply. –I’m guessing you know the reason I became a vigilante, right?

They nodded slowly; all ears for you –even if they didn’t have-. Oh, you loved undivided attention.

You really didn’t want to go into details, so you nodded back while moving your thumbs back and forth, fingers intertwined and on your lap. A long… long time ago –how much has passed still surprised you- you were incriminated doing something you didn’t. Luckily you had a good lawyer and the evidence saying that you did it was…confusing? At best, so you didn’t go to jail, but it still… wasn’t fair. You were scared it would happen again. So you just made sure it wouldn’t. Nor to you nor anyone! You were just cleaning off the streets. Never killing or harming, no, just making sure they wouldn’t do it again! Wasn’t it nice?

Still, you couldn’t uncover who did it. Who had incriminated you.

-Well, something about that –you said slowly and lower than usual. The Detectives just stared, and for a moment you felt just so uncomfortable. Were they judging you? Oh, fuck, no.

You giggled to pass the tense moment and quickly without much thought you got free from your handcuffs and did a forward somersault and scaled into the little roof above the door to get back inside the building. You looked at them, but they didn’t seem very eager on chasing down that much. Detective Moon just walked, fast and even seemed wanting to hop up too, but refrain from doing so. His sunny twin just stayed behind, walking a bit slower, but towards the copycat, still sleeping.

-I’m afraid we don’t have much time left, do we? –you said, doing a gesture of farewell with two fingers in your forehead, as you heard the police was arriving already. And of course, Moon’s hat in your head now, as you played with it and posed for him as a mock.

-Hold on a second –he said, concerned and annoyed. Wait. That gaze... There was something off.

-Hm? –You asked cheerful-, Oh, Detective, calm, your hat is gonna be fineeee….

You threw the hat down, and he immediately took it and left it on his head. But his eyes didn’t even flicker from you. -…detective?

-Do you know who that ribbons belonged to?

You tilted your head a bit. –I took it as a prize for fooling Eclipse –you admitted, narrowing your eyes- Why?

Both Detectives stared at each other, the sunny one almost begging with his eyes, as the other was giving you his back. –Moon, don’t, they don’t know-

-How is your relationship with Eclipse? –the darkest animatronic said, pronouncing the name of that mafia leader with a hiss, like with especial disgust.

-Excuse me? –you asked, frowning, and knelt to see him as close as you could while being out of reach.

-Just…

-It’s nothing! –Detective Sun intervened, like wanting to cut the conversation out.

-…answer.

-Well, he chases me down now and then, but I don’t quite have an opinion on him especially. Out of reach for me to… do anything against him. Why?

The Detectives stayed silent for a second, like trying to find the words and trying to know how much time they had left until cops arrive to the roof.

-You were going to ask if they knew anything about the case, right. –Detective Moon said, more like a statement than a question.

You nodded slowly, opening your eyes wide. Something wasn’t right. –…why are you asking –you whispered, but they heard perfectly.

-I think you can connect the dots –the lunar one said, as the other fidgeted nervously. Saying things of the old cases is against the rules, he must have been thinking.

You slowly digested it. No, no. No. Absolutely no.

-Eclipse was involved –Detective Moon said, before you could even word your thoughts.

You froze as the cops came inside.

[moinsbienquekaworu]

Okay no change of plans actually I saw a post about being aro so this is just useless ramble n°26. Tonight's topic is, can people stop being so hung up on Jedi not marrying for the love of all that is holy.

Someone else said it I don't remember who, but it turned the lights on in my brain, because that's what people always focus on. But the Jedi can't marry, but they're not supposed to have sex, that's bad, the Order is controlling that, it's terrible, that's so restrictive, they don't have families, oh my god! and it always drives me mad because amatonormativity much??

I understand you personally value marriage a lot and this would not be a lifestyle that suits you, which is fine because everyone is different. But they're an order of monks my dude. There are to this day actual real life people, and not even aros, who make the conscious decision not to marry because of religion, because they dedicate their life to their beliefs. Why would that be atrocious? They get to pick you know. Both real life monks and the space ones. They can just like, leave if they change their mind. Staying in the Jedi Order is not mandatory if you feel like doing something else you can just leave they will not stop you. Actually they will remember you fondly and tell the kids about you.

And no one is banning love or forcing you to live a loveless life either!! Because there's other types of love, but obviously we all know you don't think it matters as much, because once again amatonormativity. I'd just like it if people stopped making romantic love the be all end all of life. It doesn't make you human, it isn't necessary, and every time I see someone say the Order is prohibiting love because Jedi don't marry I want to commit a crime. I know the reading comprehension on this website is piss poor but you have to be the dumbest idiot to miss that the Order is full of people who love each other in various ways. You've got familial bonds and deep friendships and mentors and the little kids and it's so obviously such a loving community it makes me feel murderous when people are like but they can't loove!! Oh no they are making the conscious choice to put their duty above romantic committment whatever shall we do. Fucking wild. Just say you think only romance matters and go.

And while I'm on the families they're pretty clearly shown to be similar to a big family, but apparently since it's not the nuclear a dad a mom two and a half kids model some people manage to miss it. God forbid a master isn't very obviously their padawan's parent! However shall we see they have a deep connection and matter to each other otherwise?

Anyway yeah amatonormativity

[prince-honeypaw]

Hi! Could you maybe do little!shiggy and big brother dabi hcs? If that's ok with you o(〃＾▽＾〃)o

♡ Of course I can, starshine!

♡ Trying to figure out how this duo came to be is like trying to find the Missing Link. Potentially possible, but why ruin the magic? Just let sleeping dogs lie and all.

♡ Dabi is a chaotic older brother and no one should be surprised by this. With Tomura he tries to reign in his absolute rat energy, but it's difficult! Especially when little Tomura is just so... Agreeable.

DABI, holding a box of microwave chicken nuggets: Alright, monster paws, you good with frozen nugs? TOMURA: Yeh. DABI: You want apple juice? TOMURA: Yeh. DABI, pausing: DABI: Wanna go commit arson? TOMURA: Yeh.

♡ Tomura is a lax little dude when he feels like it, and with Dabi's equally lax caregiving style, it keeps Tomura pretty mellow. Stimulation comes easy when your little rascal is entertained by jingling house keys.

♡ Dabi isn't big on holding hands in public, but Tomura needs to be physically touching someone or he will end up getting lost. So, Dabi will let him hold two of his fingers. The sentiment is appreciated.

♡ On the rare occasion that Tomura gets fussy with him, Dabi will begrudgingly utilize Mon-chan. He'll puppet her to find out how to get the little guy to convey what he wants.

♡ And yes, he does do a voice for her! It just happens to be a straight deadpan tone.

♡ Something that really scratches that nostalgic brotherly love is when Tomura laughs at Dabi's misfortune.

♡ Dabi will drop a whole carton of eggs and curse to the gods above and hear this soft, scratchy little snicker and be activated like a sleeper agent. Gets this lopsided smirk and turn to the little gremlin like, "Oh you think that's funny, huh?"

♡ Target spotted.

♡ There are very few times either of them will have the energy for a game of chase and that is one of them. Tomura will scramble over himself like a baby deer the moment Dabi looks ready to pounce.

♡ They both get in trouble with Papa Kurogiri for this, along with various other crimes they commit.

[5uptic]

crewfu: fanfic spotlight!

We work together by Anonymous (5up & DK, unrated, gen | 248 words)

Summary: One likes plants and baking, the other loves to create and design video games. They stay up and create monstrosities together, it's their fun, it's their favourite game. Aka a 5up and Dk roommate au!

No matter how life tangles, I’m still here with you. by hungryandsleepy (5up/Steve, general rating, m/m | 279 words)

Summary: 5up has been working so hard on his new map, and of course, he needs someone to give him a motivation to go to sleep.

objectively pretty by vesque (5up/Steve, general rating, m/m | 462 words)

Summary: steve is drunk. he's pretty sure 5up is too. that doesn't mean being called pretty is any less momentuous.

you plus me by mangoedges (5up/Steve, teen rating, m/m | 489 words)

Summary: 5up and Steve meet.

he said to me by mangoedges (5up/Steve, teen rating, m/m | 656 words)

Summary: 5up and Steve share a moment.

by the snowmen by mangoedges (5up/Steve, teen rating, m/m | 670 words)

Summary: Steve has a moment when it's all over.

today you got to know me (a little bit too slowly) by runninohhoney (5up/Steve, teen rating, m/m | 675 words)

Summary: Steve lights up a cigarette. 5up doesn't smoke.

what would it take by mangoedges (5up/Steve, teen rating, m/m | 787 words)

Summary: It's Steve's first mission. He hecks up. Or does he?

sorta cute by floweruru (5up/Steve, unrated, m/m | 822 words)

Summary: ‘I wouldn’t do that,’ he said. ‘That’s just disrespectful,’ he said. Yet there was 5up, crushed like a can in Steve’s embrace, feebly kicking at nothing as his feet leave the pavement.

i was gonna kill u, but ur kinda cute?? by Cthulhuer (5up/Steve, general rating, m/m | 1k words)

Summary: Steve is a mess and 5up is worse.

I hear a Symphony by AwkwardAce (5up/Fundy, unrated, m/m | 1.1k words)

Summary: He exhaled until his lungs ached for air, fingers twitching as he opted to remove the sleek white gloves he wore in a feeble effort to soothe himself. It didn’t work. He wrung his trembling hands together as his eyes raked down the worn leather case taking in the doodles- some etched some drawn- across the faded surface. He snapped the buckles open and his breath hitched, catching in his already tight throat. For a moment the world span, his head throbbed and he wanted nothing more than to run and hide. 5up breathed out slowly, shakily.

staring by lytriis (5up/Steve, teen rating, m/m | 1.1k words)

Summary: steve asks 5up out. 5up doesn’t know how to respond.

and it's four am, and yet, you're here by vesque (5up/Steve, general rating, m/m | 1.2k words)

Summary: in which steve shows up at 5up's house, in the middle of the night, completely spontaneously

more than this by mangoedges (5up/Steve, teen rating, m/m | 1.2k words)

Summary: Steve catches 5up venting.

3:15 by vesque (5up/Steve, general rating, m/m | 1.2k words)

Summary: Steve tries to guess Five's name. It's much more difficult than he anticipated.

things were different by fourpebbles (Apollo/Steve, teen rating, m/m | 1.5k words)

Summary: His eyes circled around to his friends, Kimi and Janet engaging in pleasant comversation, sleepy and becoming increasingly more sober. He looked, finally, across him, and caught Dumbdog staring at him. What now bro, what did this guy want. small talk, turns into not small talk, then there's no talk

Once Upon A Dream by SmearedWords (5up/Steve, teen rating, m/m | 1.5k words)

Summary: 5up looks ethereal, while Steve is struggling to breathe. "You're not real either." Or: Steve has a crush and a nightmare in three parts, 5up is tired, the crew life is hard and Polus sucks.

the ones you love will call you back by homeward_bound (Apollo/Steve, teen rating, m/m | 1.8k words)

Summary: stevesuptic: dude, is it weird that i miss vegas   DumbDog: No? I do too.   stevesuptic: okay [steve misses vegas and apollo. they talk about it]

cough it out by cj__writes (Apollo/Steve, teen rating, m/m | 2k words)

Summary: Apollo thinks that Steve must be well and truly gone, at this point, because he giggles, like Apollo’s just told a particularly funny joke. He looks Apollo right in the eye and asks, “Do you trust me?” “Absolutely not.”

ivy by Secular_Czar (5up/Steve, teen rating, gen | 2.1k words)

Summary: It might be a sad day, in general, but Steve isn't about to let it get to him. His friends won't ever let him wallow either.

The Colosseum by WhenTheFogClears (general rating, gen | 2.1k words)

Summary: Five squinted, looking at the colosseum intensely. He thinks Apollo was latched onto the sphinx’s shoulder, fur matted with blood. Janet was slumped against a column, probably out, with Kimi whose bow was snapped in two, her leg twisted at an odd angle. DK was in the corner trying to cast various supporting hexes and charms with a broken arm, whilst Hafu was dragging a heavily bandaged Steve away. or 5up slaughters a cat

Oneshots :) by woofles1990 (5up/Fundy, 5up/Steve, teen rating, multi | 2.5k words, oneshot collection)

Summary: Just a bunch of MCYT/Among Us oneshots, mainly featuring 5up's crew because yes :)

the adventures of 5up and steve staying up late because they're under 30 by 5280ft (5up/Steve, teen rating, m/m | 2.5k words)

Summary: “The night is young!” Steve yells at the ceiling, throwing his hands up in the air. “Take advantage of it! Commit crimes! Fuck hoes!” Five catches his hands in the air and laughs. “You wish you had hoes.”

unreasonably in love by cj__writes (Apollo/Steve, teen rating, m/m | 2.6k words, chaptered WIP)

Summary: "It was like pieces of a puzzle, everything coming together. And now, here they are, standing in their apartment, which looks more like a hollow shell than a home, filled solely with scattered boxes and the minuscule amount of furniture that they brought with them to Vegas." Or: what happens after Apollo and Steve move in together.

cant be love by fourpebbles (Apollo/Steve, teen rating, m/m | 3.5 words, chaptered WIP)

Summary: He had chuckled to himself, he felt so stupid. Who in their fucking minds names a playlist 'sugr?', he thought, internally cringing. A story where a Steve meets an Apollo, and some things happen.

Somewhere in the darkness, us together for a while by tumtummeke (Apollo & Kimi & Steve, teen rating, gen | 3.6k words)

Summary: Apollo worries about Steve. Steve breaks his vape pen. Kimi plays power washer. Self-indulgent angst, with a generous helping of friendship and cuddles.

odyssey by 5280ft (5up/Steve, teen rating, m/m | 23k words, chaptered WIP)

Summary: "First you will come to the Sirens who enchant all who come near them. If any one unwarily draws in too close and hears the singing of the Sirens...they warble him to death with the sweetness of their song. Therefore pass these Sirens by and stop your men's ears with wax that none of them may hear." -Homer, The Odyssey

Also: SilverSprinklez10‘s yupwaves collection.

Summary: This is a Harry Potter AU based on the characters/personas of the youtubers/streamers.

FAQ:

Wait what is this: pretty straight to the point! i’ll regularly share crewfu-related fanfictions to this blog :)

How regularly is “regularly”?: great question! LOL. it depends on the flow of fanfics that get uploaded, which i do not have any control over, but i’m looking forward to do this twice a month. after all, it’s only me doing this and i often run on a tight schedule.

What’s the format like?:

[title of fic with link] by [author of the fic with link] ([main pairing(s), if there is one/multiple], [fic rating: eg, general rating], [relationship: eg, m/m] | [word count in k] ([added prompt to specify if it’s complete or not)])

Summary: [summary provided by the author. if it doesn’t have a summary, a “No summary” prompt will be put instead]

(What does WIP mean again?): Work In Progress :)

Why are you doing this?: from the beginning, my blog has hosted conversations about RPF (real people fiction) and crewfu pairings. this has evolved into people sending me updates about certain fics in the crewfu tags every now and then, but i wanna take the next step and just do these things myself. after all, i’m already lurking in the tags often to see the fics that get posted. as someone who is both a writer and a reader, i wanna appreciate fanfic writers and help out other people that want to read fanfic and consume more fandom content!

Will it be AO3 only?: well, ao3 has a very helpful tag system that makes finding fics incredibly easy, as well as allowing people with no accounts to like and comment on fics, so that’s the site i will personally look in for fanworks. but if there are any fics you’ve written or liked in any other platforms, such as wattpad, you can always contact me through my inbox (send an ask or a dm!), and i’ll make sure to include for the next fanfic spotlight :)

Does it mean you won’t reply to fic asks anymore?: yeah, i guess. since i’ll be doing the searching myself it seems counterproductive. but if i ever skip a fic or again, it’s in another platform, or you’ve posted/read the fic a while ago and you want to get more traction on it, hit me up and i’ll take it into consideration!

Will you read every single one of the fics on your list?: oh no. again, i run on a tight schedule, and also i have my own taste when it comes to fics. i won’t be reviewing fics or any of the sort, and my intention extends to simply sharing these fics to this page so people will have easier access to them :) that’s where ao3 tagging becomes SUPER useful!!!

So what’s the criteria for the way you’ll sort out the fics in your list?: word count, going from lowest to highest. in case of fics in other platforms, i guess i’ll put them at the top of the list. i’ll also be looking for fairly recent fics, so let me know if you want any old-ish fic to be included.

I see you talking mostly about 5up/Steve and Steve/Apollo. Can I still send/see other crewfu fics?: why yes absolutely! my goal is to push every fic which heavily features regular crewfu characters - 5uptic and supdog just happen to be very popular pairings. so, to give you a list: core 4 (5up, hafu, dk, steve), apollo, aipha, annie, janet, kimi, ellum, koji... you know the drill. it doesn’t have to be centered on a relationship, or about 5up in specific, etc. my only requirement is that any of the previously mentioned members are a central part of the fic or are HEAVILY featured in it (sorry, minecraft fics with 50+ tags who only mention 5up as an afterthought won’t make the cut :/).

Isn’t shipping Bad™?: well, it’s a little more nuanced than that. i will go out of my way to discourage and shame people who often violate CCs’ boundaries by acting like so and so has a crush on this person, or that this and that are Actually Into Each Other or secretly dating. any sort of tinhat bullshit is a big nono (think larries). but i run on the assumption that people who write rpf understand that what they’re doing is simply write a completely fictional story using real life personalities, and understand the boundaries necessary to do it - aka they’re not tinhats, they understand they can’t assume everything about CCs’ thoughts and personalities, they understand that what they’re writing is strictly fiction, they keep these works only in fandom circles, etc. (but again, it’s only one me doing this, so please be kind if i don’t happen to know that this person is Actually a tinhat or whatever).

show fic: NO. (seriously. i don’t feel comfortable putting my ao3 account out there. please respect my privacy on these trying times <3)

I REALLY don’t care about your rpf/fic talk: fair! i’ll be tagging every single one of these posts as “fanfic spotlight”, so just mute the tag using tumblr settings so you’ll never have to look at these! likewise, you can follow the tag if you want to keep up with it, or search it on my blog to look at the other entries you might have missed (but this is the first one! lol).

Hey, my fic is here and I don’t feel comfortable with it being shared over here: no problem! let me know as soon as you can and i’ll take it down <3

[greekbros]

"greek-Bros": Rat Tail

*Every god has their secrets....this is the tale of Ares's secret*

Dionysus, Apollo and Hermes: *chatting away about stuff*

Ares: *comes in sort of dancing after a long day of WAAAARRRHHHHH* do do do, de do *takes his helmet off, revealing a slightly long but thin braided rat tail just gently unravel down his shoulder*

Dionysus, Apollo and Hermes: *stop everything and just stare at the literal war crime against humanity that was hiding under Ares's helmet this whole time* (̲̅ ͡ಠ_ಠ)̲̅.......

Ares: *goes over to a fountain to wash up like some homeless dude.*

Dionysus: *raises arm and over dramatically points at Ares*......OH SHIT. A RAT!....tail.

Ares: *turns around nonchalantly* ugh....yeah....yeh guys didn't know?

Apollo: Oh really? Did you HONESTLY think we would even suspect the existence of that........THING?!?

Hermes: Yeah man, I mean... really? A rat tail????

Ares: Ugh...yeah...I mean, it's convenient.

Apollo: SO IS SLAVERY AND GENOCIDE BUT YOU DON'T SEE THOSE BEING PUBLICLY ACCEPTABLE!!!!

Ares: ok I'll bite, why do you guys have such a problem with my hair style?

Apollo: *deeply offended and disgusted by it* oh how do I put it.......ITS FUCKING HORRID.

Dionysus: *personally feeling like Ares could do better with a mullet or something* yeah ugh....looks a little out dated

Hermes: *actually having the insatiable craving to just pluck it right off* ugh...*sweats profusely* .......*does the grabby hand thing and just kinda is mesmerized at the possibility of just easily ripping that tantalizingly thin braided strand like an satisfying ASMR video* ....hhhhnnnnggggg.

Ares: .... First off, fuck off. I ain't getting rid of my "Leonidas's rope". Second, you guys don't understand how hard it is to maintain this look and third off Aphrodite braided it herself so ain't losing that too.

Apollo: Oh there's your accomplice.

Dionysus: I always knew she was an enabler how toxic of her to do so.

Hermes: ....*slowly sneaks closer*

Ares: *slowly backs away.* Screw you guys, I'm going to get a snack. *Covers his rat tail with his hand while he runs off*

Hermes: *like a predator who has been triggered by the running of his prey* must. yank. *

Apollo: *grabs Hermes's collar* no no. I have a plan.

Hermes: *whines* ....but...it would have been so....ﾟ.*･｡ﾟsatisfying ☆ﾟ.*･｡ﾟ

*later*

Ares: *eats his 3rd gryo*

Dionysus: *tries to lasso the rat tail*

Ares: *moves like 3 inches*

Dionysus: *lassos an amphora, pulls the lasso without realizing he has pulled the wrong thing and gets the whole bottle to the face*

Ares: *reaches for the amphora but he notices it's gone.*..........*shrugs and goes get another*

Dionysus: ow.

*later again, in Hephaestus's secret lab*

Apollo: So...do you have any suggestions?

Hermes: *playing with what looks like a stim toy because he got bored* c:

Hephaestus: hmm...yes.... Ares's unfortunate choice of hairstyle is a challenge...but...I do have an idea. *Pulls a rope and a overly complicated Rube Goldberg-esk guillotine the cuts a pumpkin in half* .....

Apollo and Hermes: *both feeling that was WAY too much* ....

Hephaestus: .....

Apollo: ...um... don't you have something a little less..... drastic?

Hephaestus: *lying through his teeth knowing the plan was to at least save his marriage by just killing Ares* ....I apologized dear half-brother...but I'm afraid that is beyond my capabilities.

Apollo and Hermes: *look at each other*

*later*

Ares: *standing in the middle of a platform with ropes and such tied to different places on his body and only the one tied to his rat tail actually does anything*.....are you sure this isn't going to emancipate me for my 'rope'

Hermes: Wut? Oh no of course not, me and Heracles just wanted to do...ugh...an experiment. *Holding on to one rope on a pulley system*

Heracles: *has been brought from his room to harass Ares, holding on to the other*

*later after that failed spectacularly*

Dionysus: *puts a raw steak on his face from earlier* ....so....no plan?

Hermes: no....and I've already satisfied my craving to yank that thing off. Honestly it probably wouldn't have been interesting anyway.

Apollo: *massages his temples* that disgusting, trashy and absolutely repulsive little yarn weff is getting to me.

Dionysus: guys let's be real here ....are we all really going to let Ares's braid really bother us?

Apollo: I REFUSE to relate to another god who wears THAT behind his occipital region of his head.

Ares: *comes in* alright that's it, I'm sick of you guys being so fucking weird about my 'rope' and honestly it's not like you guys have something to hate either! Apollo you and your stupid bowtie on your head makes you look like a poodle! Dionysus I don't know what the shit is going on with your hair so for fuck's sake get a haircut and Hermes.....ugh....YOUR HAT WINGS PISS ME OFF....sort of.

Apollo: *not actually bothered by that comment considering its removable*

Dionysus: *scoff* I see you're jealous of my mane dude.

Hermes: *wings droop* :c

Ares: See? Doesn't fucking suck for someone else t-*hears a snip* .....

Apollo, Dionysus and Hermes: 👁️👄👁️

Artemis: *with a pair of scissors, has just cut the rat tail*...wut?

Ares: *absolutely speechless*......

Apollo: *surprisingly thankful* ARTEMIS! What on earth was that act of mercy for? :D

Artemis: wut? You guys don't have the urge to cut the tails off of rats or anything? Just me? Ok.

Dionysus and Hermes: *wanting to laugh like crazy but slightly feels like Ares is going lose his shit so their just quite*

Ares: *turns around in disbelief* ..........you... little....

Artemis: *unloving gives Ares his rat tail back* whatever Ares, fucking gross looking thing anyways. *Walks away*

Ares: *kneels down in defeat*..........

Apollo: well well well it seems everything is back to normal.

Ares: *sees that Artemis left the scissors, sees only red* .....well....looks like we got to go *picks up the scissors, looks at the trio* BALD.

Apollo, Dionysus and Hermes: *suddenly happy feelings gone.

*later*

Zeus and Hera: *waiting for the Olympians to arrive at the meeting*

Ares: *walks in a fresh buzz cut sits down*

Apollo: *expressionless and with his hair sloppily chopped in various places, looking like it was a home job*....

Dionysus: *slightly similar but he's feeling like a sheered lamb* .....

Hermes: *has a slightly messy version of a buzz cut but there's a really sloppy fade*

Zeus and Hera: *honestly have no idea what happened and look at Ares*

Ares: *has the look of satisfaction on his face*

Apollo: *sits down and slumps over*

Ares: *doesn't even have to turn his head*

Apollo: I hope you choke on those brass balls of yours because I hope you enjoy retaliation.

Ares: Name a place and time and we'll trade hands you pansy.

Apollo: man slut.

Zeus: BOYS!

Apollo: I SEE YOU DO NOT SEE THE ATROCITY YOUR SON HAS COMMITTED!

[shameboree]

If im correct, garden of bitches are your own oc's right? (If they're not please ignore the rest of this ask, but if they are...) who are all ur oc's and their names and stuff if you don't mind me asking?? I love hearing about people's original characters!!

U ARE CORRECT. welcome to my BITCH GARDEN

gonna base most of this info off a combo of various supers aus bc theyre the most consistent baselines i have. this isnt close to all of them but theyre either my most used or the ones i could easily fix up other draws of heh

MY MOST DRAWN OC: FALLON. exceptionally small (4′8) bratty rich girl. has electricity powers she primarily uses as a NEAT LIL PARTY TRICK to light things. big on pretending to be very sweet and well behaved for authority figures but is actually a little unhinged. commits FOOD CRIMES on a regular basis and isnt allowed in the kitchen at home. has a twin bro who is my friends oc. their fambly is from georgia so colin and fallon have corresponding drawls. im going to stop here bc shes my horrible little brat and i could talk abt her a lot

ELLIS. 6ft absolutely horrendous cunt with a mullet. shes tiktok famous for being funny (mean) and joined student council to relentlessly neg fallon and the other high strung nerds bc shes MASSIVELY HORNY for their misery. all of her favorite hobbies include making others suffer in some capacity. very chill hard to ruffle demeanor. has the POWER OF PERSUASION and only does bad uncomfortable things with it (many of my ocs are just hugely unpleasant ppl u will find). her aunt runs a morally dubious info trading agency, but shes on an OVERTLY MORALLY REPREHENSIBLE villainsquad of bad little clown assholes with her uncle.

TARAN. BRAINDEAD EVIL theres nothing going on in their head except the drive to be sexy and also publicly humiliate ppl. their greatest strength lies in being insanely confident even when they are VERY CLEARLY wicked wrong abt shit. theyre part of the bad baby clownsquad with ellis and also specialize in mindfuckery like the rest of the clown assholes but tbqh i forgot the what and the how

COLIN. a WEIRD and UNNERVING lad. fallons cousin, got all the height she didnt (7ft). has kitty eyes regardless of au but no one talks abt it. powers? unclear. has some absolutely incomprehensible eldritchy religious beliefs. possibly a cryptid, all vids/pics etc are VERY MYSTERIOUSLY and INVARIABLY absolutely fucked glitchy n corrupted. cats constantly congregate arnd him. usually smiling blankly- seems like a pretty nice dude in the most casual of interactions but dont trust him bc he would probably ritually sacrifice you*. his mom sells weed

FORREST. highkey nervy all the time on the edge of a full on hysterical meltdown. if youre familiar with the MASKS tabletop hes the LEGACY char. his mom is a HERO worldwide she like fixed global warming or something (this was a GUT BUSTER in game bc its ridiculous). he has a lot of ridiculous over the top powers but his inability to function daily under the pressure of upholding the family image basically negates them entirely. NERFED BY ANXIETY. one of his powers is basically sex pollen (but like, funny) so his previous team COMPLETELY IMPLODED bc at some point his helmet came off and everyone freaked out bc they wanted to bone him the second they saw his shitty bowlcut.

(*we in fact have a jennifers body/tragedy girls style horror comedy au where colin and fallons brother ritual sacrifice her in the basement w a hello kitty knife and it causes a short term apocalypse and then she comes back wrong at the end so they have to become serial killers to keep her fed anyway good times)

[steropeshu]

Theory: What if Tsukasa was a good guy?

All right, first time that I’m throwing out a theory, (with the assistance of @trish-chan​!) so forgive me if I’m tripping on my words. Okay, so, theory time. (Also, to avoid confusion, I call No.7 by Hanako, and pre-death by Amane)

When I say Tsukasa was a good guy, I mean as in a good bro before he died. I think the current consensus is that Tsukasa was the one abusing Amane (theorized to be in varying degrees…), but what if he wasn’t the one behind it? What if Tsukasa ended up becoming corrupted or messed up in some way?

This ended up really really long, so the whole this is under the cut...

First, let’s focus on how they were alive. What was their relationship like? Well, we know they were close, at least. There’s this one bit in the Tanabata arc where little Amane says that Tsukasa will get violent if interrupted.

However, in the official translations it says that he’ll throw a fit. Y’know, like an excitable little kid.

It also says that he’s playing katanuki, and he LOVES katanuki, so we can assume he wouldn’t want to be interrupted. (Also, Hanako loves katanuki too!)

But other than that, we don’t really see them being brothers in the past, do we. Right…?

WRONG! Something I completely overlooked before were the volume sleeve illustrations.

Also, in this (^) illustration, I’d like to point out that the Tsukasa’s radio and Hanako’s kokeshi doll are sitting on the chest of drawers!

Something to note in these illustrations (and also the Tanabata arc) is that Amane is happy and there are no signs of bruising anywhere either. So at least as little kids, no form of abuse is present.

Also, something else I noticed:

He says that “WE believe it’s real.” Tsuchigomori said that he doesn’t have friends, and he’s obviously not referring to Tsuchigomori here. Tsukasa is the only one left he could be referring to in this “we”. They both were enthusiastic about this rock that supposedly fell from the sky, ever since they were four.

I feel like I’m grasping at straws in this part, but why would Amane include a third party unless they were important? Especially when it comes to something so sentimental to him.

Next, we have the picture from the Kamome school orientation.

Nothing here either. Just the two holding hands, and Amane is still bright-eyed. Note that they are alone. We know the Minamoto siblings live alone, but Mitsuba and Nene both have parents with them. The Yugi twins don’t. Another theory was that Amane’s parents were abusing him and they just favored Tsukasa, but this can allow us to presumably scratch that.

So that means any harm to Amane happened somewhere between here and his death. So, let’s make a time frame, hmm? We know Amane died around age 13. What age is he here…? Well we know he just entered Middle school, the first level Kamome provides for. What age…

Wow. That lines up perfectly.

This leads into the next major part of the theory.

We all know that Kamome is incredibly “haunted.” Filled to the brim with supernaturals. So, what if these two got caught up in supernatural business and things went south?

Originally this was a theory on proving Tsukasa wasn’t the one abusing Amane, but now I’m possibly considering that it was him. However, he wasn’t fully there, or something caused him to go mad.

In this part, Hanako is reciting a part of Mori Ogai’s “Takasebune”. (Credit to  @nanabansama​ for finding that out!) In the story, a man is being exiled for a crime he committed. He seems kind so the police escort is wondering what he did. Turns out, he and his little brother were orphaned when they were young. At some point after growing up and working together, his brother fell ill. He came home one day to find out that his brother tried to kill himself so he wouldn’t be a burden. The man had finished the job for his brother, essentially putting him out of his misery.

We can draw some parallels to Hanako from this.

The man has a little brother that he killed

Absence of parents, this makes it likely that Hanako and Tsukasa’s parents are dead.

The man is being punished for what he’s done and is fully accepting of what has to happen to him as a consequence. In the man’s case, being exiled, and in Hanako’s case, being mediator for human and supernatural relations.

Perhaps from this we can draw that Hanako killed Tsukasa to put him out of his misery.

(Also, something really interesting, Ogai is spelled 鴎外. 鴎 is pronounced “Ou”, however alone it is pronounced “KAMOME”! While we’re on the subject, kamome means seagull. I had no idea why the school would be named that, but I would not be surprised if this were the reason!)

@daikon-senpai​ has pointed out that we can see a reoccurring “hole” in Hanako’s stomach. There’s a high likeliness that he killed himself after killing Tsukasa.

There’s a traditional method of suicide called seppuku, where one would slit their stomach to bleed out (though they would usually have someone cut their neck for efficiency and to minimize suffering). One of the reasons one would commit seppuku were if someone committed a crime or had brought shame on themselves. Both of which would be a likely reason Amane would have killed himself, and he even still carries intense guilt now as Hanako.

[UPDATE: I had made a post about how it appears that Hanako pulls his knife out from his stomach, something absent from the anime. Some of the earlier instances can look like he’s pulling out from his gakuran, so here’s a more obvious example:

@shweshishweh​ and @spades-queen​ have additionally pointed out that in some official art Hanako is depicted with a bandage over his stomach and Tsukasa with a bandage over his heart (or a heart that is damaged, as shown in the Valentine’s Day art).

With this information, not only can we assume Hanako died from wounds on his stomach, but also that Tsukasa likely died from an injury to his heart.

END OF UPDATE]

Speaking of guilt-

It’s believed that when Hanako cries while confronting Tsukasa, he’s afraid because he’s with his abuser again. I doubt this is true at all. He hasn’t cried since the Mitsuba Arc, though he still locks up briefly.

Obviously Hanako holds a ton of guilt from what he did to Tsukasa, so of course he would freeze up when the dude comes out of no where and is like, “Long time no see!!” He’s being confronted with what he did, front and center. No amount of jokes can distract him from it. There’s no avoiding it. After Tsukasa had entered the picture for a while, Hanako stops reacting so strongly, as he’s more prepared for it. (This was pointed out to me by @trish-chan​!)

It’s also possible that Tsukasa is acting the messed-up way he was before he died, and Hanako is realizing that death really didn’t free him from it. He’s mortified at what’s happened to his brother.

Another thing she’s pointed out was that currently, Tsukasa hasn’t hurt Hanako. Not physically, at least. If he was the one hurting him then, why not now? It’s not like he’s hiding being violent in front of people. Let’s see… he turned Mitsuba into a monstrosity, nearly killed Kou, ripped out No. 3’s heart, totally would have turned Nene into a bloody pulp, killed the pufferfish into a bloody mess, and he’s finger painted with blood (who knows where that came from) among various other psychotic things.

Last thing I have here is a kind of lose connection, but worth including, nonetheless.

Only Tsukasa and No. 6 are creepy black mokke. I can’t bring myself to believe that AidaIro would do that for no reason. I wouldn’t question it if it were only Tsukasa, but now No. 6 is in the mix.

This actually made me think of possible connections that Tsukasa has to No. 6. After all, who has a giant gaping hole to the far shore and has messed with someone’s head so hard they basically tried to murder their childhood friend? Is it possible that No. 6 did something to Tsukasa, for whatever reason?

We don’t know enough about No. 6 currently to really be conclusive about this, though. Could both of them been corrupted somehow?

UPDATE ON THIS PART: Since I’ve first posted this, more chapters with No. 6, or Shinigami, have been released. While I have even more doubts that he and Tsukasa have any direct connection than before, I still think there are some shared aspects. Sumire’s seal is probably the most major revelation, now that it’s pretty much confirmed that Tsukasa is a yorishiro. If we assume Tsukasa is Hanako’s yorishiro, then that’s something in common with Sumire and Shinigami. But then wouldn’t Hanako be a black mokke?

This makes me think that that particular connection isn’t the shared aspect Tsukasa and Shinigami have. Perhaps it’s just something that hasn’t been revealed yet (or I haven’t picked up on lol). Something else interesting of note is the fact that Tsukasa has been completely absent this entire arc. His only sort-of presence is through Natsuhiko, who we still don’t know the motives of. We also don’t know how the Tsukasa+Sakura+Natsuhiko+Mitsuba quartet have been dealing with the Severance.

So, there are a lot of questions yet to be answered so I’m not dismissing this idea yet.

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

So, in a nutshell, this theory is: Hanako and Tsukasa were good brothers, until they got caught up with supernaturals after entering Kamome. This may have caused Tsukasa to go crazy, and hurt Amane at the same time. This leads to Amane killing Tsukasa. Possibly out of self-defense or putting him out his misery. Following this, Amane kills himself. ~50 years later, present Kamome Academy. Tsukasa makes his way to the near shore and either gets corrupted or was never freed from whatever ailed him when he was alive at the school.

I’m realizing now that this would also explain this:

“Tsukasa is not himself. I know that. So I forgive it.” But we all know that Amane/Hanako is too cryptic and secretive to actually say that.

[churchsplayground]

An updated version of this, I felt it might be a bit misleading putting Knight on there in their original form so I changed it to their current one. They're all in lizard gremlin mode now, peets for everyone!

There's a break here for me just explaining some things on it and about them, mainly just info-dumping. I didn't want the post to get too long. Read if you wanna I don't mind 💖

Disclaimer: They're a system, Read this with that in mind.

These are all the symbiotes that are currently (active) within the Knight symbiote.

Everyone listed can front if they want, But the most common ones to front are Church (usually always fronting) and Knight (always a Co-front). Knight front's when Church is sleeping as to avoid Glaive kicking everyone to the back and doing what he wants. Even the times when Glaive does front Knight will quietly watch and throw him out of front if needed. (Yes they can kick each other out of front, but it doesn't always work if they're really determined. If no one is fronting it's fuckin a free game.)

Glaive gets a bit reckless and wild and no one needs that little gremlin committing a crime.

Ruse is rare to front and only does so when Knight or Church are able to watch him. He's not allowed to front alone thanks to Patrick. But, weeeee really don't talk about that 🎶

Knight is very hesitant to leave Ruse with people, but sorta tunes in and out when with Edan because Edan has had a few jobs working with young children, and ya know' he's pretty sure she's not gonna do nothin' to hurt him. He has major anxiety tho so, not happening.

---

A note about the 'yrs' thing under their stuff is just I guess their age in a human equivalent??

It doesn't always match up to their actual age such a Ruse. The first age, like 2 years old/3 years old, Is was just when they formed.

An example is Ruse, Ruse was the first one to break off of Orig. So he's about the same age as their body, Knight and Church were a year later so they're only 2 years old. Glaive is the most recent one to form and is about 1/2 a year old. (Should be noted Glaive isn't from Orig. he's from Church, Orig. was basically gone after Church and Knight)

Anyway yeah, Ruse may be the oldest in that sense but he's absolutely a child compared to everyone else.

---

A note on "Last bit of Orig." under Ruse's info. This means, well, he has every memory that Orig had but usually blocks it out until someone says something that triggers him to remember things. He'll often go on small tangents talking about things no one else recalls. A prime example of this is every time someone asks his name he usually goes off like:

"Oh, that's easy! My names Knight, I was named after the chess piece, you know my siblings they--"

Proceeds stop talking and dead stare into space for a solid minute.

"Huh? Oh, Hiya! My name? My names Ruse! Dunno why!"

He does this with various topics at seemingly random times. No one has any idea what he's talking about and just assumes he's having a 'moment' again, Ruse isn't always there sometimes. The dude's been through a lot I don't blame him for going Afk mentally sometimes.

---

Double triple note on Ruse's height it says [4'6"] that's his actual height in their inner world. He however cannot make his host smaller so he defaults to 5'2" which he finds odd suddenly being taller.

Anyway yeah thank youuuuu bye bye till next post 🤣

[electronicdelusionstarlight]

Ok, so.

The very first "fight" in BNHA.

There is a Purse Snatcher. Simple as that. Some random dude snatches a purse, off screen. We are never told his name nor why he did it, he just snatches a purse and makes a run for it.

He "gets cornered," doesn't specify why or how but he does, then dude decides to activate his quirk as a last ditch attempt and becomes giant.

The heroes on the scene are Kamui Woods, Backdraft and Death Arms. 3 heroes for one purse snatcher seems a bit too much but whatever, Arms and Backdraft are seemingly on crowd control anyway.

The giant villain, because he's not just a criminal now he's classified as a villain due to having used his Quirk with criminal intent, fights Kamui Woods, or more specifically screams at him to "go away" and "leave him alone" as he gets whipped by tree branches.

Kamui Woods calls the Purse Snatcher "pure evil" for, and I quote, "Illegal Use of Abilities during rush hour, robbery and assault."

You know... Because he snatched a purse. And his attempt to escape authorities is currently causing a mild inconvenience on the civilians "downstairs."

Anyway, as this happens, Izuku is in a crowd of onlookers staring at the spectacle, caused by the road getting shit due to the fight. People express various emotions from annoyance to awe at the fight, and it symbolises that this is normal shit for them.

Izuku nerds out over the fight at the heroes, and some random guy in the crowd comments on how he's taking notes on the fight, and wishes him good luck on becoming a hero.

This random man doesn't know of Izuku's condition as Quirkless.

Anyway, before Kamui Woods can trap the purse snatcher in his branches, Mt Lady, a 4th hero, shows up and kicks the villain. She also has a gigantification quirk, and her attack cause several property damages in the area.

Mt. Lady is awarded the glory of the arrest, while Kamui Woods is seen in the background sulking over having his victory stolen, as Izuku comments during the narration on how famous heroes have a guaranteed high government pay and the adoration of the public.

The scene ends with a close up of Mt. Lady wide, manic eyes as she basks in the adoration of her fans, as the Purse Snatcher, now normal sized, is covered in chains and muzzled for some fucking reason.

This scene could STRAIGHT UP be used in any deconstruction of the superhero genre as a allegory for how corrupt the system is, and is yet played completely straight, SOMEHOW.

Like... The dehumanisation of the criminal by the heroes, the excessive use of force, the fact all they care is seemingly fame and money, the crowds finding none of this weird as they cheer on in what is basically an active warzone, the fucking... Random dude supporting Izuku while not knowing his condition as a "Genetically Inferior Individual" while everyone else in his life but his mom belittles him for him...

This is a fucking deconstruction piece. This could have been played incredibly well simply by starting from here and working on it, Izuku trying to fight the prejudice over him being Quirkless by becoming a hero only to then realize that he can't change the systen from within, because at some point he becomes the "diversity hire," because capitalism in the 24th century being no different from the one in the 21th after all.

How about we get a little bit more on the purse snatcher too? Why did he end up committing one crime? How was his life changed from it? Dude has a mutation quirk too bring in the fact Mutation Quirk people are also discriminated against, bring in Quirk Marriages and all the other eugenic bullshit that goes on in the setting while you're at it, but FUCKING question it in a timely manner and organically through your MAIN FUCKING CHARACTER rather than having some random ass villain force society to change for the worst as the literal child soldiers getting trained in the nation top military academy try to keep the status quo in FUCKING place.

Otherwise we end up with the "bad guy has valid point, but bad guy kills people, so why should we follow him?" Except worse because all villains in BNHA who want to change the world in BNHA either want MORE of a Police State like Stain or want the fucking Mafia or some other big crime syndacate to rule a virtually unchanged society, so no one among neither heroes or villains is trying to offer the right fucking solution here.

And if they do, it'll probably be after 100 more chapters of stuff happening and it will be from out of fucking nowhere.

[bigskydreaming]

hood-ex

i was like well he could just date some random dude who's an artist or something and then i was like oh wait. kyle. lmao. did dick and kyle ever have interactions when donna wasn't around? i mean i know dick found kyle's.. spirit? or whatever in jla. but any other major moments between them aren't coming to my brain

LOL, nope, Dick and Kyle have barely ever interacted ever. Just at Hal’s memorial and then the Obsidian Age, which was well after Kyle and Donna split......they never hung out with Dick when they were together, as he was....busy in Bludhaven. Like Donna and Kyle were together during that period when Roy was running the Titans and they had that weird lineup with Terra the Second and Impulse and Fake Supergirl and just....yeah. But point being like, that was basically right after Dick left the team and Kory left to return to Tamaran, so Dick was kinda deliberately avoiding most of the Titans at that time, as far as I’ve always viewed it.

But yeah honestly all my Dick/Kyle thoughts pretty much stem just from their very brief Obsidian Age interactions and then me going like, huh. I could see it. Its more based on just their characters in general, and the fact that I think they have such similar priorities and mindsets as to be more alike than different, but without being so similar that they’re in any way derivative of each other or like....immediate analogues. Like you think of either Dick or Kyle, you don’t immediately jump to the other because they don’t particular stand out as being interchangeable or anything, but when you dig a little into their characters you’re like, oh wow, they have a lot in common actually.

In particular I’ve always keyed into the slightly lonely nature of Kyle’s position as Torchbearer in the GL Corps. A nod to his time as the only GL left, and the fact that he resurrected the Guardians and restarted the Corps, essentially.....so he’s always stood a little apart from the rest of the GLs, even Hal and John and Guy who were still around in some way or another back when he was the solo GL. Its not that he’s not close with them, its just that he has a very unique experience among the GLs where for most of the Corps, they always had the support of the Corps behind them as they became more experienced as Green Lanterns. And the weight of what they all did as Green Lanterns and what people looked to them for, it was always spread among like....the whole Corps, whereas when Kyle was Green Lantern during his solo tenure, like, it all rested on him, there was no one else to look at or look to....all eyes were just on him. 

That pressure, that absence of anyone who can fully relate, its always made him stand slightly apart from the rest of the Lanterns, even now that the Corps is back, and its only been heightened by the fact that he continues to have very unique experiences. Like how he was the only one to ever master the full emotional spectrum on his own, without external additives, the unique way in which he became the White Lantern, the fact that he has such a different relationship with the Ion entity than even those others who’ve hosted it, etc. Also the fact that like, despite his reputation among the Lanterns and others, despite how highly he’s regarded by them, that doesn’t always translate into the camaraderie and support you’d think it would, and most of his most intense adventures or most emotional storylines still happen when he’s off completely by himself with no lifelines. Because as much as he matters to the Corps and is valued by them, there’s always this kinda disconnect that frequently translates into a lot of distance between them and him, both physical and emotional.

And I’ve always thought there are a lot of parallels to the way Dick often feels like he’s alone even when in a crowd. That unique kind of pressure that comes from being the FIRST Robin, the original leader of the Titans, the guy who so often has acted as a trailblazer that others followed but without fully being able to relate to that experience of being first, of not having anyone TO follow, to have to make it up entirely as he went and hope that he wasn’t screwing up too much because it wasn’t like he had any precedent to look to or others to compare himself, his triumphs and his failures to. The way so often the buck stops with him and there’s no one really to pass it off to even when its not actually his fault, its more just.....people feel a need, a want to blame someone, and there’s not really anyone else to look at in his stead there. The similarities in how he also has such a positive reputation overall, and is seemingly so valued and respected by his various communities, and yet despite this it doesn’t always translate into direct and tangible support, leaving him often actually being cut-off and isolated during some of his most emotionally intensive storylines.

I think they have a lot of insight they could lend each other stemming from their respective experiences with the weight of legacy, which parallels without being the same....because the angle, the perspective is different with them. Kyle struggled with the weight of having to carry the entire legacy of the Green Lantern Corps by himself and feeling the responsibility of not wanting to let his predecessors down. Dick struggles with the weight of having his legacy carried by so many others and feeling responsible for what they go through as a result of that. And then at the same time Dick also struggled with the weight of carrying Bruce’s legacy as Batman at different times, such as Knightfall/Prodigal and then when he was lost in time, and now Kyle struggles with the weight of his legacy as Ion being carried on by others and the legacy his existence as the Torchbearer is creating for after he’s gone.

Additionally, they both have abundant experience with feeling under a microscope, like their every action is being scrutinized and they’re constantly being compared to the larger than life figure they’re most directly linked to. For Dick its Batman, for Kyle its Hal. That thing where they’re simultaneously expected to BE the equal to Bruce or Hal, or even better than them, but also at the same time being not exactly blamed for Bruce’s and Hal’s mistakes, but treated as even though they had nothing to do with their actions, they might as well have, kinda? Constantly compared to Bruce and Hal and with people saying they would have done this or that instead, but also with people quick to act like Bruce and Hal are their personal cautionary tales and tell them how dangerously close they are to becoming them whenever they do something that even slightly parallels the older two. 

Also, they have this distance between themselves and Bruce and Hal....Dick because of the chasm between them during the early years of Nightwing and Kyle because Hal was basically a villain and then dead during his early years as Green Lantern.....but without anyone ever really factoring in that they’re not as joined at the hip to Bruce and Hal as people act like and they not only have nothing to do with the worst of their mistakes, but the older two weren’t always as involved in the younger two’s successes as people credit them as being. And that very niche feeling that only they can really relate to, where Dick and Kyle so often end up being Bruce and Hal’s biggest defenders, and how often this overwrites or gets in the way of Dick and Kyle ever getting to fully express valid resentments they have of how Bruce and Hal’s own actions and choices and reputations impact Dick and Kyle’s lives and actions and choices.

Plus I think they’d just be good for each other - Kyle actually does have the ability to relax and unwind with his art and other hobbies in ways Dick could definitely learn from and benefit from applying to his own life, and Dick has the gravitas and weight of history and experience that means he can really address in actionable ways that Kyle can truly internalize, like the longing Kyle has always had, despite his many accomplishments, to really feel like he isn’t just a hero by happenstance or mistake, that he really belongs among their number. Kyle was a diehard superhero fanboy before he ever got the ring, and you can’t tell me he didn’t have a crush on the first Robin when he debuted back when Kyle was probably in middle school (they’re actually pretty close in age, with everything lending itself to the idea that Kyle’s of a similar age with Dick and the original Titans). Likewise, you can’t tell me Dick has anything but respect for someone who manages to establish himself and his own reputation despite how easy it’d be to be overshadowed by his predecessors and their actions.

They both have extremely parallel storylines even in their particulars......both have been briefly killed then presumed dead and then isolated from their loved ones for a period for a ‘solo mission’ and then blamed for that upon their return, even though Dick wanted nothing to do with that mission and was forced into it by Bruce just like the same is true of Kyle who was backed into his by the Guardians. Both have struggled with suicidal ideation in the past, most notably in the aftermath of Blockbuster and then with Kyle, his subconscious literally created a nemesis for him named Oblivion, who wanted nothing other than his death, because Oblivion was literally Kyle’s own death wish made flesh and blood by Kyle’s willpower and leftover Ion energy. 

Both have nightmares of being hijacked by someone else’s will and used as their puppets, with Dick and his many times being brainwashed and Kyle and his time possessed by Parallax. Both have extremely complicated feelings about children that were never truly theirs, both have been the scapegoat for crimes they didn’t commit, both are wracked with guilt for things they choose to take responsibility for but only because nobody ever told them it wasn’t actually their fault. Both are rape survivors whose rapes were never taken seriously or treated like they matter, and both are desperate for the approval of loved ones and mentors who actually do approve of them very much, but just often struggle to show them that in the ways they really need in order to BELIEVE it.

I could go on, lol, but like, you get it. Don’t worry, you’re not forgetting about some super significant story between Dick and Kyle, it really was just me latching on to that one story from twenty years ago where Kyle’s like if we get out of this alive, I want a hug, and Dick’s like deal, and I was like SOLD. And then my brain manufactured all these other reasons why clearly they are soulmates, and thus you have the Good Ship Dick/Kyle, which I shall sail forever more, no matter if I am only ever a crew of one.

afsbjkfabhjkfaghjkfalhkfla

[the-passenger-if]

heya! sorry if this has been asked before, but i couldn't find it thanks to crappy tumblr... but do you have any fave WIP's? i'm currently looking for new stuff to play. kinda broaden my horizon XD and since i love your game, maybe you have a similar taste as me?? thanx!

Hey there :3

Yeah of course, there are a lot of really good ones, but my top ones are heavily character driven and most of them have awesome ROs

List of WIPs in no particular order.

SUPERHEROES/SUPERHERO-ADJACENT:

Freak: Amidst the Neon Lights. TW: a scientist is creepily gross towards MC.

From the author’s fingers: A fish out of water tale.

A young isolated MC without a ‘voice’ grows up in a lab poked prodded and tested for eighteen years finds themselves thrown into the chaotic world of powers and abilities beyond human kine. They will have an adventure that will define who they are and make an impact in a world they never knew existed.

RO after my own heart: Mh. No one really, but  the MC and Silic are awesome.

WIP state: On hiatus

------

Model Citizens: Unmasked

From the author's fingers: It’s a story about a world full of heroes with odd and amazing powers! But… you’re not one of them. You don’t have powers, and you don’t plan to go and fight crime. No, you’re just a model, everyday citizen. A reporter, in fact, tied into the events of heroes but never really a part of them

Except for one (well, two, but thats already said and done), little exception.

You work for The Nickelport Rust, a controversial paper known for one reason and one reason only.

Unmasking heroes.

RO after my own heart: V. and Ricky (with a special mention to Lucy)

WIP state: On hiatus

------

Fallen Hero: Retribution

Enough said--also, Malin didn't write a summary for this one n_n"

RO after my own heart: Ortega. I would romance Steel and Argent too.

WIP state: Malin is running a closed alpha

SUPERNATURAL:

SoS: The Mortal Coil. This one and The ORPHEUS Ruse were big inspirations for The Passenger as discussed here.

From the author's fingers: Archangels were designated to serve the whims of their God. As Gabriel, you wield power and influence in Heaven. Yet your God, silent for centuries, has given you an order, one unlike any other you have received. You are to raise a satanspawn on earth, living in secret as a mortal. play as the archangel, Gabriel. Your cover is that of a junior detective with the Major Crimes division of JCPD. It’s supposed to be a straightforward protection detail.

But things rarely go according to plan.

Will you stay loyal to Heaven and their rules or will you play it fast and loose? Will you try to seize the throne or find your place on Earth? Will the satanspawn prove to be beyond saving or will you raise him to be a beacon of hope?

Work with the various supernatural factions in one of the few cities that is neutral in the war between Heaven and Hell. Fall in love, solve a few cases, and discover if your past will define your future.

RO after my own heart: Michael. That fucking brat.

WIP state: On hiatus

ADVENTURE:

Diaspora. You guys... Diaspora. If you're into Dragon Age, Diaspora is a must.

From the authors' fingers: it’s about a clan of people forced to flee their homeland and establish themselves elsewhere in the world. The Cine, of which the PC is a part, are traditionally a raiding culture, accustomed to theft and piracy as a way of life, meaning that few will welcome them as neighbors. Throughout the story, the PC will have opportunities to shape the perception of their clan, as well as the direction their people will take with their new settlement. Will you stick to traditional values at the steep diplomatic cost that may entail? Or, against the advice of your clan’s leadership and some of your close friends, will you try to change the very fate of the Cine, their role in the world around them?

RO after my own heart: Pan. There's no words to describe how much I love this magnificent bastard. They are my favorite RO ever too and a big inspiration for some of Roach's mannerisms.

WIP state: Kiku and August work on it whenever they have time but I would say it's pretty active for a WIP this big.

------

Relics of the Lost Age. TW: for people being bigots; it has nazis, it has the kkk, you can punch them in the face tho :3

From the author's fingers: The game is basically a fun (I hope), swashbuckling Indiana Jones-em-up, in which you play as a 1930s archaeologist trying to locate a number of occult artifacts before various nasty types can get their hands on them. There will be high adventure in far-flung corners of the world, wacky stunts, Nazi-punching, the possibility of romance (4 possible ROs in total, although you don’t meet them all in Chapter 1), loss, betrayal and all kinds of good stuff along those lines. Give it a go; you never know, you might like it!

I've never watched an Indiana Jones film in my entire life, but this game kicks ass and its author is a very intelligent person and also a sweetheart. Go say hello!

RO after my own heart: Not a RO but I'm crossing my fingers for Maria Garcia Perez. Yes, mama, call me a dumbass and kick me in the face.

WIP state: Active. The Prof is a word-spurting beast :O

ANYTHING BY THOMB, REALLY:

But the WIP i'm following at the moment is the third book in the Evertree Saga, Lux: City of Secrets

From the author’s fingers: continuing the story that began with Evertree Inn and Sordwin. In this fantasy adventure, you return once again as an investigator of magical mysteries, this time exploring the many twisting tales of a city full of secrets. Can you balance all the commitments of your new life in the big city and rise above, or will you become just another nameless face in the crowd?

Also, Thom is truly a sweetheart.

RO after my own heart: Dandy. Dandy Dandy Dandy. (this one is a gender-flip and his female counterpart is Daisy)

WIP state: Active. Thom has 3 titles under their belt, they know what they're doing.

SLASHER HORROR:

Monsters. So so cool, also so so full of triggers--a character is super homophobic and a racist, other dude may hit a female MC in the face if he doesn't like what she's saying, so bear that in mind. I don't feel like the author was trying to be edgy, tho, he's just playing with old horror tropes and these people aren't supposed to be likeable anyways. If you like horror that's kind of Texas-Chainsaw-Massacry, this is a good one.

From the author's fingers: First off: This game contains ADULT CONTENT!!! It is a psychological survival horror, and intentionally contains content which some readers may find offensive. There’s a proper disclaimer in-game. But the warning is there. I’m choosing not to describe the content of the game because, honestly, I want it to be a surprise to anyone who has not read it but is intrigued. I want you to not know what to expect. wink

RO after my own heart: Nobody, but they are interesting to chat to.

WIP state: On hiatus.

OTHERS I ENJOYED A LOT:

Wilhelmina

The Wayhaven Chronicles: Book Two

Through Broken Lenses. TW: so much abuse. Tread with care.

The Seven Heirs of Ophaesia: Part One

Fox of Sunholt

Supernatural in New York

Good Intentions. TW: I think this one may be triggering too, but I don't quite remember the specifics, sorry.

What a Brilliant Existence!

Spellbound: A Ghost Story

Seven days in purgatory

Burwick Destination: Book One

A Cage of Mist and Shadow

Please remember to pay attention to the last time WIPs were updated, you don’t want to necrobump a thread.

[tara-the-quiet-bookworm-2016]

Fight Me, Bite Me  Silas (RK900 x Gavin Reed) (Chapter Four)

Authors Notes- And here I am finally with another chapter of fight me, bite me. Sorry it took me forever to get this chapter I have no reasons for my absence. As you know by now I like to put my trigger warnings so in this chapter it will feature things such as swearing. If none of this isn’t your cup of tea then this is where we part ways but I’ll remember our time fondly. Now that we got that out of the way here is chapter four of fight me, bite me.

Chapter Four: On The Trail

This was unbearable. Gavin thought as he drove, the ever silent RK900 in the seat beside him, those cold, emotionless eyes scanning the area through the window. As if half expecting the killer to be strolling down the street and to stumble across him. God, wouldn’t that be something? Hell, for all Gavin knew was that the only way they were going to catch this killer was when he or she was caught commiting another crime that had nothing to do with the murders. Wouldn’t be the first time thought, would it? Yeah right as if they would be so lucky. 

“So Brainiac got any other ideas?” Gavin asked when the silence became too much for even him. 

At that Silas turn his steely eyes to him. “I have done some research on where our victims have frequented before they were abducted and killed perhaps someone saw something on the day they went missing. Surely you know how Detective work goes search every single lead even if it turns out to be a dead end.”

Biting his bottom lip  Gavin looked away from the android, saying nothing the rest of the ride was once again in silence until they pulled into parking lot of the apartment the first victim shared with her roommate, a woman named Mila. From what Gavin recalled she and the first victim, no Gavin corrected himself as he and Silas climbed the stairs. Susan her name was Susan Miller, age 22, as he thought that an image of a young woman with bright green eyes and freckles dusting across her nose and cheeks. A tattoo of a butterfly on her shoulder. It had been one of the things Gavin had been able to identify her as when he had seen her body her face was a mess of bruises and burns and her eyes those bright green eyes that shone with life were gone.

That was another unanswered question. Why was the killer taking their victims eyes? Were they a trophy? Or something else? For all Gavin knew was that their killer was going to end up leaving them in some place for them. 

“Detective Reed?” Silas’ voice cut in through his thoughts, making him look in his direction. “We’re here.” Blinking Gavin looked to where Silas was pointing, finding themselves standing in front of the apartment door.

Gathering his nerves Gavin knocked on the door and waited. Remembering how devastated the roommate  was when Gavin had told her her friend was murdered, hearing the door creak open he looked up and was greeted by the tired looking young woman in her twenties. 

“Ms. Jones? It’s Detective Reed, I have a few more questions for you.”

“Do you have anything on who killed Susan?” she asked, peering at him from the crack in the door.

Gavin opened his mouth, guilt gripping his chest. God, he wanted nothing more than to tell her that yes they had caught the bastard, but that wasn’t the case, god he hated his job sometimes. Swallowing he met her gaze once more and shook his head. Watching that small sliver of hope in her hazel eyes die.

“Then what do you want? I have nothing more to tell you.” 

“We were wondering if you remembered anything from before Susan was murdered.” Silas spoke. 

“And what makes you think I know anything more?” Mila snapped. “You think I somehow saw her killer before she was killed?” Gavin and Silas heard the door unlatch and they found themselves staring at a dark haired, dark skinned woman anger shining in her eyes as she looked between the two. “Do you think that when we were spending the last time together that I was scoping out her killer? We went out. Like we always do.” She said, turning away from the Detectives.

“That’s good, perhaps you saw something, maybe a guy paying way too much attention to Susan. Or something.” Silas pried.

At that Mila worried at her bottom lip, brow furrowing. Blinking she looked up at them, realization hitting her as she held up her hand. “Wait... I do remember something...” she said.

Gavin’s heart skipped a beat, perhaps they were on to something...

“I remember how useless you cops really are.” Mila snapped, getting up from her seat, and turning away from them. “Seriously? How many people got to die before you get your heads from your asses?”

“Please.” Silas pleaded. Grabbing a hold of her her wrist stopping her from walking off.  “You must know something.”

At that Mila paused, thinking for a second before relaxing, a sigh escaping her lips. “Fine, okay there was someone watching us when we went to that new bar before she went missing.”

That was new, Gavin thought perking up. “What bar was this?” he asked.

“It was called the Blue Devil.” Mila said, “One of those new places own by an android were androids and humans alike can hang out. One thing that stood out to me was that some dude kept staring at us.”

That was something they hadn’t heard before. 

“What did this guy look like?” Gavin asked. 

Mila shrugged her shoulders. “I dunno white, blonde haired guy wore a hoodie that covered  his eyes. But he gave us the creeps.” 

“Is there anything else you could tell us about this guy?” Gavin asked. 

Mila thought for a moment then looked to them. “I do remember how he seemed to follow after us when he left that place, it wasn’t until that we ducked into a nearby store that he left us alone.”

“Was that the last time you saw him?” Gavin asked.

Swallowing Mila nodded, as the two Detective’s turned towards the door after offering her a thank you.

“Wait!” Mila said, stopping them in their tracks.

The two of them turned towards her, Mila stood there, wringing her hands and worrying at her bottom lip. “Promise me you’ll get this guy?”

Saying nothing the duo nodded, Gavin offering her a small smile before the left the apartment, the two of them continuing on in silence as the headed for the car.

“Think this might be our guy?” Silas asked, looking to Gavin, noticing the thoughtful look on the mans face. 

“Could be some creep, but it couldn’t hurt to look now could it?” Gavin said without a glance in Silas’ direction.

 After what seemed like forever the two pulled up at the bar Mila had mentioned, the two of them looking up at the blinking blue neon sign as Gavin turned to Silas as he read the sign that this was android owned. “Okay random thought but you think they got the name for this place because androids bleed blue?”

Arching an eyebrow Silas turned to him. Where did this come from? “I’m sure it’s just some coincidence?”

“I mean it’s weird it’d be like me owning a place and naming it something to do with human blood.”

“You DO have places named after the color of blood, is this really where your mind is going right now of all times?” Silas asked.

Shaking his head Gavin shot him a sheepish look before making his way to the door, allowing his eyes to adjust to the darkened room and taking note of several people occupying the various tables and the bar. His eyes immediately settling on the android behind the bar. 

Gavin noticed that the android that ran the place was a AX400 and was watching them warily as she cleaned glasses. Her LED flickering yellow for the briefest of seconds as the two stepped up to the bar. 

“May I help you?” She asked, eyes darting to Silas before looking to Gavin. Her eyes immediately going to Gavin’s badge, this time her LED flickering red as she met his gaze once more. “Look everything is in order with my license I jumped through all the legal hoops to open this place.” She started, only to have Silas hold up his hand silencing her.

“As you can see we’re not here to give you a hard time we’re with homicide.” Silas said, flashing his badge at her. Watching as her mouth snapped shut.

“What can I do for you?” She asked, setting the glass aside, her hands pressed against the counter, the few patrons that were in at this hour glanced briefly at them before returning to their drinks or their conversations. 

“Do you remember seeing any of these women coming in here, maybe alone or together?”

The AX400 looked to them before turning her gaze to the pictures before her, tucking a stray hand behind her ear as she did so, her brow furrowing before looking up at them once more.

“Yeah, actually I did see a few of these girls in here before, a few of them together.” She said after a while.

Gavin’s heart leaped at that, leaning forward he looked to the android bartender. “Do you remember when and if so do you remember if anyone seemed out of the ordinary?”

“Mister there are always people like that.” She told him. “Can you be a bit more specific?”

Gavin shook his head. “Was there anyone who might have been watching them? Or seemed a little bit interested in them?”

The AX400 mulled over the question for a moment, looking off into the distance before nodding. “Yeah there was some creepy guy sitting off in the corner watching them, don’t ask me why but there was just something off about him. He gave even me the chills and very few people can do that to me. And now that you mentioned it he did seem a little off he was wearing a black hoodie, not that that’s at all weird I suppose but he just stood there, hands and his pockets and everything. Of course I thought nothing of it some people just come for a drink or several to unwind. But now that you mentioned it he did seem to be watching...this girl.” She said, pointing to the picture of Susan.

“This girl?” Gavin asked.

The Ax400 nodded.

“Just her?” He asked again

Again she nodded. Then added, “He seemed  angry too. Like unbelievably angry, even as he followed her out of the bar after last call.”

At that Gavin looked to her once more before looking around the bar. Eyes spying the security camera off in the corner. Looking to the android once more he jerked his head towards said camera. Following his gaze she looked at him nodding. Not saying another word she headed to the back, returning momentarily with a disk which she promptly handed to Gavin. 

Nodding his thanks to her he looked to Silas as the android reached into his pocket handing the bartender a card telling her to call him if she thought of anything else, before following Gavin out of the bar. Finally, after nothing but dead end after dead end they might have something. His eyes falling to the disk in his hands as they drove back to the station. Eager to see what info this disk would yield.

Neither of them knowing that they were being watched...

*A Few Hours Later*

“Could you please sit still, Detective?” Silas asked, eyes remaining glued to the screen before him, arms crossed over his chest. As Gavin paced behind him, worrying at his bottom lip as he glanced occasionally at the screen.

“Pacing around isn’t going to make this go any faster.”

At that Gavin scoffed, turning to face the back of the android. “Well, I’m sorry but with every minute we stand here waiting for results our killer could be out there choosing his next victim.” Gavin said, looking over Silas’ shoulder, watching as the database working on finding their killer, his eyes glued on the image of the hooded man in the video the bartender had given them. 

Gavin’s heart thundering in his chest as he watched as the computer continued to scan through the database, the Detective uttering a silent plea as he sat back, arms crossed as he took a seat beside Silas. The two of them sitting in silence, when finally, finally they got results. The two of them jerking when an image popped up on screen, showing them an image of a man in his late twenties with sandy blonde hair and steely grey eyes.

Gavin’s heart thundered in his chest as he scanned the mans rap sheet. His eyes lighting up when he scanned the rap sheet, eyes lighting up when he saw that the man, named Mitchell Russo, had a rap sheet as long as Gavin’s arm. And what was more? Was that he had been the ex-boyfriend of their first victim, Susan. And she had a restraining order against him. Interesting. 

Placing a hand on his chin Gavin scanned through the file, it seemed their suspect was a piece of work too an Gavin had no doubt that he was their killer. Perhaps he had been triggered by his girlfriend leaving him and getting the restraining order from her might have set him off? People have gone on killing sprees for far less Gavin mused.

Straightening Gavin looked to Silas, who was looking to him, and for the slight moment he saw hoping shining in his eyes. Saying nothing the two of them took note of his address before both getting up and heading for the door. Not wanting to waste another moment, as he tossed his coat on Silas couldn’t help but have a bad feeling about this....