#there was a middle panel but it looks cooler without it SO

[vamonkea-art]

PREY/PREDATOR

#werewolf #lycanthropy #lycanthrope #whoooo wee #artists on tumblr #oc #anhelor #this one kinda took forever #there was a middle panel but it looks cooler without it SO #kinda a bummer the drawings dont complement one another #i thought the graphic look vs the rendered look would be cool #buuuut idk #well lets hope tumblr likes it at least

[copperbadge]

The Pompeii exhibit at the MSI, as with many temporary exhibits there, is split across two galleries. I like how they handled that this time; the first half presents artworks and artifacts recovered from Pompeii, and uses them to teach about ancient Roman life. I studied classical fresco and mosaic arts in grad school, so I got to see some stuff in person that I’d only ever seen before in books. The mosaic of the anchor, for example, has never left Italy before. 

The winged-phallus windchime I’d seen before but also not in person, and I was very amused by the fact that it was off in a niche with a warning sign about artifacts of an adult nature. Which was mostly a lot of dicks, and a couple of (I thought) tasteful frescoes of people having sex or looking like they’d like to. I also wrote a paper on the penis as a magical amulet in classical history in grad school, so I was delighted by all the penis amulets I got to see. A hundred years ago you had to Know A Guy At The British Museum to get a look at stuff like this. 

The last image comes from the more serious second half of the exhibit, which I have another post queued about, but I thought one of the cooler elements they introduced was the screen showing a gladiatorial fight, with the two smaller screens showing images of the fighters. I love that they basically gave this gladiator a D&D character stat set. 

There were some aspects of the exhibit I didn’t love -- some scientific/historic exhibits in the past ten years have made heavy use of video, which I don’t hate intrinsically, but a lot of the time there will be several video exhibits in one room. It’s extremely unpleasant to try and watch one -- or even look at non-video exhibits -- when three separate video narrations are audible at once. I had planned to leave my headphones off, because I’ve realized that I’m rarely in public without my headphones in and that might be contributing to a certain level of alienation, but I had to get them out of my pocket and put them back in because at least I could pump the volume on my playlist and only hear Robbie Williams instead of three separate people pontificating about ancient history. 

But overall as a Roman history and an art history nerd I very much enjoyed the exhibit, and I might go again before it closes. 

[ID: Four photos; the first shows the entry atrium to the exhibit, a pair of old-fashioned wooden doors above which is a video screen with the title “One Day In Pompeii” waiting to show us an introductory film. Middle left, a mosaic showing an anchor, two swimming men, and two dolphins or whales, is mounted on a wall; middle right is a windchime made of a bronze winged penis-creature with a penis-shaped tail, each of its limbs clutching a chain that holds a small bell. Bottom, a large video screen with two glass panels in front of it; the screen shows a shield and sword in a gladiatorial arena, while the panels show the warrior on the right and his “stats” and name, Murmillo, on the left.]

#pompeii #msi #classical history #art history #exhibit design

[villainsimpqueen]

Below it Glows

Miles Quaritch X Cave dweller Na'vi Reader.

Chapter One

Art made by @nin3kyuu

He had served his country, going to wars, doing operations others wouldn't dare do nor have the guts to do so. He lost many men, brothers and sisters due to the earth wars fighting over limited resources as their home planet continued to die more and more. 

A planet that once was rumored to be filled with vast forests and  clean waters and where humans could once live on Earth's lands without eco packs and masks glued to their face to filter clean air. 

Despite the Earth dying quickly, humans like a disease, cockroaches found a way to prolong their lives. Building even more cities but ones entirely of walls and filtration systems to pump filtered clean air into its halls and giant rooms. Levels were made with the rich being at the top and the poor to the bottom. 

  And still they all fought, they always were fighting and He was thrown into the fighting, a soldier, a commander, a colonel. Fighting for his country of endless mazes of filtration walls with small homes in them. All to be barely considered middle class.

He fucking hated it all. 

Quaritch breathed the filtered air from his mask as he stood outside the large doors of the city of walls he lived in. His shift was nearly over. He just had to carry on for another half hour and then he could go home, shower, put on clothes that weren't covered in toxic dust and ash and sit down with his fiancé. 

He huffed out the carbon from his lungs exhaling it out of the mask as he watched the wind pick up slinging dust and ash over the dead landscape. He could not fathom an Earth that was covered in plants and forests and even clean water, because even now as he walked the city's borders taking in the barren lands of dust and ash and the rivers of tar and slog it was an unbelievable thought. 

Paz liked keeping hologram screens around their unit playing simulations of what such a landscape would look like, having them even over their two windows that look out to the dead landscape to make it look like there was a vast forest with clean waterfalls instead. 

He wondered if she would even be home before him, her work was endless being an engineer she was always on call to fix some fucking thing. He admired her handiwork, she was one of the important workers in the cities, making sure the filtration system and environmental systems stayed on top notch standing at all times. Any time a filter leak happened she was called immediately, no matter the time of day or night. He sighed wondering what they had in storage to make a meal with, for if she wasnt there when he got home he would then shower and make them dinner. 

The thought of powdered meat and sustainable greens didn't appeal to his stomach not one bit, it brought back more anger. The upper classes actually enjoy the real shit. 

Real meat, real fresh greens and fruit. They got to eat meals he couldn't even imagine and it pissed him off. 

He should be able to buy real fucking food for himself and his fiancé. He should be able to enjoy basic fucking needs, why did those pansy bastards get too? He would love to see one of them suited up in protective suits, a mask glued to their face and trudge around in the hot dusty atmosphere their ancestors caused by sweating their balls off and coming home to eat powdered sustainable food. 

His ecopack beeped its warnings of needing cleaning and he forced a low growl before turning and walking back to the large doors slamming his keycard against its security panel allowing him into the sanitary station. He stood still as it sprayed off the toxic ash and dust from his body and vacuumed it out by exit shoots before allowing him to the next room where he could strip off the protective suit and gear. Sweat sheened on his skin as it was exposed to the cool filtered oxygen of the city. He breathed, feeling his lungs greedily accept the cooler 'cleaner' air as he watched his recruited replacements take their shifts leaving through the doors to the shitty atmosphere outside. He watched the doors open and close a dust storm brewing behind them. 

poor bastards.

He thought before he moved heading to the holo computer to clock his times file paperwork and then headed to the lift that raised him to his living level. Walking through the vast halls of the city and past the stores he watched bots move doing delivery services and the other humans of this city move around doing shopping.

Parents walking around with their kids buying them pointless shit that will end up outside of the city walls once the brat gets tired of it, making the outside even worse than before. 

He walked past simulations of decorated trees  that hurt his eyes along with the florescent lights of the city. 

Finally arriving at his and Paz's unit he walked inside seeing all the lights off. 

He let out a sigh trudging through the living room and towards the bathroom flicking on the light as he stripped his clothes and climbed into the shower having its hot sanitation water pour over him and his skin. His skin prickled under it slightly stinging as he stared at the showers tiles avoiding the sanitation water to burn his eyes. 

Grime and dust that made under his suit washed down his body and into the drain with its murky color. 

I gotta get us the fuck outta here. 

Gritting his teeth as he glared at the tiles. 

There were rumors, rumores that the top level had real fucking plants as decoration. 

They didn't have as many filtration systems because of real plants producing real oxygen. They had clean water, drinkable water. 

not packed water, or water cleaner packets to mix into the sanitation water to make it safe for consumption. But real fresh clean water. 

Real food, They had an environment system that was supposedly like how the Earth was supposed to be hundreds of years ago before great wars fucked everything up. 

He wanted that. 

God, he wanted that so badly. 

Dinner was nothing but slop in a bowl and he glared down at it as his spoon scooped it up and brought its dull color to his lips.

"I got a raise today." Paz's voice called to him and he glanced up at her from his bowl. Her brunette hair thrown into a messy bun and her dull green eyes surrounded by dark circles much like his own, her skin not pale but gray like his own it looked as lifeless as the ash and dust outside in her bright clothes she wore. 

"Yea?" He asked her, forcing a smile on his lips.

lifeless, they looked so lifeless in here..

Paz smiled back at him and nodded. 

"I was thinking…maybe we could look at some of the units on the south side of the city..something bigger." She told him.

He moved his eyes back to the slop in his bowl.

"Paz." He warned.

"You gotten a raise last month and now i have one, maybe a few more months and we could find a really nice unit and start thinking about ki-"

"Paz enough." He snapped, glaring up at her to pause, her dull green eyes dulling even more.

fuck. 

He didn't mean to snap, he really didn't. His anger was misguided and he let it focus on her like he always seemed to do in these past few months. 

He only sat in silence as she moved from their shared table with that bowl of slop of hers and took it to the kitchen leaving it and heading to their room. the slide of doors ringing in his ears as he was left alone. He slammed his hand on the table gritting his teeth, feeling his rage build through his body, tensing his muscles, flexing them before he let out a  sigh and dragging his hands up his face into his hair pulling on it. 

"Fuck.." He grumbled letting his head fall back and his hands falling to his lap he stared at the ceiling for a while until he forced himself up to gather his bowl and take it to the kitchen washing his and Paz's dishes before cleaning the kitchen. 

He went ahead and packed his and Paz's lunch pouches for the next day before he headed to the bedroom and met with the lights turned off and Paz already in bed. He stared at her back as he moved under the covers. He stared at it for a few moments watching her steady breathing before reaching out and pulling her towards him. Wrapping his arm around her, He held her close burying his face into the back of her neck.

"I'm sorry.." He whispered, only met with her breathing steady and soft, his apology fell on sleeping ears. 

He moved his hand to hers where the simple plain engagement hand rested, he dragged his fingers over it before clasping her hand in his. 

"I want more for us Paz…Ya get that right? I don't want another shit hole of a unit with the slop they feed us with..I want more. I want us up there with the other rich bastards. " He whispered to her as he kissed her shoulder blade. 

"I want ya to have real plants hanging around the unit, not some screen…I want us to eat real food Paz, us and any little tikes we have..not that gritty ass shit we ate tonight…" He let out a shaky breath and pressed another kiss to her shoulder before settling his head on the pillow staring at the back of her head, rubbing his thumb over hers.

"Ima get us out of this shitty level..Just be patient with me Sweetheart." He whispered out the promise he always whispered to her each night. 

She had to understand, she had to feel the urge to want more too, right? She must know how much she deserved then the shitty hole in a wall unit they had. 

He just needed her to stay patient with him, he will give her so much more than this, his secret promise to her the day he got on his knee. 

A better life, one where she didn't have to work if she didn't wish it, where his pay would be plentiful to carry them and their children. They live in some nice unit up on the upper levels and he could surprise her with a new plant to add to her collection. Their kids would never have to breathe in contaminated air due to a filtration leak and get sick stuck in medical units for months or years because the outsides dust and ash had radiation infecting their lungs. They wouldn't be so…lifeless. 

"I promise." He whispered holding his fiancé so tightly to his chest afraid that if he let go she too would fade away into the dust like so many of his past friends did in the war zones he had been in. 

The dust he was going to vanish in as well had she not met him the day they met. 

He had stared at the exit doors, sweat dripping from his brow as he moved his hand towards the keypad. The protective suit and ecopack in the other clearance room. His hand didn't tremble as he was about to tap the keypad with his keycard. 

They were always told that being out in the outside atmosphere without protection suits and gear, without their eco packs and masks that they'd be dead by suffocation within minutes. 

He had felt so numb, that the thought of dying so painfully by suffocation didn't scare him. If anything it had excited him, he had felt nothing since his last mission, where he had lost his best friend by a gunshot in the head, lost all his teammates and was the only one who arrived at the checkpoint alive but wounded. He had wanted the lung infection he got from his suit and ecopack being damaged to take him out as well…It didn't, he survived while his team all died.

He licked his lips, as he pressed the keycard to the panel hearing the loud beeps it made and the door starting to open breaking its seals as it heavily gilded open. 

Dust flying into the room, some of it hitting his face and burying into his hair as he squinted his eyes, lashes protecting his pupils as the doors slowly exposed him to the dead earth's atmosphere.

"HEY WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?" a voice screamed at him and he had turned surprised that someone was even up at this hour. But there she was, a woman shorter than him storming over to a computer panel viciously typing away at the holo screen forcing the door to beep and glide shut. 

"ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY!?" she yelled at him as the sanitation began spraying him down with chemicals and what not before deeming him clean. She had stormed in snatching him out of the room, easy with the daze he was in and she ripped him a new one all while he stared at her like she was a lunatic.

"Whats your fucking name?" She demanded of him.

He had licked his lips staring at her, taking in her bright furious green eyes.

"Miles…Miles Quaritch." He told her.

"Well Miles Quaritch..Yoru a fucking dumbass!" 

And he laughed, he laughed harder than he ever believed he had in his life as she stared at him like he was a madman.

"Ya have no clue sweetheart." He had crackled out and she had huffed running a hand in her hair before sitting beside him.

"I'll make ya a deal, you meet me at the dindime dinner for lunch everyday and i won't report you." She told him.

He raised a brow at her.

"It's not a choice so you know." She clarified before getting up and leaving before he could answer. 

The next day, she was waiting for him outside of the dinners unit.

The days drooled on, everything was the same.

Wake up.

Get dressed.

Have breakfast with Paz if she was there, by himself if she wasn't. 

Go to work.

Do the routine routes around the city borders.

Paper work.

Clock out.

Home. 

shower.

make dinner or occasionally go out to eat. 

sleep.

repeat.

 So when his presence was demanded to the job distribution area, it had taken him by surprise. Paz had been excited, hoping it was him getting a promotion; he had worried about it being a demotion due to a shortage of workers in other areas of the imprison walls they lived in. 

When he entered the private office he was met by several officials who made him sit down. They had panels open displaying some kind of planet, ships and what not, and his records.

His eyes shrunk at his records, all his military files, his ranks, his specialities. 

His eyes moved towards them sharply.

"The hell is this?" He questioned feeling his body start to stim ready to defend himself, ready for attacks his brain logically knew wouldn't happen.

"How'd you like to be head of security on a base we're setting on this planet?"

He froze, eyes landing on the hologram of that planet. 

The recruiters of the organization that was setting this all up information drop not landing to him as he saw the screens flash other images of the planet.

great vast forests, real forests, real trees, bright vibrate plants. Real greenery.

Crystal clear oceans and rivers, clean drinkable water that reflected the sun on it.

Real sunlight, one that could clearly be seen through a living breathing planet than hidden by dust and ash storms. 

Paz would love it there…

He moved his attention back realizing they were waiting for him to answer, he had missed everything they had said. 

He made them repeat it and he listened to every single word. 

"I ain't leaving without my fiancé." He started sternly as he leaned back into the chair. 

it was too good to be true, and it was, they only wanted him and him alone. 

He wouldn't leave her, he wouldn't leave Paz behind. 

"...We can make sure your fiancé will have a spot on the ship." the head RDA recruiter spoke as She slid a holotablet over to him.

"All we need is you to confirm the job." She had told him.

He signed, not reading over the contract of the job. What he would be putting himself through, he didn't care. 

He would be able to get him and Paz out of that shitty unit they lived in. They would be somewhere even fucking better than the upper levels. A new planet, a new Earth and he would be able to see the woman he loves surrounded by vast forests and clean waters. 

He would do whatever the hell the RDA wanted him to do, without hesitation. 

He was ecstatic as they told him when they were to leave. He had rushed home making sure to page Paz to be home. He had practically ripped the sliding doors apart as he entered their unit seeing her stand from their couch confusion in her eyes as she looked up at him.

"Quaritch?" she questioned as he rushed towards her hands going to his waist as he picked her up spinning them around grinning widely his cheeks hurt. She squealed , clinging to him and laughed.

"What is going on? good news?" She asked excitedly as he was. 

"Good news? Baby girl i got fucking fantastic news ." He told her before pulling her into a deep kiss, when he pulled away he explained everything and he laughed as she squealed telling him to stop wasting time and to help her pack their things. 

By the end of the week they were boarding a ship, being put into cryo chambers. 

He stared at Paz across from him watching her settle in place and look at him for assurance. He smiled at her as the chambers turned on.

"I love ya." He told her, watching how she smiled.

"I love you too, Quaritch." She answered.

"I can't wait to see you on that planet." He told her feeling his eyelids grow heavy, if she had said anything he didn't hear her as his body shut down in a deep comatose sleep, frozen in time and place as the ship took its human passages light years away from earth to this bizarre resource full, living planet.

Pandora 

They named it Pandora. 

Chp 2

#avatar way of water #fanfic #miles quaritch x reader #Miles Quaritch x Na'vi reader #na'vi reader #recom miles quaritch

[giuliano-fan-account]

hxh Chapter 395: Founding: Part 1

Ohm yg od oh my god I love this chapter!!!!!!

So let’s get started

Spoilers... What else??

I’m deciding to use the viz translations since I didn’t review yesterday and they come out on sundays so yeaaa

Ok so we begin with Hinrigh who has Cracked The Code on the Heil-Ly base thing

They’re gonna go after those two guys and...... To be honest I don’t care if they end up dying!!!! Go ahead!! I forgot their names already and Togashi’s going to need to manage the like 60 new characters that he’s made this arc...

Man, I miss Kurapika and the Zodiacs and the Princes and Beyonds team... hm... 

Like these characters I love and all like Lynch and Zakuro and Tserriednich’s Militia people and Hinrigh but Man where did everybody else go????

Well good news is later this chapter we at least have the troupe!!

(Togashis trying to tell us to enjoy the little detours-- to the fullest)

Volksen ever. Apparently her officially translated name is like Bork something but Volk is a lot better in My opinion and people spell Giuliano like Juliano all the time so does it Really Matter?

Volk makes me think of a Volkswagen car and Bork makes me think she has an acidic reflux I’m sorry.

Also Otocin = Otoshin (doesn’t really matter to me) and Momolly = Momori (Momori is way cooler sorry so I will also be saying Momori) 

I also permanently associate Volksen with octopi now but that’s besides the point.

Anyways enough about the 6 People from last chapter let’s move on. 

Fun fact I still cant remember his freaking name What Is it Somebody please say It nobody has said it in the past 5 chapters and I’m confused but anyways. 

He says the Phantom troupe are checking out 3102 (next to the trap room 3101) because they think there might be a Hideout behind rooms 3101-3103 and of course they’re being insane about it, since to them it doesn’t matter if they have a plan or not. 

He’s been talking a lot about people being captured..... Togashi? Is this going to be another big theme??

He needs some water or some skin moisturizer or something He can’t be living like this dude look how dry that skin is...

Anyways they're threatening this guy to get in the room as you do.

I’m going to thank Togashi forever for visuals because without them in this arc I would be entirely lost.

I really don’t have any sympathy for this guy but Imagine if three guys just came into your room and then cut a hole in your bathroom.

I’m sorry but in this panel he looks so emo it’s... It’s the hair and the... The everything looks extra emo.

I love this conversation cause it opens new parallels between the mafia and the troupe, which Phinks, Feitan, and Nobunaga are already involved with and it gives some more insight, but also What is Nobunaga holding right now.

Is that like a ball of light or something

And why is it the only one there

Anyways enough of looking at random details its its

ITS FLASHBACK TIME

When I saw this page spread I kid you not I think I went crazy for a second. It’s a callback to the flashback in chapter... 102 (the panels were redrawn!!!!!!@2442454##$#%^$#)

I was right with Chrollo being the one on the left and Franklin being the one on the right closest to the tape, but I thought Shalnark would be the one sitting in front of the elder, and Phinks was the one running at the bottom..... However..

THE ONE WITH THE CURLY WAVY HAIR IS SHALNARK.......... (broken heart crying emoji /pos) 

God I love this Flashback Look at them all. Shalnark and Chrollo are my best guess at like 9 years old and Franklin is probably like uhh 16 or something.

Franklin has a Oldest-brother-that-is-cool-and-is-in-college-while-you-are-in-middle-school vibe which I’m not being super specific about you guys have to know what I’m talking about right.

Tbh this part felt a bit like I was on something but it’s ok it works out!

I love how they have Territory like its warrior cats. Like theyre those kids on the playground that would play warriors (definitely not me /s) But its taken to the actual extreme and they actually fight.

I’m guessing Uvo is also 16 but Puberty just hit him in the face with an iron bat. He’s like the Average bully archetype but also taken to the extreme because they live in a dump city.

Machi... She’s just... She’s like 5 or 6 years old oh my god she’s a literal baby actually... and she’s just handing Uvo a “Murder Weapon” they would probably call it. 

Baby Syanorke being a little smartass and then Immediately getting hit in the head with a plank of wood and passing out This was like the funniest part ever

Look at him tumble

...

Wait

.....

No...

NOOO.......

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOLY CRAP

...Anyways let’s move past that...

Fist fight Immediately 1 v 1

The low quality running of the little guy I can’t believe he’s a little guy

HELP ME THIS IS TERRIFYING WHY DO THEY LOOK LIKE THAT 

He is also Average bully archetype No. 2 but a different flavor for sure...... His hair looks like a walnut Phinks what are you doing.... 

Umm ok so Age guesstimate... the first appearance Phinks looks older and then he looks smaller in the other panel... So I’m gonna say he’s like 13 and Feitan... 

...

Yea I have no Idea let’s just say 13 as well.

Get wrecked. I only noticed the arrow now so hopefully you see it too now.

The little guy the little thief 

Meteor city civilization real

AGAIN WITH THE PEOPLE GETTING CAPTURED AND STUFF??

Ok so Basically 

Since Meteor city residents technically don’t exist since they don’t have any form of identification, that means it was legal to kidnap them, kill them, commit crime against them etc since they technically “weren’t human”...

A while later to prevent this, Meteor city allied with the mafia to be safe, but before that there were hundreds of victims and 70% of them were under 15.

Their ties with the mafia grew stronger, and Nen abilities came about the elders, and a pledge was made (The law of retribution): 

“Only life can compensate for a life.”

“We’ll accept anything you leave here, but don’t ever take anything away from us.” (a note left at the kurta massacre, if it rings a bell) 

And so with all this going on the Phantom troupe formed 12234543

PAKUNODA!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love her hair so much here its real 

This is so adorale im cyring .........

Ddue just became a part of the council at 9 years old I guess!

Tiny Just tiny little ones

POWER CLEANERS HELP 

MIGHTY SWEEPIN POWER CLEANERS

He also created dubbing wow /s 

IM CYRING AGAIN ........ So Paku must be like 8 or something but they have an Older sister Younger brother dynamic lol 

SHEILA?!?!?! You mean the lady in volume 0 who looks uncannily similar to Pariston Hill? 

...*snif* *sniffleef* eu......e.ue ,, 

Omg its Sheila and Sarasa... Sheila still has her silly rat ears...

I like Sarasa she’s a little silly and I wonder if she’ll be relevant too but as far as I know I dont remember her.

hehe im just imagining all of them just sitting down and watching a really badly dubbed but endearing episode of the power ra-cleaners.

D Hunter.... 

I live them that’s all I have to say

Oh god More human trafficking 

Even worse child trafficking... Yea this is going to be relevant 

And then It just skips back to them peacefully HELP 

To be continued!!! Yea nothing bad happening here totally

I’m guessing since the Title of the chapter is Founding: Part 1 that we’re still going to be in the flashback in part 2 since there’s still stuff that needs to happen.

I mean we still have yet to see 12 year old Nobunaga and what about the whole Council thing?? 

Oh god wait somebody may get captured during the screening NO 

And why is it called founding?? The troupe is officially founded I think when they’re like mm... I wanna say maybe 6 or 7 years older so maybe there’s a time skip idk.

Anyways keep being silly Goofer man Behave yourself.

(remember the hunter exam applicant form or wtv in the 1999 version well I wanted to draw them so here ignore the bad coloring and shading i made this at 2 am) 

#hxh #hxh spoilers #dark continent arc #succession war arc #phantom troupe #chapter 395 #review #Shalnark #pakunoda #chrollo #uvogin #machi #franklin bordeau #phinks #feitan #Sheila hxh #Sarasa hxh #nobunaga #meteor city #Hinrigh #Volksen hxh

[thanksjro]

More Than Meets the Eye #47 — Cyclonus Cries Alone in His Room Because He Wants to Hold Hands With Tailgate

Oh wow, a literal love triangle! I’m certain this will resolve in a way that’s satisfying for all parties involved, without any underhanded bullshit whatsoever!

The funny thing is, we don’t really know all that much about Getaway. We know he’s cold constructed, that he used to work for Prowl and alongside Skids, that he’s got an interest in Tailgate that he expresses in… dubious fashion, and that he’s got an unfortunate habit of standing in lighting that makes him look like a murderer.

But who is Getaway, really? What made him the man he is today?

Well, you see, it all started the day he was born.

Getaway of the Corcapsia Incursion is an MTO, who had his frozen spark ripped out of a cooler and stuffed into the lifeless husk that would become his body a few minutes before he got tossed out of the plane that was his birthplace. He didn’t want to fight, or do any of the shit he’d been told to do, so he high-tailed it out of there.

I suppose this is certainly a topic of discussion for a date. If you wanted the date to suck, anyhow.

Getaway and Tailgate are once again hanging out and drinking, because apparently they can’t have fun without being inebriated and talking trash about people who aren’t there to defend themselves. This little moment of vulnerability was in the middle of Getaway teaching Tailgate to speak chirolinguistics, because Tailgate is “disarming” and “easy to talk to” and “so much nicer and sweeter than his shitty roommate Cyclonus, who totally eats babies and no that’s not a euphemism”. Tailgate’s a little weirded out by the random diversion in conversation, but lets it go, since he is getting free sign language lessons out of this deal.

Tailgate tells Getaway about how Cyclonus held his hand and sang to him while he was dying, which reminds him how he never got those Old Cybertronian lessons from the big purple space jet. Getaway doesn’t seem to enjoy being compared to Cyclonus, or perhaps even the mention of him at all.

Then things get a little disjointed, as Getaway is revealed to have Nautica’s wrench, which he uses to uncover a hiding Ravage— except Ravage isn’t hiding, because this is a public venue and he’s a fucking adult who can drink if he wants to. Getaway asks Tailgate to come with him, so he can give him something. Most of these panels have the backgrounds blacked out. I’m sure it’s fine, and not symbolic of some shitfuckery going on.

Over in habitation suite 14, Cyclonus wakes up from his nap to find that Tailgate isn’t there. It is presumably late in the evening, though I’m guessing at this, since space is dark no matter what. Cyclonus heads over to Swerve’s, where he catches the grave sin of PDA.

Yeah, I know, you wanna hold hands too, you emotionally-constipated sap.

Cyclonus sits down at the bar, where Swerve seems to know exactly what’s on his mind. Letting Cyclonus know that Tailgate’s with another man, our barkeep gives him a free drink to nurse his wounds with. Cyclonus takes a shot, then goes to do something that appears to make him nervous.

Over in Getaway’s room, it would appear that Tailgate’s gift was a pair of clip-on mnemo-needles. Tailgate, while not wanting to seem ungrateful, is utterly baffled as to why Getaway would think he wanted surgical equipment, not even remembering the conversation they had about how cool Chromedome’s needles are. But I’m sure that’s fine, and certainly not something to worry about.

Getaway’s gift comes with strings attached, however, as the man stumbles through asking Tailgate a very important question. See, in order to become Conjunx Endura, you have to go through the Conjunx Ritus, which is broken down into four parts, which take place in a location that holds fond memories for all parties involved:

The Act of Intimacy — usually physical contact. Yes, getting your dick wet probably counts.

The Act of Disclosure — the initiator of the ritual reveals a secret or deeply personal information, which doesn’t exactly make them look good, showing trust in all other involved parties.

The Act of Profference — a present. Pretty straight-forward, despite the fancy name.

The Act of Devotion — I’ll let Getaway explain this one.

So where exactly does the consent come into the ritual, Getaway? Because it sort of seems like you’ve sprung a massive life change on Tailgate without any sort of input from him! Hell, you literally just told him what the ritual is! You two haven’t even lived together you absolute goon.

Tailgate, who seems to be feeling a lot of pressure to say “yes” to all this immediately, asks what exactly Getaway wants him to do.

While this sketchy shit is going down, we see where Cyclonus has gotten to. He knocks on a door, and is greeted by Whirl and a gun. Whirl lets him in, showing off his surprisingly nice room and collection of alarm clocks. When Cyclonus asks why he’s got roughly 300 clocks, Whirl tells him to fuck off and get to the point.

Cyclonus takes a seat and admits that he misses spending time with Tailgate. Well, “admits” in his own, Cyclonus-y way. He worries that Getaway is eating up all of Tailgate’s time, and also treating him in ways that maybe aren’t very good for him. Which he would be correct about, but it’s not like Cyclonus would ever stoop so low as to actually voice his concerns to Tailgate himself. That would be too close to admitting that he’s got feelings that can be hurt.

Whirl lets Cyclonus finish before laughing in his face at his audacity to think that Tailgate gives a shit about him or owes him any of his time, just because they share a room and did a spark transfusion. Which while harsh, is true. Cyclonus sort of talks around the real point of the matter, going so far as to say he cares about Tailgate, which for Cyclonus is equivalent to saying he’s madly in love and can’t live without him. But again, Tailgate doesn’t actually owe Cyclonus anything, especially since Cyclonus has refused to voice any actual concern about their relationship status, or Getaway’s whole deal.

That, and Getaway’s apparently hot. I don’t see it, but maybe Tailgate does. He’s allowed to want to fool around with a hot guy.

Cyclonus seems to have gotten what he came for, and decides to leave, thanking Whirl as he does. When Whirl asks why the hell he’s being thanked, or why Cyclonus sought him out in the first place, Cyclonus tells him that Whirl was the only one he trusted to give him the truth and not coddle him. With that, he leaves, leaving Whirl to think. Whirl, who has never had a positive relationship with anyone for more than two minutes without it all going to shit, is starting to feel something for Cyclonus.

The feeling is friendship. And maybe a little pity.

As such, he holds a meeting with his co-conspirators.

Oh, this can only mean good things, surely!

Whirl thinks that using Tailgate as a weapon is a bad idea, and Atomizer blames this whole situation on Whirl not dying at the hands of Megatron back in issue #28. So that confirms that Whirl didn’t steal that bow, but was rather loaned it for the purposes of suicide for the greater good. How does Getaway feel about Whirl’s sudden change of heart?

Well, considering he’s been literally grooming Tailgate for the role of sacrificial lamb, so they could get Megatron sent back to Cybertron/killed, I’d say his opinion doesn’t really matter all that much.

Yes, the entire relationship has been a farce, meant to get Tailgate to do whatever Getaway needs him to do.

We get a flashback to complete their conversation from earlier, where Getaway explained that Tailgate’s mnemo-needles would inject Megatron with an “anti-villain” virus, removing his bad thoughts and keeping him from ever returning to his evil ways! Wow! How convenient!

When Tailgate didn’t seem totally on-board with this plan, Getaway laid it on thick, appealing to Tailgate’s desire to protect the people he cares about. He also gave Tailgate the wrench to detect Ravage with, for the sake of protection. Tailgate is (quite reasonably) terrified by the idea of going to defile a former warlord’s brain all by himself, but Getaway understands! And if Tailgate is too much of a crybaby bitch to keep everyone he’s ever loved from being murdered, that fine! They just won’t get space married. Oh, but wouldn’t this stunt be just the thing to finally earn Cyclonus’s approval, at long, long last?

That last point is what finally cinches it for Tailgate, as Getaway knew it would. Given what he’s about to put Tailgate through, I hope it burns him up all even after all that work, he had to lean on Tailgate’s desire for Cyclonus to be proud of him than any love he might hold for Getaway himself.

Getaway explains to Whirl that the Ravage-detector on the wrench has been disabled, and Tailgate being beat to death by Megatron in a needle-induced panic will be a small price to pay for a genocidal maniac to finally be brought to justice. Atomizer stands in the foreground wearing some highly fashionable ominous shadows on his gun-toting arm. Whirl messes with his clocks while they converse, as if he knows what’s about to happen to him. Atomizer blasts him in the back of the head with the nudge gun while Getaway makes a bad joke, and the two leave Whirl on the floor to pass out.

Whirl, however, is much smarter than most give him credit for, and prior to succumbing to memory erasure, he pops on his holoform program, bouncing his avatar around the ship until he reaches the one guy who can and will go absolutely berserk to keep Tailgate safe.

With only a moment before she fades out of existence, Cyclonus gets the idea that something’s wrong and bolts for Whirl’s room. He passes by Getaway and Atomizer as he does, and Getaway has the gall to be cheeky about it. When he gets to Whirl’s room, Cyclonus finds the guy on the floor with a killer headache, and roughly twenty clocks that all read the same, incorrect time— 1:13.

Tailgate enters Megatron’s room at this point, not seeing Ravage on the floor by the recharge slab. Cyclonus sprints down, sword in hand, as Megatron is woken by Ravage and panics when he finds a guy with needles trying to poke him in the brain. Cyclonus rushes in before too much murder can happen, however, javelin-tossing his sword into Megatron’s chest and spin kicking Ravage into oblivion, before beating Megatron into unconsciousness with a flat screen television.

When will YOUR man do this much for you and look good doing it?

Tailgate takes Cyclonus’s hand and they book it from the scene of the crime. As they do, Tailgate realizes that Getaway’s gift and the anti-villain virus were both bullshit. However, we can’t fix the past, so now Cyclonus is taking them to the shuttles to run away from their problems, which is sad, because this is their home. As they’re running down the hall, the alarms sound, and Tailgate realizes something about his and Cyclonus’s relationship.

Tailgate, I know this is very poignant and sweet, but, again, marriage is a mutually agreed-upon decision, that happens after you two can actually have conversations about feelings that don’t require one of you dying.

The pair reach the shuttle bay, but Cyclonus is given a warning shot in the back by the security team, one of which has a machine gun. Typical wannabe cops. Cyclonus reaches for his sword, and this is all it takes for the entire team to fire on him, as well as Tailgate. Hey fuckers, swords are waaaaaay slower than gunfire!

Cyclonus scoops Tailgate up to his chest to protect him from the guns, his back getting blasted to pieces as he does. He tells Tailgate goodbye, then falls to the ground, presumably dead. The security team ceases fire, giving Tailgate time to cry over his dead not-boyfriend. Then this happens.

Just a typical Friday night in the sad, gay space comic.

#transformers #MTMTE #issue 47 #maccadam #Hannzreads #text post #long post #overthinking about robots #comic script writing

[tellthemeerkatsitsfine]

So I’ve decided for absolutely no reason whatsoever that today would be a good day to look up this Sam Campbell person. I knew almost nothing about him, except a bit on his reputation. Last month I saw a picture from the 2023 Melbourne Comedy Festival, and I spent so long trying to identify the guy next to Tim Key, because I was so sure I knew who he was. I asked about it here, someone told me it’s Sam Campbell; I only vaguely recognized that name, but definitely did not know what that guy looked like, which confirmed that I did not actually recognize him. I only thought I recognized him because he looks exactly like a teammate of mine from university.

I have since then matched that name to the reputation that I did, in fact, vaguely know. To list the things I knew about him without Googling anything whatsoever: Is Australian. Looks like my old teammate. Won the Melbourne award that used to be named Barry and I think maybe isn’t anymore but also maybe still is, I think named after the Dame Edna comedian who died recently, and that seems to be a big deal. Also won the award that used to be called the Perrier and definitely isn’t anymore but because I have spent so much time going through Edinburgh comedy from the 00s I think I’m going to always call it that anyway. Considered to be good by proper comedy fans, the ones who actually go see this sort of thing live and know about this stuff (by which I mean: people who are cooler than me, a person who created a Tumblr blog so I could post about panel shows).

I decided today that I would look this person up, and it turns out he’s got a comedy special on YouTube:

First of all, I need to address something that is not at all important but it was still enough to distract me throughout the hour: he did not just seem familiar in that picture because he looks like one guy I used to train with, he looks very much like about eight different guys I used to train with, and looks vaguely like another forty or so of them. People joke, in the sport of wrestling, about there being a certain “look” that would let you recognize one of them on the street even if you didn’t know them. That is the look. That guy in the video, that’s the look. That is what all wrestlers between the ages of 17 and 27 look like. Which may or may not be a compliment depending on Sam Campbell’s actual age at the time of recording, I’m guessing it’s early thirties, but he looks exactly like every university-aged wrestler. It’s not important, but it was so noticeable that it distracted me as I tried to watch him. I had difficulty getting lost in the comedy because looking at a guy who looks like that makes my brain not process it as a comedy video, and instead expect him to dive at someone’s ankle. Not his fault, but definitely an issue.

Anyway, when I managed to get past that, the actual comedy show was quite entertaining. Quite a few of the jokes would be average at best if they were just written down on paper, but very funny when he delivered them. A couple of times I found myself in the middle of laughing, and stopping to ask, “Is this joke inherently funny? Or is he just funny?” Doesn’t really matter though, it still works. Also, about ten times across the hour he said something legitimately clever enough for me to say, “Okay, you could write that one down on a piece of paper and it would still be hilarious,” and that’s a pretty good rate for that sort of thing.

A lot of it is observational, but observational taken to amusingly extreme logical conclusions, I’ve rarely seen observational turn into surreal quite so quickly. My favourite part of the show was a routine about moving company workers that straddled that line perfectly, expressing something that’s sort of real and familiar but also absolutely ludicrous.

And he really committed to the bit with setting up the whole thing through a sniper lens. I kept thinking he’d drop that partway through, but nope, that was just there, all the way along, for one joke from the beginning. I don’t know, maybe it was supposed to have some sort of meaning? Hard to tell, doesn’t really matter, the commitment made it funny.

I do like a narrative and a theme in a comedy show, and this didn’t have that. I believe there was one callback throughout the entire thing. But that’s all right, because it was funny. It was a lot of funny stuff thrown together in ways that only barely make sense, but barely making sense was sort of the point, I think. There wasn’t really a point at all, and that may have also been the point. He managed to be high energy while giving the impression of the opposite, and did not run out of steam. He had a really funny joke about David and Goliath. It was fun to watch. If he went to a mid-level university tournament I would never be able to pick him out of the crowd, honestly, it’s fucking distracting. He’d have to watch his back or someone would give him an MVP award or something, to put with his MVP of Edinburgh and Melbourne trophies, because he looks so much like an amalgamation of the last six guys to win MVP of this tournament. That is not his fault, though. It’s fine. He’s very entertaining.

[kevinszabojrplumbing]

5 Tips for Creating the Luxury Kitchen of Your Dreams

Imagine walking into a kitchen that not only has everything you need in a seamless functional layout but is also steeped in elegance and indulgence. This harmonious blend of comfort, functionality, and style is the essence of a luxury kitchen. It’s a space where design meets innovation, resulting in an environment where cooking is just as delightful for the host as it is for the guests.

From the home gourmet and culinary enthusiast to someone who just appreciates the finer things in life and wants to have a space that caters to them, a luxury kitchen can be one of the leading ways to transform your home into the sophisticated, warm retreat you’ve always dreamt of.

In this post we’ll be going over 5 key tips to keep in mind for creating the luxury kitchen you’ve always wanted, from the premium materials to the touches that make the space uniquely you, these tips are designed to help guide you through the creation of a kitchen that isn’t just a place to prepare mind-blowing meals, but a centerpiece and focal point of your home.

Tip 1: High-Quality Materials

The most logical place to start the foundation of your dream kitchen is with the highest-quality materials. Not only does using high-quality materials help ensure the longevity of your kitchen, but it also contributes to the overall luxury aesthetic. After all, installing top-end appliances in the middle of dated 70s Formica counters doesn’t exactly scream luxury.

Start with countertops, since they are highly visible and extensively used. Materials like quartz, granite, and marble all offer incredible durability and elegant, timeless appearances. Custom cabinetry with options like solid wood construction can bring a unique look and generational value to the property.

Flooring is another consideration. Hardwood can set the tone for the whole space, while high-end tiles can reduce maintenance while enhancing longevity. Additional details to consider include the hardware options like handles, faucets, and more. The beauty of luxury kitchens is in the details.

Tip 2: State-of-the-Art Appliances

No custom kitchen design would be complete without state-of-the-art appliances that blend sleek design with the most advanced kitchen technology available. Investing in high-end appliances for your kitchen not only brings your cooking experience to the next level but can add massive value to your kitchen and your home.

Consider a smart refrigerator that can help manage your grocery list and keep track of your food expiration dates. For the avid cook, a professional-grade range with multiple burners and an efficient ventilation system is a must. For the gadget enthusiast and convenience lover, a smart appliance that can refrigerate your meal, and be activated to cook it from your smartphone so it’s ready when you arrive home. Also, consider a double oven and professional refrigerator so you’ll always have the flexibility to prepare larger meals or separate dishes at the same time. 

Finally, don’t overlook the smaller appliances that don’t get as much press. A high-end espresso machine or wine cooler can add the perfect touch of sophistication. When picking out your appliances, consider integrating them into your overall kitchen design, as built-in and panel-ready options offer a seamless look that can blend beautifully with your custom cabinetry.

Tip 3: Custom Layout and Design

The general layout of your kitchen is going to be instrumental in creating space for you that is both beautiful and functional. A custom design allows you to completely tailor every aspect of your kitchen to your personal or household needs, as well as the specific dimensions of your existing space.

Working with experienced designers and construction consultants can help you create a layout that helps maximize efficiency and flow. Consider design elements like an island or peninsula, which can help boost available counter space while doubling as a focal point for social gatherings.

Make sure that when you’re designing your kitchen you decide to incorporate ample storage solutions to keep your new kitchen clean and organized. Consider specialized storage options like pull-out racks or a walk-in pantry. A well-thought-out kitchen layout will ensure that you enjoy using your kitchen for years to come.

Tip 4: Lighting and Ambiance

One of the factors of luxury kitchens that is often overlooked during design is the lighting. People consider natural lighting, but that’s only going to be there about half of the time, and even less will be at levels usable without supplementation. Not only that, but lighting is a key element to crafting the perfect ambiance and atmosphere for your kitchen. The right lighting arrangements and proper planning can transform the kitchen into a captivating cooking area. 

Start by blending a mix of ambiance, accent, and task lighting to get a good mix. Ambient lighting will help light the overall kitchen area and set the tone, while task lighting is critical for areas like countertops and cooking areas.

Accent lighting is there to add depth and dimension, and to help draw focus to unique features or elements. This can be an LED strip under cabinets or around baseboards, or a few lights placed on shelves to highlight art pieces or book collections.

Tip 5: Personal Touches and Details

No matter what theme, style, or mood you’re going for with your luxury kitchen, the final touches should always be personal details reflective of your style and taste. This can be anything from a unique contrasting backsplash to larger art pieces, designer fixtures, or even a focal point statement piece of furniture like a custom island can all bring your distinct personality to the kitchen.

Create the Luxury Kitchen of Your Dreams with Professional Help

Creating the luxury kitchen of your dreams can be an exhilarating journey, but when you need to focus on quality materials, advanced appliances, custom design, strategic lighting, and personal touches it can become an incredibly complex project. This is why you should partner with a trusted local professional to help you efficiently and effectively craft a culinary space that is both luxurious and uniquely yours.

#This Summer #Guest Author #Guest Blogger #Guest Contributor #Guest Post #Guest Writer #Best Ways To Prevent The Most Common Plumbing Problems #Plumbing Problems #broken pipes #leaking pipes #clogged toilets #garbage disposals #prevent drains from clogging #plumber in tinley park #tinley park plumbers #plumber in orland park #orland park plumbers #plumber in homer glen #homer glen plumbers #plumber in frankfort #frankfort plumbers #plumber in mokena #mokena plumbers #plumber in lemont #lemont plumbers #plumber in new lenox #new lenox plumbers #plumber in oak forest #oak forest plumbers #plumber in homewood

[preppernewstoday]

For a homesteader, it is important to be prepared for any situation, including how to continue your day-to-day functions in the case of an emergency. With a variety of off-grid appliances for your home, you can continue cooking and cleaning, even if your power goes out for an extended period. Just because there is no power doesn’t mean that you have to give up all your conveniences. Let’s look at some of the most important off-grid appliances you can get. Solar-Powered Refrigerator These coolers are not only solar-powered, but they are also portable. This means that you will be able to move your cooler from room to room. Whether you are storing cold drinks or some food for lunch, this portable fridge will live up to its hype. ⇒ What To Do With All Your Frozen Food Once The Power Goes Out Though some solar-powered refrigerators require you to have a solar system already in place, there is also the option to purchase a large solar panel to run it. Composting Toilet These are perfect for RV’s and camping, but they can also be useful if your off-grid home is temporarily out of running water. You can include a vent and a fan to help ventilate any odors out of the room, but the vent and fan can easily be run off of a solar panel. Not only will you have a comfortable and fresh place to use the restroom with this composting toilet, but you also have the option of emptying the compost on top of your normal compost pile. Gas-Powered Lamps Staying in a dark house just because the power is out is no one’s idea of a good evening. But, with a gas-powered lamp, your night will be as bright as possible, even without the modern wonder of electricity. Gas lamps are even more convenient than other off-grid light options, because there are no wicks or batteries to replace. Simply hook up to gas, and enjoy up to 11 hours of light. Propane-Powered Stove With this stove, you will still be able to cook complete meals for your family even without the convenience of your normal stove. These stoves are available in options that run off of propane, butane, and both. There are even full-sized stoves and ovens available that run off of propane, so you will not have to compromise your meal sizes. Related: How To Make A Solar Stove If you are looking for something even more off-grid, there are even wood-burning stoves that not only allow you to cook your food but will also warm your home at the same time. Solar Dehydrator If you spend a lot of time in your personal garden, or if you set aside an animal every year for the butcher, you are going to need a way to preserve some of your meat or some of your harvest. Related: How to Dehydrate Chicken for Survival  A solar dehydrator is just the thing that you have been looking for. Traditional dehydrators use a lot of electricity, so a solar-powered one will save you a lot of money on your electric bill. Solar-Powered Air Conditioning Nothing is more miserable than not having any electricity in the middle of a hot, summer day. You are sure to be sweaty, and you will definitely not want to do anything. Luckily, there is an option to run your A/C on solar power. This will limit the time you can run your unit at one time, but, in the meantime, you will be able to cool off while it is running. And there is nothing better than turning on your A/C right when you think you’re about to sweat to death. Manual-Powered Laundry Machine There is a certain convenience that comes with throwing your clothes in a modern-day laundry machine, but there is no denying that our ancestors were clever. Related: How to Make Your Own Semi-Automatic Off the Grid Washing Machine (No Electricity) These off-grid laundry machines are reminiscent of the days of old, and it will require some old-fashioned manual labor to watch clothes in small batches. There are also larger, solar-powered washer-spinners that will allow you to wash more clothes at once. Stovetop Waffle Iron This waffle iron is perfect to go on top of your propane-powered stove.

It will save you space and electricity in the long run. Modern waffle irons are large and clunky, taking up a lot of counter space or storage space. Related: 25 Powerless Appliances for Your Homestead Kitchen This stovetop waffle iron is made of two cast iron sides, complete with a waffle design and connected with a small hinge. Simply pour in your batter, flip when ready, and enjoy some beautiful and hassle-free cast iron waffles. Manual Food Processor Manual food processors are used to mince, grind, dice, and blend raw or cooked food to make for easier meal prep. The best part is that it is manual; meaning that it requires no form of energy besides your muscles. On most models, there is a crank that needs to be turned that will in turn rotate the blade inside the processor. Some models come with a cord that you pull instead of the crank. Sure, electric appliances are all the rage and people absolutely love them, but they are not foolproof. When the electricity goes out, all of those appliances are at least temporarily useless. However, when you supply your homestead with appliances that will work even when the power goes out, you will be able to go about your day as normal. No longer will you have to hustle to make sure none of your frozen or refrigerated food goes bad. No longer will you have to take cold showers. Simply turn on your off-grid appliances, and continue your happy, off-grid life. ⇒ 70+ Projects To Survive A World Without Electricity

[volleychumps]

hi,, i love your writing !! this is kind of odd but can i request a (slightly nsfw) morning after with fem!s/o x oikawa, kuroo, terushima, and osamu? you had a one night stand but they actually like you so they convince you to go on a date after making you breakfast or something like that? please and thank you ��

Thank you for 2.8k<33 I love you all. 

More Than A Night. (w/ Oikawa, Kuroo, Terushima, and Osamu)

Warning(s): slight nsfw themes 

-------------------------------

Oikawa

“You’re up early.” 

You flinch in the midst of shouldering your jacket on as you glance behind you, wondering just how rushed you looked as you blush in embarrassment, causing the brunette to grin in turn. Oikawa yawns through a playful grin with one eye closed, adorning a pair of sweatpants and nothing to cover his bare torso as he crosses his arms over his chest in amusement. You look to the cracked open door, smiling a bit sheepishly. 

“I didn’t want to um, impose?” Your words come out questioning as you look away, swallowing tightly at the sight as Oikawa takes knowing steps towards you. You shudder when the setter’s hands you knew so well carefully take the jacket you were in the middle of putting on, slipping it off your shoulders slowly while humming to himself. 

“Trust me, lovely- if you were bothersome I would’ve had you out of here hours ago.” 

“Oh all mighty one, to what do I owe this special treatment?” You tease, remembering that before last night, Oikawa was still one of your friends, regardless of whether or not last night’s events could cause a rift in your friendship with one another. 

“You really want to know?” 

You blink, feeling his fingers gently touch the side of your face to get you to look at him, realizing he had been simply running his finger against the side of his jaw as he seemed to be soaking your features in the morning sun. 

“In fact, what if I asked you to impose for a little longer, Y/N-chan?” 

“Y-You don’t regret last night-?” 

“Are you kidding me?” You feel heat swirl in your cheeks as Oikawa’s teasing tone had taken a serious edge, feeling his hand slide across your cheek to cup your face gently. 

“Should I be kidding you?” A nervous chuckle slips your lips as Oikawa hangs your jacket on the hanging rack again without looking, chocolate orbs seeming to root you in place as he takes one of the few steps he can towards you. 

“I’ve wanted you for years, Y/N-chan.” 

“Liar.” Your voice falls to a whisper as Oikawa tilts his head in a seemingly mocking-manner, annoyance glinting in his eyes at the fact that you didn’t seem to believe him.

“Want proof?” He takes another step, voice also falling to a soft tone before taking a strand of your hair in his fingers, kissing it sweetly as you redden at the gesture. 

You close your eyes, feeling Oikawa dip his head into your neck, lips smirking slightly against your skin as a newfound heat emerges in the contact as the brunette speaks, gently pressing you up the door and shutting it tightly in the movement. 

“So what do you say we make my wait worth it- and make this official, already?”

Kuroo

“You are not reading through my comic books right now.”

“You’re right, I’m actually wondering how a nerd like you got laid.” You retort, flipping through the pages as you bite your lip, hiding your face in the process as you see Kuroo walk into the room from your peripheral view. 

“You slept with this nerd, so I don’t think you’re one to talk, kitten.” 

The events of last night had been a little fuzzy, but little details came back to you as you blush, pretending to focus on the panels of the sci-fi comic book as you hear Kuroo set something down on the bed, leaving his retort unanswered. 

A bright grin crosses your features as you use the blanket to cover your chest as you sit up, seeing the simple breakfast of eggs and toast in the middle of the tray along with a cup of coffee just how you liked it. Your grin grows teasing as you lift the mug to your lips, watching your friend eat a piece of toast on the end of the bed in all his shirtless glory. 

“Is this one of the perks of sleeping with the Kuroo Tetsurou?” You try to keep your voice light, and Kuroo quiets down after scoffing in response, eyes calculating and thoughtful as you withold the urge to sigh. Of course things would be different. Was it even possible going back to normal after sleeping together? 

“There are a lot more perks if you stick around, trust me.” Kuroo winks, and you roll your eyes at his flirtatious nature, watching him finish off his toast before beginning to get out of bed, shuffling around to pull your shirt from yesterday overhead. 

“Well, as fun as this was, I say we revert back to the day before yesterday-” 

“...don’t want to.” Your ears perk up at Kuroo’s faded mumble, not hearing him properly. 

“Hm? Speak up or I’ll dirty your comic books.”

“I don’t want to go back to how we were.” Kuroo’s voice seemed to be teetering on the edge of strained as you quirk a brow, feeling dissappointment dig into your stomach. 

“Oh.” Your smile turns wobbly. “As in...you don’t want to be friends anymore?” 

“..Exactly.” 

“...Then I guess I’ll be taking my leave.” You break the tension residing in the silence, Kuroo catching your wrist before you can dash out of his bedroom with a wet heat in your eyes. 

“That’s not what I meant.” Kuroo’s voice was oddly serious- a tone you didn’t hear that often- before tugging you into his chest into his sitting position so you were straddling his lap. His feral eyes raked over your half-clothed body, mouth beginning to nibble at the sensitive spot on your collarbone as an embarrassed sound slips your lips-

Kuroo smirks, hand trailing underneath your shirt as he feels your heartbeat at the slightest touch of your chest. 

“I want to be able to see you like this every morning, kitten- that’s what I meant before you jumped to conclusions.” 

His hand presses against the small of your back, pressing you up against him even tighter as comic books lay open and forgotten, a half-drunk coffee cup growing cooler beside them. 

“I want to lose you as my friend and keep you as my everything.” 

Terushima

“Did you really think I wouldn’t notice that the other side of my bed was cold?” 

“I’m surprised you’re capable of noticing things.” You hum in reply, smiling a little as you feel the spiker’s arms wrap around you from behind, Terushima’s chin resting on your shoulder as he examines what you’re doing. You poured the dark liquid from the coffee pot as you basked in the morning light, having left the blonde in bed with slightly wobbly legs. 

“This almost feels like we’re married, no?” 

“Totally.” You hadn’t meant for your words to come out that sarcastic, but you knew better. Terushima Yuuji had been a friend of yours for years, but one night of heat and mixed emotions didn’t change the fact that the spiker was the exact definition of fuckboy. 

“Y/N you’re acually gonna make me cry one day! You’re so cold.” Terushima whines, feeling at complete ease at the thought of you standing in the kitchen with a brewed coffee pot for the two of you. 

“And my coffee’s getting cold too, so you can start calling up another one of your girls in line to warm yourself up.” You reply without missing a beat, feeling Terushima tense up before relaxing again. 

“Jealous?” Terushima smirks against your shoulder, still not letting you go as you roll your eyes, smiling nonetheless. 

“To be honest you are great in bed, my friend. Kudos to the next lucky girl.” You wink, feeling Terushima’s grip on your waist loosen slightly as you finish off your coffee, the spiker spinning you around to lean into you, cornering you against the counter. 

“Go on a date with me! Coffee isn’t breakfast.” 

You stare at your friend for a solid second before shaking your head, laughing a little in disbelief. “Do you typically bring girls out on dates after you sleep together?” 

“No, not usually.” Terushima shrugs, and you laugh again before feeling his hand snake down to your waist, his hand tracing up your bare thigh as heat floods your cheeks, the spiker before you eyeing you with an emotion you couldn’t pinpoint. 

“Yuuji-” 

“One date.” 

You blink at the seriousness tinging his words, gasping when he lifts you up to sit you on the counter to stand between your legs, smirking when his breath hits your lips as he watches your eyes dart between his lips and his eyes. 

“Give me one date, Y/N.” 

“...Fine. Only because you’re acting is phenomenal at the moment.” You give in, kissing him deeply on the lips as Terushima’s grip on your waist tightens the slightest bit before you brush past him, humming as if nothing serious had happened. 

Terushima sighs as he hears the shower turn on, leaning his back against the counter before pouring his own cup of dark brew into the mug you had been drinking out of, a hand running through his hair as his usual bright almond eyes seemed to have darkened. 

“Acting, huh?” 

Osamu

“Y/N. You’ll sleep into the afternoon.” 

“Please let me?” You croak, shielding your eyes from the blinds Osamu had opened an hour before. 

“Nope. I have breakfast going, I laid one of my shirts out for you.” The wing spiker leans against the doorway of his bedroom, watching you wake up in a slightly confused manner as you slowly sit up, the corner of Osamu’s lip twitching at the sight. You hug the blanket to your chest embarrasedly, smiling a little bashfully. 

Osamu clears his throat, attempting to clear the awkward atmosphere. “Can you walk okay?” 

“Someone’s cocky.” You comment, taking Osamu’s shirt and pulling it over your head although it engulfed your figure. “And no, by the way- I can’t.” 

You yelp, feeling your friend’s arms tuck beneath your legs and back before picking you up as if you weighed nothing, causing your bare legs to thrash around slightly in complaint. Osamu remains indifferent, walking to the kitchen with ease. 

“You said you couldn’t walk, and I’m hungry. Let’s eat.” 

“I was actually planning to go straight home...” You trail off, sweatdropping when Osamu sits you in the chair across from his before taking his own seat. 

“You have time. Your class doesn’t start for another hour.” 

“...right.” You mumble, putting your hands together to begin the meal. The two of you eat in silence, Osamu not being very talkative to begin with- the friendship you two had fostered had been put into such a threatening position from last night’s slightly drunken decisions. Do you go about your day and pretend it didn’t happen? Address it and stop being friends? 

“-be my girlfriend.” 

You choke, the statement/question coming out of Osamu’s mouth casually muffled by his mug as the twin looks out on the morning sun as if he hadn’t just dropped a bomb on you. 

“...are you sure you aren’t confused?” You eye him directly, all shyness and awkwardness washed away as Osamu lazily meets your eyes, forking some more food into his mouth with a nod. 

“I’m sure.” 

“Look, Osamu- just because we slept together doesn’t mean you’re under any obligation-” 

Your eyes widen when Osamu had suddenly leaned forward, hand entangling in your hair to kiss the corner of your lips from across the spread on the table, sitting back and resuming to eat his rice with a shrug. 

“There was a little rice near your mouth-” 

“Are you even listening?!” You exclaim, flustered at the lazy boy’s actions as Osamu sighs before setting down his chopsticks, something he never did, before eyeing you evenly, fighting the amused smirk on his lips at how flushed you looked. He tilts his head, standing from his chair before shrugging. 

“If you don’t want to go out with me, then..” 

You panic, heart confused with mind in tow as you stand, catching the back of his fitted black shirt before he can walk away. 

“I...we can maybe...try it?” You make out in fidgety embarrassment, Osamu releasing a deep sigh that had his shoulders lifting up and down before turning to glance at you. The gray haired boy tugs you into his chest tightly by the wrist, mumbling into your ear as he watched with a satisfied look at the pink that dusted your cheeks. 

“You seriously can’t be this cute this early in the morning. I think I’m hungry for something else now.” 

-----------------------------------------------

General works: @takemetovalhalla @kasandrafaye @dreebbles @savemesteeb @yams046

#haikyuu!! #haikyuu #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu scenarios #haikyuu anime #haikyuu oikawa #oikawa toru #haikyuu kuroo #Kuroo Tetsurou #haikyuu terushima #terushima x y/n #haikyuu osamu #osamu miya #haikyuu reads #haikyuu requests #hq x reader #hq x y/n #hq scenarios

[neonponders]

Here’s part 1 and the soulmates comic that inspired all this.

I’d also like to thank the Harringrove community for giving me mutuals who enable the worst best part of me 💞 You’re all fantastic 💗

• • • • • • •

Steve’s teeth clenched as his shoulder blades hit the brick walls of the alley between the gymnasium and school building.

Their English class was only two doors down from an exit, and Billy Hargrove, of all people, gripped Steve’s jacket the moment he passed out of the classroom door, and hauled his ass outside.

Now Steve had a face full of California freckles that made the accompanying blue eyes look like tropical waters. Billy had been a menace ever since he got to this town, and all of Hawkins’ fields didn’t leave enough room for the both of them, apparently. Shoving Steve around during gym. Parking next to him like the noise of his frigging Camaro would eclipse the humble BMW’s existence.

Billy released him but stayed crowded in his space as he ordered, “Get a pen.”

“What?”

“A pen, Harrington. I know you have one.”

Yeah, I just failed a test with it, he thought bitterly, but he’d also been using it to talk to Billy Freaking Hargrove all morning. He pulled it out of his binder and bit the cap to push the end into it -

“OW. Don’t - ” Steve shoved him back a step, interrupting the zagged line Billy was scoring into his hand. Into Steve’s hand. “ - press that hard. Jesus Christ.”

He waved said hand in front of Billy’s face. “It’s real, all right? It’s me. It’s me! What? Did you expect to be taller than me or some - ”

Steve’s head knocked the brick this time when Billy shoved him back, fisting his shirt to the point of stretching the fibers

And kissing Steve’s mouth like he had the water in a desert.

Everything Billy did was aggressive, so he supposed this shouldn’t be much of a surprise, but 

But the stubble scraping against Steve’s chin sent sparks launching down his spine. Soft lips with a little edge of teeth, and Billy’s warmth radiating through their shirts into Steve’s chest...

He tried to lean forward, to adjust the kiss, to give his neck some space, but Billy caged him in. Steve’s nose pressed into his cheek and his hands found Billy’s denim jacket to get his own grip and shoved Billy back by his own kiss.

But the guy who doodled on his body, an artist who couldn’t eat cake and liked authors who waxed romantically - Steve’s special person - was a slab of muscle dressed in denim and leather. He held onto Steve’s front while his other hand framed his jaw and man-handled him back into place.

“Billy,” Steve tried. He stopped just shy of Steve’s mouth, like he intended to claim Steve’s oxygen as well as his space. “Gimme some space. There are bricks back here.”

Steve registers Billy’s pretty, long, long and pretty lashes moving before he sees the expression behind them. The look Billy has. Like he’s deciding between one type of aggression and another.

“You’ve been in my skin for years. You can handle some bricks.”

He starts kissing Steve again, and for all the good he’s giving, he gets spittle and laughter in return. When he finally retreats back to those millimeters of space, Steve giggles, “You’re so conceited, I swear to god.”

“I’m the same person I’ve always been.”

“I thought you were so sweet. Always drawing me things.”

“I have my moods.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Steve laughed breathily and pivoted his face before Billy could kiss him again. He wedged his jaw beside Billy’s neck and held onto the back of his jacket as he made the guy carry his weight.

“What are you doing?”

“Hugging you.”

“I always knew you were a sap.”

Steve smiled a little even if Billy did not see it. He leaned his head into Billy’s, feeling the soft pillow of his hair, the curve of his ear. “I didn’t think I’d ever meet you. I’m glad I did.”

Like Billy’s marking on his skin, Steve listened to his silence but felt his fingertips drawing on his backside.

And if Steve expected Billy to relax or be nicer to him

He was dead wrong.

Billy got worse.

Steve had been told more than once that he was needy, touchy-feely, thrived on attention, but Billy was something else. Steve woke up with a full rose drawn on his forehead. He was almost late to school from washing it off. Then Billy stole his lunch. Outright took Steve’s tray off the table and went who-knows-where; Steve had to get back to world geography class or he’d fail the class for too many skips.

Then came gym. Word had clearly spread that Steve and Billy were spoken for, and Steve had never witnessed teenage boys shower faster in his life. Steve glanced around, just now moving his soap bar over his arm while Billy smirked fondly at him from under his own nozzle. "For no reason, have you ever done anything sexy in public?"

"Ate a girl out during a homecoming game."

That knocked Billy's features down a notch, and Steve laughed, "I'm not blowing you in these disgusting bathrooms."

Billy scoffed and twisted his water off. "I guess it should've landed that you were a prude when you had to be somewhere without markings on your body."

Steve flicked his eyes at the ceiling, because Billy was hot - a fact he already knew, but now he had hours of experience writing all over that rippling skin. And Billy’s hair curled really pretty when it was wet.

Steve liked to practice decency, okay.

He did let his gaze drift and fall to land on him, though, when he replied, “I have standards. High ones. Maybe stop complaining and consider yourself fortunate.”

Billy lingered for a while longer, just absorbing that before strolling out of the communal shower.

Billy definitely got worse.

Grinding pens into his hand until Steve threw himself out of bed in the middle of the night to turn his light on and read: Come outside. Pool. 

And yeah, Steve marched his ass downstairs in his slippers and robe because it was his own damn house and he liked soft things. And because he genuinely didn’t know if Billy would or would not throw a rock at his window if he didn’t get dressed fast enough.

Billy had already found the control panel and turned the pool lights on. He took lethargic steps around the water as Steve slid the glass door closed and crossed his arms. “You know, I’m all for staying up late, but not for my sleep being interrupted.”

Billy ignored that to kneel down and wave a hand through the water. “Didn’t know you had a pool.”

Steve shrugged. “I’ve got a bed too. You wanna use it?”

Billy laughed and stood back up - to start removing his clothes. “I want to go swimming first.”

Steve exhaled tiredly and let his face fall into his hands. “Billy, why am I out here?”

He got his answer in the form of Billy gripping the sash around his waist. He didn’t undo it, but pulled so Steve’s hips lurched forward. “What’s under this?”

“My tired ass that wants to sleep so I can keep up with the new kid in Hawkins.”

Billy chuckled and slipped his hand inside the folds. Steve bowed a little against the cooler hand wandering his bare skin. Cradling his naked waist. “What’s he like?”

“The wrong kind of pain in my ass.”

He’d caught Billy off guard with that one. Billy coughed a laugh and his chuckles dwindled as he let his perusal of Steve’s body loosen the robe. Then he pulled Steve to him so his mouth could press slow kisses over the slope of his shoulder. Steve’s head fell back when those lips found the tiny moles on his throat.

Steve’s arms encompassed him and he felt the familiar, soft press of Billy’s ear against his cheek. “I’m tired.”

“I want to swim.”

“You’re already naked. Go ahead.”

“You can’t think you’re going back inside without getting wet.”

“And you’re not getting in bed with me before rinsing in the shower. We’re both high maintenance.”

Steve swam in the pool.

Billy wore his robe and slippers into the house.

They showered together and, to Steve’s delight, Billy snuggled in close without putting his damp hair on Steve’s chest. The latter fell asleep with a large arm over his diaphragm and ocean breaths in his ear.

Steve woke up to the wet sensation of Billy drawing on his chest with his markers. Instead of opening his eyes, Steve mumbled, “If you’re drawing more penises...”

Billy hummed with mirth. “Just some unicorns humping each other.”

Steve earned a yelp when he reared up and tackled Billy to the bed. He kissed him silly and tasted his soul mate’s skin in his own bed. He made Billy’s hair a fluffy nightmare by the time he was through, and licked and sucked all of his muscles into jelly before he went to the bathroom to relieve himself...

Two birds under his collarbones framed a script spanning over his chest.

I can’t say sweet things. But you are beautiful.

#harringrove #neonponders #ficlet #soul mates!au #i'm sorry for the lack of detail and plot #it's a wonder it got this long lol #but leave it to steve to blow billy's brains out #and not notice what is on billy's chest to gauge what he'd find in the mirror later #thank you so much for everyone's super sweet reception of part 1!

[failedintsave]

Kloktober Day 18: formal event or laundry day

Weekly Ritual

In Pickles' experience, Wednesdays were the ideal laundry days. Too early in the week and all the machines were taken up by the nine-to-fivers, preparing themselves for their dismal, predictable lives, one load of collared shirts and khakis at a time. If you waited til Thursday or Friday you had to compete with the weekenders, frantically trying to spray-n-wash last Saturday's stains out of their clubwear and strategically ripped designer jeans.

But at noon on a Wednesday there was almost never another soul in sight at Spin Doctors Laundromat, no one to hog all the good dryers or buy out all the name brand detergent or give him dirty looks for walking around in his tighty whities with a brown bagged forty in hand. No, midday, mid-week it was a chlorine scented temple of peace and quiet. His very own Fortress of Solitude.

"Euughh it hot as balls out here, when ams you going to fix de air-coldenings in dis cars? I not builts for life in dis godsforsaken swamp lands."

Or it would have been, had their primadonna lead guitarist not intruded on his pilgrimage and tagged along with his own hamper full of achromatic garments in need of washing. Unable to carry his loaded basket and his guitar down from the apartment at the same time, Skwisgaar had resorted to other methods of busying his anxious hands, chain-smoking and rolling a quarter across the backs of his knuckles for the entire car ride.

"You gaht four hundred bucks to spare fer alluv deh work this thing needs? I'll gladly take donations." Pickles slammed the station wagon into park, twisting the keys out of the ignition and yanking the emergency brake. "Don't you and Nat'an usually go have his ma do yer laundry for ya?"

"She aments washings it for us." Skwisgaar groused as he flicked the butt of his cigarette through the open window and got out of the car. "We just use dere machines."

"Right, sure. So why aintcha doin' that?"

The lanky Swede stretched his impossibly long arms overhead, fingertips practically grazing the upper reaches of the atmosphere like a living sculpture of Atlas holding up the heavens. "Nat'an acks-ki-dentsallies lefts his dumbbells in his laundry basket and washed dems. So now dey needs a new washers I guess."

Gathering his hair into a messy bunch atop his head, he gave it a deft twist, thick golden waves supporting the bun without need for an elastic. Fine wisps drifted free to frame his face as he looked at Pickles over the top of the vehicle. This guy… even on laundry day in borrowed sweats he was out here looking like some kinda Scandinavian runway model. Pickles frowned sourly and brushed a tangle of ginger dreads over his shoulder, opening the rear seat to retrieve his rolling hamper. The plastic wheels made a grinding noise, catching every crack and pebble as he dragged it behind him, hauling it up over the cement wheelstop.

"Hope 'ee didn't try an' dry em too."

"Noes, but dey won'ts has a replacements til de weekend and I ams all out of clothes now." Skwisgaar followed him across the parking lot, scuffing his shower slides against the pavement rather than lifting his feet. "So it ams dis or sit around nakeds for de next few days."

"As opposed to any other week?"

"Huehuehuehhue."

The interior of the building was cooler than the blacktop with its shimmering heat mirages, but only marginally. Like every coin laundry business Pickles had ever utilized, this one was a time capsule of 70s interior design. The front-loading machines running down either wall were the same ugly harvest gold color of the appliances in his parents' kitchen growing up, topped by faux wood paneling sweating in the humidity. Dingy off-white tile covered the floor, divided down the middle by a back to back row of moulded bench seating. A single oscillating fan bolted to the ceiling stirred the air from the far corner, a muted tv mounted opposite, running the game show channel. Below the tv, the attendant's window was vacant, a sign reading 'Back in 15' propped up against an empty Fruitopia bottle. Pickles had never seen anyone behind the counter.

"A'right park it here, how much change you got?" He dragged his hamper to a space between two machines, opening each hatch and beginning to divide his lights and darks.

Skwisgaar held up two spindly fingers, the quarter he'd been fidgeting with in the car wedged between them.

"Dats it?"

"Euughh…" he patted down the thighs of his pilfered sweatpants, though it was clear they lacked pockets. Where did he get those from anyway? The bottom cuff didn't quite reach his ankles but the rest of the pant practically swallowed him. He should look ridiculous but somehow it just read bohemian. Pickles scratched at the hem of his own threadbare shirt, wondering if he could still rock a crop. Not exactly a death metal look, but did that really matter?

"Killin' me, dood..." Pickles fished out his wallet, withdrawing his last five and passing it over to the blonde. "Go get change from da machine, luckily I don't gaht alotta whites so we can prob'ly share dat load."

Skwisgaar dropped his basket unceremoniously in front of the designated 'lights' washer and wandered off towards the change machine. By the time he'd returned, Pickles had stripped down to his underwear and added his jeans and tank to the load.

"And you gave me craps abouts beingk nakeds? Ams dat allowed here?" He held out a fistful of quarters, waiting while Pickles shook powdered detergent out of the carton and into the drum.

"Whet, you some kinda narc?" Accepting the coins, Pickles fed the first machine and cranked the dial to start.

"Nope." With a smirk, Skwisgaar pulled his own shirt over his head and tossed it in with Pickles' whites, leaning down to grab a handful from his basket.

Pickles had assumed Skwisgaar's laundry probably didn't require sorting when he'd closed the hatch on the first machine, but a scrap of color in the hamper caught his eye.

"Ope, sahrry, missed one." He tugged it free, well-worn baby blue cotton soft between his fingers. Pickles blinked dumbly at the tee for a moment before a wicked grin tugged the corners of his mouth. "Oh you gahtta be shittin' me."

"Hm?" Skwisgaar turned from where he'd been cramming white denim into the open machine, his eyes widening in horror as Pickles turned the shirt around and held it up to his own torso, the dandelion yellow letters emblazoned across the chest facing outward.

"'Dancing Queen'?" He snickered, biting his lip against a surge of glee. The crimson flush rising on Skwisgaar's face only added to his amusement.

"Dat aments mine."

Pickles' eyes crinkled. "Feels pretty broken in."

A pale hand flashed forward like a bolt of lightning, snatching the shirt away and balling it up before pitching it forcefully through the open door of the washer. Skwisgaar slapped it shut, not waiting to add the rest of his basket or detergent.

"It probably Toki's from de salutation armies, I's always cleanings up after his sloppy frets work now I guess he ezpecktings me to cleans up de rest of him messes too." Skwisgaar's normally indolent pout twisted into a scowl, daring Pickles to disagree.

"Okey, okey, whatever you say, Fernando."

The Swede crossed his arms over piano key ribs, gaze shifting to avoid Pickles' eyes. The drummer chuckled and shook his head, prying the hatch open again to dump the last of Skwisgaar's basket inside along with some soap.

"How's de kid doin' anyway?" He shut the machine again and fed it half their remaining quarters. Hopefully they could get everything into one of the bigger dryers for a cycle. "Seems like he's settled in, but I still can't understand a fuckin' word he's sayin'. Worse den you were."

"Euughh, he ams a pains in mine backsides. Nevors prackstice, always followingk me likes de stray kitty cats wif dat dumb dildoes smile on him face. Bad enoughs I gots to share a rooms wif him, but I barely gets a second to takes a piss alone!"

"Got yerself a live-in fanclub, sounds like." Dragging his emptied hamper towards the bench, Pickles reached into the bottom and tore open the thin cardboard box he'd stashed there. "Ya mean ya don't love havin' yer ass kissed day'n night?"

"Dere ams such t'ing as too much of a good times." The blonde huffed. "Just needs a seconds to breathe sometimes wifout trippingks over him or hasing to answer his millions billions questions. Cans I use you walkmans, Skwisgaar? When ams we gonna be famous, Skwisgaar? Får jag sova i din säng inatt, Skwisgaar?" Gangly arms were thrown up in exasperation.

He didn't follow that last part, but the sentiment was something Pickles could understand. Constant close-quarters, whether it was a cramped apartment or tour bus full of bandmates and groupies, could get taxing. And he considered himself to be a lot less high-strung than the lead guitarist.

"Yep, gahtta carve out some time fer yerself once in a while. Maybe walk down ta the park and lookit swahns. Or have a beer while washin' yer clothes."

The can he pulled from his hamper was room temperature, the seal cracking as he lifted the tab. Skwisgaar watched him curiously as he extended the drink, offering.

"Well go ahn, take it."

Sandals shuffling across the tile, Skwisgaar accepted the beer with a sheepish look. "I, euughh, didn'ts means to takes away you's quiet times, Pickle."

"Ehh, that's a'right. Now it counts as social drinkin', 'stead of alcoholism, right?" Pickles retrieved a second beer and opened it, sipping the foam that bubbled up.

"Das a good points."

The blonde dropped into the seat next to him and kicked his long legs out, crossing them at the ankle as he leaned back and watched their laundry spin through the glass portholes. Pickles took another slug off his beer and mirrored Skwisgaar's lazy posture. They didn't speak except to pass a second can over once the first round was emptied.

It wasn't quite the level of solitude he looked forward to each week, but Pickles found he didn't mind the company so much after all.

#pickles the drummer #skwisgaar skwigelf #metalocalypse #dethklok #kloktober 2021

[daisybeewrites]

Academy Blues — Prologue

word count: 1.8k

warnings: not any for this chapter

ship: Dousy, background Fitzsimmons and Philinda

okay y’all.. here it is. the first installment of my first LONG TERM SERIES!!!!!! ahhhh i’m so excited. literally i cant wait to continue this and see where it takes me. i have an idea and a few different planning sheets, but honestly i have no idea where exactly this will end up. i love each and single one of you <3 thank you for reading!! this is also posted on Ao3, and linked in the masterlist.

Daisy hated the sound of the bells at The Academy. Screeching, awful, way too loud, the bells were the bane of her existence. They all wore standard-issue watches from the lab that monitored vitals and gave them reminders, and also told the time, for god’s sake! Fitz had even modified hers so that she could play snake on the tiny watch face! There was no need for the bells to be so excruciatingly disruptive. Though, Daisy guessed, there were many things more tortuous than bells ringing every hour and fifteen minutes.

Daisy slowed to a jog, cutting her morning run short. The bright side to being a third-year was that you chose your schedule, for the most part, and that meant Daisy had a free first period for four out of five days of classes. She usually spent this free period getting an extra hour in at the gym, boxing or sparring with Mack or Bobbi, two fourth years that had reluctantly taken her under their wings, or sleeping in. She reserved sleeping in for especially rough nights where visions of ashes and earthquakes and lightning returned time and time again, no matter how many deep breaths she took or sheep she counted.

But this morning was not one of those mornings. She had been up before sunrise, a little before her usual alarm and silently headed out of her dorm for a run. It was humid this time of year on most Virginia mornings, but never so hot that it made Daisy feel as if she was being smothered. The cooler air chilled her sweaty skin, her chest rising and falling as she jogged up the three flights of steps to the second years’ dorms. Down one long hallway, and she arrived at her room.

Daisy had been given her own room at the start of last year, complete with poly-adaptic-proto-whatever panels, which she had painted a pastel shade of purple, to compliment the greens of her cacti and the dark purples and blacks of everything else in her room. Even May had agreed that the stark white was too ”psych wing” for a bedroom. Daisy was grateful for the space, but considering the panels and the private room were only necessary since...

She shuddered. Grabbing her shower caddy, Daisy set off to the bathroom at the opposite end of the hall, hoping no one else was spending a free first period at the dorms.

Her shoulder-length waves were wet from bouncing against her neck, and starting to become annoying now that the sweat had dried and was starting to itch. Picking the white tiled shower furthest away from the door, Daisy quickly turned the water on, checked the temperature, pulled her sports bra and shorts off and hopped into the shower. Shampoo, condition, soap body, rinse. Checking her watch, Daisy found that she had showered in record time, less than three minutes. After spending another five just enjoying the hot water, she hopped out and changed into her class clothes.

Dark purple leggings, Coulson’s grey vintage SHIELD tee and a pair of white running sneakers she had “borrowed” from Jemma completed her look. Passing the mirrors, Daisy tried not to glance at herself. If her hair was messy or her undereye bags a bit too dark, she didn’t want to know. Instead, she headed back to her room to pack her bag for the day.

SHIELD-issued laptop, extra hard drives and a charger, Advanced CS 3: Ethical Hacking: Theory and Application, Advanced CS 4: Secrets of The Coding Languages, Physics notebook, an essay that was three days late on some boring book about international laws, and her sparring gear were all thrown into the black bag. She gave a second glance at the Russian notebooks Bobbi had loaned to her, promising that she’d learn without taking the class. Oh well, she still had all of this term to start. Plus, would she ever really need more than the dirty words?

One look at the alarm clock that sat on her dark hardwood night table showed that she still had almost forty-five minutes before she had to be in the computer lab. Sitting down on her bed, Daisy ran a hand over the grey blanket May had given her.

Daisy’s relationship with May and Coulson had been something of a problem with other students when she first got here. Some had been okay with the obvious paternal love Coulson showed for Daisy, showing her around and checking up on her, scheduling lunch dates and reminding her of tests. May was more subtle, texting her links to tai chi videos when she noticed Daisy getting too stressed or letting Daisy do her own thing if she saw that she was overwhelmed. Of course, none of the other students knew her family history, what she had gone through just to realize that May and Coulson were more her parents than her biological father and mother could ever be. She would see them later today—May during field training and Coulson in between lectures in the canteen.

Daisy walked over to her window to open her blinds, staring out at the campus she had grown to love. The large brick buildings scattered around acres of the Virginia countryside; green fields meant for physical activities like sparring or obstacle courses, or simply basking in the weather to study or chat; the dorms—red brick and concrete melded together to upgrade and expand the charming style of previously-built homes.

Grabbing a protein bar, Daisy headed to the canteen to make a green smoothie (and maybe snatch a cup of joe before she had to listen to an hour-long lecture on the reason SHIELD must cooperate with the UN’s stupid rules at 7:30 in the morning). Smelling the pines and morning dew surrounding her, she smiled slightly. Maybe this term wouldn’t be so bad.

———————————————————————

Daniel Sousa was a man of honor. He was a man of great strength. Agent Daniel Sousa, previously Officer Daniel Sousa in the US Army, was a man who could fix his damn alarm clock on his own.

Just, not today. Or the day before.

So, Agent Daniel Sousa was now hurrying his way to class at The SHIELD Academy, books in hand and gym bag slung over his shoulders. Catching a glance at himself in the shiny glass doors of the bio-chem building, he groaned. He hadn’t even brushed his hair. And, looking down, he discovered he was wearing two different shoes.

This is the college experience everyone raves about, he thought bitterly. You see, Daniel Sousa had enlisted to the army straight out of high school, forgoing university. He climbed the ranks impressively quickly, earning his place as second-in-command and reconnaissance scout in the 28th Infantry Regiment. Unfortunately, after only four years in the army, Sousa was injured in the field, losing his leg and almost his life.

He came back to the US a war hero, and yet, he felt he wasn't finished. So, when a recruiter named Peggy Carter knocked on his door claiming to be from SHIELD (“Wow, you guys are still a thing?”), he leapt at the chance to continue fighti-...doing good. The Academy wasn’t exactly what he had bargained for, though. Trying to earn his B.A. and training to be an agent at the same time was grueling, but nothing he couldn’t deal with.

No, six different one hour and fifteen minute long classes plus mandatory physical therapy every day wasn’t going to break him. Learning how to be a communications agent and re-starting field training and catching up on general college education was no problem. Pressuring himself to be the best, to break the limits, to get past all his weaknesses was just another miniscule feather to add to the pile.

Unless his stupid alarm clock broke. Then yes, Agent Daniel Sousa would fail, buckle under the weight and be left on the floor to die.

Maybe he was being a bit dramatic.

One bunny-slippered right foot and a sneakered left leg carried him forward, propelled by a quickly chugged orange Celsius and his sheer will not to be late.

Daniel heard the late bell ring out, understanding that, on his first day of class, he would be counted late. It wasn’t like him, not at all. Especially when his first class was a refresher course on field tactics and covert strategy, something in which he was already aces.

He let out a sigh, slowing as he rounded the corner into the comms building. At the Academy, most buildings were grouped into categories: the cafeteria, gym and pool, and student resource building all to the south; the gun range, obstacle course, and specialized gym to the east; bio-chem labs, tech labs, and smaller rooms for lectures to the west; the computer labs and comms buildings right smack in the middle; and dorms to the north.

He swiped a key card with his driver’s license picture and student ID, unlocking the sliding doors that led to the computer labs. It was quicker to short cut through them than to walk around the building to the entrance closest to communications classrooms.

It wasn’t because he knew a certain broody brunette spent her mornings in the lab.

No, it wasn’t, because she wasn’t in her usual seat in the corner, typing away.

He slowly walked through the rows of computers, searching for a familiar black backpack. Nothing was there.

“Hey, Sousa,” an accented female voice called behind him. He whipped around to see who it was, feeling just a twinge of disappointment when Elena, or, as most people knew her, Yo-Yo, was leaning against the door frame. Yo-Yo, a fourth year operations trainee, who was very close with Daisy.

“Hey, Yo-Yo. Good morning,” he called, “I’m running a bit late.”

Elena checked her nails casually, “Way to state the obvious. You were running faster than I could trying to get here before the bell.”

Daniel rubbed the back of his neck and blushed. “Yeah…”

“Daisy’s running late today, too.”

Daniel looked around, pretending that hearing Daisy’s name didn’t make him want to smile. “Oh, of course. She’s usually here early.”

Elena nodded, chuckling a little at his response. She couldn’t tell if he was oblivious or just a bad liar. It was charming, really. “Right. See ya ‘round, Sousa!”

“See ya,” He replied. He thought he heard a quiet ‘Lovable nerds’ coming from the direction she left, but he couldn’t be sure.

And so, with a last look around the computer lab, Daniel set off to arrive late to May’s lecture.

———————————————————————

okay okay,,, what do y’all think?? like/reblog and let me know! it’s the best way to support writers and it only takes a second! stay tuned for more chapters!!

#academy blues #daisy johnson #agents of s.h.i.e.l.d. #dousy #daisy johnson x daniel sousa #timequake #daniel sousa #jemma simmons #leo fitz #fitzsimmons #philinda #philindaisy #ashby’s fics #marvels aos #au!

[that-damn-girl]

(5) Bucky and The Bed

Completed

Chapter 4

Bucky and The Bed Masterlist 

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x (cis)fem!reader

Words:  3700+

Summery: You and Bucky are stranded in the middle of a snowy nowhere when there is an 'electronic blackout' during your mission. With no back ups or any way to contact your team, you take refuge from the worsening weather in the only cabin you find  in miles. Not to mention, with no power, Bucky has become your personal heater and there's only one bed.

Chapter type: Fluff.

Chapter/Triger warning: None that I can think of except for ‘highly self-indulgent’.

A/N: This is in submission to the lovely @sweater-daddiesdumbdork​ ‘s Any-Fucking-Fandom Fic Challenge. Check it out! My prompt is below.

Calloused fingertips ran slowly through your hair, absent-mindedly drawing varied patterns with gentle prolonged strokes. Eyes closed, you basked in the alleviating motion. The faint pressure of his tips combing through your scalp lulled you into a deep state of relaxation. Not that you'd been stressed before, but you welcomed the calming drift with open arms.

Head perched on Bucky's lap, you laid comfortably along the width of the bed on your back. The headboard of the bed supported Bucky's back as his legs were stretched, ankles crossed.

Flesh hand racking through your locks, his metal one was encompassed in the heat of your hold. It felt cool to touch, much cooler than the rest of him, but it had a certain aura of warmth. Languidly, you traced the smooth plates making up his palm and fingers and the back of his hand, committing every cranny, every nook to memory.

Your tips climbed up and down the dips of his knuckles, rounding the impeccably curved tips now and then. They seemed crafted as well as the natural human ones. With the whole of his metal arm being that way, you didn't know why you were so amazed by the uncanny resemblance.

Sweeping over the sleek black and gold plates over and over again, mapping the blend of contours and arcs, you said, "Never did I ever think I'd be tired of being uselessly free."

From studying the simple joints of wood panels on the ceiling, Bucky's eyes drifted down to you when you spoke, trailing over your delicate features and then again. Just because. He never thought he'd ever get tired of admiring your beauty anyways.

Eyelids shut, you looked content and yet dejected as your head rested on his lap. He knew you felt bored, hence the look of dejection maybe. He only hoped his presence was the cause of the slight contentment you felt.

It had been a couple of days since Bucky was able to contact Sam; three since they took refuge in this small cabin. There really was nothing to do except for eat, sleep, and repeat.

Chuckling, Bucky said, "It kinda reminds me of the time in Wakanda."

Opening your eyes and slightly craning your neck, you glanced at him. Though he looked at you, his eyes held a faraway gaze, as if having found a distant memory and reminiscing in it. Closing your eyes, you settled in more comfortably. You loved hearing stories about his experience in the astounding African country.

"Tell me about it."

Though you couldn't see him, you knew he wore a bright smile as he remembered the days. You interlaced your fingers with his metal fingers as his flesh ones occasionally twirled a few locks of your hair.

This was new, the touching at every moment, only for more to be followed in the next. Bucky Barnes was a reserved man. He did want a soft and comforting touch, but there weren't many people to give him that.

Steve, yes. Sam, sometimes. It wasn't as if he was open to letting others touch him either. He sought out the familiarity in the amiable contact, the assurance of no ill content behind it.

The past decade had taught him to believe a touch only meant one thing. Pain.

You had been with him as long as Sam had, but he was only able to open up to you in the recent few years. He had become comfortable with you. Didn't have any qualms about feeling your skin on him.

But there was always a limit. There was always a limit to how much he'd let someone in.

In the past few days, however,  you and him seemed to literally keep in touch at all times of the day. Asleep or awake. It happened involuntarily, really. As if your hearts made decisions of their own, claiming what they desired.

Bucky had noticed that and so did you, but neither dared to comment on it. Afraid of making the other more conscious. Of losing the closeness it had brought along. Of losing the joy it brought to your hearts with just a touch.

Bucky tried to convince himself that it was because you needed it, the warmth the super soldier serum provided him. But what was the explanation of the warmth you gave him, without any enhancements?

You needed him, but he was no longer able to deny that he needed the feel of your touch much more desperately. He needed it every second of the day since he'd had a taste of it. A taste of what it felt like to be around you at all times. A taste of heaven which you brought to him.

From every fortunate moment he woke up with you in his arms to sleep in the same way, he'd cherished it deeply. He loved cuddling with you and being cozy. Whether you cooked, or ate, or just were together, you'd always found a way to touch each other.

Your touch had become familiar to him in such a soothing way; he'd been accustomed to it so well, he didn't even want to imagine how being without it would feel like once you'd return.

But he didn't want to burden the pleasant moment by worrying about the future. Choosing to savour it as long as he could, he clutched your hand protectively in his as your fingers linked. Warmth spread across his metal arm and it tickled as the heat made its way through his heart.

Sighing contentedly, he began, "After Shuri was able to get the effect of the words out of me, I was free to live outside the palace and with the crowd. I'd go to therapy daily at first, but the frequency decreased eventually.

"My only purpose there was to recover, to relax, so I didn't really have anything productive to do. The children would play with me and braid my hair, but there's only so much of that which could be done.

"I felt so useless there, I begged T'Challa to give me some work." He paused, laughing before he continued, "I remember the look Okoye gave me. She thought I was a dumb old bitch. Wanting to work when free time was gifted to me on a gold platter."

Bucky looked down at you when you chuckled. A beautiful smile graced your face, lightening up the glow already there. His pride swelled up a little, knowing and liking the fact that he could make you smile.

Beaming widely, he added, "I did the work they already had machines for. Loading and unloading. Carrying things from one place to the other. Just helping anyway I could, even if they didn't require it." He sighed, "Maybe I really was a dumb old bitch."

Chuckling again, you tried to imagine as you said, "Ah, city boy turned farm boy. What a sight it would have been."

"Picture oily, greasy hair, and mud ridden clothes. That's how it was like." He said.

Opening your eyes, you cheekily grinned at him, "I bet you still looked damn good, Bucky."

Feeling colour rising to his cheeks, he was sure he would've stuttered had he spoken anything. You saved him from that, "I've always wondered if the serum prevented you from being ticklish."

"Why?" The word wasn't even out of his mouth when your fingers teased the sides of his torso. The furrow of his brows instantly morphed into a merry stance as he snickered.

"Stop," He wheezed when you sat up and tickled him with all your might. Hands roamed over all the tickle inducing spots you could reach.

"Y/N, wait," His eyes crinkled as he laughed. Seeing him squirm under you, you giggled along with him, enjoying the elated mirth on his face.

Pleading requests reached your ears between huffs of gleeful laughter. His hands tried to reach yours, swiftly shifted out of his reach. Not for long though.

Soon the tables were turned. His hands caught up to you. When he started tickling your spots, you tried to shrunk into a ball.

"Bucky!" You cried, eyes closing as you laughed joyfully.

"Nuh uh, doll, you brought this on yourself." Snickering along, Bucky said mischievously as his hands lightly stroked your sides and under your chin.

You wiggled under him, but he didn't let you escape. His fingers danced along your body. You shrieked with mirthful laughter when he reached a particular spot.

Your arms thrashed about as you tried to stop him. Bucky caged your hand in his when they hit his chest. Laughing still, he placed them by your head bent over you.

Giggling softly, you slowly opened your eyes as you calmed down from the high. You saw Bucky holding you down, a light chuckle playing on his lips. Suddenly you realised how really close he was.

Long dark locks framed his features as he leaned over you. His scruff had grown in the few days you were here. You decided you quite liked the look on him.

You wondered if he was open to the idea of growing his beard again. Bearded Bucky was a spectacular look after all.

Delight was clear in his expression as his blue eyes stared into your own. Upon such close inspection, you realised there was a bit of greyish touch to his eyes. Almost as if they could be called ocean grey.

How many before you had realised it? Or if it was your mind making you see things because it was clouded with the fact of your close proximity?

Bucky's lips were plump and pink. They seemed much more bright and colourful against his pale skin in the extreme cold. Did his lips look this rosy before?

Bucky saw your eyes drifting across his face as a realization struck them. Your smile faded slowly but the dazzle in your made up for it as they took in every feature. When your eyes dropped to his lips, they stayed there for a while.

He couldn't help but glance down at your lips. Slightly parted, they looked so soft. He wondered how sweet they tasted. Overcome by an urge to kiss you deeply and find out for himself, he looked at your eyes and back down at your lips.

It was only then that he realised how close he'd gotten to you. His breath hitched at that moment. He became nervous all of a sudden.

Yes, you two had been close ever since this fiasco started, but never like this. This was new to the both of you.

Something must have given him away, because he felt you stiffen under him. You too had realised close proximity.

He was worried you'd pull away. Not that you could with bed beneath you, but you could always turn your head sideways. You didn't. Instead, your lips only parted a little more.

Only inches apart, he could feel everytime you exhaled. His heart raced with the possibilities of every outcome if he leaned down just a little more. How it could turn out, just like he'd dreamed about it. How he could finally have you as his.

And then the negative outcomes swarmed his brain. What if he was reading all the signs wrong? Granted he was an expert in body language, yet he wasn't a mind reader.

If he did close the gap but you didn't want it to happen, he could lose a good friend to awkwardness. There were also days to be cut until either of you would separate from each other.

The tension would be unbearable if you rejected his advances. He couldn't let that happen. He couldn't let any of that happen at all.

Bucky Barnes was a fucking coward and so were you.

Reluctantly, he pulled back. You didn't want him to, but you didn't stop him either. Freeing your hands, he sat on his knees beside you. Leaning on the heel of your palms, you sat up too.

Bucky couldn't meet your eyes as he looked down at his lap. You were much the same beside him.

The tension was so thick you swore it could be cut with a knife. Bucky didn't want to make things awkward, but it had already gotten so.

After spending a pleasant time together, you didn't want anything to become a thorn between the two of you. Without thinking, you quickly spoke, "Let's dance."

Bucky furrowed his brows, confusion overtaking his expression, "You wanna dance?"

"Yeah, let's." You shrugged, "It's not like we got anything better to do."

Bucky opened his mouth but closed it when nothing came to his mind. If you were trying to steer the two of you away from the unwanted tension, you were definitely succeeding. There was just one problem though. "I don't remember how to dance."

"It's okay. It's not like I'm Micheal Jackson either." Bucky was glad the reference wasn't lost on him. The spider kid was doing a good job updating him with all the highlights of the past century he'd missed.

Getting off the bed, you extended an arm towards him. Figuring just rolling with your idea would be easier than acknowledging the moment earlier, he followed you suit.

As he stepped in front of your form, you were unsure where to place your hands. Keeping some distance, you kept arms on his shoulder and linked your fingers behind his head. He brought his hands to your sides, holding you loosely.

You were close but not like before. He seemed to be fine with it and so were you.

You started with shifting your weight on either of your legs, proceeding to sway your body gradually from side to side and moving about in the small space of the room. He directed his body along with yours, going at it with the pace you set.

"There is no music, you know." He remarked.

You pretend to give it thought, "I would be all poetic and say the birds are chirping and that's music enough, but the thing is there are no birds around. Or any living things for that matter."

Bucky scrunched up his nose, "Sounds a little creepy, doesn't it?"

You nodded, "Yeah. Why don't you sing?"

"Uh, no. I don't want your ears to bleed." He chuckled.

You tilted your head, "Come on, you can't be that bad."

"Well, I am that bad. Deal with it." He said

You rolled your eyes comically at him, "Fine."

He raised a brow, "Why don't you sing?"

Not wanting to disclose your singing abilities to him, or rather the lack of it, you said, "Oh, just shut up and dance with me."

Snickering, he replied, "As you say, Ma'am."

Bringing your hands down to his side, you encircled them around his waist and placed your head on his shoulder. Swaying softly to the beat of your own heart, you enjoyed the rhythm already set.

It wasn't really dancing per se, but it sure was relaxing. His warmth seeped into you through the embrace and. You relished in the feel of it. His heartbeat was clear under your ears, lulling you into a tranquil state.

Bucky liked the weight of your head on his shoulders. The way your hands were clasped behind his back. He felt whole in a way he couldn't really describe. Resting his cheek on your head, his hands tightened their hold around you.

The quiet around you was comforting instead of unnerving like you had anticipated. You didn't complain.

You spent a long time swaying in each other's arms. It felt good, being held like this in Bucky's warm embrace. You enjoyed the moment as long as you could.

Slowly, in a voice so low he thought he might have missed, you said, "I miss Sam, you know."

Bucky felt a pang of jealousy hit him. Not that he had anything against Sam. In all honesty, he missed their banters and the constant quipping at each other. He missed his friend too, but a sense of insecurity followed as well. Would you have preferred Sam over him to be here with you?

Oblivious to his inner turmoil, you continued, "Ever since we were active paramilitary, it was I, him and Riley, together everywhere. When Riley..."

You trailed off. Memories of the wonderful times with your late friend surfaced up. A lump formed in your throat at the onslaught of pictures flashing before your eyes of Riley pummelling to his death.

Closing your eyes, you took a deep breath and tried to calm down. You bit your lower lip to prevent it from trembling. Years later, the guilt of not being able to save him still lingered.

Who else would know better than Bucky how it felt losing your best friend? The constant guilt which ate you up when you thought it was your doing. The rethinking of every decision made which led you to lose them. The never ending 'What if's.

He had fallen down that rabbit hole too many times, and you were always there to pick him up. He wasn't about to back out when his turn came.

Feeling a warm hand pet your head softly, you looked up at Bucky. He didn't say anything, but he smiled sweetly, encouraging you to continue.

"It was hard to deal with it, but we coped up together. Sam and I, we got closer than ever. He became like the brother I never had."

Bucky knew it wasn't the time, but he sighed in relief. It was all brotherly and sisterly and platonic love between you and him. Before he could celebrate though, you proceeded.

"Sam and I were inseparable after that, you know. Imagine my surprise when the one time I don't go on a morning run with him and he meets Captain fucking America."

You laughed at the memory of how mad you'd been at yourself for oversleeping that particular day. Sam had had to do quite some work to cheer you up.

"After the both of us became Avengers, we usually went on missions together. If we weren't on the same missions, or when I was on one while he was at home, the work to be done didn't let my mind wander. Even after he took the mantle, it was the same between us."

You sighed, "It just feels weird, spending all of my free time being away from him."

Glancing up at him, you kept your chin on his chest. Displaying a cheeky grin, you said, "But I am glad I have you here, Bucky. I like spending time with you, getting to know you better."

Bucky felt his heart soar within his chest. He couldn't contain the joy he felt at hearing that. Smiling widely, he tightened his arms around your waist, "I like spending time with you too, Y/N."

Placing your head on his chest once again, you said, "I think I'm gonna miss this when we get back. All these moments. This closeness we've had." You added for good measure, "You were the best cuddle pillow I've ever had, after all."

Bucky chuckled softly, his chest reverberating as he did. Perhaps the intimacy you'd developed was only because of the circumstances you were put in, but he didn't want to lose it. Only if as friends, the two of you had grown much more closer than before.

Just like you, he feared that when you'd be back to your normal lives, this connection would be lost. He didn't want to squander all the progress he had made with you.

But he also didn't want to fritter away the time he had with you right then only to worry about what would or could happen. He promised himself to appreciate and cherish any moment he had the chance to spend with you.

Softly, he said, "Don't worry about it, doll. We got enough time for that later. All we have is now."

"All we have is now." You repeated, snuggling closer to him, luxuriating in the feel of his arms around you and savouring the warmth of his embrace in the cold.

The bliss didn't last long though. There was a petty itch in your eyes, promoting you to bring your hands up to rub your lids.

Bucky pulled back when he felt the movement against him, "Hey, what happened?"

Face half covered with your palm as you tried to get rid of the itch, you said, "Something got into my eyes maybe."

"Don't rub your eyes. You're only going to worsen it." He tried to pull your hand away from your face.

Whatever it was, it irritated and burned the sensitive tissue of your eyes. You had to forcefully will yourself to let Bucky drag your hand away.

Leaning into you, he cupped your face in his hands and puckered his lips to softly blow on your eyes. Hot puffs of air hit you as he tried his best to relieve the itch. Keeping your eyes open was hard, but soon the unwanted particle was driven out.

"Better?" He asked.

"Yeah, thanks." You muttered.

You realised a little too late the close proximity between you too. It was that moment again , rekindling the fire which wasn't really put off before.

Your breaths slowed and your heart thumped loudly in your ears. Bucky could feel the erratic beats of your heart against him. He heard you gulp as you stared intently into his eyes which looked hungry yet gentle.

Your pupils dilated as your gaze fell down to his lips, lingering there before coming back to his eyes. Pushing your tongue out, you tentatively licked your lips teasingly slow.

Your lips glistened as Bucky glanced at them. They looked soft and delicious, and Bucky had never wanted to taste anything as bad as them.

He had stopped himself from doing exactly that for a reason before, but with his brain clouded with thoughts about you and your lips, he couldn't remember why. It was as if his mind had stopped working, which he didn't doubt it had.

Bouts of confidence hit him in that moment, overhauling his senses and preventing him from thinking about anything else. Would it really be wrong to have your lips on his, to taste the sweetness of you? It was all he'd desperately wanted to do since a long time but never dared to.

Throwing all caution to the wind, he finally leaned down...

The divider is made by @writeyourmindaway​

Chapter 6

I think you all know ensues next. 😏 

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[makeste]

not a cavalcade of Katsuki panels

damn, anon. you stone cold came for me with that last part. and just fyi to all onlookers, this was before I had posted the headcanons ask proving this exact point lmao.

but a challenge has been issued now! so I will do my best to pick a variety of impartial panels featuring a veritable medley of characters. not sure I can really provide much in the way of insightful analysis of symbolism and metaphors and stuff, but I can certainly type a lot of words about the pretty pictures, and about how cool people look when they’re standing around all serious surrounded by clouds of billowing smoke.

why I like it: I figured we’d start off strong. no point in holding back. can the other panels possibly even hope to compete. maybe. we’ll see.

why I like it: because, you see, he punched a giant robot, and it exploded. you see that, there? and the text was all “SMAASH” in humongous comic book letters, and it was pretty cool. also Deku is very tiny and the robot is very big. and just to clarify, most of the time if a tiny fifteen-year-old child tries to punch an 80-foot robot, it’s not actually going to go all that well, and the robot probably will not explode. but in this case it did! and so this is a very novel and unexpected outcome, which makes it all the more visually striking, which is a very good thing to be when you are trying to show off the brand new superpower which your protagonist just inherited, and letting people see it in action for the very first time.

why I like it: so you may have noticed we just skipped a whoooole bunch of chapters lol. this is because there are almost 300 of them, and so I’m going to have to use a bit of discretion. anyway so this is a gorgeous panel. just, everything about it. the lighting; the expressions; Shouto’s hesitation; and his mom facing away, not looking back yet, and us not yet knowing how she’ll react. and the fact that they’re visually separated by as much distance as possible -- at opposite ends of a two-page spread -- and yet they’re so close, closer than they’ve been in years. mm. anyway it’s pretty.

why I like it: first of all because there’s nothing like seeing a deserving character get punched in the fucking face, and few characters IMO have been as deserving as Stain. and second because this is Deku, showing up to save the day out of nowhere at the last minute, because excuse you, but he’s a motherfuckin’ hero. sorry to interrupt your evening plans of stabbing a kid while lecturing him about why, philosophically, he deserves to die. but I’ve got a package here for a Mister Stain. it’s from Mister Smaassh, with two A’s and three S’s.

why I like it: fyi, anon said nothing about a cavalcade of BakuDeku panels. you didn’t think I’d let that loophole go to waste, did you? but nonetheless I will try to restrain myself until we get to the second ground beta fight. anyway, I like this panel because All Might’s canonically 7′2″ self looks about twelve feet tall here, and he is just TOWERING over these two boys, who’ve been tasked with somehow outwitting him during this curiously sadistic final exam. and it’s just an interesting perspective, because we know they both look up to him, and here they are physically looking way, way up, up, up at him.

why I like it: now this is how you do a villain entrance. I love absolutely everything about this. the sheer scale of destruction, and the way he’s just sort of casually hanging out there in the middle of the panel almost dwarfed by all this dust and smoke and carnage, and yet is unquestionably the focus of the page. the way that you can’t actually see his face, not yet. not until the end of the chapter. the way the clouds are drifting so calmly and peacefully in the night sky in stark contrast to the horrific events that are about to take place on the ground. this panel gives me literal chills, especially when I think about All for One’s creepy theme music playing in the background.

why I like it: this panel is so iconic to me that it’s one of the first ones I immediately knew I had to go and find when I got this ask. this entire fight is perfection from start to finish, and there are other panels that are more artistically striking if I’m being honest (in particular, the ones where he’s half-transformed with his face perfectly split down the middle between Muscle Might and Skinny Steve). but there’s just something about his determination in this panel, though. something about the fire in his eyes, and the way he clenches his fist. “my heart is still the heart of the Symbol of Peace.” I remember being sooooo fucking anxious when his true form was revealed, wondering if this was it, if the people watching were going to turn on him, if he was going to lose both the fight and their faith. turns out I was wrong on both accounts. basically what I am trying to tell you guys is that this panel was and is still the most badass thing I’ve ever seen.

why I like it: because he’s just a frail old man doing what he can to protect the last flickering embers of the thing that enables him to fight on. there’s something so fucking desperate and yet so determined about this image. he knows it’s futile, but still he persists.

why I like it: damn it was hard to find a “you’re next” panel with just the right angle I like best. this is probably as close as it gets, but I kind of wish Deku was somehow visible in this image as well. but at any rate this is an amazing moment, and All Might is dramatic af for basically no reason but IT’S BADASS. “no I’m not going to actually look where I’m pointing. it’s cooler this way.” or was it because he wasn’t sure if he could keep the emotion off of his face if he actually turned and looked? in this moment of knowing that it was finally over for him, that he would never be the Symbol again, and knowing that he had no choice but to move on and entrust that burden to the next generation? damn.

why I like it: I... fucking... okay, here’s a fun fact. did you know that I still get emotional over this panel almost a full two years after reading it?? obviously a good 84% of it is the context -- All Might losing his power; Deku being forced to take up the mantle before he feels ready; All Might feeling responsible for him; and both of them being so desperately grateful to have each other in that moment. but don’t underestimate that remaining 16% either though! this is just an extremely well-drawn hug, on top of everything else. All Might pressing Deku’s head to his shoulder with his fingers laced in his hair is some mighty fine fiercely protective hug tropes there, you guys. and the way Deku is clinging to his shirt so tightly his knuckles have probably gone white?? while he cries?? while both of them cry? ON THE BEACH? WITH THE WAVES LAPPING SOFTLY AT THE SHORE IN THE PEACEFUL NIGHT AIR?? jesus fucking christ. this hug contains more emotions than I am capable of carrying inside me at once. I just sort of have to let them flow in and out little by little until they finally subside.

why I like it: you bet I skipped right from Kamino straight to Deku VS Kacchan Part 2. no regrets. anyway, so these two panels are an absolutely gorgeous one-two punch. so much has changed from the days when they were innocent little kids marching off into the woods to have adventures. they’ve changed. their relationship has changed. and yet, at the end of the day, Izuku is still willing to follow Katsuki even without being given any kind of explanation. and Katsuki still seeks out Izuku when he’s on the verge of having a spectacular emotional breakdown. because he doesn’t know who else to turn to. and because despite everything, there is trust there still, on some deep, fundamental level neither of them fully understands or knows how to acknowledge. anyway, so these two panels just give me a ton of feels all about the passage of time and how everything changes and how you can’t get back what’s lost, but also sometimes if you look deep enough you find that parts of it were never fully gone.

why I like it: because in a striking display of dramatic main character energy, these boys decided to stage their life-changing destiny-affirming rival fight on the coolest possible stage in the middle of the goddamn night. and then Katsuki made it even better by producing WAY MORE SMOKE than his attack by all rights should have produced! and then they went and crouched down all symmetrically so as to more poetically make intense eye contact at each other. I really like panels with smoke and/or dust clearing dramatically. there are like four more of them coming up on this list. what can I say. it’s cinematic.

why I like it: I actually had this one as my icon for a while. it’s rare imo to see an action panel that’s so balanced and has so much going on and is so clean and easy to read. both of their poses are so dynamic. I like the way the arc of Izuku’s kick is drawn, and I love the way you can clearly see that Katsuki propelled himself backwards with his quirk in order to dodge it. it’s just a really cool little panel that for me perfectly sums up the general feel of this fight, and its awesome choreography.

why I like it: actually you know what, before I go any further, let me skip ahead a bit and add three more panels with this same energy.

I just really, really love these rare moments when all differences between them are momentarily forgotten and they’re just two teenage boys caught up in the intense pressure of an awkward social situation. the one enemy neither of them is the least bit equipped to handle. anyways Horikoshi clearly enjoys it too because he seems to delight in drawing it over and over and over.

why I like it: because it’s more billowing smoke and dust. because it’s Endeavor, the guy we all swore we would never ever root for, and then 160 chapters later Horikoshi pulls this shit without an ounce of shame. because it’s All Might’s pose, but tweaked juuuuuust enough so that Enji can avoid copyright claims. because he knew that pose well enough to know which arm not to use. because Endeavor is a profoundly flawed human being, wholly incapable of filling the void All Might left behind. and yet he still tries. because it’s better than nothing, and because it’s all he can do. it’s the one thing he can do, his sole redeeming virtue. he tries. he doesn’t give up. anyway so yeah, Horikoshi didn’t have to take the single most unlikable person in the entire manga and give him the world’s most controversial and openly scorned redemption arc. but he did! and I think it’s one of the best things about this entire manga.

why I like it: because nothing in BnHA is just black and white!! it’s messy and layered and complex, just like in the real world. Shouto despised his dad for almost his entire life. with good reason! Enji was abusive and selfish and treated his son more like a prized possession than a person. we as readers are fully aware of all of this, and we sympathize with Shouto 100%, and that’s completely by design. Horikoshi is well aware of this. so for him to still give us this little moment, where Shouto is so relieved that Enji survived that he drops to the floor and presses his face against his hands in this little prayer gesture -- whatever you think it might mean -- is just so fucking powerful, and again speaks to his commitment to refusing to let anything in this series be completely clear-cut and unambiguous. I love that the characterization of Shouto and Natsu hating their dad exists side by side with the equally authentic characterization of them being terrified that they’re about to watch him die. because those two things aren’t contradictory! sometimes that’s just how it is. anyway so this is a beautiful moment of nuance that instantly adds so much to this relationship with just a single panel.

why I like it: for once the symbolism is so obvious that even I can’t fail to miss it! Izuku’s face half in light and half in shadow as he thinks about the power bestowed on him. “All for One’s power.” anyway so in my mind Izuku having AFO could not be any more fucking foreshadowed if he was wearing a freaking t-shirt with the Musketeers saying on it and the background was peppered with little Sistine Chapel-esque images of AFO giving his quirk to his brother lmao. but regardless of how it does end up playing out, this is nicely done.

why I like it: I wasn’t sure whether I should include this image, given that I just made a whole separate post about it a few days ago. but I just really like it, okay. this is one of the all-time great entrances in the series. Bakugou being perched on that pole for absolutely no reason other than to add visual interest. Todoroki’s hair blowing dramatically in the wind. Katsuki’s frayed pant hems and characteristically asymmetrical facial expression. the fact that you just know both of them spent the ride home with their faces pressed to the windows of their taxi cab hoping desperately for an opportunity to break in their brand new licenses, and then lo and behold. that’s amazing you guys. it’s almost like you’re main characters or something.

why I like it: they did great.

why I like it: because I lost my fucking shit at this fucking reveal and can you even blame me?? we knew coming in how much trouble Endeavor and Hawks had dealing with just one of these Noumus, and then Horikoshi goes and divulges that the villains have at least A DOZEN MORE waiting on standby. including Hood right there in the foreground, which is a fantastic touch! this panel, for me, almost instantaneously established the League as a legitimate threat once again, and gave me the kind of spine-tingly evil vibes I hadn’t felt since the Kamino arc. and while the payoff might not quite have lived up to my expectations, the Mirko fight at least was more than worth it.

why I like it: BILLOWING SMOKE AND DUST CLOUDS. you just see this vast landscape of destruction that Tomura has oh-so-casually wrought, and this once-powerful enemy utterly defeated on his hands and knees bowing before him. and it’s just like, oh. Tomura just became a fucking king, didn’t he. he finally stepped up and became the main villain. really the main villain, not just an awkward fumbling NEET whose adopted dad is not-so-secretly pulling all the strings. he did this himself. he went out and conquered and Awakened and won himself a fucking army. and he’s just standing there so cool and casual in the aftermath of it all. and then he goes “oh wait, you guys have money right, that means you can buy us the good sushi.” yes, Tomura. yes.

why I like it: um because this panel is fucking amazing?? hello?? do I really need to explain this one. the detail is jaw-dropping. he’s got the little scars which are either from the head wound that caused his death, or from his Noumufication. his expression is fucking heartbreaking, and the transition from Kumo to Kuro is so subtle and seamless, and yet it distinctly is both of them. this panel is gorgeous and fucking haunting and almost made me gasp when I first saw it.

why I like it: the decision to have the night sky take up so much of the space in the panel was [chef kiss]. nothing says existential like the night sky on a cold winter’s night.

why I like it: this is the best panel in the entire fucking series.

why I like it: dude. showing his actual family holding onto him with their hands in the same spot as the severed fashion!hands was a stroke of genius in and of itself. but combining that with the emotional tension of them desperately trying to hold him back and protect him from AFO?? that’s just so fucking smooth it’s almost inhuman. just how much meaning can you cram into a single image?? sometimes I wonder just how far in advance Horikoshi plans these things.

why I like it: guess I’m just a big fat sucker for panels of Tomura calmly standing around in the ruins of his own senseless destruction. the sense of scale on this one is really great, too. and yet again, those dust clouds. gotta love it.

why I like it: because Tomura literally appears out of nowhere, like he’s ripping a hole through the fabric of time and space. it’s so fucking sudden and he looks evil as FUCK, and Deku and Kacchan are totally caught off-guard, and it is scary. this is one of those panels that made me say “holy shit” out loud. in fact I practically screamed it. and the angles are all funky and weird, and the sky is all BLACK FOR NO REASON, and it really just feels like Tomura could reach right over and just MURDER THEM like it was nothing. just like that. this panel is so incredibly effective at conveying how hopelessly outclassed the boys are. they’re not even in his league, and it’s honestly terrifying.

and on that happy note, we have come to the end of my list of favorite panels! and I gotta say, it’s really gratifying that a good deal of them are from this year alone. I said it in another post a few days ago, but imo the overall quality of the series has been insanely high as of late, and it honestly just blows my mind whenever I stop to think about it. the art is still this good six years into the game. the story is still this good. we are spoiled goddammit.

#bnha #boku no hero academia #midoriya izuku #bakugou katsuki #all might #endeavor #todoroki shouto #shigaraki tomura #horikoshi kouhei #bnha spoilers #mha spoilers #makeste reads bnha #asks #anon asks

[stranger-who-writes-fiction]

Aaaanyways, I wanna put on my comic-art-nerd hat and talk about panel-to-panel action in that Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow preview because yes, I have been staring at it for days, and yes, I will continue to do so until it is released next month! XD

LET’S GO:

I apologize in advance for the funky formatting, there’s an art to tumblr text posts and I...have not mastered it. XD

It’ll go image, then analysis.

Also, just to be clear: I’m not doing this so much to be like, ‘WOW THIS IS GROUNDBREAKING, STUNNING, NEVER-BEEN-DONE!’ In fact, many comics do the things I’m gonna highlight/geek out over! Rather, it’s more about, like. Appreciating the construction of the pages, panels, etc.

Okay, so! Page 1, the SPLASH PAGE

Okay, so, admittedly, I don’t have a ton to say about this opening image, largely because it is one single illustration as opposed to a series of panels. But even then! It quickly establishes that we’re not on earth--the foliage, rock formations, and GIANT WOOLY FRIEND(?) give that away. Also! Said rock formations and wooly friend’s horns frame our new character RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PAGE, letting you know that even though she is tiny, she is important. And, I will just say, I love the dust effects on the ground. The repeated semi-circle shapes evoke the feeling of rhythmic, galloping hoof beats, even without actual movement or sound. Lovely.

And now, PAGE 2!

So, I’ve highlighted panel 3, but before I get there! Panels 1 & 2 do such a nice job of giving us an idea as to the actual, physical size of these two characters, as well as the power dynamic at play. This random dude takes up the WHOLE DANG PANEL with his bulging muscles and is framed in an up-shot; in panel 2, Ruthye is not only shown from above--we’re literally looking down at her--she is also relegated to the bottom half of the panel. Additionally, it’s a great way to show the action of her turning to pull the sword from her belt, obscuring it from both our view and his, to bring out the ‘big reveal’ in the next panel.

Speaking of! Panel 3! Our establishing shot! We’re introduced to the full interior of this tavern. We see where everything is placed--walls, furniture, and perhaps most importantly, the various patrons!

Establishing shots are so important to have in visual media because they help us, the reader/viewer, to orient all of the various components within a sequence or scene.  

It’s also helpful for the artists because then they can better maintain things like screen direction and continuity.

If we don’t have a shot like this, then subsequent action can become confusing to the point of distraction.

YOU WOULD BE SURPRISED how often this is neglected or forgotten in comics! Scenes will change abruptly and it’s like, ‘wait, wait, where are we?’ 

ADDITIONALLY, the establishing shot not only gives us basic spatial information, it ~sets the mood~ XD Setting! Atmosphere! Genre! It’s all here.

I mentioned this in my prior post, that the art gives off some intense fantasy vibes, what with the organic shapes, rough textures, and color palette.

Folks who’ve read advanced copies have described the book as a fantasy/western; that extends even to the series title design! The designer revealed that the western look of the text is deliberate.

So A+ to the art team for NAILING IT!

Okay, on to page 3!

Not a ton of notes on this one, but that’s only because the prior page has done such a solid job of laying out the space, as well as the relationship between these two characters WITH JUST WITH THE ART. (Okay, okay, the words help too. XD) Once more, we see this big brute tower over Ruthye, panel- to-panel; he’s always ‘large and in charge’ regardless of the angle. Even in that final panel! Ruthye is the largest element because she’s closer to us, but the guy is still positioned ‘above’ her, literally talking down to Ruthye from over his shoulder. 

(And HMMMM. That unassuming stranger in the back there, underneath the lanterns that seem to act as an arrow pointing right at her...could she be...important?)

(Her tiny size would seem to imply that she isn’t...AND YET...)

PAGE 4!

MMMM them FRAMES within FRAMES!

Okay, but before I get into that, I do wanna briefly mention panel size and shape.

All of these pages (save for 1 and 7, which are full-page illustrations) pretty much stick to a very traditional panel structure. Each panel is completely enclosed, and there is zero variety in terms of shape. It’s all rectangles.

BUT. The size and orientation change--take, for instance, that ‘skinny’ horizontal panel up top, the way it perfectly suits the ‘shape’ of the elements/action being shown. It’s a close on Kara’s wrist/hand, reaching out for the sword in the guy’s belt. 

I mention this because often, writers don’t dictate stuff like panel layout in a script. They will give the artist the number of panels, and what needs to be included in each one, but the actual, overall organization of the page? Totally up to the artist.

So! Really knowing what you want to highlight and convey is key, because you can use the panels’ size/shape/relation to other panels to ENHANCE those images, like that sword grabbing up top!

AND! Another thing I love about that panel in particular is the way that Kara’s hand and the sword make a tiny frame for Ruthye! Who is, again, VERY TINY! 

I keep mentioning the size thing because it’s a nice bit of economical visual storytelling; the child character is going to be smaller than the adult characters anyway, but by calling attention to it repeatedly, we as the viewer are constantly reminded that this kid is small! She needs help! She needs to be protected! Which is like, the whole premise of the inciting incident. XD Good stuff!

(Also more dot eyes in comics that aren’t humor comics, please.) 

There’s another frame down in panel 3 as well! Evely uses this device several times throughout this sequence; it’s such a great use of the multiple swords in the scene, AND shows that she can really pack all of the characters in there without cutting any of them off/obscuring them behind various objects.

And like, NO TANGENTS, which takes some serious skillz.

ESPECIALLY when you consider all that beautiful linework. LOOK AT THEM INKS.

...In particular, look at them inks in panel 5! The shading on the booth is done in such a manner that the ‘grain’ of the ink defines the perspective. We’re looking down at Kara, from above. This is a helpful little bit of orientation, as there’s not a ton of room around Kara to have any other perspective lines to help sell the angle. 

ALSO, NOTE THE POSITION OF MR. BRUTE IN PANEL 4, AND THEN KARA’S EYELINE IN PANEL 5. It will be important in...

PAGE 5!

Allow me to explain:

In panel four on page 4, we see the guy reach for his sword, his body language revealing that he’s intent on moving towards Kara.

In panel 5 on the same page, we get that lovely down shot of Kara looking right up at us, the viewer. But also, the implication is that she’s ACTUALLY looking at Tough Guy, because in the next page, we see that he’s positioned himself right above her to swing that sword down!

(My apologies for the poor attempts at drawn annotations.) 

There’s no action lines cluttering up the beautiful art; Not-Conan’s hair, rather, acts as the action line/guiding ‘arc’ so that we can better follow the movement.

Kara, likewise, doesn’t have any action lines on her, but her posture and hair act as visual cues to tell us that she slides over in the booth, out of the way of the sword.

In particular, the way her right shoulder/arm draws closer to her body, and the way her left hand comes up to offset the way she’s now positioned, really sells the ‘slide’. 

More beautiful indicators of movement in panel 2; the hair, the action line on the sword, the torn fabric of Kara’s shirt.

Panel 3 brings more FRAMES WITHIN FRAMES! And, actually, as I’m looking at it? I think it could be argued that we actually have a FRAME within a FRAME within a FRAME!

First frame: Panel border, natch.

Second frame: Goofus’ sword, arm, and face frame Kara.

Third frame: Kara’s arm and sword work with Goofus’ head again to frame tiny Krypto.

LAYERS.

And now, a note about colors!

I said before that I love the palette at play. The earthy tones give the entire setting an organic feel--this is not a high-tech locale! We’re dealing with natural materials here.

BUT THEN THOSE BLUES!

Not only do we get that nice split complementary thing happening with the yellow, but it also signals the blue of Kara’s costume, a little hint of which is revealed in the final page.

And, like. It’s night time. XD

(I just gotta say, love the cold blue outside the window next to Kara’s table, contrasted with the warm yellow of the interior. Even though this is a bar, there’s still that element of like. Coziness.)

Also! Even though the overall palette is heavy on the yellows, Kara’s hair is more saturated and leans towards a warmer yellow, while the rest of the yellows in the scene are cooler. Thus! We have CONTRAST! Our eyes are drawn right to her.

And I know--I KNOW--that SG comics twitter already hates King because Kara’s DRINKING and personally I want more of the story/context before I pass any judgement but I must admit, the shapes? In panel 5? With Kara drinking in the foreground? 

I kinda love it.

Also mmmm-MMMM, more of them SOFT BLUES.

Okay. PAGE 6!

Now THIS PAGE is what inspired this whole endeavor.

Because, okay. If I’ve not made it clear by now: I read a lot of comics.

And I generally enjoy all of the comics I read!

But, what I’ve found lately, is that if I don’t enjoy a comic, it’s because I, as a reader, find myself confused by the art.

Confused as in, the art is hard to follow.

That can be because the color design/ink work doesn’t have enough contrast, or the composition is muddled, but most frequently?

It’s poor panel-to-panel action.

When there’s no flow/connection between what’s happening in one panel vs. another, suddenly it’s on you, as the reader, to do a lot more of the work as you go through the scene. And sometimes! We don’t even have enough visual information to DO that work!

So when I read this, I was like, ‘ah, thank you, an easy flow of action for my brain to appreciate.’ XD

AND SO. Panel 1! Same stuff we’ve been seeing! The ink work, hair, clothing details, etc. all work to show us which direction each character is moving. Kara’s arm and jacket all point to her slamming that mug in the dude’s face; dude’s sword serves as a GIANT ARROW illustrating the path of his stab.

Not much to say on panels 2 and 3 other than: FACIAL EXPRESSIONS! And also, HAIR!!!

PANEL FOOOOUR!!!!

Love. This. Panel.

Again, I really love that there are no action lines slapped on top of this gorgeous art, all of the movement is conveyed in the inks, body language, clothes, and so on.

Like. There’s a conscious decision, here, to not have Kara’s hair obscuring the dude’s torso, and that’s good! Because his belt/uhh...kilt? Skirt? Is showing us the speed and direction of his jab; if Kara’s hair were in the way, it would break up the flow.

BUT THEN HOW TO SHOW THAT KARA’S DIPPING FORWARD???

Note the ties on her cuff, and the inks on her jacket!

There’s nothing special happening with Krypto, BTW. I just circled him because he’s a Good Boy who deserves to be noticed.

Panel 5, more of the same, the inks telling us how these characters are moving through space. ALSO, the length of the lines conveys speed without needing to add something distracting/obscure the art with a ‘blur’ effect.

Final panel! I. LOVE. THIS.

Particularly the movement in Kara’s hair, just. Beautiful shape language.

But in addition! You’ve got that LOVELY line of action in Kara’s spine as she flips him over, the sword likewise curved in the direction of the throw.

And of course, the dude is crumpling in the appropriate direction, bent in the middle as he collides with the table to--quite literally--complete the circle.

Also, just. The characterization here, is PHENOMENAL.

People (read: irate fans on twitter) have expressed concern (read: complained) about Kara having a sword. Some have even gone so far as to suggest that Kara’s basically a murderer now, because she’s using a weapon.

Never mind the fact that in an episode of JLU, Supergirl used both a sword AND a gun to defend herself while in Skartaris because she had no powers. 

Except we see here that Kara DOESN’T USE THE SWORD to take the guy out, she uses his own force against him. She only uses the swords in the FINAL PAGE in a type of ‘yield’ fashion.

(This particular ‘fight’ sequence reminded me of Brainy’s fighting style in the show so of course that added to my overall enjoyment.)

Like, Kara’s got no powers here, she very well could have used the sword to defend herself, and would...kinda be justified.

But she didn’t! 

Like. Even drunk and therefore out of it, Kara 1.) Steps in to help that kid and 2.) doesn’t use superpowered lethal force on the guy. (I mean, she can’t use her super powers anyway, what with the red sun, but you get the idea.)

And like, the flourish there, of the arms, the way the jacket swirls around her, like a gymnast sticking the landing, GAAAAAHHHH I just love it. It’s great.

Okay, FINAL PAGE, #7:

I mean. What more can I say? EVELY AND LOPES, MAN.

Just some top notch art.

(Also get it guys, it’s a LITERAL shirt rip! XD)

(And look! There’s that tiny bit of blue!)

But anyways, if you’ve made it this far, I applaud you, and thank you for indulging my desire to just. Geek out over one of my favorite comic artists drawing one of my favorite comic characters.

And just to like, reiterate, I’m not suggesting that this comic is THE BEST EVER or that it’s going to redefine the medium, or anything. XD Everything I’ve mentioned here is...pretty basic storytelling mechanics. Watch any movie, and you’ll see all this same stuff at work.

RATHER, this whole post is more about...admiring two artists who clearly know what they’re doing.

And they’re doing it so well! :D

TL;DR: I’m so excited that the Supergirl book has Evely and Lopes, guys. So. Excited. 

#stranger speaks #long post #supergirl: woman of tomorrow #art analysis #comic art analysis #edit: whoops forgot content warning tags #cw: alcohol #cw: blood

[taesbetch]

01 | Creatures Of The Night

Pairing: Jungkook x Reader

Genre: Angst, Fluff, Smut: Vampire!AU

Summary: Creatures of the night, Soul mates, a war between species. You had thought all these things were nothing but folktales. But as the world hidden in plain sight crashes into your day to day life you struggle to keep up. Going from being hunted to the leader of a vampire groups mate, your world is turned upside down and the fight to survive is on. 

Word Count: 3.8k

Next

The sun shone directly in your eyes as you watched you family drive off into the distance. Though the heat lay a blanket of warmth around your skin your heartfelt cold as you relived your mothers final words.

"Try not to call us"

Wow. How absolutely fantastic. Standing outside of your home you sighed. You had 10 days to find a new place and figure out how to survive on your own. Your so-called parental protector had found a new boyfriend, one who had flipped your world upside down. Letting out a noise of frustration you dragged your feet back into your now-empty home. Deciding on a nap.

---

The same feeling as the one prior seeped in as you sat in your classroom, the sun blaring through the glass window. You looked towards the clock, trying to think of an idea but nothing particular came to mind. Watching it tick by slowly you remembered that your mum's boyfriend buried around 20,000 dollars in the forest for the so-called apocalypse. Smiling softly you felt a weight lift off your shoulders, there's no way they remembered to dig it up. It had to still be there. Zoning back into reality your ears adjusted to the girl in front of you, her eyes fixed on you.

"Hey did you hear me!" the girl said snapping in front of your face. 

"Sorry, i missed it” you stated, pushing your current issue to the back of your mind.

"They said to stay clear of the forest, 4 girls dead, they say by a mountain lion due to the bite marks but I find that incredibly weird considering we don't get mountain lions, Reya what do you think?" the girl asked Reya who was staring out the window obviously not paying attention as well. 

You’ve known Reya since before you could even remember. Though the two of you were best friends, Reyes mind was always a hard one too read and it often felt like the gurl held multiple secrets. 

"I think that it's the mountain lions," she said turning towards us. Your heart skipped a beat as her eyes bored into your soul almost as if your thoughts had been spoken out loud.  "So don't go into the forest," she said sternly as the bell rang.

As the class got up packing up with the rest of the class, you continued to look at Reya in shock as her eyes kept burning into yours. Can she read minds?

"Maybe" she said getting up with a shrug. You almost gasped as your eyes followed her movements. 

"Sorry what??" you asked getting up too. You pushed past people in order to catch up with Reya. Just as you both exited the classroom she answered. 

 "I said maybe, as in maybe its mountain lions, no one can be sure though," she said smiling widely before leaving the classroom.

Quickly making your way home you looked up to the sky noticing how quickly the sun was setting. It is winter...You picked up your pace knowing you wouldn't have a lot of time to find the money.  lion smion, there's nothing out there...but still you wanted to be cautious. 

After gathering your things and changing your clothes you quickly walked towards the entrance of the forest. The travel seemed like a lifetime even though it was only located 15 minutes from your house. 

As you got there you looked up at the trees and back towards the city.  You always found it strange how there was just the city and then bam a forest but You’ve never questioned it, and to be honest, no one has needed to. Taking a deep breath you looked at the shovel you stole from your next-door neighbour and began your search. 

remembering that he has said be buried it near a large tree with a knifed X into it. 

As you kept walking the sky started getting darker and the air was getting cooler. The trees seemed to glimmer underneath the moon but there was something spooky about this forest. Before you could take another step you heard rustling in the distance. Crap. You probably should’ve left a lot earlier. 

Your head snapped into the direction of the noise. Was that the mountain lion? Your eyes scanned the empty area as your heartbeat sped up."Hello," you called but it came out more like a terrified wheeze.

 "Well, what do we have here?" 

Once again your head snapped into the direction of the noise. shocked that it was a voice and not a growl.  Your hand came up to your heart, almost like an instinct. As your eyes adjusted your body almost feinted from the amount of work it was doing. With your heartbeat finally leaving your ears your eyes managed to make out a figure in the dark. You could see it was a man and you could make out some of his features but not all of them.

"Oh. Hi you scared me" you said sighing in relief, 

"Oh sweetie he hasn't scared you just yet," another male said gasping once again you turned. this man was a little closer than the other one and you perfectly make out his outfit but as he stood in front of the moon his face was a little hidden. 

"Mmmmmm type O jungkook's favourite. Maybe we should bring her back to him?" another said popping out from the right. Three males. in the middle of the forest. in the middle of the night. You froze as your heart dropped the feeling of unsettlement kicking in. 

"Guys....can you smell that? What rank is it? An ultimate?" another one said as his head turned in different directions. "fuck. We should go" the first one said angrily as they all sighed in frustration.

"I thought they were extinct what the hell," another one said before turning around and disappearing in the shadows. You watched in relief as they all disappeared except one. 

"we'll see you again human" he winked at me before disappearing with the rest of his group.

You blinked a couple of times, your body frozen in place as the wind began blowing harsher against your skin.  What just happened?

"Oi you idiot"

You turned around, this time without fear as the familiar voice interrupted you.  Reya. standing there with her arms crossed angrily she walked forward as your eyes connected. Were people just out in the forest constantly? Is there an event you didn't know about?

"I said not to go into the forest," she said grabbing my arm angrily. “Is this for your mum's boyfriends money? Gosh. is it really worth it ?” she said as she started dragging you back in the direction you came.

I pulled my arm away from hers and stood my ground as she looked at me confused "...They left" you blurted. 

“what do you mean they left?” She asked, her eyes softening. You sighed, a cloud exiting your mouth as the cool air had suddenly become colder.

“Mum. She left with that bitch of a boyfriend. I said i wanted to finish high school here so left. And gave me nothing. I’m losing the house in 10 days Reya. I didn't know what else to do...” You explained. 

Reya stood quietly. she looked at the ground before placing her hands on her hips. 

“so instead of coming to me, you decide the best idea is too rummage through the forest at night?” She asked, her tone soft yet intense. 

“well...I know...We’ve been friends for the longest time, but I’ve never been to your house. I haven't met your mum i jus...I didn't want to intrude. You clearly have stuff going on in your private home life Reya.” You said. 

Reya bite her lip before hugging you tightly. 

“You idiot. I know i have a lot going on. and honestly, I'm sorry that i haven't invited you into this part of my life before its just that its-...well a lot. But my home is ALWAYS open to you y/n. Your my best friend for god's sake” She exclaimed. as she released you from her grip she grabs your hand. 

“You're coming to live with me. You can’t say no” She smiled. 

“Only if your sure...because I’m going to feel hella bad if I’m an inconvenience to you...Do you have room for me?” You asked, your free hand coming to the back of your neck nervously. 

Renya let out a small laugh as she looked at you excitedly. 

“Trust me. We have room.” 

------

Standing in front of a beautiful mansion, your jaw hit the ground. the driveway was lined with small trees guiding the way to the beautiful house. The wood coloured panels and sleek black colour scheme had you drooling a little bit. 

“Yeah, You definitely have room” You whispered, still in shock. 

Walking in the house you gawked at the interior the living room area that connected to the kitchen was gorgeous, to the left a glass wall let you see out to the city. You didn't even realise the house sat above the city until now. 

 "Remee are you rich?" You asked her, still in awe at her big ass place. 

"I guess you could say that. Follow me ill show you to your room!" she said running up these beautiful gold plated stairs. 

"Is this why no one has ever come to your house? Cause you're worried they'll steal something?" you asked following her through the second floor.

She laughed as she opened up a door to a room. 

 "no, I'm not that paranoid. Here's your room. We’ll grab your stuff tomorrow but it's currently 11pm and we’ve got school tomorrow” She said the pain in her eyes when the word school came up very evident. 

“Yikes did you say 11pm?” You asked in shock. The time had really slipped by. 

“I know, kinda crazy. I'll give you a tour of the place tomorrow! The bathroom is through that door there and don't worry ill come get you in the morning. Just rest up and don't worry about your living situation any more. I've got you.” Reya smiled. 

“Thank you...really” You stated. 

as Reya left your new room with a goodbye you took a deep breath. Looking around at your beige and white schemed room you smiled softly. 

You could get used to this. 

However, as you let yourself drift to sleep. Red eyes stared from a tree in the distance and a target had been unknowingly placed on your back. 

-----------------------

Sis, Wake up!”

 You fluttered your eyes open slowly, bright light started invading them causing me to squint. “10 more minutes” you groan as you rolled back under the silky sheets.

“I've been trying to wake you up forever. It's like you were dead!”  Renya said hitting me with pillows.

 “Remee please don’t make me get up, this has been the best sleep of my life” You whined as you tried to fall back into my peaceful slumber. Reya chucked a uniform on the bed hitting you one last time. 

“Well, you can have another great nights sleep when we come back after school. Sis, please don't make me try and convince you to go. I already wanna ditch,” she said happily. 

“ugh, We have to go...” You replied as you attempted to move your body. Keyword...attempting. 

“Now get up you lazy bum! We have to go to school!” she said before exiting my room. You groaned before throwing the sheets off your body, staring at the ceiling. Hearing birds chirp you let yourself have another minute before you threw yourself out of bed. 

---

The class was rioting as the day had just begun. The teacher hadn't arrived to class yet so as the paper was being tossed around and gossip was being spread you took the opportunity too  Finally, the doors handle starts to riggle, The classic old door playing up again. But just by the wiggle, the class knew who it was. 

Everything seemed to stop before everyone rushed towards their seats picking up any rubbish that was in the way and throwing it in the bin, Reya, who was on the other side of the class started jumping over desks just to get to her seat in time. Just as everyone was seated and was acting ‘normal’ the door slide open.

“Class A year 12. You have new students.” She said before entering in, as she walked in the faces coming in behind her looked so familiar it was scary, the seven boys standing in front of the class were so good looking some girls were actually drooling. One of the boys caught my eye, his dark hair and emo aura intrigued you, he caught me staring and smirked before looking next to me to Renya. blushing hardcore you ignored the tense state of your friend. 

As they introduced themselves you watched as Reya nervously played with her fingers, you creased my brows in confusion as she looked at you. Something was clearly bothering her. She tried to smile at you in reassurance but it didn’t work out very well.

“Class would someone please show the boys around before chapel starts,” miss asked, as soon as she said that all the girls in the class shot their hands up except you and Reya. You tried your best to read her but it wasn't working very well. 

“We want her to,” 

Jin, the boy who looked like the oldest one pointed at you. Shouldn't they be in different year levels?

Everyone’s eyes clicked to me, some girls glared at the back of your head as you slowly got up. “Follow me,” You said softly ignoring how all seven boys stared at you as if you were prey. 

walking through the hallways you could hear the boys whispering behind you. The hair stood up on the back of your neck as you pointed to different rooms. explaining what the are. 

 “and this is the spare classroom, we mostly use in for dance class as there aren’t any desks here, and the walls are soundproof,” You explained opening the door and letting them look in.

 “Can you take us inside?” jimin asked as the started to block your exit. “Yer I guess I can,” you said as your heart started beating faster. 

Leading them, you walked them in. 

“so yer it’s a pretty decent roo-“ You started but as soon as you heard the slam of the door closing and the click of the lock, you whipped around faster than you could say ‘what the fuck’. 

The boys all started spreading around the room except Jin who stood at the door with a big as the smirk on his face.

 “Erm…is something wrong?” you asked gulping the saliva that was gathering in your mouth out of nervousness.

“Mmmmmm yes something is a very wrong young one,” Namjoon said as he rested his body against the wall sighing “see, you saw some of us in the forest last night, remember that?” Yoongi asked as he gave a faint smirk.

“Oh…that was you guys? Why were you in the forest? And why is it a problem that I saw you?” you asked in confusion, why are they making such a big deal out of it.

“mmmmmm, maybe she didn’t…’see’ us” taehyung said putting focus on the word see as he scratched his head and looked off into the distance

 “doesn’t matter…I’m hungry,” jungkook said as he stepped closer and closer towards you.

your heart skipped a beat as his piercing gaze looked straight into my soul. A smirk came onto his face before he closed his eyes and took a whiff. 

“My favourite,” he said before opening his eyes, the red of his eyes matched the colour of deep blood. As he smiled at you two fangs diverted your eyes to them causing you to freeze momentarily. 

Gasping you backed up against a wall, He laughed at my obvious fear as the rest of them smirked waiting for the scene to unfold. 

“Do you know what we are?” he asked the word right on the tip of my tongue.

“Y-y-you’re a-a vampire” you whimpered as you clutched the edge of my shirt. 

“See guys! now she knows about us! do you know what happens to humans that find out about us?” he smirked coming closer to you. 

 “I don’t really wanna know to be honest” you whimpered again, looking around for some sort of exit but there was no point, his ‘posse’ had the place surrounded. 

“It doesn’t matter anyway, you’re about to find out” he smirked, opening his mouth wider as his hand held my neck tightly. breathing in you were ready to let out a scream but the front door was pulled open.

Everyone stopped, jungkook’s fangs and eyes disappeared as Reya stood at the doorway. you had never been more grateful to see her in your life than at this moment right now.

 “There you are, why are you guys in here? Shouldn’t your tour be done?” Reya asked, the door still wide open, wasn’t that locked?

You shuffled your feet to move out but jungkook who was in front of you, growled softly under his breath. 

“Y/N, let’s go,” Reya said motioning out the door quickly.

 “What about us? You can’t just leave us alone” taehyung pouted as he swiftly grabbed her hand. Your heart skipped a beat for a second, we need to both get the fuck out of here.

“You’re old enough, I’m sure you can find your way,” she said coldly as she snatched her hand back from his grip. 

“If you want your friend you’re going to have to come in and get her” jungkook said as he gripped my arm tightly pulling me into his rock hard body.

Trying to communicate with her through your eyes you watched in fear as she rolled her eyes her temper clearly boiling.

 “Well?” taehyung asked as everyone looked on. ,s if what was happening was a game. Reya took a breath before walking in straight towards where you were.

Taehyung smiled and slammed the door shut as some of the boys started laughing.

 “not a smart move” jungkook chuckled before his fangs reappeared.

Waiting for an ear-piercing screech you watch on worriedly but your eyes narrowed at the relaxed girl. 

 I started struggling against his grip as Reya walked closer.

“I only like saying things once, so listen closely. You WILL leave her alone, I’ll let you roam around, but if I see one bite mark on her unscarred skin, or one student in this god damn school dead, I will kill you, now let her go” Reya stated, authority laced in her voice.

Jungkook and his companions laughed as he brought you in front of him, holding you still with one arm and removing your hair in front of your neck with the other.

“And what are you, a low power witch, going to do to stop me” he smirked as he brought his fangs closer to my neck.

Tears strolled down my face as you prepared yourself for the pain...

“Remember what I told you,” she said staring him down.

Before his teeth could puncture your neck, his hands dropped from your body and went straight to his head, he screamed loudly, dropping towards the floor. Jin and Suga ran straight too him. Looking at him confused.

“I wouldn’t exactly call me, low rated,” she said grabbing your arm and pulling you towards her. Confused, you continued to stare at the group of vampires. 

“Remee, stop please” you whispered tugging on her sleeve, looking down at the pained boy. She glanced at you confused before stopping whatever she was doing.

As jungkook regained himself he glared up at the two of you. scooting a little closer to Remee you tried not to be as scared as they all circled us shooting daggers into our backs.

“so what are you, middle rate? You don’t smell like an ultimate witch” rap monster asked as he examined her. 

“I don’t know, are you willing to find out,” she said glaring at all of them. the tension could be cut with a knife. Your friend was so confident and so unfazed by the blood-sucking boys. 

“Now let us go,” she said turning to jimin who was blocking up from the door. When jimin didn’t move she sighed and with a flick of her hand jimin was flung across the room. As he groaned you watched as some of the boys moved away from Reya. 

“One time everybody, one time,” she said as she led you out of the room.

As Remee dragged you down the corridors you head was spun. The situation not settling well with you. 

 “Remee, what the fuck just happened, their…and you’re…and what the hell!?” I exclaimed clutching my head with my free hand. 

“I’ll explain once we get back to my house,” she said as we exiting school “were ditching?” you asked, Your brain lowkey breaking down at the knowledge that these mythical creatures were real. 

“Yer well I think this situation calls for ditching ya know?” she said as the two of you left school. You tightened your grip on your friend's hand as you knew without her guidance your body wouldn't know how to act. The memory of those red eyes and white fangs burned in your brain as you walked...

What now? Are they going to be after you? 

You looked at Reya who still looked calm and composed and something about it calmed you down. 

You would be okay...hopefully. 

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