#I believe duck is a badass

[readymades2002]

im what they call Online Man so i never really move through the world with regional differences in mind and they always take me off guard. cashier at the record store complimented my klaus nomi shirt and said "that is NOT an idaho shirt" and ive been thinking about it ever since. its true and its so true and it boggles my mind that its true...how can it be true...?

#like ive always thought well there are weirdoes everywhere and surely the layman has at least heard OF simple man #that is not actually the case! #i dont believe subcultures exist in the same way they used to anymore and i love poseurs and poseuing and all that #but its also really made me feel weird because when i see a fellow traveller in the wild its like #well yes they look super cool and badass BUT! do they know what i know #and i suppose its fine if they listen to drivers license or just like the fashion or whatever but it is a little lonely #though of course there are many people who dress Normally who do listen to music like their life depends on it too #and you dont know them from seeing them either and you can only tell if you actually mention klaus nomi to them #i dont know. it made me go oh am i just an odd duck for geographic reasons and not just my bad social skills? how strange... #i never talked to people in california...do they know about the samson and delilah performance over there...

[rachetmath]

Rwby x video game

Ruby: Whoo… that was tough.

Yang: I can’t believe that Grimm trapped us in those video games like that.

Weiss: Indeed, my game was difficult.

Ruby: How so?

Weiss: I was a witch. I controlled time, had many weapons, and summoned creatures. But I had to do some embarrassing poses. 

Ruby: Oh you were Bayonetta. That was cool. Mid though. What about you Yang?

Yang: I was in this arcade game where I fought a bunch of people in the streets.

Ruby: Oh. I mean you fit the description of someone vandalizing property.

Yang: You know it. What about you Blake?

Blake:  I was a ninja. But instead of fighting just other ninjas, I was fighting monsters. And I also wield multiple weapons too.

Ren: You too. I was a samurai and I was fighting demons. And I can summon creatures to help me as well. And I had multiple weapons.

Blake: One of mine was a scythe.

Ruby; Really? Man. That sucks. 

Yang: What was your game, Ruby?

Ruby: I was a devil hunter. I also had a lot of weapons. But I mainly used three and a few metal arms.

Yang: Metal arms? Holy crap.

Ruby: My bosses were insane, especially the final boss. 

Ren: What about you Nora?

Nora: I fought my father.

Ren: What?

Nora: I fought my father who was trying to take my son. I did what I could but he was too strong. I managed though and survived. However, I pushed my son away from me and he left me alone. I was happy when he came back but things only got worse. I lost my friend. And though I managed to talk some sense into my father, my grandfather killed him right in front of me.

Ren: Nora it was a game.

Nora: It was real to me!

Ruby: Okay. Oscar and Emerald, how was your gaming experience?

Emerald: I was a badass treasure hunter. 

Oscar: I was a guy who wielded a Keyblade and had to fight the darkness. I made many friends but my main ones were a duck and a dog. Mainly the dog.

Ruby: Interesting. Well, Jaune what about you? What game did you go to?

Jaune: You can’t be serious. All of you have only been to one game?

Ruby: Yeah. I was in DMC.

Yang: I was in Street Fighters.

Blake: Ninja Gaiden.

Weiss: Bayonetta.

Jaune: Which one? In fact, red, blue or purple?

Weiss: Purple.

Ren: Nioh.

Nora: God of War Ragnorock 

Emerald: Tomb Raider.

Oscar: Kingdom Hearts.

Jaune: Oh my god. For real?

Ruby: Matter of fact, you’ve been gone for a while. What game were you in?

Jaune: I was in four.

Yang: Four? Like the fourth-

Jaune: No I was in four games?

Oscar: What were they like?

Jaune: Um hell.

Ruby: O.

Jaune: I was in hell. First I was in the Resident Evil series.

Yang: Number?

Jaune: 8.

Yang: Oo did you enjoy-

Jaune: I didn’t see the appeal. Especially, if the same tall woman, is trying to kill and eat you. And they were mild compared to a fungus monster, a crazy doll, a fetus, and an insane man with magnetic powers with the temper of a nine-year-old. I don’t know how I survived half that nonsense.

Yang: Damn.

Jaune: That was light work though. Then I went to find something called the Elden Ring.

Nora: Oh. Did you score any maidens?

Jaune: I will hurt you.

Ren: I mean it couldn’t been that bad. What was your role? 

Jaune: The victim.

Weiss: Didn’t you have weapons?

Jaune: Of course, in Resident Evil I had guns. Then for Elden Ring, I had swords and magic. Too bad I was against insane bosses who were completely out of my league. And one of them was a man who fought me with his bare hands! 

Nora: Oh.

Jaune: Had my butt bent over.

Oscar: Pause.

Jaune: Then Melina. Oh god. Oh god, A dragon flame thrower.

Blake: Jaune?

Jaune: After I got done with that madness, I went further deep into hell. Where my only option was to run.

Ruby: From what?

Jaune: Killer toy monkeys. An evil little girl. Clowns. Human-legged ducks. Golden Statues. Bagged Nurses. A Stuffed Mama Bear doll. I was lucky there weren’t more. 

Ruby: Oh god. 

Jaune: All while collecting these purple gems and running from the devil while assisting a witch. Who I have to admit is very hot. 

Emerald: Who were the worst?

Jaune: The worst ones were the Joy-joy Gang.

Emerald: Who were they?

Jaune: Animatronic robots.

Oscar: How were they so bad?

Jaune: Dark Deception. They’ll let you think you had a chance. First, they can become a giant ass robot. One of them can run faster than me. And when you think you've beaten all three of them, nine more will take their place- They have an army. Unlike the others, those guys had a better chance of catching me. They were just having fun. And when they caught me… … *remembers the beatdown* I swear if it wasn’t for their boss still needing me alive I wouldn’t have survived. 

Oscar: What was the last game?

Jaune: … … 

Oscar: Jaune? Jaune what was the last game?

Jaune: *remembers the people he lost. The people he’s murdered. The monsters he’s faced. The choice that could change everything.*

Jaune: I have no regrets.

Oscar: What?

Jaune: Nothing Oscar.

Ruby: Um… Are you going to be okay?

Jaune: Yep. As long as we killed the thing?

RWBY and NERO: … …

Jaune: Don’t tell me. 

*Roars*

Jaune: Let’s see.  Nine of us are here. Giant boss. Yep, we’re in an RPG. 

Ruby: Let’s go team.

Jaune: Wait what are our roles though?

*bob*

Ruby: Sniper. Cool.

Yang: Brawler. Nice.

Blake: Ninja. Hm.

Weiss: Mage. Indeed.

Emerald: Thief. Awesome.

Oscar: Support. Ah.

Nora: Berserker. Yes.

Ren: Archer. I’m fine with this.

Jaune: *terrified* 

Nora: What’s your role Jaune?

Jaune: HEY! FIGHT ME!! FIGHT! ME!

Ruby: Tank.

#rwby #ruby rose #weiss schnee #blake belladonna #yang xiao long #nora valkyrie #lie ren #jaune arc #oscar pines #emerald sustrai

[supernaturalfreewill]

Cas doubled over again in another coughing fit, his face contorted and turning red as he tried to catch his breath. The wheeze in his lungs was still worrying you, and you made a mental note to talk to Dean and Sam about getting him to a doctor the next day.

"Here. Have some water," you said, handing him the glass from the side table.

He drank deeply and managed to gain control of the fit again, clearing his throat and offering you a raspy, "Thank you," as he fell back against the pillows again, still breathing heavily. "I—I wish you'd just leave me here to convalesce and go be elsewhere so you wouldn't catch whatever this is," he said.

"For the twenty-second time, no," you said. You leaned forward and pressed your hand on his forehead, checking for fever. Your fingers smoothed into his hair, brushing a few of his thick locks back. "No fever still. That's good."

Cas sighed pitifully and closed his eyes. "I feel like such a burden. You must hate me..."

You let out a small laugh and his blue eyes opened again, muddled with confusion and fixed on your face. "Yeah, Cas. I hate you. That's why I've been watching over you, sitting at your bedside, giving you medicine, making you eat and drink, forcing you to rest... should I keep going?" You gave him a pointed look.

Cas's cheeks flushed. "I didn't mean to sound ungrateful," he said, ducking his head. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. You're used to being—supercharged by grace, the ultimate badass angelic hero," you said, smiling at him fondly. "It's a big adjustment." You smoothed the blanket over his shoulder. "Now just rest, hero, while I go get you something else to eat."

Cas watched you until you disappeared from the room. He would replay you calling him a hero over and over in his head until he believed it...

#human!cas #ugh my weakness #cas x reader #cas x y/n #castiel drabbles #castiel imagines #cas fanfics #supernatural #spn drabbles

[theqhreator42]

There's something to be said about how every single shootout in the Breaking Bad setting is profoundly pathetic. Shots are almost never well-aimed, the combatants rarely have time to take cover or consider their tactics, people die in grotesque, absurd ways, and everyone always loses.

For me, the exemplar of this style is the final shootout in Breaking Bad (not counting Walt's machine gun gambit in Felina), where Hank and Steve confront Jack Welker's gang alone in the desert. On paper, it seems like a typical heroic climax: Hank and Steve stand up to the gang with no hesitation and prepare for the fight of their lives. The actual outcome, though, is more prosaic: totally outnumbered and outgunned, they are mortally injured without grazing any of the Nazis, and Hank dares Jack to execute him as Walt begs in vain to spare his life. The agents' desperation to preserve their honor by apprehending Walt alone becomes their doom.

Meanwhile, the closest the setting gets to a traditional "final badass duel," the confrontation between Gus and Lalo in Point and Shoot, ends with Gus tripping a circuit breaker, awkwardly ducking behind a bulldozer to pick up his hidden revolver, dumping all six shots at Lalo's general direction, and then collapsing under his own injuries. Lalo's final living act is to cackle at the sheer dumb luck of the situation as he drowns in his own blood, before Gus's minions bury him in the same pit as Howard (in case anyone believed that Howard, Sylvia, Mateo, Fred's family, Cheryl, or any of the other people bereaved by Lalo got a grain of justice here).

Even the final combat scene of the entire setting, the El Camino duel, has little heroism: Jesse wins the duel against Neil by breaking the rules and firing a second gun hidden in his jacket, then frantically dodges Neil's colleague's gunfire, picks up Neil's gun, and shoots wildly at the colleague, who takes a bullet straight in the head and comically falls face-first into a glass display case. We are happy to see Jesse live, but he doesn't improve himself by surviving this fight — he simply survives.

It's one of many elements of the Breaking Bad setting's cinematography that I really admire: the refusal to glorify violence. Every protagonist becomes an accessory or perpetrator of murder at some point, but none of them are improved by it, and it is never pretty, gratifying, or righteous. In a strange way, the rejection of violence as a positive act feels deeply humane.

#my posts #breaking bad #better call saul #el camino #hank schrader #steve gomez #walter white #gus fring #lalo salamanca #howard hamlin #cheryl hamlin #jesse pinkman

[cowboybeepboop]

Hawaiian hangout

“Mm this is my favorite song, what about you Darling? Do you like it?” “It’s nice, but I don’t like slow rides, I like going fast,”

Pairing: Hangman x fem! Reader

Genre: plot with some porn

Word count: 2928

Summary: Hangman has a thing for you but your relationship with Rooster makes him jealous. You’re a badass who is the best of the best and this shows when you and Mav get into a “fight”.

A/N: I don’t usually give the reader a callsign cause I think it’s fun to make up your own but for this oneshot I made the readers callsign Darling because her superior (the guy from the academy) who gave it to her thought it was fitting because she’s innocent and sweet looking on the outside but in the sky she’ll out fight anyone in a dog fight. Basically he’d call her Daring Darling, or DD, since no one saw her as a threat at first and also because she loved the DareDevil comics. Anyways this is just some random ass info I made up, it gives nothing to this so like yeah idk I was just bored. Also I fr based the friendship on my friends and I’s relationship because I think we’re absolutely hilarious no questions asked and for some reason everyone thinks we’re dating. ALSO I WROTE THIS ENTIRE THING WHILE MY MOM WAS NEXT TO ME ON A ROAD TRIP SOS I CAN’T STAND MYSELF. Anyways saw Top Gun: Maverick for the 5th time and met some really cool older women today.

Bradley has been your best friend forever, since kindergarten when he “accidently” pulled your pigtails and you started crying. His only excuse was that they were uneven and he was trying to help, fucking idiot. He does that a lot though, he’ll try to help and end up making a bigger issue out of it, for instance this exact moment when he spilt red wine on your white dress and poured white wine on top to “even it out”. Now you’re fresh out of the shower, smelling like Bradshaw’s coconut shampoo and wine.

“Hey, Brad. Got anything I can wear? I mean after all you did wreck my dress, twice,” you giggle with a teasing smile, he scratches the back of his neck and hands you a pair of your old shorts and one of his Hawaiian shirts.

“That's all I could find, I must have left your wardrobe at my mom’s storage place.” shrugging you take the clothes from him, smiling sweetly.

“Don’t worry about it duckie,” he rolls his eyes and puts his best mom face on, standing with his hands on his hips.

“It’s Rooster, not duck,” he puts on a dramatic performance, throwing his head back, hand over his heart, “I can’t believe you don’t even know my callsign, after all of these years.” one last exaggerated sigh before he falls back on the couch.

“Damn, did the shock kill you?” your eyes light up with mischiv, as long as he’s pretending to be dead I mean you might as well, you tickle his sides watching him fight back a fit of laughter.

“Come on Y/N you should get changed, we’re supposed to go meet Phoenix soon,” he sits up grabbing your arms and pinning them to your sides with a sweet smile.

“Shit, I almost forgot about that,” you quickly grab the clothes, throwing on the shorts and his white Hawaiian shirt, leaving it unbuttoned showing off your white cropped tank top. “I think we’re actually a little late,” he grabs his keys and puts his hand on your waist pulling you out the door with him.

“Well, I intend on surprising her anyway,” he locks the door and hops in his jeep. You follow suit, getting into the passenger side sighing at the heat that hits your thighs as they touch the dark leather seats.

“This is torture, I’m burning alive,” Bradley shakes his head while starting the engine, you buckle up pulling the seatbelt under your left arm so it doesn’t sufocate you.

“That defeats the purpose of the seatbelt, you’re supposed to have it over your chest,” he teases as you glare into the side of his face.

“It’s uncomfortable, it’s suffocating my chest,” he puts his free hand on your thigh, squeezing lightly.

“I know, I just wanted to piss you off,” Bradly smiles innocently as he keeps his eyes on the road, you flip him off secretly. “I saw that, Darling” he glances over to you raising his eyebrows slightly, “You’re gonna have to be more careful next time,”.

“Ouch, you’re being real serious Bradley. You even used my callsign,” you fegin shock covering your mouth theatrically. That’s the thing about your relationship with Bradley, the majority of the time you guys are being dramatic, which really confuses people because they don’t understand your guy’s comedic geniusness.

Bradley pulls into a parking spot, he gets out of the jeep and walks over to your side of the car, opening the door and offering you his hand. You roll your eyes “You go first Brad, I’ll go in, in like a minute,” he nods his head and salutes you.

“I’ll see you in a minute then,” you wave him off pulling a thing of chapstick out and applying it, you check your phone and reply to a couple texts. Mentally preparing yourself for the loudness of the bar, sticking your phone into your pocket before climbing out of the vehicle. You run a hand through your hair while walking through the bar entrance, “Hey, Y/N over here,” Bradley calls you over while holding his stomach softly.

You go up to the bar to order two beers, you end up standing right next to Maverick, “Can I please get two beers Penny?” she nods with a sweet smile, “Oh shit, Mav I didn’t notice you earlier,”.

“Hey, Y/N, how’s it going?” He smiles while sticking his phone into his pocket.

“I’m good, how about you,” you sit down on the empty stool next to him, keeping your attention directly on him.

“I could be better,” he runs a hand through his hair, “you should head over to Bradley, he’s waiting for you.” you nod, standing up to get the beers and thank Penny, “One more thing though,”

“What is it?” you search his serious eyes looking for any hints about what he might ask of you.

“Could you maybe not tell Bradley that I’m back in town just yet?” Maverick scratches the back of his neck while his eyes go softer pleading with yours.

“Of course, Mav,” you smile and lean in for a hug, he wraps his arms around your waist gently while using his thumb to rub up and down your back. You pull back from the hug, giving him a soft kiss on the cheek.

You weave in between a few groups while making your way over to Rooster and Phoenix, once you get to the pool table you pull your sunglasses up leaving them on top of your head. “Here Bradley,” you hand him a beer, taking the other as you sit next to Bob, “Hey, Bobby boy. How’s the man, the myth, the legend?” he smiles as he pushes his glasses up his nose bridge. The familiar blond man turns his attention on you, looking you up and down with a small smirk.

“I’m good now that you’re here,” you smile, showing your slightly pointy canines.

“Fuck, Bob you know just how to get my heart racing,” you stare into his eyes before he looks away, a soft blush creeping up his neck.

“You know him?” Hangman questions as Bradley pops up behind you taking your glasses from your head, folding them up and hanging them on the collar of your shirt.

“Yeah, he’s my favorite weapons systems officer,” you smile while placing your hand on his shoulder. “He’s always focused and has never made a mistake, it’s too bad they don’t let me fly with an RIO anymore,” you sigh dramatically while he admires you from the side, Rooster rolls his eyes.

“You know, the higher ups would let you fly with an RIO if you weren’t such a maniac,” you pretend to be offended as you shove his arm away from your side.

“Ugh, you’re so mean to me all the time,” Hangman is not so subtly checking you out while you and Bradshaw bicker. Phoenix interrupts you two trying to stop your random argument.

“So, Y/N I’ve been wondering something for a while,” she pulls Bradley by his shirt softly, you nod at her motioning for her to continue, “why is your callsign Darling? Isn’t that kind of misogynistic?” Phoenix’s comment draws everyone’s attention to you.

You laugh softly, “It does seem like that doesn’t it? It’s just something my parents nicknamed me when I was younger and my commander thought it was fitting for me. But,” you smile softly, “People usually call me DD,”.

“Before you ask the meaning of that,” Rooster laughs, “you’ll have to wait until you see her fly to fully understand.” He sounds like a proud dad while talking about you.

“I also have a question,” Coyote raises his eyebrows, “Why are you wearing Roosters shirt?”.

“He ruined the dress I was wearing earlier,” you shrug and Coyote’s eyes slightly widen as he coughs. Hangman’s jaw clenches while he narrows his eyes on Bradley.

Slow ride starts playing, “Mm this is my favorite song, what about you Darling? Do you like it?” Hangman smirks flashing his perfect white teeth.

“It’s nice, but I don’t like slow rides, I like going fast,” you swipe your tongue over your bottom lip keeping an intense stare on Hangman.

Penny rings the bell again, Hangman, Coyote, Payback, and Fanboy take Mav out. You chew on your cheek while going over to the bar, “Hey, Pen, I’ll pay Mav’s tab,” she hands you the check.

“It’s a pretty big bill,” she warns you but you already had your wallet pulled out, you hand her your card.

“It’s fine, I have a lot saved up,” you smile sweetly, Bradley pulls the cord on the jukebox, taking his beer over to the piano.

“Are you sure, love?” you nod, she swipes the card and then hands it back to you with the receipt. Rooster motions for you to come over.

You go over to him and he sings to you “You broke my will, but what a thrill,” Bradley pulls you onto his lap and you start singing with him.

“Kiss me baby,” you hold his cheeks, kissing him on the forehead, “Ooh, that feels good, baby”, he smirks looking you up and down. You giggle as you continue to sing in sync with him, nodding your head with the beat of the song. Hangman clenches his fists, sucking his teeth, shifting his jaw in anger.

_________

Things between you and Maverick have been a little tense since he found out about how you paid his tab, not to mention the tension between him and Rooster putting even more strain on your friendship with Maverick. The funny thing is Maverick told you not to fly like you usually do, you’re way more skilled in dog fighting than the rest of the pilots from your previous training and missions, your goal is to train for the mission with the rest of the team rather than gain more skills; however, Maverick went ahead and pushed your buttons. You’re the first pilot up which means you’re supposed to lose like everyone else and do the 200 push ups, but with Maverick’s intensity and Bob’s encouragement you’ve found yourself flying like your life depends on it.

Maverick’s plane is right on your ass, both hands grab your centre stick, pulling toward your midsection. Your plane shoots up, “Holy shit,” Hangman's voice rings through your ears as you switch directions heading straight for Mav. He pulls up trying to level with you, you flip upside down, narrowly missing his “shot”, you push the centre stick opposite of your body swooping low.

Maverick locates you once again, he creeps closer to your tail, before you hastily pull up. You’re upside down (again) hovering over Mavericks plane, “Fuck she’s on his fucking tail,” Hangman is sat back watching you two fight.

Your engine stalls and you direct your plane away from Maverick’s, you’re headed straught for the ground, “Fucking hell, my engine stopped,” you keep hitting the buttons grabbing your centre stick, still none of your efforts make a difference.

“Eject, Y/N eject right now,” Maverick yells as he follows your tail, at this point you’re hitting the hard deck.

You’re finally able to gain control of the engine again, you pull up as fast as you can. Your plane zooms past Maverick, your hands shake as you put your aim on Maverick and the beeping starts to ring out, “I gotcha Mav,”.

“Y/N get out of the sky, now.” you can hear the anger in his strong tone, your planes all touch the ground. You get out of the vehicle, hands shaking as your feet touch the ground, Mav runs over to you.

“Why the fuck did you not eject? What if you couldn’t gain control of your F-18?” you fall back on the ground, laying against the boiling pavement.

“I don’t know, can you stop yelling though. My head hurts,” you close your eyes, chest rising and falling quickly, your arms and legs feeling like jello. The rest of the team rushes down over to you and Maverick, he stays stood over you staring down at you.

“You’re reckless,” he says in a silvery tone, “you could have been seriously injured, or even killed,” Maverick nearly yells at the end of his sentence.

“In my defense I’m tired of doing push ups, I’m an amazing dog fighter I don’t even need any more training. I've already got two confirmed kills. That’s half of what you’ve got Mav, I’m good and I’m not cocky.” you sigh out, lifting your head to look at him as you sit up, “I’m fine with not winning against you or being the best but shit you’re getting on my nerves,” Rooster comes over and helps you stand up.

“Hangman, take Y/N inside and get her some water,” Mav pinches the bridge of his nose while using his other hand to wave you and Hangman off.

You unzip your uniform while walking towards the locker room, Hangman is a couple steps behind you keeping a close eye on you to make sure you don’t fall.

“Hey Darling, why doesn’t Maverick use your callsign?” Jake’s hand rests on your back as he opens the door for you, his body getting impossibly close to yours. “I mean he uses Roosters, it doesn’t make much sense that he doesn’t use yours,” he says voice barely over a whisper.

“I was his right hand man in a mission once and because he named me, my mom couldn’t think of a good name so she asked him,” you shrug, walking into the locker room peeling off your uniform that’s drenched in sweat.

“You were really good up there,” Hangman presses up against your back, arms wrapping around your waist as he breathes against your neck softly.

“Hangman, what are you doing?” his hand moves down to your thighs, spreading them a little. You instinctively lean back against him, throwing your head back on his shoulder.

“Darling, you can stop me whenever you want,” he kisses your neck softly, “and please, call me Jake,” he whispers into your ear sending shivers down your body. He moves to sit down on the bench pulling you onto his lap.

“Are you okay with this?” you nod enthusiastically, biting down on your lip roughly, “No love, I need to hear you say it,” he pulls his hands back from your body.

“Fuck, please Jake. I want this, I want you,” you put his hands back on your thighs, spreading your legs for him.

“Good girl,” he smiles, biting your earlobe softly, receiving a soft moan from you. Jake pulls your soaked panties to the side, sliding his index finger between your pussy lips before landing it on your clit. He rubs slow circles around your bundle of nerves, changing the amount of pressure from time to time. You grip onto his upper arm roughly, squeezing your eyes shut tightly as your body presses into his. Pleasure shoots down your spine causing your body to shake softly, biting down on your lip you snake your other hand up to his hair pulling at the roots.

Hangman uses his free hand to grab something from his pocket, “You know Darlin’, you dropped something yesterday,” he whispers into your ear. “I didn’t think much of it, so I picked it up. But there’s something curious about this lipstick container,” fucking hell, there’s no way I dropped it here. You think to yourself while trying to stay focused on his words.

“You can imagine my shock when I opened it and..” he takes the cap off, sliding the base to the side, the dreaded quiet vibration filling your ears. He smirks against your neck as he begins peppering kisses against the warm sensitive skin.

“Fuck,” Jakes movements were overwhelming, giving you zero opportunity to come up with an excuse, “I can totally explain why I have that,” your hole pulses around air, grasping for some sort of friction.

He presses the tip of the vibrator against the spot he's been massaging, swirling it around in steady circles while keeping a consistent rough pressure. “Jake,” you pant out his name, moaning into his ear.

“Is my pretty girl close?” he uses his free hand to knead one of your breasts through your shirt, you nod against his shoulder, “You’re so naughty, do you like that Rooster could walk in at any minute and see how good I make you feel?” he tightens his jaw at his mention of your chaotic friend.

You squeeze your legs tight around his hand, feeling close to your climax. He spreads your legs with one hand and his knee, “You’re being so good for me Darling, don’t disappoint me now,” he bites down on your neck softly. Jake increases the amount of pressure he’s using, causing waves of euphoria from your head to your toes.

Soft moans spill from your lips, your toes curling as the knot in your stomach snaps, Jake pulls your chin to move your lips against his. Your lips mesh passionately as he keeps pushing your orgasm, eyebrows scrunching together as overwhelming pleasure fills your body, like a warm cup of hot cocoa after a long time in the snow.

“Good girl, Darling you’re so good for me,” he whispers against your ear, he begins wiping up the warm liquid with a handkerchief from his pocket. “We need to get you cleaned up before anyone notices how long we’ve been gone for.” Jake kisses down your neck before pushing you up off his lap.

#jake seresin #jake seresin smut #top gun maverick smut #top gun hangman #top gun hangman smut #jake hangman seresin #hangman imagine #hangman seresin x reader #hangman x you #hangman x reader #jake seresin x reader #jake seresin x y/n #jake seresin x you #top gun smut #hangman smut #smut

[stolen-breath]

:: ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ :: ᴊᴀsᴏɴ ᴛᴏᴅᴅ × ʏ/ɴ

: sᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ :: ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜ ᴊᴀsᴏɴ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴀᴘᴘʀᴏᴠᴇᴅ ᴏғ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴊᴏʙ, ʜᴇ ᴄᴀɴ'ᴛ ᴊᴜsᴛ ʟᴇᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅɪᴇ ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ

:: ᴛᴡs :: ᴍɪʟᴅ sᴡᴇᴀʀɪɴɢ, ᴀɴɢsᴛ

:: ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ :: 2389

:: ʀᴇᴏ̨ᴜᴇsᴛᴇᴅ :: ɴᴏ

:: sғᴡ | ɴsғᴡ ::

ᴍᴀSᴛᴇƦʟꞮSᴛ

:: ɢɪғ ʙʏ ᴅᴀɪʟʏᴊᴀsᴏɴᴛᴏᴅᴅ,, ɢᴏ ɢɪᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇᴍ sᴏᴍᴇ ʟᴏᴠᴇ!! ::

JASON

He never approved of your job at Ace Chemicals.  Of course he never said that, not to you.  He celebrated your promotion with you, ordered take-out on nights when he couldn't be there, listened to you rant even though he couldn't understand a word.  But he hated that you worked at the same place that created the most heinous of Gotham's rogue gallery, that you were a single OSHA violation from becoming the Joker's genderbent double.

You didn't know that.  Why would you?  It happened years ago, and Ace never broadcast that little trivia.  It would ruin their PR, bring unwanted attention that could come with a nasty price tag.  Only Batman and his allies knew that – and the Joker, obviously.  And probably Harley.  Maybe a few of the other  villains… Okay fine, a lot of people knew, but you weren't one of them, and he couldn't exactly break that news without inviting several new and awkward questions.  So he never told you, never asked you to quit, just helped you and supported you while the nagging worries in the back of his mind stayed exactly there.

Now he sprints through the factory, kicking himself with every step.  He should have forced you to quit.  He should have told you everything, even if it meant revealing the truth about his night job.

Why had he been hesitant in the first place?   Fear for your safety?  Maybe.  You were a pretty tough cookie.  You used to joke that you were the tough one in the relationship, and part of him believed it.  Maybe he'd kept the secret out of loyalty to Batman.  Back then, it made sense.  He would have killed for the man if it came to that.

Back then, he thought Bruce would do the same for him.

Jason grinds his teeth together until every heavy footstep jars his jaw.  Damn it.  Damn it, damn it, damn it.  He should’ve known Scarecrow would pull some shit like this.  It was just fucking like him.  You were an insurance policy, the prize for remaining loyal to him.  “Once I understood your greatest fear, controlling you was simple.”  That was the crap he spewed to every person that stood up to him.  Every ally that he suspected would betray him.  This was all a game to him, the world’s trickiest game of chess, a test to his superiority.   At his core, he was no better than the Joker.

He thought he could control Jason by risking your safety – and he was right.  If anything happened to you, his brittle sanity would shatter like glass.

But nothing is going to happen to you.  Jason only had to hold one guy’s hand in sulfuric acid to find out where Scarecrow’s keeping you, and he is going to get to you.  Fuck Scarecrow’s plan to break the Bat.  It can wait.

The door may be locked, but that’s not going to stop the walking arsenal.  Jason slaps an explosive on the metal door and ducks around the corner to shield himself from the explosion.  His armor is top of the line, meant to outdo even Lucius Fox’s finest work, but he’s not going to take stupid risks like that.  That was the old him.  That was Robin.  The Arkham Knight is calculated, and the Arkham Knight isn’t going to facetank C4.  (Even though, let’s face it, he could probably walk through the explosion like an action movie badass.  Can he glue sunglasses to his helmet?  A thought for later.)

It isn’t hard to find you.  The only hiding place here is a table large enough to fit at least three people underneath it.  He ignores your panicked shrieks as he drags  you out of your hiding place and slings you over his shoulder as easily as if  you’re an empty sack.

“Put me –”

“Shut up.  I’m saving  you.”  He hates talking to you like this.  Hates having to pretend he’s just a soldier doing his job and not your heroic boyfriend.  Hates that you’re beating your fists against his shoulder plates instead of sighing ‘my hero!’ and swooning in his arms.  More than anything, he longs to rip his helmet off and show you who he is, show you he’s alive and he’s fine and you’re going to be okay, it’s safe now, he’s here – but there isn’t time.  The annoying pleasant automated voice over the intercom announces that an explosion is imminent.  He has to get you out.

His helicopter is still on the pad.  Even from here, he can see the terror etched on his soldier’s faces as they gesture frantically for him to hurry.  “I can only go so fast goddammit,” he grumbles under his breath – not that he really had to lower his voice.  The whup-whup-whup of the spinning blades are so loud that he could probably yell and no-one would hear him.  Still, it feels good to mutter protests like he did when he worked with the Bat.

…no.  Not with.  For.  It never was a partnership – it was always Big Daddy Bat and pitiful little Robin clinging to his cape.

He seethes with frustration as he shoves you into his lieutenant’s arms.  The man is just helping you onto the helicopter so he can focus on getting in himself.  It’s a time-saver.  But he hates the idea of someone else touching you, even like this.  He is the one saving you.  This isn’t a joint operation.  This isn’t Strike Team Alpha or some shit.  This is the Arkham Knight, blazing through a burning factory to pluck you from the arms of Death itself.

Well, when he recounts the story later, he’s not mentioning any of these guys.  Screw them.

With a single button press, he tunes his helmet’s radio to the frequency of the chopper and shouts instructions to the pilot.  The lieutenant wraps a blanket around your shoulders, helping you get comfortable in the cramped and jerking confines as the helicopter rises into the air far faster than it should.  He stands up front like he always does, but he half-turns to keep you in the corner of his eye at all times.  Let them get fresh with you – it’s a quick way to find out what it’s like to get thrown out of a helicopter.  An exclusive offer.  Not many people get to say they’ve done that.

“Drop us off there.”  He points to the roof of the Doyle building, a tall building that once held crumbling gargoyles and steeples taller than most churches.  Thanks to the Gotham council’s brilliant decision making, they had been torn down as part of the renovation project.  It is now sleek, shining, filled with windows and fluorescent lights and commercial comfort, but it is still your place.  Deep in its foundation lay the memories of the two of you laying on it, watching where the stars would be if not for the smog and light pollution of the city, snacking on greasy street food and arguing which villain could actually kill Superman if they had to.

He can’t think of a better place to ruin all the plans he’d crafted so carefully since his escape.

The helicopter doesn’t land – it isn’t safe, not anymore, this building is made of fiberglass and corporate dreams.  Jason drags you to your feet as gently as he can and helps you hop off the hovering, wobbling chopper.  He lands beside you as easily as jumping off a curb and waves them away, tossing a few orders through the radio for good measure.  Give him a few minutes, at least.  He needs this almost as much as he needs to kill Batman – actually, no.  He needs it more.

YOU

He doesn’t turn to face you right away.  You take a step back and eye him suspiciously, squinting against the dust and dirt spitting up in the vortex of the chopper’s wind.  It flies away, heading deeper into the city, and you two stand alone.  When he seems to be ignoring you for the time being (never mind that he’s clenching his fists at his sides like a man trying not to punch a hole in the wall), you risk looking away from him at the city.  Your city.  Even from here, you can see the smoke plumes wafting up from various fires, the eerie orange chemicals drifting into the sky from Ace Chemicals (where you would be if he hadn’t dragged you out, a thought that sends chills down your already icy back).  The only cars driving around below you are militarized tanks and armored vehicles, all bearing the insignia of the man standing before  you.

The city’s being invaded – that much is clear.  This random soldier that you’ve never heard of paired up with the Rogue’s Gallery to take over Gotham and intends to burn it all down.  At least he was willing to evacuate the civilians first – you don’t like to give credit to bad people, but you have to hand it to him.  Very few villains would even notice the innocent people they trample in their rampages.  That alone makes this guy stand out.

Why did he save you?  For that matter, how did he know you were there?  All the records were meant to show that you’d evacuated with everyone else, just like the other workers that were forced to stay behind to help manufacture Scarecrow’s new toxin.  You didn’t know what happened to the others.  They came for all of you, one by one, over the course of the night.  You’d heard screaming just a few minutes before this guy blew up the door (he blew up a door, what kind of maniac was he) and dragged you out of the factory literally kicking and screaming.  You had assumed it was your turn to find out how Scarecrow was dealing with his assets now that he no longer had a use for you.

You assumed it was your turn to die.

“Thank you.”  The words are reluctant, forced out between chattering teeth.  It’s awfully cold for the end of October – it tends to get pretty cold in Gotham, but this is ridiculous.  Still, voicing your gratitude is the least you can do.  This villain – because he is a villain, you know he’s here to kill the Bat, you know he’s willing to kill his way through Gotham to do it – went out of his way to drag you from the factory moments before it exploded.  Hell, he even had his guys give you a blanket.  He didn’t have to do any of that.  He went out of his way to do it.  The least you could give him, the only thing you can give him, is a thanks.

He dismisses your thanks with a wave.  “Don’t worry about it.  Couldn’t leave you there.  Not your fault Scarecrow left his marbles in the Asylum.”  There’s something about the way he talks that’s oddly and eerily familiar, even through the metallic distortion of his helmet’s voice modulator.  It’s comforting, yet horrifying.  You rack your brain, throwing names and faces at the imagined wall to see what sticks, but nothing works.  You have no idea who this guy is, but he’s so…familiar.

“Yeah.”  You pull the blanket tighter around you as a gust of wind finds its way through the gaps.  Once again,  your gaze drifts over Gotham.  A chilling scream fills the air, then fades into the various sounds of the city.  Your thoughts burn with questions demanding answers.  You shouldn’t ask them.  A bright light, dimmed through distance, flashes over the two of you.  It gleams against his sidearm, a gun that you couldn’t name if you tried but immediately makes you pause.  You don’t have to wonder if it’s loaded.

But you can’t stop yourself.  “Did you leave yours there too?”

He glances over his shoulder.  His helmet is as blank as a sheet of paper, yet somehow you can almost imagine an expression of surprise and delighted disbelief.  “If only you knew.”  There’s longing in that voice, as if he genuinely wishes you did know.  But you’re imagining that, almost certainly.

“Why?”  The word slips out before you can stop it.  “You’re a killer.  You’re here to kill Batman and burn Gotham to the ground and you’re working with Scarecrow of all fucking people – but you evacuated the city first.  You saved me.  I don’t get it.”

He laughs, a short bitter bark that makes your skin crawl.  “I’m a killer, yeah, but I don’t kill innocent people.  The civilians don’t need to get wrapped up in this war.  Besides, I’m doing it for them.  If they’re all dead, there’s no point, y’know?”

Hearing such casual language coming from a robot head atop a soldier’s stiff body is so weird.  Did you die in Ace Chemicals?  Is this your afterlife?  “You think killing Batman is good for Gotham?  He’s saving this city.”

“No. He’s not.”  The quiet fury that edges his voice forces you back a step.  His fists clench at his sides – you imagine that his knuckles gleam like moonlight under his gloves.  "Batman is a glorified man in a mask who martyrs himself nightly for a crusade that his own misguided morals prevent him from ever completing."

You almost laugh at the bitter words, at the painful memory they dredge up.  “You almost sound like someone I used to know.  He had a pretty big grudge against the Bat too.”

“Who doesn’t?”  He lets out a soft huff, reaching up to adjust his helmet.  His fingers linger on the clasps that connect it to his armor, as if he’s tempted for a moment to take it off.  You can’t stop the surge of excitement that rushes through you.  Will you, and you alone, know the identity of the Arkham Knight?

But he doesn’t remove his helmet.  He simply pulls a grappling hook from his belt, just like the one that Jason used to have.  “Stay here,” he orders with a single glance over his shoulder, the screened helmet rendering his expression unreadable.  “Someone will be along to get you to safety soon.  I have work to do.”

“Thank you for saving me,” you call as he shoots the hook at a construction crane and disappears into the smog of night.

Just like Jason used to.

#jason todd imagine #jason todd x reader #jason todd headcanon #jason todd x y/n #arkham knight #arkhamverse jason todd #arkham knight x reader #arkham knight x y/n #arkham knight x you

[kvetchinglyneurotic]

ok i just finished season 1 of daredevil and i will have articulate things to say about it at some point but for now here's the stream of consciousness notes i took while i was watching:

-I like Jack Murdock as a portrayal of a loving but flawed parent — like he clearly cares for Matt so much and he’s doing his best but there’s some parts of a “normal” childhood he just doesn’t really have the resources to provide. That being said being stupidly self-sacrificial clearly runs in the family. Just take the dive and collect your money my guy 

-“you shouldn’t be sneaking around at night you could get hurt”/ “we need to do this within the legal system” Matthew you fucking hypocrite (affectionate)

-weirdly fascinated by the way Fisk & co. translate for their sketchy group meeting that always seem to take place in abandoned parking garages, especially with how Wesley gives the general idea of what they’re saying instead of a direct translation — ok update i suspected this was because Fisk actually understood what everyone was saying and I was right!

-I like Foggy but I disagree with him about the purpose of a defense attorney — he wants to represent people who aren’t guilty/were justified in what they did but everyone deserves representation even if they 100% did the thing and were 100% wrong in doing so 

-Honestly probably worked out better for Matt that Stick was only around for a couple of years at the most. Also symbolic that he left before teaching Matt to use knives — Matt never fully goes down the road of lethal force (I mean some of the things he does definitely would kill people in real life but in real life he’d also be dead so it evens out) or fully cuts off the people he cares about. Also are they implying that the reason Matt doesn’t permanently have broken ribs and/or major blood loss that he meditates? I mean suspension of disbelief obviously but that is. very funny 

-Fisk is, on the one hand, very detail-oriented, but he’s also impulsive and emotionally reactive, so he has to come up with plans to cover for it. Also I feel like his and Wesley’s relationship is going to implode at some point. Or one of them (probably Wesley since Fisk is like. the main villain) is going to die

-are they sponsored by Dell 

-obviously I know why they do this for cinematic reasons but it’s very funny that in-universe Fisk gives his entire speech in 1x08 without actually saying his name until he dramatically announces at the end. Although maybe that’s just for dramatic effect and in-universe he's just repeating it? Also don’t throw your computer Matt you have no money 

-Matt’s smug little smile when Karen says the man in the mask looks badass flipping around :3 

-“the whole wounded, handsome duck thing” 

-i love how much they dwell on the actual implications of finding out your friend is secretly a vigilante/has had superpowers the entire time you’ve known each other, and that knowing they go out at night to beat people up, even if it’s for the “right” reasons, would still be alarming 

-actually not bad on the nighttime colour-grading front! I can see what’s happening which is better than most shows 

-I appreciate that there’s an actual plot about/explanation of how Matt gets his body armour 

-Wow who could have guessed leaving the gun in the middle of the table was a bad idea. I kind of liked Wesley but honestly what a dumbass way to die. Do admire the bluff though “you don’t really believe I’d put a loaded gun where you could reach it?” 

-love the approach to superhero realism here — not necessarily in the abilities or the way the plot is constructed (although that’s good, too) but in the characters’ reactions (Foggy finding out about Matt; Karen when she kills Wesley, Fisk when he finds out Wesley is dead) 

-“I thought your days of being relevant were past” ouch 

-reasons Wilson Fisk is evil: murder, drug dealing, doesn’t like cat videos 

-I do like that Fisk kind of gets the power of friendship thing though? But like it makes him worse 

-I’m very much not the most qualified to make this judgement and I’d want to check what people who actually *are* in a position to judge have to say about it, but I feel like this show has a bit of an… orientalism problem, I guess? But orientalism that also includes Russians, and also I know this is partly an extension of her being a very minor character but Doris (Ben Urich’s wife) is the only character who seems like she’s *only* there to like. encourage others through her wise words and doesn’t have much of an internal life of her own (besides the priest I guess but I feel like with priests that’s kind of their job) 

-Did Foggy not go to Ben’s funeral? 

-Fisk is also going to kill Leland. Maybe stop killing all your allies Fisk 

-I think it’s cute that Matt still holds onto Foggy’s arm when they’re walking even when it’s just the two of them and Foggy already knows that he doesn’t need to do it 

-Why does Marvel keep naming wise mentor figures who die Ben? Matt and Peter Parker should make a club (is Ben Urich in the comics? I haven't read the comics)

-“while actively being arrested” has got to win some sort of award for worst marriage proposal but I guess I admire that he just went for it? 

-Ominously large number of minutes left in this episode after the seeming resolution 

-Matt’s dumbass little horns <3

-Fisk: “You think one man in a silly little costume will make a difference?” bro *you* thought one man in a silly little costume would make a difference when you were the one man. Also I hope the silly little costume protects Matt from blunt force trauma 

-I’m honestly still not entirely sure how/if Nelson & Murdock actually made any money

-I feel like that bit near the beginning where Karen and Matt both have secrets and Foggy’s like “I wish I had a secret” describes their dynamic basically

#daredevil #instead of liveblogging shows i just do whatever this is #anyway enjoy #kvetch oc

[hoodie-buck]

thanks for the tags beloveds @panbuckley @spotsandsocks @prince-buck-diaz @alyxmastershipper 🩵

—umm this got long bc i finally wrote last night and i really like how it turned out, sooo enjoy!

Buck cleared his throat, ignoring the way Eddie was now carefully looking him over.

Eddie stepped closer to them then, moving in to pick Chris up in a tight hug.

“That’s ok though, it just means Chris gets to hang out with his Buckkk today.”

Buck ducked his head with a flush of his cheeks, loving the way Eddie said his name in a little sing-songy voice. It made him ache in a way he wasn’t sure what to do with.

Eddie placed Chris back to the couch, grabbing for Buck’s hand.

Buck let Eddie lead him once again, his boyfriend stopping just by the door. Buck kept his focus on Chris, the boy’s attention plastered to the cartoons playing in front of him. Eddie ducked his head to gain Buck’s attention, those warm browns melting right into him.

“Hey, you feeling ok?”

Other than feeling like he was going to vomit up blood again at any given second or disappoint everyone around him? Yea. He was fine. Great even.

“Yea, just uh, just tired.”

Buck yawned for emphasis, Eddie squeezing his hand. Whether he believed Buck’s lie or not, he let it go.

“Ok, well, take him out? Have some fun?”

Buck gave a nod of his head, unsure how to answer. He couldn’t remember the last time he had fun. Well, he could, it was just the memory was tainted with blood—his blood.

While keeping his hand in Buck’s, Eddie looked over to his son, smile soft as ever.

“Love you buddy. Have fun with your Buck today.”

“Love you dad!” Chris shouted back, Eddie’s attention on Buck once more.

Buck couldn’t help but to wish Eddie would utter those four letters to him, but it was too soon; they weren’t there yet. Buck wasn’t sure if they ever would be. As much as he knew Eddie held all the most sacred parts of his heart, Buck also knew he wasn’t worthy of Eddie loving him back. Eddie was there now, sure, but why would he stay? Why would he want someone that was broken when he could have someone whole?

Keeping one hand linked with Buck’s, Eddie brought his other up to cup Buck’s face. He leaned into the touch, letting his eyes fall closed for a moment.

“Have fun today. Send me lots of pictures, ok?”

Buck let a faint smile spread across his face.

“Ok.”

Eddie looked him over a moment, Buck always feeling a little exposed under Eddie’s stare; he was one of the few people that could read him, that saw Buck even when he was trying to hide.

“I’ll come pick him up later, and we can do dinner or something.”

It was the ‘or something’ that made heat pool in Buck’s belly. As if reading his thoughts, Eddie leaned in close, first pressing a kiss over his birthmark, then down to his nose, and over his lips, sealing them together.

“I’ll see you later baby.”

Buck deepened their kiss, tugging Eddie to him a moment, wanting, no, needing, to have him close.

“Go be a badass firefighter babe.”

Eddie huffed out a laugh for it, Buck plastering a smile on his face. As soon as Eddie was out the door, he let it fade. It didn’t come back until he turned toward Chris.

tagging: @heartbeatdiaz @redlightsandicedtea @justsmilestuffhappens @onward--upward @honestlydarkprincess @monsterrae1 @buddierights @eddiescowboy @wh0re-behavi0r @jacksadventuresinwriting @elvensorceress @stanningsky @spaceprincessem @transbuck

#buddie #buddie wip #eddie diaz #evan 'buck' buckley #christopher diaz #911 #chris doesn’t come back au #wip wednesday

[mythweaverarts]

I JUST FINISHED GOOD OMENS SEASON ONE AND I'M BEING SO NORMAL I SWEAR BUT ALSO AAALAOFLFGNKDLROQLN

Ok here are the thoughts I can remember written down ⚠️GOOD OMENS SEASON ONE SPOILERS⚠️

1. Pepper is a badass. "I believe in peace BITCH" I love her so much.

2. I'm sorry but it's so funny seeing Crowley try and be Azi and Azi try to be Crowley like THEY KNOW EACH OTHER SO WELLLLLL

3. Crowley drove through a fucking fire. That's it, that's my point.

4. He got the Archangel Michael to miracle him a towel. 😂

5. The coat reference with Crowley/Azi not wanting to spoil his coat is a great callback to the paintball episode.

6. The fact that the Army Base guard is reading a book with NEIL GAIMAN very clearly printed on the front got me in tears, it's such a good gag.

7. Crowley's entrance in the flaming car has to be one of the best entrances ever on TV. Side note, he walks like a wet noodle and I love it 😭 he's trying to hold in the noodle when he's Azi but it's hard for him.

8. Ok but like why was I crying about a car.

9. I want to hug Adam after the scream, because even though he started the destruction of the world, HE'S 11. My LITTLE SISTER is 11.

10. "Who are we at war with?" "Ukraine." ... that aged well.

11. The way Azi/Crowley couldn't help playing with Gabriel with the fire jet.

12. Adding to this, Gabriel is a dickhead.

13. The rubber duck 😭

14. Tartan is very stylish Azi, don't let Crowley tell you otherwise.

15. "To the world" THE WAY THEY LOOK AT EACH OTHER IN THIS SCENE IS TOO MUCH FOR MY LITTLE HEART. THEY ARE EACH OTHERS WORLD AND YOU CANT TELL ME OTHERWISE AAAAAAA

That's all the thinks I can think of for now, but I'm being so normal guys, perfectly normal behaviour.

#good omens #gomens #good omens season 1 #good omens spoilers #neil gaiman #aziraphale #Crowley #aziracrow #ineffable husbands #ineffable spouses #pepper is a fucking badass #tw: swearing

[duckprintspress]

Meet Aether Beyond the Binary Contributor S. J. Ralston

We’re entering the final week of the Kickstarter campaign for Aether Beyond the Binary, an anthology of 17 aetherpunk stories starring characters outside the gender binary, and we’re still going strong! As I write this, we’re $3,700 shy of our goal – an amount we definitely can raise, but the more help we get spreading the words about this project, the more people will know it exists, and truly that’s the single biggest barrier to hitting our goals: effectively spread the words. So, if you believe in this project, whether you’re a backer or not, we’d really appreciate you taking a moment to share/reblog/retoot/reskeet our posts about it!

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Thanks for all your support! Now, let’s introduce another of our contributing authors…

About S. J.: S. J. grew up in a distinctly weird, distinctly southern hometown, then hied out West for grad school before landing in Texas, where they currently work as a planetary scientist. They’ve been writing original works and fanfiction since they could hold a pencil semi-correctly, and continue to write both whenever possible (as well as still holding a pencil only semi-correctly). In their clearly copious spare time, S. J. enjoys hiking, tabletop RPGs, jigsaw puzzles, and enthusiastically crappy sci-fi.

Link: Personal Website | Tumblr

This is S. J.’s first time writing with Duck Prints Press. You can read another example of their writing by visiting their website to check out Anglerfish, a horror sci-fi story. 

An Interview with S. J. Ralston

How did you pick the name you create under?

It’s a line from the opening of the Aeneid that’s stuck with me ever since AP Latin in high school: “On account of the mindful wrath of cruel Juno.” It’s a synchesis, where the adjectives have been swapped from where you expect them to be; it’s Juno who is mindful and her wrath that is cruel, but rearranging them in such a way elegantly implies the relentless, vindictive onslaught that is to follow.

What do you consider to be your strengths as a creator?

Dialogue and dread.

What do the phrases “writer’s block” or “art block” mean to you?

The state of wanting to create but not having the intellectual raw materials to do it.

Are you a pantser, a planner, or a planster? What’s your process look like?

I would consider myself a plantser. Typically I start with an IDEA, writ large, center of the page. Then some key scenes will populate around it–dramatic moments, fun bits of dialogue, cool setpieces. At that point I get out my corkboard and red string and start trying to piece everything together, and if I’m lucky, the shape of the story will reveal itself to me. Sometimes it’s the classic parabola of rising and falling action, other times it’s been a ring, a tri-fold posterboard, a descending spiral, or a series of concentric circles. Then I fill in until the structure is complete and hope like hell that I can stick the landing.

What are your favorite tropes?

Found Family, Robots With Feelings, Enemies To Lovers, Destructive Romance, Kirk Summation/The Man In The Room

What are your favorite character archetypes?

Brooding Loner Secretly Just Lonely, Lying For Fun And Profit, Badass With An Obvious Dump Stat, Too Old For This Shit, Taciturn But Bizarre, Himbo

Do you like having background noise when you create? What do you listen to? Does it vary depending on the project, and if so, how?

I make a playlist for almost everything I write that’s longer than a few thousand words. Sometimes it’s for listening to while I’m creating (in that case, it has to be primarily instrumentals or I’ll get distracted), and sometimes it’s just for daydreaming to (in which case, the vibes must be correct, so I can construct AMV’s in my head).

Share five of your favorite books. (You can include why, if you want!)

Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett – Eerie, funny, and poignant in equal measure; a police procedural done right.

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke – Lush with joy, curiosity, and love, yet still remarkably dark, with an ending that will nestle in your brain forever.

Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception by Eoin Colfer – Fourth in the series and the absolute pinnacle thereof. A master-class in shit hitting the fan. 

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu – Everyone, down to the most momentary background character, behaves more like *people* than any I’ve ever read before and it’s *disastrous* and I *love* it.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson – The classic of classics. The horror of horrors. The transgenderism of it all.

What are your goals as a creator? 

(1) To write something that’s better on the second read-through than it was on the first, and (2) To write something that stays with the reader.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

When you finish a first draft and you *know* you’ve got something really good, put it down. For a month, six months, a year; until the glow fades, or you’ve fallen in love with whatever you’re writing next. Then come back and re-read that first draft. Take extensive notes, diagram the plot, profile the characters. Notice the holes, redundancies, missed opportunities, and inconsistencies. Then open up a blank document and *start over.*

S. J.’s Contribution to Aether Beyond the Binary

Title: Razzmatazz

Tags: bipoc, body horror, butch, character injury (non-graphic descriptions), classism, dehumanization, eye horror, horror, humans are the villains, mechanic, minor character death, misogyny, murder (accidental), non-binary, non-human character, past tense, sentient construct (magical), third person limited pov

Excerpt: 

The thing was damn near unrecognizable, not just as Marilyn Monroe, but as human. People had tweaked the proportions through the years—amateur artists who couldn’t put down the paintbrush. That kind of thing was bad enough on paper, but seeing it in person made Skipper’s butthole clench.

The dress and the curls were Monroe. The rest was something else.

“Shit my ass off,” Skipper said under his breath.

“Yeah,” said Charlie.

“This gets up and walks around?”

“She does.”

“Shit my ass off.”

Maybe it was a trick of the light, a too-heavy head on a too-thin neck, but the Monroe wasn’t staring across the aisle like the others. It seemed to be looking down at Skipper. It put out waves of dare-you-to-start-some-shit energy.

“Is it because they messed with the proportions?”

“Huh?” said Skipper, pulling out of the Monroe’s tractor beam.

“The reason she moves around so much. Could it be because of…” Charlie gestured to its whole body.

“Hell, maybe,” said Skipper.

The Monroe loomed like a landslide, just waiting for the rain. Skipper had a hammer on his belt. He felt like the Monroe was staring at it. If he broke the case, what then? 

#duck prints press #s. j. ralston #aether beyond the binary

[dccomicsimagines]

The New Recruit - Kaldur’ahm x Reader

Requested by Anon -  A story about the justice league employing new recruits in the young justice. Kaldur is both annoyed and in love with one new girl.

Requested by Anon -  Can I get a fic where Kaldur falls in love with some badass girl after she rides on his moto to trash some criminal?

Requested by blackafricanqueen -  Can I get a fix where Kaldur is both annoyed and in love with a justice league new recruit?

Slight spoilers for season four ahead...

***

Kaldur crossed his arms, eyeing the new recruits standing in the main area of the Watchtower. He and Artemis stood together to one side as Black Lightning addressed the new members. “Black Lightning believes these are the key for the league to stay current with the times?” he asked, glancing at Artemis.

Artemis shrugged. “Yeah, he says we need more diversity.” She snorted. “Diversity in abilities and training anyway.” 

Kaldur hummed as Black Lightning finished and gestured for Kaldur to join him. Artemis gave him a supportive look as Kaldur left her side. “This is Aquaman. He’ll be in charge of getting you settled and trained on the League’s methods.” Kaldur barely hid his wince. Why did he become the League’s trainer? Couldn’t Batman do it?

Suddenly, one girl, maybe slightly younger than Kaldur, raised her hand. Black Lightning chuckled at the sight before nodding to her. “Is he Aquaman number one, two, or three? Isn’t there three Aquamans now?” 

Kaldur narrowed his eyes at her. She just smiled back cheekily. “He’s the second Aquaman,” Black Lightning said, a smirk on his face. “Now I’ll leave you to him.” Black Lightning turned and walked out of the room. 

“What now, sir?” the militant-looking recruit asked, relaxing slightly. He must be ex-military, Kaldur guessed. Jefferson never did give Kaldur the files on any of the new recruits. He’ll have to find them later.

“Now we will train.” Kaldur gestured for them to follow him as he turned to lead them deeper into the Watchtower.

“Yes, Aqua Two.” Kaldur looked over his shoulder at the girl. Annoying girl. 

“Aquaman is fine,” Kaldur said shortly.

“But what if all the Aquamans are in the same place, then I’d have to call you Aqua Two, so might as well start now.” The girl grinned. Kaldur sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose before looking away. The other two recruits were wonderfully silent. Kaldur led them toward the training room, planning to put the annoying girl through more rounds with higher difficulty as a result.  

***

“Is that it?” You panted, grinning at Aqua Two as he frowned deeply. You knew you pushed him too far and he was punishing you. It was very enjoyable to see him become more and more dissatisfied as you met every one of his challenges. Every part of your body ached. You were slowing down. Hopefully, Aqua Two will give up before you do. 

“No.” Aqua Two gestured for the other two recruits to leave. “You are done for the day. See you tomorrow.” They quickly left. “I will run another simulation.” 

You sighed, taking a moment to catch your breath. However, the simulation started immediately and you barely ducked to avoid a giant ax flying at your head. A huge Viking man formed out of thin air. You smirked and grabbed the ax as he took another swing. Riding the ax up in the air as he attempted to throw you off, you flipped over him to land a kick to his lower back. He stumbled allowing you to flip around him and perform a nerve strike to his neck. The Viking fell hard and disappeared. Two Vikings appeared the moment the other disappeared. You took a deep breath before standing your ground. 

***

“Kaldur, aren’t you taking this a bit far? You had her in there for hours,” Raquel said, appearing at Kaldur’s side. Kaldur flinched. He should have heard her come in.

“This new recruit has an attitude problem.” Kaldur crossed his arms. He noticed you were slowing down. You took a hit to the face, toppling over. However, you recovered quickly, rolling back to your feet and taking down the Viking.

Raquel hummed. “You have to stop. This is Wonder Woman’s program. It will kill her.” She reached around and turned it off. You froze as the Vikings disappeared. Kaldur clicked his tongue. Raquel rolled her eyes and turned to you. “Go to the med bay. That last hit must have really hurt.”

“I’m good.” You grinned despite the blood dripping from your mouth. “Ready to keep going, Aqua Two? If you are still up for it?”

Kaldur blushed as Raquel glanced back at him with a smirk. “You’re done. Go home, (Y/N). We’ll see you here tomorrow.” Raquel waved you off and eyed Kaldur. You waved cheerfully and limped out of the room. “So you’re punishing her for teasing you?”

“It is improper.” Kaldur pursed his lips, realizing he was taking out his frustrations on you. Truth was, he didn’t like having to share the Aquaman name. It was the way it had to be, but it certainly led to several situations he didn’t appreciate. For example, being called in when they actually wanted Orin. Very irritating.

“She is just teasing you, Kaldur. No different than how I would.” Raquel shook her head. “I’ll have a word with her to lay off, but don’t take your frustrations out on the newbie because she annoys you.” She crossed her arms. 

Kaldur sighed, dropping his shoulders. “I...You are right.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Check on her for me.” He met Raquel’s eye. “I will apologize to her once I have time to...calm down.”

Raquel nodded, patting Kaldur’s shoulder. “Don’t take what she does personally. I’m the one who recruited her. She’s sassy, but her heart is in the right place.” Raquel walked out of the room. Kaldur watched her go before heading toward the zeta tubes to go back to Atlantis. 

***

You couldn’t believe you had survived this long in the League. After the first day, you assumed you would be pushed out, but here you were on your first official Justice League mission. You brushed off your brand new suit even though you received it only a hour before. 

“(Y/N), are you paying attention?” Aqua Two snapped, nudging your arm as he passed. You jerked back into reality. He waved for you to follow him. You hurried along, smiling brightly at the thought of being partnered with Aqua Two. This is a chance to proof yourself to him.

“I am. Ready to join you on guard duty.” You nudged him back. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he led you toward the zeta tube. You knew you were annoying him again with just your eagerness, but you didn’t care. Today was the day.

***

“It’s not every day you get to see the president in person,” you said as you sat on the edge of the roof next to Aqua Two. “He looks taller on TV.”

Aqua Two hummed in response, standing next to you as he scanned the crowd below. The Justice League was asked to provide extra security for the president when intel about an assassination attempt was revealed. An assassination attempt by a super villain nevertheless. 

“No sign of any suspicious activity over here,” Plastic Man reported through the comlink. 

“Nothing here,” you said before Aqua Two could speak. He narrowed his eyes at you. You shrugged. “What? I can speak too. Otherwise, why give me a comm?” 

“Quiet.” He turned away from you, studying the crowd below. You looked too. Several minutes of silence passed. The crowd grew as the president began his speech. You listened, smiling when the president cracked a joke to lighten the mood. Aqua Two’s eyes were on you. You glanced at him. He blushed when you caught him looking. 

You gave him a smile before examining the other roof tops. Nothing seemed to be out of place until you saw a slight flash of light reflecting on metal. Moving fast, you threw one of your shurikens just in time to stop a throwing knife from hitting the President in the chest. The assassin stepped out of the shadows and made eye contact with you. “Brutale.”

Aqua Two was giving orders through the comms, but you weren’t paying attention. Suddenly, Brutale threw another knife, but toward you. You were about to duck only for Aqua Two to tackle you to the ground. “Pay attention,” he growled as he rolled off you quickly and jumped to his feet.

“I was.” You hopped to your feet to see Brutale still on the roof. “I’m going after him,” you said before turning to look at Aqua Two. He looked back at you with a hint of concern in his eyes.

“You’re not ready for this.” He grabbed your arm, squeezing tight. Out of the corner of your eye, you watched the president being escorted inside the building by Plastic Man and one of the other new recruits. Brutale watched the president before looking back at you. 

You licked your lips. Brutale stepped back into the shadows. “I’m sorry, but I have to.” You jerked away from Aqua Two and fired your new grapple gun to give chase.

***

“Foolish,” Kaldur mumbled under his breath as he watched you go. He tapped his comm. “Is the president safe?” 

“Yes, sir. The president is secure,” the recruit said. “Have we captured the assassin?” 

“No, (Y/N) and I are in pursuit.” Kaldur ran for the fire escape and quickly climbed down the stairs. “Stay with the president.” He jumped down into the street, dodging the crowd when he saw you and Brutale fighting in the middle of the stage where the president had just been. Kaldur pushed past people, fighting his way to you. “(Y/N), I’m here. Keep him there.” 

“Working on it,” you replied as you dodged several throwing knives. One nicked your cheek, but you kept fighting. Kaldur jumped into the fight. Brutale fell back once he realized he was outnumbered. Moving fast, he hopped into the crowd. You and Kaldur shared a quick look. Kaldur held up three fingers. You smiled before sprinting off to the right. Kaldur moved left. He felt proud you had memorized the signals so fast. 

Brutale reached a motorcycle that was waiting for him on the street. He hopped on and drove off. “Crap.” You ran up next to Kaldur. Kaldur hummed, tapping his wrist to call his motorcycle. He had it hidden nearby, sensing it would be needed. Your eyes widened as it parked itself next to Kaldur. “Wow, do I get one of those?”

“Maybe. For now, you ride with me.” Kaldur climbed on. You eyed him before snuggling in behind him. Your arms tight around his waist. Kaldur felt a blush come to his cheeks. Luckily, you couldn’t see. Maybe you weren’t so annoying after all? Maybe even a little cute? He shook his head before zooming off after Brutale.

Kaldur followed Brutale closely. “Get alongside him,” you whispered. Kaldur tensed, feeling your breath on his ear. His body buzzed excitedly. He took a deep breath, pushing his thoughts aside. Brutale attempted to throw a few knives at Kaldur’s tires, but he dodged them. 

Your arms left Kaldur’s waist. He felt your hands on his shoulders. A glance behind revealed you were standing on the motorcycle seat. “What are you doing?”

“I got this.” You patted his shoulder with one hand as he sped up to catch up with Brutale. Suddenly, you jumped onto Brutale’s cycle. He attempted to stab you, but you dodged it and attached yourself around his neck. Kaldur dropped back, watching worriedly. 

With one jerk of the handles, Brutale’s motorcycle turned sharply, sending you and Brutale into the air. The cycle rolled several time. Kaldur slammed on his brakes. His heart stopped when he saw you hit the ground. The cycle flew over you and landed on Brutale who crashed on the ground after you. He heard a terrible snap. 

“(Y/N)?!” Kaldur dropped his motorcycle and ran to your side. He tapped his comm. “We need medical assistance immediately.” Kaldur checked your pulse. He frowned at the blood pooling by your head. “(Y/N)? Can you hear me?”

You moaned, opening your eyes. “That hurt.” Your lips cracked that annoying, yet wonderful smile. “Did we get Brutale?”

“Yes, he is over there.” Kaldur glanced over at him. Brutale moved slightly, but he wasn’t going to be able to get away. Kaldur focused his attention back on you when you hissed. “Don’t move.” 

“I think I broke my arm, Aqua Two.” You grinned when Kaldur narrowed his eyes. 

“Hush now.” Kaldur sighed in relief as an ambulance arrived. “Never do anything like that again.”

“We got him,” you said, closing your eyes. 

“You got him.” Kaldur pulled away as the paramedic came up. He went over to join the paramedic by Brutale to make sure he didn’t try to escape. Your laughter filled his ears and he knew you’d be okay.

***

A few hours later, you laid in your hospital bed. The TV played some old western. You watched it listlessly, wishing the pain in your body to go away. Apparently, they gave you some drugs, but the pain was still there. 

A knock on the door frame cheered you up. You grinned, looking over at the door to see Aqua Two standing there with a bouquet of flowers. A smile pulled at your lips. Did he really get your flowers?

“Hi,” you said when he didn’t move, staring at your cast.

“Hello.” He shook his head, stepping inside. “The doctor said you are alright.”

“Yeah, just some broken bones. They want to keep me overnight for observation.” You gestured to the chair with your good arm. He took the seat before handing you the flowers. “Thank you.” You held them to your nose, breathing in their scent. 

“I was told flowers are a customary gift for an injured person.” Aqua Two smiled tightly as you set the flowers in your lap. “How are you feeling?”

“Good. The painkillers aren’t kicking in super fast, but I’ll live.” You leaned back against your pillows. “Is Brutale in custody?” 

Aqua Two nodded. “He is. You did a good job.”

You smiled, thinking it was only a few weeks ago when he was punishing you for being cheeky. “You did too. Couldn’t have done it if you weren’t driving.”

A nurse came in to check on your vitals. She glanced between you and Aqua Two. You bit your lip while Aqua Two blushed. “Everything looks good. Call us if you need anything,” the nurse said, sending you a wink as she shut the door to your room behind her. 

“Tomorrow...” Aqua Two stopped and cleared his throat. Eyes on the floor. You watched him, smiling happily. “Would you allow me to escort you home from the hospital tomorrow?” 

You reached out to take his hand. “I would appreciate that.” Your heart skipped a beat, his hand felt so strong. “Thanks Aqua Two.” 

“Kaldur.” You blinked in surprise. He looked up at you, a hint of a smile pulling at his lips. “You may call me Kaldur.”

“Kaldur,” you said, testing the name on your lips. You liked it. He entwined his fingers with yours. Your skin electrized at the touch. “That’s a nice name.” 

The two of you fell into conversation and the time slipped away. Eventually, you didn’t even notice the pain anymore.

#kaldur'ahm #kaldur'ahm x reader #kaldur'ahm imagine #kaldur #kaldur x reader #kaldur imagine #aquaman #aquaman x reader #aquaman imagine #dc comics imagines #dc reader insert #yj imagine #yj x reader #young justice imagine #young justice

[softquietsteadylove]

Hi, it's me (i'm the problem, it's me). Here's a prompt for a new au that I think you can do it justice 💃 Thena is the best onmyoji/jujutsu sorceress in the family and Gilgamesh is the giant entity that serves her, between them there's a connection that runs deeper than the contract that binds them together ✨✨💖 pls i wanna see them being badass and then some soft moments 👉👈

"Uh, so..." Kingo started and then stopped again. He had never been paired with this particular sorcerer for a mission before, but he knew who she was.

Thena, eldest daughter of a very renowned jujutsu sorceress clan. They had cursed energy that was so pure and so concentrated it was called Cosmic energy to some--glowed gold and everything. But aside from her weapons expertise, not a lot was known about her.

"Yes?"

Kingo shifted on his feet. "Do you think it's a special grade, like the rumours say? Or just a level 2 causing trouble?"

"Hm," she let out plainly, and it almost sounded like a chuckle. "I believe even a level 2 is enough to spook the people living in this area. If there is, in fact, a special grade apparition in the area, then I'm certain you and I can handle it."

Kingo nodded; it was a very concise way to wrap things up. So, not the chatty type. He pulled his hands out of his pockets, pulling his own cursed energy into his fingertips.

Thena pulled out the hilt of a sword from the sleeve of her dress. But it took no effort at all for her to create a blade of pure golden light. "Ready."

Kingo raised his hand, pointing his 'finger guns' into the air where he expected the cursed spirit to appear. He just wanted to get this mission done so he could go home.

They waited.

"Where is it?" he voiced aloud, mostly to fill the tense silence.

"Indeed," she agreed, her sword shifting shape from a long blade to a knife she could hold closer to her body. "I believed a level 2 would be eager for a kill."

"Maybe it is a special grade," he murmured as they started backing up. Ajak's deep blue veil was still cast over the area to keep anyone from poking around. "Let's regroup."

"What is it?"

Kingo looked over at his temporary partner. She was whispering over her shoulder--talking to herself? "Uh, T?"

"Something isn't right," she looked back at Kingo, as if she hadn't been talking to some imaginary devil on her shoulder. "I can't sense anything at all."

Now that she said it, she had a point. There was no cursed energy lingering in the air. Even the most basic curses would leave some impression on the area. But this was suspiciously quiet.

"I don't like it either."

Kingo frowned; she was whispering to herself again. He thought her and her whole family were supposed to be super cool jujutsu sorcerers, not nut jobs!

"Kingo!"

He had quick reflexes--he prided himself on them. But he wasn't even fully turned around when the blade of a spear extended past him. He fell forward, cursed energy spilling out from behind him. Oh yeah, this was totally a special grade apparition.

Thena pulled the spear back to herself and changed the shape of it again, her fingers running along the blade of her sword. "It's eaten a lot of people."

"Yuck," Kingo muttered, regarded the writhing mass of cursed energy, a swirling ball of curses with evidence of their once physical bodies still in it. It moved fast though.

Kingo took shots at it as it moved, but it was like a rat king, scurrying around quickly in a completely disgusting way. It scuttle around, avoiding his shots of cursed energy expertly. Even those that hit, only shot off small sections of the main body. He aimed at the small little 'rats' scurrying off the main body as they split off. "Ew, ew, ew!--this is by far the grossest spirit I've ever fought."

"I am inclined to agree." She was a woman of few words, huh?

Kingo ducked and rolled as the ratking spirit shot a few more extremities at them. He took a few more shots in return, but this was getting nowhere fast. He looked at his partner, who was more close range combat than he was. "Thena!"

She turned, barely catching the wave of rats behind her. It loomed over her, but the shadow cast over her wasn't from that.

Kingo skittered back as a massive shadow rose from within Thena's. A cursed apparition like he had never seen before appeared, looming over her and using a single hand to keep the enemy curse at bay. "What the-"

"Gilgamesh!"

The massive spirit materialised more, becoming that of a man, with dark eyes. He had regular hands, but in the same golden glow of Thena's energy, a massive bear paw appeared around his hand. And that was what held the curse at bay.

The curse could use cursed energy? Kingo ran closer, "what the hell is that?!"

"How dare..." the monstrous spirit growled as he held the curses around them at bay. He threw them back, still glowing with cursed energy within his control. "How dare you hurt Thena!"

Kingo ducked as the spirit threw the limb of the cursed spirit and by extension the main body. He looked at Thena, "uh, you brought backup, I see."

She looked at him briefly. "This is Gilgamesh."

That was not the explanation Kingo would have expected to get. But he nodded at the apparition towering over Thena's shoulder, who nodded at him in return. "Uh, hey."

The spirit looked at Thena, bending closer to her. Her hand came up to his cheek, her mouth hovering close to his as she whispered, "friend."

The one word was enough for her guardian spirit, who looked at Kingo again before redirecting his attention to the curse at hand. Kingo also turned back to their current problem. "I guess we'll have to do introductions later."

"Gil!" Thena barked, and the spirit over her shoulder grasped her by the waist before throwing her up in the air. Kingo didn't have time to be stunned before she was on top of the ratking spirit and had both her blades driven into it.

"Holy shit!"

Gilgamesh stormed over, still in the shape of a man but with golden glowing lines like elephant feet around his own. He impacted the ground as he ran at the monster, fists swinging. "Thena!"

What was this thing? Kingo took up the job of shooting at the extremities before they could scurry off and reform into another cursed spirit. "Keep it up you two!"

"Crush it!" Thena ordered from above, hacking and sawing with her blades of cursed energy.

Kingo wouldn't believe it was possible, but he watched as her guardian did just that, bringing his arms around the other being of cursed energy until it was no more. Kingo held up both his hands, shooting at anything that so much as moved. "There are too many!"

"Gil!"

He caught her first, because of course he would. Then he put a hand on her shoulder. He had his own supply of cursed energy, of course. Thena held out her palms, golden needles emerging from them. They all shot out at once, with no end in sight. However much cursed energy she had on her own, Gilgamesh obviously added to it exponentially.

Kingo ended up shielding his eyes by the time the massacre was over. He could understand why they called her the weapons expert; it was hard to create objects out of pure cursed energy. He walked over cautiously, "uh, good work...team?"

Gilgamesh leaned over Thena, pushing some hair away from her face and asking if she was okay even quieter than a whisper.

She smiled and nodded, leaning into his touch. He drifted even closer and she lifted onto her toes to tilt her head up and touch her lips to his cheek.

Kingo averted his eyes. He wasn't embarrassed per se, but he didn't think it was something he was supposed to witness.

"He was my guard."

He looked over, undeniably curious. "Wassat?"

Thena smiled at him, more relaxed now that the imminent danger was out of the way. Her hand remained cradled in the massive palm of her guardian. "He was my guard, once upon a time. When he died protecting me, I...I bound his spirit to mine."

Ohhhhh, he was a cursed apparition in the way a shrine guardian was bound to a temple. She had tied his soul to hers, tethered by their shared cursed energy to keep him with her. It was romantic, in a way (tragic, in another).

"Thena," the spirit rumbled, leaning over shoulder again and pressing his cheek to hers.

She smiled, nuzzling against him just as lovingly. "Gil."

She had a nickname for it?--him. Kingo put his hands back in his pockets as she gave her guardian angel another kiss before beginning the walk back to the edge of the veil. "Were you two...?"

Her smile turned a little sad as the veil began to fall away, revealing the rising sun. "Not in life, no."

But now, in death, it seemed their love was more unbound. There was something beautiful about that, even Kingo could see. He looked over at her massive shadow, where Gilgamesh was happy to float along behind her. Despite literally living in her shadow, they were holding hands.

Kingo chuckled, squinting as dawn reached them. He waved to Ajak, waiting for them. "Well, if I ever ask for a boost like you did today, I think I should get at least one per fight."

Thena just stared at him like he'd spit up a cursed spirit orb. But she laughed, even throwing her head back a little. Her hair caught the sun, practically glowing in its own way.

Gilgamesh smiled down at her, although he held up a hand to keep the sun from getting directly in her eyes. "Love your laugh."

"You're free to ask him," she even swiped a tear of laughter from her eye, "but it's not up to me if he agrees."

#Thenamesh AU #Thenamesh Jujutsu AU #highly recommend jujutsu kaisen for the animation #it's a little intense but damn beautiful #you may know it from some of the thirstiest tiktoks I have ever seen #and listen same #anyway #Gil was her bodyguard #a la Akaza from Demon Slayer if you dabble in that one too #he died protecting her and professed his love with his dying breath #he asked to stay close to her if there was indeed a god listening #but even better: the Goddess of War #Thena put her hand to his chest and said this contract in indefinite #their cursed energy is braided together #like an ourabouros there is no beginning or end #and Gil can socialise a little! #he likes Kingo #thinks he's funny #and he doesn't make Thena uncomfortable even better #Kingo gets pretty used to them #although he does sometimes tell Thena 'stop kissing your boyfriend and make him into a giant crab or something!' #they become a great team! #and Kingo thinks it's hilarious to watch people 'meet' Gilgamesh #I thought a lot about how to write this one #at one point Ikaris is taunting/flirting #Gil emerges like yOu SpEaK tO mY wIfE?!?!??

[justplainmels]

When do you think Jack/Sam fell in love? Before they admitted feelings in season 4. What season and or episode do you think? 🥰

When did Jack and Sam fall in love?

Just kidding. Well mostly. There was obviously immediate attraction on both sides starting from that first meeting in the briefing room. That attraction turned into a crush which turned into some feelings which developed over time into love. However, I think both were in love long before they realized it. I also think this happens at different times for each of them.

Short answer:

Sam fell first. It was a gradual thing (see my "watching Sam fall in love one head duck and smile at a time" gif sets) so it's hard to pick an exact episode. Definitely by Out of Mind/Into the Fire but she didn’t realized it/admitted it to herself until A Hundred Days.

Jack fell harder and faster but refused to realize it because he thought Sam was unobtainable and deserved better. I'd say he started having feelings more than a crush around Jolinar and finally realized he loved her sometime after POV (maybe around Netu).

Ok now the longer (much longer) answer below the cut!

Jack was a goner even if he didn’t know it from the moment Sam challenged him to an arm wrestle. He developed a crush pretty quickly and definitely had thoughts about things…

Cue the adorable flirting and looks. Jack likes to make Sam smile and their unspoken communication is a love language in and of itself. There are too many instances to point out but you can check out my gif sets for some examples.

I’d say his crush starts to develop into actual feelings probably around the time of Jolinar. He stops calling her “Sam” after Serpent’s Song to try and create some sort of emotional distance. We all know how that didn’t work and “Carter” became just as much a term of endearment, but it at least provided the illusion of a purely professional relationship.

He’s content with the small stolen moments because he thinks she’s unobtainable and frankly deserves better. She’s a young, brilliant, gorgeous badass while he’s just...Jack.

I think this changes after POV. Yes, he still thinks she’s way out of his league, but this is the second alternate reality they’ve encountered where they’ve ended up together and not just together but engaged/married. Those other Jacks apparently did something right that convinced their Sams to say yes and they couldn’t have been too much different than him, could they? He allows himself to dwell in the possibility, but he still questions if this Sam—his Sam—could feel the same way.

They go to hell and back to save Dad and then comes A Hundred Days. I hate that it’s never addressed on screen, but I like to believe that somewhere between Shades of Grey and Crystal Skull, Jack gets the full picture of the lengths Sam went to when he was stranded. How could he not admit to himself that he loves this woman who literally defied the laws of physics to save him. And maybe, just maybe, she feels the same way—which brings us to Nemesis and the first invitation to go fishing.

Ok let’s take a step back a moment and get caught up with Sam.

She also develops a crush early on as she learns that there’s more to Jack under the rough exterior. You know that she’s read his file and no doubt she had some preconceptions evident by the way she came guns a blazing during the first briefing. However, the more she's around him, the more she realizes that he is as gentle with what/who he cares about as he is dangerous to those who dare threaten what he cares about. He loves and protects with the same fierceness.

Also c’mon how can you not fall in love with a man who’s as good with kids and dogs as Jack.

I do think Sam fell first but he’s still her CO and it’s not like she can do anything about it, so she avoids facing it. I can’t pinpoint down a specific episode because I think it was definitely a gradual thing which made it easier to bury. But in my opinion, she’s definitely in love by Out of Mind/Into the Fire. (Even if she wasn’t defying orders, she goes straight to find him even though as far as she knows he’s a Goa’uld!) She wouldn’t admit it to herself at this point and maybe didn’t even realize it. Regardless, there’s no running away from it in A Hundred Days.

She’s understandably hurt at the end of that episode and then of course comes Shades of Grey. Sam’s face when Jack tells her that he hasn’t been acting like himself since he met her…and then later he elects to go back to the planet she just spent every waking moment for 3+ months trying to bring him home from…🥺. Even though she knows he was playing a role, I can only imagine that a part of her is left to wonder how much of it might be true.

Ok that brings us back to Nemesis. By this point, both have realized that they love the other person. Jack thinks Sam might feel the same way. They’ve mostly patched things up post-Shades of Grey (enough to work together at least), but Sam still has some doubts.

Now imagine Jack trying to work up the nerve to ask her to come to his cabin with him. He stops to check on Daniel in the infirmary first and throws out the idea—maybe she’ll go if Daniel goes. When it’s obvious Daniel better listen to the Doc, he heads out. Entering the elevator, his finger hovers over the buttons until finally he pushes “19” and finds himself shielding his eyes from the sparks as he enters her lab.

Invitation is offered. However, she doesn’t catch on. Gah why am I so bad at this? he thinks.

She hesitates. He quickly brushes it off trying to save face. Maybe he read too much into it. Must. Escape. Now.

Jack is actually really kind of bummed. If you look closely when he’s leaving her lab, he has this little quirk with his mouth thinking “well that didn’t go as planned.” Sam was genuinely surprised. She kicks herself for hesitating and making him think she’s completely opposed to the idea so she runs after him.

You can feel the emotions in their looks in the hallway. He makes one final attempt. She really wants to say yes but just can’t seem to take the final step. Then he gets beamed away, they save the world, and now fast forward to Small Victories.

Ok…now SOMETHING happened on P4X-234. How much exactly idk but something happened on that planet and there’s a very noticeable shift. Just look at how comfortable and flirty they are compared to the scene in Nemesis.

No hesitancy from Sam. No disappointment from Jack. No feelings of potential regret or uncertainty. Just flirty looks and smiles.

At the very least, they’ve acknowledged that they like each other more than they’re supposed to. They’ve just saved the world for like the third time, but who’s counting—Teal’c that’s who—and now have to wait out a return home. Eventually, Jack realizes that it may not be Minnesota, but he kind of got his vacation with Sam where there are no doohickeys or end of the world crises to distract her. It’s just them and their oh-so-knowing observant Jaffa friend who occasionally makes himself scarce.

It’s nice and peaceful on the planet where they can just enjoy each other’s company away from the reminders of the war they’re fighting. They’re surprised that it comes easy and natural. At some point they have a conversation of sorts about how one day when the world doesn’t need saving from bugs and snakes, that maybe life could look a lot like this. They go home with the hope and promise of some day in their hearts and for now that is enough.

Then Anise arrives with those damn armbands and we have the point of no return. They're faced with fact that some day may never come. I know D&C is where we get as close to a verbal love confession from Jack, but if you ask me—which you sort of did—they had already confessed their love to each other on opposite sides of that force field. For two people whose non-verbal communication means everything, those looks say everything.

How Sam ever decided to listen to her concussed self that this man doesn’t have feelings for her is beyond me but that’s a rant for another day.

This turned out a lot longer than I intended, but I just love talking about these two. Thanks for the ask! 😊

#stargate sg1 #stargate #sam x jack #jack/sam #jack o’neill #samantha carter #never ending otp #this got long #oopsie #sorry if this was more than you bargained for #i’ve thought a lot about it #but not in the context of actively watching episodes #i want to pay more attention to this in my next rewatch #i’d love to hear others’ thoughts! #mels answers #*sam/jack

[the-hinky-panda]

The Gin Blossom: Part II

Title: The Gin Blossom

Rating: Explicit

Pairing: Gilly Lopez x Reader

Summary: You thought you had your life all planned out until everything changed. Finding yourself a young widow, you turn an Airstream trailer into a food truck and tour the southwest. You met Riz and Songbird (from @bullet-prooflove's stories) and when they invite you to visit the revitalized town of Santo Padre, you find that maybe home isn't out of reach for you.

You expect Riz to come back around at the end of the concert to help you pack up, but it’s someone else who is standing outside the backdoor of the airstream. You have to admit, you’re not disappointed at all at seeing Gilly’s surprise appearance. He’s standing off to the side, making sure to be under one of the strings of Edison bulbs hanging around the food truck area, hands in his kutte and a small smile on his face. 

“I don’t know if you remember-” 

“Gilly,” you answer immediately, trying to reign in the smile that is threatening to take over your face. “I remember you.” 

He ducks his head briefly. “I, uh, I was just wondering if you needed some help cleaning up, getting things put away.” 

You stand to the side of the door, holding it open with your arm and giving him room to enter into the trailer. “I would love some help. Riz usually helps if we’re at the same festival but, well…you know.” 

He passes through the door and looks around the kitchen space. “You know what?” 

“Songbird’s wearing that black silk dress tonight. We’re not going to see them until the wee small hours of the morning.” 

He laughs once. “So it’s the dress. Huh.” 

“And now you know.” 

“And I kind of wish I didn’t.” 

You watch as he looks around the small interior of the Airstream trailer. Most of the space is dedicated to the kitchen and storage of gin bottles. You can see him analyzing the space, how everything, other than the dishes in the sink, is in its place. Every surface is spit shined and squeaky clean. 

“What branch are you?” 

You pull up the sleeve on your sweatshirt and show him the tattoo on your inner forearm and he nods appreciatively. 

“Marine. I should have known when I could see myself in the grill hood of a food truck.” 

You unplug the fairy lights and start pulling the napkin dispensers from the front window. “Never had a failed health inspection.” 

“I believe it. So, what can I help with?” 

“How do you feel about doing dishes?” 

He starts to roll up the sleeves of his flannel shirt. “Like I’m about to do some.” 

You watch him out of the corner of your eye as he starts to do the dishes. He’s methodical, precise, and the plates and cups are spotless when they’re placed on the four tiered drying rack. “So what branch are you?” 

“Army Ranger.” 

“Impressive,” you say and you mean it. Rangers were a badass unit but that didn’t mean she couldn’t have some fun with him. “I guess when you can’t make it in the Marines, Rangers are a good back up.” 

He emits that loud, barrel-chested laugh that you remember from before. “Oh, is that how it’s going to be then?” 

A good natured silence fills the airstream as you continue with your closing routine. By the time all supplies are properly stowed and you pull the blinds down on the front service window, Gilly is finishing up with the last few plates. 

“Good timing,” you say as you reach for a bottle of gin that you think he will like. “Do you have time for a thank you drink?” 

“As long as you join me for it.” 

You grab two leaded glass tumblers from your personal dishware and head back outside. It has to be close to two in the morning. All patrons of the festival have left, the stage is dark, and all the food trucks are closed up. It’s peaceful now that the noise of people, music, and generators have all quieted. The edison lights that provided light around the area are still on though and Ginny finds a picnic table underneath them not far from her trailer. She pours the gin into the glasses and hands Gilly one before sitting on the top of the table. He takes a sip and settles beside her. 

“This is good. Sharp. Clean.” 

“It’s the lime infused gin. It’s light and fresh. I thought you might like it since you liked the blood orange as well.” 

“How many flavors do you have?” 

“In the airstream? About eight to ten. My sister and brother-in-law currently have about thirty-three in production.” 

“No shit. Where are they located?” 

“Northern Cali, Redding.” 

Gilly nods. “It’s beautiful up there.” 

“It is. The redwoods are incredible to see. They have a lovely home, lots of acreage. When I lost my husband, they offered me a couple acres to build a home there with them. I almost took them up on it.” 

“So what stopped you?” 

“It wasn’t home.” You look up at the stars above you, the sky stretching endlessly across the desert. “It was nice. It was beautiful. But…” 

“Yeah. I get that. When I came back from my last tour, my friends all settled in a suburb of San Diego. They tried getting me to buy a house there too but it didn’t feel right.” 

“So how did you end up down here?” 

Gilly laughs and shakes his head. “I don’t know if you want to hear the whole story about that. I’m trying to impress you here.” 

You feel heat rise to your face at his comment. “Remember, I’m a marine. I’m hard to scare.” 

“Alright, here goes.” He finishes the gin in one go and you refill his glass. “I was…a mess when I got back from Afghanistan. I was drinking, getting high, picking fights with guys who were bigger than me.” 

“There’s guys bigger than you?” 

You both laugh easily at the comment. But you know that feeling too. War is a terrible thing. You do things that you would never dream yourself capable of doing. You remember the first time you had to shoot a teenage boy because he was trying to detonate an IED next to one of the tanks. He still shows up in your dreams at times. Bloody, mangled, accusatory. 

“One night in San Diego,” Gilly continues, “after spending the day with my friends, I was so fucked up. I went to the most dangerous part of town, and picked the worst looking bar there was. I bumped a guy who was coming out and…I just swung. I wanted someone to put me out of misery because I couldn’t do it myself. Well, I got a couple good swings in but this guy just leveled me. I woke up propped up outside the bar with a business card tucked in my shirt pocket for Romero Brother’s Scrap Business.” 

“So who was it?” 

“It was Hank. I called him later that day and he told me that there was a new charter of Mayans being formed down in Santo Padre and they were looking for some muscle. I packed my shit and moved that day.” 

“The brotherhood found you.” 

“They did.” He takes another sip. “What about you? What’s your brotherhood stateside?” 

You finish off your gin, letting the sharp tang of juniper berries and lime sit on your tongue. You could lie and tell him your brotherhood is your family. Or that you still keep in touch with your division. You could make up an elaborate tale of having a brotherhood in every town you visit. But you don’t. Because if anyone is going to understand your situation, it would be the man sitting next to you. The man who just opened his backstory to you with no deceit whatsoever. He deserved the same from you. 

“I haven’t found it yet. That’s why I travel so much. I'm still searching for it.” 

“You’ll know it when you find it.” Gilly laughs. “As fucking cliche as that sounds.” 

Before you can respond to him, a flash of movement draws your attention over to where a few cars and trucks are still parked. You see the Edison lights reflect off Riz and Songbird’s silver jewelry. She still has the black silk dress on, but there are obvious wrinkles in it from being bunched up in Riz’s fists. They still can’t keep their hands off each other, stealing kisses, their hands entwined as they make their way to Riz’s truck. You watch them climb into the cab, Songbird curling up next to him as he starts the truck and pulls out of the lot. 

“No,” you say, “that’s not cliche at all.” 

#gilly lopez x you #gilly lopez x reader #gilly lopez drabble #gilberto gilly lopez fic #gilly lopez fic

[angel-jada]

1NC0M1NG CH4T FR0M . . . . . RORONOA ZORO

✩ F0RUM N4M3 . . . . . KUNOICHI

✩ F0RUM C0NT3NT . . . . . the slightest hint of sip zoro, the story of how you met the strawhat crew ( and your swordsman ), f! reader, you’re a badass, Luffy saves you, nothing too crazy

✩ 4UD10 R3CS . . . . . I WANNA BE YOURS / arctic monkeys

I can’t believe I didn’t account for this. I am such an idiot.

You knew the creak of a disembarking ship all too well, which only told you that the Strawhats were back way before the estimated time.

This is the last time I trust Kovu with gathering intel.

Sighing, you placed the rolled up prints of poneglyph in their respective tubes, then tied them to your back, silently ducking into the shadows when hearing footsteps outside the door.

You were currently aboard the Thousand Sunny, the flagship of the Strawhats, trying to steal their poneglyph prints for your boss.

It was a simple job, too. They were docked at some random island for supplies, the reindeer that was left behind to watch the ship had fallen asleep, and it was broad daylight.

No one would suspect a thing.

You should’ve been back on land by now, handing over the prints and finally breaking free from his abusive reign.

This job was your ticket to freedom.

Yet Kovu just had to fuck shit up.

I can’t stayed holed up in this room forever. They’ll get too far from land.

With a huff, you slowly opened the door, happy to sense that no one was around.

I need to find a way to get to the back of the ship. I can jump from there, and probably swim back.

You ran lightly towards the stairs, happy you went barefoot for this mission instead of using your getas.

There was no possible way to get back there without being seen, so the least you could do was be fast about it.

You were up the stairs in a blink and now running straight for the gigantic cannon-looking thing attached to the back of the boat.

Almost home free.

For the first time in who remembers when, you smiled, freedom just in reach.

Until it wasn’t.

“YOHOHOHOHO! Um, guys! There’s a lovely lady that is trying to sneak off the ship! AHHHHH! SHE HAS THE PONEGLYPHS!” A skeleton man shrieked, landing in front of and blocking your easy exit, drawing a sword from his cane.

Dammit! Time to try the front!

You back flipped, twisting yourself in the air so you landed the opposite way, allowing you to book it in the other direction.

“You can’t be serious!” an redheaded woman exclaimed, running up the steps and to the back deck with a small orange and white staff in hand.

Cat Burglar Nami.

She ran at you, the staff extending into something much larger.

She swung, aiming for your head but you dropped into a side lunge, using your extended leg to sweep her feet and knock her on her ass.

You grabbed her staff as he was distracted, squeezing it by accident. Out of nowhere, it extended impossibly long, shooting you into the air.

Luck may be on my side today.

You smirked as you flew up the side of the mast, getting about halfway up before planting your feet on it, running up the rest of the way.

You managed to get to the yard, perching yourself so you could look for another form of escape, when you sensed something.

Nico Robin.

You jumped off the yard, grabbing onto it like a monkey bar just as four pale arms sprouted from the wood, attempting to grab you.

“Whoa! That’s so cool!” a giddy voice exclaimed from below.

Your gaze slowly shifted to the deck below, only to see that trademark hat, and the notorious man that it rested on.

Strawhat!

You could sense another attack coming your way so you swung yourself as if you were on uneven bars and let go, flying into the air.

“Is she nuts?! She’s gonna kill herself from that height!” a large man with weirdly shaped blue hair exclaimed from below.

Cyborg Franky.

The swing was too short. You wouldn’t go overboard.

Curse these heavy cuffs!

One silver cuff was attached to each of your ankles, their being there out of your control.

Noticing you were getting dangerously close to the ground, you imbued your legs with some haki and landed safely, creating a small crater on the grassy deck.

As the dust settled, you realized you were surrounded by Strawhat, Zoro, and Blackfoot.

Shit.

“GAHHHH! SHE’S SO GORGEOUS! LOOK AT HER SHORT KIMONO!” Sanji shrieked as his eyes turned into hearts and blood shot from his nose.

Despite the blonde man’s...awkward display, you sensed another pair of eyes on you, so much so that it practically burned.

The Pirate Hunter?

The second you turned to him, your heart caught in your throat.

You had seen his face on his wanted poster a few times before, and you’d be stupid to deny that he wasn’t a handsome man, but looking at him in the flesh... the pictures didn’t even begin to do him justice.

And before you even realized, the two of you locked eyes, and in an instant, it felt as if your legs turned to jelly.

A warm, fluttery feeling spread throughout your stomach, and it felt as if everything else in the world had stopped.

What is this? Was I poisoned?

Just going off his glare, you could already tell that most cowered under his gaze. So why were you reacting this way?

You mentally slapped yourself.

You have to focus.

“You. What are you doing on my ship? And why are you stealing Robin’s poneglyphs?” Strawhat asked seriously, his face quite the contrast from his giddy expression before.

You sighed.

There was no way you could lie out of this mess.

“I am a kunoichi of Iguro clan. And I have been ordered to steal your poneglyph prints,” you stated, your tone firm.

“Any idea why?” Nami asked, her and the rest of the crew walking over.

“None. I am left completely in the dark,” you shook your head.

Your expression quickly turned determined.

“But I do know that this final job is my one way ticket out of hell, so peacefully or not, I’m leaving.”

You lowered yourself into a fighting stance, glaring at Strawhat as his lips grew a smirk.

He cracked his knuckles. “Alright then.”

“Luffy you better not hurt her!” Sanji fumed from the side.

Using your haki, you peered into the near future to see him punch you with an extended arm.

Can’t have that.

“Gum Gum Pistol!”

You tilted to the side, avoiding his hit with ease.

The entire crew gaped, save for Zoro.

Strawhat’s grin grew even larger, if that was possible, and wound up both arms.

A barrage of fists.

“Gum Gum Gatling!”

The barrage came quickly, but you dodged just like the first, flipping, lunging, and performing splits to dodge.

Imbuing your arms with haki, you grabbed one of his arms, harshly pulling him towards you. And like a bungee cord, he came, and you slammed a flattened hand into the pressure point on his neck, knocking him out.

“Luffy!” the crew exclaimed.

Zoro quickly drew two of his swords and ran for you, so you immediately dropped his captain and drew your own katana, meeting his two with a loud clash.

He smirked, which made that fluttery feeling return to your stomach. “I see you use Ittoryu.”

You smirked right back. “I’m knowledgeable in the style, yes.”

The both of you pushed off, returning to your stances before running at each other again.

Swords flew through the air as the both of you met the others attack perfectly.

You lunged into an attack, but he blocked it yet again, so you hook the outstretched foot to his ankle, deepening your lunge to pull him down.

He grunted, doing everything he could to keep his stance planted and balanced, so you imbued your foot with haki, and he did the same for his.

He seemed almost amused at the fact that you were still pushing your sword against his, openly showing that you were incredibly close to him in strength.

Not even Tashigi could do that.

And not only was he amused by the woman in front of him, but in silent awe.

Sure, your beauty was what caught his attention first. You had every feature that a woman would kill for.

Smooth, chestnut skin, plump lips, beautiful hip dips and curves, and beautiful (e/c) pearls, that looked as if they held galaxies in your glance.

But now that he saw your fighting prowess and raw strength along with it, well you could say you had him hook, line, and sinker.

You still kept strong, keeping your sword firm in it’s place as the Pirate Hunter continued to push down.

That is, until the pain equivalent of a thousand lightning bolts stemmed from your ankles, and you let on a cry of pain.

No! Not now!

Zoro realized this and quickly pulled away his swords before the electricity could be conducted to him.

You dropped your katana, falling over as you held yourself in agony, muffling your shouts of pain on your forearm.

“What’s wrong? What did you do to her, marimo?!” Sanji asked, yelling at the green-haired swordsman.

“I didn’t do anything to her!” Zoro fired back, glaring at the cook.

He didn’t know why, but seeing you in so much pain made him hurt. It was a sharp pulling feeling, as if his heart was on a string connected to you.

“The shocks seem to be coming from her ankles,” Robin pointed out, everyone’s attention turning to the cuffs that adorned your feet.

“How do we get it off her? ‘Cause that looks super painful,” Franky asked, grimacing at the sight of you writhing in pain.

It was then that Strawhat got back up from the ground, looking at you with a blank face.

“Oi, (y/n), can you hear me?” your boss asked, his voice coming from the cuffs.

“Shit,” you cursed, weakly trying to get up.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” you could practically hear his smirk of the other side.

“Lemme cut to the chase. You failed your mission, plain and simple. So you know the consequences.”

Your eyes went wide and tears threatened to spill as you realized what he meant.

“No!” you emptily gasped, trying to speak through the pain. “I’ve...I’ve worked with you for 10 years! My debt is paid! We had an agreement!”

“You stupid girl!” he shouted. “I was never going to honor our agreement! You’re too good of an assets to pass up! You will work under me for the rest of your pathetic, little life!”

The ship went dead silent, the Strawhat crew looking at you sorrily as tears poured down your cheeks.

10 years of your life, gone. All because you believed the word of a pirate.

He was right. You really were a stupid.

Painfully, you turned to Strawhat, who looked over the situation intently.

That’s when you got an idea. And settled on it in a blink.

Down on your hands and knees, you bowed your head to the captain, the rest of the crew letting out quiet gasps.

“Strawhat, I...hnnggh...I apologize for knocking you out earlier and...un-understand that I am in no place to ask you for such a favor but,”

You lowered your head to the ground, accepting that you would have to die in a state of embarrassment and weakness.

“Please kill me.”

If you thought the crew was shocked before, they were flabbergasted now.

Even Zoro.

“I’ve wasted the last 10 years of my life with that monster. And now that there is no end in sight, I do not wish to live.”

Strawhat kept the same neutral face as he slowly approached.

You took a deep breath, smiling as you realized your suffering would soon be over, and the bliss of nothingness would welcome you.

But it never came.

Strawhat instead walked past you, silently, and you understood.

I should’ve known.

Such a favor couldn’t be done for someone who just stole from him.

Suddenly, you felt the weight release from your ankles, and the shocks stop.

Your eyes shot wide as you lifted your head, snapping your head around to see that Strawhat had broken off the cuffs for you.

“Hey, guy! I don’t know if you can hear me anymore, but know that (y/n) is under my protection! And she won’t be paying back your stupid debt anymore!” he shouted into the broken pieces.

The small stream of tears that were rolling down your cheeks were now complete waterfalls.

In one motion, a man that you had just met, a man that you tried to steal from, had set you free. After 10 years of hellish torture, you were finally free.

But you still tried to compose yourself, sniffling as he turned back around to face you.

“Why didn’t you kill me?” you quietly asked, looking away from the man.

His smile grew into full on grin. “All you needed was a little help, there was no reason to kill you.”

Your eyes went wide.

There was no way. This had to be a trick.

“Next time just ask.”

Your ears perked at that part.

“Next time?” you asked.

“Oh, yeah! I meant to ask. Do ya wanna join my crew? It’d be so cool if we had a kunoichi!” He cheesed.

You were shocked to say the least, looking over the rest of the crew’s faces to see that they were smiling as well.

Never before had you been met with such kindness. He wasn’t even getting anything in return.

You sniffled, clearing your throat. “I would like that,” you smiled, looking down at the ground.

And as he cheered, and ordered Black Leg to cook a banquet in celebration, you wiped a stray tear from your cheek, looking up to the clear, blue sky.

Strawhat Luffy would never know the bounds of your thanks.

You could never repay him.

#one piece #one piece fluff #one piece angst #roanoa zoro #zoro x reader #roronoa zoro #roronoa x reader #zoro x y/n #roronoa zoro x reader #roronoa zoro x y/n

[hueberryshortcake]

I remember there being this one commenter on ao3 who would comment on like any story that mentioned Donald Duck just to say things like, “he’s actually badass, you aren’t making him fight enough” or saying that they made him too weak even calling people out if they said wasn’t the best cook. And it’s so weird how when people put him on a pedestal and ignore his flaws they basically end up making him into a different charecter entirely.

none of my friends are quite equipped to handle the breadth of my mind so when I get sent good asks you bet I'm gonna answer them. what follows is a bunch of thoughts about Donald and writing in general and ao3 and idk if they're relevant anymore but i wrote them

dude I'm so scared all the time of mischaracterizing characters to make them fit who I think they're supposed to be like I'm constantly thinking through and double checking that it makes sense for them

because a good interaction with characters that feel like themselves is what I want to read because that's what's good, especially if it sort of plays characters against each other / themselves in a new way. so I'm like ??? when people are so heavy on skewing a character one way or another.

like Donald isn't perfect ig because nobody is but I also don't think he's deeply flawed either but he does have some Character Traits. that you should stick to. he's kind of interesting from a writing standpoint, along with Scrooge in particular and even the triplets, because he's got such a long-standing mythos in Disney and Duckverse history that there is a lot of leeway if you want it.

"would Donald do [x]?" well maybe Donald Duck (dt17) wouldn't but Barks Donald would. or Rosa Donald wouldn't and neither would dt Donald but Italian Donald from x author's run in x year totally would. Paperinik is more likely to act this way than The Three Musketeers Donald.

this is extra complex because you're dealing with cartoon characters who act cartoonishly because they're from the origin of modern cinema and entertainment and they were created for slapstick gags and developed for propaganda. "would Donald respond like [x] or like [y]?" well x is a more slapstick caricature response that emphasizes the lightheartedness of the story and lowers the stakes, while y is a more dramatic action that humanizes him and those around him and ups our investment.

so like. is Donald "badass enough?" I mean dude idk depends on the story depends on the tone depends on the stakes depends on a lot. Donald is super badass (dt17 s1 finale) Donald is a total lame loser (the town where everyone was nice) and I do think you, random ao3 commenter who's being nit picky, need to acknowledge that or you're making him way less interesting than he actually is

also people are so weird on ao3 sometimes I'm sorry. like I'm gonna be honest I have HIGH standards when it comes to fanfiction because I know what I want and I know how I interpret characters and I think I'm right about everything and when people disagree with me which is often (because I accidentally got invested in a children's show which unfortunately leads to a lot of children being involved) I get annoyed and You Know What I Do. I close my ao3 and then I privately tell CycleGirl "you are not going to believe this thing that he would not fucking say" and then she says "that's nice caoimhin lets get you to bed" and it ends

#ask #hueberry shortcake