#the other part was also funny but this moment was like.... clever humour

[gojonanami]

Hi Sab,

I just wanted to preface this message by telling you that I really, really enjoyed the first part of your Professor Geto series!

I have to confess, when I saw yesterday evening a message from you saying that you'll be uploading it tonight, I was super, super excited, and I went to bed thinking of your fic, and I woke up in the morning, all excited and ready to dig into your text. I was so, so excited when I clicked on your page and saw that you did indeed upload the first part of the series! It was the first thing I did today.

To begin with, I would like to thank you for putting in the time into formatting and editing. Upon opening your page, the first thing I thought of was the fact that I really do approve of the artwork that you chose to headline this fic. It's one of my favourite drawings of Suguru—I've seen it around before, but it never fails to make me swoon. And I love the purple—clever, in a sense, due to both the atmosphere that this all-purple drawing conjures and also in the sense that it is a nod to Suguru supposedly having purple eyes in the manga.

I have truly, truly loved your work. It was delightful, exciting, captivating, engaging, fun, sexy, riveting, and so much more.

Today, I had a boat trip with my family. And as I was standing on the boat looking out onto the ocean, I found myself thinking—'What do I owe myself and those around me?'—and as I was thinking about it, I found myself thinking that I owe you a proper thank-you as you managed to write, edit, and create something that truly brings me and a lot of others a lot of joy.

I am not sure how I can properly thank you. If I could, I would thank you via endless notes, but I'm afraid I can't do that. I also do not have the influence or the means to spread awareness of your fantastic fic.

And so, as I was thinking, I supposed that perhaps expressing my gratitude in the form of this message would, if not be enough, be an attempt to express my gratitude towards you.

I would like to begin this analysis of your work by focusing on the opening.

“You’re late,”  Your first impression of Professor Suguru Geto’s class was that you could never be late again, unless you would like to be chided in front of all your peers for your tardiness. 

Your opening is fantastic. It is so simple and yet so effective. It really imbues your work with flavour and a certain sense of drama. In other words, your set-up is fantastic—our delightful A** student protagonist was already in the wrong from the beginning, and it only teased at her journey towards seeking Professor Geto's validation. In my opinion, your opening was very, very effective.

I also have to say that I absolutely and unabashedly love your descriptions. I think you do a really good job of teetering on the line of being concise and descriptive—your descriptions never feel overwrought; instead, they're just enough. They're carefully observed, personal, beautiful, and effortless all at once.

Your first impression of Professor Suguru Geto himself was that he was truly the most breathtaking man you’d ever laid your eyes on. His inky black locks tied into a neat bun, his deep royal purple vest buttoned over a crisp white button up with pressed gray slacks, his pretty lips pressed in a small frown, as his dark gaze pierced through you. And you don’t know what stirs in your chest — a fleeting moment that is tucked away under a bite of your bottom lip and burning cheeks. 

You are funny, too. You are naturally funny. I could feel that in the way you respond to asks. My guess would be that you're a person who's easy to get along with, someone who is flexible and adaptable, and sympathetic and humane. And for me, your natural humour naturally seeps into your writing. You are sometimes funny without almost meaning to be so funny, perhaps, but it produces the absolute best results.

And now you knew why when you had walked into class, the amount of unfamiliar faces in this course had far outnumbered the ones in your usual course load — the same reason why this man undoubtedly had three chili peppers next to his professor rating on some website out there. 

The quip about the 'chili peppers' rating made me smile.

I loved the way you conjured the main character. I love that her strengths lie in philosophy rather than ethics. She is believable. She is likeable. She feels real. I love that she eagerly wanted to do well, and I loved her internal quiet confidence in terms of doing well—the expectation of doing well due to past experiences. I absolutely loved how she 'eagerly flip[ped] to the last page of the paper, wondering what accolades and compliments [she'd] receive this time'. I just loved the way you tracked her emotional journey of first contending herself with studying this module on ethics and expecting to do well, to the excitement of feeling as though she'd written a fantastic paper, to the nerve-wracking and adrenaline-fueled process of receiving feedback, to the huge disappointment of receiving a B+ of all things.

You tracked her psychology fantastically. And your writing throughout that process was crisp and mature, and fluid and natural, and without any unnecessary descriptors or anything, and just so utterly captivating. I am truly impressed.

I also liked how you hinted at Suguru's character. Submitting a paper both physically and electronically is a small detail, but it is a good one. It shows his character—he is pedantic and careful. He approaches papers like an actual teacher instead of resigning himself to the role of the professor-showman. He carefully spends time 'litter[ing]' his students' papers with pen scrawls.

I also love, love, love the way you use metaphors, similes, imagery, and all that. You just do it in such a mature manner. It is incredibly clever. I loved this:

You were seeing as red as the ink that tore your paper to shreds. 

This is unbelievably clever. At first, it seems simple, but it is such a clever way of putting her thoughts into feelings. Yes, it's simple, but it is so incredibly charming, and it is lines like these that linger in your mind many hours later. I still think about it. It's incredibly witty.

I loved the description of Professor Geto's office. Not only does it set the scene perfectly for their world, but it also speaks to the context of the lurking conflicts within that world, and it also hints at Professor Geto's eminence. (Is it also not a way to question their ethical framework? How should we give out offices? Due to status or due to how many years a professor has worked for a department? How do such things work?)

I think you did an excellent job of presenting Professor Geto as enchanting. He is attractive, yes. He is sexy, too. But he is more than that. He is truly and utterly captivating. It is not just his looks that are attractive, but also his attitude and his mind. And so, in light of that, I loved the way you introduced him when she came into his office.

And you know what I loved? I loved the way they interacted with each other. I love the way he approaches his criticism of her paper. It is true—sometimes people forget that students are here to learn rather than just get degrees so that they can move onto the next milestone. Professor Geto underscores and reminds us of that, and Reader, conversely, reminds us of how easy it is to get bogged down in being overly concerned with academic grades and percentages.

I would insert the whole scene that I loved, but I'm afraid that it would take too much space. But what I truly loved about it was how back and forth it was. It was incredibly clever, witty, and fast-paced, and I was truly and utterly captivated. I love that he says that he knows why she's here—and he does. He does because he's been in her shoes before. And you know what else I love about this scene? I love the fact that how back-and-forth it is hints at how they complement each other as two brilliant minds—simultaneously in perfect harmony and yet different enough to challenge each other.

I also want to pay due deference to the fact that you made Professor Geto sound like an actual professor. His feedback sounds like that of an actual professor. He feels real and tangible. He is believable. The words that come out of his mouth feel authentic. His feedback feels authentic, and it reminded me of some of the feedback I used to receive from my supervisors.

I also love how he motivated her to do better. In my eyes, she was motivated to do better not just because she was disappointed with her grade and because she finds him to be incredibly attractive, but also because when she looked around her office, she truly realised how eminent he is, and in a way, seeing all those 'awards on his walls, pictures of him giving lectures or receiving honors, and the books that lined his shelves' motivated her to do even better and be the best that she can be, and perhaps even overshadow him while giving her a skeleton in her mind as to how she could plan out her future career trajectory if she chooses to stay in academia.

The man was stubborn, even when you’d come back with an improved draft, he’d only hand it back to you with a smile barely tugging at the corner of his lips, with no compliment to be had — only small check marks scribbled in the margins in your papers, with the occasional “good” written next to it. 

One of the things that I loved the most about this fic is how you easily pick up on the most mundane of details and present them anew. The way Professor Geto marks is the way I've seen professors mark before. But seeing it presented, dissected, and re-evaluated makes me see it in a new light and makes me truly think about the nature and process of marking papers and how individual those processes can be.

And I have to say yet again that the way you write dialogue is incredibly witty. The way you write how people speak is incredibly clever. I love the way it feels so real. I love that I can imagine real people saying those things. I love how grounded in reality your writing is. I love how human it is.

And he rolls his eyes, and you notice that his dark eyes are hidden behind glasses today — and god, why does it only make him even more gorgeous? He’s already brilliant, it’s unfair for him to look as if he was sculpted by the gods as well, “It takes a lot more than a chuckle to earn extra credit,” and you can’t help but bite your lip. 

I absolutely love this quip from Professor Geto: 'It takes a lot more than a chuckle to earn extra credit'. It is just so funny, but also so believable for a character like him to say. It also, in a way, underscores his role as an educator—she needs to 'earn extra credit' after all—while also hinting at the fact that he's got a good sense of humour (and perhaps hints at his youth, too).

I love how Professor Geto can also poke fun at himself. Personally, I really like this quality in people, and this makes him so much more likeable.

“Many times, and the same one,” and your mouth opens, only to find a wry smirk on his lips, “I’m teasing, another one of my very tedious qualities, and how you stand it during class astonishes me,” 

I also love that he is genuinely a good teacher. In a way, it is almost unexpected. He had all the means to become a professor who does not care about his students that much (as bad as it may sound). He has enough eminence, status, and fame to do as he pleases. He is the type of professor who could cancel one hour before the lecture and no one would be able to say anything because everyone at the university is so desperate for him to stay as there are tonnes of other universities eagerly awaiting his presence. He does not have to take so much time in terms of marking essays. I've had famous professors who've only written me two sentences as part of their feedback for their course at the end of the term. I've had professors who only wrote 'good' here and there and then wrote short comments without taking the time to properly dissect my writing and tell me what is exactly good and what exactly can be better. Bottomline is Professor Geto is someone who, in theory, can afford to slack off for the sake of dedicating his time to other pursuits—be it his research, conferences, or something else—but he doesn't, and instead he makes time in his schedule for his students to properly look over their work. Is it due to his character or his personal code of ethics? I cannot answer. But regardless, it presents him as having an extremely likeable character, and it makes me really respect him as a professor.

(I love the fact that you added an image of his paper using Google Scholar. I don't know how you did it, but it's incredibly charming. I love it. I love how you transformed your writing into a mixed-media work. It is so fascinating. I've never seen anything like this before. It truly made me grin!)

And you know what I truly loved? I loved the fact that she—as the big nerd that she is—found his writing sexy. I know it may sound weird, but I feel as though some of us may agree that there is something incredibly attractive about confidence and assurance in writing. And so I do not blame her one bit for suddenly clenching her thighs together as she read his paper. I can imagine her being enchanted and impressed with his writing—his ability to present his ideas confidently and concisely, presenting complicated matters in simple yet complex and beautiful ways—that it elicited a certain kind of positive envy, wherein his writing is so fantastic that she almost wishes it were her own. (At least, I imagine, that is how I would react, perhaps.)

Now, I loved this scene. I loved it from the beginning to the end. I think it's one of the sexiest scenes I've ever read. I just loved the subtle undercurrent of sexual tension that was present throughout this portion of the text.

I loved how careful you were in observing and subtly notifying the reader that this is her dream. The lecture hall is a familiar setting for her, yes, but the touch of warmth in Professor Suguru's gaze, along with his usual amusement, is unusual and is a fantastic way of carefully foreshadowing to the reader that this is a dream, not reality. (I liked the subtle referencing of Tantalus. I'm afraid that when I read it at first, I did not recognise his name and scoured my memory for the very many paintings of Greek mythological figures until I finally relented, googled, and thus reawakened my memory of this mythological figure. I really, really liked this reference. It is subtle, but clever. It is incredibly well done.)

I think there is something incredibly sexy in the way that you painted this scene in her dream. I love that they are alone in the lecture hall. I love that he stands behind her. I love that he subtly brushes her hair aside. I love that he gently presses a kiss on her shoulder. I love how responsive her body is to the subtlest of his touches. I love that he wraps his arms around his waist, beckoning her closer. I love that he moves his face to her neck. I love, love, love that he takes off his glasses and places them on the side (yet another example of presenting a mundane action in a new light and imbuing it with a new kind of potency in its reassessment). I love that he presses a constellation of kisses across her neck. I love the way she desperately pleads for him to 'touch' her in his dream. And what does this dream end with? With him calling her a 'good girl'. It is really, really well done, and I am absolutely in love with the way in which you tackled this scene.

I love that her dreams are repeated. And you know what? I did like the fact that you mentioned how they were edging her. It's clever, in my opinion. It's a nod to their sexual nature, yes, but it also adds a sense of humour to it. It also highlights how restless they make her and how desperate she is, as, in my view, if one edges someone enough, there will come a moment in which they will break—like a glow stick.

And I love, love, love the mention of the vibrator! It is so incredibly funny! I love that the vibrator is no help, and I love how it, instead, starts to feature in her dreams. I love it. (And now, as I am writing this, it makes me think—what if, later down the line, perhaps when she is a little too tired and not thinking straight, she blurts out to Professor Geto, or Suguru as she calls him now, that she used to dream of him and how even his papers would make her hot and bothered and how her vibrator was of no help.)

And I love, love, love the fact that when he calls out to her, her reality starts to mirror her dreams. Of course, it would drive her crazy. She constantly sees him at night, kissing her, touching her, and looking at her and only her, and so seeing him anew in this setting wherein she has to act professionally and maintain her code of conduct with due deference would drive her mad as her imagination would be bound to recall her memories of her dreams once more. And, of course, to mark the parallels between her reality and her dreams further, he calls her a 'good girl' thus underscoring and foreshadowing how her dreams and her reality will soon collide, or rather, perhaps, merge.

And I love that Professor Geto, despite his status and fame, is not only a diligent teacher but also a caring one. He not only shows his care for his students via his endless notes and comments, but also by checking in on them, offering them the option to delay their papers, ask for extensions, or just speak to him in general.

I know it's subtle, but I love how later they make eye contact, in spite of the crowd of eager students surrounding him, desperate for his attention.

I also absolutely loved the dream that Professor Geto had. It was one of my favourite scenes. (I find it incredibly difficult to make up my mind as to what my favourite scene in this fic is. I've been racking my mind over this, but I haven't decided, and I don't think I ever will.) 

I loved that he dreamed about her, too. I loved that he was thinking about her. For me, it almost felt as though his dream was almost fatigue-induced. I love how he ruminates over her character, how he sees his own experience in her without being condescending, and how he sees her potential and how he wants to milk it out of her. I love how he was checking his mail, wondering to himself if information about his office hours was sent wrong, as he was just so desperate to see her.

And I love how when she comes in, she comes in discussing Scanlon and Professor Suguru Geto, the academic.

I just also wanted to highlight this little section of the text, which I thought was incredibly clever and witty and which really, really charmed me:

He raises an eyebrow, and he can’t help but tease,  “Clarified or criticized? Are you planning on turning the tables on me?”  “Well I do have a red pen,” you click your pen, lips curved in a smile, and there’s a hint of heat that he wishes to unearth, pluck from the earth and possess himself, “but I promise I’ll be civil,”  “I have no doubt,” he had a million when it came to you — but that wasn’t one of them. He runs his fingers through his hair, a few strands coming loose, “of course, let’s discuss it,” 

I love how he, even in his fatigued state and even in his dreams, thinks and evaluates the risks and his burgeoning feelings through the lens of Scanlon. Of course, it makes sense! And it's so incredibly clever. I love that they reassess the wrongs and rights of a student-professor relationship through a dissection of Scanlon's work. (Just as a note, I think that you chose a very good scholar, work, and topic to focus on for this fic. I have read through your responses to your asks before—which are an utter delight—and I saw that you mentioned that you feel like an amateur in this field. I would like to reassure you that, in my opinion, you genuinely did a very good job of approaching Scanlon, and while I am not the best ethicist around, I would say that for me, your tackling of Scanlon was great.)

And I love her quiet, subdued confidence as she approaches him—challenging him intellectually while also challenging the essence of their relationship, encroaching into uncharted territory by reaching out for him, into his space, brushing her fingers against his, running her fingers up his arm, and trailing along his button-down. And I love how, in his dream, he makes his choice and makes the move to kiss her.

I love how you wrote the way in which he imagines her. Everything he was doing was testing his personal moral code. I love how he imagined her—in her tantalizing sundress with her legs spread out on his desk, all for him and his eyes. I love how he talks to her; I love how he (affectionately?) mentions her wittiness ('Where’s that mouth now? So needy f’me,') and how he imagines treating her right, indulging in her, treating her in the best way possible, prioritising and accentuating her pleasure.

And I love how he imagines doing it again and again with her, making her reach pleasure multiple times, as he just wants her to feel the best that she possibly can, as he just wants to bring her to cloud nine over and over again.

I love how her voice affects her. I love that she didn't truly listen to the lecture. I love how much attention you paid to truly reflecting how attractive she found his voice to be and how her body responds to it, and how her attraction towards him runs so deep that she can be hot and bothered by his voice alone. I love how her imagination runs wild and how she, out of neediness and desperation and lust and attraction, starts imagining him and herself with him and gets so involved in her imagination that she forgets about her task at hand.

I know that at first, this may seem like a simple detail, but I love that when she comes to see him in his office once more, he's sitting on the sofa rather than at his desk. I love the initial interaction—it is just so natural!

You knock at his door, “Come in,” and you open the door to see an empty desk, blinking, “I’m over here,” And your head snaps to your right, and Professor Geto is sitting on his couch, his legs crossed with a stack of papers in hand. His jacket is slung over the side of the couch, his deep maroon button up sleeves rolled up, glasses perched on the tip of his nose. 

(I loved this line; it truly made me smile: 'He clicks his red pen, readying his sword'.)

And I love their concluding interaction. What stood out to me was that Professor Geto, despite his status, fame, stature, and the like, respects his student as an individual and truly speaks to her like his equal. He does not look down at her, even though he can. He respects her, and you can see that and feel that.

I loved this scene:

“You’ve come a long way,” he says, as he flips it back the front, writing only a few notes here and there.  “But?” You wait for it.  His gaze flickers up, a tilt of his head, “That was the end of my sentence,”  You pause a moment, “Really?” 

I love, love, love the way you wrote this interaction. It is just so well-written. It is slick, fast-paced, clever, and natural.

And their dialogue in this section of the text is just fantastic. It is truly just so fantastic on so many levels. I read it again and again and again. I loved it. I loved it so much that I truly don't have much to say about it, as I feel as though the cleverness of the dialogue in this section of the text speaks for itself. It is incredibly charming and captivating. I truly, really loved how you wrote that. It feels easy—the way it reads. The words glide over and bounce off each other, phrases complementing one another, seamlessly driving towards a compelling conclusion. I really, really, really, really, really enjoyed this portion of the text. Sincerely. I truly, truly, truly loved it from start to finish, and I wouldn't change it for the world. (It is really hard for me to pick out standout lines in this scene. I think maybe this is my favourite scene, but I am still unsure. I just love the way you wrote this scene. I love the dialogue. I love their dynamic. I love how back-and-forth the dialogue is. I love how it is spurred on by feelings. I love how playful their interactions are. I love how they bounce off each other—both in terms of humour and in terms of challenging one another. I just really and truly loved it, and I sincerely applaud your writing, especially in this portion of the text.)

I thought it was clever how you added the tidbit about the head of the department—it was a clever way of foreshadowing the ending of part one and hinting at the tensions arising in part two. I thought it was a clever nod. (And you know what else I liked about this? The fact that this seemingly small and insignificant interaction is actually a key facet of the story. I am a keen propagator of the idea, which I unfortunately do not always practice, of everything in the story being relevant at all times and no unnecessary information marring the text. You subscribe to this idea wholly, and this, in part, makes your writing fantastic. And to me, it seems, this comes almost naturally, and perhaps it is nature's gift to you.)

(This is a funny nod to existentialism—'Oh, great, you were becoming existential'. I enjoyed it.)

I love how she dresses up for their meeting, paying attention to choosing the right appearance, and I love the fact that he noticed it! I think this says a lot about them. It tells us that for her, his opinion matters, not just in terms of academic validation but also in terms of his perception of her as a person. And it says a lot about him, too. Not only is he perceptive and pays a lot of attention to detail, he also pays a lot of attention to her, and so of course he would notice such details and appreciate them.

I loved, loved, loved his feedback for her essay. I loved it. I loved it so, so much. I loved how he mentioned Scanlon once more. It is so witty. I loved it so much. I know you said that Scanlon is not your expertise, but mentioning him in such a way is just so incredibly clever that I would've never thought of it. I am truly impressed. It is just so fantastic. It has the right amount of humour, the right amount of nerdiness, and the right amount of romance. So good. 

99 — I was impressed by this paper not only by the content but by its comprehension and use of both ethics and philosophy. But I was also impressed by the person who wrote the paper. You’ve shown determination and growth throughout the semester — and you have reminded me what we owe to each other. And I think we owe each other a drink, and a chance for this. 

I think his feedback also says a lot about him as a person. She is significant to him not only as a student but also as an individual. I love that he paid attention to her progress, stressing the importance of learning more and more, chiselling at oneself, and improving oneself, and how one should not be afraid of doing so, and acknowledging the difficulty of doing so, as receiving challenging feedback is not easy, and he knows that.

I loved the nod back to 'What We Owe to Each Other'. It's one of my favourite things about this piece—the fact that it features as a recurrent refrain throughout the text. I love, love, that Suguru wrote that they 'owe each other a drink, and a chance for this'. For me, this is incredibly romantic. I think this is something that will stay with me for a very long time, and I will keep thinking about it again and again from time to time.

I love how they debate their relationship within the parameters of ethics. And I love how concerned they are about each other. (The boundaries of such things are slippery, and I appreciate how this text hints at and acknowledges that.)

I thought this was incredibly funny:

“So you think it’s funny to mess with your professor?” And his voice drops, a playful tone that makes you nearly shiver, as he leans forward, resting his chin against his elbow. 

I loved the way you wrote the kiss. I feel like people often underestimate how difficult it is to write a good kiss. And the way you wrote this kiss, in my opinion, was fantastic. It was passionate, frenzied, fast and spontaneous, and passion-driven, and the way it was first a gentle peck that soon transformed into a deeper, more passionate kiss captured my heart.

And you know what else I loved? This:

“Not very ethical,” you chuckle breathlessly, as your fingers rake through his now disheveled bun, “but I can’t find the sense to care,” your noses brush, as you can’t help but smile, “what would Scanlon or Kant say about this?”  And his arms lift you onto his desk, several papers crumpling underneath, “Who the fuck cares?” he’s hissing, his lips find yours in a searing kiss, as his thighs press yours apart, as he settles himself between your legs, his knee grazing your core, drawing a delightful gasp from your lips, “I know what I want,” and his eyes soften, his fingers tracing the length of your cheek, “do you?” 

The ending is brilliant. It is brilliant in many ways. Not only does it perfectly set the scene for part two, but it is also imbued with tension, and this tension will be fertile ground for you to explore later. I greatly and passionately wait for the release of part two. (Although, of course, I think that it would be only proper of me to remind you that above all else, your health and your happiness should be your main priority and that you should—at least in my opinion—take as much time as you need to focus on part two and let it guide you, not rush, and just enjoy the process of writing it.)

If it wasn't clear already, I really, really enjoyed this fic. I think it may be, perhaps, my favourite fic on Tumblr? It is certainly one of my favourite fics on Tumblr. It is just so slick, well-written, appropriately paced, and so well done that it certainly holds a very special place in my heart.

I feel incredibly lucky for the fact that you are such a brilliant writer. I believe I should follow Professor Geto's example in not only acknowledging and appreciating you as a fantastic writer but also in recognising and cherishing the person who wrote this fic. I wanted to thank you for the time that you put into thinking of this fic, writing it, editing it, formatting it, and sharing it with us. Doing all of this takes a lot of mental fortitude. Doing all of this and sharing your work takes even more mental fortitude. And for that, I am incredibly grateful. I am thankful that you have chosen to share this brilliant fic with us, and I sincerely look forward to the release of part two.

I also wanted to say that I really appreciate the fact that you put so much time and effort into answering the asks that you receive and for the fact that you always answer so kindly and politely. I am truly very thankful for that and appreciative of that and your kindness. Reading your responses to asks is a true joy, and reading your responses to them has truly brightened my mood.

I would like to round off this message by reiterating how much I loved this fic and by thanking you once more for writing and sharing it with us.

I truly wish you all the very best.

I greatly look forward to part two.

Thank you once again for sharing your brilliant work with us.

(I've been having issues with Tumblr, so I'm not sure if Tumblr duplicated my message accidentally. I hope it got through to you!!)

i don't even know how to begin to reply to this message. i've read it like, i'm not sure how many times?? it's literally so, so sweet and i can't even fathom coming up with a response that does this analysis and walkthrough of my fic justice, but i'll try!! (very long reply under the cut)

first of all, thank you so so much, this means the entire world to me!!! i can't express to you how lucky i feel to have people as sweet as you and others who write these long messages to me, and its literally a writer's dream to have someone like you who quotes their work and tells you what stuck out to them. you are truly truly a rare breed and i feel goddamn lucky that you found my work and found it worthy of this effort <3333. ok but onto my reply:

it makes me so happy when anyone says they look forward to my fics or my updates and it's the first thing they do. like it just makes me so so happy?? just because i know the things i look forward to and the things i do right in the morning are the things i really, really want to do, so it makes me so happy that my writing is something like that for you

i'm so glad you enjoyed my formatting and the art i chose!! i usually prefer to use manga panels because i don't want to end up using stolen art (unfortunately happened before) or ai art, but from the searching i did, i found this art to be legit and i believe i found the original artist behind it. they did a wonderful job on it - literally its gorgeous. the art was literally how i imagined geto in this fic and i was so pleased. i'm glad you noticed the purple coloring!! it's funny even before i realized geto's eyes in the manga are purple, purple was just a color i associated with him.

i'm so glad the opening really struck you because it's something i was struggling with, i always have trouble beginning things and i'm the type of writer where i can't just jump in write a random scene and come back (unless a line of dialogue jumps out of my head and onto the page). again, i love when people say my descriptions are good - it makes me so happy!! i'm naturally not a very visual person -- i can't picture things in my head really well so i had teach myself how to do it through reading and writing.

i'm glad you think i'm funny - i don't know why but someone complimenting my humor is like one of my favorite things?? T_T i think i am easy to get along with - i try to be anyway. i'm glad it comes across in my writing. hahah i had to do the chili peppers i grew up with 'ratemyprofessor' with my siblings who used to always use it (and i did as well), and my sisters and I would always laugh when we saw a professor with those infamous chili peppers next to their names.

i'm glad reader's character came across well!! i always try to keep reader pretty vague, at least in terms of appearance, so people can superimpose themselves onto her pretty easily. i have literally had so many papers where i submitted that i thought an amazing job on and then only to get them back and internally scream when i saw a grade inconsistent with what i thought i deserved. i feel like the papers i didn't care about were always the ones i did well on and the ones i overthought were the ones that never did well.

honestly suguru having papers submitted both ways was by necessity but i also thought it fit in well with his character and how he is. he's meticulous and thoughtful. and i'm so glad it came across!!

i'm glad you enjoyed the "red as the ink that tore your paper to shreds" because that was also one of my favorite lines i wrote and sometimes i have to try to write a simile like that or it comes easily. that one came easily which i was very pleased with.

with his office, i can't take all the credit for that -- an anon had submitted an idea about his office being very large and opulent and i thought that fit in so perfectly with the story that i had to include it :)

i am so happy you liked their banter - i was concerned that it would come across as disingenuous or like forced, but i'm glad it was successful :). i always have this fear that like my characters will come off pretentious so i always try to ground them in experience or my own vernacular in some way to give them a more real person feel. i'm so glad his feedback sounded realistic - a lot of it was based on just experience of getting feedback and also just giving feedback (i used to be a writing tutor for a brief time).

i'm so glad geto comes across as likeable that was definitely important to me and honestly i hadn't thought about the fact that some professors only give brief feedback, but its very, very true. sometimes they don't. and i'm glad that struck you because i was really only thinking of what kind of teacher geto would be and i think he would really be a wonderful one (sad to think about in the context of jjk but its true).

the google scholar was all @laneysmusings. i asked her while i was writing that scene if she could make one up for me because i was going to just leave it as text but i thought a google scholar page would be a cute reference for anyone who saw the post about me researching on google scholar hahah. and she did amazing. she even wrote the descriptions and everything - she even chose tokai university because its located in shibuya -- so i owe all of that effort to her. she truly is my platonic soulmate :).

ahhhh the lecture hall dream scene was the one i was looking the most forward to writing!! it was the one that i went into the fic knowing i wanted to write and it was so fun writing it. the tantalus reference was added in during edits because i just love using mythology references in my writing and i thought it fit in well with the academia vibe :).

the edging line literally also made me chuckle when i wrote it, because i too felt like this fic was an exercise in edging after this scene and then geto's dream - it felt like i was taunting the reader hahah. also "break like a glow stick" made me laugh when i read it, and i'm still giggling as i write this now.

omg i definitely want to do that now - i definitely will include a scene where she's talking about the dreams with him and it would be funny if 1) he slips up and says "you had dreams too?" and 2) if he decides to use the vibrator one her later hahahah.

honestly the scene where he stops her is based on my own experience in college when a professor stopped me and asked if i was okay when i was very despondent during class lol (i was just super depressed at the time). and i thought it was so sweet of her to ask me how i was doing and i feel like suguru would do the same for his students, especially ones he knows well.

honestly writing geto's dream was so fun, while simultaneously difficult haha. because it was like toeing the line between fantasy and reality, and trying to make it seem realistic at first and then having it go speeding off the rails with his desires. i'm so glad honestly that scanlon worked out - because i was trying to figure out how to frame it, and then i thought of scanlon because of the good place and when i started reading 'what do we owe to each other,' i thought it fit perfectly (i do also have mike schur's book that he wrote about ethics and writing the good place and this almost makes me want to read in prep for part 2 hahah). i am most definitely an amateur, my extent of knowledge of ethics / philosophy comes from the good place and from a legal perspective, the latter of which was not very helpful here hahah. i'm so glad it came across well!! and hey, i will take the compliment because i think, based on what you've said, you are more versed than i am.

hahah the sofa was definitely because i wanted them sitting closer this time -- kinda showing how the line is blurring more and more and the gap between them is closing (literally and figuratively, because no big desk blocking them from each other).

honestly the scene in their office on the couch was the most difficult scene in the entire fic to write -- because i remember i wrote it at night and i was super unsure about it. i sent it to laney and i was like internally 'she's probably gonna say it needs more because it doesn't feel like enough' and then when she read it in the morning she was like its great, just a typo. and i was like....don't you think it needs something?? and she like no??? lol.

i'm so glad!! because the T.A. thing was how i wanted to end the fic, but obviously i wanted to foreshadow it. but i was thinking about having it earlier, but professors don't think about TAs until the semester is about to end anyway. the existential line was also funny because i had stopped writing the night before right before that line and when i came back to it, i was like huh, i was really getting existential before bed. and thus that line.

i'm so glad the kiss came across right!! i was super worried about writing it because its such a pivotal scene and i wanted it to be just right. and i was really channeling jess and nick's first kiss from new girl energy (but more hesitant at first).

i appreciate the reminder of about my own wellbeing over writing :). i love writing this series though so i am very eager to continue - but i really gotta write some 2K fics first because i'm almost to 4K and i haven't written a single one and no one is pressuring me, except my own little voice in my head haha.

i'm so so glad you enjoyed it this much to send this incredibly wonderful, thoughtful message to me. I can't express in words what this meant to me. thank you for doing this as well!!! it literally means the world. reading all of your asks and everyone else's literally make my entire day, along with the wonderful reblogs, tags, and comments everyone has left. but these asks are so so special to me. thank you so much - i really can't thank you enough <333

(i did get it twice but no worried :) i just chose to respond to this one so i could let you know it came through!!!) <33

#sab [asks] #sab [anons] #sab [praise] #sab series [prof suguru] #you are literally the sweetest i can't speak in words how much this means #i don't think even any type of language or emoji or picture can capture what this means to me #<333333

[thehellishtrinity]

Oooo 11, 29, 31, and 33 for An Lumin 👀

OOO alright this one got pretty long so I'm sticking it under the cut!

11. What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to your oc? Do they still feel ashamed for it? Were there any witnesses?

This one's a bit of a complicated question because to feel embarrassed, one must first have a sense of shame which An Lumin has very little of. The closest thing to embarrassing would be, probably: when he was younger his current-day partner (at the time best friend) liked disguising himself as a human and sneaking into human villages to play. Occasionally, he'd bring An Lumin along and, well, they were both children. They both looked like children. Thus, they were treated like children. For An Lumin, who was born a genius and constantly treated like an adult due to his intellect, such treatment was incredibly unfamiliar. While it wasn't unpleasant to have people fawning over him and baby-talking him, it was certainly embarrassing at the time. Of course, he isn't very embarrassed by it now, but it was embarrassing in the moment as a child.

29. How empathetic is your oc? Or are they closer to being a sociopath? Any reason why?

An Lumin is.... not very empathetic. He's very much closer to being a socipath. While he has a lot of cognitive empathy-- he can easily understand why people feel certain ways and name what emotions they're feeling-- he lacks true empathy. He doesn't feel bad for people at all. He lacks care for all people except for the select few that he've chosen to let close to him and even then, his feelings towards them are strange. Take his partner, Bai Lirong, for example. An Lumin could not live without Bai Lirong and would be incredibly saddened if he were ever to go, but if he were to see Bai Lirong sad or in pain, he wouldn't feel bad for him. His emotions would be closer to entertainment or intrigue, but he will act in the appropriate way to solve the problem Bai Lirong has to make him feel better because while he doesn't feel bad for him, he knows generally speaking you're supposed to keep the people you love happy. As for why he's like this........ honestly, he was just born like that. His upbringing also probably didn't help (his parents are very sadistic people who exposed him to death and pain early on so he would accept that as the norm) but he is also just genuinely born like that.

31. What is your oc’s sense of humour like? What do they find funny? Do they try to be funny? Are they actually?

An Lumin has a pretty awful sense of humor, honestly. He's the type of person who finds putting other people in awkward situations and humiliating them funny. He will make clever quips he thinks are funny from time to time but. Nobody thinks they are funny. He is not a funny person. He tries. He is not.

33. How does your oc’s own perception of themselves compare to how other people see them? Is your oc aware that other people see them differently (if it’s different)?

I think An Lumin's view of himself is probably a bit darker than how others see him! He is a very sharp person with incredible observational skills and as such, is generally very aware of how people perceive him. Or, to be more exact, he is very intentional with how he presents himself so people perceive him exactly as he wants them to: amicable and friendly but not to be trifled with. And, for the most part, this is how he sees himself too! It's just that.. well, you mix in his sadistic tendencies and other details that the average person doesn't know about and he makes for a slightly darker figure than people think he is.

#acewendino #iliya #cultivation au #ask #radiokian #ask game #HEHEHEH THANK YOU FOR SENDING THESE IN I HAD FUN

[luna-writes-stuff]

Chapter XXXVI

A Kili X OC fic

Previous chapter // Next chapter

Tw: violence, descriptions of battle/violence, blood, injuries, mentions of pain and injuries, orc violence, dwarf violence too. Angst, back injuries, serious intimidation. Raewyn swears. More Raeli but also more pain. Beginning of the end.

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Showing emotion doesn’t affect bad women and Raewyn is living proof

Though devastated, the ruins of Ravenhill were still a sight to behold. Having wandered Middle-Earth for as long as she had, Raewyn had seen her fair share of desolate places, but there was something about broken architectures on a hill or mountain that she loved most. To simply imagine what live was like there before it found its destruction.

Of course, now, there was no time to wonder about the place. Now, the three dwarves had to pat across the snow carefully - silently. They already knew they were being watched, but their ranger had recommended silence, and thus, the only audible thing was the blowing off the wind, and the sound of battle down the hill and on the other side - from Thorin and Dwalin.

A sudden noise fills the air, and the three hold their weapons towards the source immediately. An expectant look came from Fili as he turned to his friend.

“Goblins?” He mouthed. But the Asha shook her head in denial. She had no keen ears like the elves, but years of travelling alone made it easy to distinguish noises from each other. This was no goblin; this was an orc.

“Stay here,” The blonde commanded, holding his hand out to stop Kili and Raewyn from following him. “Search the lower levels. I’ve got this.”

“You’re funny,” Raewyn scoffed, grabbing his hand and tugging him towards her and his brother. “I don’t understand what part of ‘let’s not split up’ fails to register in your head.” Her voice was hushed, but as accusing as ever.

“We’ll cover ground quicker if we split up.” He argued, his voice equally quiet, but with more stress on his words.

“And that’s what he’s counting on!” The ranger fumed quietly. “Azog is no random orc. He is an army general; he’s somewhat clever.”

“You said it yourself, it is you he wants.” The dwarf countered, his face set in slight anger, though it appeared more exhaustive than enraged. “I’ll be fine.”

With that, he turned around, walking towards the flight of stairs that led up to the top of the ruins.

“Fi, get back here!” His brother yelled after him in a whisper, but Fili paid him no heed. That is when Raewyn began to threaten: “Fili, you come back here this instant or I swear on all good things on this earth, you’ll be down this mountain quicker than you can walk.” 

That is when he stopped again, turning around with a scowl on his face. The Asha shot him a warning look, raising her eyebrows to make her point as she beckoned him over once more.

“Do you know if he is here?” Fili asked, slowly stepping down, though he kept his distance from the pair. Raewyn’s eyes wandered towards the higher halls, before landing on the dwarf again.

“No, but he’s near.” She tried to hint. Again, her eyes turned to the higher halls, now setting on a specific window, before she looked at both brothers with wider eyes.

She had already seen him. A white orc could not easily hide between grey walls, and his stature was not one easily looked over. Fili, now understanding why she had kept him there, walked back to the small company in quiet footsteps.

“For an orc, he is quick to forget his size.” Kili mumbled near Raewyn’s ear, causing a brief smile to appear on her lips. His shoulder brushed against her for a short moment, nudging her silently in humour.

“We should alert Thorin.” Fili remarked, his eyes trailing off to the window as well, now spotting the giant Gundabad orc as well. And though his eyes were set on the company, he failed to recognize the fact that they had seen him too.

“Good idea,” The ranger mused, turning around fully to come face to face with the two Durin brothers. “You two, get him, now.”

Looks of confusion washed over both their faces as they looked at each other in surprise: “Did you not just tell me to not split up?” and “Did I not just tell you I won’t run from you?” spilled from their mouths at the same time.

“Yes,” She sighed. “And, yes.” But when the two refused to say anything back to her, she rolled her eyes, forming her lips in a thin line. “You two are acting like children.”

“Maybe you should take an example of that.” Fili offered, shrugging his shoulders as his feet kept him planted to the floor. 

Raewyn was in a compromising position now; she could walk with the princes to alert Thorin and risk losing sight of Azog, or she could send them out to get their uncle while she remained in front of the ruins. And neither seemed like an acceptable choice at the moment. But, in her sheer moment of the adrenaline pumping through her veins from the battle and the exhaustion with both Durin brothers, she sighed heavily.

“Fine,” She agreed, her face set in a deadpan. Coughing for a short second, Fili and Kili exchanged glances. Then, she inhaled sharply, turning her head towards where she had last seen Dwalin and Thorin fight the goblins: “Thorin!” 

On the other side of Ravenhill, the two dwarves had taken short terms with the mercenaries, the snowy ground now littered with mangled bodies and fallen weapons. Thorin’s gaze set over the frozen river in slight anxiety, ignoring the twitching of fallen goblins on the floor below him.

“Where is that orc filth?” Dwalin asked aloud to no one in particular. His axe was wielded in his hand bravely as his eyes scanned the fallen crowd, hoping to find some sort of sign of Azog.

Behind them, Bilbo suddenly appeared, his breath uneven, as if he had ran the entire distance from Dale to Ravenhill. Thorin’s name spilled out of his mouth in pants, leaning forward with his hand on his knees, trying to catch his breath.

“Bilbo!” The king remarked in relief, walking over to his friend, glad to see him still in one piece. But the hobbit did not seem relieved nor happy; he seemed conflicted - almost scared.

“You have to leave here, now!” He warned, panic setting into his tone as he looked towards the ruins of Ravenhill. “Azog has another army attacking from the north. This watchtower will be completely surrounded! There’ll be no way out!”

“We are so close!” Dwalin butted in, dismissing the terrifying words of the hobbit. “That orc scum is in there. I say we push on!” 

Watching the ordeal go down in silence, Thorin seemed to realise the gravity of the situation. “No!” He opposed his friend, looking at Bilbo in agreement. “That’s what he wants. He wants to draw us in.” 

As if everything suddenly seemed to fall together, Thorin raised his head, scanning his surroundings as if something was wrong. As if he had known what happened with his three other soldiers.

“This is a trap!” 

Panic finally set into his system as he walked up to Dwalin quickly: “Find Fili, Kili and Raewyn! Call them back!”

“Thorin,” The dwarf began hesitantly. “Are you sure about this?”

“Do it,” The king dismissed, forcing an encouraging smile onto his face. One that Bilbo subconsciously seemed to copy, as his warning had worked. “We live to fight another day.”

Then, a shout filled the air. As he recognized the voice, a heavy feeling settled into the pit of Bilbo’s stomach, breath escaping his throat in a hitched pattern as his veines began to pump ice cold blood.

“Thorin!”

All three companions looked up at the alarm, one with terror, one in anger, and one in determination. Then, a second shout was heard. But this one didn’t come from any dwarf. This was the war cry of an orc all three had known all too well by now.

“Azat ul uluk!”

From the higher halls, the white orc finally revealed himself, a blade now set in his arm as he stared the Asha down in malice. His war cry had unleashed an army of orcs, now rushing towards the dwarves in the ruins. She had been face to face with Azog earlier after escaping the Goblin tunnels, but he looked more haunting in the lights. His eyes were set in pure anger, his body seemingly three times bigger than she had remembered it, and the gaze he held on her was enough to make her want to sink into the floor.

She had never wished to sink into the floor before.

Raising her axe in confidence, she refused to show him her hesitance. Instead, she returned his scowl, ten times darker, as her two companions busied themselves with the orcs behind her. Deciding to push her luck, she held one hand out, beckoning him over in mockery.

That seemed to do the trick.

Jumping down from the levels, he landed in front of Raewyn, his blade drawing across the floor in an agonising pace. He bared his teeth in a snarl, his eyes narrowing as he stalked towards his target.

“Do you always dress up for battle?” The Asha remarked, failing to come up with any better words. “Or is today my lucky day?”

Rambling - a nervous trait she had inherited from Gandalf. Big words make up for smaller actions. He never audibly said it, but she knew he was always thinking it. It seemed to work on Azog, though, for his face showed even more anger then before, his blade now raising as his pace picked up.

“Lat mat ashurz!” He shouted, pushing an orc out of his way as he ran towards Raewyn.

Parting her legs for a stronger stance, the ranger grabbed the axe with both her hands, mumbling to herself. “Namin men burk, asshole.” 

Swinging her axe violently, she blocked the orc’s first strike, nudging his blade back with relative ease. Taking two steps back, she prepared her next attack, adjusting her grip on the axe. Her face was still set in determination, contrary to Azog’s, whose carried unbridled rage.

With a loud roar, he approached the woman again, now pointing his blade forward, trying to stab his opponent. Thinking quickly, she jumped to the side, lodging her axe in the side of an oncoming orc, pulling it back before decapitating the creature.

The mace in Azog’s hand was now held high, hitting Raewyn in the back before she had the time to turn around. The impact launched her forward, her body crashing into another orc. For the first time that day, she had been grateful for the armour Kili had supplied her with. It was heavy and uncomfortable, but it did well to protect her. The armour dented on her back where the weapon had impacted her, and she could feel the metal slightly restricting her airflow. But no blood nor scratches had formed yet.

The hold on her axe hadn’t faded yet, fortunately, and thus, she swung quickly towards the orc she had been thrown against, embedding it in his carcass. Ripping it out in anger, she turned around to spot the white orc march toward Fili.

Dropping her axe in one swift movement, she leaned down to pick up a Morgul blade, tossing it in the air once to test its weight, before sending it flying towards the leader. Though it didn’t do much to damage him, the dagger bounced off of his armour, successfully drawing his attention.

Huge bats littered the sky, and Azog smiled upon the sight, a menacing sight for Raewyn to see. She picked up her axe quickly, running towards her enemy with the weapon raised. Azog copied her movements, his arms held back and his mace in the air. Her axe clashed against his blade fiercely, ducking as Azog tried to reach out with his club. The movement was too quick for him to register, and he staggered slightly. 

She stepped back immediately, swinging the axe again. Successfully hitting him now, the weapon pierced his armour, chipping off a piece at his chest plate, knocking him back with the weight of her weapon. 

Reaching out in blind defence, his knife scratched the right side of Raewyn’s face, a wound opening above the brow, blood trickling down slowly. Wiping away the liquid, she blinked furiously as she tried to keep the blood out of her eye. Now distracted, Azog raised his arm with the blade, preparing to bring it down on the temporarily blinded Asha.

As he struck, a second weapon stopped him. A sword against the orc’s blade, shielding the ranger from the impact. Azog stared down at his enemy, now coming eye to eye with Thorin. The dwarf had a scowl formed on his face as he pushed his opponent back, his lighter armour a lot less restricting than Raewyn’s.

“Fili!” Kili’s shout was heard over the field, drawing the woman’s attention. Once more, she tried to wipe the blood off, squinting her eyes as she tried to find the source of the sound. And there she found it; a crowd of orcs gathering around him.

Now noticing Thorin fighting against his foe, she gave him a curt nod before taking off. Heavy footsteps carried her across the field, the wind blowing the stream of blood next to her eye, instead of in it. From her line of sight, she could see her friend on the floor, seemingly not moving. Her heart sank at the sight as she watched Kili standing over his older brother, shielding him from oncoming enemies.

“Cover me!” She yelled as she fell to her knees beside the blonde, throwing her axe on the floor. Nodding in understanding, Kili continued to keep the orcs at bay, circling around Raewyn and Fili.

A sharp hiss escaped the ranger’s throat as she knelt down, her dented armour digging into her back even more. In aggravation and slight stress, she unclasped one of the belts around her shoulders, before lifting the heavy chest piece off of her.

“Are you alright?” Fili asked in concern, biting his tongue as a stab of pain wrecked through him. 

“Let’s focus on you first.” Raewyn ignored, his pain not escaping her perceptions.

She scanned his body for injuries; blood that came from him, and not the orcs. Beneath his left leg, she noticed a steaming pool of blood, and she formed her lips in a thin line upon the side.

“Blade.” The dwarf merely stated, confirming that was indeed his blood.

Pushing his coat to the side slightly, Raewyn came face to face with the wound. It wasn’t gushing, much to her relief, but it didn’t look good either.

“You were sliced, not stabbed.” She remarked to no one in particular, but in an attempt to brush it off, Fili kept talking: “That’s good?”

Looking at his face for a short second, she leaned her head to the side, shrugging her shoulders slightly. “It’s better than the alternative.”

Running her eyes back to the wound, she let out a huff of air upon the realisation it hadn’t been poisoned. She didn’t voice this to him. Instead, she grabbed one of the daggers strapped to his legs, using it to slice off a bottom piece of his coat. He didn’t object.

“This isn’t ideal,” she huffed, tying the cloth around the wound tightly. “But it’ll stop you from bleeding to death.”

A loud shout interrupted her from continuing her instructions to Fili. Across the plains, she heard Kili calling out to her, successfully drawing her attention. And there she saw him; Bolg. Where Azog and Thorin had gone, she couldn’t see, but she could see the son’s eyes set on the Asha in particular, slime almost drooling out of his mouth at the sight.

“Naturally.” She scowled, her hands still on Fili’s lower leg. 

Underneath her hands, the dwarf began to stir, clumsily sitting up as his hands fell upon the shoulder of the ranger for support. She shot him a questioning look, before she noticed he was trying to get up.

“I can’t let you two do all the fighting.” He only said, hissing as he tried to move his injured leg.

Holding her hands under his arms, she ushered him up, his weight startling her slightly. She wasn’t the lightest either, but after coming across so many elves and humans, she almost forgot dwarves held her weight as well. Fili noticed, and smiled slightly at the sight. She was about to mumble something under her breath about being used to Bilbo’s weight over the course of their journey, but she refused, opting to comment on his earlier words instead.

“I didn’t stop you.”

“You don’t like it.” The dwarf countered, testing his footing as he finally stood upright. 

Slowly retracting her arms, she reached down to pick up her axe, shooting her friend a look of indifference: “I don’t like a lot of things, but I’ve learned to not intervene with the businesses of dwarves.”

A smile was thrown her way as Fili grabbed his sword, calling his brother over to him.

“I’ll distract him,” Raewyn began before Fili could utter anything about strategy. “You two, attack him from behind when you have the chance.”

Instead of forming a verbal counter argument, as they both would have liked, they nodded simultaneously, clutching their weapons in their hands tightly. Turning around at their confirmation, Raewyn stared at Bolg, seeing his figure approach the three.

“We finish this today,” Fili uttered, his face set in new-found determination.

“Don’t die.” The ranger mused to both dwarves, trying to keep the positivity up. The short laugh coming from Kili’s throat didn’t escape her, but she opted to ignore it verbally. Instead, she turned her head to her left side slightly, where the dwarf had stood. Successfully drawing his attention, she shot him a quick wink. Frozen to the floor, Kili’s smirk slowly fell, overtaken in sudden wonder.

Before he could process anything else, Raewyn had already taken the offence, wielding her axe high as she ran towards Bolg. The orc in question roared upon her advancements, raising his own club in anger. It was then that they could see the sharpened end of the club, covered in blood from - presumably - other dwarves.

Mentally noting it, Raewyn dealt the first blow, hitting his armour immediately. The damage was little, if there ever was one, and Bolg reared back with a loud roar, now swinging his weapon. The blade scratched the arm plates on the Asha, but beside the terrible noise, she managed to protect herself. 

Remembering her tactic with the dwarves, she circled the furious orc, silently taunting it as she kept leaping away from his blows. In his anger, his attacks became blind, but his impact was strong. Wherever he hit the floor, it crumpled underneath the weapon, the stone tiles falling apart in tiny pebbles, dwindling down the hills.

When he had finally turned around, it was Kili who attacked first, shooting the creature in its shoulder blade, causing it to cry out in agony. Fili was hot on his brother’s heels, leaping towards the orc as one of his daggers found its mark just beside Kili’s arrow.

Reaching behind him in pain, his large hand found Fili’s arm, dragging him forward as he raised the dwarf up into the air.

“Fili!” Kili shouted, still a relative distance removed from the fight.

Raewyn looked up in anxiety as she watched Bolg turn his weapon in his hand, aiming the sharp end towards the stomach of the dwarves. He then shot his arm back to make momentum for the hit. And then the weapon found its mark.

However, instead of victory and pride, a terrible pain ripped through his body as he looked down at the spear. In a quick moment of distraction in his self-fulfilment, Raewyn had grabbed Bolg’s arm and dragged it towards his other. The orc had mistaken it for the dwarf fighting his last fight in his arm, but that was not the case. For now, a sharp end had impaled itself right in his lower arm, blood gushing from the wound.

His hand immediately let go of his enemy in an effort to numb the pain. Raewyn helped Fili up swiftly, seeing his leg tremble underneath him again. One questioning look was all it took for the blonde to nod, affirming he wasn’t wounded elsewhere. That was all she needed to know, for she turned back towards her foe immediately, who was still busy getting his weapon off his limbs.

Making up her mind as quick as she could, she launched her axe towards the hand that had been clutching his club. The orc was as quick as the ranger was, unfortunately, and made a spin in an effort to escape the blast. At the speed, his weapon - that had finally been loosened from his arm - swung out of his hands, embedding itself on a nearby orc.

Another arrow came from Kili, now nearer, as he stood beside his brother. The arrow found its mark on Bolg’s upper leg, not dealing him enough damage to fall down, but causing him to stagger. Noticing his absent weapon, as his now removed distance from the dwarves, he gave the Asha a taunting look, nearly beckoning for her to drop her weapon as well and fight a fair fight.

Her eyebrows raised at the suggestion, shooting him a judging look, forsaking the battlefield around them: “Are you taking me for a fool?”

The taunting look fell from the orc’s face, now transforming into a snarl. Grinning at the sight, Raewyn lowered herself, now taunting the orc instead. 

That seemed to anger him even more, rationality floating out of the window as Bolg took a running leap towards the smaller creature. Jumping away just in time, Raewyn missed the place of impact. Her heart dropped at the sight of dented, frozen earth where Bolg had placed his fist. Sure, orcs were all big and intimidating, but technically she was always fighting a weapon.

Not now: now she was fighting an orc.

She dared not show his shock to him, but it seemed he had already sensed it, for a gruesome smile began to grow on his face. 

Then, a yell was heard over the battlefield, as Kili barrelled himself towards Bolg, his sword now in his hands instead of his bow. Temporarily distracted, Bolg turned slowly, earning the back of the sword handle to the side of his face. Stepping back upon the impact, he let out an enraged roar.

“I don’t think he appreciated that.” Raewyn tried to console. Rambling; again.

Kili had no time to respond to her, for the orc had already set his eyes on his new enemy. Both Kili and Raewyn tried to deal their foe multiple blows, but he seemed to capture them perfectly every single time. And whereas the two dwarves were slowly beginning to grow exhausted, it seemed the orc had stamina that could last for a couple more days.

In a weak moment of fatigue, Raewyn’s movements grew sluggish, and she felt her arm being grasped by someone. She had silently hoped it was Kili, but in battle, nothing worked in her favour.

Before she knew it, she was thrown against the stone walls of the ruin behind her, a sharp pain searing through her back as her earlier injury seemed to crush her ribs even more. Dizzy at the sudden impact, she felt blood slowly trickle down her shirt from her back, seeping into her pants.

“Raewyn!” “Rae!” Both dwarves shouted as they watched their friend get thrown back several feet, lying on the ground silently for a short while. She managed to wave her hand up slightly - a sign of life - but she could feel her spine protesting every single move she made.

Determination turned into anger as Kili watched the cruel orc laugh upon the sight, his shoulders leaned back in pride. And that was when he struck. Landing a harsh blow on Bolg’s armour, Kili forced the orc’s attention back to him. The strength in his arms did not seem to fade as he continued to slam his weapon down against his enemy. But Bolg was strong, and clever for his kin, and advanced back, his mind now set back in battle.

Fili had run to the Asha, being closest to her - and figuring his brother would do good on his own. His hand gently laid on top of her back as he made his presence known. At the feeling of his hand, Raewyn hissed sharply, sinking down on the floor even more as his thumb caressed an opened wound.

“Can you stand?” Fili spoke hushed, relieved that the orcs seemed to no longer attack him, but were focused on Dwalin instead.

Raewyn made no verbal reply. Instead, she put her hands on either side of her torso, trying to push herself up. Opting to help her, Fili’s hands found their way below the ranger’s armpits. He couldn’t help but let out a tiny scoff, trying to lighten the mood.

“Too soon to appreciate the irony?”

She only rolled her eyes at him, groaning in effort as she felt her skin scrape painfully past the fabric of her shirt. Fili noticed the way her shoulder blades moved back as she tried to relieve some tension.

In the distance, she could see Kili trying to fend Bolg off, but even then - he was much larger, and his strength was far beyond any that the three of them carried. A sinking feeling entered the pit of her stomach and, for a moment, all pain seemed to fade from her back. A sharp breath escaped her throat before she could stop it as she watched the orc rip the sword from Kili’s hands, throwing it down the hill. She noticed how it wasn’t a far drop, for his sword was still in sight from where she was standing.

And that is when she made up her mind.

“Raewyn,” Fili started, seeing a new look glaze over the ranger’s eyes. “Don’t take a back injury lightly.”

But as the orc kicked the dwarf to the floor, his foot set tightly on top of his chest, her feet had already begun to carry her. Ice cold breath seared out of her mouth as she forced her lungs to keep pushing. A sickening crack filled the air as she neared the pair, seeing Kili desperately try to push the heavy foot off. 

The sound made her want to vomit, and she did her absolute best to push down the bile, instead focusing on her enemy. Launching herself from where she had now found herself, her arms wound around Bolg’s torso mid-air, forcing both him and the ranger off of the hill.

The drop was longer than she had figured, and way more painful than the wall had been. Bolg tried to fight the Asha off of him, dealing blows to her side and arms, but she hung on tightly, one of Fili’s daggers stuffed tightly in her hand. The rocks and ice cold snow scraped past her tunic, searing hot pain replacing the numb feeling that settled in earlier. But she hung onto the orc until they met the ground below.

Bolg’s back was what landed both of them, pushing the air out of both their lungs, for one more than she could handle. She struck the dagger between his midriff harshly, before climbing off of the orc, watching it howl in torment as he tried to take the dagger out.

In his moments of fighting, Raewyn distanced herself from him, trying desperately to catch her breath, which had come out alerting rapidly. Her bloodied hands shot to her back, trying to get rid of some of the tension, but it seemed to build with every breath she took. 

She cursed inwardly, her vision growing hazy as she tried to focus on the orc in the distance, who was slowly getting up. She could feel his eyes on her, and she noticed his increasing pace towards her. Everything in her told her to either run or fight. But she seemed nailed to the ground in shock and suffering.

Bolg was only seconds away now, and she knew she had to act soon. Her eyes tried to scan her surroundings, anything to help her escape impending death. She could see a smaller figure laying somewhere near a rock, seemingly unmoving. His coat was blue, his scarf yellow, and she squinted her eyes at the figure.

“Bilbo?”

Then, from directly in front of her a deep shout was heard. Quickly turning her head, she came face to face with Bolg, who now held an arrow between his eyes. But these weren’t Kili’s arrows. They were from Elvish make. The shape gave it away.

Her eyes fell upon a figure on top of the hill; bright red hair and a long stance. Raewyn recognised her as the elf who had saved her in Laketown. A choked laugh escaped her throat as she ran her hand through her hair, watching the large creature slowly dropping to the floor backwards. Had the arrow not killed him, it would’ve been the damage done beforehand. 

With shaking hands, she sat down on the cold, snow-covered floor, fighting the white dots appearing in her line of sight as she tried to maintain her balance.

“Raewyn!” Shouts came from up the hill, slowly coming closer. “Rae!” 

She would have answered them, had she not been trying so desperately to keep the stars at bay. Though they seemed to lessen over time, the dizziness in her head certainly did not, nor did the nauseating feeling building in her stomach.

“Rae!” She heard again, this time closer than ever. She had wondered how long she had spent sitting on the floor in silence.

In front of her, she saw someone falling down to the floor on their knees. It wasn’t until those two comforting arms wrapped around her body that she realised it was Kili. 

He was alright.

His hands grabbed her sides tightly, trying his best to divert the huge scratches on her back - which had caused her tunic to go from blue to maroon -, but the light scraping of his arms still caused a painful feeling to the Asha. For once, she refused to show it. 

Her hands flew underneath his arms, connecting to his shoulders in relief, grasping them tightly. His head was buried in the crook of her neck, inhaling deeply as his adrenaline finally seemed to pan down. 

“You’re okay,” The dwarf mumbled into her skin. “You’re alright. I’ve got you.”

She nearly melted in his embrace, slowly falling down to the floor a little more. It was Kili’s arms who held her up, until her entire weight rested in his hands. A shaky breath came from her as she seemed to calm down eventually. The aching in her back was more apparent now than ever, but the nausea and spots had disappeared.

“We did it.” Fili uttered quietly, as if the victory would be taken from him if he spoke it too loud.

Turning her head slightly, now resting her ear against Kili’s chest, Raewyn’s eyes fell on the two battling figures removed from them. On top of the ice, she could now finally see Thorin fight his nemesis. And she could now too see Bilbo’s unconscious figure mere feet from them. His chest rose slowly, which caused another wave of relief to wash through Raewyn.

Fili’s eyes now spotted his uncle as well, while Kili leaned his head atop Raewyn’s, following his brother’s line of sight. When she noticed the pair had seen their kin as well, she sighed heavily.

“Not yet.”

——

Azat ul uluk!: Kill them all, in Dark Speech (Orcish)

Lat mat ashurz!: You die first, in Dark Speech (Orcish)

Namin men burk: Kiss my axe, in Khuzdul (Dwarvish) 

——

Taglist: @errruvande @writingawaymylife @justnerdystuffs @spidergirla5 @fallenangeloflight @bianavacker-is-bi-as-hell @lxdymormont @deathofafangirl01 @the-cranck-hobbit @chaoticpaintsplatter @zaddyluvr @bxtchopolis @derangedcupcake @radbarbariancupcake @gay-destiel

#starcrossed losers #kili #fili #fili and kili #raewyn asha #kili durin #thorin oakenshield #bilbo baggins #tbotfa #the battle of the five armies #the hobbit #tolkien #kili x raewyn #kili x oc #kili x reader

[lawsofkarma]

I CAN’T DISMOUNT THE CART

#holy shit this was funny as hell #the other part was also funny but this moment was like.... clever humour #THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE i love them three together #give me more NYOWWWW #qnfwt #dream #george #quackity #dreamwastaken #georgenotfound #my vid #DREAM SO SMART WIT THE CAPTCHA JOKE #i literally have not posted clips in so long but this moment made to speedrun #i fought thru like five wars cos of my internet #loud

[brakken-spideyverse]

Another Spidey review. Nearly to the big one, now!

Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

I enjoy this movie more as an epilogue to Endgame than I do as a Spidey movie, I think. 

There are parts that feel incongruous with each other, and where Homecoming had a pretty solid plot with some hiccups coming out of Civil War, this one has a real identity crisis as to how much it wants to be connected to the Avengers events.

I like Peter’s journey. There’s a mounting pressure of filling the gap left by Tony, but also just this general sense that people are relying on him to be a hero, and not thinking of the person behind the mask. I think they could have delved into that further than they did – there’s opportunity to have him really hash it out with Ned, or May, or maybe MJ, but it’s not ever fully put out into the open with the people most dear to him, which is a shame. The movie seems to be stuck in a little bit of a repeat of the Homecoming plot, albeit with some occasionally clever reversal.

There’s a whole lot I like about Mysterio. The illusion of heroism is a fun spin on the character, with his design being not just a great comic adaptation, but also a perfect blend of Stark & Strange – Peter’s two companions in Endgame. His mo-cap outfit is a neat little idea, and he’s equally entertaining as the tortured dimension-hopper as he is the jilted ex-employee. However, he really didn’t need to be connected with Tony. In fact, I think his plot works better if he’s just some dude looking for his own big break. This idea of holding grudges after the universal tragedy of the Snap just doesn’t hold up. His job history calls into question why no-one (including EDITH) could identify him, and it feels partly like a re-tread of Vulture’s own little gripe. I can understand and appreciate the value and impact that Iron Man brought to the MCU and its various stories, but sometimes it feels like the character is stuck to it. Like the Symbiote, enhancing it in some ways, but poisoning it in others.

The aftershocks of Thanos are almost non-existent in the larger scope of the world. The story zeroes in on Tony’s death as the big event rather than the Snap, which works fine, but the Snap is now treated more as a joke than anything else. There were already out-of-place moments of levity in Endgame, but our newcomer’s perspective of the post-Snap world via Scott Lang is one that is decidedly worse off, and broken. In FFH, we have Peter and his class going on a fun trip through Europe like nothing’s changed – like the world didn’t end, and un-end. It was like this plot had already been decided on before the other pieces, and they decided to stick with it rather than actually considering how the consequences would play out.

The Marvel humour feels invasive this time – every character has their opportunity for a silly moment or one-liner, and once again Spidey’s own personality gets lost in the crowd – to a stronger degree here than in Homecoming. And y’know, he doesn’t need to be funny-quippy in every moment, but golly does it feel absent in FFH. He’s grieving, and that’s valid, and a valuable story moment to focus on. But in that case, I really think the rest of the movie could have done with keeping that tone steady. Half of these kids could have PTSD, and the other half are dealing with having missed five years. They’ve all survived the universe’s greatest threat, and the best the movie has for us is humour. And not like, joking as a form of deflection, but just straight-up ‘haha it’s goofy time’? The Blip humour doesn’t work for me, and all the stuff with the teachers especially doesn’t work for me. It just feels wrong and out of place.

Hey, so… where’s Karen? Remember Karen, from Homecoming? Did Tony just delete her when he gave the suit back? Peter mostly wears other outfits in this movie, but was she just… switched to silent when he met with Fury and Beck? I guess they didn’t want two female AI voices in this - it’s gotta be one per movie.

EDITH is an odd aspect. Not just because of that similarity to Karen, and this feeling that Peter’s making similar mistakes he’s already learned from, but… I simply don’t mesh with the idea of Tony handing this incredibly dangerous and valuable device to Peter, and only giving him a riddle as to what to do with it. Was Tony really leaving the glasses to Peter? Or did he want him to pick the next heir? The movie never really answers this for us, or for itself. In fact, there isn’t really a strong follow-up at all with what happens with EDITH.

May feels kind of… pushed out of this story. It’s a shame since I felt she missed out a bit in Homecoming, too. It’s not like she needs to be involved to the point of being forced into scenes, but she is an important part of Peter’s life and this movie feels like it sidelines that, where Homecoming was sorta able to surprise us with her depth.

On the side of visual spectacle – the illusion scene in Berlin is just fantastic. It turns the presentation of the holograms up to 11, taking us in and out of reality to help us understand how they work. The tiny bits of information that Peter confided in Beck are now amplified and used against him - every transition and set-piece highlights how Beck thinks about this kid. It is an incredibly creative series of comic book panels put into motion, taking both Spidey and us on this uncomfortable, inescapable ride through action beautifully blended with character. And while I knew it was a gonna be a fakeout, the final trick with Fury to get info out of Peter was the perfect button on Mysterio’s manipulation.

The ending of the movie itself is a weird one, for me. It builds us up to feel like Peter is finally in his own as Spidey, only to follow-up with this jokey stuff where MJ doesn’t like the swinging. Cute enough, I suppose. But to then sweep the rug out in the post-credits scene in such an explicit way… ? I just don’t know. It feels like it unwinds Peter’s journey in defeating Mysterio before we’ve even had a chance to appreciate it. It turns the whole movie into the first part of something, instead of a complete piece with more to come. Coupled with the entirely unnecessary twist that Fury was a Skrull, it makes for an unsatisfying dismount to the whole ordeal.

As a whole, I might summarise my feelings like this:

Peter’s story comes to a head in the scene with Happy in the plane, where he lets go of the expectations he’s burdened with, and understands that he can never live up to being Iron Man - that he has to solve this in his own way, as Peter Parker and Spider-Man. Yet, the scene follows this up with him building a suit using Stark tech, based on Tony’s designs, while AC/DC music plays in the background.

I enjoy plenty of the ride that this movie takes me on. It’s fun to watch the twists play out, to build to that perfect Mysterio illusion scene, and everyone’s delivering great performances to make it entertaining. But it’s all just a little muddy, and doesn’t really allow me to believe that it’s saying what it thinks it’s saying.

Rating:

#max talks about spidey #long post #nonmakeover

[oumaheroes]

There's banter and there's being an annoying dickhead, prussia does not know where one start and other begins, he's neither clever nor funny

Not gonna lie anon, your ask made me clutch my pearls and exclaim in horror.

I do agree to an extent- I think that Prussia, like America, really just says what he wants without a filter and this can often rub people up the wrong way. Unlike America though, Prussia honestly doesn’t care what people think about him. America wants to be liked, he wants to be admired and he wants, most of all, to be respected (young nation, old world, powerful father- America wants to make his mark out there as something wholly him). Prussia, however, doesn’t really give a shit about all of that, especially these days, and hasn’t ever really been a nation concerned with public image or cultivating a persona like his buddy France.

Prussia is Prussia. He does and says what he feels in that moment and doesn’t really pay too much mind to the consequences of this. He does mind if he’s hurt the people he cares about and would like their opinion of him to be favourable, but for the most part Prussia is very comfortable in being himself in all the ways that entails- unsmoothed and untidied up for the pleasure of others.

This does mean that, at times, he is the biggest dickhead alive. I feel he’s a very proud person with a very (fragile) high opinion of himself and he often says things that lack tact or thought, or that are the opposite of what people want to hear. Prussia is honest, even if you don’t want to hear his opinion or don’t agree with it and this does cause him problems a lot of the time.

If your comment is straight off my latest drabble with England and Prussia, I think England’s the kinda guy to get along with Prussia really well. Oh, God yeah does England find Prussia annoying at times- many times he’d love to strangle him (has, on occasion). But England’s not the type of person to be offended easily by words and appreciates the blunt truth over flowery or sweetened down statements any day. England doesn’t want a softened version of reality; England wants to hear things as they are and you always know where you stand with Prussia.

England also says what he truly feels most of the time and although he does have more tact and a need to maintain a certain public image than Prussia does, he agrees with Prussia’s way of being and the two of them get along quite happily.

Regarding Prussia being neither clever or funny, I think that depends on what your sense of humour is. Personally, I feel that Prussia’s humour is on the crass and overt end of things- slapstick comedy, toilet humour, laughing at someone else’s expense, you get the idea. But I also feel that he is brilliantly clever with a quick mind and a huge aptitude for learning. He’s an incredible tactician, a methodical hard worker, and not one to be afraid of getting his hands dirty. Combined, he really is ruthless in war and a force to be reckoned with. Never underestimate him because he’s most likely planned out everything that could possibly happen, prepared for the worst, and then built more plans around those outcomes.

He’s very hard to outwit and has prepared for far more than is necessary, but that’s just how his mind works. He can see the connections between things and follows them till they hit somewhere he’s comfortable with and his endless energy and intense work ethic really give him an edge.

#this is probably very much not what you expected from me when you sent this ask anon #and at first i was gonna answer with a joke or something #but you gave me ideas and i had to share #so thank you for the ask! #aph prussia #hws prussia #Gilbert Beilschmidt #hws #aph #heroes answers #heroes headcanons

[engie-ivy]

Remus can be oblivious, Remus can be a train wreck, and Remus can be both.

This will be the last part, with all cards on the table!

Read Part One here!

Read Part Two here!

Read Part Three here!

Get What He's Saying: The Final Part

Remus can’t sleep. He has been staring at the curtains around his bed for the past hour. It’s not strange that his palms are sweaty and his stomach is in knots, but he has to admit it isn’t just anticipation, but also nerves.

Tomorrow is a Hogsmeade day. Tomorrow is his date with Sirius. At least, he thinks it is. He’s not sure. There had been a lot of yelling. But he really thinks it ended with Sirius agreeing to go on a date with him?

Remus sighs. Like worrying about how the date will go wasn’t enough, now he has added worrying whether the date even exists to that.

Suddenly, Remus hears his curtains rustle, and feels a dip in his bed. He pushes himself up on his elbows to see Sirius sitting cross-legged at the foot of his bed. He’s wearing the loose-fitted shirt with the deep V-neckline he sleeps in, and with the braid hanging over one shoulder and his silver eyes illuminated by the soft moonlight, he looks ethereal, making Remus wonder whether he has fallen asleep after all and is currently dreaming.

Sirius smiles sheepishly. “Hi.”

“Hi.”

“So,” Sirius says, subconsciously tugging at his braid. “Do we happen to have a date tomorrow, or did I imagine that?”

Remus huffs a laugh. “Honestly, I don’t even know if this isn’t a dream. Oi!” Remus exclaims, quickly pulling his legs back as Sirius pinches his calf.

“Now you know you’re not dreaming,” Sirius grins.

Remus gives Sirius a brief glare, and then folds his legs underneath him, so he too is sitting up.

A silence falls, in which the boys only stare at each other awkwardly.

“I, eh... I’m sorry I yelled at you,” Sirius eventually says, breaking the silence.

“Yeah,” Remus says. “I’m sorry I yelled at you too.”

Sirius chuckles. “We’re really quite bad at this, aren’t we?”

Remus can’t help but also laugh. “A train wreck, I believe Lily called it.”

“Alright,” Sirius says, suddenly turning serious. “All cards on the table.” He takes a deep breath. “Obviously, I’ve been flirting with you for quite a while.”

“Yes,” Remus says slowly. “So people have been telling me...”

“Well, Prongs said I actually had to take it up another notch. He said you were so oblivious that he shouted in your face that I fancy you, and you still didn’t catch on.” Sirus rolls his eyes. “Greatly exaggerating, as he does, of course.”

Remus doesn’t reply, not feeling like letting Sirius know James wasn’t exaggerating by much. Or, well, at all.

“But of course, that moment at breakfast I went way too far, brushing your hair away like that and then complementing your eyes..." Sirius actually blushes, and stares down at his hands. “I was so obviously throwing myself at you, I didn’t give you the option to ignore it any longer.”

Remus also decides not to inform Sirius that, hadn’t it been for Lily’s list, he still wouldn’t have noticed anything to make him even consider the possibility that Sirius Black would fancy him. Maybe he should consider changing his name into Remus Oblivious Lupin.

“So after you asked me out,” Sirius continues, toying with his braid again. “I started thinking you only did so because you pity me. And since you were talking about James and Lily, and bloody Mary McDonald apparently, I thought maybe you were only asking because they had been pushing you.”

“I do pity you, and I would’ve never asked if James, Lily and Mary hadn’t been pushing me,” Remus says.

Sirius’ face pales, and he makes a jerky motion as if he wants to jump off the bed. He looks decidedly hurt.

Merlin, Remus really is a train wreck. He wonders if Remus Oblivious Train wreck Lupin would be too long...

“No, wait!” Remus catches Sirius’ wrist before he can dissappear. “I meant to say, I pity you for fancying me. You’re Sirius Black! Everyone wants you! And why wouldn’t they? You’re brave, clever, funny, and so incredibly gorgeous. And you’d choose someone like me? I’m just... me. And I never would’ve asked you out if our friends hadn’t pushed me, because I never would’ve believed someone like you would ever say yes to someone like me.”

Remus is relieved that the hurt is gone from Sirius’ face. He feels like an idiot for saying all that, but he’d rather feel like an idiot than hurt Sirius’ feelings. He’s just afraid that this is the moment Sirius will come to his senses, and realise that yes, this was a stupid idea and he can indeed do much better.

“Are you kidding me?” Sirius asks. “I mean, yes, you’re just you, but by being you, you are the best person I know! Your incredibly kind-heartedness in combination with your wicked sense of humour is simply irresistible. The only flaw I can find in you, is that you constantly underestimate how wonderful you are!”

Remus blinks at him. “You really mean it.” It’s not a question.

“I do,” Sirius confirms anyway. “What about you? If you forget about that whole ‘you deserve better than me’-nonsense, do you actually want to date me?”

“Date you?” Remus exclaims. “Sirius, I want to marry you!”

This time, it’s Sirius’ turn to blink.

“That is...” Remus mumbles, awkwardly running a hand through his hair. “I don’t mean... Not like tomorrow or something...”

A bright smile appears on Sirius’ face. “My, my, Mr Lupin,” he says teasingly. “That’s rather forward of you. If you want to put a ring on this finger, you’re going to have to make me your boyfriend first.”

Remus can only wordlessly open and close his mouth.

Sirius lowers his voice to a whisper. “But who knows, if you play your cards right tomorrow.” Suddenly, he leans in and presses a soft kiss at the corner of Remus’ mouth. And just like that, he’s off Remus’ bed and tiptoeing back to his own.

Remus lets himself fall back on his pillow, wide-eyed staring up at the wooden frame above his bed, carefully touching his fingertips to the place where just seconds ago, Sirius’ lips have been.

“Remus Oblivious Train wreck Lupin,” he whispers to himself. “You better play your cards right tomorrow.”

Lily searches the Hogsmeade High Street, quickly scanning the various cottages, shops and groups of laughing students. Besides her, Chase Danes is talking about some essay he’s been writing for Transfiguration. Or was it Charms? She probably should’ve been paying more attention. Danes is good-looking, smart, mature, and... incredibly boring.

“Excuse me for a moment,” Lily says, interrupting Danes in the middle of a sentence, as her eyes land on a messy mop of dark hair, sticking out above the crowd. She pushes through the crowd to make her way over to James. A huge smile breaks out on his face the moment he sees her approach. Lily is barely aware she’s returning his smile, or of the harsh glare Hestia Jones is giving her.

“Have you heard anything?” She asks, the moment she’s standing in front of James.

He shakes his head. “No. I just know they left together around eleven. They were acting completely normal at breakfast.”

“Well, at least they weren’t yelling at each other anymore,” Lily mutters.

James opens his mouth to reply, but stops when they see a figure rushing towards them in almost a run. Mary is panting when she reaches them, doubling over with her hands on her knees to catch her breath.

“Do you know anything?” Lily asks impatiently.

Mary straightens, and by the huge grin on her face Lily can tell that it’s good news. “According to my sources,” she says, looking like the cat that got the cream. “Padfoony has been spotted snogging outside of Tomes and Scrolls!”

Lily lets out a delighted shriek and, as a spur of the moment thing, flings her arms around James’ neck.

Mary smirks. Operation Padfoony has been a roaring success. Time to get Operation Lames on the way.

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

#my tumblr writing #wolfstar #wolfstar fanfiction #wolfstar fic #marauders #marauders fanfiction #marauders fic #marauders era #sirius black #remus lupin #remus x sirius #james potter #lily evans #jily #mary mcdonald #oblivious remus lupin

[lesbiansforboromir]

If a person wanted to write Boromir fic, do you have any tips on how to capture the Tolkieny tone in writing/best scenes to re-read for characterization?

LET ME SEE if I can’t compile a nice guide for you;

First thing’s first! Boromir does not include his own feelings into his statements unless it’s utterly against his will, such as the ring-controlled scene. In fact his discussion with Frodo is the first and last time he expresses his emotions verbally at all and even then it seems to be squeezed out of him in the midst of his ranting ‘how it ANGERS me’ like he is almost shocked at how angry he actually is in that moment, so much so that he can’t hold it back like normal. 

‘I am’ statements in general don’t come often either. He doesn’t use ‘I’ at all if he can help it. If he is describing the war or some conflicts or battles, he uses ‘us’ or ‘we’ ‘Some said that it could be seen, like a great black horseman, a dark shadow under the moon. Wherever he came a madness filled our foes, but fear fell on our boldest, so that horse and man gave way and fled. Only a remnant of our eastern force came back, destroying the last bridge that still stood amid the ruins of Osgiliath. 'I was in the company that held the bridge, until it was cast down behind us. Four only were saved by swimming: my brother and myself and two others.’ Here he mentions himself only as an explanation for the circumstances, and goes quickly back to talking as a collective. (This is the first and last time he mentions Faramir too, and never by name)

The times when Boromir uses ‘I’ statements most is for defining his own actions and intent or when he is offering advice. 'I have let my horn cry at setting forth, and though thereafter we may walk in the shadows, I will not go forth as a thief in the night.' He is clear to himself and others about what he will and won’t accept. 'I will add a word of advice, if I may,' said Boromir. 'I was born under the shadow of the White Mountains and know something of journeys in the high places. We shall meet bitter cold, if no worse, before we come down on the other side. It will not help us to keep so secret that we are frozen to death. When we leave here, where there are still a few trees and bushes, each of us should carry a faggot of wood, as large as he can bear.' Note here he is also polite but in a confident manner. ‘If I may’ is added to acknowledge that he is not the leader of the company, but he is not shy with offering his advice and assuming it useful. 

When he’s in more familiar and less strict circumstances, and actually sometimes even when he isn’t, Boromir has what I would call a... hint of sarcasm in his tone at all times. He’s always got a little sardonic wit with him,  `Let those call it the wind who will; there are fell voices on the air; and these stones are aimed at us.' See? It’s not... OVERT but it’s definitely a little long suffering/etc. Boromir... talks like an old man I guess is my point. 'What do you say to fire?' asked Boromir suddenly. 'The choice seems near now between fire and death, Gandalf. Doubtless we shall be hidden from all unfriendly eyes when the snow has covered us, but that will not help us.' ESPECIALLY when he’s talking to Gandalf, there’s just a bit of dark humour and ‘cheek’. `I do not know which to hope,' said Boromir grimly: `that Gandalf will find what he seeks, or that coming to the cliff we shall find the gates lost for ever. All choices seem ill, and to be caught between wolves and the wall the likeliest chance. Lead on!' jhadsjd BITCHY... but very funny and he’s right. And here also, ‘wolves and the wall’, he tends towards almost... poetic isn’t quite the word but he likes sayings and flowing dialogue. 

Continuing on from that point, Boromir is also generally... not WARM but he’s got a way of speaking that is comfortable and confident in comradery. Especially with Gimli, actually, he often makes these lighter sighed statements that have a lick of humour to them. Again, it’s never particularly overt, more of a constant underlying note in his wording, even in the latter parts of the fellowship. `Ah, it is as I said,' growled Gimli. 'It was no ordinary storm. It is the ill will of Caradhras. He does not love Elves and Dwarves, and that drift was laid to cut off our escape.' 'But happily your Caradhras has forgotten that you have Men with you,' said Boromir, who came up at that moment. `And doughty Men too, if I may say it; though lesser men with spades might have served you better.’ This is one of my favourite lines of his it’s just like... confident, not over proud, you can hear him grinning and the leetle wry tone he’s speaking in. Even here! In like the very last days of his life, he still has this quality! 

We might labour far upstream and yet miss it in the fog. I fear we must leave the River now, and make for the portage-way as best we can from here.' `That would not be easy, even if we were all Men,' said Boromir.     `Yet such as we are we will try it,' said Aragorn.  'Aye, we will,' said Gimli. `The legs of Men will lag on a rough road, while a Dwarf goes on, be the burden twice his own weight, Master Boromir! ' (later) 'Well, here we are, and here we must pass another night,' said Boromir. `We need sleep, and even if Aragorn had a mind to pass the Gates of Argonath by night, we are all too tired-except, no doubt, our sturdy dwarf.'     Gimli made no reply: he was nodding as he sat.

AND ANOTHER THING. Whilst Boromir CAN be an orator and give long speeches, he tends towards economy of speech. This is especially noticeable, again, between him and Gandalf. Gandalf will go on for three paragraphs about something, patronising him, explaining a lot of unnecessary stuff to sound clever. And then Boromir will just answer with; `We do not know what he expects,' said Boromir. `He may watch all roads, likely and unlikely. In that case to enter Moria would be to walk into a trap, hardly better than knocking at the gates of the Dark Tower itself. The name of Moria is black.' And that’s it! AND HE’S FFUCKIN RIGHT GGSHAHGS

So you’re usually going to be trying to narrow down his speech to it’s bare essentials in order to get the point across and nothing more. Stream lined, impersonal, confident and clear are the hallmarks of Boromir’s speech patterns. NO. SHOUTING. Unless to be heard or in a brief flash of shock, immediately restrained afterwards. Actually if Boromir has any kind of outburst, he tends to walk away from whatever situation caused it rather than allow anything to escalate. Boromir’s verbal tone is almost always neutral, wry or reassuring/comfortable. From experience, I can tell you this is... GRUELLING to write. You want so desperately for him to say what he’s thinking and feeling, what’s important to him, but he’s utterly incapable unless briefly possessed by evil. Not even when he’s literally dying will this change, though that might be because it was Aragorn at his deathside. Which brings me onto my final point.

We actually have no idea how Boromir might interact with people he actually likes and is friends with, let alone his family. I’m inclined to believe that warm comradery element just becomes more overt but little else changes. But you’re entirely at liberty to decide for yourself. Certainly though it is different from how he behaves throughout the fellowship. We never really meet Boromir... is a thought I can hardly bare so we’re STOPPING now. 

#boromir #chats #erran vs tolkien #lotr #tolkien #rescue-ram #asks

[catchester]

Guardians of the Galaxy, Ragnarok, and Classic Loki

I was discussing Classic Loki's costume with someone online and I admit, in the small teaser, I was really disheartened.

Yes, it was a faithful copy of a classic Loki costume, but comic book costumes are ridiculous, especially older ones. And if that wasn't bad enough, his pants looked like a nappy.

I'd been mostly impressed with the mixture of drama and comedy but this outfit was just a step too far for me. I was not confident in where the series was going.

Then in the next episode, they took this walking visual joke and gave him not only a full, but a fulfilling character arc.

I admit, Classic Loki is my second favourite variant, just pipped to the post by alligator Loki.

And isn't that weird? Alligator Loki is objectively more ridiculous, not in his costume but in his whole character. He's a freaking reptile FFS! But I love him.

And that reminded me of a discussion I'd had with a Ragnarok fan who would hear no wrong said about her movie. The points i brought up with her had nothing to do with Loki, I chose the slavery

It's on Sakar

Valkyrie is a slave trader selling people into certain death because no one wins forever, but somehow a hero,

And that Odin build Asgard using slave labour.

And there's the colonialism, related to the third point.

Both of these issues went totally unaddressed in a movie that didn't even need them. They could have written it a different way and still had a good movie.

I mentioned how T'Challa went into the afterlife to berate his father and ancestors for their wrongs and promise to correct their mistakes, while Thor went to his colonising, slaver father and... asks for advice? Really? That's like showing Thor asking Robert E Lee for advice.

She of course, argued that they were making entertainment, not the colour purple or 12 years a slave. Of course that's a straw man argument, but I reminded her that Black Panther had plenty of humour, and GotG literally sends itself up all the time, and even has a goddamn dance off with the villain, yet it still made me care enough to cry about the death of a tree!

Ragnarok had me wondering why Thor tortured his brother, do heroes do that now? Thor isn't even an anti-hero, he's just straight up hero. That scene just left me cold, it wasn't funny and because it was played for laughs, I didn't empathise with Loki. I mean, he just looks constipated.

You all know how much I love Loki, I've written enough stories about him, after all, but Ragnarok Loki is just meh. I care that he was being tortured from an intellectual perspective, because it feels wrong for the hero to do that, and his betrayal of Thor cam out of left field, but I don't feel sympathy for him. I can't relate to him, I feel neither love nor hate for him, I'm just indifferent (to all the characters actually).

The only thing that rouses any emotion in me is Taika and the rage his mishandling of important issues and dismissal existing character arcs brings out in me.

Contrast this torture scene with GotG, which had me sympathising with Nebula while she was being tortured because, sure she's a bad guy, but she's also a well rounded character and her torture wasn't being played for laughs. We know she's been tortured, in one way or another, her whole life. Yes, she's bad, but I can relate to her because I understand her.

Then this Taika fan said something that was more telling than she knew, and was actually 100% correct. Taika thinks comic books are ridiculous, and he's out here making a Road Runner movie.

And it suddenly hit me, she was right.

Everything in Ragnarok is treated the same way an anvil falling on Wile.E.Coyote's head is treated. There are no consequences. There are no lessons learned. There are no character arcs. At the end of the Road Runner series neither the roadrunner or the coyote had changed in any way. They were 2 dimensional, both literally and figuratively.

Unfortunately for her argument, 30 years ago we had what is still arguably the best cartoon Batman series ever, Batman the animated series. It took it's two dimensional animated characters and gave them three dimensional personalities. 30 years later it's still hailed as brilliant.

And I think that's why Classic Loki and GotG can take utterly ridiculous characters (let's face it, all superheroes are ridiculous to some extent) but while some even acknowledge how silly their comic book heroes are, they actually take the characters, the story, and the issues raised seriously.

Yes, Classic Loki looks like a joke, but he's never viewed as one from the crew's perspective.

Alligator Loki is even more preposterous! Who even made his horns, and who puts them on for him? But while the show acknowledges how silly he is with our Loki's questioning, he's a Loki and everyone treats him as a Loki. Yes, he injects some comic relief, but the laughter is never at his expense. He's even shown to be able to hold his own in a fight.

Rocket is a talking raccoon, but he's never laughed at. In fact he's even pitied once you learn what happened to make him that way. He's ridiculous, but he's not a joke. And yes, he makes jokes about how ridiculous they all are (bunch of jackasses standing in a circle) but while a comedic character, the joke is not on him. He's a fully formed, well rounded character. We care about him.

Yes, Star Lord is an idiot at times too, but his heart is in the right place and he wants to do the right thing. So you think he's gone mad when he has a dance off with the villain, but you quickly realise he's being an idiot for a very good reason and is playing to his strengths (and using idiocy as a strength is clever). I think we also understand, because he's a fully formed character, than his humour is a defence mechanism. He plays the fool because that's the niche he's carved for himself to help him cope, but that doesn't mean he is a fool.

Ragnarok wanted to be GotG, but Taiks forgot the part about while it's ridiculous and fanciful, the characters aren't a joke.

To Taika, if it doesn't get a laugh, it's not important. The few serious or touching moments we get are as a result of the MCU bigwigs forcing changes in reshoots, or forcing Taika to stick to the script.

There are no character arcs. You could argue that Loki goes from villain to hero or anti-hero, but he's already been through that journey in Dark World. Why did he regress? Who cares, it's not funny, he's just a bad guy again, forget about the plot holes and just laugh at the guy being killed smelling like toast!

Thor turning away from his father's teachings, like T'Challa did, would have been a wonderful character arc. Seeing his dad, realising his dad was wrong that and he needs to do better, and calling on his own inner strength to protect his people. That would have been a fulfilling arc. Instead he still needs advice from his colonising, slaver father. And this is actually one of the few scenes that wasn't played for laughs. It had so much potential, yet Taika just didn't care enough to reach for it.

Ragnarok is a road runner movie where our heroes toss a series of ACME anvils and dynamite at each other and the bad guys, but like the RR cartoon, there are no consequences. Just like Wile.E, they get straight back up again and lob another anvil at someone.

Hulk has been murdering innocent slaves for quite a while now, but he doesn't care. You'd think Bruce Banner might care about what his alter ego has been up to but no, this good, gentle, introspective, intelligent and caring man doesn't give one single fuck, because it's ACME Hulk and murdering innocent slaves has as many consequences as crushing them with an ACME anvil.

And I think that's the difference. Yes, your characters can be utterly ridiculous, but the crew must take them seriously and make them fully rounded characters who face consequences. Consequences are how we learn and grow.

And if they don't take the movie or characters seriously, you end up with a 2 dimensional story that no one cares about, because you haven't given them a reason to.

I don't care why Wile.E is trying to kill RR. I don't care what his motivation is. I don't care when he gets squashed or blown up, or falls off a cliff, because he's not a character, he's a caricature.

Ragnarok is just a collection of caricatures.

#thor ragnarok #MCU #gagnarok #loki series #Classic loki #old man loki #alligator loki #guardians of the galaxy #peter quill #rocket #nebula #black panther #gotg #gotg 2

[slightlyrebelliouswriter23]

Crashing | Jurdan Fake Hating One Shot

Written for: @poeticbrownmermaid​ for my 1k celebration!

Massive thank you to: @clockworkgraystairs​ and @sweetlyvillainous​ for beta reading this and holding my hand before I posted 🥺❤️

Summary: You’ve heard of fake dating. Get ready for fake hating. It’s all very romantic.

Rating: M/E for explicit language and a short, soft focus smut scene (a steam scene, if you will). The sexy parts start and stop after the ☽☽ in case you want to skip.

Masterlist

“You taste—” I’m cut off by my own giggle, which rises to my lips like my mouth is a glass and my laugh is the Champagne they’re serving at this dumb party. “You taste like bubblegum.”

Cardan looks at me funny, then snorts. “What?”

His eyes are beguiling when they’re amused. Even more beguiling when they’re amused and looking at me. They are dark intoxication. They compete against the night sky for vastness. I could swallow them whole.

We’re on the terrace under the stars outside his fancy-pants mansion. I’m sitting on the stone railing, my knees bracketing his lithe frame. His hands and lips are breathless effervescence on me.

I’m in a daring dress of red satin that I would’ve never chosen for myself had Oriana not insisted on finding us girls a tailor. It’s an elegant, backless number with an audacious slit up the side. The whole time before this in the ballroom, I could sense Cardan’s eyes eating it up while he pretended to hate me.

In this dress, I am a femme fatale spy from a film, meeting her tryst in the secret of shadows. Which is honestly not too far off from the reality of the situation, though I am no spy.

Cardan ghosts one hand up the exposed skin of my thigh. The night air is bracing as his touch.

“Jude,” he murmurs, “Are you drunk?”

He’s in a rakish black velvet suit with two blood-red rubies dangling from the pointed tips of his collar. It is decadence and sin given form. The first hour of this hell party was just that: Hell. By the time Cardan pressed a napkin into my palm with the words “Terrace. 10 min.” scrawled on it in smeared ink, I was beginning to glare at him in earnest—if only for the way he must’ve known he was teasing me.

Now, we’re making out behind two conveniently tall potted plants.

It’s all very romantic.

“I had one glass of wine, Cardan,” I say. I slide my hands from his hair and scrape my nails lightly down the column of his neck. It is heady, watching his eyes shutter. My hands slide down his chest and take up his lapels. I give them a firm tug. “I’m fine.”

“Well, I,” he says, lips hovering over my own, “Don’t believe you.” His breath fans across my face. It really does smell like bubblegum. And not the minty kind, either. I’m talking bright pink and bubblicious.

I lean back a little and stick my bottom lip out in a mock-pout. “Why not?”

“For starters,” he says, “You’re a lightweight.” He trails that damned hand down my exposed thigh again.

I shiver. “So? I also ate like twenty of those canopy things.”

“Canapés?” Cardan smirks.

“Yeah, whatever, Your Highness.”

He flashes me a grin and I’m briefly stricken into silence. “Then, what have you to say to your unprecedented giddiness this evening, Your Majesty?”

“Ew, don’t call me that.” I grimace. “I just called you ‘Your Highness’.”

“What? Scared of the implication?”

“Uh, yeah.” My brows shoot up on my forehead. “Mainly because it implies that I’m your mother.”

Cardan’s face goes slack. “Shit, really?”

I nod and bite back my grin.

“I thought they were interchangeable.”

“About as interchangeable as a fork and a spoon.”

He sputters a laugh. “Shows what I know about royalty.”

“You realise how ironic that is, don’t you?” I say, nodding pointedly in the direction of the party.

It goes on without us, spilling its mirth in great golden shafts out onto the terrace. It doesn’t touch us, though. The air is cool, clear of the preening bullshit that so regularly lathers these kinds of events. And though he makes me dizzy, Cardan is the only real thing here.

I think I like parties better this way. From the shadows. In there, we’d have to talk to people, explain ourselves. We’re supposed to hate each other. We were always supposed to hate each other.

A smile plays at the corners of Cardan’s lips as if he’s gleaned these thoughts of mine. “You haven’t answered my question.”

I narrow my eyes. “You think I’m too giddy to not be drunk.”

“Mhmm.” He nudges his nose against mine. “I’ve never heard you giggle before.” A slender finger tracks up my spine and it takes a considerable amount of concentration not to squeeze my thighs together. Goosebumps and a flush spring to my skin, anyway. “It’s delightful,” he tells me.

“Well, maybe you should work on your sense of humour.” My voice comes out shakier than I want it to.

“Maybe,” Cardan says, grabbing the back of my knee and hitching it up. “But that sounds like effort.”

I want to roll my eyes. This is exactly the reason we used to hate each other. His laziness, his arrogance, and entitlement made me want to punch him clean across his pretty cheekbones. I know my stubbornness and sharp tongue made him hate me right back.

Yet, when our worlds crumbled around us, we found ourselves crashing into each other. Entwined in a thicket of mutual understanding. Suddenly, there was so very little to hate.

We pretend to in public to keep up appearances. Everyone knows we hated each other. If we started being friendly around everyone else, people would talk. That’s the last thing we want. Even if they’d technically be right.

In private, though, Cardan is probably my most closely held secret.

Don’t get me wrong, he’s still annoying as all hell. Like right now. But I’ve always liked a challenge.

I hook my leg around his back, pulling him in. My fingers card through his hair again. “I can be delightful in other ways,” I say, biting my lip.

His eyes lower to my mouth. “Oh, I’m well aware.” Cardan’s voice comes out a rasp. He cants my chin with the crook of his finger, pulling my lip from between my teeth with the pad of his thumb. He looks at me with undiluted lust. The weight of his gaze is like a dizzying nightmare.

Then, he devours me.

Our mouths slide together, slowly at first, but building in fervor. Hot and heavy, like a fever. His grip on my thigh is bruising. His other hand splays across my bare back, crushing me to him, long fingers twining in my hair. Everything turns saturated and slow.

I invade his mouth with my tongue, determined to drink him up. He tastes like bubblegum and our reconciliation. At the same time, I hook my other leg behind him so he’s pressed flush against the apex of my thighs. ☽☽

A muffled groan rolls between his teeth. “Fuck, Jude.” Cardan is growing firm beneath his trousers. The feel of it sends a curl of sweet desire, dark and throbbing, through my core.

“You’re going to have to be quieter than that,” I tease. I’m so featherbrained on the savour of his mouth, his liquid touch. My veins feel full of amber liquor instead of blood. I know I’m not drunk, and yet I feel it.

His fingers drawl back up my leg. “The question is, dear,” he says, “Can you be quiet?” The coolness of his hands sends a shock along the heat of my inner thigh.

I realise where he’s going with this and my breath hitches. My cheeks blaze. “Yes,” I tell him, though I don’t sound as confident as I should for such a high stakes rendezvous.

“Hmm,” Cardan thrums. “We’ll see about that.”

His fingers are deft and twice as sly. He hisses through his teeth when they glide over me, exploring.

As a steady rain, he begins my unravelling. His mouth covers mine, swallowing a soft whimper that escapes my throat. I want to moan his name, to curse aloud, but I can’t if we’re to stay hidden.

The thought is both terrible and exciting at once.

Cardan keeps a torturous pace. I cling to him, panting, clutching at his arms, clawing at his back. His mouth roams my jawline. His teeth tug my ear. My mind is frenetic, frenzied, and at once thick in a viscous haze.

All I can think about is how this party is so stupid and soul-sucking, but Cardan is the farthest thing from stupid and soul-sucking. About how he makes me feel very much alive. About how I like him more than anyone here, probably more than even myself.

His other arm wraps certain and solid around me as he spins my world on its side. I lean my forehead on his shoulder. He kisses my neck. I can’t help the gasps that leave me.

My heart is racing. So quickly does it pump, in time with his ministrations, I think I might turn to white lightning in a bottle before all is said and done.

I know it when I’m drawing towards that precipice. My toes curl and flex. My legs begin to quiver. My knees lock up.

“Cardan,” I gasp. “Please.”

“Can you be quiet for me, Jude?” Cardan murmurs rough against my ear. He sounds a little breathless, too.

I am so muddled, I am so close. I can only manage a soft sob in response. Now he’s doubling his efforts and oh, gods is he clever.

I bite his shoulder to keep from making a sound as I shoot over the edge, a wondrous arc so high I’m sure I scrape the stars of their dust.

My hips writhe against his palm. I pull and rake my fingers through his hair as I spiral through the five stages of sweet delirium.

He holds me through it. Presses his lips to my hair and whispers what I think must be comforting things into my ear. I can’t tell because I’m incapable of comprehending much of anything beyond myself in his arms. He strokes soft circles over my back until it’s done. ☽☽

When everything settles, I’m still clinging to him, my forehead against the sureness of his shoulder. A sheen of sweat dewing my skin.

I’ve always hated this part about intimacy. The aftermath. Everything is too quiet. The excitement is gone. You’re faced with the reality of looking at each other without the rosy filter of lust. Maybe you’ll see each other for who you really are, and that’s a scary thought.

That’s probably how I felt once with Cardan, too. Back when we started…whatever this is. But now, in this moment with him, it feels less vulnerable and more like holding someone’s hand as you stare upon something a little terrifying.

Which is why I’m able to look up at him and ask in every manner of seriousness, “Why do you taste like bubblegum?”

His responding laugh is gentle and he shakes his head. “One-track mind,” he says. I shrug and wait.

“They’re serving bubblegum cocktails at the bar inside.”

My nose crinkles. “You actually drank one of those?”

“Don’t knock it till you try it.”

“No, I think I’ll sleep quite soundly if I never do.”

Cardan gives me an awful kind of grin that makes my toes curl anew. “Didn’t hear you complaining earlier.”

I bite the inside of my cheek. “That’s different.”

“Is it?” he says, then tucks a loose curl behind my ear. “I happen to like bubblegum cocktails.”

I give him a dubious look. I can’t help but feel that maybe we’re not talking about bubblegum cocktails anymore.

For a long moment, we just sit there staring at each other. There’s a bloom of laughter from inside the house. The clink of glasses. His eyes trace the lines of my face. I still feel drunk on him and he’s looking at me too soberly.

So I say, “You have shit taste, then,” and hop off the railing. I side-step him before beginning the task of smoothing down my dress. If I walk back into the party all flushed and disheveled, people will know what I’ve been doing—which is almost as bad as if people knew who I’ve been doing.

“Oh, you can’t say that dear,” Cardan lilts as he leans back against the balcony with all the insouciance of someone who lives in this ridiculous mansion. And rightly so, because he does. “Not when you taste equally delicious.” Then he brings his fingers, the ones that have just been inside me, to his mouth and closes his lips around them, burning gaze locked on mine.

My eyes go wide. My jaw slacks as I watch him. I’m somewhere between affronted by his audacity and completely turned on again. Which is a confusing place to be.

He laughs at my probably very foolish expression and I turn on my heel to head back to the party. I’m not actually offended. I just can’t bear to look at him while he’s tasting me off his fingers without combusting on the spot.

Cardan grabs my wrist. “Wait, wait,” he says, still laughing.

I arc a brow and turn to face him. “I’m waiting.”

“I’m sorry,” he says and sounds earnest enough. “It’s just… you make me giddy, too.”

His words are a punch to the gut. I hadn’t realised it until he said it, but it’s true. It’s not the way he kisses me or the high of a climax, though those are surely nice things, too. It’s the way I feel when we’re together. Just his presence makes my head swim, my stomach turn flips.

He makes me feel a little bit invincible, and entirely beyond reason.

I look at him, the warm glow of the party playing off the sharp angles of his face. He’s still holding my hand, fiddling with the ruby ring I always wear.

On the crest of a breath, Cardan says, “Stay tonight.”

“Why?” I whisper, because we’ve never spent the night. I’m not sure we’d even know how.

“Because I’ll miss you terribly?”

A smile tugs at my lips. “I think you’ll survive.”

“Because you’ll miss me terribly.”

“Oh, I’ll definitely survive,” I say. Even as my heart gives a squeeze. I don’t want to leave.

Not yet, not yet.

“Because you’re too intoxicated to drive home,” he says.

“I took an Uber here, Cardan,” I tell him. “And for the last time, I’m not drunk.”

“I’m not saying you’re drunk, Jude.”

He’s not grinning at me, which I think is a good sign. It means he’s not hinting at something sexual. Then again, that might also be a very bad sign. It means he’s hinting at something deeper. I’m not sure I want to get into that conversation just yet.

“Fine,” I say. I do want to stay. The thought of it sends a little thrill through me. “Hate me for an hour more. We’ll have a big argument about… something. And then I’ll tell Madoc I’m leaving.”

His hands snake around my waist. “What will we argue about tonight?”

I smile at him sweetly. “If your head is half as cunning as your fingers, I’m sure you’ll think of something.”

Cardan hums. “I do love it when we’re at each other’s throats.”

I roll my eyes but I’m betrayed by my laugh for not the first time tonight. Stupid punch-drunk feelings.

☽☽☽☽☽

Enjoyed this? Try:  King  |  Wicked Game  |  We’re All Mad Here

Masterlist

AN: So this was supposed to be a drabble for my 1k celebration but my hand slipped and whoops! It’s 2.5K words. I really hope you enjoyed this secret tryst one shot. I had so much fun writing it. If you liked this and want to see more from me, comments and/or reblogs are very much appreciated!

I have a tag list so if you’d like to be added to that, let me know in the comments/my messages/inbox and I’d be happy to add you! I also recently jumped on the Twitter/Instagram bandwagon. You can follow me @/rebelwriter23 on Twitter and @/slightlyrebelliouswriter23 on Instagram.

Back to the forest now. -Em 🖤💫

Title Inspo: Crashing- Illenium

Tag List: @velarhysismine​ @knifewifejude​ @the-mithridatism-of-jude-duarte​ @clockworkgraystairs​ @thesirenwashere​ @judexcardanxgreenbriar​ @nite0wl29​ @aelin-queen-of-terrasen​ @whocares-idont​ @babycardan @sweetlyvillainous​ @aesthetics-11​ @storiesandschemes​ @jurdanhell​ @poeticbrownmermaid​ @thechainofiron​ @random-llama-socks​ @villanellevi​ @lady-thea-of-narnia​ @b00kworm​ @flowersinvegas​ @vanessa172003​ @cardanstrickytail​ @queen-of-glass​ @doingmyrainbow​ @words-of-the-wise​ @scarznstars​ @charincharge​ @fizziefaerie​ @fateandluminary​ @tessas-herondales​ @styles-taylor​ @jyoti96​ @losssssstttttt​ @transbordeamento​ @katsemkitgostadetog @gloriouspalacebakerylawyer​ @woodsbeyond1​ @hizqueen4life​ @highqueenjudeduarte​ @m-like-magic1-blog​ @dorkzrul​ @whataboutmyfries​ @livelovereading123​ @queenofgreenbriar​ @ireallyshouldsleeprn​ @lifeminuspickles​ @df3ndyr​ @christalpaez @aknymph​ @iammissstark​ @disco-tits1​ @star-flecked-soul​

#tfota #jurdan #jude duarte #cardan greenbriar #tfota fic #jurdan fic #tcp #the folk of the air #the cruel prince #the wicked king #the queen of nothing #queen of nothing #twk #qon #tqon #holly black #judecardan #jude x cardan #jude duarte x cardan greenbriar

[mk-wizard]

How “Zombie Garfield” Happened

Hello, friends.

Today, I want to talk about a comic series that is extremely special to me because it is one of the many comics that made me realize what I wanted to do as a calling and it helped shame my childhood as well as my sense of humour: Garfield. Sadly... this essay will be a negative one, but it needs to be written. It is how the “Zombie Garfield” came to be. No, it’s not a Halloween special, it is a case of how the downfall of Garfield happened and how it became nothing more than a shadow of what it once was. Note that this essay is also subjective and I am well aware that some fans like the new Garfield. I have nothing, but respect for those fans, but as someone who read Garfield from the beginning and owned a large majority of its books for the last 25 years, I can tell you that the iconic orange fat can is not what he once was and while he has yet to lose weight, he has lost a lot of his original charm. And it goes well beyond seasonal rot. To understand how Zombie Garfield came to be, I will list all the things that made classic Garfield great and how those qualities are now gone. And for the record, this is coming from someone who supports reboots and getting with the times.

1- Garfield is still and always will be a cat. - No matter out outlandish, wacky, ambidextrous his forepaws are or quirky Garfield will act, he will always fall back on being a cat. He cannot talk meaning no one can understand or hear his thoughts, he walks on four legs most of the time and he is a creature of his species habit. With the exception of eating mice that is.

In short, Garfield was smarter and more self-aware than the average cat, but he is a cat and would act like one. That was part of what made him funny, but over time, Garfield would walk only on his hind legs which now had human like feet, everyone could hear his thoughts or he could talk, and he was able to do everything a human being could do. In other words, Garfield became more like an anthropomorphic cat playing the part of a cat.

It just isn’t the same and while I love the Looney Toons for being this way, Garfield isn’t a Looney Toon. He was his own unique thing and now, that uniqueness is gone and I’m not the only who misses it. After all, Garfield paved the way for other pet themed comics thanks to being a cat. It also feels all the more wrong to stop being what he is supposed to be for that reason.

2- Garfield has a heart. - While Garfield has the personality of a problem child and slightly bullying big brother, deep down, he loves John, Odie and at one time, the comic was on the path with Garfield even growing to love Nermal. And no, this isn’t a joke. At one time, Nermal growing on Garfield was a thing.

That was also a huge part of the joke. Garfield was cynical, sarcastic and savage, but deep down, had a lot of love to give. And that is why we loved the comic strip. After all, how can you have a family slice of life comic if there’s no love? Now, Garfield’s antics have become outright sadistic to the point of being grimly homicidal which I get is funny to some, but to a long time fan like me, that is shocking and not the Garfield I know. At all. And not just Garfield. Everyone in the comic has become so mean spirited. While the Garfield family was never a perfect one, it was never dysfunctional like it is now. While even Nermal used to say clever quips, he was never actually mean because he actually admired Garfield. Now, the heart has been replaced with stone and it shows.

3- Garfield was relatable. - And not just for people with cats or for socially awkward people like Jon. Garfield was relatable to people in general because it dealt with issues that the average person could relate to. It wasn’t all about Garfield being a glutton or just putting down Jon. While exaggerated at times, at the core, we could all put ourselves in the characters’ shoes at one time or another. Kind of like, this situation right here;

Nowadays, we have Garfield taking these mission impossible type trips all the way in the Amazon jungle, he finds a dinosaur bone in his backyard and there was even a special about him becoming a superhero.

Now, I don’t mind specials that switch it up, but even the specials should be grounded in reality because that was Garfield’s major audience: real people. And I also understand that the new Garfield Show cartoon is aimed for children, but the type of episodes it features feel like they belong in another setting. Not for Garfield.

4- Everyone would win and lose some sometimes. Including Garfield. - In other words, Garfield was not a Mary Sue who would get away with everything no matter how awful he acted. Sooner or later, he would get his karma moments just like everyone else would. And on the flipside, the others would win every now and then for their efforts including Jon and Odie. This kept the characters interesting and funny.

Now, there seems to be an unwritten rule that no matter how bad Garfield acts, the worst he gets is a slap on the paw. And also, Jon just isn’t allowed to win anymore (with the exception of the point I will bring up next and I’m surprised he still has that with how he is written now). This has changed Garfield into a mischievous yet loveable cat to a borderline abuser. This is absolute not the Garfield I know at all. Sure, he was savage at times, but never cruel. And Jon was socially awkward and had a rocky love life, but he was never THIS inept.

5- Jon’s struggle with winning Liz’s heart. - If there was one true plot to Garfield, it was Jon finding true love though specifically, him trying to woo Garfield’s vet Liz. It was always kind of hinted that sooner or later, Jon would finally capture her heart and it was something we were all rooting for yet at the same time, it would be bittersweet because it would mark the end of the series just as Steve Urkell finally winning Laura Winslow from Family Matters marked the end of that series. As long as Liz only at best tolerated Jon, it meant that the story was still going on and in its defense, the comic was still funny throughout that period even if by the end, its age was starting to show.

And on a side note, I mean even years after this phase of the comic, but this is the best of the Jon wooing Liz strip’s in my opinion. Anyway, when the fateful day happened where the pair finally went steady, we all expected to end. Of course, not abruptly as there would be a few new jokes to tell, but the story ran its natural course and the only big left to do was end it on a high note with Jon and Liz most likely either getting married or at least living together... but that didn’t happen. The comic is still ongoing which is a disservice to it because all of the important jokes have run out. Now, it looks like the story will continue until Liz leaves Jon which is not a good way to end the show because instead of ending on a happy high note, it will end on a sad low note. If it even ends when that happens.

Now, as I stated before, this is all my opinion, but I have to say that in my mind, once Liz finally became Jon’s woman and the family accepted her, Garfield ended. I also want to clear the air that new Garfield in no way, shape or form changes the way I feel about my Garfield. Nothing can change that for me. I am just saying that I have lost interest in the comic and I just take it as another example of what happens when you don’t let a story end once it has run its natural course. It loses itself.

But what do all of you think? What has Garfield lost? And what is your opinion on new Garfield? I would love to hear it. If you love my essays and my work, do give me a follow and even drop me a Ko-Fi or become a patron of mine. I also make art, webcomics and I do commissions. All links are in my profile page.

Thanks for reading and as always, have a great day and stay safe.

#garfield #odie #jon arbuckle #liz #garfield liz #doctor liz #vet #cat #cool cat #garfield comic #comics #comic #sunday comic #funny #comedy #pet #nermal #garfield nermal #garfield odie #lyman #garfield lyman #cute #endearing #heart #family #kitten #kitty

[secondstar-acorn]

My thoughts on the 2020 Mulan

I’ll be completely honest-I didn’t like it. And here’s why:

• The choice to make Mulan some sort of “chosen one” character. I think her character was much more interesting and compelling in the original, when she didn’t want to be a soldier, but did it to protect her family and ended up learning a lot about herself along the way. This Mulan doesn’t feel like she had any character growth whatsoever.

• The choice to remove Li Shang. I think the story between Mulan and him in the original is far more interesting. There’s more risk when he, the commander, is the one that could find her out. There are far more stakes when it comes to him wanting to impress his father.

• SPEAKING OF WHICH-why did they remove the scene in the mountains? I’m talking about the one with the child’s doll and the helmet of Shang’s father. Someone on this site did an EXCELLENT analysis of that scene and its importance to the story in terms of emotional value and establishing a connection between Mulan and Shang, while also showing the horrors of war. Their choice to remove it left the movie with a lack of emotion.

• The cherry blossom motif? “The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of them all”? Where was that? There was a slight nod to it during her scene in the lake, but otherwise it wasn’t mentioned.

• Mulan didn’t have a real relationship with any of the characters. There was conflict between her and the witch, sure, but it didn’t feel like she had truly connected to any of her friends in the army.

• In my opinion, the soldiers accepted Mulan far too quickly. With the original, it takes a bit of convincing. (It also really pisses me off that they gave the “you would trust Hua Jin, why is Hua Mulan any different” line to her new love interest). There were no stakes, and there was no frustration with the men. It was just...resolved. Almost immediately.

• MULAN DEFEATING THE VILLAIN WITH HER SWORD AND NOT THE FANS. In its own right, the sword has symbolism in terms of Mulan taking her soldier’s values with her and learning from them. However, the fans were much more impactful. They were “women’s tools”, after all, and used in the beginning to demonstrate Mulan’s lack of grace and poise. In the end, by using them as her weapons, it’s a visual symbol of not letting what men think of her hold her back.

• There was no comedy. One of my favourite things about the original was that it was pretty damn funny. I know part of that probably comes from the removal of Mushu (a choice I have no issue with, as the Phoenix makes much more sense, culturally), but there were other funny moments they could have included. Especially the “king of the rock” scene. That’s one of the great moments of connection between her and the men, and it’s hilarious. I understand that Disney wanted to make it an action movie, but it still could’ve had some moments of humour.

• I’ll admit, I missed the music. I understand why they removed it, and I liked the instrumental callbacks to “Reflection” and “Honour to Us All”, but I still missed it. That’s more of a selfish preference, anyway.

• There was NO sequence with her cutting off her hair and running away. That sequence really gave the movie stakes and showed how she began her journey, and I think it’s one of the most integral parts of the movie that made it so iconic. I really wish there had been some moment like that in Mulan to show the gravity of what she was doing.

• This is really a petty thing, but why didn’t she keep her armour on after she revealed herself? What was the point of that?

• Finally, she was lacking personality. She wasn’t clumsy, she wasn’t overtly clever and resourceful (though I did like the way she brought the avalanche down in this version, I thought it was very smart), and she just didn’t feel like a person.

Overall, the movie was severely lacking emotion, humour, connection, interesting characters, and the themes that made the original Mulan so impactful.

I really, really hope that Hercules will be better, but I’m not holding my breath.

#mine #mulan #disney mulan

[drivingsideways]

Into the Ring/Review

If I had one word for Into the Ring: delightful.

I didn’t know anything about the show or have too many expectations when I started watching the series- it was a random pick based on a vague impression that some folks on my tumblr dash liked it, but it had me hooked from the first minute. While watching, I was often struck by how easily its combination of  quirky, screwball comedy and very heartfelt, politically aware storytelling could fall flat on its face, but miraculously doesn’t.  That’s largely because Nana’s uninhibited performance as Goo Se Ra is infectious in its joy;  her comedic timing is spectacular, and I think she made the most of a script that loved her character a lot. 

It’s also one of the few dramas where I found myself (a) believing in the romance and (b) rooting for the couple. Park Sung Hoon underplays the quiet, stubborn and prickly Seo Gong-myeong to just the right degree that his character compliments Goo Se-ra without being buried by her effervescence. These are two people who have different approaches to life, and opposing personalities,  but have a strong sense of morality and interest in making a difference- and it’s lovely to watch them find companionship in each other at just the right time, and embark on a journey together. That line about love being friendship set on fire seems particularly apt for them. I could have done without that childhood friends-meet-as-adults trope, but in the end they utilize that in a way that it’s less about “fated romance”, and more about explaining how these two characters become the adult versions of themselves. 

The two actors have fantastic chemistry with each other. They’re physically comfortable with each other in ways that I don’t often see in kdrama romances- and I don’t mean just their sizzling, and very authentic looking kisses, it’s also that when their eyes meet in a shared joke, you can see that they both absolutely do find it giggle-fit funny, and when they put their arms around each other, it’s with a comfortable familiarity that feels very genuine. I love that Se-ra is confident in her sexuality- none of the simpering or startled deer-in-headlights moments for her-- those are all for him (lol!)--but I also love that they do that in the gentlest and sweetest way possible, without making it either weirdly desexualized or patronizing (which is unfortunately the impression I end up getting in most kdrama romance “scenes”) 

The show also takes care to make the tapestry of their lives as rich as possible. This is generally something I’ve come to expect from kdramas, so I was glad not to be disappointed here. I was especially thrilled to have some great female characters (and their actors) in the supporting cast- especially Yoo Da In as councilwoman and canny politician Yoon Hee-soo. I’ve seen some people refer to her as “second female lead”, which feels a bit dismissive, and not really how that character is written. She’s one of the most interesting characters in the show, and ngl I would watch the spin off about how Yoon Hee-soo gets herself elected to the National Assembly and then becomes PM or something. I love that her ambition and her moral choices are allowed to be questioned without demeaning her in any way. (*cough * stop KES dramas *cough *) ; I love that she gets to be clever, and funny, a bit of a troll, and sad and annoyed, and disappointed, but unbowed. What a great writing choice to make her a foil to Goo Se-ra’s blunt hammer approach to any problem. I am so hoping that if we get a second season of this show, it’ll build on their relationship- there’s so much to mine there. 

One of my favourite parts of this show is truly how it makes space for its female characters: from Goo Se-ra’s irrepressible mom, to her besties squad, to her rivals, to the antagonists, and the people she helps--and even the two ahjummas that she tries to scam into giving her information while playing detective. I also loved, loved, loved to bits that a running theme in this show is putting political power- actual political power- in the hands of women. Sure, it’s a feel-good show, but it’s a show that allows  both the scheming District Chief Won So-Jung and the idealistic independent candidate Son Eun-Shil, whose incredible choice of voluntarily stepping away from hard-won chance at fulfilling a personal ambition sets Goo Se-ra on her own journey navigating the corridors of power . And when Goo Se-ra returns that torch back to her in the end of the series- that feels earned and correct. Se-ra has a lot to learn and maybe needs some time to figure out if this is what she wants to do, but Son Eun-Shil deserves her own chance. 

In general, I thought the show was really clever about its political/ social messaging. It’s wrapped in a lot of goofy shenanigans, and I can see how people may feel it’s not “realistic” unlike for eg, Stranger or Life or the other highly rated dramas that deal with systems of power, but I think, at its core, it treats political apathy or a nihilistic helplessness, so fashionable in certain kinds of storytelling, as the enemy - and it does that with wry humour and a great deal of charm. 

Tl;dr: WATCH IT! 

#Into the Ring #kdrama #kdrama recs #i'm a queue for you

[sleepymccoy]

sleepy’s fic masterlist

Doing this cos I wanted to! And I can’t find the short things I’ve written on tumblr half the time, so i wanted a place to go to find them. I’ll edit this whenever I post something new and give it a quick reblog when I do <3

Tumblr shorts

Inventions and Ice-cream

A chererful conversation between Crowley and Aziraphale about their favourite invention humans have come up with. Also read for hand holding, ice-cream, and macking out against the Bentley door. Goes hard on the hand holding stuff

1600-ish words

What kind of lover are you?

Filled a prompt, wing grooming by South Downs. It turned into something very soft, very loving, with some acknowledgement of the aftereffects of trauma and constant threat and the anxiety that would be on you from that. Also, some nice massaging and snark from the main two. I feel like I’m getting a hug when I read this, thb

1200-ish words

Chamomille

Aziraphale notices Crowley getting tired and swings into action with a prepared bedtime routine. Crowley is not consulted. Very short and sweet

350-ish words

Monsieur and Difficult Topics

Crowley and Aziraphale are having a meal together after the apocalypse. Crowley says they're not friends and a very challenging conversation follows as Aziraphale tries to correct this. This is a pre romance thing, so they finish having had a worthwhile conversation, not leaping into dating

2000-ish words

Burnt Coffee and Crosswords

Crowley stumbles out of bed and finds that Aziraphale has, yet again, snuck into his flat while he was asleep. Fluff and fondness ensue

1000-ish words

Absolutely Adorably Nauseating

Outsider POV of Aziraphale and Crowley having very dramatic public fights. Three different stories. Mainly meant to be funny, but has some nice fluff in it

2000-ish words

How can someone as clever as you be so handsome?

Aziraphale remembers Crowley calling him clever in an angry moment and fondly teases him for it. Very fluffy.

1000-ish words

Gifts

Through the years Crowley has been giving Aziraphale gifts that are, overwhelmingly, in poor taste. Fluffy and silly, has pictures

2000-ish words

An Unpleasant Suprise

A butteromens effort. The similar fics were Aziraphale saving Crowley from Gabriel, I wanted to do a twist that had Crowley more engaged in the fight. Turns into an awful lot of flirting and the like at the end, it’s a fun read. Quick warning for a brief decrip of gore from being burnt, but I move on pretty fast

3500-ish words

A New Eden

Filled a prompt; “I’m going to need you to put some underwear on before you say anything else.” It’s not sexy, but by the virtue of the prompt there is dick. Mostly speechless Crowley, though.

1200-ish words

Entirely Unapologetic

Filled a prompt; “so why did I have to punch that guy?” Features protective Crowley and blustering Aziraphale

500-ish words

Be Unashamed With Me

Crowley’s waiting for Aziraphale to leave a church and as he waits he gets a bit sad about his demon-hood and remembers how hopeless he was before he and Aziraphale got together. When Aziraphale joins him a lot of fluff and compliments follow to cheer Crowley up. Which works. Gets a bit flirty.

1500-ish words

Climb Every Mountain

In the biblical narrative, God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, on Moriah. Abraham begins to comply, when a messenger from God interrupts him. Abraham then sees a ram and sacrifices it instead. In the me narrative, Crowley does a favour for Aziraphale then swiftly changes his mind and doesn’t let the kid be killed.

1200-ish words

How Many Ways Can I Say...

A very short form fic, more a casual tumblr post, but it has some cute descriptions of different ways Aziraphale can sat I love you to Crowley

500-ish words

AO3 links

If You Like

link to tumblr promo post

link to some relevant art

a take on the few days between apocalypse and the body switch, cos Aziraphale goes from surprised at Crowley offering to let him crash at his apartment, to swapping bodies and letting Crowley risk himself. So it’s following Aziraphale’s trauma and consideration. Lots of bed sharing and a very fluffy body-positivity ending with Aziraphale’s golden stretch marks.

10,000-ish words

Nothing’s Changed

link to tumblr promo post

A week into July and Crowley has finished sleeping in. He gives Aziraphale a ring and receives a very frosty reception. Although Aziraphale insists nothing has changed, Crowley suspects otherwise. Fic includes Aziraphale pinching Crowley to prove he’s not dreaming

2000-ish words

Slipped My Mind

link to tumblr promo post

Crowley and Aziraphale are so used to not being in a relationship that its quite easy to slip into old habits and forget that they’re allowed to touch now. A bit of angst, but mostly fluffy as they get used to this new normal.

6000-ish words

Requisite Lockdown Fic

link to tumblr promo post

This was actually a tumblr short fic I wrote, but it got crazy out of hand and the format is much easier on ao3 so I’m linking it here. Told entirely through phone calls in the same format as the lockdown youtube special. Crowley is setting boundaries for the first time and Aziraphale is struggling to adjust to these new rules. But it goes well

4000-ish words

To Seduce, Beguile, and Entice

link to tumblr promo post

Crowley isn’t any good at seduction temptations. This comes up one night and Aziraphale is concerned because he’s seduced in Crowley’s name before. All part of the Arrangement. So, of course, the only solution is for Aziraphale to teach Crowley how to seduce. It gets out of hand quickly. The last chapter is post apocalypse and Crowley tries his hand at seducing Aziraphale in a very intentionally referential way, as a kind of method to express that he’s actually interested in a relationship.

10,000-ish words

Still Waking Up

link to some relevant art

link to tumblr promo post

Follows the pair for about two years after the apocalypse as Crowley is behaving oddly and Aziraphale is figuring everything out. This is your trauma recovery fic! Crowley has nightmares and a fear of fire and some abandonment. Aziraphale is lonely and feels deeply incompetent and lost, as well as having not fully resolved some of his issues with Heaven. They learn how to be on their own side together rather than keeping it all separate and protective. Also, bed sharing.

30,000-ish words

Not Quite Human

link to tumblr promo post

Omnipotent POV (but not god) that sorta swaps between them. It’s just a simple 18 hours or so in the shop on afternoon as they’ve begun to get more physically affectionate. This is a decent mutual pining fic. I tried to lean into the real not-human stuff they’ve both got going on. It’s your classic admission of love fic with plenty of panicking Crowley. Features some smut with a sex-positive, asexual Aziraphale and a sex-neutral, demisexual Crowley.

10,000-ish words

the kind of thing one says easily

link to tumblr promo post

This is my silly take on an au. Everything is exactly the same but they actually communicate honestly occasionally. Wild, I know. We follow Crowley and Aziraphale through moments of time in their history (some canon friendly, like follow ons from scenes in the tv show, some made up) as Crowley quite simply tells Aziraphale that he loves him. And Aziraphale gets used to it and learns to be honest in return. Things really come to a head as the apocalypse approaches. The last chapter is a sex scene, but it’s very very loving rather than smutty.

15,000-ish words

Soft.

link to tumblr promo post

This is a very fluffy fic. Crowley tells Aziraphale he has a nice body and it dredges up Aziraphale’s residual concerns over what Gabriel said and in the panic-fueled conversation that follows as Crowley tries to right his wrong they slowly step in sync into discussing their feelings and wants. This fic is the big three, communication, consent, and soft. (gets a bit sexy too, but it’s pretty tame)

10,000-ish words

Is It Worth It Yet

link to tumblr promo post

Around abouts the 1000AD mark, in what would become Turkey a few hundred years later, Crowley sat down, took a breath, and told Aziraphale how he feels in a total trainwreck of a conversation. Chapter 1, that conversation. Of course, Aziraphale would then expect Crowley to bring it all up again after the apocalypse, and when he doesn't he decides to take matters into his own hands and broach the topic himself. It doesn't go as well as he'd hoped. Good ending tho, don't worry guys. If you need an overload of angst then a big old hug to pull you up again, this is a good one.

10,000-ish words

Summoned

link to relevant (lemon) art

link to tumblr promo post

Post apocalypse, timeline unspecified. Heaven and Hell refangle the way humans summonings work so it only applies to Aziraphale and Crowley. This means Crowley finds himself summoned an awful lot more than usual. We see their relationship readjust after the apocalypse in snippets of moments as Crowley’s been summoned. It’s mostly fairly light hearted, but there’s a couple chapters of pretty good angst and one very sexy chapter at the end! Just straight up smut, of the light d/s variety

13,000-ish words

Try Some Pride On For A Day

link to some relevant art

link to tumblr promo post

Shortly after the apocalypse, Aziraphale set a challenge down. Sin vs virtue. Each chapter shows an attempt from Crowley to get Aziraphale to succumb to sin, and Aziraphale tricking Crowley into performing a virtue. Some attempts are easier than others, some are impossible. They learn a lot about each other and slip into some unexpectedly honest moments. This one gets sexy but not out of hand. Aziraphale is pretty explicitly asexual.

20,000-ish words

Needed a break, gone to France x

link to tumblr promo post

A few weeks after the apocalypse and Crowley goes to visit Aziraphale to find a note taped to his door. Panic, anxiety, and general sadness over being so broken up with ensue. This is a miscommunication fic with a writing style that leans toward humour rather than angst and has a nice fluffy ending with good asexual overtones

9000-ish words

Heresy

link to tumblr promo post

Set 3000 years after the apocalypse. Crowley and Aziraphale live together and are romantic. They have been left not entirely alone by their old colleagues, but they are unthreatened so it’s all okay. Until one day Beelzebub and Gabriel drop by to visit in the most surprising way. This fic is my first and was written before the discussion of Beelzebubs pronouns kicked off, so I used the actresses pronouns (she/her) instead of they/them which I’ve used since when referring to Beelzebub

2500-ish words

#sleepy writes #good omens fic #good omens fic rec #ineffable husbands #i enjoyed going over some old fics! #imma read summoned tonight i like that one a lot #and maybe is it worth it #that still upsets me #altho i have an angsty wip im theoretically working on #so maybe ill dive into that #we'll see #edit #ive added links to tumblr posts #i cant believe i found them all #that was some trawling through old posts

[9worldstales]

Loki & Thor in “Thor & Loki – Double Trouble” n° 4

So we’ve reached the last issue of “Thor & Loki – Double Trouble” and I’m gonna miss it.

To refresh everyone’s mind this comic is just a funny story that has no pretences to be serious about two brothers, Thor and Loki, who can’t get along and their meeting with their alternate selves.

I don’t know why the past month it wasn’t released, maybe since this number has Loki meeting with his Variant self they wanted to wait for Loki in the “Loki” series to do the same first? Or maybe there’s other reasons. Not a big deal.

Anyway the siblings have lost the orb that would allow them to go back home so they’re searching for it with Female Thor.

Loki has been characterized as very smart but overall doesn’t like to do physical work so when they start to search he wonders if they can use a chariot. No such luck.

Now a tiny personal peeve of mine is that they show Loki freezing and not the two Thors despite him being a Frost Giant but whatever.

Loki is clever enough to have on himself marshmallows to eat (of which he seems to be a glutton)

...and even if he asks for a ladder when they’ve to climb a mountain he’s shown as being the first getting there (he’s standing on top of it while the Thor are just climbing on the top).

Now, here is a bit confuse. Loki seems, for unknown reasons, to fall into the nest atop the mountain when Fjalara, a giant bird is about to be back. Female Thor says to hide so she and Thor jump in the nest as well.

Someone, we don’t know who, comments he wouldn’t have chosen to hide under her while someone else claims birds are sensitive so they shouldn’t upset her.

For unknown reasons Fjalara notices Loki who has just turned into a newborn bird so the two Thors ‘heroically’ catches their chance to escape. As Lady Thor wonders if they should help Loki Thor, proving he’s a ‘good’ brother, says ‘no’ because that’s the sort of sibling love they have.

Okay… this is not a story in which Thor will be the first to show care for his brother. Pity.

Though I get Loki is terrible but really, Thor is clearly not a good brother either so each has what he deserves.

At this point though, Lady Thor figures the bird is just Lady Loki who retransform back into a human and greets her.

Lady Thor blames herself claiming she should have known it was her while Thor is surprised there’s another Loki. Lady Loki asks them if they’re looking for the orb which of course she has but, although Loki confirms it he’s more interested in praising his female self which in return praises him back because LOKIS ARE THE BEST! Not only I agree but that’s how you do Variants of the same person and funny Narcissism right.

It’s a page and it’s perfect.

It’s clear they’re Variants of the same person, even more than the Thors and they don’t try to compete about who’s the better Loki but just shower themselves with appreciation. And despite this they don’t fall in love with each other.

Thor interrupts them and Loki realizes they should recover the orb but of course, as they’re the same, Lady Loki wants it too. An argument that again remarks how they’re the same person as they react the same and they’re equally strong ensues.

We don’t have a Mary Sue here, they’re the same so they’re equally strong as they keep on transforming trying to steal the orb in a battle that reminds me of the one in “The Sword in the Stone” between Merlin and Madam Mim.

Meanwhile the Thors wait and discuss on how they both find being Thor… ‘glorious’ though they seem to lack assertiveness.

Really, I wonder if this number has been done to parody the “Loki” series as well.

We’ve also a nice moment in which Thor admits he’d like to get along better with his brother… and Lady Thor tells him the Lokis get along very well with each other… until they’re ready to kill each other. That’s a subtle way of explaining the problem of being the same person.

They accept each other but the fact they’re the same stop them from completing each other and put them into competition as they want the same thing in the same time in the same way.

If Thor were to make an effort to tolerate and accept Loki more, they could instead complete each other and get along better. Lady Thor also point out Loki is trying to get the orb to bring Thor home (honestly I’m not really sold on this but it’s nice).

After a lot of time in which the Lokis are completely balanced Loki decides to give up. It’s not random, this series keep Loki as intelligent and quick witted and so what he does is part of a plan because, although this story took care to make the Lokis the same, the hero is the FIRST LOKI so he’s slightly smarter and he has a plan.

They don’t try to make Lady Loki the Mary Sue who can easily beat Loki with a hand tied behind her back or that always get things her way.

So, Loki claims, while remaining IC that he’s not going to waste his energy (with previous scenes confirming Loki doesn’t like to waste his energy) to try to get back a orb Lady Loki doesn’t know how to use.

To a confused Thor who asks him whats’ wrong Loki tells to keep quiet as he knows himself.

Lady Loki knows it’s a trick, she’s not dumbed down. However when Loki tells her not to do something she just can’t resist because Lokis always do what they aren’t supposed to do and both Lokis know but again, they can’t resist.

I mean, look at this page and at how it’s beautifully expressive.

And the funniest part is not only that Lady Loki did it but that Lady Thor didn’t want her to do it (even though she should have figured it was all Loki’s ploy to make Lady Loki do it) which Lady Loki took as an incentive because… Loki.

Thor asks his Loki what would happen now and Loki admits he has no idea in the same way he had no idea it would bring them there.

The result is they summoned a Midgard serpent again. Lady Thor echoes his again in a worried tone while Lady Loki admires the Midgard serpent.

At this point Thor gets they can cooperate and takes Loki’s arm telling him to get ready, to which Loki confirms he’s born ready and then Loki grabs the orb...

...while Thor makes them to fly away until they’re on the Midgard’s serpent back. At this point Loki turns the orb counter-clockwise so they can go home.

Lady Loki takes the loss of the orb well and says she’ll repay Lady Thor ‘for backing her up’ by doing something mean and unexpected. So yeah, they’ve probably the same kind of relation Thor and Loki had.

Anyway Loki and Thor are back home and back to the mess they left, which Thor again blames on Loki.

Loki admits he discovered by that experience Lokis could be annoying and stubborn and apologizes to Thor for the first time, because he doesn’t want to be annoying. Thor is surprised but they have a beautiful second in which Thor smiles at him, suggesting they should get back on cleaning so Odin won’t scold them and Loki agrees… for a panel.

In the next he’s already suggesting they could try something else rather daring he has been hatching, his new great plan. Basically Loki is showing that, although he doesn’t want to be annoying, he just can’t change.

In reply Thor says he’s very busy… but we know he’ll end up following Loki’s schemes again because Thor too can’t change.

And that’s the end.

And okay, I love this 4 issues series.

It was clearly a funny story, uncomplicated and meant to be funny without being judgemental.

Both brothers have flaws, both brothers can do better if they accept each other and cooperate and being exactly the same doesn’t mean you won’t argue or that you’ll be pleased with the other.

It also played the Variants right as, although they were Variants, they clearly were a Thor and Loki Variants and you would have recognized them even if they hadn’t introduced themselves and you had no idea a Lady Thor and a Lady Loki exist. Variants were well balanced among them and the story had a Variant triumph on the other only when it was fair (Lady Thor wins on Thor because that’s her place and Loki wins on Lady Loki because that’s his orb) and logic (Thor undervalued Lady Thor, Lady Loki was distracted).

Yeah, issues are addressed in an extremely light and not resolving manner, Lady Thor explains Thor deep down his brother cares for him and Loki understands he can be annoying and admits he doesn’t want tobut, for the sake of humour, they can’t change but that was the whole point of the story.

This title didn’t promise great resolutions and growth but just fun and I love it.

So really, read it, I wholeheartedly recommend it!

#loki #thor #thor odinson #loki laufeyson #thor and loki double trouble #9 worlds comic study

[gaillol-13]

ITTHIGSS AU

Cartoon encounter

The Thrilling Adventures Of Captoon Underpants. By George Beard and Harold Hutchins

Despite it's old appearance, it was made in 2021 by cartoonists George Beard(20 and 0/5 yrs) and Harold Hutchins(21).

They said that they made the cartoon in memory of their boss, Benjamin Krupp, who was tragically killed in a car accident(?). And despite his grumpy, strict, and sarcastic nature, they did miss him (in the interview they joked that black and white cartoons were played at his high school, despite that he was in his 40s, and technology didn't work like that back in the day). And it was also based off the comic books they made when they were young.

The Cartoon itself was about George and harold (as kids) and a chubby half-naked goofy superhero called Captoon Underpants. The trio go on wacky action packed adventures, stop alot of evil baddies, or just have a bunch of fun. It has a decent amount of potty humour, well-balanced in the adult jokes department, and was a hit for kids (and even some adults) everywhere.

The only unhappy customer was Theodore Murdsly, a rich businessman with a huge company (called Ted corp), and a ego to match. The main reason he found the cartoon unacceptable was that he was a major antagonist and Captoon's rival. And it potrayed him as a selfish, cocky, greedy, perverted (yes, I went there), and lying pig (what pissed him off even more was that George and harold dont regret it one bit, even enjoyed that he was annoyed). When he stated this problem, Harold simply said "Look if you dont like that we made your character so accurate, you don't have to watch it at all."

The viewers laughed their heads off, and no one seemed to cared about Theodore's complaint.

On December 4th, seven criminals who worked for Ted kidnapped George and Harold and took them to the abandoned Jerome Horwitz school (which was also where the two cartoonists got their education) to "end the production".

When people asked how George and harold got out alive, they didn't answer and looked at each other with worry. So the police (along with class S scientist Melvin sneedly, who also went to school there) went to the school to investigate, all the evidence they found was a room with 5 dead bodies (no doubt the criminals) and a small TV.

From what Melvin described, 1 body had their neck twisted off and skinned to the bone, 2 had been hung from handmade nooses (that were, strangely, just a bunch of briefs tied together), another one had the top half of their torso missing (with teeth marks,human teeth marks), and 1 looked like it was crushed by a heavy object. There was no trace of the other 2 criminals. Here's what he said in the interview.

"Do you think George and harold are responsible for these murders?"

"Of course not! Sure, those rusty water pipes are very clever, but they wouldn't kill a human, not even if its self defense!"

"You said one was crushed, can you define exactly how?"

"Actually, it seems that the killer crushed him using...some sort of weapon. *pulls out a small broken piece of the weapon out of his pocket and shows it to the camera* I got a sample of it right here"

"The weapon was made from...grey wood?"

"That's the thing! It has the texture of wood, right?! But-but it feels... *drags finger on sample* wet, like ink, just a little. But it's also static-like!"

"Static-like?"

"Y-yeah, and its definitely solid, but it feels like you can bend it too, sorta like rubber!"

"So...its moist rubber wood that feels like...static?"

"I know I know, it sounds crazy. But thats just how it feels, we ran some tests on it, all the computers (after some errors) could say was that it was "hammer wood". So we can confirm this person used a hammer."

"But you said it was rubbery, so how could this person smash them with it?"

"They must have swung it hard, and judging from this picture... *pulls out a picture of the completly smashed corpse* ...it must have been a pretty big hammer. *chuckles a bit*"

"What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing. Just imagining this guy smashing someone with a hammer probably bigger than his body, while its obviously barbaric and gruesome...it kinda reminds me of the captoon cartoons George and harold make..."

"It does?"

"*Nods* mm hm. *pulls out the picture of 2 criminals hanging* And they also made a noose out of underwear! There was actually a Captoon episode where Captoon kinda did that."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, *crosses his legs and smiling* Theodore said to some people something about him winning a contest and gloated that he was gonna win Edith (like that's ever gonna happen), and-"

"Do you know who Edith is in the cartoon?"

"Of course! She's Captoon's love interest, her first appearance was in "Captoon's train troubles", and just like George, Harold, Theodore, and me (yeah, I'm in there too), she's an actual person in real life. And she didn't seem to mind the role those two gave her *leans foward* if you know what I mean. *winks and leans back to his original spot*"

"*chuckles*"

"So anyway. Theodore says that, but what he didn't know was that Captoon heard and saw the whole thing through the window, and boy, did he look pissed! So Captoon tapped the window to get Theodore's attention, then pulls out a bunch of underwear from his utility waistband (one of his powers in unlimited underwear), then ties them into a noose, points at him, then at the noose, and then does the "slit-throut" gesture, all while making direct eye contact with Theodore!"

"Woah...that's kinda dark for a family-friendly cartoon."

"I know!! Captoon didn't even say a word in that moment, but that was CLEARLY a death-threat!!! He had full intentions to KILL that smug rich douchebag!!! I mean, they ARE aware kids are watching these, right?!?! Anyway, my point is whoever killed these criminals are obviously a fan of the cartoon, that would definitely explain why he let George and Harold live. *takes a sip of tea*"

"Heh, your one to talk."

"*spits out tea* NONONONOITSNOTLIKEILIKEITORANYTHING I-*ahem* Its just those two keep bugging me to watch it with them, they really love how their work turns out in the end, and I respect that, a-and I seem to remember what happens in the episodes, heh. *nervous laughter* I think we're getting a bit off track. Back to the murders."

"Right, there were seven criminals who took George and harold, but you found five. What happened to the other two?"

"Oh that's...a great question, we couldn't find them, but... *freezes for a moment* remember that there was also a small TV in the same room as the bodies were?"

"Yes."

"W-well, when I was alone in there, it was on one side of the room, and there was a door to the storage room on the other, it was a big room. I noticed there was blood, coming...o-out of...the TV screen...

"W-was there anything showing on the TV?"

"*shakes head* The TV showed nothing but static on it, but bloods was oozing out of the corners...and...when I got closer...I could hear someone...humming..."

"What?"

"*shivers* The-they were humming the Captoon theme song...I could hear it...and...hands..."

"Wha?"

"I could feel...hands...reaching out toward me...from behind...I could hear the storage room door opening...the breathing...footsteps that repeatedly stopped to tap to the rhythm of the song he was humming...that was the moment I realized the man who killed the criminals was right behind me..."

"Jeez."

"His breathing seemed like it was coming from a radio, scratchy...static-like...but that wasn't the unsettling part..."

"What was?"

"I couldn't believe what I was hearing, I KNEW one person who breathed like that, it was too familiar...but...It just...couldn't be...he's been deseased for over a year now..."

"Who?"

"... *shakes head* never mind, I think it's time for us to end the interview anyway."

To be continued.......

#TTAOCU cartoon #captain underpants #cap #krupp #drawing #george #harold #ITTHIGSS AU #Captoon #Krupptoon #Ted Murdsly #melvin #writing