#so like the vibes were always rancid

[c-kiddo]

and i thought james somerton just made annoying and mostly very boring stilted videos with questionable takes sometimes

[pulchrasilva]

Sigh I need to rant about certain people and how there is a background noise of discomfort with every interaction after particular incidents that made me go "bitch you live like this???" but all my typical vent spaces are ones where they might see it and the only ones that they wouldn't see it in are like discord channels that are not for this topic of vent or friends who would be uncomfortable with the topic etc like,,, what do I even do? Stew in it?

[mycenaae]

i have to say like ... i still don't like izzy as a person but his character is so funny and him getting a little more nuance this season makes his endless suffering (brought about mostly by his own choices) deeply entertaining to watch. man who voted for toes getting chopped off party shocked when toes get chopped off. i'm still rooting for him to take up the mantle of blackbeard when ed inevitably retires to go open jeff's inn by the sea (featuring hotel restaurant, blackbeard's bar and grill and other delicacies and delights and fishing gear)

[fukcnoplease]

Things Always Go Wrong Pt3

Pt1 Pt2 Pt4 Pt5

Gotham was truly testing her abilities. Usually she could vibe check the building and be good but the vibes of Gotham were rancid everywhere she went. Every building and street had some varying level of unsafe and she could feel Danny slowing behind her. He wasn't going to stay on his feet for much longer. Thankfully there were plenty of alleys they could probably hide in and even though it was already midmorning the thick smog on the city made it look like the dawn had only just broken. The alleys were still dark and as soon as she paused at the back of the alley she felt Danny collapse into her. His breathing was ragged and he was slick with sweat. She tried vibrating her core at him and the response she got was uncoordinated and harsh. It was as if two things were trying to respond to her, attempting to drown each other out.

“Shit.” she said. Jazz would be mad for her language, you know, if she didn't kill her for killing her brother. 

“Found you, wretch.” A voice said and Dani shot up into a fighting stance. The entrance of the alley was blocked by five people, all dress head to toe in white and aiming several weapons at them. They were all men and significantly bigger than her. That would be fine in her ghost form but transforming in front of them was risky.

Danny groaned from the cold alley floor and Dani grimaced. She growled, inhumane and low, and punched her palm as she went ghost. Showing her transformation was a small price to pay to protect Danny and they probably had her, or Danny’s, ecto-signature if they had managed to follow them cross state lines so accurately. 

Their weapons hummed as they charged and Dani caught a glimpse of color above them. Praying she had seen right she took in a breath and shouted her words.

“I am the princess of the Infinite Realms. Any harm that comes to me is a direct attack on the entire dimension of the Infinite Realms and cause for a war between our worlds!” Internally she cringed at her words but she prayed they had the right effect. 

“Ha! Like you could fool us, you manipulative ecto-sum! You’re coming with us. If you're lucky you might even make it in one piece” The leader, she assumed as he was standing at the front of the group, said. She tensed in case her gamble went south and prepared for something to hit her. 

Thankfully she didn't feel anything and a yellow hero came crashing down on the agents with a ferocity she wasn't expecting. He used what she thought were escrima sticks but they were connected together with a long wire and looked modified. He downed the panicked agents in seconds and turned to Dani. Unconscious agents littered around him.

His sudden movements made her drop into a defensive stance and he froze. Gently putting away his weapons as he raised his hands to show he meant no harm.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I was just trying to help.” The man paused as he looked over the two disheveled siblings. The white haired girl was glaring at him but looked more wary than aggressive and the dark haired boy on the floor looked incredibly ill. “Would it be ok if I helped you? I can call some friends and we can get you to a safe space.”

Dani stared the man down. He could fight, and right now she wasn't confident she could take him. Not while protecting a very incapacitated Danny. He had a black bat symbol on his chest which was good but also bad. Good because Batman was a hero and helped those in need. Bad because Batman was famous for not liking metas and while she and Danny weren’t metas she doubted Batman would care enough to make the distinction. Hopefully if she played up the royalty bit she could get maybe some leeway.

“Ok, bumblebee, but I want you to promise you wont hurt me or my… ambassador,” Danny was going to be so mad when he woke up, “or I will bring the entire Infinite Realms down on this world.” She did her best to sound threatening and maybe using some energy to make herself scarier but she wouldn't admit it.

“Of course, your… highness?” Bumblebee asked. Dani frowned, she didn't like ‘your highness’ but she couldn't give her actual name…

“You can call me… Elle.” She felt her insides crumple up at how cringey that name felt and she was very glad Danny was out cold for this conversation. The bumblebee hero nodded and said something into what she assumed was an earpiece. After a few minutes of discussion he went quiet and began watching the roofs. Dani floated off the ground slightly, trying to see what he was looking for. She didn't notice the surprise that flitted across his face at her show of power or the silent black hero who landed gracefully beside Bumblebee. 

“Hey Black Bat. Can you help me gather these guys up? Batman should be en route but might take a minute to get here.” Bumblebee said. Dani whipped around to see the new hero, black bat apparently, silently working her way through the knocked out GIW.

“Batman is coming?” Dani asked, anxiety making her fidget with her hands. That wasn't good. She couldn't pretend to be a princess around him, he could practically smell lies, or fear, and maybe she could be the princess of the Infinite Realms but she wasn't officially! Not yet at least. And Danny definitely wasn't her ambassador. Shit, maybe if she played up with the sad little girl image? Batman was known to take pity on kids… or was that one of his allies. She should’ve listened in on the conversation the bumblebee had had earlier, maybe she would have had something to work with then.

Black bat and bumblebee worked together to tie up the GIW and leave them in an easily accessible spot for when the police came around. Black bat touched bumblebees bicep and he looked up to see the scary shadow of Batman looming over the alley. Dani notices him too and landed in front of Danny, spreading her arms to block him from Batman's view as he landed beside the other heroes.

“Report.” Was all he said as he looked over the scene. His gaze lingered on the unconscious boy and Dani had to resist growling at him, in case that ruined her case for receiving help. Bumblebee took a breath and nodded.

“I found these two as they were about to be attacked by a group of people,” he gestured to the tied up men in white, “it looked like meta trafficking and I stepped in. Elle,” he gave a smile to Dani who cringed internally, “gave the men fair warning about their attack being against royalty and at risk of ruining dimensional relations, they refused to back off.”

Batman responded with a noncommittal ‘hn’ and narrowed his eyes at Dani who prickled under the gaze.

“For the record,” Bumblebee added, a little hesitant, “I believe her.”

Batman nodded and took a step closer to Dani and this time she did growl. The man stopped and regarded her. She glared back. He wasnt coming near her or Danny. Not in his state.

“Would you like to come with us?” Was all batman said. Stern and quiet. Dani didn't move, she looked over Batman’s unmoving face and then back at the bumblebee and black bat. The bumblebee hero looked worried but more for Batman than Dani and the black bat seemed relaxed as she watched.

“Where are you going to take us?” Dani asked. Batman frowned slightly and Dani worried he would just try and grab them. 

“A place where we can keep you safe and confirm your royal status,” he said. Dani didn't really like the sound of that but she could feel Danny getting worse and she was running out of time to make a decision. When he chose that exact moment to let out a pained groan Dani almost smacked him. Batman’s frown deepened and Dani felt her throat bob.

“We might even be able to help your friend.” He offered.

“My ambassador,” She corrected, if she was gonna sell this she had to go all out, “And I don't want you to lay a hand on him.”

Batman gave her the slightest, stiffest nod she had ever seen and she relaxed. Batman nodded to the other heroes and black bat vanished, bumblebee paused before leaving himself. Dani felt her anxiety come back threefold at being left alone with the big bad bat but in a few seconds a fancy black bat shaped car skidded to a halt outside the alley. In the passenger seat was the familiar bumblebee, he grinned and waved at them. Batman stared at him in what Dani thought could be disapproval but said nothing. The doors to the suped up car popped open and bumblebee stepped out.

“You can get in the back seat. Do you need help with your ambassador?” He said as he stepped back into the alley. Dani shook her head and Batman made a grumbling sound.

“Signal.” he said. Bumblebee, signal apparently, shrugged and continued towards Dani until she stiffened.

“I just wanted them to have a familiar face so the journey wasn't too stressful. Black bat and Spoiler are covering me while I stick with them.” He said, smiling at Batman and then turning back to Dani. He moved to help her pick Danny up but she shook her head at him and he stepped back. Batman made another ‘hn’ sound before retreating to the driver seat of the car. 

Dani moved Danny around and picked him up by throwing him over her shoulder. He wasn't heavy but he was bigger than her and it made him difficult to carry. Signal, she preferred bumblebee, hovered around her but was careful not to touch Danny as she carried him to the car. They managed to get Danny securely in the back seat of the batcar and Dani slid in next to him. He looked worse. Maybe moving him wasn't the smartest idea but Dani didn't know what else to do. If the GIW had their ecto-signature there wasn't a safe place to hide. Maybe Batman would be able to protect them but it would only last so long. She pushed aside her fears and gripped Danny’s too warm hand. The scenery went passed too quickly for her to see and the drive was silent. She was starting to hate road trips.

~~

This is short but the next one is gonna be LONG I got distracted anyway I love that people are enjoying this, i like writing it :)

[one-idea]

As I just watched 325 where Ace and Blackbeard fight. I can’t help but think of other ways it could have gone.

What if Ace didn’t leave the Moby dick alone? What if members of the Spade pirates followed?

Maybe Ace takes off on his own but Masked Deuce, Skull, and Mihar follow. They were his commanders. Maybe Deuce never liked Teach to start with. The man has bad vibes even when he’s actively tricking the Whitebeard crew. (If Luffy can pick up on the rancid vibes I refuse to believe other people didn’t pick up on them) add in the fact he just murdered a crew mate, and they all know Ace. Ace will take this as his responsibility. He’s going to go after teach there is not stopping him.

Maybe they go with him.

Maybe they see him leave. Deuce asked why no one’s going after him and is told that as second division commander Teach is Ace’s responsibility. So Deuce Mihar and Skull decided to follow on their own.

When they catch up depends on how you want the final battle to play out. There are two options.

1) they catch up before Ace reaches Blackbeard.

You get an argument of Ace anting them to turn back. He’s still underestimating Teach. He doesn’t know what his new devil fruit does.

It ends with them reminding Ace that they are there because they’re his friends and they care about him and want to help. They can deal with what ever consequences come from leaving the Moby later.

When they catch up to Blackbeard. Maybe they go to fight Blackbeard’s crew while Ace handles Teach.

That is until Teach shows off his devil fruit and the three have to book it to the forest. They don’t know what the fruit does but Blackbeard’s crew is fleeing from it.

Pause because idea 2 is that they trail him and end up on Banaro island right before Ace does. Maybe it was easier to track Blackbeard than Ace and the best him there. They are talking to/helping the town folk when Blackbeard shows off his power.

Either way both ideas meld here

Once out of range maybe Skull recognizes it. He has a weird hodgepodge of knowledge about pirates and I can see him knowing somethings about devil fruits.

Once Blackbeard is done showing off. They three race back to Ace. It takes them some time but they get there just in time to see Ace take a big hit.

Maybe between Skulls sword, Mihar’s gun and all threes quick thinking they are able to pull Ace out of there.

Ace is furious. He hates running. But the others know they are out matched. They were able to do some damage. (Over the years with Whitebeard they have gotten stronger) but maybe Blackbeard’s crew had also come to back him up. They were out numbered and Ace was already hurt.

Ace fights every step of the way. “You don’t understand! I can’t let him get away!”

“Ace we’ll get him I promise but we need help.” Deuce tries to reason. Blackbeard is a bigger threat than any of them thought. They will need Pop’s help for this.

“No you don’t understand. He’s going after Luffy!” And the world freezes for a second. (I’d like to think in either option the Spades missed Teach’s little attempt to get Ace to join him) they all know of Luffy. Ace little brother who he adores. He talks everyone’s ear off about the kid. So the fact that Teach was going after him was beyond low.

It’s a race now to Water 7. (They say the fight took place three days before the Strawhat’s new bounties dropped) so they are all still resting at Water 7. Garp may not have even shown up yet.

It’s a race between the two crews. Blackbeard to kill Luffy for his Warlord position, and Ace who desperately trying to warn/save his brother.

Maybe they have contacted the rest of the Whitebeard pirates and filled them in and they are on their way to.

This is a fluid idea. But I always thought it was unfair for Ace to be on this quest alone. I understand why, but like the boy deserves his friends.

Also I don’t think the Spades could beat Teach on their own. I think they are just enough to pull Ace out of the fight. He’s kicking and screaming but he’s safe.

Part 2 of this nonsense

[the-dumpster-fire-of-life]

hey!! if you are taking requests, i wanted to request the tmnt mm! boys having a crush on a fem! reader who’s EXACTLY like raph. she loves fighting, may or may not have anger issues, cursed with resting bitch face, BUT, she’s actually really sweet and outgoing. never afraid to speak her mind, so, she may come across as rude sometimes, but, she never really means to be. (lowkey a biased request but SSSHH, we’re not gonna talk about that)

(this is cute and of course! Enjoy!)

Donatello

You guys have such contrast in your relationship

He can be hyper, but sometimes quiet and mostly calm

He just wants to have fun, and basically be there to vibe

While you're there and ready to fight and down for anything

He tries to help you manage your anger but he sometimes finds it funny and entertaining

Not in an assholey way, just letting you be and the shit you say can actually be pretty funny

He doesn't really like when you get into fights when you don't need to

But when someone says something about you, him or his brothers?

He lets you rain hell

He really loves that you cut bullshit and speak your mind

He needs help deciding something and he knows to go to you because you can actually give an honest answer

He doesn't mind your RBF

At first it did make him think you were a mean person before he got to know you

But now you're so sweet and happy and outgoing and he loves you very much!

He knows you don't mean to be rude, you're just speaking and don't mean to

He lets you know that what you say can be rude, but he isn't mean about it

He just helps you correct it, lmao

(I wrote sm for Donnie and you can tell who I grew up crushing on just by this)

He def uses your angry and RBF to scare ppl messing with him off

Leo

He tries to get you to calm down a lot

But usually he is also one to let you be

He's always getting you out of trouble

You remind him a bit TOO much of Raph

He does love you though

At first he was very hesitant to get to know you because of your angry energy and because of the RBF

But now he is very glad that he did and that you're his friend…crush-

Sometimes the stuff you do, especially defending him, gets him so blushy it's not even funny

The fact you love to fight actually made him worry a bit

He didn't want you getting hurt

But he is always glad to scold you while patching your dumbass up

The anger issues he tries to help you manage and give you little tips to help

But those like breathing exercises just hypes you up even more so he kinda gave up

He now just lets you have at something like a punching bag or letting you run free and rampant as he sits and lets you do your thing

When you turned out to be very sweet and caring he was pleasantly surprised

He's very glad that you guys match on that level at least

He is sorta surprised on how freely you speak your mind

He is the one to constantly be watching what he says while you say the most rancid and random shit

He has to cover your mouth a lot lmao

Mikey

OH HE LOVES YOU

The anger issues sometimes surprise him especially at random times but he is the one to be able to also get on your level to an extent

He's very funny and he's always hyping you up

Especially when you're in a more fighting move

You could be beating the shit out of someone and just have him yelling and hyping you up and ready to run outta there with you

You guys are constantly sneaking off and on rooftops as you're pretending to mimic a fight and he's just eating pizza

He helps you get your energy out a lot

He smack talks you just for you to get mad and show off them skills bae

Oddly finds it cute? A bit idk how to explain it

He says it fits you better than it fits Raph

He really likes being around you, especially because of the RBF and how you sometimes tend to look mean

He acts like he has them scary dog privileges where he gets to hang out with the "Bad Kid" and he's basically protected

He loves your energy because of how outgoing, caring and sweet you can be

He loves that you can go from angry and upset and fighting to sweet, caring and helping some old guy in his shop just because you want to

You're just like him when speaking your mind

You guys say some loud and rancid shit and don't care at this point

When you're mean and don't know, at first he thought you were mean on purpose and got quite sad

It wasn't until you or someone else noticed and you apologized a lot

But now he thinks it was kinda funny

Raphael

Raphael has met his soulmate and match

You guys are constantly talking smack and shit to each other but dare someone else do it about the other

You guys have both a RBF at times but more you

He is constantly pointing it out and teasing you about it and how mean you look

He thinks it's pretty cool though

The fact that you get him on a level nobody else can just makes the crush feelings even more stronger

He loves how he can relax and just have fun with you to be angry, punch and fight something

He loves when you guys go out and just are on a rooftop, probably fighting with each other or wrestling to get the energy out

The anger issues also he doesn't mind

He doesn't think he has them, and doesn't really think you have them

He just blames others for making y'all mad and calls it a day

But due to these anger issues when you guys argue it gets heated

But somehow turns into a major joke like 20 minutes later idk how

He finds it funny how you can go from an RBF, angry and fighting t sweet and caring to him in a matter of seconds

You guys have a lot of competition going on it's not even funny at this point

Shit is serious and he's going to die because of it

[valyrfia]

Max knows Charles is leagues above Carlos. The moment he saw a Ferrari show up in the P3 spot and realized it was Carlos, it wasn't a "oh, I guess Carlos did a good job" nope it was "well if Carlos is here, something bad must have happened to Charles, there's no way there's a Ferrari up here and it's not him??"

Like if he's asking "what happened to Charles?" in the cooldown room, that implies that he thinks something happened to Charles, and Charles wasn't just slower than Carlos, because to Max that is just clearly impossible.

It’s a pretty well-documented fact that the only drivers that Max rates as on his level on the current grid are Lewis and Charles, so I think he’s pretty shocked when either Carlos or George turn up to the cooldown room instead because in his head either something went wrong with the car or something went wrong in the team.

I will say as well for an extra (non-Lestappen) layer of context that could have Max picking a side in the Charlos civil war—Carlos WAS Max’s first F1 teammate (Versainz holding hands on a track walk you will always be famous) so I’m sure that Max is intimately aware of both Carlos’s talents relative to his own (and therefore, Charles’s) and also the ruthlessness of the Carlos camp (it’s an open secret that vibes were rancid at 2015 Torro Rosso). Max has more of a bone to pick with Carlos than the rest of the lecfosi, so it’s little surprise that he’s engaged in psychological warfare with the Sainz camp as soon as he could this season.

[junk-heart]

Hi guys, feel like I need to say this since most of you followed me for the crp content

I won't be posting as much of it anymore for the multitude of reasons, the biggest being general fandom and pressure

Have to start off by saying, all of you are absolutely wonderful, all I've ever received was support and kind words, thanks for that (like, a lot), especially my mutuals, but the whole vibe of the fandom has been rancid for months...

General negativity surrounding crp where ever I go, be it people striving for characters to be written as "cannon" (while making them as edgy as possible, to the point it becomes as comically overdone as original stories), age discourse, shitting on other peoples styles/headcanons etc... It's just as toxic (if not more) than it was 6 years ago

Basically, people are being shitty twards each other and I don't want any part of it

This always happens when the fandom becomes more popular ofc, so expect me to be back full force once it's popularity dies down

One of the reasons why I started posting some of my crp art 2 years ago was because the atmosphere calmed down and people who were left were mostly nice

I'm still gonna draw the creeps for myself (it's been my longest lasting obsession, since the age of 9 or 10, so I won't let it go because of this lmao), I just won't post them much, thanks for the understanding ^^

[strangesmallbard]

in yellowjackets s2 i hope we see more moments of reconciliation between shauna and callie like their scene in the club…i know the audience is supposed to be irritated with callie like shauna is, but i can’t help but sympathize with her. it’s such a fascinating choice to give shauna a teenage daughter. her lack of connection to callie may have started when she was a baby (we don’t know what happened to her first child, as callie isn’t old enough to be the kid she conceived before the crash,) but i think callie turning 16/17 likely exacerbated that wedge of distance.

callie is such a normal teenager from shauna’s pov—aka the white american suburbia version of “normal.” she’s constantly on her phone. she talks back to her parents and tries to establish independence. she sneaks out and doesn’t like having dinner at home. she wears makeup and likes boys and has many friends. when she wears jackie’s cheerleader outfit, the show makes this direct parallel: callie is more similar to jackie than shauna ever was and ever could be, especially after forming a cannibalism cult in the canadian wilderness. shauna already lives a life she always borrowed and callie is just more proof.

furthermore: callie won’t ever get trapped in the canadian wilderness for 20 months. to shauna, she will always inhabit a world apart that feels fake, stifling, too neat. of course she resents her and can’t connect with her. jackie is an open wound for shauna and callie’s heel just digs in there without a care in the world. why would she care? shauna never talks about jackie. jeff never talks about jackie. callie grew up with a ghost in every room that constantly tried to edge her out. of course she got away from there whenever she could. the vibes in the shipman-sadecki household were probably literally so rancid.

and more about callie: god, she is normal. but we all know normal is a construct! and we’ve already seen signs of callie’s depth, the complexity the world refuses her as a teenage girl. even shauna boxes her up neatly, just like her meticulous diary entries in the closet. but callie does try to reach out. she clearly yearns for a connection with her parents, especially shauna. how many times has she googled her own mother, trying to slot all the pieces together? how many times has she imagined herself in that same position, wondered what she would do?

like what do you do when your mom might have cannibalized her own teammates in the canadian wilderness and DEFINITELY just killed the guy she had an affair with! how do you cope with that when you’re 16 and just hang out with your friends. anyway i hope callie becomes involved in the new family business this season (covering up murders and forest cults).

[f1crecs]

Fic Rec List - Fernando/Lance

you might enjoy: Canadian Fest, eh - for more Lance content.

If your fic is on this list and you don’t want it to be, please let me know and I will remove it immediately, no questions asked. I have contacted most of the authors on this list, but sometimes people fall through the gaps - just pop me a message🤍

have a pairing you want me to do next? please read the faqs and then head to my inbox.

don’t forget to give the authors featured on this list some love in the form of kudos, bookmarks, and comments!

i won't lie to you, anon... I thought we'd agreed on Strollonso as the pairing name. 🤭 my vote still goes to Lando.

i hope you enjoy these ❗️🤍

nsfw: El Dick Plan by @waddlingpenguin | E | 800 Lawrence and Fernando have a misunderstanding at the dinner table. This fic is hilarious - unashamedly unhinged, just as Strollonso should be, and so unbelievably funny. This was one of the first Lance/Fernando fics I read. I think it rearranged my brain a little bit.

'In fact, Lance literally has his foot so far up Fernando’s pant leg that Stoffel is surprised he’s not choking on Canadian toes each time he opens his mouth to talk to the engineers.'

shatter my life apart (see me for somebody else) by @vicsy | M | 1.4k An exploration of Lance and Fernando's relationship. This is a stunning fic. This author has just the most beautiful writing style - it's like poetry, and flows in the most stunning way. This is as much a love letter to Lance as it is to Strollonso - I really, really loved this one.

'Fernando Alonso is a perpetual wildcard and Lance builds his attitude around this little image, prepared for some sort of psychological warfare but it never happens.'

nsfw: victor's spoil by venerat | E | 1.9k Following Fernando's first pole for Aston Martin, Lance is invited to his room - a Winner's Room AU. The vibes here are suitably unhinged/rancid/possessive. If I were to recommend a fic to help someone get Strollonso, to understand the essence of who they are together, I would recommend this one. I love everything this author writes.

'Imagining Fernando with them makes Lance want to chew through wire. Again: fucked up, truly and extensively. He’s just really fucked up about Fernando.'

nsfw: I make two grand an hour by @kritischetheologie | E | 3.1k Lance meets Fernando for the first time at a sponsor event. I adored this fic. It is so funny and well-characterised and hot. One thing that I really love about this author is their ability to weave in detail - you could read their fics over and over again, and still pick up something new each and every time. It just makes for the richest, most delicious stories that draw you in every last time.

'(Lance had almost just said fuck it and gone into banking when he graduated two years ago, like he’d always known he probably would eventually, ever since the day he showed up at St. Andrews and realized that the entire world economy ran on fake numbers on a half-dozen computer screens, but the whole point of trust funds was supposed to be not having to be boring. Who the fuck else was going to make art? Humanity needed him to be living dramatically, falling in love with a thousand beautiful men whose lips he could immortalize in poetry.)'

nsfw: green light, red wine (and i don't feel fine) by @vicsy | E | 9k (wip) Fernando is a crime boss caught in a long-standing feud with Lawrence Stroll - things get complicated when he meets Lance. This fic is fantastic. The vibes are unmatched. This author has such a beautiful, almost melodic writing style, which I love. Also. This is fucking hot. 10/10.

'There aren’t many opportunities Fernando deliberately missed in his life. He wouldn’t be on top if he did. Right next to him, clad in a tight white t-shirt, sits an opportunity for a power move, the one Fernando would take all the way.'

nsfw: silver platter by @wewentcarracing | E | 9.7k Lance and Fernando grow closer, much to Esteban's dismay. This is delicious. Full of unhinged and intense moments. Every word of this is perfection; something I particularly appreciate about this author is their ability to build tension - you won't be able to put this story down once you've started it. Perfection.

'Lance laughs, off-guard and delighted. Fernando has this way of deciding what's true in his own mind and then forcing it into reality with brute strength alone. He's decided that Lance will make it to the podium this year, and so he will. It feels so, so good to hear coming from another driver—any driver, really, but the fact that it’s Fernando. Two-time WDC. Veteran. It doesn't feel like he's being toyed with; it feels real.'

nsfw: Not Even Jail by @baldrmoon | E | 9.9k (wip) Lance is a rookie detective with a new partner - they've met before. This is such a fantastic start to what I know is going to be an incredible story. The world-building here is fantastic. A world away from F1, but with so many of the dynamics and relationships mirrored in a totally new setting that feels very organic and true-to-life. It's just very well done, and I am excited to see what the author does next!

'Lance was charmed almost despite himself. The guy – Fernando, Lance made a mental correction, – smiled, a bit sideways, narrowing his eyes. Lance immediately felt flustered under his intense stare.'

[au-wannabe-the-very-best]

I wanna chew on your Misplaced Super Train AU like it's got the texture of perfectly toasted potato bread. I wanna squeeze it like it's a triple-overstuffed squishmallow and wrap it around me like a silken weighted blanket.

This has got to be my single most favorite AU of yours so far, and I feel it with such intensity that all the All Caps and exclamation points in the world could not help me express it.

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Please

Like, does the group do anything about Volo, or does he manage to avoid them/avoid giving them Rancid Vibes? I feel like they would have a pretty good mix of people/pokemon able to pick up on individual little things that come together to make a Concerning Picture.

And how are the people (Emmet et. al.) back home doing? How do they feel? Because a whole group of people disappearing launches people straight into conspiracy theories rather than just ("just") the concern a single dissappearance would generate.

Would the group show up in history books? Would Ingo & Co know they were gonna disappear (a lá Stable Time Loop) or is it more like they don't show up in history until it happens (if at all)? (Time is weird.)

I think because of the fact that they just accidentally came through a space-time rift, Volo's operating under the assumption that they weren't sent to stop his plans or anything, so he just avoids them. As for the group, I think it would be super funny if they have like. An instinct for people who wield legendaries. Because they're so used to passengers trying to sneak them into the battle subway. They're BANNED for a reason.

So, like, they KNOW Volo's got legendary voodoo all over him but they don't particularly care? Not their passenger, not their problem.

As for the family back home, Emmet and the others aren't really handling this very well. Interpol gets involved immediately, but their lack of results is very discouraging. See, before this, there has been things disappearing throughout history that logically shouldn't just disappear! Things like a whole fridge or a washing machine, for example. But it's always been attributed to a thief who's got a really well-trained psychic type, or something like that. Nobody is going to connect these random disappearances to a whole ass train vanishing off the tracks, despite the fact that they're both connected to the space-time distortions. Up until this point, all previous disappearances were low-level and weren't given much investigation.

So there's really... no precedence on how to handle this. Not even "fallers" are as bizarre as this. Plus, there's no ultra wormhole energy, so that's ruled out fairly quickly. Interpol has got no leads. And the internet is getting wild with the conspiracy theories, much to the dismay of the family and friends of those who went missing.

Emmet breaks his phone against a wall when some tabloid claims it's a publicity stunt.

Anyways, no, I don't think Ingo or the depot agents had any clue they were going to disappear, but I DO think this is going to be a "stable time loop" scenario— while in the past, they're going to have the caution to not reveal much future info, and keep their identities generally a secret. Not to mention, in the future, the "secret third alien clan in Hisui" is considered a conspiracy theory, regardless of the evidence of their existence. It doesn't really reach the ears of the Unovan subway workers, outside of lesser-known memes. There's no photos of them, and the only person in their group who has much a reason to be interacting with anyone native to Hisui would be Ingo. And that's just because Lady Sneasler's taken quite the liking to him. There's the added plus that with Ingo's amnesia, he actually doesn't run much of a risk when it comes to revealing things, so they're not as worried about him interacting with the locals as they are of Big Mouth Cameron who told people they were FROM ANOTHER WORLD.

I also think, when they return, a lot of the proof of their existence is going to be taken with them... Which doesn't leave much for the historians to find.

When they come back, though? Oh, the historical community is going to have a field day with the goodies they brought back.

[effervescentdragon]

Vampire AU - whatever pairing you want I just want biting and some rancid vibes 😹

not quite rancid, except for your hate towards certain people. but maybe funny? im still in a certain headspace, as you can see. i call this "the one in which carlos is bella swan" in my head

Carlos remembers the story Fernando once told him, about his grandfather and the way he worked in a factory. He was pretty sure the story was bullshit, but Fernando was hillariously drunk, and that's when he usually let things slip. Carlos has learned more about the incestuous fuckfest that was the grid in 2010s than he ever wanted to know that way.

He also learned more about Sebastian Vettel than he ever could imagine wanting to know, but that's another story.

The point of this story was - quality control. Nando's grandfather apparently worked in a factory furing the war (and Carlos isn't asking which one, because Fernando is old), and he complained about there not being enough quality control about - shelling? Or shelving. Carlos isn't sure, and he definitely isn't going to ask because he doesn't really care and it's not even that relevant for the story of now, except it's all he can think about when he watches Lando hiss in pain and struggle to get the new watch Carlos had brought him off his wrist.

"It's got fucking silver in it!" Lando yelps, and throws the watch on the floor.

"No it doesn't," Carlos says, more confused than he ever has been in Lando's company (and those couple of times when he fell asleep beside Lando in the hotel rooms all over the world before and after the races and Carlos woke up dizzy and disoriented and hard don't count). "It's pure gold. I know you don't like silver, so I bought you gold."

Lando scoffs. "The fuck it is," he says, pain evident in his voice as he rubs his reddened wrist. "I don't know what bullshit your sponsors are feeding you guys, but there's definitely silver in this."

Carlos frowns, coming closer and taking Lando's hand in his. His wrist is swollen and a very unhealthy shade of red. "I didn't know you were alergic."

Lando's eyes shift to the side. "Yeah, I - I'm alergic," he says. "A pretty bad allergy." He chuckles. "Life-threatening."

Carlos feels like he's missing the joke. He feels like that a lot with Lando, except it never feels like the joke is on him, more like Lando is being hard on himself.

"I'm sorry," he says sincerely, trailing his fingers over Lando's skin. "I didn't know. I'll have a word with Richard Mille representative."

Lando's eyes are huge in the dim light of the room when he looks up at Carlos. It takes everything in him not to tighten his hold on Lando's wounded wrist.

"No problem, mate. It's the thought that counts anyway." Lando shifts a bit, and Carlos lets go. "I'll be fine. Wanna play FIFA?" He shakes the sleeves of his hoodie until they are covering half of his hands.

Carlos feels like he's missing something. He feels bad about the watch, though, so he only nods. "Sure."

Lando grins at him, and it's alright.

-

Except.

Except, when Carlos says goodbye that night, he catches a glimpse of Lando's wrist.

It's pale pink, and not swollen anymore.

-

Carlos watches Lando during the post race interview. His cheeks are a bit flushed, but he's still very pale. They've just spent a whole week on the beach and Carlos has an even darker tan than usual, but Lando is still extremely pale.

Carlos can't remember Lando using sunscreen once on their vacation.

He watches Lando until Caco elbows him in the ribs, muttering "Obvious and oblivious, my fucking God."

-

"He never sleeps," Oscar says offhandedly. "He texts me the weirdest shit at like, four in the morning, and then he's right as rain in the sim at seven." He turns to Carlos. "Was he always like that?"

Carlos ignores the gnawing in his stomach at the fact that Lando texts Oscar randomly. Before he can answer, Alex does.

"Oh my God, yes! He used to be the same when we were kids, never fucking sleeping. George, do you remember that one time..." he continues, but Carlos isn't listening.

Carlos can't remember a time when they were together and Lando fell asleep first.

-

"Aren't you hungry?" Max asks Lando on the plane taking them all back to Monaco.

"Nah," Lando replies, eyeing Max's burger with a mix of apprehension and disgust. "I ate before, plus, that just looks like an extra hour in the gym, and I don't wanna do that."

Max shrugs. "Suit yourself, weirdo."

Lando kicks him under the table and then leans back in his seat, fishing his earphones out. He catches Carlos' eye as he does so, and smiles.

Carlos smiles back instinctively, as he always does. Lando's lips look very red in his pale face. When he ducks his head, Carlos thinks he sees a flash of something sharp.

It must be the light, he thinks. Or the exhaustion.

It's probably both.

-

"Do you have an oral fixation, mate," George laughs, leaning on the fence. "You're always sucking on that straw, what are you even drinking?"

Lando shrugs, flipping George off for good measure. "You have an oral fixation," he replies, pulling his lips away from the straw. "And it's a protein smoothie, you dickhead."

Carlos watches him lick the remnants of his drink away. His lips are still stained red with it.

"Does it taste good?" he hears himself ask.

Both Lando and George turn to him, but Carlos is focused on the way Lando's eyes shift to the side for just a second before he scrunches his nose. "Not the best I've ever had, but good enough." He shrugs. "New recipe. Strawberries."

Carlos has a mild allergy to strawberries, so he can't ask to try it, at least not just before the race.

Lando knows Carlos is alergic to strawberries.

-

The race was a disaster, as are most of them lately. Carlos lies in his bed, finally free after the debrief. He can't sleep. His mind turns and turns around, and for once, he isn't thinking about the race data.

His phone is opened on the Google start page. Before he knows what he's doing, he types.

allergy to silver aversion to food paleness doesnt sleep symptoms disease

-

He knocks on the door too loudly for the early hour of the morning. There is shuffling, and then Lando opens the door.

"Carlos? What the fuck, mate, it's like, three in -"

"I thought silver was for werewolves."

Lando stops speaking. Carlos thinks he might have stopped breathing, too. That wasn't what he was going to say, but fuck it, it's what came out.

"What?" Lando says slowly. "What are you talking about?"

Carlos would've thought he was crazy, except. Except Lando's eyes flicker to the side, and Carlos knows how Lando looks when he is lying.

"I thought silver hurt werewolves. That's the myth," he repeats. "But you're not a werewolf. I don't think." He takes a breath. "You're a vampire."

He isn't looking away from Lando. He can't. He stares right into Lando's eyes and sees the emotions and the calculations in them as they happen, and he isn't going away until he knows, because he isn't crazy, he knows what he knows, he knows he isn't imagining things and -

"Fuck," Lando breathes out, his shoulders sagging. "Fuck, I'm so screwed," he says, and then pulls Carlos inside his room and shuts the door, but not before Carlos sees his fangs elongate and protrude, biting into his bottom lip.

Fuck, he thinks, and then, hot.

[brucewaynehater101]

Santa AU

Gun batman is unhinged and doesn't notice he lost his gift, his own deductive skills have degraded significantly but he's too arrogant to really realize, none of that group realize because they're so caught up in their own heads and trauma

Tim's ability to realize what someone wants most isn't just a matter of looking at the person and having it pop up in his head, he needs their name and has to actively want to know what the person wants, otherwise it would be too obvious and too overwhelming, and once he thinks of what the other person wants, his own deductive abilities fill in why whatever thing is definitely the answer

kon doesn't know why some people give him rancid vibes, which is why he points them out to Tim, he gives his bird enrichment and he starts to trust his own judgement a bit more so it's a win-win all around and kon does eventually start to figure out who he can trust without the vibe knack as he gets more experience with people, the knack just makes things easier

Cassie, again, is pretty sure her sudden talent with languages is because zeus and zeus is a jerk who is totally fine with stealing someone else's credit

Bart hasn't really ever kept track of how much he eats at any given time, he can make a general estimate if needed, but that he needs to eat less sometimes hasn't really registered, and no speedster is going to race another for no reason since no one wants to risk falling into the speedforce or whatever because they were curious about who's the fastest so no one knows Bart got an extra edge in speed

People being naturally inclined to trust Greta only works as long as Greta doesn't do something that would hurt that trust in her and since she's basically a decent person, she's good

Cissie figures that blonde girls are a dime a dozen and that's why people don't spot her and she needs to work harder to stand out in acting if that's the case but she's fine with that, she's always worked hard anyway

Anita doesn't realize her illusions that make people happy have some extra oomph and she doesn't actually like gingerbread enough to make it very often.

Slobo is super strong already, being able to pack away more things and balance them on one another isn't something he thinks to do very often or need to do very often so it goes unremarked

The gifts santa gave them are powerful but subtle, little things to give them an extra edge but nothing they'll rely on like a crutch, but things that'll definitely help them make their delivery to apocalypse and survive to do it again the next year

I like how subtle the gifts are and how personally they fit. They aren't overt, and thus nothing that would become something they rely on. It makes sense that Gun Batman wouldn't have the gift, nor would anyone on his side.

Kon giving Tim cases is exactly the same as giving a bird enrichment. That's a perfect description of it ^^

Kon's morphing into him just eventually knowing without needing the power is fantastic. It probably still works, but he's got the initial step down.

The others not realizing why they have their powers on explained well. I probably wouldn't notice being able to pack things away well or the gingerbread houses (I haven't made any in years).

[enavstars]

More Cyberpunk au details + details of the RGB desings + earlier concept drawing

(Before that please let me know if you want more info on the au because I have a couple drawings planned but with school and stuff I can't draw much and Idk if I can stay motivated that long. So my next posts could be mostly au lore with maybe some sketches, tell me if you'd like that)

In general terms, to give the Cyberpunk aesthetic to all of their designs I try to avoid symmetry by adding belts or patterns to break it. And for the colors, I focused on darker hues and neon tones. This way, the designs have a “punk”/dystopian-ish vibe while representing the high-tech elements of their society (which is like Cyberpunk in a nutshell).

As for the young versions of RGB, each one has their own color palette: Kai's is Red and orange with shades of black; Nya's is Blue, pinkish red and light shades of gray; and Lloyd's is light Green and also dark blueish green. Kai and Nya get a few details (shoes, arm or jacket) of each other’s main color as a wink ;).

Kai's outfit is meant for moving around comfortably both in the city and outside, Nya's is like a mechanic uniform for tinkering, and Lloyd's is for running as fast as possible; he also has a puffy sleeve similar to Kai's (le wink again). All three of them have a letter of RGB in some part of their outfit and share a tech pattern, each positioned differently (Kai in his inside shirt, Lloyd in his sweatshirt and Nya in her leggins)

As for Kai's eye:

One day, when they were exploring around the danger zone of the outskirts of the city, Kai accidentally activated a trap set by one of the last survivors of the Outside that unexpectedly still lived there (a paranoid rancid sociopath). The violent trap had become infested with Red plants with time and made Kai get in contact with it too: it instantly dug its roots deep within his right eye socket and Kai was unable to pull it off. Since it was such a sensitive spot where the plant was sucking all the nutrients out of him, he was so weak that Nya had to slowly and painstakingly carry him back through the ruined suburbs to get help inside the city walls. After getting around the border control with the plant still stuck to Kai’s eye, all thanks to Echo’s help (who also carried the kid the rest of the way), they got to the doctor’s. Luckily, he was able to cure Kai, but he was forced to remove the affected area, which were his eye and part of the skin of his face; however, if he had waited any longer the plant's roots would have reached his brain and killed him.

Nya then started looking for a biomechanic while Kai rested with little Lloyd, who’d followed his sister all throughout the loaded trip back but could do nothing but keep her company due to his size. However, when the girl finally found one who agreed to make the prosthetic eye for them, a fellow demon named Ronin, he set them the condition to seek out a strange artifact for him as payment, giving them a total of eight years to find it. With no money and no choice, they were forced to accept, but Nya managed to get a picture of the prosthetic’s plans; this ensured that she’d be able to fix it and not depend on the guy too much, but four years later they were found out and their deadline was cut down to only another year.

In the end, Ronin will be Ronin, and the mysterious artifact was in fact a collectionist piece of

Garbage.

Apart from that incident though, as kids they don’t really spend that much time in the city, and they generally only come there to visit their friends/acquaintances and sell stuff Nya finds. For example, they do both of those things in Ed and Edna’s junkyard, where Nya trades her scraps for their more useful scraps while visiting their friend Jay. She and her siblings (who always need to stick together inside the city walls just in case) like telling stories about their adventures in the Outside to the oblivious inhabitants, so obviously Jay is no exception. The girl is very energetic and much more of a little unhinged rascal in this au, so her stories are usually really exciting and filled with funny acting for the little boy. Additionally, as they are both mechanics in the making, whenever the siblings come around his parent’s workshop, Nya and him show each other their latest creations and sometimes they even discuss how they could improve on their work.

But the one who most often talks to people, especially strangers, is Kai. Because even though they are feared as demons, the boy is much more chill and charismatic than his siblings, and is usually in charge of being the friendlier face (although he does like staring at the people who get scared of his dragon ears a little too hard hehe). In fact, they use that awkward fear to their own advantage: due to Lloyd’s much more obvious demon features (his ears are even pointier than the other two’s and his eyes are straight up red), he is often the distraction whenever they need to steal food, either in times of need or if they just wanna cause trouble. People just cannot stop staring nervously at the little boy, who is great at drawing the wrong kind of attention, and when the act is up, he’s so fast following his siblings that no one can ever catch him.

Overall, they don’t really give a single damn about society and think too many of them are just as parasitic as the plants in the Outside, so they don’t often bother as kids to get into the city. That, paired with the fact that they are just three tiny outcasts who somehow miraculously keep coming back from the “deadly” Outside, means that people in the city just tolerate and more or less respect them (out of being kinda spooked by them), so they tend to get away with their shenanigans without much repercussion.

But in the future, they do change their habits a little bit.

When it comes to their designs, they do keep the same purpose but with variations in their shapes. Kai still uses casual comfortable wear but his color palette changes a bit, with a more pinkish Red with blue highlights instead of orange, but he does keep the shades of black. His outfit now consists of a thin bodysuit cut at the chest and hips to make sort of a hexagonal fishnet pattern, trousers and boots, along with a ton of new accessories (more slutty in general).

Nya keeps the mechanic vibe but with more of the gray and blue colors and barely any red. She has huge trousers with bigger pockets and her tools attached under her belt, a sports bra (for the ladies ;)) and mech gloves. She keeps her goggles, which are a different color now.

Lloyd has a sports outfit similar to the previous one in the shorts and leggings. He keeps the puffy sleeve on his left arm, although it is now a standalone piece, and has bigger trainers. His color palette is black and white with neon/bright greens. He lost his arm in an accident with plants too: the affected area was on his upper arm so they had to remove the entire thing, and Jay made his prosthesis.

They all have more small details of their other siblings’ colors (for example Lloyd has the pins on his casual vest); also, and instead of having their respective RGB letters on a random part of their outfits they are now matching at the back of the three jackets. Some other details on them are the fire symbol in blue on Kai's bomber jacket and on Nya's military jacket, the label on the chest that reads "samurai", complete with its X on the arm sleeve.

Their more mature personalities make them live around more in the city, although practically nobody knows their true names still, while also not leaving behind the Outside or Echo (in fact, their expeditions tend to be longer now that they have more experience and overall strength and abilities).

Nya (still just known as “Blue”) actually works in her own workshop now, selling her works on her own. However, her stubborn, energetic and blunt personality has now matured into pure badass and she’s constantly looking for a fight, but nobody can touch her or at least seriously hurt her because she’s insanely strong.

Also, even if they do manage to actually harm her she has her brother Kai (“Red”) looking out for her, who can basically destroy anyone’s private life if they mess with any of their siblings through blackmail :). In fact, he’s usually seen hanging around in the Red district (they even mistake him for a prostitute sometimes lmao), which is where most of the juicy information is flung around, so he has no trouble getting sensitive information about anyone and anything in the city. In addition, he’s developed a calm and charismatic personality that lures people into their manipulative tactics to take advantage of virtually anyone he wants, but his temper can be frail sometimes, especially when his siblings are hurt in any way. But, when it comes to them, even though he is more protective of them as the older brother and can explode if they are treated badly, he still fully trusts them and their abilities and they all rely on and fiercely fight for each other like a team whenever necessary.

In contrast to his siblings, though, Lloyd tends to avoid conflict as much as he can: despite looking like a human neon sign with his jacket on, he always manages to scurry out of sight whenever he’s in trouble as the speedy, witty little monke he is. And the reason he gets caught up in so much drama is because he is extremely curious and, as they aren’t kids anymore, people now care about the demon trio’s meddling in their business quite a bit more.

In conclusion, as they grow, Kai, Nya and Lloyd become more intelligent and fleshed out in their own ways, and even though they still have no respect for society as a whole, they do keep some friends close to them. They love each other and Echo as the unique family they are, and always make sure they have each other’s backs no matter the situation.

Here is Kai's early design + scar (TW: gore)

[scarletsaphire]

Wes has caught Danny Fenton using ghost powers in public more times than he can count, and yet no one ever notices. At long last, he confronts Danny to figure out why.

--

For Ectoberhaunt day 11: calm (im not late you're early also im sick so i have an excuse.)

Wes had heard a lot throughout his life that he was not good with emotions, to put it nicely. He agreed most of the time. Wes considered himself a logical person. Sure, photography and videography was a creative pursuit, and most people didn't consider cryptids logical, but that was just because people didn't like to see the hard truths. Now was a perfect example.

Wes had figured out that Danny Fenton was that new ghost child that had been flying around within a few weeks of the first spotting. It had been ridiculously easy. Wes had known Danny through a school project he'd done with Jasmine, and the two of them looked so similar there was no way they weren't connected somehow. Even if they had looked different, you'd have to be blind, deaf, and an idiot to not notice all of the ghost stuff Danny did on a regular basis. In just the past week, Wes had watched Danny grab pencils out of his own chest, float over the puddle the busted water fountain left, turn invisible in the middle of the hallway, fall through the floor after tripping on his shoelaces, and bend his arm with far more joints than any human arm should have. And yet, despite all of this being in plain view, not hidden at all, not a soul had noticed it.

It was fine. Wes was used to people ignoring clear evidence. Normally the evidence was a picture or a video, not clear evidence in front of someone, but he was still used to it. They were probably just seeing what they expected to see. Most people weren't able to recognize the signs of the supernatural until it busted down the side of a building. That had been what Amity Park needed to start believing in ghosts after all. In this type of situation, all Wes would need to do was bring attention to it. If he said that it was weird, it would give them the subconscious permission to recognize it as weird as well.

Except, when Wes had pointed out the discrepancy to one of his friends, they'd just shrugged. "It ain't none of my business dude," he'd said.

"What do you mean none of your business?" Wes sputtered. "You just watched him stick his hand into his locker without opening the door! How is that not your business?"

He shrugged. "Why should I care what the kid gets up to? Besides, he has chill vibes."

"Chill vibes?" Wes asked. "You don't even know him! How can you say he has chill vibes?"

"Just look at him."

Wes was, in fact. looking at him. Danny was talking animatedly about something. In this case, animatedly meant performing what could be a scene from some karate movie and miraculously not hitting anyone around him, despite the fact he definitely should. "What about that that says chill vibes to you?"

Wes's friend shrugged. "I don't know dude. People either got chill vibes or they don't, and he definitely has them. Maybe you broke your vibe meter with how rancid yours are. Anyway, I gotta get to class. See ya around!" He took off at a leisurely stroll down the hallway, leaving Wes to keep glaring at Danny.

Wes knew he was right. It was clear as day! But it didn’t matter what evidence he found, or who he presented it to, every last person always had the same reaction. “Why should I care when he’s such a calm guy?” They said it differently, of course, but that was the heart of all of their statements.

It only took three tries for the statement to end up on Wes’s cork board. He could recognize the influence of the supernatural when he saw it. Unfortunately, it looked like there was only one thing left to do.

"I need to talk to you, ghost boy," Wes said, slamming shut Danny's locker door in front of him.

He watched as Danny glanced nervously over at Tucker, who shrugged in response. The Manson girl wasn't here; Wes had chosen a time specifically to avoid her. She was far too good at talking her way out of  things, and kicking her way out of things she couldn't talk her way out of. Also, she was scary, but Wes wouldn't admit that. "Because my parents are ghost hunters, very creative," Danny said with a fake laugh.

"No, because you're Phantom, and I have questions."

Danny froze completely, as if someone had hit the pause button. He didn't blink, didn't breathe, staying perfectly still as he stared up at Wes. It would have been freaky, if Wes hadn't been prepared. But he was prepared, so he didn't back down. "Fine. But can we make it quick? I have a test next period, and I'm really hoping to at least finish it." 

Danny grabbed a hold of Wes's wrist, and dragged him through the wall. That was significantly weirder, and if Wes didn't have to worry about getting stuck in the wall, he'd probably fight against the grip. Since getting stuck halfway through the wall was a concern, Wes let it happen. Danny let go once they'd surfaced in an empty classroom, the window in the door blocked off with cardboard. Wes stumbled slightly, the shock of physically not existing and then existing again rushing over him.

"You could at least give a guy a warning," Tucker grumbled, straightening his hat.

"Don't you remember the standing warning I gave you?" Danny asked. "You should expect to be dragged through walls and/or the air at any time for as long as you're friends with me."

"I still don't think that's a proper warning, but whatever."

Danny rolled his eyes and turned back to Wes who had managed to stabilize himself. "So, what do you want?"

"I want to know why no one notices that you're a ghost when you're doing stuff like that every day," Wes started. "I have caught you on camera dozens of times, and pointed out you sticking your head through your locker in person to so many people, and they all ignore it. How are you doing it?"

"Oh, is that all?" Danny asked, his shoulders lowering slightly as he untensed. "I have a calming aura to most people. Makes it so they just don't see my weirdness as important. What did we call it again?"

"Capybara effect," Tucker said. "After those big cuddly guys."

"Yea, those things."

"If you have this so called Capybara effect, how come I've never noticed it?"

Danny shrugged. "No idea. Maybe you're resistant to ghostly mind manipulation, or maybe you're just so uptight that even it can't help. Jazz did say you could do with relaxing some, and if Jazz says that, you know it's bad."

Before Wes could respond, Tucker's PDA went off. "We have to be in class in t-minus thirty seconds, so if that's everything..."

Danny grabbed Tucker's hand. "Hopefully we won't be seeing you around again, but I feel like that's just wishful thinking." Danny said, giving a lazy salute and blinking the two of them into invisibility.

Wes took a deep breath through his nose. At least he got his answer.

[pokemon-my-beloved]

the differences between teams flare, skull, yell, and star (and why only some of them work)

post under the cut because there is. a lot to say

so we all know that the villains in pokemon peaked with team plasma right (this is a matter of opinion but that's beyond the point)

and after team plasma, we have team flare. and team flare is. different.

they were the first evil ceo, unless you count cyrus, which i don't because cyrus (in my mind) was more about nihilism than corporate greed or anything

and lysandre is too, kinda? he's interesting enough, but literally everyone else in the team is boring as shit, especially compared to every team that came before them

so in kalos, we've got a villain team that doesn't really know what they've signed up for aside from the leader (probably it's been a hot minute. the admins might know), which makes sense, but the grunts and admins aren't entertaining at all. they're built up as a threat and exactly one of them is. it doesn't work

(this (imo) applies to most of gen 6's story but that's besides the point)

and then in alola, we've got team skull! this was the first generation i paid attention to the buildup for, and if i remember correctly, before release they were built up as the villain team, but not a threatening one. and in the game, that follows. no one really sees them as a threat on their own, cause they aren't.

but we've also got the aether foundation! and they were built up as mysterious but benevolent pre-release and in-game (didn't necessarily succeed but they tried well enough), and this was the first "twist villain" that pokemon did, and it was new and fresh and worked

and team skull isn't a threat. but they are an annoyance, and that's exactly what's needed during the storming of aether paradise. by allying team skull with the aether foundation, it gives both of them more of what they need most (seeming like a threat for team skull and character for aether foundation)

bonus points for aether foundation working well with the buildup because while almost everyone there is corrupt, we've still got wicke, who is genuinely benevolent and provides some nice contrast

the combination (as well as the fact that all of these dynamics were new) really sells the whole thing for me. it works

then we get to team yell :/

team yell was (pre-release and a little bit in-game) built up as villains and they Aren't. at all

and then at the same time, they expect us to believe that macro cosmos is totally fine and benevolent and nothing is wrong with anything they do? what the fuck

the part where you work with team yell to storm macro cosmos is fun and cool i guess, but that isn't enough to save either of them

team yell isn't a villain team, it's just an extension of piers being an overprotective brother and should have always been treated like that (amplified even more by the fact that marnie tells them off multiple times)

and macro cosmos doesn't work at all either because they expected us to be totally blindsided and then didn't even have the decency to have a single character who was morally good or benevolent like wicke!

at least aether foundation was built up as mysterious but benevolent, macro cosmos was just like "yeah we're a power company and good guys our chairman has the most rancid vibes you've ever seen but that means nothing" and then later it's like "oOoOoH wE'rE aCtUaLlY eViL aReN't YoU sUrPrIsEd????" like no!!!!! i'm not!!!!!!

and at this point the corrupt ceo bullshit and incompetent team bullshit is wearing SO thin, no one likes it or cares at ALL anymore

it's just like, go back to the mafia or whatever! i do not care about this! if i wanted to be mad at a ceo i've got enough irl to choose from!

which brings us finally to team star! they were built up as a villain team pre-release like the others, and we're all just like yeah okay whatever we know they're not a threat and probably fine people and we all know geeta is going to be the actual villain you aren't clever gamefreak

but then! we get to the game! and they aren't treated like villains!

they're treated like victims of circumstance who have gone too far and need to be stopped for their own good and it works

it works incredibly well, compounded by the fact that the actual villain was one no one was expecting

i have. many thoughts about the subversions of expectations that the professors pulled. but that's beyond the point-ish

but team star is not treated as a villain. at all. the closest we get is penny recruiting us to take them down, but that's more "they're a problem" than "they're a danger" and it works

tldr no pokemon villain has ever surpassed team plasma and gamefreak needs to join a union and stop making all their "twist" villains ceos thank you and goodnight