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pvrkacciosan · 2 years

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The Only Way For Me

❈ Through HELL or HIGHWATER Masterlist

Taglist: @dreamiezpsycho @piratequeen-queenofgames @ms-starlight @yunascular

Word count: 3.6K

Warning: mention of branding (scar), mention of enslavement, emotional turmoil, character death mention

I gape up at the tall blonde as he spoke the response to my question.

Some of these pirates, were slaves to the Pirate Lord. I suddenly feel as though rocks have been dropped into my belly and my heart lept into my throat. I can't have imagined what being a slave to the Pirate Lord would have been like.

"I was one" the tall pirate says, there was no shame in the way he admitted his past as he didn't seem at all phased by what was once the semblance of his life, my body shivers for him at the idea of what he must have endured. He shifted his body around so his back was facing my direction, slipping a hand to the collar of his cotton pale shirt he tugged down so a branded symbol could be seen on his left shoulder.

Every muscle in my stomach clenched at the grotesquely scarred skin, the white raised tissue was the imprint of a skull with a dagger going through it - the symbol of the Pirate Lord.

I wanted to ask more, what was it like, how did he become a slave for the most ruthless cruel pirate there was. How did he get out, But Wooyoung cuts into the conversation.

"This is Yunho, the ships sailing master"

The tall sailing master bowed his body forwards, in greeting, as if being formally introduced to me was a pleasure bestowed upon him as if he was meeting and becoming acquainted with a Neo royal family member. By no way was I royalty. My history made me far from such.

"and this is Seonghwa, Hongjoong’s First mate and the ships quarter master"

The equally as tall but slightly short first mate leaned his head down to nod in my direction.

" Nice to see you not caked in the scent of smoke" he spoke, his voice soft as he addressed me.

I troubled myself over my words for a second, " it's nice not to smell as such" I try to make the comment come out as light hearted but I struggle to do so.

I can't seem to help as my mind travels back to Akio, what would he think about all this. Me getting acquainted with pirates. I could picture as his feature contort into fuming anger. Then an onslaught of cusses would follow as he delayed his worry for my safety.

The air catches in my throat, my mind detaching from my body the world falling away around me. Its scares me.

Akio is gone. Truly and utterly gone. There is nothing I can do.

A hand grips my elbow gently and I turn to watch Wooyoung as he meets my gaze. An understanding smile pulled to his lips, the rocks fade away and the hole in my chest stings slightly less as his grip grows soft and he draws my attention back up.

"You've already met Yeosang" he turns to face the main deck from where the small group of us stood.

How could I forget Yeosang. A prickle of anger at the frustration he had caused made the tips of my fingers tingle and my lips urge to pull back in a sneer.

Wooyoung steps closer to me, to the point I can almost feel the warmth of his body evading my space and air, the warmth buzzed and rippled around me as if it was its own living entity, with its own pulse. I bit my lip, tying my focus to the tip of his finger where he has begun to point things out on the ship.

The wood of the Fedora was dark and shone in the rising sun, the water sprayed up as the waves crashed the sides of the vessel. The pit of my stomach churned as the boat rocked.

My hand placed onto the barrier beside me to help steady my not so great sea legs.

There was a chuckle from behind me as I wobbled and I turn to look over my shoulder to find the other three males smirking while watching me not so discreetly.

" You'll get used to it after a while" Yunho spoke covering his amused lips with a hand, the leather bracelets attached to his wrist sliding down the length of his arm at the sudden new angle.

My attention is swung around when Wooyoung nudged my side gently.

" That door there is where the main sleeping quarters are, I'll show you that in a bit"

He points across to the left side of the main deck, pointing to a door which sat slightly more croaked then the door to their sleeping area,

" That's the medical room, where Yeosang mostly spends his time, may I advise you personally stay clear of there unless needed" His comment was hinted with amusement, his enjoyment for the situation shining through his words.

"come on" he clocked his head to the side, waving at the two working pirates we had now left up on the top deck of the ship. San's almost silent footfall following into place behind us as he made our way down the stairs in the direction of the barracks.

Perhaps my knees where on drugs because by the time we actually reached the door I could have sworn they were going to give out from beneath me.

I had to grip and lean into the door frame, giving my legs just a second of rest before I was following Wooyoung further into their sleeping quarters.

San fanned out away from us, his form falling into the shadows surrounding the corners of the room. I watched him from my place by the door as he stalked the length of the room stopping by a hammock hung slightly higher then the rest, he grabbed a bar suspended beside the hanging bed, hauling himself up I didn't even try to stop my jaw as it swung open as he effortlessly lifted himself from the floor and into the safety of the hammock.

" You'll be sleeping in here with us if that's alright, we don't have any where else for you to stay unless you'd prefer our prison hold at the bottom of the ship." Wooyoung toned in from his side of the room, I glance around taking in the neat appearance and smiled, there was something g homely to it all.

" That's okay" I say, walking around the suspended beds.

Wooyoung wandered in and out of the hanging beds and now stood facing me, I glanced away from his crew mate to meet his gaze over the top of two swaying beds, he cocked his head to the side.

I follow the direction to where he was aiming, another door was at the other end of the room, these rooms seemed to be awfully spacious considering they were all inside a ship. The holds inside slavers ships were far bigger.

" That's the captains quarters, we built it for Hongjoong a couple months ago, said he deserved to spend some time away from the rest of us despite his initial reluctance" I peer towards the door as he speaks, the crew had built that for their captain? For what? Pirates only cared about themselves, why would they care where their captain sleeps.

Maybe these pirates weren't just as such, their was part of me waiting out for them to all gut and torture me, go throw me into the prison hold.

But as we continued the tour and introductions around the Fedora, I kept on waiting. But those moments never came.

☽⋆❈⋆☾

My body was pressed to the mast inside the crows nest of the Fedora. The wood was stinging as it dug into the skin beneath my nails when I scratched them into the mast.

The air was cool up here and I had a moment to process all that had happened. To me, to Akio. To the pirates who had so willingly let me onto their boat. I allowed the tears to run which froze my cheeks as the wind hit them.

Perhaps I was merely dreaming and I would wake up inside our little shack and all would be back to normal again. Shiber would be lazily sleeping around next to the hearth, Akio would be nagging at me to do something productive to help. I would laugh and at first ignore him before getting up to help.

We might have danced until our limbs grew tired and ached too much for us to continue.

With our bellies full and bodies warm we would then curl up and talk, about nothing in particular, we would just talk about anything and eveything until the heat of the day had died and the light of the moon had become our new friend.

A creak breaks me from my focus and train of thought, looking back I watch as a tuff of hair emerges up onto the crows nest. A warm smile still vacant on his features. Wooyoung.

The Pirate didn't utter any word of greeting as he pulled himself up and sat down next to me, legs dangling under the wooden railing.

The wind which caught my hair blew into the sails, giving them a breath of life. The air was ripe with the smell of salt and Wooyoung inhaled audibly from beside me.

I cast my gaze across to look and take in his appearance, upon such a close distance I could admire the softness of his skin and the tint of colour the sun had given him, from his days on sea under the blistering heat.

He breathed in the air as if it gave him life, meaning, purpose. Wooyoung had his eyes shut over but my cheeks flustered red upon the moment He chose to speak up.

" are you just going to continue to stare or are you going to say something to me?" he peeled the eye closest to me open, I saw my dazed expression in the dark hue of his iris.

I swallowed, hard. Lost of words, he chuckled into the air. A unfamiliar knot inside me tightened,

" I like to come up here alot as well, allows me to clear my head feel the wind for what it really is" as if giving a response the wind blew stronger around us.

My curiosity peaks, no word are passed from my lips before he starts to eleborate. I'm facing him now.

" My mother told me and my brother stories" he started, opening his eyes to look out to the open landscape of blue surrounding us.

" She talked of how the wind was one of our powerful forces of nature, she would tell us storied of a women so powerful she would manipulate the wind to bend to her will"

" A women?" I ask watching as a trickle of excitement seemed to ebb into his expression.

" There's four of them, gifted by the gods with gifts for each of the four elements" he answered, a smile etching his lips.

" The wind was always my favourite, there is something so powerful and unpredictable about the wind." the words were electrified with the excitement of his childhood stories.

Wooyoung folded his arms over the muscles of his chest, sighing heavily as the ship rocked back and forth.

The sun had begun to set now, the air around us cooling.

" Who was she?"

Wooyoung looks to me, the brow bone of his features lifted, " The women?" my eagerness churns in my belly. Or perhaps that just the acids in my stomach moving as the Fedora rocked us side to side, either one I couldn't tell the difference.

"She is one of the four NEO princesses in the North" the Pirate beside me turns, his shoulder bumping into mine when he does so,

" I've heard they were great siblings the lot of them, the NEO kingdom is huge spanning across almost the entire northern part of the mainland, lots of heirs from what I've been told" Wooyoung frowns into his words, "Never met one though, they have no business in this part of the world,"

I'm silent, I can't help but be. I had never given much thought to the Northern continent or who confined there.

" From what I've heard the NEO royals want nothing to do with the likes of us or the wrath of the Pirate Lord."

" Who would want anything to do with the pirate lord, I'm only still here because Akio and I didn't have enough money to buy ourselves passage to the northern mainland"

Perhaps I shouldn't be giving this details to a pirate I barely knew but some otherworldly feeling churning inside me, said I could trust him.

Wooyoung look across to me, the setting sun faded into his face, illuminating the curious expression in his features.

" I wouldn't leave even if I had the money for it" He admitted into the air between us.

There was no reply, not even from the wind as I awaited for him to continue sensing the rest of the sentence.

" I'm too tied here, this land, this sea, I've grown up in both. Its part of who I am"

Although I feel inclined to agree as I too grew up in this continent, I can't. There's nothing here for me anymore. Only revenge for Akio's death, a debt I will repay, even if our father had long since forgotten of us.

He deserved to pay. For everything he did to us while he ruled under the jurisdiction of the Pirate Lords rules.

" What lengths would you go to avenge your brother" I found myself whispering after our conversation began to dwindle in topics. My face was turned away from the pirate beside me. The cool air of the open ocean cooling my cheeks,

Though I don't know why, shame perhaps gotten the better of me. Wooyoung stayed silent for a few seconds, pondering over the question.

"to the ends of the sea" he said, his lips twitching as he spoke, a trickle of venom lacing his words.

Just then the hatch to the crows nest cracked upwards as another head popped up, cutting me off from replying to Wooyoung.

Yeosang was facing us, a sour expression crinkling the lines of his features, " Seonghwa sent me to fetch you both, meals ready"

The soft curls of his blonde hair moved as the light breeze brushed the strands across his brow, the medic of the crew said nothing else as he slipped back down the ladder,

I frown at the space which his face had been, the vague familiarity of his features, I shake of the feeling as Wooyoung clamboures up from the spot he previously occupied.

Extending a hand for me to take, the tips of my fingers burning at the grip to his palm. I'm quick to let go once I'm standing.

Wooyoung clears his throat just as quickly, going for the hatch he begins to sling his body through the gap, taking each pace of the wooden ladder carefully.

I wait for him to get a short distance down, what the crap was wrong with me, I was acting like a needing pup, I needed to set myself straight. He was a pirate. A pirate.

I begin to climb down the ladder after him, the wind blows against the ladder, catching the sail on either side of me, giving them life and us movement on the wide ocean.

It's a struggle to keep complete grip as the ladder sways with the weight of us both and the wind flowing around our bodies, But I hear the thump as Wooyoung comes in contact with the deck.

He was only a few steps behind me, and so was close enough to grip my waist as I met the last few steps of the rope ladder.

His finger curled to my side for a second longer when my feet were firmly to the ships main deck once more, it wasn't until I turn toward his own body that he pulls his hands away from my sides, which are left cool from the loss of his warm palms.

"This way" he uttered quickly, looking to the ground at his feet, he hurried off toward a door at the other side of the ship. The wind wasn't as strong down on the ships main level as it was when we were at the top of the crows nest.

I follow Wooyoung and thank him as he held the door open long enough for me to slip into the much warmer room.

Lit dimly by candle light, Seonghwa was pottering around the top end of a elongated table perched in the centre of the small room where the whole of the Ateez pirate crew were crowded around.

This one wasn't as spacious as the other rooms which I had been in when Wooyoung showed me around, but it was enough.

I stood by the door watching as each of the pirates took their seats, chatting and moving around one another in a breeze of movement so fluent, following through the motion as they probably had done for a while.

Looking along the table, I see multiple clean plates with crooked trays of food laid out before them, just waiting to be consumed. I stiffen in place when I realise I would have to fit in somewhere of which I did not belong.

The Captain of the Fedora, Hongjoong observed the room and I felt the moment his gaze stopped on me, "We won't bite, you can sit"

The eight pairs of eyes all looked to my direction now,

" Yeah we promise to only bite the food" Wooyoung perked up from beside San who was leaning across the table towards a bowl of steaming buns. His hand was slapped by Seonghwa who shot him a scowl a second after.

The warmth of the room seemed to flush my cheeks, or at least I hoped it was the heat of the room. Forcing my feet to move beneath me I go towards San and Wooyoung who both shuffle and bump into the boys beside them, Jongho and Yeosang, the latter moving a little but more reluctantly with a grumble, but kept his mouth shut.

I was finding myself grateful just to not be sat beside him. I sat myself down on the bench which was beside the table, I looked down as a plate was passed down the table by each member of the crew and dropped into the space before me.

"Have at it you lot" Seonghwa spoke as he sat down on the bench across the table from me.

All around me the room erupted into sound and excitement as each of the Ateez crew members tucked into the food laid before them, meat, hot buns and a small variation of vegetables and broths.

Hands extend everywhere in all direction on the surface of the table, I looked up and down as the plates of the crew grew in proportion.

My own plate clattered as a peice of steaming bread was dropped onto my plate, along with a decent slab of salted meat. I look to the two men on either side of me who both continue to fill my plate as well as their own.

I can feel liquid pool inside my mouth as the scent of the food wafts up into my nostrils, my stomach grumbles in response.

" The scavange for food at the table can be quite fast paced at first, but you'll get used to it" San leaned into my side from the right to whisper into my ear.

I look to him, the light of the candles lining the centre of the table illuminating his face. He is smiling at me when he shoves a peice of food into my mouth.

I bite into it and groan in satisfaction, eyes closing with pleasure as the sweet flavour bursts into my taste buds, the meat which San had made me eat seemed as though it turned into liquid gold when I began to chew.

The room falls silent, and I open my eyes to see what silenced the room when I catches everyone looking at me. San snickering at my side.

Oh god...

"Is that good then?" Seonghwa smirked out the question, my fist clenches on top of my thigh as the embarrassing feeling spreads through my face.

" I'm glad" he chuckles to himself looking back down to his own plate as everyone begins talking again.

I may need to take a dunk in the sea to cool of my heating body at this rate.

The atmosphere of the room quickly goes back to what it was before, as if I hadn't just completely embarrassed myself in their company.

The clothes around my body feel foreign as I'm sitting in an unfamiliar environment, everything about this situation feels wrong to me and yet so right at the same time. Despite my instincts telling me to get off when we dock again, they were pirates.

Their supposed to be ruthless killers, who do not treat their women with respect and have no dignity for anyone but themselves.

But yet when I'm sitting here, eating their food surrounded by the atmosphere they built amongst themselves I can't help but question my image of the pirates I had once known. Because they, Ateez were nothing like the pirates of the world I had grown up in.

I don't know whether that was lucky or if I was being incredibly naive. But if getting their help was the only way to get revenge on my father for Akio's death then,

it was the only way for me.

#ateez #ateez hongjoong #ateez seonghwa #ateez yunho #ateez yeosang #ateez san #ateez mingi #ateez wooyoung #ateez jongho #ateez fanfiction #ateez fanfic #fanfiction #kpop #ateez pirate au #pirate! ateez #Pirate au

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postgender2111 · 1 year

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Trees are one of my favorite ways to ground myself upon their deep roots, giving nature, endurance against calamity, diversity, beauty, different seasons, usefulness, and extreme procreating with prolific seeds.

My world view of spirituality is inclusive and post-religious, much like my post-gender futuristic novel, Riddles Island by Jan E. Pat. Let's focus on what unites us, not what divides us. Too often, gender and its varieties divide us.

Can anyone name all of the religions of the symbols, depicted peacefully above?

I'm a "maker," of art, food, books, photos, articles, and movements to reform the environment and criminal-legal system.

I also sewed the tree image onto a cloth wall-hanging and printed it on a T-shirt. When I create, I'm alive. When I'm alive, I'm creating. My partner is a maker by profession and hobby. One of my adult offspring is an art professor and maker of sculpture, paper, drawings and other stuff.

I asked mer (my universal non-binary pronoun for him/her) to paint my tree design. When I didn't like what e (she/he) gave me, e said, "Paint it yourself." My adult offspring give me many such gifts, information and opportunities for growth. I like what I made.

What do you think of the tree and non-binary pronouns that can be used by everybody? Riddles Island characters use the new pronouns. Lots of authors have invented words, like Shakespeare (bandit, dauntless and dwindle) and A. A. Milne of Winnie-the-Pooh fame (heffalump, woozle and tigger).

Are you a maker?

#unity #religions #spirituality #world peace #original art #maker #create #riddles island #pronouns #shakespeare #AA Milne #post-religious #post-gender

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mssirey · 3 years

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Some agentreign, with a tattoo artist Alex!

Alex knew the roughly sketched symbol, of course. How could she not recognize the insignia of the character her sister played on her show—the campy series with its sometimes shallow commentary or ham-fisted allegories of the world, but that left enough room for interpretation that lent to a beloved view of its main cast.

When Alex glanced up at the woman who had booked her afternoon slot, there seemed nothing outwardly fan-ish about her—her aesthetic one of corporate power, her blazer a sharp cut from a designer Alex couldn’t be bothered to know the name of, her palette choices bold, but smart—not someone she would have read as having much time for fun. But then, Kara was much the same, and she knew better about how deeply her sister loved being a part of a show about superheroes.

“My daughter really loves the show,” the woman offered with a little wave of her hand at the drawing, a jittery air around her, as if she anticipated the judgment she might face, “and Supergirl is her favorite character, of course!” She laughed, a short puff exhaled as her shoulders sagged and her hand returned to ring together with her other. “She said I was her Supergirl the other day, and if you knew how much she loves the character—“

Alex stopped her then, a gentle smile touching her lips. “That is a beautiful base for a tattoo,” she assured. She stepped forward, reached out without thinking, hand covering the nervous twist of fingers, warm against her palm. That close, she realized how tall the woman was—especially as her shoulders pulled back and she straightened up just a little.

Alex almost withdrew her hand as the woman’s teeth clacked sharply together. She watched lashes flutter over warm chocolate eyes as they dropped to where their hands touched, lingering while their breath was held as one.

“Wow— ” one hand pulled free of hers, Alex’s stomach ready to turn, only for fingers to run so gingerly over her own skin—from wrist up her forearm—drawing her gaze down to the full sleeve of ink that she had poured her own heart into, disappearing beneath the once-tidy cuff of her shirt, since stained with the efforts of the day. “Your tattoos are… so…” she had heard all manner of words to describe the art she wore—everything from ‘intense’ to ‘troubling’—rarely a favorable opinion coming from someone who wasn’t an enthusiast, “catching.”

Alex swallowed as those fingers traced a line of color, meant to accentuate the form of the figures at the center of the design—both a representation of herself, stood back to back; one stripped down to blood and bone; the other painted in an unnatural light, too ‘perfect’, meeting all the expectations placed on her, shackles on her wrists and chains weighing down her shoulders.

“I designed it myself,” she said the first thing to come to mind, her eyes almost rolling at her own lack of wit.

“I really like it,” the woman commented before seeming to realize how long she had been touching Alex, her hand jerking upward, a marvelous warmth reaching her cheeks.

They parted, a full pace put between them by the time Alex found the breath to offer her thanks.

“So, um, did you just want the insignia?” Alex held up the sketch to bring them back to business.

The woman faltered, a plea writing itself into her expression. “Well, um, so, you might be able to tell, but I’m not much of an artist,” she exhaled, a laugh bubbling up after, plucking at the chords of Alex’s heart. “I know I want to use the symbol, but I… I don’t know what else to include.”

Alex chuckled along with her. “That’s alright,” she assured. “Come on, let me stretch a few ideas for you,” she waved for the woman to follow her, leading them to her drawing table. The sigh of relief she heard tickled up her spine, and she had to resist shivering.

Drawing on little bits of knowledge she had picked up from Kara, Alex started with a simple base, offering the traditional symbol along with a few alternate designs—some softer, some sharper, some with broken or doubled lines to add a bit of extra dimension—before getting into a range of accenting options.

The woman was vocal with her thoughts as she looked over Alex’s shoulder, humming approving notes when something stood out to her, or commenting on the touches she liked, allowing Alex to easily evolve the piece. There was particular interest when she mentioned the phrase ‘el mayarah’ and explained its meaning.

“Oh! Ruby has definitely said that before,” she gushed, the happy little sigh that accompanied the words tugging at the corners of Alex’s lips, her grin so effortless. “We should definitely include that!”

It wasn’t long before they had a final design— staying true to the show’s version of the insignia and incorporating both ‘el mayarah’ and the script of the language used by Supergirl, wreathed by a flowy, cape-like backing.

“This will likely take two visits— one for the linework and base coat, and then another for the detailing. Is that okay?” She certainly wouldn’t be sad to see the woman again and grinned when she agreed. “You said you were hoping to have this on your back,” Alex prompted as she led the woman to her station.

“Over my heart, yeah,” she confirmed.

“I really like it,” Alex echoed the words spoken to her, and she genuinely meant it. She loved the way the woman talked about her daughter, how every word ran deep with love, how cherished the little girl was.

“Is there anything I should know... going in?” There was a surge of nervousness buzzing in the air as the woman shrugged out of her jacket, folding it neatly over the chair at Alex’s desk.

There was a moment—as Alex watched buttons slipping free of their holes—that she forgot herself, staring longer than might have been polite before she busied herself with putting on her gloves and arranging her inks. “Mostly that when I’m over your ribs, you will feel it,” she sucked in a sympathetic breath. “But, I’ll be gentle, and you can always take a break, if you need.”

She waved the woman toward the chair, turning away as she divested her bra and slid into place against the padding.

“Comfortable?” She got only a nod before she pulled up her own stool. “Relax,” she coaxed, placing a gentle hand on the woman’s back. “I’ll take good care of you and you can swear all you like.”

“Glad to know it.”

As Alex had warned, the woman did feel it. Her breath hissed through her teeth, a sharp inhale that tugged at her, but then she relaxed beneath Alex’s hand. “Good girl.” The words slipped out before she could think to question them, and her own breath caught in her lungs, her gun lifting away from the woman’s skin. There was a soft shiver and then stillness, the barest whimper bubbling out of the woman.

Alex could have perished. The woman was so pliant beneath her, and it took everything to concentrate on the design. But she leaned into that soft praise, continued to encourage her to stay loose, and things went very well—hardly needing to hold the woman still and working straight through without a break. And in the end, she did manage to finish the whole piece, running only slightly overtime.

There was a little disappointment knowing that she likely wouldn’t see the woman again. “If you need any touch-ups, you can always reach out,” she offered.

“Thank you,” the woman said as she gingerly slipped back into her jacket. She bent over Alex’s desk, scribbling something down on the sketchpad with all the trial drawings. “Maybe we could get dinner some time,” she nodded down at the page, where her number was scrawled.

“I’d like that,” Alex grinned, excitement blooming in her chest. The woman’s name was also there on the page. “Then, I’ll see you later, Sam.”

“I look forward to it, Alex.” The sentiment echoed through her for days, accompanied with the image of Sam’s haughty little smirk.

#tattooed!alex #tattoo artist alex #agentreign #danvarias #alex danvers #sam arias #mssirey #my writing

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starryallnight · 3 years

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The front of the t-shirt pictures a baby drawing their dream on a sketchbook, and on the back pictures the baby after achieving their dream. On the front, the phrase "you can be anything" is the meaningful message I want to share with everyone because like how I have become a singer, if you dream of something and work hard, you will achieve your dream.

"Living by being curious of tomorrow" is a phrase I really like. The tomorrow that is in store for me is a dream and because dreams represent tomorrow, I designed a phrase that represented that for this t-shirt. The © on the front of the t-shirt represents "Charms" and also to emphasize "your dream" and it credits them through this symbol.

While chasing after your dream, there becomes a time when you get exhausted. I wanted to express that there is a positive message that exists in that negative situation. So, on the front if the t-shirt I wanted to show that in whatever situation you can say "I'm fine, it doesn't matter" and I portrayed that through a cute illustrated character. On the back it says "Even Better" to show that in negative situations, there is a way to think positively.

On the front of the t-shirt pictures the Earth and the Little Prince on top of the Earth. The Little Prince represents myself. I am looking at the back of the t-shirt, which shows the Universe that I have drawn myself. Because I have Universe (the fans) I was able to achieve my dreams, and so I wanted to convey that message through the t-shirt that I am always thinking about the fans.

The front of the t-shirt focuses on the pencil I have designed. When you continually use a pencil, it becomes shorter, however, its many message is all saved through paper. People are like that as well, as time passes and you age, your memories will grow (you'll have more memories). On the back, I wanted to express my feelings of the dreams I want to achieve, the things I love, and the things I want to accomplish.

The front of the t-shirt shows the paint I was using to design in order to convey the process of achieving one's dream. The back which pictures flowers and planets, is what I always draw for our fans, Universe, so I symbolized that. The overall theme of the collab (of Charm's and PTG) is "dream"! My dream is to show many people who I am as well as to share my music with many people. The flower and planets represent our Universe (fans), who has allowed me achieve my dream.

The design I have made for the front of the t-shirt pictures a door and the phrase "You can do it!" that is shown in the light. I wanted to express how I, as well as everyone else, is working hard to reach our dreams, and I wanted to convey the message that everyone will be able to achieve their dreams. On the back, "Thumbs up" is checked off, this is a reference to Pentagon's song, and it is used to represent the phrase "I am the best" to raise one's self confidence. "Give up" which is not checked off to show that we will not give up. Lastly, "Charms up" is to boost one's self confidence in their own appeals and values.

#pentagon #ptg #hongseok #shinwon #yeoone #yanan #yuto #kino #wooseok #charms #translated by starryallnight #translations

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0poole · 4 years

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I LOVE No Straight Roads

Honestly it’s hard to keep me away from a game with great visuals and even greater character design. I knew from the INSTANT I saw these characters that I was going to love it. I just finished it because it’s (unfortunately) pretty short, and even though I cheesed the final boss through it’s very lenient death mechanics (Instant respawn at the cost of a good rank) I actually appreciated that it wasn’t a pure cake walk. I’ve yet to rematch all of the bosses, but since I had genuine trouble with the later ones I’ll hold off on that.

But who cares about gameplay, am I right? I sure as hell don’t. I would’ve bought the game no matter what the hell it was. I wanted the characters (and the music, although I realized that second) and that was it.

First of all, I love any world that is super fantastical but cheesy in its concept, ala a city powered by music, and battles between artists using music. Ideas like this only spawn from a mind that wants to create a fun atmosphere, if nothing else, and it was sure as hell fun. I genuinely love when someone goes so far into a crazy idea and doesn’t waste your time explaining it with real world logic. Wanna know how a city can be powered by music? Shut up and look at the cute virtual mermaid. Lord knows I did. Every once in a while, it does you good to just let the player/reader/viewer just revel in the idea without having to go out of your way to make things seem realistic. It’s not about “turning your brain off” or whatever, it’s picking your battles.

Also, I can seriously love a world with great background characters to it. Any game with the right situation to insert the random nobodies you find onto the streets into the art in the credits really played into the greatness of the world’s less important characters, and that’s always a good thing. It’s technically world building. But, since I always love to pick favorites, I’d have to say my favorite background character is easily Mia, the NSR infodesk assistant. It’s funny, because you can literally search “nsr characters” into Google and she’s the third image result. I love how jumpy she is when you first interact with her, since NSR probably spread the word about B2J suggesting they’re rock thugs who’d beat up anyone, so for all she knows she could die right then and there with a guitar lodged in her skull. She’s probably just some intern trying to pay for college. She don’t want trouble.

Also, I just realized that 90% of the characters in this game have the same body structure that I always love, that being having arms/legs that sort of fan out in width into relatively large hands/feet. It’s a kind of limb structure I fall into so much because it just really hits me right for some reason. I really can’t explain why.

Anyways, I gotta talk about the big boys individually:

Mayday and Zuke are an amazing duo. I’m always a sucker for a cute and crazy girl, but honestly Zuke hit so many of the right notes too. I will say it’s weird to pair the martian Zuke with the humanly-skinned Mayday, but honestly it doesn’t even matter because he looks so cool on his own. I love his weird blocky blue dreadlocks, and his weirdly shaped shirt which bares his chest in the weirdest way... And, oh my god, Mayday’s weird Spongebob background flower eyes? It’s little tidbits like that that really make me jealous. How could I have ever thought of that? It looks so perfect, and I don’t know why. And her little booty jig she does in her idle animation? Adorable. I played as her as much as was reasonable not only because I’m a filthy button masher with little strategy but also because she’s so damn cute. I can also appreciate how she has a tough-as-nails persona while still keeping a semi-girly attitude, like with her falling for 1010 and Sayu. Characters are so much better when they’re a perfect blend of characteristics, instead of being all one-note, like how Zuke is the quiet one but gets heated against DK West, and all.

Honestly the voice acting for every character is great, but I love when Mayday’s VA’s accent shows through. It’s a perfect twang to accent (consider this the only acknowledgement of a pun in this post) her snarkiness.

DJ Subatomic Supernova was going to be an easy favorite since he’s all space-themed. Also, I don’t know why I always end up liking the egotistic characters. Not in the sense that I like their egotistic-ness, but in the sense that I like everything else about them and they just so happen to also be egotistic. The same applied with Empoleon (maybe like my 2nd favorite Pokemon) and Rarity from MLP, probably among others. Either way, I’ll never not love space themes. Not to mention he’s got a funky disco theme, and I’m slowly starting to realize that I am in extreme love with techno-funk styles of music. The instant I heard his music he cemented his place into my playlists.

As for design, I still have no idea what the fuck he is. Clearly AI is at human levels in this world, but if he’s a robot why does he still have hairy legs? But, if he’s a human, is that weird orb his head? Is it just some sort of puppet which he controls from inside his giant jacket? I know I dissed explaining things realistically but I actually want to know with this guy. Even the wiki doesn’t say. Either way, he’s clearly the logical extreme of “being at the center of your own universe.” Even his jacket depicts a solar system, with his hood being the sun. Didn’t see that until I tried to draw him. I really wish this guy wasn’t so tied to his DJ stand so I could reasonably draw him without it. I don’t want to draw his hairy ass legs. It is a great touch for his design though (although I prefer his beta look with pants and long boots, another design trait I tend to gravitate to) since DJs could reasonably not wear pants, since they’re always behind a table.

Sayu is my favorite. It’s so plainly obvious. It’s weird to say that sometimes, because some characters like Sayu are so clearly engineered to be as adorable as possible, to the point where they’re basically a parody of whatever they’re supposed to be emulating, but then they do that so well that they are still likable for what they’re trying to parody. Also, even though I’ve never looked into any vocaloid superstars myself, the fact that they exist and are loved in real life is absolutely perfect to be used as a character design in a world like this. It’s so weird conceptually, but we all know it’s normal and realistic. But yeah, she’s a giga-cutie whom I’ve already drawn and I’ve listened to her theme on loop on many different occasions. Favorite character, favorite track, favorite weapon of choice (What did I say about Empoleon?), which, and I wouldn’t have noticed this myself, looks like the USB symbol you see above USB ports on computers. How crazy perfect is that?

Even apart from my unbridled love for cute monster robot(?) girls, her boss fight is probably the 2nd greatest of them all, at least conceptually. She’s just a hologram, so you can’t touch her, but you CAN disconnect the artists which control her in order to defeat her. It’s the kind of concept for a boss fight that could only work for this type of character. I’m a sucker for the cute girl that provides her voice, but I love how the animator (video editor? the yellow one) actually attacks you with a mouse and lowers the brightness of the setting once he appears. Also, the mocap guy being the deeply-voiced type but still providing the adorable movements of her body. It’s such a great combo of characters, and their little extra art in the credits makes me like them even more. I just wish we could interact with them individually.

DK West was probably one of the most interesting characters visually, especially since I knew of every other NSR member long before the game came out, but I only just heard of him closer to the release. I wasn’t sure where he was placed, but I definitely assumed his gig was the weird shadow demon we saw in the trailers. When I finally saw him in game, I was shocked to hear him speak an entirely different language most of the time, which was really cool. Also, finding out he was tied to Zuke and wasn’t strictly an NSR artist really made him more interesting. You know, if his fucking shadow clone magic didn’t make him crazy cool enough. Even though I suck at his game and am not especially fond of his raps, the visual of him rapping with this giant monster behind him and dozens of weird shadow wingmen by his side hyping him up was probably one of the coolest in the entire game. The dark way they were hyping him up too gave such a bizarre atmosphere, especially since it parallels his seemingly chill and smiley demeanor.

I definitely hope they’ll introduce new bosses as DLC in the future, and make them sort of in the same vein as DK West, where they aren’t the biggest artists ever, but they want to pick a fight with B2J. I’d kill for any extra content this game can provide.

Yinu is obviously special since she was the subject of the demo they put out for the game. Even though I knew all her bells and whistles, she and her mom still beat me a few times in the full game. Considering she’s semi-tied to story-ish spoilers I kinda want to go more into her in a separate section. It is worth considering playing the game first since it’s not hard (with the easy going deaths) and it’s short length.

1010 seriously grew on me as I learned more about them and interacted with them. I got their shtick when I first looked at them, but after seeing that animation of them touring the city on Youtube I was kinda falling for them. Then, I learned that they’re apparently repurposed navy war robots? I mean, maybe not them specifically, but it seems to heavily point in that direction, with the warship cars and “attention!”s and all. It took me a bit to get into their music too, but once I actually fought them and put their actions to the music I fell in love with it. I swear, Neon J’s weird dancing can has some of the smoothest moves in all of gaming. I don’t know whether they mocapped out those movements or got one of the greatest animators ever, but it looks so impossibly clean his part of the song gets me like 30x more hype than it would normally.

Also, their little art piece of them looking at fan mail in the credits is probably one of the most adorable things ever. Even if they’re just Neon J’s puppets, that piece of art really makes it seem like they love every one of their fans. I’m not gonna lie, I might swoon a bit too if they picked me out and gave me some special attention.

Oh yeah, and the fact that Mayday was super sad in her showstopper against them was adorable and hilarious at the same time. The little tweaks they made to the showstopper for each fight were great.

Eve just has to be Lady Gaga, right? Like, an even crazier Lady Gaga. DJSS is Daft Punk (or any artist with a helmet persona, you know what I’m talking about), Sayu is Hatsune Miku, DK West is Kanye West, Yinu is a generic child protege, 1010 is a KPop boyband (just pick one) and Eve is Lady Gaga. That’s just how things are. But, again, this is the kind of boss fight that only this type of character could provide. It’s not just surreal imagery, it’s ARTISTIC surreal imagery. The fight is so mesmerizing in every way, especially by how it starts off so slow and calm and progresses to insanity, as well as the increased emotional investment in the fight making you feel so much more into it than just “That’s the boy band. Let’s fight.” Not only does it get you more invested, but it makes her artistic persona go deeper than just “she looks weird.” She is genuinely conflicted about her relationship with Zuke, and naturally that leads her to literally split him and Mayday apart. That mechanic specifically was the coolest, although I do wish they made it more obvious when you needed to switch over to a different side. I was getting pulverized by her fight too, since there were so many things to pay attention to. Her fight was definitely the best one.

Tatiana and Spoilers:

Let’s be real with ourselves, the twist was so obvious. I do also think, though, that obvious twists aren’t bad if they’re just good reveals. At some point, a person just has experienced so many stories that “only pretty good” twists are easy to spot. It doesn’t mean that the twists are bad, it just means you yourself experienced.

I feel like her transition from rock to EDM was pretty understandable, even as a non-musician. She was so caught up in what she assumed was popular that it basically consumed her. It’s easy as an artist to want to forgo what you truly want to make in favor of what makes you popular, and clearly since her transition to EDM made her the CEO of the biggest company in the city (world?) that probably made her think she truly needed to change her outlook. Then, when she saw B2J try to bring it back, she sort of coined them as being as misguided as she was and knocked them down a peg. Plus, they were kinda being jerks about it.

It’s kinda like the Trolls sequel, where everyone pegs rock music fanatics as being too stuck up in their own heads to appreciate other types of music, which honestly seems more like the case than the alternative. When I first heard of the story of the game, I was seriously hoping they did put an asterisk on B2J’s ambitions because they were a bit sketchy from the start.

That’s kinda where I want to talk about Yinu, because she was the true turning point in what they were doing. She’s literally 9 and yet she’s getting dragged into all this BS. When she said “I hate you all” at the end of her fight, and played a somber tune on her broken piano after the fight destroyed it, you kinda got a kick in the face to realize you’re kinda being an asshole to some of them. Sure, they fight back, but they wouldn’t fight in the first place if they didn’t have to. They are just people who play music under a joint name that B2J just so happened to get in hot water with.

Then, of course, there’s Kliff, who also reeked of surprise villain, and who’s basically the embodiment of the bad side of B2J, where he just wanted to destroy for his own sake and not for the actual greater good. Once B2J realized their mistake, they backed off, but Kliff was so hard pressed to do what he planned on in the first place he wouldn’t stop. I kinda wish he got a bigger fight to his own since he’s clearly a big enough tech genius to divert a whole satellite into one specific building. Maybe the Elliecopter chase bit was his thing, but I do kind of wish he was there to fight against them too.

Even though Tatiana did kind of reform a bit quick, It’s still not too crazy to assume she could see that B2J was just misguided and the fact that they worked to revert their wrongdoings for her sake would make a pretty strong impressions. They clearly can hold their own, so it’s not like she wouldn’t want them to join NSR too.

Oh yeah, and her boss fight was clock/time themed. If there’s a theme under space that I love, it’s clocks/time.

And If I am to be respected by the internet, I must provide a negative opinion to balance out my positive one. I will say that the character model physics (like Mayday’s braids, DK West’s vest thing, Neon J’s fluffy neck thing, etc) got kinda funky at times. Especially DK West’s vest, which was completely messed up for every scene he was in... Also, even though the voices are mostly great, some lines felt a bit off. Just a bit. That good enough? Good.

But yeah anyway that’s another favorite game to add to the pile. Eventually I’m gonna have to compile a true list of my all-time favorite games/movies because I do kind of want to have a solid idea of what my all-time favorites are.

#nsr #no straight roads #bunk bed junction #dj subatomic supernova #sayu #yinu #dk west #spoilers #1010 #eve #tatiana #rambling #review #poole #etc #opinions #rant

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captainjimothycarter · 3 years

Text

Red Alert

Thanks to @youneedsomeprompts for this prompt! Color Symbols: Angst: Red: Danger On a side note, Tumblr PLEASE stop ruining my formatting from google docs to tumblr.

Sam and Natasha both make a suggestion for Steve to talk to a new therapist that might be more on his level of understanding his situation.

LINK

There was a prickle in the back of his head that he couldn’t quite shake. An itch that he couldn’t quite scratch. Nothing he did would stop it, even for a second. It practically lived in the back of his head, active every second of the day. It didn’t care if he was on a mission, running drills, helping citizens, out with friends, or trying to relax at home.

Steve Rogers always felt like he was on guard. That there was constant danger around him. That he couldn’t quite relax fully. That prickle in the back of his head never allowed him to relax either. At the slightest noise, rather it was the ice settling in the freezer, a cough down the hall, or an odd-sounding car passing by his apartment, Steve felt like he had to investigate the noise. He had to check it out and make sure the ice wasn’t a bug listening in on him or the cough wasn’t an intruder trying to attack him.

It interrupted him at all hours of the day, never allowing him to truly sleep. He slept, a few handfuls of hours here and there when his body allowed it. When he was truly exhausted, when the serum was on its last legs and scraping the bottom of the barrel, Steve found he would pass out for hours. Days even, if he was exhausted enough.

He couldn’t sleep. He couldn’t remember the last time he had a true, peaceful night's sleep. Actually, he could. He’d just rather not remember it and feel the hallow guilt and pain erupt in his chest. He’d rather focus on the here and now because that’s all he’s had left.

It’s Sam who approaches him about it when Steve shows up after a group therapy session to join him for lunch. He looks exhausted, he knows he does. There are bags under his eyes, he’s pale, and his focus is waning. He has to force himself to listen to what Sam is talking about, watching his mouth move and taking in the words without truly listening.

“Steve!”

Steve jumps as fingers snap in his face, blinking. “I-I was...I was listening.”

“Uh-huh.” There’s no frustration or anger on Sam’s face, just concern as he settles back against the metal seat. He watches a few people walk by, fingers drumming on the table. “You haven’t been sleeping again, have you? Feelin’ on edge?”

Steve shrugged, which was his way of saying yes without truly saying it. It was hard to ask for help, but he didn’t need help. He just needed to rest.

“Figures. You’ve been watching that office window for the past ten minutes.”

“I...wasn’t,” Steve tried to weakly defend, but it fell on deaf ears. “I was just… There was a blinking light up there. Thought it was…” He shrugged, letting the sentence hang off.

“Morse code or something? I get it. You’re stuck in danger mode. You’re on edge. You’re strugglin’ with so much, Steve. It’s okay.”

There was no arguing with him, he was right and Sam knew he was right too. Steve just couldn’t think of anything to counter it, to help his friend not worry so much about him. “No, you’re right. I just...I can’t sleep. I can’t relax. I find myself waiting for the danger, constantly on edge. Nat says I had a panic attack the other night when Bruce accidentally flashed a light in my eyes. I don’t remember it.”

“I can’t imagine what it’s like being you, Steve. You got this...superhuman abilities. Your strength is one thing, but your senses? They’re so advanced and even for back then, all the new sounds and smells and sight. But compared to today where it’s all flashy and you didn’t grow up with it. It’s overwhelming. You’re overwhelmed, you’re…” He paused and looked up at his friend, trying to find the right words before settling on being blunt. “You have PTSD, Steve. We’ve talked about this, remember? Can’t keep workin’ yourself stupor. You deserve a break.”

PTSD - yeah, Steve knew all about it. Once Sam had told him it, in the kindest manner possible, Steve looked up everything he could. Everything matched - the symptoms, the exhaustion. How he was constantly on edge. He’d talked to a few people about it, even a therapist that Pepper had recommended but how could he get to someone’s level who wasn’t him?

Who didn’t understand him? Someone who had lived through one of the worst wars in history, who’d lived and lost hundreds of people he considered friends, crashed a plane into the ocean, and woke up in a new century? He’d lost everything. His sense of a home, his friends, his family.

Nothing could compare to that. No one could get on his level to understand beyond the war. Yet his understanding of war differed from others and while they’d matched on a level about it, it wasn’t fully. It wasn’t to a full degree that Steve could latch onto.

“You know,” Sam was saying, drawing Steve out of his thoughts. “There’s someone in Shield that Nat was talking about that might be able to help you. You might want to ask her about it.”

“Sam, no offense, but I’m not sure there are many who can help a hundred and one-year-old soldier from World War Two.” Sam rolled his eyes at him and Steve shrugged again. “I just need a break. I need to try to relax. Get out of my head. Get this stupid prickling to stop.”

He’d scratched the back of his neck raw a few times because of it, just to have it heal over an hour later.

“The options are there, man, alright? You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. Just...just call if you need anything, alright? You gonna be good?”

There was the concern, the near pity in Sam’s expression as he got up to leave, coat was thrown over his arm. Steve squeezed his hand and forced himself to nod. “Yeah, man, I’ll be fine. Go back to work.”

Three missions later, two training accidents resulting in him breaking a finger, three sleepless days, and five skipped meals later, Steve found himself staring at an office door with the placard reading Dr. P. Carter.

She came highly recommended by Natasha who refused to say more on the matter of who this P. Carter was. He’d tried to google this Peggy but got nowhere with results beyond obituaries.

This was ridiculous. There was no way she could help him. Or anyone could. He’d just needed to go, making take that horse tranquilizer Tony was teasing about and go to bed.

The second he went to turn away, the door opened. Steve almost kept walking until he heard her clear her throat.

“I was wondering if you were going to come in, Mr. Rogers. If that’s...okay I call you Rogers?”

The accent is what caught his attention. Enough to make him curious to turn around. Peggy Carter was...gorgeous. Sharp high cheekbones, honey-coated eyes behind black-rimmed glasses, brunette curls running down her shoulders. She looked amazing in her jeans and a white t-shirt - the last thing he expected a therapist to wear.

“You knew I was out there?” he mumbled.

That was a stupid question, of course, she did. She possibly had cameras and it’s not like he was a quiet person in this big body. Sometimes he felt so huge in this body, wishing he’d been smaller. Just without the ailments.

“I heard some muttering and you were my only appointment today. I figured it was you.” She replied gently enough, leaving him a little more curious about her. She didn’t treat him like others had like he was a sleeping bear about to be poked.

Something about her eyes told him she understood him. Or he was imagining it so much because he was desperate to have someone who could understand.

He had to give his friends credit. They tried. They fully tried to help and he was grateful but if something didn’t work out for him, Steve almost instantly lost hope.

It was always Cap or Captain. Rarely was he called Steve outside of his friends. Everyone saw him as this guy on the mantle and not himself. Not Steve Rogers, a man who's hurting and doing his best to pack it all in for another day.

“Didn’t realize I muttered. I…” He swallowed, tongue darting out as he looked her up and down. She was a few inches shorter than him and posed herself in a manner that was inviting. She wasn’t dangerous, but she could be, he figures. “How do you know Natasha? She...recommended you.”

“Natalia? Oh, she’s a personal friend of mine. We’ve worked on a few cases together.” Peggy’s hand held out to him, an invitation. “I’m Margaret, by the way. But my friends call me Peggy. Would you like to sit down? You look like you’re about to fall over.”

He could run, he could bolt out to his bike and run for the hills, but he didn’t want to. Strange enough Steve found himself taking Peggy’s hand and giving her a firm shake, just as she did him. “My friends call me Steve.”

“Well, Steve, it's a pleasure to meet you. Let’s get you to sit down at the very least. We don’t even have to talk. I just don’t want you riding that death trap like this.”

Steve snorted as he followed her and eased into a comfortable couch in her office. “It’s not a death trap. It’s my pride.”

“Oh, I can certainly see that. Personal custom work to resemble a bike you must’ve used before? Very rarely do you see that, but it’s still a death trap. Excuse me for liking the cushion of walls when I’m speeding down the highway.”

Peggy’s red lips twitched into a smile at his snorting laugh, handing over an unsealed bottle of water. Steve took it without question, taking a few sips.

“No wonder you like Natasha...she says the same despite loving a bike herself.” Steve sighed as he took a few sips, grateful to have something to do with his hands. “Look, Miss Carter...I’m unsure of what Natasha told you or what you want to do with these sessions but they never...end well for me. Sure, the other people are great, but they don’t understand. ”

“Excuse me for interrupting, Steven, but you do make a great point. They don’t understand because they’re not on your level. Your closest group of friends outside of those you serve with are the vets down at the center, right? Men you served with but perhaps were not close to?”

At Steve’s nod, Peggy smiled. “I’ve been there - I mean I see you there. I…”

She looked almost frustrated, eyes darting to the window and closed-door before pulling out an old file from her drawer. It was stained with coffee and yellow with age, a familiar symbol stamped on top. SSR.

Steve’s heart leaped to his throat as he looked down at it, but didn’t dare touch it when she held it out to him. “What is...this?”

“I figured to get you to trust me, we need to be on the same level, correct? I need to be open and honest and while I haven’t lied yet, Natasha and I haven’t been fully honest.” She sighed when he didn’t take the file and opened it up, handing him a page stamped with a date, shortly before he joined the military.

“I don’t understand,” he mumbled, looking over the information. “You were an SSR Agent, but... you’re…” He waved his hand over her. “You have to be ninety-eight!”

“Excuse me, ninety-seven, thank you,” Peggy snorted. “Didn’t your mother teach you not to comment on a woman’s age?” Oh, she shouldn’t find that blush attractive, but she did.

“But to answer your question, Steve, yes, I am...old. I was an SSR Agent. You see, shortly before you joined Project Rebirth, I was the prime candidate. After rescuing Doctor Erskine from Schmidt’s clutches, I received the serum in private. Colonel Phillips, Erskine, and Howard Stark, and I all agreed this shouldn’t be public because we were unaware of the consequences, and well - you know how they saw women in those days.

The serum, we thought, did nothing. I was shipped off to war shortly after, so we had never met. It seems fate kept it that way, even as I joined Phillips and helped the 107th. I’ve met other Howling Commandos - Dugan, Jones, even Barnes. Yet, somehow never you.

Still, the serum, before I ramble off. We thought it did nothing until after the war. I wasn’t aging. I could...heal faster than normal, but it wasn’t to your level. I had been shot with one of Schmidt’s weapons, it should’ve vaporized me on the spot, but instead, it activated the serum.

Then...then you died. Or so we thought. Howard used me as a near experiment to see if you could survive and I agreed because you deserved to be found, dead or alive. You deserved some sort of burial at the very least, but we...as you can tell, it went nowhere.

So time went on, we went on to form Shield. I left shortly before you were found - as fate would have it seem so we did not meet. I left because...I wanted to do things outside of Shield. I wanted to help people. Of course, if they need me, they call me, but I would rather not play Director at this moment. I enjoy doing my own things - I rather ask for forgiveness than permission. When the Battle of New York happened, I was out of town. Once again, fate decided we shouldn’t meet. When Natasha found me, she wanted to introduce us right away. She thought...I could be of assistance. I could be friends with you but I didn’t want this forced. I wanted to meet you, Steve but I wasn’t sure how without fate deciding we aren’t worth it.”

Steve sat there, stunned, pillow in hand. He found himself kneading it, staring down at the files. Every single thing matched up with what she said. The serum, a more watered-down version. Going to war. He could remember Dugan pouting because some lass named Carter ‘stole’ his whiskey - aka won it in a bet. He could remember Barnes insisting he meets this Carter. He could remember a red dress in a bar, a kiss of fire whiskey on his lips. Her soft body…

“We had sex,” Steve spat out, blinking down at the paper. He heard choking and his head snapped up, watching Peggy cough into her arm.

“Excuse me? I think I’d remember if we had sex, Rogers!” Peggy half-shouted, her face turning a shade of red.

“Apparently not. It-it was...it was before I died. The only time I’d truly slept in years. The night before I died. We met at the bar, but both of us were so tipsy. I’d have...something Howard invented that...that got me feeling a bit tipsy. We shouldn’t have done it, I should’ve said no but your kisses were so addicting. It’s not that I didn’t want you. I just...didn’t want you under the influence of alcohol for us both. I wanted to remember it clearly.”

Peggy stared down at the cold coffee, red nails drumming on the table in thought. “I remember now. It was your first time. You were so...so awkward. In the most charming manner. I had to teach you everything, including how to undress me. It was...It was charming, Steve. One of the best nights I’ve ever had. If I had known it was you…”

She gave a weak laugh and shook her head. “You were so loving and careful, especially for your size. I wanted to protect you, strangely enough.”

Steve found himself standing, the papers falling to the floor. He found himself standing in front of her, mind racing. She understood him on a level he’d thought he’d never find. They were the same, they had the same serum. They’d lost and loved. They just weren’t destined to meet until now.

“I know this is supposed to be a therapy session,” he mumbled, still standing awkwardly in front of her. “But can we drop that and...and just go talk? Outside of here?”

“Because you want to nail me on my desk?” Peggy teased, making Steve’s cheeks heat up. That wasn’t a no. She stood and held his hand, being gentle with her touch. “Of course, darling. I think we have lots to catch up on. I’m glad for once fate has decided we deserve to meet and it wasn’t with one of us dying on the battlefield.”

#Steggy #StevePeggy #Angst #Hurt/Comfort #Hurt/Comfort heavy on the hurt #It makes no sense #PTSD

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fericita-s · 3 years

Text

Glowing True

An alternate chapter 26 for Dangerous Secrets, written for the “Write Your Own Style” Agduna Discord Server contest. Thanks as always to @the-spaztic-fantastic for beta-ing and helping me on the most devastating lines. Angst ahead; you’ve been warned.

“Iduna,” he said, reaching for my hands.

I longed for his touch but I crossed my arms instead, bunching the tea towel in one fist and squeezing hard, remembering how he had called me stubborn the last time we spoke. Still, it was a relief to see him, to know that despite the gates being closed, and the looming threat of violence against the crown, that he was safe. That he still had some measure of freedom, though he had tried to take mine away.

It made me mad all over again to think of it. “Are you here to order me somewhere?”

He grimaced and stayed on the doorstep, not making a move to come in. I could see two soldiers a few paces back, one keeping watch out towards the street and one looking at us as we spoke. “I’m sorry, Iduna. I was wrong to do that. And I am here to invite you somewhere, though you are free to say no.”

“I’m listening,” I said, uncrossing my arms but still not inviting him in.

“Mr. Sorensen is at the castle with the council members. They’ve devised a plan to question every citizen about these attacks so we can figure out how to keep everyone safe.”

“They’ve devised it? What about you?”

“I don’t need a test to tell me the Northuldra are blameless in this. We’ve seen how impenetrable the mist remains. And I don’t like the idea of questioning citizens. But these are dark times and I’ve agreed to back their plan. And I’d like you to back it too.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Come to the castle. Allow Mr. Sorensen to question you with this new system. Everyone in town knows you and loves you. If they see you volunteering for this, it might help them agree to do so willingly. It might take some of their fear away.”

“That’s not exactly volunteering,” I said. Lord Peterssen had warned me against this, but I considered. If this was the quickest way to find the culprits, would it be the quickest way to clear the Northuldra from blame? With the true perpetrators unmasked, might I be able to reveal my origins to Agnarr at last? “Did Lord Peterssen tell you to get me? That I should take this test?”

“No, he hasn’t arrived at the meeting yet. I thought he might be here actually. But I’m glad I could talk to you alone.” Agnarr looked so penitent. So hopeful. So kingly.

If I had managed to hide in plain sight for so long, surely I could lie my way through questioning. Even questions designed to catch lies.

“I’ll go,” I said.

Agnarr smiled and I hoped it was the right choice.

***************************

“Tell us your name.”

“Iduna.”

Mr. Sorensen nodded encouragingly, and then pointed to the crystal that glowed red from its short chain around my neck, drawing the attention of the other assembled council members. “See how it glows? That means the answer she gave is true. It will also glow if the wearer knows the answer is ‘yes’ to a question that I ask. Thank you, Iduna. Let’s continue.”

The polished mahogany of the table was so bright it seemed to be its own source of light. But it was easier to look at than the faces around the table. Lord Peterssen’s face was impassive, but I knew he was thinking this was folly. He had flashed a look of shock and then fear when I had arrived and I was certain he would have words with Agnarr later. And me.

“Tell us about your parents, Iduna.”

“They died. In the forest.” I didn’t look down to see if the crystal glowed, but at the sight of Sorensen nodding, I assumed my half-truth worked.

“Do you blame the Northuldra for their deaths?”

“No. I don’t know who killed them. I didn’t see them die.” Some of the councillors moved in their seats or furrowed their brows at this question, but I kept my body as still as possible, trying not to choke on the word “die.” Hoping the crystal couldn’t discern the crowded thoughts in my head.

I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream. I wanted to ask what risk they thought a peaceful people who had left Arendelle alone for years could pose. I wanted to say that the Northuldra were blamed for every inconvenience, large and small, and that they could hardly be dyeing sheep purple and assaulting people in the street while trapped behind the mist. But it seemed my pared-down answer worked. The crystal glowed red, Sorensen nodded, and the questions continued.

“What do you know about the men with sun masks?”

“Nothing.”

“Do you know any group that uses the sun as its symbol?”

“Corona.”

“The Northuldra too, yes?” Sorensen seemed thrilled that the crystal was doing what he hoped. He rubbed his hands together and then took notes as he continued with his questions.

“Yes, though it seems monumentally stupid that those who bother wearing masks to hide their identity would use a symbol of their nation in the design of their mask.” I winced as I caught the surprised look of the council members, but Sorensen laughed. So much for only giving short, succinct answers.

“Yes, I believe that as well,” he said, still chuckling.

I hazarded a look at Peterssen but he remained expressionless. Conceal don’t feel, indeed. I wondered if he was so good at it that he could prevent a truth-telling crystal from revealing his feelings.

“Do you often travel alone?

“Yes. I meet with farmers to help them with their windmills.”

“Have you ever seen anything suspicious?”

“No.”

“Do you swear allegiance to Arendelle?”

I took a breath, very aware of the crystal, cold against my chest. I thought of my home. My first home. My mother wrapping me in her shawl and Yelana pledging to keep me safe.

But Agnarr was Arendelle. And I loved him.

“Yes, I do.” I looked down, relieved to see the crystal glowing red.

“Is there anything else you’d like to tell us, Iduna? Anything you think we need to know?”

“No.”

“Is there anything you think the crown prince needs to know?”

My cheeks heated at this, as red as the crystal that was surely about to glow. Agnarr needed to know so much. That I loved him. That I was Northuldra. That I would never cause him harm, and that’s why I had to lie now.

This group of assembled council members was looking at me sympathetically right now, but they were also a reminder of how hated the Northuldra remained. A reminder of how little a chance I had of existing in Agnarr's castle as anyone other than a friend, than a citizen being brought in for questions.

I looked at Agnarr and then down at the crystal, glowing brightly red. More red than it had for any of my other answers.

“Please excuse me,” I said, rising quickly from the chair. Every council member stood up, the sound of several chairs scraping against the hardwood floors deafening as they all rushed to show how courteous they were.

I ran to the door and down the hall, hearing Agnarr behind me, calling my name, but I didn’t turn to look. Even if I escaped his sight, he would know where to find me. Our special place. Our secret room.

The library was dark and Agnarr shut the door behind us quietly, not even a muffled sound escaped from tumblers latching into place.

“I’m sorry,” I said, my hand flying to where the crystal lay just above the neckline of the bodice. “I forgot I was wearing it.” It wasn’t true and the crystal was dull now, accusing me of the lie. I tried to unfasten it but couldn’t with my shaking hands so instead I clasped them together, trying not to wring them with worry. What must Agnarr think of me after that interview?

“What is it, Iduna? What was it you couldn’t say?” His voice was gentle and kind, soft and soothing. I tried to imagine how he might shout if I told him the truth of who I was but just as quickly realized the futility. He would never react in anger. He would understand, and that would be worse. It would put him in danger. I would put him in danger.

“I want you to leave,” I said. “I don’t love you . . . I can’t love you.” I didn’t look down at the crystal, willing his eyes to stay on mine so he wouldn’t look either. Wouldn’t see how dull it remained.

The complete lack of the crystal’s glow proving that I was a liar.

But then I thought of what was true. A truth that crushed me in its cruelty, that would crush him too. “You are a prince. And I am not a princess. We cannot be together. ”

There was a long moment of silence and then Agnarr reached out and touched the crystal. “You really believe that,” he said, his voice a whisper. I saw the red glow reflecting on his fingers as they ran across the surface of the crystal. This close, I could see a small fleck of soap lather left on his collar from shaving, could feel the heat of him and remember what it felt like to be even closer as we so often had been in this very room.

He reached behind my neck and unfastened the clasp and then put it around his own neck, pulling at the collar of his shirt so the crystal lay against his skin. “Well, I don’t. Look, Iduna.” His voice was strong now as he cradled my cheek with his hand and used the other to pull me close. He was so tall now that my eyes were directly across from the crystal as it lay against his collarbone. “I love you. I will find a way for us to be together.”

It glowed so red against his skin it looked like it was vibrating and I had the sudden horrible thought it would explode, shattering into shards and cutting us both. Wounds we would never heal from.

“Come live at the castle. Please. If you won’t let me love you, at least let me protect you.”

The crystal glowed red against him still. Glowing true.

“Alright,” I said, wishing it wasn’t the only yes I could give him. I would give him all of me, all of my future. But to do so would ruin his. Would ruin Arendelle’s.

So instead, I did the only other thing my heart and my body were longing to do. I reached up to his cheek to feel the smoothness of his clean-shaven jaw, I rubbed at the spot of soap on his collar. And I raised myself up on tiptoe and pulled him down by that collar to press my lips on his, to drink in all of him that I could. His hands went around my waist and he pulled me closer, and then his thumbs were on my cheeks, gently smoothing away the few tears that had fallen. And as we kissed, I pretended.

Pretended to not have a thread around my heart that tightened when I thought about my mother. Pretended that every mention of “the evil Northuldra” didn’t send a stab of panic straight down my spine. Pretended that I could be Agnarr’s, and that he could be mine.

We kissed in the hidden room, and I wished it was the only secret in this castle that could never truly be my home.

#agduna #fan fic #dangerous secrets #frozen #alternate chapter 26 #Agnarr #Iduna #frozen 2

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wr1ter-reader-dreamer · 3 years

Text

Angel (Pt. 4)

Harry Styles x Reader

A/N: This one was inspired by Harry’s song Only Angel. It’s five parts in total. If you like it, be sure to give it a reblog and check out the other parts linked below. Thanks, and enjoy <3

Warnings: Slight jealousy, some making out. Swearing. It’s long. Seriously.

Masterlist

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 5

Forty-five minutes later, I was all dolled up and in a cab on the way to the house where the after party was being held. Now that the situation with Harry was resolved, I was free to relax and fully enjoy my accomplishment. I had been working toward becoming a Victoria’s Secret Angel since I was eleven years old, and now, eleven years later, I finally was.

Giddy with excitement, I pulled out my phone to text Harry and tell him that I was close. He replied almost instantly, like he’d been waiting for me.

‘Good. I’ll be out back by the pool.’

I nodded to myself and put my phone away since the cab was pulling up to the house. Thanking and paying the cabbie, I stepped out. My stomach filled with nervous excitement, and I couldn’t help but grin as I looked up at the bustling house.

It was a modern two story with large windows that allowed me to see the party in full swing inside. Music could be heard thumping at the windows, and people could be seen walking around and mingling. I caught sight of Elsa on the second floor, looking out the window at the city, and waved when she saw me. Her face split into a wide smile, to which I smiled back, and she motioned for me to meet her downstairs. Nodding at her enthusiastically, I made my way to the large front door.

The music was louder inside, the deep bass thumping through my heart immediately. I smiled and waved at a few of the girls and other people I knew as my eyes searched for Elsa. It didn’t take me long to find her quickly descending the stairs, eyes searching for me.

“Elsa!” I called when I spotted her.

She squealed and rushed to pull me into a hug, “Y/N, you made it!”

I chuckled at her enthusiasm and returned her hug, “Ya, sorry I’m late. I had something I needed to take care of.”

“Oh?” she asked, pulling back to look at me, “Is everything alright?”

“Oh ya, it just took a while,” I said with a reassuring smile.

“Good, now let’s get you a drink.”

Elsa kept me close to her side for the next hour, insisting on getting some alcohol in me and taking me to see the other girls. Every time I tried to break away, telling her I was supposed to be meeting someone, she protested and demanded that I stayed with her a little longer. Knowing how she could get when she drank and not wanting to upset my best friend out of the girls, I stayed. But time was ticking and I knew Harry had to be wondering where I was, if he was still waiting at all.

Finally Elsa became engrossed in a conversation with some photographer, and I was able to slip away. I knew she wouldn’t miss me so I didn’t feel bad about ditching her, especially since I had Harry waiting for me.

I moved quickly through the crowd in the house, making my way out to the pool. The view caused me to pause in my search for just a moment, insisting that I take in the lights in the trees and the fields in the valley below. Shaking it off before I could get too sucked in, I searched the crowd for my childhood love.

There was a makeshift dance floor and a DJ booth set up to one side of the pool. A large crowd was dancing, and I briefly wondered how all these people got invited before moving my attention the the couched and chairs around the pool. Some groups were smaller than others, and there were even some people in the pool, but I couldn’t find Harry anywhere.

Sighing, I moved closer to the dance floor, hoping that he was over there. After a few moments of scanning the crowd, I was about ready to give up when I spotted his soft brown curls.

I realized that the reason I hadn’t been able to see him before was because he was laying down on one of the couches that had its back to me. Now, I saw that his head was on the lap of one of his band members, the woman who had played the drums. In fact he was surrounded by women, models to be precise. I rolled my eyes at how the young women leaned forward and ogled him as he spoke. Harry just basked in the attention, the exact same attention whore he had been since we were younger.

As Harry laughed, pushing himself up and out of his bandmate’s lap, I considered turning around, going back to Elsa, and getting black-out drunk. Harry was the same as he’d always been. He had always loved attention, especially the attention of pretty women, and right now, he had the attention of a lot of pretty women. I honestly didn’t know how I could compete with that, and I was jealous. I was now willing to admit that I was jealous of the attention he gave those women because I still loved him, and because of that, I didn’t want to be sober anymore.

Just as I was about to turn around and go drown myself in a bottle of vodka, Harry caught site of me. His entire face lit up, granting me with a large, genuinely happy smile and a view of his dimples. Looking away only briefly, he made a quick excuse to his group and in turn earned a knowing smile from his bandmate. Then he was pushing himself up and practically bounding over to me.

I couldn’t help but laugh, my heart melting at his enthusiasm. He was like a big puppy, so happy to see his person after a long day away. I realized that I was that person he was so excited to see, but refused to think about what that meant.

“Angel, you finally made it!” Harry called over the music, engulfing me in a giant hug as soon as he reached me.

“Hey, Harry,” I laughed, hugging him back.

I could feel the eyes of the models Harry had just left watching us as we stayed connected a few seconds longer than appropriate, but I didn’t care. Harry’s hugs had always been my favorite. He held you so close and secure, you just couldn’t help but feel safe. His hug brought out all of the feelings I was never good at hiding and didn’t want to deny anymore.

All too soon Harry squeezed me tighter then released me, pulling back to look me over. He whistled lowly and appreciatively at what he saw.

“Damn,” he swore, biting his lip, “you look gorgeous.”

I blushed a little but smiled. Alessandra and Elsa had helped me pick this dress months ago when I was first told I’d be walking as an official Angel, wings and all. I was worried that it was too much, but they both insisted that I looked amazing and this was the perfect place to wear it. Now, seeing Harry’s face, I was glad I did.

The dress was essentially simple, all tight black material clinging to my curves and stopping mid thigh. The stunning part was the neckline. A black collar twisted around my neck then parted at my chest, remaining open in a deep V that stopped just above my belly button. A harness shaped chain of crystals held the two sides closed and wrapped around my shoulders to drape delicately down the open back. At first I was self-conscious about putting so much skin on display, but considering I had just walked a globally broadcasted fashion show in nothing but lingerie and heels, I decided it really didn’t matter.

“Thank you,” I answered, giving Harry the same inspection he gave me, “You look pretty good yourself.”

He took a step back and did a little spin so I could see his outfit fully, making me laugh. He was wearing fitted black jeans and an open black suit jacket. Underneath was a loose fitting sky blue shirt with little white flower-like symbols on it. The shirt was halfway unbuttoned, leaving his smooth skin and a simple silver cross on display. When he moved, the swallows on his chest played peek-a-boo through the opening. His short hair sat as messy chocolate curls, a perfectly styled mess. All in all, he looked every bit the heart throb we both knew he truly was.

“Thanks, angel,” he grinned.

“Of course, but that sure is a lot of skin on display tonight, Mr. Styles,” I teased, trigging on the lapel of his jacket.

Harry laughed, dimples on full display, “You’re one to talk. Aren’t you afraid you’ll get cold wearing this dress in December?”

I shrugged, a coy smile tugging at the corners of my lips, “No. I figured if I got cold it’d be easy enough to find a man willing to lend me his jacket.”

“You’re not wrong there, love,” He said, glancing around, “you’ve already got them all starin’.”

I rolled my eyes internally, knowing full well that this wasn’t even the most revealing outfit here. It was obvious to me that Harry was jealous, and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make me kind of giddy. Seeing Harry again and resolving our past was bringing up feelings I’d been burying since I saw pictures of him and Taylor Swift for the first time. I had missed him and all the fun we’d had together. I was scared to admit it, but I hoped that the way he was acting, his choice to release that song, meant that he missed me too. Most of all, I hoped he wanted me back too.

Deciding that teasing Harry was fun, and that I wanted to see more of his jealous side, I looked around, “Really, you think so? ‘Cause I haven’t had a boyfriend in a long time, and I wouldn’t mind finding a cute one.”

“Well I might know of a pretty cute guy who’s been looking for an Angel,” Harry hummed, pulling me against his chest.

“Ya?” I grinned as I placed my hands on his shoulders.

He nodded, “Ya, and right now he’d like to ask that Angel to dance.”

“I don’t know,” I teased, “if it’s who I think it is, this Angel might not want to dance with him.”

“And why the hell not?” Harry asked, pulling away in mock offense.

I grinned at him, disconnecting myself and preparing to run, “Because if I remember correctly, he’s not a very good dancer, and I have a reputation to uphold.”

He growled and lunged after me, but I just laughed and took off running toward the house the best I could in six inch heels. Harry caught me in no time, picking me up from behind and spinning me around. I squealed and giggled, drawing attention to us but not caring. Harry growled again, nipping at my ear as he carried me toward the dance floor. I laughed again, stilling in his arms so he didn’t accidentally drip me as he walked.

“We’ll see about me being a bad dancer,” Harry growled, placing me down on the edge of the dance floor and spinning me around to face him.

I chuckled as I stumbled against him, “Whatever you say Mr. Styles.”

Turning back around, I pressed my back against him front. I took a second to listen to the music, letting the heavy bass take root in my heart, before I started moving against him. The music guided my hips, prompting me to roll and dip with the beats. Harry stood behind me, stunned for a few moments, but quickly recovered and placed his hands on my hips. Matching the movement of his hips to mine, he danced with me. With a smile on my face, I slid my hand up to tangle my fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck. He pulled me closer and buried his face in my neck, pressing a kiss there. I closed my eyes and basked in the feeling of Harry dancing against me.

It had been a long time since I had danced with Harry. The last time was when I was 17, the same night we slept together for the first time. He had rented out the club with his bandmates and thrown a party. I tagged along with my brother, hoping to blow off some steam after a hard week, but never expecting that my crush would tell me he liked me back. I wore some skimpy shorts and a top, typical club attire, and Harry was pissed. He didn’t like all of the male attention I was getting, especially since a lot of it was coming from his bandmates. So when I moved to the dance floor and started dancing, he followed me.

That night Harry was quick to press against me, immediately matching my moves and whispering in my ear that I was asking for trouble. I just turned around and asked him how I could get into trouble with him always around to protect me. After that we danced for hours, and at the end of the night he kissed me and told me he’d been waiting to do that for years. I went home with him for the first time after that, and even knowing everything that happened after, I’d do it again in a heart beat.

“So,” Harry spoke up, pulling at my side to get me to turn around to face him, “still think I’m a bad dancer?”

I smiled up at him and wrapped my arms around his neck, “No, I never did. I was just teasing you.”

“Of course you were,” he huffed, pulling me even closer, “You always were a tease.”

I shrugged, “Your reactions are funny.”

“Hmmm, you think so, angel?” Harry hummed, leaning down to press his forehead against mine.

The music changed, playing the first slower song I’d heard since arriving. I didn’t recognize it, but it was obvious that Harry did because he smiled down at me. I realized why a few moments later when his voice drifted through the air. Rolling my eyes at his obvious pleasure over them playing his song, I allowed him to sway us to the beat. We danced in silence, simply enjoying each other’s company. I laid my head on Harry’s chest and listened to the words of his song. It was soft and sad, but still good. I began to realize that I had been missing out by not listening to his album before.

“What’s the song about?” I asked, propping my chin on Harry’s chest to look up at him.

“This one?” he asked as he looked down at me.

I rolled my eyes but smiled at him, “What other song would I be talking about?”

He shrugged and returned my smile, “I don’t know what goes on in your crazy mind.”

I rolled my eyes again and nudged him, “So what’s it about?”

“Just drifting apart from an old girlfriend,: he answered with a sheepish smile.

I frowned, beginning to get suspicious of his avoidance of the question. Why didn’t he want me to know who it was about?

“Which one?” I asked, pulling back to look at him better.

Harry averted his eyes but answered, “Taylor.”

I made a face, old feelings of jealousy and resentment rising to the surface. I loved Taylor Swift’s music, and I thought she was an amazing person, but thinking about Harry’s relationship with her still upset me. She was, after all, the woman I thought he left me for. She was definitely a sore subject. Clearing my throat, I untangled myself from his arms and moved off the dance floor.

“Angel? Where are you going?” Harry asked, following close behind me.

“I don’t feel like dancing anymore,” I answered as I made my way to the back door, “I’d rather get a drink.”

He frowned, “I’m sorry, but I wan’t going to lie to you.”

Turning back over my shoulder, I shot him a small smile, “I know, Harry. It’s ok, I just need a drink.”

“Well, then let me get my angel a drink,” Harry said, taking my hand and moving in front to lead me to the kitchen.

After weaving through the crowd in the interior of the house, we made it to the kitchen. Harry didn’t ask what I wanted, but went ahead and made me a Malibu and Sprite.

“You remembered,” I laughed as I took the cup from his outstretched hand.

“Of course,” he said, leaning on the counter beside me, “It was the only thing that didn’t make you gag.”

I shrugged, no longer ashamed by my intolerance for the taste of alcohol, “It’s not my fault alcohol tastes so bad.”

Harry chuckled and opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a call of my name from behind us. We turned to find one of my fellow Angels in the doorway, a large smile on her pretty face.

“Hey Romee,” I said, turning my body to face her more fully, “what’s up?”

She held her empty cup as she moved further into the kitchen, “Just needed a refill.”

I nodded, but didn’t say anything as I watched her mix a drink. Romee was a relatively new Angel too, having been added just two years before me, but we weren’t close. Ever since I had been announced as the newest Angel she had been cordial, but somewhat cold. I had tried to show her that I wasn’t there to replace her, but it didn’t matter, we would never be friends.

“So,” Romee said after taking a sip of her freshly made drink, “are you going to introduce me to your friend?”

I fought the urge to role my eyes, unsurprised by her request. It was no secret that I grew up with Harry, and it would be obvious to anyone who had seen us together tonight that we were close. It was also obvious that Harry was a very handsome, very eligible young man, so of course Romee wanted the chance to properly flirt with him.

“Harry, this is Romee Strijd,” I said, “and Romee, this is Harry Styles.”

Romee smiled as she extended her hand out to Harry, “It’s nice to meet you, Harry.”

“You too, love,” Harry answered, giving her a charming smile as he bowed slightly to kiss her hand.

She giggled and twirled a strand of hair around her finger, “Wow, what a gentleman. Where have you been all night?”

This time I did roll my eyes, taking a giant swig of my drink as Harry answered, “Oh you know, just looking for an angel.”

Romee smirked, taking a step forward so she could rest her hand on his chest, “Well lucky you, you found one.”

Jealousy reared its ugly head in my chest, flooding my body with heat and urging me to grab that bitch by the hair and haul her away from my man. But then Harry shot me a look over her shoulder that calmed me down. His eyes were playful, telling me that he knew what she was doing, and he wouldn’t fall for it.

“You’re right,” Harry said, smiling and stepping around her so he could wrap an arm around my shoulder, “and she’s right here.”

A smug smile slipped onto my features as Harry pressed a kiss to the side of my head, and Romee’s eyes narrowed in annoyance. She definitely wasn’t expecting that.

“I see,” Romee said, her features relaxing into an obviously fake smile, “you’ve stumbled across the newest addition to our ranks.”

“I wouldn’t say stumbled, more like finally found what I’ve been searching for,” Harry answered without taking his eyes off of me.

I smiled up at him and laughed when Romee just huffed and walked away.

Harry made a face at me, “Oops, did I just get you in trouble?”

I shrugged and turned so that I could wrap both hands around his waste, “I don’t care. The look on her face was worth it.”

He chuckled, leaning down to bump his nose against mine, “It was pretty great, wasn’t it?”

I scrunched my nose up and nodded. It was great to see him chose me over Romee. It was even better to hear that he had been searching for me. He may have thought I’d given up on him, but he hadn’t given up on me.

“So,” I started, my tone teasing, “you’ve been searching for me?”

Harry blushed but didn’t deny it, instead closing to tuck a piece of hair that had fallen from its place back behind my ear.

When he didn’t answer, I chose to keep teasing him, “So what is it about me exactly that you’ve missed enough to search for me?”

He rolled his eyes, “Definitely not how much you love teasing me.”

“Hey!” I protested, smacking his chest with my hand, “You like it when I tease. It means I’m giving you attention.”

“I guess that is true,” he conceded with a smile.

“You still haven’t answered.”

Harry sighed and looked up at the ceiling, “Well, let’s see. Your smile…” He paused to trace my lips with his thumb, “your laugh…” This time he tickled my sides, causing me to giggle, “your voice…” He paused again, a smirk tugging at his lips, distracting me from the path his hands were taking, “your ass.”

With that he smacked my ass causing me to screech out his name. He just laughed, letting me slip out of his arms as I pushed away.

“Harry Styles,” I said, hands on my hips and a stern expression on my face, “just what do you think you’re doing?”

He shrugged, still smirking as he took a step toward me, “Just answering your question, angel.”

I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest, “I was giving you the opportunity to be sweet but you ruined it.”

“C’m on angel, you know I’m just a dirty boy at heart,” he said innocently, still advancing toward me, “I can’t help it.”

Rolling my eyes, I took a step back, trying to keep distance between us. I knew from experience that we were treading in dangerous waters, and keeping our distance was probably the best option. Unfortunately for me, the kitchen didn’t agree, and the next time Harry took a step forward, my back made contact with the other counter.

“Shit,” I breathed as Harry crowded into my space, securing his hands on the counter on either side of me.

“You’re mine now,” he growled playfully, face only a hair’s width away from mine.

“Oh ya?” I asked, my eyes glued to his lips, “and what are you going to do with me?”

“‘m gonna kiss you,” he breathed.

He waited only a second to make sure I wasn’t going to protest before closing the distance between us. Our lips crashed together, each of us pouring years of pent up emotions into the kiss. Without missing a beat, I opened my mouth for him as I ran my hands up his chest to tangle my fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck. Harry moaned lowly when I gave a sharp tug, chasing me to grin into the kiss. This only spurred him on more, as he pushed himself against me harder and deepened the kiss.

I moaned when Harry bit my lip, and he responded by grabbing my hips and lifting me onto the counter. My legs parted for him naturally as he slotted himself between them. Now that I could feel his hardening member pressed up against me, I couldn’t stop my hands from wandering down. Panting against Harry’s lips, I stroked his clothed member once before gripping it tightly. He moaned again, this time louder than before, stoking the fire inside me. Matching his moan with a small whimper of my own, my hands scrambled for the button of his pants.

“Angel,” Harry moaned, his voice sounding pained.

“Harry,” I answered back with determination as my fingers finally managed to pop open his button.

“Angel, wait,” he said more forcefully this time, covering my hands with his own and stopping me from unzipping his zipper.”

“Why?” I whine, still trying to accomplish my goal.

Harry chuckled lowly but didn’t move his hands, “Angel, we can’t do this here.”

Frowning, I looked up at him with pouty eyes, “Why not?”

“Y/N,” he raised a brow and took a step back, “I really don’t think you want to risk someone walking in on us.”

With that minuscule distance, the lustful haze lifted from my mind just enough for me to remember where we were. My eyes widened comically and I cursed, causing Harry to laugh.

“That’s what I thought,” he chuckled, buttoning his pants.

“I can’t believe I almost fucked you in the kitchen of a house where there are at least a hundred people partying,” I blinked, still a little dazed from that kiss.

“Me neither,” Harry said, clearly amused as he helped me down from the counter and covered me while I fixed my dress, “I would never expect such deviant behavior from my angel.”

I rolled my eyes and slapped his chest, now fully back to reality, “Shut up! It’s not my fault I got carried away. I haven’t been fucked in five years.”

“Wait, what?” Harry stopped, eyes wide at my admission, “You haven’t had sex in five years?”

I blushed, but nodded, “Not since the last time with you.”

“Why not?”

I blushed even harder, “No one ever came close enough to you to catch my attention.”

“Is that right?” Harry asked with a smug expression, gathering me back into his arms.

I rolled my eyes, “Well that and the fact that I was always too busy to really look.”

“Well it sounds like you, my angel, are in need of a good fucking.”

I scrunched up my nose at his crude way of putting it, but didn’t bother denying it. Instead I said, “Think you could help me out with that?”

Harry grinned, lust lighting up his eyes, “It would be my pleasure.”

#harry styles #harry styles x reader #harry styles x y/n #x reader #x y/n #ex!harry styles #ex!harry styles x reader #reader insert #harry styles fanfic #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles smut #harry styles x reader smut #angel #part 4 #multipart #resolved angst

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aestheticaxolotl · 3 years

Text

Lets Talk About Mimebomb

I used two images here because both are priceless and I didn’t know which I wanted to use more. Let me start with Mimebomb, using the Carmen Sandiego Wiki to break them (mimebomb is non binary fight me) down as a whole, starting with appearance and personality (Excluding the comments around his action in the show, please bear with me once more as I do this).

Mime Bomb is a thin, red-haired young man (*Cough*) who looks like a stereotypical mime. He (*They*) wears a grey and black striped shirt, black beret, white gloves, black spandex and black shoes. His (*Their*) makeup consists of white face paint, black face paint around the eyes and on the brows, and a light red shade of lipstick.

So I wanna talk about Mimebomb without their makeup first. We see that they are not meant to be an attractive character, and I appreciate that Carmen Sandiego created characters like that. But I digress, red headed males are stereotypically either super hot or super not. And they really tried to go with super not. But failed because I love them anyway and so does most of the fandom. Now, the mime get up is a very strange choice to me, seeing as people are more scared of clowns than global warming, and mimes are very similar to clown, but I don’t think it’s a fear tactic. But more of a ‘hey even Mimes can be cool yall’.

For personality we do not have a lot to go on as some of the other but we still have SOMETHING, I was forced to reference the books for this so please, if you have no read “Clue by Clue”, check it out.

Mime Bomb has been described as quiet by El Topo and weird by Tigress. Mime Bomb is seen as an opportunist, immediately tattling to V.I.L.E Faculty when witnessing Carmen stowing away on the graduate mission during her holdover year, and secretly hiding a rare stamp in Detective Chase Devineaux's coat when he was on to him. In the Clue by Clue novel, Mime Bomb is said to be skilled in symbiology and cryptanalysis according to Professor Maelstrom. He is also prone to avoiding fights or physical contact when possible. When fighting Sheena in the Who in the World is Carmen Sandiego novel, she easily beats him while he is distracted. When offered a helping hand to his feet by Black Sheep, he declines with a shrug and silent nod. In Clue by Clue, when Le Chèvre and Tigress are fighting Carmen, he stands off in the sidelines and shadowboxes rather than assisting.

Now, let us begin on what I have brought to the table.

Mime Bomb is seen as an opportunist

I have to begin by defining the term ‘Opportunistic’ using the Webster's Dictionary, Opportunistic meaning “exploiting chances offered by immediate circumstances without reference to a general plan or moral principle”. And dumbing it down for myself “They take what is best for theirself rather than the people around them.” Right, so. Mimebomb being opportunistic is CANON and shown MANY times. I will draw your attention to every time Mimebomb has turned Carmen or who ever into the Faculty for not following the rules. I would have loved to stated that this is a ‘teacher pet’ thing but I was surprised when I realized it wasn’t. The Faculty really doesn’t like Mimebomb and are very sarcastic towards them, constantly underestimating them and using them as the butt of the joke! And yet we see them completing missions successfully and with finesse, other messing up the mission they set up so carefully and thoughtfully.

Mime Bomb is said to be skilled in symbology and cryptanalysis

Cryptanalysis is the art or process of deciphering coded messages without being told the key. While Symbology is the study or use of symbols. This is very telling. Mimebomb studying codes and symbols can allude to selective mutism or even mutism. Personally, I prefer the former, Selective mutism is a childhood disorder in which a child does not speak in some social situations although he or she is able to talk normally at other times. And this can form in adults too. But the implications that they let if form how they preformed in school/college? Amazing, they made a choice and stuck to it for SUCH a LONG time. That commitment is amazing. This is also useful to more historical based mission or where it may lead into hieroglyph or other symbols. I’m willing to wager that these talents are why DOCTOR BELLUM brought Mimebomb on the hunt for an artifact. Because they would know some of the writing and symbols.

He is also prone to avoiding fights or physical contact when possible

Mimebomb being physically weak is not an accidental detail. Far from it! I think addressing that a male character who is more brains than brawn is a detail that needs to be pushed, and as off as Mimebomb is, they are the perfect example of this. They are not masculine and are easily taken down by Young Blacksheep, Chase, and other characters. Mind you it’s halariauous but PLEASE- You are KILLING their JOINTS. I have a feeling the avoiding physical contact is a very... Self protecting action that I feel would have to be more touched on in a headcanon post rather than an analysis post. The best I can come up with is the speculation that Mimebomb refuses to let people become close to them.

When offered a helping hand to his feet by Black Sheep, he declines with a shrug and silent nod

This, this the most telling thing EVER. Mimebomb refuses a helping hand. They do not work well with others and when they are offered help, the refuse it. They have a self serving bias. A self-serving bias is any cognitive or perceptual process that is distorted by the need to maintain and enhance self-esteem, or the tendency to perceive oneself in an overly favorable manner. It is the belief that individuals tend to ascribe success to their own abilities and efforts, but ascribe failure to external factors. When individuals reject the validity of negative feedback, focus on their strengths and achievements but overlook their faults and failures, or take more credit for their group's work than they give to other members, they are protecting their ego from threat and injury. Mimebomb protects themself at all cost, and that makes me wonder, why? Because they know that they can’t accept others help or their comforts. And they are fine with it. They are okay with being alone.

he stands off in the sidelines and shadowboxes rather than assisting.

I feel like this was originally supposed to be a one off joke rather than an actual trait or habit. But... If you know me by now, I can twist this on it’s head so fast, it’s not even funny. But I can’t here, I can’t except maybe they do this to encourage others? I think when they do work in a team, they do try their best to support who they are working with unless its an annoying slime ball like Neal the Eel (Not hating on Slimebomb, I just noticed they work better as comical enemies rather than a relationship, and i love that)

Now, there was no abilities category in the wiki, and I found this interesting, so i drew from the Trivia section of the page and found out... A lot really, that is interesting. But only one of them made and impression on me and it’s the one I want to focus on for a paragraph or two.

Mime Bomb is actually classified by A.C.M.E. as insane; given he is locked up with Maelstrom in a loony bin. considering he NEVER speaks (by choice), makes sense.

I’m going to take a second to define the term “Insane” using “Wikipedia” rather than a dictionary. “ Insanity, madness, and craziness are terms that describe a spectrum of individual and group behaviors that are characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns.” Hmm....What abnormal pattern are we looking at here. Selective Mutism. The mime outfit doesn’t help. I’ll make note that the official wiki says it’s choice that Mimebomb doesn’t speak, but doesn’t give us a reason why, speculation and theories are in store here and I will reference my V.I.L.E Operative headcanons.

In the end, Mimebomb was and still is one of my favorite characters in the whole freaking show. I enjoyed ever second of them on screen, every caper and ever wacky highjinx. I’d watch the whole show again just to see them being the awesome character they are. As usual, requests are open and please! I love when requests come in! Stay tuned for the next one y’all!!

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littlegrrl7 · 3 years

Text

A Dance for Three

Ikemen Vampire Big Bang 2021

Pairing: Comte/Leonardo/MC

Smut with plot 18+ NSFW

Masterlist for 7 chapters 17k words

read on Ao3

Chapter 3- An Unexpected View

It was nearing sunset when the carriage rattled into the mansion’s circular drive. Comte stepped from the house, opening the carriage door as it came to a rolling stop. Immediately, he noticed Leonardo’s absence and Niamh’s tight expression. Internally, he sighed.

He had seen the longing looks between the two of them over the last few months; a tension building. He had hoped putting them together on a day trip might ease some of that.

Who was he kidding? He wanted them both in his bed.

“Ma chérie, I missed you. Tell me, how was Paris today?” He offered his hand to help her out, and she took it with a gracious nod. His lips brushed first over her silk gloved knuckles, then moved to grace her cheek, then finally found her lips. Leonardo’s scent wafted through his senses. Niamh tasted of him. Comte lingered, pressing his mouth to hers, indulging in the sensation until the carriage driver cleared his throat. With a rueful grin, Comte paid him, then swept her inside.

“Where is Leonardo?” He handed her wrap to Sebastian, then walked with her up the grand staircase into the main hall.

He missed the large man, his warm comfort, the roughness of his cheek, the way he would moan as Comte’s cock filled him. Their friendship was still intact, but remorse and loss flavored it bitterly. Comte desired that erased.

“He decided to stay in Paris.” Niamh shrugged.

“Did you have a good day with him?” Comte closed the door to their room. Turning her gently, he began to unfasten the long lacings on her bodice. Niamh took in a deep breath as the restrictive garment loosened. Comte leaned in again, his mouth on her shoulder, tongue lapping the salt of her skin. He breathed in that heady mix of sweet clove cigarillos and musk that clung to her. Hells, that brought back memories of lazy afternoons exploring every bit of the large man’s body until Leo was a quivering, passionate mess. Comte’s balls tightened at the thought. He loved Niamh, she was the sassy sweetness in his every day, but oh, he did miss that masculine element.

“It was nice enough; it would have been better if you were there,” she sighed as he set the bodice aside and removed the corsetry. Comte’s hands cupped her breasts as he freed them, his lips caressing her neck, then nuzzled the soft skin below her ear. The sweetness of her scent was there, lilacs and fresh linens mixed with a tinge of salty arousal. He breathed in deeper. She smelled as if she had been aroused most of the day, it simmered, waiting.

“So, you did miss me?” He slid off her skirts, leaving them to pool on the floor. The sweet, enticing scent of Leonardo on her skin, in her hair, mixing with the smell of her. It was attractive, that combination of savory masculine and delicate feminine driving him to a distracted state, almost like the ghost of him was here. He untied her chemise, slipping it from her shoulders, taking one cherry pink nipple into his mouth.

“Yes, I…Comte!” She gasped, and he grinned against her flesh.

“I can’t help myself, your scent is that alluring.” He lifted her from the pool of her skirts and laid her out on their bed, naked - except for her elegant silk stockings. God, he loved seeing her wearing just stockings and jewelry, all gifted from him. Niamh was a most exquisite woman. It was no wonder she had captured his heart the first time they met. Her fingers went to his belt, but he stepped back to gaze down at her. “Do you know how beautiful you are, how you drive me to madness with how much I desire you?”

Niamh blushed. A year and she had yet to become immune to his bold proclamations. She watched as he slowly removed his clothing, making a show of it just for her. His jacket he laid folded on the chair, his tie was next, unknotted, then laid on his coat. He watched her breasts heave with every breath as he unbuttoned his shirt. His lithe muscles flexed as he pulled the shirt off. Her eyes traveled down his body, making his cock pulse against the confines of his trousers.

Niamh licked her lips as she watched him remove his pants, finishing the show. His hand moved down to stroke himself once…twice, his manhood jutting proudly upward. She crooked her finger, beckoning him closer.

“Did you miss me that much?” Niamh whispered as he lingered above her. His finger stroked up the silk covering her legs, then fingered the delicate lace at her thighs. Comte swept her long hair over the pillows, pressing her down into the softness of their bed.

“I miss you every moment you are not by my side.” He traced the love bite he had left by her nipple, a mark where only his gaze would see it. While he had healed her neck, that mark remained, a symbol she was his. Comte pressed a kiss over the mark, sending a wave of heat to her loins. Niamh closed her eyes, her back arching. He flicked his hot tongue over her nipple, then sucked, sending a tingle of desire through her.

Niamh took a deep breath, Comte’s scent of polished leather and black tea mingled with Leonardo's fading smell still clinging to her flesh. She remembered Leo’s lips on hers, that almost painful rush of heat.

Almost hesitantly, she closed her eyes, imagining Leonardo there with them, his lips pressed to hers, his hand on her other breast, feeling the hot wetness of Comte’s mouth and the roughness of Leonardo’s hand. The two of them making love to her, it wasn’t the first time she had such fantasies.

Comte’s body moved over hers with undeniable hunger. His lips claimed hers again, muffling her soft cry as he slid his firm cock into her, filling and stretching her as her nails dug into his shoulders. Her mouth open, gasping. She wondered what it would be like to have Leonardo in her mouth while Comte made love to her. To close her lips over his thrusting girth.

Comte groaned as Niamh gushed hotly over his cock, gripping him like a glove. A few more thrusts and she was coming around him. He let her cries echo the room, enjoying the sweet noise of her pleasure.

His fangs lightly traced her throat then slipped in, sending her spiraling into the erotic haze his bite induced. Niamh imagined them both drinking from her, to have two sets of lips, caressing her flesh, fangs simultaneously piercing it. To have the roughness of Leonardo’s hands stroking her at the same time as Comte's refined smoothness. She moaned as she felt Comte pump into her. Her orgasm from his bite pulled him into his own completion. Her fantasy continued as she drifted on the sensual post-coital haze.

“We need to talk.”

The late morning light streamed through the balcony doors onto Comte’s desk. His honey-blond hair caught the sunlight, making him appear almost angelic.

But no, Leonardo shook his head angrily, he was the devil.

He slammed the door so hard it bounced on its frame, leaving it open a crack. Anger boiled in his chest, an outrage not even roaming the streets of Paris all night had quelled.

Comte looked up, startled, “Is there a problem, my friend?”

“Why did you send Niamh into Paris with me yesterday?” Leonardo clenched his teeth as he came around the large desk. Comte stood, retreating until his back pressed to the marble front of the fireplace.

“I thought you would enjoy her company. You’ve spent a lot of time alone lately.” His gentleman’s façade had already replaced his startled expression. “You used to do things together all the time, I know you enjoyed being with her.”

Leonardo’s gut twisted in pain, “You know why I let her go.”

“While I don’t agree with it, I do.” Comte straightened, trying to get a read on Leonardo’s emotions.

“Niamh is your lover now, why would you dangle that temptation in front of me?”

“I apologize, Leo,” Comte’s voice softened, “I thought you wished to continue your friendship with her.”

“I-“ the large man swallowed hard, raking a hand through his ash-brown hair, “Never thought she would stay in this time, Comte. It’s been-“ He ground to a halt again, “Scusa, I should go.”

“Leo, I see how you look at her. How she looks at you. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?” Comte kept his voice achingly soft.

“When she stayed, I lost you as well,” Leonardo hissed out, his jaw clenched.

“You always kept things casual between us; you were adamant about that point.” Comte cupped Leo’s jaw, his thumb stroking the tension from it. “Even when I wanted something more from you.”

“I was the one that turned it down,” his voice was heavy with regret. Leonardo framed Comte in his arms against the mantle, his golden body exquisitely lithe against the white marble fireplace. “I was mistaken, I miss us.”

“What would you like to do about that now?” Comte’s fingers slid up into the taller man’s hair, drawing him in. His tongue glided over his lower lip, wetting it. Leonardo groaned almost in pain and then crushed his lips down onto Comte’s, his hand lifted from the cool marble to stroke the warmth of his throat, loosening his tie. Deft fingers unbuttoned his shirt. Leonardo’s lips traveled along the smooth-shaven lines of his jaw to place a tender kiss behind his ear. Then lower to suck and tease the sensitive skin of his neck.

Comte moaned, his eyes closing. Feeling the roughness of Leonardo’s cheek against his throat, the firmness of his chest. His senses became enveloped in his spicy, aromatic scent. Another button was undone, and Leo’s hand was inside his shirt, stroking his chest. The heat of his body washing over him. Lower and he felt Leo’s fangs tracing his flesh, teasing the faintest promise of sexual satiation.

A gasp at the door had his amber eyes fly open wide.

Niamh was drawn down the hall by a harsh bang followed by angry words; she carried an armload of fresh linens with her. Peering through the crack in Comte’s door, she was startled to see the two men, not in a heated argument but entwined in a passionate kiss.

Jealousy battled with lust as she watched Leonardo claim her lover’s lips. Comte’s hands stroked up his broad shoulders then were in his hair in such a familiar way she knew this wasn’t anything new. At his moan, her body grew surprisingly wet and clenching. Niamh took a step back, she shouldn’t be watching this, then a step forward. Dammit, Comte was hers, how dare Leonardo put the moves on him?

Leo’s kiss from yesterday still burned her lips…

And she had slapped him and left.

Niamh’s eyes riveted to the lines of the large man’s back as he moved over Comte, undressing him. Had they been lovers? Were they still? What game was Comte playing with her that he had never mentioned this? A fury started to build even as she clenched low at another hedonistic moan.

Leonardo had Comte’s shirt open now, displaying the lithe lines of muscle. His fangs lengthened, dragging over her lover’s chest.

She gasped.

Amber eyes flew open, pinning into hers.

Niamh fled, clutching the linens to her chest, the sharp sting of tears in her eyes.

How could he? Did he know about the kiss yesterday? Would Leo have told him? Certainly, that wasn’t the response she would have expected. She stopped inside the walk-in linen closet throwing the sheets onto a shelf, then turned to slam the door.

“Niamh,” Comte stood in the doorway, “may I speak to you a moment?”

“I’m very busy right now, Comte.” She brushed past him. How do you even confront someone with that? She didn’t realize he was interested in men; she should have, though, considering he has a mansion full of them. A strangled sob slipped past her lips.

“Mon cœur, please stop.” He was in front of her again, somehow. His hands gently on her arms.

“Comte, I can’t, Sebastian is expecting me in the kitchens to serve lunch.” She turned her back on him, trying to control her rapidly accelerating breath.

I will not cry. I will not cry. I will not cry.

“I understand, after lunch, would you please come to see me?” He cupped Niamh’s jaw, turning her toward him. His lips were still pinked and full; she could see the scrape of reddened skin where Leo’s rough cheek had brushed his neck. She took a breath, and then another, squaring off her shoulders. Slowly, Niamh reached forward, buttoning his shirt.

“Why did you send me out with Leonardo yesterday? Comte, what are you playing at? Can you give me a reason that we both have kissed him in the last day?” She knotted his tie, snugging it up deftly to his collar. “Did you plan this, my love?”

Her lips twisted with guilt and anger. Why place her in a situation like that? Was it a test of her faithfulness? Well, she’d certainly failed, but then what was that between him and Leo?

“Please, come talk to me after you finish serving lunch.” Comte tried to embrace her, but she twisted away. Her fingers nudged his tie uncomfortably tight against his throat.

“I need some time, Comte.” Niamh’s hands left him, “I’ll speak to you when I’m ready.”

#ikevampbigbang #comte de saint germain #leonardo da vinci #ikeman vampire

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becamitchellsbeats · 4 years

Text

Bechloe - Skype Night

Inspired by the Bellas performance of Love On Top!

Beca is isolating alone and is missing the Bellas more than she cares to admit. One skype call and a spontaneous burst into a song later and everything changes.Might continue it so lemme know your thoughts!]

Beca's music career had been put on a temporary hold as she was made to isolate at home, her hand wrestling to the bottom of yet another chips packet as she flicked through the TV channel for the 17th time. "Well this officially sucks" she groaned to herself, tucking her legs in closer as she eyed a photo frame on the TV cabinet, it was the Bellas graduation photo, looking back at it she wished she smiled more for the photo, she looked so grumpy, especially when compared to Chloe who her eyes focusing on Chloe in particular.

Beca hadn't seen Chloe in around 2 months which felt like agony seeing as she was used to seeing her daily, not that she'd ever admit it. The emptiness of her apartment was also driving her insane, she was in a position of wanting company but not wanting to ask for it, especially considering it had bizarrely became against the law for the time being, something she never could of seen coming.

See, everything went to crap when the Bellas graduated, a virus had taken the globe by storm, and university life had changed drastically, Beca was glad they had graduated before all the changes but it now meant she was isolating alone.

Fat Amy, who said she'd be Beca's 'roomie for life' received a 'dodgy' lump sum from her father so of course she was off living in a massive house somewhere and Chloe, who was her other potential roommate had gone and got herself stranded abroad whilst helping out at a vet overseas to gain more exotic animal experience.

Beca reluctantly removed herself from the sofa, dragging her feet across the wooden flooring as she made her way into the bathroom. She stared at herself in her mirror, her bottom lip tugging as she winced at the sight. Hair tangled, Cheetos dust staining her once white t-shirt and chipped black nail paint.

Tired eyes looked her reflection up and down, her hand lazily hitting the nozzle on the taps splashing herself with some cold water. "Okay Mitchell, you need to sort yourself out jeez" she said whilst waving her finger at herself in the mirror, pointing at herself somewhat sternly, then lightly smirking at herself for her own weird behavior. "I'm officially losing it" she admitted.

Feeling motivated to freshen herself up Beca jumped in the shower, warm water running down her body as she collected her thoughts. Stepping out the shower and feeling immediate regret as the cold air wrapped itself around her body, she shuddered, eagerly grasping for her towel as her wet hair now covered her eyes. She huffed, trying to blow the clingy wet hair off her lips as she blindly reached for her hair brush. Groans filled the bathroom as her hairbrush tore through the knots in her hair, her eyes watering from some particularly painful knots.

Fully clothed and nails now painted Beca had just finished on putting on her signature eyeliner. She sat in her bedroom, that was surprisingly still tidy, but that was because she had barely managed to remove herself from the sofa. She rarely socialized nowadays, other than her occasional skype calls with the group, but she always felt funny about joining calls, she was a bit awkward about having her webcam on and well, all of them insisted they have them on so she'd often opt out.

Beca however was eager to speak to Chloe, which was hard to do as she was a key worker at the vet she was helping out at abroad, with time zones and Chloe's long hours she was often exhausted so she rarely had the time and Beca felt weird reaching out to the others, she refused to come across as clingy but secretly felt sad whenever they left their skype calls. She even felt disappointed when Jessica left her.

Her hand moved to flip open her laptop lid as she adjusted her hair once more "I'll just call her, she'll be home" she mumbled to herself as her mouse hovered over the call button on Chloe's contact.

"Why do I feel so damn nervous" she said fidgeting as she stared at her username "Okay after 3, i'll click the damn call button" she moved her mouse up once more as she counted to three, pressing down on the green button as her own video filled the screen whilst a ringing noise echoed out her laptop speakers.

"Man I hate staring at myself like this" she muttered as the whole screen was filled by her camera.

A red circle, with a hang-up symbol filled the screen. Beca's heart sank. "Bad timing?" she wondered.

_______________________________________________

Chloe's heart raced with excitement when Beca called. She was getting worried about her since she had been so far away, she would often flood her with texts making sure she was eating and drinking enough. She knew Beca was down about not being able to carry out with her record label work and she wanted nothing more than to be there with her, but she knew she'd been neglecting Beca lately, she just didn't have the time and the time gap only worsened things.

"You guys Beca is calling give me a second I'll add her!"

DontBelieveInLadders: [Quick AMBUSH her!]

________________________________________________

Chloe's icon flashed up on Beca's screen it was her wearing sunglasses cuddling a baby fox, a new photo it seemed. Beca now focused her attention on her laptop that was now ringing as it flashed up "Chloe Beale + 8 others" "Group call?" Beca wondered as she clicked the green phone icon.

"BECAAAA!" the group greeted in unison. "Oh sweetie you look so good!" Chloe said with a grin who was also visible on her webcam "And you've got your camera on! I'm so glad" she said excitedly."Someone made an effort" Fat Amy teased, taking notice of Beca's stylish yet casual appearance.

Beca looked away from her camera awkwardly "What? I always get ready pfft"

"You literally have no where to go" Fat Amy responded in a pitchy yet blunt tone "But thats okay Beca, self-care is important and Impress-Chloe-Care even more so"

Beca rolled her eyes "How long you guys been on a call for anyways?" her hands fidgeting with the items on her desk, just out of shot of her camera.

FlippingThroughBorders: {Oh we just started} Flo typed on the message box below

DontBelieveInLadders: {We're still waiting for Stacie and still setting up bits} commented Aubrey as she rustled around in the background for her physical webcam to plug in.

_______________________________________________

Stacie laid in bed, browsing memes on her phone, her attention was diverted when Emily's text popped up {Heeeey hurry up and join the group skype call!} Stacie dangled over her bed and grabbed her laptop from underneath her set of bedside draws. She blew the dust off the top of it and opened it up "I've not used this bad boy in a while" she said as she turned it on, the battery flashing orange from where it was getting low.

As she opened up her search engine it flashed up with her old google tabs, an explicit site was restored and automatically started playing the last video she was watching. Stacie's eyes widened "Well that's quite the greeting," her eyes bulging as she looked the model in the video up and down before shaking her head and closing the tab. "Now is not the time for that" she laughed to herself as she launched skype and joined the chat.

"Hey you guuuuuys" she greeted with a toothy grin. The Bellas greeted their soprano cheerfully., Stacie's eyes focused on Beca "Look who finally learned that isolation doesn't mean isolating from virtual calls!"

Beca rolled her eyes again "I join in!""Occasionally" Emily countered."Or when Chloe is in the chat" Fat Amy coughed

"Aw poor Beca" Flo said into the mic now she had got it set up.

Beca began snapping her fingers rhythmically, gaining even more attention from the group. "I'm not doing this with you guys"

"Ba bah bah ba, ba" Beca hummed trying to drown them out

"What is she doing?" asked Emily"Ba ba bah da..." Beca continued "is that?" Aubrey raised an eyebrow "I recognize that arrangement, is that, Queen B?" Aubrey said enthusiastically as she leaned forward in her seat.

"Oh my god you guys are we going to sing?" Chloe said excitedly clasping her hands together as she bounced in her seat.

"Aw yeah!! lets sing together tonight you guys" Emily beamed"Okay legacy calm down don't ruin it before we've begun" Amy groaned.

The Bellas began snapping their fingers and harmonizing as they began to develop more of a beat for the song Beca was starting off.

"Here we go" said Fat Amy as the beat had been accomplished. A grin slowly tugged at Stacie's face as Lily began beatboxing. "i'll bring owowowo beat in"

Beca glanced away shyly as she sang into her microphone.‎"Honey, Honeyyy, I can see the stars, all the waaaay from here, can't you see the glow on the--"

"windowpane" the girls harmonized in unison

"I can feel the sun, whenever you're near, everytime you touch me I just melt away" Beca's eyes glanced at Chloe occasionally as she continued singing.

Fat Amy then jumped in with a solo "Everybody asking why i'm smiling now from ear to eaaaarr!" ("You can say love hurts") "Well I knooooooow-OHHH" ("It's gonna take a little work") Fat Amy said raising her fist passionately.

"Nothings perfect but its worth it, after fighting through my tears!" Stacie sang strongly

"And finally you put me first!" (dah-dah) the Bellas all sang in unison

The Bellas danced together, doing hand gestures and performing together in perfect harmony. As the song continued Beca felt herself feeling more confident again, her heart feeling full as it felt like everyone was finally with her again.Her eyes closing as she found herself getting lost in the moment.

"Chloe its you, you're the one I love, you're the one I need!"

"You're the only one I see, C'mon Chloe its yoooooou"

Beca blurted out raising the octvave as they were reaching the end of the song "you're the one who gives your all, you're the one I can always call!" the girls continued the beat but stared at her. This was the version Beca would sing on her own, as she often would change song lyrics to fit how she felt.

"When I need to make everything stop, finally you put my love on top"

Chloe paused for a moment, failing to continue singing as her mind tried to grasp the lyrics that had just left Beca's mouth, her face reddening with slight tinges as started singing through her smile and teary eyes.

Being a supportive team the girls continued to hold off on teasing her, after all it was one of the Bellas standards not to let distractions interrupt a performance. Fat Amy couldn't help but smirk as she sang, she was itching to tease Beca.

The DJ was in her own world, snapping and swaying in her seat, singing with her eyes closed she hadn't even realised what she had said untilt he girls changed the lyrics themselves.

"Oh Baby I can feel the wind whipping past my faaaace" Beca sang

"As we dance the night awaaaay" the girls harmonized.

"And girl your look it tastes like a night of champagne" (oooh) Chloe sang solo

"As I kiss you again and again and again and again" Aubrey chimed in.

As the song continued the girls began grinning, looking over at Chloe and Beca, then back to eachother as they all nodded, clearly on the same wavelength as the song progressed.

"CHLOE ,its yoooou" they sang raising the octave.

"you're the one Bec loves! you're the one Bec neeeeeeeeds"

"WAIT, GUYS" Beca yelled as her face went a shade of red she had never gone before.

"You're the only one she sees! c'mon Chloe its yoooou, you're the one who gives your all, your the one Bec can always call, when she needs you everything you DROP, finally! you say your love out loud"

"Baby, you're the one that I love, you're the only one that I need!" Chloe sang loudly with a cheeky wink as Jessica and Ashley dominated the top notes.

"C'mon Beca its yoooooou" the Bellas sang in harmony

"When I need you everything stops, finally you put my love on top" the group then faded out to a stop.

The girls all cheered and celebrated as they finished the spontaneous arrangement of love on top. "Crushed it" Amy said with a fist bump.

Beca had already retreated behind her hands, wishing nothing more than to have a wheelie-chair so she could move herself off screen with speed.

"So Beca, remember the last time at the ICCAS when you changed the lyrics, well this was certainly distracting but, it kinda sounded like a confession" Aubrey teased.

"Hmm, thats so ODD Aubrey, I TO was thinking that sounded like a confession to me"

"I mean I got ripped a new one for performing an orginal song at that riff off, but to lyric change Beyonce, you're bold Mitchell" Emily joked.

"Aw don't tease her guys, shes drowning, although Beca, you should know, I've experienced drowning for real,so this is better" Flo joined in.

"There was no hiding that Becs, surprised you didn't notice!" Stacie grinned

Beca groaned "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, I hate you" she said behind the safety of her hands.

"Well duh, it wasn't my name you sang the word 'LOVE' next too, quarantines got you all soft huh" Stacie couldn't help but tease.

Beca slowly dragged her hands down her face, peering out from the tips of her fingertips. "It was that obvious huh... guess thats what happens when I have the place to myself to sing the wrong damn version."

Chloe cleared her throat "Well I for one found that really sweet Becs" she said with a smile that met her eyes as her hand rested on her chest "Honestly my heart is pounding! its a good thing I know how to do CPR well on animals but, y'know" she fanned herself with her hand feeling flustered.

"Yeah um that wouldn't work Chloe, you can't do CPR on yourself" Fat Amy said shaking her head.

"I-I know that its just" Chloe went red "I just--" she threw her hands up in the air "Oof just get over her and kiss me Mitchell, screw this virus, lets just isolate together"

Beca looked up "Man this is so embarrassing this wasn't meant to come out like this and--"

"I'm glad honestly!" Chloe said with a grin "it just makes being a part from you even harder" she whined.

"I just wish you weren't so many miles away" Beca groaned

"Y'all need a ride because I can fly a plane, I just ain't got no licence officially at least" Cynthia Rose commented with a slow nod. "If you know what I mean" she said clicking her tongue.

"Thats so sweet of you but highly illegal, the Bellas have been in enough trouble in the news so we better do things legally this time, ahem, that goes to you too Amy" Chloe said suspiciously looking over at Amy who had moved off camera.

"Whaaaaat" Amy groaned "Its not like I was up to anything suspicious on a dodgey website just now"

"C'mon ladies lets give these two lovebirds some space and go gossip in another chat!" said Emily as the Bellas all began to retreat from the call so only Beca and Chloe remained.

Chloe placed her hand on the screen "Can't believe i'm only saying this now after like what, three years but, I love you Beca"

"I love you too Chlo"

- End of part -

#Bechloe #BecaXChloe #Chloe Beale #Beca Mitchell #Stacie Conrad #Emily Junk #Cynthia Rose #Flo #Pitch Perfect #Love On Top #Bechloe Back To You #Fat Amy #Aubrey Posen #Barden Bellas #Bechloe fic

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makeste · 4 years

Text

not a cavalcade of Katsuki panels

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

why I like it: they did great.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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skylights2000 · 3 years

Text

Blush (Kazuichi x Fem! Reader) Part 1

This is my first story with a Female Reader, but if you guys don’t like it that way, I can rework it to make the reader Genderneutral. Let me know what you think 💜

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

Kazuichi had only agreed to this stupid ritual because Sonia asked him, and Miu said she’d drag him here herself if he didn’t show up.

He’d gone through the motions, trying his best not to panic, but that all went out the window when the lights above their heads burst, showering, Miu, Sonia, Gundham, and him with sparks.

He stood there, frozen in horror, as smoke swirled from the center of the salt circle they’d made. A figure slowly appeared as the mist began to vanish. The lights flickered back on, and standing in the middle of the circle was what appeared to be a woman.

She was wearing a dark purple t-shirt and black jeans. She would look like a regular person if it weren’t for the dark spirals that curled up her arms, and the pair of curled, dark purple horns that protruded from her head.

She looked around the room before her eyes settled on him. She moved silently and at a speed his eyes couldn’t keep up with. In a heartbeat, she was standing at the edge of the salt circle, her dark purple eyes boring into his.

He jumped, stumbling backwards. She held out her hand, frowning when her hand met the barrier created by the salt circle.

“Mm, that’s unfortunate.” Her voice was soft, slightly deeper than most women he’d met.

She hooked her thumbs through her belt loops and turned to face Sonia and Gundham. “You called?”Gundham nodded calmly. “We wish for you to imbue this mechanical being with a living soul.”

She moved back to the center of the circle where Kiibo laid. She crouched down beside him, inspecting it quietly.

“No.”

“What?!” Miu screeched. “You have to! Please!”

She turned to Miu with an exasperated frown. “It’s not that I don’t want to. It’s that I can’t.”

“How is that possible? Your power is quite immense from what I can tell.” Gundham asked curiously.

“Even with my power, giving this robot a living spirit would take too much of my energy. I’d be completely immobilized. If I went back to my world in that condition” She scowled darkly. “I’d be ripped to shreds.”

“Then stay here until you’re strong enough to go back!” Miu countered fiercely.

The demon ran a hand through her hair, frustration written across her face. “It doesn’t work like that.”

“Why not?!”

“I’m a demon. My energy doesn’t replenish on its own. I gain energy from others through physical touch.” She explained.

“Then touch one of us!”

“No!” She snapped, finally losing her cool. “Taking that much energy from a human at one time would kill them!”

Miu finally went silent as she processed the words. “Then can’t you take someone’s energy a little at a time?”

“I can in theory, but it’s hard to find a human that’s willing to agree to something like that.”

“Take Kazuichi!” Miu offered, ignoring Kazuichi’s sputtered protests.

The demon glanced at him, a ghost of a smile dancing at the corners of her lips. “As tempting as that is, I don’t think you should be volunteering your friend without asking him.”

Every head turned to Kazuichi, and he instantly stiffened under their gazes.

“I..” He looked at Kiibo, the metal robot that he and Miu had painstakingly made by hand. They’d spent months building and improving the robot until it nearly looked like a real person. He glanced to Miu, who was watching him with a painfully hopeful expression.

He swallowed thickly, squared his shoulders, and locked eyes with the demon woman. “I’ll do it.”

“Are you sure?”

He nodded stiffly, trying to hide how nervous he actually was. She shot him one last doubtful look before shrugging and turning away from him. He watched in shock as her fingers grew into long, black claws. Just as she was about to dig them into the ground, Sonia spoke up quickly. “Wait!”

The demon paused, head raising to look at Sonia from where she stood. “Yeah?”

“You can’t carve anything on the ground. We don’t own this building.” Sonia explained.

The demon glanced around the room before nodding. “Take me somewhere where I can.”

She leaned forward and picked Kiibo up as if he weighed nothing. It had taken both Kazuichi and Gundham to move Kiibo the few feet to get him in the circle, but she carried him with ease. She stood at the edge of the salt circle, and Sonia kicked some away to make a path for her.

The demon woman nodded gratefully and moved to stand beside Sonia. “Lead the way.”

Gundham led them outside the building and into a grassy area outside. “Put it here.”

She laid Kiibo in the spot Gundham was pointing to and told them to back up. She used her claws to draw a large circle around Kiibo, carving several strange symbols inside as she went.

When she was done, she crouched down next to Kiibo and took one of his smooth, metal hands. The symbols she carved began to glow, softly at first but rising until the light lit up the area around them. He could hear her talking, her voice carried by the wind that swirled around them, whipping his hair into his face. The words were different, spoken confidently in a language he didn’t understand. Her body began to shift, the spirals on her arms began to curl all the way up her neck, framing her face and branching across her cheeks. A pair of large, dark wings protruded from her back, shielding their eyes from the blinding explosion of purple light that followed. The light slowly began to fade until all that was left was a soft glow coming from Kiibo’s chest. Once it faded, Miu rushed forward, cradling Kiibo’s head in her lap.

The demon girl shifted to sit on the ground, using one arm to hold herself up while the other was clenched in the center of her chest. “..He’ll wake up..tomorrow..” She choked out, each word strained and laced with pain.

“Are you okay?” Sonia asked worriedly as she crouched down beside the horned woman.

She nodded stiffly. “Just..took more than..I thought it would..” She glanced back at Miu. “You need..to take him..inside..” At the curious looks she received, she clarified. “A storm..is coming..”

“You can sense the shifting of the weather patterns.” Gundham spoke up, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

“Whatever, just help me with this, man.” Kazuichi said.

He and Gundham worked together to carry Kiibo back into the garage while Miu and Sonia worked together to cover the markings in the dirt before returning to her side.

The demon had clambered to her feet, swaying dangerously when she moved. Sonia and Miu rushed forward to catch her, supporting as much of her weight as they could. She was taller than both of them, so it was a bit difficult, but they managed to help her into the building.

By the time they got inside, her wings had vanished and the spirals on her skin had receded back to their original place. They helped her over to a bench nearby, and she sat down, leaning her head against the wall.

Miu glanced over at Kiibo and smiled softly. “Thank you.”

She laughed breathily. “You better enjoy that damn robot. Nearly killed myself for it.”

Miu grinned at her excitedly. “Hell yeah, I’ll enjoy it!” As if to prove her point, she ran over to the robot man and began excitedly tinkering with several things to get him plugged in. She assumed it was so that he could charge.

“Oh my, how rude of me!” The demon glanced at Sonia when she spoke. “My name is Sonia Nevermind.” Sonia held out her hand happily, and when the demon woman hesitated, Sonia took her hand instead. “What’s your name?”

“...Call me (Y/n). That was my human name.”

“You have another name?”

The demon, (Y/n), nodded but didn’t specify what that name actually was.

Sonia squeezed her hand gently. “You can have a bit of my energy.”

(Y/n) turned to her sharply, eyes narrowing skeptically. “You’re sure about that?”

Sonia nodded seriously, and after a second, she felt a spark at her fingertips. When (Y/n) removed her hand from Sonia’s she still didn’t look great, but she no longer looked like she was in pain. “Thank you.”

Sonia smiled sweetly and headed off towards her friends. (Y/n) watched as she tapped the pink haired man on the shoulder. What had they called him, Kazuichi?

(Y/n) watched Sonia’s mouth move, tempted to use her stronger hearing to hear the conversation, but she decided against it. She shouldn’t be eavesdropping.

She really wished she had though when Kazuichi started walking towards her.

He approached her hesitantly, like she would suddenly rip out his heart. She was honestly a bit offended by his reaction, but she supposed she couldn’t blame him.

The portrayal of demons amongst humans, both in writing and in word of mouth, was quite horrendous. Most of the things said about demons were actually wrong.

Many people claimed demons were monstrous beings that were created by and served Lucifer, but that wasn’t entirely true. Every demon was once human, but only the vilest, most horrible demons served under Lucifer.

She was not one of them. She had been born a human, though her father was, indeed, a demon. Her father was a truly wretched demon. Being his daughter had plagued her from the beginning, filling her head with horrible thoughts and desires for destruction.

In the end, it started to become too much to control. The only way to fix it was to perform a ritual that would denounce him as her father. The only problem was that the ritual would kill her.

She’d done it knowing that, and for that, she was to be locked out of heaven for one thousand years as her punishment. She was currently 999 years old. One more year and this hell she’d suffered would be over. She would be allowed into heaven and have any remnants of her father cleansed from her soul forever.

That thought had been enough to keep her going, to keep her hoping.

She was so lost in thought that she didn’t realize Pinky had reached her until he was standing right in front of her.

He pointed at the spirals on her arm that had begun to shift, almost like they were flickering. “What’s goin’ on with those marks?”

“Since I’m only half-demon, it takes a certain amount of energy to keep up my demon form. Soon, I’m gonna have to switch back to my human form.”

“You’re half-human?”

“Yeah. My mom was a human.”

He shuffled awkwardly. “So what now?”

“Whaddya mean?”

“Aren’t you like” He waved his hand as if that would answer her question. “feeding off me?”

Her eyebrows drew together. “You say that like I forced you to agree to that.”

“You did!”

She glared at him, not even caring when he flinched. “I didn’t tell you to do shit. In case you’re forgetting, I even asked you a second time if you were sure about it. The second you said ‘yes’, it became your problem. I don’t know about here, but in the demon world, a promise is a binding contract.” She scowled at him, irritation written across her face. “You think I wanted to be here? The only reason I showed up is because I owed the on-call demon a favor. If I knew I’d be knocking on death’s doorstep for the second time, I woulda said no.” She snapped angrily.

She pinched the bridge of her nose, telling herself to calm down. Her father’s spirit came through much worse when she was angry, and that was the last thing she wanted. “Listen, I’m not here to start a fight. Figure out what you wanna do. Until then, leave me alone.” With that, she leaned her head back and closed her eyes.

She wished she was still human. If she was, maybe no one would look at her with such disgust. She was tired of the fear in people’s eyes when they saw her.

‘Just one more year, kid’ She told herself.

Just one more year.

#danganronpa goodbye despair #danganronpa imagines #danganronpa #multi chapter #kazuichi imagine #kazuichi x reader #kazuichi souda #miu iruma #kiibo #gundham tanaka #sonia nevermind

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