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last-words-ofashootingstar · 8 months

Text

Closed Doors

❥ Yandere Choi Soobin x fem reader x Kim Hongjoong

➯a/n: SPOOKY MONTH SPOOKY MONTH SPOOKY MONTH WRRRRAAAA 👻🎃 mwahaha i came back strong with this one 🫣

✃ "Watch close, don't even blink."

✫彡wordcount: 4.1k

(>ᴗ•) ♡'･ᴗ･'♡ genre: smut w (a little) plot, yandere

ಠ_ಠwarning/content: not edited, stalking, drinking culture, dom joong x sub soobin x switch reader, noona/hyung kink, tipsy sex, threesum, pet names, fingering, DIIIIRTY talk, cunnilingus, corruption kink, edging, squirting, handjob, m x m, deep throating, throat bulge, snow balling, unprotected (booooooo), one slap, light degradation

⁂taglist: @stvrfir3 @tunaasan @marievllr-abg

MATURE UNDER CUT MDNI

Kim Hongjoong is everything Soobin wants to be. A strong leader. A respected producer. An ambassador. Someone to be looked up to and praised.

And you, Hongjoongs girlfriend of nearly three years, is all he wants. A loyal partner. An understanding person. A kind soul that clings to his.

He knows anything and everything there is to know about you and Hongjoong. He watches all of Hongjoongs content, he stalks you as you run errands. He knows the scent of perfume Hongjoong buys every other month and he has a caddy full of your favorite soaps. He knows how you only hold hands in the dark to avoid the paparazzi and he knows all of the sweet nicknames you call each other.

He knows how bad this could be for him should it ever get out that he's obsessed with his senior and his girlfriend. He knows first hand how badly it feels to be violated of your privacy. But he can't bring himself to stop. He can't help but bask in your existences. He needs to know more.

He needs to know the brand of condoms Hongjoong uses, if you take brith control. Does Hongjoong always take the lead like in those heated kisses he's caught glimpses of backstage, or do you like to have power in the bedroom? He needs to know if Hongjoong looks as beautiful covered in sweat in bed as he does on stage, he needs to know if your hair frames your face just as gracefully when your head is thrown back in pleasure.

Just being a bystander isn't enough for Soobin anymore.

He needs to know what goes on behind closed doors.

彡★

The house is eerily desolate, perched atop a hill in the middle of a field. Nothing but trees and flowers and mother nature on her lonesome to witness what goes on in the lot. It was gothic in its architecture, pale in its color palette.

Despite the houses deathly aura, life rages in inside of it. Shadows of people dancing by the windows, muffled music leaking from the walls, a shout or yell every so often from a drunken party goer.

You're clearly buzzed, Soobin can tell. You're stumbling around and gripping to the wall every so often as you move your body to the beat of the music. Hongjoong isn't around you, so he takes the opportunity to approach you. Though he gets nervous around you, his heart stops in his chest everytime his senior so much as addresses him directly.

"Binnie boy!" You cheer with a wide smile, discarding your red solo cup on the antique table behind you in favor of wrapping your arms around his slim torso. "I didn't think you made it!"

So you're an affectionate drunk. Lucky him-

His heart is beating wildly, he's never been more thankful for loud music. He can barely breathe, his arms tingling as he wraps them around your shoulders. God, you feel so warm. "H-hey, Noona. Are you enjoying yourself?"

"Oh, yeah! It's been forever since I went to a party," your hand lingers on his chest as you back away and grab your cup again, lighting his skin ablaze through the thin fabric of his costume.

After you take a swig, you offer it up to him. When he goes to shake his head, already blushing and feeling drunk on your proximity, you roll your eyes playfully and stand up on your tip toes, holding the lipstick-stained cup to his lip. "It's rude to refuse a drink," you tease, nearly cooing as he opens his lips and drinks immediately. "Good right? I think Gaeul made it."

He's not registering any of the words that are coming past your lips. His brain is going a million miles an hour as he feels the lipstick that's transferred to his lips. Sure, he has alot of the products you use but never from your own personal collection. Never from your own lips, even if it came off a secondary source. This is almost as good as when he found one of Hongjoongs sweaters at a thrift shop after watching him drop off a bag of donations.

"I found it!" Hongjoongs voice brings him back to his own body, and he's immediately frozen again as he feels the fur he knows he's wearing wrap around his shoulder. He has to be dreaming. Is he dreaming?

Hongjoong is right by his side, hip to hip with his arm stretched up and around his shoulders. "Is she teasin' you? She likes to tease when she's drunk," he chuckles, looking up and watching the younger mans face flush deeper as he stutters.

"I'm noooooot," you draw out dramatically, slipping your hand into his open fur coat and under his top. "I'm just being friendly- right, Binnie?"

He's nearly gasping for air as he watches the two of you. What in the world is going on?

"You found one?"

"Mhm," Hongjoong moves away from Soobin and drags you to the stair case, and he watches in confusion as you both stop on the second stair, your conversation hidden by the loud music and the shadows.

A few moments later, you're coming back to Soobin and grabbing his hand, "c'mon."

He can only follow the warm grip you have on his hand, blinded by how good it feels to have your skin touching his that he doesn't even notice as you lead him up the stairs to the bedrooms with Hongjoong hot on your tails.

"Wh-" The words die on his tongue as you let go of his hand and dive into the tall, elegant bed. "Non-" There they go again as he turns as sees Hongjoong latching the door locked.

You look like the angel you're dressed as as you lay down on your back, your head propped up by the pillows and your legs spread so invitingly.

"Isn't my Angel so gorgeous?" Hongjoong asks as he joins him at the foot of the bed, a smirk painting his face as he watches his ears flush pink. "Don't you just want to..." he trails off, watching in the corner of his vision as you pull the white dress above your hips teasingly slow, "fuck her dumb?"

"Hyung!"

Your giggles fill the room, and Hongjoongs follow, leaving Soobin stunned more than ever; a deer in the headlights. "Oh, c'mon Binnie," you moan as you slip your hand into your underwear, "we aren't blind."

"We see how you watch us," he finishes your thought, shrugging off his coat.

"Mhm," you nod in agreement, watching his bulge grow with his blush. "If you don't want to join us, close the door on your way out- ah!" Your laughter fills the room as Hongjoong jumps into the bed, kissing and licking at your neck.

His eyes flick between the two of you and the locked door. His mind is already made up but he doesn't want to seem too eager. He thought he was sneaky enough. How much do you both know?

"You're so wet just from teasing him," Hongjoong purrs as he slips his fingers into your bare heat, your skimpy panties discarded at the edge of the large bed.

He almost immediately starts pumping his fingers into your wetness, purposefully slapping his palm against your clit to create more lewd sounds. Soobins head is spinning. His eyesight is blurring, but at the same time he can see your face twisting in pleasure so clearly. He's crawling into the bed instinctively to get a closer look, his brain can't comprehend the amount of hormones that are flooding him. From your feet, he can see the wetness on Hongjoongs fingers as he pulls them out briefly before they dive back into you.

"Staying?" Hongjoong grins as he looks over his shoulder, slowing his fingers to give him a good showing of your wetness. He only nods in response, eyes never leaving your puffy clit and sopping hole.

"Ngh-" He moans as Hongjoongs free hand grips the back of his neck, forcing him face to face with your core. The sound of his fingers pressing against your walls paired with the scent of your arousal nearly makes him come undone the second the tip of his nose grazes your clit.

Your hand comes down and pets his head almost innocently, and he looks up your heaving torso to see you as you speak vulgarly, "have you ever eaten a pussy before, Binnie?"

He shakes his head, the tip of his nose still forced against your clit by Hongjoongs grip.

"She'll get you addicted," Hongjoong moans lowly at the thought of his own tongue on you, he can taste the memories, "she's fucking delicious."

He lays on his stomach between your legs, next to Hongjoong whos straddling your thigh. "H-how?" He forces his voice out, his hot breath fanning you.

"Show him how, Baby," you prop yourself up on your elbow and wiggle your hips, smirking at the two of them. "Show him how to eat pussy like a real man."

Hongjoongs slips his fingers out of you and sucks them clean as he positions himself next to Soobin, rubbing down his back sensually. "Watch close, even blink."

"Oka-" He's left speechless once again as his tongue darts out and laps up and down the length of your heat, pointing and circling your clit before diving into you and all over again. He listens to his Hyung, though he doesn't know if it's even intentional. He wouldn't blink if his eyes were dryer than the Sahara.

His skilled tongue skims and rubs and fucks all of the right places, not a single part of you left untouched as he moans into you. "Oh, fuck, Joongie," you squeal, thighs trembling briefly before they lift of the bed and press into them.

He pulls away and pushes the thigh that's pressing into him back down, nodding at Soobin to do the same. His slender fingers dig into your skin softly as he copies him, pressing your leg back into the soft sheets.

"No," you whine, "so close!"

"C'mon Princess don't be selfish, let our guest have a taste before you squirt all over us, hm?"

"Squirt- squirt? You squirt Noona?" He pants breathlessly. He doesn't know how he's going to survive.

You chuckle softly, head tossed back as you rub your wetness on his chin, getting oh so close to his lips. "Make me cum and you'll find out, Binnie. Go on, do what Joongie showed you."

He sticks his tongue out tentatively and flicks it across your clit. The high moan you let out. The taste of you. Hongjoongs burning gaze on him. It's so. Fucking. Good.

He copies all of Hongjoongs movements, it's not hard to. The image of his tongue working against your wet skin is burned into his memory and he will never let it go. He whines into your cunt, pressing his face closer as he savors your juices, his eyes fluttering shut as his hips grind against the bed on their own. His mind is gone from his body, his entire being washed in pure pleasure. He's so far gone that he doesn't register that your both turning on your sides, your legs sandwiching his face as you moan and groan.

He feels Hongjoongs hands unbuttoning his pants, and he lets him. No way in any universe is he doing anything that will stop this moment. His length is engulfed in his warm hand, and the vibration of his moan is enough to send you over the edge, flooding his face and neck in your release and clenching your legs around his head tightly. The curses that fall off your trembling lips go unheard by the eager young man, who could nearly be drowning in the amount of fluids that you're washing him in, in the pleasure that Hongjoongs hand is giving him.

"Fuck, Binnie! Fuck, fuck, fuck! Son of a bitch- holy shit!" Hongjoong laughs, finally pulling his wet face away from you. His eye flutter open, his pupils blown way out of proportion. He pants, bucking his hips into Hongjoongs stilled hand.

"Ngh, Hyung," he whimpers, melting as he resumes stroking his length, "you were right, she's so delicious!" He licks his swollen lips, sliding onto his back and watching his slender hand pump up and down, blissfully unaware as you slip out from behind him and remove your clothes. "Oh my god," his eyes roll back into his head, and just before the pressure inside of him can snap, the warmth of his hand is gone. "No, no! Hyung!" His cock twitches in the air, hips bucking wildly.

"Shhhh," he shushes him softly, holding his hips down to the bed, kissing his jaw lightly, "don't you want to let it out inside your Noona? There's nothing else like it, Binnie."

You join them once again, on the opposite side of Hongjoong, naked body curled up to Soobins side. "All warm and wet, nice and inviting."

A whiny moan chokes him, jaw dropped as he nips his ear lobe, your fingertip swirling around his nipple. "F-fuck, please."

"Not yet," you whisper, "you'll cum the second you feel my hot pussy. Calm down a bit."

Both of your warmth is gone, and he opens his eyes. They widen at the scene infront of him.

Your naked body, all out in the open as your face is in Hongjoongs lap, ass in the air. His thick, veiny member resting on your flushed cheek as you fondle his balls.

"Is it everything you dreamed of, Soobin?" He grins as you take his cock down your throat, years of practice having paid of. "Isn't my girl the fucking best? Look at that," he coos as he points Soobins gaze to your throat, an the outline of him pressing out of your skin, "see how she takes it? Mmm fuck. If your lucky, maybe one day she can take that long, pretty cock of yours."

You moan around him, peering over at Soobin. He slides closer immediately and leans into your neck, taking in a deep breath of the smell of sex that comes from you. "Fuck," he groans, cock aching for attention. But Hongjoong is right, he wants to save it for you. He wants to know what Hongjoong gets to feel everytime you fuck. "Everything and more." He kisses your neck, and the feeling of his lips through your throat makes Hongjoong feral.

He grips the back of your head, thrusting deep into your throat with a short and fast pace. The sound of your throat contracting around his cock fills the room, even over the muffled music. Your spit flies out of your stretched lips, soaking his smooth pelvis. "Do that again," he growls quietly, free hand pressing Soobins face into your neck.

And he does, he licks and sucks at your neck, like he's trying to suck Hongjoongs cock just as much as you are. "Mhmp!" Your arousal drips down your legs, your hole clenches around nothingness as you steady yourself on his thighs.

The amount of attention you've been receiving tonight already has you back on the edge, teetering as your boyfriend chokes you on his cock and his handsome junior sucks hickeys in your skin. Your head is fuzzy with oxygen deprivation and arousal.

You can feel his body tightening beneath you, and you get ready to swallow his release when he tugs your hair roughly. "Don't swallow, Angel," and with that, he pulls your mouth back to envelop just his tip and floods your mouth with his sweet seed, head tossed back and a bead of sweat dripping down his chin, chest heaving as he moans, "let him have a taste."

He tenderly helps you up, positioning your face above his and smirking as he opens his mouth wide. The mix of saliva and cum leaks into his awaiting mouth, and a string of moans from all of you builds your arousal to an all time high. He gulps it down greedily and watches you intently as you move to straddle his hips.

You lick your lips clean, taking a peek at Hongjoong. He gives you a nod and grips the base of Soobins cock, holding it upright as you sink down on it. "Oh- oh shit," he bites his lip, eyes flicking from your blissful face to your sopping hole as you slowly descend to Hongjoongs member twitching back to life.

"Don't you dare cum, ladies first," Hongjoong fixes Soobins hair back and rubs his thumb on his lips.

"Al-alright- fuck! Oh fuck!" He whines loudly as you begin riding him mercilessly, clenching his gut as his brain begs for the flood of dopamine that it knows will come with filling your cunt in the most primal way. "Fuck, please! Noona! Noona!" He screams, hips bucking wildly and making his cock reach depths inside of you that haven't been touched by another person since you met Hongjoong. He doesn't stretch you as good as he does, but God does the slight pain as he rearranges your guts feel heavenly.

"How does it feel?" Hongjoong inquired, slipping his hand around your hips and circling his finger tips around your swollen clit.

"So good!"

"S'good!"

Both of you chime together, bodies bouncing on the soft mattress. "Oh, Joongie! You were right," you draw out in a moan, "he's so- ah! So big!"

"Ride him, Princess, ride that big cock," he smirks at him over your shoulder before diving in and sucking darker hickeys over the ones Soobin left. It's definitely a show of dominance, telling him not to get too comfortable in his girlfriends cunt. But he does. Not. Care.

He'll find an in eventually, for now he's content to hold onto your hips as you ride him like a mad woman.

"Noona," he whines highly, rutting into you desperately, "please let me!"

"Let you?" You question dizzily, rocking your hips into Hongjoongs fingers as they continue their assault on your clit.

"L- ah! Fuck, I'm sorry, Noona, I can't help myself anymore!" He thrashes, locking his arms around you and flipping you around. He cages you underneath him and slams back into you, banging his hips onto yours and burying his face in your chest as he clings to you.

Hongjoong crawls up to your face, cradling it gently as Soobins rough thrust toss you around. "You gonna let him cum in your pussy? That's my pussy, you know that?" He slaps your cheek softly, a large grin on his face. "Dirty Angel, you're enjoying having this freak in your cunt," he kisses you deeply and moans, pulling back and gripping Soobins hair roughly.

"Listen to me," he sneers, "you can fuck us silly all you like, you little horn-dog. But this is my girl. And I'm her man. Got that?"

"Y-yes, Hyung!"

"Good," he pushes his head away and goes back to you, fondling your breasts as he licks your ear, whispering something that Soobin can't hear over the pounding of his hips on yours, especially not combined with the music growing louder in his overstimulated mind.

Your moans are growing louder and louder, more frequent as he plunges into you rapidly. "O-oh shit..." You screw your eyes shut and bite your lip, and from his place looking down on you, Soobin wishes he had photographic memory. It's everything he ever made it up to be and more, and more, and more...

A broken moan rips out of your throat as you clench on him like a vice, squirting with each of his thrust as he ravages you. And that's all he needs to let loose, an orgasm like no other washing over him and soaking your insides, shutting his brain off as it floods with unimaginable pleasure.

He collapses into you, clinging to you for dear life as his hips continue driving into you with a mid of their own.

"Feels fucking amazing, huh?" Hongjoong chuckles, rubbing your heads simultaneously as he pries Soobin off of you. He straddles him carefully and slips his hands under his top. "Hope you've got some more energy for me, pretty boy."

彡★

He stands as silent as a mouse and grabs his phone, eyes raking the two of you darkly as he searches for the perfect angle to capture you in your fullest beauty.

Hongjoongs arm is draped over your naked chest like he subconsciously knows to protect your modesty from what's about to come, his ring catching the dim moonlight as he cups the side of your breast.

He snaps a picture of your torsos and arms all mingled together, thankful that the lamp was left on so that he didn't have to risk the flash waking you. He knows you're a light sleeper.

With a lick of his lips, he zooms in on his always noticeable bulge. It strains against his boxers even as he's flaccid and snuggles against your hip innocently.

He doesn't know when it got to this point. He doesn't care, frankly. He just wants in, he wants in- he wants in now. He wants to sleep in that cozy nest of a bed that he knows you make up every morning after cuddling your boyfriend all night. Seonghwa once told him about it and how you had to strip the bed of all your pillows and blankets and plushies so that Hongjoongs vlogs didn't share something that you felt so intimate about, he hasn't got to see it yet but he wants it so badly. He wants to spoil you with plushies to add. He wants to fuck you until you squirt on it all freshly made just to mark it with your scent and drive in the fact that he makes you cum like a lover.

His soft panting fills the quiet air as he snaps a photo of the way your finger tips are pressed into the elastic band on Hongjoongs boxers.

He doesn't care that it's crazy. He just wants to be apart of you, and every little thing only adds to it.

He leans one knee on the edge of the bed and snaps a close up of your bruised hips, the forming colors, to remind him of how well it felt to hold them as they boucned.

He turns the focus to your face. You're the one he has the least photos of despite the fact that you're the one he's most obsessed in love with. You look so peaceful in your sleep, lips parted as you breath softly, a small smile twitching at the edges that he immediately snaps a photo of. You must be dreaming of him.

He. Doesn't. Care.

He snaps photo after photo after photo after photo after photo of you. His girl. The lines on your soft, exposed stomach. Your fluffy sock clad feet. Your slightly swollen lips with his thumb carefully placed between them. The way you suck on it subconsciously. Your hair, the baby hairs that fall from the sloppy way you put it up. Every single freckle and mole and embellishment on your skin. Your thighs. Oh good God your thighs, he could die a happy man between them. The way goosebumps raise on your skin as he trails his fingers tips all over you. Your neck which still has his marks no matter how hard Hongjoong tried to cover them. Picture after picture after picture after picture until his camera betrays him and tells him he has only a little storage left to document your adorable, unconscious state.

Soobin

Does

Not

Care

He backs up and gets every single piece of you both in frame for one last photo. Of the way the two of you meld together. His precious, stupid lovers.

He will be apart of you. And this is only the beginning.

He got a glimpse of what goes on behind closed doors.

Now you'll never get rid of him.

#ateez #ateez smut #smut fic #kim hongjoong #hongjoong #ateez hongjoong #tomorrow x together #tomorrow x together smut #choi soobin #soobin #txt soobin #yandere soobin #yandere tomorrow x together

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utilitycaster · 3 months

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Regarding Editing and Innovating in the space, 2 people who get a Fraction of the credit they deserve are Ivan Van Norman & Marisha Ray. I mean, they created and developed one of the original mixed media cinematic interactive actual plays, Sagas of Sundry: Dread, and then Sagas of Sundry: Madness, and Marisha (later hiring Ivan as well) has continued that trajectory in some of the more intriguingly edited mixed format Actual plays at CR, like Call of Cthulhu, Undeadwood, and others, and being Instrumental in the developments at CR. Like, when you do watch the interviews you get a sense of just how Much of CR's current content designs, ttrpg intentions, and series are marisha's brainchilds, and it sucks that she doesnt get the credit others involved in similar projects, and even those projects, do.

This is a great point. I've mentioned this before w/r/t the fandom - Marisha, perhaps more than anyone, gets reduced even by many fans to "she's pretty and her characters are like what if a girlboss were a girlfailure" and her creative direction goes unheralded. It feels like this has gotten worse in recent years; I was baffled at how many people seemingly resented Calamity or Candela for taking up space they felt should go only to the main campaign when those were not only showcases for Marisha as a performer but also clearly something in which she had a strong hand in designing. Whenever people whine about there only being two main campaign episodes in a month because of Candela Obscura, I do think "You realize this was probably Marisha's call?"

I was focused in my response much more on Daggerheart, and so on the game design side (quick side note - reviews of A Familiar Problem, which Marisha worked on, were pretty positive; I wonder if something's happened in the past 2 years since that's when I've really felt this Damn Critical Role energy among actual play journalists), but I had been thinking about Sagas of Sundry and Undeadwood! I think I mentioned Sagas of Sundry in one of my posts about how Kollok isn't, in my mind, impressive. I loved Dread but never finished Madness before Alpha folded, but actually I was imagining something like Madness - fully on a set, people walking around like it's a play - for Kollok! When I saw everyone at a table with that rotating rock I was like "is this...it?" And, you know, Sagas: Madness wasn't entirely for me, but you can't fault the innovation. Similarly, when I think about the (baffling) criticism from one of the prominent actual play journalists I've had in mind while writing this, that Candela Obscura the show did not fully teach people Candela Obscura the game, I think about how Ivan Van Norman did straight up teach Savage Worlds during Undeadwood. Whenever people gush over the shadow puppets in Burrow's End I think it's deserved, but when they claim it's utterly new? Nah. Call of Cthulhu: Shadow of the Crystal Palace did it first. And Marisha had a guiding hand in the creative direction of all of these.

I think this is sort of elaboration on one of my points in my original post: I think a lot of the journalists are really out of their depth. I don't remember seeing their names when I first started watching CR in 2018, or when I got deeper into the fandom in 2019. My first actual play was TAZ, which I binged in late 2017. I really think a lot of the journalists flat-out don't know Sagas of Sundry or Undeadwood because they didn't show up until after Alpha folded. I've mentioned this elsewhere but so much of the claims of novelty and innovation are completely incorrect and not even terribly obscure. Look, I've seen/listened to most or all of 9 actual plays (this is counting D20 and CR each as one single unit, by the way - I've seen all but scattered one-offs from either), and seen or heard an episode or two of many more. I think that simply by doing that? I know more than a lot of these journalists.

Again: Worlds Beyond Number? The innovation is with the Witch class and the Wizard of the Citadel subclasses, and the allowance of extremely long downtime, but: longform podcast actual play with sound design? RQG did it starting in 2015. Griffin McElroy and Emily Axford have been composing their own music since 2017 or 2018 for their respective shows, both of which are also longform podcast actual plays. Again, Brennan pretty explicitly said "I don't think D20 is new, nor longform" in a quote and the article that quotes him argues that Fantasy High is new and longform...and that article also talks about how before D20 most AP video was livestreamed before talking about how boundary-breaking D20 was for having a livestreamed second season (you know, the thing that they just called old hat a paragraph earlier) that quickly pivoted to remote (even though remote livestreaming was actually quite common in smaller productions well before the pandemic, since you don't need anything but laptop cameras to produce it). I don't even keep up with much in the really indie AP scene, but those people I know who do are even less impressed by the state of Actual Play journalism than I, because D20 executes a lot of things extremely well, has a very talented roster of performers, and a budget most productions cannot hope to match, but a good deal of what it's credited for inventing (and which, again, it never claims to have invented. I want to be clear that the journalists decided to be like this for no clear reason) already existed. And, by placing this heavy emphasis on production, they are automatically making it hard for indie productions to impress them. For all they claim to be going after the 700 lb gorilla, they are simply cozying up to the 600 lb gorilla. It's real "um, why don't you try this little indie game called Pathfinder" hours.

I am fairly sure a lot of the people in prominent journalistic positions in the actual play sphere today came in only after the collapse of Geek and Sundry, is my point, and so I think they literally do not realize how much the medium owes to, for example, Marisha Ray and Ivan Van Norman, because they weren't watching in 2016 nor even skipping through the G&S archives, as I did as a new CR fan. I think they're absolutely out of their depth, and most of them don't even realize it.

#answered #Anonymous #long post #cr tag

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kandyzee · 4 months

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Gonna talk about how much I love this photo for a second cause its so perfect

So obviously this is from when mickey goes to see Ian in the club for the first time. Ian is very standoffish and yk don't really talk to mickey. Mickey is trying to bring Ian home we all know what's going on.

Anyway. First, i wanna talk about the colours or more the prominence of one colour, red. Red has connotations of love and anger so it's think it's so perfect for this scene. Mickey and Ian love each other, but over that, there is sure to be some anger along with that. I think the fact their angry towards stems from love makes red even more perfect. When I say that it stems from love, I mean from mickey marrying svet ofc. The wedding wouldn't have happened if mickey didn't love ian enough to even invite him to stay round ian wouldnt be so hurt if he didn't love mickey. It's all love. More than just love and anger, tho red often represents betrayal. Not that I think either of them betrayed the other, but I can see how they both might feel that way. Mickey because Ian left when he needed him and Ian because mickey married svet in the first place but also cause he didn't ask him to say.

Okay next, there is a very clear emotion split between them here. Mickey is reaching out and Ian is pulling away, they're divided. AND U CAN SEE THAT WITH THE LIGHT BEAM. isn't that just so good?? The light cuts right through the middle of them almost like a wall. AN EMOTIONAL WALL. Ian has his walls up around mickey cause he's feels betrayed and angry at the man he loves. That like circles back to the colour red and how it fits so perfectly. Spliting mickey and Ian up rn is a wall of anger and love and betrayal.

I love how Ian is very clearly looking away from mick, whereas mickey is trying to make eye contact with Ian. This just shows even more how unresponsive Ian is to mickey. Ian has light on his face and mickeys looking at that. Mickey is quite literally looking at the light. Light is hopeful, love filled , bright, and positive. Just as much as mickey is searching for ians eyes here, I also think he's searching for light in Ian. Mickey needs Ian rn, but ian isn't himself. He's looking for the isn he knows and to mickey Ian is light.

Mickey is in only shadows. This could be a few things like Ian wasn't looking for mickey. U don't look for dark yk u look for light. And obviously, mickey isn't in the stream of light. Mickey wasn't the one who put up the wall, so he's behind it.

Anyway, I think way too much about this random picture and probably doesn't have any actual meaning. This is just me being extra about gallavich cause I love them. Also Ians side profile is actually gorgeous.

Editing this ig cause i just got an ask saying if was a photo Edit so credit to @samantitheos for changing my life with this

#gallavich #im going insane #ian and mickey #mickey milkovich #ian gallagher #s4 gallavich #they make me crazy #i need to stop talking

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sjmgirlie · 3 months

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"Azriel's darkness this" "Azriel's darkness that"

Is this all people think this character is?

Considering all the instances we have been provided where his friends don't even push him/don't really try and get him to talk to them about pretty much anything, I'd say we don't know much about Azriel at all.

It's the same with any character that we haven't got a POV from. Do we really know Elain well enough to make judgements? Mor even? Not really.

What we understand about their characters is what we have seen/heard in dialogue in other POVs.

The thing I love about Azriel (and Elain for that matter) is that they have been portrayed as fixed. He is a broody and mysterious Shadowsinger that has went through trauma his whole life. Elain has been stifled but shown time and time again that she is not what people think she is. (There is a whole bonus chapter alluding to it that people like to completely forget).

Azriel has darkness, he has shadows, he is broody and doesn't say much. But what else is he from what we have seen?

He is heroic, he is self sacrificing, he deeply cares for the people in his life, and he is actually a good person. Even if he is the Spymaster and torturer of the NC. You know what else we see?

We see him having absolutely no self worth. We see him struggle with feeling inadequate for anyone. Mor has told us this, Azriel has as well in the BC. He feels UNWORTHY.

Why do you think he completely let Elain make the moves in the POV? He doesn't think he is worthy. He doesn't believe himself to be. And Rhys saying "you think you deserve to be her mate?" is literally a knife in the gut for a character like Azriel.

Azriel has shown time and time again that he cares for the females in the books I dare say more than most of the other characters. This is not an accident. This is (I believe) directly correlated with how his mother was treated.

We see countless instances of Azriel proving this with violence, because well, is he a talker like Rhys? No. He carries a lot of self worth in his ability to hurt someone clearly. Of being needed in ways only related to his work and abilities. And don't get me started on imagining what Rhys' father did to him mentally during the time he was under his command.

Yes, Azriel has darkness. But literally EVERY character in this book has darkness. Saying that Azriel's LI is solely determined based off "who can handle the darkness" is placing Azriel's character in a box with no growth. And that's not an SJM character. They all grow.

His LI will help him realize that he is NOT darkness. That there is light in the darkness that he does not see. That he doesn't need to "handle" it or have someone to "handle" it. That Azriel is just AZRIEL. That he doesn't need to be anyone else. He doesn't need to pretend all the time. He doesn't need to wear a mask every moment of his life.

Who looked to him when first meeting him as a comfort? Who did not balk from him? Who has called his scars, which he is insecure about, beautiful? Who noticed his headaches? Who enjoys just sitting in silence while enjoying someones company? Who has been showing Azriel he is wanted?

Read the series again if you don't remember.

Reducing Azriel to darkness is the same thing as reducing Elain to flowers/gardening.

Anyways, a long post again but please don't reduce Azriel to darkness because you are literally just feeding into the actual narrative he holds for himself as shown by the author rather than realizing that's the exact healing journey he is going to take. To realize he isn't just darkness. That he himself has a light.

Edit to add additional thoughts:

Main characters in SJM books, specifically ACOTAR, are always presented in a boxed view until they either get a book or are the MC in one. We got Rhys as the MMC in ACOMAF through feyre’s PoV, and we got Nesta and Cassian in their own.

Complex main characters will not have their healing arcs explored or even completely explained in someone else’s POV. Food for thought.

#pro eriel #pro azriel #pro elain #elain x azriel #elain

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paperclip-skz · 28 days

Text

Coffee Sometime?

Reader x Chan

Imagine: You've been an Idol for some time now, and you're having trouble with a new song. You're borrowing a studio room and someone walks in on you singing.

WC: 1.6k

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It’s late. It's just past 8 pm and you're still in your studio. Everyone has left to have dinner at their homes, but you're still here, singing your heart out alone. You’ve been singing the same song for the past hour and a half, trying to get the melody just right, but nothing seems to work. Track after track nothing speaks to you, your voice sounding more like a broken record player as you sit here, listening for what feels like the 100th track.

You sigh and comb your hands through your hair in annoyance. You slam your hands down onto your lap as you stare at the monitors plastered on the wall. You're borrowing the studio from someone, you don’t know and didn’t care to ask. You just needed a room to record in, you didn’t care who it was. Although you appreciated their setup. The monitors are plastered onto the wall, not too high to hurt your neck but not too low either. The chair is comfy enough to sleep in, and there's a couch conveniently placed right behind the setup. Your recording room isn't far, it's in a separate room with a glass shield separating the editing room from the recording room. It's a simple room, but a cozy one.

You lean back in your chair trying to think of a way you can get yourself out of your head. I can just start singing, that usually helps. You decide to go back into the recording room and just hit record. You didn’t have anything planned to sing, you weren't even going to sing the song you were currently working on, you just wanted to sing.

The first song that came to mind was “Lost Boy” by Ruth B. There was a small electric piano in the recording room, so you sat down and switched some of the buttons so you were playing classical. You started to play the slow tempo of the song as you sang the words.

There was a time when I was alone,

Nowhere to go and no place to call home.

My only friend was the man in the moon

Even sometimes he would go away too.

Then one night as I closed my eyes

I saw a shadow flying by

He came to me with the sweetest smile

Told me he wanted to talk for a while, he said

Peter Pan, that's what they call me.

I promise that you’ll never be lonely

And. ever. since. that day.

The song was like a second language to you. Reciting the lyrics clearly and calmly. You used to be obsessed with this song as a kid, so you knew the perfect way to sing it in your range.

I am a lost boy, from Neverland

Usually hanging out with Peter Pan.

And when we’re bored we play in the woods

Always on the run from, Captain Hook

Run, run, lost boy

They say to me

Away from all of reality

Neverland is home to lost boys like me

And lost boys like me are free

Neverland is home to lost boys like me

And lost boys like me are free

You’ve already closed your eyes when you started singing, swaying your head. You’ve been singing ever since you were a kid, it wasn’t until your friend Seungmin heard you singing and told you you sounded great. He gave you so much confidence that you pursued a life in music, if it wasn’t for him you wouldn’t know where you’d end up.

He sprinkled me in pixie dust and told me to believe

Believe in him and believe in me

Together we would fly away in a cloud of green

To your beautiful destiny

As we soared above the town, that never loved me

I realized I finally had a family

Soon enough we reached Neverland

Peacefully, my feet hit the sane

And. ever. since. That day.

The smile you had while singing was glowing, you loved singing, and you couldn’t help it. Every time you sang it felt like you were being transported into the song. Feeling the lyrics in your soul and the emotions sprint through your body.

I am a lost boy from Neverland

Usually hanging out with Peter Pan.

And when we’re bored we play in the woods

Always on the run from, Captain Hook

Run, run, lost boy

They say to me

Away from all of reality

Neverland is home to lost boys like me

And lost boys like me are free

Neverland is home to lost boys like me

And lost boys like me are free

Peter pan, tinkerbell, Wendy darling

Even captain hook

You are my perfect storybook

Neverland I love you so,

You are now my home sweet home

Forever a lost boy at last

Peter pan, tinkerbell, Wendy darling

Even captain hook

You are my perfect storybook

Neverland I love you so,

You are now my home sweet home

Forever a lost boy at last

And for always I will say.

I am a lost boy from Neverland

Usually hanging out with Peter Pan.

And when we’re bored we play in the woods

Always on the run from, Captain Hook

Run, run, lost boy

They say to me

Away from all of reality

Neverland is home to Lost boys like me

And lost boys like me are free

Neverland is home to Lost boys like me

And lost boys like me are free

Once the last note dies out in the small recording room. You smile to yourself, knowing something as simple as singing an old song would get you out of your head. You establish that nothing you do is going to be better than what you just did, so you just give up for the night. You want nothing more than your comfy sweats, oversized hoodie, and a snack to go along with your current Netflix drama. You gathered up your things from the recording room and started to head to the conjoining door out of the recording room. As you open the door you quickly realize there is a head poking inside the editing room’s door. You quickly say hello and bow not knowing who it is.

“Hi,” the man says. He’s very cute, you think to yourself. He’s got deep dimples and his eyes squint when he smiles. He has dark hair that covers his forehead, he has broad shoulders, and a build that could send a girl drooling.

“Hello,” you say back, blushing at your thought and suddenly becoming shy.

“Sorry, I couldn’t help hearing you sing. You sounded amazing, almost like magic” His dimples show one more time.

“Oh,” you giggle shyly, angling your head down to cover the blush that spreads, “thank you”.

“I’m Chan, by the way.” You smile at him, lifting your head.

“Y/N”

“Pretty” is all he responds with. Suddenly, now you see a small blush creek across his cheeks, a small chuckle escaping your lips. “Well, I should probably let you get back to work”. He makes a move to walk out the door, but you're quick to stop him.

“I’m actually just about to head out” you say just before he closes the door. He reopens it with surprise in his eyes. “I mean, if you're headed in the same direction, would you mind walking me out?” you're surprised by your courage, but it seems like Chan doesn't notice.

You didn’t think his smile could get any wider as he gestured for you to walk out the door he was holding. You grab the last of your things and walk out with him.

On the short walk to the door, you learn so much about him and learn so much about you. You learn that his home is Sydney Australia and he has a dog named Berry. He learns that you're originally from the States and came here to study music. You talk for what seems like hours, but only lasts a few minutes until you're hit with the cold weather of Seoul.

You both stop. Just minutes ago you both were talking and enjoying each other's company, but now it's crickets. You too hardly know each other, but don’t want to make any move to end the night. You're the first to speak, knowing you should get home and rest. “I’m that way” You point behind you and he looks over your shoulder. He just nods his head, you can see the gears shifting in his brain thinking of what’s the best thing to do here.

“I should walk you home, you shouldn't be out here all by yourself”

His concern warms your heart and a small smile greets his shining eyes, “it's okay, really. I walk home all the time, sometimes later than what it is” the disappointment on his face is so clear, the warmth that was previously in you disappears and is replaced with a sharp pain.

“But, how about I give you my number? That way you can keep walking me out of the building late at night” Your cheeky suggestion is what lights his face back up like a christmas tree.

You both engage numbers and he waits for you to walk in the direction of your home, while he walks the opposite way. You feel like a teenager having her first crush in highschool, you can’t stop smiling.

You finally get home and set all of your things down on the counter. It's a record time when you're in your favorite comfy clothes, snack in hand, and you're starting your drama. You are about 5 minutes in when your phone chimes with a notification. You look to see who it's from.

Chan <3

Coffee sometime?

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this was just something cute I wrote, I wanted to try something different. :)

#skz #bang chan #stray kids #fluff #pov #reader x stray kids #female reader #reader x chan #reader x bang chan #chris bang #limbo #story #stray kids x reader

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crossdressingdeath · 1 year

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Okay, I make a lot of jokes about Jason drinking poison just because Nico asked him to and drinking poison because someone said "If we're friends drink this poison" is a wild thing to do. But it's also like... this is kind of Nico's answer to Jason telling him to take a risk and trust that Jason really is his friend and really does want to help him? Jason says "If you want to belong anywhere you're going to have to take some risks and trust that people want to be your friends", Nico is now turning around and saying "If you really want to be my friend, prove that you trust me instead of just asking me to trust you". Nico's been burned before by trusting other people blindly! Basically everyone he's ever cared about has let him down in a really big way! But he tells Jason to trust him and Jason does without a moment's hesitation. And it's like... people usually don't trust Nico, the Seven in particular (Hazel aside) have been looking at Nico with nothing but distrust since he got out of Tartarus. And here's golden boy Jason taking this poison without hesitation because Nico told him to and in doing so saying "Yes, I trust you with my life, I have faith that you really do intend to help". That would mean a lot! Jason is willing to literally put his life on the line based solely on Nico's word that it's necessary! That's a level of faith that basically no one else shows in Nico, especially in this series! Even when characters do trust Nico, it's usually because there's no one else who can do what he's doing (no one else can lead the Seven to the Doors, no one else can shadow travel the Athena Parthenos, and honestly given he's not actually one of the Seven he's... kind of expendable as far as the quest goes). But Jason just... trusts him, without hesitation or reservation.

Just adkajf;lsdkjfl;daskfjdslkfj it's so much????? Jason and Nico's relationship is so sosososososo good whether you read it as romantic or platonic! It's honestly wild to me that Rick managed to make these two's very close relationship work and feel incredibly real with such a rapid development, because... yeah, there isn't actually a lot of time between Split and Nico leaving with the Athena Parthenos, but the clear affection and concern between them and how they worry about each other while they're separated and how delighted Jason is to see Nico again (and presumably vice versa but we're in Jason's head at the time) at the final battle and Nico actually letting Jason hug him still all makes sense. This is a friendship that is still in its early stages but clearly already means a lot to both of them just because of the circumstances they established it in and the way they mesh as people (and probably because neither of them have a lot of friends as it is, Jason is popular but I don't get the sense he has a lot of friends and Nico is Nico, but that's sad so let's not dwell on it), it's fantastic! I'm really disappointed that we don't get to see them interact in ToA and I really hope there are flashbacks to them interacting in TSatS (and/or Jason's ghost shows up) because I would love to see what their friendship is like after they've had a chance to settle into it in a non-apocalyptic situation. Clearly they stay very close post-HoO given how broken up Nico is after Jason's death and him missing Jason to an incredibly tragic degree in TSatS (assuming that doesn't get changed in editing), but I want to see them! Let me see them being friends, Rick!

#riordanverse #nico di angelo #jason grace #jasico #yeah i'm tagging it this is also why the ship is so damn good #i just. whether you read it as platonic or romantic they love each other SO MUCH i CANNOT with them

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mspaesthetic · 9 months

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Tidbit: Persnickety About Posters

If you want to avoid overly dark or blurry posters in your fan adventures, then follow my lead:

1) Download JPEG off of Google Images.

2) Import, scale down, and skew/shear it. Use an interpolation method such as Bilinear or Bicubic Sharper. Doing both transformations at once is better than repeatedly transforming the image (i.e. resizing it, applying the transform, and then skewing it), as it helps prevent the image and edges from becoming too blurry. This will be important later.

You can hold down Ctrl + Shift to constrain the Move tool along a single axis so it won't go out of alignment as you're skewing it. If you don't see the Transform Controls by default, enable it in the tool options bar at the top, or go to Edit>Free Transform.

3) Desaturate it. Desaturate means to turn color grayer, until it becomes black and white.

4) Adjust the brightness and contrast using the Levels adjustment tool. It's much too dark as it is! In Photoshop, it is located under Image>Adjustments>Levels..., but I recommend creating an adjustment layer from the bottom of the layers tab instead. Doing so will allow you to make edits non-destructively, meaning you can go back and change any parameters until it looks right.

You could use a Brightness/Contrast adjustment with "Use Legacy" enabled instead to achieve a similar effect, but it won't clip the shadows and highlights as easily. You would have to create an additional duplicate adjustment and turn the brightness and contrast way down on the first one to do so. It's somewhat easier to use but less efficient than Levels in this case.

5) Apply a simple sharpen to the image as it is still too blurry for our purposes. In Photoshop, it is located under Filter>Sharpen>Sharpen... Do not use any other filter, such as Unsharp Mask, unless you absolutely have to in lieu of a basic one. If you must, turn down the radius a bit and the threshold all the way to 0.

6) Make a selection around the image. Ctrl + left click on the layer's thumbnail to make a selection around it. Doing it this way makes it inherit the level of transparency any pixels have. If you can't, use the Magic Wand tool with "Anti-alias" enabled to select the transparent area outside, then invert it using Shift + Ctrl + I, or go to Select>Inverse.

Create a new layer above the image, then go to Edit>Stroke... and add a black stroke with a width of 2px located Outside. Leave everything else at the default. Doing it this way will create a stroke with anti-aliasing based on the selection you made. This should generally turn out pretty sharp if you follow my advice from Step 2. If you had used the Stroke Effect available from the Blending Options' layer styles, it will always result in a very smooth outline instead. You do not want this.

Voila, and Bob's your uncle, you're done!

The instructions above are Photoshop specific, but it should still be pretty software-agnostic. Here is the recreation PSD, and below the read-more link are additional notes, such as transferring the steps to something like GIMP.

ADDENDUM

You may be questioning why I deliberately made the stroke anti-aliased. "Isn't that an MSPArt cardinal sin??", I hear you clamoring. Well, my dear readers, let me briefly elucidate you on why your ass is wrong. Exhibit A:

The clearly semi-opaque pixels that can be found in every poster outline, which is especially pronounced here in the Little Monsters poster. I can also see that Hussie actually created a stroke on the same layer as the poster and merged it down into the white background like a dumbass. I omitted this in step 6 for the sake of convenience (and also the fact that you can't add a stroke to a smart object in Photoshop without rasterizing it first).

He had to use the magic wand tool in order to extract it from the layer for this panel, and then fill it in with the paint bucket tool. I can even tell he had the color tolerance set up very high on the magic wand to grab all those near-black and very light gray pixels, AND he had anti-alias enabled and the tolerance on the bucket tool set to be at least higher than 0 to tint similar colors. Exhibit B:

I also didn't address exactly how to desaturate something in Photoshop. Honestly it was because I was feeling pretty lazy. I would have had to rewrite step 4 to not include redundant information about adjustment layers. You can add either a Black & White adjustment layer or a Hue/Saturation one and turn the saturation all the way down to 0. The resulting tones will be slightly different from each other but I'll explain why that is in another tutorial.

Speaking of another tutorial, read this one if you believe this post is missing the step of using a posterize filter.

Now onto applying some steps to GIMP.

RE: step 2) In GIMP, there is a dedicated Unified Transform tool separate from the Move tool, unlike in Photoshop where both features are combined into one. This is how you scale and skew (AKA shear in GIMP) both at the same time, among other things such as rotating.

You'll also find that instead of any interpolation methods labeled "Bilinear" or "Bicubic", there are only ones named "Linear", "Cubic", "NoHalo", and "LoHalo". Basically, Linear and Bilinear are the same, so are Cubic and Bicubic, naturally. I guess NoHalo would be similar to Bicubic Smoother and LoHalo would be kind of similar to Bicubic Sharper as well. It's not an exact 1:1, though.

Honestly it doesn't really matter what you use to reduce the size as long as it isn't None/Nearest-Neighbor. You're going to have to sharpen it no matter what. This applies to Photoshop as well.

RE: step 3) Go to Colors>Hue-Saturation... and repeat turning the saturation down to 0, or go to Colors>Desaturate>Desaturate... and select the Lightness (HSL) method.

RE: step 4) Go to Colors>Levels... or Colors>Brightness-Contrast... The Brightness-Contrast adjustment tool already functions almost exactly like in Photoshop with "Use Legacy" enabled.

RE: step 5) In GIMP 2.10, the developers squirreled away the basic Sharpen filter, making it inaccessible from the Filters menu. To use it, hit the forward-slash (/) key or go to Help>Search and Run a Command... to bring up the Search Actions window and type in "sharpen". Select the option that just reads "Sharpen..." and has a description of "Make image sharper (less powerful than Unsharp Mask)". I find that using a sharpness value of around 40 to be similar to Photoshop's sharpen filter.

RE: step 6) Instead of holding down Ctrl, you hold down Alt and click on the layer thumbnail to make a selection around it. Make a layer underneath the image this time since there isn't an option to place the stroke outside the selection rather than the middle. Go to Edit>Stroke Selection... and create a stroke using these settings:

I recommend keeping anti-aliasing disabled however, as GIMP produces lines that are a little too smooth for my taste.

With "Antialiasing" enabled

Without

If you're using a program that doesn't have a stroke feature available, you could draw a straight 1px thick line across the top of your poster, duplicate it, and move it down 1px. Merge them together, duplicate it again, and move it all the way down to the bottom of the poster. Then repeat the exact same process for the sides. I used to do this before I even knew of the stroke feature, haha.

Another reason I had to do it this way was because my dumb ass did the thing I said not to in step 2, scaling down the image with the scale tool, and then shearing it separately with the shear tool. This caused the edges to become too blurry to be used for a stroke automatically. Oh well, live and learn.

#tidbit #homestuck #problem sleuth #edited images #room #posters

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surplus-of-sarcasm · 9 months

Text

Snippet #29

TW: Blood, angst, vampire (turning involved, but it's consensual), not edited damn

I am so sorry for not writing for so long, it's just that for a while my life's been a mess and kinda is now. Anyyywayy, hope u enjoy <; 3

"You know you can't get too far," a lazy, and yet painstakingly familiar voice drawled after Hero.

They were running as fast as humanely possible, ignoring the cramps as their legs worked like machinery to carry them at a speed they never even knew was achievable.

It didn't matter in the slightest, and the villain was right; if anything, it only served to humiliate the hero further. In the dark, the villain had the upper hand. The night was theirs, and they ruled with an iron fist.

It was simply a game of time, simply depending on exactly when the villain got bored of toying with them.

If the hero was quick, their adversary was supernaturally fast. If they hid in the dark, between thickets of trees, held their breath and became practically invisible, the criminal could sniff them out like a bloodhound, could see at night just as clearly, if not even more.

As though to prove their point, to bring some rationality to a seemingly irrational fear, the villain materialised next to them from the shadows, a dagger-sharp smirk on their pale-skinned complexion, as the moonlight cast a cool, dim glow on their features.

"Darling," the villain purred as the hero nudged their elbow into their shoulder, "you know that doesn't feel like anything to me, right?" They raised a dark eyebrow, entirely amused as the crime-fighter opened their mouth and tried to insult them, except all that came out was an incoherent snarl of rage.

"Exhausted isn't the best look on you, lovely," the criminal added, frowning a little at the hero's disheveled state; their hair astray in every direction, the sweat beading down their temples and the tatters in their clothes from where the branches snagged on the fabric.

Still, the hero tried their hardest to ignore their nemesis, still continued lying to themselves, thinking they could outsmart one the most cunning bastards they'd ever met. But the hero was nothing, if not a fighter, the type to try and break through stone with their teeth and nails if that was all they had because even if they died before making a dent in solid rock, the blood on their hands would be a testament to their effort.

Except right now, they wished to scream at the villain, to use every profane word their tongue could form, but the bile rising in their throat made it difficult to say a word. And sure, they'd been trained to act with ruthless efficiency, but nothing in their training had prepared them for playing a losing game with the supernatural.

"I don't see why you're running like a racehorse, Hero," the villain called out, leaning back against a tree, impatiently tapping their nails against the trunk, calmer than ever.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe it's that I don't want to die," the hero hissed through gritted teeth, already out of breath and entirely furious that the villain could still see their humiliated blush in the dark.

Except the villain hadn't broken out into a fanged grin, no teasing remark falling from their lips. Instead they pulled away from the tree like they'd been burnt, their relaxed posture disappearing along with their casual demeanor like smoke. "Hero," the immortal started gently, "do you think if I wanted to hurt you, I wouldn't have tried already?"

"Is that supposed to help?" the crime-fighter scoffed incredulously, finally stopping in their tracks, exhausted.

"I guess not," the villain attested, running a tired hand down their face, looking embarrassed for the life of them, and if the hero had been in a better mood, they would've found the absence of their long-time enemy's quintessential smug face amusing.

"Well," the villain said, the uncertainty bleeding out of their tone as fast they could manage, "all this," they said, waving their hand indicatively, "it's because I want you." They crossed some of the distance between them, and there was just enough light to see the knife-sharp emeralds soften into something they've never seen before, instead of the hungry flash of red they'd expected.

For a moment, the hero wondered if this was the vampire's intoxicating hypnotism, the poisoned honey many a tale warned of. Except it seemed nothing like it, this was raw and almost terrifyingly intimate as the criminal's feet trudged closer to the where the hero was, the crime-fighter themselves moving in tandem with them. They were breathing each other's air, except Hero was still terrified. The villain's sudden inclination to be gentle didn't completely take the edge off the situation. "You're not lusting for my blood?" they breathed out, carefully searching the villain's face for an answer.

"No," they replied, their hands gently resting on the hero's shoulders, cold against their skin, but their burning skin welcomed the feeling as the villain's fingers gripped onto the shredded fabric coyly, "it smells like heaven, but it isn't why you mean something to me. I shouldn't be able to stand this close and not give in to my instincts. But here I am, and I don't even care," they half-whispered, their hand now stroking patterns down to half of the hero's spine, and if suppressing their emotions hadn't been hammered into them like stone, they would have shivered at the touch.

"And why me? Does something about me make you feel powerful?" the crime-stopper asked, almost challengingly, their hand gripping onto the villain's strong arm, a slight upturn of the corner of their lip as the vampire's breath caught in their throat for a moment. There was something entirely powerful about watching the expressions on their face change ever so subtly.

"Quite the contrary. I like the taste of power, yes, but my ego isn't so fragile that I deeply need someone to feed it. You make me feel I can fight for something. Like I should." The villain's hands were in their hair now, stroking through the strands like it was common practice, like they weren't setting something in the hero's heart on fire.

The vulnerability in the criminal's eyes, the tone of their voice, even though it wasn't the seductive drawl they were all too familiar with, pulled them into something they forgot they were capable of feeling. They wrapped both their arms around the villain, pulling them closer against their chest, unable to understand how they could go from being terrified to whatever this was, but maybe they didn't need to.

They just knew they wanted the villain, they always did. Even when they ran, they weren't scared of their enemy's bloodlust as much as they were scared of their own attraction to someone they were never supposed to have, of how those emotions controlled them.

They weren't sure when the criminal's lips were pressed to their cheekbone in a kiss, and they weren't cold, no. They weren't dead, they were nothing if not so incredibly alive, a trail of fire quickly gone cold as the villain pulled away.

"Talk to me, love," the vampire half-whispered, taking the hero's hands into theirs, their fingers skirting over their knuckles gently.

For a moment, the crime-fighter’s grip on the villain's hands loosened, and their eyes met the mist shrouding the trees ahead, and they almost wished to run, but they steeled themselves. "I'd stay with you, I'd be yours," they murmured into the criminal's shoulder.

"But?"

"Don't you realise that out of both of us, only you live forever? That your strength needs a match or you'll suffer, and we both know it?" they said earnestly, swallowing the acid in their throat and somehow managing to stop the tears pricking at their eyes from threatening to flow.

The villain's eyes widened for a moment before their hand came to rest on the hero's neck. "Do you trust me?"

The crime-fighter bit down on their lip harshly, swallowing the fear of the risk like it was nothing. For their whole life, they'd been so cautious, planning every step of the way, and it was exhausting.

Screw it. Screw it all.

They nodded, and that was when the villain's fangs were in their neck, the gentle grip of their arm on their waist, and the hero's grip tightened on their body as they shivered, holding out through the pain, just until the villain's own blood dripped into their system. And it felt like being brought back from the dead, the rush of adrenaline coursing through their veins. The criminal held out their arm, and the hero bit into it like it was second nature, and instead of the metallic taste they were used to, crimson honey made its way down their throat, the intoxicating scent wafting into their nose unannounced.

They finally pulled away to see Villain smiling at them as the cut on their arm closed just as fast it opened. They must've been hilarious, blood all over their face. but if the criminal noticed, they didn't mention it. "Can I have you, love?" they asked.

The hero nodded again, wrapping an arm around their shoulders and grinning, ignoring, or perhaps proud of their blood-stained fangs.

Happy endings may be a luxury not every love story can afford, but that does not mean they are unattainable. Hidden feelings are the bitter poison the heart burns itself alive with because emotions are not to be left till they rot into something cold and empty. No one said it is meant to be easy, but it is all the more worth to try.

✨️Le Taglist: @larinzz @syberianjade @lateuplight @altu-interactions @enbious-prince @astr0-mj @thelazywitchphotographer @a-fucking-simp-00 @addictedsandwhichaki @justalittlecorrupted @quaggasus @theangstyclown @vernilliom @mothmancommitsarson @starssabove @kurai-hono-blog @talkingsperm @muffinrebel44 @sunnynwanda @annablogsposts @cardboardarsonist @itsmyworld23 @onlywhump @m3rakii @crotchgoblin69 @wtfevenisausername @pendarling @avloki-pal @kaiwewi@those-damn-snippets @whatiswhumpblog

Wanna be on the taglist? This'll take you there!

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lymooniee · 5 months

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Why I hc Shadow as autistic:

Just gonna preface this before I begin, this is all for fun and is a headcanon of mine. Your headcanons may be different to mine and that's valid too! Any grammar mistakes uh- ignore because I'm too lazy to edit this like crazy.

I will also link the video I made of all the moments, too, since it is way too long to post it on here. Keep in mind that not every moment is in the video, but like 95 percent of it is.

Shadow for me has always shown plenty of signs of being autistic, I'll provide as much evidence as I possibly can while doing my best to try and keep this at a reasonable length.

Shadow has always been the silent type of character when he is written correctly or, in other words, whenever Shiro Maekawa was involved with his writing in SA2, heroes and 06. Currently Prime too has done his character justice. I have to state this because I feel this is the best possible way of actually understanding Shadow as a character, so I'll mainly be touching his good characterizations and then some from his own game (not a lot however). He was silent, lonely, calm and often was in his head more than outwardly speaking out. I believe many autistic people like myself, connected to this side of him. Facing with so many adversities because of our differences from others, we become shut in and lonely too, since most autistic people don't feel as if they fit in. You can easily argue this is because of his ptsd from losing Maria, but I'd like to challenge the idea that it can easily be both and his ptsd enhances his traits.

I'll first begin with SA2, Shadow's first scene with eggman to me is quite hilarious if you put a different lens on it, the way he stand there ignoring Eggmans questions and then quickly demands Eggman to abide his rules. It puts Eggman into shock, but I think you could tie these moments that Shadow has as an autistic trait of his. Social cues are quite difficult for a lot of autistic people, and having no filter adds into this difficulty. The way Shadow ignores Eggmans questions to quickly ask him to do what he wants instead really emphasizes this point I made.

I love how he remains calm too, he doesn't yell this at Eggman and instead walks away casually and confidently. It's always been one of my most favourite moments with him. It really does make him stand out as he was able to influence Eggman to follow his wishes. If we want to talk about when he gets introduced to Sonic, I find this moment also again pretty funny in an endearing way when you put in this perspective. Sonic running to him asking Shadow to say something to speak, as Shadow stares at Sonic with silence. He's once again in his head more so than externally present, he also may be struggling to craft up a response or is at a lost with why Sonic is desperate for an answer. Conversations or socially interacting with people is challenging for most autistic people for a plethora of reasons so anything can really explain why Shadow here wasn't responding.

I've also found some of his moments when thinking of Maria (two specific moments being when Amy encourages him to help fight and the other being before Rouge approaches him to ask why he saved her), these moments he's very in tuned with his thoughts. After realizing his true promise with Maria he is in his head not responding right away to Amy, he sheds a tear and runs quickly to help and exclaims how he has to go now to keep that promise. This confuses Amy, however she doesn't stop Shadow or anything. When Rouge approaches Shadow and saying it was unexpected and unlike him to save her, he answers by saying that he didn't go to save her and was doing it for the chaos emeralds. She clearly catches on that this isn't the entire truth, this moment to me is harder to explain. But I think it's because of how he struggles to express his true intentions and feelings in the matter, similar to the Amy one before because he doesnt understand his own empathy.

Now one of if not the most obvious moments in SA2 is when Amy mistakes Shadow for Sonic, he slowly turns to look at her. Doesn't say a word or anything the entire time, and just continues to stare at her. I always loved this moment. I feel this one just speaks for itself lmao.

Now moving onto Sonic 06 moments (sorry there's not a lot in heroes tbh. There is a lot in Sonic X/Prime, Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog, and the Twitter takeovers though!) Sonic 06 main one points out how he is going to discover himself and make his own path. I've always loved this about him as a character, he's not there for anybody but himself, he knows he is different. He will embrace this about himself and not let others try to make up what he has to be. Other subtle traits in 06 are also ways in which he responds to those around him, head nods or simple "yes" responses. Again, it's his way of expressing himself in conversation that really hints at his struggles for social cues. I also adore when Rouge asks him a question and he once again demands for something, and she is like "ok cool, but you didn't answer my question?" Moments like that not only add a lot of charm to him, but something I really connected too because I do this all the time without realizing it. I think partially it's because I get stuck with my own thoughts and those questions I feel I've already got it answered for myself so it's prolly similar where that realization that you may know the answer already, but the other doesn't just doesn't click together sometimes. It could also be because he needs to get out what he needs right away to feel a sense of stability.

Sonic x just has a lot of funny moments that really make his character shine, when he crashes the plane with Espio, Vector and Charmy. He doesn't use his words and instead guides it down forcefully, I similarly do stuff like this where I struggle to express what I need or have to do so I usually just do it without saying it. This happens often when people are in the way of something I have to get to. Like if I have to throw out something for example. I also love that when Espio asks why Shadow didn't just ask, Shadow responds by saying he needs to go find Dark Oak and then just crashes straight into the wall. He really just has such a difficult time expressing exactly why he needs to do things lmao. I also love how he has a challenging time understanding instructions. Eggman asks him to do something and because to Shadow they didn't feel clear, he asks more than once for confirmation. Or when he gives the silent treatment to Rouge and she teases him about it, he just walks away without a word. Now this isn't only applied to Sonic X but Shadow has a really REALLY REAAAALLLY difficult time finding the true intentions of people, Sonic X he gets upset at Rouge and Chris for calling him out on trusting Eggman. He gets defensive and argues back at them saying that Eggman is worthy of trusting because he knows the most about him. It's all he has even though Eggman has been evidenced of tricking others around him. There's countless of other times where Shadow struggles with this, like basically every moment in his own game where he blindly trusts Black Doom. One other moment too I can't exactly remember which game it was, but Rouge was clearly lying and goes "you can trust me! really!!" And he does and then tells her absolutely everything that she wanted to hear.

Sonic prime moments are a lot less, but I do feel his way of just remaining very inwardly or to himself about things can once again be his difficulty in trusting. The way he also overanalyzes a lot of things around him as well. I also just love certain scenes like, "they're air shoes" or "hardly, I'm the ultimate lifeform" because he is blunt and took it quite literally. As he usually does in Prime, where he takes things quite seriously in general. I also feel because sonic is very VERY adhd coded in prime, it really does emphasize the contrast between the two of how someone with autism may interact with someone with adhd. In the most recent episode, he once again finds it difficult to express his protectiveness and plays it off. Or when he does compliment Sonic, he just glares at him when Sonic somewhat jokes around because it felt out of character for Shadow to do that. Even though Shadow was just being blunt about his thoughts and had a moment where he does express properly, but then his glare somewhat shows once again how he has a difficult time crafting up responses lmao.

Some more stuff but more miscellaneous, the Twitter takeovers is funny but it depends on if we want to take it as canon. He loves dry foods, adores kittens to the point he wants an orphanage (connection to animals on a deeper level), he has an organized bedtime routine, and yeah that's basically all the ones I can think of atm. These are quite explanatory I feel. Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog shows he has empathy but struggles to show it similar to basically every other moment I've described, but also just love that he can't handle computers I think that's so funny idk why. I can't even describe how it's an autistic moment for him it just feels like it. He stims with his quills a lot as well, which ugh I adore so so so much.

A lot of these things I've expressed about Shadow come from just from me loving him but also being able to see myself in him as well. I'm happy that Prime is bringing back his character to what it was, I think so many people love Shadow in the fandom simply because of how much they relate to him. He's such great representation despite it not being canon, because of how easily those can see themselves in him. I really do love Shadow and I know this is super long so if you read this, thank you and I hope you enjoyed it.

Have a cute photo of him as a reward ♡

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all-pacas · 4 months

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PERSONA 3 LIVEBLOGGING: AMADA EDITION

wow do these new cutscenes with him really just. RED FLAG CENTRAL. like it was never subtle he was planning some shit, but he's both more subtle now and way worse. "oh yeah, i quit the soccer team, something i love. no reason!" "hey, if for some reason i were to die, would you take care of my beloved pet hamster?"

HIS HAMSTER IS NAMED HAMBURGER

but for real, ken is really benefiting from these new scenes and the script polish. he's always been precocious but there's something very serious and deliberate about him now. he isn't just spending september sulking in his room, he's putting his affairs in order. he's quietly suggesting that hmm, maybe junpei and yukari can't be trusted if they trust shinji. he's a lot more subtle, but also RED FLAG CENTRAL

on the other hand, everyone in the lounge is talking about chidori 24/7, so the vibe is more "we have our mind on Other Things."

anyway i love these "hang out with the gang to unlock New Skills" thing. shinji's cooking class was fantastic. koro watching nature docs - amazing. new scenes where mitsuru is pushing shinji to come back to school ("he's on a leave of absence" - lady he dropped out two years ago)

"she always goes out of her way for the dumbest shit" god do i love team third year, though. i put all three in my party and immediately they were all both nostalgic and picking on akihiko together. they really do give the vibe of, well, having been together for 3-4 years. mitsuru drops her formality around akihiko. shinji and mitsuru clearly get along very well as the two "sane" ones reigning akihiko in. just thinking about their personas, too -- shinji is an All Physical Attacks powerhouse, mitsuru is a pretty specialized Offensive Magic type. akihiko is the only one of the three who even learns healing abilities, meaning that for all his stupid hotheadedness, he was the one who had to watch their backs, but that also checks out because he is rather violently protective of people -- where the other two, again, are much more pragmatic "kill it with violence" types. (before 10/4, at least.)

anyway shinji talking about his chef mentor ugh

the new scenes with takaya ahahaha. "i am the shadow, the true self" -- how they actually DISCUSS evokers and how they're a shortcut. i have So Many theories about that, since it's such a plot point in this game that people lose control of their personas to deadly effect, and it's such a plot point in latter games that if you face your shadow/accept your true self you can just summon a persona without. takaya outright states that's the case for him, and then you have STREGA at large and mitsuru's backstory (forced to manifest a persona at a VERY young age) and shinji's (always struggled to control his). takaya's new scenes seem to suggest that he hates SEES in part because they use shortcuts (evokers) instead of fully MASTERING their other selves like future crews will. and i don't even know that he's WRONG.

anyway lol i forgot about the typhoon but it makes me laugh because persona q back in the day explicitly had the crossover timetravel take place that weekend. so have fun meeting the p4 guys kids

lmaoooo akihiko's ace ass getting confused why junpei is excited to visit chidori.

#persona 3 #persona 3 spoilers

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moon-the-silly-evil · 2 months

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I saw a post a while ago, I forgot who made it, but the basis was "we should give Aurora angst too". And I'm completely on board with that- thoughts/drabble under the cut :]

I also gave some of these thoughts to @moldycantaloupe, but this is a much longer (sorta) fleshed out version of that ask!

EDIT: THE OP IS @puppsworld GIVE THEM CREDS FOR THE IDEA‼️

Aurora was summoned alongside phantom, the band needing the two of them for the upcoming tour. Aurora came out of the summoning circle first- little to no injuries, a decent mental state, maybe just a bit frazzled. But Phantom following right after, being all banged up and anxious? That's what caught the rest of her new packs attention. The poor scrawny, anxious little bug, who's scared of their own shadow. It's their first time topside, after all.

But everyone else seems so caught up with making sure that phantom's alright, that they forget that this is Aurora's first time topside too. She doesn't know what's going on, same as Phantom! The most she's gotten was a good greeting from the Ghoulettes, mostly Sunshine. And even then, as soon as they saw the state phantom was in, they went to go check on then, same as the rest of the pack.

It's no wonder that as the days pass on tour, she feels more and more isolated from her pack. Without sunshine on the tour bus, she feels more alone than ever. There's no one to go to after a long show, no one to cuddle with. Everyone's too busy paying attention to phantom to notice her!

And yeah, maybe she is a bit jealous. Because what's so different about phantom that they get all the special attention? Why can't someone just pay attention to her the same way that they do for them?

It's only once she starts showing more outward signs of feeling neglected- like skipping out on eating with the rest of the pack- do they really begin to notice. But by then, it's already too late, isn't it? She's been upset, and clearly so! Obviously she doesn't think they're being genuine when they express concern for her!!

Though, oddly enough, it's swiss that actually convinces her that they're trying to help her. That they didn't mean to put her on the backburner like that. And honestly, I think that she's the closest with swiss because of this. For all his bravado and flirty personality, he does genuinely care for her.

She grows more comfortable with being around the pack from then on. Albeit, she mostly sticks with swiss, but she's putting in the effort. She finally connects with phantom as she should have, with the ghoullettes, everyone. And it shows in her performance too- she's more outgoing with doing stage bits, she sings just that bit louder.

It ends alright for her, but those first few months were rough.

#if i find the post i'll tag it #the band ghost #nameless ghoul #aurora ghoulette #the ghoulettes #nameless ghoullettes #swiss ghoul #swissrora #if you squint #my thoughts and ramblings

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hannibal-film-school · 3 months

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What is cinematography? Hannibal edition

We know Hannibal often gets cited for its beautiful cinematography. But what does that mean, exactly?

If we talk about the cinematography of an episode, we're talking about the decisions that went into making each shot and scene and episode look just right. It's helpful to remember that at its most basic level, film (or television) is just about using some sort of camera equipment to photograph light. And when you do that, there are a ton of variables affecting the way that recorded light is going to look when you play it back.

Hannibal gets it.

Cinematography means: "We've got these amazing actors performing this great story in this scenic location, now how do we light and photograph all this stuff so that it looks exactly the way we want?"

And this is super important, because of course, the way a scene or shot looks is going to deeply affect what it makes us think and feel.

Elements of cinematography:

Lighting

Types of cameras and lenses, and how you use them

Shot distance (how close you place the camera for each shot)

Shot composition (figuring out where to place everything in each shot, including actors)

Use of color, brightness, shadow, contrast (very important in a "dark" show like this)

Camera movement

Camera angles

Depth of focus (do we want to clearly see everything that's in the shot? or do we want to have things in focus and others out of focus? should the focus change during the shot or stay the same?)

So really, when we say that a show has beautiful cinematography, we more or less mean that the way it's shot is beautiful, striking, evocative. We can tell that someone didn't just throw on some basic flat network procedural lighting and shoot from all the conventional angles. They put thought and style into it.

What does a cinematographer actually do?

The cinematographer is also called the director of photography (DP). They work closely with the director, workshopping their vision with them. They're in charge of both the camera crew and the lighting crew, deciding what they should do to make every scene look exactly the way it should. They read the script ahead of time, and they visit sets and locations before shooting to plan how they're going to tackle the look of each scene.

Director of photography might sound like kind of a secondary position, but not really! It's incredibly important. Hannibal had the same cinematographer, James Hawkinson, working on almost every single episode. This isn't always the case in television, so I think we're very lucky that he was such a consistent part of the artistic process.

Hawkinson dropping that DP wisdom in the season 2 DVD extras.

Check out this interview, in which Bryan Fuller explains how when he saw Hawkinson's cinematography in action, he changed his whole approach to writing the series:

Hawkinson’s cinematography helped elevate the network show into one of the most visually exciting series ever produced for any platform. [...] Bryan Fuller and his staff had written five episodes that tried to toe the tricky line between Thomas Harris’ Hannibal Lecter novels and the structured storytelling of a network investigative procedural. “I remember leaving the edit session where we’d seen the first cut [of the pilot] and I was like, ‘We’re doing the wrong show,” said Fuller in an interview with IndieWire. “When I saw David Slade and Jim Hawkinson’s work, and really understood the artful piece that they were able to conjure for what we had, I threw out the scripts.”

I mean, this says a lot, right? Fuller is saying that he completely rewrote the beginning of the first season, in part because Hawkinson's photography on the pilot made him realize they had the chance to reach for something deeper, something more artistic than he'd thought possible.

Gorgeous moody lighting and photography from the very first episode.

With new directors working on the show from week to week, and Hawkinson needing to work closely with each of them, it became part of his job to make sure they were on the right wavelength with show's vision. He talked in this interview about how he would sometimes need to "check" guest directors if their ideas didn't quite fit the Hannibal style:

There's times where I've been asked to do shots that I didn't feel were the show. And as the director of photography, keeping the aesthetics consistent from director to director, I have to protect and justify the aesthetics of the show. So that's kind of a torch that I kind of just bear, whatever director comes in. [...] Say someone has a vision of a dead person and I'll be asked by a guest director to put smoke and backlight. And I'll argue that ... as soon as you do it becomes hokey and it becomes a B-movie and it's cliché. So the horror in Hannibal is more based in some sort of reality. Yes it's heightened but ... there's nothing fantastical about it.

We can see here that Hawkinson knew the visual language of Hannibal inside and out, and he played a key part in keeping it so consistent and distinctive. The show became known for its evocative color palette, thoughtful shot compositions, and use of light and shadow -- all elements of cinematography. And as Hawkinson said, it was always important that the violence and death at the center of the show was photographed artistically, emotionally... even beautifully.

A horror image becomes moving and mysterious through cinematography.

Imagine how different this shot could have felt with a different quality of light. Or if we were looking from a different angle, or distance. Cinematography is all about making sure those elements are perfectly positioned, as much as possible, so that we see the show just the way its creative team hoped we would.

#hannibal #nbc hannibal #hannibal meta

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