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lumilasi · 3 years

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I’ve been struggling to write this one for a month or something now, so I decided to give y’all a sneak peek on the latest Spinaraki one-shot request I’m writing. IDK when I’ll finish it tho, I’m still struggling to decide how to end it. Also I’ve been wanting to focus on writing all the remaining chapters for Depths as that one is nearly finished. Tomura/Tenko is almost home.

Anyway, here’s the sneak peek:

Going through the third week, the weather was still very warm, so warm that Spinner finds Tomura awake one night, clearly unable to sleep due to the heat - or maybe he was insomniac, at this point he wasn’t sure.

Tomura was only wearing loose-fitting black pants with a thin canvas to them, glancing up at him from the couch he’d sat on, TV running in the background while kept on low volume, probably had been to try and not wake him up. Spinner could tell he was sweaty from the heat with how his hair was sticking to his skull. It was totally just the hair he was looking, not anything else.

”Your AC seems to be malfunctioning.”

Checking on it, Spinner notes he was right.

”Damn. I’m sorry. Guess gotta call someone to repair it tomorrow.”

”M’fine. Used to sleeping very little anyway.”

Huh, so maybe he was insomniac?

Spinner sits down next to him hesitantly, trying his best not to look while also kind of looking - again. What was with him lately anyway? He’d seen people half naked before during his schooldays in boys’ locker room, and on the beach and so on. Why did Tomura being like that bother him so much?

”Heh. Spooky folklore and urban legends reruns during the night? Guess it makes sense, fits with the dark atmosphere.”

Spinner looks up at the TV screen, quickly realizing what Tomura meant. There was a show he’d seen before, talking about urban legends across the country. This episode was one he hadn’t seen before, revolving around ancient ninjas or something.

”Well would ya look at that? What a coincidence.”

Tomura muses out and Spinner looks at him confused, before looking back at the TV. The episode legend was talking about some sort of group of supposed near mythical ninjas of assassins or something. Wait weren’t those kinda the same thing?

”What’s this legend about? Never heard of it.”

”It’s called the Yokai King. A master assassin of legendary skill that people to this day debate whenever he existed. According to the legend all the assassins under his command were some form of yokai, from bakenekos to kitsunes, and even a jorogumo.”

”W-what? Really?”

Tomura shrugs, cracking his neck slightly.

”From what I understand - and what the show is talking about right now - it is suspected the ”yokai’ were just humans who used a name of a creature to describe them. There are some rumors that these people might’ve had special kind of mutations that give no outward changes but ’internal’ abilities that cannot be seen.”

”Huh...that’s...kinda cool? I mean as a legend, the assassin part is a bit...”

”To be fair, the legend states the Yokai king only sends his ilk against those he deems unworthy of life. In most stories the victims of his children - as these underlings are called, though how many of them actually are his kids is a debated matter - have been criminals of worst kind. Child abusers, rapists, serial killers, stuff like that. Rich Tax frauders.”

”.....what?”

Tomura turns to look at him with a smirk. That smile was giving him a weird funny feeling, but Spinner was too focused in on the story to care about it.

”There’s more modern versions of the tale about his ’children’ going after rich landlords who abuse their wealth.”

”So they just...”

Spinner makes a slitting motion across his throat, gaining a slight shake of head from Tomura.

”Not always. The ’death’ dished out isn’t always physical. Sometimes it can be mental, social, or financial kind. Tax frauders end up dirt poor, prideful child abuser holding up appearances gets shunned away from their community, etc. To some people there are fates worse than simple death.”

”O-oh...”

”Yeah. I think in a lot of tales the King typically has four assassins; one for each type of ’death.”

Tomura holds up his finger now, smirking amused at how closely he was listening.

”First, is the ’financial death’ often known with the nickname Tanuki. This one is typically the one in charge of dealing with unruly greedy people and leaders, making sure they lose all they hold dear - their finances and influence typically.”

”Why Tanuki?”

”There’s lotta stories about it. Some say the first holder of this title in the legend was an actual one, or had Tanuki-like tendencies with gambling, playing tricks on people and such.”

Tomura shrugs, glancing at the TV briefly. The program was currently discussing this same topic, but Spinner found himself more interested in hearing Tomura tell it, as he seemed to have knowledge of the legend.

”Second is usually either known as the Jorogumo or Snow woman. As you can guess this ’child’ is typically a woman in these legends, often linked to the more psychological death - though arguably they also often literally kill their prey. She is often depicted as stalking their victim for a while, keeping an eye on them and causing psychological turmoil. Other times she’s said to even lure the victims into a trap, until it is too late.”

”...Kind of clicheed in a way, that the woman does that.”

”That’s how these old folk tales are. Didn’t make ’em. Plus there have been some stories from what I remember that dispute whenever this ’child’ was always a woman.”

Tomura shrugs and cracks his neck, now holding up a third finger. His red eyes looked almost like they were shining in the surrounding darkness, with the TV screen reflected on them. It was kind of eerie but also mesmerizing to look at.

”Third, the kitsune, is said to be the one for social deaths. This one will burn all the bridges around you, making you isolated for everything and everyone you had control over, before devouring you. In the same sense the kitsune also protects the victims from the person they punish.”

”And...the...last one?”

Tomura holds up a fourth finger now, the light from TV dimming down as the screen switched to a darker scene.

”The Shinigami. The ultimate death. This one’s often said to be the yokai king’s strongest child, for they represent an absolute death. No mercy, no second chances. If this child goes after you, you are a goner.”

Tomura drops his hand slowly, and Spinner swallows down hard, frozen in place. He stares at the pale face for a long moment, up until Tomura closes his eyes suddenly, starting to snicker. It eventually grows into a full blown laughter, making Spinner blush and frown, asking what was so funny.

”Your face! You’re real freaked out.”

Shigaraki laughs and tries to get his breath back under control, wheezing almost.

”It’s a folktale Spinner, a legend. Not real. Relax.”

”Can you blame me for getting spooked? It’s dark and you’re really good at storytelling stuff like this apparently!”

#spinaraki #fic sneak peek #this scene is Tomura lowkey telling Spinner exactly what he is #but Spinner doesn’t realize it lmao #you’ll understand once I finish this thing #shigaraki tomura #bnha tomura #spinner x shigaraki #bnha spinner

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plaidbooks · 3 years

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Asthma

A/N: This is a Sonny Carisi x reader fic and as the title may suggest, it’s about asthma! I have asthma, and something like this happened to me (thank god for friends who know how to use inhalers). Please be aware that not all asthma works like this, and it’s highly specific to myself and how my asthma is. anyways, hope y’all enjoy.

P.S. I have a headcanon that Sonny switches to Italian when stressed/upset/scared because it calms him down

Tags: asthma attacks/lack of oxygen, near-death experiences

Words: 1722

Taglist: @witches-unruly-heart @beccabarba @thatesqcrush @itsjustmyfantasyroom @stardust-fray @permanentlydizzy @infiniteoddball @ben-c-group-therapy @glowingmess @whimsicallymad @lv7867 @storiesofsvu @cycat4077 @barbasimp @alwaysachorusgirl @glimmerglittergirl @reading--mermaid @averyhotchner @mrsrafaelbarba @detective-giggles @crowleysqueenofhell @dreamlover31

Translations: Merda = shit

Fanculo = fuck

Stai bene? = are you ok?

come funziona di nuovo? = How does this work again?

Non farlo di nuovo! = Don’t do that again!

~~~~~~~~~~

You had been running around all day in the New York City heat and humidity, your lungs burning as you finally made it home. You’d think after living here for so long, you’d be used to the oppressive air by now, but you still had breathing issues. Which is why you had two albuterol inhalers for your asthma—one in your purse and one on the counter in the kitchen. Your kitchen was in the middle of your apartment and made the most sense logistically as to where to keep it—it was the perfect distance whether you were coming from the bedroom or the living room.

You had only really had a bad asthma attack once before, and you knew that you had a good 5-10 seconds before you’d lose consciousness. But that was also dependent on how much you panicked; if your brain went into overdrive, then you’d start breathing harder and you’d run out of air faster. It was all about mind over matter, but sometimes, even with mild attacks, it was hard to not panic. It was the natural response to not being able to breathe.

Collapsing onto the couch, you turned your laptop on, hoping to just relax with some funny videos on youtube for the night until your boyfriend, Sonny, came home. Since becoming an ADA, he was coming home earlier than when he was a detective. Though he usually brought cases home with him, working on the coffee table until late in the evening. You didn’t mind; at least you could sit with him, keep each other company, even talk when he wasn’t super invested. Plus, you loved when he’d stand in front of you, running you through his closing arguments or his cross as if you were a witness.

***********************

You lost track of time as you laughed heartily at a video, your laughter erupting out of you. You clutched your stomach in pain, tears in your eyes as you laughed. Then, you went to suck in a lungful of air. But nothing happened. You tried again and got a weird rasping sound in your throat. Your eyes went wide as you realized what had happened; you had laughed so hard, you were having an asthma attack. Panic swept through you and you sprung to your feet. But it had been a while now—seconds, though they stretched on—without air, and you were suddenly light-headed. Your lungs burned and it was like a sledgehammer was being pressed upon your chest. You gasped for breath but got nothing in return. Glancing through your fading vision at the kitchen, you took one step, then another, your senses slowly turning off before darkness overtook you.

***

Sonny walked down the hallway to the apartment he shared with you, whistling a tune. Today had gone surprisingly well, and he was off much earlier than he expected, with the weekend stretched before him. He even left all his case files at work, not bothering to work anymore once he left the office for the night.

Digging his key out of his pocket, he went to unlock the door. There was a loud thud from inside the apartment, and Sonny froze.

“Doll?” he called out. He pressed his ear to the door, his hand fumbling for the keyhole. There was no response, and it made his panic rise like bile in his throat. His hand was shaking so badly, he had to steady it with his other hand to get the key in. But in his hurry, he turned it too hard, snapping the key in the keyhole.

Sonny took a step back, braced himself, then kicked the door open, the wood splintering. He rushed in, glancing around until he found you, laying on your side, unmoving.

“Merda! Stai bene?” he asked, making his way over to you. Sonny knelt down, rolling you onto your back. Your chest was barely moving, and you were rasping with every breath. He knew about your asthma, but he had never seen you like this and had not expected it.

Sonny hurried to the kitchen, snatching your inhaler off the counter. He rushed back to you, your breathing much more shallow now, even after a few seconds.

“Fanculo, fanculo…come funziona di nuovo?” he muttered to himself, shaking the inhaler in his hand. He’d never needed to use it before, and you showed him how so long ago…. He ripped the cap off, placing it gently in your mouth. Feeling like he was hurting rather than helping, he plugged your nose as he pressed the cylinder with the medicine down, hearing the spray go into your mouth.

He waited, counting in his head to ten, all the while mumbling, “merda, merda, merda,” over and over again like a mantra. Once he hit ten, he released your nose and took the inhaler from your mouth. Slowly, you started taking deeper and deeper breaths, and your eyelids fluttered before opening.

***

Your chest was on fire and your throat burned as you came to, groggy and disoriented. Though, your mind was rushing, in the way that only your asthma medication did to you—it was a breathable steroid/adrenaline. When your eyes focused, you saw Sonny leaning over you, looking worried to death. But when he saw your eyes opened, a wide grin of relief spread across his face.

“Fanculo! Non farlo di nuovo!” he said, helping you to sit up.

You winced at the motion, giving him a look. “W-what? You’re speaking Italian, Dom.”

“I-I know…I do that when I’m scared. It calms me.”

You chuckled lightly, but grimace as pain broke through your chest. “That’s not helpful when I don’t know what you’re saying.”

“Never mind; can you get up? I need to take you to the hospital—”

“No,” you replied. “I’m fine—I’ll be fine. Just…help me to the couch.”

Sonny gave you a hard look before he helped you stand, guiding you to the couch. “You should still go to the hospital; who knows how long you were on the ground without air?”

“Was I still breathing when you used the inhaler?” you asked. You held out your hand for it, and Sonny passed you the little piece of plastic that had just saved your life.

“Y-yeah, but barely—”

“Then I’m fine.” You glanced at Sonny, who was gearing up for an argument, and you sighed. “If I were to go to the hospital right now, they’ll either do nothing or just give me another dose of albuterol, Dom. Honestly, I’m fine, okay?” He still looked willing to argue, so you added, “I know it must’ve been…bad, seeing me on the ground like that. But I promise you I’m okay.”

Sonny let out a long sigh, rubbing his face with both hands. “Okay. I trust your judgement with your own medical issues.” He sat down on the couch next to you. “But run me through how to use the inhaler again—I wanna make sure I did it right. And please explain to me what the hell happened.”

You chuckled, raising the inhaler—you were going to take a second dose, anyway, to get rid of the pain in your chest. Sonny watched intently, happy to find that even in his panic, he had, in fact, done it correctly. As you held your breath, letting the medication work its way into your lungs, your eyes travelled to the front door, still ajar, the frame in pieces.

“Sonny, what the fuck?” you coughed out.

His eyes followed yours and he swallowed. “I, uh, I forgot I did that,” he replied, smiling sheepishly.

“Well now what do we do? We can’t leave our place open like this,” you glanced at the time; it was late, and no hardware store would be open for new doors. And you were pretty sure your landlord was going to be pissed.

“It’s fine; I can make it so it looks closed. If you don’t feel safe, we can go to a hotel until I fix it tomorrow,” Sonny said, standing. You nodded and he was off, packing an overnight bag for you both.

*******************

By the time you were at the hotel, you were exhausted. The effects of the medication had run its course, and you just wanted to sleep. Sonny, of course, didn’t allow you carry anything as he led you to your room. He swiped the keycard, letting you in first, and you all but collapsed onto the bed.

“You okay?” he asked, concern lacing his voice.

Your voice was muffled as you replied, and he asked again. Turning your head to the side, you mumbled, “fine, just tired.”

“It’s late; let’s get in bed.” Sonny stripped quickly, then helped you stand, gently pulling your shirt up and off. Once in just your panties, you crawled under the covers, curling onto your side. Sonny got in behind you, wrapping himself around you. “I love you,” he murmured, kissing your shoulder.

“I love you, too, Dom,” you whispered back. Mercifully, you fell asleep almost instantly, the long day wearing you out.

But Sonny hardly slept, afraid that he’d wake up to you no longer breathing. Instead, he laid there, cradling you in his arms, listening to your soft breaths, the sound music to his ears. He dozed off and on, but mostly, he just held you, trying not to tear up as he thought about what might’ve happened if he had worked his normal hours, staying late in the office. He also thought about the other thing he packed in the overnight bag, hidden deep underneath everything else, for fear of it being stolen from your apartment as well as the fear of your finding it.

Inside a sock, rolled up and shoved underneath everything else, was a little box. And in that box was the most perfect engagement ring that Sonny knew you’d love. He’d been planning to propose around your birthday, but now, with that near-death scare, he was thinking that he should just do it now. He was off the next two days, and you were already planning to do dinner tomorrow night. Would it be weird timing now? But at the same time, life was short; today proved that. As the sun came up, streaming through the drawn curtains, Sonny made up his mind.

#sonny carisi x reader #law and order svu #law and order svu fanfic #fanfic #my writing

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kyoupann · 4 years

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Please do more of the writing head canons. It’s really interesting to see other people’s ideas on the topic, so if you can be bothered, I would highly appreciate more, thanks bye <3

Y’all don’t know how happy I am to talk about these headcanons, they are my babies and I love them so much :’) thanks for asking g <3

Handwriting Headcanons

Same dynamic as before, try to guess whose handwriting it is before reading and tell me how many you got right! <3

You can find the first post here (no need to check it tho)

Quick disclaimer: halfway through making my initial notes, I remembered I had one (1) single lesson of graphology in my applied linguistics class, but that was a year ago and some information might be off. I just thought it was neat to include.

Another quick disclaimer: I don’t know much about Hylian, but I like to think it has a similar stroke system to Japanese, so the pressure and accuracy of your strokes play a major role in your handwriting (among other things, ofc.) so there are some parts where I focus more on that

(First Row, from left to right)

Sky

Our first boy is mother hen! Believe it or not, he has the prettiest handwriting out of all of them! Sky: probably has nice, even elegant handwriting because Sun forced him to practice when they were little. In the end, that paid off because his handwriting is the prettiest one. There’s no pressure, but he is confident in what he writes that his lines aren’t thin. Mistakes? what is that? this boy has impeccable grammar and spelling. No mechanic errors to be found in his letters! I’d like to think that many of Hyrule’s classic/staple poems were originally written by the firt king aka sky child. Like, imagine, after a retiring from being a Person of Power (as the first ruler), Sky finds comfort in the arts: revisits his old woodcarvings and starts writing poetry about the world he still doesn’t fully understand. wowie. tldr: sky writes poetry and you can pry it from my cold dead hands.

This is what one of his letters would look like:

Next one is the one and only, our Hero of Time

2. Time

I’ll die on the “Time didn’t know how to read and write” hill. His handwriting is simple, not pretty but not messy. It has some grammar and spelling mistakes here and there. Can become unreadable if writing in a hurry, he sorts of forgets spaces between words are a thing/letters have different sizes and lowercase letters end up the same size as capital letters. I’m not saying he sometimes forgets to write articles: he just doesn’t want to. Honestly, he just has this dad-neat handwriting. He is a gentle dad and writes like a dad, if he puts too much pressure onto the paper, his handwriting become too sharp/angle-ish and ends up looking ugly. And as much as he would like to not care about it, in the end he does (:

Malon taught him how to write and it was quite the experience. At first he didn’t want to because he was ‘too old’ to learn and it was torture at first, but now look at him devouring his cowboy novels.

A chunk of his handwriting:

*sniff* such a dad quote.

3. my mansss, your 4x1 deal at Target: Four

Look, my boy is patient! He could do some nice and fancy lettering if he wanted to. He was taught that handwriting and spelling said a whole lot about him as a person, you know, like a first impression kinda thing; so he always proof reads more than twice before sending a letter. Super rare grammar mistakes.

The faster he writes, the more slant his writing becomes. Under stress/ when not sure how to write things down, run-on sentences are everywhere and his handwriting is inconsistent in general (I don’t headcanon each part of him having completely different handwriting because handwriting becomes muscle memory over time. It’s just slightly different variations of the same, like idk Vio’s handwriting is neater than Green’s and Red writes hearts instead of any dot/circle and no, I do not take constructive criticism on that, jk i do.) Adding on to each of the colours’ handwriting, I’d think Red and Green write with words slanted to the right( inclined), Vio is a mix of the opposite, so reclined and straight, and my mans blue a true neutral writes straight (kinda like Time’s).

The logic behind this is that inclined writing supposedly means honesty and need for giving (and getting) affection; reclined means, as you can probably imagine, defensiveness and repression of true feelings, but also shows great concentration; straight handwriting means self-control, observation and reflection as well as distrust and indifference. But as complete being (tm), Four just writes as in the image example which is not too straight and not too inclined, and I believe that’s a good middle for him

HOWEVER, if I’m feeling in the mood for crack, I totally accept this boy to have the ugliest, chicken scratches-looking handwriting! :’D It’s just funny to think that someone like him, who has to be precise and careful in his work, can't write neatly to save his life.

One of his letters would look like this:

Also I just LOVE how his hero titles look in this font ksksks

and that’s

(Middle row, from left to right)

4.- Mister Bunny Boy - Legend

His uncle taught him how to write. I’d call his handwriting pretty and neat at a first glance, but he presses too hard on the paper, most of the time staining the back or the following page. Sometimes will retrace some words if he doesn’t like how it looks (which only makes it messier). According to my notes, a thick or strong handwriting represents determination/commitment.

As I also headcanon him to know many languages, mechanical errors are more present than grammar ones; that is, weird capitalisation of words. Punctuation is somewhere in between; uses too many commas when he should just cut the sentence. he mixes punctuation from two languages or more in writing when too distracted (or too focused, because, well, pressure.); when he writes for himself, he has almost no problem following said language’s punctuation rules. Also, this is just polyglot culture, and I’m projecting a bit, but when he forgets a word in the language he’s writing, he just replaces it with its equivalent in another language because we don’t care about fluency, but rather functionality. in this household (more on that in my language hc, ksksks).

An example of his writing:

so powerful

4.- Mr. Wolfman, howl me a song - Twilight

I don’t have much for him because 1) I don’t think he writes a lot and 2) he is a hands-on/visual learner, I’ll die by that. He only learnt how to write because Ulli insisted it was important and he was not about to disrespect his momma; he IS That Guy, but doesn’t really write enough to have neat handwriting.

Many people seem to overlook the fact that his house is filled with books and write him as completely illiterate (which if not explored properly, ends up feeling a bit disrespectful and full of prejudice, but go off I guess; and that’s on my core Headcanons for Twi); however, he sticks to simple sentences. Knowing how to read and understanding a text is different from knowing how to write them. Like, when we would see a semicolon and understand its position in the text, but didn’t understand the nature of it. Is this clear? idk i’m sorry. So yeah, boy reads a lot, writes very little.

As for his Actual Handwriting, as opposed to Legend, his handwriting is thiccc but not because he presses into the paper; he is just that messy, he has no sense of ink-flow-control, he does what he can with what he has. To the untrained eye, his handwriting illegible letters like v, n, u are very similar; when he makes notes for himself he does it in the form of doodles or small ‘icons’. But! He reads a lot, so he rarely makes spelling mistakes (: he is your go-to guy when you don’t know how to write a word.

An example of his writing:

He keeps a journal, sue me.

3. My first born- Warrior

Okay, first off... I accept this is completely biased. I saw the idea and said “That’s True”. If you haven’t, please read Effective Communication; or The Lack of Thereof by htruona, a fic where the boys reflect on the language barriers between them. It’s incredibly funny and probably what made me start making these silly notes. So, if you’ve read that fic, you know where I’m going.

My man, Warrior, can’t fucking write. I mean, he physically can, but it’s very bad. Here’s the reason for it, tho, and it’s not his fault: Technically, he knew how to write alright but he joined the military and whatever note he had to write had to be concise or in the worst case coded. He mixes capital and lowercase letters. If we consider that he joined the military at around 15, his handwriting and grammar had yet to continue developing. Just think about how after summer break, your handwriting was always slightly worse than before because you didn’t write for an entire month. Now think what 2 years can do to that. Hmm, not cool, dude. He makes quick notes, when writing he’s all gotta go fast. he is the lighting mcqueen of writing; good for emergency messages, not ideal for love letters. His punctuation also suffered a lot, he only know full stops and commas and hardly uses them. A sentence for him is either one word or fifty without a single comma, no inbetween.

His hero title and an example of his writing.

(Bottom row, or what I like to call “fuck cursive” row)

7.- Magic man - Hyrule

I’m basic and I do agree with the popular headcanon of he not knowing how to write because well, y’all know his Hyrule. He only knows how to write his name because that’s important, same with numbers. I don’t see why would he write/read except checking the roadsigns. (he can even use this as an excuse for getting lost frequently; he thought it said something different.) But I do think that because his habitual reading consists of roadsigns, his ‘punctuation’ is weird af and places full stops/points/periods at the same level of his words and his commas/question/exclamation marks below them. Yk, creative license. Sadly, I don’t have much about my magic hands man so here’s what his writing would look like if he actually wrote a paragraph:

Man, I love Hyrule.

8.- Man, I don’t understand this boy - Wild

Cursive? ain’t nobody have the time for that. He woke up and had to save the world in his underwear while not knowing how to read nor write. He learnt during his journey and was taught by multiple people from different regions, that explains his inconsistent spelling of things and names for them. So Wild knows language variations for many items and uses them interchangeably (even if they aren’t exactly the same). Another headcanon related to writing/language skills that I’ve been thinking about is that if the shrine was able to cause amnesia, I’m sure there were other areas in the brain affected which leads us to language disorders such as agraphia and aphasia. But that’s a story for another day ksksksk

An example of his writing (after relearning)

9.- The best of sons - Wind

I don’t have much for him and that makes me sad. Look, he’s a kid, doing kid things like stabbing dudes on the head. This boy was taught cursive by his grandma, but could never do it and no one needs it anyway. His handwriting is good enough for his pirate life, Tetra is the one to handle Official stuff, he just gotta sign. Spelling and grammar mistakes abound. He is still relatively young and can correct his handwriting if he desires. But same as Wild, with how many times he’s been thrown out and hit his head, I’m starting to consider some language disorder for him as well.

An example of his writing:

aaand that’s it.

Thanks, y’all for showing interest in this silly thing uwu it was fun to finally talk about this. If you ever want to discuss ideas/headcanons(especially if they are related to language and culture), I’m your person (: I’m always happy to hear new headcanons. Feel free to add anything to this post either in a reply or in a reblog, I’d love to hear from y’all <3<3

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irondad-not-ironsad · 3 years

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WandaVision Episode 1 Reaction

Spoilers below!!

I enjoy the music over the marvel logo

But also a 43 second logo feels kinda long for a 29 minute episode- is it just for the premier or is this gonna happen before each ep?

Also I’m pretty sure I’ve heard that there is a title sequence, which will probably be similar in length. Combine that with the lengthy credits people have been complaining about, it seems that the percentage of the thirty minutes that is actually the story is lower than it should be

not that I don’t love a good title sequence! But I’ll take a well fleshed out episode over fancy logos, title sequences and credits any day

now that I’ve got that of my chest, on to the actual show

I like how they have the frame shaped like that of an old timey tv, combined with the black and white it really adds to the old timey sit come vibe

I like these bells

Ok I know I complained about to much time being wasted with logos and such, but i LOVE how cheesy this theme song is and I love them showing vision and Wanda driving tp there house in wedding attire

“A regular husband and wife” 2 seconds late *vision disappears into a cloud of sparkles*.... 1 minute 8 seconds in and I love this

Even there acting is reminiscent of an old timey sit com this is amazing

feel like I should note he title sequence ends at the 1.36 mark approximately, which may not seem like a lot but again the show is less than thirty minutes so it adds up

Wanda talks with a fifties accent: I already love this show

Also I wish I had magic I could use to clean, I’m moving back into my dorm right now and Wanda’s powers would be SO helpful

Also I LOVE the laugh track

Also Wanda’s short curly hair is so cute

I love how neither of them knows what the heart means so they play it off by being like “yeah of course I know what it means, how could I forget? Do YOU remember what it means

Also Vision is literally part computer shouldn’t he have a photographic memory?

Also how old is Wanda? I could have sworn someone said she was 19 in civil war, which would make her like 21 here? I think?? Idk tho, as a 19 year old I don’t think she has ever looked 19 in the movies, even back in Ultron she looked at least in her mid twenties

The face Vision makes when he makes himself human is so funny

Also Vision blowing Wanda a kiss and her reaching back to grab it is the perfect amount of corny that makes it still cute

Also I wonder what vision’s job is

The backing music is so funny

I can already tell Agnes is going to be some great comic relief in a show that’s already hilarious

“I assure you, I’m married. To a man. A HUMAN one!” I know I’ve said before that I was never the biggest fan of Wanda or Vision but I love Wanda in this show

Obv there is something clearly off here, but I feel like I need to mention that it’s clear this is some warped reality. If I had never seen any of the MCU before, I may believe it was just witch and her robot husband living in the fifties, but the little details really make it clear to the audience (the majority of whom I am sure are familiar with the mcu) that something is off. This scene is one of those, where Wanda cannot seem to recall how long her and Vision have been together and plays it off by saying “It feels like we always have been together”

Is Agnes giving Wanda advice for the bedroom? is this really what I’m watching? Or have I wildly misinterpreted this?

Love the old timey lingo

Vision working a desk job is so funny

Love that vision doesn’t even know what they do at his job, I know it’s part of the false reality thing but also lowkey relatable

“you’re like a walking computer” “I most certainly am not! I’m a regular carbon-based employee made entirely of organic matter”

I started this like twenty minutes ago and have only gotten 7 minutes in because I keep stopping to type my reactions. I am going to try to shut up and watch, and stop screaming about every little detail for a bit 😂

Real quick though does Vision just go by Vision at work?

Ope apparently he does.

I wonder if Vision took Wanda’s last name

Or is he Vision Stark-Banner since it was Tony and Bruce who made him??

He probably isn’t called that but I think it would be funny if he was

Love that instead of writing “dinner with boss” or “Dinner w/ Harts” or even just “Harts” he drew a freaking heart like im dying

if my lack of emojis seems weird I’m typing this on a computer which I never normally do and I’m to lazy to pull up the emoji keyboard, so basically imagine there’s a cry laughing emoji after everything funny

“No skeletons in the closet?’ “I don’t have a skeleton sir.”

Yup I was right, Agnes is giving her sexy time advice

“you should stumble when you walk in a room so he can catch you. It’s romantic!” that is the only way I will be flirting from now on

Also I got to say, I'm guessing it’s a fifties thing but those pointy bras don’t look comfortable

So she answers the phone “Vision Residence” Is Vision also their last name now? Does he go by Vision Vision??

They make the best facial expressions

This phone conversation where Wanda think they’re having a date night whereas Vision is talking about his boss coming for dinner is comedy GOLD

also I love the fact that they’re giving us stereotypical sitcom drama while keeping it clear that there are bigger problems than dinner with the boss

Fake commercial break is at 9.56 (these time stamps are for myself I want to calculate how much of the episode is actually the story)

I do love the fake commercials tho! And I suppose in a way they ARE part of the show

They missed the chance to make it the toastmate three thousand and make every ironman fan cry

The beeping toaster sounds like a ticking bomb..... also the little red light is the only color we’ve seen this episode I think

Commercial ends at 10.46

Also love that it was an SI toaster, still wish they had made it 3000 instead of 2000

How did Wanda confuse Mr. Hart with her husband? Not that I’m complaining, her coming out in a robe and covering Vis’ Boss’ eyes is HILARIOUS

“This is the traditional Sokovian greeting? Didn’t I tell you my wife is from Europe?” “How exotic!” “We don’t break bread with Bolsheviks”

Visions pants are SO high waisted

“It’s our anniversary!” “Our anniversary of WHAT?” “WELL IF YOU DON”T KNOW I”M NOT GONNA TELL YOU”

Poor Vision is trying to figure out what kind of company he works for this is sooo funny

Agnes coming in clutch with a full meal

So Wanda needs the ingredients in order to magic a meal she can’t just make one appear

Vision breaking into song was amazing

How did one chicken turn into like 30 eggs

Vision is singing old McDonald with his bosses wife this is great

“Diane!” “That must be my wife summoning me!” “She calls you Diane?” “Yes... it’s her pet name for me” “I’m coming... Fred”

So many clichés in this show but it’s done in such a purposeful way that it’s still funny

Also we have only seen three rooms: the kitchen, the living room and Vision’s workplace

“Well I think tonight’s going SWIMMINGLY”

Mrs. Hart is SO NOSY

But I love that they don’t know the answers

Wanda looks SO disturbed when Mr. Hart is demanding her and visions story, you can tell her mind is fighting itself and it’s so sad

Mr. Hart is choking, is it bad that I think he deserves it?

Mrs. Hart keeps cheerily repeating stop it, and gone is the stereotypical sitcom camera angles and and the backing music is switched for something eery

This is lowkey scary, Mr. Hart Dying while his wife keeps cheerily saying Stop It and it just feels creepier the more she repeats

Wanda looks distressed and vision is just looking to her for what to do, her old timey accent is gone and she sounds nearly robotic as she tells Vision to help

Poor Wanda, she is so clearly going through it mentally right now

Laugh track is back, and just like that the Harts are leaving, despite only having one bite of food

And somehow Mr. Hart is impressed? Was Wanda rewriting reality to make them so?

I know that this is clearly some alternate reality and nothing is right, but wanda and vision deciding to choose that day as there anniversary and this little convo here is soooooo cute

Aw her making them rings and them both saying I do is soooo cute

And vision saying “and they lived happily ever after’ is so sweet but also so sad in context

What is that little remote vision is holding meant to be?

And love the hexagon closing in on them with the cute music playing to end the episode

Are the people in these credits real? Because it lists the start as Wanda Maximoff and Vision but are the rest actual people?

So there is some sketchy dude watching the maybe fake credits so there's something going on there

The actual credits start with 7.13 left and I’ve been told there's no mid or post credits scene. I’ll let them play while I finish this up anyways

8 minutes and 49 seconds of this show is the logo, title sequence and credits. Out of 29.36 total this means only 20 minutes and 47 seconds is the show, which I suppose is standard for a sitcom but I think I felt deceived by it showing as 29 minutes

Also 50 seconds of “commercial takes the show time down to 19.57 if anyone was wondering

I swear tho I’m not all that bothered by the length, just did the math in case anyone was curious like I am.

I thought I was going to really enjoy this going it, but it still really surpassed my expectations and I can’t wait for episode 2!

This is my raw reactions, but I’m sure that as I mull it over more I’ll be posting more about the show

This is somehow a perfect combo of lighthearted comedy and mild horror

I wanna let this episode stew for a while, so I prob won’t watch episode 2 for at least a day

Also what are your guys’ thoughts on this format of reaction? Did I write to much?

Also what did y’all think of this episode? Feel free to let me know what you think of my reaction, and whether you agree or disagree. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

#anna reacts to wandavision #anna reacts #wandavision #mcu #marvel #avengers #scarlet witch #vision #wanda maximoff #disney plus #wandavision spoilers #wv spoilers #mcu spoilers #marvel spoilers

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chopper-witch · 4 years

Text

Otherwise Undocumented (A Zuko x Reader fic)

Before you read this, please know I STRUGGLED with the summary. It is so hard to write it without giving things away but I believe in a good summary so here ya go. My shit attempt. Also probably some errors sprinkled in for extra spiciness.

Additionally, if you are tagged and don’t want to be, please either inbox me or reply to this post. If you are not tag and want to be, do the same! Tags below the cut!

_____________

Characters: everyone in A:TLA; you (reader); I add your parents to this due to plot and give them names (I think names are important and will only use a filler like (y/n) for reader); might add in random OCs later.

Pairings: Zuko x Female* reader; Mai tries to be x Zuko; all the other canon ships. (sorry, Mai. I do her justice, I think...)

Timeline: Mainly focuses on 88 AG (when I am making you start at the Academy) to 100 AG (just past the end of the war)

The first chapter is set in 80 AG-85 AG though.

Genres: Angst (not sorry); fluff; PAIN (is that a category?)

Overall warnings:

VIOLENCE (y’all, VIOLENCE); I’m hoping some smut but I take my time; swearing (not sorry, I just swear); blood; death; abuse (have y’all read the comics?????? Ozai Was Not A Good Person, but then add some of my complete inability to not be cruel to characters); VIOLENCE (I mentioned this, right?); torture (this literally starts with a torture scene, so like, TORTURE); Azula does bad stuff to reader (VIOLENCE); Ozai is a Bad Parent and Creepy Person; PTSD (what do you expect???); characters are technically underage still when I do get to the smut part so Ima be real with you 16-17 y/os have sex but if that bothers you this is Not The Piece For You; oh, and as I say, “fuck canon” (I try to be as canon compliant as possible, but also, fuck canon, this is fanfiction); I Create Lore and Locations to Fit My Plot.

Summary: A legend almost long forgotten in the Fire Nation reappears in the body of a young girl, reappears in you. The Blood of the Dragon was last seen alive the day after Roku died, walking to be publicly executed for treason. A true legacy to live up to. Well, a true legacy to change. While it is a happy surprise for the Nation’s royal family and military that the Blood is back and malleable, your mother knows she should have known better. All the signs were there, all the omens. She should have taken you and run when she had the chance.

Then maybe you wouldn’t have ended up in the capital, isolated from all of your family, being molded into a weapon for their use. Maybe you wouldn’t have spent your childhood practically locked inside the palace, repeating revisionist history while balancing on one hand. Maybe you wouldn’t be both a prize and a play thing. And maybe she could have saved just one more person.

That’s not how fate works, though, is it?

No, fate is twisted. Fate shows you what you want then tears it apart, expecting you to put it all back together somehow. The only way to cheat fate is to re-determine destiny; to rearrange your life so completely that you need to be dealt a new hand of cards. Force fate to part ways for you.

So maybe, just maybe, being arranged to marry the youngest prince and biggest disappointment of the Fire Nation royal family ends up being the best decision someone else has ever made for you.

Just not for themselves.

A/N: All my fics have happy endings, so don’t worry! I mean, there is one that doesn’t but that is for good reason and every post about it warns people to get off if they don’t want to be hurt. Also, I know the title doesn’t make a lot of sense. It will, eventually. I promise!!

*For long form fics, I usually do x female reader. I avoid physical descriptions as much as possible so anyone can be the reader, except in places where it matters (being a woman is unfortunately a big plot point in this, and I will not be changing that but there are not many descriptive moments about a female body).

@jcshadowkiss-blog @MAGICALPENGUINBREAD @JUST-MY-WEIRDNESS-AND-I @BISON-WHISTLE @MY-ACRYLIC-HEART @SILVERREADING @LESLIEANAHID @ROSIEMAY02 @30SECONDTOLIVE @SPACE-DORKX @COFFEEE-BEAN @AMARYLLIS14612 @THEYCALLMECOOKIEMONSTER @EPISTROFH-TWN-YPOGEIWN-POIHTWN @HOKUAIONA @-LEMONPIE @LITTLELADDTY @CUDDLYKOALA101 @AMER424 @SATAN2002 @ROSENKOHLSUPPE @PPH0LE @SPACEGIRLHERE @PICTURE-PERFECT-INSANITIES @MYSTICROSE64 @ACROGIRL2489 @BEAHVAH @BOLDLYZEALOUSPHANTOM @5SOS-WDW @VENICE-BRG @GALACTICAMIDALA @DEGENERATIONARMY @FRANKSHOLLAND @PALE-BUTTERFLY @VERYDUCKBANANASPORTS @SMOL-GRANDPA @YIYIBETCH @CHEOCO @ASTRONOMICALVIBES @FULLOFQUESTIONMARKS @CELIA-NOT-CECILIA @ABSOLUTEHANARCHY @MAYADREAMER-X3 @DECADENTWASTELANDTRASH @NNEMO14 @KARNITA-MEXICANA @DAMIANWAYNEROCKS @ASTERIA-LADY-OF-THE-STARS @CALL-IT-WHAT-YOU-WANT-15 @FANGIRLICIOUSBLOG @SUPERBWHISPERSCONNOISSEUR @GIRLLETY @MUSICLOVER0212 @BEE-1-BEE @COLORBLENDART @AIDHMWNSIGH @MYWINTERIVY @SOKKAS--BOOMERANG @KASEY-NGHIEM @THEOBJECTOFMYOBSESSION055 @PEACHESUCK @MAIMAIACKERMAN @MOVEMIXERS @CRAZYNOCTURNALKIKI @SPIDXR-MXN @ASK-VERONICA-SAWYER-HEATHERS @YIYIBETCH @FEELINGSAREFXTXL @ICEICEROKI @NOTASHTONKUTCHER21 @TYPINGKIRA @THEBLUESLYTHERIN @VORPAL-QUEEN @BLUE-HYDRANGEA1 @ROSESTYLES69 @TRASH-QUEEN-AF @CROWNLIKEROYAL @STAYGOLDSQUATCHLING02 @BABYGXRLS @ROASTBEATS @NEEDLE-SS-TO-SAY @BLUESOULFESTIVALWOLF @LIL-LEX1 @THEPOWERSTONER @LICOHUDO @ADORABLEFAUSTIAN @lammello

#Zuko x reader #Zuko imagine #Zuko fic #atla imagine #atla fanfiction #zuko #atla #avatar the last airbender

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golchaworld · 4 years

Text

You See Love Is A Game (And I Still Want to Play) | C.YJ

➳ pairing: campus player!yeonjun x female reader

➳ genre: college!au, angst, suggestive fluff

➳ word count: ~5.2k

➳ warnings: some suggestive moments, language, super brief mention of death, set in a nursing home, ambiguous/open ending, bi!yeonjun (not a warning but it’s there lol)

➳ summary: A workplace romance is a cliche. But if it’s not a romance, that should be perfectly fine, too. It sure seems to be fine with Yeonjun. So why isn’t it fine with you?

A/N: Y’all this took me forever! I’m kind of happy with the way this turned out though. As always, feedback is encouraged! Requests and prompts are also always encouraged so don’t be shy. Also there is a high possibility of a part two for this, so if you’re interested feel free to let me know. The title is from “Don’t Wanna Fall In Love” by KYLE.

Part Two

Choi Yeonjun was nothing but leather jackets, perfectly styled hair, and sleazy smirks. His look fit his character to a tee. He was a loud, obnoxious player who could have anyone on their knees for him with just a smirk and his signature wink.

You hated it.

Sure, college is the time to explore yourself and your sexuality, and you were never one to judge. But to see someone taking so much pride in being known as nothing but a player was a tad bit...unsettling to you. As a psychology major, you always wondered what was going on inside Yeonjun’s head that made him so okay with his reputation. However, you never got close enough to pick his brain.

Keeping your distance from Yeonjun was something you decided in your first semester. You had been walking down the hallway of your dorm (the one he unfortunately lived in as well), ready to set out for the day when you were met with a shocking sight. Yeonjun had been walking out of the bathroom, freshly showered. His towel was knotted low on his waist, exposing his toned torso that was littered with drops of water.

The minute he noticed you staring, Yeonjun pulled out the classic smirk and wink before walking away. To say you were left with flushed cheeks for the rest of the day was an understatement.

You couldn’t deny that the boy was attractive. There was something so enticing about his cocky demeanor and careless walk that drew you in. His plush lips were always drawn up into that greasy smirk that highlighted his high cheekbones and strong jaw. His hair was always perfect, even when it was messy, and he was always dressed to the nine.

In short, Choi Yeonjun was infuriatingly attractive.

And as you found out, fury, disgust, and attraction proved to be a dangerous mix. It had your stomach in knots every time you so much as caught sight of the boy. If anyone were to ask you, it was out of a weird distaste for him, but you knew better.

Which is why you find yourself currently in the library, trying extremely hard to focus on your 19th century literature homework as Yeonjun sits at a table a few paces away. He’s flirting with the innocent boy who sits at the table with him. You can easily tell by the way Yeonjun’s smirk is sitting on his face and the fact that the other boy’s cheeks are dusted with pink that he’s doing well.

You internally roll your eyes, averting your gaze back to Frankenstein in order to not be caught staring. Leave it to Choi Yeonjun to turn a place of learning into an opportunity to score. In all honesty, it shouldn’t bother you as much as it does. But you can’t help the way your mind runs an internal rant about Yeonjun’s antics, when in reality it has nothing to do with you.

As you grow more tired, it becomes harder to focus on your homework, leaving you distracted. Yeonjun still sits with the seemingly innocent boy, apparently still laying on the charm thick if their hushed giggles are anything to go by. Part of you can’t help but be jealous of the boy. It must be nice to have all of Yeonjun’s attention, even if only for a fleeting moment.

You’re too busy pondering that thought to notice that you’ve been staring. Suddenly, Yeonjun’s eyes meet yours from across the room, and you know you’ve been caught. You’re quick to avert your gaze then, cheeks heating at the thought of Yeonjun knowing that you were staring at him.

God forbid he knows why. You would never hear the end of it.

Shaking your head, you force yourself to focus back on Frankenstein. You’re nearing the end of your assigned pages when you feel a set of eyes on you. The gaze is piercing, demanding your immediate attention, but you don’t give in, letting your eyes process the words on each page instead.

It’s only minutes later when the chair across from you shifts, and you look up to see it being claimed by none other than Choi Yeonjun. You only spare him a brief glance before burying your nose into your book. You hope he doesn’t notice the way your cheeks have heated up just from his mere presence.

“You know,” Yeonjun whispers, mindful of your location. “It’s not polite to stare.”

“I wasn’t staring,” you respond, not once looking up from your book.

Yeonjun chuckles under his breath, and when you look up to meet his eyes, he’s looking at you in sheer amusement. His lips are quirked up, but not quite in his normal cocky smirk. He seems friendly, almost.

“What’s your name?”

“Y/N,” you respond hesitantly.

“Well, Y/N,” Yeonjun says as he begins to stand from the table. “Next time you want my attention, just say so. The staring thing is kind of creepy.”

The tall boy pushes in his chair, surprisingly respectful despite his demeanor. He spares you a wink paired with his signature smirk before he walks away, leaving you with unfinished reading and a flame of annoyance flickering in your stomach.

. . .

One of the pains of being a psychology major is the need for you to participate in field research. It takes up a huge amount of time, and requires more writing than you initially thought, but at least you get to decide what and where you want to research.

Very honestly, studying geriatric psychology in a nursing home isn’t exactly your first choice for research. But when your professor mentions that they are in dire need of research help, you can’t find it in your heart to say no.

When it is finally the first day of your research, you can’t help but feel a little nervous. You know the procedure, and you have all of your interview questions written down, but you still can’t help the jitters that accompany doing anything for the first time. It doesn’t help that you have to go in alone, your supervisor choosing to stay in the lab while you do the field work.

Your knee bounces the entire bus ride to the nursing home, making the fabric of your dress jump around your legs. The short pumps you’ve stuffed your feet into begin to hurt the minute you walk into the nursing home, and you can already tell it’s going to be a long day.

Lucky for you, the home is warm and inviting. The walls are a warm cream color, decorated with the occasional piece of artwork. It’s surprisingly busy, filled with staff, visitors, and residents, all chatting away or busying themselves with a board game.

You make your way to the front desk slowly, still taking in your surroundings. When you arrive, you’re greeted by a dimpled boy sitting behind the desk, giving you a soft smile as he welcomes you to the home.

“How can I help you?”

You swallow down your nerves, suddenly made worse by the boy in front of you. He’s cute...like really cute. “Um, I’m Y/N. I’m here for research. I work with Dr. Seo.”

The boy behind the desk lights up, dimples growing deeper as he smiles fully. “Oh! It’s so nice to meet you. Dr. Seo told us he’d send someone in, but didn’t mention who. I’m Soobin, by the way.”

Soobin extends a hand and you shake it, smiling softly at the boy’s bubbly demeanor. He’s quick to stand, grabbing a folder full of papers from the desk before coming around to meet you on the other side. He motions for you to follow him.

“Normally researchers don’t actually do much on the first day. They just kind of come in and survey the place and take notes.” Soobin leads you down a long hallway, smiling and greeting the residents as you pass them. By the way everyone lights up at his presence, you can tell he’s well liked. “Last year, I was the one who kind of showed everyone around, but now they have me working the front desk so I really can’t anymore.”

The boy stops in front of an open room, which appears to be some kind of break room. There’s a fridge in the corner, plastered with pictures and colored magnets. The rest of the space is filled with a few tables, one of which is occupied by what seems to be a group of volunteers.

“Hey guys, this is Y/N. She works with Dr. Seo,” Soobin announces, grabbing the attention of those around the table.

The last person’s eyes you expect to meet are Yeonjun’s. Yet here he is, staring back at you in his mint green scrubs as he munches on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He looks sincere for a moment until something within him clicks, when the corner of his lips quirk up into a smirk. You feel your heart fall into the pit of your stomach.

Soobin doesn’t seem to notice the shift in atmosphere, and continues his announcement. “I have to go back to the front to help Hyunjin, but can one of you guys show Y/N around? She’ll need to know where things basically are and where to set up.”

Yeonjun’s standing up before Soobin even finishes his sentence. “I’ll do it,” he offers.

Soobin’s face pulls into a relieved smile, dimples popping out in gratitude. “Perfect,” the boy places a large hand on your shoulder. “You’re in good hands with Yeonjun. I’ll be at the desk if you need anything. It was nice meeting you.”

You nod at the tall boy, watching as he sets back off down the hallway from which you can. When you turn back to the break room, you notice that Yeonjun has already cleared his stuff away, leaving his friends with an exaggerated salute that has them all laughing. He brushes past you in the doorway, mumbling for you to follow him as you set out further into the nursing home.

“You just couldn’t get enough of me, huh?” Yeonjun throws a wink over his shoulder.

You roll your eyes. “You wish. I couldn’t give less of a shit about you working here.”

“Rule number one, sweetheart, is that you can’t curse around the residents. So watch that mouth of yours.”

Warmth rises to your cheeks at the use of the pet name. You can tell Yeonjun doesn’t mean anything by it, but it still leaves a fluttering in your stomach anyways.

The tall boy leads you up a flight of stairs, and it’s then when you notice how different he looks. All of his piercings are left void of jewelry. Instead of his hair slicked back with a hard gel, it’s left natural, soft and shaggy. He’s not wearing any bracelets or rings like he usually does, and you smile internally. You like the way this Yeonjun looks.

“We’ll start at the top and make our way down, okay?” The boy’s voice echoes in the stairwell, twisting the pitch as the sound reverberates.

You nod before realizing that he can’t see you from his position in front of you. “Sounds good.”

It’s evident that Yeonjun has been volunteering here for a while, exhibited by the ease through which he guides you around. He turns swiftly around each corner, knowing exactly which hallways are dead ends and which bring you further into the facility. The residents all greet him warmly as the two of you pass, and the older women seem especially fond of him.

Apparently no one is immune to Choi Yeonjun’s charm.

You’re amazed by the time the two of you return to the first floor. The nursing home is huge, much bigger than what you expected when you first walked in. Yeonjun leads you back down the same hallway through which you came earlier, past the front desk, and through a smaller hallway that leads away from the heart of the home.

When Yeonjun stops in front of a small room, he sighs. He opens the door swiftly to reveal what looks like an office. It’s equipped with a desk, some file cabinets, and an assortment of comfortable chairs and pillows.

“This is going to be your office while you work here. Once upon a time, it was mine,” Yeonjun’s eyes meet yours, holding a surprising air of authority. “Treat it right.”

You just chuckle awkwardly in response, not knowing how to respond. And then it hits you. This office was his at some point. The revelation has your eyebrows furrowing.

“You were with a research team?”

Yeonjun nods curtly. “I’m a developmental biology major. What better place to study the last phases of life than in a nursing home?”

Your jaw drops in surprise. “A developmental biology major? I would have never assumed that.”

Yeonjun chuckles bitterly. “You don’t know me. I think it’s a little inappropriate for you to be assuming anything.”

The air in the room is stale, emphasizing the discomfort that you feel after Yeonjun’s words. He’s right, of course, that you don’t know anything about him other than the fact that he gets around a lot. And he doesn’t even know that you know that. You choose to just apologize softly, which has the smirk rising on his face.

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” Yeonjun looks a little too smug. “Like I said, just treat this place with care. You can make yourself at home here. Whenever you’re ready to leave, just let Soobin know so he can sign you out.”

“Um, sure. Thanks, by the way.” Yeonjun cocks an eyebrow. “For showing me around and stuff. I’ll make sure to take care of your office.”

“Well it’s yours now, sweetheart.”

With another wink, Yeonjun is gone, leaving you once again with flushed cheeks and unfinished work.

. . .

The first week of trying to incorporate research into your already hectic schedule is a disaster. You only have to go into the nursing home two more times, and yet they manage to be the most jam-packed days you have had in awhile.

Working in geriatrics also proves to be more difficult than you’ve expected. Some residents are difficult and mouthy, while some are sweet but forget the question the minute it leaves your mouth. The whole interviewing process is extremely stressful, made worse by the way you have to relive the moments afterwards when you transcribe the interviews.

Additionally, you can’t decide if seeing Yeonjun everyday in your place of work is a blessing or a curse. You admit that he’s a sight for sore eyes after a long day, but he can also be extremely distracting with the flirtatious winks he sends you from down the hall. It seems like every time he sees you, he makes it his mission to fluster you as much as possible.

Occasionally he engages you in normal conversation, and that seems to fluster you the most. It’s when you gossip about the residents or tell cheesy jokes that you find yourself red in the face, absolutely smitten. It’s overwhelming how much you have grown to enjoy his company.

By the second week, it all becomes routine. It’s simple, really. You come into the home, check in with Soobin or Hyunjin, the other cute boy working at the front desk, and they always greet you with a smile. You use placing your snack in the break room fridge as an excuse to see Yeonjun, who always sends you a flirtatious wink in greeting.

Then you settle into your office, interviewing and transcribing for a few hours until your brain is melted. After that you retrace your steps to gather your belongings and leave the nursing home. It’s a pretty simple routine...until it’s not.

It’s the Thursday of the 5th week when Yeonjun comes barging into your office. You had been cramped in the small room all afternoon, and it was nearing 6pm. You weren’t anywhere near done with your work, but Yeonjun didn’t seem to care.

“Get your jacket,” the boy commands after his surprising entrance. “We’re going out.”

You can’t help but chuckle at the boy’s words, leaving him with a confused frown.

“There’s no way. I’m not even close to being done. So I have to stay here and work. Just go out by yourself.”

Yeonjun’s frown deepens, and you admit that it makes him look adorable. He stands before you with unstyled hair and a frown, clad in those mint green scrubs all of the volunteers have to wear. You internally smile at the fact that his name tag is upside down.

“You’ve been in here for over five hours. You deserve a break. We’re taking one now. Come on.”

Yeonjun’s stare is demanding, but with the subtle frown on his face, he seems to be pleading more than anything. After a few seconds of staring at the boy, you sigh, rolling your eyes.

“Fine. But only for a half hour. Then I have to get back to work.”

Yeonjun beams brightly at you, and you wonder how you’ve gotten to the point where Yeonjun smiles at you more than he smirks. You shrug off the thought and grab your jacket, following Yeonjun out.

The two of you opt for a quick stop at the local coffee shop rather than a full meal, knowing that what you need is just a pick me up. You settle into a booth towards the back of the cafe, seeming more interested in your drink than the boy in front of you.

Yeonjun chuckles when he notices the way you are downing your drink, taking a slow sip from his own. “You must have really needed that.”

When you look up, you notice how Yeonjun’s nose is scrunched up in amusement. He looks different like this, cuter, and you wonder what about the nursing home brings out such a cute side of him.

“Yeah, this research is kind of killing me,” you reply. “I don’t know how you did it.”

Yeonjun’s smile transitions to something softer. “I really loved it, so it never seemed like a big deal. I would rather be bombarded with patient interviews than have only a little bit of paperwork. Being face to face is so much more rewarding.”

You find yourself nodding in agreement, taking yet another sip of your drink. Although you had spoken to Yeonjun quite a bit since you’ve started your research project, you’ve never seen him so open. He’s normally all teasing quips and playful jabs and flirtatious compliments, but all of that seems to fall away as he looks at you with sincere eyes.

“What made you even want to work in the nursing home to begin with? Don’t most developmental bio majors work in embryology? Why didn’t you work at a fertility clinic or something?”

At this, Yeonjun’s smile falls. He looks down at his drink, stirring it softly as a way to fidget. He can’t seem to meet your eyes, even when he begins speaking.

“My grandmother was actually a resident at the home, like 3 or 4 years ago. She had really bad Alzheimer’s disease, and couldn’t live on her own, so I started visiting her when she was sick there.

“After she passed, I guess I couldn’t really stop myself from visiting over and over again, even though I knew she wouldn’t be there. So when one of my advisors told me a research position was open there last year, I jumped on it.”

You place your hand on top of his and give it a gentle squeeze. “I’m really sorry to hear that.”

Yeonjun nods sadly, finally looking up to meet your eyes. “It’s okay now. Volunteering at the home is something I really enjoy, so something good came out of it all.”

After a second or two, Yeonjun flips his hand over, interlocking his fingers with yours. You instantly flush, even though you try not to show how flustered the action makes you.

“Thanks for asking, honestly.” Yeonjun starts softly. “No one has really ever questioned it, so it feels nice to be able to talk about it.”

You nod, letting out a shaky breath when the boy squeezes your hand. He doesn’t let it go after, letting it rest softly in his. You realize that he’s giving you the chance to pull away, but something in the pit of your stomach tells you not to.

The two of you end up spending the rest of your break chatting idly, fingers intertwined on top of the table.

. . .

No matter how much you get used to seeing Yeonjun in the nursing home, seeing him on campus always throws you for a loop. Even now, as you stand in the obnoxious crowd of the frat party your friends have dragged you to, you’re surprised to see the familiar head of perfectly styled hair.

He’s standing by the staircase, nodding his head softly to the beat of whatever EDM song is blasting through the house. His demeanor is the exact opposite from when he’s at the nursing home. Instead of being soft and open, he’s closed and rigid, seemingly predatory as he scans the crowd. You suspect it’s for his next hookup, and green briefly flashes behind your eyes.

He meets your eyes from across the room, sending a wink your way. You just roll your eyes, excusing yourself from your group of friends before walking over to him. Yeonjun looks surprised as you approach, taking a long sip of whatever concoction is housed in his red solo cup. He leans against the adjacent wall before greeting you with a smirk.

“This is the last place I ever thought I would see you, sweetheart.” His eyes glitter with delight.

You roll your eyes, sipping on the seltzer in your cup. “I could say the same thing to you. Aren’t you, like, too cool to be here or something?”

This makes Yeonjun laugh, his prominent cheekbones protruding as he smiles genuinely. “Of course I’m too cool. But I just decided to grace all of these poor souls on campus with my presence.”

You hum in amusement as Yeonjun takes a step further into your space. He glances down into your cup, raising an eyebrow at its contents.

“Vodka soda?” He questions.

You shake your head no.

“Gin and sprite?”

You shake your head once again.

“Tequila seltzer?”

His incessant guesses have you laughing, but you finally take pity on him. “It’s just seltzer, Yeonjun. I’m not drinking.”

Yeonjun scoffs, leaning further into your space as you two lean against the adjacent wall. “What’s the point of coming to a party just to be sober? Actually, never mind, I would assume nothing less from you, sweetheart.”

“Hey,” your jaw drops in mock offense. “Someone once reminded me that it’s a little inappropriate to be assuming anything when you don’t know someone.”

“I think I know you well enough.”

You cock an eyebrow challengingly. “Prove it.”

The smirk takes hold on Yeonjun’s face. He tilts his head slightly, making it easier to make eye contact. You’re struck by the intensity of his gaze, even in the fairly dim lighting of the party. He crowds further into your space, forcing you back onto the wall just a little bit. You’re ashamed at the way it ignites a flame in the pit of your stomach.

“Would it be inappropriate to assume that you want me just as bad as I want you?”

The question takes you by surprise, but the fire in your stomach only grows. If it weren’t for the intensity of his stare you would think he was joking, but something in his eyes tells you he’s dead serious.

“What makes you say that?” You don’t know where the sudden confidence comes from, but you take pride in your ability to flirt back.

Yeonjun chuckles. “Don’t think I forgot how you were looking at me in the library all those weeks ago. You were practically begging me to fuck you with your eyes. And honestly,” he shrugs. “I would have. I still would.”

You swallow thickly, brain momentarily short circuiting at the boy’s words. He still has yet to break eye contact, seemingly searching you for any sign to back off. Obviously, he doesn’t find one.

“Then what are you waiting for?”

Yeonjun’s smirk grows, dripping with a sense of pride and satisfaction. He’s quick to take you by the hand, leading you up the stairs to wherever the two of you were bound to spend the rest of your night. You mentally apologize to your freshman year self for breaking your promise to keep your distance from Yeonjun. But really, you aren’t all that sorry.

. . .

You feel dirty.

No matter how much concealer you use to hide it, it makes you feel extremely dirty to come to work with hickies. It makes you feel even dirtier that the one who gave you said hickies volunteers there.

However, what makes you feel the dirtiest is the fact that when Yeonjun comes into your office and locks the door, you take the bait. You only have a 20 minute break in between your interviews, and you spend it fucking Choi Yeonjun...again.

No matter how dirty you feel, though, you can’t help but feel an underlying sense of giddiness. Being with Yeonjun just ignites something within you that has you thrumming with happiness for the rest of the day (not that you would ever tell him that).

The two of you had decided at the party that there was nothing wrong with a little fun as long as it was left at just having fun. And with that, the two of you just arose.

You don’t know where quickies in your office fall on the spectrum of “just having fun,” but you go with the flow anyways.

Yeonjun chuckles as he watches you slide your discarded panties up your legs, pulling down your pencil skirt as you fumble with the buttons on your blouse. He looks no better, the drawstrings on his scrubs untied, a blooming hickey forming underneath his collarbone. You both are a mess, and you wouldn’t have it any other way.

You’re straightening up your hair when Yeonjun moves to leave. He approaches the door slowly, seemingly wanting to draw out the moment between you two. Eventually he exits the office with a sleazy wink.

“See you around, sweetheart.”

And with that, he disappears. When the door clicks shut behind him, you swear to yourself that it won’t happen again.

Naturally, it does. Time and time again, you find yourself with Choi Yeonjun embedded in you, and you can’t say you regret it.

Your connectedness bleeds into your work, as you often find yourself thinking of the boy during your interviews. The two of you share secret glances whenever you cross paths, accompanied by the occasional rendezvous in your office.

It bleeds into campus life, too. You find yourself leaving every party with Yeonjun’s arm wrapped around your waist, him whispering dirty promises in your ear as he leads you out.

Every single time you encounter Yeonjun it always leads to the same two things, sex and unfinished work.

He takes pride in it, too. Yeonjun loves the way he has you dropping everything for him the minute he says the right things. He loves how you always greet him with a sweet smile, one that’s dripping with sugar in a way that’s only meant to conceal something. He loves the way you moan for him, say his name, tell him that you’re close. Yeonjun loves.

He loves.

On month two of you two “having fun,” Yeonjun decides he’s had enough of loving. He’s loved before, sure, but this, this is love. And if he knew anything, he knew that “having fun” and love could not coexist.

He lets his eyes roam your naked figure as you lay sleeping in his dorm bed, the two of you squeezing onto it late last night and haven’t moved since. He wonders when sharing a bed became enveloped in “having fun” and he assumes it was around the same time when loving you was.

This is not the Yeonjun he knew himself to be. This is not the Yeonjun that tore through the boys and girls of campus just to chase a meaningless orgasm. This isn’t the Yeonjun who got cute boys to tutor him by pretending not to understand physics. This new Yeonjun feels. He feels for you, and he hates himself for it.

Yeonjun can’t stop himself from smiling as you slowly start to blink awake. On instinct, his hand comes to your hair, stroking softly to further coax you into wakefulness. When you make sleepy eye contact with him, you smile softly. Yeonjun’s heart clenches.

“What are you staring at, creep?” You mumble into the shared pillow.

Yeonjun chuckles softly. “Just a loser.”

“That wasn’t what you were saying last night.”

And Yeonjun blushes. The Yeonjun that he knew himself to be never blushed. He was always the one making others blush. He used to make you blush. He wonders when the tables turned.

After waking up fully, you’re quick to leave the bed, searching the small dorm room for your clothes. You get dressed without batting an eye, straightening out your appearance as much as possible. Yeonjun just watches from his bed as you go through the motions, taking in the sight of you.

When all your stuff is gathered and you’ve deemed yourself appropriate, you head to the door. Yeonjun wills himself to say something, anything. But his voice is caught in his throat, and it’s not until you’re halfway out the door does he find his words.

“See you tomorrow.” Stay, please.

You just smile over your shoulder. “Bye, Yeonjun.” Ask me to stay.

You’ve made peace with the walk of shame since you find yourself doing it so often. But there is always something that nags in the pit of your stomach as you walk down the corridors of the dorm. You wonder if people can look at you and know, know that you’re just another one of Yeonjun’s conquests.

Somewhere along the line, you convince yourself that it’s fine if that’s what they think, because that’s what you are. Choi Yeonjun doesn’t do feelings, not for you, at least. He just takes and takes until he’s satisfied. There will come a day where he’s satisfied, and you two will return to being nothing but coworkers.

You wonder if Yeonjun has taken anyone else recently. You’re sure that he must have, but you can’t help but hope that he hasn’t. You hope that you’re the only one, that you’ve been the only one, but that hope is futile. You know that. So why does it hurt so bad?

As you exit the dorm, the cold air of early December whipping past your face, you realize that you’ve been taken. Choi Yeonjun took you, every piece of you, and you wonder why you let him.

You wish that you stuck to your freshman promise of keeping your distance. But distance only makes the heart grow fonder.

Part Two

#choi yeonjun #choi yeonjun imagines #txt #txt imagines #tomorrow x together imagines #tomorrow x together #choi soobin #choi soobin imagines #escritos

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peak-dumbass · 4 years

Text

Thoughts on Sons of Garmadon cuz redesigns :]

Also instead of watching all of the season and then adding my thoughts later I instead took notes while watch the season so that’s why this post is incredibly long, sorry about that :/

Anyway enjoy :>

Sorry for the accidental posting and I don’t want to rewrite everything so here’s from the original post

Lloyd reading the title of the episode also caught me off guard the first time I watched this

Basically Lloyd caught me off guard entirely the first time I watched this

Also his eyebrows are now THICC

“Still thirsty?”

...

I can see why people like Nya a lot (._.’)

Nya’s badass and f—king love her

Also the water bubbles she makes look really nice

Jay mimicking Cole is adorable

The first time we see them after a year and the first thing we see them do is argue and disturb a group of people that took a vow of silence

I love them

“Did I call you at a bad time?” They’re in the middle of a fight with the mechanic, what do think?

Also Pixal calling Lloyd “Master Lloyd” :’/

“Whoever said fight fire with fire clearly didn’t know what they were talking about.” “Hey, you’re stealing my lines!” I love you Kai

“Who likes ice cream? I do! How was that line Kai?” I love you Zane

Them teasing Lloyd for his deeper voice and them just genuinely having family fun bonding time just fills me with such happiness that I can’t describe with words :’’’’’’’’>

Misako abandons Lloyd yet again, and she was just starting to act like a good mother in Hands of Time >:/

Jay is not understanding a single thing being said to him, but at least he’s trying 👌

Their excuse for not mentioning the royal family throughout the series is “they like their privacy”? Really? Like really? Are they expecting us to believe this bullish-t?

Lloyd seeing Harumi for the first time: Can You Feel The Love Tonight🎶

Now Cole’s the only one who hasn’t had a crush in the series he is so gay and the writers can’t convince me otherwise

Can I just say the lighting for the inside of the place is beautiful? Cuz it is.

Also I just realized Cole’s the only ninja that isn’t wearing sleeves on his ninja suit, that’s cool👌

Since Harumi’s natural hair color is white, does that mean she’s albino?

“The maskes must never be reunited” Says the person who reunited the mask >:/ I know she’s acting good here but still

“No thank you, I actually gave up sweets. My body is a temple.” The moment I heard that for the first time I was like “WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO MY BOI?! WHO HAS HURT HIM?!”

Lloyd, stop stalking the princess, that’s illegal >:|

“Don’t worry, we’re ninja, we’re experts at this kind of thing” They proceed to loose the mask, let their main villain onto their ship, and Lloyd gets a crush on her :/

Grade A ninja-ing right there 👌👌👌

I’m on episode 2 and seeing Harumi acting nice and sweet and connecting with Lloyd and knowing that she’s faking all of it, I just feel so so so so bad for Lloyd :’<

Cole, don’t try to give Lloyd advice about girls when you aren’t even attracted to them

Ok so I procrastinated a bunch on doing this for some reason so Yee, let’s continue

I’ve only seen Mystake for 1 scene and if anything ever happens to her I’ll kill everyone in this room and myself

Oof I’m now sad and realize why everyone likes her

Ok so we all agree the tea Mystake gave Jay and Lloyd to see the drawings move is weed right? Or had weed in it?

Why is Cole hiding in a garbage bin when Zane is using a perfectly good newspaper? Also oh boy can’t wait to see Rocky DangerBuff and Snake Jaguar in action :3

The way Snake walked into the bar Jesus

and I’m trying to watch this without skipping it cuz to me the whole thing is very awkward and I can’t stand awkward stuff like this but I also heard there was glacier so I’m gonna try to watch this without yeeting my phone and burying my face in my pillow

Chloe: Snake is gorgeous and we stan

Me: I know he’s beautiful look at him, he’s amazing

He’s bad boi and baby boi at the same time and I love him

Just added Cole into a scene with the ninja when he’s actually still kidnapped by UV so noice job Ninjago HQ 👏👏👏

Zane looks so weird in the flash of Wu finding him dear god

Stop bothering him Cole, let Zane Rp as Snake for a little bit longer

DAD COLE DAD COLE DAD COLE DAD COLE DAD COLE DAD COLE

Cad is what Cole would have named the baby if it didn’t turn out to be Wu cuz Cole + Dad

Ali: "Why cad?" "Its cooler than Chad cause you take out the h for hoe"

Ali/clumsy you’re a genius

”you didn’t think it would that easy, did you?”

Guys is weird to think that UV is 100 times hotter after saying that line?

Mommy UV vs Dad Cole, Mommy UV is fighting Dad Cole for the baby

Oof I remember what’s gonna happen to Zane y’all and I’m not happy plz Mr.E stahp plz

Mr.E to the SOG after he kicks Zane’s ass: Guess who just got murdered!

“Not all men-“

Me: You’re right, Zane Ninjago would never do this

Mr.E: I’m on my way, I’m on my way, I’m on my way to kick Zane’s ass :D!

Cole is Pearl from SU confirmed, he was staring at baby Wu sleeping

Harumi: Maybe we can use this blanket at a Parachute?

Lloyd: What do this is a cartoon?!

Lloyd proceeds to do the exact thing he said wouldn’t work

Also Harumi is the best actor I’ve ever seen like seriously 10/10 👌 actor, playing with Lloyd’s heart strings like she’s been doing it for years

“How to be a heartbreaker” is Harumi’s jam and theme song

SO I WAS ADDING MY THOUGHTS ON HERE AND TUMBLR JUST DECIDED TO BE A LITTLE B-TCH AND CLOSE ON ME BEFORE I SAVED MY THOUGHTS AND NOW MY THOUGHTS ON HALF EPISODE 5 AND 6 ARE GONE OOF SO I’M JUST GONNA SAY THAT PIXAL IS HAVING SELF ESTEEM ISSUES OR SOMETHING SIMILAR AND SHE’S AMAZING AND IT’S MAKING ME SAD THAT ALL SHE SEES HERSELF AS ASSISTANCE AND NOTHING MORE

Also Lloyd falls onto a few branches and gets a hurt arm that requires a blanket while Nya was at the front of the ship with 0 protecction and was basically yeeted to the main deck while it crashed into the jungle and she doesn’t even get a break?!

I know Nya is stronger than Lloyd but GOSH DIDDLY DARN I didn’t know she was that STRONK!

Baby Wu: “Ninja never quit hehehehehe”

The ninja:

Lloyd: Confused Green Bean Noises

Harumi: kisses him on the cheek

Lloyd: •////• completely forgets what he was confused about

Harumi saved by lovestruck Lloyd and boners

Cole to Baby Wu: You took care of us, it’s only fair that we take care of you.

Me:

GOD I LOVE COLE HE’S AMAZING

Harumi and Lloyd during that one waterfall scene in Episode 6:

Also Harumi’s backstory for why she likes Garmadon and hates the ninja including Lloyd, it completely makes sense cuz she was a child that over heard that the ninja didn’t do sh-t and Garmadon saved the city so it makes sense why she hates the ninja and believes Garmadon should be Ninjago’s leader, and since it happened when she was young she didn’t think things through, she didn’t think about it from the ninja perspective and especially didn’t think about it from Lloyd’s perspective cuz she was a child, kids don’t tend to think about the other person’s perspective on things, so I think it makes sense and it’s really good 👌 also this is Ninjago’s first main female villain, all the other ones were either second in command or were in a crew that worked for a bigger villain so yeah that’s cool

“Don’t you guys have any idea what she’s doing? She’s resurrecting Garmadon! Lord Garmadon!” Yeah no sh-t Kai, the name of their gang is “Sons of Garmadon”, of course they know and of course they’re ok with it why do think they’re helping her?

“Then it’s a good thing the Quiet One isn’t a bad guy but a bad girl” It doesn’t matter that Pythor, Chen, Morro, and Garmadon had dicc, what matters is that the greater evil didn’t listen to them dipsh-t.

Harumi screams a lot, like Princess Peach/Damsel-in-distress amount of high pitch screaming and I’m surprised Lloyd or the other ninja haven’t told her to shut up at one point.

a slightly dark room suddenly turns a little bit darker

Harumi:

Lloyd: Jesus even when I was a kid I had tougher skin then you, I know this is a little hypocritical for my to say, but grow the f—k up god

Ok woah woah woah, how did Lloyd go from “I didn’t tell you about the fact that I’m part Oni, Mystake only told me and Jay” to “You’re the Quiet One” like he isn’t wrong but how did he put it together in such little amount of time?

Ok this is how the Lloyd vs Harumi fight should have gone down:

Lloyd: Give me a good reason not do destroy it right now.

Harumi: I’ll give you 2. You want to see your father again and you love me.

Lloyd: HAH! While you busy being a heterosexual b-tch I studied the blade!

Lloyd kicks Harumi’s ass and the day is saved

Am I wrong? Lloyd only met Harumi a couple of days ago, it’s like Anna from Frozen but LEGOs

“Love is an open door” is Llorumi shippers theme song

“I WANT YOU TO FEEL THE EMPTINESS THAT I FEEL”

B-TCH HAVE YOU NOT SEEN HIS F—KING CHILDHOOD HE HAS MORE TRAUMA THEN YOU WILL EVER GET YOUR F—KING LIFE TIME!!!

I KNOW SHE IS A FICTIONAL CHARACTER AND THAT SHE HASN’T SEEN HIS LIFE LIKE WE HAVE BUT DAMN IF IT ISN’T ACTIVATING MY PROTECC-LLOYD-AT-ALL-COSTS-AND-THAT-THIS-IS-TOTAL-BULLSH-T INSTINCTS

“Or we’ll have to get all ninja on you!” “What does that even mean?” “I don’t know I was improvising” Tbh that’s a mood Kai, at least to me

Lloyd: Guys, Rumi is the Quiet One!

The ninja who are currently surrounded by the SOG including Harumi: Oh really, ya don’t say?

Lloyd just got yeeted out of a waterfall so it sorta makes sense why he didn’t notice

Lloyd said I won’t let you get away with this and Harumi said YEET

They have Lloyd they have the masks and we have trouble

Baby Wu: Puppy!

that ain’t a puppy Sensei it’s a giant underwater scorpion monster

I forgot they tamed the giant underwater scorpion monster and named it Crabby, and Jay hugged one of Crabby’s claws, Jay’s favorite pet the ninja have ever had is Crabby confirmed

“So this is your true face without the mask, no wonder you covered it” Damn Lloyd is salty, LET LLOYD SAY F—K 2020

Chloe: Lloyd said "bitch u ugly" poetically

Me: Yeah, he got the saltiness from Kai and the poetic speech from Zane

“There was never anything between us”

One episode earlier

“You want your father back, and you love me”

One episode earlier

Harumi kisses Lloyd on cheek and proteccs him from the corrupted Samurai X suit

Me:

Harumi gets close to Lloyd

Me: KICK HER IN THE NONEXISTENT BALLS

Yay the most useful and totally not child abandoning character, Misako, is here and giving Lloyd information that he already knew and is being incredibly useful buy not only abandoning Lloyd for a second time in his life but also finding Baby Wu for the SOG Hooray

“Stop Rumi, this isn’t you!” B-tch you’ve only known her for a couple of days, and she has played with your heart, in dangered your friends, and tried to kill you and your friends on multiple occasions, and she nearly succeeded on killing Zane (though tbh Zane gets nearly killed every season so that isn’t a surprise)

“You were right, this isn’t me” YOU SERIOUSLY BELIEVED HE’LL FALL FOR THAT BULLSH-T AGAIN? AFTER YOU TRIED TO DROWN HIM AND HIS MOM WHILE SUMMONING HIS EVIL DAD FROM THE DEAD? HAH, B-TCH YOU THOUGHT!

“Stop. Save it for someone who cares” Yesssssss I love youuuuuuu by baby boiiiiii

Sees the arm coming out of the anvil-thing

Me: Terminator Garmadon? Also this is what happens when we complain too much, we also gotta be more specific people! We can’t ask for just Garmadon, we need to ask for Good/Sensei Garmadon or else we’ll get bullsh-t like this!

THE SCENE OF THE NINJA SINGING WEEKEND WHIP JUST PLAYED AND THE HAPPY WHOLESOME VIBES AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Also there’s no way harumi gets the resurrection spell right on the first try, like no way, impossible, like she even gets interrupted by Lloyd and the ninja at the end and then Garmadon appears after that? Like I’m not a witch/wizard myself but I’m pretty sure that’s not how spells work? You don’t just start a spell, stop before the spell is finished, and the spell still works :/

Also how the hecc did Garmadon know where to find Harumi? It was never explained, he just like punched his way into the police station and was like “Yo b-tch what’s up?”

“I can turn him once, I can turn him again” ends up getting his ass handed to him and nearly dieing for the millionth time in his life

“That sounds like a really bad idea” “And Kai knows bad ideas, he’s full of them” Oof Kai just got roasted

“Lloyd, what are you doing?” “I’m sorry, Nya. I have to confront him” OOF HE REALLY DID JUST PULL A KAI DIDN’T HE

I’m not gonna quote everything Lloyd says here cuz there’s too much but DAMN HE’S REALLY PISSED OFF AND IS REALLY DOING A KAI JESUS

I know we all wanted Sensei Garmadon back but I’m ngl this Garmadon looks really cool and gives really good evil speeches to unmotivate his opponent

OOF Y’ALL REALLY HAD TO ADD LLOYD HOLDING OUT THE PHOTO OF HIM AND GARMADON WITH LLOYD STRUGGLING SAYING “FATHER” AND THE PHOTO GOING INTO THE WIND DIDN’T Y’ALL MY HEART CAN’T TAKE THAT AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

AND I STILL HAVE TO MAKE IT THROUGH EPISODE 10 WHERE I KNOW LLOYD’S HEART IS GONNA BE RIPED OUT OF HIS CHEST AND STOMPED ON WITH A SPIKED SHOE

F—K HARUMI F—K NINJAGO HQ F—K EMPEROR GARMADON F—K THE SOG JUST LEAVE MY POOR BABY ALONE

Y’all I don’t think I can make it through the next episode f—k man

Holy f—k I forgot Emperor Garmadon reads the title card in episode 10 oof

“Not so fast!” “‘No so fast”?! You used that ages ago!” True, it sucked then and it sucks now

“My brother is coming” “How do you know?” “I know” Dang even baby Wu doesn’t tell people sh-t

“You sure you’re up for this?” “I was married to him once, I’m up for anything” Ok so you’re saying that as if you were the one that was treated badly in that relationship and not the other way around like it should be but whatever floats your boat pal

“Careful!” “Are you actually doubting my ability to closely approximate the true value of our surroundings? I’m a nindroid.” Damn Zane is pissed

COLE LITERALLY JUMPED OFF THE BOUNTY TO CATCH BABY WU NOT KNOWING JAY WAS GONNA CATCH HIM AKA HE WOULD HAVE DIED FOR BABY WU I’M SCREAMING GOD I LOVE COLE

Ok so Lloyd you are excellent at fabulous/eat-a-dicc-b-tch exits like wow 👏👏👏👏👏

Also the scene with the 4 OG ninja and Baby Wu traveling to the first realm looks really really nice ngl

All in all I really really like this season, it’s great 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

#ninjago #ninjago kai #ninjago jay #ninjago zane #ninjago lloyd #ninjago cole #ninjago nya #ninjago harumi #ninjago ultra violet #ninjago mr. e #ninjago misako #ninjago garmadon #ninjago wu #ninjago pixal #ninjago mystake #ninjago incorrect quotes

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nicos-oc-hell · 3 years

Text

In my head canon, Rowan goes crazy during Valentine’s Day, hence the boys (Roman, Dimitri, Barnaby, Charlie and Bill) get dressed up with her, this is set in year three

Dimitri looked over at Rowan who was sitting on his chest “How did you even get in here?” Rowan shrugged her shoulders and just stared at him “Can you get off of my chest, you little Koala?”

Rowan shook her head “So…it’s Valentine’s Day…whatcha doing today?”

“Leave.Me.ALONE! It’s 4 in the goddamn morning!” Dimitri pushes her off of his chest and turned around

“It’s actually 3am but that’s besides the point, if you answer these questions I’ll leave you alone?” Rowan struggles to turn him over then settled back on his chest

“That doesn’t make it any better! Just ask your damn questions then leave me alone!” Dimitri grabbed his glasses and turned back to see Rowan holding a notebook and pen “Oh no”

“Oh yes” Rowan has a cheeky smile on her face “First question, who are you spending Valentine’s Day with?”

“Probably Barnaby, Charlie, Roman, Bill and You”

“Good answer” Rowan continued to write in her notebook

Dimitri glared at her “This is honestly stupid”

“Yeah, yeah, anyway, second question, cookies or brownies?” Rowan looked up and noticed Dimitri glaring at her “Just answer the questions, Dimmy”

“Brownies and you aren’t getting any for disturbing me at THREE IN THE MORNING!” He huffed

“I’ll find a way to get some, Dimmy, flowers or no flowers?” She continued writing in the notebook

“The hell are you writing? And no I don’t do flowers, you know this” He tried to take a peek at the notes but She pulled the notebook away from him

“None of your business, now, what are you making for dinner? It’s your turn” Rowan said smiling sweetly at him

“We are going to a restaurant” He said falling back on his pillow

“Dessert?”

Dimitri opened his eyes “…you ain’t getting no dessert miss I wanna wake someone up from their sleep at 3 in the morning”

Rowan glared at him and climbed off his chest “That was all I needed, I’ll see you at breakfast and I will get some dessert mister” She turned and walked out of the dorm

Barnaby laughed from where he was on the other side of the room “Your whipped by her, you know that right?”

“I’m well aware of that fact” Dimitri went back to sleep

4 hours later

Dimitri pulled the outfit on that Rowan had laid out on his bed “And now she’s dressing me up!”

Barnaby looked over at him “Seriously, this woman is going to be the death of us! Look at me!”

Roman walked in and looked them up and down “Oh she got y’all too? Damn that woman is crazy when it’s Valentine’s Day, well let’s go down stairs before she busts up the stairs and drags us down”

Rowan looked up “Finally! It doesn’t take that long to get dressed” (This was supposed to be Skylar but I remembered she lives in Japan during the school year)

Dimitri muttered underneath his breath “It also doesn’t take that long to become a psychopath also apparently”

“What did you say Dimitri?”

“Nothing ma’am”

“That’s what I thought, anyway let’s get to breakfast, I wanna see how Charlie and Bill looks”

Roman stopped and stared at the third year “You got them too?…HOW THE FUCK?! THIS LITTLE REBORN!”

They walked into the great hall and Charlie and Bill immediately walked over to them “How!”

Bill Charlie

“It’s honestly simple, I just waltzed through you windows” She said like it was a normal occurrence

“You are creepy when it’s Valentine’s Day”

“I know”

Bill sat down next to Dimitri “Get your friend in control”

“Nobody can control her when it’s Valentine’s Day and you know this, she woke me up at three just to discuss what I was doing today! She’s crazy!” He half whispered looking over at Rowan

“I know, pass the sausages please and let’s hope Dumbledore doesn’t comment on it like he usually does” Bill said taking the sausages from Dimitri “Spoke too soon here he is, just ignore him, just ignore him”

Dumbledore walked up to them “Nice outfits this year boys and Rowan like always”

“Thanks professor, we try to be dashing” Charlie and Roman flash the fakest smiles to ever be faked (…that sounds weird) “Rowan does have excellent taste tho professor”

“And expensive taste, remind me to never give her my wallet again, I mean it didn’t even make a dent but damn woman” Dimitri said

“Well have a great Valentine’s Day kids and do bring me some chocolate later today Dimitri” Dumbledore asked

Dimitri nodded his head “I’m making my rounds later today anyway”

Rowan plucked bacon off of Dimitri’s plate “So are we going to the cave or not?”

“Nope! Dimitri’s taking us to some restaurant in the muggle world” Barnaby said taking Dimitri’s pancakes

“Stop taking my food! I’m hungry too you know!” Dimitri said swatting Rowan hands which was getting ready to take more of his bacon “Just ask me to pass the bacon or pancakes!”

Later at the restaurant

“Ah Vongola Undicesimo, we were expecting you, please come take a seat and I’ll get a waiter over there with some menus” The receptionists said ushering them over to a table

“Exactly how rich are you?” Charlie asked looking around the restaurant

“Uh…idk, it’s very old money” Dimitri said pulling the chair out for Rowan “But we are the richest family in the world”

“Of course you are” Bill said “Did they say Vongola Undicesimo?”

“Yeah that’s my title, I’m the next in line to take over Vongola, since Kazumi up and disappeared” Dimitri said looking at the menu that a waiter just dropped off

“And of course we go to an expensive restaurant on Valentine’s Day” Roman said sarcastically

Bill and Charlie looked put out “Uh you didn’t have to do this Dimitri”

“Yes I did, now what do you want” He said placing his menu down “It’s honestly not that big of a deal guys! I’m spending Valentine’s Day with my famiglia/pack, it’s the least I could do”

The waiter had just arrived at the table “Have you guys had enough time to look over the menu? Or do you need more time?”

“Uh, I’ll take the kobe beef steak medium rare with a White Russian” Dimitri said

“I’ll take the Cheesesteak with Vieux Carré” Roman said not bothering paying attention to Charlie and Rowan who were gaping at them for ordering alcohol

“Just to be sure, you know those have alcohol in them right?” The waiter asked

“Yes” Roman and Dimitri said at the same time

“Ok, and you four? What do you want?” The waiter asked

“I’ll have the loaded nachos and lemonade” Barnaby said

“I’ll have what he” points to Roman “Is having except for the alcohol I’ll take a sweet iced tea” Rowan said

“I’ll have the loaded nachos also but with iced tea” Charlie said

“I’ll take the chicken parm and…White Russian” Bill said

“You sure you can hold your liquor?” Dimitri asked

Bill glared at him “Yes I’m sure, I’m friends with Roman”

“Ok if you say so” He handed the menus to the waiter “Trying to be a big boy I see”

“Shut up, Dimitri” Bill said leaning over and slapping the back of his head

“Ow! That’s mean” Dimitri said rubbing the back of his dramatically

#happy valentines day #khr #i have no clue #what this is #but enjoy #hphm au #bill weasley #dimitri di angelo #rowan khanna #charlie weasley #roman rokudo #barnaby lee #hphm barnaby #hphm rowan

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shera-dnd · 4 years

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A Day at a Time - Flirtation

I have a feeling y’all are gonna appreciate this one just from the title

Have some quality glitra content as we start making our way to angst glitradora end game

Also with a link to AO3 for those who prefer to read it over there

Catra had accepted the fact that Melog was trying to kill her at this point, because once more the little bastard dragged her through the building and straight to one of the prettiest girls she had ever seen, just so she could die of embarrassment.

“I’m fine.” Catra answered, trying to keep her cool considering everything that's happening right now. “My cat just decided to be a little bastard today.”

“You sure you don’t want any help?” The woman insisted. “I could hold your groceries for you, or your cat!” And as if he had somehow understood what had been said, Melog ran for the other woman and tried to climb her. She calmly picked him up, smiling at him as she did so. “Looks like they made the choice for you!”

Catra sighed, not wanting to bother yet another neighbour. “Thanks.”

“So I’ve seen you around a lot,” She commented as she followed Catra back to her apartment. “Don’t think we ever talked though.”

“Yeah I didn’t want to bother you.” Catra shrugged. “You look pretty exhausted most of the time.”

“A shitty office job does that to you.” She commented, “And just a ‘hello’ every once in a while wouldn’t hurt.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” That would certainly make their random meetings in the hallway a lot less awkward. “I’m Catra by the way.”

“Glimmer,” She answered with a smile. “ Pleasure to meet you!”

Catra questioned what goes through a person’s mind to name their kid ‘Glimmer’, but the girl’s trans pride flower tattoo on her arm made it clear her parents probably had nothing to do with that name. That was not the only tattoo adorning her, as Glimmer’s body was almost entirely covered in them.

“And what is this little cutie’s name?” Glimmer asked as she petted the little creature, earning a pleased purr from Melog.

“Don’t encourage him,” Catra complained. “And his name is Melog.”

“I’m sure Melog just wanted to stretch his legs.” She commented, “Maybe he thought you needed to meet new people!”

“He could do that without making me run around like an idiot and annoy the neighbors.” Catra shot a death glare at her pet, who seemed completely unbothered.

“Well, I’m not annoyed.” Glimmer replied, defending the little cat. “He did give me an excuse to talk to a pretty girl.”

“What?” Catra did not expect that. Nor did she expect Melog to jump off of Glimmer’s arms and run back to his napping spot. She had been so distracted she hadn’t even noticed they arrived. “Thanks for the help.”

“No worries.” Glimmer waved off. Both of them stood in the corridor for a moment, waiting to see if the other would say anything. “I think I should get going.”

“Yeah… Wait!” Catra ran into her apartment, grabbed a little post it note and wrote on it quickly. She turned back to hand it to Glimmer, but she stopped herself and added a little smiling cat face to the note before doing so. “Here! It’s my phone number.”

“Oh just like that?” It was Glimmer’s turn to be surprised. “Not gonna keep your distance from the ‘weird pink bitch’?”

“You seem nice and Melog likes you, so you can’t be a bad person.” Catra shrugged.

“‘Can’t be a bad person?’” Glimmer repeated and Catra worried it didn’t exactly come off as a compliment, but the ‘weird pink bitch’ smiled and answered “Thanks, Catra. Talk to you later.”

And with a smile and a wave, she was gone.

~~~

Unlike Catra, Glimmer hadn’t wasted a single second and started her just a few minutes later. Thankfully, baking required a lot of waiting, so she had plenty of time to just talk to her. ‘Hey, Glimmer’ she wrote, but hesitated before sending. Thinking back to the girl’s tattoos, she decided to change that text a bit. “Hey, Sparkles” much better.

“Is this about the star tattoos? Because if it is I’ll fight you.” Catra chuckled when she read that message. She would make fun of how feisty Glimmer was being, but she remembered she had said something similar to Adora the other day.

“You know where I live, Sparkles.” Catra sent, challenging Glimmer. The response took a while as the three dots kept showing up, disappearing and then showing up again.

“I won’t fight you, but only because I don’t want Melog to think I’m mean.” That earned a laugh from Catra.

“I’ll let him know that the weird pink bitch is a nice person.” She joked, but then got a little curious. “Where did that come from by the way?”

“You can thank my coworkers for that one.” Catra suspected something like that, but did raise another question.

“How the hell are you keeping an office job with multicolored hair and tattoos?” This was all relevant information in case Catra ever had to take an office job.

“They wanted to get rid of me, but there were no real rules about colorful hair and I dared their asses to fire the only queer woman working there because they didn’t like her look. Would love to see them trying to recover from that HR disaster.” Apparently Glimmer had a very ‘Fuck you. Fight me’ attitude about everything. “Also they don’t know about the tattoos, so I trust you to keep that secret.” She added, with a little winky face at the end.

She was halfway through writing a witty remark when her line of thought was interrupted by the smell of burning bread. She dropped her phone on the kitchen counter and scrambled to save what was left of her attempt at baking.

~~~

Friday night at the bar was going unusually slow. Catra wasn’t exactly worried about it, she was smart enough to save up some extra money in case she got too many slow shifts. Still, it wasn’t like anything could really bring her mood down right now.

These past two weeks talking to Glimmer and Adora every day had done wonders to improve her disposition, to the point even her boss noticed. Hordak found it all extremely suspicious as he had never been Catra this genuinely happy when she wasn’t up to something. Catra couldn’t exactly blame him for assuming shit, but it was still very rude.

It’s not like Catra was ever planning to introduce the two of them to her boss just to prove him wrong, but it looked like the universe had other plans, because she could see a familiar face approaching the counter.

“Hey, Sparkles.” Catra greeted. “Didn’t expect to see you here. You stalking me or something?” She joked.

“I guess it was a lucky accident.” Glimmer answered, with a strained smile, before taking a seat. “First lucky thing to happen to me today.”

“Shitty day at work?” She guessed.

“Worse,” She answered, pulling up the sleeves of her work clothes, revealing the myriad of tattoos that covered her arm. “My boss found the bar I like to relax at and I’m so not getting drunk in the same room as the asshole that’s been trying to fire me.”

“And this is what? The least shady bar you’ve found all night?” Glimmer nodded “Well, you’re in good hands now and I promise not to use any of your drunk ramblings against you in the future.”

“Why do I find that hard to believe?” She asked, earning Catra’s most innocent look. It wasn’t very convincing.

“I wonder,” She started, playfully “Do you get even more fighty when you’re drunk or are you one of those, ‘You know I’ve always thought of you as a friend’ kind of drunks?”

“Sorry, but I’m only planning on getting a little tipsy.” She explained, “And I’m a flirty drunk, thank you very much.”

“Damn it.” Catra faked annoyance. “Looks like I’m not finding out what that looks like.”

“Maybe some other time.” Glimmer offered.

“But now that you’re not flirting and you’re not gonna start an argument with someone, what are you going to do to pass the time?”

“Very funny.” Glimmer rolled her eyes. “I think I’m gonna relax with a friend and enjoy some good music. Mind making me a Bright Moon?”

“Ugh looks like you share my boss’s awful taste in music.” Catra complained as she started making her drink.

“What is wrong with Fright Zone? Their music is great!”

“Yeah. If you like listening to a sad emo boy groaning about losing his girlfriend.” Catra countered, having heard most their songs more times than she’d like.

“Okay fine, the lyrics aren’t all that great” She admitted “I could try to find something you and your boss would like. Maybe something by Sadie Killer or The Scream Queens.”

“I have no fucking clue what any of those bands sound like, but I like the names a lot more than ‘Fright Zone’.” She commented, placing the finished Bright Moon on the counter. “Here is your drink, Sparkles.”

“A pretty drink from a pretty girl. What else could I ask for?” Glimmer said with a smile.

“You sure you aren’t drunk already?”

“Maybe I’m always a little drunk.” Glimmer joked.

“That sure would explain things.” Catra teased, earning a playful death glare that she happily matched. They kept the stares going until they couldn’t hold it anymore and burst out laughing.

“You’re the worst.” Glimmer said when she finally stopped laughing.

“Hate you too, Sparkles.” She answered, with the biggest smile on her face.

And for the first time in a long time, she was genuinely happy.

#spop #shera #fanfic #catra #adora #glimmer #glitradora

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rayatii · 3 years

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A (somehow both very biased and not very opinionated) review of the Met orchestra musicians concert “Song to the Moon” from February 21, 2021:

I had been bothering my Tumblr followers with my excitement over this event yesterday, so it felt only right for me to stop procrastinating and give an attempt for a review of the whole thing; I think this is actually my first time writing a lengthy review ever, and it will probably sound naïve and be an embarrassment for me in the future.

It started around 10 PM where I live. I sat in my bed with my computer while eating chocolate in order to stay awake throughout the whole thing, and trying not to spill any pieces on the sheets, excitedly waiting for this event, having actually bought myself a fifteen-buck ticket about three weeks prior with my parents’ credit card (they didn’t bat an eye when I asked their permission), happily knowing that the money was not going to end up in the pockets of the undeserving Met management.

Given the shitty Lebanese Wi-Fi and the fact that this was a livestream, I had been worried that I might miss significant chunks and get upset over the fact. The stream did glitch a few times for me during the first number (mainly because I had my computer on my constantly-moving knees, before settling it down next to me on the bed), but otherwise it never failed me.

But let’s get on with the review. The livestream began with a title card representing an animation of a lunar eclipse, displaying the title “Song to the Moon”. The concert started with a performance of Antonín Dvořák’s String Quintet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 77 by members of the Met orchestra. (actually, given that this is a Met musicians concert, I feel that they ought to be rightfully credited; Nancy Wu, 1st violin [for this piece], Bruno Eicher, 2nd violin [for this piece], Désirée Elsevier, viola, Kari Jane Docter, cello, and Leigh Mesh, double bass.)

I actually listened to a recording of this piece in preparation a few days prior, just so you guys know. Obviously, there were a few slightly flat notes that were played, but overall this was quite a pleasant rendition, and I still have the theme from the 2nd movement stuck in my head as I’m writing this. What I also liked was that at one point (i.e. when I was actually paying attention in that area) I could actually hear the notes being played by the double bass quite clearly, at least compared to the other recording that I had listened to.

Next on the program, the musicians were joined by soprano Angela Gheorghiu (i.e. my main reason for actually purchasing the ticket), who performed all the way from the Athenaeum of Bucharest, Romania, [1st instance of Raya uselessly gushing] looking ethereal in that shot that was shown of her just walking inside the building wearing that white dress and flowing cape, before the actual performance. Just a warning for you guys here; I love Gheorghiu (actually, it’s a bit of a celebrity “crush”), so please expect a little bit of somewhat controlled gushing here and there (partly physical appearance-wise, which are indicated by the bold, and which I deeply hate myself for). This part of the review is causing me even more anxiety for that reason.

She performed on the stage of a theater that was practically empty besides the pianist. She sang in two languages I do not understand at all, which helped me a bit with not getting too distracted by pronunciation. [2nd instance of Raya uselessly gushing] Before I get into what y’all actually came for, I just wanted to get it out of my system about how she had this appearance that defined “has aged, aged really well”. She had this kind of mature beauty, especially with her makeup, that seemed to give me the overall vibes of a pleasant middle-aged auntie. (well, this was very difficult embarrassing to write) Even her singing voice had this sound that can be described as having this sort of “mature” quality blended with the whole fact of her overall sound being “hers”. I hope I have made myself clear.

Okay, gushing finished for now, let’s move on with the review!

Apparently the footage taken in Bucharest and the one taken in New York were both filmed separately. I found it really mind-blowing how the audio of both got synchronized so perfectly.

The first gem Gheorghiu sang was an arrangement of “Tatăl nostru”; basically an early-19th-century musical setting of the Lord’s Prayer by Anton Pann that is still used to this day in the Romanian Orthodox Church (totally NOT reading off the PDF for the program notes provided on the website). I had obviously never heard this piece before; I had tried to (VERY lazily) look it up a bit, but to no avail. I unfortunately don’t remember much from this performance apart from everything mentioned before, but what I do know is that was rendered really epic thanks to the participation of principal Met percussionist Gregory Zuber alongside the string players.

Next was performed the aria after which the whole concert was named, the incredibly famous “Měsíčku na nebi hlubokém” (aka “Song to the Moon”) by Dvořák again, from the opera Rusalka. This version was actually arranged by the violist Elsevier, who is among the musicians who retired from the Met during the pandemic. And it was indeed a beautiful arrangement! Now, unlike “Tatăl nostru”, which I virtually knew nothing about, I love this aria and know it quite well, so I did pay attention to some of the pronunciation; but then again, I do not speak Czech, so it didn’t matter much. Overall, Gheorghiu’s rendition was not perfect (I thinnnnnnnnk there were some notes that were a little bit out of tune? but there was vibrato that also touched the right tone and so I couldn’t tell), and I would certainly not imagine it within the full context of Rusalka the opera (see what I noted above concerning the quality of her voice), but that did not stop me from finding it quite beautiful.

It felt so weird not to hear any applause after each number, and so I could not help but clap after each gem, even though no one could hear me.

After the concert wrapped up, the audience got to watch a chat session between Gheorghiu and Met horn player Barbara Jöstlein Currie, where they talked about how this whole thing came to be (so apparently there was Instagram DM’ing between the two that was involved in the preparation?), before the five string players (which actually include two married couples!) whose music we heard earlier joined in. So unlike the concert, which was all pre-recorded, this was a Zoom session being streamed live. [3rd instance of Raya uselessly gushing] Gheorghiu’s speaking voice sounds radically different from her singing voice, and I can tell English is not her primary language, but that’s just something useless I wanted to include, on which I have zero strong feelings. In contrast to the pre-recorded concert, here she was responsible for me writing in The Balcony Seats Discord server earlier today about how “you know you have aged well when you end up looking a bit like Morticia Addams”, especially with the makeup. [gushing done]

The whole discussion hinged on the concept of “Met family”, and I found the whole interaction between Gheorghiu and the musicians just very very sweet, a star singer and musicians in the pit seeing each other as equals, as family. It’s not every day that I see that (but then again, my background is severely limited, so what do I know). Among the relatively unimportant things the convo touched on that stick with me, in no particular order, are:

Gheorghiu apparently married on the stage of the Met because the guy from the City Hall lost their papers and I never knew that??? (but then again, I never directly research info about my hyperfixations because I get overwhelmed) Everyone had a nice laugh at that recollection.

She got into this whole profession mainly to sing at the Met. Also the whole deal of her making L*vine cry and making her debut at a young age for a star singer.

Everyone relating to the feeling of going home at night after a concert, and not being able to go to sleep because you still have adrenaline flowing through you. As someone who does performing arts, I also relate to that on a moderate degree.

Family life talks.

Gheorghiu mentioning how she can’t work with a director who’s like “your character does that because that’s what I decided” because something something harmony? I can’t remember; I’m pretty sure I’m misquoting. But that’s basically the equivalent of “my house, my rules” (”my production, my interpretation” in that case, lol) imo, so can’t object too much.

Something about playing the finale of Götterdämmerung led the musicians to humorously throw in the idea of Gheorghiu singing Brünnhilde as her next role, and she went all “nah” to that, also humorously.

This led to her admitting that she’s not the biggest fan of Wagner’s music (though she would consider singing Elsa); saying that she’d travel back in time to tell Wager to stop writing these interminable phrases, to just get to the point (I’m not really into Wagner either, so I don’t completely disagree). Also, she believes that Wagner is difficult to sing, and that singers who nail Wagner tend to end up singing only Wagner (here, I think it depends, but there is a point somewhere in here).

She doesn’t seem to like singing acapella/without music very much, which also led her to record some sAcRiLEgiOuS versions of Orthodox worship songs, which you’re apparently not supposed to sing with music.

She sang something like “goodnight, goodnight” (idk) at the very end, it was cute.

To go back to the important stuff, Gheorghiu apparently wrote directly to the Met donors, asking to help in any way, because she wanted to set an example for other people by doing the right thing, and to help what she sees as her “family”, as mentioned above. I had heard some stories about her diva reputation (and she does seem to enjoy attention and stuff, from what I’ve seen myself), but overall she seems like a pretty good person. Mainly mentioning that because as y’all know I’m autistic and can’t tell intricate body language and stuff, plus my very strong belief that good person >>>>>>> great performer. (but my dear friends say that loving her is valid, so I guess I’m safe from too much disappointment. what am I even writing).

And that’s it for my incredibly long and uselessly detailed and almost incoherent and somewhat gushy review, which took me nearly 3 hours to write (and for which I may or may not have replayed a little bit of the stream just to get one bit of info right), and which will, again, probably embarrass me for the rest of my puny life, but which I could not not let out into the void of operablr.

(There were also moments earlier today where I was fantasizing about being interviewed on that very Zoom meeting for the scene-and-duet I composed back in January in response to the Met’s poor treatment of its musicians)

I guess what I can take from this post is: never write a review again, Raya!

#sorry everyone!!!#raya writes a review #concert review #opera concert review #angela gheorghiu #(whom i have excessively gushed over)#(but seriously you should count the number of times i have written 'gheorghiu' in this one post!)#(i haven't bc it's late)#met orchestra musicians #song to the moon #song to the moon concert #dealing with part of a current hyperfixation

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qm-vox · 4 years

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So You Want To Play Hades

I spent six hours coming up with that title because I have problems in my mind which I refuse to either examine or resolve.

So, Hades! The latest work from Supergiant Games, who brought you the interactive soundtracks to Bastion, Transistor, and Pyre, all superb games in their own rights known for their intuitive gameplay, build-your-own-hard-mode difficulty style, incredible atmosphere and characterization, thought-provoking stories, and that sexy, sexy fuckin’ music.

Like, listen to this sometime it’s amazing (all of their soundtracks are available from them on Youtube, by the by, though if you like ‘em you can support the creators by buying the music from them directly too):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uH3Aoj1nw58

You’re likely asking, quite reasonably, why in the infinite and undying fuck I’m writing this post right now, and the long and short of it is I want more people to talk Hades with so now y’all are gonna get hit with the sales pitch and what I hope will be a helpful beginner’s guide if you decide to get into the game. Let’s get into that first part, shall we?

Thou Shalt Subject Your Gods To Market Forces

(Image sourced from Supergiant’s website)

Hades is an action-roguelike/lite that places you in the role of Prince Zagreus, secret son of Hades. Zag is trying to move out of his father’s house and live somewhere else for awhile and, well, Dad’s just being an entire dick about the whole thing. Hades challenges you to face down the endless ranks of the dead one chamber at a time, gathering the resources you need to breach upward through the Greek underworld and open the mighty gates into the living world. You can acquire it on Steam or on the Epic Store.

How do you know if Hades is or isn’t for you? If you like action games with tight controls and widely varied playstyles, we’ve got you covered here (if you’re thinking in terms of previous Supergiant offerings, Bastion has the most bones in). Hades also offers a great character-focused narrative, centering around the relationships Zagreus has and develops with the people around him - from legendary shades like Achilles and Sisyphus, to the gods of Olympus, to the cthonic gods of the underworld like Charon, Nyx, and the Furies - which fully incorporates the conceits of the genre. Unlike many roguelikes which sorta quietly elide failed runs or deaths, Zag’s defeats are part of his journey. After all, he’s already in the underworld. Where the fuck else is he going to go when he dies? Connecticut?

Though I can gush about the characters and narrative all day (and I’ll do it a bit more later), don’t get me wrong: Hades expects you to perform some pretty tight mechanics. Since dying is just the end of this run and not the game, the game feels pretty free to take brutal measures; the environments you move in are full of deadly traps, the seething ranks of the dead outnumber you to vast degrees, and you’ll fight a dizzying mix of opponents who do not hesitate to catch you in cross-fires, push you into lava, or drop bombs when you kill them because fuck you for succeeding you weird godling bastard. If you get easily frustrated or flustered, Hades may be quite stressful for you; before it’s anything else, it’s an action game with a heavy focus on combat, and if you decide to ride this train that’s the price of the ticket. If you relish the challenge and especially if you like the satisfaction of watching your play improve, though, it’s one hell of a ride.

In terms of accessibility features, Hades is a mixed bag. It has subtitles and aim assistance available, as well as a variety of supported languages and control adjustments which can alter how you do things like dash or attack, but it’s missing, for instance, a colorblind mode (and that’s gonna be important here in a minute), and many enemy behaviors & traps have audio cues which are not part of the current subtitle support. A rumble feature for controllers that have it is supported; Hades strongly suggests the use of a controller, but I know several players who choose to use a mouse & keyboard and seem to prefer it. Semi-recently, a God Mode option was added which empowers you when it’s turned on and does so further every time you die; it’s the closest Hades comes to an ‘easy’ mode, and while reception of it from my fellow players has been highly positive I’ve not tried it for myself.

If you’ve liked action games in the past, I’d highly endorse giving Hades a try as long as it’s accessible for you. The current build of the game (just before formal release) is selling at $24.99 USD on Steam right now, and like...I am not a highly skilled Gaming Individual(tm). I lose at games a lot. I play most of my games on Easy or maybe Normal if I’m really feeling like my dick is big - and with that in mind, I loved this one enough to buy it twice. I love the tight feeling of the combat, the way the mechanics feel, its gorgeous environments and its captivating characters. Hell, that’s why I’m out here writing a whole-ass article.

Stealth, Guile, Subtlety, And Other Things You Will Not Need - Getting Started In Hades

(Artwork sourced from the Hades wiki)

So you’ve decided to acquire Hades, you already own it, or the first part of this article was intriguing enough for you to look at the advice portion and see what sort of game you could be dealing with. Hades can be intimidating at first; it throws a lot of stuff at you, very quickly, and while it gives you some strong guidance on what to do with many of the resources you’ll acquire not all of those uses are immediately intuitive. The following is a guide to help your first few runs go a bit more smoothly and work on the fundamentals that will help you through your entire experience.

Let’s start with some General Tips that will help you out with every run and every weapon:

- Relax. No, seriously: relax. You haven’t ‘failed’ a run if you don’t beat the final boss. Hell, you probably haven’t even ‘failed’ a run if you die in Tartarus. If you learned something or got any permanent resource - gemstones, darkness, nectar, keys, blood, diamonds, ambrosia - then that run was a success. Even if the game wasn’t currently early access and thus without a proper ‘end’ at the moment, it’s supposed to be fun. Don’t castigate yourself for dying, just dive screaming back in and rip your vengeance from the spectral chest of your slayer.

- Always Be Moving. You only have so many hit points (you start a save file with a max of 50 and the most you can start a given run with is 200) and healing is limited over the course of a run. If you’re standing still, you’re getting hit. Zag’s quick on his feet - keep him moving and use your dash liberally. Once you’ve dealt some damage, leave and let your enemies swing at empty air, then dash back in and bully them back into their graves. When you start a dash you’re invulnerable until the dash finishes, which can make for some real cheeky dodges once you’ve had time to learn enemy timing.

- Watch And Learn. Early on in the game you’ll be learning about new enemies every chamber, especially when you start transferring to new zones and all of the enemies you’ve been facing just stop being a thing. Take the chance to know your foe! You’re not on a clock: don’t leap into the fight immediately. Dash around and watch how your enemies move and attack. What’s the limitations of their tactics? The reach on their attacks? How fast do they swing and move? If you’d like to watch some of that stuff ahead of time, I’d like to suggest amber_cxc’s Twitch channel: she’s been doing a lot of runs and speedruns of Hades of late, among the other games she plays.

- Manipulate Your Rewards. Certain things in Hades can only be offered a limited number of times per run, and once you’ve hit your quota they stop appearing. You can take advantage of this to get more Boons, Centaur Hearts, and Poms of Power. Specifically, you can only have up to two Daedelus Hammers and up to three Hermes Boons. If you can knock these out early I highly endorse doing so; they’re never bad to have, and even if somehow you want none of what they have to offer getting them off the RNG will help you later. Additionally, you can use Keepsakes (more on these in a minute) to manipulate who you get Boons from, when, by changing in and out of them at each biome. In this way you can control the shape of your build for the run.

- Accept That Your Dick Energy Is Fucking Huge. A lot of games try to keep you humble. Dark Souls is infamous for it, of course, and others in this genre such as Crypt of the Necrodancer and Enter the Gungeon do not reward haste at all. That is not this game. Walk into Hades like you’re the lord god of the Big Dick Dimension even if you know you’re not; take risks and learn from experience how you can mitigate, manipulate, or cancel out those risks. That unearned confidence won’t just help you with tip one (Relax), it’ll help you practice in those high-pressure situations which will occur more and more as your Heat rises.

- A Brief Note On Projectiles. This game has a few kinds of projectiles that you’ll need to learn to identify. Balls and Arrows can be broken - hit them with an Attack and they pop and won’t hurt you. Waves cannot be broken; they travel fast along the ground and have to be dodged or deflected. Lasers can neither be broken nor deflected. Traps can’t be broken, and deflecting them doesn’t always make them safe for you; these include the lava balls in Asphodel, Inferno Bombs, and the shit spit out by Bothers and Pests. Know your foe and always be moving.

In terms of the resources you’re offered, there are broadly two kinds: in-run resources, and out-of-run resources. Let’s talk briefly about in-run ones.

- Boons: Boons are the powerful gifts of your Olympian relatives. They change how you play during your run by augmenting your abilities (like your Attack, Special, or Dash) or by offering passive benefits. In general, look at Aphrodite, Athena, or Dionysus if you want powerful defenses, Ares, Artemis, or Zeus for powerful attacks, and Poseidon and Demeter for a combination of damage and utility. Different gods will be good with different weapons, and we’ll get into that later. Boons have a Rarity and a Level; Rarity determines their starting power and how well they scale if they do scale, and Level is that scaling.

- Centaur Hearts: +25 max and current HP for this run. Do you like not dying?

- Poms of Power: Poms increase the Level of a Boon by 1, which generally makes it better at doing whatever it does. Not all Boons will level up, but the ones that you can attach to your Attack, Special, Cast, Dash, or Call always do. You do eventually hit diminishing returns with these, so you’ll generally want to spread the love around if you keep picking up Poms.

- Obols: DOLLAH DOLLAH BILLS Y’ALL. Obols are the coins preferred by Charon, the Ferryman, who will take them from you for goods and services. Obols can be turned into all other resources - even out-of-run resources. They’re almost always a great choice of investment.

These in-run resources are presented as potential rewards when you’re selecting chambers. I tend to run heavy on Boons and Obols myself, but your own play style is likely to differ! Experiment with the feel of acquiring various rewards and see what you like to invest in. After all, they’re only for the run you’re on; you literally can’t take it with you.

Out-of-run resources are used to permanently advance Zagreus’s power, his relationships, or both. They are as follows:

- Cthonic Keys: Used to unlock new weapons and new parts of the Mirror of Night. Once your weapons and Mirror are wholly unlocked these keys stop being useful more or less instantly, and can be safely traded at the Wretched Broker between runs to acquire Nectar (but see Gemstones, below).

- Gemstones: Early in the game, Gemstones can be traded in at the House Contractor between runs in order to enhance the underworld; in particular, they can be used to install fountain rooms, to open up access to Chaos and Erebus, to give you access to Infernal Troves (and upgrade said troves), and to add in-run resources to Keys, Nectar, and Gemstones. These services are in the first tab of the House Contractor and you should buy them out as soon as possible so that your runs can springboard off of these powerful additions. Once that’s taken care of, Gemstones can be used to renovate the House of Hades, including Zag’s bedroom and the lounge, again at the House Contractor.

- Nectar: The nectar of the gods is in short supply in the underworld, and is a treasured gift that Zagreus can offer to his friends. In most cases, the first time you give a character Nectar they will trade you a powerful Keepsake in return; these are run-altering tools you select at the start of each run and change how you play. Early on, spread the love, but once you’re full up on Keepsakes you can feel free to develop relationships through gift-giving however you see fit.

- Darkness: The power of Night is used to give permanent, powerful passive benefits to Zagreus via the Mirror of Night in his bedroom. I would suggest using Darkness to get your extra Dash and extra hit points before anything else, but once you’ve got those tools kinda fuck around and find out. Eventually a dialogue option with Nyx will unlock the flip side of the Mirror’s talents, which must be developed separately and cost even more Darkness; you’ll want lots of this and you’ll want it for a very long time. Oh, and try to save aside 8,888 Darkness for a rainy day. You’ll need it.

- Titan Blood: Offered by the first and last bosses at each level of Heat (more on Heat later). Titan Blood is used to upgrade your weapons, making them better at doing all of the things they do, as well as to unlock Aspects of those weapons. We’re still shy one Aspect as of the latest patch, so ah, don’t stop collecting this. You’ll always have a use for it.

- Diamonds: Offered by the second boss at each level of Heat. Diamonds are used to buy plot-relevant renovations to the House of Hades, to advance certain relationships, and to acquire the fishing minigame and in-game access to the soundtrack within the House. Like Blood, you’ll have a use for these for a long, long time.

- Ambrosia: Offered by the third boss at each level of Heat. When you reach the point at which you can no longer offer people Nectar, genuine Ambrosia from Olympus becomes the princely gesture by which you can show your gratitude. You may be tempted to trade this for Blood early on. Don’t.

When you’re starting out, Darkness and Gemstones will be the gods of your new world, followed closely by Cthonic Keys You’ll run out of immediate need for Gemstones faster than you will for Darkness, but by that time you’ll either be comfortable with Hades or you’ll have determined it’s not for you. Focus on unlocking access to your new weapons, upgrading the underworld itself, and paying off your talents; at this stage, escaping the underworld isn’t really a priority so much as setting up for your eventual triumph is.

And When You Can No Longer Lay Waste - Infernal Arms And Heat

(Artwork sourced from the Hades Wiki)

The assault rifle with under-slung mortar launcher is definitely my favorite ancient Greek weapon.

So I’ve mentioned unlocking weapons, and I’ve mentioned that Hades offers varied play styles, so I suppose I ought to talk about them. Zagreus’s weapons - his Infernal Arms - form the first layer of your play style choices, which will be augmented by your in-run choices, and the second layer comes in the form of the Pact of Punishment and its Heat. Each weapon has differing values for its attacks and behaves very differently. I’m not gonna give you the specific numbers here - we have a wiki for that - and will instead make some general statements on how they play and what might pair well with them.

- Stygius, the Blade of the Underworld: You start each save file with this bad boy. Stygius is a generalist weapon that leans somewhat towards speed; its Attack is a three-hit combo that ends in a Thrust with knockback, while its Dash Attack (note: these are not the same with ANY weapon) is solely the Thrust, still with knockback. Its Special, slower than the Attack, is a high-damage shockwave that breaks enemy projectiles and knocks them back. You might be asking yourself, Vox, why would I Special when it makes people leave sword range, at which point I will direct you back to Always Be Moving; your Special makes your enemies Go Away, which saves you hit points. Stygius can build into almost anything, though its Attack benefits the least from Zeus and Poseidon, and is notable for having the most wild fucking Hammer options. Some of them do little things like make your Special bigger, but then you get stuff like Hoarding Slash (deal extra damage equal to 5% of your Obols), World Splitter (you do one big swing with a base damage of 80) and motherfucking CURSED SLASH, which is where Stygius rips a line of cocaine off of a mirror, cuts your health by 60%, and then heals you for 2 every time you hit something. My advice for this is whatever you start down, commit. Stygius might build into anything, but it can’t build into everything: once you choose a boon path, pick things to compliment that and go fucking ham.

- Varatha, the Eternal Spear: The forgotten child of Hades’ weapons, Varatha is a versatile weapon that, like Stygius, does a bit of everything - and unlike Stygius, does it all at the same time. Varatha’s base attack is a series of three long-range thrusts with low damage, and its Special throws the spear in a straight line, at which point it hovers in the air until you Special again; it follows a straight line from its position to your current one, damaging anything in that line. Last, but not least, you can perform a powerful Spin Attack by holding down the Attack button and charging up. Spin is one of the strongest single hits in the game, but you do have to stop moving to charge it up. However, you can dash out of the charge - even better, dashing releases the Spin at the end of your dash. This means that once you learn the timings of your charges, you can use Spin to attack and dodge at the same time, in a wide circle around yourself. Unlike Stygius, Varatha benefits to an extent from splitting your build up; its Attack wants big hitters like Aphrodite, Artemis, or Poseidon, whose high multipliers pair amazingly with the spin, while its Special can mount debuffs or stranger forms of damage like those offered by Dionysus and Ares. If you start building into one thing, but then Hammer into an alternate focus, the end result is still going to be pretty cohesive. Like Generic Goodstuff, or want a weapon to use while building up many divine relationships? Varatha does it all.

- Aegis, the Shield of Chaos: Just because this thing has the only block function in the game doesn’t mean it’s a defensive weapon. Aegis is a fast-moving melee weapon whose hits cause native knockback, slamming foes into walls, up against cliffs, and through traps & magma. Since Aegis throws people around it’s great for a highly aggressive style; dash in, hit them, and watch them slide away before they can do damage back to you. Its Special throws the shield Captain America style, where it ricochets off of opponents and obstacles before eventually returning. Use this with care; you can’t attack or block while your Special is out. Holding down the Attack button begins to charge a Bull Rush; while you’re charging, you’re immune to damage in the direction the shield is facing, and then when you release you dash to the end of the indicated line, damaging anything you hit. Despite how sexy that sounds, Bull Rush is honestly kinda slow and can be hard to build for specifically; instead, Bull Rush is best used to get out of bad situations, or to outlast big long boss combos, especially those used by the first and second bosses who are known to spit out absolute STREAMS of projectiles. Aegis hits fast and gets lots of bonus damage against normal enemies by bullying them against walls for that sweet, sweet Wall Slam damage, but it craves big damage multipliers less than some other weapons; consider using Zeus, Dionysus, or Demeter for your Attack, saving big damage choices for if you can get a Dash Attack build going. Special is great for mounting utility like Aphrodite or Poseidon that let you control the engagement further, just remember to think before you hit the yeet button.

- Coronacht, the Heart-Seeking Bow: Meet your first ranged weapon! Coronacht deals damage in a straight line by charging up a shot; when your line flashes, release the shot for a Power Shot that deals extra damage. Its Special is...bad, I’m gonna be real; it’s a wide-sweeping volley of arrows that deal individually low damage and will rarely, if ever, hit the same target. Still, it has its uses. Coronacht benefits from either high damage or battlefield control on its Attack; look into Artemis, Aphrodite, Demeter, and Poseidon. Its Special is harder to build for, but Ares and Zeus both do well on it since they can cause damage out of proportion with the range and/or area of your volley. Play keep-away and use distance to get off those charge shots, and remember that you can break projectiles and hit multiple enemies with each attack. Avoid mounting odd damage (Ares or Dionysus) or utility (Athena) on your Attack; it’s not going to come out fast enough to take meaningful advantage of those tools.

- Malphon, the Twin Fists: Easily the angriest weapon in all of Hades, Malphon is a pair of massive fuck-off gauntlets that are used for fast-moving combos at extremely short range. It is unique in that its Attack has a Dash Attack, and its Special - a massive uppercut - has a dash upper, letting you sweep in and deal big damage in a tight area immediately. Though each of Malphon’s hits are individually small, it throws out so fucking many of them that you can put almost anything on your Attack and it’ll work out. Athena Attack? Why not, you’ll be swinging when the enemy is. Dionysus Attack? Poison stacking has never been easier! Artemis Attack? Sure, you don’t do a lot of base damage, but you swing so often that you’ll crit constantly and take advantage of passives like Support Fire. Your Special has much higher base damage and can easily become the focus of your build, and because it moves slower it wants bigger damage multipliers like Artemis or Aphrodite if it’s your focus. If it’s not your focus, consider Poseidon in its slot (to get enemies to Go Away) or a god that will combo with your Attack (for instance, if you’re doing Demeter Attack, consider Zeus Special so you can potentially pick up the Cold Fusion boon and get 10 seconds of free damage every time you tap the Special button). You pay a price for this ease of use: Malphon’s range is directly inside the enemy’s ass, which means you need to have razor-thin timing to dash out of the way of attacks and keep your combos going, especially if you get swarmed. Since Malphon can mount and build literally fucking anything, it’s the ideal weapon to use if you want to power-level Keepsakes; slap something on at the start of a run and then just never take it off. Sure, you’re letting the Three Fates decide your build, but fuck it, it all just works!

- The Adamant Rail: What if you invaded the underworld with a fucking machine gun. The Adamant Rail has an ammo counter; each Attack takes 1 bullet (and Dash Attack takes and fires 2), and you reload by pressing the right-hand stick in. Its Special is a slow-moving mortar that hits in a wide area. The Rail is a powerful and versatile weapon capable of engaging at great range, which tends to build either Attack or Special. If you’re building Special, look for big hits like Aphrodite, Artemis, or even Poseidon, and any Special upgrade at all from the Hammers. Attack usually wants utility or stacks - stuff like Poseidon, Demeter, Dionysus, or Zeus - but certain Hammer upgrades like Spread Shot might make it more worthwhile to invest in big hits for it if you get them early. However! Just because you’ve decided on a focus doesn’t mean you should neglect the other half of your weapon. For instance, an Attack-focused build might still entertain the Targeting System upgrade so that you can more easily land your hits and avoid the enemy, while a Special-focused one benefits from mounting debuffs like Weak or Chill on its Attack.

For any weapon, once you settle into a play style you enjoy, find ways to be rewarded for what you’re already going to do. If you enjoy, say, the Chiron Aspect for the bow which makes it into a Special-focused weapon, mount benefits like Doom or Weak on its Attack since you still have to use that to make your shit go-go. This applies more broadly too; if you’re saving up Gemstones for something, for instance, use the extra money you get during your run to visit the shops earlier and more often. Let Hades reward you for doing the things you already want to do.

To close this guide out I’m going to briefly touch on Heat, which is how Supergiant Games has manifested their signature build-your-own-hard-mode approach. After you clear the game with any weapon for the first time, you acquire access to the Pact of Punishment. This Pact lets you turn on hostile modifiers to your run, which each have a Heat value; once you clear the game with a weapon at any given level of Heat (0, 1, 2, etc) you can only get Titan’s Blood, Diamonds, and Ambrosia with that weapon by advancing to the next level of Heat. In this way the game gradually gets harder on a weapon-by-weapon basis.

So, what modifiers to turn on? Depends on what you’re good at and bad at, but I would highly, highly suggest that you get used to Extreme Measures, Middle Management, and Benefits Package as soon as possible. Not only are they sources of big Heat by themselves that don’t change too much of the run by themselves, but their primary difficulty is knowledge-based; once you know them, they’re practically free real estate. Since Heat is tracked per-weapon and not in total, you can also always go back to weapons you’re not as good with and use practice with them as an excuse to get more permanent resources that you can pour into the ones you prefer.

Obviously this guide is not comprehensive! I’ve left out a lot of things you might want to know, like boss patterns, enemy types, and a whole lot of stuff about characters. Some of these things I’ve not talked about because I don’t want to give spoilers; others I haven’t talked about because I’m, again, actually pretty bad at games and the Hades community has talented folks whose guides on Steam, on the Reddit, and on the wiki can provide you with thorough breakdowns of the math that makes the game work. Still, it’s my hope that this can ease your entry into the world of Hades and help guide you in those early runs when it can feel like you’re spinning your wheels. I look forward to hearing from you; reblogs and commentary are welcome!

See you all in Hell.

#hades #hades supergiant #supergiant games #roguelike #action #guide #Greek Mythology #video games

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jlalafics · 5 years

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Rent Control-Part Two

Happy Friday y’all! Just leaving this here...also, it gets slightly steamy...

If you haven’t read Part One, here’s the link.

Summary: Katniss Everdeen has found the perfect home in San Francisco—great neighborhood, an easy commute and, best of all, it’s rent controlled. There’s only one problem; the landlord will only rent to a married couple.

Enter Peeta Mellark.

_______

Rent Control

Part Two

It was stupid that they didn’t think about this earlier.

Katniss and Peeta stood in the bedroom, eyes on the mattress in front of them. It was covered with a plush comforter—soft blue with grey tones—purchased by Katniss in all her excitement. The dresser adjacent to it was whitewood and atop was a flat screen television, brought from Peeta’s former apartment.

“Why did we never talk about sleeping arrangements?” she asked.

“Maybe because we’ve been so busy concocting a fake marriage that it slipped our minds?” Peeta responded.

“There’s always the couch,” Katniss said. “I can bring my blankets there.”

“No, I can sleep on the couch,” Peeta told her. “Only…”

She turned to him. “Only what?”

“Do you have a couch?” he asked. “Cinna is taking ours.”

“Shit!” Katniss smacked her palm to her forehead. “My couch didn’t belong to me…it was part of my apartment. Just another thing that we forgot.” She crawled onto the bed and laid back. “Let’s get a sofa next Saturday. We’ll rent a van and go to IKEA.”

“And, until then?” Peeta questioned from where he stood in front of her.

“The bed is big enough,” she told him. “If you promise to not sleep naked, fart, or snore—you can just sleep here. It’s not a big deal. I used to share a bed with my little sister, Prim.”

“Yeah…Prim doesn’t get morning erections.” Peeta scooted himself into bed and laid back next to her. “But damn, this is comfortable.” Their eyes met and he flicked her chin. “Are you sure? I can sleep on the floor.”

“No, we’re a team now.” Katniss twisted to meet his eyes. “We have to take care of each other as all fake couples do. Also, beautiful as this place is, sleeping on the floor sucks.”

“Okay, as long as you’re not weirded out,” he relented. “So, out of curiosity and because I should probably know this, why did you come to San Francisco?”

“Don’t laugh at me,” Katniss warned. “I followed a boy here. He went to San Francisco State while I went to University of San Francisco. I thought I was in love and, for a while, so did he.”

“USF, huh?” Peeta mused, his eyes on her laid out form. “Then, what happened?”

“Gale realized that there was more out there than the girlfriend that followed him all the way from their little Connecticut town. He told me he needed to find himself…aka date other girls.”

“Was this recent?” Peeta asked.

“No. That was years ago during my Freshmen year.” She sighed; it had been a long time since she thought of Gale. “Thank goodness there are so many crevices in this city to avoid your ex in.” Her eyes met his and Katniss smiled ruefully. “And, what’s your story?”

“My family owns a pretty prominent bakery in D.C., and I wanted to expand the business here,” Peeta explained. “I have a business degree from State and I’m still trying to convince my mother that opening a Mellark Bakery in San Francisco will be profitable.”

“Any nightmare exes that I should know about?” she questioned.

“I dated Delly,” he said.

“Delly from the bagel shop down the block from Johanna’s?” Katniss frowned. “Their bagels are shit! I don’t know if I’m more bothered by you dating her or by the bagels.”

Peeta guffawed. “Why would you be bothered?”

“I literally got the runs from there and Delly was not very nice when I told her about my bagel poisoning.” She grimaced, remembering her frequent trips to her not-so-clean commode. “I’m only telling you this because every husband should know about his wife’s one-time food poisoning.”

“Yeah, I think she was very insecure about you,” he explained. “You know Delly didn’t get that job at Johanna’s and then you swooped in. Me and you were…are pretty tight and she didn’t appreciate me giving you coffee for free.”

“I’m guessing that she thought ‘coffee’ was code for your penis,” Katniss said. “Can’t imagine what she thought cream was code for.”

Peeta snorted. “That’s been over for a long time. However, I’d avoid the bagel place now that we’re ‘united’ as man and wife.”

++++++

It had been a long time since Katniss had slept so comfortably.

The morning light was still low, just barely shining threw the bamboo curtains, and the room was still comfortably warm. In her last apartment, her nights were usually stuffy and warm while her mornings were frigidly cold.

Here in her new apartment, Katniss felt like the Goldilocks of San Francisco—this place was just right.

There was a shift and her gaze went to Sleeping Handsome, peacefully dozing next to her. Peeta shifted, an arm going over his eyes, and her own wandering eyes went to the small expanse of skin that had been exposed in his stretch.

Right above his belly button and just above his hips was smooth skin except for one bit—the happy trail leading down…

This arrangement was going to be harder than she thought.

It had also been way too long since anyone, including herself, had touched her lady bits.

Katniss, against her better judgement, lifted the comforter for a quick glance. “Huh.”

True to his word, Peeta did indeed have morning erections.

“Keep looking at it and I’ll have to charge you.” Her eyes met his sleepy smirk. “Good morning, wife.”

“Good morning…you,” she managed to stammer. “Just wanted to see if you were just bluffing about the morning wood.”

“Nope,” he responded. “Just a little factoid; it’s a bitch to pee with.”

Katniss rolled her eyes. “You’re making my mouth water.”

Peeta sat up and growled. “It likes your voice.”

She chuckled and ruffled his already mussed locks. “I’ll turn around so you can go to the bathroom first.” There was a shuffle and quick steps heading to the bathroom. Katniss turned back around when she heard the bathroom door close. “Any plans for today?”

“I took two days off for the move so pretty much opening up the rest of the boxes,” Peeta called out from behind the door. “Can’t wait to get all my baking stuff into the kitchen.”

“Does this mean that I can expect breakfast pastries every day?” she asked.

“Maybe if you’re a good girl,” he told her.

Katniss laughed. “Ohh…kinky.”

Peeta suddenly let out a shout. “Damnit!”

“What happened?”

“I told you,” he replied. “It likes you.”

It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him that she might be getting fond of it herself.

++++++

“So, this is your sister?” Peeta stared at the teenager with the sunny hair and even sunnier smile, hugging a newly graduated Katniss in the photo. “You two look like you’re close.”

“Yes.” Katniss placed the freshly cleaned frame to the side before reaching into the box for another framed photo. “These are my parents when they first met in the 70s.”

She handed the frame to Peeta, who sat next to her on their newly placed living room rug.

“Your dad had a killer moustache…and those bell-bottoms!” He peered at the photo before looking to her. “You look a lot like your mom, except for the coloring.”

“I have that crochet halter top that she’s wearing,” she told him. “It’s kind of how I got into fashion. My mom kept all these great pieces from when she was a teenager. I used to rework them for me to wear. That halter I kept the same because it was the top that she wore when she met my dad.”

Peeta smiled, his blue eyes warm.

“The more I hear about your life, the more fascinated I am with you,” he said. “Why haven’t we really talked the whole time we’ve known each other?”

Katniss shrugged. “We’ve been so busy trying to survive that I guess we just never thought to.” She went back to organizing her photos. “I like getting to know these little bits of you.” Her hands reached for the plate of scrambled eggs and bacon to her side. “I like that you spent a whole summer with your dad trying to make the perfect scrambled eggs…and that you go to the deli to get your bacon.” Then, her gaze went to the beautiful watercolor hanging on the wall adjacent to the fireplace. “I like that you learned to paint to impress a girl but ended up just loving to paint.”

“Just one of my many quirks.” Peeta stood up, taking her frames, and going to the mantle to place them. “I have a box with some photos of my family, too.” He paused for a moment. “My mom and I…well, we’re not exactly as close as you are with your parents.”

She joined him at the mantle. “Why not?”

He placed the photo of her parents on the mantle distractedly, his gaze somewhere else.

“I’ve always been trying to prove myself to her,” Peeta explained. “I’m not the smart one. That title belongs to my oldest brother, Bran and I’m not as successful as my lawyer brother, Alex. I’m just…me—and that doesn’t seem to be good enough for her.”

Her hand reached for his shoulder, squeezing it gently. “You, Peeta Mellark, are the good one.” He turned to her. “You offer free coffees to a girl because you know she can barely afford bread and you pretend to be her husband so she won’t sleep on the streets. Those are all the qualities of a good heart…and a good husband, even if it’s not real. You’ve saved me in so many ways.”

Suddenly, Katniss found herself in his arms.

Peeta pressed his nose into her hair. “Thank you, Katniss.” He took a deep breath and she shivered at the sensation. “You saved me, too.”

“How exactly did I do that?”

Peeta sighed into her skin. “I’m not sure yet…but I can’t wait to find out.”

++++++

“Katniss! We have to get going!” Peeta buttoned his lightweight flannel before suddenly stopping halfway up. It was a bit warm for a San Francisco afternoon which was fortunate for this welcome party, but annoying on the clothing front. “Do you think I should button this?”

“No, just leave it open,” Katniss replied as she entered the room. “I love the V-necks on guys nowadays. The manbun however—what?”

“You’re wearing that top?” he managed to sputter.

Katniss twirled, allowing him to enjoy the sexiness of the top on his pseudo-wife. The burnt-orange linen skirt she wore danced around her ankles, and on her feet were a pair of camel-colored sandals.

“We were talking about it and how it really got me into fashion, so I pulled it out of my closet,” she replied. Katniss caught his wide eyes and her smile fell from her lips. “What?”

“It’s just…wow.” Peeta circled her closely, taking in the cream crochet top that covered everything that needed to be covered quite strategically. “You just look beautiful. Shit—I really can’t stop looking at what that top is covering! I’m really sorry I’m such a perv—”

Katniss chuckled. “No, this top is just made to be looked at. How do you think my mom got my dad?” She grinned wickedly. “Thank goodness for the NuBra…because my mom didn’t wear anything under this—”

“Way too much information on my fake mother-in-law,” he told her. “And what the hell is a NuBra?”

“It’s basically like bra cups with some stick.” Katniss held her hand up like cups to demonstrate. “And you’d just lean over—”

Peeta put his palm up. “Okay, stop. I’ll never be able walk down there comfortably.” He let out a breath. “Just give me a minute.”

“It’s not horrible for us to look like we’re sexually into each other,” she informed him carefully. “It’s human nature to be attracted…to feel heat when people are so close together. Trust me—we’re going to have a lot of these moments.”

His hand went to her shoulder and a shock of electricity rushed through her.

Then, she felt that telltale twist in her pelvis and her knees suddenly felt weak.

Her throat felt dry. “Peeta…” Her voice came out low, that last syllable trembling as it escaped her lips.

His mouth suddenly replaced that spot on her shoulder, that roughness of his lips exciting her to the tips of her toes. “Katniss, you’re making this really hard on me.”

She closed her eyes. “I’m trying not to.”

Fingers played with the strings tied at the nape of her neck.

Just one tug and it would all fall down…

There was a knock on the door.

“Katniss! Peeta!” It was Effie. “We’re just about ready. Come down soon!”

It was Peeta who found his voice first. “We’ll be right down!” His eyes went to Katniss’. “This isn’t over.”

She found a smirk rising on her lips.

“God, I hope not.”

++++++

They stepped into the backyard and Peeta’s hand reached to clasp hers. “Whoa.”

“It’s like we’re in a secret garden!” Katniss practically squealed as they walked under the flowered archway. The scent of roses immediately danced on her nostrils. “This is gorgeous.”

“I’m glad you like it.” They turned and found a dark-haired man with tortoise-shell glasses at the grill. He walked towards them and Katniss couldn’t help but admire his elegant gait. “I’m Beetee Latier. I tend to this garden and I also live right above you.”

Peeta reached to shake his hand. “I’m Peeta Mellark and this is my wife, Katniss.”

Beetee looked to her, a small smile on his lips. “Katniss…interesting name.”

“You know your plants, obviously.” She turned to Peeta. “In case you forgot, my name comes from an edible plant in wetlands.”

“So, I can eat you,” he responded bluntly.

Katniss had the good grace to blush.

“Ah, young love,” Beetee interrupted with a light laugh. “I’ve known Effie and Haymitch even before they bought this building and you both remind me of them—spunky.”

“And we love spunk.” Haymitch walked over, meat patties on a plate. “Here you go.” He handed them to Beetee. “I see you’ve met our resident genius horticulturist. Don’t let his soft-spoken nature fool you. He’s done a lot for the city of San Francisco.”

Katniss looked to him in interest. “Really?”

“Nothing illegal and also I’m not at liberty to say. What Haymitch didn’t mention is that I’m retired now,” Beetee added, taking the plate and placing some of the patties on the grill.

Haymitch grinned. “Yes. Now, he sings Motown to the flowers to make them grow.”

“Hello, hello!” Effie rushed over to them giving them each a kiss on the cheek. “Finnick, Annie, and Jack are on their way down. Annie’s just walking a little slower these days.” She looked to Katniss and Peeta. “They’re having twins.”

“Sorry we’re late!” A handsome man with a shock of red hair entered the archway, a bowl in one hand and a dark-haired toddler under his opposite arm. “Here’s some potato salad, Effie.” Their landlord rushed over, taking the bowl. The man then went over to Katniss. “Here’s Jack.”

He held out the little one and instinctively Katniss took him into her arms.

The man chuckled. “I can’t believe you actually fell for that. Now he’ll never let you go,” he told her. “I’m Finnick Odair and the craziness in your arms is Jack.”

“Katniss…Mellark.” She nodded over at Peeta. “Peeta, my husband.”

“Nice to meet you both,” Peeta said, shaking Finnick’s hand and waving at Jack, who had now settled in Katniss’ arms, playing with the delicate design of her top. “Careful with that, Jack. One tug and that thing will dissolve into dust.”

“So, you’ve had experience with that top,” a light voice said. A pretty brunette in a cerulean maternity dress waddled over, a bright smile on her face. “I’m Annie Odair—and this is my huge stomach.”

Jack pointed at his mother’s tummy. “Twinsies.”

Finnick went to his wife, helping her into a lawn chair.

“Careful, love. One move and you might jostle them out.”

“Sometimes, I wonder how they even happened,” Annie groaned before looking to Effie.

The older woman was suddenly very interested in the buffet setup at the far end of the yard.

“What did Effie do?” Katniss asked as she settled into the seat next to Annie, Jack in her lap.

“We moved in seven months ago,” Annie explained. “Effie offered to watch Jack so we could unpack…and christen the apartment.” She waved her hand over her belly. “And, here we are.”

++++++

“So, Effie and Haymitch told us how you got engaged,” Finnick said, a sleeping Jack in his arms. “How did you guys meet?”

It was later in the day and they had just finished eating. Beetee was a whiz at the grill, explaining that he once worked at a Mel’s Drive-In. Annie, who owned her own restaurant, had been the one to make the potato salad, which was delicious, and Katniss had her fill. Effie and Haymitch were currently preparing dessert—homemade sorbet with assorted fruits.

“Well, I work at a boutique nearby and Peeta works at the coffee shop next door,” Katniss said. She turned to Peeta. “But for some reason, I can’t recall…”

Peeta grinned at her. “She was so distracted since she was training. I just kind of waltzed into her life,” he told her, taking her hand. “I do remember the first time I saw her.”

Katniss shifted in her seat. “You do?”

“Of course. How could I not remember the day my world turned right side up?” he replied, not quite meeting her eyes. Peeta turned back to their neighbors. “I was heading to my shift and my eyes caught the display window of her store…and there she was. Katniss was, of course, distracted because she was changing the mannequin into these really wide pants—”

“Gauchos,” Katniss supplied. “My first window display.”

That was nearly two years ago—had it been that long?

“Oh right—and I just thought to myself that if I could get this beautiful girl to just look at me—maybe even smile at me—then life would be nothing less than perfect,” he told them.

Katniss remembered that day; she had been setting up the display when the hairs on the back of her neck suddenly stood up. Her eyes went to the street only to find no one, just the backside of a blond heading into the coffee shop next door. She brushed it off, thinking that she was nervous about what Johanna would think.

Later that night, Katniss headed into the coffee shop for her 15-minute break. Peeta had been at the counter to take her order.

And, she remembered—that same electricity happened, her hairs stood on their ends at the sight of him.

“Thank you for telling me that,” she murmured, her eyes feeling misty.

Peeta blushed. “My pleasure.”

“I love that,” Annie said, her green eyes glazed at the romantic tale. “It was meant to be.” She nodded at Finnick. “I met old what’s-his-face because he was one of my waiters.”

“I was a horrible one,” Finnick explained. “It was only because Annie as a chef is really scary…but sexy. I just got so nervous around her.”

“Finally, I had to fire him,” she told them.

“And, when she did, I asked her out.”

They all chuckled at Finnick’s words as Effie and Haymitch approached, trays on their hands.

“Everyone seems to be getting along,” Effie said as she placed dessert on the table in front of them. She looked between the group as Haymitch and Beetee settled into their own chairs. “I’m just so happy that we all found each other…that Katniss and Peeta have completed our little family.” Her eyes shone and Effie wiped her eyes hastily. “So, before Haymitch tells me to quit with the waterworks, I’m just going to say welcome home, Katniss and Peeta. We hope one day you’ll think of this place as your own and us as your family.”

++++++

“I feel like the shittiest person alive,” Katniss said, later that night. She shifted in bed, turning to Peeta. “Are we the worst?”

Peeta sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe? The thing is that I do like it here. I like everyone.”

“You know that Annie and Finnick offered their old couch to us?” she told him. “They’re getting a sectional so that Jack and the twins will have somewhere to lounge around. Finnick even offered to help you bring it down here. Beetee said that he’ll help when the cable-and-internet guy comes over next week.” Her head went to his chest. “I like them, too.”

He put an arm around her, pulling her close. “Worst of all, lying to Effie and Haymitch…”

“They’re like our cool Aunt and Uncle,” she added. “Maybe we should move. I can beg Johanna to let me stay at her house—”

“No,” Peeta interrupted. He suddenly looked to her; his expression anxious. “Katniss, everything I said out there…it was real.”

“What do you mean?”

He reached, brushing a tendril of her hair away to tuck it behind her ear. The sudden gesture was so familiar yet so tender.

“Seeing you look at me—even smile at me that first time we met—it made me feel like life was nothing less than perfect,” he told her thickly. “And, it’s been that way ever since. Life is perfect when you’re with me, Katniss.”

Her hand found his cheek, her thumb grazing the stubble on his chin. He closed his eyes, savoring the sensation of her caress.

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

Peeta shrugged. “I was afraid. Afraid you would reject me…afraid to lose your friendship. I would have rather had you as a friend than not have you at all.”

Katniss let out a breath. “Peeta, why don’t we just admit that there is something here?”

His lips found home against her temple. “Because we don’t want to break…us.”

“We should give us a chance,” she admitted quietly.

Pushing up on his elbow, Peeta looked down at her, his eyes glowing in the dim light of the room. He leaned forward before suddenly stopping and chuckling softly.

“What?”

“I was just thinking about that crochet top,” he told her.

Katniss raised her a brow. “What about it?”

“Just wondering if I’ll get a chance to see it on you without that damn NuBra.”

She couldn’t help but laugh.

“Of course! Now, get over here!”

Without another word, Katniss pulled him down so their lips could finally meet.

End of Part Two

So, this seems pretty fast…but this was almost two years in the making for them.

Not like I’m going to make this easy on them, though.

Just an FYI—the boutique is based on one that I worked at many years ago. I loved the store and the product, but I hated the whole cutthroat aspect of trying to earn commission.

Mel’s Drive-In is a diner created in San Francisco that was originally a car hop. It’s mostly associated with the movie American Graffiti. Or, if you love older movies as I do, Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn visit one in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.

Anyway, I digress.

I’m not sure, but there might be a small time jump.

Also, I bet you’re wondering how this will end. I have three scenarios in my head and I’m not quite sure which it will be.

Till I decide, LaLa

P.S. They did end up “christening” the apartment.

#Rent Control #Part Two #Everlark #Everlark Fanfiction #fakemarriage!au

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sirenfromthelostcity · 5 years

Text

The Most Pt. 1

A/N: Okay so this is my first ever John Wick fic! In a nutshell, it’s basically like a mentor X student AU. I don’t know why but i couldn’t get that idea out of my head and i really wanted to write it, so here! It’s called The Most bc it reminds me of the song with the same title from Miley Cryrus’s new EP. I wouldn’t say the fic is inspired by the song, not entirely at least, but idk to me it just vibes with it (if that makes any sense? i feel like once the second part is out it might make more sense?). This fic is intended to have a second part so that shall also be posted shortly as i have another mini John Wick fic i wanna start and i also want to write the second part to my short Spider-Man fic. I’m so excited about this story y’all! I hope you all enjoy it! As always, feedback is always appreciated. Without further ado, enjoy! :))))

Words: 2.7k+

Today marks the fourth and a half year that you’ve been under John Wick’s tutelage. Only six more months left and John will have had completed his marker. Initially, John was rather reluctant to be your instructor but the marker held by your father gave him no other choice but to abide by your father’s request to turn you into a formidable assassin. Who better to teach you than the infamous John Wick himself?

In the beginning of your training journey, John didn’t bother to hide his reluctance in your father’s request. This made things rather difficult until one day you decided to confront him about his behavior. He was in his study, probably searching for a way to get out of having to train you, when you knocked to let your presence be known then proceeded to enter.

“Evening, Mr. Wick, call me crazy, but I’m getting an inkling that you don’t want to train me.”

He scoffed.

“Believe me, I get it. I bet you’d really rather not have me intercepting with your lonesome peace and quiet but the bottom line is that I have to do this too and I have to learn it all to be as good as you. Maybe not exactly as good as you, but good enough to have me not die immediately as that would be, despite your current opinion of me, quite upsetting.”

He silently glared at you for a long minute, still not very much pleased with his current situation, “Why do you want to do this?”

“Want, who said anything about want? You may be bound by a marker, Mr. Wick, but I’m bound by my family to learn and master everything that there is to know about how to thrive in this lifestyle to survive in it.”

The room remained uncomfortably silent for sometime but you still didn’t falter in your stance.

“Before me who did you train with?” he asked.

“Well I was being trained in Krav Maga by Gabriel Avdeyev for some time but he and my family had a falling out and-–”

“I heard,” he sighed. “.... Based on the results of your initial assessment you have a lot to improve on. For starters, the way you initiate your attacks are okay but they will need to be refined or you will be killed. Get some rest. Tomorrow at dawn we will continue your training.”

Despite knowing John couldn’t actually purposely hurt or kill you, he was still very intimidating and the confrontation was rather hard to execute. But, it paid off.

Training with the notorious John Wick also meant living with him and sometimes that involved taking care of each other. Along with being a good fighter and shooter, John also stressed that one needs to know how to properly patch themselves up. He’s given you medical lessons before but to really teach you, one night he decided to not go to his usually doctor for a patch up but to go directly to you instead and see what you’ve retained from your lessons. When that great idea struck him it was in the middle of the night and he gave you quite a fright when he went into your room all bloody. You almost shot him with the gun you had hidden under your pillow if it weren’t for his quick reflexes which actually made you feel really impressed considering he was critically injured.

“Are you serious, John?” you asked, rather irked at being abruptly awoken at three in the morning.

“No, I’m bleeding. Now get up, this is part of your training. Time to see how much you’ve retained from those medical lessons,” he grunted as another pang of pain struck his lower abdomen.

You promptly threw your covers over your body and got out of bed before leading him to the bathroom where the first aid kit was kept. After finding the source of his bleeding you unbuttoned his shirt and got to work. Under the circumstances, seeing John shirtless wasn’t at all awkward. However, ogling his exposed chest was the last thing on you mind considering how he was bleeding an awful lot from his lower abdomen.

“Jesus what did they nick you with? This looks really bad,” you comment as you inspect the wound.

“Broken bottle of champagne. Try to avoid those in the future, they can be pretty tricky to fix.”

“Yeah, no shit,” you proceeded to clean the wound and remove any stray traces of glass, subconsciously taking quick glances at him whenever he winced. “Do you need anything for the pain?”

“Do you happen to have bourbon in any of these cabinets?”

“No, but I wouldn’t really recommend that considering how alcohol consumption can actually thin your blood out and make you bleed more.”

“But it does help with the pain.”

“Mmmmm, I’d still wager more on the pills designed specifically for that.”

John huffed. At this point you’re finally starting to stitch up his wound but his pained grunts make it a little difficult to focus.

“Are you okay?”

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing I’m not used to.”

“That’s so sad, John,” you paused to briefly glance at him. “Also super broody. We get it, you’re a badass.”

“A bad ass? That seems rude,” he sarcastically replied.

“Oh, my god, you’re actually joking with me for the second time this night. Don’t think I missed that dad joke earlier with the ‘No, I’m bleeding,’” you imitated his gruff voice and lightly laughed. “Good one, John.”

The small smile subconsciously remained on your face for a few seconds longer and John couldn’t help but admire how nicely it adorned your face. You caught him vaguely looking at you but simply assumed blood loss had something to do with the way he was looking at you. He turned away before you could even question your hypothesis.

“Well, we’re all done now. With the abdomen wound at least,” you noticed he’s also bleeding from his head and move to inspect it but his hands reached out and gently grabbed your wrists.

“It’s alright, (Y/N), I can take care of the rest, you’ve done good with the ugliest of them.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, John, I’m here now and I’ve got this for you.”

Never one to waste words, John remained silent which you took as a go ahead.

Thankfully the injuries on his head were nothing more than a few small cuts. At least on that night they were. Some nights John would come back with much rougher cuts, clearly showing that whoever he had fought had certainly put up a good fight but not quite good enough to best John Wick. Still, not only did cleaning his injuries provide you with insights to his battles, it helped you both establish a sense of trust between you two.

After that night, rather than go to his usual doctor John began going straight to you for his patch ups. Could he have chosen to start going to you simply because it’s quicker than stopping by The Continental first and then home? Possibly. The reason for him basically appointing you as his patch up doc never really came up but you didn’t really care. By then your affection and attachment to John was beginning to grow so you didn’t mind being the one to help him feel better after a difficult job. Not to mention that tending to his wounds meant having a good excuse to touch him. Not while overstepping your boundaries, of course, but sometimes it was just nice to be able to be able to grab his hands without it being weird. Tending to the cuts on his face was something you always saved for last. It was your chance to really admire his facial features up close while simultaneously healing it. Sometimes you were so gentle with him that he actually managed to doze off and you were able to tell when it happened because he’d look so relaxed and serene. When you had to wake him up, although you didn’t want to but you knew he’d sleep much more comfortably in his bed than in a stiff chair, he’d always apologize for falling asleep which in effect often lead you both to joke about it. However, you swear that you caught him blushing the first few times it happened and when it did it just felt so, human…

You and John have really come a long way in terms of tolerating each other and actually bonding together. You both truly did. Because John is your instructor and you are over a decade younger than him, your relationship with him was purely professional. However, after about two years of training with him, your feelings for him continued to evolve into a much more stronger and different kind of admiration.

Are you in love with The Baba Yaga?

The answer to that would be a very strong perhaps. When you and John were briefed on the deal of the marker, you were supposed to learn about weapons training, fighting forms, assassination techniques, melee weapons training, etc. You were to learn how to become a proficient and deadly assassin, such as John, not about love or anything else that might be considered a weakness.

You hardly ever give yourself the chance to ponder on your feelings for John, much less at the possibility that he could possess the same feelings of affection towards you. It’s not as if you believe that the less you think or talk about it the less real it is, you aren’t that naive. You’ve simply decided long ago that you’re not going to act on your feelings for John. Love or anything remotely close to that is just not in the cards for people like you and John. At least that’s what you keep repeating to yourself.

Still, with your training nearing to an end you’ve been feeling really glum about it. Training with the notorious John Wick hasn’t been easy but living with and falling in love with the real man behind the legend was so foolishly easy. John is an extremely proficient killer, that much is true, but he is also a man. John is a man with dry humor, a latent love for the simpler things in life, a fun penchant for stunt driving and cars, kind and gentle eyes, and, surprisingly but also not really, a man of a very chivalrous nature. Despite the initial turbulence in your mentor-student relationship, you and John inevitably became good friends which really allowed you to see him under a different light. He often took you out to nice dinners claiming that he wanted a change of scenery from an uneventful day or simply because you did very well while training. Either way you enjoyed your outings with him and also simply appreciated being in an entirely different place, not being reminded of the person you’re supposed to become. However whenever you got injured while training to become that person, John would actually help patch you up. Although he’s taught you how to do so yourself, John would claim the medical lessons were mainly for when you are by yourself and have no one to help you and he’d remind you that he’s there with you now. Which is pretty similar to what you’ve told him the first time you helped patch him up now that you think of it. For an assassin who’s extremely well known for his brutal techniques and merciless takedowns, it astounded you to learn that the same man can also be so gentle. You’re not even officially leaving yet but you already know just how badly you’re going to miss John Wick.

In spite of yourself choosing to not focus on a particular set of feelings held for a particular person, today your brain can’t help but do the exact opposite. Today, John decided to focus more on Brazilian Jui-Jitsu. Little to your knowledge, John actually enjoys training you in this fighting form because these techniques allow a weaker or smaller attacker to successfully overpower a stronger opponent by manipulating the human body and redirecting it’s force. Therefore, if you do it right, you could use the opponent's strength against them and take them down. Usually you do very well in this form of martial arts but today John is able to tell you’re not fully there with him. Although John is very good at Brazilian Jui-Jitsu you’re level of skill is practically on par with his as well and you’re current struggle to beat him is alerting him.

Currently, John has you in locked in a rear choke hold on the ground, with one arm wrapped around your neck, his other arm around your free arm, and one leg wrapped around your other arm preventing you from breaking free. You struggle for a few seconds, realizing there’s no use, he’s already one this match, and grunt in frustration. John loosens his grip around you but doesn’t fully release you yet, he brings his lips close to your ear, “What’s wrong?”

The feel of his breath on your skin sends shivers down your spine, yet you quickly and physically swat those thoughts to the side and shake your head, “Right now you have me in a choke hold and I can’t get out of it, John. I don’t know about you but this seems like a pretty big issue for me.”

John instantly releases his grip on you and rises up, he’s about to lend you a hand to get up as well but you’ve already beaten him to that.

“That’s not what I meant, (Y/N). Tell me, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” you insist. “What makes you think something’s wrong?”

“For starters, I’ve been kicking your ass in this all day when I know I’ve taught you better than that. And for another, you just seem very distracted today.”

John is as perceptive as he is deadly, which is why you don’t bother lying to him again and instead insist on continuing to train.

You look down for a second before looking up, making sure to avoid his concerned gaze, “Look, John, do you mind if we just call it in for the day?”

“Something is wrong,” he states.

“John,” you impatiently groan.

“Why won’t you just tell me what the issue is?”

“Because there’s nothing you can do about it!” you snap and instantly regret it, rubbing at your temples. “Okay, I did not mean to say it like that. I’m sorry. I just need to cool off right now, John…”

This time you don’t wait for permission and simply walk away, however, John doesn’t try to stop you either. Not because he doesn’t care, quite the contrary in fact. Concerned and confused, John intently watches you head towards your room. He begins to trail after you but halts in his steps deciding that right now the best option would be to give you your space. Still, John can’t help but wonder about what could possibly be troubling your mind so much and why you refuse to speak of it.

He glances one last time in the direction you previously walked in before heading towards the kitchen and serving himself a shot of bourbon.

“You can’t do anything about it!” your words replay in his mind.

“She’ll tell me when she’s ready,” he mentally tells himself. “We’ll figure it out then.”

John downs two more shots, currently finding it difficult to dwindle his concern and thoughts of you, before taking off in the direction of his room. He encounters the door to your bedroom on his way and halts at the entrance. He balls his hand into a fist and raises it to knock on your door but slowly brings it down and proceeds to head to his room. After finally entering his room, he gives your door one last glance before closing his door and retreating to his room for the remainder of the day.

#john wick #keanu reeves #john wick x reader #mentor x student

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