#just cant seem to go too long without him being the center of my focus lol

[sadisticsongbird]

i think i’m falling for you ~ tom holland

summary: request given by anonymous - “can you do a fluff with any of the ghouls where they meet reader for the first time any slowly fall in love with them until they're completely smitten?”

warnings: nothing (maybe a swear word or two)

word count: 2.5k

a/n: sorry i have been so inactive lately. i just cant seem to focus on anything because of multiple things. this probably isnt my best work but its here. thank you for all of your patience and love on my last blurb and i hope to post more again soon!!! much love!!!

Tom had never thought he would find normalcy in his line of work. There was a constant breach of privacy, hell he couldn’t even go to his parents house in London without it being plastered all over the media. They twist things so easily, labeling articles Co-Stars Tom and Zendaya Dating After Release of Spiderman: No Way Home after capturing a picture of him and his female co-star when Haz had conveniently decided to go to the bathroom. That was part of the reason he kept you hidden away after bumping into you at a coffee shop. I know, cliche right? But he wouldn’t have had it any other way. It was a small cafe in his family’s neighborhood, a place where you had just moved a few months ago. You had found the cafe on one of your walks and since then, it had become a comfortable place for you to collect your thoughts. 

You had known that Tom Holland lived in your neighborhood, or at least his family did. It didn’t bother you much nor make you unable to contain your excitement. In fact, you hadn’t ever had the chance to see him whenever he came home, and you understood. Keeping your life private must be a hard thing to do when you work in front of a camera 24/7. You had just chalked it up to ‘I’ll meet him when I meet him.’ You weren’t a fan by any means, but you had seen his work and had to hand it to him, he was GOOD. 

Tom had just gotten home for a two week break before he had to go back to New York and finish filming ‘The Crowded Room.’ He loved being home with his parents and brothers. When he walked in the door, he barely recognized his youngest brother. Paddy had grown to be close to his height. He had been away for too long. He missed his family and friends and everything about his home. Pulling on his coat, he walked back out of the house almost as soon as he arrived. Making sure to greet his parents first, he left for the small coffee shop in the center of his neighborhood. It was a small walk from his home and he loved the hot chocolate they had. It was perfect for the cold weather starting to seep in. He had ordered his coffee and began to walk towards the table in the back of his shop. For the second he looked down at his phone, you had stood up from your chair to go ask for another straw for your tea. Bumping into him, you both fell, your tea falling off the table and his phone finding its place in your spilled liquid. 

“Oh my god, I’m SO sorry. I really need to watch where I’m going. Fuck, I’m such a clutz.”

You hadn’t even looked up yet, assessing the situation of his phone soaked in your tea. You were too worried about having to pay for a new one if it didn’t turn on, too concerned if the person in front of you was going to be angry or if they would be forgiving. Tom wasn’t worried one bit about his phone, he could get a new one. He would also get you a new tea, whatever the cost. It wasn’t like he couldn’t afford it. The only thing that Tom was looking at was you. Your baby hairs fell over your face perfectly, shaping your jaw from the angle he saw you at. The rest of it was tied back in a braid and he swore that a quick updo had never looked that good. 

After your entire scene, you didn’t hear him utter a single sound so you looked up to catch him staring. Him. Tom. The person you hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting yet. Fuck. Are you kidding me?

“You’re-you’re…”

Upon seeing your eyes fill with recognition, he stuck his finger over his lips. Although his neighbors were quite polite about not making a scene about him being home, there was always a person or two that had never met the celebrity before and was always excited to have the honor. You stopped talking immediately. His hood was up and you assumed that he wanted to keep his presence quiet. He stuck his hand out to grab his phone. Once he had it, he stuck it in his pocket, not worrying about if the screen was cracked or not. He got up, leaving you the only one on the floor. You were surprised when he held out a hand to you when he was standing. You took it, regardless, dusting yourself off and trying to avoid the spilled drink on the floor. An employee came up behind Tom with a mop and began cleaning it up. 

“I’ll get you a new one,” he said. “A drink, I mean.” His nervousness was leaving you shocked. “I’m Tom…but you knew that already, sorry.”

“I-it’s okay,” you stuttered. God, what was wrong with you? “I was pretty much finished with it anyway.” He glanced at the huge puddle on the floor, doubting your words, but he didn’t want to push.

“I’m Y/N.” You held out your hand for him like he had for you. Little did both of you know that that little handshake would lead to spending the next two weeks together, and the next three months after that. 

Tom had been away for a couple weeks, and although you had gotten used to him being gone, you didn’t like it. Both of you knew that you had only known one another for a couple of months, but that didn’t change a single thing about the way that he felt about you. He had expressed that he really wanted you to come with him to the last week of filming, but you didn’t think that he’d follow through with it until you were sitting at your kitchen counter with a ticket in your hand and a call from Tom on FaceTime. 

“What do you mean come to New York?”

“I mean, come to New York. I want to spend Valentine’s Day with you next week and the directors won’t let me leave.” “Tom, I can’t just up and leave. I have a job, a house-” “And all will be taken care of. I got Sam and my parents to help pitch in with house sitting. As for work, I know that you have vacation days and sick days stocked up because you told me yourself,” he said with a grin.

You scoffed, rolling your eyes sarcastically. Trying to do it without being noticed by Tom, you looked down at the ticket. You didn’t want to get his hopes up by letting him know you were considering it. 

“Please, love. I want you here,” he puppy pouted, following his plea. 

The ticket said that your flight was tomorrow morning. That left not even twelve hours to get yourself ready to go and sleep and find a ride to the airport in time. You really wanted to go, but you didn’t know if you could. There was so much to take into consideration. You had only known Tom for about four months, but at the same time you had never felt happier or as in lo-. Whoa, don’t go there, not yet. And although Tom led a tough life, you were sure he was coming to feel the same. And that’s why through the phone, seeing the adoration in his eyes, you said…

“Yes.”

-

Your flight was short, at least it’s what it seemed. You had fallen asleep the moment the plane lifted off of the ground and only woke up when the attendant had told you to begin grabbing your carry on bags. You had waited by the baggage claim for your bag for a while, but you were now headed for the entrance where Tom said there would be a taxi waiting for you to take you to his place. At least the place he was staying for this portion of filming. The driver was right where he had said it would be and the car ride to the place was long enough for you to watch an episode of your favorite show. You had never been to a city this big and seeing all the tall buildings raised excitement in you. The last time you had traveled was when you moved, and even then the only sights to see were small shops in the most popular place back where you had lived. You were prepared to go sight-seeing with Tom and could only hope he got time off. Otherwise, this whole trip was a waste. 

When you had gotten to the set, security had taken you on a golf cart to the set the Tom was on. You were told not to touch anything, not to disturb directors, actors, or anyone else on set. Tom’s brother, Harry, whom you had only met twice, would stand by you until Tom was finished. The set was quiet except for the little murmurs of the actors that could only be heard if you had headphones on or were close enough. When you had first spotted Tom, he was out in the middle of the set with someone you had recognized from Mean Girls. He was wearing a white shirt and blue sweats and the moment he saw you, he gave you a smile when the camera panned away from his face. Then his face went back to normal, fitting back into the character he was playing. You admired the way that he did his job so accurately. So, for the next while, you watched Tom alongside his brother, every once and a while him coming over to say hi or to make a comment about the scene. When he was finished, he was hustled to hair and makeup to get his clothes off and wash up. He couldn’t wait to go back to his place with you. 

-

“Tom, can we please go to bed?” you asked. The two of you had been up and watching movies for the past hour. 

“Yes,” he said. “I swear, if I have to see one more movie with Meryll Streep…”

“She’s a good actress.”

“Better than me?” He raised his brows. 

“Yes. Now turn the TV off and go to bed. I’m still jet lagged.”

You turned over, wrapping the majority of the blanket around your body. He leaned over to the other side of the bed you had both agreed to share to shut off the small lamp light. As soon as it was off, he dragged the blanket off of your body and onto his. 

“Hey!”

“You want warmth, you gotta come over here,” he said, opening his arms. 

You moved into his body more and felt his arms wrap around your torso. Snuggling into him, you felt happy. Like this is where you were meant to be.

“Could I take you out for tomorrow? Like on a picnic,” you heard him mumble into your neck. 

“I would love to go out with you.” You turned over to face him and placed a small peck on his cheek. 

Tom couldn’t contain his smile for the rest of the night.

-

“Believe me. It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not.” 

Tom was grumbling because of the way that the day had turned out. He had taken you to the small park across from his hotel room and even had the basket and food laid out when you got there. The bad news was that now you were both stuck under a small canopy at the park, watching your food get swallowed up by the rain. It was almost like it came out of nowhere. The forecast was clear, Tom’s only reason for suggesting it.  He was excited to spend Valentine’s with you and have a perfect date without his or your family messing something up. Both of your clothes were soaked and the canopy didn’t do much keeping you dry. It was a little cold, but you didn’t shiver, trying to keep Tom happy with the way that things were going today. 

“Please, Tom. It’s not the end of the world. We can still do something.”

“But it is, Y/N. I really wanted to do something nice for you.”

“And you did.” You reassured him, laying your hand on his shoulder. “It’s just a shame that we couldn’t enjoy it.” 

He was still upset, his face looking towards the ground. You didn’t know what you could do. Tom’s driver wasn’t supposed to come pick you up for another hour and it wasn’t like you could go anywhere else without people recognizing him. He had specially made sure to keep people out of this park today so you could spend it together without being interrupted or having your relationship be outed to the public. He was careful about those little details. 

The only thing you could think of was to spend your time here. Impulsively, you started walking out from under the canopy. Tom’s head jolted up. 

“Y/N, get back under here. You’ll catch a cold.”

You ignored his words, keeping your eyes on the swings ahead of you. Your hair was soaked, dripping down your skin, but you didn’t care. You were determined to cheer Tom up. You didn’t turn around to see, however he came running after you. He was much faster than you, catching up in no time. You hadn’t even made it to the start of the pebbles before he grasped your waist. He picked you up as easily as could be, swinging you around so you weren’t facing the park anymore. 

“You know, you’re a feisty one?” he laughed, pulling you close and you giggling all the while. 

“I know.” 

He stopped everything, looking into your eyes. You loved his eyes. They were so easy to stare into. He never broke eye contact with you, moving his hand up to get the loose strands of hair and peel them behind your ears. Tom brought his fingers back down towards your chin. 

“I think I’m falling for you. “

“Me too,” you mumbled, leaning into his touch. 

He leaned down and you swear you felt fireworks. He molded his lips with yours, neither of you caring about getting sick anymore. He was so tender with you, leaving a warm feeling gathering in the pit of your stomach. His hands kept moving, not staying in one place for too long. Every time he explored further down, you grasped tighter on his hair. You grew to love the feeling of his curls in between your fingers. When he peeled away from you, his eyes didn’t fail to meet right back with yours. Tom grabbed your hand and melded your fingers together, pulling you closer, if that was even possible. Sitting under the rain with one another, you both realized that you’d never been happier.

#tom holland #tom holland x reader #tom holland fluff #requestsforyou

[papers4me]

Fruits Basket Manga Review , ch 109

-The Tragedy of a an episodic format attempting to connect narrative in a series: (Tohru’s Background or Kyo’s Focus?)

One of my issues with se03, ep6 (other than it being 3 chapters combined horribly with new material added for shock value) is that it was weakly undecided who would be the focus? who would the narrative follow?: Is it tohru’s own pov abt herself? is it the gramps giving boring exposition abt tohru over weak still images of flashbacks or is kyo thinking abt tohru’s pain?

The truth is, it was all the above in the manga, but the manga gave each a chapter focus so that the chapter is well-directed with focused narrative. The anime weakly jumbled the 3 chapters together as they always do. You mix chapters & tada~ you got an ep, you only need a broad weak theme that connects the dots! here: it is tohru! & that’s it. As long as the 3 chapters discuss tohru in any form & manner, nothing will seem off if we put them next to each other in a 20 minute ep! right? riiiiiight ????

.. this was never a correct way. Just like a chapter needed a narrative direction, the ep is the same!!

ch 107: The beginning of tohru’s pov on her realization abt loving kyo.

ch108: tohru’s full pov of shock upon reaching the conclusion that she loves him & the beginning of her mom’s issues & abandonment.

ch109: Kyo’s pov abt tohru’s pain & his involvement, guil & the sheet hug.

ch110: (completely cut from the anime!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Kyoru’s part: the aftermath of kyo & tohru crossing the line of being in the most vulnerable & intimate, building towards a more crushing impact of the climax. The stronger & more painful their love is, the more it will hurt. Also a yuchi buildup?!!!!

-so, you see each chapter has a direction i& a narrative it follows independently that is weaved together to make a connected tissue of the overall plot. The anime puts the 3 chapters next to each other & we are lost on who to follow? kyo or tohru or the gramps. That’s why it feels tohru is weak & her two chapters worth of pov is stolen from her cuz it cut or shortened to include the grandpa, kyo, isuzu, shigure & let’s not forget (kazuma, yuki & haru) at the beginning, the dramatic shock value addition & OP & ED. All these take valuable screen time. The ep shocks us by moving from tohru to kyo. One minute she’s crying with him on the streets, next he’s at the grave & she’s visiting isuzu.

Kyo said he isn't going to the grave in the ep, upon seeing him actually going, I just assumed he wanted to avoid, hana, cuz I’m so invested in his story that I remember sth happened in se1, ep 14.. ages ago, The anime didn’t even allow kyo to inner talk abt avoiding hana... In their weird mind, kyo only inner talks in dramatic situations..See the difference!

Not only the writer (a) reminds us why kyo avoided the grave visit, she also (b) seized the opportunity to shine lifht onto an issue that will be the center of kyo’s struggles: Running away!

The anime introduce this in kyo’s pov only when kyo confronts tohru. Only when it was needed & couldnt be avoided. This is sth that will be the core of all the climax & the aftermath as well! Kyo running away.. How bad are you if you avoid inserting one line only that can be said in few seconds & establish great deal & foreshadow plenty!!!!!!!!!! I can’t for the life of my understand why short lines are cut from kyo when in the anime they have him be standing silent in the graveyard. Like slap the line above the silent scene!!!!! But doing so means the anime team understands tohru & kyo’s issues. They don’t. Not the slightest.

-Ep 6 signals the beginning of the anime moving from episodic format of se1, 2 & 5 eps of se3 & entering a connect plot. The anime doesn’t know how to do that & screwed tohru in the process. The protagonist’s main issues are one ep worth only. The antagonist main issues are one ep only (ep7).  Ep 6, was treated as a stand alone ep (minus the inserted shock scene to create a lingering issue that needs a following ep to explain. TOLD YOU they don’t know how to make a series!). Thus the following ep 7 is akito’s focus. Everything that was established in ep 6 was pit on hold until akito reaches the craziest mindset for the climax. See why ep 6 was so bad? it is Should NOT be a stand alone ep.

-The plot connects kyoru emotional & physically: (Kyo’s chapter with a tohru’s focus:

Unlike the anime, the chapter knows what it’s presenting 7 where it’s going. Kyo’s issues. This ch focuses on him uncovering parts of his past as it connects with tohru’s. Unlike the anime, we know why kyo's connection to kyoko’s past. The anime is hiding this for the climax, no problem, it can still work both ways. However, hiding kyoko /kyo connection doesn't necessarily mean hiding kyoko/tohru connection. But the anime is cutting this to milk it in an ova or series next year~ no problem,  it can still work if you handle this ep’s  flashback better. for all the artistic creativity they inserted in the added scene, they failed miserably in tohru’s flashback portion. how?

By choosing a frontal pov shot in tohru’s grandpa flashback as if the audience are the ones who abandoned tohru or opening the door to find her alone. it does NOT work at all. why? the audience are encouraged to be like tohru since ep 1 as tohru is the mother, angel, fixer & endearing hopeful girl. The audience will NEVER abandon tohru, that’s why tohru’s story felt disconnected & weak in the anime. Not knowing what kyoko did, who would abandon such child?! differently not us. so why use the frontal pov shot? -_-’

-tohru confesses her pain to kyo without being ushered by isuzu, without any outside factor. She simply visited the grave & came home. hiding her pain. once again. like she always do. One question by kyo, prompts her to “ complain a little” call back to se1, ep5 as he advised. we see tohru get out of her shell little by little. NOT SCREAM OR SLAP. She opened up. why? cuz the story is abt “ opening the lid” not abt “ snatching the lid”. No need for shocks. Yuki opened his lide slowly, tohru even slower, kyo is resisting opening his altho it is cracking in this chapter. When your story focuses on character buildup it pays!

-I’ll give the anime credit when it due. The hug scene is so good both in manga & anime. but so awesome in animation, colors, music & voice acting. It’s breathtaking & painful. The most beautiful kyoru scene in the whole anime.

-It represents their mutual vulnerability, understanding, pain & determination to love the other but not also let go. kyo has made his mind to be locked in order not to hurt tohru & tohru has made her mind that she can’t let go of her mom.

You see, the scene’s meaning hits different between manga & anime; In the anime: tohru has already challenged the sohmas & screamed to be with kyo, while kyo is still decided to leave her. In the manga: they’re both at the same spot (undecided). I like both interpretations but I’ll choose the manga’s version. Simply cuz it means tohru is still uncovering her issues which means more focus on her, & more explanation of why cant tohru love her mom & kyo at the same time.

-This expression on tohru’s face is a the complete opposite of the shock value expression in ep 6! T_T. I do’nt even hate the shocked scene addition itself that much, I just think (a) this is NOT its time! Tohru deserved better spotlight! (b) kyo didn’t friggen forget! ah! THIS I HATE! (c) the whole shocked scene was so wasted in ep 7. tohru return to her stupid dumb lalala~ land, cooking & forgetting kyo. what growth? what determination & screams to isuzu? what enduring kagura’s slaps? nope! just happy & cooking, lalala~ no one was freaking over her mom’s picture~ lalala~ & kyo just slept it over~ shhhh... its okay. he’ll forget again... see? totally wasted!

The anime knows nothing abt connected narrative! augh!

Side Notes:

We see kyo asking the gramps why he’s offering him info abt tohru which is so logical! XD. I love it.

I’ve read ch 110 & wanted to insert the kyoru scene in ch 110 here, & put yuchi alone in a different post, then I realized I’ll need to talk abt it again once I analyze yuki’s own expressions! XD. so, I’ll put all ch 110 together in one post. It kinda half written by now, so I’ll publish it very soon in two days time. I didn’t read ch 111 yet tho.

I hope ch 110 is the last I feel this much disappointments in furuba’s anime & by ch 11, it hopefully be be minor changes altho I doubt that cuz the manga needed to dwell into tohru’s mindset & the anime kinda stopped after ep 6. so, yup! more big changes coming!

The sheet hug is so brilliant in theory & application! so romantic & so endearing! love it so much! The anime did it so well, too!

I love kyo’s narration & pov cuz it’s so refreshing change from the anime where he rarely does!

I really wish they kept the kyoko abandoning tohru part in the anime... sigh~ it has nothing much to affect her story with katsuya. so it won’t ruin the spin off/ ova or whatever it’s called. 

I love the light focus on tohru in this chapter & how organic & natural it is opposed to how forced the plot seems in the anime....

#Anime Only #manga spoilers #Fruits Basket #fruits basket manga #disappointed paper

[beomgyushighlights]

Circus {H.K}

Day 4 (IX)

"all eyes on me in the center of the ring just like a circus"

in which the first words Nari's soulmate says to her are "free britney"

or

in which two idols find their soulmates in each other after thirteen days of little comments without knowing who the other was

-a short story soulmate au-

©beomgyushighlights 2021

do not translate or repost without permission

(can also be found on wattpad and ao3 under the same username)

masterlist

The next day, something seems off about Nari. She's dancing fine and her singing is fine but every once in a while she'll wince as though she's in pain, alarming her fellow band mates. At first, it wasn't obvious but as they practice more and more the sounds become more and more frequent. "Nari? Are you okay?" Osamu asks. "I'm fine." She replies, continuing to practice despite the fact that everyone stopped for a break.

"Nari is your foot hurting again? You told me you'd stop dancing on it when it hurt." Yejun asks, reminding Nari of the promise she made to them. "I'm fine, I don't know why you guys keep asking." She replies, continuing to run through the dance. After Yejun brought up her ankle, Hyejin started paying more attention to her footwork.

   Due to Nari being made a trainee for the band while Osamu and Yejun were serving their time, Hyejin and Eun were the ones who watched her practice on her foot when it was at its worst. "Nari, stop before you make it worse." Hyejin tells her. "I'm fine!" She exclaims, her foot giving out as she finishes.

Osamu quickly catches her to ease her fall. "Have you not been wearing your brace after practice?" Eun asks. Nari is silent, her hands covering her face. "I'm taking her to the dorm, you guys order lunch for yourselves, we'll eat at the dorm and i'll be back in like fifteen to twenty five minutes." Osamu says, picking Nari up so she doesn't put weight on her ankle.

   "Hyunggggg!!!!!" Someone yells down the hall. "What!?" Someone else yells back. "We're resuming practice!" The first person yells back. Nari looks but she doesn't see anybody in the halls to give away her soulmate.

"No walking, your crutches are still in your closet so I'll grab them. I want you to keep weight off of it until tomorrow because management isn't going to be happy if they get word that you haven't been taking care of yourself like you promised you would when you joined, they've already given you a warning once." Osamu tells her.

She just nods, trying not to focus on the pain. "From now until we finish preparing for the release I want your brace on all day unless you're showering or sleeping and I want you off it as much as possible, no practicing through water breaks, no walking around the dorm because you're bored, none of that. If it gets worse, tell management and go to a doctor." He says. Nari nods again, committing all the rules to memory.

   Osamu makes her a sandwich and brings her her crutches and brace before he makes a sandwich for himself, saying bye and eating it while he's on his way out. Nari puts on music and just stares at the ceiling. A knock on the door gets her attention. She makes her way to the door, looking outside she sees a few familiar faces. She sighs, turning the lock and moving back.

"It's open." She says. The door opens and the boys walk in, greeting her and going to the living room. Jimin is the last to enter and he locks the door behind him. "I'm guessing Yejun sent you guys?" Nari asks, sitting on the couch and moving her crutches out of the way.

"Yeah, they didn't trust you to actually stay off your foot so they sent me over and when the maknae line heard they wanted to come with and Hobi came because he adores you and then Joon and Jin didn't want to be left alone so everyone came." Yoongi says. "Fun." She says. Airplane comes on and everyone vibes while Hobi sings along.

"What playlist is this?" Jungkook asks after the song finishes. "My liked songs, it's really long and I was planning on sitting there for a while." She says, the boys replying with nods, knowing about her hatred for silence. "Let's play some games!" Taehyung says, walking to the shelf in the living room.

"Why is there a Felix photo card up here?" He asks. "Thats where Hyejin put it! For easter we hid photo cards like they were easter eggs and I couldn't find Felix, thanks for that." Nari says. "Easter was months ago." Jimin says. "Yes, and we're still finding some, mostly ones that Eun hid because she couldn't remember where they were." She replies.

"Hobi, can you please get my photo card collection, it's the blue binder on the top shelf of the first bookcase, the left corner. The spine is labeled it says 'back off bitches' so it should be easy to find." She says. He nods and brings it back to her. She looks through it for the IN LIFE section. After a while of flipping she notices something.

"Uhh, Hobi can you bring me all the binders on the top two shelves and the black marker next to them?" She asks. Confused, Hobi nods and walks off, coming back with many binders. "I have to start labeling these..." Nari mumbles. On the blue ones she writes twice edition, continuing to label each binder with the proper band until she gets to Stray Kids.

She labels it and then flips to find where Felix belongs. "Okay, pass the Felix." She says. Taehyung hands her the Felix card and she places it back in its proper place. "Do you know how many more there still are left around?" Jin asks.

"Yes, we only used my photo cards because I have the most and I made everyone write who they took and which album it was from." Nari says, flipping to the back of the Stray Kids binder to find the paper.

   "All the butter Namjoons, Dark and Wild Jimin, IN LIFE Hyunjin, Twicetagram Momo, all of my Taehyung, Bang chan, Sana, and Jake, and BE Hobi and Yoongi." She answers. "How many does that total out to?" Jungkook asks.

"Too many, wanna have a scavenger hunt? Whoever finds the most photo cards gets a free hug?" She suggests, knowing that everyone loves her hugs but she rarely hugs people. The boys agree and she sends them off, asking that they refrain from the bedrooms as they've all been searched extremely well. Jin brings back peaches and cream Joon after five minutes. "Where was he?" She asks. "The cereal cabinet behind the chex." He answers, going off to find more.

She writes a one next to Jin's name. When the other members come home, the BTS boys are still searching for photo cards. "What is going on?" Yejun asks. "They're finding all my photo cards that we couldn't find." Nari says. "How many are left?" Osamu asks.

"Peaches and cream Taehyung, Dark and Wild Taehyung, Twicetagram Sana, NOEASY Bang Chan, IN LIFE Hyunjin, and BE yoongi." She answers. "Oh wow so they found a lot." Hyejin says. "Mhm, who hid one behind the chex in the cereal cabinet?" Nari asks. "Me..." Eun answers. "How did this even happen?" Yejun asks.

"Taehyung wanted to play a game but instead he found IN LIFE Felix on the top game shelf and he asked me why there was a Felix photo card up there and then I brought up how many where missing and so they went to find them and whoever finds the most by dinner gets a free hug." She says. "Well, how long has this been going on?" Osamu asks.

"Since about fifteen minutes after you left." She replies. Osamu left three and a half hours ago. "They've been doing this four three hours and fifteen minutes?" He asks. "Yeah, but they're having fun and they like to tease each other when they find a card." She says. "HA! I found the last Sana!" Jungkook brags, presenting the card in a very extra way to Nari.

"Thank you very much." She smiles. He smiles back and goes back to trying to find more. "Five more minutes then I'm ordering dinner for everyone!" Hyejin yells. "You guys can check my room if you want to, I couldn't see on top the shelves where my old song books are!" Eun says.

"Feel free the check mine too because I'm short and couldn't find any in my room so there's probably at least one in there." Nari adds. Immediately Hobi and Yoongi go into the two rooms. When the food gets back there's only one missing photo card left.

"Who's missing? I cant eat knowing there's only one left." Jungkook asks. "IN LIFE Hyunjin." She says. He nods and immediately goes to the fridge. He climbs onto the counter and looks on top of the fridge. "Is his sleeve holo?" Jungkook asks. "No, mine are always in plain sleeves." Nari replies. "Well someone's got a Hyunjin pc up here in a holo sleeve." He says.

"Okay, mine are plain, Yejun has stickers on his, Eun uses colored sleeves, Osamu and Hyejin, who has holo?" Nari asks. "Mine." Hyejin says. "How did it end up there?" She asks. Jungkook hands it to her before he continues looking for the missing Hyunjin card. After Jimin finishes he goes to help Jungkook.

"FOUND IT!" Jungkook yells. "Thank you!" Nari replies. He brings it to her on the couch where she hasn't moved. She puts him in his place in the IN LIFE section of the SKZ binder. She adds the number to Jungkook and counts them up. "Jungkook wins by one photo card." She says. He does a happy dance and claims his free hug. "Free hugs for all Bangtan boys because they found all my missing photo cards." Nari says, giving each boy a hug before giving Jungkook a second one.

"You won so you get two." She says. After Jungkook eats, the Bangtan boys go home. Nari showers and then lays down on her bed, feeling content knowing her photo cards are safe in their respective places.

#bts mention #hueningkai #hueningkai fanfic #tomorrow x together #txt beomgyu #txt huening kai #txt soobin #txt taehyun #txt yeonjun #fanfic

[hitsuackerman]

Unpredictable (Overhaul x Reader) pt.21

a/n: things will get better~ <3

warnings: this cannot be read solo

Links: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10, part 11, part 12, part 13, part 14, part 15, part 16, part 17, part 18, part 19, part 20, part 22

Masterlist to my other fics: here :)

Overhaul’s waiting list: @jjk-biased @infinite-universe-love @dirtypride @blackymomo03 @azzie @purple-rabanito​ @meximorrita @awesomeee19​​ @celestial-kanzakii​ @laure-lo​ @team-wang-puppy​ @aydience-world​ @choros-main-hoe​ @colorseeingchick​  @but-kairis-not-that-smart (i cant seem to tag again :( hope this lands in your timelines!)

The silence of the hall was cut by the vibration of your phone. Taking it out, you answered.

“Yes, Nao?”

“The cameras showed the Fukuo Kai members left the building. Save for two people. Overhaul not included.” Inside the tent, Tsukauchi focused on the monitors. Observing and watching as live and recorded footage were being played to make sure the remaining two were to be caught. “I’m assuming you're on the 4th floor. Be careful. Cameras aren’t picking up feed.”

“I know. You said there were two?” Staring at the fresh blood dripping onto the floor, you took a step back when the thick red liquid began to run down the wall. Recalling that sound earlier, the other person was surely on this floor. Somewhere.

“That’s right. It’s your call from here.”

“Any info on their quirks?”

“We’re still digging it up. Apparently, those two men weren’t part of the meeting. If my deductions are right, they were the ones who terrorized our plan.”

Feeling a bit lightheaded, you inhaled and let out a long exhale. The man wasn’t lying entirely when he said it had nothing to do with the Fukuo Kai. Now that you were sure he was not on the same floor, you cursed under your breath.

“Nao. There’s only one person left. Overhaul used his quirk on one of them.” Heading back towards the fire exit, you wiped off the beads of sweat forming on your forehead. Feeling chills run down your spine, the grip on your phone tightened as your hands began to feel tingly. “My adrenaline is going down. We’ll catch the other one… next time.”

“Bring yourself back to safety. We’ll debrief once you're here.”

“See you in a few.”

Ending the call, you shook your head and made your way back to the fire exit. With each step you took, your eyelids seemed to become heavier. Leaning on the wall for support, you saw how your vision was starting to blur. Shutting your eyes close, you reached out for your phone only to stumble to the ground. With a steady growing headache, you activated your quirk.

Giving yourself a self-administered adrenaline pump, your felt control over your body once more. Standing up with effort, your shoulder remained glued to the wall as you took slow and steady steps towards the exit. Taking your phone out, you dialed for Tsukauchi only to flinch as another gunshot echoed through the room. The way your phone just sprung out of your hand and landed with a crack made a small yelp escape your mouth.

Taking your handgun out as you turned around, you were face to face with a man in a suit. Realizing that your phone was long gone by now, reaching base through your earpiece would not be the best option.Squinting your eyes, your blurry vision was not helping one bit. Hopefully, the sudden end to your call would alert your partner.

“Who are you?” Buying time was all you could do for now.

“No one important.” He took a step forward. His face void of any emotion save for the complete focus he has. “The question is, what are cops like you doing? Teaming up with the yakuza? Have you all stooped that low?”

“Says the man who’s ready to pull the trigger. Is it Overhaul you're looking for?” Each second that passed, your headache was evolving into a migraine. Breathing alone was becoming strenuous.

“On the contrary, yes.” He takes another step forward. “He’s been rather difficult to deal with these days.”

“You… You’re not from the F-fukuo Kai.” This was not good, you thought to yourself.

“Don’t strain yourself, love.” Seeing how your eyes widened and body trembled. He let a smirk cross his mouth. With much confidence he closed the gap between your bodies. With one hand, he unzipped your bulletproof vest. “You might be wondering why you can’t move?”

“No shit.” Watching him create invisible circles over your stomach made your heart beat even more rapidly. Thinking that his quirk had something to do with how your body’s motor skills were useless, you hoped that back up was now on it’s way. “This is your quirk, isn’t it?”

“Right you are. I can control a certain portion of a person’s gravity. It also works with force as well. But it’s much more fun.” Slapping your face, you barely felt a thing till you saw how his irises changed colors. The amount of force you received hurt double than it should have. Before your hands could touch him, his irises shifted color once more. “Not fast enough. But that was fun.”

“Why are you after Overhaul? Isn’t that suicide?”

“That man refuses to partner with us. We were more than willing to sponsor but for some shitty reason he turned us down.” He rolled his eyes and took a step back. “Wanna see something fun?”

You flinched at the sound of his gun. Yet the bullet lay suspended in mid air. Knowing where this was going, you tried to gather each ounce of your strength to break through the man’s quirk. With your body trembling from the failed attempt, you cursed under your breath and focused on your own quirk. If his quirk centered on gravity, then maybe yours could regulate your blood flow to show any kind of result.

“Struggling won’t get you anywhere.” He blinked and his irises changed colors.

Regaining control of your body did not save you. Feeling an intense heat pooling on your lower obliques, the burning sensation was enough to let you fall to the ground. Immediately covering the wound, you focused your quirk on that area to stop the bleeding. The pain made you curl into a small ball, your body trembling as your mind remained focused on the bullet’s entry way.

“Guess backup isn’t coming~” Taking his time, he grinned at the sight of slowly forming a puddle of red liquid. “Sucks to be helpless? Hoho~ I see your quirk is preventing blood loss.”

Bending down to squat, he grabbed your hand and flipped you over. Trying to release yourself from his grip, he placed a foot on your right hand and kept a hold of your left. Placing his free hand on your wound, he let out a chuckle. The pain had subsided but you were too aware of what would happen next.

“And here I thought police officers were a force to be reck-”

Before he could finish his sentence, you watched as he went flying all the way to the other end of the room. Simultaneously, the blood he had stopped came oozing out like a small water fountain. Seconds after, you harshly bit on your lip as the pain came back two fold. Putting pressure on the badly bleeding wound, you activated your quirk.

“This.” Despite the ringing in your ears, you knew who owned that voice. “This is why we refused to work with your lot, Ayato. Always causing unnecessary burdens.”

“Well if it isn’t the man I wanted to see.” Ayato stood up, barely keeping his balance. The way he landed was rather painful on his side. “Thought you left already, Overhaul?”

“I did.” He scratched his forehead. Glancing at your bleeding body did not help the situation.

Taking slow steps forward, Ayato focused his sight on the mask wearing man. Blinking a couple of times he felt his blood start to boil. Patting his body, he felt the small bullet on his side. The same red bullet he was supposed to be funding. Meeting Overhaul’s eyes once more, he felt a chill climbing up his spine and enveloping his mind.

“The bullets are nearing its completion..” Overhaul said as he removed his other glove. Moving forward, Ayato couldn’t help but take a step back. The growing anger in Overhaul’s eyes was enough to shrink whatever confidence he had in him. “What’s wrong, Ayato? Not so brave without your quirk?” Patting around his body for his gun, he let out a silent curse when he saw it resting beside Overhaul’s foot. Reaching for a small knife, he assumed a battle stance only to be met with a faint chuckle and a shake of the head. Gritting his teeth, Ayato began to sprint towards the supposed villain. Only to fall to the ground with a thud as a surge of electricity coursed through his body.

“Sorry.” Tsukauchi’s body appeared from behind the fallen man. “Got held up at the entrance.”

“Useless.” Overhaul commented as he watched the unconscious body. Turning around, he went closer to your body. Observing how shallow your breathing was, he caught himself clenching his fists. Caught up in the fight, he had forgotten the main reason why he rushed back to the building.

Before he could do anything, a hand touched his shoulder and shoved him. Stumbling three steps to the side, the same officer who was not fond of him was now administering first aid. Seeing him lift your badly bleeding body made him feel uneasy.

“This is your fault.” The officer's eyes focused on the standing man. “If you weren’t involved in this mess, (l/n) wouldn’t have been injured this bad.”

“For your information, she was already injured when I arrived.” It took a lot of strength not to harm the person in front of him. “Tell me, officer, do you think it would have been a smart move to just barge in?”

“You and your quirk are more than capable of doing something on the spot.” He stood up. A few drops of your blood dripping down his fingertips. “Lend a helping hand? An officer gets injured, and one of the terrorist is gone because of your hot head. That’s why I despise working with your lot. Nothing but  bad news.”

“Captain Iwase.” Tsukauchi butted in. He had just finished cuffing Ayato and handed him over to another officer. “Enough. Let me tend to (y/n) injuries. Your babbling mouth is causing her to bleed out.”

“Look at her.” His index finger pointing at your heavily breathing form. “Do you really think first aid is gonna help? For a bullet wound, that amount is abnormal. If anything, a blood transfusion is what she needs now but I doubt the ambulance would get here in time.”

“Then why don’t you stop complaining and dial 119?”

“Tsukauchi. Are you serious?”

“You may be higher in terms of ranking, but she’s my partner and she will always come first.” Reaching for his personal phone, Tsukauchi tossed it to Iwase. “Now unless you want to keep Overhaul’s hand away from your neck, I suggest you dial emergency hotlines. Now.”

Defeated, Iwase marched off the floor. Making sure to bump shoulders with the tall detective.

“He means well.” Tsukauchi still vouched for the captain as he checked your weak pulse. Carefully lifting your body, he made you lean on the wall. Iwase, despite the rambling, was right. He wasn’t sure what happened but the puddle of thick red liquid was alarming. “What happened?”

“The man you just electrocuted used his quirk on (l/n). He can control gravity to a certain degree. By the time I arrived, your partner was already bleeding and glued to the ground. His hand was covering the entry way so I assume her blood came gushing out like an oil pipe when I attacked him.”

As he relayed the information, Tsukauchi was already wrapping a bandage around your waist. For a moment, his eyes met your dull ones. Looking back at the red patch, he swallowed a bit of his saliva.

“Move over, Tsukauchi.” Overhaul looked down on both your crouching bodies. His eye twitching at the sight of your blood stained bandage. Not wanting to go on his bad side, Tsukauchi stood up and excused himself. Despite Overhaul being the labelled sociopath, he had gained enough respect for him to be trusted. “Can you talk?”

“I’m in a lot… of pain… but I’m fine, Overhaul.” You reassured him. Voice breathy and shaky. “It’s not that bad and I’m already doing my part by regulat-”

“Shut up.” He cut you off and forced your hand away from the wound. Taking a look at his hand, he let out a muffled curse. He was breaking out but the priority of fixing your wound won. Seeing Ayato’s knife, he reached for it and sliced the bandage. The bleeding was still bad and he knew full well that your quirk was no longer doing its function. “As much as I hate to admit it, that asshole officer was right. You need blood transfusion. I can close the wound but i’ll have to overhaul the bullet.”

“I think dying would hurt less.” You managed to chuckle.

“Just shut your mouth and let me overhaul the damn bullet.” Without a warning, his index finger entered the small hole. His eyes darted back to your screaming voice. He had to do this quickly to make sure any more blood loss would stop. Sighing, he leaned in closer. Just enough for you to lay your head on the crook of his neck. Your badly trembling body was not helping the situation.

Luckily, it barely took another push for his fingertip to reach the cold shell. Overhauling it in barely a second, this time he warned you about his exit. Receiving a nod, he felt your shoulders tense. Once his bloody finger was out, his clean hand held on to your wound before closing it completely.

“You’re in for an amount of pain.” At least the wound was closed now. The small whimper that escaped your mouth was the telltale sign that you were near exhaustion. Yet somehow, you managed to grip on to his jacket. “Your wound may be healed bu-”

“I-I’m sorry.”

“Be specific.”

“For m-mentioning Ackerm...Ackerman.” With your last ounce of strength, you wrapped your shaky arms around his neck. To which he did not refuse. “You’re b-breaking out.”

“I know. Guess you really aren’t as pure as I thought you were.” He stared at his hives and back at you. Slowly sliding in and out of consciousness. “Such a shame. Then again, each and every person is tainted in their own way.”

“I… I’m sorry about… last time.”

“You should be.” Wrapping his arm under the crook of your knees, he lifted you up. He adjusted his hold to make sure you were comfortable. By now, you had lost consciousness. Failing to hear what he had left to say. “Don’t ever mention Ackerman again. You’re mine and mine alone my guilty pleasure.”

- - - - -

a/n: and the fluff begins :D hope the tension was alright in this scene... took a while to write this tbh xD see yall next week <3 yes Overhaul is still accepting in his waiting list too :)

#overhaul x reader #overhaul #bnha overhaul #mha overhaul #chisaki kai x reader #bnha chisaki kai #mha chisaki kai #chisaki kai #bnha chisaki

[sweetmisschesire]

Pt 2

Maysibelle (mayday)

Mayday is the last fight before eve

So the fight starts with her singing and the brothers blasting their way in

Since they dont have a guitar player they just sort of use some recordings they render to their liking to make up for it

So in their interruption imagine it like the Highway to Hell opera video, only right before the singing of the rock song starts maysibelle stops the music by snapping her fingers

She has both those mannequins neon j made for her and actual people dancing

After she stopped the music the dancers stopped with the human dancers moving off to the side of the ballroom for their own safety

This is the dress she is wearing

And this is the mask

And hair

(She speaks in an aloof, emotionless tone)

“Ah so this is the infamous duo who don’t know their place”

(Z is zuke w is west)

W: and what exactly is our place

“Away from these districts, learning how to play respectable music”

Z: you all need to come off it already, what do you have against rock?

“It boisters itself as superior in music and yet now look at it. Only the talentless dare practice it. “

W: me thinks the lady doth protest too much

“How dare you. Leave, now.”

Z: sorry but not without this district

*laughter* “very well then have at you”

So the video i linked before with the three songs is what plays during her battle

(This is not a fun fight for west, gotta add some humor)

While she sings west and zuke have to dodge the mannequins as they dance towards them as a attack

They find out they’re mannequins when a mask gets knocked of one of them leaving the oulines of pupiless eyes on a blank face

W: mannequins why mannequins?

Z: seriously those things still freak you out?!

W: yes! Especially ones that dance on their own!

They also keep getting hit by something they cant really see

Zuke: what the heck is going on what is even hitting us

W: she’s got nice pipes though, but we can play better

The next phase starts with the second song and after theyve beaten the mannequins, with a head of one being knocked into her mask damaging it

The mannequins are cleared out and some life sized marrionettes drop down

W: it gets worst! Please no dolls.

Her costume in this phase is this (it was under her dress)

And both her and the marrionette dance ballet as she sings

The difference here is the marionettes will lift up and drop down so they have to watch the shadows to see where they land

This is also how they start understanding what’s hitting them

Z: *watches a shadow fly towards his brother and hit him* so that’s what been hitting us? Bro! Watch for all the shadows on the floor, i think that’s what was getting us in the last phase!

W: why am i the one she keeps aiming for?! Lady lay off already!

Z: bigger target?

They cut down the marionettes from their strings leaving them useless with west panicking when one touches him and throwing it at maysibelle, fracturing her mask more

“I’ll get you for that.”

W: you’ve literally been going mostly after me already!

(She changes her costume during the convo, she walks behing a screen and steps out in it)

“As your brother said you are indeed the larger target. And your brother has been far more respectful than you.”

W: hey

Z: she’s kind of right though

The skirt is a bit shorter covering her feet bit easy to move in

No assistance this time though she has fans she throws that are weapons and they still have to dodge the mystery attack

At one point dk west trips over a doll that somehow lands on the floor

W: *screams*

“..... it’s just a doll. And don’t you dare break her.

Z: bro we’ve gotta do something about this fear of yours

The end of this phase after they’ve hit her enough ends with wth west knocking on of her fans back into her mask which is now covered in cracks

“Are you incapable of anything but disrespect?”

W: are you capable of talking like you can feel emotions?

“Perhaps i should hit you harder?”

Z: you are just on fire today bro

W: what she acts and talks like she can’t feel anything

“Emotions are meant to be controlled, it is inappropriate to let others see you in such a state.”

W:...

Z:... what

W: you know you would probably have an easier time telling people how you feel eithout that mask

“Don’t you dare to touch it! I am never to show my face in public!”

Z: okay this is getting a bit uncomfortable

W: what kind of messed up logic is that?

“I don’t expect you to understand his teachings. Nor do i expect you to understand that you two could never power Vinyl City!”

W: says you and every other so called artist. Can’t wait to prove you all wrong

“I’ve had just about enough of you. Since you’ve made it further than i thought capable, allow me to show you my true power. Bask in trance techno opera, all i was ever born to do.”

Z: alright now it’s really uncomfortable

She walks behind another screen and steps out in this

The lights center on her and the brothers can make out this black smoke like mist surrounding her a bit

She moves her hands to the start of her phantom of the opera performance and the mist moves with her

Z: that’s what was hitting us before?!

As she sings she sends out this mist that is basically like energy and they have to dodge it while attacking her

They get to the lull in the song with no singing

Z: whoever you’re doing this for you dont have to

West isnt quite following yet

“Hmm, charming. I do this because i must. But since you seem to love doling out advice, allow me to return the favor.”

“Apologize. She deserves that much from you, and more.”

Zuke is surprised by this and maysibelle gets in a hit as she goes back to singing

W: maybe focus on the fight instead of small talk?

Z: ...

W: seriously she’s just messing with ya

Z: no she’s not. I know exactly who she’s talking about

It takes a lot to get through this fight and maysibelle actually shows some signs of anger and frustration before immediately pushing them down

This is where west starts picking up on something being wrong with her

Towards the end of the song they work their way up to her and zuke manages to push though and smash his drumsticks down

Hebhad been aiming for her microphone but accidentally hit her mask finallt shattering it

The music stops as she screams and drops to her knees covering her face

W: woah man that was a bit much don’t you think? You coulda broker her nose

Z: I don’t think that’s the reason she screamed.

He notices some of the people left are peering over and sees the cameras oving to see her better

Z: *frowning* do you all not know how to respect someone’s privacy?!

They back off a bit startled at him zuke picks up a cloak that came off a mannequin from earlier and drapes it over her

Maysibelle readjusts it so the hood shrouds her face completely she grasps at the shards of her mask trying to put it back together

“can’t let them see can’t let them see can’t let them see”

W: okay what is wrong with-

Z: west don’t. Look i have no idea why you think those things. There’s nothing wrong with your emotions or the way you look

“How would you know? You’ve no experience of them.”

Z: yeah but do you either?

*voice quivers, but still remains emotionless not crying* I don’t remember my face. It’s been so long.”

W: how do you not-

Z: west. Just...why? Why not let yourself feel or show?

“I’m not allowed.”

Zuke moves towards her but she cuts him off

“Leave. I don’t need your pity.”

Z: that’s not what i-

“I said go.”

The two leave her ballroom and she calls out to them still gripping her mask pieces

“Remember to apologize. You owe her so much.”

Interlude

Z: that was super uncomfortable

Kliff appears

“What was uncomfortable?”

West goes to answer but zuke cuts him off

Z: the walk back, the fight was really exauhsting so it was uncomfortable wslk back

West gives he brother a loo and kliff shrugs

“Well good job getting another district. She was gonna beca hard one. Go get some rest we’ll take the last district tomorrow”

As the two leave to their rooms west talks

W: what was that back there?

Z: kliff keeps ignoring me when i mention how bad the nsr artists look and i dont know if you’ve noticed but i listened to some of maysibelle’s fans on the way back

W: and?

Z: they were praising her for staying “proper” during our fight, like they really do expect her to not show emotions and when i asked them about that thry say it’s what they expect of her how she’s always bern this way

Z: west there’s something really wrong with the nsr artists it’s like they’ve been... broken

W:... what did she mean by apologize

Z: it has to do with the last district.

Z: it’s nadia’s district.

This was a long one

Next one will be long too, mainly cause if the last fight with tatiana

I’ve really hurt mayday huh? :D

#nsr #no straight roads #nsr au #no straight roads au #no worshiped roads #nwr #nsr mayday #nsr zuke #nsr dk west

[wolf-stark]

You ask I deliver — both tfatws asks in one!

tfatws weekly ask 1

i finally saw ep1!! i wont be able to see ep2 until thursday at the earliest but i already have some Thots on this ep. here are the ones I remember

first is, and i'm so sorry for this, a grammar lesson. an appositive is when you stick an additional phrase in between commas, dashes, or the like. i actually just used one! the "and i'm so sorry for this" in the first sentence of this paragraph is an appositive. thing is, most english speakers don't normally use them when they speak, only in writing. so i'm always on high alert whenever i hear somebody in tv or movies use one. (it's generally a marker of bad screenwriting). anyway there was one right in the beginning of the episode. the white army guy yelling at sam wilson said "first lieutenant Torres, our intel officer, will be helping on the ground." yeah so. the writing of this series started out on the wrong foot for me. but the rest of the episode was obviously tons and tons better (every interview i see with malcolm spellman makes me love him more and more)

the contrast between the opening minutes (falcon action sequence) and the rest of the ep.... i would 100000/10 rather watch a series with just sam and bucky dealing with life. i dont give a single crap about the flag-smashers or any of that. i just want sam, sarah & fam getting their boating business back on the ground & yeeting racist dickwads, bucky going through therapy and making amends, sam and joaquin being bros, sambucky homoerotic tension, etc.

the cinnamontography! wandavision mostly used cinematography to signify era n stuff. tfatws doesn't have wv's premise to go off of, so here's some tricks i noticed:

with sam there's obviously all sorts of shots with the captain america iconography next to his face, but he hasn't totally claimed it. there's the mural of steve rogers in the background; there's sam staring into the shield like it's a spectre of steve's face; there's sam looking into the exhibit, the shield and sam separated by glass and a layer of camera focus. steve is a constant spectre, always there, an idea, a symbol himself. sam's relationship with this iconography is distanced. he is separated by glass exhibit walls. by painting canvases. he doesn't yet feel worthy to take on that iconography. this whole thing was pulled off quite well but also a bit on-the-nose if only in quantity. there's just sooooo much fancy iconography stuff

speaking of the exhibit, there's something that i get real pissy about. it's when like, there's an action going on you're supposed to be paying attention to but the cinematographer is like,,,, hey! check out this location! or this headline! or something! there was a lot of that in the exhibit. the camera was like, you could focus on sam and rhodey's convo (which was fine but could have been so much better with an extra like 10 minutes of deep character study talk) but noooo you want me to look at the symbol for the united nations and read all the text about bucky who hasn't even showed up yet. shut up i know the lore and ill watch the shot-by-shot breakdown yt vids you don't have to make the shot this long jkdsalcjklasejf

my fav trick was with bucky and the therapist. i had seen a clip of the scene with bucky and the therapist beforehand and i thought the cinnamontography was super obnoxious, but then i was like, oh duh. the shots frequently change the distance between the camera and its subject. sometimes it's uncomfortably close and sometimes it's really far. a clear allegory for the duality of therapy, esp for bucky! therapy is an invasive process wherein he is ruthlessly examined, picked apart, and berated for his trauma (this therapist is crap in every way btw, "mean therapist" works for greg house and greg house only). so the camera goes close. it makes the viewer claustrophobic like bucky. but when he's like "no i haven't had any nightmares" the camera suddenly goes really far. we see bucky as this tiny head in the center of the bottom of the frame. we are distanced from him. he has pushed us away. we cannot see him. he lies because he is vulnerable. so yeah, amazing work there. the therapy scene was hard to watch on purpose!

did bucky slip a note to yori inside the dollar bill? bucky stop making me emooooo. the suuper awkward fake smile has me 😭 (veteran trying to adjust!)

mark my worrrrds when sam asks someone y the govt picked john “white bread” walker they’re gonna say “we needed somebody everyone can get behind....someone uncontroversial, someone everyone can see themselves in” like that exact racist dog whistle

tfatws weekly ask 2

just saw ep2 so im taking advantage of the 2 seconds i can be on tumblr without worrying about tfatws spoilers before new episode drops

when isaiah said "your people put me in prison for being a hero" and bucky thought "your people" means hydra. 🤦‍♂️

speaking of racism, the interplay between sam being Black (anti-Black racism) and sam being the Falcon (negrophilia, "can i take a selfie w you as i deny you a loan?") and the intersection between the two (j*hn lichrally called sam "steve's wingman"! he takes the crypto out of crypto-racist in like 2 seconds!) !!!!!!!! a Black celebrity's Black experience, the separation of man and identity!!!! (thinking about vanessa bayer in snl in that skit "beyonce is black" telling her black friend "you're not black, you're...my girl!")

after sam gets racially profiled by cops we see j*hn standing in front of cop cars cinematic parallels turns out j*hn is racist who knew

this therapist sucks major ass but she got bucky and sam together in the same room and ready to collaborate...that's something ig. it was lichrally couple's therapy she said she used her miracle exercise with couples sambucky antis get blended

bucky says "he was wrong about you so maybe he was wrong about me"...that's not how people talk. when therapist asks bucky, the guy who doesn't talk at all about himself, "y do you hate sam", the last thing bucky's gonna do is actually connect his hatred of sam to his own self-worth issues. bucky generally refuses to talk about himself, so why would he talk about himself in the one context that nobody ever links back to their own neuroses: hatred of other people? one thing human beings hate most is admitting we're wrong. admitting you hate someone because of your own issues? that's a major therapeutic step. bucky would absolutely have to be prompted to do that. even like one or two lines of dialogue more would have set up that line better. but in terms of the actual thought? an amazing way to take the sam/bucky relationship. bucky bases his self-worth on steve believing in him, and if steve is wrong bucky has no self-worth, so 1) he has to develop self-worth disassociated from steve's assessment of him and 2) he has to love himself before he can love sam, and 3) he has to realize that sam giving up the shield is a sign of sam's humility not his unworthiness.

conversely, we don't get into why sam hates bucky? yeah sam has the right to hate a guy that has tried to kill him (albeit while brainwashed) multiple times, and now shows up in his life just to bash him but. everything happens so fast i cant follow their relationship

in fact i dont feel like i understood much of anything. like y did bucky and sam go on that mission together? how connected are sam/bucky/joaquin with the government? doesn't bucky just want to retire now? literally what is everyone doing/feeling and why???

if battlestar becomes a knowing commentary on the black best friend stereotype i'm gonna party, but i dont expect much of that

the interplay between man and symbol. captain america is obviously a symbol. the shield is obviously a symbol. but steve rogers? the. man behind the cowl? he too seems to become a symbol. a paragon of a good guy, so good he's unreachable. steve was just a guy stop idolizing him the last thing steve would want is to be idolized

as the resident musician/music nerd on mcublr, 1) that captain america rally music slaps, but 2) re: the song at the end of the ep, if you're just gonna rip off mozart's lacrymosa then at least play mozart's lacrymosa. we wont blame you the lacrymosa slaps (if you dont know what im talking about go on yt and search it up youll recognize it fo sho

look i love enfys nest as much as the next guy but if tfatws is gonna get erin kellyman to play another innocent little gurl blackmailed into the fakeout-villain position (her text seemed to suggest as such) then 😡 like why can't women just....be evil? young, freckly, innocent-looking women? girls are not untouchable pure objects but full of rage and resentment just as much as anyone can be

bonus ep1 comment: bucky says about that senator whose car he hijacked, "she continued to abuse the power i gave her." fictionaldarling on yt say that he says "i" because he can't disassociate himself from his winter soldier persona which begets endless and senseless guilt. like dude. can i not be emo for like 1 second.

OKay. First off, as much I enjoy your sending it to me, what made you decide to send me these??

-

TFATWS WA #1

Don't worry about getting this to me as early as possible. I usually don't watch the episode right away.

1. Cool writing lesson.

2. Everyone wants a comedy show [like Friends] about the MCU superheroes.

3. Cinematography is always a beautiful thing.

4. Sam definitely has to carve his own Captain America status for himself, outside of Steve's ya know everything.

5. They have to do that for people who was just now tuning in because they're in love with Sam Wilson or Sharon Carter.

6. I think the therapist was taking a 'tough love' approach for Bucky, because she likely has some very strong opinions about the literal assassin she's been assigned to give therapy too. She did not choose to talk to him, she was assigned that make that clear in the second episode.

And, Bucky isn't lying when he said it wasn't a nightmare. It wasn't a nightmare, it was a resurfaced memory. So, technically he wasn't lying - and yes, the camera does move away because while he's saying he didn't have a nightmare, he's not expanding on what actually happened - so, he's still pushing the therapist/us away.

7. Bucky, and Steve, have/had a TON to adjust to.

8. Yeah, I agree that will be the bullshit line they give. If they ever actually talk about it.

TFATW WA #2

Yeah, always got to take advantage of avoiding those spoilers lmfaoo.

1. Honestly, that line was double meaning. Both about White people and Hydra [which is made up of mostly white supremacists/nazis] So, the line is gesturing to both White People in general and Hydra assholes together. I think the terminology is “double edge sword”??

2. This whole paragraph structure confused me, ngl - so I'm going to answer it the best I can. I do like that they're not ignoring the fact that Sam being Black is 1000% the reason he's not the Official Captain America - because the gov't is racist as hell.

I also like the little lines about how they point out little things about Sam's Falcon persona, like that kid calling him 'Black Falcon' specifically and Sam's response show the split between Sam and Falcon itself.

John is a dick for calling Sam the wingman of Steve Rogers. Sam was a hero all on his own before Steve asked him to join up again. [Side note, it's lichrally??]

3. Exactly, the parallel of Sam being profiled and surrounded while just on the street and John being surrounded by fans and being able to spring Bucky with apparently only a few sentences shows a Loooooot

4. Honestly, at this point I wonder if she's not actually a therapist and is just an agent assigned to assess Bucky outside of an Official Building. I do know, however, that her 'look at each other and speak' exercise is actually a real therapy practice. It's just a little slower.

5. Actually, I think he would've blurted that out. That whole line. I don't think Bucky hates Sam. I think they could've done the scene better, but I think that had Sam prodded him/the therapist been more annoying Bucky would've lost control of his emotions and blurted out the whole "If he was wrong about you, he was wrong about me" but I feel like the writing for this show is just... not there. Sometimes you blurt shit when you get overemotional and I think that was what Bucky was supposed to be like.

6. I don't think Sam hates Bucky, I think he doesn't trust him though. I do wish they'd talked about that though. The whole 'talk to each other' scene should've been a LOT longer and a LOT slower.

7. Sam and Bucky's relationship is being fast tracked because they don't really know how to work the relationship out, writers-room-wise. Bucky is technically retired, but I feel like he's trying to live up to Steve's expectations and doing what Steve would've done and we all know that if Steve was there, Steve would've jumped on that plane with Sam. It looks like Sam/Bucky/Joaquin are a side-team based from Military services but as Sam says they're all free agents so...?

8. Sadly, They seem to just be propping up to be another stereotype.

9. Captain America is a symbol. Steve Rogers is a man. But now Steve Rogers is an idol because of all the shit he's been through and honestly, it's not a bad thing he's become an idol for people - it's using Steve as a reason to make White Bread Walker the next Captain that makes Steve's idolization so fucked.

10. I don't know anything about music so I have no opinion here, sorry.

11. Enfys?? Also, I think they did the whole Innocent Girl Thing as side commentary for Bucky lowering his guard about seeing a young girl rather than a guy.

12. Bucky is the Winter Solider. The Winter Solider is Bucky. That is how Bucky will always see it because although he was brainwashed, it was still him and he remembers all of it. When you have constant memories of something 'someone else' did, you tend to not be able to pull the two personas out of each other. I want Bucky to take up the title, White Wolf instead of Winter Soldier. Honest.

This is all my opinion, I’m honestly a little disappointed with the writing of TFATWS so far so... I’m not really optimistic about this.

#Asks

[irkenheretic]

okay i promised id do it and im doing it: Explaining The Plot Of That AU I’m Vague About: The Post

(as i was preparing to write this i actually got my 250th follower, which slapped)

so i’m just gonna start with the simple version, which is this: it’s a rebel AU which primarily centers around the tallest, who are both defective. they give up on trying to make any meaningful changes as figureheads, and instead direct their attention to being involved with the “neo defect revolution,” or NDR. they do manage to make one change as tallest- there is a garbage dump planet turned into a sanctuary for defectives (who in this au are executed once discovered,) and eventually enough of the populace finds out about it that the tallest have to deal with it. they finesse their way into kicking it out of the empire, so now it’s its own planet with its own rules, governments, and most importantly, immigration policies and protections

a lot of stuff happens and it’s gonna be structured using arcs, and each arc has a separate protagonist/deuteragonist/tritagonist lineup (but that doesnt mean the same lineup won’t be used multiple times!) and yes the insane list of OCs are for this au alone: some arcs are very OC-centric, some have OCs as supporting characters, and a couple are all-OC or mostly-OC. 

its going to be very longform and it’ll span from the tallest’s elite training days to twenty years after zim arrives on earth. (the 20 year gap btwn zim arriving on earth and the story proper isnt as tightly plotted as later tho.) the point is to see how a revolution on the scale of the NDR works, who was fucked over by defact laws, who was fucked over by other laws, etc. theres a lot of lore and a lot of headcanons i made for this AU and even a conlang. i am a being of hubris. itll be a series of fics, some multichapter and some oneshots. 

the series as a whole is gonna be called Invader Zim: Annexed or just Annexed for short. its a pun on an irken word that sounds similar but means the exact opposite. i am not explaining more bc itll be explained in the fic itself. but thats why the tag for it is #anx lmao

i didnt mean for this to be as long as it got but under the cut im gonna breakdown some of the early arcs:

so it all starts with a fanfic called Love Is The H-Word (no the “h-word” isn’t “hell.) it centers around red and purple as elites-in-training, who do a little whoopsie and have an egg. purple doesnt wanna smuggle it into a smeetery, bc then he’ll never see it again, so they go to the defect sanctuary (still a part of the empire at this point.) purple knows he’s defective while red has a hard time accepting that he is as well, due to events from his past. but being around all these other defects are starting to wear down his denial, and the fic is all about that. it also sets up some plot stuff, like how defects adopted a self-identifier in the word “heretic,” hence the sanctuary being named, “heretirk.” (hey look my url!) (no, the “h-word” is not heretic, either.) 

i dont wanna say what happens in that fic bc spoilers, but stuff Happens. its also when we meet some ocs that end up being important, and the existence of others are foreshadowed. this is also where we meet the tallests’ future advisor, rarl kove, for the first time, as a local who decides to keep them company. purple bonds with kove due to their shared interest in politics, while red reluctantly bonds with titch, a young irken (a smeet in heretirken standards, an adult in imperial standards- did i mention he and red are roughly the same age? lol) who is interested in military stuff and thrill-seeking and general destruction. titch is pissed because he claims his father is stealthing on devastis as a military commander, but won’t let titch sneak in as a soldier, as titch is deaf. 

(fun facts: in the au, “titch” is regional slang for “a little bit.” ironically, titch the character is above-average in height.)

due to titch’s deafness, he developed “gesturespeak,” irken sign language, so he can communicate. this existing becomes important later

a oneshot called invade the system is right after h-word in publishing order. it details zim’s exploits in leaving foodcourtia, where he was assigned and infiltrating the invading academy he eventually graduates from (in this au, zim is too short to be an invader, which sucks because the hight minimums for the military are really short to begin with lmao)

the fic chronoligically after H-Word focuses on red and purple being back in their platoon on devastis, specifically red navigating his training and his relationships with two defective platoonmates, pon and zi (who are in h-word a little,) after the realization that he too is defective. it also focuses on how the irken military works, and how they train their soldiers. 

the first arc overall focuses on red and purple going thru training and such, and ends after they graduate and are on the field, working to get commander rank. (they planned to gain commander rank then leave and go back to heretirk to train an army there, as heretirk has.... no army.) in the middle of this, they’re pulled out and told they are to become the next tallest. they debate over staying and taking the job or just running to heretirk, and they ultimately decide to stay.

the next arc i call the “bridge,” tbh. its less tightly plotted than the other arcs; fics are spread apart from each other chronologically and all that. it spans the time after the tallest being appointed to a little after zim arrives on earth. it also has a couple of anthologies focusing on imperial defects- each chapter is a new character. these guys are all important and the easiest way for me to introduce their backstories without cluttering everything up is anthology style, lmao. other things that happen are a look into how the tallest work, eventually culminating with the resolution of the tallest having to Deal With Heretirk, tenn’s rescue from meekrob, and zim on earth obtaining a half-irken smeet named pip due to stealing an Unethical Science Experiment from dib (which is pip.) the bridge is basically just. “heres some stuff that happens between point A and point B so when we get to point B you’re not confused as all hell.” 

the next arc focuses on zim. in the first fic, pip is sick and zim is trying to get into his neighbor’s pants, to cope. this basically sets up that zim in this au has no idea how to find personal fulfillment in living- he’s only OK if he focuses on pleasing someone else, be it taking care of pip or doting on the neighbor, some rando human named piqu (pronounced, “peek.”) this is mainly a cute romance story with the underlying veneer of “a child is slowly and painfully dying” in the background. fun! 

without spoiling the circumstances, zim and pip end up on heretirk, which at this point is its own independent planet. pip is in the hospital for most of it so zim has to do his own thing. computer fans rejoice bc hes basically zims dad at this point, who tells him to go outside and get some fresh air and talk to the locals instead of schmooping or screaming in anxiety. im sneakily introducing more characters like ini, the “next-gen zim;” a short bio-engineer (she works on PAKs) who was constantly passed over by everyone because they dont trust someone that short or they dont trust someone that spazzy, even though shes actually brilliant. also her brother mo, who’s a pilot that NOBODY will teach military-class ships to (at this point, HTK has a population of ex-military that had their old ships, but still no formal army) because he doesnt talk and they think hes “slow” as a result. for the curious, he is physically able to talk most times, he just doesnt like it. zim ends up teaching him how to fly military-class which ends up being important laterrr

(haha ini and mo. wheres meenie and minie? ILL GET TO THEM)

no really, theyre quadruplets. named ini, myni, minie, and mo. these are real characters. 

minie isnt introduced till later. shes too cool to be the side character in someone elses arc. she is feel uncomfortable when we are not about her.

myni is busy palling around with pip and pip’s friend “elly” (real name elevenn, with two N’s.) elly is a half-meekrob War Crime Baby and tenn’s smeet. he has vision problems (he can “see” energy signatures of things, as opposed to conventional sight. everything is monochrome and he has to really focus to see like, words on a paper. also fuck tablets) but the trade-up is telekinetic powers (that he cant use too much or his brain will melt. fun!) this isnt relevant until the arc AFTER zim’s, where they end up poking around a historical site due to myni’s interest in that kind of thing, and they find logs of an old revolution (that was actually pretty successful in their goal, before they were caught and executed,) that lead them to a man named lefy. he helps with revolutions and helped these guys, and the trio go to seek him out; myni because he wants to impress his parents with helping them, pip because after they’ve recovered enough to walk around and do stuff, feel like they need to justify the choice to save their life and make their dad proud and all that, elly because he doesnt want pip to get hurt and die. And thats where the stuff REALLY starts happening and i cant tell u more sorry

this seemed kind of disjointed but thats bc i cant really be too detailed otherwise id like.... spoil it lmfao. but thats the summary of the first few arcs.

#*falls over and dies* my poor hands and fingeys #yall better mf read this..... #ill post a fic later today or maybe tomorrow #its being betad rn #take this lol! i finally explain myself #for those of you on mobile i am SO sorry #this is fine to rb in case ur wondering. dk why u would wanna but its chill #anarchisma au #live from conventia #long post

[baconpal]

Bravely Default and BD2

Here it is, the partially prompted bravely default rant/retrospective/whatever the fuck!

With the announcement and demo of bravely default 2 out now for a bigger market than the original game ever had, I feel that as a massive fan of the original I should put some amount of effort into explaining what the appeal of the original is, why bravely second missed a lot of the appeal, and why bravely default 2 has been very, very worrying so far.

If you care about any of that, come on in and I'll try to actually avoid spoilers this time and make this a more legitimate recommendation of a game than usual.

THE APPEAL OF BRAVELY DEFAULT The games obviously have a beautiful art style, especially when it comes to the backgrounds. Every city is like a painting, a beautifully composed shot that you see from just one direction to give you one very strong impression. While the overworld and dungeons are fully 3d and do not have as strong of an artistic impact, they are still very competent and have good colors and cohesive elements. The character design, including the job outfits, the monsters, and all the villains are just top notch. Simple, evocative designs that make the most of the 3DS' limited hardware and build upon the teams skill in making handheld games look good. (its the same team that did the ff3 remake and 4 heroes of light, which looks absolutely kino on original DS) The music is also consistently excellent, with great use of motifing, a full and varied orchestra, and many good slow paced tracks for most of the non-combat segments. Shit like "Conflict's Chime" being the main battle theme, "Infiltrating Hostile Territory" being a common dungeon theme, and "That person's name is" as the rival boss themes makes even the seemingly repetitive songs a constant joy to listen to.

The story is pretty decent, it's not the best part of the game, and there are definitely some aspects of the story some people loathe, but the characters (specifically ringabel fuckin love him) are pretty good and the make for an enjoyable experience. The side material like D's journal are really well done and integrate into the main narrative well for how tucked away and ignored it is.

The gameplay and systems are also some of the best of any RPG I've played, and I've played far too many. The job system from ff3 and 5 is brought to an even greater depth with the addition of universal job abilities, allowing any character of any job make use of another jobs features to create an endless depth to strategy. The way various jobs can mingle together, and how no job is completely perfect on its own makes for very compelling team composition and unit design. The extensive amount of jobs helps as well for replay value and for assuring that no easy winning strategy is found by all players.

The BP system makes battles take on a very unique pacing as the player and enemies can choose to save up turns or blow them all at once to make more complicated strategies possible, or to make the most of an enemies vulnerabilities. This powerful option gives the player a meaningful way to capitalize on their knowledge of the game, while also allowing them to make truly detrimental mistakes. That may sound not good if you're a fucking baby, but nobody wants an RPG you cant lose, but losing because you fucked up is much better than losing because the enemies are just stronger than you or anything to that effect.

But the single greatest part of bravely defaults, which creates the games wonderful balance and unique design philosophy, is that the player is expected to hit the level cap long before finishing the game. Reaching level 99 should occur somewhere just after the middle of the game, at the point where the player has access to almost every job and has encountered almost every type of threat. Reaching level 99 brings with it a certain security, the implication that from then on, all enemies will also be level 99, and that any failure to defeat an enemy will be a result of a bad strategy or the players own mistakes. The game is not easy, and is certainly intended for veteran final fantasy players used to the games with job systems and changing up your entire party to combat a single encounter. Leveling up is not a slow grind part of the game, as you have a lot of control over the speed and frequency of battles, and it is not difficult to keep up with the games level curve.

The other layer to this unique design is that the game expects you to "cheat", or use strategies that would be overpowered and frowned upon in most other games. Bravely default easily expects you to know or discover strategies such as: applying a status to all enemies and killing every enemy with that status using another spell, cycling a counter move over and over to have a nearly invincible party member, applying a healing attribute to a self-damaging character to get huge damage at little cost, casting reflect and dangerous spells on your own party to bounce them at the enemy, or duplicating a move that does maximum damage 15 times in a row. The game builds all of its encounters with the knowledge that your team will be the maximum level and that you will be using the most vile tactics you can come up with, and the game will do the same. Bosses and even common enemies will employ equally vile tactics using the exact same moves that you have access to, meaning you can learn from your enemies or quickly grasp the enemies strategy through your own experiences. One of the late game dungeons is entirely optional, but involves several fights against parties of 4 just like your, using the same jobs and skills you have gained during the game as a perfect test of your ability to develop counter-strategies, instead of relying on your own overpowered tactics. This type of design is really not something you find in many games due to the prominence of grinding or the lack testing strategies, and it is the most true appeal of bravely default to me.

BRAVELY SECOND EXISTS I GUESS So bravely second, a direct sequel to bravely default, definitely is a video game. It uses the original game as a base to generate more content, but completely misses the appeal of the original, and the new content added makes the experience even less focused. Overall, it's still a fairly alright RPG, but it fails to follow up on bravely default in a meaningful way or to provide as compelling of a gameplay experience. Here's some of the things it fucked up.

The game reuses almost everything the original game had, including the same music, world map, and most of the original's towns and dungeons, while adding a few of it's own. Going through areas you've been before never feels good, and the new areas lack the quality or brevity of the original game, leading to uninteresting areas that overstay their welcome, despite being the only break from repetitively reused content.

This extends to the classes but in an even worse sense. One important trait of the original jobs is that they were not perfect by themselves. While every job provided some useful abilities to be shared with other classes, or provided a good base with which to make a character, no class was without flaws. The new classes in bravely second are a lot of the opposite, they are closed loops that think of everything they could have to make a good standalone character. The 4 starter classes you get in bravely second are all brand new, and there's almost no reason to use any class besides those 4 as they are just insanely good. The priest and magician specifically augment magic in a way that makes spells infinity scalable into the end game, completely trampling on any other magic classes territory without needing the extra effort of grinding a new class out. Many of the new job concepts are actually really interesting, like going back in time to return to a healthier state, or a class that changes the stats and attributes of all units in a battle, allowing for all new kinds of strategies; but these classes lack any opportunity to be used to their full potential since they don't mesh well with other jobs and are limited by their self-centered design.

Another completely missed aspect of the original is the level curve discussed before. Bravely second only really requires you get somewhere in the ballpark of level 60-70 to comfortably beat the final boss, and getting too leveled up is really hard to avoid if you are plan to try out various jobs.

Second also fails to account for how many incredibly strong strategies the player can come up with, and even introduces some of its own strategies that it has no way to counteract, such as halfsies (the first skill the first class gets) pretty much splitting the game in two by tripling the value of items like phoenix downs, and allowing for fool-proof strategies by making 1 character focus entirely on defense, effectively making the party unkillable. Essentially, if you play second after having played the original (like any sane person would) then you will absolutely destroy the game with no sense of satisfaction.

The story is also a large step down, enough to become an annoyance, as the writing style changes to a strange romantic comedy situation with, for lack of a better term please forgive my sin, anime writing, but like bad anime writing, ya know the kind of shit that makes people write off all anime cus a lot of it is awkward and unpleasant to listen to. The story tries to mess with some big concepts like "what if new game + was a real thing???" and time travel and shit like that but it doesn't mesh with the tone the rest of the game has and that tone doesn't mesh with the world or art style and it's just a mess.

BRAVELY DEFAULT 2 SEEMS KINDA POOPIE SO FAR So unfortunately, the big appeal of bravely default being part of it's end game makes it hard to judge how 2 is gonna go given we only have a demo of the beginning, but given that the original team behind bravely default has slowly been stripped out of the series as it goes on, the outlook is bleek.

Most immediately obvious is that the artstyle has made a horrible transition from handheld to console, somehow even worse than pokemon. The areas are all fully 3d and lack the style or compositional excellence of bravely default, and the outside environment look like asset store products. The small proportioned characters with simple features to be readable on a small screen have been replaced with identically proportioned characters with excessive detail and ugly features, and look horrible up close on a big screen. Only the negatives of the art style have made it over, and everything good has been made unsavory. The character and enemy design overall is much worse as a result, everything is messy, unclear, and clashes with everything else. It's an absolutely shocking downgrade.

The characters themselves are overly hammy and feel like shallow attempts to have a similar party dynamic to the original without having identical character types, and the writing as a whole doesn't seem to have improved from second, which was already quite a step down from the original.

The gameplay also has not done anything different or interesting yet, and seems to be selling itself to people haven't heard of or gotten enough of the BP system. Enemies being on the overworld as opposed to random encounters shows they have dropped the player agency over encounter frequency, which is dumb. The battles lack any of the flow the original had, especially when using the battle speed option, as the camera does not present everything very well and changes position often as a result. Overall, I have not enjoyed the bravely default 2 demo and feel it shows nothing but a continued decline in the series that likely should have just been a single game. With the release date being set for sometime this year, I feel there is no chance any amount of player feedback could save the game or even begin to pull it in the right direction, as it seems to be fundamentally flawed with an inescapable feeling of shovelware.

SO WHAT? Basically, all I wanted to say here is that the original bravely default is a very unique experience I think every RPG fan should give a good chance (and just do all the optional stuff during the "repetitive" part of the game, it's where all the best content is you bozo) and that the sequels are NOT the same experience. I guess it's kind of mean to just say "hey don't buy or like this new thing cus its not like the old thing" but people should know why there's a bravely default 2 in the first place, and should fight for what made the original great. I worry that BD goes down the same sad path that FF did, becoming a completely hollow, middling series that strayed so far from it's home that a whole new series had to be made to give the fans of the old style a place to go.

Thanks for reading, and hope you got something out of it.

#bravely default #bravely series #bravely default 2 #juvenile rant #vote now for the next rant! including things such as The Great Ace Attorney and why it's kino #or why i think arms is a really well designed game even tho i'm fucking shit at it #very exciting topics indeed #or ya know whatever other shit you think i have a lot to say about

[curiosity-killed]

a bow for the bad decisions: 22

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(on ao3)

“The Headshaker?” Wei Wuxian echoes, baffled. Lan Jingyi stifles a laugh, poorly, and Lan Zhan’s eyes narrow a little bit. Shaking his head, Wei Wuxian struggles to imagine Nie Huaisang as sect leader. It’s never a role he would have pictured – Chifeng-zun cast a broad shadow — but if he had, he would have thought Nie Huaisang would surprise people with his capability. He’s always been clever, even if he mostly used that for art and mischief. “Still, I don’t understand how Chifeng-zun could have died without a clear account,” Wei Wuxian says. Lan Zhan’s gaze dips down, a flicker of frustration. Wei Wuxian frowns: so he’s not satisfied with the story of Nie Mingjue’s death either. “I did not witness it,” he says. “Jin Guangyao reported that his cultivation went awry and he suffered qi deviation.”

“They say he attacked Nie-zongzhu!” Lan Jingyi pipes in. That earns him a sharp look from Lan Zhan, and Wei Wuxian cuts in with a grin. “Ay, Lan Zhan, it’s not gossip,” he says sincerely. “He’s filling me in on important information.” From the narrow-eyed look Lan Zhan gives him, it’s as flimsy an excuse as Wei Wuxian intended. Still, he only closes his eyes briefly and looks away, the closest he gets to a proper eyeroll. Triumphant, Wei Wuxian smiles a little more honestly. “Chifeng-zun was always so protective of Nie Huaisang,” he muses, brushing a leaf out of his face. There had been times Nie Mingjue almost reminded him of Jiang Cheng, the way they showed their affection with gruff worry and demands. “Wen-daifu says qi deviation and resentment can cause changes in personality and hallucinations,” Lan Sizhui offers. “Perhaps Chifeng-zun was affected.” A shiver crawls under Wei Wuxian’s skin and he carefully does not look at Lan Zhan. He hasn’t asked yet, can’t make himself bring it up. He tried to remember, forced himself to scrounge back through his patchy memories, but it only ended with him hunched over his knees, gasping for breath and trying not to tear his own hair out. “Ah you’ve met Wen Qing?” he asks instead, leaning back to look at the juniors. “Mn!” Lan Sizhui nods once, emphatic. “Wen-daifu often provides a guest lecture during the winter medical conference. She is very skilled.” He adds the last a little shyly, like it might be breaking the Lan principle against gossip to praise the greatest physician in generations. Wei Wuxian grins at it. As upside down as the world feels, it’s good to hear Wen Qing recognized for her skill. She always deserved more than being stuck in the grave dirt with him. “Sizhui’s one of her best students,” Lan Jingyi boasts, knocking his shoulder into Lan Sizhui’s arm. “He’s even been helping out the healers in Cloud Recesses.” “Jingyi,” Lan Sizhui hisses, cheeks pinking. Glancing at Lan Zhan, Wei Wuxian finds him already watching him. There’s a curious look in his eyes, one he can’t quite read — something like pride, something like a question. He cants his head, parting his lips to ask, when barks ring out from too close. He jumps, flinches behind Lan Zhan before he’s thought. Cold races up his arms, lungs stuttering in his chest. “Dog!” he yelps. It’s too close, it’s going to catch up, going to sink its teeth in and tear— “That’s Jin Ling’s spiritual dog, isn’t it?” Lan Jingyi asks. “Sizhui, Jingyi, follow it,” Lan Zhan orders evenly. “Do not take unnecessary risks.” His fingers are knotted into Lan Zhan’s sleeves, whole body tight like a bowstring stretched to its limit. Even when the boys have raced off, there’s a moment before Lan Zhan turns his head to look at Wei Wuxian. “Wei Ying,” he says gently. “There are no dogs here.” There aren’t. Technically. The barking has receded, faded out of hearing. Swallowing, Wei Wuxian forces his hands to unclench and steps to the side. He pushes his hair out of his face and carefully does not look as Lan Zhan shifts to face him, mortified. It’s one thing to make a fool of himself intentionally, but this isn’t a performance, isn’t a joke. It’s a horrible reflex that he can’t control, no matter how stupid it is. “Ah don’t look at me like that,” he says, shoulders hitching up at Lan Zhan’s steady gaze. “Why are you afraid of dogs?” Lan Zhan asks and Wei Wuxian wants to curl up inside himself until he disappears. Brushing nonexistent dirt off his hands, Wei Wuxian studiously avoids Lan Zhan’s gaze. After a long moment’s wait, Lan Zhan seems to give up and start forward again. Guilt curls up Wei Wuxian’s stomach at this resignation, and he tilts his head back in frustration before catching up to him. “Alright, Lan Zhan, I’ll tell you,” he grumbles. Lan Zhan glances at him sideways, and he wrinkles his nose. “It’s just that, after my parents died, I was on the streets for a while and often fought with dogs for food.” Lan Zhan inhales sharply, shoulders stiffening in his periphery, and Wei Wuxian feels a hint of pity. Of course Lan Zhan wouldn’t have suspected: for as strong as he is and as much as he’s been through, he was raised as the second young master of a noble clan. He probably only ever saw dogs from a distance and never had to worry where or when he’d get his next meal. “I didn’t know,” he says. Waving it off, Wei Wuxian tries to shrug away from the discomfort. There’s no reason for him to know; few outside of the Jiangs knew anything except that he’d been adopted as a ward when he was young. “It doesn’t matter,” he says. “After Uncle Jiang found me, Jiang Cheng and shijie would chase off any dogs when we were kids.” It’s easier to talk about it when they were children, as if he wasn’t just cowering behind Lan Zhan from a dog not even in view. There’s a flicker, like the world shuddering in front of them, and Wei Wuxian winces, recoiling. When he studies the space before them, he can feel the very edges of the array brush against his senses. “Maze array,” Lan Zhan says, studying the same boundary. Wei Wuxian hums in agreement, frowning. “Someone really doesn’t want us up here.” He keeps close to Lan Zhan as they cut up through the maze. Voices call out, garbled and indistinct, shrieks of terror mingling with cries of rage. “Hey, Lan Zhan, remember that time we were hunting the Dire Owl in a maze array?” he asks cheerfully. The look Lan Zhan shoots him is deeply familiar: a hint of exasperation over a deep well of confusion. When they first met, it had been a lot more irritated, but now Wei Wuxian likes to think it’s Lan Zhan trying to puzzle him out. There really isn’t much to puzzle out in the first place, but Wei Wuxian has always kind of liked all the focus Lan Zhan gives him anyway, like he’s a question whose answer really matters. Anyway, it’s not like this was such a big jump to make. How many other times have they been in a maze array together? It’s a fond memory, old bruises and all: standing back to back with all their senses honed, their spiritual energy echoing each other’s like the roar of waves breaking against steady stone cliffs. He hums a little at the thought, the just-out-of-reach sensation of finding his equal, hearing his own melody sung back to him in a new key. They step at last into a clearing, an overgrown break in the forest dotted with stone mounds. His eyebrows twitch up in surprise; he’d half-expected the stone castles to just be a story after all. “Someone has been here,” Lan Zhan says, and Wei Wuxian follows his gaze to a crude hole burst through the nearest castle. Stepping close, Lan Zhan runs his fingertips lightly over the broken stone and frowns. “This was made by a spiritual weapon,” he says. Wei Wuxian’s stomach sinks. Jin Ling’s dog and now this? He has an idea just which spiritual weapon was used. Lan Zhan unsheathes Bichen as they enter, just enough to let soft blue light illuminate the gloom around them. The screams start immediately. “Ah!” Wei Wuxian flinches back, both hands flying up to press over his ears. “It’s so loud.” Even Lan Zhan’s expression is pinched, the resentment strong enough to nip at him through the protective wards in his outer robe and the shield of his own spiritual energy. They press forward to the edge of a platform and an ornate coffin centered on it. It’s sealed, and Wei Wuxian calls up a thin thread of resentment, shaping the spell in his hand before kicking the heel of his palm into the edge. Groaning, the lid slides half-open, and Lan Zhan shifts closer so that Bichen’s light falls into its shadows. “Well,” he says, leaning back and resting his hands on his hips, “that’s the first time I’ve seen a coffin for a blade.” He’s seen plenty of other strange things in graves, that first time in the Burial Mounds, while he was searching for anything to keep himself alive. Half-rotted letters, corpses with too many limbs, rats that scrambled over each other and coalesced into something monstrous and starved. Still, a coffin specifically for a blade is new. Passing through the stone castle, they find only more blade coffins, each carefully tended and clearly not meant for a human body. Finally, Lan Zhan pulls out his guqin and sets it on top of the last. Wei Wuxian leans his hip against it, watching as Lan Zhan’s slender hands pluck out the familiar notes of Inquiry. He can feel the moment the spirit arrives, small and bright, and he straightens eagerly. “What did it say?” he asks. “I do not know.” Wei Wuxian blinks. He doesn’t know that much about the Lan style of associating with spirits, but Lan Zhan does. Can the spirit be using some foreign form of qin language? Surely Lan Zhan would know that; he’s made such a study of the guqin since he was young. “It said, ‘I do not know’,” Lan Zhan says, and Wei Wuxian could almost swear there was amusement in his voice. Huffing, Wei Wuxian crosses his arms. “Alright, then ask if it was a man or woman. It must know that,” he suggests. He’s not sure if he’s proud or baffled by Lan Zhan learning how to tease. A single note rings back, and Lan Zhan nods slightly. “Male.” “Finally,” Wei Wuxian groans. “Ask if he saw a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old boy come here.” A cascade of notes from Lan Zhan’s hands, then a single, ringing reply. “Yes.” “Where is he now?” “Right here.” Straightening in surprise, Wei Wuxian twists to look at Lan Zhan, but there’s no teasing in his expression. His brow has furrowed slightly, eyes narrowed in thought. “We searched everywhere here,” Wei Wuxian points out. “Are you sure he’s not lying?” “I am here,” Lan Zhan points out, a little cross. “He can’t lie.” Right, right. He gives Lan Zhan an apologetic grin, which is mostly ignored as Lan Zhan turns back to the guqin and plays a new series. Wei Wuxian tilts his head and waits as the spirit pings back an answer. “Stand where you are, face southwest, and listen to the notes,” Lan Zhan says after the qin’s gone quiet. “Walk one step forward for each note played. When they stop, he will be before you.” Falling quiet, Wei Wuxian listens as twenty steps are played before silence settles in and he finds himself staring at bricks. “Here?” he demands. He’s in the wall?! Bichen’s glare cuts the air before him, slicing into the stone till they start to crumble and give way. He and Lan Zhan tug away the rest of the bricks, knocking them haphazardly to the floor and digging into the dirt beneath until sun-kissed skin and dark hair are revealed. “Jin Ling? Jin Ling!” he calls, fear jolting through his chest at the stillness of his face. The last stones fall away and Jin Ling sways forward abruptly, coughing as if his lungs have forgotten how air feels. Wei Wuxian catches him, frantic hands catching under his arms. “You’re alive, you’re alive,” he murmurs, brushing the dirt from his face and steadying him. “His soul was leaving his body,” Lan Zhan says, eyes worried even if his tone is even. Wei Wuxian swallows hard, adrenaline still shivering up through his veins. If they’d taken any longer, Jin Ling would have suffocated. His hands tighten involuntarily around him, as if trying to protect him now that the danger has passed. There’s a cracking noise as they start to shift him, the familiar sound of bone breaking. Lan Zhan takes Jin Ling’s weight as Wei Wuxian cranes his neck to spot a skeletal arm falling forward from the wall, its hand still gripping the back of Jin Ling’s robes. Stepping forward, Wei Wuxian carefully knocks the soil away. Oh, he thinks with a jolt as his fingers brush bone. It’s been a while since he dug any bodies out of the dirt, but the sensation never really fades. He takes a step back, fingers curling into his palms. “Ah,” he says, “the walls are full of corpses.” A surge of resentment rushes up from the seams of the walls, knocking into him with the force of a wave. Flinching back, Wei Wuxian presses his palm against his ear and cringes away from the shrieking tide. “Something is happening outside,” Lan Zhan says. “Better check it out,” Wei Wuxian says, forcing a grin through the ringing in his ears and looping Jin Ling’s arm over his shoulders. There’s a flash of movement as they duck outside, the flurry of someone dashing off into the woods. Lan Zhan starts forward only to stop, as if tugged back. “Lan Zhan, go catch him!” Wei Wuxian says. He turns back, gaze flicking from Jin Ling to Wei Wuxian. “You and Jin Ling—” “I’ll take care of him; you go,” Wei Wuxian insists. “That bridge when you first enter the town, we can meet there.” Still, Lan Zhan hesitates, and Wei Wuxian huffs out a breath. “Go on, he’s going to get away,” he says. “I will be there.” Finally, a nod. Lan Zhan turns, springing away like an arrow shot from a bow. Wei Wuxian watches for a moment, some funny flicker in his belly, before he shakes himself and hoists Jin Ling a little more securely in his arms. Back when he was only a little older than Jin Ling, he could’ve lifted Lan Zhan as easy as anything and toted him around. Now, he stumbles a little with Jin Ling’s dead weight slumped against him and only gets twenty paces into the woods before he stops with a scowl and lowers the boy to lean against a tree’s sturdy trunk. “Jin Ling, never take thirteen years off training,” he huffs as he crouches down beside him and checks his wrist. “It’s a terrible plan. Everything is so much more difficult now.” His pulse is fast but steady enough, his spiritual energy still strong enough Wei Wuxian can feel it even if he can’t tell what state it’s in. He has a brief moment of wishing Wen Qing were here, to check Jin Ling over properly and let Wei Wuxian know he’d be alright. The haphazard field medicine all disciples were taught is a lot less helpful when he has no way to use spiritual energy. Jin Ling frowns and groans, twisting against the tree and nearly slipping to the ground. Catching him, Wei Wuxian frowns. He can’t check Jin Ling’s spiritual energy, but no one can read resentment better than him. Something from that place still has its claws in his little nephew. He follows the thread down to Jin Ling’s right ankle, where a blackened handprint stains his pant leg. Tugging it up, he hisses out a pained breath at the curse mark wrapping across his skin. Jin Ling moans, shaking his head against the dirt. “No, no, stop,” he whimpers. Wei Wuxian’s heart seizes in his chest. Curse marks like this can cause hallucinations, awful visions to lure in and trap their victims so that they’re that much easier to catch. He can’t remove it completely, but he can get it off Jin Ling at least. It’s a little like Empathy, only with malignant resentful energy instead of an unrestful spirit. Closing his eyes, he sets two fingertips against the curse mark and holds the other hand steady over his own middle dantian. The first part is simple enough: create a bridge, opening up enough space that the victim can be drawn out of the trap. He breathes in and sinks under. “Loser! Loser!” “Stop that! Why did you hit me?” Three little kids in golden robes, the third shorter and smaller than the others. They’re laughing, goading, as they shove him. A candy stick hangs from one tiny fist, dots of red gleaming like candied blood in the sunlight. “Your dad is useless! He can’t even use his sword. How can he be sect leader?” “Shut up!” “No one wanted your mom! She’s just as useless as your father! Your whole family’s mediocre!” “Shut up! Shut up!” He flings the candy, a short arc that sees it clattering to the wooden dock, cracking and rolling across the planks. One bead rolls to a stop against Wei Wuxian’s shoe, still shining even with a deep split gouged out of it. Swallowing, he lifts his gaze to the child left behind, sobbing into his sleeve. “Jin Ling,” he realizes in dawning grief. He did this. He’s the one who took away Jin Zixuan’s cultivation. Little Jin Ling, surely no more than four, turns and tears off down the dock. Caught along in his memory, Wei Wuxian is pulled to his destination. They’re in Lanling, though he doesn’t recognize this series of docks and pavilions. It almost feels like Lotus Pier, if it weren’t for the salt in the air and all the gold. Jin Ling’s hunched over in a pavilion hung with gold and lavender, crying into his knees. He twists around at the sound of Wei Wuxian’s steps, eyes big and red with tears. “Who’re you?” he demands. Wei Wuxian hesitates a moment, folding down to kneel beside Jin Ling. He’s wearing different robes than he is in the waking world, and he smooths his hands over the lotuses blooming in the deep teal as he tries to decide how to respond. They seem familiar, and he thumbs the embroidery a moment before it clicks. Right. They’re the robes he was wearing when he died. “I’m your da-jiujiu,” he says, swallowing around the knot in his throat. Jin Ling won’t remember this when he wakes, or at least he won’t remember more than feverish fragments. “My da-jiujiu?” Jin Ling exclaims. He shifts forward on his knees, reaching out to tug on the hem of Wei Wuxian’s robes as his eyes go wide. “Do you know my mother and father?” he demands. “Mhm,” Wei Wuxian hums, his smile a little strained. Jin Ling’s excitement fades into a frown, his shoulders hunching up as his gaze falls. His hand tightens around the edge of Wei Wuxian’s skirt, squeezing it till his knuckles turn white. “They said my mother is a bad person,” he says quietly, “and that Father is useless.” An old ache twists in Wei Wuxian’s chest, a hand beneath his ribcage giving a good hard squeeze. He reaches out a hand and smooths Jin Ling’s mussed hair back. “Jin Ling, don’t listen to them,” he says. “Your mother is a good person. She’s kind and strong.” “And my father?” All the old words Wei Wuxian would have used to describe Jin Zixuan tangle and stick in his throat, and he has to swallow down the thorns. He turns to let his gaze fall on the wall a few meters from the pavilion’s edge. They must be in the back quarters of Jinlintai, facing the coast. “Your father is a good person, too,” he says. “He doesn’t need a sword to be brave.” The tricky part of this process is in forging a strong enough bridge to lure the victim out of the trap without getting sucked too far in. It’s walking backwards along a thin rope strung high over a gorge. He blinks, and Lanling is gone. Clear water ripples away from his ankles, and when he breathes in, the scent of lotuses floods him. Jerking upright, Wei Wuxian exhales a ragged sob. He’s home. He’s home. Lotuses dot the water as far as his eye can see, but he knows if were to run forward, the docks would be waiting for him and on them shijie and Jiang Cheng and Uncle Jiang all together. Tears burn his eyes, and his breaths come in gasps. He’s home he’s home — it’s been so long, and he’s finally home. “A-Xian.” He twists, searching for that familiar voice. “Shijie?” he calls. “Shijie where are you?” “A-Xian, look.” He turns around and there. Shijie stands side by side with Jiang Cheng, little a-Ling cradled in her arms. Behind them, Uncle Jiang watches with a warm smile. Wei Wuxian trembles, his breath giving out in painful relief. “Shijie,” he says. “Jiang Cheng. Uncle Jiang.” Tears catch on the edges of his smile, sting against his lips as he reaches out. They’re all here. They’re here, together — home at last. He takes a shaking step forward, his hand outstretched. Only— Only why is there blood on his hand? It drips, thick and viscous, carving a scarlet trail between his knuckles. He stares, shaking his head. No, no this isn’t right. They’re home. They’re safe. They’re not— A drop falls, plummets into the water and the lake turns crimson, the color of broken candy in the sun, the color of blood on lips. Under the ripples, he can see bodies floating. “No,” he says. “No, no—” He takes a step backwards, tries to escape this horrible vermillion sky, and slips on Madam Yu’s broken body. Gagging, he jerks away — but Jin Zixuan is falling, a hole through his chest, his eyes wide and horrified. He makes no sound, but Wei Wuxian recognizes the name in his mouth. The lotuses have withered, bruised petals stained with the blood from his hands. Long strands drip off their broken blooms, like paint in a careless child’s hands. “A-Xian?” Shijie’s voice is terrified and broken, and his fist juts red through her chest. He can feel her heart beat in his bloody palm. Her eyes are so kind as she reaches up, a shaking hand cradling his cheek. “A-Xian, why would you do this?” she whispers. “Why did you hurt us?” Her hand slips, limp, and leaves a streak of her own blood on his cheek. He shakes his head, her body too-light in his arms. “No,” he whimpers. “No, I never— I didn’t— No!” Resentment swells, surges through him, rushes up like a crimson spout. He screams, and it bursts, breaks, shakes the world to shivering fragments. “Da-jiujiu?” A tiny hand slides around his finger. He’s standing. The scent of lotuses is sweet on his lips. Little a-Ling, little Jin Ling, the child conjured by this hallucination, stares up at him with wide eyes. “Da-jiujiu?” he asks again. “Can we go home? I’m scared.” No, Wei Wuxian sobs. He summons a shaking smile. “Don’t be afraid, a-Ling,” he says, taking his hand. “I’ll keep you safe. I promise.” The connection breaks with a jolt, and Wei Wuxian opens his eyes to a darkening forest and heavy, sullen air. Jin Ling lies before him, his brow unwrinkled. Already, he can feel the mark gnawing at his own shin, but it’s nothing worse than what he’s handled before. He’s the scariest monster in this forest. Reaching his hand over, he checks Jin Ling’s wrist and finds his pulse settling into a resting beat. Good. Smiling a little in tired satisfaction, he reaches over for Jin Ling’s other arm to heave him up onto his own shoulders and stops short. There’s a familiar pull there, the hum of his own work. Frowning, he pushes back the hem of his sleeve. Underneath, dark lotus seed beads ring his wrist, singing with the wards carved painstakingly into their shiny surface. “Ungh—ah! What are you— Let go of that!” Jin Ling flings himself into wakefulness, nearly smacking Wei Wuxian in the face as he shoves away and throws himself onto his feet. Wei Wuxian stands slowly, blinking back his surprise. “Why, is it special?” he can’t help asking. Cradling his wrist to his chest, Jin Ling shoots him a venomous glare. “Shut up. It’s from my da-jiujiu,” he snaps. He swallows, a funny look crossing his face before he straightens up and lifts his chin. “Not that you’d know anything about uncles.” Well, he’s right about that. Wei Wuxian has never known if his father left any family behind; Uncle Jiang got such a pained look on his face at the mention of his parents that Wei Wuxian learned young to stop asking. As for his mother — well, maybe he’ll run into his shishu one more time. He still has so many questions. “Where’s Fairy? What’d you do with her?” Jin Ling demands. Wei Wuxian flinches, jumping at the thought of the dog. The Lan juniors were supposed to find it, weren’t they? He glances over his shoulder with the sudden fear that it’s been standing behind him all this while. “Ugh, you’re such a loser,” Jin Ling gripes. “Fairy only bites evil creatures, not people. She’s very well trained.” He pinches the bridge of his nose in a comically long-suffering expression and huffs out a sigh. Turning away from Wei Wuxian, he waves his hand dismissively. “Well, if Uncle catches you, he’ll kill you for real,” he says. “Conduct yourself better from now on!” Despite turning away, he doesn’t make any move to leave. Wei Wuxian cants his head, wondering what’s delaying him. Jin Ling looks back over his shoulder. “Well? What are you waiting for? I’m not going to thank you even if you did save me,” he says. “I’m not turning you into jiujiu, so we’re even.” Funny, how familiar he is for someone Wei Wuxian has never known. A wry smile quirks his lips. “Jin Ling,” he says, “in this life, there are two things everyone must say: ‘thank you’ and ‘I’m sorry.’” Jin Ling rolls his eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous,” he says. “Why should I have to say those?” “Because someday, you’ll say those words in tears.” Apprehension crosses Jin Ling’s face, and his gaze flits down to Wei Wuxian’s loose hands. “I’m sorry.” Jin Ling frowns, apprehension turned to suspicion. “For what I said to you and your sister at Dafan Mountain,” Wei Wuxian continues. “I’m sorry I said those things.” Crossing his arms, Jin Ling huffs and looks away. “Whatever. It’s not like you’re the first to say it,” he says. “I know I’m brash and disrespectful. But I’m going to be better than any of them. A-Mu and I are going to be the prides of Lanling, no matter what other people say.” Fondness aches deep beneath his ribs, the memory of similar words from a foolish boy’s mouth. Who cares what they say. He swallows down the knot in his throat. He still has work to do today. Widening his eyes, he gasps. “Ah, Hanguang-jun!” he cries and Jin Ling yelps and bolts. He disappears in a flurry of gold, and Wei Wuxian straightens with a snort. He’s going to have to grow up before he can run off on any grand heroics. A jolt of pain splinters up his leg and he hisses, low. It’s fine. He’s conscious, he has it contained. He pushes it out of his mind and reaches for his dizi. He’s got to be quick. Only a few bars in, there’s the clanking of heavy chains and the slow shuffle of steps through the underbrush. His stomach turns over as he takes in Wen Ning’s appearance, the binding chains and glassy black eyes. His hair hangs tangled and knotted, the way it never did after he awoke. “Wen Ning,” he breathes, stopping before him, “what have they done to you?” He doesn’t answer, just stares back with blank eyes. Frowning, Wei Wuxian sets his hands on his hips and surveys him. “Stand straight,” he orders. “Hand.” Shuffling to attention, Wen Ning offers out his hand. The shackles are heavy but not imbued with spiritual or resentful energy. They’re nothing Wen Ning couldn’t tear off himself if he so chose. Something’s stopping him from having the choice. Releasing his wrist, Wei Wuxian walks in a careful circuit around him before stopping short. There. The nails are thick and brutal, and he digs his fingers in to tug them out of Wen Ning’s skull. Wen Ning screams in pain and makes no move to stop him. When they come loose with one last yank, he slumps forward with a whimper. Wei Wuxian turns the nails over, thumbing Wen Ning’s tacky blood off the spells engraved in their surface. It’s a familiar metal, singing under his hands a song he knows better than anyone. Swallowing, he closes his hand around them and steps back to Wen Ning’s front. His other hand brushes, light, against the back of his elbow. “Wen Ning?” Wen Ning blinks, eyelids fluttering over familiar brown eyes, and relief sags through Wei Wuxian. “Wei-gongzi,” Wen Ning rasps. “How do you feel?” Wei Wuxian asks, giving his arm a little squeeze. It’ll take a little while for his consciousness to fully return, but simple questions should help. He thinks. For all the thousands of corpses he’s raised, Wen Ning is the only one whose consciousness he’s tried to return. “Ng.” He swallows. “Stiff.” From someone else, it might be a joke, but Wei Wuxian recognizes Wen Ning’s brand of honesty. He makes a sympathetic noise and pats his shoulder. “What do you remember?” he asks. Wen Ning hasn’t been returned to himself long enough to be able to frown again, but there’s the slightest tightening around his eyes like he would be if his skin weren’t still so stiff. He gives a jerky shake of his head, and Wei Wuxian pats his arm. “That’s alright,” he says. “It’ll come back. We should get these chains off you, though.” Blinking once, Wen Ning looks down at the chains as if seeing them for the first time. His hands come up slowly, still stiff, and close around the bands over his chest. One tug and the links stretch and bend. Another and they snap, falling to the ground like a snake shedding its skin. He repeats the gesture with the links at his wrists, leaving only a short tail dangling from the manacles. “We’ll need a sword to cut those,” Wei Wuxian muses. He rubs the side of his nose, thinking. “I need to find Lan Zhan before he comes looking for me,” he says, dropping his hands. “He always goes to sleep so early, I’ll see if I can borrow Bichen some night and cut the chains, alright? Until then, you need to stay safe and stay hidden. Okay?” Wen Ning gives a slow nod. Looking at him, Wei Wuxian hesitates. He sent Wen Ning away once to keep him safe, and look how badly that failed. “Wei-gongzi,” Wen Ning says. “It’s. Alright.” He can’t smile, but he gives a stiff nod. Wei Wuxian echoes the gesture absently. “Yeah. Alright. Be safe,” he says. Wen Ning nods before turning and vanishing into the woods, and Wei Wuxian starts the slow trek back to town. It’s fully night by the time he gets there, and Lan Zhan is a moonbeam on the bridge. He stops short a moment, breath caught by his soft incandescence. Moonlight falls gentle over the lines of his face, tilted contemplatively toward the stars, and the stark white of his robes. Wei Wuxian’s heart gives a wild thud against the backs of his ribs. As he steps close, Lan Zhan turns to face him, and relief softens the line of his brows. Oh, Lan Zhan, Wei Wuxian thinks a little helplessly, and of course it’s then that the curse mark acts up, biting down on his calf like a tiger’s fangs tearing in. “Ah!” he yelps, stumbling. “Wei Ying!” Lan Zhan catches him, a hand on either arm, and his eyes wide with alarm. Easing them both to the ground, he shifts Wei Wuxian so he can reach down and tug up the hem of his pant leg. “Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian yelps. “What are you— We are in public, Lan Zhan! How are you so shameless?” His cheeks are burning and he does not understand how Lan Zhan of all people is calmly disrobing him in the middle of the street. Or — well, maybe ‘calmly’ is the wrong word. His face is more pinched than Wei Wuxian’s seen it since Indoctrination, and he closes his eyes to draw in a steadying breath. “I was only gone for a few hours,” he mutters, aggrieved. “A few hours is a lot, Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian retorts, crossing his arms. “I could fly all the way to Lotus Pier in a few hours!” Lan Zhan’s hand falls still on Wei Wuxian’s ankle, and he freezes as he realizes what he’s said. Looking away, he swallows. “Well. You could fly to Lotus Pier in a few hours,” he amends quietly. Sighing, Lan Zhan takes hold of his wrist and tugs. “Could not,” he says as he pulls Wei Wuxian up. “I am not permitted.” “Eh?” Wei Wuxian gapes at the idea, and Lan Zhan takes the opportunity to loop his arms around his own neck, hoisting him up onto his back. Wei Wuxian shrieks, startled, and tries to pull away only to find his wrists firmly held. “Lan Zhan! Lan Zhan put me down! You can’t carry me like this,” he protests. “You cannot walk,” Lan Zhan replies evenly. “So I will carry you.” “I— I can walk! I walked here,” Wei Wuxian points out. That doesn’t seem the convincing argument he’d hoped, as Lan Zhan simply starts walking without setting him down. “You offered to carry me once,” Lan Zhan says. “How is it different?” It’s different in a thousand ways, starting with the fact that Wei Wuxian doesn’t actually remember offering that and ending with the fact that it’s Lan Zhan and he shouldn’t have to carry Wei Wuxian around. Lan Zhan exhales. “It is not shameful to accept help,” he says. It feels like a trap, though he’s not sure how. Heaving an expansive sigh, he settles in and rests his chin on Lan Zhan’s shoulder. He is tired, though it’s not really from the walk. “Where’d your juniors get to, Lan Zhan?” he asks. “They have gone to reserve rooms,” he says. “They returned Jin Ling’s spiritual hound to him earlier.” Humming in acknowledgment, Wei Wuxian shifts so that his arms are more comfortable over Lan Zhan’s shoulders and not likely to choke him. He still feels ridiculous but it’s kind of nice. Lan Zhan is warm and solid beneath him, a hand keeping his leg steady even though Wei Wuxian’s perfectly capable of doing that at least. “Hey, Lan Zhan,” he asks, leaning his jaw a little more against his shoulder, “how’d you recognize me on Dafan Mountain?” He’d thought the mask and false name and general fact he’d been very dead for years was a pretty good cover. Lan Zhan slants a look down at him and maybe he’s still annoyed after all. “How is your memory so bad?” he rejoins. “I wish my memory were so bad,” Wei Wuxian grumbles. If his memory were as terrible as everyone thinks, he’d probably sleep better. He’s pretty sure you can’t have nightmares if you don’t have any memories. They arrive at the inn, and Lan Zhan sets him down outside an upper room’s door long enough for him to tie on the stupid uncomfortable mask. Sliding the door open, they’re immediately greeted with a familiar shriek. “Ah! Hanguang-jun, I don’t know!” Nie Huaisang wails. “I don’t — I—” He stops short, long enough to stare between the two of them as his eyebrows creep together and then up. “I…really don’t know.”

#mdzs #cql #the untamed #untamed fic #my writing

[jadekitty777]

See You Heal

Hey everyone, long time no update, right? Aha!

Alright time for something a little different but still sweet. This entry is a work entirely inspired by @ladyrobiness‘ beautiful Slow Sunrise series. I woke up one morning and the idea just hit me like a truck and well... I had to write it out.

This is a continuation to that series so, reading it first is absolutely required. But why wouldn’t you? It’s a beautiful Fix-It fic with lots of tender moments of healing for Qrow and Clover both along with them just falling in love like the adorable dorks they are <333

Here are the Ao3 links to both:

Robiness’ Story: Slow Sunrise series

My Story: See You Heal

It’s also below the cut!

Rating: K+

Pairing: Qrow/Clover

Word Count: 2800

Summary: Qrow knows ignoring the problem only makes it worse. Unfortunately, dealing with it has its own set of problems too.

~

Sometimes, Qrow wished his standard for dealing with shit wasn’t ‘‘Ignore it until it goes away’.

It didn’t work. He knew it didn’t work – and yet sometimes his traitorous brain thought: maybe this time it’ll be different. So, when the issue of Clover not liking anyone at his six came up, like a scroll that had been factory reset, he defaulted. Hoped in the most ironic ways that the problem would just fix itself or at the very least, never become a problem.

That was why, as he gusted through the air trying to spot the nearest nomadic settlement, all he could see instead was Clover’s dismayed expression.

Really, he only had himself to blame.

They’d been traveling through Vacuo’s unforgiving desert for hours. It was a six-day journey to reach Shade Academy, most of which they had to do on foot as no locals at the city border ever escorted anyone across the desert without a price. Though they’d gotten an early start, beginning their trek even before the sun had peaked the horizon, as the day waned the sands around them began to shimmer as the heat rose to unbearable heights. Add onto that an unstable ground that left them all unsteady on their feet, relentless winds that whipped sand along exposed skin and eyes, and the occasional Grimm or wildlife lying in wait for an attack, and it just seemed like a recipe for disaster.

So, when the Sidewinder Grimm leapt from the dunes they were walking across and struck out at Weiss, all but two of them either didn’t react fast enough, or stumbled when they tried. The first of the two that had was Clover, who had his fishing line around Weiss in an instant and yanked her his way. The second was Ruby, who sped above the field like a shot, petals and dust following her wake as she managed to get in the first blow.

Within seconds, the rest of them recovered and suddenly the snake had ten skilled opponents bearing down on it. It certainly wasn’t a long battle, but enough to get the adrenalin going. The kids seemed to take it as they saw it, realizing the threat was over once the smoke cleared. But more veteran huntsmen like himself kept on guard a little longer.

Or like Clover – who wasn’t expecting Jaune to come up behind him and give him a congratulatory pat on the back.

The reaction was instantaneous. Clover yelped as he twisted and swung Kingfisher right at the boy’s head.

The clang of metal hitting metal seemed to echo the world into silence.

Jaune, shield shadowing his face, looked tense and a little frightened.

Clover just looked horrified.

And then he was faltering back, dropping his weapon into the sand. “I’m- I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to- are you okay?!”

“I’m, fine.” Jaune answered a little shakily, trying to laugh it off. “I don’t think now is the time for a training exercise though.”

Clover tried to meet him, but his own chuckle rang hollow. “No. No it’s not.” He ran a hand agitatedly through his hair. “I really am sorry. I, I don’t know what came over me.”

“It’s too hot.” Weiss was the one to offer, turning the attention her way. “I’m having trouble too.”

It sounded logical. Believable. Of course the Atlesians weren’t accustomed to blistering heat like this and would be most likely to succumb to its’ effects.

Only Qrow knew the truth of the matter. Tried not to think how a desert wasn’t so unlike a tundra – open space, unsteady footing, extreme weather.

“We need to get out of this sun.” Blake decided.

Ruby nodded in agreement. “Right. Uncle Qrow, can you scout ahead and see if you can spot something?”

That’s how he ended up in the sky, canting in great big circles like a vulture and looking to every horizon as he tried to make out a camp or an outcropping or a cactus. Anything that might provide shade or water. It took a few cycles, increasing his radius at every turn, before finally managing to see several flutterings in the distance. Upon closer inspection, he knew it was the tarps of caravans, moving southwest. Which meant stable ground and civilization.

He dove back towards the group, morphing just shy of his landing. “Looks like someone’s on the move several miles that way. There’s probably a temporary camp nearby.”

Or if there wasn’t, there would be.

“Right, then let’s move.” Ruby ordered, turning to the robot beside her. “Penny maybe you can try and keep us cool in the meantime?”

“I will give it my best shot!”

Their conversation faded to background noise as his focus instead shifted to Clover who, for the first time since they’d begun traveling together, took lead instead of rear. A silent attempt to rebuild goodwill. But his posture was held straight, an unnatural rigidity to his movements.

Qrow joined him, not quite reaching for his hand, but allowing their knuckles to brush together. The effect was miniscule, but there, just the slightest drop of his shoulders as his face eased into a small, not-quite-there smile.

Okay. He could work with this.

~

It was funny how easy it was to trick a Vacuon when they thought they were the ones playing it. All it took was some altruistic speeches from the kids about wanting to help because that’s what huntsmen did and the words “free of charge” and suddenly they were traveling with a whole parade of people who thought they were getting protection for nothing. Which was mostly true – except of course, now they had a place to stay in and quicker way to the academy.

It also kept them busy, trading off shifts throughout the day to keep watch on their surroundings. Which meant it was almost two days later before he finally had a moment alone with Clover. The wayfarers who they were assisting had a strict habit of bearing down at the hottest part of the day to conserve resources and energy. With JNPR 2.0 on duty and RWBY helping with lunch, Qrow took the opportunity to retire to their makeshift quarters.

As he stepped into the tent, he found his segue into the conversation was going to be more on the nose then he’d planned for.

Clover was seated on one of the various sleeping mats, Harbinger in his lap as he tended to her gears. “Hey.” He greeted. “How’d scouting go?”

“Uh. Fine.”

Seeming to sense his unease, the huntsman paused, looking between him and the weapon. “Oh, sorry! I guess I should do this later.”

“No!” The word burst out of him, startling them both. Qrow cleared his throat, repeating more levelly, “No, it’s fine really. I told you to take care of her.”

To prove his statement, he took the few steps forward to sit directly across from him.

Clover eyed him skeptically for several long moments, perhaps trying to puzzle out if he was trying a backwards form of recovery or just talking big. He seemed to decide the former as he bent back over the sword. “Well, I’m glad you’re here. A lot of grit is getting in-between the gears. But I’m worried about messing up the mechanics.” He offered him a smile. “Harbinger’s really intricate. You did an amazing job.”

“Laying it on a little thick there, aren’t ya Ebi?” He scooted forward just a little, pointing to the correct parts as he spoke. “First loosen the spindle here. Then you can take out the suspension spring and remove this gear.”

They spent the next several minutes just going about the task. Even though he was guiding another’s hands through the motions, the work was so familiar it was relaxing. He even found it possible to keep hold of the small, easily lost pinions as they were removed. All the while, he studied Clover as he worked, the way his brow furrowed with deep concentration or how his strong hands never faltered as he took out each gear with care and reverence. As if the weapon was as cherished as his own.

“Last one.” Qrow announced as the fifth pinion was dropped into his palm.

“You know, before I really was praising you.” The smallest cog came out with a small pop, being added to the growing collection on the cloth Clover had laid out. He finished his statement with a mirthful smile, “But now I’ve determined you went too far.”

He snorted. “Sorry my sword-scythe-shotgun hybrid is a little more complicated than your basic fishing rod.”

He gasped in mock offense. “My darling may not have all your weapon’s fancy little tricks, but it gets the job done with just as much grace.”

“Oh, that’s what you call all that flailing around?”

“Watch it Branwen.”

“What? Am I-” The rest of his words ‘on thin ice’ died in his throat. “Uh-”

This time, Clover misinterpreted his floundering. “What, am I doing it wrong?”

He focused on where the other’s hands were, his own quickly reaching out to catch his, only to abort the motion just as quickly when his fingertips skimmed Harbinger’s surface. That Clover noticed.

He ran the same hand over the back of his neck. “Uh, don’t remove that unless you want her coming apart completely.”

“Alright.” Clover lifted his hand from the center plate obediently. “Are you doing okay or should we stop?”

Dropping the pinions onto the cloth beside the other parts, he tried not to let it feel like too much of a failure. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”

“Why would I be uncomfortable?” He replied with a frown.

Qrow stared. Was he being serious right now? “You’re kidding. If anything you should be more repelled to be holding her than me.”

“But I’m not. I never have been.”

The frustration broke over like a wave so that his next words flooded out like a tide of turbulent emotions, “Why not? You’re the one who got hurt! Why is it so easy for you?!”

No, no. Shut up.

He slouched over, scrabbling hands through his hair, tugging at the ends as if it would ground him back to the present.

This was going all wrong. He wasn’t supposed to be getting angry.

“I-I mean-” He started to say.

Clover cut him off. “Have you ever considered things were different from my perspective?”

He blinked. Looked up. “What?”

The other huntsman’s gaze drifted, falling down to the blade still in his lap. He ran his palm along the surface. “I never saw it. Or if I did, my mind’s blocked it out. I… remember pain. How hard it was to breathe. But as far as anything I saw in that moment? All I can think of is gray. A dark gray, almost black, but kind of green too?”

Qrow frowned, trying to piece that together. Atlas wasn’t exactly known for its abundance of greenery. The only green thing he could think of was Clover’s own pin. Maybe it was just his body going into shock, making him see things that weren’t actually there.

“Either way,” He continued, idly tracing the intricate patterns embedded in the sword’s metal. “What I’m getting at is, the only reason I know this was the weapon that struck me is because I was told it was. To me, it’s kind of removed from the whole event.” His movements stopped, that same dismayed look from several days ago clouding his features. “Instead, I have other problems.”

Seemed like they were going to have that conversation after all. “Like what happened with Jaune.”

“Yeah. I hadn’t meant to attack him. I just thought…” Clover slumped, trailing off.

“That he was someone else. I know.” Qrow said in the space left behind. “Known for awhile, actually. I knew it was an issue, but I hadn’t said anything. Tch. I should of. Maybe then-”

A flick to his forehead had him jerking back.

“Stop.” Clover’s fingers soothed over the spot, sliding down along the contours of his face to cup his jaw. “You’re not responsible for my problems Qrow. It’s my job to acknowledge them and ask for help if I need it.”

There was a lot of things he thought to say, the most prominent being how Clover never seemed to have an issue laser focusing on Qrow’s problems and addressing them (though, to be fair, those results didn’t always pan out) – but what he finally decided on saying was, “Do you need help?”

Teal eyes went wide and he drew back. The look on his face, vulnerable and lost, was heartbreaking. “I, uh. I don’t know.”

“Would you like to try something?” He pressed on gently.

“Like what?”

“An exercise.” He waved towards Harbinger. “Set her aside and take off your shirt – Don’t smile like that, I’m not gonna do anything lecherous.”

Clover laughed. “Ah, there goes all my hopes and dreams.” Still, he did as commanded, laying the blade to his left before peeling off the green shirt he wore.

Qrow managed not to stare at the metal plating built into the center of his chest, stitching his body together like a broken doll. Instead he reached forward, undoing the red bandanna around the man’s arm – one of the only things he’d kept of his old uniform, besides the boots – and tied the cloth around his eyes instead.

“Uh, Qrow?” Now blind, Clover sounded a lot more uncertain.

He ran a hand through short brown locks. “When I used to teach, I would do this with the students.”

“Lot to unpack with that statement.” He was barely containing a laugh.

It was his turn to flick him. “Shut it and listen.” He got to his feet, speaking as he rounded the other. “It was usually for typical stuff. Figuring out what movements they knew by reflex and what they needed to work on. Keeping an ear on their surroundings when their eyes can’t. But sometimes,” He stopped directly behind him. “It was to help break bad habits.”

Clover was already tense. “Really?”

“Ruby’s footwork used to be terrible. Got worse when she discovered her semblance – she was tumbling all over the place. Taking away her sight made her focus harder on every step she made. Made her more aware of everything she was doing.” Qrow reached out, fingertips brushing along the base of Clover’s neck, the skin shuddering under his touch. “That’s what I want you to do. Focus on the way your body reacts and correct it.”

“This… seems a little unconventional.”

He knelt down behind him. “Sometimes it’s the unconventional methods that work. Now,” He laid his palm flat along metalwork layered over his spine, hearing the sharp inhale. “Let’s get started.”

~

Qrow couldn’t say for how long, exactly, the exercise went on for – but it was certainly not as long as he would have kept one of his students at it. Where he’d push them to continue even just a minute longer, he was more willing to pull back with the brunette, knowing this was taking a mental toll along with the physical one. So, when he noticed Clover’s efforts were turning to frustration, he was quick to call for a break, offering that maybe they could finish up with Harbinger in the interim.

Clover, stubborn man he was, didn’t want to quit entirely though.

That was how they ended up sitting back to back as Qrow polished off the gears and pins and Clover set them into place.

Healing takes many forms, Qrow mused as he handed over the third cog and reached for the next, the anxiety he normally felt completely, blissfully absent.

Felt the stretch of muscles against his own as Clover worked, his erratic breathing and shakes having steadied a while ago.

One day, he hoped they could come out of this without their demons controlling them.

Yet, he knew recovery was a difficult, haphazard mess of a journey; so that day was in a future he still couldn’t quite discern, no matter how hard he looked.

Not that he could say he was surprised. His life had never been simple and that track record wasn’t going to let up a four decades’ long streak so easily – but, for once, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

For the one brightness he could see in all this was right behind him.

Qrow slid down, just enough to rest his ear against the metal along Clover’s back, the reassuring thump-thump-thump of his heart a gift he’d never waste.

For it beat with the promise that he was here.

He was alive.

And, Qrow recklessly dared to believe, he was his.

Another gift he’d never waste.

A devotion he’d never dishonor.

A love he’d forever hold onto.

#qrow branwen #clover ebi #fair game #rwby #fanfiction #Chase Firekitten's Tale

[vincent-frankenstein]

different anon, but heck yeah u should definitely infodump about lucid dreaming!! im really interested in it

aaaaa okay !!! uh hold onto ur ears yall im abt to talk em off lmao

so !! if u didnt know, lucid dreaming is basically when you become aware that you’re dreaming while youre in a dream. once you’re aware, you can take control of the dream in literally any way u want — u can do anything, go anywhere, meet anyone, all with the knowledge that nothing can hurt u and nothing can stop u

its a fascinating concept and, the feeling when u actually become lucid for the first time? its better than anything else in the world. its the most invigorating thing u can ever feel, i think. but actually becoming lucid is, ,, , , hm. a time and a half. 

putting the rest under a cut bc, hooooo boy this is gonna get long

first things first! you absolutely have to keep a dream journal. forgetting ur dreams is all well and good when ur not trying to accomplish anything in them, but if you become lucid and then wake up with only the vaguest memory of what you actually did? thats painful.

u can either go all out and get a fancy journal and write them down physically each morning, or u can do what i do and just download an app. i personally use the app Dream Catcher, which lets u tag ur dreams for easy organization. just get in the habit of writing down your dreams every morning, and if you really, really cant remember anything, just write down that you didnt dream anything that day. you’ll train your brain to remember your dreams better

secondly! reality checks! are absolutely imperative! the idea behind them is that, if you do something throughout the day that “proves” your reality, eventually you’ll start doing it in your dreams as well. for example, a common thing in my dreams is that i’ll have extra fingers, so i check my hands a lot throughout the day. 

it can’t just be a casual thing, too. if all you do is glance at your hands and b like “yo looks normal, we gucci”, then you’ll do the same in your dreams even if you have Weird hands. trust me, Dream-You is an idiot, you gotta be obvious with this stuff. take a few moments, look at your hands, count out your fingers, and really think to yourself “am i dreaming?”

try to get in the habit of doing that at least 15 times a day, and eventually you’ll start doing it in your dreams too. 

now, if you just stick with doing those two things — which is what i’m doing right now — your chances of becoming lucid will raise astronomically. even just those two tiny things can train your brain into realizing when the world around you is real and when it isnt. you can also attempt something really easy called a MILD — a mnemonic-induced-lucid-dream — which can help your chances even more without upping the effort 

whenever you go to bed, just take a few moments — even just five minutes can help — and just. lay there. and think to urself, again and again “the next scene will be a dream” or “i will become lucid in my dreams tonight” or something similar. get ur brain really focused on lucid dreaming right before you fall asleep and chances are, those Vibes will bleed over into ur dreams and you’ll become lucid

practice those three things consistently, every day, and pretty soon you’ll start becoming lucid. it takes time, though! dont be discouraged if you end up not becoming lucid for the first few weeks, or even months. sometimes your brain just needs a bit of extra training

that’s what ive been doing for the past year or so — bc damn do i Not have the energy to actually put in too much effort — but!!! there are other techniques!!

my personal favorite is the WBTB, or wake-back-to-bed method. with this technique, you set your alarm for roughly 5-6 hours after you go to sleep so you’ll wake up inside of one of your REM cycles, specifically one where your dreams will be the most vivid. dont do anything, just roll over and go right back to sleep. 

you can even use a MILD along with this, repeat whatever mantra u usually use as you fall back asleep. you should start to see hypnagogic imagery — blobs of color and vague shapes floating before your eyes. just observe them. at one point, they’ll start forming more familiar shapes, and places, and maybe even people — and there should be a moment, a snap, where you go from observing these images to actually being in the scene. you literally build the dream around yourself, its magical

i have read that WBTB can cause sleep paralysis, but i’ve never personally experienced any problems with it, aside from the fact that im always tired the next day.

another thing that could severely increase your chances of being lucid but also involves Effort — meditation. specifically mindfulness meditation. the act of bringing full awareness to your Existence, honing in on just Your body, Your mind, Your breath, will make you a more aware, mindful person, which in turn makes you more perceptive of dream signs. also, the ability to clear your mind and center yourself with a moment’s notice really comes in handy when the dream becomes destabilized and you have to take control

if ur an adhd lad like me — or neurodivergent in any way, really — the idea of meditation can be,,,, terrifying. honestly, i havent meditated in like six months now, because it really wasnt?? doing anything for me?? mostly because im absolutely incapable of sitting still for that long without Something to stimulate me

so! loophole! guided meditations. having someone else guide you through the process can make it a bit easier to focus. just find one that works for u on youtube. there are even guided meditations made specifically to prime ur brain for lucid dreaming!

so thats how you get lucid. now for when youre lucid

at first, lucid dreaming is going to be extremely hard. dreams fall apart very easily — if you get too overexcited or if a dream-character looks at you the wrong way or if you cant seem to do what you want to do, your lucidity can fade and you’ll either go back to being your normal dream self or you’ll wake up. dreams are volatile and hard to control, and even harder to master

thats where meditation comes in handy. youll have a much easier time controlling your dreams if you can look at the world around you, take a breath, center yourself, and know that you can control it. that being said, you can absolutely learn to take control without ever having meditated a day in your life. its all about your mindset!

you have to go into it with confidence. the key to controlling your dreams is knowing that they’re your dreams. you cant forget that you’re in control. thats why i feel like learning to lucid dream doubles as a lesson in self-confidence — you have to learn to trust yourself, trust that you can handle any scenario thrown at you and come out on top.

if you can achieve this mindset, you can literally do anything. ive had maybe 50 lucid dreams since i started learning about them — which… is honestly a really low amount, but. i havent really had the time/energy to really throw myself into it  as much as i want to. but just in those dreams, ive flown, ive shapeshifted, ive met my sides, ive teleported to vast, gorgeous lands and seen some of the most beautiful things ive ever seen. anything is possible in a lucid dream; thats why its so worth it to put in the effort

but when youre first starting out, itll be extremely hard to maintain that mindset. like i said, Dream-you is dumb as shit — you’ll forget youre dreaming, you’ll be unable to control anything, you’ll wake up before you manage to accomplish anything. more often than not, the dream will destabilize, which is Not Fun

if the dream starts to destabilize — basically, if things start going fuzzy or vague, if you suddenly cant see, if you can feel ur body in bed, basically anything that points towards you waking up — there are ways to fix it. literally just spinning around helps for some reason? spin around, fall down, run ur hands along anything u can find and feel the texture, or just demand that the dream stabilize itself. most of the time, thatll work

and if it doesnt, dont be discouraged. theres always another night to dream

so basically: start a dream journal, do reality checks, mmmmaybe meditate if youre up for it, and your dreams will become like. at least 10x more interesting. trust me, try flying: its literally the best feeling in the entire world

its just !!! such a huge, incredible thing, and its so fascinating to learn about too. all the different ways you can train your brain, all the different things you can do, all the studies done on the subject. i suggest reading about Steven LaBerge or keith hearne. hearne led the study that proved lucid dreaming existed in the first place! he got a lucid dreamer to signal to him that he was conscious while asleep using REM (rapid-eye movement), because lucid dreaming happens during the REM state. also, robert waggoner’s book Gateway to the Inner Self is really fascinating too!

hm wow i really went ham here lmao

thanku for giving me a chance to infodump im very happy rn

#me: /spends a full half-hour infodumping abt something most people havent even heard of/ #now if only i could remember this much when it comes to schoolwork lmaooooo #ty for the Infodump Permission im !! vibin rn #lowkey highkey this makes me wanna get back into it. . . might do a wbtb tonight... #personal #logan talks #lucid dreaming #Anonymous

[hypmicscenarios]

Anime Attraction

3.K words

A/N: High School au. Fic with ichiro, you two slowly falling in love over the span of a 4 day convention and bonding over the fact that you’re closeted weebs. (So he would like tdd era ichiro) And again! I use neutral pronouns! hope you enjoy~

Day 1: You were very excited, happy, elated, every happy word in the book! This year, you were finally going to your first anime convention. Unfortunately, you were a bit of a closeted weeb. People knew you watched anime….just not your extreme obssession with it. Maybe extreme was too harsh for you case, but you were sure that would be the situation if they ever saw your room, filled with anime posters, merch, etc.However, those were all bought online or in stores….youve never actually been to a convention.

Online, you heard many good things about it, and that people there, for the most part, were friendly. You smiled as you got off the train, an empty backpack on your bag, besides essentials, inside an empty tote bag for you posters. You had planned for this for months. Saving up all the money you could from your allowances. Your wallet, besides money for the train and food to eat, was going to be completely emptied by the end of the day. Finally, you took your jacket off, revealing a ( favorite anime) anime shirt on your person. One of your favorites. You could never choose. You could talk about it for days. However….it was Under rated. It was also a bit old...and you were late to watch it, so the fandom dwindled down.

You were amazed as you saw many cosplays, a bit too nervous to ask for pictures, or even compliment them, but you hoped they received your compliments in spirit….something like that. It was….also really big and crowded. You got too into your head, overthinking a bunch of things, that you didn’t see the larger man in front of you, hitting his back.

“O-oh im sorry, I wasn’t paying attention,” you said, bowing quickly. You looked up at the man, gulping, quickly taken aback by how pretty he was, different colored eyes, red and green. It almost seemed like he was in cosplay, but he was just wearing a naruto shirt with black jeans on, a naruto headband around his forehead.

Ichiro blinked and smiled,”no need to apologize, I was kind of standing here in the middle of everyone anyway,”his eyes went down to your shirt and his eyes sparkled,”wait….thats a (favorite anime) isnt it! Whose your favorite character?”, he asked. You were taken aback about how eager and happy he seemed, but it definitely managed to make you relax a bit.

“My favorite character is [     ],”you said, stating your reasoning,”oh- sorry….I didn’t mean to talk that long,” Ichiro chuckled,”thats fine, I love them too! For mostly the same reasons, theyre kind of cool. This is my first convention so Im excited its going off to great start, thanks.”

Oh? It was his first time as well? “Its my first time too, I came here alone, I didn’t expect to be this big, theres so many people.” Ichiro nodded,”Im here by myself too, are you here all four days?” You nodded. “If you dont mind it, we can walk around together, ah! Sorry if thats a bit too forward….”,he trailed off. To be honest, Ichiro was a closeted weeb. So he had no one to talk to, let alone drag to a con. “Oh no, Um, its fine. I would like that...even though I know everyone here loves anime….”,you trailed off, the guy, whose name you still didn’t know, finished your thought,”because theres so many people conversing and being you feel like everyone already has their own cliques and you realize youre alone.”

Well. That. Yes that. You smiled,”Yeah, its that, and my nerves and anxiety.”

Ichiro stuck his hand out,”Yamada Ichiro, 2nd year high school student in Ikebukuro. Nice to meet you.”

“ l/n, f/n, also 2nd year in a high school located in yokohama, nice to meet you”m you said and shook his hand. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Day 2:

The first day, the two of you had walked around, played games, went to panels together, learning much more about each other. You agreed to meetup at the same place in the morning. Of course, you were even more excited than you were yesterday. You were dressed in more casual clothing, but backpack was now decorated with buttons you found. Soon, you heard your name being called out and waved your hand,”Good Morning Yamada-san”, you said, greeting him.

Ichiro smiled and spoke,”Morning! Did you sleep well?”, he asked.  You shook your head in disagreement,”I barely got any sleep, I was excited for today.” Ichiro laughed,”so did I, so what should we do today?”,he said, taking out the convention program guide. “Hmmmm, theres a bunch of panels,”you said, going to the side of him and looking at the program,”how to successfully master naruto hand signs….”,you trailed off. They really….had a panel for everything.

Ichiro’s face lit up,” that sounds cool, want to go? Although I already know a couple…”,he said, and you laughed,”what? You going to become the next hokage Yamada-san?”, you teased a bit, but he went along with it, of course he did. You found out about this from yesterday. That he was like this. “I am gonna be next hokage, just believe it!”, he said.

“Thats naruto’s punchline you cant just steal it,” you said, watching Ichiro as he thought, then spoke again, very excitedly,”Im going to be next hokage, because I said so!”, he said, putting out a thumb. For some reason, it had you laughing a lot,”b-bbecause you said so? Ahahaha, well, you sure have a passion like naruto, I think thats all you need, its cute”, you said, realizing that you had just called the other cute.

Ichiro blushed and put his hand behind his back,”Sorry...I just cant be like this a lot in real life without getting teased for it, so its a bit refreshing,”he said and you nodded,, understanding completely.

“Well, lets go learn some jutstus even though they wont help against a gun but who cares, because its an anime convention, and we’re doing what we love,”you said confidently, more confident than you would expect from yourself.  Ichiro nodded,”Dattebayo, lets go!”, he saidm turning around and walking. You were really having too much fun. Being attracted to him went way over your head for now, simply enjoying the time the two of you spent together.

Later on in the day, the two of you found an anime photo booth, Ichiro dragging you by the arm towards it,”for memories!”, he said. The two of you got in and hit the naruto theme poses. Of course, you indulged him, he was cute when he got his way. And, you didn’t have to worry about poses. Instead, they gave you poses to do.

The first was a naruto sign for any jutsu, the second peace signs, the third you had to stick your tongues at each other, seeming annoyed, and the last one….got you. It was only a hug, but they way Ichiro hugged you quickly and tightly, pushing both of your faces together, eft you shocked, and you were sure the picture didn’t turn out well. Once you got out and looked at it, Ichiro pointed to last one,”its like you were trying so hard not to blink, but we’re cute, arent we?”,he said and you laughed:yea we really are”, you replied, more focused on the current pace of your heart...beating very rapidly. You paid for two copies so you could keep it. The rest of the day, you two kept up your shenanigans. It was tough leaving, but you were going to come back tomorrow and, hopefully, your heart would learn to behave.

Day 3:

The two of you sat down to eat lunch on the third day, already having gone through a couple activities.

“Theres Jiro, then theres Saburo, and Saburo is the oldest. We’re all pretty close but Saburo and Jiro always fight a lot, typical sibling stuff…..and a lot of the times it includes me. I keep telling them I dont have favorites but they never listen,”Ichiro sighed with a smile on his face. It wasn’t an exhausted sigh though, he was used to it, it was just how they worked.

You smiled as he rambled on about his brothers. It was very clear that he cherished the both of them dearly and would do anything for them. “That must be nice….Im an only child so I could never relate to these type of things. Thats why I got into anime really, theres was no one that I could play with at the snap of a finger if I wanted to-oh Im not sad about it or anything, I love anime, it was really there for me in trying times, plus the internet.”

Ichiro nodded and then spoke,”Well, you have me now too, and you can be as passionate as you want, no holding back. You have my number now and its already fun texting you when we’re not at the convention.”  He was right. After you guys left, you were quickly texting each other at home before you went to sleep. You sent each other memes,pictures, and talked about a bunch of different topics, that often you had smiling or laughing at your phone.

At that point….you knew had a crush. It was only two days but he was just so…..it was the little things really, not just the fact that you had anime in common. When you were walking through the convention center, going through a massive crowd, he told you to hold onto his jacket, so you wouldn’t get lost. Or how he quickly offered to help hold your stuff when you were buying merchandise. Or even him talking about how much he loves his brothers. Rather than weird, it was insanely cute to you.

It wasnt love per say…..well. Lets be real. You were a sucker when it came to love. Honestly, you dont even feel like counting how many crushes you had but none of those ever came to fruition.  You should just focus on your anime boys but the moment some other boy is even the slightest bit kind to you, like helping you carry books, your heart falls. Despite that though, you felt like this was different. More than just a couple simple acts of kindness.

“Im really enjoying our time here, we’re going to the cosplay masquerade today right? We still have some time to kill, want to go to the game hall?”, you asked,”then we can see which one of us is better at dance dance revolution.” Ichiro smiled and nodded his head,”Yeah! Youre on!”

After that, the two of you managed to spend all of your time in the hall. Ichiro was by a claw machine and you commented,”I suck at these things,”then looked inside, seeing what plushies they had. “I think im pretty decent,”Ichiro said, walking up,”sometimes I won stuff for saburo when I was little...he grew out of it though,”Ichiro said with a laugh.He wanted to try it.

“Good Luck Yamada-kun!”, you said, cheering him on. You were amazed by how focused he looked. “Do you want anything specific?”,he asked you. “Wait, me?”, you said, trying to clarify. Ichiro laughed,”I think you’re the only l/n here,”he said. That...kind of caught you off guard. But you walked up and placed your hands against the glass. “Ummmm, that cat in the middle is kind of cute.”

Ichiro nodded. The first time, he managed to pick the plushie up for about three seconds before it fell, but that was better than what you could do! The second time, he managed to grab it again, your eyes wide in anticipation as you followed the claw and plushie to the drop off slot. “Oh my god, you did it!”,you said, going to high five both of Ichiro’s hands but, instead of letting go, he held them and put them down,”Yeah I did! Guess I didn’t lose my skill after all.” “Yeah...youre amazing”, you said, trying to not comment on the fact that he was still holding both of your hands. God….your heart was a mess. There was no denying you fell for him. At most, it was very high like at this point.

Day 4:

Ichiro was excited to see you again. Well, half-excited and half-sad. He really liked hanging out with you. More often than not, he found himself thinking about how you look best when theres a smile on your face. So, he always did dumb things to make you smile, no matter how stupid it may have looked. Maybe it was because you didn’t think his obsession was weird. When you guys talked, your interests lined up more than he thought they would. It was perfect.

Of course, he eventually figured out that he’d want to see you, in a more romantic context, that it is. He knew his feelings towards you were different. Honestly, he even weirdly got a little bit jealous when you mentioned how hot a specific anime character was. Ichiro didn’t necessarily plan on confessing that day….but who knows how things would turn out. Yes, it had only been three days, but he felt like he knew you already. Really, you guys always messaged each other.

The conversations would go dull for an hour or so but one link to a meme and that sparked a conversation that continued for a while. It was great. He had never felt so validated.

“L/n-san! Hey, morning!”,he said as he walked up to you. You looked like you were thinking hard about something, but Ichiro didn’t comment on it.

In fact, you were. Thinking about how you wouldn’t be able to see him so frequently. It made you….sadder than you expected. Granted you could travel to see him, but it was also due to the fact that it was the last day of the convention. Here, you could be yourselves without glancing over you shoulder every couple seconds in fear that someone you knew would spot you.  It was so much fun, especially because of him!

Its for the best though….your funds were just about dried out. You couldn’t help but smile as you saw him though,”hey, good morning to you too, ready for the last day?” Ichiro laughed,”Yes and No because this has been very exciting.” You nodded in agreement,”it has, it does suck that we cant experience this everyday.”

“well!”,Ichiro clapped his hands,”lets not worry about that and focus on having fun, okay?” Your smile got wider,”yes, okay!” Ichiro spoke,”Datteba-”, then he pointed towards you,”Yo!”, you said, the two of you giggling. This had become your thing now, apparently, but you two werent used to it, hence you laughing off you embarrassment.

You went to the artist alley and exhibit hall one last time, taking a lot more pictures together than usual, even with cosplayers! Ichiro helped you out a lo with expressing that you wanted pictures with them and that was yet another thing that you loved about him. Without even asking him to do so, he just did it on a whim, and that made you incredibly happy.

A bit later, it was closing ceremonies. It wasnt much really, but anything to just spend even a little more time with Ichiro. However, that ended sooner than you expected. And you didn’t know what to do with yourself.

The two of you sat outside on a bench.

“So, I suppose this is it…”,you said. You had to get back early today anyway. Yet, you really didn’t want to. You looked up as Ichiro spoke,”no, its not it. We still have each other’s numbers, we can make it work, I-well….these past few days have been really fun for me,”Ichiro blushed, placing his hand behind his neck. Was he going to confess? If he didn’t do it now he knew he’d procrastinate on doing so forever. He didn’t necessarily have to make sure you were his in this exact moment, but his heart wanted an answer as soon as possible, before he got in too deep.

“The thing is….I want us to be more than just friends. I just….the more we talked, the more I found myself drawn to you. Like I can tell you anything. Its really easy to be myself around you, l/n, I want...to get closer. So, would you go out with me? Or not now, I mean you can think about it but...yeah.”,he said, face blushing. He had only confessed once in his lifetime and that was during elementary….he was quickly shut down.

You….couldn’t believe your ears. Did you really manage to find someone who was interested you at an anime convention. Well, you were sure there were more interesting stories but this was still way out of your league. You even thought he was way out of your league.

“I….we can date. I feel the same, about you, I like talking to you. And I think whats making me so sad is that I cant see you...not the convention part,”you said, looking towards Ichiro and seeing his grow excited. He grabbed your hands quickly and held them,”really?! Thats great.”,he said, letting go than hugging you. Oh. This was happening. It took you a couple seconds to process the hug before you reciprocated it.

Ichiro pulled away, looking down at you, a smile on his face,”when I talk with you, I feel like the happiest and luckiest man in the world. I know love is too strong of a word right now, but I want to do my best to make you happy.”

You were so flustered that you made no response, even more so when you felt his hand on your cheek and saw him leaning in. It all happened quickly. You closed your eyes and suddenly his lips were on yours. No movement, but it lingered for a moment, before he pulled away.

That was your first...kiss. You didn’t mind that it got taken by him but still….it was so much to process. Ichiro brought you back to reality,”Ikebukuro isn’t too far from Yokohama on the train, maybe we could meet in the middle on weekends, or switch up, ah, well I guess we can talk about this letter, getting ahead of myself,”he said and chuckled, which only prompted you to let out a soft laugh. He was like an eager puppy that you wanted to pet. Weird how he so easily calmed your nerves by the sounds of your laughs.

“Datteba-”

“Yo!”

#ichiro yamada #hypnosis mic #hypmic #hypmic x reader #hypmic scenarios #ichiro yamada x reader #ichiro x reader

[afewmarvelousthoughts]

Stay Ch. 16

Master List

Pairing: Natasha X Reader (Female)

Summary: You have a gift, the ability to see other people’s innermost secrets. For years you used it to gather intel for the highest bidder when you take on The Widow. After she becomes more than a mark the two of you spend years stealing moments. Post snap you wait in your designated meeting place, look back on the sordid past you share with the woman you love and hope against everything that she’s still alive.

Warnings: Angst, and fluff, and feels oh my!

A/N:  So yeah I swear I wroth an authors note for this... but idfk what happened. 

ANYWAY! Thank you all for being so patient while I got my life together. This one is also short and sweet (guess that’s the mood I’m in). However, y’all should know me by now. This is just the calm before the storm. 

Hope you enjoy this one my pumpkins! 

Tags are open!

@mywinterwolf  @disagreetoagree  @breezy1415  @peachthatdrinkslemonade  @5aftermidnight@jeromethepsycho  @marvel-randomness  @daniellajocelyn  @katecolleen  @yanginginthere@wonderlandmind4 @piensa-bonito @for-the-love-of-the-fandom @lesbian-girls-wayhaught @siriuslycloudy2

March 2007

At some point in the last five months, you’d stopped recognizing yourself. The woman in the mirror wasn’t Y/N. Her hair was different, down to even the eyebrows. Her accent distinctly that of a life long Londoner. She worked for an independent UK couture fashion magazine, chose wine over whiskey, and was distinctly heterosexual.

When the chance to work this job requiring deep cover came up in December you jumped on it. You didn’t want to be you anymore. The you that couldn’t be with the woman you loved. The you that was heartbroken. The you who was beginning to doubt that you’d ever be happy. Fuck her.

Being Charlie Daniels was far better. She was, of course, a real person. Just one who was now living comfortably in the Bahamas courtesy of MI6. Even legit agencies had use of freelance talent every now and then.

Settling into her life had been easy. Not setting her boss on fire or blowing his brains out daily was a different task altogether. Turned out that a magazine was a great front for a crime empire. Lots of international travel, young and beautiful and desperate men and women, money exchanged in countless untraceable ways, on and on. And this fucker was happy to take advantage of every single disgusting avenue it opened up.

You almost had everything you needed to hand to MI6, get your obscenely large payout, and get on to another gig while they threw all of these bastards into cells to rot for the rest of their miserable lives. Just one more trip. After whatever horrible things they lay out in Tokyo you’ll be set.

Tokyo is one of those cities you can lose yourself in. Like New York but better for its interesting balance of vibrancy and grounded reserve. You absolutely love it.

The whole point of the trip, at least on the surface, was to focus on Fashion Week Tokyo. Honestly, there was a part of you that wished this was your world. Nothing but runway shows and after parties. Writing about the latest trends rather than delving into the inner workings of the worlds miscreants

Oh well. It was nice enough to pretend. You had to admit that you’d miss Charlie Daniels once you shed this skin in a couple of weeks.

You’re sitting two people down from your boss at an underground show. The level of security here screams that there are other things going on behind the scenes but it’s still a room filled with a who’s who of the Japanese and international fashion communities.

This was your third show of the day, and you knew there would be a party after where you’d have to schmooze all while plucking information from your unsuspecting fellow guests. You’re exhausted. So rather than pay much attention to the show you let your mind wander.

When she walks out you feel her rather than see her.  Slowly you turn your head to stare dumbstruck at the model walking onto the catwalk. Your heart begins beating against your ribs, your mouth goes dry, your hands shake.

It takes every ounce of control you have to keep your emotions in. To not scream “Natasha!” at the top of your lungs. To not grab her and run for the hills. Charlie Daniels and her easy life be damned. It’s hard but you manage.

As she turns and comes back down, passing now closer to you, her eyes don’t graze  the crowd at all. Head up, shoulders back, she walks the runway like she’d been doing it for years.

The rest of the show is maybe ten minutes but it feels like years. You know the models are all attending the party. Eye candy for the high end guests.

It’s fairly easy to ditch your coworkers in the crowd as you try to find the best vantage point in the room without being too obvious. After a solid twenty minutes, you find yourself planning an escape route. Most of the models are milling about but she’s no where to be seen. You will find her.

But you know you can’t skip out just yet. At the bar, you order a red wine and make yourself seen. Charlie would never miss the whole party after all. You spend a bit chatting with designers and a few models, feigning interest in the whole thing until you hear your boss call out to you.

“Oy, Charlie!” Carl’s voice alone makes you want to put him down. When you turn he’s waving you over to the bar. Sighing heavily you head over.

You’re about ten feet away when you see her, head back laughing at something Carl or his friend had said. Both men are far to close to her for your liking and the hungry look on Carl’s face sets your blood boiling.

He slings an arm around your shoulders and you carefully coach your face to not show disgust. “Charlie here is my best writer. Doin’ some pieces for us on this whole thing,” he waves his other hand around wildly.

“Good to meet ya, Charlie, I’m Dan,” the other man, clearly American says.

“Likewise,” Natasha doesn’t react to the accent at all.

“This here is-”

“Natalie,” Natasha cuts him off, extending a hand to you. Holding her eyes with yours you take it. It’s like touching a live wire.

“Natalie is an American model working here in Japan. May be a good topic for a piece.” He ribs you leaning closer, “And a good piece for the office eh?” Suddenly that MI6 money seems far less appealing.

“I’d love that,” Natasha beams. “Why don’t you guys go mingle and Charlie and I can chat!” The men exchange a glance, but there’s plenty of fresh meat around to sink their teeth into.

Carl flashes you a greasy smile and a wink as he walks away. Thinking clearly that you’re going to snare this woman for him. You, unfortunately, had a few others. Not something you were proud of. Demands of the job you told yourself.

“She’ll take a vodka neat,” you tell the bartender.

“Yes,” Natasha smiles at him, “Whiskey for her. Makers if you have it.” He thinks nothing of it and makes your drinks.

“So, how’s modeling in Japan?”

“Probably about as good as writing for a sleazy jackal.”

You laugh, “That bad? What’s the goal.”

“Getting a cover,” you commend the clever word play.

“That’s a good goal. Long term?”

“Something like that.” She takes a sip of her vodka, “How long are you here?”

“End of the week.” Your skin itches to touch her. The men are rounding back. You hold her gaze and shift your eyes back to them. She catches on.

“Perfect! It’s so hard to have a good interview here, don’t you think?”

“Absolutely. Why don’t you come by my hotel?” You whip out your spare key card. “I’d love to get your story for the mag, maybe do a full feature.”

“A feature would be excellent exposure!”

“Wouldn’t it?” Carl slides up next to her. “We can get you all the exposure you could want Ms. Natalie.”

“Charlie was telling me all about it.” She flashes him a coy smile. “Thank you so much Charlie! I forgot I have a late fitting tonight for another show so I’ve got to run. But we’ll chat soon yeah?”

“Absolutely! It was so good to meet you Natalie.”

“Same! Bye!” She hurries through the crowded room and disappears.

“Busy girl.” Carl quips. “Whiskey?” You look down at the glass by your hand.

“Some guy sent them over,” you gesture to Natasha’s lipstick stained glass. “Seemed rude to refuse. Can’t stand the stuff though.”

“That’s a mans drink,” Carl laughs at his own perceived joke and you force a smile.

Somehow you make it through the rest of the evening. You’d refused to allow yourself to hope that she’d be here, too obvious to come the same night, better to wait. Kicking off your shoes you head straight to the mini bar and crack open a whiskey, downing it in one gulp.

“You really need to be more careful,” Natasha’s voice comes from the bathroom. “I mean not even checking around. Sloppy.”

“Charlie Daniels doesn’t have to check for Russian assassins in her bathroom,” a smile pulls your face so tight it hurts.

“Well, Natalie Rushman isn’t a Russian spy. So…”

You let your real accent resurface as you pull her into your arms, “Natalie Rushman, I don’t know if that’s clever or lazy.” She kisses you hard, tongue sliding over your lips hands gripping your ass.

“Mmm,” she hums. “Kinda like the accent.”

“Oh?” You revert to the clipped posh Londoner sound. “Would you rather be with Charlie? I hate to break it to you, she’s strictly into dick so you may need to get a bit creative.”

Natasha’s head falls back with laughter, “I’m always into a challenge but,” she cups your face in her hands, “I’d much rather Y/N, she’s got a cute accent too.” Your kiss is soft this time, “I missed you.”

“I missed you too, honey.” Gently you push a strand of hair out of her face. “Is this smart? Are you gonna get-”

“I’m good. I wouldn’t be here if I thought there was risk.” She pulls away and tugs you toward the bed. “There’s no surveillance on me here, I check in every week, that’s it. This is strictly to build a cover.”

“Cover for what?” She gives you a sideways glance. “Right. National security.”

“Do you really want to talk about work?”

Smirking at her you push her back on the bed. “Maybe later.”

You lean down to her but she stops you by planting a strappy heel in the center of your chest. Trailing your fingers down her leg you snag a knife from her thigh holster. Carefully you slide the blade under the straps, the incredibly sharp edge cuts through the thin suede like it’s nothing.

“Those were very expensive you know,” eyes sparkling with desire.

You slip the shoe off and toss it aside. “I’ll buy you a new pair.” Your lips press against her ankle.  

Everything in your life until her was so fleeting. Even your own name, the sound of your own voice, who you were… But with her, you were grounded. You weren’t anything but her’s, you were Y/N.

Suddenly you’re overwhelmed. Caressing her muscular calf you just stare at her eyes. Emerald green, dark liner, lids heavy with lust and exhaustion.

“Natasha…” Your voice cracks and you fight for composure.

“Y/N? What is it?” She shoots up, cradling your face in her hands.

You shake your head, unable to really find the words and unwilling to send this storm of emotions to her. “I just…” You cover her hands with your own. It’s not that you don’t want her, you do. But…

“Can we just… I just wanna hold you…” Her expression immediately softens, eyes sparkling a touch with tears. “Sorry… I… I just…”

“I’d love that, baby.” Tenderly her lips brush yours, then your cheeks, your forehead, your eyelids as they flutter closed.

You shed your clothes and crawl into the plush bed. Holding tight to one another you spend hours drifting in and out of sleep, covering the other with soft kisses. Before the sun rises your hands wander southward.

This time you don’t fuck one another senseless. It feels like you’re trying to memorize every curve, every sound, every subtle thing that marks being together. You both know you many not get to do this for some time. The knowledge aches but it doesn’t make having her any less sweet.

Post Snap

You lean your head back on the wall behind the booth. The crying man from last night is gone, you find yourself hoping that he’s resting peacefully somewhere… even though you know it’s pointless to hope for such things.

There are more people filling the bar than there was before. The TVs are off, radios turned up, reporters frantically trying to determine what happened. It was global, that was clear. All planes grounded, trains stopped, communications spotty due to damaged cell towers.

A man speaks frantically to someone who seems to be a friend that he was heading to Nuremberg from Budapest, how the roads are almost not navigable. He doesn’t know if his family is even still there but he has to find out.

Despite his distress, your lips curl a bit at the mention of Budapest.

#natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff #natasha x reader #black widow #queer fic #wlw

[honestgrins]

I love your writing! If possible, maybe a post canon one where Klaus shows Caroline his wolf form? 😭 Thank you!

“Sweetheart.” Klaus keep his voice low, the suspicious edge contradicting his loose posture. His eyes darted around the busy club, and Caroline recognized that was on alert - well, more than usual. For sitting in an all-vampire establishment in one of the oldest cities, she actually thought he was doing pretty well to relax at all. “I’m going to get us to the entrance, and then I need you to run.”

She leaned into his side, trying to limit her exposure from the open end of their booth. Ten years of living and traveling with the big, bad hybrid had taught her to accept his warnings first, argue the overprotective instincts later. He always loved a good excuse for her to get bloody; if he was telling her to run, then he must have had a good reason. Keeping her movements flirtatious like they were just another pair of lovers, she brushed her lips against his ear. “Anyone I need to keep an eye out for?”

Bringing one of her hands up to his mouth, he pressed a kiss to the ridge of her knuckles, his breath ghosting across as he spoke too quietly to be overheard. “There’s a vampire in a dark green vest doing a very poor job of watching us.”

“A lackey?”

Klaus smirked and indulged her in a real kiss. “And to think Katerina turned you to be fodder for my sacrifice. What a waste that would have been.”

Rolling her eyes, Caroline carefully searched for the spy herself and noted his position. “I feel like I shouldn’t have to tell you that patting yourself on the back for not killing me isn’t sexy. Who do you think he’s working for?”

But Klaus tensed beside her as a woman suddenly appeared in front of their table. She was older, wisps of gray showing in her dark hair, elegantly pinned up in a retro style. “Niklaus, it’s been a long while.” Oh, and she was older. As far as Caroline knew, only Elijah and Rebekah called him Nikalus and lived; for this stranger to do it, there must have been a familiarity that left her uncomfortable. “What brings you to Milan?”

His hand fell to her knee, and Caroline straightened proudly at the show of affection. After all, they were in town to celebrate her birthday, not for whatever war games this lady wanted to play. “You need better underlings, Natalia,” Klaus warned, his tone deceptively pleasant as he sidestepped her question. “I’ve marked three of your vampires for death already. Are you here to make it four?”

Natalia smiled sharply. “Of course not, and I happen to agree with you that some of my unfortunates are less than subtle. The curse of youth, I’m afraid.” Her eyes lid to Caroline, who didn’t like the evil librarian glint in her expression. “My, you’re quite young yourself. I don’t believe we’ve met.”

With a thousand years between them, Caroline felt out of her depth with Klaus on a regular basis, the sheer age of him and his experiences something she could never match. Though they’d worked through a number of her insecurities, she could never truly process a millennium - not while she still lived within a human’s lifetime. One of the first lessons of living with Originals, however, was to fake it ‘til she made it. “I’m Caroline,” she greeted politely with her pageant queen smile. “And what can I say? I’m a modern girl with old-fashioned taste.” Melting into Klaus, she smiled when pressed his lips into her temple. “Speaking of, I love your dress. Is that vintage?”

Sneering, Natalia’s control slipped as the veins of her face darkened, just for a moment before turning back to Klaus. “I come to you in peace, Niklaus, to ask for your help. Rebekah was such a dear the last time she visited our fair city, but she caused a small wolf problem we’ve been struggling to put down ever since.”

Klaus narrowed his eyes at her poor choice of words. “What wolf problem might that be?” he asked, and Caroline had to tamp down the thrill she felt when his eyes bled into a burnished gold. She noticed his ease felt practiced, like he’d expected this situation to rear up - and his plan for her to run finally slid into horrifying place. “Get ready, sweetheart.”

She reached for his hand, ready for him to pull her toward the door. Had she tried to make a break for it herself, any of Natalia’s vampires could have staked her without too much trouble. So he flashed them out of the booth, bones already cracking as he all but shoved her through the threshold. “Run,” he ordered, his voice hoarse with the effort of forcing his transition. A spasm of pain wracked him as he slammed the door shut, and Caroline’s whole stomach turned.

So much for a bloodless birthday.

Rather than running, Caroline jumped up to a nearby roof, needing to do something more productive. She remained vigilant for survivors of Klaus’s rampage, knowing that it wasn’t the upstart that caused problems for the Originals - it was those left behind to seek revenge. Call it the decay of her moral center, but she and Klaus both had daughters out there that didn’t deserve even a chance at being held against them, and Caroline wasn’t about to let anyone have the opportunity to try.

Centering herself to focus her senses, she listened for the chaos inside the club. Teeth gnashed and flesh tore, but it was already far quieter than she’d expected. As the last scream died in her ears, Caroline counted to one hundred before hopping back down to the ground. Standing outside the door, she heard only sniffles and the soft pads of his paws. It occurred to her that she’d never seen his wolf, that she’d likely not have another chance to with his damned overprotectiveness.

As quietly as she could manage, she pried open the door and slipped inside, her nose scrunching at the bloody mess. “Talk about waste,” she muttered to herself, only to find herself faced with a large, sandy wolf. Her breath escaped in a small, “Oh,” and she felt frozen in instinctive terror as she waited for him to move.

His teeth were bared, but he wasn’t snarling. She wanted to take it as a good sign. “Klaus? Is it…you in there?”

Canting his head to the side, Klaus sat down and looked almost irritated. Caroline, however, was in awe as she took him in. His eyes were the same gold that flashed whenever she said she loved him. The fur was similar in color to the ends of his hair after a long trip to the beach, the sunshine unfairly kind to him and his good looks. Before she could reach out to feel if it was just as soft, wolf!Klaus hunched as bones started snapping again to turn back.

She hated the pain of it all, so she distracted herself with finding the clothes she hoped he thought to remove. That shirt was brand new, too, she thought forlornly as she found it torn open and covered in arterial spray. His pants were passable at least, and it only took a little digging for the staff lockers to find a t-shirt that would fit him. Tossing the outfit at his very bare chest, she held up a hand when he seemed ready to argue. “It’s my birthday trip.”

“Sweetheart, you can’t just approach a wo-”

“Ah!” she interrupted. “My. Birthday.”

Sighing, Klaus put on the clothes quickly so he could pull her to him. He checked her over for any injuries. “Thank you for leaving when I told you to,” he said, “but a slaughter, perhaps, isn’t the wisest place to test whether or not I’d recognize you in wolf form.”

Curiosity burns within her. “Did you?”

Klaus nodded, his hands squeezing her hips. “You’re mine, my love. My wolf knows that even better than I do.”

“Mmm, hot.” Caroline pecked his lips before moving to leave. “But you owe me cake and the story behind Natalia calling you Niklaus.”

He reached for her hand to tuck it in the crook of his elbow, eyes searching for more threats as she led them toward a bakery using only her sense of smell. “You know Bekah and her penchant for maternal relationships…”

#klaroline #klaroline mini drabble #not so mini? #and i dub these #all the pizza #anon anon #thanks for the prompt! #i hope you like it!