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kairiscorner · 7 months

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he can't make up his mind.

inspired by @smokeywhalee's lovely prompt !!

part 1. part 2.

he was never the type to want to be bothered by anyone–never the type to let himself be distracted by other people's affairs, and was never the type to commit to that whole 'friendship' business. you tried your luck at being acquaintances with him on the first day at the spider society, and of course, that blew over pretty... poorly.

all he gave you were side glances and awkward silences as responses to all your greetings and questions. it was always a good talk with him, oh, definitely–he did a brick wall's job better at being silent and indifferent. the months passed, and you hadn't noticed a single change in his behavior; he was the same as always, cold and distant, and was quick to leave or shut you down when you had any bold ideas to capturing villains or anomalies.

'too bold', or 'too ambitious' he'd claim your proposals would be. "you're supposed to be a defender of the multiverse, not act as fodder for the bad guys–start wising up and just... stay with me." he'd always say in all kinds of ways. it pissed you off how he kept shouldering all the responsibilities and tasks for himself, it didn't relax you one bit knowing that you weren't doing anything but just staying as 'miguel o'hara's partner' instead of doing the usual spider people duties you'd do on your own back in your home dimension. peter b and jess always pointed out that miguel had a secret liking to you, but you never believed them; if he liked you so much, he'd trust you to do all the stuff he could, right?

of course not, because tonight, when you were just minding your own business and readying yourself up, about to go on a date, miguel was... acting strangely that evening.

"where are you off to? don't you know you... have more patrol hours today? ...a date? with whom? i don't know that guy, do i? what's he like? how'd you meet him? is he decent? is he tall? is he smart at biology? a geneticist? a... guy who genuinely cares about you?"

"what's with all the questions?"

he turned away from you, his broad, toned back facing you as always, making you roll your eyes and thinking just how typical this scene was–save for his incessant questions and generally nosy behavior tonight. he shrugged and focused on his monitors again, clearing his throat before he answered you. "you... shouldn't just trust anybody, it doesn't matter how long you've known them–when... you start opening up, to people you... feel vulnerable around–you can't ever tell when they'll change. when their feelings for you might take a whole 180 and you'll realize too late that... this guy might actually be an asshole and hurt you."

"...and i would never want you to go through that kind of hurt." "what was that?" you asked him as you fixed your hair in front of your compact mirror, focusing on your reflection while he gave you that mini speech. you hadn't listened to him, unfortunately, and miguel sighed in response; hanging his head and pinching the bridge of his nose. "nevermind, just... make sure you'll be safe." "it's not like i'm going off to fight a venom variant or anything, i'll be fine, miggy." "...i wouldn't know what i'd do if you weren't." he muttered to himself as you stepped out of the portal you opened to go on your date, secretly wishing as he stayed behind and alone in his vast, dark office that he was the one out there with you tonight, making you feel special and loved–not just some other guy who wouldn't even come close to him in loving you.

but if he's too hesitant to make the first move... is he really any better at loving you and treating you right than this guy you're going out with tonight?

he sighed as lyla appeared over his shoulder. "you could begin by being more open with them, y'know?" "did my mini speech mean nothing at all to them?" "oh, no, it's just... you had a point, yeah, though, how could you prove yourself to them if you're too scared of moving forward and actually, y'know, making stuff happen?" "...we'll deal with it after their date, can we check on their dimension to make sure they're...?" lyla sighed and pulled up the monitor with you walking to your date spot in your dimension, and miguel watched closely as he anxiously tried to analyze the guy you were with, muttering under his breath how basic they looked.

"i mean, seriously, out of all the people they could have picked–why not the only person who takes all the effort to take up all their burdens and work for them?" "oh, you mean the overbearing, overprotective vampire boss man who doesn't let them fo anything and snoops in on their business 24/7, gee, i wonder why..." she mumbled sarcastically as miguel glared at her. "not helping." "why, glad to know that, mr. brooding and jelly."

tags !! @miguelswifey04 @hearts4gabri @hisachuu @wreakingmarveloushavok @simsrandomstuff @luvstarrstruck @popeheywardssecretgf @meeom @arachnoia @melovetitties @fable-library @ophanimgold @smokeywhalee @capnshtfce

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flatoutin-eaurouge · 7 months

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Brighter than the sun

Very much inspired by this and this 🥵

Pairing: Mika Häkkinen x Michael Schumacher

Michael wiped his forehead in the blazing Brazilian sun as beads of sweat dribbled down his face. It wasn't even that warm in Interlagos. It was just that the sun had so much power that is evaporated the liquids straight out of your pores.

The waves of heat rose off the tarmac like flames above a grill, making the air above the track sizzle as it expanded and fought the colder air on its way above. The rays of ultraviolet were so strong that Michael put on the darkest sunglasses he could find. The techinical briefing was over - Thank God - because so was his will to stay in the garage any longer. He wanted nothing more than that to spent some alone-time on the Interlagos roof terrace, where he could turn his chagrin about working in the heat into resignation, becoming at peace with relaxing in the heat. Maybe have a Mojito or two, since he had finished driving for the day.

To be honest, the Brazilian sun made him a bit restless. It were on sunny days like this one when he missed Corinna most. He just wanted to relieve some tension after testing. He needed that tension, currently coiling in his stomach, to be freed from its cage before tomorrow's race, or else his Finnish opponent might run off with his trophy.

Mika... the man was in fact his favourite opponent. He never had any trouble with Mika. Mika was fun to share the podium with. Mika was kind and gratious. Mika this, Mika that... Mika occupied his mind way too often the last couple of years.

When he arrived on the roof terrace, he quickly took refuge underneath a large parasol. Here, on the tiled roof terrace it seemed even hotter than down at the paddock. The mercury in the thermometer almost burst from its glass casing. Michael really could do with a cold drink. To his dissapointment however the bar was closed.

While his eyes had been scanning the roof terrace for the opening sign of the bar, he had noticed he was not alone. He stared at the alluring sight for a moment and grinned. Nevermind a cold drink... he needed a cold shower.

Michael always thought Finns didn't enjoy the sun, seeing as they come from boreal areas. Although they did like saunas, which made Michael change his mind in an instant. Mika was sitting there with his eyes shut, race suit unzipped and draped around his waist, looking like Helios. His skin more tan than Michael thought the cool Finn would ever be able to pull off, his long blonde hair weaving in the wind, looking even more golden in the sunlight. Michael sighed in appreciation and was glad for the sunglasses, because they were dark enough to hide the way he was staring so blatantly.

He stood up and took a seat closer to Mika. He wondered if he too should unzip his race suit, but his fireproofs were still underneath and he didn't want to give his rival a show... or maybe... oh well let's see how this pans out. For now he just sat there being way too hot and bothered.

Mika still hadn't noticed him. Michael watched beads of sweat trickling from Mika's hair down his broad chest and ignored the heat pooling in his stomach.

It was only seconds later that Mika noticed him. "Hey, Michael." The Finn looked around the terrace for a moment, then smiled at him. "Isn't it crazy how - apart from the two of us - empty this terrace is? On such a beautiful day."

Michael swallowed. Yes, just the two of us. Like all the time. It was always the two of them... on the podium... wielding champagne. "Yes, Mika. A good place to unwind after testing."

Mika nodded. "How did your testing go?"

Michael grinned. He wondered whether Mika genuinely wanted to know or if he wanted to pry out some information on the Ferrari F300. "Wouldn't you like to know," he teased.

Mika smirked. "Ah you're not giving me anything! Are you scared of me, Michael?"

Michael looked into the blonde's ocean-blue eyes and swallowed. I am not scared of you. I am distracted by you! How dare you sit like that! With all that skin on display! "Scared of you? No, scared of Jean and Ross. They will give me hell if I give away the secrets of the F300."

Mika chuckled. "I wasn't asking about the F300. I mean just driving in general, Michael. Lots of tyre deg I am sure. It's so warm out here!" He noticed Michael sweating in his race suit and wondered what was stopping him from undoing it the way all drivers did in the heat. "But you seem to be coping well with the heat?"

Michael blushed. He was glad the afternoon heat gave him reason to be red-faced. "Yes, I have never had any trouble with high temperatures. I do quite enjoy it to be honest."

Mika nodded. "Yeah me too. And like this it's very easy to cope with it."

Like this. Michael saw it as an invitation to look Mika up an down as the Finn was definitely talking about his state of dress. He swallowed audibly as his mouth went dry. Michael knew Mika was broad-shouldered, but the sturdy McLaren silver racing suit never gave anything away when it came to the contours of his muscled upper body.

He looked like this only six months after his near-fatal accident. How? He remembered Mika being all skin and bone after leaving the hospital. What did they give him for breakfast?

Michael nodded. "Yeah, probably." He noticed the skin on Mika's shoulders was slightly starting to turn red. "Uhm... did you?" he stammered. "Did you put on sunscreen?"

Mika blushed. "Yeah, I brought it with me but I couldn't reach everywhere." He searched his skin for the sun burns that had probably caught Michael's eyes, but couldn't find any. He reached into the plastic bag he brought along and grabbed his bottle of sunscreen.

"You know..." Michael bit his lip. "I don't mind putting it on you." He laughed nervously. "I will have your back..."

Mika smirked his crooked smile at Michael's little joke, partly because he thought it was funny and partly to loosen the tension between the two. Surely there shouldn't be any tension. Having someone else put sunscreen on your back was a necessity, right?

Michael blushed as he reached for the bottle Mika was offering him. He squeezed quite a good amount of the white moisture on his hand and walked to Mika, who was now standing in his shirtless glory.

As soon as his hand made contact wit Mika's skin the Finn jumped.

"Perkele, ko on kylma! That's cold!"

Michael grinned mischievously. He started slow, light touches gently massaging the sunscreen into Mika's skin. His natural instinct took over, and next thing he knew, he was working out the knots in his upper back. Digging his thumbs in Mika's back muscles, Michael started to knead the flesh between his fingers. He pretty much had to remind himself that he was putting sunscreen on Mika instead of lotion.

"Oh Michael, that's very kind of you! I think my physiotherapist missed a few knots."

Michael's face turned impossibly red. He was caught in the action. Luckily he was facing Mika's back side, so the Finn couldn't see his flustered face. He continued without lingering his hands on his skin for too long, but Mika's skin was so smooth and alluring.

He swiped those luscious long blonde locks to the side to rub his hands over his neck and broad shoulders. Then let his index finger run down Mika's spine, making the Finn shudder in delight.

Fuck. Michael forced himself to think about Corinna, in order to make whatever he was doing with Mika feel as platonic as possible.

Michael regretted the job was finished when the moisture on his hands started to dry up, but he didn't dare to squeeze another bit of sunscreen from the bottle.

When he handed back Mika his sunscreen, the Finn grabbed his wrist instead.

"I don't mind returning the favour."

Michael felt goosebumps appear on his skin. God, yes please. He swallowed and schooled his glee behind an impassive mask, trying to appear aloof.

"Well, why not?"

Michael started to work on his Ferrari red overalls with nimble fingers. Slowly unzipping the garment, giving his rival the show he was very hesitant about giving fifteen minutes earlier. His fireproofs were next and landed on the ground between them.

And just like he'd with Mika, the Finn was eating him up with his eyes, staring at his huge pecs. Look at them! Carefully picking out possibilities to touch one another like a well played-out game of chess. So this is what they end up like on a warm brilliant day in Brazil without their respective girlfriends around?

Michael felt tense in his shoulders, flustered with the way he knew Mika was staring. A heat crept up to his neck which was definitely not from the sun. His fingers were like butter as he dropped the bottle of sunscreen.

Mika picked it up from the ground and uncapped the bottle.

Michael watched as the handsome Finn squeezed the sunscreen in his hands and started lathering them with the stuff.

"To make sure it's not cold on your skin. You didn't think of that with me, so actually I shouldn't be doing this." He grinned. "But unlike you, I am very thoughtful."

Michael shivered in anticipation and gasped when he felt Mika's large hands on his skin. His hands felt robust unlike Corinna's. An entire different but very welcome sensation.

Thoughtful as he was, Mika made sure to touch every square inch of skin within his reach. Swerving his hands over the dips and hills between his muscles... just to make sure he wouldn't burn right? His own hands had been lingering on Mika's skin to make sure he wouldn't burn right?

Michael bit his lip when Mika smoothed the cream all over his exposed skin, the sensation sparking a warmth in his core. He could feel Mika's close proximity and he "accidently" arched his back into the Finn, reveling in the sudden skin contact.

In a reflex, Mika grabbed him by the hips to steady him. Holding him there for a moment, while eyeing the German's shimmering shoulders, until he noticed the stains of white on Michael's red overalls.

"Oh vittu! I got sunscreen on your race suit."

Mika let go off him and walked to his plastic bag to look for a handkerchief. He rummaged through his things and walked back to Michael with the cleaning cloth of his sunglasses.

"Let me get that for you."

Michael mourned the fact that Mika's attention was now on his clothing instead of on his skin. He didn't hesitate and grabbed his rival's wrist, squeezing softly. Emerald greens staring at saphire blues.

"Leave it. It's okay."

And at that moment they were so close they could kiss. It came up in Michael's mind for a fraction of a second. To grab Mika by his blonde locks and yank him into a kiss. To hold him and touch his delectable body.

But before he knew it, the moment was over. Both of them creating a distance with flustered faces. Had they been thinking of the same thing?

"Thank you. We are well protected now," Mika coughed nervously with pink-tinged cheeks.

A nod from an equally flustered face.

A crooked smile.

Michael walked back to his chair with a white sunscreen stain the size of Mika's hand on his red overalls at hip height.

#makkinen #mika häkkinen #michael schumacher #mika hakkinen #f1 fanfic #f1 fic #f1 #formula 1 #formula one #flatoutin-eaurouge #f1fanfic

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colorisbyshe · 2 months

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People are arguing about the effectiveness/moralness of self immolation as a protest tactic in the notes of my post and I neeeed y'all to know you are part of the fucking problem. You are absolutely part of the problem.

Self immolation SHOULD be effective. Something that extreme should be effective (though, obviously not encouraged, please do not kill yourselves) and being dismissive of it and immediately positioning yourself as like... more politically savvy than the person who literally JUST killed themselves is fucking disgusting.

Watching a clip as a man slowly crumbles into himself as he is burned alive and saying "This accomplishes nothing" is gross and if you think my post was doing that, I have failed. Pointing out political action is rarely recorded in the history books wasn't me saying it does nothing--it was me saying "history books" love to suppress actual history if it doesn't fit their narrative. If it threatens the status quo and might inspire others to work for change and strike out against structural powers.

Obviously, no one single act or person can totally change everything. There is no radical shift from one life taken (and his life WAS taken by this administration more than it was taken by himself).

It's about the collective total of ALL of our actions--the big, the small, the palatable, and the ugly, which this was. There's a REASON why the press is refusing to report on his death accurately and there is a REASON he went out of his way to fight that and document his death so clearly, identifying himself, live streaming, declaring his intent and cause with his last fucking breath.

It's because his actions do inspire change when properly witnessed. This isn't something that is meant to make Biden go "Oh, shit, stop the genocide" but it is meant to wake up everyone else. People who loved him, people who served with him, people who didn't serve with him but also feel trapped by military contracts, people who felt the genocide was bad but hadn't quite been pushed to action yet.

Viewing this as a singular political event that was intended to change everything shows YOU are the one who doesn't know what is or isn't effective. Political action is ALWAYS about the COLLECTIVE impact and about mobilizing a larger front.

Immediately dismissing what he did as mentally ill or well-intentioned but ineffective is kneecapping the impact. Just so you can feel smug. It's the same energy as people saying donating in small amounts won't do anything, even if those donations add up to something large.

It's obvious to me when y'all are saying shit just to make yourselves feel above everyone else. Where you're doing everything just to prove you're a smart, moral person. Nothing is derived from empathy or thinking of the collective. It's just about you.

Nevermind that even if it is "ineffective," how fucking dare you look at someone driven to one of the most painful forms of suicide, using his final moments to desperately cry for change and say his death doesn't matter. How fucking dare you. Genuinely, what is wrong with you?

#fucking heartless cretins #someone in m y notes is lecturing about suicide being selfish #like #someone was in so much pain they burned htemselves alive #and you're walking out with a notebook of criticisms #how fucking helpful

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myfandomincolor · 1 month

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I did it I wrote the whole fic.

In which Astarion gets his portrait painted.

Fevras, Oskar. Portrait of Astarion Ancunin. 1492 DR, Private Collection.

Rated teen bc there's suggestive dialogue

Nothing smutty though

Super-soft and fluffy Astarion/fem Tav

Act 3 minor spoilers

The first fic I've written in over 10 years.

Full text under the cut

AO3 link

The original post I made that wouldn't leave me alone

"This is great, I'm so happy for you both, but my companions and I did save you. Twice. And I'd love to be compensated for the work we've done." Tav stood before Oskar Fevras, painter of some renown, and his fiancée, Lady Jannath. The warlock was genuinely happy for the pair, of course, but she'd been looking forward to a more...material reward for all the literal blood and sweat that had gone into first liberating the artist from the Zhentarim, then rescuing him from a vengeful spirit. Nevermind the entire debacle of getting rid of a mummy lord.

"Of course!" the painter assured her, "Come upstairs to my atelier. I promise you'll leave with something priceless: immortality."

Tav very much doubted that Oskar's offer of "immortality" would be as satisfying as a nice pouch of gold, but she rolled her eyes and gestured for him to lead the way. "Yes, alright, we'll join you in a moment."

Oskar disappeared up the stairs, and Tav exchanged an exasperated look with Astarion, whose expression was equally unamused.

"We'll have a private word with Lady Jannath later," he murmured, and Tav nodded in agreement. The woman had a whole floor of valuables stored in safes and display cases, for gods' sakes! Surely she could bear to part with a few pieces of jewelry as payment for the safety of her dear Oskar.

Nevertheless, Tav climbed the flights of stairs to the artist's atelier, with Astarion, Shadowheart, and Wyll in tow. When they reached the top floor, Oskar greeted them with open arms and a wide smile.

"Here she is, the hero of the hour! Brushes are oiled, canvas is prepped, and you, my savior, will make a striking subject."

"You're going to...paint me?" Tav asked, realizing suddenly what Oskar had meant by "something priceless" as payment. She'd assumed he'd intended to let her pick a piece from the countless canvases stacked around his studio, but he meant to capture her likeness in a new painting altogether. The idea was honestly very appealing, considering she'd never in her life sat for more than a sketched portrait miniature. She smirked in self-satisfaction, and turned to gauge her friends' reactions, maybe crack a joke about how the whole of Feyrûn should be so lucky to see her face in salons and galleries, when a thought suddenly occurred to her:

He should paint Astarion.

The grin slowly faded from her face, settling into a thoughtful quirk of her lips as the idea took hold, and she looked steadily into the eyes of the man she loved.

Astarion shifted uncomfortably under her unbroken gaze. "What, why are you looking at me? Do you need someone to make sure your hair looks alright before your portrait? Because, darling, a few unkempt strands are the least of your worries, considering the impressive amount of blood and dust you've mopped up today."

"What if he paints you, instead?" she asked.

The vampire spawn scoffed, caught off-guard, "Why would he paint me? You're the hero being commemorated," he waved off her suggestion with one hand, the other reflexively propping itself on his hip.

Tav looked back at Oskar. "Would you paint him instead of me?"

"If that is your wish, I'd be more than happy to accommodate. Any of you would be muse enough to inspire exhibition-worthy work," the painter answered, sweeping one hand in a gesture that encompassed their whole group.

"It's not a bad idea," Wyll offered from a short distance away, where he'd been studying a painting of a patriar. He turned his head and looked at the couple over his shoulder, one hand rubbing his stubble thoughtfully. "You'd cut a very fine figure on canvas, I'd wager. And there's the matter of, well - it might be nice to..." he trailed off, unsure of how sensitively he should phrase the end of his sentence.

"My love, you haven't seen your face in 200 years," Tav whispered, drawing close to Astarion, careful of hinting too loudly at anything that might betray his vampiric condition. She cupped his jaw in her hands, as much to keep him looking at her as to convey the tenderness of her feelings. "Would you like to?"

"Hah," was his response, more of a breathy sob than a laugh. His brows knitted together despite the smile he demanded remain in place. "Always full of surprises, aren't you?" He covered the back of one of her hands with his, turning his face to press a kiss to her palm. "Alright then," he mumbled against her skin.

"Might I suggest a change of wardrobe before you commit to the session?" Wyll chuckled.

"I don't know, the bloodstains feel right, somehow. More honest," Shadowheart added with a smirk.

"As long as you're, erm, comfortable," Oskar chimed in, "Though if you do want to freshen up first, I'm more than happy to wait. After all, it will be seen by generations to come."

"Then we'll be back first thing in the morning," Tav promised, turning to shake Oskar's hand.

"Excellent, I shall await your return," the painter beamed, and went back to his easel.

---

The upper rooms of the Elfsong were bustling the next morning. Astarion normally relished being the center of attention among his friends, but as they fussed over everything from clothes to makeup, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret at having ever agreed to sit for a portrait.

"Gale, would you please just settle on something? I'm freezing over here," he groaned through clenched teeth, narrowing his eyes at the wizard in question. Astarion was clad in nothing more than his dressing gown, the relatively thin fabric doing little in the way of insulation against the cool morning temperatures.

"Now now, my friend, a good color story is crucial to the success of an ensemble, and your complexion does pose a bit of an unfamiliar challenge for me," Gale explained, not looking away from the selection of shirts he'd laid out across Astarion's bed, but waving a finger in the air anyway as he made his point.

"Oh gods, just put me in red or something and call it done," Astarion griped, plopping down onto a stool.

Gale finally looked over, regarding him for a beat before replying. "Seems a bit on the nose, doesn't it? Red? For a vampire?"

"Why mess with the classics?" he replied wryly.

"Fair point, but I was thinking something more along the lines of - " he plucked a shirt from the pile, stepping over to Astarion so he could hold it next to the elf's pale skin. "Hmm, yes, I think jade complements you quite nicely."

Astarion fought back a blush. "I'd look good in anything, no need for you to have wracked your brain over it so hard. Now shoo, give me some privacy so I can dress." He flicked his hands at Gale, who threw his hands up with a chuckle and strode out of the room.

---

A gentle knock rapped on the door as Astarion shrugged a jacket on, rich charcoal-colored jacquard fabric accented with silver thread and blue-green gemstone buttons.

"Come in," he called, starting to fasten the front. Tav cracked the door and scooted in, dressed in clean attire suitable for a social call. "Oh good, I half expected you to accompany me dressed either in your leathers or practically nothing at all, but you look surprisingly presentable," he snarked, arching an eyebrow at her as he fumbled with his cuffs.

Tav feigned a look of annoyance. "I could always change, it's not too late to pick something inappropriate for polite society." She stepped across the room to stand toe-to-toe with him, taking over the task of fastening his jacket cuffs. Astarion relaxed at the feel of the warmth radiating off her body. She lifted his hand to her lips when she finished, kissing his knuckles. "You look absolutely dashing," she remarked, lifting their clasped hands overhead and coaxing him into doing a little turn.

"I do, don't I? Someone should paint a picture," he joked, making sure to take his time showing off every angle as he turned, noting Tav's very evident appreciation with satisfaction. "My dear, if you keep looking at me like that, we'll never make it out of this room, much less back to the Jannath Estate," he purred with a smirk, pulling her into a close embrace, free hand finding its way to the small of her back as if he was about to waltz her around the room.

Tav laughed, blushing, "Don't tempt me! We can be on our way whenever you're ready."

"Oh, you're no fun. We'll put a pin in that."

---

The couple arrived at the Estate, welcomed by the steadfast Dragonborn doorman, and then by Lady Jannath herself. After some routine pleasantries, Tav and Astarion ascended once again to the atelier, where Oskar was busy preparing the surface of a canvas. The room smelled of linseed and turpentine.

"Ah, you've returned! And looking splendid, if you don't mind me saying so. Are you ready?" he asked, setting aside a long-handled paintbrush.

"Quite ready, thank you," Astarion assured him, while Tav nodded her greeting.

"I'm just here for moral support," she explained, earning a soft smile from the vampire. "Do you mind if I just do some reading, and perhaps watch you work?"

"I would be honored to have you as an audience. Now, my good sir, if you please," Oskar gestured toward a large backdrop occupying one wall of the small room, its surface softly painted to look like a sunrise. A low platform extended in front of it, and Astarion stepped up, shuffling a bit until he felt like he was squarely in the center. "Yes, stand yourself just there - perfect," Oskar coached from behind his easel, "Now, keep still, this won't take long, but do let me know if you need a break."

Astarion threw a glance over to Tav, who was settling into a high-backed chair in the corner, positioned so she would be able to see him but not so close that she'd be a distraction. She noticed his attention, and gave him an "OK" gesture, accompanied by a small shrug and a tilt of her head. He caught her meaning and nodded, closing his eyes and exhaling a deep breath before settling into a pose, willing the butterflies in his stomach to settle down.

---

A few hours into the session, Astarion realized that he and Oskar Fevras had very different definitions of "this won't take long." His feet ached, his neck was sore, and he longed to stretch out his limbs to relieve the tension that had built in them as he concentrated on remaining still. The only sounds in the atelier were the soft strokes of brush bristles on canvas, accompanied intermittently by the swiff of Tav turning a page in her book. He could only see her from the corner of his eye, but it was enough for him to have noticed that she'd been looking up every so often, gazing silently at his profile for a few minutes before ducking back into whatever she was reading. Just as he was about to relent and call for a break, Oskar spoke up.

"Aaaand - voila!" the painter exclaimed, causing both Astarion and Tav to jump in surprise.

"Ah," Astarion croaked, voice cracking from the long silence, "Ahem, I take it you've finished?"

"Indeed I have, come around for a look."

Astarion hesitated for a moment before stepping off the platform. The time had finally arrived, he'd be able to see his portrait. His own face. He swept his gaze around the room at the other works, unable to deny how detailed and lifelike they all were. Would his picture convey the same sense of realism? Would it reflect how he truly looked? He was excited, anxious, and unsure as he approached the easel.

"I hope you captured my best side. You better have made me look good- " his breath caught in his throat as he came around the other side of the canvas.

Gods, there he was.

He'd almost forgotten, but there he was.

"Oh," he breathed, reaching a hand out to the painting at first, but catching himself before he could mar the wet surface. Instead, his hand found its way slowly to his face, fingertips lightly tracing his cheekbones and jawline as his eyes followed the same contours so beautifully captured in rich, expressive oils before him. The artist had truly outdone himself, soft brushstrokes composing every detail, from the angle of his eyebrows, to his coiffed hair, even the tinge of pink on the edges of his ears, all perfectly and faithfully rendered.

By this point, Tav had crept over from her seat to join the two men, her eyes locked onto Astarion's face, watching him carefully as he took in the sight of the painting. She noticed his eyebrows draw together, his mouth slightly open as he regarded his portrait. She rounded the easel, eager to see the finished piece, and she understood why he'd fallen so silent. It looked exactly like him, down to the last freckle.

Priceless.

Her heart clenched for him, a person who had not seen his own face in two centuries, who didn't remember enough about his appearance to know who others saw when they looked at him. She'd tried many times to imagine how difficult it must be to lose something so taken for granted, and the look in Astarion's eyes spoke volumes. She moved closer to him, shoulders almost touching, and he unconsciously took her hand in his as if he needed to be grounded by the contact.

"My love?" she whispered, squeezing his hand gently.

"Tav, do I...is this me?"

"Of course it's you, my friend!" Oskar broke in, completely unaware of the solemnity of the moment. "And I never embellish, striving to capture the most lifelike visage of my subject. I can't imagine this is any different than what you see in the mirror."

"Oh, believe me," Astarion managed to choke out with a sardonic laugh, "I haven't seen myself like this in ages."

Oskar sighed, nodding sagely, "Yes, well, sometimes it does take an artist's eye to highlight a subject's true beauty, sometimes beauty they themselves cannot see!"

"It's wonderful, Oskar," Tav said, trying to cut his speech short. "Will we be able to take it home today?"

"Well, no - it will need to dry, and then there's varnishing. But what you can do today is give it a name. Something to capture the spirit in which it was created." He looked expectantly at the pair, who in turn looked at each other.

After a pause, Astarion turned to Oskar. "You know, I think a straightforward title is best: Portrait of Astarion Ancunin."

---

He was standing in the foyer again, studying the painting in the glow of candlelight. Tav had spotted him there several times over the past few days, as the others undoubtedly also had, but no one bothered him apart from a few initial comments.

"Truly masterful, it looks exactly like you," Gale had remarked in awe, inspecting the work closely.

"Aw, pal, now you can see how handsome you are, just like the rest of us see you!" Karlach had beamed through her tears of joy.

"Minsc does not know much of art, but Minsc does know a good picture when he sees it. And this, my friend, is a very good picture. It is like there are two Astarions. Hm, but Boo makes a good point that Baldur's Gate probably cannot handle two Astarions," came the glowing review from their Rashemaar friend.

But now he stood in front of it alone, gazing at it with a contented expression. Tav made her way over to stand with the elf, linking her arm in his.

"I think I prefer the real thing," she quipped.

"Oh, shut up, can't you see I'm having a moment?" he countered playfully, but quickly sobered again. "Tav, is this really what I look like? It's the person you see?"

She scanned carefully over the portrait, looking for any flaw or embellishment that didn't match the face she knew so well by now. "It's...you, I don't know that you could get a more realistic representation than this. Although, he always looks quite well-kempt, even when you don't," she teased.

"Rude, I always look this handsome, how dare you imply otherwise?" he pouted, nudging her shoulder.

Tav laughed, "Sorry, sorry, you know I can't help myself. Seriously though, it's you, down to the creases where you smile and the way your hair curls around your ears."

"Yes, you've mentioned those before."

"They're some of the features I find most attractive about you. Well, physically, at least," she mused, laying her head on his shoulder.

"All of this," he gestured to himself with one hand, "and that's what you choose to admire?" his tone was incredulous, but lighthearted.

"They're what make you you, Astarion. I'm so glad Oskar painted you so well."

"Why don't we head to bed, and you can tell me everything else you find attractive, darling. I'm dying to know." He turned them both around and began leading Tav toward their room at a leisurely pace.

"Oh, my love, it's a very long list, it will take all night."

#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #fanfiction #astarion x tav #i can't believe this game got me to write fanfic again #it's been 84 years #i love soft headcanons it's truly my calling #larian gave me crumbs and I made a meal #astarion

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sardonic-the-writer · 1 year

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Can we get Lalo hcs for a sarcastic reader who jokes around a lot?

i enjoyed writing this more than i should. simply becuase you described me in that ask so it was pretty self indulgent heheh

•It's a change of pace that's for sure

•Lalo is used to being the ones with the jokes most of the time. I mean, it's not like being in the cartel really inspired a lot of people to run their mouth. And even he would admit, he had leeway with the way he spoke. Being a Salamanca and all

•But the first time he had the pleasure of crossing paths with you, he quickly came to see that you didn't really care who he was. Not even bothering to pay attention to Nachos exasperated looks before you were talking a mile a minute

•"Hey Nacho! What's that good smelling stuff? You get another cook? Don't tell me you fired the last one he had good tamales. Oh cool, nevermind. New guy! Funny mustache, man. Listen, the middle aged dad down the street called, he wants his look back."

•You spoke so quickly Lalo couldn't help but bark out a laugh, mirroring your brittle smile with a more genuine expression

•"I like this one Nachito!"

•You intrigued him. He wondered how his tio had delt with you and your motor mouth before the heart attack and all. Clearly differently than usual, or you'd already be in a ditch somewhere riddled with bullet holes

•It was like you had a certain aura that protected you really. Probably the confusion that came from your cheery and blunt demeanor to be honest but it was still a mystery to Lalo how you'd managed to say in the game so long nonetheless

•He'd also observed how well you and Nacho worked together. You talked enough for the both of you, being the one to fill the silence durring deals with sarcasm and cheesy jokes while Nacho somberly counted money. Though you were never afraid to not so discreetly flash the gun resting on your hip if someone got smart with either of you

•And from what he could tell you were a pretty damn good shot too

•Yeah. He planned on keeping you around with him for a while

#lalo salamanca x reader #lalo salamanca #lalo #lalo x reader #nacho #nacho varga #better call saul #better call saul x reader #x reader #headcanons #request #breaking bad universe #breaking bad universe x reader

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novaae · 3 months

Text

Okay so here are my thoughts on Bumi and the Equalist movement, because that is genuinely such a great plot-point that I don't think was ever explored fully (like many plot points in LoK lol).

Firstly, there's no way that Bumi wasn't an inspiration for these guys. Nonbender at such a high position, that too without the influence of his parents? Known for his strategic mind and genius ideas? There's no way that the Equalists didn't admire him, and probably bastardised Bumi's public opinions.

Add to it his childhood, and also his career, which they would have used as a propaganda piece. Like, I'm sorry Bumi doesn't come into the public picture as much as his siblings (which may have been a personal choice), but there's no way his teenage and joining the UF wasn't highly documented. Baam. Proof that the Avatar stood for discrimination, if he couldn't pay proper attention to his own son, what about the nonbenders of the world.

Add to it, Iroh II (a firebender and everything) getting promoted to General in his 30s (I see some people hc him in early 20s and uhm. Hc what you like but if we go with that line, makes even more sense why he is incredibly unpopular in Equalists.) A younger BENDER getting promoted over a NONBENDER with more experience? Nevermind that it could have been another personal decision.

(That being said, if the issue was bad enough for so many nonbenders to rally behind the Equalists,,,,, Bumi could have definitely been shafted because of being a nonbender.)

I feel like the only reason he avoided getting a discreet invitation was because of his job. He was rarely in RC, mostly port cities, and even in RC he probably spent most of his time in Air Temple Island.

As for Bumi's reaction to the Equalist movement, I think in the beginning, or at least till it was revealed that they were terrorists (total cop out btw), he did privately support them. Like not as in making donations or voicing it out loud, but if it ever came up on in family dinners he'd pull up good points and said that if the UN ever had elections, Bumi would vote for them.

As a result, when he gets news about them actually being a terrorist organisation and taking away people's bending, he would feel awful on the inside. Even more-so when his own beloved niblings were harmed so directly. He would prefer for his family to not bring it up.

He still supports non-bender representation in the Congress of UN though.

Tagging @wilcze-kudly, @linnorabeifong and @superliz6 because you guys showed interest.

#bumi meta #bumi ii #lok #equalists #my post

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estbela · 1 month

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For the favorite character ask game, could you answer for Ro? :)

Of course!! Although, you mean all 50 questions or just specific ones? Because while it may take some time, I could answer for him all 50 because I love him so much <3333 and I'm insane enough to do it.

Actually nevermind I'm gonna try to answer all 50 because I am insane :]

Do you project onto this character?

Yeah and I think at this point everyone knows it!! Some of my headcanons for Ro are inspired by traits of mine, I guess? Also me making him AFAB trans genderqueer in modern times is kinda inspired by me, haha(although the way my gender works is different from my HCs for her). Some stuff that happen to him in my stories are also kind of inspired by myself, in a way? I mean, I kinda have an image in my head of how her childhood went, and in some ways I've made it similar to mine (although obviously it's pretty different too)

2. Did you always like this character?

Well, not exactly? When I first discovered Hetalia, I did like Ro, but I focused on other characters a lot more. But I guess I always did.

3. What first drew you to this character?

Well... the fact that he's the personification of my country, I suppose? I also like his design a lot, and his personality.

4. Did you initially dislike/hate this character?

Not really. I always liked him.

5. If this character were a woman, would you honestly still like them? Or in reverse, what if they were a man?

Well, of course!!! I think his character can work really well as a guy or a girl or whatever really(I love him so much I'm giving him all the genders lol). Sometimes I do change his gender/genderbend him depending on the story I wanna write.

6. Do you have any nicknames or pet names you use for this character?

Well, I do call him Ro. Sometimes I call him "lynxie" in my head, cause of the lynx being her national. I also sometimes call him "this fucker".

7. Does the character’s age matter to you?

Kinda?? I see him as being 24-26 physically in modern times, and almost 2000 years old in reality (i've got a post about my HCs for his age over the years linked in my pinned). I don't like it when people make him be born around the time Wallachia got founded, because I've already mentioned I see him as being far older.

8. Does the character’s looks/design matter to you?

In a way? While I do change the colour of Ro's hair (and his hair length sometimes as well), and the colour of her eyes, I do like his canon design. So I guess it matters?

9. Does this character remind you of anyone you know? Does that affect how you see them?

Y'know what. He does kinda remind me of one of my friends, which I have just realised now. It doens't really affect the way I see him, thought.

10. Do you see yourself in this character even without projecting?

In a way, I suppose I do. In his mostly cheerful nature and outlook on life.

11. How did you “fall in love” with this character?

Hmm...I had just gotten back in the fandom, and got really into Romania's history. And the rest is well...history lol

12. If you could write effortlessly and as much as you wanted, what story (s) would you write for this character?

GODDDD I would write so many stories. I would probably write about all of Romania's history, and his relations with a lot of different countries and so much serbro fanfic.

13. If you could draw effortlessly and as much as you wanted, what scene (s) would you draw for this character?

Honestly, not sure.

14. Are you physically attracted to this character?

Not really.

15. Are your thoughts surrounding this character usually sexual, non-sexual, or a mix of both?

Mostly non-sexual.

16. Have you ever cried when thinking about this character? Genuinely?

I...might occasionally tear up a little when thinking about Ro.

17. Have you ever felt physical pain over this character? (ex: physical heartache).

A few times. Maybe. Not sure.

18. Do you prefer to see this character suffer or know peace? Angst or comfort? Both?

Honestly, both. I like seeing him suffer then give her some peace.

19. Does this character serve as a stress ball/ security blanket for you? Something you run to after a bad day to feel safe or happier?

I'll be honest, yeah. Thinking about him gives me a lot of comfort when I have a shitty day.

20. Do you feel affectionate towards this character?

Yeah, I love her a lot!!!!

21. Are your feelings about this character platonic, romantic, or familial? All of these feelings at once maybe?

A mix of all three, maybe. Perhaps not romantic, tho.

22. Do you think you will always love this character?

I think he'll always have a special place in my heart, yeah.

23. Has this character permanently altered or impacted your psyche in a way you won’t forget?

...maybe? Yes? I'm not sure. Hetalia in general has altered my psyche in a way I won't forget.

24. Do you ever dream about this character? If so, describe a dream you once had about them.

I haven't dreamed about him (or if I did, I don't remember)

25. What kind of fan-fiction do you read about this character? If you don’t read fan-fics about them, why not?

All kinds, honestly. But mostly human AUs that seem interesting or historical fiction.

26. If you look for this character’s name on AO3, what tags are you including or excluding?

i dunno...I don't really include or exclude tags usually. Although I rarely read AU stories where he is a vampire, because I've read enough vampire stuff with Ro for a lifetime(not saying people can't write stuff like that, just that it's not my favourite thing ppl do with Ro but I think if it's written well I'll give it a chance).

27. Do you like to ship this character with other characters or do you prefer not to?

Well, yeah. I ship him with like a million characters because I find Romania's relations with other countries interesting to explore. Characters I ship him with the most: Serbia(my OC), Bulgaria, Hungary, Prussia, Greece (kind of), England (kind of).

28. Do you get defensive about this character? If yes, then why?

Well, it depends. But I suppose I do? If I feel like someone misunderstands him, I may get a little defensive and want to say something, but I end up keeping it to myself because there is no point in defending a character to someone who doesn't get him anyway.

29. Do you affectionately bully this character?

Yes <333 he's my lovable idiot who represses his emotions so much and has the worst abandonment and trust issues known to mankind

30. Are you especially sensitive about this character?

Sometimes.

31. Are you ashamed of liking this character?

Well, sometimes I feel a bit ashamed of liking hetalia, but I honestly don't feel bad about liking Ro.

32. If you could make this character a meal, what would you make them?

Honestly, I am not sure. I'd like to make him something that he'd like. Maybe cabbage rolls. I think she'd like those. Or something with garlic, as I HC that he really likes garlic.

33. Are you “blinded by love” for this character or do you accept any flaws they may have?

His flaws are one of the reasons I love him, actually. But sometimes I think I do think of him through rose-coloured glasses, haha.

34. Does this character inspire you with little things in your daily life?

Yeah. Inspires me to keep going even if life is shitty at the moment, for one day I'll be free.

35. Has this character ever prevented you from sleeping because you can’t stop thinking about them?

A few times.

36. Do you feel a spiritual/soulmate connection with this character?

Maybe? I feel a lot of affection for him, but that's mostly because I see myself in him somewhat, not because I love him like that. I guess, yeah, in some manner?

37. Is your love for this character a secret from people you know in real life?

In general the fact that I like hetalia is a secret I keep from the people I know, besides my friends who do know about my love for Ro <3

38. Do you tend to joke more about dying or killing for this character? Both? What causes the distinction?

Honestly, I don't really make jokes like that, well not for Ro. But y'know what, I'd probably kill for him.

39. Do you feel lovesick over this character?

Yeah...mostly when I think of ships involving him.

40. Are you very empathetic towards this character? When they feel a certain way in the story, do you feel those emotions too?

Yes!!! It's probably becausr I see myself a lot in him, but yes. When he feels things, I often feel it too to an extent. Probably why writing him is so therapeutic for me.

41. Do you prefer to interact with this character directly via self-insert/reader type content? Or do you enjoy seeing them mostly with other characters in the story and/or your OCs?

When I was younger, I used to enjoy self insert/reader stuff, and to an extent I still do, but it was kind of ruined for me (and I've tried to make self-insert OCs in the past but I always end up changing them so much they become their own full fledged characters pretty different from me besides some traits that remain). I do enjoy seeing him interact with other characters and my OCs tho.

42. If you could, would you write this character a song or poem?

Yeah. I plan to one day.

43. What type of weather makes you think of this character?

Windy weather. Snowing. Rain.

44. Which season makes you think of this character?

All seasons, but mostly winter and autumm.

45. Do you feel as if you are intimately familiar with this character?

At this point I probably am.

46. How much do bad interpretations of this character upset you?

Well, it honestly kind of depends on the interpretations. Whenever I see bad interpretations of him, I mostly get annoyed. If I were to see an interpretation of him that I felt was not only bad, but offensive, I would get upset then but I thankfully haven't seen something like that yet.

47. Does this character ever make you laugh sincerely?

Yeah a lot!!!!

48. What’s your favorite physical/design feature for this character?

I like his haircut, his fangs, his canon outfit, honestly most things about him!!!!

49. What’s your favorite personality trait in this character?

This isn't a trait represented in canon, and moreso a headcanon of mine, but I think it's maybe that despite it all the shit he went through, she never truly lost his rebellious attitude, and his hope for independence and freedom. Even if it made his life harder at times, he still tried to keep true to himself in a way, even if to survive she had to adapt and change a lot. He might have matured, but he's still a rebel at heart.

50. Link your fav song, playlist, aesthetic board, fan-fiction, reference pile, personal artwork, analysis post, meme, headcanon, or quote for this character.

My pinterest board for him: https://pin.it/3zyAqZ3OB

Song: techincally it's more related to serbro than to him, but Two Punks In Love is totally their song. For one song that reminds me of only Ro, that would be maybe "Home" by Passenger. Or "She Used To Be Mine" from the waitress. And many more songs.

i still kinda like this drawing I did of him even if my art style has changed since then.

Most of my HCs and analysis posts about Ro are linked in my pinned! :]

the ask game

#Asks #Hetalia #Romania #Aph #Hws #Can't believe I answered 50 questions about this guy #Guess I do truly love him

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skypiea · 7 months

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ppl really show their asses quite a bit when ai art is concerned bc we had all these debates on here about art being something that inspires a powerful reaction in u and people will see pieces and be like “wow what a cool composition I’m in love with this” and then see it’s created with ai assistance and go “nevermind pretend I didn’t have that first reaction there’s no longer any merit”. I don’t care one way or another but it seems quite silly and non genuine if you can’t admit that you did enjoy the piece on first viewing because you’re too busy being morally outraged over something someone on tumblr told you you have to be mad about

#kite.txt #same reaction happens when ppl love an artist until they find out they draw a ship they’re morally outraged by #and then suddenly they’ve always hated their work and find their style ugly etc etc #it will make sure I put no stock in your opinions if they change on a dime and are subject to such quick revisionism #it’s not ‘getting tricked’ if you saw a piece of ai art and you liked it. It’s maybe something to think about and consider why #and what that means #but I’m asking a lot of a subset of tumblr users who do not think for themselves

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mayadoesfandomstuff · 3 months

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Goddd why is the internet so tiring sometimes like it's a poll about CATS!!! Why the fuck are you trying to push your weird anti-minecraft cringe culture beliefs on it and even more just parroting whatever the fuck you've heard from twitter in order to paint all minecraft youtubers as "problematic" just because there was some problematic people in the genre like hello???

There's assholes in every demographic yet somehow because this one cat is owned by a creator who makes content for a genre you don't like, he MUST be problematic and therefore his CAT too

It's genuinely upsetting and honestly such fun polls gets sullied by shitty people who just hate anyone who dares touch one of the most popular video games in the past decade because of a couple of bad eggs in the community. They don't even have to have interacted with these bad eggs, they just have to have just so happen to make videos about the same video game as them.

Scar BARELY has anything to do with most problematic content creators and yet he and his deceased cat still gets dragged by people who find minecraft cringe and hide it under the guise of thinking any and every minecraft youtuber is simply problematic therefore it's okay to harass them and their fans and spread hatred towards their pets ackshully.

He is legitimately one of the most wholesome minecraft creators in the platform that had constantly inspired many disabled people because of his positivity and his frankness about his experiences with both his physical and mental disabilities and experiences with the medical industry, both positive and negative. All of this doesn't matter though because he plays minecraft so he must be someone who agrees with problematic minecraft youtuber man #34 so he's definitely problematic even if I don't know anything about him. And his cat, Jellie, regardless of how you feel about Scar himself or if he is worth redeeming just because he plays minecraft with his friends, gets thrown under the bus for simply being the pet of this creator because she's just some rando cat of a minecraft youtuber so of course I should also hate her. Oh she died? Well sucks to suck because she's still some youtuber's cat. How problematic of her.

This also happened in other polls like the one from a few months ago with Jimmy being shitted on by outsiders from the fandom to the point that the person who was running the poll had to remove him because of the harassment that they were receiving. This is despite the fact that Jimmy is genuinely one of the most inoffensive minecraft youtubers out there who actively scolds his friends for even making light innuendos whenever they play. "Being bad at video games isn't being doomed by the narrative" says the fans of TTRPG youtube series which is based on game strategy and random chance and has some similarities with sandbox games. And of course, he's also problematic because he plays minecraft. Nevermind you don't actually known anything about him, his character, or the story that people are referring to. He plays minecraft therefore he is problematic.

It happened with other polls like the trans swag poll where people were so giddy to misgender REAL LIFE trans people (not just the characters they played) just because these other fans' FICTIONAL blorbos were up against them in the polls. They would assume any and all people who had ever created minecraft content are cis simply just because of, again, some bad actors that they had or had not associated with in the past. It doesn't matter if they had not spoken about or even actively denounced this bad actor either, they played with that person once upon a time so therefore misgendering them isn't transphobic guys I swear! They're just cringe problematic cis people they couldn't possibly be trans! and if they are they're the bad kind of trans so it's totally cool to misgender them!

I'm not even asking people to like minecraft youtubers or change their minds about perpetuating this new kind of cringe culture but just questioning what is it that makes the term "minecraft youtuber" make these people just assume the worst, and, even further, resort to VILE comments and behavior that border on outright bigotry? Why is it that seeing "minecraft youtubers" make these people think that harassment and hatred sent to the fans and even just the poll makers is justified regardless of the actual stance of the person that had brought them up? Why do these people think that it's appropriate or even funny to make jokes about dead pets or to jokingly misgender trans people just because they're associated with the term "minecraft youtuber"?

I don't know

This won't be rebloggable

I'm tired

#mayaposts #discourse #the awful cat poll

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forthegothicheroine · 2 years

Text

How Other Great Detectives Would Solve the “Murder” of Laura Hunt

A series I do sometimes. Spoilers for both the book and the movie Laura, and I’ll try to keep this canon-friendly to both!

Sherlock Holmes: After being asked for help by the police, Holmes and Watson spend an uncomfortable afternoon listening to Waldo Lydecker, and Waston comments “Just like his walking stick? That’s how he speaks of a dead woman? That man has no feeling in him!” “On the contrary,” says Holmes. “I believe he was very much in love with her.” Holmes already starts thinking about whether the dead woman was really Laura, since bodies you can’t identify are always suspicious (this is either foreshadowing or a callback to his own faked death, depending on where this sits in an anachronistic timeline.) When he meets the living Laura Hunt, Holmes gets sentimental about her in that not-canonically-romantic-but-wistful way he sometimes does. When Lydecker attempts to kill her again, he finds that Holmes has sabotaged his gun, and that Watson’s gun very much still works.

Sam Spade: I figure the Vincent Price character hired him to solve Laura’s murder since he’s afraid he’s being framed for it. Spade listens patiently to Lydecker in the same way he did to Gutman, and comes to the conclusion that whatever this guy’s deal is, he’s a consummate liar. When Laura shows up alive, she takes an immediate dislike to him, but he’s intrigued by her. He tries to bully her into paying him to do bodyguard duty, but she’s a canny negotiator and he sort of respects that. The two have belligerent banter and sexual tension that never turns into anything solid, for the best. Spade manages to cold-clock and restrain Lydecker for the police when he tries to kill her again. “What do you know, he really was crazy about you” he says. “Here I thought he was a gunsel.” “What’s a gunsel- no, nevermind, don’t answer that,” says Laura.

Columbo: As soon as Columbo meets Waldo Lydecker, he mentally sees a giant flashing neon sign saying THIS GUY DID IT. He needles him with “My wife loves your column!” and “What I don’t get about this is, why make the murder so obvious if it was pre-planned?” When Laura shows up alive, Columbo’s surprise is genuine, but it starts to throw certain pieces into place. He likes Laura a lot in a fatherly sort of way, and once she gets over her shock and annoyance over the whole thing, she comes to trust him. Lydecker comes to the house to kill Laura for real and Columbo catches him “coincidentally”, then reveals he knows where the gun was stashed and puts him under arrest.

Philip Marlowe: Marlowe, like Spade, was hired to prove the innocence of Laura’s fiancé, but doesn’t like the guy. Turns out he doesn’t like Lydecker either, but he engages in long conversation with elevated diction with him, and his descriptions of Laura really catch his interest. He stares at her portrait and has feelings- she looks glamorous alright, but there’s an honest intensity to her face that puts him in mind of a clever girl next door. When she shows up alive, he compares her to the ghost of Banquo. He’s suspicious of her because so many of his villains turn out to be sexy ladies, but eventually figures out her innocence after lots of combatative conversation. He catches Lydecker attempting to kill her again, and reflects on how men are determined to kill what they can’t have. Marlowe is more than a little in love with Laura but never sees her again.

Dale Cooper: Woohoo, getting recursive here! Since Twin Peaks was in many ways inspired by Laura, the major beats are hit but in weirder ways. Cooper is halfway in love with Laura as he investigates her murder, and falls the rest of the way in love with her when she turns up alive. Laura starts to fall for him as well, but is greatly confused by his methods, especially when he determines her innocence by flipping through the pages of all her books and finding that the first letter on each page spells PRIESTESS, reminding him of the High Priestess in the tarot deck, symbol of wisdom and virtue. Lydecker expresses anger over Cooper and Laura’s developing relationship, and Cooper realizes he was the killer when Lydecker fixes his tie in a way that looks like a bird making a threat display (Cooper does not like birds!) He ends up killing Lydecker when he makes another attempt to kill Laura, and tells him “I pray that in your next life you will learn how to love generously.” He and Laura might get together if the universe will allow them to be happy.

Hercule Poirot: Poirot meets Lydecker and Vincent Price (whose character name I refuse to look up) at a party, and takes immense offense when Hastings says of Lydecker, “You know, that chap reminded me a bit of you!” When Laura’s body is seemingly found, he inserts himself into the investigation because he feels offended that Lydecker’s column about her death seems to be mostly bragging about how great his relationship had been with her. He studies Laura’s portrait, and the more he studies it, the more he suspects that body the police found wasn’t really hers. He’s proven right, of course, and when Laura shows up, he talks to her about a plan. He arranges for all the suspects to gather, then throws them all for a loop when he has Laura walk in, very much alive. He reveals where Lydecker hid the murder weapon, and Hastings grabs it to hold the man at bay. “So it was all for love,” Hastings reflects after the fact. “Heaven protect women from such love!” Poirot responds.

Sam Vimes: Vimes takes a liking to the dead Laura, because in between the lines of Lydecker’s testimony, he hears the story of a girl suddenly shoved into a higher social class where she can’t meet everyone’s demands of her even though she’s smarter and kinder than all of them. When she turns up alive, he annoys her with tests to see whether she’s a ghost or a zombie or a vampire, but is relieve to find that she is actually alive after all. Lydecker gets mean about what he believes to be a relationship between Vimes and Laura even though there’s nothing romantic about it, and that’s what settles Vimes that he’s the killer. He manages to catch Lydecker before he can kill Laura, but then Lydecker has a heart attack when the ghost of the woman he really murdered steps out beside Laura and points an accusing finger at him. The ghost of Lydecker continues to write a really mean society column, and Vimes is mad that he’s legally allowed to do that, but at least he can’t kill anyone else.

Phryne Fisher: Phryne starts poking around the case when her former lover, Vincent Price’s Character, is accused to the murder of his fiancé. She doesn’t think much of him, but doesn’t think he’s capable of murder. She alternates between charming Lydecker and annoying him with little comments like “Well, surely Laura was entitled to a social life of her own, wouldn’t you agree?” She was starting to wonder if Laura had faked her own death to get out from under his control, when Laura walks back in and proves she wasn’t deliberately faking anything. When Lydecker tries to kill Laura again, Phryne jumps at and disarms him though she nearly catches a bullet herself. “I must remember to get my own portrait painted in case I’m killed,” she says to Jack. Laura shows up periodically on the show when Phryne needs an American contact for a case.

Miss Marple: Miss Marple has some amiable chats with the police about Laura’s murder, and when one of them says “In cases like these, the lover usually did it,” she opens their eyes by saying “Yes, but which one?” When Laura shows up alive, Miss Marple shows up with cookies and sherry as a “congratulations for still being alive” present. She relates to Laura as an independent woman who fought all her life to be able to live on her own terms. She gathers all the suspects together and lays out what she believes must have happened, and when Lydecker dashes for the hidden gun she reveals she already found and disarmed it. “I know you must be terribly sad,” she comforts Laura, “but remember that you are who you are because of what you’ve achieved, not because he tried to turn you into his dream.”

#great detectives series #laura #film noir

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south-sea · 9 months

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PLEASE tell me more about your version of Mephiles. What does he like to do as a hobby? How often is Shadow involved in said hobbies? What's their relationship like? Are they friendly?

Even if your thoughts aren't complete you can give me the cliffnotes version please please please please

disclaimer: i am very ill thanks to a medication allergy mishap earlier today, so if this is more ramble-y than usual, i apologize! it has been a rough week health-wise, but for that same reason this couldn't have been better timed. silly guy mephiles is like 1/2 of what my brain is laser focused on rn to get me through it apparently. that said, this definitely got a bit longer than i expected,

that's the catch: they don't currently have hobbies (if you don't count being an eccentric goofball). at least, it's difficult to explore new ones on account of being physically tied to semi-modern shadow.

so i'll start there: their relationship is a tenuous one at best. semi-modern doesn't fully trust them. some part of him expects mephiles to slip back into old ways, or to find out they've just been faking the amnesia the whole time. standard tropey stuff like what happened with Mr. Tinker in IDW. and similarly, mephiles is in fact Not Faking It.

on the flipside, it's hard to tell if mephiles is actually bothered by this trend of distrust everyone seems to show them. outwardly, they just roll with/don't even acknowledge it. inwardly, one might be right to assume they've tethered themself to semi-modern's literal shadow specifically to ensure they have at least one guaranteed person to fall back on. people aren't exactly wrong to be cautious of them, either. they are uncanny and unsettling in every way. and when i said shadow's basically their hostage, i wasn't entirely joking.

but shadow's not stupid. mephiles may not remember being a god, but the entitlement and sense of constant attention is burned into their existence. while their methods are usually harmless and subtle if not just silly, they take what they want. shadow knows this, but he lets it slide because ultimately there's no harm being done, and at least this way, he's able to keep tabs on them more easily.

that said, i'd not say they're unfriendly with each other. shadow tolerates their antics, but not begrudgingly. he just thinks they're odd, and occasionally embarrassing. mephiles meanwhile is just having a grand ol' time, all the time. they don't push their luck with shadow and intentionally annoy him, but they generally do whatever, however they want to. even if on average they can't be farther away than four blocks or so, it's not uncommon for semi-modern to turn a corner and find them hosting a tea party with some stranger surrounded by a bunch of shadowy minions.

tea tends to be a recurring theme with them, if just because i'm pulling from various mephistopheles interpretations as inspiration, with a little bit of mad hatter/sheogorath thrown in for good measure. they're meant to be this wacky goofball on the surface, less because they're ~off their rocker~, and more because they're a timeless god that has no concept of/regard for what mortals consider "normal". underneath it, they're suppressing a desperate need/fear.

they want company. what's a good way to get company? you have one of your shadowy minions shepherd some unwitting soul toward a table you've just made out of thin air and serve them tea and snacks. nevermind that this poor person now probably feels pressured into staying put thanks to all the other minions circled around acting as butlers. sometimes it's a genuine attempt to connect to someone. sometimes they're just lying to themselves. they have company now; they're not letting go of it easily.

even then, they're not aggressive or intentionally threatening. it's spooky as hell, sure, and definitely manipulative, but if the person were to try to leave, mephiles would ultimately let them go if an insistent "stay, stay!" doesn't work. at that point they just return to shadow and sulk.

my absolute favorite thing about them is that more often than not, they really do mean well. their motivations might be terribly selfish, but they're not always aware of those motivations themself, so it's all done innocently. they say or do some truly unsettling things that come off as thinly-veiled threats, but in reality they're just being sincere in a blunt way. (which is not to say they're faultless; the whole "lowkey using shadow/holding him hostage" isn't exactly great and i'm not going to claim it is, even if things turn out alright.)

in any case, the two share a mind link of sorts. whether mephiles is physically in semi-modern's literal shadow, or blocks away, they're able to communicate more or less telepathically. oftentimes if shadow looks like he's spacing out or brooding more than usual, he's literally just talking to mephiles (and occasionally maria). i'd liken mephiles's approach to conversation in this way to a pleasantly annoying friend who texts you memes or random thoughts from out of nowhere.

and so, while shadow views their relationship with cautious neutrality if with a bit of stubbornly-ignored fondness, mephiles is a bit more attached, even if they don't consciously realize it. it's a bit like the very early dynamic between second chance shadow and metal; they're in contact a lot due to circumstance, and that naturally leads to the two warming up to each other over time. (they're not nearly as close, though, and likely never will be.)

should semi-modern be threatened in a way he can't get himself out of alone, mephiles is very likely to pop out of his literal shadow and assist in some way, if not teleport them both out to safety. i'd even go so far as to say they're a bit protective of him. they just don't realize that's the case until something's actively happening to warrant those protective feelings.

i actually intend to cook up a scenario like this to kickstart shadow's acceptance that mephiles is genuinely not malicious anymore, and for mephiles to come to terms with the fact they genuinely care about shadow as more than just "convenient company". and hopefully that will in turn lead to mephiles having a bit more freedom, where they start to branch out with physical copies/extensions of themself to explore different interests and the like.

i mentioned it in an earlier post, but future interests might look something like taking a more genuine approach to tea. even if they themself can't drink it, they can look into making their own unique blend based purely on the science(?) of it. how they approach interacting with people may also develop along with it, making things a lot less spooky and instead just kind of purely eccentric/left field.

they could take up acting, an instrument, generally anything related to the arts. hopefully not anything to do with high-stakes gambling like their namesake was so known for (though iirc theatre was also something associated with him, so i'm trying to strike a balance there, too).

something something, the parallels between shadow and mephiles both starting with a narrow view of the world and slowly exploring and coming to appreciate it on a wider scale

#sea answers #semi-modern au #i had a great time with this thank you anon mwah

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decamarks · 1 year

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it's funny, but I just realized I was just discussing yesterday with a friend what specifically always unsettled me about the animated Mario head from Super Mario 64- that whole kind of hard to describe tech demo feeling to it (which I believe it originally was??? don't quote me on this) and being motion captured with very basic/rudimentary methods, and when you really think about it, you can sort of feel it

i feel like CHOW! totally hit the nail on the head for that exact feeling for me- I know you cited PSX & Xbox as your goals (i 100% see it in the aesthetic choices especially!!) but I love just how even without the glitching, it captures perfectly that sort of feeling that I think either leaves people feeling endeared or creeped out- but very very genuinely, like, perfectly gets across that concept of a programmer making a cool bit of advanced animation/interactivity tech at a time where it was still new! i adore that so much

OH MY GOD YES!!!!! i probably don't even need to confirm it, but yeah CHOW! was pretty directly inspired by the mario head. (i also cannot thank you enough for adhering to the manual's stylization of CHOW!).

the mario 64 head is an incredible thing to me, both in terms of it being a silly tech demo, and it being endearingly terrifying. the animations alone are a bit awkward looking and technologically stilted—and like, there's no way to avoid the fact that it is explicitly an entity of endless body horror, because. it IS. it was designed to be stretched and warped and deformed by small hands just learning to use the n64 controller. yet it remains such a fun and fascinating thing... we have the technology to do terrifying things to mario's face, so we will. it's an inevitability that we can, and should, embrace—that is the message mario 64 sends. or it's not and they just wanted to have a goofy interactive title screen with silly expressive animations. who knows!

i think we need a new term for this kind of endearing creepiness. "ugly-cute" is a widely recognized notion, but 'ugly' ≠ 'uncanny'. i propose uhhhhhhh. "uncandearing". actually that sucks nevermind. BUT IT'S AN EMOTION I TREASURE REGARDLESS OF IF I HAVE THE WORDS FOR IT. it's something particularly present in older technology; the rudimentary tools and strict limitations on what can be created that leads to this uncanny, stilted strangeness. it gives the impression of something trying so hard to be appealing and friendly, but it's just breaking at the seams from how much effort it takes to do so. thus becoming 10000x creepier than it was initially. and 10000x more endearing, too...?

another famous example of this is the IBM computer singing daisy bell. it's just so cute to see time and time again that people will endlessly innovate in order to imbue technology with bits of humanity—by expressing artificial emotions, or silly virtual interactions... of course, it's not quite human enough to feel completely real, and not quite not-human enough to feel, y'know. not creepy. but it's TRYING its BEST.

at least for me, i don't think it's a harsh split between perceiving it as endearing or uncanny—it's a bit of both, and each amplifies the other. i intended for CHOW! to be the most viscerally repulsive thing ever brought to 3d space (and i'd say i succeeded to some extent), but as i was animating, it inexplicably grew on me? to the point where i actually felt a little upset, like, peeling its skin off after it 'glitches out'. though it was a bit uncanny before, at that point the veil is entirely removed, and now it's not really even alive enough to be uncanny in the same way.

i hate CHOW!. i would also die and kill for it. these are two emotions that exist at the same time, and i just have to deal with that.

#i imagine the developers of CHOW! had the same weird protectiveness over their awful entity. hence the terrifying anti-cheat consequences.#like they've put so much money and time into this awful thing. and it sucks. and people want to feed it poison.#but after being around it for so long they just CANNOT be convinced that it's not cute and appealing #but on some level they know. they know people hate this thing. because they kind of hate it too.#this dissonance becomes anger and this anger becomes at least 500 bricked consoles and demolished save data.#and that becomes an entire development team losing their jobs. this is the power of CHOW!'s wrath.#ANYWAY.#another favorite piece of old interactive technology is fin fin. he is so stilted and silly and sings the most haunting melodies for me.

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koumeowkami · 4 months

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Reread through the notes I made and to sum it up, I do think the pararai anime is neat! I knew spoilery stuff about Nayuta since way back when and had a general grasp of the character's trap reactions, but not so much about the general plot (aside from the winners and all) so I don't think I have much thoughts about it?

As a story in of itself though, I like that each group gets their time in the spotlight but apparently TCW doesn't get a full performance?— My notes kept mentioning it and I seemed a little annoyed—

Also live love laugh Ryu being a menace. It was enjoyable enough but given BAE and Cozmez seemed to be in the spotlight, it sort of left TCW and Akanyatsura behind in terms of development (Although they seemed developed enough, if that makes sense)

Stuff from my notes

Hell yeah this is what I've been waiting for! (ep 1)

The phantometals' effects look so good and I really like the look of the animation

Second instance (as far as I know) of Gakuto Kajiwara being the lead protagonist in a music franchise anime adaptation <- the other one being ACTORS: Song Connection..

I REALLY DO LIKE MURASE'S RANGE AS HAJUN

He's a mood (Allen)

Paradox Devil thing reminds me of Grim

Ryu-kun!

HANAEEEE

I did praise the animation but why does the stamen in that flower look so stiff

Cozmez? Cozmez!

Why is Kanata so pretty

I never really got into the how or why phantometals connect to their users other than making it from their trauma, this anime makes it digestible

(Allen drawing on Hajun's apron and shouting "Inspiration!") Leo Tsukinaga is that you

Hajun pretty boy antics

Bae oversleeping on opening night huh..

Hajun flying them in!

Trauma!

Cozmez is drawn so ethereal

The OP is really nice (ep 2)

Not Kanata gatekeeping hiphop?/lh

Kanallen! ..Nevermind, he was robbing him

..Mouse as big as a dog? Isn't that like a rat.. come on we have a song called rats and nobles..

Kanata gatekeeping!

Ryu-kun having fun! (the tcw vs akanyatsura battle)

—Not showing TCW & Akanyatsura's performance? Foul

Old man yaoi

(Has stopped keeping track of the episodes)

Time to see TCW performance. or not...

Ryu is a menace and I am INTO it

Reo is adorable

ep.5 and this OP still is a banger

Not Kanata and Nayuta both having their own spiels about "I can't let you stay here" <- since.. yeah, does that mean that this is how Kanata thinks subconsciously?

When are we gonna look at TCW performing

Allen working part-time throughout the Ryu episode...

HILARIOUS

Allen "little dapper man" Sugasano

ep.7

Nayuta...

Nayushiki duet at the end?!?@??@?

ep.9 - Sweet ol kanalller contend <- watched the scene and was writing at the same time while laughing hysterically

NAYUTA READ THE ROOM

(end of notes)

omg aeri... pls read the drama tracks when you can cause 😭 once you do you realize how much this anime is missing (or even got wrong)...

you're right abt akyr and tcw not having enough screentime and to be honest, i'd say the same abt cozmez since they didn't explain anything abt their backstory – nayushiki thing aside – and completely ruined the ending... bae got so many useless scenes 😞

so yeah, even if the characters seemed to have gotten any development, no one knows what caused it anyways (or at least, i talked abt the anime with my irl friend who's anime-only, and she genuinely didn't understand some stuff that happened cause they didn't explain shit lol).

replying to the stuff from your notes

the effects are really one of the only things i'm willing to defend abt this anime cause they were truly SO GOOD!! i was so scared of how bad the cgi would've been but i was proved wrong, the performances were all really cool <3

i'm not sure if you're into fragraria memories but gakkun voices the lead protagonist there as well! and hallritt has red hair too... curious...

paradevil is truly our grim... they'd be great friends

the flower symbolizes tsubaki, saimon's late wife (i'm pretty sure no anime-only fan understood that cause they never mentioned her LMAO; that's also why they keep showing that damn flower)

they "skipped" the justice performance but it's only cause they showed tcw with 4 real later! each group had one battle performance :D

yes, everything nayuta says is part of kanata's subconscious!! phantom nayuta is literally the personification of kanata's deepest thoughts, the truth under millions of layers 👍🏻

i loved kanallen in the filler episode, that's what youngsters would call "my roman empire" nowadays. also yeah notice kanata cockblocking himself (through nayuta)

i support you saying "why is cozmez so pretty" every few notes. relatable

#ask #🥀; aeri!

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