#the fact that he died so recently made me so confused

[skyleathero]

🕊✨❤️

[ew-selfish-art]

Dp x Dc AU: Dani has a too many break-ups for Danny’s heart to handle as an older brother- So he gives her a criteria that her next boyfriend needs to fit for Danny to approve of their relationship. 

Dani was really excited about her new boyfriend. He was witty, and charming, knew how to sword fight and was absolutely stunning. He loved his family, was passionate about animals and social justice causes, and he was an artist! She had a thing for green eyes, and hey, he was actually super chill about them having flexible schedules to see each other (she had vigilante shit to do that she couldn’t explain)! It’s been going on for a few months and she’s honestly ready for him to meet Danny & Jazz but... 

The last time she was home it was for a broken heart and Danny was beside himself with worry over her. He made the guys recently deceased ancestors come forward to speak on his behalf and it was Mortifying- Danny was ready to throw down. And Dani had to admit, it was super sweet that her big brother cared so much. He’d happily given a shovel talk to each of her partners when she brought them home and he’d happily tried to bond with them and integrate into their lives. Danny always allowed her to make mistakes but respected her choices to only ever ask two questions when a new partner came into the picture: Do they make you happy? Do they treat you well? 

This last time he made a simple request, just could they please fit this one criteria? 

The thought comes to her unfortunately when she’s making out with her perfect match, her soul mate, this beautifully stabby man Damian Wayne, that she should bring up the deal breaker. Her brother gave her literally one request for her next partner, and by the ancients she didn’t want to disappoint Danny. 

Pulling away from her boyfriends kiss for just a moment, Dani quickly asks “Sorry, Sorry, it’s just...Have you ever died before?” 

Damian’s look of confusion and then concern grew on his normally collected face, which told her more than enough. 

“Okay great!” And she leaned back in, only to realize that he’s pulled back. 

“Would... Would you care to explain why you just asked me that?” Damian was doing his best to not jump to conclusions.

“Sorry, I just got in my head a bit about how you’re like, the light of my life and I want you to meet my family and then my brain wandered, before you did that thing with your teeth, to the fact that my brother kind of requested... um, well, he just asked that my next partner be, uh, don’t freak out if this sounds weird, but uh, be dead.” 

“He...He wants your partner to be dead.” 

“Well, Dead adjacent is perfectly normal in my family! It’s not like a whole thing! You’ve died before, so he’ll absolutely love you! And he’ll love you even more because you love me!” She smiles as brilliantly as the stars.

Damian isn’t sure for a second, but eventually asks: “Your family is ‘dead adjacent’ and you want me to meet them?” to which she happily confirms. 

“Do you... Wish to know how I-” Damian begins but she cuts him off “No! Never, I would never ask that of you. He won’t ask either! He actually has a better vision for these things so it probably won’t even come up! How does next Tuesday work?” 

“That should be fine, however, well...On the subject of family expectations ... Is it even possible that you might be a vigilante?” Damian’s worries melt away when his girlfriend smiles and lunges forward to kiss him. 

Families could have such weird expectations, you know? 

[demonpiratehuntress]

Hi !!! Just found your blog recently- absolutely love how you write the comfort pirates :< !!🫶 if you’re open to requests (if not, pls ignore!! It’s not a need ^_^) would it be okay for strawhat and/or heart pirates (you chose which characters! Doesn’t have to be all) headcannons with a reader who losses their emotional support stuffie?

It’s not a big plush, a small one that could fit in your pocket- something simple and easy to hold or squeeze, but when they lose it they get kinda anxious :( they try to hide it from the crew tho, it’s pretty childish heh.. (and if it is, again no need to write agshdjfk)

Thank you!! Keep up the great work, and take care of yourself! Have a great night/day <3

thank you! you're so sweet <3 this idea sounds SO cute, i was definitely excited to write this one! I'm so sorry for the long wait, my laptop crashed and needs to be repaired so I'm doing all my requests on my phone which takes so much longer :(

taglist - @kabloswrld

plushie (Straw Hats + Law)

featuring - Zoro x F!Reader, Law x F!Reader, Usopp x F!Reader, Luffy x F!Reader, Sanji x F!Reader

summary - the ask above

warnings - none

ZORO

You panic, the anxiety of losing your comfort plushie too much for you to handle.

But you won't go to Zoro or anyone else for help, thinking that they'll just make fun of you.

Especially Zoro, he can be quite mean even unintentionally.

So you search all over the ship yourself, worry and fear steadily increasing.

You hoped and prayed no one else found it before you, because surely they would laugh at you and tease you to no end.

"Babe what are you looking for?" Zoro grumbles after a few hours of you refusing to cuddle him in favour of searching for your plushie. "And why is it so important?"

It helped you cope. With stress, with anxiety, with any problem you faced. It was comforting, and it relaxed you. Keeping it close made you feel secure, safe and sound. But you didn't tell him that.

You tried not to look too desperate, or else the others might ask you as well.

"This what you looking for?"

You almost died on the spot when you turned around to see your boyfriend holding your plushie up, a huge grin on his face.

"Zoro-"

"It's kind of cute, actually," he studied it. "But you have me, you know that right?"

You sighed and explained that this plushie was for when he was training, and you tried to get him to swear not to tell anyone but...

Zoro is a menace so he tells everyone.

SANJI

You know Sanji would not make fun of you for it, in fact he would probably think it's cute and compliment you and the plushie non-stop, but you still didn't tell him.

His compliments, although good-natured, would make you feel like a child, and you didn't want that embarrassment.

But searching for your plushie isn't easy, because the Sunny is huge.

So staying inconspicuous while looking for your comfort source is quite difficult, and there are moments when Sanji does suspect you're acting weirdly but you try to avoid him when he starts staring.

"Are you okay, my love?" He asks you every fifteen minutes, his concern growing by the second.

You laugh it off nervously, "Yes, love! Just making sure everything is clean."

At that point everyone knows something is off because who other than Franky and Usopp worries about the Sunny THAT much?

Eventually Sanji finds the plushie, but he's a bit confused. Is this what you're looking for?

To save you what he assumes would be embarrassment, since you haven't shown it to him before, he keeps it in your shared room and plans to ask you about it later.

When you don't find it by the end of the day, you feel like you want to cry. Your emotional support...gone. Just like that.

You don't expect to walk into your room and find Sanji sitting on your shared bed studying it curiously.

"Sanji," your eyes go wide, "Where did you find that?"

He looked up at you and smiled, "Under the bed! Is this what you've been looking for, my love? It's as cute as you are!"

You blush MADLY, walking over tentatively, "Please don't tell the others. They'll only laugh."

"I promise it's our secret," he grinned, then gave it back to you. "But love, you know you can come to me for anything, right?"

You smiled and nodded, kissing his cheek, relieved to have your plushie back with only one crewmember in the know.

LUFFY

You don't tell Luffy about your plushie because you're afraid he might steal it.

He's just childish in general, so you only worried about the others finding out.

When you lose it, you panic immediately thinking Luffy found it and took it.

Your anxiety worsened when you realised he might show it to the crew, because he hides absolutely nothing from everyone.

You can't ask him though...in fear of him not actually having it and then finding out.

Luffy doesn't notice your frantic searching, because of course he's too oblivious to.

You search every nook and cranny of the Sunny, dejection settling in when you still couldn't find it.

That is, until you walked in on Luffy holding it up while in the kitchen, and you thanked God that no one was around.

"Luffy!" You quickly grab it from him and cradle it against your chest protectively, glaring at him instinctively.

He pouted, "But it's cute! Tell me what it is, (Name), because it's almost as cute as you!"

You blushed, but told him anyway, "It's my emotional support plushie. But you can't tell anyone, Luffy!"

"But why do you need it? You have me!" He cheefully stated, theb frowned, "Why can't I tell anybody?"

"Because they will all laugh!"

He pouted more and agreed to not tell anyone.

You should have known better. He told everyone.

"LUFFY!"

LAW

Law already knows, sorry.

There is literally nothing you can keep hidden from this man.

But he pretends not to know, because he doesn't want to intrude on your privacy and he knows that if you wanted to tell him then you would have.

He also notices when you lose it and start searching the submarine whenever you could without arousing suspicion.

Bepo, Shachi and Penguin were nice but you knew the latter two would make fun of you.

"Are you okay, (Name)-ya?" Law's concerned voice startles you in the middle of turning your shared room upside-down in your desperate search.

You freeze, your eyes going wide, "Law-"

"You can tell me what you're looking for," he encouraged, "You can tell me anything, you know that."

You sighed and bit your lip, "Okay, it's this small, palm-sized plushie I use for comfort...I know it's childish-"

Law stopped you by holding something up - the plushie in question.

Your eyes widened, "Where did you- how- Thanks babe!" You smiled wide and reached for it, taking it gratefully and squeezing it to calm your nerves. "But can you please-"

"I won't say a word to anyone," he promised, sighing as he brought you close and wrapped his arms around you. "I know I'm not around as often as you'd like, but you still have me. You can still come to me. Okay?"

You smiled and nodded, "Okay."

"Good," he smiled and kissed the top of your head. "You're cute you know that? Cuter than that stuffed animal."

USOPP

Usopp, bless him, is the one who found your plushie before anyone else did.

But, curse him, he decided to withhold it until you asked for help finding it, because he sees how distraught you are and doesn't like it.

And he's sad that you don't trust him enough to tell him about it and that you don't trust him to have a mature reaction.

You look all over the Sunny, trying to be discreet so that no one asked you about what you were looking for.

And then you noticed the weird, hurt looks that your boyfriend was giving you, which made you frown.

Were you neglecting him in your search- no time for that, you had to find your plushie before someone else on the crew did, an outcome you dreaded most.

A few hours later, you were on the cusp of just giving up and sobbing, until Usopp walked up to you and handed your plushie to you.

"Usopp-"

"You could have told me," he frowned, "I would never make fun of you."

He started to walk away, but you stopped him.

"I know, I'm sorry," you sighed. "I just thought that it's so childish, I was too embarrassed to say anything."

"Well you shouldn't have been embarrassed cause it's not childish," he grinned, "It's actually cute and...oddly comforting."

"Right!" You smiled. "So you won't tell anyone?"

"Of course not! What do you take me for? I'm not Luffy!"

"Thanks babe."

[hellisharchive]

・﹒・ first sight

Summary: It was love at first sight. Literally. As soon as you popped in at the pearly gates, you immediately fell for the guardian of it as he asked for your name. After a week of being in Heaven, you visit him again and ask him out on a date and he says yes.

Warnings: 18+, fluff

Pairing: Saint Peter x GN!reader

You were somewhere, now you were here. Where was "here" exactly? Well, from what you gather, you had ended up in Heaven. You weren't sad or anything, in fact, you couldn't even remember how you died, you were just confused. Walking down the pathway closer to the gates, it was quiet until a man with blond, swirly hair, wide smile and wings popped up from the podium that was on the side.

"Hiya! Can I get your name please?" You nervously spoke your name and he opened up his huge book- assumedly full of names. It searched for a few seconds before finding it and exclaiming it with glee.

"Welcome to Heaven! Here, we are full of the best of the best and the brightest of the brightest!" His smile was so wide, he was so excited to see another soul in Heaven, you couldn't help but think he was so adorable, you didn't even know his name. Time to rectify that.

"Thank you! Uh, would I be able to get your name?" You asked, which caused the angel to go wide-eyed. He then flew up from the stand with eagerness as he planted himself right in front of you.

"Nobody's ever asked my name before! Well- not anyone of recent...ah. It's Saint Peter! So nice to meet you!" He seemed to excited that someone else was showing interest in him, maybe he's at this gate too long besides himself? It made you feel bad a bit, he seems like a really guy and frankly quite adorable.

"It's nice to meet you too! Are you out here all alone?"

"Oh! Well we usually have shifts! I'm just out here more often than others since I love welcoming people!" He was just a ball of sunshine, you couldn't help but form a crush in him already and you haven't even gotten past the gates yet!

"Well, I hope to see you around Peter! Can't stay at these gates forever...ha" You felt leaving him, but you still had to actually enter Heaven. Making a mental note to visit him when you had time, you watched as his smile turned into frown, the sight made you feel bad.

"Ah yeah. That's right! Well, welcome to Heaven! An angel will be with you shortly to help you get settled in!" With a wave of his hand, you watched as those huge gates opened up into a very beautiful city with angels in all forms enjoying life and flying around.

"Bye!" You smiled and waved as you made your way in and he flew back up to the podium. He smiled and waved back as you stepped foot into your new life and the gates closed behind you. You already started to miss him.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

A week had gone by and you settled in fine. You had made a lot of new friends and loved your new life. But you couldn't help but miss Saint Peter, even if you only had talked for a few minutes. Sitting out on the promenade with one of your new friends, you were talking about the new ice cream flavor you had tried earlier when a familiar voice made itself known. You turned and saw Saint Peter flying and saying hello to people.

"Peter!" You called out, hoping to get his attention, and that you did as he immediately heard you and looked over. Smiling, he flew down right in front of you and he looked so happy to see you again. You were very happy to see him again too.

"Hiya! How's Heaven been so far?" He asked, unable to contain his joy as you told him how amazing it was and your friend even joined in. It felt so natural to slip into conversation with him, he loved to ramble about all the good things here and told you many places to visit and other angels that would be good friends with you. You had been debating on asking him on a date for a while, and this was the perfect time.

"Would you want to uh...go on a date? You could show me some places yourself!" You chuckled nervously as you watched his eyes go wide and his smile grow larger. he squealed and grabbed both of your hands, lifting them up in glee.

"Oh my gosh! A date! Nobody has ever asked me that! Of course! Oh! I could take you to the Waterfall of God. Or the replica of Eden. Or the Cloud shopping mall. Or-" You stopped him a laugh and gently squeezed his hands.

"Hey, I know wherever you want to go, I'll love it. Plus, we don't have to do just one date, after all"

[pixiecaps]

Heres a portion of Maxo’s ending monologue and some meta commentary.

q!Maxo: And what if I stay? At least they won’t have that planned out. How can I be so stupid? Of course, they know about the bomb. They literally know everything, see everything, its an all seeing eye, of course. They already knew about my plan.. But there’s a plan they don’t know. And it’s that I’m going to stay here. It’s over. Besides, I’m a danger to everybody, I’m turning into a code. I know now that I’m not the only one but at least it’ll be one less, right? It’s the desperation of not being able to do anything against the Federation. They always get away with it, man. They always get what they want. I don’t- I don’t know why I’m even still walking. … They’ve taken my bomb and stolen my idea and now they’re exploding it. They don’t care. At least, we found a way to escape. (Timer runs out)

cc!Maxo: (Closes game) And like that is how he dies. “Are you coming back as a ghost?” As of right now I am not thinking about returning as a ghost. (Plays sad music) Rest in peace qMaxo. Rest in fucking peace. I did all I could chat. I did all I could. … If I had reached the boat I would not have gotten on. I think what I would’ve wanted is to reach the boat, say goodbye to everybody, and die. But I suppose due to the timer the bomb blew up before that could happen. … So I’ve died. That is how it goes. This was the only thing I could do that the Federation could really not control. Killing myself.

cc!Maxo: (When a chatter mentioned the people who didn’t reach the boat) Chat I only know that I’ve died, it’s what I wanted for my lore. That I would’ve stayed there with the atomic bomb. In a fantasy world like the QSMP, of course I could revive, finally turn into a code, or whatever but for the moment all I know is that I’m dead. And I don’t have anything else scripted, from this moment on I’m dead and thats final. Thats the reality, and thats why I’m not… happy because I will for sure miss the QSMP. But since I personally take roleplay very seriously, for me there is no going back. I am dead. I cannot return as cubito Maxo. I can return as a spirit that haunts Roier once in a while, periodically, I could, I could but qMaxo is dead. It’s sad, I’m not super happy because obviously I spent a really great time on QSMP but by my own lore, man, I couldn’t do it any longer. I couldn’t handle returning to Quesadilla Island knowing I couldn’t do anything against the Federation. If I made a fucking atomic bomb and the boss of Purgatory goes and says, “Oh you have an atomic bomb? Okay. In fact, that’s a good idea. Let’s explode it, run to the boat, returning again to the island that you were in, because thats likely what will happen, and you’ll continue suffering.” I can’t do it anymore. I’ve lost Trump, my son, I’ve lost- I no longer trust people who can kill each other amongst themselves, by the lore.

cc!Maxo: The players themselves are super fun people and I’ve had a good time. What makes me feel shame is that, that I can’t roleplay with them anymore. To say it one way or another. Well, there could be things in the future the admins offer but as a player it makes me feel shame. Also, while it is true that recently I hadn’t been logging in a lot, the times I did I had a good time. I did a lot of cool things with these people.

cc!Maxo: I lost SOFIA, I lost.. everything. Everything that I’ve done, every idea that I had thought of for myself and others has been taken by the Federation. … I think that the Federation has so much control that is impossible to do anything against them. And everything you do against them they’ll use to further confuse the people. … For me I will no longer play [as qMaxo] because I am dead, that’s serious to me, I’ve decided my character has died in an explosion. Another thing is that I could occasionally log on as a spirit or something. If they allow me that then great! But if dying means not being able to play on the QSMP anymore then so be it. … This was necessary for the roleplay. … I didn’t die thinking, “Wow I found the answer.” I didn’t want to die because I found any type of answer. I died because of desperation. To say, look man I couldn’t find any answers.

Maxo mentioned it did leave him with a sour taste in his mouth that he didn’t get the chance to say goodbye to everybody since he ran out of time. So a chatter suggested he does canonical pre recording goodbye video to everybody. He said he’d likely consider it and do it so that his character gets the chance to tell the other characters goodbye and that he’s gone.

Rest in peace qMaxo, the original founder of the Theory Bros, and someone who gave his all to escaping the island no matter the cost.

[redhoodinternaldialectical]

I don’t think Jason has ever hated Tim

I recently revived my Jason Todd hyperfixation from its torpor and realized I had... Means and Ways of reading as many comics as I want for free, so I made the transition from Fanon Only to having read Lost Days, Under the Red Hood, Teen Titans #29 (where Jason fights and beats the tar out of Tim), Hush, Red Hood and the Outlaws (the majority of both runs), Red Robin: The Grail, Batman and Robin: Streets Run Red, Green Arrow #70 - #73 (where Jason kidnaps Mia), Battle for the Cowl, and a smattering of other bits and bobs, all within the last month.

I have come to the conclusion that the idea that Jason hated Tim before slowly learning to be okay with him is completely backwards.

Jason starts respecting Tim as a fellow combatant after basically their first meeting, and was sympathizing with him even before. Fandom talks a lot about how Jason repeatedly tried to kill Tim, but I think there’s a good argument to be made that actually Jason has never tried to kill Tim, and there’s a better argument that Jason has never tried to hurt Tim out of a dislike for him.

Tim is the one who feels viciously betrayed by Jason, hates his guts, and depending on if you blend in the New 52 either learns to begrudgingly like him or just stays hatin.

Obviously I need some proof here, since this goes completely against the grain of every relationship interpretation I’ve ever seen for them, so approximately seven miles of character analysis under the cut lmao

I’m gonna try to go in chronological order of the characters’ history here, which means we’re starting with Lost Days, and Jason’s first reaction to finding out there’s a new Robin:

This does not look like anger to me.

Lost Days is only six issues long, and this is the entirety of the pages devoted to Jason’s feelings on Tim. Jason succeeds in a plan that would have almost certainly killed Batman if Jason had gone through with it. Jason undeniably has Joker dead to rights at one point, but lets him go. Jason at no point in this story attempts to harm Tim at all.

Now for Hush.

Context for fanon only folks: this is where the “throat slitting” bit happens.

Context for a lot of confusion: I don’t know if Jason is the one who holds Tim hostage or not.

In the original Hush plot line this is only Clayface; Jason isn’t here at all. It was later retconned in Under the Red Hood that Jason was actually in this fight for... some amount of time. It’s highly unclear to me when they swap out. Probably because originally, they didn’t swap out. Oh well! In either case, it’s now canon that Jason coached Clayface on his acting, so for the purposes of this essay, Imma hold Jason responsible for the throat damages and the words said regardless of who did what!

Right off the bat: this is a hostage taking, not a murder. Yes, Clayson Jayface does nick Tim’s neck and absolutely makes the threat of murdering him to Batman, but it’s clearly a threat. Like, look at this panel:

He is talking a lot. This isn’t an attempt to kill Tim, it’s an attempt to screw with Batman. No matter who this is, they have every reason to expect that Batman will stop them before they do any permanent damage. Can you see that little, blurry, half-hidden line of red? Lets look at what the damage was later on:

The bleeding was stopped by a bit of cloth, some pressure, and he’ll need stitches eventually, but they can clearly wait, and Tim doesn’t seem alarmed. That’s enough to scar, and enough that it is perfectly reasonable for Tim to assume that he would have died if he hadn’t been rescued.

However, Jason being deeply protective of kids is a reasonably consistent character trait. “You really think I’m gonna bring the pain to a ten year old?” Even at Jason’s most villainous, he is willing to put himself in danger in order to protect his own sidekick Scarlet. I think it would be very out of character for him to have gone through with it. Combined with Jason’s later actions and the general fact that a hostage is pretty useless dead, I come to the conclusion that Jason was bluffing.

It is ambiguous though, and I admit that this is probably the weakest link in the “Jason never tried to kill him” chain.

But enough of that, was he angry with him? Is the hate there?

I argue no, and that really there’s no emotional investment in Tim at all. In terms of hard numbers the pages Jalay Toddface spends holding Tim hostage is 3 and the number he spends fighting Batman is 13 and the number of times he even so much as LOOKS at Tim is ZERO, like actually, literally ZERO TIMES. He does not spare poor Timmy a SINGLE GLANCE.

Now make a special note here because those three pages of no eye contact from someone who might not even be Jason are the ONLY times that Tim is called Pretender or Imposter.

I’m relying on this research done by Kiragecko: https://kiragecko.tumblr.com/post/128411908944/bat-sibling-interaction It only goes up to Battle for the Cowl, (as does this essay it turns out, I just don’t know how to bridge between that and the New 52) so it isn’t every interaction ever, but it’s still excellent research, go leave a like.

According to them: “Comments: Tim thinks about Jason a lot while he’s first training. He imagines the former Robins giving him pep talks, and uses them to fight off fear gas. When Jason comes back, though, Tim’s really nasty, especially in his head. Jason, however, is somewhat respectful. He usually calls Tim ‘Tim’, and seems to kind of like him. ‘Pretender’ and ‘Imposter’ are things that CLAYFACE said, not Jason.“

How many times are those said? Once. Each. That’s it. As a comment under the Jason and Tim post done by Kiragecko points out, “Replacement” doesn’t even get used.

Under the Red Hood is basically THE Jason Todd comic. To my memory he doesn’t interact with Tim in it. However, it does contain that aforementioned reconning! So we get to see his reasoning during this encounter.

And it very very clearly isn’t at all about Tim.

Moving on to Titans Tower, which is indisputably focused on Tim: When he fights Tim, he is absolutely violent and over the line, but he’s NOT out of his head. Jason is clearly very lucid and careful about what he’s doing.

Is he angry? Of course! He’s angry at the Titans who in his mind cared about him way less than their other members, and accepted a replacement robin as though his life, his whole flesh and blood self, was something that could be so easily forgotten and swapped out.

But I think it would be a mistake to assume that Jason’s at all mad that he isn’t Robin anymore.

A very interesting direct parallel to this fight is when Jason kidnaps Mia, Green Arrow’s sidekick Speedy, fights her, appeals to their commonalities and encourages her to solve crime his way rather than Green Arrow’s way.

In both scenarios Jason engineers a way to isolate a sidekick and attempts to teach them something through combat. He makes a direct appeal to them against their mentors, and seems genuine about what he’s saying. He also lets both of them live, and with Mia is honestly pretty damned polite about it all. At least, as polite as a guy can be about kidnapping you and encouraging you to try to kill him in your high school gym that he definitely should not know about.

The plain fact of the matter is that Jason knocked Tim out, had time to paint his whole ass name way up high on a wall, and did not kill him. This is the same Jason who just prior to that took out all of Tim’s allies non-lethally. The same Jason who kept Mia’s protector’s busy non-lethally. The same Jason who cuts Mia free and gives her weapons back and starts slow in their fighting to make sure he doesn’t hurt her too badly. The same Jason who seems to feel very strongly that killing, trafficking, or selling drugs to kids is an unforgivable offense and very clearly sees Tim as a kid.

Quite frankly, this reads not like a murder, and not like a jealous beatdown, but an attempt to convince Tim that he’s going to get himself killed and needs to get out while he still can. In Jason’s mind before they meet, Tim is purely A Robin, a kid who deserves better than to be put into danger against the same monsters over and over again until he finally slips up and dies.

Is this a hairbrained and back asswards way of doing that? Yes! But it does track for someone who tries to do all of his talking through his actions, which do speak louder than words, but unfortunately C-4 loudness is not actually a significant boon to nuanced communication.

If you want to put it in a less charitable way (and maybe we should, this is a bonkers asshole move on Jason’s part no matter how you slice it) then we can say Jason is testing Tim, trying to see if this one has what it takes to be better than he was, to survive where he couldn’t. Personally I think it’s a mix of both, and for this end of that emotional mess: Tim passes the test.

Jason leaves while talking about Tim in present tense, showing that he has every expectation of Tim being alive, and praises him in the process:

Did you know that the fun panel of Tim kicking Jason in the nuts is actually from the same comic run, about twenty or so issues later?

Did you know that the argument they were having starts with Dick and Tim wrestling with Jason and accusing him of a murder he did not commit, and in fact tried to save the victim from?

Did I mention yet that the death in question was of Duela Dent, aka the JOKER’S DAUGHTER, whom Jason caught attempting to hold a young woman hostage for ransom? And that Jason repeatedly shot her getaway balloon instead of her and then tried to save her life immediately afterwards despite the fact that she was going to let the hostage plummet to their death? And it is implied that part of the reason he’s so easy on her is because of “Once a Titan always a Titan” loyalty, with this being our first clue that Jason isn’t the one shooting at her anymore?

Did I also mention that he comes to her funeral in part to be around Donna (the starry leotard lady whose statue he smashed) because it’s nice to be around people who understand being displaced by their own death? And that the one who sticks up for him in this scene is Donna?

At risk of negating my own thesus here, I’d say it’s reasonable to think that maybe Jason feels rage-hate for Tim in this “kicked in the dick while Dick grins smugly” moment.

Lets go now to Robin #177 at the tail end of the 1993 to 2003 run - Bruce has “died” and Tim hasn’t yet gone on his epic quest to find him. Tim finds Jason unifying street gangs with the intent to bring them under control and solve the current crisis. He appeals to Tim for help with this, in fact he comes off as almost puppy dog eager to work with him, and seems really sad when he says fuck no.

This is one of the first fights in which Tim really holds his own against Jason, and I am very proud of him, yes :3

This gets Jason arrested. Then Tim actually goes through with a heavily modified, less violent version of Jason’s plan that Jason didn’t think could work. A few issues later, when Tim decides that he’s going to try to honor what Bruce would have wanted by springing Jason out of jail, Jason makes note of that.

Jason is pretty damned civil at their next meeting, even though Tim makes it pretty damned clear he doesn’t want him around.

And now... we have to talk about Battle for the Cowl.

I’ve seen it described as a masterclass in how NOT to write Jason Todd, due to it portraying him as being an absolutely off his rocker anger murder violence man. I am inclined to agree.

In this three issue comic Jason Todd has been dRiVeN mAd (in the most bullshit comic sense of that word) by Bruce’s will... telling him to go to therapy. Yeah. So uh, he dons a Batman suit to shoot people in AND pretends to be Black Mask so he can enslave a bunch of villains Amanda Waller style, and like it gets weird from there. It is an extremely jarring transition from that last scene to GUNS BAT HATE MAN.

He still does not hate Tim in it. I really, seriously thought I was going to have to make a lot of excuses for this portion but then the more I read of it the more vindicated I was cause let me repeat: One of the most unhinged with Bat hate and crazy juice versions of Jason ever put to print does not hate Tim at all.

Hell, he likes Tim! He compliments him!

And on top of that, even though he is MUCH more lethal against his fellow robins when they attack him - Jason straight up shoots a ten year old Damian in the chest. It’s fucked. - There is still evidence to suggest that Jason deliberately didn’t kill Tim when he had ample opportunity.

Jason first of all never hunts Tim down. I’ve heard Battle for the Cowl described as Jason tracking Tim down or kidnapping him or going after him to force him to Be His Robin, but that’s just not how it goes.

Instead he waits for Tim to come find his Batcave, disorients him, and goes for a ton of surface cuts. He only actually goes for a real body blow after Tim picks up a crowbar and beats Jason across the face with it a few times.

(Again, proud of you Timmy)

After the stabbing, Jason doesn’t just leave Tim there; this isn’t a matter of hurrying on before he could check. He’s seen dragging Tim off. When Nightwing later comes to rescue him, Dick is downright certain Jason is lying to him about Tim being dead because Jason is refusing to show him the body and Dick figures it’s because he knows there’s no body to show (if in part because he can’t let himself believe Tim is dead without hard proof).

Tim himself wonders about this, noting that the batterang was rusted and shattered on his armor.

Sure, Tim used playing possum to make his pulse slow to a near stop for a while, maybe that fooled Jason, but keep in mind that BRUCE taught Tim that skill, and if there’s one thing these comics have established, it’s that Jason is dangerous precisely because he is so intimately familiar with the techniques of the Bat. Jason even makes specific note of the fact that Tim being trained like Bruce and fighting like Bruce would be his downfall at the beginning of their fight.

The whole comic leaves me wondering just how much of what happened went completely according to Jason’s plan. I really would not put it passed him to engineer a ‘death in the family’ recreation for the next Batman in line! As much as I agree that this is garbage characterization for him in many many ways, I do think Jason makes a fantastic villain. I love to see him run rings around the Bats in some places, and make lemonade out of getting his ass kicked in others.

No matter how we interpret the stabbing here though, what does seem very clear to me is that Jason makes the Be My Robin offer to Tim first and foremost because he thinks pretty highly of Tim! He’s been rejected by Tim at least three times over but keeps holding a hand out for him. This does not seem like Tim hater reaction hours here!

Also that whole thing about kids being dragged into this vigilante life irresponsibly? Yeah that’s still there!

I have TRIED to find evidence that Jason hates Tim at like literally any point here. I have gone through the shit people point to. I have looked at the context around those and dug up more obscure interactions for second and third views. Everywhere I look I just see more instances of Jason complimenting Tim!! It’s driving me nuts!

The only conclusion that I can come to is that people read this stuff and just trust that Tim is right about Jason. Tim’s internal view waaay more closely resembles fandom interpretation. Tim assumes that Clayson Toddface would absolutely have killed him in cold blood, that Jason beat the shit out of him purely to prove he was stronger, that he’s a brute, a moron, an active danger to society, and that every bit of leniency given to him will result in betrayal and death.

I don’t have clearer proof for it, but I also don’t think it’s a stretch to say that Tim probably believes Jason has it out for him and holds him responsible for his replacement.

So yeah. As a fascinating reversal of my expectations going in: I don’t think Jason has ever hated Tim, but boy fuckin howdy has Tim HATED Jason.

[misc-obeyme]

Lesson 36 spoilers below, including the locked lesson & hard lesson...

Sorry it's a little screenshot heavy but there was a lot happening in this lesson and I was having a lot of feelings. I think I screenshotted my way through the whole thing lol.

SO. MUCH. LORE.

We got so much lore!??!?!

Things I'm freaking out about:

Mephisto's whole lecture about the underworld and its rings

the fact that trains were seen as commoner's transportation 'cause they were used by demons who couldn't fly

SOLOMON (as if he wasn't hot enough) walking through all the rings of the underworld

Solomon just kinda laughing about it and then agreeing that it's really just a tourist attraction now???? THAT'S THE UNDERWORLD YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.

He talks about the city of Dis which is straight up from the Divine Comedy. Does this mean Dante has been their resource all along?! That could explain Diavolo's Italian name...

Because he also talks about Minos who also made an appearance in the Divine Comedy... I'm just sayin!!

They said they're taking Lucifer to Cocytus?!? (Which is also in... you guessed it, the Divine Comedy. Where it's stated to be the home of traitors.)

Isn't that the same thing as the River of Lamentation?!?!

What're they gonna do, drown him???

Okay okay my list should have ended several bullet points ago.

(Though on that last one, if they're going full Dante, then they'll bury him in ice instead.)

ANYWAY.

Mephisto buying all those sweets for his little brother was the cutest thing ever. He needs to stop being precious. I was resisting so well and then he had to go and be a good brother and also be concerned about MC and ask if they were all right and yeah he's annoying but it's kind of endearing too....????

This whole part where he was just asking MC questions & worrying about them being hurt. STOP THAT. This is exactly the kind of thing I live for, you're doing on purpose, aren't you??

You are not supposed to care!

I warned you before to stop making me like you...

THAT'S IT. HE'S A KEEPER.

Also do you think that when they say commoners are demons that can't fly... are they saying that demons with wings are the only ones that can be nobles? Or are they saying demons with enough power to fly whether that's with wings or not? Because isn't Barbatos actually like a duke or something? Are you really gonna tell me that guy is a commoner? Even if he does work as a butler... maybe it doesn't count 'cause he can portal himself around?

But also! We know Mephisto is a noble so does this mean his demon form has wings? I thought for sure they were going to go with a tail.

BUT ALSO ALSO do the bros not count? They should all be nobles, but they clearly aren't, but they also aren't commoners? Maybe they're neither 'cause they're fallen angels? And we know three of them have tails, so...? I'M CONFUSED ABOUT HOW THIS WORKS.

Okay, sorry I'm getting off on a bit of a tangent here. There's just so much info that we suddenly got in this lesson about the world! And while I've been wanting more such stuff, I was hoping it would clarify some things not make things more confusing.

So anyway, there's a whole lot of underworld which they've mentioned before but only briefly, so it was cool to get more info on that!

Don't worry, Luci. MC has to travel through time as well as space and I don't think a trip through the underworld is going to cut it. I like it when you compliment Solomon, though.

I don't know how to tell you guys that the idea of Solomon walking through the underworld and laughing about it later makes me insane. So I'm just telling you straight out. I'm insane about it.

Are we still talking about the underworld? Because when I hear "tourist attraction" I tend to think of things like the world's largest ball of twine, not playing chess with Minos, Judge of the Damned.

That whole phone conversation with him was just so good. I know I recently wrote a whole post about him being sus and he still is because it's him, but do not misunderstand me because I love that man. I love his cute little laugh that he always does.

Then again, he's clearly terrible at lying. Good at just not saying stuff maybe, but lying directly? I'm not so sure...

So anyway, Lucifer's gonna be executed, huh? I like how both he and Mephi were like nope Diavolo is gonna fix this. They have such unwavering faith in him, it's precious.

Also, I LOVED THIS ENTIRE PART.

Lucifer saying he knows? He knows, but this is home now for him and his brothers? And then MEPHISTO coming right back with then you should understand why MC wants to go home??

I was not expecting Mephistopheles to understand and be concerned about MC wanting to go home like that. It wasn't something like yeah you should go home you're a human and don't belong here. He didn't say anything like that at all. It was just immediately like you must miss your family. Mephisto confirmed family man!

HARD LESSON: Solomon was being a complete menace. He locked Lucifer's brothers in a room??? What's he gonna make them do!? Eat his cooking?? No, he gives his cooking to people because he loves them and wants to make them happy. So it can't be that. My mind... it goes to dangerous places... why did they have to cut off the lesson without telling us what Solomon's intentions were??

...

I wouldn't mind being locked in that room with them all, though.

Please take this selection of screenshots of him being insufferable with that cute lil smile on his face.

To be fair, he's not wrong... it was pretty funny.

I CAN'T.

Also in the LOCKED LESSON: Barbatos my true love. This whole interaction was amazing. Simeon and Luke are so cute. Diavolo clearly doesn't know Lucifer super well yet and it's so adorable watching him figure it out. And now he's all like Barbatos how can I fix this? And Barb is just like sorry it's too late. LOL he's so strict.

Dadbatos mode activated.

Luke my sweet baby angel, never change!

Diavolo's sad face is so cute, I don't know how Barb ever manages to resist it. I'd just give in to everything he ever wanted all the time. I also love how he is straight up calling Barb mean lol.

They both look so serious. Cut him some slack, Barb!

And lastly, I only wish to leave you with this:

Everybody knows nobody can make tea as good as Barbatos does. Not even Lucifer.

Don't be angry, Luci. You're no Barbatos, but I'm sure your tea is delicious.

[nkogneatho]

𝐏𝐔𝐓 𝐀 𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐄

: ̗̀➛synopsis: You were scared of falling in love but will you change your mind when you meet someone who actually shows you how you are filled with so much love?

#mlist #commission #taglist

—wc: 1.5k

—cw: gn!reader, fwb to lovers (ig), hurt/comfort, mild smut, cockwarming, receiving head, abandonment issues, past trauma, commitment issues, anxiety and crying, fluff, soft gojo, not proofread (its 2 am im sorry)

—a/n: so my mind decided to remind me of my trauma on a Wednesday night so I pulled this out of my ass. Tell me what you think if you read it :)) Reblogs much appreciated.

It fucked you up. Body fragile as a glass, mind clouded dark. The crippling fear emerged on the surface once again. That same old feeling. The feeling of abandoning someone before they abandon you.

You pitied yourself. What a pathetic person to get walked over by all those people. You despised every single decision you made. That included to kindle a relationship with this man.

Gojo Satoru. The strongest, they say. Hair whiter than snow, eyes glinting in light like the ocean waves turn diamond in sun.

He loved you. In fact, he loved you so much it scared you. The anxiety creeped up your back when he said those words to you.

"I love you."

He loves me. He said he loves me. But so did every other guy. He is lying. He'll leave.

Can you blame the traumatized mind to come to such conclusions?

Gojo did expect this reaction from you. He knew you were scared or love and commitment. Although the man felt the need to confess or he were to regret it for the rest of his life. Your knees met the floor with a loud thud, arms hanging like they were a soft toy.

"Do you know what you're saying?" Your voice cold.

"I do. I love you. And I know it's something you never wanted to hear given this relationship—fuck is this even a relationship?" His palm rubbed his forehead, feeling the rough sensation of his bangs

He was right to ask that question. Was this a relationship? You both started as just fuck buddies. You set a bunch of rules (which were tampered later anyway.)

Rule No. 1, no interference with other party's personal life.

Eh. He broke that when he started coming to your workplace with a bouquet of tulips every Monday. He knew Mondays were harsh. So you didn't complain because it did help to get through the rough day. Rule No. 1 successfully broken.

Rule No. 2, dates are okay sometimes but not a lot. Maybe twice a month.

Now, you were the one to alter this rule. Dates might be forbidden but not coming over to his place and treating it like your own home. His place was way more spacious given his generational wealth. It was easier to focus on work in such a silent and lone environment. The rule only got broken when you decided to move in. Well, you would save the time to call him over or you traveling here just to fuck.

By now, he had probably bullied his dick inside you in every single room. You still remembered his words.

"I want to fuck you in every square inch of this house, y/n."

And he did.

He fucked you on the big navy blue velvet layered couch, not giving a shit if your juices stained the expensive material. He'd just buy another one.

He spread your legs and ate you out on the dinner table on that one evening when the takeout took too long to arrive. Your fingerbeds grabbed his head so hard, it might've broken his skull as you orgasmed. He later thanked the delivery guy for being late to which the boy walked out with a confused look.

He made your wrap your legs tightly around him as you cockwarmed him on the kitchen counter. Brows furrowed, desperately wanting to grind. But your locked thighs around his slutty waist, not letting him do so.

Every square inch, he fucked you in. So Rule No.2 was off the table.

Rule No. 3, No catching of serious feelings or saying I love you.

Gojo didn't recently fall for you. He was caught in this way before you realized. Maybe he even doesn't remember it himself when he did.

"What do you mean? You just broke rule 3, Toru."

"Fuck those rules. I don't even know why we had them in the first place. Look at us y/n," he tried to reason. "We never follwed them so don't give me that crap." His voice was elevating to a higher octave. You hated it. You don't like yelling. It triggers the tinnitus in your ear.

Tears started rummaging down your dry cheeks. "Look at me. I know you're lying."

"Baby, I am not. I know it's hard to believe given your past but just trust me on this one." Yes he knew about your previous failed relationships and the effect it had on you. Which is why he took so long to confess. Each day, calculating the outcome. So at some point, he did know how you'd react. Maybe he'll lose you forever.

"Why?" You questioned him. You felt like you were a broken soul. Used and abused mentally. Taken advantage of the innocent mind and abandoned when you were to ask for the real love. You started hating the word love, ironically.

I love you. It sounds preposterous in your brain. What a fool would someone be to ever believe those words.

"Why? Look at yourself," he said.

"I do. Everyday. Which is why I asked the question. I am nothing but someone drowning. But I do not want to be saved. I don't want a savior, Toru! It makes me feel pathetic and weak." By now, you were wailing and screaming.

But he didn't interrupt. He let you scream your heart out. Maybe that was the last option he could choose to make you face your actual feelings.

"You done?" He asked. You were sniffing, catching your breath from all the yelling.

"Toru, all I see myself is as a broken soul. Why would you ever love...this" you pointed at yourself.

"You fool. Look in my eyes and tell me if I lie, but all i see in you is love. It's funny how you hate that feeling yet you're filled with it, y/n." His gaze softened. "You say you don't want a savior. Do you realize you don't need it in the first place. Because it's you who saves others."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember, Ginger was abandoned in the rain when we saw her the other day? No one cared about her but you did. You fed it canned cat food a took her to a shelter. You named her. You cared for her." He intertwined his hand in yours.

"Y/n. I used to wake up every single day in this apartment feeling absolute shit about what happened with Suguru and others. But when you started barging in on random days, that's when I started to feel a little better." You understood it. It is lonely to live alone with your own thoughts haunting you in this big pace.

"You made this house a home. You don't need a savior because you are one." he claimed.

"When did you—you started loving me?" You asked between hiccups.

"Sweetheart. I fall for your every single second. Everytime I wake up next to you. Everytime I see you smile. Whenever you skip on the same colored tiles on the footpath. I love all of you." That is when you realized how selfish you've been. Taking and taking his love but giving none back. He did so much for you. But you were about to leave him in a fear of something that might never happen.

"What if you leave just like all of them?" you asked.

"Give it one more chance. Who knows? Maybe I'll stick around for the rest of our lives." He wore a soft smile as he said those words, affirming you. You started crying again, but this time, it was due to happiness.

"If you never leave, I promise to love you more than myself."

"Oh, baby," he hugged you a tightly. "I love you so fucking much and I am so happy right now."

He pulled away and his lips crashed against yours. It's weird. You've kissed hundred times before but this one felt different. Maybe, because it was filled with love and acceptance.

You came to a realization. You don't know what the future holds. It is not the fear of abandonment that scares you. It's the feeling of you giving away all your love and them not giving any back. You always swam ocean for people who couldn't even meet you at the shore.

But Gojo never left your side. All this time, he was swimming right behind you, concealing you from all the harm. So if anyone's worth the risk, it's him.

Oh. Gojo Satoru. What a beautiful man you are.

[mlmxreader]

Stay The Night | Eddie Brock x gn!reader (🍋)

『••✎••』

↳ ❝ Could I request “Was there a reason you texted me SOS at three in the morning?” with Eddie Brock please? ❞

: ̗̀➛ There's an emergency, and you desperately need Eddie's help.

: ̗̀➛ swearing, blowjobs, free use, oral sex, pillow humping, slight praise kink, consensual recording of sex acts

: ̗̀➛ MINORS DO NOT INTERACT

•───────────────★•♛•★──────────────•

Eddie was panicked, his face flushed and his chest heaving, when he walked into your bedroom after letting himself into your flat. His hands shook terribly, he was dizzy and he felt sick, his mouth raw and cold as he frantically looked at you.

He wanted to check for injuries, but what stopped him was the fact that you were sat on your bed, drinking from an energy drink can, and looking almost… content. A little more confused, Eddie furrowed his brows as he looked at you, tilting his head to the side slightly. 

“Was there a reason you texted me SOS at three in the morning?”

“Actually, yes,” you put the drink down on your bedside table and wiped your hands against each other. “I’m stuck on a level.”

“Huh?”

“So, I started playing that outlaw game,” you started, “and I got to the third chapter, and… I’m stuck on a mission, and I need your help.”

The panic immediately died as Eddie put his hands on his hips, glaring at you. “This is your emergency?”

“Yeah,” you shrugged. “You’re my boyfriend, you need to help me with this.”

In all honesty, it took everything in him not to laugh as he moved and sat on your bed next to you; he grabbed the controller, turning the game on and loading up your most recent save file.

He chewed at the corner of his mouth for a moment, just to ignore the urge to laugh; he was glad and relieved, really, that your little emergency wasn’t a life or death situation and that it was easily sorted out.

But then he looked at your left wrist, and hummed.

“Did you forget to take that off?”

You shook your head, smiling at him. “Nope.”

He groaned, putting the controller down and pushing his jogging bottoms and boxers to his ankles. He gave his cock a few strokes. “Safeword?”

“Chlorine.”

“Good,” he praised sharply. “And what do you do if you can’t speak?”

“Tap your right leg four times,�� you told him, licking your lips as you stared at his cock. 

Eddie nodded, pulling you over. A soft groan came from the back of his throat when you wrapped your lips around him, slowly taking every inch until he hit the back of your throat; he picked up the controller, starting to play the game as you bobbed your head and let your nose bury against the dense curls at his base.

You couldn’t remember when you and Eddie first started it; when you first agreed to be his little fuck toy. But you loved it, knowing that all you had to do was wear his light orange rock bracelet on your left wrist and you would be used and fucked until you couldn’t take it anymore.

You loved it when he fucked you on the sofa as he took work calls, gagging you with a ball as you drooled and slobbered over the red plastic, your eyes rolling into the back of your head as you desperately tried to fuck yourself on his cock.

But as you sucked his dick, you couldn’t help it, putting a pillow beneath you and gently humping it to the same rhythm as you took his cock. Eddie groaned, sparing a look and seeing what you were doing.

“Get my phone,” he groaned. “Record it.”

You did as he said, licking his cock as you pulled yourself away, leaving a long trail of spit; you grabbed his phone from his pocket, and pulled up the camera; pressing ‘record’, you peppered his cock with kisses before gently slapping your face with it.

You couldn’t help the soft laugh that left the back of your throat when he took one hand off of the controller and grabbed your neck, making you take every inch of him until you gagged.

He bucked his hips, taking his hand off of your neck to focus on the game as he fucked your mouth; knowing that you were recording it only made him find his release earlier as he heard you gulp and gag with each thrust of his hips.

Drool leaking from the side of your mouth as you continued to fuck the pillow beneath you; you were just as close as he was, but you didn’t want to stop, wanting to take every fucking droplet of cum that he had to offer. 

You brought your hand to his cock, slowly stroking it as you continued to let him use your mouth like a fuck toy; you sped up your movements against the pillow, the friction harsh and fast against you, you were getting closer by the second, and you could smell sex all around you. 

“Doing so good,” Eddie praised breathlessly, chewing his lip. “Fuck, I’m gonna cum…”

You pulled away from his cock, grinning. “You gonna cum in my mouth?”

He nodded. “Yeah… and you’re gonna swallow.”

You were giddy as you set to work again, taking him as deeply as you could, making sure to hum as you stroked his cock with each movement of your hand, knowing that it would get him to finish sooner; you needed to taste him, you couldn’t wait.

Impatience, it seemed, was a virtue.

You swallowed as much as you could, only to lick his cock clean just to make sure; a quick lick of your lips, you looked up at him, and hummed, putting the phone down.

“Did you finish the level for me?”

Eddie put the controller down, nodding as he wiped a thin layer of sweat from his brow. “I finished the level, baby, don’t worry.”

“I haven’t finished,” you said quietly, biting back a grin.

Eddie laughed softly, patting his thigh. “That is a shame…”

“Can you stay the night?” You asked, kneeling between his legs.

He nodded. “Yeah, of course… always… we’ve been together, what? Four years, now?”

You nodded. “You asked me out on my twenty-third birthday, so… four years, six months, and three days.”

“Right,” he hummed. “And you know I can stay, always… why’d you ask?”

“I just wanted to make sure.”

[that-nerd-who-writes-fanfiction]

A BBC Merlin fanfic I wrote recently and then promptly forgot about

Merlin saves (tries to kill) Arthur

That one scene in A servant of two masters where Merlin is running at Arthur with the sword but he’s been fighting against the Fomorroh and finally wins.

(Part 2)

—

Arthur had been getting ready for almost half an hour, he still hadn’t gotten dressed but talking to Merlin about the suspected traitor was helped him to process.

Merlin hated this. The detachment from his own body, the fact that he was fighting for control over himself, that his magic had retreated so far from his reach so the fomorroh wouldn’t be able to use it. He hated that Arthur was grappling with issues he couldn’t help with and while Merlin made sure he failed to properly set a crossbow to kill him, made sure to hide his magic from Morgana and the Fomorroh, it wasn’t enough to fix this. He’d think about Leon later and beg the man to at least question him when he made such obvious threats to Arthur’s life.

His usual threats were much more comedic. Leaving Arthur to dress himself till he died of embarrassment, letting him fend for himself for a day till he starved to death or accidentally poisoned himself with bad cooking, stopping adding holes into his belt till he squeezed himself in half.

Just killing him was never something Merlin would say now he’d become friends with Arthur. Maybe while he was still a pratish prince, but not anymore.

Arthur opened the wardrobe, Merlin panicked for a moment until the crossbow failed. Fomorroh was angry, of course, but it gave him a little longer to break out of its control.

He could hardly focus until distantly, he heard Arthur ask for a sword and Fomorroh preened. Merlin fought harder than he ever had before, calling on his magic to do anything to protect Arthur as he desperately tried to take back control.

It felt like a gasp of momentary fresh air.

“Arthur,” he murmured, pained and weak.

Arthur turned back, but his hold wasn’t enough to keep Fomorroh back. Merlin was lost in his mind again by the time Arthur started to ask: “Merlin? Are you alright?”

“Yes, fine. Fine. Ceremonial sword. Of course.” A distant voice that sounded like his own but distorted and broken echoed through Merlin’s skull.

“Yes…” Arthur looked him over and turned away. Arthur was saying something, Merlin used his voice as an anchor to reality. To remember that Arthur was his friend, his king, his destiny. That he would do anything to keep him safe, “but...can't trust anyone.”

Merlin hated the irony of it in that moment.

His hand was on the hilt of a sword.

Merlin struggled for control again. He’d do anything. He’d rather fall on the sword himself.

He held it up, testing the weight and ability to run a man through.

Merlin desperately fought, pushing his magic forward so he could at least protect Arthur.

“In fact, I think you, Merlin, are the only person I can trust.” Arthur said, his back to Merlin and the sword and all the bitter horrible irony of being the one to literally stab his best friend in the back after so many betrayals.

His body took a step, then another,

The door to Arthur’s chambers opened with a panicked Gwen and Gaius looking at him, horrified at what he was about to do.

Merlin felt a surge of magic finally win out over the dark forces that powered the Fomorroh’s will.

Arthur turned around, seemingly recognising the fear in Gwen and Gaius, and saw Merlin taking rushed steps towards him with a sword raised.

Then Merlin’s eyes flooded with gold as he froze, mid movement, gasping and trembling to hold onto the control he’d fought desperately for. He just needed a moment. It wasn’t going to last but if he could just-

“Merlin!” Arthur stumbled back, shock and confusion and betrayal on his face.

Arthur’s voice gave him a focus point to stay in control.

“Morgana-“ he forced out, focusing solely on Arthur and his best friend and keeping him safe no matter the cost. “Mind control. Fomorroh. Knock me out.” He looked to Arthur with gold in his eyes, seeing fear to match his own looking back at him, “Please.”

Arthur was frozen, but in the corner of his eye Merlin saw Gwen move, then his head snapped to the side with a sharp pain and everything went black.

—

Hope you enjoyed. Thoughts?? I might rewrite/continue this as a fix-it for the whole episode :)

[hhhhunty]

been thinking nonstop about the asl brothers and would love to hear you yap about them

Ouhhh the ASL bros.... apologies in advance for how Luffy-heavy this is.

They are very important to me... Luffy's my favorite character and so of course I am made weak by his brothers. They're so incredibly tragic that it pains me to think about them. Did you ever think about the fact that Sabo and Luffy are the two who know each other the least? Sabo and Ace had at least three years before Sabo disappeared, and Ace and Luffy had seven years together before Ace set out, but Luffy and Sabo only knew each other through Ace for less than a year, twelve years ago. They're probably weird without the context of Ace in between them.

This of course isn't to say their bond isn't strong or they don't love each other as much, but being near each other must cause such an ache for their third brother given they were never around each other without Ace there... kind of like when Sabo "died" and Luffy and Ace kept talking to him anyways before getting embarrassed and upset as soon as they remembered Sabo's not here anymore.

Urghh I also think the beginning of Luffy's relationship with Ace is the blueprint for Luffy trying to befriend anyone, and probably the proof to him (though he already knew it) that he could get anyone in his corner if he was just persistent. This is an attitude he keeps throughout all his adventures and everyone he meets, from his "I refuse your refusal!" to Sanji to his consistent pestering of Law...

Ace is just a whole mess of his own... he changed so drastically and even learned manners for Luffy in order to thank Shanks for saving him (something something changing for the better because of someone you love). This completely changed his interactions with others, I think. I love whenever there are nods in comics or fics to Ace being remembered by Luffy's crew as this polite guy, and when Sabo hears of this he's just hopelessly confused and probably a little sad, too, that he missed such a change in his brother and never had the chance to meet him like that.

Back to Luffy though because I'm insane... Ace is such a good meter for Luffy's growth... I recently saw someone commenting on the way that Luffy speaks of Ace throughout post timeskip, from feeling so guilty meeting Sabo at Dressrosa to smiling when Marco told him Ace would be proud of him in Wano... I think a lot of that came from seeing Sabo, and knowing he had another brother alive. I think to Luffy, Sabo is the authority on Ace to some extent. That Sabo was simply happy Luffy was alive and wasn't upset at him for failing Ace was big for Luffy and he kind of took that to heart - it helped him really believe it... maybe that in a way caused him to be able to talk freely about Ace by the time he reached Wano...

Ughh this is all so disjointed and jumbled and I may think of more later but this has been my yapping for now.

here is a doodle :)

[coraniaid]

Made a list of some various ways in which Kendra could have continued to appear in the show after Faith. Sorted roughly both in order of increasing impact on the plot and increasing suspension of disbelief required on the part of the audience:

Kendra stays dead, but somebody (ideally somebody who actually met her, but failing that just about anybody) brings her name up, in any context, after her last canonical mention on the show (by Cordelia in Faith, Hope & Trick). This is ... the baseline, surely. (Do you know nobody but Cordelia mentions her by name at all after Season 2? Or that there are multiple conversations in early Season 3 in which it's discussed that Buffy was wanted for murder but has since been cleared, but not one in which it is acknowledged that the person she was wrongly accused of murdering was her friend and fellow Slayer?)

Kendra stays dead, but the First takes on her appearance at any point (either in Amends or in Season 7). There's a lot of talk about how the writers were hoping to bring back Xander's friend Jesse for Conversations With Dead People, but I've never seen anything about them doing the same for Kendra, despite the fact that Kendra appeared more times on the show (and more recently) and clearly mattered far more to Buffy. And given that the writers insisted on recasting Nikki Wood this season (despite her original actor wanting to come back!), I'm not exactly inclinced to give them the benefit of the doubt here.

Kendra stays dead, but for some reason only known to the writers, Amy Madison casts a spell to make one of the Potentials look just like her for an episode. It is never made clear why Amy would do this beyond a vague desire to mess with Buffy, how she knew about Kendra in the first place, or what consequences -- if any - Amy ever faces after casting this spell. Somehow it's still only very slightly less stupid than the actual canon plot of Season 7's The Killer In Me (which, to be clear, this would not replace in my vision; randomy-evil!Amy does two very similar spells back to back, ideally in consecutive episodes).

Kendra stays dead, but -- in classic Star Trek Mirrorverse fashion -- the writers use some sort of magical contrivance to allow the Kendra from the Wishverse (who was, presumably, Called as a Slayer the moment that the Master killed that reality's Buffy Summers) to visit 'our' reality. (This isn't really within the rules as presented in The Wish, but if Vampire Willow can do it....). Imagine a version of Season 6's As You Were when Buffy doesn't have to try to justify herself to her shitty ex -- the man who left her to fight a god and die so that he could go and make Belize safe for missionaries -- but instead she has to come face to face with the perfect, by-the-book Slayer who died as a direct result of Buffy's last relationship with a vampire.

Kendra stays dead ... until Bargaining. Willow messes up her resurrection spell a little bit and accidentally brings back more than one dead Slayer. Kendra hangs around for the rest of the show and is understandably very confused throughout (in particular, she could have sworn that Buffy didn't have a little sister four years ago...). Maybe the Watchers show up again, after Kendra tries contacting Sam Zabuto for advice. Maybe Kendra reacts just as badly to being brought back from the dead as Buffy initially does (and, look, if she wants to follow Buffy's example and start a relationship with one of the monsters she's meant to be Slaying, Anya will be newly single in just a few months' time...)

Kendra stays mostly dead, but a certain academic at UC Sunnydale with ties to the US military has been hearing rumours and myths about "Slayers" from captured demons and vampires for a while now. Long enough to become curious, and to pull a few strings at the local morgue when the rumour mill tells her a vampire somehow managed to kill a Slayer. Said academic has been funneling government money to work on her own "perfect soldier" project for a long time, and what better test subject to demonstrate this work on than a Slayer of her own? It turns out that most of Kendra's memories are still intact, after a little bit of not-exactly-ethical post-mortem surgery gets her heart working again, and as luck would have it she's even been trained for years to follow orders and never question authority. She's perfect. Realizing that the name "Adam" was a bit on the nose anyway, Professor Walsh starts a new project in Room 314...

Kendra was left for dead by Drusilla, bleeding out and unconcious on the floor of Sunnydale High School library, but it turns out that modern medicine is a bit better than it was in Drusilla's day and Slayers have this whole enhanced healing deal that the canon show sometimes forgets about. Yeah, her heart stops a couple of times in the ER, which is enough for a third Slayer to be called as in canon (and Buffy might not know that Kendra is going to make it when she goes to fight Angelus or when she leaves town), but by the time Willow is up and walking around again, so is Kendra.

Kendra is alive at the beginning of Season 3, filling in for Buffy in Sunnydale while the other Slayer is living as 'Anne' in LA. After Buffy comes back, Kendra leaves town for another Hellmouth but still regularly makes cameo appearances every season. Faith is also there, just like in canon, and the fact that Faith should only have been activated as a Slayer if Kendra died is simply never addressed. (I mean, let's be honest, it's not like the show particularly cares about continuity anyway.)

[miss-jaye]

how he confesses

haikyuu boys

Featuring: Kozume, Akaashi, Miya (Atsumu)

The Pretty Setters Squad (3)

Part 1, Part 2

kozume kenma

(tw: mentions of period)

"two in mid. they're low" kenma said into his mic right after he died. "you got it kyanma" was what he heard through his earphones.

kenma, kuroo, bokuto and akaashi are playing a video game called valorant. you would've joined them but you didn't feel like playing. you were scrolling through tiktok on kenma's bed, waiting for him to pay attention to you.

then you felt it. oh god it hurts.

you immediately sit up and toss your phone to the side and rush to your bag. you had a feeling you would get it while you were at kenma's house but not now.

you grab your necessities and a towel and rush out of his room straight to his bathroom. kenma was staring at you the entire time, confused as to why you were in a hurry.

you came back a few minutes later and you sighed in relief. you walked over to his bed and got under his covers, curling into a ball to ease the cramps.

kenma muted himself then asked you "hey y/n, you okay?" you grumbled "yea.. just dealing with some cramps" you buried yourself more into his comforters.

he took a second before saying a quick "oh" then unmuted himself and told his friends "sorry, gotta go, if you lose i blame you kuroo" "HEY-" you hear slightly before it cut off.

you looked over to his monitor to see he closed the game and shut off his computer. you furrowed your brows "hey, why'd you-" he cut you off.

"do you need a heating pad? want some hot choco? watch a movie?" he asked, firing multiple questions at you while getting his laptop to let you pick a movie on netflix.

"uhm, yes please" you answered his questions with one answer and he was already on it. he placed the laptop beside you, netflix already open.

he went downstairs to get you a heating pad and two hot choco's for both of you. he closed his door and carefully placed the mugs on his bedside table.

he handed you the heating pad and you thanked him quietly, sitting up properly and placing the heating pad on your lower stomach.

he climbed into the covers and made you lean on him. he carefully handed you one of the mugs and, you took it with both hands to savor the heat since it was a bit chilly at night.

he got the other mug for himself and pressed play on the movie you picked. "wait you didn't let me finish my question." you said turning your head towards him.

he hummed then looked down at you "what is it?"

"why'd you leave in the middle of the game?"

he stayed silent before saying:

"priorities"

akaashi keiji

"y/n-san, what kind of flowers are you taking care of today?" the setter of fukurodani asks you.

you perked up and looked at the voice in surprise. it was akaashi! you smiled "keiji-san! hello. i'm taking care of some beautiful sunflowers today"

he gave you a small smile and crouched beside you "did you just finish practice?" you asked him. he nodded "yes, bokuto-san wanted us to finish early because he has a family dinner" he explained.

you hummed in understanding as you admired the sunflowers.

akaashi stared at you for a few seconds before asking "what do these flowers symbolize, y/n-san?" you grinned.

"well they symbolize loyalty and admiration. because of their association with the sun, sunflowers are well-known for being a happy flower and the perfect bloom for a summer flower delivery to brighten someone's mood"

he listened to every word you were saying, kind of seeing you as a sunflower. his sunflower.

"you know a lot about sunflowers, any particular reason why?" he loves it when you ramble about anything, so he takes every opportunity he has to hear you talk.

"i think they're just really pretty. i also learned recently that the sunflowers always face the sun but, when they can't find it, they face each other instead." you smiled "i just think it's a pretty cute fact"

he hummed "that is cute" you giggled "right?" you stood up and stretched your arms up, and sat down at a nearby bench, akaashi following you.

"you know, keiji-san, you remind me of a sunflower" you told him, and his eyes widened with surprise "how so?" he asked.

you looked at the sky "because you're so admirable and very loyal. and when i see you here everyday, you make me happy" you said honestly.

he hid his smile then said "you remind me of a sunflower too" you blushed and turned to look at him "i guess we're both sunflowers then"

he chuckled "i guess so." you then both looked up at the sky and basked in the silence and peacefulness at night.

you sighed then stood up "i'm going home, it's getting late" he stood up. "ill walk you" you smiled "thanks keiji-san"

he stared at you and you stared back, it was silent. you started getting flustered "why are you staring at me like that?" he had this certain look in his eye that you couldn't pinpoint, or you could but just don't want to assume anything.

he smiled

"because you are my sun"

miya astumu

you were having a movie night with the miya twins but osamu decided to sleep early, so it was just you and atsumu.

the movie was a rom-com. it was a cute story, a little frustrating because the guys hasn't spilled his feelings to the girl yet. honestly, atsumu didn't care about the movie.

all he cared about was you smiling and having fun, and you were doing just that.

you were hogging all the popcorn but he didn't mind. a sad part got on the movie and you held your breath while atsumu was slowly dozing off.

the people in the movie started arguing and you started complaining "what! don't fight, no, no, no, you're not supposed to fight" you whisper-yelled

"all couples fight eventually" atsumu retorted quietly, still dozing off but aware of what's happening.

you pouted "i know that but, i still don't like it." the boy beside you just hummed and stayed silent. Unbeknownst to you, he fell asleep.

a few more scenes went by and it got to the part where the girl is in desperate need of comfort and the guy finds her and does just that.

sobs came out of the girl while you watched the scene intently, waiting for the guy to just kiss the girl already when all of a sudden atsumu wakes up in a panic.

he faces you, scans your face and he exhales a sigh of relief. you rose your brow at him "woah, are you okay?" you sat up slightly, worried he had a nightmare or something.

"yea i'm fine" he snuggles back in the comfort of the blankets while you still worriedly look over at him.

"did you have a nightmare? why'd you wake up in a panic?" you asked a question after another question

he looked at you and goes:

"i thought you were the one who was crying"

(AAAA hello my sweets, i'm terribly sorry for not posting in a while, my motivation went bye bye for idk how long but heyy i'm back with the final part of the pretty setters squad <3 I had fun making this. Please give me requests because i don't have any ideas as of now sooo yea! Hope you enjoyed this! <3)

[flemlem]

okay so thoughts about creation saying that tubbo never was alive. This has been making me go wild. I have so many thoughts about his character and what this may make his character. So in we go, my inane ramblings.( warning, this is Long long)

So first off, during Fit's birthday, after Tubbo had been bugged and Etoiles had said that there was going to be a lot of tweets about how his character could see ghosts now, Tubbo responded with "look man, I was dead a long time ago". So not only has creation told people that Tubbo has Been dead, Q!Tubbo is also aware of this fact. He knows he's not human, he knows hes not alive, he just doesnt really care. Which does kind of make me confused about all his suicidal tendancies but hey, maybe since he's already died at least once he doesn't really care anymore. It's all a joke to him. That's why he always plays it off as nothing serious because he knows, worst comes to worst, he'll be back one day. Or at least thats what he might think. It might also just be the desperation of 'Maybe this time it will work. Maybe this time I will actually die'. Maybe he's been dead for a long time actually. Maybe this is his first iteration or maybe it's his fiftieth.

so my main thought is that he Was alive. Not recently. not recently at all. But he was, once upon a time. There was a time in the far far past, or the far far future where his heart beat on its own and he had to breathe to keep living, to keep creating. Then something happened. Maybe he got into a tough spot and the feds found him and changed him. Maybe in his creation he changed himself. The main reason that I think he Was alive at some point is because of what he said at the party. that he "was dead a long time ago". He doesnt say somehting like 'I've always been dead' just that he Has been dead for A Long Time.

Im personally all for him having died, time and time again, not quite robot not quite human. His conciousness just inhabits a shell. That's why he still has all his limbs despite definetly getting hands caught in crushers before. Maybe that shell is mechanical. Maybe Its something else. Maybe it is like creation. Something he made, that he molded from metal and flesh and clay that is just... hollow. A puppet with cut strings when its not being inhabited. Maybe he got too attached to this shell, maybe thats why he needs to be brought back this time.

I do like the thought that he changed himself. somewhere along the line maybe he got sick, or maybe he just got curious. He started swapping parts out Just Because. He's not Totally a robot. He still looks human enough, just that some of his joints, his muscels, his organs, well, they're not quite organic anymore. He did this to himself. He needed to keep living, he needed to keep creating. He couldnt leave his Creations behind. He needed to continue to make more and to up keep the ones he had already made. He just... forgot to upkeep himself while he was at it.

I also fully believe that he Knew that he was going to die. It wasn't that he wanted the two lives left, its just that he Knew that his body was going to fail soon. He doesn't have create to upkeep this body (this shell) for much longer. It could only take so much damage before it started to give out. That's why he made the 'deal ' with chayanne. He needed the others to think there was a reason for this, that he had signed his life away for more excitement. He needed them to not question it when he didnt get back up. He needed there to be an easy answer to point at. That's why Chayanne said that he thought that it was a joke. He didn't think it was serious because the deal never Actually Happened. But it didnt matter. He was going to die either way.

So anyway, thats like, most of my current thoughts rn. Im So Excited for this :DDDD I want it to permanentally affect Everyone.

[jgnico]

maybe this is just my very hot take but I think people who want gojo to be relevant in jjk beyond what he has already done so far don't get the story. anyone who criticises yuuji as the mc doesn't understand jjk. it's confusing to me how gojo's entire goal is to prepare a new generation of sorcerers to be able to overthrow the system, seeing the young generation consolidate after his death even in such a disastrous situation and having such a big focus on the difference between gojo's generation and the kids and then having readers say stuff like "I want gojo to come back to defeat kenjaku". I swear it doesn't make sense to me how you read a story for over 200 chapters and still miss the point. yeah it's understandable to not get all the references or symbolism but the core of the story, really? the main message? I agree that there's criticism to be made about jjk and I'm one of the first to jump on the wagon when it comes to certain things but I really think gege receives an undeserved ammount of negative criticism for jjk. I also think gojo's death was obvious for a very long time but anyways. hope you have a good day, nico :)

Piping hot take, scalding even, but also one that I completely agree with.

I'd also like to point out that despite Gojo's position as the strongest of the modern era, and therefore someone that you would expect to have a large impact on the story by winning the fights that he's in, has never actually won a significant fight in the antagonists' favor.

The Jogo fight? Jogo and Hanami get away. The Goodwill Event? Hanami gets away and Mahito steals 3 death paintings + the school's supply of fingers. The first Toji fight? He loses and Riko dies. The second Toji fight? He wins, but it doesn't matter because killing Toji at this point wasn't necessary. The Shibuya fight? He gets sealed with the only major loss for the antagonists being Hanami and the transfigured humans in b5f. The Sukuna fight? He dies without dealing any lasting damage to Sukuna.

But it isn't just Gojo that isn't getting anything done for the older generation. Nanami dies to Mahito without killing a single antagonist in Shibuya. Mei Mei flees after almost dying to Kenjaku. Naobito flat out dies to Jogo after the Dagon fight.

As a matter of fact, the antagonists dealt more damage to themselves in Shibuya that anyone from the older generation of Sorcerers did. Choso quite literally takes himself out. Toji kills Dagon after Megumi makes it possible for him to get to him before taking himself out. Sukuna kills Jogo. Kenjaku exorcizes Mahito after Yuuji and Todo + Nobara nearly kill him.

Even more recently, you have Yuki dying to Kenjaku and Kashimo also dying to Sukuna.

All of this only reinforces the point that the story isn't about Gojo or any previous generation accomplishing anything. They're there to be an example; to show us, the audience, how jujutsu society operates and fails it's sorcerers, and to reinforce the themes of the story, but more importantly, to be an example for the students of what they need to surpass in order to achieve what no other generation could.

There are things that I absolutely will ctiticize Gege over - namely, his extremely limited use of his female characters that aren't Maki - but I agree that there's a lot of stuff that the fandom gives Gege shit over that they wouldn't if they understood/cared about the story more. Gege isn't a bad writer and JJK hasn't gone downhill as much as people like to say it has. Likewise, he isn't a bad writer for killing Gojo when everything in the story leading up to that point told us that Gojo would not and could not win that fight. And he won't be a bad writer if he never brings Gojo back when there isn't a single good reason for him to do so.

Which leads us inevitably back to the same question that I asked a while ago: For the people that fully believe that Gojo is going to come back; Why do you want that to happen and how would it benefit the story?

[chronicowboy]

"Buck, come on," Eddie scoffs, making his way into the kitchen.

"She knew I died, Eddie," Buck shoots back, following after him like a little duckling.

"She probably recognised you from all the articles. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if Taylor has done a story on it." Eddie rolls his eyes.

He doesn't mean to be so... combative. Its just. Buck's been talking about Natalia since they met her thirteen hours into a twenty-four hour shift. He's been hearing this spiel for eleven hours, but he'd been able to hide behind Hen's amused looks and Chimney's teasing remarks, Bobby's fond head shakes and Ravi's poorly concealed judgemental looks. That was at the firehouse. But now Natalia has followed them into Eddie's home, into his kitchen, and he's just tired.

"She looked me in the eye and asked if I'd died recently," Buck huffs an incredulous little noise. "Explain that."

"She read about your death in the news," Eddie deadpans, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge before leaning back against it. "It was a lucky guess, Buck."

"How so?"

"We're firefighters," Eddie says slowly. "She could have asked anyone of us if we'd died or almost died recently and the answer would have been yes."

"That's not true." Buck frowns, folding his arms over his chest and propping his hip up on the kitchen island.

"Yes, it is." Eddie drags a hand down his face with a sigh. "Jonah could have killed Hen, and he did kill Chim. Twice, actually. And that was less than a year ago. Bobby and all the Wendell stuff was pretty dangerous, not to mention the dispatch fire also less than a year ago. And then I—"

Here, Eddie pulls up short, biting back the desperate words that have been clogging his throat ever since a lightning bolt fell from the heavens.

He's been avoiding Buck's eyes since Natalia laid a hand on his arm and asked about his brush with death, half at the reminder of one of the worst days of his life, half because he'd been terrified that Buck would be able to read everything Eddie has been trying to hide. Now, he avoids Buck's eyes because Buck doesn't need to read what Eddie isn't saying, its there for him to hear plain as day.

"You?" Buck shifts. "You haven't been almost killed since, well, the hostage situation was probably the last time and that was more than a year ago, so its not exactly recent."

Or, well, maybe Buck's more deaf than Eddie had imagined.

"I mean, I guess the whole blimp thing was pretty dangerous, but like—"

Eddie looks at him then, sees the confusion settling into the lines of Buck's face. He scoffs again, the sound slipping from his lips before he can stop it.

"Unless there's something I don't know about?" Buck raises an eyebrow at him, careful and probing and a little terrified, if Eddie isn't mistaken.

"Of course, there's not." Eddie shakes his head, wonders whether or not to take the out.

"Eddie."

"Buck." He takes a deep breath, hopes the bite to his voice will be exhaled with it. "Drop it."

"No, Eddie, apparently I don't know that you almost died," Buck says, something high and thready and horrified in his words.

"I didn't almost die," Eddie spits out, "I died, Buck."

"What?" Buck's whole body pulls taut with tension like an elastic band stretched to its limit, his eyes wide and full of fear.

"Well, besides the fact that I ran up a wet, electrified ladder without a line..." Eddie's voice breaks, and he clears his throat, turning towards the kitchen counter and pressing his hands to the cold marble until his fingertips turn white. "Three minutes and seventeen seconds."

"Eddie," Buck breathes.

"For three minutes and seventeen seconds, I felt what it was like to die whilst still walking around with working lungs and a beating heart. So, no, I didn't almost die," Eddie directs the words down at his numb hands, "I did die. With you." He downs the last of his water, tossing the bottle into the sink before turning to face Buck. "She made a lucky guess." Eddie makes his way to the door, stopping with a hand on the frame. "When her next guess isn't so lucky, there will be a couch waiting for you at home."