#i tried to pick best context match in what i had but i have zero grammar knowledge of that language. forgive that | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

kenzumekodma · 3 years

Text

18+ only, minors do not interact

pairing: shouto todoroki x fem!reader, politician au

warnings: power imbalance, degradation, oral (m receiving), fingering, cum swallowing, finger sucking, teensiest bit of praise, one instance of canadian spelling

summary: if this was going to happen, you might as well commit to it. there were worse people to fuck on a monday morning than shouto todoroki.

wc: 2.5k

His father’s the highest ranking politician in the prefecture, you remind yourself. Just grit your teeth and bear it.

It wasn’t that you didn’t like Shouto. No, he didn’t like you, was more like it. Ever since you took on the job as his assistant you’ve shouldered this feeling that absolutely seeped from him, this feeling that he was inherently superior to you and you were nothing. A means to an end.

At first his quiet indifference bothered you, but as the weeks wore into months, into nearly a year… really you just stopped giving a shit. Sure, you’d gone into this job bright eyed and bushy tailed, answering with a quick yes sir, no sir to any questions he asked you. Slowly, though, your energy dropped, your output matching Shouto’s.

Coming into your work anniversary, a time when you’d imagined you’d be kicking your feet up for a night and enjoying a lighter workload, if not a night off, you walked into the office to a more chaotic scene. You groaned into the plastic lid of your to-go coffee. The hot liquid was your only saving grace. Closing your eyes for a moment, you took a deep breath through your nose, steeled yourself as you held it for a few seconds, and then exhaled through your mouth, lips closed into a small ‘o’. With renewed nerves, you open your eyes and walk into the elevator, making your way towards Mr. Todoroki’s office.

Large solid walnut doors met you a few short strides away from the elevator. Balancing your coffee, Mr. Todoroki’s tea, and your work bag precariously but with the confidence that comes with practice as you turned the brushed bronze handle. As expected, Mister Perfect was sat behind his desk. Larger than it really needs to be, you thought, like so many things tend to be when you’re living off the bank of Daddy’s Popularity.

“What’s all the fuss about downstairs?” you asked, setting Shouto’s tea down on the coaster he had waiting for it, just like he had every day for a year. He shrugged.

“Elections are coming up. My old man wants me to run for a seat on council.”

You nodded. “And that’s why I woke up to an email this morning from Endeavor offices saying Mr. Todoroki Sr. is scheduled to come by at 10:30 today with exactly zero context.” Shoto nodded once.

“There’s no point in stopping him. He has the knowledge and I need it, I guess.”

You sighed, resigned to planning a last minute visit for the man who’s effectively your boss’s boss.

“It’s too bad,” he started, pausing to take a sip of tea. Deadpan expression still resting on your face, you quirk a brow at him, a silent what? hanging in the air. “Too bad that my old man will have to see you like this. You’ve changed since he hired you for me,” Shoto said as he stood, tea placed flawlessly in the centre of its coaster. He stalked around the desk, getting ever closer to you. Instinctively, you went to place your coffee on the desk, but you caught yourself, putting your work bag on the floor, bending to pick up your planner from it. You missed Shouto’s eyes grazing down the back of your form, hesitating at your thighs, where their plushness was accentuated by the hem of your tight, light grey skirt digging in slightly. You slid your planner onto the luxury desk, using it as a makeshift coaster for your cup.

The corner of Shouto’s lip turned up almost imperceptibly. “You used to be so polite, y/n.” He took another step towards you and you froze in confusion.

“I…” you trailed off.

“You what?” he goaded, getting closer to you again. Maybe it was the adrenaline, maybe it was the aforementioned not giving a shit, maybe it was the surprise stress of Enji Todoroki’s insistence on the election, but you let out a breath you didn’t even know you were holding and speak your mind to your boss for the first time.

“I just, I know that you think of me as lesser, and it’s true. I am. I know that, you know that. You’re political royalty and I’m just trying to make rent. So what’s the point in trying to get you to respect me with pretty words?”

“Lesser, is that so?” he murmured. He was upon you now, slender hand reaching out to take your chin between his thumb and the knuckle of his forefinger. A mixture of confidence and careful carelessness swirled behind Shouto’s heterochromatic eyes. Bicoloured hair slipped from its place to frame his sculpted cheekbones as he looked down at you.

“I’m a means to your end, and likewise for you. If we’re going to use each other we should feel good too, right? Now, wouldn’t you say the best place for inferior little girls like you is on their knees?” His eyes flickered to your lips, to your eyes, to your lips again. The last three honeyed words dripped from his lips and straight to your panties making you clench around nothing. The span of four minutes and he’d already flipped everything you thought about him on its head.

In your doe-eyed stupor you hadn’t even noticed how fucking wet you’d gotten although it was undeniable when your thighs rubbed together as you shifted your weight back and forth.

“Well?” Shouto asked, voice quiet. You nodded, bringing his hand up and down with your face. He patted your cheek. “That’s what I thought. Down,” he commanded. Shame rose in you as you dropped to the floor, flush crawling up your neck making you feel as red as half of your boss’s hair.

You looked up at him for further instruction to see him unbuttoning the top two buttons of his expensive linen shirt. Instinctively you lifted your hands to unbuckle his designer belt, but he swatted them away.

“What makes you think you’re worthy of touching anything of mine? This costs more than your salary,” he sneered.

“Sorry,” you mumbled.

“Sorry what?”

“Sorry, Mr. Todoroki,” you corrected yourself.

“Not quite. Try again,” he tutted. You felt the heat rise from your neck to your cheeks, causing you to turn your gaze downward.

“Sorry, Sir,” you mumbled.

“I can’t hear you all the way down there. Speak up,” Shouto demanded.

“I, I’m sorry Sir,” you said, louder this time and with more confidence. If this was going to happen, you figured you might as well commit to it. There were worse people to fuck on a Monday morning than Shouto Todoroki.

“Better,” he said approvingly. He slipped his buckle and belt off with ease, unbuttoning his charcoal grey slacks. Your eyes followed his hands downwards and it finally hit you just how big of a dick print was practically staring you in the face. He pulled up the once tucked in shirt tails and bunched them up around his toned stomach. Agony, his pace freeing his cock was absolute agony. His length was impressive, on the longer side of anyone you’d been with before. And his girth. It was a lot like the man himself, surprisingly thick but beautiful. The vein running along the underside of his cock made your mouth water with anticipation.

He let it out of his hand and it rested heavily on your lips.

“Please, Sir…” you said, licking your lips just enough to tease him with the sensation of your tongue. Shouto bit back a groan but nodded his head. You gave his cock an exploratory lick up the underside. A low noise rumbled in his chest, which you took as encouragement to continue. Hesitantly, you lifted a hand up to his waist and dragged your nails down his abdomen lightly, causing him to weave his fingers through your hair and grip tightly. God forbid the political Prince Charming be anything but in charge.

He guided your head up an inch or so. Holding his length in his other hand, he tapped the flushed tip against your cherry lips and you comply, parting them without a thought in your head besides Shouto’s cock. You close your mouth around his head and suck lightly, savouring the ever so slightly salty taste of his precum against your tongue. Shouto guided your head back for a better view.

He’s been watching and waiting for months, wondering what your lips would look like wrapped around him with every sharp barb that rolled off your tongue. The reality of it was better than he’d imagined. The silky wetness of your mouth just fueled his lust further. What would your sweet pussy feel like around him? Would you let him in?

His facade faltered, and he bucked his hips into you. Your throat tightened around him and your eyes watered. Something in the way he treated you ignited a fierce competition within you. If his actions were a challenge, you took it and one upped him, taking as much of him as possible. Your nose nuzzled into the base of his cock, taking in the musky scent of his sex with every breath you tried to take. Bracing yourself with your hands on his chest, you swallowed around him. Shouto shudders and his fingers leave your scalp. He pets your hair gently, and for a split second as you looked up at him with curiosity, you saw genuine fondness written across his face. Whatever prompted it, he shoved it aside and gripped your wrists together in his larger hand, pinning them against him above your head.

His movement took you by surprise. Surprises normally caused dread to pool in your tummy. This particular surprise caused arousal to bubble inside instead, it caused you to rub your thighs together as best you could for just a tiny bit, any bit of delicious friction you could get. It wasn’t enough, and you let out a half moan, half whine sound that vibrated up Shouto’s cock.

“Pretty girl’s a little slut, huh? Likes being helpless? Keep going.” he sneered at you.

You nodded as best as you could without letting off of his dick, drool pooling at the sides of your mouth. God, the absolute debauchery of what this man would have you do for him, it made your thighs clench. Desperation evident in your actions, you moan around him, moving yourself as much as your tight little skirt would allow. Shouto shuddered and took your jaw in his fine, slender hand.

“Enough,” he hissed, pulling your mouth off of his cock. His breath came in shallow pants, the only tell that he was as affected as you were. The way you licked your lips as soon as they were unoccupied made him bite back a moan. You looked fucking delicious in that moment, a summer fruit ripe for the picking.

“Up,” he commanded. You tried your best to stand up with your balance off kilter. Really, Shouto ended up pulling you to your feet more than anything else. He turned you around, advanced on you until your ass was bumping against his desk, and then he took one step further, leaving you no choice but to shimmy up onto the surface.

“Is… is this okay?” you asked, and Shouto let out a chuckle.

“You’re just asking that now? I should be asking you instead,” he said. He leaned down and latched his lips onto your neck. “Well?” he murmured into your skin, fingers dancing at the hem of your skirt. “You wanna be my own little whore?”

“Yes… please, Sir,” you whimpered. That’s all he needed to hear to lift you up just enough to slide your skirt past the swell of your ass, letting it bunch up around your waist. He probed a finger along your covered slit. He stops at the wet patch over your aching core.

“Excited, are we?” he teases, moving your panties to the side and circling his finger around your hole, stopping just shy of dipping inside. “Tell me who this belongs to.”

“‘s yours, Sir. ‘s all yours, I’m all yours, belong to you, please, wanna be full,” you whined.

“That’s right, this belongs to me. I’m gonna take what’s mine,” he said. You didn’t know whether he meant your sopping wet pussy or your whole self but at that point you were ready to give him anything he asked for just for him to touch you, to make you cum. You let out a choked moan when he slid his middle finger unceremoniously into your fluttering walls, no longer clenching around nothing. Even one finger was a stretch for you. Not like he cared to let you get too used to it, he was more occupied with the idea of getting you to come undone on his hand.

He added a second finger and began rubbing your clit with his thumb. The urgent moans of his name and Sir, please careening from your lips sounded like the sweetest sonata he would ever hear.

“Please what?” he asked.

“Please, wanna… need to… please lemme cum,” you begged, head pressed forward into his chest.

“Let me cum, what?” Shouto goaded. “Just because you’re being fucked dumb doesn’t mean you get to forgo your manners. Remember your lesson?” he tutted, curling his finger into your bundle of nerves.

“Please, let me cum, Sir,” you gasped out.

“Go on, then. Cum.”

Your already tight muscles contracted around his fingers desperately as he stroked your spongy walls to your release. You came with a broken yelp, earning a look of smug satisfaction from the man looming over you.

He scissored his fingers once more, just to hear you mewl from the overstimulation of your fucked out cunt, your eyes scrunched shut to keep yourself grounded. The feeling of his messy fingers tapping at your bottom lip had you opening your mouth obediently.

“Keep it open,” he ordered. You opened your eyes to see Shouto had led you back onto your knees in front of him. His free hand fisted his cock inches from your face. You opened your mouth wider and looked up at him through your lashes.

“Fuck…” he groaned. Just a few more thrusts and he was painting the inside of your mouth and his fingers white with his cum.

“Close,” he said, and you close your mouth. “Clean it up.”

You sucked gently on his fingers, making sure to swirl your tongue around his knuckles and his nails, wanting nothing more than to please him, to be privy to that little bit of softness and praise you were sure he hid away for special occasions.

When his fingers were free of the mixture of your releases, he slid his fingers from your mouth and took your chin in his hand. He tilted your head to look him in the eye.

“Good girl,” he cooed. Heat rose to your cheeks at his praise, and he helped you to your feet again.

No sooner than you’d rearranged your clothing came a knock to the huge walnut doors, a deep voice booming from the other side.

“Shouto?”

#shouto todoroki x reader #shouto x reader #shoto todoroki x reader #shoto x reader #shouto x you #shoto x you #torodoki x reader #shouto x yn #bnha smut #boku no hero academia smut #mha smut #my hero academia smut #my hero academia #bnha #mha #notsfw

134 notes · View notes

burnedbyshoto · 4 years

Text

the marriage contract

chapter one: [begin this journey.]

— Just because your soulmate is Bakugou Katsuki doesn’t mean that he’s the one meant for you; in fact, he’s your worst enemy. With trouble brewing across the way, and with no one able to complete this job except you and Bakugou, there’s nothing you can do except go along with the mission. But wait, what?! You’re supposed to be married?!

pairing: pro hero!bakugou katsuki x pro hero fem!reader

chapter warnings: cursing

word count: 4,093

a/n: in this enemies to lovers story, only you get to decide whether you remain enemies, or if you succeed in becoming lovers. the choice to make is at the end of the story, good luck :D also, background on your quirk (sorry, I had to give you a quirk in order for this to work the way i see fit.) I won’t lie, im really nervous about all this... hopefully this is fun and won’t come and bite me in the ass.

Quirk: Water Sprout - using water from your body, you are able to extract and then use the water (that comes from your body or has come in direct contact with your fingertips) freely. Drawbacks include constant dehydration, dizziness, headaches.

bolded choice is the answer. ~ {masterlist}

[Begin this journey.] [Turn back now.]

relationship status: enemies.

“You’re fucking with me, right?”

Cosmic and gods, there was nothing in this world that proved these existed.

Nothing.

Nothing in this world could show the nonbeliever that there was an outside force in the world that made people suspect that there were otherworldly ties. Not the appearance of quirks, which was proven to be a genetic mutation as part of humans' evolution, and even the sudden and ancient appearance of The Contract did anything to solidify this - well, at least to some.

Quirks were easy to understand.

Powers, drawbacks, uniqueness.

Oh, it was something that was still so new to the world that people enjoyed it so, but for The Contract, oh how that was different.

The Contract was what was the name of the world wide know phenomenon more known merely as soulmates. Everyone had a fated one, and you would know who they were because every once in a while, a simple choice would appear before you.

A this or that situation.

You would pick one of the options, and somewhere out in the world, there was a person who, despite their own free will, would succumb to your choice. It was as simple as choosing to make someone double knot or single knot their shoes, or sometimes as hard as pulling the plug on a stranger, you had no idea existed. But it had been generations since it had first appeared, and people had grown to accept the inevitable. Which, in turn, brought out new problems.

Soulmates, while fundamentally and theoretically excellent and good, seemed to shock people by the work that needed to be put into them to succeed. Two souls that were perfect for each other didn’t guarantee two people were perfect for one another. The blind, false, true love these people bragged and teetered on was ridiculous and often led to horrible breaks within soulmate bonds. People did not understand that soulmates - just as any other relationship - needed time to fester and grow. It wasn’t an over the counter remedy, it was two people trying to find similarities other than the gods and the cosmics wanting this.

It was rather rough, to say the least.

Most people didn’t mind the growth, waiting for their soulmate to become the person meant for them. Others, well, you were the perfect example of it.

Your entire life, you had thought your soulmate was an asshole, well, scratch that, he IS an asshole. Every chance he got, he would always pick the worst of the two options. He chose for you to reject pursuers in your school days, to trip your siblings, to yell at your parents when you were upset. He picked for you to get up early in middle school and train, to study for tests right when you were about to go out with friends. He was obviously picking the worst things for you (not that you were any better), and so by the bitter age of fifteen when you were put into Shiketsu High School, you were glad to pledge to be someone who wouldn’t accept the soulmate shit for anything.

If he was your soulmate, so be it, but he would never be your lover.

Things in high school and your last year of middle school went reasonably well, the choices the two of you had to make were simple enough. The worst one you remember seeing late one night at the beginning of summer break during your last year of middle school, two options illuminating before you.

[Accept his offer.] [Decline his offer.]

There was no context for your choice.

But there had been a pit in your stomach, something telling you to chose the bottom one, and you did. Nothing consequential came from that, and you forgot about it with time.

High school went on with usual choices; both of you continue to choose the lesser of two options from what you could tell. The worst thing was rejecting your senior who had asked you out on a date (something he had told you to keep a secret from the school officials), and you had really wanted to go on a date with him… but nonetheless, you survived. Fresh out of high school with your official Hero License under your belt, you had been accepted into Rising Agency, a very new agency founded by a class older than you over at Yuuei - Class 1-A.

The prominent faces being hero Deku, Ground Zero, and Shouto.

Somehow you had passed the interview selection and had been accepted, and your first day went horribly. On account of your quirk, Water Sprout, you had woken up with a mouth drier than a desert, and like you always did, you grabbed your liter bottle and went to chug.

Only two options popped before your eyes the moment you moved the water to your parched mouth.

[Spill the water.] [Safely drink the water.]

You had tried your hardest to get your lip to the opening, but you knew better. During the time The Contract appeared, time literally froze. Your soulmate was given up to fifteen seconds to choose the answer before the first choice was automatically selected. You had tried to suppress the scream at the back of your throat when the cold, cold water came splashing down on your chest. Spraying all over your bed.

The scream you made when you were soaked to the bone no doubt made your soulmate smile wherever he was.

So you were glad when his options appeared before you a few minutes later.

[Break the sink faucet.] [Turn off the water.]

With a sniff, you held no remorse when your hand jammed out and hit the option he deserved.

You had arrived at the agency's front door within the next hour, your most formal business clothes were worn fresh and sharp. Your hand held your case with your hero costume and nerves at your stomach. This was it, you had thought, your hands sweating profusely, your mouth so dry you felt faint, and with a quick chug of your water, you entered the facility.

The agency smelled like Pine-Sol and sweets, and you found the front desk immediately but were off-put by a man who was already there. His back hunched over, arms crossed, and placed onto the counter as he seemed to be arguing with the receptionist.

Nearer and nearer you drew, and the more you began to recognize just who the man was: Ground Zero.

Calm down, calm down, calm down.

Your heart hammered viciously in your chest as you were finally in earshot of the conversation - it seemed that he was fighting over his new time slots for his routine patrols. But you were no stranger to his… vivacious temperament, and instead of addressing him first, you figured it was in the best interest to simply ask the receptionist what your first steps should be.

But as you opened up your mouth, your internal monologue of what to say blaring on repeat so that you wouldn’t mess up, the world froze, and you panicked.

[Ace the introduction.] [Fumble the introduction.]

The world was still for five seconds, but never did you ever once experience someone moving within The Contract. So, when Ground Zero’s hand moved and punched in an option that was mirrored right in front of your mouth, you immediately felt the blood in your cheeks from seeing him recoil back to your heart faster than you could blink.

“Hi, I’m Hero, and I’m new? I’m looking for the y/l/n room?”

Horror struck through you immediately at the realization.

Ground Zero was yours...?

He was your…?!

You saw red.

“Hah? What kind of introduction was -- WHAT THE FUCK?!”

Your fist throbbed pathetically still curled near his face, and Ground Zero’s blazing, burning red gaze matched the blood pouring from his busted nose as you panted like a corned animal.

“YOU MADE ME WET MY BED, ASSHOLE!”

So went your first interaction with your soulmate.

Your fist connecting and shattering his nose. Three of his friends holding him back, and three trying to escort you away quickly. It was indeed one for the books.

But that was three years ago, and at the age of twenty-one, you could still not handle the sight, or the presence of your soulmate, and vice versa. The both of you were like oil and water, conflicting and fighting whenever left together for too long, unable to get along. He was not meant for you, and you were not meant for him - it was evident like night and day.

Right decisions were made, however, once knowing who the other one was. The both of you taking track of each other’s patrol schedules to make sure good choices were made at that time, just in case, but as soon as the other was off, payback was a bitch. The entire agency had learned that both of you were soulmates the same day the both of you found out, and there were actual looks of sorrow given to you from his friends?!

Not to mention that his nickname for you was bedwetter now, something that both infuriated and embarrassed you to this day.

Both of you were separated at all times, never once having to work together, that is, until today. A time where we find ourselves back in the beginning.

“You’re fucking with me, right?”

A part of you wanted to roll your eyes at Bakugou’s quip, but in all consideration, you agreed with him ultimately.

“Unfortunately, I’m not,” Yaoyorozu sighed, her mouth pinched and her hands passing both you and Bakugou a small stack of documents for you to read over. You took your file after placing your water bottle down and opened it immediately as Yaoyorozu continued to speak. “Kane, Bryan is an American man who has recently been on Japan’s watchlist. He is highly dangerous, evasive, and a hard man to pin anything on… all we know is that innocent people are going missing when they enter his land, and undercover heroes end up in the sea with no memories, or worse, dead.”

That took you by surprise, and your stomach twisted at that thought.

Heroes have turned up dead?

“I don’t doubt the seriousness that this Kane man brings, but no offense, Creati, why does it have to be a mission for Ground Zero and I?” you asked, your eyes flittering from the blurred photo of the man on your page onto the slightly frowning commandeer of this agency. “We aren’t exactly… a good fighting duo? If what I think you’re asking is correct, why not send in Deku and Ground Zero? They have the best duo track record, I’m sure that they’ll be able to apprehend this man better and faster than we can.”

Yaoyorozu sighed, her teeth tugging at her bottom lip while her fingers drummed on the table, obviously not comfortable telling the full explanation.

“Well, to be honest, he stays on a remote island nearby, and it’s very exclusive.”

You owlishly blinked at Yaoyorozu, who straightened in her chair, a new air of confidence flowing through her that made you almost ask if a choice had been made for her.

“Kane owns a private island that is known for its resort, and to enter the resort, there must be two truths to this,” her eyes were holding yours for a moment, they were deep, so dark that for a second you felt fear tickle at the back of your spine before she turned her attention over to Bakugou. “One: those who may enter must be in a romantic relationship.”

What?

“Two: they must be soulmates.”

“WHAT?!”

You blinked, your head snapping over at Bakugou, who had yelled the same words as you did, obviously not impressed with what they were now enforcing. Oh god, this was not what you were thinking at all!

“Why the hell does it have to check off those two boxes? I’m not going somewhere obviously dangerous and in the middle of nowhere with bed wetter!” Bakugou growled, his feet planted onto the floor as he had his upper lip pulled into a sour face of sorts. “I’ll do it with literally anyone else, ponytail!”

“Unfortunately, that’s not an option,” she sighed, her hand pushing through her bangs with a sad shake of her head. She looked tired, and her exhaustive eyes rose to meet yours, and his, and her voice was weak and oh so pleading. “There is some way they can tell if you’re soulmates, and those we sent out who weren’t already soulmates never made it in. You two are quite literally our only option, without the two of you, we don’t stand a chance.”

“So, can we act as estranged lovers then?” you questioned, your stomach twisting in the thought of having to display any sort of romantic displays with the man sitting right next to you. “We can be a couple trying to work on our relationship?”

Yayorozu gulped.

“W-We actually made profiles for the two of you…”

“And?” came Bakugou’s near whisper.

“Y-You’ll be acting as a, well, a newly married couple. This is your honeymoon… I know you two don’t have a good history, and your on field teamwork has never been tried, but I’m pleading to you two now, please consider. You have until tomorrow to tell me if you accept.”

If there had been a choice that appeared for Bakugou to make you slam your head through the desk, you would have thanked him for choosing it.

[Carry all the bags] [Take only his bags.]

“Thank you!” you chirped with no pity for the situation you had just placed him in, the glint of a sneer flashing across Bakugou’s face was fierce as he took the bags of luggage the two of you had been given from your agency. This was it, it was starting.

The weight of what was to come of this was now starting to hit heavily, the importance of the diamond ring on your finger - a symbol of the fake marriage contract between you and Bakugou felt like a ton. There was no hiding the discomfort the both of you held when you had to act in love, your hand itching to leave his clammy, abnormally warm hands, and you never realized how he mumbled under his breath until you were forced to sit next to him on the private plane. But as you were given two days to prepare for this mission, it didn’t hit you what was happening until you unloaded from the plane.

From the initial observation of the island, you immediately recognized just why the owner was so elusive and able to keep his agenda hidden. The island's natural barriers were bright as day, the rocky mountains seemed entirely inhabitable, and the entire resort was located where the mountains met the beach. Tropics and natural waterholes existed in those parts before slowly blending into the white sand beaches with water so blue and clean that you genuinely wished you would be having a good time.

You hated having to remind yourself that you were here for the sake of a mission and not to simply lay out, well, it was easy to forget that until Bakugou was beside you, and you fought the instinctive reaction to scowl at him. In fact, with your gaze falling onto the blond-haired hero, you didn’t notice the small woman appearing from nowhere, a bright smile on her face and white linen clothes on

“Welcome to Hibani Island!” she chirped, her eyes closing in well-practiced greetings, she spoke with an accent, and with her appearance, you assumed she was American. “My name is Jane, and I’m here to welcome you to our wonderful island! May I please have your names and the choice you had upon arrival?”

Your greeting smile disappeared at that point, your head tilting in confusion, “I’m sorry, our choice?”

“Mhm!” Jane nodded enthusiastically, the same bright smile plastered on her face. “Our wonderful island works in mysterious ways! As you both know, our beautiful resort is only for those who are soulmates; after all, we would never wish to poison her beautiful nature with impure love! Upon entry, with the help of the island, I am able to procure a choice for you and your soulmate to make! Since I posed the question to you,” her glazed over eyes focused on you, “I would appreciate it if your partner answered!”

There was a silence, and it couldn’t have lasted any more than a few seconds in all reality. But in that still, you could feel the hair on the back of your neck stand straight up, there was obviously something entirely wrong here.

“A choice about who would carry the luggage in,” Bakugou calmly, smoothly answered, his voice somehow not picking up on any suspicion. “Be -- Y/n chose that I would carry them all.”

The way your name passed his lips made your spine stiffen, it felt weird, unnatural, fake.

Well, this entire thing is fake, you reminded yourself, grateful that Jane was at the moment impressed by Bakugou’s correct statement.

“Well, wonderful! I’m so glad that our island can greet two beautiful soulmates today! Your names? So that I may check you both in?”

“Nakamura Katsuki and Y/n.”

“Amazing! Let’s get you to the main lobby, and they’ll set you two love birds up!”

Thankfully, Jane was a woman who didn’t mind talking to herself the entire way over to the resort’s main lobby, she spoke wonders of how the hot springs were especially “magically” at night, and promised that a trip during that time would lead to “the best of fantasies.” The resort itself was oddly busy. Couples were everywhere, each in their own world, yet all orbiting around one another, never once mixing.

The white sundress you wore suddenly felt too simple, especially with the stupid designer wear most people were wearing.

Jane escorted you to the front desk, and with one last overenthusiastic smile, she disappeared.

“Check us in, Joo Dee just about made me fucking lose it,” Bakugou grumbled, his patience hanging on a much thinner thread than yours apparently.

“Glad to know it takes only one super smiley person to ruin your day,” you couldn’t help but snip, the rolling of your eyes only stopped when the front desk clerk began to walk over, a bright smile on his face, and his hand waving in greeting.

You opened your mouth, ready to begin talking when his welcome rang clearly in your ears, but just as it happened all those years ago, the world froze.

[Ace the introduction.] [Fumble the introduction.]

The prideful, arrogant smirk on his face seemed to burn into your back as he stared from behind you.

“Hi, I would like it.”

Your voice gave out, and with burning cheeks, you and the front desk clerk stared at each other, the awkward silence biting into your throat. The clerks’ smile, breaking slightly in his second-hand embarrassment and wonder as to why you stopped talking, but despite wanting to continue speaking your voice refused to work again.

Bakugou Katsuki was an asshole.

“Are you here to check in?” he asked, his eyes searching yours in hopes that was what you were here for.

With a burning face, you nodded, and the check-in proceeded.

The clerk, who introduced himself as Ryan Locke, quickly checked you and Bakugou into your rooms. He pulled out a simple paper map and circled the small house - yes, small house - that the two of you would be residing in. Just as the package the two of you purchased, both of you would be here in two months, and the entire time everything would be included. Name it, and it would be brought to the room, well, house. You nodded, trying to take everything he was throwing at you in, not at all relying on Bakugou, who was standing by the window staring at the other guests with a frown on his face.

PDA was not something either one of you were comfortable with.

“Well, that’s it from me! Should you need any assistance, please do not hesitate to call!” Ryan smiles, the crinkles by his eyes creasing, even more, washing you over with ease despite the tension in your body. You heard Bakugou approach the two of you, and with him beside you, Ryan seemed to remember something as he rubbed the back of his neck. “And, there is a couples event tonight, should you and your husband want to join! Most couples do, and by the look of it, it may help re-spark things?”

A sour rancid taste crawled at the back of your throat as you awkwardly laughed, your fronts were weaker then you thought, and shook your head, “Oh no! That’s no issue! We’re actually here on our honeymoon,” your fingers pressed to your chest, your eyes trailing to where Bakugou was standing in hopes that it somehow looked romantic. Pet names were a thing, right? But what to call him? “Uh, K-Kacchan is actually super shy with PDA!”

You froze when the only nickname you’ve ever heard used toward Bakugou fumble clumsily from your tongue.

Kacchan?!

KACCHAN?!

WERE YOU SUDDENLY DEKU?!

“Oh! Yes, I understand now!” Ryan laughed, waving off his mistake, the apples of his cheeks dusting in what you could only pray to be embarrassment. “Well, if you want to help your Kacchan here express his love for you without care of the world, tonight’s session is the place to be!”

He turned and walked away with a final smile, most likely retreating to the ringing phone in the back room.

“I swear to god, do not ever call me that shitty nickname ever again, or else I’ll explode your ass,” Bakugou hissed, his hand grabbing you by the elbow as he had you in close.

“I’ll call you whatever I damn please!” you hissed back, ripping your elbow out of his hold.

You watched as his upper lip twitched, and he moved to go grab your luggage, something The Contract still held over him. You stood with the papers that Ryan had given to you, the stack of itineraries and options of what the both of you two could do while at your stay taking far more room in your arm then you thought was acceptable. Your concentration on your fake husband - as you kept vehemently reminding yourself - broke when the door opened and in walked a woman who was alone, and headphones on her ears. You offered her a smile when eye contact was made but did nothing more.

Bakugou leaned down, his hands lifting up the luggage, most definitely annoyed with rolling the large suitcases. But with the woman’s course and the way that Bakugou’s back was towards her, having not noticed her entry at all, you could see that they were going to collide. Essential items were in that suitcase, and you had no idea if they could break if Bakugou managed to drop them after crashing with her. But again, it would be payback for the embarrassing first encounter with Ryan!

But before you could make up your mind on what to do, the world froze.

[Crash into her.] [Avoid her.]

⋄⋆⊹⋄⋆⋄⋆⊹⋄⋆⋄⋆⊹⋄⋆

(make sure to vote for the choice to be chosen!) poll closes august 30 8am pst

#bakugou x reader #bakugou katsuki x reader #bnha #bnha x reader #mha x reader

555 notes · View notes

wherethewordsare · 3 years

Note

👀 u know that part in twilight where edward calls bella spidermonkey. That whole scene? Hehehehhe #35 👀

Let me start off by saying I had zero context for that scene from Twilight so I just kinda took the “Do you trust me?” bit and ran.... Oh I ran so far away...

PSA: Any similarity to other stories about tunnels, secret or otherwise is strictly a coincidence. Don’t @ me.... Also this is like.... 1.9k.... OOOPS!

35. “Do you trust me?”

Traveling with Jaskier again had come with caveats. There was less music, less smiles in their time alone on the road. The easy touches of before were gone but Jaskier was there. Parts at least. They had stayed in Kaer Morhen for the winter and it had been tense, the air charged with a waiting that Geralt couldn’t seem to name. He would watch from the corners as Jaskier lit up in conversation with the other Wolves or smiled warmly at Ciri, but when their eyes met, that light vanished from his face.

Geralt had to tell himself that it didn’t hurt him nearly as much as it did or there was going to be no getting through it. He had needed Jaskier with him for Ciri’s sake, and nothing more since Geralt wasn’t in the habit of needing people for himself.

Fuck, he needed Jaskier.

Then they were on the path again and the silence that fell between them felt like a brand, marking him for the things he had done, the words he threw so callously filling the space where Jaskier’s melody used to be. When Ciri had still been with them, the nights in camp had been passed to the tune of soft lullabies and lute lessons. Mornings while Geralt moved to pack the last of the saddle bags, Jaskier would pick the first of the wild flowers and teach her to weave them into crowns or in with the braids they wound through Roach’s mane. But Yennefer had collected Ciri for training and it had just left the two of them alone in the camp in the foothills of the Blue Mountains.

Geralt looked to the south where a grove of trees stood and he knew where he was. He and Eskel used to stop at this same campsite when they had first set out on the Path almost every Spring. After they broke camp, Geralt turned Roach towards those trees where he knew the river hid his best kept secret.

Jaskier followed without a word, without a strum, with barely a sound. Even Roach seemed to notice, sometimes pulling her head from Geralt’s rein to nudge Jaskier’s shoulder. It was in the way Jaskier lifted his hand to pat Roach back then hesitated that drove it home, just what Geralt had done, how deeply those wounds ran.

He dismounted as they approached the river, the water covering the wide flat stones that made up most of its banks as the Spring melt began the trek down into the valleys. He undid his armor, placing it carefully with his pack and removed his boots. Jaskier only stood for a moment, his face pulled in confusion.

“What are you doing, Geralt?” Almost. It was almost there, that tone Jaskier’s voice took when it shaped Geralt’s name.

“Do you trust me?” he could have phrased it any other way. He knew the answer to that and he knew why. But still, he had to hear it, to see if it was true. Straight from the bard’s mouth.

Jaskier gave a dry bark of laughter, resting his hands on his hips for a moment before he dropped his arms and pushed a hard breath through his nose. He pulled off his lute case and shrugged out of his doublet, looking pointedly away from Geralt.

“I do, of course I do, despite my better judgement,” There were more words but Geralt saw him bite down around them, catching them behind his teeth.

“What… what if I told you a story?” Geralt stood, wiping his palms against his thighs anxiously.

Jaskier’s head whipped around but he narrowed his eyes as he caught Geralt smirking. “What kind of story? A witcher story?”

Geralt’s smile only grew as he took a step towards Jaskier. “Jaskier, honestly,” he took another step and his hand came up, reaching for Jaskier’s hip. He knew he would have to move fast. “Do you trust me?” He hadn’t meant to sound that earnest, that needing of something he could not name that wasn’t just Jaskier. A tension wound around them and it only seemed to cinch them closer together until they were chest to chest, Jaskier’s chin tucked against Geralt’s shoulder.

“Yes,” it was barely a breath against his ear but it was solid and sure and whole.

“Hold your breath.”

And he tipped them both over into the river and dove down, holding Jaskier close as he twisted in the current. His feet found purchase and he pushed off into the direction he knew even after nearly a lifetime. They were through the slip in the rocks and Geralt angled them upward towards the surface again, still clinging to one another.

Jaskier sputtered in his arms, teeth chattering as he yelped. “Geralt, what the fuck!” He made another noise as his voice echoed back to him. He hissed as he looked around, unable to see

They were treading water in the absolute pitch. Geralt guided Jaskier over to a ledge that was out of the water and easily hauled him up onto it as he himself climbed out of the water. He kicked around gently for the box he and Eskel had left.

“Geralt, where are we?” Jaskier kept his voice down this time, though he moved around the flat rock, his hands searching for Geralt. Geralt leaned down and took his hand, guiding him to his feet easily. He didn’t let go as his foot finally made contact with wood. He fumbled with one hand for a candle and the matches, only letting go after squeezing Jaskier’s hand reassuringly.

“We’re in a cave.” Through the dark he could feel Jaskier glare daggers into his general direction and he chuckled. “Shield your eyes, I’m about to strike a match.”

The spark ran along the strike pad of the tinderbox before the head ignited in a bloom of sharp white light before settling to a single flickering flame. He held it up slightly so he could see as he grabbed one of the candles to light, passing it to Jaskier. Grabbing another candle he lit the end off of Jaskier’s, giving a small smile as he did.

“I promised you a story,” he turned and started towards the entrance of a tunnel, reaching down to take Jaskier’s hand again and delighted in how he didn’t pull away but let himself be led.

“You did. But then you pulled me into a river and now we’re in a cave I’m assuming under that ledge and still no story or explanation,” Jaskier huffed. It dawned on Geralt that this had been the most they had talked alone since Geralt asked Jaskier to come to Kaer Morhen with him and Ciri. He was glad that they weren’t so out of practice.

“Impatient.”

“Impertinent.”

They walked a little further, the tunnel narrowing slightly before it opened up again into a cavern that their meager candlelight could not reach. Geralt only winced slightly when Jaskier let go his hand to look around. He leaned up against the wall, humming his eyes looking out into the dark.

“How is it you started those stories, for Ciri? Once a very long time ago-”

“Once upon a time,” Jaskier looked over his shoulder, his face cast in shadows as he pushed back his dripping hair.

Geralt licked his lips and took a breath, nodding. “Yeah. Once upon a time, there had been two courts of fae that were bitter rivals. No one could say why, especially now, that part of the history is lost,” Geralt decided to look down at his feet. He was having a hard time focusing when Jaskier turned slightly, arching his neck to try to see the ceiling as his chemise clinging to his shoulders and chest. “But as these things go, two of them met and became lovers. They asked the river spirit to give them a place they could be together and the spirit agreed. On one condition,” Geralt pushed off from the wall and walked over to Jaskier, closing a hand around where he held the candle as Geralt blew out his own.

“What? What are you doing?” Jaskier raised an eyebrow, looking at Geralt from across the flame, his eyes shining.

“Trust. The river spirit said that as long as the lovers trusted each other, even in the darkest of times, the darkest of places, they would always have somewhere. And so it shrugged up into the earth and made them a place.” Geralt held his breath as he watched closely.

“Do you trust me? Trust that I never intended to-” Jaskier’s eyes were wet and his face seemed to pale.

“I’ve always trusted you, Jaskier. I broke that trust and I don’t know how to repair it, I don’t know how to undo what I’ve done but, I know I would trust you in the darkest places.”

“Geralt,” Jaskier took a deep breath and exhaled. When he did, the candle between them blew out.

He was so thankful that he decided to stay that close to Jaskier as the walls and floor around them began to shine. Crystals of all sizes shed off a pale blue light that caught in the water droplets that still clung to Jaskier’s eyelashes.

Oh.

Jaskier’s eyes were wide in wonder as he turned and turned, trying to look at everything all at once, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to find words. Finally he turned back, gaping at Geralt as he vaguely gestured at the cavern around them.

“We have been travelling together for decades, Geralt and you decide to only show this to me now?” he placed his free hand on his hip and sputtered with as much indignation as he could muster still soaked through and shivering slightly.

“Jaskier,” Geralt sighed.

“Honestly, Geralt!” Jaskier cast around again, turning in a slow circle on his heel, stumbling backward as he tipped his head back. Geralt caught him easily, righting him again.

“Jaskier.” he spun him around by the shoulders slowly, locking their eyes. In this light, the bright blue of Jaskier’s eyes nearly glowed. “Please.” He wasn’t sure what he was even asking for, what it was he so desperately needed from Jaskier right then. Absolution? Attribution? Adulation? All he could do was hope. Hope and trust he had not looked back on their twenty odd years and had misremembered everything; hope that he hadn’t thrown it all away on that mountain.

“I know, dear heart. I know. Of course you’re forgiven. I just need a little more time,” Jaskier confided gently, his hands coming up to cup Geralt’s face. “Meletele, I thought you’d never surprise me after this long. Telling me stories in the dark, Witcher. Honestly, I think you might be getting soft on me.” He was teasing but the soft laugh he gave was wet and breathy.

Jaskier leaned in, pressing a chaste kiss to Geralt’s lips, his gaze fond as he pulled away. “You have always been the light in the dark, Geralt, even when you’ve been an absolute dimwit.”

Geralt frowned. “Wait. What?” He raised an eyebrow, making Jaskier beam brighter than the stones around them.

After one more swim through the river, they found themselves side by side, wrapped in dry blankets sitting on the sun warmed rock they had dived off of that morning, sharing a comfortable silence for the first time in what felt like too long. Geralt didn’t remark on the way Jaskier leaned into his shoulder the same way he had before or how his easy chatter and idle strumming of his lute brought peace back to Geralt’s heart.

Time. He could give Jaskier time. He was just relieved he no longer felt like he was in the dark.

---

Tag list as stands <3: @jaskierswolf @geraskier-trashh @electricrituals @elliestormfound @artistsfuneral @thetinymm @fontegagrilledcheese @anythinggoesfandoms

#geraskier #geralt of rivia #jaskier #hurt/ comfort?#post mountain #post rare species #apology fic #geralt tells a story #prompt fill #jay writes

116 notes · View notes

rigelmejo · 3 years

Text

fyi if anyone besides me IS trying out the Listening Reading Method - I have some tips you can read if you want (or feel free to ignore):

you should see significant progress within 30 hours. If you started as an absolute beginner, did what the guide suggests beforehand (learned some common words like a few hundred, looked at a pronunciation guide, looked at a basic grammar summary), then you should see SOME progress. If after 30 hours you don’t see any - you might be doing it wrong (or its not a method that works for you in which case don’t feel u need to waste ur time on it when other stuff might help you more). (http://users.bestweb.net/~siom/martian_mountain/!%20L-R%20the%20most%20important%20passages.htm)

Someone did L R Method as an absolute beginner in Italian (they already knew french, english). They took tests - were A1 when they started L R Method. They did about 30 hours of L R Method. They took a test again and scored B1. So 30 hours should see SIGNIFICANT progress for a language reasonably close to yours, and SOME clear progress I’d imagine even if it’s a less common language (even some gains from absolute beginner to A1-A2 would be solid and noticeable). (https://forum.language-learners.org/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=1721&p=99415#p99415)

Someone tried to L R Method mandarin as a proof of concept. So they only did several hours, and used The Little Prince (which is much simpler writing/language than the L R Method article recommends using). This is their results: “I tried Mandarin LR as a proof of concept a while ago. I used "The Little Prince", and did a few hours. The first couple of hours were exhausting and I was usually lost; by the end, I was associating quite a few characters with their sounds, occasionally understanding sentences in real time as I read along (knowing what parts corresponded) of up to 7 characters or so, etc. Again, this was a small handful of hours, as an effectively zero-beginner; I know some Kanji, but my active Mandarin vocabulary was probably in the single digits... I think this was after I'd studied tones/Mandarin phonology relatively intensively, but I don't recall for certain.” So - within a handful of hours, someone saw language improvement in Mandarin as a total beginner (http://how-to-learn-any-language.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38593)

I personally have been trying L R Method as a beginner-intermediate ish learner. What I noticed: without a parallel text (so just using english text for step 3) I improved listening comprehension of words I already partly knew (through reading) FIRST. I also picked up some new words, but listening comprehension of words I knew improved most noticeably the first 10ish hours I did L R Method. Using Pleco’s dictation tool for step 3 (so instead of english text, I use chinese text where the english definition auto-pops up as the audio reads each word), or using a parallel text (so chinese and english visible at same time), both VASTLY improved how many new words I pick up per session. For me at least, seeing the chinese text to keep my place in the audio, and seeing easier what audio matches to what english definition, lets me learn new words faster. Since I waste much less effort trying to just keep the text/audio matched up.

So if the effort of matching up text is draining to you (like it is to me), I recommend: getting an audiobook and chinese text that match as closely as possible. And getting either a parallel text, or using Pleco’s dictation tool in the Reader, or something similar (Pleco’s dictation tool is a lot like using a word by word chinese/english translated text).

Step 2 seems very useful for: giving you context prior to step 3, practicing reading comprehension and reading speed, listening practice with the chinese(target language) spelling visible, and reinforcing what’s learned in prior step 3′s.

Step 3 does seem useful the more you repeat it (I’m just lazy).

Test yourself by trying to LISTEN ONLY every once in a while. You should be noticing some improvements in your listening comprehension - the audiobook chapters you should follow more parts, a show without subtitles you might recognize more dialogue, etc. If your listening comprehension itself is not improving to some noticeable degree after 10+ hours of L R Method you may either be doing L R Method wrong, or its just not useful for you.

To see considerable progress in language abilities, it may take 50-100 hours. Or even 100-300. The article linked above, the person who does L R Method (aYa) would usually do at least 30 hours, then 50-100 for a language - eventually also doing step 4 shadowing, step 5 translating back and forth. For less-closely related languages, people mention having done it for a few hundred hours. So do NOT expect total beginner to Fluent in 30 hours. I simply mean, you should expect noticeable progress after some X milestones. After a dozen or so hours you should be able to start recognizing word boundaries with ease, some short phrases. If you’re not a total-beginner, but beginner-intermediate like me, then you should start notice much BETTER listening comprehension of words you already half-knew from reading within a few dozen hours. Then after 30-50, maybe some dialogue understanding, some common words regularly understood, etc. Again - test yourself with Listening-Only every once in a while to see if you’re actually making any progress. Also to see if you wanna ‘alter’ the L R Method to suit your needs better. Maybe you’ll find a way to do it that works better for you.

For ABSOLUTE beginners, especially in languages very different from their own, at the beginning stages simply using sentences with audio may be easier. To perhaps learn a few hundred to thousand common words first - and/or using translations that are word BY word translation right under the target language word. To help with getting used to the grammar, all the new common words, the sounds etc. So materials like Assimil probably do this - Spoonfed Chinese anki deck with its audio/text does this, Nukemarine’s LLJ audio/text deck does this, Japanese Core 2k with its audio/text does this, etc. Clozemaster app might even be a nice beginner transition tool...

For the L R Method steps - really READ them and understand what they mean. Step 3 is NOT watching a target language audio movie with english subs. It is trying to comprehend all of the audio, glancing at the translation JUST to fill in the gaps for parts you can’t manage to comprehend (so for looking up words here and there). While you’re supposed to ‘follow along’ with the translation text, you do NOT tune out the audio. The audio should be your main focus, keeping in line with the translation text is so you can REFERENCE it when you hear a word/phrase/sentence you don’t fully comprehend. And I am guessing step 3 is suggested to be done multiple times so that each time you need the translation less.

L R Method works best with very vocabulary rich, long texts. If you use a simple text, or a short one (3 hours of audio for example), there’s only so much you’ll be able to learn from it. For example The Little Prince only has a vocabulary of 2000-3000 unique words, 1200ish hanzi in it - so even if you learned it entirely, repeating it over and over, that’s not a lot of info. Particularly if you don’t plan to repeat things, it’s probably going to serve your time better to pick rich vocabulary long texts (so you can pick up tons of words just through one pass through the book, and if you choose to repeat the book, pick up tons more words, before you start running into the rarely used words which will be harder to pick up).

I am mentioning all this, because I saw someone who did L R method for mandarin for hundreds of hours, and does not have natural listening yet - so cannot follow a new audiobook listening-only, cannot follow a show listening-only. Considering that people have demonstrated they made some progress in 5-10 hours for Mandarin, and 30 hours for Italian, then 300 hours in Mandarin might be able to make more progress. I’ve done maybe 20-30 hours of L R Method so far, and already find I can now listen to at Least the audiobook of the book I’m L R Method-ing now without the text, and follow the main scenes fine. With simpler audio, if I have a visual cue (like acting scenes, or pictures) I find I can follow the main idea much easier than I could before. So I just think... if you are seeing very little noticeable progress after 30-50 hours, the method may not be giving you benefits as quickly as you might want a study method to show improvements. I think if something isn’t giving you some improvement after X effort, you don’t need to stick with it if something else helps you more.

Other factors that may affect this:

I had some reading basis before I started L R Method. This might have helped me as far as how fast a rate L R Method is helping my progress. For an example: when I simply do step 2 ON ITS OWN I see improvements - because it helps me read through a chapter as fast as the audio, matches audio to the spelling I might already know, and I already can understand enough when reading at that speed to follow the general plot (so step 2 gives me context and increased plot understanding). Therefore, when I do step 3, I can really primarily put my attention on learning to recognize the SOUND of what I already understood - and on learning a few new keywords I already JUST saw and realized I didn’t know. Basically I can use L R Method to quickly pinpoint areas I’m weaker in, while practicing what I can already do. A total beginner won’t have the ‘practice what they already know’ benefit. (Genuinely though step 2 is helping my reading SO much and I know that’s in part due to my current reading comprehension level).

Also I have seen an example of someone who did L R Method while already B2 in Italian - he was aiming for C1. He noticed less drastic improvement after 40 hours - he did still notice some, like easier listening comprehension for shows and conversations. But he did not reach C1 listening/reading skills. So from this we see: L R Method might help you improve faster if you start off with more you still need to learn (which makes sense, since as the words you need to learn get rarer you will run into them less frequently in L R Method). Also, the gap from B2-C1 may be bigger than the gap from A1-B1? Also what I took from his example, is repeating step 3 multiple times becomes MORE important as you’re more intermediate-advanced. I would guess because you probably have less frequently occurring words/grammar to learn, so repeating content WITH those things in it is a way to get more exposure (whereas just going over it once then moving on is Not going to expose you to it much). Also step 3, if you really look away from the transcript for most of it, allows you to really practice listening comprehension. Also shadowing/translating, steps 4 and 5, may be of more benefit to an intermediate-advanced learner. Since shadowing may be doable for them now, and translation may be doable (and hone in on skills more). So... I would guess either the gap you have to bridge as an intermediate-advanced learner is bigger, and/or you just need to do more challenging aspects of L R Method to get similar frequency of benefits you would’ve saw at the beginning stages.

#l r method #listening reading method #rant #............................................................................................#basically just... its fun? i love it? its working great for me?#but if i had to wait 100 hours to see even a little improvement id think i was doing it wrong #or that it didnt help me #and if u try it. i think testing ur progress every 10-30 hours is a good #gauge to see if its helping you in any noticeable way

8 notes · View notes

spartanxhunterx · 4 years

Text

Tattoo Soulmate AU Idea.

This is just an idea and I give any and all of you full permission to run off with this and use it as you please, just tag me so I can see it.

So I had this idea regarding a soulmate AU for Miraculous ladybug.

tattoos that appear on your arms. Right forearm had your symbol (visible from birth), right bicep had the symbol(s) of your worst enemy (visible after eight).

left forearm has the symbol(s) of your romantic interests (visible after five years old.), Left bicep had the Symbol(s) of your best friends/ people you would fight for. (Visable from ten)

Now, here's the kicker, what if Marinette was only born with a right arm? Where she could only see her symbol and her enemy without ever knowing who her friend(s)/ lover(s) were.

In this non-miraculous world there are two, competing, medical institutes that primarily work around prosthetics and medical aid. (Miraculous labs and Hawkmoth Industries [come up with a better name of you can])

Miraculous labs is purely non-profit that gets its funding from donations and government funding. They focus heavily on prosthetics and other necessary medical aid.

Hawkmoth Ind. Is for profit and get it's primary funding from say... Rich people who want a part in it. They focus on (somewhat unethical) procedures to figure out how to regrow limbs, organs and other questionable things.

So Marinette gets a prosthetic from Miracle Labs and is able to live her life normally, or as normally as you can without knowing who your true soulmate and friends are. (Sometimes she bullied for this... Chloe always brings it up.)

Adrien has a prosthetic (one of his legs/ lower leg/ feet, whatever you want I guess) from Hawk Ind. Cause that who Gabriel trusts more.

So Marinette goes her while life not knowing who her soulmate are, sometimes people (Felix) use this lack of knowing to torment her by pretending to have her mark on themselves to be their soulmate.

So she hides it away very early on, very few know/ remember what it is.

since there's no villains and hero's it's just about her going through school being very untrusting of people.

people: "surely me being on your arm proves that you should trust me."

Marinette ( showing her prosthetic arm): "I don't know who to trust."

People: "oh."

Most people have one or two enemy Symbols, one to five friend symbols and one (just maybe two) romantic symbols.

Adrien, Kagami and Luka have THREE (3) romantic symbols, which is unheard of.

Its a Ladybug surrounded by the Symbols of the other two, like a yin-yang sign.

Adrien: black cat

Kagami: red Dragon

Luka: green snake

So for context, Adrien would have a ladybug being encircled by a red Dragon and a green snake.

All three of them hide their romantic symbols cause they don't want the attention with being people with three soulmates.

Cue Lila coming to school and doing her usual but she tries to gain sympathy by claiming she never got her personal symbol (She covers it in makeup.) and doesn't show her other symbols cause. "I don't want my symbols to effect my relationship with the class." Or something along those lines .

She also tries to trick Adrien into being her soulmate by getting a fake mark on her left forearm of his black cat after seeing his, it doesn't work as he knows she'd also have the others too. He doesn't out her then, as he suspects she just wants attention.

There are people known as 'Soul readers ' who can see people's souls, and therefore, their connections they have and are able to bring these people together without every seeing the Symbols. (It's master Fu.)

If a soul reader says two people are; lovers, friends or enemy's, it is taken as a FACT. An undeniable fact at that.

so one day he goes to the school, he's well known so everyone flocks to him (politely, since he's old.) Just to confirm that they are right and to get hints at people they haven't met.

luka is there as he was visiting his sister, Kagami turned up cause this might be the only time she's going to see a soul reader.

halfway through reading someone Fu just... Stops. Sensing the romantic connections between four people, something he himself had never felt. He quickly finds Marinette when suddenly everyone remembers that he can help Marinette find HER soulmates, something none of them thought would happen before.

he quickly drags Adrien, Luka and Kagami to the centre of the room where he gets then three of them to reveal their personal symbols, causing shock among them and then they all reveal their romantic symbols. They match, except, they can't find their ladybug.

Fu, ever gentle and reassuring, get Marinette to reveal her symbol (which was hidden under clothes and a fabric wrap.) And the school is floored.

Fu reveals all four of them are soulmates, romantic ones, Marinette is skeptical as she had been hurt in the past but he reassures her he is not wrong, he even spends the rest of his time with her in finding her true soul friends (pick whoever you want: could do salt and have Chloe being her only true friend or sugar and just have Alya, Nino and [insert names here] being her friends.)

To top it all off, have Lila being pissed that this 'old man' got it wrong cause 'she's meant to be with Adrien ' and 'she wanted him.'

Fu, calm as a monk on morphine, says to her that she will be alone forever, as she has no true friends or partners as she is the only person he had ever seen with ZERO marks up the left arm. Which is rarer then people with three partners.

Bonus points if you make him say: "You have no marks as there are no people who would love the real you."

Marinette, after being fully convinced, gets their symbols painted on her prosthetic arm which transfers with every replacement she gets.

The four of them make headlines across the globe about being the first (known) people with three romance symbols. Master Fu is there for interviews just to prove they are not lying, even other soul readers agree with him.

After that Marinette just gets better, more confident and begins to show off her symbols and prosthetic more. Even the venomous green snake on her right bicep (Lila).

OR you could have any OT4 that you want.

#miraculous ladybug #tattoo soulmate #ml au idea #handicapped marinette #lila salt #marinette deserves better #marinette #Lila #master fu #Luka #adrien agreste #kagami #miraculous ot4

294 notes · View notes

incarnateirony · 3 years

Note

Hi!

I saw your answer to that Christian anon and the whole Cas/Jesus and Mary/Dean thing. I get what you're coming from just, it comes off as "only one reading is valid". You can def make some of those parallels and that reading is ok too, although not as all-encompassing. There is no one singular way/lense to read a show, themes or characters.

It requires a stronger intertext argument than “I want my character to be jesus.”

YET AGAIN, not all readings are equal. Mine isn’t perfect but it doesn’t take picking and choosing around the parts you want. That’s a failed lit argument. It is. I have been very vocal about this “all interpretations are equal” nonsense around here being hot garbage. If you literally cherry pick out random details (ones barely even in the text), or moreover, ignore the elements of the things you’re trying to parallel, you end up with a weak argument.

And that’s why it’s called arguments. You make arguments. Lit crit is all about arguments. That’s LITERALLY WHAT IT IS CALLED.

If your argument ends at “Christ symbol because he sacrificed himself”, you’re going to need to ask: what about all these other christ symbols associated elsewhere? Did he die to save anyone from sin, in the metaphor you’re using? Who is the Begotten Son that Chuck loved so much then? Are we implying Chuck sent Cas TO save the world? or are we just arguing if every hero that sacrifices themselves in the history of ever should be read as a Christ metaphor so deeply you start trying to fit everyone in their lives around them into being people Christ knew? Is THAT the argument? No other details of Christ need apply? And all christian iconography as actually presented in the show actually isn’t topically relevant to discussing christian parallelism? Is that where we’re going with this?

*pokes the theory with a poker and watches it fall apart*

Okay so who IS the only begotten son that was lost to save the world? Oh wild, worm, he was the one followed around by Jesus pictures all year? Wouldn’t it be fascinating if people tried to read the actual body of the text in full. Because then if someone needles that, it doesn’t fall apart like Lucifer’s house of cards, which is otherwise only held up by the pure magic of not actually being held to the rules.

Make an argument different than mine, that’s fine. That’s what my whole server is about. But make a sound argument. If your argument also only exists within a bubble, and doesn’t even extend out to the body of text, what does that say about the argument itself? Hell, there’s people in the server who have opted more into the Sophia lean of it all, and debating which face OF the Sophia beliefs should be applied--those aren’t mine, nor do I necessarily agree, but they at least are building this with sound arguments.

There’s a difference between saying “my interpretation is the only one” and “uh, not that one, specifically.”

If you wanna try “all interpretations are equal regardless of the content, context, presentation or anything else” just because it’s one you /want/, you might as well concede the bronlies’ “Sam and Dean are soulmates” thing because they apply zero context to one fucking line they choose to read a certain way even though the rest of the text tells something clearly opposite.

Absolutely fucking not. That’s not how this works. And if you mock them for their ridiculous shit you absolutely should not turn around and argue this hot ball of nonsense.

How about an easy one: as denoted by Joseph carrying christ in early season in shadow of the brothers (And Mary, first, in the same cubby-hole, before Cas was sent away), and also denoted by other major motifs such as the altar, the Winchesters and Castiel served as father and mother to a demigod figure of man and divinity, reborn in the shadow of christ himself, who would soon walk forth into the world he saved; the cruel demiurge subverted is not his father, but rather, that of man and divine from the human family around him, who stood in the shadow of Joseph and Mary where he was reconceived.

Notice none of these statements actually require “interpretation”? They are literally just denotative statements of things that happened, and the connotations of these are so natural resulting I don’t even have to explain it?

That’s when you break down, for example, Joseph imagery. After all, it was there in the tomb at the start. It was there behind Dean in the church. It was there with Pastor Joe, and we ask then what people feel Pastor Joe was a narrative piece for. Who he represented. What is the actual natural connotation of all of these bluntly denoted elements?

And what of Mary? Be that Mary Winchester, Mary the Mother of Jesus, Bloody Mary with her secrets,

or any other Marys in the show? Where are those storylines paralleling? What does that have to do with the backdrop behind Castiel, for example, or any other times? 14.20, 15.13, I don’t care. All of them.

lol

Where is Mary Magdalene even being drawn from, beyond the vaguest of vague Cas=Christ arguments I’m asking very basic questions on the establishment of above, and unlikely to ever get a true answer on? 10000 Marys in the show (all orbiting Cas) and never Magdalene, but we’ll delete Christ imagery while talking about Christ, what

This is where narrative interpretation/argument actually starts. Not randomly lobbing an idea into the room. And certainly not saying someone is saying their own argument is superior just because they poked a different one once with a stick and it tumbled. That’s disengenuous as fuck.

This is not a vs match. It’s not my meta vs your meta or anyone else’s meta. It’s my meta or your meta vs the text. If I poke a meta with a text stick and it falls apart, it has nothing to do with my meta. It has to do with the meta poked with the text stick.

All I’m saying is people can’t pick and choose when and where to apply their symbolism in any kind of meaningful, arguable interpretation, while literally deleting the bulk of the actual use of the elements in the proposed interpretation, and then call that a Good Interpretation, Actually.

You wanna read them different than I do? Sure, but read them together as the text presents or just don’t introduce the argument. You don’t just read one tiny sliver of text off of a rough idea you insert on it and definitely don’t expect that to apply outward if you can’t address the surrounding elements of the exact same topic you are trying to draw parallelism on. And if they get offended that’s pointed out (not just “I don’t understand it!!!” or “I don’t think!!!” but literally [raises points on where this same reading has shortfalls in its own context]) that’s... not really lit crit, or interpretation, it’s idea spouting at best.

Hey, why not have an argument about the Mary or Joseph statues changing in the same spot between 15.01 and 15.03???

It’s kind of wild that someone even implied I was saying “my interpretation is better” to literally list off, in basic text, basic events that had happened without any kind of heavy descriptors or direct correlated ties--a list of things and events that people, reading the things and events, naturally came to understand the suggestion of, without me having to explain it--like?

No uh, you came to that interpretation actually, but if it happens to match mine as a result, then yeah, it’s probably a better interpretation than something completely pulled out of an ass at random that ignores the actual text?

19 notes · View notes

smilepal · 3 years

Note

👹🍊 🏀 🐟 ❤ :3c

Character ask meme for @billlybutcher ☺️

👹--How does you OC act around different people and how does their personality change to match the environment they’re in? How do they act with: friends, family, strangers, children or their lover(s)?

Hiro's personality/how he comes off is very dependent on who he's around. He takes pride in being adaptable to most situations, and being able to keep up a mask, or have people perceive him a certain way. It's easy to act--put on a show, let people see what you want them to see. This, in combination with a lack of fear, and the ability to be charming, at least with his mouth shut--has allowed him to bullshit his way out of situations he maybe shouldn't have been able to. If it seems like you're supposed to be there, and you know what you're doing, you can usually get away with quite a bit? He's quick to put on a front around strangers, depending on what he wants from them. Clients will usually perceive him as someone who's there to get the job done, quickly and without a whole lot of bullshit. He's to the point, often to the extent of being a bit abrupt/and wants to get the whole ordeal over with so he can get paid. If he wants something/is off-work though, he can be pretty charming--especially in the right context/if someone's caught his eye. He's still pretty direct in that regard, albeit less abrasive. He still has a mouth on him though, and that never changes much.

With friends he tends to let his guard down a bit, if they're very close to him--and with family as well. He still holds back a bit though, and it's something he still struggles with sometimes even if he has gotten better over time. Close friends/family are treated to a rare glimpse of a softer side, one that is strangely sentimental, and remembers the tiny details about people--a favorite flower, or song they like--stuff that makes them happy. He's a little hesitant around children, and honestly they scare him a bit. They're small, and have so much energy, and are just all over the place and he's the one to look back at their guardians for help. Despite this, he tries to be nice to them and makes a genuine effort not to seem too scary, and just hopes that none of them think he makes a good role model--something he hasn't been entirely successful with. With his lovers/people who've managed to get beyond the initial instinct to keep people at a distance (at least emotionally) he's a very dedicated, loyal partner. He might not always know how to convey something verbally, or get tripped up and have it come out less gracefully than he'd like, but he's not afraid to show affection through actions and gestures, and is always trying to find new ways to do so--whether that's spending quality time with them, or finding out how to cook their favorite meal for them.

🍊--Does your OC have any triggers? Why do these things trigger them? What are they like when triggered and how do they calm down after?

Hiro has a couple, not that he'd ever be forthcoming about that to others, or honestly, to himself. He's very reliant on his senses, and being deprived of any of them is something that deeply unsettles him/can push him into a spiral if it goes too far--the sense of being unmoored or untethered is enough to make him panic, especially if it's deliberate. He...doesn't do great with feeling helpless, and being cut off from his senses just amplifies that. Even in day-to-day life, he doesn't like complete silence. Being alone with his thoughts is something he genuinely tries to avoid, and dead silence exacerbates it. He tries to maintain at least some small level of background noise--usually the bustle of Night City/ambient sounds are enough, but if he's at home or driving, he likes to have the radio on in the background or music playing quietly.

In general, Hiro rarely lets his guard down, always keeping an eye out, both for his own safety and for others--and if someone manages to take him by surprise, even if it's on accident, he usually doesn't respond great. At the very best, he's fairly defensive or prickly/and if they're not someone he cares about maintaining a relationship with/if was done maliciously there could be a fight. His fight or flight response is strong, and it's just determined by how much he values a relationship. If there's a way out, he'll take it rather than risk an argument, but if pushed far enough, he'd snap at someone, loved one or not. That would usually take deliberate goading on their part though--usually by prying into his business more closely than he'd like or trying to get answers out of him he isn't comfortable giving.

Hiro takes a while to calm down/wind himself down after. He responds pretty strongly, and tries to remove himself from the situation as fast as possible. Typically if it’s really bad, he’s not going to want to talk about it and might just disappear for a bit—he’ll either get on his bike and go for a ride, or go clubbing/dancing. If it’s bad, and he feels like he can’t be around people, he might go spar with a training bag, and try to get some of his agitation out that way. Most of his coping skills are typically very physical—and all things considered, usually fairly healthy outlets. He tries to wear himself out enough that he doesn’t have to think very hard, or just surround himself with so much noise/stimulation he literally can’t focus on anything else.

🏀--Does your OC have any skills that people wouldn’t expect them to have? Do they have a hobby or pass time that others would consider strange or weird? How did they learn this particular skill or pick up this hobby?

Hiro is a surprisingly talented baker. He obviously never had much time for it before he left the Tyger Claws, or the opportunity to do something he’d consider so frivolous, but he picked it up from Mama Welles after he met Jackie. For the fact that he’s still pretty nervous cooking, he’s actually a decent baker, and enjoys how much he can tune everything else out while he’s doing it. He rarely bakes for himself, seeing it as something that isn’t necessarily worth the cost of supplies/the time commitment, but if there was even an inkling that someone else would appreciate it—they’d be quick to find some sort of homemade treat waiting for them when they least expect it—and as he’d be quick to point out—he looks damn cute in an apron. Most of his hobbies are pretty normal—dancing, boxing, rock climbing, and usually fairly physical. He’s been dancing for a long time, but the boxing he picked up from Jackie/Viktor, and the rock climbing from Victory. He also loves to race bikes and this is a definitely a hold-over from his TC days. It’s not necessarily a weird hobby, but people usually don’t expect him to like clothing/shopping as much as he does—and it’s usually where a lot of his extra income disappears to (well that and expensive stuff for his hair.)

🐟--What was your OC like as a baby? What were they like as a child? A teenager? An adult? How do you think they’ll develop ten years into their future? Twenty years? Will they live to old age?

Hiro was a really quiet child—and desperate for any sort of guidance/attention. His role models growing up weren’t good ones, and they definitely used this as an opportunity to manipulate him. He was very approval-seeking, and would take that wherever he could find it, even if meant trusting people he probably shouldn’t have. Granted, he didn’t know much better, but the lesson stuck with him, and it left him a much warier adult. Hiro was a god-awful shit as a teenager. He was still in the Tyger Claws at the time, and there was a lot of repressed anger/trauma there with almost zero outlets. There are a few relationships he maintains from before he cut ties with TC, but they are few and far between, Judy and Viktor being the biggest ones—and even those went through rocky periods.

Ten years into the future, it really depends if he can stay clear of the gangs or not. The likelihood of him allying himself with a corporation is slim to none, but enough bad choices/impulsive decisions might still lead him down a not-so-good path. Twenty years—he’d either be the healthiest he’s ever been, with strong relationships with others, and a circle of people he’s truly grown to trust, or what he absolutely used to dread/fear becoming. It all depends on whether he puts personal relationships/growth over what’s easier for him/seems to come a little too easily, and lets himself get consumed by the darker side of Night City. Regardless, he’d probably survive to old age—honestly out of sheer spite. He’s always been driven by survival/keeping himself alive, and would honestly do so even if only to outlive his enemies. Even into older age though, he’d still try to keep himself sharp. Whatever the case, the likelihood of a peaceful retirement somewhere seems far-fetched. He’d still manage to find his way into the middle of things, even if only unintentionally.

❤️--What inspired you to make this OC? How long have you had them? How have they changed in the time you’ve been developing them?

Oh boy, I’ll try not to get too long-winded with this. Hiro started as an OC for an unnamed futuristic story—probably about two-ish years ago? I’d just seen Bladerunner (as well as the more recent sequel) for the first time, and I’d never gotten too deeply into the genre before. But I realized I wanted to create a character that would fit into one one these universes—someone scrappy, a survivor at heart, and who wasn’t afraid to risk his own safety for his found family. He didn’t have a lot of depth when I first created him (although the name stuck—he was always Hiro, and it never felt right changing it). He initially was a lot less sympathetic, and honestly—even aggravated me a bit. I tried to create a character that was a little more balanced, and someone who had flaws but wasn’t completely unlikeable, and who’s impulsive actions led to actual, lasting consequences. His initial character (even before I fit him into the CP universe) began as a sort of android, who could almost, but not quite pass as human. He still has fairly extensive cybernetics, and relies on them heavily, but not as much as he had previously.

Even when I was first developing him as a Cyberpunk OC, he was more focused on guns/ranged weapons/stealth. It was only after playing cyberpunk, that my play-style began to influence his character and he became much more strength/melee based. And honestly? I’m really happy he did. He’s not my usual type of character, at least in that regard and it’s been fun leaning into it—and making him this character who’d rather punch first and think later. (Also not at all influenced by the fact that I’m impatient as hell and net hacking/stealth just takes so long.) He developed along-side Vic, and her character really helped me to realize how Hiro would interact with other characters—especially ones who have such different backstories/upbringing, and the process of creating him, and being able to bounce ideas off someone else (“hey wouldn’t it be cool if this happened?”) was a huge part in inspiring me, and was so helpful, having someone to respond to that character and provide their own feedback (and vice-versa). Also honestly, Hiro was created after a long period of me not being super creative/artistically motivated. It was the middle of COVID and I was so fucking bored, and not doing much outside of work and classes. So he was an amazing creative outlet for me—helped to get me to start writing again, and eventually led me to tumblr/discord and a lot of really fantastic people, and the sort of community I’d needed.

Wow, uh sorry this got so long. But man, thanks for asking--was really, really fun 😍💖

#aaaa I'm sorry this took so long #character asks #ask memes #hiro oda #thanks for your patience #🖤🖤🖤#character headcanons #cyberpunk ocs #uh got a bit carried away with this one 😅#okay tho they're long questions--ya can hardly blame me #victory delvin #tyger claws #very long post #victory delvin belongs to shinycorvidae #this bitch ended up being almost 2000 words holy shit--wish I could write actual papers this easily 😂

4 notes · View notes

johannas-motivational-insults · 4 years

Note

Oh gosh, your reply touched on something I think about a lot and a detail not a lot of people seem to recognize (since they haven't been in an abusive system before): its all but stated that Catra wasn't just heavily abused by SW but by pretty much everyone who wasn't Adora. Sad fact is, that's actually a common tactic in larger groups in abusive cycles where there is a designated victim: other people either stand on the sidelines because they don't wanna attract the abuser's attention themself

[cont] by showing any kindness to them (ie Kyle and likely Rogelio) or they go the opposite route and mistreat that person as well, partly due to their own frustration about the situation they’re in and partly because they know their actions won’t have consequences (Lonnie). After all, it’s an open secret that Shadow Weaver absolutely hates Catra, and she’s the one in control here, so if a group of cadets were to beat the crap out of Catra after she beat them in a sparring match… Well, Shadow Weaver isn’t gonna give a crap as long as Adora isn’t involved, so that make it all right? (Not saying it is, that’s just the logic.) Really puts Catra’s desire to be on top with Adora in perspective: she’s not just trying to save herself from Shadow Weaver, she’s trying to protect herself from everyone who isn’t Adora, and Adora’s defection called the zero-sum cost fallacy in while simultaneously revealing that Adora didn’t GET that. All those years of suffering, telling herself it would be worth it in the end once they were the ones running the show… Just all of that gone. Adora definitely didn’t mean for it to happen this way and her own abuse makes her situation just as tragic, but (as much as it hurts to say) in a way Adora did what Shadow Weaver never could: she broke Catra. Because Adora and their promise was the only thing Catra could ever bring herself to believe in or put any hope in, and the consequences of that being taken away are basically the entire show.

I assume you’re referring to this post? And yeah, you’re definitely right about bystanders not wanting to take Catra’s side out of fear. Gonna prove that point but first let me dissect the locker room scene a little better. It’s really interesting and full of layers.

First and foremost this scene is a battle for power between Catra and Lonnie, then it escalates and ends up implying a lot about the bullying Catra has had to deal with. It begins with Lonnie going off about the scary new princess and what a disaster the mission in Thaymor was, which annoys Catra because a) she knows She-Ra is Adora and b) she was leading the mission and not only failed, but lost her best friend in the process.

When Catra blows off Lonnie’s concerns, she’s not just attempting to comfort herself, she’s trying to leverage the power she had as leader of the mission, talking over Lonnie to stay on top. That’s when Lonnie attacks Catra personally and implies that she in particular failed and was weak because she didn’t manage to harm She-Ra. Not only is she picking on Catra, she’s calling her leadership skills into question. On top of that, challenging her in a public scene like this is a blatant attempt at a power coup. With Adora out of the picture, Lonnie sees herself as the new leader and wants to assert herself as such.

Pecking order is very important in an authoritative/militarized environment like the Horde (as well as in teen social contexts, of course). Catra may have been 2nd in the squad before, but that was only because of Adora. In Lonnie’s eyes, Catra never really had any power; she’s just Adora’s scorned sidekick, not her successor. (Notably, in 4x05 “Protocol” Lonnie also says she’s the leader of what’s left of their squad, so this is an ongoing piece of characterization).

I considered making a gifset of just this scene to add in a few more details but didn’t get around to it, but just look at the body language here. Kyle is obviously uncomfortable when Lonnie first starts picking on Catra is but not willing to get involved.

And this is a very quick moment, but as you can see, Catra not only looks at the kids backing Lonnie, she looks to Rogelio and Kyle for backup and gets none. And to her, that feels like they are also backing Lonnie, because a) Catra is outnumbered and b) she’s been bullied before. So it’s at that point that she gets all smug and acts like she’s superior and doesn’t care what they think.

The bullying piece has not been stated overtly, but it is implied in this moment as well as right after, when Lonnie reminds Catra that Adora isn’t around to protect her anymore. So yeah this is a devastating scene for Catra because Lonnie steals any fleeting power she has, she’s threatened with violence if she tries to get it back, and she’s reminded of Adora’s betrayal.

Is it any wonder that when Catra gets promoted, she immediately rubs it in Lonnie’s face and continues to lord it over her? This too is a perpetuation of the abuse, of course, but it’s a great illustration of how bullying is often an attempt to protect oneself, like you said. Catra has found that she can protect herself without Adora and is now doing everything she can to climb the ranks and in the process find even more safety. After all, she’s still under Shadow Weaver and still scared of her, though after this Shadow Weaver can’t treat her like the scum of the earth, at least not publically, which also helps protect Catra from her (former) peers.

Like you said, Adora just doesn’t get how much much her leaving is going to adversely affect Catra. I did a whole meta about how it endangered her with Shadow Weaver, but there’s also this piece of it. Adora isn’t the most socially adept person and was probably blissfully unaware that she was the only thing protecting Catra and standing in the way of her existence being completely hellish.

#spop #she-ra #meta #catralonnie #the horde #bullying #horde squad #catra and shadow weaver #catradora #asks #anon

199 notes · View notes

lycorisia · 4 years

Text

Haikyuu S4 Ep15

SPOILERS READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

I never really make posts of my own, but I really just need to get all my thoughts down and out there sooooo ta daa!

This is just my opinion on some things and I need people to know I LOVE HAIKYUU and this is in no way supposed to be hateful towards it.

I saw a post about how this episode involved so many things that could’ve been the main plot of the one episode, and that got me thinking. When I first watched the episode, I was happy to see moments animated, but it wasn’t until I saw that post that I realized why.

The moments they talked about were the Yamaguchi panic with Shimada saving him, Tsukki stopping the twin’s freak quick, and Hinata realizing what type of block he hated the most (Mattsun from Seijou) and using that to stop Osamu.

And while I don’t remember a lot about the manga cause it’s been a while since I read it, that really struck a chord with me, so I went back to re-read it.

Episode 15 takes place from about chapter 253 to about chapter 260 and that just doesn’t sit well with me. That’s 6-7 chapters all rolled into one episode. For context, episode 14 was about chapter 250 to 253, so there’s a significant amount more added to episode 15. Also 253-260 has so much happening because it’s the first set coming to a close, yet they put so much into one episode and didn’t let anything settle before jumping into the next major plot point.

I will talk about what I mentioned above from the other post, but I’m also gonna talk about moments in the manga that I wish were addressed in the anime.

First being Asahi’s serving. I distinctly remember him talking about percentages of power into his serves but when I re-watched seasons 1-3 it was mentioned so now I’m confused. ANYWAY serving has always been a pretty big thing with Asahi, in that he has a hard time controlling it and has been working on it since the Summer training camp. So the flashback to him talking to Ukai about clenching his fist then relaxing it to THEN get the FIRST SERVICE ACE for Karasuno is so big to me. Also the amount of detail that Furudate sensei put into the two frames of Asahi’s hand makes me believe that there should be more to it.

Now the first point of the other post that comes up chronologically is Tsukki blocking out the twins. At first I wasn’t sure about considering that moment to be a sort of climax or main element of the episode, but considering it’s the last moment of chapter 255, it does have some oomph as a sort of ending note. The episode does mention that those who get used to the freak quick can stop it easier, and Tsukku being an incredible smart and talented blocker who has been near the quick since literal day one and has seen it develop over time shows how Inarizaki’s “counter attack” won’t work against him.

Now this isn’t really anything to get too upset about, but throughout the match, schools from Miyagi are watching and leave little bits of commentary and I really wish they kept that in, I know they have the ending dedicated to everyone watching, but I really like the little tidbits of comments and I think it would’ve been fun to have in the episode(s).

Now, when it comes to Hinata’s blocking, this becomes important because leading up to figuring out what type of block is the scariest, he continuously fails to block out Osamu after his first surprise commit block. Lots of people make comments on the experience level difference between the two and how Hinata lacks technique and he really only has his speed and jumping ability at this point. What leads to Hinata actually thinking about blocks though is Atsumu yelling at Osamu about being afraid/not afraid of Hinata. Hinata then obviously thinks of Aone and Date Tech, but then thinks more about one-on-one blocking. AND WHAT LEADS HIM TO REALIZE THE BEST WAY TO FIGHT OSAMU IS TO THINK ABOUT HIS EXPERIENCES. FULL CIRCLE! When the manga shows Hinata’s block it even cuts to Kindaichi’s look of surprise because it’s a subtle thing, but he recognizes Hinata’s block. I will give the anime that though, the manga never shows or mentions Mattsun, so getting that visual (and that cute little train scene) was nice.

Also something I just remembered, there were these two people (couple?) that was watching the game that had little commentary that are not in the anime, and while I don’t really mind, it could’ve been used in order to hold the episode out longer so that they didn’t force so much into one episode cause damn so much happened in one episode.

NOW ONE OF THE BIGGEST MOMENTS IN MY OPINION THAT WAS QUICKLY GLOSSED OVER. Yamaguchi’s serve and Shimada’s rescue. Yamaguchi’s in for a pinch serve! He looks for his “reset point” but can’t find it! Then suddenly after like 2 seconds Shimada is where Yamaguchi is looking and saves the day!? LAME. Yamaguchi is supposed to be confident after finding something to settle his nerves, but when you take that away, he starts to fall apart. He slowly starts to panic, but it’s enough that his team and Shimada take notice. So Shimada, wanting what’s best for his student cause he cares so much, rushes across the huge stadium to a place Yamaguchi can see him. And as much as Yamaguchi tries to calm himself and pick a new “reset point” all of the booing and jeers and eyes of the opponents get to him. BUT! through all the booing, Shimada’s cry of “TADASHIII” is still heard and you can see him sweaty and gross holding up a Shimada mart bag, like the original “reset point” he taught Yamaguchi so long ago. Yamaguchi is able to zero in on that and score Karasuno’s SECOND SERVICE ACE off of Aran INARIZAKI’S ACE! AND NOW TAKES THE LEAD POINT WISE! And after getting that point, there’s just a resurgence of energy in Karasuno. Yamaguchi goes in for his second serve and the episode ends, which is interesting cause it’s towards the end of chapter 260, but there was more to the manga chapter than in the episode. but whatever.

NOTE* Also while in the middle of writing all of this I realized that some of what I talked about is actually apart of the narrative of episode 14 (Asahi’s serve [I think]), but either way, I’m keeping that in this.

After all that, it kinda makes me worried about the speed in which the rest of the season will go. I’ve been trying to figure out how many episodes Season 4 will have in total, because although seasons 1 and 2 have 25 episodes each, season 3 only had 10 to focus on Shiratorizawa.

So much happens during nationals, but at this rate who knows what all the season is gonna try to get through.

I still love season 4 so far, and I can’t wait to see certain things animated, but that worry still lingers.

I’ve rambled for a very long time, and I can’t think of anything more to add right now, so if you actually read this, thanks? and sorry lol but I just needed to write this and see if anyone thought the same as me.

#Haikyuu!!#Haikyu!!#Haikyu #Haikyuu #HQ #HQ spoilers #Haikyuu spoilers #Haikyuu!! Spoilers #haikyu spoilers #Word vomit #long post under the cut #Haikyuu to the top #haikyuu to the top spoilers #I'm trying to tag all the spoiler tags cause i would hate to spoil anything for anyone #it's like 1 in the morning and i have work but haikyuu is more important #okay byeeeee

6 notes · View notes

dropsofletters · 5 years

Text

action, romance or comedy?

title: action, romance or comedy? pairing: lee jeno/reader genre: cinema worker!au/accidental texting!au/strangers to lovers!au summary: jeno hates college, and loves movies more than he should, so when he is reminded at eleven at night that he has a project to complete and it is worth a big percentage of the final grade—he texts whoever he has been paired up with. two bad things happen: he texts the wrong person and he fails that class, but the good thing that comes from that event is comforting enough. type: fluff

The smell of popcorn lingers in the air, and somehow it is relaxing. The sound of special effects in the background, typical of an action movie, is barely even heard by the two workers of the night shift at the cinema. Normally, the young man with the bleached blonde hair stood by the entrance of the auditoriums, checking tickets and then watching movies without paying for them. At all. However, there is something in the air, like when he knows something bad will happen but all he can do is scroll through his phone. He clicks on the Instagram app, then he checks his texts, he looks through his pictures to see if there is anything new, but he is only met with ridiculous pictures of his best friends.

Lee Jeno would say that he is happy—when he watches a new movie, imagines what it would be like if he would be a very famous movie reviewer with a nice blog and a lot of following, or when he is out with friends feeling like youth lasts forever. Yet, to ever get to be the adult-type of happy, he has to go through college. Sure, he is some film major that adores spending his time catching up with the newest productions in all genres of movies, but he absolutely hates that semester’s professors. All methodical, very lost in theories and theories when film should be all about creation. Creativity, but not the type artists have with pens and colors, or the ones singers have with their voices…the one that comes with a camera-roll and a script normally written by someone else.

He thought it would be fun, you know? But it really isn’t.

With his cheek pressed against his forearm, he rests his upper body on the counter near the snack store. His coworker, Jaemin, is drinking his normal cup of coffee—Jeno, however, calls it monoxide in liquid form, and he barely even pays attention to him, since he is lost in his thoughts…pondering what it is that bothers him. He is not hungry, so that shall not be the problem. He is also not heartbroken, for his latest relationship ended thanks to him. Jeno is also not feeling particularly bad physically. He is healthy, and he is wearing the same uniform as always. Dark cap with the movie theater’s logo on it, a polo that matched it with the same logo and black jeans, along with sneakers. Nothing fancy, but not uncomfortable.

The problem is…that his Google Calendar app pops up out of nowhere, and maybe it is God talking, or destiny, or just Google being his savior time and time again—but it hits him like a piano falling on top of him, like how it happens in cartoons. He has a project to deliver, and he is supposed to be working with this one dude in his class. Ryo…Suke? Maybe, Jeno thinks his name is Ryosuke. All he knows about him is that he wears a very expensive Rolex watch to class and that he is the typical representation of an exchange student. Very rich, extremely cool, and with the most gorgeous car—

The project is worth fifty percent of his grade, and if that is not a red sign to skip the next few hours of work to get to do it then what would be? Nonetheless, Jeno really thinks about it. Ryosuke must be a responsible guy, and he is dating one of the most intelligent people on campus—this one nursery school dude that Jeno does not really know about. Besides, Jeno would actually lose his job if his boss ever did so much as visit the cinema only to find Jaemin alone.

So the only answer to this issue is texting Ryosuke and ask him how the project is doing and if he needs help, right?

The best thing that could happen would be Ryosuke telling Jeno that it is already finished.

An hour passes by, and as Jeno watches another set of people getting out of one of the auditoriums, he picks up his phone to find zero to no messages. He tries calling, but he always goes back to the voice-mail. His patience is wearing thin, and he really just wants to get out of there and make some half-assed project, but he can’t entirely do that for reasons that he already knows. He places his phone down on the counter, sighing deeply and listening to Jaemin say something about how he ‘needs to relax or he is going to get wrinkles early on in his life’, but there is not a single cell in Lee Jeno’s body that seems to mind. All he wants is some kind of response, and to pass that class that has been bothering him with vigorous will.

His phone vibrates, almost in cue, and Jeno thinks that he hears the sound of angels singing in the background when he sees that Ryosuke had replied. His eyes in the shape of half-moons meet the text, his smile dropping entirely when he sees the continuous question marks and then a small: “Uh…wrong number. I’m not Ryosuke. In fact, I’m not a dude haha.”

Jeno does not find it funny and maybe, he should have taken a second or two to think, breathe, understand what is going on—and that he could have made a mistake, over all. Either way, Jeno acts irrationally, typing down on his phone with his thumbs. “It’s not funny. Dude, we have a project due tomorrow and I have not done anything. I can’t do anything, either, because I’m working. Can you be serious and talk about this with me?”

The response comes almost soon after, and when he reads it…he feels the sudden need to throw his cap on the floor and stomp over it childishly. He is angered, fervently trying his hardest not to call Ryosuke and scream directly to his face. “First off, dude, lay off. I’m not that Ryosuke guy, and I think you should really not treat people like this. Good night.”

Jeno’s face softens, imagining who the person on the other end is. The other people is probably confused, just as angered as he is but for different reasons and it is entirely surprising how life has parallels right in front of our eyes and we never truly realize. In the background, he hears the sound of some rap song faintly playing in the distance as he continues the conversation with a complete stranger. “Wait, you’re for real?”

“I am.” This supposed woman replies and Jeno presses his palm to his forehead, with his cheeks tinted in a pretty shade of pink as he thinks of how ridiculous he had been with his spamming messages. Jaemin takes notice of that, taking off his hat and hitting Jeno with it directly on his head, making the man with the lighter hair look up at him with a scrunched up nose.

Before Jeno could speak against Jaemin’s actions, however, his coworker speaks up. “Why are you sulking? If you really need to get that project done, I can steal the boss’ laptop for like a second or two and we can just do some half-assed thing. It’s no big deal.” While Jaemin’s idea is incredible—and he might end up doing such thing so save his grade—he picks up his phone as a response, giving it to Jaemin without much context, only taking a few seconds to start talking about it.

“I thought I had gotten Ryosuke’s number right…and I texted him all these things.” His fingers keep scrolling down on the insane amount of messages he had sent before he got a response. “And finally, this person told me they were not a dude and that I got it wrong and I snapped, so…this ends up badly for me because I was a total dickhead to a complete stranger and I am too embarrassed to keep the conversation.”

Jaemin chuckles, his cheeks lifting up by the action before he starts typing something down on the conversation. “I have the perfect idea.”

“J-Jaemin! Hey, dude, give me my phone back! What are you doing?” Something deep within him tells him not to trust Jaemin, but it is too late. Once he gets his phone back, a text has already been sent and by Jaemin’s boisterous laugh, it must be ridiculous. Jeno squints his eyes, taking his phone in his hands with outer fear. “I swear, Jaemin, if you did something bad—I am leaving you dick-less, right here, right now.”

His coworker can only shrug his shoulders, pointing at his phone with his left hand. “Go ahead. Take a peak.”

Jeno unlocks his phone, welcomed by the sight of the text conversation that he had left abandoned. His eyes widen when he sees something corny, unlike himself, but so much like how Na Jaemin has been in the entirety of his life. “I am so sorry. I must have ruined your night, but thank you for being nice enough to tell me you weren’t my classmate. I hope you have an excellent night as well, dream of the sweetest things, like yourself.” With a deep groan, Jeno pushes Jaemin’s shoulder and the young man can only smirk. “What even is this?! I don’t know this girl—and she wasn’t even sweet to start with.”

“I am trying to get you a girlfriend.”

“Yeah right, like I will find a girlfriend because of an accidental text—”

“You never know!” Jaemin comments before putting on his cap. “Besides, you need something good in your life…because you’re totally failing that project. I can tell you that much.”

The blonde haired guy rubs his temples, letting out an exhausted sigh that mixed in well with Monday mornings where people have to wake up early. “Just tell the boss to lend me his laptop so I can get that project done.”

“That’s my responsible baby.” Jaemin coos to make his friend even more annoyed, running his fingers over his cheek before chuckling as he waltzes away from the counter.

Luckily for him, he finishes the project. And even more luck comes his way when he doesn’t get a response from that unknown girl.

📷

June is just not Jeno’s month.

April had been one of his good months, with nice grades and a good haircut and definitely not a few strands of his hair going dry thanks to his newest hair-color. January had been filled with parties and gathering around with family and friends, eating more than he should with snacks from all over the world—for the first time in a while, he felt like he could finally relax. But June, the damned twin of July, is just getting to his nerves. First, he almost fails that one project that had leaded him to texting a person that he doesn’t even know—and the night before that, Jaemin had decided to awkwardly text said girl—and Ryosuke got two more points than him from some kind of privilege that he does not really know about.

He can’t deny it, that June isn’t his month, when he is riding on his motorcycle—an old thing that can barely keep up with his rendezvous from the college’s campus to the movie theater and then back to his shared apartment, sometimes accompanying him to a party or two, and the pouring rain is falling on top of his helmet. Jeno’s blonde strands of hair stick to his face as he tries his best to go as carefully as possible, barely even moving in the middle of the night after a tiresome day full of tests, and a night filled with movies that he has already seen a hundred times.

The engine vibrates, then he hears some kind of rhythm that leads to his motorcycle coming to a halt. The man gasps, broken and surprised as he tries to turn it on once again, the blinking sign the reminder that he had forgotten to fuel his motorcycle, mocking him with its red color and its constant movement. He gets off the car, turning on the lights so, at least, at the very least someone can see him—a good twenty minutes away from his apartment.

“Okay…okay…it’s okay…” Jeno breathes to himself in a mumble as he takes his phone out of his backpack, using his jacket as a shelter for the screen as he looks through his seas of contacts to see whom he should call. Maybe, he should go for his oldest roommate—Dongyoung, always one to help him with everything that he ever wishes for. He tries to think of someone else, but when he comes up with nothing, he presses the green button under Dongyoung’s contact. His mother is also an option to consider, but the least he wants is a car ride filled with scolding that goes along the lines of ‘You’re already nineteen, Jeno! Shouldn’t you know that you need to fuel your motorcycle?!’

The phone rings twice and thankfully, Dongyoung picks up. “Jeno, dude, uh…sorry…is it anything important? I’m in the middle of something—”

“Yes! Dongyoung, my motorcycle died on me because I forgot to fuel—”

“What?” Dongyoung mumbles before clearing his throat. “I’m in the middle of class. The professor asked us to come here at nine…and I don’t get out until eleven.”

The phone reads 10:14 and Jeno really wants to cry for a moment. “Oh…no, it’s okay. I will try to push it to the apartment.”

“Sorry.”

“No worries.” Jeno holds his jacket over his head as he speaks before hanging up the phone. A raged sigh leaves his lips until he places his phone back on his pocket, cringing at the feeling of the damp clothing over his body touching his skin and making him shiver. All he wanted was getting home and eating some of his favorite spicy chips…and now he is there, pushing his own motorcycle with huffing breaths. “Seriously?” He speaks to no one before pushing even harder. “Don’t you want to, like, throw a ray at me or something? To make this night even better?”

The muscles of his arms start to become sore with the pushing of his motorcycle, his deltoids taking all the weight before he hears a sound coming from far away. The streets are almost alone, only for that one car that passes by while loudly playing the sound of Sik-K’s song (probably Iffy with how many times the word is repeated). The car passes by quickly, only that it stops when the person behind the steering wheel sees the sight of Jeno pushing his motorcycle. The person hesitates, going back to park beside Jeno before they pull the windows down.

For a moment, Jeno is prepared to scream at the top of his lungs in case it is a robber, but he is welcomed by the sight of a woman that looked pretty, with a flannel on and the heater on that created a warm atmosphere, past her beautiful eyes and her candid smile that is not really there. Her lips are painted a cute shade of red, fading thanks to the drink she is having—something like a Latte, most likely. Jeno widens his eyes in surprise when he gets questioned: “Hey, what happened to your motorcycle?”

Jeno licks his lips and his cheeks burn, perhaps because he is totally going to get sick with the rain that is pouring down on him or because she is really pretty, and definitely trying to help him. “Forgot to fuel it.”

The woman hums, turning off the radio entirely before saying: “Stop there. Let me park correctly.” And Jeno barely has the time to register what she said before he follows her instructions, watching her park in front of his motorcycle before getting out of her car with a raincoat on. She opens the back door of her car, pulling something out before walking towards Jeno. “I have some fuel here. You know what to do, right?”

Somehow, he thinks he has seen a goddess and he can’t help but grin widely at the sight of the bottle in her hands. “Yes! Yes! Thank you!” Jeno takes the product from her hands before doing a half-bow, going over to his motorcycle to finally get out of that hell. “I…I normally fuel it…but I have been having such a stressful set of weeks that I actually don’t know what I am doing anymore.”

She chuckles at that, crossing her arms over her chest to look at the man in front of her, kneeled beside his motorcycle to complete his task. “I get you. We all have those days.” Then, her eyes trail over his figure, soaked from head to toe—even though he is wearing a black polo underneath paired with dark jeans, his jacket is dripping from water and his shoes squeak whenever he moves. Her heart aches, somehow, even when his factions are set on fueling his motorcycle. Half-moons as eyes, lips thin and a tall nose to match. “I think I also have an old raincoat somewhere in the backseat. It’s kind of…not that good, but it could work for you—”

Jeno looks at her with surprise in his eyes. “No! No, this is already enough. Please, don’t bother.”

“It’s a Hello Kitty raincoat. It’s totally not a bother.” The young man chuckles at her words when he gets a glimpse of her body leaning against her car to catch that Hello Kitty raincoat that she was talking about. “I think I have it since high school or something…I never got rid of it. Maybe, it was destined to be for you.”

“I…don’t think so.”

“What’s your name?”

“Jeno.”

“Yes. Definitely destined for you.” She chuckles before taking the raincoat in between her hands. “That’s the name of someone who would love this raincoat.”

“My mom picked it for me. I didn’t know it meant that.” Jeno jokes back and he hears the soft sound of her laughter, mixed with the rain that is starting to die down, like a flower in the middle of winter. He feels the fabric of the raincoat falling on top of his shoulder, folded for him to put on if he feels like it. “You’re too good for a stranger. I’m starting to think you’re going to kidnap me.”

She sighs. “No, absolutely not!” Though, her tone is sincere. When Jeno looks at her, finished with his task that will help him finally going back home, he realizes that her eyelashes are bathed in small drops of rain and that her mouth, although quirked in a tiny smile, almost goes unseen to the people that don’t look from near. He pushes his wet hair back with his hands, putting on the raincoat that stays snugly against his shoulders. “I am a huge believer of doing good and getting something good in return.” His fingers push against the broken skin beside his nails, appearing like ungodly beings to bother his days. Jeno ponders, then, if maybe he is the exception of the rule. He does well in life, and then again he is always welcomed by little surprises that are not particularly excellent.

“That’s a good way of thinking.”

“Hello Kitty stuff is definitely meant to go with you.”

“Huh? Thanks…that’s…that’s a first time. I’ve never heard that.” His hand rubs the back of his neck and then, with a gleeful smile that could be shown in history books as the reason why wars ended, he finishes the conversation. “Gotta head back home now. Thank you. Really. I can totally pay for what you just did—”

“It’s not necessary.” She replies, like a knight in a shining armor for him and he breathes out with a starry gaze. “I’ll just head back now. Please, get home safe.”

Jeno promises, silently and softly, that he will with a simple gaze and a nod. She hides her hands in her pockets after blowing on them, whispering awkwardly the delicate words that mean their departure. “Thank you. Have a good night!”

She laughs at the sight of the guy, cladded in a Hello Kitty raincoat, with a grin that will forever be engraved in her brain and she replies with a similar sentence. Jeno might not be the luckiest guy, he is very far away from being so, but blessed shall the beauty of people be when they still remain happy after terrible encounters, that have smiles that shine brighter than a million golden dust particles that join in a desert. Those people, absentmindedly, make days for other individuals way easier—even if they don’t realize it.

📷

“Jeno.”

“Yes?”

“Jeno.”

“I’m listening.”

“Je to the No.”

“Jaemin, I swear I’m paying attention—”

“Jeno—”

Life is testing Jeno’s patience, and he is starting to run low on a lot of things. Motivation…and that one thing that has to do with time and accepting just how annoying waiting really is, or comprehending people that are clearly a pain in the ass. Jeno’s back is hunched, watching a movie thanks to the half-opened door of the auditorium, and while he would love to concentrate on the thriller that he is watching, Jaemin is calling for his attention. A grin is on Jaemin’s face and when Jeno inspects him, he realizes that there is something different. No—Jaemin is still wearing the same uniform as always, cap and polo that matches Jeno’s, and no…Jaemin has not whitened his teeth or dyed his hair a different color (it is still the same bland brown as last year), but what is unlike him is that he is holding Jeno’s phone. And that doesn’t particularly make him mad, but what angers him is that Jaemin has unlocked his phone.

The man is smiling even brighter, shaking the device in front of Jeno’s face. “You finally got a text back from the mysterious girl that I’m trying to pair you up with.”

The girl whom Jaemin had texted four weeks ago; because Jeno is incapable of doing such an embarrassing thing without getting at least one thing in return: money or a shit load of money. The blond male squints his eyes, taking the phone from Jaemin’s hold to look at the text, but before he says: “How did you figure out my password? You’re totally a stalker, dude—”

“Jeno…using the year you were born as your password is a classic. I just figured it out.” Jeno chuckles at that, because it is better to face life with a smile than living it with a frown. His fingers hover over the screen before he pushes on the unknown number that he had texted accidentally, only that he had changed the contact’s name from ‘Ryosuke’ to ‘Not Ryosuke’. If that is not embarrassing, he does not know what is. He is met with the sight of a text, as if she had completely ignored what he had written beforehand, and that is probably what happened.

“How do you deal with a friend that makes you feel like you’re less but they are your only friend and you don’t know how to get away from them? Hah, sorry for asking, I just really need someone to talk to…and you’re a stranger…so…”

“What does it say?!” Jaemin tries to peek, and Jeno is surprised that Jaemin had not tried to at least get a glimpse of what the text said. Jeno’s heart is aching, however, because he has been lucky enough to have friends that love him, and that he loves back. He has never been in such a position, thankful of not feeling lonely most of the time, though there are some days when it can’t be helped. Jeno shushes him, turning around so his back is facing Jaemin and his phone in trapped between a corner and himself.

“That’s my problem.” He hears Jaemin whining somewhere behind him, but like always, Jaemin does not really care about a lot of things. His fingers continue to stand awaiting for his brain to come up with a response, and he reads the message again. Perhaps, it is something similar to having that one class you really study hard for…and yet everyone else is better than you. Jeno can relate to that, now. Then, he types down: “I think you should pull away from those type of people. I don’t know you, but I know you shouldn’t feel like you’re less than anyone. If a person makes you feel like that, they are not worth hanging out with.”

Perhaps, somewhere in that city, cladded in sheets on their bed while waiting for a response is a woman that needs a friend—a person that is watching a movie with a lost gaze in their eyes while her brain comes up with millions of insecurities and a bad comment to herself along the way. It happens to everyone, and if Jeno is able to help anyone go through that, he will. His assumptions are proven right, however, when he is introduced to a new text almost immediately. “But I won’t have anyone to talk to…and I don’t know, I don’t want to be lonely.”

Jeno frowns at that, typing without really thinking: “It’s better to be alone than to hang out with people that make you feel bad!” He writes that down before he realizes that he feels some kind of sympathy towards this woman, and he feels like he really needs to do something good to receive amazing things in life. For that, he follows the advice from the woman with the Hello Kitty raincoat, and he continues this conversation: “Besides, whenever you feel lonely, just text me! When you’re free, when you’re bored, whenever!”

The answer comes quickly: “Yeah? Then…what are you doing now?”

There are people made to be doctors. There are people made to be nurses. There are teachers that show the importance of concepts, and there are paychecks that complete the tasks of all these people. However, the importance of healing goes past a career, past medicines and shots, it comes from the power of words or visuals. Jeno has seen movies that have healed him, and he wants to be that for someone—even if it is only one person that considers him more than just another mindless person in the world.

He fulfills his promise of talking to her whenever he can, basking on long conversations about their favorite music styles, what bothers them and what doesn’t, what is their favorite season and others things. He learns that she enjoys summer because winter changes her mood entirely, and Jeno tells her about that one time he accidentally let his friend’s phone fall to the floor when it was tossed at him and he had his first fist fight (even though Donghyuck forgave him after he bought ice cream for the two). It is an ongoing conversation, without ‘goodbyes’ or ‘good night’s’. It is all about finding a friend in a stranger, and while people are used to meeting each other by views…either in life or physically, Jeno finds this way of meeting someone a little bit more interesting.

📷

He’s going to say it now: Jeno fucking hates—despises, really—projects. Much more when he has the luck of getting the most stupid of topics, or the worst of days to present it, or simply anything that goes against his will. This time around, a huge project was asked for one of his signatures and they had to be extremely creative—record a video that introduced a place as if it was a movie scene, showcasing edits, colors and filters. Basically, whatever they wanted. Some of his classmates got buildings, or parks, or aesthetic spots like coffee shops to make a romantic type of introduction in the video. Jeno almost felt like he was going to fail when he got told that he got a thrift store as his spot for recording.

He wanted to scream at the professor that it would have been better to assign him the dollar store. It would basically have the same amount of fabric to cut for him to record that video, and movie-style to say the least. However, Jeno sucked it up and wrote down the address to the thrift store his professor had told him about before promising himself that he was going to start on the project early so he could do some kind of magic to come up with something remotely acceptable. So, one day after he gets assigned such place, he picks up his camera and some equipment, placing them inside his backpack and driving as carefully as possible in his motorcycle—after all, he doesn’t want his camera equipment to go flying away from his motorcycle onto the road.

Once he gets to the thrift store, the first thing he sees is a row of clothes, from fluffy coats to long ones to leather jackets. There are old pictures from very old American bands hanging from the walls and he feels like the tacky beige color of the store is what bothers him the most, but he will have to really think about what he wants to do. His ears perk up when he hears a familiar song, the same chorus that he had heard when his motorcycle died on him, something along the lines of ‘iffy’ and his mind is immediately reminded of two people: the girl that helped him with his motorcycle and the girl behind the texts, who also adores Sik-K’s music.

He walks further into the store, rubbing his hands together, cladded in his sweater paws. He whistles softly, trying to catch the attention of the people working there, being met by the sight of a person that he has seen once in his life, but that he would recognize anywhere. She is no different, still with her pretty eyes looking thoughtful and lost in their own will, carrying a bag towards a taller and younger looking guy—his nametag says Jisung, and her nametag has him repeating her name inside his head to remember. The guy by the counter is the first one to notice him, and by the time he turns to look at the now-purple-haired Jeno, he lets the box fall to the floor with a bang.

“Jisung!” She hisses as she hits Jisung’s shoulder with the palm of her hand.

“Sorry, sorry!” He apologizes as he bends down to pick up what had fallen out of the box. She fixes her shirt, lifting her gaze to be met by Jeno—that same guy that she had helped in the road like two months ago. He comes closer, waving at her and by the look in her eyes, she must have thought something about his hair, for she takes a look at it. In his mind, Jeno thinks she has just realized he went from a bleached blonde to a soft lavender, but perhaps she is thinking about how he looks exactly like a bath bomb.

“You’re…wow…hi!” She introduces, leaning forward on the counter and smiling happily at the sight of Jeno. “You’re Jeno, the guy with the motorcycle.”

“I am. I would love to say the same thing with your name, but I don’t really know it.” Jeno adds and she shakes her head with a laugh, telling him her name slowly but he already knew it, given thanks to the nametag on her shirt. He sees the screen of the computer by the counter, a YouTube playlist showing a lot of hits from the rapper that seems to have a lot of fans. If two people he knows are huge fans of him, that is something big. “I take it you’re still not over that song?”

Embarrassment pokes at her cheeks and she sighs. “If I like something, I really like it. It’s rare for me to get over things.” She replies casually and Jeno nods his head, resting his hands on the counter to lean forward. Then, he feels someone’s gaze over his face and he realizes that the other worker is glancing at him.

“That’s good.” He adds with a smile, completely ignoring the guy that is unabashedly looking at him. “Uh…this might sound really awkward, but I have a project to complete. Basically, I have to take some good shots of this thrift store, movie style and I would ask for your permission to record here.”

“That’s fine with me. I don’t think there is a rule against that…” She answers and then, she rests her chin on the palm of her hand, elbow flushed against the surface of the counter. “What kind of project is it? Schoolwork?”

“I’m a film major.” What once Jeno had boosted on—his major and how good he is at it—is now his biggest insecurity. He doesn’t think he is good now, nor does he think he is getting better. He hates the fact that he has lost his confidence in something that made (Makes? Will make?) him happy. “And I really didn’t like the idea of recording in this kind of place, but I think I have an idea now.”

She shrugs her shoulders at that. “Consider me in. I’ll help you with anything you need.”

Jeno smiles at that. “Actually…I do need your help.”

“You do?”

“Yes.” Jeno finishes and then, he takes his camera equipment out of his backpack. He flutters his eyelashes against his cheeks when he smiles, half-moons welcoming her once again and Jeno is starting to feel a little bit heated up when he is around her. Pretty, definitely reminds him a lot of the girl he is texting. “I’m going to do a kind of look-book. I’m going to be my own model, but I need some styling assistance. I want a 90’s vibe, with warm colors and a lot of style references and hopefully you can help me get some nice shots, too.”

She widens her eyes, because it may be too much to ask for someone who should actually be working, but when Jeno thinks that she is going to decline his offer politely, she tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear as she rambles about an idea she had. “I saw these glasses that we have that are so like what you are describing. I think we can put some outfits together and all that stuff.”

“That’s it! You see my vision!” Jeno lifts his hand up in the air and she gives him a high five, the two exchanging smiles in an enchanting way. She pulls away from him, talking about what she is envisioning inside her brain and Jeno listens to her excitement. “You have to turn me into Sik-K.”

She looks over her shoulder, chuckling before shaking her head. “You want me to turn you into my dream guy?”

Jeno gasps at that, placing his hand over his chest in faux offensiveness. “Listen—on a scale of one to ten, that rapper is a nine point seven and I am a nine point eight.”

Her laughter is soft before she bites down on her bottom lip, gently. “I don’t need to turn you into him. I think you’re fine as you are.”

His heart flutters at the compliment, strangely enough.

What starts with one outfit turns into two and three. Luckily for him, they find a good corner of the big thrift store to come up with something good and along the way, she captures a lot of what Jeno wanted in this recording of his. Ripped jeans, flannels, caps, glasses, some band shirts and then onto brighter colors. At some point, along the third outfit, Jeno feels shy—not because he is looking bad, quite the contrary, he looks so good and so done up that he almost feels like he is not himself. She had picked a beige suit that had been there for quite a few years, paired with a black t-shirt underneath, tucked inside the high-waisted beige pants that made his legs look longer. Somehow, the lavender shade of his hair looked good with the colors and for that one shot, he was thinking of going outside. Maybe, a view from underneath that showed more of the sky and less of blank walls and the dim lightning of the thrift store. Something that would make the colors of the suit really stand out.

Once he comes out of the fitting room, he immediately seeks for her approval. Her eyes go up and down his body, a smile appearing on her face at the mere sight of him. Jeno, like a dream that just came out of the nineties, is the type of person that anyone would fall for. “Oh…I made a good choice.” That boosts Jeno’s ego, his hands fidgety at being the center of attention, but he doesn’t show it all that much. “So, what’s your plan?”

“A sky shot…but I brought my tripod. You can go back to work.”

Before Jeno could take the camera away from her hands, however, she shakes her head and that leads her to bring the camera closer to her chest. “Jisung’s got it…besides, it’s too early for people to drop by here and actually take my attention, so let me help you with this!”

Jeno squints his eyes, resting his hands inside the not-so-deep pockets of the suit he is wearing as he walks alongside her. “You’re really a whole angel, with a halo and all that stuff.” He compliments and the sight of her grin is enough to make him continue. He stares ahead, nonetheless, not wanting to look like she has him interested. “I might have to pay you with something. You like movies?”

“I mean…who doesn’t?”

“Exactly.” Jeno says and then, he nudges her side with his elbow. “I’ll give you a ticket to any movie you want once. This offer is only available for a month, though.”

She gasps at his offer, holding the camera up to his face once they are outside. Jeno says something about her kneeling down and as he thinks of his pose, she speaks. “No way!”

“Yes, of course! I work at a cinema, it’s what I can do.” Jeno adds and before she could say anything else—something along the lines of not wanting to accept—he interrupts her. “I want a shot of me kind of covering my face and looking down, you know.” Jeno grabs the jacket that he had brought with himself initially, that she had over her shoulder for some reason, and he talks to her. “Lift your knees up. I don’t want you getting aches.” He says and she does as he ordered, watching as he placed the somewhat fluffy jacket under her weight. “Kay.” He mumbles before he smiles. “Don’t laugh at me.”

“I won’t.”

Anyone could notice that Jeno is comfortable with himself, although his confidence has been vanishing a bit. His eyes are covered from the sun with a hand that splays softly across his face elegantly, moving to his side so the length of his legs can be seen. She moves around a bit, enough to get nice shots of him—not that his angles were bad, in any way—and the last thing Jeno does is smile happily, perhaps because he has finished his project with enough footage to do something, or because it is rare to get help. The acts of kindness he has seen during this year are almost nonexistent,

Sometimes, all we need is someone to remind us that society is not as rotten as it seems to be. That the sun hides, like any of us do, but some time in its life it will come up to remind everyone just how important it is. Jeno thinks that helping someone twice without expecting anything in return is almost impossible, but he can only hope that a handful of good things happen to the woman that seems more like an angel to him. When he is stepping out of the thrift store, changed and holding a bag that kept the suit he had worn—thanks to her, because she says that suit was meant to be worn by him—, he takes his phone out of his pocket before asking:

“Can I have your number? We can talk about that movie thing I offered earlier.”

She nods her head, bashful and tingling with excitement as she dictates her phone number. Jeno writes it down, until he sees there is already one person saved under that name…

Not Ryosuke.

That girl.

“Holy fuck!” Jeno laughs at the own twists and twirls of life, like a ballerina that forgot her steps. She looks at him as if he is crazy, and maybe he is, because in the matter of seconds he is showing her the screen and her expression suddenly turns into one of realization. “I didn’t know we already knew each other. I promise this wasn’t planned.”

“Well…that’s unexpected.” She whispers before rubbing her temples with her fingers. “No wonder you reminded me so much of him.”

“Exactly.” Jeno smiles and then, he changes the contact’s name and licks his lips soon after. “I still keep my promises, though. We’re going to watch any movie you want.”

“Yes—!”

“Hey, there is another box of underwear here and I’m too scared to look. What if it’s dirty?!” Jisung asks in a loud tone from somewhere in the store and she curses under her breath, saying her goodbyes and waving at him before going over to the young man.

Jeno should have known that there will never be two of her.

📷

“Guess what I found.”

“I don’t know.”

“My old Nintendo DS. And I have Nintendogs on it.”

“Ooh, this is going to be a wild night.”

Sometimes, life surprises Jeno. Any of us, really. Think of the amount of times you have gotten bad news on a good day, or vice versa, and you’ll be surprised by the fact that there is no amount of sixth senses that can help you with knowing the future. That is scary, on one end, to not know if you’re going to be happy for the entirety of your life or if there is an abyss of emotions waiting for you. In this occasion, he is not bothered by said facts, because he is with her. The woman whom he had taken to the cinema for free, and he had asked Jaemin to cover him as he watched a movie for the nth time. They talked a lot, getting a few glances from the people who were actually trying to watch the movie, but Jeno works there. What are they going to do? Call the manager on him?

Luckily, they didn’t call the manager.

And now he is there, third date if you may call it—if buying her a bagel when she gets out of work counts as a date—. He thinks it was, simply because he had walked her home after that. Right now, they are seated across one of the prettiest parks in Seoul, a red and white fabric underneath them as a simplistic way of indicating they are on a picnic date, but the food is already gone and he actually wanted to play some games with her. Nintendogs sounded like a good idea. It included animals and definitely not a lot of effort.

They say meeting your soulmate consists of finding someone exactly like you, but be damned the person that created such concept. Sometimes, you just need someone that connects with you—that is the complete opposite of you and yet, they are willing to spend time with one another. Jeno pulls the hood of his shirt up his hair, considering if he should dye it back to black after he heard her say she likes that color on him—thanks to some pictures she had seen—but for now, lavender will do. She gets closer to him, watching the screen as it displays the entrance logo and then, the sight of a poodle welcomes them, along with her laughter. “Oh no, you did not!”

“Did not what?” Jeno asks and then his eyes go to the dog’s name, chuckling along with her at the sight of his poor attempt at an English name. Ducky. “I didn’t know Ducky was like…duck, you know. I thought it was cute.”

“That’s the blandest, most random name for a dog.” She plays around with the screen a little bit, trying to feed the dog only to be welcomed by the zeroes on his account. “And we’re basically at the verge of being poor?! Jeno! We need to find cheats for this game so we can feed the dog!”

“We are going to take him to a running championship and get some cash. Relax.” Jeno looks at her, their faces far too close for two people who have not even gotten remotely close to kissing. Not that Jeno does not want to, but he had kind of forgotten how to take that step. He doesn’t want to seem like an absolute creep, but he would be lying if he said that he does not enjoy the sight of her glossy lips coated in lip-gloss only recently. “Just trust me?” He whispers, his eyes shining like the stars that she has gotten tired of seeing, but they seem brand new on his orbits. She seems to try to find somewhere to look at, like his eyes or his lips or everything, because everything about him deserves to be looked at.

“I trust you.”

“Doesn’t seem like it.”

“And how can I show you that I really trust you?”

Jeno raises his eyebrows momentarily, trying to find the words in him to tell her something, anything, maybe there are no words that could compare to what a kiss would mean. Jeno is a coward, however, bumping his shoulder with hers and saying a simple: “I know you already trust me, silly.”

And anyone could tell, from meters or miles away, that the pair liked one another. Not like how the sun likes the moon, those type of analogues are starting to die down, but like two people who simply knew the biggest meaning behind feeling something. It was meant to be there, to be lived, to be felt, to be embraced because no matter how much sadness or despair, happiness or anger is felt, it should be given time to stay there and coexist with you.

He saves it for later, because it is always more of a comforting blanket to imagine that things will get easier along the way. Someday, he is going to kiss her and he is going to do it right. For now, however, he will keep that action on the low.

📷

He has never told her that he loves the way she looks at him.

It has been five dates, and Jeno is still looking for that perfect moment to finally kiss her, but it is a thought that passes through his brain when they are roaming around a convenience store to get some snacks for their videogame night. Jeno holds the door open for her, and she looks over her shoulder just to thank him in a soft tone, but he is more than glad that someone like her likes him the moment he finally realizes just how she glances at him. There is something in her eyes, as if she sees Jeno as someone that is worth more than a million things. To her, he is a human being that shines his light—not only because of his successes, but for his failures, too. Jeno is strong, in one way or another, not only when he holds her but when he continues for his dreams, even when he feels like giving up.

The air conditioner is quite too cold at the convenience store, and they are taking their precious time to pick their snacks or the drinks they are going to have. She complains under her breath that her t-shirt is too thin to keep her warm, and that is Jeno’s cue to wrap his arms around her waist, bringing his chest closer to her back and his lips to press down on her shoulder. There is also not a single soul near them at the convenience store, only the workers that don’t seem to be paying that much attention to anything but the soccer game that is displayed in one of the TV’s. “Jeno,” She whines, although she leans back a bit as she looks through the packages of ramen she was just looking at. “What do you want? Pork flavored…chicken…seafood?”

“I’m feeling chicken tonight.” Jeno whispers and she giggles when his lips move against her neck.

“You’re tickling me.”

“Cute.”

“Stop it, Jeno. People are going to look at us weirdly.”

“You were cold!”

“And?”

“We need to survive.”

“I’m not going to die from the cold.”

Jeno groans as he pulls away from her, taking a cart from nearby to put three packages of ramen inside the cart, moving forward as they remain in silence for a few seconds, pondering on what they should buy next. “I’m going to take revenge. I’m so going to beat your bum on Just Dance.”

She fakes a shivering motion, as if it is going up her spine. “I am shaking. Look at me.” She replies and Jeno juts out his bottom lip in a pout. She chuckles at the sight, immediately turning to look at him and properly give him all her attention. Sometimes, he wonders if this is the best he will ever feel with someone, because he has had a number of girlfriends…and none of them had made him feel like this. There aren’t butterflies roaming around his stomach, neither a zoo—it feels peaceful, like she is meant to be there and he is meant to accompany her, and they were meant to meet. Through text, or through his motorcycle running out of fuel. “I’m kidding.” She cutely adds before pinching his cheeks, moving his face from one side to the other before sighing. “Let’s keep shopping.”

The best part of the night that is only starting comes when they get out of the convenience store, walking over to Jeno’s motorcycle as they speak about their encounters with videogames. When he gets on his spot, he feels her sitting down behind him, something that she has done a few times already, but the moment she wraps her arms around his waist, bag filled with snacks sounding with the quick breeze, Jeno turns around, placing one hand over hers to ask:

“Are you set in place? I don’t want you falling off the motorcycle or something.” He turns on the motorcycle as he says those words, and she smiles before nodding her head. Jeno, either way, asks once again. “Are you sure? I’m being mad serious.”

Before he knows it, he feels the soft texture of her lips pressing against his in a quick kiss, as if she just needs to remind him that he is the most caring person she has ever met in this world, and there is nothing else she would rather be doing at that moment. Jeno continues the kiss, only pulling away when she does so to open his eyes softly to look at her. She pats his bicep, as if nothing had happened, but then she rests her cheek against his back. “I’ll be fine. Let’s just go.”

“I don’t think I want to go now.” He says, still starting the motorcycle and driving it towards his shared apartment.

“Why?”

“Because you had more balls than me to kiss me and that’s…that’s the most attractive shit ever, oh my God.”

And the sound of her laughter is enough to ease him up.

📷

Jeno has always loved comedy movies, and while he should really get tired of watching hours and hours of footage of both good and bad movies, he never does. For some reason, Jeno thinks that every movie is worth a watch, but when he is feeling down, he likes to have a good laugh when his face is illuminated by the colors of the television screen, wrapped snugly in a blanket, only staring ahead even when his eyes are technically burning from his long hours of movie-watching. Any other day, he would have been accompanied by Dongyoung’s grumbling about how he cannot watch movies in such a high volume, but right now he hears the sound of his door opening, then some heels clicking and finally, the sound of his keys being tossed to his side.

The light turns on, and he is welcomed by the sight of his girlfriend, who takes in his surroundings. Bags of snacks that are left empty, his hair a mess under his blankets, his thin lips plumper thanks to the spicy chicken he had and finally, just finally, she lets out a smile that greets him with a new beginning, telling him that he will be alright, even when life tries to tell him it won’t. “Try to brush your hair at least, okay?” She asks, walking forward to pull the blanket off Jeno and run her fingers through his hair. He closes his eyes, now realizing just how tired he is. Of finally coming to the realization that he has failed that class that he has been fighting so hard to pass, of living his life with his creativity tied to the words in a book, of the insomniac nights and the footage he deletes. He rests his face against her stomach, wrapping his arms around her legs and closing his eyes tightly.

“I was just too lazy to do anything.” Jeno whispers against her stomach, tickling her with the movement of his lips before he rests his chin against the skin, looking up with tired eyes. “I thought you were going to study for a test.”

“I studied earlier because I knew you’d be down.” The answer makes his heart grow in size and he bites his bottom lip, trying his hardest to give her one of those bright smiles that he tends to give away like it is Christmas time, but he fails entirely. Is it his fault that he has only liked two genres in his life: action and comedy, and that he is living through the worst drama that he has ever seen? Maybe, but that is just how life is. She takes a seat beside him, turning off the device in front of them before scoffing. “Baby, I am so proud of you…and you should be proud, too. Sure, you failed that class…but you tried your hardest, and learned a lot, and improved.” He looks at her, finally coming to the realization that he might like a new genre of movies now. Romance, even when he surely gags at how stupid most romance movies are, but theirs…the one they have made…seems to be bound to have a good ending. “That is what is important. Just take that same class with another professor next time and you’ll be fine.”

“Yes. I’ll be fine. Thank you.” Jeno whispers and then, he smacks her thigh lightly, although the sound goes around the living room. “Let me brush my teeth and then we can take a nap, okay?”

“I’d love that.”

When he stands up to go to the bathroom, he takes one last glance at his girlfriend, looking through his selection of movies with a peaceful look on her face and he smiles.

Life is not like a movie, but some things are way better.

#jeno scenarios #jeno #nct scenarios #nct #kpop scenarios #writing #nct fluff #jeno fluff #nct au #jeno au #cinema worker!jeno #accidental texting!au #strangers to lovers!au #listen: if you know where the title is from you're one of mine lol #but i hope you like this!!!#i wrote this when i was feeling really low so i hope it's good???#idk???

216 notes · View notes

shreedle · 4 years

Note

For that writing ask meme: 3, 16, 18, and 24.

Thank you~!

(From this Ask Meme here.)

3. Name a fanfic/story you are particularly proud of writing.

...Can I pick more than one?

Dragon Star (Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds) is still one that I’m particularly proud of -- it might not be my best work technically, but the sheer amount of research I had to do to make a believable duel that could theoretically last 2-3 episodes of the anime itself? I’m still shocked that I had the attention span to do it, and that I was able to find pretty much every single card that I needed.

The Crossing the Realms (Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest) trilogy are also some of my absolute favorites. I was really amused by the concept when it first came to mind, and despite how crack-like it seems, I thought I was still able to make it believable. Also, I thought that making it from the Conquest point of view was interesting, since they would have more of a reason to stay in the Deeprealms (in this case Ylisse).

And finally, Light Those Flames (Mega Man Battle Network). The fic is less about the (extremely) rarepair and more development for a character who otherwise would make no sense (for context: Match tries to kill you in BN1. He reappears in BN2 as an optional battle, and your character doesn’t trust him. In BN3, he tricks you, makes you do something horrible, and nearly kills a bunch a people. In BN4, the events of that fic take place. He doesn’t appear in BN5, but reappears in BN6 as one of your teachers. And he’s a GOOD GUY this time. There are two instances where you need to select someone to run for help, and he is one of them, and HE WILL save your ass both times.)

16. Any ideas you wanted to write about, but never did?

Uhh... let’s see. I had an idea for an AU where Fates and Awakening are in the same world, but I don’t think I ever got around to fleshing it out too well.

I’ve always wanted to write a full out novelization for my major Mega Man AUs, but probably never will. They’ve all got tons of RP logs and oneshots (and Asphodel even has a multichapter WIP fic), though.

-Babylon AU: Pretty much all the events are tossed in a blender and I pick out what I like. If anyone remembers my Xavier RP blog, this is where he’s from.

-Svarga AU: X pretty much retired from the Hunters to work as a scientist. An old, old concept that his Armors have AIs is in play in this world. If anyone remembers my Max RP blog, this is where he’s from.

-Tartarus AU: Basically a reverse-MMZ AU -- X is the amnesiac Reploid that Ciel finds, while Maverick Zero is the one in control of Elysium (the equivalent of Neo Arcadia). If anyone remembers my Phoenix RP blog, this is where he’s from.

-Asphodel AU: Basically all of canon remains, with the events tweaked just slightly to make sense. All of the Mega Man series fall into one timeline, with the BN/SF timeline taking place LONG after the Classic/X/Zero/ZX/Legends timeline.

-Avalon AU: The BN/SF anime timeline takes place sometime after the Classic/X timeline. The Elf Wars mentioned in the Zero timeline occurred, but X was never replaced by Copy X.

-Vanaheim AU: X woke up with a twin unit (OVER-1), Zero woke up with a twin unit (R-Shadow, named Reuben), and Zero remembers his mission. Sigma never gets infected, but Mavericks are still a thing. X is a little more proactive and are basically vigilantes, and Zero is a Hunter that gets Very Frustrated with X.

18. Are there any topics you find difficult to write for?

I’m not particularly a fan of writing crack, if that makes sense? I love humor, genuinely funny stuff is the best, but if it’s crack, I don’t... like to.

Killing off favorite characters is practically impossible. If I ever do this, it’s always done off-screen before the fic started because my heart completely shatters otherwise.

24. What future fics/events can we expect to see?

Well, I’m working on at least one FE Fates fic that has a similar concept to Whisper a Prayer, A Flicker of Awakening, and All of Them, so I think I might be getting that out soon enough. I really should just put these in a series.

Then there’s a WIP of a post-FE Fates: Birthright route fic where Odin is the main character. This has somehow hit 80,000 words in my doc and it’s not even close to being complete, and given my track record, won’t be posted until it is. Saying anything about what happens in this one will spoil it, unfortunately, but Odin is Not Happy with what happened in Birthright.

#kimium #ask meme

2 notes · View notes

arysafics · 5 years

Text

Out Loud

Summary: Clarke is really into quidditch, but since she sucks at playing, she's forced to annouce the matches at Hogwarts instead. Except she kind of keeps going off on tangents about how hot the Gryffindor captain is.

Rated T, ~2,500 words

Clarke isn’t allowed to commentate Slytherin quidditch matches anymore, on account of how Professor Jaha says she’s too biased. Clarke is still of the opinion that it’s the umpire that’s biased, and not her, but she handles her ban reasonably well, considering she only got to announce for three matches before it happened. Only Professor Diyoza, head of Slytherin, realises that Clarke was the one to curse the Ravenclaws’ brooms so they release green smoke when used.

“If only you would put your talent into something useful, Clarke,” Diyoza sighs. She takes 5 points from Slytherin, but she doesn’t tell anyone else about what Clarke did.

Clarke’s ban doesn’t extend to commentating the other matches, though she is on probation. She swears to herself she’ll be on her best behaviour when commentating the upcoming Gryffindor vs Hufflepuff match. Well, to the best of her ability. The problem is, her mouth kind of runs away with her while she’s announcing. The filter that’s normally there in everyday conversations disappears, and whatever comes into her head pops out. She needs to get a handle on it though. If they ban her completely, she’ll have to just watch the match with the rest of the plebs.

See, the thing is, Clarke loves quidditch. She goes to the World Cup with her dad every year, and she’s always arguing with someone or other about who the best players are, who has the best strategy or who’s going to win. She goes to all the Slytherin training sessions, even though she’s not on the team. Her classmates are careful not to bring up quidditch in front of her, because they know it will just set her off and they won’t be able to shut her up about it for at least an hour. In fourth year, she was caught taking bets on the school tournament. They almost banned her from quidditch entirely then and there.

Despite her love of quidditch, Clarke can’t play for shit, and it’s always irked her to no end. It’s her only failing, as far as she is concerned. She just doesn’t have the coordination or something. She tried out for the Slytherin team her first five years at Hogwarts, for every position. Not agile enough to be a chaser or a keeper. Not enough power to be a beater. Not swift enough to be a seeker. So now they let her commentate.

“Remember you’re on probation, Clarke,” Professor Jaha tells her as she takes her place in the commentator’s box. “I’ll be right here making sure you don’t say anything you shouldn’t say.”

“Yes, professor,” Clarke sighs. She turns her attention to the stands, full of students wearing house colours and waving banners. They’re already cheering and screaming, though the players aren’t even on the field yet. Clarke gets her wand out, silently casting the amplifying charm to project her voice over the stadium.

“Welcome back everyone!” she says. “I’m Clarke Griffin and I’ll be commentating this match. Yes, that’s right I’m still here, even after Raven Reyes tried to get me banned after my commentary on the last match.”

“Clarke!” Jaha scolds. She gives him a sheepish look. She turns her attention back to the pitch as the players fly out and the crowd cheers even louder.

“Today’s match is Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff! The winner of this match will play Slytherin in the final. Gryffindor have been playing a little too well this year so let’s hope Hufflepuff wins this one. Although I, am of course, completely unbiased.” Clarke glances at Jaha to see him rolling his eyes. The players take their places around the centre ring. “Today’s umpire is Professor Pike of Ravenclaw.”

Pike stands in the centre ring and releases the bludgers and snitch from their wooden case. He picks up the quaffle and throws it into the air, blowing his whistle as he does so.

“And we’re off! Finn Collins, Hufflepuff chaser, and two-timing bastard—”

“Clarke!”

“Sorry, professor. Collins has the quaffle. He dodges a bludger, struck by Octavia Blake. He passes off to Harper McIntyre, who shoots for a goal and—it’s nicely defended by Gryffindor captain, Bellamy Blake. Side note—did the Gryffindors get new uniforms? I’m sure Blake didn’t look that good last match. Like he looked good, but the way he fills out that new uniform is something else. Okay, he’s passing the quaffle to Zoe Monroe, who skirts around Collins, heading straight for the goals.”

“Clarke, keep your commentary on the game please!” Jaha scolds.

“I am! Ooh! Kyle Wick just hit a bludger right at Monroe! She managed not to get hit but she dropped the quaffle and now it’s in the hands of that dirtbag Finn Collins again. Personally, I think he should be banned from the team, because if he cheats on women, who’s to say he doesn’t cheat at quidditch?”

“Clarke! This is your last warning!”

“Collins passes to Gina Martin. She’s squared up against Blake, ready to take a shot at goal. This is awkward, they used to date.”

“Clarke…”

“It’s relevant information, professor! I’m just giving context! It’s not like I’m speculating on why they broke up. Although I think it’s because they had zero chemistry. Watching them kiss made me want to barf. She’s going for it and… Blake dives for it, giving us a glimpse of those magnificent abs. Ooh, he misses, but at least he looked good doing it. Ten points for Hufflepuff!”

The crowd erupts into cheers from everyone but the Gryffindors themselves.

“Ooh, Blake does not look happy about that!” Clarke says. His scowl only grows as Clarke says the words. Bellamy fetches the quaffle and throws it back into play forcefully.

“Monroe has the quaffle again. She passes to Wells Jaha. He’s really improved in the last year—he’s flying down the field. No one can stop him now! He’s going for goal—it flies right past Lincoln, the Hufflepuff keeper, and we are tied at ten all!”

Lincoln wastes no time putting the quaffle back into play, and in thirty seconds it’s back at the Hufflepuff goal end.

“It’s Harper shooting for goal again—and Blake’s defence is flawless. Harper needs to up her game if she’s going to get it past Blake. Ooh, a well place bludger by Echo as Blake tries to pass the quaffle off to Monroe. It’s missed him, thankfully—wouldn’t want to mess up that pretty face—but he’s dropped the quaffle, and now it’s a race between Monroe and Harper to see who can get there first. And it’s Harper! Can she make the shot this time? She hasn’t been able to so far, maybe she’s distracted by Blake’s arm muscles. Seriously, they got new uniforms, right? Or did someone put a shrinking hex on his? Because that thing is so tight is almost indecent, and it can’t be just me having indecent thoughts right now… Ooh! He grabs the quaffle, but he fumbles it a little. It’s okay, doesn’t make him any less of a great quidditch player. They all have a little fumble now and then. I’ll tell you what, I’d let him fumble around my—”

Her wand is snatched out of her hand before she can finish. She whips her head around to see Jaha glaring at her.

“That’s enough, Clarke.”

“What did I say?” she whines.

“Well, I wrote it all down and I’ll be sending it to your head of house. Get back to the Slytherin common room now. Diyoza will deal with you later.”

“But I want to watch the rest of the match!”

“Now, Clarke.” He hands Clarke her wand back, and Clarke takes it from him, reluctantly descending the stand. By the time she reaches the ground, she can already hear Jasper Jordan taking over as announcer. Jaha must have had him on standby, knowing Clarke would screw up. She scowls. She doesn’t even know what she said wrong! She was just saying what she saw. And now she doesn’t even get to stay and watch the end of the match. It’s so unfair.

Clarke slouches in the chair across the desk from Professor Diyoza, her expression sour. After the match, Diyoza had called Clarke straight to her office.

“I really thought you learned your lesson after last time,” Diyoza says. “You’re normally so careful with what you say. I don’t understand.”

“I guess quidditch just gets me all riled up,” Clarke shrugs. “I can’t help it. I don’t even know what I said that was so bad.”

Diyoza pulls out a piece of parchment. “Jaha made sure I got this exact dictation of what you said.” She looks down to the parchment. “First you called Finn Collins a two-timing bastard, and also a cheater and a dirtbag.”

“He is though.”

“Not related to quidditch.”

Clarke huffs. “What else?”

“Most of the other stuff is just you going on about how hot you think Bellamy Blake is.”

“I did not say that.”

Diyoza eyes her with amusement. She reads directly from the page. “The way he fills out that new uniform is something else. Blake dives for it, giving us a glimpse of those magnificent abs. He misses, but at least he looked good doing it. It’s missed him, thankfully, wouldn’t want to mess up that pretty face. It can’t be just me having indecent thoughts right now—”

“Okay!” Clarke interrupts. Her face is flaming. “I’ve heard enough.” She can hardly believe she said all that out loud. She can tell Diyoza is laughing at her, even if she isn’t actually laughing. “So, what’s my punishment then?”

“To be honest, I think it’s punishment enough that the entire school now knows you have a thing for the Gryffindor quidditch captain. That’s pretty embarrassing, right?”

Clarke scowls. “Shut up,” she mutters.

“Do you speak to all your professors like that?” Diyoza asks, rolling her eyes.

“Am I being punished or not?”

“Yeah, twenty points from Slytherin. And you’re banned from announcing all future matches.”

“Fine.”

“Don’t sulk, Clarke. I doubt Gryffindor’s resident golden boy will find that attractive. They won, by the way.”

“You’re the worst house leader ever,” Clarke says, mostly trying to disguise the fact that she’s blushing again. She gets up and stalks out of the office, Diyoza’s laughter trailing after her.

On her way back to the Slytherin common room, she spots Bellamy coming towards her and quickly changes direction. He’s the last person she wants to see right now. Unfortunately, the hallway is empty apart from the two of them, and he sees her before she can escape.

“Hey, Griffin!” he yells. Clarke stops, squeezing her eyes shut. Her face is hot already, and she hopes it doesn’t look as red as it feels. She turns to face him, trying to muster up some semblance of nonchalance.

“Bellamy,” she says. “What’s up?”

“What the hell was that out there?” he says angrily.

“What do you mean?”

“You know exactly what I mean. All the shit you were saying. That was really uncool.”

Clarke cringes. “Sorry I embarrassed you,” she says shortly. “If it makes you feel any better, I totally humiliated myself as well, so there’s that.”

“How exactly did you humiliate yourself?”

“You heard what I said, right?” she snorts. “I kind of admitted to the whole school that I’m into you. Which would be fine if it were anyone else, but no, I have to have a crush on perfect Gryffindor quidditch captain Bellamy Blake. It’s totally ruining my cool Slytherin brand.”

Bellamy is staring at her like she just grew a second head.

“What?” she snaps.

“You’re into me?” he says dumbly. Clarke stares back, confused. He did hear everything she said at the match, right? “I mean—you didn’t just say all that stuff to throw me off my game so we’d lose the match?”

Oh. Oh, that would have been a great cover. Clarke only wishes she’d thought of it herself. And fuck, now she’s blushing again.

“I—” she swallows. “Fuck.” Her eyes drop to her feet, unable to look at his deep brown eyes scrutinising her. “I really need to learn to keep my mouth shut,” she mutters.

“You’re into me,” he repeats, almost wondrously. He laughs. Clarke looks up, glowering at him.

“No need to laugh at me.”

Bellamy’s wide grin drops, and he quickly turns apologetic. “Oh, no,” he says. “Sorry. I’m not laughing at you. I—uh—” He rubs the back of his neck nervously. “I’m kind of into you too.”

Clarke gapes at him. “What?”

Bellamy laughs again. “Yeah. It’s really annoying.”

Clarke’s heart soars, and she’s not sure she’s doing a great job of keeping the goofy grin from her face. “I bet I’m more annoyed about it that you are.”

“No way. My crush on you is way more inconvenient. Your stupid sexy voice always distracts me from quidditch. Today was especially bad. It’s like… my brain was sure you were saying all that stuff just to put me off, but my dumbass heart got all worked up because it wanted you to mean it.”

“Well, you’ll be happy to know I got banned from announcing any further matches.”

“It was probably because of the part where you said you wanted me to fumble around your—what was it? You never finished that sentence.”

“Oh my god,” Clarke groans. “I’m so embarrassing. This ban is probably for the best.”

Bellamy eyes her, smile playing on his lips. God, she feels like she could melt into a heap under his gaze. Her heart is beating so fast she thinks it’s going to burst out of her chest.

“Clarke?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I kiss you?” Clarke nods, and then Bellamy is closing the gap between them, taking her face in his hands and pressing his lips against hers, so gently Clarke thinks she might be imagining the whole thing. She deepens the kiss, opening her mouth for him, letting her tongue brush against his. Her whole body lights up for him. He groans softly, then pulls back. Clarke opens her eyes to his. Goosebumps cover her skin.

“Everyone is going to make fun of us for this,” Clarke says.

“No one would dare,” Bellamy laughs. “Everyone knows you can hex anyone and get away with it. Like what you did with the Ravenclaws’ brooms.”

“You know that was me?”

“Everyone knows. Mostly because I figured it was you and I was so impressed I told everyone. But I made it seem like I thought it was a stupid thing to do.”

Clarke smiles. “You think I’m impressive?”

“Don’t tell anyone.”

“I’m going to tell everyone. Especially Diyoza.”

Bellamy shakes his head, confused but endeared. “Okay? Weird, but okay.”

“So, do you want to like… date me?”

Bellamy grins. “Yeah, I want to date you. If you’re not too concerned about your cool Slytherin brand. Which, for the record, you don’t have.”

“Shut up and kiss me again.”

“Gladly.”

#bellarke #bellarke fanfiction #the 100 #the 100 fanfiction #mine

207 notes · View notes

imagineyoungjustice · 5 years

Text

1.5k Followers Milestone Drabbles 8/10

Terra, will you be my fairy godmother and grant me a wish to have a drabble? The reader finds out some of the team doesn't like the Kingdom Hearts soundtrack and decides to declare war by rigging the intercoms to only play the music when on standby -Anonymous

I did end up just using the Kingdom Hearts soundtrack, but I kind of just picked a few randomly off the list to listen to since there’s like 78 tracks to it. I tried my best considering I’ve never played the game and have zero context for the tracks. Also most of the ones I was picking were hard to match to combat on sound alone, so if there was a better combat option on there I didn’t use it’s because I was picking randomly -Terra

Tags: @ljblve @loverbug1123 @aworldwideapart @wallywestie

Want to be added to our tag list? Send us and ask!

You smirked as you heard the Zeta-tubes flaring to life in the next room. Robin and Kid Flash had finally arrived at the cave, meaning that everyone was present. Good, you thought. Now was the perfect time to enact your revenge.

Conner and Wally had mentioned earlier that they hadn’t cared for the music you had playing while you trained the previous week, and you had to do a mental double-take to make sure you were hearing them correctly. You had explained that it was from one of your favorite games, Kingdom Hearts, and Wally made a face.

“Oh, you mean that kids’ game?”

Bitch.

It was on after that. You had spent what could be considered an unhealthy amount of time hacking into and rigging the intercom system in the entire mountain. And today, was the day you would make Wally suffer. You waited a few minutes, making sure everyone was settled into their activities before you ran the program. The system you designed was that it would cycle through the entire soundtrack when everyone was in downtime between missions. Obviously, you set it to cut out when Batman calls the team for debrief, you wanted petty revenge, not something that would mess up everyone’s ability to do their jobs. Otherwise however, certain songs would loop under special circumstances to fit the shift in ambience or tone.

But enough of your stalling, your petty revenge awaits you. Without further ado, and a grin that would rival a hyena’s, you pressed the button to start your revenge. It took a few moments, but you could hear the beginning cords of the main theme beginning to play quietly through the cave. You would have set it to just blast the soundtrack, but you wanted to irk Wally, not make the rest of your team get pissed at you as well.

The crescendo of the piece began to rise, though overall the music was still a soft background noise, just enough to break the otherwise silent air of the mountain no matter where one was. There was a pause from the training and debrief room as you assumed everyone was trying to piece together the sudden appearance of the music. You couldn’t wipe the grin off your face, enjoying the melody of what was in your opinion, an amazing composition. It didn’t take more than a few seconds before you felt that telltale gust of wind, the sound of shoes sliding against the rocky floor as the man of the hour slid to a halt in front of you.

“Why.” The first thing out of his mouth when you opened your eyes.

“It’s a good game, Wally.” It was all you said and would say on the matter. You got up to head to the training ring, waiting for the next part of the surprise. Wally was hot on your heels, trying to get you to turn it off, asking why the you were being so petty, etc.

“Fine then,” you turned to him once you were on the ring, the panels glowing as it loaded up. “If you can beat me two out of three, I’ll turn the music off.”

You heard Robin snicker from over your shoulder, followed by a muttered “I knew it this had to be their work.” From Artemis.

“Hand-to-hand only. No powers.”

“You’re on.” Wally remarked, a cocky smirk on his face.

You winked and returned to him a smirk of your own. The music over the speakers shifted as the combat program finished loading, “Fragments of Sorrow” beginning to spill forth. You heard him groan, and you used that moment of distraction to move in, catching him off guard. The match, and the one after, were won with ease. Wally was distracted by the music every time it would shift to a new song, giving you the openings, you needed to take him down.

“Looks like the music is here to stay.” You joked, your eyes shimmering with mirth.

“You cheated.” He grunted, pushing himself up into a sitting position.

“Music to match the mood isn’t cheating. Besides, a hero needs to know how to fight despite distractions in the environment.”

“They have a point Walls.” Robin said, his own grin on his face.

“This doesn’t bother you?” Wally asked.

“I actually like the game too. You should play it yourself.”

Wally just groaned. It was going to be a long day for him. “If I play the game, will you stop?” He had turned to you, his eyebrow raised in question.

You threw him a controller. “I already have the game loaded and waiting.”

He floundered for a moment, flabbergasted. “You two planned this!” You just turned and left the room, laughing to yourself. Something told you that he’d end up liking the game before the day was over.

#1.5k milestone #Drabble #Young Justice #Kingdom Hearts #but just the soundtrack #Wally West #Kid Flash #Robin #Dick Grayson

9 notes · View notes

bigskydreaming · 5 years

Text

Blech. I’ve pretty much officially finished writing, editing and revising this standalone epic fantasy novel I started years and years ago and only just recently got around to finishing. Which is good, for sure, but also....blech. LOL. Because now I have no more excuses for putting off making a decision about the cover.

Like I always intended to self-pub this particular novel for personal reasons, and I can make my own covers just fine. I’ve done epic fantasy covers before for other clients that turned out well, even working with stock art and photomanipulation, its totally possible to make something that hits all the genre expectations and sells the right tone and feel to readers who come across it. BUT I’ve always loved the illustrated covers of a lot of fantasy novels I grew up with, and always kinda wanted something similar for this particular work, even though I have other fantasy projects I wouldn’t care as much about that one way or the other.

And so years ago when I first started the book and was only about a third of the way in, but still had a solid sense of the world and story and where it was all going, I happened to stumble across a fantasy artist whose work was like...exactly the right tone and aesthetic I’d always been picturing for that novel’s setting and vibe. And he was a freelancer, and open to commissions at the time, and you never know with freelancers if they’ll still be taking commissions a year or two down the line or if they’ve gone to work for like, a video game company or studio or something like that by that point, so even though the book was nowhere near done I hopped on that and commissioned an illustration from him to be used for the cover at some future point when I was ready for it. I just needed the illustration, I was fine doing typography and all that myself when the time came.

And I mean, I’ve literally been on the other side of the author/artist interaction tons of times, lol, so like, I know from my own experiences where its helpful to give an artist or a designer room to breathe and exercise their own creativity, make use of their own particular skillset and interpret the story elements you tell them are most important to see conveyed in the final cover, in like...their own way, like what feels best to them, what they’re most inspired to do with the foundational info you give them to build off of.

Like I mean, visual design is its own skillset, and often completely separate from the kind of visualization most authors do of their own work while writing it....and with self-pubbed authors especially, as artists or designers you often run into authors who get really hung up on relatively minor details that they feel really need to be on the cover in some capacity and in really specific ways. Which is often to the detriment of the cover in the long run because like....what looks right in your head as a writer, totally familiar with your own world and story and its every minutiae and the implications and context of every single element....is not always going to come across the same way to readers who happen across your cover while browsing. Because they literally have ZERO context for what they’re looking at, and thus it really needs to stand on its own two feet and sell itself, not....loop back around to some hidden significance that will really only resonate with readers who end up buying the book and only once they reach this one scene in chapter 27 or whatever, you know?

So I really didn’t want to do that with this artist. I was only commissioning him because I loved what I’d seen of his work and the style he seemed to default to naturally was the perfect fit for what I wanted, IMO, so I was more than willing to let him take the broader strokes of the setting/themes/storyline in whatever direction inspired him most, as long as he hit within the general framework I provided him.

BUT, that said, for all that I tried to give him as much creative freedom to work with as possible, there are of course always a FEW things that as the commissioning party, are really important to see in the final product, and so yeah, I did have a couple of areas/elements that I did stress were really important to strike the right tone with, or it could make or break the whole illustration.

Specifically, I was concerned that he hit the right feel with the main character. My protag for this novel is a woman, and the one area his portfolio samples didn’t have a ton of variety with and thus had me slightly worried about what visual tropes he might default to...was female characters. He had tons of gorgeous settings, fantasy creatures, architecture, knights and sorcerers and monsters, but not a ton of women in the samples I saw. He did have some, for sure, and like there was nothing super concerning about the way he’d drawn/painted them....there were some priestesses, sorceresses, that kinda thing, and their anatomy and wardrobes weren’t like....glaringly cheesecake-y or anything like a lot of fantasy artists’ portfolios....so I knew he COULD get the character right, the way I hoped he would, I just wasn’t SURE. Like, I wasn’t concerned about specific details, beyond like....not outrageously contradicting the character description and scenes I gave him to work off of, I wasn’t worried about nitpicking minutiae. But my protag is a warrior-magic user archetype, and warrior women is like, the one female archetype he didn’t have any samples of, and I was more concerned about him defaulting to like....the old fantasy standby’s of ridiculously impossible and unnatural poses for warrior women, not to mention totally impractical armor, that sort of thing.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but this was the ONE thing I stressed, lol. I didn’t really care about the finer details of her armor like in terms of decoration or filigree or even color schemes, I honestly could just adjust my own descriptions in the book to match what he came up with if need be. Stuff like that, so not a big deal to me. ALL I was concerned about was like....she not fall into those trope traps that ensnare so many women on fantasy covers, like....just make her look like she’s a fucking warrior who knows what the hell she’s doing, and I’ll be fine with everything else, you know? I even sent him some covers of published fantasy novels to use as comparison comps, like ‘this is the kind of feel or vibe I’d ideally like to see her capture, something like these women in these covers here’ as well as ‘this is what I really really DON”T want to see, like, I shouldn’t have a better sense of how good a contortionist she is than whether or not I believe she can swing a sword.’

Soooooo.....what happened?

Did he prioritize as I’d really really hoped he would and strongly expressed my desire for him to, and take care to at least avoid the more obvious problems, even if the end result was’t 100% what I was hoping for? Nooooooope. She might as well be mid-yoga pose. Sigh. Like, the guy has a damn near perfect grasp of anatomy and proportions on every other human figure I saw in the many samples I looked through before commissioning him, but somehow, despite this being of utmost importance to me and the ONLY thing about the entire project I stressed about and made sure to emphasize, lol, he ended up painting her in this weird bent at the waist position that throws her lower body proportions off entirely and like, her hip is angled or arched in this weird way that’s incredibly distracting and off, and like also, of course her armor is....pointless, in all the specific ways that happened to be the ONLY details about her armor I was concerned with. Y’know. Like. Its effectiveness. As armor.

And the absolutely obnoxious thing about it all, is that everything else about the illustration? Absolutely gorgeous. Everything I’d hoped for, even as I deliberately tried not to build up too specific an image in my mind ahead of time. Hell, BETTER than anything I’d have come up with on my own, and totally validating my impulse to have someone with different skillsets than my own do this instead of just making a cover out of stock art the way I usually do with my other projects. He absolutely captured the specific MOOD I was aiming for with the setting and general atmosphere, like, the very reason I’d been drawn to his style in the first place, he totally nailed that. Couldn’t have asked for a better fit to the general ambiance of the piece. The colors were just the right shade of otherworldly, a great mix of light and darkness that sold the gloom of the surrounding environs without drowning in dark palettes that make it hard to pick out individual details and differentiate between figures. So on and so on.

EVERY SINGLE OTHER THING ABOUT THE DAMN ILLUSTRATION IS PERFECT LOL.

Except for the only fucking part I was worried about in the first place, lmaaaaaaaaaao whyyyyyyy.

And I mean, because his style was a combo of illustration and painting, there was never gonna be a ton of room for revisions or tweaks to the final piece, I knew and understood that going in. He showed me what he had when he was done with the initial pencilwork, before he painted over it, but with the understanding that it could still change from that point, if he needed to shift things around because of the way the colors and lighting and shadows were all coming out once painted. And the pencil work lacked the finer details that he added into his painting in the final stages, so like, I did see a rough draft before he started painting, and could ask for tweaks or adjustments at that point...except at that point, I didn’t NEED to! LOL. In the rougher sketch, her general position was just shifted enough from what it ended up being that like, it wasn’t my ideal pose for her but nothing I’d say I actually had a problem with, like her upper body was elevated just enough and at just the right angle compared to what he ended up with that at that point, there was no unnatural hip thrust or any of that stuff, and there was only a rough sense of what would come to be the final armor. So I mean, TECHNICALLY I had an opportunity to pump the brakes and be like whoa wait dude, this isn’t what we discussed, can I get you to go back to the drawing board just in this one specific area right here and maybe even just take another look at those comps I sent you, see what I mean about what I’m trying to avoid and how that’s kinda sneaking in here anyway....except, I didn’t think I had to say anything at that point lol, because it all looked on track??

I mean, its not like I think he deliberately misled me with that initial draft or anything, nothing as dramatic as that. I’m fairly certain that like most artists and designers will tell you, in the process of like, the actual drawing/painting/designing, you have to make adjustments as you go to account for the little unforseen speedbumps where you were juuuuuust off enough in your prediction of how this would look when working in your ultimate medium, that you have to like...keep nudging your initial outline little by little as you go to account for the slight shift in direction...with gradually that adding up to a fairly significant departure in the end. Ultimately, I think we ended up with what we ended up with because he was good with focusing on my specific concerns when drafting in pencil and just mapping out a general intent, but the closer he got to finishing up his piece, the less and less focused he was on the stuff I prioritized rather than his own innate prioritizations and so he just kinda figured ‘is it really gonna be THAT big a deal?’ instead of sacrificing a direction or angle that played into what he thought was a more important design element. Stuff like that. Like, you know me, I’m def not saying that makes it A-Ok in my book, lol, I just mean to say I honestly don’t think it was...a willful, conscious effort on his part to leave me with something as far removed from what I was hoping for as what I got.

So again I say blech. Its just super frustrating and obnoxious and I’ve been trying to decide what to do with it for like, months now. Because again, EVERYTHING ELSE is perfect and gorgeous and like, yes, good, this is what I wanted, what I was hoping for. Like, I literally could not come up with a design using my own go-to mediums that would come anywhere close to capturing the general feel and tone and mood of the story and its setting better than the overall vibe of his piece.

Its just the protag, front and center, is absolutely driving me fucking nuts. And I keep going back and forth endlessly because I’m like is it really THAT bad and noticeable or am I hyper-fixating because I specifically tried to avoid this end result and ended up with at least a version of it anyway? And then I’m like psst, remember how much fucking money you spent on this, like yeah thats long gone and doesn’t change your current situation one way or another so it doesn’t really matter except oh yeah its totally gonna fucking haunt you if you don’t use this lol and all that money was spent for nothing lmfao you dumbass. And then I’m like, just to weigh my options, what would I design for this cover myself, if I ended up scrapping this and making my own from scratch, do I at least have anything in mind that’s for sure not any worse than my dissatisfaction with this? Except lol I literally can not seem to come up with ANYTHING, like, total blank, because again there’s just enough that I LIKE about the piece that its like, now that I’ve seen THOSE aspects of it, I’m not gonna be content with any cover that doesn’t contain them and I just literally have no way of replicating those effects via my own design medium.

Ugh. So its really annoying, and I keep going around and around and around in circles and making no progress on what to do about it and like...ugh. I hate being so anal about shit like this, especially when I am usually pretty good about dodging the hyper-fixation tendencies on this front specifically.....but I just got whammied but good by the way all of this unfolded and came together and now I feel stuck and lmao I’m really not fond of the fact that I’m really fucking proud of this book and how it came out in terms of the writing and story but like, covers ARE actually a pretty big deal as they’re literally a reader’s first impression, and I feel like no matter which route I go, a big part of me is gonna be doomed to be like NO YOU FUCKING IDIOT THAT WAS THE WRONG CHOICE, UGH WTF DUDE, TURN AROUND, UNDO, UNDO, U’LL REGRET THIIIIIIIS.

ANYWAY! That’s my much ado about nothing. I was kinda hoping that hashing it all out in a post and working my way through it as I wrote it all down would like....magically reveal the Right Decision to me and everything would click and be so obvious by the time I got to this point in the post, but alas.

Fix-It Machine broke. This accomplished nothing. UGH. RUDE.

9 notes · View notes