Tumgik
#i've pretty much lost track of what i've talked about & what i haven't talked about ngl
sawdusst · 6 months
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ough the pirate brainrot is back
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yandere-daydreams · 7 months
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is baizhu a sexbot that you've thought extensively about? or is he like..."too good" like itto to really imagine as a yandere? cuz i get that vibe from him, but idk about u
tw - implied non/con, implied somnophilia, stalking, and medical malpractice (shocker).
no, no, that is a right exclusive to Itto and Itto alone. i'll sexualize the slightly-less-medical-malpracticey android any day of the week.
like i've said before, he's a good middle-ground between the ultra-benevolent Jean and the anything-but-benevolent Dottore. he's kind, but not overly patronizing; the type to tell you how brave you are with a teasing lull in his voice and a playful smile as he slips his needle into your arm. he's better for smaller practices with a more intimate client base, made for housecalls and long-term care in a way his more expensive efficiency-focused peers aren't, and as one of those clients who seems to need a house-call every other week, see him often enough to appreciate his expertise. while you wouldn't want a droid of your own any time soon, you can see the utility, and when you're lungs threaten to give out in the middle of the night and you're just too weak to travel, you're grateful to have someone who literally doesn't sleep to swing by and make it so you don't have to bother your very busy, very human doctor.
you've already lost track of how many hours he's spent sitting next to you, reading over your prescriptions and administering the occasional injection while you fade in and out of consciousness, as you try to fend off embarrassing (and, admittedly, less than appropriate) dreams about your very pretty medical aid. he's talkative for an android, rambling on about traditional cures and different kinds of tea more for the sake of your comfort than any genuine interest, and you soak in every bit of comfort you can. it gets to the point that he'll stop by even when you haven't called in, even when your condition is as stable as a condition like yours can be, even when there's not much more for him to do than take your vitals and make idle conversation. the only time his perfect bedside manner seems to waver is when you play with the idea of changing your mind and getting a Baizhu of your very own, but he's earned the right to be a little over-invested in your care, even if the dreams have been getting worse. even if you've lost track of just what he's been pumping into you, lately.
even if you can't say you're comforted by the gentle lilt in his voice as he asks you how his 'brave little patient' is feeling, anymore.
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ahgasegotarmy116 · 4 months
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He Doesn't Deserve You | A Jeon Jungkook Series | Chapter Three
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Summary: You feel guilty about having a night out and hope to cover up your tracks as best you can Pairing: f!reader x Jeon Jungkook Word Count: 2.1k~ Warnings: Yändere, smut, explicit language pretty much it lol a/n: I hope you guys like it! I'm literally horrible at writing smut but I wanted to show another side to how things can be with him sometimes (I'm saying him because I'm not gonna spoil it when you can just read it lol) regardless hope this doesn't disappoint 🫢 Requested by @kkusadmirer 💜
"Girl who was that?" Rae asks, when she walk over to my side of the bar after Jungkook left. 
"His name is Jungkook and honestly I don't really know much about him. He caught me off guard and was asking me a bunch of questions that I didn't really think to ask him any" I say, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. "You think he's cute don't you?" she asks taking note of my shyer demeanor while thinking about him. 
"He is attractive and dreamy but I'm married" I say flashing the ring at her in a similar fashion as I had done with Jungkook. "Dreamy? Really?" she teases, snorting at my description. "I'm sorry okay he's the first nice guy I've actually talked to in a while since my husband and I got married" I say, resting my elbows on the bar and throwing my face in my hands. 
"From what I heard, doesn't really sound like he's all that good of a husband" she says, not bothering to spare my feelings. "He's not that bad" I mumble, scarcely believing my words with every effort I put in to defend him.
"If you've gotta say it like that after only two people have said otherwise I don't really think you've got much going for you" she says setting a glass of water in front of me, already seeing signs of a need to stop drinking for the night.
"I mean, he's all I've ever known. He was my first serious boyfriend, my first everything if I'm being honest. We met in college and really hit it off and everything just felt right. After we graduated he asked me to marry him and it felt like a fairy tale ending you know?" I say, swirling around the ice in my cup in an effort to avoid her gaze.
"Sounds like it didn't turn out the way you thought it was going to though" she says, clearly feeling sorry for me. 
"Things between us are fine" I say sitting back up and clearing my throat before taking a drink of water to hopefully help me swallow down this lump in my throat. Getting a reality check from two perfect strangers with them only knowing the tip of the iceberg of my marriage has been hard to accept to say the least. 
"What's his name anyways? I might've seen him before if he likes to go out sometimes" she asks, coming back over with a pitcher to fill up my water, encouraging me to drink more. 
"Taehyung, well Tae for short" I say, hoping and praying that the name won't ring a bell. "Got a picture of him?" she asks, leaning in closer when I pull out my phone. "Shit" she says under her breath as soon as she sees him. 
"What?" I ask pulling it back as though her words had stung me. "He's come here a few times with some friends of his. They're one of the rowdier groups that comes by so we've had to kick them out on occasion" she says clearing her throat at the end, almost as if she's trying to hold something back. 
"If you know anything else about him please tell me" I implore, refusing to be in the dark about this if she knows. "He's gone 'home' with a few girls here" she says putting home in quotes since he's obviously never brought them back to our place. "Do you know how many?" I ask, knowing that I really don't want to know the answer. 
"I've lost track..." she answers, hating that she had to be the one to reveal this to me. "Did you know?" she asks with her brows pinched together. "That he's been sleeping around? Yeah, I know" I say taking a big gulp of my water as if it were the solution to this fucked up life I'm living. 
"Why haven't you left?" she asks, genuinely concerned. "He's my husband" I say with glossy eyes but then clear my throat again to hopefully curb these emotions. "And? He's a dick" she says, continuing with her efforts to never pull punches. "You don't know him like I do" I say, standing up and grabbing my purse to go. 
"Just, be careful okay?" she implores, placing her hand on top of mine before I get too far. "I will" I say and give her a sad smile before walking out and waiting for the cab I called a few moments ago. 
~~~~~~
Walking into the house I'm relieved to see that Taehyung is no where to be found, the lights still having been turned off from when I had locked up. 
Taking off my shoes, I quickly put them in the closet in an effort to quickly cover my tracks and I run into the bedroom soon after that. I take off my clothes and throw them into the washer to again avoid any suspicions because I don't want him even remotely knowing that I managed to leave the house on my own again.
Walking into the bathroom to take a shower as well I see that somehow some of the makeup I had applied rubbed off and I was unknowingly sporting one of the hickeys Taehyung had left. I look at it in the mirror a bit closer, starting to wonder how long it's been showing. 'Did Jungkook see it?' I question,  really hoping the answer is no even though he knows I'm married, it's not something I want to show off.
It could've been worse though, he could've seen the other bruises I have that clearly show evidence of much more than just rough sex. 'How would he have reacted? Would he have said something?' I continue, asking myself question after question, soon starting to regret my decisions of going out tonight. 
Did I have a good time? Sure. But it doesn't make up for the amount of fear and guilt I'm going to feel if Taehyung finds out. Will he do something? Will he get angry? Will he leave? Knowing him he would accuse me of cheating on him even though I'm the one who confirmed my suspicions. 
He, like Rae is someone that doesn't pull punches literally and figuratively. It's something that I've leaned to live with, but that doesn't make it hurt any less.
"Hey" I hear him say softly while opening the bathroom door, scaring me and not even realizing how lost in thought I had been. To the point of not even realizing that he had gotten home. 
"Hi" I say timidly, not knowing what his next move might be. 
"Aren't you going to invite me in?" he questions in a mischievous tone, already taking his shirt off. I open the glass door as a way to invite him in and I hold out my hand waiting for him, knowing I really have no choice in the matter. 
"Hi beautiful" he says after getting in, placing his hands on my hips and leaning down to kiss me softly on the lips. I sigh into the kiss, thankful he's back home again and showing his softer side to me again, clearly trying to make up for how we had left things the last time we saw each other. 
"I missed you" he says in a husky voice leaning down further to place a few open mouthed kisses on my neck marking me again, no doubt to make up for the ones that had started to fade. "Missed you" I say through a breathy tone then my breath hitches moments later when he bites down on my shoulder.
"You smell so sweet baby" he says running his nose along the length of my neck before making his way back up to kissing me. "It's my" *kiss* "new" *kiss* "body wash" I say, trying my best to answer but he purposefully works against me, loving the struggle I put up.
"I like it. Buy it again for me when you run out okay? I want my pretty wife smelling like this all the time" he says before flipping me around and pressing my chest agains the wall.
"You gonna be good and let me take you in here?" he asks grinding his dick against my ass making my breath pick up, not expecting this drastic change in behavior. I nod my head with my cheek against the tiles. He presses his chest flush up against my back, pushing me up against the wall even harder, making my chest feel sore as my nipples rub up against the cool surface, making me whine from the sensation.
"Aw look at you, so needy and ready to be full" he say, leaning back a bit and running his finger along my slit, feeling how I'm already clenching around nothing and dripping with arousal as the water falls on my back in a steady stream. "Fuck you look so hot right now" he says looking at my face and dragging his eyes down my figure before spreading my legs a bit and making moves to put it in. 
"Wait" I whimper. "Don't worry, you can take it" he says, placing a kiss on my shoulder before sliding the tip in and making me take in a sharp breath at the intrusion, him continuing to push himself further and further inside until he's bottomed out. 
He enjoys the feeling of my walls spasming around him as I feel the burn from trying to get used to him again. It isn't like this often, he usually loves to take his time prepping and teasing me until I'm begging for more but he had an almost urgency to be inside me this time. 
"Fuck" he says as he starts to move in and out of me, watching the way my ass moves with every thrust and is addicted to the moans that come from me naturally, being caught off guard by all of this and not expecting this to happen tonight. 
"Feels s-so good" I say, clawing at the walls for something to hold onto, knowing there's nothing there for me. He takes notice and he places his hands on top of mine, thrusting in and out with only his own hips supporting mine as he growls in my ear. 
"Been dying to fuck this pretty little cunt all day. Then I come home and you're in the shower making it so easy for me to just slip it in, practically begging for my cock" he says as he slows down his thrust but puts more force behind each one. 
"Isn't that right? You just want to be good for me and take it, let me have my way with you" he says pulling out and flipping me around, enjoying the dick drunk look on my face. He lifts one of my legs up and wraps it around his waist, pounding into me harder making me grab onto his neck and pull him in for a kiss, silencing my moans, making him swallow them as he coaxes more and more out of me. 
"S-shit" he stutters and tells me to jump, wrapping my other leg around his waist as well so he can thrust into me harder. I clench around him when he wraps his mouth around one of my sensitive buds, hard and begging for stimulating. 
"Fuck, more" I whine, desperately needing release. "You wanna cum?" he taunts, letting go of my throbbing bud with a pop. "Tae please" I moan digging my nails into his shoulders. He groans at the feeling and grips onto my waist digging his fingers into them, no doubt leaving bruises.
Giving me a few more thrusts he has my eyes rolling back and my toes curling as my orgasm hits me like a ton of bricks with him still fucking into me, helping me ride it out before he cums a couple minutes later. 
Slipping out and sliding me down the wall and back on my feet he leans up against me while our breathing mixes with the sound of the water still falling all around us. He places a few soft kisses on my shoulder before pushing off the wall and placing both of his hands on my cheek, kissing me softly, helping me slowly come back down and leaving my my mind foggy and drunk on him. 
"I love you" he says when he breaks apart from my lips. "I love you too" I smile, humming in contentment and feeling so good, loving that despite everything he loves me no matter what. 
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hopepetal · 9 months
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Masterlist
Read on AO3!
Part Eight!
Reblogs and comments are much appreciated! :)
@applestruda
CW: broken bones and blood
Many thanks to Elle Periwinklemoonlight for giving me several ideas for this chapter, and Mochi for helping me with some of Mumbo's dialogue <3
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Mumbo had always liked sunsets. 
He'd never been that big a fan of sunrises. Don't get him wrong, they were pretty and all! But the only times he had been awake to see the sun rise at all was when he had been up all night working on some sort of contraption. The early morning light had forced its way through any crack it could find and pulled Mumbo's attention away from his work, alerting him to the fact that he'd lost track of time and was about to have a very bad day. 
(Look, his stomach was sensitive! If he didn't get enough sleep, he'd get all nauseous and lose his appetite the next day. One would think that would be enough of a reason to not stay up all night, but there was a difference between being smart and making smart decisions.)
Anyway! Where was he? Oh, right. The sun. Fascinating thing, really. Some might even call it essential! Most people would, actually. Mumbo certainly did. 
Sunrises had always been something Mumbo only saw every once in a while, and dreaded every time. The first rays of light peeking over the mountains were a taunting reminder of one's folly. And with the rise of the sun came the song of the birds, declaring in their high pitched tremolo that it was time to wake up and go about one's day. 
Scar had asked Grian what the birds were saying once, over their lovely lunch which was actually just breakfast for the late risers. Grian had given him the most deadpan stare Mumbo had ever witnessed (and that was saying something– he'd known Doc, after all). “Just because I'm an avian doesn't mean I can understand the birds, Scar.”
Scar frowned, giving Grian a confused look. “You can't lie to me! I just heard you talking to the chickens, mister.”
Grian's look became much more pointed. “What chickens, Scar?” he asked sweetly, in the tone that held threats hidden under the surface. 
Scar's eyes widened almost comically as he immediately tried to backtrack. “Oh! No! Nooo, no chickens here. None at all! What chickens? I've never seen a chicken. Ever.” He looked over at Mumbo, before leaning forward and stage-whispering to Grian, “I think I fooled him.”
Mumbo had chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his neck. “Scar, I'm sitting right next to you,” he pointed out. 
Scar blinked. “Oh. Well! Nonexistent chickens aside, Grian, you still haven't told us what the birds are saying.”
Grian had stared at Scar in silence for a full five seconds before sighing deeply. “They're laughing at me for not getting enough sleep to deal with this.”
“See!” Scar smiled triumphantly, looking over at Mumbo. “I told you he could talk to birds!”
“Pretty sure he's just lying, mate.”
Grian lazily waved his spoon in the air. “I don't know what you're talking about, Mumbo. I never lie.”
Scar's eyes shone. “Now, if my time as a businessman has taught me anything, it's to tell when someone is lying. And that, my dear Grian, was a big ol' lie.”
Grian's eyes narrowed, almost imperceptibly. “I'm going to bite you.”
“That's a lie!”
Grian then lunged across the table and tackled Scar to the ground. Mumbo shrieked, nearly falling off the bench with them. “Oh, goodness, don’t break the man, G!”
Grian didn’t even have a chance– Scar pinned him to the ground with a triumphant whoop, laughing as Grian squawked and flapped his wings helplessly. “I win! Haha! You are not immune to the good times!”
“What does that even mean?” Grian shot back, unable to stop himself from laughing. “Scar, get off me!”
Scar stood, brushing the dirt off of his pants. “Aww, G, now I’m all dusty! Dusty and sweaty! Eugh!” He moved to take his shirt off, and Grian shrieked.
“Scar!” Grian shot up and smacked Scar’s hand. “Put your clothes back on!” 
Scar whined, pouting slightly. “C’mon, G! I didn’t even take anything off”
Mumbo groaned, putting his head in his hands. “I miss Impulse and Pearl.”
Sunsets were different. 
Mumbo… didn’t really know how to describe it. In the same kind of way people liked going to bed more than they liked waking up, Mumbo enjoyed sunsets far more than he did sunrises. Sunsets were calm, whereas sunrises were frantic, harried. They were a declaration of the day ending, and that rest would come soon. They were an end to the scorching hot temperatures of the summer and a prelude to the cool kiss of the night’s breeze against his face. Not to get all poetic and everything, but they just were nicer. 
He enjoyed how the sky would be painted in oranges and pinks and purples, and how slowly the knights would gather together on the more clear nights to sit under the stars and talk. He enjoyed how in those moments they were all at peace and happy, and how they cared so deeply for each other it felt less like a group of friends and more like…
Family. 
That’s what it was.
Sunsets reminded him of family.
Not this sunset, though.
As the sun slowly set, and shadows grew to cover the whole land, Mumbo felt… different. As he rode alongside his fellow knights (his friends, his family), he couldn’t shake the feeling of urgency that usually accompanied the rising of the sun, rather than the fall. This sunset was not something of love and rest.
This sunset felt like a warning. 
They were running out of time. As the clock ticked, as the sand fell through the hourglass, a sense of impending doom settled over each one of the knights. Mumbo, in his often anxiety ridden state, was no stranger to the feeling that sat tight in his chest and caused his heart to race, tearing air from his lungs in sharp gasps. 
Scar, riding near him, glanced over and saw the poorly concealed panic on the man’s face. Urging his horse closer, he got Mumbo’s attention with a soft ‘psst!’ 
Mumbo startled, torn from his thoughts as he so often was. He met Scar’s gaze and gave him a nervous, half-hearted smile. Scar could, most likely, see past any pretense he was putting up. The man was good at what he did– good at reading people, good at looking for certain nonverbal clues that cued him into what the person was actually thinking. “Hey, Scar.”
Scar reached out, holding the reins in one hand as he gave Mumbo a pat on the shoulder. “You doin’ good? You’re not looking so hot.” 
Mumbo sighed, looking away. “I’m… I dunno, Scar. I just… goodness. This whole thing is so… it’s overwhelming, Scar. What are we even supposed to do?” He laughed, a tense sound. “It’s– it’s just… it’s not something we can just… it’s not simple, Scar. We can’t just solve it with some redstone, or some crazy invention– this is so big. And I don’t– I don’t know how to fix it.” 
Scar pressed his lips together into a thin line. The setting sun cast long shadows over his face, the little light remaining creating dappled patterns on his skin as it filtered in through the trees. He thought for a moment before speaking. “Mumbo, you don’t have to know how to fix everything. You know that, right?”
Mumbo let out a strained laugh, his grip on the reins tightening slightly. “Well, Scar, mate, isn’t that kind of… my job? You know, brilliant redstone inventor over here, coming up with solutions is my whole thing. It’s not like I could… well, I have to make up for my lack of physical prowess somehow.”
Scar shook his head, chuckling softly. “Oh, Mumbo, Mumbo, Mumbo. I’ve been there! I get you, I really do. You know, back in the day, I had a bit of a job myself. I was a businessman, Mumbo Jumbo! And a very good one at that. And my job was to sell things to customers! And…” he frowned, cutting himself off sharply. “I don’t know where I’m going with this. Man, Cub’s so much better at this than me.”
Mumbo felt himself relaxing slightly, the tension slowly being let out of his body. He smiled, giving Scar a half-shrug. “Cub has a lot of skill, that’s for sure. Plenty of experience to go along with it, as well.” 
Scar nodded, and let silence fall over them for a moment before taking in a deep breath. “So, Mumbo, what I was trying to say… I guess, you don’t need to solve everything? I mean, none of us have any clue what we’re doing. Kinda.” He thought for a moment. “That’s not it. What I’m really trying to say is that we’re all in this together? It’s not your job specifically to figure it out alone. Impulse is our friend, and… we all really care for him.” His voice trembled slightly as he finished, eyes darkening. “I hope he’s safe.” 
Mumbo furrowed his brows, concern shining in his eyes as he looked over at Scar. “You doing alright, mate?” This whole thing had been hard on all of them, but something seemed… off… about Scar. 
Scar blinked, and shook himself out of whatever sort of trance he had been in with a slight jerk of his head. “Oh! Yes, don’t you worry, mister. I’m doin’ just fine over here! Just thinking about the scolding I’m gonna give Impulse when we get back home.” He flashed Mumbo a bright smile, and Mumbo let it rest.
He knew that smile was forced. He knew when the cheerful persona of Scar’s came out to play. He knew, and yet… what could he do? Mumbo wasn’t good with words. He was probably the worst out of the knights when it came to social interaction, and that was saying something given they were practically hermits outside of the occasional job they’d pick up and shopping trips. 
So Mumbo did what he did best.
He let his body go on autopilot, and got lost in his thoughts.
At the front of the group, Grian and Pearl were talking in hushed voices. Grian remained stubbornly in his watcher form, despite Pearl’s insistence on taking a break and letting his eyes rest. He’d given her a look, feathers rustling irritably as she spoke. “Stop nagging me, Pearl. Gosh, you’re starting to sound like Timmy.”
She let out an indignant sound, glaring at him. “I am not! And it’s not nagging, mate, you’re going to give yourself a headache with all that looking!”
Grian scoffed, looking away. “It’s called watching, thank you very much. And you’re the one who’s gonna give me a headache, with all your talking! I know what I’m doing Pearl, I’m not a baby.”
“Well, you’re acting like one,” Pearl shot back. “I’m right here, Griba. You don’t have to be hyper vigilant, or whatever it is you’re doing.”
“And what happens if I don’t?” Grian snapped, his voice dropping slightly. “What happens if I lose sight of the demon and Impulse, what if–?” he cut himself off, taking a deep breath, “Pearl, I need this,” he admitted, voice low. “If I don’t keep my focus on this, I think I’ll go crazy, Pearl. I’ll get all… you know me, Pearl.” Desperation seeped into his voice. “I don’t– it doesn’t matter if I get a headache or strain myself or, anything, really! But I can’t…”
Pearl sighed. “I know. I know, Griba. I’m just worried. About you, about Impulse, about this whole Watcher thing, about… well, everything. It’s just such a big mess, y’know? And we’re all tangled up in this big web and…” She laughed, shaking her head. “It’s pretty overwhelming. Just… we gotta also take care of ourselves, mate. We won’t be able to do anything if we run ourselves ragged before we even get to Impulse.”
Whatever Grian was going to say in response was interrupted by the sound of rattling bones and an arrow flying right by his head, narrowly missing. He shrieked, wings flaring out as the horse beneath him startled. He grabbed the reins and pulled back, stopping the horse from bolting, though it still took a few steps forward.
“Skeleton!” Pearl called out, though the announcement was unneeded. “Stay on your guard!” 
The undead’s bones creaked as it came into view, appearing from under the trees. Normally, along more well-traveled paths, the surrounding areas would be lit up enough to stop the mobs from spawning, and the frequent patrols would be enough to discourage them from wandering too close. Unfortunately for the knights, they were traveling through an uninhabited area with no path in sight. They could handle the mobs just fine, but it certainly made traveling a little more difficult.
Scar drew his crossbow, fingers brushing over the enchantments carved into the material, and nocked a bolt. “I got it!” He drew the bolt back and fired, the skeleton collapsing into a pile of bones with a rattling groan. “Yes! Hotguy strikes again!”
Grian would’ve rolled his eyes if he could. “You and that Hotguy thing, I swear…” His feathers began to settle back down, and he folded his wings behind his back. “Right, then. That’s probably our cue to stop for the night.”
“We’re stopping?” Mumbo asked, slightly confused. “Why?”
Pearl sighed, dismounting. She gently stroked her horse’s neck before answering Mumbo. “As much as we’d love to get to Impulse as soon as possible, we can’t be riding through the night. The horses are tired, and we need time to rest and recuperate as well. I…” She looked over at Grian, watching him dismount as well. “I don’t want to stop. I really don’t. But we have to.”
Scar nodded. “Makes sense! Gotta be our best selves if we’re gonna deal with that demon guy!” He dismounted, Mumbo following a moment later. “Mumbo and I can go light up some of the surrounding area while you two make a fire and deal with the horses?” he suggested.
“Good idea. You have those…” Pearl gestured vaguely with her hand, trying to think of the word. “...magic torches? The fancy ones, so ya don’t burn down the whole forest?”
“I never leave home without them!” Scar grabbed Mumbo’s arm. “Come on, Mumble Jumble, time to light up this forest!”
Mumbo yelped as he got dragged away, casting one last terrified glance at Grian and Pearl before disappearing into the woods with Scar. 
“I swear,” Pearl chuckled as she dealt with the horses, “he never loses energy. I’ve rarely ever seen that man get tired.”
Grian busied himself with clearing a small area for a campfire, using his bird-like feet to help dig up the grass. “Scar’s… definitely something,” he agreed, shaking the dirt off his talons before hopping (not walking– hopping) awkwardly over to a tree, his wings flapping slightly to help balance him. He began to snap some smaller branches and twigs, gathering them in his arms. “Dunno what we’d do without him. Without any of them.”
Pearl smiled sadly, giving one of the horses a soft pat before walking over to help Grian with his task. “Barely feels like any time’s passed at all, yeah? Since we first met in that old town.”
Grian laughed at the memory, shaking his head. “You’d just crashed into the ground. Still had no clue how to use those wings of yours.” He glanced at the colourful moth wings that were folded delicately behind Pearl’s back. 
She was scared, Grian could tell. Wide eyes that were the same blue of a storm-promising sky and filled with barely held back tears. She was scraped up and bruised from her fall, the wings trailing behind her seeming unnatural and unwieldy. 
Grian didn’t ask questions. She needed help, and that was all he needed to know.
Later, he would hear stories of feathered golden wings, carrying Pearl through the sky alongside her flock. He would listen in from behind a door that hadn’t been completely shut as she told Jimmy what it was like to soar high above endless fields of sunflowers and wheat, racing her flockmates at speeds she would never again be able to achieve. 
Grian and Jimmy had lost their flock when they were young. It was no wonder that Jimmy was interested in Pearl’s memories of her flock, who had treated her with kindness and love. Flockless avians were often unable to defend themselves and died without the protection a flock was supposed to provide. 
Jimmy and Grian had been lucky enough to find an old town nearby, with inhabitants who were more than willing to let them in. They’d made a life for themselves there, when Pearl had come crashing into their lives.
“I broke my leg,” Pearl recalled, wincing slightly at the bittersweet memory. “And you and Tim helped patch me back up. And then I just never left.”
“I’ve cursed that day ever since,” Grian joked, yelping when Pearl elbowed him. “Hey! Not cool!” he squawked as Pearl giggled softly. “I wonder how Tim’s doing right now,” he added after a moment. “Do you think he misses us?”
Pearl raised her eyebrows. “Grian, we do visit him. He’s doing just fine, you saw for yourself. Got a whole new bunch of friends and everything!” She examined Grian’s face. “Oh, you’re not upset he didn’t join us, are you?” she teased lightly. “You know Jimmy would hate the outdoorsy life we’ve got going on. He’s perfectly comfortable where he is.”
Grian sighed, turning and hopping back to the area he’d prepared for their fire, beginning to place the sticks down. “Can you grab some rocks?” he asked, “I hate not being able to fly. Walking is so hard.” 
Pearl laughed, setting her sticks down near Grian before starting to search for smaller rocks. “You do look cute though, hopping around like a little birdie. Oh, don’t give me that, you know it’s true!”
“It’s humiliating is what it is,” Grian muttered, “Mumbo and Scar are never gonna let me live it down.” 
“Good!” Pearl chirped, bringing back the stones she had collected to make a circle. “You deserve it, honestly.”
Mumbo’s shriek rang out through the forest, startling the two. Grian nearly fell over from how much he jumped, eyes going wide from shock. What made the shriek more concerning was the explosion that followed soon after, and Pearl was about to charge off into the woods before Scar yelled, “Just a creeper! We’re good!” his voice tiny from the distance. 
Pearl shook her head, sighing softly. “Those two are going to give me gray hairs early,” she murmured fondly.
“You’re not the only one,” Grian muttered, earning a laugh from Pearl. “What?”
“Maybe if you’d stop being such a scaredy cat–” 
“I am not–!” 
Despite their bickering, they were able to get the fire going before Scar and Mumbo came back, looking a tad singed but none the worse for the wear. 
“Area is successfully lit up!” Scar proclaimed. “We should be safe from all the spooky things out there now. Should be.”
“We’ll set up a watch nonetheless. Better be safe than sorry,” Grian decided, as Mumbo and Scar joined him and Pearl at the campfire. “I’ll go first, because there is no way you’re waking me up once I’m out.”
“I’ll go second then,” Mumbo volunteered, “if no one else wants to,” he added after a moment.
Pearl shrugged. “I’ll take the third shift, then, and Scar can go last?”
“Sounds good to me!” Scar agreed, and the knights fell into silence.
As the makeshift campfire crackled softly, spitting sparks into the night sky, the knights lingered for a while around the small source of warmth and light. For a while, there was a somber sort of quiet hanging over the group– silence settling in the empty space that Impulse usually filled. 
Grian, still in his watcher form, leaned forward to gaze into the fire, light reflecting off eyes as black as the night sky. Scar glanced over, and despite everything, had to suppress a giggle.
Clearly, he didn't do that very well, and Grian looked up at him with a slightly confused expression. “Are you alright, Scar?” he asked, and Scar couldn't hold it in anymore.
He giggled, reaching out and patting Grian's face. “You look like a kitty cat!” he exclaimed, “with your big ol' eyes and everything!”
Grian blinked. “I'm sorry, what–” 
Pearl started laughing. “I guess we didn’t have to worry about them being scared by our other forms then, huh!”
Grian’s face flushed a light pink, and he shooed them all away. “Oh, go to bed! I’ll wake you for your shift, Mumbo!”
The other three dispersed, laying out the sleeping bags Pearl had thankfully thought to pack. Better to be over prepared than under, in her opinion. 
Sleep came surprisingly quick, though it seemed like she had just closed her eyes when she felt Mumbo’s gentle hand on her shoulder, waking her for her shift. Pearl blinked away the sleep in her eyes and quietly thanked Mumbo, before taking a seat by the slowly dying campfire. 
There wasn’t much to do during a night watch, other than to sit alone with her thoughts. And that’s exactly what Pearl did, until she thought of something too important to leave floating in her mind.
The plan was for Grian and her to expel the demon from Impulse using their own magic. But where would the demon go after, when it had been forced from its host?
Pearl quietly walked back to her sleeping bag, opening the small pack she had set beside it. She rifled through the contents for a moment before pulling out a small, clear cut crystal. She’d gotten it so long ago she’d forgotten how it came to be in her possession, but it would work just fine for what she was thinking of.
Walking back over to the campfire, Pearl shifted into her watcher form, holding the crystal in her hand. Sitting down, Pearl closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, feeling the magic of the world around her. Another breath, to feel the magic buzzing in her veins. In and out, once more, and she began to imbue the crystal with her magic.
It was a simple enough task. All Pearl needed to do was prepare the crystal to bind the demon to it with her magic. Once the demon was expelled, it would be a simple enough task to pull it into the crystal. And then, as long as she kept checking on it from time to time and strengthening the binding magic, the demon would remain sealed away.
Deep breaths. In, and out.
Pearl let the magic flow through her and into the crystal, caught up in the feeling of casting. She didn’t do it often, not like this. It was nice to finally use her magic again. She didn’t even realize how much time had passed until she felt a hand on her shoulder, and Scar’s quiet voice in her ear. She opened her eyes to look at him, continuing to cast as she did. “Oh! Scar!” She kept her voice down, aware of how close they were to the two who were still asleep. “You good, mate?”
Scar nodded. “I think it’s time for my shift,” he explained, glancing toward the sky, “and also, I felt your magic. Whatcha doin’, Pearl?”
Ah. She had lost track of time, then.
Pearl finished casting, tucking the crystal into her pocket. “Just makin’ a lil magic crystal thing. For later,” she explained. “Sorry for not waking you up. Or… kinda waking you up? Since you sensed my magic and all? I guess?”
Scar shrugged, smiling slightly. “Nah, don’t worry about it. I got plenty of rest. Which you should probably try to do as well. Big day tomorrow.”
Pearl stood, shifting out of her watcher form. “Right, then. Have fun with your watch shift, Scar. And I’ll do my best. G’night, Scar.”
“Good night, Pearl.”
The morning came too quickly, and not quick enough at the same time. There were few attempts at conversation as the knights began to break down camp, kicking dirt over their small fire and packing up what little they had taken out. Grian, who had shifted into his “normal” form to sleep, shifted back into his watcher form and took a minute to relocate Impulse and the demon.
“I can’t see him, exactly,” Grian explained to Scar and Mumbo. “It’s a bit blurry, I guess. I know where he is, I can see the magic around him, but I can’t really make out small details like his face. I don’t really know why, but that’s just how it works.”
“Sooo… like looking through a really bad spyglass, then,” Scar concluded, earning a sigh from Grian. “What? I’m right!”
“I guess,” Grian admitted as they mounted their horses, “but that’s kinda like comparing a bow to Mumbo’s rocket launcher. They do kinda the same thing, but one’s a lot more complicated and powerful.”
Scar hummed thoughtfully. “I see… well, as long as it works!”
Grian remained in his watcher form as he led the tense ride through the forest. The sky above was streaked with clouds that occasionally would cover the sun and cast the land below into shadow. As the knights got closer to their destination, the trees began to thin out, promising open fields up ahead.
“You’d think he wouldn’t have gotten this far,” Grian muttered to Pearl, “but humans have so much endurance. It’s fascinating. And somewhat annoying.”
Pearl hummed softly, her gaze fixed straight ahead. “I’m worried for his health. I’m honestly doubting the demon cares too much for Impulse’s well-being, and I don’t think it has to deal with the negative effects of what it’s putting Impulse’s body through. If that makes sense.”
Grian nodded, his eyes focused not on what was in front of him but on something– someone– far away. “Demons don’t feel exhaustion or hunger, do they?” he asked, speaking mostly to himself. 
“I think some do,” Pearl answered, “but not this one. Since it’s only in the blood, y’know? And it’s only borrowing… Impulse… so that’s not it’s… well. Body, I guess.”
Grian suddenly stopped, causing Pearl’s horse to almost run into his. “We’re dismounting here,” he called back to the other three. “Impulse is just up ahead, in the fields beyond the treeline.” He dismounted carefully, tying the reins to a sturdy branch. “Right. Let’s go over the plan one more time. We’ll find Impulse and confront the demon. Pearl and I will begin casting while Mumbo and Scar keep the demon busy and stop it from running off. Once Pearl and I start casting, we won’t be able to stop until the spell is over. So if something happens– if one or both of you gets injured, let’s say– we won’t be able to help.”
The others dismounted with serious looks on their faces, tension hanging in the air so thick one could almost cut it with a knife. Scar glanced over at Mumbo, who looked several shades paler than usual. “I’m the best at physical combat,” he began slowly, “when I go vex, at least. I’ll do my best to keep it from attacking you or running away, without hurting Impulse too badly.”
“The demon will be attacking to kill though, won’t it?” Mumbo asked, wringing his hands together as he looked between the other knights. “It won’t fight fair just because we are.”
Scar laughed sardonically. “Oh, I’m not gonna be fightin’ fair, mister. I’m just not gonna strike lethally, is all. But you’re right,” he added after a moment, “the demon is gonna try to kill us. And it’s– it’s strong. We know this. But the other option is letting Impulse die, or lettin’ someone else die in his place.”
“Impulse would never forgive us if that happened,” Mumbo pointed out, “and, well, given the other option is his death…” 
“We can’t give up,” Scar finished, earning nods from the rest of the group. “We’ll get Impulse back. We have to.”
Pearl looked over at Grian, shifting into her watcher form as she did so. “Right, then. Time to head out?” 
Grian nodded, clenching his hands into fists. “Time to head out. Let’s go save Impulse, guys.” 
The sun peeked out from behind the clouds as the knights made their way out of the forest and into the wide open field. The wind rustled the grass around them and blew through their hair, and carried with it the promise of a fight. 
Grian had shifted out of his watcher form if only for a moment, just to make travel on foot easier. He was, after all, not suited for walking with those bird feet of his in his watcher form. He carefully ran his hand over his wings and plucked three loose feathers, silently handing one to each of the knights. A promise. No matter which way this went, he’d be with them.
The knights each tucked their feathers away, Pearl reaching out to take Grian’s hand in one of her own and giving it a light squeeze. We’ll be okay, the action said, I’m here. 
The knights continued to walk through the field, walking over a small hill when Grian suddenly stopped, his wings extending slightly so as to stop the knights who were walking behind him. “...I see him.”
And there he was.
Impulse stood in the field, facing away from the knights, slightly below them where the ground evened out after the hill. He seemed unsteady on his feet, the sword in his hand dragging against the ground as if he had unsheathed it only to forget why he had done so, and lacked the strength to fully pick the weapon back up. 
And his hands… even from a distance, Grian could tell that Impulse’s hands were covered in blood– some dried, some freshly spilt. He… couldn’t think about that. They didn’t have the time to. Not now. 
“Impulse!” Pearl called, her voice strong and steady. Grian wished he had the strength to do what she did. “Impulse, we’re here. It’s okay.”
Impulse startled, nearly dropping his sword as he turned around sharply. And finally, after so long of trying to find him, the knights were able to see his face.
He looked gaunt, scared. The bags beneath his eyes were a testament to the exhaustion that plagued his body, and the shake in his hands matched the fear in his eyes. That wasn’t the worst of it– twin horns poked up from his hair, unnatural and out of place. Mumbo sucked in a horrified breath at the sight, paling and covering his mouth with one hand.
“What–” Impulse’s voice sounded strained, raspy– “what are you doing here?” Tears filled his exhausted, scared eyes. “Why did you follow me? I could– I could hurt you!” And suddenly, it wasn’t Impulse anymore, but red eyes and a straightened back and steady hands that belonged to the demon. “Yes… why did you follow him? Don’t you know?” it mocked in Impulse’s voice, smiling. “He can hurt you pitiful little things.” 
Scar’s eyes shone a brilliant blue, the colour fleeing from his hair as he glared at the demon that wore Impulse’s face. “What have you done?!” he yelled, his hands clenching into fists. Sharpened claws pricked into skin, drawing small beads of blood, but Scar didn’t even feel the pain. That was Impulse. Impulse was hurting and it was all because of that demon, the demon that stood in front of him and smiled at Scar with a face that wasn’t its own, that it had no right to use. 
“Oh!” The demon tilted its head to the side. “Oh, nothing he didn’t ask for.” 
Eyes filled with rage, Grian shifted back into his watcher form. “Scar! Mumbo!” he called, and the fight began.
Scar held himself back from going full vex at first, throwing himself at the demon. It hadn’t been expecting the initial attack, stumbling back several steps before pulling itself together. The shock didn’t last long, and the demon was soon fighting back with a fierceness that Scar did his best to match.
Grian looked over at Pearl, meeting her eyes. “Right then. Let’s end this.”
Standing side by side, the two siblings fixed their gaze on the demon in their friend’s body. The magic that swirled around him was wrong, unnatural, evil– and it was their job to fix it. Pearl reached out and took Grian’s hand in one of her own, giving him a nod. They both stretched out their free arms, and called upon their magic.
The clouds darkened as the very magic that flowed through the air began to change, as if even the sky stopped to focus its attention on the two Watchers. The ambient magic flowed around them like a gust of air, rustling through Grian’s feathers and Pearl’s hair. 
Grian's wings extended to their full span, and Pearl's followed suit, snapping open as a glowing purple eye appeared behind them. The wind picked up as the grass around the two began to glow as well, the broken portal symbol of the ancient Evolutionists appearing at their feet. 
Faces set with determination, the two began to cast.
Scar did his best to keep the demon’s attention on him as he fought. It was much different than normal fights– his goal was to keep the demon from running off, all while trying to dodge the blows that were aimed to take his very life. Scar felt the vex magic inside him boiling in his veins, begging to be let free, to run wild and take over his mind. He stubbornly fought it back down– he was in control, not the vex. He wasn’t ready to go full vex again. Not yet.
Unfortunately for him, the universe didn’t care if he wasn’t ready.
The demon, by possessing Impulse, had gained every bit of the man’s strength and skill. And given the strength-enhancing magic it likely held, it was no wonder that Scar was struggling. The demon attacked again, and Scar wasn’t able to get out of the way in time. He took a heavy blow to the side and stumbled back, losing his footing on the uneven terrain and falling to the ground hard. 
Mumbo stumbled back as the demon suddenly turned toward him, fumbling to quickly draw his sword in order to block the sudden attack. He strained under the pressure of the demon bringing Impulse’s full strength to bear, his arms shaking as he tried to push back. “Scar!” he yelped, “Scar, I can’t–”
The demon brought the sword down, and it was only Mumbo’s quick thinking of jumping to the side that kept him from dying instantly. The blade still sliced into his arm, and Mumbo let out a frantic scream that made whatever restraints Scar had holding him back shatter. Mumbo dropped to the ground, blood flowing freely from the wound, and Scar…
Scar snapped. 
Not in the same way he had before, not at all. He was in control, and could feel the power of the vex flowing through his body as natural as the blood in his veins. Power buzzed behind his eyes as shining vex wings appeared behind him, and he shot up, taking a few steps forward before attacking the demon, the overwhelming need to get it away from Mumbo singing in his movements.
The demon turned to attack Scar, and he dug his claws into its chest and pushed it back as hard as he could, almost throwing it with how hard he shoved. He’d clearly underestimated his strength, as the demon flew back and landed hard on its arm, the sickening gunshot snap of a bone breaking making Scar wince.
And for a moment, the scream that tore its way out in response was purely Impulse, his voice unchanged by the timbre of the demon’s. For a moment, it was just Impulse, only Impulse, and guilt swept through him like a torrent. 
But then it was the demon again, pushing itself back up and switching the sword over to its left hand, shining red eyes glaring at Scar as it shifted into a fighting stance once more. “Well? Fight me, then. See how long it takes for your precious friend’s body to break down and give up.” 
Scar’s eyes narrowed. He glanced over to where Mumbo was, clutching his arm close and watching the fight with wide eyes. He’d be alright, and that was what was important. Lifting his gaze once more, Scar met the demon’s gaze. “Impulse is stronger than you’ll ever be. You’ll be long gone before he ever breaks down,” he spat.
The fight didn’t get a chance to continue– with a shout, Grian drew Scar’s attention back to him and Pearl. The magic around the two siblings had become wisps of purple light, swirling around the two as they casted. Scar knew with uncanny certainty that the spell was almost complete.
The demon did as well, judging by its roar of anger. “No! I will not be defeated by pathetic little mortals–!” 
Scar saw it attempt to go for Grian and Pearl and dashed forward, throwing himself at the demon and bringing it and himself crashing to the ground. He winced at the impact, mentally making a note to apologize to Impulse later, when they were all safe. 
“Scar!” Pearl yelled, and Scar took that as his cue to get the heck away from there.
He jumped up and scrambled away, uncaring if he looked a little undignified in the movement. He made it to Mumbo and collapsed by the man, bleeding and gasping, and turned just in time to see the spell hit its mark.
The demon screamed, an awful sound that tore into Scar’s heart, because it was Impulse, it was Impulse’s voice and Impulse’s face and Impulse’s body but it wasn’t Impulse at the same time. It wasn’t Impulse, and the eyes that bore into Scar while it tried to stand and was inevitably forced to its knees were not Impulse’s.
And then they were.
And then it was over.
Pearl pulled out the crystal from her pocket, drawing the demon’s essence toward her and binding it into the crystal. The once clear gem turned a scarlet red, and once she was certain it was sealed away, she slipped the gem back into her pocket.
A weak sob tore its way from Impulse’s lips as he gingerly held his broken arm in his other. He squeezed his eyes shut, shrinking in on himself, and for the first time since Grian had met him, Impulse seemed so small. 
Scar stood shakily, helping Mumbo to his feet as well. “Okay… okay, okay,” he breathed out, making sure Mumbo was really alright before turning back and forcing himself to walk– walk, not run, he’s scared and hurt right now– to Impulse, kneeling by him. “Hey, Impulse.” He could see the other knights approaching in his peripherals, but for now he stayed focused on the injured man in front of him. “Hey.”
Pearl settled in the grass a little bit away, still leaving enough room to give Impulse space as she shifted back into her normal form. Grian followed suit, tucking colourful wings behind his back and sitting next to his sister. “Hey, mate,” Pearl started gently. “Can ya hear us? We’re here.”
Impulse let out a broken sob, shrinking in even further on himself. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, and the words were so quiet they were barely audible. “I’m so, so, sorry.” Hot tears slipped down his cheeks, mixing with blood and dirt. 
Scar shared a look with Mumbo, before turning back to Impulse. He tried to keep his eyes from drifting to the horns that stuck up from the man’s head, and focused more on his face. “Impulse… Impulse, it’s okay. We’re okay. Can I touch you?” he asked, waiting for confirmation before reaching forward and carefully, as though Impulse were made of glass and would shatter at the slightest touch, drew him into a hug.
Impulse began to weep freely then, and Scar felt himself slowly relax out of his vex form, the colour seeping back into his hair and skin. He kept his arms around Impulse, murmuring soft comforts that had once been said to him.
It wasn’t long before Impulse passed out, from the exhaustion and exertion combined with the sheer pain and shock of the day’s events– of the weeks he had been dealing with the demon inside of his head alone. It had been exhausting, overwhelming, and Scar didn’t blame him in the slightest.
The journey home would be a long one, and the road to healing stretched out seemingly for an eternity. But the knights were no stranger to traveling, and this was just another path they would have to walk down.
Together. 
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xecutivecucumber · 2 months
Text
Executive Cucumber's thoughts on the Bad Batch: Season 3x06 and 3x07 (I'm pretty sure I'm formatting this differently every time. Oh well)
Okay, there's a subject I'm going to have to postpone until the end of the post because I want all my thoughts on that to be together: the main operative clone. And the rest might be slightly out of order. I'm also doing this before I see anyone else's thoughts, just so we get the pure version.
Let's go!
I honestly thought that Senator Singh and Riyo were dead meat. But no, they're fine because REX IS COOLER THAN ANYONE. Ugh that man. Freaking throwing the grenade back at him.
Clones are beautiful. That is all.
THAT'S THAT ONE PLACE FROM THE OG CLONE WARS MOVIE!!! TETH!!!
Howzer I love you but if you touch Crosshair we will be having words.
I am actually really proud of Crosshair and his restraint this episode. He could have been really cutting to Howzer.
OMEGA WITH THE TOOTHPIIIIICKS and Hunter is jealouuuus
EDIT: ECHO AND THE CROSSBOW HE'S SO SWEET
WHAT DID THEY DO TO YOU CROSSHAIR
It's really nice to see normal clones being normal again. (Too bad it doesn't last)
There's something up with Omega. I'm not going to lie, I think that she and Rex are going to plan to get her captured in order to track her back to Tantiss.
HOWZER STOP DISTRUSTING CROSSHAIR THIS MOMENT
I appreciate that Hunter doesn't seem to distrust Crosshair during this point.
...they really shouldn't have brought that operative back.
Rex is considering stealing Omega, I swear. I love that he gets down to her level.
WOOOOOOOOOOOLFFE (Plo would be so disappointed in you)
It's...odd to see these normal troopers with him.
It's also strange that he cannot comprehend that the clones could be traitors at first.
STOP DYING YOU BEAUTIFUL REGS
'She only bites half the time' I'm pretty sure Omega is lying here but I don't care.
CROSSHAIR IS SUCH A WORRIED DAD HOLY CRAP. 'Oh, I'm much worse' I LOVE YOU
And this just gives such a little insight into how the Batch was when they were together. I have a feeling that Crosshair was a fusser and a nagger.
And I love how Howzer's natural and correct conclusion is: 'no one evil could love that child.' (Unless you're Nala Se)
Hey, actual candor from Crosshair. I keep saying this is who he always was under it all, but I do think he's healed somewhat, at least towards regs. The healing power of Omega.
'Too bad' I LOVE THIS MAN
STOP DYING REGS
Rex talking down Wolffe reminded me so much of him trying to talk Jesse down. So ow.
Okay, what ROCK have they shoved Wolffe under for the last YEAR??? YES THE EMPIRE WOULD GET RID OF THE CLONES YOU DOG BRAINED IDIOT
(Plo would be proud that you let them go)
...they just killed all of Rex's clones, except Howzer and Gregor. And I have a bad feeling about Howzer. STOP TAKING THINGS FROM REX HASN'T HE LOST ENOUGH???
Okay here we are, at the big topic. Hold onto your pants.
That operative clone. Is. Tech. Because if he is not, they are purposefully using the narrative to deceive us.
I might miss a few things, but that's because I'm up past my bedtime and I've been up too late the last few days.
1. The falling and water parallels. This clone falls a LOT during this episode and dives into a lot of water. He even falls into mist. This time it's to kill and capture his siblings instead of save them.
2. The injury. This clone is hobbling around a lot after his injury, which was immediately reminiscent of Tech's broken leg at the beginning of season 2. Both of them are forcing themselves past their limit to achieve a mission. Specifically with injured legs.
3. General attitude and demeanor. In combination with the stealth and injury, this clone has a more hunched posture. His speech patterns are more formal, though we haven't really heard a lot of other clone operatives talk with their helmets on. But he's also apparently allergic to orders. I first thought that he'd be out of the chain of command, but they would have told Wolffe that he wasn't in charge of the operative if that were the case. Or the operative would have straight up told him 'I don't take orders from you' instead of staring awkwardly at him. Instead he runs off and does his own thing. While injured. Not to mention the buttons on his gauntlet. The other clone operatives don't have those.
4. The cybernetic legs. Now we don't know for sure if Tech would have cybernetic legs, but it seems likely for a severely injured trooper. And when Crosshair is looking at the heat signature, you can see that his legs are blue instead of yellow or red. No heat. Not organic.
5. What he says to Crosshair. 'You could have been one of us.' 'You chose the wrong side.' Yes, he's talking about Crosshair resisting the re-education. But flip it on its head real quick. 'You could have been one of us. One of the Bad Batch.' 'You chose the wrong side. The Empire.' Those lines very easily have double meanings.
6. An interesting one is when he starts moving rocks after the explosion. Why would he do that? Why not immediately go find another way in? He's moving only the smaller rocks. There's a large one in the way that he couldn't move himself. And he doesn't get the rest of the troopers to come move it when they arrive. He almost seems confused.
Like he's somewhere else after an explosion, having to move rocks. Like in the Crossing.
I know that this hardly seem like iron clad evidence. But in the language of story telling, it's practically screaming in our faces.
And I'm so glad he's back. I missed him. He won't be himself for a while, but I legitimately believe we'll get one last fight with the Batch all together. Because brain washing is a heck of a lot easier to fix than being dead.
My sister is doing the good work and creating a tik token about it, and I'll probably share it here when she's finished.
(We're getting the episode 'Identity Crisis ON MY BIRTHDAY and so help me if that's about Tech)
Honestly I thought I'd be more excited, but I spent the entire two episodes forcing myself into not having expectations and also I might be in shock.
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daydreamgoddess14 · 10 months
Text
Landslide pt. 2
MASTERLIST here
Chapter 1 here
Summary: Jason approaches a singer/songwriter about a request for Ted Lasso Season 3.
Jason Sudeikis/Reader Insert (OFC, no use of y,n/l,n)
Rating: General for now... we'll see how it goes 🤭
Disclaimer: I absolutely own none of these songs, I also don’t want to diminish Sam Ryder’s contribution in creating Fought and Lost. This is all completely fictional. I also know nothing about the music industry so this is drowning in artistic license! 
Playlist Link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1crFZfdqL1fspNXb80u5sK?si=e90f5f8f357b4647
It leans very Swift heavy but also has songs that I feel fit the main character and her style. I've never created a playlist for a fic before but it seemed appropriate given the main character's profession.
Songs used in Chapter 2:
Lover of the Light - Mumford and Sons (https://open.spotify.com/track/2rjOBgZ6vmRhzf4AbQbbvZ?si=3cdfe7ca63294533)
I Will Wait - Mumford and Sons (cover by Matt Johnson & Amber Leigh Irish: https://open.spotify.com/track/6pZ37H5lrW2v26D9Sbx6Yo?si=0fb2b5b84b0a4c92)
Chapter 2
The blue carpet was packed full of people, you weren't entirely sure where you needed to go but followed the other guests towards the doors of the auditorium, it was one of those situations where your fame came in useful, crowds parted and support staff were always happy to make sure you were going in the right direction. 
"Why do you always look like a deer in the headlights at these things? You need a better poker face." A voice chastised behind you. You whipped round to see Marcus and Carey. Insanely grateful for familiar faces you hugged them both happily, over the moon to see them. 
"I fucking hate these things. I always feel like an imposter."
"You sold out an arena tour in a day, what the hell are you on about?!" Carey laughed. You shrugged, 
"It could all come crashing down, you never know!"
"Alright doom and gloom, here the kids wanted you to see this." Marcus handed you his phone so you could see the picture of their kids dressed up as Spiderman and Thor, wielding a ukulele and a keytar. 
"Ohhhh!" You shriek, bubbling with laughter. "They are the cutest! Clearly they take after Carey." Between the two of you, Marcus paused to wave further up the carpet, your laughter had caught the attention of some photographers. You looked over to see who he was greeting and locked eyes with the man of the hour, Jason. You managed to raise a shy smile which he returned. It felt like an eternity but was probably only about 5 seconds before you were back talking to Carey as if nothing had happened. Something had definitely happened though, your skin felt tingly, you could feel the blood in your veins heating up, and your legs felt like jelly. It was like meeting at the studio again except instead of poor Tom being the gooseberry, half of Los Angeles were. 
"We're doing a little set tonight." Marcus explained. 
"Oh nice, I haven't heard you guys for ages." You brought yourself back down to earth. 
"You could," he cooked his head with a wink, "y'know… join us?"
"No way, I'm not remotely prepared, I haven't sang live for weeks. I don't even remember half the words to your stuff!"
"Thanks mate."
"You know what I mean, It's too much pressure."
"As opposed to every other time you perform. Go onnn! It'll be fun!"
"For who?!" You try to counter, but he's winning you over. It really had been quite a few weeks since you'd last performed to an audience and you were feeling the pull. There was also that intoxicating way Jason had looked at you - the urge to do something unexpected and surprise him was pretty strong. "OK, say I said yes, who would we be pissing off - apart from my entire management team?"
"Nah, no one. No one even needs to know, we'll just tell the floor manager to get an extra mic set up and everyone else will be none the wiser. It'll be a good surprise for Tom and Jason to hear you properly live with a band." Yeah… you couldn't argue with that. 
"OK, OK, let's do it." He whooped and the three of you started moving a little quicker to the doors. You passed by a handful of the cast still having photos taken, a couple of them recognised you and a buzz went up from the photography area. You hesitated before stopping for some pictures, it was a premiere after all and you had dressed up for it in a dress which was the visual representation of exuding confidence. Confidence which you were absolutely winging at the moment in an ultimate ‘fake it til you make it’ strategy.
"How come you're here tonight?" One of the photographers shouted, “What do you think of your ex’s new girl?”
"Just a fan of the show." You smiled and posed, ignoring the second question. Once inside, Carey waved you off with a grin while you went backstage with Marcus.
~~~~~~~
"So we're doing the theme song - you don't have to do that - then in between the two episodes we're doing 2 or 3 songs while everyone has a break, then I think we'll do one after the screening as well. Happy with that?" You nod, "I'll come back to watch the first episode so you come back with me just before that ends. I'll go out as planned, introduce you and you can join us. Bit of backing, bit of melody. It doesn't matter if you really have forgotten all the words." You thank him gratefully. Back with Carey, you cheer for Marcus as he performs the theme song. At the other end of the same row, you can't help but steal a glance at Jason. He looked across to you just as your attention was drawn back to the stage. You managed to sneak out just before the end of the episode to wait for Marcus to introduce you. As expected, with only a few people knowing that you were there and no one at all expecting you to join the band on stage, the screening audience went crazy when you were introduced. 
"Hey everyone, thanks for letting me crash the party. Hope you're playing something I remember, Marmar." You tease lightly. He puts a hand to his heart, 
"Some of you may have seen us in the early 2010s on tour with my good friend here. You might remember that she used to join us for a banging version of Lover of the Light?" He looked to you for confirmation that you remembered enough to get by, and then you brought the fucking house down. With the first couple of songs under your belt, you were much more relaxed watching the second episode. It had been such a rush performing live on a total whim, it had been years since you'd done something so reckless and unpredictable regarding your music. Your phone was already blowing up in your bag with Twitter notifications - your management team would have a field day again, you still weren't exactly in the good books. Marcus had saved your favourite of his songs for last - I Will Wait. Similarly to Lover of the Light, the pair of you used to do a storming version together many, many years ago and you loved it so much that you'd recorded an acoustic version for one of your albums and you had been known to wheel it out during live shows as well. It wasn't until you were back up on the stage though that Marcus pretty much reduced his own role to backing singer and had gently nudged you to front the band. It was a damn good job you'd known them all for the better part of 15 years. Your unrehearsed, pared down version was a winner. You kept your eyes in the general direction of Carey and didn't let them stray to the opposite end of the row until the very end when you couldn't resist stealing a look at Jason any longer. He looked happy - fortunately - really happy, and you could feel your stomach tighten at the vaguely familiar notion of genuine attraction to someone. With the impromptu mini gig over, you had a quick 5 minutes with the band before heading off with the intention of finding a bar and a very alcoholic drink prior to catching up with Jason and Tom. Dutch courage was very much on the agenda. You ordered a whiskey and watched from the bar as the cast and creative team started making their way in, stopping every few seconds to be welcomed and congratulated by guests, media and family. You'd gotten talking to a couple of the writers who'd recognised you. 
"I was at your last gig in New York, it was so much fun!"
"I love shows in New York," You grinned, "I get to sleep in my own bed for a change!" 
"Ugh hotel beds are a menace. I either sleep like the dead or not at all."
"Tell me about it, buses are the worst though - be so glad you don't have to sleep on a bus! I did a week of shows in the UK last year and we were so tight on time that I'd finish a gig, go to sleep on the bus and wake up in a new city. I don't even think we bothered with hotel rooms, just drove through the night." You grimaced. Your back still hadn't forgiven you for that, and your tour manager was under strict instructions to avoid that debacle for future shows.
"Hey, sorry to interrupt, congrats guys!" Jason reached in to say hello to his writing team first.
"You too boss! Have you guys met?" They gestured to you, "I had no idea Marcus was going to bring her, did you?" 
"I did know. Thanks for coming." Jason finally turned to you with a smile that made you forget your own name. 
"Thanks for the invite. And sorry for the surprise set. It was Marcus's idea." You looked up while the writers filtered away to see other people, leaving the two of you alone. You took a long drink, buying you time to compose yourself because holy shit he looked so good. You wondered if it would be better to hold the meeting at separate ends of the room and communicate via smoke signals to save your blushes.
"Oh no, I loved it! Instant validation for the request I sent to Tom and Marcus, as if hearing you in the studio wasn't enough. You sounded amazing." You wave the compliment away,
"I'm way under rehearsed, I'm still under strict instructions to lay low for a while so I haven't been in front of a big audience for ages."
"It didn't show, really, you were great. Better than Marcus."
"Stop, he'll never forgive me!" You nudged him, laughing. 
"Can we sit?" You nod and his hand brushes the small of your back, guiding you to a booth. It’s warm through the thin fabric of your dress and you could curse when your treacherous body shivers in response. 
"Congrats on tonight, it looks like it's been a huge success."
"Ahh we'll see, it's a long way to go till the end of May. How's your week been?"
"Pretty good thanks, a few meetings. Plenty of writing."
"Anything you'd like to share?" He asked curiously. 
"Not just yet,” you tease lightly, “give it another day or so and maybe. Also it might be wildly different to what Tom's expecting so I don't want to get in trouble."
“You don’t strike me as a troublemaker.”
“I’m on my best behaviour. Unfortunately. One more bad headline and-” you draw your finger across your throat.
“No way? Those headlines are not your fault - you defended yourself.”
“Hmm but there are a lot of people out there who don’t believe that I’m defending myself. They believe that I’m the problem.” He looks at your hand resting on the table near his and you think he’s about to take it, but he moves his own away at the last second. “So… troublemaker, that’s me.” You smile ruefully. 
“Well I think I’ll reserve judgment.” He does move his hand then, but not to take yours, instead it goes around you to rest on your hip furthest from him, the action sliding you across the seat a few inches closer to him. He holds your gaze, an unspoken request for permission/forgiveness. You can’t help but feel a little unsure, automatically defensive. You’d spent three years being belittled, gaslit, shamed and manipulated in every aspect of your personal life, and now you were trying to recover from that whilst simultaneously trying to prove that those things were really happening to you and that you’re not a cold, calculating and manipulative bitch. You had no idea who you could really trust, who was supporting you or who was in the pocket of your ex. It was draining trying to mentally vet every reaction, conversation and person before letting your guard down. Something in his warm eyes lets you think you can trust him though, so you lean into that and into his hand just a little. Your eyes flash down to his mouth and back again and you hope you were quick enough that he didn't notice because you hadn't meant to do it. Well, not exactly. Your time alone is cut short though when Tom comes over with more drinks. 
"So that was unexpected." He said, handing you a glass. "Brilliant, but unexpected." Jason moves his hand from behind you to take his drink from Tom. 
"Told you." 
"Hush, you. Thank you, Tom. I caved to peer pressure. Marcus bullied me into it."
"I should get him a drink then." You unlock your phone and slide it across the table, the notes app open. As it passes him, Jason tries to sneak a look but Tom grabs up the phone and reads. "Keep going, you're nearly there." He advises firmly. "Though I want to hear it, I'm in meetings all day tomorrow but record a quick voice note, give me an idea of pace and melody and I’ll think on it." 
"Can you send it to me too?" Jason asked. 
"Nope." You reply with a smirk, for a moment he looks confused. "I don't have your number. But also, I’m not about to send you a half arsed voice note just yet." You shrug. He's about to reply when a few people start milling around looking like they need him. He excuses himself and you and Tom compare some notes on the start you’ve made to the song. He next finds you back at the same table catching up with Carey.
“-I’m just saying I would pay good money to see you recreate that Tom Holland Lip Sync Battle rain dance!” Carey giggled.
“Oh god, I’d fall over and break something! Besides, I’m not built for dancing - especially not dirty rain dancing!” You reply gleefully, the giggles getting the better of you both.
“Who’s doing dirty rain dancing?” Jason grins, handing both of you a drink, “Saw you both from the bar.”
“Ahh I’ll never convince her. Maybe Marcus will do it instead.” She takes a sip of her drink, “I’m going to be so hungover on the school run tomorrow.”
“Same.” he agrees.
“I’ll come with you, I want to see the kiddos and I’ll bring the biggest coffees I can find.”
“Thanks, love. If I’m already going to be hungover I might as well finish this drink as well! Thanks Jason, and congratulations!” As the party slows and people drift off, including Tom, you talk Carey into staying for another drink, not quite willing to leave Jason’s company just yet. He’s been sitting next to you again, not so close that it would make Carey uncomfortable or would seem rude. Close enough that when he talks with his hands they brush against your arm or hand. When they’re finally still and he puts them on the seat between you both, his fingertips can catch against yours or (very bravely) ghost over the hem of your dress. Meanwhile, you’re trying to look casual, trying to act unruffled but there’s a marching band inside your body banging your heart like a bloody big drum and it might as well be bursting out of your chest like a cartoon. When Carey gets up to track down Marcus so you can share an Uber with them, he turns on the seat to face you. 
“Can I give you my number?” He asks, watching your eyes widen in surprise. “For the voice note you're going to send me,” he teases.
“I’m not sending you the bloody song over WhatsApp. Tom can show you whatever he chooses, but you’ll get nothing from me until I say so.”
“Nothing at all huh?” He moves closer on the seat. You smile shyly,
“I’d strongly advise against whatever it is you think you’d like to do right now.”
“There’s a lot that I’d like to do, you might need to be more specific?” You shake your head in exasperation.
“My life is a fucking mess.”
“So is mine.”
“So you wouldn’t want to make it worse.”
“I really think I might actually want to. Might make it better.”
“The paps are-”
“Intense, rude, intrusive?”
“My ex-”
“Is a dick.” 
“Can we be serious for one minute? One minute. I don’t want you to drag you into this shitshow, my name is mud everywhere at the moment - I might as well be public enemy number one. No matter how… brief this might end up being, it’s still not fair on you, or your family, that you get associated with it all.”
“I don’t need to be, we don’t have to broadcast it.”
“I’m pretty sure they know my diary better than I do.” You counter, then pause, taking in the hat, the custom made tracksuit, the dimples. “But… I can avoid them most of the time. I try to… protect myself.”
“We could try that? Because I’d really like to kiss you before Carey gets back and you have to leave.” You can’t help the smile that tugs at the corner of your mouth at that. The hint of a smile is enough for him to lean in and press a soft kiss to your lips making you hum happily. “Wanna come to a basketball game?”
“And sit about 10 seats away from you pretending I’m not checking you out?”
“Amazing coincidence, that’s exactly what I’d be doing too.”
“I’d love to. Especially the checking you out part.” You grin. Out of the corner of your eye you can see Marcus and Carey coming back for you. “Looks like my time is up.” He slips his phone out of his pocket and opens the screen before handing it to you to add your number.
~~~~~~~~
Over the next couple of days, the tabloids seemed to wake up to your arrival in L.A, though they did at least leave you alone and keep their distance. A handful of pictures cropped up on Twitter and Instagram - you holding hands with one of Marcus and Carey’s kids, giving them a piggyback after school, some of you from the Ted Lasso premiere and one of you collecting takeout the evening after the premiere. You knew there would be photographers at the basketball game you were attending so you’d planned to go with an old friend. Despite Jason being the one to ask you to go, you knew that you’d be unlikely to even be able to say more than hello to him with so many eyes around. You sat one row back from the courtside and about 10-15 seats further along the row than Jason sat with his castmates and son. He’d sent you a message before you’d even pulled up at your apartment after the premiere, you’d replied of course and the message pingpong had been pretty regular in the run up to the game. He’d seen you arrive, he’d been loitering at the edge of the court talking while the seats began to fill up. You’d smiled and held your beer up in greeting.
You look great, I’m glad you came
Thanks, you too. This doesn’t count as a first date though.
That’s fair, I’ve got to get O home after this, but we could hang out later in the week?
Sounds good, enjoy the game
After the game, someone had pushed a ball into his hands while people were milling around the court. He’d been laughing and joking with Toheeb and Kola and you’d been perfectly happy just watching him have a good time. He took his cap off and turned it around on his head so he could better line up his shot. You had been halfway through a conversation but god fucking damn your jaw near hit the floor when he bounced a little and the ball had travelled near half the length of the court and straight into the basket. Someone had been filming it and Kola had excitedly told him to tell the camera that it had been one take. By this point, you’d long given up on talking with your friend and she watched in amusement while your words had trailed off. She followed your gaze to the scenes on the court.
“That’s emmm… that’s pretty hot.”
“I’m not usually a men doing sports type of person. In that it normally doesn’t affect me in any kind of way.”
“How you feeling now?”
“Pretty fucking affected. Jesus.” You reached for your phone while the image and the thoughts were still fresh in your mind - though there was no doubt that the visual would be there for a very long time to come. 
That was insane. I truly hope you know how hot that was because I… I’m speechless.
With the rest of the court clearing out, you took your empty beer glasses and took one last look at Jason. He spotted you so you gave a quick glance around for potential photographers before very obviously fanning yourself with your hand. He laughed and winked.
~~~~~~~~~
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journey-to-the-attic · 7 months
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sorry but i'm so ILL over zhaolu like 😭😭 someone give the anon who started this a gold star because ohmy GOD they GET IT, the perfect partner for lucifer WOULD be a single father, ESPECIALLY one like zhao, GOD
abyway pls spare zhaolu hcs 🥲 🤲 (if u have time of course!!)
i will ALWAYS make time for my favourite silly men, please take these!!
they're both overworkers who hate seeing the other overwork themselves, so in the beginning they're both constantly reminding with each other to stop working so much, while simultaneously working too much
zhao thinks lucifer has it harder because he sucks at paperwork so he can't fathom having to do that much; lucifer thinks zhao has it harder because he cannot imagine doing all that housework while simultaneously wrangling his brothers, even if he's good at it
lucifer is always telling zhao off for doing all the household chores for his younger brothers, because they will absolutely take advantage of his willingness to help if they've got something else to be doing
the only exception is satan, who determinedly does his share of the chores and scolds the others when they try pawning theirs off on the poor guy
belphie does do it as well but he always feels super bad afterwards
(zhao acting as stepdad to satan and belphie especially has now become canon To Me if you haven't noticed yet)
one time they accidentally swapped glasses but somehow didn't notice, even though zhao's eyesight is significantly worse than lucifer's
zhao has this problem where his blood pressure drops like a ROCK if he goes too long without eating, but he's usually very good about managing it. keyword being usually: one time he lost track and passed out because he stood up too fast
this has never happened since because lucifer (though he was very good at hiding it at the time) panicked so hard that the incident is burnt into his memory and now he's hyper-vigilant about it
it's kind of ironic that this is lucifer's first relationship and zhao's second, given a demon vs human lifespan
lucifer's not really sure how to feel about it. on the one hand, the idea of ik's mother coming back into the picture does make him seethe a little bit, but on other, he trusts that zhao wouldn't be with him if he hadn't fully moved on
i've mentioned before that zhao doesn't realise he's bi until he's in the devildom - to elaborate on that, at first he was just like "woa...... handsome men" and thought it was a completely normal thing. you know, just appreciating good looks when you see it
then the handsome men started being good with his daughter and he was like "...wait a minute"
now zhao thinks his husband is the most beautiful man in the entire world, and while this is heightened by, yknow, love, it's also true that lucifer's just an objectively good-looking guy
meanwhile he considers himself very plain by comparison, and is he is indeed pretty average by societal standards
HOWEVER. if you're into the pathetic shabby dad look. which lucifer is, apparently. he might just be the hottest guy you've ever met
lucifer did not realise he had a type before this
particularly in the early stages of their relationship, the others learn not to let either of them talk for too long interrupted in council meetings because they just start staring at each other and not doing any work
zhao has a habit of accidentally doing something kind of suggestive without thinking of how they could be taken - one time he undid the first few buttons on lucifer's shirt because he was worried about him being uncomfortable in that formal getup, and lucifer thought about it for the ENTIRE rest of the day
i think lucifer in general is just so.... hang on i need to look some stuff up in urban dictionary
down bad? is that the term?? anyway we all know what he's like in-game so. yeah that's elevated here
anyway zhao's accidentally made a habit of calling him 'good boy' and lucifer has to physically restrain himself every time lol
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aks-of-the-weak · 3 months
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I made this cheat sheet to every Direct Mention of a class's active/passive alignment today.
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In above, i've excluded everything like interpretation of characters' behaviors or of subtext, mentions of a character being active/passive and mentions of classes in ways that don't directly indicate activeness or passiveness. I do also want to keep a more general track of those subtexts and generic mentions of classes, so i'll make a list of them below and might update as i find more. I'll quote relevant parts where it's shorter and leave entire pages at the page reference. {And leave my personal comments in brackets like so}
Homestuck Proper: Calliope on Rogues, Calliope on Princes, Aradia on Knights and Seers: p.4514, 4564, 4354 - {Mentioned above, but there's more i haven't quoted.} Scratch on Seers: p.3832-3835 - {Too long to be quoted. It's unclear exactly to what extent Doc is talking about "A Seer", "A Seer of Mind" and "Terezi", respectively. } Brain Ghost Dirk on Pages: p.4875 - "Pages have a lot of untapped potential. That's practically all there is to the class, actually. But when they eventually find it, look out." Aranea on Sylphs: p.6553 - "I am a very powerful Sylph of Light. I have had millions of sweeps to hone my abilities. As one gifted with the aspect of light, certain outcomes will be prone to breaking in my favor. And as an ancient, highly experienced sylph, I wield an unprecedented ability to heal. A doomed timeline is really just an anatomical feature of a much larger organism. Like a capillary which comes to an end, because it has withered and died. I believe I will be able to heal this offshoot. And with enough time and patience, I am confident I can restore its vitality to such a great extent, it will effectively take over as the alpha timeline, thus reducing English to a lost footnote of paradox space." - {Obviously that last thing didn't happen, but she did end up making the Game-Over timeline take over as the alpha timeline. She just didn't understand the implications of that within Paradox-Space's framework.} AH on... Clowns?: p.5484 - "It means crazy clowns just won't die for some reason. In adventures such as yours, they tend to linger long past their welcome. They linger and linger and linger, and just when you think you're totally fed up with their bullshit and you can't take another second of it, they just linger some more. And you never know what they're up to, and they're always scheming in the shadows, and it's quite possible that whatever master plan they're hatching just doesn't make the slightest bit of sense at all. But it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter how stupid the clown's schemes are, or how sick of him everybody is. He just. Won't. Die." - {This is sort of my crackpot theory, but i believe this passage is a subtextual explanation of the Bard as a character archetype. Essentially a Jester staying in the shadow of its king. }
Beyond Canon: Got nothing beyond what's in the sheet
Q&A: On how Lunar Sway relates to Active/Passive Classes: p. - http://wheals.github.io/tumblr/tumblr.html#post25156009290q1 - {In the cheat sheet, but as before, there's more}
Book Commentary: On Aradia and Vriska: Book 4, p.143 - "Aradia's extremely passive nature as a ghost makes her an easy target for this kind of overbearing attention." - {Hussie is commenting on aradia, not Maids, but the language is pretty strong}
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j0rg33n · 8 months
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Tear you apart part1(?) (Tf2 Sniper x GN!reader)
A/N PLEASE READ -> hiii this is my first ever fic, I wrote it when I was bored while traveling by train, so don't expect anything spectacular also English is not my native language so sorry for possible mistakes (you can point them out if you want I will gladly correct them!!) I'm still not sure about posting it so if you like it, let me know and I'll post the next part cuz despite everything I surprisingly enjoyed working on it??? I also posted it on ao3
[words count: 820]
Your relationship with Mundy was starting to disturb your every day life. All you could think about was him. His scent, his voice, especially when he called your name, even standing in the same room as him started being disheartening.You keep having that unsatisfied feeling growing inside of you and you couldn't do anything with it. You couldn't really make a move since you knew that it will not bring the desired effect. He is a man with hard values; "professionals have standards" this sentence kept running through your head every time you wanted to change things between you and him,but you were sure he wouldn't want relationship between one of his colleagues. So you just keept admiring him form behind. That was the safest way, but it always left you unsatisfied. You wanted more.
As you remain to live in cloud-cuckoo-landyou haven't noticed that your team started to go their separate ways until you heard familiar voice
"you okay ma'am?" it was Engi, you didn't turn around to face him, leaving him only with a plain response "Yeah just lost myself in thoughts" he didn't push more, leaving you as you are. You really liked him for respecting your personal space. As you were planning on leaving the rec room you heard familiar groan, that send instant chills through your body.
"You too? what's happening to y'all?is something in the air?" engi half joking asked. Sniper came to the table you two were sitting at. "Nah i just have bad snipin day, need to practice more" eyes focused on his rifle you decided to stay and pretend you're going through your stuff, so you could listen to their conversation.
"Guess that holiday got you off tracks boy, well sorry but can't help you with that, not my cup of tee" as always engi was using that warm western tone, it was nice, it always brings a smile onto your face "but I'm sure you gonna get better soon, you're the best sniper I've ever met.... and I've only met one" Engi laughed off and gave him a solid hit on his back. This made you laugh a little.
"Old bastard" Sniper let out a little chuckle. That's when your eyes met and it hit you. Your stomach started to feel tight. You tried to not show it, but you wanted to tear your skin apart. You wanted him and this was bad. You wanted to keep him close to you, but you couldn't. You started losing sense of your surroundings. Were they talking? Was there complete silence? You didn't know, you were completely lost in his eyes. They are so pretty, you feel like they could tell you much more than you know about him, but there was some kind of wall made of glass keeping you away from him. it hurts you once again. After probably few seconds of you staring at him you manage to get a hold of yourself, going back to reality where it seems he broke the eye contact long time ago and went on their conversation. You began to listen again.
"So the shooting range is still inactive?" "yea sorry cowboy you gonna have to figure something out"
"piss"
"just shoot some thing I don't know bottles?"
"mate do oi look like 6yer old t'ya?"
"I'm just trying to help you out" he stopped for a moment "why don't our princesses asisste you and throw them so you can shot moving objects since she doesn't have anything better to do?" he then turned to you grinning and you were once again taken back to the real life
"Huh?? what?" you looked at Texan visibly confused
"What miss?still daydreaming? I just found you a job that will keep you busy, no need to thank me ma'am" he stood proudly with a big grin
"Throwing bottles up the sky in a friday evening woow yeah that's just what I needed thank you my saviour" you responded sarcastically bowing a bit to him,you manage to get a light laugh form him. Meanwhile sniper looked a little lost, not knowing what he should say or do, so you took the initiative.
"Well... if you really need me I can help you" u wasn't sure if this was good idea and you quickly lost all your conifidence, so in order to escape his gaze you began looking for another point to state, so you directed your next words towards the engineer "As the engi said I don't have anything better to do" you tried to give him sassy look. "yea 'kay Shelia how could I turn back offer like this?" god his smile is so precious and you love when he refers to you as "Shelia" its just a Australian slang and he probably uses it to every women he meets but the fact that he never uses it to call Miss Pauling (surely due to the fact that she's his superior) makes you feel special everytime.
"M'gonna meet you infornt of the base in one hour, is that oaky?" "yea sure see you later " you quickly gave him a smile before he turned and went somewhere.
congratulations if you noticed the reference to a song !! Any tips, advices anything are always welcome:]
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mrsfrecklesmarauders · 5 months
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James haven't fancied someone this much. It was beautiful what Lily made him feel. He lost track of time and space when he stared into those beautiful esmelard eyes of hers. His heart wanted to jump out of his chest. Everytime she smiled or touched his arm, he felt a shot of electricity. She was so beautiful it hurt.
God, and the best part was that she no longer hated him like before. They were friends. James was Lily's confident. And they had become closer since they became Head Boy and Head Girl. They had to spend a lot of time together.
It was heaven. But it was torture not being able to kiss her like he wanted. Because James respected the friendship thing. He didn't want to lose her or make her hate him by asking her out again.
James was different. He didn't do silly stuff anymore. He had been an idiot to want to win her over like that. Lily didn't deserve the asshole he had been. He wanted to be better. He wanted to do things right.
"James..."
James loved his name coming from her mouth. He could hear it over and over again.
"James.."
"Yeah that's me..." James smiled.
Lily was laughing like an angel.
"James!" Lily hit his arm playfully "Are you even listening to what I am saying?"
James didn't want to lose track of what Lily was saying. Everything she said was important for him. But she was so pretty today, that James got lost.
Why did Lily have to have her hair like that? it was so long and shiny. And that beautiful butterfly pin in the back, made her curls cascade down. And her makeup made Lily's eyes pop. Damn that lipstick made her lips so pinky, glossy and desirable. James was doomed.
"James!"
When Lily snapped her fingers, James realized he was staring again.
"No!" James snapped "I mean yes! I was listening. I was listening, darling..." he chuckled "What were you saying?"
Lily snorted and shook her head.
"I can't believe I've been talking for hours and you don't even listen..."
"No... No.." James giggled "I'm sorry. I'm sorry... It's just that you are so pretty today..."
Lily immediately blushed. And she was gorgeous when she blushed.
"Potter..." she bit her lip "You are not supposed to say things like that!"
She wanted to stay angry but James could tell she wasn't. They were friends who teased each other like that. Well, James was an idiot who couldn't keep his mouth shut apparently.
"What?" James asked. Lily pursed her lips "I tell you as a friend!" he added quickly "Friends compliment each other all the time"
Lily smiled, cheeks slightly red.
"Yeah? Do I look pretty?"
"Beautiful"
Lily played with her hair nervously.
"Mary said I should borrow her makeup because I was going to see y..." Lily stopped suddenly and widened her eyes "I was going to see... The prefects!"
"The prefects?"
"Yeah yeah... A good leader needs a good image. It is important" Lily nodded.
She was still flustered. How adorable.
"Right"
"Yeah"
"Of course it is important" James said "I hope I look okay, then" he shrugged "I kind of feel out of place now... I didn't change... Still with the uniform..."
"You look perfect" Lily snorted.
"Yeah?"
"I mean perfect for a good leader" Lily cleared her throat "The uniform shows your muscles... I mean your responsability!! That's... that's what I meant"
"Oh yeah yeah" James ran his fingers through his hair "You are right"
"The meeting is over... Should we go?"
"I'll go anywhere with you"
"What?"
"I mean..." James cleared his throat "Can I go with you? To the Common Room..." he rubbed his neck "Don't we have the afternoon free?"
God, James lost control of what he said, he did, he thought. And he was thinking about kissing Lily all afternoon.
"Oh yeah true" Lily smiled, standing up "Do you have any plans?"
"I'm planning to do you..." James murmured as Lily walked to the door.
"What?"
"Nothing!!" James was an absolute idiot "No plans at all" he shrugged
Lily smiled "Maybe we should..."
James stood up so fast, he almost fell.
"Yeah?"
Lily was going to answer but she was interrupted by the door closing behind her.
Lily's smile disappeared from her face.
"What was that?"
James shrugged.
Lily walked to the classroom door and struggled to open it.
"No... No... No..." Lily shook her head "Open up!" she knocked, but nobody listened "It's not a fucking joke!"
"What happened?" James approached carefully.
"We are locked inside!" Lily exclaimed.
James almost laughed. But Lily didn't seem to be making a joke.
"Nah..."
"Yes"
"No"
Lily rolled her eyes "Try to open the door then"
James tried but indeed it was locked.
"We are locked!"
"Yes, Potter! It is what I have been saying!" Lily started panicking "I cannot believe it! Who would have done this? I have a lot of things to do!" she banged the door desperately.
"A lot of things?" James snorted "I thought you were going to do me.."
"What?"
Again? Idiot!
"I mean I thought you were going to spend the evening with me"
James could get excited with a prospect of a date. A date between friends that was.
"Yes! I was, but..." Yes?
Lily stopped to look at James suspiciously. And then she sighed angrily and shook her head.
"Of course!" Lily tutted "Of course Lily, you are an idiot"
"Why are you calling yourself an idiot?"
Lily turned furiously.
"I am calling YOU an idiot!" Lily hit his arm.
"Ouch! What?"
"You are such an idiot, Potter. A total twat!!"
"What?" James covered himself as she hit him "What? What did I do?"
James kind of liked angry Lily. She was sexy and all. But James really didn't want to fuck it up this time. He was so close. They were okay. James didn’t want Lily to hate him again.
"Don't you think I would know this was all your idea?" Lily spat "Locking us in here so you can make your move..."
"What?? My move?"
"And your silly friends are surely behind this" Lily nodded and then banged the door again "I KNOW YOU ARE OUT THERE, WANKERS!" she yelled "They are surely laughing on the other side"
"I didn't lock us in here, Lily"
Lily rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips "Oh right"
"I swear!" James begged "I have nothing to do with this... If my friends are behind this, I am going to thank them..."
"What?"
"I mean kill them! Kill them!! Silly wankers" he tutted.
Lily crossed her arms.
"Okay, call them then and tell them to let us out"
"I'll call them..." James raised his hands defensively "I'll called them"
"Now!"
"Right..."
James patted his pockets. There was no phone in there. He was sure he put it there this morning. He patted his pockets again just in case. Nothing.
"Shit... Shit..."
"What?" Lily asked "What?"
"I don't have my phone"
Lily's nostrils flared.
"Oh how convenient!!" she snapped.
"I didn't lock us in"
Lily was shaking her head furiously.
"You almost got me there, Potter"
"Lily, you have to believe me"
"I can't believe it, Potter. I was falling for you..."
"You were what?"
"Falling for your lies!" Lily blushed again "For you lies! But you are still a total asshole!"
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah?"
"Well, where is your phone then?"
Lily was wearing a blue dress with no pockets. So she must have forgotten. Or someone took it from her.
Lily faced him.
"How do I know you didn't steal it from me?"
"Your heart?"
"My phone, Potter!" Lily answered "My phone"
"Lils..." James began but Lily interrupted.
"You know what? Just stay away from me. I will be in that corner of the room and you stay in the other corner..."
"But Lily..."
James tried to approach.
"The other, Potter. The other corner!"
James sighed "I swear I didn't do anything... But if you don't want to believe me, then fine" he crossed his arms.
James had no idea who was involved into this but he didn't want to go back to the same circle of bickering. He didn't want Lily to believe he was still a twat who would do something like this.
They were silent for a while. James observed how beautiful Lily was. But also how unreachable she was.
Lily tried to stay angry but she was glancing at James now and then.
"Silly James..." he began with a sigh "When I try to do things right, something like this happens"
"What... What do you mean?" Lily asked, trying to hide the fact that she cared.
"Nothing... Forget it"
"What were you trying to do?" Lily asked hopefully.
James felt his own cheeks on fire.
"You know..." he started playing with his tie "Conquer you"
Lily blushed as well.
"But it seems it is impossible..." James added.
Lily was looking at him like she couldn't believe what he was saying.
"It's not impossible" Lily stepped closer.
"No?"
James stepped closer as well
"I mean..." Lily looked down "Nothing it's impossible..." she put her hair behind her ear nervously "My dad used to say that if you want something enough... You can make it true"
James smiled. He dared to play with Lily's hair. And she blushed more. But she let him.
"So I have a chance?"
Lily looked into his eyes. Her esmerald eyes were shining.
"I mean... I know we are just friends. That's what you want... But you know how I feel"
"James..."
James silenced her. His heart was beating so fast. Lily was so close. And the way she was looking at him, sent shivers down his spine. It was different how she was looking. James loved it.
"I swear I didn't do anything to lock us in" James continued "I know why you might think I am that idiot because of what I did in the past, but not anymore. I want to do things right. I want to be the perfect bloke for you. I want you to feel the same for me. You said you needed time and I respect that, Lily"
"Oh James" Lily sighed, biting her lip.
James looked down, and put his hand down "But you don't believe me... So..."
"I do! I do believe you"
"Yeah?" James smiled.
Lily smiled as well "I know you are not the wanker from the past, I've been getting to know you and you are amazing..." she blushed "A good friend, and respectful, and nice and you always make me laugh"
"I want to kiss you" James murmured.
"What?"
"I want to be good with you, I mean..."
"We are good, we have this thing between us..."
James swallowed. Was Lily staring at his lips? Well he had been staring at hers as well, so.
"What thing?"
"Well..." Lily leaned closer.
"Yes?" James leaned as well.
"We are friends..."
"Friends?"
James couldn't take it anymore. He had to try. He had to kiss her. Maybe Lily wouldn't get mad. It could be different this time.
"Lily, I don't want to be your friend..." he was whispering now because they were so close, there was no need to say it out loud.
"What?" Lily whispered as well "Why? Because I got mad at you just now?"
James laughed as he stroked her hair, she was so adorable. Lily laughed as well.
James shook his head.
"You know what I mean"
Lily giggled. And James smiled. What did this all mean? They were so close, James felt Lily's sweet breath. A few inches in and they would kiss.
"That's how I wanted to find you" a voice said "Comfortable, aren't we?"
"I am amazing" James answered still looking into Lily's eyes.
"I'm in the clouds..." Lily added, still looking into his eyes.
The voice cleared their throat. James and Lily turned to look. It was Filch, who looked furious, tapping on the floor.
"Having fun?"
James realized what he was doing and how this might look like. So he pushed Lily so hard, she almost fell. She let out a shriek.
"Mr. Flich! Hi! Hi. How are you?" James swallowed and rubbed his neck"Everything good?"
Filch looked pleased actually. He loved finding students doing mischief.
"Dumbledore is going to love hearing what his Head Boy and Head Girl were up to"
"No!" Lily begged with her face red "There's nothing.... We weren't...."
"Nothing! Nothing is happening here... Nothing" James added, as flustered as her.
"Nothing?" Lily raised an eyebrow "I mean I thought there was a thing..."
"There was a thing!" James snapped quickly.
"There was?" Lily smiled.
"A very strong thing"
"I might have felt a thing....." Lily twisted her hair.
"You did?"
"Ha! So you admit it!" Filch pointed a finger.
"No! No!" James exclaimed "We weren't... No..."
Lily panicked as well.
"Oh please don't tell Dumbledore!" Lily begged "I need a clean record and my Head Girl badge to get a scholarship into a good Uni... Please!"
"You would have thought that before mingling with him" Flich said gesturing towards James.
Lily went bright red.
"We weren't mingling! There was no mingle!"
"It was my fault, Mr. Filch" James tried to make himself the hero, putting himself in front of Lily.
"Of course, Potter. I know the trouble maker you are"
James looked at Lily and smiled. Lily smiled back.
They were having a thing inside. James was sure of it. God! They almost kissed. But he had to be patient and act like a gentleman now. He was not going to get his future girlfriend in trouble. Would Lily want to be his girlfriend? He was going to ask next time. He was going to plan something amazing and romantic. He was not going to do it like an idiot again. But that for later.
He pushed Filch aside.
"The things is, Filch..." James put a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't touch me, Potter!"
James took the hand away. He had to invent something to make Filch leave Lily alone. So he would not punish her. Only James. She looked so nervous to be in trouble, biting her nails even. His precious Lily.
"I was trying to seduce her... You know..." James whispered "It was a silly game... Have you ever been in love, Filch?"
Filch got pale.
"In love?" he asked as if love was a disgusting thing.
"Yeah yeah..." James nodded "I was planning to get her locked in so she can fall for me..."
Lily gasped behind him.
"So it was true! You did this move to seduce me?"
Shit....
"No No..." he said, then he remembered his rescue plan "I mean... Yes yes... It was all my fault. I planned all of this..." James added, looking carefully at Lily "So if you are going to punish someone. It has to be me"
James tried to find Lily's eyes to tell her he was lying for her sake. But she seemed to be too furious to understand.
"I get it, Potter" Lily nodded "I am still a game for you"
Lily ran away before James had time to stop her. Great, back to square one. He had been so close. He had thought something could happen between them. But no. James was back at the beginning.
"Wait, Lily..."
He was going to stop her, when Filch pulled him from his shirt.
"Mr. Headboy!" Filch smirked with his yellow crooked teeth "You wanted to play Romeo, ha?" James wrinkled his nose.
"You have a terrible breath"
"What?"
"Nothing!"
Filch pulled his closer furiously.
"You have an appointment with Dumbledore, I believe.... And then I bet you will have a severe detention with me later"
And with that said, Flich dragged him along.
"Lily..."
"Keep walking, animal!"
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quispy-quisp · 7 months
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AFYCSO vs VLV, what... even...
disclaimer: this is just a really totally biased kind of "deep-dive" into the difference between AFYCSO & VLV. yes I know there's a 17 year gap between these albums but it's such a stark contrast I can't not talk about how crazy it is to me!! (this is gonna be a long ass post lmao sorry) Panic! At The Disco and my feelings about the band
Growing up I was definitely into TWTLTRTD & DOAB era Panic! (blame my yeemo phase) but now that I'm a little older I think that AFYCSO & Pretty. Odd. are some of my all-time favourite albums. Nothing Panic ever put out pre-split makes me feel how Ryan Ross's lyrics did and every song off AFYCSO is very close to my heart. I am also a pretty avid disliker of Pray For The Wicked so just keep that in mind. All things Fever A Fever You Can't Sweat Out was released on September 27th 2005 with band members Brendon Urie, Spencer Smith, Ryan Ross, & Brent Wilson from Las Vegas. Their first album for the most part was received with a pretty mixed reaction, they were praised for not really sounding like anything there was at the time (there still isn't a band that sounds just like early Panic did) but criticized for their extremely lucky break by being signed to DCD2 which was a newly formed label owned by Pete Wentz & Patrick Stump as an off-shoot of Fueled By Ramen. In terms of sound, it's kind of hard for me to classify but there are very theatrical elements to most of the songs on that album. The album is split into two distinct sounds of music with the first half of the album being more dance-oriented and the second half being a lot more "emo" Ryan Ross, who was the main lyricist for this album, takes a lot of inspiration from author Chuck Palahniuk and his own personal experiences with infidelity & his relationship with his father. I honestly love this album I don't really have anything bad to say about it. I think Camisado & Build God, Then We'll Talk are some of my favourite songs ever so if you haven't listened to this album yet I can't recommend it enough.
Viva Las Vengeance
I don't know much about this album, unfortunately, I've listened to it ONCE but I can tell that I'm not the biggest fan of a lot of this album, it was released on August 19th 2022 under the artist name Panic! at the disco even though it's been just Brendon for a good amount of time now (that's a whole other can of worms).
From what I've read about the lyrics I think this is supposed to be a concept album but whatever the concept or underlying story is it's lost on me. I do like that they brought back the more orchestral/theatrical feel of the first albums but it still falls flat for me.
Brendon's lyrics to me feel very surface-level and almost rudimentary but I will say that Don't Let the Light Go Out is kind of a banger.
A good chunk of the time when a certain lyric is repeated at the beginning of the album and then repeated at the end, it symbolizes some sort of change in the perspective, for example, one of my other favourite albums Armor For Sleep's What To Do When You're Dead repeats the lyric "don't believe that the weather is perfect the day that you die" showing that the narrator for the album (who dies in the first song) has given up on trying to get the people who are living to hear him, in contrast to the beginning where he feels like he needs these people still (if that makes sense lol).
Brendon I feel tries to do something similar with the lyric "shut up and go to bed" repeating in the first and final track but I still really don't know what this is supposed to symbolize. it feels like there was no growth in this which makes it a lot harder for me to grasp what this album is about. Another thing I really did not enjoy about this album was the use of an 8-track tape, most if not all modern artists use auto-tune and that was really something that was lacking in this album. Brendon has always been known as the guy with the voice, with the decision to use the 8-track tape, it means you can't really auto-tune (as far as I know I might be wrong) and you can hear that Brendon is struggling to hit a good chunk of these high notes which makes some songs a lot more difficult to listen to and makes Brendon's voice a lot less palatable.
One thing I did notice in at least Middle Of A Breakup and Sad Clown is that there's this build-up for a big drop that just doesn't happen and it really throws me off. Some of these songs could be a lot better if they followed a more standard composition because without it they just sound a little wonky/off. And my last gripe with this album is Local God. If this isn't about Dallon Weekes and Ryan Ross I genuinely do not know what on earth this is supposed to be? It is extremely disrespectful to reduce two extremely creative people that you used to be close with to has-beens and "local gods". if this song is supposed to be a sincere song, then I think it may be a little tone-deaf and inappropriate especially as Ryan Ross is one of the main people responsible for Panic! At The Disco even being a thing, and Dallon Weekes being one of the most genuinely creative artists I've seen in a while. What Happened? Not only do I think the passage of time really affected the sound of Panic albums I also think the loss of the original lineup hurt the band's sound. I don't think everything post-split is bad but there's just something about the first two albums that are unmatched compared to everything else in their discography. even when Brendon is going for a more authentic sound using the 8-track tape, it still sounds wildly corporate to me and I think that's why I love the first 2 albums. I know emo doesn't really sell anymore but going the pop root honestly made me a lot less interested in panic than I was growing up. This album more than anything just made me miss pre-split more than I already do and really disappointed in Brendon for continuing the Panic! At The Disco name after everyone had left. It's really sad knowing most people only see Panic as Brendon when it was so much more back in the 2000s.
Anyway, that's the end of my post thanks for reading this, remember this is just my opinion I'd love to know what you think so shoot me a DM or comment whatever. Listen to AFYCSO and don't listen to Viva Las Vengeance for the love of god. Have a good night!!
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tamelee · 10 months
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Hii, when are you uploading your next art? It's been like ages lol. Also how's your progress on manga going? And can you suggest some other artists you know, artists like you? Since you also started from 0 followers at some point and your progress on your art is also very inspiring and i guess you know many different artists. I'm searching for inspiration and looking for some Low key artists from other fandoms. I'm slowing trying to improve on my digital painting skills. Still at level 1. Who do you look up to for your inspiration? Sorry, this became a pretty big ask hehe.
Hi~ 💕
Ages? Yeah, ... a little over a month now. I know that because I keep track on it. I pretty much keep track on most things. I do this thing where I plan a few weeks ahead and it is supposed to make sure I have more time left because of the planning but it doesn't account for roadblocks such as wrist pain, technical issues with tablets etc-, mental states, stress, health declines or others. So.. I haven't uploaded anything in a while but I never stopped creating ^^! In fact, I'm learning every single day so that I can create more, "better" (subjective) and build a skill-set that will help me be able to make what I want. I felt like I was making art aimlessly, but having a goal helps. Though, by chance, since you're wondering- this week for sure!
And within that planning is of course the Manga! The process is a lot of fun, but also there is science behind Storytelling and I'm using what I know and learning during my graduation process as well in order to create it. That's why I didn't start drawing until I am completely happy with the story (...and now don't mind so much that my previous draft got lost even thought that was so painful lol). I was so ignorant about it though, thinking I could just... create a Manga. Like c'mon. I knew so much time and dedication went into it and yet I thought I could just... do it 😆 but also, it is this dedication that made me able to do most crazy things in life so why not. If I'm going to spend idk how many hours on this then it better matter to me. I don't want Naruto and Sasuke to just drown in some plot, I want them to actively pursue something they care about and struggle, have dark moments and conflicts... heh.
When I first started drawing.. surprisingly I didn't have that many inspirations. I had no clue what I was doing and so what inspired me was the little art-community around me on Instagram because our goals were similar. My goal to finish Inktober, a wish to "someday create a webtoon" and seeing artists around me upload their art was what inspired me. Then, talking about art, each other's uploads, our obsessions- it was all a lot of fun and helped me improve and so did they! Of course you don't have to go there, you can find artists at any stage of their journey anywhere but really try to find artists and art that you like because your style will grow from that and eventually become your own.
I guess a few artists really stood out to me then, but they're literal gods and nothing like me 🥹..they're; wlop, Z ed, Ruan Jia, Zeen Chin, Guweiz and Dao Tong Le. I had a splash art phase where I fangirl'd (still do) so hard over Bo Chen, Sean Tay, Alex Flores, Cheng Du (crow god), Foritis Wang, but there's also Paul Nong, Ley Bowen, Inhyuk Lee... and for storytelling art there's Kan Liu which art I love and Toni Infante and ooooh Astri Lohne's brushwork is amazing as well. Song Nan Li has a few artworks that I've stared at for days and would love to study someday. Jaz Chiang too. Krenz Cushart has a course that I want to purchase because those colors are sublime... and oh, I'm probably forgetting SO MANY right now but I could go on forever tbh. Lemme talk about artists and their art and I won't be able to stop. There have been many Instagram artists that I've followed but I'm not currently active on there until I graduate so I don't really remember but if you're looking for Twitter/SNS/Naruto specifically then you can look through my following-list or my reblog account here @re-tamelee. Nsfw-warning on Twitter (@ tam_e_lee) though. I think currently a few that inspire me regarding story/expression are helenpeanut, velinxi, Kishimoto, Ramón Nuñez, Moryo, Ryo Yambe, Rias Coast, Yusuke Matsumoto, Bengal, Hong Soonsang, Horikoshi- and still a few others... I'm not sure what you mean by 'low-key' or if this is not what you're looking for but I hope you can find some inspiration from this post and have fun looking at these amazing artists' art! ^^ Thankyou for your lovely ask, have a nice day 🌷 Happy drawing!
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blueywrites · 1 year
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I've been reading TD&TC from the beginning again and was reminded of how Steve pretty much gave Eddie sex advice and the thought of that had me giggling because that is one conversation I would have loved to listen in on. Steve giving Eddie a Ted Talk on female orgasms in the middle of some field or where ever while Eddie listens intently is just...It's so funny but at the same time I am so very intrigued. How did Eddie even initiate that conversation? I doubt he managed it in a subtle or graceful way. And I imagine Steve would have been so curious to know just who it was that Eddie was determined to please. And how did Eddie cover his tracks? because he couldn't let anyone know that it was Dove.
Ahhh! Bluey, please! Any thoughts that you can share about this?
This is a great question! I'll put my thoughts below the cut. I'm kinda thinking this through as I write, so bear with me haha
I imagine that Steve and Eddie in this AU are foils when it comes to their public perception. Like, adults think Steve is a very sweet, 'godfearing,' respectful boy and think Eddie is just wild, outlandish, and roguish. Whereas, in reality, Steve is the one schmoozing all their daughters and Eddie pretty much keeps to himself and has almost no experience haha. Steve and Eddie don't dislike each other, but there isn't any love lost between them - similar to how they are in canon before having that little 'reconciling differences' conversation in the Upside Down.
So I think Eddie and the other young adults know of Steve's reputation. The girls just know that he's a charming hound, but the guys have their guy conversations and realize that Steve is the one to go to for all the dirty details about how to bed a girl.
I haven't thought through all the logistics for where/when they would've spoken, mostly because there are some aspects of this AU that are 'thin' in my mind - like what's going on in town, who lives where, what Steve does in his free time or as his occupation, etc. But I think Eddie connived a way to show up wherever Steve was and probably prodded him lightly to talk about girls, and Steve - more than happy to oblige - talked about his latest conquest.
I think this version of Steve might be a little charmer, but he is kind at heart. So when he realized that, in his roundabout way, Eddie was looking for advice, I think he was happy to provide some good knowledge. I also think if Steve asked if there was a girl he had in mind, Eddie probably deflected and just said he wants to make the experience better for his next partner, whoever she may be. Maybe implied he was trying to fool around with a variety of girls, and then they pushed each other around a little, ragging on each other lightly before going off to do their own thing.
One thing I'm still pondering is what Eddie and Dove's relationships with other young people are like. Who are their other friends? What are the dynamics between the other young adults in town? What did school look like for them? What happened at the Byers' Fourth of July party? That kind of thing. It's not needed for where the plot is going, but it is something I wanna explore for myself at least!
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imperiuswrecked · 5 months
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hi imp I hope you're doing well :) I'm the new namor fan anon from last month! I've been reading a lot of silver age roy thomas namor and recently finished the byrne/jae lee run, I'm really enjoying the character so far! He's become one of my favorites. I hope this isn't too much of a bother but I'm a little lost of what goes after his 90s run and modern era (2010s-2020s). what should I read? I know of namor the (very little) minis he's had in the 2000s early 2010s, but I don't know what goes directly after the 90s run and I'm pretty out the loop with current marvel comics (I'm a pretty new reader overall) . Again I hope this isn't too much of a bother. thank you very much :)
Hello! I am doing as well as can be, thanks for asking, and fan questions are never a bother, I try to answer them as in depth and as quick as I can. I'm really glad to have you on board with Namor Nation! It's great to hear that you're enjoying the character.
As for what comes after the 90s run, I will admit that I never talk about this era much because frankly I don't enjoy all of it. So I will break down where to read next for chronological stuff and what I personally think is best to read.
So right after the 90's series concludes we have the Atlantis Rising Event which is a 10 issue arc but Namor appears in the Fantastic Four just before this arc kicks off.
Fantastic Four (1961) #400 Atlantis Rising: Fantastic Four: Atlantis Rising (1995) #1 Fantastic Force (1994) #8 Fantastic Four (1961) #401 Fantastic Force (1994) #9 Fantastic Four (1961) #402 Fantastic Four: Atlantis RIsing (1995) #2 Fantastic Four Unlimited (1993) #11 Warlock & the Infinity Watch (1992) #41-42
Namor isn't in every one of those comics and imo you can just read Atlantis Rising #1-2 and the Fantastic Four issues and you will be fine. Then you follow Namor's story as he joins, not officially, the Fantastic Four team, he just hangs around the team and spends his time trying to get with Susan. During this era the writer had killed off Reed with no intention of bringing him back unless Marvel ordered it. So the team spent real time years without Reed in the book, instead the writer takes Namor and sticks him in the comics where all he does is run around screaming about how he wants to be with Susan.
I cannot stress enough that you do not need to read these comics because when it comes to Namor they have his whole character revolve around trying to seduce Susan. This is the era where a lot of fans who haven't read Namor's comics get their characterization, the macho sleazy sexist Susan seducing sea man.
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Fantastic Four (1961) #400 - 412. (Note: #412 is where fans often like to go "Namor is a rapist" and take panels out of context to "prove" that, it's just really sexist terrible writing and I really don't think people should base all of Namor's character on these issues but unfortunately this era did a lot of harm to people's perception of Namor as a character.)
After that it's really hard to keep track of Namor's character without this list because he just appears in so many things as a one time cameo or guest star, and it's not until The Defenders (2001) that we get him in a consistent book again.
The Defenders (2001) - The Defenders are forced to work together The Order (2002) - The Defenders go evil
Then we have the young Namor series, because Marvel wanted a revamped starting point for new Namor fans due to the possibility of Namor getting a live action solo movie in 2004, however the movie was canceled after the script was done, and it's a good thing because the script was terrible!
Namor (2003) - Namor in his younger years, this comic series is considered part of Namor's continuity but really no one ever references it and it takes some departures from his first human interactions however I do enjoy this comic series even if it doesn't perfectly fit into his usual 30s-present origin.
Then after that we get Namor in Invaders, Avengers, Thunderbolts, seriously without the wiki list it's really hard to follow where he shows up next because Marvel just used him wherever they wanted.
Then we have a really fun series with The Defenders (2005) then that goes into Civil War, Namor loses Nita, and there are a few solo comics like Marvel Comics Presents (2007) #7 we finally have anther mini series solo for Namor in Namor (2007) which takes place right after Civil War and that transitions into Namor's Dark Reign/X-Men in the late 2000s - early 2010's era. When in doubt of where to look next the wiki is seriously a good tool to search through but I can always help out if you have any other questions. Also you SHOULD read Sub-Mariner: The Depths if you haven't yet, because it's a great undersea horror series, it's set around the 1950s and can be read at any time. I love that series.
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justaredheadf1fan · 1 year
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Trouble's definitely Bak-u for this one!
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Seriously, why did I have to miss this weekend? I've been catching up on my home after work and holy hell! I'll say what I already have in mind if I confirm it after watching all the Sprint content from today.
Sprint Shootout - Saturday
Well, so for now what I can gather is that this crap is meant to be a Quali 2.0, for the Sprint race. That's what's so especial about it? Anyway, let's see how this goes.
Quite a few cars through that escape/way out (how do people actually refer to this in English???? I'm at a loss right now 🤣).
Aaaaand Sargeant hit the barrier and destroyed his right rear and he can barely move the car. Causes a Red Flag and Q1 is not gonna get restarted now. I now Williams retired him for the Sprint and honestly, I get it. That looks BAD.
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10 minutes for Q2 and it's looking a little calmer than Q1 for now. And it definitely is, Stroll almost got lost in the mix but finally made it through. Pretty quiet, this one.
Time for Q3, i'm about to see Charles crushing it again today before the disasterclass 🥲 What a beaut. funny though I've just seen him crash 🤪 This guy's gonna end me, seriously. I have no clue how he even got the car to its rightful place. What a guy.
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Onto the circus now.
Sprint Race - Saturday
Let's see now what everyone has been talking about for the last few hours.
HAHAHAHA George serving cunt right from the start. WHAT A KING! And Crystappen complaining about something he's done a thousand times to everyone, especially Lewis??? Oh boy, am I enjoying the karma!!!!
Omg Yuki noooooooo!!!! VSC deployed, that tyre right in the middle... Good thing they've already slowed down. Safety Car now deployed after Yuki's tyres haven't been properly fitted or is it that the car's is fucked? Damn.
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Whoa what a restart!! What's going on with Fernando, what did he take!? 🤣
Sharl had nothing to do against Checo, that illegal car is just too much. He didn't even need to try, he just got there and ate him up. And Sid's engineer is just so funny, telling him he's done a good job not making contact with George, really on point tbh. Crybaby needs a reality check, even if it's that subtle.
Haas on Haas violence? I need popcorn for this! I'm just waiting for this to really devolve in a couple races 💀 And now that's a good overtake by Lance, good job my darling!!
Well, good thing Sharl could keep the fraud at bay at least, since there was no catching Checo.
I'm amused at how our dear friend the baby could have the nerve to tell George off about the crash. Are you serious, dude? And threatening him with crashing against him ON PURPOSE. Nobody sees the problem here? Honestly, I couldn't be prouder of George after his response. King. He chose violence and stuck to it today. Good for him.
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And that's it, that's the most interesting thing that happened on the Sprint day and basically it went down right afterwards.
I seriously believe that FIA are not even thinking about the sport, they haven't been for quite some time now. Doing this at a track such a Baku, it's very risky. It might not be as dangerous as Jeddah, but it's still a pretty complicated or tricky race. Doing the Sprint there is just for the sake of the circus that can happen after the race itself since it's pretty damn boring otherwise.
Someday the worst will happen and someone will truly get hurt (if not killed) in one of these at a complicated track, and then we'll all cry. But clearly the FIA only think about the $ and the spectacle for the sake of the spectacle instead of thinking straight.
That's MY opinion. Feel free to disagree. But I really hate this crappy ideas.
Race - Sunday
I'm finally back from work so I'm gonna watch the clown show now. I know more or less what happened so not very excited about it, but I like to suffer.
Good start from Sharl and both RBR alost hitting each other. Why is it always "almost"? So unfair. Good start from Lewis and Lance. This is gonna last so little...
So, absolutely no one will mention the fact that IT'S NOT NORMAL to pass someone that fast even with DRS? Jesus, it's fucking insane.
Lance saying that he's not gonna attack Fernando. What a class act, this boy. Fernando, you know you don't deserve this kid. My poor baby, he might not know yet Fernando will definitely sacrifice hm given the chance if it means he'll get any advantage at all.
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Pretty clean and boring race so far and it's only been 8 laps. Where is the exciting Formula 1 we were promised with the regulation change last year? Because I don't see it. I miss the actual Formula 1, the one we used to see years ago, so much rawer and chaotic in many ways. They wanted to take out Mercedes at all costs and they made this sport a huge crap. I remember how nervous and ecstatic I used to be watching this every race weekend. I really did have bad timing when I decided to come back to this.
Very clean pit stop for Lewis, thank goodness. Now we can see the RBR fighting, due to some trouble going on for Sid the Sloth. And De Vries broke his wheel, we get a Safety Car on the track now. What a surprise.
That restart will be so bad. I'm seeing it before I even have it on my screen. Aaaaand there we go. Lewis almost hitting the barriers, Fernando eating up Carlos like he's nothing (he really isn't), Lance right there too. And Lewis takes George!
But seriously, Carlos? How sad was that? Ouch, Lance touched the barrier! Hope he's good, he's doing a fantastic job today!! What happened in the pit lane with George? Didn't notice.
Okay, how hard is that Aston Martin? What kind of concrete did they use to build it? 🤣 Lance made a mistake now and went wide, and nos Lewis eats him up! Sorry, Lance, but this was bound to happen eventually!!
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Pretty boring last few laps, like literally one of the most boring races in the last few months (counting 2022 too) because nothing is happening. And there's still almost half the race to be completed. Yikes.
Still 11 laps to go, and I can't yawn more than I already am. What a bore. Seriously, why am I like this? Why do I need to see this? And for what!? At this point I'm just thinking that as soon as this is done, I need to hang my clean clothes to dry, since I've left them in the washing machine until the races ends. This is saying A LOT.
George pitting in lap 50? Mmmm... WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED WHEN OCON WAS ENTERING THE PITS!? And no where comes George getting Fastest Lap!!!! Yes baby, he started off the weekend doing nothing of substance and now here he comes!
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I just shut off the streaming since it's been enough. Too much, actually.
All in all, it was a crappy race. Really disappointed since this track is one of my faves.
Same plan next week, I'll watch after work, whenever that is since I have no clue what my schedules are 🤣 I'm too tired now to even check this before posting so...
Peace out!
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hexiewrites · 5 months
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20 Questions for Fic Writers
1. How many works do you have on AO3? 43!
2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 562,348, which is honestly insane
3. What fandoms do you write for? right now mostly stranger things. I've got most of a ted lasso fic written but who knows if that'll get posted?? and prev, harry potter.
4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? 1. don't take this sinner (dramione, marriage law ish), 2. same as it ever was (steddie, two timelines, one of my first steddie fics!) 3. carve your name into my chest (steddie, the hockey au of my dreams) 4. come get your man (he got lost in my DMs) (steddie, social media, steve being a horny DM guy) 5. there'll be a riot (cause I know you) (steddie, the matty-healy-rat-man-Eddie-vibed mostly smut fic)
5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? ugh. I WISH!!!! I want to be better at this, I really do. I usually start strong but I end up with limited energy/time and I want to filter that into writing more. if you've ever commented: I FUCKING LOVE YOU and think you're SO cool! if you really WANT a reply, the best way to get that is to ask me questions haha. it starts to feel weird just "thank you!"ing everyone, ya know?
6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I am.... not an angsty ending person tbqh! I think the closest is probably you love the sea, which is a flintwood rarepair selkie fic that I deeply love. it ends happy, insofaras they end up TOGETHER, but if you think more about the implications and how fucking sad it's going to be for oliver... well. I'll leave that to you guys.
7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? god, I'm well known for having "endings so happy they border on absurd", according to one person online. so, pick your poison I guess! anyways the fic THAT person was referring to was same as it ever was, so, let's go with that!
8. Do you get hate on fics? I have been so lucky lately to not get much hate at all lately, which is a real privilege in the fandom world. remember that I cut my teeth in early days of harry potter, and people were BRUTAL. I definitely HAVE gotten hate - my aforementioned dramione fic has a bit of a weird twist that some people were PISSED about (and once I got an incredibly detailed comment about how badly I fucked up my representation of black Hermione because she... didn't talk that much about hating her hair? which I know is AN experience but not necessarily a universal one) but overall, at least this fandom go around, no hate. thank you, everyone, for that!
9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? yes. lots and lots and lots of it. mostly kinda kinky and pretty much all pretty gay. let's not talk about how many times I've had to tag dacryphilia and what that means. I just like when people fuck about things, yknow?
10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? nope, never! and I likely never will. too much to keep track of.
11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? not that I know of, thank god for that.
12. Have you ever had a fic translated? I've had requests but... I would need a translator willing to work pretty closely with me because I want to make sure certain choices come across well, and I haven't found that yet.
13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? not officially, though I did write a buckingham companion piece to the amazing cowboy-bar fic @riality-check did!
14. What’s your all time favorite ship? OH GOD don't make me choose! ALL TIME is still probably dramione, but steddie is a very close second. in terms of canon ships, I'm such a sucker for buffy/spike (leave me alone), and veronica mars/logan (AGAIN LEAVE ME ALONE) and rory/logan (BECAUSE RICH WHITE BOYS NAMED LOGAN ARE A WEAKNESS, APPARENTLY)
15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? pour one OUT for you can't take the sky from me, which is my firefly inspired harry potter au ft pansy/percy, mostly because I had so many big plans for it that I've completely forgotten AND I just can't write in that fandom at all anymore. sorry everyone, I do love what I put out and I wish there was more of it.
16. What are your writing strengths? prose, smut, tying things together with little bows, and spending way too much time in my characters heads
17. What are your writing weaknesses? dual POVs, getting so lost in one character I don't flesh out the others as much as I mean to, action sequences, and consistent motivation
18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I've done it before (mostly in clean ice, cold hearts, can't lose) and my typical strategy is to indicate that the characters are speaking a diff language (in french, I use guillements and italics) but not to actually WRITE the french, unless it's very short and the POV character doesn't understand it on purpose like in carve.
19. First fandom you wrote for? harry potter baby! my oldest posted fic that I've found online was from 2002, when I was... too young to be interacting with the internet like that, that's for sure.
20. Favorite fic you’ve written? carve your name into my chest and it's no contest. I love same as it ever was as well, which I think is a better WRITTEN fic technically speaking, but carve was a huge passion project that I had so much fun with, and the response to it had been one of my favourite things in the world. oh, and special shout out to make this inn our own, which is my second longest fic ever and was just an absolute joy to do. so, those three, I guess!
tagging with no pressure: @riality-check @hereforanepilogue @maxineholtzmann @stevespookington @stevethehairington @withacapitalp and whoever else wants in!
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