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obsessivevoidkitten · 1 year

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The Werewolf’s Bitch

Yandere Male Werewolf x Gender Neutral Reader (CW: Noncon, breeding, knotting, inhuman genitals, reader eaten out, drool, piss marking, watersports, scent marking, lycanthropy, reader bitten by werewolf at end, smut, kidnapping, reader briefly stalked, general yandere behavior, yandere bully, bullied reader) Word Count: 4.4k (Sorry that this is being reposted, I needed to edit the story and tumblr would not let me until I just deleted the whole thing, anyway, I worked extremely hard of this so I could hurry up and do more commissions, I am panicking because the window for cool season planting is nearly upon us. I normally would NOT rush to post a fic in the same day that I already posted one. I know the watersports is not everyone’s thing, but it has been a while since I wrote a fic with that kink and when I asked reader’s whether or not I should I got only positive responses, so I hope some people like this)

You were a librarian, you had always had a penchant for books, an obsession really, and you loved reading many different kinds. Right now you were reading The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud, it was a fantasy series. It didn’t matter whether or not you liked the fantasy genre, your friend who was not super into reading kept recommending the series to you so you had to give it a shot. You were enjoying the light breeze and gentle sunshine towards the back of the park, in a lightly wooded area where the park gradually shifted into a forest. Leisurely, you continued to read until the sun just began to set. Little did you know someone was watching you from the trees. Axle hadn’t seen you in years, though it wasn’t uncommon for his thoughts to drift to you. He had a serious crush on you in high school, but so worried about his image he had not wanted to date the nerd so he bullied you instead. Relentlessly. He often thought what if he had been sweeter on you and more up front about his feelings, he’d probably have his arms wrapped around you and his cock buried deep inside you. Axle still would have picked on you, of course, it was how he showed affection and dominance, but it wouldn’t have been nearly cruel and relentless as it had been. And he would have been really sweet to you at times too, since he was sure little nerdy bookworms liked that kinda shit. His life wasn’t all bad though, he had been “afflicted” with lycanthropy. It wasn’t nearly as bad as the legends and folklore made it seem, for most people. Most were not feral and could freely change forms whenever they wished, from human, to wolf, and to the bulky hybrid form that most people thought of when they heard the word “werewolf.” There were exceptions though, some people did go feral in their wolf forms and change unwillingly during full moons. An encounter with one such creature was what had passed on the magical gift to him. Now his life was free, he lurked the woods for prey, hunted and then cooked what he had caught in a large cave he had claimed as his den. The lifestyle suited him, he could pretty much do whatever he wanted whenever he wanted, but it was a lonely existence and he wished he had a mate. Axle had been walking around, contemplating what he could do to get some friends or maybe even a lover when suddenly his nose, now hypersensitive even in his human form, picked up a familiar scent. One that he had not smelled in years but nevertheless one that he would be able to place anywhere. He had stolen whiffs of you while having you in headlocks and pushing you into lockers, had deeply inhaled the aroma of your underwear after sneaking into the locker room and stealing them whenever he was sure he wouldn’t get caught. So when he caught your wonderful smell in the breeze he bolted towards it. Just to watch, he thought to himself. And he did just watch, for a while. His eyes drank in your sight as the golden afternoon sun illuminated you so perfectly. Still such a fucking bookworm, reading all the way out here. The more he looked at you the tighter his pants got, would it really be such a bad thing if he just took you away? He could steal all the books you could want if that made you happy. You’d look so cute reading by the fire before he impaled you on his dick. It wasn’t like you could get away from him, even without his new found abilities he was faster and stronger than you could ever hope to be, but now that he was supernaturally imbued there was no chance you could ever get away from him. If you screamed it was okay, there were no witnesses around for the abduction and when he was fucking you back in his den there would be no one around for miles. He readjusted his cock in his torn jeans, fully erect at the thought. He talked himself into it. It wasn’t that hard, this may be his chance to have the future with you he had missed out on previously. You started to get up to leave, placing the book you had been reading into your backpack with the rest of your books that you planned to get through. Suddenly someone rushed out from the trees and snatched your backpack before you could put it on, running with it deeper into the forest. All you could see was their back as they ran off. Axle made sure not to run too fast because he knew you would chase him without thinking to get your precious books. “Please stop! Please! There’s nothing in there other than books! Please!” You screamed and chased the figure deep into the forest, until a chill ran through you as you looked around. You no longer recognized where you were and it was getting ever darker. Axle could have just used force to bring you this far, but he was enjoying playing with you like he used to. Just as you began to turn around and give up on the figure before you he turned around and was on you in an instant.

You recognized him immediately as you saw his face before he put his arm around your neck and licked up your neck creepily. You’d never forget who those mischievous eyes, cruel smirk, snake bite piercings and spiky punk style blond hair that was shaved at the sides belonged to.

“A-Axle!? What the heck!? Let go! Wh-what do you want with me,” your voice was filled with fear and your eyes began to water, threatening to cry. “Well, you were in my neighborhood and I thought we could catch up~” You kept struggling in his grip, but you were winded from the chase earlier. What he said made no sense, there were no nearby homes, but you were a bit too busy to really contemplate his words. You punch and kicked at him but he just laughed like he had just heard the most hilarious joke, it would have been very insulting if being in a dark forest being manhandled by your old bully wasn’t so terrifying. Axle moved his arm around your neck then ruffled your hair, something about the gesture made you think he wasn’t out to just kill you. But then he gripped your arm tighter and started dragging you deeper into the woods. Your writhing and struggles to free yourself from his iron grasp did nothing to slow him down in the least. There was still a long way to go though, and instead of dragging you and hurting your much more delicate arms he hoisted you into his arms and slung you over his shoulder before starting to run at a speed not normal for a human. This also had the added benefit of scaring you and making you cry those adorable tears of yours. You kicked and screamed the whole time he held you, but the only thing you managed to accomplish was a severely sore throat and further exhaustion. In only a few short minutes Axle covered quite a distance with you. Not tired or out of breath at all despite the speed he ran at or the fact that he was carrying an entire adult on his shoulders. When he arrived at the cave he sat you down on a large bundle of stolen pillows, coats, blankets, and other soft materials. “W-where are we? Wh-why did you bring me here,” you asked almost unintelligibly through the hoarseness of your voice and the fear causing you to stammer. The fear you felt actually tugged a tiny bit at Axle’s heart, he just wanted to teasingly scare you, not make you all terrified. Poor little wimp. His little wimp, he thought, feeling a bit fluttery. Axle sat down beside you and roughly pulled you into his lap before caressing your arm and holding you close, in a manner he thought may be comforting. “What are you d-d-doing!? I don’t like this!” You were, understandably, immensely uncomfortable. Your former bully had his hands all over you. Did he think this was a hilarious prank? And why did he live in a cave? Was he a serial killer that lived in the woods in search of victims?? With each question your heartbeat increased. Axle could hear your heartbeat. Still so sweet and fearful, just like you always had been~ But he didn’t want you to only associate him with fear and have a heart attack every time he held you. “Shhh, babe, shhh. It’s alright. I promise I won’t hurt you okay? I’ll keep you nice and safe~” Apparently he was not tactful enough to realize that licking and sucking at your oh so sensitive neck, was not very soothing to you. When you thrashed more and not less he got the memo and just held you close instead. There would be time for other stuff later. Right now holding you was enough, drinking in your scent like it was booze, and it was almost more intoxicating. He laid down on his side and pulled a very confused and scared you close to him once more, his arms hugging you tightly as if clinging to a life preserver. While Axle had never slept better than that night with you in his arms you stayed up until sheer exhaustion forced you into a troubled sleep. And when he woke he was so happy, he had half been worried everything had been a dream but no, you were really in his arms like you should have been for all these years. Axle wanted you to be awake so he determined that the most prudent way to wake you up was to pinch your ass. Much to his satisfaction, you woke up easily with a startled yelp, almost jolting off of the bedding. You were confused for a moment as your brain scrambled to remember where the fuck you were and why the fuck you were there instead of at home in your comfortable and familiar bed. And what had just assaulted your butt? Then the memories of the night before smacked into you like a brick wall. Axle. He had kidnapped you and spooned you all night for some unknown reason. Probably some sick prank, if he was just going to beat you up and murder you he would have done that already right? Not say all that stuff trying to comfort you before sleeping by you. Axle pulled you close and once again drew his tongue slowly up your cheek, like it was some sort of odd kiss, it creeped you out but you didn’t say anything opting instead to flinch away at his touch. “Oh come on, don’t be such a pussy, I haven’t hurt you,” he said smirking, obviously enjoying the bit of fear he caused from such a small action. “A-are you ever going to tell me why the hell you made me come here?” “What? I haven’t made you cum yet! Hahaha, I will later though.” You rolled your eyes at his juvenile joke but he just stared at you with a hungry look in his eyes that sent a shiver down your spine. “I’m serious! Wh-why am I here, this is insane and illegal! I-I’m leaving!” You started to walk towards the path that led to the cave entrance, but Axle growled in such an animal-like and primal way while stepping forward to block your path that it frightened you into remaining still. “You’re not leaving okay, nerd? You want to know why you’re here? Well it’s so I can fuck you silly and have someone to spend time with. I’m your boyfriend and you’re my property. So sit down, read your little books by the fire, and get settled because I am going to go get us some food and when I come back we are going to eat then we are going to go at it like rabbits.” You stared at him with eyes wide, now more paralyzed than ever with fear and utter bewilderment. He couldn’t be serious could he? You didn’t want that at all, this is the piece of shit that made your entire middle and high school years an absolute horror to get through. During your stunned silence he walked up to you and kissed you quickly on the lips before rushing out of the cave to search for some food. Was he stupid on top of absolutely bat shit crazy? Did he really think you were just going to stay here to be raped by him? Did he actually believe that you would be totally okay with being abducted by your former bully and you would be so enamored with him that not only would you let him put his dick anywhere you but you would also let him be your boyfriend?? Obviously that was not going to fucking happen in any way, shape, form, or fashion. You gave him a few minutes to get far away and then you gathered your bag of reading materials and headed out of the cave that Axle called home. It was too easy, luckily you remembered the general direction back to the park and began on your merry way, running as fast as your feet could carry you. Axle, though, was not really stupid. He may have been a bit of an impulsive hothead and a brute, but he was not without some intelligence. He figured you would almost certainly try to escape while he was out and about and he kept his hunt somewhat near the cave, and down wind from it. Once you left the shelter the wind quickly carried your scent right to his powerful nose. He could smell you so clearly and immediately made a beeline for your precise location. You had thought things were going well, you had put significant distance between you and the cave and were sure he would not be able to catch up to you. But you heard some rustling through the grass and a snap of twigs. You turned around and saw him coming right for you with unholy speed, Axle. Somehow he managed to close the distance between the two of you much faster than should have been possible before lunging and tackling you to the forest floor. This time you didn’t even bother struggling once he had a hold of you. Once more he slung you over his shoulder, smirking this time as you went limp, that was good. At the very least you were learning you could not fight him. Now you only had to learn you couldn’t run either. He wasn’t worried, you were a nerd after all, you would learn quickly. Before you knew it you were back in the cave, he placed you carefully on the rocky floor. You looked at him curiously wondering what he was going to do to you. He responded only with a shit eating grin. He began trying to take off your pants and clothes, and you struggled as much as you could. Which disappointed him, he thought you would have realized that he could always over power you, he had always been able to. Axle let out another beastly growl and that seemed to get the message across, this was happening. As he undid his belt you began to fear the worst, you were sitting naked below him as he was about to whip out his dick, what else could you expect to happen? You began to cry and plead for him not to rape you. He used his belt to tie up your arms before he pulled his pants down slightly. You stared at him as he stood before you with his prick aimed directly at you. Before you could figure out what he was doing he unleashed a hot stream piss all over your naked body. The smell was pungent and you gagged a bit as some of the fluid found its way into your mouth, he must have been holding it for a while because he completely drenched you. Axle had a devilish grin. “This should help remind you of your place. You are my little bitch got it? The scent will make it much easier to smell you and keep anyone else away. And I doubt you will try to scurry off without clothes.” Your abductor laughed maniacally as he emptied your books out on the table and took the bag. He placed all your clothing in it before slinging it around his back. “Be a good little weakling and wait here. Not that you have a choice,” he said as he departed. Axle made a mental note to scent mark you like that regularly, you covered in his scent made him almost lose control and breed you right then and there. But you both needed food, you were a fragile little thing he desperately wanted to take good care of and keep healthy and you would both need your energy for the all night fuck fest he had planned. Back on the floor of the cavern you were defeated, your face wet with tears and piss. You reeked of him and the fluid was becoming dry and sticky in places. This wasn’t fair, what had you done to deserve this. You never bothered anyone, you were a sweet person who just wanted to be lost in their books. You lay on that floor, stiff, stinking, and sticky for what felt like hours until Axle returned, but in reality he had only been gone around fifty or so minutes. He sauntered in with a hand that held a bundle of dead rabbits, and another hand full of foraged vegetables, fruits, and nuts. You wondered how he had caught anything. He did not seem to have any weapons or traps around. “Ah, there’s my good little bitch, I see you stayed in place for me.” Axle took his haul of food into another room of the cavern, presumably a larder or kitchen of some sort, before coming back and tending to you. He undid the belt binding your arms and was about to clean you up, but something about you stopped him. He paused and took a moment to just stare at you, so obedient, so drenched in his scent, so good for him. A perfect little mate. And a perfect mate needed to be bred and marked in the most permanent manner possible. Forgetting his plans to feed the both of you and then go at it later that night sniffed at you and let out a low growl. He needed to mate his bitch. Now. You were limp as a rag doll as he picked you up and put you in the pile of bedding material, despite the gross “scent marking” that he had applied to you not even being rinsed off yet. You felt Axle’s warm tongue carefully licking at your crotch, occasionally he broke away to kiss your soft thighs. His strong hands roamed every inch of your flesh that they could reach. He was like an animal as he began lapping at your entrance, stretching you out and getting you ready for mating. When his tongue slid into you it finally elicited a response and broke you out of your catatonic state. You tried to push him away to no avail, though he did take a moment to look up at all the commotion. As you looked at him you realized he almost seemed a bit larger than he was earlier, and had he always had that stubble, you could have swore that he had been clean shaven. Not that you had been in the best emotional state to make such careful observations. But then you saw a change made before your very eyes, and there was no denying it. His previously brown eyes had turned a fierce glowing yellow and as drool pooled and dripped at the corners of his mouth his teeth grew longer and sharper. Now you were really scared, more terrified than you had been since your kidnapping, what was this beast? Meanwhile Axle was running almost entirely on instinct, he had a vague sense of self but his impulses were simply too strong for him to ignore. The more you struggled the more he felt the unbearable need to prove himself to you. You were denying him as his mate so he had to show you how strong and capable he was, he had to be the mightiest he could be so you would be happy with him and have no doubts who the strongest man for you was. No doubt who owned you. He continued to transform into a full blown werewolf right before your very eyes. His clothing tore away as they were ripped apart by the muscles bulging out beneath, thick blonde fur covered every inch of his body, claws grew from his nails, you could see glimpses of a tail swinging strongly behind him and his ears grew longer. His erect cock became canine like in nature and his musky nuts sung below, full of potent seed to fill you with. You screamed in terror and tried to kick him away but the beast that was formerly Axle would not allow itself to be denied. Had to mate you. Had to prove himself as a good partner. Had to show you he was powerful, could keep you safe. You tried to kick him away but this only cemented in his mind the absolute need to subdue you and yew his. During his shift into his strongest form you had managed to scoot away from him, he grabbed you by the ankles and pulled you back towards him, you tried to grab at anything you could to stop him, futilely throwing pillows and blankets at him in a last ditch hail Mary attempt to get away, but it was as hopeless as all your other attempts. When he had you under him he forced you into a mating press and shoved his hard cock to the hilt inside of your drool slickened hole. Once he was deep inside he let loose another wave of piss. Had to mark your insides as his property. Had to. Needed to make sure no one else thought about using his property. His mate. His. After Axle had once again marked you with his urine he began slowly thrusting in and out of you. But he quickly got tired of the pace, werewolves were not exactly known for restraint, especially when so deeply under the spell of their instincts. You yelped as he painfully shoved himself in and out of your quickly sore hole. Precum, drool, and piss leaked out of you and down his shaft and balls as he bred you, his huge nut sack slapping your ass with every thrust. Luckily you had been so well lubed by all of his fluids or else you would have been in extreme pain. You were ashamed to admit it but your body was betraying you and the railing you were receiving from this barely human monster was beginning to feel amazing. His knot was slowly swelling within you, creating delicious friction as it rubbed against your inner walls. But interrupting any climax you were making your way towards was Axle as he nuzzled your neck with his wet nose before aggressive licking and nipping at it. But he did not stop there, he had to mark you, make you his mate, claim you in every way, you’d look even more beautiful wearing his claim. So without hesitation or forethought for the consequences of turning you into a werewolf, he bit down at the nape of your neck. Hard. You cried out in a startled shock as he licked away the blood from your fresh wound. He had to comfort his mate. Had to. He didn’t stop licking until your tears lessened and you seemed relatively calm. The entire time he was biting you though he was still fucking you at a moderate pace, and he finally came to the beautiful sound of your overstimulated cries and whimpers. You were so good for him. Perfect fragile little bitch made to be filled up full of his seed and protected by him. You felt a growing pressure inside of you as his knot reached full size, binding the two of you together, and his cock throbbed deep within you as it shot rope after rope of warm semen. You had not gotten your climax yet though, and he couldn’t accept that, you had taken his so so well, you had been such a good mate, the perfect breeding bitch, you even took his mark and everything. Even if it wasn’t by choice. You deserved to feel pleasure. So Axle rocked his hard knot back and forth inside you, as much as he could move it with it at the size that it was, and slowly coaxed an orgasm from your hot mess of a body. He stopped when he felt it and heard you moan and whimper loudly, your voice full of pleasure. After achieving his goal of pumping his wimpy bookworm full he finally regained clarity of mind and his instincts lost their grip on his actions. He realized what he had done and was a bit embarrassed he had lost control like that. He had planned to very slowly ease you into the truth about being a werewolf. Still, he couldn’t argue with the results, you passed out under him from all the sensations he had brought to you, and him on top of you with his cock tight and snug within your hot depths. He was not in the least worried about you being a werewolf, it would only make you more dependent on him, you did not know the first thing about being one. And if you ever did escape he could always overpower you. He was stronger than you when you were both humans and he would remain stronger than you in any form. You would always be Axle’s bitch.

#yandere terato #yandere teratophilia #yandere werewolf #yandere monster #monster boyfriend #werewolf boyfriend #male werewolf x gender neutral reader #male yandere x gender neutral reader #werewolf x reader #My OCs #My OC Axle #yandere boyfriend #yandere bully #gender neutral reader

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raven-at-the-writing-desk · 6 months

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playful dress miss raven

HI 🤡 I wanted to do some doodles of Miss Raven in her own version of Stage in Playful Land’s costume.

Yes, I was too lazy to color-- I drew inspirations for the outfit design from the female dancing puppets in Disney's Pinocchio (since the new event heavily references this film), Doll from Black Butler's circus arc, and ballet in general. The specific ballet I looked at was Coppelia; it's about a boy who falls in love with a doll (the creation of a mad scientist. His fiancé, Swanhilda, then impersonates the doll in order to win his love back. I thought it fit well with the idea of the "human puppet" motif of the Playful Dress series.

BONUS DOODLES:

I like to think that Miss Raven got dragged along for the trip because she was busy chewing the group out for sneaking off campus... then Kalim (bless him) thinks she's feeling left out, so he tells her to come with them! "The more, the merrier!" (And hey, Ferro and Gidel won't say no to another poor unfortunate soul for their amusement park.) "F-Fine! I'll attend, but only so I can keep a watchful eye on you all! I intend to write a detailed report on your transgressions for the headmaster to review when we return."

"Yeah, yeah. You say that now, but I bet you'll be like a kid in a candy store once we actually get there." Ace rolls his eyes. "You spend so much time with your head buried in a book--it'll do ya some good to kick your feet up and do something different for a change."

"Gahahah! It sounds like she's excited for Playful Land!" Kalim grins broadly. "We're going to have so much fun together!" "I will do my best to assist in the documentation of this trip, Raven Crowley-san," Ortho offers. "Pictures, videos... I'll record them all, so we won't forget this anytime soon!"

... Anyway 🤡 Miss Raven has to help babysit the idiots (while trying to mask her own childish wonder as she experiences an amusement park for the first time). Oh, and J word and L*ona are there, so 💀 more trouble for her...

"Heh. You're staring at that roller coaster with big, sparkling eyes. If you want to ride it, then just say so." Leona says it with a smirk, a lilt of smugness to his suggestion. "There's nothing wrong with a kid being a kid."

"I-I'm not a kid! I'm just... admiring the composition of such an imposing metal structure!! There is nothing like it in the natural world."

Jade chuckles. "Would prefer to partake in one of the many games they offer here? Ah, and should you ever feel peckish, there is a selection of carnival fare to indulge in: caramel apples, popcorn, cotton candy--"

"All foods which would result in terrible toothaches if consumed in large quantities! And games? We haven't the time to enjoy such leisures."

"Oi, eel." A scowl from Leona. "Shameless of you to cut into our conversation, isn't it? I guess without the octopunk around to keep you on your leash you think it's fair game to act out in front of an upperclassman." "Oya? I don't recall there being a formal chaperone for this trip, Leona-san," he replies easily. "Fufu, perhaps you feel the need to preside over your juniors in the absence of the usual pack you dole orders to."

"Here's an order for you then: back off. You're killing my mood."

"As you wish. Come along, Miss Raven. We wouldn't want to disturb our dear senpai." "Dragging prey around like they're puppets on strings," Leona snorts, blocking the path. "You go. The canary stays. Our business isn't finished yet."

"Business?" Jade continues to smile. "Oh no, I would never mean to interfere with such a thing--but it's not truly business you're interested in, is it, Leona-san?"

"Funny. I was going to say the same of you."

"... You're both talking as though I'm not literally right here!!"

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epiclamer · 1 year

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Melting part 8 pretty please? 😳 Your writing is amazing!!!

Yaaaaay this series is back baby!!!!

@hstoria @ajiansaa @letthebodyfall @equestrianwritingsstuff @i-am-overly-complicated @deadwhisper @sufferfictionalcharacters @wolfeyedwitch @kurocantcommunicate @extrabitterbrain

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 9

Melting Pt. 8

Sidekick didn’t force Villain to talk at all on their way home, at first, Villain had to admit that they were a bit skeptical. Hero suddenly disappears and Sidekick is overly nice and invites them back to their house?

It seemed too good to be true.

It must’ve been.

Yet, Villain kept to the sidekick’s right hand side as they let themselves be led to the others apartment. Maybe it was hope, maybe the villain longed so desperately for kindness that they let it blind them to reality.

As dangerous and real the threat could’ve been, Villain hardly let the thought occupy their mind.

Sidekick’s hand squeezed their own as they walked, sidekick being the only one who was actually putting any effort into the gesture, even though Villain absolutely adored it. They couldn’t show it. They couldn’t show any weak emotions that would set their guard down again.

Villain hated the way their own heart practically set them up for heartbreak.

It was cruel, a cruel double ended knife that always ended with the villain hurting. Villain couldn’t win; but they could pretend.

They could pretend that right now, Sidekick was holding their hand and leading them home because they loved them, they felt a spark with them, they were so much as slightly attracted to them. Not because their superior was waiting to ridicule and handcuff them or because they were lustful and Villain was easy prey.

For just this instance, Villain could pretend everything was okay.

“We’re here.”

The villain looked up from the pavement at their feet, eyes falling on a quaint looking townhouse that held many bustling people about. Sidekick led them specifically to door 105 where they passed through a freshly mowed front lawn before making it to the entrance.

Sidekick pulled out their ring of keys as they fumbled with finding the correct one for their front door and Villain would never admit how cold their empty hand felt. When it finally clicked and they pushed the door open, Sidekick hesitated, turning to face Villain before they entered.

“You know, if you don’t want to do this we don’t have to. I mean, I’m not going to force you to come inside. I just thought you looked like you needed some cheering up, maybe I can help with that?” They we’re so hopeful it made Villains heart ache. They wanted to just jump into Sidekicks arms and start thanking them. Everything they did seemed to give Villains heart a new life, a new reason to beat, a fresh start.

Thankfully, Villain still had some little decorum left. Clearing their throat before they spoke to hide their previous breakdown. “What are you going to do to me?”

Sidekick chuckled at the formality. “This isn’t a kidnapping and torture session, Villain.”

Oh, right.

“I just wanted to get you back on your feet. A bath, some warm home cooked food, maybe a movie if you can stand me enough to stay and watch.” Sidekick took a step inside, leaving room for Villain to pass them if they pleased, and gave the criminal somewhat of a hopeful glance, but didn’t say any more as they waited patiently.

Villain thought about it. Well, not really. They had made up their mind when Sidekick had first mentioned it being their choice. Home was dirty and wrecked, here could be a fresh start. Of course, they couldn’t forget about the risks, but they could push them aside and step forwards.

So they did.

Not making eye contact with Sidekick as they passed them and into the small entryway, but considerate enough to slip their shoes and coat off and place them neatly at the front door. Sidekick doing the same, just slightly quicker as they began turning on lights.

Villain didn’t want to talk, so they didn’t speak as Sidekick led them around the house, sliding around on the hardwood floors with their socks which made Villain giggle. They would have to get Sidekick to teach them how to balance like that later.

“-and this is the kitchen! That’s about all! I know it’s small, but you can only afford so much on a sidekick wage.” That surprised Villain, they thought heroes were all paid fairly, seemingly not so.

“Do you have any questions?”

The villain looked up from the ground, fiddling with their fingers out of pure nervous energy. The house wasn’t some evil torture dungeon nor was Hero waiting for them at any turn. This could be a new chapter, Villain couldn’t screw it up.

So they settled on only asking one question. “Why are you doing this?”

Sidekick huffed, shaking their arms out at their side as they slipped their hands into their pockets. Whatever confident front they had put on earlier was gone now and Villain had never seen them look so vulnerable.

“Because Hero hurt me too. And no one was there for me. I intend to change that with you.”

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peachymilkandcream · 3 months

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Break Me Slowly|Part 26|Yandere Levi x Evelyn

(A/N: I've been dreading making this part because I don't want to be filled with utter sadness. But the plus side is that after this is it'll go back to domestic Evelyn and Levi which I think we all (ME I DO) need. There's at least four chapters left of this series but who knows there might be more, we'll see. I skimming over a lot of the finale because just go watch it for the whole story, I'm just giving the jist as it pertains to the story. Hope you enjoy and comment to be added to the taglist!)

WARNINGS: noncon, dubcon, manipulation, domestic abuse, yandere themes, forced marriage, forced pregnancy, stockholm syndrome, violence, mind breaking, misogyny, etc.

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Darkness, cold. Is this what the afterlife was like? Like Hange was underwater, the sound of life around her muffled. She was falling, falling....

Slowly one of her eyes opened, a vastness of blue surrounding her. Light shone from above. She was certain that facing those Titans on her own had killed her.

And yet, it felt like a little strength was still in her body after all.

==============================================

There was no time for grief, the next phase of their mission was what required all focus. The plan was dropping the Colossal Titan on Eren was the last resort if reasoning and the disposal of Zeke didn't work out. Mikasa and Armin's hesitation to actually kill their friend was apparent, thankfully the rest saw the reason and that in order to save the world, sacrifices had to be made. Even a beloved friend.

The sound of the plane's engine sputtering brought them all out of their thoughts, there hadn't been enough time to fuel the engine entirely, and now they were facing the consequences of that decision. An order was made to jump out of the plane, all obeying without giving themselves time to think about how crazy this whole thing was.

Titans rose to meet them, swarming in hundreds to defeat their attackers. Forms of those who had used the Titans before, generations of destruction all on display.

Levi's hand touched the back of Evelyn's neck, knowing what was coming next. "You listen to me. If you feel threatened or in danger you come and find me. Alright? I don't care what you think or feel you come right back to me."

She nods, giving him a reassuring smile before diving away from their perch, feeling the sting of the cut in her hand followed by that blinding light. She had started this whole mess, she needed to find some way to gain redemption. Levi didn't quite know how far she was willing to go to atone for her actions.

Blood and gore painted the battlefield, the stark contrast of the white doing nothing but adding to the carnage on display. Against so many how could they hope to ever win? The more they cut down the more came up against them. Even with the power of the Titans they dealt heavy hits. At this rate they wouldn't hold out for long. Ripping Reiner and Evelyn out of their Titans and tossing them aside like dolls into the steam below. Her head knocking hard on the bones on the way down.

He caught her. He always caught her. Safe in his arms until she secured her own line. Annoyance was the prime emotion he conveyed when he was secretly worried. "I told you if you were in danger to come find me. Can't you ever listen to one damn thing I say?"

"I suppose not." Her head was bleeding, she was so dizzy, but Levi didn't mention it.

A Titan out of the corner of her eye moved, intent on making Connie its prey. Before she could react Levi sprung into action, slicing its neck, but not before its jaws clamped down on his leg, sending him falling further.

"Levi no-!" Her scream seemed more desperate than she would have liked, lurching forward and catching him this time. His poor leg battered and beaten, he couldn't fight anymore. She wouldn't let him. He had to stay safe, for her. Even if the cord was slipping out of the bone, even if they were about to be crushed. She couldn't let him go.

"Grab on!" The call came from behind her, a mass of feathers and wings catching them as they flew safely out of the skeleton. They were safe, for now.

Relief flooded them both when their untimely rescue. Her head still throbbed, and a wave a nausea threatened to take over. Levi's look in her eyes confirmed her fear, he wasn't going to let her fight anymore either.

"I'm fine."

"You're not. And you're staying here or so help me-" He cuts himself off with a sigh. "Look. You're pregnant, I'm not fucking losing you. If that means that humanity is wiped out and it's just me and you in Paradis then so be it!"

An awkward silence from the rest of those present ensues until she finally relents. "Alright. I'll stay here."

In order to make sure she didn't go back on her word, Levi held onto her belt the instant the others flew off Falco's back. It was time for them to take a back seat. Their mission was over the day they crossed the sea, they would leave it in their hands now.

They thought that the death of Zeke, mixed with a number of the Titans turning on the hostile ones would bring about the end of the Rumbling. And while the monstrous footsteps did stop their task was far from over. The explosion that severed Eren's head would not be enough, the parasite still dove for his head to reconnect it and continue The Rumbling. The only option left was Armin transforming into the Colossal once everyone got clear.

===============================================

It should have been over. That should have been it. The end should have been the embrace of loved ones over victory. No the blast of a second Titan.

Eren's founder marching forward while the parasite continued its crawl to reunite the two and finish what they started. It would only end when he was cut down. They all knew it. But what Evelyn didn't expect was Levi grabbing her hand and pulling her along onto Falco's back.

"We have to go now! The Ackermans and the Titans are the only ones immune."

Numbly she was pulled along until they boarded and took off, the sound of Pieck's sobs ringing in her ears. Staring as her comrades turned into flashes of light and gruesome faces.

It had all been going so well, now they were loosing. Armin and Reiner, overwhelmed and over-taken by their friends turned monsters. They were loosing and there's nothing they could do.

Until Mikasa stood with a determined look in her eyes. "Eren is inside the mouth- Everyone, help me reach him!"

Their descent was hidden in a veil of flames and debris. Only a glimpse was seen of Mikasa until a pause and then Eren's Titan crumbling and shaking the earth with its impact. It was over.

They had won.

===============================================

In the fall they had gotten separated but eventually she found him sprawled on the ground. Without a word passing between them she sat beside him with a sigh.

"I guess you kept your promise."

Levi raises a brow. "Which one?"

"We made it out. You promised. Now..." Evelyn tears up. "We can go home...can't we...?"

His arm wraps around her. " Yes my love. We can go home."

#break me slowly #levi x oc #attack on titan #levi ackerman #levi aot #levi x reader #shingeki no kyojin #yandere levi #yandere levi ackerman #yandere levi x reader #aot x reader #aot smut

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yelena-bellova · 1 year

Text

Freedom to Last: A Don’t Be Afraid Miniseries - Chapter One

Chapter One: Interruption

Plot: It’s a perfectly normal day for the Solo-Damerons. Y/n trains her Padawans, gathers her children and comes home, Poe walks through the door after a long day as General. All is as it should be. Monsters always wait for the concealment of night to prey…

Word Count: 4.6k

Warnings: canon-typical violence, death, blood, one sex joke

A/N: WE’RE BACK!!! I’m so excited to jump into this series and it warms my heart that people are still interested in the DBA universe. I hope this story is just as fun to read as the last one. Unlike DBA, this series will cover more mature themes (violence, kidnapping, imprisonment, etc.) so it’s a more mature teen rating. Small changes have bene made, this now takes place three years after the epilogue of DBA, so a total of 6 years since TROS. I had to go back and read some of the old chapter sto makes ure I got my history right. Anyway, enjoy and let me know what you think!

—————————

Peace had come and peace had stayed.

It felt like a over-simplification to say that peace had just come. Peace had been fought for, willingly and unwillingly. Peace was scarred and bloodstained. But peace shone like a thousand suns and warmed everything in its reach. Peace was worth it, all of it.

I considered peace as I walked amongst my Padawans, who were floating two feet above the ground. Their legs were crossed, their small hands curled against their knees. How they could go from fireballs to perfectly tranquil still amazed me.

The only sounds around us were the soft Naboo winds brushing the high blades of grass, and the occasional fish leaping in and out of the nearby pond. As soon as I ended their exercises, the littlest ones would scurry over to the water and giggle endlessly as they watched his show.

“Alright, students,” I announced, “Return to your starting positions.”

Slowly, and a little rockily, they floated back to the ground. They dusted off their pants and stood to attention.

“That was very good,” I smiled, “Lots of improvement. Remember that to sustain your altitude, you have to fully give yourself over to the Force. It’s not so much forgetting what you’re doing as it is having peace about it.”

“Yes, Master Y/n,” their voices piped up.

“Alright,” I grinned, “Training’s done for the day. I’ll see you back here tomorrow morning.”

Excited conversations broke out in pairs, a few walked back to the temple, and the youngest took off hand in hand for the pond.

“They’re getting better,” Rey called from behind me, leading her own group of Padawans back from their trek.

I walked in her direction, “Aren’t they? How was the hike?”

“You’re all done for the day,” Rey announced to her class, “Remember to hydrate,” she turned back to me, “Very freeing. We’re close to getting to the top of the mountain.”

When Rey and I first established our training center, we thought we might be able to recruit a few younglings and grow over the years. What we got was an influx of young Force-wielders. The First Order’s reign had caused many to conceal their abilities. As they disappeared, so did the fear of being discovered. There were so many students enrolled that we had to split them up between us; Rey took those aged 8-14 and I took 3-7.

“Are you going to see Finn tonight?” Rey asked as we walked back to the temple.

“I wasn’t planning on it,” I said, “Why?”

“I want to lend him one of the texts,” she explained, “He blew through the last one so fast, I thought I’d have more time before he needed this one.”

Finn, the best man of us all, was flourishing. Not only was he co-leading the Resistance, but he was nearing the end of his Jedi training. I had retired from active military service for the purpose of working more with the Force, but he balanced it all perfectly. I was both impressed and slightly envious.

There was also the small case of Finn and Rey and their…whatever it was.

“Give it to me and I’ll have Poe bring it in to him tomorrow,” I shrugged, my expressionless face curling a smirk, “Or you could go and give it to him yourself.”

Rey gave a healthy dose of side eye, “Don’t.”

“What?” I faked innocence.

“That.”

“What ‘that?’”

“That.”

“I just suggested that you go and give our friend the book you’re lending him for his training,” I threw my hands up in surrender, “Though if you were to stay, the sunset’s supposed to be beautiful toni- ow!”

A firm whack of her satchel silenced me. For all of my trying, I’d never get her to own the way her eyes lit up when she was with Finn.

“I’ll bring it right down,” she called, running ahead into the main building.

I took it as an opportunity to appreciate what we’d built. The temple and its grounds were modest, mixing different architectural stlyes to create something uniquely us. The main building was styled after the old temple on Coruscant in the days of the New Republic, when my grandfather would have been a master. But the huts and the stone ground outside were less modern. Rey and I had taken inspiration from Ach-To, the place where both of our Force journeys had taken shape. The whole place felt like home and I was happy our Padawans shared in that feeling.

Judging by the sun’s position, it was time for me to head out for the evening. I started down the stone path that led to the open field, already excited for what awaited me. The closer I got, the more sounds became prominent. High pitched giggles, quick beeps, grass rustling underneath two pairs of feet…each one set my heart alight.

Finally, I got close enough to see the scene. Through the high plains, my two children chased BB-8, with R2 watching from close by.

My babies, their heads covered in dark mops of curls like their father, bounced and toddled through the grass. They shrieked in happiness as BB-8 reversed course and began chasing them. R2 watched them like a nervous mother, ready to intervene at any moment if one of them needed anything. This was exactly how I wanted them growing up; free and full of joy.

“Room for one more?” I called, walking through the field to come join them.

“Mama!” They screamed, runnning at top speed to me. When they reached me, I knelt down and let them topple me over.

“I missed you,” Lyra, my daughter, exclaimed.

“I missed you too,” Jax followed up, never one to be outdone by his sister.

Kisses were pressed to their heads, “I missed you both so much. Ready to go home?”

A resounding chorus of ‘yes’ came.

“R2 and BB come too?” Lyra asked.

“R2’s going to stay here with Aunt Rey,” I explained, R2 hopped between living at our home and the temple, “But Daddy needs BB, so we’ll bring him with.”

They cheered, while I chuckled quietly to myself, “Daddy would fall into a bottomless pit of sadness.”

Rey caught up to us, holding out the Jedi text. “Off you go, without another word,” she ordered me, sweetly changing her tone to address her niece and nephew, “Here’s a game to play on the way home; if Mommy says anything about me or Uncle Finn, scream really loud until she stops.”

Jax and Lyra excitedly bounced up and down before taking off with Bee.

I shot Rey a sarcastic smile, “You’re a gem.”

“And you’re annoying,” she replied with the same smile.

“See you tomorrow,” I called, strolling behind the twins.

“See you then.”

Jax and Lyra chased Bee the whole way back to the Falcon. While my starfighter was precious, it hadn’t been very practical once I started bringing the twins along with me. The Falcon, when not in use by the Resistance, was what I used to fly us the short ten minutes from the temple to our home.

“Can I fly the ship, Mama?” Jax asked as we boarded.

A spitting image of his father, he was the one Dameron whose appetite for adrenaline I had a shot at curbing.

“Not till you’re older, bud,” I said as we made our way to the cockpit.

My body relaxed as soon as I entered the Falcon. Up until Naboo, it was the place I’d lived longest in my life. The twins were growing up in the co-pilot seat, watching both their parents fly the beast.

“Where are our seatbelts?” I began our checklist, a silly little routine I’d come up with to make flying more fun.

“Around our waist,” they answered in unison. We’d also installed seatbelts.

I adjusted a few switches, “Where are our hands?”

“At our sides.”

“Where are our heads?”

“In the sky!”

Smiling proudly, I powered up the ship.“Then let’s gooooo!”

With a round of cheers and hand claps, we lifted off the ground and headed home.

—————————

Upon getting back to our modest homestead, I changed out of my Jedi robes and into my mom clothes. The only piece of the ensemble that always remained with me was my lightsaber, clipped to my belt.

I watched the twins play in the backyard through the floor to ceiling glass windows in the dining room. Poe and I had taken our time taking the house from a bare bones to something beautiful. We finished about half way through my pregnancy, when we got a curveball thrown at us.

Jax.

During the first scan, the doctor was confidant that there was one child and one child only. It was at the seecond one, with Poe anxiously gripping my hand and studying the screen, that the doctor made an announcment. There was a second heartbeat.

There was a moment of panic, we’d have been crazy not to. Two babies. Two cribs. Two sets of screaming 2AM wake up calls. Two bottles. Two of everything. But by the time we got back home, we were overjoyed.

“It’s a good thing, right?” Poe had smiled, “Two little yous.”

“Or two little yous,” I grinned, imagining what our babies may look like.

Poe took my hands, rubbing his thumbs across the skin, “We waited so long for this. I’m not gonna complain that we’re getting more of it than expected.”

It was true. We had waited to start our future until we were in the best possible place. I couldn’t have found true problems with it if I tried…

I shook my head with a smile, “You don’t do anything by half, Dameron.”

“I’m gonna take that as a compliment,” he winked, pulling me into this chest.

My husband had, indeed, won the genetic lottery. The kids, from their hair to their personalitties, were just like their father. It only mattered to me that they were hapy and healthy, but there was a small part of me that hoped they might take on some of my traits as they got older.

I gave birth on the rare rainy Naboo day, the queen having loaned me the royal birthing suite at the hospital. We already had their first names picked out, but made a judgement call as we held them in our arms that night. Poe was squeezed beside me in bed, an arm around my back.

“We gonna do middle names?” Poe asked softly, Lyra dozing against his chest.

“I hadn’t even thought of it,” I never looked up from Jax, admiring the creases in the corners of his eyes, “I mean, I don’t have one. Neither do you.”

Poe inched one shoulder up into a shrug, not wanting to disturb his daughter, “Could be nice to start a tradition.”

“What’d you have in mind?”

He thought for a moment, “What about for Jaxon…Kes and Han?”

“Jaxon Kes Han Solo-Dameron?” I tested the name, “That’s a mouthful.”

“And Lyra Leia Shara Solo-Dameron?”

I tried to laugh quietly, “Poe, that’s five names. And listen to all the ‘a’s.’ She’ll never forgive us.”

“She’s got you as a mom, she’s got Rey as an aunt…I want her to have a piece of our moms to carry with her through life,” Poe whispered, “A’s be darned.”

Smiling and shaking my head, I looked from my husband to my kids. I already knew they was force sensitive, they were already carrying three legacies for three different lineages, the Damerons, the Solos and the Kenobis…

Then I thought about how much I’d have loved to be named after Sola. Perhaps I was named after some relative long passed. Lyra and Jax would never know all their grandparents, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t be connected to them.

“Lyra Leia Shara Solo-Dameron,” I looked back down to Jax, “Jaxon Kes Han Solo-Dameron. Don’t hate us for how we love you.”

Poe snorted, prompting me to join him in a hushed fit of laughter.

Now my overly named children were on their feet every hour of the day, demanding Bee be at their constant beck and call, already asking to fly ships and wield lightsabers. They were everything Poe and I had expected them to be. They were truly Solos and Damerons.

The security system to the house beeped, announcing an incoming ship. I picked up my tablet, though there was no need to. I knew exactly who it was. I just liked seeing the familiar X-Wing fly in every night.

A moment later, the front door opened, and my body was once again put at perfect ease.

“I’m home.”

Nearly seven years together and a decade of knowing one another, and the sound of Poe’s voice still set me on a lovely edge. I looked forward to him coming home each night just as much as I did when we were young commanders, expecting him back from a mission.

And the sight of him…forget about it.

He strolled in, handsome as ever, in his general’s uniform. He’d shaved the beard a while back, when the twins were babies and it became a pain-inflicting form of entertainment to tug on it. The stubble retook its place. There were some grays still coming in on his head, though Poe would never admit it. He wore it all so well, it was almost annoying how perfect he could look without trying.

He wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me against him. “Hi,” he whispered huskily.

“Hi,” I smiled against the lips that were already coming in hot.

The kiss was sweet and eager, like the ten hours we were apart were just enough to bring him to the line between gentle longing and agony. I took all of it, bracing myself by gripping his collar and melting into his body.

Once we pulled apart, a loopy grin appeared on his face. “How was your day?”

“Good,” I smiled like a lovestruck teenager, “You?”

“Long,” he answered, rubbing his hand up and down my back, “Had a meeting with a couple of the Mon Calamari royalty.”

“Ah, that explains the uniform,” I smoothed out the collar.

Poe tugged at the neck, “It’s suffocating.”

I looked from his lips and back up to his eyes, “It’s hot.”

The signature Poe Dameron smirk made its way across his lips, “Then it’s worth suffering for.”

Without another word, the air changed from electric to soothing. One peck to my lips, a squeeze of my waist and he walked off to the kitchen.

“Did the funding come through?” I asked as I followed him through the house.

“Yeah,” Poe reached into a cabinet and grabbed a glass, “It’s not like we’re launching a full-scale attack or anything. We just need to cover some ship repairs, maybe nab a few from a yard somewhere.”

“If you need me to come throw some weight around, I can,” I came and leaned agaisnt the counter, “My grandfather had good relations with the Mon Calamari, so did Mom.”

Poe drank, his Adam’s apple bobbing with each swallow, before setting the glass down. “I think we got it in the bag, but thank you for reminding me that my wife could do my job in her sleep.”

“Not true,” I shook my head, “You and Finn are doing a great job. Three would just crowd the place up at this point.”

Poe gave a half smile as he leaned over the sink, his mind visibly drifting elsewhere. I could sense his unease.

“What is it?” I asked, getting silence in return. That was serious. “I can already feel there’s something you’re not telling me, so there’s no point in hiding.”

Poe scrunched his face up, “But I’m getting better at it?”

I spared a fake laugh and scooted closer, our shoulders brushing. “Come on...”

“There’s been a few…” he sighed, “I don’t even know what to call them. Attacks, I guess, working their way through the systems.”

It wasn’t totally shocking, I’d seen on the Holonet that in the Outer Rim, a few Imperial and First Order disciples had attacked local businesses. Theft, arson, while awful, were still classified as minor compared to what crimes had been committed during the war.

“I read about the Rattatak one earlier today. And Felucia.”

“That’s the thing,” Poe sighed, “They seem to be working their way through the systems, starting with the Outer Rim and working their way in. They just attacked Kashyyyk today. Chewie’s there now checking things out and offering help.”

“Wait, so why is this being kept quiet?” I asked, “I didn’t read anything about Kashyyyk.”

Poe rubbed his hands over his face, “Because technically it’s not something to worry about yet. It’s not an uprising, it’s a bunch of kids thinking they know how to run a galaxy. In an ideal world, it just wouldn’t be happening. I don’t have jurisdiction anywhere where they’re happening, the Resistance barely has any pull on those planets. They’re tying my hands.”

It was then I realized I couldn’t remember a time where I didn’t think like a military strategist. Maybe when I was young, but as soon as Mom had started taking me to senate hearings, I was long gone.

“Are we sending relief?” I continued.

“Of course,” Poe answered, “I sent Chewie with orders to give them whatever they need.”

I shrugged, “Then I guess that’s all we do at this point. We did clean up for so long, there’s always a group who thinks they can do it better than the last guys. Nothing ever comes from it.”

“Yeah,” Poe quietly said, “I know.”

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and leaned into his back, he held onto my wrists.

“It’s a waste of time thinking about it, but,” Poe paused turning his head towards me, “I wish there’d never been a war.”

It was a thought I’d had nearly every day since the fight had begun. Had there been no war, I’d have never lost precious years with my brother, I’d have never lost my parents, my uncle, hood friends…I’d have become a completely different person.

Jax’s scream of his sister’s name, followed by a round of laughter broke me out of my head.

Had there been no war, Poe and I would have never crossed paths. I’d have never been stranded on Jakku and met Rey and Finn. I’d have never been led to Ach-To and learned my heritage. I’d have never married Poe. I’d have never given birth to Jax and Lyra.

“I do too,” I replied, getting to my tiptoes and pressing my lips to his ear, “But something beautiful was born from it.”

I kissed his temple softly and Poe stroked his hand across my arm. We watched through the windows as our kids played in the grass. Soon, they’d realize that it was long past the time their father came home and run inside to greet him. Dinner would be had, leftovers tonight, and the table would be filled with laughter. Poe and I would tuck them in, give plenty of hugs and kisses, before retiring to our own room. We’d fall asleep in each other’s arms as we always had, and life would continue on just how it had for the past three years…

—————————

*BEEP BEEP BEEEEEEP*

The emergency communication signal through our bedroom. I woke first, looking to Poe’s nightstand but realizing the noise was coming from both of ours. That never happened.

“Poe,” I slurred, shaking my husband’s arm, “Poe, wake up.”

“What,” he exclaimed, clearing his throat after.

“Comms,” I rolled over and picked up my device, “This is Y/n.”

“Y/n,” Rose Tico called, “The base is under attack. We need you and Poe here now.”

My heart came to a grinding halt, “What?”

“We’re being invaded, we need help.”

Without another thought, I jumped out of bed, “We’re on our way.”

Poe was just finishing his conversation as well, throwing the covers off and grabbing his pants from the floor.

“What the hell?” He mumbled as he threw his clothes on.

I frantically ran to throw a tunic on over my camisole. I threw my hand out and used the Force to retrieve my lightsaber. Though my mind was inflamed with worry, my thinking were still clear.

“3PO!” I yelled, rushing out the bedroom and into the hall, “3PO!”

“Yes, Mistress Y/n,” the protocol droid came waddling in, “How may I-“

“Protect the kids,” I ordered, “The base is under attack.

“Oh, my goodness-“

Any other comments went unheard, I was already out the front door with Poe skidding behind.

“Take the fighters,” he called.

We sprinted around the edge of our house to where the ships were parked. Poe’s X-Wing and my starfighter sat next to one another, waiting for their next call to action.

I unlatched the cockpit and hopped in, not even bothering to fasten my seatbelt but making a point of putting on my headset to communicate with Poe.

“All set?” He rang in my ear.

“Ready,” I reported, the hum of the ship’s innards coming to life. I don’t think I’d ever gotten it in the air quicker.

The ten minute flight seemed to take hours. The closer we got, the clearer the smoke trails were. The base was ablaze.

“You seeing this?” I asked, it was an obvious question but I was dumbstruck.

“I see it,” Poe answered.

We finally neared base, miniature sized bodies scattering in and out of the building. Poe and I landed in the outer part of the hanger, the one area that didn’t seem to be under attack yet.

As soon as I leapt out of my cockpit, smoke hit my nostrils. Blasterfire and screams rang through the air. It took me straight back to the war.

“Let’s go,” Poe yelled, pulling me back to the present.

Extending my lightsaber, the two of us ran towards the back entrance through the hanger. The hallways were pure chaos. Resistance personnel ran hunched over, dodging blaster fire from the invaders. As one woman ran past us, her attacker came chasing after her a second later. Poe, wielding a blaster, landed a shot to his chest.

“Get to the med bay,” I ordered the woman, turning to Poe, “We have to find Finn.”

We took off down the next hall, the various ones around it bringing a stream of cries for help. They’d attacked the halls of the non-combat personnel first, it seemed. It made sense, wipe out all the easy targets first.

Poe and I began to return their attack one by one, my lightsaber slashing through blasters and sticking itself in the chests of the opposing team. Poe and I went back to back at one of the hubs, wiping our separate halls out. It didn’t matter how long it had been since we’d fought together, we were a perfectly oiled machine.

Eventually, we got to the main hall where the offices were. In the distance, I spotted a dark figure landing punches and taking shots.

“Finn!” I called out.

His head perked up, “Y/n!”

Poe and I sprinted down the hall, taking out a few of the invaders on our way.

“What the hell happened?” I asked while dodging a blast.

“They came out of nowhere,” Finn replied, twisting a man’s arm and pulling, causing a sick crack, “Security didn’t even catch them.”

Poe pushed me down to the ground, saving me from a near fatal shot, and fired back. While on my knees, I used the Force to pull a few men to the ground, landing roundhosue kicks once I was back on my feet. I swung my lightsaber around to stab though the shoulder of one who was aiming at Poe.

“Coming at you!” Finn yelled in my direction.

I whipped around and he Force launched his attacker toward me. Spinning, I slashed my lightsaber through his abdomen and shoved him to the ground.

Once we’d eliminated everyone in our hall, we took off toward the center of the base. Inside the war room, there were several Resistance member clutching their wounds and trying to help one another.

“We gotta get out front,” Poe said, “See where they’re coming from.”

We made a beeline for the main entrance where the majority of the blasterfire was coming from. Our soldiers were holding a defensive line to try and keep anyone else from getting in. Poe took up position with them while Finn and I slipped out the side. I dodged blaster fire with my lightsaber and used the Force to knock over one half of the offensive. It gave our team the opportunity to ground most of them. Once the rest of our attackers realized that they had greatly underestimated our numbers, they began to retreat back to their ships.

There was a moment of shocked silence after they left. The noise inside had died down, it seemed like a collective call had been made to leave. In the distance, I could see the Naboo fire and rescue team flying in, ready to take down the flames.

Poe got up from his spot and came to me and Finn, throwing his arms around me. The power of fear that came with fighting was something I’d forgotten.

“Let’s get inside,” he led, “Assess the damage.”

The three of us grabbed three gas masks to help with smoke inhalation and walked the halls. We helped the injured get to the med bay and checked to make sure the bodies strewn weren’t wearing Resistance colors. Sadly, we’d lost at least a dozen.

“You notice anything about these guys?” I asked, looking at one with a lightsaber hole through his chest.

“What do you mean?” Finn asked.

I looked down the rest of the hall, all the intruders wore matching grey uniforms. Similar to what Imperials used to wear during Palpatine’s reign.

“They’re all uniformed,” I answered, nudging the man’s boot with mine.

Poe and Finn looked around them, confirming what I’d said.

“This wasn’t random like Felucia or Kashyyyk,” I continued, “This was coordinated.”

“Guys,” Rose called breathlessly from the end of the hall, “You gotta come see this.”

The three of us followed her to the growing crowd of personnel all staring at something. Getting closer, I could see they were surrounding a body. I couldn’t have imagined what I’d see when the people parted for us.

A woman in a lieutenant’s uniform with her chest slashed open, blood pooling in her lap. A crimson stained paper was tagged to her shoulder. I had to kneel down, the mask barely shielding me from the smell, to read what it said.

‘DEATH TO THE RESISTANCE. LONG LIVE THE NEW EMPIRE.’

I unpinned the note from the dead woman’s jacket, the only dignity I could give her. My eyes didn’t leave her lifeless face as I handed the paper up to Poe and Finn. Their stunned silence matched mine.

The communicator in the pocket of my sweatpants went off, I blindly pulled it out and switched it on.

“Yeah?” I said, the syllable barely leaving my lips.

“Y/n,” Rey called over, “What’s going on? I can see the smoke from here.”

I took the first breath I could actually feel since waking up. “There was an attack,” I stated, my eyes still staring at the woman’s soulless eyes, “We’re okay.”

“What happened? Who was it?”

I pivoted to look up at Poe and Finn, who were just as confused as I was. Yet even with so little information, it all made perfect sense. None of the attacks had been random. They were part of something much bigger. Something that was heading straight towards us.

—————————

Freedom to Last Taglist: @mads-weasley

Poe Dameron Taglist: @lostinwonderland314 @theliterarymess @maybeimart @x-judyjude-x @dindjarinsspouse @generousrunawaydonut @sugarpunch-princess @morganlefaye13 @pancakefancake

#poe dameron x f!reader #poe dameron x solo!reader #poe dameron x female reader #poe dameron imagine #poe dameron x reader #freedom to last

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yanderecrazysie · 2 years

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Acrophobia

No one asked for this, so I delivered! A new “series” of short one-shots based on phobias!

Please don’t request any of these, I just want to have this as a “come on writer’s block go tf away” series.

Pairing: Takami Keigo (Hawks) x Reader

Warnings: Yandere themes

Acrophobia: The fear of heights

You admired Hawks. And, really, who didn’t?

He was handsome, cool, down-to-Earth, and just… not like any other superhero you’d ever seen. He was the number one hero in your book.

It was common to see him strolling through the city signing autographs, taking selfies with fans, and just conversing casually as if every squealing fangirl and fanboy was a friend of his.

You admired him greatly.

But that was all.

You didn’t think of him often, except when you saw him on the street, the news, or in the shops on some poster or plushie (once even a body pillow). But you never bought any of the items or watched the news looking for him specifically.

You weren’t a diehard fan that sought him out like a teenage girl does for her favorite boyband.

You never asked for an autograph or picture with him.

And that was the reason he’d approached you. Maybe the reason you’d caught his golden bird-of-prey eyes.

“Hey!”

You heard the fluttering of giant wings above you- a sound you’d heard many times before. Sure enough, Hawks landed gracefully in front of you, close-eyed smile spreading across his face.

“I’ve seen you around, but I’ve never gotten the chance to say ‘hi’,” he said. You couldn’t blame him, considering he was surrounded by adoring crowds whenever he landed.

“Oh!” You smiled somewhat shyly, surprised that such a famous hero had recognized you, “Um, well, hi!”

Well, that was awkward.

If Hawks shared your sentiment, he didn’t show it, grinning eagerly and asking for your name. You hesitantly give it, wondering why you even had a second thought about it.

Even if he was a hero, he was a man confronting you in the middle of a barely-lit, empty street at night.

“(Y/n), that’s a beautiful name,” he said, and you blushed at the compliment. His grin widened and you felt the sudden urge to take a step back.

He looked every bit the part of a predator.

“You shouldn’t be out wandering the streets at night, you know. I just stopped a villain a few minutes ago, and I’m sure he wasn’t the only one out here.”

You averted your eyes from his intense gaze, nodding with a little shame, “My job goes until closing, and I need the hours.”

“I understand, but still, I’d never forgive myself if I left and something happened to you,” Hawks was suddenly serious, a frown on his usually carefree face. Suddenly, the smile returned, a little mischief and something darker flickering in those golden eyes of his.

He suggested something that made your skin crawl. “How about I fly you home?”

“No! No, that’s alright!”

“Really, I insist.”

You bit your lip, unsure of how to explain how you felt to the pro hero. How could you tell him that he scared you without hurting his feelings?

Without sounding completely crazy?

“Um, really, I’m fine. You should be protecting the city, not helping one random girl get home. I’ve always made it. This neighborhood is pretty safe and I’m almost there.”

“I insist.” His voice was harder this time and you swallowed dryly.

Who were you to deny a hero of his own job?

Without waiting for another excuse, he wrapped his muscular arms around you and beat his wings until he was rocketing upwards. In surprise and struck with the sudden fear of plummeting to the ground below, you wrapped your arms around him as well.

It took you a minute to realize you weren’t going in the direction of your house.

“Um, Hawks, you’re going the wrong way,” you laughed uncomfortably, trying to sound lighthearted through your shaking voice.

“I know.”

Your heart just about stopped beating.

“What? What do you mean?”

Hawks smiled down at you, a gentle look in his eyes. It only terrified you further.

“Did you know most hawks mate for life?”

You shook your head, but whether it was a ‘no’ to the knowledge or a silent plea for him to put you down, you’d never know.

“Let’s go home, (Y/n).”

You were still going in the wrong direction.

#yandere #yandere hawks #yandere my hero academia #my hero academia #takami keigo #keigo takami

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noir-wanderer · 10 months

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Pokémon AU: Gym Leader Type

(take the quiz・make your team)

Ghost Type.

There’s so much to love about ghost-types: they’ve got a cool spooky aesthetic with a lovely color scheme, they can be super strong in battle, and they often have plenty of fun tricks up their sleeve. You’re usually relaxed and enjoyable to be around, but you know how to get serious when you need to. Other trainers respect you, even if they’re easily spooked.

It’s been a long time since I last watched the Pokémon anime series. I stopped around the first few episodes of Sun & Moon because I was thrown off by the sudden change in animation style. I did a speed-binge fairly recently on the older seasons (specifically AG, DP, and XY), and with the nostalgia still fresh in my mind, I’ve decided to rewrite my thoughts on the result.

I initially expected Yiuno to get one of the following three:

Psychic. Often portrayed as mysterious and intimidating due to their abilities related to mind control, telekinesis and even premonition, Psychic types are also highly intelligent, which further elevates their power to change the course of a battle in their favor. Yiuno is an enigmatic individual with a rich life experience under his belt—with his deep insight in ancient mysteries, it’s within reason that he can bring out the potential of Psychic types.

Dark. Just like the name suggests, they often come across as brooding and reclusive. They are very independent and strong-willed, making Dark types formidable opponents not to be trifled with carelessly. Yiuno is a solitary wanderer who has survived the bloodiest war, braved the harshest frontier—and still stood tall after all these years (and many more). The quiet strength that he possesses can give a huge confidence boost and build a strong bond with Dark types, making them a force to be reckoned with when they fight as one.

Steel. Indomitable and logical are a few traits commonly used to describe them. They can hit really hard while others can barely put a scratch on them, making Steel types a tough powerhouse on most battlefields. Yiuno is a hardened survivor who reflects the qualities of Steel types with his astute and grounded personality. Even when they are both in a pinch, they can entrust their backs to each other and work together to overcome the obstacles in their way.

The result was an amusing deviation from the predictions I’ve listed above. Ghost types are almost synonymous with troublemakers with a penchant for practical jokes and jump scares. They are unpredictable and whimsical, with no qualms to cause misfortunes and create havoc just because it’s their idea of “fun.” These traits seem like a far cry from Yiuno’s pragmatic character—he’d rather strike his foe from the shadows with lightning precision than to needlessly taunt them, the latter which might give his prey a chance to formulate a counter strategy.

That being said, Yiuno isn’t about all angst and no fun. He has a fairly dark sense of humor, and he is a dangerous glass cannon on the battlefield—making up for the lack of power with unorthodox tactics that can be fatal to those who underestimate him. The come-and-go nature of Ghost types also compliments Yiuno’s wandering lifestyle, and perhaps their fun-loving personality is what Yiuno needs to take some breaks from life responsibilities.

Team Lineup.

Disclaimer. Before I go into details about the thought process to form Yiuno’s dream team, note that the choice is purely based on aesthetics. I ain’t got the brain power for mathematical shenanigans, lol.

With that out of the way, let’s dive into the curious lineup I have picked for Yiuno:

Gengar / Mega Gengar (♂)

In the anime series, this beloved Gen I Ghost-type evolution chain is often depicted as a spooky trio with fondness for haunting abandoned places and scaring any trainers who are passing through their territory. While they have no ill will towards humans, their ghostly pranks aren’t appreciated by people—more often than not, this has resulted in their ominous reputation as harbingers of bad luck. Gengar, in particular, is a Shadow Pokémon that enjoys scaring people from the dark; its ability to absorb heat from its surroundings would explain the chilly atmosphere whenever it appears (or wherever it lurks, even).

I’d imagine that Yiuno and Gengar had a rocky start at first. Gengar would have thought that Yiuno was like any other unsuspecting trainer and tried to prank him for laughs, but Yiuno gave him an eye for an eye—enough to force Gengar revealing himself to battle the shrewd Viera head-on. When Yiuno did win the fight, Gengar did not take his loss well; he continued to make his new master’s life miserable for quite a while. After many ups and downs, Gengar eventually came to respect Yiuno’s strength and intellect. When he decided to entrust his back to this mysterious, astute master, Gengar’s hidden potential was finally able to shine, and they became a fearsome duo on the battlefield. Their strong bond for each other would eventually allow Yiuno to Mega Evolve his signature Pokémon and attain greater heights.

Marshadow (♀)

This little fellow is a curious addition to Yiuno’s team. Categorized as a Mythical Pokémon, this Fighting/Ghost type would’ve been quite difficult to obtain in the actual game series due to their rarity and limited appearances.

I’d think that Yiuno befriended Marshadow rather than capturing her; she then chose to join Yiuno and became a formidable fighter in his lineup. Marshadow is probably attracted to Yiuno quiet resilience, and Yiuno enjoys having her as a companion (when he needs a timeout from Gengar’s usual prank calls). She’s also a fairly shy Pokémon—she would often hide in Yiuno’s shadow when provoked or frightened outside of official battles.

Misdreavus ⋗ Mismagius (♀)

Just when Yiuno thought that Gengar was more than enough for the pranks around him, cue in the latter’s partner-in-crime: Misdreavus. While Gengar’s tricks were more practical and tangible, Misdreavus fed on the fears and despairs of her target, and then she would twist their dreams into horrifying nightmares.

If there is any shared traits between Misdreavus and her master, it’d be their craftiness. Though she can make up for her lack in power with her tricks and traps, she eventually chose to evolve into Mismagius due to her competitive streak against Gengar to rake up more personal wins in gym battles.

Mimikyu—Shiny (NB)

Another curious addition to Yiuno’s team—in particular, their shared mastery in the art of disguise. Unlike Jessie’s Mimikyu (which had an obsessive hatred towards Pikachu), Yiuno’s companion wore their disguise with pride, and they chose to serve Yiuno after acknowledging the latter’s skills.

This Shiny Mimikyu isn’t all about glam, either—they are the second-fastest Pokémon in Yiuno’s lineup, the first being another member further down this list.

Ceruledge (♀)

Oh, man. This Pokémon is a tough one to tame. Ceruledge is quite the bloodthirsty battler, and she’s willing to play dirty to get the wins. She takes the crown for being the sorest loser in the team (worse than Gengar), but she begins to change for the better under Yiuno, and finally takes real pride in her fighting capabilities.

Though her speed is second to no-one, Ceruledge’s secret wish is to learn sword-dancing to please her master—her way to thank him for his patience with her. Under all that bloodlust, this one is actually a pure maiden at heart.

Spectrier ⋗ Shadow Rider Calyrex (♂)

A Legendary Pokémon introduced in Gen VIII, Spectrier is said to be an arrogant stallion that once ruled (or rather, terrorize) a certain region as its strongest lord. In this verse, I’d imagine that he’s still a horse with an inflated ego, and his tyranny had caused grief to the Pokémons living in his realm.

Perhaps Calyrex sought Yiuno to free the land from Spectrier’s cruelty; through battling, Yiuno might have discovered that the only way to put Spectrier in his own place was to combine Calyrex with the former, becoming a Shadow Rider. Facing defeat against Yiuno and Calyrex, Spectrier would probably acknowledge Yiuno as a worthy master to serve.

Afterword.

Phew, that was way longer and more detailed than I had originally planned, but it was fun going in-depth and beyond the short blurb of the quiz result. I’m really tempted to add Pokémon into my multiverse (where Yiuno is a Ghost-type Gym Leader, obviously), but I don’t have the time to work on my growing list of pending fic ideas while I’m still bogged down by real-life work.

I happened to chance upon this quiz meme posted by @starrysnowdrop and decided to give this a shot. Also a big thank you to @gatheredfates for tagging me!

I’ve lost track of those in the community who had already attempted this quiz. To anyone who wants to have fun with this, consider yourself tagged by me, so that I can check out yours.

#rumeur noire.#noir; quiz result #yiuno rei #murmure noir.#noir; au #histoire; pokemon stormblood & shadowbringers #-- quiz; pokemon gym leader type #-- starrysnowdrop #-- gatheredfates

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thenightling · 2 years

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Interview with the vampire episode 3 review)

I just watched episode 3 of Interview with the vampire the TV series.

Ugh... I hate hate-watching. I keep trying to convince myself it’s not so bad. Having Louis talk Lestat into feeding on evil doers felt wrong to me. I thought vampires (of most lore) were supposed to have a predatory instinct to hunt yet we have Louis paying rat catchers to bring him live prey.

The subject of racism is addressed very heavily in the show. That being said, I do not like the idea that Lestat actually wrote Wolverine Blues and not Jelly Roll Morton. That’s not comfortable. That is the show, itself, being racist, crediting a white character for the invention of a black man, while at the same time the show tries to pretend to be aware of racial issues by talking about the racism of the era in New Orleans.

Also now Louis leaving a mangled corpse on a gate is what lead to the race riots and fall of Storyville!? This ...this feels like a bit of an insult to the cruel history of what really happened there.

Lestat used another power that does not exist in the Interview with the vampire (the novel). Lestat psychically enthralled an entire building full of men to make them all leave. This OP (over powered) ability bothered me though I also found it fascinating. At least it seemed to make Lestat quite tired and I think even his ears bled.

Also too much happens off camera. Half of Lestat’s speech to entice Louis into becoming a vampire is talked-over with narration and here in episode 3 Louis mentions that they can feed on animals but we are never shown him learning this / Lestat teaching him this when Lestat is who taught him this in the novel.

Maven of the Eventide (vampire film, book, and show critic) pointed out a major contradiction. In the very first episode Lestat actually says “I bring death to those who deserve it.” But in this episode it’s Louis who tries to talk Lestat into feeding on evil doers. This version of Lestat has no real interest in feeding on murderers- which is a big deviation from the books. Lestat exclusively hunted murderers who felt no remorse in the novels and it was not Louis’s idea and no, Lestat did not think it stupid.

It’s weird that they removed Lestat’s preference for feeding on evil doers after already giving him the line “I bring death to those who deserve it.” What the Hell does the line mean now? He also would admit (in The Vampire Lestat novel) that this was a lie, he knew no one really deserves death- no matter how terrible they are. But he didn’t want to kill the innocent.

This show has a LOT of contradictions. Like having Lestat able to project his thoughts to Louis after making him a vampire even though they still say their minds are blocked to each other. Also there is that annoying (and stolen from Twilight) idea that Lestat thinks all mortals think about is Home, Food, and Sex. Really, Lestat? You’ve never encountered a non-hungry aesexual (or child) who wasn’t thinking about home? Since when do Anne Rice’s vampires think mortals are that shallow and petty? Also thought reading and thought projection were interconnected powers in the book, both aspects of telepathy so it’s weird that the show creators decided to tamper with the rules when some very dramatic scenes in the books were the result of a vampire not being able to psychically call out to his maker or fledglings for help.

Louis also apparently has “The fire gift” (Anne Rice’s later novels obnoxious name for pyrokinesis).

Lestat was already repeatedly confirmed as bi / Pan and polyamorous but the show felt the need to go further in “explaining” (read: Idiot proofing) Lestat’s preferences by changing the gender of the musician Lestat turned in Interview with the vampire (novel). Antione is now Antionette.

Also apparently Louis now has a previous male lover. This rubbed me the wrong way. I thought Lestat was meant to be Louis’s bi / gay awakening.

I sort of accepted the show’s bi-erasure in making Louis totally gay (like how many Xena: Warrior Princess fans ignore her having male love interests in the original show) but something about changing the gender about the Nicolas-like lover Lestat takes bothers me for reasons I don’t entirely know.

Another weird thing is Louis seems able to control his own hunger by biting himself and drinking his own blood. Vampiric masturbation? That should not resolve the hunger because when a vampire loses blood it increases the hunger. This should leave him even less satisfied / more hungry than he started, at the very least from the self-injury.

I’m starting to think that Rashied (Louis’s modern day henchman who seems to think Louis is a God) is actually Armand...

They at least acknowledge that Lestat has a serious fear of being alone. He wanted to give Louis the chance to truly be himself as a vampire and he wanted the assurance that he had someone who would always be there for him. Lestat has serious abandonment issues- one of the few traits the show left him from the books. But having Lestat believe that there is no true goodness in humanity, worth protecting, bothers me. One thing I will admit to loving about episode 3 of Interview with the vampire. I really love Louis's new red vintage sunglasses. They look much better than the pair he wore previously.

#Interview with the vampire #Lestat #Anne Rice

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yikesitskennawrites · 2 years

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The Archer- Taylor Swift

Transitions Series Masterlist

Breaking Down Songs

A/n: I am breaking down songs and lyrics that I feel like they fit or reminds me of Transitions. This way, you guy’s would be able to understand the protagonist and the series a little deeper than before.

To kick off the first analysis of a song that reminds me of Transitions is Taylor Swifts: The Archer. This song is in my top ten of favorite Taylor Swift songs. I have too many memories of driving in the winter and blasting this song on repeat while I got my depression drink from Starbucks (caramel frap with twelve pumps of caramel and extra caramel chips and whipped cream) and too many cake pops. The amount of off key singing I did to this song is amazing and quite embarrassing. I am doing better though so that's good.

The dogs are great thanks for asking. If you get that reference I will be so happy.

Anyways, the first lines of this song are:

“Combat, I'm ready for combat I say I don't want that, but what if I do?”

The reader and their anxiety to fight. They don’t want to cause Marc and Steven to push them away through their nosiness. But what if, the only way to get answers is to be nosey and force answers out of Marc, especially after the hell they been through since the boys disappearance.

“'Cause cruelty wins in the movies I've got a hundred thrown-out speeches I almost said to you”

The things the reader is never going to be able to say to their parents or to the moonboys throughout the series is mind-blowing and quite frankly sad. The reader has been alone for an entire year before Marc/Steven saved them, remember how much the reader has to think before speaking so they don’t fuck up their relationship with the boys in the beginning of the Transitions.

“Easy they come, easy they go”

The people in the readers lives leading up to the blip until the snap happened which is just like blinking for the people who were blipped. They didn’t know five years passed, they thought it was still 2019 until they found out it was 2023 through the date on their phone or their loved ones telling them. People left the readers lives because they thought they weren’t coming back. Readers aunt was married to some dude the reader has never heard of. Readers crush in sophomore year was engaged to the smartest girl in biology when the reader came back.

“I jump from the train, I ride off alone I never grew up, it's getting so old Help me hold onto you “

The protagonist rides the bus almost everyday and their alone while doing it, they did everything on their own after coming back from the blip. They had to grow up quickly to survive; but there are moments where the reader acts like kid because they are still a kid. So, when meeting the moonboys, they get that chance to still be a teenager even if they aren’t quite aware of it just yet in the series. Steven reading the Egyptology books to the reader and holding their hand when they need to be comforted. Building forts and watching movies, they get a slice of childhood and semi-normal back.

They don’t want to let go of Marc and Steven, the “normal” after a year of being alone. Finally having someone to be with even if it means being scared of a god, their avatar, and Harrows remaining cult members.

“I've been the archer I've been the prey Who could ever leave me, darling? But who could stay?”

The reader has been the fighter/archer: pressing for information about Marc and Steven and their sketchy-ass past before realizing that its better that they let the boys open up to them on their own.

The reader has been the prey: Marc and Steven cornering them about their own past. The blue folder with all their relatives and life tucked neatly into a paper folder.

They don’t want to be alone, although they have thought about it because of their worry of getting close to someone. They may not recognize it yet, but they’re still grieving for their parents and old life, they are absolutely worried that the boys would leave them first whether that’s by ghosting the reader or straight up dying. So, the reader may consider going through with ghosting them or pushing them away.

The amount of confidence the reader has to pretend to have in order not to let themselves get hurt emotionally and physically is outstanding. The last thing that the reader wants is to get arrested and jailed back in America. This whole trial of the last year is basically “fake it till you make it.”

The reader fakes their age, only keeping their name in respect for their parents and as a fail-safe so they would react if somebody said their name. They pretended to be eighteen so nobody would blink twice at them.

The reader has been nearly keeping the Marc and Steven at arms length, really only letting them in when the moonboys find those cracks in the metaphorical door or forcing their way in through interrogation.

“Dark side, I search for your dark side But what if I'm alright, right, right, right here?”

Searching for ones dark side means searching for the parts of a person, a group, an activity, etc. that are unpleasant, evil, or harmful.

The reader not ghosting Steven and Marc despite their alter pressing a dagger into their throat and threating them to. They had a few days to leave leading up to Marc breaking into the readers apartment, they could have made up some lie to their work about their sick family member back in America and their need to move back there on such short notice; but in reality, straight up move to Brighton or some other place.

Of course, they stayed trying to figure out a different solution to their problem. Because, after days of thinking and finally coming to the question: what if they’re going to be safer with the moonboys rather than moving over several cities? They would be with a ex-mercenary and previous avatars of a Egyptian god. Although, they would be dealing with a alter who is still the gods avatar. Would they still be safe with them rather than moving to Brighton or Wales and being back on their own?

“And I cut off my nose just to spite my face Then I hate my reflection for years and years”

I had to Goggle search the definition of cut off one's nose to spite one's face: to do something that is meant to harm someone else but that also harms the person who does it

The unintentional harming the reader did towards their aunt and best friend back in New York. They ghosted their remaining family and old life, that had to hurt for the family members to be ghosted but assume the reader is dead despite a body not being found. Although the reader didn’t mean to harm their loved ones, they still did and in the process of ghosting, they are harming themselves.

“I wake in the night, I pace like a ghost The room is on fire, invisible smoke”

The absolute chokehold the readers anxiety has on them. They’re always between getting enough sleep or getting no sleep at all. And always find themselves crying from the stress and fear of being in Marcs and Stevens lives. They are struggling keeping their head above water so they don’t drown in the ocean of their own tears. They’re always anxious about something and it only got worse after being saved in the alley by Marc and Steven. The reader was saved but at what cost?

“And all of my heroes die all alone Help me hold onto you”

Although, Tony Stark didn’t die alone, he still died. So did Natasha and Steve Rogers. (Kind of: he retired and can’t fight anymore) The readers parents died in the aftermath of the blip, they were kind of like heroes. Y’know the typical “You’re my hero mom/dad.” So, of course the reader tries not getting attached to the moonboys but finds themselves attached through worrying for their strange disappearance and unanswered calls. They want to hold onto the boys despite their fears and they don’t want to let go. They need help holding on through the threat their alter made and the obvious dislike Khonshu has for the reader.

“Cause they see right through me They see right through me They see right through Can you see right through me? They see right through They see right through me I see right through me I see right through me”

Repetitive anxiety and breakdowns the reader goes through while carrying the weight of their grief. They need to be strong, they need to fake it until they make it, but it’s obvious that others can see them breaking down, right? Or are they too anxious and overthinking it that they just think others believe they are breaking down; but in reality, nobody notices?

“All the king's horses, all the king's men Couldn't put me together again”

The beginning of this lyric is a reference to the Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme. As I stated before the reader is still a kid who is playing adult. So, this particular lyric is fitting and very sad. For a long time after the blip, between the beginning of the first year alone and right before meeting Marc and Steven, the reader was surviving and not living. The weight of their grief for everything hit them hard and they just didn’t get the chance to work through it properly. Now, that they kind of can slow down and work themselves out surviving, they can begin living.

“Cause all of my enemies started out friends Help me hold onto you”

This is the lyric that hit me the hardest since I listened to it the first time years ago. Before I looked up the lyrics I thought it said, “ cause all of my memories started out friends” not the actual lyrics: 'Cause all of my enemies started out friends." Either way, it still is like getting hit with a car.

So, with the lyrics I thought it was, it reminds me of the reader and their struggle with anxiety and everyone in their life being gone (parents/best friend/aunt/ no longer having childhood classmates be in your graduating class since they’re now twenty-one or twenty two and you’re still fifteen/sixteen). It’s kind of like the tipping point for the reader and their grief of being alone and losing the future that they once thought they had. The bravery the reader had to have while crossing the Atlantic ocean on their own and making a new life had to be astronomical or very small brain of them.

“I've been the archer I've been the prey Who could ever leave me, darling? But who could stay? (I see right through me, I see right through me) Who could stay? Who could stay? Who could stay? You could stay You could stay”

They don’t want to let go of the worst and best month of their life since they came back from the blip. They don’t want to lose Marc and Steven, the two men that had shown them kindness and actually cared for them even if it was through blackmailing them. The need to hold onto Marc and Steven. They just need it and want it. Even if they don’t know exactly how much they need it quite yet.

“Combat, I'm ready for combat.”

Is the reader ready to hold onto Marc and Steven? Yes, although they will second guess themselves multiple times due to their anxiety of everything the moonboys brought to their doorstep. They will do everything to fight for them; and hope that the boys will do the same.

---

The Archer is supposed to represent anxiety and Miss Swift captures it well not only in the lyrics but in the instruments. If you listen, you expect the beat to drop but it never does.

Feel free to send in any songs you think fit Transitions. :)

Want to be tagged for these breakdowns? Don’t be afraid to ask!

#moonknight #moonknight x teen!reader #moonknight series #marc spector x teen!reader #steven grant x teen!reader #Jake lockely x teen!reader #Layla el faouly x teen!reader #layla el faouly x you #jake lockely x you #steven grant x you #marc spector x you #khonshu x teen!reader #khonshu #reader #reader insert #x reader #transitions #breaking down

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biglisbonnews · 1 year

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Capturing the Mysterious Antarctic Whale Gathering on Film Secret Obsessions is Atlas Obscura's new column where we ask wondrous people to take us down a rabbit hole. This edition features award-winning wildlife filmmaker and television host Bertie Gregory, as told to Associate Editor Sarah Durn. Antarctica is some 9,000 miles from my home in England, and I had been trying to get there for more than a decade to film one of the biggest animal gatherings on Earth. Hundreds of fin whales come there to feast on krill, a tiny, translucent crustacean, but the gatherings are little studied, rarely seen, and have never been properly captured on camera. For a wildlife filmmaker like me, capturing these legendary gatherings became the holy grail. Wanting to go to some remote corner of the globe to film an animal is a familiar feeling for me. It started young. Growing up, everyone at my school thought I was a complete freak because any moment of spare time, during sports practice or whatever, I would slip away to go sneak up on animals. I realized that if I took pictures of the animals I was seeing, it was a great way to get other people excited about what I was excited about—and also explain where I’d been sneaking off to. Before university, I wanted to see and photograph bears, so I emailed a bunch of wildlife tour guides on the west coast of Canada, and said, “Can I come hang out?” I ended up living in the basement of one guide for two summers, helping out on a bear- and whale-watching boat. I was there to see bears, but it was the whales that really captured my imagination. One day I went out with a tour group. Normally, you'd see maybe four or five whales, mainly either grey whales or humpback whales. For whatever reason, there was this freak event, where all of the humpback whales’ prey had come into shore. You couldn't drive the boat more than a hundred yards without having to go around a whale. There were humpback whales everywhere. That was the first time I saw wildlife en masse. A light switch went off in my head: “Wow, this is special.” Years later, in 2018, I had my first tantalizing glimpse of what the Antarctic has to offer. I was there filming for the BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, and the fin whale gatherings were on the long list of animals we wanted to film. One day we saw a gathering of about 150 whales. It was spectacular, but very brief. I think we ended up watching them for only an hour. The German research ship we were on had a tight schedule, and we couldn’t stay. As soon as I had seen that, I was like, “I need to film this.” And I wanted to get it from all angles: in the air with drones, at water level with gyro-stabilized cameras, and diving underwater with a camera. And the only way of doing that, really, is with a sailboat, so you're super-maneuverable. When this series, Epic Adventures, was commissioned, I knew I wanted to try it. It was our most ambitious, most expensive episode. There was no budget for a reshoot. We had to get it. After two years of planning, we gathered an amazing team and set sail on a 75-foot sailboat across the infamous Drake Passage from South America to Antarctica. We could only stay 28 days. The whale gatherings are thought to happen right at the end of the season when it’s possible to visit the southern continent. So we were there as late as we possibly could be before the weather would get really bad. Near the start we saw this small gathering, but it was too rough to film. We knew it was happening, but the days just started ticking by. I felt awful. I’m in Antarctica, surrounded by cool people, looking for whales, it doesn't get better than that. But so many people were counting on us to get this. The idea of not being able to pull it off was really hard to take. Three quarters of the way through the shoot, I remember lying in my bunk, and my friend Dan Beecham, the other underwater cameraperson, was in the bunk above me. There were pieces of icebergs grinding on the hull, and you could hear the anchor dragging because the winds were so strong. And I remember looking up in the dark. “Dan, was this a bad idea? Like, do you think we can actually do this?” He was very calm and very wise, and said, “We can do this. We've done all the right things.” He was kind of the voice of reason in all the doubt. And the next day, the winds were calm. The sea was flat. The sun was out. For the first time, there were no clouds. And just as we were pulling the anchor up, I lifted up my binoculars to the horizon, and that was when I saw what looked like cannons going off in an old sea battle. It was all these whale blows backlit by the rising sun. As we motored towards the whales, the blows getting closer and closer, I couldn’t decide what lens to put on the drone. It's something I’ve done a thousand times, but I knew this could be the only flight. Finally, I was like, “Okay I just need to pick a lens and go.” Then I flew the drone up above the gathering. I have never seen anything so epic on a monitor screen, all these blows going off in front of snowy mountains. There were some 300 feasting whales. But to really appreciate how big these animals are, we needed to get in the water. The biggest danger of the whole shoot was getting lost while diving. It’s very easy to lose divers in the open ocean. We were all kind of on edge when we dropped in. All we could see is blue. The water's below freezing, so immediately you get this brain freeze. And then you wait. For permitting and disturbance reasons, the whales have to come to you. We could feel the whales before we could see them. Fin whales make a really deep noise you can’t hear. But you can feel your guts vibrate. Then a big group of chinstrap penguins came whizzing past us. And then out of the gloom, I see this weird shape. All of a sudden this giant fin whale mouth comes out of the blue and cruises right past me. It was so close we could look each other in the eye. There are no words to describe that feeling—to see an animal that big, that close. I followed its eye with the camera, and the body kept coming and coming. Eventually, the tail came past and I was like, “I’m not going to get shot like that in while.” But soon enough, another whale came along, then two more. All of a sudden there were whales coming from all directions. After we got out and the sun started to dip, whale blows were still going off everywhere. I remember Martha Kane, the medic, turning to me and saying, “You need to take a look at this with your eyeballs. Stop trying to film it and just look at it.” So often with this job, you're so focused on filming that you spend the entire time with your head in a monitor. I remember going up to the bow of the boat and looking out at the whales. It was like looking at a scene of what the planet was before humans messed it up. I'm very lucky that I get to go all over the world and see amazing animals, but literally everywhere we go, a guide or scientist tells us, “You should’ve seen what it was like 10, 20 years ago.” Wildlife populations are nosediving all over the world, but it’s possible to bring some of them back. Fin whales almost went extinct during the commercial whaling era. Now, thanks to protections and good governance, they’ve come back from the edge. And to see this truly wild place, with whales and penguins and the snowy mountains behind them, it was really emotional. This is what happens when you give nature an opening. It'll do the hard work, it will come back. We just need to give it the chance. Bertie Gregory is an award-winning wildlife filmmaker and the host of the new Disney+ show Epic Adventures with Bertie Gregory. He is a National Geographic Explorer and has hosted six projects for National Geographic (Leopards at the Door, Jaguar Vs Croc, Wild_Life, Resurrection Island, and The Big Freeze). Resurrection Island won the Best Television Host award at the Jackson Wild Awards in 2019. Bertie also films for the BBC David Attenborough series Seven Worlds, One Planet, and is one of BAFTA’s youngest-ever cinematography winners.

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naranjapetrificada · 21 days

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3, 14, 24?

Thank you ❤️❤️❤️

I can always count on you when there's a fic writers ask game going around!

To literally no one's surprise, the answers got long enough that I want to put them behind a cut:

3. how you feel about your current WIP

Quite good, actually! It's weird having a neutral attitude toward the act of writing after so many years carrying so much baggage around it. Conceptually I'm fairly confident about the world and many of the upcoming story beats, although my confidence falters sometimes thinking about the execution of those things. But I feel like I'm learning a lot, I have smart and supportive beta readers, and the enthusiasm it's been met with is just lovely.

Like I know longfics are tough, and at the rate I'm going it's gonna take me more than a year to finish it (unless something changes pretty radically?), but there's no point in borrowing trouble by worrying too much about that. The most important thing right now for future sustainability is not stressing myself out about finishing it earlier than that. It will be finished when it's finished and in the mean time I just want to keep having fun with it.

14. where do you get your inspiration?

Inspiration is such an interesting topic to me because for me, it's one of those things that's completely passive until it's not. It's kinda like what I said on a different post yesterday about inspiration being like a chemical reaction, but closer to alchemy than modern chemistry. By reading and experiencing life and other stuff you end up with a lot of things in a pot, and sometimes those things will react to each other. Or sometimes you'll accidentally add a volatile catalyst and soon that pot is boiling.

When it comes to more actively seeking inspiration, I regularly think about that thing Don Draper said on Mad Men, about thinking about whatever you need inspiration for a while, deeply, and then not thinking about it at all. I guess that's a more active version of that alchemy metaphor, where you're actively seeking things to throw in the pot. Sometimes that's just what the act of worldbuilding is. And sometimes there's no catalyst beyond lighting a fire under it, but a watched pot never boils.

(The one exception to that is if I'm struggling to like, generate scenes, it can help to go into research mode.)

24. how do you recharge when you’re not feeling creative?

Reading is obvs in heavy rotation, fic or otherwise.

Despite my intense interest in OFMD, I haven't been a big TV watcher for a few years now! Anyone in this fandom already knows how the TV landscape is, and it's been headed this way for a long time. So not a lot of that!

For the past 5+ years though I've gotten quite into video games in a way that I wasn't before. I mean I always played games of one kind or another, usually PC stuff like the Sims, but I didn't Get Into Gaming until later. Because I was "late" to gaming I've been in a bit of a bubble because I've been playing catch-up, so there are so many high-quality, important, and influential games that I've gotten to play in the past several years. I don't know what I'm gonna do once I'm "caught up" and have to wait for new releases like everyone else lol.

Gaming has actually done a lot to inform my thoughts and feelings about storytelling, which I may or may not write about on tumblr eventually. I've also gotten really interested in thinking about game mechanics as narrative mechanics and the overlap between different ways of experiencing story. Environmental storytelling, for example, makes my brain all tingly ☺️

Unsurprisingly some of my favorite games are ones with deep lore, like almost everything put out by Arkane Studios (the Dishonored series, Deathloop, Prey, etc). Bring up pretty much anything about Arkane and I'll talk your ear off. I also really value the Horizon games despite some serious mechanical flaws. And now I'm going to consciously cut myself off abruptly or this paragraph will quickly become my entire day.

#ask games #ask game #asked and answered #fic writing #writing process

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irastayshome · 8 months

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Superpowers

6th July 2023

Dear Ibrahim,

I lied to you today. When you’d asked me who my favourite super hero was, I said it was Batman. To be honest, I was probably just thinking of Christian Bale, the actor who plays Batman in one of the Batman movies, because I think he is handsome. Not as handsome as your ayah though.

I even told you all about why Batman was my favourite. That he’d faced his own fears of bats and the dark, so that he would not be afraid anymore, and would no longer have a weakness that villains could prey on. Then Idris kept asking very relevant questions that interrupted this ‘inspiring’ message I was trying to give about superheroes. “Mama, what is superman afraid of?”

Hmm. Of course any fool knows about kryptonite. But if I went with that, then the predicted series of questions that’d follow would be where does kryptonite come from, what is in kryptonite that makes superman weak, how do the villains get these mysterious stones. Naturally, Idris had asked all these questions by the time I actually thought through my alternative response.

(One day, when you get married and you see your wife’s eyes glaze over or possibly pointing away from each other, or even when she’s answering you by just repeating the last word in your question with a questioning tone, you’ll know that she’s actually not really listening and doing a lot more in her mind. That is not the time to ask her important questions like what does she want for her birthday.)

But back to Idris and his innocent questions that strangely often verges on existential in nature. I thought about it, and it was actually simple, and universal for all superheroes. Why do superheroes wear a mask or disguise themselves in some way? Aside from hiding some hideous deformity, they do so because they need to remain anonymous. Not out of humility, or shame, or to intimidate. They disguise themselves to protect the ones they love from being preyed on by the superheroes’ enemies. Superman was invulnerable, as we’ve read the other day. (I hope you guys still remember my very graphic explanation of the word invulnerable.) No bullet was able to catch up to him, let alone pierce his skin. Yet the one thing that could strike him right through his heart was when villains tried to hurt Lois Lane.

To be honest my only knowledge of superman, apart from books I’ve read to you, is from Smallville, a tv show mama used to watch when I was a teenage girl. Back in Smallville, Clark Kent’s weakness was Lana Lang. Please don’t google Lana Lang. You’ll start to realise what a big beautiful world of women there are out there and I won’t be hearing anymore “mama you are the most beautiful woman in the world” anymore. I live for those affirmations you give.

There are many days when I look like I’ve moved on, and sometimes I myself am convinced that life will be okay after all without your ayah. But you see, mama puts on masks too. This mask helps me wake up, send the two of you to school with a reassuring smile and a “I love you, have a good day in school today”, have breakfast for one in the hawker centre with my prata and teh-o, then carry on with the rest of the day. There are times, however, when the mask comes off. Days that are tiring, or too noisy, or when I get reminded of the bad times when ayah was unwell or the bad times when your grandmother hurt us. The mask gets too heavy and I cannot breathe, so I take it off for a moment. And I sit and cry in the car for 20 minutes with the engine turned off. Or I wash the toilet aggressively and allow all the hurtful memories come out of my mind and into my arms, giving them strength to scrub off all those mildews. I put on my mask because I wanted to protect you and Idris from getting hurt by my hurt. Today, however, you helped me look at that mask in a different way.

Once again, I’d used hurtful words that really cut deep because I could not get the two of you into the toilet before it got dark. As we lay in the dark, both of you by my side, the air rife with the tension of skipping story time before bed, I finally let go. People are often mean because they are hurt, I said, and are not comfortable with that hurt staying inside their body, and thought they needed to let it out on someone else. It never works, and they feel worse after that because on top of that hurt they were already feeling, they now feel bad about hurting someone else too. Nobody likes feeling bad, and sometimes it makes us feel so ashamed of ourselves that we need to hide out. That’s where my mask came back on, a different mask. The one both of you are so familiar with by now. “Mama is angry at us” mask. In truth, that second mask was also a lie. More than anything, I wanted to save you from having to pluck up the courage to talk to me while I looked so angry and terrifying. But I felt I had done too much bad, that you would not believe me if I tried to apologize. Instead, I walked past you and watched you write down on a piece of paper: “I am noting, becos I am not a good boy and I am not smat”. That mask I put on, cracked in two. More than that, my heart broke in two.

The hurt mama feels, every minute of the day, is simple. I miss ayah.

I miss ayah when I wake up and I can’t hear his snores, nor can I hit him across his chest to tell him it’s his turn to make your breakfast. I miss ayah when I saw your friends and their fathers on family day, cheering them on and high-fiving them. I miss ayah when a fever is burning through my body and I cannot breathe properly, and I hear Idris call out to me to tell me he needs to poop. I miss him every minute of the day, and on some days, it is just too much hurt. It needed to come out, and the mask that I put on to protect everyone else from this hurt, was suffocating me. But I held on and on, until I saw that you had also started to put on a mask. “I am nothing” mask.

I am putting away my mask now. We do not need to protect each other from our feelings, because the only way to be kind to one another is to listen, and understand what the other person is going through. As I began to cry hard, with all the memories of ayah rushing into my head, you sat up and hugged me. I cried harder and harder and you hugged me tighter, not offering any words to save me from feeling what I was feeling. You gave me permission to take out my mask, and say what was making me hurt. And as my sobs died down to sniffles, you pulled away so you could look at me, and gave me a kiss.

Ibrahim, that is your super power. I once told you that Allah had gifted you with a huge heart, that made it easier for you to feel other people’s hurt. I’ve looked at it at one way for so long, that I’ve forgotten to look at it in a glass half full kind of way. You held space for an adult who was hurting in a deep and ugly way, who had just lashed out and attacked you for being yourself, and you helped me mend the bridge I was too ashamed to fix. Compassion is your super power, and it is more powerful and superior to any other power you think you need in this toxic world. As you looked at me, smiled and gave me a peck, I almost broke into tears once more, because it felt like dejavu. Your ayah used to look at me, and kiss me, just like that whenever I had apologised for something I did wrong. In that moment, of me missing ayah too much I could not stop crying in the dark, you saved me.

Another day, perhaps tomorrow, I know I will start the next round of worrying about whether I am putting too much emotional responsibility on my 6-year old child and whether you’d start to feel you need to rescue me from everything. But for tonight, if ayah was indeed watching all that as I’d like to believe, then I know he would also have felt proud as I do that our son is a superhero.

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scriptdogtor · 1 year

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Let’s talk territory. If this adaptation wants to remain true to the original, mermaids have predators like sharks.

What about orcas?

So like, how do they keep safe? Do sharks recognize territories like mammals do?

Also, if we are to assume merpeople get high, are there any underwater equivalents of weed?

Oooh, these are interesting! I'll try to break these down since there's a lot to elaborate on for each, but I might expand upon these bits if anyone has additional thoughts/questions.

First thing's first, from an ethology perspective:

We tend to interpret animal behavior from a human lens.

This is a natural, normal thing to do. We see a dog behaving a certain way and we attach a label (dominant/jealous/needy/etc.) to it. This gives us shorthand to communicate, but it can perpetuate myths or even miscolor our interpretations of what animals do. So when we talk about behavior, it's important to start with what we can see in the field vs. how we interpret it first.

Animals respect territorial boundaries becomes this species keeps to a defined, measurable range. Animals mark along the edges of this range.

Merfolk & Shark Predation

I've seen stories that have merfolk diets all over the place and that's great for storytelling potential. I know what you mean by the OG tales featuring shark attacks, but I'm not sure that means a shark would choose a merperson over easier prey.

I'll focus on sharks adapted to pursue larger prey. Think Great Whites, maybe Threshers, or Tiger Sharks. These sharks tend to be opportunistic feeders and are drawn to particular types of movement. They have preferred prey and it's not humanlike.

Thresher shark hunting (which gives me ideas for predatory merfolk):

youtube

Great White hunting patterns discovered by dorsal fin cameras (overdramatized but good info)

youtube

Merfolk have a size and likely social advantage to seals. For prey of opportunistic animals, it pays to be faster, smarter, or more difficult to catch than the prey next to you.

Love this practical breakdown of film shark attacks, and one of the most important things about this is that most shark "attacks" are curiosity rather than predation. Lots of good info about adaptations, too!

youtube

Orcas as Apex Predators

Orcas are efficient predators. That doesn't make them universally dangerous to humans or humanlike creatures, but our perception of their behavior has a lot to do with culture. They're also large enough that non-predatory behavior could seriously injure a creature our size.

I have been shoved by a cow and stepped on by draft horses, but I have not been shoved by an animal who swims better than I do and is 13,000 lbs.

Ultimately, a seal is going to make a more efficient meal for an orca, but there are so many regional differences in orca populations that maybe they might be a danger to some merfolk? Mer do have the advantage of not needing to go to the surface to breathe, so they could simply wait them out.

Also, shoutout to the Little Mermaid series because we all love Spot. You can tell where the animators referenced male and female orcas by how they shaped his dorsal fin.

Note on Sharks & Territorial Range:

I'm not actually sure what we know about sharks having defined ranges or not. I don't think they do? At least not in the way humans think about territories, which comes from our culture of defined, strict, labelled nation boundaries.

A lot of predators will stick around a certain range if they've got prey (see: some orcas sticking to food-rich areas in ranges as small as a few miles) but I don't know of any behaviors that maintain that range.

Any marine bio friends have any insights?

Merfolk Defenses

Even if they aren't a primary food source, merfolk can deliberately keep themselves safe. We can infer defenses from our similar anatomy and pull from what we know about marine life, too.

Likely defenses:

Social grouping. Your friends can watch your back.

Intelligence. Coordination means you're much more difficult to catch and much more dangerous.

Endurance. Humans aren't physically the best at much, but we were originally meant to tire out our prey.

Applying camouflage. You have the issue of both skin and scales/fins, but humans have been applying camouflage to themselves since the beginning of time. Merfolk can probably do the same.

Tools & weapons. Think of all the glass that gets littered in the ocean. Ouch.

Some cool adaptations for your stories:

Fin shape adapted for fast, efficient movement. I'm interested because 2023 Ariel's fin shape implies she moves more slowly than a few of her sisters.

Spiny fins. Careful your spines don't injure your merfriend's skin, though.

Echolocation or lateral line sensation. Perception equals better awareness of your surroundings before a predator can catch up.

Marine Recreational Substances - Tetrodotoxin

I had no idea what to title this. So you get this one!

With any substance, the dose makes the poison and the dose makes the high. My first thought is obviously tetrodotoxin, or the venom found in pufferfish. It's a sodium-channel blocker and can interfere with nerve/muscle communication.

Other sodium-channel blockers include lidocaine and cannabidiol. I'm not experienced enough in pharmacology to tell you how different these might be, but drugs that have the same mechanisms of action can have vastly different effects. Some drugs are more specific than others and have more narrow margins of safety. Still...it's interesting to think about.

I'll have to look into other venoms to see how they work, too.

#answered #the little mermaid #the little mermaid 2023 #2023 the little mermaid #so much food for thought #if marine bio tumblr wants to help that would be fantastic #I know we've got rich info on cetacean behavior soooooo

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silver-moon1 · 1 year

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Human Trafficking & HTM

This weeks case on human trafficking was extremely riveting and disturbing. The two story lines that were intertwined opened my eyes to how human trafficking in the hospitality and tourism industry is a major issue that needs to be addressed and further looked into on a daily basis. I was appalled that at the end of the series a statistic read that "800,000 people are trafficked annually across the boarder". Additionally traffickers prey on people of all ages (starting at as young as 12), backgrounds, and nationalities, exploiting them for their own profit. They stalk younger women because they are easy targets to manipulate. The traffickers accomplish this through false promises and constant manipulation, as we saw in the series.

Watching the series made me feel extremely sad and angry at just how easy human trafficking appears especially in the hospitality and tourism industry. The mom and daughter, for example, was visiting a different country and doing some shopping when a boy around the daughters age began to flirt and flaunt gifts. Being that the boy was her age he seemed trustworthy and within seconds she was taken from her mother. There are so many risks in traveling, especially when to a different country, so it's imperative to be mindful and aware of your surroundings.

I also could not believe that something as simple as going on a date or wanting to model could lead to getting trafficked. It made me so sad when Helena was taken. She was so blind in thinking that this man had true intentions and feelings for her, but was very much mistaken. What kept her going was her daughter and the threats that were made against her daughter in the event she thought of escaping. The series made me think constantly of how on EARTH could this happen without anyone around them questioning them. The women were ushered through an airport (with fake identification) and shoved into a van and no one batted an eye.

Three major things that angered me during the series was 1) bribing of law enforcement. Officers are meant to protect, not work against its people or put them in danger. It made me sick that they helped the traffickers do business just for a payout. 2) The man in the brothel abroad who questioned that the child may be too young. How about question the practice as a WHOLE? The entire business is wrong. Paying for sex is wrong. Making people do things they don't want to is wrong. He said "it feels like I'm doing my daughter". So in that aspect you feel guilty, but still want to do business with the people that put children that are YOUR child's age to do sex work? I just cannot wrap my head around who on earth thinks that those kinds of people are the type of people to do business with. Let alone not turn them into the police. 3) Once the women were taken into custody they still didn't have a voice or feel free. They were consumed in shame and fear which I thought was just devastating. After everything they went through, after getting liberated, they still didn't feel safe enough to tell the officers the information they needed or testify against the person who enslaved them. They had no shred of hope to move on or have a better life. They didn't think they were safer to be with the police due to their trauma, PTSD, and threats made against their loved ones.

Like they said during the series we are blinded by human trafficking because we ignore it. This is NOT an issue to be ignored especially in the hospitality and tourism industry. We shouldn't feel unsafe in our travels, on our dates, or when applying for a job, but we do. This issue has to be addressed firsthand because odds are it may never end. Human trafficking is the worlds most profitable crime and is truly appalling.

#human trafficking #human rights #appalling #disturbing #unsettling #tourism #hospitality

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crowdvscritic · 2 years

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round up // JULY + AUGUST 22

Summer 2022: A summer of milestones! Some of these were personal, like my first trip to Hawaii and a little thing called turning 30. (I watched 13 Going on 30 to feel the most thirty, flirty, and thriving I could; I avoided tick, tick...BOOM! to avoid the what-am-I-doing-with-my-life anxiety that comes with this birthday.) Some of them were professional, like the first interview on SO IT’S A SHOW? with a Gilmore Girls cast member! In ep. 127, Kyla and I chatted with John Cabrera (aka Brian, our favorite Hep Alien bassist) about the music that influenced the show, his thoughts on the 2016 revival, and more.

You might have also noticed a new look to this blog. In the first site refresh I’ve made to Crowd vs. Critic in years, I’ve updated my About, Author, and Best Picture Project pages, and the new theme (fortuitously named “Oscar”) makes everything look a little cleaner. My favorite new feature is the Random button in the header, which pulls up a random post from the blog—perfect for a movie night selection tool.

I also made an exciting update to the Author page: I was accepted to the St. Louis Film Critics Association this summer. Along with easier access to new release screenings, I’ll vote in the group’s best of the year selections in December. Stay tuned for more updates!

In the meantime, I’m completing my third year of Round Ups with 10 crowd-pleasers and 10 critic picks I discovered in July and August. These include eight new movies releases (unsurprisingly for this time of year, most fall in the Crowd list), five summer vacay-ready titles, three TV series, and one Best Picture winner. And if you’re ready to say goodbye to Summer heat and start wearing those Autumn sweaters, I’ve got a Letterboxd list ready for you, too.

July + August Crowd-Pleasers

1. Stranger Things 4 (2022)

During the first few episodes, I wondered if this would be the first season of Stranger Things that would lose me. With so many characters and the scariest villain yet, I was afraid the Duffer Brothers’ show was succumbing to the flaws that made season three my least favorite. But like always, the Hawkins crew won me over. The many locales updated the typical season’s structure in a clever way. Separating characters made their reunions more poignant. Longer episodes allowed for more character development, including for secondary characters. The soundtrack ripped. I wanted to copy the costumes and hairstyles. Steve was still GOAT! Need I keep listing why I’m counting down till Stranger Things 5?

2. Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar (2021)

Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig leave the Midwest for their dream vacation in Florida—hijinks and hilarity ensue! It’s difficult to explain the plot without giving away some of the fun surprises, but if you enjoy silliness involving celebrity cameos and banana boats, this is for you. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8/10

3. Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)

Sue me—I had a lot of fun! There are many fun things about this sequel—like screaming goats, the Guardians of the Galaxy cameos, and all the weirdness of Russell Crowe—but probably the most fun is it's only 2 hours. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 7.5/10

4. Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022)

Like every movie featuring Minions before, I can barely recall what I watched within three seconds of leaving the theater, but I can tell you I had a good time. Read why in my review for ZekeFilm. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 7/10

5. Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (2022)

A nice story about a nice woman who goes to a nice place to get a nice dress and is nice to pretty much everyone along the way. Needless to say, if you’re looking for a nice feel-good movie, this it. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8/10

6. Double Feature: Predator (1987) + Prey (2022)

In Predator (Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 6.5/10) Arnold Schwarzenegger faces off with an alien in the jungle in an ‘80s macho shoot-‘em-up. 300 years earlier in Prey (Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8/10), Amber Midthunder faces off with an alien ancestor in a prequel that is nobody’s tax write-off streaming movie. Read my full review of Prey for ZekeFilm.

7. The Gray Man (2022)

This passed the sad test that has become a barometer for at-home watching since the pandemic: Do the action scenes make me make it easy for me to tune out, or do they make me put away the laptop and get invested? (It’s harder to pass than you’d think.) Also of note: It's becoming a toss-up whether I prefer Chris Evans as smarmy villain or a sincere do-gooder. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 7/10

8. Double Feature - Brad Pitt Action: Spy Game (2001) + Bullet Train (2022)

In Spy Game (Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8/10), Robert Redford is finishing his last day at the CIA, but first he’s trying to rescue Brad Pitt from a Chinese prison. In Bullet Train (Crowd: 10/10 // Critic: 8/10), Brad Pitt is starting his first day back on the job as a contract killer, but first he needs face off with Brian Tyree Henry, Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and more on a train to Kyoto. Try the former if you’re in the mood for action mixed with geopolitics and the latter if you want it with a dash of stylized comedy.

9. Beast (2022)

Must calling a movie “formulaic” always be an insult? This Idris Elba action thriller puts that assumption to the test because it knows what it is—a 90-minute adventure built around a charismatic movie star—and the formula it needs to follow. Ready how it excels at its formula in my review for ZekeFilm. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 6.5/10

10. Double Binge - Returning Comedy Series: iCarly + Only Murders in the Building (2021 - )

One is intelligent comedy and one is very silly comedy—I contain multitudes, so they are both for me. To its credit, the iCarly reboot is cleverly commenting on the inanity of the Internet’s pressure on content creators (and perhaps the gig-like profession itself), and it brings in just enough guest stars and storylines to bring back the nostalgia of the Nickelodeon series. Only Murders in the Building is similarly spoofing content creators like podcasters (oops, #ItMe), is laugh-out-loud funny, and still surprises with its plot twists. Third seasons, here we come!

July + August Critic Picks

1. Elvis (2022)

Probably my favorite thing about Baz Luhrmann movies is it feels like he has zero interest in being cool and every movie is exactly what he is wanted to make. If it’s not that, it could be the guy knows how to stage a musical performance, actors turn out some of their best work under his direction (see: Austin Butler), and the costumes and sets are deliciously avant-garde. Not everything about Elvis works, but what does work is electric. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

2. An American in Paris (1951)

This musical-loving, Gene Kelly-crushing Oscars enthusiast has had plenty of reasons to watch this 1951 Best Picture winner, but falling in love with Paris in May finally moved it to the top of my watchlist. My latest Best Picture Project reviews might as well be both for this film and for my trip to France: not overrated. Read my Crowd and Critic reviews. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 10/10

3. Notorious (1946)

Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant in an Alfred Hitchcock spy thriller—what else do I need to say? Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 10/10

4. Home, before and after by Regina Spektor (2022)

Her one-of-a-kind vocal acrobatics are back, and this is the first album to challenge Harry Styles for my soundtrack of summer 2022.

5. Mildred Pierce (1945)

Joan Crawford is caught in a domestic Film Noir trying to win the love of her materialistic daughter while avoiding a murder charge. Another entry on my Letterboxd list “’40s Gals Just Trying to Live Their Best Lives BUT SOCIETY”! Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 10/10

6. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Romance meets wuxia kung fu! Ang Lee’s thrilling adventure scales trees, crosses the desert, and swings swords in one of the most beautifully shot and acted action films you’ll ever see. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 10/10

7. The Bedford Incident (1965)

Richard Widmark is a tyrannical submarine captain in a stare down with U-boats in the North Atlantic, and few have the courage to challenge his collision course with nuclear war. Journalist Sidney Poitier and doctor Martin Balsam are two of the few, but will they live to tell about their experiences on shore? The latest addition to my favorite journalism films! Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 9/10

8. TCM’s Summer Movies: 30 Sun-Drenched Classics by John Malahy

You know I love a Turner Classic Movies book! This summer I worked on finishing their vacay-ready recommendations when it was too hot to do anything outside. My favorites from July and August include Ingmar Bergman’s twist on A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Smiles of a Summer Night (1955); Katharine Hepburn’s romance in Venice, Summertime (1955); the coming-of-age hidden gem that made me homesick for my college days in Indiana, Breaking Away (1979); and the romantic dream European vacation, Before Sunrise (1995). Previously reviewed films from this book include Key Largo (1948), Summer Stock (1950), Picnic (1955), The Endless Summer (1966), Caddyshack (1980), National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983), and Do the Right Thing (1989). Each film comes with inspiration for a vacation and a double feature!

9. The Big Chill (1983)

Before The Breakfast Club, school friends including Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, and Kevin Kline spent the weekend together after a friend’s funeral (Kevin Costner before his scenes were deleted) to reevaluate their post-grad choices and sort through their nearing-middle age malaise. Though the conclusions this group comes to by the end range from confusing to wild, the questions they ask are more important than the answers they find. Plus, my guy Goldblum’s charisma covers a multitude of flaws. This film also helped inspire my newest Letterboxd list of non-spooky season movies with Autumn Vibes. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

10. The Pianist (2002)

I’ve yet to sort through my mixed feelings about Roman Polanski, but there’s no denying The Pianist is incredible. The Holocaust drama is moving but not emotionally manipulative; it’s personal but illustrative of a generation; and like many of my favorite films, it muses on the meaning art can bring to our lives. I won’t be able to say it better than Roger Ebert or the San Francisco Gate, so I recommend checking out their reviews, too. Crowd: 6/10 // Critic: 10/10

Also this July + August…

For ZekeFilm, I reviewed the perfunctory bestseller adaptation Where the Crawdads Sing.

Also on SO IT’S A SHOW?, we dug into the 20+ references Gilmore Girls makes to The Wizard of Oz and into the Jayson Blair/Howell Raines scandal at The New York Times in the early ‘00s.

Photo credits: Regina Spektor. All others IMDb.com.

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