#this is so good op really popped the fuck off and I love them for that

[chuuyasheaven]

"Thigh lover"— Dazai Osamu

"Dazai always loved your thighs, especially when they're in thigh highs. Whenever they are, he either goes on town on you or fucks the living daylights out of you, this time though it was neither but also everything of the above."

Tags: sub! Dazai Osamu / afab! Reader, face sitting, pet names, bratty? Dazai, pw/op, oral sex, slightly mean! Reader, edging???, pussydrunk! Dazai, squirting, degrading kink, everything is consented, overstimulation?, thigh fucking, Reader is thicc, he's whiny ong, idrk what I'm doing (again), ooc! Dazai, might contain grammar errors, rushed, short?, etc.

Notes: howdy, tryin' to keep up rn

All because he acted out, once again being bratty and annoying. So what's better than punishment? A punishment, which also could make you feel good. Then the perfect idea came up in your head. In this moment, Dazai's lips were making out with your cunt, while you were enjoying yourself. How is that an punishment, you ask? Well, he's not allowed to touch himself while he's eating you out, if he tries then—

"Mph—", you slightly closed your thighs together so his face would be squished. "I said no touching, did i?", you asked coldly, Dazai was only able to try to continue to eat you out, even though he couldn't since you closed your legs. "Don't make me repeat myself, brat.", you hissed at him pissed, your voice raspy at that, which made it harder to resist. ". . Yes,", he said muffled, you start to slightly smirk again. "Try to be good for once, dear, then maybe you could get what you want.", you stated, releasing Dazai from your grip. He almost immediately started getting back to where he was cut off. You grabbed his hair as he grabbed your thighs, holding onto them. He could tell that you were getting close, since he was good at it. Soon, it washed over you and you gushed onto his face, Dazai could've cum just then and there but he didn't.

As you came down from your first orgasm, Dazai spoke up. "Did I do good?", he asked while looking at you. You looked back at him smirked lightly. "Well, you did, but I don't think you really learned your lesson. .", he pouted at you, and you tried to think of something, because you couldn't stop there. Then another solution popped up. "If you wanna cum so bad, then fuck my thighs, baby.", Dazai's eyes lit up, he was willing to do anything to cum at least once. You got down from his face and sat down on the bed, while Dazai was unbuckling his belt. As you glanced at his boxers, you could see that he was leaking, look at how desperate he is! Parting your thighs a little so he had some space to slide into, he almost instantly slide in and you closed them together. Dazai bit his lip when he started to fuck your thighs, sliding in and out of them, already heavy breathing. "Feels good, doesn't it, slut?", Dazai nodded quickly while he soon to whimper quietly.

Dazai was slowly getting closer to his climax, his whimpers and whines getting louder. You had to admit, looking at him while he's so pathetically desperate had you dripping. But, you still didn't have any plans to have him cum, where's the fun in that? "Pleasepleaseplease—", he choked, you could feel him leaking more than before, meaning he was close to cumming, so parted your thighs for him to stop but also lose his orgasm. Dazai whined at this move of yours. "But I–i thought. . You said I could cum!", he whined, you looked at him rather cold again. "I didn't say it like that, besides, even if I said so I still didn't get an apology, 'Samu.", you corrected him, he was getting really frustrated with this. "Sorry.", he whispered quickly, did he think this was enough? "You can do better than this, can you? If you apologize to me and mean it, you can fuck me, alright? You know what I wanna hear, dear.", Dazai was ready to apologize genuinely just to feel your perfect cunt again, even the thought made his dick twitch.

Dazai looked down while starting off with his apology, starting to almost beg to feel your walls around him. "I'm s–sorry for acting out, I really didn't mean to annoy you. . Please, can you make me cum? I swear I'll be good f'you.", he said with a whiny tone, you smirked at him again and grabbed his chin to make him look at you. "You mean it, baby?", you cooed quite mockingly, he nodded. "Yes, please, need you so bad.", he was lowkey cute like this, so you accepted it, besides, you wanted to feel him inside you now. "Okay, if you really mean it, then I'll forgive you. You have my permission now.", you stated, Dazai's eyes lit up again, excitement visible within his eyes. You spread your legs enough for him, your pussy already wet enough for him to slide in, he could've sworn that he wanted to just cum of the sight. Dazai entered and already came right inside you, you let out a quiet moan of surprise. He already started to thrust now, he wasn't slow but also not rough, just somewhere in between.

It felt so good you could've sworn that you almost wanted to cum at this moment, but you tried to stay dominant. You tried really hard, but Dazai lifted your leg to reach deeper inside, whenever he pulled that trick you were a moaning mess. As his hips slapped against yours, the sound filling your bedroom, you were starting to lose control and started to moan with him. Then you felt your second orgasm near, when it washed over you Dazai came again stopping for a moment. You tried to catch your breath, but Dazai started to thrust again, trying to chase another orgasm. Dazai's face starting to get sweaty, his face flushed and slutty moans and whimpers leaving both of your lips. "F–fuck, Dazai. . Slow down—", your pleas fell on deaf ears, he was only able to fuck and pant heavily. Your legs were lifted again, Dazai placed on his hips to reach deeper inside you, which made you almost gush around his cock again. How did he manage to make this sensitive this quick? "Ah! D–dazai. .", you moaned, trying to calm him down but he was in a trance, he was pussydrunk now.

It was incredible, so much that you were nearing your third, but this one was feeling kind of weird. Dazai kept on thrusting inside you, already reaching to your clit to make you cum faster, which definitely did. When he trusted once more, you felt it coming, intense. "D–dazai, I'm close—" was the last thing you said before you squirted all over him, your juices gushing around him too. Open seeing this, Dazai moaned one last time before cumming inside you, twitching insanely a lot. You were out of breath and so was Dazai, he pulled out and your mixed juices leaked out of your cunt. He laid beside you, you moved over to him and got closer.

"This. . Was something else, 'donna."

This wasn't rlly abt thighs was it?

[wolfjackle-creates]

Bring Me Home: Chapter 2 Part 2

It's Wednesday! Time for another WIP Wednesday. No Ghost!Robin today. I've been focusing more on this fic. I think I'm going to try and start alternating weeks, but there's no set schedule or plan and it's liable to change at a moment's notice.

Fic Summary: Tim and Danny are both neglected by parents who care more about their work than their families. They deal with this by spending too much time online and find each other playing MMORPGs. They keep up their friendship as Tim becomes Robin and Danny becomes Phantom and don't bother keeping secrets from each other.

First, Previous

1.3k words

----------

Cassie hissed, “What the fuck, Tim!”

“I know!” whispered Tim back. “Danny mentioned home security, but I had no idea it was like that!”

Bart shook his head. “Want help with that kidnapping scheme? I’ll join you on your road to villainy.”

“That’s the problem with Tim,” agreed Conner. “He makes the road to evil look like it’s really the best option. Count me in, too.”

Cassie groaned. “Damn it, you guys are right. I’m in.”

Before Tim could do more than flip them off, Danny was back. “The pop express has returned!”

Cassie was closest to the door and Danny passed over her drink first. Only to freeze as their fingers brushed.

“Oh,” said Danny who looked at their hands then up at Cassie and back to their hands. “Huh.”

“What’s wrong?” asked Cassie and Tim started to get a bad feeling.

Which was only worsened by Danny looking at him with a grin forming on his face. “Sooooo, Tim—”

“No!” Tim shook a finger at him. “You’d better not tell me what I think you’re about to tell me! You’re OP enough! No more!”

Danny raised an eyebrow. “You done?”

Tim sighed and decided to just collapse backwards onto Danny’s bed. He stared at the ceiling and waved a hand in the air. “Yeah. Go ahead.”

Danny, apparently, loved making him suffer and continued passing out the drinks without telling him what he discovered. Then the mattress dipped next to him and Danny was above him with a grin that wouldn’t melt butter.

“So, Tii-iim,” Danny sing-songed.

“Daaan-ny,” replied Tim in the same tone.

“Apparently I can sense metas. And aliens. Which is so cool. They feel so different to humans! I knew about my ghost sense, but didn’t realize that applied to other species.”

Tim just sighed and closed his eyes. “Of course you can.”

“Conner!” The mattress shifted again as Danny moved. “You feel like warm sunshine and it’s so cool. Bart, you feel like static. Which… little awkward for me, but it’ll be good. I should try and get over my fear of electricity. Cassie, you also feel like static, but in a totally different way. Can’t explain it any better than that.”

“Why is static a problem?” asked Bart.

At the same time, Tim said, “I’ll add it to the list. And the descriptions.” He cracked one eye open to look at Danny. “Will you promise to stop developing more powers for me?”

Danny laughed and nudged his knee. “No promises.”

Cassie looked between them. “Does this mean you know?” she asked Danny.

“Wonder Girl, right? And Superboy and Impulse?”

Cassie nodded. “And Tim told us about you.”

“My lips are sealed,” Danny promised.

Tim rolled his eyes and pushed himself up. “Just gimme my water and fix my phone.”

“Wow, Tim,” said Cassie. “Rude much?”

“No. Look, you’ve no idea how ridiculously OP Danny is. Almost every week he calls me saying he discovered something else he can do.”

“If you think that was rude,” added Danny with a laugh, “you should’ve seen the things he said to me when I got him killed in Elf Night.”

“Ugh,” Tim feigned annoyance. “Don’t remind me. Honestly, what were you thinking? You were a rogue! Why did you attack the boss head on like a barbarian? We lost weeks of game progress! Weeks, Danny!”

Danny just laughed and threw the water bottle at his face. Tim caught it easily.

“Just give me your phone, Slim-Slam.”

“Slim-Slam?” asked Conner.

“He tried to object to Tim-Tam. I made him regret it.”

Tim shook his head. “This was a mistake. Why the hell did I ever think it’d be a good idea to let you guys meet.” To hopefully get them to change the subject, he shoved his phone in Danny’s direction. “What do you need to do to this anyway?”

“We just need to make it compatible with ectoplasm. There’s enough ambient ecto in Amity that waiting a few weeks allows it to happen naturally, but that’s not an option for you guys. Tuck and I went through, like, fifty devices figuring out the exact quantities and locations to add ectoplasm to force the process without destroying the device. It took us ages, but we figured it out. Now Tuck and I get extra money from the tech geeks in town who don’t want to wait the month or so it usually takes for new devices to start working.”

“Speaking of Tucker, will I be able to meet him? And Sam? You’re meeting my friends, I want to meet yours.”

Danny shrugged. “Sure. I’ll text them to meet us at Nasty Burger in forty minutes.” He sat at his desk and set down Tim’s phone to do so. Then, he opened a drawer and pulled out a set of micropipettes and disposable tips in a variety of sizes along with an empty glass beaker. Then came out an electronics tool kit. Tim had a similar one, though Danny’s looked like it had been obtained piecemeal as nothing matched. Finally, he opened a different drawer and pulled out a vial of a glowing green liquid.

Tim pushed himself off the bed and moved to stand over Danny’s shoulder. His friends joined him.

Bart asked, “So what will you be doing? What’s that green stuff?”

“It’s ectoplasm. The stuff ghosts and their dimension are made of. Ectoplasm is… complicated. This is unshaped ectoplasm, also called pure ectoplasm. A ghost or sentient creature can impose their will on it and make it function in a specific way. Since I’ve died, I have an easier time shaping it than most humans. I’ll send ‘tech’ vibes at it to get it to fuse to the phone more easily and apply carefully determined quantities to the different parts of the phone.”

“‘Tech vibes.’” Tim couldn’t hold back the groan. “It’s like magic. I hate it.”

Cassie bumped her shoulder against his. “You get that from Bruce.”

“Damn right, I do.”

Tim watched as Danny popped out the sim card. “First thing I’ll do is add a hundred microliters to the sim card. Then I’ll take the screen off and get to work on the innards. Do you guys want new batteries, by the way? Tuck’s got a bunch of ecto-batteries. Could have him bring them along when we meet up. You’d never have to charge your phone again.”

“Hell yeah!” said Conner. “Sign me right up.”

Tim shook his head, but couldn’t hold back the smile. “What do you mean by never have to charge it again?”

“I mean an ecto-battery will power the phone longer than the computer in the phone will last. I’ve switched over all my electronics. Nothing in this house is hooked up to the electricity grid anymore. I haven’t used a wall plug in four months. Not since Tucker and I fixed the batteries my parents designed.”

Tim didn’t like the sound of that. “Two questions. First, if the battery outlasts the phone, how should we dispose of it. And two, more importantly, ‘fixed’? What the hell does that mean?”

Danny had finished with the sim card and discarded the pipette tip in the beaker. Then he set about removing the screen from the phone. “Just bring the phones back to me when you’re done with them. I’ll upgrade your new ones, too. And their designs were liable to explode, overload the device, or bring it to life so it attacked. But Tuck and I took care of all that. Now devices only attack if Technus manages to get through the portal.”

Tim could sense Conner trying to look at him, but he resolutely refused to look away from Danny’s hands. He was removing the cameras and adding more ectoplasm to them, though much less than the sim card needed.

Unable to get Tim’s attention, Conner asked, “Who’s Technus?”

Danny shrugged. “One of my rogues. Tuck thinks he’s the ghost of Nikolai Tesla. He’s interested in controlling all technology and will make himself a giant mechasuit cannibalized from any electronic he can find in, like, a half mile radius. Super annoying.”

---------

Next

So I've decided which episode of the show this will take place during! It's mid season 1, so Jazz knows about Danny but Danny doesn't know she knows. I don't think that contradicts anything I've written (need to reread it), but if it does, no it doesn't. I dunno if most of you know what micropipettes look like, but if there's any interest I can take pics at work tomorrow and post them so you can see what I mean when I talk about the tips and stuff. I meant to do that today and then I didn't.

Tag List

@gremlin-bot, @bonebrokebuddy, @britcision, @lady-time-lord-, @welcometosasakiworld, @akikkobara, @phoenixdemonqueen, @dolfay, @skulld3mort-1fan, @we-ezer, @markus209, @sjrose1216, @onyxlightdragon, @dragonsrequiem, @jesus-camp-the-sequel, @spidey29phangirl, @kyrianclawraith, @evilminji, @introvert-even-on-the-internet, @emergentpanda-blog, @lexdamo, @v-inari, @idontgetpaidenoughforthisshit, @longlivethefallen, @undead-essence, @xye-chan, @liandrin, @seraphinedemort, @kisatamao, @schalensitzbucket, @caelestisdreamer, @runfromthemedic, @nutcase8691, @channajen, @tonicmii, @ambiguouslyominous, @vythika96, @addie-lover-of-stories, @ironicvixen, @violetfox2, @pickleking8, @mysticalcomputerdetective, @ark12, @mygood-bitch99, @squirrel-wolf

Getting close to the point where I'll have to split the tag list in two! (I'll still add anyone who is interested.)

[withacapitalp]

@lazylittledragon did more Mombin (check it out here it's great) which I think means I might be contractually obliged to write more fic that is inspired by it. Like wowza I am obsessed with this concept

Tw: vomiting/morning sickness, reddit, discussions of cancer

Robin was dying. 

That was the only explanation. 

Dying. 

And the worst part was, she was dying of something that was both incredibly funny, and incredibly sad, and she had been so desperate for answers that she had gone to a place no mortal should ever dare to go to. 

Reddit. 

Posted by u/familyvideobrokeme

I (24F) think that I might have breast cancer, and I have no idea how to tell my (25M) best friend.

So my best friend “Sam” and I have been attached at the hip for as long as I can remember. He’s not just a friend to me, he’s my person (and before you get any ideas- I’m a lesbian, so no, not happening.) we tell each other everything, even the super gross stuff neither of us wants to hear- like seriously he’s asked me to check his ass to see if he managed to pop the pimple he found there before- so I’ve never been in this position before…

But I think I’m dying of breast cancer, and I have no clue how to start this conversation. 

It just came on really suddenly??? Like last month I was fine, and this month my boobs just hurt in this really weird way I’ve never experienced before? Like I’m sore and tingly and my bras don’t fit?! Boobs are kind of a joke between us though, so I feel like if I just blurt it out then he will start saying ‘boobie cancer’ over and over at me and we will just end up laughing and he’ll think I’m kidding. 

Sam is also my roommate? I don’t know if that matters here? I also haven’t gone to a doctor yet, but there isn’t anything else this can be, right? Nothing else just magically makes your boobs hurt and get big?

Robin had made the post at three am the night before while crying and eating Ben and Jerry’s, and she had forced herself to not look at replies all night, even going as far as to shut her phone off entirely.

But now it was the next day, and she had steadfastly ignored the notifications from Reddit all the way through Saturday Brunch and Bitch. 

She couldn’t ignore them anymore. 

“You’re good if I work a little?” Robin asked, pulling her laptop close to her and carefully angling it so Steve couldn’t see the screen. 

“As you wish,” Steve muttered, completely absorbed with whatever dog video he was watching. 

“Dingus,” She whispered affectionately, an odd mixture of love and guilt crashing in her chest as she opened the website and logged into her account. She had over a thousand notifications now, and the comments were still rolling in as she opened her post and scrolled down. 

Endofthebeginningoftheend

OP are you sure you’re not in love with Sam

Grapenuts Dude she said she’s a lesbian

View 564 more replies

Robin rolled her eyes. She had expected that, but she didn’t expect it to be the top comment. She quickly scrolled past. 

Cheercaptainfromhell

OP I would definitely go to a doctor before anything else! 

SmeddieSmunson Seriously how has she gotten this far without going to a doctor??

The answer was easy. Robin was terrified of doctors. Why go to a doctor when Steve had EMT training? 

Because in this instance she couldn’t ask Steve for help. 

Robin kept scrolling. 

Frenchiefreis

You might be pregnant honestly…I would take a test first

Headphilosopher She’s a lesbian so I doubt it, but pregnancy can also cause those symptoms-

Robin snorted to herself, side eyeing Steve to make sure he didn’t look up when she did. 

Did everyone just ignore the part where she said she was a lesbian? 

…was Robin ignoring the part where being a lesbian didn’t mean fuck all when it came to her chances of getting pregnant?

Yes she was ignoring it because it was once just once and they had barely even gotten to do anything at all and-

Robin scrolled again, growing more and more desperate

Rummingbird

That doesn’t really sound like breast cancer to me My mom had similar things happen when she was pregnant though-

Another scroll. Another flutter of her heart. 

No. It wasn’t that. She was dying. Dying was bad but the idea that she was…that she could be…

HyllyBRd

OP have you considered that you might be pregnant? I know that you’re a lesbian, but if you’ve had penetrative sex in the last month then you might want to consider-

“Are you going to be good for me?” 

Robin gasped as the memory hit her, closing the reddit tab with a slam of her finger on the mouse pad, her entire body starting to softly shake as she panic opened a google tab.

Boobs hurt????

Not exactly the most scientific way of phrasing that question, but Robin needed an answer that didn’t involve nine long months of what the fuck. Luckily there was a read more question that got right to the heart of the issue. 

What kind of breast pain indicates pregnancy? 

It was going to say something completely different to what she had, and Robin was going to laugh, and then she would turn to Steve and let him know she was dying of boobie cancer. 

It wasn’t going to be the same. 

It wasn’t. 

Robin looked at the screen. 

Fuller. Sorer. Tingly pain that felt unlike anything else. Aka exactly what she had. 

Robin’s fingers moved on autopilot, asking another question of Google

How late should my period be before I worry?

Worrying about what? She knew about what, but she couldn’t bring herself to type it, she couldn't even think of that word yet.

Google said after a week of missing your period it was time to see a doctor. Robin’s period was over three weeks late. 

And a month ago-

A month ago…

“Fuck you’re so tight,” The woman above her whispered. Robin whimpered, unable to help herself as the stretch-

“I need to use the bathroom.” She blurted out, slamming her laptop shut and practically throwing it off of her, stomach twisting into knots. 

“I’ll tell you what I tell my students Bobbin,” Steve said, barely looking up and completely unaware of her meltdown, “You don’t need to ask me for permission to go take care of your bodily functions,”

“Oh, shut up,” Robin replied, laughing breathlessly. It was such a stupid joke, such a meaningless stupid joke. But it was safe, and it was familiar, and if the sneaking suspicion creeping down Robin’s spine was true, then nothing would be safe and familiar again for a very long time. 

She stood up, stopping to press a kiss to the top of Steve’s head as she walked by, just because that was familiar too and she needed it. Steve hummed, leaning over to bonk his head against her tummy as she passed him.

A bonk on the tummy that may or may not be-

Nope. It was a no. It was definitely a no. There was no possible way. 

Robin was going to be sick. 

She basically flew the last few steps to the bathroom, managing to lock it tight before she threw up in the sink. It was disgusting, and messy, and she pushed the tap on before kneeling down at the porcelain throne and continuing to hurl. 

I need Steve.

It wasn’t even really a thought. She couldn’t think while throwing her guts up, that was an experience that required every bit of her attention and mind power. 

No, not a thought, just an instinctual message from the universe, a pull from somewhere deep inside her that felt like more than just a truth. 

Because Robin didn’t need Steve because she was throwing up. Or because she thought she might have boob cancer. 

Robin needed Steve because she knew she was pregnant. 

“Fuck me,” She groaned, leaning back from the toilet only to lean forward once more as the rest of brunch came back up. 

[slutforsilverfoxes]

Sleight of Hand

[A/N: I DID IT! I finished my Steve x reader undercover op fic, and I kind of love it??? I hope those of you who were looking forward to it enjoy it too 😈🖤 Thank you to everyone who encouraged me to write this as a full blown fic! Over 5.7k words hehe whoops]

—————

When your former mentor had contacted you about an opening at her coral reef research lab, moving from Camden to Oahu had been a no brainer. You’d packed up your life in New Jersey and been on a plane to the Aloha State within a week. Your favorite cousin, who’s truthfully more like the big brother you always wanted, had been elated to hear the news, welcoming you at the airport with open arms and two simple rules.

“Always answer the phone when I call so you don’t worry me to death,” Danny had said, holding up one finger, “and two,” he added a second, “you’re an adult and you can date anyone on this island-”

“Thank… you?”

“-but stay away from this schmuck.”

The schmuck in question had simply rolled his eyes, draped a beautiful lei around your neck, and greeted you with a warm hug. “It’s nice to finally meet you. I’m Steve.”

Your confident promise to your cousin had been broken a whopping two months later- and no, you hadn’t ignored one of his phone calls.

“Did you get me a beer?” you ask with a teasing lilt to your voice, wringing out your wet hair before dropping down onto the bench beside your boyfriend. A quick glance around reveals that Danny’s over by the shrimp truck with Kamekona, and you lean forward to steal a kiss before putting some space between yourself and your favorite brunette.

“I surely did not,” Steve sasses back and takes a swig of his ice cold beverage. “Alcohol and diving do not mix. But I did happen to get a mango smoothie from that one place down the road this pretty girl I know really likes.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Mhm,” he responds, a goofy grin spreading across his handsome face. “But, uh, she didn’t show, so I guess you can have it.”

You laugh and give him a playful shove, then let out a content hum as you pop the straw through the lid and take a grateful sip. “So good,” you moan in delight, and Steve has to bite his lip to refrain from making a comment when he spots Danny approaching the table with your regular orders.

“Hey, you.” Your cousin greets you with a kiss on the cheek before taking up residence on the bench across from you and Steve. “Why’re you sitting all the way over there, huh? You like that clown better or somethin’?”

“This guy?” you snort, taking your lunch off the tray and rifling through the napkins in search of a fork.

“Ouch.” Steve winces as if burned by your comment, and you surreptitiously squeeze his thigh beneath the table.

“So tell me about this case you’ve got,” you coax your cousin to change the subject, spearing some grilled veggies on the plastic fork’s tines and scooping up a respectable mound of rice on top.

“So there’s a diamond smuggling ring-” Danny starts, and you immediately cut him off with, “Shut up, that doesn’t happen in real life.” You turn to Steve for confirmation, but there’s no provocative arch to his eyebrow or twitching of his lips to suggest this is a joke. “Are you serious right now? BFFR, Danno.”

“I don’t- I don’t know what that means. Why are you making me feel old?”

“Be fucking for real,” you and Steve supply in unison, and you smile proudly at him. “You’re learning!”

“Between you and Gracie, I keep up, okay?”

“Oh, between my baby cousin and my daughter, you- okay, that’s excellent,” Danny proclaims, his tone indicating it’s anything but. “Anyway, they’re using poker games as a cover to uh, collect their product, shall we say.”

“There’s enough rich people on Oahu with actual diamonds?” you ask, incredulous. “And here I am working like a pleb for paper currency.”

“Word,” Steve seconds your statement, raising his beer in a toast. You clink your smoothie against it before taking another refreshing sip and asking, “So how’re you gonna catch them?”

“Well, there’s a high roller tournament on Friday night that we’re betting they’ll hit. We wanted to go in undercover and flush them out but…” Steve trails off and gazes at you thoughtfully, but Danny’s shaking his head before the words have even formed on the brunette’s lips.

“No, absolutely not. Don’t even think about it, Steve.”

“What?” You turn to him, excitement coursing through your veins at the way his eyes have lit up. “Think about it! And tell me what you’re thinking about.”

“You could go undercover with me to the tournament, help me gather some intel. Maybe we get you to confirm the diamonds are actually in their possession and-”

“No!” Danny chimes in again. “What’s the matter with you, huh? These guys have killed two people, Steve. It’s too dangerous for her.”

“First off, fuck that-”

“Language.”

With an eye roll, you amend, “Forget that. More importantly, shouldn’t Danny go undercover? You kind of suck at poker, Steve.” You feel a sharp pinch at your side and you yelp in protest, slapping at the Navy SEAL. “It’s true, you little-”

“You’re not going,” Danny says definitively. “What about Tani?”

Steve shakes his head. “Tani and Junior have already questioned two of the men involved. They’ll be made before they even get to the table.”

You cross your arms and level your cousin with a smirk. “Sounds like you need me, Danno.”

“Then I’m going with you,” he declares.

“Yeah, no, hard pass,” you backpedal. “Even as a former thespian, there’s no way I can convincingly play arm candy for you without it being weird.”

“So, it’s settled then, little Williams,” Steve says with a grin. “You and me. Friday night. The high roller table at the Ilikai Hotel.”

__________

“This whole affair is giving very much Ocean’s Thirteen,” you remark as you lean into the mirror to line your puckered lips with Devil’s Den red. “The diamond heist, the poker game… it’s all so exciting.”

“Except this isn’t Hollywood and a bullet will actually hurt,” your cousin ever so graciously reminds you, trying to tug the slit ends of your dress together and then grunting in displeasure when the action reveals more of your bare back. “You’ve gotta be kidding me with this dress, babe,” he tuts. “Why’s it so expensive if it’s missing half the fabric, huh?”

You shrug and answer with a smile, “Don’t ask me! Your buddy picked it out.”

“Oh yeah, I bet he did,” Danny grumbles under his breath. “I mean, you’d be the most beautiful woman in the room if you were wearing a paper bag, but this- this dress-”

“Danno,” you laugh, completing the finishing touches on your makeup before turning around to squeeze his shoulder. “Remember one of the first things you said to me when I stepped off the plane?”

“Don’t date Steve?” he offers hopefully with a grimace.

That ship has sailed and it’s not docking anytime soon, you think wryly. “No, you goofball,” you respond instead, “that I’m an adult. Everything’s going to be fine!”

“Alright, okay, but just- just promise me you’ll be smart tonight and play it safe.”

With three fingers held aloft, you answer solemnly, “I promise.”

“And don’t let Steve talk you into doing something stupid, okay? No honeypot insanity or trying to sneak into rooms or anything, you got it?”

You press your lips to your cousin’s cheek and then wipe away the smudged lipstick. “Relax, Danny. The man’s a former SEAL. What could possibly go wrong?”

You open the door of the en-suite bathroom with a small smirk tugging at your lips as Danny splutters on behind you in answer to your incendiary question.

As soon as your stiletto touches down on the carpeted floor of the luxury hotel room, you’re hit with an enthusiastic, “Woah, baby!”

“You like?” you ask with a grin, holding your arms out at your sides and giving Tani a spin to show off the dress.

Tani laughs appreciatively and lets out a low whistle. “You are smokin’ hot. I am looking… disrespectfully,” she concludes after pretending to mull over her word choice. She sneaks a glance over at her boss who’s trying and failing to draw his gaze away from the high slit that’s showing off a majority of your leg, then steps closer to you and drops her voice. “And I’m not the only one.” You shush your friend quickly and she ducks away from your playful smack with another peal of laughter.

“Wow,” Steve breathes out, practically sporting heart-eyes as he drinks in the black silk hugging every curve of your body. His piercing blue eyes blaze a trail of heat from the stilettos on your feet to the low bun your hair is swept into, and you feel your skin grow warm under his attention.

“You look pretty wow yourself,” you remark, appreciating the smart tux he’s donned, the perfectly tailored suit accenting every defined muscle on his powerful body. The blush on your face deepens when your gaze meets his, catching a glimpse of a hungry predator on the prowl.

“No, but you, Y/N,” Steve counters, his voice a low growl, “you just- I mean- wow.” He looks ready to pounce, and you’re positive he would forego the event in lieu of spending the evening in bed if there wasn’t a case riding on your performance tonight- and your cousin who you’re keeping your relationship a secret from less than a foot away.

Danny snaps in his face, directing the brunette’s attention to him. “Don’t you gawk at her like that. Paws off my baby cousin, you hear me? Better use the right head tonight, Steven, I swear.”

You dart your eyes over to your boyfriend and make an intentionally obscene gesture with your hands, indicating which head you’re thinking about. He covers up his laugh with a cough, then hurries to reassure his partner. “Danno, c’mon. I’m a perfect gentleman. Aren’t I, Y/N?”

“You’re an animal, is what you are,” your beloved cousin continues his tirade, answering for you. “Just remember I’m watching, huh? I’ve got eyes on all the cameras.”

“Alright, people, focus now,” Lou admonishes gently, handing you and Steve small communications devices that you fit snugly into your ear, out of plain sight. “Y’all remember the plan?”

“Stand there and look pretty. Don’t get shot at,” you dutifully list off your objectives for the op with an exaggerated waggling of your eyebrows while Steve tests the microphone tucked away in his bow tie. “As an unofficial member of Five-0 now, do I get a gun?”

“Are you insane?” Danny cries as Steve asks, genuinely, “Where would you even hide a gun in that dress?”

Unable to resist, you shoot him a coy smile and challenge, “Wouldn’t you like to know, Commander?”

“Woah.” Your cousin holds his hands up between the two of you and declares, “Flag on the play. Don’t- Don’t do that. No flirting. Get in, entice Lee to steal your fake diamonds, get out. Deal?”

“We’ve got it, Detective,” Steve huffs, bending down to adjust his ankle holster.

Junior approaches then with a gorgeous looking diamond necklace and announces, “Got our bait here, boss.”

“Excellent,” Steve says, taking the jewelry from him and motioning for you to turn around. He gathers the necklace in one hand, his fingers drifting across your shoulder and collarbone to grasp one end before he fits it snugly around your neck. The simple touch has your veins flooding with heat, but you tamp down your reaction, keenly aware of the multiple sets of eyes on the two of you. “Tight enough?” he murmurs, and you nod in response, not yet trusting your voice.

“Oh, and one more thing!” Lou reaches into his pocket and pulls out a box, opening it with a flourish to reveal one simple silver band, the other studded with diamonds. “Little extra bling for good measure.” Your cheeks flush at the sight, and you turn your face away from Steve while you slide the wedding ring onto your finger.

One glance at its mate on your boyfriend’s hand has you weak in the knees, and Tani whispers, “Girl, you are down bad.”

“Shut up,” you hiss, fighting the blush threatening to give you away. Steve approaches with one eyebrow raised in curiosity, and you clear your throat before taking the arm he’s offered to you. You tuck your hand into the crook of his elbow, pressing yourself close to him and sending a sharp look to your older cousin when you feel his eyes boring holes into the two of you. “Knock it off, Danny.”

He cups your face between his hands and pulls you closer to press a kiss to your forehead with an apologetic smile. “Be smart. Be safe. I love you. You watch her back, okay?” He directs the last comment to his best friend with all the gruffness of a father sending his daughter off to prom.

“I will, Danny,” Steve answers solemnly, squeezing your hand.

“Alright, buddy. But not too close, okay? Remember, I’m always watch-”

You pull the door shut behind you with a sigh. Steve guides you down the hallway towards the elevators, and your grip on his arm tightens at the prospect of what you’re about to do.

Steve immediately intuits your nerves and offers a soothing, “Hey, you’re okay.” He takes your left hand in his, his right hand coming to rest on the small of your back so you feel completely enveloped by his steadying presence. He lets his thumb drift back and forth across your skin, just above where the fabric drapes at the base of your spine, and your comms come crackling to life. “Higher.”

Steve shifts his hand up with a chuckle, and your cousin begrudgingly remarks, “Better.”

The moment relieves some of your tension, and you shake your head before pressing the call button for the elevator. The lavish gold doors open to reveal an already sizable group dressed to the nines and clearly heading to the big casino-sponsored event downstairs. Steve applies gentle pressure on your back to guide you into the elevator, and as you descend each floor and the crowd grows, you’re forced closer together in the corner. “You’re wearing a new perfume,” Steve comments, his lips right by your ear to avoid your conversation being picked up by his mic.

“How observant,” you reply. “My boyfriend bought it for me.”

“He has excellent taste,” he continues the charade, and you resist the urge to roll your eyes at the compliment. With the crowd in the elevator blocking the camera’s view, Steve allows his fingers to glide down your spine until they reach their intended destination, and he sucks in a sharp breath when he realizes you’re not wearing anything under your dress. You smirk to yourself but quickly lose the upper hand, forced to swallow down a gasp when the elevator doors open into the lobby and Steve brazenly palms your ass while calmly stating, “Target acquired.”

“We see him, too,” Junior affirms. “East corner of the lobby, talking to the concierge.”

“Come on, darling,” Steve croons, settling into character- or rather dropping your usual act. “Let’s go win me some more money to spend on you.”

__________

“No entry without invitation, sir.”

You crane your neck to look up at the beefy bodyguard at the entrance to the high roller section. His biceps must be the size of your head, if not bigger, he’s got at least 6 inches on Steve, and his hulking form is completely blocking your view of the room behind him.

“Honey,” you murmur, “you brought it with you, didn’t you?”

Steve gives you an easy smile and pulls a gold-plated poker chip from the breast pocket of his tux. “Of course, my love.”

“Alright, enough with the cutesy nicknames,” Danny gripes, and you’re forced to stifle a laugh at Tani admonishing him in the background. The security guard pulls back the velvet rope to let you pass, and you duck behind the curtain to cross into the high roller area.

The room is a sea of expensive suits and sparkling cocktail dresses. A thick cloud of sweet-smelling smoke has settled in the air from the Cubans lit around the room, and the distinct symphony of ice clinking in glass tumblers joins the hum of dealers murmuring at their tables.

“Why don’t you go get us a drink and I’ll find a table to join?”

“The usual?” you purr in question, running your manicured fingers across the lapel of Steve’s suit.

“That’s perfect,” he assents, squeezing your hip before releasing you to do your own recon. Then you feel his fingers lace through yours and he murmurs, “Y/N, wait.” When you turn back to Steve, he tugs you closer by your connected hands and presses his lips to yours in a kiss that has your head buzzing before a drop of alcohol has even hit your tongue. “Lee’s watching,” he whispers against your mouth by way of explanation.

“Then let’s give him something to look at,” you respond with a glint in your eye, winding your arms around his neck and pulling him in for another kiss. Steve’s left hand comes up to rest on the nape of your neck as the other caresses the diamond fitted snuggly against the hollow of your throat, making sure that it catches the light just so as you lay the groundwork for your operation tonight.

“He’s practically suffocating her,” Danny cries in the hotel room upstairs, hands raised while he stares at the two of you in disbelief. “What’d I say about ‘not too close’, huh? Animal.”

“Okay, lovebirds, get some air,” Lou chuckles over your comms. “Seems like our man Lee has his eye on the prize now.”

Junior leans over to Tani as he watches the two of you part ways on screen, tracking your path to the bar with a skeptical brow. “Is it just me, or was that… intense?”

“C’mon, Junes,” she laughs breezily. “That is theater at its finest.”

“One scotch on the rocks, and one vodka tonic that’s light on the tonic,” you place your order at the bar, absentmindedly letting your fingers drift over the diamonds as you peruse the top shelf.

“Easy there, cowgirl,” Danny coaches in your ear. You look around for the nearest mounted dome camera and make a face at it. “Real mature, kid.”

You feel a heated gaze on your back, and you turn to flash a coy smile at Mister Jason Lee, the suspected brains behind the smuggling operation, before collecting your drinks and making your way back to Steve.

“He’s interested,” you murmur in his ear as you bend down to place the glass between his hands on the table. “But we need to really hook him. Better start throwing some money around, hotshot.”

“Go ahead, baby,” Steve says animatedly, attracting the attention of the other players around the table. He makes a big show of closing his eyes and letting you bet for him, clearly unaffected by winning or losing a few hundred on your blind faith. As you lean over to push a stack of chips towards the pot, you hear an appreciative titter around the table and turn to find Steve with one eye very obviously peeking- but definitely not at what your hands are doing.

“Naughty boy,” you scold playfully, and he offers his palms in an act of mock deference.

“Can you blame the man?” one of the other players barks out through a raucous laugh, and you smile politely even though their leering eyes make your skin crawl. When you bend to retrieve your drink, Steve moves closer with a grin and whispers in your ear, “If one of them so much as breathes in your direction, I’ll break off every one of their fingers and feed them to ‘em, okay, mama?”

Acutely aware that Danny and the rest of the team are watching your every interaction, you suppress a shiver and murmur back, “Sir, yes, sir.”

Steve has mixed luck on his first few hands, but you’re sure to make a big show of celebrating each win with a kiss that has the older women in the room clutching their proverbial pearls and Lee hanging onto your every move. You toy with the necklace as a nervous habit each time Steve places his bet and let your fingers trail across his broad shoulders as he studies each hand, squeezing affectionately every now and then.

“I hate this,” Danny declares, a dismayed frown tugging at his lips as he watches you on the live CCTV footage. On the small screen, you drape your arms around Steve’s neck and press a kiss to his cheek before murmuring something in his ear that’s too quiet for the hidden mic to pick up but has Steve grinning like a fool. “I hate this. Why did I let him talk me into this? Putz.”

“Relax, Danny,” Lou attempts to soothe his ruffled feathers. “They’re doing great.”

“Hey, hey, look!” Tani calls to garner their attention. “They’ve lured Lee in. He’s about to make contact.”

“Good evening,” he opens politely, pulling out the chair next to Steve.

“Evening,” your boyfriend offers in kind.

“Do you mind if I join you for the next hand?”

“Not at all,” you purr. “Perhaps you can help break my husband’s current losing streak.”

“With a good luck charm like you on his arm?” Lee counters smoothly. “Impossible.”

“From your mouth to the cards’ ears,” you laugh airily. “Let me go get you another drink, my love,” you say to excuse yourself, running your hand down Steve’s arm to collect his glass. “Can I get you anything, Mister…?”

“Good girl,” Tani praises you quietly over your comms.

“Lee,” he supplies. “But please, call me Jason.” He raises the remaining amber liquid in his glass with a smile then says, “Perhaps when I finish this drink, I’ll have what your husband’s having. Clearly he’s got excellent taste.” The way his eyes wander across your body isn’t lost on you.

“Arrogant son of a bitch,” Lou scoffs to his fellow team members upstairs. “Not even using an alias.”

Steve notices Lee’s hungry gaze straying from his cards to appreciate your form against the backdrop of the expansive bar and remarks, “Beautiful, isn’t she?”

“Indeed,” he agrees, swirling the expensive liquor in his glass before taking a sip. “Women like that are hard to find. As rare as that diamond around her neck.”

“Laying it on thick there, buddy,” Danny comments over your comms, and you steal a glance over to the table. “Take the bait, Steve.”

“Only the finest for my girl.”

When you return to the table with your and Steve’s drinks in hand, he hooks his ankle around the chair beside him and tugs it close for you to sit by him. “Slick move, double-oh-five-oh,” you murmur appreciatively in his ear before nipping at his earlobe. He seems extra possessive now, his hand either resting on your thigh, or your hip, or the back of your neck, always maintaining some form of skin to skin contact while the other holds his cards, and you can’t help but wonder what transpired between the two men.

Leaning over, Steve presses his lips to the point where your pulse thrums along your throat and asks, “What should we bet, beautiful girl?”

“Hm?” Your gaze is hazy, more so drunk on Steve’s touch than alcohol, and the unbidden thought that you can’t wait for this guy to be in cuffs so you can take your man home crosses your mind. You run your manicured fingers down his cheek and answer coyly, “I want you to go all in.”

The two of you dutifully ignore Danny’s protesting in your ears at your overt innuendo as Steve pushes his stack of chips to the center of the table.

“A bold move,” Lee declares with a whistle.

“What’s a few thousand when I have a million on my arm, hm?” your boyfriend counters with a sly glance in your direction.

“Let’s make this a real game. I’m all in, too.”

The dealer flips over the river card, and Steve’s arm tenses beneath your fingertips. The other few players around the table toss their cards aside with a sigh, but Lee looks over at the two of you with a grin, presenting his hand- a flush- with a flourish. He stands to collect the pot but Steve holds up one finger.

“Not so fast, my friend,” he laughs, his confidence making your body grow warm. Steve lays his hand out on the table with a smug smile. “Full house. Aces over eights.”

You let out an excited squeal, genuinely delighted at such a triumphant win, and pull Steve toward you by the lapels of his jacket to mold your lips to his. He makes an appreciative noise low in the back of his throat and his hand comes up to cup your neck in an overtly possessive manner that has you melting into his embrace. You feel his fingers playing with the clasp resting at the nape of your neck, and then the necklace falls into your lap, the next phase of your ruse in full effect now.

You pull back with a gasp and pout at Steve, your eyes wide. “It broke!”

“Then I’ll buy you ten more,” he answers easily, shrugging off your concern. “Go put it upstairs and don’t give it a second thought, okay?” He presses his lips to yours once more and gives you an affectionate pat below the dip of your dress when you stand that has you blushing. You can practically feel Danny’s laser eyes through the screen where he’s watching you.

You make sure to wobble the tiniest bit when you move, steadying yourself on Steve’s shoulder with a laugh. “What was our room number, honey?”

He shares a knowing look with your mark, then jokes, “How many vodka tonics have you had, hm? How many fingers am I holding up?” He has his fist raised and you smack at his chest with an eye roll. “217, my love,” Steve supplies before taking your hand and kissing the wedding band adorning your ring finger.

You head upstairs to the empty room the team had rented for this very purpose and place the necklace in the carefully concealed safe in the cupboard. When you return to the table, you find Steve alone.

“Where’s our friend?”

“Turned in for the night after that big loss,” your boyfriend supplies, winking at you. “Shall we?”

He offers you his arm, and after collecting his winnings, the two of you make your way to the lobby to lie in wait. “You’re going to be insufferable about that win forever now, aren’t you?”

“You said I was bad at poker,” Steve reminds you.

“You still are,” you fire back. “Dumb luck one time does not a skilled player make.”

“Jeez, boss,” Junior’s voice comes crackling in over your comms. “Want some ice for that burn?”

“Would you just- would you shut up and focus on the room, please?”

After a few minutes of waiting with no sighting of Lee, you lean into Steve’s chest and ask the team, “Anything?”

“Girl, hop off the mic,” Lou admonishes you, and you jump back from Steve. “We can hear you when you talk normally. Damn.”

Leaning back in, this time you whisper, “Sorry, guys.”

“Hey, McGarrett?” Tani speaks calmly but you can hear an edge of tension to her voice. “At your 4 o’clock, there’s two guys in suits who’ve had an eye on your table all night. I thought they were watching for potential card counting but they seem to have taken an interest in you and Y/N.”

“Copy,” Steve says quietly, pulling you closer to his body in a protective move in case all hell breaks loose.

“Let’s just show them we’re not a threat,” you offer.

“You want to go back in?”

“I was thinking of a more… hands on approach.” As the clicking of Italian leather shoes on the polished floor grows closer to you, you spin Steve around and push him against the wall, crashing into him for a heated kiss. His strong hands caress your bare back for a moment before one stays put to hold you against him while the other deftly undoes the knot holding your bun, your hair cascading down to its full length so Steve can use it for better leverage. You can’t help but moan into his mouth as he kisses you like a man starved until you’re shaken from your stupor by yelling approaching the lobby.

“Hey! Five-0! Stop running, dumbass!”

Without opening your eyes or breaking your kiss, you stick your foot out at the opportune time, making contact with the ankle of your diamond thief’s leg so he goes sprawling. There’s a faint splash to your right, and when you pull away for a breath, you can see your necklace winking at you from the lobby fountain.

Danny catches up to the scene and yells, “Hands- hey! Hands!”

Lee raises his hands above his head with a sigh, but your cousin continues on, “You two! Yeah, let me see your hands, too!” You turn to find Danny’s gun aimed at the diamond smuggler, but his fiery eyes are trained on you while Tani and Junior wrestle the other two lackeys to the floor nearby. You exchange a look with Steve, then feel the warmth of his palms leave your bare skin as the two of you slowly raise your hands as well. Clearing your throat, you offer meekly, “We’re really into method acting?”

“We’ll talk about this later,” Danny growls, slapping zip ties on a defiant Lee and ratcheting them tight before hauling him to his feet.

“Hey, man, ease up,” he whines and Danny barks, “You shut up.” He continues lamenting his woes audibly as he leads the thief to the waiting squad car, grumbling, “Had enough of all of you. My baby cousin and my best friend. Christ. What am I gonna tell my aunt?”

Steve whistles low under his breath when Danny’s out of earshot, then mutters, “That could’ve gone better.”

“On the plus side,” you comment, “he still referred to you as his best friend.”

Tani shoots you a sympathetic smile when she passes by with the man she apprehended, but Junior wastes no time leaning in and playfully tutting, “Bus-ted.” Steve raises one eyebrow and he tacks on a hurried, “Sir.”

—————

With Lee and his crew stewing in interrogation and HPD clearing the scene, you’re left sitting on the couch in Steve’s office like kids who got sent to the principal for misbehaving in school. The three of you must look ridiculous from the rest of the team’s point of view- you clad in spare clothes from Steve’s wardrobe in his office that you’re positively swimming in, your 40-plus-year-old boyfriend in a full tux with his bow tie and top few buttons undone, hand pressed over his mouth to avoid saying something that will further incense your cousin, and said cousin still dressed in his shirt and tie pacing the floor in front of you with his hands flying to emphasize every point he makes.

“And you-” Danny pauses his pacing to point an accusatory finger at his best friend. “How old are you, huh?” The finger changes angles to point at you. “And how old is she?”

“Do you want me to actually answer the quest-”

“No, Steve, they’re rhetorical questions! I know how old you are, and I’ll tell you! Too old for my baby cousin, that’s how old, huh? What’s the matter with you?”

“Why don’t you let Y/N speak for herself, Danny? Gotta let her grow up, buddy, c’mon now.”

“Thank you!” you cry. “Can I say something?”

The blonde and brunette duo turns to look at you with the same infuriating, incredulous look before simultaneously deciding, “No.”

“Alright, y’know what?” You slap your hands against your thighs and stand with a huff. “You two-” You point back and forth between Steve and Danny before continuing, “You work out your little marital spat. Daniel, when you’re ready to talk to me like the adult I am, I’ll be with Tani. After I drink some water. Because I’m still buzzed.” With that, you attempt to walk out of your boyfriend’s office with your head held high but are thwarted by the door, pushing on it to no avail.

“It’s a pull-” Danny says quietly, and Steve jumps in at the same time, “Pull, babe, you gotta pull on the-”

“I got it,” you bark at them, tugging on the glass door with a grumble about architectural intuitiveness.

After a long conversation with Steve and a short interrogation with Lee and his associates, Danny finds you nursing a bottle of water in Tani’s office, as promised. She slips out as your cousin takes a seat next to you, pulling you into a hug that you allow yourself to melt into even though you mutter all the while under your breath about his overprotective nature.

“I’m sorry I made you feel like you couldn’t just tell me you were seeing Steve.”

Woah. What?

“What?” Danny laughs. “You were right. We should talk about this like adults.”

“Did I say that out loud?”

“The ‘Woah. What?’? Yeah, you did, babe, it was very much not an inside thought.”

“Excellent,” you laugh, nodding solemnly. “Well, um, thank you for that. And sorry for not coming out and just telling you.”

“Guess I made it pretty hard for you to tell me, huh? What with the two rules and-”

“Yup.”

“But everybody else knew or-”

“Tani knew, cause she’s my girl, y’know. Grace figured it out pretty quickly. Pretty sure Lou’s had a feeling since at least Thanksgiving, honestly.”

Danny sits back with a start, pulling away from your hug. “How long has this been going on?”

With a sigh, you realize it’s time to come clean. “You remember when I wanted to go on that dive with you, and you said I should take Steve since you don’t ‘do water’? Well, Steve took me to this really beautiful dive spot and we kind of made a day of it so…”

“That was like-”

“A while-”

“Like seven months ago!”

“I mean, we didn’t exactly start dating on that day- well, no, we kind of did,” you correct yourself quietly, biting your lip with a grimace, but Danny’s already halfway across the floor back to Steve’s office. Lou takes the opportunity to poke his head in to check on you and you draw out a slow, “So Lou…” He raises one eyebrow in question, and you dare to ask, “Would now be a bad time to tell Danny about Will and Grace?”

—————

Tagging you beautiful people who commented for me to finish writing this 🖤

@the-silentium @ilovewriting06 @jamie2305 @kelssssxd @cassadilasworld

[flightyalrighty]

IDK if this counts as too spoilery to answer, but do they also use this memory altering to control their hosts? You described Sonic as being stuck in a 'prey animal stuck in a corner' mentality due to his parasite, but is that because she's fucking with his fight-or-flight instinct for the adrenaline or because she's literally gone in and messed with his memory to the point where he genuinely thinks something is out to get him and he's struggling to remember it's not supposed to be like this?

I guess another way to ask is is she just hitting the "Panic right now!!!" button over and over or did she go in a rewire him to the point where he's hitting the button himself? And how much is he able to think for himself right now? (Also that parasite must be in heaven rn. She jumped into Sonic? Adrenaline junky running at the speed of sound Sonic??? She is living the dream and I hate that for him 😭)

Also gonna use this ask to gush about how much I love this comic and concept. It's so well drawn and it feels grounded if that makes any sense. It feels like everyone is acting the way real people would act. I'm actually glad to see you say this is gonna have a bittersweet ending because I genuinely can't see how it could have a perfectly happy one you know? Pop off OP and have fun with this 👏 I'll be here for the years it'll take for this comic and the sequel to be made 👌👌

(Also also can I say the panel that really got me hooked was the one where Shadow was looking at Rouge after taking off the heart monitor? God it felt like it wasn't just him looking at her and then there was the foreboding flatline in the same scene and it's just 💗💗💗💗💗 love that feeling it gave 10/10 would love feeling that horrid sense of dread again)

Okay so first of all can i just say

This is both a very insightful and very nice ask -- Thank you for sending it! Genuinely such a sweet thing to wake up to this morning, and I'm happy to hear you'll be sticking around for more!

And y'know, some years back, when I was still in college, I was told by someone that my art was good but my writing "sucks." While I shouldn't have let that bother me, it's a comment that has haunted me to this day. I'm glad you like my writing, Symbio-Ratio. Makes me believe I've improved since my days of suck-fullness.

My favorite comics tend to be the ones that are, like you said, "grounded," at least in tone. Maybe Spider-Man: Blue and Hellboy rubbed off on me, idk 😜

To answer your question: To a degree, the parasites do use memory altering to control their hosts -- Less to manipulate their emotions and more to ensure they don't believe anything is wrong (and therefore seek help before she's settled in). So she targets memories that are points of major stress for the host and attempts to delete them, since getting a bug inside you would, uh, be a very stressful memory. It's trickier to do on people with PTSD, however.

The parasite does, in fact, hit that button over and over, forcing their host to lose their ability to reason while subjecting them to an overload of panic and anger until they furiously lash out at their "attackers" with a strength they can't normally use under non-panicking circumstances.

And yeah, unfortunately, Sonic is basically the parasite's dream host.

Thank you very much for sending this! :]

[whispermask]

twitter was talkin about soap's obsession with cock sucking and--

(nsfw text under the cut)

Ghost has a problem and that problem is MacTavish’s oral fixation. 

Boy’s always got a pen hanging out the side of his mouth, biting at his nails, touching his lips and he probably doesn’t even realize he’s doing it but Ghost seriously can’t look away whenever Soap has anything even remotely phallic near his mouth and it’s driving Ghost mad. Ghost thinks maybe Soap knows he’s being watched, starts pandering specifically to Ghost’s obsession with his mouth. 

It’s the warmest day of the year when it all comes to a head. They’re on base between one op and the next and it’s hotter than it has any right to be, so much so that even Ghost has stripped down to cargo pants and a thin shirt, still sweltering stubbornly under his mask. Soap, instigator of all instigators, isn’t faring much better. To cope with the heat, he’s wearing a tank top and tiny shorts, miles of bare skin like gold slick with a fine sheen of sweat under the sweltering sun. It’s too hot to be alive, is what it is. And Gaz, bless him, buys ice cream for everyone. A sweet man, really, except that he’s bought popsicles. 

Almost as soon as Ghost sees the box, his gaze flickers to Soap, who’s already looking back with an absolutely wicked glint in his eyes. Which is how Ghost ends up white knuckling the armrest while Soap practically felates a popsicle not even three feet from him, close enough that Ghost can hear all the wet, sucking noises his mouth makes as the ring of his lips slides up and down the shaft–and really, is he down that bad that he can’t look at a popsicle in Soap’s mouth and see anything other than a red, aching cock?–his eyes close and he moans. A low, desperate sound that starts in the back of his throat and ends with a slick pop as he pulls the popsicle back out. “Wow, Gaz,” Soap says, “it feels so good on my tongue.” And Ghost can’t fucking do this. He’s done, he’s absolutely had enough. 

He stands too quickly, scruffs MacTavish, and hauls him out behind the mess hall. Despite the late hour, it’s still too damn hot, but with the sun fully set it’s no longer sweltering. 

“What the fuck are you doing, Johnny?” Ghost asks. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Soap replies, always such a brat. The light from a far off building glints off Soap’s cherry-tinted, spit-slicked lips and Ghost is thumbing away the moisture without realizing he’s even moved. 

He’s practically cupping Johnny’s face and it seems only logical to lift his mask and press his mouth against Soap’s cold one. Soap tastes sweet, sure, but underneath that is something so undeniably Soap that it turns the kiss from innocent to indecent in seconds. 

Soap clenches Ghost’s shirt in his hand and hauls him forward until he’s backing Soap up against the brick wall with a forearm braced above Soap’s head for balance. He presses the huge line of his body against Soap’s, grips his bare biceps in both hands, holds on for dear life. Soap breaks the kiss, gasping for air, eyes still clenched tight when Ghost pulls away to give him some space. 

“I’ve been thinking about doing that for a while,” Soap finally says. 

“Is that why you’ve made it your mission in life to tease me until my prick falls off?” Ghost asks, overly fond. 

“You loved it,” Soap replies. “The real question is, what are we going to do about it now?” And like that, Soap’s reversed their positions so that Ghost is backed up against the wall. 

He slides to his knees in a fluid motion, and Ghost knows it must hurt, 

that the concrete digging into his skin and pressing against the bone there is likely uncomfortable, that Soap doesn’t care because he’s been just as eager to get his mouth on Ghost as Ghost has been to feel it on him. 

Soap doesn’t bother to strip him down more than is necessary to free his cock; it’s dark, but someone walking by on the main road could hear them, could even amble around the corner to see where Soap is kissing the head of Ghost’s cock, using his tongue to trace the underside of the sensitive crown, stabs the sharp end of it into his slit to lick up his pre-come. 

“Fucking hell, Johnny,” Ghost says, because of course, it’s always like this with Soap, always better than he’s ever had, too damn good for him every time. 

Ghost grows impatient. He fists Soap’s hair in one hand and pinches the hinge of his jaw open with the thumb of his other. The ‘O’ of his mouth is obscene even in the low light. Ghost slicks the head of his cock against Soap’s bottom lip, pushes in until just the tip sits on his tongue. 

Soap keeps his mouth open for it, forever an exhibitionist, because he wants Ghost to watch him, always, but especially now when this has been building for too long, when it’s been ages since the last time they got to touch like this. 

Motivated by that thought, Ghost thrusts forward by centimeters, giving Soap time to adjust, to breathe through his nose, until Soap’s taken him down the root. Soap’s face in pleasure, especially this specific act, is something Ghost will never tire of. 

He’s rapturous as Ghost begins to pull back, then thrusts back in, the slide of Soap’s lips torturously tight and hot. He stares up at Ghost as best he can when his eyes aren’t rolling back on a particularly sharp thrust in, gaze worshipful, like there’s truly nothing else in the world he’d rather be doing than blowing Ghost. He keeps making these sweet little grunts as Ghost moves, the volume and pitch increasing as Ghost speeds up. 

Drool drips down his chin, slicks the entirety of Ghost’s shaft so it’s nothing but a smooth, hot slide in, in, in. Soap likes it messy, and Ghost is happy to oblige him, to fuck the spit from his mouth, to make him choke and gag on it until his face goes red from lack of oxygen. 

He sees Soap’s shoulder moving rapidly, jerking his cock off as he sucks Ghost off. “That’s right Johnny, fucking take it,” Ghost says, voice gone throaty. He can feel his orgasm building from his toes to the base of his spine. 

“Keep touching yourself. I want you to come while you’re choking on my prick.” And that’s all she wrote for Soap, who comes in his hand and onto the concrete at Ghost’s feet. This is Ghost’s favorite part, how pliant Soap gets after he comes.

Ghost braces his feet and grips Soap’s head in both hands, uses his mouth like a fucktoy, slides it up and down his cock until he’s coming too, shooting his load down Soap’s throat, letting him taste the last few spurts as he pulls out and finishes coming on his pretty, pink lips. Ghost gathers himself, then gathers Soap from the concrete, using a hand on Soap’s elbow to help him stand. 

In the lowlight, Ghost can see that Soap’s knees are pinpricked and bloodied. “Remind me to tell Gaz to go fuck himself,” Ghost says and Soap laughs. “Pretty sure you should be saying ‘Thank you’ Lt.,” Soap replies. It’s still too damn hot. 

[eggsaladsandwhic]

Vash Headcannons (SFW and NSFW)

Follow my previous posts about the Poly Knives x OC x Vash CollegeAU fic I'm doing so here's some ideas I gotta dump.

SFW/General

Ecology Major vibes, is also getting an Ethics minor

Hates chemistry with a burning passion

Makes a lot of friends, but only hangs out with a few so he doesn't overwhelm himself

Nurodivergent Vash!

(He/They)! Or (They/them) either works

Doing a stem degree while having ADHD and anxiety sucks so much but Vash thrives in it somehow

College has really been flaring up his plant traits lately, has to call Rem or talk to Nai on the weekly for help (Though Nai just keeps telling him to stop repressing it)

Has to wear long sleeves or hoodie a lot to cover up the feathering leaves that pop out.

Vash doesn't realize it but it's anxiety that's causing it, but Nai started lending him some compression shirts and so it's gotten better

BUFF DADBOD VASH (this idea possess me)

He's gotten better with dealing with stress and no longer resorts to starving himself

GOES TO THERAPY(one of these twins gotta do it)

Between Nai's cooking, drinking on the weekends, and the amount of donuts this dude can eat he's living his best life

Works out when he gets the time and bowls competitively

Wants a significant other (Mates for life) but it's so hard, especially when starts thinking about the fact he's not human

Has a fear of having someone he really loves and then them finding out he's a plant and reacting negatively. Vash thinks Nai and him would likely have to move back to the facility with Rem. He doesn't want to uproot the lifestyle him and his brother have

Gets a little depressed about it, but is really good with having a support group on standby

Gets hit on at bars a lot but it always flys over his head or they're too pushy about it.

Wolfwood sets him up with dates once in a blue moon but it goes horrible or the girls just don't like him for more than his looks

Physical touch is this man's love language and he just wants someone he can lean on

Add someone who likes doing domestic activities?? Y'all are going to the courthouse next week

Wants to just curl up next to someone even platonically at this point

Has an agreement with Nai sometimes that they sleep in the same bed like when they were kids (Nai always grumbles about it but sleeps better that night anyway)

Nsfw Below 👇

OH SHIT OH FUCK

(NSFW)

So I did some research today and did y'all know that wild purple geraniums have a tendency to be Hermaphrodites

YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS

Vash is a dual package (living the dream ong)

Plantussy and Plantdick combo meal

So I imagine that his dick would sit above his vulva and vagina? Testes would likely be internal (genuinely trying to form an anatomy basis I'm actually looking at a diagram rn)

As for his female organs I'd say he consented to a hysterectomy because it was causing growth issues (post op sucked but he figured it out)

Took testosterone for awhile until everything was functional

Became a lot more sexually comfortable with himself after this

6.5in prehensile tentacle dick, bumpy rounded ridges on the sides and little more on the girthy end

Has more of those downy soft petals that unfold during sex, and dick likely has a sheath because it's more fleshy (kinda like the inside of your mouth)

Hyperspremia and leaves a mess everytime he jerks off, squirts a lot too (probably got a dedicated bath towel at this point)

He has fucked himself with his own dick and usually prefers to

Owns quite a few sex toys and likes to experiment around a little bit

Goes from a Fleshlight, a regular dildo, has a couple fantasy ones, and anal and prostate toys

High sex drive, but can cum pretty quick (short recovery period, usually goes 3 rounds but can do more)

Rut is 10x worse too you'd be lucky to make it to the fridge

Makes sperm plugs during rut

SWITCH VASH(still a virgin though)

Desperate sex kinda guy, gets pussy drunk or cock dumb so easily, folds like a chair no matter what

Make him unfurl his wings out it means he trusts you so much

Please go down on him and absolutely devour him

Very sweet though and would definitely check in a lot (check in with him too it makes him feel fuzzy)

Has a sex awareness to not hurting you accidentally, during rut he's very nervous about it

Aftercare King (loves to shower or take a bath after)

More of a hickey giver than a biter

Usual kinks: Breeding, Pegging, Overstimulation, Cum play, cockwarming, Oral, Praise, Hair-pulling

Unusual: Blindfolding, Shibari(both ways around), Begging, wants to be degraded a little bit

Jesus my brain went wild there, I was doing research for some of this shit. Was supposed to be doing Geochemistry homework but this happened ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯. Anyways gn y'all I got a 9am.

[coredrill]

okayyyyyyyy initial bravern finale thoughts. i think i will be thinking abt this show for the next 7-10 business years so more to come ofc but. AH!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE ISAMI SINGING THE OP LET THAT BE DIEGETIC TOO!!!!!!!!!! AND ALSO ON SPOTIFY!!!!!!!!!!

isami off his Fucking rocker at that one point like Yeah you deserve it king go OFF LMAO. i found that quite satisfying :] real talk tho for as much as i call him baby rice cracker all the time i really love him as a protagonist? like he just feels so damn human in the way he struggles so much but tries his best and then gets hit AGAIN but keeps trying again and again anyways. it's really good! and his whole arc of like. learning that he Can rely on others and with that reliance brings mutual care..............sobs

i love that piloting these fucking things just makes your hair grow. LMFAO

okay i know i've been complaining abt the translation of "bang brave" or whatever tf smith keeps saying before he dies BUT the reveal that that is just ANOTHER thing he's doing bc he's a Fucking Freak and isami thinks it's weird too KILLED ME. smith: "brave bang :]" isami: If You Say That Shit One More Time You're Sleeping On The Couch Tonight". what is wrong with you lewis smith!!!!!!!!!!

i wouldn't be atall surprised if this show got the ssssg treatment and got four million random manga/light novel spinoffs especially considering it's consistently like the most popular show in japan lmao. the lulu-superbia spinoff sounds like a lot of fun so i'd def be interested to see more in that vein!!! i need to learn japanese tho cause no way they're getting eng translations!!!!

i feel like. there is a specific Vibe of mecha thing that verum vita fits which Also includes dissonanza backarrow and uhhhh idk the name but that one mf who pops up in ep30ish of gaogaigar and is just kinda like. observing? like verum vita is not a court jester like the other two and this analysis does not go any deeper than Vibes but. it had me leo dicaprio pointing like. another one!!!

i'm literally obsessed with the unhinged worldbuilding in this show. like?

population is nine billion???

the suez canal is still blocked????

if you're gay you can just. Do That ???

like i love that they don't explain this shit either it's so funny to me. LMAO

something something smith can only express himself and his love for isami as bravern not just bc it gives him as a character/person separation from his Human Self but also. bc i wouldn't be surprised if that was The Way to get the queer stuff so blatant, bc he was in robot form rather than one human man saying "i love you" to another and then glomping him in an explicitly romantic sense after all the talk of riding and him being inside him. LMAO. this isn't a complaint beyond a vague shake of the fist at Corporations and TV Censors, just smth i think is REALLY interesting and which i had a surprising amount of fun watching play out from a story perspective :]

i feel like my hottest bravern take is and will always be that i really don't mind the 12eps LMAO. like i thought it provided a fun variety of Situations with which to deal with the DDs and it didn't give it enough time for the gimmick or mystery elements to start to feel old. also i am just generally of the opinion that most stories would work better if you wrote them to be told in X amount of time and then had to trim off like. 40% of that. so i know it's a personal thing but i think it worked well for bravern!!

i do wish we'd gotten to see smith and isami hug if only cause i think isami fuckin needs it. LMAO. but overall i'm satisfied w their arc, especially bc i think the whole "beyond bang brave" thing works REALLY well w smith returning to his human body. like as soon as superbia kicked it i had a feeling that would happen, and obv it's textually referring to isami/bravern/lulu's massive super robot powerup, but i also think it can just mean like. what happens After? cause smith keeps saying "bang brave" or whatever tf when he dies but to go Beyond that is to come back to life and experience a life where he can receive love, too (i.e., via cooking and food AND ALSO via Literally being brought back to life from bravern's heart. who had just merged with isami on a particle level or whatever lmao). so i'm rly satisfied with how it played out in the end :]

overall i think my only real complaint w the show on the whole aside from the military propaganda was that the boys looked like such fucking DERPS in half their shots. lmao. like obviously i'm biased cause i'm a sakuga whore and i actually rly do like their more realistic style a surprising amount cause i usually don't go for that sort of thing but uh. there's a reason that lulu is the human i gif most often and it's cause she always looked better than them by a long shot FSKDLJH. her character animation was consistently the best & most expressive and she was always the most on-model which. FUCKING DESERVED BTW. her arc was incredible and i'm so excited to rly think about her some more and dig into her as like. a rei ayanami clone (maybe even specifically rebuild? w the "your hair grows long inside your mecha" thing) but who takes control of HER OWN STORY TOO and is able to grow wildly beyond being that story point. like i love that she's taken care of too. agh she's really such an amazing character maybe i'll have to cosplay her too FKLDJSHF i'm rotating her in my brain So Much

overall that was really good and i really enjoyed it and i can't wait for the blurays <333 i love it when robot shows are made by people who love robot shows!!!!!

[rennsdeaddoves]

journey to the west book one, thoughts

so this post is going to be really messy and jumbled, i will take my thoughts one chapter at a time. since this post contains all the chapters in book one imma but everything under the cut and warn ya'll that this is HELLA long.

ok so, before we get into it i just wanna let you guy's know that if the first 13 chapters seem like they have less it's because i only really started to do this on chapter 14 and had to go back through chapters 1 - 13 and look at the notes and tabes i left to gage my reaction to them. some of them have a bit more than others and some have like none at all.

that being said enjoy the absolute crack house that is my no cotext thoughts of Journey to the West volume one!

Chapter 1

monkey is born!!

and he's already being impulsive...

calling him the handsome monkey king is gonna go straight to his head

lier! you are a certified shit disturber and you know it!

ohhhhh so thats how he got the name Sun Wukong, gotcha gotcha

Chapter 2

the dao art seems real complex

love how they casually have the way to immortality written in this book lol

teaching a suicidaly impulsive monkey how to shape shift and fly wasn't a bad idea at all!

he's showing off- of course he is-

aaaaaand he got kicked out for showing off! idiot-

oh damn- thats actually sadder than i thought it would be...

HE CALLS THEM LITTLE ONES!!! CUUUTE!!!!

HOW DARE!?!?!

Chapter 3

holy hell....

op much???

not a monkey scaring a dragon ffs

he is just a menace this entire page! LAMO

GOD DAMN-

THEY WANT HIM OUT SO FUCKING BAD XDDDD

bruh-

ooooooop foreshadowing alert

THATS BULLSHIT!! THEIR EXAGERATING THE HELL OUT OF IT!!!

oh- oh he really fucked up the life and death cycles- damn...

smart!!!!

he was thinking of paying a visit to heaven himself?? without an invite?? oh- that would not have ended well-

Chapter 4

here we go! first rampage through heaven!!

deva

NEZHA!!!!

ITS GIVING "who's this sassy lost kid?" VIBES XD

Chapter 5

does he not have a reputation yet???

Wukong is in so much fucking trouble oh god....

idiot

going to war over wine is a very Wukong thing to do-

Chapter 6

when did Nezha get here?

shapeshifter duels man... they be confusing af

oop he got caught-

Chapter 7

they seem to have forgotten what the meaning of immortal is

oop- he's being refered to as a monster instead of a king by the narrator- thats how you know he's pissed beyond all belief...

OH HES MAD MAD

HOLY FUCK

"i have to go exorcise a demon to defend the throne." pg 193

"he ligit just wrote "sun wukong was here" oh the fucking finger lmao

man... calling the banquet that is just salt in the wound.... really it is...

Chapter 8

sandy's got green skin, red hair, noted

it's pigsy -n-

he flirted with Chang'e..... this bitch

i already can't fucking stand him

Chapter 9

so he does have parents! lets see if they ever pop up again-

WHAT!?!?! WHY!?!!

Chapter 10

i didn't take in a sing thing that this chapter sad.... why is it even here-

Chapter 11

no thoughts head empty, why are we still on this? is there any plot relevance or???

Chapter 12

awwww their cute

good for him, coming from such humble beginnings

wow- ok thats kinda a really great honour to be called brother by the emperor

Chapter 13

lots of scenery! neat!

wft....

oop divine intervention o'clock

abuse???? hello??? what the actual fuck sir???

COWARD!!!

i am going to get so sick of him so quickly....

WUKONG!?!?!?!!!!! YER BACK!!!!!! YEEEEEAHHHHHHHHH

Chapter 14

wukong- bud... YOUR FUCKING FILTHY

yell that your not lying makes you less believable

HE'S NAKED?!?! OFC HE IS

brutal.... nice

ight show off, keep rambling about the shit you can do.

gay? /j but fr- i get that a naked monkey coming to your door may be a cause for concern but there was no reason to disrespect him like that-

he has a son??? when???

gross man- like i get you were trapped under a mountain- but gross

brutal... nice

EXCUSE YOU WHAT?!?! NAH, NAH HE DID NOT

A FEW WORDS?!?! FAM YOU READ HIM FOR A WHOLE PARAGRAPH SHUT YOUR MOUTH

thats not teaching tripitaka- a lecture is NOT teaching

GUAINYIN IS HERE!!! oh... Guanyin is here...

oh... fuck...

why is his name just 'Pilgrim' like i get it but i also don't... idk

oh he's gonna do it out of spite now for being called a bogus immortal by the dragon king

that entire painting is just of two gay lovers putting on shoes and getting immortality for it

well, he actually is really convincing, i can see why Wukong went back after those words...

yeah i'd be taken aback too bud

.......YOU COULD FINISH THE JOURNEY RN.... but he won't, that defeats the entire porpoise of it all

THIS BITCH!!!! I WILL ACTUALLY KILL HIM

HE ONLY STOPPED CAUSE I WAS AFRIAD THE FILLET WOULD BREAK

ON GOD I WILL THROW HANDS WITH A MONK I WILL

HE STARTED UP AGAIN?!??!!? STOP!!!!

OH OH! so you stop when you see how the pain is LITTERALLY TEARING HIS BODY APART! fuck you

HE ACTUALLY TRIED TO KILL HIM!?!?!?!? oh my god- i mean.... jesus.....

yes. its a great idea to go to the south sea and beat up the goddess who did this to you... super smart /s

all thoughts of disobedience and rebellion? no shot

Chapter 15

ah yes, lets start the chapter with Wukong hauling ass to save Tripitaka

Jesus them some powerful eyes

omg SHUT UP

YES YELL AT HIM WUKONG!!!

namby-pamby??

lawless lizard XD

harsh

they talk about him like he's not the son of a dragon king...

OH SHES PISSED AT HIM

so he's called 'third prince Jade dragon' gotcha

he's a fucking idiot

why are you being such a baby all of a sudden??

neat, he got the get out of danger free leaves now

if Rue had been in this part of the journey she would have been pretty interested in that

plot armour be like-

impressive

more divine intervention! oh my god-

so now it's early spring. jesus that means its almost been a year

Chapter 16

i don't know wether to be annoyed or what- were only a page into this chapter

"he may be ugly" BITCH WHAT

yeah... ight... i'd be annoyed with him too

somesones butt hurt that hes oooooold~

everyone is starting to get on my nerves like jesus-

wow the murder plots are real

he askin' for favours like he didn't just beat their asses 500 years ago

he's a little arsonist

LMAO UNO REVERSE BITCH

damn- he's already on shockingly good terms with him

HE SAVED YOU AND YOUR GONING TO PUNISH HIM FOR IT!?!?!

I'M GOING TO THROW HANDS WITH A MONK ISTG

and after all that your response is still murder??? really????

goddman.... he so mad he defiled a corpse- that wasn't very buddhist of you tripitaka

Chapter 17

not tripitaka using wukongs temper against others-

jesus christ man

"thunder god mouth" XDDD best way to describe it 10/10

THE THREATS

XDD the arrogance!! he called the demon "my son" before starting a lecture XDD

he gets annoyed when people call him the BanHorsePlague now, thats so fucking funny to me

he's so real for that though, i'd wanna eat in the middle of a fight too

he is actually a menace to humans goddamn

HE REDUCED THE DEMON TO A BURGER

love how their calling him 'old carcass'

there is a lot of seemingly nice senery in this chapter

how'd they know all of that just by seeing a goddamn meat patty on the side of the road???

this is gonna be a pattern isn't it-

conversations with these two go no where but damn they do be giving me L O R E

he's being so nice now lmao

wft....

ok *fine* she gets a pass but jesus

GRAPHIC

jesus wukong

HA got'em

"don't start trouble again" "i won't" LIES

Chapter 18

oooooh this is the pigsy chapter!!! i can't wait to see some ass be beat!

i- i don't think i like these people...

Wukong really just said don't judge a book by it's cover

why does he always say "your poor monk" it's grinding my gears

"tell me everything!" .... "from ancient times-"

his surmname meant hog....

i can only picture that one manga panel in jjk where Yuta is dragging Yuji along lmao

ancient toilet humour?

"where are you going darling" he says as he returns to his original form

love that wukong is described and then called "virtually a living thunder god"

"i'll follow you to the ends of the earth" (menacingly)

Chapter 19

why do they all have caves?

it is pigsy

damn- Wukong's reading him

are they really throwing celestial law at one another??

he's bragging... really?

ah yes, a summary of the first seven chapters

he really said set your house on fire and follow me

man's really stripped him of all he was worth and then dragged him by the ear... he's like a mom...

HE'S REFERED TO AS IDIOT! oh this just got so much better

lmao both of them going "wine? oh we still drink that"

Wukong admitted to being a light weight XD

pigsy, trying to say a heart felt goodbye, the other two; hurry the fuck up

"you know him and not me? what kind of fuckery is this?"

"he insulted me and the pig?!" "how?" *proceeds to tell tripitaka exactly how he and pigsy were insulted*

Chapter 20

just by the title alone i know imma start to have beef with pigsy

they still call him idiot! YES

it's pigsy getting bullied hours!!!

that- that was a very round about way of calling him a dick Wukong

annnnnd he's boasting again...

huh? flying bricks, talking pots, and dancing tiles... interesting...

this old man has balls

"fix your ugliness" DUUUUUDE

i'm about to highlight each and every time Pigsy is refered to as Idiot! shits too funny!

ahhhhh pigsy's first kill steal!

OH SHIT NVM

dude just ripped off his own skin! what a power move!

jesus-

and we get to the first time tripitaka is truely captured!

"for you culinary pleasure" XDDDD why is that so funny?

this guy's actually quite smart for that

damn...

good wisdom wukong

i love how wukong is so often describes as "the one with the thunder god mouth and hairy face"

he's got a good sense to be this scared of him

monkey-monk?? (why is that so funny to me???)

he just told wukong he was a 'buy one get one free sale'!! AND HE'S THE FREE BIT XDDDDDD

KILL STEAL!!! +1 for butality, pigsy's score is now -99 points!

Wukong actually let him have credit for the kill? goddamn- is that character growth i see?

Chapter 21

no he does not!

Aqua man?????

Really?? *face palms*

why does he insist on calling himself grandpa?

is he about to disapline him like a grandpa too??

Coward

the divine wind of Samādhi? like the Samādhi fire? NEAT!!!

more divine intervention i see

the trend of calling pigsy an idiot continues and i am thriving in this enviornment

can he be any less annoying?

*crybaby beings to play on loop in my head*

idiot

it was the fucking gold star of venus

very humble wukong

lawless ape! XDDD

love that offending the great sage is quite possibly a crime punishable by death now

Chapter 22

its sandy time!!!

wouldn't that be qualifies as an inland sea?!

i don't know how to feel about that entire passage

cloud surfing lessons

he called Wukong his assistant- oh boy if he had heard that...

he can be there in half an hour?! wild...

sandy is aquired

Chapter 23

still love that his nickname is practically idiot

please- stop refering to your staff as a rod- i can't take reading "you'll get a ___ from this Huge Rod!" anymore T-T

you fucking idiots- your banter has now left the master stranded and he's gonna get captured by demons!

serves you right

Wu kong being so shocked he actually acted poliet?

Unreal and nonexisting- well those are some red falgs if i've ever seen em in this book

SHIT JUST GOT SO MUCH FUNNIER OMFG

she just keeps going!? dude- please- how can someone have so much

omg- this is all a test of character isn't it...

tripitaka; wukong you stay! Wukong; the fuck you mean me!? make pigsy stay

the entier latter half of this page pisses me off. fuck you pigsy

OH EW! SEVEAR ICK- GROSS

I FUCKING HATE YOU YOU GREEDY WHORE

I KNEW IT WAS A TEST OF CHARACTER!!!!!! I WAS RIGHT!!!!

Chapter 24

serves him fucking right

i agree with Wukong, leave the pig and go

holy hell they haven't even covered one tenth of the distance yet?

this is the chapter that that one monkey king animated movie was about.

to cowardly to do it himself so he's gotta wait for Wukong lmao

thus begins an entire two-ish pages of Wukong stealing fruit again

Wukong makes me nevious frfr

if it were so embarissing maybe you shouldn't have done it in the first place

Chapter 25

wukong.... buddy.... no.....

good plan boy's

dude can pick (break?) locks.... good to know

why do you fight first and ask questions later....

he escaped thrice, got catpured thrice, kept playing tricks..... dude just wouldn't fucking stop....

[zorotitties]

I hate dudebro OP fans

I shudder saying this, but sometimes I visit the one piece subreddit *groans* I know. But sometimes really good cosplayers and theories pop up there! But I'm not here to talk about the good, unfortunately. I see it on reddit, on tiktok, on Instagram, and even Facebook. Cishet male one piece fans. Who take everything so fucking seriously, who think every character is straight, who criticize the manga to hell and back for all the wrong reasons. SPOILERS FOR MOST RECENT CHAPTER START HERE, THEY WILL BE BETWEEN TWO CAUTION EMOTES

⚠️ I saw one today that said that luffy using gear 5 on Lucci was stupid and that it made his fight with kaido look pointless and made kaido look weak because "obviously Lucci is weaker than kaido so why would Luffy have to use gear 5?" MF the boy isn't logical, he's not using gear 5 because he thinks he can't beat Lucci without it. He's using it because A) it's a new form he likes it, he wants to show off his new powers because Lucci is doing the SAME DAMN THING and B) he wants to show Lucci he's not messing around and that he recognizes how strong Lucci is. It's to show that he was a formidable foe ⚠️

So there's that bullshit lmfao. And then you have the people who insit Zoro will end up with Hiyori, those who ship Luffy and Hancock (no shade I guess but wtf), think of Sanji at surface level face value shit and see him as uber straight, completely ignoring kamabaka kingdom and his very obvious struggle with gender and sexuality. Dudebro OP fans love to point out shit and then ignore things that contradict their points entirely. They love to ignore the queer characters in OP. They love to ignore that Kiku and Yamato are trans. They love to ignore that Luffy has not once ever shown interest in a woman INCLUDING Hancock, but has blushed around zoro. They love to ignore Zosan's dynamic. Zolu's dynamic. Vivi and Nami's dynamic. They straight up refuse to acknowledge that Bon Clay is queer. They borderline suck the fun out of the anime. I can't imagine like genuinely rating all the arcs, overly criticizing them and calling some of them straight up bad. And maybe that's just because One Piece is my special interest, but holy fuck man how can you genuinely hate any arc. There are so many fans out there that just hate Wano and Skypiea and it's so CONFUSING bro. Idk I'm literally just talking out of my ass and going on my autistic little rant but damn!! Try enjoying the show !!! Try analyzing the characters beyond their fights. Try acknowledging some of your faves are queer. Oh and God help anyone that try to label any of the characters as neurodivergent. "Luffy is just an idiot" no you're a fucking idiot. He's obviously autistic.

Anyway I dont expect anybody to read this but if you do and you disagree with me uhmmmmm kys idk? /j

[game-boy-pocket]

Well, today I beat the Super Mario RPG remake. Only 4 days did it take, but i'm a veteran who knows this game very well and I was using almost every moment of free time I had to play. Not that i'm saying less experienced people are in for a 100 hour game, it's a very short game for an RPG... but I kind of like that it's not overly long. If any series can get away with being a short RPG, it'd be Mario.

I have almost no complaints with this. There's a few changes I don't care for, but none that are significant enough for me to care that much about.... except for two things...

Enemies that know sleep abilities really love to spam them, and it annoyingly reactivates the sleep status. Yeah there's accessories that prevent sleep, but I don't always know when these enemies are going to have these abilities, and they didn't spam them so much in the originals anyway.

The other one is the fight against the boss, Boomer. There's frame rate issues here that throw off the timed hits. I couldn't get ANY timed hits right because of the lag.

Those are the only real significant blemishes on the game. But they're not significant enough for this to not be the definitive way to play the game for me ( I still might pop in the SNES version once in a while for shits and giggles, but this is better in almost every way )

I will say, this remake solved one problem I had with the original. Once I got Bowser and Peach in my party, I almost never switched Mallow or Geno back in. I liked them. But Bowser was a powerhouse and Peach was an OP healer. There were only three active party members, and no switching out mid battle. Because of that, the only time i've ever beat SMRPG playing mostly as Mario Mallow and Geno was me forcing myself to do it as a self imposed challenge run.

Well this game feels like it buffed both Mallow and Geno, or in Geno's case, fixed him so that his special attacks actually functioned as intended. It gave Mallow a purpose of finding out weaknesses and reistences, as well as getting completed entries in the monster log book. The triple specials are also different for every party combination, and if one party member falls in battle, or is put to sleep, or just because you feel like it, they can be swapped out in mid battle. So for once, I was actually using my whole party, and even swapping out strategically so I could buff someone with Geno's boost, or swapping in both Mallow and Peach to do a super healing move on specific turns, it was great, it feels like this is how the game should have worked to begin with.

Now it might sound like this change makes things a bit too easy... well first of all, let's not kid ourselves, Super Mario RPG is a very easy game, especially if you know what you're doing, and even if you don't grind... second of all, this game imposes limits on recovery items you can carry, so only six revival items instead of filling your whole inventory with them. They also introduce the occasional special enemy that provides more challenge and a frog coin on defeat... that's another issue addressed because Frog Coins were way too tough to come by. They're still rare in this game, but you no longer have to grind ridiculous jumping challenges to get them.

This remake is very faithful, but every mechanical change they made is more than welcome in my eyes.

I've taken a little peek at the post game, emphasis on little, I really don't know what all is in store for me, but I have a general idea of how it's going to go... how they've implemented it seems very clever, doesn't seem to step on the toes of the ending much. But it looks like it's going to be a hell of a lot tougher than the main game, so I may need to do some level grinding. I'm just glad there's still some things to do, because, and I know i've said this with almost every major release lately, i'm not ready to be done playing.

It feels so fucking good to be a fan of Mario RPG right now. I do hope the Thousand Year Door remake makes Paper Mario fans feel similarly happy. I still think it's an odd choice not to remake the N64 game first but the fans didn't campaign for that now did they? Here's hoping Mario and Luigi RPG fans have something to look forward to as well.

That's it for now, maybe i'll give further thoughts when I beat the post game, but this covers most of the important stuff I think.

[astro-break]

New hypmic anime season and I'm BACK IN THE FUCKING BUILDING AGAIN (I feel like the Martha I'm coming home sweetie audio)

Thoughts on the 1st ep of Hypmic Rhyme Anima+. Spoilers beware

New plotline lets gooooooo I like that they're straying away from the drama tracks actually, Rhyme Anima is fundamentally a different experience from the core drama tracks which gives new material for both new and old fans OP is an actual banger, Ramuda's verse is the best fight me all you want but you know i'm right Nemu!! uh spoiler chara for anyone new to the anime I guess? Like they spoil her right at the introduction and iirc they didn't really build off her mystery in the first season. Makes her impact here a bit weaker but I'm willing to let it slide since some might not catch it (Post Editing Astro here: I haven't rewatched Rhyme Anima since it finished airing and uh. Nemu definitely was a plot point there lol they dropped it after ep 11 but she was there!) Jyushi my son I love you so much you idiot I love the little stingers for each team that they did for each team, its so cute and gives so much personality The visuals have definitely improved, a big step above the last season in terms of animation i don't see an improvement with story writing though… Pacing is still all over the place and very squished/fast paced makes sense since the cast has grown by a quarter since last season but still makes me sad that there isn't much time given to each character individually I forgot how much I love the localization of Doppomine Okay so Pink hair and Green hair in the flashback are most definitely the two in the white cloaks. Theres just no subtly with this series lmaoooo Nice that they were able to incorporate everyone somehow but too many people means that too many parts to handle I'm getting deja vu, this exact same thing happened last season…. Oh. Its the same guy. Makes sense lmfao Listen bud I have minimal rap experience but that rap was just embarrassing wow. No rhyme or flow, there was only straight passion which i mean props I guess but you suck ass Look at me being so smart and predicting all of these ahead of time without looking at any materials Did Rio just contact Jyuto with his hypmic???? Samatoki have I ever said that I love your for being a bullheaded idiot? bc I do. you're so silly Damn the typography has gotten even better, its just a lot more smooth and the animation too especially during Jiro's part is just so stylish The animation has improved a lot I'm glad it got a little more love compared to last season My guess is that maybe someone from the six divisions will fall under the anger thingy that's going around, something like the stage show. My biggest guess is that they might re-incite the Samatoki and Ichiro conflict again but I hope not. Another guess is that there will be old MCD or Naughty Busters beef which seems more plausible given that this is Sasara and Kuko's anime debut but I guess we'll wait and see THE OUTFITS!!! THE STUPID OUTFITS I LOVE THEM the art style of the ED is super pop punk and has a strong sense of style which i love. its simple but stands out really well which i love Very jjk but more toned down. Feels a bit like a cleaned up croquis drawings the smear frames is just so stylish and good, very simple and a bit messy and sells the gesture drawing kind of feel of the ED Ramuda's parrot costume i love you Those hand signs just make the first letter of each word which is really fun. Not proper JSL though I guess beggars can't be choosers esp for a series like this

Overall, a really strong start. It shows how it built off the first season and where it improved and while some things (like the horrid pacing) never change, at the end of the day its still a fun and delightful watch

If anyone wanted to read my thoughts on the first season, they're all archived here

[ofmermaidstories]

Hey, Merms! 👋

You always do such a good job avoiding physical descriptions when writing the Y/N's, but lately I've been wondering: what kinds of clothes do you personally imagine them wearing? You once mentioned your "headcanons" for the kinds of perfume they might wear, and I thought that was super fun. Also, you always describe clothes so beautifully! The parts in something where Kenzo, Kihara, and Scribbles are going over the Hero Gala outfits are some of my favorites.

On that note, I'm especially curious about Scribbles' wardrobe, since Deku's poor fashion choices are always a point of major contention lol.

I love getting to play with clothing, in writing, because beyond just liking clothes, personally, narratively they serve such an important function in world/character-building. Clothes are so telling of a person! Which is why I find it so necessary to avoid it as much as humanly possible with a Y/N, unless there’s a narrative/meta reasoning for it (getting a new coat, scarf; being kitted out for a formal event. Indulging in high-end lingerie to showcase you do think about what you’re wearing, at least intimately, and thus giving you a reason to be judgemental of someone else’s poor tastes in fucking cargo pants). But okay, I’ll play. 👀 Putting everything under a cut, so those of our friends who don’t want the fun/fantasy of the Y/N they imagine ruined don’t have to see my subjective taste in fashion, LOL.

Let’s start off with my baby, Weedsy-woo.

Weeds would wear a lot of natural fibres, like 100% linen pants or dresses, woollen tops for the cooler months. Weeds was raised by Granddad, so Weed’s style would be unconsciously conservative, (high necklines, for example) especially on days when Weeds is working in the shop (which is most days lmao). Granddad was a practical man, though! So even though there’d be a unintentional romanticism in Weed’s choices (a lot of flowy cuts in the dresses and skirts), they’re made knowing that Weeds has to stand or work in them, and that they need to be comfortable and be able to handle, idk, getting wet from dripping flower ends, be about to get dirty and easily washable. There’d be a lot of soft colours (beiges and pale rosy pinks, sage greens) with the occasional vibrant pop of colour (a fun print of fluro pink and yellow and orange, for example, on a top maybe; or the red coat Akane gifts Weeds for Christmas, the yellow scarf from Katsuki). Once Katsuki comes into the picture and has carved out his own permanent space, some of his jackets would start appearing slung over a shop chair, or wrapped around Weeds in the early morning hours of the freezing warehouses of the flower markets.

Okay though, let’s talk my troublemarker Scribbles.

Scribbles is sloppy. Wide-leg men’s pants, fished out from a 200-yen bin at an op-shop. Old, well-worn band t-shirts that have given so much in slack they slip over the shoulder. A sarong from a little Bali-import store that Scribbles finds in Mum’s stuff, when Mum moves to New Zealand. Oversized mens shirts, fished out from that same op-shop, layered over crop tops and silky singlets. Scribbles would like cuts that show cleavage, because why spend good money on lingerie if you’re not going to show it off somehow?

But mostly, I don’t think Scribbles would really overthink things. Because Scribbles spends like, idk, 17 hours or something bent over a tablet/lightboard, trying to draw, the pieces Scribs wears have to be comfortable (cue the wide pants, the oversized shirts). Scribbles crawls out of bed at 8 am (after coming home at 4am), crawls into the first pair of pants that smell clean and then idk, a random top pulled from a basket, before throwing on on old painter’s overcoat, because the aircon can get kind of chilly. But because Scribbles is an artist (an artist raised by a model mother who adored fashion), Scribs has an unwitting eye for it—every piece in Scribble’s wardrobe can be mixed and matched. I’ve always, always, from day one imagined Scribbles to be the kind of Cool Girl that can make anything work, from sheer attitude alone, but I think the deck was stacked from the beginning for Scribs, too. I think it makes it doubly unfair that Scribbles is so mean about Deku’s choices LOL, because Scribbles just takes it for granted that of course people can dress well, so wtf is he doing with all those cheesy t-shirts? That kindergarten colour-blocking he has going on with the hero merch? Disgusting, pull yourself together, Deku.

[tazzykiki]

I Adore Earthspark So So Much <3

Okay so I watched all episodes of Earthspark and AAAAAAA it's so good and I love it sooooooo much. It's everything I wanted for it and MORE(major spoilers ahead):

-The animation is AMAZING. I love the mix of 3D characters and background with all the special effects being in 2D. It's such an odd but cool style.

-I love the way the characters are animated, their motions are sooooo good and are on par with TFP's in that every character moves in their own way. Such as Twitch's fan-thingies wiggling when she's excited(which is super cute). As well as the action being so exciting and impactful hhhhhh I love it SO MUCH. That scene when Skywarp and Nova Storm attacked was SO GOOD. I love it when we get to see the human perspective and sheer scale of these fights, it's so cool and terrifying.

-I adore the human aspect and how well it's portrayed. I love them being this big loving family that all have each other's backs. And I LOVE how instantly Twitch and Thrash are part of this family and are immediately referred to as siblings and Dot & Alex's kids.

-Also one of my fave things is how the Decepticons are treated. I love them as villains but I also love the nuance presented that we honestly don't get that much in the shows. I love that multiple times there's a point in talking about how they're treated, why they do what they do, and that they aren't mindlessly evil and that they deserve to be seen as any other cybertronian.

-I love that that's also a major conflict. We get a hint at it in the first ep with the super amazing G1-style recounting in which the story is so superficial and watered down that even the characters themselves question it. And then we even have this disagreement between Optimus and Megatron, not only showing their different outlooks and way of thinking but how imperfect everything is(especially with GHOST trying to convince everyone everything is fine). I love that that discussion doesn't villainize either of them. OP doing what he has to do even if he doesn't fully trust it because he just wants to keep everyone safe and Megatron not wanting to sacrifice freedom and instead TAKE ACTION even if it'll result in having to fight. Which is SO THEM.

-I am also so intrigued about WHY Bumblebee is supposed to be dead and why GHOST can't know about him. WHAT HAPPENED I MUST KNOWWW.

-I love the diversity and how it's portrayed. I love Robby, Mo, and Dot having afro-textured hair. And the fact that Mo wears a bonnet and Robby a durag(I believe that's what it is, I'm manly familiar with women's afro hair care) when they sleep!!!! I don't think I've ever seen them in cartoons or at least not enough! Same goes for live action stuff that only ever uses them to make us look ghetto, ugh. But it made me so happy just seeing them casually wearing those items!!! Cuz I!!! Do!!! That!!!! And aaaaa, the way they portrayed Alex and his traditions??? I'm not familiar with them but god I love that they took the time to do that and build an entire episode off of it.

-And of course Nightshade!!!! FINALLY. They're fucking called Transformers for a reason shjdkflg. But in all seriousness, I'm so glad they were included. And I can't wait to see more of them. Cybertronians are like, practically built for gender expression and exploration??? Like I'm of the belief they just pick whatever frame and pronoun best fits them because there's really no reason for them to have the same outlook on gender and etc like humans do????? Especially being giant alien robots who reproduce by popping out of Primus' butthole.

-I also adore the music, especially the dubstep sounding theme that plays when Megatron first appears. Please I need like a 200 year loop of that please and thank you.

-I love the bots' designs so muchhhh. I tend to prefer the more sleek and humanoid designs so I love that they went with that while keeping some of the boxy, G1 style aspects. I love how colorful everyone is and the different styles they have.

-Arcee is sooooo pretty and has this super old and classic feel to her that I love so much???(Also her voice is AMAZING). I love that little metal grate thing on her midsection she has and just her overall look that sets her aside from all the others. OP's face looks like a car crash, but he's my dad so that's allowed. The rest of him is perfect and I love how big he and Megatron are. I love how Megs has this style that makes him look both friendly and intimidating. I'm pretty sure his shoulders are based off TFP megs shape-wise with the face(at least the 2D version seen in Dot's photo) being based off TFA's markings(or were those shadows, we will never know). Also Wheeljack's entire look is great. It's a bit hard to tell what's going on with his mouth but I love that they brought back the beard style he tends to have. Also his yeehaw voice is great, it's like an emphasis on his Cyberverse voice I love it so much.

-Also Papa Wheeljack owns my soul <3(who's gonna tell him he has 3 more kids now..?)

-Also also I love Bumblebee's design, mix of friend shape and badass which I love to see(def looks a lot like his Cyberverse style but with the vibes of G1 with the more matte styling). I also love his face so much, idk why it's just so great. Also love this dumbaft saying his "eyebrows don't look like that" when he doesn't even have any. Please get this bot a mirror.

-Speaking of no eyebrows....STORE BOUGHT ICE CREAM(starscream) HE'S HERE AND HE LOOKS GREAT AND HE'S FUCKING VOICED BY STEVE BLUM I'M GONNA LOSE IT AAAAAA

-Aligned Continuity took everyone's eyebrows, can't have shit in Earthspark.

-Also I love Frenzy's rockstar design so much. I wonder where Rumble is(idk too much about the cassettes yet but I do know those two are usually together).

-Also Skywarp and Nova Storm were so fucking badass. I loved the way they portrayed Skywarp's teleportation ability and even extended it to her being able to teleport items seperately(Could skywarp always do that???). I just love the seekers being so fucking badass which has me even more excited to see Stars Cream in action(also instead of null ray blasters were those blades on his arms???). And I hope we get to see most, if not the rest, of them!!! Manifesting Thundercracker and Buster rn.(and Sunstorm, please I want to see him and all of his batshitness)

-Soundwave was so badass. I'll admit, his design is kinda ehhh to me? Like he looks super badass and I'm lovin the funky hips, but idk he just doesn't hit like the others.

-Mandroid is also super fucking cool. His stolen arm is kinda meh and looks super awkward, but whatever Mr. Alone On a Friday Night you do you. He's like if Silas took a chill pill and didn't immediately steal everyone's kidneys and was like really really into Howl's Moving Castle. I'm super curious what else there is for him(cuz cmon he ain't dead) and what the backstory between him and Alex is since they were colleagues.

-Also love Dot's leg??? Like that was such a cool reveal it makes me wonder if there was any clue to it before that moment. I also just love her overall, how protective she is and how much of a great parent she is. I also love how close she is with Megatron?? I really wanna know how they became such close friends, which I assume has something to do with his ideals. Cuz she def seems more in line with his way of seeing things than OP. I guess she just likes how realistic he can be about things. But god I hope we get a flashback episode about those two.

-Also like last point because this is getting so long aghsdjkf but god I adore Twitch and Thrash. They are so adorable and so much fun to watch. I love their designs so much. I love how they're just straight up kids and are oh so very small(they're like the size of Megs and OP's forearm ahdjkf). I love Thrash's white and gold style and his super cool goggles(I'm a proud advocate of transformers with Accessories™). And Twitch's cool wing blade thingies she has. And just the overall thing of Twitch being the fighting type and Thrash being the defensive type. I hope the others have unique fighting styles, I can't wait to see their new designs.

-Also also Hashtag is the best name for a bot and whoever thought of it is a genius and I love them.

Anywayssss

Overall I just absolutely ADORE this show and everything about it. This isn't even all my thoughts. I love the wholesome and lighthearted found family aspect with the serious and darker undertones and nuanced storytelling. I love that Earthspark is giving us the characters we love but being so amazingly unique at the same time. I love the post-war aspect and the humans and bots aspect both combined. I love the animation and the music and the storytelling and the designs and the voices and just EVERYTHING. I love the lore of the 13 primes being brought in and the emotional beats and the mystical feeling it all has. I love the..just the EVERYTHING. And I'm sooooo excited to see more.

[xenomorphee3]

Another flashback to the Recoms and Spider on the Sea Dragon

Snippet from my Chapter 18 : ) Details at the bottom.

[ Flashback to Miles, Spider and the recoms on the Sea Dragon]

It was evening on the Sea Dragon ship. The atmosphere was cheery and drunk, for most on board, since they had just killed a Tulkun. Their skipper got the biggest percentage of the value of the amrita of course, and the RDA took a massive chunk right off the top, but the workers did get bonuses for each Tulkun killed. So they were celebrating. Lyle, Prager, Z-Dog, Ja, and Lopez were taking in the party-like atmosphere of the ship’s cafeteria. Mansk had no interest in said atmosphere though and was actually tending to the banshees on the forward deck, feeding them fish that they asked the ship to skim up in some nets after the dead Tulkun was dropped back into the water. Spider was helping him in silence– still affected by the hunt. Mansk appreciated the company.

Beers were going around in celebration of their hunt. A woman, one of the sub pilots, stood up on a table and looked at some other sub pilots and said, “Thanks for the beer, guys. Better luck next time,” and the gathering crowd of personnel laughed. Though the recoms weren’t really celebrating anything, and didn’t have any strong feelings either way about the hunt, they didn’t have anything to do at that moment and it was better than their dank, noisy, storage space turned into sleeping quarters in the hull of the ship. So they sat on some tables against the wall in the back of the cafeteria, about the only “seats” that could fit them and shared in some beers, chatting amongst themselves.

A drunken sailor then came up to Z-Dog who was sitting on a table, back leaning against the wall and said, “Hey… I like your tattoos,” she looked at this small man up and down with her arms crossed, popped a bubblegum bubble and said “Thanks,” indifferently. The man then said, “What? Think I can’t handle a big blue girl?” To which Prager abruptly stood up, towering over the man, his head practically touching the ceiling and said, “Why don’t you head back on over there, pal?” Z-Dog now grinning at the man’s look of fear at the nine foot tall blue alien imposingly standing in front of him. He stumbled on some words and then staggered back over to a group of CET-OPS guys who were laughing at him. Like they sent him over to the recoms on a dare.

Prager sat back down. Z-Dog winked at him. Prager smiled. Lopez spoke and said, “Damn, how many beers do we need to feel drunk?? This is like my fourth. It’s like I’m drinking water.” 

Ja said, “Why don’t you try butt-chugging it, bro?” The recoms all laughed. 

Lyle was a little more non-talkative than usual though. Prager tapped him in the arm and said, “What’s up, Wainfleet?” Lyle had seen the Tulkun hunt as it was happening in the bridge and he wasn’t overly enthused by the experience. Seeing the baby alien whale trying to nuzzle its dead mother awake actually bothered him a little bit, but he wasn’t about to let the other recoms know that, especially given that he outranked them. “Ah yeah dude, I’m good… Hey let’s go disturb Mansk’s peace, I’m sure he’d love to see us.” The recoms giggled and left the cafeteria to go help tend to their banshees.

Miles was up on the deck of the bridge. Looking out over the nighttime ocean. He was frustratedly thinking about why Sully hasn’t revealed himself yet. The coward. He really ordered the killing of this fucking alien whale to try to draw him out. He was hopeful it was going to work, but he didn’t feel great about it. He didn’t feel great about any of it. Burning down villages and threatening their leaders. Sully was a coward, his running away and refusal to answer for his crimes, putting innocent folks at risk. God he wanted nothing more than to drive his knife or a bullet through his skull. Soon. Dr. Garvin suddenly emerged onto the deck from the bridge, an open beer in his hand. Miles looked back at him over his shoulder then sighed and looked forward. Why does this science puke want to talk to me?

Garvin came up next to Miles and leaned against the railing to his left. The two stood there in silence for a bit, Miles wondering why this scientist was out here with him.

Garvin then spoke and said, “You know I discovered amrita?” a tone of regret in his voice.

Miles looked down to him and stared with a curious expression. Garvin looked at up then continued, gazing back out into the ocean. “Discovered it in a dissection of a dead Tulkun that that washed up on shore. Learned of its anti-aging properties by applying it to an organism, just a… Pandoran bug whose life cycle is less than two days.” He took a drink of his beer. “It lived indefinitely until I cut off the amrita supply. I just uploaded my findings in my log as usual. Noted its anti-aging properties.” Garvin sighed. Miles’s ears leaned back. Garvin looked up to him and gave a sad smile.

“RDA then developed the entire CET-OPS program around my work. Immediately got clearance to apply amrita to humans. They actually asked me if I wanted to be the lead scientist.” Garvin chuckled and took a big gulp of his beer.

Miles was silent. They both just stared back out into the ocean. Suddenly, Spider emerged from the bridge onto the deck behind Miles and Garvin. Miles could smell that he smelled of fish from feeding the banshees. Miles asked, a little downcast, “What are you doing here, kid? Go to bed.”

Spider paused and asked, “Can I ask you something?” 

“What?” Miles asked, tired.

“So like… money.” Spider asked inquisitively. Miles and Garvin held a look on Spider. Spider continued, “Scoresby said they’re killing the Tulkun for money. I thought money was... Why do this for it?” Spider asked with a tone that was the deepest expression of, I don’t understand .

Miles looked at Spider with a profound look about him. The innocence of the question not being lost on him. He figured it made sense that the science pukes and Na’vi he was raised with didn’t stop to teach him basic human economics. Garvin started to chuckle, drunk, and gave Spider a look like, yeah, great question, kid. Miles pulled his lips back, and spoke, solemnly. “Money gets people what they want. And many people will do anything to get what they want.”

Garvin said, “Cheers.” and threw his empty glass beer bottle over the deck.

Spider had a dejected look about him. Miles slowly walked to Spider, bent down in front of him and put his huge hand on his shoulder and gripped him gently and smiled. He then attempted to offer some fatherly wisdom.

“Some chase the material things, kid. But make no mistake, it’s not the only thing that drives people.” Spider looked at him and tightened his lips together. Miles, still on his one knee, gave him a gentle expression and said, “So, you helped feed the banshees?”

“Yeah.” Spider replied, still a little bummed.

“With who?” Miles asked.

“Mansk.” Spider responded nonchalantly.

“Ah. Bet you both had some riveting conversation, huh?” Miles said sarcastically. 

Spider grinned, shrugged, and said with a chuckle, “I think he’d rather talk to the banshees.”

Miles smiled and said, “I bet you’re right about that. Alright, now get outta here. You stink like fish, kid.” Spider tried to hide a smile

[ Flashforward to the Marines and Zu in Bridgehead City]

Interested in the rest of this story? Check out "A New Mission" on Ao3! Leave me Kudos <3 https://archiveofourown.org/works/44672200/chapters/112389745

[phantomdoofer]

A Side-Story: In and Out

Giuseppe scratched nervously at the stubborn stubble on his chin.

What's taking Anita and Gustavo so long? Let's get this over with.

Today was the fifth anniversary of the day they took him for the unit, and Giuseppe was extra irritable as a result. Five years. Five years of hell. Then he checked himself. It hasn't been all bad. Even though he'd been kidnapped, cloned, and forced through military training for some shadowy military cabal, he had good friends here, he was in better shape than he'd ever been, and he'd been all over the world. Mostly to blow shit up, but hey. And with a war now on, he could tell they were making a huge difference. There was no telling how many soldiers had been saved by what they did.

Wonder what Peppino is up to.

Suddenly Anita flopped into the chair next to him. She turned her eye to him, the cross-hair in place of the pupil locking onto him. "Sorry, had to make sure the QM had the munitions we'll need for whatever they've got planned for us today. They said anything yet?"

Giuseppe snorted. "Nothing yet. But that's nothing new."

Gustavo climbed into the chair on the other side of Anita. The gnome's mustache bristled as he spoke. "Heard it was some infiltration op." He grinned. "I know you two just love those."

Anita rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, a gunner and a human bulldozer just love sneaky-sneaky. That's your job."

Giuseppe grinned. They had been told after their initial training they'd been chosen because of their "special talents." Anita could use that eye of hers like a scope, giving her uncanny aim and perception. Giuseppe could channel his emotions into strength and speed, way beyond what a normal human could. When he got mad enough, it formed what Anita liked to call "a wall of pure, concentrated "fuck you"" in front of him, protecting him. As far as Giuseppe knew, Gustavo didn't have any unusual talents, other than being quick-minded. Of course, Gnomes were extra strong and tough anyway, so...

"Ok, ok, you three, listen up." The Major appeared in front of them, as he always seemed to. How in the hell does he get in here without even Anita noticing? "We're on a time limit, so let's get to it." The Major walked to the screen on the wall and clicked a button. A contour map popped up. "What we've got today is an infiltrate and rescue op."

All their eyes widened. Rescue? Giuseppe thought. Not really our forte.

The Major continued. "We're tapping you three because there's a high chance you'll have to blow your way in or out." He pointed at a patch of mountainside. "There's a hidden base in this mountain run by a Demon." They all sat up straight at that. Word was that, while the Breads and the Moles were the aggressors in the war, the Demons were running the show in the background.

Always starting shit, Demons.

The Major clicked to the next slide. A man in a lab coat with dark skin appeared on the screen. "This is Dr. Donovan Houlwea. He worked for the other side until recently, when he started passing us intel. When he tried to defect, he was captured and is being held here. Your job is to get in there and get him out."

Anita glared at the screen. "We're going in to save a Bread? Really?"

"A Ninda," the Major replied, using the proper name, "who's been passing us intel that's saved hundreds of lives. He's a valuable asset, we need him safe."

Anita cursed under her breath, but said nothing. Not like we can say no, Giuseppe thought.

"Any questions?" The Major asked, then clicked off the screen. "You leave in an hour. Necessary Intel will be in the package you receive. Review it on the way there. We're short on time here. I don't have to tell you what to do. You're not the grunts who came in here five years ago. Get in there and get him out. And get yourselves out, too."

~~~~

The three of them crouched on a nearby hill while Anita scoped the place out. Giuseppe looked the place over with binoculars, his anxiety starting to flare like it always did. Even for a secret base, this place is awfully quiet. Most of the lights off, a couple of guards, that was it.

Anita sat down, her eye twitching as it dialed back down into "normal" vision. "Anyone else getting the creeps off this place?"

Giuseppe and Gustavo nodded. Gustavo pointed at the tiny laptop he was carrying. "I've already gotten into their system. The encryption was a joke. Pretty sure our guy's here, but it was too easy. No mines, no automated defenses." He scratched his cheek. "This feels like a trap."

The others nodded. "Right. So what do they expect us to do?" Anita said.

"Sneak in and sneak out would be the way to go," Gustavo said.

Giuseppe shook his head. "But what if they know we know that? They'll expect us to come in guns blazing."

Anita nodded again. "Yep. Damn mind games. So we do it by the book. Gustavo, you sneak in and get us an entry. We'll wait for your signal. We get in, grab this guy, and get out, all quiet-like." She fingered the explosives strapped all over her. "And if they have any surprises, we can always blow the shit out of them. Let's do it."

Without another word, Gustavo nodded and disappeared into the dark. A few minutes later Gustavo's voice popped into the earpiece in their helmets. "Found one. There's a gate in the back I can unlock. Give me thirty seconds, then run like hell for it. It won't stay open long."

Without a word, the tiny black-haired woman climbed onto Giuseppe's back. This was old hat to them. When thirty seconds passed, Anita tapped his shoulder, and Giuseppe took off. Gotta be careful. Don't want to go full tilt, the noise would be too obvious. There it was, the promised gate, open and waiting. Giuseppe darted in and made for the nearest shadow, the gate immediately closing behind him. Way too easy. He felt the panic trying to rise in him, but he quashed it. Save it for the run out, we're probably gonna need it.

Anita tapped his shoulder and pointed to the deep shadows by a large building. Giuseppe could just see a small shadow there waving at them. The two darted over and found Gustavo working on a panel by a steel door. With a muted whoosh, the door opened, and the three drew their arms and darted in. As the door closed behind them, they took in their surroundings. Pipes, red lighting, very industrial. Like a horror movie set. Giuseppe saw a stairwell to the side and gestured to the others, Anita taking point as always, Gustavo second, and Giuseppe bringing up the rear, his trusty shotgun ready to go.

No one. Not a soul. This was definitely a trap.

After several flights down, the stairway opened up into another industrial hallway. Gustavo opened up his laptop and started checking for their man while the other two looked the hallway over. Giuseppe slipped some goggles over his eyes, looking for lasers, fields, anything that might set off an alarm. Still nothing.

Lifting the goggles, Giuseppe saw Gustavo point at a door, and put away his laptop. He gestured, making a door-opening motion, then grinned. In there. Already unlocked for you. After you.

When they opened the door, the doctor was already standing up from his bunk. Giuseppe and Gustavo covered the door while Anita approached him. "Dr. Houlwea? We're here to get you out of here."

The Ninda's eyes went wide. "No, no, run, he's waiting for you! Get o-"

The rest of his words were lost as the floor opened underneath them, sending them tumbling down a huge chute. The four caromed off each other, banging and cursing the whole way. Finally they slid to a stop in a dark, open room.

"Damn it all to hell," Anita moaned. "A trapdoor. A fucking trapdoor. Of all the old-fashioned, cartoon-villain bullshit-"

"Oh, what can I say, I love the classics!" A teasing voice echoed through the room.

Houlwea cringed. "That's him. The Demon running the place."

"Correct! And you played such good bait!" Giuseppe couldn't find the speaker - it seemed to come from everywhere. "And such a delightful catch! Not just any rats, but one of our dear friends' precious special units! Why, I'm flattered." The voice chuckled. "Alas, I have only a short time to play with you. Just for fun, I've set a little nuclear toy to go off in... oh, five minutes."

All four sprouted looks of horror. A nuke? A fucking NUKE? Giuseppe thought. These demons really are batshit.

The taunting voice continued. "Oh well, I would've liked to stay and have fun tormenting you, but the looks on your faces will keep me warm at night. Ta-ta!" The speaker clicked and a loud beeping started to count down.

"Fucking Demons!" Anita cursed. "Okay, gonna assume he lied about the five minutes."

Gustavo was already on his laptop. "Dammit, nothing. Knew it was too easy. There's a second goddamn layer underneath. I can get in, but I don't think we have the time."

Giuseppe closed his eyes. Ok, I think that's my cue. As he assumed a runner's stance, he remembered his trainer's words. Take the fear, the panic, make it fury and rage. Let it fill you. Carry you. He charged at the door. A familiar whine filled their ears as the air protested.

The metal of the door shrieked at it was knocked out of it's frame.

Don't let anything stand in your way.

As Giuseppe ran, his eyes took on a wild, almost demented look. Get them out. Break it all. Go go go!

Anita, Houlwea, and Gustavo ran behind him as he barrelled through the tunnel. "How - how did he do that? That door was solid steel!" Houlwea said.

Gustavo grinned as they ran. "When Giuseppe gets started like this, Hell itself can't stop him."

A wall loomed up, a hole in the ceiling with a ladder at the top. Without thinking, Giuseppe scrambled up the wall, giving gravity the finger the whole way. He kicked the ladder down and spun, charging up the next hallway. This one was filled with figures. Hey look, points! Giuseppe grinned maliciously. They were grunts, cannon fodder. He bowled them over, never slowing down, hitting them with hands, feet, his helmet, and blasted through the door at the end of the hall. A stairway. He stormed upwards, metal and rubber screeching as he turned corners at speeds no normal human could match. If he'd been thinking, he'd wonder where the automated defenses where, why no one was shooting. But there wasn't time for that. Get out, get out.

There it was. The stairwell they used to get in here. He roared up that one as well, and charged into the door to the outside.

BAM.

The door held.

FUCK. No room to get up to speed in here. Giuseppe did a little angry dance as he stared at the door, waiting for the others to catch up. Finally Houlwea and Gustavo appeared.

Houlwea. Gustavo.

"Where's Anita?" Giuseppe growled.

Gustavo popped his laptop back out, typing furiously. "She got overrun by more of those mooks. Told us to follow you."

Giuseppe snarled. "Like hell is she pulling a sacrifice play. Get that door open. I'll get her."

"Sepp, wait -" Gustavo started. No good, he was already gone, the screeching of his boots' soles already echoing up from the stairwell. He sighed and got back to opening the damn door. "Gonna get himself killed one one of these days doing that." He handed Houlwea a sidearm. "Here. If anything other than one of us shows up, shoot it."

Houlwea trembled as he held the pistol. "I've... I've never shot a gun before."

Gustavo didn't look up. "Point at the center of mass, pull the trigger. Not hard."

~~~~

Giuseppe charged down a hallway he hadn't seen before. The infernal beeping was driving him crazy. Where the hell is she?

As he passed an open door, he heard her voice. "Sepp! Over here."

His feet screeching as he turned hard, he rocketed back to the room. He smelled burning rubber. New boots when we get back again. If we get back.

Entering the room, he saw she had several stab wounds in her legs. Goddamn it. He quickly picked her up. "What the fuck are you doing, Neet?"

She held up a small object. "Not sure what this is, but maybe it'll come in handy." As he settled her on his back, she pointed. "Hey, does that monitor over there say what I think it does?"

Giuseppe turned and looked at the monitor.

00:59

00:58

00:57

OH SHIT!

Giuseppe took off, not even noticing he went through the wall instead of the door, borne on the wings of terror. He didn't even bother running up the steps, bouncing off the walls as he went. He barely had time to scoop up Gustavo and the doctor before he busted through the wall, the fence, and the remaining countryside as he did his damnedest to get away from a fucking nuke.

He felt the ground rise up beneath him as a muted roar filled the air. He stumbled but kept going, air screaming around him as he ran. Then the ground behind him settled down, and the air quieted.

Anita grabbed his shoulder, screaming "Sepp! SEPP! STOP! IT'S ALL RIGHT!"

Giuseppe started slowing down, finally coming to a stop. He dropped his charges, and collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath. The others were coughing, the dust around them choking them.

"Goddamn, Sepp," Anita said, "you're fast, but I never saw you run like that before. I think we're a good half a mile away."

Giuseppe looked up, gave them a weak grin and a thumbs-up. "S'what I do."

Houlwea stood up and picked at his coat. Air friction had alternately shredded and burned it. "I think the explosion was deep enough it mostly didn't escape. Still, we should get out of here quickly. The fallout will be bad soon."

Gustavo was on his sat-phone. "Yeah, we need pickup now. Now. Yeah, we got him, but the demon set off a nuke. Yes, a nuke. Yeah, now." He hung up. "Dumbass. "Is this an emergency?" He think I call for a pickup this deep in enemy territory if it wasn't?"

The four of them looked back where the base had been. The mountain was slowly collapsing on itself.

~~~~

As Giuseppe used his medkit to wrap Anita's wounds, she held up the object she'd grabbed. "Hey, Doc, think this is worth anything?"

Houlwea looked at the small object, smiled, and took it. "My research! I thought they destroyed it!" He waved the little drive around. "I saved all kinds of things in here - things your bosses will probably be very interested to see. How'd you find it?"

Anita smirked. "Just grabbed it on a hunch."

In the distance, they heard a helicopter approaching. Gustavo popped the purple flare they'd agreed on as a signal, and the sound started getting louder. When it landed, they scrambled aboard.

The four of them leaned back in their harnesses as the helicopter raced them home.

This is hell, Giuseppe thought, but at least I've got company.

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