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starsopinions · 7 months

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Why I'm excited for The Marvels

The first real introduction I had to the MCU was in 2019, my best friend and I decided to go to the cinema. We weren’t sure what movie to watch but we eventually landed on Captain Marvel, I remember being hooked from the first second and being so excited when, at the end, the words “Captain Marvel will return…” appeared on screen. We left the theatre excited for the sequel which we promised to watch it together. I’m not friends with her anymore but I have to say that, less than a month away from the release of The Marvels, I can’t wait to finally see it and I don’t understand why there seems to be so much negativity surrounding the release of this, in my opinion, very promising movie. So here is why I'm excited for The Marvels!

The cast

Watching the trailer, the first thing that jumps out at me is the cast. The main cast consists of actors who have done consistently good jobs in the past. You may not like Brie Larson but there is no denying that she can act, which is further proven by her many awards, including an Oscar for best actress in 2016. Joining her is Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau who, I think we can all agree on, did an amazing job in WandaVision. And completing the trio is Iman Vellani who is playing Ms marvel. I know a lot of people didn’t like Ms Marvel as a show but I think many are disregarding the fact that the target audience was (younger) teens and not middle-aged men (that isn’t to say that Ms Marvel was perfect but I think it was a fun addition which added something new to the MCU). Besides, I think the problem in Ms Marvel definitely wasn’t Iman’s performance and if they fix the writing issues there is nothing wrong with her character. She is very charismatic and funny, and in my opinion, she is a joy to watch. I am so excited to watch the trio’s dynamic and chemistry!

And as if that wasn’t enough, acting alongside them will be Zawe Ashton. You may know her from Fresh Meat or Velvet Buzzsaw. We don’t know a whole lot about her character yet besides that she will be the antagonist. I think Zawe has a lot of talent and I’m excited to see more of her villainous side.

“throw-away villain”

A lot of people seem to think that this will be a boring, one-time/throw-away villain- kind of movie but I honestly think that that is just what the MCU needs right now. There have been so many big cross-over movies recently that deal with very complex issues (time travelling, the multiverse) that something small that focuses on the characters and story would work really well. Especially as it seems that Zawe’s character is going to be building on past villain Ronan (Guardians of the Galaxy), which gives her an already established back story so it doesn’t come out of nowhere which is often an issue with these one-time villains.

Recent MCU movies have been falling into the trap of building up lots of expectations, for them just to have a simple storyline. For example, everyone was expecting Dr. Strange Multiverse of Madness to include loads of crossovers and references to other movies which made the reality so much more disappointing. I think The Marvels has done a really good job of building up realistic expectations while still making an exciting trailer. No one is expecting Wanda or Loki to appear in this movie so no one will be disappointed when it doesn’t happen.

“The M-She-U”

I have been reading the comments on the promotion for the movie and a lot of comments say things like: “Ain’t no one watching this ms marvel Has become sadly feministic”

and

“I am willing to bet money this movie I’ll include nothing but horrible comedy, political takes, and sex takes”

(yes, these are actual comments)(I’m not sure if I should correct the grammar or just leave it help)

These comments are commented by people who have seen as much of this movie as you and I, and that means they have seen a 2-minute trailer and you just can’t base a full opinion on those snippets of an entire, 2-hour movie, but let's address them anyway.

“Horrible comedy” – To be completely honest, comedy is always a difficult topic because that is just such a personal preference. But based on what we have seen so far, it seems pretty funny and I hope they’ll be able to balance the serious tones and the comedy. I think to write off a movie as having horrible comedy purely because you think the trailer isn’t funny is shallow and kind of stupid. If one person doesn’t like something that doesn’t mean the whole world agrees with you.

“sadly feministic”/”political takes” – I think it is weird to call any MCU movie “sadly feministic” because it is something that was lacking so much in earlier Marvel movies and their more recent works have started to include more female representation but that doesn’t mean the problem is suddenly solved. I do agree that some representation has been lacking in depth which makes it feel cheap but that’s all the more reason to be more feminist. But even without that, the trailers don’t feel like they are pushing a feminist agenda. They are just heroes who happen to be women and I, as a young girl, am really excited to see that on the big screen.

At the end of the day, anyone is entitled to their own opinions but the hate and negativity that has been surrounding this movie is absolutely insane. There are a lot of people who have decided that (without seeing the movie) they don’t like it and no one else can either. It is 100% okay to not like something but please don’t ruin it for other people.

The cast and their chemistry have me really thrilled for this movie, I am very excited to see what Captain Marvel has been up to all this time.

I will be there opening night with high expectations and a very large bucket of popcorn, I hope to see you there :D

#the marvels #captain marvel #marvel mcu #loki #natasha romanoff #marvel #movies #ms marvel #wandavision #nick fury #cinema #mcu #the marvels 2023 #monica rambeau

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beetlebethwrites · 2 years

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hi hi! first of all I want to state how much I adore your IF so far, I haven't found many IF that are purely slice of life and I am loving it ❤️ 😍 💖 second! do you have any recommendations for IFs? I've just started moving away from the CoG forums and the content here on tumblr is just 🤌 but I'm not too sure where to start? tysm 😊

I mean, I have so many recommendations tbqh. It's a hell of a list and hopefully, I haven't forgotten anyone by the end. I would say that if you've been around for a hot minute you probably know most of these but I'm old and rarely see new stuff atm because I'm a busy bean so...

Recs under the cut;

@northern-passage is such an easy recommendation for me. I'm not super into your more 'classic' fantasy as a genre but Kit has really built up their characters to be something special. The concept of the hunter is a great one and the branching Kit does is insane. I'm so interested to see where it goes and also ready for it to destroy me emotionally.

I haven't played @speakergame in a little while but the cosy vibes I try to get into YLAF are also here. It's not slice of life but it's similar to that with a heap of supernatural stirred in. I'm also excited for @partiallystarsif, which promises to be a game that I've been wishing someone would write.

Project Hadea by @nyehilismwriting is one of the most top tier sci-fi I've read in a while. It has a great MC, a badass partner in Nash and also BUGS. Again, I'm super looking forward to seeing what happens in the next chapter after that cliffhanger. Shit is about to hit the fan and I am here for it.

@if-eventhorizon is written by actual love of my life Brigid. Event Horizon is your pretty typical crew in space doing stuff they shouldn't be kind of sci-fi and I adore it! Can't wait to find out what everyone has done in their past to be there and unravel the situation. Love it! Brigid is also an incredibly talented artist, also writes @if-closedloop and...

@if-lostbirds is again written by Brigid, and although they profess post-apocalyptic Western sci-fi to be niche, I whole heartedly disagree. I adore the writing in this one, they really did something there and I think everyone will get something out of this one. If you're looking for something a little different with fewer (but super meaningful) choices then this is for you! Also I did convince them to put the big worm back into it so... worm.

For someone who would say she doesn't like a western, @larkin-if is also a bit of me. It's got vampires and cool character dynamics between the Preacher (MC) and their father figure Wyatt. Not to mention the ROs are all really cool. I'm excited to meet Ace in the future but it's the whole plot of attempting to hide your true identity that really hooked me in.

@bodycountgame is currently on a little bit of a hiatus because Nell is super busy with real life 😷 but it's still a stand out fave for me, undoubtedly worth the wait. If you want something that's campy, written in proper British dialect and is basically love island with a hell of a twist then this is for you! I can't recommend body count enough, it's what got me moved way from CoG games and into this little community we have!

@thistooshallpass-if is an IF with some of my favourite characters (not hurt by the fact that thyme is also one of my fave people!) I can't wait to see where it goes as I've been promised angst and knowing them I have no doubt! I'm also mega excited for @writingnights because different takes on supernatural creatures is always fun to me.

When Twilight Strikes by @evertidings is popular for a reason. I'm a few chapters behind but just writing about it has made me want to sit down and catch up! Kristi's characters are fun and feel like people to me with their real quirks, which is always something I enjoy. I can't wait to solve the mystery with this one.

@attollogame is a pretty hard one to describe to me so I'd say just play it? The writing and lore surrounding it is so so solid. It's all pretty much just a vibe, and a good one at that. I am not up to date at all but everyone should be better than me and read it!

Golden by @milaswriting is amazing! It's a supernatural romance game and you can just tell that Mila cares so much about the characters she writes, it really comes through in her writing. She's also over at @milaswrittenworld and I'd encourage a follow all around because she is just a really lovely gem of a person.

I haven't read @ofna in a little while but I absolutely adored what I did read (god knows how many updates ago it was). The writing is amazing and, again, I can't wait to get to solve the mystery 👀

I've undoubtedly forgotten so many but these are ones that come to my covid addled mind 😅 I hope this is a good starting place for you, anon 💛

#answered <3 #anonymous

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liquorisce · 3 months

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updates and musings from ris-land (lol)

2024 has begun. it began 30 days ago, but i still find myself referring to the past (2023) as 'earlier this year' and all the grandiose plans for the future as 'next year' (2024). i am generally a grass-is-greener-on-the-other-side kind of person so i always start the new year feeling very excited for all the things that i will supposedly accomplish in the coming year that i never truly manage to do. this may sound defeated and cynical, but im not. i am still stupidly hopeful about all the kilos i will shed, the places i will visit (the only type of promise to self i have managed to decently come through on, over all these years), the friends i will make, the stories i will write and finish, the books i will read, the courses i will do.

now into the still-unravelling 30th year of my life, i have still magically sustained this enthusiasm regardless of the empirical evidence that attempts to prove to me otherwise. delulu is the solulu, etc etc. my greatest achievement so far is in making peace with the fact that i will only accomplish about 10% of what i want to do this year, and that it is okay. i occasionally even feel pride about these things, instead of sinking into the incurable feeling of self-loathing and dissatisfaction that was the trademark of my early twenties.

anyway!! on to my grand plans, i love talking about my plans:

this year a couple of us are producing an eremika erotica zine and i am thrilled to bits about this. i do not know the first thing about zine production, but i am carrying along with the hope that enthusiasm for good stories and art will probably result in a final product that readers will enjoy. i will finally, finally, finally, attempt to put forth all my feelings about priest eren and church girl mikasa in a lengthy oneshot that will find its home in the zine.

i will continue exploring boy next door eremika and learn a new way of expressing character dynamics that i am obsessed with, and hopefully finish a story that manages to make my own heart flutter. every story i write is uniquely designed to satisfy me, but bnd is special in that: in all the 40k words in my draft, every single word in its incomplete, chaotic, honesty make me feel terribly emotional. i am proud of this. i am no literary genius, nor am i a quick study, so i have simply been fooling around with words for so many years, in different patterns, trying to figure out what i like and what i don't. i am so happy that now i have figured this out. kind of. a little bit, lol. it also helps that i have extremely smart and talented friends who consume a lot of literature and teach me things. i feel very grateful for this!

i want to return to my romance-novel roots and finish i dreamed i left you, because i know in my heart of hearts that i am trash. i like trashy romance. i want to write trashy romance. (i want to publish one someday, so what better way to start than by finishing the goddamn fic).

amidst all this, frustratingly, an original idea is calling out to me and nagging me like a whiny baby wanting to be heard. i don't ever want any children of my own, so i will probably learn to take care of my original novel at some point. i have 5k+ words so far, but i am at the stage with it where i am so emotionally confronted by it that i cannot look at it for too long without seeing too much of me reflected right back. i generally don't like to write about myself unless it is in very carefully disguised little pieces hidden away amongst several thousands of words, so this is new for me. perhaps this too (personal confrontation, deep introspection, etc) is a turning-30 thing, and i am not ready for it. maithreyi and veena (the main characters of my book), however, seem ready for their story to be told, so we are currently figuring out this disagreement. maybe my goal for this year will be to "figure it out." we'll see.

unfortunately, however, i cannot afford for writing to be the center of my life, even though sometimes i delude myself into thinking so, so i have other goals that feel less negotiable because of time pressures and expectations from loved ones, or for the basic truth that i still consider them more 'important' / 'tangible' than my writing goals. (i just let out, a huge, disappointed sigh.) these goals include: developing fluency over the national language of the country where i reside, doing some culture and language exams for integration, and seriously contending with the fact that i might give up the nationality of the country that i was born and raised in. again, i have feelings about this that i haven't fully processed, but frustration with the religious and communal politics of my country remind me that sentimentality for belonging may not be worth it. the gap between what the world (the west) considers as a developed nation and a developing nation is too vast and i dont see it being overcome in the prime of my life. if the privilege of belonging (at least on paper) to a developed nation is so closely within my reach, then it seems only smart to grab it with both hands. but feelings are not smart, they are powerful. so we will see how everything plays out. i will hurtle towards these goals because it is what the child-me wanted. it feels simpler to think of it that way.

i'm not sure anyone is really reading this lengthy ass post, but if you are, i wish you a wonderful 2024. <3

#personal

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fabdante · 4 months

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20 Questions For Fic Writers

I was tagged by my dear friend @thevampireauthoress on this post ! I tag all the fic writers who follow me and see this because I want to see what you guys are up to!!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Five! I write every day but only started posting fan fic a year ago and I have more I'm cleaning up to post!

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 36,380

3. What fandoms do you write for?

A Lot. If post about it odds are I've written something about it in some form or another.

The ones I have public fics for are DmC: Devil May Cry and ATLA. I frequently write for World of Warcraft (mostly ocs) privately though and have been making my way back to TF2, Borderlands, and Bioshock works lately.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Since I have only five I can give the whole rundown asdfghj the Zutara fics are, unsurprisingly, the heavy hitters

An Inexact Science

Detours

Pinky Promise

Crossroads of Catharsis and Contemplation

A Series of Mild Prophesies

Also the stats chart cracks me up:

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to! I get to most of them! Sometimes when a fic is older and someone just leaves a short little 'this was nice!' or whatever, I don't respond but other then that I do. I get very excited when anyone likes any of my works asdfghjkl

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Uh...probably Swan Song, which is yet to be posted. Swan Song will definitely probably have the solidly most angst filled ending.

7. What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Just limiting myself to what's already posted on AO3, anything in the Circumnavigators of Celestial Bodies series so far has had pretty happy endings. It's not tinged with the like dramatic irony of anything in Drafting A Swan and both fic's thus far in Circumnavigators end on fairly positive notes I think

8. Do you get hate on fics?

As of now, no

9. Do you write smut? If so what kind?

I have but I haven't published any of it yet and I'm not sure I will ever. My favorites to write are definitely monsterfucking related, followed by more general kink but like monsterfucking is the best to write.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I am an avid lover of crossovers, particularly crazy crossovers. I feel like I have several contenders for the most crazy.

First up would be the massive multi fandom high school au my girlfriend and I developed containing like every video game we liked at the time which I still sometimes write because I find the character dynamics fascinating but I doubt, due to the highly niche nature of this crossover, that it'd ever see the light of day (if you ever wanted August Borderlands and Rachel Amber Life Is Strange to talk on the roof of a trailer in the trailer park they both live in though, I am the gal to ask I guess because boy do I have that and I will provide)

Second up would be in a similar vein but like somehow even less attached to any of the serial numbers qualifying it as fan fic. That one is set in a Bioshock AU where Rapture lasted until the 80s somehow under different leadership. It is also a massive multi fandom AU but this time with gang warfare under the sea in a very AU'd version of Rapture. Similarly, it will never see the light of day with the serial numbers attached because it is just so niche as it is that like...I have no idea who would want to read that asdfghjkl I rarely write it anymore despite loving a lot of the concepts and dynamics, and I feel like it'd just be more effective to just rip off the remaining serial numbers and let it be free if I ever wanted to publish it somewhere.

Third craziest is perhaps less crazy but just very weird. But I have an ongoing series of fics where Brigid Tenenbaum from Bioshock 1 and Booker Dewitt from Bioshock Infinite just sort of hang out in this space beyond time and space and just get very cerebral about their oddly parallel lives and similar traumas because a hill I will die on is that they are the parallels of one another between those games, not anyone else. They're very written 'For Fabdante' so they are not very polished and I call them 'Bioshock Void Fics'

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I am aware of

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I am aware of

13. Have you ever co-authored a fic?

When I was waaay younger yes! Those are really old and locked away on fanfiction.net though.

14. What is your all time favourite ship?

Vergil and Kat/Verat from DmC: Devil May Cry. They are my everything.

15. What is a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I never want to say never because I do intend to finish these things but here's two:

I have this ATLA fan fic tentatively titled Avatar Champloo which isn't exactly a crossover, more just like an Avatar story featuring the Ba Sing Se kids (Jet, Zuko, and Jin) that plays homage to the vibes and general essence of Samurai Champloo, extrapolating on the already very heavy Samurai Champloo vibes of ATLA. Samurai Champloo is like one of my all time favorite shows so living up to it has been a tall order for me and I fear I will never finish this fic asdfghjk.

I have a few Zelda/Zelgan WIPs that I fear I will never finish. One being a very long one shot based off the idea of a Zelgan romance from the perspective of a bodyguard Link which I'm really fond of, but just have a lot of trouble editing. To give perspective, it was the first fic I ever considered publishing on AO3. And it's still not done to satisfaction for me and thus, not my first fic on AO3.

Obligatory Swan Song (my really long multichapter DmC: Devil May Cry, Verat based, prequel) mention. I don't doubt I'll finish it one day exactly, but when that day will be is far beyond my comprehension asdfghjk

16. What are your writing strengths?

Uh...ngl I have no idea lmaooooo I like how I handle small moments, I guess. Most of what I like to write is small moments between people, and I think I'm pretty ok at that. I'm good at rambling.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Writing multichapter things, I feel. Because I like small moments too much, I struggle to keep things relevant I feel. The biggest issues with Swan Song, I think, are just there being a lot of useless scenes. I struggle a lot with knowing how long scenes should be in something thats more then a one shot and how to transition between those scenes effectively.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in fic?

I don't know any other language confidently enough to write it, so it's not something I ever do nor have an opinion on. I do write a lot of multilingual characters, and when I do I just tend to write the dialogue in italics then notate that the character is now speaking another language in the descriptor so that the reader knows what the italics mean.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Probably ATLA when I was a waaay younger. Writing Circumnavigators has been a return to my roots, I suppose, asdfghjk

20. Favourite fic you've written?

My favorite posted fic is definitely Crossroads of Catharsis and Contemplation. It's got everything for me and is exactly the type of thing I love to write the most.

Unposted? Depending on how it goes, I might have a runner up that is a preboot DMC fic which is a grunge band AU told through excerpts from a biography novel and the interviews within about said grunge band. Similarly, it has everything for me and is exactly the type of thing I love to write asdfghjkl

Thank you again for tagging me!! And once again, I mean it when I say please count yourself as tagged by me if you want to answer these because I really, really would love to see what you guys are writing!!

#fabtalks #fab talks #i talked a lot here asdfghjk i have thoughts #but that fucking kudos chart never ceases to make me laugh its so funny #when you write for both the ship that invented ship weeks but also a defunct 2013 reboot with a fandom of like 12 #long post

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lorelune · 8 months

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im too shy to come off anon atm but tysm for the 2nd part after scrap metal. i quite literally screamed (internally, since i was with someone when i saw it) and after reading it, im well fed but just as starved for more OTL

idek where to begin w my thoughts, ugh, you write blade so well. SO WELL. like maybe ppl can write unhinged characters fine, but you. YOU. are so different with that. ill probably find the words in the future to describe what im feeling about this series(??bc it technically can be standalone) but all i can say is that im with the mind to print your writing out and eat it. like, chew it with my molars and swallow it, and then print another one to eat some more, maybe put some slices on my next meal LOLLL. idk, i want to consume it and have it in my veins.

i for real cannot come up with the words to describe this,,,,but i promise im not crazy !! (debatable tbh) i just really like WORDS and WRITING and this just made me just as insane as blade's probably feeling. it's beyond just being giddy bc one of my fav authors wrote for one of my fav charas and it happened to be a reader insert -- there is a fundamental nutrient being provided by your writing and it could have been for any fandom/show, and i probably wouldve had a similar reaction.

your writing has always been wonderful and captivating, but there is smth about the way you wrote blade's pov (brOTHER there is so much ART in the way consciousness was expressed, im frothing at the mouth--) in this and scrap metal that i think really showcased how well you write. like i said, this piece could have been for any other fandom (and i'd still read it bc you wrote it <3) and i know it wouldve hit me like a truck all the same.

this got super long bc it's late where i am but i really wanted to let you know how much i appreciate your work and the talent you have with writing, and this blade series made it so that i couldnt keep these thoughts to myself !!

ik this is only my 2nd ask but since idk when ill come off anon (bc im shyyy) i hope you dont mind me calling myself "slightly feral anon" LOLL (or if you have a better name it's up to you!!)

anon anon ANON (slightly feral anon = sfa anon FOR SHORT!!) thank you for the ask!!! and for reading and enjoying scrap metal and braised!!! 💕✨!!!! i am glad i could provide some fundamental nutrient rich chewable good brain feeling writing 🫡💓

TRULLLY blades pov is fascinating. it's what inspired me to write scrap metal to begin with!! i was thinking abt blade pov in present day game timeline and was like "damn he'd be fucking crazy :3c". i had such immediate brain worms and had to play around with it!!! the whole idea really grabbed me!! the prose hit too so hard like. this guy is not gonna think or feel in a way that is linear and its been SO indulgent and fun to write!!!

not to mention :3c i am excited to write more of these dynamics :3ccccc miss kafka does thing to me on a soul deep level and the relationship between her and blade and her and reader is so twisted and wretched and its so sexy of her. i'm excited for more of the yan olympics

SFA ANON!! thank you for this ask it has brought me much joy 🙏!! thank you once again for the kindness and for reading and sharing your thoughts, your feedback is very appreciated!!!!

#lore answers #HEY ANON!!! THANK YOU!!!#reread this several times bc :'''^) it is so kind!! u r kind!!!!#this series has been so fun to write and im so thankful for any kind words on it :'''^) SO BIG THANK YOU #also anon resonating on the like eating something u love #like gummy bear texture mouth feel munch munch ya know #ANYWAYS DEAR THANK YOU!! <33

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boxwinebaddie · 9 months

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hii uncle nina… *tears roll down my face* 12 devastated me (in a positive way) and you are so real for writing the first story in YEARS that affected me this deeply. i went on ao3 expecting to find some silly weird quirky south park shenanigans and accidentally entered a strict relationship with the most beautifully written masterpiece i have ever read and i am SO committed!

i also hope youre doing better! im glad you took some time away to take care of yourself, and please dont hesitate to step away again if you feel like it! we will still be here! youre not getting rid of us anytime soon!

now… *clears throat* style & kenjorine double date? :3

hello there, nonnie!

i'm terribly sorry for devastating you...but am honored that you are so emotionally impacted by the things that i write! also ohhhhh my goodness, shshshsh! far form a masterpiece haha!

in the wise words of cher horowitz ( my queen ): "she's ( my fic ) a full on monet. from far away its okay, but close up it's a big, ol' mess!" shdskkshdk

rawness and authenticity are very important to me, it's important to me that the boys, their world, their emotions, their actions feel real to you and that their motivations/characteristics are perceived as beautifully human and deeply flawed. as a writer, i want to create something that replicates a microcosm of life for you. something that does not fall flat, that excites you, infuriates and leaves you alight.

but once again, my friends. i write this fanfiction because it is fun. i want it to feel real...but at the end of the day it is fanfiction! be gentle with yourselves. please lean into the comfort and away from the hurt! the very kind and wonderful words that you all have administered to me like a dose of cherry nyquil, i am providing back to you. listen to your heart, mind and body. be kind to yourself. take breaks, take walks, *tolkien vc* take anything you need off the night(stan)d. <3

please do not let my funny, funky, fever dream of a fanfiction run you into the ground. i urge you to become looser and more lenient with your relationship the same way i have tried to, just because i want you to be healthy and as happy as possible. also...thank you for your kind words about my writing. <333 i can tell just from your message that you are wellspoken ( well typed ), wonderful and full of whimsy and light. may it guide you to good places, darling!

also actually!!!!! that is very funny you said that!!! i know i am not supposed to promise you things so if this doesnt make it into the final cut, do not stone me to death! but i did put a lot of the cfpom ( core four plus one more ) in thirteen, specifically kenny and marjorine because i love them! as far as the cfpom goes, i actually really love their group dynamic!!! its so funny when they all interact with me so i am trying to shoe-horn something in that i wrote that has a lot of the side characters in it. i love the side characters <3

also...i apologize if the next chapter is very long...? i figure we are all pretty familliar with how i operate by now and that i will probably write a lot, but just? take breaks yeah? read slow if you can? i'm excited i hope you are! thank you for your loveliness, i don't deserve you. <3333

-nina <3

#this was so wonderful #also thank u for being kind about 12 it was the chapter i was most nervous to post #and feel the worst about so the fact that you liked it is so special to me and makes me feel validated #but yes pls pls pls be gentle with urself! u have no obligation to me or my fic im a fan of your reality #i love you friend!

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whysodelirious08 · 2 years

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It's Not The Same Anymore. [E.M]

A short story in the form of a conversation. You can place yourself listening to the oc or imagine a character from ST. Whatever you feel fits.

Less than 1k words.

It's sappy but I think that's okay. Feedback is greatly appreciated.

-----

Hi…I'm not sure if we've met before. I'm not very good at remembering names, or faces for that matter. Still, I'll introduce myself just in case; I'm Marie-Anne and just for the record it's pronounced Mary and not Ma-rie. Sometimes people get it wrong. It sometimes makes me smile.

I'm not sure if Eddie has told you how we met. He's not so good at explaining it since he gets side tracked. Typical Eddie huh?

As a kid I primarily lived with my mother and travelled around the world due to her work, I thought I was living the cool lifestyle. That's how I saw it as a kid anyway but when I'd got bored or needed some stability, I'd go back to Hawkins and stay with my father. Eddie was the only one who cared enough to be my friend, only one who would sit and listen as I told him about my travels. No matter the time in between it was like I had never left. I would get him souvenirs from the towns and cities I had been to. Mainly magnets but I had to stop when the fridge became too crowded and Eddie's uncle would knock them off by accident.

Actually…Eddie sourced out a piece of metal just to make room for more magnets. He was kind like that. He'd go out of his way to do anything for me and for others too. He'd do the impossible if he had to, that's what he always said.

"For you I'd do the impossible, a thousand times over as long as you're happy" I remember when he had first said that; we were at the scrap yard, trying to find something cool but nothing more than a broken radio. We sat on the rusting frame of a corvette, even though Eddie joked that I worried too much, I was so convinced I was going to fall through the frame. Looking back now I wish I didn't leave the next day. I'd give anything to just stay in Hawkins during the times I left. Now that I'm older I realise perhaps it was cruel to leave so often.

He gave me a cute little black watch for my birthday, he was so excited to give it to me that he almost dropped it. I wore it constantly, like a prized gem ring, it was the most precious thing I had. In the midst of the incident it came off, I'm still upset about that. It's not like the can go and fond it anyway.

I often sit and think of him in the kitchen, so lost in my own thoughts I don't realise the time, only when I come to do I see the clock's seconds flicking over. And then I sit there a little while longer because only in my mind am I able to see him again.

I miss his smile and his passion for guitar and mostly just how he would take people under his wing; me included. I hate looking back on that year, just after it happened I felt so lost, so disconnected with the world. It was to be expected but I miss our dynamic, the way we worked so well together. Even now, I find myself twisting the promise ring he made me around my finger, not noticing how the hours pass.

I don't know why I'm telling you all this…perhaps it's because you're the first person to listen…I've not been able to talk to anyone about this, it feels…good. In a sad kind of way. I miss how Eddie used to stop at mine randomly when he found out I was in town, ice-cream in hand half melted but he wouldn't eat his until we were together. Sometimes he'd buy an extra scoop and try to pass it off as a regular. I just kept my mouth shut though we would smirk at each other. I miss…us. It's not the same anymore.

It's cold. It's dark. It's so damn lonely and as much as I try to reach out, no one hears. I want to hug him, I want to just to feel his warmth and brightness just one more time.

But when my father comes down past midnight and looks my way, his eyes pass through me, he can't see me. When sit at the hideout and watch Eddie play, I can see the pain in his eyes and he searches for me but he won't find me anymore. Sometimes I wish, just for a moment. Just for a selfish moment. I had just ran. Because the pain in the eyes of those who loved me is too much to bear.

#fanfic #fanfiction #eddie munson #writing #eddie munson fanfiction #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson fanfic #sad fanfiction #x oc

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deadcactuswalking · 2 years

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REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 27/08/2022 (Aitch/Ed Sheeran)

It was a decently close race, but LF SYSTEM are at #1 for an eighth week on the UK Singles Chart with “Afraid to Feel”, and welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

Rundown

Outside of a couple big debuts, this is a pretty slow week, and I mean really slow, even if some of the traction or momentum within the songs already on the chart is pretty promising. We still have to – as always – start with our notable dropouts, songs exiting the UK Top 75 – which is what I cover – after five weeks in the region or a peak in the top 40. There aren’t many of those either: “Jimmy Cooks” by Drake featuring 21 Savage is out after being eclipsed by “Massive” (which similarly had a large decrease this week), and “Dandelions” by Ruth B. is gone after 30 weeks without even hitting the top 40.

In terms of the songs filling in to replace them, well, we have at least two new big arrivals that might stand a chance, but of course, we have our notable gains and returning entries. “2 Be Loved (Am I Ready)” by Lizzo and “Another Love” by Tom Odell are back at #71 and #70 respectively, and then of course we have the gains: “Atlantis” by Seafret at #68, “Matilda” by Harry Styles at #56, “Victoria’s Secret” by Jax at #53 (kill me), “Yellow” by Coldplay of all songs at #52 off of the return last week, “KU LO SA – A COLORS SHOW” by Oxlade at #50, “Mary on a Cross” by Ghost at #43, “Turn On the Lights again..” by Fred again.. and Swedish House Mafia featuring Future at #40, “Remind Me” by Tom Grennan at #38, “Under the Influence” by Chris Brown at #24, “Late Night Talking” by Harry Styles at #12, “Big City Life” by Luude and Mattafix at #11, out-charting the original and finally, “Super Freaky Girl” hitting the top 10 at #10, becoming Nicki Minaj’s first top 10 hit as a lead artist since 2014 with “Anaconda”.

Our top five consists of “I Ain’t Worried” by OneRepublic at #5, “BREAK MY SOUL” by Beyoncé at #4, “Green Green Grass” by George Ezra at #3, “B.O.T.A. (Baddest of Them All)” by Eliza Rose and Interplanetary Criminal at #2 and finally, of course, “Afraid to Feel” at the top. Now’s the time for me to talk about albums released in the past week or so that didn’t really impact the chart, and this one does get a bit long because, well, most good music doesn’t chart, but regardless...

Off the Charts

HOLY FVCK – Demi Lovato

There is one album I absolutely adore in this short list of four non-charting records, and for the rest? Well, I don’t have much to say about any of them. Lovato’s newest album, charting at #7, seems to sacrifice much of the growth and interesting character that was developed in their last record for a cheap, derivative pop-punk takeover that spends much of its time in generic, overly-compressed mediocrity, even if some of the riffs do rock and some of the hooks are catchy. Demi is perfect for this kind of music, but the writers and producers gave them the short end of the stick. My favourite track is “CITY OF ANGELS”.

Awakening:Sleeping – MASS OF THE FERMENTING DREGS

I liked what I heard from this Japanese alternative rock band a lot, but the newest album falls kind of flat. It’s still a decent, well-produced set of colourful, heavy bangers but the production is less dynamic so despite the squelching guitars and soaring nature, everything is a bit too clear and tangible. This wouldn’t necessarily be a problem if it were more cohesive, but sonically and conceptually from the standpoint of someone definitely blocked by the language barrier, it feel s a bit formless to me. I’d still recommend it, and it definitely picks up by the end, but I’m not a fan overall. My favourite track is “Birds and rhythm”.

PUP PACK EP – Kenny Mason

There’s not much to say about this one, either: Kenny Mason delivers three good rap songs, and whilst he’s a bit less on the rappity-rap side here (which honestly is what I prefer from Kenny), I do think his melodic chops are improving and he still has plenty of conscious lyrical bars on the closer. It was pretty exciting to hear him on the minimal plugg-esque groove on “Dip!” with DavidTheTragic, which is my favourite track here, and I hope that next full-length is coming soon.

Ibiza Dreams – Departure

I had unusually tempered expectations coming into this new Departure album, considering that the one review was lukewarm and the title of Ibiza Dreams seemed far from an aesthetic that the largely darker, cryptic production from Departure could really encapsulate. I was therefore pretty surprised by how much this gorgeous album actually resonated. Whilst the other two records from Departure I’ve heard this year were ambitious to a degree, the first was free-flowing and chaotic and the second felt like pretty intricately crafted beats that worked best in isolation. This album has a level of ambition that I did not expect, considering the constant layering and collation of samples that is insanely dense, even more so than other plunderphonics, the guest features and generally longer runtime of some of these tracks and what feels like a more realised concept behind everything here. It’s so clear that Departure – or whoever the character here is – is not at peace, but what this album elevates most to me in terms of a goal or theme is still stability.

The jangling, Summery and wistful tones are always contrasted with these echoing drones wherein one instrument or really one present voice careens through the mix. The “Ibiza dreams” still seem very far away, but the album feels very laser-focused on at some point gaining that sense of peace and escapism, even if the album is indebted to the chaotic overthinking on “Real Ibiza Summers (Thoughts 6)”, the political frustration on “Freudian Analysis (You’ll Never Stop Suicidal Weakness”, and especially that mantra of self-hatred on said track: “loving you is complicated”. Coming into stability and self-esteem will be a rocky, manic road and the level of back-tracking, repeating yourself and predisposed melancholy throughout this record is a pretty nuanced slice of what that journey can be like. That’s not to say it doesn’t work sonically of course, because I’ll always like chipmunk vocals over breakbeats like on “Jacksonville Beach” with High Life, the cathartic, blood-curling scream on the aforementioned “Freudian Analysis”, the paranoid, meandering loops of “Korinthisch” before the soaring guitars kick in and let the track devour itself in its own emotional distance over the frosty drums, and, I mean, “Strobelight” with MMIII is just groovin’.

Katherine Bogue’s ghostly performance on “Isolation and Responsibility” as she recites “Father and Sons” by Cat Stevens / Yusuf Islam genuinely made me tear up a little bit, even when her intimate performances is drenched in the kind of echo and reverb that makes her seem like she’s singing from the heavens above. The beatwork on the closer “Humanity’s Tale” is immaculate with those trip-hop drums punctuating the densely-packed samples, including one of “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion which probably only works in this context. The advice given by the sample on this track, whilst he acknowledges is completely meaningless because it’s advice that goes by his own specific life experience and ultimately, what he’s saying is that it would be best to not take advice from anyone and instead trust in yourself, still resonates because it’s the last step that it feels needs to be taken before “Ibiza dreams” are in reach. It’s at that point that “Ibiza dreams” are evidently not the Summer party fun, if that wasn’t clear already. It’s more of a gateway to balance, and only with that balance is the protagonist, whether that be Departure or whoever else, is able to admit those closing lines: “I want to feel alive, I don’t even want to die anymore”. This album deserves a lot more analysis than I think I can give it justice in a shorter format, and my thoughts on the record are still not entirely assembled, but this album already within just a few days of release means a hell of a lot to me, and I fully recommend it if you’re willing to take a plunge into some at times heavy but genuinely inspiring sampledelia. Seriously, though, trust me on the sunscreen.

NEW ARRIVALS

#57 – “All These Nights” – Tom Grennan

Produced by The Six and Andrew Wells

There are only three new arrivals this week and honestly, I doubt I’ll have much to say about them, so you may as well call this a Departure album review with added bonus pop music. At least this has a decently unique concept, with the song mostly being about how despite the relationship getting closer and closer, he just wants to hear that extra step in hearing his partner say “I love you”. It’s sold pretty decently as well, or at least competently. My main gripe is the mix given how compressed it all is, cheapening the impact of pretty much any moment, and the drums sound cheap as hell within the same old 1980s synthpop pastiche, but there is a genuine drive to that chorus that feels pretty punchy. Tom Grennan is kind of lacking in presence here, which is surprising given he’s front and centre in this mix: I feel like he has nowhere near the personality to make these inflections work. Like much of the guy’s work, I feel like it could be a great song – and really, this is a brilliant chorus – but the structure’s too jerky, the mix isn’t dynamic and the vocals are just not good enough. This is the closest that Grennan has gotten to greatness to me, but I know it’s possible and that might be the most frustrating thing.

#22 – “Pink Venom” – BLACKPINK

Produced by Teddy Park

...What in the fresh Hell is this? Okay, maybe I should have been expecting something like this: BLACKPINK have a tendency to make the most... out-there and obnoxious elements of K-pop front and centre, but this still feels a bit... much, which is odd because for a lot of the time in this song, the mix feels gapingly open and kind of empty. The constant 90s rap references seem to try and make BLACKPINK’s bilingual raps have something more “tough” to them, but I highly doubt these girls are catching “bodies on bodies”. The wonky, south Asian-influenced trap production isn’t awful in the verses, with the jerky percussion potentially working in a context that isn’t going to scrape it all off for the big finish in the chorus, which has always felt really cheap with BLACKPINK. The chorus is this low-energy looping refrain that whilst hypnotic, completely halts the song’s momentum, before an awkward G-funk rhythm with dusty drums in the second verse which is out of nowhere and has some piercing synths that I definitely don’t like... but at least Jennie’s Big Sean-esque rapid, all-over-the-place flow is kind of fun. This isn’t as manic as “Kill this Love” might have been, but still, by the bridge, I have no Goddamn idea what is going on. Maybe I need to watch the video to understand the BLACKPINK lore and maybe that can make me find out why they’re doing a Big Shaq impersonation on the outro, but for now... I think the girls are at their best solo, when they can play with a certain level of restraint that BLACKPINK does not allow. This isn’t awful by any means, but it’s a sight to behold.

#6 – “My G” – Aitch featuring Ed Sheeran

Produced by Fraser T. Smith, WhYJay and LiTek

Usually with Aitch, and honestly with Ed Sheeran, I pull out the jokes but I don’t think that’s all that inappropriate for this song in particular. Aitch’s new album, Close to Home, debuting at #2 on the albums chart behind Steps, just managed to debut one song on this week’s chart. It’s a pretty sweet one, in all honesty, as Aitch raps about his little sister who has Down syndrome, with some really detailed accounts of the memories that he shares with her, even if some of them aren’t all that positive. Written in an almost letter format, he expresses his motivation to continue being there for her even as times go on – quicker than he expected – and briefly touching on how he wants her to not pay mind to people who may stop and stare because of her condition. It might be a tad heavy-handed, but the narrative being as genuine as it is, especially in that second verse, is more emotion than I think I’ve ever heard from Aitch, and it’s to be commended. Ed Sheeran is also here, and whilst I don’t think his guitar-laden hook blends in with the kind of awkward percussion as well as it could, it’s pretty catchy and for this kind of rap ballad, it’s serviceable. I can see it sticking around.

Conclusion

I probably prefer “All These Nights” sonically but “My G” put a smile on my face so I think I’ll give it Best of the Week, with whatever “Pink Venom” by BLACKPINK is as the Worst of the Week. I do wish I liked any of these three songs more than I do but that’s how the UK Singles Chart works as always. Thank you for reading – I know most of it wasn’t focused on the chart but I frankly don’t care – and I’ll see you next week!

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lazyliars · 3 years

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So c!Slimecicle and c!Quackity's relationship is specifically engineered to kill me, specifically.

How DARE they give Quackity a morality pet. This is unacceptable and it will unarguably break my heart into little itty bitty pieces.

It's almost comical how hamfisted their dynamic is to lend a softer, sweeter facet to Q when all of his other relationships are darkening so severely, but it works.

cc!Charlie is playing the childish newcomer SO WELL and c!Quackity doesn't feel out of character when he's so proud and excited to show him capitalism and gambling, and how genuinely scared he seems when Charlie was on the ledge.

Seriously, he was offering to lessen Charlie's debts and PAY HIM not to endanger himself.

His promise to protect Charlie? Reads wholly sincere. And Charlie responding that he would protect Q too, like everything else he says, is also devastatingly honest.

"I take care of the people who take care of me."

Yeah. Yeah.

But on the other hand, this is also kind of horrible.

It's unclear how much of an "adult" c!Charlie is - it's implied that he's hundreds of years old(?) and the form he's taken isn't childish. But his understanding of human beings, and humanity in general, is so limited and not fully formed yet.

While I don't want to infantalize him, I think it's also worth keeping in mind that his agency in this situation is... tenuous. He has his own logic and understanding of the world, but it's not one shared by others.

Further more, Quackity directly refers to him as "not old enough" and Connor seems to view him as younger when he humors him - not in an insulting way, but in the way you might if a child was helping their parent at work and trying to be independent.

All of this means that the power imbalance present in their dynamic is dangerous, for both of them.

Quackity is spiraling hard right now, and it bodes very badly for him that the person he vocally describes as his "best friend" is a slimeguy he met a week ago at most, who is, among other things, deeply impressionable.

Now, we've only had two proper lore interactions, so I ask this next theory be taken with a grain of salt...

But in thinking on it, the relationship between c!Quackity and c!Slimecicle could be leading into a parallel to c!Tommy and c!Dream in exile.

Now, I know that seems waaaaaaay off, I really do. And Quackity hasn't done anything to hurt Charlie, and nothing that he has done to him reads to me like abuse. I am not saying that I think anything in the situations are morally or even physically equivalent, because they aren't.

The worst Quackity does is put Charlie into debt, which we'll get to-- But it doesn't have the same tone as any of exile - it's not treated in the text as "bad" in the same way.

But when I say "parallel" I mean that it echoes certain qualities. Quackity is already having an arc that parallels Dream's in some ways - cutting out/losing attachments, doing darker and darker things for reasons that are esoteric to the viewers, and manipulating multiple people who are in dark places.

And in that vein, one thing that Dream was always adamant about was that he and Tommy were friends. He went so far as to say that Tommy was his only attachment.

In watching Quackity and Slimecicle have this funny, sweet friendship, it's easy to forget that Charlie isn't just his best friend, he's his only friend. Quackity has lost or privatized all of his meaningful connections to other people.

And that's hardly fair to Charlie, who is brand new to humanity and doesn't have the tools to recognize the drastic power imbalance between them, or the support network necessary to help him if he loses Quackity. Quackity is also the only thing that Charlie has.

And Quackity happily putting Charlie into debt so that he can make him work for him, I'm sure was originally a purely practical idea to net him a useful pawn, now reads as more desperate; the actions of a man who was painfully reminded of what friendship feels like and wants to keep this one little connection he's made.

If Charlie is in debt, he has to work for Quackity, which means he has to stay. He can't leave him, like everyone else. (Nevermind the fact that Charlie would have definitely said "yes" to helping Quackity without any debts or payment involved.)

Through this lens (and again, we only have two interactions, so grain of salt--) it does mirror Dream viewing Tommy as his "friend" to the point that he wanted them to become "immortal" together.

While Quackity has sunk pretty low, I don't think he'd ever sink that low, and even if this parallel IS the direction they're going, I don't think they'll take it there entirely - I feel like it would be more likely that Charlie might be the thing that pulls Quackity back from the edge, if he does indeed hurt him and realizes it soon enough.

All of that is just my personal impressions as to where the story might be going. It could be completely different from what I'm expecting, I really don't know.

And none of this is to say that the relationship developing isn't genuine - I think it really, really is, and that's what is so heartbreaking about this; Quackity is still on his villain arc, he's still spiraling, but now we have this stark reminder of the caring person he used to be-- and still is, deep down.

This is going to hurt so fucking bad. I'm hype.

#Quackity #Slimecicle #Charlie Slimecicle #Dream SMP #Dream SMP analysis #las nevadas #abuse mention

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cow-smells · 3 years

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Knock It Off (Eli “Hawk” Moskowitz x reader)

Request: Do you think you could write something about the reader being in cobra kai, and she’s new to everything and little more quiet and reserved, but she’s talented and sensai lawrence likes her for that, and hawk takes a liking to her and constantly flirts with her in class and sensai lawrence is like protective of her and always tells him to knock it off even though you secretly like it? (anon)

A/n: I really enjoyed this request!! I feel like I could go on forever on this dynamic. Is this me projecting my lack of a father figure on to a fictional character? Perhaps.

Words: 1216

Warnings: none

read this on AO3

It took .003 seconds from you entering the dojo to when his eyes caught on you, and the theatrics began.

“Hey,” Hawk nudged Miguel, shrugging off the top of his gi nonchalantly, as though it wasn't an obvious attempt to obtain your attention. “look. Recoloured the hawk to Red. Gotta keep him up with the times.”

Miguel didn't even have to look back to ask. “Y/n's here?”

“Is she?” Hawk asked, his voice higher than usual – as it would get when he lied. “Didn't notice.”

That doesn't stop him from approaching you a millisecond later, his torso still bare. You're talking to Aisha when Hawk strides over, fist bumps Aisha and turns to you, giving you a long once-over.

“Y/n. Looking fine as usual.” You can't help the blush that creeps up your cheeks. “You girls coming to the party at the canyon tomorrow night? I can come get you on my bike,” he finishes, looking at you.

You smile and part your lips to answer but sensei Lawrence beats you to it. “Students. Fall in!” he yells authoritatively as he eyes you and Hawk.

Not missing a beat, you all cut your conversation immediately to fall in to rows. Sensei Lawrence has Miguel warm up the class. Right after he commands you all in to an open square, standing at the open side to referee. “Tory. Aisha.” sensei calls, and no one needs an explanation as to what's about to happen. The All Vally tournament was closer than ever and Sensei had you all sparring constantly.

The girls drive a hard fight, but eventually Tory takes the win. Both roughed-up Tory hands an arm out to Aisha, picking her up from the mat before bowing and returning to their respective places.

“Y/n.” Sensei calls and you step forward. You were only three girls in his class so you were used to fighting the boys. You weren't shaken by it by any means – you were good – but the boys tended to go easy on you, fearing for your delicate hollow bones – despite you being fully capable of winning without them holding back.

Both you and Sensei Lawrence scan the crowd of boys, trying to catch the eye of someone with the nerve to take you – when Hawk steps forward, signature cocky grin on his lips. “May I, Sensei?”

You loved how Hawk showed Sensei proper respect, knowing that outside the dojo he wouldn't ask anyone permission for anything, he'd just take or do what he wanted. Caring for Sensei Lawrence as you did, you appreciated Hawks matching adoration of your teacher.

It looks like Johnny might turn him down before he says, “You may.”

You and Hawk step towards each other and a surge of excitement rushes through you as you bow to each other. You take a fighting position and block when Hawk sends the first punch. Before he can recover you attack, spinning on your heel to deliver a kick so strong it knocks him over.

Usually Hawk jumps right back in to action when sparring with anyone else; but now he slowly peels himself off the mat, hand on his chest where you hit him. “Damn, Y/n. Was that a spinning back kick or am I just falling for you?”

“Knock it off,” Sensei roars in annoyance, the heat in your cheeks rising furiously. You return to a fighting position without responding, trying to drown the whole thing out.

Hawk obeys Sensei and the rest of the fight goes by as any fight would, Hawk treating you as an equal – definitely not showing mercy, which, despite the pain, you appreciated – eventually ending with him straddling you on the mat, delivering a final hit to your chest, just under you clavicle. It wasn't a strong one, but it didn't need to be. Tournament rules declared him winner. Johnny called Hawk's name in triumph, but Hawk didn't seem to care. He was reluctant to get off you, the intense eye contact you held holding him back from breaking away.

That is, until Johnny grabbed hold of his shoulder and forced him up and away from you. “Bow,” he commanded, and the intense irritation in his voice was unmistakable. You do so shakily, even though you know Sensei's irritation is not towards you. Sensei Lawrence had a soft spot for you, always had since you joined – and you reveled in it. He knew about your home life situation, and together with your quick learning and dedication to his teachings he quickly grew fond of you, and together with the fondness he became protective, as though you were his own.

The rest of the class goes by uneventfully, apart from a bloody nose and chipped tooth, nothing that was foreign to you all at this point of your intense training.

The class dispersed. People headed out or to the locker rooms to change as Johnny called, “Y/n. My office.” You follow him in.

“Is he bothering you?” Johnny asks, not bothering to close the door. You didn't need to ask who “he” is.

“N-no,” you admit, slightly blushing as you do. If anything, you were enjoying Hawks attention on you, his actions fueling your crush on him even further.

“Are you sure?” Sensei Lawrence goes on. “because if he is, I-”

“I'm sure,” you quickly interject. You slowly shut the door behind you as you confess, “actually, he kinda asked me to a party tomorrow. I'm going to say yes.”

Sensei's brow quirks. “You are not going to a party with that boy.”

“Why not?” you ask like a disgruntled child at Johnny's words, holding them as a command though to be realistic – he had no power over you. No power that you didn't willingly give him.

“Look, I-” Johnny begins to say, thinking back to the things he used to do as a teenager at beach parties, bringing girls along on his bike. “I don't like it.”

“What's so wrong with Hawk?” you frown. “He's one of your best students.”

“That's unrelated. Look, you can get in to all kinds of trouble at these types of things.”

You try to suppress your smile. “Don't worry about me, Sensei. I won't get in to trouble, promise. Besides, you wouldn't have this conversation with Miguel, would you?”

Johnny sighs, realizing he's fighting a losing battle. Grabbing his keys from his desk, he motions you out. “Come on, I'll give you a ride home.”

You feel a strange kind of contentedness as you leave the empty dojo with Johnny, who rattles his keys in his hands.

You definitely don't expect to see Hawk waiting outside, leaning on his bike with an extra helmet in hand.

“Hey,” he says and looks timidly from you to Sensei. “I – was wondering if you want a lift home.”

You open your mouth to reply, before shutting it and looking to Sensei pleadingly. He frowns. “Fine, go,” he huffs, acting annoyed. “Don't do anything I wouldn't.”

You send a final smile to your sensei before skipping over to Hawk, taking the helmet from his hands and mounting the bike behind him, your arms curling around him as you take off.

#cobra kai #cobra kai imagine #eli moskowitz #eli moskowitz x reader #eli moskowitz/reader #eli hawk moskowitz #eli hawk moskowitz imagine #hawk cobra kai #cobra kai x reader #cobra kai/reader #johnny lawrence #Johnny Lawrence imagine

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aerialflight · 3 years

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Fic Rec (it's been too long and I read a whole lot of fics)

I've read so many fics these past couple of months and my need to share them to the world has seized me by the throat. Please enjoy and support these fanfic writers! They are the best. XD

[Naruto]

Nine-Tailed Foxes are Dead by RowlettLesbian

Ship: Shikamaru/Naruto

For Konoha, it's been one month since the preliminary Chunin exams. For Naruto, it's been six. And he wasn't in Konoha.

At the end of his ordeal, Naruto walks into the Chunin Exam finals without his left arm.

Shikamaru is very concerned. And, eventually, very precious to Naruto as they work together to solve the mysteries of Konoha and bring kindness to the Shinobi world, one adventure at a time.

(I would die for this fic. I know the summary sounds doom and gloom but IT'S NOT. This fic made me fucking cry, I don't think I've ever read a fic that characterized Naruto so right. He's so full of hope and love and develops into the best version of himself and I'm so HERE FOR IT. And it's not just Naruto, Shikamaru is absolutely amazing here along with Kakashi and surprise surprise Ino, I can't BELIEVE it took me this long to stumble across this fic. Also THE WORLDBUILDING IS TO DIE FOR!!! And the plot! Is! So! Interesting! Just, everything about this fic is just amazing so please PLEASE read this!!!)

The End of the Uchiha by RowlettLesbian

Ship: Naruto/Sasuke

“I promise, little electric spirit of this shrine,” he whispered into the soft dirt and fallen leaves, “I will never gain the eyes. I will never pass them on. And I will make sure the eyes end in my brother, so that they can’t hurt anybody anymore. I will be the last Uchiha, and see to the end of the Copy-Wheel Clan. Then all of the hatred here can stop, and my family can rest peacefully. I promise, little shrine.”

Sasuke is more than his brother thinks he is. He's more than any Uchiha has ever been. He will kill his brother, but it will not be vengeance.

It will be mercy.

(Same author as the one above, they are the gift that keeps on giving. Seriously, HOW did I NEVER FIND THESE FICS before now??? One of life's greatest mysteries. The author's sense of humor is so on point here along with the atmospheric writing that's so vivid in the mind. Their writing style is so recognizable to me now and makes me fall into the world they're creating, it's stunning. Sasuke here makes me want to hug him and the idea of him living like a feral ghibli character has me LIVING. Check the tags of the fic, all of it is true, hand to god. Please give all of the author's fics a shot, it's a rabbit hole I'm thankful I fell into!)

mil fantasmas (gritan en calma) by LegaciesandMemories

Post-Tsukuyomi, something in Uchiha Sasuke's mind shatters. The same night, Yamanaka Ino falls asleep and doesn't wake up for 15 days.

---

In which Ino and Sasuke both wake from the aftermath of the Uchiha Massacre with the ability to see ghosts, and no one is prepared for the fallout.

(This fic has arrested my curiosity and eagerness to know what will happen next. These poor kids need so many hugs and Ino is getting the spotlight she deserves. I am so excited for this fic and what it has in store! Please read! XD)

Lichtenberg Figures by Asteroid_Duck (JustThatOneGirl1815)

Name: Kakashi Hatake Rank: Jounin Status: Missing Nin Missing Since: June 15th, 271 AD Note: Flee on Sight . . . Haburashi looked his team in the eyes— three, fresh out of the Academy genin— and resolved to teach them as best as he could. And right now, his lesson was simple: “Stay. Away. From. Kakashi. Hatake.”

(Dimension travel fic with a slice of Kakashi being an absolute troll and dealing with the shitty hand he's been dealt with. Seriously, the man has the worst luck in all of Konoha. Also, the mystery of the other Kakashi's history has me leaning by the edge of my seat, I need to know.)

The Governess by Ysmirel

Ship: Kakashi/OFC

"“What,” he finally asked, “is so funny?”

Ibara bit her lower lip to keep the chuckles in, still smiling and making absolutely no effort to get more space between them, seemingly perfectly at ease within reach of a trained shinobi. Her self-control wasn't all that good, as she ended up snorting and was overcame once again by another fit of laughter. “I just- It's just-” She struggled to speak, trying to catch her breath and wiping away tears of mirth with the hand that wasn't still holding onto his vest. Finally, she looked him in the eye and said, with a smile that was all teeth and without a hint of her previous drunken stupor, “and who's going to believe you?”

As he stood there, stunned by her words and change in demeanor, he realized with dawning horror that she was right."

In which Kakashi finds himself at the other end of the troll shtick, and he doesn't appreciate it all that much.

(It's so hard to find self-insert fics with a fresh concept these days, especially in the naruto fandom. Not that I don't enjoy and devour a lot of self insert fics like it's going out of style, but it's just so nice to find something new and shiny and really damn good. I'm so pumped for this fic and how it's going to develop so please join me in rooting for this fic!)

half a league (until the valley of death) by SpectersShadow117

Kakashi can think of no reason for Sasuke's inexplicable and drastic change in behavior. He doesn't like the desperate, haunted gleam in his student's eyes, and he also doesn't like the nagging feeling that he's missing something very important. Aka: Future Sasuke goes to Past Sasuke and gives him a reality check with Specific Intentions, but as with most Uchiha, his methods leave much to be desired. (Featuring: Childhood trauma FTW, Konoha's shitty care of orphans, and absolutely no one having a fun time.)

(Sasuke wanting to change the future out of complete and utter spite has me LIVING. Sasuke is such a Mess here and the twist on the time travel premise is so good and the kid is so Traumatized and Desperate and Not Having A Good Time. Naruto and Sakura developing as better ninjas and Kakashi trying his best makes me want to scream. Also, how Sasuke thinks about Itachi makes me want to cackle. I am 100% down for this. I am rooting for this kid, go get them! XD)

[Harry Potter]

fruit loops in time (circle around me) by justprompts

Ships: Harry/Draco, Remus/Sirius

"This is Crabbe, and Goyle," the blonde boy says, pointing at the two boys next to him. "And I'm Malfoy, Draco Ma - "

Ron laughs, and Malfoy immediately bristles.

"Think my name's funny, do you?" Malfoy says, angrily. "No need to ask yours - "

"You're honestly so cute," Ron interrupts, yet again, shaking his head. "So tiny. And so angry, all the time. It's adorable."

Alternatively Ron Weasley, Time Traveller Extraordinaire, is stuck in the same seven year Hogwarts Loop, repeating the same thing over and over again. Naturally, he's so done with everything.

(This is the greatest hp fic I've ever read. I LOVE RON WEASLEY and by the time you read this fic SO WILL YOU!! This is the fic I WISH I have the ability to write. I read this entire fic aloud to my brother and we spent literal hours howling and talking about how utterly insane and incredible this fic is, it's amazing. This is hands down my favorite Ron Weasley. You Can Pry This Fic From My Cold Dead Fingers.)

[Boku no Hero Academia]

Kacchan's Cult by Ourliazo

Pro Hero Ground Zero is attacked, originally meant to be de-aged out of existence by a desperate villain but is instead launched into his 14-year-old self.

But Katsuki is a fucking pro so whatever, time to fuck up someone's day. And sure, maybe he's only one man, but that's why he conscripts the entirety of the UA student body into tearing down some criminal empires.

(It's time travel, crack, and Bakugou being his usual explody, competent self. What more in life do you want? Seriously though, please read. I'm obsessed with this fic and having a Good Time!)

Cleaning Crew; Teaching Kids to Value their Safety, for Fun and Profit by Reavv

Takenaka Hideo is a thirty-two year old, in mild desperation for money, who has just been hired as a new janitor for UA's support staff. He has a quirk that lets him find lost objects, a liaison with the police because of it, and desperate desire for competent co-workers.

Oh, and he's already lived a previous life, in a world where quirks and heroes didn't even exist.

Not a big deal, though. It's not like you ever see the janitor playing a big part in action movies. He's here to get paid, and that's it.

On the opposite side of the equation, class 1-A has to wonder at the new UA cryptid that always seems to show up when things are on fire, and who keeps trying to convince them to let the adults handle the fire extinguisher.

(A great deal of fun packed into one fic. That is how I title this fic and nothing will change my mind! Hideo just wants to quietly do his job and not get in the way. I Relate. Please read!)

Poltergeist by WriterGreenReads

Class 1-A is haunted.

Well, not really.

I AM dead, though.

World's friendliest poltergeist, at your service.

(I don't know how I got so sucked into OC fics, but I found some fantastic fics along the way so I have no regrets. The author really tries to push the premise and I just love all the interactions and dynamics that form as the fic gets further in. And the OC character and all the hijinks they get up to cracks me up! At the same time, it's pretty heartwarming and it's practically a friendships galore fic! Definitely recommend it!)

invincible by supercrunch for Engrin

Ship: Bakugou/Midoriya

This is the way the world works: the sun rises in the east. The strong come out on top. Bakugou Katsuki rockets through life like a comet and Midoriya Izuku stumbles after. If he believed in such things Katsuki would say it was written in the stars. That some god of war had looked at him and said this one. That he’d been passed along a line to get his blessings – genius, willpower, fearless ambition – and dropped off on earth.

Then, of course, there is the question of Deku. The spitfire runt. Deku, no matter what the world does to him, never stops hoping.

Until, of course, he eventually does.

(Katsuki broke him. Snapped him in half like a twig and now has to scramble to put Deku back together. “We can do this, Deku," he says slowly. "There are so many mysteries that never got put to bed. Criminals roaming around looking to hurt people and you and me, we can fix that.”

There’s a long pause. The comforter slips a little off Deku’s skinny shoulders and drowns him. “You mean like a team?”

In that split second, Katsuki makes a decision he’s never even considered. He swallows his pride. “Yeah, Deku. We’d be a team.”)

(If there was any other way canon could've gone, this is the story I would've wanted. It's perfect.)

Inadvertent Wilderness Therapy by Cacid

Following an unfortunate encounter with a teleporter on the last day of internships, Bakugou Katsuki and Hakamata Tsunagu spend some quality time in northern Canada.

In no particular order they will: build ugly survival shelters, stalk rabbits, run from polar bears, reflect on the chemical composition of trees, insult each other, and complain about krumholtz.

(THESE TWO. TOGETHER. IN THE WILDERNESS. IN FUCKING CANADA OF ALL PLACES. I still can't believe this fic actually exists and just how INVESTED I became in their relationship. Blue Jeanist instantly became my favorite ranked hero with this fic alone. HIS SENSE OF HUMOR IS TERRIBLE, I LOVE HIM SO MUCH FNIEWOPAF. BAKUGOU DOES TOO. IT'S FUCKING INCREDIBLE. *incoherent screeching into the wild*)

[Stranger Things]

Baci D'aria by RabbitDarling

“Love is worth the sum of itself, and nothing more.” ― Alice Hoffman, Practical Magic

Steve learned a lot at his Aunt's side before she passed but his favourite thing she taught him was baci d'aria; special little spells that you created from the heart and put into the food you shared.

In opening his heart and gifts to those around him Steve slowly finds himself a family in a way he never thought he'd get to experience. One by One he collects pre-teens to trail in his wake like ducklings and Steve can't even refute it by the time he realizes what has happened.

(This fic is so soft and Steve is just collecting people and winning them over with his magical food (literally). I am always a sucker for heartwarming, good for the soul fics so if you want to make yourself hungry and feel all warm and gooey inside, read this!)

(Don't Fear) The Reaper by TeaFourTwo

Ship: Steve/Billy

He looks down at the blood on his hands and on the floor and wonders why the memory hasn’t broken yet, why he isn’t back in Starcourt mall with control of his body again, wonders if he's even still alive at all. Is this hell then? Or perhaps purgatory? It certainly isn’t heaven, that’s for sure. None of this makes any sense…but then what's new—nothing in Billy’s life makes sense anymore.

Billy laughs then, loud and long and unhinged. It's the only sound in the whole house, and it bounces off the walls like a fucked up echo, like the world is laughing with him.

“Jesus christ you’re insane…” It’s Max’s voice and it’s shaking. It only makes Billy laugh harder, because Max has it all wrong. Billy isn’t crazy, it’s the rest of the world that’s insane.

Billy dies a hero of sorts. He wakes up back in his bed on Saturday morning, the third of November, 1984...nearly nine months earlier.

(Billy is stuck in a time loop and it's slowly driving him crazy. And the fic shows just how much influence Billy did have in the plot and how doomed the world is without him in it. Great character exploration with Billy's character and all the ways he's so messy and human. Definitely recommend it!)

[Knives Out]

The Road Less Traveled By by UisceOneLove

Ship: Marta/Ransom

If Harlan wants to leave Ransom to be on his own, fine. He'll show him just what Ransom Drysdale is capable of.

or, where Ransom chooses to prove his abilities through means of the non-homicidal variety and finds himself becoming exactly what Harlan was hoping he would.

(I found this fic out of sheer chance and god, Ransom is just, so fascinating to me as a character. Marta of course is the Best here and I will forever stan her. Seriously, this is such a good fic! Please read!)

[Haikyuu!!]

Sky Full of Stars by grilledsquids

The Hinatas are twins. They're practically identical.

But while Shouyou seeks out Karasuno's volleyball team to become the next Little Giant, Natsu is scouted to to play soccer for Shiratorizawa. While Shouyou sets his eyes on playing volleyball at the highest level possible, his sister wonders how much longer she can play soccer... and if it's worth it to keep going.

A Natsu-centric story featuring: Shiratorizawa VBC shenanigans, too many soccer OCs, mild teenage drama, a little bit of plot, and Semi Eita not knowing what a period is.

(It's just!! So cute and wholesome!!! The Shiratorizawa volleyball team is so fleshed out along with the OC characters for the girl's soccer team and I swear, it's been a long while since I've laughed this much at the sheer shenanigans that happen in a fic. It's surprisingly hard to find good gen fics in this fandom so finding this gem made me so happy! If you want a fic that brings a smile to your face, read this!!)

like water by speakingincode

Ship: Oikawa/Kageyama

“Oikawa,” Iwaizumi says, and when Tooru looks at him, he can read My best friend’s an idiot off the crease of his eyebrows. “Are you telling me you spent the last three years weirdly obsessed with Kageyama – I still remember the time you made us play him on a dumb whim, you know – and now you’re at his beck and call? Are you okay? What the hell is wrong with you?”

“I’m— I’m not at his beck and call! I said no last week. It’s… It’s like you said. I get bored easily. I saw him at the park a couple weeks after they played Nationals and called him a perfect little tyrant, and he pestered me into spending time with him after,” Tooru says. “I’m not a monster, Iwa-chan. If he wants the company of his cool, handsome ex-upperclassman that badly, who am I to begrudge him?”

Or: Oikawa doesn't know why Kageyama keeps asking to meet him on Saturdays. He also doesn't know why he keeps saying yes.

(The fact this fic is canon-compliant and covers post-canon too makes me want to shout to the heavens. Fucking incredible! One of the best Oikakage fics ever and it's a crime how it's not at the top of the ship tag. Please please read!!)

twist into your shape by kakkoweeb

Ship: Oikawa/Kageyama

The only thing better than sweets were sweets containing paper that told you whether your future would be good or bad--or in Kageyama and Oikawa's case, paper that somehow caused you to live inside each other's bodies.

(Everyone probably already read this fic but it needs to be said, you need to read this fic. How these two try and manage each other's lives and slowly start to care about one another is so beautiful and sincere and I am ready to wrestle anyone to the floor and comply them into reading this fic. Doesn't matter if you like the ship, you will become a fan if you read it, I promise. Please please read!!)

Take the Long Road Home by pepperfield

Ship: Kuroo/Sawamura

When Azumane Asahi goes missing before his engagement meeting with Kozume Kenma, what other option is there but for Daichi to impersonate his brother and fake his way through a first date with Asahi's fiance?

Okay, let's be realistic - there were probably at least four other options.

Unfortunately, Tetsurou couldn't come up with any of them either, so now he's here flirting with Kenma's future husband while trying to keep his web of deceit from collapsing.

It's going to be an eventful day.

(I got obsessed with this ship alongside Oikakage and SO WILL YOU. THE POTENTIAL. THE BANTER. THE FACT THEY'RE BOTH DORKS AND THE FIC HAS IDENTITY SHENANIGANS DANCING ALL OVER IT!! I had so much fun reading this and these two are MEANT TO BE FENIWPAF. If you don't see the potential of this ship, you will now.)

a misunderstanding a day keeps the boyfriend away by bartallen for betuls

Ship: Kuroo/Sawamura

Kuroo doesn’t fall in love hard and fast like many others do – he falls slowly, and very very softly. Most of the times he doesn’t even realise he’s in love with someone until it’s too late.

(Kuroo is the dumbest man alive and I've never related to someone so hard in my life. God help me.)

You like me. by roseknight

Ship: Daishou/Kuroo

Kuroo nearly lived a Daishou-free life, and sometimes he looked back and wondered how much better and how much worse that would've been.

(I didn't even know who Daishou was until I read this fic and now I can't unsee the potential this ship has. I'm a ruined woman and I regret NOTHING.)

Kings of the Road, Kings of the Universe by EzzyDean

Eight magical captains, one bus, an entire summer (and country) waiting for them.

What could possibly go wrong?

(The magic of friendship meets the magic of a summer road trip meets pure magic.)

(CAPTAIN SQUAD IS THE BEST SQUAD SOMEBODY PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD SEND ME SOME CAPTAIN SQUAD FICS I AM SO IN LOVE WITH THIS SQUAD IT'S A PROBLEM AAAAHHHHHH!)

宿縁 : See You Soon by MissKiraBlue

Ship: Oikawa/Kageyama

Upon arriving at the train station of death, an impure soul is granted a second chance at life against his will. Reincarnating into the body of Kageyama Tobio, a 15-year-old boy who recently committed suicide. Tobio's soul will depart at death and the soul needs to slip in to replace it. If the soul's reformation succeeds, he’ll reenter the cycle of rebirth and regain the right to be reborn. He will have three months to accomplish this task.

“Even though you had enough of life,” the soul whispered into the void of the room, “you were still afraid to hurt your hands, Tobio.”

Afraid of giving himself a scar, if he survived.

He touched his pulse and grasped life and couldn’t help but pity Kageyama Tobio.

"You wanted to die and now I’m here making you live again," he whispered into the night.

(I'm not even exaggerating when I say out of all the fics in this entire goddamn, too long list, this is the fic I'm anticipating and heart eyeing the most. It's only starting, but I already cried on chapter fucking 2, the power of this fic, holy shit. The author also wrote the hq time loop Every Tomorrows series, which I have an undying love for and am full on praying for the day it updates, so you KNOW this fic will be just as good. (Anybody who hasn't read this series, where the hell have you been?? Read it!!) Just, everything about this fic hurts me and something in my chest just aches when I read this fic. Go into it blind with an open heart and I swear to you, it's going to change your life. I'm already calling it. Seriously though, please please read!)

[Crossover]

Learning to Fly by Asteroid_Duck (JustThatOneGirl1815)

Fandoms: Boku no Hero Academia, Naruto

The number three hero is a walking (well, flying) contradiction in every sense of the word. This includes his teaching skills. Why had Tokoyami agreed to this internship again? Oh right. He’d thought he was actually going to learn something. …….remind him to never be so optimistic again. . . . OR, Kakashi Hatake is reincarnated as the pro hero, Hawks. Tokoyami Fumikage suffers as a result.

(The reincarnation fic I never thought I needed and it's so good!! I've never really paid attention to Tokoyami and this fic sent me headfirst into loving him. Their dynamic is so interesting and I just love how their relationship develops. Also, Kakashi trolling the poor kid made me cackle, it's great! Definitely recommend it!)

Si Vis Pacem by athenoot

Fandoms: Boku no Hero Academia, John Wick

Everything has a price. That's what John has always known and will forever remember, even in death.

Which is pretty ironic considering his current circumstance.

Instead of a grown, scarred, weary body belonging to a man as cruel and broken as him, he's inhabiting a younger, smaller, unblemished one belonging to a child with strangely colored hair, and is living in what seems to be a superhuman society.

Well. May it never be said that John isn't a strategist. He can live with this. Maybe.

(Somewhere out there in the universe, he's certain he could hear the laughter of his enemies from beyond the grave.)

Or: John Wick is reincarnated as Midoriya Izuku. The world should probably watch its back.

(This should be one of the crackiest fics I've read in a while, but it's taken so seriously and I'm so HERE FOR THIS. John Wick being John Wick in a world of quirks and heroes is the GREATEST, honestly, he's so badass. Bakugou, I feel for you, you must be so fucking confused lol. Bakugou trying his best to be a good friend is one of the best things about this fic. Trust me, this fic will make your day, promise!)

A Girl's Mind is a Dangerous Place by clenastia

Fandoms: Naruto, Fairy Tail

Natsu wakes up in Sakura's body. It only gets worse from there. Also known as: In Which Natsu has No Idea what to do with Boobs.

(I binged this in two fucking days, I couldn't put it down. This fic reminded me why I liked fairy tail when I was younger and why Natsu is honestly such a great protagonist, god. And the fic does that thing, you know, the Thing where when two worlds collide, the characters struggle to acclimate and adapt to a completely another world with different rules and mindsets against their own. This fic is seriously one of the best when it comes to that aspect, it's incredible. I am going absolutely feral over here for this fic to update, I'm waiting in the wings, ready to pounce like a tiger, all the metaphors man. For the love of god, read this fic.)

Give me a landscape made of obstacles by Melise

Fandoms: Naruto, Natsume's Book of Friends

Kakashi Hatake isn’t who he says he is.

Because the truth is that he’s actually a youkai in disguise, a wolf spirit named Madara who stumbled across the Hatake clan during the Warring States Period. Intrigued by the shinobi he saw, he’d proposed a temporary alliance in which he would offer the clan protection in exchange for their teachings.

Decades later, Madara is surprised to find himself inadvertently summoned to Konoha by the last living member of the Hatake clan. Sakumo Hatake, who is mourning the recent deaths of his wife and stillborn child, doesn’t want to be alone anymore. So with his permission, Madara takes the place of Sakumo’s deceased son in order to watch over the last Hatake.

(Fusion in which the youkai of Natsume’s Book of Friends all exist in the Naruto world. No knowledge of Natsume’s Book of Friends required).

(Before this fic, I only had a very vague idea of what Natsume's Book of Friends was, and honestly, I still don't know much about it. But I didn't really need to know to get into this fic. I love the worldbuilding and the relationships Kakashi forms, both supernatural and mortal. I love how Kakashi's inhumane ways affect others around him, whether to stress them out or become used to the strange. You can go straight into this fic without knowing anything and absolutely still have a fantastic time. I definitely recommend this so please read!)

#Fanfiction #AO3 #Fic Rec #Fic Rec List #Naruto #Harry Potter #Boku no Hero Academia #Stranger Things #Knives Out #Haikyuu!!#Crossover #John Wick #Fairy Tail #Natsume's Book of Friends

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farmhandler · 4 years

Text

My Everything

Rated: T

Pairing: Shifty/Richie from “Rockababy”

Word Count: 3k~

Summary: Shifty wants to know why Richie likes taking photos of him so much, and he gets his answer--and much more.

A/N: So this comic by the amazing human being @c2ndy2c1d is just really special. And then I wrote a fic because somebody had to, so please read the comic!! I was so charmed by all the characters, and I cannot resist this kind of nerd/jock/coolkid dynamic so here we are. I got permission to write this, so I hope I don’t butcher their characterizations! I tried to keep my interpretations as true to the comic as I could. Enjoy <3

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

“How long do I gotta sit like this?”

“Just a minute!” Richie says. It’s the same thing he said ten minutes ago, and then five minutes before that. He adjusts his camera lens and then poses again, taking another several photos for god knows what reason. “Just don’t move. I need to get the right shot…”

Shifty doesn’t move as promised, but his tail gives the table beside him a solid thwap to show Richie just how thin his patience is starting to run.

“Why do you want these photos anyway? You’ve taken like—thousands already, I swear.”

“This is the first time I’ve gotten photos with your tail entirely intact.” He snaps another photo. Shifty lets out an explosive sigh and turns his head to give his neck a break. He’s lying on his stomach, ass up in the air, posed to give Richie ‘every valuable angle’ to get all the photos he needs for his research.

Research, research. It’s always about that damn research of his. He’s always makin’ Shifty turn this way and that, exposing every part of himself to Richie’s camera. Shifty can feel his face starting to turn pink, and without a doubt he knows the rest of his skin is sure to follow soon. It’s easier when he’s a human and there’s only so many places that can turn colors.

“I was hoping I could find a remedy to make your tail grow back faster,” Richie says forlornly, lowering his camera. “I’ve still got a lot of work to do.”

“Hey, you’re doing great,” Shifty says. He sits up, ignoring the look on Richie’s face and lifts one leg to his chest to give his arm something to lean on. “You helped make that medicine that took my pain away. That was pretty good.”

“Yeah,” Richie agrees reluctantly, staring down at his camera as if a medical marvel isn’t comparable to fixing Shifty’s tail—which was gonna grow back anyway. “But I wanted to figure this one out. I was so close…”

Shifty shrugs. “You’ve got time. Why worry about one little thing?”

“It’s not little,” Richie says, looking up at him. Even through his huge, nerdy glasses, his eyes burn with a passion that always leaves Shifty feeling strangely breathless. “I want to help you, any way I can.”

“So you’ve said,” Shifty says, off-hand, like his body isn’t changing colors. Richie’s gaze doesn’t shift, and Shifty keeps his eyes down at his feet, ‘cause otherwise he’ll never get the color to go away. “Why do you care so much about taking photos of me anyway? I mean—” While Richie stares at him, Shifty wrestles with his words, suddenly finding it hard to articulate something that’s been running through his mind since this whole thing with Richie started.

“What is it?”

“You’re always taking all these pictures because you think the way I look is—”

“—fascinating,” Richie finishes for him.

“Uh huh. Right, fascinating.” Shifty looks around for the pack of smokes Richie keeps for him and finds it on the shelf behind him. He lights it, once again ignoring Richie’s sharp look. No smoking inside, he’s always saying, but Shifty’s been dying for one for hours, and the rooms got great ventilation. “But let’s be real for a minute—don’t you prefer it when I look human?”

It’s not insecurity that makes Shifty ask the question. Well, not completely. Sure, he sometimes feels insecure about being so different from everyone, but he doesn’t wish he was a human. Hell no—they’re fragile as hell.

Richie blinks at him. “Why would I want that?”

“Well—” Shifty pauses; stares down at his hand and starts the shift, lifting human fingers for Richie to see. “I don’t know, don’t you like it more? I look like you.”

“But you’re not like me,” Richie points out. Shifty shifts uncomfortably, weighing Richie’s words. The way he says it—it shouldn’t hurt, but it unexpectedly does.

Something in Shifty’s face must give him away, because in the next moment, Richie steps forward, his eyes wide. “And that’s a good thing! You’re not like me, you’re like you. And sure, the Shifty I knew at school and around town is a handsome guy, but I also really like the real you.” At Shifty’s continued silence, he continues. “Would you prefer it if I looked like you?”

“Well, no,” Shifty admits. “You’re a human.”

“Exactly. You’re perfect just the way you are.” Richie walks up to him, even closer now, those damn chocolate brown eyes boring into Shifty and makin’ him turn fucking pink. He can feel it happening because it always does around this guy; he’s the only one that can do this to him as often as he does, and the nerd has the gall to act like he has no idea what he’s doing.

He lifts his hands and cups the sides of Shifty’s face, the warmth of his hands seeping into his skin. The way Richie is looking at him—it’s more observational. Maybe he’d even describe it as clinical. Almost like business as usual, with Richie ignoring his personal space and putting his warm hands all over Shifty, only this time, with the topic of their conversation at hand, Shifty can’t take another second of this one-sided embarrassment.

He shifts, his body morphing and skin swirling until he’s almost entirely human. By the time he’s got his human face on, Richie has realized exactly what kind of position they’re really in. With his eyes still stuck on his, Shifty feels a vicious sense of satisfaction when Richie’s cheeks start to color.

“I—you—”

Shifty lifts his hand up over the back of Richie’s hand—the one that’s still hovering by his face uncertainly. “What was that you were saying about me being handsome?”

Richie’s glasses slip down his nose. He flicks his eyes down, and then the color in his cheeks darkens.

Do I have something on my face? Shifty wonders.

“You’re naked,” Richie squeaks. His hands snap to his face so fast that he basically slaps himself and ends up stumbling back, still trying to cover his eyes from Shifty’s naked form.

Huh, he thinks, looking down at himself. Forgot I was wearing real clothes before.

“Come on, sci-fi, it’s not like you’ve never seen me naked before. I’m naked all the time, in a way.”

“Yeah, but—” Richie turns and peeks out from between his fingers, then whips around again. “That’s different! You’re usually wearing clothes why aren’t you wearing clothes now.”

“They’re usually such a pain that I always morph ‘em, but today I decided, why not try wearing some?” He scratches his chin. “Then I forgot about ‘em.”

Seeing Richie so flustered by his human self when he doesn’t seem to give a damn about a naked alien makes him feel…annoyed isn’t the right world.

“Hey,” Shifty says, stalking up to Richie with his cigarette still in hand. He takes a drag and slides up behind him, wrapping one arm around his waist. Richie jolts with a gasp; Shifty does what he does best and shifts, letting Richie feel the way his body changes, morphing back into his alien self. “You don’t think this part of me is handsome?”

“I’m not answering that question,” Richie says. His ears are red. Shifty feels the oddest urge to bite them.

“Oh, so human me is hot, but not real me.”

“I’m not—you’re not—that’s not what I’m saying!” Richie turns around, fixes his warm eyes on Shifty, and points an accusatory finger at him. “I have to remain impartial. It’s bad enough that you’re all around me at home, being…the way you are—”

Shifty takes a drag. “The way I am?”

“Like that! Just like that. Handsome, cool, mysterious,” Richie starts ticking things off his fingers, to Shifty’s disbelief. “I mean, does smoking even do anything to you? What do your lungs look like?”

“I thought you hated all that stuff?” Shifty asks, ignoring the question.

“Well—” Richie’s flush still hasn’t dissipated. He takes off his glasses and starts cleaning them. “Even I can acknowledge that from an objective standpoint, you’re attractive.”

“You think I’m hot?” Shifty says, meaning it as a tease, but it comes out like a genuine question. Richie looks up at him, all intense as usual, and something in his face shifts.

“Yes,” he admits, face flushed and looking a little shaky on his feet. But his eyes—there’s that glitter; the glamor of intrigue that he always directs at Shifty and anything worth a dime in his mind. “I do.”

Shifty goes to take another drag of his cigarette—he isn’t sure what to say—but his damn hand is shaking and he’s reached the butt end, so he lets his hand fall and stares up at the ceiling instead. “Huh,” he says. “Well, uhm, thanks.”

Richie doesn’t reply; instead, he walks up to Shifty and takes the cigarette butt from his hand and tosses it in the nearby trashcan. He has to reach over to di it, and their fingers brush; it feels electric. Shifty inhales, his heart pounding, and chances a look at Richie.

He’s now staring at him with such an intense look that Shifty wants to laugh. But man—those eyes. Shifty would never say it out loud, but he loves the color of Richie’s eyes. He likes the way he looks at him when he’s taking photos, or when he’s sleepy, or when he’s found something new and exciting to fixate on.

Richie’s hand slides over his. He leans forward, and Shifty leans back on instinct, bracing himself against the desk behind him. He’s so close that Shifty can practically smell the aftershave he uses, even though he’s barely grown a single hair on his chin—

“Richard, dinner’s almost ready!” Richard’s mom calls from the landing leading to Richie’s mini laboratory set up in their basement, cutting straight through the tension and demolishing it.

They separate lightning fast. Shifty morphs into a human (with clothes) on instinct, and Richie’s looking down at the table, his face red.

“Richie? Carrot?” She’ll cycle through all the petnames she can think of if he doesn’t answer soon. “You down there?”

“I’m here!” Richie calls. He glances at Shifty, face full of an unnamed emotion. “I’ll be up soon!”

Once her footsteps fade, he sighs and drags his fingers through his hair. Without his glasses on his face, and with his hair slicked back— Shifty wishes he had something to put in his mouth, keep him from saying something he might regret.

“We had better get up there,” he says lamely, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Before the food gets cold.”

“Yeah, we should…do that.”

They’re quiet for a few minutes, both of them lost in their own thoughts, reluctant to leave this space. Richie’s mom never comes down there, so it’s practically theirs: the two of them. Shifty is still thinking about Richie’s hand on top of his. Humans run so hot, and Richie’s like a furnace running in the high heat of summer.

Goddamn it, he thinks, grinding his teeth. He feels unexpectedly angry, for reasons he can’t explain.

He turns and starts walking towards the stairs, and that’s when he feels Richie take hold of his arm.

“Wait!” Richie cries, stopping him short. “Shifty, wait.”

“What is it, Richie?” he says, without turning. “I’ve got my eyes on your mom’s monthly meatloaf—”

Before he has a chance to say more, Richie grabs him by the labels and yanks him forward, straight onto his mouth. It’s not graceful by any means—Richie’s glasses nearly poke Shifty in the eye, and the angle’s all wrong, but it’s good. Hell, better than good, it’s great.

It’s chase, with no tongue, but Richie pulls away to adjust the angle and nearly trips backwards over his own damn feet, so Shifty ends up being the one to wrap his arms around Richie’s waist and pull him in for another kiss. And another. And then maybe a few more after that, until Richie has his face in his hands again and—god, his mouth is so soft, and his hands are so warm. Shifty could just melt in him. He’s just glad he’s not shifted, ‘cause otherwise he’d be pink up to his eyeballs. Plus, it’s easier to kiss Richie like this.

The series of kisses lasts probably only a minute or so, but it feels like forever. And when they pull away, hell, Shifty’s really glad he’s not shifted, because the look Richie is directing at him could make fireworks light up.

“That was one helluva kiss, Richie,” Shifty manages.

“Your skin,” Richie replies, brushing his thumb across Shifty’s cheek. For a second he’s worried he’s shifted back, or worse—this form now comes in the same shade of pink, too, but when he looks down at himself he can see that speckles of his scales have crept into his skin. They’re probably on his face, just under his eyes.

“Guess I just lost a bit of control for a sec,” Shifty admits, rubbing the back of his neck. Richie’s eyes widen, the look on his face is the same look he gets when he’s filing away important information for later. “Jesus, Richie, not that I’m complaining, but…what was that for?”

“I wanted…well I—I wanted to do that. Kiss you, I mean, even though I’ve never done it before, so it was probably bad—”

Shifty opens his mouth to interrupt and say that it wasn’t, but Richie continues quickly, the flush on his face down to his neck now. Maybe humans can turn completely pink when pressed.

“But I also wanted to say that I’m sorry. Shifty, if I’ve ever made you feel like you’re just a specimen or—or a lab experiment, then that’s not right. You’re more than that.” He takes Shifty’s hand and squeezes, eyes locked on his. “You’re a kind and intelligent and amazing friend, and you’re so beautiful. No matter what form you take.”

Shifty ducks his head. Praise isn’t really his thing; he doesn’t like being the center of that kind of attention, but on the other hand (and literally, he’s holding his hand), Richie has become an important part of his life he’d rather not do without. He likes having him around, even if it’s for his ‘research’.

“Hell,” he says, not sure what else to say. Richie gives Shifty’s hand another squeeze, and the place where they’re touching tingles. Shifty’s heart is still beating fast, and the words he’s been thinking about just slip out of his mouth. “You saying you wanna go steady, or what?”

It’s almost phrased like a joke, and for a minute Shifty wants to take it back, because how is that anyway to ask somebody out? There’s no way Richie would take that and go with it, but when he looks at his face, Richie’s mouth opens, and then his eyes light up.

“Are you seriously asking me?” he asks, and adds hastily after a long pause, “because the answer would be yes. I would. Very much so. If, um, kissing you wasn’t obvious enough.”

“I’m seriously askin’,” Shifty says, then realizes that while Richie gave him a nice little speech, he hasn’t really returned the favor. “You’re a nerd, Richie. There’s no gettin’ around that.”

“Hey—”

“But,” Shifty continues, raising a hand. “That’s how I like you. You’re wicked smart, and you get me, maybe more than anybody else around here. You’re one of my best friends, aside from Buttons, and when you’re in your element you’re pretty damn cool.”

A smile slowly splits across Richie’s face, until he’s grinning from ear to hear. That hand that’s still holding onto Shifty’s tugs him forward. For a second Shifty thinks he might try to kiss him again, but maybe he used up all his confidence when he did it the first time, because all he does is hold his hand and smile.

Fuck. Shifty clears his throat. “So we gonna eat, or stand here all night?” Not that he would mind.

“Oh! Yeah, my mom’s probably waiting for us. Come on.” Richie pulls him towards the stairs and Shifty goes without protest. They’re still holding hands, and when they reach the ground floor it isn’t until Richie’s mom finds them that he finally let’s go.

“Honey, I’ve been waiting for ages. What were you two doing down there?” She takes in their appearance and the flushed look on Richie’s face. “Carrot, your face is so red. Are you feeling all right?”

Despite the completely innocuous question, Richie’s face makes a complicated expression and he flounders for a response. “Ah— we— I mean I— "

“Science,” Shifty answers smoothly, flinging his arm around Richie’s shoulders. “You know how it is.”

Richie’s mom looks at them, her eyes flicking between the two, and then she claps her hands together. “Oh, don’t I ever! Well, enough science for the night. Let’s eat!”

“Very smooth,” Shifty says to Richie after she’s gone ahead. Richie frowns at him.

“You’re one to talk.” He raises an eyebrow. “’Science?’”

Shifty shrugs. Richie’s frown softens into a soft smile, and before he can metaphorically attack Shifty with his warm eyes, he steals a kiss from Richie’s half-open mouth, grinning when he sputters at him indignantly.

“Come on, sci-fi, meatloaf’s waiting,” he says, letting his hand linger at his lower back, just a while longer.

#is there a tag yet #rockababy #rockababy comic #read this comic or else #c2ndy2c1d #shifty #richie #a classic dynamic #3k #my fic #what do i know about science? well ill have you know NOTHIN #and it shows #i know it's a crime that buttons isn't in this but with another person my dialogue gets out of HAND guys we don't have TIME for that #couldn't think of a title either!! titles are hard #the summary is kind of a lie im sorry if u thought it would be spicy

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pomegranates-and-blood · 3 years

Text

Salvation, Damnation

My Masterlist

Pairing: Ivar/Reader, Heahmund&Reader (brother/sister relationship)

Summary: “Where the reader is Heahmund's sister (or some kind of close relative) and she ends up meeting Ivar, but while Heahmund's always seen her as quiet, shy and insecure, she finds Ivar attractive and starts hitting on him and openly flirting with him in front of any and everyone. Ivar notices that it bothers Heahmund, so he flirts with her back until they end up spending 1 on 1 time with each other (something cute and romantic) and he starts to genuinely like her.”

I am so sorry anon if I dissapointed you, this story got away from me.

Word Count: 3k

Warnings: Mentions of violence and death, nothing major. My awful attempt at masking my dislike for Heahmund. Horrible, horrible attempts at writing sexual tension. Subtle (and not so subtle) D/s dynamics. Implied sex. Implied bondage, and knife/blood kink. Nothing exactly explicit, but still.

A/N: I really need to put my foot down and write a meek reader character at some point, they always turn out being crazy or annoying little shits. Or both.

Also, alternate title to this: two switches try to out-dom one another for 3k words. Hope you enjoy!

Taglist: @youbloodymadgenius @xbellaxcarolinax @1950schick @ietss

Heahmund paces in front of you, head low and hand gripping tightly at his cross.

“You will be sent to Kent, I have friends there that can-…”

“No, I will not leave you.” You argue, to which your brother replies only with a sigh.

“I want you safe.”

“I will be safe with you, not surrounded by old men and priests somewhere in Engl-...”

“Can’t you see we are surrounded by enemies!?” Heahmund’s voice doesn’t rise, but it still makes you tremble, “We can’t afford to stay together.”

“Then why make that Viking take me from Lindsey? You put me in his grasp.”

“Lindsey won’t hold under English control for long,” He promises, voice almost a whisper though you can still hear the anger, the impotence, the fear bubbling beneath “It is too close to York. You’ve seen their army, they’ll…they’ll crush them all.”

“And yet you fight for them, for pagans.”

“I don’t have a choice,” His hands are warm on your arms, “But you do. I have to send you to Kent, I have to keep you alive.”

“Why would they kill me?”

“Punishment for a failure, maybe. Ivar knows he needs only to threaten your life to have me do his bidding.”

“And you think he’ll allow you to ship me away? The one thing that keeps you on a leash?” You shake your head, “Brother, this is madness.”

“I don’t care if he allows it,” Heahmund sentences, voice grave and certain. “Whatever punishment befalls on me, I shall endure.”

You shake your head again, and you want to fight back, argue, but you know that dead look in his eyes, you know that deadly stillness, that terrifying certainty.

And so you lower your eyes, and accept his words with a nod of your head.

He needn’t know you retrace each and every one of his steps, and undo his plans for sending you off to England. You will die before leaving your brother alone at the mercy of these heathens.

____

“Does your sister know how to play?” The Viking asks, moving a wooden piece on the board. Without missing a beat, he adds, “Or are nuns not allowed to learn chess?”

“She’s not a-…” Heahmund closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. “She does.”

The Viking looks down at the board, and his expression twists into a mix of surprise and disapproval at your brother’s move.

“Hopefully better than you,” And it seems answering a question about you, acknowledging your presence, was a wrong move on your brother’s part. “Does she have a tongue?”

You keep your eyes on the pale ones of the youngest son of Ragnar.

“I do.” You reply slowly. The Viking only seems to grow more delighted with this little game of his.

“And you know who I am, don’t you, little dove?”

“There are more fun ways to make me say your name, you know.” You quip, and not even a thousand years of teachings of chastity and restraint could keep you from smiling when the Viking’s eyes widen, right before he runs his tongue over his bottom lip, looking…hungry.

The youngest son of Ragnar stands, using the table and then the crutch at his side to stand tall and walk towards you.

When your brother growls his name in warning, Ivar only laughs darkly, and continues approaching you until he towers over you, eyes dark and set on you.

“What would those ways be, little dove?” He reaches down, and hooks one finger on the rosary bracelet you wear, tugging on it and reminding you strikingly of bindings.

“Hands-on practice is much more…rewarding than lessons.”

“Hmm,” The Viking muses, eyes studying you with an intensity that should make you uncomfortable. He doesn’t release his hold on the rosary on your wrist, for a moment tugging on it harder and making it tighten on your skin like rope. He chuckles, “I like you. You are…interesting, for a Christian.”

“And you are…intriguing, for a Viking.”

Ivar the Boneless only huffs a laugh, but there’s still a spark of excitement in his gaze, of pride, of satisfaction.

He turns his head to the side, and addresses your brother, ordering him to leave.

Heahmund hesitates, of course he does, and his hand goes to the handle of his sword at his side. You hold your breath.

But after a moment, with the restrained anger of a dog brought to heel, the threat that he might take these Vikings and this kingdom down single-handedly if you are to come to harm written in his dark eyes; your brother takes his leave.

The Viking’s hand closes around your throat, and you only stare back at him with wide eyes as he corners you towards the wall. He is so close to you, with each breath you take you feel his armor against your own chest, you can discern every speck of blue in his eyes.

“What game are you playing?” He snarls, but you cannot find the words, your heart beating wildly in your chest and the blood in your veins singing with fear and something else. “Answer me!”

“I am not playing anything!”

“I don’t believe you,” He snarls without hesitation, lips curved into what looks like a beast threatening to attack. The hand on your neck moves up, cupping your jaw roughly and moving your head to the side. You feel his breath on your neck as he speaks again, quieter, “I don’t like being lied to.”

“I am not lying, you brute. Now get your hand off me.”

“Or what?”

Your eyes widen, but something in your blood sings at his defiance, something in his blue eyes as he dares you makes your heart quicken.

“What?”

“You heard me, little dove. What will you do, if I don’t do as you say?”

You are pushed against a wall in some Viking kingdom, with the most feared Viking alive holding you by the throat, and yet you smile at him.

You reach up with your hand, and, the same way he did earlier to you, you hook a finger on the metal arm-ring on his wrist, and tug, hard enough he feels the strain of the makeshift binding.

“Why don’t you do as I say?” You prompt sweetly, “I prefer rewarding to punishing, I have too soft a heart.”

Ivar’s lips part at your words, and naked want is written in his face. It is barely a moment, where the mask slips, the game grants you a victory, and you see him feeling the siren call of giving in.

Still, slowly his lips curve into a sinister smile, and he leans even closer.

“I don’t.” He promises by your ear, what you could swear is the scrap of teeth against the shell of your ear before he lets you go.

You stay there, back against the wall, trying to regain your breath, regain your control, as you watch him walk out of the room.

It is an easy, fun game to play, this push and pull you engage on with the Viking. Circling one another over and over, taunting one another, testing one another; waiting for the other to pounce or retreat.

You know on your end there’s more than pretense and empty words, and you dare think on his end it’s the same.

It is fun, and thrilling and liberating; and you soon find yourself enthralled by the Viking and his captivating voice, his depthless eyes that give so much away.

You know it is wrong, you know it is sinful and awful, you know no Christian would speak, wish, dream, of such things, much less with a heathen of all men.

But, at the end, you were never a very good Christian.

And so, much to your brother’s horror, you grow closer and closer to the Viking. In between the games you both play, in between the taunts and the defiance, grows what you dare call a comfortable intimacy, an understanding of one another.

It doesn’t hurt your cause that Heahmund cannot even dream of taking you right from under Ivar’s nose now, send you off to England so you can be safe, but alone.

____

A sharp tug on the rosary on your wrist draws your attention to Ivar, and you turn to him with questions written in your eyes.

“We will sail for Vestfold in two days,” He tells you, smiling slightly when you make a point of wrenching your wrist, your bracelet, from his grasp. “Will you be coming with us?”

“Are you asking me to?”

“If I were, what would you say?”

You offer only a smile, partly exasperated and partly enthralled.

Heahmund stands up from his place in the table in front of you, and with a grunt of your name stalks away, to a place of relative privacy. You notice Ivar’s eyes following your brother’s retreating back with what strikes you as suspicion, as disdain, and so you hurry to follow Heahmund.

He runs a hand through short dark hair, and shakes his head as if to try and dispel himself of his anger.

“What on God’s name are you doing?”

“I’m not doing anything,” You reply innocently, before your eyes find those of the son of Ragnar across the room. A thrill runs through your spine when you find he was already looking at you. “He is rather handsome, isn’t he?”

“Are you mad!?” Heahmund says lowly, in that way of his of yelling at you with a whisper. His brows furrow, “My sweet sister wo-…”

“Your sweet sister refuses to be shipped off to England, Heahmund,” You finish for him, “I would have believed you knew better than to expect me to leave you behind.”

“You put yourself at the mercy of Ivar the Boneless! That monster has none!”

You hear the Viking call your name from across the room, and even if you didn’t have a point to prove, you know you’d answer the call.

“I bought us -you- time, if anything.” You tell your brother, before you go off to sit at Ivar’s side.

____

The Viking King he takes you to meet -Harald, you remind yourself- is a strange character. A man that makes a strange thrill of disgust and fear run down your spine.

You don’t miss the implication of Ivar’s display. While your brother is brought in chains and forced to kneel at Harald’s feet, you remain standing at the Viking’s side, Ivar’s hold on the rosary bracelet you wear for once not the promise of thrill, of lust, but a silent oath of protection.

You awaken in the dead of night to the soft sound of knuckles rasping against your door. You hold on tight to the dagger in your hand, even though you know if any of these men wanted you dead you would be so.

Ivar stands at the other side of it, and it steals the breath from your lungs, the words from your lips.

Still, you let him in, and watch with wide eyes as he takes a seat on a low settee near your bed.

“Doesn’t it scare you? To be all alone with a heathen?”

You shrug, and find your voice again,

“If I were to fear, it would be for being all alone with a murderer, with a warrior. Not a pagan.”

“And why is that?”

You study him in silence for a few moments, before offering, “I am not my brother, I don’t share his…conviction.”

“His faith.”

“His fervor,” You correct, before sighing, “Maybe it will damn me for eternity, but…I ought to fear you, to hate you, for the things you have done and the things you will do, not the Gods you follow.”

“And do you?” The Viking asks, and your eyes narrow at his question. After a breath, eyes searching yours, he presses, “Hate me.”

“You care about some nun’s scorn?”

“You definitely aren’t a nun,” He offers, the hint of an amused smile on his lips, “And you are…fascinating, I’d like to know if you despise me.”

“I don’t,” At his strange expression, you press, “You’re disappointed?”

Ivar shrugs, head moving side to side as his mouth curves downwards, indecisive.

“I don’t know. There is something to be said about a poor Christian nun at the hands of a Viking; fearing, fighting, resisting.”

His words, the images they conjure up in your head, make a thrill run down your spine, a rush of heat settle low on your stomach. You lick your lips, and because you cannot help yourself, you offer a counteroffer,

“There’s also something to be said about a Viking at the mercy of a wayward Christian. Makes one wonder what it takes to have him…cave, obey, beg.”

Ivar laughs, shaking his head, “I’d like to see you try, little dove.”

There’s no mistaking the darkening of his gaze, the quickened breaths, the hunger in his expression, though. He wants it as much as you do, he craves control as much as he craves surrendering it.

You cross your legs and try focusing on the matter at hand.

“But you didn’t come here to talk…hypotheticals, did you?”

Ivar sobers, and you could swear he grits his teeth as he toys with the crutch on his hand.

“Harald promised us support. We will march for Kattegat soon.”

“I don’t have my brother’s strategic mind, I’m afraid,” You offer when he stays quiet. “I fear I won’t be of much help.”

“Lagertha could be dead, in a matter of weeks. I could…I could finally kill her.” He confesses, eyes falling from yours, and there’s the clear tell of anger in his expression. Anger at what you are sure he considers weakness, anger at having you be a witness to it.

“That is what you want, is it not?”

“To you Christians…my people are monsters, are we not?”

“You honor your Gods with blood, you value death over life, you pillage and burn and conquer. Of course my countrymen think that, of course they fear you.”

“Do you think I’m a monster, little dove?” Ivar asks you, taking you aback. If you weren’t so used to him, if you weren’t so familiar with the tones of his voice, with the subtle tells in his expression; you’d think he’s daring you.

You wouldn’t have believed, months ago, when he barged into Lindsey with an army at his back trying to find Bishop Heahmund’s sister, that one day you’d be sitting on front of Ivar the Boneless and see his eyes shining with hesitation, with vulnerability, with fear.

The answer you can offer is a smile, and a shake of your head. The answer he demands is the bruising kiss he presses against your lips, is the breath he steals from your lungs.

____

For all the ruckus planning a battle implies, for all the chaos that comes before a siege, for all the months of war talks and battle plans; the battle for Kattegat sneaks up on you.

On your happiness. On your sin.

Ivar presses a kiss to the inside of your wrist, eyeing the marks of rope on your skin with careful eyes. You only watch him, sated and tranquil and at peace; letting him make inventory of the marks, of the evidence of your surrender.

“Tomorrow we will march,” He tells you quietly, rough fingers still circling your wrist delicately. “Kattegat could be mine in days.”

You hum an agreement, and stretch. Because you cannot help it, you burrow into him, your face hidden at the crook of his neck, and trace your own marks on his skin, the evidence of his surrender.

The faint cuts of a knife are still visible in his chest, and when you trace your fingers over them, Ivar shudders. You smile.

“Ivar the Boneless,” You whisper against his skin, before you give in and press a soft kiss over a darkening bite mark on his shoulder. “King of Kattegat.”

He huffs a breath that could have been an amused chuckle.

“When it is all done, I…I will send your brother to York.”

Your heart drops to your stomach, and your breath shudders past your lips.

“York?”

“To defend us from some Danes that threaten it with capture. He won’t fight Christians, you have my word.

But that isn’t what made you freeze under his touch, and he knows it. Ivar swallows, and returns his gaze to the ceiling.

His hand tightens on your wrist, before he takes a deep breath.

“I want you to stay with me,” He confesses, not looking at you. “I want you at my side, I…I want to make you Queen of Kattegat.”

Your eyes widen, and you lean back, even though he doesn’t release your wrist.

“Ivar…”

“I’ll release Heahmund from his vow, he will be free, and safe. You…if you want, we can marry before your God after we marry before mine,” He promises, rushed and anxious. You realize he’s giving you reasons to say yes, as if you didn’t have enough of those written in his gaze, in his burning touch, in the marks that litter both your bodies. “I-…

You lean in, and kiss him. It has always been surprisingly useful in getting him to stop thinking, to stop talking; and you realize when he presses back against your lips with a soft sound, when his hand tangles in your hair and he brings you closer, that it continues to be so.

When you part, his eyes open slowly, and when they meet yours you see in them that emotion neither of you has been brave enough to admit yet.

“Marry me.” He whispers.

You press your brow to his with a breathed laugh, happy and mad and warm.

“Yes,” You reply, voice hushed, eyes shining. You steal a kiss from his lips, and another one when he continues to stare up at you, surprise and awe and hope written in his pale eyes. “I love you, Ivar.”

His eyes search yours, looking for the lie, for the mirage. When he finds none, Ivar smiles, wide and hopeful and happy.

“I love you, little dove.”

That night, he promises his love between fervent kisses, brands it against your skin in the mark of his fingers on your hips. That night, he demands your love with whispers of your name, steals it from your lungs in the air he robs you of with skillful fingers and tongue.

____

Soooooo, whaddya think?

Ik I need to write smut at some point, but I’m too much of a coward atm. At some point I will, and mark my words, I will return to this one shot.

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you liked it!! Love you!

#ivar the boneless x reader #ivar x reader #ivar the boneless imagine #ivar the boneless #ivar

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stypidwthluv · 2 years

Text

A Whole Lot Stuffed In a Tiny Box

So, I just finished the new episode of 911 and as I have with most of them

I. Have. Words.

(Strap in, I busted out the computer for this one, this is going to be long)

First of all, let’s start with the new characters. I’ll try

Jonah. I like Jonah. He seems chill and overall a great guy. He’s no Chimney but then again no one is. I do think it’s hilarious to watch both Hen and Buck hold on so tightly to the idea of their partners coming back. Nonetheless, Jonah seems cool and I’m excited to see where Hen’s distaste for him goes throughout the season.

Now... Lucy. I’m gonna be honest, until they said her name I spent the entirety of the episode calling her Arielle because I forgot the name of the character. That doesn’t mean that I dislike the character or that I had an issue with her before I even saw the character. No, I was and am super excited to see where her character goes throughout the season. She caused a lot of mayhem in this episode and I’m still on the fence for most of it. Like they told us before the episode premiered, Lucy is like a female Buck 1.0. She flirts with people and with danger frequently.

Speaking of which, I will cover the events of the episode in more detail under the line so as to avoid spoilers for those who haven’t seen the episode yet.

However, as for my brief take on the episode:

Overall, I loved it. A little predictable but with a show that we’ve gotten to know through interviews, copiously watching the previous seasons, and through insights of the fandom it’s kind of hard to surprise this particular audience. Nonetheless, I loved the introductions of the new characters establishing their personalities immediately from the get go, and setting up so many new and interesting things that we have been teased with so far. Such as Buck and Lucy’s whole dynamic, Buck’s rash decision in his relationship with Taylor, Eddie going to therapy, so on and so forth.

My more in depth analysis with direct references to certain moments, lines, and references is beneath the cut.

Spoilers ahead from this point on.

Now that the non-spoiler crew is gone. Welcome to my TedTalk.

Let’s start with Hen and Jonah. Now, most of us know that Chimney and Maddie ARE coming back this season. The promos have even shown Chimney in his uniform. However, I cannot stress how satisfying it is to see how Hen’s been feeling since Chimney left. Her constant prodding and insistence that Jonah was temporary was both entertaining and made me feel bad for Jonah cause he seems like a cool dude who’s just trying to do his job with the house that apparently like EVERY firefighter wants to work with. I’m hoping to see a little more comradery between Hen and Jonah develop in the next few episodes.

Next I want to talk about the comparison of Hen and Jonah to Buck and Eddie. It wasn’t subtle in the slightest that they were drawing direct comparison’s between Hen and Buck both believing so strongly that their partner is coming back. (Also, Want to mention how much I loved seeing the interactions between Hen and Buck. Especially the one in the Uber with the callback to hen cheating on Karen in an earlier season. Getting to see her view on it now and where she stand compared to where she stood is just awesome.) There is a difference however in the two. Whereas Chimney told Hen that he would be coming back when he left, Eddie never made the same promise to Buck when he left. I think that this speaks to a big theme of Buck and Eddie’s relationship of how they don’t really needs words to communicate b/c they know each other so well: the will, on the job, Ana and the blackout, pretty much every other scene with them in it. A large portion of their relationship has been about them being able to predict the others moves because of how well they know each other.

That being said, however, (and I’m not getting into the Buddie parts of the episode that I saw just yet I’ gonna save that for its own post) Buck did know exactly what Eddie was going through without having to have Eddie tell him. He knew that Eddie was tired and hadn’t been sleeping, and he knew that Eddie missed his job and didn’t want to do anything else. What has also been big this season is Buck knowing Eddie and Eddie kind of pushing Buck away and wanting to handle it all on his own. I’ll get more into this in another post but I wanted to mention it now cause I realized all of this as I was typing this post.

Moving on to Buck and Taylor. Holy shit does this show know how to implode a relationship. We knew from the last promo that Buck and Lucy kissed, but I was hoping that it was BT breaks up and then Buck kisses Lucy not the other way around. Unfortunately, this is what we got. As I was sitting there watching it happen I just kept saying “Don’t do it. Don’t do it. Buck no. Buck. Fuckin don’t.” AAAANNNNNDDD he did it. Now, I know that Buck is a people pleaser and he just wants people to stay and he’s been untethered since Maddie and Chimney left and then Eddie left the station, but goddammit did he have to throw that particular wrench. I’m just getting attached to Taylor and my favorite good boy has just made this so complicated. I am both terrified and excited to watch this blow up in his face.

Okay I think that is it for this post I wanted to include something else b/c it’s not exactly Buddie related (as my next post will almost entirely be) but I think this post is long enough as it is.

Have a nice night and for those of you who actually managed to finish this behemoth, enjoy this dog eating a cookie.

#911 spoilers #911 fox #911 #911 maddie #911 season 5 #911 season 5b #911 5x11 #911 eddie #eddie diaz #evan buckley #hen wilson #chimney han #maddie buckley #maybe if I put this much effort into my essays I wouldn't be failing my photography class #although maybe if history of photography was as interesting as watching the better version of Grey's Anatomy I would put more effort in

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