#they may be feeling done with her antics but I'M not

[pileofsith]

Nameless Part Six - Provocation Page 2/7

The Grand Inquisitor is luckily not beneath an awkward 'hello'.

Note: text in angle brackets is speech in Utapaun language.

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[arlana-likes-to-write]

Not Like I'm in Love with You

Summary: For the longest time, it was you and Maria. A package duo. A dynamic team. Agent Hill and Gaia. But you were always just friends, nothing more. Until a mission goes wrong forces Maria to admit her feelings for you.

Warnings: jealously, angst with a happy ending, surgery, medically induced coma, bomb, eco terrorist?, reader is enhanced, mention of drinking and sexual activity, love confession

Word Count: 5.2k

“My savior,” Natasha groaned as you handed the redhead a coffee and a breakfast sandwich. She moaned, taking a sip of the coffee. “I could marry you right now.” You shook her head at her antics and passed the rest of the goodies to the team. Clint had his feet on the table and head thrown back, and a pair of sunglasses covered his eyes. He grunted out a thanks when he set his order down. The rest of the team was in different states of hungover, barely muttering a greeting. You chuckled.

“Maybe we shouldn’t have gone out on a school night,” you teased, sitting down at your desk so you could eat your own. Clint groaned.

“You aren’t my mom,” You felt like it.

“Where’s the boss?” You questioned.

“Probably untangling herself from the blonde she went home with,” May mumbled, holding a cold towel to her forehead. Why did your stomach drop when she said that? The team had the right to party after a job well done. The case had a breakthrough, and they wanted to go out. Like always, you refused, you weren’t much of a drinker, and you didn’t trust yourself drunk with your abilities. You were an Eco-empathy, allowing you to connect deeply with the environment and sense, understand, and manipulate the natural world. SHIELD nicknamed you Gaia, and your fellow agents called you various Earth-related names. You and Maria were just friends, right? When Fury picked her as Deputy Director, she prompted you alongside her. You were her second in command; while she went out in the field, you stayed behind to run point. It was how you two operated a well-oiled machine. Co-workers. Best friends at most. Like you’ve been, right? Natasha raised an eyebrow at you.

The door opened, and Maria walked in. “Ah, she emerges from her walk of shame,” Natasha teased. Maria flipped her off and thanked you with a smile for her breakfast.

“Ain’t nothing shameful what I did last night,” Natasha cringed. Thankfully, Maria’s back was to you, so she missed the frown on your face. The redhead saw it. “Alright,” she said. “What’s the plan?”

*

“You missed a hell of a party,” Maria said as you handed your mock battle plan for the upcoming mission. It would go through her than Fury before it was green lite; the more eyes, the better when it came to people’s lives.

“All these years you’ve known me, you know clubs aren’t my scene,” you sat on the edge of her desk. There was a picture of you and her during your SHIELD graduation. “Besides, how long were you there until an innocent woman fell under your spell?” You teased, but it didn’t feel enjoyable in your mouth.

“She wasn’t so innocent when I had my way with her,” you faked a gag. It was typical behavior between you two to talk about the woman you brought home; more times than not, Maria had the stories. But why did you feel like you could throw up right now?

“I can tell by that hickey on your neck,” you pushed the bruise, and she squatted your hand away. She was your ride-or-die. So you weren’t jealous.

“What is your schedule like today?” You sighed, looking at your nails on your left hand.

“Leading a training with May, a meeting with Phil, and I think Clint wants to go over some new trick arrows,” you rattled off. It was a typical busy day for you. Maria nodded.

“Do you want to go get lunch? We could go to that Mexican place you like.” That sounded nice, and you liked the burritos and mock tails they had. You sighed.

“How about a ring check? Nat asked if I could get lunch with her today,” Maria liked to joke that you made her soft. She rarely held up the mask to hide her emotions around you. There was no need. Now you saw the mask slowly creep up to hide her true feelings.

“Yeah, of course, she forced a smile. “Now get out of here before I write you up,” she teased. Rolling your eyes, you jumped off her desk.

“See you later, Ria.”

“Stay safe out there, Willow.” You rolled your eyes at the nickname but her office to start your day.

*

“You love her,” Natasha said as you took a bite of your sandwich. You choked on it, and the Black Widow smirked at your misfortune. You rubbed your chest to help the food pass and took a sip of water.

“I have no idea what the hell you are talking about,” she took a fry from your plate and popped it in her mouth.

“Please, Cherry, you’ve been in love with Maria since I’ve known you, and according to Phil, it’s been since the academy,” you gasped.

“Why is this office gossip?” You asked.

“We have to talk about something,” she shrugged. SHIELD agents were moths to a flame when it came to gossip. “Don’t worry, we won’t discuss it with Maria.” That was not reassuring.

“Look, Maria and I are friends. We have been forever; the way I feel is black and white.” You were curious to know if Natasha believed you. Hell, you barely believed yourself. It wasn’t like you stayed up at night overthinking the possibility of you and Maria has a couple. Nah, that would be dumb.

“Are you sure?” Yeah, it was fine. It was cool. It wasn’t like every time she talked about having sex with some random hookup at a bar, it made your stomach burn with jealousy because you wanted her body all to yourself. You wanted her more than anyone else. It’s not like you were in love with her.

“Shit,” you mumbled, slumping back into her hair. Natasha smiled, sipping on her chocolate milkshake.

“Glad you admitted it,” you hadn’t admitted anything. What was she talking about? “So, are you going to tell her?”

“No!” You shrieked, and you drew the attention of the other patrons. You felt your body warm up due to the extra eyes. Natasha chuckled. “God, no. I can’t. It will ruin everything. Besides, I doubt she feels the same.”

“She does.” The Black Widow glanced at the watch on her wrist. “Shit, we have to get back.” It was supposed to be a quick lunch because Fury called for an emergency meeting. You nodded, throwing your half-eaten food in the bag to take with you. “You know,” Natasha held open the door for you as you walked onto the busy DC sidewalks. “You should tell her. You both could be happy.” She said it as if it was easy and not scary. It’s not like you were losing your mind thinking about her in your bed. It started slow, but like dominoes, you started free-falling with no control. You were doing a shit job at hiding it if your friends knew the truth. It’s not like you were in love with her.

*

“I’m going on this mission,” you said, a little surprised.

“Yes,” Fury said, his arms behind his back and one good eye trained on you. “Your skill set is what this mission needs. Is that a problem?”

“No sir,” you said without hesitation. You kept up to date on your physical and firearm certification, and you met with SHIELD’s psychologist. You were always mission-ready when the time called for it, but it never did. You glanced at Maria, who was oddly quiet. Her face was in a permanent frown. But you couldn’t worry about her now; you had a mission to lead.

*

Maria found you in the locker room, tackle suit around your waist, and you were holding your dad’s dog tags in your hand. It was your good luck charm. “Want me to put it on you?” She asked. You nodded, handing her the necklace. Carefully, she placed the chain around your neck and locked it. The cold metal caused goosebumps to cover your shin. “I don’t like you going on this mission without me.” She admitted and sat down next to you on the bench. You chuckled.

“You’ll be watching my back,” you looked over your shoulder. “No, you’ll know how I feel every time you run off into danger.” You tried to make light of the situation, but there was a frown on your face. “Here,” you removed the necklace and placed it around her.

“What are you doing?” She asked. “You never go anywhere without it.”

“I don’t need it,” you said. “I got you watching my back. That’s all the luck I need.” Maria was quiet. It was unsettling for her to be quiet. “Ria, we got this. I get this. I’ve learned from the best, so I’ll be the best.” She laughed, and you were glad you could pull a sound out of her.

“Just-”

“Clover,” May walked in and cut Maria off. “We are all set, just waiting for you.” You told me you’d be there in 5 and turned your attention back to Maria.

“Just stay safe out there, Willow.” You wondered what she was going to say if she wasn’t interrupted.

“I’ll see you later, Ria,” you smiled. “Promise.”

*

You learned to listen to your gut instinct. It was your most valued tool as an agent. Even when you ran point back at headquarters, you listened to it when your stomach tightened with anxiety as you sat in the wooded area that surrounded the factory. This factory was responsible for releasing toxins into the air. Usually, this type of case wouldn’t gather attention from SHIELD, but the damage they were doing to the environment was affecting the locals: memory loss, muscle spasms, and strange hallucinations. The problem was that it was impossible to locate the idiots responsible for the mess. You could feel the environment dying in this area. May place a gentle hand on your shoulder. “Are you okay? She asked. You nodded, unable to open your mouth. You let out a few shaky breaths, trying to loosen the anxiety knot in your stomach, and tapped on the com in your ear.

“How are we looking?” You asked.

“They are about to make the guard change,” hearing Maria’s voice helped calm you down. “Are you doing okay, Willow? Your heart monitor is spiking.” You rolled your eyes and bit back a huff of annoyance. It was Phil’s idea to add pulse and heart detectors into the suit.

“Yeah, they’ve caused a lot of damage to this area. It’s making me all jittery,” you admitted.

“We’ll stop them,” this time it was Natasha’s voice through the coms. The Black Widow was recovering from a shoulder injury that left her benched until it was healed. You lead the team with Clint, May, and a handful of qualified agents.

“Shift change is in 3,” you put on your gas mask. “2 and 1. Stay safe, agents.” That feeling remained in the pit of your stomach. Anxiety, dread. You needed to figure out why. You moved through the building with ease and worked towards the control room. It was your, May’s, and two other agents’ job to turn off the factory while Clint protected the outside in case the alarm was tripped.

“We made it to the control room,” May said.

“Perfect, insert the flash drive. It should take 5 minutes to shut down the factory and copy the information they have on it.” Maria explained. May pushed the rolling chair out of the way.

“Go stand guard,” you ordered the other two agents. They obeyed and went into the hallway. The mission was almost over, so why were you so anxious? When May inserted the flash drive, an alarm went off, and metal walls trapped May and you inside the room.

“Houston,” your friend said. “We have a problem.” The room began to shake as a trap door opened, and a bomb rose from the floor. The red numbers clicked down from 10 minutes.

“Houston,” you repeated, and you took off the gas mask. “We have a bigger problem.”

“Turn on your cameras,” you turned on your body camera and heard the sharp intake of Maria’s breath.

“Guys, we have multiple heat signatures heading towards the factory,” Phil said. You walked over to the bomb, staring at the mysterious liquid.

“Barton, pull back. Gather all agents to the secondary position,” you pulled your hand back, clutching your hand against your chest—a fertilizer bomb.

“Willow, what is it?” Maria asked. You glanced at May; you knew she saw the panic in your eyes.

“It’s a fertilizer bomb,” you admitted. “Big enough to take out the factory and the surrounding bomb.”

“Fucking hell,” you heard Natasha mumble.

“May-”

“Already on it,” she cut off Maria as she rapidly typed at the control panel, trying to disarm the bomb.

“All agents have made it to the secondary location. Just need you two.” Yeah, that was going to be a problem. The sound of your team frantically discussing how to disarm the bomb became white noise. You walked the room length, gliding your hand over the metal wall. To your surprise, you felt pieces of earth within the metal sheets. Of course! All you had to do was focus on the impurities within the metal. You let out a shaky breath and concentrated. The metal moved underneath your palm.

“I have an idea,” you said suddenly.

“Am I going to like this idea?” Maria questioned. Probably not. You took your normal stance, feet shoulder length apart and knees bent slightly. You put your hands together, and then your palms faced the metal walls. Slowly, you began miming as if trying to rip something apart. At first, nothing happened. Beads of sweat trickled down your neck. Finally, the metal started to crumble and pull apart. A small doorway appeared. You fell to one knee, chest heaving. May ran to your side.

“That was wild,” she said. “I don’t know you could do that.” You chuckled as she helped you to your feet.

“Neither did I.”

“Nice work. No, get out of there,” Maria said. You quickly turned off your body camera and your and May’s com.

“You’re staying, aren’t you?” She asked.

“I think I can contain the blast.”

“You think?” It wasn’t an exact science, and you weren’t sure if you were strong enough to contain it.

“Go,” you told her. You had to try. If not, so many people would die, including your team. Your friend hesitated but took off towards the exit. You faced the bomb and turned on your com again. There were four and a half minutes left.

“Why aren’t you leaving with May?” Maria questioned. You took a shaky breath and retook your stance. “Willow, it’s just me and you. What are you doing?”

“I gotta try, Ria,” your voice strained with exhaustion, arms shook at each metal wall you bent around the bomb. “If I don’t, hundreds if not thousands of people are gonna die.” You said. It was your responsibility to get your team home and protect the innocents in the area. Maria whispered your name. It was so rare that someone said your real name it took you by surprise. The bomb was fully wrapped in metal, but you were exhausted already. “You got my lucky charm, right?”

“Yeah,” she whispered. “I got it.”

“Good, good,” you mumbled, digging your feet into the metal floor. “I’ll see you later, Ria. I promised, didn’t I?” There was so much more you wanted to say. A three-word sentence danced on your lips, but you held it back. It wasn’t fair to her to say it now. Each nerve in your body was vibrating. Every breath you took burned. You sent a silent prayer to your father as the explosion rocked your body. You held the metal to contain it. A scream left your lips as it became too much, and your world went black.

*

Maria knew she had this aura that surrounded her. An aura that screamed authority. It told newer agents not to fuck with her. She knew she was good at what she did and wanted everyone to know that. As she walked to the med bay with Natasha close by, she was murderous. Rationally, she knew it was no one’s fault. It was par for the course when it came to this line of work, but she needed someone to blame and push guilt onto someone. May was resting in a chair with an ice pack on her head. She looked up when she heard the approaching footsteps. “She’s still in surgery,” she mumbled, and Natasha sat beside her. “Doctors are worried about the amount of blood she lost and the toxins that entered her lungs.” A heat of anger washed over Maria, but she tried to push it down.

“May, go shower and eat,” Maria ordered. Her voice strained. She saw the protest form in the agent’s eyes. “That’s an order.” You risked your life to save her and the rest of your team. It would do no one good if May stopped taking care of herself. “That’s an order.” May sighed.

“Yes, Hill.” She stood up and left. Maria took a seat in her spot, elbows resting on her knees.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Natasha asked. Maria refused to look away from the wall she was staring at.

“I need her to be okay,” Maria admitted.

“Is this why you wrote her out of every mission?” The Black Widow questioned. Maria slowly leaned back and looked at the redhead. “Come on, Hill, it was obvious. With her on the field, missions would be over in half the time, but you didn’t want to risk her getting hurt.” Maria remained silent. “Now, why would you do that?” Her eyes locked onto Natasha’s green ones; there was no judgment like she had expected to see. “We do crazy things for the people we love.”

“I-” Maria let out a shaky breath. “I don’t know, Nat.” She whispered. “I just need her to be okay.”

“She will be,” the Black Widow smiled. “She’s strong.” Of course, Maria knew you were strong. She’s seen you at your lowest point when your father passed away, but you pulled yourself out of it. Your screams right before you collapsed were repeating inside her head. It was like a bad song stuck in there. The only thing that gave her hope was the steady beat of your heart monitors within your suit. You were alive, barely but alive.

“Deputy Director Hill,” her name said, but the approaching doctor caused her to stand up.

“How she is?” She asked.

“Stable,” the doctor said. “The next 24 hours are critical. I must admit she has a few guardian angels looking out for her. There was a major piece of metal in her stomach and left thigh. She also had small pieces in her arm. We think she hit her head due to a cut on the back of her head.”

“May said you were worried about her lungs,” Natasha said. The doctor nodded.

“She inhaled a great deal of the fertilizer before she was found, so we are worried about the lasting effects.” She explained.

“Can-can I see her?” Maria asked.

“Of course, we’ve placed her in a medically induced coma to allow her body to heal.” She faintly heard Natasha say she would inform Clint and the others of your condition. Maria wasn’t sure if the doctor was talking about your prognosis, but soon she was alone.

The only noise in the room was the steady sound of the machines connected to you. It seemed unreal that you were hurt. For the longest time, you seemed untouchable. Now, you were bedridden and too pale for Maria’s liking. She took your father’s dog tags off her neck and opened your hand to put the chain in it. “Lucky charm is back where it belongs.” She formed your hands into a tight fist and placed it on your heart. “Come back to me,” she whispered, kissing your forehead. “Please.”

*

There was a heaviness that surrounded you. It started at your chest and then moved to your limbs. The pressure was suffocating. Catastrophic. Slowly, you opened your eyes to the bright light of med bay. You felt metal in your hand and opened your palm to see the dog tags you gave Maria. “You’re awake,” you turned to see Natasha. A deck of cards in your hands and glanced down at your chest. You interrupted a game of war.

“Why are you using me as a table?” You deadpanned. Natasha shrugged.

“Had to kill time as we waited for your dumbass to wake up,” you rolled your eyes. “How do you feel?”

“Like I got hit by a semi-truck,” you groaned and sat up slowly. The door opened to the bathroom, and Clint walked out.

“Shit,” you said. “You’re alive.” You scuffed, rubbing the bandages on your chest.

“I’m glad you had so much confidence in me, bird man,” Clint took a seat across from Natasha. “The team is okay, right? They all made it out.”

“Yeah, you saved their lives,” Natasha said. “Maria is pissed at you.” You groaned, pinching the bridge of your nose.

“I’ll deal with her later.” You closed your eyes. Now that you were a little more awake, you could take a better inventory of your body. Every small breath you took caused your chest to burn; it felt like a fire was starting. You sighed, wincing slightly, and turned to look at Natasha. “How bad?” The Black Widow sighed.

“There is potential damage to your lungs due to the fertilizer, and you had a metal that they had to remove from your stomach and thigh.” Cool, you thought, real cool.

“Just think,” Clint started. “At least you are off breakfast duty for a while.” You laughed at his poor attempt to lighten the mood but hissed. “Shit, sorry. No laughing. Got it.” You waved him off that you were okay.

“I’ll go get the doctor. Don’t move.” Natasha said, standing up. You scuffed. Yeah, you would make a grand escape with a hole in your stomach.

“You had everyone worried,” Clint said once Natasha was gone. You remained quiet, lost in your thoughts. It wasn’t your intention to scare everyone. It was your job to protect your team and bring them home. So, you completed that part of the mission. It so happened you were hurt in the process.

It was night when you woke up again, and Maria was in Natasha’s seat. Her eyes were closed, but you knew she wasn’t asleep. Even in the dim light of the room, she looked exhausted. Bags were under her eyes, and her face looked pale. Natasha told you that you were in a medically induced coma for five days. Maria barely slept, had to be forced to eat, and left her office. “I know you aren’t asleep, Ria,” you whispered. Her eyes shot open. “You look like shit.”

“Says the girl with the hole in her stomach.” You smiled.

“They stitched it up all good. Besides, I had my lucky charm,” you picked up the dog tag around your neck. To your surprise, Maria took your hand in hers. Your body felt warm at the simple act. It wasn’t like you hadn’t held her hand before this moment felt more intimate. “Ria,” you whispered. “Are you okay?”

“I thought I lost you,” she admitted. “God, Willow, you scared the shit out of me.”

“Didn’t mean to,” you said. “I needed to save the team.” She shook her head.

“It was the right call to make, but,” Maria sighed, and you felt her take her hand away, but you held her tight, not wanting to let her go. “Just don’t do it again.”

“Aye, aye, captain,” you promised.

With the surgery and injuries, your movement was limited. The most straightforward actions were impossible for you to do without pain shooting through your chest. It was deemed you would move in with someone until you fully recovered. Natasha was the first to offer but was quickly overruled by Maria. So you moved in with the Deputy Director, and it was strange. You needed help washing your hair, changing, and undressing yourself. You couldn’t understand the look in Maria’s eyes for every action you required assistance with. It wasn’t the first time you shared a living space with Maria, but now you walked on eggshells around each other. A part of you wanted to go back before the mission before everything felt complicated between you and your best friend.

The physical limitations weren’t the worst part of your recovery. It was the mental scars. Nightmares plagued your mind almost every night of that mission. It would change constantly. Sometimes, your team would die, or you would fail to save Maria. It was exhausting, waking up in a pool of sweat, your heart racing, and your lungs unable to get air into them. You wanted all to stop.

*

Maria was sitting at her dining room table, a bottle of whiskey opened, and she needed to work on a few case files. Her mind was a million miles away and not on her duties as Deputy Director. It wasn’t entirely her fault; a lot had happened over the past two weeks. Her best friend was almost killed; Natasha forced her to admit she was in love with said best friend, and she had to watch you piece yourself back together. It was exhausting, but she knew you would do it for her. This was how it had always been. You and Maria. Agent Hill and Gaia. A package duo that never crossed the line as friends. So Maria filled the void that was missing with one-night stands and drunken sex that meant nothing to her. All she wanted, needed, and craved was you. She could not risk the friendship; it was the most important thing in her life.

Small whimpers from your room pulled her out of her thoughts. Standing quickly, she made her way to the guest room. She carefully opened the door. You lay on the bed, mumbling something Maria couldn’t quite understand. On socked feet, she walked over to the bed and sat at the foot. “No,” you mumbled. “Take me. Not her. Please.” Maria’s heart broke.

“Sweetheart,” Maria whispered. “Wake up. Come on.”

“Maria,” you mumbled, thrashing slightly. “Maria, please, I’m sorry.”

“It’s just a nightmare. Wake up. Wake up.” You woke with a start, chest heaving and eyes frantically looking around.

“Ria,” you forced out. There was a thin layer of sweat on your body.

“It’s okay—you’re safe. I’m safe. Breath,” she gently touched the back of your neck and brought your forehead against hers. Your eyes closed as you took a few deep breaths in and out. Finally, you pulled away, and Maria hated to admit she missed you being close. You slumped back on the bed, arm across your face.

“Thanks,” you whispered.

“Do you want to talk about it?” She asked. She was curious to know if you heard her. With your other hand, you grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

“I’m scared,” you said. Your voice shook at every spoken word. “I feel broken and weak and-” You aggressively rubbed your eyes as tears filled them.

“You are not broken,” Maria said. “You are healing. In time, you will return to your old self that I-” Maria cut herself off. You removed your hand from your face and slowly sat up.

“You what?” You asked, crossed your legs, and tried to cover the grimace of pain that crossed your face, but you moved closer to her. “Come on, Ria, tell me,” she was looking at every decoration in the room so she wouldn’t have to look at you. Finally, you used your index finger to tilt her chin to look back at you. “Finish your sentence,” you wore a smile on your face. It was a smile that Maria learned to look for in a crowd, in a meeting, or on a video call while on a mission. Your smile filled her with a sense of peace. It warmed her body and made her feel at home.

“That I fell in love with,” Maria softly spoke as she finished her sentence. You made a surprise sound that originated in the back of your throat, but you recovered quickly.

“You love me, Maria Hill?” the agent huffed a laugh, shaking her head.

“Shut up,” she mumbled. “If you are going to make fun of me, get it over with.”

“I’d never make fun of you, not about this, at least.” You added with a smirk because you have made fun of her about other things. “Can I kiss you?” You asked, inching closer until Maria felt your breath mingling with hers.

“Please,” you connected your lips with hers. Maria hated how often she thought about this moment. She would go to her grave before admitting out loud how many times she had to bite her lip during sex to stop herself from moaning your name. Fair too soon for her liking, you pulled away and rested your head on her shoulder.

“Why have we waited so long to do that?” Maria chuckled. “Will you stay?”

“Always,” the open bottle of whiskey and mission reports could wait another day.

*

When you woke up the following day, you are disappointed to find an empty bed. Maria’s side was cold, but you heard a commotion in the kitchen. Carefully, you stood up. The mornings were always rough due to being in the same position for so long. You slowly made your way out of the room and into the kitchen. Maria was at the stove, her back to you, and you walked over to her. Your arms wrapped around her waist, and you buried her head in her shoulder. Her body tensed up but soon relaxed in your arms. “Morning,” you mumbled.

“Morning. Breakfast is almost done. Why don’t you go sit down?” You shook your head.

“Your arm,” you said, kissing the skin you could reach. You were happy with the goosebumps that formed on her skin. Her body shook with laughter.

“Go sit. I’ll get your medicine, too.” You pouted, walked over to the couch, and pulled a blanket over your lap. It wasn’t long before Maria joined on the sofa with two plates of food.

“I can help you know,” she said with a smile. She brought back two mugs of coffee and water with your medication. You kissed her cheek as your thanks and took the three white pills with water.

“I should probably say this,” you bite into the eggs. “I love you too,” she smirked.

“I would hope so, or this entire thing would be incredibly awkward,” she teased. You rolled your eyes and pumped your shoulder against hers.

“You are a dork,” you smiled.

“I’m your dork,” that was also true. Oh, how you liked that sound.

“Mine,” you mumbled, kissing her. “And I’m yours.”

[httpisaoki]

model! ningning x stylist! reader

(part of the billionaire! aespa series)

-> short drabble thingy cuz VERSACE NINGNING SAVE ME?!

you had been her stylist for quite a while now, taking care of her outfits and styling her the way any model could dream for. now, in ning's flirty and confident nature, it wasn't wrong to flirt a little right?

people would notice the look of pure happiness on her face whenever she saw you, hell, even you noticed. maybe she did have a tiny feeling that you were attractive, in her eyes, you were perfect. you had a good reputation, known for your impressive styling, being a former model yourself, you had taught ningning the basics when she was just starting. once she realizes her feelings, she would be in denial. i mean, no one could even reach her standards-- but how did you manage to get her flustered?

after pfw 2024, where she had walked the runway, she came back into the styling room with steam practically over her head. you wondered what got her so stressed, her eyes cold and angry. her mutters of, "That asshole shouldn't have said that," and multiple curses followed by a name, hyunjin. it amused you to think what could have hyunjin, one of her many persistent admirers in the industry, done to make her so upset. As she ranted in a fit of rage, completely forgetting she had an interview in less than 20 minutes, you stood there listening to every word, every emphasis on her anger towards the man. "ningning, deal with him later, okay? I need to get you dressed." you softly said, rubbing her wrist with your thumb as a sign of assurance. in a matter of seconds, her gaze turned soft, almost forgetting why was she so angry.

it was what she liked about you, your calmness, how you managed to make her laugh even if you only saw her for short times.

she nodded, embarrassment in her eyes as she realized that she had been rambling. "yeah, sorry about that." she muttered, a sheepish smile on her lips.

you gave her a look of amusement, chuckling at the sight. seeing her sheepish smile was adorable, and the fact that she had so much trust in you, was better. "it's alright, you just focus on your interview." you softly replied, patting her shoulder.

while you were getting her outfit together, you took the chance to ask her, "so what exactly did hyunjin do that got your blood boiling like that?"

she took a moment to gather her thoughts, before finally answering. "he's just… really annoying, you know? he keeps insisting that I should go out with him, but I keep refusing him. it's getting to the point where he's acting like we're dating to the press,"

she groaned, rubbing the bridge of her nose in frustration. not only was hyunjin one of those persistent suitors, he was getting aggressive with his flirting, which had her blood boiling, and she just needed some way to release it.

you couldn't help but to feel pity for her, hyunjin was a known playboy, and she was clearly tired of him and his antics. the fact he was going so far, just to get the attention of one of the industries most well-known models, was funny.

it was getting him nowhere, and that was a good thing. "why won't he stop? does he really think this is going to get the attention of a girl as famous as you?" you asked with a laugh, trying to lighten the tension a bit.

"he really thinks he has a chance," she replied with a scoff, "he said he's going to take me out on a date after today, and when I said no, he said that the public deserves to know our 'date'." she rolled her eyes, her cheeks slightly flushed in annoyance. "he thinks I'm his girlfriend when I've already told him no multiple times. I just… I really dont know what he's thinking."

you hummed, scoffing at his ego. "I know it must be hard, but you do know that you can always report him to your agency and whatnot?" you give her a comforting smile, leaning closer to your lips before adding some blush onto her face. "he may think that he's all that but it's extremely annoying that he thinks that you'd actually like him." you rolled my eyes, fury in my eyes, making her chuckle.

her lips curved into a smile, she didn't expect you to be so protective over her, not when she was the model and you were the stylist. the fact he was so persistent, and how he had the audacity to call her his girlfriend infuriated her, especially when you were the one styling and taking care of her.

her gaze fell onto your lips, taking a moment to admire them before looking away. in that moment, all those times you helped her were all that kept rushing in her mind. she didn't expect to get infatuated with her stylist, but there she was.

as she stared down, her thoughts became interrupted as she suddenly felt her cheeks burning hot, realizing you had put blush on her. she gave a small giggle, trying to act like she was fine and normal, like you weren't noticing how attractive she was finding you. her heart was pounding as, out of nowhere, a spark of curiosity sparked in her mind. "c-can I tell you something..?" she murmured slowly.

"yes? of course," your reply was quick, wanting to know what she had to say. it may have been her first time asking you permission to say something, and you couldn't help but to feel your heart skip a beat. you could feel heat rise in your cheeks, making it slightly hard to hide a smile. you waited patiently for her to speak.

she paused, taking a moment to really think of how she wanted to say this. her eyes glanced to the side, her cheeks flushing as her heart raced. "what if i told you that i had a confession.." she spoke softly, the words catching in her throat as she struggled to get them out. she couldn't believe she was actually going to confess, especially after months of just ignoring her feelings. her heart was beating out of her chest, all while her mind screamed at her to do it, say it.

ningning hesitates, not sure on what to say, which in her point of view, was getting ridiculous because why was she so nervous? she breaks the silence with a sigh, a slight pause before finally saying:

"what if i told you that i liked you?"

[kassiekole22]

At First Sight

Pairing: Syzoth X Fem!Reader Description: On a mission to cause a great diversion, Syzoth gets distracted when he lays eyes on a gorgeous woman who sits all alone at one of her family's biggest festivals.  Warnings: None... Word Count: 508 A/N: I'm sorry this turned out so short. I didn't know how far I could go with this, especially since I wrote the first fic before watching the game. So I tried to keep the reason he was there discreet so it would make sense for both my story and the canon story. But I'd be willing to do a part two where it fits in with the canon storyline, if that's what you guys want. Anyway, more Syzoth x Fem!Reader requests are coming soon. 💚 Main MasterList: 🖤 Kassie's Angels: @lorebite, @mornandil, @bihansthot, @katiralovely, @queenkhepri, @blackbunnymayw, @simpforhotmaskedmen, @theleftkittycollection, @kiashines. (If you want to be added to the taglist, let me know in the comments! 🖤)

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As soon as my feet touched the shingles of the roof, I was on the run. I scurried across as fast as I could before stopping at the very edge and looking below to see if I had been noticed. Fortunately, everyone was too busy enjoying their time at some festival the royals had thrown. Everyone danced and mingled with each other without a single care disturbing their perfect night. For a moment, I pondered what it would be like if I was able to do that with my people — to be one with them once again — but I knew that would never happen; that was just the sad truth.

I shook myself out of my moment of reflection before turning back to my mission, since this was clearly no time to be taking my mind away from it. So I waited and watched on the rooftop, studying everything below me and trying to decide where and when it would be best to cause my diversion. Everybody was heavily distracted with dancing and talking with their friends and family so I decided that now was the best time to make my first move, but then my eyes landed upon someone different.

A young girl — dressed in a beautiful (favorite color) dress with her hair done all up — sat alone with a rather melancholy expression etched on her features. In fact, she seemed to have no desire to participate in her people's antics at all. She looked too rich to be a normal lower-class person like the others surrounding her, so I figured she was a part of the royal family. But what I didn't understand was why she seemed so down and... Alone.

It was a moment that I was grateful that one of my Zaterran abilities was brilliant sight, so I could see every detail of her — the way her eyebrows turned up due to sorrow, her pink lips forming a straight line until she sucked her bottom lip between her teeth, her beautiful (E/C) eyes twinkling under the lanterns' light — she truly was a sight to behold.

I watched her patterns for a moment — watched how she slowly brought her drink to her lips every minute or so and how she nervously played with the few strains of hair that fell gracefully over her shoulder. It was as if everything she did — even the most natural things known to her kind — were done in the most beautiful way. I could feel my heart beating faster and faster by the second and then when I got that burning desire to be near her and never far from her presence, I realized that she was the one. I just had to have her all to myself.

I wanted to learn more about her; I had to… Soon. But for the time being, I had to finish my mission. It was too important to let anything distract me from it, no matter how beautiful the distraction may be. Maybe once the fire is out and the smoke is cleared, I'll see the beauty once again.

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[pjohoo-reclists]

Percy Jackson & Batman Fic Recs

A rec list featuring the relationship between Percy Jackson and Batman | Bruce Wayne (DC). If possible, no Percy/Annabeth. Requested by @captainquake42. Enjoy!

For general PJO/HoO and Batman (DC) Crossovers, check out this rec list.

There is no such thing as too much family… i don’t think…? by YourFriendlyNeighbourhoodAries

Not Rated | 3.2k+ | Sept 1, 2023

Percy Jackson & Sally Jackson, Percy Jackson & Poseidon, Percy Jackson & Bruce Wayne

Misunderstandings, Protective Poseidon, Hurt Percy Jackson

Sally finds out about her two long lost brothers, The Genius, Billionaire, Playboy, Philanthropist Tony Stark and, Billionaire Bruce Wayne. How did she find these two billionaire brothers that she didn’t even know she had in the first place? Well, its sort of a long story but when she found one of them (guess who) standing in her living room in a metal suit is a good place to start. Or: Percy’s family just got bigger by 2… No, sorry 5… 6?

The Gods Watching Above by blackbwt

G | 4.0k+ | Last Updated May 2, 2023

Percy Jackson & Tim Drake, Tim Drake & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne, Percy Jackson & Bruce Wayne

Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Protective Batfamily, Tim Drake is a Demigod

"Hm, we just fought a monster...?" Percy deadpans, weirdly glancing at the anti hero before them, and turning to Tim, he whispers lowly, "Are they always slow like that?" "No shit, Sherlock!" Jason closes his eyes, trying to ignored the buzzing of an incoming migrane and sarcastically glares at the two other teens, "I'm asking why it was targeting only you two? Why wasn't it trying to kill B and me too?" "Oh shit. Well, I guess the cat is out of the bag. Fuck this, who cares, anyways?" Tim chuckles tightly, avoiding the eyes of his kinda-off-brother, "Well, I kinda am a demigod." Or: To say that Bruce and Jason are confused when in the middle of patrol, a monster pops out of nowhere to kill Tim Drake, it's an understandment. When a boy too much alike Tim comes to the rescue, they see things can get even more confused. Meanwhile Percy Jackson just wants to take his baby brother home to watch the new episode of The Last of Us together Honestly, Tim Drake just wants a break, but he is a demigod, so he should know better by now.

The Family Secret by Reed_Pebble

M | 4.4k | Complete

Percy Jackson & Bruce Wayne, Percy Jackson & Jason Todd, Percy Jackson & Dick Grayson

Family Issues, Lazarus Pit (DCU), Dead Bruce Wayne

When Bruce Wayne dies the Wayne brothers gather for the first time in years. All five in the same building. But with Jason still legally dead, one smol assassin added to the family and one member of the family still in the dark about the family secret. Antics are in order.

I Am Retired by Geek_of_all_things

G | 32k+ | Last Updated Nov 15, 2023

Percy Jackson & Bruce Wayne, Percy Jackson & Jason Todd, Percy Jackson/Annabeth Chase

Powerful Percy Jackson, Surprise Uncle Bruce Wayne, Protective Batfamily (DCU)

Percy is tired. He has fought in two wars and battled in numerous quests. He is done being a pawn for the gods to use. Now finished with high school, the next step for Percy is college. Where else better to get away from the gods than Gotham University, located in a city where the humans are so crazy that no monsters enter. It will be a paradise for Percy. A place for him to relax in his retirement while attending college. It is a shame that Percy cannot seem to catch a break. As he navigates a new ‘normal’ life in Gotham, he soon learns about an unknown Uncle. One that has an affinity for bats. Looks like Percy’s family and world just got bigger.

It's Only Fair by lothaleris 

T | 70k+ | Last Updated Feb 4, 2023

Percy Jackson & Bruce Wayne, Percy Jackson & Jason Todd, Percy Jackson/Annabeth Chase

Percy Jackson is a Mess, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Female Percy Jackson

Percy Jackson moves away from New York to Gotham where she finds an apartment that's cheap. She finally feels like she can breathe now that she's gotten away. One day she comes home to a little street kid trying to rob her apartment. What does she do? Feeds him obviously. Jason meets a really weird girl who is new to Crime Alley. Who the hell feeds and clothes the person robbing them? Obviously she's an idiot. So naturally, she needs someone to protect her from herself. Who better than Jason?

The Sea's Warrior by PokemonDestiny (Chaotic_Gremlin)

T | 82k+ | Last Updated Feb 20, 2023

Percy Jackson/Kaldur'ahm, Percy & Poseidon, Percy Jackson & Bruce Wayne, Percy Jackson/Annabeth Chase <- only in the first chapter

Female Percy Jackson, Bruce Wayne is Percy's Uncle, Depressed Percy Jackson

Percy has faced down the horrors of war and the mythological world. Now dealing with the aftermath of the final battle, she's sent to live with a relative. One who has nonconventional hobbies such as crime fighting and vigilante justice. You know, just a normal thing in Percy's life.

[afairytalestray]

OK so on Saturday I got to go to Milan to see the Cats Il Sistina tour and HOLY GOD IT WAS AWESOME. I'm glad I studied the character designs in advance because a lot of the costumes are really different. I'm not typically a huge fan of nonreplicas but Il Sistina may well change that!

I've compiled my thoughts on the show here! Nb, I do not speak Italian so I'm not sure how close to the original lyrics the translation is 😅

There were no green goggles, but the Cats did come in through the audience. I had an aisle seat and Cassandra walked right past me! She was right there and so beautiful omg.

I've gotta get in right at the start that Simone Ragozzino is my new all-time favourite Mungojerrie. The most ever! A little guy. He got most of the acrobatics that Tumblebrutus usually does - apparently Simone used to be an acrobat/gymnast so that makes sense. He and Rumpleteazer were sufficiently chaotic but also clearly valued and beloved members of the tribe. Idk man Simone just got it. Tumble-jerrie ftw. 

The cathedral from "round the cathedral" was changed to a Colosseum reference which I loved 😍

I'm obsessed with Demeter’s makeup from this tour actually. I'm personally not the biggest fan of cryptid-style makeup and looks in Cats in general, but I feel like Deme was balancing just on the edge and it really worked and I loved it. Maybe it was Viviana Salvo's acting as well - she was fabulous at toeing that line between stunning and unnerving!

Tugger and Munkustrap were super close! Munk was less annoyed by Tugger’s antics than normal and they did this thing at one point where Tugger was holding onto Munk who leant fully backwards off the edge of the stage - it was like a trust exercise and I was a fan. Their rendition of Old Deuteronomy was lovely and their voices worked so good together! Tugger was definitely Munkustrap’s second in command of the tribe. I wish Tugger was a bit more Tugger in appearance, he seemed very yellow with not a lot of detail on his costume, but the personality was hundo p present and accounted for. He did the "bite is worse than your bark" line in Jellicle Songs and legit barked at the end.

Jennyanydots was fabulous! Instead of a big coat she literally wore a giant ball of wool, and one of the props was giant knitting needles and the start of what might have been a giant scarf - it took 6 of the Cats to carry it. It actually worked super well for Milan, which is known for fashion and fabrics - there's even a giant sewing needle sculpture outside Cadorna Station! It was probably a happy coincidence but I enjoyed it!

Victoria's role was changed quite a bit, her solo was totally different and the pas de deux was gone. There also kinda just... wasn't the big small first touch Vic and Grizabella moment, which I was sad about, but if Griz's big moment wasn't "TOUCH MEEEEEE" in the translation, I'm not so bothered by it. I wish Vic had a bit bigger of a role because I love her, but she was killing it whenever she was on stage.

We are all stan pink Jemima, she had such a lovely voice too. Her and Alonzo were playing with a tennis ball during the interval and it was adorable.

My beloved Coricopat and Tantomile were lying in the Mouth of Truth prop after Moments of Happiness; they had their usual role of translating Old Doots through Jemima so I thought their placement here was deliberate! They weren't always fully in sync which I kinda liked, it was like they were allowed to be their own characters rather than just "the twins". I definitely got the impression that Tantomile was the older sister which hella backs up my hcs about her!

Gus was absolutely WILD. He comes in after Jellylorum has done her whole first part of the song in this raggedy old tradiotional Sherlock Holmes-style beige plaid coat instead of being there but kinda out of it the whole time. At first he wasnt keen on replaying any of his roles, but then all the others were like please please please and he relented. I think they were calling him (or his role) Romero? Idk if that's an Italian reference I just don't get? They did Pekes and Pollicles (one of the above had been changed to chihuahuas!) and then the bold Rumpus/Romero appeared... in a red satin bath robe and holding a sabre??? I need to look up this reference! Dude didn't just intimidate the pollicles, he straight up cut a couple of them down with his sword! Grandpa woke up and chose violence 😂

There was no trash train in Skimbleshanks 😭😭 there were giant glowstick things that changed colours though. Skimble and Bustopher were played by the same actor which is a combo I haven't seen before. Skimble was definitely still everyone's favourite train dad, all the characters were totally hyped for his song. HE DID TAP LIKE IN 2019. It was really cool how they did it, all the music stopped and he started a call and response tap dance with some of the other characters. The background showed an animated video of going through a train tunnel, like from the perspective of a train driver! The tap was gradually speeding up and became the sound effects of a train setting off and moving through the tunnel. I'm not explaining this super well but it was SO cool.

The Macavity Fight was quite different. There wasn't him disguised as Old Deuteronomy and then unmasked. What happened was he showed up and caused some shenanigans and then disappeared. There were about 4 of him around, so it looked like he was teleporting around the stage and audience! Bombalurina and Demeter performed his song which was absolutely fantastic (seriously how do these actresses actually manage to dance like that and sing at the same time?? Goddesses), after that he showed up again and the full cast was involved in the fight. Munkustrap still got the good choreography, but the whole tribe was involved trying to protect Old Deuteronomy. Tugger was definitely a protector in this production, he was very involved. Jerrie got KO'd a good few times, and Macavity absolutely destroyed poor Jenny! It felt like all of them were trying to protect their family and I really liked that. Despite that, Macavity was still able to win and successfully kidnap Old Doots!

"Mungojerrie, RUMPLETEAZER, Griddlebone" they let my girl do crime again!

Mistoffelees and Quaxo were besties, and Misto was REALLY enjoying Tugger's song I'm just saying. Delighted to announce Il Sistina Misto was a fruity little guy. He didn't get the terrible bore line, sad face, that went to Quaxo, but tbh idk how they translated that so it could be totally different! At one point Alonzo was holding him back at the start of Tugger’s song! We then saw a sponge-like Misto who picked up behaviours from the others around him, like he wasn't too sure of himself. This is actually one of my favourite Misto hcs so i was so chuffed to see it so clearly. He then helped Alonzo rein George (at least I think it was George!) in from going mental fanboy at Tugger. He was originally curious about Griz but then adjusted to hissing upon seeing the others. This fully went forward into his song. They did some big choreo changes. It was significantly less dance-heavy than traditional Misto performances and had a stronger focus on him being magic. There was a levitating box that they spent a lot of time with - Magician's Assistant Cass got in, but then she didn't disappear? She just popped back out again after the box had been rotated a few times. Some of the Kittens were waving their hands under the box to prove there was nothing holding it up and looking amazed which was adorable though. There was also a bit where Misto put some cards into a hat, the hat got passed down a line of Cats and then at the end they just sort of flew out? Like idk maybe they changed the lyrics where they're describing different magic tricks and it all makes sense! I THOUGHT THE CONJURING TURNS WERE GONE, but they were just moved to the very end of the song and cut down quite a bit.

Ok BUT LISTEN, à la 2019, the poor boy tried and failed twice to bring back Old Deuteronomy and then just sort of flopped in the corner all defeated but then BOYFRIEND TUGGER HELD HIS HANDS AND GOT RIGHT UP CLOSE AND WAS LIKE I BELIEVE IN YOU BABE and omg for real those actors knew EXACTLY what they were doing Tuggoff nation RISE. I'm always a red-sheet-turned-cape stan but I can definitely get behind the sparkly tail coat and playing card bowtie. He also had this handkerchief that he threw up in the air and it became a magic wand. I have no idea how and it was very silly so obviously I loved it. Although I wasn't massively into the choreo changes (ballet dancer Misto 5eva), Pierpaolo Scida was a magnificent Misto and I adored him - he was so cute! The little background actions and looks he did were so in character with how he interpreted Misto! Also he was beautiful you can't change my mind.

Malika was such an intense Grizabella - 10/10. She was proud but so vulnerable. She walked right past me when she first came in and lads, she did the whole show in these massive stilettos - absolute queen. At one point it literally rained on her on stage! During her first Memory, Old Deut was really watching her, and at the end of it he approached her, but she ran off when she saw him. I thought it was a super cool character moment, like she knew she wanted to be accepted, but wasn't quite ready for it. Even after the big Memory and Old Deuteronomy declared her the Jellicle Choice, Victoria approached her, but she was still too scared to let her, and it was Jemima who finally was able to reach her and bring her in. At the end she just kinda disappeared off stage - there were no flying tyres or magic stairs in the circus tent!

During the bit after the bows some of the cats were out in the audience and Tugger scared the absolute crap out of this one woman by poking his head in between her and the person sitting next to her. Iconic. Also during the latter part of the interval the audience was allowed to come up to the edge of the stage where some of the actors were goofing about in character. This mf pretended to cough up a hairball and now I have it on video. I also got some close ups of Teazer and the beautiful Bomba!

The Italian Junkyard was fabulous! It was mostly roman landmarks like Piazza Navona and Bocca della Verità, but there was also Michelangelo's David (which I'm pretty sure is in Florence) above the orchestra! There was also a giant marble foot, an Italian-style water fountain, and a broken column. My favourite prop was the bench, it's elevated at the back left of the stage and the cast were using it like a slide to enter the stage! Also it seemed to be Misto’s preferred location to lounge.

In conclusion, I will never get over this.

[gofancyninjaworld]

The OPM Manga in 2023

By the numbers:

23 updates (most 14 days apart, shortest interval: 9 days, longest: 33 days).

662 pages (range 12 - 41 pages, mean page count: 29 pages).

Volumes published: 2 (Volumes 28 and 29). 1 bonus chapter included in Volume 28 -- Olfaction.

By the story:

Psychics and Temper Tantrums (chapters 176 - 184)

Well, the Monster Association is behind us but the fallout from it is slowly beginning to settle. Most of the heroes are now back at work and some of the consequences of a world that's increasingly scared of monster attacks are beginning to show up. The first quarter of the year was taken up with Tatsumaki's temper tantrum -- and Saitama once again daring a strong person to do their worst -- it's like he didn't learn his lesson with Garou, which disappoints me. [I love Saitama, but when brains were being handed out, he was not at the front of the queue.]

That said, even though I did not care one whit for Tatsumaki throwing Saitama around (it wasn't terrible, but really it could have been condensed into 1-2 chapters), the start of the Psychic Sisters arc was fantastic, and its ending was very interesting. I made a nuisance of myself at the start of it, pestering everyone in earshot with my excitement that Tatsumaki was taking Fubuki into her confidence to try getting Psykos out rather than trying to do everything herself.

Her complex feelings of disappointment, betrayal, and the sense that she'd made a mistake were some of the most complex and nuanced we'd seen in the story. She may be paranoid and misanthropic, but she's not crazy: there's a basis for her actions, and being knocked back just when she'd taken the risk of opening up was harsh. Unfortunately, Tatsumaki's default response is rage.. and I'm not going to waste time on recounting what happened then.

I felt pain for her here.

The end as well, expanding as it did on Tatsumaki's thoughts about how she'd accidentally woken Fubuki's psychic powers by scaring her so badly and the guilt she felt at having made her sister a target, was great. Her feelings about Blast are great, as this is the first time we get what she actually thinks of him. I still want her to learn that Blast doesn't work alone -- it'll blow her mind. The session ending with her giving the Fubuki group a chance to grow stronger and prove themselves is a fantastic development.

Even when she's giving someone a chance she still has to be scary.

Schemes (chapters 184, 187 - 191)

I really love how seamlessly the Psychic Sister arc flows into the next big theme: that of schemes and threats to the Hero Association's future. ONE has done a lot of work reworking the webcomic story so that the storyline is a coherent whole rather than two-three apparently unrelated storylines. Fubuki taking advantage of the chaotic aftermath to extract Psykos while securing immunity for her sister, and Tatsumaki brazenly using the HA's need to keep the rich clients sweet to scupper an investigation into Psykos's whereabouts was all clever. However, they're just amateurs and their antics played beautifully into McCoy's hands, who leveraged the crisis to make himself appear indispensible to the HA, thus making it very hard for him to be removed, even as he works to implicate the Hero Association in scandals (many of which he's running).

You can't call McCoy hasty: this guy has played a good long game.

The Hero Association is already having issues recruiting new heroes as they're going to Neo Heroes, which is also pinching existing heroes. However, it's not 100% going McCoy's way. Something I started praising in my review of chapter 173 is the greater self-efficacy of the characters in the manga. Sekingar and Sicchi haven't just been sitting on their hands watching McCoy sell the HA down the river. They've teamed up with Child Emperor to find out what he's really up to.

I think that this is the best cover of 2023: a collection of individuals who embody heroism, whether or not they're recognised as such or work in 'regular' ways. Well, there's one impostor…

Critically, they're not assuming that the Neo Heroes are necessarily evil: they want to understand what this outfit is actually doing. After all, heroism is heroism, no matter what guise it takes. To see that Sekingar has so earned Metal Bat's respect that the latter follows him into the heart of danger did my heart good [1].

Please, my poor heart, it'll burst if things get much more awesome.

Ninjas, Ninnies, Nintendos (193 - 199, ongoing)

That Blast has some connection to the ninjas from Sonic's Ninja Village has been clear for a long time in the webcomic. [2] However, it is only here in the manga that we're getting a full explanation of what that connection is.

Yes, yes, my partner may be a monster but he's a useful monster.

The intertwined story of Blast and his attempts to reach his former partner, Empty Void, who was also running a horrifying 'school' for grooming boys into assassins, and that of Flashy Flash and Speed o' Sound Sonic isn't done yet, but it looks to be reaching at least one turning point. It's a pity that the fan translators stopped translating the cover text because that for chapter 199 was incredibly pertinent: 'Staring at the back of a friend you used to stand shoulder to shoulder with.' Sonic has so much to process.

And like that, Sonic's world has been turned upside down.

Since Blast has an ongoing relationship with Empty Void, we get troubling questions as to how long Blast had known about the Village and whether he disapproved, or had been content to ignore it as long as he had his partner by his side and found his talents indispensible. It's going to be interesting when those two meet! Also, if Blast is hoping to reverse Empty Void's monsterization, he'd better hope that the guy isn't like most people who became monsters. Most ex-human monsters *want* to be that way and there doesn't seem to be a good way to undo it. Well, maybe if you chop them up, have Phoenixman (oops, he seems to have lost his powers) resurrect them, then shock them incredibly hard, that might work. It's unlikely that anyone present can deduce what happened to Gale Wind and Hellfire Flame, much less put all the working parts of that together.

Still, they're going to try. This *is* going to be interesting. Also, potentially heartbreaking.

Reappearances

Genos: the disciple returns to his duty

Unlike the webcomic, Genos has not been completely absent. He's been quite busy: helping Saitama recover their apartment, meeting the Hero Association to discuss important matters, and also, hanging out with Saitama as a friend rather than as a disciple. It's been fun to see that he's finally ditched his flip phone for a smart one, heheh.

Nevertheless, it's not until Dr Kuseno finishes his new upgrade that Genos sets foot in Saitama's house, formally reporting for duty, so to speak. I praise Saitama's self-discipline and good sense in not breaking eye contact and in politely ignoring his disciple's new-found exhibitionism until he had the sense to put a shirt on [3].

Less positive, it's been painful to see that Genos is frustrated at how he doesn't seem to have grasped the kind of growth he's looking for and is unsure whether Saitama truly sees him. It's not been helped by Saitama trying to reassure him, pulling his best 'Reigen' face and instead made everything worse. There are two interesting shames, which will surely be built on at some point. 1: We see Saitama seeing Genos's strength but he doesn't say anything. 2: Genos is right that the strength that comes from within is different from that granted to one by upgrades. We see in another chapter from Nichirin, that having artificial parts is no hindrance to pulling out that great inner strength. The funny thing is that Genos has shown that kind of strength before, when he was fighting Elder Centipede, but he doesn't know it.

Ah, despite everything, those fools are no better at speaking to each other than they were before! It'd be hilarious if it weren't so tragic.

Rarely have the words 'open your mouth and solve your problems' been more apposite. Sadly, that's exactly what they don't do.

Garou: the other disciple tries to learn duty

Now this really threw a lot of fans for a loop -- ONE making clear that he's aware of how young Garou actually is. It was very easy to read Garou as a guy in his early twenties, but strip away the pretensions and he's really young. His over-simple understanding of what was wrong with the world and his over-large sense of responsibility to fix it are thoughts of a teen. It's just a good thing that teenagers don't have world-shattering power, and so can be extreme and wrong without hurting anyone. But it has really jarred with a lot of fans.

I may be giving Bang the side eye as he implements his idea of reformation (apparently, it involves hitting Garou over the head often), but the sense of lightness Garou feels at having a reliable mentor, the relief he undoubtedly feels at having a way to work his crimes off -- being a social outcast may seem cool in a 'reject-the-corrupt-world' way but it gets old fast -- and being able to contribute meaningfully to the dojo's re-establishment is palpable.

His life is sure to start sucking again soon, but for now, it's a joy to see him.

Let him gambol for now. Go Garou!

King: ugh

Sorry, King just irritates me some days and this was one of them. Not because he was running around trying to find someone who could help him: that was fine. But because, unlike the webcomic, once Saitama told him to work out, he's continuing to stick around and play videogames. In a world where everyone is trying their best to make sense of their world and help themselves in some way, however imperfect, the sight of this poster child for mediocre white men overpromoted for looking the part continuing to laze about just pisses me off.

Let him start helping himself and I will praise him.

He's been told what to do but he's not doing it.

GAY!

This year, ONE said: here, my children, I have brought you a pint of homo milk. Drink. What else are we to make of Fubuki triumphantly cradling Psykos as she makes a clean getaway?

This has to be the smuggest 'got the girl' face I've ever seen.

Or Blast continuing to call Empty Void his partner, despite everything that the guy has done, including turning into a monster? He wants him back so badly, and though he says it's strictly professional interest, we think the man doth protest too much.

And then whatever's going on with these two:

Flashy Flash, you ain't got no business calling Blast soft when you're handing Sonic tissues and smiling at him.

Fandom Follies

Do we need to do this? Yup! This year, we discovered that a lot of dudebros who have been against the idea of romance in OPM have just been shippers afraid to come out and own it. The sheer number of Saitama x Tatsumaki fans has been incredible. Nothing wrong with SaiTatsu but the obnoxiousness of fans new to shipping has been hard to tolerate. Learn some manners, folks!

Asides

[1] I think this is great foreshadowing of something Forte says later in the webcomic to paraphrase, risking your life for another hero is something you do as a favour for a friend, not because someone's declared themselves the boss of you and ordered it. It's nice to see Sekingar embodying that ideal.

[2] It's hard to believe it, but to this day (chapter 149), Blast is not yet seen in the webcomic. At this rate, he'll show up at the very end to get jobbed by God (no ID), but not before giving an over-long exposition about what he's been up to. That is, if he's not already dead, only nobody knows yet.

[3] I can see SaiGenos shippers worried that my saying that it's good that Saitama isn't taking Genos up on his obvious attraction means that I might be disapproving of the ship. That is not the case. I'm going to assume that most of us here are old enough to vote, enter into contracts, and pay taxes and so can think of things with nuance and context. A fandom that needs the reassurance of canon to decide what's permissible is a weak, timid, and pallid imitation of one, and one I want no part of. For certain, we're here to discuss the story as it exists, but please, we're also here to consider and explore scenarios and make works that cannot and often should not exist in the canon because they are FUN. Even more pertinent, ONE is on record as LOVING that fans spend their time and creativity doing things with his stories. So please, don't allow any in-universe discussions on what is helpful or unhelpful in the story affect what you draw and write! PLEASE SHIP! Gimme!

[prospectivehero]

BATMAN: WAYNE FAMILY ADVENTURES VOLUME 1- Written by C.R.C. Payne, Illustrated by Starbite

Usually when I think about an analysis of anything I'm reading I ask myself, "How did this story make me feel?" There have been several comics I don't write anything about because the story did nothing for me good or bad. But if a story makes me feel good or bad, I want to discuss why. While I felt many things as I read through these quirky, disconnected stories, I was struck by a theory about Batman/Bruce Wayne's writing that I've been building recently.

As a Batman enthusiast with an associate degree in Batmanology, I love exploring Bruce Wayne's character. He is a man with no superhuman abilities. Yet, he has the experience and intelligence to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with a demigoddess and an alien who pulls his punches. He takes on the burden of Gotham City's future, alone if he has to. It's easy to characterize Bruce as only dark, brooding, broken, and unfixable. But, as I've argued before, the best of him is his mercy, humanity, and compassion. Wayne Family Adventures highlights this through the scope of fatherhood. Instead of focusing on the streets of Gotham, the reader is shown the domestic scope of Bruce Wayne's life through the stories of his adopted family. This is truly a story about the batfamily as a whole, but the fact that they are a family is crucial.

In Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Bruce reflects briefly on his current protege, Carrie Kelly, as Robin. In this comic, Bruce is aged. He is aware that his limited time on earth is shortened further by his antics. The future of Gotham wouldn't matter to him after he passes, but this young woman who was inspired to take the Robin gauntlet has a future ahead of her. And here we have Bruce's motive. He doesn't fight crime to save the now. He does it to save the future of everyone in Gotham. His adopted family is emblematic of this. Dick Grayson, Cassandra Cain, Damien Wayne, and Katherine Kane all have a future. Because of Bruce's compassion and personal code, many citizens of Gotham, even villains that he's refused to kill, have an opportunity for hope. In the same way, he's changed the futures of lost and scared children by being an example of humanity.

I can't say enough good things about this comic. It embodies all of the things I often defend in Batman stories. It's a charming and empathetic look at redemption and hope in very diverse characters. It's one of the best examples of the good that can come from Batman, the superhero.

TRIGGER WARNINGS (with potential spoilers) -

1) Warm and Fluffy - This comic spends little time on Gotham streets and focuses instead on interpersonal conflicts and their resolutions. There are more hugs than punches, which may be frustrating for those looking for more crime-fighting and action.

2) Blatant Flanderization - There are many quirky character moments inspired by sometimes brief moments in related comics. While this is done for character flavor and humor, it could be frustrating if that isn't your mug of Mountain Dew.

[lazyalani]

| Sebastian Michaelis × [F!Reader]

| His butler, enamored

| fluff, reader likes teasing sebby, reader is lizzy and edward's older sister, reader and seb implied to have done 'it' before, seb is so done, suggestive, this gets a little bit spicy at the end, no smut tho, and here goes my first kuroshitsuji fic

| Summary: In which reader is Sebby's Lizzy, in a way, but he knows what's truly under that overly bright facade.

| Kuroshitsuji Masterlist

| Main Masterlist

"Sebby! There you are, I've been looking all over for you."

His eye twitches as he internally sighs before slowly putting on a smile and turning to you, setting down the lamp on a nearby table. It was nighttime, but considering you, there was no such thing as night and day when it comes to your antics.

"Milady, how may I help you?" He still asks, knowing it would just be one of your 'moments'.

You return a lively smile at him. "You always act so formal even when I told you to just call me by my name." You set down your own lamp on a table.

"Apologies, [Name], how may I help you?"

"You're still talking like a salesman, but oh, whatever, perhaps your polite charm is one of the things I like about you. Oh, so there's this ball coming up...." You trailed.

"Earl Denia's Masquarade ball?" He asks, ignoring your first sentence. He desperately wants to continue dusting the shelves to distract himself from your piercing stare but his pride as a butler would most definitely not let him.

"Yes, that one! So, I was invited and Lizzy already invited Ciel and Edward says he already has a date..." You look at him expectantly.

Sebastian's stress keeps growing word for word, he already has suspected this when you brought up a ball. But hey, they say it's different when you really hear it directly, right?

"Will you please come with me to the ball?" You asked, a bright smile on your face.

He could almost feel his master staring at him with that laughing smirk on his face.

Yeah, it does feel different when said directly. His stress levels are at their highest compared to before.

"Earl Grey--"

"Charles said he won't be able to come!" You immediately shut his only possible excuse down. "And you'll be able to keep an eye out and take care of Ciel during our stay there still, so, please?"

"Milady, I have priorities and duties--"

"Oh, come on, it's not like I'm taking you home with me. The most we'll do is dance, or are you expecting more, Sebby?" You flash a sly grin at him.

Ah, there it is. Here drops that bright, bubbly facade, and here comes those true colors.

He doesn't bother hiding his sigh now. "A noble lady musn't be reckless with her words, milady. And much less say that a mere butler would dare think about such intentions of his lord's relative."

The ray of light coming from the moon that shone through the window emphasized the sly grin that stretched wider on your face.

The strides you took towards him were fast and almost stealthy, your hand reaching up to cup his face and bring it down, close to yours, and dangerously closer to your lips.

Sebastian used the indifference on his face to hide the intentions of staring at your lips. Red, no excess stains, no unecessary blemishes, perfect.

"Then it must be great that I'm no true noble, am I?" You whispered, your breath brushing on his lips.

It's true, you were only adopted by the Midfords. A commoner at birth.

"Come on, Sebastian, don't act like you've already forgotten how we shared our feelings two days ago." You licked your bottom lip and stretched out a smirk at his reaction.

His eyes narrowed dangerously at your words. "There were no feelings shared, milady, please step back. Even in this middle of the night, someone could roam around." There was an underlying threat on his words.

You laughed victoriously and stepped back, plackng your hands behind your back. Your eyes were nothing like the bright, bubbly, friendly, lively, obviously Lizzy's sister you were before. That facade of yours was replaced with a sly grin, cunning and teasing eyes.

"How many times must I ask you not to act recklessly, milady? Please mind your words and actions, you are still in the Phantomhive Manor, Lady Midford." He closes his eyes and sighs.

"Oh, but you love it, Sebby." You tease. "You always do." You flash him that irritating smirk again.

His eyes narrow again as he chuckles darkly. "No matter how hard you try, you won't win at this game you're playing at, milady."

You raised a brow, clearly amused at his statement, challenged, even. "Oh? But I already am, Butler."

He gives a sly smirk back. "You won't break through me, Mistress."

You take a short and fast leap, taking his neck and wiping that smirk off his lips with a kiss.

However, his smirk only stretches, expecting the same act you two always end up with, placing his hands on your waist and leaning down to respond as reflex.

Your fingers tangled in his hair brushes his scalp, his scent, despite doing heavy chores, encasing you darkly and seductively. You let a sly smile match his own smirk in the kiss, letting only the night and the moon witness a forbidden affair between a butler and a lady.

You slowly let go of the kiss and bring your lips to his ear. "Liar."

He lets his smirk fall down as you take your lamp and walk away from him, taking off his gloves and brushing his messed up hair with his fingers.

He sighs, walking towards his master's study to organize, thinking.

A demon and a human, huh? Unheard of, disliked, even by him, but if it's you, he could maybe (certainly) make an exception.

But for now, he could let you continue this little game of yours.

[yugenwrites]

∗ —— Adrian “Alucard” Tepes x D.

∗ —— Part one, part two, part three, part four ( coming soon ).

∗ —— NOTES: This story is inspired by some of the fanart that is done by tender miasma / suzannart! The worlds of Castlevania and Vampire Hunter D are connected to one and another.

“Belmont said that you have fought with his ancestors. How old are you D and now many of his ancestors have you worked alongside with?” Sypha asked the dhampyre but the man did not answer, only sighing in response. He didn't feel like striking up any type of conversation, he just wanted to get away from the three of them since they did nothing but bicker.

“He's very old,” the left hand spoke like D had done a couple of minutes ago, he had dug his nails into the face of the parasite but this time with an irritated scowl.

“Enough of your foolish antics.” D was bothered by not only his companion but the three fools behind him. “Once we are finally free from this area, I will be parting from the three of you. I did wish that it was four.” Of course he was referring to the fourth person as his hand.

“If I could leave you, I would but you would be absolutely miserable without me,” the hand exclaimed at the dhampyre who curled his fingers downward and into his palm, nails digging into the flesh for the third time. “That hurts you bastard!”

“We all need to stay together. The faster we can get to Dracula's castle the quicker we will be able to put an end to this.” Sypha took a couple of steps forward in a quick motion, now walking beside D who didn't bother to look at her.

“I work alone and the people of Wallachia will need someone to look after them before they get devoured by night creatures.”

“I'm sure that they would have some dislike towards you as well, you may be half of a human but I am sure as long as you have vampire blood or genetics, you will be seen as a monster nonetheless,” Alucard stated as D began to turn away from the trio.

“Anyone can be considered a monster whether they are human, vampyre, or a demon. Even if I am a vampyre hunter, I am aware of the many things that a mere man or even a child is capable of doing. No one in this world is truly innocent but it is enough to try to change such a thing and help those who are in need of it.”

“And what if they aren't willing to take some of your generosity? Would you still provide aid to those even when they push you away?”

“I cannot force anyone and shall not do it. Not everyone is willing to accept aid and some will look down upon it.” Alucard couldn't help but to think back. To think back how a year ago was when his mother was burned down to ashes because of her so-called witchery when the only thing she wanted to do was help those who needed it. “I'm sure that you three alone would be able to make it to the castle by yourselves without my aid. I will make sure that the creatures of the night do not come in between you or your travels.”

“So . . . You are helping us basically?” Trevor questioned.

“In a sense, yes, but it's more for the people and not for your benefit.” D had paused in his tracks and turned his head to look at Alucard, eyes narrowed and nothing but a frown worn upon his face. “You. Be wise of the choices that you decide to make.” With those words, D had continued to walk away from the trio and Alucard found himself averting his gaze.

Alucard knew that the man didn't trust him, he thought that he was going to end up like his father and become full of rage to the point where even he was going to cause destruction to Wallachia and its people. The blonde wasn't a fool, he was able to control his emotions despite being saddened and upset about his mother's death. As much as it was unfortunate, it was something that was bound to happen one day.

The only one that seemed to really believe that he had good intentions was Sypha and the other speakers who believed in the story of the sleeping soldier despite it seeming more dramatic than what it needed to be. Lost in his thoughts, he had walked away to clear his head in a secluded area while Trevor and Sypha went to meet up with her people. He would join them a little bit down the line but for now he needed some time to himself even if he had spent a whole year sleeping in a coffin. Some things needed to be planned out and organized and he wanted to do such in silence.

The night was rather cold, the fear that the people had worn on their faces was nothing but clear. D held his suspicions of Alucard. Even if he had swore that he was going to kill his father before he creates any more damage, he doesn't know what he may do afterwards or even beforehand. “Maybe you were a little too rude to him. He's just a kid,” his left hand commented despite his own rudeness to the dhampyre earlier.

“He is no child, he is a full adult. I'm sure that he is able to handle the things that will be thrown at him with the decision he has chosen to make.” Even the parasite of a hand could think that the dhampyre was rather cold towards others at times, such a thought was rare considering his own personality.

“Don't give me that shit, you could have been a little bit nicer to him and you know it.” After all, Alucard had just lost his mother a year ago and to be able to stop the upbringing madness being caused and the possible end of the existence of humans, the blonde would have to kill his own father. A soft huff escaped D’s lips, maybe he could have but he wasn't going to during all of this. There was business that needed to be taken care of.

“This is no time for mourning and treating him with sympathy. The fate of the world lies within his hands.” His eyes narrowed underneath the tip of the hat that he wore so low and his lips were curled downward into a frown.

Only a couple of hours had passed until the sun slowly began to shine within the sky, the people who were hiding in their homes soon coming out to see that they were alive. D made sure that the night creatures didn't lay a single hand on a civilian or even glanced in their direction. Not many had shown up, maybe at least seven. Most of them were killed in the horde from earlier on when night took its course. The vampire hunter walked around and tended to people's needs even though they were skeptical of him due to his vampirism.

“Ye could have fuckin' stopped this!” There was one man who pointed at the black haired hunter, poking him directly in the chest.

“No, I couldn't have. The only thing that I can provide for you right now is safety from the creatures of the night after the people decided to burn down that woman you call a witch.” The hand was swatted away and the tip of his hat was pulled downward to hide his irritated expression.

“Cause she was a bloody witch!” The man shouted, rather angrily. D fell silent upon those words. He knows well that marrying a vampyre would be more than enough to get her killed though he doesn't know the whole story. After a couple of seconds, he had found himself walking away from the male, hearing curses escape his rather vulgar mouth. Humans in Wallachia didn't seem like the best group of people, rather inappropriate and stupid; blind. Seeing that most of the people were fine, he decided to leave them be for a moment and see if there was anything that he himself had needed.

“Hunter D!” He heard a familiar voice come from behind him which made him turn his gaze.

“Speaker . . .have you grown tired of them already?” As much as it seemed like it was a joke, the tone of his voice was serious.

“Well yes and no. I left the two of them alone so I would be able to find a covered wagon and some horses for travel. We can't move as fast as we want to on bare feet, you know?”

“That didn't seem like the best idea to leave them alone with one another. Maybe they are going at each other's throats right now.”

“I wouldn't be surprised. They haven't stopped their stupid bickering.” The female would let out a soft sigh, closing her eyes in the process. “I was wondering if maybe you can tag along with us. I know that you wish to tend to the people but it will be faster if we were to all travel together, don't you think?”

“As much as that seems to be true, I do not think that I will have the patience to deal with those two and if I went off on my own and fought off those night creatures before they reached you, it would make travel much smoother.” Sypha nodded her head, that would probably be the best option and she is sure that the small dispute between him and Alucard may get worse.

“Just promise that you won't get yourself killed, alright?”

“How insulting, I am a hunter. I am only doing my job.” D turned himself away but before he could walk away, a bag of coins was tossed in Sypha's direction which was caught. “This should pay for what you need for now. Between the three of you alone, I am sure that you wouldn't have enough.”

“Thank you, I'll make sure the two idiots don't get a hold of it.” With that being said, she watched D as he began to walk away from her before leaving herself to go the opposite direction. She knew it may take some time for her to find someone who sold wagons, nonetheless horses. It was likely that the night creatures could have destroyed them to stop the people from leaving but with their journey, the trio needed one.

[huneyproses]

Concept: LU all boys meeting their pre-adventure selves (as a chain)

I'm posting in shorter parts than will be posted to AO3.

Part 1/? (Aiming for 20/10)

Note: Switches POV throughout, I am a firm believer in "give them some oddities funny little man" It is explained in this part (with reasonings), but for ease of reading: Soldier -> Warriors Guard -> Wild Rancher -> Twilight Farmer -> Legend Crimson -> Sky Smithy -> Four Traveller -> Hyrule Outset -> Wind Green -> Time

Oh how glad he was to never grow up.

Link placed his hands below himself, giving a small cushion for his tail bones to rest on. The harsh rock of the cave floor had begun an all out war against his rear end with how many positions he had shifted to in an attempt to get comfortable. Oh how he wished to return to the soft cushion of his own bed back in the forest, sleeping till the sun began wain in the sky, and only waking up from Saria’s incessant shouts at the base of the latter. There was always something to be done—always something Link would forget about until she reminded him.

He brought his knees in closer, resting his forehead on them. He really did miss her. Not just her, the whole lot of them. The very forest itself.

They had been trapped in the cramped cave for a long time. He wasn’t fully sure how long, but time felt immeasurable during the tense silence that had preceded the discussion. When they had arrived in the cave, the man that appeared to be a Hylian soldier motioned for immediate silence, only whispering a short “Do not speak” before turning his attention to the gap between the stone. 

Link had assumed, based on how easily the man had commanded authority over the eight that he would be the one to break the silence, but instead it was broken by an all too pitiful yip from the small brunette in a ratty cloak. It was difficult to see with the little light streaming in, but even so the bright red of his cheeks was somehow readily apparent. A few had responded with a chuckle, Link, himself, even let out an involuntary giggle. 

His hushed explanation—“It was a really big spider”—and the muddled, yet frantic apologies made it difficult to not let out another laugh. 

But with the glare the soldier had levelled at them, any jovial atmosphere that could’ve emerged was snuffed out. He had followed it up with a loud sigh, dismissing any sort of plan he may have had with a wave of the hand. And following, the man began his interrogation, citing the need to be familiar with those he would need to fight alongside—and, based on the way his eyes flicked towards Link and the other three younger boys, protect.

It almost seemed like some sort of game they would all play back in the forest. The soldier had instructed them all into a circle. Saria would’ve named the rules, taking charge as she always did. Eventually, halfway through the game, Mido would’ve gotten fed up with losing and have started some dumb argument that somehow was always Link’s fault. They’d fight, kicking and scratching their way through an argument—all before someone threatened to tattle and it ceremoniously ended with forced, muttered apologies. Despite how at-odds Link and Mido seemed to be, Link still found him to be a comfortable constant. He never changed, and his antics could be amusing. Sometimes.

But he wasn’t in the forest, these people certainly weren’t his friends, and going around in a circle naming their names, oc-u-pations (?), and fighting ability wasn’t a game. Link drew his gaze up once again, avoiding the eyes of the older men, looking towards the fidgety brunette. He seemed incredibly downcast after the silent reprimand the soldier had shot them. Without thinking, Link nudged himself a tad closer to the boy. If it was for his comfort, or the boys, Link wasn’t all that sure.

Though, the more introductions they went through, that feeling of defiance and wariness had shifted to befuddlement. Occupations, Link had surmised, meant jobs. That was all fine and dandy; A farmer, a smith's apprentice, a rancher, and quite a few knights. The loud boy didn’t have a job, and the boy beside him called himself a traveller. All the knights seemed confident in their fighting experience, and even a few of the others seemed to have training, which was probably good news, if the loud grunts of the monsters stalking the perimeter of the cave was anything to go by.

But somehow there was something wrong. Something very odd. Each and every boy began their introduction with their name: Link. They were all named Link. It sure surprised Link (himself)—sure, he’d never been out of the forest before, but having 9 people all with the same name, that was definitely odd, right?

Link (him, Link. This was already annoying!), was the last of the group, having refused to speak the first go around, the soldier offered another chance. But, given the pure look of awe mixed with indignation Link gave the man, he simply let out a sigh.

“Right.” Soldier-Link had started, brows knit in a mirrored way as a majority of them, “We…all share a name. That will get confusing quickly.” He crossed his arms, closing his eyes for a moment, “I suppose we can refer to each other via occupation, though a few of you have none…therefore…”

“I will simply assign one.” With a forming smirk and a renewed confidence, Soldier-Link leveled a pointed finger at each Link.

For himself, “Soldier.”

To the stoic boy with a ponytail, “Guard” for his occupation of being a guard for the princess (however dismissive the eye-roll Soldier-Link posed while giving the name—he still gave it).

The boy beside him denoted “Traveller” for simply being such. For a short second the brunette caught Link’s eye, offering a reassuring smile. Link turned indignantly; he was trying to comfort the boy, not the other way around!

The same was true of “Farmer” and “Rancher” and “Smithy”; the former two being older boys. One looked like he could toss Link across the room, another that had a deer in the lantern light look about him. The latter was the younger of the three with relentless strands of tuft out the back of his head that gave a real funny look to him (especially with his contrastingly wise face).

The sickly boy with a weird outfit was nearly coined “Knight'' but was deemed too confusing with the other two. After a moment of deliberation, he offered up “Crimson”, with an explanation cut short by a sudden fit of coughs with intermittent apologies. Rancher gravitated closer, bringing a hand up to his back.

When Himself-Link refused to speak (he began to be unsure if he was doing so because of a lack of trust, some complex, or because he was genuinely frightened), he was called only “Green.”

“And for you—”

“Outset! I’m not anything yet so that makes the most sense since it’s the island I’m from.” The boy with messy hair and bright expression blurted out, “Plus I’d rather not be called, like, lobster.” He gestured to his shirt (The same thing Link was definitely named after), before placing his hand on his hips. He must be proud of one-upping the older guy, Link sure would be.

As if to confirm, the Soldier huffed, “So that was why the air smelled salty.” brushing his hair back, he moved to lean against the wall of the cave. He had opened his mouth to speak before the serious one—Guard—spoke up.

“—We are nowhere close to the sea.”

“Hm?”

“I don’t know exactly where we are but…” He trailed off, bringing his attention to the side of the cave, tracing around the wall to the entrance. “These caves were carved as encampments—as safe havens from the creatures, but also for the possibility of war before…” He trailed off momentarily before continuing, “The entrance is marked. They were only built in certain areas around Hyrule. None are close to the ocean.”

Soldier remained silent, having brought his own gaze towards the slitted entrance of the cave. After a moment, he scoffed incredulously, “You’d think a soldier of the castle would know about safe havens;” challenging Guard, he moved closer, “Lying about something as great as being the Princess’ royal guard when it's so easily disprovable. You’ve sure got some balls.”

Guard remained silent.

Suddenly, Soldier grabbed the collar of Guard’s shirt, lifting the smaller man with discomforting ease, “Stop fuc—” He cut himself off, glancing towards Link, “Stop lying. Who are you? I won't hesitate to throw your sorry excuse out of here if you don’t answer. You’re short, certainly not Sheikah, and not to mention a man, so you’re certainly not her highness’ guard.” 

Guard matched Soldiers vitriolic glare, gripping his arm with a vengeance even Link could tell wasn’t going to end well. Rancher stood from his spot, placing his hand firmly on Soldier’s shoulder.

“You need to calm down man; we can do this later. You’re gonna scare the kids.”

Soldier glanced between him and Guard, taking a deep breath before dropping his collar. He leaned into Guard’s ear and whispered something indecipherable. Turning around he pushed back his hair again, “Weapons. What do we have?”

“I have a sword,” Traveller said, bringing it out into his hands. Guard followed suit, flashing a shiny sword with a purple and green hilt. Compared to travellers, it was stunning. Alluring in a way Link couldn’t understand. It had a triangle with four smaller triangles inside at its base. It was so long it nearly stood at half Guards’ height. It was probably too big for Link to even hold. 

And yet, just looking at it made him feel an indecipherable sense of dread. He looked away, tucking further into his knees.

Soldier had approached Traveller, from what Link could tell, his voice echoing from directly beside him. He had even squatted down to meet their sitting position, “Do you mind if someone borrows it, Traveller? I assure you it will come back—if not I shall purchase you an even better one.”

His voice was deceivingly sweet compared to his earlier disposition, but, even so, Traveller handed it over, if the steps following the exchange were any indication. 

Link turned his head towards Traveller, legs crossed as he focused on the fate of his blade. He hadn’t had a good look at him before, but with their renewed proximity, he got a better sense of the brunette's features. He was definitely close to Link’s age, with girly features and freckles dotting his face. Were it not for his name and clothing, Link certainly would’ve definitely thought him as a girl. He was pretty.

“Green?”

Oh—he hated that nickname, “...You really gave your sword to that guy?” He cursed himself for how pathetic the voice that echoed from him sounded: quiet and frightened with a higher pitch than he swore was normal. Link discreetly cleared his throat.

“Well he’s an adult. He seems to know what he’s doing with it—well, better than I would anyway. It’s mostly just for protection.” He let out a small laugh.

“He’s some adult. You really trust him?”

Traveller blinked, averting his gaze as his smile fell. After a moment, he shrugged, “I don’t have a choice right now.”

“What?” Link sat a bit straighter, furrowing his brows, “Why wouldn’t you? It’s your sword.”

“If I want people to stay safe, it isn’t. I shouldn’t be reckless. These guys work with the kingdom from what they’ve said; they know how to handle a sword better than me. I’d rather have them wielding it.”

“You trust them more than yourself, then?”

“No!” Traveller let out a short laugh, earning a glare from Link, “Sorry, sorry—I don’t mean to laugh at you. Of course I don’t.”

“Then why are you giving them your sword?”

“Um…” His bright expression had all but dissipated, leaving only the trace of a smile as he finally set his eyes back on Link’s. Suddenly, his face seemed a lot older than it had before, “I just think it’s the best thing I can do to keep everyone safe.”

Link crossed his arms incredulously, breaking off the conversation with a discomforted huff. That conversation gave him more questions than answers. He supposed that could just be what Hylians were like—confusing! The guy’s reasoning was dumb. How can you give away your protection for someone else’s and still say you trust yourself more?

Watching the quiet conversation between Soldier, Crimson, and Farmer. Soldier gestured towards them a few times before they both nodded, eventually turning their backs on Soldier and venturing closer. Link spotted Traveller’s sword on Crimson’s back. At least it’d be close to Traveller.

At some point, Outset had also joined the newly formed group, hands lazily laced behind his head. Smithy followed him at a distance, fidgeting with the band on his head.

“We’ll split into two groups.” Soldier started, gaining everyone's ear, “Guard, Rancher and I will get the attention of the monsters. Farmer and Crimson will take the kids east towards some stable that should be there.” Link didn’t miss the distrusting glance Soldier shot Guard before continuing, “It’s a risky plan, but it’s our best chance of getting out of here before night falls and we become stuck without food or water.”

Link glanced at a few of the others. Guard hadn’t offered a readable expression since the encounter with Soldier. Smithy looked uncomfortable, tossing his gaze around the room. Outset had a sour expression, pursed lips in a pout with his gaze towards the cave wall. Rancher looked sceptical, scratching the side of his head with averted eyes, yet spoke nothing in contrast to it. Traveller and Farmer looked worried and uncomfortable respectively. Crimson had placed himself beside a cave wall, head leaned against it with his eyes scrunched closed since Soldier had begun to speak. 

All in all, great plan. 

But it wasn’t as if Link was going to offer anything better; As little as he trusted this Hylian soldier, it wasn’t as if he had a choice. No weapons and no real fighting experience bar practice duels with other Kokiri….

“Alright, we’ll head out on my signal.”

They all shimmied their way toward the mouth of the cave, Soldier remaining just outside the entrance. For a discomforting amount of time, he waited with his right hand palm up. Yet, with the ambient sounds of the birds and unfamiliar buzzing whirring outside, silence had yet to add to it.

Suddenly, his hand moved. Three fingers up—

Two—

One—

“Now!”

[strawberryicemoon]

Re: Della - It’s wild how Scrooge has a giant secret room dedicated to Della, all of which meant nothing. One of the first things that we learn about Della from Selene is that “she makes everyone around her better.” But when she gets home, she doesn’t really do that? She’ll help people from time to time, but she seems to be better at making people worse than better. Which - again - could be a point about how the hero may not live up to myth! But why is Della so drastically different?

Exactly!

Now to be fair for the "makes everyone better" it could have very easily been a case of she's not in an emotionally healthy position to do that. Because she's needlessly immaturely petty about Launchpad. Which I get it, it's a kids show. Adults acting childish is somewhat of a joke.

There are dozens of ways I think they could have better meshed the two Della's. If we had literally had any character call out that she's not herself, that the moon trip changed her, or any of the triplets acknowledge their mother isn't quite what they thought I think it would have done a world of good for the plot line.

I don't think it would have really been enough, because there were issues present in Della's proper debut actually (I can't get over the fact her sketching the spear of Selene was a plot point, and then she's bad at art and her attempts at rebuilding the spear were laughable. She's good at seeing the angles... except the only thing she correctly predicted was Penny being her friend, and that almost felt like they forced it in there to be like "look, she's like Louie too", instead of actually making her like Louie.

Which that said I think it would be really interesting if Della was good with people. That's what she brought to the first trio. Scrooge is Scrooge and no one can understand Donald. That's the impression I got, and then her social skills are rusty and she's hurt so she's struggling to connect. But we don't see that. She's kind of treated like a child. When I mentioned canon Della doesn't bring anything to the table besides "can fly without crashing", I feel like this socialness could have been something. Especially since the family fell apart in her absence. I wanted guilt over that and the show just brushed over it and Della acts like there isn't anything wrong with her family either.

I wonder if part of it was disney's insistence on focusing more on the kids. Because the creators often noted how disney kept wanting them to focus on the kids and not the adults so much like Fenton and Scrooge. And so the creators used up all their "adult" time on other characters. But, this might be a hot take, but I do wish they did focus more on the kids. I'm just a kids antics enjoyer tbh, so for once I think I'm kind of on the exec side. All of my favorite episodes have either the kids prominently featured, (or Della). I think we should have focused a bit more on just the main family. It's a large family as is, with plenty of room to bounce off each other, and the multigenerational layers are important to it. While Donald and Della aren't kids, skipping one of the generations most of the time, despite all the hype they gave to Della, I don't think was it.

I think Ducktales in general as a show is the kind of kitchen sink nonsense that needs at least 80 episodes to have all that stuff without being crowded. They were trying to squeeze in stuff from too many sources. They got too greedy with references and their cast. I like basically all of the characters. But when they can't even get the McDuck family tree straight, I think they needed to narrow their focus. If Disney was willing to commit to a 90+ episode series that was one thing. But this is Disney. And it ended up boiling their characters down to their bare bones, most humorous traits a lot of the time. It's like they flanderized Della before they even established her. I think its why I generally liked Quack Pack. The exaggeration felt purposeful, and the family was in a house being themselves.

But I think another part of why Della was different was the fact that the show didn't mostly didn't know how to follow up on the things they built up. So they just didn't. Like, Lena not getting mentioned for a while, or Della finding out about the estrangement off screen apparently (but iirc there's nothing actually in the show that implies she knows at all). Or Lena being adopted by Violet's family. They just didn't answer. It's weird that Webby didn't ask about her parents until the final episode despite being in a household full of mysteries (or that none of the boys asked her). It really makes the hand of the author obvious, and takes away from how alive the characters and world is when things are clearly only happening or shown if they are funny, or important to this episode plot. I think if we had narrowed the focus to the McDuck family, the writers may have at least thought about the continuity of the families lives a bit more. I think it part of what made the first season better, they had time and trust that they would follow up at that point, and the cast hadn't become bloated.

All that said they could have just made Della keep the traits they implied she had. Or not implied she had those traits at all.

[alienaiver]

"that's it. i'm removing you from the roster until you've stopped by the doctor."

you look at midoriya in disbelief. unable to keep yourself poised at his final decision, your shoulders slump and the exhaustion washes over you like a wave. he's seen through you.

it's been a year since your near-death experience with an all-too-powerful villain and while shinsou took great care of you during your recovery, something's been off ever since - you haven't been able to put a finger on it, though, so you decided to do what every self-sacrificing hero does: you powered through. until there was no power left to muscle your way out of it. and now it's become visible to others too. you have a feeling shinsou might've ratted you out, but you don't blame him. you'd done the same if it were him.

you get home in a daze and fall face first onto the bed. you don't wake up until you feel the weight shift and the warmth of shinsou's lips touches your cheek. but you don't have the energy to react with more than a hum. your eyelids are so heavy. there's a ringing in your ears but it's so constant that it just feels like a persistent buzz. shinsou says something as he settles behind you, arms wrapping themselves around you. for a while, you think there's silence but he says your name sternly in a voice he only uses when he knows you're not entirely listening to him. huh. you're mostly used to hearing it on the battlefield.

"i'm worried about you."

you sigh and hum, pushing yourself weakly back onto him, "'ve got a doc's appointment..... tomorrow."

he kisses the crown of your head, "okay... okay, good."

he's drawing soft circles into your arm and you drift away again. he wakes you when there's dinner and you perk up again slightly, but not enough to make him stop worrying his lip between his teeth. you fall asleep fifteen minutes into a movie later that night.

you put on your shoes and lock the door behind you, putting the keys in your pocket as you turn for the stairs at the end of the hall. you really wish there'd been an elevator in your building right now. as you walk down the steps, your feet feels heavier but you chalk it up to be your shoes. it's the sneakers you don't wear that often, but it's too cold for sandals today. you shrug it off and just concentrate more on walking.

the doctor goes through your symptoms with you but there's hardly any, you reassure her. you're just so exhausted no matter how many hours you sleep. she warns you that you may be sleeping too much. you agree with a laugh - you don't remember ever sleeping so many hours, having been an insomniac your entire youth. she does some blood tests and sends you home, saying you'll be called in when the answers are back.

the days that pass are all a blur. without your shifts at the agency, time becomes fuzzy around the edges. you don't have to get up, so you just stay in bed, since you've been told you need to rest anyways. on the third day you wake up to several notes on the bedside table, the bathroom mirror and the kitchen counter and fridge from shinsou with various reminders about eating and drinking properly and where he's stocked some snacks and prepped some food for you to reheat easily. you chuckle and shake your head at his antics. you're just tired, is all. the headaches comes with the job, you remind yourself as you try to gently massage out the tension in your neck to relieve your pounding head. he might be right about the water intake - you grab the cold bottle he's put in the fridge for you and brings it with you to the bed.

"i think you should call and ask if they've gotten the answers yet." shinsou says matter-of-factly and you nod, "yeah, it has been a few days. but it's the weekend, right? i'll call on monday." and that ends the conversation.

monday comes but you forget to call, even if you've been determined to do so. by the time you remember, the office is closed for the day. you sigh heavily and fall back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. you prepare the apology for shinsou on your tongue before you drift off.

tuesday morning your phone rings - several times. you finally reach out and pick up, thinking it's shinsou.

"i do apologize for the wait. the doctor unfortunately had to take some time off last week, but we have your results. will you be able to come in today?"

you agree, dragging yourself up. there's more energy in you today, but it should've been way more given the intense rest you've been having. you put on one of shinsou's hoodies and a pair of sweats before you drag yourself to the kitchen to grab a bite.

turns out, you suffer from anemia. an intense, prolonged form and need medication as soon as possible. shinsou's livid when he comes home and gets the news, angry that it has been missed when the agency periodically keeps an eye on their heroes' health. you sit on the chair with your hands folded like a child being scolded and try to laugh it off, "come on now, hito. i just need to take some medication and i'll be fine. the usual blood tests the past year haven't covered that - even if they should, i know," you hurry to add, "but i'll be fine, i promise."

shinsou sighs and his whole body slumps, leaning against the table you're sitting by. you take his hand, "i'm okay."

he visibly relaxes but there's something he's holding back. you've been together since high school, so you can read him like a book. you squeeze his hand, "open up."

he clicks his tongue with furrowed brows before he opens his mouth, "you've had these symptoms for months. why didn't you tell me?"

you look at the ground, guilt written on your face. mostly, because you don't have a proper answer to give him. you don't know why you didn't - the symptoms had all been sneaking up on you, snaking their way into your body quietly and suddenly it'd just become so chronic that you'd normalized it. you let out an apology and he squeeze your hand back, "it's okay to not have an answer. but please, can we be mindful of things like this in the future?"

you smile at him, "only if you continue to make the little post-it notes. they're adorable - especially your small doodles of dogs."

shinsou hides his face in his hands with a groan, "they were cats."

[old-schoolgenz]

Chapter 5: Barcus and Bluey

After enlisting Aphmau's help Abby became much more manageable. But she wasn't joking when she'd described her as a “little Katelyn” his shoulder was beginning to ache with how many times the girl had punched his arm.

Still, he was able to admire just how good Aphmau was at parenting. Her patience with Abby was awe-inspiring, her tone was soft, caring, and being so in touch with her inner child helped with playing (and distracting) Abby while he made lunch for the three of them.

Normally he would make something more complicated if it was just Aph and himself, try out a new recipe or even attempt one of hers, but right now it was baloney sandwiches for Abby and only slightly more complicated sandwiches for the both of them. It was at least something he knew the girl would eat.

“Okay! Foods Done!” He yelled from the kitchen, and was met with Abby’s voice screaming back an “Okay!” trailed by Aphmau's “Coming!”

Abby ran in giggling, looking much happier than when she arrived. She grinned up at him, which made him feel slightly uncomfortable due to mischief that usually followed a grin like that.

“Thanks Aaron!” Aphmau came in a moment later, grabbing both plates of sandwiches and handing the smaller one to Abby, who was jumping in place.

“Yeah, thank you mister!” She was already buried into the sandwich, munching away happily, good, a smile looked better on the girl than the near permanent suspicious scowl she'd worn when she first arrived.

So yes, very much like a little Katelyn then.

Aphmau also buried herself in her sandwich, humming in contentment as she chuckled at Abby’s current antics, like trying to sneak feed Celestia bits of bologna.

“Are you even packed enough to stay here a few days?” Aaron found himself asking, thoughts drifting back to who was going to sleep where, and if Aphmau would even be comfortable at all staying in the house.

“Aaron I live basically across the street, if I need something I can go get it.” She looked unbothered by the situation. So Aaron took it upon himself to also be unbothered, if she wasn't making a big deal out of it, perhaps it wasn't.

“Auntie Aphmau, can you put my favorite show on? It's starting soon.” Abby had already finished and was dragging Aphmau by the hand from the table even though her sandwich was only half eaten.

“Woah, Abby slow down!” But she was laughing and shooting an apologetic glance at Aaron before being dragged off to his living room. The sound of a kids show followed soon after.

Aaron took the chance to finish setting up the guest room, taking the very few old toys he had and setting them around incase Abby wanted to play with them. Although he doubted it, it wasn't much except old toy cars and outdated action figures.

Aphmau was rather intently watching another episode of Bluey, she had to admit that the show had captivated her more than she'd ever thought, and she was grateful for the adult jokes and themes to keep her entertained too.

And Abby… well Abby seemed to just like the chaos the two sister characters put their parents through, she hoped she wasn't getting any idea's including her and Aaron.

Speaking of, he'd gone upstairs and hadn't come down yet, while she didn't think he'd leave her to watch Abby alone she did think that he may still be a bit overwhelmed, which was fair. He'd always been wary around people, and Abby could be… excitable.

“I'll be right back Abby, I'm gonna go check on Aaron.” She ruffled the young girls hair and felt her charge nod. Still engrossed in the television.

She made her way up the stairs, idly she thought about how she hadn't spent much time up here, as the only thing up here was the guest room and Aaron's bedroom, apart from the bathroom of course.

She checked his room first, half expecting him to be sitting on the bed but found him absent from the black fleece sheets. So she knocked hesitantly on the guest bedroom door only for it to creak open to find Aaron standing near the bed, trying to get the only plushie he had in his possession to sit up on the bed.

“Come on… work with me here.” She heard him mutter underneath his breath as he tried to gently coax the well-loved terrier plush into a sitting position without it falling over.

Aphmau couldn't help but smile at his efforts, digging out his old toys for Abby to play with was terribly sweet of him. Expessially the terrier plush he'd had as a baby. She was thankful Abby was usually gentle with toys that weren't hers, otherwise she probably would have told him to keep it out of sight.

Aaron would be a great dad. And she wasn't sure how she knew that but she did know. He had so much love to give, and it wasn't like she didn't know how badly he'd wanted a family of his own. He'd done everything but outright tell her that. Telling her about how terribly fucked up his childhood actually was without going into too much detail.

“Aph? How long have you been standing there?” Whoops, she'd gotten lost in her thoughts and stared at him like a dweeb, oh well.

“Sorry, I came up to check on you, you'd been up here awhile.” She glanced over at the plush, it was sitting finally.

“Oh. Yeah I wanted to finish setting up the room her her, dug out some old toys.” He gestured to the shelf of toy cars and action figures.

“And Barcus.”

Aaron immediately flushed red, regretting wholeheartedly in that moment he'd ever told her the name of the terrier plush, he glanced over at it, feeling the heat crawl up his back.

“He… always made me feel better whenever  I was in an unfamiliar place. I thought…” He grumbled off, far too embarrassed to continue whatever he was about to say.

“Oh Aaron that's so cute”

“It's sweet.” Is what she actually said, shuffling over to him and putting a hand on his back to lead him back downstairs.

“Now, come join us, Abby is probably still watching Bluey. Then maybe you can actually bond with her?” Aphmau smiled warmly at him, causing old butterflies to stir in his gut, if only for a second, before they quickly dissipated.

“You think?” He questioned lightly, still feeling the nerves of being ambushed by responsibility.

“Once she sees how sweet of a guy you are, she'll be all over you just like she is with her dad. Trust me.”

They find Abby downstairs, still watching the TV but cuddling in her other hand a turtle plushie, still looking pleased if not only a little somber.

Her face brightened up a little at the sight of them coming around the corner into the living room. And she started to hop on her place on the couch, gesturing the both of them to sit down.

Aaron stole a glance over at his best freind. Who elbowed him gently in the side while her mouth bubbled out a pleased laugh.

“See? It's not so bad.”

[feathers-silly-rambles]

Does Alastor actually care about the hotel or it's residents?

I think maybe.

So I JUST got done writing a collage essay of a theory on the Lilith/Alastor thing, so what am I going to do?? WRITE ANOTHER ONE!!

Spoilers

Okay, so I'm gonna start of with the fact that I wholeheartedly believe Alastor was only there because Lilith sent him. The hotel doesn't have any of what he seems to prefer as entertainment (murder, cannibalism, it his friends), so to go there and then do pretty much nothing to actually bring in any guests sorta brings that into questions. He was there because he had to be, not because he cared.

HOWEVER!!

Things can change.

In the pilot, Alastor tried to make a deal with Charlie. I believe he did this entirely for leverage to get his soul back, and when it didn't work, decided to either never bother again or try it again when he'd gained a bit of trust. The thing is, he hasn't done that again. By now, he should now he can EASILY trick Charlie into making a deal with him, but he hasn't. Why is that? Well, unless he's just simply not willing to risk it or forgot about that idea, there's the idea that he cares about her, even a little bit.

Episode 5 rambles, yey. I don't think he sent Mimzy away because if the damage to the hotel, I think it was because if her antics got Charlie killed, he'd face punishment for it, but it's definitely possible that he may have been a bit worried for his friends too.

Now onto my big point, Alastor spite-dadding. Most of us know that it was likely to be manipulative or to piss off Lucifer, but I do think there was some genuineness behind it. Alastor's expressions during his song change quite a bit. Every time he says anything along the lines of her being like a daughter to him, he glared at Lucifer. In one line, though, 'You're like the child that I wish that I had', he looked genuine until he said the word 'child', then finished the sentence looking genuine again, then continued to glare at Lucifer.

This leads me to believe that even thought he's likely VERY MUCH exaggerating their relationship to spite Lucifer, he does care for her, even if just a bit.

He interupted Lucifer's song and then proceeded to tell him to butt out (lol). He clearly didn't like him since the moment he walked in the door and was very much trying to piss him off, but in the end, I think he mostly just wants Charlie to be happy.

In the song at the end of the episode, Alastor is shown watching, and doesn't interrupt. He can see she's happy and her dad is actually trying, so he stays out of it, whereas the song at the beginning was entirely Lucifer trying to get rid of Al (until he interrupted).

I wouldn't say he looks necessarily happy, but he sees she's having a moment and puts his ego aside and doesn't butt in this time. He definitely cares enough to let her sing an entire song with her dad, who he hates. He put her feelings above his spite here, and I think that says a lot.

Another note; The pacing really hurts the judgment on this. It's not Viv's fault, as she was halfway through season 1, and was under the impression that there would only be 8 episodes, but it makes everything so much more difficult. There was a 5 MONTH time skip. 5 MONTHS. Literally ANYTHING could have happened. in his song, Al pointed out that he made her laugh with puns, seemed to have a history with being rather useful, and has likely had casual interactions with her, but because of how little time there was, we weren't able to see that. We couldn't see anything aside from plot point after plot point because Viv needed to get the story out, and there was no time for her to show some of the more casual interactions with the characters. Maybe Alastor DOES spend time with Charlie and care for her. Maybe he HASN'T. We'll never know because there wasn't enough time to show it, and that makes it so much harder to judge.

I will say, however, that Charlie is naive, but not to the level of seeing some guy who she spoke to maybe 10 times claim to be her father figure and agree with it. She 100% thought (whether he's lying or not), that Alastor cared for her like a dad would, and it made sense to her. That says something at the very least, I think.

What we really need is Alastor regretting his wording when Charlie calls him dad.

TLDR; Alastor cares, but dad might be a stretch. The pacing definitely made it hard to just.

[lonelywriter26]

OKAY OKAY OKAY so this is going to be long-winded and I'm tired but I'm also a writer so characterization, here we go. WHOOOO!

Think about how the mission starts off normally. How it's just another encounter with Zoraxis for Phoenix. Except for the Handler, it's not. It's not just Zoraxis, he's facing off against someone who he's been friends with for years. Someone who he doesn't want to hurt, someone who he knows is, or was, a good person. He can push past that for now. Phoenix is already up to their antics, and they're having a good time. He knows they won't hurt Roxana unless absolutely necessary.

Think about that first encounter with the robots. Phoenix is up high, very high, and they can't deny that they're a bit nervous. After all, a big metal box and a huge drop? Where have they seen this before? Handler is nervous too, but the robots are easily dealt with. After all, they're Agent Phoenix! It's practically impossible for them to NOT be able to get to the factory. It's a little bit fun for the agent to do this part of the mission.

Think about when Roxana comes in her helicopter, when all of the robots face off against Phoenix. They've gotten nervous now. Is it fear that they're feeling? They can't tell, they haven't felt this in a long, long time. (Since The Death Engine, since The Peace Summit.) They're a highly skilled agent, they know that, but what can they do against so many robots and in so little space? What can they do now? There's hundreds of them, and only one little agent. Is this when they feel insignificant? Is this when they start to realize just how dangerous these things are, when given the right instructions? The Handler can only watch, and he knows they're feeling uncertain. He himself is terrified. Agent Phoenix has gotten lucky before, but surviving this is damn near impossible.

And then there's the explosion.

Think of the Handler, his horrified realization that Zor did it. Project K'BOOM has started, and the wave is coming right towards the agent. But Phoenix is safe. They should be safe, right? Think of Phoenix, staring in shock as they watch it come closer. Maybe they don't realize what it is at first. Maybe they do, and that horror is dawning in their chest.

But most importantly, think of Roxana. All of her life's work, her precious companions, her friends. All destroyed. "Back-up failure, back-up failure." Her factory, EVERYTHING Zor's given her. She's expendable. She's been manipulated. It's exactly what the Agency did, on a higher level. And her robots are paying the price. This is it for them. There's no coming back from this. Dr. Roxana Prism has finally lost everything.

Phoenix can only watch as the robots are destroyed. They never hated them. Honestly, the agent thought they were cute, goofy. They may have wanted to live, but they never wanted to see this. They can only watch in horror as the wave comes closer, as it kills every robot there is, as Roxana pleads with nobody for it to stop, and as she falls.

And then they're stuck, hundreds of feet in the air. Zor's getting close to killing all of the agents. Phoenix just watched hundreds of robots and Roxana die right in front of them. The Handler just watched who was possibly his closest friend go down in a helicopter, but he can't worry about that yet. Phoenix is still in trouble.

Maybe they stay up there for a moment, processing what happened. Maybe they finally realize it's fear that's surging through them. And then they bring the gondola down.

Think about how Roxana has lost everything. Absolutely everything. The Agency's never appreciated her. Zor's been using her. Everything is gone. Think of how she might want to fire that gun, how she might want the agent dead for all that they've done to oppose her. But it's not their fault, is it? They might be part of the Agency, but they aren't the one who....well, you know. All she's got left to live for is revenge. And then what is there? She doesn't know, but she let them live anyway.

Think about how Phoenix just has to watch her go, before signaling for help. Think of how the Handler comes to get the agent, but how he has to leave Roxana behind. Think of what must be going through Roxana's head. How, as she leaves, she must be passing dozens of destroyed robots. Her greatest creations. Her most trusted friends.

*slams hands down on the table* OHHH MY GOD that took 20 minutes. I'm feral for this game, absolutely feral. I've got like, 10 fic ideas for this, please save me-