#i have so many great brushes i never use for no reason so i'm expanding my horizons and using like 10 brushes instead of 3 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

highfantasy-soul · 1 month

Text

NATLA Episode 6 - Masks (3/5)

[Masterlist of my NATLA thoughts]

An explanation of what I'm doing here and my history with ATLA.

Of course, full spoilers ahead.

Love that they expand the convo between Aang and Zuko and give a reason for not immediately heading to save Sokka and Katara (whom were currently dying of thirst and fever in the animated show) - fire nation soldiers were still searching around. In the animated version, Aang just stays with Zuko until morning for…some reason? while his friends are dying.

Everything Zuko does is such a great choice, acting wise. He really acts like a teen trying to convince people he's badass and confident - which to the teen, is done in totally legitimate ways while us olds can see right through that mask and see how insecure and inexperienced with what true confidence is. Again with the masks, Zuko over-acts to convince others (and himself) that he's strong and can do it alone - hence him slapping away Aang's hand he stretches out to help Zuko. It's honestly a funny scene because we can see how petulant and ridiculous him slapping away a helping hand is, but with Zuko's past and how he's been taught to be strong alone - yet never actually has gotten any solid teaching on HOW to do that - Zuko sees it as a reasonable reaction.

I think it was a really great move to expand his and Aang's conversation here. In the animated series, Aang only talks about Kuzon and what life was like for Aang before and how much he misses it. Here, Aang talks TO and WITH Zuko rather than just talking AT him. Aang starts by appraising him of the situation - there are guards patrolling the woods so they need to hunker down for the moment, then he tries to help, then just sits with Zuko - close, and facing him rather than in a corner. He shows Zuko that he's actually confident, not afraid of Zuko, and not intending to be antagonistic either. Aang sets the tone as only Aang can: one that's genuinely kind and open, wanting to talk the issues through, not solve it with threats or violence. Then he opens with a disarming question - one meant to connect the two of them, to humanize himself to Zuko and show that he sees Zuko as another person, not just an enemy, too. It's just SO AANG!

That's always been Aang's superpower - like Katara said back on Kyoshi Island: it's his ability to connect with people that makes him so special. Especially thrust into a world that's been at war for 100 years, that wears on EVERYONE, people are done trying to play nice, it's hit now and hit hard - no diplomacy is going to work because it hasn’t worked for 100 years. Aang doesn’t have that baggage. He really is a man out of time - and he uses that to his advantage here.

He tries it other places and it rarely works, but with Zuko, it can. Aang starts with a question that looks like it's going one direction, but veers into something so beautifully mundane. When he asks if it's ok to ask 'a personal question', everyone's (and probably Zuko's too) thought goes to the scar - it's the big thing that 'different' about him, that defines him, just as so many people with visible differences/disabilities know. "Can I ask how you became blind? How you lost your leg? What it's like living with Down Syndrome?" All those questions about, usually, not the things people are so proud of (not that they're ashamed, per se, but like, why talk about a missing leg when we can talk about their artwork, ya know?) or want to sit around and chat about. But Aang veers left - what type of hair do you use for your calligraphy brush?

Aang opens with an off-kilter question, then follows up with a compliment: "your characters are so neat", then some self-depreciating humor "I can never get mine like that. The monks used to say lemur droppings were more legible than my brush strokes". It's just impossible to not be put at ease by him talking to Zuko like a person - finding common ground, mundane and 'insignificant' as it is, but Zuko doesn't crack - yet. I think it was great that they used Zuko's notebook not just as a convenient goober to get Aang the info he needed in a neat little package, but to bring it back as a point of connection between him and Zuko - Zuko's desperation to end his banishment helped Aang.

Something so important to Zuko did genuine good and helped the person he was hunting - and he was GENUINELY thanked for it. Not only thanked for it, but he got an actual apology from Aang about stealing it - I wonder how many times Zuko had ever been apologized to after someone hurt him or stole his things.

Zuko stays stone-faced, but he's not angry - he doesn't look away either. To me, it feels like he's trying hard to calculate how he thinks he's SUPPOSED to react to Aang telling him this. I think he wants to be proud of his work, of Aang telling him that he has info on past Avatars no one else has, how Aang stayed up long nights reading his work, how it really has helped him. Here's someone who is genuinely telling Zuko that his work is good - not just good, but unique and impactful the way no one else's work is. He's the best at this - what he did is worthy of respect and praise.

Finally, after Aang tells him Zuko's notebook (he) helped him a lot, Zuko breaks - he tells Aang he uses goat hair for his brushes as it gives him more control. The façade of hard, unfeeling badassery is broken and he's just another kid discussing stationary and how to please exacting teachers. And uuuuggghhh Aang is just so charming and disarming with his self-deprecating jokes! Just like how he tried to cheer up Katara with his little joke about 'I think that's what the monks said - I never listened', he makes another about always getting caught snoring while he was supposed to be meditating and Zuko breaks!! The big bad, hard core firebender SMILES!!!! Then he quickly reins it in and tries to return to his stoic scowl.

It's so good having Aang and Zuko slide into a discussion about 'sides' as it does look strange that Zuko is 'fighting against' other firebenders. Zuko starts out by flipping right back to anger, to forceful faux confidence, then realizes that he's having to face his 'enemy' and tell this kid whose joke he just laughed at that he's still needing to capture him. But he takes a more casual stance, a resigned tone, not a forceful one, as he tells Aang that he can only return home if he captures him and takes him in, he can then become the next fire lord. Yet again, Zuko is questioned about whether that's actually what he wants and another point of connection between the two is forged - Zuko insists that yes, of course he wants to be the fire lord, that's what everyone expects of him. Expectation. We know that Zuko doesn't actually care about the throne, he just wants acceptance and his family back, but Zuko has been told the way to get that is through being the perfect prince - that wanting the throne is the same as getting his family.

I love how Zuko starts to get clearly agitated at the direction the conversation is taking - I would attribute that to people poking at his beliefs that he's had to cling to because if they come crumbling down under too much scrutiny, he won't know what to do - and Aang immediately tries to calm him down, not raise his voice, tries for kind and gentle advice given to him by his own mentor - opening up and being vulnerable with Zuko in an attempt to regain that connection they had just shared. And it works - he opens up about how he's so worried about the expectations about him being the Avatar and Zuko calms down, he shifts back and relaxes again.

Aang pushes in, telling Zuko how different he is from the other firebenders, how he knows what the fire lord is doing is wrong, how Zuko could be better than them - on the surface and initially, things Zuko might like to hear. But Aang pushes it too far - he mentions compassion and all that trauma rushes to the surface and Zuko is reminded just how painful being different from the other firebenders can be - how much punishment compassion brought him.

He feels like he has to overcompensate yet again - never show weakness, never show vulnerability, never accept someone else's criticism of his actions or of the actions of those he's associated with. I think it's very telling that he starts with declaring that he's the crown prince - that he is to be the example for all firebenders. His expectations don't only extend to himself and how he should be viewed by his father - he sees the entire fire nation as looking at him and judging his actions and worth - expectations that crush him as they tell him to be a certain way I think he already knows he doesn’t want to be. And even though his father was clearly abusive, he still insists that he's a great man - to save face, he has to deny the accusations of the enemy and declare that his abuser is actually good and no one is allowed to say otherwise (oh my god, seriously Zuko, stop stealing these lines from my DnD character! I swear she did it first, it's not just that Zuko's journey is so incredibly organic in his experience and reaction to the abuse that it transcends through to other mediums seamlessly).

And finally, Zuko can't take it anymore, he has to firmly put that mask back on and yells at Aang that compassion is a sign of weakness - and attacks. Finally, Aang is afraid of Zuko, and dispatches him again, but Aang is a smart kid - he recognizes the pain that talk of compassion brought out in Zuko. He doesn't blame Zuko for it, he sees how much he's been hurt already and I think, yet again, that's what makes Aang such an amazing protagonist and Avatar - he WANTS everyone to be good at heart. He wants to connect, to find paths to healing and cooperation. And he is willing to see past rough edges to the heart of gold within.

#natla #avatar the last airbender #netflix avatar #natla positivity #avatar live action #avatar netflix

10 notes · View notes

starmora · 11 months

Note

I hope it's alright to say my piece on the whole Gamora situation. I know there's obviously nothing to be done now since you nor I are in charge of the films, but I guess other than a handful of people who get how badly she was treated in the overall narrative by the end, it's a little maddening to see soooooo many people just... not be bothered by it? It's obviously not serious being fiction, but I kind of can't get over it and find it somewhat haunting to think so many people, including Gunn, don't find Gamora's situation to be anything less than horrific.

I've struggled to find the words and don't want anyone interpreting me the wrong way, I care about the Guardians as a whole and try to keep from playing favorites because I don't think anyone's single trauma should ever override anyone else's, but it's very obvious that Gunn didn't feel the same when he's continually said he only came back to direct Vol. 3 because of Rocket. I absolutely understand how much he relates to him and his struggles, he's always made that clear, and I don't want to downplay Rocket's need to overcome his problems relating to his past. But I cannot wrap my head around how he could see where Gamora was left post IW/EG and think she didn't deserve so much more attention on the same level as Rocket.

I know there's only so much time in a film and you'll never be able to do or fix everything, but I think it hurts Vol. 3 really badly that from what seems like the beginning Gamora was always included as an afterthought. Why Gunn didn't realize that he could've wrote something including Rocket and Gamora as main characters I'll never understand. I feel the potential for there being something to be said about how they're both different yet so similar to each other is right there, but we don't even get a direct interaction between the two. The weird choice to have IW/EG dictate where the team is emotionally but at the same time refuse to actually expand upon is a poor choice, because we as the audience shouldn't have to fill in every single gap between then and now on how the characters feel, that's just dumb.

I can't help but feel it's almost cartoonishly cruel to just pretend Gamora did but also didn't really matter to everyone outside of Peter in the end, I would think Gunn of all people would realize that when he literally wrote Rocket to knock her out in Vol. 2 because he "couldn't lose another friend" just for him to not have any reaction to her fate post IW. Vol. 3 literally opens with the song Creep that includes the lyrics "I want you to notice when I'm not around" and to have everyone completely ignore OG Gamora's existence immediately after that is genuinely horrible.

Ofc it’s okay, I’m always glad to hear from other ppl regarding this because I know a lot of people will wanna brush us off or just claim that we’re hating on vol 3 for no reason and like for me it really isn’t that because for what it was, vol 3 was great but there’s just this feeling that I can’t get over that Gamora just shouldn’t have been treated like this for the last ten years

I agree with everything you said here, and your last paragraph has been on repeat in my head ever since I read it the first time.

#callie.txt #answered #Gamora deserved better #phantastragoria

8 notes · View notes

moonspirit · 8 months

Note

Hi Moon!

I'm here for Aruani writer ask game :3

1 3 6 7 9 10 11 14

Hello Anna, and thank you for the ask ./////.

1 - Share your favorite part of your latest fic T^T A trick question! I have many little moments I love! But okay, here's one I can quickly think of, from Ch 10 of VBEOW:

Armin reaches up his free hand to brush a lock of hair away from her face as she continues to hold his gaze. Eyes like the daylight sky, that hold strength and resilience within those light blue irises. They expand into the dark pupils of night whenever they focus on him and him only. The inside of his palm hollows to fit the gentle curve of her cheek and she leans into his touch. She keeps her eyes on his and doesn't break contact even when his thumb brushes along her delicate lower lashes. "What are you thinking?" She whispers. I want to make love to you, he thinks. Undress you, kiss you, take you high. His index finger brushes along her upper lashes, long and beautiful, and her eyelids flutter closed. He wants to make love to her. Give her ecstasy and pleasure and everything he has to offer. But he's so tired.

3 - If you look back at your first fic compared to your last, what's changed? This is answered over here :3

6 - Tell us about your longest fic Uh, VBEOW is... the current and only longfic xD I honestly have never written a chaptered fic before for several reasons, and I also didn't see myself doing this until 2 months ago when I thought about the sequel to TFLM and suddenly went "oh shit, I can't fit all this into a oneshot ._." And so it happened and the intro that was supposed to be 2 chapters became 7... and now I think it will extend well into the late twenties ._. All that said, I think it's the best use of my time that I've spent recently. It makes me very happy to think about, to plan, to write, and I'm glad I'm living my best life in this fic anyway xD I'm very proud of it for sure. I am also a fan of giving people a visual adventure/treat on anything I try to do, and here I've found an opportunity to do that for both the characters themselves, and for the readers.

7 - What was the inspiration behind your shortest fic? Shortest fic... would be... Falling Into Neptune at 4.6k words and it was this song: Tenno - Spirit of Life xD The song just told me to write about their first kiss in Fort Salta and to make it HOT.

9 - Which of your fics is your favorite and why? I'm sure I've already said this 329835923856 times xD But TFLM. Idk why exactly, if you asked me to point out how superior it is to VBEOW, I can't do that because it's not, and it's also not that complicated... but I guess I just really like the Fort Salta setting in general and I just fit all the magic into that last day as much as I possibly could. Also, considering it's given a great deal of inspiration for VBEOW, I'm very grateful to it :3

10 - Write about their first kiss! ... this question actually confuses me xD Because first kiss... as I've written it... or in general?? ._. But anyway, as a headcanon, I'd imagine it would be pretty awkward. With both of them secretly dying to kiss each other and also nervous as fuck; Armin will think too much, Annie will think too little - it's bound to be a little... messy, maybe? xD But they'll fall into rhythm in less than 0.5 minutes, because they're quick learners, and they're hot and awesome T//////T

11 - What annoys you the most about your own writing habits? Hm. First and foremost, the fact that I can't relax and slow down my pace. If a fic/chapter is mostly fully outlined in my head, I just can't go "Okay, i'll write this in two days" no, because I'm already itching to write it and I tend to ignore all my other responsibilities altogether xD Second is how I always second-guess my intelligence with plotlines I suppose.

14 - Tell us about a detail you wrote that nobody has commented on yet. I don't think it exists, especially not when you, in particular, pick up every detail and more xD However if we're strictly going to by "commented" I guess the only thing I can remember off the top of my head is that Kari-Armin interaction in Ch. 11 :3

Thanks very much for the ask T^T

#aruani writers ask game #annawayne

3 notes · View notes

husbandohunter · 3 years

Text

Moments of Despair #2 [Genshin Impact/Albedo x Reader]

Synopsis: "The alchemist who relished in his gifts only to fall from grace."

(A series of works where the boys deal with the passing of their beloved).

Diluc’s despair

Warnings: angst, tragedy, major character death and psychological horror (correct me if otherwise)

(A/n): I decided to take a slightly different approach this time. Regardless, it’s still killing my heart TwT.

---------------------------------------------------

Out of the many wonders of Teyvat, one thing Albedo loved most was how you were so different from him.

Difference ties to the unknown, one that must be discovered. He was drawn to you the first time he had laid his eyes upon your form standing at the heights of Mondstadt's cathedral. The Sisters scolded you from below, but all you did was reply with a wink amidst their chaos before soaring into the skies and letting the wind carry your glider. Reckless they said. For him, your recklessness was intriguing.

As the sun's light blinded his vision, everything he saw seemed like a glass barrier. For the ground was where he thrived and chalk was his core, it became the basis of Albedo's very existence. Even the geo Archon granted him a Vision of the same element to affirm his identity. The earth will forever be attached to his feet as he will keep on his stride until every last truth of Teyvat have all been realized. You, on the other hand, hailed from a place where he couldn't quite reach. What lies beyond this glass ceiling? Albedo found himself gradually holding onto a string of curiosities, a string he could touch but was not able to feel.

'Interesting,' he thought quietly, while the breeze slip between the fingers of his outstretched hand.

He was a character of logic, possessing sharp eyes that could pierce through the depths of the most complex formulas and a mind to predict their outcomes- as long as alchemy was still related. All impossibilities thrown in his way only paved a path for him to become the well known genius he was now. Whether it was alchemy or investigations with the Knights of Favonius, Albedo never failed to deliver the answers. But despite it all, he always found himself endlessly contemplating over things that were considered intangible. He wonders why you smile when there was nothing to laugh about. How could you tell between the complexities of the human heart? Albedo can't seem to put a finger on it.

'Why? What drives you? What are you thinking?'

The Chief Alchemist couldn't resist being fascinated by your unpredictability. It reels him in similar to a fish being baited out of the waters. However, unlike those creatures, Albedo only tightened his grip on the strings as if they were a lifeline, determined to find out what they truly felt like to the touch.

"I can't really say it's much of an answer," you hummed, clasping both hands behind your back before declaring with a grin, "To put it simply, you just gotta follow your heart."

'Follow your heart...' What does it mean to follow your heart?

"I'm afraid I still don't understand," he replied in a thoughtful manner. The statement never really resonated with him and it certainly weren't the words his Master taught when he was in the early stages of being created, "But it does suit you very much."

"Really? But still bring your head with you," a playful laugh escapes and you add while pointing a finger, "At least, it's what everyone tells me these days."

"Hm," Albedo then affirms with a nod, "I can definitely see why they would tell you that."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

The days go by and his repetitious march towards the truth remains the same. However, there was never a dull moment when you were at his side. Perhaps that was the reason why Albedo became so attracted to your aura. The way you'd follow around his experiments, eyes so full of enthusiasm at every step of the activity. Sometimes the events can get a little too out of hand in which he needs to step in and save you from getting stuck in slime condensates...constantly. Albedo grew fond of your childlike excitement even when you weren't entirely sure what was going on. He normally distanced himself from socializing as it never sparked his interest. Frankly, he was too much of a genius for mundane conversations. Your presence was rather refreshing in this case. You were an oddball, just like him, and for once the alchemist felt like he didn't need to place that glass barrier between the two worlds.

"You seem to be in a very good mood today Mister Albedo."

He was a man of subtle expressions yet anyone could notice the small gleam in his eyes whenever he saw you walking in the hallway. Sucrose often remarked with a giggle after she noticed her teacher holding his documents upside down. But who could blame him? Joy, fun, laughter. He was able to experience those emotions all because of you; his beloved. You were the colour to his canvas and the meaning to his flower. You were a force of nature. Like a warm breeze gracing upon the terrestrial lands, you move him.

Thump- thump- thump-

Strings around his world began to weave one whole picture while they also tugged inside his chest. God had finally blown the breath of life into mankind's body, it was only a matter of time before Albedo came to follow his heart too.

--------

"Alright, just one more detail aaaaand done!"

You gave a small tap using the tip of your pencil and leaned back to examine your artwork.

Masterpiece!

On days when Katheryne had no commissions assigned to the guild, Albedo would accompany you to the Whispering Woods and conduct his sketches there instead. He was aware of the discomfort Dragonspine brought as the temperature wasn't ideal for anyone except for him. You eventually learned that your lover was not only intelligently different from the rest but physically too. Albedo, aside from the Cavalry Captain, was mysterious in his own way. He was hard to read yet never came off as intimidating, no one knew of his origins nor they knew how he came to Mondstadt. You wondered why someone like him would have wanted to get involved with your shenanigans. Rosaria often gave warnings regarding the alchemist's 'hidden intentions' in which you'd roll your eyes in response. The Albedo you knew was far from that. He was a big brother to Klee, a man passionate about his work, he was the one golden star among the many silvers in your sky. He was your lover.

My Albedo.

Brushing a hand upon the drawing you made of him, you glided down the lines of his cheek before resting your finger on the mark by his neck. You gazed at it with fondness. Truly a masterpiece indeed.

"You do realize I'm still here?"

The paper nearly flies out of your grasp and you snatched it back to your chest, "HUH A-ALBEDO, WHEN DID YOU APPEAR???"

"I was with you the whole time," he states. The corner of his lip tug upward ever so slightly, "You said you wanted to sketch me."

"A-Ahahaha, so I did," you reply while scratching your head bashfully. 'I thought I was looking at a sculpture!!' You rushed to cover your face with the sheet. It wasn't that you forgot he was there, rather, you forgot he was still a living and breathing specimen who just witnessed your little serenade. As Lisa had once said, Albedo was easy on the eyes. His graceful features made him seem almost like an oil painting that could only be found in halls of the most prestigious households. You made sure to capture everything, every detail, every curve just like he had done with your portraits. Only now you noticed the sun already began its descent below the lakeside, dusting the landscape with hints of bright orange as it marked the day's end. If only time could slow down. But duty calls upon your next journey and there was no telling when you'd return. At the very least, a simple portrait would suffice to fill in the temporary gap of his absence.

"Can I see it?"

You glanced his direction while keeping the drawing close to your nose, "Are you sure about that? It might not be up to your expectations."

"I'm sure," Albedo affirms with a straight countenance, "I can already tell you've put a great amount of effort, otherwise you wouldn't have taken this long."

"Yeeaahh I kinda lost track of time. I guess it's only fair that you get to see the finished product," you say and shoved the drawing in front of him, "Tada! I present to you, my masterpiece!"

Albedo takes it out of your grasp and you watched the way his eyes expanded upon sight.

"Well? Whaddya think?"

Words could not describe the mixture of emotions that erupted within him. Was it distinguishable or abstract? Albedo spent his time pondering between the two answers as he examined the drawing closely. Despite the lines being slightly jagged and the unevenness in the placement of his eyes, he managed to make the shape of the entire image you were trying to convey. Perhaps it was all thanks to his well trained artistic vision which gave him the ability to do so. Or maybe he was simply biased. But there wasn't a shred of doubt that this was indeed your craftsmanship.

"You even added flowers in the background," he pointed out with amusement.

"It's the thing you make when using your elemental burst, I couldn't fit your hand in the picture so I decided to put it somewhere empty," you informed, "Out of everything, that one took me the longest."

"And the rabbits?"

"They resemble Klee's bombs!"

He lets out a chuckle, "I see."

Albedo kept his attention downward until he was mindlessly staring at the paper in hand. This was a memory made to be carried as you moved on to your next journey and it saddens him that he could not accompany you. If only time slowed down. Albedo wanted to hold onto the memory forever, because he knew once he gave it back, he wouldn't be able to see you for an uncertain amount of time.

"Do you really have to go?"

His voice was barely above a whisper. Guilt crept into your heart and you gingerly layed your fingers on his gloved ones, bringing down the paper that blocked his face. A pair of teal orbs held a reflection of your image as the sun's rays casted from the side. You returned it with a reassuring grin, hoping to soothe his worries somehow, "I just need to pay a visit to my father since he's been very sick lately. I'll be fine, so don't worry too much okay?"

Albedo turns over his palm and gave your hand a squeeze, "How long will it take?"

"I'm not sure but it will be a while. Snezhnaya is pretty far so..." you trailed off, "But my time in Mondstadt, with Klee and with you, I will never forget! I won't even if I tried."

When you were met with no answer, a breeze came in to fill the melancholic silence. He too will not forget and he would ensure that it was the same for you. Slowly, Albedo brought your hand up, past the center of his heart all the way to cupping his cheek. He allowed himself to indulge in your warmth, tangling the strands of his hair with your fingers while closing his eyes. Sweet flowers. You always carried the smell of sweet flowers.

"Albedo?" You gawked, "What's the matter?"

"...There are certain aspects where drawings can't imitate," he says, grip tightening ever so slightly, "How I feel against your skin, the shape of my jaw, your warmth radiating with my own. These are the things I want you to remember."

Breath leaves your slightly parted mouth. It was unfair how straightforward Albedo could be when showing his affection. Doing as he pleases without anyone's approval to the point it would even catch you off guard since he often absorbed himself in the arts of alchemy. But during times when Albedo did choose to express his feelings, you knew they came from a place of pure genuinity. The thought made it hard for you to tear away from him, "Did you ever find out what the strings felt like then?"

Albedo returns his gaze, long golden lashes hovering them as he smiles softly, "...I have."

As he began to reveal his stories, the dusk sky continued to flare across the landscape with colours of passion. Red, it was the thread that had led him to you, the same string that weaved him together as a whole. Albedo lays a kiss atop of your pinky, there was a reason why Mondstadtians called him the Chalk Prince. You didn't know the intention behind his sudden affection but he knew. It was a promise, one to ensure that the thread would also have you return safely back into his arms.

Oh how he hated the colour red.

"Al...bedo..."

With speed he never knew he had, Albedo scoops you into his embrace and held you close. How did everything happen so fast? He curses his mind as it proceeds to scan your injuries, drawing a conclusion where he wished to be wrong for once:

You were beyond help.

"Ah..haha..." you managed to laugh through bitter tears, "You don't have to say it. I know."

His breath hitches, trying to make sense of the feeling that was slowly tearing him apart from the inside. It's not real. Of course it wasn't, it couldn't be. What other possible answer was there to explain the numbness stinging his fingers? The reason for his shaking? Everything felt so cold. Your body hardly registered to his to touch, you were losing so much blood. You were losing. He was going to lose you.

"No," Albedo shakes his head, "We still have time. I'll go find help."

Please, hold on.

He forced himself to think. The ruin hunter ran off shortly after it had ambushed you, by now the Knights would eventually noticed and apprehended it on sight. They couldn't be too far. All he needed was to carry you back to safety and everyone can go home. Albedo darted his eyes all over the place, breaths becoming shallower with each passing second. Where? Where to go? Which route was best to not overexert your wounds? Think. Think. Think. Why couldn't he think?

"A..." You watched him in your helpless state. Every part of you throbbed with pain but it pains you even more to see the renowned genius who stood atop the pedestal of elegance and grace so utterly, undoubtedly lost. This was not the goodbye you wanted, though death already had you tight in their grasps. Not yet. Using the last particle of your strength, you tried to stay alive as long as possible. Just a little bit more time.

Albedo freezes when a trembling hand extends itself to cup around his cheek. Every single thought he had in mind vanished and was replaced by a loud ring resonating in his ears. Dreadfully, mechanically, he turns his attention to where you lay.

"Don't cry," you whisper, "I love you, don't cry- okay?"

Albedo grimaces, shutting his eyes closed as he allows the pent up sadness to flow out of him completely, "I can't," he said in a shaky voice, "Please. Stay."

"I'm sorry," Your vision blurs and he hugs you even more. Drawing your final breath, you relay your most cherished words through a broken smile, "But no matter w-where I go...I won't for..ge.."

The moment your hand fell, Albedo finally understood the difference between death and loss.

It was...suffocating. Having the air trapped in his throat, begging to release yet it hurts to speak. The never ending stabs that pulsed within his veins rushed forth like the scraping blizzard of Dragonspine until his whole body lost all its senses. The world was shattering. He could no longer feel your weight. He could no longer feel.

(Y/n).

Albedo glances at his blood stained fingers where the thread had been severed, wide eyes drowning in sorrow. What a horrible feeling. Was this a warning sent by the gods? For stepping into the boundaries of knowing too much? Ah the curse of knowledge man must bear when eating the temptatious fruit. It was the result of choosing to love you. With life, death is inevitable and with love, it will eventually bring pain. Everything had a price to pay and as an alchemist, Albedo knew that better than anyone.

"...Meaningless..."

But he refused to accept it.

Cradling your corpse, he leans in and places a kiss on your forehead, lips quivering as they lingered for a second too long before gathering the strength to stand back on his feet. Nothing will stop the alchemist from reuniting with you. If the laws wished to take you away from him then he will use everything in his power to fight against those laws.

"This is not goodbye..." Albedo said to the sleeping girl, "And it will never be."

When the sun sinks below the plains and the stars lose their light, the sky had been replaced with a palette of darkness. It was time to go home.

------

"Have you all heard about the rumours?"

A group of knights gather in the corner as they whisper about. Sucrose stops on her tracks and hides behind a wall, clutching the book close to her chest in an attempt to stay hidden.

"Another criminal disappeared from the dungeons? Crazy..."

"More like creepy. I was told that place might be haunted by some dead prisoner's ghost. Even the Church is hopping onto this case."

"Well I hope it doesn't get any worse. So many of us started going on night patrols..."

Their voices faded out of range as the anemo user backtracks her steps carefully. Several months passed since the news of mysterious kidnappings have been announced to the public. Rumours of their whereabouts swirled around the city and much to her discomfort, Sucrose happened to catch every single one of them. There couldn't possibly be evil spirits lurking in the Favonious Headquarters right? She silently shrieks at the thought, shaking her head furiously to stop her mind from going too deep. No, I have to find him. Without wasting another minute, the anemo user sprinted towards the stairs all the way up to the second floor before stopping directly in front of her teacher's office. Despite the adrenaline that occured at the same time, she made sure to knock.

No answer.

"Strange, he told me he would be here today..." Sucrose muttered to herself. But suddenly she heard the sound of objects shifting from the otherside, signaling that there was indeed someone occupying the room. Without realizing, she held her breath out of anticipation.

"Come in."

The door creaks as she opens them, giving her enough space to slip between the gap, "Mister Albedo?"

"You're early today," The Chief Alchemist noted from his desk, "Is there something the matter?"

"Y-You mean you don't know? There was just another case about a person disappearing from the dungeons," Her tone became more frantic as she rambled to herself, "The kidnapper never leaves a trace and no one knows how they were able to get out. Even when we ask the guards what happened, they can't seem to remember as if...as if someone casted a spell on them!"

"A spell?" He inquires, "I suppose that could be a possibility."

"I think so too. I-It's the only explanation that makes sense! I mean...ghosts don't exist after all," Sucrose nervously looks down at her shoes while giving her book a squeeze, "But why? Who could be capable of such advanced techniques? No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to understand their intentions."

"...Yes. It is a very strange occurrence indeed."

Noticing her teacher's withdrawn attitude, Sucrose couldn't help but feel flustered at her own behaviour, "Ah my apologies Mister Albedo, I didn't mean to go off track. Have there been any progress on the investigations so far?"

Albedo briefly glanced at the various documents splayed across his table. His reputation as an incredibly intelligent individual had reached far and wide through Mondstadt. This led to the authorities requesting his assistance regarding the recent matters, despite him specializing in the alchemical field, he was also the Captain of their Investigation Team. Although, Albedo detested partaking in things he deemed irrelevant to his research;

"I'm afraid I would need more evidence to draw a conclusion."

"Eh? You still need more?"

He could not deny that the given authoritative position had provided much benefits to his own accord.

"My expertise lies in the subject of alchemy," Albedo reasoned and proceeds to intertwine his fingers in front of his mouth, "Humans on the other hand, are very unpredictable in nature. Even the essence of their existence is hard to obtain."

"Essence of their existence?" Sucrose repeated softly. She wanted to ask what he meant but the blank expression was evident enough to signal his impatience. At least, that was what she thought, "Nevermind! I have something that might help," taking out a slip from her textbook, she handed it to him, "It's the report Captain Kaeya gave me. He said that the culprit might be a traitor coming from the Knights of Favonius."

He narrows his eyes.

"I-I think he might be right! Just think about it, we haven't found anything at all for the past few months but when we do, I sometimes feel like we're just running in circles...oh what if it's becau-"

"Sucrose."

"Y-Yes?!"

Albedo calmly looks at the flustered girl, not realizing how sharp his tone was, "You're overthinking again. Perhaps it's best that you take this day off."

"But I came here to help," she insisted, "I know it hurts to lose someone you love! Don't you understand that we're all worried about you? And Klee, she..."

"..."

"Please Mister Albedo, if there's anything I could do-"

"No need," he cuts her off once again, "Your stress levels are too high. We can't go any further if you continue to act like this."

"Oh," her ruby eyes casted to the side, "I understand..."

"Good. Now, if you would excuse me," Albedo bid her farewell and watched as the door clicked behind her, observing every detail until he was sure that the absolute silence had returned. He picks up Kaeya's document. Such remarkable handwriting. But of course, appearances are only meant to be displayed on the surface for the Captain was a sly man, wearing a mask to shield what lies underneath. Just like his letter, they were full of innuendos and condensed meanings, orchestrated together until the truth spoke loudly to Albedo himself.

"So, that's what he thinks."

Perhaps the alchemist should have been a little more discreet.

--------

There was a certain place in Dragonspine that no one dared to enter. But those who have, they never return.

"Hm, no response. Now as for the next step..."

And he was the reason why.

Taking the sword out of the transmutation circle, Albedo turned to the snowy hill nearby and activated his alchemy. A small portion of it dissipates, revealing a trench that went so deep underground that even warmth couldn't outplay the sheer cold. It was the perfect hiding place for the evidence to lay out of sight and an environment where only he could handle. The alchemist tossed the leftover along with the others before exiting quietly, summoning back the ice to bury his victims once again. Another day, another experiment, another stain goes to his title. The path he walked upon was one littered with corpses and the sins he committed. But despite the bones crunching beneath his feet and the weight of the dead hanging on his shoulders, the alchemist was numb to it all. Like an entity floating in space with nothing to hold, he became unable to feel.

"I'm back," When reaching the center of Starglow Cavern, Albedo puts his hand on the icicle and caressed it's hard cold surface, "Did you sleep well?"

The girl did not respond. Her eyes were closed and her skin was as young as ever. She was frozen in time.

"You must have."

Albedo felt the sword beginning to shake in his grasp as it resonated with his energy. Dust particles emitted from the hilt and slowly made their climb to the side of his arm. Still, Albedo's attention did not waver, "To this day, I've been thinking about what you told me the first time we met."

"..."

"Follow your heart. I couldn't understand it at first but after being around your presence, I believe I can finally recognize what that term means."

He closes his eyes as he envisioned your lively form running across the landscape. Albedo, Albedo! The sound of his name was mixed with your laughter while Klee came into the scene and caught the dandelions with you. A content smile formed on his countenance as he watched from afar, even if it was just a memory, "It's everything. The breakfast we ate together, to the nights spent camping outside, and the silly moments we shared, they bring all these colours that I never knew existed."

"..."

Albedo curls his fingers against the ice as he continues to lament, "Perhaps that's why I began noticing the strings around me. The closer I was to answer, the more I felt it was necessary to discover what they are. All this time, you were the answer I was searching for," Moist begins to build up in his eyes but they freeze up once reaching the corners. How cruel. Despite what he went through, he wasn't even granted the liberty to cry, "Because with you, I'm able to feel them."

He wonders what you would think if you saw him right now. Albedo peers at his reflection casted on the crystalline surface, the frame of his face had been decorated with streaks of purple and red, spreading out like tree branches as they both fought for dominance. The teal coloured orbs you once adored were beginning to transform to a colour that reminded him of his darkest days. This was Albedo's true nature- a monster, a being that wasn't human, the essence in which you never had the chance to see.

"I know I may not be the same as I was before," he added, "But if that is what it takes to follow your heart, will you let me feel the strings again?"

Would you still love me the same?

"..."

"If so, then please understand my actions," Albedo takes a step back as he held out the sword in front of him. At last, the preparations have finally been completed. He plunges the blade to the ground with full force and the surrounding area begins to shake under the power accumulated through many, intentional sacrifices. To revive the dead was a forbidden art as it came with heavy consequences. If it weren't for Albedo's talent and quick wit, the process would have consumed him long before executing the last stage. He winces, the pain was excruciating. It was hard for him to ignore the sound of his skin cracking below his ears and all the way to his nose as they fall off in the shape of small rock-like chunks. Everything hurt so much that even death sounded like a sweet dream but Albedo couldn't afford to give up. He had already come this far, his hands completely washed with sin and his reputation already broken beyond repair, Albedo had nowhere else to go. This was his last destination.

"Soon-" he pants between choked breaths. Soon your eyes will open. He could drown in your embrace, one that was warm and not cold. Soon he will be able revive those cherished memories from a frozen past. It was all he could think of right now. Your existence was the reason why a part of him felt whole and your death made him realize how painful it was to tear away those pieces. Albedo refused to let go of those pieces, they had already become a part of him. And if this path ended up tearing him even more, then so be it.

"I should have stopped you the moment you were born."

The intruder snapped him awake and he swung around to where they stood. But before Albedo could make out who it was, they lunged past him with incredible speed, kicking the sword off the ground while severing his two arms once and for all. They flew to the side, blood dyed purple trickling from the edges of his joint as he struggled to stay upright.

"Dains...leif..."

Dainsleif watched the alchemist fall onto his back as the light around him slowly faded away. He turned his gaze to where the objective was and noticed a girl encased within the ice. The man sighs out of relief when she shows no signs of life, he came just in time, "So this is how it ends."

Albedo weakly stared at the blonde man. He attempted to say something but the blood caught in his mouth prevented him from that.

"Save your breath, you won't be having any," Dainsleif remarks in a cold manner and glared at his bloodied form, "The renowned Chief Alchemist of Mondstadt and an important member of Ordo Favonious. Hmph, what an interesting turn of events. Out of everyone, I never thought you were the type to act so foolish."

Foolish...what a foreign name to be called as. He never heard anyone tell him he was foolish.

"Truly a pity," With a flick of a wrist, Dainsleif brought his sword to Albedo's neck. It was unbelievable how he had the endurance to go through all that pain while still breathing at this point but what is there to be expected from a monster? "Remember that all actions have consequences."

The alchemist watched as his life flashed before him, the weight of his sins had finally caught up. He had always seen the world as a platform for his objectives and results were merely a natural cause after attempting many experiments. But death as a consequences was an unbearble realization upon his final moments. He abandoned his title, his pupil and his dearest sister. In the end, he was still unable to fulfill his duty.

"I just..." Albedo mumbled, his words slurring together, "wanted..."

As the ashes turn to ashes and dust becomes dust, chalk returns to the earth, forever yearning a place that can never be reached.

#genshin impact #genshin impact headcanons #genshin impact x reader #genshin impact scenarios #albedo #albedo x reader #genshin albedo #genshin impact albedo #genshin x reader #genshin scenarios #genshin headcanons #genshin imagines #genshin impact imagines #nya-writes #dainsleif #genshin impact dainsleif #sucrose

569 notes · View notes

jadelotusflower · 3 years

Text

It’s Cold in that Fridge: The Case of Nakari Kelen

Since The Case of Mara Jade has been doing the rounds again, I’ve finally gone back to this post that has been sitting in my drafts for literally years. So let’s honour this absolute badass who deserved better:

Once upon a time, the Star Wars universe was but six films (and a tv series) in the story of the Skywalker family. But beyond George Lucas’ story was an absolute boatload of books, comics, games, and other materials that made up the Expanded Universe. When Disney purchased Lucasfilm and the rights to the Star Wars saga, everything in this universe was decanonised and deemed “Legends” - some aspects of this universe were retained or re-purposed, others sit in Disney’s figurative vault and will likely never see the light of day (and seeing how the ST turned out, maybe that’s for the best).

But this transition between Legends canon and Disney canon was not so simple, because the nature of publishing meant that there were novels approved during the time of Legends canon that would be released in the time of Disney canon. In particular, there had been the planned trilogy “Empire and Rebellion”, set between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, with each novel from the perspective of one of The Big Three.

Razor’s Edge (Leia) and Honor Among Thieves (Han) were released prior to the Great Canon Split of 2014. But while the Luke-centric novel had been planned, it was not due to be released until well after the Split. So Heir to the Jedi (so called as an homage to the Legends progenitor Heir to the Empire) became one of the first books of the Disney canon.

What does this background have to do with Nakari Kelen? Perhaps nothing, but I do wonder how the writing process was affected by the shift from Legends to Disney - was the novel a relic of the old EU with any reference the LFL storygroup didn’t like excised during editing, or was it a trendsetter for the new EU, a Sign of Things to Come?

The most salient point being, of course, that Nakari Kelen - like so many love interests before her - was not allowed to go along her merry way at the conclusion of the novel, but was shoved into the fridge.

If there was one constant of the Legends EU, it was that Luke Skywalker’s love interests couldn’t catch a break. Mara Jade naturally lasted the longest relationship-wise, with almost twenty years of marriage to Luke before some bright spark decided she had to go (as per the aforementioned case study). But before Mara there was Jem, Shira Brie, and Gaeriel Captison (who came close to escaping the curse), and in the Legacy of the Force series they brought back sole survivors Akanah and Callista, only to kill them off for good too (and rather brutally, if I may add).

So perhaps when Kevin Hearne began writing HttJ within the confines of the Legends continuity, he was merely sticking to the status quo, or perhaps once subsumed by Disney they needed to make sure Luke's slate was clean (so to speak). And I can’t put all the blame on Hearne since I don’t know whether it was his idea, or LFL mandated - but regardless it was a poor decision.

The root cause of fridging, imo, is limited imagination. How best to cause your male protagonist pain if not kill off someone they love, or at least have strong feelings for? The answer is of course, easily. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

The Luke Skywalker of HttJ is fresh from his victory in ANH, a lieutenant in the Rebellion: young, not dumb, and full of...

Nakari Kalen is an absolute Queen a civilian volunteer and crack-shot sniper who loans her ship Desert Jewel to the Alliance. Luke is immediately attracted to her, they bond over a mutual love of fast ships and leaving behind desert home planets, and engage in the inexpert flirting of two nineteen year olds while also risking their lives several times over.

I want to make it clear: I actually really like this book. It's a breezy read, almost serialised as The Early Adventures of Luke Skywalker, and is ofttimes genuinely funny. And credit where it’s due to Hearne, many of of the supporting roles in the novel are female. Other than Nakari, there's Soonta, the Rodian who gives Luke her uncle’s lightsaber, Sakhet the Kupohan spy, and the Givin cryptographer/math genius Drusil Bephorin. In a genre where male characters are often the default for these kind of roles, it was nice to see, but makes the regressive fridging of Nakari even more egregious.

Luke and Nakari make a good team fighting brain-sucking monsters and Imperials, but more importantly they have fun together - she encourages him to work on his Force skills, and he successfully moves objects with his mind for the first time (leading to Nakari adorably dub him "a little noddle scooter"). It's a very sweet, if brief, relationship, and a respite from the danger of the mission. They spend the night together (leaving the reader to decide exactly what happened behind closed doors), and share a kiss before splitting up to try and escape bounty hunters. No prizes for guessing what happens to Nakari immediately after she received the Skywalker Kiss of Death.

I assume there were two motivating factors for why Hearne and/or LFL couldn't let Nakari live:

1. If she survived, fans would wonder why she doesn't appear in ESB/subsequent material.

I recall this bandied about on forums back at the time of the book's release, and to that I say - so what? Fans are always going to wonder, and try to paper over the gaps in canon, to make up their own headcanons to explain any any perceived inconsistencies. It's certainly no reason to kill someone off.

It is in fact possible for two young people to have a romance that just fizzles, or doesn’t work out for whatever reason - it should not require great maneuvering or explanation. If Nakari doesn’t show up in the next book in the timeline, what about it? The reader is smart enough to assume she and Luke broke up, decided to just remain friends, whatever. But it seems that the only way for a female character to exit stage left is for her to die, which is bullshit.

And actually, there's no reason why she couldn't have shown up again. ESB and RoTJ cover a month and a few days, respectively, of Luke's life - just because there was no mention of Nakari doesn't mean she didn't exist at that time, whether or not she and Luke were an item. She could have made an appearance in a subsequent novel, or Rebels, or the comics - she could have become a recurring character, showing up when the Rebellion needed her, or - heaven forbid - even have her own comic/book/show! Her existence in Star Wars canon didn't need to begin and end with Luke Skywalker, merely to service his plotline and backstory and abandoning the richness of her own.

No, the only reason Nakari had to die was to facilitate this:

It was a blow to the gut, realizing what that sudden absence meant. I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, but I had felt Nakari's life snuffed out through the Force, and into that void where she had shone anger rushed in - anger, and a cold sense of raw power and invincibility...I took a step to join in the hunt but stopped, breathing heavily, unaccountably sweating even though I felt so cold inside and the power of the Force roiled within me... I shook with emotion and power, and none of it felt the way the Force had before...I saw what kind of space it was , a black hole that would always be hungry no matter how much I fed it. I might never feel warm again if I didn't get myself under control.

Luke feels the dark side and is tempted by the boost of power it offers him, but immediately identifies it as dangerous and unnatural. I can understand why Hearne wanted to include this - it is a book of firsts after all: Luke's first solo mission, his first time using telekenisis, and ending with story with his first experience of the dark side makes sense. But it wasn't necessary, which leads to:

2. How to push Luke to touch the dark side without killing someone he has romantic feelings for?

Also, obviously, shite of the bull (or nerf, if you prefer). Even if this brush with the dark side was absolutely necessary for the novel's climax, there's any number of ways it could be achieved. At this point, Luke is fresh from losing important people in his life - Owen and Beru, Ben, and Biggs - lumping another death on top of that a narrative trick for Luke to react not only to losing Nakari, but the others as well. But it's cheap, the first card in the deck, and why not show a bit of imagination? Luke is young and inexperienced enough at this point that any number of things could be the catalyst - the whole book he's struggling with his growing powers, why not try and reach too far in the firefight with the bounty hunters, his anger and frustration with himself in not doing enough trigger the dark side temptation? It would work thematically and doesn't involve a fridging that ultimately has very little payoff.

Because Nakari is killed less than ten pages from the end of the book - afterwards Luke grieves, but ultimately chooses to honour her memory and be grateful for what he learned with her, recommitting to becoming a Jedi. It's all very surface level, and once again a female character's death facilitates a male character's development. Was it so imperative that Luke lost someone he cared about as part of this story? Sure, this was a time of galactic civil war, and it's far from unrealistic that these stories have a high body count, but who to make collateral damage remains an authorial choice, and in this case Nakari Kelen was (a) a female character of color, (b) a love interest of the protagonist - not just of this book, but the entire Original Trilogy.

I don't know to what extent (if any) race had to play in the decision. I'm sure there was a segment of the fandom absolutely livid that Luke Skywalker kissed (and maybe had sex with) a black woman. Was her death LFL hedging its bets, or demonstrative of the general lack of attention/respect they show their characters of colour?

In any case this was a chance to stand out from the old EU and it's fridge full of Luke's dead girlfriends, but instead they chose to introduce and kill off Nakari for the sole purpose of Luke's manpain and character development, and that's gross.

And then there's this:

A grisly yet reliable fact about custom bounty hunter ships is that you can always count on them to have body bags stashed somewhere for the easy transport of their kills. They often have built-in refrigerated storage, too.

NAKARI IS KILLED AND LITERALLY STORED IN THE FUCKING FRIDGE I COULDN'T BELIEVE WHAT I WAS READING.

I really hope this was unintentional on Hearne's part, because yikes. He was halfway there, this book was full of interesting female characters who had agency - Drusil in particular was a delight with her super math and inability to understand human interaction. Nakari was full of life and fun - capable but relatable, showing a different side of the Rebellion and those that suffered under the Empire's rule. Fridging her in her first appearance is considerably more vile, because it reduces her to a footnote of Luke's story, a plot device to Help Him Grow, rather than a springboard to tell more of her own story.

Because Nakari was a compelling character ripe for spinoff potential. I would absolutely have read or watched her continued adventures, juggling missions for her father's Biolabs company and trying to aid the Rebellion, shooting her slug rifle and cracking wise, maybe even finding a way to amplify her mother's song Vader's Many Prosthetic Parts to really stick it to the Empire, or try and free the political prisoners on Kessel.

The old EU was made great by allies and enemies of Our Heroes showing up again to help or hinder them, and/or branching out into their own material. We fell in love with them, and followed their stories even as they diverged from the main saga, eager to read more about their lives.

Nakari Kelen never got that chance. In many ways, she exemplified what Disney Star Wars was to become: an exercise in wasted potential.

#star wars #star wars meta #heir to the jedi #nakari kelen #luke skywalker #fridging #it's cold in that fridge #star wars expanded universe #nucanon

63 notes · View notes

jayteacups · 2 years

Note

For the AOT anniversary ask!

15, 26, 39

Heyy! Thank you for the questions <3 things got long especially for question 15 I'm so sorry 😭

15. Controversial opinion?

Ooo uh time to criticse Yam's writing a little 🙈 please no one get mad (and disclaimer I really do respect him and the story he's shared but I am just nitpicking a little, because some fans refuse to admit that there are some flaws in his writing or that some complaints are genuinely valid so uh yeah)

I feel like quite a lot of the characters are wasted and could've had a lot of potential and impact on the story if they'd lived longer - ERWIN (I love Armin dearly, of course, but like everyone I always wonder what would happen if Erwin was still alive), Ymir, KENNY, Miche and his squad, Levi squad, Historia post Uprising arc (Isayama explain), Furlan and Isabel, like?? So much lost potential. I know that Isayama kills them off for shock effect and to emphasise how cruel the world is but there was just a lot of squandered potential.

Also the worldbuilding outside of Paradis is kind of weak in my opinion. Past Paradis, Marley and Hizuru we know nearly nothing about the world.

Also I found it kinda weird that the Paradisian government is just so??? I feel like some of the writing on that regard was kinda just wack. I was discussing this with someone a short while ago but the decisions the royals/government makes is so weird and stupid, how did nobody even think to question them before Erwin started plotting... the brass sent off thousands of civilians to die to 'retake Wall Maria' aka reduce the population, they decided to wipe out entire clans just to keep the King's secret and killed so many more people to prevent technological advancements and to prevent people from discovering what truly was outside the Walls... and there's a lot of potential in exploring those things but nope.

The culling is hardly ever addressed after Armin discovers his grandad's death, the Ackerman and Azumabito persecutions are hardly ever talked about - you'd think Mikasa would have SOMETHING to say about that considering she belongs to both clans and that she was nearly sold as a sex slave because she was seen as an 'exotic oddity', and she was only seen as exotic etc. because all the other Azumabitos were dead..., you'd think Levi would have something to say about that now that he discovered the only reason his mum was working in a brothel in the Underground was because the government was literally out to kill her for her surname and she had nowhere else to go... basically it's just weird how nobody ever questioned it whilst it was happening, and it's odd how the survivors of said persecutions never talked about it in the present day (give us Ackertalk or give us nothing). Even in the Uprising arc where they overthrow the government, where we get that scene with Kenny's grandad talking about how the crown fears the Ackermans, it's just kinda odd that so many of those incidents are brushed under the rug and never mentioned again or expanded upon. There's suspension of disbelief, and then there's 'your government literally are the villains at this point why does nobody care'. Like??? Was there not a single noble or politician that at least tried to uncover their secrets, or tried to stop all this from happening? Was there not a single civilian that went 'hang on a minute why are my neighbours and their relatives being chased out of their homes all of a sudden'? Outside of Uprising Armin never talks about what the government took away from him - both his granddad and his parents... basically I have questions. Is that controversial or is that a common belief in the fandom idk. Anyway TLDR the writing surrounding the Paradisian government is kinda weak.

(also not really a controversial opinion or a serious complaint but I would love to see more storyes expanded in this universe - like the beginnings of Eldia and the Great Titan War and perhaps a little more on Kenny's life and how he built his reputation, how did he split off from Kuchel, etc.)

26. Who would be your best friend irl?

Armin! I think I've mentioned that if I was to 'kin' anyone it would probably be him? And a lot of my irl friends are similar to me so it would make sense that Armin and I would get along well due to those similarities. We're both quiet, book-smart people, not known for being particularly athletic/physically strong, the dependable friend, etc. I also feel like I'd get on well with Onyankopon, he seems like a calm, thoughtful person who I could have many discussions about the world with lol

39. Who’d be the best roommate? The worst?

For me I'd like a quiet roommate who's tidy and clean and not afraid to deal with the spiders for me BUT before you assume I'm gonna say Levi, realistically Levi would drive me insane with his nagging to get me to vacuum like every day. So my answer would again be Armin because he's responsible and approachable but won't get pissed if he sees one speck of dust because I've gone three days without hoovering lol. But if this is in an American uni context where I'd have to dorm with one of the ladies (because the dorms are single-sex over there, right? In the UK - or at least the uni I go to - we have flatmates but we don't have proper roommates lol), I'd pick Nanaba, she seems very chill. Nice, responsible, but not overbearing.

The worst roommate by far would be Floch he wouldn't give a shit whether or not I'm asleep when he comes back home at like 3am, doesn't bother to do chores, brings around his friends all the time who are noisy as heck, wouldn't even acknowledge my existence, it's a nightmare. For the ladies... I suppose Yelena because she would be kinda flaky and never be around to do chores lol.

AOT 9th Anniversary ask game

#moots: eliza #darling moots <3 #aot anniversary ask game #ask game

5 notes · View notes

buildmeafairytale · 3 years

Text

Elow’s POV

Edit: I added a couple paragraphs so this would make more sense, I hadn't realized I posted it unfinished!

Hey all! This is just a NSFW little blub from my recent story from Elow’s POV. Here is a link to part one, if you haven’t read it and want to :) I also just want to thank you all for the support and kind words, it means a great deal.

Siphorus was infuriating. He struts around, with his pretty markings and thick arms, and plays the role of protector. As if I am something to be protected from! Hrmf. I cross my arms and lean back against the counter, a dramatic pout on my lips. But I don’t care if I am being dramatic. I am getting tired of his perfection.

So what if he is handsome and helped Master Lillian and I figure things out? He is still another demon with the same master as me. He is more confident than I am. With way more arms. I don’t know why Lily would ever keep me, given a choice.

Master Lily, I chastise myself. I at least need to get points for being polite. I’m not too good at much else. I heave out a sigh, missing her. I wish she would come home soon. When she’s here, things seem brighter. She is sweet to me, and hasn’t made me expand on what I meant when I told her I had never had a master so nice.

I’ve had masters before who would be so angry once they realized they summoned a demon who wasn’t very powerful. Sure, I can do some things, but I’m mostly good at plants and gardening, which is not something I’ve been summoned for. My new master loves her garden though, and the fact that she trusts me to use my magic on something so dear to her makes me feel like I have a purpose. When she first showed me the garden and I grew a strawberry for her, she was so excited. She told me how amazing that was, and I feel myself glow at the memory.

I’m too lost in self pity and thoughts of Siphorus’s hands and Master’s lips that I do not hear Siphorus come into the room. I jump, and he gives me a friendly smile. He has food with him, and while neither of us has to eat it to sustain ourselves, we all like the family dinner type routine we had. Is it another excuse to be present and around Siphorus and my master? Possibly.

“Sorry to have spooked you, I got us dinner.” He says, setting the table with an easy wave of his hands. So good at magic too, unlike me. My sullen mood sinks even further.

Siphorus comes closer, a frown on his face. “Is something wrong?”

I shake my head and all the bad thoughts away, hoping he couldn’t sense them. His magic is powerful, and I don’t rule out the possibility.

He presses me to the wall, and another set of hands goes to work untying my bottoms. He kisses and nips at my lips until my eyes are glossed over and mewls are leaving me without my permission.

“No, no, everything is fine. Thank you!” I give him a smile, remembering my manners. I can’t be rude to him, even if he is the better demon. I don’t want to be rude to him, either. Everything in me strives to please him, too. He isn’t my master, but the urge to please is still strong. I can’t help zoning out when his lips move, too enraptured by them. I wouldn’t want him to know of my self pity, either. The confident demon that he is, he could never understand.

I go to walk by him, but a hand wraps around my bicep, stopping me in my tracks. I try to suppress the shiver ran through me, but Siphorus catches it all the same. He leans in and I feel his magic run around me, gentle but incessant. I try to block it out and keep my thoughts and desires to myself, but he brushes over me and I yield.

I can tell the moment he detects it. He freezes, magic and all, before his eyes snap to mine. If I could blush, I would be beet red right about now. I'm sure he can feel this embarrassment too, but to my shock he does not tease me. He kisses me. He kisses me softly, over and over again, until I get my wits about me and respond. His kisses grow harder, and I gasp into his mouth as his fangs press into my lips.

He wraps one large hand around my throbbing dick, and I think I can die a happy demon. I go to return the favor, reaching for him, but another hand comes and grabs my own. Much to my surprise, he laces our long fingers together and brings my scarred hand to his lips. The intimacy has me squirming, the pleasure from being denied it so long is almost too much.

Siphorus captures my gaze, and whispers “So good,” to me. He looks at me as if I am something to behold, and I feel my urges to please him bubble up to the surface.

“I want to make you feel good,” I moan out, arching into his touch.

“You are - you do make me feel good. Let me pleasure you,” he whispers, hotly into my skin.

If that’s what he wants, then so be it. I let myself get lost in him, arching and writhing against his skin. Neither of us like to wear a lot of clothing, so before I realize it we are both bare. He lifts me and lays me down. My thoughts grow foggy, and every touch feels like sparks dancing on my skin.

I feel his member rutting against me and he finally lets me touch him back. My hand dances down his abdomen and wraps around his shaft. He is larger and thicker than anything I have taken before, but he takes his time with me. He whispers sweet words into my skin as his hands open me up and pleasure me. He manages to produce lube, too. Another benefit of his advanced magic.

He spreads it over his cock, the thick, black and white monster of a thing. It’s pointed at the tip, and spears me apart in the most spine-tingling of ways. Siphous has his head tilted back, his face contorted in pleasure as I ripple around him.

“You feel so good, Elow, so good for me,” He moans out, and I start to rock my hips. Saccharine filth continues to fall from his lips, only causing more pleasure to build in me. My pace increases, aided by the many hands of my lover. That is, until he becomes distracted.

I hear a gasp from the door, and to my complete mortification, there stands Master Lillian. I freeze and look away, but Siphorus makes no move to hide. I still feel foggy from all of the pleasure and praise, and when Siphorus continues to dote on me, I find no reason to move. All so suddenly my master is touching me, too. I think I have found heaven here in this home.

#Monster #exophilia #monster lemon #demon #demon x reader #demon boyfriend #demon boyfriends #monster romance #My writing

124 notes · View notes

snarktheater · 3 years

Note

Hey, d'you have any French book recs? I'm trying to work on my French, and rn I have downloaded one of my favourite book series' French translations, but I figured maybe books already written in French might work better? Also have you read the Ranger's Apprentice series? 1/2

RA's def flawed - the books' narration does like to point bright arrows at the protagonists' intelligence, and the last few books def have the tone of 'old white man trying to write feminism', although at least he's trying? - and it's aimed more to the younger side of YA, but it is still a very fun series, and I can ignore the flaws fairly easily, at least partly due to nostalgia? This rather long lol but I'm wordy.

I'll start with the second question: no, although every time the series is brought up I have to check the French title and go "oh, right, I've seen these books in stores". But I've never purchased or read them. It sounds like something I probably would have enjoyed as a teen but I just missed the mark, and these days I'm trying to drown myself in queer books, so that probably isn't happening.

As for your first question, geez, I haven’t read a French book in years, so this is gonna skew middle grade/YA, though that may not be so bad if the point is to learn the language. I will also say that as a result, these may read a little outdated.

I'll put it under a cut, even if Tumblr has become really bad with correctly displaying read mores. Sorry, mobile crowd.

It's also likely that old readers of the blog will have seen me talk about most of these. I don't feel like going through old posts.

One last thing: while I was curating this list I took the time to make a Goodreads shelf to keep track of those.

The Ewilan books by Pierre Bottero

(It's a testament to how long ago I read these books that these are not the covers of the edition I own, and I can't even find those on Google. I'm settling for a more recent cover anyway since it'll make it easier to find them, presumably)

There are at least three trilogies (that I know of) set in the same world.

The first trilogy is essentially an isekai (so, French girl lands in parallel fantasy world by accident) with elements of chosen one trope, though I find the execution makes it worth the while anyway.

The second trilogy is a direct sequel, so same protagonist but new threat, and the world gets expanded.

The third one is centered around a supporting characters from the previous books, and the first couple of books in it are more her backstory than a continuation, though the third one concludes both that trilogy and advances the story of the other books as well.

Notably these books have a really fun magic system where the characters "draw" things into existence. It's just stuck with me for some reason.

A bunch of stuff by Erik L'Homme

I have read a lot of this man's books, starting with Le Livre des Etoiles.

They also skew towards the young end of YA, arguably middle grade, I never bothered to figure out where to draw the line. They're coincidentally also using the premise of a parallel world to our own (and yes, connected to France again, the French are just as susceptible of writing about their homeland), but interestingly are set from the point of view of characters native to the parallel world.

It also has a very unique magic system, this one based on a mix of a runic alphabet and sort-of poetry. I'll also say specifically for these books that the characters stuck with me way more than others on this list, which is worth mentioning.

This trilogy is my favorite by Erik L'Homme, but I'll also mention Les Maîtres des brisants, which is a fantasy space opera with a pirate steampunk(?) vibe. I think it's steampunk. I could be mistaken. But it's in that vein. It's also middle grade, in my opinion not as good, but it could just be that it came out when I was older.

Another one is Phaenomen, which was a deliberate attempt at skewing older (though still YA). This one is set in our (then-)modern world and centers a group of teens who happen to have supernatural powers. I guess the best way to describe it is a superhero thriller? If you take "superhero" in the sense of "people with individualized powers", since they don't really do a lot of heroing.

...I really need to brush up on genre terminology, don't I.

The Ji series by Pierre Grimbert

This one is actually adult fantasy, though it definitely falls under "probably outdated". It is very straight, for starters, and I'd have to give it another read to give a more critical reading of how it handles race (it attempts to do it, and is well meaning, but I'm not sure it survives the test of time & scrutiny, basically).

If I haven't lost you already, the premise is this: a few generations ago, a weird man named Nol gathered emissaries from each nation of the world and took them to a trip to the titular Ji island. Nobody knows what went down here, but now in the present day, someone is trying to kill off all descendants from those emissaries, who are as a result forced to team up and figure out what's going on.

I'm not going to spoil past that, though I will say it has (surprise) a really unique magic system! I guess you can start to piece together what my younger self was interested in. Which, admittedly, I still am.

Once again, this one also has a strong cast of characters, helped by rich world building and the premise forcing the characters to come from many different cultures (though, again, I can't vouch for the handling of race because it's been too long).

The first series is complete by itself, though it has two sequel series as well, each focusing on the next generation in these families. Because yes, of course they all pair up and have kids. Like I said: very straight.

A whole lot of books by Jean-Louis Fetjaine

OFetjaine is a historian, and I guess he's really interested in Arthurian mythos especially, because he loves it so much he's written two separate high fantasy retellings of them! I'm not criticizing, mind you, we all need a hobby.

The former, the Elves trilogy (pictures above) is very traditional high fantasy. Elves, dwarves, orcs, a world which is definitely fictionalized with a pan-Celtic vibe to it. The holy grail and excalibur are around, but they're relics possessed by the elves and dwarves with very different powers than usual. Et cetera.

Fetjaine also really loves his elves (as the titles might imply), and while they're not exactly Tolkien elves, there's a similar vibe to them. If you like Tolkien and his elf boner, you'll probably like this too. And conversely, if that turns you off, these books probably also won't work for you.

This series also has a prequel trilogy, centered around the backstory of one of the main characters. I...honestly don't remember too much about it, but I liked it, so, there you go, I guess.

I said Fetjaine did it twice. The other series is the Merlin duology, which, as the title implies, is a retelling of Merlin's story. Note that Merlin is also in the other trilogy, but it's a different Merlin; like I said, completely different continuities and stories.

This one is historical fantasy, so it's set in actual Great Britain, and Fetjaine attempts to connect Arthur to a "real" historical figure...but, you know, Merlin is also half-elf and elves totally exist in Brocéliande, so, you know. History.

Okay, that's probably enough fantasy, let me give some classics too.

L'Arbre des possibles et autres histoires - Bernard Werber

Bernard Werber is a pretty seminal author of French sci-fi and I should probably be embarrassed that the only book of his that I read was for school, but, it is a really good one, so I'll include it anyway.

It's a novella collection, and when I say "sci-fi" I want to make it clear that it's very old school science fiction. It's more Frankenstein or Black Mirror than Star Trek, what we in French call the anticipation genre of science fiction: you take one piece of technology or cultural norm and project it into the future.

It has a pretty wide range of topics and tones, so it's bound to have some better than others. My personal faves were Du pain et des jeux, where football (non-American) has evolved into basically a wargame, and Tel maître, tel lion, where any animal is considered acceptable as a pet, no matter how absurd it is to keep as a pet. They're both on a comedic end, but there's more heartfelt stuff too.

L'Ecume des Jours - Boris Vian

(no cover because I can't find the one I have, and the ones I find are ugly)

This book is surrealist. Like, literally a part of the surrealist movement. It features things such as a lilypad growing inside a woman's lungs (and, as you well know, lilypads double in size every day, wink wink), the protagonist's apartment becoming larger and smaller to go with his mood and current financial situation, and more that I can't even recall at the moment because remembering this book is like trying to remember having an aneurysm.

It is also really, really fun and touching. Oh, and it has a pretty solid movie adaptation, starring Audrey Tautou, who I think an international audience would probably recognize from Amelie or the Da Vinci Code movie.

I don't really know what else to say. It's a really cool read!

Le Roi se meurt - Eugène Ionesco

Ionesco is somewhat famous worldwide so I wasn't even sure to include him here. He's a playwright who wrote in the "Theater of the Absurd" movement, and this play is part of that.

The premise of this play is that the King (of an unnamed land) is dying, and the land is dying with him. I don't really know what else to say. It's theater of the absurd. It kind of has to be experienced (the published version works fine, btw, no need to track down an actual performance, in my humble opinion).

The Plague - Albert Camus

You've probably heard of this one, and if you haven't, let me tell you about a guy called Carlos Maza

youtube

I'm honestly more including this book out of a sense of duty. The other three are books I genuinely liked and happen to be classics. This book was an awful read. But, um. It's kind of relevant now in a way it wasn't (or didn't feel, anyway) back in 2008 or 2009, when I read it. And I don't just mean because of our own plague, since Camus's plague is pretty famously an allegory for fascism, which my teenage self sneered at, and my adult self really regrets every feeling that way.

Okay, finally, some more lighthearted stuff, we gotta talk about the Belgian and French art of bande dessinée. How is it different from comic books or manga? Functionally, it isn't. It really comes down more to what gets published in the Belgian-French industry compared to the American comics industry, which is dominated by superheroes, or the Japanese manga industry, which, while I'm less familiar with it, I know has some big genre trends as well that are completely separate.

The Lanfeust series - Arleston and Tarquin

This is a YA mega-series, and I can't recommend all of it because I've lost track of the franchise's growth. Also note that I say "YA", but in this case it means something very different from an American understanding of YA. These books are pretty full of sex.

No, when I say YA I mean it has that level of maturity, for better or worse. The original series (Lanfeust de Troy) is high fantasy in a world where everyone has an individual magical ability but two characters find out they're gifted with an absolute power to make anything happen, and while it gets dark at times, it's still very lighthearted throughout, and the humor is...well, I think it's best described as teen boy humor. And it has a tendency to objectify its female characters, as you'll quickly parse out from the one cover I used here or if you browse more covers.

But still, it holds a special place in my heart, I guess. And on my shelves.

The sequel series, Lanfeust des Etoiles, turns it into a space opera, and goes a little overboard with the pop culture reference at times, though overall still maintains that balance of serious/at times dark story and lighthearted comedy.

After that the franchise is utter chaos to me, and I've lost track. I know there was another sequel series, which I dropped partway through, and a spinoff that retold part of the original series from the PoV of the main love interest (in the period of time she spent away from the main group). There was a comedy spin-off about the troll species unique to this world, a prequel series, probably more I don't even know exist.

Les Démons d'Alexia

Something I can probably be a little less ashamed of including here.

Some backstory here. The Editions Dupuis are a giant of the Belgian bande dessinée industry, and for many, many years I was subscribed to their weekly magazine. That magazine was (mostly) made up of excerpts from the various books that the éditions were publishing at the time; those that were made of comic strips would usually get a couple pages of individual scripts, while the ongoing narratives got cut into episodes that were a few pages long (out of a typical 48 page count for a single BD album). Among those were this series.

For the first few volumes, I wasn't super into this series, probably because I was a little too young and smack dab in the middle of my "trying to be one of the boys" phase. But around book 3 I got really invested, to the point where I own the second half of the series because I had canceled by subscription by then but still wanted to know more.

Alexia is an exorcist with unusual talents, but little control, who's introduced to a group that specializes in researching paranormal phenomena, solving cases that involve the paranormal, that kinda stuff.

As a result of the premise, the series has a pretty slow start since it has to build up mystery around the source of Alexia's powers, but once it gets going and we get to what is essentially the series' main conflict, it gets really interesting.

Plus, witches. I'm a simple gay who likes strong protagonists and witches.

Murena

There was a point where my mtyhology nerdery led me to look for more stuff about the historical cultures that created them, and so I'd be super into stuff set in ancient Rome (I'd say "or Greece or Egypt" but let's face it, it was almost always Rome).

Murena is a series set just before the start of Emperor Nero's rule. You know, the one who was emperor when Rome burned, and according to urban legend either caused the fire or played the fiddle while it did (note: "fiddle" is a very English saying, it's usually the lyre in other languages). He probably didn't, it probably was propaganda, but he was a) a Roman Emperor, none of whom were particularly stellar guys and b) mean to Christians, who eventually got to rewrite history. So he's got a bad rep.

The series goes for a very historical take on events, albeit fictionalized (the protagonist and main PoV, the titular Lucius Murena, is himself fictional) and attempts to humanize the people involved in those events. Each book also includes some of the sources used to justify how events and characters are depicted, which is a nice touch.

It's also divided in subseries called "cycles" (books 1-4, 5-8 and the ongoing one starts at 9). I stopped after 9, though I think it's mostly a case of not going to bookstores often anymore. Plus it took four years between 9 and 10, and again between 10 and 11. But the first eight books made for a pretty solid story that honestly felt somewhat concluded as is, so it's a good place to start.

24 notes · View notes

freedom-shamrock · 5 years

Text

Two are Better, But Three are Best - Chapter Four

Also on AO3

<<< Previous Chapter

There’s no on screen sex but the first scene clearly follows sexytimes. There’s also some talk of sexual history and past experiences.

⁂

Strategies and Best Laid Plans

The drag of Luka's fingertips over her skin spoke of love. The way he marveled over every part of her made the depth of his feelings clear. The breathy huskiness of his voice each time he spoke the words, "may I?" left her feeling treasured and safe. His insistence that she come first in all things only fueled her desire and affection for him.

Apparently it hadn't just been dirty-talk when he told her he wanted to narrow her awareness solely to him. Among her past lovers, none had ever approached sex with this mindset and goal, and she now had to admit, she was a fan.

As she lay with him, utterly relaxed, in hazy afterglow, she could only smile.

"C'mon Sweets," he murmured in her ear. "You need to use the bathroom before you fall asleep."

She let out an inarticulate grumble.

His soft chuckle gave her goosebumps. "You're beautiful like this, Nette." He brushed his nose against her ear and cheek. "I don't think I've ever seen you so relaxed."

"I'm not sure I've ever been this relaxed." Her eyes fluttered open, and she was struck with how pleased he looked. "You look like the cat who ate the canary."

His grin turned smug. "Ate something, that's fur sure."

She giggled and swatted lightly at his shoulder. "You naughty man." She ran her fingers down his bare arm, marveling at the smooth warmth. "God, you're sexy. You could give Adrien a run for his money on the modeling front."

Luka snorted. "No interest in that."

She felt the idea hit her, filling her with energy, and she grinned in delight. "But you'll model for me, right? You'll let me design you clothes for performances and events, right?"

His eyes went wide. "Me, in Dupain-Cheng originals? That'd be a dream come true."

⁂

She pushed their laden breakfast plates onto the counter that divided the living room from the kitchen. His tiny apartment was actually really well designed to make the most of the space. With a couple of stools, he could fit two people on either side of the counter, which meant he didn't need to set aside space or money for a table. His arms slipped around her waist from behind, and she smiled, relaxing into his hold.

"Hmm," he hummed as he kissed her cheek, resting his head on her shoulder. "Did I already tell you how nice it was to wake up with you?"

She giggled. "Only like ten times." She slid her hands up his wrists to grasp his forearms. "And I still agree. Last night was really nice, and waking up here, being with you this morning, is definitely the icing on that cake."

"I hope that means we can do this again." His cheek brushed hers in a clearly intentional caress. "I'd like it to become a habit. Even if it's just having you here with me."

"Me too," she agreed. "Being with you this last month has been wonderful. I'm so glad we finally stopped being stupid and high-minded about this."

"One of my best ideas ever," he pointed out. "Right up there with moving back to Paris to be nearer to this amazing gal I wanted to spend more time with."

"You make the best decisions," she said, feeling all warm and cuddly. "Not that you weren't always smart, but clearly your time in university stepped up your decision-making skills."

He tightened his hold for a moment. "I don't want to scare you off and I'm not trying to rush anything here, but I want you to know that there's space set aside in my dresser and in the bathroom vanity for anything you might want to keep here. Anything that will make it easier and more comfortable for you to stay when you feel like it."

A thrill of happiness raced down her spine to settle in her belly. "Really?"

"Mmm hmmm," he hummed.

"I'd like that."

⁂

"We still up for checking out that museum tonight?" Marinette asked, the moment Alya had picked up.

"Sure are," her best friend said brightly. "And I'm looking forward to it." Alya had expanded her freelance journalism to include art openings and reviews of smaller or less known destinations around Paris.

"And the dress recommendation is what? Semi-formal or classy club?" Marinette asked. She liked to make sure that both she and Alya fit in wherever they were going, and that they reflected well on her friend.

"Classy club," Alya said. "Where the heck are you, girl? The ambient noise is very rush hour."

"I'm walking home from Luka's," she said, stopping to wait at a crosswalk.

"Oooh. Walk of shame time!" Alya crowed with a laugh. "How was it? How's he measure up to… uh, what was her name? Ellie?"

Marinette rolled her eyes even though they weren't face-timing and Alya couldn't see her. "First of all, there's no shame here. I had consensual sex with my boyfriend. Definitely nothing shame-worthy."

"Yeah, yeah," Alya muttered. "You have no shame."

"Exactly," Marinette agreed, grinning. "And Ellie had nothing on Luka."

Alya squealed, forcing Marinette to pull the phone away from her ear. "But Ellie was the gold bar for Marinette's sexcapades."

"Key word, was , Al." The light changed and she looked before crossing the street. "Oh, it was amazing. He was amazing. Fifteen out of ten. Would do again." Part of the reason she didn't care for one-night stands was that she felt it took two or three tries to really get to know each other's bodies well enough to really get it right. In the case of Luka, they knew each other really well and had been getting a little hot and heavy for weeks now. So maybe that was part of the first-time success.

"You might have to keep that man, Mari," Alya said, as if she was giving serious advice, though from experience, she was only half-serious.

"I'd like to think that could happen," Marinette pointed out. "It's been really nice so far. I mean it helps that I knew him so well first. But there's still things we don't really know about each other. I'm not worried about finding a creepy dark side or anything, but it almost seems like it's been too smooth. Our disagreements have been… weirdly reflective and chill."

"Luka's kinda chill in general," Alya pointed out. "I'd assume he's a pot user, but he never smells like it, and he's too focused and sharp to be all dulled out that way."

"He doesn't smoke anything," Marinette said. Even when they were just friends, she didn't like that so many people assumed he was into the unsavory side of the rock and roll lifestyle. He drank a little, casually and socially, but never when he was upset and never to excess. She was relieved her parents had met him when he was still in lycee, and knew his unruffleable demeanor was just the way he was. She hadn't had to go through an awkward intervention with them.

"I know he's not a stoner," Alya insisted. "But he does give off the vibe."

Marinette huffed. "In would be nice for people to stop making assumptions about him."

"There are lots of things that would be nice," Alya agreed. "Hawkmoth going into genuine full retirement is on the top of that list."

"Truer words have never been spoken," Marinette agreed before wishing her friend a great day. While it was really nice to have Paris' magical terrorist in some sort of semi-retirement, she'd really love to close that chapter of her life. Having a slightly more stable extracurricular schedule would be great, especially now that she was with someone she could see a future with. If Hawk Moth kicked his shit up into high gear again, she was going to find him and break his teeth. With cricket bat.

Marinette had taken on most of the duties of the guardian of the miraculous, including storing the miracle box in a secure spot in her room. She still met with Master Fu to train on more esoteric elements of her dual role as Guardian Ladybug. While attending university full time, she'd effectively gotten a PhD in the history, lore and magic of the miraculous. It had been an intense few years. Poor Nooroo. He'd waited far too long to be rescued, but she was working on a plan for that. And maybe once that had been done she could come clean to both her boyfriend and her partner. Luka would deserve to know why she would inevitably flake on him in the future, and Chat Noir clearly needed a whole lot more support and love in his life.

⁂

It was two days after she'd spent the night, and the first time she'd been back to Luka's apartment since. They'd both had work and other things to, and he'd fortunately been able to join her family for dinner last night, so at least she'd gotten some time with him. He had a couple of late night shifts coming up, recording for some musicians who simply could not function before 17:00. One of the nicest things about his job with the recording studio, was that the odd hours meant they could get together during the day in the middle of the week pretty regularly. It might be less easy once her classes started up in the fall again, but they were already getting into a pattern they could strive to maintain.

She knocked on his door. "Oh sexy boyfriend," she called in a sing-song voice. "I'm here to take you on a date."

The door swung open, and she found herself face to face with a grinning Adrien.

"You are not my boyfriend," she pointed out.

"Oh, I'm not?" Adrien said, as if surprised. He glanced down at his shirt, smoothing the fabric unnecessarily. "I'm… Luka's proxy for the evening."

"Are not." She crossed her arms over her chest. "What have you done with Luka? Come clean and I'll go easy on you."

Adrien laughed and stepped back, waving for her to come in. "I'm helping him stall for time," he whispered. "He couldn't decide what to wear."

She rolled her eyes and smiled. "Honestly, I'm okay with nothing. It's an excellent look on him. But I suppose if we're going out, he has to at least not alarm the tourists."

"Luka," Adrien called toward the bedroom. "Mari's here and she brought her A-game sass." He gestured to the couch. "Have a seat. Can I get you a drink while you wait?"

"Oooh. Are you his butler now?" she asked. "Where's your black suit and tie."

His lips twitched. It was nice to see him in a happy and teasing mood. "I specialize in butlery for the millennial generation, Mari. Casual butlery."

"Hey Nette," Luka said, stepping into the living room. "Adrien and I were doing some strategic planning and I lost track of time. Sorry about that." She hadn't seen him sheepish often, and it was adorable.

"Pish," she said, waving off his excuse. "It's fine. Did you come up with a plan?" She alternated between looking at Luka and Adrien.

"Yeah," Luka said slowly. "But we're in the early stages here, so I can't tell you anything."

"Oooh." She grinned at Adrien. "You're just an extraordinary model with an underwhelming home life, but you have a secret !" She tried to make it sound like narration for a movie trailer. While both men were chuckling, she reached out to pat Adrien's arm. "I'm okay being left out of things if that's what you prefer. You have Luka helping you out, and I know he'll take care of you."

Adrien pulled her into a firm hug. "Thanks for understanding, Mari."

"Just remember that I'm here for you if there's anything I can do to help you out, okay?" She squeezed back just as tightly. "I've got your back for hugs, pastries, and a variety of support tasks."

"I'll be following up with you on those," he promised.

They all ended up leaving the apartment together, with Adrien excusing himself when they reached the sidewalk. Once they were well out of earshot, Marinette asked how their friend was actually doing.

"Surprisingly well, honestly," Luka said, nodding. "I think he's waited until he was so ready for this that he's going to have absolutely no regrets. Well, aside from maybe the thought that he could have kicked his sperm donor to the curb years ago. His rebellion is fully planned out. It's kind of scary how thorough he's being."

Marinette sighed sadly. "He has two modes. Dangerously rash, on par with Chat Noir, and meticulously organized. There's no middle ground."

Luka offered her a half smile. "I'd noticed that. Do you think he'll balance out a bit once he no longer has to rein himself in so much?"

She thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah. That sounds about right. He's so tightly controlled that when he snaps, he overcompensates by hauling ass to the other side of the spectrum."

"That's just sad," Luka said. "Does he ever get to be himself?"

"He is with you. With his close friends away from the limelight and paparazzi, who I swear function as Gabriel's spies." While she might have admired the man's genius at one time, she couldn't see past his treatment of his son. "I wish it didn't have to be like this, but I'm glad he's finally acting on it. He deserves to be happy."

"It's well past time," Luka agreed. "I think we should maybe try to invite him along to hang out with us some once he gets the ball rolling next week. Would that be okay?"

She nodded. "Definitely." They'd reached an intersection, and once they stopped walking, she pulled him down to kiss his cheek. "I love spending time with you. But I can share you."

"Oooh," he said, wiggling his eyebrows. "Sounds kinky."

She rolled her eyes. "I don't think Adrien does , kinky." Whether it was his conditioning or his preference, he was one of her few friends whose dating history and sexual interest were completely unknown. She'd gotten the feeling more than once that he wasn't comfortable talking about it. "We just need to make sure he doesn't feel like a third wheel."

An explosion several blocks over shook the pavement, and her head snapped up. Hawk Moth had been so quiet, and of course it was too much to expect him to stay that way. But she'd hoped her luck would allow it to happen when she didn't have to worry about hiding her secrets from Luka. Maybe she should start carrying Sass with her, because him becoming Viperion again would definitely mask her absence.

Luka kissed her forehead, his presence soothing her as her mind tried to spiral out of control. "I'm gonna head back to my place," he said in a whisper. "You go do your thing."

She stared at him, her other freak-out completely derailed by this one.

"No panicking, Sweets." His thumbs brushed over her cheeks. "I know, I'm not supposed to know, so no need to confirm, okay? No excuses needed. I get it, more than most would. Just be safe. I'll meet you back at my place."

⁂

Check out Chapter Five >>>

⁂

I miss breaks. Stupid fucking Tumblr.

Sorry this took so long. Been stupid busy, but it’s been mostly good.

And if you’re so inclined, feel free to support me over on Ko-Fi

#Miraculous Ladybug #Fanfic #My Writing #Marinette #Luka #Lukanette #Adrien #Two are Better

20 notes · View notes

moretinyideas · 6 years

Text

Sparkles On The Water [.5] | Do Kyungsoo

[5] Lunar Myths Saga Story Two

genre: wolf!kyungsoo x mermaid!female reader (oc - wang inhui) (ft male oc - wang junhui)

chapter summary: (PART ONE) The events over the past day effects the whole pack, should Euina be allowed to know the truth? hat would happen if she’s not? Kyungsoo has always been more observant than others but then again, he’s always away... visiting you in his dreams.

words: 2055

SO HERE IS THE NEXT INSTALMENT AND IT”S A PART ONE. I decided a long time ago that I would have several stories intertwine into one big one - like a tv show (the reason why it’s called Season One) AND IT’S KYUNGSOO!! I hope it wasn’t too hard to understand, but i’m in one with this y/n (inhui) simply because she’s a mermaid and I love mermaids.

edit: this is a part one, I felt bad for not updating sooner because it was taking me forever to finish so... here? :)

Songs for the chapter? Young by Baekhyun and Loco, Sheep Relift by Yixing and Alan Walker and the entire Daft Punk discography :D edit: and Redbone by Childish Gambino. Also shoutout to the three 45 minute nail art videos I watched at 5am when I got it by inspiration and needed something in the background to sooth my aural mind.

tags; @marshmallow-phd @bri-ne @high-on-food @asslikegilinsky @chanyeolol aand @xingminded is the newest addition to the tag fam :D - let me know if you’d like to be tagged!! although I'm sure Tumblr hates me and never actually sends the motifs to anyone!

[ml] - bc it’s getting a lil confusing I decided to just link the master list | part 2

Hello

KYUNGSOO

It was a strange thing, having an actual child in the house – since Euina was a child and not a hyperactive wolf like Baekhyun or Chanyeol. It had been a few centuries since they themselves were children and, it wasn’t like they didn’t like children, the pack just weren’t particularly used to them anymore. The sisters, Sehun’s mate Yuna and her thirteen-year-old sister Euina, had been at the pack house for a total of four hours. Both girls asleep on one another on one of the couches in the pain room.

Kyungsoo had always been an early riser, even as a young boy he would be awake by eight in the morning at most and had been awake when the members who had gone out, came back. He hadn’t slept yet, but he noticed straight away that Sehun wasn’t with them – also that Baekhyun wasn’t wearing the sweatpants he had left in anymore – and simply assumed something bad had happened.

He was right, as per usual. Although none of them expected it to be another hour before they even heard the sound of a car coming up the driveway. Danbi, especially, had been biting at her nails in worry for their youngest member. When they came through the door, Sehun’s mate entering first – holding two bags of her back and something furry in her hands – while Sehun wandered in not long after her, Kyungsoo’s first thought was: who is he carrying?

And then, is that a cat?

Apparently, the sleeping child Sehun carried on his back was the sister of his mate, whom wouldn’t leave her alone overnight. Kyungsoo admired Yuna’s sense of loyalty, he had to admit, even if the young girl shouldn’t know of the existence of Were’s. Sehun had laid her down of a couch, her small frame unmoving apart from the steady rise and fall of her rhythmic breathing.

“So, you must be Yuna.” Was the first thing Kyungsoo had said to the newest mate. Yuna simply nodded, holding the steel-grey cat to her chest in what Kyungsoo assumed to be a calming tick for her nervousness.

“I don’t know you rules? Or whatever, about telling people about werewolves but we, I, haven’t told her anything yet.” Yuna spoke, before Sehun could open his mouth. “I don’t even know what I’d tell her.”

“Usually it’s only mates, for humans that is.” Junmyeon began, as Yuna took a seat next to her sister.

“Although there are always exceptions.” Sehun chipped in before any other word can be said. Kyungsoo assumed it was to reassure his mate, his wolf having spoken the words for him as a reflex. He watched as Sehun sat next to Yuna; as Euina curled herself into her sister’s side; as Yuna seemed to relax a little when Sehun’s hand landed on her knee. It was what he did. He observed, listened, understood. He had not yet experienced the full pull of the mate bond – for he and his mate had not officially met – but, he understood Sehun’s need to cut their ‘leader’ off.

Junmyeon, unfazed, pulled Danbi closer to his chest and nodded. “Danbi’s mother was an exception, we know that sometimes it’s necessary.” He smiled. “However, she did have to get approved through the voting, and we’ll have to wait until everyone is awake.”

“And when Yixing is back.” Kyungsoo added.

And so, Yuna decided that she would get some sleep, telling Sehun to wake her up later, when more people were awake. Kyungsoo decided to try and sleep as well, departing to his bedroom with a quiet “goodnight.” He faintly heard Junmyeon tell Sehun to sleep as well. That he was injured, and they would wake him up later.

His room wasn’t the biggest, but it also wasn’t the smallest. It was a part of the newest section of the house – one wall had been replaced with a wall of windows. Kyungsoo liked it, he could view the surrounding forest and when the sky was clear he could see the ocean. He had always liked the ocean, the water had always given him a sense of comfort – which had always confused him, given his affinity for earth. When they had moved to the coast line (almost 100 years ago) Kyungsoo designed this room specifically because it faced the ocean. He didn’t give the others a reason. When they had moved, the building they bought (that Junmyeon, Yifan and Minah bought) wasn’t nearly as big as it stood now, with only five bedrooms, a kitchen, two dining rooms and two parlour rooms. So, when they expanded, Kyungsoo and Luhan decided they’d take care of it. Luhan’s gift of telepathy helped the design of each different members room to fit their personalities quicker than it would have been if they asked them – everyone knows that Tao, Sehun and Baekhyun could talk for decades.

Additionally, when they moved Kyungsoo met his mate. Given he thought he was going delirious for a solid year, dreaming of mermaids – or one mermaid in particular. He had never tried to talk to her, or maybe he had and was always woken up, but when she finally turned to look at him – he knew. This mermaid was his mate and he found out during a dream. Only Luhan knows (so consequently so does Minseok and Sehun but they can keep a secret) of his ‘visits’ with her.

He fell asleep quicker than he thought.

He learnt very quickly why he saw you in his dreams. It was the first time the two of you talked. You said “hello”and so did he, and the next sentences were to acknowledge the other as mates and then, you told him one of the secrets of the merfolk.

“Mermaids don’t call them ‘mates’. We call them our ‘fated one’.” You smiled at him, a dimple appearing on your left cheek. In thisdream state you were sat on what looked like a giant jellyfish. Kyungsoo remembered you telling him that while you had control of these dreams, they were normally based on what your actual surroundings were. You told him that you fell asleep on a smack of moon jellies, small translucent and bioluminescent bells that could never sting you (a perk of being a mermaid) but didn’t want to overwhelm him the sheer amount of jellyfish you were around. You told him that Moon Jellies were your favourite, that you loved sleeping on them and that they let you because you were a great conversationalist. That made him smile.

You always made him smile.

“-and mermaids can always visit their fated one during shared dreams.” You explained. “It happens when we’re asleep at the same time. We’ll fall out of it when either of us wakes up.” Kyungsoo believed he could listen to you talk for a millennium and never get jaded.

He was surprised when he saw you, considering it was almost seven in the morning and the two of you usually met in the dreams during the middle of the night. You must not have risen with the change of tides like you normally do. When your form became more visible and Kyungsoo could see your beautiful smile his own face formed a smile too. However, when he took note of your tired eyes and how your smile wasn’t real his expression dropped. The two of you were surrounded by darkness, not having the energy to conjure up a visual.

“Are you okay?” He asked.

“Why are you only just sleeping now?” You asked him back. He noted that you had deflected his question.

“Something happened with the pack when I was about to head to bed. Junmyeon called at around four to say Sehun had been in an altercation. He wanted someone to be awake when they got back, just in case. I was already awake, so I just stayed up.” He explained. You nodded. The two of you fell into a short silence. Looking at you he could tell you were stressing over something. Your tail, long and shimmery fading from a teal blue to a teal green (with pale pink accents in your fins), wasn’t shining as bright as usual and the smaller blue scales that lined your neck were darker than usual.

“Are you okay?” He repeated his earlier question. In this dream state he was able to hold you, to feel you and soon you were in his arms. It was a weird sensation as he never felt like he was submerged in water, but he could quite clearly feel the thinness of your tail fins when they brushed against his legs. He could feel the juxtaposition between the coolness of your tail and the heat you radiated. He hadn’t asked yet, but he often wondered what sensations you felt when wrapped up around him.

You sighed. “Things have…” You paused, laying your head on his shoulder. “Things have become complicated.” There have been many times over the past hundred years where you have explained your situation to Kyungsoo. Your ambition and drive to be a good daughter, your loyalty towards your mother and father always contradicting your own personal wants to get away. You wanted to explore. You wanted to have your legs for more than one day during the Lunar Moon. You wanted to find him, to be with him and love him with your whole being. You told him how it was unheard of to have a fated one be one of the ‘landfolk’(as your father ever-so-lovingly told you) and how you were scared of leaving your family behind and not being accepted back in.

You shared your status as a part of one of the royal lines of your kingdom. How your parents would take over after the current king passed. You told him that while you had no siblings of your own, you thought of JunHui, your mother’s sister’s son, as one. Junhui wasn’t much younger than you and often shared your desire to leave for land.

“My desire to come to you, to land, is higher than ever.” You finally whispered. “My father has betrayed my mother, with her sister.” Your words were slow. “Junhui is my brother. By blood.

“Mother is livid, she and father have been yelling for a day now. Junhui is distraught, it took a few hours to calm him down enough for him to sleep. Our home has been ringing for hours on end – mothers’ affinity for sonar is truly something. She banished my aunt from the castle, told her she wasn’t to set ‘one inch of a fin within the outer boarders of the kelp that lines our plot’ or she’ll curse her. I don’t know how she’d curse her own sister. I’ve never seen my mother so mad.” You finished your small rant. “I’m scared.”

Kyungsoo pulled you closer, your head tucked underneath his. “Then come.” He whispered. Maybe he was being selfish and maybe what you needed to do was stay but, you were scared more than ever before, and it had been one hundred years. He was probably one of, if not the, most patient wolfs of the pack but even his patience could wear thin.

“It’s been on my mind since the news came out. I don’t want to be here anymore.” You mumbled against his collar. “But I can’t leave Junhui, especially not now.”

“Then bring him as well.” Kyungsoo didn’t like how quickly his words spilled from his lips but, he couldn’t come to regret saying them. You pulled away from him slightly, just enough to look into his eyes. A bet of silence surrounded you. You nodded.

“Tell me where on Earth you are. I’ll find you in no time.”

A flare of hope raised in his chest as he told you. Even down to the geological co-ordinates he had memorised for this specific reason. He saw your eyes widen in surprise, mouth drop open to reply but, he was torn away from the dream as he was shaken awake. When he opened his eyes, the face of Jongin stood above him.

“Junmyeon-hyung sent me to wake you.” The younger boy smiled in apology, seeing the glare Kyungsoo had sent his awakener. He wouldn’t know that you were shocked as to how close the two of you really were.

part 2

53 notes · View notes

wching · 6 years

Text

Inspired by the behind the scenes (Ant-Man and The Wasp) photos on Evangeline Lilly's Ig.

It had been a few days since his release from house arrest and Scott Lang had never appreciated his freedom as much as before this, apart from the three years he had spent in prison. He had went over to his ex-wife's house the first thing in the morning and had spent an enormous amount of time with Cassie outside the confines of a closed space. Still, at the back of his mind, he couldn't stop thinking about Hope. He was sure that the Pym-Van Dyne family will be having a celebratory family reunion and he didn't want to intrude, therefore, he thought he should give her some space and time before contacting her.

He woke up bleary-eyed, partially exhausted after his long outings with his daughter, awoken up by the rays of sunlight that had streamed through the curtains. He flipped over and laid on his stomach, his mind wandering to Hope, once again. For the past two years, he had missed having her by his side, missed waking up next to her, missed her kisses, her soft touches, he had missed everything about her, and their recent reunion had reignited the old flame between them. He was certain her feelings were mutual too, judging by the way she had kissed him on the docks, even though he was nearly hypoxic, he was still able to appreciate her soft lips on his.

He inhaled deeply, determined to muster up the courage to ask her out. She and her family were still on the run, but things had toned down a little after his release from house arrest, and he figured out that they could meet discreetly. He was about to reach out for his handphone on the bedside table when it vibrated. To his surprise, it was a message from Hope. His eyes widened, and he sat up on his bed, his sleepiness disappearing instantly.

Hey Scott.

Hey. I was just thinking about you. Without hesitation, he pressed send, though he immediately regretted it, hoping it wouldn't scare her away.

On the other side, Hope was sitting at the dining table in her house, staring at her phone screen, smiling at his reply.

Really? To be honest, she couldn't keep him off her mind too, and for the past few days, she had been struggling with dealing about her feelings for him. Seeing him in person again, she realised her anger towards him had slowly dissipated, she couldn't stay angry around him for very long and was replaced by a sense of longing and affection instead.

I was just going to ask you out. He decided to try his luck.

Maybe we could meet up? She was straightforward.

They received the messages at the same time. He jumped on the bed, his smile expanding into a gleeful grin, while her smile deepened, her dark green eyes brightened. He waited for her reply with bated breath.

Sure. Where? She replied.

What about that favourite taco food truck of yours? I know they're still around there. He had brought her there for their first date as she had asked him to surprise her. Frankly, it was because he simply couldn't afford a fancy lunch back then but he also wanted to be unconventional, in his own way. Deep down, he knew she wouldn't mind because even though she was born wealthy and privileged, she wasn't materialistic and snobbish.

I seem to recall that they're actually your favourite Scott. How could she forget their first date where they had sat on a bench by the roadside eating tacos, while he was making her smile and laugh the whole time by being himself. It made her realised that one of the many things she loved about him was, him being able to stay true to himself. Even though he seemed like a goofball on the surface, she knew he was unpretentious, modest and intelligent. He didn't have to try too hard to impress her because she was already falling for his genuine self.

It became your favourite too. He could still remember the way he had made her laugh, and how he couldn't stop staring because he was mesmerised by her. At that time, she was starting to let loose after reconciling with father, and most importantly, she was letting her walls down because of him. She rarely laughed when he had met her and suddenly, it hit him at that time that all he ever wanted to do was to make her happy. They had returned to the taco truck several times after their first date.

Though still wearing a smile on her face, she rolled her eyes. I'll see you there then.

Deal.

And so there they were, at the taco food truck, waiting in line for tacos. They had greeted each other with a simple hello, and were now standing side by side in silence, shoulders lightly brushing against each other, their hands so close they could feel their little fingers grazing each other. It was the first time they were both truly alone together, as their previous encounter were amidst chaos and other people.

"How's Janet doing? She's adapting well?", he turned to a look at her, smiling a little, breaking the silence.

"Mom's fine. She's amazed at how far technology has come and dad's been updating her about the progress and advancements of his research and our suits. We're just spending time together as a family. Everything's great.", she explained enthusiastically, her eyes sparkled with excitement. They were making up for lost time and she was glad to have both of her parents by her side once again.

"That's great! I'm glad that things worked out well in the end.", he gazed softly at her. He felt contented knowing she was happy.

"I'm glad too.", she beamed.

"Your orders please?", they were interrupted by the vendor.

"Right. One crunchy taco supreme for the lady please and one soft taco supreme with double cheese for me. Take away. That right?", he grinned and winked at Hope.

Her mouth curved into a small grin, touched. "You remember."

"Of course I do.", he would never forget her favourite things.

"Here you go!", the vendor handed over a paper bag to Hope.

"Let me get it.", she was about to pay but was stopped by Scott.

"Hey, no, it's on me, I insist.", he refused.

They turned away from the taco truck and walked down a flight of stairs. "You know, I never got to say thank you, for helping us...", she glanced appreciatively at him. Without him, they probably wouldn't have been able to save her mother from the Quantum Realm.

"It's no big deal, it's the least I could do, after my screw up...", he paused and cleared his throat, he gave her a sideway glance, hoping to catch her reaction.

She just looked at him, slightly tight-lipped, expression masked. Occasionally, when they were together, it was hard to gauge her response or feelings but as he got to know her better, he was familiar with her facial expressions and body language. She was contemplating his statement. "Whatever happened, happened Scott. It's in the past now and you paid the price."

"I wouldn't have done it if the price included losing you.", he blurted out impulsively, but honest.

"You didn't lose me. I wouldn't be here if you did.", she stated plainly as she looked at him affectionately, a thin, shy smile blossoming on her face. To be honest, it didn't help that for the past two years of his house arrest, she had been secretly keeping tabs on him, which had only made her miss him more.

He was slightly taken aback by her reply, he didn't know what to say, so he just gazed at her endearingly. "I'm famished. Shall we eat?", he clapped his hands together, and walked towards a bench, while motioning for her to come over.

"You sound like you haven't eaten for days.", she laughed and sat next to him.

"I had a lot of ice-cream.", he half-joked, which was partially true. He took the paper bag from her and unwrapped her taco, taking a bite before handing it to her.

"Hey! That's mine!", she glared at him and smacked his shoulder.

He flashed a goofy smile. "Sorry. Habit.", he quipped with his mouth full.

"Some things never change.", she smirked.

They ate their tacos in silence, soaking in the warm sun, and enjoying each other's company. It had been a while since they were so carefree. It reminded them of old times. Occasionally, he stole glances at her, looking at her side profile, hoping she wouldn't notice. "You've got a little bit of mayo there...", he stared at her and pointed at her upper lip.

"What?", she turned to him.

"Hold still." His gaze fell on her lips, and he lightly bit his lip, resisting the urge to kiss her there and then. Still, without a thought, he leaned forwards, reached his hand out and gently wiped the smudge off with his thumb. "There, all gone.", he smiled warmly.

She looked at him, and her eyes shone with fondness. He was always so gentle with her. "Thanks.", she mumbled.

They stared at each other tenderly for a few seconds, tension rising. For some reason, they still gave each other butterflies.

He swallowed a lump in his throat. "Maybe we could hang out again, some time, maybe with Cassie?", he asked carefully. "She misses you." I miss you, he wanted to say.

"I would love to.", she replied without hesitation.

"Great!"

She cleared up the empty wrappers and placed them in the paper bag. "I'll better get going. Thanks for the lunch Scott.", she smiled softly and stood up.

"Hey Hope...", he lightly grabbed her hand, as he stood up abruptly and pulled her towards him. She turned around, slightly surprised by his touch. They were facing each other now, both of their faces only inches away that they could feel each other's breath. Their eyes meet, his stare intense, and quickly, she looked away and gazed downwards. He tilted forwards, and closed the distance between them, the tips of their noses slightly touching. He took it as a good sign when she didn't move backwards. Feeling braver, he cupped her cheek, and gently caressed it with his thumb. She bit her lip, hesitant, while he dipped his head, their lips almost touching. He couldn't withstand the desire to kiss her, and so he did, as he softly pressed his lips against hers. She reciprocated immediately, her lips parted slightly as their kiss deepened, and she melted into his body, her hands running up his hair, as his other hand slid around her waist, his grip on her tightened. They pulled apart after a moment, both taking in shaky, shallow breaths.

"Let me take you home?", he grinned widely and stroked her hair.

"Sure.", she nodded, still feeling exhilarated from the kiss.

And so, he took her hand in his, and together they walked towards her car.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15670383/chapters/37170785

#antman and the wasp #antman #the wasp #paul rudd #evangeline lilly #scott lang #hope van dyne #scott x hope #mcu #marvel

1 note · View note