#trust me when i say everyone's work is spectacular

[champagnedrink]

📻 [The photo of the radio demon in a device with the newest technology that Vox released!?] 📻

📻

Everyone at the hotel knew you were a technology junkie and wondered how Alastor could have even fallen in love with you if he hated the latest stuff.

You had recently purchased a new smartphone and your boyfriend was not entirely happy with you. Annoying to say the least when you came running into the hazbin hotel waving your hand up and breathing the same way an athlete would do after running the same marathon you had done to be the first to get that gadget.

"Y'ALL I HAVE SOME NEW GOOD GOOD NEWS!! LOOK AT THIS PRECIOUS THING!!"

Charlie shared the excitement with you, immediately approaching you to check your cell phone, she left Vaggie in charge that she had better things to do, Niffty and Angel Dust accompanied her with curiosity. Husk was being the same alcoholic as always but he turned to look at you to try to distinguish what you wanted to show so much

"That was the thing you wanted to show so much? You were the first to get it!!? Let me see it, let me see it!"

"That's a new one pussy, got luck if it gets stuck or falls off your hands"

Alastor watched suspiciously from a few steps behind Angel Dust

"Dear, I think you should throw that away"

he replied as curtly as he could.

"Why? Look at this! It can take spectacular selfies!!"

"Haha! No no no, very soon it will break because of how delicate and... Disgusting, those artifacts are, nothing to talk about sweetheart"

He frowned evilly without losing his smile and walked away as fast as he could, he had no intention of approaching you until you threw that out of his sight, you turned to the group behind you and it gave you an idea, maybe you could take a photo of him unawares... You didn't know how the dynamics of glitching worked, any camera in which Alastor could appear, he would have to realize it for him to use his power, right?

All afternoon you spent trying to get his attention so that your plans went unnoticed. The story was getting too long and after Alastor ignored you for most of that day, you decided to talk about the situation with your small group of hotel staff, you ran to the terrace where Alastor was calmly drinking some weird drink on his cup, before approaching with the excuse of have something with him

"Would you mind spending more time with your wife?"

"Of course darling. After all it's about time you let go of that pathetic device that can't give you the same entertainment as me!"

He said proudly, seconds after sitting in front of him a *Click* was heard! And that sound along with the flash that illuminated Alastor's face was enough to make you shake with nerves

"You made a very serious mistake, my little sweet pathetic thing."

The next thing that happened was that you flew towards the paved floor of the main entrance of the hotel, elongated black tentacles holding you in place so that Alastor increased the size of him and showed those horns that scared you so much

"Very good try love, you almost made it, but you forgot that this face was made for radio"

Everyone heard the big scandal and ran out to see (They knew that the idea you had started was the worst you had ever thought of)

He wrapped a thick chain around your neck and pulled you towards him, but not before causing his own strength to break the cell phone you had in your hand. They dragged you into the hotel and you knew what was waiting for you.

What did you have to do to earn Alastor's forgiveness?

Having deleted the photo of his face that you kept in your gallery, it had come out blurry but you could distinguish his features, was it worth it? Ask yourself, now you owed him a debt of trust

📻

You gave him a little more than your body... And your soul.

[starrclown]

I've see ALOT of LMK angst and I have nothing better to do (cause it's late at night) and I'm not working on my LMK apocalypse au right now sooo-

LMK ANGST HEADCANNONS

Triggerwarning for Violence, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, and other general upsetting topics.

(Feel free to leave yours below. Let's make these characters sad together!)

:D

Pigsy gets upset when people joke about Wukong being Mk's dad. It's insulting to him, the one that raises Mk since he was so little.

Wukong is someone that craves physically touch but also can't stand it. It stems from all the violence he's been apart of + the crown messed him up alot. He was SUPER uncomfortable with Mk touching him in the beginning. It has to be on his terms if you wanna touch him.

Macaque doesn't have a heart beat anymore.

Because of Macaque never coming back when Wukong needed him, Wukong had no trust that Macaque will come back if they have a argument. He assumes that Macaque is just gone and gets upset about it. Eventually Macaque comes back and realizes Wukong's upset but he doesn't bring it up cause he doesn't know how.

Redson doesn't really understand why his father doesn't seem to like him. He assumed that his dad would be overjoyed to see him again, not how he's acting now.

Mei had many breakdowns because of her grades and the pressure to be a spectacular student.

Pigsy got bullied alot in school for being a pig demon. It wasn't everyone, most people liked him, just a specific group of kids.

To add on to #7, Tang used to beat himself up over not being able to help Pigsy. He HATED seeing Pigsy getting bullied but he knew that if he tried to start a fight he would either get beat because he can't fight or get himself kicked out of school.

Mk gets nightmares of Wukong getting forced into the scroll. Sometimes he wonders what would of happened if Wukong never got out. He usually ends up crying.

The closest thing Sandy ever got to being violent is when one of his cats scared him and he accidently dropped Mo. He cried. Alot. (Mo was fine but he just hates his cats being hurt.)

Sandy still doesn't know Hunstman is dead. He just thinks that Huntsman was scared of him so he never came back. (Guess Hunstmans my favorite and he's dead and i hate it here god dammit.)

No one can say anything about Azure or Azure's death around Wukong because he will get upset. Macaque made a joke one time and Wukong lost his shit. He's still kinda shooken up about it.

Some of the baby monkies recognize Macaque as the one disguised as Wukong that ate the monkey and passed it around. Those monkies REFUSE to be around him. They get violent if they have to be around him.

Nezha wants to see Wukong, Redson, and the others more but his job is so demanding he barely gets to leave.

Wukong physically couldn't be around Tang for long periods of time when they first met. He got more comfortable with him over time but Tang reminded him to much of Tripitaka and he couldn't handle it.

Mei doesn't yell out of anger, like serious anger alot. When she finally yelled at Wukong because of the fire, all Wukong saw was Ao Lie screaming at him. (Stole that headcannon from a friend of mine. Thanks Ainnur you ruined my life.)

Mk brought up the fact that Wukong was willing to put the fire into himself and sacrifice himself, almost certainly killing himself in the process one time. Wukong kinda laughed and just said "Yeah, had to save the world bud. It's a shame Macaque messed up my plan, the world woulda been a little bit more peaceful if me AND Lady Bone Demon died." He wasn't even trying to admit suicidal feelings, he was just being honest. This scared the SHIT out of Mk because Wukong just admitted that he can and will kill himself if he feel he needs too.

Sandy often feels left out of the group and not as important but he doesn't wanna ruin everyone's fun so he stays quiet.

Bai he was ready to die when she was found by the Monkie Gang. She wasn't scared of death anymore.

Bai he was scared of Wukong when they first met face to face. Wukong apologized and explained himself. Over time she got a little more comfortable with him. She understands why he's apologizing but at that point she was so ready to die she didn't care who did it.

Redson wants to be around Sun Wukong again but he doesn't know how to start the relationship again. Same on Wukongs part but he's a bit more forward.

Macaque gets physical in fights fast. Partly cause his fights with Peng, Partly cause of his life before Wukong, Partly cause of Lady Bone Demon. If Macaque thinks a situation will get rough, he'll try to fight but if he thinks he'll lose he'll dip.

Princess Iron Fan unintentionally critiques Redsons's looks all the time. It messes with him alot so he's quite insecure.

Mei feels the need to always be upbeat and cheerful so Mk doesn't sink to far into depression. She can tell when he does this for her but she doesn't bring it up.

Pigsy's worst fear is that Mk won't come back home. The nightmares he's had of this is brutal.

I could make more but I'm sleeeeepppy. I'll make a part two one day though. Leave your own headcannons cause seeing other people break down these characters is so fun.

(How some people think Mk will be in season 5)

- ⭐️StarClown⭐️

[kasagia]

Can't catch me now... pt. 2

Pairing: Aleksander Morozova/The Darkling xgrisha! reader Summary: The Hunger Games in Ravka. 12 districts. 12 tributes. 12 mentors. 11 young people die every year. 1 winner. Aleksander was a mentor to many. But only your face will haunt him for centuries. Inspired by: The Hunger Games. I changed the world of both of them a bit. Word Count: 4,4 k Taglist: @flostvs1508 @watersquirtpewpewboomm @aoi-targaryen @summersummoner-pat @il0vebeingdelulu @chelseyyouraverageluigi @msblacklupin Aleksander Morozova's Masterlist ~•♤♤♤•~ Main Masterlist PART 1 ~•♤♤♤•~

"You look like death. Have you even slept an hour?" You shrug at Genya's question. The woman sighs and works on your face to make you presentable. "The general was furious. He's a good man, despite everything they say about him. You have to understand that... he didn't expect this turn of events, and his stoic attitude was violated. I swear, this is the second time I've seen him lose his cool. And I've been here since I was a child."

"When was the first time?" You ask curiously, not believing her for a moment. You couldn't trust anyone here. You could only count on yourself and no one else. You missed Alina a lot.

"I will tell you this with a complete twist. Anyway, if someone asks, you didn't know it from me. 40 years ago, in the Hunger Games, the General was... asked to be a mentor. Her name was Luda. She was brave and beautiful, with a good heart and a pure soul. She was a healer in her village. She volunteered. In exchange for her younger sister."

"And what happened? He scared her with his shadows because she was a vegetarian and didn't want to eat meat to get stronger?" You mock, as she is making final amendments to your look.

"She died." An uncomfortable silence filled the room. Genya was blindly combing your hair, obviously thinking about her. You could see from the look in her eyes that she must have been especially close to this tribute. "She was... close to the general. He had been mourning her death for a very long time. And I don't want to spread rumours, but the tribute who killed her and won the Hunger Games was found hanging in the forest near his home village. His family was soon convicted of conspiring against the crown and hanged in a more… spectacular way."

"I feel like you're not telling me this just to satisfy my curiosity." You guess as she finally pulls away from you.

You don't know what's worse, when she fixes your face with her strange power or when she looks at you intently, looking for something else to improve your appearance. You weren't used to caring THAT much about yourself. Because who would want to look at an orphan?

"I just want to warn you that… our choices don't necessarily affect only us." You roll your eyes at her attempt at intimidation. Of course. He couldn't make you do anything himself, so he sent his minions to convince you. Quite pathetic, like for the terrible Darkling, who everyone feared.

"I am an orphan. There's nothing he can take from me. I... I have nothing left to lose or to care about..." You say it quietly, rubbing your wrist with your hand. You try hard not to think about Alina and Mal. Your only family... all you have left after those you lost.

"And your life?"

"We're all going to die someday, Genya." Your soft whisper seals the uncomfortable silence.

You think about your parents and siblings—everyone you lost—and the life you could have had that fate ripped from you before you learned how to fight for yourself. You lost everything as a child. There's nothing left for you. At least nothing good.

"Here. You look amazing. There is only one thing missing." She says this with a smile and takes out a long, black coat with black and white embroidery from the closet. It's a kefta. A fucking kefta.

"What the hell is that?" You ask angrily, standing up from your chair and looking at the piece of clothing in utter disgust.

"The general ordered it especially for you. You are a Grisha. You are one of us, and you should present yourself as such." She says this and puts the kefta on the chair.

You walk up to it and run your hand over the material. You expected something rough—just like the general's character—and uncomfortable to wear, since the keftas protected Grisha from every blade and bullet, but this... was nothing like armor. It was soft and cozy. Like velvet. Nothing you may have experienced in your district.

"Black? Isn't that his colour?" You ask, trying to reassure yourself of how terrible this damn thing is.

"Merzost is closely associated with the Darkling bloodline in our culture, since he used it to create the fold. Consider it a… coincidental coincidence." You snort when you hear her explanation. If anything, it was a sign of belonging. The general's new toy. Freak of nature. What a pity he'll lose you before he can use you for the good of his fucking Grisha.

"Other people won't see it like that. You know this, so stop lying to me." The redhead sighs, running a hand through her hair.

"Just put it on. People need to know that the king broke his word to Grisha to force you to participate in the Hunger Games, breaking part of the covenant between us."

"This isn't my war to fight, Genya. Besides, I'm going to die in games anyway, so what's the difference?" Your response only enraged her more.

She didn't raise her voice, and you wouldn't have recognized her emotions unless you saw her hands tremble slightly before she placed them behind her back. You wonder how many times she has had to hide her true feelings.

"You have Merzost in your veins, the most powerful force you can draw from. Do you really want to give it all up? Lose the opportunity you have in front of you? Do you know how many of us have been waiting for you?" She asks with resentment in her voice, but you really don't want to argue with her.

You know it doesn't make sense because they are all here believing in some stupid children's story, a fairy tale that made you a savior in their eyes, and now, since you have finally arrived, you are supposed to fly around and pretend to be a hero you know you are not. As if you could do anything you wanted.

"I was dead long before I was chosen for The Hunger Games. Year after year I was only prolongs the inevitable. I am sorry, but that's the truth. Don't get your hopes up."

"I see that my favourite suicide is in good shape today." Your discussion is interrupted by the appearance of the Darkling. You sigh, rolling your eyes at him. You seriously considered throwing yourself at the spear of one of those ancient armored knights that decorated the halls of the palace. At least you wouldn't have to endure his presence any longer. "Are you rested? Fed?"

"Don't you have something else to do instead of keeping an eye on me? Or send your minions to do it for you? This is getting tiring and irritating." Genya gives you an offended look. She huffs, leaving the chambers as she gets a nod from the Darkling.

"I am your mentor. It's my duty to take care of you." He says, clasping his hands behind him once you're left alone. He looks at you carefully and takes a step towards you. This time, you don't step back but stare at him defiantly.

"Then it is with great pleasure that I would like to relieve you of this obligation." Your words only make him chuckle. He straightens a piece of your hair, tucking it behind your ear. His fingertips brush against your cheek, making you shiver. However, you do nothing to let him know how much his proximity bothers you.

"Oh, you won't make it. Only a king can do this. Do you like your kefta?" He asks, changing the subject. You turn your head towards the offending fabric still hanging on the chair.

"It looks like a floor rag." You say, not hiding your disgust. He chuckles darkly again. He takes the kefta in his hands and unfolds it, pretending to look at it carefully as he walks over to you again.

"Then Karamzin must be richer than I thought, if this is what your floor rags look like. Especially the orphanage."

"Have you been rummaging through my files? What for?" You ask in shock, trying to mask your fear. If he finds out about Alina and Mal… you don't want to have any more deaths on your conscience.

"Better put it on if you don't want to find out very soon." You decide to follow your better judgement instead of your pride and turn your back on him, letting him put on the hideous kefta. Surprisingly, the material hugs you perfectly. You feel warm and soft—the complete opposite of what you know. You gasp in shock as he reaches for his belt and pulls you towards him. You bump into his chest as he tightens the belt around your waist. "Good girl. Now, put your hand in the crook of my arm and smile nicely, and everything will turn out great today. And if you keep behaving as a good girl, you'll get dessert tonight."

"I'd rather gouge out my eyes and sew my mouth shut than be an obedient little doll that you can dress however you want and show everyone."

"I'd reconsider it if I were you. The chefs baked a chocolate cake today. With chocolate-covered cherries on top. Have you ever had a chance to eat something like it?" He smiles, almost mischievously, as he stands next to you, still waiting for you to follow his instructions.

"Son of a bitch." You mutter under your breath and he laughs. He must have been drunk. He couldn't be in such a good mood. Not him.

"That's actually very ture, my little wellspring." He says and leads you to a slaughter worse than the Hunger Games... he leads you to a party for the Games. Among the nobility. You shudder just thinking about this nightmare (not because he puts his bigger hand on yours).

"You have a very beautiful dress!" You force a fake smile on your lips when a noblewoman compliments you.

"Thank you." You say, sipping your glass of wine. The only good thing that happened to you at the party was alcohol. And even then, the Darkling tried to limit you to this one pleasure, making sure that you didn't drink too much.

Your head hurt from all the nonsense conversations with all these people who were only famous for being born into rich families. Terrible. Out of the corner of your eye, you notice several tributes also struggling to maintain their composure. At least you weren't the only one.

However, after you turned out to be Grisha, the rest of the tributes tended to avoid you. You knew from the beginning that you wouldn't have any friends among them, but it would be nice to have one friendly soul in this terrible place.

"I didn't think the people of District 12 would fit into our community so well, but you, darling, look absolutely perfect." You barely stop yourself from throwing the glass you're holding at her. Instead, you tighten your grip on him and smile politely at her, gritting your teeth in anger.

"I'm glad I can surprise you."

Fortunately, you don't have to talk to her anymore. The general approaches you quickly, noticing your tenseness, and with his natural grace, he places his hand on your waist, starting a conversation with a woman who turns out to be a close friend of the queen. Oops. It's better that he came to you, because you wouldn't apologise if you accidentally allowed Merzost to break free and turn her into a volcra.

As you stand next to them, as larger crowds of women begin to gather around you, you realize a terrible truth. The Darkling was your only support here. Him and Genya.

You flinch as he suddenly tightens his grip on your waist and guides you away from the group of noblewomen, who giggle as you both walk away. You allow yourself to roll your eyes at them.

"What the hell was that?" He asks you angrily, setting your glass down on the table. You automatically reach for it again, but he grabs your hand before you can take it and keeps it away from the alcohol.

"I was just about to ask you the same fucking thing." You respond in a defiant tone, glaring daggers at him. Your stomach was starting to growl, and the bastard wouldn't let you touch anything to eat until you fulfilled your end of the bargain and behaved yourself. As you and he can see, you didn't do very well.

"Don't grimace around them as if they were pouring salt into your open wounds." He says it angrily and lets go of your hand. He reaches for something from the buffet. You freeze when he hands you a tiny plate with some fruit. You lick your lips, staring at your food for a moment before looking back at him. "It's for avoiding causing a drama. Partly. Try harder, and I'll let you eat whatever you want."

"But that's what they do! Do you have any idea what it's like to have to stand there smiling and nodding your head while these snobs from the capital talk about how your people and the city are octopus and beneath them?!" You hiss so only he can hear it, but you take the plate of food from him anyway. God knows when you'll get something again.

"I'm Grisha. I know exactly what you are going through." You would laugh at him mockingly if you didn't have a mouth full of food. He looks at you disgusted, and you quickly get the hint and eat smaller portions.

"Please. You've been doing fine since the Hunger Games. At least your people don't have to die every year to the delight of a bunch of sadistic idiots with stuffed bras and fake hair." Your comment makes him bite his lip, but he still can't help but smile a little. Few people could make him laugh and laugh at the same time. As you can see, Merzost wasn't the only special thing about you.

However, your hostile look reminds him that you are in the middle of an argument, and it is his turn to present his argument. God, how much work he had to do with you. You will kill him before he can get you safely through the Hunger Games.

"But years ago we were hunted by all of you, and somehow I don't spit on every Ravkan and kill them for it."

"Because you didn't experience it. If you were there, you would act differently." You sound confident. He shakes his head, wondering how you would react to the truth. Although now he seems to be more interested in food than in anything he has to say. He had to finally feed you. His Merzost Holder couldn't go hungry. It's enough that you experienced hunger and poverty in District 12.

"You think?" He asks, setting your empty plate on the table and offering his hand to you. You look at him for a moment, confused by the sudden… change in his attitude.

"General?"

"You can dance, can't you?" He asks, taking your hand, and without waiting for your response, he leads you to the dance floor. The rest of the mentors have no such idea, so you both are closely watched by all the participants in the ball.

"A little." You say shyly, something he's experiencing from you for the first time. He smiles fondly at you, which, of course, you don't see, too embarrassed to look at anything other than your shoes. But others see. The general's small smile does not go unnoticed by his closest soldiers.

"I guess I have to work with that." He says this and gently lifts your chin to look at him. He places a hand on your waist, and the other holds yours in an iron, steady grip. "Eyes on me. Put your hand on my shoulder and try not to fall. Keep up with me, and everything will be fine."

All you can do is trust him, which you do with surprising ease for him. Somehow, he can't take his eyes off you. You looked gorgeous in the black kefta, especially with his symbol embroidered on the back—a little thing you didn't need to know yet. And so, looking at you, Aleksander can't help but wonder what it would be like if he met you under different circumstances. Maybe if he were younger, less experienced... if his mother's words didn't ring so loudly in his head every time he started to feel something akin to tenderness towards you. Maybe if he hadn't lost so many...

Meanwhile, you try to fight the strange feeling he gives you every time his skin touches yours. You feel a strange pull, a calling, and you realise how your power, the same one you tried to ignore and forget for so many years, comes to life under his touch. You hated it. And him. For trying to break down the walls that you put up for so long and so hard. For trying to make you the Grisha you hated. For making it so easy for you to sink into the arms of the Black Heretic ancestor.

And at the same time… it was nice to feel important for a change… even if just for a moment.

So you dance with him, agreeing to this little moment of truce between you two. Deciding that you would look for answers later as to why you felt so attached to him. And why every time he touched you you felt so… powerful.

"That was awful." You groan as you finally return to your chambers, with the Darkling by your side, of course.

He hasn't left you since that dance. He was always somewhere next to you as you talked with the nobility. You have gained several sponsors and the favour of important people in Os Alta. The Darkling was pleased. And you're exhausted.

"And wonderful. You did great, much better than I expected. The servants should bring our dinner soon." He says, sitting next to you on the couch, watching as you take off your kefta and throw it in the corner of the room. He bites his lip, deciding not to comment. He already expected a lot from you today. The manners lesson could have been taught another time.

"Our?" You ask surprised, not expecting him to stay longer than necessary.

"Do you mind?"

"Yes." You answer honestly and straight away, to which he just laughs.

"I wish I cared." He replies with a mischievous smile. You roll your eyes as you take off your shoes and try to pick any pins out of your hair. Genya seemed to enjoy tormenting you. There were definitely too many of them. "So a healer? Really?" He asks, referring to your last conversation. Someone asked you what you wanted to do before you got into The Hunger Games. You decided to answer truthfully once. Of course, you were laughed off and called a sweet, naive soul willing to help. You wanted to vomit on their polished, gold-plated shoes.

"Why not?" You ask angrily. He raises his hands defensively with a smirk, seeing how fed up you are with everything that happened today.

"It's rather… a thankless profession among the common people. Healers usually come to them when they are dying. Relieve suffering. They are the harbinger of death, almost like a reaper. Usually, they are not coming to actually extend their lives."

"So you must have had similar experiences." You scoff, making him think about it. This wasn't what you expected. You were expecting a rather harsh answer. Not a pensive, almost sad look. For a moment, you think that maybe he, too, could just be human. You shake your head. No. He was just one of them. He couldn't have any... human feelings or know the real pain.

"Painful but true. They don't get excited when they see me either." His whisper should make you change the subject, but after the terrible day he put you through, all you want to do is stick a pin in him where it hurts the most.

"I wonder why..." You start, but he cuts you off before you can finish.

"Don't mock. You were behaving so nicely. I prefer you to smile than spit acid."

"I wish I cared." You repeat his words from a while ago, trying to imitate his tone of voice. He rolls his eyes at you, but somehow you both do nothing more than make snide comments to each other. Taking advantage of the relatively quiet moment between you, you decide to ask him honestly. "What do you want from me?"

"To win." He replies simply, playing with the ring on his finger. He rolls it over on his finger, resting his chin on his hand as he looks at you intently. A shiver runs through you as the dark depths of his eyes meet yours. Undeterred by his short, evasive answer, you continue, knowing that this is your only chance to get something from him.

"And then what? You won't let me go back to my district." You say, knowing perfectly well that this is not an option for you. IF you win.

"You are right. You will live here. With Grisha. The people you belong to." You frown, dissatisfied with his answer. You weren't Grisha. You will never be. No matter how much he pushes and forces you to become one of them.

"Unless I die, which is very probably since I am not going to kill anyone on the arena." You remind him. He doesn't seem to take your promise seriously. You don't convince him. He will see for himself in the arena how serious you are about your decision.

"You won't die." He says it firmly, as if it were an obvious fact.

"How can you..."

"YOU WON'T!" He yells at you, standing up. You sit stoically in the same position as before, watching as the shadows in the corner of the room gather around him. He sighs and waves them away. "I've been waiting a long time for you, Y/N. You are the one of your kind and even more precious than a Sun Summoner. I won't see your dead body. No matter how much you want it."

"Leave." You say, too tired to argue with him, to tell him that you have no intention of being an obedient tool in his hands, that you won't be a weapon that he can use.

"That's my palace." Furious at his words, you get up to face him. You look at each other with pure hatred.

You are too tired to notice that a dark mass is beginning to form around your arms. But Aleksander sees it. And he watches with fascination as you let your powers slip through. Out of curiosity, he summons his shadows behind you. Just a small black cloud. However, for some reason, under the influence of your powers, the room is plunged into complete darkness. He looks at you in shock, realising that you had unknowingly empowered him by providing him with energy from Merzost. Unbelievable.

"And my room for a while, so prove to me you can sometimes be the nobel man everyone told me you are and leave me alone." You whisper; all you can see in the dark surrounding you are its irises, analysing you with undisguised fascination and admiration.

If only you trained, if you learned to control what was inside you... Aleksander wouldn't have to take anyone into account; he could just declare himself tsar, threatening the Ravkans to expand the fold if they didn't recognise Grisha's greatness. All he needed was you.

"As you wish." He says, deciding to let you win this fight. He takes your hand and holds it tight as he calls his shadows back to him. They come back in a second. One blink, and the darkness in the room disappears. Impossible. Even his mother didn't have that much control in her glory days. He wondered if you would have this effect only on him or on other Grisha as well. But no. He won't share this secret with anyone. Not yet. For now, you were only his little wellspring of power. "Tomorrow is the first day of your training. 7 A.M. Don't be late, or I will drag you out of your bed by myself." He says, letting go of your hand and walking towards the exit, trying hard not to steal glances at you. He would have to look into his grandfather's journals and old books. You were a real mystery. And he was just waiting to see what more you could do besides complete him perfectly.

"Go to hell." You mutter under your breath, rubbing the hand that was in his iron grip a few moments ago. You felt that stupid electric thrill again. It definitely had to have something to do with your strange connection. Darkling and Merzost Holder. You had to find out more about it. Maybe you need to start being nice to Genya after all...

"Excuse me?" He asks, turning around in the doorway when he hears the insult from you.

"Sleep well." You reply with a sweet, cynical smile. He shakes his head in amusement and decides to ignore your behavior. He'll give you a hard time at training tomorrow. See how far your skills range. With a little training, who knows... maybe you'll be able to bring people back from the dead.

Involuntarily, his thoughts turn to Luda. If he had you by his side earlier… no. He couldn't think about her. He knows that history would have turned out the same way. Because even if you had revealed yourself to him earlier, he would have been too busy with you to see anyone else.

Aleksander promises himself that he will do everything to prevent you from becoming his second Luda. He had enough ghosts of his past tormenting him at night. And you can't become another one of them. If necessary, I will kill these tributes myself. He will find a way. He always did.

Unless someone dares to interfere with his plans... just like last time. That's why, immediately after leaving your chambers, he goes to the only person he knows who will be able to protect you from his greatest enemy.

"Ulla?! Sister?! I have an offer you can't refuse!" He calls from the shore of the lake in the gardens of Little Palace.

[theteasetreads]

Here is a list of stuff I love/recommend from writers I think are neat. Please be sure to check out their blogs and their other stuff too! I will be updating this list the more I find stuff I love.

*this list is arranged in alphabetical order

❤️‍🔥 = smut (18+) 💝 = fluff 💔 = angst 👀 = suggestive/implied smut

❧ @collecting-stories ↳ I am not sure if this writer is currently writing for Daryl at the moment, but I ADORE their Daryl content! Be sure to check them out, and maybe you'll find that they write for some other characters you like, too!

❧ @devnmon ↳ Rye is one of my pals, and they just so happen to write some of the best Daryl Dixon fanfiction ever. Like, ever. They write some of the sweetest, sauciest, sexiest smut I've ever read, and their writing style is just amazing. I am so bad at describing this kind of stuff, but trust me when I say that they are essential reading if you like Daryl Dixon x Reader!

❧ @haruhey ↳ So much has been said about Haru, but I truly cannot express how amazing their work is. Not only do they write the most mind-blowing, earth-shattering smut on this planet, but they also put so much care and detail and love into their writing. I love how they put tons of effort into creating a real relationship between Daryl and the reader character. It's truly spectacular. Please check their stuff out if you haven't already.

❧ @normanplusdaryl ↳ Ari is just starting on her writing journey, and boy is she already turning out to be another ICONIC addition to the Daryl Dixon x Reader family. I love the way she writes Daryl, how he's true to his character and does/says things I actually think he would do/say. That is a really hard thing to do! Plus, she writes angst super well, and, once again, that is not an easy feat.

❧ @starlessea ↳ This writer's work pretty much introduced me to the world of Daryl Dixon x Reader. In fact, her series, Here Comes the Sun, is what inspired me to write my own series, and my own fanfiction in general.

❧ @weretheones ↳ Madi is not only one of the sweetest, kindest, smartest, funniest, coolest, most talented people you will ever meet, she is also a stellar writer who truly understands the complexities of Daryl's character and basically everything about him. She is truly the gem of Daryl Dixon x Reader. She is an icon, a star, a revolutionary. She rocks my world. Oh, and she is one of the best angst writers. Ever. I don't even particularly like angst, but Madi? She does it so well that it's not even angst, it's just pure art.

❧ Back to Black by normanplusdaryl | 💔 ↳ Summary: Daryl comes home after many years to face the consequences of his actions. ↳ Word Count: 2.5k

❧ Doctor's Orders by weretheones | 💔 ↳ Summary: When a sprained ankle takes you off run duty, the new girl goes in your place. Which would’ve been fine– if she didn’t have that brilliant wit, gorgeous smile, and effortless skill. But she did. And it was only a matter of time before Daryl noticed too. (Season 4) ↳ Word Count: 7k

❧ Gone For Good | Part 1 & 2 by weretheones | 💔💝 ↳ Summary: It was easy to lose hope when everyone around you started dropping like flies. When the flu hit, Daryl saw your optimism drain alongside your health, but it wasn’t until the brutal attack of the Governor that he lost his.  ↳ Word Count: 9k (total)

❧ Hide Away With Me by haruhey | 💝👀 ↳ Summary: Dancing in the dark, with you between my arms. ↳ Word Count: 3.6k

❧ In Vino Veritas by haruhey | ❤️‍🔥 ↳ Summary: After a particularly rough run, Daryl wants nothing more than to shut himself away from everyone with you. However, he’d agreed days prior to be your ‘date’ to one of Alexandria’s welcoming parties thinking you needed someone to share the pain of new people with. Guilt gnaws at him the whole night and he gets wasted to numb the feeling, resulting in you having to carry him home. The alcohol in his system and the way that dress hugs you makes him particularly… talkative, and as the Romans say, in wine there is truth. ↳ Word Count: 30k

❧ Late To the Party by devnmon | ❤️‍🔥 ↳ Summary: Daryl has a knife kink. ↳ Word Count: 7.1k

❧ No Rush by weretheones | ❤️‍🔥 ↳ Summary: Daryl took his time with you. ↳ Word Count: 950

❧ You Deserve the World by devnmon | 💝💔👀 ↳ Summary: Daryl’s been insecure about his age starting to show, and is worried he’ll lose you. You show him every way he won’t. ↳ Word Count: 3.4k

❧ You, You, You by normanplusdaryl | 💝👀 ↳ Summary: After a long night, Daryl comes home and you decide he needs a little break. ↳ Word Count: 1.2k

❧ All You Got by weretheones | 💝💔 ↳ Summary: Daryl Dixon hadn’t known much beyond anger and loneliness his whole life, until he found family at the end of the world. Everything he grew to care about was ripped away the day the prison fell; so when he recognized you, an enforcer of his loss, hiding in that cabin, he almost pulled the trigger. But after you end up saving his life, he couldn’t find the indifference to leave you for dead, even if you’d been on the Governor’s side. (Mid-Late Season 4) 

❧ Georgia by collectingstories | 💝 ↳ Summary: King County, Georgia. In a small town like that, where everyone knows everyone, people can get pigeon-holed into personalities that aren’t their own. Daryl Dixon was a troublemaker, a good-for-nothing, redneck kid who would grow up to be just like his dad. Drinking too much, smoking too much, and cheating his way through life. But Daryl isn’t any of the things people say he is and you’re willing to shoulder the burden of their judgement when you find yourself falling for him.

❧ Here Comes the Sun by starlessea | 💝👀 ↳ Summary: Daryl Dixon scares the hell out of you climbing out of that damn creek. It takes hauling his ass halfway across Georgia and taking a bullet for him to realise that you’re not half bad. He slowly starts to come around, despite grumbling about how much he doesn’t like your singing, or that you can’t use a gun for shit - and don’t get him started on that ugly yellow tent of yours. It takes him a while before he starts to see for himself that he’s found a best friend for life, and that he doesn’t actually mind the colour yellow that much, after all.

Updated: 3/13/2023

[finniestoncrane]

Your One True Nemesis

Chapter 39: also on AO3 Masterlist Here Arkham!Riddler x Female!Reader, word count: 1.5k am i going to cry because this is almost over? maybe lmao💚 request info • prompt list • send me a request • kofi • masterlist minors DNI!! 🔞 cw: some angst, but mostly ambiguous feelings

“My dear, will you please join me in the workshop?”

Eddie’s voice rang out through the hall. Loud, but not sharp. Oddly soft. And there was no hint of sarcasm, no patronising tone, to the pet name he offered you. This alone was enough to make you suspicious, sending pangs of cold, chilling fear through your body as you worried what might be in store for you. That was your default as of late. Things had been difficult since the orphanage, and you had settled comfortably on that being all your fault. And now, anytime you spoke to Eddie, anytime he needed to speak to you, your first thought was always negative, jumping to fearful conclusions that had you so on edge that you were finding yourself exhausted constantly, strung high and forever tetchy.

As you walked into the workroom, he turned to you, his face coloured by an expression you hadn’t seen often in him, making it difficult to recognise. Confusion? Lack of understanding? Lost without an answer. Unlike him. But, despite looking as though he had no idea what he was doing or what he was going to say, he spoke anyway. Very much like him. 

“I would like to assuage some… concerns I think you might have been having. Some that I shared until I spent the night dedicating my immense and spectacular brain power to this little conundrum.”

He paused, expecting you to roll your eyes at his ego, but you were staring, unblinking, waiting patiently and focused for his next words.

“As you will know, I have been incredibly busy this past few weeks. I apologise for that, and I apologise for not involving you as much in my work. I felt that you needed a rest, or deserved a rest, or… it doesn’t matter. This work… I’m intending on it being a surprise. For everyone, but mostly for you.”

Your mouth twisted into a confused look, at least that part of your worries could be filed away for now. It had been a while since he had asked anything of you, and to know it wasn’t out of anger or disappointment, or, god forbid, him practising living without you, you could feel the knots in your stomach easing slightly.

“For some time, I’ve been working on a project. One I couldn’t involve you in, even as my assistant. As a trusted party, as a friend. Or more than a friend.”

There was a struggle behind the words, as though he were worried about how they would come out. Scared he might commit to too much, to overstep a boundary neither of you had placed by calling you something more. 

“I don’t want you to be hurt.”

Your heart thudded, deep in your chest. Like it had fallen from your throat to the bottom of your rib cage. It knocked you back, the feeling, the knowledge that he cared enough to leave you out of something dangerous. To stop you from doing what was still your job just to make sure nothing bad happened to you. But you were still nervous, still speechless, and unable to speak before he started talking again.

“I think this is why I find it difficult to express my intentions for the future. Because I do have plans, but…”

He gestured around the room, at his failed plans, broken creations, settling his fingertips on old and new scars that covered his body.

“... Completely asinine to plan ahead when you’re… someone like me.”

You hated how right he was. The future, especially to an unreformed criminal, was always blurred, never quite there. Never manageable or predictable, no matter how much they would like it to be. No matter how smart they were. 

Eddie’s hand on your shoulder pulled you from your thoughts, your eyes settling on his as he focused intensely on you.

“I hate for this to be rushed, but Halloween is fast approaching and I have it on good authority that we will be rather busy come the big night. So I need you to know now that I will require you to be at this exact address at this specific time. Tomorrow night, the furthest tunnel, 9pm. Can you do that?”

You chose to ignore the tone, his question sounding very familiar to the sarcastic ones he would ask you when you first began to work for him. When he would ask if you could do something simple with the shit-eating grin of a man determined to get to you. Which of course, he had, and still did. 

“Is that… the question you had to ask me?”

Eddie reached his hand out, placing it awkwardly, almost formally, against the side of your upper arm.

“No, my dear. That has to wait until tomorrow. I just need to know… that despite everything, you’ll be there.”

The pause before you answered was a little too long, distressing on your end because it meant you didn’t immediately know the answer. Tortuous on Eddie’s as he waited to find out what his future really held in store. 

“I… I’ll be there, Eddie.”

He let out a sigh of relief, grabbing your shoulders as he placed his hands down firmly on them.

“Good. Good… Thank you.”

You offered him a smile, one that was so obviously awkward and forced to you both, before you turned and began making your way back to your room. Eddie hadn’t asked you to leave, but you knew he wanted you to. And you needed the space to think. Some time alone to settle your nerves and wonder what kind of cryptic bullshit Eddie was rambling about this time. 

A smile crossed your lips. At least that felt like normal. Eddie being strange, difficult to comprehend, frantic in his delivery of emotions. Strangely comforting. 

It really had been actually. Comforting. It was awkward, yes, but only because you let it be. You were in the headspace for that. You had been thinking negatively prior to even seeing Eddie’s face for the first time that day. But maybe the tone had been light, or would have been if you had let it be. Maybe there was something warm and tender in the way he said he needed you, to be there, to trust him. That there was an overarching meaning behind his behaviour, behind the words he said, the things he did. His future, though complicated, would be one you were a part of if he had any control over it, and that you had to trust him of that. The question he had to ask-

Fuck. 

This could be it. 

It felt like it. 

The rushed speech, the way he held your arms, looked deep into your eyes. Frantic, but excited. That felt like the mood you recognised from terrible sitcoms. The preamble to an inevitable proposal. An engagement. A declaration of love of the highest, most official, order. 

Mrs Nigma. What a complete gas. What a twist. What a… nightmare? 

Maybe he was going to do it. Maybe it would be ok. Maybe it was right. But it didn’t feel right. Did it feel wrong though?

It did feel wrong. It felt so wrong. So rushed. So unlike him. The guilt felt like it could almost swallow you, envelop you in an inky black substance that erased any other emotion you might be capable of. You had, for some reason, put an immense amount of pressure on everything. On your relationship, on Eddie. And he was responding like one of the rats in the sewer, stuck in a trap that it had tried to wriggle free from, but had eventually accepted its fate and succumbed to the slow death. Was that what your relationship was? A stifling, suffocating trap? Were you hindering his work? Stealing his focus? Making him make choices, take actions, that he never would have before or under his own will? 

But really, how much influence did you really think you could have over him? Realistically, you knew he was still, at his very rore, Edward Nigma. The Riddler. And you were still just you. Maybe a version of you that he cared for, and one he had learned to compromise with. But still, you couldn’t imagine that his feelings towards you would sway his very lifestyle or his long standing goals. 

And yet… you could let yourself believe that in fantasy. So then came another pang of guilt. You had to admit to yourself that if you could have Edward, if you could take him away from the things that gave him purpose, you would. Selfishly. You might be able to convince yourself that it was better for him in the long run, but what did you know? You weren’t his psychiatrist or psychologist or therapist. So many had tried and failed before you. What made you different?

Love? Compromise? 

So why couldn’t you compromise? 

Why couldn’t you accept your status with him? What? It wasn’t enough to just be with him anymore? You deserved more than that? 

Each hour that passed by only brought more worry, more questions without answers, possibilities both positive and negative that clouded your mind. The only thing you really were sure about was that, if he asked the question you suspected he might ask, that you wouldn’t say no.

Or would you.

Shit. 

Turns out, you really didn’t know anything. 

Just like Eddie had said when he first met you. Always right. Of course he was.

[bubybubsters]

Impossible (Part 1)

a/n: I feel like how this fic will unfold completely depends on how I'm feeling when i'm writing it. Enjoy! (or not)

special shout-out to @clairebear08 for helping me and being awesome!

pairing: azrier!reader, eris!azriel, eris!reader

wc: 1450+ (I’m working my way to 2000 y’all!)

⚠️: none

masterlist prologue part 2 three

Y/n’s POV

Your emotions were mixed, some part of you was ridiculously happy that Azriel had finally come to see you. But the other (bigger) part of you was screaming to say ‘fuck you’ and slap him. Maybe even kiss Eris, just to shove it in his face. He’d come to do what? Say sorry he rejected a sacred bond and ask for it back? Well now that you thought about it, yeah, probably exactly that. You’d thought you’d been happy, you’d gotten to know eachother, bonded over books and talked to the other about every which thing.

Well in your case at least, you’d told him everything and given him your heart to keep safe. Not anymore, you’d take your heart back. But he hadn’t told you of his relationship with Elain and he’d taken what you’d offered and broke it. You wasn’t sure he’d meant to but he broke some part of you with it, he broke your trust, your joy, your ease around everyone and your incredible way to make everyone laugh (even Amren)!

As you opened Eris’s closet door and stepped outside your jaw fell agape. He'd changed as well and he looked delicious fabulous in a unbuttoned formal gold jacket and sharp, orange-yellow dress pants.

Shit, he's hot was the first thought flashing through your mind as you gawked at him.

Eris flashed you his signature smile, "See something you like, little fox?"

You roll your eyes but don't stop staring. "What could I possible see that I like High Lord?"

He grins at your attempt to deflect, "I don't know Y/n, how about my abs?"

Your eyes immediately find his abs and you blush because his abs are spectacular. Finally dragging your eyes up to his face you force a smile as you remember why exactly, you’re up at the crack of dawn staring at some guys muscles.

“So umm, Azriel?”

Eris visibly tenses as he nods, “right, yeah.” He takes in your Illyrian leathers, “you sure you want to wear those?”

You know what he’s asking, you haven’t worn them since that faithful day. But now seems like the best time, to show Azriel that your world dosent revolve around him. You nod, throat closing up at the encouraging smile Eris gives you.

You both exit, him holding the door open every time so you can step through to the next room. Bloody hell, when did Eris become such a gentleman, and why do you find it so hot? You mentally slap myself, this is not the time to be thinking about Eris or his abs or anything about him.

You wonder what excuse Azriel has, why he’s come back to you after he rejected the bond. Did he realise just how important of a bond he rejected? When you’d found out about the bond, Rhys had told you that Az had been looking for his mate for centuries and that Az thought he wasn’t worthy of a mate in the Mothers eyes. That’s why you’d loved him, because you’d thought the same thing. Your whole family was mated and happy except you, for centuries you’d been searching for the right person and you’d just about given up when you found him! You were elated but for some reason it never felt like enough. As if the mating bond knew he was holding back on you, as if it was trying to tell you to find someone else. And then everything happened and you went to Eris because he’d always been polite to you and you always felt a pull towards him. with Eris you still didn’t feel like it was enough, and maybe that’s because you didn’t have a mating bond but you’re still falling for the High Lord. You’re falling fast and hard and if he rejects you, your heart will shatter.

You will shatter.

*****

Azriel's POV

Azriel waits, staring out the window watching the moon go down. Maybe you weren’t coming, maybe you decided you weren’t going to hear him out and didn’t want him anymore. Or maybe Eris is an asshole after all and convinced you not to come meet him.

No, there were footsteps approaching, two pairs. He straightened as he scented his mate. Were you still his mate? The mating bond was still there and so Az decided he would fight for you until you decided enough and broke the bond or forgave him and accepted the bond.

The steps rounded the corner and you appeared, Eris a step behind. Azriel stiffened at the sight of another male so close to his mate but hauled in his possessiveness and unabashedly took you in. You stared back at him, eyes tracing the lines of his body as if checking for injury’s before catching yourself and schooling your expression into indifference.

The act had Azriel’s instincts rising up to claim you as his. But he just lowered his head in apology. “Y/n… I can explain, I-” Azriel was cut off by your scoff, face still indifferent.

“What is there to explain, Azriel? That you chose Elain over me, your mate? What? Did she leave you and now you realise your wrong doings and come back to choose me as your second choice? Or are you going to say that you got brainwashed?”

Azriel blinked at the onslaught of words coming his way, trying to digest both what you’d said and what his shadows were saying. Mate. You’d referred to yourself as his mate. Joyful, electric hope filled his chest, maybe if you still thought of yourself as his mate he’d have a chance.

Eris has a comforting hand on the small of her back.

Her fingers are brushing her thigh constantly, her nervous tell.

She’s not indifferent anymore, her face turned hopeful after she said ‘brainwashed.’

There is a spark of hope in her eyes.

Each small thing his shadows whispered to him added kindling to the spark of hope inside his heart. He tried to hide the new light in his eyes as he said, “Y/n, I will do whatever it takes to get you to forgive me but I hope you will know that I regretted my decision not an hour after I made it but I hid it because I was afraid of the repercussions. Elain did leave for Lucien because she saw through me a week later and I am happy for them both but I’ve been trying to find you for a week, Rhys can confirm it. If you do not wish to talk with me or do not want me anymore, say it. I promise, I will wait here, in this room until you choose to talk or send me packing. But I will stay until we work this out, no matter what way it goes. I will respect your decision but I ask that you at least consider forgiveness, please.”

And that’s when Eris leaped forward, trying to cover Azriel’s mouth as he uttered the words after I promise.

That’s also when Azriel felt the slight tingle of magic along his elbow. And when he looked, his shoulder to wrist was covered in a tattoo. Flames and shadows in a deadly dance interrupted only by swirls of sunlight.

He slowly dragged his gaze up to yours, You were staring at his arm, expression full of hope and resignation. Azriel watched as you dragged your gaze up to his begging eyes.

Eris groaned, hand dropping from Az’s mouth as he sank to the ground in an exasperated heap a foot from Az. Azriel watched Eris and couldn’t help but wonder why the redhead cared so much about you . But Azriel couldn’t help but grimace and sink to the ground next to Eris. Wings working instinctively to protect the autumn court male next to him.

Azriel was stuck here, in the Autumn Court, the this room, until he and you worked it out. Which, judging by the look of hesitation and fear now taking over your expression, was not going to be anytime soon.

Eris sighed, calling out to the guards.

“Get our dear shadowsinger a bed, build a toilet and bath with curtains around it, and get anything he asks for unless it’s information or something possibly dangerous.” Eris ran a calculating eye over you and Azriel before adding, “and send our dear friends in the night court a letter requesting their presence by evening. We have a lot to explain as I don’t think Rhysand is getting his spymaster back in the next month.”

Azriel sighed, knowing Eris was likely right on all accounts. But he couldn’t hate the male like he used to, it just wasn’t possible anymore.

*****

Part 2

Rip Eris’ sanity. I’m happy with this, idc if y’all arent (well I care but whatever) please be nice, constructive criticism as always is welcome, everything is welcome.

taglist

@cleverzonkwombatsludge @thelov3lybookworm 💕 @the-sweet-psycho @profound-imagination @impossibelle @a-frog-with-a-laptop @bigcreatorwombatdreamer @stargirl1714

Thank you mutuals and everyone that has supported me in any way!

[donkeys-waffles]

Okay, listen I'm not all that convinced AFO is completely gone. And let's put DFO aside for a moment. His and Yoichi's story feels uncomplete, there are certain elements that were given the time to be graced on but never really elaborated on. Like for example, that possibility that certain elements of AFO's backstory were fabricated to accomplish a certain message.

It's very easy to read over his backstory and gather the idea that he was born evil. But after a deeper look, it's very clear that was the purpose. We are meant to believe AFO is evil because that's what he wants us to believe, that's what he sees in himself. I feel bittersweet towards his supposed 'end'. Because I hate how Bakugou delivered that end, for one. But on one hand I enjoy how he mentioned needing Yoichi, it starts with denial and ends with recognition. And even if this a hot take, I think it's a beautiful, emotional end to such a messed-up individual.

However, I have a weird feeling about two things. First, I'd like to say, one thing I've noticed in writing is if something is brought up randomly, it'll generally come back to bite you later. Nothing is left unsaid, otherwise you have plot holes.

I found it interesting how it's mentioned AFO wasn't able to use his last trick up his sleeve, without any elaboration as to what that would have been. And I would say this was done on purpose, maybe just used as another example of every dream he wasn't able to accomplish before he died. But bringing light to this does nothing to strengthen the impact of his death on the narrative. Another interesting detail was Yoichi's wish. His dream of AFO being the kindest quirk in the world, which I can see being used to cause a reaction in the reader, as if trying to make them feel some heartache for such a bastard. But even with that reasoning, that sentence in the end feels so empty. unfulfilling, and almost lack-luster. It seems odd to be brought up and this could be bias, but I feel like that sentence had more importance than just literary cannon fodder.

We know AFO's main goal, make everyone love him like Yoichi, and his midterm goal was to steal his brother back through OFA. Makes sense.

But I still have questions. I understand why he took Tomura, to get a strong enough host to steal OFA, makes sense. But how does leaving Gigantomachia in the mountains have anything to do with such a goal? For what? Retirement? What did that achieve, wouldn't it better if he kept him around? If he was planning on moving his consciousness to Tomua later, then keeping him around would be better, right? Afterall, he'd be able to meet the child and possibly have a better understanding of the situation. Gigantomachia is an incredibly strong asset (look how he took down SO many heroes in the first war); he could have possibly even used him as backup during his fight with All Might.

And why keep OFA at a distance when his entire goal is to steal said quirk? I'm referring to that one panel in Vigilantes. Thats the entire opposite of his entire 200-year-old goal.

And that whole thing with his copy of rewind... This man is 200 years old, with an extremely strong villain empire, who has earned the respect of a genius scientist... You don't achieve any of those things by being stupid. And now I'm not normally one for completely trusting the MHA Wiki, but I can't blame them for giving him a 6/5 intelligence. He's a genius, and is spectacular with quirk analysis, it's his thing ya feel me. But it does show his lack of self-preservation, which is against what he's supposed to be angry at All Might for.

All Might took his health and his empire; we know he didn't really care about his empire as much from Spinner. (I mean lack of self-preservation because he's using a quirk that will eventually rewind him out of existence, whether he transfers his quirk to Tomura entirely or not. There's a possibility that it won't work, he failed to take complete control the first time remember. Is that what this supposed 'trick up his sleeve' was supposed to remedy? This is the same man that gave himself immortality, the same man that ran away from All Might for years, the same man that has shown to rely on the strength of others instead of dealing wounds himself. And might I add the same man that is supposed to be angry about his health being diminished. Afterall if not his health or his empire what could he possibly be angry at All Might for that's so special, so unique compared to his predecessors?)

This brings me to my last point. Since when the hell did this bitch care about THE CHILDREN! This man literally stole quirks from children, killed thousands, and turned a crap tone into braindead nomu. And he's angry on behalf of the children. Are we ever going to get an explanation for that?

Like I would understand if he killed the children that he apparently gave heroic ideals to. Like Ha! You will pay for passing on your ideals to children by watching me steal their quirks and kill them. But that's not what he means, or he would've stolen Tokoyami's quirk, killed Jiro instead of leaving her with a broken eardrum, and blasted Izuku away with deadly force instead of holding back in the first war. We have no answers for such behavior from a man known for exhibiting zero humanity (and making that behavior his ENTIRE personality.) Need I remind you this man stole Tomura (possibly gave him the quirk that killed his entire family,) and groomed him just to possess him later alright. He also turned Tsubasa into a nomu for shits and giggles, which we have never talked about once! Tsubasa, need I remind, was a small child and was the Doctor's grandson (which you'd think give him immunity to this kind of sick shit but apparently not.)

There are so many questions left unanswered, many of which Yoichi himself can't even answer. Like with all their human experimentation they do on a daily basis, the clone theory wouldn't really surprise me. It would make a lot of sense for his character as well. And even if that theory doesn't pan out, the vestige behind the locked door (which is entirely separate rant honestly,) or even Tomura's AFO vestige maybe. Though I feel if Izuku really saves Tomura in this war, then we might never hear much of anything from that vestige. Especially since their first priority would be to cancel it out as soon as possible. A lot of people bring up how the story is almost over, and they are probably right. But the end date was supposed to be 2022 originally, right? Then it was moved to 2023, now it's 2024-2025. Like yeah it is almost over, but there's still story that needs wrapping up clearly because that deadline has been pushed back multiple times. Too many times to make it a valid counterclaim anymore. Either way, I don't think we are in the clear of the Demon King's superiority complex anytime soon.

[kyouka-supremacy]

I usually like to imagine that Beast! Sskk's relationship is just as intense and, if not, even more tumultuous than than canon! Sskk, but the other part of me says they get together quicker (whether they work together as partners quicker or simply become boyfriends quicker, your pick) entirely because I find the prospect of the beast! ADA interaction with Beast! Atsushi so funny

Like on one hand, Atsushi is known as the White Reaper of the Port Mafia, one of the most terrifying and ruthless assassins. But he also has the personality of a very skittish cat that stands in corner of the room and does not talk to people aside from stare at them (its the anxiety) but since he masks his usual emotions so much he just looks really menacing.

And on the flip side the ADA cherishes Akutagawa; they trust him and they believe in his intuition, so if Akutagawa assured them that there is no harm in Atsushi's presence, then surely they have nothing to worry about, right? Yeah but they forget Akutagawa's weird as fuck and finds companionship in the most questionable people, so they should've figured to prepare themselves in advance

So now there are rules in the ADA regarding Atsushi when he is in their building:

1.) Akutagawa needs to stay in the room and keep atsushi company for everybody's mental health (so many weapons came out in the 3 minutes it took for Akutagawa to go to the cafe for a snack and come back)

2.) Dont stare tiger boy in the eyes too long he'll get defensive (at least he was kind enough to repair the broken wall in the agency office)

3.) Dont turn the lights off when he's in the room he blends too well in the dark (everyone had at least 2 heart attacks cause they couldn't see or tell he was there)

4.) Dont take photos of him he'll know when the camera is pointed at him (fukuzawa tried to video him playing with the trinkets and Akutagawa's desk and he got so embarrassed he left and ghosted everyone for a few weeks)

5.) Dont comment on the amount of sugar he takes (emotional support sugar packets for his coffee. Same incident as rule.4)

6.) If sskk does some out of pocket homoerotic enemies type shit, ignore them. They're not gonna stop. (Ada made a betting pool, and it keeps pooling in more money. Akutagawa doesn't know its existence yet)

Okay first of all Anon THANK YOU I LOVE YOU WITH EVERYTHING I'VE GOT LITERALLY NOTHING IS GOING TO EVER GIVE ME AS MUCH JOY AS OPENING MY ASKBOX TO SEE A LONG ASK TALKING ABOUT BEAST SSKK. DAY WEEK MONTH ABSOLUTELY MADE I LOVE YOU FOREVER.

Second of all Beast ada is SO unhinged, they all literally went “this is our little murderous wet dog of a new member and this is his doubly murderous catboyfriend”. I love the set of rules, in my mind Kunikida actually wrote them down and hang them next to the door of Fukuzawa's office, hoping it could help avoid confusion in the office as much as possible. They are updated occasionally. I love Atsushi being... Completely unstable like yeah that's literally everything Beast Atsushi is (on the verge of breakdown / violent panic attack 24/7). Like he IS a feral cat he IS going to launch at you and scratch your face. And I LOVE how Akutagawa's presence instantly calms him because??? It would??? Because they have this unmatched connection and Atsushi knows no one understands him as deeply as Akutagawa does, and that at least is comforting and soothes him and makes him feel safe. + major abandonment issues that will have him quietly (and then not so quietly) spiral into panic as soon as Akutagawa is gone and he's left alone in an environment he's not familiar with. I'm dying at the idea of Atsushi ghosting the ada for weeks on more than one occasion that's such a dysfunctional behavior and that's so him I love it. I love all of these brilliant spectacular showstopping thank you so much Anon I owe you my life

[illarian-rambling]

Thanks for the tag @elsie-writes!

OC Interview

I thought doing this in a pair was fun last time, so let's do Astra and Mashal together :)

.

Are you named after anyone?

Astra: "Just the stars above, darlin'."

Mashal: "Not that I know of, but my memory of anything beyond waking up in Astra's vardo is a little fuzzy, so I guess I could've been."

When was the last time you cried?

Astra: "Gods a'mighty, I couldn't tell ya. Probably a few years back, at least. I don't know - I'd a' rather eaten bricks than cried in public when I was in Yewbury, so I guess I learned to hide my tears from everyone, includin' myself. That makes it sound sadder than it actually is, though. I just ain't the easily ruffled kind."

Mashal: "Uh-huh... Not easily ruffled. That definitely sounds like you."

Mashal: "I can't cry. Is that cheating? I guess I get kinda sad at night, when everything's so quiet and my thoughts seem so loud, but metal is metal, so there are no actual tears."

Do you have kids?

Astra: "Fuuuuck naw. Maybe someday, but I'm too busy travelin' right now."

Mashal: "...I- I don't think I do. I don't remember anything from my past, though. I'm probably in my mid-twenties. That's feasible. Oh gods..."

Astra: "Love, take a good look at yourself. You asked me how to make coffee the other day. Ya don't got no surprise amnesia kids."

Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Astra: "I try to, gods willin', but I'm afraid my insults tend to come out a lil' more direct than that."

Mashal: "It's an unbecoming habit, but sometimes I can't help myself."

What is the first thing you notice about people?

Astra: "Their clothes. You can tell a lot about a fellow from the cut a' his smock. Clothes tell ya how much money they've got, how much care they put into their image, what social groups they're a part of - all sorts a' tasty details. The shoes especially. Never trust a fellow in spotless work boots is what my momma always says."

Mashal: "Wait, what can you tell about me from my clothes?"

Astra: "I make all your clothes, love, it doesn't count."

Mashal: "Oh. Well, I suppose I... It sort of shames me to say this, but I try to check if they're a mage or not. I don't know why, but mages make me so nervous. You can usually tell a sorcerer by the hands, a book mage by the scars."

What is your eye color?

Astra: "Blue. Whoever my biological dad is musta been a pale fucker, cause it ain't everyday you see Shuari skin with bluebird peepers, even if I am a lot lighter than my momma. My right eye is a lil' grayer than the other, which might have somethin' to do with my vitiligo, but I ain't sure."

Mashal: "My ocular runes glow white."

Astra: "And a very perdy white too. Don't get yourself down just cause you got a different look from most folk."

Scary movies or happy endings?

Astra: "Scary! I wanna see blood, guts, horror!"

Mashal: "You say this, and then you make me go turn on the lights because you're too scared to sleep in the dark. I like happy endings. Horror always makes my skin crawl. Or, you know, it would if I had skin."

Any special talents?

Astra: "I'm the best damn witch a' the borderlands! Ain't nobody's runes equal to mine. Ain't no one makes finer machines. But other than that, I've got a mighty knack for embroidery."

Mashal: "I'm a decent artist. Nothing spectacular, and I'm only any good with a pencil, but I'm pretty good at sketching from life."

Astra: "And you can fight with a sword, don't forget that!"

Mashal: "And I can fight with a sword."

Where were you born?

Astra: "The stinkin' shithole known to the world as Nakaow. It's a debtor village in the borderlands. All the folk there have contracts owned by the local lord and have to farm 'is land till they pay what they owe. 'Course, they only end up further and further in debt everyday since he charges outrageous rent for sleepin' in 'is buildings."

Mashal: "I don't know. I'm from the Republic province of Sulu'Oku, I'm pretty sure. I have a Sulu'Okan name and accent. I just don't remember any of it."

Do you have any pets?

Astra: "Why, yes I do! I found Mercher's Day on the streets a' Landanium, on, well, a mercher's day. He's a tubby beast of a calico cat who tends to think he's a tiger 'round anyone who ain't me. Or Mashal. He took to the fellow remarkably well when he decided to stay with me."

Mashal: "I have a hazy impression that I did once. ...Or maybe I didn't. I'm not sure. I'm happy to share Mercher with Astra."

What sort of sports do you play?

Astra: "If I got time to toss a ball around, I got time to read up on magic. And one a' those things is a mite more important to me."

Mashal: "Without physical exertion, sports don't feel as exciting for me. I also can't really improve steel and pistons through exercise, so, there's that too. I work through my sword forms from time to time, if that counts. I'd be afraid to play any team sport in case I accidentally hurt someone."

Astra: "Love, I'd pay honest money to see you huck somebody across the ring in a game of Jetj, and I'm sure other people would too."

Mashal: "Maybe once we're in Unity. There are robots there. Who knows, they might have their own sports I can learn? I'd really like that, I think."

How tall are you?

Mashal: "Ugh, six foot ten. I did not ask to be built this way. Astra said she'd be able to rebuild me to be shorter someday, but we really don't have time right now. I think about five foot nine would be a good height. I'm tired of banging my head on everything"

Astra: "Five foot fuckin' nothin'. That's what happens when you're malnourished all your damn childhood. Do you know how ridiculous I look standin' next to Mashal? Shit's tragic. I'll retrofit him if he wants, yeah, but half a' that'll be for my own peace a' mind."

What was your favorite subject in school?

Astra: "I never went to school proper, but the best lecture I ever snuck into was Applied Gravitation Runes. Now, that might not sound too excitin', but ya gotta understand that a gravitation rune is the base a' anythin' runic-mechanical you could dream a' makin'. That class really opened my eyes to how those runes could be used."

Mashal: "I'm sorry, that sounds... really boring."

Astra: "Hush, you're more'n half gravitation runes yourself."

Mashal: "Huh. Well then. Uh, I guess my favorite subject would've been art. I don't remember school, but I like art now, so I probably liked it then."

What is your dream job?

Astra: "You're lookin' at it! I'm an independent witch, not bound to some stodgy university or grant board. I walk where'n I please and run the tests I wanna run. I will admit, it'd be nice if I could get government contracts, but I'll take me freedom over them any day."

Mashal: "I... really don't know. I guess just anything where I can help people. I could be a knight, protecting travelers. I could do what Astra does and help people with magical terrors they don't understand. The specifics don't matter, just the result."

Astra: "Gods a'mighty, you're so noble..."

Mashal: "Is- is that a bad thing? Why are you making that face?"

Astra: "Ya talk so sweet, you're makin' my teeth hurt is all. It's a good thing, love. You're a good man."

.

I'll tag @roach-pizza @rkmoon @goldencomet69 @bard-coded @moonandris and anyone else who wants to play :)

[autisticlancemcclain]

They’ve stopped at tons of different planets in their time in space, but none so many as on their long, long trip home. Desert planets, jungle planets (a lot of those, actually) sprawling urban planets, you name it. They’ve seen ‘em all, and they’re all cool in their own ways.

Tonight’s planet, though, is particularly spectacular. It’s essentially a giant evergreen forest, and the locals all live in quiet cabins and huts. The very air is green and fresh, and it’s wonderful.

Keith’s biased, of course. He’s always been fond of forests, ever since he was a baby — his Pa regularly took him to the giant ones in east Texas, where the only thing you saw for miles was pine trees and dirt. He’s always found the scenery beautiful, and camping is always fun. (Even if that’s the only way they’ve been living for months. Poor Hunk is at his wit’s end, as are Allura and Shiro, but Keith could live like this the rest of his life and be happy.

Well, maybe not the rest of his life. His back certainly misses mattresses, that’s for sure.)

“Earth to loverboy.” A dark hand waves in front of his face, shaking him from his thoughts and back to the present, where he’s gathering firewood with Allura.

“That doesn’t even make sense. We’re not on Earth. Who taught you that?”

She shrugs. “Pidge and Shiro have been updating me on Terran slang so I blend in once we get there.”

“I wouldn’t trust them as a reliable source of information,” Keith says, snorting. He adjusts the stack of firewood in his arms. “Pidge enjoys lying for her own amusement, and when I was a kid, Shiro had this can of dried beans and every time I misbehaved he took one bean out. He told me that once the can was empty, the world would end. So I’m not saying that they’re intentionally misleading you, but, you know. Not sure I’d take them at their word.”

There’s a long stretch of silence between them. After several minutes, Allura adjusts her own stack of wood (which is, technically, several full-sized logs for them to sit on) and looks at him solemnly.

“Everything about your childhood is confusing,” she says. “But at the same time, explains so much about you as a person.”

Keith nods. He really can’t argue with that, as he was raised first by one (1) hermit monsterfucker and then two (2) gay losers.

“That’s fair.”

They chat idly as they make their way back. They’re the first to arrive to the campground, so they start setting up as everyone else starts trickling back in.

Pidge arrives next, face buried in her holopad. She throws a bag of freshly washed laundry at Keith’s head, snickers to herself, and then scampers back to her lion before Keith can grab her and throw her into a stream, like she deserves. (Allura also points and laughs at him, but Allura could beat him up blindfolded and with one working limb, so he’s long since accepted his fate on that front.)

Coran and Krolia aren’t far behind, completely wrapped up in their conversation about the rare medicinal ingredients in this quadrant. Next is Shiro and Romelle, carrying a massive bucket of water between them. (Well, it’s mostly Romelle and her Altean superstrength, but Shiro is Doing His Best, so.)

“Anyone seen Lance and Hunk?” Keith asks, once he’s gotten the fire going and Pidge has deemed it safe to emerge from her lion. (Fool choice, that, but Keith will wait until she least expects it.)

“You know Lance,” Shiro says. “Hunk too, honestly. We sent our two biggest nerds — besides you, Pidge — on what amounts to a nature walk. They’re going to stop to ogle at any bug and critter they see. Let’s just hope they actually remember to get us food.”

“We’re here! We’re here! Sorry we’re late!”

“Speak of the devil,” Pidge says with a grin. “Or, both of them, I guess. I’m fucking starving.”

“Sorry, we got distracted,” Hunk explains, hurriedly putting a pot over the fire and dumping in some ingredients. Lance speedwalks over to the pot of water Romelle brought to add some of that.

“Hold it,” Allura says, making Lance freeze. “You’re walking different. Explain yourself.”

Lance turns back to face her, hands behind his back and expression the picture of innocence.

“Dunno what you’re talking about,” he says, very obviously full of shit. Keith narrows his eyes, trying along with everyone else to figure out what changed. It’s not his hair — it’s gotten a little longer and curlier since they left Earth, but nothing drastic. He’s wearing his regular baseball tee and jeans. His eyes are as mischievous as ever.

But wait a second. Is that —

“Did you get your ears pierced?” Keith asks, and Lance beams.

“No!” he says with a lot of enthusiasm. Keith blinks. That’s — that’s a confusing mesh of a response, there.

“Huh?”

“Tone doesn’t match what your saying, buddy,” Hunk supplies helpfully.

Lance is undeterred, but pats Hunk’s head in acknowledgment. “I’ve had my ears pierced for years! Couldn’t wear earrings in the Garrison, though, so I wasn’t wearing any when we went to space. But when Hunk and I were looking around for mushrooms and stuff, and I saw something cool in a tree so I climbed it to get it and it turns out it was this phial for a potion that this cool witch lost to a bird —”

“Cool witch?” Romelle mumbles, but Lance doesn’t hear her.

“— and she was so grateful that she wanted to give us a gift, and Hunk and I said she didn’t need to repay us, obviously, but she insisted and gave Hunk a cool bracelet —” Hunk dutifully holds up his wrist, showing off a pretty leather band with several ornate stone beads — “and me these beautiful little gold hoops! Aren’t they awesome?”

“They look dope as hell, dude,” Pidge says, uncharacteristically earnest, making Lance grin sunnily at her.

Everyone else offers their compliments, but Keith is — he’s struck. Without his permission, his brain is thrown back to his nine year old self, with a flashlight and an old, worn copy of collection of Greek myths under the blankets of his bunk bed in the group home. He remembers reading about the hearth goddess Hestia, and how all the gods loved her so deeply and desperately that they were ready to tear apart the universe to earn her hand. How she choose to remain an eternal maiden to avoid a civil war. He remembers rolling his eyes, wondering what was so good about a goddess of the hearth that made gods fall to their knees before her.

He looks at Lance, at how the warm glow of the flames sends dancing shadows over his face. His eyes — deep and dark and endlessly, endlessly brown — reflect the soft burn of the fire, and his new earrings gleam.

And suddenly he understands.

“I like your earrings.”

The words are nearly a rasp, barely escaping the dryness of his throat. He’s — he’s breathless, in shock. The feelings he has for Lance aren’t new, exactly, but in the warmth of the campfire and the quiet of the forest, the intensity of them nearly bowls him over.

Lance smiles, shy.

“I haven’t worn them in a while. I’m excited about them, but I — I wasn’t sure if they were right for me anymore.”

“They suit you. You look — you look really nice, Lance. I mean, you always do, but — you get it.”

Lance laughs softly. His cheeks are red. Keith wonders if it’s from the heat of the fire, or something else.

“Yeah? You think so?”

“‘Course I do,” Keith says, grinning. “You know it, too. Now you’re just fishin’ for compliments.”

“Am not.”

“Are too.”

“Am —”

“Alrighty there, Romeo and Juliet,” Hunk says drily. “Dinner’s ready, although I’m not sure I have the stomach for it after seeing that.”

Well, Keith sure as shit knows what Lance’s blush is from now. He’s got one that matches.

“Thank you for the food, Hunk,” Keith says, loud and telling. Lance laughs along with everyone else, even though they’re the butt of the joke. The conversation moves on quickly, warm stew and good company making everyone loose and jovial — even though a good amount of that joy comes from teasing Keith and Lance as often as possible.

Keith shakes his head, grinning. He looks at Lance, who’s happily teasing Allura right back about all the goo-goo eyes she makes at Romelle, and feels something warm settle in his chest. Despite all the teasing and nosy comments, he’s happier than he’s ever been.

He thinks that nine-year-old Keith, quiet and sullen, sure that love was stupid, would be so happy to see how things have changed.

———

based off this picture by @intrepid-class again because i’m so serious when i say i think about it every day

[chishiyainborderlands]

love getting out of hand || takeru danma

Hatter | Takeru Danma x Male!Reader

⚠ SPOILERS FOR SEASON 1 ⚠

- Hatter | Takeru Danma x male!Reader with definite hints to Shuntaro Chishiya x male!reader

- summary ; you’re a member of the Beach-- once of the executives who is tasked with keeping the life of the party up in favor for Hatter. you might’ve given up on life if the Beach hadn’t came into your life, so you have a lot of admiration for the leader. maybe a little more than just admiration, but you’ll keep that to yourself

- A/N ; This is like one of the first works that I'm ever publishing. Super nervous about it because honestly I haven’t seen season 1 in like a year- I do plan on rewatching! Just waiting for a friend. But anyways, I originally wrote this for my OC- but i decided to make it an x Reader because there’s not enough of them for Danma and DEFINETLY a lack of male readers for honestly any of AiB characters. So uh.. enjoy? I also plan on making an Hatter | Takeru Danma Social media AU soon but I want to re watch the show before i start it. So i can get the characters down better.

(y/n) grinned as he sang out his heart on top of the stage at another one of the Beach’s many parties. It was his job, technically. Get the mood up after an intense game for most of the players, keep the people happy. It made Hatter’s job much easier. And (y/n) would do (mostly) anything for Hatter.

He was his savior after all.

Soon the song finished and he grinned, yelling out happily. “Everyone did so amazing!” He called out, and people cheered back at him. Sometimes, he could just pretend that this was his normal life. That he had gotten out of that shell of his, that his sister as just off somewhere with her friends, and he was here- at a normal party with a normal life. But he wasn’t. This was the Borderlands. Where he could die if he wasn’t careful enough.

“I'd like to give thanks yet again, to our lovely leader.” (y/n) said, with a charming grin as he held out his hand to point out Takeru Danma, or Hatter as he was known to everyone else. He only knew his name because of a drunken one night together- just a normal night. “Who has given us a chance at life again, and a safe haven for us to live in!” He said, and everyone cheered at that

(y/n)’s eyes tried to see Hatter’s face clearly, but it was hard with the atmosphere and those damn sunglasses. But, he could see that clear grin on his face- and that was enough. His job here was done. He hopped off the stage and talked with some of the members, grinning before he could see a familiar hand wave him over. (y/n) waved goodbye to the members and trotted up to Hatter. Niragi, Aguni, and An were there as well.

Niragi sneers at him, muttering ‘Hatters Dog’ to him, and (y/n) ignores him. “You wanted me Boss?” He asked Hatter, and the male hummed in response. “Your performance was spectacular, like always..” He says, taking a sip of his drink.

“Glad it lived up to your expectations. I was given a task, and I take those very seriously.” He said.

Hatter nodded to that response, clearly pleased. “Why don’t you stop by my room later? We can talk more without… prying ears. Just about future things at the Beach.” He said with a hum.

(y/n)’s heart was loyal to Chishiya. Mostly. It wasn’t fully his until he knew that he could trust that damn Cheshire like man with his heart. That led to a problem though, that it was quickly being filled with Danma. What was him and falling for emotionally unavailable men? The daddy issues? Probably. He knew Danma wasn’t the type of guy to fall in love, and honestly, (y/n) didn’t expect him to. The Beach’s code was open with relationships of any sorts. No one tied down, because who knew if you’d live to see tomorrow- so why not have fun with it? But the way Hatter carried himself, his mannerism and personality charmed (y/n) easily. Not to mention, in a way, Takeru Danma had saved him.

When he had first come to the Borderlands, it was just him and his sister. Back at home, he had been a recluse. Emiko, his sister, had been the only person to try and get him out of his shell. So when they both had arrived at this.. Strange world. (y/n) clung to his sister– and the two of them quickly figured out the rules for the land. (y/n) started getting out of his shell, and started quickly making allies and friends with each game they played. It was like he was becoming a different person. 

Then disaster struck, and it was like (y/n)’s worst nightmare had come true. While playing a Diamonds game, (y/n) had made a mistake. And a mistake in a Diamonds game was fatal. The cost was his sister, who had been his partner in this cruel game. 

(y/n) didn’t didn’t know if he could go on after that game. He had 5 days on his VISA, and all he did was just hide in the room that he and Emiko had been taking shelter in recently. On the last day, he almost just let his VISA run out. (y/n) just.. wanted to give up. His older sister was the closest person to him growing up– the one person to try and get him out into the world. Without her, he didn't think he could survive. These games were basically hell, so where would he go after he died? But he didn’t let his VISA run out. Maybe he heard his sisters voice in the back of his head– or maybe he just managed to get himself out of the funk but.. (y/n) got up. He held his phone tightly in his hand and went to find another game

That’s when he met Ryota, a strange man around his age who was wearing Beach clothes. (y/n) thought it was strange, but when they started talking– Ryota quietly mentioned he came from a sort of safe haven. He technically wasn’t supposed to mention this to anyone, but once the game had finished– Ryota had apparently thought (y/n) had done amazing. His specialty had to be Clubs. So he told him that he would see if their leader would send out an invite to him. Ryota told (y/n) to meet him at this location, and if the leader agreed to let (y/n) in, there would be someone to bring him to said Beach.

In the end, someone had come that day. Niragi, he had introduced himself as. (y/n) could tell something was off about the man- but he didn’t speak on it. Maybe it was stupid of him, but he trusted Ryota enough that he probably wasn’t sending him to his death. I mean this place was literally death everywhere. (y/n) had a sack put over his head and taken to a car, before they seemed to arrive at their location

When the sack was taken off his head, (y/n) was tied to a chair in a big room. On the wall across from him was giant black and red man-made playing cards. A lot of them were X’d off, and (y/n) realized what those were. The cards he had been collecting..

Then the man himself walked in. He was wearing swimsuit shorts and a long robe, and had sunglasses covering his eyes. He carried himself in such a high regard, before he stood in front of (y/n). 

Hatter, as he introduced himself to be, told him about the Beach. About how it has become a utopia, and they are working together to collect all the cards. Because Hatter believes if you collect a full deck- you get to go home. The man rambled on for a bit more, before he told (y/n) that he heard he was a skilled player. And Hatter was feeling generous, so he would offer him a place here. The rules were simple. He could party, have sex, do drugs- whatever he wanted. But he had three rules. 

Rule number one, He had to only wear beach clothes.. Which explained alot- and why Ryota was wearing them the day they met. (y/n) could handle that- he wouldn’t mind wearing beach clothes. 

Rule number two, was that all of the cards that he collects belong to the beach. He apparently had already taken the cards that (y/n) had collected- which.. Okay fair. 

And the last rule, the one that made (y/n)’s blood run cold. Rule number three, Death to all Traitors. (y/n) never planned on betraying anyone, but just the thought of what happened to those peoples.. The way Hatter said it. But he just smiled at (y/n), waiting for his response. (y/n) wondered what would happen if he declined. But he didn’t. He agreed to the three rules and Hatter cheered.

Hatter waved his hand and a girl with short black hair untied him and he pulled his hands to rub his wrist. The man in front of him hums– telling the girl (An? Yeah, tha’ts her name) to lead him to his new room and let him choose his new clothing. An nodded and helped usher (y/n) to his new living arrangements.

(y/n) quickly climbed the ranks and got used to the life at the Beach. Here he could forget about the outside world for a bit. So as he got accustomed to the life, he wanted to say thanks to Hatter- and this new life that he granted him. So he basically just kept the party spirits up, talking up Hatter and making him sound great. Which was easy because like him- everyone else was grateful for the ‘new chance at life’.

One thing let to another, and (y/n) became an executive. His task was easy, and he enjoyed it well. Just like what he did, he would make Hatter painted out in a great light. Keep the spirits up, sing songs to keep the party going. Make the place feel like a home- so no one would dare to think of leaving or betraying their cause.

So he had some admirability for him in that way. And (y/n) was easily swayed with love- being a recluse most of your life will do that to you. So when Hatter told him to stop by his room later, (y/n) grinned and bowed slightly, looking up to meet his gaze “I will be there. Let me go around the party and check in with everyone. I heard we got some new recruits and.. Well I should talk up my favorite boss, hm?” He said with a grin

Hatter just gave a small chuckle at that, his sunglasses sliding down slightly to fully meet (y/n)’s gaze. Fuck. Those eyes man.. (y/n) stood up, regarding An and Aguni- sneering right back at Niragi before he walked off to ‘make his rounds’

[vampire-bite]

the Redacted vampires and werewolves + their listeners, ranked on how whumpable they are on a scale of one to ten (+ a bonus of what type of whump fits them most)

This is based on my taste, and ill do more boys maybe

Sam: 5/10, maybe 6.  there’s a lot of caretaker energy, which sort of comes with the territory of being a healer, but there’s also a lot of emotional turmoil, so I’d say it’s about 50/50 on which way you want to go. Prime candidate for the whump of healing others at the cost of your own physical wellbeing. Someone make a fic where once you’re turned into a vampire you can’t heal without it being like empathetic or something.

Darlin: 9/10: i mean, naturally. I don’t feel the need to explain this, it seems self explanatory. I’d say they’re best for hiding injuries. They’re the type of character who suddenly collapses when everyone thinks they’re all in the clear. 

Vincent: 7/10: You already have immense survivors guilt to work with, plus the situation of him being invoked, and just generally his complicated feelings about his turning. I only put him so low because he’s not really a character I can see physical whump with and i am trying to rate them based on how whumpee-able they are, in both physical and mental ways. Obviously, survivor’s guilt whump is your go-to here.

Lovely: 10/10: Constantly being whumped in canon. Again, don’t feel the need to explain this. Their whump type I think depends on what era Lovely we’re talking about. Because of course, nightmares are spectacular, but I feel like the idea of them overexerting themselves trying to use magic like they used to is highly underrated for after they’re turned.

Porter: 10/10: I’ve already said Porter is basically tailor-made to my tastes, but this also applies to whump. Any character who sees themselves as a weapon is obviously prime whumpee material imo. Hear me out: Porter needs to be kidnapped and tortured. That’s a defiant whumpee with clear motivations for your kidnapper and the opportunity to break him is just too good.

Treasure: 6/10: See, if we knew a bit more, I’d be able to rank them more accurately. As it is, I think their whumpability comes down to Porter’s reactions being a spectacular opportunity. I think they’re good for a being used as bait type of thing

David: 8/10: I want that tsundere obliterated. Basically has the appeal of a “team leader” whumpee, where the unusuality (is that a word) of him being vulnerable just makes the pain when he’s hurt in front of the others that much better.  I don’t know if there’s a term for it, but yeah, basically. Injured and/or humiliated in front of the pack

Angel: 7/10: I’m not always a fan of the type of whumpee whos likely to crack jokes and stuff, but it sometimes is chefs kiss. That’s sort of angel’s thing. Something about them gives me buried under rubble vibes.

Asher: 8/10: See above about whumpees who are sort of joking around to distract from their pain. I can’t exactly explain why I like Asher more, but just. Trust me. Probably something to do with the inversion.  Just one fic where he thinks he’s been abandoned and left for dead just one please im begging

Babe: 4/10: They don’t compel me as a whumpee too much. But. I want them to be attacked and kill the person and have emotional whump over that

Milo: 8/10: His descriptor is “feisty”, I feel like I’ve made it very clear that defiant whumpees are chefs kiss. And there’s canon whump. Muzzle that man. 

Sweetheart: 10/10: They’re WONDERFUL for whumping, guys. I NEED more sweetheart whump in this fandom. Overworking themselves is naturally perfect.

[keerysquinn]

ship: Jonathan Byers/Eddie Munson wc: 1.8k A/N: This one was suggested by my favorite @sherifftillman <3 I take the two freak boys and I squish. Hopefully they (and the minor background ship) live up to everyone's expectations!

“Hey Byers! Wait up!”

Jonathan stopped walking to his next class and turned to find Eddie Munson of all people racing towards him.

“I have a proposition for you,” he said once he’d caught up to Jonathan. “A job opportunity really.”

“What kind of job opportunity?” He was always looking to make a little more money around the holidays, and if the job wasn’t anything illegal, he’d seriously consider the extra work.

“So, as I’m sure you’re aware, I’m the frontman for a pretty spectacular band known as Corroded Coffin, and me and the guys were hoping to do a little something special for our fans this year. Granted, there are maybe five of them total, but still. They deserve a little something special as a token of appreciation for supporting us. Anyway, we wanted to send out a special Christmas card to our friends this year. Maybe include a flier about some upcoming shows in it? It’s still very much in the planning stages. All we know is that we want a really great photo of the whole band to go on the front of the card. That’s where you come in.”

“You want me to shoot your Christmas card?”

“Well, yeah. We don’t want an amateur with a disposable camera doing this. We want it to look good, and as far as I’m concerned, you’re the most talented photographer any of us knows. Maybe the most talented in all of Hawkins. I mean those photos you had in the school art show last year? Magazine worthy. Especially the one of that fort in the woods. It looked seriously haunted in the coolest way possible. Way better than anything anyone else submitted.”

Jonathan was touched. He knew most people only knew him as that freak with the camera, and he’d be lying if he hadn’t assumed that was why Eddie was asking when he first mentioned the card. But Eddie actually knew his work and appreciated it. He wasn’t asked just because he had a camera. He was asked because he had vision.

“How much does the job pay?” he asked.

“We’re not exactly rolling in it right now. Shocking, I know. But we talked about it and pulled our money. We can buy you a roll of film for the project so you don’t have to waste any of your own on us, and then we think we can reasonably afford to pay you for your time with twenty bucks and dinner at Benny’s afterwards. I know it’s not a lot, but it would mean a lot to us if you’d consider it. Plus, you can use the photos you take for any assignment or art show you might have coming up. And, come on.” Eddie gestured to himself. “If this handsome face is in your work, you’ll win all the top prizes for sure."

Eddie was right that it wasn’t a lot, but it was enough that it would make a difference in the quality of the gifts that Jonathan was able to get his mom and brother for Christmas. And if he didn’t have to use his own film, it was a net gain no matter what.

“So, say I agree to do this,” he started. “And I’m not agreeing just yet, but say that I do. What kinds of photos are you looking for?”

“Maybe something goofy and posed with all of us? Or artsy if you prefer. And then maybe a couple photos of us actually playing? We’ve got a Santa hat and some elf hats we were thinking of wearing since this is for a Christmas thing, but wearing them isn’t a deal breaker if you think the pictures would look better without them. Totally willing to defer to the real artistic genius here. I just want the pictures to look good, and you’re the only person I trust to make it happen.”

The idea of creative control was enticing enough to seal the deal for him.

“Alright. I’m in. When and where do you need me?”

“We haven’t settled on a specific day or time yet, but probably sometime this weekend. I’ll talk to the guys at lunch and let you know the plan before the end of the day though. I owe you my life for this. Seriously.”

With that, Eddie was racing off down the hall leaving Jonathan to try and come up with a way to make heavy metal Christmas cards into something appropriate for any of his photography class assignments.

That Saturday afternoon, Jonathan met up with the guys outside of the Hideout. The plan was to do posed photos outside and then go inside to take a few pictures of them playing. As long as they stayed focused on getting the shots they wanted, they'd be done in time for that promised dinner at Benny's.

He didn't think it would take too long, but then again, he didn't really know what working with Eddie would be like. The guy was all over him, and it was more than a little distraction. Eddie just had so many questions about his process, and he wanted to look through the camera and get an idea of what Jonathan was seeing. Or, if he wasn't asking questions, he was touching him. Adjusting a twisted camera strap, placing a hand on Jonathan's back as he leaned in the eye the proposed shot, poking at him to get his attention, grabbing at his arm to pull him over to any place he thought they could get a good photo. If Jonathan didn't know any better, he would've thought that Eddie was into him.

“Come on, Eddie,” he said as he tried to get him to pose properly for what he thought might be their last shot. “Quit it with whatever that brooding, tortured artist look is. You said you wanted something goofy, not sexy.”

“So you think I'm sexy?” Eddie asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Jonathan could feel his face burning.

“Just let me take the picture.”

He snapped a couple more photos in quick succession before putting the lens cap back on his camera.

“I think I got everything you guys wanted out here. Let's take a ten minute break, and then we can set up for the performance shots.”

Jonathan headed inside for a moment alone, but he'd barely sat down before Gareth was joining him at his table.

“You know we didn't need to hire you for this, right?” he started. “Jeff's parents own that hobby shop downtown, and his mom would have lent us a camera for free if we promised not to smash it. A fancy one with a timer so we wouldn't have even needed a photographer to get this done.”

“If that's the case, why am I here?”

“You haven't figured it out yet?”

“Figured out what?”

“You really have no idea. He's about as subtle as a heart attack, and you still don't know.”

“Can you please fill me in so I can make even a little bit of sense of what you're saying?”

“Eddie wanted you to do this so he'd have an excuse to spend time with you and get to know you a little better.”

“And he was willing to pay me twenty bucks for the opportunity?”

“Well, yeah. When he's that into someone, he loses all sense of logic and reason. Even more so than usual.”

Jonathan was stunned speechless. Eddie was into him? Suddenly all of his badgering made sense, and when he really stopped to think about it, the badgering wasn't unwelcome. If he wasn't in the middle of lining up a shot, he could see himself enjoying what was apparently Eddie's attempt at flirting.

“So, why doesn't he just ask me out? It would probably be cheaper than paying me to be your band's personal photographer.”

“He's afraid that you'd say no which I think is stupid because it's obvious how much he gets under your skin.”

“I don't know what you're talking about.”

“Dude. Your entire face looked like a tomato after you accidentally called him sexy. Pretty sure that was your subconscious telling you that you're into him, too.”

Jonathan didn't know what to say. Before he'd asked him to do this, he didn't realize Eddie even knew who he was, and now he was facing the very real possibility that he could maybe be into Eddie, too.

“Look," Gareth started. "You don't have to say anything to me or him or anybody. But, if you wanted, I could make something happen. All I ask is that you do a small favor for me.”

“Name it.”

“Put in a good word for me with Nancy?” he asked. “I find her beautiful and terrifying.”

“I'll see what I can do.”

Gareth stood up from his seat and smiled at Jonathan.

“It's been a pleasure doing business with you.”

Their break ended shortly after that, and Jonatham took a series of photos of them playing through two different songs so he could get a variety of different angles for each member of the band. Once he figured he'd gotten everything he needed, he motioned for the band to stop.

“I'm pretty sure I just used up the last of the film you guys brought, so we can call it here. I'll develop everything when I have access to the photo lab on Monday and get the prints to you as soon as possible.”

“We're done?” Eddie sounded more than a little disappointed and he crossed over to where Jonathan was loading his camera back into his bag.

“I think so. But I remember being promised dinner at Benny's as part of my payment, so we could head there now if you want.”

“Definitely. We just need to load up our stuff, and then we can all head out.”

“Actually, the guys and I have a thing,” Gareth said. “And we can't get out of it, so you guys are gonna have to go by yourselves.”

“What thing?” Jeff asked. “We don't have a-”

He was cut off from finishing his sentence by Gareth smacking his arm and pointedly looking back and forth between him and where Eddie was standing with Jonathan.

“Oh! Right!” Jeff said after the realization hit. “That thing. So sad we can't make it.”

“You crazy kids have fun without us!” Gareth said as he ushered the other two bandmates out of the bar.

“I'm going to kill him,” Eddie muttered under his breath, making Jonathan huff out a laugh.

“No, you're not.”

“Oh, but I am. I'm already drafting up posters advertising our need for a new drummer.”

“Go easy on him. He just did you a massive favor.”

Eddie crossed his arms over his chest.

“How do you figure?”

“He just got you a date with the guy you've been shamelessly flirting with all day.”

Eddie's jaw dropped. He definitely wasn't expecting that response from him.

“I'm pretty sure the guys just left without loading their stuff into the van, so pick your jaw off the floor and let me help you get that taken care of. Then you can flirt with me some more.”

Eddie changed his mind. He wasn't killing Gareth. He was gonna owe him for the rest of his life for helping him earn a date with Jonathan Byers.

[seradyn]

Ruvik, Karl and the daemon bastard husband Ardyn 😂💙

YES MY BOIS 👏💕👏

Gonna go in the order you listed 😉

Was gonna add video clips of my favorite moments, but you can only do one per post, so the rest are gifs 😭😭

Ruvik

First impression: Woah, who is this guy, and why is he so powerful? Is he a demon? A vengeful spirit? I am very intrigued.

Impression now: Oh god he’s tragic. OH GOD HE’S TRAGIC.

Favorite moment: In the first Kidman DLC, The Assignment, Ruvik has some absolutely spectacular dialogue with her and Leslie at the very end, after cornering them in the church. It gives me chills every time and the delivery is perfect.

“We’re all their pawns, eventual victims.

They killed me! They ripped me apart, and took what they needed.

I will destroy what they wish to control.”

The elevator scene with Sebastian is also great, but man this one is just sublime in every way.

Idea for a story: I’ve been playing with the idea for a x Reader fic with him, one in which they essentially kill him with kindness. He hasn’t experienced kindness or affection since the accident, so I’m excited to explore his character dealing with someone who doesn’t immediately find him repulsive or isn’t intimidated by him. There will also be lots of bumbling on his end, cause even though he’s smart af, he doesn’t know the first thing about relationships 😂

Unpopular opinion: He deserves compassion, and hating him is extremely shortsighted. Yes, he did terrible things, no one is debating that, but choosing to ignore the broken pieces of his humanity left in the game is being deliberately obtuse. Not saying you shouldn’t or can’t hate him, but it shouldn’t be without acknowledging his trauma. And putting others down for not hating him is downright juvenile.

Favorite relationship: I’m all about that self ship, which is probably his best bet at getting any romance, based on being…well, a serial killer. Some of my friends have shown me Ruvik x Stefano though, and that relationship would be interesting to say the least 😆

Favorite head cannon: Touch starved af and craves affection. Although touch starved is basically cannon, I think he also deeply craves some kind of connection with someone. He lost everyone he cared about; his sister died in the fire, his parents locked him in a basement, his research partner betrayed him, which lead to his death (the one he’s discussing in the above quote). I head cannon he longs for someone he can trust, really trust, and anguishes over his loneliness.

Moving on…

Karl Heisenberg

First impression: I hadn’t played the game, but I’d seen pictures of him. For some reason I thought he was the main villain, and was working with Chris to make the main character help him (no fucking clue how I arrived here 🤣🤣). Thought he was some big, gruff man who didn’t talk much and smiled even less. Why does he look like Ardyn?

Impression now: LMAOOO THIS DUDE IS A MASSIVE TROLL AND I AM SO HERE FOR IT 😂😂😂 I could not have been more wrong about him (or the plot, still not sure how I got there). He’s funny and I love his smile, and how much of a tool he is. I must say, I did not expect his voice to sound the way it does, but I’m not complaining 🥰

Favorite moment: Why isn’t there more of him why isn’t there more WHY ISN’T THERE MORE??? Anyway, probably when he tries to convince Ethan to work with him.

“Neither did I! But here we are.

And I’m next in line, right? Kill me, move up the chain!

Well, fuck that!”

He’s so animated here, I love it 🥰

Idea for a story: I’ve already mentioned I got something cookin in the old noggin, but I have more details on what I want to happen now, so I’ll be happy to share them! Surprise surprise, it’s x Reader, where they’re a botanist sent to survey the remote mountains of Romania. Collect data on the plants there for the university they work at, along with two colleagues who are cartographers, going to update outdated maps of the area. They get captured and typical RE shenanigans ensue, but I also want reader to be connected to Umbrella somehow, which I hope you can help me with. I want Miranda to know too, so she starts sending reader to all the Lords to see what happens. Little does she know reader starts to osmose some of all their powers, turning into something far more dangerous than she could’ve imagined.

That’s all I got for now, no more spoilers! Unless you want them 😉

Unpopular opinion: He has more respect for his partners than some of you seem to think. I’ve read plenty of stories where Karl is super hands on with his partner, slapping their ass and manhandling them all the time, sometimes hours after meeting them. Not my fuckin Heisenberg. He keeps his hands to himself, unless he has explicitly gotten permission to do any touching. Honestly wish some of y’all would tag your stories when you make him all grabby, it’s kinda triggering for me.

Favorite relationship: My first answer is going to be x Reader for all of these, I’m a sucker for the stuff. Although Karl x Ethan sounds endlessly amusing to me. Karl would be the puppy bouncing around everywhere while Ethan would brood in a corner 😂

Favorite head cannon: Extremely sensitive to trauma responses, and is good at comforting, due to the things Miranda did to him. He doesn’t want anyone he likes to know what that helplessness or fear feelings like.

Last, but the farthest thing from least…

Ardyn Izunia Lucis Caelum

First impression: I knew he was the villain before I started the game, but that’s all I knew. Thought he was funny as I actually got into the game, and why the hell is he everywhere??

Impression now: GREEK PLAY LEVEL TRAGIC HERO AND MY HEART ETERNALLY ACHES FOR HIM. Seriously, they did NOT need to fuck Ardyn up so much, there’s plenty of shit that happened to him that could make someone a villain by itself. But the gods and Squenix said ‘fuck this guy in particular’. I thought y’all called him ‘trash Jesus’ cause he looks like the guy, but NOOOOO there’s actually fucking parallels between the two. The healer, the betrayal, the crucifixion…not exactly subtle when you take the time to look. Aside from all that, I still love how funny he is, he always makes me laugh (when he’s not making me cry), and he’s super smart. Plus, I will always admire how he made it so he wins no matter what happens in the end. That takes some galaxy brain level planning.

Favorite moment: Imma let it speak for itself;

“You think ten years is a long time? It is nothing to me!

I have lived in darkness for AGES!”

God, the fucking level of emotion absolutely dripping from that last word kills me very time. Darin de Paul did excellently with Ardyn’s lines up until that point, but this one hits differently. The sheer anguish and sorrow you can hear in his voice is breathtaking. Made worse when you realize he’s being literal…he has spent actual ages locked in a dark cell. Words can’t properly give it credit.

Idea for a story: yall chapter 11 of ADCT is gonna be like 10k+ words 😂😂 Not done yet and it’s already at 7k lol. Hope that makes up for the 6 month hiatus 😵‍💫 Aside from that though, I have another idea for a long fic, albeit a shorter one. Where reader gets washed up on Angelgard before Verstael, and is horrified to find Ardyn strung up on the island. After freeing him, they have to work together to try to survive, figuring out how to get food, water, and fight off hypothermia. Verstael eventually arrives, and takes both of them back to Niflehiem.

Unpopular opinion: Most handsome character in FFXV by a long shot. He’s in space.

Favorite relationship: Apart from x Reader, I’m boring for this one. Ardyn x Aera, they’re so sweet and cute together. Forever bitter Ardyn didn’t get to reunite with her at the end. I know some people dig Ardyn x Gilgamesh, but meh, it’s just not for me. Hope y’all who do like it have fun with it though 😁

Favorite head cannon: Absolute teddy bear with his SOs, fucking bastard troll man with everyone else. Dynamic is super fun and amusing to me, I love the thought of him being a bean one moment then turning around and roasting Ravus with political talk the next. Oh, I also love the thought that he has a massive sweet tooth. Since his hair didn’t grow at all during his time on Angelgard, I like to think his body is in some kind of stasis, that it can’t be changed, and Ardyn takes full advantage of that. He’s got at least three different types of cake in his fridge, and several pints of ice cream in the freezer. He also keeps candy bars in his desk.

Thank you so much for this ask, it was a ton of fun to write! 😁😁

[in-a-brown-study]

----continuation, part four: cxs falls----

we don't see exactly How cxs starts falling, but we can see it happens right after he claps hands with lu guang, the latter looking like a glitch/not really there 🤨 that's cruel

then later qiao ling, emma and the new hottie look at him as he falls, and later we can see a shot of those three plus lu guang watching him fall and fall. cxs reaches out but it's useless (pls this is heartbreaking) the feeling of helpness while cxs falls is conveyed throughout the whole video it almost gives me vertigo

and i want to point out WHY has this new hottie also got yellow eyeeeeees ????? does it have something to do with cxs's powers or those are his normal eyes or

there's also this, qiao ling looking at him and then turning around 😢 no don't be like that

----end of part four----

----part five: the scene that drives me nuts----

super slow-mo of this scene because is marvellous and delicious to watch. there are so many little details and the transitions are so SMOOTH it's glorious.

okay so pink teddy=cxs.

cxs/pink teddy literally falling into the metal claws(from the toy machine) = getting caught by red-eyes. meaning red-eyes is kind of controlling him or he *will* be controlled in future episodes or at some point 🤔😥

and later, teddy!cxs gets throw down by red-eyes

gosh, will everyone just leave him alone <|||3

----end of part five----

that's all i've got, just unloading some silly thoughts. i love it yet hate it at the same time

cxs live happily ever after you only deserve love and happiness pls stop suffering it's hurting me

once again this opening is by far my most favourite of all and the song is incredibly good, today i saw the behind the scenes/making of the music and what can i say, they're all so talented and they sound amazing. it took them about a year to finish the song and it turned out beautifully, kudos to all the people who worked together to make this masterpiece, im in love

(spoilers for season two in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1)

on another hand, i'm soooo enjoying the donghua and this second season started off tense and full of action which i LOVED, the animation is smoooooth and i was so relieved to see lu guang was alive😢 i mean he couldn't possibly die but anyways. definitely my favourite part were the action scenes 11/10 but qiao ling's "what i need is your trust!" made my chest HURT okay it physically hurt. god.

the second episode ended in a cruel cliffhanger 😃 i try to get used to it, but nope. btw the ED song melting with the ending of the episodes always sounds spectacular.

i'm really looking forward to the next episode, i can't wait for red-eyes revelation 🤔 and i pray that nothing bad happens to lu guang (again) i think i saw blood when he was walking to lock the door :(( you need rest bby

[pb-dot]

Film Friday: The Cabin In The Woods

This is one of those movies that are so dangerously peebscore that I'm a little shocked I haven't written about it on here yet. As you may very well know, I love myself a horror movie and I love myself some metafiction. Then what could be more peebs than a meta horror movie? Well, perhaps if everyone was like 20% gayer it'd be perfect but as it stands, it's still pretty damn good. I would also like to say that if you haven't seen this movie, go and see it. Track it down on whatever streaming service it's hiding on now (or use other methods) and see it. If you have any love for horror movies in you, you should see this movie and you should see it without reading a word I have written about it. Trust me, it's for the best, the movie rocks. If you have seen it or won't under any circumstances, feel free to proceed, as here be spoilers.

The setup for Cabin In The Woods is as classic horror as it gets. Dana and her four friends on various points of the nerd-jock spectrum go to a cabin in the woods to party. In fairness they do get to party, but that is not all; they awaken something old and evil that longs for murder. EXCEPT, that's only layer one, told parallel to yet another story altogether.

Layer two follows the two world-weary architects of said teens' suffering. Hadley and Sitterson work at the massive underground complex under the cabin from whence a world of nightmares may be unleashed on their unsuspecting victims. The Old Ones must be sated with a sacrifice of innocents straying from the path, and although it's messy work, it's nothing that can't be made sufficiently tedious with the application of bureaucracy. And so the tedium of office work gnaws at the edges. There's a betting pool for which horror will be unleashed this time, Hadley still holds out hope for a merman after all these years, and once the kills start rolling in, tension starts to be replaced with celebration. However, there are bigger forces at play than even this nameless organization, and once the layers start melding together, who's to say where it all ends up.

In short, the central joke of Cabin In The Woods is that your cookie cutter-standard slasher plays out as our characters, decently characterized for a genre film start acting more and more according to stereotype all due to the manipulations of Hadley and Sitterson and their organization. Hadley and Sitterson needs the girl who dies first to act promiscuous and airheaded, and so they've added behavior-modifying chemicals to her (blond) hair dye. The protagonist's stoner friend Marty finds his mind dulled as the night progresses, although not quite as much as expected for some reason.

The point where the movie turns from a clever bit of fun to a truly memorable experience though, is when it all goes off the rails. Hadley discovers that the sequence of murders is all wrong as Marty the Stoner did not die when he was supposed to, and in fact, starts helping Dana to navigate into the complex below the cabin. It is here where the stakes only alluded to so far become clear. If Marty doesn't die before sunrise, the ritual will fail, and the sacrifice will be unable to lull The Ancient Ones back to their slumber. This would mean nothing short of the end of the world.

The movie quite elegantly switches gears. After playing the two stories with conflicting goals against each other for tension and/or black humor, like Kuleshov effect-cutting between a sex scene turned into a bloody murder and Hadley's unconcerned face, the thing now fuses its two plots into one with elegance. Hadley and Sitterson need to make sure Marty dies, and Dana is very done with losing friends, but who will come out on top when the continued existence of humanity is on the line.

It makes for a spectacular third act, in part because of the tension inherent in the conflicting goals above, and in part because it turns into an absolute bloody mess of horror movie references. To cover their escape, Dana unleashes every terror and murderer the complex has on tap, and they go about their merry murdering way on just about everyone they can get their appendages and/or tentacles on.

It is very fun to see copyright-proof references to various horror icons, like the pinhead-like Lord Of Pain, generic zombies, Shining-style creepy twins, and the somehow more disturbing The Strangers-alike The Family, as well as the monster clowns, ghosts, werewolves, and other creatures of the night we've come to expect. Part of what makes the monster onslaught scenes so cool is the restraint with which they are used, which sounds like I'm talking out of my ass, but hear me out here.

The movie teases that there's a plethora of monsters that COULD be deployed on our poor college students, from the various objects meant to "summon" them, to the betting pool board in the complex, but we don't see them until Dana and Marty discover them. It's a powerful tool for showing the scale of this new struggle, as well as just being a feast for the horror nerd's eye. What I love most about it though? It was in none of the promotional material, not even alluded to beyond the fact that Something Else Is Going On. In a less confident movie, there'd be a year-long cross-promotion running in Fangoria featuring high-rez all-angles specials on all of these guys. Not Cabin In The Woods though, it knows what it has, and it knows that the sheer ludicrous scale of what it has is half of the trick.

This isn't to say horror reference is all Cabin has, far from it. The meta angle remains strong, with the implied theme that we, the viewers, are The Old Ones. When a new hire asks the architect gang why it's important that the first victim is promiscuous and gets her tits out, they merely respond "We're not the only ones watching." In-universe, this of course refers to The Old Ones, but it's no accident that the various requirements of the ritual to contain them also are things that are known to put butts in horror-watching seats. A bit of nudity sells, but not so much that it becomes conspicuous, and people who have sex are frequently dispatched shortly thereafter, puritan thoughts about sex and Hays-era moralism still haunt many a producer's office after all.

It's not only for the fun of creating a dietetic explanation for horror tropes, it does add a pretty clever touch to the third act. We want our protagonists Dana and Marty to succeed, as they have shown themselves to be more than the 2D stereotypes we assumed they were, but on the other, we can't escape the recognition that all this suffering is heaped on them for our benefit, to get us watching and keep us watching because if we cease watching, the sequels stop, the money stops, this world, in particular, ends.

It all leads up to an ending that I find both perfect and deeply frustrating. Frankly, this is not a jab at the movie, it is, I would argue, the perfect ending for the story it has told. The slight frustration is a feature, even if you're on team "Sacrificing a handful of people at a time in perpetuity isn't more moral than letting the whole flawed system collapse under its own weight" like I am. It's honestly really cool because while I think the ending supports my reading, I also do think it supports a different one, especially if the movie is read as a metaphor for horror franchise filmmaking.

So in short, Cabin in the Woods is a really clever movie, and it kind of feels like the progenitor of the current wave of "elevated horror" or "art horror" or whatever you call the genre of horror where the monster is a metaphor for patriarchy or post-natal depression or sexual anxiety, but also is a physical monster that will eat your whole. As a fan of both those kinds of horror movies and the considerably more lighthearted fare where the question is "how many semi-humorous ways can you murder college kids with garden implements," I can hardly recommend it enough.