#And it wasn't the greatest combination | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

dnangelic · 4 months

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tbh it's kind of interesting to me that dark always wanted a merge and completely rejected krad's idea of keeping daisuke's body for himself. there's the obvious reasons as to why like dark simply Not Wanting to be Krad and loathing operating at all as an 'infection' forcefully taking over their bodies and completely erasing the hikari's selves--- hiwatari's 'if a shadow is behind the circle, then you have a hole' (if the shadow is within the circle, you have a full sphere,) line comes to mind, throw in the whole dark is love / krad is sorrow thing, and you get the idea that 'grief and intense unregulated sorrow doesn't just take something away from you, but also makes you lose parts (or sometimes the whole) of yourself,' but then what does that say for dark? love and desire can change you into something you are, but aren't? (in both a healthy, and also very ominous and unhealthy way, of course.) had dark and any of his hosts actually 'become one' wouldn't you end up with a brand new third entity, a literal composite? my intrigue comes the most from the way that dark at least superficially behaves in such an intensely independent way, but then between stealing for half-selfless reasons, his miserable history, the way he outright desperately doesn't want to be forgotten even if he thinks poorly of himself as a bad person and yet also avoids/excises himself from so many intimacies --- was he really willing and interested in becoming one with his hosts even if it meant getting rid his old, individual self?? for all his bravado and natural arrogant personality, all the signs pretty much point to dark and dark alone wanting to merge so that he'd either be 'better' as a person, more suitable as a real, proper human being, and/or so that he wouldn't have to be, (or rather, keep being,) alone???

#*･ﾟ⊰ 𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐒. ⊱ ✦ › OUT.#this is definitely how im writing him at least. dnangel is too friendship don't leave me alonecore #dark has. the range #he loves himself he hates himself he's the greatest ever he's lower than the low ✨#dark was born perfect and also his existence is a massive mistake in MistaKE #he wants what he can never ever obtain for as long as he's only himself for so long he's been trapped in stagnancy #it's only daisuke that gets him to change!!!#this got longer than i expected #when rlly its just 'ud think dark would act more like krad almost.'#ud think hed be the more belligerent one. the one who wants to violently take over his host's bodies rather than just #combine with them at all and potentially dilute/lose himself in the process 🧍‍♂️#either dark thought it was completely worth it bc he'd have everything he wanted even if he wasn't necessarily fully 'there' for it #or he thinks so lowly of himself that in his eyes. in his truest opinion. his hosts are always better than him #poto erikcore #'i can't go on living like this like a mole in a cellar i'm sick of it i'm sick of it'#either way. hes been suffering bigtime til daisuke

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radiance1 · 6 months

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Danny hates John Constantine.

Well, he doesn't him, but he does hate whenever Constantine needs him.

Each and every summon was just... not ideal, for him at least.

He was summoned while he was about to go sleep.

Summoned when he was asleep.

Summoned when he was going to the bathroom.

Summoned when he was using the bathroom.

Summoned while he was getting ready to take a bath.

Summoned when he was in a bath.

Summoned while in the middle of undressing/redressing.

Summoned while getting attacked by living food.

Summoned when he was about to fall flat on his face.

You know, very embarrassing things.

The most recent time he was summoned was the most embarrassing he's ever been seen though.

He was currently hiding in one of his 'safehouses' from a run in with both his parents and the GIW, now normally, that wouldn't be a problem. Because both his healing factor, durability, and wit would usually get him off home free.

Not this time.

The GIW apparently had some new technology that, while experimental, was made specifically against ghost, and while that's basically most of their tech this one was... different.

Safe to say, he got hit more than one, and then for the first time since, well, forever he's had to run for his life. He managed to get away from them, trying to hold his wounds together with his hands and into an alleyway, that he planned to phase through to get to the nearest 'safe house' (that was really just an abandoned building with some medical supplies that he never needed to use) when his father found him.

He got shot, again, and fell to the floor. He looked at his father with an expression he doesn't even know, but he knew he was scared.

Whatever Jack Fenton saw that stalled him from shooting, and instead a pained look on his face, Danny would probably never know. But he took that time to phase through the wall and book it to the safe house.

Safe to say, he uh, wasn't having the greatest time.

He tried sewing up his wounds, and that wasn't the greatest thing, because his hands were shaky both from pain and feeling like he would faint, using alcohol was even worse, really. The black spots trying to cover his eyes made it harder to see where exactly he was sewing, but he would take that over nothing.

Plus, also, how he didn't know how to sew.

He managed to bandage up most of the major wounds, though it was sloppy as shit. He was just getting to the last one, which was a pretty massive one over his chest that he poured alcohol on.

His shaky hands made him spill far more than he intended, and he had to bite down on something to stop him from screaming. Maybe he shouldn't have done that.

His hands were shaking, but he just had to apply this last bandage, sloppy as it would be, and then he could somehow try and find his way home and then go out like a light.

Which made it unfortunate, that Constantine decided this would be the best time to summon him.

He hates being the ghost prince sometimes, this is one of those times.

He expected only Constantine, so imagine his surprise when he was standing (Oh shit he think he'll either puke, fall down, or both.) in front of way more than just Constantine.

He thinks Constantine said they were the Justice League or something? He doesn't really remember, both with the pain and taking in details from another dimension wasn't really his thing.

The room was extremely quite, so, so very quiet. Said quiet made Danny feel extremely uncomfortable, and fidgety under all of their combined gazes.

So he cracked a joke.

Not his best one, he would admit, but it was funny at least!

So why was he the only one laughing?

#dc x dp #dp x dc #dp x dc crossover #dpxdc #dcxdp #dc x dp crossover #ghost prince danny

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hotvintagepoll · 1 month

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Propaganda

Julie Andrews (The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins)—Oh where to start .... I'm not sure I even know how. She's just perfection. And it's not fair I can't bring post 70s work into this, because she just gets better and better, and her drag performance in to die for. But in the era I CAN talk about, she shows she has THE RANGE. Beautiful, feisty, funny, holding her own against Christopher Plummer, Paul Newman, Rock Hudson. Oh she's luminous.

Rocío Durcal (La chica del trébol, Más bonita que ninguna)— Her career spanned more than four decades and 50 albums and she successfully performed pop music, bolero, mariachi and romantic ballads. She was one of the greatest and most famous Hispanic singers of all time, widely successful in Mexico and Latin America, she earned the sobriquet of Reina de las Rancheras (Queen of Rancheras). This song: [link]

This is round 2 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Julie Andrews propaganda:

"She has such a simple but amazing beauty to her. Not to mention her amazing and melodic singing voice!"

"Roles like nannies and governesses can make us forget how attractive she was! A perfect combination of elegant and adorable, with the most incredible vocal range to boot!"

"Besides having one of the most amazing singing voices ever to grace the silver screen, Julie always had an understated beauty to her that wasn't always shown off on screen. But it's there nonetheless because her characters managed to pull some of the hottest men ever to grace the screen."

"The juxtaposition between carefree Maria and stern but fun Mary Poppins shows the power of the acting of this HOT VINTAGE MOVIE WOMAN"

"Charming, genteel, incredibly charismatic, beautiful, and has an angelic singing voice to boot. Her screen roles as Maria in The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins are absolutely iconic for a reason and she originated several well-known Broadway roles before those."

"the most beautiful woman 12 year old me had ever seen possibly"

"OMG OMG OMG she’s definitely been submitted before how could she NOT but!!!! I loveeee her so muchhhh rahhhh prebby!!!! cool!!!! mary poppins the beloved <33333 some people dislike it but I love jolly holiday so much because it IS a jolly holiday with Mary!!! no wonder that it’s Mary that we love!!!!!"

"I know many people who were taught in singing lessons "when in doubt, pronounce words how julie andrews would pronounce them." THATS CALLED INFLUENCE. THATS CALLED MOTHERING THOUSANDS."

#rocío dúrcal #julie andrews #hotvintagepoll #fuck that old woman #ladies 2

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trulyhblue · 4 months

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Home Away From Home

Lauren Hemp x Aussie! Reader

Warnings: fluff, but awkward.

A/N — I know Caroline Weir scored the two goals in the Man City game that I talk about, but I've changed it a bit :)

Masterlist

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Growing up in Australia was among the greatest privileges you had as a child.

Even in the midst of your career — a job you've dreamed of since you were little — your home soil was indescribable; nothing could beat the familiarity of home.

When the 2023 World Cup was announced to take place in Australia, you were feeling the effects of homesickness after six long months in Europe. You were signed by Manchester City at Nineteen, playing a critical midfield position after being a regular sub for your old club back in Australia. Your parents were sceptical of you leaving so early to such a big club. In no way were you prepared to face the challenges of adulthood as a whole other country, on the opposite side of the Earth.

You had only been playing for the Matildas for a couple of months when you were first signed to City, and it wasn't until the following year when your fellow Aussie teammates Alanna, and eventually Hayley and Mary, that you had the comfort of home to nurture you during rough patches.

Your family was your biggest supporter. Growing up, they sacrificed everything to meet the needs of their football journey. Your parents would leave early from work early to take you to training and surrender endless personal endeavours so that you could prosper in your dreams of going pro. You were very grateful for all that they had done, and as a result, their sacrifices became your motivation to be the best you could possibly be. You lived and breathed football. Everything revolved around football.

But when you moved to City, you found yourself stuck in a trance by a certain English Blonde.

For the most part, you kept to yourself at training. You didn't want to cause any trouble, and it seemed that most of the girls knew each other from youth squads, prior teams, or roommates at National Camps. You struggled to find your place in the squad at first. Being a relatively young team, you had lots of girls around your age, willing to be your friend, but the absence of home and lack of connection to the United Kingdom combined to make your personality shrink under a dismissive persona.

When Alanna joined City, you offered your apartment to her, having come from North London beforehand. Over the next months, you found comfort in the familiar Aussie accent, finding solace in the sliver of home you felt so distant to.

You still remained shy at training, trying hard and pushing out of your comfort zone every time someone had a conversation with you. Alanna found it hard to believe how introverted you were, having seen your confidence shine at Matilda’s Camps, and the Manchester Girls couldn't believe their ears when Alanna told them about how you were at home.

When Hayley came, you were smiling more. It wasn't that you weren't happy at City before the Australian girls arrived. You were thriving. In the 2020/21 season, you were dubbed as Young Player of The Year and had four ‘Player Of The Match’ awards under your belt. You worked extremely hard to make the starting eleven regularly, and people would often compliment your subtle but impressionable skills on the field. You weren't fast, but you were technical. You thought of the play that hadn't happened yet, shaping the game with unexpected yet calculated crosses. For two years, you had the second most assists in the WSL, merely missing Beth Mead.

In all honesty, the effects of having the reminder of home did help to boost your performance not only on the pitch but behind the scenes as well.

You can remember tapping your hands against the rim of your cubby, your home kit baggy on your figure. It was a very important game today — the final of the FA Women’s League Cup — against reigning champions Chelsea. You were starting, and your family had flown over to watch.

Your nerves upon walking out were tremendous. This was your first time starting in a final in the WSL. You don't remember a time you felt your hands shake this much. Alanna and Hayley were preparing for the match on either side of you, their faces impassive when both teams lined up in the tunnel of Cherry Rose Records Stadium.

Your heart was thumping out of your chest, palms sweating as you took your spot on the field.

When the whistle blew, you tuned everything out.

A powerful shot from Sam Kerr left Chelsea in the lead halfway through the first half. You tried hard to maneuver your way through the likes of Charles and Ingle, passing to Georgia and Keira as you struggled to pass Chelsea’s defence. Lucy was given a yellow which heightened the tension reeling in the stands. You buried the apprehensive bile rising in your stomach when the halftime whistle blew, signalling everyone to rush back to the changing rooms.

You placed your head in your hands, taking slow, desperate sips of your water bottle as you listened to the pep talks from all the players. Gareth Taylor, your manager, was shouting encouragement from across the room, staring into each and every one of your eyes, assuring the team that they could make a comeback.

“I want you to want this.” He said, circling the room with so much fervour that the room felt warmer. “I want to see the determination in your eyes. I want to see it in the tackles, the plays, the kicks, everything. The opportunities you making are good, they just need more precision.”

It was almost the start of the second half when Gareth asked for you, leading you over to the other side of the changing rooms, towards the shorter figure of one of your teammates.

Lauren looked just as nervous as you, but you hoped that you his your nerves a little better than her. Her blonde hair was held up in a pony, and small wisps of baby hairs framed her face after being exempted from the wind. She was a year older than you but has been in Manchester since 2018. Other than the odd, unusual sentence or two, neither of you had properly interacted.

Lauren looked up at you, her beady eyes locking with yours as she licked her lips, exchanging glances with the floor and you, awaiting the purpose of the conversation.

“I want you two to work together this half.” Your Manager urged. Both you and Lauren looked at him in surprise. He must've caught on since he held his hands up. “I know we haven't practised much between the two of you, I know. But Y/N, your crosses over the head of Chelsea defenders will inevitably shape up some opportunities for Hempo. Lauren, you know what to do when something comes up. I believe that truly, alright? Do you understand?”

You were still mulling over Gareth’s words when the whistle blew for the second half, but you felt an uncertain pair of eyes look out for where you kicked the ball. The surveillance of the English forward did not irk you. In fact, it pushed you to do as you were told.

It was two minutes in when an opportunity arose. You were given the ball by Alanna, who had pelted it away after a scary interaction with her and Kerr.

Gareth’s words played in your head, taunting you as the blonde’s eyes watched your actions intently. You were hesitant to do as he said. This was the one game your parents were here to see. Never once had they been to Europe, having not had the money to be able to fund both your football and fancy holidays overseas. You wanted to make them proud. You didn't want to risk such an important opportunity for it to go out or concede and let your team down.

You found Georgia and kicked it by her. She followed it up the middle of the field, passing it to one of your forwards, hand up in celebration when it went past the Goalie.

But for some reason, you couldn't find it in you to celebrate. You refused to meet the eyes of Lauren, who was no doubt throwing you a disappointed glance. You could feel the betrayal radiating in violent waves. You ran back to your starting position without a peep, determined to shake the guilt with another chance. You needed to win this game. You’d do whatever it took to do so.

Another goal from Ellen White led your team one in front, but it gave no comfort whatsoever in a game like this. If anything, it put the stakes higher. You hated penalties, the feeling of dread and anxiety filling you everything you watched each player attempt to concede. Even more so, you hated taking penalties. The possibility of that happening was enough to motivate you even more.

Guro Reiten was subbed off for Lauren James. A fresh pair of legs was dangerous coming up to the seventieth minute.

Chelsea was drawing closer and closer to equalizing with your second goal, causing an uprise in the tension between both the teams and the people watching. You grew more angsty when one of their attempts hit the crossbar, but when it landed near Keira’s feet, being shot past to where you stood, you knew this was now or never.

You sprinted down the wing with Georgia by your side, but you were only focused on the blonde in front of you.

“Here! Here!” Georgia screamed, holding out her hand to signal to you that she was ready. You contemplated it. There had been many times when Georgia had done that, and you had crossed the ball to her, and she had easily swished it past the goalie. You never doubted Georgia for a second, and you definitely knew she would've been able to shoot from where she was — she was clearly onside. But the Chelsea defenders had studied your gameplay back to front, and the same old cross to Georgia was something they had trained for — something you had trained for.

Something clicked in your mind when you met Lauren’s eyes. Something ignited inside of you. She must've felt it too, because she didn't even reach her hand up to signal towards you.

You both just knew what was happening. And that it would work. It had to work.

Without much thought, you kicked the ball to your right, watching as Chelsea gaped in alarm at the unsuspected pass and turn to and from Lauren.

You held your breath, stationery at the sight of Lauren’s risky attempts. She found a steady pace along the sideline stepping past Jess Carter, keeping her back turned to the goal. She used the back of her heel to trick both Carter and Berger. She had scored. Manchester City were winning 3-1.

You were the first to scream, a massive smile on your face as you ran towards Lauren, who spun to find you amidst the swarm of Chelsea players.

The two of you ran into each other with so much force that you both toppled to the ground, rolling around as the rest of your team piled on top of you.

The girls were screaming, you could hear the distant cheers of people in the stands. You heard Lauren’s exhausted huffs as you shovelled your head into her neck. Neither of you said anything. You both just had the silent agreement that what you did was game-changing, and that the non-existent relationship between you was no longer.

Despite the desperate attempts from the London team, the final whistle blew with the score maintaining a healthy lead. Your legs gave out as soon as the game ended, tears threatening to spill from your eyes and onto your cheeks as the weight of the season lifted from your shoulders. You felt a pair of arms lift you up, turning you around. The hug was only recently familiar, but tangible nonetheless.

Lauren held her arms around your waist, leaving you to collapse your arms over her shoulders. You watched her chest rise and fall, however, so slowly, a few choked sobs rang out from the older girl.

“I thought you weren't ‘gonna pass to me.” She said. You don't remember her ever speaking to you directly, but the attention made you blush.

“You could've gotten a double if I did.” You uttered, pulling her out of the hug. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” She replied, her cheeks also dusted pink. “I'm just glad it was your assist.”

You wondered if she was trying to make you flustered because you noticed how fidgety she got when you eyed her nervously.

“I mean like— I like you— wait, no, well— I like your assist-”

“Same. I mean— I'm glad you scored from my assist. Like— okay wait that doesn't make sense.”

“I get what you’re saying. That's what I meant.” Lauren muttered back, rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment. “I wouldn't have wanted anyone else to assist me… in goals.”

“Yeah, same… in goals, yeah.”

Little did you know, your Aussie teammates Hayley and Alanna were standing next to Keira and Georgia, all overlooking the inept exchange between the two of you.

“God, you call that flirting.” Georgia laughed, the other three chuckling along. “Wouldn't want to see what their dates would look like.”

“Bloody painful, that's what.” Alanna sounded, taking a picture of the two of you.

“Wouldnt of expected anything different, to be honest. Both as awkward as each other.” Keira spoke.

And you were as awkward as each other, but that made for the perfect pair. A home away from home.

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#arsenal wfc #arsenal #caitlin foord #chelsea #beth mead #jessie fleming #chelsea women #katie mccabe #kyra cooney cross #lauren hemp x reader #lauren hemp #machester city #championsleague #esme morgan #alanna kennedy #keira walsh #sam kerr #georgia stanway #lucy bronze

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destinysbounty · 4 months

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Most post-s11 fics like to take the approach of Zane blaming himself, and the road to healing requires him to accept that it wasn't his fault. But what if we put a twist on that? What if Zane knows it wasn't his fault, but instead of being relieved by that knowledge he is instead burdened by it?

The fact of the matter is, Zane was nothing more than a weapon. Between his amnesia, the corruption of the staff, and Vex's manipulations, Zane didn't have full autonomy. If we really analyze the Ice Emperor's actions, he seemed very much like a quiet and complacent soldier waiting for Vex to come and tell him what to do. He obeyed Vex's every command (albeit veiled as "recommendations" as they were). The first time we ever see Zane go against Vex or even make a decision outside of Vex's authority is when Lloyd first appears and causes him to start questioning things.

If you think about it, the combined efforts of Vex and the Scroll deprived him of any real, authentic free will. He was nothing more than a lifeless machine carrying out orders.

And what, pray tell, is his greatest fear?

So maybe Zane does know, on some level, that it wasn't his fault. He knows he wasn't in his right mind, that he was nothing more than a puppet - a weapon wielded in the pursuit of Vex's ambitions. But still he clings to the tiniest scraps of guilt he can possibly conceive of, because even if he's a war criminal at least it means he has some shred of humanity. Because he'd rather be a monster than just a machine.

Lloyd isn't afraid of him when they come back to Ninjago. Isn't upset at him. This isn't Lloyd's first time fighting the corrupted version of a friend, and as depressing as it is this just kinda feels like the norm for him. Hell, Lloyd has personal experience having his free will taken from him by malevolent forces beyond his control.

The ninja don't blame him. Nobody blames him. Even when the Ice Emperor incident hits the news, most of the public is on his side - they all rally to his defense: he was being controlled, he was being corrupted, he was being manipulated and abused!

And while plenty of the people in the Never Realm do blame him, plenty others don't either. Vex is soon identified as the real villain, and everyone rallies against him as the subject of their ire.

In another world, this might have been a good thing. Zane might have been happy, even, to get off so impossibly free of consequence. But every time someone says "it's not your fault" is just a reminder of the fact that they're right. It's a reminder that once again his memories, his agency, and his personhood were ripped away from him, turning him into the very thing he feared most.

He blames himself because he has to. Because if he doesn't, then that means admitting that he had no choice in the matter. It means admitting that he had been nothing more than a machine.

It's not his fault, but he wishes it was. Because at least then he'd still have some agency. At least then he wouldn't feel so violated.

#ninjago #destiny post

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secret-subject · 7 months

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Why are we so convinced ADHD (and other neurodivergent people) can't be hypnotized?

This is something I've thought about a lot lately. So a little context of why:

So I've been doing hypnosis for about 12 years now. Back when I was 18 I joined the irc chat on WMM and started being hypnotized pretty much daily. I did files and I had dominants to play with and that continued for a long time. By the time I was in my mid 20's I was extremely easy, in fact too easy. The culture back then also wasn't the greatest for me and my subject agency was pretty mid (gotta love hindsight) but again, I was known for having a very good and very squishy brain. In 2022, my Mum was diagnosed with ASD but also got a surprise ADHD diagnosis. Now, we are very similar so she insisted I get tested and low and behold I have ADHD, inattentive subtype.

This blew my mind because for the longest time I had the clear signs of undiagnosed ADHD but a lot of these things were assumed came from my history of doing a buttload of conditioning files, my health conditions and just being "like that". By this stage I had stopped being hypnotized myself and focused on my role as a dominant and content creator because that for me was something I just had to focus on. My switching stopped and I didn't go under for about three years.

So now, I took a hiatus to go and try something else and when I came back I was stressed and got back into testing out files again. (Also super lucky in this time some friends of mine became hypnosis creators so that was a great way to dabble with people I can trust). My first few experiences were like getting on a bike after years of not riding. It was a little wobbly but soon with practice I was right back where I left off and now even better than that. I think right now I'm getting some of the literal deepest trance experiences ever. It's hard to describe but all I'll say is "oooof".

So why is this backstory important?

Because this is one very clear narrative of a person who had undiagnosed ADHD and found hypnosis very achievable with time, practice and a buttload of conditioning with the right people. Because my ADHD was not a factor until now, I never got told, "you can't be hypnotized" this self fulfilling proficy that makes people feel like this isn't for them which for me seeing this narrative in online spaces breaks my heart for the people who see this and feel that is their label and that is what sticks.

I think it's not our place to say who can or cannot be hypnotized as a general rule because there are not general rules in hypnosis. You can't look at someone and assess them based on factors you don't know or understand. In this world there are very few people who straight up cannot be hypnotized at all to some degree (far less then even the research people keep quoting says at this point) and this is why I feel so strongly that we need to instead of trying to label entire groups as "not good for play" to instead change the narrative to "let's see what works for more people" because brains are different and hypnosis can not be a one size fits all approach. It's too subjective for that.

This is also the biggest reason I made the ADHD hypnosis kink audio recently. I used my knowledge of hypnosis and some research on presentations of ADHD in combination to make something I felt was quite special. Maybe in the future this is something I can work on again because I want all the ADHDers with a hypnosis kink to be able to harness that hyperfocus and those skills we have to make kinky fun times extra fun.

So like, is it time we gave up generalizations on people like this? I know I'm ready to not hear my brain judged before you've even seen what it can do.

#hypnosis #hypnok1nk #adhd and hypnosis #im great at being hypnotized and i have adhd dammit

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princesschimchim1325 · 10 months

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The Best Way to a Person's Heart is through their Stomach

The Captain of the Silvermane guards is a loyal, dedicated and hardworking man. Gepard barely takes any breaks, always on the look out for anything amiss. Serval knew her little brother often missed meals in the name of keeping Belobog safe, but she can't help but notice a bit of change from him.

Warnings : fem reader, written in 3rd POV, Gepard being a huge SIMP, Serval being the greatest wingwoman, fluff, tooth rotting sweetness, reader is a good cook. I projected a bit into reader-chan :3

Reblogs, likes & comments are welcome! Repost or copying is not! Ai is also not allowed!

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Gepard can often only drink his morning coffee before he went to work, ready to command his guards for any attacks. Lunch usually passed by without him eating a lot, only eating once his shift was over. The amount of times he'd been scolded by Serval cannot be counted on both hands.

He knew that it wasn't healthy to skip any meals but he couldn't help it, he needed to ensure the safety of Belobog, as he'd sworn to do. He couldn't afford to make any mistakes, so sacrifices needed to be made.

At least, that was what he told himself.

°•°•°•°•°

"Woah, have you gotten even beefier, Geppie?" Serval couldn't help but notice the difference in Gepard's appearance as he entered the shop for lunch. Even sitting down, she noticed.

His cheeks were fuller and healthier, he didn't look like he was skipping meals anymore. Because of his work out regime, he usually burned off what he ate. Somehow, he looked healthier and more... buff, essentially.

"Have you been working out like crazy or something, Geppie?" Even so, she'll tease him for just about anything.

Gepard flushed, tugging at his collar as a habit whenever he was flustered. "I-it's not like that! It's just that I haven't been skipping meals. And because lady Bronya assigned me to personally train the new recruits."

Serval raised an eyebrow in suspicion, the story made sense but felt incomplete.

"Is that all?"

"Yes, that's all." Gepard nodded but Serval was still unconvinced. She'll have to resort to using her older sister rights then.

"I feel incredibly sad that you can't even trust me, Geppie. But I get it, you're not little anymore, you're the big and strong captain while I'm just lil' old me." Serval sighed dramatically, she felt a little guilty manipulating her brother like this but, he'll never talk if she didn't.

Gepard, always weak to his sisters' whims, relented with a heavy sigh. There's no point in hiding it, Serval knew him better than anyone.

"Alright, alright, I'll tell you."

Serval leaned forward, resting her arms on the table. Her little Geppie's cheeks were pink and if she looked hard enough, his ears were too.

"It was about a month and a half ago..."

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Another long day, another day with an empty stomach. He knew that this couldn't go on for forever but he needed to get the job done, because who could if he didn't?

Gepard was a big eater and he knew it. For him to not eat the usual amount was pretty taxing but his workload and schedule didn't allow him to make a big lunch in the morning despite waking up at the crack of dawn. He settled on what he could get from the shops when he's on his short break.

He sat down on a bench, burying his face in his hands. Hunger and fatigue were not a good combination and it was starting to manifest in the form of a headache, which will most likely turn into a migraine.

He sighed heavily, not noticing the person sitting next to him on the bench. He suddenly sat up straight when the person next to him tapped his shoulder. His head snapped to the person and he immediately flushed when he realized that he wasn't the only person on the bench.

The person next to him was a young woman, a very pretty young woman, looking at him with concern.

"You don't look too well, captain." She tilted her head as she observed him. He realized he hadn't said a thing at all and stammered a response.

"Ah! Don't mind me please! I-I'll take my leave now, I wouldn't want to bother you." As he stood up to leave, his stomach decided to betray him and growled in hunger. Was it possible to get any redder?

The two of them stared at each other for a moment before the young woman took out a lunch box from her bag and handed it to him. He looked at her and then at the lunch box then back again at her, absolutely dumfounded. She giggled at his expression and opened the lunch box and took his hand and gave it to him.

"It seems Belobog's captain has been neglecting himself as of late, hmm? Well, I wouldn't want anything bad happeing to him just because he forgot to eat lunch." She mused, chuckling at the redness that has spread from Gepard's cheeks to his ears.

He cleared his throat before answering, "I-ahem, I've had worse. To protect Belobog, a few sacrifices are needed." She raised an eyebrow at him, amused but serious at the same time.

"Captain, I understand that what you are doing and know that I and the rest of Belobog appreciate your hardwork. However, if you continue neglecting yourself, how would you be able to protect us if you're about to collapse from hunger and fatigue?" He wanted to argue that it was for Belobog but he knew he was fighting a losing battle. He sighed and sat down again.

"Besides, it's rather counterproductive if you are trying to protect our city on an empty stomach, don't you think?" She smiled, knowing full well that he was starting to see his errors. She gave him a spoon and fork, gently nudging him to start eating.

Gepard shook his head, knowing full well she was right and did as he was told and ate. Her smile grew seeing him eat and enjoy the food as well and prompted her to eat her meal as well. They had small talk, her telling him her name and him telling stories from work. They both learned a few things from eachother. Turns out, she was a medic and would often patch up Silvermane guards, him being the only person that hadn't gone to her clinic.

His blush hadn't dissipated even when he finished his meal and gave the empty lunch box back to her as she finished her own. When she was finally done, he stood up turned to her.

"Thank you for the meal and company, i-it was delicious and I'll keep in mind not to skip any more meals." He bowed and turn to leave. He hadn't gone far when he heard her call out to him, "Come here again tomorrow! I have to make sure you'll actually eat, Captain!" He turned around to see her waving at him and before he can stop himself, waved back at her.

°•°•°•°•°

"And it became a routine from then on." He concluded, the blush from earlier still there on his cheeks and ears. Ah, so that's what it is...

Her little Geppie has a crush.

Gepard thought that was the end of it but suddenly Serval started sniffling and bursted out crying.

"Wha– nee-san?! Why are you crying?!" Gepard stood up, snatched a box of tissues and gave it to his sobbing older sister, patting her back to confort her.

"My little Geppie is all grown up now!" Serval exclaimed, still crying and on her fifth tissue, "I never thought the day would come, but look at you now! Next thing I know, it's your wedding!" Serval sobbed.

Gepard spluttered, "Nee-san! We're not even dating! What are you sayin–" he was cut when Serval suddenly yanked him by the collar, her eyes wide.

"What? Why not!? Wait, you should cook for her! If all ends well, then you guys end up together! If not, then just say it's to thank her!"

Gepard remained silent, weighing his options and how doing what Serval wanted (he wanted it too) will affect his friendship with the object of his affections.

Serval saw the conflict in her little brother's eyes. She smiled softly, reaching to pat his head.

"If you're not ready, then I won't force you. But, wouldn't being honest with your feeling be better? It wouldn't hurt to try. If she feels the same then great, but if not then it's not her fault, your feelings will pass."

"You two started as strangers then friends, and if she's as great as you say she is, then this wouldn't change anything." She pinched his cheek, making him wince but it lightened the mood at least.

"You're right. We're meeting at the same spot tomorrow, so it wouldn't be too strange if I return the favor and give her lunch as well." He smiled.

"Atta boy!"

He'll be sure to text her to not bring any meal.

○•○•○•○

It was a good thing it was his day off, so he was able to prepare a nice lunch. He tried not letting his intrusive thoughts get to him.

Lunch time arrived much faster than he expected and before he knew it, he walking to the bench where they often meet up to have their meals.

From afar, he can see her sillouette, waiting for him. When he was close enough, he saw her wave at him, a smile on her pretty face. He waved back and walked a little faster to get to her.

"I was surprised when you texted me to not bring lunch– you seem to be in a good mood, captain." She teased him when he sat down, he playfully rolled his eyes in response. She laughed before she noticed him holding a paper bag.

"What's in the bag?"she pointed at it, Gepard suddenly looked shy. He took out its contents and laid it down the space between them.

"It's lunch. I-I cooked it, as thanks for all you have done for me." He looked away, flustered but disapointed in himself that he couldn't say what he really wanted to say. When he finally looked back at her, he almost needed to shield his eyes.

She lit up at the sight of his homecooked meal, her smile so bright and happy.

"Wow, these look so good! Can I–?" She asked he nodded at her, pushing the lunch boxes towards her and handing her utensils. She tried an omelette and squealed in joy, a hand on her cheek, making her looked like a chipmunk. He smiled at her happy squeals and moans as she tried more of the dishes he prepared.

"It'sh sho yummy! Why are you a better cook than I am?" her eyes closed in euphoria, as he ate alongside her.

"Don't say that, you're a pretty good cook as well." He chuckled.

"Mmmh, but I can't believe you have so many talents, I wish I had a great husband like you.." she trailed off, not even realizing what she said.

Gepard froze, which led to her freezing as well. They both just looked at each other for a few moments before she became an embarassed bumbling mess, trying to and failing to explain what she said. If anything, she dug herself a deeper hole.

"I-I didn't mean to say that! It's just you're so cool and mature and handsome–the perfect husband material and you're so cute singing Serval's songs..." realizing she was just confessing her inner thoughts, she covered her face with both of her hands, only peeking in between them to see Gepard.

Gepard's face was so red, he almost looked sick.

"...you think so?" He softly asked. She meekly nodded.

He sighed.

"Do you want to make it a reality?" He asked cryptically. She lowered her hands to properly look at him.

"Huh?" She was confused, what did he mean?

He cleared his throat, looking at her with a determined yet shy expression on his handsome face, blue eyes shining.

"Do you want to make it a reality of me being your husband by going on a date with me?"

She mumbled a little yes, but he heard it all the same. He flashed her a shy yet blindingly bright smile as he took her hand and placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles, "Then consider this our first date then, my lady."

Her heart couldn't handle this gorgeous man...

□■□■□■□

@teafairyartandmore

#gepard x reader #gepard landau #honkai star rail #honkai star rail x reader #hsr x reader #fem reader #gepard #honkai gepard

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yawneneteyam · 1 year

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gorgeous (8) — so furious.

— GORGEOUS, an avatar smau ( by yawneneteyam ) masterlist

— gorgeous, so furious !

neteyam felt relieved as soon as he saw y/n. she seemed happier, less up-tight than she was the last time he saw her. he decided to ignore what kiri and lo'ak had been saying about her making him jealous, chalked it up to her having a bad day.

y/n sat closer to neteyam than she usually would, their chairs almost touching as they finished their assignment together.

"are you gonna miss me when we don't have to work together anymore?" neteyam asked her with a smirk on his lips.

"you wish," y/n scoffed.

"I'd like to think you'll miss me," he smiled, "I'll miss you,"

y/n had to stop herself from swooning then are there. there was something endearing about neteyam not knowing the effect he had on y/n. she thought it made him that much more attractive.

they sat together for way longer than they needed to. neither of them wanted to leave, creating excuses to stay with each other for longer. neteyam began to notice small things about y/n the more he saw her. the way she had a laugh when she was comfortable, one for when she wasn't. he felt almost honoured that she felt comfortable around him.

"oh shit," neteyam picked up his phone, a photo of his younger sister lit up his screen. "tuk is calling, do you mind?"

"answer the phone stupid," she laughed.

neteyam chuckled before answering the phone. y/n could hear tuk's voice through the phone.

"teyam!" she exclaimed.

"hey tuk, what's up?" he smiled as he spoke.

"will you be home tonight? I want to get ice cream with you"

"yes, I'll be home- not sure when, but we can get ice cream" he nodded. y/n's face lit up watching neteyam talk to his littlest sister. she knew he was a good brother, but he was so sweet with her. "I have a question for you,"

"yeah?"

"what are you doing on your phone at school when you're supposed to be grounded?" he smirked, putting his head down.

neteyam was met with silence and three quick beeps on the other line. tuk had hung up on him. he and y/n burst out in laughter. they weren't spared from dirty looks across the library.

"she is actually such a troublemaker," he shook his head.

"she sounds so cute," y/n chuckled.

"yeah, but she knows it!" he exclaimed, still whispering, "it's not a good combination"

"I can imagine,"

they forgot their work for a little while, talked about their families. y/n could tell that they were neteyam's greatest joy. he loved them so much. they eventually got back onto the topic of their work, but only for a few minutes before neteyam's phone rang again.

he flipped it over to look at who was calling before letting out a sigh.

it was a'korai.

"did you want to get that?" y/n asked, holding her breath, "I dont mind,"

"not really to be honest," neteyam laughed awkwardly, "shes been texting me all day,"

"oh really?" y/n didn't mean to sound too excited, but the sound of neteyam's distain at her calling and messaging him made her happy.

"yeah," he stretched his arms behind his head, the bottom of his t-shirt riding up- y/n tried to not let her gaze linger on his v-line, "one of the other guys in our class gave her my number and she's been messaging me all the time" he explained. "it's not that she's not nice, she is!" he jumbled, not wanting to sound like too much of a dick, "but.. I don't know, we're not really friends? so I'm not sure why she's texting me all the time and now she's calling me? like I don't know what I'll say to her, what are we even going to talk about?"

y/n started to laugh at neteyam. kiri was right, he was oblivious. "neteyam, did you ever think that she might have a little crush on you?"

it was like she was watching the cogs in his head turn, or watching a computer reboot. "no," he shook his head finally, "no way,"

"oh yeah," y/n laughed, nodding her head, "she likes you,"

"you think?" it was like he was shocked that a girl could possibly have feelings for him.

he was so stupidly gorgeous in this moment, y/n really was down bad. "definitely," she nodded.

"well.. I don't really like her like that," he shrugged.

"that's fine, you dont' have to"

"I should probably keep my distance then, yeah? don't wanna make her think anything of it," he asked.

the thought of saying 'yes, keep your distance' flashed across y/n's mind. sabotage, that's you're neteyam. as much as she wanted to, she knew that she couldn't. y/n wanted him to be happy. "I mean, do whatever feels right.. you know?" she shrugged.

he stared at y/n for a little while before speaking. it made her heart race. "thanks," he smiled.

"you're welcome?"

"come on," neteyam closed the lid of his laptop and began to pack away his things. y/n looked up at him in confusion.

"come on to where?" she asked with a soft laugh.

"we'll you're not gonna have lunch unless I make you, so we're going to get lunch" he shoved his car keys in his pocket. "let's go," he gestured to the door with his head.

"but-"

"nope! let's go," he cut her off, not letting her object.

y/n sighed before closing her laptop lid, "fine,"

"don't 'fine' me, young lady" neteyam began to pack away y/n's things for her, "now move it,"

— gorgeous, so furious ! new chapter! no angst between neteyam and y/n, this is a soft fic I promise. I also cannot handle writing angst, I am a fluff girl first! I hope you're all loving the story, the amount of people reading it is crazy to me- so thank you <3

#•°. * gorgeous smau #neteyam x reader #neteyam sully #neteyam x y/n #neteyam headcanons #avatar fanfiction #netyam smut #*࿐ neteyam #avatar x reader #avatar #avatar the way of water #avatar 2 #avatar 2022

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recreationalfanfics · 1 year

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Hi there you wonderful and amazing person, can I request Gender Neutral or Female Billy Batson Reader with Platonic with either Yandere Poseidon, Loki, Buddha, Hercules, Ares, Hermes, Zeus and Thor (3 of your choosing, cause honestly, any combination can work for this)

Reader is 14 years old orphan, who’s a Human Fighter, Humanity is frightening that a child is fighting while the Gods are mocking Humanity for choosing a CHILD to fight (Until they/she yells ‘SHAZAM!’ And turn into an adult figure full of god power and wins the fight, even refusing to kill their/her opponents and just injuring them badly enough they can’t fight anymore because they don’t want to commit murder, even if it’s a god and they were planning on killing them/her)

The gods are FURIOUS that a Human Child somehow has the powers of the GODS and want her/them on their side (Reader is very strong) but Reader refuses because she/they want to save and protect Humanity because that’s what a Hero does (That doesn’t mean Reader won’t act reckless or immature, since they are a child, they just won’t abuse their power to hurt others)

Sorry if this is a lot, I LOVE DC, and Shazam is my absolute favorite DC Superhero (He’s such a relatable character, and I can’t wait to watch Clash of Gods) the first movie was great and the Wizard was funny too

OOOH, YES. I LOVE THAT IDEA TBH. Angsty idea: What if this also took place in the Injustice Universe (where Superman killed Captain Marvel) and that's why the Reader is here- ALSO, I'VE NEVER HEARD SOMEONE SAY THEIR FAVORITE DC HERO IS SHAZAM, YOU HAVE AMAZING TASTE.

Platonic Yandere!Hercules, Buddha, and Hermes + Shazam! GN Reader:

"She's stooped too low!"

"Has humanity given up that quickly!?"

"That can't be our champion!? Can it!?"

You pull your hoodie up as you hesitaite to walk further, hearing the sounds of the gods and humans alike. You look back at Brunhilde, who gives you a comforting smile and nods encouragingly in your direction. You smile back and try to take a deep breath. It's no big deal, you've gone toe-to-toe with bigger bad guys before. Hell, Black Adam was a near damn god and you've beaten him a couple of times.

"WHAT'S THIS!? HUMANITY IS...SENDING OUT A CHILD!? THAT CAN'T BE CORRECT, THERE'S SUPPOSED TO BE A HERO HERE FROM HUMANITY'S GREATEST LEAGUE OF HEROES."

You frown at the announcer and send him a glare. Ouch, okay. Suddenly you felt more spiteful than insecure in that moment. Staring at the God you were about to face, you pull your hood down and get into a fight stance.

The god laughs, "Okay, okay, real cute kid. Where's the REAL champion I've been hearing about?"

"They're right here...SHAZAM!"

"The Strength of Hercules!":

- Oh, words WERE definetly due after your outrageous fight. The gods were horrified; a human child who somehow had THEIR powers managed to defeat a god!? WHAT INSANITY WAS THIS!? Although, Hercules wasn't really concerned about that part...he was more concerned about the child part.

- He followed you and Brunhilde both after your fight, you laughing and pumping yourself up and Brunhilde ruffling your hair lovingly. You looked up and smiled at her and Hercules couldn't help but feel his heart soften. You looked like a sweet kid. Which only made him angrier.

- "BRUNHILDE, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!? Having a child compete? WHAT INSANITY IS THIS!?"

- When she explains who you are and what you can do and how you didn't even need a völundr, it only enraged him more. Humanity must be saved but you can't sacrifice a child to do it. You looked at him and you felt a sense of bittersweet nostalgia. He reminded you of...no...you didn't want to think of him right now.

- Hercules will then look at you and smile, complimenting you on how you did in battle and how he couldn't help but recognize his strength. You timidly tell him that it was one of your seven powers, the Strength of Hercules. An idea forms inside of his head and he suggests that even though you're both on opposite sides, that he should mentor you in how you use your strength.

Platonic Yandere! Hercules:

- Its so easy for you to warm up to him, he reminds you so much of Clark...before, you know. He's kind and compassionate and he has the right intentions. He felt familiar but safer if that made sense and considering you are a CHILD who is competing in DEATH MATCHES, you needed something familiar.

- Hercules is happy that you come to him so much, he sees you as a younger sibling, honestly. He protects you from people like Zeus, Poseidon, and Loki who might seek to harm you or "interrogate" you about your powers. He also will sneak over to the human's side to make sure Brunhilde isn't gonna use you as a secret weapon again. His new goal along with saving humanity is to make sure you survive this.

- He becomes family to you, a concept you yearned for. He scolds you when you get into hijinks, he's a good and patient teacher who truly shows you the potential of your strength, but he's also a very soft and kind person. When you tell him how you died, he hugs you and tells you that no one shall harm you like that. Not when he's around.

- It was a good thing but all good things come to an end. That darkness that overcame Superman? You begin to feel it. You think it started when you accidentally upset another God, much to the point they wanted to fight you then and there. You wanted to get back to Hercules but they kept fighting you and you tried to say Shazam but each attack was faster than the last. Then Hercules came to the rescue, except, it was much more violent than it needed to be. Nearly beating the god to death, he didn't stop until you transformed and used your strength to pull him off. He had crazed blood lust eyes for a minute but they softened when they looked at you.

- You want to pretend that your imagining it and you want to tell someone but who would believe you? Sure you had the power of the Gods but everyone knew you were just an orphan mortal child with a magic word. Hercules had a reputation for being a good and just person...but so was Superman. You try to distance yourself from Hercules a bit, saying that you couldn't make certain training times and then eventually you just stopped showing up at all.

- He doesn't like being lied to, (Y/n). He sees you when you laugh with Sasaki Kojiro or when you hang out with Goll. Hercules isn't sure why you're trying to avoid him but thats gonna have to change, you're too young to understand that just because you have powers doesn't mean you CAN'T get hurt. That's why you have to stay close to him. So he can protect you and keep you safe.

"By The Wisdom of Solomon!":

- Huh, that's something you don't see everyday. Buddha was iffy about Brunhilde choosing you but he won't deny, it's quite brilliant to fight the Gods with their own powers. Such a shame that a poor kid like you got stuck to this match.

- Buddha is the cool older brother, honestly. When you're walking over to Brunhilde to have the doctors check up on you, Buddha is all: "Hey, little buddy. Saw your fight out there, pretty impressive for someone your age."

- Your chest swells with pride at his words as you just try to fix your posture and look cool and composed, "Yeah, this kinda stuff isn't really new to me. I kinda fight guys like this, like, all the time." and Buddha laughs at your confident tone and hands you one of his treats.

- "Well, you seem like you've got everything covered. Just remember, don't get too cocky in a place like this."

- You nod your head, this time a more serious expression on your face. You know what he means but life and death isn't something new to you and now that you've been given a second chance to defend humanity, you're going to make sure you make all the right decisions to win this for everyone.

- Buddha seems to notice the determination in your eyes because he lets out a soft chuckle and pats your head, "Can tell I ignited that fire in ya. See you around, little buddy."

- You open your mouth to tell him that you could be a big buddy if you wanted to but then you blushed when you realized how stupid that sounded and he just cackled in the distance.

Platonic Yandere! Buddha:

- He shows up everywhere you're at. It wasn't just the Wisdom of Solomon telling you that something was wrong, it was that instinct you develop when you were on the run from Child Services kicking in that told you someone was following you. You didn't want to think that it was Buddha, he was so cool! He snuck you snacks, taught you some interesting things about your powers and how to use them, and how to mediate and other cool stuff!

- Still, you start to notice he began popping up more and more during your daily rounds in Ragnarok. You didn't really mind it since he was good company and considering how old everyone else was compared to you, he was like a cool Gen Z God (if you had to describe him) but lately, its been happening too much for your liking.

- Like when you were practicing your newest fighting skills and such and nearly fell, he showed up right behind you and caught you before you hit the ground. Asking how his favorite little buddy was doing, which was weird considering that you were in Shazam mode but even weirder was that you were pretty sure he was somewhere far away from the place you were training at. You didn't think much of it then but then it started happening more and more.

- No one else is allowed to befriend you, as well. For example, Sasaki was telling you stories of his old fights and you were both laughing but now when you run up to him to try and hang out, he just gives you a sad smile and says he sadly can't. The same even goes with the Valkyries sometimes, you don't know why they all hate you all of a sudden. You don't have much time to figure out the answer, of course, because Buddha will join you because you looked sad and offer you a snack.

- He hates seeing you upset, little buddy, he really does. But even with all those fancy powers, you're still just a little guy going up against Gods. Brunhilde can't be 100% trusted to look after you so Buddha will take that position. It goes to his head quick when he sees you hang out with others, almost as if you forgot about your best buddy! He knows it's selfish of him to isolate you but some of those humans will die, Buddha sure as Hell won't. So just stick with him, okay, little buddy?

"The Speed of Mercury!":

- What a curious thing you were. He wasn't sure what to make of the situation when it happened but if he had to summarize it; you, a child, somehow inherited the power of the gods and became an adult. He'd recognize his speed anywhere.

- You put it to good use as well, it seems. He watched you fight and sensed a sort of excitement during your battle. What shenanigans and plot twists will you bring little one?

- At the end of your fight, your grown self even has the audacity to grab the microphone from Hiemdall and announce to everyone: "I am not some kid! I am a member of the Justice League and a well respect hero! I risked my life protecting mankind and I'll risk my afterlife so...uh, EAT THAT, GODS!" and the gods gasped audibly while Hermes chuckled in amusement. It appears as though your maturity doesn't change with your body.

- No because he will still find it upsetting that Brunhilde chose a child as a champion, REGARDLESS OF YOUR POWERS. Unlike the other two, he doesn't exactly rush to meet you because its not really any of his business at the end of the day.

- However you both run into each other again and it's such a funny coincidence. You look him up and down and tell him: "So...You're Hermes...I didn't expect you to look so...butlery." and he just makes this surprised face at you but smiles at you, "Yes, I do suppose I look different from how humans envision me."

Platonic Yandere! Hermes:

- The adopted Dad who stepped up and will step on anyone who tries to do you harm. You don't understand, you just bring out this good humorous and playful side out of him a bit more. He isn't sure how, why, or when but you managed to worm your way into his heart.

- He really wouldn't have it any other way either. The mortals of your world were insane for letting a child like you fend for themselves, you're so sweet and well meaning, maybe a bit too arrogant for your own good but that's just with being a youth.

- He hates that you aren't on the same side, its just harder for him to keep track of you so he thinks of plans on how he can ease his worries. Switching sides obviously won't be any use, unless he uses force, but he'd rather resort to that last. He's just so conflicted on what he should do.

- Everyone is aware of his attachment to you, how dear you are too him and how he's already threatened multiple gods and humans alike to stay away because they either wanted to harm you or pit you against him. He isn't really that fond of Brunhilde because of the way he suspects she's turning you against him.

- NO BUT YOU KNOW HOW HE MAKES SONGS FOR THE FALLEN HUMANS? I garuntee you that he writes songs for you and, if you'll let him, will sing you to sleep. An experience that you never had growing up so you happily accept it. Oh, you're so trusting. The way you fall asleep so innocently when he could easily take you away right then and there. He pushes those thoughts away because you haven't done anything that would require him to go that far and he tucks you in. Wishing you pleasant dreams♡

#platonic yandere #ror buddha x reader #ror hercules x reader #ror hermes x reader #FIRST HERMES THING SO LEMME KNOW HOW IT IS.#record of ragnarok #record of ragnarok x reader #ror x reader #shuumatsu no valkyrie x reader #snv x reader #yandere buddha ror #Yandere Hercules ror #yandere hermes ror #yandere x reader #yandere record of ragnarok x reader

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tokyo-daaaamn-ji-gang · 25 days

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is there a reason why sanzu wasn’t with the founding members? is it bc of the stab mikey did?

Well Mikey never really outright gives an explanation so we have no way of knowing 100% but we can kinda piece it together. It seems to be because Mikey views Sanzu as being weak, whereas he views the toman founders as strong. We see him calling Sanzu weak during the incident with his face

Then we see him calling the toman members strong later on, showing a distinct difference in how Mikey views them.

But I also don't think it's as simple as that, since Mikey was shown to still be friends with Sanzu after the incident and was very apologetic towards him. So clearly it's not that he dislikes him but maybe more like he didn't think he was a good fit for the gang?

I think it's also potentially important to note that Sanzu isn't included in that "greatest friends" line which makes me think him and Mikey drifted apart a bit around this time. This could be because of Sanzu's home life and him being too caught up with everything that happened. Or this could be because Draken and Kazutora came into the picture, making Mikey and Baji spend less time with Sanzu. But we know Sanzu then joined the gang later. So either something changed to make Mikey see him differently/ it wasn't Mikey's decision (we did see Baji accept Chifuyu into the gang without Mikey) though idk who would've done that for Sanzu exactly. Or Sanzu did something to prove himself to be strong (judging by all the people he kept randomly fighting this probably wasn't too hard for him).

So I think it was either Mikey saw Sanzu as too weak or they just weren't as close when toman was formed or some kind of combination of those.

#tokyo revengers #tokrev #tokyo rev #sano manjiro #sanzu haruchiyo #tokyo revengers spoilers

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celaenaeiln · 7 months

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12 am anon back at it again. my friend called me at 2 am, tipsy on i wanna say wine??? and ranted about how nightwing’s “superpower” is his charisma for like 15 mins . and then they talked about how he looks like he’d have a great spice tolerance before hanging up. i think its a hyperfixation .

I absolutely love it!! You and your friend just have the best conversations ever.

Your ask immediately reminded me of this scene from YJ Season 3

"That's just about everyone. Wasn't sure they'd all respond."

"You command more respect than you realize."

"I'm starting to get that."

Literally this boy has charisma oozing out of his pores. It absolutely is his superpower!

Charisma is known as "a personal magic of leadership arousing special popular loyalty or enthusiasm for a public figure" or "the quality of being able to attract, charm and influence those around you." And Dick is the living embodiment of it.

It's actually a canon trait of his

The New Teen Titans (1980) Issue #5

Dick has the unique ability to lead people. It's not just about telling others what to do, it's people wanting to follow him, listen to him, and and accepts his commands of their own volition.

In the DC/RWBY comic, the RWBY team crosses over to Gotham with all their problems so they have to work together with Batman, Batgirl, and Nightwing (Ruby REALLY gets along with Dick which for some reason makes so much sense idk why). And the batfamily get superpowers.

And DC-

DC LITERALLY WENT-

DC/RWBY Issue #3

THEY ACTUALLY GAVE HIM THE POWER OF INSPIRATION. THEY SAID "if anyone has the ability to lead people to a better life, give them light and hope, and be everyone's favorite leader and savior, then there is only one person to which we can attribute this power to."

Inspiration is the factor that leads people to moving mountains, becoming greater, and changing our entire lives and everyone else and Dick is the one who bestows that power.

He literally inspires people to be better and inspires them to follow him and became the greatest they can be.

Teen Titans (2003) Issue #33

He just has the ability to inspire people to reach greater heights. The younger generation, his own, and the older ones kind of hero worship him.

Charisma is a dangerous power to have. It's essentially the unique ability to convince people to want to do things for you.

Examples of charismatic leaders are Martin Luther King Jr, Joan of Arc, Fidel Castro, and Napolean.

These people moved nations, worlds, societies but they are only one person. And Dick, has the ability to do this too.

To describe him as a person, to describe his charismatic authority, you need to combine all those figures into one person. And that's the equivalent of his power.

Because in the comics when he wants something - the whole superhero society answers.

The Titans (1999) Issue #39

On a separate note, Dick does have a high spice tolerance!

Batman and Robin (2009) Issue #1

Also Romani food is made hot and spicy, commonly using chili, paprika, and red and black pepper. So he can definitely handle the heat.

Lol I'm just imagining Dick absent-mindedly chewing on a red chili pepper while he watches Garth dare Wally to eat a ghost pepper while Donna's rolling her eyes and Roy's hyperventilating on the floor because he's having flashbacks to Ollie's Chilli.

#dick grayson #nightwing #bruce wayne #batman #konner kent #super boy #fun fact: GA's Chili is so spicy that Supes has to use his freeze breath. Batman and GA are the only two people in all of DC who can eat it #cl anon asks #thanks for the ask!

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oliveroctavius · 4 months

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I got this ask on main but thought I'd pick it up here, my comics history/fashion ramble blog. I'd been wondering this exact same thing recently, and Google initially wasn't much help—Rocketeer replica jackets describe themselves only as "Rocketeer jackets" and the one Lobster Johnson cosplay thread just suggested ordering one of those.

The most curious part is the double seam and horizonal row of buttons that mark out the entire front as possibly being an unbuttonable "bib", like a plastron front. (Please don't ask how late in the game I worked out that "plastron" is the right word for that.)

The closest genuine Golden Age example of a plastron jacket I found was the military tunic style uniform of Blackhawk, created in 1941.

(Pics from the '52 movie serial (right) really show how awkward it is to combine open lapels + plastron. On a double breasted coat, that chest panel IS the bottom lapel, folded shut.)

Here's the thing: This outfit mirrors that of the Nazi ace pilot he fights in the origin issue, von Tepp (middle). And compare further to the far right: real life WWI flying ace Manfred von Richthofen, AKA the Red Baron, in imperial German Uhlan (lance cavalry) uniform.

"The Germans had designed such great costumes, we decided to use them ourselves," co-creator Cuidera is quoted as saying in Steranko's History of Comics, which (more dubiously, in my opinion) compares the look to the Gestapo or SS. Breeches or jodhpurs weren't strictly a Nazi thing at the time, but they do add to the overall effect.

Compare two other military tunic themed costumes from 1940, on Captain Marvel and Bucky Barnes. These are asymmetrically buttoned, and switch to a more classic circus strongman look below the waist.

But somewhere around 1975, with the Invaders book, Bucky gets a buttoned bib! There's something infectious about it—the symmetry, maybe. (Even re: the characters we started with; Mignola didn't draw Lobster Johnson with buttons down the right side, but every artist after does. And Spider-Noir wore a sweater under his coat until Shattered Dimensions introduced the double-breasted vest.)

If it didn't reach his belt, Barnes' button-on front + shirt collar combo would resemble a bib-front western shirt, like the one that became the Rawhide Kid's signature look in '56. (Or Texas Twister's in '76.)

This shirt entered the old-West-obsessed public imagination in the 1940s/50s largely because John Wayne wore it in several cowboy movies. In reality it was rare among cowboys, more common with firefighters and civil war era militia.

Military tunics, Western shirts, alright, but does anything match the style and material and era, or are these jackets a total anachronism? I tried looking into 1930s leather flight jackets and was surprised when the closest-looking results were marked as Luftwaffe.

It took me a bit to work out why: USAF and RAF issued standard flight jackets with a center closure. The Luftwaffe instead let their pilots buy non-standardized ones. The 'weird' double-breasted black German flight jackets were in fact fairly normal (but repurposed) motorcycle racing jackets.

Far left is an English biker's jacket that dates back to the 1920s. Even without the bib, this may be as close as you'll get to an authentic Rocketeer. The jodhpurs were pretty common to complete the look. (What was an early motorcycle anyways, if not a weird metal horse?) The first biker jacket with the now iconic off-center diagonal zip was designed in America in 1928 and yet as far as I can tell, not a single actual pre-war pulp hero wore one.

The greatest weakness of this post is that I haven't been able to find any of these artists' notes on how, exactly, they arrived at similar versions of this iconic Pulp Front Panel Jacket. I'm sure I've missed some things. But as far as I can tell, this jacket is an odd bit of convergent stylistic evolution from the above influences that's picked up enough momentum to now be self-perpetuating.

The problem with pulp heroes is that for the most part, they just wore clothes. The appeal of this jacket is actually very similar to what the 1940s thought the appeal of the bib-front shirt in westerns was: It's alien enough to feel "old". It looks like something invented before zippers or synthetic fabrics. It looks formal and militant but also renegade, rebellious. It also looks a little mad-sciencey*. It's a costume, but you can nearly fool yourself into thinking the past was weird enough that you could find something this cool on the rack.

If I wanted to end on some grand point, I could try to argue that there's a thematic throughline between fascist fashion, John Wayne movies, and throwback pulp. A manufactured aesthetic valorizing the violence of a fictional golden age... but I think the noir stylings of the post-Rocketeer comics in this lineup mean that, at least on some level, they know the "good guys" didn't dress like this.

*If I had another couple weeks of time to burn, I'd try to trace the visual history of the Howie coat in popular culture and investigate its possible connections to this. Alas, I do actually have a life.

#thank you for reading. also don't read golden age blackhawks the racism is awful even by era standards.#comics history #costume taxonomy #<- forgot I had that tag.#not to be like ''in MY favorite comics...'' again but may I point out that Hellboy and Robo and Tom Strong just wear... clothes #like. yknow. A pulp series that had confidence in itself rather than trying to cosplay as eras it thinks were cooler might do-#[I am yanked offstage before I can restart that rant]#the rocketeer

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racefortheironthrone · 3 months

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Someone on Twitter asked who was the British politician who has harmed the British people the most. Of course all the answers were modern politicians - the earliest suggestion was James Callaghan. Looking further back in history, who were the really bad British politicians?

In order to not answer this with a long list of "History's greatest colonialist monsters," I'm going to focus on just the ones who had a negative effect on "the British people," and in order to not answer that with a long list of "the history of English oppression of the Irish," I'm going to focus on just harm done to "the people who lived in what is currently the U.K." I am well aware that this is highly restrictive, but I don't have the time to write a complete history of Britain.

So who's on my shortlist?

Pitt the Younger. Fought the Napoleonic Wars on the backs of the poor while violently suppressing any dissent with a police state. He passed the Treason Act of 1795 to criminalize dissent, the Seditious Meetings Act of the same year to criminalize public assemblies, spied on pretty much anyone who wasn't an arch-Tory, suspended the writ of habeus corpus, and passed the Combination Act of 1799 to criminalize trade unions. In a just world, would have died on a guilottine in Trafalgar Square.

Lord Liverpool. In the wake of the Peterloo Massacre which he was absolutely responsible for, passed the Six Acts to allow the government to search people's houses for arms without a warrant, arrest and transport people for owning weapons or attending a meeting that was deemed to involve unlawful military drilling, reduced due process, shut down all public meetings that involved politics or religion, arrest and transport anyone who wrote anything that criticized the government or Christianity, and heavily tax and impose bonds on newspaper publishers. In a just world, the Cato Street Conspirators would have exercised better tradecraft and assassinated him and his entire government.

Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington. Followed up his victory in the Napoleonic Wars by fighting a war against the British people. Arch Tory bastard, adamantly opposed any political Reform that would enfranchise ordinary people, and opposed Jewish emancipation while supporting Catholic emancipation. To be honest, I wish the mob had torched Apsley House with him inside when they had the chance.

As for the runners-up?

Bonar Law, Stanley Baldwin, and Ramsay fucking MacDonald for dropping the Geddes Axe and then subjecting British workers to twenty years of crippling austerity and repression.

#history #uk history #british history #u.k history #prime ministers

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seonghwaddict · 9 months

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i loved you — park seonghwa

in which there's nothing like dancing at a ball with your greatest enemy... and the man who broke your heart.

rival king!park seonghwa x fem!queen!reader. genre. hurt no comfort, lovers to enemies... to lovers? warnings. death, like a lot of it, major character death, lots of hurt, no comfort, poisoning, weapons, mild gore. wc. 2.1k

lilo's notes. i do not take any responsibility for any mental damages i may have caused (/j). anyways, i'm not really sure why i wrote this but here it is. i was probably influenced by all the shakespeare i've read recently but who knows? i certainly don't :P. thank you to @nebulousbrainsoup for beta reading, love ya babes!! and a small dedication to @a1sh1teruu and @yoonrimin for helping me make up my mind on posting it. love you all!! ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

listening to. once upon a december, emile pandolfi.

masterlist

You descended the grand staircase, one of your arms linked with the captain of your army. In the warm candlelight of the ballroom, your light blue—nearly white—ball gown seemed to glow. The guests rocked and swayed on the dance floor as others watched from the sidelines, giddy with the euphoric side effects of their drinks. Citizens of both Utopia and Aurora weaved through each other in graceful twirls and dips. It’s been a long time since Aurora saw peace rather than the bloodshed of men and women alike who were willing to die for their kingdom.

Once you reached the floor, you were offered a dance by a nobleman. After nodding a farewell to General Choi San, you joined the young man as you conversed very awkwardly over a slow waltz. Once you finally got away from him, an older duke from someplace you didn’t recognise, a small estate north of Utopia, was at your side in an instant. Stifling a great sigh, you agreed to a single waltz.

As the man spun you around, you caught a glimpse of a familiar black suit. With a polite smile, you excused yourself and curtseyed to the older man. As you glided to the dais set in marble on the other side of the room, your locked eyes with San for a brief moment. Your posture relaxed as you watched your subjects sway to the melody of violins and cellos. A soft smile painted itself onto your elegant features as you felt another presence next to you. It wasn't hard to guess who it was; the distinct vanilla and citrus scent combined with the long shadow of the tall figure cast onto the floor was enough of a tell.

“I’m sorry, Y/N,” Seonghwa began, hoping you wouldn’t turn to look at him just yet. “About everything.”

“Of course you’re sorry,” you let out a bitter chuckle as if the losses of the people that matter most to you could be remedied by any of the contents found in a first aid kit.

He looked at you, his eyes widening slightly. You stood beside him like a tree swaying lightly in the breeze of the music. You did not look at him, even as you felt his dark eyes burning into the side of your face. Your face continued to gaze ahead with a solemn expression—the grin that once graced your features was now reduced to oblivion. The young king sucked in a breath and turned back around, watching a servant weave his way through the crowd, offering drinks and biscuits. When the servant passed them, Seonghwa beckoned him over with the raise of his hand. The blond approached them, his posture slightly straighter than it was a minute before. you recognised the man, he had been supporting wounded soldiers as they marched their way out of the forest that served as a natural border between Utopia and Aurora when the war had concluded.

“May I be of assistance, Your Majesty?” he asked, bowing his head subtly.

Seonghwa cleared his throat. “A drink would be nice.”

Without hesitation, the servant handed him a clear drink, contained in a long, clear glass. The king of Utopia nodded a thank you and the servant turned away. He was interrupted by the soft voice of his queen.

“Thank you, Yunho,” you said.

Yunho beamed at you before walking off to serve an older man near the dance floor. As the two monarchs stood in silence for another while longer, the male of you two glanced around nervously. He felt eyes on him. You glanced at him once before averting your eyes back to the crowd enjoying themselves on the dance floor. With a start, you turned to the man next to you after feeling him tap your shoulder. He offered you the glass he received from the servant—Yunho, as you had called him. You eyed the drink, then you eyed him. When you finally took it off his hands, he let out a small breath, the smirk that you fell in love with stretching over his lips. Raising the glass to your lips, you took a sip, enjoying the sweet taste that swirled through your mouth.

“I know it won’t fix anything, but may I ask you to join me on the dance floor?” he asked once you finished the drink. He gulped when you looked up at him, suddenly aware of how close you were. “To show everyone that we have gotten past our differences?”

For a moment, you contemplated his offer, an uneasy feeling washing over you. You would have to go through with the plan either way; a single dance won’t change your mind. He offered you a hand, his smirk turning into a genuine grin once you accepted it. The brunette led you to the middle of the room. You suppressed a flinch as one of his hands found its way to your waist, but still, you rested your hand on his shoulder as your free hands held each other. You swayed to the melody played by the violins. He spun you around occasionally. He liked the way your hand fit in his, slightly smaller and warmer, but they fit together like the gears of a clock. The song was coming to an end, the crescendos and diminuendos of the climax of the piece had long passed. The laughter stopped abruptly and was replaced by confused whispers as the lights suddenly went off, leaving everyone in the dark. You let go of Seonghwa, taking a step back to remove you from him completely.

A piercing scream ripped through the air.

Followed by another one coming from the opposite side of the room. Multiple other screams rang out, accompanied by the quick footsteps of anxious guests trying to get out of the room. Slowly, the lights turned back on. You stood from the ground, where you had been inspecting the lifeless body of a man that lay by your feet, blood flowing from his stomach and mouth and pouring onto the marble floor. Seonghwa looked around in horror—half of his Utopian guard was nowhere to be seen while the ones that were there had been pierced by the sabres of Aurora’s soldiers; a dozen guests lay scattered around the room, dead or breathing in dangerously shallow breaths; crimson streaks decorated the floor like an abstract painting made by a four-year-old; your blood-stained hands, trembling ever so slightly. He expected a look of shock on your face, but that’s not what he saw at all. Your cheeks flushed and your eyes lit up with rage, but there wasn’t an ounce of fear or shock on your face as you stared him down. But he saw past it. The anger was nothing but a shield for pain, like a cornered soldier randomly throwing out grenades, scared for his life, lonely and desperate. Your shoulders heaved with each breath you took.

“So, this is it?” He arched an eyebrow, watching your every move.

You didn’t respond, instead, your hand pushed a piece of fabric from your skirt to the side and pulled out a dagger, frustrated tears beginning to spill down your face. You took a slow step forward. “You killed my lover, what did you expect me to do?”

“Oh, don’t be foolish, dear,” he chuckled, “This won’t fix anything and you know that. You’ll try to attack me, you’ll fail and I’ll leave, unmarked, and be ready to attack by sunrise for going against our treaty. Wasn’t it obvious enough that Utopia has always had a better military than Aurora?”

You stopped right in front of him, close enough to feel his warm breath brushing against your face. “Yeah? And where is that big bad military right now?” you whispered, eyes flickering around his face, surveying his reaction. “I have nothing to lose, anyway. I’ve already lost it all,” You sneered through gritted teeth. “All… because… of you.”

His eyebrows furrowed as he looked down at you. He made a clicking noise with his tongue, looking up with a hint of a smirk. “I’m surprised the poison hasn’t affected you yet. Perhaps I didn’t use enough.”

Your confidence visibly faltered and you stepped back. “What?”

“Oh, that’s right, you didn’t notice. The drink I gave you, did it look like water? Hate to break it to you, but I paid that servant boy—Yunho, was it?—to replace all the water with thallium. Of course, thallium takes a while to act on the human body, but when consumed in large amounts, it is very lethal and quite quick to act. Your guests should be dropping dead right outside those doors… right… about… now.” At his last words, screams were heard from outside the grand doors of the ballroom, he seemed satisfied with your horrified reaction to this before adding in an amused whisper, “I’m sure your dear boyfriend could tell you all about it.”

With a cry, you lifted your dagger, hyper-aware of the discomfort in your stomach after what you were just told. He dodged your attack while pulling his own dagger out of the inside of his suit and holding it out in front of him. You, on the other hand, could already feel yourself growing weaker with every breath you took, your chest burning as if it were on fire. You stood opposite each other, arms outstretched with daggers clutched tightly in them; each of you pointing them at each other’s throats. He was calm, chin held high with pride and an expressionless face. You had tears brimming your eyes, pushing their limits, face flushed and lips pulled between your teeth for a few seconds.

“I loved you, Seonghwa,” You let out a noise somewhere between laugh and sob. “But all you cared about is power. You wouldn’t know the feeling of being prepared to do anything for that special person, would never experience that– that pure euphoria when you’re in the same room as them. And I could not settle for someone unable to love me back the same way.”

He didn’t say anything so you stepped closer, lowering your dagger. His gaze followed you as you came closer to him, nudging his dagger out of your way and letting his hand fall to his side. You stopped in front of him once more, your big, wet eyes locked with his. You liked his eyes, when you were younger you could’ve sworn you saw whole galaxies in them. A clang rang through the soundless hall as Seonghwa let the dagger go. He brought his hand up to cup your face, his thumb stroking it gently.

“You don’t understand,” he mumbled, “I had to prove I was a capable leader. My people saw me as a coward for years, I just wanted it to change. But all those years ago, when we hid away under that big oak tree, I was in love with you. I still am in love with you, Y/N.”

Your sobs had once scarred your lips, but that night—before the moon could even join the dark clouds soaring above—you felt the man's kisses that echoed like the final pleas of a collapsing star. For a moment you thought it was ironic, his kisses resembled the electricity of a supernova while his name meant to become a star… though, that’s not the only reason it was ironic. You hesitated for a moment before giving in, but you couldn’t call it off now. Seonghwa let out a gasp and stepped back to look at the blade that had been plunged into his chest, blood already pooling around the knife and soaking through his perfectly tailored clothes. He coughed, blood spurting through his lips before spilling out in a steady stream. You closed your eyes, silent tears dripping down to your chin as you clutched your stomach and fell to the ground. Your breaths became shallow as you lay there, utterly helpless as the effects of poison overcame you.

You felt another body fall to the ground next to you, but like almost two hours before, it didn’t take any guessing to figure out who it was. Your eyelids grew heavy as did your breaths; you couldn’t hold on any longer. Your chest gave a scream of desperation as it struggled for air. But it was too late, your body went limp and cold, and the only thing that stayed warm was the hand that was held firmly by the man you once loved. Soon enough, it too went limp.

network. @cromernet

#cromernet #ateez #seonghwa x reader #seonghwa imagines #seonghwa reactions #seonghwa headcanons #seonghwa fluff #seonghwa angst #enemies to lovers #lovers to enemies #hurt #no comfort #park seonghwa

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octopiys · 8 months

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I've been rewatching HTTYD and of course I had to combine my two interests

John MacTavish (27) is a native to the village, most recognized for his shaved sides and long mohawk. He's the village blacksmith, with an affinity for crafting new weapons, large ones that counter even a dragon's fireball.

Once when he was a teenager, he got his hands on a craftsman's items, and decided that he needed some of it to slick down a part of one of his contraptions. It exploded, as those kinds of things do, into a mass of bubbles and sweet scents, earning him the nickname of Soap.

John Price(37) is a trainer. He was an older viking whose battle seemed all but over when a dragon took his arm. He was still the same, just more experienced, and 10 years older.

He's had a few apprentices, his most recent being a younger man named Kyle Garrick(28), or commonly referred to as Gaz. If you ever ask why he's called that, Price will mutter something about it being "need to know", and he'll sick a particularly nasty dragon on you the next time you train with him.

There's a common pattern amongst Price's protégés.

Most of the times they're outcasts, alone. Gaz's parents were killed in a dragon attack when he was a child, but he didn't consider himself alone. He had plenty of friends, of course he did, there's Soap...-

No but totally, he was fine. He's fought dragons! Sure, he hasn't killed any yet, and sure, Price has saved his ass more than once, but he's come out unscathed!

Most of the time.

But Price's most famous protégé, or shall I even say very close ally, was the Lieutenant: Simon Riley

From the stories, Simon Riley was a man who fought dragons like no other. They both learned from each other, Price and Riley. He was a beast of blades and man, they slayed more dragons together than the entire village combined.

It would be a lie if I said that the two boys didn't look up to him, a lie if Price didn't see Riley in each of them.

It would be an even bigger lie if he hoped they didn't turn out like him, either.

Neither Gaz, nor Soap had ever met Simon Riley.

He was killed in one of the worst dragon attacks the village had seen in its entire 300 years of history.

They descended from the heavens, flying warriors sent from hell, carting off men and cattle, snapping them up in powerful jaws and flame. Price was one of those men, it was how he lost his arm. He was also the only one to survive a personal attack of that scale.

Riley had thrown everything he had to save Price. There were tricks he had up his sleeves, some that not even Price had known, that he used to get the Captain back when even he thought he was done for.

All they knew was that Simon Riley had been killed that night in place of John Price.

Those parts of the stories were left untold.

It wasn't a sensitive subject, but Price had a tendency to shatter the glass he was holding if someone asked one too many times.

It had been ten years since Riley's disappearance. His name was inscribed on the village memorial in the square, a remembrance statue to all the greatest warriors in the village's history.

It was a particularly late night when Price had let Gaz go early, as the dragon tournament was coming up, and he wanted the man to get some rest. That's how both Gaz and Soap were out by the bluffs overlooking the ocean. It was hidden through a mile of brush and trees, but tonight was one of the first clear nights since the winter, and they were excited to see the stars.

It wasn't until stars had started blinking out, half the sky was black, that they realized something was wrong.

"Dragons...." Gaz breathed suddenly, as mouths began to light up, hundreds of feet in the air above them. "It's dragons!"

Gaz pulled Soap to his feet and they began running like their lives depended on it, which in this case, it did.

Their lungs were already sore, their voices hoarse as they shouted to a few men on the outskirts.

"Swarm! Swarm!"

Vikings readied their weapons, and minutes later, the beasts shot overhead. Flashes of red, blue, greens, and yellow, silver glinting unnaturally in the moonlight.

There had been rumors about dragon riders. Those who had tamed the beasts, or maybe found a common ground with them.

There was nothing more dangerous than a man-tamed dragon.

"It's Kingfish!" Someone down the hill had shouted, and Gaz's blood ran cold.

There were whispers about a man they called Kingfish, one who hid in the shadows with armies of the scaled monsters, waiting to pounce on unsuspecting villages and pillage them for himself. No one knew his real name, where he came from, or where the nest was. But everyone knew that once Kingfish set his sights on a village, they were as good as dead.

They saw Price leave his house, half armored, but a fire in his eyes as he heaved his Warhammer behind him, disappearing behind the body of a massive dragon that was scaling the watchtower down by the water.

"Soap! C'mon!" Kyle shouted, dragging his friend down the hill. The Blacksmith paused at his shop window, pulling a few weapons away from the sill and into his arms. They kept running. Soap passed an axe to Gaz, and they ran first to a house that was lit aflame. A few people were tossing buckets of water, while a woman pulled arrows at a Whispering Death.

Farther away, they heard the crunch and splintering of wood, and Gaz looked over in horror to see the watchtower fall, both the dragon and Price going with it.

"No!" He had screamed, all but dropping his axe as he started running like mad down towards the docks. "Captain!"

"Gaz!" Soap was shouting behind him as a trebuchet fired, throwing a large stone at some dragon above him. "Gaz, look out!"

Large, leathery wings kicked up a storm of dust around him as he was tackled to the ground, rocks digging into his knees and elbows as he fought to get the beast's claws out of his shoulders. It pressed his face into the dirt as he struggled to fight against it. It cut through his shirt, digging straight into his skin. He cried out, fighting against it, but his movement was impaired, he wasn't able to swing his axe around to-

The dragon opened its mouth and screamed, the shriek going directly to his ear drums, and springing the worst headache he'd ever had, his head felt like it was going to explode, he couldn't feel his shoulders. Gaz squeezed his eyes shut, praying to Odin to make it stop, make it-

A dagger sunk directly in between two of its center scales, shocking the dragon into dropping him as it turned on its next enemy. Someone was shouting, but Gaz couldn't get his eyes to focus enough on the figure.

They were waving wildly at the dragon, now weaponless, and shouting for its attention. The dragon cocked its head to the side and stepped over Gaz, who was struggling to stand to his feel, his whole equilibrium thrown off from the noise.

And he glimpsed the the mohawk just behind the scales as the dragon lunged forward, grasping Soap in his claws and shooting off into the air.

"No!! Soap!!" Gaz shouted, chasing after the dragon as it flew. He could just see the outline of Soap, struggling, screaming as the claws pierced his leather armor, sinking into his chest. He was too high, and there was nothing Gaz could do, but he'd be damned if he wouldn't try. He shoved past people, ran through fights, passing the dark clad enemies of Kingfish's men, all while shouting for his friend, never once taking his eyes off the Whispering Death that was slowly growing smaller and smaller in the night sky.

An arrow pierced his shoulder and he cried out, stumbling, but he kept going forward, ducking behind a house. "Soap! Soap!"

A fireball exploded the wall next to him and he hit the wall hard, his consciousness leaving him before he even realized what had happened.

Soap was helpless as he squirmed, gasps being torn from his chest with the leather apron that fell away into the ocean below. He was gonna die, this was it. He couldn't see the island anymore, but he wasn't giving up. And yet this wyrm of a Whisper wouldn't let up, only shrieked until the pounding behind his eyes made him too lightheaded...

He wasn't sure what was happening when he woke up from a faint, but he sure as he'll knew he shouldn't be plummeting to death, rocketing towards the sea below him in a free fall. "Och! Shi-i-i-ite!" He flung himself onto his stomach, spreading his arms and legs apart to catch the air. His braid had come loose, whistling around his ears as the moonlit waves approached him too quickly.

Something else snatched him up like he was free prey and he shouted out again, the wounds on his chest screaming from the strain. His hands scrabbled at the beast's nails that wrapped around both his shoulders, carrying him like he was precious cargo. This was a different dragon, unfortunately for him. It was red, from what he could see, with long claws and a pale underbelly. There were antennae like appendages that dropped off the sides of its head, fading from red to orange to yellow towards the end, like leaves in autumn. But what jarred him the most was the straps of a saddle that tucked underneath its belly, and wrapped up the sides. There were a few ropes attached to the tail and- oh fuck he was falling again.

"No no no no-!" He shouted, flailing in the free air, before he hit something hard beneath him. But he wasnt.... dead...? No, he was sitting-

He was sitting on a dragon.

There was a man who sat in front of him, blond hair peaking out of his hood and helmet. Most of the helmet covered his face, save for the dark brown eyes glaring at him from behind it. In the darkness, the moon light shone off of the raised texture of pale skin that Soap could see, before smoothing off. He'd seen scars like those around the village, but only rarely. People like him never usually survived dragon's fire.

This person wasn't wearing black like Kingfish's men were. Instead, he was wrapped in a camouflage of browns, greens and furs, similarly to the dragon. He was tense, his shoulders bunched up as he glared at Soap, radiating a dark, or in other words, mysteriously powerful energy.

It occurred to him, then, that he wasn't staring at just a dragon rider.

And it occurred to him, then, that they had been wrong.

This.... this was Lieutenant Simon Riley.

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