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the-modern-typewriter · 7 months

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You're writing is amazing!! <3 If possible, is it alright to do something focusing on an embarrassed/shy sidekick that got injured in battle, and has to let the (flirty) hero tend to their wounds/wash hair/feed them because of how weak they are at the moment? Bonus points for a very touch starved sidekick, and some tension.

"Sit down."

"It's fine, I can-"

"Sit." The hero met their eyes. "What sort of mentor would I be without giving you the appropriate post-battle aftercare?"

"You don't have to phrase it like that," the sidekick mumbled. They did sit, though.

"What?" The hero grinned, opening up the first aid kit. "Aftercare?"

The sidekick looked down, horribly aware of the heat radiating off their face.

The hero laughed quietly; warm and fond.

"The injuries aren't that bad," the sidekick said. "I'm just tired." So very, very tired. Their limbs felt like melted marshmallows; pitiful goop.

"Mm, no wonder. You were very impressive out there."

"Just doing my job." They shivered as the hero began to make quick work tending to their minor wounds, touch warm and strong and confident. They tried not to lilt into it. They blamed the exhaustion in the fact that they did.

"And now I'm just doing mine, hotshot."

The hero pressed closer, shifting so that they could take the sidekick's weight. They stroked their fingers, entirely unnecessarily, entirely lovely, through the sidekick's hair.

The sidekick's eyes fluttered closed. A small, embarrassingly needy sound left them. "S-sorry."

"Don't be. You're sweet."

"I'm useless like this."

"I think it's adorable." The hero placed the last plaster over a cut on the sidekick's temple. "You never let me look after you normally. I like it."

"Well, I'm supposed to be supporting you...."

The hero pressed a kiss to the sidekick's temple.

The sidekick's eyes, for all of their tiredness, snapped open. They glanced up at the hero.

The hero smiled again. "Kissing it better. Did it help?"

The blush returned full force. "You're ridiculous."

"I could kiss the rest of them too. Just one might be a fluke. It's not scientific."

"So stupid." The sidekick covered their burning face with their hands.

"So cute."

"Don't tease me." It was another mumble; torn between the delicious squirming feeling that the teasing left in them and the sheer horror of it, that the hero might be mocking them.

They didn't think the hero was mocking them, though. They weren't the sort. Did they flirt with possibly everything? Yes. Were they unkind? No. But that didn't make it real. That didn't make the desperate rise of hope in the hero's chest any easier to bear.

"You are cute." The hero did a last check over the scrapes and scratches, before moving. They pulled the sidekick up into their arms, cradling them like they weighed nothing. "My cute little absolute devastation of a powerhouse."

"It was nothing." The sidekick clutched hold, stomach swooping.

"You saved my life."

"You save them. I save you. It's nothing."

"Hey." Some of the flirting dropped. The hero waited for the sidekick to meet their eyes. "It's not nothing. Thank you."

The sidekick swallowed, but managed a nod.

The hero carried them through to the spare bedroom, and for all of the sidekick's flittering nerves, they were half-asleep by the time they arrived. Sapped of strength and energy. It made it easy to go along with the hero for once, to let them tuck the sidekick beneath the sheets.

The world felt lulled.

The hero caressed their cheek, taking another moment to study them, gaze intent.

The sidekick slid theirs away, breath catching.

"I'm not teasing you," the hero said, softly. "I'm quite genuine in everything I've said or done. I wouldn't tease you. Not like that anyway."

"Oh."

"Get some rest, hotshot. Good job today. I'll be in the other room if you need anything."

The sidekick wanted to stay awake. They wanted to tug at the string of the hero's earnestness, whatever the hell it all meant. Their eyes were already closing again, the room tunnelled at the corners.

Their last act was to reach out, woozy and weak, and take the hero's hand. It felt like the bravest thing they'd ever done. Far bolder than that day's fight.

The hero stopped. They mattress dipped with their weight.

"Okay," they said, stroking their thumb over the sidekick's knuckles. "I'll be here."

And, even when the sidekick woke up hours later, they were.

#hero x sidekick #heroes #sidekicks #sidekick #writing #touch starved #fluff #hurt/comfort #story #fic #ficlet

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hotvintagepoll · 2 months

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Propaganda

Zizi Jeanmaire (Anything Goes, Hans Christian Andersen)—She was typecast as "sexy french ballerina for the male leads to get flustered over" in a few Hollywood films and she always did it masterfully, probably because she really was a sexy french ballerina. She just always brings it, she's so fun and flirty and I love her so much. Unfortunately her best Anything Goes numbers aren't on youtube, so I submit this ballet number from Hans Christian Andersen instead: [link]

Pearl Bailey (Carmen Jones, St. Louis Blues, Porgy and Bess)—vintage crush of all time, the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, and my GOD the PIPES! She wasn't in nearly enough movies, but every time I see her I'm aghast all over with what a gorgeous woman she was. Vote Pearl for diva glamor like no one else! (also....she was on the Muppet Show!)

This is round 1 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Pearl Bailey propaganda:

"Pearl Bailey was an absolute POWERHOUSE! She's best known for her career in music and theater (she's a DIVINE singer, and very funny). But she also did several feature films, including a controversial adaptation of Porgy and Bess (controversial because of the story; the actors were pretty much coerced into it). She's got a style all her own, you can recognize it from a mile away. She's got you chuckling and crying from one phrase to the next. I love her <3"

"Cheekbones to die for"

youtube

Zizi Jeanmaire:

#pearl bailey #zizi jeanmaire #hotvintagepoll #ladies 1 #fuck that old woman

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haveyouheardthisband · 3 months

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obscure bands and where to listen to them, part 2

Follow-up to [this post].

Here I'll go over five artists whose polls got an extremely low amount of "yes" votes, plug where you can listen to them, etc.

If you're a fan of one of these artists and I got anything wrong or you have anything to add, please send an ask!

Long post ahead.

PALMSY

Genres: Indie Pop, Jangle Pop, Bedroom Pop 10 out of 2,375 voters have listened to them. (0.4%)

Self-described as such: "Bedroom songs from the Netherlands. Feel-good sunny energy, jangly indie pop and the breezy energy of pop-punk." Their website (in Dutch) says they're influenced by artists such as Bombay Bicycle Club, Darwin Deez, Little Comets, and The Wombats. Released one EP in 2017 and seems to have been inactive since, but two members went on to form the band Banji.

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Apple Music Soundcloud Spotify YouTube (official) YouTube (auto-generated)

Clay J Gladstone

Genres: Pop Punk, Punk Rock 12 out of 2,495 voters have listened to them. (0.5%)

Australian. "Emo punk outfit Clay J Gladstone was formed in 2020, comprised of current and former members of powerhouses Resist the Thought, Caulfield, and Buried in Verona." Released one album and some singles in 2021-2022, but they're still active and playing shows! Apparently one of their guitarists got his equipment stolen recently but they were able to fundraise enough money to replace it so yay :)

youtube

Apple Music Bandcamp Soundcloud Spotify YouTube (official) YouTube (auto-generated)

Radiation 4

Genres: Avant-Garde Metal, Mathcore 10 out of 2,314 voters have listened to them. (0.4%)

Los Angeles-based experimental metal band that dressed in lab coats and glasses for their live performances. Their MySpace listed their influences as "Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Tom Waits, Mr Bungle, Botch..the list goes on." (IMO, the vocals especially are VERY Mike Patton-ish.) Released an EP in 2001 and an album in 2003, then went on hiatus in 2007 (though the vocalist uploaded some of their stuff to Bandcamp in 2022-2023?) Here's a fairly recent interview with the vocalist.

youtube

Bandcamp Here are unofficial YouTube uploads of Radiation 4 (2001 EP) and Wonderland (2003 album), which aren't on the Bandcamp, or anywhere else that I can find. ...Also, I finally found a copy of the album art for Wonderland that isn't JPEG'd into oblivion.

LightGuides

Genres: Pop Rock, Indie Rock, Math Rock 4 out of 2,158 voters have listened to them. (0.2%)

Self-proclaimed "Glaswegian pop-punk samba legends" (they aren't really samba though...) previously known as We Hung Your Leader. According to their old website, their influences included Jimmy Eat World, Alexisonfire, Brand New, and The Get Up Kids. Released two "mini-albums" between 2010 and 2011, and ceased posting on social media around 2017. Here's an interview (from shortly before the release of their second album) if you want to know more!

youtube

Apple Music Soundcloud Spotify YouTube (official) YouTube (auto-generated)

Tribraco

Genres: Jazz-Rock, Avant-Prog, Progressive Rock 12 out of 2,534 voters have listened to them. (0.5%)

Italian instrumental jazz-rock band, formed in Rome in 2004 initially as a trio but then grew to a quartet. Their MySpace listed such influences as John Zorn, Frank Zappa, Igor Stravinsky, and Fred Frith. Released two albums, one in 2008 and one in 2010. (...there's not much else I could find about them!)

youtube

Apple Music Spotify YouTube (official) YouTube (auto-generated)

#talk #long post #Youtube

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theminecraftbee · 2 months

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finalized smallishsona au party, in true join order:

grian, justice. his persona is signy, and his weapon is a naginata. he's an all-arounder who gets both physical and magical attacks, with a focus on dark and light magic (eiha/kouha damaging skills and mudo/hama instakill skills alike). technically the earliest member of the team, also one of the three starter members of the team when joel joins. he has been doing this the longest out of anyone, and sometimes, it shows in ways that aren't so great.

scar, magician. his persona is majnun, and his weapon is bows. a magic and ailment-based attacker, but he gets healing and support skills in his moveset as well (that, story-wise, he focused on due to him and grian being the only two persona wielders for a while, and scar's persona being the only one suited for them). his element is wind/garu. acts as the early-game healer until joel gets better options, then settles into massive magic damage and ailments.

joel, wildcard/fool. he has many personas and roles, but his starting persona is pygmalion, who is associated with ice/bufu. his weapon is knives. his role in the party is to be everything for everyone all the time. no this doesn't say anything about him. shut up.

skizz, chariot. his persona is enkidu, and his weapon is brass knuckles. a heavy physical attacker through-and-through, the fact that his attacks cut his own hp to deal damage is unfortunately fitting for his character. what little magic he gets is fire/agi, but like, he's the party member that learns charge naturally, you will not be using those unless you have to knock over some guy's weakness and joel forgot to bring a persona to cover it. while his rescue and awakening happens before joel starts exploring Altered Space, it takes a little bit for skizz to join, as unlike joel, using his persona does not come naturally to him. also is the earlier members to get various buff skills.

mumbo, moon. his persona is ariadne, and he is the navigator. for those unfamiliar, the navigator does not enter battle with the rest of the party, but DOES have the ability to help buff the party, scan enemies for weaknesses, and do other helpful things to help the team, well, navigate. giving a man with anxiety an all-seeing web probably can't hurt anything, right? in my head he functions as a cross between fuuta's very useful scan and various dungeon skills (like the escape one), and futaba's very useful in-battle buffs.

impulse, emperor. his persona is siegfried, and his weapon is axes. he's the TRUE party healer who gets stuff like me patra (heals the party of any status effects), samerecarm (revives someone with full health), and mediarahan (heals the party to full health) as his persona gets to higher levels. he also picks up electric/zio skills for decent damage (although he doesn't have scar's magic stat and is very much built to heal most of the turns he's around). it probably says something about him that he gets healing skills once he truly awakens his persona, especially given skizz. while he's aware of his persona from the start of the plot, it takes until a bit of a ways into the plot for him to truly awaken to it. also, because this is an au and not an actual game, i can get away with the most effective party healer joining this late. any other persona game, he'd be one of the earliest members. for obvious reasons. (and the fact scar is their most effective healer for a long while is. DEFINITELY a plot point here.)

gem, empress. her persona is atalanta, and her weapon is swords. she's a late-game powerhouse type build, with powerful bufu/ice magic in combination with almighty/untyped magic damage. she can show up and cast megioladon on the shadows' asses, is what i'm saying. she also gets the debuff and buff skills that aren't already scattered across the existing party members, but unlike scar, she doesn't get concentrate, so she's not the PERFECT damage-dealer here. as one of the two party members who hasn't been directly tied into this plot from the beginning, it's possible she has her own motivations and things going on that the rest of the party doesn't know behind her awakening. but that would just be silly, right...?

#smallishsona au #yes i know i already have this masterpost but i want everything in ONE PLACE #especially since i plan on making a real masterpost for this au soon #also I changed impulse from odette to siegfried here #which keeps the swan lake thing but fits him SLIGHTLY better into emperor as an arcana #these are PROBABLY the finalized first-stage personas. luckily I don’t have to know their ultimates yet! lol.#I should also probably decide each of their weaknesses it strikes me.#OH WELL. WILL DO THAT LATER AND ADD IT TO THIS.

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little-pondhead · 1 year

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Wanted to hop in on the supervillain Danny au questions! Do we think Valerie would have any interest to get in on this? Between being a pawn for Vlad as Red Huntress and her "friends" ditching her as soon as she stopped being rich, I like the idea that evil billionare mastermind is her general vibe. Heck, maybe she and Tucker flip roles and she becomes the guy in the chair, not being a front line powerhouse and actually coming up with elaborate plans.

And on that note, do we think that if Vlad somehow found his way into this mess, he'd see the whole thing as a fun little game of "opposite world" and try his hand at being a hero? Because I for one think that would be hilarious, I actually don't have ideas for that because I can't imagine a heroic Vlad.

Amyway, that's all I got for now. Love your work!

You're one of the vertebrae creatures who keep hoarding all the brain wrinkles, aren't you??

---

[Okay, so I lost your ask, wrote this shit, then found it again so it's not exact but I'm trying here.]

Let's start with Valerie, or keeping up with the trend, Gray in the DC universe.

Valerie is so tired. It's a different kind of tiredness that has a grip on the others. Danny is tired of being a hero, Sam is tired of her parent's expectations, and Tucker is tired of being unable to protect his friends. Jazz is tired of being the bigger person, and Dani is tired of not having someone to rely on. The DC universe is their escape, and honestly, it's doing wonders for their mental health. Valerie notices. She has a shaky truce with Phantom and his crew, but she can't just let him get a leg up on her, can she? So Valerie follows them, through town, through the portal, through the new world they popped up in.

There, she stops. Phantom is now Fenton, and doesn't that make sense? Many things click into place and Valerie starts to understand as she watches the others from the shadows. She's surprised they haven't noticed her, but a little green sticky note on her visor says she had a little hand in her reconnaissance. So when she's done, she returns to her dimension. Back to Amity Park and back to her bed. Valerie lays there for a while, staring at the ceiling and fingering the sticky note, committing every detail to memory.

And you know what? Valerie gets pissed. How come Danny and his friends lovers? and family get to just visit other dimensions whenever they want a break and have no repercussions whatsoever? Just because hero work is hard?? She's a hero too, dammit!

Obviously, someone out there apparently agreed with her because, in a quick, dizzying moment, Valerie finds herself suddenly in the Ghost Zone, plopped down on a ratty blue couch with a very old ghost sitting across from her. He introduces himself as Clockwork, the ghost of time, the regent of the king, and Danny's guardian. Mentor? She wasn't sure; ghost speech always gave her a headache. Either way, Valerie found herself exceptionally calm and somehow struck a deal with the Ancient. To her chagrin, Clockwork informed her that Valerie was well and truly Liminal now, despite her best efforts. (What did she expect? Her suit was practically drenched in ectoplasm.) As part of the deal, Clockwork extended the same courtesy to her that he had to the others. Anytime she wanted, Valerie could have free reign and access to the DC universe and could do anything she liked with no bad consequences. And because of her liminality, he was able to grant her just enough power for her to create her own portals directly to the other realm.

[What did Clockwork get out of this deal? Well, that's up to someone else who's not me.]

So Valerie goes to this new universe. She switches her name to Gray, as if to mock Fenton, who had no idea she was there. She does not try to become a supervillain. And what's this? Outfit analysis time!!

In the show, I've always liked Valerie as a character, and whether it was intentional or not, her design seems to fit her attitude and actions. They were in high school in the early 2000s before her dad lost her job; Valerie was very popular, from what I remember. Her family had money. Other kids expected her to keep up with social norms, so her outfit looked more stylish than practical. She wears yellow, which is most commonly seen as a happy color. Her hair is slicked back so people can see her whole face. She has nothing to hide. She's confident and youthful, ready to lead, and overall enjoying her lot in life. Then ghosts start appearing, and we all know her backstory as Red Huntress. Her suit is tight to her skin, bright red, and overall she's armed to the teeth. Everything about that screams DANGER! Valerie is a threat now.

Her civilian outfit also never changes, which is understandable because this is a cartoon from 2004. But it's secretly genius because yellow is often considered a cautious color. It turns from being a happy color to a warning. Yellow is also associated with anxiety, betrayal, and even egotism, which is something both she and Danny experience during their interactions. She's uptight and constantly on edge. She feels like she has to provide for her family and is quick to anger.

Now for the opposite of that? Valerie is tired of being angry all the time. Rather than go apeshit on a bunch of poor heroes and villains-been there, done that-she treats this whole thing like an actual vacation. Gray wears a soft long sleeve, sweats, and fuzzy slippers. Her hair is relaxed and in a bun, with her bangs hiding half of her face. It takes some pressure off of constantly keeping her expressions in check. People also can't see how she's silently judging them. She lets the stress melt from her shoulders and lets herself curse like a sailor whenever she feels like it. Her clothes are dimmer colors, which don’t stand out or demand attention. She lets herself be not perfect.

Although, just because this is a vacation for her doesn't mean Gray can't just lounge around doing nothing. She has no money! So Gray, after shuffling through a couple decades of this world's history and discovering that Craigslist is universal, applies for the first work ad she sees. In short, Gray joins the Goonion. She ends up making a deal with the guy who hired her. And her new boss. And her new neighbor. And-

Gray very quickly becomes the John Constantine of the criminal underworld. She brushes up on her people skills and learns to talk rings around other people, getting people to owe her favors as much as she dishes them out. Balance is the key here, as she’s learned from Danny. Gray is never tied down by too many IOUs at a time, and her tight grip on her companions and team quickly earn her a questionable but reliable reputation. She presents a morally-gray character, if you will.

Gray’s quick climb to power-that was definitely sped along by Clockwork-earns her a powerful position in the Goonion. If she plays her cards right, Gray doesn’t have to do any work at all. She just leans back and enjoys being paid for wearing pajamas all day and occasionally signing some paperwork. She siphons away bits of her own paycheck to a dimensional bank account she threatened asked Technus to set up, and Gray is finally able to slip more than a few tens into her father’s wallet when it’s time for him to pay his rent. It’s a good life.

Now, Vlad? Oh, he's fucked. This can work for whatever redemption au you want. He can be exactly like he is in the show or working towards bettering himself as a person. I imagine him being halfway to a redemption plot, and in an effort to gain the Fenton's trust, he starts hanging around with the family more. Jack loves this. The others do not, but what can they do? Everyone is just trying to be civil to each other in an effort to make Jack happy. Since old habits die hard, Vlad very quickly notices Danny's improved state of mind and is attuned to the Zone enough to feel when Clockwork stops time on their end. He starts to purposefully rile up Danny and realizes that the time stops happen right after Danny leaves the room in a fit of anger. Then the boy comes back all smiles and sometimes doesn't even remember what Vlad had said to him in the first place.

So he puts his ear to the ground. Whispers are floating around about a new portal that's been opened near Phantom's Keep. A natural one. A permanent one. No one can investigate due to its location, but the young king and members of his fraid have been seen frequenting it more often than late. Not suspicious in the slightest, Danny would have protested. Vlad goes poking around. Entering the Keep uninvited felt like millions of bugs tugging at his skin, but turning human helped ease the sensation. It was laughably easy to slip between the cold stone walls of the Keep, avoiding Fright Knight's walking path and sticking to the shadows. The portal was in the courtyard, under the watchful gaze of two stone gargoyles leftover from Pariah's reign. Right before Vlad can investigate further stick his head in and see what happens the world warps, and suddenly the older halfa is sitting on his ass in front of a very old ghost.

Looks like Vlad fucked around and found out.

Basically, Clockwork yoinked Vlad to his side of existence right before he entered the portal. Even if all he wanted to do was relate to Danny in an effort to mend their relationship, The Master of Time wasn't okay with Vlad going off into the DC universe all willy-nilly. Oh no. Letting Vlad loose in this world would lead to bad things regardless of his intentions. Even if Vlad promised to play by all the rules and pretended to be human, he was bound to slip up and cause trouble.

So there were two courses of action Clockwork could take here. One, he could pull in a few favors and wipe Vlad's memory, sending him back to his own universe until he inevitably went sniffing around again, and this whole song and dance continued. Or second, he could equip Vlad with similar ghost artifacts Manson and Foley possessed and temporarily seal away Vlad's powers while he was gallivanting around the DC universe. He'd be on Clockwork's payroll, so to speak, and could only act on the older ghost's instructions. Clockwork presented these two choices to Vlad. The older halfa chose the second option after weighing the pros and cons. He didn't want to be controlled by Clockwork, but he also didn't want to lose his memories (over and over again, from how he worded it.)

This is how Vlad's hero persona is born. I'm unsure if he should stick with his last name, Masters, or take on something different to distance himself from Fenton and his family. Let's stick with Masters for now.

Clockwork has this drowning little rat man on a rehab program and uses some fancy ghost jewelry to inhibit his halfa abilities. He doesn't make Masters do much, just drops him in here and there when the DC timestream needs a little nudge. It's not like Clockwork will have Danny deal with it; the kid already helps out with every other timestream when asked. Masters can help out here. And since his halfa abilities are blocked, he gets to do everything as a human, which brings its own set of challenges. The idea is that by throwing Masters face-first into a new world filled with people who could end his existence and be forced to win every fight or else, he'll come to appreciate what Danny goes through on a daily basis.

The JL Dark becomes very familiar with the mysterious Masters, who doesn't seem to have any powers but still fights like he does. The man can be extraordinarily clumsy and short-tempered but still graceful and light on his feet when it matters the most. More than once has someone caught Masters muttering under his breath, cursing out gravity and a 'purple-cloak wearing bitch.' Masters always shows up out of the blue at the most random times. He is literally just there, and sometimes even Masters himself looks shocked about his sudden scene change. But he's always suited up and ready to go, so not many heroes question it. They usually need the help anyway.

In the DC universe, Masters is wearing four magic bands, each engraved with the words Dominion of Time on them. Several bands made from tungsten were buried deep with Clockwork's Tower in an old wooden box made from aspen and diamonds. Each band was a blank slate, glowing slightly from magic long past. Clockwork had simply selected the four he needed, engraved the spells needed in ghost speech, and handed them over. Vlad grumbled and tried to find a loophole in the artifacts, but ultimately accepted his fate and wore them whenever Masters was needed.

Vlad's new outfit for this outfit is similar to Valerie's; it's loose and uncomplicated. (Actually, there are a lot of parallels between these two.) In the show, Vlad always wears a tailored suit and dress shoes. He's well-groomed and his hair is slicked back. He always tries to show off his wealth and power by having full control over his appearance. In layman's terms, he's the walking cliché trope of a rich billionaire villain in every superhero media to ever exist. After all, in a kid's show with a teenage protagonist, what's more intimidating than an adult nemesis who has their life together?

As Masters, Vlad is forced to throw all that out the window.

The hero outfit he wears was literally picked up off the street. If glowing metal bands were not adorning his arms, some would assume that Masters was a homeless man. The top was dug out from a dumpster behind a costume store, and the sandals were given to him by a woman who couldn't wear them anymore. His arm sleeves were sewn together from some blackout curtains he found at an old housing demolition site, and the pants were just some sweatpants that were a tad too short. The mask was bought from the corner store, his belt salvaged from a junkyard, and his scarf was actually a gift from Jack-not that he'd wear it around the oaf. The only 'expensive' things Masters wore were the four magic bands, a handful of large glass beads hanging from his belt, and the sharp metal claws he wore on top of each finger. The claws were bought on a whim years ago when Vlad was building his fortune, and boy, was he glad for them now. They were the only real weapons Clockwork allowed him to carry for some reason.

In other words, Masters is exposed. With his loose hair and flowing clothes, Masters is forced to trust the others around him to have his back. He's humbled every time someone covers an obvious blind spot of his that he's not used to compensating for. He gets dirty and messy, fighting to survive against enemies he knows nothing about. His outfit symbolizes his efforts to change. Masters is re-learning what it's like to be truly vulnerable in a world you don't understand with no help whatsoever. Clockwork has no issue pitting him against demons and ghouls even John Constantine would hesitate at, and his narrow victories quickly earn him an invitation to the Watchtower.

The Justice League is puzzled by this walking lump of wet spaghetti. He disappears so easily into the background and doesn't stand out at all. Every once in a while his eyes scrunch up like he's confused about something, but he won't admit that he's lost the conversation. Masters will offhandedly say weird things and turn as if expecting someone to be there, then suddenly stop himself with a soft flinch. He refuses any form of payment. He can stare down Batman. His appearances are random and the man carries no form of contact. Masters often has an aura of resignation and regret around him, as if he didn't want to be there in the first place. He's awkward around kids but fiercely protective of a few teen heroes. (Mostly Conner.)

It finally starts to come together in the JL's mind when Masters becomes more widely known in the world of supers. One of the higher-ups in the Goonion hates him. Dani held a gun to his head. Manson screeched bloody murder when she saw him. Nightingale declared herself his official nemesis. The final piece was when, after a long and exhausting fight, Masters temporarily removed his mask to wipe away some blood around his mouth.

The Flash, who was sitting next to him, nearly let out a squeak.

Masters' blood was bright green.

Masters' teeth were shaped like a shark's.

Masters was another fucking Fenton, wasn't he?

#pondhead replies #DPxDC #supervillain danny au #villain! everlasting trio #The Fenton Menace #FUCKING FOUND THE ASK #FINALLY #GODDAMN #does this make any coherent sense #jesus fuck i'm going to bed

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evolutionsvoid · 1 month

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I think it is safe to say that swamps, to most people, are one of the "spookiest" ecosystems out there. You very rarely hear any happy tales set in one, and any legends attached to them tend to be dark and grim. It's a place that outsiders never want to visit, and if you tried inviting them to a swamp, they would instantly assume the worst. Don't you know what lives in those things?! Ghosts, eerie lights, shapeless mud creatures, foul witches, alluring voices spoken from slimy throats, the clawing rotting arms of the drowned! The stories and monstrosities are endless! Which I find kind of funny for a few reasons. One is that swamps are like any other biome, but gets a bad reputation because it is slightly soggier and the vegetation doesn't look as pretty. The other reason I find this all amusing is because swamps do hold dangers and beasts, yet the scary stories don't bother with them! You have real living breathing creatures that could star in many a cautionary tale, but instead we shove them aside to make up our own monsters! It's almost insulting! The wompogo work hard to be stealthy haunting predators of the cypress swamps, only to be ignored in favor of imaginary spirits and seductive leech women! If you want some real scary encounters in the swamps, then talk to folk who live in them. They will tell you of places in the muck and weeds where few dare travel. Is it because of strange disappearances? Odd lights and whispering voices? No, it is because of the hulking mud-covered beasts who are capable of biting a canoe in half.

Is this dangerous brute I speak of some kind of swamp dragon, or magic-born monstrosity weaved from mud, reeds and corpses? No, it's a mammal, but one that is big and very irritable. The creature I am talking about is the hippalus, a relative of the hippopotamus who lives exclusively in swamps and marshes. They like it wet and muddy, where they are surrounding by soggy vegetation and soft earth. Though they share their love of water with their hippo cousins, one can clearly see that there are some physical differences between the two. One that really stands out is a long flattened tail, often announcing its presence with a loud slap against the water and muck. Then there is the massive hump on their back, which is pure muscle meant to help power its large head. The hippalus has the same impressive maw as other hippos, but its teeth jut out in different ways. Its lower incisors emerge straight out of the jaw, while a curved set of tusks are brandished like deadly blades. There is a pair of hardened growths upon their snout, which some like to call "horns" (even though they are very much not). Their head also has a bowed part on the upper jaw, almost like a horse saddle. Take all this, and then consider their sheer size! A height of over seven feet at the hump, and a length of eighteen to twenty! There is no denying who the powerhouse of the swamp is!

The hippalus are absolute behemoths, and their power is openly flaunted. While other creatures of the swamp may swim or slither through the water and muck, the hippalus plows through anything in its path. When it comes to identifying their tracks, you aren't looking for footprints, but rather deep ruts carving straight through the whole ecosystem. Their sheer size and weight is part of the reason, because you can't exactly walk on top of mud when you weigh over four thousand pounds. So they sink in deep and simply tear their way through the swampy gunk in front of them. Their strangely shaped head and powerful muscles is what comes into play here! Their whole skull is like an organic shovel and plow, designed for cutting through the mud and flinging it away with a whip of their neck. Their lower teeth help dig through and move earth, while their scooped skull is able to collect a whole load of mud and reeds and send it all flying! The muscular flat tail behind them also aids in propelling them forward, undulating as their powerful legs push them forwards. It should be mentioned that while it looks like hippalus swim through the swamps, they can't actually swim. They don't float, they sink. What you see is instead them walking or "galloping" underwater, only sticking their snouts out to breathe from time to time. What helps with the illusion of them floating or swimming is the fact that they are so big, that they tend to stick out of the water without any real effort. They just stand there in the swampy gunk, and it looks like they are floating with ease.

All of these powerful adaptations, however, are not just for traveling! As any local would know, hippalus are famed for their construction work (and a lot of destruction work as well). This species is a solitary one, not living in herds or "bloats" like their cousins. A single hippalus will claim a large chunk of territory and make sure no one ever forgets it. Their powerful jaws and scooping heads tear up mud and vegetation, dropping dead trees and ripping sunken stumps from the murky bottom. Tangles of torn weeds and branches are left near the edges of their territory and given a musky coating of urine and feces to let people know who lives here. In the heart of their realm is their home, a lair built from mud, vegetation and woody parts, like the world's biggest beaver lodge. This construction is possible with the help of their strong jaws and head to carry materials, while their flattened tail pats it all into place. The lodges of these beasts are half sunken, and less like a roomy mud cave and more like a sopping wet burrow for them to park their massive bodies. Part of the support for these dwellings is their own bodies, wedging themselves inside and holding it all upon their backs. These lairs are important for when they have young, as it is where their babies hide during their vulnerable stages. If their mother has to leave them behind to forage or defend her territory, they will remain hidden in this den. When they venture outside to learn the ropes, she will be close by to make sure no predators get any funny ideas. Young hippalus can indeed be on the menu for the likes of wompogo or swamp basilisks, but a full grown adult is avoided by all. I don't think you need me to explain why. Lets just say that a healthy adult hippalus is a creature that does what it wants wherever it wants, and woe be to any who try to say different.

As for diet, hippalus are herbivores, dining upon the various water-logged plants found in the swamp. Like many plant eaters, they won't say no to a free meal if they find a random carcass. While others may nibble upon bones or pick at scraps, a hippalus will take the body in a single bite, crushing it to a bloody, ruined pulp. When it comes to plants, their horned nose is good for digging up ones buried in the muck, and their teeth scrap away at bark and hardened exteriors. When they aren't eating or building, they are resting, as such a huge body uses a lot of energy to work. Best to spend some hours lazing about and grazing upon the weeds.

I mentioned before that locals steer clear of areas where hippalus are active, and hopefully now you see why! It should be said that this species has a temper and are quite territorial. One can be seen sleeping in the muck without a worry in the world, but a split second later they are barreling towards you with jaws agape. Another thing to be said is that they are faster than they look! Yes, they are hulking and huge while stuck in deep mud, but when they want to move THEY MOVE. You would think a mudslide is headed your way, with their massive weight charging through the muck and sending gunk flying everywhere. With this speed and their sheer power, hippalus tend to be avoided at all costs. Locals don't even try hunting them, because it is way too dangerous. What weapons they carry when entering hippalus territory is meant to slow the beasts down, not kill them. Their thick muscles make it difficult to do any real damage, thus resulting in most attacks being annoying rather than dangerous to them. In areas where civilization and hippalus territory overlap, you will find specimens with various weapons poking out of their hide. These are reminders of run ins they had with people, and trophies from failed hunts. "But wait, Chlora" you may ask. "I thought you said people don't hunt them?" That is correct, I said locals don't hunt them, as it is simply not worth it. So if the natives of the region don't do it, then there can only be one other answer of who! You all know it, so say it with me: Rich Idiots With Dumb Hobbies!

Yes indeed, the wealthy nobility love showing off by killing large dangerous beasts and sticking them in their parlors. With their sheer size and power, any person with too much money and a poor definition of confidence gets the idea that they would make a fetching trophy. They take a whole hunting party out to try and down one of these behemoths, so that their head may be hung above the fireplace. Needless to say, plenty of people get killed trying to do this, and sadly the rich idiot isn't always the one. Turns out when you are the first to flee at the sight of danger and you use your guides like meat shields, you tend to survive. Then they go home and craft fanciful stories about their bravery and perilous escape, while the poor folk they hired for chump change to carry their bags are left dead in the mud. I swear, can't these people find better hobbies? Why do you have to kill things for showmanship and bragging points? Bird watching lets you see the wildlife without any harm, and it is just as rewarding! And if you have to just kill something for a trophy, why not bug collecting? There are plenty of those and it isn't nearly as dangerous! But then again, I am sure dumb nobles would find a way to make that hobby absolutely destructive. Only choose to pin endangered species or something. I don't think there is a winning option here. Like so much of their ill gotten gains, they thrive on misery! Aaaaaand this part is getting cut! I already know it, so don't bother writing it, Eucella!

Chlora Myron

Dryad Natural Historian

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"Hippalus"

#monster #creature #hippo #hippopotamus #swamp monster #art #drawing

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beesbiteandwillowrites · 4 months

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Give Jason a Baby!!!

Jason is punted into another dimension, one that doesn't match his own timeline/dimension at all. Stuck, he decides there is only one thing he can do: sow some chaos and save some people

He got dumped into the Battinson verse, after the flood has receded. In the chaos, it's fairly easy to set himself up with a halfway decent identity (he steals one). He sets out to go look for his family members, and maybe make some changes for them if he can.

Bruce is young as hell--younger than him, even, which is super weird and he doesn't know what to do with that. Batman only showed up recently, he's nowhere near the superhero powerhouse he had been in Jason's world. But he's (mostly) fine, so Jason leaves him alone for now

His next stop is the kids and whooo, that's not good. Dick was in an orphanage when the flood hit, one that got destroyed. Most of the kids were reported missing, including Dickiebird.

Timmy is a little baby still, too young to really comprehend what's going on, and his parents aren't travelling as much as they had been in Jason's world either, so he decides to just keep an eye on the kid for now. Steph is also good for now, her parents still young and hopeful and her father not yet beaten down by life. Cass he cannot find, but that doesn't mean anything: David Cain was always good at hiding. Duke and Damian aren't born yet

Last he looks into his younger self, and what he finds isn't pretty. Willis is in jail--a good few years before he ended up there in Jason's own universe. Catherine hasn't been seen since the flood, reported missing by a neighbour. That same neighbour also couldn't take care of little Jay and handed him off to an emergency shelter for flood victims.

Realistically, Jason knows that people who haven't turned up yet probably never will. Jay is by all accounts an orphan, and he's maybe 4 ish. Jason remembers foster care, and he doubts it's any better in this version of Gotham, with its unique slew of problems.

He's gonna adopt his younger self

He starts altering his identity, fiddling with government records until it looks like Willis had an illegitimate half-brother, and takes his new paperwork to the shelter. The lady who runs it is suspicious of him, but the paperwork proves that he really is Jay's family, having just arrived in Gotham in an attempt to find his family.

Jason leaves the shelter with a toddler in his arms and embarks on his newest adventure: to become a dad.

#jason todd #baby jason todd #no worries #dickie is okay #he's just decided not to go back to foster care #the orphanage was pretty shitty anyway #jason's gonna find him as well #and cass too #the batman 2022 #battinson #dc

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cebwrites · 4 months

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Hiya! Can I request Law and/or Zoro x a male reader who constantly tries to work in couples/working together moves in fights as a his own kinda love language/flirting depending on if you think the relationship would need to be established first or not.

Like Reader and them are cornered mid-fight and Reader's just like, "Finally! I've been waitin to try out this new axe! Launch me, darlin! >:-)"

a/n: hi anon, I went with marimo since he's been on the brain lately <3

Zoro x M!Reader Battle Couple HCs

masc reader, transmasc Zoro word count: 0.6k

Whether Zoro meets you out in the wild as a bounty hunter (reader having to team up with Luffy and Koby to help break Zoro out of the marine compound is a cute idea though) or when he's already a Strawhat, the beginnings are typically the same - you catch Zoro's eye briefly because of his prowess but it's not until you're forced to work in close proximity that Zoro really takes interest in the your skills and you as a person overall

Beginning to care for you as one of his own, knowing that the other can kick enough ass on their own but having each other's backs not because you don't trust his strength or vice versa but because you love and still look out for one another, each of you powerhouses in their own right still

Not that Zoro would ever associate himself with anyone intolerant nor hide himself to begin with, but I think the moment he walks around topless (op or no) and you give no significant reaction, is when Zoro tells himself you're safe to be around and starts being a tad more buddy-buddy; this usually means more tussling in the bath and impromptu "wrestling" matches on the lawn, no weapons of course, just horsing around

Franky outright bans "serious" sparring matches on the Sunny after everyone comes reunites after two years, he'd heard about how much Zoro and Sanji tore up the Merry in the past with their squabbles from Usopp and has no intention to have to seriously patch Sunny up every other day - so you're both relegated to only having serious tests of strength on land (not that smaller skirmishes aren't allowed, Franky just keeps a close eye on you two so that it doesn't turn into anything more heated)

Zoro automatically has a vested interest in all the cool, sharp new toys his boyfriend brings back to the ship, whether you have a staple one like Wado, Sandai Kitetsu, and now Enma are to him, or you prefer a revolving door of weapons with no particular favorites

He helps you clean and take care of any blades you might carry, maybe even leading to cuddles and something more after the heat of battle you filthy animals, and though he doesn't know anything about guns he's willing to learn about the upkeep for your sake - and if it's anything more technological like lasers, well at least Zoro can enjoy looking at the pretty lights and the destruction that follows

Zoro doesn't let anyone else handle his swords lightly, let alone Wado, that privilege is saved solely for other Strawhats that Zoro's absolutely sure he can trust them to protect what are ostensibly extensions of himself - so when he first puts them in your care, it's a BIG deal, along with the first time he fully shows his back to you, be it in the heat of passion or something more akin to casual, tender affection

Zoro's used to fighting in tandem with other people, the chaos of the Strawhats usually forces one to adapt like that, but if you met him before all that, the level of synchronizing you'd have with him would be unparalleled, both talented blades in your own rights alone but together? Together you're unstoppable

Zoro trusts you with his back and you allow him to see tender, wounded parts of yourself that few others even know about and he protects them like a righteous sentinel, as you are with the parts of him that he seeks to hide away in shame - his guilt, his inadequacy, his mourning, you both take on each other's pain and forge it into a power that shakes the Grand Line in your combined wake

#cebwrites #one piece #one piece zoro #roronoa zoro #zoro #op zoro #zoro x reader #zoro x male reader #zoro x y/n #zoro x you #transmasc zoro #male reader #op x reader #one piece x reader

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ladysisyphus · 1 year

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Okay! Now that we have finished it, I would like to take this moment to recommend the Chinese drama The Disguiser.

It is a must-watch if you liked Nirvana in Fire, because of course it's the same director and a significant chunk of that same cast, except all playing significantly different roles with different dynamics.

For normal people, you should give it a go if you like:

spies

suits

spies in suits

the amazing east-meets-west aesthetic of late 1930s Shanghai

international incidents

acknowledgements that non-marriage-trajectory relationships can still be important and intimate

minimal unfounded valorization of heterosexuality (like, I can't really explain this one without spoilers, but trust me)

but when the heterosexuality happens, it's cute? so you can't really begrudge it for happening

pretty men getting tortured horrifically

some amazing female villains, like seriously, most of the main bad guys are ladies and they're powerhouses

transparently hilarious try-hard patriotic shit

the inherent eroticism of having someone who loves you shoot you with a sniper rifle

did I mention the suits? because damn

an ending that is satisfying and not relentlessly, senselessly tragic

For perverts, let me sell the show to you like this:

大姐. Elegant and terrifying. Will make you kneel and hit you with a flogger, but only because she loves you. Mommy? Sorry. (Not sorry.)

大哥. Executive homosexual. Will bend you over a bench and paddle you in the foyer, but only because da jie told him to.

弟弟. Should not, from what I understand of the book (and the musical???), be the main character, except he's Hu Ge, so of course he's the main character. Spoiled little gremlin. Everybody's baby. Has a real weird daddy thing going with a very bad man, if you're into that. Bisexual slut powers activated, but only patriotically.

弟弟 #2. Adopted when he was ten. Just like a member of the family except when he's not. Faithful right hand and subordinate of da ge, whom he tops so hard. (But seriously, they're in love.) (No, really. They're basically married.) (I sense the source material has him a little saltier about his station in life, but in the show, he never shows an inkling of being anything but perfectly content doing what he does.) Sultry baritone. Will hold you down so da ge can spank you.

And I'm going to say that pervert shit runs strong throughout what little fandom there is, at least as AO3 would have it:

Which is what happens if you include everything tagged for the Disguiser. If you filter it by English-language works only...

And some of those that say they're in English aren't even in English! They're just pretending to be in English! What I'm saying is, if you feel like making kinky things for a bitty little fandom, this is the place.

Now! If I've sold you on it, here is how to watch it:

Option 1: KissAsian. Upside: Subtitled by the same Viki team that did the Nirvana in Fire subtitles, so they're absolutely readable and like 98% comprehensible. Downside: Slightly sketchy site.

Option 2: YouTube. Upside: It's YouTube; different translation that's also perfectly okay; hardcoded Chinese subs. Downside: Whoever formatted the hardcoded English subs did not put anything behind the plain white text, so any time the English text appears over a bright background (which is curiously often), the words disappear.

Also there's a musical??? that came out in 2021????? If I find a link to a full production of that, I'll come back here and update. The clips I've seen of it look great, though.

Look, this is not a show for everyone. It's got some gore and torture and onscreen injury that's pretty disturbing. It portrays the truly awful realities of Japanese occupation of China during this period. The rah-rah communism! bits are at best hokey and at worst distasteful. It can be slow at times and way too condensed at others. If you're not familiar with this period of history, it's tough to keep track of all the various resistance factions. Because of the spycraft and double-agent business, it can be legitimately tricky to remember who's lying to whom about what at any given moment.

Nonetheless, pervert shit aside, it's a solid story about a complicated quartet of siblings who love and also injure one another, and all the people who love/hate them. There are plenty of genuinely tense moments. The hairstyling and costuming are perfectly on point. The actors turn in some stellar performances. As I alluded to in my bullet points, it has an ending that includes some tragic elements, but not so many that it'll sink all your ships and ruin your day. And I tell you what, this show is legitimately horny for everyone in this car:

So if you watch it, let me know what you think!

#the disguiser #伪装者 #c drama #nirvana in fire

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bunnymajo · 1 year

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Went ahead just filled out that whole OC ask prompt for Quake the Elephant :P

Get to know her better! She'll be competing in the @sonic-oc-showdown going on right now!

You can vote here!

Name: Quake the Elephant

Species: Asian Elephant

Type: Power

Alignment: Good

Home: Sol Empire (wanders)

✨How did you come up with the OC’s name?

Since Blaze & Marine have very on-the-nose names based on their powers I wanted a similar kind of name for her. So I thought of a bunch of earth-related names that I thought were cute, Quake I was on the fence about but after talking with some friends (shout-out to the bumblekast server) who liked it I started warming up to it too.

🌼 - How old are they? (Or approximate age range)

Late teen/young adult. Older than Blaze

🌺- Do they have any love interest(s)?

Not currently.

🍕 - What is their favorite food?

Anything Lychee flavored. Tropical fruits are always a hit in general. Never eats meat.

💼 - What do they do for a living?

A traveling oracle, she can pick up vibes and premonitions from certain gemstones or rock formations. People seek out her help for advice or if there’s land that needs excavating

🎹 - Do they have any hobbies?

At her core Quake is just a big rock nerd. She likes learning and going to museums if there's any kind of exhibit about geology

Also all her jewelry is handmade so she's good at metal craft, all her rings are melted down ores & metals she's collected. There's a story behind each one.

🎯 -What do they do best?

Crush rocks. Look at rock. Know where rock came from.

🥊 -What do they love to do? What do they hate to do?

She loves to just sit and enjoy her surroundings, no drama, only sitting

She hates shopping for herself. She doesn’t mind it if it’s a gift, but clothes shopping for herself in particular she’s just really uncomfortable with the whole experience (look around, looking at sizes, trying them on, figuring out if she likes it enough to wear more than once, standing in line to buy it. etc. )

❤️ - What is one of your OC’s best memories?

I could be cheesy and say when she made friends with Blaze & Marine, but other than that she's always traveling she doesn't usually spend time with other people on her birthday or holidays - but one time a town she was staying at found out and threw her a small surprise party and she still cries when she thinks about it.

✂️ - What is one of your OC’s worst memories?

Sometimes picking up & and experiencing the memories of an old rock aren't always pretty. She doesn't like to talk about them.

🧊 - Is their current design the first one?

There’s a few initial sketches I did to get the overall idea going, but currently she’s on her 1st finalized design

🍀 - What originally inspired the OC?

I like powerhouse ladies and I like plus-sized representation in my favorite media, Blaze currently doesn’t have that in the Sol dimension so I took that as a challenge to see if I could make one. Sega also (currently) isn’t really keen on large mammal designs like elephants or horses, so I wanted to see if I could make a large hooved animal fit into the Sonic template.

🌂 - What genre do they belong in?

I picture her fitting right into a kung-fu movie, as either a wise mentor or the hero's traveling companion, or even a mini boss depending on the situation.

She would hope she fit right into a cozy slice of life drama or a hallmark movie though, but she has too much of a fantasy character presence

💚 - What is your OC’s gender identity and sexuality?

Identifies as a girl, she/her/they pronouns, Ace Lesbian

🙌 - How many siblings does your OC have?

Currently 0. She views Marine as what it would be like to have a little sister though.

🍎 - What is the OC’s relationship w/their parents like?

Parents? In Sonic’s world? Ha!

Her oracle powers can be traced through her lineage though. I imagine she would view them with respect.

🧠 - What do you like most about the OC?

She’s cute and she can punch a rock in half

I also just like gentle giant characters. She's oc comfort food.

✏️ - How often do you draw/write about the OC?

Not as much as I should but I really want to change that, I think there’s so much potential to explore Blaze’s world and it’s just sitting there.

💎 - Do you ever see yourself killing off the OC?

Absolutely not. Even if there was a dire situation where death seems like the only way out, I’ve seen enough magical girl baloney to know there’s always another way. Blaze & Marine would snap her out of that “I have to end myself here to save everyone” mentality, but that's the only kind of scenario where I'd even think about that.

💀 - Does your OC have any phobias?

Claustrophobia, including feeling closed in by big crowds

🍩 -Who is your OC’s arch-nemesis or rival?

In a playful manner, Blaze as a rival.

🎓 - How long have you had the OC?

About 5 months :’D

Thanks for reading!

#quake the elephant #my ocs #sonic oc

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flyingwargle · 6 days

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akaashi doesn't usually indulge in extra practice, except for today.

he arrives forty-five minutes early, sliding the gym door shut behind him. they didn't put the volleyball net away last night, so all he does is roll the bin of volleyballs out from the storage and goes through his stretches. after he's warmed up, he brings the bin to one side of the court and grabs a ball.

what motivated him to practice his jump serve was the recent summer training camp. he hadn't thought to try it himself since it's better to perfect his current serve than add another to his repertoire. however, all the third-years could do it - with varying levels of success - and onaga is an exception as a first-year. so, as vice captain, it makes sense for him to be able to perform it too, especially as a starting member at a powerhouse school.

he tosses the ball, makes his approach, and jumps, watching the ball, arm pulled back, ready to swing. as the ball falls, he swings, sends it across the court. it falls into the net and lands with a harmless bounce. he frowns, reaching for another. i need to toss it higher.

again, this time higher – a bit too high, he thinks. he adjusts his run-up, jumps, and misses. too forward. he picks it up, goes back to the end line, and tries again.

it goes over, but from where he's standing, it looks like it's out of bounds. he clicks his tongue, picks up another, and tries once more.

that's a good serve toss. he watches it, makes his run-up, and jumps. arm ready, he's about to swing-

"morning, akaashi!"

the voice startles him, and he completely misses, the ball bouncing off his head. he stumbles his landing, collapses in a heap. he hears a flutter of footsteps, followed by an exclamation. "akaashi?!"

"bokuto-san," he grunts in greeting. "good morning."

"sorry! are you hurt?" bokuto rushes over, extending a hand. akaashi grips it, staggers on his way up to his feet.

"i'm okay, thank you. why are you here?"

"coach said we need to power up our serves and it takes me a while to get in the groove, so i came a bit early to warm up! did you have the same idea?"

akaashi nods. bokuto grins. "awesome! we can help make sure each other's serves are in!"

"i have trouble ensuring the ball goes over the net, but yes," akaashi says, "we can indeed help one another."

he takes a break while bokuto gets his kneepads on and warms up. akaashi finds their collection of plastic bottles for bokuto to use as targets, knowing his area of focus is accuracy, and rolls the bin between them. they stand on the end line, volleyball net looming.

"bokuto-san, what do you think about when you're hitting a serve?" akaashi asks.

the wing spiker bounces the ball a few times, tosses it in the air twice, presses his hands against it. "how to not get hit in the face."

his kouhai gives him a blank look. bokuto pouts. "it's happened before! you don't believe me?"

"no, i..." has he ever gotten hit by his own serve toss? akaashi can't remember. "not even how high to toss the ball, or where to hit it?"

"well, yeah, that stuff is important, but you gotta be safe before you can do any of that, right?"

safety. you'd think, with all of bokuto's unconventional plays, that he'd prioritize strength over anything else, but, as akaashi has gradually discovered, that isn't the case.

"my dad always mentioned how if you aren't safe, then you can't play at all. and in order to have fun, you have to be safe."

"and to do that," akaashi continues for him, "you have to ensure your serve toss doesn't hit you in the face."

"yeah, exactly!"

that doesn't help him at all, but akaashi smiles regardless. "could you show me your serve?"

"of course!" bokuto's grin is wide. he moves backwards, tosses his ball. his approach is six steps, and when he jumps, the ball is perfectly aligned with the heel of his hand. it hurtles across the court, just shy of the water bottle in the corner. "gah, so close!"

akaashi picks up a ball and faces the net. don't get hit in the face. that means the serve toss has to be high, his jump just behind it. he throws it, watches it. his approach is four steps before he jumps, slamming his hand into the ball. it flies across the net, landing in-bounds.

"you did it, akaashi!" bokuto cheers.

he straightens and reaches for another. can he land two in a row? he throws the ball, makes his approach, and hits it. although it goes long, it just lands before the line. i can't believe his advice worked. "thank you, bokuto-san, you- bokuto-san?"

his captain has his arms around him, lifting him in the air. "i knew you could do it! you're good at everything, akaashi!"

a blush warms his cheeks, mumbling his thanks as bokuto sets him down. akaashi takes one look at his grin and turns away, afraid that his heart will combust. "it was a fluke. my serves will never be as strong as yours."

"that's okay! so long you tried." bokuto picks up another volleyball. "come on, let's go at it again!"

they continue until the rest of the team arrives. from then on, any time when akaashi prepares himself for a serve, he just thinks of bokuto's advice and grin to cheer him on.

and he nails every single one.

#flyingwargle original #drabble #haikyuu!!#akaashi keiji #bokuaka #bokuto koutarou #fukurodani #haikyuu drabble #based on one panel during the nekoma match where akaashi did a jump serve #and we never saw him do it again

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lilithdahobbit · 1 year

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Fuck it, more The Magnus Archives fancast...

Tom Sturridge as Gerard Keay

Let. Tom. Grow. Out. His. Hair! He did incredible as Morpheus in Sandman and I just know he could do that miserable monster manual justice.

Éva Magyar as Mary Keay

I'm not too familiar with her acting so I'm going by looks and vibes. She's got the cheekbones.

Lindsay Duncan as Gertrude Robinson

I have a good feeling about her. I only know her from Doctor Who and Sherlock but I feel she looks and could act the part of Gertrude. Put an oversized cardigan on her and a manipulative look in her eye and we've got a Gertrude.

Sam Reid as Michael Shelley

I was conflicted on this as for the longest time Cody Fern was my Michael fancast...but Sam Reid's performance in AMC's Interview with the Vampire changed me (in a lot of ways but anyway). Lestat and Michael tend to fall in the same category in my mind (manic manipulative blondes) and if Sam can play Lestat, he can play Michael. And my god can he play Lestat...

He does need to master the laugh though. It's no Michael without that laugh.

Claudia Doumit as Helen Richardson

Honestly I only know her from The Boys but I feel that she could body Helen. Put her in a pantsuit and we are ready to go spiralling.

Stellan Skarsgård as Jurgen Leitner

Stellan is a powerhouse of an actor and I believe he can do any role he is given justice. Villainous? He can do it to a T. Plus Norwegian and swedish aren't that different. They're neighbors...

Mads Mikkelsen as Peter Lukas

Look I know most people want him as Elias but I see him way more as the recluse, Peter. Just paint him to look a little more pale and you've got it. His voice and demeanor are easily haunting when he wants them to be.

Tom Hardy AND Doug Jones as Jared Hopworth

Ok hear me out, Jared is described as being...well, ever-changing. I think Tom could do the voice (his venom is proof) and he could be the "large man with a handsome face" version of Jared. But Doug can be the more...deformed versions. If you give Doug enough makeup and time to contort himself that man can do anything. Tom would still be the voice due to Doug's being not quite right for Jared. Anyway I love Doug and would cast him in everything if I could.

Anya Taylor Joy as Agnes Montague

She's an incredibly talented actress and she has the deer in headlights eyes like no other. I considered Mia Goth but she just didn't quite fit right. Just put a red wig on her and that's Agnes right there.

Side note: after looking at Doug Jones I've decided this completely fake adaptation would be directed by Guillermo Del Toro.

#tma headcanons #tma #tma fancast #rusty quill tma #rusty quill #the magnus archives fancast #the magnus archives #michael shelley #gerard keay #jurgen leitner #peter lukas #agnes montague #fancast #tma helen

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kingsonne-zedecks · 7 months

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Setting Idea

Magic is nothing like science, or science fiction, but those can be helpful terms to explain where it comes from. I don't know that multiverse, or omniverse theories have any truth to them, but if you imagine that all of this, everything we see or observe through science is one reality, and that there may or may not be others out there, then magic is like the space between.

The outside.

That's better. I like that one more. Forget everything I said about other universes that's not relevant. Magic is what exists outside of reality. Its not compatible with reality. That's why you don't see people launching fireballs down main street.

People that can do magic? People like me? People like you? We're the ones who've fallen through the cracks in reality. We're a little bit Outside.

Most of us stay there. Straddling the line. Living in both worlds. You can't do too much, but with what you can, reality smooths the edges over for those on the inside. They don't see the magic —can't see the magic. We can't do anything so big it can't be explained away within the bounds of reality, and reality takes care of the explaining for us.

Of course that isn't enough for some folks. Some people want the big stuff. They go deeper. Further out. That's where they find the power to really break the rules of reality. Or they would if reality had any interest in being broken.

You see, once you take that step further outside? Reality can't fudge the lines anymore. It's not able to hide what you're doing within the realms of possibility. So sure, you can gather power and fling fireballs down the street, but they aren't going to burn anyone, or anything. Reality can't handle that, so it just doesn't. You know what reality can handle? A strange person screaming magic spells in the middle of the street while everyone looks at them like they are crazy.

I can see from the glint in your eye that its still caught your imagination, and I can't say I really blame you, you're not the only one that's for sure. Who wouldn't want to live out their dreams of fantasy? But it's dangerous. Okay? Remember what I said. Pay attention. You've got to be on top of this shit if you're going to go deeper.

Magic like that doesn't belong on the inside, right? You go that deep, you're not on the inside anymore. You're too far out for reality to protect. That fireball might do jack squat against a real building but it will sure has heck scorch you. And there are plenty of other people who want to play in that sandbox with you and they are not always the nicest.

You go that route, you best find someone to teach you fast, and be right smart about it. City dwellers are your best bet. You surround yourself by anchors to reality and you get a bit of that protection back. Reality has a bit of trouble blurring the lines if you get incinerated when surrounded by hundreds of civilians, and that means some of their safety becomes yours.

Out in the middle of nowhere? Reality doesn't have to try so hard.

And don't get me started on the magical communities. You get that many outsiders in one location and they start to drag that place Outside with them. They loosen the grip of reality on that place and the rules stop getting enforced so strongly. It's dangerous, you hear me? Yeah they aren't getting obliterated ever second Friday, but I'd sleep with one eye open and magic at my fingertips if everyone around could do what those folk can.

And that isn't even the worst. There are people who jump the line; they don't hardly straddle at all anymore. The real powerhouses of the magical world. They make the trade, sacrificing all ability to engage with the real world in exchange for greater magic. A person like that? They could walk down the street streaming lightening from their fingertips and screaming at God and not a soul would know.

What's beyond that? Rumors only from me. People with only the barest of ties to reality. If they exist then I would never see them. Like a ghost. Unable to exist in reality itself, their power creates a reflection of their surroundings to exist in, like a funhouse mirror. They could level a city in an instant, but only the dreamscape version of it would be destroyed, reality itself would never know.

If any further is possible I can only imagine. Maybe once you got that far outside, that immersed in magic, you'd be no different than a God. The ultimate force of a world or your own creation. Maybe that multiverse idea isn't so far fetched after all. Maybe all this is just the creation of someone who stepped to far out of their own reality to ever return.

#worldbuilding #world building #magic #fantasy #urban fantasy #writing #original writing #original setting #writeblr #magic system #kingsonne writes stuff

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dekusbrokenarms · 10 months

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I think there's something really beautiful about how powerful fire quirks are in MHA. Hundreds of years of mutations, billions of different quirks in the world, and yet fire remains a dangerous powerhouse that can overpower almost anything.

Isn't that just the human condition? Fire is warmth and life and growth, but it's also destruction and death and devastation. And the two aren't mutually exclusive. In fact, one use is necessary for the other. You can't have a fire's warmth without destruction of fuel. You can't have life without death.

In that vein, it's poetic that Dabi was born in a wildfire.

Wildfires are devastating for the humans and animals caught in them, but they're also necessary for nature to heal itself, to recirculate nutrients into the soil. A forest comes back stronger and more vibrant after a wildfire. Destruction is a result of the wildfire, but renewal is the ultimate goal. However, a fire that burns too long risks hurting the ecosystem more than it helps it.

There's a delicate balance to a wildfire's rage, but we can't forget it's necessity in our efforts towards self-preservation.

#dabi #my hero academia meta #bnha

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unolvrs · 9 months

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UPCOMING WORKS? PLEASE? IF THERE AREN'T ANY, IT'S OKAY TOO!

uhh, there are both upcoming works and upcoming updates! i have sneak peeks for each one! but here they are:

少年A　（jjk ft. male!reader; possibly megumi/reader）

In a remote village in Sapporo, a thirteen-year-old first year student in an unnamed junior high school allegedly killed three classmates known to bully his best friend who they had driven to suicide. (Or, none of that is true.)

少年A (or: Boy A) was initially made as an OC out of nowhere. i shared him to a few friends before i realized that the set-up of him being nameless and just being called 'Boy A' was perfect for a reader-insert. and before i knew it, i was already writing everything down and it was really, really fun. the term 「少年A」 is something akin to 'John Doe' and it's mostly a name used to minors involved in a crime. there are lots of criminal 「少年A」 in japan so if you want to read about them, i'd give you a big trigger warning because the most well-known 「少年A」 was involved a horrific case.

2. among dawn flowers (the face of god), an extra chapter

i always get notifications about comments concerning dawn flowers and i've read all of them. thank you for your very kind words! they make me feel very happy every time i read them :D i'll be replying to them soon. but the most common comment is about gojō's... well, reaction to everything and what he truly felt for the main character, and there were a couple of misunderstandings in the comments too. i would normally just leave the misunderstandings be to let people have their own interpretation but i've been getting lots of comments and DMs about dawn flowers all the time, so this extra chapter happened. it has the following AUs too:

zen'in naoya marries tengai-san instead

tengai-san survives

tōji snatches up tengai-san (not at all romantic but a found family of sorts because their dynamics are really interesting! because they're the people who neither needs the least!)

and idk, maybe some more? i'll be reading through the comments again!

3. kirigakure-centric naruto fic

“Kirigakure didn’t need help. They needed salvation.” No one knows anything about the Mizukage. Only that she’s kind. She likes to smile. She likes seafood like every other Mizu-born. And that there’s something inexplicably wrong with her. There’s something wrong with the Mizukage whom the Kiri-nin call a ‘god’. —or, Wataru Wataru was never really a powerhouse, in this life or the last, but she’s resourceful. She knows cults, pyramid schemes, and corrupt politicians like the back of her hand, so of course, she becomes the Mizukage and becomes a god along the way.

it's highlighted because it's undergoing editing... but yes, the mizukage cultist fic that i was talking about a month ago. it currently has four chapters in my drafts. i'm testing the waters on whether or not i can maintain it. so far, i have everything planned... like the timeline... it's too detailed.

4. shintō pjo fic

Beyond the eastern seas, Sen'no Hyōran wages a one-man war. (Or, if all she needs is the Golden Fleece, if all she needs is to steal that damned thing, then she will. Those Greeks standing in her way or not.)

YES IT'S HAPPENING OK!

of course, there's also the writing of kill the goose (3 chapters in my drafts now!), rain on my parade (a very slow rewriting), sunday without god (i wrote the next chapter and it was too long like 8k words and i'm not even halfway done so i'm stuck)! and posting some comm'd works that have been rotting in my drive for months!

some possible fics but no promises:

floating blue (nanami/reader)

Aoi's josei romance manga life starts when she's saved by Nanami Kento after almost falling down the train tracks! (Or, it turns out that Aoi is the main character of a supernatural josei manga! She's so excited!)

starts off as a cliché josei manga set-up bc aoi is a josei manga protagonist! then turns deep :D might become a reader-insert instead but without the [name] insert things. just second pov. this was really meant to be a rom-com than a sudden "omg! i'm in a supernatural josei manga!" might write bc it's a cute concept.

the prostitution of learning (jjk & male!oc)

There is no other main character but Kikuchi Eita. (Or, defeating enemies, exorcizing Curses, facing conservative higher-ups, there’s no adversity that Kikuchi Eita cannot push through because Kikuchi Eita is the main character. That is until Itadori Yūji.)

i made this guy before 少年A and while eita is my favorite oc i've ever created in jjk, 少年A's story is easier to write. but the prostitution of learning is a bit more complicated even just with eita's planned CT and while i'd love nothing more than to write this one, idk if i'd have the time but i really want to!

willow diaries / 柳日記 (kakashi/oc)

Kakashi gets a nobleman's concubine pregnant. Whoops. (Or, I no Yanagihaya's honorable brother-in-law said to surprise him. She did.)

first of all, it's not cheating or infidelity. said nobleman is dead. anyway, i think this is the most likely to be written bc i've written the first chapter a hundred times but couldn't get satisfied. anyway, this one's fun. and i love civilian ocs! especially writing nobility. the research was a pain but i loooove this one.

pls... don't ask me about frog in a well :"") i'm working on it! idk, froggie's become that weird cousin idk if i wanna talk to or not. it's awkward between the two of us right now bc ik i could start writing the chapter anytime and get it done and over it quickly but i've been lazy and focusing on other stuff hehe <3

#問 ━━ answers #aka the monthly “what are you writing rn uno”

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