#i hope it disturbs you lot how similar he looks to certain actual 'styles' | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

thesherrinfordfacility · 8 months

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orwellian's a great word for it actually. "appropriate raiments will be provided" is the most disturbing thing in the whole series and i stand by that. this interpretation of heaven has definitely coloured my reading of the show especially how i see the fall so it's cool to see someone who agrees!

hard agree that pure coercion would be a total cop out. it's just that he does seem nervous so i do think he's aware of a certain degree of potential danger. i initially thought the metatron must have let slip an implication somewhere but i much prefer your idea that he suspected something. and well. i've been saying basically since season 2 came out that accepting the offer doesn't equal having completely fallen for it. will come back to that in my thoughts on the whole mess that was that domestic.

the blanket permission to come scream at you is greatly appreciated and i'll definitely make use of it; i love this kind of media dissection and speculation. 🦭

(p.s. i did indeed end up making the chekov's list since my ocd never can leave well enough alone lol. brace yourself: incoming!)

hihi again, 🦭 anon!!!✨

yes!!! in the context of 1984, especially, that line really is ominous; obviously there is a fine line between a corporate uniform and dictated dress, especially as the only scene where we see all of the angels look the same (iirc) is the waiting platoon in s1. otherwise, all of the angels do have individual dress/style (but similar enough to show belonging), even in the job scene, even if certain elements of their designs indicate shared rank or moral alignment... but the implication of subjugation made by clothes being specifically chosen for the prospective mind-wiped gabriel is... interesting.

and of course - aziraphale's outfit is very different to that of the other angels, in it being actual human clothing, and showing unashamed signs of wear and comfort. i remarked in a post that in job especially, his jobes (job robes) are very similar in aesthetic to that of michael and gabriel compared to say muriel's. could be that it's the appropriate dress of a principality rank, but im not... wholly convinced.

anyway, let's get on with your list!!! a herculean effort, truly!!! hope you don't mind, but a) ive copied and pasted it under the cut, because b) id love to use it as a checklist for myself (and of course if anyone else does!) re: things ive talked about, or indeed things that i have Thoughts on... or even things that i haven't thought to talk about and will probably look into doing so in the future!!!✨✨

episode 1:

starting with the big one there's the pre-fall sequence. the fall itself. talked a lot about these two things/the whole theme in general, found under the #the fall/the great war spec tag

maggie's spelling under the #we need to talk about maggie theory tag - babygirl is an angel, im convinced of it

"what's the point of it all" i mean, kinda talked about this in connection with stuff under the #god is dead theory tag, and in a couple of different asks; mainly that god doesn't give two hoots about any of it, and just wanted to give everyone and everything free will - and they have to work out the consequences for themselves (whilst she throws in a few chaotic sprinkles to keep things interesting)

shax's insider information about heaven ive definitely not discussed shax at all really, and i definitely have a few things id like to work out... main one being, for me, how she went from wondering where aziraphale was in ep3, to suddenly knowing how to exactly triangulate his position in ep4 finally talked about her in the #shax meta tag!!!

the demons being on half rations didn't really think to look at this!!! that could be interesting, especially with the short-staffed comment... someone did put to me that bc the apocalypse failed, everyone on earth continues dying and adding to the population of the Damned, so the work vs demon ration is steadily getting outweighed... but hm, could be something more than that!

"something terrible" because are we sure we're sure that that was about the stuff we've already seen you know, i wondered this too after ep6!!! it was a very interesting choice of words for me, bc whilst yes gabriel's fate was looking pretty shit, the line was almost a bit... well, over-announced? they kept repeating it? like, gabriel said he had to bring the box to aziraphale/the bookshop otherwise something terrible would happen... but why specifically the shop? is it just because aziraphale is the only angel/sanctuary on earth? is it because he was drawn to an angel that's also fallen for a demon? is it because aziraphale is simply kind? i don't trust that it's any of these explanations at all (or maybe all of them and another besides)... and tbh i think god has something to do with it. another speculation for the to-do list!!!

the book of life this one ive remarked on a fair bit under the #book of life theory tag, but it's fairly disjointed from other bits and pieces - tbh i probably need to do a long post at some point as to where all my theories etc join up... bc for the moment all of them are full of loopholes

michael and uriel's power politics oooooh i literally don't have a single scooby on this... id have to think on this a little more

the very highlighted matchbox quote this one ive had sat in the drafts for ages bc i can't quite parse it out - where does leviathan come into it? is it a reference to crowley-as-aziraphale spitting fire during the execution? why would it be on a matchbox of a bloody pub? is it a clue from god? is god linked to jim/gabriel somehow? gahd this one is still giving me a headache kinda? wrote about this - here, no tag for this specifically - and im still not fully satisfied that is the meaning of the matchbox but i think (hope) it might be somewhere near the mark?

1650 i speculated (or, well, dreamt up a hc) as to what this potential flashback could entail in a LWA response somewhere - in any case, give me the boys in cromwellian england and give it to me Now

the 25 lazarii miracle my batshit theory (and yet it makes complete sense to me, i stand by it) is in my #25 lazarii theory tag

episode 2:

heaven and hell working together as a single good cop bad cop system this is similarly stagnating in my drafts at the moment!!! but it's a bit of a mindbender for me bc it means i need to pick apart what everything thinks the job/satan bet was actually about... basically, i think it all comes back to understanding god's will - and all of them (yes, even crowley) have it wrong because imo god is completely amoral and is just the strongest advocate for free will... weirdly, i think the person that had the most right of it was gabriel.

"forces them under an awning together" god i hope this happens in s3... i mean there's no way it won't, right? and so many juicy possibilities (for my money itll be the bandstand, but equally would love, like, the stoop of the bookshop, and then have it mirrored again under like the porch of the south downs cottage) 🥺

gabriel's eyes glowing statements this tbh harks back to what i posted under the #25 lazarii theory tag - definitely something weird going on, and i have a gut feeling the boys accidentally made it even worse lmao

tricking heaven with a sleight of hand this is also going to require a bit more thought!!!

episode 3:

aziraphale's chekhov's diaries see im not sure how important i truly think theyre going to be, but if we go by the prominent influence of the crow road, it definitely has to be a s3 plot device, right? the only thing im scared of is that aziraphale's memory gets wiped, or he goes missing, and the books are key to getting back his memory/finding him... hmmm

crowley's consciousness extending into the bentley i think the crank is certainly important, even if just symbolic of his power - uses it to create nebulae, it survived the s1 explosion, etc. i do think bentley has its own kind of personality, but think it's borne out of proximity, use, and influence of her demon owner... obviously i could be entirely wrong, but i kinda hope it's more that he made her, and her allegiance as a sentient being is with him (and of course aziraphale by extension), mainly bc i want something to look after crowley... but then is it more poetic that the bentley is basically just him, and representative of him finding comfort in himself? idk tbh but she's a bad bitch and i love her

general resurrection themes ive talked a fair bit about the second coming aspect, but not about the resurrection and last judgement so much, so this is one for the list

gabriel's glowing eyes statements part 2 as above (and i realise that you might be talking about what he specifically says, not the general thing itself, 🦭 anon, but in a way what is being said is fairly self-explanatory imo, but why is the heftier question)

shax can sense gabriel in a way the archangels couldn't i personally don't think there's much by way of implication in the method in which she senses him (ie... smell? vs michael's weird sixth sense), but i do think there is something about the fact they can sense him at all... talked about in #25 lazarii spec and the #shax meta tag!!!

"it's always too late" oh god 💀 i had the most batshit theory about this that i don't even want to talk about BUT im with you that it's... an odd line. i love that it potentially references line in the book about crowley's watch being set to hell's time, which is set at "too late", but beyond that... not entirely sure why the line was said or said so... blatantly? feels like something obvious would explain it

rumours that aziraphale and crowley were an item that so far don't seem justified based on what hell knew. rumours that apparently had no major consequences for crowley despite one harmless photo warranting a legion to collect him [screams at 1941 truther sign] yeah this is how it read to me too, 🦭! something definitely happened after that dinner, and im not saying a move was made (and potentially witnessed by a couple of errant nazi zombies) but i think a move was made (and witnessed by a couple of errant nazi zombies) - #1941 spec tag

the literal chekhov's gun in the bookshop this one has flummoxed me, but i did read a speculation about continuing the 1941 flashback today, which was utter genius (and so much better than what i managed to dream up in the above tag), and suggested the derringer will make an appearance in a fight-ish scenario in that scene... which is frankly bloody inspired tbh, and im very much convinced by

the miracle blocker oooooh i don't have a dedicated tag for this but i definitely talked about it in a post under the #sanctuary/bentley theory tag!!! i think it was potentially a chekhov's gun that we didn't see get fired

sleight hand to trick hell probably one to look at in hand with the one above about tricking heaven

the zombies just running around london kinda as i said above tbh, not sure what'll happen to them afterwards but presumably a grisly end being eaten and pooped out by a spider

1941 full stop. we have not seen the last of that night. goddamn right we havent [skips around the 1941 truther sign]

episode 5:

the lack of demons available for the attack pretty much what i said above in ep1 about being short staffed bc the Damned population keeps increasing... maybe? still one to look at in more detail though!!!

"i know. do it anyway" "i know. looking at where the furniture isn't" not necessarily in reference to these quotes specifically, but in the general context - discussed this (and potential crowley memory loss) in the #the fall/the great war spec and #book of life theory tags

"if it happens twice it might seem like an institutional problem" oh. OH. THIRD EYE HAS OPENED. because we know two things, right? gabriel didnt fall/wasnt intended to, so the 'happens twice' isn't realised. and heaven does have an institutional problem, practically embodies the term. so if this is foreshadowing. does aziraphale fall. oh no. Oh No (ive sort of discussed this in #scapegoat theory tag but that was strictly pre-eden context...) this however has actually just made me realise that this is a chekhov's gun literally pointed at aziraphale's head... shitshitshitshitshjthka

mrs cheng's weird look across the street see this is on my list but waaaay down it. think she could be a demon. will work on it at some point edit: talked a little bit about this in the #shax meta tag, but possibly needs a dedicated post, idk

nina and maggie's semi immunity to miracles so the bit where aziraphale can't miracle them? that to me is potentially the same explanation as the miracle blocker post (like it all connects). maggie is more immune than normal to the ball miracle? see #we need to talk about maggie theory tag. as for nina... im still not sure on. idk if she's a demon (which for me is a Thought if we consider that hell are short-staffed; she could be one of Many) but it feels a little on the nose... one for the list edit: talked a little bit about nina in the #shax meta tag, but definitely needs a separate post at some point

shax saying the shop isn't an embassy anymore but the demons still unable to get in i didn't think of it from this angle, but i think my theory still stands - under the #sanctuary/bentley theory tag

nina and maggie's immunity to miracles part 2 oh oops - see above

episode 6:

maggie being able to invite the demons into the shop i think she's an angeeeeeeellllll (see #we need to talk about maggie tag)

the speed at which the portal opens and it's potential as a means of spying my latest galaxy brain moment (i hope) - #sanctuary/bentley theory tag

haloes and the potential consequences of blowing them up this one is in the #halo theory tag

crowley opening the files not quite sure what you mean by this one, 🦭!!! do you mean about his rank? definitely tried parsing this particular headscratcher in the #AWCW spec tag

heaven was trying to restart armageddon in a way that seems awfully unofficial oooooohhh.... haven't looked at it this way, but definitely will be!!! might link in with #god is dead theory stuff, but will need more exploring!!!

saraqael having their own agenda honestly saraqael is my newest bad bitch (gn) and if my #saraqael spec is even halfway true, im going to explode i love them

"i'm the only first order archangel in the universe" *camera cuts to crowley* kinda talk about this in the #AWCW spec tag but since neil cremated the lucifer theory (rip) ive kinda left this aspect alone... tbh i don't think he was as important as he's set out to have been

"i'm the only first order archangel in the universe" full stop. statement's plenty suspicious on its own too. this is....... potentially very intriguing

memory wiping as just a thing heaven does when someone disobeys i need to reconcile #book of life theory with this tbh - like, the focus on memory is so strong in s2 that i strongly believe it has connection to falling... at which point, where does gabriel demotion/mem wipe punishment fit in? and where does saraqael fit in, too?

muriel having the same kind of position gabriel was going to be demoted to vaguely looked at this in #book of life theory tag posts i think, especially in reference to how their potential punishments (in muriel's case) mirror each other

heaven and hell are technically at war now. its not like anyone with authority actually called it off danced around this in the #halo theory tag, in reference to aziraphale declaring this new war, and yet they've been at war for a long time? yes the reflection of it being a cold war but still... interesting to think about especially when framed like this

it's possible to remove your essence and store it elsewhere definitely need to explore the possibilities and implications of this at some point, but the suggestion i made in the #25 lazarii theory post somewhat starts to look at this

hell is understaffed as already mentioned above

the shax furfur alliance not quite sure what to think about this, and whether it necessarily means anything more than it's put across (ie just that they are the danger duo of hell in s3?) idk tbh i just need to look at them both as individual characters a bit more first #shax meta tag!!!

the many strange things that could indicate something going on in the last fifteen minutes god.... just anything in the #feral domestic/final fifteen meta tag tbh

"does anyone ever ask for death" idk whether or not to take this as meaning anything deeper than metatron just idly thinking "hmmm aziraphale could refuse my coffee, refuse a chat... at which point ill probably need to destroy him etc. hey, i wonder if anyone - instead of coffee - has ever actually asked for death? funny name for a coffee shop"... and possibly a double meaning meant by Nina saying 'everything else was taken'?

saraqael being the only one other than crowley who recognises the metatron and their reaction well theres my school of thought that saraqael is potentially closer to metatron that we maybe thought (#saraqael spec tag), but then again - and this exact sentence just reminded me - i think in this particular instance, both saraqael and crowley have just come fresh from watching the trial, so that's why they both remember metatron... which begs the question of what happened between the trial and the final fifteen to make them forget? hmmm

almond syrup imo, #omelas theory

the possible miracle chime ehhhh i know i wrote about this but im still like 50/50 on it... but it fits my theory (in the #feral domestic/final fifteen tag) so im rolling with it - i think there might be a chime and i think it might be a failed miracle to change the coffee

the metatron and crowley seeming to have some kind of history lmao anything in #metatron spec or indeed #the fall/the great war spec tags tbh

aziraphale's peculiar mannerisms im getting so lazy with these responses now 🦭 anon im so sorry, but again recently speculated in the #feral domestic/final fifteen meta tag

the way the conversation between aziraphale and the metatron is only reported and very strangely transitioned in and out of as above

the nothing to see here shooting of the kiss this one...

i know ng said it was a continuity error but. the time skip on the clocks ...and this one ive looked at in the #time-stop theory tag, and im the same - not trusting continuity error on this... not just yet

the something's up vibes of metatron. the general scheming and manipulativeness. the framing as the wizard of oz. the colour scheme and the dice on his tie. the sigh of relief in the elevator lol #metatron spec

the credits scene i haven't really gone into this in any detail and tbh idk if it needs it - i think it's pretty reflective of some stuff ive talked about in the #aziraphale meta and the #feral domestic/final fifteen meta tags

plus special mention: not technically in the episode but the distinctly ominous madonna/crucifixion promo photos aaaaaaaand this one is in the #mary/pieta spec tag

again 🦭 anon im really sorry it got a little lazy towards the end!!! but im very, very grateful that you put this all in a list, because ive definitely got some stuff in mind that id like to parse out!!! and as ever - more than happy to scream about things so pop on back if you feel the need to scream with me!!!✨

#VERY long post but its so so so helpful #good omens #ask #in fact this is gonna go in the masterpost

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local-ground-apple · 3 years

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May I request scenarios of Diasomnia and Pomefiore taking care of their child s/o? Sort of similar to the one you did for when Silver, Rook, Kalim etc being turned into children ❤️❤️❤️

Hope you will enjoy it~! ❤️❤️❤️

�� Malleus thought nothing could surprise him anymore in his long life, yet when he saw your small form, he had to admit he hasn’t expect you to turn into a child anytime soon,

🐲 tries and will find a solution quicker than Crewel or Crowley,

🐲 at first, Malleus is lost. The whole situation is new to him and he doesn’t really know how he should take care of you or what he could be doing with you, until you get back to your normal form,

🐲 he did ask Lilia for help,

,,Y’N, what would you want to do?” ,,You’re a prince” “Yes, indeed” “Teach me how to dance”

🐲 Malleus furrowed his eyebrows, a bit taken aback with your sudden request, but soon a soft smile graced his lips. You were truly adorable as a child and he absolutely wouldn’t refuse you anything,

🐲 needless to say, you stomped on his feet a lot,

🐲he carries you on his shoulders almost all the time and you refuse to get down from them. You just wanted to touch his horns, but you really liked the feeling of being so tall and the view up there was truly amazing,

🦇 the only one who actually knows what he’s doing,

🦇 at first, Lilia gets a bit emotional, as all those fond memories he had created with Silver when he used to be a child flooded him. You two ended up looking at pictures from Silver’s childhood,

🦇 won’t stop cooing how adorable you are and he will certainly take a million of pictures much to your dismay (enough to create a whole album just with the photos from two days you spent as a child)

🦇 Lilia saw this a perfect opportunity to cook especially for you. Before this ancient fae burnt a whole kitchen down or accidentally poisoned you, Silver appeared with edible food and saved you from Lilia’s questionable dishes,

🦇 you had a lot of fun with Lilia, since you two organised a sleepover. Eating pizza, building a pillow fort, eating unhealthy ammounts of sweets, pranking Sebek - you truly had the best time of your life and you two even invited Malleus to join you (Silver fell asleep halfway through).

🦇 fun ended when you told a “spooky” story and Lilia being Lilia decided to pull some ancient, fae book with terrifying stories that made Silver suddenly more than awake,

🦇 needless to say, you, Silver, Malleus and even Sebek ended up sleeping all together in the pillow fort with Lilia that night, refusing to turn off the light,

⚔️ Silver refused to let you touch his sword. Actually he hides it before you, so you won’t get hurt by accident. He hides everything that is sharp,

,,No, Y/N, you’re not going to climb that horse” “But, we always go horse-riding on Tuesdays!” “Yes, when you’re an actual adult”

⚔️ so instead you decided to go to sleep,

⚔️ you both spend a lot of time napping together. Lilia often sees you two sleeping peacefully underneath a tree in the forest, while animals are all around Silver who has clovers in his hair (all thanks to you)

,,Can I braid your hair?” “...” “please?” *sigh* “Yes, sure”

⚔️ your braiding-hair skills certainly got better, even Vil would be impressed,

⚔️ when he’s asleep, you often sketch Silver trying to capture his beauty. Lilia finds your drawings purely adorable and he always coos how cute you are. Of course, Silver has no clue that you have a whole stash of drawing of him and you wish to keep it that way,

⚔️ Lilia of course offers his help, even if it mostly consists of him telling you all the embarrassing stories from Silver’s childhood

⚡ panics on the inside and on the outside. Can’t and won’t calm down anytime soon,

⚡Sebek hides any dangerous weapon from you and tries to babyproof the house as much as possible,

⚡tries to be quieter with you, as Sebek thinks children generally aren’t fond of loud sounds (oh how wrong was he). Somehow you managed to be louder than him, when you decided to throw a tantrum,

⚡takes you with him literally everywhere. May it be his sword training, actual classes or just his night patrol, Sebek refuses to leave you unattended,

⚡ you ask him to read you and he gladly complies. Sebek switches from actual history textbooks to some fairytales, but you don’t mind this duality. Just hearing his soft voice reading you something before sleep is more than enough to calm you and lull you,

⚡you often fall asleep in his lap,

💜a child, huh? Something truly unexpected. Vil is the first one to put his initial shock and disbelief aside and he immediately starts working on potion to turn you into adult again. He really wants to dedicate himself to it and at first Vil is engrossed in his work,

💜at first. Soon, you get rather bored and you begin to disturb him. Vil wanted to yeet you to Rook, he truly did, so he could focus on making a potion for you. Yet, after certain hunter told him for the umpteenth time that professor Crewel is taking care of it, he started considering taking a break,

💜your absolutely adorable puppy eyes finally convinced Vil to spend some time with you,

,,Can I style your hair?” “Absolutely no” “Please?” “I said no, but we can throw a small fashion show, hm?

💜 you two throw a small fashion show, but perhaps, a raid on Vil’s closet would be a more appropriate word. You tried a lot of his clothes and Vil taught you how to do poses,

💜 you two sneaked out to Heartslabyul to taste some strawberry tarts baked by Trey (even though Vil certainly was on a diet),

🏹 oh là, là. Room won’t shut up about how cute you are. He constantly coos how lovely you are. You quickly get tired of this bullshit,

,,Could you stop!” “My, my, mon lapin, tu est trop mignon~!”

🏹 Rook lets you style his hair,as well as wear his hat,

🏹takes you on his regular Leona-watching-from-the-bushes-event and you enjoy your new, stalkerish role perhaps a bit too much,

🏹Rook obviously refused to take you hunting, yet you followed him either way and you ended up convincing him not to kill a hare, but to adopt him,

🏹 Vil certainly wasn’t pleased when you showed up with a hare named “Five”

🏹 your puppy eyes and pouting face is enough to persuade Rook to do whatever you wish. Literally, he won’t be able to refuse you

🏹Vil told him not to give you any sweets, but one look of your puppy eyes and Rook is melting. He will sneakily give you chocolate when Mr.Schoenheit is not looking,

🍏 Epel has absolutely no clue how to take care of you. Absolutely, he’s just lost,

🍏 but he tries his best to keep you from dangerous, sharp things that may result in you hurting yourself,

,,I’m not a baby, I can slice the bread myself” “Y’N, you’re literally a child”

🍏 however, Epel let you help him bake some apple cookies and you two ended up having a flour fight (yes, you started it on purpose),

🍏 you two become partners in crime. Sneaking out at the evening to Savanaclaw, eating snacks past bedtime, violating practically every, single rule Vil imposed on you two and finally raiding Rook’s stash of sweets - there’s just plenty of things you both managed to do together,

🍏 Epel plays a loooooot of board games with you - literally every, single game he managed to find in Pomefiore, while you both sip on hot chocolate with marshmallows,

🍏 he is elated, when you turn to your original form. Sure, he had a lot of fun taking care of child version of you, yet he much more prefers your older self (mostly because he can finally kiss you)

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writtenbyvenus · 4 years

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What We Do In The Shadows

( Warning, this is in RP format, but has been edited and proof read for grammar/flow. A change between writers with both characters is symbolized by italics. )

Chapter 2: Entering The Wolf’s Den

Werewolves and vampires: two species that are mortal enemies. But in a small town in Upstate New York, they seemed to find a way to co-exist by staying out of each other's way and minding one's business. However, the dynamics of the local pack of werewolves and coven of vampires would change when a certain pair got too close for comfort. Alfred is an over seventy-year old werewolf posing as local law enforcement, while Ivan is a centuries old vampire working at a blood bank. Both try to get through the struggles of being immortal creatures, who find themselves in a cultural and family struggle when they fall for each other. Between an anti-vampire pack leader, suspicious in-laws, and a death that could nearly tear two families apart, the pair questions if a relationship is a reality, or if they have too much baggage they carry.

Alfred could tell he offended his baby bat. From his body language to ‘Don’t wait up’, his vampire was not pleased with being forced alone and having to wait. It seemed that the vampire had a lot of pride, they were prideful creatures after all. Being told by the wolf ‘Hang by yourself then’ must have hurt his ego, as he reached out to hang out with Ivan in the first place. Smelling the man’s disdain, once he got back into his room, he hoped that Ivan would knock on his door again. But when he didn’t he did pout. Perhaps he was too harsh on his crush. Rethinking his actions, he did wish Ivan would have knocked on his door. He would welcome the man in and enjoyed some light cuddling while he watched dragons breath fire on people. However, it seemed to be that the man was too offended by the idea. Watching the show, he got bored as he wished Ivan was next to him. Thinking for a moment, he came up with an idea to tempt Ivan into his apartment. Standing up, he didn’t bother to pause the show as he went into his room. Grabbing his pencil and sketch pad, he decided to let Ivan see his secret hobby: drawing. His love of anime and cartoons inspired him to take up drawing as a hobby. But he was very embarrassed about it, and would rarely show people his artwork. Even if it was great and matched up well with popular artists on social media, his own anxiety made it a hidden talent. He’d let very few people see his drawings, for him it was about the fun of it. He didn’t need validation for it, it was his hobby. He’d color, sketch, and draw, just for himself. Sitting back on the sofa, he decided to use a more cutesy-anime style. Drawing him and Ivan, he gave Ivan little bunny ears, and wolf ears on himself. Nicknames like ‘bunny’ and ‘ kitten’ were ones he saved for people he found cute.

It was ironic since it was the prey of wolves. He did want to eat up a cute bunny or kitten, but more in a playful manner. Ivan’s foreign accent made him think of a hot blonde he’d see at a ski resort. With the cutesy image of him and the bunny, he made sure to draw him smirking and showing off his canine teeth. Ivan didn’t look scared in the art, only giving the cocky smirk he usually gave Ivan. It was only their heads and torsos, and on the top, he wrote ‘After your sister’s leave, wanna get something to eat?’. It was Alfred’s peace offering. Getting up, he walked to Ivan’s apartment door. Instead of knocking, he simply slipped the art under his door. Ivan would come across it once he was around the area. He didn’t want to disturb the blood-sucking bunny current if he truly had plans. Going back to his room, he continued on his Game of Thrones binge, praying that the vampire would come by later. In terms of a ‘meal’, it could be anything the man wanted. They could go hunting together, Ivan finding some unsuspecting human, and Alfred a lonely deer. Or, more orthodox, actually somewhere to snack. Or just stay in his house and cook something homemade. Whatever the man had a thirst for, blood or food.

Over in his own apartment, Ivan put a sponge to his red-stained mugs, putting his strength into getting the crusted blood left to the bottom. When he turned his heel to load his dishwasher something white caught his eye. He set his dishes in the rack before scanning the floor before his door. Stepping away from the sink, he approached the mysterious note and turned his head to look down upon it. Recognizing the resemblance of his face, his cheeks flushed with red. He bent down and snatched up the paper into his hands. His heart nearly lurched from his chest and onto the freshly spotless floor. He'd have to deal with the recycled blood burning his face for a few more minutes before getting over the gesture. The strange conversation and insight earlier blended oddly with the feeling he had now. Mostly charmed, but slightly uneasy. He found it bold, not unwelcomed, but surprising from Alfred. His finger traced over the leaded indentations as he took a seat at his breakfast nook. It was beyond flattering, a style he hasn't seen before, but charming. He thought of it slightly egotistical to be set next to the man who drew it, but grateful for it. It made it easier on his eyes. Bunny ears. That was a new one for him. Bat wings were a popular addition for scriptures and etchings. He wasn't used to seeing some draw him in a kindly way. Most depictions of him resonated with evil tellings and horrifying accounts of his figure hunched over a decaying body. Town folk never were pleased when he would make an appearance in their streets. It's why moving was a must for him, he needed supplies like everyone else. Curiosity struck him as he wondered how much moving Alfred must have been up to. Being ageless caused too much suspicion. 'My, Avgustin, you don't look a day over twenty-five' were the last words he heard before leaving his old home behind. Sometimes he wishes to grow old.

The little question scribbled down beside the art was one he had to consider thoroughly. One that made his heart stop. He rattled his fingers across the surface of the table and reread the words. 'your sisters' it didn't make any sense to him, he swore up and down that he didn't whisper a word of his relations. Sighing and sliding the paper away from him, he sat quietly to calm his nerves and lay his head down on the table. He did plan on inviting his sisters over and that included sharing his haul of blood, but now all he wanted to do was head next door and talk to Alfred. The warmth clung to him like it usually did, an unbearable heat holding to his face. It would only embarrass him further to give in so easily. He pressed his face into the cool wood and closed his eyes for a moment before leaving it behind. Nothing would give him closure, he wanted to be next to Alfred and that would be the only way to get the werewolf out of his thoughts. Groaning, he began finishing up the rest of his dishes. After flicking on his dishwasher, he took the art and walked it back to his room. He was trying to wait out the lingering warmth to his face and most of it faded, but not all of it would give him that peace. Before he finally left his apartment, he messaged his sibling group that he wouldn't be home. There wasn't much his poor sisters could do if something were to go wrong, but he just didn't want them asking him to death about where he went. Hesitantly, he knocked on Alfred's door and waited. His heart didn't stop racing, he didn't find himself nervous around werewolves very often, but Alfred had that effect on him.

It was good for Alfred’s ego that he wasn’t there to witness Ivan’s reaction to the note. Seeing blushing, flattered Ivan would cause the wolf to grin, and show off his canines in the glory of knowing he charmed the vampire. It would be in Ivan’s best interest to let Alfred enjoy it if he enjoyed the ‘bunny’ persona, as Alfred would happily go with it. A cute nickname for a cute boy, not to mention, Alfred understood the niceness of not being referred to something scary. Alfred was like Ivan in that way, no one knew better than him what it was like to be personified into a godless beast, with nothing charming and cute about it. Being compared to something as harmless and pretty as a bunny was probably emotionally soothing, which was part of the reason Alfred did it. A bunny is adorable, warm, and cozy, the last thing that goes to someone’s head is fear over the animal. Ivan could be Alfred’s harmless, sweet bunny if he wanted too. Even if Alfred drew himself to be a wolf, he was still a childlike puppy in many ways, even with the slight bloodlust that he had. Minus that, he was a silly, carefree man. But the transformation did take some part of his personality and make it more intense. Alfred was lost in his marathon when he could smell Ivan walking down the hallway.

Sniffing the air, a smile popped out when he could smell the nervousness on him. Has the note made him nervous? He wasn’t sure if it was ’I’m nervous about how excited I am to see him...’ or ’I’m just scared of him’ anxiety, he couldn’t smell that. Only that the man was dealing with some emotions due to the note. He wondered if the part about his sister’s had made Ivan worried. In all honesty, it was just a bold guess on who was coming over. Alfred was aware that Ivan had siblings or at least relatives, he could smell other vampires around, and two females had a similar scent to him. He concluded that someone was either related to him, and a female. Sister’s were the most logical answer, but cousins, aunts, and other distant relatives were all possible. Alfred’s lucky guess had helped his case. Standing up, he walked to the door, offering Ivan a gentle smile as he raised a brow. “Did your plans cancel? That sucks. But, you’re welcome to come in, babe. I got a spot on the sofa for you.” He stepped back to let Ivan inside his house, the first time he’s ever done that. Inviting a vampire into your home? The biggest no-no in the world, but here was Alfred not caring, per usual. He was going to bring up how they’d dined tonight, either traditional or unorthodox, but he’d give Ivan a moment to settle in before speaking of murder and hunting. He was a gentleman after all! Sitting down on the couch, he leaned back and patted the seat next to him.

Being a man who admired his dignity more than his enjoyment, Ivan had already become irritated with his own decision. He was visiting a friend, he didn't understand why he had to make it stand out so much for himself. There wasn't any loss to giving in to spend time with someone you enjoy, but he couldn't help but consider how overly friendly the drawing was. Trying not to overthink it, he mimicked the grooves he felt and pressed them into the palm of his hand. He adored the small act, but it was overshadowed by the fact that Alfred was a suitable match against him. The fact that he actually found himself pining after the chummy little wolfman was alarming at times. He was risking many aspects of his life by even accepting the invitation to come over. If he ever got closer to Alfred, it wouldn't be logical. With the outgoing personality Alfred shined out constantly, he was sure that he couldn't be a lone wolf. There were others. He smelt them when he walked down the street or by chance in the meat section of the corner store. Werewolves, vampires, they all hid in plain sight, but it wasn't right for him to assume that all of their kind knew each other. Much like dogs though, he knew that werewolves must greet each other. Alfred had to have at least, he guaranteed himself that. It confused him to be welcomed in with that case, it scared him almost. He didn't understand why Alfred trusted him so much when he knew what he was. Unfortunately, a vampire's sense of smell isn't as powerful as a dog's thus he wasn't able to detect other bodies in the apartment. His nose was just used to Alfred passing by and in his baskets of clothes.

He wrote off the name babe quickly, trying to blame it on habit. "My plans didn't cancel. You were just acting particularly lonely so I thought I would give in and offer you some company." Teasing, he calmed down significantly at the sight of Alfred smiling patiently. Elated by the idea of finally setting foot into Alfred's humble abode with the help of some keywords, he beamed and eased his head through the doorway. He's never seen beyond the door so it was a new experience for him. It wasn't much different than his habitat, the layout was a given, but he didn't catch any deers hanging from the ceiling so it was a bonus. Ivan liked to keep his living area tidy along with his kitchen, but once someone hits his room, that's when everything starts falling apart. Never does he bother to make his bed or take out his clothes from the basket to hang them up. His nightstand, though barely a foot wide, somehow holds a lamp, three different alarm clocks, and always a few dirty dishes. A part of him wanted to head through Alfred's apartment and check out his bedroom. "When were you going to tell me that you knew how to draw?" He paced over to the sofa and took a seat away from Alfred, a cushion between the two of them so he had some space.

Alfred was pleased to have Ivan enter his house. The bunny entering the wolves den, almost. Stretching out his legs, he rested one of his arms on the headrest, eyes lingering to his shows. Ivan's excuse was cute, he didn’t even cover up with a lie about them canceling. He canceled on them for him. What about that, it added to Alfred’s ego. His eyes were careful not to linger too long, but every few moments, they’d turn to Ivan’s body as he found a quick way to verbally eat him up. “Well, thanks for giving the company. And I don’t really like talking about it since I get shy... It’s kind of a personal thing. I just draw things for myself, and no one else.” It truly was a personal hobby, but he would draw more for Ivan again if it made the man come around often. It worked the first time, so why not again? He wouldn’t mind after all. He smirked when someone was murdered on the screen. Alfred’s house proved to be on average with a clean to messy ratio. He wasn’t the cleanest guy, but he wasn’t the stereotypical dirty, living off of paper plates type of dude either. He knew how to mop, take out the trash, and vacuum, but sometimes would get lazy with dishes and let it pile up.

His habit of being sexually open also gave him a reason to keep his apartment good looking. Showing a cute boy or girl a disgusting, dirty apartment would be embarrassing. His room was surprisingly not that bad, his only problem with being lazy and letting clean clothes stay in a pile and not putting them away. He’d also never make his bed, but he’d always throw away garbage in fear of getting ants in his room. He was proud of a fox fur blanket that he had, he’d love to show Ivan. It was during a couple of days in wolf form, he hunted down several silver foxes. They are known for being used heavily in the fur trade, and lucky enough, he was able to find some living in the wild nearby. It took a few days of stalking, but he was able to hunt down enough for the blanket. Another older werewolf knew how to skin fur and make coats and blankets, and helped him with the process. It was special to him, proving his strength and hunting skills. It was also soft and luxurious; usually, he had to lie to people and say it was a gift or passed down in his family. There wasn’t much pride in saying someone gave it to him. But with Ivan, he could open up and tell how he got something worth thousands of dollars in his hands; he worked for it. The warm fur was perfect during cold winter nights in upstate New York. “I’m so lucky to have a nice friend like you. I owe you a warm meal after this...” He teased, patting Ivan’s leg before putting it back in his own lap, eyeing the TV.

"You being shy? That's a first. With the way you draw, I thought you would boast about it." Ivan was trying to compliment his host, something small, but not enough to curse himself with. In both ways, Alfred's ego was something he had to handle with caution. Cheer on the man too much and he'll be putting up with cocky smirks up until the time he had to leave. Say something a little too cruel and the bubbly wolf will turn into a babbling mess. Simply acknowledging that fact to Alfred would tear him up one way or another, Ivan knew it and planned to keep things nice and light. "You somehow captured your narcissism on a single piece of paper, it's really impressive." He made sure to sound disingenuous, eyes taking note of Alfred's position. As time went on, the show became less interesting to him. Any shock value or plot development was drowned out by the way the werewolf's face lit up. The small dust of color that humans held in their cheeks was pumping across Alfred's face. He could feel the warmth radiating off the other body. If he buried his face into Alfred's shoulder, he could get a little taste. He didn't plan on chomping down hard, just a small nip. All he needed was a drop of blood to satisfy his burning curiosity. Alfred was too smart, the vampire knew that he'd be shoved away if he even kissed his neck.

There was pride in tackling down a difficult opponent, he understood that. He had grown immune to feeling too miserable about killing some creature or human off. Animals weren't inherently evil, but humans could be. He's witnessed hundreds and hundreds of years of solid proof of how villainous a single human can be. It gave him some peace to think that he was killing off someone who deserved it, but the consequences of his actions stabbed into his thoughts when a moment was too quiet. They were all just people like him and his sisters, but he couldn't help the survival of the fittest. It was inevitable that he would kill again, he knew that his blood bank job wouldn't last forever. Eventually, he'd have to relocate again, find new prey and discover more immortals. Alfred, for now, was a dash in his timeline, but he hoped to extend it. He wanted to stay a little longer and enjoy his time with the werewolf. The thought of dining outweighed heavily on his mind, but one he was certain that what he was nearly drooling over wasn't what Alfred was implying. He could lurch over and sink his fangs into the nape of his dear friend's neck and sample the blood. "I'm lucky to have a good friend like you too... and, as friends, I'm sure you don't mind me asking how old are you- how old you really are." Returning the physical contact, he reached over and pinched at Alfred's cheek. It slightly broke his heart to be called a friend, but it was what they were and he'd rather be on Alfred's good side than be against him.

“I’m glad you like my art.” He commented, rolling his eyes as he slightly blushed from the words. He was embarrassed by the skill but loved it still. He had plans of doodling Ivan later if he had the time. Perhaps even slipping it under his door again. But it was the best of Ivan’s interest to not kiss or go near Alfred’s neck. While he did adore the vampire; he wasn’t born yesterday. Far from it, and it would win a physical push or any other action that showed dominance. The wolf inside him was an Alpha, no doubt. There would be no neck biting, kisses, or smooches unless Ivan wanted a bite back in his neck. But Alfred did accept the pinch, finding it cute that the man was finally getting to the point. After all the time they’ve been neighbors, now he wants to know some real information? He’d play, as long as Ivan played back. “My age? Well, I like to tell people I’m twenty-three. Most people buy it. I was really born in 1941 though, so I guess I look young for my age! Ha! What about you?” He turned, his eyes smiling along with his lips. Raising a brow, he looked at Ivan up and down, checking out the man. He picked up details from his encounters with Ivan and compared to it how other vampires acted. “What are you? Four? Five? Six hundred? Oh wait- Are you post or pre Catherine The Great?” He teased, knowing basic Russian history. His adulthood was during the height of the Cold War, so he knew a lot about Russia.

He was about to make a joke about if Ivan was post or pre ‘Commie-Russia’, but he didn’t want the man huffing and puffing out of his house. Ivan appeared to be the type that might be highly offended by a stereotypical ‘commie’ joke, so he wasn’t going to play his cards. He had the bunny in his den, no need to ruin it. Taking a chance, he decided to lay his head on Ivan’s outer leg. Adjusting his body, he laid on his sides as his eyes stayed on the screen, but his head was resting on top of Ivan’s thigh. He wanted a way to feel Ivan without touching her per se. His messy, blond hair was screaming to be touched, Alfred’s cheek pressing against his leg. He tried to act relaxed as if it wasn’t a big deal. “Man, sometimes I feel old but I bet you feel ancient when anyone speaks to you, huh?” He joked, appearing not to be startled by the conversation. He wondered, was Ivan’s skin soft? Could he blush? Was his fat soft? If he squeezed him, would it feel like a stone? Or skin? He never got close enough to a vampire to touch them intimately, the only times he’s had his physical contact with vampires was in wolf form, killing them in his bite. Not a great comparison to what he wanted to do to Ivan.

Ivan was thrilled to receive a blush, it always warmed his ever slow and cold heart. It made the involuntary expression even more rewarding when regarding that Alfred was a perilous creature just as he was. He felt a bit guilty for not having anything ready to give back when he came over. Drawing wasn't much of a passion for him, he was more into crafts. He could knit something for Alfred, but he wasn't sure if that would be too bold. With how high strung he wound himself up to be, he figured that the werewolf didn't fall far from the feeling around him. Anything made to comfort was suspicious as if to butter the other up. He had to be careful not to cross any lines and set alarms off in Alfred's head. Even if he wanted to drag the relationship further along and at least get to hug on Alfred without being awkward or stepping over bounds, he knew he had to be slow. It was a precaution for himself and Alfred. Hearing the werewolf's real age was a good step, not too big but not too small of a step. "Ah, so you're... in your seventies? My, I guess you really have aged well. Twenty-three does fit you more than an old man who's lived through a world war." It was better to congratulate Alfred than to compare himself to him. To be given a seemingly honest answer was a bit of a surprise to him in the first place. There were a dozen more questions he wanted to ask about the American. He's never found a werewolf civil enough to sit down and talk to; he wanted to know everything about the culture and the process. He wasn't clear on whether or not Alfred was joking or not, grimacing either way. "Do I really come off as that young? Young enough to be post Catherine the Great... That's nice to know." The home he knew wasn't quite developed enough to secure the capital and allow a ruler. "I was there before they even had tsars."

He held his tongue when Alfred cozied up onto his leg, a faint smile to his lips as his hand twitched. "I prefer the term antique... even if being born in 1174 does make me more of a relic." Propping his head upon the armrest, he inched his fingers along his thigh towards Alfred's head. He could abuse the trust, grab the werewolf, and snap his mouth around his waiting neck, but he had better control over his intrusive ideas. "How do people become... werewolves? Is it by a bite from a werewolf or maybe something more ritualistic? I assume they don't consent to it, right?" Asking along, he slowly combed his fingers through Alfred's hair. Later on, he'd have to scrub himself down to get rid of the scent before his family meets him pinching their nose. "Or should I not ask that? It might be too personal." His smile calmed as he teased the other by scratching at the area behind his ear. "I'm sure you don't mind though."

He was happy to feel Ivan’s fingers play with his neck and hair. Ivan not rejecting his touches, but accepting them was all he wanted. Yawning, he closed his eyes as he let his body relax around the man. He was even getting used to the smell, the overly sweetness not bothering him much anymore. “Wow... You are antique... I feel young compared to you, and I can remember Vietnam, Korea, the Middle East, and the Cold War.” Fighting for freedom and America was close to his heart. “My father fought in world war 2, and I entered Vietnam.” Coming back from service due to some injuries was how it happened; one day, camping with his comrades celebrating a return from service, they were attacked by a wolf. Alfred was the only one who survived, getting a deep cut on his chest. He put a silver bullet in the chest of the wolf, making it pay for taking his friend’s lives, but in the end, it’s curse never stopped. “You get bit or scratch. I got scratched, really hard. Most people die when they get bit or scratched, but I survived. I killed the wolf who attacked me and my friends. One silver bullet. That’s all it took...” Alfred whispered, his leg twitching when his ear was scratched. “How did you become a vampire...? It’s your turn to tell....” He asked, wanting to know every detail. “Did it hurt?” He asked, wondering if the transformation caused pain. It did for Alfred, becoming human to a werewolf the first time. The pain he wished he could forget. He turned his head up, looking up at Ivan with big eyes. Curious eyes that wanted the truth, not games. He pushed his body up, so more of his back and head was laying across Ivan’s lap, not just his thigh. Like a true puppy, he wanted to take all the attention and show his dominance. Laying on Ivan, and getting a pet was truly dog-like at this point. But the man could be more of a puppy than a wolf, he just had to be in the right mood. A great, calm, playful mood.

There was no heat coming off Ivan’s body, the only source of warmth was Alfred. He couldn’t feel any heat over his clothes, he guessed if it put his hands on bare skin, Ivan would be chilly. He wondered if vampires feel hard or still have a softness to them. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m just curious. Vampires, are you guys stone? Or is your fat soft? Do you guys blush?” He asked, attempting to seem innocent. Blinking a few times, his innocent expression turned into a cocky grin. “If I grabbed your ass, would you move in my hand and turn red? Or? Would it be like grabbing a rock?” He asked, knowing he’d get an eye roll from Ivan, but he didn’t care. He needed to know the answers to his weird questions. His brain wondered a lot of things about Ivan and vampires overall. While he assumed that Ivan wouldn’t let him touch him with a ten-foot pole, he still is curious if the occasional thought is accurate.

"I guess you really earned your dog tags that day." Ivan offered lightly, laughing quietly at the puppy-like mannerisms of a grown man visible unwinding over his lap. Turning into a werewolf sounded just as much of a travesty as being a vampire to him. He didn't have to imagine what waking up in a new body was like, but he didn't think that he could ever really fully understand what Alfred went through either. How he earned his status as a vampire was a shorter story, but he'd spare Alfred the details. There wasn't much special about the day when he first laid eyes on the tall lanky figure barrelling toward him, but the pain was still distinct and stabbing. If he hadn't been at death's doorstep that day, he would have put up a better fight, but being at his age back then was a time for letting the earth take you. His body was preserved in the age he died and awakened. His eldest sister landed at twenty-nine and his youngest encased himself with health by being eternally twenty. They could age at will, but never make themselves younger. In that aspect, he considers himself lucky, but being a vampire wasn't his fondest thing. The moment was still fresh on his mind, how vulnerable he was, and how he let the same fate happen to his sisters. It was embarrassing to retell his inevitable cowardice. Since then, he's become more agile and stronger, but that was mostly due to his transformation. "There's a serum that comes out only from certain fangs, but you can feel it course all over your body when they stab into your neck... It hurts about as much as someone sticking two needles into you- you don't like those, do you? That's fine." He continued to tease Alfred over the blunt lie, refusing to call him out on it. It was hard for him to give that up. "I couldn't turn you into a vampire though, I'd only end up sucking your blood because I don't have the stuff to inject you with."

The science behind being a vampire wasn't widely available, but he tried to pass on the information he learned over the years as best he could. "The original vampires are the only ones who carry the serum to turn others into vampires... I'm not sure how they came about- no one does, but them." He separated and wiggled his fingers through more sections of Alfred's hair as he explained, grinning at the way his leg jerked like a dog. It was precious to his heart. "Every millennium or so, they show their face from their tomb and bite a few more unsuspecting victims. That's what I and my sisters have gathered from different vampires at least." The facts were hazy and never written down in fear of discovery. His thoughts trailed off as he enjoyed the heat coming off Alfred when he stretched across his lap. The inquiry seemed wholesome enough at first and he didn't mind answering it until Alfred had to make it dirty. "Oh, I don't know. If I slapped you in the face, would it be soft? Would you be blushing?" He snapped sarcastically, squishing Alfred's cheeks together in turn. "We're not gargoyles! Our skin is just the same as human flesh... So, yes... I guess if you were to grab my ass, it would turn red and move, but I'm not about to give you an example." Patting his face before returning to play with his hair, Ivan furrowed his brows. He grew up in a different time, getting those sorts of comments wasn't something he was used to. "Why are you curious about that sort of thing anyway? What makes you think I'll answer any questions after that?" Frustrated, he went back to scratching behind Alfred's ear to calm himself and the warmth sprouting over him. "Make it up to me by telling me how the moon affects you.

Alfred was shocked to learn the truth about vampires. He was told that all vampires had venom that had the potential to kill. Finding out that only a few did make him relieved, vampires aren’t as dangerous as he was told before. Seeing that even other vampires were unsure how they got the venom explained why his own kind was misinformed. Not to mention, vampires never made it clear about that little fact, nor would Alfred see why they would. Most vampires would rather seem scary and dangerous, having a poison inside them looming over someone’s head. “So? If you bite someone, you don’t have any venom? You’d inject nothing? That’s crazy, everyone thinks all vampires have something in their teeth.” This didn’t mean vampires were harmless, he knew that the creatures had superhuman strength and skill just like him. If a vampire wanted a werewolf dead, it was completely possible. Alfred was biased, and always thought he had the upper hand against vampires. In his personal, werewolf opinion, they were faster and stronger than vampires. But it came to pride than anything else, Alfred would never let his kind down. Even if he thought being a werewolf was more of a curse at times, he would show honor and stand up for himself and his other pack members. They weren’t human anymore, but they were still living beings. “Werewolves, we are different I guess. In wolf form, I think our saliva and body fluids when entering someone else’s skin, can turn them. I think of it as an illness... You get exposed, you’re one of us. With bites, it’s easy to see why it gets into someone’s bloodstream. I’m less sure about scratches though, how it turns us into werewolves. I’m gonna guess there’s just something in our claws that carries the virus.”

Alfred was no scientist, and there wasn’t exactly anyone out there experimenting and explaining the biology of werewolves. He couldn’t hold back his laugh when Ivan pinched his cheeks and got annoyed with his question. He deserved all the cheek squishes! “I just wanted to make sure my wet dreams were scientifically actual, that’s all.” He teased, closing his eyes when Ivan scratched the back of his ear. “Mm....” He lightly groaned, his leg twitching slightly. “Ugh. I hate full moons, man. It doesn’t make us mindless or crazy; we just are forced into wolf form as long as the moon is out. So usually, we have to stay outside. It isn’t too bad in the summer and spring, but when it’s cold out it's kind of annoying to have to find shelter. Nowadays, I go over to my friend Allen’s house during full moons. He has basically a farm and tons of areas that we can just... chill and wait out the full moon. It’s why I left the city, it’s one thing to find somewhere to hide during the countryside, another thing we’re everyone’s running around.” Alfred viewed it as more of an inconvenience if anything. Having to plan his life around one night was annoying! Making sure he had no work, no one visiting, no one expecting him, and if anyone needed to contact him, he was M.I.A for about twelve hours. Alfred got over being horrified about his werewolf status, so more just bothered. “It’s just irritating to have to plan around full moons. But it’s just one day of the month a least....” He took a deep breath, deciding to ask Ivan a question. “Vampires, do you guys like....? Do you guys have a preference when it comes to blood? Like, do certain races taste different? Or is there a difference between boys and girls?”

"I may not be able to turn you, but I can still drain every ounce of blood out of you and leave you as a husk." He didn't like being underestimated. While he found Alfred semi charming, it was made clear to him that the werewolf was still a threat. It was only right for him to assure that he was the same, someone who shouldn't be tampered with. He didn't plan on devouring the sweet neighbor, but he's considered it. The man might just be naive enough to feel safe around a vampire. He didn't even feel comfortable around a vampire he barely knew. It came down to territory between him and a member of his kind. If there were too many vampires in the area, then suspicion rises. Too many bodies are dropping and someone isn't getting enough to drink. He's never personally killed a vampire, but he fought a great few years ago. Times have changed, most vampires have mellowed out and found alternatives to slaughtering a cognitive being. While Ivan has cooked up some solutions to give him the nutrients he needs in a blood-soaked diet, he finds the rich frothy taste of real blood to be too tantalizing. It's been a few months since he's actually stalked and killed someone; he's proud of himself for it. If his tracks are uncovered at the blood bank, he may have to come back to that lifestyle. Living life as a murderer was less glamorous than living life as a hunter. Hearing Alfred say that he could only turn people when in wolf form was a relief. He thought that at least he wasn't stumbling around accidentally making people immortal. "So you can only turn people into werewolves when you're a wolf?... I've never heard about the claws part, that's new to me." It wasn't known to him whether or not he would become a werewolf too if he was bitten, but it was most definitely a concern to him now. A werepire? A vampwolf? Whatever it was, it was conjured up disturbingly in his head. He'd keep his distance from now on if that was the case.

Rolling his eyes at the wet dreams comment, he stopped rubbing his hands through Alfred's hair. "Are all werewolves this dense and vulgar? Or is it just you?" He'd roll the big puppy off his lap if he wasn't going to end up on the floor. Angering a werewolf was something he found surprisingly easy so he kept calm and tried not to seem too upset with Alfred. He liked the company; he didn't want to lose it. "Only during full moons? So you're essentially powerless up until then." Werewolves weren't too strong if they couldn't change at will. He felt significantly less threatened by Alfred's habit of showing his teeth. It was more of a parlor trick to him now, a small way to tease him. He thought of himself as lucky to have his powers with him all the time. It meant that he could tease and frighten Alfred all he wanted until the full moon popped out. He smiled to himself, gently rubbing a thumb to the American's open neck. "We do have preferences actually. The flavor really only varies with the blood type. My least favorite type is B-negative... it's a little bitter. Ah, but my favorite blood type of all has to be O-positive... thankfully, the most common." Shutting his eyes, he leaned back onto the headrest. It was always funny to him when someone walked into the clinic asking for a blood test to be done on them when he could just tell them then and there what they were. To remain undetected, he had to take a blood sample and let the customer wait out the process. He's seen a handful of mythical beasts walk through the blood bank doors while undercover, but those were the only creatures he couldn't seem to smell around. "Usually I can sniff out someone's blood type as they stand- but I can't detect your type on you. Your... werewolf musk has been blocking me." Furrowing his brows with sorrow, he twirled a piece of Alfred's hair between his fingers. "It's made me nothing but curious to find out yours- mere curiosity, trust me. I don't bite."

Alfred wasn’t scared of the warning of getting his blood drained, as Ivan didn’t scare him. The vampire could puff out his chest and appear more frightening than he is, but Alfred stayed unfazed. He was too prideful to let a vampire put any terror into him. He scoffed when Ivan said that he was only powerful during a full moon. “Ha! Who said that I can only turn during a full moon? I said I’m forced to turn during the full moon, I can turn anytime I want the rest of the month. I could turn right now. It rips my clothes off, so I would rather not give an example.” Ivan shouldn’t feel any more relief in it, Alfred had his power all year round. “Don’t think I could turn you, though. I think our... virus is immune to you guys. Vampires aren’t alive, so it just... dies on you. We just end up killing you with our strength and fighting powers.” He explained, never hearing of a vampire and werewolf crossbred. He didn’t think it was possible, but who knew. He kept his eyes closed, enjoying getting his hair played with. A smirk crept up his face when he was accused of being vulgar. “I’m just a vulgar guy, that’s all. I say what I think.” That was true as well, Alfred didn’t have much of a filter, especially around other immortals. He was a man who laughed and cried easily, who displayed all the emotions he had in his heart. It was just who he was, and he didn’t want to change anytime soon. He offered a cute act of nuzzling his cheek on Ivan’s thigh, wanting his attention again. Getting his hair played with was a major comfort. His body would relax, and calm down when someone’s fingers ran through his dirty blond locks. There was something about Ivan that offered him comfort, even if he was a vampire. His disgustingly sweet scent wasn’t bothering him anymore, and his soft voice was more soothing by the moment.

He smirks again when he hears about the blood type. “Oh? Then you’d love me. I’m O-positive.” He confessed, not scared since he knew Ivan wouldn’t bite him. If Ivan was going to drain him of his blood, he would have done it by now. Ivan didn’t need to cuddle up with him on his sofa to do it. “I’m glad my werewolf musk blocks it. Protects us from being victims of hungry, thirsty vampires like you. I’m not shocked at all that you work at a blood bank. I’m just surprised that you haven't noticed that you are stealing all the blood. How do you steal it anyway? Don’t they have protocols and stuff for this?” He questioned, always wondering how Ivan did it. He was either extremely talented, or the office was just stupid and lazy with their security. Who knew a man could get away with stealing countless pints of blood, but it was better than him going into town and murdering men in cold blood. “I’ll be honest... if you need some victims, I got a list of every sex offender, pedophile, and creep in town. Some people escape justice. So if you are hungry.... just tell me. I’ll get you a meal.” He had a sneaky grin, loving the idea of Ivan doing his dirty work. Instead of hunting these sickos in wolf form, his blood-sucking bunny could find a use for them.

It shut Ivan's small victory down when he heard about the ability. The possibility of seeing wolves walk around during the day skyrocketed and he wasn't sure where his emotions landed on the issue. Everything about having the upper hand over someone was comforting to him, but he felt as if it wasn't that overwhelming. Alfred was harmless and most of his worries about werewolves came from prejudice. The only rivalry between the two creatures was one he welcomed. He had fun flirting with and teasing Alfred, but he didn't want to risk being too attached. If something were to come up that jeopardized his facade, then he'd have to book it out of New York with his sisters not far behind. Knowing Alfred's own immortality, he was sure the situation would be the same for him. He'd end up miserable if he grew even fonder of the man only to disappear the next day. Anyone else, he didn't care to shatter their heart, but the cute playful furball was just too hopeless. "You talk like a child telling me about how strong their favorite superhero is when you describe your own species." He humored, rolling his eyes at the nonchalant bragging. There wasn't much that annoyed him about Alfred, the man was pleasant to be around, but he had his own honor to attend to. Being a blood seeker wasn't glamorous by all means, but he had to defend what was a part of him. The relief felt from immunity still didn't suffice against the show off's insistence. Every step of the conversation was an act for him to prove that he could stand up against a werewolf; the worn-out joke tired him. He wanted to feel comfortable around Alfred, but nothing felt genuine as if he was waiting for something specific to come out. It reminded him of a patient puppy. Most stereotypes held about the bouncing, yapping few. Like dogs, they roll onto their back and practically beg to be pet, loved on at the very least.

Giving in before the manchild started whining, he scrubbed his fingers along Alfred's scalp and through his strands. His eyes lit up at the confession, a big grin attached to his face. "Oh really? It's the most common blood type... but the most special to me. The rarity of it is only measured by my own longing for it." He wormed the corners of his mouth slowly down to mask his eagerness to jump on Alfred and dine out. "It's a very sweet taste- you should let me lap up any cuts you have in the future. I'll come over in a heartbeat and suck your wounds dry." The talk of blood left him parched, he distracted himself by fluffing up Alfred's hair. He wasn't entirely sure how his blood stash was known by the mutt, but he wasn't about to question it. His trust was growing high enough that he didn't care. "Most people don't know a pint from a pint and a half... it's a little dangerous for the donors, but I do sneak out an extra snack for myself when I think someone's gullible- so, I'm technically not stealing from the blood bank because they still get their pint of blood... I just drain another pint for myself. " He assured, hoping Alfred wouldn't rat him out. It would slip his mind often that the man was a cop. The only reason staff picked up on his master plan was the high rate of lightheaded donors coming out of his section. Now and then, they sent someone to check the equipment he was using, but nothing came of it. He's slowed on the packs he takes home to cool down the heat trailing behind his tail. "I might take you up on that offer someday, but my hands haven't been this clean of blood in a while... Unless you're in dire need of my assistance then I can help mark off some names for you- at a price, of course." Leaning down, he placed a chaste kiss to Alfred's forehead and gently brushed back the hair in his way. "Come over to the blood bank and I'll give you a donut if you behave... then maybe we can go track down some pedophiles and rip them apart together."

Alfred didn’t have too many plans for leaving the town soon. He only had lived there for a few years, and he knew he could get away with his non-aging status for a while. People usually only would start to talk about how young he looked. Alfred would just lie and credit on genetics. ’My parents look super young too. ‘Our whole family doesn’t age.’ he’d lie, and it worked. He looked young and was young to everyone else, so no one questioned his age. He guessed he could last until he was in his mid-thirties before people thought it was just downright weird that he hadn't aged. It was why he attempted to stay out of the spotlight. Keep to himself a few groups of friends. It was hard, he was an extrovert. He is a popular personality, everyone would know who he was and wanted to be around him. But that changed when his mortality did, and unless he wanted to become a scientific experiment for the government, he had to keep a low profile. But he always came out at night, hitting clubs and finding relief in intimacy. If he couldn’t be surrounded by dozens of friends, he’d surround himself with pretty girls and boys, even if it was just one night. A sucker for love, it was even more troubling knowing he couldn’t get into a relationship with anyone. That was the hardest about this life, knowing he’ll always be alone. Almost everyone in his pack was male and straight. How come there were only a few queer werewolves? He was aware that he should branch out to new immortals, but it was difficult since his pack was so tight. There was a sense of betrayal being around other werewolf packs, it was frowned down. Your pack was your family, case closed. You suffered with them.

[ Here is the link to my Ao3, thank you if you read it <3 ]

#rusame #amerus #aph russia #aph america #fanfic #I've just decided to keep it in its OG format #but i still edit for flow #yeee everyone have a good night

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105ttt · 4 years

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Revised FS Precure AU

This is going to be a long post about my revised FS Precure AU. I’m putting it under a readmore because it’s going to be a lot. You have been warned.

General Info

I’ve decided to make Zelda the pink lead Cure, since Zelda never gets to be the leader in the games, and it preserves the “pink Cure is the leader” rule.

As a civilian, Zelda is actually named Hylia. Her Cure name is Cure Zelda. The reason she is named Hylia instead of Zelda is just so that her Cure name is not the same as her civilian name.

Hylia is an eighth-grader who loves all things science. She especially loves observing nature, and takes time to sketch what she sees. She is known for her generosity and never acts selfish or boastful. As such, most people at her school don’t mind her company. They appreciate her helpful attitude and her strong sense of duty to others. She is friends with quadruplets who go to her school; these are, of course, the hero Links.

Since I want their Cure names to be their colors, but their names in the Japanese version are just Green, Red, Blue, and Vio transliterated into Japanese, I thought I’d make their civilian names the actual Japanese words for “green”, “red”, “blue”, and “purple”. This is not meant to be a weeb move. It is just so that their civilian names aren’t the exact same as their Cure names, and I used Japanese since Precure is a Japanese franchise. Think of it like how Nozomi’s name means “desire/wish/hope” in Japanese, but her Cure name is Cure Dream, using the literal English word “dream”, or how Nodoka’s name means “delicate/gentle” in Japanese, and her Cure name is Cure Grace, using the literal English word “grace”.

Hylia is visited one day by a Zelda-style fairy who tells her that she is destined to become a Cure warrior. At first she doesn’t believe this, but when she is presented with visions of the past, showing Cure warriors fighting the Big Bad (Ganon, of course), she is more willing to go along with what the fairy says. The fairy in question, Miss Fairy, becomes her fairy partner, and together they search for the other Cures destined to serve Cure Zelda and fight by her side.

It turns out that the quadruplets Hylia is friends with are destined to be the other Cures! Thus, she convinces each of them to join the team, and they eventually oblige, both because the entire world depends on it and because they all genuinely want to protect and help Hylia.

in addition to the quadruplets, Hylia’s girlfriend, Erune, ends up becoming a Cure as well (Cure Yellow, named after her theme color because I have no originality), around the same time as Hylia (think Futari wa, Splash Star, Suite, Mahou Tsukai, etc.). Her fairy partner inhabits her favorite doll, Rosie, so it takes on the name of Rosie. (This goes without saying, but the doll is much more Precure mascot-like in this AU instead of being a creepy, realistic doll.) Erune is a kind, gentle girl who hates when peace is disturbed and intervenes as best as she can, but she initially lacks the courage to speak for herself and often confides in Hylia when she needs to vent. (Obviously, later on, Erune learns that it’s okay to speak her mind and stand up for herself.)

With the team fully assembled, they go through the regular motions of a Precure show, learning new attacks and getting development, etc. But as time goes on, Ganon and his servant, Vaati, create a demon in the image of the quadruplets to fight the Cures. This is, of course, Shadow Link, now just called Shadow as a villain and the Japanese word for “shadow” as a civilian. (Naturally, his Cure name is Cure Shadow.) While he is still a villian, he infiltrates the Cures’ school to spy on them and gather information on them, as well as cause trouble for them by creating monsters to fight. Shadow ultimately turns to the Cures’ side because of Hylia’s kindness and willingness to listen to him, as well as the friendly gestures of the Links and Erune. He also would love to get back at Ganon and Vaati, who don’t treat him so nicely.

(As a side note, the Links’ fairies are the same as the ones described in my old posts.)

As with every other Precure series, after a good redemption arc for Shadow, lots of character development and fun times, more toys advertised, and more group attacks learned, they seal Ganon and Vaati away with their final attack and complete their quest - and then they can go back to living their lives as normal middle-schoolers, with Shadow being adopted by his new mother.

Speaking of family: since I love the idea of the Shrine Maidens adopting the Links and Zelda, the Links and Hylia were adopted by one of the different Shrine Maidens. The Links stayed in touch their whole lives because their mothers felt it would be bad to separate them for good, so they grew up as if they lived in the same house. They’re inseparable here, too! Hylia was also adopted by a Shrine Maiden. Erune still lives with the mom she has in canon.

Toy/Cure Design Info

Naturally, it’s not Precure without toys. The Links all have a sword transformation/attack item that looks like the Four Sword. See my old posts about the AU for this, since it’s basically the same. Same for Shadow’s items.

Hylia has a sword similar to Zelda’s sword in Twilight Princess, and Erune has a similar sword so that they match (and so that the toy can use two different collectible items).

The Royal Jewels are the main collectible item. See the old posts for more on that.

The Links have outfits VERY similar to their canon ones, but imagine them as frillier, with more accessories and details. Typical Precure outfits based on the canon tunics and caps, essentially.

Hylia and Erune share a similar design consisting of a long dress (think Cure Moonlight, Cure Passion, or Cure Earth) in pink and yellow, respectively, which is based on Zelda’s canon dress. As with the Links, it has more frills, lace, and details added to make it Cure-like.

I don’t have ideas for a shared toy used for group attacks, but I think that the Links can fuse into one being (called Link), and Hylia and Erune can fuse into one being (not sure what to call it) in order to perform final finishers.

I think that, in order to make this Precure unique, the Links and Hylia and Erune can fuse in pairs at will after reaching a certain milestone of understanding between each pair. In addition, if they have individual super forms, they all become Fierce Deities (including Hylia and Erune) with different face and armor markings to match their personalities.

The fusion names are: Gray (Green + Vio), Purple (Red + Blue), Teal (Green + Blue), Maroon (Vio + Red), Brown (Green + Red), Indigo (Vio + Blue), any fusion with Shadow is just “Shadow” + whatever the other person’s Cure name is, Lime (Green + Erune), Orange (Red + Erune), Emerald (Blue + Erune), Onyx (Vio + Erune), Watermelon (Green + Hylia), Coral (Red + Hylia), Lavender (Blue + Hylia), Magenta (Vio + Hylia), Morganite (Hylia + Erune)

#four swords #four swords manga #long post #god this is cringe but take it

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thebigladjake · 4 years

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AX3001: Oddyssey - TV Show Research and Development: Giygas and the Intrigue of having an unexplainable villain

When it came to making a TV Show, I always had an idea for an Earthbound spiritual successor since 2018 and over this last Summer when we were briefed to make three TV Shows. I had to really think about what ideas I wanted to do. However, during my downtime, I suddenly remembered one specific thing about my Earthbound experience...

Giygas

The Embodiment of Evil, the Universal Cosmic Destroyer or the Almighty Idiot according to who you ask, Giygas is the main antagonist of Earthbound and appropriately serves as the game’s final boss before your adventure comes to a close. Granted, him being the very last thing you fight leads to you leaving with that boss fresh on your mind. But, I hadn’t played Earthbound for a few years... And Giygas just suddenly popped into my head. And a lot of the questions were “Why is he like this? This cute and friendly game has a boss that looks like a nightmare?” I was absolutely fascinated by this boss and it led to my second playthrough of the game.

Onett, the start of the Adventure

This is the hometown of our main character, Ness and effectively our window into the world of this game. We see the town he lives in, it’s so bright and colourful with all the town essentials! A burger shop, a town hall, an arcade, hospital, police station and library, it’s familiar to us as our hometowns most likely have similar locations. The vibrant colours of all the buildings is eye-catching and welcoming!

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The music is also worth noting as it’s very peppy and upbeat, it feels like the theme of a small town with a nice community. Most of the music follows this formula.

Most of the towns in the game follow this design and it does feel like you’re exploring more and more of the world, like you’ve ventured further than you have ever gone before and you’re not going to stop because this world is so interesting and welcoming!

Some towns deviate from the formula, but the good people in the towns help to established the same welcoming energy that we’re used to.

Now, let’s take a look at the final map before Giygas’ lair...

The Cave of the Past, the end of the Adventure

Complete contrast to what has been established this entire game. There are absolutely no colours, there are no buildings, no operations of Giygas’ in the background. It’s just a path to the end of the journey and it’s so simple... But, it’s super effective! The lack of colour helps to make it feel otherworldly, makes it feel alien to the world that you’re used to and that’s exactly what Giygas is, he’s not from the world.

Even our main cast of heroes could not be transported back in time without being transferred into robot bodies, all of their colour is gone too. All except Ness’ hat, showing a small bit of colour almost as if it’s that one bit of hope of beating Giygas.

At the end of games, usually going to the final boss’ lair will be some huge event where you see all of their plans, what they’ve built over time and will be accompanied by some epic score. Earthbound does things differently.

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Just give that a listen, it’s a eerie, droning piece that doesn’t sound like a great confrontation theme. It sounds like ambience more than a score to me and I think that makes it scarier, like you are in the positions of the kids who are probably incredibly scared of what they are going to have to face once inside that cave. It’s so incredible and it’s a sample of the Beach Boys song, ‘Deirdre’.

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It’s the opening note and I find it amazing how a single sample can do so much! There is another Earthbound track that I will link here which features a sample of the trumpet in the intro of the Beatles song, ‘All you need is Love’ and again, it sets up so much with just a tiny little sample.

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This is used just before going to the Cave of the Past, instead being the Cave of the Present. It’s technically just two notes with a reverb, but the sample adds so much and it just feels uncomfortable. However, we don’t need to talk about this for long, let’s go right to Giygas’ lair!

Giygas Lair, the true contrast to Earthbound’s style!

I apologise for the size of the image, but it’s pretty much a straight path but LOOK AT THIS! A trail of organs and entrails twisting and turning through this dark void until you find this uncanny monstrosity of a machine made of the same organic material you were walking on. This. This is what made me come back, it’s such a disturbing idea.

This is open to interpretation, but the way caves are represented in Earthbound is to only make sprites of the ground and walls. All the stuff you can’t see is black, just like how a cave should be. Giygas’ lair has this same motif, but there doesn’t really appear to be any walls around. So depending on your view, they’re either walking through a tunnel or entrails or walking through the void as previously stated. Personally, I think both are terrifically terrifying but I definitely see the void more.

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The organs pulse as you walk up them, the only noise complimenting the atmosphere is the clanking of robo-feet and the breathing of Giygas which is what I feel gives it the whole void feeling. It’s so unnerving that this is the final confrontation, but the fact that it is actually puts us in Ness and his friends shoes.

Getting to the Machine causes everything to stop, the ambience vanishes. Giygas’ intro music plays as the Machine changes to show the robots a picture of Ness’ face. Ness was prophesied to be the one who brings down Giygas and the first thing we see from the Machine is Ness, already suggesting to us that Giygas knows that we’re here...

Pokey, Ness’ childhood friend and eventual enemy over the course of the game, descends in a Spider Mech and just like that the Final Battle is about to begin!

The Final Fight

Of course, the final boss begins with Pokey standing before you with Giygas’ number one thought right now... Ness is here and he’s come to defeat me. This is a pretty standard affair for a boss, only Pokey can be harmed and he is much more a threat in this Spider Mech than he was previously in battle.

Giygas has a shield that is impervious to any kind of physical or psychic attacks and cannot be destroyed or disabled. He attacks using the special power that only Ness knows ‘PSI Rockin’’. His shield will always reflect your shots back at the character who attacks him and even when they have shield themselves, they will get hit regardless. The Machine is what keeps Giygas stable and alive, making him completely invincible...

However... He has one big idiot on his side...

Pokey can be damaged and the strategy of the fight is to focus on him and avoid any attacks that hit the both of them. Pokey, like the main cast, is a kid and he’s incredibly immature. So as soon as his mech is defeated, he taunts the main gang and turns off the Devil’s Machine... The one thing preventing Giygas’ defeat...

Giygas Released

Once released, Pokey explains that Giygas isn’t even himself anymore. He became so powerful that his body was destroyed and had to be contained into a machine in order to maintain some sort of grasp on his thoughts. Without that machine, the four heroes are taken into a dimension of Giygas’ thoughts and since we play as Ness we hear his thoughts directed towards us the player.

He reaches out with such thoughts as repeating Ness’ (The player’s) name, saying “I feel... Sad.” or “It feels good.” and added upon these thoughts Giygas’ attacks cannot be comprehended by our characters. It really helps to add a sense of hopelessness because we have no idea what is truly going on and we can’t fight what we don’t know.

An Unconventional Resolution

Attacks don’t work, defending won’t work either, you can’t heal or save yourself. All hopes seem lost until you notice a certain act that Paula can do. Pray.

When Paula prays, she reaches out to the world she left behind and the folks that are waiting for their return get the feeling that something bad is happening. So, they too pray from the bottom of their hearts...

https://youtu.be/cptFVD3eTEs?start=320&end=374

If you watch the small clip above, once he feels the support from the Earth. The sound cue to signify that Giygas has been damaged and that Giygas is not okay.

Onward to his next form.

Now I would like you to take a close look at this image, I’ve asked a few people about this and sometimes they get it without me saying anything and others don’t. So, just take a moment to find an image amongst the Giygas’.

Got it or have you given up? In the realm of Giygas, here in the black void is a pretty damn distinct shape of a baby. And this is what fascinated me about Giygas, there is a theory that this is symbolism for abortion as you go back in time to kill Giygas but that theory has been disproven by Shigesato Itoi, the game’s creator. There’s evidence that goes against this theory anyway, but this fetus imagery always stuck out to me.

It’s said to be a coincidence that the Super Nintendo generated these sprites and in this pattern. But, it’s such a definite shape of a baby and I find it absolutely mental that it’s just a coincidence. And that curiosity is what brought me back to Earthbound, just this happy go lucky game where you make friends with a little monkey that chews bubblegum, make friends with a man who converts himself into a huge dungeon man and at the very end, you’re faced with this.

It’s not only impactful imagewise, but storywise it’s just as impactful for the opposite reasons. As Giygas can now be damaged by feeling the love and support coming from the friends Ness has made across the world. Each time Giygas is hit, it gets worse, but the moment he really breaks down is when Ness’ Mother wakes up in the middle of the night and rushes downstairs with Ness’ little sister and their dog. They all feel uneasy and begin to pray for the safety of Ness and his friends.

https://youtu.be/cptFVD3eTEs?start=702&end=738

This is the moment Giygas truly breaks down, feeling the support of a loving Mother looking out for her son is a feeling he had long since buried. It’s about time I talk about the backstory of Giygas, while it’s not touched upon in Earthbound/Mother 2, in Earthbound Beginnings/Mother we see Giygas as an alien and we learn about how he came to be.

Giygas and Trauma

Giygas was an alien that was raised by Maria and George, a couple that was abducted by the other members of Giygas’ race. Maria adopted Giygas and looked after him while George studied their powers without their approval and eventually escaped with this knowledge, never being seen again. Once Giygas grows up, he was instructed to ensure that no human is capable of using PSI powers and not wanting to betray the people who raised him, he forcefully detached himself from Maria to prepare for the invasion.

Maria was sent back to Earth, but with amnesia and once the Eight Melodies are obtained, she regains her memory and explains that it was a song she used to sing to Giygas when he was young. This is very important.

Giygas’ first attempt to take over the world. He comes down, looking upon the gang and the battle begins. Starting the trend of Mother/Earthbound games having a unusual way of defeating the final boss. This time, the group begins to sing the Eight Melodies which brings up emotions in Giygas that he thought he had long since repressed or even got over. Giygas has a complete mental breakdown and recalls his forces, swearing revenge on the planet and that he will return.

In Earthbound, Giygas has worked on himself and made sure that what brought him down before cannot bring him down again. However, he didn’t do enough since the feeling of a loving Mother reaching out to her son in his time of need still hurts him severely and it’s at this point where Giygas can hardly do anything. His sprite starts contorting, the colours shift and the audio turns into a droning whirring noise.

Ness’ Mothers love is one thing, but it’s not enough. Giygas is wounded, but he is still fighting. Paula keeps praying for one more person and with a few more attempts, that person is you. There’s a moment in the game where the fourth wall is broken and asks you to enter your name. It can even be your full name, my name is pretty long and my name fits into it perfectly. It’s emotionally engaging since it includes you and you feel like in a way you are defeating him rather than Giygas being defeated by the world of the game.

https://youtu.be/cptFVD3eTEs?start=838&end=938

After this Giygas loses control, the whirring increases, his sprite distorts further to the point where he is unrecognisable, the visuals cutting in with static occassionally. Static that appears at the very beginning of the game, suggesting the approach of Giygas and showing pictures of the invasion, and at the end of the game it suggest that he’s retreating, he’s getting out of reach and eventually he is gone.

And after all of that craziness, the robots are outside of Giygas’ lair. Everything is quiet, “The War against Giygas is over.”

What was Shigesato Itoi thinking?

Shigesato Itoi drew inspiration from an event of his childhood, where he had walked into the wrong screen at the theatre. He walked in on a murder scene which as a kid he mistook for a rape scene which had such a potent effect on him. He drew inspiration from it for Giygas’ final battle and some of the things Giygas says.

In an interview, Itoi claims that there was a scene where a guy grabbed a woman’s breast which distorted it into a ball shape. He said “It all hit me really hard. It was a direct attack on my brain.” despite the fact that this doesn’t actually happen in the movie, which Itoi admits that his memories are a little fuzzy. It’s probably because it all happened so fast and his child brain may have created false memories or just failed to understand it. Itoi also goes onto say, "this sense of terror having atrocity and eroticism side-by-side, and that’s what Giygas's lines at the end are. During the end, he says, “It hurts,” right? That's... her breast. It’s like, how do I put it, a “living-being” sensation." and the purpose of the scene is to get the player’s mind working.

Another interesting part of this interview is when Itoi talks about typical villains and says this, “Well, you know, having a villain there who simply goes, “Wahahaha!” and the like would clearly be bad. But, actually, when I think about it, having villains go, “Wahahaha!” is a really intriguing pattern. But there’s no point in wondering all by yourself for days on end what it means for a bad guy to go, “Wahahaha!” at the climax of a game, you know? I get the feeling that there aren’t many people in the game industry who would do that sort of thing, though.” Which is something important to consider, Earthbound is such a colourful game bursting with personality, so having it end with just a standard final boss affair probably wouldn’t feel satisfying.

What the Earthbound/Mother series taught me about final confrontations?

Giygas’ character and what it taught me that even “Universal Cosmic Destroyers” can have trauma that they are trying to avoid and bury. It humanises them in a way and it can make the final confrontation that more powerful as it’s a problem we can all relate to. They’re not all evil for the sake of being evil, sometimes they don’t have a choice.

I think this is a good thing to take on board and I have already begun planning on my main antagonist’s motivations on Oddyssey. It might be changed since it’s a sensitive topic for me right now, but these motivations won’t be brought up in Season 1 anyway

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fayewonglibrary · 4 years

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"To Love" Reviews (2003)

Progress or the beginning of a decline?

When describing a new Faye Wong album, words like "looking forward to it with great anticipation" are usually used to show people's full expectations for the singing queen and also reflects how important her position is in everyone's hearts. Faye Wong, who has not released a new album for more than two years since the 2001 self-titled album "Faye Wong", finally released her new album "To Love".

The title of the album "To Love" is actually an abbreviation of "To Love to the End". In this album, Faye Wong played a lot of word games, such as "Spinning Wood" is "Carousel", "Yang Bao" is "Sunshine Baby", "Beauty Error" is "Beautiful Mistake", "Night Makeup" means "heavy makeup at night" and so on. These little word games make people feel that the cold and arrogant queen of the past has lowered herself down to get closer to the people. The unsmiling Faye Wong has become humorous. And to strengthen this "zero distance" feeling, you will have to listen to the songs in the album one by one.

"To Love" uses war as a metaphor for love. The cruelty, burning, and death in war will also be experienced in the world of love. Faye Wong wrote this song herself to express a kind of fear of love. The spirit of carrying love through to the end and overcoming all difficulties to fight for victory is truly impressive.

"No Regrets" composer Yuan Weiren wrote "Carousel" and added a touch of warmth.

Guo Zi's "Beautiful Mistake" adds a layer of femininity comparable to his previous song for her ("Reservedness").

"Empty City" and "Night Makeup" were written by one of Faye Wong’s old partners, manager Kwan, who wrote words that outlined a different kind of urban feeling.

"Leave Nothing" uses a lot of parallel lines. She sings about the love of two people, "I give my thoughts to you/my time to him" and "I give my heart to you/my body to him". Faye Wong's voice is hoarse and sexy.

"Passenger" is a cover of the song "Going Home" from Sweden's Sophie Zelmani. It is like a road movie where the camera scans everyone's fixed face and reflects their inner thoughts. Lin Xi's poetic lyrics were beautifully and ambiguously written, and brings to mind a dim yellow street lamp on the corner of a distant city.

The genre of the whole album of "To Love" is very mixed from pop, trip-hop, folk, Latin dance music, etc. The gorgeous arrangements that come in wave after wave seem to indicate Faye Wong's thoroughness and determination. After the two albums "Fable" (2000) and "Faye Wong" (2001) did not achieve great commercial success, Faye Wong has reduced her experimental exploration of music and replaced it with more popular and beautiful sounds in "To Love", and her singing voice has also reverted to the coquettishness of the "I'm Willing" era. When personal experimentation becomes restrained by record sales and mainstream entertainment dictates music aesthetics, the miserable side of the record industry is revealed - sales are everything and commerce prevails.

It was reported that "To Love" broke through one million sales as soon as it was released. Although this number must be attributed to the hype by the record company, the commercial success of this record cannot be denied. However, some fans believe that the album is "terrible" and her entanglement with Nicholas Tse has made Faye Wong "decline". Such statements seem a bit extreme. Faye Wong no longer insists on her usual arrogance and indifference to the business. She was seen attending press conferences, playing volleyball, and even appeared on gossip variety shows. At least the past Faye Wong, who despised the industry and was low-key, has undergone a transformation. From this perspective, it may not be known whether this is Faye Wong’s progress or the beginning of a decline.

In terms of the music, Faye Wong has gradually waned and was unable to grow in "To Love". The success of this album is glitzy on the surface but has nothing to do with the improvement of music standards. One day, someone will use unprecedented and brilliant music to beat the shameless music business. Can you still count on this person to be Faye Wong?

SOURCE: MUSIC WORLD // TRANSLATED BY: FAYE WONG FUZAO

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

After a wait of two years, Faye Wong finally released her new Mandarin album "To Love" on November 7, 2003, after joining Sony Music. This is an important prelude to her "Faye Unusual Concert" series at the Hong Kong Coliseum, December 20-27.

The idea conveyed in the new album "To Love" emphasizes the persistence of "to love to the end". As Faye Wong said: "If you have love in your heart, you will not despair. Love is pure and should not be disturbed by anything else."

"To Love" is actually the abbreviation of "to love to the end". In fact, a major feature of the new album are the many two-character song titles, such as "Spinning Wood" (Carousel) and "Mei Cuo" (Beautiful Mistake), “Yang Bao” (Sunshine Baby), “Ye Zhuang” (Heavy Makeup at Night), etc. They are like the popular made up words and phrases among Taiwan’s junior high students. The fun lies between solvable and unsolvable, under their extreme simplicity, each has a touching story. Faye Wong hopes that this will allow the audience to more deeply feel the spirit and ideas she wants to convey when listening to her music. There are also 10 different ideas in the song titles but as long as everyone's heart is touched by the music, this is what Faye Wong really wants to express through the songs.

The music and lyrics of the first song "To Love" were written by the heavenly queen. It uses war as a metaphor to describe the cruelty and sacrifice of love. The concept is fresh and it represents a kind of fearlessness when facing external forces. With a firm attitude and courage, the atmosphere of the music is powerful, which fully demonstrates Faye Wong's unique style of daring to love and hate. Faye Wong’s music and lyrics also shows her views on life. She feels that there is no absolute "right" or "wrong". The opposition of "love" is not "hate", and love should always exist in everyone's heart. Although people are lonely as the lyrics say "loneliness is eternal", but as long as love is still in the heart, there will be no despair. This single also happens to represent the core concept of this album.

The album brings together Golden Melody Award "Best Composer" Chen Xiaojuan, Lin Xi, Zhang Yadong, Yuan Weiren, Guo Zi, Yang Mingxue, and Kwan in a super lineup. Plus Faye Wong's own four compositions and three lyrics definitely makes "To Love" the most anticipated album of the year.

As long-term partners, Faye Wong believes that Lin Xi’s words have their own unique charm. Although Faye Wong and Lin Xi do not have frequent communication with each other, but through Lin Xi’s observations plus their similar view points in life, the lyrics are consistent. Even if Lin Xi's creation is not a true portrayal of Faye Wong, it still feels connected to her. And Zhang Yadong, a long-time music partner, is still an important behind-the-scenes player in the album. He is an all-rounder in production, composing, arranging, and singing. In addition to the electronic music style he has always excelled at, one of the songs "Smoke" contains a lot of Latin elements to make Faye Wong's voice pleasantly surprise listeners with its intoxication for love.

In addition, she worked with Taiwanese creators Chen Xiaojuan, Yuan Weiren, and Guo Zi. This time, Chen Xiaojuan’s "Empty City" follows "Passing Years" and "Overthrow". Yuan Weiren's "Carousel" when compared to the previous "No Regrets” has a sense of warmth, coupled with the poetry of the young talent Yang Ming, which is very touching. Guo Zi's "Beautiful Mistake" is comparable to "Reservedness", revealing the gentleness of women. Another old partner, her manager Kwan’s "Empty City" and "Night Makeup" have an urban sensibility. And their lyrical words all present the beauty of calmness and determination.

Faye Wong’s music is mostly inseparable from lyrical and electronic styles. In the new album "To Love", more diverse genres have been integrated, including elements of Middle Eastern and Latin music, as well as trip-hop, folk, etc., making the music rich and strong. Faye Wong has created a brand new design, bringing more musical possibilities. In addition to Zhang Yadong, Faye Wong is also the producer of the album, which guarantees to be invigorating.

The new album contains four of her personal compositions and three lyrics. When talking about the possibility of creating an entire album, she frankly admitted that life is the source of her creative inspiration, and all creative motivation comes from her. Regarding her experiences and emotions of life, she only wants to express the feeling of a certain point in time and place, so she does not force herself to create the entire album. She just hopes that her creations can be closer to her own ideas and express herself through the songs, letting everyone understand her through her music.

Faye Wong, who is not good at verbal expression, has presented her mood and feelings on life during the past two years in front of everyone through her creations. She has always given the media and people the impression that she does not speak too much. She chooses to express herself in songs, regardless of the interpretation, as a singer and songwriter, she has profoundly conveyed Faye Wong 100%.

[Special Edition]

Limited CD+VCD enhanced version.

In order to repay the fans’ enthusiasm for waiting two years, Sony and the production company "Silverfish Music" spared no efforts in design. In addition to the 13-song CD, it comes with a collection of Faye Wong’s MVs and other behind-the-scenes production highlights. The 2-for-1 price is a super deal.

[Song Introduction]

To Love Music / Lyrics: Faye Wong Arranger: Zhang Yadong

Faye Wong wrote these lyrics using war as a metaphor for love. The cruel sacrifice of love is a fresh idea. It represents a firm, courageous attitude defying forces. Isn't love a kind of faith? Thousands of lovers are martyrs, willing to fight against everything. Heaven is near, we should “love to the end".

Empty City Music: Chen Xiaojuan Lyrics: KWAN Arrangement: Lin Hai

Empty City is the next masterpiece after "To Love". Is love illusory or real? Is a lover made in heaven or a natural enemy? Don't make empty promises, just feel it. The piano and strings, coupled with Faye Wong's easy-going vocal performance convey a heart-stirring desire for true love.

Leave Nothing Music / Lyrics: Faye Wong Arrangement: Zhang Yadong

A song of women’s hearts, another designated classic of KTV. The parallel lines are full of Faye Wong-style word games, comparing and contrasting. It is full of wit that makes people smile. In the lyrics, she said that the body and mind belong to two different people in their love affairs, in which there is a kind of unreserved and carefree freedom.

Passenger Composer: Sophie Zelmani / Lars Halapi Lyrics: Lin Xi Arranger: Guo Liang 　　

The song is like a road movie, showing the imagery through the song. You can vaguely see the passengers inside the car in Lin Xi's vivid strokes and gentle thoughts. There's a touch of sorrow, the coolest weather in autumn. This is a cover of "Going Home" by Sweden's Sophie Zelmani .

Carousel Music: Yuan Wei Ren Lyrics: Yang Ming Arranger: Huang Zhongyue 　　

Fresh and moving song about bringing joy to others, but not themselves. The carousel is a metaphor of selfless love. The whole song exudes a faint sadness within its warmth.

SOURCE: NETEASE // TRANSLATED BY: FAYE WONG FUZAO

#2003

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mini-pretzel · 5 years

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the stranger 1

Genre: angst, fluff, light smut

Music: loser

Additional tags: mentions of smut, lots of angsttttt, mention of death

Word count: 10k

A/N: so this was supposed to be a oneshot, a simple one time story. but knowing me things escalated quickly.

In which a mint haired stranger is all that’s on your mind.

He was on your mind again. It’s gotten worse than before; how insistent your thoughts were about him.

At first it was only a few innocent questions floating around in your brain of how he was doing and what he was up to, then it grew into something along the lines of wanting to feel his body against yours again. To feel his cold fingers graze the back of your neck and down your collarbones, to feel his breath against the goosebumps on your skin, to feel a smile form against your cheek as he thrust into you that much deeper.

At this point it’s become quite bothersome how invested you were in this man. And, to be honest, what were you so invested in him for? You didn’t even known his name, or anything about him for that matter.

You had only met him once, weeks ago at a party you attended simply because Jimin dragged you there. The guy had gotten sick and tired with you always moping around. So, he had decided to kidnap you as his hostage for the night, his intentions being very clear: not one more sad and lonely night on your couch with a disturbing amount of alcohol, ice cream and take out boxes full of deep fried noodles. Not one. You were better than that. You were done with that.

But Jimin understood your predicament. Break-ups were shit - he knew that all too well.

And even though you had been dumped recently and for others that turn of events had come out of nowhere, deep in your heart you knew why it had to be that way and, sadly, it was of no surprise to you.

You were with your ex, Minhyuk, for a while and things were great at first. You got comfortable with one another pretty quickly. At some point it had even seemed as though you were going to make it in the long run, with your interactions filled with knowing smirks and inside jokes.

You both had wanted the same things, had similar aspirations, goals and you clicked. But, a couple months back, when problems started to show their ugly head, tension started to pile up and cause misunderstandings to arise--and it became difficult to see eye to eye--it hurt you. It seemed as though it started with the smallest of things that could be fixable, but quickly grew into larger, more serious issues that allowed no room for compromise.

For example, you had wanted to get a cat, meanwhile he hated cats with a burning passion, calling them demon spawns, and opted the two of you got a dog instead. You didn’t.

You wanted to travel the world and learn about different cultures, meanwhile he was already well-travelled and hated the idea. He had said the idea was too romanticized and impractical.

You wanted to save up for a house and it turned out he hated houses. He was always frivolous with his spending; much preferring to buy designer clothes and expensive foreign colognes that made your nose sting and eyes water. Your once quiet evenings were suddenly filled with passive-aggressive quips and choking tensions or full-blown fights with resolution in sight.

It was difficult to see your relationship deteriorate at such a slow pace with no way out. It felt like a car crash in slow motion that you couldn’t look away from, too entranced to unbuckle the seat belt fast enough to get out.

So when he sat you down at that coffee shop down the street from where you lived--the coffee shop you first met him at (funny how those things worked)--you already knew exactly what was going to be said and how much it would hurt.

You had loved him, despite all of his flaws and your incompatibility. And a part of you foolishly held onto the belief that maybe, just maybe, if you two stuck it out you’d get past your differences and would be able to make a life together that you both would be proud of.

In your head, you had built up the perfect life with him; a home full of love, a deck with flowers, a tabby cat that would somehow win over his heart when he follow him home, and maybe, possibly even a ring. The promise of forever. You had hoped for that, you had worked so hard to keep your relationship from shattering for that. That ideal life with him.

Unfortunately, Minhyuk did not share the same sentiment. He laid out his feelings about you very openly on the table. And at that moment, with you sitting in that awfully comfortable chair across from him--with coffee in front of you that you didn’t dare to touch because of the knots in your stomach--staring at into his eyes and knowing fully well that it would be the last time you would see his face, you felt a realization dawn on you. You realized how hopeless it all had been.

“I just think it would be better for the both of us.” you heard him say as your image of him became a blur.

“Plus, I already have someone else I’ve been getting close to.”

And that was it. The straw that broke the camel’s back.

You felt the tears trail down your cheeks.

You cried over the failure that was your relationship, you cried over the years spent trying to fix what otherwise should have been signs that it would never work out, you cried over how you let him walk over you and your all-too-kind heart, you cried over always letting him win arguments because all you wanted was to be happy with him, and you cried over the fact that he had been completely not what you imagined, completely unlike the ideal imagine you had concocted in your mind.

The real him was sitting in front of you, stark different from the person you had created in your head.

And, finally, you cried over the life you would never get to live with him. The perfect, ideal life that was never meant to be.

After that, it felt as if something had been ripped out of your soul--your heart, most likely--and you didn’t have an appropriate way to cope.

So, you secluded yourself in your apartment, away from everyone in your life and threw yourself a pity party that lasted long enough for one of your closest friends, Jimin, to notice and grow increasingly concerned over.

So that’s why you were at that party that night, with a drink in your hand that was much more sweet than alcoholic, eyeing around the room in hopes of finding a quiet spot to slip away to and hide because you just did not want to be there…

That’s when he had caught your eye, or more like, his hair did. His mint green fluffy hair that looked too soft and perfectly styled, making you want to run your hands through it and tousle it into a fine mess. It was unusual, to see that colour worn so boldly, it had been evidently bleached by an expert and dyed to look the perfect shade.

You found yourself swallowing, you hands suddenly feeling extra clammy around your glass as the feeling of eagerness washed over you. You found yourself wanting to go over to start a conversation despite the nervous pricks in your stomach. You were ready to face the anxiety that usually held you back, just to hear what his voice sounded like. You bet it sounded gentle to the ear as his whole presence seemed calming and reassuring somehow.

And before your mind could register what you were doing--and stop you, like it always did, because this was not like you--you were on your way over to him, eyes glued onto his relaxed stature and the humble-sized biceps that were peeking nicely from under his loose tshirt.

You wanted a piece of that calmness he emitted. You wanted to feel that within you, for him to soothe the inner turmoil in your chest. Or maybe you just wanted anything he would give you. You would take anything as long as it was from him.

“Hey,” you had said and cursed yourself at how weak you sounded. You had wanted to make a good impression for some reason. Maybe because he was such a mystery to you and you were enthralled in piecing everything about him together. Figuring him out, who he was, how he worked. Uncloaking every little quirk that made up this mint tinted man.

He turned to you and once your eyes met his you knew you were done for. They were gentler than you anticipated; warm and held a depth that would take years to figure out, but you suddenly were willing to try.

“Hey, yourself.” he said and smiled, eyeing you from up down before meeting your gaze again. He had a gorgeous smile; albeit a little goofy with how his gums flashed so easily, but endearing enough to pull at your heartstrings.

You couldn’t remember what you talked about after that, there had been enough booze in your system to cancel out any information you could have gotten from him; like his age, hobbies or interests, or even his name. But you found yourself not caring, despite the fact you were so enthralled in figuring him out just moments before.

Maybe it was because you were still hurt and healing and all you wanted was company. Maybe because you were lonely and wanted to silence the dull ache with his laugh. Maybe because he was actually showing an interest in you and feeding that part of you that desperately craved that validation only another human being could provide. You didn’t know. All you knew was…

You took him home that night.

It seemed as though you didn’t even have to ask if he wanted to come along with you or not, as he had already made up his mind as soon as he started talking to you. And you didn’t mind that bold confidence or directness. In fact, you reveled in it. Your past few weeks had been so uncertain, so muddy, so bleak, dark and murky, that it was like a breath of fresh air to have someone so sharp and certain take the lead. He was a breath of fresh air, his whole presence was.

You had slept with him, and he took care of you throughout it. You didn’t remember much, that of being intoxicated so strongly thanks to the copious amounts of sugar in your cocktails. You did, however, recall that you cried and that he wasn’t creeped out or turned off by it in the slightest, which in turn made your chest feel even tighter.

He had called you sweetheart and dearest, and kissed you so deeply it felt like as if it meant something to him, like the two of you had been together for years. And all of that was a little too much for you to handle. He had been too caring to someone like you. Someone who was merely a one night stand.

You weren’t stupid, you knew that’s all that it was, all it had to be. Even if your heart was making grandiose leaps into the illusions, the possibilities of something much more.

Your mind was quick to tell your heart just how ridiculous the whole fantasy scenario was. Waking up the next morning to a cold spot next to you had proved it. However, there was something about him that seemed different and it made the thought of him stick with you. You knew there was something about him that made him different -- the perfect night sleep that came with sleeping next to him had confirmed it for you.

So now you were at another party, yearning, hoping to run into him again to see if you could get another taste of his skin. If you closed your eyes you could still remember the way his fingers trailed down your body, phantom touches that were a hazy memory of that intoxicated night. The way his temples got sweaty from going too hard, how his dark eyes gazed over you with a look that you couldn’t place, wouldn’t dare to ask, but wanted to know everything about. The way your bodies fit into each other in such a delicious, satisfying way.

You heard your name and jumped a little out of your skin, imagining it was him saying it like he had done so that night, in his low, gruff but somehow soothing voice. Sadly, this time it was not him.

“What are you so spaced out for?”

An arm snaked around you and you looked to your right to see Jimin’s concerned eyes trailing over your features. Your best friend always was such a worrier, especially when it came to you.

“Just have some work stuff on my mind.” you lied. He didn’t know about your nightly escapade with a mint haired stranger and you wanted to keep it that way. You weren’t ready to tell anyone about it, especially since it had only been just sex and just once. There was something about it, like that little anonymity that made you feel proud and confident, and outing it would break that little illusion for you. You wanted to hold on a little longer to the feeling the whole thing gave you. Maybe, in a few weeks, once you got over him and his charming ways you would come clean. But not now, not when it was all so fresh in your mind.

“Honey, you’re not at work right now. It’s okay to leave those things till later, they will all still be there tomorrow.” Jimin said in his soft voice as he massaged your shoulder which you hadn’t even noticed had become tense in your lie.

Jimin had always called you honey when he wanted to calm your anxiety down, that sweet word had served as your anchor in multiple situations in the past. Many people saw that as him liking you more than a friend or the relationship having connotations that ran deeper than just a normal friendship, but people saw a lot of things that weren’t exactly true.

You smiled, bringing your hand that wasn’t holding a glass of cheap whisky and coke cover his and giving it a reassuring squeeze. “I know, I just… It’s better to think about that than him.”

Jimin nodded knowingly and you felt guilt burn in your stomach because you knew that the two of you were on separate pages when it came to which him you were referencing. The him had changed since that night, but that update was only known to you.

“It’ll all be okay. It takes time, but you’ll be free of him.” Jimin said as he turned his hand to press his palm against yours and you held onto him a little tighter.

You will tell him. “Thanks, Jimin.” But not yet. “It means a lot to me that you’re here.”

“Always, honey.”

You smiled at his words, bringing the cold drink to your lips.

“Now,” your eyes met his and you saw mischief dancing behind them and raised an eyebrow, “Let’s see how many shots we can take before we fall over our asses.”

Your smile turned devious.

“You’re on.”

The next morning the first thing you remember is your consciousness slowly coming back to you from the dark haze of sleep and the undoubtable heaviness in your head.

You were in bed, not yours, but it was familiar. After a few moments of feeling around the fabric and inhaling the scent, your mind made the connection that it was Jimin’s. Which meant your best friend was probably nearby, possibly on the couch or possibly in the kitchen.

But you would have to peel yourself from the sheets to find out for sure.

You cracked your eyes open just enough to sort of make out the shapes of the furniture in the room as you sat up and stretched. You footsteps creaked against the wooden floor as you made your way across the room. After you opened the door, the smell of pancakes and bacon filled your nose. Jimin was definitely up, and definitely in the kitchen.

Hobbling over to the bathroom, you did what you needed to do and washed your face before staring at your reflection for a little too long. Taking in your messy hair, the dark circles under your eyes, that one pimple that Jimin swore was barely noticeable but to you was so prominent on your face you wished you could claw it off. You had no idea how you were attractive enough to land a one night stand, especially with a man as good looking as the mint haired stranger.

Would he even remember you if you met him again? Would he want to repeat that night, if you asked? A small voice inside of you sounded doubtful.

You shut your eyes and sighed deeply. You were not going to get anywhere if you started your day off picking yourself apart; you had promised to be gentler with yourself, especially after your breakup. Well, that promise was mostly because of Jimin and to Jimin. But you promised it to yourself as well, no matter how hard it seemed to be at some moments.

Throwing one last look at yourself in the mirror, your eyes staring back at you with disappointment, you exited the bathroom and made your way down the stairs.

When you got to the kitchen, you were greeted by a very hungover Jimin sitting at the counter and groaning into his palms, and a very chipper Seokjin making breakfast behind it.

You joined Jimin on the island table.

“Remind me again why last night was such a good idea?” you mumbled as you picked the sleep away from your eyes, your sight adjusting to the morning light.

“Because it was fun.” Jimin responded, looking pale in the face and like he didn’t even believe his own words.

“You wouldn’t think that looking at you now, Jimin.” Seokjin retorted and laughed when Jimin sighed dramatically at his quip.

“Shut up old man, you don’t even have the liver to handle the party we went to.” Jimin grumbled as if it was something to be proud of and crossed his arms before slouching in his seat, looking grouchy.

“We both know that’s not true, little man.”

At that Jimin pouted like a child and you used that as the opportunity to change the topic.

“What’s for breakfast?” you asked Seokjin, trying to peer over the counter to see what he was preparing. You could already smell some of it even when you were in the other room, but knowing Seokjin he would put something in there to spice it up.

“Oh you know, the standard,” Seokjin began, “pancakes, bacon, some sausage,” he paused and raised a plate of diced octopus, “and some fried octopi!” he looked so proud of himself you didn’t have the heart to tell him how weird that combination had sounded.

“That’s too much sodium, Jinnie.” Jimin complained in a high-pitched voice.

You nodded, sharing his sentiment. “Anything sweet?” you peered.

“Strawberries.” Jin said with a wink as he held up a large bowl of ripe and radiant looking red berries. You could practically taste them on your tongue - they looked that good.

“Tae would love those.” Jimin said after an audible swallow. “Speaking of which, where is that sucker?” Jimin said to himself as he peeled himself from the seat.

Before Seokjin could open his mouth to respond Jimin was already hobbling over to one of his many guest bedrooms. “Tae! Get your ass up! We’re having strawberries and fried octopus bits for breakfast!”

“He really shouldn’t call them octopus bits.” Jin tsked, “They’re just chopped tentacles.”

“Still doesn’t make it sound any less unappealing.” you admitted, but he just brushed you off and placed a loaded plate in front of you.

“Strawberries only after you finish your food.” he said in a motherly tone as he held up a fork. You rolled your eyes, despite an amused smile playing at your lips, before grabbing it.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to finish all this, Seokjin.”

“Call me Jin, please. We’ve known each other long enough for you to drop the formalities.”

“Okay, Jin it is then.”

Then a silence stretched, save from a couple of your muffled chewing noises and the sound of your fork scratching against the plate.

Jin went over to the fridge and took out a carton of orange juice and later a few classes from the cupboard. He unscrewed the cap and filled a few glasses.

“So, how are you holding up?”

You paused as you stared at him, mouth filled with a mixture of pancake, sausage and chopped octopus. It actually wasn’t as bad as you thought it would be. Jin knew how to put the right spices to make it work with the dish.

After a moment of confused blinking, you force swallowed the food awkwardly, almost choking and grabbed the glass of orange juice Jin held out to you.

“Thanks.” you breathed after you downed the entirety of its contents in one go. Your chest hurt after that amount of food going down at once. Wincing, you pressed your palm against it as if it would help ease the pain.

Jin shrugged as if his gesture meant nothing, almost as if it had been something that you should have expected for him to do. “So…?”

You stared at him, not knowing what to say. “Are you asking about my break up?”

Jin took a long drink of his juice and nodded. “That, and that mint haired guy you went home with a couple weeks ago.”

Crap. He knew. Oh, crap, Jin knew. If Jin knew that meant-

“Does Jimin-”

“I haven’t told anyone about what I’ve seen. Jimin was too drunk and busy sucking face with Taehyung that night to notice.”

You breathed out a loud sigh, relief filling your chest, but it was soon followed by guilt. You bit your lip, brows furrowing. You would tell Jimin about your one night stand, but not yet. You weren’t ready to deal with him questioning everything about the guy -- a guy you didn’t even know the name of.

“It’s not like that, Jin.” you said, setting the fork aside, suddenly not feeling very hungry. “I don’t usually sleep with guys I hardly know.”

Jin hummed, “I know that, even though I haven’t known you as long as Jimin has.” and something about that line made it sting for you. You repressed a wince.

“I was drunk and not thinking straight-” you began but Jin cut you off with a raise his hand.

“You don’t need to try to defend yourself with me.” Jin sighed, “It’s not my business what you do or who you take to bed,” he said, tone even, “But I do worry if you’re jumping into things a little too soon, or developing feelings for the wrong people while you’re in such a tender state after such a fresh breakup. That,” he said as he poked your nose gently, “is what I have the right to worry about. Especially since I don’t want to see you hurt again.”

“Thank you for being concerned, but I’m okay,” you smiled meekly, “I just think I’m going through the rebound phase, it should surely pass.”

Jin nodded, mulling over your words. “I understand. I’m sorry if I seemed too forward, I just don’t want you to start hoping for anything more than a one night stand with that-” his nose scrunched, “that guy.”

It was sweet of him, to worry about you like that. But you were a big girl, you knew it was just a one night stand for both parties that night. And even if you were curious about the man behind that gummy smile, it was still a little too much to-

Then something clicked in your brain and you narrowed your eyes at him before opening your mouth to unleash the words in a cold tone. “What do you mean, Jin? That guy? Why did you say that in that tone?”

Jin looked taken aback by your question and quickly averted his eyes. “Nothing you need to be concerned about. I’m just looking out for you.”

Your jaw clenched. “Bullshit.”

Jin sighed again. “It’s nothing, it’s-”

“No. Don’t bullshit me, Jin. Please. Not you.” you said, your voice steady, despite your hands shaking. “What do you know about him that made you say that? Tell me. You know something, Jin.”

Jin’s stare was heavy as he opened his mouth to say something, that’s when you heard Jimin stomping back to the kitchen.

“Tae is still asleep and it’s so hard to get him out of bed, that mother-” he stopped in his tracks as he surveyed the room and the uncomfortable atmosphere between you two. “Did I interrupt something?”

“No, you didn’t Jimin.” Jin said with a strained smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. You mirrored his expression.

“Everything’s fine.” your voice sounded off and you knew it.

He looked between the two of you with a concerned gaze, calculating, before shrugging, and dropped it. “If you say so.”

Just then a yawn erupted behind him, a tanned long slender arm wrapped around his neck and a sleepy Tae appeared from behind him with his hair sticking out in all directions. “Morning, peeps.” he said, stretching and rubbing his eye. “Breakfast?”

“Come and get it while it’s still hot.” Jin was back to his usual motherly persona, and you picked up your fork to move around the food on your plate.

“Sweet,” Taehyung grinned as he made his way towards the table, dragging a protesting Jimin with him by the neck, “I heard something about strawberries.”

“After you finish your food.”

“Yes, mom.”

Jin rolled his eyes as he handed him a plate.

You stole a glance at Jin before making conversation with Taehyung, inquiring about his activities last night.

At some point in your conversation you made eye contact with Jin again, your stare conveying one message and one message only.

You will definitely be finishing that conversation.

Just who was that mint haired gummy smiled stranger that got Jin so worked up?

Unfortunately finishing that conversation would prove to be an unsuccessful pursuit, at least for the past few days. As it turned out, Jin could be very good at hiding if the situation demanded it and he, of course, had no problem applying himself. The fact that he was so hard to get a hold of had set off further alarm bells in your mind. You had to get to the bottom of the situation. You had to find out what he knew and why he was so adamant on not telling you any of it.

Jin wasn’t the type to worry over nothing, so if he was troubled over your one night stand, then something was up. He wasn’t just showing concern, he was warning you about something. But he clearly seemed to be holding back in telling you the reason why. And come hell or high water, you were going to unravel that mystery.

“So yeah, you’ll be there this Saturday, right?”

You blinked, caught off guard before emitting an unsure ‘yeah’ into the receiver. You could hear Jimin sigh softly over the line and you smiled apologetically even though he couldn’t see you.

Your best friend was once again suggesting you attend another party with him. Somewhere between him telling you about his plans to play beer pong and do lots of body shots you got lost in your head over the truth behind that one night stranger. And technically you weren’t against the idea of going, you just didn’t like how depressed you got after too many tequila shots were flowing in your bloodstream. And there was that whole deal with Jin you still had to resolve. You didn’t want the resolution to be at a party.

“I swear, sometimes I think I need to upgrade my best friends list.”

You blinked, quiet for a moment, before letting out a weak laugh. “Sorry, Jimin. I just have a lot on my mind.”

“I can tell.” his voice sounded agitated, but empathetic nonetheless. “You know you can always talk to me, right?”

And there it was again, that ugly guilt forming as a lump in your throat you tried so desperately to swallow before you responded. “Yeah, I know, Jimin.”

Jimin was quiet for a moment.

“I have a preposition.”

“What is it?” you asked immediately, curiosity transparent in your voice.

“Let’s do what we always did when there was too much bothering us.”

A small smile grew on your face because you knew exactly where he was going with that statement.

“Let’s get shit faced and just vent all about our problems to each other, like we did in college.”

“Like about that guy that thought the perfect first date was to take you to a fast food joint?”

Jimin snorted, before responding. “What about that guy that you you were crushing on in your sociology class that told you you reminded him of his mother?”

“What about that shitty mark you got on your research paper?”

“I formatted it right! The professor just hated me cause my ass looked better than hers.”

Your heart squeezed in your chest, remembering those nights. They always held a special place in your heart. You loved them because it was just you and Jimin; two voices and thoughts that just understood each other without having the need to explain themselves too much. And there was no fear of expression or regrets. It was just emotion and encouragement. Jimin was a wonderful listener and an even better supporter.

The sudden rush of affection you felt for your best friend almost made you tell him about the one night stand then and there, but you held back. It would be better to do it in person, because that’s what made it so special. And a little alcohol always loosened the tongue too.

“Let’s.” you agreed, “That’s just what we need - a good rant and a good cry.”

“That’s just what you need, honey.”

You grinned so big the muscles in your cheeks were straining.

“I don’t deserve you.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m the best. You’re getting a bill for all the bullshit you make me put up with.”

That made you laugh into the receiver.

The night of the party came quicker than you thought. Unfortunately, not much has changed since you discussed your plans with Jimin. You were still planning on getting completely smashed and telling him everything that has been plaguing you for the past few weeks and you still had a situation to solve with Jin.

Except, Jin was still nowhere to be found. You texted him throughout the week and even called him a couple times, but it all went to voicemail. You couldn’t ask Jimin about him because that would raise suspicion. You wanted to make up with Jin on your own without having to explain everything to Jimin beforehand. Because of that, it really bothered you that Jin was making it difficult for you to communicate with him.

Your eyes trailed around the room, taking in the nameless bodies in the differently coloured hues. You knew no one, and you weren’t sure if that was a bad or a good thing. On one hand, it was good that you didn’t know anyone because all you wanted to do was slip away and find Jimin because you were itching to do what you had talked about on the phone. On the other, a part of you wanted to blend into the sea of people because, who knew, maybe, just maybe you would be able to run into him again.

The man that you had been unable to remove from your head for weeks. The man that had made a lasting impression. The man with the roughest of hands that had the softest of touches. The man with the charming gummy smile.

You knew it was probably a bad idea - he was a stranger, a one night stand for crying out loud. But a part of you had grown too attached to the memory of that night. And that made you unable to clear your mind of the way he made you feel. It wasn’t just the physical stuff anymore. He had comforted you when you were at your lowest. You couldn’t not have let that not have an effect you.

Just one more night and you would let it go. You had to have a taste of him again.

“I need to do this just once more, then I can start anew.” you said to yourself.

Like ripping off a band-aid.

And just like that, your decision was made.

With those words stuck on repeat in your mind, you stepped into the crowd. Your heard turned from one side to another in your little pursuit of the mint haired stranger. You weren’t completely certain you would run into him, but a naive part of you was foolish enough to try. Your mind knew that it was stupid and utterly desperate, but the desire to see him again outweighed the embarrassment that crawled through you as you searched.

His hair was the easiest indicator that it was him --- you had not met anyone else after him that had the exact same colour or haircut. That’s why you were sure the moment you saw it that it was him, even if it startled you at first into doing a double take.

You felt your mouth suddenly go dry as you studied it. It definitely was him. He was here. You found him. After weeks of obsessing, you could finally sate the thirst you felt for wanting to be in his presence and finally let him go.

And also learn why Jin had been so against him. You figured if Jin wouldn’t tell you, you’d find out from the man himself.

“Hey, stranger.” you said, a smile spreading on your face as you saw the hair turn and those familiar deep brown eyes survey you once more. “Come here often?”

He shared your smile. “Hey, yourself.” his eyes had been just as mischievous and deep as that night. He remembered. He remembered you. “How’s it going, beautiful?”

“Good. Better now that I ran into you.” you weren’t sure where this boldness had come from, you were usually more reserved. Then again, the last time you two interacted you had been just as forward, taking him home without much of a second thought. Without even bothering to remember his name.

His smile grew as his eyebrows raised up his forehead. “Really, now? Why is that?” he seemed amused, genuinely curious.

Now or never.

“Because I wanted to see you.”

He was standing closer to you now. You could feel his body heat against yours and realized how much you missed it. His smell had been the same as that night too, the cologne that was hard to place but immediately brought back the memories of sweat and heavy breaths. Your pillow had that same scent for a day after, too. It was a smell that was hard to forget.

“Really? Tell me more, beautiful.”

You leaned closer, your lips close to his ear and you knew he felt your breath because he shivered as you said, “Because I want to take you home again.”

Now it was your turn to feel his breath against your earlobe.

“Is that so, beautiful? And do what?”

Goosebumps formed on your skin even though you weren’t cold and strong shiver ran down your spine -- you loved every moment of it.

“And do something we both know is too obscene to talk about here.”

“Oh, I’m sure no one will hear you.”

Your hand had a mind of its own when it decided to slide up his torso, feeling the fabric of his shirt and the familiar outline of his body. He pressed closer to you, making your thighs and knees touch.

“A daring one, aren’t you, beautiful?” you heard his amusement in your ear.

“Completely different to last time, huh?”

“No, about the same. I liked that about you last time, and I like that about you now.”

Heat rose in your cheeks and you were thankful he couldn’t see your face and that it was dark in the room. You felt his nose press into your hair and didn’t want him to ever pull away.

“Besides, you’re more comfortable with me now.”

You weren’t about to disagree, after all, he was right. It’s much easier second time around, now that you had an idea of what he was like in bed -- how kind and gentle he was at making you come apart and piecing you back together. Knowing that made you daring in ways you hadn’t ever been before.

He was so close to you now, you could get a whiff of the faint smell of the detergent he used to wash his clothes. It mixed with his cologne so pleasantly you wanted to drown in it. It all was so familiar, his smell, his smile, his words. Even though originally your memory was foggy on the details, one thing was certain -- it was all coming back to you now, bit by bit. His strong presence, his alluring persona. A bit of a bite before the soft kiss. Everything that you committed to memory about this man.

And you realized, with a tightness in your chest that you needed him. Fuck, you really needed him. And you were so fucking desperate for doing so.

“Are you more comfortable with me?” you questioned, taking your time to enjoy the fabric of his shirt and the warm skin of his neck under your finger tips.

You felt his hand slide up the side of your arm and stop to cup your cheek as he leaned back to stare at you.

“I may be a little crazy for saying so, since we’ve only met once before, but yes.” he said and the words sounded so honest coming from him it made your heart squeeze.

“Want to get even more comfortable somewhere private?” you realized how needy you must have sounded to him, but you were far too gone to care. You needed him in your system, just seeing him again told you that.

His eyes, dark as they already were, somehow managed to become just a tad bit darker. “With pleasure, beautiful.”

And with that you felt the warmth of his hand enclasp yours and you were pulled out of the room, far from the crowd, the music and people’s eyes.

“By the way,” you started, looking at the back of his head as you trailed behind him. He looked back at you as he kept walking, close enough for your arms to be touching.

“What’s your name?”

A small smile flashed on his features as if there was an inside joke you both were in on. “Yoongi.”

Yoongi.

Now that was one secret uncovered. You felt yourself smile back at him, somehow feeling closer to him.

Maybe, just maybe it could be more.

Then, for a split second, your eyes caught Jimin in the crowd, looking around in a worried manner. Guilt pierced through your stomach.

“I’m sorry, Jimin.” you mumbled turning away to follow Yoongi out of the house.

You needed Yoongi.

And, you were getting your answers one way or another. No matter the cost.

When you got to your place, Yoongi did not waste any time pinning you against the wall and capturing your lips with his own. There was a quick ‘Careful, dear’ and a steady hold on your arm as you took off your shoes before you felt him close the distance between you and it nearly knocked the breath out of you. You whimpered against his tight grip, marveling at the hotness of his mouth and softness of his lips. You realized how much you remembered the feel of them, and how much you had missed them.

As you kept kissing him you felt yourself grow lightheaded. There was no room to breathe, and while that should have concerned you, the thrill that it sent with a shiver down your spine left you chasing the feeling. There was no turning back now, he was right there with you and, just for tonight at least, he was all yours. As yours as he could ever be.

“Bed?” you breathed out as he pulled away to trail wet kisses down your jawline, each damp mark sending electricity through your skin. You weren’t in the most eloquent state, your mind turning into mush thanks to his tactile abilities, but you were trying to speak in a way that communicated your thoughts.

“Please.”

You felt him hum against your neck in agreement and it felt so sensitive against your skin that warmth spread on your cheeks. God, you were already so weak in your knees. This was dangerous. Yoongi was dangerous.

As if in a trance, you lead him closer to your bed, stumbling over some things that were left by you on the floor carelessly. You really should have cleaned your apartment before you brought him home. Who knows what Yoongi thought of you now that he had bumped into the mess in the room. That thought momentarily scolded you, but Yoongi’s lips on yours made all worry vanish as quickly as it appeared.

You felt your calves press against the bed and your body caught against the solid build that was Yoongi. He was everywhere, all around you, his whole presence filled every little corner of your tiny living quarters. And with your arms around his neck and him tentatively working his lips against yours it suddenly felt as if he never left. All of the memories of that night were rushing into your head, like distant photographs.

He wasn’t a typical one night stand.

Yoongi’s hand trailed down your arm and grabbed a hold of your hip gently, then you were pushed into a sitting position on the bed, making it creak and sheets dip and crease from where you sat.

Once he pulled away from devouring your lips you heard him whisper something that sounded so faint and quiet, but you could have sworn sounded like your name.

A lump caught in your throat. “Huh?”

Yoongi said it--your name--again, before pressing his lips against the underside of your jaw and arms enveloping around you, creating a warm barrier that felt to innocent in comparison to the things that were sure to follow.

Something soft sprouted in your heart and you pulled him closer, bringing him to press his knees on the sides of your thighs and make him sit comfortably in your lap.

“You remember my name?”

He smirked, his face so close to yours that your noses were touching. “You’re a hard woman to forget.”

Oh, fuck. You tried not to think too much into those words, but your curious tongue spoke before you could catch it.

“Really? How come?”

Yoongi let out a dry laugh, his grin looking something akin to a Cheshire cat’s. “It’s not every day I meet a woman that cries on during a one night stand.”

Your cheeks were definitely on fire, the amount of shame you felt was palpable.

“Oh, sorry about that.”

“Don’t be.” his smile was gentler now, with less of a bite. “I enjoyed making you feel good, and comforting you after.”

You closed your eyes and tried to even your breathing. You really weren’t doing good with the whole one-more-night-and-then-I’ll-forget-about-him thing. No, definitely not. Instead, you were slipping more and more into Yoongi’s whole being, drowning in his touch, words and laugh and you were not sure you were going to make it out alive.

After a moment of silence, not awkward at all, just still and existent, Yoongi unwrapped his arms from you and moved to plop beside you, cocking his head to the side to look over you with a curious glance behind his eyes. “You have questions.”

“H-How did you know that?”

“I’m good at reading people.”

You avoided his gaze then. “Well, that must be useful.”

“Sometimes.”A pause. “What do you want to know?”

At that invitation, all the questions began fighting with each other in your head, all eager to be voiced and answered. But you settled on the most troubling ones.

“Do you know Kim Seokjin, by any chance?” You looked to him to see his reaction once hearing the name.

Something flashed behind Yoongi’s eyes, before a stoic mask covered his emotions once more. “I’ve heard of him. But I don’t know him personally.”

You weren’t really satisfied with that answer, as something in your gut was telling you that there was definitely something he wasn’t telling you.

“Really? It seems that he knows you.”

Yoongi raised his eyebrow at that. “Has he said anything?”

“Just that I should stay away from you.”

You heard him bark out laughter at that, looking like it was the best joke he’s heard in a while. “Interesting. Well, he’s not wrong.”

Your heart rate picked up at that. “Why?”

Yoongi smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Because I’m not a good person, beautiful.”

“What do you mean?”

“Perhaps you should ask him that yourself.” Yoongi said, looking way too relaxed in comparison to how wound up you were feeling.

What the hell was going on? All this was doing was creating more complicated questions for you.

“I would, but he won’t talk to me.” you frowned. “Can’t you tell me anything?”

Yoongi sighed at that, looking somber. “It’s not my story to tell, sweets. If you want to know it, you have to hear it from him.”

“But there’s always more than one side to a story.” you argued.

“That’s true.” Yoongi agreed, before fixing his gaze on you--a gaze which you returned--and contemplating something for a moment. “Tell you what, if you get him to spill our history to you, and then don’t hate me after - come find me and I’ll tell you my half.”

You mulled over his words, considering your options. So they did know each other. Something pretty bad must have happened for them to not be on speaking terms, and for Jin to avoid talking about him like that.

You were aching to know what it was.

Then, you felt Yoongi’s hand cover yours and blinked as his face itched closer to yours.

“You know, when you offered to get more comfortable with each other, this wasn’t what I had in mind.” Yoongi commented lightly, tone full of humour, making you break into a smile, despite the bits of information you got just now. There was something so disarming about Yoongi, that it was almost scary.

“Not what I had in mind either.” you admitted, mind still caught up in your conversation.

Yoongi’s face was so close to you now, his breath hot against your swollen lips. “What did you have in mind?”

“Something similar to what you did, I presume.”

He smiled, eyes twinkling. “What are we going to do?”

Your head was swimming, and in your recklessness, you leaned in closer until you felt your lips touch. “Let’s continue.”

He hummed appreciatively, curling his hand into your hair and pulling you closer.

You knew it made no sense, you knew this was a bad idea. You knew, you knew, you knew. Something deep inside you knew.

But when Yoongi looked at you like that you felt weak.

And you knew you were a weak, weak woman for Yoongi.

The next morning you were woken up by someone loudly, and, to be honest, quite rudely assaulting your doorbell.

You looked over to the side of your bed to find it empty - just like last time, and something heavy sank in your stomach. Yoongi was gone just as quickly as he appeared. Almost as if he were some sort of ghost - an enigma. It made it seem as if last night didn’t happen, as if it was all a dream.

But the marks on your thighs, and neck, though you couldn’t really see them but with just one simple touch could tell were there, told you otherwise.

You scrambled to get untangled from your sheets as your doorbell continued to shrilling in your ears. Whoever it was really needed to get your attention.

After pulling on a loose shirt you found lying around your floor, you finally got close enough to the door to yell who it was through it as you looked through the peephole.

“It’s Jimin, you fuck. Open up!”

Suddenly your stomach felt even heavier than when you noticed that the spot next to you in bed was empty.

Jimin. You had left him alone last night after both of you had agreed to spend the night getting drunk together. Shit. You really were a horrible friend.

You opened the door to find his face staring at you in disbelief and anger.

“Jimin, I-”

“I don’t want to hear it.” he said, sounding calm--too calm--despite the silent rage behind his eyes, as he raised his hand to stop you from talking. “I already know what happened and I don’t need to hear your excuses.”

You clamped your mouth shut, guilt choking you from where it pooled in your chest.

“What I want to know is, why the fuck did it have to be Yoongi?” Jimin asked, looking more offended over that then the fact that you ditched him.

“You know him too?” you asked, exasperated.

Jimin scoffed at that. “Uh, yeah. Everyone knows him. He’s the one that caused all that havoc two years ago.”

Something clicked in your brain just then and your mouth went dry. “Havoc? You mean he was the one that-”

“Yeah, he’s the one that set fire to Jin’s parents house.”

It was all so simple.

How could you have forgotten? It’s not like you didn’t know about the incident. It had been before you knew Jin personally, so all the information you had on it was from what you read about in the newspapers and saw journalists talk about on the news.

It had been a huge tragedy. Not only because the whole building burned down, but because Jin’s sister was still inside and was engulfed by the flames. By the time the firemen were able to put out the fire, all they found were the charcoal remains. The event had people terrified for months.

Your hands shook as they cradled the coffee cup for some kind of support. You couldn’t bring your eyes to look up.

Jimin sat next to you, shielding you from leaving the booth and Jin sat across from you, looking like he really didn’t want to be there.

“Well, this is certainly a predicament.” Jin said finally with a sigh as he stared at you from across the table.

You nodded, replaying your last conversation with him, letting the shame wash over you at how you treated him.

Jimin nudged you out of your thoughts before motioning to Jin with his eyes and you cleared your throat.

“I’m sorry, Jin. For the things I said last time. You didn’t deserve them.”

Jin nodded, eyes looking hollow, but didn’t say anything in return.

You swallowed a lump in your throat and licked your chapped lips. Where do you start? You supposed from simple questions.

“Can I ask about it?” you asked tentatively.

You looked at Jin’s hands playing with the pack of sugar as heard him sigh deeply. “What do you want to know?”

“How did you know it was Yoongi?”

“He was dating my sister at the time, and they were supposed to spend the weekend together when my parents were away on business and I was studying abroad.”Jin answered solemnly.

“What happened?”

“I wish I knew. All we have is his side of the story, because it was only him and Sooyoon that were there.”

You clenched your jaw absentmindedly and thought for a moment. “Did he go to jail?”

“Wasn’t enough evidence to convict him, since everything was burned in the fire.” Jin said bitterly before adding, “Besides, his father has connections to the criminal world, so it wouldn’t have mattered. My parents took him to court but he ended up walking free.”

You felt a cold hand grasp your heart and as you tried to hold back the burning in your eyes. “Why did he do it?”

“He said it was an accident, that he wanted to be romantic and lit up a bunch of candles…” Jin said, voice trailing off, before it came back full of resent. “But the firemen found traces of gasoline on the furniture and ashen floor.”

“I can’t believe it… Why did he-” you started choking on your words, the burning growing stronger in your eyes.

Jin looked at you, eyes softer now, more vulnerable. “My family is rich, my guess is that he wanted to gain access to our home so he could steal valuable antiques to sell on the black market through his father.”

“Then your sister caught him in the act?”

Jin did a sharp intake of breath, looking at the small pack of sugar between his fingers, the corners of the packet bent from his nerves. “Perhaps. Like I said, there’s a lot of unanswered questions in this. Things I wish to know myself.”

You furrowed your eyebrows as you set your coffee, now too cold to drink, aside and grasped Jin’s hands in your own. “I will find out.”

Jin’s eyes jumped up at that, staring at you incredulously. “What?”

“I’ll find out what happened.” you repeated, “I’ll ask Yoongi about it.”

Both Jin and Jimin made sounds of disapproval. “Are you serious?”

“Didn’t you just hear what Jin just told you?” Jimin asked, but you held firm.

“Yeah, I did. And I know that there’s more to this story than what we know. And I’m going to find out the missing pieces from Yoongi.”

“But you just found out that Yoongi has connections to the criminal world, doesn’t that scare you?” Jimin pressed.

You shrugged.

“You’re crazy.” Jimin mumbled into his facepalm.

“You’re really not scared?” Jin asked you, his hands still in yours.

You shook your head.

Jin stared at you, in both shock and amazement. “You are crazy.” you felt him give your hands a squeeze.

You stared back at him and hoped your gaze communicated just how determined you were.

“Maybe, but I also know how much this means to you.”

“You’re already steering closer to trouble just from taking home with you, twice.” Jin reminded.

“That was my decision. That was me being greedy. This is me fixing it.”

Jimin groaned beside you and said, “Jin, please tell her she’s way in over her head.”

“You’re way in over your head.” Jin said, but there was a smile on his face, a smile that you returned.

Jimin looked between the two of you and threw his hands up in the air. “I give up! If you want to rush head first into mobsters and gangsters and die early, be my guest.” he sighed dramatically before getting up from his seat, “I’m done, you hear me? Done!”

“Where are you going?” Jin asked as the blonde made his way to the back of the diner.

“Bathroom! You guys better come to your senses by the time I’m back!”

Both you and Jin snickered. All three of you knew fully well that wasn’t going to happen.

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imagines-forthe-soul · 5 years

Note

For your small imagines can I have Dabi, Twice, and Fatgum nsfw(as dirty as you'd like)/sfw headcannons for a female shy/quiet s/o who's black, has thick locs, introverted, nerdy, and studying to be doctor. lol aka shamless self insert please and thank you dear😉😚

You said both a small imagine and headcanons and it kind of confused me so I just went with headcanons, so I hope that’s okay!! Also, I can’t tell you how fun it was writing for a black reader. Most of the time when I write, I usually try to make the reader fit everyone or let you guys decide if she looks like you or an OC of yours, but it was really fun writing for a certain type or race of reader. I really want to do more things like this!!

_______________________________

Todoroki Touya (Dabi):

He likes your quiet and introverted nature, finding a sort of comfort in it. He doesn’t really like talking all that much himself, so having someone who is somewhat similar to that is good with him. He’s comfortable with you being silent most of the time and will only ever talk if he has something important to say like: “What should we get for lunch?” or something.

Makes fun of you endlessly for being so nerdy and studious. He likes to pick on you when you are doing your studies, stealing your textbook from you and waving it over your head, pushing your arm so you mess up your notes, or even slapping your books out of your hand. He acts like a typical high school bully but it’s all in good fun… at least for him.

Since you’re on the shier side, he likes to shamelessly flirt and fondle you whenever and wherever he wants. It doesn’t matter if you are at home or in front of your family or friends, Dabi is going to be saying some raunchy things to you or grope you without batting an eye. When he met your parents, his arm was around your shoulder with his hand resting on your tit, giving it a good squeeze as he just stared your father down and walked into the house with you in tow without waiting to be invited in. He’s disrespectful like that.

You’re going to get your hair played with and pulled on a lot. Like I said before, Touya is a complete bully and likes teasing you endlessly. When the mood strikes him, he is going to just plop a hand on your head, messing around with the different sized locs in your hair, rolling them between his fingers, braiding a few, and putting them against his lip and pretending its a mustache. You don’t really pay much mind to it at first since it starts off so goofy and playful, but eventually you’ll feel him tug on your hair really hard and hitting you with your own hair if you try to stop him. He’s a real cunt.

Bubaigawara Jin (Twice):

Like Dabi, JIn likes to tease you for being such a studious person, but it’s all playful instead of mocking. He’ll call you things like Einstein, Brainiac, Smartass, just to be funny but he won’t ever disturb you or purposely mess up your notes. Even though he’s a villain, he isn’t going to mess up your chances of becoming something as big as a doctor for his own gain (unlike a certain charred jerkface)

He’s in love with your skin and your hair. More often than not, he will be admiring the color of your skin and how it glows in the sun or how smooth it is. He hasn’t seen many people with your skin color let alone date one, so he is going to take as much time as he sees fit to admire your skin and give you compliments on it. As for your hair, he can’t keep his hands out of it. He plays with it each and every chance he gets. Though be careful because he does tend to rip out the knots without really asking if he should or not. He just sees them and goes to getting rid of it for you which usually ends up hurting you.

He doesn’t mind your quiet nature in the least. Honestly, there would be nothing Jin loves more than a quite and calm partner. He has lots of troubles both in his life and in his mind and would love (as well as need) someone who could just be there for him, to be his peace away from all the craziness he has to deal with both inside and away from the field of villainy. He enjoys being able to come home to see you quietly studying and then cuddling up to you and just staying silent as you read over your notes and press a soft kiss to his temple every now and again.

Toyomitsu Taishirou (Fatgum):

He is obsessed with your hair. There is nothing he loves more than playing with each one, giving them names, helping you pick out hairstyles, and taking care of your hair. He thinks it’s a great bonding experience and helps him appreciate you and your hair so much more. However, above all else, he loves helping you take them out when you plan on redoing them. Seeing your hair in its unkempt and wild state is something he loves because he knows you are usually nervous about letting him see it this way. He loves that you trust him with this part of yourself and that you’ve allowed him to help you.

Thinks that your studying to become a doctor is beyond cool. He knows that not everyone wants to be or has the quirk to be a hero, but he loves that you are still doing something to give back to the community by studying and working hard to become someone that can still save lives without being an actual hero by profession. He admires that a lot about you and tries to help you in every way he can.

Can I just say that this babe absolutely loves your skin color as well as your culture and background. In his younger years, he never got much of a chance to date outside his race, especially not one that is so similar yet so different from his, so this is a really fun and educational experience for him. Now, don’t get me wrong, he isn’t dating you just to see what it’s like to be with someone from a different race, he does love you, and a whole lot at that. He simply enjoys learning more about your races culture and history as the two of you go about your relationship. Being able to learn about your lover’s culture through them is a magical experience that he finds brings you both closer together.

NSFW:

Todoroki Touya (Dabi)

If there is one thing Dabi loves most about dating a black woman, it’ll be that nice ass of yours. His hand is going to rain down a whole lot of hurt on your poor behind because he can’t help but love how round and full it is and how good it feels to spank it.

He thanks whatever Gods for your hair because it makes it so easy to turn and toss you how he wants thanks to your hair. The long dreads make it so easy to grip and hold onto you or hold you down. Plus, if they are long enough, you can bet he is going to try and choke you with them because he is that rude and kinky during sex.

Your quietness is going to be thrown out the window when he gets his hands on you. Dabi is all about hearing his partner moan and scream for him and will take it as a challenge if you are quiet during sex. He will do any and everything he can to get a sound out of you, from licking your sweet cunt down until you are begging him not to stop to fucking you so hard that you will end up speaking in tongues by the time he is done with you.

Bubaigawara Jin (Twice):

He never expected sex to be different with someone outside of his race, but he was pleasantly surprised to find out that there are a few differences when having sex with you compared to Japanese women. An example being the way you moan and react to his touches. He loves how soft yet how raw your noises are, how you react to each movement he makes rather than only the pleasure he is or is supposed to be giving you. Your responses to his words and to his actions are so genuine and raw that it takes all his efforts not to cum too quickly when making love to you.

Is very fascinated with your breasts. It’s pretty common for some women of color to have larger areolas and honestly if you do, Jin will love it to bits. He loves to lick around them and marvel at them when you are on top of him. It drives him completely crazy seeing your beautiful breasts bounce as you ride him.

Loves seeing your hair sprawl out behind you when you both have sex. You look so beautiful with your hair strewn about the place, some thrown over your shoulder with the rest behind you, making you look so ethereal and perfect. Words of praise fall from his lips more than you can keep up with when he sees you like this.

Toyomitsu Taishirou (Fatgum):

His favorite position to make love to you in is doggy style. He loves seeing the arch in your back, making you look oh so submissive to him and only him. He loves to be able to run his hand down the arch of your back every so often, feeling the soft skin and smooth muscle there. He also loves the way your ass looks from this position and how he can hold your waist a lot tighter like this, controlling the pace you two go at.

However, what he loves more than doggy style is having you sit on his face. Nothing will make this man happier than having his head between your thighs, tongue shoved deep inside you pulsing cunt as you slowly rock against his face, his hands on your hips to help keep you steady. Big boi loves to eat and his favorite food just so happens to be the sweet fruit between your legs.

He adores hearing your sweet little moans when he makes love to you. They always sounds so angelic and soft and he wants nothing more than for you to keep making those sounds as he drives himself into you. He’ll bend down and rest his head against yours just to hear your sounds a little louder.

Wanna see some other shit I’ve written?

#bnha #bnha imagines #bnha dabi #bnha twice #bnha fatgum #boku no hero academia #boku no hero academia imagines #boku no hero academia scenarios

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homespork-review · 5 years

Text

Homespork Act 2: The Racism of the Conductor’s Baton (Part 1)

Years in the future, but not many…

TIER: Now what in the heck is this I wonder?

BRIGHT: ...the reader wonders what’s going on now, as we jump to a sun-bleached desert with a Wayward Vagabond wandering across it.

CHEL: Here, we introduce another count:

WHAT IS HAPPENING??: 1

Should the baffling developments to which this count is applied be explained satisfactorily later, we’ll take the points off, but we use the counts in the present to express how one feels on seeing them for the first time. Even if it does get explained later, I feel like this is oddly placed, especially since it doesn’t get explored in any detail here. Mileage may vary, though.

FAILURE ARTIST: I think when I first encountered this upd8 I didn’t click on the link.

BRIGHT: Thankfully - and unexpectedly - this state of affairs only lasts a page, and then we return to something associated with the storyline so far: Rose Lalonde has started a game walkthrough of SBurb. After spending quite a few words to say that she will be brief, she explains that installing the game is bringing about the end of the world.

Then she takes a couple more paragraphs to express her condolences and reassure everyone that it was all inevitable anyway.

CHEL: Not a case of HURRY UP AND DO NOTHING, as I considered briefly - writing the FAQ is about the only thing she can do in the circumstances. Warning people not to play the game won’t help now, since enough people have already started that the resulting meteors are going to destroy the Earth anyway. All anyone can do now is set up their own session and hope to escape through it, and all Rose can do to help is advise them in the hopes some succeed. Sucks for all the people in the world who don’t have a computer, though, but the apocalypse isn’t exactly supposed to be fair.

FAILURE ARTIST: Amidst her purple prose she uses the r-slur. It’s one thing reading John or TG say it, it’s another thing with her.

CLOCKWORK PROBLEMATYKKS: 5

BRIGHT: Over on the next page, John has survived! As has his house, and his father, although there are eyes peering out from under the bed...and through the kitchen door...oh, yeah, and the house is now perched atop a rocky crag in a dark sky.

FAILURE ARTIST: That’s a good atmospheric animation. The next animation doesn’t have the [S] for sound but it’s longer than a couple seconds. I probably accidentally clicked next when I first saw it.

Next, we get a new voice: some mysterious insistent prompter who calls John “BOY”. We’ll find out later who this person is.

CHEL: I’d say this doesn’t earn a WHAT IS HAPPENING point because we’re used to John obeying prompts. It’s curious that the style has changed, but not completely confusing.

FAILURE ARTIST: Next comes the first walkaround game! The reader moves John via the mouse, arrow keys, or the WASD keys. When you click on certain objects, a little yellow box comes up with messages clearly from the mysterious prompter. If you click that box, John’s opinions come in a green-lined box. You can walk around the whole house and backyard - except for John’s father’s room.

Since this is an interactive game, you can go in whatever order you want, but for the sake of summarizing, let’s go by the order in the printed edition.

John surveys the balcony. The prompter wants you to “do something with” what it calls the “ghost clown” and John explains that ghost clown is the kernelsprite and the Sburb server player is supposed to be the one to prototype it. Meanwhile, the kernelsprite spouts wingding.

John goes down the hallway. Dad’s room is locked so John goes to the bathroom. He notes that Rose did a “piss-poor” job of fixing the bathroom. He wonders if he could just pee over the cliff. Thankfully, this never happens.

John goes into his bedroom. It’s a mess. The door has been ripped off the hinge and there’s black goo everywhere. John is annoyed at the mess but begrudgingly admits Rose saved his life. John (or the reader) takes the time to look at the posters.

The prompter doesn’t like Little Monsters anymore than TG but John wishes he could hang out with Fred Savage. John’s wish to hang out with candy-corn-horn monsters could be considered foreshadowing and Hussie jokes about it being that but Hussie probably didn’t have trolls in mind at that point. Clicking the Con Air poster elicits the question “IS THAT JOHN CUSACK?” from the prompter. When we find out who the prompter is, it will make little sense they would recognize John Cusack, but the actor is a universal constant. Clicking the Ghostbusters 2 poster, we find out TG calls the film “nasty manbro bukkake theater” and poor innocent John doesn’t know what that means. It’s rather disturbing that TG does know. (CALL CPA PLEASE?)

CHEL: Not sure. At that age with access to the internet I picked up a bunch of obscene words without actually seeing the material they applied to. Then again, this is TG, and considering his later-seen home life it’s quite possible he didn’t just get curious on Urban Dictionary, so…

CALL CPA PLEASE: 1

FAILURE ARTIST: He examines the totem lathe, which the prompter calls a “sewing machine”, and wonders if other punch cards will make other shapes.

If you click on the computer, you see Rose is trying to get in touch with John. He ignores her for now.

John leaves the bedroom and makes his way down the stairs. Both he and the prompter hate all the harlequin art, but John does like the crude bust sitting on the floor.

The Cruxtruder is still in the middle of the room with its lid open. When you click on the lid, the prompter commands John to reseal the opening and John says “Pandora’s tube” has been opened, which is awfully literary for him. When you click on the Cruxtruder itself, the prompter demands John push it and exit the house. John says he can’t without grist and comes close to dropping the comic’s name.

When you click on the urn, the prompter commands John to topple it. John refuses, saying he’d never do that… at least intentionally. If you click on the portrait above the urn of Nanna, John wishes for her wisdom.

The prompter calls the doors to the kitchen “like you see in a cowboy saloon”, a turn-of-phrase that will be weird when we find out who the prompter is.

So John goes into the kitchen. There’s lots of black goo around and an orphaned bowl of cake batter, but no Dad. The black goo is apparently oil. John wishes for his father back. If you click on Colonel Sassacre’s book, John declares that both it and WISE GUY are his “favoritest book”. The prompter wants John to eat some of the Betty Crocker cake mix but John calls Betty Crocker a “wench”. This is the start of John’s feud with Betty Crocker. On the fridge is a primitive drawing of Slimer that John drew at the tender age of almost thirteen. This won’t be the only picture on a fridge we see. There’s board games in the kitchen cabinet, a callback to Death’s games in Problem Sleuth and also a weird place to put board games. If you click on the kitchen phone, you find out the prompter does know what a telephone is, but this phone doesn’t work.

Through the door is a laundry room, but both John and the prompter agree there’s no time for that. Note that the prompter knows what washer and dryer machines are.

Next, John goes into the backyard. The prompter wants John to fiddle with the live wires and John wisely refuses. John checks what the prompter calls a “wall-mounted gadget” (electric meter) and discovers the house is still powered. How come the prompter is familiar with so many electrical devices but doesn’t know about live wires and electric meters? In his commentary, Hussie does note that this is strange.

CHEL: To be fair, “magic” is a legitimate power source in this world.

FAILURE ARTIST: From the tree hangs a pair of trick handcuffs over the void and the prompter wants John to claim them. The prompter seems to be out to get John killed.

John goes back into the house (via what the prompter calls the “luncheon parlor”) and goes to the piano room. If you click on the huge mural, John says Cirque du Soleil filed a restraining order on Dad. I think Hussie once said it was because Dad tried to shave a performer. The prompter wants John to “consume nut” (again with the death!)...

CHEL: “Consume nut”? *immature snickering*

FAILURE ARTIST: ...but John says there’s probably no hospitals in this dark realm. If you click on the piano, the sheet music for Showtime pops up and that songs plays instead of the constant wind noise. Maybe you should visit this room first. There’s a safe in this room but John doesn’t know the combination.

Though Dad seems obsessed with clowns, we’ll later find out something that turns that on its head. However, Hussie does have his own interest in clowns, having once created a comic about a hapless circus clown named Whistles.

According to the book commentary, the entire walkaround game took less than twenty-four hours to draw, write, and program. Still looks good. That wind noise does get awfully annoying.

CHEL: The walkaround game is also the original source of “Trickster Mode”, an Easter egg in the Flash in which Hussie’s face floats on the screen and John looks like this:

Speculation ran rampant in fanfic and art for years, usually involving the “Tricksters” being the Superpowered Evil Sides of the kids. This isn’t quite how it turned out when Trickster Mode appeared again (much to my disappointment, I admit, I liked those), but that’s for much, much later in the comic.

John and Rose chat again. John can’t find his dad. Rose explains that John and his house have been transported to a mysterious somewhere which saved him from the meteor impact that destroyed his neighbourhood. Her research has turned up many similar collisions across the world, getting bigger with time, and the two conclude that the objective of the game must be to stop the meteors and save the world. There’s a rather cute bit of dialogue where Rose wishes John happy birthday and mentions her gift to him is in progress, and she helps him retrieve his father’s PDA from the precipice for portable internet.

FAILURE ARTIST: In Andrew Hussie’s annotation, he says this conversation made fans see the two as a “shippable commodity” (Hussie’s exact phrase) but compares them to shipping Colonel Sassacre/Pogo Ride.

CHEL: I’m pretty sure he was being facetious there, especially given that equally weird ships are actually canon, but the worse parts of the fandom latched onto it and John/Rose shippers get a lot of shit, mostly from people who ship Rose with girls. People who ship John with boys seem a lot more mellow about it. That’s Tumblr for you.

FAILURE ARTIST: On Dad’s PDA, you can see a chatroom called SERIOUS BUSINESS where a FedoraFreak is updating everyone on his rescue of his wardrobe from a house fire. FedoraFreak’s story doesn’t end here. While he doesn’t ever appear on screen his conversation can be seen on the PDA a few times later and at the end a character exposits important backstory to him before he passes away. Andrew Hussie brought up FedoraFreak a lot on his defunct Formspring with facts that like many of his answers on that site might be just taking the piss.

CHEL: John is now starting to notice the mysterious commands in his head, and attempts to refuse to follow them further; the cut back to the Wayward Vagabond immediately afterwards shows that he’s the one giving the commands by way of a strange-looking console. The console has four screens, three dark, one showing John. Now he’s starting to seem a lot less random, though we still don’t know much about him. If it was up to me I might have used this as his introduction instead of the first page with him that we got. He’s wrapped in rags but we can see enough of him to know that he doesn’t look human - his fingers are sharply pointed, his eyes are tiny and beady, he has no hair, and his flesh is stark black. Admittedly he doesn’t look a lot less like a real human than the stylised sprites of the human characters do, but you see what I mean, he doesn’t fit the appearance they have.

FAILURE ARTIST: I like this reveal of Wayward Vagabond, though I think again my first read I didn’t click the link. I don’t know why it’s a link and not a panel.

CHEL: Rose’s FAQ further explains what was demonstrated earlier, warning users not to activate the Cruxtruder until they’re ready to start the countdown. Once it is activated, it produces “cruxite dowels”, cylinders of mysterious material, which can be used in conjunction with the “Totem Lathe”, the “Alchemiter”, and special punchcards to produce objects from nothing, which will prove useful, though honestly I don’t know why they need to put the punchcard through the Totem Lathe and then the totem in the Alchemiter. I feel a step could be eliminated there in the design of these machines.

Unfortunately the FAQ also contains this line, and I don’t mean it’s unfortunate because Rose making typos is OOC:

Removing the lid signals the moment your life becomes a great whirling batshit pandemonium, somewhat resembling the chaos of an especially ethnic wedding. Somewhere, a soused uncle deliberately shatters china on the floor. Muddy livestock is decorated, and then lost track of. The question “Who’s mule is this?” at times can be heard over the din. CLOCKWORK PROBLEMATYKKS: 6 WHITE SBURB POSTMODERNISM: 3

FAILURE ARTIST: Oh wow. Guess there’s a lot hidden in these easy-to-skip parts.

CHEL: Rose herself is still in the observatory, watching the storm outside and the flaming collisions of meteors in the distance. Her laptop battery is running low, the house’s electricity is out, and the fire is getting closer, but there’s a backup generator behind the backyard mausoleum. While she has time, she tries to help John by prototyping the sprite for a second time, but it dodges the various items she tries to put in it, until Nanna’s ashes are knocked over a second time, directly onto it.

FAILURE ARTIST: I think it is said later that the prototyping is drawn to dead things. While the Betty Crocker box would be very interesting considering the mythology that later develops around that marketing icon, obviously the sprite would chose Nanna’s ashes.

CHEL: The Colonel Sassacre book has some importance in the lore, too. We’ll see that when more backstory is revealed.

The sprite disappears, but as John searches for an escape route from the house to retrieve the second CD-ROM, we see it again, slightly changed…

TG messages John and still seems pretty calm about John’s reports of weird happenings, coming out with a pretty entertaining rap about the situation. I still always giggle at “afflecks saclifice, i mean -crifice, would have to sufflice. aw fluck it”.

TG: ill have to make a rap about TG: i dont know TG: morgan freeman or something TG: being the president TG: itll be called TG: "obama made it so that no one gives a shit about black presidents in movies anymore" WHITE SBURB POSTMODERNISM: 4

FAILURE ARTIST: Fanon makes TG a great rapper but he really sucks and the only time he doesn’t (and in fact is the best in paradox space) we don’t actually get to read it.

CHEL: Probably that’s because the fans saying he’s great can’t rap any better. I know his rapping is a lot better than any I could do - for one thing he’s able to come up with one at all that quickly. I mean, yes, he does use words like “derangerous” in it, but I listen to a band who tried to rhyme “plane” with “California”.

FAILURE ARTIST: Good point. I can’t rap either.

CHEL: Is this a Problematykks point? I don’t think black people are the butt of the joke exactly, but…

Anyway. John stands on the balcony and Rose lifts the car from its precarious position on a spike of ground over the abyss, with the intention that John can break the window to retrieve the second part of the game, but just as he almost reaches it, her connection is lost, and the car plummets out of view below the clouds beneath the house.

FAILURE ARTIST: “The loss of any Dodge Dart is a terrible thing.”

CHEL: While checking his PDA, John is messaged by GG again! She’s surprised when he knows the explosion near her house was a meteor. Fortunately she’s unharmed, and mildly surprised but encouraging when John explains. Since he can’t reach Rose, John decides he has to get TG involved; TG is still rap-typing, and John’s reaction of “aaaaaarrrgh!” is pretty appropriate. John tells TG he has to use the game to save Rose, but TG’s lost his copy, and his brother apparently won’t be happy about TG borrowing his.

Rose gathers up her stuff to head out to the backup generator. Attempting to use her Grimoire for Summoning the Zoologically Dubious in her strife specibus results in this creepiness, so instead she uses her knitting needles. Some pages are spent consulting the Grimoire anyway, introducing the reader to the NOBLE CIRCLE OF HORRORTERRORS and some diagrams of what appear to be windows.

FAILURE ARTIST: Problem Sleuth had weird teleporting window shenanigans so this is a callback to that.

Rose goes outside briefly and thinks of a T.S. Eliot quote (“April is the cruellest month..”) that she attributes to Charles Barkley. Misattributed quotes are a running gag in this comic but for all we know in this verse maybe Charles Barkley did say that.

CHEL: She re-enters the house and prepares to risk confrontation with her mother…

And suddenly we jump to TG.

FAILURE ARTIST: Insufferable Prick Dave, unlike John and Rose, doesn’t simply shake his head disapprovingly at the joke name but takes out his sword and slices the box. He has a strong sense of self. Strider was probably a Lord of the Rings reference but Andrew Hussie didn’t come up with the names. He only chose them.

Like I said earlier, Dave Strider is sort of an author avatar for Andrew Hussie. Dave and Andrew have a similar sense of humor, similar bodies of work, and perhaps similar neuroses.

Dave’s introduction lists a few interests that never really come up again. He is said to like BANDS NO ONE’S HEARD OF BUT [HIM] but we never hear of these bands either. Andrew Hussie in the printed book bemoans that he never got around to talking about that interest. He collects WEIRD DEAD THINGS IN JARS but besides creating one abomination this collection never amounts to anything. He even lampshades his forgotten interests much later.

CHEL: The other kids at least get something made of their interests; John’s bad movies come up a lot and are the starting topic of a later important conversation, and Rose and GG’s interests are relevant to their game powers. Dave’s, well… The swords are his favoured weapon, but swordplay is much more of his brother’s interest than his, which is thematically appropriate, but leaves Dave’s own interests rather out of the spotlight.

Dave has a very cramped-looking room with furniture made of boards and cinderblocks and a bed which appears to merely be two mattresses stacked together. When the prompts bring up the game, he has the game in his possession and claims to have no intention of playing it, showing this is a flashback.

FAILURE ARTIST: Dave looks in his closet and finds the box his 13th birthday present from John came in plus a jar full of a yellow substance. John had given him shades worn by Ben Stiller in a movie and while the movie isn’t named it is the 2004 remake of Starsky & Hutch featuring the comedic duo Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. That movie appears in Problem Sleuth and much much later Stiller and Wilson become part of Homestuck’s mythology.

Meanwhile, the jar full of a yellow substance is not what you think.

CHEL: He browses the internet for a while, showing his satirical reviews of GameBro magazine, and introducing one of the comic’s favourite running gags, Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff.

SBaHJ is something of a legend even outside the Stuckosphere. Hussie originally drew it as a parody of bad two-gamers-on-a-couch webcomics, intentionally using terrible art, terrible dialogue, confusing layouts, and non-sequitur “jokes”. It proved popular, so he turned it into an entire comic strip, getting steadily worse with each entry. It… well, go check it out, words can’t really do it justice. Be warned that there is some graphic and disturbing content including incest, scat, gore, and bestiality, albeit all drawn so poorly it’s kind of hard to tell what one is looking at.

FAILURE ARTIST: Not just a general parody, it was in response to this guy on the Penny Arcade forum who wanted to learn just enough art to make a two-gamers-on-a-couch webcomic and refused to listen to people who told him he’d have to learn the basics.

CHEL: In-universe, the comic is drawn by Dave, who has “legions of devoted fans, most of whom are totally convinced of your creative persona's sincerity. Which is just how you like it.” Dave’s devotion to the concept of “irony” is a major part of his character; he hides behind “irony” as his reason for doing almost everything, up to and including liking his birthday present.

We then see a few pages from the fictional webcomic John also liked, depicting the Midnight Crew. While this could be interesting and relevant (you’ll see why soon), it would be more so at a point when we weren’t waiting for one of the main characters to be rescued from a meteor strike and/or massive fire.

GET ON WITH IT!: 4

FAILURE ARTIST: That is a lot of panels just to spend watching a character read a webcomic, even considering the importance of the webcomic.

CHEL: And while we’re at it, I’m assigning another point for posting Dave’s first conversation with John again. The reader might need a reminder of what was said, yes, but the magic of the internet means it would be possible to provide a link back to that page rather than making archive bingers read the same thing twice.

GET ON WITH IT!: 5

The new conversation he has with Rose is entertaining and establishes their relationship of mutual friendly snark very well, though.

TG: if you ever find yourself in the position where your life depends on me playing that piece of shit game, then ill play

Unwise words, Dave.

We briefly cut back to John, who finds another mysterious trail of oil in his house, and whiplash back to Dave. This might be an issue of the webcomic format again; in a webcomic, it’s reasonable to occasionally remind the readers that yes, this character’s still there and still doing things. In a book or in an archive binge, it’s a little jarring, but if the former applies that’s not really the writer’s fault.

Back at Dave’s, there’s a Flash DJ game on Dave’s fancy mixing equipment (much nicer than anything else in the room, as we’ll discuss further later), on which Dave accidentally spills his bottle of what despite John’s comments is definitely apple juice. He emerges from his room to fetch a towel, and now we see some clearer hints of the weirdness of his home. In the short trip to the bathroom we see two marionettes, created out of photo collages in jarring contrast to Dave’s sprite self, one overlooking the hallway and one hanging in the shower. Dave, meanwhile, cleans up the juice and hangs the soaked CD-ROM envelopes up at his window to dry. Despite his remembering to turn off the electric fan so they don’t get blown out, the game discs naturally end up going out the window anyway in somewhat more unusual fashion; specifically, a crow flies in and randomly steals them. Dave’s attempts to stop the bird result in sylladex shenanigans, causing his katana to fly out, impale the bird, and send it and the game discs crashing through the window.

#homespork #homestuck #homestuck meta #homestuck reread #homestuck review #let's read homestuck #literary critique #sporking

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moonah-rose · 5 years

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I finally saw the new Lion King...

Oh boy. Here we go.

I know I’m late to the party on this and there have been so many bad reviews of this film already that have mentioned the major problems. They’re all true. Every single one. So at least in that regard I got what I was expecting! Nothing better but nothing worse. I was expecting dead eyed animals with no emotion matching the voice acting and that’s exactly what it was. It was distracting and annoying but I did get over it to a point. So I’ll try not to make this review just another long rant about the lack of expressions. However I will mention that my best friend who I went to see this with is from South Africa and used to work over there at a nature reserve; she said she found the animals creepy as hell. She compared to how disturbing the uncanny valley in films like Final Fantasy (the movie) and Mars Needs Moms were.

In short; the technology is incredible and hopefully will get used in a better and ORIGINAL film, but it really didn’t fit a story this epic and personal where you need to see the fear, the sadness, the joy etc in these characters faces. It especially hit me at the end of I Just Can’t Wait To Be King where Simba and Nala are supposed to look so happy and giddy but there’s just...nothing there.

Eyes are the window to the soul in animation. And it’s not impossible to make realistic cg animals look emotional - Jungle Book and Narnia are proof of that. But this movie was definitely, in a word, soulless.

That’s the animation rant out of the way, what else can I add?

I’ll admit that I am biased. Lion King is my all time favourite Disney movie. I saw it when I was three, I still to this day have the Simba plushy I took to the first screening and held aloft, haggard and dog-eared as he is in my closet. I danced to I Just Can’t Wait To Be King at my Brownie talent show. I’ve watched the film enough times I know it beat for beat. However, saying that, I know it’s not perfect. When I went back a few years ago and watched all the old Disney films I did notice more flaws in Lion King and actually gained more appreciation for films like Hunchback and Beauty & the Beast that had slipped under my radar as a kid. Practically I do think B&TB is the stronger movie of that time. But, damnit, Lion King will always be my favourite at heart, just like Ocarina of Time will always be my favourite Zelda even though I think other games like Majora’s Mask or Breath of the Wild are technically better. Lion King was my first love and, given how meh most of the Disney remakes have been so far, I knew this wasn’t going to come close to how great the original was. But still I thought I’d give it a try and see what new things they could bring, same as I liked at least some of the new twists in Cinderella, Maleficent and Aladdin.

Sadly this movie brings nothing new aside from a different style which even that doesn’t really work. It’s a shot-for-shot remake except with certain parts slightly changed or flat out cut and it feels so off. I could tell what I was in for from the very first scene and it basically summed up the rest of the movie. First shot, same as before, the sun rises as the Circle of Life plays. Except in this one, the sun rises....and there’s like a three second gap before the music starts. I know that sounds like such a tiny thing but it happens so much! The soundtrack is EXACTLY the same, except it no longer flows with the animation the same as the old one. The first Lion King was almost on par with Fantasia with how perfect every movement and beat of the scene matched the notes of the music - like with Simba’s roar at the end, he starts roaring before the music has its big climax and it’s so distracting. That’s when I realised what this movie felt like; as though I was listening to the original Lion King soundtrack while watching National Geographic. Like the odd random bit happens to work but most of it just feels slapped on because it’s Lion King and they had to.

And when this movie does do things new, sometimes they get a laugh or can be interesting, but it’s so short and we go back to just quoting the original word for word without the same energy. James Earl Jones sounds tired recycling lines he said thirty years ago. The rest of the cast however are actually really good and we know these are great actors. When they’re saying something new it’s great but when they say words from the original it’s like they’re just quoting a different movie everyone knows.

Timon and Pumbaa, for example, are the best new addition to the movie, along with some moments from Zazu and definitely a more intimidating Scar. This is because a lot of their routine and dialogue is changed up instead of just reusing old jokes. A scene with them from the original which was the funniest for me, the hula distraction, is replaced with the start of Be Our Guest - and it’s hilarious. I was expecting to be annoyed they took it out but no, it was something new and clever even if slightly meta but I guess same as The Lion Sleeps Tonight is which was in the original (and is redone here, also pretty funny).

Moments like that worked but also in a way annoyed me more because they showed the potential of how this film could have been so much better. The same story but a new script, why was that so hard? Aladdin, Cinderella and Jungle Book had a few lines here and there similar to the original but still took risks - with JB even going as far to change the ending. I have problems with those movies, sure, but I at least respect them for trying to be creative.

Other tiny ‘new’ things that are added are Shenzi being a much stronger villain, which is kinda cool but they try to set up this rivalry between her and Nala in the final act and I was like; “...did I miss something? Was there a deleted scene were there was a bigger conflict with you two?” But then the other hyenas are no where near as funny as before, Benzai and not-Edd just do this “no homo” routine and then they don’t even speak again in the third act. Nala, Sarabi and the other lionesses get a bit more screen time but again it feels so rushed and actually makes it seem more confusing when Nala is like “if you want Simba you’ll have to come through us!” and then they all just watch again as Scar nearly pushes him off pride rock.

It also tried to fill in a plot hole with the original which, in my opinion, just created a worse one. So in the original Scar knocks out Zazu and there’s always questions afterwards of why Zazu didn’t tell the other lionesses - I always just assumed he couldn’t remember why he lost consciousness. In this one Scar sends Zazu back to ‘get the pride’ at the gorge. However, he THEN claims he wasn’t able to get to the gorge before Mufasa was killed....Except Zazu knows he was there! Yet he never tells the other lionesses! He doesn’t even say anything to Simba! It also had me questioning why Simba didn’t throw it back at Scar for sending him down there to roar and then being blamed when Scar explicitly told him to practice his roar as loud as he could - in the original Scar just hints to ‘work on that little roar’.

They did the same thing in Beauty and the Beast with that magical teleporting book. And in Cinderella where she’s more independent because she goes outside the manor and yet never just leaves. Don’t pick at something if you’re just going to create more questions.

So to sum up, is the film garbage? I wouldn’t go that far. I’m looking at it from the mind of a cynical adult who was always going to be comparing it to the original, which I think is fair if you’re doing a shot for shot remake. But for little kids who this is aimed for...I wasn’t sure watching it, some scenes I thought a bit too dark for them (like literally it’s hard to tell the lions apart in the fight scenes) but after it was done I was in the toilets waiting for my friend and I saw a little four year old girl with her mum and she was holding a Simba plushy in her arms, just like the one I had as a kid, and she was saying how much she loved it. The sight almost made me tear up with nostalgia. And it made me realise, despite all my criticism, this movie is more so for little girls like that than me. If this movie somehow made her feel the same wonder and excitement than the original did then it definitely can’t be worthless. I just hope she has or will get around to seeing the original. Maybe she’d like it more, maybe not. Maybe they will remake this movie again in thirty years and she’ll be writing a lengthy blog post about how the remake of the remake butchered her childhood memory of the remake...So long as she has those memories and those timeless feelings, it’s what matters most.

Okay I got surprisingly sappy at the end there but that really Lion King does hold such a special place in my heart I can’t not get emotional from it, even when ranting.

One last thing, my theatre was dead silent for most of the film aside from a couple of laughs at Timon and Pumbaa. However, I kid you not, when the lightning struck the tree and caused the fire around Pride Rock at the end, someone in the audience shouted out; “DRACARYS!” and I nearly doubled over laughing!

Speaking of which, Simba finding Mufasa’s body? Game of Thrones already did that scene better with Drogon and Dany. No contest.

#also wtf was up with that fur journey scene #the lion king 2019 #tlk #disney remakes #simba #mufasa #nala

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psi-psina · 5 years

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Nightwish are gonna release a new album in 2020 omg....i’m excited and i’m gonna be looking forward to it but i also don’t expect it to be an album that i really get into tbh. i hope this album will be less stale and maybe give a new angle on Floor bc i just genuinely can’t get into them with Floor as the singer. i just have NO emotional response to her, i don’t even understand it. i’m hoping it’s mooooore because EFMB if full of shitty, bloated, recycled, boring songs that overstay their welcome buuuut idk, even on My Walden which is the ONE song off that album that i actually like (and i LOVE that song, it’s CHARMING), i find myself pining for Anette’s voice on it :(

so basically, i HOPE that a new album from them will be something DIFFERENT from the last three, because they SERIOUSLY can’t keep milking that sound. But tbh, since tuomas is writing 100% of the songs and has never been particularly good at taking creative input from bandmates and is also totally obsessed with mythologising himself and probably 100% buys into his own brand, it could really go either way. the one thing i genuinely and literally can’t believe about EFMB tbh is that Troy literally joined the band as a full member after touring with them for years....and tuomas LITERALLY STILL ONLY USED HIM IN THE SONGS LIKE AN ORNAMENTAL SESSION MUSICIAN akjsdnlfj. god... he doesn’t seem to have any real passion or drive for creating songs anymore (he’s basically said as much...) and to me that Really shows in EFMB. that and the fact that Nightwish have literaly only put out 3 studio albums in the last 14 years? ok to be fair they also did that thing where they made an 80 minute music video but that whole thing with the imaginaerum movie just goes further towards my point LOL.

it’s a shame bc in a kinda profound way Tarja really was the sort of creative counterpart and, much as i hate to say it, ‘muse’ to him while she was in the band...like she SO OBVIOUSLY was and i find it hilarious that i’ve never seen fans really talk about this? i am one of the people who think it’s almost impossible that tuomas wasn’t in love with her, and tbh even if he wasn’t, his open letter and CERTAIN songs on dark passion play make it very clear that he felt QUITE possessive of and entitled towards her....its kinda disturbing honestly. and i feel like she was the only member who ever gave him much pushback, or who’s pushback and creative contributions really had some impact (earlier on, we all know the state of that shit in the Once era...) and honestly i feel like part of the problems that arose with Anette is that she just couldn’t and wouldn’t fill in that role for him lol. Floor’s case is different bc A LOT of time has passed since Tarja now lol....but i still wonder. I do find it interesting how obviously Anette was styled (in general but ESP for dark passion play) to look as much like Tarja as possible, aesthetic-wise, and how ah, you could definitely say they share some remarkably similar features in terms of their looks. >.>

#this is random #nightwish

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oddeyecadia · 6 years

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what if it’s us?

a college/soulmate/librarian!pidge x dancer!lance au. yeah that’s a lot. also another attempt on writing a multi chapter fic. wish me luck. this will be the only chapter that i’ll tag for plance au week tho :( i hope that’s okay. i don’t think i can finish this in just a week or even month so yeah.

also posted on ao3 | ch. 2 ch. 3 ch. 4

___

The first time they met, they didn't know immediately. But Pidge, being the natural observer that she was, was the first one to notice a hint.

"Uhm, hey." Called a guy with slightly high pitched voice, tapping her shoulder lightly as she finished arranging some books on the library shelf.

She turned to him with a tired expression. Though, she didn't miss how an unfamiliar warmth suddenly bloomed in her chest when she met his gaze. They were blue, his eyes. A charming, ocean blue. For some unknown reason, her heart started beating faster than it should while all the scars and little bruises on her body tingled in a strange way.

Pidge paused for a second, trying to comprehend and understand what this strong feeling actually was. She seemed to be the only one between them who felt it. Though, it might just be her imagination, she swore she saw his eyes widened a bit when they met her hazel ones.

Shrugging internally, she came with a quick hypothesis that it was only just the heat making her body react very weirdly. "Can I help you?" Pidge finally asked the lanky guy.

"You're a student librarian right?"

"Obviously."

"Can you help me find this book? I can't remember the title but it's orange!"

Her mind was sent reeling as she wore a puzzled expression. Was this guy serious? She never thought she would encounter an elementary in a college student's body. These type of people were in a very nice rank in Pidge's most annoying people list.

She let out a sigh. "What type of book is it?"

"A anatomy one."

"Follow me." He did when the girl then started walking to the STEM isle.

Sound of their footsteps filled the library. It was a saturday evening, the place wasn't as busy as any other week. Students of Altea University didn't usually have a lot of classes on saturdays. Though, there were still a few groups of people roaming around, like the usual academic prodigies who liked to finish their homeworks and projects earlier than everyone else, the novel fans who would read harry potter religiously everyday, and some couples making out behind the tallest shelves. Oh Pidge hated those. Was it really that hard to keep their library kinks to themselves? Apparently not for she could already hear kissing sounds from when they passed the fiction aisle.

"Is that even allowed?" The guy behind her asked quietly, though it was loud enough for her to hear.

"Nope." She replied, turning to the STEM aisle and started looking for a book with a certain bright color.

"Aren't you gonna stop them?"

"Too lazy to. Besides that'd be so awkward."

"True."

As soon as their small talk ended, her eyes finally landed on the third shelf where an orange calculus book stood out. Her short arms reached for the object and showed it to the person beside her. "Is this what you're looking for?"

His eyes squinted as he took the book from her hand. "I think so." Moving it closer to his face, he examined the cover.

That was the moment Pidge saw it. Two bandaids were on this guy's right arm close to his elbow. They were placed very similarly to where she had two fresh cuts from yesterday when she crawled under her bed to reach for her lost game boy, her arm accidentally landing on a rough surface.

The concept of every person having a soulmate that would receive the same injuries and physical pain as them was very fascinating to Pidge, but she never really cared for finding her own. Her soulmate didn't actually gave her a lot of wild bruises, cuts, or injuries as a child. But things changed horribly when she went to college. On her first year, she started getting a lot of small bruises on her knees and slight pain on her limbs for no reason. She thought perhaps her soulmate joined a sports team or something. She got really curious at some point, desperate to know what the hell her soulmate was up to that they had to have a shit ton of bruises. Thankfully, the injuries started to appear less when she hit her second year of college. Though, the curiosity never left.

"Yup. This is it." The guy in front of her smiled once again. "Thanks..." His eyes quickly looked at her name tag and added "Katarina."

"Don't."

"What should I call you then?"

"Nothing. I don't even know you."

"I'm Lance. Might as well introduce ourselves, you're probably going to see me here a lot for a few weeks." There was a hint of stress in his voice, making her remember that it was almost the end of the first semester. He was probably one of those students who treated libraries like their second home when loaded with a shit ton of school projects to do.

"Wow. Productive."

"Yeah, I'm pretty studious." She could hear the sarcasm. "Anyway, see you around, Katarina."

Lance gave her another kind smile before he turned around and walked away, giving Pidge a good look on the bandaids on his arm once again.

Crossing her arms, she gave the similar cuts she had with him a gentle stroke using her fingers.

It could just a be a coincidence. It was very common for people to have cuts and bruises below their elbows. She didn't want to assume that quickly.

He couldn't be. ___

She would never take the pleasure of slouching for granted ever again. Pidge, for the umpteenth time this week, fell asleep on her study table back at her apartment earlier today. She was only supposed to take a quick nap but ended up sleeping for the whole afternoon. Now, she couldn't even look down without her neck and upper back feeling as though they had been burned with acid from the inside. She didn't miss a class though, that was a good thing.

"You okay, Pidge?" The guy across her, Hunk, asked with genuine concern when he noticed her oddly good posture and the discomfort in her expression.

Hunk was Pidge's physics partner. The two decided to work on their paired homework at the campus library, an hour before Pidge's shift started. "I'm okay. It's just– my back kinda hurts."

"What happened?"

"Took a nap on a very uncomfortable position, that's all."

"Want some pain killers? I think I have some in my bag."

She smiled with gratitude. He was as caring as ever. "No, it's fine. I already took one. But thanks, Hunk."

Just as they were about to go back to their work, the library was bombarded with a familiar obnoxious voice. "Hunk!– Oh hey, Katarina." Shushes and groans filled the room as all eyes fell on who caused the disturbance.

"Sorry." Lance whispered, suddenly being aware of where he was.

"You guys know each other?" Hunk asked quietly as Lance approached them.

"No." She said. "Yes." He said.

The one who told the truth was him. Lance wasn't kidding when he said he and Pidge would be seeing each other more often in the library starting last week. Every night he would be greeting her, wherever corner of the library she was, with that bright smile of his. Sometimes he would come with his friends for a group study, sometimes he was with his group mates for a project, but usually he would come alone to borrow some textbooks.

It had been almost two weeks since he started his daily visit. He never missed a night, and every night he would always find something new to talk about. Pidge never really liked human interaction, especially with strangers. Lance on the other hand, seemed to love initiating small talks with everyone, even with Pidge who looked small yet very intimidating and tired of everybody's shit 24/7.

It was annoying at first, but she got used to it very quickly. He just wouldn't stop until he'd get even the slightest acknowledgement. Every night she'd learn something new about him for he was very talkative.

Lance was a nursing student, had a pet cat named blue, loved rain, grew up with a lot of siblings, and apparently he had a one direction phase. Pidge learned all of these in just two weeks of daily small talks. She wouldn't admit it but she would love to learn more.

"Hunk, can I borrow your keys?"

The big guy sighs. "Lost yours again?"

Lance scratched the back of his head, letting out a few nervous laughs. "Yeah. I'll try to find it later. Please?"

Hunk then gave what seemed to be his apartment key to him with his famous disappointed face.

"You're Hunk's roommate?" She asked Lance. "That explains his lack of sleep."

"Hey." The loud mouth whined with a pout.

"So are you guys friends?" Hunk asked once again as Lance sat down beside him, carefully keeping his posture straight and perfect as if he was one slouch away from breaking his back.

"Yes." He said. "Acquaintances." She said.

Putting his hand on his chest, Lance gasped dramatically. "Katarina, c'mon. I've told you some of my deepest secrets, we're not just acquaintances."

"You having a harry styles fan account when you were 15 isn't a deep secret. Also, can you please stop calling me that?"

"You haven't told me your nickname yet."

"It's Pidge." Hunk interrupted.

"Hunk!" Pidge whisper shouted, looking very betrayed.

"What? You said you didn't want him to call you Katarina. And same, cause you don't look like a Katarina."

A sigh. "Only my friends can call me Pidge, though."

Lance let out a victorious chuckle. "Well, I'm your friend now. Deal with it, Pidge."

The blue eyed wore a proud smile after finally calling her by her nickname for the first time, as if it was some kind of achievement. Like a promotion but in Pidge's life. The room then went silent– well, it became a little more quiet with Lance's mouth shut –after a few seconds of unimpressed staring from Pidge.

The silence made their senses focus more on their surroundings. Pidge could hear pages turning, pencils on paper, and quiet chatters. The lighting of the place made it easier to read but the mood just screamed sleep. The smell of books and wood helped her mind relax. Though, the random smell of mint was so strong that it hurt her nose. Where was it coming from anyway?

"What is that smell?" Hunk asked what she was about to.

"Yeah, it's so... minty." She added.

"Oops. Uh, it's salonpas. I put some on my back and neck, hopefully to ease the pain."

Hunk spoke. "Something happened in dance practice again?"

A brow of hers lifted curiously. "Dance practice?"

"He's part of our university's dance team."

"I sure am! We're more like a pep squad though, we do a lot of awesome stunts. But no, nothing happened during practice. Or to me in general."

"So... it's your soulmate's?" Pidge found herself asking, the thought of their similar elbow cuts flashing through her mind, causing her heart rate to rise a little.

"Yup. I'd always feel back and neck aches whenever exams are near, and finals are coming up, I bet my soulmate's back with their over studying bs. They probably never sleep, or they do but not comfortably. God, I can't wait to meet them so that I could tell them how unhealthy over studying is. Don't they know prioritizing studies over health isn't always good cause–" Pidge couldn't even focus on Lance's little rant as the cogs in her brain worked to make the conclusion for her hypothesis.

Their similar cuts, the small bruises on her knees that would appear out of nowhere and the slight pain on her limbs that she would feel for no reason, Lance being part of a dance team that did a lot of stunts, him having back aches whenever there were exams, a time where her studious ass was on it's peak, always ending up sleeping on her desk.

Realization hit her like a space ship crashing on land. Suddenly it all made sense. She knew that it was possible because of the elbow cuts she saw on him when they first met. But these connections just proved her assumptions were right after all. There was no denying it.

Lance was her soulmate.

Oh god... Lance was her soulmate.

The cute guy that had been trying to befriend her– and succeeding –for weeks was the person the universe was telling her she should be with.

Wait.

Did she just thought Lance was cute?

Oh no.

There's just too much to take in. Pidge's hands started sweating as Lance finished his rant. "I've said this multiple times but I just can't wait to meet my soulmate, and take care of them because they clearly aren't taking care of themselves that well." His eyes met hers and his face soften at her shocked expression. "You okay there, Pidge?"

"Huh?" She finally zoned in. "Y-Yeah. Just fine." When she gave Hunk a glance, she immediately noticed the obvious grin that was forming on his face. Bless him, it was clear that he was trying to hide it, but he was failing so bad.

From the looks of it, Hunk also figured it out. She shook her head very slightly. Don't tell him yet.

Lance did not seem to notice Pidge giving Hunk a begging expression for he said. "Mmkay. If you say so." He stood slowly, again keeping his posture as to not hurt his back even more. "I'll be resting in our dorm for a bit before practice starts. See ya guys later!" He walked out of the library humming a mess of tunes, like some kind of a remix. Probably, a song their dance group used for a routine.

Pidge let out a sigh of relief when he was finally out of sight. Though the tension in her breathing came back as soon as she faced Hunk.

"So..." He said a little too enthusiastically. "My flirty roommate and my snarky physics partner. A perfect match."

"Ugh." Was her only response.

"You didn't tell me you've met your soulmate?"

"I just found out. Like right now. I mean I've noticed things but I just didn't want to make conclusions that quickly."

"When are you going to tell him?"

"Never. Let him find out on his own." Besides, how was she supposed to tell him anyways? Hey, we're soulmates, I was the one who gave you those back aches. or Thanks for the bruises, dude.

Would he believe her? Would he even be happy to know it was her? Pidge had seen Lance flirt with girls in the library multiple times. She knew his type and it wasn't nerdy girls with a 13 year old boy's body.

She wasn't even sure if she was okay with him being her soulmate. Still, the thought of rejection made her heart sink.

"I hate to break it to you, Pidge, but Lance might not be dumb, but he's very slow. He wouldn't know unless someone tell him."

"Fine." She knew she had to tell him sooner or later anyway. "I'll tell him when I have evidence."

"Pidge, this isn't a thesis report. And aren't his- or your back aches enough?"

"Well I can't just tell someone we're soulmates without a strong evidence right? Plus, this–" She pointed on her upper back. "is internal. There aren't any marks or anything. Therefore, it wouldn't be as convincing." Excuses. Pidge had mastered making those a long time ago. She really just wasn't ready to tell him.

It worked for Hunk though. He shrugged. "Alright. True. You win. But when you tell him, I need to know what happens. Always update me."

#plance au week 2018 #day 1: learning institution #hmu up if ur interested to see part two cus i honestly hate my writing #whats a proof read #plance #pidgance #pance #college au #librarian!pidge #dancer!lance #there will be angst in future chapters btw bye #satri writes

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doomonfilm · 6 years

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Thoughts : Coraline (2009)

When it comes to animated Halloween fare, I know the overwhelming majority lean towards The Nightmare Before Christmas, and believe me, I can understand why. When it comes to me, however, I have a different film that I gravitate to when I need my scary animated fix, and that film is Coraline.

Coraline (Dakota Fanning), along with her Mother (Teri Hatcher) and Father (John Hodgman), are settling into the Pink Palace Apartments, their new home in Oregon after relocating from Michigan. Coraline is fascinated by her new strange surroundings, as both the house and her neighbors seem full of intrigue, including Mr. Bobinsky (Ian McShane), Miss Spink (Jennifer Saunders), Miss Forcible (Dawn French), and the young and odd Wybie (Robert Bailey Jr.), who gifts Coraline with a button-eyed doll that looks strangely similar to her. Things get stranger when Coraline discovers a secret door in her home that leads her to the Other World, where she encounters Other versions of her parents that she is strangely attracted to despite their button eyes and underlying scariness. As Coraline repeatedly explores the Other World, occurrences get stranger and stranger, and her neighbors begin to warn her that her actions may put her and everyone else in danger. Despite the warnings, Coraline continues to explore, eventually leading her square into the middle of a battle for control of both worlds between the Others and the real world.

Coraline is like a psychological thriller made specifically for children to be able to relate to. The scariness lies partially in visual scares, but the overwhelming fear comes from the mystery of the situation, and an inability to explain it even though you can understand it. Coraline’s frustrations with her family and the lack of attention they show her manifested into the creation of the Other World, where everything is centered around her to a dangerous degree, making the movie an illustration of the old adage ‘be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it’. The fact that the movie is based on a Neil Gaiman novel goes a long way towards explaining how the film is able to work on those two seemingly divergent levels.

The way that the story finds fresh ground to illustrate the literal feeling of fear one faces moving into a new, scary place is what locks us in immediately. The strange location, the oddness of the Pink Palace apartments, and the strange characters that inhabit it are equally compelling and repulsive, which is what keeps Coraline (and us as viewers) hooked. As we, like Coraline, journey forward with hopes to understand these unfamiliar surroundings, we go from a sense of something mysterious and magical being present to a real fear that a trap has seemingly been sprung. The discoveries uncovered are much bigger than anticipated... so big, in fact, that they provide a genuine opportunity for heroism.

Lots of symbollic shorthand is used to convey the disturbing concepts connected to the antagonists in the film. The concept of Other World, Other forms of those you know, and the button/covered eyes all have roots in deeply spiritual cultures and societies. False realities and mirror dimensions have long been associated with the metaphysical, the mystical and science beyond the comprehension of laymen. Even the Beldam has roots in folklore, with the old lady that may or may not be a witch being one of the longest-running tropes there is when it comes to spooky-related material.

The meticulous, breathtaking stop-motion animation is the true star of this show. The eye for extreme detail is ever-present in regards to all aspects : the environment the story resides in (for both worlds, inside and outside), the movement of the human characters, the movement of the animals in the film, and elsewhere. Certain characters, specifically the original residents of the Pink Palace, all have very distinct and exaggerated movements that, despite their grand nature, still feel natural. Certain sequences stand out as centerpieces, like the creation of the portal that connects the worlds, the Other garden, Bobinsky’s Mouse Circus, and the Spink & Forcible performances. If I remember correctly, the making of material stated two facts that I found incredibly interesting : the film was given a traditional (albeit miniaturized) wardrobe department, meaning all costuming was made as standard clothes, and not just amendments to the dolls; and, the entire film was shot once specifically for a screen test prior to the actual production taking place, meaning they did an entire stop-motion film essentially for practice, but ultimately to fine-tune the movements and details.

Dakota Fanning’s voice acting provides us with enough sass, curiosity and youthful determination to make Coraline an unforgettable character in the canon of stop-motion animation characters. Teri Hatcher and John Hodgman both bring the adult/parental tone of being too busy to fully focus on their kid, but Hatcher provides a sharpness where Hodgman opts for a more deflated feel... both flip these aspects on their head for their Other-counterparts. Robert Bailey Jr. incorporates just enough shyness and worry into his performance to make Wybie eccentric and emotional in equal measure. Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French use an ironic formality to counterpart both their appearance and their slapstick-style interactions. Ian McShane goes broad and over the top for the larger than life Bobinski. Keith David is obviously channeling all of the fun he is having in the production into his limited performance opportunities voicing The Cat. Brief vocal appearances by Caroline Crawford, Aanhka Neal, George Selick, Hannah Kaiser, Marina Budovsky and Harry Selick round out the cast.

Many, many people have told me that I need to see ParaNorman due to my love of Coraline, and one of these days I’m sure I will. Having seen Coraline originally on a big-screen (and in 3-d, no less, which worked quite well), it’s hard to imagine another film taking the place of this one, no matter how good it may be.

#ChiefDoomsday #DOOMonFILM #HenrySelick #Coraline #DakotaFanning #TeriHatcher #JenniferSaunders #DawnFrench #IanMcShane #JohnHodgman #RobertBaileyJr #KeithDavid #CarolineCrawford #AankhaNeal #GeorgeSelick #HannahKaiser #MarinaBudovsky #HarrySelick

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valaenarhaegarovna · 6 years

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Melt me away: Chapter 15

Previous chapter

Melt me away

Master list

Notes: This was my favorite chapter to write, and I am very happy share it with you guys.

Anyway, later I will make a post talking about this story’s timeline as I feel it might be confusing to some people.

"I can't believe Brandon is getting married."

Elia's eyes focused on her husband's image as she kept brushing her hair in front of the mirror. It was early morning, but the entire castle was already working on the preparations for Brandon's wedding. According to Northern custom, Brandon, Ned, Benjen and Edmure had to hunt for the feast; they would only return by nightfall. Meanwhile, the women had to help the bride with the decoration and planning where the guests would seat.

"And why is that?"

"He is not the type of man to hold to just one woman, as much as it hurts me to say something like this about my own brother." Eddard's voice came out in a painful tone. "He always knows what to do when it comes to Winterfell, but his honor is another matter entirely."

"You worry for Catelyn's heart." It wasn't a question; Elia knew her husband well. His exterior could be cold and harsh, but his heart was soft. Too soft. She placed her brush on the vanity, her long raven hair now tamed in a simple dornish style. "Brandon might have his flaws, but he is far from being the worst fate a woman could face." She told him tenderly, standing up and turning to face him. "Take Queen Rhaella, for example."

Ned scowled.

"Now you see..." The Princess smiled. "Your brother might hurt her in the beginning, but they both have a good heart and I am sure Lord Brandon will learn how to appreciate hers."

"I hope you are right." He told her, his eyes still filled with worry.

"Have I ever been wrong?" Elia walked away from him with a mischievous smile.

"Can't argue with that." He smiled back.

"Wise move, Lord Stark." She winked, sitting on their bed to put on her boots. "These are more comfortable than I thought they would be."

"Fine northern leather, my lady." He winked back at her.

"… and I spent all week finishing these details here." Catelyn showed the pearls she had applied in the bodice of her wedding dress. "I also added some wolf fur by the end of the sleeve, it suits well."

Elia smiled at her friend's happiness as she kept working on the Stark cloak that would be used on the ceremony. Since Brandon's mother was dead and Lyanna knew nothing of needlework, Elia, who was a Stark by marriage, volunteered to sew it. Needlework wasn't her favorite activity, but she had learned it dutifully. It was part of her mother's plan to make her the perfect Queen.

"I am just sad I won't be wed under The Seven." The trout sighed sadly. "Did you wed under the Old Gods, Princess Elia?"

"Actually, no." The dornishwoman stopped her work. "There is no godswood in Dorne, as far as I am aware of." She wondered if such thing mattered to Ned, maybe they should renew their vows in front of a heart tree. "We were married in the Water Gardens' sept."

"Oh, I envy you!" Catelyn whispered shyly. "Still, I love Brandon, and that is all that matters. The Gods will not curse our union."

I truly hope you will be happy. Even after being so adamant about Brandon's good heart, Elia could not forget her Ned's words. Catelyn had a gentle heart and she had already fallen for Brandon, while the Wild Wolf held no more than a casual affection; fondness. Cat would need to be strong in the beginning, for the Stark heir would not keep to her bed. Elia just hoped he would come to realize the lucky man he was.

They both went back to work, exchanging some stories about their siblings and childhoods. It was nice to have Catelyn around; the Tully girl's mother was a Whent and she knew a lot about Harrenhal, a topic that Elia had always loved. As a child, she would read tales about the castle's curse and all the many Houses that had perished under it.

"I am done!" She said happily, putting her needle down and turning to show her work to Elia. "What do you think?"

Elia, who was nearly finished with the Stark cloak, took a moment to admire the beautiful work Lady Catelyn had done. The dress was white, like most wedding dresses, with pearls in the bodice and longs sleeves adorned with wolf fur. But near the waistline she had embroidered small blue images, if you looked closer, it was possible to notice they were small trout. By the end of the skirt, there were small blue tridents that sparkled when light hit them. It was a fine work, very delicate and truly beautiful.

"This is wonderful, Catelyn!" Elia smiled and reached to touch it. "The tridents on the skirt are just marvelous." She looked at her friend once more. "You are very talented."

"Well, I love sewing." There was a deep blush on her face, nearly as red as her hair. "My mother taught me herself."

They stayed like that, comfortable and talking about small things. They spoke of their family, especially of their experience with their younger brothers; it was funny to notice how different yet similar Oberyn and Edmure were at the same time. A younger brother was always a younger brother.

A knock on the door, it was Old Nan. Catelyn told her to come in and the old woman came into view, followed by a very big boy carrying a big jar. Catelyn smiled and set aside her work, standing up to take the jar into her arms.

"Is this the Bride's Milk you told me about?" The Tully girl asked Old Nan, who gave one of her gentle smiles before nodding. "And I just need to take a cup before... welcoming my husband?" She spoke the last part in a very low voice like it was something to be ashamed of.

"Yes, one cup is enough." Old Nan smiled at Elia. "Would you like to drink it as well, Winter Sun?"

Elia liked that nickname, it was silly but showed the affection the old woman already felt for her.

"What is it, exactly?" She also stood up to take a closer look.

"Old Nan told me that this is something northern ladies drink when they wish to have a child." Catelyn moved away to pour herself a cup of it.

"It is made on sheep's milk and some rare herbs from the Neck." Old Nan said, knowing what Elia would ask next. "The ladies of Winterfell always became with child after drinking this."

The strange beverage caught Elia's attention at that; she had been praying for her to fall pregnant since after her wedding night. Ned avoided mentioning the fact that she had yet to fall pregnant after six moons of being married; her kind and dutiful wolf, always putting her feelings first. He knew how delicate that matter was to her.

Still, his gentle silence couldn't keep her from becoming sad about her flat stomach. Elia wanted to see it grow full of life; to feel the undying love her mother had told her about when she first flowered.

Catelyn approached her with a cup and the Princess took it with a smile and a small nod. It had a strong smell, awful. Elia felt dizzy and something rose in her stomach. She was certain she would vomit. Elia put the cup aside fast, closing her eyes to take a deep breath.

"Is everything alright?" Catelyn asked.

"It has a very strong smell..." The Princess smiled weakly, opening her eyes to see that the Tully girl had already finished her cup.

"Oh... I didn't notice it." Cat frowned a little.

"Princess." Old Nan called, turning the women's attention to her small frame. "When was the last time you bled?"

"You think I am with child?" Her response was low, shocked. "That is not possible."

"I have seen many winters, child, I know a woman with child when I see one." Old Nan was clearly offended. "Don't believe me? Go see Maester Walys, he will only confirm what I have told you!"

Elia cursed herself for the warmth that took hold of her heart; she shouldn't let hope invade her like that. She couldn't forget what the maester had told her all life or her own mother's experience with childbirth.

"Elia, that is wonderful!" Catelyn squeaked in delight, looking more like a girl than a woman soon to be wed. "You must tell Lord Eddard!"

"Thank you, Cat." Elia smiled at her friend. "But until I know if I am really with child... "Old Nan snorted angrily, but Elia ignored. "I don't want to tell without being sure."

"Of course! I won't tell a soul." Catelyn promised. "Now, go see the Maester, I can take care of the rest, you don't need to worry."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, you must take care of your own business." She winked. "We were almost finished anyway."

Elia thanked her again before leaving. She didn't go to see Maester Walys right away, the Princess was still too shocked. She rushed back to her chambers, telling the young servant assigned to her that she didn't want to be disturbed. She stopped in front of the looking glass, staring at her reflection carefully.

She felt numb, it was obvious that it would be no physical sign of the child growing inside her yet. Still, she kept staring. Elia touched her flat belly and then her breasts, they had been more sensitive for a while now, but she hadn't really paid attention to that. She needed to see the maester.

She left her chambers at a hurried pace, she needed to know as soon as possible. She didn't remember well where the maester's chamber was located, but many servants gladly helped her to find her way. She just hoped Maester Walys had time to help her; he had been busy with some guests from the riverlands that had gotten sick. She knocked.

"Princess! How may this humble maester be of your service?" Maester Walys answered the door and gave a big smile after noticing who had knocked.

Don't trust Walys.

Lyanna's warning came into her mind.

"He is a sneaky bastard." She had told her during their journey from White Harbor to Winterfell. "He likes no one but himself and his dreaded citadel. He will smile at you, because he sees an alliance with Dorne. If Walys decides that you are not useful to his plans regarding House Stark, he will get rid of you.

Seeing Walys' smile, Elia could understand why Lyanna didn't trust him. There was something way of calculating in his eyes; something that warned those who paid enough attention that that man could not be trusted. Her mother had taught her to see beyond smiles and pleasantries; and while Walys was good, it was not enough to fool Elia, who was used to Oberyn's far greater ability to fool those around him. Elia would be careful around the maester, and warn Ned about him, for the boys didn't share Lyanna's suspicion.

"I have a feeling I might be with child, Maester." She told him after being invited inside, noticing the many books in his table. "I would like to know if it is true."

"Oh, yes... Of course, Princess." He asked her to sit. "Forgive me for the mess, Lord Rickard asked me to copy some old books from the library that were becoming hard to read due to age." He organized his desk a little before turning to Elia. "Tell me, my Princess, when was your last moon blood?"

"It has been a while." She couldn't help but analyze him. Lyanna's suspicion had taken roots. "Maybe three or four moons." The Maester then asked her to stand up and asked permission to take a better look at her belly. "I also have been feeling dizzy and some smells started to bother me lately."

"All the signals point to a child, Princess Elia." The maester smiled again, taking a step back. "My most sincere congratulations."

Elia was sure her heart would fail at any moment. The happiness she felt was greater than any other, and she wasn't sure she could survive the overwhelming sensation taking over her chest. She was pregnant; she would become a mother. She would have to wait for many moons to hold her child, but she already felt like a mother. Maybe it was like Doran had told her once; men become a father when they hold the babe for the first time, but women were mothers from the moment they allowed the babe to grow inside them.

"Thank you for your help, Maester Walys!" Elia stood up fast, her voice a bit louder than usual due to her excitement. "But you must promise not to tell a soul; this is Lady Catelyn's moment and I wouldn't want to steal her day."

"Of course, of course." He agreed, but Elia saw suspicion in his eyes. "But I insist that you tell your lord husband, at least."

He thinks I might drink moon tea.

"Once Ned returns from the hunt, I will give him the news." She told him before taking her leave.

A child

I am with child...

She had been repeating that for hours in her head, and not telling a soul was killing her. At that moment, she was adjusting her golden earrings before heading to the godswood. She had decided to wear an orange dress with red suns on the bodice; she helped her handmaiden to braid a few opals in her hair, a very old Rhoynar custom. She knew some northerner lords looked down on Dorne, and she would be dead before showing off her land's might.

"You would melt in Dorne if you wore this type of dress, but I wish you would wear northern styles more often." Ned gave her a light kiss before taking her arm. "You look wonderful."

"You look very handsome as well, husband." She noticed that he was wearing the pin she had given him, displaying the sun of house Martell. "I must say, I am happy to finally see a wedding under the Old Gods."

"I have to confess... I have never seen one as well." He said as they approached the godswood. "I have spent my younger years at the Vale and then I went to Dorne, I didn't have a chance to attend a northern wedding."

"Well, at least I won't feel so out of place." She mocked him playfully before stopping to look at the decoration. "It's very simple, just like Lady Barbrey told me."

"Barbrey Ryswell?" Ned asked before looking around, seemed very worried. "She's here?"

"Yes, her house was the first to arrive for the wedding." She frowned, confused by his harsh reaction to the lady's name. "What is the matter?"

"Brandon took her to his bed once." He whispered, pulling Elia with him to stand closer to the heart tree. "His father has been trying to secure a marriage since then, but Barbrey is the one that tries the most... She probably tried to seduce Brandon into her bed again."

Elia instantly felt bad for Catelyn, the Princess felt in her heart that what Ned said had indeed happened and that Brandon had allowed himself to be seduced. In Dorne, there were paramours, but there was always an agreement between husband and wife about it; and if one of them acting against the other, the dornish laws would find a fit punishment.

Before she could ask anything else, Benjen hurried to their side.

"The ceremony is about to start, come!" The youngest wolf was very excited. "I asked father to hold the best places for us!"

Benjen dragged them with him to his ideal spot to watch the wedding occur. His joyful attitude was enough to take Ned out of his worried state, and Elia decided to let her husband take a break from worrying about every single thing in life.

Rickard and Brandon were already waiting by the heart tree; the head of House Stark was facing away from it, while his heir was on his side, his head turned to the path from where Catelyn would appear.

Catelyn came into the godswood, escorted by her brother. She looked gorgeous; her dress, while rather simple, gave her an aura of royalty. Elia had gifted her with a pearl tiara, and the Princess was very happy to see that lady Catelyn had chosen to wear it in such an important event. Edmure was dressed in a very extravagant manner, his clothes were a mix of blue and red, and it made Elia want to laugh.

"Who comes before the Old Gods this night?" Lord Stark roared when the Tullys came close enough.

"Catelyn, of the House Tully, comes here to be wed. A woman grown and flowered, trueborn and noble. She comes to beg the blessings of the Gods." Edmure answers with a proudful voice. He was barely older than Benjen, and his pride was already a clear problem. "Who comes to claim her?"

"Brandon, of House Stark, heir to Winterfell. Who gives her?"

"Edmure, of the House Tully, her brother."

"Lady Catelyn, do you take this man?" Lord Rickard spoke again.

"I take this man," Catelyn replied with a huge smile.

Then, Brandon took off her Tully cloak and covered her with the Direwolf of House Stark; he lowered his head to kiss her and it was done. Elia was surprised to see them leaving the godswood right after that; it had been very short and very different from the pompous ceremonies held south of the Neck.

"What do you think?" Ned asked her as they followed the other guests inside.

"It was... fast." She was very surprised, she had expected something very different.

"Everything is like this around here, I was not as surprised as you, but I understand the feeling." Ned chuckled. He guided her to the great table and pulled the chair for her to sit. "Now, Lord Hoster sent some lemons because Lady Cat loves some her lemon cakes, I asked the cook to save one for us, he will take it to our chambers later."

"You don't need to pretend you did it for me." She poked his side after he sat down. "You are the one addicted to lemon cakes."

"Rubbish." He faked and angry expression. "You have no respect for your Lord husband."

"I will respect my ridiculous excuse of a husband once he controls his urges and let go of his mistress." She joined him in their usual way of jesting. "How can you prefer lemon cake over me, I will never know!"

They both laughed and Ned took her hand in his.

"There is something I must tell you, Ned." She decided it was time to give him the news.

"My attention is all your, my lady."

She guided his hand to touch her belly and first her husband was confused. Understanding slowly took over his face and his eyes met hers; blue against honey.

"Truly?" He whispered.

She just nodded and Ned gave her the sweetest smile, making butterflies fly around in her stomach.

"You mustn't tell a soul for now!" She warned him fast, receiving a confused look. "This is Cat's moment, we tell your family in the morrow."

"If it is my lady's desire." He stood up and offered his hand. "But at least allow me all the dances this night."

She took his hand, and, true to his word, he claimed all the dances

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