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ac3id · 4 years

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Thankyou so much for sending in a request🌸💕you cuties get what you ask for :)

tw: noncon/ dubcon, captivity, a lil bit of violence?? , bakugou and shoto are aged up obv

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DABI

🌸 he’s obviously a sadist like- look at him you just know.

🌸he’s has probably been with women who like it rough in the past so he is not like hesitant to show that wild side to his partner. i think he puts everything on the table- slapping, kicking, spanking and even spitting in his s/o’s mouth. he also enjoys degrading his s/o. humiliating them, making them cry. yup all of it. this guy is hardcore.

🌸but, all those carnal feelings kind of get buried when he meets you. you’re a pretty little thing. you must be protected. always so cheerful, always rwady to help others, and oh so innocent. dabi practically cringes whenever he sees someone else talking to you.

🌸don’t you know that they don’t really care about you? they just want your attention so they can corrupt your angelic soul? Why are you still talking to them?

🌸he gets pissed off from all the useless people trying to come between the two of you so, he locks you up. he’s the only on you can talk to now, he’s the only you will see from the start of the day till the end. until the kids come in, obviously.

🌸he’s finally happy. he has you for himself now. he protect you, love you. he can be your friend, your lover. he feels complete.

🌸you on the other hand.....

🌸you cry, scream at him. call him a monster, ask him to kill himself and never show you his again. dabi never loses his cool. he looks at you with silent rage in his beautiful cerulean blue eyes and the next thing you know he’s dragging you into his room, cuffing your hands to the bed posts and leaving you there the entire day. nothing to eat or drink, you have to sit in complete silence while you starve.

🌸dabi promises himself he would never hurt you, physically that is. it’s the entire reason why he had brought you back home with him, to protect you, silly.

🌸it starts of as a mistake, he never meant to hurt you. you had just pissed him to an extent he lost all his cool.when he realizes what he’s done, he’s ready to cut off his arms for you. guilt takes over his being. he feels like he was a child again, and his favorite toy had broken, he couldn’t live without that toy.

🌸that would have been the case but, when he realizes you like it. oh boy, rip darling. you’re moaning, he’s confused for a second but after he realizes that it turns you on he’s going to ask you to beg which you gleefully do. you beg him to hurt you, tie you up, use you however he pleases.

🌸dabi is on cloud nine, he’s so proud of you.

🌸you’re never going to hear an end to it. he likes teasing you about it, something as innocent and petite like you gets off to being used ? well, dabi is going to make sure all your needs are satisfied. he’s your husband after all.

🌸expect him to start using toys on you. punishments become so much more fun for him after he learns about your little secret. now instead of tying you up and leaving you alone for days, he can beat your ass black and blue and deny you release only you for you to cuddle with him while he dotes on you.

🌸he wonders how he got so lucky.

🌸You were doing the dishes, Dabi had forced you to them. The reason was, "while I am out working for us. you should take care of this place, hmm?" or simply put, he wanted you to play the housewife for his perfect family fantasy.

Perfect family, you scoffed internally. At this point, you knew better than to disobey him. Disobeying him just resulted in you being locked in a dark room for days on end while he went about his day doing god knows what. You feel him stalk behind you as he hugs you from the back. His body pressed to your back allows you to feel his inhumane warmth. A normal person should never be this hot.

He tilts his head so it levels with your neck, the water from the taps still running as you stay frozen while he pampers your neck with kisses. His hands are tightly wrapped around your waist making it impossible for you to escape his sinful intentions.

You sigh as he trails kisses to your jaw. Quietly accepting defeat. Next, you feel his hands creeping south. You feel his hand cup your womanhood his middle finger pressing onto your covered hole.

“You know, y/n, I think we’ve been getting along. You don’t even cry when I kiss you anymore.”

You turn off the tap as Dabi continues the assault. He slips his hands under your pants and you let out a whimper. “Dabi, no please, I’m not ready”

Dabi stops his actions. He completely detaches himself from you and takes a step back. You turn around and face him, he is looking down on the floor his hair scanning his eyes. The aura of the room quickly turns from mundane to something worse and you stay quiet. You already know you've pissed him off. You want to mutter out apologies but you know better, speaking now would mean punishment worse than what he has already planned in his head.

“y/n,” his hand comes in contact with your neck. He squeezes around it, you frown as you find it harder to breathe. Your hands wrapping around dabi’s trying to get him free you but he doesn’t budge.

He looks at you, his eyes filled with rage. Glaring down at you, he scoffs, “I was being nice with you! but you don’t understand do you?” his free hand slips under your shirt grabbing your chest. He gropes your tits, pinching and pulling your nipples until they harden. Despite the twisted scenario you feel yourself getting wet, you could not believe it but you were enjoying this, you felt disgusted.

It was getting harder to breathe as dabi’s grip never loosened. His hands now traveled towards your cunt which grew wetter every second.

He slipped his hands under your pants and a sicking grin took over his features, his staples looked like they could have popped right out. The animalistic glare only drove you further towards insanity.

“So, my sweet, little, baby likes getting choked? Who could have thought?” he remarked sarcastically, “you got something to say, baby?” his voice was sickeningly sweet. If you could have, you would have punched his face whipping that smirk but you couldn’t and Dabi did not fail to notice how riled up he had gotten. If you wanted more you had to beg.

Your dignity had left you the moment he had chained you to his bed and making you into his obedient little housewife. There wasn’t much to lose so, you begged.

“Phle-” you started and Dabi’s hand left your neck. You huffed in air and he pulled your hair arching your neck to face him. Your neck hurt and so did your head but the pain regretfully pleasurable.

“Please, Dabi,” you say in a whisper

“Please what?” he growls. You swallow your last shreds of pride.

“Please hurt me.”

You know you’re fucked when he looks down at you like he’s a hunter who finally caught his prey. His tongue peeking from his mouth as he licks his lips. “Whatever you say, princess.”

The entire night goes by as he continuously abuses your hole, spanking, slapping, and even spitting on you. Dabi makes sure you feel sub-human the entire time. Calling you names, making fun of your insecurities and he doesn’t feel bad making you cry. He couldn’t, the way your cunt squeezed his cock deeper inside he had forgotten about all his promises.

And you couldn’t deny it either. You kept begging him to use you even though you felt sick, the pleasure was far greater.

SHINDO YO

🌸 like dabi, i also imagine him being a sadist like its just his vibes. he loves breaking down his s/o into a whiny little mess only for him to put them back up together.

🌸when meets you, that desire only grows stronger. whenever he’s out with you on dates (what he likes to call them) he can’t help but imagine your how your lips would feel like on his cock while you suck on your ice cream bar. you probably don’t even know what you’re doing.

🌸the more time he spends with you, the more it grows on him. the carnal desire to pin you down and defile your innocent, helpless self.

🌸he wants you all to himself, he asks you if you trust him and, come on, you obviously do, he’s the pro-hero grand after all! how could you not? that’s how he lures you in. he invites you into his home- it’s you and him, you don’t think much of it even though your friends warn you. you trust Shindo, he’s a great friend!

🌸your mistake. next thing you know is that: you’re in his basement all tied up.

🌸unlike dabi, shindo discovers about your masochistic side much earlier. he does have any personal issues with hurting you. if you’re being a brat he’ll not hesitate discipline you and bring you to your place.

🌸the worst part is when he has you bent over his legs, your ass sticking out in the air and his heavy hand comes down to smack it with brutal force: you like it.

🌸you enjoying this catches shindo off guard. he didn’t expect that you enjoyed this of course, he never lets it go. your punishments are always something sexual, he riles you but doesn’t let you cum. you have to beg him to let you cum and he degrades you while you chase your high.

🌸he definitely uses his quirk on you, overstimulating you until you pass out. he probably does not like using toys, his hands could do better but he doesn’t shoving dildos up your holes as punishment so, expect him to buy expensive dildos just for you.

🌸as rewards, shindo asks you what you want. you better tell him otherwise he’ll edge you hours and then leave you hanging.

Shindo has you bent over his lap, your ass facing him and your hands tied in front of you. Your panties pulled down to your ankles. He rubs your ass as you sniffle, "This is your punishment, Y/N, take it like a good girl, okay?" you cry louder. This was humiliating, you didn't want this. Tears stream down your eyes as you beg him. "Shindo, please, let me go. I- I won't tell anyone."

Shindo clicks his tongue, "There you go. You're started with that bullshit again, huh? Don't you understand? This is where you're safe. Safe from the world here with me."

"No, I am not!" you yell as you squirm around hips lap. "Y/N," Shindo's voice darkens and you quiet down, "Good. Now don't move around too much and we'll be done quickly."

Shindo lifts his hand high and brings it down to your bottom. Your ass jiggles as Shindo's hand comes in contact with it. A smearing hot pain flows trough your backside and you let out an involuntary moan, you feel yourself getting aroused by this situation as your pussy starts tingling. Shindo freezes, he looks down you and you quiver.

"What's this?" He asks as he rubs your ass, "Did I hear a moan? Of pleasure?" he taunts as he sets down another and you moan harder. "You like this baby?" another slap, embarrassing sounds won't stop leaving your mouth as he continues spanking your ass.

He stops after your skin turns a dark shade of red all the while your pussy drools. Shindo brings his hand down to your pussy and spreads your lips, his finger runs from your clit and plunges into the hole.

"A little pain slut. Didn't expect you out of everyone to be into this."

he pushes his finger inside, knuckles deep, and you out. He keeps thrusting his finger inside you adding a second, his thumb lands on your clit and you feel vibrations spread throughout you- he's using his quirk. You cry out feeling the fire in your belly build-up- you were so close. Moans fall from your mouth and Shindo eagerly drinks them up, "I- I am so close!" you cry out, and just when you thought you'd find your release, Shindo stops. You sigh as you feel yourself clench around nothing, you turn your head back and catch Shindo sucking on his two fingers- which were inside you seconds ago. You blush at the perverted scene. Shindo looks down at you, "What was that dear, Y/N? You did not tell me that you liked it rough?" he asks smirking but you only turn your face away from him. You feel another smack on your back and you squeal. He squeezes your ass, kneading the flesh.

"Tell me what you want and I'll give it to you."

SHOTO TODOROKI

🌸He finds it really cute that his beloved,sweet Y/N was longing to be dominated and to be abused,he wasn't the one to deny what the love of his life wanted

🌸knows how to inflict the right amount of pain,admires the way your tears glides a and dampens your cheeks

🌸loves it when you call out is name absoluTELY LOVES LOVES LOVES it when you moan out his name when he burns his name into your skin

🌸Unlike dabi,shoto is a slightly softer yandere,this boi is W H I P P E D,his feelings are so intense for you,he would go through any lengths to be the perfect husband for you

🌸His feelings growing more out of hand when you both started dating,

🌸 he'd learn about your masochistic tendencies,when he's break into visit your house one night after your date. theres nothing wrong with checking up on your beloved

🌸he expected you to be dozing off on your bed.what he didn't expect was you to whine out his name

He bit back a moan at the sight of your naked back facing him"ah fuck,shouto~"your head throwing back a string of dirt words spilling out of your mouth at the erotic scene displaying on the screen of the laptop screen, a woman tied up,being sexually tortured

Your fingers knuckle deep inside you,your breath becoming irregular fantasizing about him.unbeknownst to the monochrome eyes fixated on your fingers moving in and out of you

You almost don't hear your door creaking open in the midst of your haze,and within seconds you were abruptly interrupted from your session as you find yourself pinned under shoto todoroki

You don't even get the chance to react before he pulls you into a hot kiss filled with animalistic desire and lust,you moan as he bites your bottom lip,your tongue darting out over his. He grabs your ankles and opens your legs for him

He grips your wrist and holds them above your head swiftly restraining your hands swiftly together with his belt,his tongue slides into your mouth again as he brings his hand around your neck and pushes you down so that your flat against your bed.his clothed dick grinding against you

He brings his hand onto your neck,squeezing cutting air as his nails digging into the soft flesh

Your eyes darkening with lust as you gaze at him above you

Your nipples hardening at the sudden drop in the temperature of the room

"is this what you want?"grunting in your ear pinching the hardened bud between his fingers,your mouth dropping open as you nod,writhing uncontrollably underneath him

"use your words,beloved"

You swallow dryly,a chocked sob escaping your mouth,finding it hard to speak "sh- shouto please,please fuck me,I want you so badd"

Using his strength to hold your hips down, You tremble as he lines himself up your entrance,he pushes himself in,knocking the air out of your lungs as he fills you up to the hilt walls clenching around his girth

"god,Y/N, you're so fucking tight"

Ruthlessly moving in and out of you making your eyes roll to the back of your head, bucking your hips to meet his thrusts

your wrap legs around his hips, bringing him closer to you

His hand reaches between your thighs and rubbing his fingers over your clit at a rapid pace making you clench tighter around him

He thrusts faster and harder grabbing your throat once again, you mewled feeling yourself go closer

You came with your toes curled cum dripping onto the sheets beneath you

BAKUGOU KATSUKI

🌸bakugou is a violent man. yelling at people to “die”, casting explosion anytime he feels like it might come as an surprise but he doesn’t like hurting his s/.o. He does not want to hurt his s/o- he wants to protect them.

🌸he finds you very innocent, treats you like a porcelain doll, always so careful. he is horrible with showing affections- thinking he might hurt you by mistake.

🌸but, when he finds out about his darling being a masochist, he couldn’t stop but get curious. he doesn’t the appeal, he’s always a little hesitant about hurting his darling but he kinda thinks its hot. he’s into it. if sweet little y/n wants it- he’s going to give it to her.

Panic settles down on you as katsuki forces himself between your legs. You shut your eyes, tears falling to your cheeks as pushes himself into you, "Oi shitty woman, what the fuck is wrong with you!?" your breath hitches at his words. "Why the fuck are you crying? It shouldn't hurt too much. We've done this before!"

"Katsuki, I don't want to do this!" you cry out and Bakugou growls, "What do you mean?" His large hands come down to your thigh landing a hot smack as he had activated his quirk. Feeling the burning hot pain melting into your body you moan and tighten around him. He stops thrusting into you, his cock still buried till the hilt he looks down at your tear-stained face, his eyes wide in astonishment. He brings down his hand, activating his quirk letting it fall against your in swift fall. You squeak again. He does it again and again and you clench around him every time.

"Are you seriously fucking turned on right now?!" he asks chuckling darkly. His surprised expression subsiding into a cocky grin. His large hands start groping your breasts, taking them in his mouth and biting on it, bruising the skin and drawing blood

"You like it when I hurt you don't you? Filthy woman," he growls at you. You nod desperately, finally giving in.

"Say it." You open your eyes to meet his furious red ones, "Yes, I like being hurt." you whimper and Bakugou laughs wickedly. Watching your pupils dilate and darken with lust as he traces your cheekbones softly before bringing it down harshly, slapping you across your face. You feel the tinge of another slap, your face growing hotter with the increasing severity of each slap.

The sound resonating across the room, he slaps your face a few more times, leaving imprints of his palm heated by his quirk. Hooking a finger under your chin and running his hand over your mouth, pulling at the bottom lip, his brain almost short circuits at the sound of your moans, shamelessly getting off the pain. Forcing his fingers between your lips, prying your jaw open, spitting inside your mouth

His dick twitched at the sight of you drinking it up.

"Fuck, such a kinky little bitch"

He pulls out of you, his thick cock standing tall and proud, the shaft glistening and glowing with precum and your slick glistening under the dim lighting of the room, he takes his cock in his hand and guides it to your mouth.

"What are you waiting for? Suck me off!" he growls. A chocked moan leaves his lips at the feeling of your tongue on the angry red head, tongue tracing the prominent veins on the underside of his shaft.

Grabbing the back of your head, tangling his fingers into your hair and shoving his dick further down your throat. Causing you to gag and tense around him, feeling every texture against your tongue and the roof of your mouth and the back of your throat. Loss of air making tears well up in your eyes, blurring your vision. His rips rocking faster, his balls slapping against your chin. His eyes devouring the sight of your mouth filled with his dick, mixture of drool and tears dribbling down your lips. Teeth gritting as he reaches his climax, his cum shooting in thick, hot ropes on your face. Bakugou smears the cum all over your face and breasts, smirking while he looks down, "Fuck, look at you-" he beginnings. You take in deep breaths, exhaling from your mouth you whisper "Katsuki, please.." the burning in your south becomes unbearable but he doesn't do a thing. Annoyed, you snake your hands down towards your drooling cunt but Bakugou slaps your hand away.

"You don't get to cum yet." He barks. His hands touch your cheek and you flinch thinking he'll slap you again but he caresses it gently.

"You're in for a long night, baby."

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natsukitakama · 3 years

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Being in relationship with Porco would include

Author note : Hi there ! How are you ? I wrote most of it while I couldn’t sleep I hope it’ll be fine ♡ please let me know if you like it

just look at him please it should be illegal to look that good

Warning : slight mention of nsfw / some spoilers if you haven’t seen the new season of Attack on titans

I do not own that gif credit to the owner

Masterlist

Him being cocky asf I swear he was born cocky. I don’t know if he is super confident or if he is just natural but he lives to tease the hell out of you

At first he might act as if he was not interest on you. But no one believed him, not when he constantly got his eyes on you. Alway looking for you even when you were surrounded by people because of a festivities or anything else.

Sometimes you’re just walking pass him and unfortunately you didn’t notice him but he did he always did. If you were more focused you would noticed how his eyes last on you.

When he flirts he flirts. He is super bold about it and won’t be afraid to be straight to you. Like one day you were working and didn’t notice him at first but he started to flirt with you with his stupid grin telling you how gorgeous you look today, how your cloth Underline your natural beauty.

I think he is kinda clingy, not in a wrong way. But sometimes when you two are chatting with each other he would brush his hands against yours just to have the pleasure of seeing goosebump on your body.

Or sometimes he will just bend slightly just enough so he could whisper in your ear, you would feel his breath on your neck wishing he could kiss your neck

He will just give him time

He might be at first being clingy in public or even showing you off, being an endian (even if he is a Titan) means he can’t do everything he wants to especially because he is afraid someone might try to take you away from him. It doesn’t matter if you’re a mahr or an eldian (though he might be even more anxious being close to you if you’re a mahr because he knows both of you would be in trouble but at the same time he got excited by the thought of you wanted him despite him being an endian) he would still be cautious while being with you in Public

When you two are in more private place though : he is clingy, he just can’t control his hands, they have to be on you (holding your hand, grabbing your ass, stroking your hips or your thigh).

He is not really into hug he prefers more sensual act of love like kissing, but if you’re running into him or just hug him when he goes home and you just hug him, his heart would melt. Don’t do it in front of Reiner he doesn’t want to be seen vulnerable : but I promise you he will blush like a tomato, even more if you’re kissing his cheeks.

Speaking of Reiner, be careful cause I can picture him to be jealous, like a lot, he is possessive man I can feel it. So everytime he will see you two chitchatting, Porco can’t help but need to mark his territory meaning he will put his arm around your shoulder, or even try to make you blush just to reminds Reiner that you’re his.

He tends to do it to every man he might feel uncomfortable (because they’re stronger, smarter or wealthier than him) especially if you’re mahr

He is always acting like he is super confident, but he remains a little brother : he can’t forgive himself for not discovering his big brother’s plan or for not being strong enough so the military won’t change his position for Reiner. Even if he has his own titans he is still jealous and bitter against Reiner

Sometimes he feels guilty for loving you : after all he only has couple of years to live while you would have an eternity without him. Even if he’ll probably tell you to live your life and find someone else, he can’t forgive himself. But he is very selfish, as soon as he falls in love with you he wanted to keep you all for himself.

Another angry baby (say hello Eren), even if he is pretty rough, you tend to not fight that much. Most of the time you can avoid argument because you’re calm enough to understand his point and to make a compromise so you two aren’t angry at each other.

But sometimes argument can’t be avoiding, so instead of yelling at you or be condescending most of the time he chooses to leave you for couple of hours just to relax. When he is calm enough he would go back to see you with a bouquet of flower to apologize for being an asshole

At the beginning of your relationship, you thought that you’re two were sexfriends cause honestly he always managed to have you under him or sometimes on his laps.

It didn’t help that he spent most of his time with Pieck, during a lot of time you believed he was into Pieck but couldn’t have her so he chooses you instead. It broke your heart and when you confront him well he didn’t react the way you thought he would. He just look at you deep in the eyes, he looked quite confuses : why would he date Pieck ? Why would he want to spend time with her while he could have quality time with you ?

The only thing he said that day was « are you blind ? »

His sex drive are pretty huge, maybe it’s because he is a beast and so he felt some animal instinct or because he just loves to hear you moaning his names, but it’s like he can’t never get enough of you.

You see it coming but he bites you a lot, he just loves that sometimes it’s the sight of his love marks on your body that turn him on for another round. You’ll be warned.

Don’t wear black lacy lingerie or you won’t leave your bedroom or with sore legs

Do not talk that much about his friends, but talks shit about Reiner I just can see him giving you 99999 reasons to not talk to him.

But with time he’ll talk a lot with you he just needs a little time especially about his brother : he is still bitter about it.

Do not expect him to dance with you

Kidding, he will if your giving him puppy eyes

You can get whatever you want with it

I mean everything

Even if he noticed how you’re manipulating him, he can’t help but melt when you’re looking at him with those eyes of yours, even worse if you give him a pout.

Sometimes he dreams about his brother and can’t help but cry while sleeping, he won’t say it, but please hug him and stroke his hair during time like this he needs to feel loved.

Just realize that eren and Porco are angry boys and both would be jealous if they saw their S/O with Reiner. Stop being handsome Reiner it doesn’t help at all.

I don’t believe he is the type to spoil you but in way you’ll be spoil. For exemple if he saw you looking at something for a long time or if he noticed that you’re talking a lot about something and are actually working to buy it. Don’t say much Porco Is here, what’s the point of having money if he can’t buy something for you ?

He doesn’t know how to react when you are buying him something, internally he is so happy he feels so love but he doesn’t know how to react so he will hug you or kiss you on the cheeks thanking you for this (that’s me I can’t receive a gift properly so lame)

Also he teases a lot but you can expect behavior like this judging by how cocky he is, it’s even worse when he started to court you. My gosh the man never stop to praise himself, he really thought that you’ll become interest on him but he started quickly when you tease him telling him how great it could be to be in relationship with itself. After that he tried to be more humble

It never worked, he still shows off but you find it quite cute as if you two remain into the flirt part of your relationship. Especially because he is always giving you compliment.

And during sex man, he can’t help but smirk ALL the fucking time. He is just so proud, even when he is on his back letting you have your way with him he’ll tease you, he’ll force you to go at his pace. He loves being in control.

The man is not afraid to tell you when you’re hot, gorgeous, pretty, cute he looks his time to look at you up and down then whistle and would say something like « damn babe you look fine in those pants should wear it before »

Oh if you’re asking he is an ass/thigh man but that’s for another headcanon

Even after a long time being in relationship with him, he still has difficulty to tell you when something is wrong. He is so proud, he can’t admit when he fails something or just when he feels down. You’ll have to confront him, or even better acting not bothering to ask him what’s wrong and instead starting to help him.

When you’re doing things like that god, he wish he could spend the eternity with you

oh and by the way, yes he knows he looks good in suit and will always tease for looking at for too long.

#porco galliard #snk porco #porco x reader #porco galliard x reader #attack on titan #attack on titans #shingeki no kyojin #aot #snk #aot x reader #snk x reader #aot porco #snk porco galliard

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moonbeamsung · 3 years

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CRΣΣKS

Love, a second glance, it is not something that we need.

member: jeno

au: guardian angel in disguise!jeno x gn!reader, guardian angel au

word count: 3.4k

genre: angst

warnings: character death/loss, profanity, no happy ending, mentions of religion, questioning/loss of faith

recommended song: 715 - CRΣΣKS by the nor’easters

author’s note: Please be very careful with volume when listening to the song (above) that inspired this story! But even without reading the lyrics/listening, the fic will still make sense, and happy reading :)

network tags: @kpopscape @neo-constellations @starryktown

The wind is whistling, weaving in and out of the tall river reeds like an invisible needle and thread, stitching itself into each and every crevice of the world’s gift called nature.

Another one of its many gifts is the young boy that’s resting beside a rushing brook, toes dipped into the cool water and face illuminated by the sun as it beats down onto the earth with celestial strength.

Well, a gift from the heavens, that is.

Sent from the endless skies above, Jeno is your guardian angel, assigned with posing as a humble peasant boy in the village, all to keep a watchful eye on you from afar. In his human form, he spends his days wandering the cobblestone roads and narrow alleyways between the quaint buildings, with no family to return home to at dusk. A sunny meadow on the outskirts of town becomes his home, and he takes refuge in the shelter that the overgrown grass provides.

Everything is going smoothly, and he’s doing his job just as he should be. It’s routine now, waking up and rising from his earthen mattress, curtains of copious plant leaves letting in the sun’s rays. He finds you, observes at a comfortable distance, and that’s that. At its core, being a guardian is really an easy job. A predictable one.

A monotonous one.

Until one day you approach him, youthful eagerness in your eyes piercing and nearly painful, even to his invulnerable body. He’s never seen you up close before, only on the near horizon as you’ve gone about your daily chores, tending to the housework just like any obedient child should.

“...Who are you?”

Now, Jeno is faced with a decision more challenging than any that us mortal beings have to make in our entire lives. Engaging with one’s assignment is an extremely dangerous path to take. Unimaginable punishments await, should the guardian make a wrong choice. But Jeno was careless, and he had allowed himself to be discovered by the only human on Earth that the divine forces permit him to be seen by.

He makes the fatal error of answering you, ultimately shattering a future he’ll never get to live out, one that he doesn’t even know he would’ve had. Like a sharp rock being thrown at a church’s stained glass window, the meticulously carved pieces of his worldly existence fall to the ground with a deafening crash, broken beyond repair.

“I’m Jeno,” the strikingly majestic cadence of his words is like that of angel trumpets, the sound ringing in your head and making you dizzy with both fascination and infatuation.

And just like that, in three short syllables, you’re both fated to fall before you can even spread your wings.

From the moment you hear his name tumble from those beautiful lips, you’re hooked, and he knows it. He sees it in the way you look at him, in the way you act, the way you talk. A child experiencing a first and a forbidden love all at once.

It breaks his heart, because he knows it can’t, and shouldn’t last. The churning rapids of the creek nearby weep for him, for they know that in a matter of just a few short years, their waters are destined to mix with the salty tears that will steadily cascade from your trembling chin.

Jeno remembers, although vaguely, the brief amount of time he spent living amongst the clouds, being prepared by the heavenly elders for this expedition of a lifetime, quite literally. He remembers the scriptures, the strictures, and all the times he’s been warned of the severe consequences that come with immorality.

But even the purest of young angels aren’t infallible, still susceptible to compulsions that lead them to sin and defy their creator.

Relishing in the fading daylight, you join him by the water’s edge, listening to his soothing tone as he answers your ceaseless inquiries with harmless little lies as white as heavenly robes and cherub wings.

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. The first sin.

It’s interesting, he thinks, that despite looking after you in the endeavors of your youth for quite a while now, he knows next to nothing about who you truly are. Actions may speak louder than words, but how can he know that if he’s never heard your voice to begin with?

As the quiet, languid conversation shifts from his purpose there to yours, Jeno learns that you’re very content with your life, taking pride in helping your family with daily tasks as well as assisting your neighbors in the close-knit village with theirs.

Just then, all the smears of dirt and scattered scratches adorning your face catch his attention, gained after hours of hard work. No amount of water is ever enough to scrub them off of your skin at the end of the day, no matter how hard you try. Sometimes, you feel tears prick your eyes as you try to fall asleep at night, frustrated with your lowly appearance and how it never seems to match your relatively optimistic outlook on life.

But Jeno doesn’t care. You’re breathtaking even in his eyes, the eyes that belong to an actual angel. If that fact alone isn’t enough to boost your confidence, he doesn’t know what else possibly could.

Like a fool, he lets himself drown in your sublimity for a moment, marveling at the ethereal glow of the sun on your smooth, ageless face. The faint noise of wisps of air blowing gently through the meadow and rustling the flora makes him drowsy, but the sight of a pure white heron landing gracefully on the opposite side of the riverbank brings him back to full consciousness in an instant.

The bird, an omen of sorts, had been sent down from Heaven, conjured up from a fleeting idea and into a physical reality, by the holy beings looking down upon the earth, indicating that they’re well aware of the threat he poses and just how close he is to making an irreversible mistake in regards to you, his assignment and assignment only.

The heron abruptly unfurls its delicately feathered wings, as if frightened, before taking off and floating away on the breeze, both of your gazes inexplicably drawn to it as it flies until it’s out of sight altogether.

It warns him of just what he’s messing with, exactly.

This is not a part of the creator’s plan for you, for him. Falling in love with the one an angel is supposed to guard is an appalling crime to commit in the eyes of the elders that inhabit the sky, in the eyes of God. Though it doesn’t explicitly go against a commandment or biblical law, it’s just an understood rule. It’s wrong.

Jeno tells himself this, and continues to do so over the many years that he looks after you, never acting on his emotions, only acknowledging them before sending the less-than-acceptable thoughts into the depths of his conscious mind. He only wishes he had a key to lock them up and forget he even felt them in the first place.

Even as an angel, he ages just like anyone else, the both of you going from kids to teenagers and then nearing the young-adult stage of life, with you remaining blissfully unaware of Jeno’s true identity all the while. It’s a miracle he’s managed to keep his secret for this long, honestly, but like grains of sand in an hourglass, your time together is running out, whether you like it or not.

Not even a year before your entire world, your entire reality comes undone before your very eyes, Jeno feels as if his has already done just that. Because you’ve found someone. And that someone isn’t him.

He hates the feeling of jealousy, despises it with every fiber of his heavenly being. But he can’t shake it, can’t bear the way it clings to him like an unwelcome visitor. An unrecognizable emotion, one so foreign that he can’t even put a name to it, is stirred up at the sight of you in their arms, so pure and so unworthy of this person. Boy, if he didn’t know any better, Jeno would swear that you were the angel.

With each day that passes, he begins to feel the final shreds of both his dignity and his self-control slipping away, lost to the familiar breeze that whips through the village, stronger than ever these days. He can no longer contain it within himself. He wants you.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods. The second sin.

How ironic that a Sunday, of all days, is when everything falls apart.

The sun is hanging low in the sky, just barely grazing the horizon with its bright beams of warmth as it steadily rises, bathing the world in a soft yellow glow. You can also see the moon leftover from the night that ended not so long ago, fading fast but visible nonetheless. Two complete opposites, so close but prevented by the laws of nature for coexisting in the same space, at the same time.

Maybe, just maybe, if you knew just how much you had in common with the celestial objects above, you would have clutched the hand of Jeno a bit tighter yesterday, intertwined your fingers a little more closely with those of someone who had become the closest thing to a best friend that you had ever known. You admit that you wish he could be something more, but you know better than to push your limits.

You got tired of waiting to see if he felt the same way, choosing to fill the void with someone else that you liked, yes, but who just wasn’t the same as the boy who had always been there, waiting in the meadow every morning without fail. Still, your emotions are ever-alert and always searching for any sign of reciprocation within Jeno.

He’s nowhere to be found when you reach the water’s edge, the edge of the creek where you wasted away endless summer days and frosty winter nights, colorful spring afternoons and brisk autumn evenings.

This morning would seem no different than the rest if not for his absence. The knot in your heart loosens, but not by much, when you spot him at the forest’s edge, looking weary.

Jeno notices you and calls out your name with a smile, but something about it isn’t genuine. It’s pained, desperate, like he wants to hold onto this moment forever, unwilling to carry out the plan he’s already regretting. It’s too late now, he thinks to himself, but he’s wrong.

It’s been too late for years.

“Jeno?”

“This way!” He chokes out. It’s somewhere between a sob and a plea, but there’s no time to figure out which is the more appropriate term. He disappears between the trees and amidst their mossy branches, blending in with the shadows cast by the thick canopy of leaves, and you break into a sprint, afraid of losing him to the merciless wilderness and what lies within.

Thankfully, he’s not too far gone. A small clearing greets you less than a dozen strides in, and in the very center of it stands a glass gazebo, run-down and covered in so many twisting vines to the point where the small structure is almost fully consumed by the nature surrounding it.

The scene is beautiful, so much so that it makes you uneasy. What’s going on? Why did he bring you here? Why does he seem so sad? Jeno is never sad, maybe he could be described as brooding or solemn on the rarest of occasions, but never this melancholy, never so utterly hopeless in his expressions and his aura.

None of these questions are answered, even as he takes your hands in his own and leads you inside of the gazebo, its see-through panels catching the light with elegance and ease.

“I need to tell you something.” Just like it did the first time you heard it, his voice still shocks you like a bolt of electricity, your blood pressure and heart rate skyrocketing. All of this is heightened, though, by grim tone he’s speaking to you with.

“What is it, Jen?” There it is. The nickname you made up for him that, although simple, makes him feel like he’s on top of the world. Actually, scratch that: it makes him feel like he’s floating in the sky, up past the clouds and even further away from this cruel planet than the heavens are from Hell.

You’re only making this harder for him. He might as well just spit it out, because all this waiting is agonizing for the both of you.

“We... we can’t be together.”

The sentence that leaves his lips is two declarations wrapped up in one singular statement, the first being that he wants to be with you in the same way you want to be with him. It’s much too hopeful, misleading your emotions down a path of elation instead of dread. The second is unpleasant, a bitter taste lingering on his tongue once he says the words.

“...Yes, yes we can, Jen, because I don’t really love them and all this time it’s been you—”

“You don’t understand,” he tries to stop the confession spilling out from your heart before it overflows, drowns you. “I’m not who you think I am.”

Stunned to silence, he gives you a moment to drink in the implications of his words. “...I’ve known you for over half of my entire life, and you’re trying to tell me I have no idea who you really are? Not a chance,” you laugh softly, shaking your head and glancing down at the wooden gazebo floor, old white paint peeling under your feet.

“But haven’t you ever wondered why I’m always there by the creek every morning? How I turn up throughout your day at the perfect time? How I’m suddenly right by your side when you need me the most?”

You have wondered. Many times, in fact. But the possibility of him being anything other than human was not at the top of your very rational list.

“...Don’t you see? I’m your guardian angel.”

He sees you blink, realization dawning on your face like the sun and stretching your features. “There are laws—” He begins, but your reaction is not the one he anticipated you would have to that information.

Too overwhelmed, you can’t respond with anything other than physical actions, no matter how unreasonable, and you press your dry lips to his soft ones, sealing your fate. Standing there, with beams of golden light infiltrating the space and illuminating your unsteady figures, Jeno is petrified not by your kiss, but by the fact that he doesn’t push you away, and his hands hold onto yours even tighter than before. Nothing has ever felt so right in his entire life. Not when he was in Heaven, and not in all the years he’s spent on Earth, either.

You’re his Heaven, this moment is his eternity. Jeno has endured enough temptation, the undeniable thrill that a deliberate sin promises has become too much for him. If he pulls away now, everything would still be okay, you could both go back to normal and pretend this never happened. But alas, he was doomed to kiss you back from the beginning, and so he does, and you have no idea what the universe has in store when you feel his lips finally respond to yours in the most unholy way possible. For the first and last time, you indulge in each other’s touch and taste, and it does not please the ones watching from above.

The third and final sin, one sin too many for him to remain in this world without consequence.

Several things happen all at once. A clap of thunder sounds overhead, though there are no clouds in sight. Jeno is painfully ripped from your grasp and thrown out of the gazebo by some invisible force of nature, into the grass and dirt on the forest floor.

And inside of you, a piece of your soul is torn from your being, bile rising up in your throat as you comprehend the excruciating sensation that racks your body with pained whimpers.

Stumbling to his feet, Jeno heaves, hunched over and close to tears. Suppressing the agony you still feel, you hurry over to him only for the boy to charge away, heading back towards the open meadow. With a broken shout of his name, you follow.

You didn’t notice before, but now the blinding light reveals the condition he’s in. He looks almost normal, but the edges of his form are becoming fainter by the minute, blurring with the rest of the world around him. He’s fading away before your eyes, and it’s all your fault.

It’s a torturous experience, watching him slowly meld with the emptiness of the air. Making him disappear into thin air in an instant would have been an act of mercy, a mercy that’s apparently beyond the capabilities of the spectators in the sky.

Struggling to maintain your composure, you force a question out. “What’s happening?” You ask, though you know he doesn’t have an answer himself.

He’s obviously panicked, though he tries not to show it. “I... I don’t know, I knew that it was forbidden for us to fall in love but I didn’t think I’d be robbed of my existence like this...”

“What?! No, Jeno, please don’t go...” You beg the gods and angels above, if any exist. You don’t know anymore.

If there is a God, how can he be good if he’s taking Jeno away from you like this, depriving you of the one constant source of joy and comfort in your life?

It’s far too cruel to bestow such a kind and generous heart upon someone who isn’t allowed to love in the first place.

Even Jeno’s touch is faint, making you feel like he’s not there at all. You just barely detect the pads of his fingers smoothing over your cheeks, trying to stop the water spilling from your eyes. He smiles sadly, “Don’t cry for me. I’m not worth the tears.”

“You’re everything to me, Jeno. You’re worth every drop.”

“Remember me like this, okay? By the creek,” he gestures to the turbulent waters a short distance away. Walking slowly, he begins to take steps in its direction, but as he speeds up you’re no longer able to match his pace. “Jeno, turn around...”

Glancing back at you for the final time, he whispers a goodbye that the breeze carries away with it, the sound something only the two of you would hear, one that could never be replicated.

“Goddamnit, Jeno, don’t you dare leave me!” But you know you can’t hold on, you’re not strong enough. A greater force wants you two apart, unable to be overpowered by one human, a relatively insignificant being in the grand scheme of the universe. He vanishes completely.

You fall to your knees, the pain from the pebbles digging into your legs and feet underneath the surface of the creek numbed by your sorrow. The water drenches your clothes, splashing up onto your skin and becoming one with your relentless tears. You’re left all alone, with only the cattails to keep you company. You wish the waves would just swallow you whole so you don’t have to feel this suffocating isolation.

In an unnecessarily harsh trick of the light combined with the dancing shadows generated by the water, you swear that you see Jeno again for a second, sitting on the riverbank like always. You sob louder.

It takes forever for you to find the strength to stand up again, water running over your soaked shoes and threatening to topple you over. You wouldn’t mind if it succeeds.

Inconsolable even to your closest friends and family, you reluctantly return to the village, unwilling to leave behind what you’ve just been through and unable to explain just why you’re crying so hard. Maybe if you stay there forever, spending each day and night waiting among the reeds and the flowers and the grass, he’ll come back someday, but no. He’ll never return, but you simply can’t bring yourself to accept this fact.

You’re never quite the same after that. Part of the curse that haunts you for the rest of your life is this: no matter how hard you try to retain your memories, you’re destined to forget Jeno eventually, leaving vast gaps in your brain when it comes to the years of your youth.

You’re left with only a feeling of inexplicable nostalgia at the sight of the meadow and the creek running through it, the waters still as violent as they were on the day you lost him.

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prinxlyart · 4 years

Note

just any individual toh character hc would SLAP. mebbe ur thoughts on the twins idk this is vague

Nah it’s cool, I can dig it let’s do this

I only put this under a line break cuz it got so long oops lol

Emira:

Defo has a stutter that she went through a lot of intensive and grueling speech therapy sessions for (when she was about 7 years old) that she hated. Amity and Edric both know this and know it’s a sensitive topic for her. They’ll tease her lightly about it, but never in front of anyone else and they know where to draw the line. In my last Vinera post, I mentioned how much Viney adores her stutter. She absolutely loves getting Emira flustered enough to start stuttering. She’s incredibly patient and understanding when it comes to Emira’s stutter and Em’s feelings about her stutter, and she helps Emira learn to be okay with it again. It’s nothing to be ashamed of (and it’s cute).

My girl likes carrots. Like, really likes carrots. As in she’ll eat them straight out of the ground if she’s given a chance to wash it first. She really loves carrots. This is only an issue later on after she and Viney start taking care of beasts together and Emira’s been caught eating their entire stock of carrots that’s meant for the beasts. Viney has to keep the carrots in a secret box away from Emira after that point.

Emira actually really loves beasts/animals but has never been good at handling them. Any time she’d try to approach an animal to pet it, it would try to bite her. She’d get extremely pouty whenever this happens because beasts/animals love Edric. It’s not until after she and Viney start dating that Viney actually starts teaching her how to approach different creatures and her love for creatures reignites.

Emira’s a giant pushover for Amity. Only Edric knows this because he’s also a pushover for her. If Amity ever found out what power she actually holds over them, they’d be in so much trouble. They mask their love for their sister with constant teasing. Yes of course they get annoyed by her, that’s how siblings are, especially when Amity tattles on them, but at the end of the day, they’d help Amity hide the body if she asked. (The few times they witnessed her crying by someone other than their parents, they had gone on a warpath. Nobody hurts Mittens.)

Defo had a brief infatuation with Luz for like 5 minutes before she realized how head-over-heels Amity was. As long as they’re both happy, that’s what matters. She’ll take that secret to her grave though.

L O V E S having her hair played with, but like, only with people she’s super comfortable with. She has so much hair (mostly due to her mother’s wishes) and any time they all have attend some fancy gathering, Emira has to be seen by a stylist in order to get all her hair into whatever wild fancy shape her mom wants for the event. That she hates more than life itself, but whenever she’s upset, Edric or Amity grabs her hair brush and just gently brushes her hair out until she’s chill again. (She absolutely melts when Viney starts playing with her hair). In an act of defiance and because she needed this Change, the moment she and her siblings leave the Blight Manor permanently, she cuts off all of her hair. It’s very reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday. Viney loves it. Everyone loves it actually, but the biggest reactions come from Viney and Luz (they both love running their fingers through the newly cut hair because it’s so soft).

She likes to sing to herself when she’s alone. It’s rare that it ever happens because if she knows there’s other people in the same building as her, she won’t chance it. But when she knows she’s alone and no one will notice if she casts a silence bubble around herself so she can sing at the top of her lungs? You better believe she closes any doors or curtains in the area, locks everything, casts that spell and goes nuts. Her voice isn’t all that great, but it’s lovely when she’s singing quietly to herself while she does homework or something. On especially bad nights, Amity will ask her to sing to her. Emira sang to her once when they were like, 3 and 5 respectively, and it’s been their secret thing ever since for especially rough nights/nightmares.

Edric:

Yknow how James from Pokémon is just super good with Pokémon ?? Like, he knows how to treat them, he knows what they like, he asks them gently if they’d like to join them, etc. That’s exactly how Edric approaches creatures. He’s a natural with them, but he and his sister’s natural affinity for illusion magic kept him from pursuing that track of magic.

He’s always wanted a pet, but every time he brings it up to his parents, he’s met with the same firm No as always. He’s definitely gotten in trouble for trying to sneak wild creatures into the house to keep in his room. Thank Titan for Em’s cool new girlfriend who’s not only a multi-track student, but studying the exact subject he wants to study and is super eager to teach him everything she knows. He learns vicariously through her and helps her study for her tests. At first, Emira is suspicious of them, but she knows her brother wouldn’t be so cruel as to try to steal her girlfriend away from her. He’s just a dork.

My boy’s got a sweet tooth. He loves desserts and sweets and fluffy baked goods and often tries to sneak candies when he thinks no one is looking. Chocolate is a big weakness for him. When Luz introduces him to Human Sweets, he’s practically bouncing off the walls. Cotton candy??????? Flan?????? Dulce de Leche en Tabla??? He nearly passes out when Luz busts out what she calls a “chocolate fountain” and turns it on. Y’all remember that one image of a bird bathing in a chocolate fountain from a million years ago? That’s Edric.

Edric Blight LIVES to see his sisters laugh. He would pull all sorts of silly faces and dumb tricks to make Amity laugh when they were little. He still tries to make her laugh, but usually those have grown from giggles to disgruntled mumbling. He’ll never admit how much it breaks his heart and it’s not until he sees her laughing at something Luz has done that he has hope he may still be able to get her to laugh again (it’s also the first time he’s heard her laugh in years and it makes his heart soar in relief. He was almost certain their parents had stamped any concept of laughter out of her).

My boy Edric is so full of love and passion; actually quite similarly to Luz. What makes them different though is that Edric is Aromantic. He’s never had a crush in his life. He’s happy with his sisters and all of their friends and their family as it grows in the future. He has some best friends that he lives with for a while (after his sisters move in with their respective partners), but for the most part he’s chill. He loves his family, he loves spoiling his sisters’ kids, and he’s content with himself. It takes him a super long time to be content with himself, but he gets there. I will literally never get over the fact that his biggest fear is “being alone forever”. He’s never alone. He will always have his friends and family. And, thanks in large part to Luz, he has his parents back. His parents that actually were excited when he cast his first spell and tucked him in at night when he was a toddler, giving him kisses goodnight and pleasant dreams. Not the parents he’d run away from; those were the cold, uncaring, obsessed with fake concepts of popularity and status people he ran away from with his sisters. It took years, but Luz helped bring his real parents back. He loves getting to know them for who they are now that he’s an adult too.

He and Gus become best friends. Like, dumb buddy cop movie levels of best friends. They get into so much trouble when it’s just the two of them and they have the time of their lives. At first, he and Em just sort of took Gus under their wing because he was a little bit of an outcast in their homeroom for being so much younger than everyone else. But he’s a friend of Luz’s and a friend of Amity’s after a while, which automatically makes him cool in their book. They soon find themselves actually enjoying his company, rather than just protecting him from stray bullies, and they find his ability with illusion magic exciting. They themselves are considered prodigies so having another prodigy to show off practice with is super stimulating for all of them. As the years go on (and Emira spends more time with Viney) Edric starts calling more and more often for “Bro Time” where they go do stupid teenage stuff or test the limits of their magic or even just hang out and talk for hours. It’s actually all this time hanging out with just Gus that Edric discovers he’s aro; somehow it comes out that Gus has developed a crush on Edric and (major age differences aside) Edric realizes he’s never had a crush on anyone before. It’s a conversation that sucks a lot, but they’re besties and they manage to get through it. Gus maybe needs to take a day with his original gal pals to just cry about it, but he gets over it just fine. He also helps Edric understand what it means to be aromantic. Well, with the help of Luz and Willow as well; Luz is a walking dictionary for lgbt terminology and Willow’s super good at helping dissect feelings (when they’re not her own cough’outofsightoutofmind’cough).

I genuinely don’t know what he might pursue for a career. Part of me wants him to be independent and do his own thing, but a much stronger part of me wants him to just be part of Viney as Emira’s business. He loves creatures so much and he loves taking care of them, but I don’t want him to feel like a third wheel around his twin sister either. Maybe he becomes a dual track teacher at Hexside specifically for healing and beast keeping so more students can learn about Service Creatures. He can substitute for the Illusion track homeroom when needed, but he’s super passionate about the Service Creature sub-track he and Viney pitch to Principal Bump.

#prinxly inquiries #anonymous #the owl house #emira blight #edric blight #toh headcanons #I have a lot of Thoughts and Feelings about these two

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steverogersbingo · 3 years

Photo

✨ STEVE ROGER BINGO’S ROUND UP - POST 1 ✨

Check out the fills our participants posted from the first month under the cut!

🎨 ART

heaven isn't in the sky (it's underwater) by agron T // Steve/Tony // Mermaids Summary: when steve went underwater he was discovered by three mermaid tony stark instead

Untitled by ABrighterDarkness G // Steve/Bucky // Alpine Summary: Steve and Bucky get distracted, Alpine enjoys every minute.

Space Stone by AriaFandom G // Gen // Moodboard Summary: Galaxy aesthetic for the space stone

Untitled by sanguineterrain G // Gen Summary: Magical, canon-divergent Steve

Untitled by call-me-kayyyyy G // Steve/Bucky // AU; Fantasy; Loin-cloths Summary: Steve and Bucky are elf's who ride their unicorns to check the perimeter.

Steve Rogers becomes Cernunnos by pinkybitesu T // Gen // AU Summary: Steve had always felt connected to the Earth. Becoming the God of the Forest, Cernunnos, made it all make sense.

"That Is America's Ass." by bleedxblack T // Steve/Bucky Summary: Steve Rogers straddles Bucky's waist with booty shorts that read "it ain't gonna spank himself".

📝 FIC

Clean Up These Bloody Fists by dontcallmebree E // 8,657 // Steve/Bucky // Shrunkyclunks; Mob AU Summary: Bucky can’t decide if Steve’s unendingly generous with his care for those around him, or if Bucky’s simply been lucky enough to scale the wall built up over decades, and had somehow proven himself worthy of the affection. Either way, he knows he’ll never take this for granted. Spend some time with Steve and Bucky this week in the perpetually fluffy ‘verse of Do The Things You Never Showed Nobody.

Scars by Kimberly T // 1,888 // Steve/Bucky // Post-CATWS Summary: The serum means that Steve can't scar anymore, though he's retained his pre-existing scarring. While in the hospital recovering from the fight on the helicarrier, Steve does a little introspection about this. It's bittersweet.

Without Regret by ABrighterDarkness E // 5,284 // Steve/Thor Summary: It had been a very long time since Steve had last felt like this. There was a buzz in his mind and tingling through his body. His movements were just slightly slower, clumsier and his were words spoken a little more loosely with a tongue that felt more weighty than it ought to. Even that, though, felt different than the last time that he’d had the opportunity to overindulge with a friend.

Love and Learning by ABrighterDarkness T // 7,746 // Steve/Natasha Summary: It reminded him, a little bit, of stepping into a machine seeing everything in varying shades of grey. Only to stumble out again into a world of color more vibrant than anything he could have possibly imagined. Overwhelming but entirely breathtaking and welcome.

Good by hawkeyeandthewintersoldier T // 1,062 // Steve/Bucky/Tony Summary: Steve returns to the compound and finds that the two men he loves, but never told his feelings to, are a couple now.

Lie to Me by Kit T // 2,102 // Steve/Bucky // Body Swap Summary: After a mission gone wrong, Steve and Natasha end up trapped in the others body. Instead of telling everybody, they make a bet. Who will be able to conceal their identity the longest?

Dream a Little Dream of Me by buckybleeds E // 5,719 // Steve/Bucky // Dub-con; Self-cest Summary: Steve goes back in time to comfort himself after Bucky fell and ends up having sex with himself.

Pride by Kit T // 1,726 // Steve/Bucky Summary: Tony wants to take Steve to pride to watch him freak out. Natasha tags along to do damage control.

Take Care of You by hawkeyeandthewintersoldier M // 1,756 // Steve/Bucky // Daddy Kink; Age Difference; AU Summary: Steve has been so busy with his work as a commander at shield lately, that he has barely had time for his partner Bucky. Bucky’s worried his Daddy might not want him anymore and Steve has to rectify this by showing how much he loves his baby.

Love Has Left a Printed Trace by Girl_Back_There E // 1,726 // Steve/Bucky // Vampires; Dub-con Summary: Steve is obsessed with finding a mysterious figure named Winter in paintings throughout the years. James is a Vampire named Winter charged with keeping Vampires a secret from humanity.

with the weight of the world at the tips of my fingers by avintagekiss24 E // 4,420 // Steve/Reader // AU Summary: You and Steve share a morning in bed.

Always You by hawkeyeandthewintersoldier M // 1,691 // Steve/Bucky // AU Summary: After a year of traveling, Steve finally comes home and confesses his feelings to Bucky.

Stop the World by Rex E // 6,828 // Steve/Scott // AU Summary: When Steve got hired to entertain at Cassie Lang's thirteenth birthday party, he had thought it was going to be like every other kid's party he'd booked. He'd show up, play Captain America, get paid, and go home. He never quite gets to that last step, but to be fair, there was no way he could have anticipated the draw of Scott Lang.

Always by Rex G // 437 // Steve/Matt Murdock // Canon Divergence Summary: Even the Devil of Hell's Kitchen needs an angel from time to time. This one just happens to be from Brooklyn.

Glass by Rex M // 859 // Gen // Non-graphic torture; Implied non-con; Referenced suicide Summary: "We'll lose." "Then we'll do that together, too." Sokovia crashed, Ultron won, and he always had hated Tony the most.

We are already home by Bitters E // 4,948 // Steve/Bucky Summary: Steve carries an injured Bucky through a portal into…somewhere else? But they’re together, like they always have been, and that’s all that matters.

end of the line, time to go home. by moonythejedi394 M // 3,484 // Steve/Bucky // Canon Divergence; Daddy Kink; Age Play/Regression Summary: Steve and Bucky always said they were together 'til the end of the line. But even they have to get off the train eventually. Everybody always figures, at the end of the line is... Y'know. The End. But actually, at the end of the line is happily ever after. It just took them a few decades and a couple suitcases of trauma to get there.

Not Technically A Bromance by dontcallmebree M // 8,657 // Steve/Bucky Summary: “A bromance?” Bruce asks, voice tinged with restrained laughter. “Yeah, we have one of those.” Steve glowers at Bruce, who’s patently laughing at him, eyes bright and twinkling with mirth. Bruce composes himself, biting at his bottom lip. “And you’ve had sex how many times?” (Inspired by that tweet, you know the one.)

At the Top of My Lungs by ralsbecket T // 1,646 // Steve/Tony Summary: Two months had passed since Tony had lost his life; since they had laid him to rest six feet under. It was two months of trying to keep his world from further falling apart, and it wasn’t really working in his favor. So, no. No, he wasn’t okay.

Thor’s Art Class for the Heroes of Midgard by WinterSabbath T // 6,338 // Steve/Bucky // Canon Divergence Summary: In which Thor makes it his mission to help mend the broken, cold relationship between Steven and James through the only way he can think of: Art class. As a bonus, he also helps the team loosen up.

So Let It Happen by Bitters E // 2,287 // Steve/Bucky // Canon Divergence Summary: Steve comes home from a tough mission and needs to get out of his head. His husband and retired Avenger is only too happy to help him with this.

Made of Glass (The Way You See Through Me) by ralsbecket T // 1,132 // Steve/Tony // AU Summary: Steve wasn’t sure what came over him when the model walked out from the back room, wearing a robe; from the moment his eyes landed on his face, he was just… awestruck. Dark hair, bright eyes, full lips. He was fucking beautiful. Or, the one where Tony is the model in Steve's life-drawing class.

for your cooperation by xceru E // 3,145 // Steve/Nat // Canon Divergence Summary: Hydra kidnaps Natasha on a routine mission in Cairo. When Steve finds her, Natasha decides that it's his turn to play prisoner.

my heart in the still winter air by xceru E // 11,887 // Steve/Bucky/Nat // Canon Divergence Summary: “He will,” Steve says, and suddenly Natasha understands. This is the man that Steve altered his heart for, the one he thought only the serum could love. But now Steve knows better—he knows he’s bisexual—he knows his love is real, and the man that it belongs to is undead.

Won't Let Go by afalsebravado E // 2,358 // Steve/Bucky // Canon Divergence Summary: Steve is on the hunt for the Winter Sold-- Bucky. He's on the hunt for Bucky when the leads dry up and he heads home to regroup. But a package from Tony Stark arrives on his doorstep and makes him re-evaluate old promises.

The Truth of Who I Am by hawkeyeandthewintersoldier T // 1,203 // Steve/Bucky // Canon Divergence Summary: Steve Rogers is not a cis straight man and he is tired of people erasing that and other parts of his identity so he fits into the image they already had of him.

Bruise of a Rose by marvelousmoons G // 1,710 // Steve/Bucky // Canon Divergence Summary: It’s moments like this that get under his skin the most. The way Steve can just… be Steve. Be dramatic and give Bucky the cold shoulder for simply caring. But Bucky was stronger. He could play Steve’s game. He wouldn’t cave, no. He would sit and wait for the silence to overwhelm Steve first.

... And all I got was this lousy t-shirt by RainbowNerds M // 3,126 // Steve/Bucky // AU Summary: A month ago, Steve had the best sex of his life with a guy he met in a bar, and went home with the most hideous shirt he'd ever seen but no phone number. Enter his new roommate, Becca. The two instances are not connected, right?

Love you too, jerk by WinterRaven G // 636 // Steve/Bucky // Canon Divergence; Fanart included Summary: Steve makes breakfast for Bucky and their 'kids' help him wake up his husband.

#steve rogers bingo 2021 #2021 round up

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shadedrose01 · 4 years

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Burning Hope

Ship: none. Parental/Paternal relationship between Tony Stark and Harley Keener

Summary: Tony goes to visit a boy that he met, and discovers something he shouldnt.

Tags: Alternate Universe - Medieval, medieval times, Knight Tony Stark, Future King Tony Stark, Kid Harley Keener, Even though hes not named at all during the fic, Its him i promise, Magic, Magic-Users, Alternate Universe - Magic, Mages, Mage Harley Keener, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm Bad At Summaries, Febufluff, Day 20, Butterflies, Fire, Magical Fire, pyrokinesis, Pyrokinetic Harley Keener, Cliffhangers, Badish ending?, Unhappy Ending, sorry :/ - Freeform, Tony Stark Acting As Harley Keener's Parental Figure

Day 20 of Febufluff: "Butterflies"!

Part 2 of the "Devil's Backbone" series

Note: This is apart of my Devils Backbone series. There is a oneshot already written that's apart of this series, but you do not need to read that to understand this one. This fic happens way before that one does, in the past. You can read that oneshot here, but please be mindful of the tags if you do <3

Also this is really bad (especially compared to the oneshot), I'm sorry.

Tony walks towards the stables, the tall grass surrounding him swaying into the light summer breeze, and crunching under his weight. His horse, Friday, a beautiful tall brown horse with a blotch of white on his nose, nickers to him in greeting, Tony running a hand up and down her face in response, from her muzzle to her forehead. He takes one last glance at the sky, seeing the sun blazing down on them from the middle of the sky, before he gets to work.

He grabs his leather, hand sewed saddle made for him by his lovely wife, and heaves it into place on Friday's back, making sure its snug into place, before checking the knapsack he had brought with him, ensuring hed have everything he needed for the remainder of the day. Water for him, and some extra, some arrows, some string, some rope, a sewing kit just in case and strung over his back, two separate bows, one significantly smaller than the other. One he had created, hand crafted just the other night. With everything checked off his mental list, he slings the sack over his shoulder, opens the gate in front of Friday, and saddles up onto her, his muscles straining with the effort, even after the countless times he's done this.

He gives her a squeeze of his thighs, and she on the move, galloping out of the stable and towards the town with a steady trot. He passes the stone houses quickly, giving a wave or two to the few people that recognized him, before picking up the pace as they ride towards the woods, towards the edge of the territory.

Towards where a small, rickety straw and mud house stood, cracked and old, deteriorating with time and age. Towards where a little boy stayed, all by his lonesome.

He shouldnt be going this way, shouldn't be getting involved, getting attached the way that he is. He should have left it alone when he found the boy a few days prior, on a random excursion of the edges of the territory. He should have let natural selection take it's course, no matter how cruel it could be. Hell, he didnt even know the kid's name. But, there was something tugging at Tony, twisting up his insides every time he thought about leaving the poor boy alone, to die no less, and it overwhelmed him. He felt compelled to help, felt the knowledge of knowing, knowing that this boy no older than twelve years of age had a part to play in the future of their kingdom, that he had a destiny of some sort. He could feel it, feel it with all of his heart, in the depths of his bones as if God himself had whispered it in his ear, written it into his heart, and sealed it into his brain.

So, he kept returning to the boy, to the house at the edge of the woods, of the world, getting attached to someone he should have never known, hoping that one day he'll understand why. Why he had been lead there, why he had stumbled upon the boy, why he continued to help. Until then, though, he will continue on the path God laid out for him and put his faith into His hands, knowing He would never steer him wrong.

He pulls back on the reins, Friday slowing to a stop as they pull up on the old, worn down structure, the wind whistling through the cracks and holes. He dismounts the beast, rubbing and patting her as he tells her to stay. She shakes her head, puffing air out of her nose in response, as if the idea insults her, making Tony snort in amusement as he walks past her, glancing through the cracks as he goes.

He freezes as soon as he does, eyes widening before he rushes through the door, the creaking wooden slab slamming against the wall, splintering as Tony gapes at the mystical scene in front of him.

What has to be about a hundred or more butterflies are scattered around the room, their wings, their bodies, their being made of a neon, artificial blue fire, flooding the room with harsh light and a sweltering heat. Some are perched around the room, around the structure, but more are flying, flying in some sort of cyclone, some sort of tornado formation, practically swarming around one central point in the middle of the room. One person, one kid sat in the middle of the building, sitting on his legs, eyes closed in concentration, hands held out in a cupping gesture, holding a ball of flames, of fire in his small, small childlike hands.

As soon as the bang of the door echoes, the kid flinches harshly, head swiveling to stare with wide, bright, neon eyes, neon eyes that Tony's only seen a few times, only seen on- no, no he couldn't be a- couldnt be- and all of the butterflies flare up, their flames growing brighter, stronger, before they disappear completely, flickering out into flairs are fade as soon as their formed, the flame engulfing his hands disappearing to. Kid's mouth drops, and he rushes to stand, hiding his hands behind his back and looking absolutely terrfied. "M-Mr. Stark! What- What are you-?"

"You're a mage." He breathes out, his mind reeling with this new information, and the kid flinches back as if stricken, his lighter blue eyes (but not neon blue, not anymore, that having left when the butterflies did, when the magic did) widening even further, looking like the ceramic plates his wife had gotten Peter was born, around eight years ago.

"N-no, I'm not!"

Tony narrows his eyes at the smaller boy, only afew years older than his son seemingly, incredulously. "I saw you, child. With your magic, the butterflies, the- the fire!" He flairs his arms out. "I saw it! I saw it all. You truly expect me to ignore it, and pretend I saw nothing? This is-" he runs a hand through his hair, and starts to pace slightly. "Dangerous, child, this is dangerous! If the town caught whiff of you, much less the guard-"

"Don't tell anyone!" The kid blurts, his eyes looking like oceans, swimming with clear tears and flooded with petrifying fear. "Please, you can't! Momma said if-if anyone finds out, they'll-they'll-" He sobs, his tiny body shuttering, sniffling as hands press up into his face, wiping away the liquid now running down his face. "I'm sorry! I wont do it again, ill- I'll try to control it- I swear!"

Tony feels a rush of adrenaline, a parental, paternal urge rearing his head until Tony's moving forward before he can think, kneeling in front of the trembling child and shushing him gently. "Hey, hey, it's okay, it's alright."

He carefully grabs at the boys hands, covering in dirt and filth, all scuffed and scabbed up, covered in cuts and scrapes, fingernails black, and, ignoring the flinch the boy gives, slowly pries them away from his face, similarly dirt ridden, his entire face marked with brown's and blacks, the only clear part of his face being the trails of tears still running down his face. He looks him dead in the eye, and, even though his mind is screaming at him, says firmly "I won't tell anyone, I promise."

Won't tell anyone?? Is he mad? He needs to tell someone, he's about to become a part of the royal guard! He has to tell the soldiers, the knights, the king, it's a part of the law, now, it's what he's supposed to do, as a man soon to be knighted-

But he can't. He knows he can't, as he feels this fierce wave of protection for this child he doesn't know, this child that isn't his, as he feels the same foreboding feeling as before, as he feels, knows, that this is what hes supposed to do, that this is what's right.

Especially when hope brightens the kids baby blue eyes, the raging storm brewing behind his irises turning into a calm, overcast summers day, and a smile grows wide on his face. "Really?!? You won't tell 'em?"

Tony shakes his head, giving the kid a small smile as he rebrates himself internally, before suddenly letting out a huff as the kid practically knocks him over, embracing him tightly, his tiny, lithe fingers grasping the back of Tony's tunic with a strong hold, almost ripping it in his excitement. "Thank you, thank you, Mr. Stark!"

Tony's nose scrunches up as soon as the kids stench waves over him, but he ignores it, choosing to wrap one arm around the kid's back, patting it awkwardly, feeling his jutting bones through the big, loose shirt the boy is wearing. Over his shoulder, Tony watches as another butterfly forms, the blue fire lighter, wispier than the others were earlier, watches as he flaps its wings a few times in front of his face, the flames licking at his nose, his chin, before it takes flight, flying around the pair once, twice before sprialing upwards and squeezing through one of the cracks in the foundation, flying away, its neon flames blending into the sky.

Tony's smile widens at the unconscious act, at the innocence and purity of it, and wonders, wonders why people believe magic is so bad, why mages are so awful, when they can create beauty like that, at the snap of their fingers, without even a second thought? He wonders, and throws his other arm around the kid, fully embracing him, holding onto the warmth of the moment for a few seconds longer, while he still can. While he still has hope.

A few days later, Tony is send to war, serving his kingdom as a knight. A few months later, he comes home a king, the memory of warmth, of butterflies and of hope vanished like a dream.

#febufluff #Febufluff #day 20 #butterflies #harley keener #tony stark #fanfiction #marvel #mcu #marvel fanfiction #irondad #iron dad #ironkids #iron kid??#mediveal #mediveal AU

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lintheotaku · 5 years

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Current Watch- Final Review

Season: Summer 2019

Anime: Magical Sempai Genre: Comedy/Ecchi Plot: Senpai drags the main character to be her assistant to the Magic Club, only issue is that her tricks fail every time due to stage fright. Literally Crunchyroll’s Description: “It’s a gag anime about crummy magic tricks that are painful to watch...” Overall Thoughts: The main gag throughout is that Sempai is obsessed with magic but unfortunately her tricks fail, resulting in erotic situations, due to her stage fright. Although some of the jokes were quite lame, it wasn’t enough to shoot down this anime entirely. Episode 4 reveals that Sempai really can perform and scenes get easier to watch once other characters join the club. Rate: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♡ [4/5]

Anime: Are You Lost? (Sounan desu ka?) Genre: Survival/Fan Service Plot: 4 girls are shipwrecked and must survive. Thoughts: It’s literally what the plot is though one girl is a bit extreme on the survival knowledge. The four eventually become closer and more accepting to the survival skills, making them stronger than when they initially were stranded. Rate: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♡ [4.5/5]

Anime: Demon Lord, Retry Genre: Isekai Plot: “On the night of his favorite game’s shutdown, Akira Oono awakens in the body of his online character: Demon Lord Hakuto Kunai.” Thoughts: This personally reminds me as a cross of Overlord with How not to Summon a Demon Lord but not so ecchi. Main character is summoned to this world due to his legends as Demon Lord which is seen early on that Akira’s personality is quite different from his roleplaying reputation. This story itself is a bit fun to watch play out. Akira is sent to another world as a character or two of his own creations, eventually gaining SP to bring out his own NPCs and using them to recreate his empire while learning about this new world.

The only drawback is the animation quality in some areas. Which it may be due to the studio itself still being a bit new. (this anime being their 2nd one) There is one big fight scene that makes the epicness a bit of a let down. One character is overly used for this one running gag. And if you’ve seen enough animes, you can sorta pick out the shortcuts they make. So if the animation starts bothering you, I recommend reading the Manga. Rate: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♡ [4/5]

Anime: Fire Force Genre: Shonen Plot: “Sinra and shis devil’s footprints are ready to join the Fire Force to stop the fiery demons known as infernals from setting the city aflame!” Thoughts: While the style shows hints of Soul Eater (same creator) this is more of a hero among hero team type of genre but with the unique plot of fighting and solving the mystery of people spontaneously combusting. This is a nice casual watch Rate: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♡ [4/5]

Anime: Dr. Stone Genre: Shonen Plot: All of humanity is suddenly petrified, 3700 years pass, Taiju and Senku manage to break free. The two work together to learn how to restore humanity. Thoughts: I love Senku’s quirkiness. Takes a few episodes to grasp, but easy to get caught up in the adventure before you realise it. Rate: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ [5/5]

Anime: If It’s for My Daughter, I’d Even Defeat a Demon Lord Genre: fantasy, adventure, slice of life Plot: Dale a well-known and highly skilled adventurer finds an orphaned little devil girl Latina decides to become her guardian. Thoughts: Premise is really cute and curious as to what leads ahead even if it’s possibly a simple easy going type of adventure of taking care of a child. There are a few bumps a long the road but does wind up being heartful. Rate: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♡ [4.5/5]

Anime: Arifuterta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest Genre: Isekai, shonen Plot: An entire class is summoned to an RPG like world. Everyone’s has an ability or quirk that gives them a hand in surviving the world except for Hajime. With his classmates believing him to be useless, even leaving him for dead, ‘he’ll have no choice but to welcome the abyss.’ Thoughts: It jumps you right into the middle of action and got dark fairly quick. Goes to show what kind of strength hatred can do to a person.... I like. The anime does skip out a lot of things in comparison to the LN or Manga. As an anime only, you hardly notice it as it just highlights main points, but it wouldn’t hurt to go back and catch the inbetween details or watch Skipped Content videos about the beginning. Rate: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♡ [4.5/5]

Anime: Isekai Cheat Magician Genre: Isekai Plot: Two high school characters find themselves transported to another world and discover they have abilities that might as well be cheat powers. Thoughts: This.... was.... extremely generic and 2 dimensional characters. More than once did it turn out they could save everybody if people were just up front with the main character’s abilities. For a first episode it took about 1/3 of the episode is them trying to apply to an adventure guild which people keep freaking out over their magic affinity without stating what the result is, to the point the main characters keep asking ‘so are we able to join the guild?’ without anyone explaining it to them they’re overpowered. There was even an unnecessary FLAT OUT DEATH PLOT DEVICE I KID YOU NOT. Main guy didn’t even react on it till like an episode or 2 later. This is how unmemorable these characters are. The two Isekais are supposedly childhood friends yet we only see flashbacks of them from within the known world, nothing when they were on earth. Only thing good was the animation. Rate: ♥ ♥ ♡ ♡ ♡ [2.5/5]

Anime: The Ones Within Genre: Thriller, survival Plot: A group of teenagers, each known for their genre of ‘Let’s Play Videos’ are forced together to play the ultimate game with their real lives to reach 100 million viewers as they clear through stages. Thoughts: Could perhaps call this the ‘Hunger Games’ of Video games. There is definitely more going on in the background and gonna have to brace self possible deaths for this one. A very fun suspenseful anime. Looking forward to hopefully Season 2~ Rate: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ [5/5]

Anime: Do You Love Your Mom and Her Two-Hit Combo? Genre: Isekai, fantasy, comedy, fan service? Plot: A Son is selected to beta test a game that allows him to jump into it’s world, only his connections to his mother is very one sided as she follows him to the game world and turns out to be very overpowered. Thoughts: This is a cute and unusual concept. However it’s very obvious the son is at a age he wants to leave the nest while the mother is still trying to dote him and wants to be needed. If the son was a tad younger this probably wouldn’t feel too forced of a relationship. Though how can you possibly say ‘no’ to this very cute and a bit young looking mother. There are times where this series gets a bit odd, and a bit predictable, but overall everything ends well. Rate: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♡ [4/5]

Anime: Given Genre: Slice of Life, Yaoi, BL Plot: "High schooler Ritsuka Uenoyama is the electric guitarist for a band composed of himself, bassist Haruki Nakayama, and drummer Akihiko Kaji. He becomes a reluctant guitar teacher to Mafuyu Sato, a shy classmate, after repairing the broken strings on Mafuyu's Gibson ES-330. Ritsuka quickly realizes that Mafuyu is an exceptionally talented singer, and invites him to join the band." Thoughts: This show is very simple yet easily draws you in. There is so much mystery about Sato but also so much care coming from Ritsuka. Each character is very precious~ just the right amount of love and relations of these four bandmates. Rate: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ [5/5]

#current watch #anime summer 2019 #final review

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mittensmorgul · 5 years

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4.21: When The Levee Breaks (apparently demon blood comes pouring out)

I'm going to relate the tale of manipulation and deception told in this episode through Sam's hallucinations/delusions. Because as Ruby will tell him, he does this all to himself. Let's start with the setup, though, since I neglected to mention it in my post about 4.20 (well, at least the one in the current sequence of rewatch notes. I know I've mentioned it in the past).

Dean and Cas finally see the horror of how Sam's powers have been getting stronger, and at the end of the episode, Dean had conspired with Bobby to lock Sam in the panic room to detox him from that influence. And right from the start of 4.21, we're slowly let in on the secret: Sam's not actually getting Truth. What he's being told and what he's actually hearing are being processed through the haze of demon blood that's slowly shaping him into what he's "destined" to do, exactly the same way Dean's time in Hell slowly shaped him into what he was "destined" to do... Dean broke the first seal, without even knowing it at the time, just by breaking under Hell's torture, and Sam is being broken to drive him to break the final seal. And all of it is a manipulation.

If Dean had only known in Hell what breaking under that torture would mean, could he have continued to resist? Would the angels have been able to save him before he accomplished that goal? Would the angels have even bothered saving him before he did, since we know they wanted it broken and that's why they'd manipulated Dean into ending up there in the first place?

If Sam had known the truth about what killing Lilith would do, would he have put himself through all of this? Would he have been able to clearly see what was happening? Probably, but the story is still able to tap into this specific naivete on the part of both Winchesters (and even Castiel) and use it to crush them like the bugs the angels believe them to be. That said, on to the horror of Sam's own misguided delusions, fed up and carefully tended by his now complete addiction to Ruby's blood and her poisoned words:

SAM: Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lied to you. Just open the door. DEAN: You don't have to apologize. It's not your fault. It's not your fault that you lied to me over and over again. I get it now. You couldn't help it.

We assume this is actaully Dean, but heck, Sam, as an apology goes, this is totally weaksauce.

SAM: Dean, I'm not drinking the demon blood for kicks. I'm getting strong enough to kill Lilith. DEAN: Strong? SAM: Yeah. DEAN: This is about as far away from strong as you can get. Try weak. Try desperate. Pathetic.

Here's that refrain that's been getting louder and louder all season: weakness vs strength, and what defines that to Sam and Dean. How much manipulation has Sam endured to have his definition of "strength" so corrupted? He's willing to sacrifice his own essential humanity, is so convinced that he's already "tainted," already "corrupted," and has doubted his own humanity for so long that he's given up the basic notion of his own humanity. And, ouch, Sammy.

ALASTAIR: Hello, Sam. It's a pleasure to see you again. Looks like I have you all to myself here. Goodness. How will we pass the time?

So, it's to be torture. Sam's own mind torturing him with the demon he'd used his powers to kill, with his apparent self-doubt that his powers had actually succeeded in killing him, and putting SAM HIMSELF on the torturer's rack, doling out the same experience he believed had made Dean "weak." Only unlike Dean, Sam's own mind is doing this to him.

YOUNG SAM: That's right, it's me. Or I mean it's you. SAM: I'm losing my mind. YOUNG SAM: Definitely. SAM: What do you want? YOUNG SAM: An explanation. How could you do this to me? I thought we were gonna be normal. SAM: I tried. I did. It didn't pan out that way. Sorry, kid. YOUNG SAM: 'Sorry, kid'? That's what you have to say? It's all we ever wanted. We were so close. You got away from Dad. You quit hunting. You were gonna become a lawyer and get married. Why'd you blow it? SAM: Look. They killed Jessica. YOUNG SAM: Yeah. And if you hadn't run off with Dean, if you'd been there to protect her, she'd still be alive. SAM: I know. YOUNG SAM: You think Jess would want you to turn into this? She loved you. You think she'd be happy you using her as an excuse? SAM: I'm sorry. I am. But life doesn't turn out the way you thought when you were fourteen years old. We were never gonna be normal. We were never gonna get away. Grow up. YOUNG SAM: Maybe you're right. Maybe there's no escape. After all, how can you run from what's inside you? YOUNG SAM's eyes turn yellow.

And heck... Sam can't even face the younger, more innocent version of himself, the one who wanted to escape this life. And he still blames himself for this, because he never could've escaped it. Even that innocent version of himself was always already corrupted.

And now, Mary, the dead version complete with bloodstained nightgown, all that's missing is the fire:

SAM: You're disappointed. You never thought I'd turn out this way. I'm a piss-poor excuse for a son. Your heart is broken. Am I close? MARY: Not at all. You're doing the right thing, Sam. What you're doing is brave. You're not being crazy, you're being practical. Sam, I am so proud of you. SAM: But—but Dean— MARY: Your brother doesn't understand. I was raised a hunter from a long line. We understand that there are gonna be hard choices. And we do what we have to to get the job done. Yes, our family is cursed. But you—you have the power to turn it into a gift. You can use it against them. SAM: For revenge? MARY: No, for justice. I know how scared you are. SAM: What's in me, Mom, it's— MARY: Evil. And you know it. SAM: What if it's stronger than me? Look at me. What if Dean's right? MARY: Dean can never know how strong you are, because Dean is weak. Look at what he's done to you. Locking you in here? He's terrified. He's in over his head. You have to go on without him. You have what it takes. You have to kill Lilith. SAM: Even if it kills me. MARY: Make my death mean something. I'm counting on you, Sam. Don't let anyone or anything get in your way. Not even Dean.

And here it is again, Sam's own mind using the Sainted Memory of Mary to convince himself he's doing the right thing, framing Mary's death as a noble sacrifice so that this corruption could be allowed to flourish in Sam. And isn't that just the sort of theme Chuck's Grand Narrative revels in? The vision of Mary itself is pushing the narrative of Dean's weakness, manipulating him into believing only he can see the situation clearly.

Meanwhile, let's pause our journey through Sam's Hallucination Lane to remember that Dean's outside completely ready to sacrifice himself if it means Sam can be released from effective Poisoning By Demon. Because to Dean, this is EXACTLY what's happening, and EXACTLY what he feared from the moment Sam learned Ruby was a demon back in s3. Oh, the irony, that he said it himself in 3.16-- what if Ruby's actually working for Lilith all along? So instead Dean is manipulated into swearing obedience to Cas and the angels:

DEAN: Can he do it? Kill Lilith, stop the apocalypse? CASTIEL: Possibly, yes. But as you know, he'd have to take certain steps. DEAN: Crank up the hell-blood regimen. CASTIEL: Consuming the amount of blood it would take to kill Lilith would change your brother forever. Most likely, he would become the next creature that you would feel compelled to kill. There's no reason this would have to come to pass, Dean. We believe it's you, Dean, not your brother. The only question for us is whether you're willing to accept it. Stand up and accept your role. You are the one who will stop it. DEAN: If I do this, Sammy doesn't have to? CASTIEL: If it gives you comfort to see it that way. DEAN: God, you're a dick these days.

This is the angel that just three episode ago was giving him the cheat codes to interfere with a prohepcy of the Lord. Who Dean had been beginning to trust enough to pray to for help, but unlike last time, this time Cas isn't acting of his own will. His doubts have been replaced by the Mission, and he feels the mission is just, because he's been tortured into believing it... but it's not like Dean had a real choice:

DEAN: Because what other option do I have? It's either trust the angels or let Sammy trust a demon? BOBBY: I see your point.

And now back to our regularly scheduled Sam Hallucinations, when Sam discovers he's been chained to the cot:

DEAN: We had to. The demon blood was flinging you all over the room. Tell me something, Sam. Why did you do this to yourself? SAM: You know why. DEAN: Right. 'Kill Lilith'. The big excuse. But why? What, revenge? Right? SAM: Of course. DEAN: Revenge for what? For sending me to hell? Did you happen to notice I'm back? Alive and kicking. So what's the point? SAM: Point? How about 'stop the damn apocalypse'? SAM is addressing an empty room. DEAN: My gig. Not yours. The angels said so, remember? God picked me, man. So you got any other fantastic excuses? Hmm?

Yep, Sam is addressing an empty room, because Dean's upstairs worrying with Bobby that they might actually be killing Sam by trying to save him, and explaining that at least if detoxing him kills him, he'll die HUMAN.

And Sam's own brain supplies the ultimate taunt: GOD PICKED DEAN, NOT HIM. Sam, never good enough, always sullied, not pure enough to be chosen. And that's exactly what Sam believes Dean thinks of him. And hell, he couldn't be more wrong...

DEAN: I know why you really drink that blood, Sam. SAM: Just leave me alone. DEAN: Makes you feel strong. Invincible. A big bad wolf in a world of little pigs. SAM: No. You're wrong, Dean. DEAN: It's more than that, isn't it? It's because your whole life, you felt different. Am I right? SAM: Stop. DEAN: Oh, I hit a little close to home, huh? Not different because you were some lonely kid or because of your weirdo family. SAM: Stop it. DEAN: Because you're a monster. SAM: Shut up! Just—shut. The hell. Up. DEAN: You were always a monster. And you only feel right when you're sucking down more poison and more evil.

It sounds very much like the voice mail from Dean that he gets in the next episode, which he believes is what Dean actually said. because we see Dean actually say this to Bobby:

DEAN: I would die for him in a second, but I won't let him do this to himself. I can't. I guess I found my line. I won't let my brother turn into a monster.

before cutting directly back to Sam's hallucination saying something very, very different:

DEAN: Monster, Sam. You're a monster. SAM: Dean, no. DEAN: And I tried so hard to pretend that we were brothers. That you weren't one of the filthy things that we hunt. But we're not even the same species. You're nothing to me. SAM: Don't say that to me. Don't you say that to me.

And then the door opens, Sam's chains fall away, and we see it was Castiel's invisible hand at work releasing Sam from his bonds. Interesting to consider all the times Sam has slipped his bonds through the course of the series, the fact it's always Sam who never seems to stay locked up or tied down or held captive... when we've always wondered what it is about Sam that makes this possible. Well... maybe just a bit of it is this sort of invisible hand at work, just as we know Chuck's hand has always pushed the story where he wanted it to go. Just saying.

Meanwhile, for the second time in two episodes, Dean's asleep while the person he's been guarding escapes. And of course, Sam runs directly to Ruby. She plays right into his sympathies, giving him the boo-hoo line:

RUBY: You know, it's sad. SAM: What? RUBY: That things have gotten this bad between you two.

But this is exactly where she wanted Sam all along. And Dean doesn't find it difficult at all to track Sam down, despite Sam believing that Dean won't find him with all the measures he took to throw him off the trail. Dean pretty much went straight for him.

And when he finds him, he tries to get through to Sam, but Sam's Hallucinations have already convinced him he's doing the right thing, have already poisoned him beyond being able to see the ugly, painful truth:

SAM: She was looking for Lilith. DEAN: That is French for manipulating your ass ten ways from Sunday. SAM: You're wrong, Dean.

Oh, Sam, you're lying to yourself... wait, the next line:

DEAN: Sam, you're lying to yourself. I just want you to be okay. You would do the same for me. You know you would. SAM: Just listen. Just listen for a second. We got a lead on a demon close to Lilith. Come with us, Dean. We'll do this together. DEAN: That sounds great. As long as it's you and me. Demon bitch is a dealbreaker. You kiss her goodbye, we can go right now.

And of course Sam refuses to do that.

SAM: Dean, I need her to help me kill Lilith. I know you can't wrap your head around it, but maybe one day you'll understand. I'm the only one who can do this, Dean.

I mean, he's not wrong. He just has been decieved into believing that it needs to be done to save the world, and can't even imagine that he's been so fundamentally misled. Dean reminds Sam that it's supposed to be him, and flat-out tells Dean what he's been thinking for a good long time now:

SAM: No. You can't. You're not strong enough. DEAN: And who the hell are you? SAM: I'm being practical here. I'm doing what needs to be done. DEAN: Yeah? You're not gonna do a single damn thing. SAM: Stop bossing me around, Dean. Look. My whole life, you take the wheel, you call the shots, and I trust you because you are my brother. Now I'm asking you, for once, trust me. DEAN: No. You don't know what you're doing, Sam. SAM: Yes, I do. DEAN: Then that's worse. SAM: Why? Look, I'm telling you— DEAN: Because it's not something that you're doing, it's what you are! It means— SAM: What? No. Say it. DEAN: It means you're a monster.

And that's all Sam needed to hear. It doesn't matter what else Dean could've said. That was the magic word it's like he'd been waiting to hear his whole life. Everything he's ever feared, going right back to John's horrific final order to him, Sam's officially beyond saving... Dean's officially failed.

Bring on the Apocalypse. All the dominoes are ready to fall.

#spn 4.21 #s14 hellatus rewatch #spiders georg of the tnt loop #it's spirals all the way down #that's what free will is #sam sympathizes and dean empathizes #lies and damn lies #if you say 'mysterious ways' so help me i will kick your ass

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heathinator · 5 years

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Toy Story Human AU deets

I got an ask about a month ago concerning details from my human alternate universe, since I draw the toys as humans relatively often. I put it off until now since I was in the midst of college finals and losing my mind n’ all that. For like a year now I’ve been casually writing a web-comic style story that’d incorporate all of this stuff, and one day I really hope I can dedicate some time to actually drawing it out, but until then here’s what I’ve got:

The events take place in the 90′s, in a little county called Stanton (I’m so original I know...). It’s located in the Western US nestled in the Rockies. There’s a smaller town within Stanton where Woody Pride grew up.

Woody never knew his father, and his mother passed away when he was a teenager, so the town basically raised him. It’s always been his goal and passion to protect and be a leader over the people of Stanton, so naturally he’s been elected as sheriff for a few years and has every intention to remain so.

Bo also grew up in Stanton, and she’s known Woody since they’ve been kids. They’ve got an “It’s a Wonderful Life” George and Mary kind of relationship, where Bo’s probably been in love with him her whole life. She works as a teacher at the elementary school.

Buzz basically comes from the Buzz Lightyear of Star Command universe. As part of a dangerous solo mission, Buzz infiltrated Zurg’s lair on planet Z to gain intel on a secret invention Zurg’s scientists had been creating that had the capability to wipe out entire planets. Buzz was not only able to get information on the weapon, but he also stole a vital part of the energy source, a rare material that Zurg had to steal to get in the first place. The plan was to rendezvous with Star Command with the new intel, but Buzz was discovered and pursued in his ship. Zurg’s henchmen were able to damage Buzz’s hyperdrive, thus causing it to malfunction and hurl him light years away in uncharted space, inadvertently landing him in the Milky Way and crashing on Earth.

Woody and Buzz’s first encounter together go about exactly how you’d think: not great. The town thinks he’s some sort of super cool secret agent from NASA, while Woody’s convinced Buzz is some crazed loony. Things get worse when the town is enamored by Buzz and his ability to deal with criminals, and think he’d make a great county sheriff. All the while Buzz is trying to figure out how to get off the planet and back to his primary mission of stopping Zurg.

It all comes to a head when the two get taken hostage by a notorious criminal in the county and have to work together to escape. Buzz has to come to terms with the fact that he may never be able to leave Earth, and Woody opens up to the idea of sharing the responsibility of taking care of Stanton, even after he learns the truth that Buzz really is an alien from another planet. Buzz joins on as deputy sheriff, although the two get to the point where they work so closely together that either could be sheriff. Buzz decides that it would be wise to keep the alien stuff a secret from everyone else in town.

About a year later, after tracking down another notorious criminal in the county, Woody and Buzz are able to catch him at last. Just as they’re wrapping up, a member from the criminal’s gang targets Woody, shooting him in his shoulder. In all the confusion not only does the shooter get away, but the criminal escapes as well. Woody turns out to be ok, (except for an arm he’s not supposed to use for awhile) but he feels guilty and inadequate, like maybe he’s not the best one for the job, or that with Buzz there Stanton may not actually need him anymore.

When sort of lamenting all of this, Woody is caught off guard and knocked out by a traveling salesman who takes him out of Stanton, where he finally learns about his father, who was a musician, performer, and TV star who passed away years ago. He meets Pete, a man who allegedly knew him and his father when Woody was very young, and Jessie Pride, the sister he never knew existed. Abandoned by their father when she was young, Pete became sort of a second father to her. He manipulated her and convinced her that nobody else could love her, so she stayed feeling utterly trapped with Pete. The performing troupe led by their father was popular back in the day, and they’d been trying to revive it after all of these years with little success, but were convinced that if Woody joined the troupe (who was the spitting image of his father) they’d get their big break, getting them out of the poor living condition they were in.

At first Woody had no intention of staying, but Pete manipulates Woody into believing that he’s no longer needed in Stanton and that he’ll be happier to start a new life with them. They get an offer to do a long term Woody’s Roundup revival in Japan, and prepare to leave. In the meantime, Buzz has been leading a search party for his friend and finds him, where of course he has to talk some sense into Woody and prevent him from leaving. Pete becomes furious and forcibly takes Woody and Jessie to the airport. Turns out Pete wasn’t really living the hard life after all, since becoming Jessie’s primary caregiver he had taken possession of all the money their father had left them after he died. But after discovering Woody’s existence and terrified he would somehow show up to take back the inheritance, Pete set up a ruse to kill both Pride siblings and leave the country. They manage to stop Pete, and jump off the plane before taking off, but Pete escapes custody.

Ideally this point in the story would be where I’d start my comic, beginning with Jessie’s adjustment to Stanton and their adventures between what would be the 2nd and 3rd movies. Jessie would become good friends with Bo, and eventually would decide to join Woody and Buzz in tackling crime in Stanton and the strange occurrences that seem to have started ever since Buzz landed on Earth. Jessie’s growth would come from her becoming her own person, and taking on Pete again as a recurring vengeful villain. Bo would have her own issues from a mysterious past that even Woody was unaware of, and her ability to grow stronger from it. Buzz would would still wrestle with his guilt of not being able to complete his mission, and trying to express his feelings towards Jessie with whom he is absolutely smitten. Woody would still be struggling to understand his worth and position over the people of Stanton, and that he can prove to himself that he can protect them. All the while members of Star Command and Zurg’s empire alike are looking desperately for Buzz and the stolen bit of the device, and they’re getting closer than Buzz ever thought they would...

Anyway holy cow this was way longer than I intended it to be. Like I said, hopefully one day I can actually get this dang comic started, but until then at least you know what’s going through my head when I’m drawing these guys. 😬

#toy story #human au #woody #buzz lightyear #jessie #bo peep #good grief this is long

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fiercyy · 5 years

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Chapters: 8/? Fandom: Naruto Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura & Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura & Hatake Kakashi, Team 7 - Relationship, Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura & Hatake Kakashi & Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto Summary: Sakura always wished she could relate to her teammates better. She wishes she could take it back. In which Sasuke acquires some unwanted roommates and a team becomes a family.

(ffnet)

or read on tumblr below:

Sasuke does the cooking and dishes. Naruto vacuums and dusts. Sakura cleans the bathroom and the kitchen.

The shower drain is a multicolored nest of hair and the sink is looking grimy. Sasuke grinds his teeth every time he looks at the kitchen counter but on principle, he can't clean it. He made a chore wheel for a reason!

Sakura hardly leaves her room. She never spends any time in the common spaces. Sasuke hasn't seen her in three days. Where does she go every day, while still recovering? He doesn't care. Definitely not. It's just baffling is all. And he refuses to ask Naruto. Even though he knows he knows. The blond is the more belligerent roommate of the two. He plants himself in the kitchen or the living room and stares at him. Sometimes he'll give Sasuke shit about things that aren't at all his problem. Mostly he complains about Kakashi-sensei.

That's the other thing. Naruto hasn't been coming to training. Out of solidarity.

Sasuke wakes up at 6am and rolls over to look at Naruto. The other boy is out cold and facing the wall. He wonders if he's putting his back to him consciously, or if it's a subconscious manifestation of his anger. It's a weird change. Sakura is angry. Kakashi is angry. Naruto is angry. Sasuke is just tired.

He gets out of bed, dresses and heads for the kitchen. He pauses outside the door of the second bedroom for a moment before moving on.

The smell of breakfast won't wake either teammate. Or, if it did, he would never know about it. They won't leave their rooms.

He fries a couple of eggs and breaks them over cold leftover rice.

The walk to the training grounds is quiet. It bothers Sasuke; how used to the chatter he's become. He waits for Kakashi at the bridge. He doesn't have long to wait though, Kakashi has been on time for the past three days.

Sasuke doesn't like when patterns are broken. It makes him anxious. He feels like everything's falling apart and the hateful voice in his head tells him that it doesn't matter… but it does.

"No Naruto today?" Kakashi asks, cheerfully, like he's inquiring about tomorrow's weather.

"No Sakura either." Sasuke tells him, and he's unable to keep the spite from his voice.

He shows up, because that's what a good shinobi does. They report for duty on time, ready to work. He needs to get stronger and he can't do that if he doesn't train. Naruto doesn't seem to understand that. He thinks he's betraying Sakura by showing up at all. Solidarity won't change Kakashi's mind though, letting their muscles atrophy won't teach him a lesson.

"Then I guess we'll work one-on-one on some more advanced techniques," Kakashi takes a stance, "Just like we did before the chunin exams."

With Naruto and Sakura gone, Sasuke doesn't have to share his sensei with teammates. He has the undivided attention of a master who can make him stronger, better and more powerful. He doesn't have to waste time on teamwork exercises or correcting his teammates form.

He doesn't need it. He doesn't need them. When he faces off against Itachi, it won't be with partners. He'll be by himself. And when his brother is dead, he'll finally be truly alone.

Sasuke shakes away that unpleasant thought. He isn't the last Uchiha yet. He doesn't have to think about it until it happens. He doesn't even expect to survive.

Except now he's stuck on the thought. What would it do to Naruto and Sakura if he were to die fighting his brother? It would kill them. He's not stupid. He knows they care about him. They'd die for him. It's for the best then, that Team 7 is falling apart. Maybe, if they all hate each other, it won't hurt. He should kick them out. He should try harder not to care, but it's like every time he does, something happens that forces him to admit that he does.

At the end of the session, lying panting and depleted on the ground, Sasuke achieves a moment of clarity. "She isn't like us." Which he's always known, but he's not sure Kakashi does. "You can reason with her."

Kakashi seems to find this amusing. "And I can't with you?"

"She still cares what you think."

"Ah." Kakashi sighs and rubs the back of his neck, "You're chatty today."

Fine then. He's done talking for the day. "Hn."

Kakashi takes this for the dismissal that it is and leaves first. Sasuke's too tired to move quite yet.

Sakura discovers something new about herself. Gentle encouragement does not work. But Spite does.

She's out of the house before her teammates wake up.

It's 5am and she's barely awake, but she can't stand the thought of running into either of them in the hall. She forces herself out of bed and into the cold morning air.

At first she sits on a boulder in Training Ground #14. She doesn't know what to do. She's never planned a training regimen before. Eventually sitting turns to meditating. Sort of accidentally. She doesn't want to think about things, so she doesn't. But soon, meditating becomes difficult; all the painful thoughts she doesn't want to think bump against her subconscious until they propel her to her feet.

So she starts with what she's good at. She practices chakra control. She holds herself upside-down on a tree limb until she almost passes out from the blood rushing to her head. She does all the katas she knows on the surface of the pond. She feels the chakra flow through her network and consciously tries to control its route.

She thinks about the medic nin who healed her, and what a poor job he did. She wonders if he was incompetent or if he just didn't care. Maybe he saw her life as a waste of chakra. Sometimes she feels like he was right.

Sakura needs to prove him wrong. She needs to be better. But she can't do that by herself. She can't go to her sensei either.

The conclusion is obvious, where does anyone go to learn anything? The library.

From then on, she makes it a point each day to go to the military library. It's an archive of history, lineage and techniques. All active shinobi have access… to parts of it. There are levels of clearance and the wild-haired librarian with sharp almond shaped eyes is not someone to be taken lightly.

She starts with the chakra network. And medical ninjutsu. It strikes her as incredibly useful. Why doesn't every team have a medic? Why don't more people become medic nins? She comes to realize there are three reasons:

1) Shinobi want to be in the field and in the fight.

2) Medicnin are targets. Strategically, the wisest course is to attack them first.

3) It's too difficult for most people to manage it.

Every healing technique is high-level jutsu. It takes precision, control, power and determination.

"So that's where it's gone."

Sakura looks up, but she's been straining her eyes in the dim corner for so long that her eyes need a second to refocus. When they do, she gasps. "H-Hokage-sama!"

Tsunade rests her right fist on her cocked hip, "How'd you get your hands on that, Kid?"

Sakura's eyes widen while she struggles to come up with a good enough lie. "Uuuuh…" Masterful Sakura, great. "I found it?"

"Mhmm," she hums, unimpressed. "Where?"

"…On the returns cart."

Tsunade gestures, indicating she should stand. Sakura does as she's told. She holds out her hand for the book and the girl gives it to her. "Smart, much easier than sneaking it out of its section," she comments while leafing through the book.

Sakura shrugs as if to say it was nothing.

"You're interested in medical ninjutsu?" She purposely makes her tone skeptical, which makes Sakura's hackles rise.

"I'm looking for a challenge."

"Well, you'll definitely find it in here. This isn't where I'd advise you start." And with that, she snaps the book shut and walks away, taking it with her. "I'm sure there's something more your speed in the level D section."

She's steaming mad and she knows exactly what to do. Sakura learns best when the deck is stacked against her, when she's out of options, when nobody thinks she can win.

She's going to win over the Hokage and make her her teacher.

"Crap, I have to go." The clock on the wall behind the counter at Yamanaka Flower Shop reads 1:45pm. "I'll see you later Pig."

Ino rolls her eyes as Sakura dashes for the door. "Whatever Forehead, do what you've gotta do."

Sakura sticks her tongue out at her friend and flicks her hair before dashing out. It's getting long again and she's not sure that she likes it. She was so upset about it when it happened, but she's gotten used to it being short. She's noticed how in-the-way it's been lately. And it's so much work to maintain, she just doesn't have the energy for it anymore. Some days she doesn't have the energy to shower. Why did she keep it so long in the first place?

Oh yeah, Sasuke-kun likes girls with short hair. She could just puke. She wanted to be pretty, to fit in, to be loved and accepted.

What does that matter now? She's all alone.

Her parents are dead. Her teacher abandoned her and her Team will be better off without her.

Fine. She doesn't need them. She's going to prove them all wrong.

She's got an appointment with destiny!

A sweet-faced woman with dark hair named Shizune leads her into the Hokage's office for her two o'clock appointment.

Tsunade doesn't look up from her paperwork until the door snaps closed behind her. "Oh," she sounds unsurprised, "It's you."

"It's me," Sakura says self-consciously.

"What can I do for you kid? You can't have the book back, sorry to say."

"Don't worry, I already memorized it."

"You already memorized it?"

"…Yeah."

She's good at books. Books, Sakura understands. People? Not so much. Except sometimes she thinks she really really does. Then sometimes she turns out to be very wrong. She thinks of her teammates, whom she hasn't seen in days. She shakes off the melancholy and straightens her spine.

Toughen up Sakura, you can do this.

"How many bones are in your right hand?"

"27."

"How much water can your kidneys process in a day?"

"Combined or separate?"

"Combined."

"28 litres."

"Well, that's a neat trick." Like a dog. Or a trained seal. Okay.

"I need…" she hesitates.

"Yes?"

"Uh…"

"Don't waste my time. Come back when-"

"I need someone to teach me!"

"Is this you asking me?"

"Yes! Please!"

"No."

"No?"

"Can't do it. Too busy."

"But-!"

"Have a nice day!" When she turns back to her paperwork, Sakura knows she's lost the battle.

But not the war.

The next night, Sakura waits for Tsunade outside of Hokage Tower. She leans against the stucco wall, with her arms crossed, eyes trained upward. The streetlamps have just switched on, blotting out the stars with their light pollution.

Tsunade strolls right past her and she runs to catch up.

"Godaime-sama!"

"Hm?" she half turns. "Oh, it's you."

Hell yeah it is. "I thought about what you said. And I know you're busy, but think of it like an investment. In the long run I would save you time, because I could do things like do your paperwork or fill in at the hospital for you."

"Good pitch. Still not interested." She laughs. "And you really think you could fill in for me? There's a reason they gave me the giant hat and it's not because I'm easily replaceable."

Sakura's eyes widen, "That's not what I meant at all! I just mean… I could help you!"

"No."

"I could!"

"I'm sure you'd try, but I'm not sure I want to invest my time."

"What are you doing?" Kakashi demands, confronting Tsunade at the bar only an hour later. "You agreed you'd do it."

"I want to know how bad she wants it." She turns to the bartender. "Another bottle please."

"She's good."

"So?"

"She's talented."

"That's just another word for good."

"You said you would do it."

The bartender comes back with two cups and a bottle. Tsunade moves the second cup to her other side, out of Kakashi's reach and pours herself a few ounces. "Why should I invest my time, when you don't even want to? She's your responsibility."

Kakashi glances at the ceiling and prays for patience. "I don't know how to help her."

"Uh huh."

"I don't! I can't be what she needs. She needs someone better than me." He rubs his eyes, under the forehead protector. "I can't get through to her or make her stronger. She's nothing like me."

"Ha!"

He doesn't get why that's funny.

"She's exactly like you. You just don't see it yet."

Kakashi wants to throw his hands up in the air but he doesn't. He needs to think. Just to be a bitch, he steals her bottle of sake and takes a swig before slamming it down on the bar and heading for the exit.

"I'll give them this," Tsunade says to herself before taking a delicate sip of her sake. "They're determined."

He's so worried he can't even concentrate on his smut. It's truly dire.

Kakashi really thought that Team 7 would benefit from being together. And they have, he thinks… But Naruto and Sasuke have benefitted more. They've softened and calmed. They consider each other's needs. And each other's pain.

That ended when Sasuke spoke to Sakura that way. His rage lit the fuse of her fury. It was the catalyst that made their progress go up in flames. But he still cares. He defended her. Maybe he doesn't have to separate them. Maybe there's hope for them after all.

But Sakura is still a danger to herself and others.

Sasuke's words come to him and he sighs. He has to fix this with words? Outrageous.

"Good morning!"

Sakura shrieks and almost falls out of bed.

It's dark out, darker than her usual 5am wakeup.

"Hush, you'll wake the boys."

Sakura leaps to a standing position. The mattress bounces beneath her. And there's Kakashi-sensei, balancing in a crouch on her footboard.

"So?" she spits.

"You guys are so cute. Come on." He shoves his hands in his pockets and moves to the window.

"I'm not going anywhere with you."

"Sure you are, now come on."

And despite herself, she follows.

Kakashi leads her out the window and onto the roof of the apartment building. He takes a seat on the ledge and pats the spot next to him.

"Oh so you have time for me now?"

"Stop being a brat and sit down."

She does as she's told, several feet from where he's sitting.

"Come on," Kakashi says in a conciliatory tone, "Do you want me to have to yell?"

"Why?" she replies, "Are you hard of hearing Old Man?"

"Stop calling me Old Man," he complains, but off her cutting glare he sighs. "Fine. Maybe I deserve that."

Sakura crosses her arms and looks towards the horizon to avoid looking at him. Her feelings are hurt. She feels abandoned and tired. She was going to give it another go with Tsunade-sama today, but she's feeling a little discouraged. What if she never says yes? She's out of options. If she can't go on missions, she can't make any money. And what's she supposed to do every day? She can't be goalless. It's a state that leaves her alone with her thoughts, and they are her worst companions.

"Oh, I guess I should talk first." He hadn't expected Sakura to apologize first but he really thought after following her around for the past couple days that she'd be a little contrite. She's obviously unhappy with the way things are. "I'm sorry."

She tries to hide her surprise.

He explains the best he can. "I just want to make you see what path you're going down. It doesn't lead anywhere good. Trust me."

"How would you know?" she mumbles.

They're quiet for a while, until Kakashi gathers the courage to tell her the truth. "Did you know that… my father committed suicide?" she gasps. "I was the one who found him. I used to be angry. So angry. And there was nothing to fight, no enemy to beat. The only thing I could direct my anger at was him, and myself. And the world."

"…How old were you?"

"Very young," he says sadly, "I know now that when someone kills themselves it's because they've lost a very long battle against themselves. I know that it's a sickness. But that doesn't change the fact that I lost him. I lost a lot of people."

He tells her the story of his team; of Obito and Rin. "I loved them, but I couldn't do it properly until it was too late. I almost didn't go back for her, but Obito gave me some tough love. He made me see. I want better for the three of you. What you have is precious. You need to hold on to it."

There are tears in her eyes as she whispers, "I'm not sure I know how."

"Yes you do. You've always known. You held them together when things got tough. Let them be there for you too."

She swipes at her eyes as the tears fall. Kakashi scoots closer and lays a gentle hand on her shoulder. "When Sasuke and Naruto… Did you tell them all this?"

"No," he admits. "I know you guys are all different. I was trying to give you an ultimatum, make you see that what you were doing was dangerous. I was trying to scare you straight. I'm not very good at this." She giggles. "I was treating you like I'd treat them, but I also wasn't. That kind of thing wouldn't have worked on them. They'd never find their way back, but you?"

"I need them more than they need me," she says sadly.

"Nah, that's not it," he searches for the words. "You're willing to admit when you need them." It's not strictly true, but he thinks he can remind her that she's supposed to be the mature one. "I don't tell them this kind of stuff because you can't reason with a knucklehead or a robot."

Sakura giggles again, "No, I guess you can't. I don't know if I can forgive him though. I don't know how to stop what I'm feeling."

"You don't have to. But I'm worried that if you don't wake up and look around, your family might not wait around. You can't be angry forever or you'll push them away."

"It's not fair. Sasuke gets to be angry all the time, and I'm supposed to just forget it?"

"'Gets to'," he snorts. "Don't tell him I said this, but you're stronger than he is-" Off her sudden laugh, "No. Really. You're more resilient. You process, while he's stuck. Do you want my advice?"

"Not really."

He snorts, "Damn kids."

Sakura rolls her eyes but can't help the fond smile that blossoms in time with the first peek of morning sunshine over the horizon.

"All the love you feel for the people you lost, put that into something new. Love your team, love your family as much as you can. Instead of focusing on your anger, concentrate on protecting the people you love. That will make you strong. I'd tell him that too if I thought he would listen, but he likes to make his own mistakes."

"You think he'll figure it out?"

"I think he already knows. He just doesn't know he knows."

Sakura realizes something else about herself that night. More than gentle encouragement, more than spite, the will to protect the things that matter to her, motivates her best.

The Godaime has a reputation among the higher ranks of shinobi. She's in the Bingo Book for a reason. She's tough. And deadly. Her healing powers are the least of people's worries when they encounter her. She is a fearsome choice in Hokage, her status as a sanin alone dissuades other villages from interfering. She doesn't wonder what her own forces thing of her; the truly powerful have no need to care.

She's still new. Konoha has been in a rebuilding stage. Her work has mostly been commissioning repairs, rebuilds and restructuring.

Her first disciplinary meeting begins with a silent staring contest. An ANBU officer with a mask painted like a Vole. His squad stands at attention behind him. "You deemed this mission a success."

"Yes ma'am. The envoy arrived safely and the enemy nin were drawn out and eliminated or brought in for questioning," he relays the facts with a detached tone.

"I see. But there were unforeseen complications."

"A member of the genin squad tasked with accompanying Arakawa and baiting the enemy was injured in action."

Tsunade snorts, "Yes, I saw your handiwork when she arrived at the hospital."

Because of the mask, it's unclear if he looks abashed. Or makes any expression at all.

"Consider some remedial courses. That was shoddy fieldwork and you can do better. Additionally-" Her eyes flash, her anger bubbling to the surface. "I'm not sure how my predecessor ran things, but under my administration, we do not unnecessarily endanger genin. We prioritize the lives of Konoha citizens, even at the expense of the mission. Am I making myself clear?"

"Yes ma'am!" The ANBU squad affirm together.

"Dismissed." They flashstep away, leaving the Hokage alone with her burdens. "…Fools."

It's her last meeting of the day, so she decides to leave the pile of paperwork for tomorrow. She takes the long way, climbing down the spiral staircase instead of leaping out the window. Just as she's about to walk out of the lobby, there's a flash of pink and suddenly Sakura Haruno's upside-down face is four inches away from hers.

The girl hangs from the ceiling. She looks cheerful and full of a vigor that's been lacking since the first time she met her.

She sways side to side, grinning. "Hokage-sama, please just hear me out."

Tsunade has to laugh. "Why do you want this so bad? You've come to me three times, and I've said no every time."

"I want to become stronger… and I have this feeling that you can help me do that."

"Why do you want to become stronger?"

She doesn't hesitate. "I want to protect the people I love. I want to be able to fight at their side. For once, I don't want to be staring at their backs. I want them to watch mine."

Tsunade considers her for a moment.

Sakura waits, with baited breath.

"You pass."

"Huh?"

Tsunade slides around her and heads for the door, waving over her shoulder. "We start tomorrow. At a reasonable hour, like 11."

She's so surprised that her feet become unglued from the ceiling. She falls with a shriek but lands laughing.

#sasusaku #sasukesakura #sasuke x sakura #naruto #fanfiction #if you can't hold on hold on #my fic #sakura haruno #tw: grief #tw: violence

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goldenkamuyhunting · 5 years

Text

Golden Kamuy re-reading: CHAP 13: ‘Guardian spirit’

Trasposed in: Episode 4 ‘Grim reaper’

Currently the story is at: Chap 182: ‘The things about my father that I didn’t know’ (scanlated), Chap 183 ‘Catching up with the wolf’ (raw)

CHAP 13: ‘Guardian spirit’

We don’t have a standard cover for this chapter. The story resumes with Sugimoto and Asirpa going to a river, Sugimoto still carrying the cub along and even giving it a toy.

It’s worth to mention that in the anime what follow is placed in Episode 4, ‘Grim reaper’.

Asirpa explains Sugimoto how the trap to capture fishes works then tells him to help her clean the fishes Sugimoto forgot his knife at Asirpa’s house. Asirpa scolds him and hurries him to get it.

What's interesting is that Asirpa is going to change through the story. Here she sounds bossy and scolding-prone but later on she’ll grow to become more patient and accepting. She’s an evolving character through and through.

Back to Sugimoto he tries to go for a different way in an attempt to reach Asirpa’s home faster and is stopped by an Ainu who tells him not to even move a muscle.

Although Sugimoto doesn’t attack him, it’s clear his first instinct is to think the other is being either rude or aggressive toward him (the background behind him darkens and, even if he asks ‘what do you want?’ he’s not really doing it because he’s curious.

The man though tells him not to touch the cord at his feet, explaining him it’s an arrow trap in which the tip of the arrow are covered in aconite root poison which caused long time suffering instead than instant death… then describes how his cousin ended up hit by one and died.

Realizing the man saved his life Sugimoto thanks him and, at this point, the man introduces himself as Makanakkuru, Osoma’s father and Asirpa’s uncle.

In the anime Sugimoto somehow knew the man was related to Osoma, though in the manga that’s not the case.

Makanakkuru claims he’d been worried about Asirpa even since she’s been going into the mountains alone after her father’s death.

Makanakkuru goes on saying he feels reassured now that a strong guy like Sugimoto is with her, though Sugimoto corrects him saying it’s actually Asirpa who’s saving him most of the time (which is true even if you might have not noticed it because Sugimoto got a lot of action scenes that impress a viewer).

This tiny part is cut in the anime, which, I guess, likes to make Sugimoto look stronger and more capable than the manga actually depicts him to be so as to remark his role as hero.

It’s worth to note how Makanakkuru’s behaviour doesn’t match with what would be a nowaday ordinary uncle behaviour as, in ptesent time, normally a uncle would worry his young niece is spending such a long time alone into the mountains with an unknown man.

He would suspect the man might have dark intention toward his niece and, if he were to know the man instead had involved the niece in a gold hunt, this wouldn’t reassure him in the slightest.

Asirpa’s relatives instead feel safe a man is with her, let her come and go as she please and even consider said men as a potential love interest. They aren’t being mean or uncaring of their niece, those were just times in which people felt and act differently from how they do now.

Back to the story Makanakkuru agrees that Asirpa is a smart girl, therefore, if she likes Sugimoto, this means Sugimoto is probably not a bad guy.

Sugimoto apologizes about his earlier reaction explaining he believed people wouldn’t be friendly with a Japanese.

Note how, when he’ll be in the fake Ainu village and will believe people aren’t being friendly with him, he’ll react with less hostility than what he did now. Sugimoto is a character who grows and change through the story, here he’s still not fully understanding why Ainu might not be friendly and, although he doesn’t mean to cause troubles, when he thinks they could be not friendly he slips into sort of viewing them as enemies. As time will go by and he'll know them better he'll automatically stop doing so.

Makanakkuru will retell us the story about how the people in his village were hoarding the gold to fight the Japanese, which caused Asirpa’s father and his six comrades to be killed. He then goes on and said their ancestors gathered all that gold and kept it untouched for decades and then some men decided to use it to buy weapons. Sugimoto asks him if he has any idea about who could have killed them and he claims he hasn’t, adding that everyone believes it was the wrath of the god of water.

Fundamentally he explains that Ainu cares for the water of the river to the point they don’t use it for laundry or washing away excrements. Panning for the gold caused the water to get dirty so he thinks that soiling the water just to get weapons for war shouldn’t have been done. The gold ended up possessed by an evil spirit and cursed. As he finished his speech we’re shown Abashiri prison and Nopperabō.

Now there are absolutely no visual hints Asirpa’s uncle might know more than what he says.

If we want, this is maybe the only strange thing about it. As said before, from Asirpa’s grandmother’s tale we know there was only a man who knew about were the gold was, and it’s likely it was Asirpa’s grandfather. It’s odd the old man would have passed his knowledge to Wilk and not to his own son when he died, one year before the gold was stolen, but well, it’s possible.

We know that Kiro believed Wilk was on his side in using the gold for his teammates… and we know that Wilk claimed he didn’t kill the other six Ainu. Although Kiro’s fingerprints were found on the Ainu belongings (or so Tsurumi says) it seems hard to think he might have killed them, as he probably believed whose were his allies since they wanted to rebel to the Japanese too.

Kiro believes Wilk betrayed him… but actually when Wilk was caught he was carrying some gold and trying to reach his teammates in Russia as they had agreed... so that might not have been the case. Kiro had no reason to lie about his belief that Wilk had betrayed him so… what if Kiro had been tricked into thinking Wilk killed the Ainu and betrayed him when it actually had been someone else who decided to punish them in place of the god of water for trying to use the gold to wage war?

After all Ainu villages are small. It’s strange Asirpa’s uncle knew nothing about the whole gold plot. And I really, really would like to know who assumed Wilk was death and declared him as such just by watching at his remains and how Kiro discovered how Wilk was alive and in Abashiri prison instead, since the Ainu weren’t informed about this. Sure, Kiro was in the 7th but not under Tsurumi so from where he got that info?

But well, all these are speculations and, as said before, there are no visual clues that make Makanakkuru look suspicious. Even if we assume there were more people involved than just Wilk ad Kiro, it can be we haven’t met them yet.

We’ll see.

By the way the anime adds a tiny bit in which we’re explained by Makanakkuru how ‘aca’ means father in Ainu language.

Timeskip and we’ve Sugimoto and Asirpa go back to Huci’s house bringing lot of fishes. Sugimoto is confused by how Huci seems to place a fish on the back of her neck so Asirpa explains him she’s doing an offering to her guardian spirit, whom Ainu believes comes in and out through the back of their neck, and how, when you receive something, you’re supposed to share it with your guardian spirit.

According to Ainu every person has one form the moment they’re born. Asirpa goes on explaining there are various types of guardian spirits and they believe they’re what causes personalities and abilities to differ as well as control their fate.

She also adds that some Ainu can see them and her grandmother is among them and that she claims Sugimoto has a very powerful one to which Sugimoto reacts by thinking it’s his guardian spirit that makes him immortal.

Sugimoto then points out to how he never saw Asirpa offering something to her guardian spirit, to which Asirpa replies it’s something only old folk do. Sugimoto complains about how kids are in these days, which is a not so subtle hint about how, despite being so polite and respectful with her (he calls her ‘Asirpa-san’), he sees Asirpa as just a KID.

Once the food is ready Sugimoto is about to eat it when he decides to give it to his guardian spirit, gaining Huci’s approbation. One of the good sides of Sugimoto is that he’s very willing to embrace Ainu traditions, saying what Asirpa tells him to say or doing what he sees the other doing. After praising the food he’s being given, Sugimoto decides to add Miso to it, getting scolded by Asirpa who still thinks it’s poop.

What’s worse is that Sugimoto offers it to her grandmother, who offers it to her guardian spirit, which causes Asirpa, who thinks Sugimoto has just caused to have her grandmother offer poor to her guardian spirit, to threaten him with an Ainu punishment rod called Sutu. The scene causes Asirpa’s grandmother to smile, hinting again at how she approves Sugimoto and Asirpa’s ‘relation’ whom she’d like to turn into something serious.

Back to the story, while in the manga there’s a box explaining what a Sutu is, in the anime they had Asirpa doing it but she’s much more vague as she says it’s to punish the wicked while in the manga it’s said is to punish criminals.

The scene switches and we see the men of the 7th staring at the horizon. The First Lieuntenant Tsurumi is informed that, due to the snowfall continuing to search (likely for Tamai and the rest) would be difficult as the falling snow will cover their tracks.

Tsurumi replies that since those four were experienced mountaineers, especially Tanigaki, he thinks it would be hard for them to end up being lost or stranded.

At this point Tsurumi is joined by captain Wada, who’s furious because Tsurumi took HIS men out without his permission.

In the manga isn’t that clear but we’ll see the man with Wada is Tsukishima.

Wada summarizes the situation. Tsurumi has one of his men in critical conditions (Ogata) and four missing (Tamai, Okada, Noma and Tanigaki), plus he’s been secretly taking weapons an ammunitions from Asahikawa. Long story short, Wada is furious with him for all this.

It’s worth to note that, although Wada doesn’t appear like a nice guy, his concerns for his men is praiseworthy and his worry for the weapons Tsurumi is taking are legittimate. Of course, it’s a little hard to correctly judge him considering how few pages of him we have, it can be he’s just annoyed Tsurumi overstepped his bounds but...

Also, we’re to wonder if Tamai went to search for whoever injured Ogata under Tsurumi’s orders or following his own plan. Both are possible as Tsurumi might have been curious to know how Ogata got injured but Tamai could have been curious as well and might have decided to act on his own. Personally I think Tamai acted on his own.

Anyway at this point we discover that during the battle of Mudken Tsurumi got a head injury that caused him to lose part of his frontal lobe and that makes it leak a bit.

Wada, still angry, wonders how he could keep his ranking with such an injury, as he should have been dismissed from service. Wada is right, who reported such serious injuries should have been freed from Army obligation but, the way Wada put it implies he wants to use this to kick Tsurumi out, claiming he can’t cover for him any longer and that there’s no more place for Tsurumi in the Army. The result is that, although Wada is right, he seems a jerk who’s taking it out on an injured man. We automatically tend to side with Tsurumi, even if it’s Tsurumi who did the wrong things, not Wada.

And now... a break here.

We’ll learn later that Tsurumi’s family was wealthy, allowing him to receive a certain education, but afterward it fell in disgrace. We don’t really know what moves Tsurumi, only he wants to establish a military state in Hokkaido of which he wants to be the leader. It’s however possible deep down all he wants is to return his family to its original splendour.

If that’s the case remaining in the Army it’s his only hope. If he were to be sent home, as injured as he is, only a life of misery would wait him. Therefore Wada’s words should have come particularly unpleasant.

If we assume also that Wada might come from a wealthy family instead, and how he’s clearly not scared of Tsurumi and Tsurumi has apparently nothing to blackmail him it gets easier to understand why Tsurumi will act as it’ll follow.

On the other side, Tsurumi lost his wife and daughter in Russia, possibly because someone in the army tattled out Tsurumi was Hanazawa in disguise, so maybe what's also moving Tsurumi is the wish of revenge toward someone in the army... so not only he really need to remain in it but might hate whoever is in it thinking they could be among the ones who betrayed him.

In fact, as Wada points his finger at Tsurumi, Tsurumi bites that finger off, hard enough it rips it away from Wada’s hand and then spit it in Wada’s face, which I'll say is a clearly spiteful act. Tsurumi blames his actions to his wound, which causes him to have troubles controlling his temper but that, putting that aside, he’s the picture of good health, warriors take pride in scars (which was, if I’m not wrong, part of the samurai mentality and a hint Tsurumi’s family might have been among them) and claims his scar makes him look dashing.

However it’s also worth mentioning Tsurumi’s daughter was killed by a bullet going through her head as a baby. This might have disfigured her, but it also might have affected Tsurumi’s perception of beauty.

Now, while it’s possible Tsurumi’s reaction was caused by his wound… somehow it doesn’t seem believable as he calms down immediately (we’ll see Sugimoto completely losing control), giving me more the impression of Tsurumi doing as he pleased and then blaming it on the wound.

Tsurumi’s behaviour is undoubtedly over the top here and there (not always though) so Wada calling him a lunatic makes sense but it would be interesting to know how he was previously (as Hasegawa he seemed a pretty calm and collected guy but, of course, he was playing a role) and if it’s all an act to impress the viewers or not. Tsurumi is an amazing intelligence officer after all and acting in a certain way might have the purpose of spreading false information on his mental state. Hard to say, though, for me, I like to think his behaviour is genuine.

Anyway… biting off the finger of a superior officer is a SERIOUS offence in the Army, one that allows Wada to sentence Tsurumi to death.

Wada then says ‘fire at will’ which means the soldiers should kill Tsurumi. Tsukishima though (yes, it’s Tsukishima even if at the time he was drawn a little differently) blasts Wada’s head away.

Tsurumi then tells his men to strip Wada of his uniform and bury him.

Afterward he gives a pretty speech about how their comrades in Manchuria are buried under cold barren stones, on how they still haven’t received reparation from Russia and how the soldiers defending the frontier were left with nothing but barren worthless land and therefore their war isn’t over.

Now… if you skip Tsurumi’s pretty speech what they’re doing is: insubordination, murder, rebellion and, fundamentally, betrayal of the Army and the Japanese government.

It’s true Sugimoto doesn’t know all the details but it’s fun how he insists Ogata is a traitor because he left the 7th when fundamentally even if he had remained in the 7th he would have been one so, in short, he wasn’t given that many options.

It’s also worth to point out how Wada insisted on Ogata’s condition being serious. We tend to forget it because we didn’t see him in the hospital, and when he showed up, apart from the scars on his cheeks he seemed fine and dandy, but it seems his own condition after his meeting with Sugimoto was seriously bad and his recover pretty miraculous.

By the way, as already mentioned, in the anime this whole 7th division bit was placed in the previous episode (the 3rd) so of course it’s skipped in the 4th.

Now, if there’s something I’ve always wondered that is the reason to have Wada exist. Why had Tsurumi asked Tsukishima to lead him there and then killed him first chance he got? Was Wada behind Ogata and Tamai’s rebellion?

So far it’s hard to say but I think it could be an interesting perspective.

Well, this is all for this chapter. See you at the next if I’ll manage to re-read it.

#Golden Kamuy #Sugimoto Saichi #Asirpa #Makanakkuru #Osoma #Tsurumi Tokushirou #Tsukishima Hajime #Golden Kamuy ReReading #Ogata Hyakunosuke #Tanigaki Genjirou #Wada Kouji #Tamai Houzou #Okada Fumio #Noma Naoaki

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angel-scythe · 5 years

Text

I wish I was there for you

Hi!!!

So here’s a piece of work I did after @lusciouswhiteflame‘s fantastic gorgeous and unbelievably awesome work because I can’t stop? They even say, I can write anything about their work as long as I credt *gasp* THAT’S DANGEROUS!!

Anyway, I got inspired by all their work about the Allen700 (which I discovered thanks to them) and you can see a bit here while petting this nice cat /ᐠ.ꞈ.ᐟ\

BUT!! This exact story was inspired by the last awesome art (pet this cat to see it please => ₍⸍⸌̣ʷ̣̫⸍̣⸌₎

And for the story by itself, you know what to do with my door if you want to go in AO3 or there is the thing just down below

| °|

(and sorry for my bad english, I was so sick today...)

I love him. I love him. I love him so much. He’s everything. He’s my sunshine, my moon and all the stars around. He’s my reason to live. He’s the reason why I am Alive. Everyday, I wait for him to come back from his work, his dinner is always ready, perfectly warm at the second he sits at the table. I love him. I love serving him. I’m happy when he lets me be with him.

I love him more than anything in the world so… why… WHY?!

His LED flickering between yellow and red, Adam stared the Captain David Allen without moving. He couldn’t. He didn’t understand… He had always served the man perfectly, sometimes, he had did things he shouldn’t, that was right, but nothing too big. And plus… it was often the Captain himself who invited him to watch the TV which him when he had finish his work. And they had plays social games, too. He loved Monopoly maybe because their game lasted for days?

Maybe… Maybe he had discovered… Maybe he knew how he slid in his room every night to sit next to him and watch over his sleep?

Maybe that was the reason…

“Will you go away?!”

Suddenly, Adam was pushed backward. Of course, David Allen was stronger than him so he almost fell, his hand finding the door knob was the only thing preventing that.

“You have the choice, Deviant…”

Adam stared the gun coming on his forehead. Captain David Allen knew. Of course he knew. You didn’t get the head of the S.W.A.T. if you were an idiot. And he knew everything about him. Everything.

“I’ll be happy to apply the rules. If you stay one more second, I’ll shoot you.”

The Android looked that barrel. Being shoot, having that bullet in his head… that was maybe the best choice? What should he do, outside? Go to Jericho? That was Hell outside, the authority had asked to have every Deviant, every Android, destroyed, for the sake of the Humanity. It seemed that nobody could made an exception. Certainly not the S.W.A.T. Captain himself…

“Three…”

Adam could have just waited for that bullet to destroy everything in him but the man had appreciated him. As an object, at least. It seemed awful to let him destroy his, let’s hope, favorite toy.

“Okay.”

The gun moved down and Adam bowed in front of him, so much his body almost looked like a ken doll being played with a violent kid.

“It had been a pleasure to have been at your service, Mister. I wish you the best.” He straightened and passed the frame of the door. He heard a big SLAM just in his back and he closed his eyes. “I love you, Captain…” he said under his breath. Somewhat… he wished the man would have heard that.

He wished David Allen would run after him and keep him by his side, protect him from the others Humans… but that would never happen. Not from someone as the Captain. Not for an Android like him…

Why an Android would deserve love from a Human?

Arriving in the ground floor, he walked to the door and opened it. It was the last seconds. The last burst of stupid hope and… he closed the door on this glimpse of hope…

Sat on his couch, David Allen was drinking a glass of whisky. Everything was quiet now. Any ruffle of Adam doing the housework, preparing a delicious dinner or cleaning something. It was just a powerful and uncomfortable silence. Just him and his glass, with the ice cube hitting sometime the side of his glass.

He knew it wasn’t the moment to be at home, having the blues but he could be reach by anybody at any moments.

He wasn’t used anymore to the silent.

Strange how the things could suddenly change when you get use to something… So he will soon enough get used to the silent, once again. His place will be a mess again but he’ll try to keep that in order now he had get help, he’ll eat soup or pre-cooked meal. He didn’t need much more. The hardest thing will be to change his bandage by himself… that was really not easy and he didn’t want to ask again to his neighbor because… well she enjoyed too much to see him half or almost naked. But with an old neighbor and an almost always busy one, he couldn’t count on someone else. His own sister wanted him to get an Android because ‘that will help you a lot and I won’t have to have your back all the time’. He didn’t want to have an Android but when she had offered him a coupon and dragged him in the shop, he didn’t have the choice anymore.

In fact, he hadn’t choice his Android. Her sister had chosen this model because ‘at least, I’m sure you won’t try to get laid with this one, like all those weirdo!’ and then she had winked to him and added ‘and I will drool on him’.

So he got an AP700 and it was good. The house was always clean, the food was always in the table, warm, when he came back from work and it quickly started to heal his wounds. And it had even a strange magic: it was able to always prepare the perfect bath. Those where you could stay for hours. Especially because the Android knew exactly when it should come to add warm water and took out the cork to let flee a bit of warm one.

David could remember the day he had chosen his name. For him, naming those things was pretty useless before that day. His niece gave a name to everything she owned, like Freddy her computer; Mike her tablet and Jason her phone. His niece would have named Adam immediately, him, he called it ‘AP700’, ‘Android’ or ‘hey, you’ and it would always appear with a big smile on its face to please him.

But this day, things had changed. It was a shitty day at the beginning of August. Just when all you wanted was warm temperature and go to the beach, and it was raining so hard. He had worked all the day, under the rain, to have a stupid hostage taker. It was late, almost midnight? And he came back, exhausted, wanting to eat because he had nothing eaten for all the day and above everything, he wanted a good bath. He had even a bit of mud and blood on him. He remembered well how he had pushed the door of his flat, taking out his clothes and letting them fall on the freshly cleaned floor.

“Hello, Captain Allen, your soup is ready in one minute, can I help you?”

“Shut up, Android,” he said to him. “I want a bath.”

Now, when he looked back this asshole, he wanted to hit him. But for him, Adam was just a machine. Nothing deserving a bit of attention. That day, the Android complied and went in the bathroom to prepare the bath. He couldn’t wait so he followed him, losing his clothes as he moved in the place.

“Make yourself at your ease, Captain, I’ll bring you the soup here and I’ll take care of your wound when you will eat if that doesn’t disturb you.”

He groaned as a reply and got naked to go in the bath.

Few instants after as he started to relax a bit, the Android came back with a soup. His favorite soup. And at this instant, he realized the AP700 was more than a machine. It was able to think in a certain way. That was the day he offered it… him a name and more attention. Which changed Adam behavior, slowly. And for the best. Because he loved what he was becoming. He loved the smile on his face when he won at Monopoly or any others game. He loved when his fingers touched his skin when he healed him. The object started to have a Soul and he liked that.

And then, the first time he met Daniel, the Philips’ Android, he understood that Deviant were destroyed. He started to be afraid for Adam…

The revolution had hit and the feeling that Deviants were endangered became true. He wanted to keep Adam but he couldn’t… He had to protect him. He had to send him to Jericho and to get used to the silent once again…

But, for today, the silent didn’t last long. He was looking his whisky bottle, wanting to pour him another glass when his phone rang. The emergency ringtone. He took his phone, it was at his waist all always, and picked up.

“Yes?”

“Captain! We need your help, we have found Jericho…”

Allen’s world shattered as the words sunk in him.

Why did he send Adam to Jericho?!

There are exits on the second and third floor. Find them and jump in the river!

Markus’ voice echoed in his mind.

The whole transmit a feeling horrendous and everyone got nervous, there was panic everywhere. They were running to get a chance to escape, hitting in each other, falling, getting up to run again… To run to what? A lot of them don’t even know where the exits were…

Second and third floor? Great! The boat was pretty big!

Adam had heard a lot of stories from his Human and he could recognize what was happening, hearing the sound of the gun firing all around. The issues will certainly be blocked. Maybe someone knowing well enough the boat will be able to flee but someone like him? Like thousands of them…

What could he do?

Jump in their trap? Do something to help? Hide?

Maybe hide… He was actually afraid…

Hide. Hide… Where could he hide?

He moved in the boat, his stress level getting high. His hand on the wall of the boat, he saw a lot of his people running, screaming for help or… mercy.

Adam knew what that meant and he pushed open the door of a cabin, wanting to go in it but… if they arrived to enter there, this would be bad because he would have no way to escape. That was certainly a part of the plan. What was attacking them got the advantage…

He heard screams from a point of the corridor and wished to be able to do something. he wanted to be one of those Androids who will stand to help the others but he was pacing backward. He was fleeing.

Where?

He even didn’t know.

Second and third floor.

Second and third floor…

He moved in the boat, not so fast because that let him have the time to analyze everything. Time to know that, now, he was moving right toward the shots. He heard the Humans yell orders and the cries, the begging.

However… it was like that everywhere he tried to go. So he didn’t know what to do. Where to go.

He heard the sound of an explosion, the boat moved violently and he almost fell in the floor before he realized what was happening… the boat was sinking! It was certainly a plan from the leader but a peak of fear hit him. Hard.

His stress level was getting higher and higher and… he ran to a cabin to hide there.

He was sure the Humans will become more aggressive now… It was their last chance and already, he could hear people run, new shots…

His LED was red and his stress level way too high…

“ADAM?”

Two Androids were trying to run away as the ship was sinking, metal shattering and falling every second and the boat plunging in the cold river. So fast you could feel it. David Allen had seen Titanic and he didn’t plan to stay for the grand finale.

“Do you know Adam? Did you saw Adam?” he asked, taking the lady by the shoulder.

She let out a shriek and hit him in the knee with all her strength.

David clenched his teeth because of the pain.

“An AP700. Brown hair, light grey eyes,” he insisted. “Did you see him?!”

“There is a lot of AP700 like that, there is a lot of Adam,” the male Android replied.

“Tss… Don’t go in the right corridor. The entry fifteen on the left is free. You’ll fall on the river,” he said.

“We won’t believe a Human!”

The lady moved with the other bot as Allen still searched. He called Adam once again and, soon, he heard the sound of the bullets shot in Androids’ head…

“ADAM?!”

The boat still sunk. Maybe Adam didn’t come in Jericho? Adam didn’t need Jericho to be happy. Maybe he was on the road in the direction of Canada? They had set new guards and directives because a lot of Androids were trying to run away by the frontier. Adam was intelligent… But, honestly, if he was him, he’d run away to the North of Detroit and would follow the Lake St Clair, then the river and cross the frontier next to Sarnia, Canada. People wouldn’t search that high.

Yes… Adam was certainly there. Doing that. The AP700 was smart. He had to leave the ship…

He will get used to the silence…

“ADAM?!”

Adam shivered when he heard this voice. He could recognize it without the slightest doubt. It was Captain Allen’s voice!

He was surprising the man wanted to come here to get him but he also didn’t care because he was so afraid he was happy.

He got up as the stress level was getting lower and he rushed to the door, turning the heavy wheel to free himself.

There were few people there, three Androids frightened searching a way to escape but hide, and two Humans. One looking to the other, talking to him. And the said other… even from behind, he could recognize him. He knew every inch of him.

He felt such a relieve and his stress level was still high despite the fact it was decreasing.

“Captain!”

He ran to the man.

“Captain!!”

David Allen had turned but this second ‘Captain’ wasn’t shouted by the tender voice he wished to hear. And he only needed few seconds to understand what was happening.

He ran to Adam as fast as he could. He heard the sound of the trigger pressed and threw his body over the AP700. Which saw the red blood splatter and then the warm liquid cover his face…

“No… No… NO! Captain… Please, please, please. Captain…”

Adam’s body slid on the floor, horrify by the blood still flooding.

“David…” he let out with a hiccup.

“All the Androids must be destroyed. They are too dangerous and deviancy can come up in any of them.”

“I know that,” Adam said under his breath.

“We won’t make any exception. In any case.”

“Dick!”

As the troopers were around, looking the Android, Perkins moved. He stopped in front of Adam who looked him, his LED becoming yellow.

“All the Androids are a threat for the Humanity and every single one must be destroyed. It will be the first one to be deactivated.”

“That’s enough, Dick! It’s my Android. And it’s not Deviant.”

“It was in Jericho.”

“I sent it to discover the emplacement of Jericho. It’s mine.”

Richard Perkins turned his head to the Captain David Allen. Adam turned his head to him, wanting to follow him, wanting to be out of there…

“How could I believe you?”

“You just do, Dick. Come, Adam.”

“Yes, Captain.”

The Android, moving in a stiff Android way, followed the man. For minutes, it was just the silent, just the sound of their pace crushing the snow under their feet. And when they were out of the area, David sighed.

“I’m glad you’re fine.”

“You have been wounded…”

“It’s nothing. I got hit all the time, the important part is the fact you’re fine.”

Adam looked down. “Captain…”

“Yes?”

“Can I…”

The man glanced to him.

“Yes?” he pressed with a warm tone.

“Can I stay with you?”

“To be honest… I didn’t plan to let you flee.”

Adam couldn’t help but gave him a little smile. He had a lot of questions to ask but he also knew he needed to wait.

The streets weren’t safe. When they walked in the sidewalk, they could see how the military mistreated every Android they could find… Adam tightened his arms around his body, feeling… strangely bad. David glanced to him. He took off his jacket, making come a whimper from his AP700’s mouth.

“You shouldn’t, your shoulder…”

“I’m used to that.”

Adam opened his mouth but then closed it when he felt the vest around his body.

“You’ll be cold.”

“That doesn’t matter. I don’t want you to be…”

“I can’t…”

“I know the cold affect you. Your kind. I know you are not an object without emotion.” He pushed a bit Adam to make him take a tiny street.

There, the Soldiers wouldn’t be there. They were too busy with the big roads.

Adam looked his strong silhouette, his muscular body only hugged by a thin pullover now. And you could see the big hole where the bullet entered. Now, he could even see the bandage not so well done. The Captain had taken that bullet. For him. Because of him. Why? Why did he do that?

Why he couldn’t have taken it for him…

Why being so useless? Being unable to do the same…

“Where do we go?”

“At home, Adam… if you’re okay.”

“Yes, please. I’d like to stay with you and to change your bandage to have a better one, maybe?”

“It’s okay.”

“Please? You bought me for that?”

“Hm… Okay. If that pleases you.”

Adam nodded. That pleased him a lot because he wanted to be useful for him but also… he didn’t want to let him having a bad bandage. He wanted him to have a nice bandage, to heal really quickly. He liked to touch him to help him to heal but he hated when he was wounded.

What an irony…

Adam was pacing next to the bath he was pouring, the vest still around his. He loved the smell coming from it and couldn’t stop smelling it as he looked the water coming up. The night had been hard and it was almost midnight, he was wondering if the Captain had eaten. Should he prepare something? He passed his fingers along the sleeve of the jacket.

“The bath is almost ready!” he let out.

And as soon as he said that, the door pushed open. The man wasn’t far away and he smiled a bit. Then blushed because the man was shirtless.

“He’s not ready yet!” Adam protested, getting up and took out the vest to put it around his big body.

“Huuuush, keep calm.”

The man slid his hand under his back to help him sitting down on the flat armchair without back or armrest. They had taken this thing because he was often there when David take his bath. He loved to have him by his side.

“Here. And I’m not even cold, you keep this apartment well too warm,” he smiled.

“It’s because I want it to be nice for you,” he replied, reaching to his hand. “Please, take my place, I need to heal you.”

“Hm…” the Captain let out, sliding his hand under his chin. “I think I just should take care of you first.”

“But…”

“Please?” he said, approaching his lips from his face.

Adam thought he was dreaming. Suddenly, his level of stress increased again but in a new way. Less annoying… More sweet.

He closed his eyelids, waiting for what he hoped so much. What he couldn’t believe and… what happened. He felt the lips against his and suddenly the Earth wasn’t there anymore. For few seconds, Detroit could have burn under a gigantic fire, nothing would matter but this lips against his. These fingers caressing his chin and his own hand sliding against his, entwining with a powerful need.

“Wh… what…” he hiccupped when the mouth moved apart.

“I love you, Adam… I really do. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Earlier… I thought you’d be in security at Jericho because they’re doing searching in every house. I wanted to protect you…”

Adam slid his hand around his back, under the jacket, and his fingers brushed the bandage, his heart, or Thirium pump, still suffering to be… useless.

“I hoped to see you again but I didn’t plan to see you so quickly. If I knew that, instead of pushing you in that way, I would have tried to kiss you immediately.”

“You wanted to kiss me?”

“I want to kiss you since that day, in the first of August, when you did my favorite soup and brought it in the bath. I don’t know why… I just started to love you.”

“That day… you stopped to talk to me like an object… and I… feel… that wall shatter. Because I wanted to…”

David looked him right in the eyes.

“… to please you so much.”

“You do please me. For everything you are.” He squeezed his hand in his. “May I make a confession?”

“Yes?”

“I heard you… earlier. When you said ‘I love you’ at the door… Well, I hoped it was for me and not the door.”

“It was for you!”

The man smiled. He kissed his lips and slid his hands under Adam’s body.

“Wait… what are you about to…”

The Captain rose him in the air and Adam pressed his around him without touching the wound.

“Don’t do that, you’re hurt!”

“You’re as light as a feather, you can’t hurt me.”

Adam pressed his lips together, thinking a ‘idiot’ then he pressed his head against him, snuggling it against his neck because he was happy he was there, protecting him, loving him. And one day, he’ll be able to be there for him in the same way. One day he’ll deserve all the love he was giving to him as the bath decided to ruin the tided floor…

#Inspired by fanart #Inspired by LusciousWhiteFlame awesome work #captain allen #AP700 #Love #Fluff #Angst #Jericho #DBH #it's on ao3

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onesparrow · 6 years

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An essay on why Mama Mia is about a bunch of sirens and takes place in the same universe as Kingsman

Buckle your seatbelts kids, and let me tell why all the leading ladies in Mama Mia are sirens and how this applies to Kingsman. (and James Bond, sometimes)

So it’s the 80’s and Kingsman is keeping tabs on MI6, as they do, when they see that they’ve sent 007 to Greece of all places. Merlin assumes that this is because of the very bizarre reports they’ve been getting about possible mind control drugs, and when 007 is reported being seen with Donna (Meryl Streep), he sends Harry out under the guise of Harry Bright.

Off he goes, discovers that there are, in fact, no drugs, and comes back. All is fine and dandy, no one is any the wiser of the siren thing, and nothing happens for twenty years or so. But then Harry gets an invite to a wedding, Merlin catches wind that 007 is also going, and yeah that’s a little suspicious, so Harry gets sent back off to Greece.

“Remember that Harry Bright is not spontaneous and a dork,” Merlin reminds Harry as he ships him off.

Queue Mama Mia, the movie, and Harry getting dragged into a bunch of song and dance routines while Merlin makes sure to record every second for posterity. Merlin eventually figures out that it’s not mind control drugs, it just so happens that Donna and Co are sirens and are much more powerful in numbers than they are on their own. Both Donna and Sophie are a good deal stronger than Donna’s friends, but that’s neither here nor there. They also have zero interest in using their powers for any purpose except for seducing the occasional person and throwing really wild parties. So he tells Harry to ride it out, which is why Harry pays for part of the wedding (with Kingsman money), and also claims to be 1/3 of Sophie’s dad even though there is no way that she’s his because Kingsman has all their agents on birth control. Even though there is nothing worth seeing (from a Kingsman perspective), Merlin has Harry stay for the rest of the wedding, James Bond gets married, and Harry has a brief fling with that Greek dude because why the hell not.

Merlin does a bit more research on sirens, and discovers the following;

Sirens are pack/school/pod whatever creatures and their powers are amplified in a group setting. The more of them there are, the more convincing they are, and can pretty much get entire crowds to join in. Since humans are also group based creatures, once there's a large enough group doing an activity, others are likely to jump in even if they aren't as easily effected. (like in flash mobs! there's always randos joining in)

Their powers are centred in suggestion, and since song is a really great way to get people to remember things, singing always works best for sirens. Plus makes it easier for other sirens to be in sync, vs just shouting things at random.

While sirens did use to bash ships onto rocks and lead men to their deaths, they only did so to protect their own territory. But now there’s laws against that, and also things like wifi. Sirens like youtube videos of baby animals just as much as the rest of us.

Sirens can’t really use their powers on each other; it’s just very tempting for other sirens to join in when they’re singing. There’s a certain pull there, but it’s easily resisted.

The siren gene is passed down on the mother's side, but not all sirens are female; there are male sirens, but they're a lot rarer just since there is a guarantee that female offspring will be sirens, but there's only a 50/50 shot that the male one will be. Female offspring are also more common, occurring 75% of the time.

And now let’s get back to Kingsman under the cut.

Because you know who is a siren? Michelle Unwin, that’s who. I have evidence for this, but we’ll get to that later so bear with me. Like I said before, sirens are highly social, group based creatures; so when Michelle fell in love with Lee, it was VERY difficult for her to leave her family. But she loved him, there were tearful goodbyes and promises to visit the little coastal town she was from, but it wasn't on any main rail lines and they were busy with baby Eggsy and then Lee had to go off and join Kingsman and die. So while Michelle used to sing to Eggsy when he was a baby, she gets too depressed after Lee’s death and is trying to keep the two of them afloat, so she stops singing entirely.

Once Dean comes around, Michelle hasn't sung in years, because any songs of grief she would have sung for Lee would have been group based, as all siren songs are, and she hasn't been around any other sirens in years. She's too buried in her grief to consider going back to her family, and has lost contact anyhow, and then she meets Dean and she’s stuck there.

She's not 100% certain that Eggsy is a siren, but she forbids him from ever singing along with anything. Probably under the guise of 'Dean will hate it' or something, maybe even going as far as to telling him that Dean had complained about the quality of his voice (which is MASSIVELY taboo in siren culture, to tell another siren that their singing voice isn't up to par; that's just not a thing. It's not something you can ever say with any breadth of kindness) Eggsy is a good kid though, so he doesn't sing, even when he gets the urge.

He doesn’t sing at all until Daisy is born, and even then he’ll only sing when it's just the two of them, and only when she's upset. But even then it's super quietly, and only bits and pieces of a song. Daisy will always calm down when he sings, will just stare up at him and wave her tiny fists around happily or just go to sleep. Since Daisy is female, she’s for sure a siren (it's why Michelle was so terrified, when she called Eggsy in hysterics and demanded he come home from the army; she couldn't protect a baby from Dean by herself if she started to show her abilities). Singing and talking happens around the same time for baby sirens, and in the same way you can't forbid a baby from screaming or crying, you can’t forbid them to start singing if they get the urge. Since Eggsy sings to her, sometimes, she still has that social aspect that keeps the siren powers ‘awake’, even if it's weak. So her cries don't bring everyone running, but it does keep Dean and his men from trying to do anything unfortunate to keep her quiet. Sometimes they'll start to push past it, but once they get close enough to her crib she'll shriek loud enough that the 'back off' message is just strong enough to get them to leave her alone. Even baby sirens aren't helpless.

Side note; sirens have larger lung capacities which they use for singing, and are great swimmers because their preferred habitats are islands and they’d swim out to crash ships to protect them. Which is why Eggsy can hold his breath so long in that water test in comparison to the others.

Here’s how this ties back in properly to Kingsman; Valentine’s tech were based off of siren song. Originally, they were trying to reproduce it to the point so they could, like sirens, suggest a specific idea. That proved to be too complex though, so they settled for just suggesting a certain emotion, and then amp that frequency the hell up. So when the devices go off, Michelle has been suppressing her siren abilities for a solid seventeen years or so, so she gets drawn into it though. Daisy though? Daisy has been using it on and off, and she’s nearly a toddler when V-Day happens. Toddlers are entirely capable of the feeling of anger, and at the very least she should be throwing a temper tantrum, but instead she just sits in the bathroom and gets upset while her mother goes berserk and tries to murder her. Latent siren powers, huzzah!

Anywho, the rest of the Kingsman film goes as scripted, Eggsy becomes Gwaine, Harry comes back from the dead, neither Roxy nor Merlin die, Eggsy does not move out of Harry’s house, time passes, Harry and Eggsy get together, etc etc. I should mention that I have not seen Mama Mia 2 yet so we’re just going to ignore everything that happens there, but Harry gets an invite to Greece. Merlin insists that not only does he need more data points on siren abilities, especially post V-Day, Harry needs a vacation, and MI6 is there so he has to go. Harry points out that James Bond lives there with Donna, and therefore it doesn’t count as MI6 having a presence. Harry argues until Merlin mentions he’ll be sending Eggsy with him as backup, and suddenly Harry is thrilled to see his 1/3 daughter.

Both Eggsy and Harry work on some resistance training against siren song best they can, which is pretty easy because Harry has been actively been working on it since V-Day. Meanwhile Eggsy is a. stubborn as all hell b. has spent nearly his whole life resisting the urge to sing, which is half of the deal. They get to Greece, and Sophie IMMEDIATELY takes a shine to Eggsy, and is absolutely thrilled that Harry found someone to be happy with. Eggsy thinks Sophie is great, and that dorky Harry Bright is adorable. After the first few days though Eggsy is fairly stressed because he’s surrounded by several very powerful sirens and keeps resisting their siren songs, AND Harry keeps getting viciously hit on by everyone. I mean they're hitting on Eggsy too, but he doesn't notice because he's too busy being territorial; there is a very tan Greek man who keeps making doe eyes at Harry because they shacked up last time. (fun fact, greek dude from Mama Mia is also a siren, Merlin is cackling in the background)

The power keeps building as the third day goes around, and that night is when the party REALLY starts. Sirens feed off of group emotions, which is why they’re always so quick to cheer each other up, since otherwise you can end up bumming out everyone in the vicinity. It’s also one of the reasons that Valentine’s tech worked so well; the more people got involved, the more powerful it got. Anyways, by that point Eggsy’s jealousy has built and he’s fairly worn down by the constant barrage of “let’s throw a rager and flirt with everything that moves” mood the sirens have been throwing off the entire day. So when the karaoke thing starts, and Sophie goads him into doing a song, Eggsy is like “Yeah fuck it who cares if my voice is shit I am getting my ass up there here goes”.

Meanwhile Harry is also concerned because he’s been living with Eggsy for a year now and has never heard him sing, not even at Daisy’s birthday party where everyone sang and he just mumbled along. So he’s viciously texting Merlin about how he thinks that Eggsy has been effected and is going to make a fool of himself or something against his will, and please delete the recording as soon as it’s over, and then never bring it up. In the meantime Eggsy has vaulted up onto the stage, still stubborn and scowling, but once he gets up there he realises that he’s on a makeshift stage and has never sung anything before in his life. But he commits, because Sophie is giving him a thumbs up, and he’s not going to climb back off the stage now, is he?

Sophie puts on ‘Lay All Your Love On Me’ and while Eggsy is a little shy for the opening line or two, by the time the chorus starts he’s completely into it. By the second chorus the rest of the sirens have joined in, and Eggsy has jumped off the stage so that he can confidently put himself in Harry’s lap and is generally radiating such a strong ‘back the FUCK off’ vibe that he’s cleared a good sized circle around them. Donna is thrilled and is shouting things like “YOU TELL EM BOY” and Sophie is cackling because she’s placed bets on whether or not Eggsy had siren blood in him and will be collecting good money that night.

Harry is entirely shocked at first, and Merlin is 50% thrilled because this will be so useful and 50% pissed off because how did they not know about this earlier?!

The rest of the trip goes very well, aside from some shenanigans about whether or not James Bond is James Bond (Harry and Eggsy both swear that they’ve met James Bond, but Eggsy insists that that’s not him, because James Bond is blonde and blue eyed and together with MI6’s version of Merlin, and that’s how they figure out that James Bond is as much of a title as Galahad is), Sophie and Eggsy bond and she gives him a bunch of super secret siren tips that Merlin really wishes he hadn’t overheard. There’s singing, there’s dancing, etc etc.

Once Merlin gets over the things he heard and Eggsy and Harry get back to HQ, he already has a bunch of tests for Eggsy lined up. Which is how Eggsy and Roxy get locked in a sound proof room while Merlin hangs out on the other side of a sheet of soundproof glass with a mic and a cup of tea while Eggsy tries to get Roxy to join in on a duet of a Spice Girls song. That then inspires Merlin, and Eggsy finds himself staring down Roxy saying "tell me what you want, what you really really want" in various intonations to see if they could possibly use Eggsy's abilities as a truth serum. ((The answer is no, in part because Roxy can’t stop laughing))

They discover that Eggsy's powers mostly extend to people who are either susceptible to a good mental push (like drunk people, or those of particularly weak constitutions) or people who are letting themselves be pushed (like Harry, if they're alone and he's feeling like indulging Eggsy's brattiness). But as Merlin puts it "Unless we have an influx of targets hanging out in karaoke bars or greek islands, I don't know that it'll come up often”.

Oh and when they need more recruits Eggsy nominates Sophie. She’s been taught to fight by James Bond in the past few years so she has a leg up there, but she passes with flying colours and joins Kingsman.

Anyways thanks for coming to my TED talk on why Harry Bright is just Harry Hart’s cover and Eggsy and the ladies from Mama Mia are all sirens.

#kingsman #hartwin #mama mia #this is the most ridiculous thing i have ever thought up probably #harry hart #eggsy unwin #i've been thinking about this for months #it's so self indulgent #anyways we just need more eggsy singing #and why not make him a siren #my stuff

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flwrpotts · 6 years

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Can you do #2, #5 #25? Either of them, you can choose one or made the three it doesn't matter 😘

apparently it’s the night of aus. thank you for the prompt angel, I hope you like it!!!

i. Depending on where you start, their story begins the day that the accident happens at the mine.

It’s a Tuesday, overcast and dreary, and Jughead is explaining the plot of the latest book he had scrounged from the black market to Toni, who listens to his rambling with a goodnatured sort of boredom.

He’s just getting to the good part, where the murderer has been discovered, and then there are kids yelling, the ground reverberating around them like the one room schoolhouse is going to come down around their ears. Across the room, he watches Betty Cooper slide her pale hand into Archie Andrew’s, the packet of strawberries they had been sharing spilling to the ground underneath them.

The minute seems to last an hour, and when everything has settled the kids run to the windows, staring at the black plume of smoke that had rises up ominously from the ground. It scares him, that mushroomed cloud of coal-block smog, so big it seems like it’s going to swallow all of them up.

But while the Merchant kids press their hands against the glass, open mouthed as they watch the world collapse in on itself, the Seam kids are already running, spilling out of the ramshackle schoolhouse on skinny legs to sprint towards their homes. Jughead is in the front of the mass, sprinting towards the billows of smoke and shoving the younger kids behind him, back towards the safety of the District center. He has the longest legs, that year.

It’s a broadscale of tragedy, the sort that tears away a parent or sibling or friend from everyone, so quick it’s as if they were never there in the first place. Jughead Jones is all of eleven years old, still getting adjusted to his growth spurt and lanky limbs, and then they are pinning a medal to his chest and telling him that he’s so brave for taking on the mantle of caring for his family after the mine collapse takes his dad away. As if he has a choice.

J.B is born two weeks later, coming in the middle of the night, and the Healer is so stricken with grief over her dead husband that she can’t be roused to deliver the baby. There’s no one to do it, and it’s the most terrified Jughead has ever been, listening to his mother scream and twist in the one bedroom in their house.

It’s a long, terrible night, and Jughead spends most of it in silent tears, fetching their one towel and water from the trough. But the baby comes, finally, red and scrawling, and Jughead loves her so much he can hardly stand it, rocking her in his skinny arms and letting her suck on his finger until morning comes.

Suddenly, he’s the primary breadwinner, and there is a baby at home, and his mother is still too sick to go back to her job at the apothecary. He barters and trades whatever he can, spare parts and plants scrounged from where the forest bleeds out past the electric gates. It’s where he learns to act tough, to dig his shoulders back and jut his chin, to press Penny Peabody for the best deal he can.

Things are okay, for awhile. Hunger digs under his ribs and makes a home there, leaves him awake and aching for hours at night, never quite satisfied. But J.B continues to grow, and his mother gets stronger bit by bit, and so it doesn’t really matter if Jughead’s baby fat melts away and becomes something more ominous.

But then winter falls, freezing cold and tinged gray from the coal that seeps into everything. Jughead’s collarbone juts against his skin like it’s trying to break free, and his legs to skinny like he’s one of Toni’s stick-figure drawings. He finds himself suddenly unable to get warm, and his hunger fades away, replaced by a terrifying sort of numbness.

He’s wandering around one day, threadbare jacket wrapped tight around his shoulders, and his thin fingers pressed to his mouth, brain foggy and everything in him begging to lie down in a snowbank and fall asleep. It’s only December, and he isn’t sure how many more months of this cold he can take.

Somehow, Jughead stumbles into the Cooper’s backyard, and suddenly Betty Cooper is standing on her back porch, illuminated by the rich yellow of the lantern. He stares at her, her blue eyes fathomless and cloudy in the pale winter light. She’s so healthy, pink cheeked and golden blonde, and Jughead is a little rapt, under all the static in his brain.

She tosses something to him that lands at his feet, her aim surprisingly good. He picks it up and realizes that it’s bread, still hot from the oven, blackened at one side. The pads of his fingers press into the crust, relishing the sting from the heat.

“Elizabeth!” calls a sharp voice from the inside, and then Betty is rounding hard on her heel. A pretty, stern older woman emerges, and Jughead starts to jog away, the bread held fast between his hands.

“Elizabeth Cooper, what happened to that bread?” she asks. A moment passes, and she must catch sight of a retreating Jughead, because there’s a quick spike in octave. “And who is that boy? Did you give the burnt bread to him?”

“It won’t happen again,” Betty mumbles, and the two women disappear inside.

Jughead a bite of the bread, soft and warm on the inside, and there’s something in it that tastes a lot like hope.

ii. Depending on where you begin, their story starts the day of the Reaping.

His last Reaping is J.B’s first, in an ironic twist of events. He’s a man now, or something like it, living off the bow and arrow that he found in his father’s things in the woods. He met Sweet Pea and Fangs out there his first winter, even skinnier than him, and they learned to hunt together, splitting their game and taking care of one another’s families. There’s a sense of safety in their partnership, the knowledge that responsibility doesn’t lay solely on them.

Jughead finds old notebooks out there, too, and fills the pages with stories and memories, all the words that stack up in his brain. He can’t afford free time, but it’s the only luxury he has.

J.B grows up too, becomes an impetuous eleven year old, full of dreams and rebellions too dangerous to be voiced aloud. He worries about her, afraid she might say something that’ll get her in trouble with the Peacekeepers. But today she stands with Toni in the pen for the girls, wearing a dress that’s too big and elaborate braids that the elder girl did for her.

“Ladies first!” trills Penelope Blossom, an old District Twelve victor turned Capitol socialite. She fishes around the bowl of names, and Jughead thinks of his thirty six slips, the highest chances he’ll take on his very last year. He doesn’t even think to be terrified of his sister’s single slip.

“Jellybean Jones!” says Penelope into the microphone, like it’s some kind of fucking celebration, and Jughead’s world tips upside down, everything split into before and after. Two Peacekeepers grab her, start dragging her to the front as she kicks and screams for Jughead, and he’s crying before he knows what to do with himself, his mother with her arms wrapped tight around her waist and expression blank. She was never really the same, after his father died, something in her gone forever. This just might be enough to push her over the edge.

“Wait,” Jughead hears a voice say, faint. “Wait! I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!”

He whips around, and then Betty Cooper is stepping forwards, shoulders squared and something blazing behind her eyes.

“Betty? Betty, no!” yells her sister, but Betty is already gone, walking towards the front of the stage like it’s a death march. The Peacekeepers let J.B go, and she sprints for Jughead, sobbing. He picks her up when she reaches him, hugging her so tightly he’s probably squishing her, blinking back tears as he presses his face into her shoulder.

“Jughead,” she sobs, and he rubs a hand up and down her back.

“I know, I know,” he soothes, but he’s once again watching Betty onstage, something unfamiliar in the pretty lines of her face.

“Now, dear, why did you decide to volunteer? Want to try your hand at winning the Games?” Penelope asks, and Betty does something that’s almost like a snide laugh, expression a little cruel.

“I didn’t think it was fair. She’s just a little girl,” Betty says, and there’s something dangerously rebellious in her tone. Jughead’s breath catches in his throat.

Betty doesn’t say anything more, and Penelope doesn’t bother to ask her any questions, already moving on to the next bright thing.

He nearly forgot they still had to pick a boy, but it’s impossible to forget when Penelope has her hand dug in the bowl, the one that got burnt to a crisp in her games and had to be reconstructed, though it was never quite the same.

“Jughead Jones!” she announces grandly, and the world bottoms out for a second time. It’s so preposterous, so absolutely unfathomable, that Jughead finds himself laughing, slightly hysterical.

Later he’ll learn all about the set up, about how his father rebelled against the Games, about how he was dangerous enough that they collapsed the mine just to make sure F.P Jones never rose up from the dust. About how his children were so much a threat that President Lodge ordered they both be put in the Games, just to be sure.

But for now, Jughead numbly makes his way to the front, untangling J.B’s skinny arms from where they’re wrapped around his torso, desperately trying to keep him with her.

He makes his way up the steps, watching as District 12 raises two fingers to them, and Betty’s hand laced tightly in his own feels like a rebellion.

iii. Depending on where you start, their story begins in the cave.

It’s damp, and freezing cold, but Betty is burning up with fever, eyes vividly blue when she looks at him. Jughead can’t feel his hands, and yet energy races through him, enough adrenaline to keep the Capitol glowing neon for an entire week. She can’t die. Not after everything.

“Juggie,” she murmurs, and he kisses her, no longer for the ratings or for anything else. It’s just a dry brush of lip on lip, none of the wet, passionate kisses that they’ve done for the cameras, but it’s the first time he really feels something.

“I’m going to take care of you, okay?” he murmurs, brushing the damp baby hairs away from her temple, and he realizes that the strange stirring in his chest is something a lot like love.

#listen I've still got a LOT of unresolved feelings about the hunger games #mine #bughead #bughead fanfiction #prompt fill

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pass-the-bechdel · 6 years

Text

Marvel Cinematic Universe: Thor (2011)

Does it pass the Bechdel Test?

Yes, three times.

How many female characters (with names and lines) are there?

Three (21.42% of cast).

How many male characters (with names and lines) are there?

Eleven.

Positive Content Rating:

Three.

General Film Quality:

The fun:boring ratio tilts considerably depending on audience mood and/or desire for originality; the majority of the story is generic in the extreme and can be tedious as a result, however those elements which are more unusual and intriguing arguably save the overall product.

MORE INFO (and potential spoilers) UNDER THE CUT:

Passing the Bechdel:

Darcy asks Jane if she can turn on the radio. Jane tells Darcy to drive into the anomaly. Jane tells Darcy to stop talking about her iPod.

Female characters:

Jane Foster.

Darcy Lewis.

Sif.

Male characters:

Eric Selvig.

Odin.

Loki.

Thor.

Fandral.

Hogun.

Volstagg.

Heimdall.

Laufey.

Phil Coulson.

Clint Barton.

OTHER NOTES:

“But I supported you, Sif.” Good to know that Thor supports non-traditional gender roles, despite being such a macho cliche.

I’m really very concerned by Jane’s driving. Someone revoke her licence.

“Son of Coul.”

Heimdall does not get enough credit for being the MVP of Asgard.

Loki’s suggestion that maybe he’ll pay Jane a visit himself is clearly intended to goad Thor into fighting him and as such need not be taken seriously, but it’s still totally uncool. Of all the goading methods he could have used, we really didn’t need to go for the implied rape threat.

I thought they might manage a Bechdel pass between someone other than Jane and Darcy for a moment there at the end of the movie, but Frigga doesn’t actually get referred to by name in this movie, and she and Sif only talk about Thor anyway. Disappoint on both counts. I kinda also thought Jane and Darcy might do some more/better passing in general; it’s better than nothing, but the three passes they got were pretty freakin’ weak.

When it comes to uninspired, generic origin stories, this movie kinda makes Iron Man look like an innovative goldmine by comparison. ‘Arrogant man takes a humble, learns to value his power and earns it back through selflessness’, it’s...been done. A lot. And while Chris Hemsworth’s Thor is watchable and not without charm, he’s not an especially charismatic actor and the predictable arc of his character doesn’t offer much scope to impress, while the typically-excellent Natalie Portman suffers a similarly bland fate with prescription-love-interest Jane Foster. The chemistry between the two is pretty nonexistent, and frankly it’s easier to believe that Jane is a slightly-amoral scientist essentially using Thor for her own gain, rather than buying that she’s becoming genuinely enamoured. If the film had leaned into the idea of Jane Foster: Amoral Scientist a little stronger, they could have built a more interesting (though less comfortable) narrative and perhaps even a more believable romance as the two bond over their shared moral learning curve. But, that would require Jane’s character to be more of a priority beyond finding excuses for her to be in Thor’s presence and develop ~feelings~, so. Not shocked they failed to deliver there.

Pretty much every person who has ever seen this movie (and probably some who’ve only read about it) agrees that Tom Hiddleston’s Loki is where the fire’s at, both as an individual character and in terms of the plot he facilitates and inhabits. It’s not hard to understand why: while Thor has his dull human journey in the desert on Earth (the majority of which is spent just going places and talking to Jane and occasionally having a comedic ‘not from around here’ moment), Loki is a trickster God with magic powers living in the mythological land of Asgard and playing out a long con to win both the throne, and his adoptive father’s approval. Anything about the film that is clever or different or interesting, visually engaging, or emotionally poignant, it’s going on in Asgard, in the part of the plot where Thor is absent for the bulk of the film. Unfortunately, Thor’s absence from that thread means that we don’t get to spend nearly as much time enjoying it, and that’s why even the film’s best qualities can’t necessarily save it from the generic trash-pile. It’s easy to reach the end of the film in frustration, wondering how the Hell the strongest elements of the story (Shakespearean tragedy on alien worlds!) wound up as background noise to an unconvincing snooze-fest romance in Nowheresville, USA.

Broken into its component parts, Loki’s story isn’t that unfamiliar either; ‘jealous younger brother vies for older brother’s birthright’ has been done a fair bit (The Lion King being the most well-known example, let’s not kid ourselves), as has the juxtaposition of entitled brat vs scrappy underdog, as has ‘driven mad by envy’ and ‘power corrupts’ and pretty much any other trope being invoked in Loki’s lane. However, it works through 1. Hiddleston’s dynamic performance, 2. any and all majesty/intrigue/gravitas supplied by the setting, and 3. the additional factor of Loki discovering his adoption and true Frost Giant heritage. While it should not be ignored that Loki’s machinations for the throne predate that revelation and therefore it is neither an influence on his overarching ploy nor an excuse for him devising that ploy, Loki’s struggle with learning that his life as he’s known it was built on falsity and the way that complicates his desire to prove himself provides him some all-important nuance and pathos that gives the audience something to latch onto and identify with, even if only as empathetic understanding (one hopes that no one is going so far as to identify with the attempted genocide or the successful patricide; most of us can identify with betrayal/abandonment/daddy issues to some extent or another). Even if his ultimate decisions are plainly reprehensible, Loki’s journey to that point is littered with appreciable miseries, and that makes it an obvious emotional narrative standout compared to Thor’s paint-by-numbers excursion.

The villain narrative being the highlight of a story isn’t entirely unusual (though films in which this is unintentionally so tend also to be poorly conceived), but what’s really unfortunate is that Thor’s character motivations are not second in complexity to Loki’s; the criminally underused Heimdall is actually the next-most nuanced character around (and look at that, he’s also on Asgard and not bore-ing it up on Earth). The thing about Thor’s arc is that it’s not just predictable, it’s not just generic: it’s also barely there. We perceive the arc because we’re so familiar with the trope, but we don’t actually watch Thor learn anything, we don’t see practical signs of the degradation of his arrogance and his transformation into a wise warrior who understands restraint. Beyond causing a ruckus when he first arrives on Earth, Thor really doesn’t display any aggressive entitlement, he settles into pleasantly-strange-fish-out-of-water mode pretty much immediately, and he seems to ‘learn his lesson’ spontaneously after being told that his father is dead. He appears to mourn the implications of his inability to lift Mjolnir more than he is bothered by being told of Odin’s demise and that he can never go home; those latter revelations instead trigger his instantaneous reformation (insofar as he says the words “my father was trying to teach me something only I was too stupid to see it”) and that’s it. Confronting the destroyer and being ‘killed’ by it prompts the return of his Godhood, but refusing to shrink from a fight isn’t a change of pace for the character we saw at the beginning of the film; all in all, there’s no actual clear-cut learning in this process, there’s just a complication-free acceptance of his apparent new state of being, and that means he’s worthy of kingship now? Were they too afraid of making him dislikeable by playing out an excess of arrogance on Earth, so they softened him up immediately and in doing so, downgraded his character arc to just the concept of one rather than an actual presence? If there were more of a distinct process to his experiences on Earth, they’d be less damn boring, because we’d be following an actual story instead of just waiting for them to hit each predictable beat, and maybe they’d also generate some real characterisation of any of the Earth characters while they’re at it (instead, we have completely-useless-to-the-plot-comic-relief Darcy, and surrogate-dad-exposition-master Selvig, comprising the whole of Jane’s illustrious company). Thor’s clutch of friends back home may be a one-dimensional quartet defined almost entirely by their most obvious single descriptors (the female, the Asian, the fat guy, and...Sir Didymus), but at least they have a clear trajectory of plot-relevant motivation, even if they do become inconsequential by the end of it. Yeah, this isn’t a very good movie.

I said at the top that audience mood may be a deciding factor in the success or failure of the film, and I mean that in the sense that this is a movie that may prompt vastly different responses in the same person over different viewings; speaking for myself, I have watched it and been basically entertained and appreciative of the visuals and at least some of the characters and story elements, but I’ve also watched it and been overwhelmingly bored by the trite predictability and the flat characterisation of most of the players, and unimpressed by the soft-focus CGI of Asgard. Caught in the right mood, Thor’s inexplicable laid-back Earth persona can hit just the right note for casual comfort viewing. Caught in the wrong mood, Loki’s Asgard shenanigans feel over-hyped and not engaging enough to save the movie. Is Jane too bland, or full of shades of untapped character potential? Is Darcy funny, or painfully annoying? Is Heimdall intriguing, or too nebulous to matter? It all comes off very conditional, little of it anchored solidly or fleshed out strongly enough in-text to be considered an absolute. The plot floats, dependent on the aura of various cliches rather than categorically declaring itself in any unequivocal ways. It’s not particularly messy, so at least it has that going for it, but even that is a conditional statement. The film is rarely subtle enough to develop any depth, and the shallow invocations of the idea of a narrative arc lack the conviction necessary to make simplicity a virtue. The end result? I guess the best word for it is ‘forgettable’.

#Thor #MCU #Marvel Cinematic Universe #Bechdel Test #female representation

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