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artist-issues · 4 months

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Look I know Rapunzel paints and Tiana cooks, but if you guys don't think Mulan is the Most Creative Disney Princess, you're wrong.

She's literally introduced in this perfect scene that highlights her whole character, flaws and strengths:

The first time you see her she's:

Cheating, which is totally the opposite of what honor-code General Shang would do.

Undisciplined, which is what going to the army fixes.

Problem-solving—by writing the recitation she can't remember on her wrist—

BUT LISTEN. That last one is the first hint you have that she's the Most Creative Disney Princess. Because guess what? She's not the first young woman to cheat at the matchmaker test. The Matchmaker specifically checks to see if she's cheating when the test begins. But the rest of them wrote their cheat sheet on their fans.

The Matchmaker was prepared for the usual kind of tricks. But Mulan's full of her own ideas, not everyone else's.

You guys know the rest. She dresses up like a soldier—nobody suspects her because the idea that someone would do that never occurs to everyone else. She climbs the pole by tying the medallions around each other when none of the other recruits can figure it out. She lights the cannon by grabbing Mushu instead of searching for flints. She creates an avalanche instead of just taking Shan Yu out. She tricks the Huns by dressing her friends up as concubines. She defeats Shan Yu with his own sword and a bunch of fireworks.

But even beyond problem-solving, Mulan never does things like other people do. She doesn't even do things like other women do.

She doesn't just walk across a bridge, she jumps from pillar to pillar. She doesn't just bring her father tea, she puts a spare teacup in her sleeve because she knows she's clumsy.

Mulan is creative. But you know what that moment proves? That she's not just a representation of all women-versus-men. Mulan is representative of a human, who sees where she has strengths, and sees where she has weaknesses. She uses her strengths to her advantage and works to improve or make up for her weaknesses. She doesn't try to be exactly like a man. She just tries to use what she's got to do the right thing. And finding ways to use what you've got, even if it's not like what everyone else has, is creativity.

#Mulan #Mulan meta #hua Mulan #fa Mulan #General Shang #Shang #china #Disney #real Disney #Tom Bancroft #Disney's Mulan #animated Mulan #mulan 1998 #meta #character analysis #Rapunzel #Tiana #Disney Princess #Disney princesses

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vapolis · 4 months

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Speaking of, what are your top 10 favorite WIPs with demo and top 10 without demo right now? There are so many good ones!!!

not u about to out me as someone that doesn't keep up w wips... I wish I was better at it, but seeing as I have taken massive breaks from the IF community before and disappeared into thin air it was pretty difficult for me to keep up with wips. so many great writers left or abandoned projects which I totally understand but some of those are so brilliant I want to shake someone into picking them back up ngl.

I'll try to name as many as I actually follow actively!

fave wips with demo in no particular order:

fallen hero 3

breach: chicago warzone

180 files: crossfire

defiled hearts

seven days in purgatory (how I miss u)

chop shop

eyes of shan

children of the gods (I mourn her weekly)

fave wips with no demo so far:

tosahobi

once bitten

twelve days

I have a hard time following wips when there's no demo because imo, a cool intro post is all well and good but it comes down to how the person writes that story in the end. there are more ifs I passively follow but haven't checked up on in a while but will once I finish my semester but i think for now these 2 lists sum it up wel!

#asks #I named 11/20 I'm crying #I'm so bad at this entire... reading ifs thing #I have however read a lot of released ifs so !

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slashingdisneypasta · 1 year

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Disney Villains Only being able to Speak their First Language to Eachother

Hey fellow Hetalians (No such thing as an ex-Hetalian, y'all know that), remember that post about all the characters only being able to speak their countries official languages for a day?? And the chaos that would've ensued?? This is inspired by that post XD

Imagine the Disney Villains getting hexed by like, Mama Odie or Merryweather or Merlin or someone, so they can all only speak and understand their first language for a month.

Yes. A whole month.

The Toon Patrol are seriously struggling because Greasy keeps talking really fast Spanish at them but the rest have no idea what he's saying. Eventually Smartass decides to lock him in a separate room until this can be figured out and you can just hear banging and vague Spanish coming out the crack.

Ernesto is trying to figure out what some of the English speakers are saying because every 11th word is kinda familiar and they speak slow (Especially the rotund, yodelling fellow) but he keeps getting distracted by this faint Spanish yelling coming from another room.

Hades and Jafar stand off to the side near a wall just watching all the mess. They cant understand each other of course but no one else can understand them either so there's really nothing else to do. Hades will occasionally point something out, like Gaston leaning his sweaty arm on Frollo's shoulder and Frollo struggling to not buckle under the weight, and they'll chuckle. (Yes, laughter. The universal language XD)

Speaking of the French speakers-- they're suffering. Frollo hates his fellow French speakers for all being such sinners, Lady Tremaine hates the others because they're idiots or they have too much attitude towards her (*Cough* mal), Maleficent looks down on them all because they're all magic-less plebs, Edgar hates them because they all have money, and Gaston keeps talking about himself and someone is going to hit him. But they all try to keep it together, keep it classy, though most of them have elected to just not talk except for Gaston.

The oddest pairing is probably Hans and Ursula. She speaks Danish, or a dialect similar to it, and he is either Norwegian or Icelandic. If he's Norwegian, they're trying to figure out what the other is saying. Its mostly Ursula flirting with him and him carefully deciphering her words... and then facepalming. ikke til å tro (Unbelievable). But she keeps making like she has something important to tell him, like how to fix this huge predicament, and he keeps falling for it XD

Hilda and Mother Gothel speak German together and basically check out of this mess- like, do they want to understand what insanity Gaston and Jafar are saying again?? Or Frollo?? Haha, No...

Scroop speaks a harsh alien dialect and Silver's just standing next to him like yeah, yeah... you know i dont understand a word you're saying? *... realises scroop cant understand him either and sighs* Ahhh... *Rubs the bridge of his nose*

Rourke approaches the Horned King, curious why he's just standing there doing nothing and gets a string of growly Welsh and promptly... leaves... Like nope. Not today. That crap sounded like an ancient curse and that is not on todays schedule, thanks.

Clayton claims to have visited half these countries (Truth) and could figure out what many of the other villains are saying if he wanted (Exaggeration) so Cruella's like okay great... go and Captain Hook's like that's marvelous! go ahead then my good fellow!. He goes up to Shan Yu and immediately fails.

Shan Yu is usually pretty quiet around the other villains, so him standing there unreadable though faintly amused by them all is... not out of the ordinary XDD

If you have more to add, please feel free! XD

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hils79 · 8 months

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Hils Watches Mysterious Lotus Casebook - Ep 32

I've reached the 'oh no I don't want it to be over' stage which I usually do when there's less than 10 eps to go :(

Welcome to this week's episode of CSI Jianghu

Holy fucking plot twist.

HOLY FUCKING PLOT TWIST! Wait, does that mean all these elaborate schemes to frame Li Lianhua for the murder of Shan Gudao were done BY Shan Gudao?

So is Shan Gudao the dude in the hood who's been having all those secret meetings with Jiao Liqiao? None of this was even on my radar as a potential endgame. Holy shit, well played.

I can see why he teamed up with Jiao Liqiao, who also wants to see the world burn because she wasn't getting enough attention.

As much as I enjoy Li Lianhua as the damsel in distress I do also enjoy when he gets all super protective over Fang Duobing

Suddenly the pointing and finger wagging is less funny

How do you tell your dad, who you thought was your uncle and then thought was dead, but who is actually a supervillain, that the man he despises is your new boyfriend

He made Li Lianhua cry. Jail for one million years!

I mean he has, but I don't think it's like that

Poor Fang Duobing feels so betrayed. And after they shared bread and water and Fang Duobing...put his energy into Di Feisheng's body 👀

Of course she's still alive. She wouldn't die that easily.

This dude is like 'Ma'am, I have told you repeatedly that Di Feisheng is gay. What else do you want me to say?"

See, at least Fang Duobing's aunt knows there's no point chasing after a gay guy

I mean, many hurt/comfort fics have this exact premise. Why do I feel that this random dude is going to be someone significant and probably evil though. It reminds me of when Xiao Xingchen found Xue Yang injured at the side of the road. That didn't end well for anyone.

You're not a mass murderer bent on world domination so you are WAY better than my biological father

Did Di Feisheng secretly send them one of the ice shards that he stole?

OH! PRETTY!

Apparently this actor was in both The Blood of Youth and Immortal Samsara, but I don't remember him at all in either of them.

Oh, wait, was he the sword spirit who was...ahem...inside Cheng Yi in Immortal Samsara. He looks a bit more familiar from this angle

Wait, do the pretty guard and Li Lianhua have History? They keep looking at each other. Is this another one to add to the polycule? I think Di Feisheng has come to accept Fang Duobing but not sure how he'd feel about sharing with anyone else

I love his face

Wow. Okay.

It absolutely would not

Fang Duobing is jealous! Have to check if this is another one of Li Lianhua's ex boyfriends

#hils watches #hils watches mysterious lotus casebook #hils watches cdramas #mysterious lotus casebook #cdrama

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villainsandvictimsalliance · 2 months

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>They are really following the “saving child shigaraki” path 💀

No? Well, yes, but Deku seeing what happened to Tenko and talking to Tenko was always going to happen, it doesn't mean that only child Tenko gets saved lol. Tenko is Shigaraki's origin, his core, his genuine ideas, his honne (true feelings and desires). Of course Deku has to understand and save Tenko to save adult!Tenko, lol. Nobody seemed to complain when child!Ochako was talking to child!Himiko and etc., so what's up with some people's attitude now? 😭

I think the fandom is a bit paranoid because they really fear some theories.

I sometimes entertain those theories just to fuck around and create what ifs. It's a mere childplay. "Oh what if the school burned today and we all graduated earlier" type of mindset. The odds of it happening are non-existent, but c'mon. Unless you plan to burn the school yourself or you know someone will try, the odds are almost zero.

"but somewhere in the world a school burned—"

Sure, some mangas decide to end things the worst way possible only to cause shock, to fuck with fans, for money, sometimes simply because they don't understand their own stories. Even the big mangas is subjected to that. The author can go bananas for whatever reason and give you a terrible ending.

From my perspective, Horikoshi has rarely lost sight of the story he wants to tell. If he opens a plotline, he takes care to close it later. We got our traitor, we got the resolution with the Todorokis, we got AFO, class 1B, the villain comebacks...

Even when there were moments I knew Horikoshi went a little on the tangent (like Stars and Stripes) he was quick to return to the main issue. In bnha, to get an answer for your question you only have to wait for the manga to explain it— or in some cases, check the spin-off. If the answer is not in bnha itself, it normally is in the Vigilantes manga.

When someone asks me "Hey Shan, do you think that is possible?" the correct answer is always yes, because as long as the story is not over anything can happen. Objectively speaking, yes, it is as possible as anything else. As long as you're alive a lightning strike can hit you. A shark can bite you. An alien can come for you. The odds are there.

Now, is it probable?

No, not much.

Turning Tomura into a child to erase his crimes and resolve Deku's role within the plot is not only the lazy route, but also a disservice to the story. People don't resurrect out of nowhere in bnha. Limbs don't grow again. This is a story where the consequences are permanent. Even saving Mirio had a cost. There are only a few characters that can magically heal and their participation is soo little, it's almost as if they weren't there.

Each story has rules. You don't care about the real life rules or your own law code or whatever; you care about the inner rules of that story.

So far, Horikoshi has taken care of not breaking the inner rules of bnha. Why would he do so now?

Another bnha trait is that it doesn't stay stagnant on a plotline that is interesting yet irrelevant to the main story. It also doesn't hurry the story if it needs to go down a certain path. It will happen on its own time, after the events that need to happen had happened too. Example: saving Tomura has been a whole process. If Horikoshi were to turn Tomura into a child, why would he show all that he has shown us?

That's 'cause Horikoshi is explaining Deku's choice of saving Tomura. I know the trend of separating Tomura from Tenko, but it's absurd. They are one and the same. The kid is the adult and vice versa. You save the kid version, you save the adult one too. In order to save the adult one, you need to save the kid first. And if you went all the way to save that person, why would you want to erase all of it and turn them into a child again?

Isn't the story about how Deku giving little Tenko a chance? Isn't the story about Deku telling others they can do the impossible? Didn't Nighteye say that Deku could change the future and now we see him also changing the past, if only to allow the present to be a little more bearable? Livable?

I'll say this here: the theory that dictates that the heroes will turn the villains into kids to save them and the villains will stay like that has absolutely no foundation within the story.

If it happens, it's bad writing.

Horikoshi uses the kid images as symbolism. It is meant to represent the core of a person. It's the part of them that would never change, the part of them that dictates their dreams and goals, what they hate and love, who they are. It's the most basic of their forms, their essence, their soul if you want to speak on those terms.

Heroes are meant to connect with those parts of a human in order to save them, because the job of a hero is not only saving the body, but the human as a whole. To preserve hope, to heal past wounds and give people a reason to smile. To help people laugh as a kid again, to bring back their wonder and their innocence, to fight the apathy and the cynical part of themselves.

Bnha is fantasy. People have powers. The dead can communicate with the living. Of course that the heroes can talk with the childhood versions of the people to heal their past traumas.

Easy as that.

I can't say for sure if the villains will live or die. I only have my opinion (they'll live), but I am not the author. Horikoshi can have an epiphany tomorrow and kill everyone in the story with a meteor. Idk.

I can only say that Horikoshi has presented a cohesive and coherent writing, one that follows the lines it dictates to their natural conclusion. If things stay like that, there's no need to fear none of the crazy theories circulating the fandom. At the end of the day that's all they are, theories.

#shan's asks #bnha #mha #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #bnha 417 #mha 417 #bnha spoilers #mha spoilers #bnha leaks #mha leaks #shan's bnha opinions #shan's mha opinions

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daffi-990 · 6 months

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Seven(ish) Sentence Sunday 📝

Tagged by the wonderfully talented @thewolvesof1998 and @wikiangela. Make sure to check out what they shared 💙

More from the Rival Firefighters 🚒 fic. This time some Eddie and Shannon interaction (Shannon is very much alive in this fic and will remain so. Her and Eddie are divorced and happily co-parenting Chris).

“Well everyone hasn’t had the training and life experiences you’ve had.”

“I know.” Eddie sighs, dragging his hands down his face in exhaustion. “It’s just, this guy is unnecessarily reckless and thinks he’s hot shit. You know I heard he stole a fire truck for a booty call?” A laugh bursts out of Shannon and she quickly brings a hand up to cover her mouth and muffle the noise. She mumbles an apology into her palm and waits for Eddie to continue. “One day he’s going to get someone seriously hurt, or killed. I don’t know how Captain Nash tolerates him to be honest.”

Shannon removes her hand from her mouth and wipes it against her jeans, removing the warm moist feeling. “This probie making you regret moving to LA instead of taking Judd up on his offer for a spot at the 126 in Austin?”

Eddie knows she’s mostly joking, but he can hear the underlying insecurity that Shannon hasn’t been able to shake since the three of them moved here; that she took Eddie and Chris away from his family and some good career opportunities and that he’ll come to regret it.

Eddie reaches across the table and grabs her hands with his own. “Never. You know I’ll never regret moving here with you, Shan. Christopher is thriving and I’m not doing too bad myself. This is just one rookie firefighter who isn’t even at my station. It’s not like I’m going to be seeing a lot of him”

No pressure tagging some friends … @forthewolves @exhuastedpigeon @hippolotamus @callmenewbie @callaplums @wildlife4life @rainbow-nerdss @lover-of-mine @loserdiaz @ladydorian05 @jesuisici33 @devirnis @disasterbuckdiaz @eddiebabygirldiaz @monsterrae1 @honestlydarkprincess @giddyupbuck @athenagranted

#hope I can do Shannon justice and write her well #or at least decent #want her to be a supportive friend #and wingwoman down the line 👀#and I couldn’t resist sneaking in a little Lone Star mention 😉#buddie wip #rival fighters fic #daffi writes #buddie

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sketching-shark · 1 month

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i love being a zbj apologist but sometimes the takes i see on the chinese internet are wild lol once i saw someone say that "zbj actually realized huaguoshan was in danger bc of his marshal tianpeng abilities and he got swk banished on purpose bc otherwise swk wouldnt have a chance to check up on huaguo and the monkeys wouldve been hunted to extinction if he hadnt come back soon enough so technically zbj saved huaguo shan" LIKE i love 4d chess but i think thats giving zbj too much credit 💀

You know I've only absorbed some information about the recent levels of Zhu Bajie love (and apologism lol) going on in China by proxy, but I'm still both surprised and usually delighted/amused to hear the levels to which this monstrous pig yaoguai is being turned into everyone's pookie bear. Though in this case a lot of my personal fondness for this trend is partially because, as far as I know, said apologism doesn't seem to involve dissing the other pilgrims haha. And while I do have to agree with you anon about how this 4D chess move does seem a BIT of a reach, one of the things I would LOVE to see in a Xiyouji rewrite would be more done to take Zhu Bajie out of the role of the slapstick clown of the group and do more to complicate his character both because of his former role as Marshal Tianpeng & all the skill that suggests and also because it would give him more opportunity for heartfelt moments between him and the other pilgrims. Said as much elsewhere, but I am for example fully on team "ZBJ hated the pilgrimage and the other pilgrims at first but over time he came to genuinely love them and his complaining became less about his own desires and more about wanting these stubborn idiots to take a much needed rest themselves" <3.

Also. Ough. I feel like a conversation between Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie regarding how the former's banishment from the pilgrimage through the machinations of the latter did technically give him the chance to save the last of the Huaguoshan monkeys would make for a JUICY fanfic.

#anon answered #zhu bajie #zhu wuneng #sun wukong #monkey king #journey to the west #jttw #xiyouji #hmmm might have to try that idea out myself...#but anyway yeah it is pretty neat and pretty funny to hear about the pookification of zbj

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bengiyo · 10 months

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My Ride Rewatch: It's Even Better Than I Remember

Seriously, this was an absolutely phenomenal first episode. This show sets up its three couples it wants to contend with and outlines their dynamics so clearly. If you're enjoying La Pluie, you may want to also check this show out and see some earlier work from the same screenwriting duo.

We open with Tawan, likely because Fame had already been in BL with My Dream the Series (do not watch this; it's horrible and Fame's character has a horrifying outcome). Tawan is a doctor who overworks himself trying to be helpful to others. He's clearly beloved by his mom and sister. He's been nursing a crush on an older doctor, Por, for years and is excited because Por is currently pursuing him.

Meanwhile, we've got Nadia, Tawan's best friend. She's also a doctor, but kind of a hot mess. She's invested in Tawan's romantic outcomes, and is totally ignoring the hot coffee shop owner who's clearly enamored with her.

Yoon is also here and plays Toy, a medical resident who is beefing with his supervisor because he's not taking his learning or the care of the patients seriously.

Then we have the best boy in the world who is going through the worst time right now.

Mork is a motorcycle taxi driver and Line deliveryman. He supports his girlfriend through school and has no extra money. His girlfriend breaks up with him on her birthday, and it's later revealed that she's been seeing someone else. Someone richer. Mork and that guy get into a fight in the middle of traffic, and Fern (the ex) ends up slapping Mork.

Not to be forgotten are the rest of the motorcycle drivers in Mork's orbit. They are a lot of fun. (this gif is not from the first episode, but bear with me)

While watching this with @lurkingshan I kept commenting on how technically sound the first episode was. The shot composition is good and consistent. Who is in frame is chosen extremely well. The editing is crisp and engaging. The sound effect usage is tasteful, and the backing tracks are selected well. The intro also comes with art and lighter music than we normally get.

It's rare that we get two genuinely caring and sweet guys together. Sunshine x Sunshine doesn't happen often, likely because people like to see a grumpy guy soften. Shan and I noted that Mork is rather aggressive in this episode when he's upset, and we think that was chosen to give the audience that likes to see a hurt man soften could get some of what they need.

Few shows we have start as strongly as this show. So, if you have some time, please give the first episode a chance and let this show surprise you. Fluke is also going to be in The Whisperer later this year, so you'll want to appreciate his dimples now.

#my ride #my ride the series #my ride rewatch 2023 #thai bl #bl series #Ben writes #fluke pongsakorn #fame chawinroj #Ben watches

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askauradonprep · 27 days

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Uma's crew's 1st week at Auradon prep hc ?

So, immediately they ran into a problem. What were they gonna do for Valor? Auradon Prep has many things but a daycare is not one of them. And well.....there was no fucking way they were going to just not have a plan. Ben made a hasty deal with a nearby daycare that she could be dropped off during school hours. (And Fairy Godmother quietly added a parenting class onto his schedule which was probably for the best).

Computers! Science stuff! Oh, Gonzo and Vince are having fun. Should they be left alone in the labs? Probably not. XD

Desiree starts charging for her art pretty fast. She's good at commissions.

Family Day was. A well meant disaster. That call was NOT a fun one, even without Desiree hiding behind the tv because she'd really rather Shan-Yu think she's dead. Him knowing she's not was....not fun. Gonzo ended up turning off the call after that.

Bonny would have a lot of fun doing sports. She might also get into a fight if someone told her she couldn't but I'm assuming there's girl's sports teams too. She'd have to for ROAR though. She and Lonnie can scheme together.

I think they'd get along alright with Lonnie. I'm assuming her heart still breaks when she learns their parents suck. It feels awkward for Desiree but she means well.

Rosita is probably the one Chad targets for homework help. And that's okay because she's using him too - she wants closer to Ben and if Ben has a girlfriend, maybe dating his best friend works.

Uma starts off more distrusting of Ben but he just....keeps checking in to see if they're doing okay. The help with Valor got him some points too. As she realizes he genuinely does want to help, she starts to be more open to the people in Auradon. She still plans to steal the wand though. That's not gonna change.

FOOD. The crew wolf food down. They need to be careful not to get sick. XD

Drey is....terrified of dogs so yeah, she's avoiding Dude like the plague. It's something Ben will feel bad about once he learns why and how she lost her hand but that's probably not a 'first week' talk.

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sullustangin · 3 months

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Fluffy February Day 10: Care

SWTOR

Pairing: Theron Shan X Eva Corolastor

Rating: T (for Tarty at the end)

Word count: 1660. (it got legs and ran off with me; I'll probably re-edit this later to include in a larger part of my fic series)

After Action Report:

Submitted by EC, Captain of Virtue’s Thief, Supposed Commander of the Alliance, Fugitive of the Sisterhood of the Three Moons, Goddess of Grandolba VI, Grand Poomba of –

Koth struck that last one out, as well the other honorifics she included thereafter, which got more ridiculous as they went; even if they were true, she was just doing that to annoy Lana. (He left the goddess thing, because that was just cool.)

Initial reconnaissance and contact communications unremarkable. The Star Fortress over Belsavis, former Republic secret prison planet, did not have any indications of irregularity prior to Mission 3401, parts A, B, C – contact, supply, then sabotage and destruction of defensive bunker in preparation for infiltration and subsequent destruction of local Star Fortress, as detailed in Mission 3401D.

However, it was soon discovered that the Eternal Empire had retained some of the additional defenses when it came to the planetary bunker. Once the bunker was accessed, all non-Eternal Empire ships in the atmosphere were shot down. Agent Shan and Pilot Vortena as well as their Alliance shuttle were already planetside, awaiting further contact with Captain Corolastor and Shan’s contact on plant, K’Krohl.

During the barrage, one of the spacecraft shot down from orbit crashed onto the bunker itself, while the Captain was still inside.

Koth frowned at the description that ensued. “Eva, this is …sorta boring.”

“The way you tell it, it gets increasingly dramatic, heroic, and superhuman,” she replied to him as she walked up the hallway toward the private room in medbay.

From what Eva had seen through the smoke and a panicking Whiphid flailing his arms next to her, Theron had crouched low and then rose with the debris across his shoulders, before raising it up over his head in in a fit of adrenaline, allowing Eva and K’krohl to escape to a waiting Koth.

Somehow, even with two torn biceps and every ligament, tendon, and muscle in his legs strained or sprained, Theron had made it back to the shuttle under his own power.

He hadn’t made it back off without assistance. Now he thought he was going to be discharged to his own quarters. Fat chance, Eva had told the doctor.

Meanwhile, Koth had already launching into an expansive retelling for the benefit of the nurses and orderlies in the hallway. “And then he just – rawr!” Koth tried to approximate the noise Theron had made.

Theron pretended to be deaf as a stone while he sat in his hospital bed impatiently, waiting for his discharge. He had his datapad in his hands, on his lap (someone had positioned it specially so he could work and …not move anything vital). He pointedly ignored Koth and any of “ooh”s and “ahh”s he generated from his audience.

Theron…had never been a good or willing patient; the scars he chose instead of proper medical aftercare were well-known to her. He wasn’t going to get away with it this time. Especially not after the manner in which he’d gotten injured.

Eva finally caught his eye as she leaned against the doorframe. “Hey.”

“Yoo-oo,” she replied with a wave. “How are you feeling?” she asked, quietly.

Theron’s eyes softened at her inquiry, but Koth cut in. “How do you think he feels, lifting a starship –”

“It was a shuttle. Just the front end,” Theron protested with an eyeroll, but nothing was going to deter Koth from his dramatic retelling to those gathered in the hallway.

The doctor on duty came in and exchanged a look with Eva. “Are you sure he’s going to be that uncooperative?”

“Absolutely. He has a track record.”

That caused Theron’s expression to go from annoyed to more than slightly concerned at what his secret girlfriend had planned.

The doctor checked Theron’s vitals and his present disposition. “Blood pressure is a little high,” she commented.

Theron shrugged. “I’ll take a pill for it. Not like I can switch careers right now.”

“Yeah, we’re sort of locked in at the moment.” The Togruta swiped through Theron’s chart. “All right. No heavy lifting for two weeks, no ambulatory activity without assistance for one week. Kolto helps a lot, and your job… isn’t supposed to be high impact, but let’s not fool ourselves here.” The doctor made eye contact with Theron. “If you can keep your hands off a datapad for three days, that would help.” She pointedly glared at the tablet in his lap.

Theron almost reached up to touch the implants on the left side of his head to port the information up, but Eva had been quick to lay hands on his bandaged upper arm – the very muscles that were being knit back together by kolto as they spoke. “That’s a no go.”

Theron glared furiously at the bandages, but he said nothing other than “I understand,” in a calm tone.

Eva knew he wasn’t mad at the doctor or her. He was angry at his traitorous, painfully mortal body. He usually was, whether these setbacks happened. It’s why he got back to work as soon as possible; he thought it was his own failing when he couldn’t work. That’s what he was planning to do right now.

Not this time.

The doctor handed her datapad over to Eva. “I commend him to your care.”

“What?” Theron asked, immediately.

Eva pocketed the datapad and motioned for Koth’s audience to come in and start patient transport procedures. “Since you evidently can’t be trusted to obey doctor’s orders and not work, you’re gonna recover under my direct supervision on Virtue’s Thief. I’m taking some personal days to make sure my ops manager is back on track.”

He stared at her. “That’s highly inappropriate. I should be discharged to my own quarters –”

“But you suck at following doctor’s orders,” Eva reminded him. “And I’m not letting you add new scars to your collection. So you’re going to be forced to take a break.”

“There will be talk on base, and I don’t want – ”

“Theron, the only thing they’re gonna talk about is you not working for once.”

By that point, Theron’s bed was already hovering out the door toward the docks, rather than to his personal quarters high up in the main building of the base, flanked by multiple medical personnel to make sure he didn’t try to make a break for it anyway. Eva strolled along side, watching as his expression grew increasingly sullen as he realized his standard “recovery” wasn’t happening.

“And where are you going to sleep?” he asked, sharply.

Eva smirked. “I’ve only been captain for nine, ten years now. I slept in crew quarters for the first sixteen. I know which bunk creaks.”

“What if –”

“Theron, this whole thing was Lana’s stupid idea anyway. If she can’t handle it herself for three days, then maybe she shouldn’t have cooked up a galactic revolution to overthrow the Eternal Empire in the first place,” Eva told him gaily.

Everyone around them knew she was wheedling the strait-laced ops manager; it was a consistent part of their banter since he’d shown up on Odessen. The Captain would flirt with that durasteel wall, and he’d keep things on track, much to the amusement of Lord Beniko. He was impervious to her charms….or so they thought.

Eva brought a tray in for supper – stirfry with Kodari rice. She’d served it up for him on Yavin 4, ages ago.

Theron was still grumpy, even as he looked with interest at supper. “I’m an adult. I don’t need a babysitter.”

“You need someone to take care of you, while you’re injured.” Eva placed the tray on the nightstand on Theron’s side of the bed. “And it’s the least I can do for you saving my life –”

“You… you would have found your own way out. I just got impatient.” His eyes dropped down toward his lap. Jedi humility and SIS duty combined to make a neat cover for his feelings.

“Were you just impatient?” Eva asked, teasingly, as she unrolled the flatware from the napkin. She shook it out with a jerk and tucked into the top of Theron’s shirt.

“No,” he said quietly. His hands, resting on his lap twitched. They wanted to reach for her, but could not. Should not. Eva decided to delay dinner.

Carefully, she draped herself in his lap, so that those anxious hands found the way to her with minimal motion, and Theron finally was able to hold her close. She’d held him on the shuttle, head in her lap, the pain obvious on his face, as Koth flew off like a man possessed…but in the rush to medical, he hadn’t been able to touch her. Have evidence she was alive and unharmed.

“I – I didn’t want you to die. I couldn’t stand it.” Theron drew in an uneasy breath, and his hands clutched at her, as her arms carefully hugged him around his neck. “I love you.”

“And the fact that I love you is why you’re here.” Eva drew back just far enough to look him in the eye. “Or is this still too close? Too vulnerable for you?”

There would always be a pause. That’s just how he was. But she always did crack open those defenses, slowly but inevitably, like her old omnitool. Theron shook his head.

She smiled.

“Dinner then?” he asked, hopefully.

With a laugh, Eva hauled herself up and got to the business of feeding Theron his dinner; he couldn’t use his arms to do it himself. “Are you actually going to go sleep in crew quarters?” he asked, halfway through.

Eva paused, fork halfway between them. “If you want me to,” she replied, honestly. “Might make it easier for your to sleep and get comfortable.”

He solemnly nodded, then his expression was all mischief. “You know, not all of my muscles were injured –”

Her laughter cut off the end of his salacious come-on.

Dessert that evening was very creative.

#fluffy february #swtor fan fiction #theron shan #theron shan x smuggler #oc: eva corolastor #koth vortena

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ninadove · 2 months

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Opening line patterns 📝

List the first line of your last 10 posted fics and see if there's a pattern.

Thank you for the tag, @bittersweetresilience!

Let’s proceed by order of updates (skipping Shadow Strike because my beloved @paracosmicat wrote the incipit)!

God Games ⚡️

If anyone could fend off an akuma, then surely, it had to be Felix.

So proud of this one. The entire premise is here: Felix just doesn’t get akumatised, so what’s the deal?

It’s also a testament to how strong he is in his cousin’s eyes. Fitting, as this entire fic is about Adrien learning how much Felix actually needs him.

Blueberry passion fruit 🫐🍪

Felix prayed this was not another false lead.

He loves his cousin! He’s been searching for him for so long!! He double-checks even the most improbable hints because Adrien’s absence is a gaping wound in his chest!!! I’m so normal about them.

True to Your Heart ⚔️

The wall had been Fu’s idea.

(So you know it’s a terrible one right away.)

I think there's a flaw in my code (Gasoline/Spy AU) 🔥

“You duped me.”

With this one, we begin in medias res! (That’s actually the title of the first chapter.) This entire first part focuses on the confrontation between Argos and Ryuko, and how we got to that point. Emotions are boiling over, as you can see.

Here’s to Never Growing Up 🧸

“Your niece was uncharacteristically excited tonight.”

You can immediately tell this one is going to be pure fluff! You can also infer Felix and Kagami don’t have children of their own, and they’re perfectly happy with it. Emilie could never.

All the shine of a thousand spotlights 🎼

“Did you know waltzing was once considered indecent?”

It’s about the hypocrisy of ever-changing social expectations. It’s about defiance as a form of love. It’s about holding each other tight and gently all at once. It’s about Felix infodumping, because I do it too!

Turntable 💍

“So, you like to be onstage.”

This one… The torture of your abuser holding and using your very nature against you. This first chapter is one of the darkest things I’ve ever written, but it’s always darkest before the dawn.

Escape from the city and follow the sun 🌅

Kagami only wanted one thing from that evening: to not get akumatised.

This poor sweetheart is heartbroken but trying to put up a brave face… She’s convinced her emotions are inherently monstrous… If only someone swooped in to sweep her off her feet… 🥺

Change targets 💐

“No one can know.”

This one is best explained in context:

“No one can know.”

That ship had sailed already. Knuckles white against the pedestal table, careful not to crease the napkin as another coughing fit broke her, Kagami cursed her own lack of discretion.

What she really meant was:

“My mother cannot know.”

Brave, Truthful, and Unselfish 🧸

“… And they lived happily ever after. The end.”

My favourite of the bunch! 💚💜 Fitting that it would be saved for the end.

Storyteller Felix is so dear to me, because we get to see him breaking narrative rules in his quest for freedom, love and happiness. Here, this is manifested by his starting at the end of the tale, ergo flipping the structure entirely. Iconic.

And of course, it’s foreshadowing for Emotion… All he’s ever wanted was to live happily ever after with Adrien. He’s just a child…

OK now let’s talk ✨ statistics ✨

6 of these fics start with dialogue

5+ begin in medias res (it really depends on your definition of the term)

POVs: 5 for Kagami, 3 for Felix, 1 for Adrien and 1 for Fu randomly

All of these tell us something about the characters’ psychology and emotional state. Yes even the stupid Fu one. He’s so proud of himself and does not imagine for a second this world’s Shan Yu is about to breach through his beloved wall. Pathetic.

No false modesty here: I’m really happy with all of these. I used to struggle so badly with incipits, yet here we are! 💜📝

@paracosmicat @jay--hawk @yardikins @capricious-lily @piromina you should do this too!

#I wrote this half-awake and keep thinking of new writer friends to tag #miraculous ladybug #felix graham de vanily #adrien agreste #senticousins #kagami tsurugi #feligami #colt fathom #master fu #ask games #writing #nina writes

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flygonscales · 2 months

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I’m rereading the Saga of Darren Shan (Cirque du Freak) and oh my goddddddd

What do you put in your books Darren?? It is not often I read something so addictive. I saw someone describe them as being like crack. And yeah I can see that I don’t even read Animorphs books this voraciously

(Spoilers below)

And yet. Rereading the second half of the series. When you know who the vampaneze lord is and how it’s going to end. Just:

God. (Or should I say, Charna’s guts!) the planning that must have gone into the series. I can see the foreshadowing/just a prophesy that they don’t know how to follow properly because they don’t know how it ends. It’s like how a horror film protag doesn’t check why a cup fell down because they don’t know they’re in a horror film. Darren! You had Steve at your mercy! SEVERAL TIMES!!! Kill him! It’s unbearable!!! He’s lying!!!!!! This is like a fucking Greek tragedy mess of a plot!!!!!!!!

(Just try. Try reading Allies of the Night knowing full well what’s happening)

(The Greek tragedy comparison makes sense though, Darren is literally struggling against Des Tiny, even if he doesn’t know it)

And then, Mr Crepsley is dead, and Darren (post depression) and Harkat go on holiday to the nuclear dragon desert to gather panther teeth, gelatinous toad globes and Grotesque venom so they can go fishing for souls! It’s very reasonable that the war is drawing to a close so we need a break before the final battle but those toad spheres came of left field.

And then we hear the cirque du freak is returning to Darren’s hometown!! Love it when heroes return after most of their journey and discover they’ve changed too much to go back! But especially Darren, who cannot talk to anyone or even look around too much. He died. I LOVE IT I LOVE THESE BOOKS SO MUCH BUT I AM TEARING AND CRAWLING OUT OF MY SKIN THEY HURT SO BAD I JUST WANT MY BOYS TO BE HAPPY AND SAFE AGAIN)

(Boys includes: Darren, Harkat, Mr Crepsley. Vancha, Alice and Debbie. Not Steve Leopard. Fuck Steve Leopard. All my homies hate Steve Leopard)

And another thing: now I know about actual science - ‘vampire atoms are wobbly so they don’t show up on cameras’ - that is some of the most shallow pseudo scientific bullshit I’ve seen outside of JoJo’s. I love it. It’s so silly and makes no sense.

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birgittesilverbae · 1 year

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if i’d known it was this easy to get you dressed up, i would’ve done it ages ago. < w shannon and mary or perhaps remind me to never let you plan date night again. < with lilith and ava?

thanks for the prompt! wrote most of this with @princington in mind (aka sheer soft gay) (aka I write like 75% of fic: dads for Prince to make up for war crimes)

Mary smoothes the lapels of her jacket flat over her collarbones and pulls her phone from her pocket, checking the time again. Just past the half hour. Late, but only slightly. She loops her finger through her key ring, jangles the keys against her palm.

The door buzzer rings. She gives it a moment before answering. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's Shannon. Sorry I'm late. Did you want to meet me in the lobby, or should I come up?"

"Very forward of you, Masters. I'll be down in a moment."

She turns off the lights and heads out.

Shannon's got her hands clasped behind her back as she surveys the postings on the building bulletin board. It gives Mary a moment unnoticed to observe her, which turns out to be a very good thing.

The boots that Mary has only ever seen dirt-encrusted or knocking about the back of Shannon's jeep have been buffed to shining. The navy suit is tailored, cut close to Shannon's body, highlighting the wide span of her shoulders, the dip of her waist. Her hair is done up in an intricately braided bun.

"Did you know someone's lost four pet parakeets in your building?" Shannon asks without glancing back towards her. "One, I could understand, but four? You'd think they'd manage to pull together a dash of self-awareness by number three and realise maybe bird ownership just wasn't for them."

Shannon turns towards her, and Mary's breath catches in her throat. She'd known blue was Shannon's colour, had heard often enough how glad she was that it was the jersey colour of her draft team, but knowing and seeing are two very different things. Being faced with the combo of light blue shirt and navy blazer, and the pocket square, and the tie?! Her first thought is that blue is definitely Shannon's colour. Her second thought is decidedly more explicit.

"If I'd known it was this easy to get you dressed up, I would’ve asked you to dinner ages ago." She makes a show of looking Shannon up and down. "You sure do clean up nice."

"And look at the lining!" Shannon unbuttons her jacket, pulls one side open to reveal cresting waves. "So dope!"

"Real cute, Shan."

"And 'clean up nice'?" Shannon asks, fumbling with her buttons. "Have you looked in the mirror, Mary?" She whistles. "You look gorgeous."

"Thanks, I try."

"I'm sorry again for being late," Shannon adds. "Your time is valuable and I've taken it up without explanation and–"

Mary reaches a hand out and Shannon takes it eagerly, lacing their fingers together. "Well, then, care to explain?"

"Suzanne called." Shannon ducks her head, but that does nothing to dim her smile.

Mary stops in her tracks, shoves at Shannon's shoulder. "Do you mean–"

"They gave me an entry-level contract," Shannon confirms, head coming back up, grin all but splitting her face in two. "I'm signed."

"Shan, that's amazing! Congratulations!" Mary tugs Shannon closer, one hand rising to curl around her tie. "Goddamn, you're in the big leagues now. Real all-star."

"Mary." The tips of Shannon's ears have gone pink, but she grins proudly all the same.

"I'm so fucking proud of you." Mary kisses Shannon's cheek, the corner of her mouth. "You're gonna do so well."

Shannon's hand finds her waist, curls in the hem of her jacket. "Mary," she repeats, a bit of a whine to her tone, "don't distract me. I was really looking forward to sushi."

"You say that every week."

"And every week I'm valid, but this time especially. I still can't believe you managed to get a reservation."

"What can I say, it pays to be good with your hands." Mary smirks. "I overhauled the head chef's transmission on a time crunch a couple months ago, so she owed me one."

"And I'm so lucky you're calling that favour in for me. Truly, this might end up the best day of my life."

"Might?"

"All depends on how the rest of the night goes," Shannon says, eyebrows arched. "Are you ready to head out?"

"After you."

#fic: dads #myfic #mywn #mary x shannon #ask #anon #ty for the prompt!#I should probably scrounge up the outfit inspo but I'm late and it's tired so someone remind me pls ig if that's smth people want #sister shannon #shotgun mary

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cosmereplay · 2 months

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Day 20: Chose violence

Rated Mature (violence), Vin/violence, RIP Shan Cross posted on ao3

Vin’s rage started to abate, so she knew Shan Elariel was approaching. She flared her Tin, listening for footsteps following her as she walked away from the main ballroom and down a long hallway, towards the outer edge of the mansion. She hoped to draw her enemy as far away as possible from anyone who could help.

Tonight she was dressed as Valette, wearing a long, cream-coloured gown with pale blue accents and a pale blue petticoat underneath. Her short, black hair was cut a bob, and to keep it out of her face she wore two delicate barrettes decorated in blue stones. Her makeup was also delicate, expertly painted by an artist with much, much more experience than she had. She looked every inch a noble.

It was a shame that Shan had seen through it.

Nothing to be done for it now. Vin slowed as she turned down an empty hallway, noting a window at the end letting in the lights of the city. Besides the soft footsteps following her, there didn’t seem to be anyone else around. No security, no guests.

No witnesses.

She subtly checked the vial tucked into the waist of her dress, then drew out a coin, clenching it in her palm, listening.

“You’re in trouble, little skaa…”

Vin spun, but no one was there.

“When I catch you, you’re going to tell me all your secrets…”

The voice was unmistakably Shan’s. Vin hadn’t realized just how much she was burning through her Tin. She looked out the window to find not the bright lights of the city, but dim starlight. This window faced back into the countryside.

The subtle rustle of silks made Vin turn again. This time, Shan Elariel stood at the end of the hallway, fully dressed for the ball, except she was barefoot. In each hand she held a glass dagger.

Slowly, Vin removed her own shoes, kicking them aside as Shan approached.

“So, little skaa, which noble forgot to kill your whore of a mother?” Shan whispered, but the words rang clearly in Vin’s ears. “I’ll have to clip you quick, before you can breed.” The noblewoman smiled confidently, rotating the daggers around her fingers in a smooth, practiced motion that Vin envied.

“You’ll have to catch me first,” Vin said, and tore off her skirt. Burning off the last of her Tin, she turned and shattered the glass window behind her with a loud smash that caused Shan to cringe. Then Vin jumped through, using her skirt to protect her against some of the glass shards.

She threw a coin as she fell, then Pushed, slowing her descent. Shan jumped after her and kicked her in the air. It threw off Vin’s trajectory, and she landed hard among the mists.

Vin made to roll but Shan had already landed on top of her, her knives aimed at Vin’s neck. It was everything Vin could do not to burn her precious Atium. She was on her back, her arms trapped by Shan’s legs as she straddled her. Her vial of metals was completely inaccessible.

Luckily, Shan stopped. The glass pressed into the soft skin underneath Vin's chin, and she could feel her own body’s heat dripping down her neck.

“Caught you, whore,” Shan smiled, and pressed her weight a little harder into Vin.

Vin thought quickly. “You can’t kill me. I’m one of Venture’s experiments,” she croaked, and burned Zinc, just a little, trying to take advantage of Shan’s jealousy.

The other woman frowned, her eyes watching Vin’s with an intensity that frightened her. The look was hungry, a raging fire sweeping across a desolate, desperate landscape. For a moment, Vin was mesmerized, and missed Shan twitch a finger, causing one of her blades to flip from Vin’s neck to point just below her eye.

Vin gasped, and Shan smiled again. Vin dared to Riot Shan just a little more, like Breeze had taught her. Shan wouldn’t expect someone like her to be subtle.

“Tell me,” Shan said, and her smile hardened. “Who’s working with Straff Venture? Is is Hasting? Did they set me up?”

Paranoia. Excellent. The moment Shan’s eyes glanced away to check behind her, Vin burned her Pewter. She grabbed the knife strapped to her thigh and stabbed upwards, turning her head away from one of Shan’s knives, but exposing her neck to the other.

The blade slipped, but didn't slice deep. Shan screamed in a rage and rolled off Vin, who stabbed after her, but only hit air.

Shan was fast. She rose, turning and crouching in one smooth movement, and snarled. Soon it was all Vin could do to track the glint of glass knives in the starlight as they sliced the air itself to reach her flesh. Vin cursed, wishing she hadn’t burned through her Tin, as she slowly backed up more and more, only managing to barely stay out of knife range.

She broke away into a run, burning her Atium, then Pushed off a fence to try to find an advantage, but Shan followed easily, not just catching up but getting ahead. Shan could do everything Vin could do, and better.

As they fought, a slice opened Vin’s cheek.

Another, her upper arm.

Vin watched herself slowly failing as if in slow motion, a distant part of her brain admiring the pure skill and elegance of this noble who hated her this much just on principle.

In another world, maybe Shan could have been her teacher. A mentor. A peer, even. They could’ve fought side by side. Hell, she could’ve used Shan’s help choosing dresses and doing their makeup.

In another world, Shan and Vin could’ve been something beautiful.

But Shan had chosen violence.

What am I thinking? Vin knew violence.

Violence was Vin’s confidante, her teacher, her lover. The more she got to know her, the more she wanted her. Violence would protect her. Violence would make everything right.

Vin burned the violence in her heart and fought back with everything she was–teeth, nails, sinew, guts. She fought like a cornered rat, screaming and feral. Shan had skill, but violence belonged to Vin.

Suddenly it was Vin atop Shan, straddling her in her underclothes.

“You ran out of Brass, didn’t you?” she said with a dawning awareness, but she didn’t expect an answer, because Shan’s mouth was full of blood. The noblewoman couldn't manage much more than a gurgle.

So Vin stabbed her again and again, grinning as she bloodied her hands to the elbow.

“Violence likes me more,” Vin whispered, and licked the blood from her lips.

#minifemslashfeb2024 #cosmere femslash february #vin mistborn #shan elariel #vin/shan #kinda #it took a turn #mistborn era 1 #the final empire #TFE #mistborn #mistborn fanfic #my fic

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the-penguinspy · 1 year

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19. “You deserve so much better.” mary x shannon

thanks for the prompt, em :)

The late afternoon sunlight casts a muted, golden hue on the courtyard, light shining through in lazy bursts at the behest of the clouds fast-moving eastward. A gentle breeze ruffles the grass and provides a welcome respite against the heat, no doubt refreshing for those sister warriors at the tail-end of the day’s training sessions, especially evident to those who close their eyes and tilt their heads toward the heading of the wind.

All-in-all, a serene end to the day. Mary is certain that she’d be enjoying it a lot more if she wasn’t currently following Shannon to the outdoor sparring mats.

They reach the mats and Shannon starts stretching immediately. Mary stares for a second before she starts her own warm-ups. “Remind me why we’re doing this again?”

“Your shotguns do an excellent job at keeping enemies at bay, but what happens when you run out of ammo? What happens if someone gets inside of your guard?” Shannon stands and brings her legs together, bends at the waist until her palms touch the floor. Mary simply continues with her arm stretches. Show off.

“That’s why I have two shotguns, instead of just one.”

Shannon frowns, straightening her body once more. “I’m serious. I know you can take care of yourself, but I still worry about you.” She takes Mary’s hand and squeezes gently, and when she speaks, her voice is soft. “Humour me this once. We can see how it goes.”

Mary squeezes her hand back and sighs. “Fine, but only if your next prank is played on Lil. It’s her fault that I still double-check the sugar and salt shakers each time I use them.”

A dozen instances of eating mat and Mary finally, finally performs the disarming maneuver successfully. Shannon grins proudly, canines sharp, and Mary looks at her mouth just in time to catch a tongue darting quick over teeth. She resets her body into the starting position once more, and Mary rolls her shoulders before mirroring her stance.

“Again.”

By the time Shannon calls for a stop, the sun had already reached the horizon and painted the sky into a beautiful red-orange. Mary flops down on her back to better appreciate the view, heartbeat hummingbird-quick, her breathing still ragged from the impromptu training session.

She hears Shannon shuffle down beside her, looks over to see legs stretched parallel to her own. Shannon leans back on her hands, nary a hair out of place and with only the slightest sheen of sweat on her forehead to give evidence of physical exertion.

They stay that way until Mary’s stomach growls. “Any idea what they’re serving for supper?”

“Mashed potatoes and roasted veggies, if my sources are correct.”

Mary closes her eyes and groans. “Ugh, mashed potatoes again? After that workout you put me through? I deserve so much better.”

“You deserve so much better,” Shannon agrees.

Something’s off about her voice. It wavered a bit at the end, and Mary looks over to assess if there’s anything wrong. Shannon keeps her gaze trained in front of them, squinting at the sunset, her mouth set in a neutral line. Her face is a careful mix of nonchalance and solemnity, and she would have succeeded in her portrayal of such if her lip hadn’t wobbled when Mary looked over, if her teeth hadn’t bitten down on the inside of her bottom lip to tamp down a smile. For an enthusiastic practical joker, Shannon’s got a surprisingly bad poker face.

Mary narrows her eyes and scrambles to sit up. “Shan.” A responding hum. “I know that look. What do you have planned?”

Shannon turns to face her and, now caught, releases the abused lip to offer her happiness freely. “You deserve so much better,” she repeats. “You deserve someone who you can kiss in public, someone you can love in the open.” Her smile wavers slightly. “You deserve someone who can stay.”

“Shannon.” The name rasps out of Mary’s mouth, and she brings a hand up to cradle Shannon’s cheek. “It’s my choice to be here, to be here with you. I love you, I’m staying, and there’s nothing that you, or anyone, or the goddamn universe can do that’ll make me leave.”

“Language,” Shannon says, but her smile settles, is no longer turbulent, and she turns her face into Mary’s palm to hide it. The heat of her cheek spreads evenly through Mary’s palm, and the small kiss that Shannon places there electrifies her skin. Tiny bolts of lightning travel up her arm and through her veins, thousands strong; restarts her heart and awakens her body, and Mary blinks fast in an effort to stabilize her focus.

“You also deserve,” Shannon continues, “a reward.” The words come out muffled against Mary’s hand, vibrations smoothing out over the skin, and Mary leans in to hear her better. “Seafood paella. That place by the beach, the one with the perfect shrimp-to-clam ratio? I’ve made a reservation.”

Mary laughs, touched, and her affection spills out in the form of a thumb stroking reverent over Shannon’s cheek. “And what exactly am I being rewarded for?”

Shannon’s smile turns sharp. “Finishing a session of hand-to-hand combat training. I think they call that positive reinforcement or something.”

The eye-roll from Mary is inevitable. “They don’t take reservations. It’s barely busy at this hour, too.” “Is it so wrong to want everything to go smoothly?”

Mary smirks. “Everything, huh? There’s more to this little date of ours?” Shannon flushes, cheeks turning rosy. She keeps her gaze locked with Mary’s and brings her own hand up, fingers circling Mary’s wrist. Her thumb brushes over Mary’s pulse – a quick one-two pass – and Mary watches as the thumb is replaced with lips, as Shannon presses a slow kiss over thin blue veins, pressure feather-light, imprint barely-there.

The expression on her face must be amusing at the very least, because Shannon’s mouth curves upwards and chuckles, and the breath that Mary had been holding in finally finds its way out. Her lungs snatch greedily at the air, and she’s certain that her unsteady breathing isn’t due to the lingering exertion from their earlier spar.

“Are you coming, or what?”

Shannon’s already on her feet. She stands in front of Mary, extends a hand down and wiggles her fingers to entice a handhold. The sun from behind her casts her shadow long and dark over Mary, over the courtyard. In the shadow of her face, her smile is a gentle arc; small and shy, directed towards one recipient, and one recipient only.

Mary takes her hand and hoists herself up from the ground. “Obviously. Can’t let that hard-fought reservation go to waste.”

Shannon shoves at her shoulder playfully, but their hands stay linked all the way to Mary’s parked motorcycle.

#warrior nun #warrior nun fic #mary x shannon #shotgun mary #shannon masters #penguin writes #[grits teeth] it doesn't have to be perfect. it doesn't have to be perfect. it doesn't have to be-#nahh 'twas a fun one as usual so ty em :)#brain's just gotta thinkie less sometimes...smth im working on #sloooowly making my way thru these prompts jfdjdjf #birgittesilverbae

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