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sleepless-in-southlands · 2 years

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This isn’t a Love Story

Ao3

Summary: It's fate. Or: Grian is a priest of Fate, willing to sacrifice everything to ensure Scar, destined to be his final victim in the arena, doesn't fall in love with him along the way. Unfortunately for him, Scar seems intent on doing just the opposite. Content: Hurt/comfort, deities AU kinda (no main characters are deities themselves); pining, self-fulfilling prophecies, basically grian Begging scar not to fall in love with him while scar says ‘no <3′ Ships: Scarian, background ren/martyn

“I'm going to kill you.”

The tribute of Charm merely hummed at Grian's comment. "Getting cocky already, or did someone cheat?”

“I haven’t cheated.”

“I thought we weren’t supposed to let our gods give us unfair advantages.” The other replied, turning his head to look at Grian. “Don’t prophecies count as unfair advantages?”

Grian turned to face the other tribute as well, noting the large scar that crept up his neck and wrapped around his right cheek, confirming the man’s identity. “As a priest to Fate, visions are my duty and right. So long as I don’t attempt to receive any within the arena, I have only been doing my job.”

His companion let out a low whistle. “Priest, huh? I didn’t realize you could be a tribute.”

“It’s often considered in poor taste, to sacrifice those devoted to your service.” Grian explained. “But it’s not prohibited. Fate only picks as things must be, anyways.”

“Or as would allow Fate to win, huh?”

“No.” It was a common misconception, among those not dedicated to Fate, to believe that those favoured by Fate could not be touched by it. That with their knowledge of what was to come, they could avoid all pitfalls and excel within their lives.

What they refused to understand was that Fate was set, fixed, undeniable. Its followers knew they were bound to it unwaveringly, and its priests were charged with the heavy responsibility of upholding it unchangingly. Even in seeing his own approaching deaths, Grian was obligated to die by them. Even in seeing his own approaching victory, Grian had not cheated for it.

This made what he had already said, and what he would say next, a betrayal of the oaths he had sworn and treason against his deity. The lay were not to know of their fates unless so fated, especially not if they were followers of other gods.

But in this game of sacrifice, Grian was only a tribute. His wings of fire, Fate’s blessing to its priests, had already been taken from him, the sigils of his occupation covered in bracelets of hard metal. They would be returned and removed, respectively, when all was done, but until that time he was as close to a lay person as he would ever be.

And he was hardly risking his entire essence and livelihood for no good reason. This was to save a life.

“Scar,” Grian caught the tribute beside him off guard for only a moment, Scar quickly realizing why Grian knew his name, “It wasn’t a boast. I am going to kill you. Neither of us can change this.”

Scar raised an eyebrow. “Then why are you telling me about it? Or is this part of my fate, too?”

“It’s a warning.” Grian stood a second before the bells began to ring, signalling to all competitors the game would soon begin. He glanced back at Scar, still sitting, looking confused by what he was being told. “It’s fate.”

Grian didn’t give Scar a chance to respond before he was walking off in the direction of the arena, already having said much more than he ever should have. He feared it wouldn’t be enough, but there was only so much he could risk Fate’s wrath.

And he knew he’d be struck down on the spot if he told Scar directly, “Don’t fall in love with me.”

“You called it, my friend of Fate. Though I guess I expected it to be a bit more personal than accidental-creeper-prank-gone-wrong, given how serious you were about it.”

Grian walked through the arena at Scar’s side, headed in the direction of the corner desert the latter was so intent upon monopolizing. Grian had already put in his opinion that it was a ludicrous idea but, as he knew would happen, Scar waved off his concerns with big and empty promises of the impossible. Truly a follower of Charm.

“That wasn’t what I was referring to.” Grian informed him, keeping his tone casual and uninterested. It was one thing to inform your competitor of your intentions to kill them before the games had begun, another to remind them of it when the two of you were officially in battle, already one life down. “But good thing for you to remember.”

Scar laughed. “Did you really think I would just forget your overly confident threat on my life?”

It’s not about remembering the threat. It’s about remembering what it means, for you, for me, for us. Grian didn’t say, because while the gods may take entertainment in seeing their chosen pit themselves against each other in an arena-shaped altar, they wouldn’t be too disappointed seeing a smiting either.

“It’s not a threat if it’s guaranteed.” Grian said instead, lamely. He took no thrill nor pleasure out of going through the motions that had already been predicted and made known to him, and he had no intentions of sounding like he did.

“An absolutely killer line said in complete monotone.” Scar observed. “Someone sounds like they don’t want to be here.”

“Do you?”

Scar shrugged. “If I had had a choice in the matter, I probably would have stayed home, yeah. But I didn’t, and I’m stuck here until we all get killed and resurrected anyways, so I figure I might as well have some fun with it.”

Grian side-eyed Scar. “So you’re going to have fun by selling sand in the desert?”

“Correct!”

“I’m still not sure how you hope for this to work out.”

“Oh, ye of little faith. I have Charm on my side!”

“We’re not allowed ‘unfair advantages’ from our gods, remember?”

Scar grinned at Grian. “Oh, I don’t need any divine assistance to work my magic. I’ve got all the natural allure I need.”

Grian held Scar’s gaze a moment too long before forcing himself to look away, mumbling some sort of response he didn’t think either of them actually caught. It was clear why Scar was a patron of Charm. It was clear why Grian couldn’t think about that too long.

Hot days, frigid nights, always something in his eye- things about the desert no vision could properly prepare you for, Grian was learning. Despite these things, however, Grian had found Monopoly Mountain surprisingly bearable. Scar hadn’t been lying when he said he had natural charm- Grian had to admit, he was impressed with his negotiating skills.

Not that Grian would tell him that, not after he lost his second life to a bad fall, but still. It was noted.

“So can I assume that also wasn’t you killing me?” Scar asked that night, sorting objects away inside their castle while Grian made plans for further base improvement.

“...You fell. And I didn’t push you. How could that have been me killing you?”

“Maybe you were going to count it because you could have stopped it if you warned me, but you didn’t.”

Grian glanced over the top of his sketchbook. “I told you, Fate cannot interfere.”

“It was just a possibility.” Scar defended, closing the chest he had been filling and propping one of his arms on it to look back at Grian. “Besides, for someone so dedicated to Fate, you’re constantly reminding me about how you’re going to kill me. Really, Grian, what’s that all about?”

“It’s a warning.”

“Yes, but for what? You’ve already clued me into the fact I can’t prevent it, so what exactly are you warning me against?”

Faced with a question he couldn’t speak the answer to, Grian turned back to his book. Scar sighed, pushing himself to his feet. “You know, sometimes it feels like you just want to get rid of me or something. Regret the whole creeper thing that much?”

Grian froze, grip increasing on his quill to the point he worried it would snap. Here Scar was, so close to the right idea, without any prompting from Grian. If he just stayed silent now, maybe that would be enough to push Scar away, even if he hadn’t truly understood what Grian had been trying to tell him so far. That’s all Grian needed.

…And yet.

“I regret blowing you up.” Grian admitted, though not even Truth could get him to say what made him speak up. He could claim that he was just trying to keep Monopoly Mountain together, to maintain that part of Fate’s decree even if not exactly as should be, but that didn’t make it true. “I don’t regret allying with you.”

“Oh, Grian!” Grian didn’t need to look up to know Scar was smiling now. “You do still want to be friends!”

“Well, I do know that you won’t kill me.”

“Yes, yes, you and your knowledge of all that is to come.” Scar dismissed with a flippant wave of his hand, moving to sit across the table from where Grian was working. “Tell me, o wise one, did you keep my flowers?”

Grian closed his book and placed his quill on top of it, flicking through the electronic inventory he had been given to compensate for the fact he typically accessed his through his Fate sigils. He collected the poppies and lilacs in a loose bouquet in one hand when he found them, putting the device away once he had them all out. “I meant to put them in a vase earlier, but it slipped my mind. Though I worry for how well they’ll do in a desert…”

“I can always get you more.” Scar assures, so confident in the concept Grian doesn’t even think to question it at first; by the time he does, Scar has already moved on, reaching to both take the flowers and pull Grian’s hands closer to him. “May I?”

There’s no way this ends well for his purposes, Grian knows.

But he still says yes. He still says yes.

“Not to say your bracelets aren’t already stunning,” Scar joked as he carefully slipped the stem of a poppy underneath of one of the mentioned bracelets, winding it around multiple times until the poppy lay flat against the metal, lively red contrasting the colourless sheen, “but I thought they could do with some decoration.”

Grian remained silent as Scar continued, embellishing his first band with both poppies and lilacs before moving to do the same to the second. He should stop this, pull away, say they’re not that lovely, say they’re irritating against his skin, remind Scar they’re going to die, remind Scar that he’s going to die and Grian’s going to be the reason why.

But he doesn’t, and he tells himself it’s because he’s still a follower of Fate, still resigned to how it flows, that there is nothing he can truly change, even as Scar holds his hands to tilt his wrists and admire his handiwork, even as he finds himself returning Scar’s proud smile.

“Tell me you’re joking.”

“Seeing as I’m not a devotee of Truth, I technically can do that.”

Grian crossed his arms, trying to make himself seem annoyed when he was much closer to worried. Did Scar hear nothing? Did he truly not understand the full extent of what he was asking? “You actually want to share a bed with me?”

“Of course! Why wouldn’t I?”

"Guess."

Scar rolled his eyes. "You'll kill me faster by letting me freeze to death if I have to get through another desert night alone.”

"Have you tried wearing a shirt to bed?"

“Have you seen my complexion? I don't have the body warmth for a shirt to help.”

As certain as Grian was that Scar's ‘complexion’ was just an aesthetic skin he had managed to get from Charm with the reasoning that it wasn't an advantage and therefore not cheating, he didn't have any proof of it, and Grian knew Scar would argue a proofless battle until the end. Instead, he sighed, glancing at the double-bed set-up Scar had created before looking back to his supposedly-freezing business partner.

"This is a terrible idea.”

"You said the same thing about my sand kingdom, and look where we are now!” Scar pointed out, taking a seat on the bed and patting the open space on it encouragingly. “Come on, Grian, you know you want to.”

And that should be what concerns you. Grian thinks but does not say.

Why are you so dedicated to your coming destruction? Grian wants to ask but doesn't.

You'll hate me. You'll try to change Fate and when you can't you'll hate me for it even when it's too late for the both of us. Grian knows even as he hopes he's wrong.

But all that makes it pass his lips is, “Alright.”

He kicks off his shoes full of sand as Scar's eyes light up, lifting the sheets with flowered wrists to let Scar get under them first, Grian following him with slower movements. As if going slowly will change that he's already agreed, that even in his best attempts to save Scar from himself he is failing.

Grian only has a moment to settle before Scar is resting against his back, arms wrapping around his midriff. For a man who had claimed to be so cold, Scar was warm at every spot he touched Grian, almost burning against his skin. It should have been uncomfortable. Grian should have got back up immediately. He should have done a lot of things.

Instead, he rolled over, hands right into the flame where they came to lay pressed between himself and Scar. He ignored whatever quip it was that Scar said next, something about how he knew he was right, how he knew this was a good idea, as if this wasn't damnation.

What he didn't- couldn't- wouldn't- ignore was the way Scar then rested his head atop Grian's, leaving Grian's face to press against his neck, the crook of his shoulder, where all Grian could feel was heat, hot as the sun even in the midnight cold of the desert.

Had Grian been with anyone else when the message came through, he may have gone through the effort of feigning surprise. Red Winter was supposed to be a shock, after all. But on top of Monopoly Mountain, there was only him and Scar.

“Saw this coming too, huh?” Scar asked after he realized Grian wasn’t checking through chat like he was. Grian nodded. “Couldn’t have given me a heads up?”

“You know why I couldn’t.”

“I’m just teasing.” Scar put his communicator away. “Guess we know who the Bloodshed tribute is now.”

Mountain wind caught Grian’s hair as he turned his head to look at Scar, blowing it into his face as he considered for a moment. “Ren’s not the tribute of Bloodshed.”

“What is he then? Combat? Strife?”

“Loyalty.” Grian answered, Scar’s eyes widening in disbelief. “Martyn’s Bloodshed.”

“...They’re doing it for each other. Ren uses his final life to spill blood, Martyn stands by him through it. Martyn doesn’t have to worry about Ren killing him, because with the two of them as a pair, Ren would never.” Scar inferred, and Grian nodded again. If only Scar put together his warnings as fast as he did everything else. “And Ren knows Martyn won’t betray him because… he trusts him.”

Grian frowned at how quiet Scar’s voice had become. “You make it sound like something important.”

Scar tilted his head. “Isn’t it?”

“These are death games, Scar.” Grian’s words were hard, perhaps unnecessarily so, but he needed Scar to understand this. That this arena was not a place of beauty. That looking for it would only hurt him. “Trust, partnerships- none of it will matter in the end.”

Grian wasn’t sure what Scar’s reaction to that would be. Confusion, maybe. Anger or hurt wouldn’t be preferable, but it would mean Scar had finally gotten it, at least.

For a long moment, however, Scar seemed almost to not have any reaction. His expression didn’t change, head still tilted, not saying a word. He was thinking Grian’s words over, as if there was something more to them. Hadn’t Grian made it clear, plain and simple?

He remained silent as he took a step towards Grian, crossing what little distance there had been between them. Grian kept his eyes on Scar’s, doing his best to keep his breathing even. He couldn’t tell what Scar was thinking, what he thought he was doing. Had he figured it out? Was he going to push Grian off their mountain, defy Fate and give himself a real chance to win? Would serve Grian right for going against his deity.

But Scar didn’t shove him. Instead, he raised his hand- slowly, as if going too fast might startle Grian right off the edge- and brushed Grian’s hair out of his face, touch so light Grian barely felt it.

Grian didn’t move, barely even breathed.

“That’s the thing, Grian.” Scar sounded more serious than Grian had ever heard him, even as the corner of his mouth tipped up in a smile. “Trust and partnerships are important, even here. They matter in the end, and they matter past that too.”

And then he was stepping away, Scar still smiling as he turned back towards their castle, going on about obsidian and plans as if Grian was processing any of it.

Rather, his words weren’t even going in one ear and out the other for Grian, passing him by entirely as he put his own hand to his face, fingers pressing to the spot Scar’s had ghosted over his skin.

The possibility that dawned on him then was horrifying. That, perhaps, Scar had understood Grian’s warnings, what they actually meant. That, perhaps, he didn’t care.

That Scar was going to willingly, knowingly, wholeheartedly, fall right into his fate with no fight or change.

That Grian, for all he had already sacrificed to try and save him in this one way, to offer him this one mercy, wouldn’t be able to stop him, wouldn’t even want to.

“I’m going to kill you.”

They were at their castle, as always, though Grian couldn’t have said exactly if they were inside or outside. There was sand, but there was sand everywhere, even in the stone against his back, and Grian’s focus wasn’t on it much, was instead taken up by Scar, a hand on his hip, a hand on his cheek, tipping his face up, a space between that was so slim paper could barely fit through.

“I don’t care.” Scar said softly, sincerely, so close Grian could nearly feel the words more than he could hear them. “I love you anyways.”

Grian didn’t have to be a priest to identify what this was, unchangeable, unsaveable, inescapable, hand over hand on his hip, his other tangled in Scar’s hair, closing the gap between them, killer and victim, doom and inevitability, victor and martyr, blood thrumming, this is fate, this is fate, this is fate.

The woods felt wrong, Grian decided, standing in the shaded clearing, water soaking into his shoes. He couldn’t tell if it was because of all that had just happened, or what had to happen now, or if he had just grown too accustomed to sand.

Somewhere close by, just out of the corner of his eye, Time’s tribute decayed into the earth, swallowed whole until the time at which he’d be spat back out and revived. Scar watched the process directly. Grian watched Scar.

Nothing had changed. All that was left was the end.

"So, let me guess,” Scar turned to face Grian, cheerful smile ill-fitting of the moment but somehow not out of place on him, “this is the part where you kill me.”

"Not here.” Grian replied, glancing in the direction of their kingdom. "We go back to Monopoly Mountain first. That's where I'm supposed to kill you.”

"Supposed to?”

Grian looked back to Scar, wondering if he looked as determined as he felt. This was his last chance. “Kill me, here, Scar. I won't fight you.”

Scar raised an eyebrow. “Spoiling the ending for me is one thing, but don't you think Fate's going to be a bit upset with you if you cost it its winner? Not to mention the whole ‘going against your sworn oaths to maintain Fate as it is to be’ thing.”

“I won't do this.” Grian threw his sword at Scar's feet, sending ripples through the pond as it sank to the bottom. “If it weren't for my constant warnings, you might have already killed me anyways. Maybe this is how it was meant to be.”

A beat passed in silence, Scar looking down at Grian's discarded sword. When he looked back up, his smile had softened, eyes fond. He dropped his own sword on top of Grian's before stepping over both of them, choosing to hold Grian's hands instead. “Grian, even if you hadn't told me how this was going to go, it still would've been me.”

"You can't know that.”

"Yes I can.” Scar countered, still smiling. “In exchange for the life you pledged to me at the start of it all, I would have offered you my final one and let you take the victory.”

Grian dropped his gaze, avoiding Scar’s, fixing on their joined hands instead. His bracelets were still wrapped in flowers, now the third or fourth batch, every one picked and placed by Scar. Even out of the desert, they were still wilting, and not for the first time Grian wondered if it was only the desert that had been killing them.

“You can’t know that.” He repeated. Grian couldn’t even attest to the accuracy of Scar’s claim, visions rarely that specific. Only Fate could know.

Scar bent his head down, waiting patiently until Grian finally looked up at him to respond. “I do know, because I’m doing it right now.”

“Scar-”

Grian didn’t get a chance to make another plea as Scar pressed a kiss to his cheek, straightening up and gently pulling Grian to do the same.

“If we leave the gods waiting too long, they’ll end this themselves.” Scar said lightly, still somehow maintaining a much better mood than Grian despite what was to come. He squeezed Grian’s hands when Grian didn’t say anything in response. “We’ll have all the time in the world to talk about this after we’re done with this arena. We just have to finish up first.”

“You say that so casually.” Grian allowed himself to be led out of the pond by Scar, still holding one of his hands as he pulled himself up. “I’m going to kill you.”

“It won’t stick.” Scar said jokingly. He waved his free arm out in the direction of their castle. “Shall we?”

Grian wanted to fight it. To argue until Scar saw his point, until he could convince Scar that this didn’t have to be the way, that they didn’t have to do this.

But Scar had yet to let his smile fall, yet to give any indication that he wasn’t ready to do this, that he wouldn’t fight back equally as hard to be the one to die. Every one of Grian’s warnings had only served to further ensure all would go as it was meant to; that Scar, in love, would die at Grian’s hand.

“If we must.” Grian finally said, holding onto Scar’s hand even tighter as the two of them made their way to their ends.

“Priest.”

“Fate.”

“You have done well in the arena. Your victory has brought my name much honour. However… I have seen all, Priest. You have broken your oaths and forsaken my name, have you not?”

Grian tried to keep his expression neutral and his body still as he stood before his deity, head bowed though as to avoid seeing its natural form. While most gods had a temporal form, something mortals could look upon without going insane or dying, Fate did not. The most ever seen of it was wisps of smoke and edges streaked in fire. “I have broken my oaths, but I will never forsake your name, Fate.”

Fate hummed, a sound like that of a singing factory. “Many consider these things to be one in the same, especially for a priest. If it is even still accurate to call you that.”

“Only if you think it is.” Grian replied, hesitating a moment before adding, foolishly, “But you should know, for your considerations, that I don’t regret it.”

Silence.

It became harder to not fidget, waiting as Fate deliberated. The room about him offered nothing else to focus on, faded colours swirling in a void incomprehensible to human eyes. Grian wondered if such a dwelling space was the same for all gods, or if it was simply another outlier of Fate.

“No,” Fate finally said, and somewhere in its unfathomable voice Grian could have sworn he heard amusement, “I didn’t think you would.”

There was movement to the side of Grian, the disturbed air smelling of gunpowder and burned sugar as Fate passed by. The mimic of a hand brushed across his back, blazing wings sprouting out at the touch.

Grian allowed himself a moment to move his returned limbs, stretching his wings out as far as they could go before laying them against his back once more, the feathers always aflame but never burning. “Thank you, Fate. I know I am undeserving-”

“You are not my first priest to try and alter my course, and you will not be my last.” Fate interrupted him, with the energy as though it had waved him off. “At least your reasons were for another’s gain. For that, you are forgiven.”

“Thank you.”

Movement past his other side indicated Fate had fully circled him, coming back to stand in front of him. “Your wrists.”

Grian extended his arms without question, still wearing the blocking bands and dying flowers of the arena. The metal melted away in short order, revealing twin red birds, ember bright. The flowers were caught as they fell, held delicately with imitated fingers that should have burned them.

“Even gods go past their realms, at times.” Fate murmured, flames arcing over the flowers in its hand. The decay receded with the motion, petals regaining their vibrancy as their stems straightened. “I myself will have to beg Time’s forgiveness later for this, I am certain.”

“Fate?”

The deity pressed the once more lively flowers into Grian’s hands, its fleeting touch feeling of cold fire. “I will keep you no longer, Priest. Charm’s tribute waits for you. May you never lose your paths.”

Grian bowed his head further and closed his eyes, recognizing the dismissal for what it was. Even without sight, he could sense the room spinning around him- or was it him, spinning in circles in the center of the room?- as Fate sent him back to the mortal plain.

When the sensation ended, Grian opened his eyes again, unsurprised to find himself standing right outside the arena. It was unimpressive from the exterior, just a plain building that would have looked just like any other were it not for the large warning sign painted on its side, keeping out those not meant for its supernatural interior.

Scattered around him were a handful of his fellow tributes, some having already left and some still conversing with their deities. Searching for his former business partner amongst them, Grian’s gaze lingered on Ren and Martyn’s reunion.

The tribute of Loyalty spun Bloodshed in a circle, both parties grinning. Ren kept holding Martyn up even as they slowed, and even from as far away as he stood Grian could see how his eyes shone when Martyn cupped his cheeks and leaned down to kiss him.

“Told you those partnerships mattered.”

Grian turned on his heel in the direction of the all-too familiar voice, grinning himself as he spotted Scar. The tribute of Charm was smiling just as widely, nearly skipping the last few steps to Grian.

“Yes, yes, you’re always right.” Grian joked. “I see you’ve finally found a shirt.”

“Charm thought I should have one, the pity prize for losing to Fate itself.” Scar replied, flattening out some of the colourful shirt’s wrinkles before gesturing at Grian. “And look at you! Still a priest! How did you manage that?”

“I guess it happens often enough it’s learned to let some things go.”

Scar chuckled. “Of course it’s happened before. You broke your oaths just for some stranger, no surprise there’s been others to do it for more.”

“You were hardly just ‘some stranger.’” Grian reminded him, holding out the flowers still clasped in his hands and offering them to Scar. “Apologies for trying to keep it that way, though.”

“You had good intentions.” Scar wrapped his hands around Grian’s, leaning closer to him, smile growing when Grian mirrored the action. “Unfortunate you somehow forgot how Fate works.”

“What, got some line about star-crossed lovers and destiny?”

“Well, I was going to make fun of you for falling to your very own self-fulfilling prophecy, but since what you said is much sweeter, I’ll go with that.”

Grian laughed, ruining any chance he had at even trying to pretend to be annoyed. “Oh, you’re terrible.”

“Hm, perhaps.” Scar got even closer, bumping his nose against Grian’s as his smile fell into something small and special. “But you love me.”

“Only because I have to for my job.” Grian responded, but he doubted he was very convincing, sounding as though he were still laughing, certainly still smiling, and putting in not even the slightest effort to duck away when Scar moved in to kiss him.

What else was he supposed to do, after all?

They were fate.

#scarian #grian #goodtimeswithscar #third life #3rd life #m.y funky words #'the gods take our fighting and death in the arena as sacrifice' they are just here for the relationship dramas #anyways this was supposed to be fast and 100% was written only for the four paragraph kiss scene #yes it got out of hand. shhh

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deltaruminations · 1 year

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waltzes in deltarune chapters 1 & 2

empty town

lantern

darkness falls (3/4 time. whether or not it’s truly a “waltz.” idk. lacks the typical accompaniment.)

the circus

a town called hometown

my castle town

berdly (also bluebird of misfortune)

faint courage (see darkness falls — maybe incorporates more of the accompaniment?)

acid tunnel of love

dialtone

man.ogg

#$ 420 non gaster lore hell #mostly for my own notes #possibly notable that my funky town is no longer a waltz. it’s. funk. lmao #idk. it feels like waltzes are significant to tfox #he seems to be careful about their inclusion #he seems to associate waltzes with intimacy in some way. I Think. like the archetypal Dance #if i can be a little auteur theory. notice how both toby.fangamer vids so far incorporate a ballroom dance as a form of bonding #between characters in those respective stories. TGLS specifically references waltzing #both secret bosses have a waltzing prelude to their battle themes #ralsei has several waltzes associated with his relationship to the player/kris #death sequences are arguably waltzy. and what could be more intimate than Those Screens #berdly is a pretentious nerd who masks for approval #idk. anyway.#* i guess by auteur theory i mean transtextual reading of things ‘directed’ by the same author and created concurrently. w/e… you get it

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transingthoseformers · 1 year

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Okay so, idea for the tfp au based off of a fact. Most versions of Megatron get their name originally from the fallen being a shortened version of Megatronus as they once shared a name, here me out he can twist what tarn asked for with that. Oh also Megatronus was in a relationship with Solus for a time and made poor choices during their relationship in cannon, so terrible relationship advice with pharma. Aka bully the two idiots together (this is out of full appreciation for them both, I just thought of this dumb crack ship randomly from that fact.)

Oh I've had this idea :)

After all Tarn is talking to him rather frequently, and will continue to such when Megatronus Prime is released from his imprisonment. I had not known, however, that the Fallen was in a legitimate relationship with Solus, which gives us some stories of his own to tell.

They're both trying to manipulate each other for their own gains, and they're monsters who tbh deserve each other❤

#'twas I! the one who randomly thought they vaguely looked alike and decided to jam them both in!#i mean as far as crack ships in this au it's really up there with the ratchma-wavewave qpr in levels of ~funky~#Tarn naturally still wants megatron and pharma #but in his mind he might think he already 'has' megatronus prime #tarn and the fallen's relationship will naturally end with the end of the tarn and fallen fiasko arc— with death!#the demigod and the outlier are a tale we know does not end well #maccadam #tfp au #transformers #megatronus prime #tf tarn

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theresattrpgforthat · 28 days

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Hello!! Do you know any TTRPGs surrounding translation or languages? 😊 (thanks for all your work btw!!!)

THEME: Language / Translation Games

Hello friend! As someone who studied linguistics in university, I absolutely love talking about all of the funky things languages do! I hope these recommendations tickle your fancy!

Dialect, by Thorny Games.

Dialect is a game about an isolated community, their language, and what it means for that language to be lost. In this game, you’ll tell the story of the Isolation by building their language. New words will come from the fundamental aspects of the community: who they are, what they believe in, and how they respond to a changing world.

Dialect uses a deck of cards to help minimize the amount of choices you have to make in character creation, by dealing three cards to each player and having the players choose one from just those three. You track the change of your language over a series of turns, using prompts to help you navigate the conversations that arise in your community as the world around them changes.

Dialect has been very highly regarded as a game that really delivers on the experience that it promises. The grief that accompanies language death really shines through this game, so if you want to combine the wonder of creation with the pain of losing something so integral to your sense of being, this is the game for you.

Tiny Frog Wizards, by @prokopetz

You have mastered the secret arts of sorcery

The very primordial energies of creation and destruction are yours to wield as you will.

You are two inches tall.

Tiny Frog Wizards is a game about tiny frogs, wielding magic using the power of words. When you want to do something magical, you will roll somewhere between 1-3 dice, and use the values of your rolled dice to determine how the range, magnitude, and control of your magic.

What’s important in terms of this game recommendation is the Control aspect, because how well you are able to wield your magic depends on how many words you are able to use to make things happen! It’s a lot easier to use a spell with precision if you have enough words to detail where you want a magical pen to write, or what you want to throw a tiny magic missile at. Not enough words? Then the GM has license to cause some humorous side effects, or, if you roll poorly enough, cause your spells to really go off the rails.

If you like games where you need to choose your words carefully, Tiny Frog Wizards is worth checking out - especially since it’s in free playtest!

Xenolanguage, by Thorny Games.

Xenolanguage is a tabletop role-playing game about first contact with alien life, messy human relationships and what happens when they mix together. At its core, you explore your pivotal relationships with others on the mission as you uncover meaning in an alien language. The game gives a nod to soulful sci-fi media like Arrival, Story of Your Life and Contact, but tells its own story. It’s a game for 2-4 players in 3-4 hours.

In Xenolangauge, you play as a group of people bound together through a shared past with unsettled questions. Your task is to understand why the aliens have come and what they are trying to tell us. You will soon discover the key to understanding lies in your memories together.

This is definitely an in-person game, as it is meant to come with a modular channeling board that will provide you with alien symbols that you will use to help you interpret messages. This is more than a game about language, it’s about relationship, shared memories, and connection.

Xenolanguage was kickstarted at the beginning of this year, but you can check out the above link to pre-order the game if this sounds interesting to you!

Star-Spawned, by Penguin King Games.

One unearthly night, a ray of colourless light descended from the stars, and under its warping radiance, creatures unlike any the world has ever seen were born. They do not know the world, and they do not know themselves. Unfortunately for the world, they're quick learners!

Star-Spawned is a GMless, oneshot-oriented tabletop RPG in which you don't know what your own traits do when play begins. The names of each group's stats are randomly generated using morpheme chaining, and characters are created while having absolutely no idea what they mean; figuring that out forms the greater part of play.

Star-Spawned is more about self discovery than it is about language, but the use of morpheme-chaining in character creation is intriguing to me. You will randomly roll three pieces of a word, and then chain them together to create a unique Facet, available to the players as stats. These Facets don’t have a meaning when the game begins - you need to play to find out what they mean. If you like playing around with semantics - the meaning of words - this might be a game for you.

Degenerate Semantics, by Mikael Andersson.

Degenerate Semantics is a role-playing game for 1-5 players and one Game Master (GM). The players will each portray a character who live in Emmaloopen's poverty-stricken lower city. They are young, wild, ambitious, and independent. This way of life is threatened by other factions, and the players will need to have their characters work together to survive and thrive.

In the process of playing the game, the players and GM will define and flesh out a language called Bandethal. A collection of street terms and slang, Bandethal is used both as a way to talk openly about illicit activities without alerting authorities and to establish street cred. The terms are liberally mixed in with plain English, or when the language is mature enough, can be used entirely on its own. The characters' success is in large part based on how proficiently the players wield the language.

A friend of mine ran this game for me three or four years ago, and it’s been sitting in the back of my head ever since. Degenerate Semantics was created for a Game Chef competition in 2014, and has remained in the same state since then. I don’t think there’s any more work being done on it, but the game is there for anyone who wants to give it a go - and while there’s a setting that comes with the game, that setting is highly flexible, depending on what your group is interested in. Our group decided to use a lot of gardening metaphors, and undertook a plant-based heist as our act of rebellion! If you want a game about the power that language can give a tightly-knit group, this is the game for you.

I've Also Recommended...

DROWWORD, by Ursidice.

#tabletop games #indie ttrpgs #game recommendations #dnd #asks #languages

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mysterycitrus · 4 months

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Do you have any opinions or hot takes about Alfred Pennyworth?

im gonna upset the alfred girlies but my hot take for alfred is that he's bruce's most dedicated enabler and often hides behind being "the help" to disguise the fact that yeah, historically he has just stood by and let bruce do horrible things.

a lot of that is like... bruce is his kid, and alfred is bruce's father, but also they rarely vocalise it because alfred is british + bruce is bruce + would it be seen as a disservice to thomas wayne, whose death was a key instigator in bruce's path to becoming batman? i also think that alfred raising bruce in the wake of his parent's murder was always going to change how alfred held bruce accountable for the things he did. how can u be hard on a kid who's just lost everything, even when that kid goes on to hurt others, including his own kids? like bruce is alfred's son, and alfred loves bruce more than anyone else, including alfred's own children (irony).

that doesn't make him a bad person necessarily but it does explain a lot of his actions. sometimes, sure, he'll shout at bruce, and storm away, or be silently disapproving, but ultimately he'll still stand on the sidelines and watch rather than acting in the moment. it's easier to express disapproval after the fact than actually confront bruce and force some kind of change. it's easier for alfred to excuse his own behaviour this way, too. he'll lecture bruce about his sleeping habits, his protein intake, but it isn't common that he goes against what bruce actually wants. that maintains their relationship equilibrium.

i also think examining alfred's relationships with bruce's kids is interesting, especially since there's this pervasive idea that jason is alfred's favourite which is.... lol. the dynamics of dick's time as robin are always gonna be a lil funky as a result of its 40+ year timeline but both alfred and bruce both refer to dick as their boy. dick is a grandson figure, sure, but he's also like... alfred's other son in a lot of ways, as much as he is bruce's. alfred was that other parent when dick was growing up. and with that in mind, he also relies on dick as a support to emotionally regulate bruce.

that doesn't mean alfred only cares about bruce, obviously, but every successive person who joins the family is going to be tempered through the lens of bruce is alfred's son, and bruce is also alfred's employer. clearly bruce doesn't think of him that way, but it's still pervasive. that relationship will always have the foundation of a butler raising the traumatised, angry child of the couple who hired him, and then watching that child grow into someone who is the literal embodiment of my way or the highway. i imagine there's some guilt there. wondering what could have been prevented if he'd raised his voice.

#sorry alfred girlies (whoever u are)#alfred pennyworth #dick grayson #bruce wayne #batman #dc comics #the ask and the answer

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tgcg · 5 months

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listen here on youtube

so first of all thanks for 3,000 followers. holy shit. thats 3000 more than i expected so thanks

i really didnt think this blog would get to this point when i made it. and im never gonna get over how kind and encouraging you guys have been for me. unending respect & gratitude guys.

we're closin in on the end of 2023 now and im resolving to keep doing right by you guys and having fun running this blog with yall 🙂 thanks forever

i wanted to do somethin special for it and i thought id share one of my biggest inspirations for interpretin davekat. which is music i think they'd like. when you routinely blast davekat doodles onto mspaint canvases at 2am you need a backing track and these are common choices for me

3 songs for each dude for 3k fwlrs. man thats crazy...

tracklist + lil commentary under readmore

dave zone

1... 21st century pop song -- hymie's basement

this whole album i associate with dave a lot even tho its very depresse mode. i have way too many plays on this song. that beat is so real.

2... vice principal -- why?

that record scratch bit got me bouncing&trouncing manm. ive been listening to this song since i was a lil shitty kid. this voice is my headcanon voice for dave

3... re-do -- modern baseball

get a load of them lyrics son. passage of time, dinosaurs, trouble sleeping, watching movies, fear of death, love of life. recent fave, big fave.

KARKAT ZONE

4... i see failure -- antarctigo vespucci

another new beat 4 me but damn its an anthem. love dudes who shout. self fulfilling prophecies of relationship failure are peak karkat 2 me

5... the minors -- kawai sprite

i have never played friday night funky. i found this album by pure fuckin chance and its great, if you like this song give it a shot. sounds adult swim-y. i associate a lot of songs from this album with kk its a very distinct sound that i just connect with him fsr. the bittersweet sad anger of it

6... exactly where i'm at -- ween

this is a certified karkat classic 4 me. "look at yourself your lips are like 2 flabs of fat, they go front and back and flappity flappity flap". one of my fave things about ween is they have really vivid lyrics and rlly consistently hit this cool spacey, semi-aquatic vibe. i think this is because of drugs that they are awesome, so lets all do more druggs today

#davekat #dave strider #karkat vantas #homestuck #playlist #goddamn... take care everyone

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taxominn · 5 days

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Spoilers up to chap 303 of tsctir

When you're on your Enneagram bs & realize that Sung Hyunjae is self-pres/sexual 7 & Han Yoojin is self-pres/sexual 2.

...the fact that they both prioritize self-pres instinct while wielding the sexual instinct second would explain some of the odd chemistry in their semi-transactional relationship. They both are, or at least were, using their growing connection with the other as a tool to satisfy their own needs, and both of them see this as reasonable and fair because they know the other is doing the same thing.

Hyunjae only rejects the chemistry between them when his dominant instinct is threatened... needing to risk his arm to help everyone get out of the Japanese dungeon bcuz of whatever funky stuff Yoojin's got going on. He literally says to Song Taewon, after running away from Yoojin, in ch.296:

“No matter how much I like him, I come first. He’s mine to the end, and while he’s something I treasure, the one I value is myself.”

No wonder dude spirals out of control until he's literally contemplating wiping Yoojin off the face of the planet. he's a pleasure-seeking sp7 that ensures the satisfaction of his needs by building interpersonal alliances, & the passionate, dreamy energy of his sx7 instinct serves that end. if the focus of his current passion is abt to risk his survival, if he's gonna have to start making actual sacrifices, then it makes sense that he'd think abt cutting his losses. but... he doesn't want to kill him. cuz he liiiikes him. so he just ghosts him lol

& Yoojin's reaction to it is so freaking funny dude. he's like a crazy ex Hyunjae broke up with over text. & that makes sense, too, bcuz he's beginning to actually care about Sung Hyunjae in a non-transactional way, so Hyunjae just up and ghosting has to absolutely trigger the 2's fear of being unloved and abandoned, like it did when he thought Yoohyun abandoned him pre-regression. and because 2's are hiding insecurity and entitlement for love & attention behind a veneer of altruism, which wells into anger & resentment if they don't get the love that they're due, Yoojin literally threatens to blow up his house if he doesn't respond to him. and does, like, a 24 hour death countdown before barging into Sung Hyunjae's house when he STILL hadn't responded to his texts lololol

#enneagram #typology #personality types #sctir #the s classes that i raised #sung hyunjae #han yoojin #jinjae #type 7 #type 2 #sctir spoilers

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writing-is-a-martial-art · 1 year

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Writing tips collected from a certain podcast:

let the gays be kind of assholes and commit murder

Everything can be foreshadowing if you're smart about it

There is no fantasy universe that wouldn't benefit from a little sci-fi and vice versa, literally just fuck around

Just some guy X death will never not be an excellent relationship to add to your story

If you add a child side character there must be something deeply wrong with them

If your cringefail idiot protagonists end up saving the world it is crucial they stay cringefail through the whole thing

A good way to avoid the "twins that are basically the same character" trope is to make one of them trans and also trap them in a magical umbrella for most of the story, trust me

"Memory wipes are kinda overdone" listen. Listen. Execution is everything.

Be a little funky about it all

You should always crash the train

When in doubt, add spaceship

#taz #taz balance #writing tips #oleg's writing rambles

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kitthepurplepotato · 4 months

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Chapter 10 - Kirishima’s “roomies forever” party (1/2)

Summary: Y/N and Izuku gets an invite to a fancy party at Katsuki’s house. They have a really hard time getting there though.

Warnings: Swear words, suggestive - it’s literally 50% reader being thirsty and 50% Deku trying to keep in his pants. 16+

First Chapter Master List

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

The weirdness starts with a simple invitation.

Nothing suspicious, it’s just a message from Kirishima in a brand new group chat.

New group chat: Everyone Katsuki definitely does not care about.

Kirishima: Dear friends! I would like to invite you to my house for a little get together this Sunday. It’s our 7th Roomie Anniversary, so please come in smart casual clothing, not in your underwear or pajamas (or that Pikachu onesie I absolutely adore on you, Kaminari. - It hurts me just as much as it hurts you, buddy.)

Please, do your best to be able to attend I have a surprise for him and I want you guys to be there for it!

“Damn, 7 years.” You mumble to yourself, tangled together with Izuku in the bed. It’s one of those days when Izuku miraculously managed to get home by 10PM so you are both lazing around, doing literal nothing because Izuku deserves a fucking break. “They must really like each other to stay together for so long.”

“Well, Eijirou was Katsuki’s first real friend if you don’t count me and trust me, back then, I did not count.” Izuku giggles. “He was the only one who could handle Kacchan’s temper and the only one who could calm him down when he went berserk. But Kacchan wasn’t the only one benefitting from this relationship; Kacchan helped Kirishima with studying and from being one of the worst students he ended up to be one of the best in only a few months. I’m not one of those weird shippers but I must admit they are perfect for each other.” Izuku mumbles into your neck, half asleep.

“Oi, don’t you dare look down on my kind, nerd!” You retort incredulously as you sit up to stare at the hero judgmentally which is a hard task right now, because he’s shirtless and absolutely beautiful and you kinda just want to kiss him all over which then makes you think about your cheeky evening in the hot tub which makes your insides turn upside down and… okay. Focus.

Also, you still haven’t seen his broccoli tattoo properly. This needs to change ASAP.

… not like that’s important right now.

Okay. Let’s go back to the main story. Sorry about that.

“Admit it, it’s weird! I don’t judge you or anything, but it is certainly… a funky little hobby.”

“You know what? I hope they fucking get engaged on the party. I’ll enjoy the pain on your face as you realize how wrong you were.” You pout and Izuku can’t help himself; he attacks your pouty lips right away with small, barely their kisses.

“I love you, but you are deranged.”

“What did you just call me?!” You giggle as Izuku slowly moves down from your lips to your neck, his lips barely grazing the skin and he doesn’t stop there; he makes his way towards your chest then down your belly and…

“Teasing my deranged little girlfriend.” He answers as he yanks your oversized t-shirt (okay, Izuku’s oversized t-shirt.) over his head and leaves tiny kisses all over your naked tummy and chest, slowly making his way up towards your breasts, his head completely hidden under your shirt.

“I’m not wearing a bra, Izu…” You mumble, pink dusting your cheeks. How are you supposed to not make a sound right now?! How?!

“Hmm… indeed.” You don’t need to see Izuku’s face to know there is a shit eating grin on his face. “I’ll close my eyes then.”

“That’s not the point, you silly!”

Honestly, this new, confident side of Izuku will be the death of you. The way he knows you don’t actually mind him there, the way you don’t need to beg him anymore to let himself loose… damn, how much you just want to push his face into your chest and…

Uhm… let’s calm down. He’s just having fun.

Suddenly, Izuku’s head pops out through the collar of your your shirt, the poor fabric almost tearing from the abuse.

“Want me to chill out? I can chill out.” Suddenly, Izuku lays down on top of you with all his fucking body weight and you literally can not breathe.

“Oh my god, you are like those massive Great Dane dogs who think they are lap dogs and suffocate their owners by accident.” You giggle while you ruffle his unruly hair.

“Woof.”

Midoriya fucking Izuku just licked your cheek. Like… literally licked a stripe up your face.

“Izuku, you absolute weirdo, I love you so much.” Somehow, Izuku is taken aback by your sudden confession. He looks up at your face, looking for something, probably signs that you’ve meant it in a sarcastic way but needless to say he can’t find anything but pure adoration. “What?”

“I’m being my absolute worst and your first thought is that… you love me?” Izuku starts drawing circles into your hipbone with his thumb while his ring finger is playing with the hem of your pajamas. It’s getting really hot in here all of the sudden.

“Yeah. I really love when you go all unhinged and just… do stuff you want to do. I love that you know I won’t say no. Because I can’t, Izu. I can’t say no to you and I never will.”

You can see the moment your words get acknowledged by Izuku’s brain because suddenly, his eyes go all dark and half lidded and if eyes could physically devour you’ll be nothing but a few bones by now.

“You make it really hard for me to go to sleep, you know that?” Izuku’s voice goes deep and husky and hell if it doesn’t go right into your core. There is so much restraint in every single syllable it’s actually painful.

“Do you need to?”

Honestly, you should just downright tell him to get down on you at this point. You are way too obvious. Izuku kissing and sucking on the skin on your neck doesn’t help, either.

“I have an early shift tomorrow.” Izuku sighs, defeated. “I… uhm… when we… do stuff I want to have all the time in the world. I want to kiss your whole body from head to toe until your skin is tinged pink all over. I want to take my time. I want to cherish you as long as I can and not rush it.” Izuku mutters with half of his hands down your pajama pants, caressing the skin in your lower tummy as he speaks. “I want to love you all night, maybe even in the morning. Make you breakfast after then cuddle up by the TV.” He murmurs into your ear; your arms are full of goosebumps from the depth of his voice, from the warmth of his breath and…

“Let’s take a cold shower then.” You look at your boyfriend pleadingly. “Ice cold. Yeah.”

“Deal.” Izuku pops his head back into your shirt and skims your nipple with his chin by accident. You can’t help but yelp. “Goddamnit Sweet Pea.”

“Hey, it’s not my fault!” You giggle as a red faced Izuku finally climbs out under your shirt. “I would like to invite you to share the shower with me but I feel like it would just make this situation worse.”

“Please, stay away from me.” Izuku giggles and goes towards his bathroom. “Ahh, why did you say that, now I want to shower together!” He whines once again but closes the door behind him anyway.

“Silly nerd.” You sigh as you make your way towards the main bathroom. You can’t wait for the day when Izuku is free again. You can’t do this for much longer. Izuku pulls you in like a magnet, and you want more and more as the time passes; one day, your restraint will snap and you won’t be able to stop yourself and neither will he so if Izuku really wants to have your first time the way he planned it, he really needs to hurry up.

Damn, you always hated when you were reading a nice, fluffy fanfiction then suddenly, the main character went all slutty for the hero but now that you are living the dream most people only write and daydream about, it really starts to make sense.

Don’t tell them that, though.

~•🥦•~

Thanks to Izuku’s inhuman working hours, Sunday comes much sooner than you’ve expected. You are standing by the massive mirror in your room, accessing your dress and looking for flaws but by the look on Izuku’s face as he stares at you while sitting your bed, this dress was the right choice and there’s no reason for you to be stressed about it. You can hear the massive gulp even from the other side of the room as he stares at your your naked back, utterly mesmerized.

“Uhm… this dress… is quite revealing, isn’t it? Like… I could just… move that little strap and it would all fall down… uhm… not like I would…” Izuku mutters and you can’t help but giggle at that.

“You need a cold shower, Izu-Izu?” You slowly push the mentioned strap down. “Oh look, it’s still on! Magic of the dress tape!”

“I’m going to have a shower and put my own shirt on.” Izuku mutters, avoiding eye contact as he leaves the room in two long strides.

“Have fun!” You snicker to yourself, all over the moon from the fact that you have such an effect on your favorite hero.

“First of all…” Izuku pops his head back into the room, offended. “This is not smart casual.” He points at you from head to toe aggressively. You can barely stop yourself from laughing. “Second of all, fuck you.”

“Oh sorry, since when am I dating Bakugou Katsuki?” You snicker, adoration clear in your eyes.

“Oh, if I would be Bakugou Katsuki you would be naked by now.”

Wow. Izuku is in a sassy mood. Thank god you absolutely adore Izuku in a sassy mood.

“The only reason I’m not naked right now is the fact that we shouldn’t cancel on your two best friends.”

“That’s… a fair point.” You can see the steam coming out of Izuku’s red ears.

“Come on now, I want to have my own little meltdown when I see you in that gorgeous dark green dress shirt. Also, those trousers? I don’t think I’m ready for that.”

Somehow, this was the right thing to say; Izuku gets all excited and makes a dramatic leave after grinning like an idiot for half a minute. Ahh, there are literally no words for how much you love this man and his silly little sassy fits.

After around fifteen minutes, Izuku emerges from the bathroom; his dress shirt is messily put on, half of the buttons still open, his hair a mess but somehow, an artistic mess that makes him look badass instead of… we’ll… messy… uhm, fuck, it’s really hard to use words right now to be absolutely honest.

Why?

Because when Izuku turns around to close the door, the sight that welcomes you is…

Izuku’s perfectly juicy peach. In a tailored fit trousers which cup his… well… his bottom… perfectly. The whole messy dress shirt thing also doesn’t help your… well… situation. If this would be a no plot just cheeky stuff kinda fanfiction, this would be the time when Izuku throws his non-existent tie on the floor and devours you without asking for permission and in only a few minutes you would be screaming his name like s mantra. And to be absolutely, totally honest… you really hate that this fanfiction isn’t one of those right now.

“Cat got your tongue?” Izuku purrs as he slowly comes closer and closer while he finishes his buttons on the way to you. For the love of god, stop the violence. This is pure torture.

“I’ll call the police.” You retort awkwardly, your fingers pointing at all the really lovely bits on Izuku’s body, like for instance, his absolutely gorgeous pecks under the green, tight-fit shirt. “This… whatever this is… is surely illegal.”

“Uhm… I really wanted to retort with something cool and flirty but what if I just throw you into the wall and kiss you senseless instead?” Izuku mutters with a red face, clearly embarrassed.

“I mean, that would have been something cool and flirty if you wouldn’t ask for permission… uhmpf…”

Izuku is all over you and he smells like expensive cologne. He kisses your lips, your neck, his hands wandering are all over your back, grabbing and caressing the naked skin and you can’t help but yelp and moan and just make all the sounds humanly possible because it’s not enough, it’s never enough, you want more and you wanted it for so long but you can’t help but respect his decision, but that doesn’t make it easy.

“We need to go. Let’s continue this in the car.” Izuku looks at you, disheveled, flushed and panting.

“Izu, we’ll be really late if we do that.” You giggle into his mouth that moves relentlessly on yours even as you try to speak.

“To quote my good friend, Kacchan… I do not give a single flying fuck.”

Needless to say, you two were really late to the party. Not like any of you really cared.

… Next Chapter!

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Potato ramble:

- Damn, honestly, these two need to get a room. I’m actually sorry for them at this point. I will burn in hell for this.

- Haha so funny story: I was so focused on the two specials I literally did not have a single word done of this until yesterday. Then I had a random urge to write and wrote two chapters in one go. Welcome to my life.

- The next chapter will be a Kirishima x Bakugou centered one so I’m sorry if you are not into that! This is my AU though, so like… I can do whatever I want. 😂 You can skip it if you really want but I’ll be really happy if you give it a try. This is NOT the same AU as the original and I’m not a fanatic KiriBaku shipper it just made sense in this AU. I love all the ships and I respect those who don’t ship anyone at all. So please, be nice or else I’ll cry. 😂💜

- Have you read the two Izuku x reader specials? If not, go on my profile and check them out! Send me your thoughts! 💜

Likes, comments and reblogs are appreciated as always! 🥦 Taglist is still open!

TL: @garfieldthomas @porusuniverse @stickygumchewer @sixxze @mily-moo @aei-sedai-moiraine @aymasakusa @katsuari @kenzie-deadly @shiviwrites07 @lukerycyja-reblogs @cloroxisadelectabletreat @coffeent @kisskissshutmydoor @bobcar1 @yazminetrahan @cringefan @ronimacaroni77 @thekookiecorner @dangerousluv1 @emperatris-rinaka @shotos-angelic-whore @angelsdemonsmonsters @norvacaine @rei165 @unofficialmuilover @yao-ai @happydragonfrog @eeerreehhh

#bnha x reader #mha x reader #midoriya izuku x y/n #midoriya fluff #midoriya x you #midoriya izuku x reader #pro hero deku x you #pro hero deku x reader

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the-s1lly-corner · 5 months

Note

Gooooood day to you wonderful author! I hope you’re having a swell time and that those pesky wasps called negativity are swatted and shooed away. I’ve scrolled your work and have thoroughly enjoyed your stories and thoughts, so maybe if you would be so kind as to hear me out, I’d gladly pay you a penny for my thoughts!

The TADC work is brilliant, and thus I had an idea! What if this rambunctious crew, met a their S/O who is rather cartoony in nature and take to the world of the circus rather well, being bouncy, stretchy and all around a ball of joy as they embrace this toon power they’ve been given.

The idea came to me when I was fiddling with a sticky hand, whilst rewatching the pilot, and thought how amusing it would be to see someone embrace these looney toon abilities.

TADC cast x cartoony!reader !

yahoo i now have some down time to take a crack at requests today! im making gingerbread cookies, peppermint macarons w/ white chocolate ganache, and double chocolate macarons! all for a friend as a christmas gift! yahoo!! waiting for the first bath of macarons to dry out before baking; cant do both since i only have one decent sized pan that can pit my silicone mat without it bending... bent macarons..... thinks also dullahan by worthikids has me in a death grip rn so im playing that on loop while i tackle these requests i am going to go insane!

CAINE:

oh this man fully embraces it... in fact he even encourages it, i think! i mean caine himself is pretty whacky and cartoony, it only makes sense thats hes going to really enjoy you. i think his approval may lead to you being a little more rowdy than you normally would be with anyone else... likes to use IHAs to see how far your funny physics can go... bonus if you get those little... emote things when you're feeling an emotion particularly strongly (ex. hearts for adoration, the red vein for anger or annoyance, the blue line things to express sadness or disgust and the like. stuff like that idk i just think that would be neat). you guys get outright silly with it, totally funky, completely strange you know? whimsical, even! plus i like to think that caine has a touch more "cartoon physics" than the others but thats just admin being silly

POMNI:

obligatory "pomni is put off by it at first thanks to her being new and having to adjust to the physics of this new digital world.... well adjust to the digital world as a whole" so without a doubt, shes going to look mildly uncomfortable or confused when you just fully embrace to funky cartoon physics of the world. in fact it even looks like your physics are even more cartoony than everyone else's... odd.... i think it would take her some time to get used to it, but she wouldnt try to be rude about it or make you feel bad for her surprise discomfort, you know? doesnt like when your rambunctiousness makes you a little reckless, though, but thats just her care for you showing! you can be a little overwhelming for her, sometimes, by being all... bouncing off the walls... literally and physically... communication is key here if you guys want a decent relationship; be it romantic or platonic

RAGATHA:

for the most part she loves you for who you are, and your randomness and shenanigans do put a smile on her face more often than not. she just finds you so endearing, and finds your funky physics to be just as cute! buuuuut.... sometimes you can get overwhelming... ragatha already has so much on her plate, with being this beacon of optimism for herself and others, the IHAs, having to make sure no one is at each others throats.. i mean i know we only have the pilot to work off thus far but ragatha gives me mediator vibes. so getting back on topic, i do think that sometimes she needs to be firm and let you know to tone it down, or to let her have a moment to herself because the last thing she wants to do is make you feel bad if she gets too irritated... holds

JAX:

another obligatory thing but you can stretch and squash hes going to try to find a way to tie that in with a prank or one of his jokes. now if youre teaming up with him or the one being pranked really depends on how jax feels; because i think even his "partner in crime" wouldnt be immune to his bullshit. but consider, given the readers personality, what if theyre a little bit of a prankster themselves and they utilize their extra bounciness for pranks; effectively starting a prank war with jax. like imagine the chaos that would spew from something like that. i could go on a tangent for that, but the admin has a pea brain rn TToTT

has probably crushed you down into a ball shape and used you as a bowling ball. throws you. au where reader is in the circus but theyre the bowling ball jax throws at kinger

KINGER:

honestly he might mistake you for an npc at first and be wary of getting close to you because... well you arent real... except you are..! it takes him a while to realize that, he didnt know someone as whacky as you could exist, and hes been here for a long while! that said when you guys do befriend each other. please try to tone down any recklessness that may come with your rambunctiousness, this poor old man is already stressing out enough about things...! dont give him a heart attack,..! though i guess the bonus of having funky whacky body physics is that you give good hugs and/or cuddles since you can easily and comfortably wrap yourself around the other person.... ponders... so you know what, at least hes comforted via that

ZOOBLE:

easily irritated so you guys are going to have to work together to make things word; so zooble doesnt too overstimulated and so you dont have to change or greatly suppress yourself. say it with me: communication is key, baby!!! definitely takes a lot of time to make something work.... stealing this idea from jax's part, but if youre in the middle of a prank war with jax, where its just you and him going at each other zooble is going to be sliding you ideas and perhaps might come up with ideas to utilize your weird anatomy... very evil, they just want to see jax get karma, i think...

GANGLE:

also can get easily overwhelmed with your wild personality, but not so much in an "overstimulated" way and more so a... wait no i guess thats the best wording for it? plus gangle seems to be the type of person to enjoy her calm and quiet peaceful time, when shes not thrust into the chaos of an IHA... so similar to zooble, you guys are going to have to do a lot of communication and teamwork if you want a good relationship. gangle DOES feel bad, though, like she is inconveniencing you... please reassure her... not many ideas for the whacky physics thing here, simply because i dont think she would have any special thoughts about anyone's looks or bodies if that makes sense

#tadc x reader #the amazing digital circus x reader #digital circus x reader #caine x reader #pomni x reader #ragatha x reader #jax x reader #kinger x reader #zooble x reader #gangle x reader

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that-ari-blogger · 1 month

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Iconic (Defying Gravity)

If you look up "iconic Broadway songs", you get lists upon lists of musical numbers, but there are a few constants. Beside One Day More from Les Misérables, Don't Cry For Me Argentina from Evita, and Seasons Of Love from Rent, you will usually find Defying Gravity, from Wicked.

If you think about it, this is actually rather weird, right? The aforementioned songs are about preparing for death, dying, and looking back on life, respectively. Defying Gravity is about a witch deciding to fly. A story that is objectively fantastical (it depicts magic and flying monkeys in a place that definitely does not exist) stands next to stories of real-world history and events, and nobody bats an eyelid because... well... because it's just that good.

This is like a corgi winning a race fair and square against a ton of cheetahs.

I think it's worth examining just what Defying Gravity does to stand beside giants, and what story it is telling.

Let me explain.

SPOILERS AHEAD: (Wicked)

Defying Gravity is a battle cry.

When you examine a piece of media, the first thing you need to understand is what it is that that piece of media is trying to achieve. For example, if you examine a commercial for toothpaste through the same lens as a commercial film, that commercial will fall short. Similarly, if you examine a song that is trying to get stuck in your head through a classical, technical lens, things get funky.

You can, of course, apply those different lenses if you want. That's the fun thing about art, there are few rules. But even then, you need to understand the purpose of the text.

Defying Gravity is a battle cry.

It is a song that calls to arms its listeners. It says to Oz that things will get better, if Elphaba has to tear down the world to make it so. And it tells the audience to get excited, because someone has just started shaking things up.

The song is a turning point in the musical. It is the end of act one, and it sets the trajectory of the second half of the story. It defines how the characters will behave going forwards. But also...

Defying Gravity is a breakup song.

I don't think the two are disconnected at all. Wicked is about reality and dreams colliding, and it follows the seeking of freedom. The twist is that for freedom, you have to give up your safety, and Glinda isn't prepared to do that, but Elphaba is.

This is a piece by @abd-illustrates (Youtube, Deviantart). Although I believe it's technically about No Good Deed, I feel it's relevant here and a spectacular feat of artistic merit that I had to put it in.

Wicked has been accused of queer bating by fans, and while I see that angle, I don't quite agree. I think that the romantic relationship between Glinda and Elphaba does happen, but the fact that it doesn't work is key to the story. They are doomed lovers, and this song is that breaking point.

What is more valuable to our protagonists? Autonomy or stability? Both characters pick different options, and that incompatibility tears them apart.

"Elphaba, why couldn't you have stayed calm for once? Instead of flying off the handle!

I hope you're happy

I hope you're happy now

I hope you're happy how

you've hurt your cause forever

I hope you think you're clever"

Glinda's perspective here is clear, she believes in the system she is a part of. She sees its flaws, but because they work for her, she sees them as strengths. And this is understandable, the system has only benefited her, so she is blind to its faults.

But understandable is not the same as agreeable, and I am inclined to follow Elphaba's logic here. The system is unjust, and directly in opposition to her goal of fairness and equality. She wants to make the world a better place, and now that the system's lies are revealed to her, she needs to take things in a different direction.

"I hope you're proud how you would grovel in submission

To feed your own ambition"

So, the sides are established, and this song serves as a battle of ideas. Both characters want their friend to join them, and its notable how they go about doing that.

Glinda falls on aspiration and references a previous song to get her point across.

"You can still be with the wizard

What you've worked and waited for

You can have all you ever wanted"

I feel the need to point out that Glinda wasn't present when Elphaba sang The Wizard and I, and yet she matches the tune and meaning almost perfectly. Elphaba hasn't merely told Glinda her dream, she has shared her dream with her, and confided in her that incredibly vulnerable side of herself.

Elphaba acted so differently in The Wizard and I than in the rest of the story, she was less guarded, and more childish with that naive hope that she holds onto throughout the entirety of the show. That hope just becomes less naive and more relentless.

Elphaba has shared that naivety and hope and whimsicality with Glinda, and it's that relationship that Glinda is calling on now. Remember us, remember our dream.

However, for all Glinda's canniness and understanding of the world, she doesn't understand people, and she doesn't understand Elphaba.

Elphaba wanted to meet the wizard for a reason. She had a motive behind her dream that superseded the specifics of how it would play out.

"But I don't want it

No, I can't want it anymore"

Notice the vernacular that Elphaba uses. She can't want to be with the wizard. In her mind, doing the right thing isn't a choice. To Elphaba, good is a force that has pushed her to where she is right now, and forced her to sing this song.

Essentially, Elphaba is a paragon hero and is actively unmaking the grey morality of the setting. Often in media, "realism" is shorthand for everyone being either selfish or misunderstood. It's a pessimistic worldview of life that I don't entirely agree with.

That does happen in real life, don't get me wrong. The vast majority of the world is made up of people who are capable of actions that are good, bad, or neither.

But there are people out there who are truly cruel and evil, trust me, I've met some of them. But I've also met their opposite, people who are kind and compassionate and do what they think is right because to them, there isn't another option.

Elphaba is that second type of person, and the musical has got its audience to take this for granted at this point. But it's worth remembering that this character is the Wicked Witch of the West, the cartoon bad guy of an iconic work of literature. The musical hasn't made her more morally nuanced; it has made the world more nuanced, and that has reframed this character entirely.

The song even reminds the audience of this fact through the ensemble, just to make the juxtaposition more obvious.

"Look at her! She's wicked, get her.

No one mourns the wicked! So we've got to bring her

Down"

This is actually foreshadowing for a later song.

Back to this part, the backing of the song has spent the majority of its run time playing elaborate movements, but for Galinda and Elphaba's talk about dreams, it simplifies. Galinda gets a bare trickle of that floaty harmony, but Elphaba gets next to nothing for her line. Mostly.

This, combined with the slowing down effect brought on by the fermata (the symbol that looks like an eye), gives the conversation an intimate tone. The two have just each other to hear, and nothing to get in the way. It also frames Elphaba's line as reassurance. There is a storm coming and she is telling her girlfriend that things are going to work out ok in the end.

However, the big chords come back in on the "anymore" and lead into the key change that covers the rest of the song. This is a metaphor for the change that is happening in Elphaba's mind. As she makes her decision on how to proceed, and recognises that things are now different, the slow build up to this song's finale is finally got underway.

The rest of this song is just a build up to a final crash of sound. It rises in a few beats with the choruses, as Elphaba tests her wings, so to speak. And the song gains momentum slowly as more instruments are added.

If you thought I wasn't going to at least reference Glee's multiple performances of this song and how in that series, Defying Gravity is explicitly synonymous with queerness and pride, welcome to the blog. I make analysis posts, maybe stick around if you like this kind of thing.

"Too late for second guessing,

too late to go back to sleep"

There are two separate ideas being intertwined here. First up is the reiteration of Elphaba's inability to stop. Once again, she is doing the right thing because someone has to do it, and soon it will be too late. But the duality of this phase links that idea with the revelation about Oz. She can't go back to sleep, she can't go back to ignorance. Now that she knows what she knows, she has to act.

"Too long I've been afraid of

Losing love I guess I've lost.

Well, if that's love, it comes at much too high a cost."

This isn't particularly complex storytelling, but it's effective none the less. Elphaba is saying her realisations out loud to keep the audience up to speed. In this instance, she has been chasing acceptance, and now understands that she was never going to get it from Oz, and that what she would have to do to obtain a facade of understanding is not worth it.

The fact that my analysis of that phrase is just saying it again but slightly differently is a pretty good example of how effective the storytelling in the line is.

"I'd sooner buy defying gravity

Kiss me goodbye, I'm defying gravity

And you can't pull me down"

The first chorus of this song is remarkably understated. It doesn't have the confidence of latter verses, and I will discuss why I think that is in a moment. The orchestra pulls back to a few instruments, and the drum plays a light rhythm on one of its... ok I my musical knowledge is a bit limited here. The bit of the drum that goes "tss tss tss", you know the one.

This gives it a light feeling that adds to the unsteady feeling of the chorus as Elphaba tests the waters and learns to fly. But she needs guidance, and support, and who does she turn to for that?

"Glinda, come with me."

This is the first time Elphaba has been thinking on the spot. Usually, she thinks everything through before she says it, but now she is running entirely on a single train of thought. I cannot stress enough how this thought process is literally: "love, kiss goodbye, Glinda". Historians will say they were close friends.

A leitmotif is a recurring musical phrase that represents a certain theme. For example, earlier in the musical, Galinda's "you deserve each other" musical phrase was repeated to show false relationships and false promises, and was also used in The Wizard and I to foreshadow the false promise of the Wizard and his gifts.

The Unlimited Leitmotif is used exclusively to symbolise Elphaba and Glinda's relationship. You can read that as platonic if you want, but there are some context clues that I would argue suggest otherwise. For example, it's called the "Unlimited" leitmotif for a reason.

As I have kept harping on about, the most valuable thing a person can achieve in this musical is freedom. This is a song about defying the laws of physics themselves. And the thing that Elphaba is offering Glinda here, the thing that is so defining for their relationship that it is literally the shorthand for it, is complete and total freedom.

Together, the two are unlimited.

The second chorus is sung together. Glinda gives Elphaba the strength of spirit to continue and is quite literally the reason she can fly in the first place.

But Glinda doesn't want that. She wants to feel in control of herself more than autonomy, and that's why the relationship falls apart. The two are doomed lovers, and it's not because one of them lies or cheats or any of that soap opera nonsense, but because they want different things out of life.

"Well, are you coming?"

"I hope you're happy

Now that you're choosing this"

"You, too

I hope it brings you bliss"

All in all, I think this breakup goes remarkably well. The two realise that their lives are taking each of them in a direction that the other cannot follow, and so they offer their goodbyes peacefully and get ready for the finale of this act.

Glinda even gives Elphaba a cloak to protect her from the elements as a final goodbye gift. Which, if you are keeping track, means that both the hat and the cloak, the Wicked Witch's most iconic visual elements besides her skin, were gifts from a very close friend.

I don't need to explain why the final chorus of this song is so good, do I? The music is phenomenal, the vocal performance is unrivaled, and it outright says half of the points I have been trying to make in this post.

I do think that the sheer skill on display here is important for the theming as well. Yes, the high note symbolises the flight and escape, yes it's synonymous with rising above petty grievances, and yes the rising is literally a reverse Deus Ex Machina. But it's also just the actress who plays Elphaba showing off and having a blast. There are no limits on her vocal performance, she doesn't have to rein in anything, and she can instead belt out a number as loud and powerfully as she wants because nobody is stopping her.

"As someone told me lately,

Everyone deserves a chance to fly"

This is a reference to something that the Wizard said to Elphaba, but when he said it, he was completely talking out of his arse. The Wizard, and a significant portion of Oz as a whole, parade around saying nebulously benevolent things, but they don't actually mean it. The Wizard has created a nation based around surveillance and oppression, there is no way that he believes in everyone getting a fair go.

The important thing to understand is that the Wizard's worldview is wrong. Everyone does deserve fairness. So his lie to appease Elphaba was in fact true. Elphaba's role in this is making that lie into a reality, by giving the people someone who will say things honestly and try to actually make the world a better place.

Finally, however, as the lights prepare to shut off and Elphaba rises into the distance. Glinda stands beneath her, looking up. She is now just another face in the crowd, but her sentiment stands in stark contrast to the rest of Oz.

Simultaneously, Glinda says goodbye, and wishes Elphaba good luck on the road ahead.

"I hope you're happy."

Final Thoughts

It needs to be understood that part of why Defying Gravity stands beside historical giants like Don't Cry For Me Argentina is the fact that it is fantastical.

Wicked is a musical about the relentlessness of hope. It is set in a world where anything is possible, and it brings that to life. Through the application of some truly impressive stagecraft, the actress who plays Elphaba genuinely flies for all to see.

This is a story that takes the impossible and makes it possible, and this is the song which cemented that theme in the minds of anyone who watched it. This song fully deserves its place as my second favourite in this musical.

That's right, my favourite is yet to come, and I'm enjoying watching y'all guess at what it is in the replies.

Next week, I will be looking at Thank Goodness and how it sets up the plot of the second act. So, stick around if that interests you.

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