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#(don't think she's apart of the crew but just in case!)
writingoddess1125 · 19 hours
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Sunset Pirates pt. 2
Old Men Series Masterlist <<<
Previous <<<
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• The Sunset Pirates- A Young band of new generation Pirates that has been bulldozing their way into papers as their bounties grew with each passing month. Racking up Billions in damage as they sailed on and becoming on the World Goverment biggest problem
• Each of these young pirates where carving their own paths right into the already scared side if the Goverment
• They each had their own goals in mind. Wishing to better the past generation. Build past the shadows each of them where born in-
• However it was clear one one thing-
• They still had no real idea what the fuck they were doing...
• While the four of them where incredibly skilled in terms of combat and ship maintenance- they were all now incredibly broke.
• "How the fuck are we gonna get money?! We will be out of food in days" Vi protested as the crew sat on the deck trying to have a meeting of sorts to figure out a game plan.
• They had been sailing aimlessly for the last few days and getting close to running out of needed supplies. All of them feeling a strain on their personal pockets-
• "I know I know- We need ideas. Sure destroying shit is fun but we need to make real money here" Dee expressed rubbing his temple, Alucare looking at the crew and rolled his eyes- However he couldn't disagree with them...
• "We need to obviously steal- its how all pirates make their money most of thw time" Alucare pointed out-
• The crew grimaced at this Alucare included, knowing well that they weren't the type of pirates to raid defenseless people and rip gold from their necks or steal Berri from helpless people.
• "Listen it's one think stealing from a rich person but-" Vi started but Dee waved her off before she could finish that sentence.
• "We know, I don't think any of us want that either" Dee expressed. Sighing as everyone fell silent- That was till Bee chuckled to himself suddently and everyone turned their attention to him.
• Bee being the ever extremist yet the only one that seemed to pitch ideas sat up from his lounged position on a barrel with a wide smile like the devil at the crew.
• "So sounds like- We steal from the World Goverment-"
• Everyone Stared at Bee before the Vi and Alucare erupted in disagreement.
"And please do tell, How and where? You cant just say Steal from the World Goverment" Vi argued and Bee smiled "Easy- I heard when we are that ship that you Alu was imprisoned on-"
"Don't call me that-"
"I heard that they where planning to renovate Marine Base 45 with a new Safe after the summer ends since its faulty- We can just break in and steal it. It's broken anyways"
• Bee pitched as the other two crewmates ripped apart the plan. Dee however quietly thinking and giving a defeated sigh "It's the best idea we have-" He finally said making Vi look at his shocked "Are you fucking serious-"
• "This is a bad idea-" Alucare pointed out
• "Do you have one?" Bee shot back, Making the swordsman scowl at him and Vi huff but fall silent-"
• "Since you two are hell bent on this, then you two have someone to help break into the safe- Neither of us know how to" Alucare pointed out. Making the twins look at each other for a moment.
• Dee clicked his tongue and leaned back- Bee smirking as well.
• "Know just the Duo-"
- This is not what Alucare ment by getting a skilled Theif or in this case thieves. Bee and Dee had just returned from grabbing these skilled 'highly skilled pick pockets' but instead Alucare stared at two cherry nosed brats, his eyebrow starting to twitch.
There was two little girls- clearly not even in the double digits in terms of age, both in little pink-tails and dressed in frilly dresses with pale blue eyes like the older twin duo. It didnt take a wild guess to figure out these where their baby sisters.
Vivian was gushing at the two little girls the second their boarded the ship, Leaning down and poking their little cheeks as she swooned at how adorable they were and gifting them candy. A clear softy for kids-
"You've got to be shitting me- You couldn't find anyone who had hit puberty yet?" Alucare growled at the older twins, Dee rolling his eyes.
"You said we needed thieves and this is what I got- Now do you got any better idea?" Alucare scoffed, gesturing to Vi who was still gushing over the girls who where eating up the attention from the redhead.
"You expect us to break into a secure Marine safe with two toddlers-"
"We are right here you know-" Ari grumbled, glaring up at Alucare who sighed heavily at this.
"I'm aware-" Alucare calmly shot back, Looking to Bee and Dee as he rubbed his temple.
"If I knew I'd be babysitting I'd just have went home-" Alucare mumbled- Ali glaring hard at Alucare as she casted her sister a glance.
"We have to get someone else- I understand love for a siblings skills but this is ridiculous. Im not going to let two infants on a dangerous task like this. Your sisters or not- I doubt they could steal candy from each other" Dee and Bee looked at each other and just shrugged. Alucare ready to tear into them again but being quickly cut off.
"Pretty ring- And lots of money!" Ali said loudly to herself, Holding up Alucare prized Ruby ring in her tiny palm the one that Mihawk had gifted him when he left home and his bag of Berri he kept hidden on his person- The dark haired man blinking in confusion before looking at his hand.
"How did you-" He started before snatching the ring and money from the little girl. Ali giggling at this as Did Ari who was scooped up by Vivian.
"Told you- Best damn thieves you can find" Dee waved off, Already suspiciously touching his own pockets as he was sure his sisters had lifted something from him.
"The infamous Bubbles and Squeak- Now if these two can steal from Sir Crocodile, Mihawk and essentially all of the Pirate Lords undetected including cracking ever safe they can get their little fingers on. I'm sure they can steal from the military-" Bee detailed Excluding themselves from the stolen list. Alucare crossing his arms, looking.. impressed?
"These two did all that?-"
Vi commented with a eyebrow at the little girls as she held Ari who was tucked to her side. Looking to the little girl and chuckling a bit in amusement-
"How long do we have them for?"
"72 Hours, Father has our Mother distracted and lied to her about where the girls are for this" Dee explained with a sigh- Knowing their mother would lose her shit finding out they were taking two 7 year olds out on a pirating adventure.
Alucare adjusted the ring on his finger and nodded- Looking to the two little girls calmly.
"Seems we are setting sail to Marine Base 45-"
○~○~○~○~○~○~○~○~○~○~○~○~○~○~○~○~○~○~○~
Authors Note!
HELLO! So I've been stewing over this project for quite some time and wanted to open the floor up to everyone!
I want to Build the Sunset Pirates into their own Respectable Pirate crew, so Please leave some suggestions on Ideas either of OOC or even Legacy children you think would he great for the crew!
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octuscle · 4 months
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It’s so bitterly cold here in the Midwest USA, I wish I could be hanging with hunky guys in Dubai or something for Christmas. You think you could help me with that man?
You should have landed at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport by now. But because of a snowstorm, you were diverted to Chicago O'Hare International Airport. This cursed journey to the holidays is getting worse by the minute. And if you drink another beer to drown your frustration, you're going to puke. But right now you need to take a piss. You find it a little difficult to get up. Firstly, because of the alcohol in your blood. On the other hand, because you've become a real heavyweight since last Christmas. A bit more exercise and less eating and drinking would also do you a lot of good…
The toilet is empty. It's amazing that so many people are stranded here so close to the holidays… And there's a sports bag by the washbasin. And it's still there when you come back from the urinals. Not a soul in sight… Could there be a bomb in there? A normal and sober person would now inform the security service. But you are definitely not sober. So you grab the bag. And in a reasonably quiet corner, you check the contents. Jackpot! Not much special. Sportswear, a white nightgown… And a wallet with quite a lot of cash, a passport from the UAE and above all: a flight ticket to SHJ. No idea what and where that is. But you have to change planes at JFK and DOH. That sounds exotic. It certainly sounds better than Kansas. Boarding starts in 20 minutes. As best you can with your beer belly, you walk towards the gate.
When you arrive at the gate, boarding is almost complete. The ground crew member asks you for your boarding pass and passport. Shit, you didn't even think about the fact that you don't look like your passport photo. The guy looks at your passport, looks at you, grins and wishes you a good flight. As you pass him, you hear him say to his colleague that you've really become a fat pig since the photo was taken. Well, that's probably your luck in this case.
You have a layover of over five hours at JFK. You heard in the in-flight program that the TWA Hotel & Fitness Center at JFK is supposed to be the largest hotel gym in the world. You really need a gym. And you have time too. So you set off. Not much sporting activity is to be expected from you. But after an hour of power walking on the treadmill and half an hour on the cross trainer, your new sports clothes from the bag you found are soaked with sweat. But you feel fit. Really fit. As you stand in front of the mirror after your shower, you run your hands over your stomach. Flat and hard. When you tense your muscles. That's how it should be. And you get rid of the rest of the fat too. It sucks with the beard. You shaved your beard for Thanksgiving. Because you were invited to a friend's parents' house. You didn't want to scare them off with your beard. But now the beard hasn't grown back the way you'd hoped. Your mother will scold you terribly.
You grab a salad and a protein shake at the bar in the gym. You want to sleep on the plane. The food on board is delicious and plentiful, but not good for your body. To make sleeping on board quicker, you put on just a tank top and jogging suit for the flight. It takes you a good twelve hours to reach Doha. You want to use this time to arrive home well-rested.
At boarding, the ground staff greet you in Arabic. Of course. As usual. It's nice to study in the USA. But you don't have to stay with the infidels in winter. You're now looking forward to the warm sun in the Gulf. The person sitting next to you is a non-believer. And obviously not familiar with Qatar Airways' in-flight catering. She has brought a large portion of chicken wings with fries from KFC on board. You almost feel sick. She offers you something. You flex your biceps and say in English with a heavy Arabic accent that you can't get these babies at KFC.
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The flight was quiet, apart from the brief interruption during which you fucked the infidel chick in the airplane toilet. You'll have to do without a wet pussy for the next few weeks. Hehehe, but your cousins and your bruhs have tight asses. That works at least as well. You only have just under two hours in Doha before the last flight segment. You quickly go to the airport mosque, do your ablutions and sunset prayers, change into your spotless white dishdasha and board the plane to Sharjah. Over the next few weeks, you are the perfect son again. You will enjoy it. And as soon as the crazy holidays of the infidels are over, you'll be looking forward to fucking, drinking and partying again!
I found the last picture of you before you change to immaculate white at @alphaincar
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y13evie · 9 months
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I had an idea for a James Wilson fic and saw ur requests were open.
U don't have to do it ofc uts just an idea :]
So ig it's a kinda enemies to lovers thing where the reader constantly pisses off Wilson and she's absolutely convinced she annoys him sm there's no chance of him liking her.
Then smt happens (dunno what) and the reader is upset abt smt and is hiding from everyone as she has a breakdown and Wilson somehow finds her and.... ye
Again u don't have to do it but ye
anon this is so cutesy wutesy. i tried my best n i hope you like it!! also i’m sosos sorry for the wait.
tags: no mentions of y/n, slight angst, mentions of cancer and dead people and heart attacks, otherwise just fluffy
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“do you always have that stupid smile plastered across your face?”, james wilson asked. you’re pretty damn sure he would erase you off the face of this planet if given the chance.
“only for you”, and you were proud of it.
because the both of you were in the oncology department together, it gave you plenty of opportunity to bug him. at first you truly didn’t mean to, small things like bumping into him at the wrong time. but instead of letting your feelings become shot due to his scolding, you embraced it. you make it your goal to do something that you know will annoy james.
today was friday and the two of you had been assigned the same case. the patient at hand had stage 3 soft tissue sarcoma. their condition wasn’t great, but vitals were fine. you were talking with a nurse about what steps to take moving forward with his treatment. out of the corner of your eye you saw that familiar face. the two of you beckon the other doctor over. it seems as if he was trying to ignore you, the way he hesitantly made his way over to you two.
“please, make it quick.” he huffed. the nurse explained the case while you stood there for a moment deciding on whether taking his stethoscope was a good idea. you decided it was and quickly took the device from off his neck and onto yours. you put your hands on your hips and contorted your face to look angry. james was not having it as he quickly tried to get it back. but you were faster than him and was able to keep it.
“you might think that’s funny but it’s unprofessional. i don’t understand how you’re allowed to work with adults when you act like a child.”. his comment seemed to kill the mood as the other nurse walked off, leaving just the two of you. deciding that he’d had enough you unwrapped the equipment from your neck and handed it back. james snatched it from you, looking you up and down in distaste.
“do your job. it’s doctors like you that kill patients”. his tone was harsh. it pierced your heart a little bit. ever since you had first joined the hospital crew, you always sort of looked up to him. he was so intelligent and seemed to always know what he was doing. and you hated the fact he implied that you were killing patients. the people you work so hard to save.
you tried to brush his words off, telling yourself he’s just a grump and didn’t mean anything by it. you continued your day as usual. you only had a couple patients today so it was a relaxed day. that was until the patient from earlier had a rapid decline in health. he suffered a massive heart attack and the team was not able to save him. you stood there as the doctors repeated his time of death. you’ve lost many lives before and you know it was just apart of your job, but something stuck to you.
“it’s doctors like you that kill patients”. his words rang throughout your mind like a gunshot. you made your way to the break room and curled up on the couch with your head in your hands. quiet sobs left your mouth. maybe he was right. maybe all this time you weren’t good enough. at this point you had fully convinced yourself that it was your fault. if only you had payed more attention to his history. if only you had searched deeper into his files, then maybe. just maybe, you could’ve found something to prevent this from happening.
the screech of the door opening had pulled you from your thoughts. you looked up to see him. james wilson. james was able to read the hurt expression on your face. he stared for a moment, taking in the situation.
“it’s not your fault”
you got up and started your way to the door with tears threatening to fall once again. james moved so you were unable to exit.
“dr. wilson, please-“ you practically begged him to move. but he wouldn’t budge. instead, his eyes softened and face relaxed. he looked worried. you tried once more to leave the room but jus as expected, you failed.
“i’m sorry.” he took a deep breath before continuing. “you’re an amazing doctor. you love your patients. i know you do. and you’re a good person. i want you to know that. every time you bother me i secretly enjoy it because i’m able to see you happy.”. he paused for a moment, waiting for your response.
shocked at the fact he doesn’t hate you, you ask him, “you..like me?. almost laughing at the thought of him enjoying your company. but he’s not laughing. his eyes are gentle and he puts a hand on your shoulder.
“of course i like you. and the fact that you’re..” he motions to your current state of sadness, “..like this because of something i said is awful. i hate the idea that i made you feel unworthy.”. you stopped for a second to let his words absorb into your head. as if someone else was controlling your body, you hugged him. he froze for a moment with his hands dangling above your back, before relaxing into the hug. james gently rubbed your hair and back while whispering kind words.
you were the first to pull away. slightly laughing at yourself for being so sensitive. you awkwardly look at him before shuffling your way to the door. just as your hand reaches the handle he stops you.
“hey, wait. after this is all sorted, would you want to have dinner with me tonight?” he cursed himself for asking at a bad moment, but knew he would never ask if he didn’t now. you looked at him, and then back at the door.
“yeah! i would love that. just uhm- let me know whenever. okay?thankyoubyeeee” you smooshed the last words together in an attempt to leave and
cover up your now rose tinted cheeks. on the other side of the door james pumped his fist in the air like a little kid. maybe he needed some sweetness in his life.
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givemea-dam-break · 1 year
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since so many of you wanted a part two to this fic:
"" please, could you write something were the reader is part of kipps crew and lockwood is like obsessed with her. anytime they encounter he goes out of his way to be nice to her and kipps finds it so weird because she is like is best friend or sister even. that would be so cool! also love the new things you’ve posted earlier!!! ""
a/n: i am here to deliver! i have to say, i did not expect many, if any, requests for a part two of this piece (named Anthony on my masterlist), but here you go! thank you all for your support and love on not just this piece, but my other fics i love you all <3
warnings: angst, brief mention of suicide (for a case) female reader (few pronouns used)
part one
Your day could not get any worse, not even if a ghost appeared out of nowhere and killed you. No, in fact, that would be preferable to having Kipps screaming in your face.
"I told you to stay away from him! And now you tell me that you want to join his agency? You have got to be kidding me. This is some kind of prank, right? Is Bobby in on it? Ned? Surely not Kat."
You can't bring yourself to look at the guy who you have relied on for most of your life. The guilt is tearing you apart.
"No, it's not a prank," you say. "But, I'm not happy here, Kipps. I feel so... constrained. I don't want to keep having to follow a system that is so pick-and-choose with what they do and who they send. I want action. I want freedom."
Kipps looks like he's going to tear his hair out. "Freedom? You won't be getting freedom when DEPRAC arrests Lockwood and his little friends, you right along with them, for breaking the rules! God, do you ever listen to me?"
It feels like your heart is sinking, attached to a heavy weight. "Do you listen to me? I've told you I'm not happy here. The team barely speaks to each other, and all we seem to be doing is trying to show up Lockwood, George, and Lucy, and that's not what all of this is meant to be about. What happened to saving the world, Kipps? Isn't that what you used to tell me we'd do?"
And there it is: the breaking point. You've never seen him look so hurt, so betrayed, but you feel the exact same. He was meant to be your biggest supporter, and he can't even do that. Instead, he's so caught up in his pride, his love for the Fittes agency over his love for you, that he won't acknowledge how you feel.
"Hand in your notice by the end of the day," he says, his tone hard and his teeth gritted. "I want you gone by the morning."
"Kipps -" you say, but he's already lost interest and is walking away.
Asshole, you think, but there's no malice to it.
You can only watch as he, the only family figure you ever had in your life, leaves you behind.
--
"Oh, (name), we didn't expect to see you so soon," Lucy says upon opening the front door of 35 Portland Row. "I've almost finished setting up your bed in the attic with me, but - Wait, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, I'm fine," you say, but it's not overly convincing. "Just thought I'd leave before I got caught up in any big cases."
"You fell out, didn't you?" She ushers you inside, softly shutting the door behind you. "(name), I'm sorry -"
"I'm fine, Lucy," you insist.
She nods, but the look on her face tells you everything. Even if she doesn't know you that well, she's a little worried. With an attempt at a comforting smile, she leads you up the stairs, pointing out the boys' bedrooms and the bathroom, along with a room that no one enters - "We've been in it before, but only because Lockwood let us. You'd best wait until he's comfortable with you going in before finding out what's in there." - and, then, finally the attic.
It's a big space, crowded with over-large furniture. A double bed in the centre of the wall on the right, a wardrobe over on the other wall near the window, and a dresser beside. A small door leads to a tiny, cramped bathroom. Your bed, a fold-up one with a mattress haphazardly thrown on it, is squished in between the door and the wardrobe and, as tightly-packed as everything is, you smile at the cosiness of it.
"I'll just finish up on your bed -"
"I can get it, Lucy," you say, dropping your bags down at the foot of the bed. "Thank you. Are Lockwood and George here? It's awfully quiet."
Lucy snorts. "No, they're out at the moment, doing something or other. Do you want me to go put some tea on?"
You manage a smile. "Yes, please."
As it turns out, Lucy makes nicer tea than Geroge, and she's also kind enough to give you a bigger mug, although there are a few chips on the top. You suppose that's the norm with most of their things.
It doesn't take long for Lockwood and George to return from whatever they were doing. They trudge into the kitchen, arguing about something, but stop short in the doorway. Lucy gets up from her seat, halting her conversation with you, to pour them some tea while you sit, clutching your mug close in both hands.
"(name)!" Lockwood says, plastering on his infamous smile. "I didn't know you were here."
George shuffles past Lockwood and reaches into a cupboard, grabbing a biscuit. "She wasn't meant to be here for another week or two. Isn't that how notices work?"
"Uh, well." You shrug awkwardly, opting to stare at the scribbles on the thinking cloth, as you've been told it's called. "Things changed."
"Kipps made her leave sooner," Lucy says, and though she's worded it a little more gently than you had while talking to her over tea, it still hurts to hear. "Fell out."
"Well, you're here now," Lockwood says cheerfully, sitting down at the head of the table, just diagonal from you. "You'll have none of that from us."
Soundlessly, you move a plate slightly to reveal in loopy handwriting: "Lockwood is a prick and I hate him" next to a poor drawing of his face with devil horns. You raise your eyebrows, but he only laughs.
"What actually happened?" George asks. He looks a little too eager.
You purse your lips. "Told Kipps I wanted to leave, gave him a load of solid reasons, and he shouted at me a bunch. It's whatever."
Lockwood is watching you carefully as if watching and waiting to catch the pieces of you when you inevitably break. You offer up the best smile you can muster, but it doesn't seem to convince him.
"I'm fine, I promise," you say. "What about you guys? Any interesting cases lately?"
"Well," Lockwood says. His usual expression has returned - the cocky grin and sparkling eyes - but there's something a little subdued about it. His eyes still haven't left you. "George and I have just come back from the Archives doing some research for a case we've got tonight -"
"You mean George did the research," George grumbles. "You sat and daydreamed the whole time."
Lockwood only rolls his eyes. "Either way, you're welcome to join us on the case tonight - we could use an extra pair of hands."
Sipping your tea, you shrug again. "Might as well, as long as you're all fine with it."
George looks a little apprehensive about it, but Lucy nods. "What do we know so far?" she asks.
"Ms Diven, the client we met with this morning," George clarifies, glancing at you, "told us that there's a presence in her house, something she can sense but can't see, obviously, and that it's causing trouble. Well, that leads us to believe it's a Type Two, but who?" A smile splits his face, clearly very in his element. "In the Archives, I found some information on previous owners of the house, but only one of them seemed worth noting." He slides a newspaper cutting onto the table.
"Heidi Kairn," Lucy reads. "But, who was she?"
"Famous singer in the forties," George says. "The industry messed her up. A lot of stuff went down, and she ended up..." He drew a finger across his throat. Everyone got the message. "She's the only notable death from that house."
"Any clue what the source could be?" Lockwood asks. You notice how his hand on the table has moved slightly closer to yours. "Surely there won't be anything left from when the death occurred."
George shrugs. "It could be anything. A floorboard, a piece of furniture. We'll have to scout it out when we're there."
"Well!" Lockwood grins widely. "I suppose we should get our equipment ready."
--
Staring up at the house in front of you, you can't help but feel guilty. Not even a whole day since leaving Fittes, since leaving Kipps, and already you're on a case. Maybe Kipps was right to feel betrayed.
A hand closes softly around yours. When you look, it's Lockwood, looking straight on at the house with a grin.
"It's still daylight, so we'll scout out the house, use our Talents to see if we can figure anything out, and do our usual setup: iron circles in the main rooms, temperature readings. In half an hour, we'll all meet up back here on the porch."
You have to admire the confidence he speaks with. Kipps, for all his pride, would shout orders and stay behind with a facade of confidence, but it was easy enough to hear the fear lingering in his words. But, Lockwood doesn't show fear. Whether he even feels it right now is beyond you.
"George, Lucy, you guys take the bottom floor. (name) and I will take the top."
Lucy looks like she's trying to suppress a smile, glancing between you, Lockwood, and your clasped hands. "Got it. See you guys soon. Come on, George."
The pair trudge into the house, immediately taking a right into what you assume is the living room.
"Are you alright?"
You look back at Lockwood. "Hmm?"
That careful look is back. "It wasn't your fault, you know, yours and Kipps' argument. If anything, it's mine."
"That doesn't matter right now," you say, but you appreciate his words nonetheless. "Come on, I'd like to get this case over with as soon as."
It appeared to be harder than you thought. Lockwood and Co, though using many Fittes techniques for their procedures, also did some things very differently. They used the Fittes grid technique for temperature readings, but where they placed their iron circles was entirely different from where you would've done so. And, while you were glad that orders weren't being shouted at you by someone who didn't have the full scope of what was going on, the silence made you uneasy. The investigation of the house took a lot less time than it would've at Fittes, and even though everything that needed to be done had been, you couldn't get that pit of dread out of your stomach.
It was a moderately sized house, not large in any sense, but grand enough to have guest bedrooms which, in your eyes, said enough. The rooms were all relatively simple, with plain-coloured walls and light and trodden carpets. There were two kids' bedrooms, both concerningly beige, and the bathroom was about the size of the kitchen back at Portland Row.
"You've got Sight, too, right?" Lockwood asks, opening the door to the master bedroom.
"Yeah. Not as good as my Touch, but strong enough."
"So you see that deathglow, too?"
You step into the room, only to stop short. Lockwood pulls a pair of sunglasses from his coat, placing them over his eyes. A deathglow hovers over the ground, blindingly bright in the growing darkness of the room.
"Sense anything?" Lockwood asks.
Shuffling back slightly, you touch your hand to the doorframe and open your senses.
Crying. Someone is sobbing hysterically as they run into the room, throwing themself onto the bed. There's a strong chemical-like smell, something that has your gut twisting. A faint figure, one you can barely see, pushes itself off the bed as horrid cries escape their lips. The sound is heart-wrenching. They reach for something on a dresser that is no longer there, clutching at their chest and putting a hand to their mouth. Shortly after, they collapse, seizing.
Gasping, you tear your hand from the doorframe, stumbling back. It hurts to breathe.
"Anthony," you manage. Your heart is pounding in your chest.
Lockwood's face appears before yours, hands gently touching your face as he repeats, over and over, "You're okay. You're safe. You're with me."
It's at times like this that you hate your Talent. Sometimes, Touch just gives you the echoes of the past you need to hear to locate a source or figure out who the Visitor really is, but, other times, it feels like you're being sucked back into the past. Everything, all the emotions, feel amplified.
"Hey, you're okay," Lockwood repeats. His forehead presses against yours as his dark eyes meet yours. His gaze is so reassuring that you can't look away. "We need to get back outside, tell the others whatever it is you've seen. Can you do that?"
Taking a deep breath, you nod.
"You don't have to continue with this case," he says. "Lucy, George, and I should be able to manage on our own."
"I'll be okay," you say, your voice quieter than you thought it'd be.
His eyes close momentarily, then his hands fall from your face and he steps back. "Come on," he says gently.
George and Lucy's findings are very limited. The temperatures in each of the rooms are relatively normal, except for the office which, judging from the layout of the house, is just beneath the room with the deathglow. Lucy had heard nothing out of the ordinary, not until the same moment you had used your Touch.
"Horrible crying," she says. "Full of pain. I couldn't make out any words. It was very faint."
"(name)?" George says. "What about you?"
You take a sip of tea from your flask to soothe your nerves. "The same, but I was dragged back to that moment, if you get what I mean. I could see her faintly - Heidi, that is. There was a really strong smell, something chemically, probably some kind of drug. I saw -" It takes you a moment to get the words out. "She overdosed in the master bedroom. As she... you know, she was holding something on her chest, a necklace, maybe."
Lockwood's hand closes around yours once more. You can't look at him, any of them. "You don't have to carry on with this case. That's a horrible thing to have to see."
"I've told you already, I'll be fine." Another sip of tea. "George, does that give you any clue what or where the source is?"
George takes a minute to think, biting down on a block of chocolate from Lucy's bag. "Well, it could well be a necklace. If I remember correctly, a lot of newspapers commented on her outfits a lot, and she wore the same necklace everywhere. A string of pearls, I think."
Lucy groans. "Yeah, because all that women cared about back then was what everyone wore." She breaks off another chunk of chocolate for herself. "Surely, she would've still been wearing the necklace when she was buried, or whatever. Why would it be in the house?"
"God knows," Lockwood says. "We're not here to figure that out. We're here to secure it and get rid of the Visitor."
You glance at the sky and then check your watch. Summer means that the days are longer, so Visitors take longer to gain strength. "Nine p.m. Getting dark."
Lockwood grins, and it helps ease you. "Let's go jewellery shopping."
--
A lantern on the dimmest light setting is placed in the master bedroom to give George some light as he scours the room for the suspected source.
It's better to keep light usage as low as possible, a fact you're more than aware of, but the darkness of the landing that seems to stretch on endlessly is making you anxious. Even with Lockwood to your right, and Lucy just behind, making sure nothing comes at George from inside the bedroom, you can't help but feel worried.
It takes all of your power to pull those emotions together and shove them deep, deep down. You can't afford for the Visitor to feed off of them.
"Ghost fog at the end of the hall," Lockwood announces. "George, you any closer to a source?"
"Not yet. I'm about to start prying up the floorboards. Luce, you have any gum? Miasma is starting to taste horrid."
There's a sound of crinkling wrappers, then silence again.
"Crying is back," Lucy says. Slowly, she draws her rapier, and the sound of the metal unsheathing gives you comfort. "Getting louder."
"There's a faint figure appearing," you say. "It's her."
The weight of the salt bomb in your hand is familiar, soothing. This is no different from every other case you've been on, it's just a different team.
Slowly, the ghost of Heidi Kairn becomes more and more visible. She wears a summer frock that reaches her knees, patterned with polka dots, and her hair reaches her shoulders, slightly curled and neatly styled. Her face is beautiful in a timeless sort of way. A string of pearls hangs around her neck, glittering in the other-light she produces.
For a moment, you believe she's harmless. She approaches curiously and cautiously, eyes doe-like. You don't want to hurt her. She's causing no trouble. She's so, so sad, and so lonely...
A shriek of rage pierces the air, and the ghost shoots towards you and Lockwood. Out of pure instinct, you throw the salt bomb, preventing her approach momentarily, and Lockwood keeps her back with a continuous movement of his rapier. His arm reaches out, slightly in front of you.
"I've found it!" George shouts.
"Well, get it out!" Lucy says, throwing another salt bomb at the ghost.
The ghost wails, floating around desperately to find a gap to dart through, but she's kept at bay by three rapiers and a few more salt bombs.
"My arm is stuck!" George says. "Lucy, help!"
Lucy hurries backwards, and Lockwood moves back to cover her space slightly. You throw another salt bomb, earning another shriek of anger.
Fighting Visitors is what you've spent most of your life doing. This is the easy part, for you. It takes almost no time for you to fall back into a routine of rapier manoeuvres and throwing salt bombs, and, soon enough, you and Lockwood are working in tandem.
"Got it!" Lucy says.
Heidi Kairn's ghost wails once more, darting straight for the master bedroom, but she never reaches it. She's cut down by two rapiers and before she can fully reform, her source is wrapped tightly in a silver net.
There's a moment of silence, and then Lockwood, Lucy, and George burst out into laughter. It's contagious and before long, you're laughing, too, leaning against the wall.
Already, they feel like family, and the realisation makes you smile even wider.
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imreallyloveleee · 8 months
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Where do you think it all went wrong with Riverdale?
honestly, part of me is like, the show's over and nothing but fandom matters. so who cares?
the other part of me loves to complain about Riverdale and will continue to do so until the day I die in the parking lot of Michael's Diner in Montgomeryville, PA at the age of 86. so, long-winded answer under the cut
I'm tempted to say it's the s4 b*rchie kiss. It was so wildly out of character for both Betty and Archie that it's laughable. You know how you can tell when something is just blatantly OOC with no justification? They...don't justify it. They find ways to dance around any interaction that might offer clarification. They mute the reactions of the characters who should be devastated by it. And then they jump ahead 7 years so it's easier to just handwave it away as something that happened a long time ago.
but the thing is, I did keep watching after that. I thought: okay, at least we should get an exes-to-lovers arc out of this, which is one of my favorite tropes. there is no way they would spend 4 seasons developing Bughead as this loving, supportive, communicative, sexy, and almost-unbelievably-compatible couple just to tear them apart and never do anything with that dynamic again. maybe it'll be even sweeter seeing them come back together after so much hurt and longing.
boy was i wrong!!!!!!!!!
so, the episode that actually made me stop watching for good, with the exception of some standalones like The Jughead Paradox and the finale, was the s5 musical. that was when i realized that this team of writers was 100% willing, maybe even eager, to completely drop storylines they themselves had been building over the course of a season - do a 180 with all of the characterization and relationships - and then act as though the buildup they wrote never even happened.
in this case, i'm specifically talking about the Bughead reunion storyline they dropped in s5. i'm not going to pretend like it was a GREAT buildup - and it was mostly on Jughead's side, Betty's character in s5 was basically an emotionless misery bot that had sex sometimes - but it was there. Jughead told Tabitha he had unresolved feelings around Betty. that's followed by an entire episode that lays out Betty & Jug's time jump relationship, and how Jughead still believes she's the one who saves him from himself. they work on a case together, they start opening up to one another. Jughead's so worried about her he can't eat.
and then...you know what happens.
(i'll also note here that there was random bts stuff that strongly indicated the musical ep storyline had a drastic last-minute rewrite: lili tweeted a blue dress, suggesting the song with that line was meant for her character; RAS said cole had to do last-minute recording sessions; supposedly crew members have confirmed this was the case, too. since none of it's 100% confirmed you can take it all with a grain of salt, but i believe it.)
it was so fucking insulting as a viewer to give my time and attention to a show made by people who would not only randomly drop the threads they set up, but torpedo them altogether, and then behave like the fans are the ones somehow at fault for expecting a story that actually follows through on its own emotional and plot beats. we're just shippers, so our opinions are dumb and biased! it's just a tv show, so who cares! get over it!
so, i stopped watching, because i knew they would continue to write without any thought or respect for their characters or their audience, and therefore inevitably write themselves into another corner. and, shocker, i was right. they did it again, whisking everyone away to the 1950s because actually resolving any of the scenarios they set up was ToO hArD. why bother when you could just make every single character Righteously Angry and Incurably Horny all the time, lecture the audience about social issues that have already been mainstream progressive for the last several decades, and call it a "love letter" to your fans?
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yourpalmalika · 7 months
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Pairing Oluwande and Jim with different people was a horrible decision.
First of all, it's a stark contrast of developed and underdeveloped characters. Oluwande and Jim are the developed ones. Zheng Yi and Archie are new characters who haven't had the chance to develop yet. And still, they are paired together since the start of the season, and it creates a weird imbalance.
We don't even learn Archie's name until the midpoint of the second episode. Is she someone from the Blackbeard's original crew? Someone they picked up in the Republic of Pirates? Either of these is fine, but at least a mention or a single line would have been nice. Maybe we'll know in the future episodes — but again, her relationship with Jim came before anything else could.
Zheng Yi and Oluwande exchanged one line before the audience was hit with Zheng Yi's feelings (more like obsession) with him. I just don't think it does good neither for Zheng Yi nor for Oluwande. Zheng Yi is supposed to be the Queen of Pirates, literally the most successful pirate in history. And yet half of her scenes are dedicated to pining over some guy she spoke to one time on-screen. Oluwande's trait that stood out the most was his loyalty to his crew and to the one he loved. He covered for Stede and Jim when no one else would, and I have a feeling that's what drew the audience to him.
In season 2, we see him almost abandon his team for Zheng Yi, his *new* captain/love interest. He was going to go after her if Jim didn't urge him to escape. I feel like this is character degradation.
Secondly, it's just not what the viewers signed up for. Not what I expected from these characters. I wanted to see how Jim and Oluwande, separated against their will, find their way back to each other.
In case they’re trying to make a story about how couples drift away or find new people, that would feel very preachy. The characters are shoehorned into the story and they have nothing better to do than tear apart a healthy established pairing that was perfectly fine.
I'm hoping it was just a bad start, and things will get better for all four characters.
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eremin0109 · 6 months
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@flashbulb-memory about your recent post because I had some THOTS alright.
What the show lacked in terms of plot coherence and characterization, they more than made up for it in the interpersonal relationships and conflicts between not just the main characters but also Gicheol and Junmo's relationships with the secondary characters.
I'm never a fan of love triangles, even less so when it's straight. But there was nothing love triangle-y or remotely heterosexual about the relationships between Gicheol-Junmo-Euijeong.
Gicheol was genuinely in love with both Euijeong and Junmo, that's as clear as day. Euijeong, especially after witnessing Junmo's descent into violence and Gicheol's desperate efforts to leave the underworld behind, had so many conflicted feelings. But some part of her was still in love with Gicheol, she'd kept that damn necklace for years after their parting. But her love for Junmo triumphed that, clouding her rational judgement and forcing her to act impulsively.
Junmo's thing for Gicheol alone could take up an entire post (or 45) of itself, but throughout the finale we get more than a glimpse into what he actually feels for Gicheol. And what he feels is some fucked up rendition of love. He wants to destroy him, he wants to save him. And in the end he does both, at the same time. We're told that Junmo became a monster for Euijeong, but by the end he protected Gicheol just as indiscriminately.
Haeryun is a special case because her relationships are not as intermingled as the main trio. But her dynamic with Junmo is fascinating to watch, it's a mirror to his relationship with Gicheol. She betrays her father for him after watching just how loyal he is to Gicheol. Something that she wants for herself. The matter mostly feels one-sided, but Junmo definitely grows fond of her by the end. He comes to care for her more than he thought he would (he even says that out loud) and I don't think of it in necessarily romantic terms.
When Haeryun says that utterly poignant line about "there's someone I want to protect...in my heart", she's just declaring the essence of the show, explicitly mirroring both Gicheol and Junmo. From her perspective, when Junmo said that, it was only about Gicheol and she says it with a sort of sadness in her voice because somewhere she knows that she can't replace Gicheol in Junmo's life. From her perspective, everything Junmo's done has been only for Gicheol. And everything he has or hasn't done with her has also probably been for him. She just cannot compete. That's why she asks Junmo for one last confession "you've been so kind to me. was any of it real?"
And god, Gicheol's relationships with his crew and Junmo's relationship with Do young are done fantastically too. Jung bae, Hee sung and Jong ryeol all tried their best to save Gicheol from himself (and from both Junmo and Euijeong). Jung bae's scene with Gicheol in his office actually broke me. Hee sung always put the boss and his work before his own damn family. Jong ryeol was actually Gicheol's guard dog, ready to execute any order given to him. And he stayed loyal to him until the very end. Good god they all loved Gicheol the most, they were his actual rocks–but he never even gave them a chance to prove it.
Junmo's brief cameo with his mother-in-law is so beautifully portrayed. It's a small scene but it culminates so poignantly at her funeral. You know exactly why Junmo breaks down the way he does and in that moment, your heart weeps for him. It's that powerful.
All the relationships in the show portray a different kind of a tragedy, because none of them were meant to last. And it's terribly enchanting to watch it all fall apart.
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ballonleaparadise · 9 months
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The Roles of the RVT members in Pokemon Horizons
One of the things that I love about Horizons is how the members of the Rising Volt Tacklers are all unique in their role/occuptation. Each member seems to subvert the expectations or stereotypes associated with their position:
Friede is officially the leader and pilot of the Rising Volt Tacklers. Ironically, it's the other members of the group who take charge of him, if you will. For instance, Mollie and Orla counteract his eccentric personality with their sensibility and level-headedness. Also, the other members are quick to correct Friede when he forgets to tell Liko important information. An example of this is when Mollie scolds him for keeping Liko in the dark about the group's intentions in episode two. Although Friede is in charge, the real authority on the airship is the support and knowledge that comes from his friends. Each crew member (apart from the protags) plays a crucial role in the ship's functionality. This is proven further in episode 13 when Orla reveals that she engineered the Brave Asagi on behalf of Friede's wishes. To add, the ship was originally Ludlow's fishing boat, so the ownership goes back to him. By saying this, I don't mean that Friede has no power by himself. However, his leadership is very much scaffolded by his connections to Orla, Murdock, Mollie, Ludlow and Dot.
The other RVT members also subvert the expectations of their retrospective roles. Orla takes on the traditionally male role as both a mechanic and the engineer of the Brave Asagi. Meanwhile, as a male character, Murdock has a more domestic role of cooking. I feel like this was done intentionally to show that the RVTs are all outsiders to some extent. In Mollie's case, she is a nurse joy who took the different path of travelling and caring for wild pokemon. Ludlow, despite his old age, is still eager to travel alongside the others. Even Friede, the head of the group, is unconventional. In episode 12, Liko's mum points out that he does not look like a Pokemon professor. In response, he says "I don't mind. I feel better like this." (according to the subtitles). I've said this in the past, but I think that the reason Friede does not want to be called a professor is because he does not want to be boxed in by that label. He is not just a professor- he is a battler, pilot, friend and Dad. He is an individual in his own right.
One of the things I'm looking forward to seeing the most in Horizons is Liko, Roy and Dot finding their own sense of identity. With how the story has progressed so far, I would love to see how the adult characters continue to influence their development. Speaking of the younger cast members, Liko Roy and Dot are already unique in their own ways. Liko is taking over from a male protagonist after 25 years. Similarly, Roy is the second protagonist, filling in for what has so often been a female sidekick in past seasons. Arguably, he has a much bigger role than a sidekick (being a mc) but he is still the second major character after Liko. In Dot's case, she breaks the binaries between introversion and extraversion through her dual personality. As Nidothing, she wears a facade of confidence and excitement. However, underneath the costume, she is reclusive and hates social interaction. She represents the human condition, imo. Irl, a lot of people come across as more confident than they actually are. This is symbolised through the extreme example of Dot and her personality as Nidothing. (Or that's how I like to think about it).
Overall, the Rising Volt Tacklers are all unique in their own ways. One of the biggest themes in the new anime seems to be overturning common character tropes and stereotypes, and exploring new 'horizons'.
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drawnaghht · 7 months
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Neo Edo magnetic "holsters"
so today/yesterday I started thinking....
what a cool detail the magnetic "holsters" - knobs and stripes are. A very unique design idea for the setting they went with (basically energy-punk or a kind of close-futuristic sci-fantasy)
for example, Gen has large magnet strips on his back, but also on the front of his vest?
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The back strips are bigger, while the front strips I'm not entirely sure about, but they are slightly smaller and thinner, so it could be that they are something else, like pockets.
Chizu's appears to have dual magnetic strips on both her pants, her jacket lapels at the bottom, as well as a bigger/stronger magnet triangle on her back, assuming for her polearm, then later for her bow. The strips on her pants could also be just re-enforcing
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The other Neko Ninja also appear to have magnets on their armor's backs and hip-pieces. (more longer images under cut)
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Kitsune does not appear to have any magnets on her body? but she has a belt which she has a small pouch on and her belt goes around enough times that it could be easy to store her first set of tessen on her back.
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Usagi's are small magnets on his obi, both the yoyo and sword have space to fit, one on either side. The sword is always on the left side, so that Usagi can draw it fast enough with his right hand without hurting himself by accident (at least, according to how sword-carrying became tradition during the Edo-era, the show is fairly consistent about this way the swords are carried)
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From the first episode with Usagi, we see that the magnets appear to be strong enough that they lock onto the metal of the weapon long enough that the user can remove their fingers from holding the weapon.
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and with the yoyo:
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Overall, it's a super-interesting feature in the city! Other characters also have these magnets on their outfits/armor - you can pause any shot and see that characters have something magnetic/metallic on their body, with (I think) the exception of Karasu-Tengu and auntie, and the regular citizens of Neo Edo. So here for example the Keisatsu and Lord Kogane.
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Most notably, one of the keisatsu guarding Usagi in ep 102, a set of keys dangles from it and we later find out it's this keisatsu's apartment keys haha.
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Usagi waits and holds to test the magnet on his left side when he is holstering his auntie's sword, and we see that the effect is quite strong. But then in ep 2, he just slaps the yoyo onto his other side un-ceremoniously, even though this one is directly given to him by a magic stone haha xD You'll notice how Usagi's magnets have some sort of inset inlay, and a glowing symbol inside it which appears to be his clan emblem. Perhaps this means that his obi, or the magnet inlays were once commissioned for one of his ancestors? Since auntie does not appear to wear one of these, maybe it was a direct heirloom to Usagi from one of his parents? Or maybe it was something specially made for when Usagi was a bit older? Could even be that Auntie had it made for one of Usagi's birthdays (good source of a fanfic plot hehe). The magnets are also shown to always glow purple, like the Ki-Stone, and so is Usagi's yoyo itself, when activating any of its abilities, but in this case, the lines on the two sides of the yoyo glow just like the inset on Usagi's weapon-holster magnets.
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For other fighter groups in the series, the Mogura crew don't seem to use any visible(?) weapons, while the Bat Squadron have switchblades on the top of their wings/fingers(?), while on their backs they have parachute backpacks. The Neko Ninja appear to have no visible magnets, but possibly their entire armor has hidden magnets within? just a theory for now.
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Now, while Usagi's obi and its magnets seem to be custom, could the rest of Usagi's outfit be too? possibly. It seems to be a very specifc combination of both samurai, ninja and farmer outfits, as well as practical application of what samurai used to travel lighter while staying protected. First of all, his vest is a kind of deep blue which according to some historic records, is hemophilic? meaning, it can hold in blood if the wearer is struck suddenly, and according to older beliefs, it even had some healing properties. The vest is tied together by the obi, and the shoulder-gaps/edges appear to have either wooden or leather guards attached to the vest, enforced by these peculiar rectangular (i've seen this kind of work before in woodwork workshops but cannot remember the exact name) Under this vest, he appears to have a light leather or wood breastplate for protectin and under this in turn, he has a dark blue/black undershirt. His pants appear to be in two parts. The first part being the dark blue pants he wears, and the second a patterned "pants cover" which attaches to his chest guard or armor under the vest via light blue clasps. [edit: 10.10.2023:] Still looking around for the basis of this, but this appears similar to some pants I've seen irl. This cover and the pants both seem to be either tucked into or covered by the leg guards Usagi wears. [end edit] Whatever 3rd undergarment he has connects with the blue sleeves he has, which are tied with strings similar to his auntie's sleeves, but these strings are only drawn and animated in the 2D sequences (for the sake of simpler animation, it seems, since Usagi appears in so many scenes and has many moving parts) Then he has dark blue arm guards and kneeguards, while the boot part of his shoes seem to be some harder leather or other material. Usagi, because of wanting to follow in the steps of his samurai ancestor, does not have any other magnetic holsters on his body.
Chizu and Gen also seem to have customized magnets, but of a different appearance. First of all obviously, their shape is rectangular longer or shorter strips, without inlays or emblems, and Chizu has her back-triangle magnet.
I've sometimes also wondered if Gen's emblem is also a magnet, tho this is less likely... The rest of his outfit is fashioned to protect his body enough to also be mobile. So his back magnet-strips are way larger and fit nicely there, enough for his kanabo to attach comfortably to it without falling off. He has a lighter and thinner looking metal plate over his chest, which is obviously armor with a dipping neckline which is colored a golden/bronze? while the bottom part is a deep indigo, covered with studs. Traditionally what these kinds of studs do, is that if someone hits you in the stomach area (one of the most vulnerable areas in an armed fight), the metal studs set in the plate should deflect metal weapon blows to the stomach. so that's interesting to see, Gen's outfit is very practical and he is obviously a bounty hunter who has been doing the job for a while, evidenced also by Gen's healed-over facial scars. A purple vest with a higher collar covers this armor partly. The vest is patterned with these outlined hexagons which have a smaller hexagon inside them. The sleeves of this vest are puffed up(?) and either tied to his arms or it's a rubber band inside the fabric of the light magenta strip of his sleeve. I cannot see that he has any magnets on his belt, which is otherwise tied around the latter-bottom part of his armor and pants. The armor near the belt and on the stomach bends upwards in a semi-trapeze shape toward the dipping neckline of the upper part of his armor. His shoulder pads, kneepads and armguards appear to be enforced leather. I can't remember the exact term for this, but you see that the shoulder parts have stronger leather strings going through the inner parts, possibly to strengthen the rest of the pads. His warclubs sit comfortably on his back on the larger magnet strips.
Chizu's outfit is obviously made for blending in as a civilian, while retaining mobility and flexibility as a ninja, so it's not metal/hard armor like the other Neko Ninja - but instead seems to be wooden/light armor made to look like the shapes on the shirts of other (the dipping rectangle), and undergarment (black) + red and black leather vest and pants. The strips blend in nicely with this sort of outfit, while also allowing Chizu to have many weapons besides the hidden ones she has, the ninja stars and the small crossbow in her gauntlets/hand guards. Chizu's back-magnet triangle meanwhile fits her outfit style exactly, with a black inlay and golden-color outer rim, sort of like Usagi's magnet, but with no inset. Perhaps it's not a magnet at all then? But it sorta makse sense to be a magnet still. In ep 2, she brings her collapsible naginata along and sets it on her back. So this is a running design element amont the characters of Neo Edo that they carry their weapons on these magnetic shapes - strips, circlets, triangles, etc
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Kitsune has a very straight-forward outfit. She presents herself as an ordinary street performer while also stealing during her performances, skillfully enough that she doesn't need a helping hand in this. Her outfit consists of mostly greens, teals and on the leaf-prints of her kimono vest, we see that she has maple-leaf patterns in beige, orance and yellow tones, in homage to her namesake and inspiration, the Kitsune in the Usagi Yojimbo comics. Her belt goes around her waist 2 times, while the 3rd time sits more loosely around her left hip, carrying her leather pouch, possibly from weight, but also comfort. compared to the previous two, Kitsune's outfit seems less about hiding or being openly her profession and more about her feeling comfortable, being herself. This is also why she has different bracelets and bangles on her writsts. As with Usagi and Chizu, her clothings are closed in the traditional kimono 'y' shape, left over right side, but while Usagi has only his vest over his armor and undershirt, and Chizu's is just her undershirt, for Kitsune she has both a vest and dark green undershirt, meaning that she appears more casual and layered. Possibly, because of living on the streets, she is ready for any weather and these clothes might have more other practical applications. But also likely, she just feels comfortable in these warm clothes. It is spring after all at the start of the series (exactly the same day it aired, April 28th), so possibly the air is more brisk and Kitsune has kept this look for just a while. All this is more observation + fantheory, but otherwise, there seem to be no metal or magnetic parts on her body. She does not focus on fighting as much as the others and her modus operandi in fights seems to more self-defense, which is what her battle fans are meant for, a self-defense weapon. It's possible she could have hiding places on her open-toed boots for smaller weapons, but then again, I do not believe we've seen them used as such in the show.
Now I wonder how these magnet strips are produced and made at all... do they use the Ki-Stone to magnetize strips of metal somehow? There are many methods to make magnets irl, so I wonder which ones were used here to achieve this strong magnet effect together with the rest of the Ki-Stone's effects...
Anyway, this isn't a deep-dive about clothing, I just wanted to shortly write about the interesting element of magnet wepon-holders, because these seem a ki-stone specific magic/science, but I got a bit lengthy about the clothings anyway bc I like this show ^^
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bhaalbaaby · 8 months
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Title: genesis (3532 words) Pairing: astarion/tav Warnings: nsfw, fluff and smut A/N: more from astarion's pov lol ♥ very intimate; part three for moonlight on the river
Read on AO3!
Sarnarei glares at the Candulhallow's Tombstone, arms crossed. They spent fifteen minutes tearing the empty shop apart looking for the evidence for the murders. Karlach yawns as she checks the desk for the fifth time.
"Do you still have the journal from Dolor?" Shadowheart asks Sarnarei, stress lining her face. "I do, but I left it in my trunk."
"I suggest we go back and read it. There may be a key hidden there. Or at least a clue." Shadowheart replies, heading to the front of the building. Karlach follows, nodding. "Plus we can take a little break. It is getting a little late, soldier."
Sarnarei looks over at Astarion who waves his hand flippantly, "We can fight the big bad Bhaal once we're more rested." She grimaces but follows their party out.
As soon as they arrive, she tears through the chest, pulling out all the journals and tatted notes she saved looking for any sign. Astarion rests on the bed next to it watching as their merry party speaks to each other, waiting.
"I still want to at least figure out how to enter. We can go out for a moment. Whatever rests there, we won't fight tonight." Sarnarei says softly, mostly to herself.
"Do we have to go back out? I think we're all pretty exhausted." Astarion whispers, his eyes drinking in her dress, the way her hair falls in front of her face. He loves how determined she is. He holds himself back, wanting to kiss her and maybe more. She hasn't done anything different and yet...
She glances up at him, tilting her head to the side, not picking up on his cue. "Are you sure?"
He smirks, how adorable is she when she's clueless? His eyes flick up to Wyll who passes by as he nods, "Exhausted. So tired." He says it louder than necessary so the horned man could hear. Wyll turns, raising his eyebrow as he glances at Astarion. The vampire cuts his eyes to Sarnarei and then back to Wyll, hoping his silent pleas would be understood.
Wyll nods, a cheeky smile coming to his lips as he yawns so loudly, "I'm ready to turn in for the evening. How about you, Shadowheart? Halsin?" Astarion glares at the Warlock's back at the mention of Halsin. He didn't mind sharing her with him, especially when they weren't physical. The idea still doesn't bother him, at least he thinks. The two of them didn't spend that much time together from what he noticed anyway. When they did speak, they weren't physical. Maybe they broke up and she didn't tell him.
"Hmm, I could rest for the night," Halsin says, coming over to Sarnarei's side. "Is everything alright, my heart?" My heart.
Astarion keeps up his smirk, his mind racing with the possibilities in case Halsin chooses to stay.
She nods, turning to him, "Yeah, I found what I needed, but I don't want to overburden you all." She says sweetly, closing the trunk.
"Of course." He glances over at Astarion, "How are you handling everything?" He asks, his voice full of concern.
"Better. Thank you, Halsin." He gives him a curt nod. The druid raises his eyebrow, a compassionate smile on his lips. "I think we're going to go take Lakrissa up on her offer. Have a night to just relax while we can."
Karlach appears out of nowhere her vibrant smile brightening up the room as she wraps her arm around Halsin. "Fuck yes. Let's go! I hear they have a super funny comedian on tonight. I want to laugh my stomach bursts." She shoots a look at Shadowheart, "You can heal that, right?"
The cleric smirks as she rolls her eyes, "I would prefer it not come to that, but I will do my best." The rest of the crew filter out, Halsin being the last.
"Don't keep her too long, Astarion." He teases, winking as he closes the door.
He takes a deep breath as he returns to Sarnarei, who stands at her entrance a bit bewildered. "Alone with a bed." He says, ignoring her suspicion as he sits back down. He's bedded thousands, but the thought of being intimate with her makes him so anxious. Her confusion leaves as she sits next to him, concern taking over.
"I would like a night of passion with you, Sarnarei. If I can't handle it, I'll let you know so we can stop. I know that look in your eyes. You don't want me to feel distressed and we've been going slow, but I don't want to wait any longer. I think I'm ready." He states, taking her hands into his own.
She licks her lips, glancing up at him. "If you feel uneasy at any point, we will stop." She replies, moving closer. She misses him, misses his body against her own, but holds him in such regard. It would hurt her to the core if she did anything and he just went along with it to make her happy.
He nods, leaning forward, and kissing her slowly. He sucks on her bottom lip, dragging his teeth carefully along it. He leans her against the pillows, not breaking their kiss. She moans softly as her arms wrap around his shoulders, her legs wrapping around his waist. He pulls away, gazing upon his lover. She searches his face as her hands go to his ornate jacket, pulling at the buttons.
"I love you," He whispers as he shrugs the jacket off, letting it fall off the bed. His hand slips between her thighs, his fingers gently gliding along her pelvis over her pants.
"I love you too," She whispers back, rocking her hips against his touch. She slips her hand down along his pants where his cock stands half hard. He shudders at her touch, focusing on finding her pants, and dragging them off.
Her hands return to her body, fiddling with the corset top. His eyes stay glued to her chest, watching as they fall from the lack of support. He swallows hard as he leans down, replacing her hands with his own as he undoes her corset, taking the pretty and sturdy fabric from her torso, and adding it to their clothing pile. She whimpers as his kisses return to her neck and collarbone, his talented fingers massaging her chest through her beige sleep top. She closes her eyes as he runs his fingers along her top.
"Can I please you first?" She asks, her voice barely above a whisper.
Astarion pauses in between his kisses, raising his eyebrow. "Please me first?"
She nods as she sits up, her hand returning to his hardening cock. "You always please me first. I want to make sure you're sated." She explains, tracing her fingers up to his loosened frilly shirt, dragging it over his body. He nods after a moment, considering. The worst thing is that he could disassociate, but Sarnarei's attention and focus are so acute on him, that she would notice and stop in her tracks. He feels like a burden as he rests on the other side of the daybed. "Tell me to stop if you don't like it." She whispers, helping him out of his trousers. He gives another nod as she pecks him quickly, her soft body caressing his.
"My sweet, I can handle a blowjob." He says sarcastically, running his fingers through her hair as she slides between his legs. 
Astarion watches her with heated eyes as she holds his cock in her hands. He exhales deeply as he looks up at the ceiling, her hands gently stroking him. She leans down, pressing soft kisses along his shaft. He closes his eyes, keeping his hands to himself. Before he would have forced her mouth open, fucking her mouth hard, hearing her gags and whimper. But he lets her take her time now, her tongue tasting him. She smiles up at him as she reaches his tip, her tongue rolling around it. Her fangs peak just underneath her full lips, framing his cock so dangerously. He groans softly, his knee coming up as he gently pets her hair. Just focus on her, his mind repeats as she opens her mouth, guiding his cock down her throat. He watches as she closes her eyes, bobbing her head along his shaft. She moans softly as she drags her fingertips along his inner thighs, her eyes cutting up to his.
His breathing quickens as he massages her scalp, her mouth perfectly warm around his shaft. His fingers grip her hair, his hips trying to thrust lazily into her mouth to quicken her speed. He can't help it, moaning as her tongue rests against the thick underside vein, gently pressing along it as she massages it with each bob. Halsin must have taught her that, he thinks quickly as he tosses his head back.
"My love..." He moans, trying to keep in the present. She pulls up, stroking him. "You are being too devilishly good." He purrs as she rubs him off, feeling proud of herself.
"Oh?" She asks before sucking his pink tip again, her plump lips the perfect frame around it. He closes his eyes briefly as she takes him as far as she can, her mewls muffled. His hips buck against her mouth as he feels himself getting lost in the pleasure.
Too dangerous, too tempting. 
"That's enough. I need you." He says, dragging her head up to his cold lips. She laughs softly against his lips, kissing him back. He pushes her back, rolling to be on top of her. His hard cock presses along her warm slit but he pulls away, quickly lying on his stomach as he buries his head between her thighs.
She arches her back, her hips pressing against his mouth. She can barely get her bearings as his tongue prods her apart. Her moans fill the room as his tongue laps at her clit. Her hands tug her shirt off before returning to her breasts, playing with her nipples as she watches his feast. She bites her lip, her breathing quickening. She missed this, so much. Sure she's had others now, but Astarion... She closes her eyes as she moans, her legs resting on his shoulders. He could taste her getting closer, her clit becoming more engorged with each suckle. He comes up for air gently biting her inner thigh before making a trail of kisses up her belly, her chest, and her mouth. He finds focusing on her makes it more enjoyable. She's so reactive to him, the way her tongue rolls around with his, her moans. He breaks the kiss, giving her time to breathe.
He rubs his cock against her, remembering how much physically he loves the ridges above her slit. He's so sensitive already from his want for her, that he takes a deep breath, trying not to get overwhelmed. He gently thrusts inside of her, both of them moaning. He laughs softly as she looks away, her cheeks flushed. 
He holds himself above her, wanting to watch her every reaction as he starts to rock his hips. Her brows knit together as she whimpers tiny prayers to some unknown god. He smiles to himself, how dramatic she is being. He hasn't even done anything yet. He picks up his pace, needing more of her reactions, her moans. "Ah, I love you... Oh, my love." She whines, her hands covering her face as she pants. He frowns as he thrusts harder, taking her hands from her face, their fingers interlacing. 
"Please don't hide your face from me." He says, pounding into her. She nods, her brows knitting up as she looks up at him. Her watchful eyes meet his, a quick assessment before he rolls his hips against hers. A distraction, he thinks as she cries out, looking away again. She clenches around him as she opens her legs more for him. He can feel himself slipping into overdrive, doing it until he releases. This will be an uphill battle. He wants to stay in the moment so badly, but the motions are the same. The same sensations he'd felt for so long. 
She wraps her arms around his shoulders, holding him closer, making him slow down. His breathing catches in his throat as she kisses him softly, their hips rocking together. The act brings him back to the moment, his hand leaving hers as he cups her breast, tweaking her nipple between his fingers.
She breaks the kiss, whimpering. Their foreheads touch, and their breathing becomes one. He brushes his nose against hers, their lips barely touching as they pant. His hips grind, burying himself deep inside.
"Astarion..." She moans, her hands resting on either side of his head, their eyes locking.
He grins, picking up his pace again. "Like that?" He asks, feeling electricity in their touch, their gaze.
"Y-y-yes!" She stammers, struggling to keep up. Her tail rests on the back of his thigh, running up and down as he thrusts. He growls, enjoying her gentle touch on his body.
He slows, pulling back. He wants to see the full view again, his hands resting on the underside of her knees. Her arm covers her mouth, muffling her praises as he continues his slow pace. He watches as his cock disappears inside of her warm inviting hole before rocking his hips back. Gods... He doesn't think he'll last long, overwhelmed with his need for her. How gorgeous she is coming undone beneath him. He lets go of her leg briefly, removing her hand from her mouth. "Please, my love. I need to see you." He whispers, returning his hand to her leg. She scrunches up her nose as she looks away, feeling so full from his thrusts.
"Can, can I ride you?" She asks in between cries. He nods laughing softly to himself, reluctant to pull out. He's feeling more alive now, invigorated. She smiles up at him, kissing him quickly, following as he lies on his back. Before she mounts him, she assesses him, staring deeply into his eyes. "We can stop if you want."
He shakes his head, guiding her hips down. "I don't want to." He smiles, kissing her valid worries away.
She whines as he thrusts inside, stretching her again. He doesn't want to give her room to doubt. She saw his familiar face distant look creeping in despite his best efforts. His fingertips gently massage her ass, feeling her tail swipe back and forth between his legs. Her hands rest on his shoulders, her ass rocking back against his thighs.
"You're perfect. So perfect." He whispers as she lifts her hips slightly, trying to find a comfortable pace on her knees.
She rolls her eyes, trying to suppress the smile, moaning out instead. "You're so... Handsome." She replies quickly, feeling his grip tighten on her hips.
His brow quirks up as he smirks, "Oh, go on." He slowly takes over the pace, finding a comfortable rhythm.
She squirms above him, trying to handle his languid thrusts while trying to answer his question, gasping every time he fully sheathes her. "Ah... The Gods took their time... When creating you..." She barely can make out her compliment as he varies his speed, watching as her face contorts with ecstasy.
"They really did, darling, but..." He quickens his thrusts, delighted with himself when her tail wraps around his shin for leverage against his relentless strokes. "I think you could do better."
She whimpers, her nails digging into his shoulders, her breasts bouncing between her arms. "Fuck. Astarion. Please." Her stomach tenses from the immense pleasure. He groans with her, her warm walls clenching around his cock. Her moans become his favorite song, his name on her lips only increasing his need for her. He focuses on the pain from her nails digging into his skin, pounding as hard as he can as she loses her grip, laying on top of him as she cries into his neck. 
He slows, giving her a chance to catch her breath, edging her as she rocks her hips, slowly riding him. She sits up after a moment, her eyes still closed as she tries to get more comfortable on her knees after the pummeling. He closes his eyes, enjoying her taking her time, his cock nestled deep inside, his tip pressing against her c-spot. She squirms again as she tries her best to ride him, her legs shaking. He smiles up at her, her brown skin with a soft sheen of sweat.
"Every time I move, I get so overwhelmed." She says quickly, turning her head away from him as she rocks her hips. She glances down at him through her lashes, checking to see if he's still present.
His eyes are hungry as he digs his fingers into her skin, starting to take over the pace again. "My love, I am lost in your pleasure. Those beautiful brown orbs hypnotize me." He starts his thrusts again, her eyes shut tight, her tail gripping him hard. She leans down, wrapping her arms around him as she comes undone above him, his name sung to the heavens. She tosses her head back as she holds herself still against his thrusts. She makes fists against his chest, her orgasm taking her vision. 
He's proud of himself, feeling her contract and gush around him. Her pleasure belongs just to him, no one else. He moans with her, not giving her time to relax this time as he leans up, wrapping her in an embrace as he buries his head in her neck, sucking on the sensitive skin. He grinds against her in this new position, panting against her hot skin. He lifts his hips against her, rutting against her, his tip convulsing inside.
She's too perfect, too close to the sun and like some mortal flying close, he dares try, unafraid of burns. He almost bites her neck out of habit, to eat and spill his seed as he's done for the past centuries. He stops himself, giving her soft unhurried kisses along her neck and chest, as he twitches inside with each thrust. He is so used to going as fast as he can once he feels himself about to cum. Always a race, but he takes his time, feeling more sensitive each time he thrusts inside.
The urge to relentlessly pound her does wash over him, but he keeps at it, her moans cheering him on. He tenses each time her ass comes flush against his skin, nostrils flaring. "Sarnarei..." He whimpers her name, his hands wrapping around her back. "I love you. I..."
She doesn't say it back, not having a chance as she feels his engorged tip pressing against her cervix. She holds him close to her chest as he pants, his body contracting as he holds his hips up, his cock erupting deep inside of her womb.
Neither of them says anything, their haggard breaths and soft sighs fill the silence. Her fingers massage his damp scalp while the others make a small circular pattern on his shoulder. If he could sleep, he would. He would sleep for eternity in her arms. He glances up at her after a moment, a sleepy smile on his face. She returns the sleepy smile, too tired to check him over and assess him. "I love you too," She finally replies, her voice hoarse.
She moves from his lap, letting his now flaccid cock slip out. She whimpers, missing the fullness. Astarion rolls his eyes as he pulls her into a cuddle, staring up at the wooden ceiling. "I was so nervous before..." He admits, laughing to himself.
"Nervous?" She asks, worries lining her face.
"I know. How could I be nervous about something as easy as this." His voice is light but his expression serious as he glances down at his partner. "I wanted you. Craved you. I starved and you brought me back to life. I felt so connected." The worries disappear as she kisses his shoulder. "I still will need more time before we make this a regular occurrence again."
Sarnarei traces another mindless pattern on his chest, nodding. "Take all the time you need. I'll always be here. You know I won't mind." Her smile is warm and understanding. Always so understanding.
He lifts her face towards his, the chaste kiss deepening as he pulls her closer, his thigh brushing against her still swelling clit. She whimpers against his mouth, breaking the kiss. "I can still tease though," Astarion says cheekily.
"Don't tease me too much. I don't know if I can go again." She whines hiding her face.
"Well, in that case, we should probably go down to see this comedian."
Sarnarei grimaces as she lifts her head, feeling exhausted. "We could just stay here."
Astarion nips her neck playfully. "There's too much temptation in this bed... Come, let's go have some fun, my sweet. We can always see where the night takes us." He picks her up with ease, her giggles erupting from her chest as he leads them to the bath to clean up.
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allykatsart · 30 days
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It's other anon and yes yes yes, please more about Peccantum and his life! I know authors often don't think their OCs are interesting for audience, but I'm pretty sure there's plenty of people here, who'd like to know more abt him;
Also I'm bad at coming with specific questions, since I'm interested in literally any info lol, may be more about his day-to-day life in the Hotel, if that's not too broad? Like, what he does while working, like, his duties etc, do he sometimes leave Hotel to go to the city for smth, where he spends most of his free time when alone (except for working on paranoid theories abt Alastor) and when with others (except science fun with Pentious), how his room looks, may be what group activities (like those trust exercises was in ep 3) likes/dislikes? (i think this is already too much lol, srry in advance, ofc any amount of ifo would be cool ^^" )
(also, want to add that I really like his design - he's cute, but also obviously a serious and kinda tragic character even if only judge by appearance)
Who is Peccantum?
💜❤️❤️💜❤️❤️❤️💜❤️💜❤️❤️❤️ thank youuuuuuuuu!!!!! I love my boi dearly and I'm happy to answer questions about him!
Tbh I am a little hesitant to post stuff on him. It feels incredibly self indulgent and I always worry I'll not be respectful to the canon characters. I've been really surprised at the reaction to him though! Usually you only get like 10 likes max when posting OC stuff. Thanks for all the love tho! 💜
There's a lot here so I'ma take it point by point below!
Peccantum's Duties
Peccantum is the bellhop, but it's more of a title than anything. Mostly he helps out with whatever is asked of him. He helps out Nifty with cleaning when she can't reach spots. He makes sure Fat Nuggets gets fed when Angel is in the studio for hours on end. He cleans up the bar for Husk when the former overlord is uh.... Not functioning and unable to.
Peccantum has also taken it upon himself to do most of the grocery shopping. The hotel crew takes turns cooking, but Peccantum really enjoys when it is his turn. Cooking is one of the few skills outside of magic that he's proud of!
Other than that, he's basically another set of hands to help wherever needed!
Peccantum's Room
For his hard work, and because his shitty, piss stained apartment is on the other side of the Pentagram, Peccantum has a room in the hotel! Technically this makes him a guest, but he always claims that he just works for Alastor, and Alastor wants him on call.
His room in the hotel is nice. Better than the crap studio apartment that he was barely able to afford. Yes, there's bugs, but after a few months Peccantum has his room looking nice. He even starts collecting bits of furniture that others have discarded, and personalizes it with enchantments. Slowly, the space starts to feel like it's 'his'.
The ceiling looks like outer space, a foggy mist of an incantation dotted with white stars and galaxies. Constalations shift and weave themselves in and out of existence. Golden suns burn bright until they turn red and swallow planets whole. When he has trouble sleeping, Peccantum will spend hours getting lost in that night sky...
One wall is covered in a red, plush curtain. Specifically, it's his 'Stalker wall' and Peccantum tries to hide it, just in case a certain Radio Demon comes into his room. When he's very stressed, Peccantum will fling the curtains wide open and start obsessively reorganizing his 'evidence'.
The City
Peccantum goes to the city for three things. To get groceries, to run an errand, or go visit his old neighborhood. Not any old friends, the closest thing he had to a friend was the cafe owner he stole a recipe from, but the area does remind him of when he first allowed himself to be free. It's where he had the first taste of independence. It's nice to revisit when things are getting a bit too much.
Grocery shopping is always an interesting experience. Sure, on a month to month basis, Peccantum can be sure to go to the market at least once, but Alastor will sneak some uh... Suggestions onto the list that Peccantum has to go out of his way for. There have definitely been a visit or two to Rosie's to pick up an order for the Radio Demon.
The Activities
Peccantum doesn't like to participate in the hotel's trust exercises. He's technically only working there for Alastor, so there's no need for him to participate, right? Not wanting to hurt Charlie's feelings, he ducks out before they begin most of the time. (If Charlie catches him and asks him to stay, though, he has no choice in the matter. Polite requests from her are a weakness of his.)
That's not to say he doesn't bond with the other residents though, he just does it in his own way. With Pentious he's quick to befriend with curiosity and genuine interest. With Husk, he slowly forms a co-worker type of relationship. Angel gets a bit more suspicion, but after episode 4 Peccantum would be willing to be a bit more open with the spider. Nifty gets herself into a lot of trouble, and Peccantum and the others keep having to get her out of it.
It's slow going, but the hotel crew slowly learns to trust Peccantum.
Free Time
Peccantum really isn't used to having free time. He worked his ass off to survive for those seven years, doing what he had to do. But now that his safety is secure and he's got time on his hands... He's kind of lost. Alastor hasn't told him what to do in that time so... He's unsure.
Peccantum finds things though. He practices magic, he makes things with Pentious, he reads. After a month or two, he ends up taking an interest in an old radio he finds, and listens to the Radio Demon's broadcasts. For evidence, of course! (Partially because he actually enjoys the music lol)
And sometimes... He uses that free time to further his own goals.
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ladybugpowermakeup · 16 days
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Okay. Okay. Hear me out. Because I'm Greek mythology trash.
An Odyssey AU for Miraculous Ladybug. Think about it. Adrien is the most Odysseus character I've ever seen. Fake piano playing? Hiding in a fountain? I mean, it practically writes itself. And Marinette as Penelope is equally as perfect - she creates, but she's smart enough to pull it all apart at the end of the day.
Now here is where things get a little strange: Telemachus. Being an avid MLB fanfiction reader (and ignoring all of seasons 4 and 5), I'm very well aware that Adrienette's kids are supposedly going to be Louis, Hugo, and Emma. Now tell me, what could Emma be short for? That's right, Telemachus. So hear me out - Adrien was drafted into the war *Before* Emma was born, so he never knew he had a daughter and his last request for his child was to name them Telemachus. But when she was born a girl, she was nicknamed Emma. Hugo and Louis don't exist in this version, obviously.
So we have our main family, what about everyone else? Well, we have Adrian's two crewmates, Polites and Eurilochus. Or in this case, Nino and Felix. Nino is his friend who fought at his side and is tragically killed along the ride back, causing Adrian to go into a spiral of grief, whereas Felix is his somewhat suspicious and angry second in command who can't understand why Adrien is being so reckless with his own life and that of the crew to get back to his wife and child. So eventually he starts straight up sabotaging the trip to try and get through to Adrien, which doesn't ever work because when Adrien is in love, he doesn't notice other people.
As for the people they meet on their travels:
Circe is Lila - this one feels pretty self explanatory, except for the fact that Lila would never care that much about the nymphs around her, so I'm thinking she lives alone on the island and basically functions as a non-water siren - she draws men in with comfort and beauty and then turns them into pigs.
The wind god Aeolus is just Trixx - they're weird and whimsical and would absolutely give someone a bag of wind with the word "gold" written on it.
Calypso is Chloe, left there alone on this island for "protection" from her overbearing father, a minor deity. Again, this just kind of makes sense in my brain. And she gets a little bit of a redemption when she finally willingly lets Adrien go home.
When the crew of the ship go down into the underworld, they meet "Tyresius", who in this case is Master Fu. Weird cryptic old wise guy who's maybe dead? Yeah. That fits.
And finally we have the deities themselves. Like I said, Trixx is already accounted for, so we have three main ones - Posideon, Athena, and Hermes.
Posideon is most definitely ShadowMoth - not really any meaning behind this, we're just making him mysterious and powerful and angry at Adrien for seemingly no reason. But he's doing his best to keep this man from reaching home, possibly because early in the journey, Adrien was instrumental in killing a sentimonster, which canonically is kind of a piece of the creator.
Athena and Hermes are two of a pair - Tikki and Plagg, obviously. Wisdom and trickery, sounds just about right to me.
Anyway, this has been on my brain. Enjoy the weird crossover! If you do anything with it, please tag me!
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flythesail · 1 month
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If the show had Drewson endgame, I think I would still want to see them break up in season 1. Season 1 Nancy seems very not ready for a relationship to me, so I think it would have been neat if we got to see Nancy grow a little as a person, then realize how great Nick is and how close they’ve gotten, and then have them get back together in a later season—but not too late! Late season 2 or sometime in season 3 maybe. I think it’s such a waste that the show was started with Drewson and then they pretty much never acknowledge it again after s1! Anyway sorry for sharing my ramblings here
Yeah, me too! Though I personally wouldn't have them get back together until late s3 or s4 because I love drawing out a relationship haha. I think if you're going to start a show with a couple established, break them up, and have them reunite to be endgame, *the* key thing is developing their relationship along the way. I hate nothing more than throwing a couple back together at the end just because "they were always meant to be" when nothing was done to further develop their relationship past the reasons they broke up.
Nancy and Nick, however, had some good growth over the four seasons even no longer being romantic. If they had been endgame, they easily could have played that up more for a satisfying reunion. It's fun to do it that way too because when you have a couple together at the start, you miss out on the slowburn. Yet this way you kinda get the best of both in a reverse sort of way.
Now, drewson to me seems like a case of right person, wrong time. I think s4 made that clear to me because they work well on screen together and after some individual character development, they'd have been a lot more equipped to work through their issues. Earlier I'd probably have been like oh no they wouldn't have worked just because I was more invested in fanson and nace. But rewatching after the show is over I've really been loving looking at all the what-ifs. And I love Nick and Nancy too so... !
On the topic of closure, I just rewatched 1x13 and the one thing that stood out to me is that The Whisper Box is far from closure for Nancy re: Nick. Later when they're all back at the Claw, you can tell she's almost ready, even wanting, to open up to him. But by that point fanson is developing so she's missed her window.
I suppose there is some focus on it from s2 up until 3x01. In 2x01 everyone's reminiscing about the day they met. 2x04 has Nancy acknowledge she never knew he took stuff apart as a kid (leading to his mechanic job). Nick says she never asked. The idea being now they're building the foundation for a relationship they didn't before. So I'd agree Nancy wasn't ready for a relationship in early s1. The issues she had with Nick weren't even necessarily unique to a romantic relationship. Nancy was having the same issue letting the entire crew into her life.
Back to Nick, though. I think 2x18 could be considered closure. In the dreamscape:
"But you can't give in to it, cause you did feel okay again. Right?"
"You were a part of that. That's why it hurt so much when you chose George." "But I'm still here with you." "Thanks for still being my friend."
But! The problem is this is dreamscape!Nick. So he never gets to hear it.
Then, by 3x01 it's clear Nancy is at peace with it all. She tells Nick she likes the green when he's picking a paint color (George's color, specifically).
So I wouldn't say they don't acknowledge drewson after s1, but they mostly do in a roundabout way where it's either in Nancy's head or just symbolism to show she's happy for him and George now. I suppose if the dreamscape is *the* closure, it's on par with the rest of the show. It's not the only time something happens in a "supernatural" way. The downside is that it just doesn't include Nick and is more for Nancy.
My one thought is maybe they'd have given them a more direct conversation if we didn't drop down to 13 episodes. Or, if they knew s4 was the final season prior to the very end of making it. But then again, I can also see why they wouldn't have prioritized it since by s2 fanson was well established and nace was starting to be intentionally written.
Regardless of closure, I think they have a really beautiful relationship. Sure, they break up early on. But by s4 they've become to each other as friends what they needed to be back then for a lasting relationship.
(Please don't apologize for rambling because I just did the sameeee exact thing haha.)
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hootgrowlhootgrowl · 6 months
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I need these men to talk. I need Stede to take his own advice and not fucking bottle it up. There are so many insecurities and misconceptions between them and they need to start at the beginning, they need to talk about why Stede left (and why he came back)!
Both Mary and Ed referred to him returning home as a whim and i think that's unfair. 'Whim' implies a certain amount of carelessness and shallowness, which I feel doesn't apply to what happened. Stede had been feeling immense amounts of guilt about abandoning his family the entire season (which he didn't talk about or try to work through at all), then he caused the death of another person after being told he ruins everything he touches, then he walked all the way back to his house and it was clear he wasn't all there. He didn't just wake up that night and decide 'you know what? I'm not interested in Ed anymore and I'd rather go back to my wealth and nice things and pretty wife.' Like yeah, it wasn't planned, but I don't think it's fair to call psychological trauma a whim.
And Ed needs to know this! Have they talked about this at all? Does he know anything about what Stede went through that night? Does he know that Stede and Mary were so happy separated but so miserable together that she tried to murder him? That it was after Mary helped him realize how much he loved Ed and how much happier he was that he decided to leave? That he renounced his title, his land, his money, faked his own death, burned any bridges back to his old life to find Ed again? That he gave up everything he had not for piracy or the crew, but for Ed?!
If they would just fucking talk to each other about the actual important shit, how they both feel like they've ruined each other and aren't good enough for each other and like the other loves a version themselves that they don't want to be. I loved the kiss scene in ep 5 and the 'let's take it slow' not because I felt like that in itself was the paragon of communication, but because it implied further communication. It implied they would have the big conversations, but they're both trying to move past everything because they're too scared to be emotionally vulnerable about their insecurities with each other.
Initially I thought it was good they were staying together while working stuff out, but now I feel like maybe a couple weeks apart would be really good for them and give them time to think about what needs to happen and what needs to be shared for this relationship to move forward. Also, Ed's been through a lot of shit the past week, maybe some actual alone time would really do him good.
Best case scenario for me at this point is the season ends with Ed and Stede sitting together after all the action and Ed holds his hand and says "Stede, I love you and want to be with you, but I think we need to talk about our shit first." And Stede squeezes his hand and says, "I think you might be right." And then the camera pans away from them with a slightly open but hopeful ending.
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lihikainanea · 7 months
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I know you have had a little writers block and not much time to write but in case this can inspire more tiger and Bill hear goes. So Bill is working on a movie that is a mess. He took the job because because he really loved the director, but lets so with rewrites and other politics that director quit. Bill was still in a contracted he could not easily get out out and he did not want to quit something he had already put work into.
Filming finally started back up with a new script and he was doing his best to make his character believable. But his neppo-baby co-star was not helping. Of course he was also considered a neppo-baby by the US press but he did not think he was not a brat like this woman. She wanted to change things in the script. She wanted special foods and no one could talk to her unless she was officially on set. He could not even get her to go over lines or how he could respectfully touch her during scenes since they were playing a couple.
He of course talked though things with Tiger as much as he thought he could but this was a very tough shoot. He would come home late and only get about 6 hours before having to be back on set.
His mind is wheeling one night when he has to do a love scene with this awful girl the next day. Tiger calms him enough for him to fall asleep. His brain has other ideas to fix the thoughts he has about the next day. He dreams of actually having an affair with awful girl. And the sex is just....he wakes in cold sweat. He was moaning in his sleep and he can not even look at Tiger. And boy does he not want to go to work that day either.
Ohhhhh I like this.
Look, I mean, with how many films actors do--every once in awhile, they must work with fellow castmates that they just hate. Abhor. Their hatred is so thinly veiled that it's incredibly palpable to the crew onset, but thankfully things rarely ever make it to the press because of NDAs and big ass scary lawyers and the like. But every once in awhile--we, the ever little-seeing public--we get wind of it. Think Don't Worry Darling. The drama surrounding that production, for the so many reasons it seems to entail, was just--unf, chef kiss to those of us that still love the thrill of a little celebrity drama.
And I'm sure Bill, in all of his perfectionist nature, was also hated on a few sets. His perfectionist nature. His insistence on trying the scene 100 different ways, for 100 different takes, until he was satisfied. Not everyone performs to that calibre nor do they hold themselves accountable to such lofty expectations as that big swedish talking tree, but that's just who he is. That's how he works.
But y'know, I'd even venture to say that it's quite rare that Bill actually likes his castmates and fellows actors he works with. That's not to say that he hates their guts--not at all. But rather he's just pretty...ambivalent about the whole thing. Neutral. He's the Switzerland of film sets. He's a pretty private person in general, a pretty guarded individual, and for him this is a job. Onscreen chemistry is far more important than actual chemistry in this line of work, and he's able to separate the two. He can have great onscreen chemistry with someone that he's not super friendly with, and he doesn't feel any inclination to add the to the inner workings of his closest social circle. Beers after a long day on set is one thing, the occasional celebratory dinner, gifts for the make up and costume crew. Getting to know everyone on a first name basis. But beyond that, Bill is more than happy to go back to his trailer between takes, or go back to his apartment at the end of the day, and cook dinner with tiger or have drinks with some of his friends who flew out to spend a few days with him.
And on that note, he's probably had to work with a lot of actors that he really doesn't like. People who either take themselves way too seriously (Bill thinks method acting is the most ridiculous fucking thing anyone could ever do), or the opposite--people who don't take this seriously at all. And if you call Bill a nepo baby to his face you'll likely be tackled violently from stage left by tiger--but it's also why he's ultra sensitive about those nepo baby actors who don't have any talent, and don't even have the work ethic to build it up.
It's still like pulling teeth to get Bill to admit that his laast name opened up a few doors for him, but he'll also be the first to admit that his initial acting jobs weren't....uh, they weren't great. But he worked at it, he honed his craft, he worked his ass off, and now nobody can say the opportunities he's gotten have been handed to him.
But y'know, the thought of nepotism--well, it doesn't really bother some people.
And maybe on a recent film set, Bill is living in his version of hell. His love interest in the film is a girl in her young to mid-twenties, the type who grew up with two famous parents and all of a sudden decided she wanted to act--so roles were handed to her. Bill's not quite sure how she even got the job given how their chemistry read went, with Bill nearly glaring daggers at her the whole time. She's just the type of person he can't stand. She's loud about everything. She comes with an entourage to everything. It's always over the top, all the time. She never learns her lines. She doesn't give him anything to work with in a scene, reciting her lines like a robot and not leaving anything to improv, natural reactions. She needs a million takes for one scene--not because she's a perfectionist--but because she forgot her lines, or didn't listen to the notes the director gave her. Bill is pretty convinced this entire film could have shot in half the time if she'd just be a little bit of a fucking professional about it.
The whole thing irks him at first, then just pisses him right the hell off shortly after. She's late for the call time, when the other actors are sitting in the transport car well before the ass crack of dawn waiting for her to come out her house. She comes into the makeup trailer blasting her music and yelling along with her entourage, while Bill is reviewing his scene changes and trying to get his head into his character for the day--they knock over his coffee, get in everyone's way, and just never shut the fuck up. Her friends--and her--are all filming all the time, and Bill spends most of his time between takes trying to dodge ending up on someone's instagram or tiktok.
But y'know, it's just so pitifully ironic that the only scene this girl is keen to rehearse--a little too keen, actually--are any of the kissing scenes, or the sex scenes. And with one scheduled in just a few days time, this little nepo baby has been all over Bill trying to find proper times--evenings, of course, with a little wine to loosen up--for them to uh, practice. Bill's gag reflex has been barely contained.
And like, tiger bears the brunt of his rants at the end of every filming day. Whether it's 2AM or 2AM or anywhere in between, he always FaceTimes her when he wraps the day and tiger always thinks that vein in his neck is real damn close to bursting.
"She just...she doesn't get it tiger," he rants, pausing to take a drag of his cigarette, "This is a fucking joke to her. This is my job, my profession, and it's a fucking joke to her."
"Has anyone told her?" she asks, "Maybe she needs to be called out on it."
"Her dad's studio is partially funding this one," Bill exhales, the camera shaking as he continues to walk.
"You're fucked then," tiger smiles sadly. Bill just makes a frustrated noise before continuing to rant for the next hour.
And like, maybe tiger goes to visit him on set right? And she's not it before, the whole rehearsing an upcoming steamy scene with him--but wait wait, I'm getting ahead of myself here.
So, tiger visits him on set and sees firsthand what a fucking nightmare this girl is. Tiger spends most of her time in his trailer but somehow, she still has to dodge what feels like a million cameras all linked to a hundred different kinds of social media, all from her entourage. They ain't shy about questions that are none of their damn business either--shit like who she is, how she knows Bill, what she's doing there.
"I'm his bodyguard," she cracks, except tiger is kind of scary when she's pissed off and she's not really blinking so suddenly the gaggle of girls don't really know what to think.
In any case, tiger can definitely see why Bill has been so pissed off lately. Everything is a joke to this girl, she doesn't take anything seriously, and suddenly she's just real excited about the scenes coming up in a few days.
"We should practice tonight!" she says gleefully, as both her and Bill are sitting in the makeup trailer getting all un-done after the day. Tiger quirks a brow from the back of the room where she's playing with one of the other actor's dogs.
"No thanks," Bill says immediately.
"You can come by, I'll get some wine, we can loosen up."
"No," he says again.
"We need to rehearse," she continues, "We need to practice."
"I've had enough practice."
And thankfully one of the make up artists--tiger makes a note to give her a big hug after--one of the make up artists sees every single hair on Bill's neck stand up.
"Bill, sorry--can you stop talking? It's getting the make up caught in the creases and making it hard to remove," she says kindly. Bill gives her a wide smile.
"Sure, sorry," he says softly.
And that's the end of that.
But like, look. It's plain as day. Bill is chainsmoking. He didn't sleep that night, he just rants and rants at how repulsed he is, and how much he's dreading the next 1.5 weeks worth of scenes. Tiger does her best to distract him--keeps his whisky glass full, hell she even gets him in the sauna and sucks his soul out from his dick just to try and get his mind off it. But the sun rises the next morning as much as we sometimes wish it wouldn't, and Bill has to go to work.
I'll be waiting for you in your trailer bud," tiger says reassuringly, "Remember, you can take as many breaks as you need."
But y'know, here's the thing. Bill is getting through it, because he's a goddamned professional. Is he having fun? No. Does he hate every second of it? Yes. But it's not that. It doesn't take him long to figure out that this girl...she's purposely fucking up the scenes, just so they have to do them again. And again. And again. The scene where he has to push her up again a wall, rip her shirt open, and kiss the hell out of her? Somehow, that scene took the entire day to shoot. 57 takes.
The actual sex scene, him on top of her, both of them wearing nothing but tiny little pasties? Somehow, that took two entire days to shoot. More than 100 takes.
On any set that Bill has been on, things like that could usually be shot in anywhere from 4-6 takes--maybe half a day, depending on lighting and equipment needs.
Bill was livid. He drew the line initially and demanded a closed set, after she brought her entire entourage to watch that day. It took a lot of negotiating, but Bill wasn't budging on it.
And every single day that Bill went to set and have to film that, when he'd get home--man, he took it out on tiger. The poor girl was ravaged. Bill just needed her, needed to completely wreck her, just to get the taste and feel and everything of that other pain in the ass as far away from him as possible.
But y'know, Bill's mind is a cruel place.
And maybe its triggered by something small. He has a long day on set so tiger goes shopping, and when he comes back to his rented apartment she has some stuff strewn everywhere and Bill spots a shirt on the bed. His blood boils.
"What the fuck is this?" he marches over to it, holding it up.
"It's....my new shirt?" tiger says cautiously, "I thought it was cute."
"Get rid of it tiger," he snaps. He grabs his lighter from his pocket, flicking it open and holding it to the shirt.
"Okay whoa," tiger jumps, grabbing the shirt from him, "Easy bud. What's going on."
"She has this shirt," he seethes, "I don't ever want to see it on you."
"Ah," tiger says, "Right. You won't see it again bud."
"Promise?" he puts the lighter away.
"Promise.
But it's enough to just...kickstart some part of Bill's brain that should have stayed dormant. And that night, he drifts off to sleep with tiger in his arms and his thumb in her mouth--except he dreams of her. And it's ~spicy~. A stupid ass, unreasonable sex dream that felt really good. Amazing sex, actually, and from the noises he was making tiger wasn't sure if he was in pain or having the time of his life but the piece of plywood digging in to her back gave her a small inclination.
That is, until he woke up and all but shoved her away with enough force that she almost went tumbling off the bed.
"Bill!" she shrieked, but he was already scratching at his skin and lightly smacking his own face.
"No no no no no," he muttered, "No no no god fuck no."
"Bud?"
His eyes snap to hers and they're wild, pupils huge, his hair sticking up all over the place and his chest heaving.
"You," he says, out of breath, "Here. Now."
"What--"
"Now."
And tiger doesn't have time to do anything before two long arms wrap around her waist and haul her up with force, slamming her into his chest.
"Fuck me," he growls into her neck.
"What?" tiger's still trying to get her wits about her because a second ago she was asleep and comfy and now this wild ass enraged beast has his hands all over her and she can't quite keep up.
A hard spank lands on her ass and she squeals a little, but then he has his fist balled in her hair and his teeth biting at her neck.
"Fuck me," he growls again, "Fuck me into next fucking week."
"Bill, what the hell is going--"
But then suddenly she's in the air, and then she's pinned under his body as he looms--big and scary and totally wild--above her.
"Tiger, I just had a dream about her," he snaps, "And now you need to get it the fuck out of my head so that I never have to see it again. So I'm only going to ask you one more time."
He yanks her head back, licking up her neck before biting down hard on her earlobe. His other hand cups her harshly through her panties and she gasps.
"Fuck me," he growls.
Tiger is all too happy to oblige.
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machihunnicutt · 2 months
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Ahh, I don't think I've ever prompted you for anything, which is a crime!! A long long time ago you wrote punnihawk, and idk if it's still your bag, so if it's not or if you're not taking prompts anymore, feel free to ignore this :) But if it is and you are, I'd love to see 'cuddles to trap the other' with them.
HELLO! yes! feels like a million years ago, my first mash fic :')
19. cuddles to trap the other
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re a sensational dancer?” Hawkeye said. 
Peg was leaning on him a little, the side of her face pressed just below the collar of his crew neck. She was already dressed for going out, apart from her feet, which were without their customary heels. He’d adjusted his posture to account for the height disparity: shoulders hunched, knees slightly bent, palms at her shoulder and waist. 
Dancing with Beej required different adjustments. Hawk had to be more cautious with his feet. BJ was prone to getting distracted and treading on them. It was easier to maintain eye contact, though, since they were nearly the same height. And when Beej was feeling confident, sometimes he led. 
“I think you told me, the other day. Though maybe you said terrific, not sensational,” Peg said.
He’d begged her for a dance. Peg and Beej were going to one of the hospital’s frequent fundraising galas. It was an excuse to dress up, get a little tipsy, and talk to people—all things Hawkeye enjoyed, when he was in the right mood. 
Unfortunately he’d just gotten off a double shift, after an extraordinarily hectic week, and was more or less dead on his feet. He was exhausted in that slap happy, clingy, sore to be missing out way. Peg took pity on him.
Hawkeye could smell her perfume: light, floral, her special occasion scent, in the little blue bottle on her dresser. He and Beej had picked it out together. 
Visits to the perfume counter always gave Beej headaches. He’d persevere—eyes closed, bridge of his nose pinched, hint of a smile on his lips—while Hawk held up testers. 
“You know, we’re all going to smell like this,” Hawkeye had said, fingers grazing the inside of BJ’s wrist. 
Their shoulders brushed. It was raining outside. Inside, it smelled like damp hair, like Peg’s lavender shampoo, in the big bottle, to share. 
BJ opened his eyes. “Then we ought to pick something that complements your aftershave,” he said.
“You move like a dream,” Hawkeye said, shifting his weight, leaning into her as much as she was leaning into him.
Peg was stronger than she looked. She’d held him upright a time or two. 
She laughed. Hawkeye loved her laugh. When she really got going, she got the hiccups. The first time it had happened, Hawk had been bowled over with affection. They’d been out, all three of them, finishing their drinks outside a café. He and Beej had a spectacular comedy routine going. He couldn’t remember the jokes now. He’d been a little drunk, maybe, and in good company, which made everything funny.
When she laughed, some of her white wine came out her nose. Hawk passed her his handkerchief. Beej rubbed her back, at the space between her shoulder blades. He met Hawkeye’s eyes, across the cluttered table. He leaned back in his seat and crossed his long legs. 
“Don’t get big heads,” Peg said, after drinking deeply from her water glass, and then Hawk’s (leaving lipstick on the rim). 
The record they had on lapsed into staticky silence and Peg drew back.
“A good dream, I hope,” she said, smoothing the wrinkles from her dress.
BJ came into the room, holding up two ties. “I can’t decide,” he said. He frowned at Hawk. “You’re supposed to be in bed.”
“The purple one,” Hawkeye said, as Peg ushered him toward the mattress. 
“Erin’s sleeping over at Angie’s. I gave her the number at the club just in case, so no need to listen for the phone. Just get some sleep,” Peg said.
She pulled back the covers and kissed his forehead. 
“Don’t step on her feet, Beej,” Hawkeye said.
BJ was flipping up his collar and tying his purple tie. He looked nice in his well tailored suit, with the cufflinks Hawk had bought him for his birthday. 
He raised his eyebrows. “I’ll try my absolute hardest,” he said. 
Peg brushed some lint off his lapel.
“I know you will. We should call the cab. I hate showing up late to these things,” she said.
Hawkeye watched the two of them, lingering by the door. They’d wanted to skip the gala and stay in, with him, but he’d talked them into going. It seemed an awful shame to keep the Hunnicutts from a party.
“We’ll duck out early, Hawk,” BJ said.
Hawkeye opened his arms wide. 
“Kiss me goodbye, at least,” he said.
They didn’t need to be asked twice. They lay down on either side of him and Hawk was briefly distracted by the mingling of their warmth and scents and limbs. BJ kissed him and then Peg kissed him (gentler, to avoid smudging her lipstick).
“On second thought, I can get dressed and come with you,” Hawkeye said, eyes half-lidded. “I’m not as tired as I seem. I promise.”
BJ pressed a kiss to his hair. “Nice try,” he said.
Hawkeye rolled onto his side and tucked his face to Beej’s chest, breathing deeply. He was right. Beej smelled like Peg’s perfume.
 Her hands were at Hawk’s waist. She tucked her chin over his shoulder. 
“Well, I’ve trapped you here now,” Hawkeye said.
“Or we’ve trapped you, darling,” Peg said, in that dreamy, soothing tone she used when she read Erin bedtime stories. 
“We’ll be home before you know it,” BJ said.
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