#like if I took them out it would be a good pyramid shape

[eluminium]

SKIZZLEMAN WEEK LETS GOO!!!! May not have actually written and finished something for like two years BUT SKIZZLEMAN WEEK IS MORE POWERFUL THAN PROCRASTINATION!!!!

Thank you @skizzlemanweek for organizing and creating these prompts!

Prompt 1: Silent/Shout

-

It had been a weirdly silent few weeks on Magic Mountain.

Well, kind of. Of course, with seven hermits nearby and many more in horse riding distance, real silence is quite a rare phenomenon. But for the residents around Magic Mountain, an uncomfortable stillness louder than expected had settled into their hearts lately. As she cleans out the bones of her latest catch, Gem remembers mentioning it to Impulse recently.

"I didn't realize how much the man talks until he was gone. And now I'm like: Oh, this is what it's like for there to be silence, actually!"

The man in question? None other than Skizzleman, of course! Who isn't dead, just on some off-server business of some kind. At least that's what he told Gem and the others before leaving.

She rolls her eyes fondly at how Scar started talking about some conspiracy theory of his where Skizz is some heaven-sent spy barely a tick after Skizz took his leave. A rant that resulted in poor Mumbo explaining to a confused Joel that Scar's comic-book hero phase last season had some lasting side effects.

She unceremoniously drops the fish bones into the river outside her new anglerfish-shaped fish shop. They hit the water with a small splash before sinking into the murkiness below. Gotta give back to the river! Otherwise, it'll get mad. That's basic fisherwoman knowledge.

When she turns to head back inside so she can put the fish on the cutting boards away, her eyes catch the faint silhouette of Skizz's pyramid in the distance. The sight of it makes the silence around her somehow more prevalent. A sigh leaves her. She misses him. She never thought that the silence he leaves behind would suck this much.

But as she heads back inside, Gem reminds herself that she won't need to miss him for long. He said he'd only be gone for a few weeks, so he's due to be back pretty soon. Then she can go back to poking him for being old or something. In fact, she can almost hear him shout an overdramatic "HEYYY!" already as she points out that-

Wait.

She quickly drops the floppy boneless salmon in the chilled chest and rushes out the door. She may have a good imagination, but it's not THAT good! She looks around rapidly until her eyes catch something. Two figures in the distance. She squints, but it doesn't really help, so she pulls out a spyglass instead.

She can't help but gasp in surprised happiness when she spots familiar feathery wings and a bright spinning halo. It's Skizz! He's back!

Of course, Impulse stands next to him, his demonic tail flapping wildly in excitement. They seem to already be caught up in a conversation. Typical them, can't leave each other alone for five seconds. Seems like the perfect time for her to come and deliver some made-with-love Gem Punches!

But just as she's about to put the spyglass down and run over, she spots a shocking change in Impulse's facial expression. The happy smile decorating his face melts in a tick into something unreadable. (Fear? Annoyance? Teasing? A mix of that and more?) Confused, Gem stops and pans the spyglass over to Skizz's face. Is he…Is he making kissy faces at Impulse-?

Before she can even process what's going on, Impulse looks in her general direction and RUNS. Full-on sprints at top speed in a manner Gem would be impressed he could do if she wasn't so caught off guard. The spyglass quickly disappears into her inventory as she watches him approach with Skizz hot on his heels.

"GEM!!! HELP!!!" Impulse shouts in a clearly overdramatic tone.

"You can't run forever Dipple Dop!!!" Skizz cackles manically.

"What are you idiots doing?!" She tries to put on a tone of playful annoyance, but her amusement leaks through like water through a hole in a boat.

"He's gonna kiss me on the cheek, Gem!!! You gotta help me!!!" Impulse squeals as he runs around in circles on the shore, skillfully dodging Skizz's attempts to grab him.

Gem can't help it. She bursts out laughing so hard it almost hurts her throat. These dudes, she swears. Obviously, if Impulse was actually uncomfortable with the situation he'd tell Skizz, and they wouldn't have a silly goose chase on her front lawn, so she feels rather justified in cackling at his supposed misfortune. And she only laughs harder when Impulse lets out various desperate noises of desperation, which are comical enough that Skizz has to stop his chase because he's laughing too hard. His hands land on his knees as he completely loses it together with Gem. Impulse giggles and stops in his tracks instead of running further, all but confirming that they're just messing around.

"Wow, Gem! I beg for your help, and you laugh at me? I thought we were friends!" He says in an overly hurt tone while crossing his arms and sniffling dramatically.

Gem opens her mouth to respond, but before a single syllable leaves her, Skizz pounces on Impulse and finally scores his victory by snagging a smooch on the man's cheek. He even manages to catch Impulse in a hug. Gem lets out something between a cheer and an "awwwwwww!" as Impulse wiggles in his best friend's grasp.

"I missed you, Dipple Dop!" Skizz says with happy sincerity as he squeezes said Dipple Dop.

"Missed ya too buddy" Impulse responds, sounding like he's getting all air wrung out of him. He pats Skizz on the back. Skizz, in turn, lets him go and turns his eyes to Gem, still standing in the mouth of her anglerfish. He wastes no time jumping into the river, splashing water everywhere, and then swimming over to her.

"And I missed you too, Gemstone!" He cheers as she helps him up onto the solid (?) ground.

Gem can't help but smile as she tackles him for a hug of her own. As his sturdy and comfy arms wrap around her she feels, more than hears, how the hush around Magic Mountain fades away as one of its seven lively mountaineers has come home once again.

#skizzleman #hermitcraft #skizz week 1 #skizz week #my writing #impulsesv #geminitay #hermitfic #ARE YOU SURPRISED??? #BECAUSE I SURE AM #HAVN'T POSTED ANY WRITING IN SO LONG BUT SKIZZ WEEK GOT ME IN A TRANCE #do people even remember that i write

[layla4567]

I'm just a librarian ✿

Steven Grant/Marc Spector x Fem!Reader

Summary: You work in a library in the middle of London, you get paid well and you love your little reading space surrounded by books that rise to the highest ceiling. But one day your normality will be turned upside down when a guy comes looking for some books on Egyptian history.

A/N: Ok first of all I must say that this idea arose from a little dream I had (and I also wanted to use the image from the movie The Mummy, I mean, just look at her, she is beautiful, she looks like Belle) second, I don't know if this will have more parts the truth is I'm not good at making long stories because then I leave them unfinished or I run out of ideas so, yes, I'm building this as I go along, sorry.

Part 2

And here I am once again, sitting behind the counter where you could see an old green lamp, a couple of books stacked one on top of the other, a typewriter and a little badge where you could read my name. With my legs crossed I moved my airborne foot rhythmically back and forth following a silent melody while my face rested lazily on my hand. My view was always directed towards the large windows that were near the line where the roof began. They were in the shape of a half circle and had a nice drawing similar to a stained glass window through which the sunlight passed in a warm way.

I loved being around libraries just for the sake of being a bookworm. I could spend hours reading old books sitting in a comfortable chair enjoying the silence without realizing it. But it was kind of boring to sit and wait for people to arrive so that you could help them with whatever they needed. I had already finished arranging the books with the help of the ladder, I loved doing it, it was fun to slide from one side to the other, it was almost like skating.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't realize someone had entered the library until they were in front of me so I gave a little jump in my seat.

"Oh so sorry! did I scare you? It wasn't my intention"

The person who addressed me was a very polite and kind middle-aged man, he had an innocent look in those pretty dark eyes he had. He was wearing a jean jacket and underneath was a white shirt, he was also wearing khaki pants and had a brown shoulder strap on one side.

"Don't worry, It's okay, I was just thinking, can I help you with something?"

I could not stop seeing his eyes, his look gave off a peculiar innocence glow, I could sense a genuinely beautiful aura like that of a child

"Well, yes. I was looking for books on Egyptian history, you know, gods and pharaohs, myths, pyramids, etc."

Every time he spoke his face would light up with enthusiasm, it was admirable to see

"Sure, we have several. Follow me please"- I said while my smile deepened

I led him through the aisles looking for the "Ancient Egypt" section by the gigantic shelves. The man meekly followed me like a lap dog without taking his eyes off me as he clung to his backpack. When we had reached the section, I took out 4 books, stacking them one on top of the other and numbering them as I handed them over to him.

" "History of Egypt", "Gods and mythologies", "Encyclopedia of the pyramids" and "The 10 most famous figures of ancient Egypt" And remember to return everything within 15 days "

I piled the books in the arms of that man who tried with effort to hold them since they were quite large and hardcover while I raised a finger and recited the prayer from memory. Even though the books were about to fall out of his hands, the man looked from the books to me with a beaming smile.

"Of course, yes, miss, I will do so. Thank you very much for your help"

I smiled generously at the man's good manners and walked him to my desk to finish the paperwork. I sat as the middle-aged man patiently watched me with his books in his arms like a child waiting for his Christmas present.

"Ok, I will give you a paper with the exact date where you must return the books along with our address, I would only need to know your name to write it down please"- I looked at him expectantly

"Steven Grant, Steven with a V"

I couldn't help but laugh at the clarification as if I didn't know how to write his name

"I clarify it just in case. A lot of people always misspell it, sometimes they call me Stephen. But surely you wrote it well, you seem to have nice handwriting hehe"

Steven giggled nervously as I smirked in amusement. What a singular man that Steven was

"No problem, what a nice name you have"- I smiled warmly

Steven got more nervous and his face begins to take on a cute reddish color as he stuttered and mumbled a thank you.

"By the way, my name is Y/n"

I told him, pointing with a fingernail to my badge that was resting on the desk. He looked at it for a while and smiled

"Now I won't forget"

And with one free hand he gave me a childish wave as he uttered a sweet "Laters gators" and headed for the exit. With one elbow on the table and my hand resting on my cheek, I watched him until he disappeared through the door.

"Steven.."

I pronounced his name slowly delighting myself with the syllables, it was sweet as honey and resonant as a bell. I was wondering if I would see him around here more often. I sighed with a lopsided smile and went back to staring at the stained glass windows waiting for someone else to come and help them.

The days passed and I didn't hear from Steven, he hadn't returned the books within the agreed period and I was beginning to worry. He supposed that this man was a little distracted or had forgotten or was busy with something important, anyway it was very common for people not to return the books on time and to be a little late. My head was full of thoughts hoping nothing bad happened to Steven and hoping to see him again when someone stormed through the library entrance.

"I'm really sorry!! I got there as fast as I could, apparently I fell asleep and woke up in a place full of sand. I have a sleep disorder, I'm sorry"

Steven was talking fast, spitting out the words like a machine gun, he looked agitated and his hair was messy. And on his face you could see the nervousness and concern. I tried to reassure him

"Steven, Steven calm down, it's okay. I get it, you don't have to apologize."

I grabbed his hand and squeezed it hard trying to provide warmth and protection. Steven giggled nervously and his cheeks turned pink, it was adorable.

"Oh by the way, here are the books"

Steven took out of his bag the books in perfect condition that I had given him. At least he was a man of his word

"Thank you very much Steven, do you want any other books?"

"Well actually yes, if it's not a bother, wouldn't you have one that talks about the moon god Khonsu?"-he said something nervous

I laughed in amusement

"Of course! We have many books on Egyptian gods, take the ones you want"-I said tenderly

Steven for some reason gave me a strange feeling, a maternal need to protect him, he looked so helpless at times. I can't even imagine how chaotic his life must be

"You know something? Why don't I buy you a coffee? I'll give you the new books and then we can hang out and chat, I have a break in 15 minutes."

Apparently Steven didn't expect that so he got even more red.

"I-Is it some kind of date?"

"If you want to see it that way, yes"

Steven smiled like a kid in a toy store and followed me back to the bookshelves. After giving him everything he needed, he waited for me at the entrance of the library like a true gentleman. I left my position in charge of my partner Selma who answered me with a grunt and left with Steven towards the nearest cafeteria.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _

We sat at a table close to the street. The cafeteria was decorated with flowers and vines, it was my favorite, it made it look Parisian. We both ordered a simple latte and to eat I ordered a croissant with chocolate and he asked for a kind of vegan burrito, then he explained to me that he doesn't eat anything that comes from animals.

"Well Steven tell me something about yourself, do you have a job?"

"Yes, I'm working in a gift shop at the British Museum. But I would really love to be the one who makes the guides"

"Really? Amazing! who'd say? You are a museum and history enthusiast and I am a bookworm willing to provide you with all the information you want."

We both laughed happily forgetting what was happening around us. Steven's laugh was like sweet nectar to my ears that made all my worries disappear. Except for one that was still on my mind

"Wait a second, how come you woke up in a place full of sand? Where exactly?"

"I have no idea, I wish I knew. But it's not the first time it's happened to me, one day I woke up on top of Everest"

Steven started laughing downplaying it and I laughed too but with less enthusiasm. I was worried about him.

"Well I think I should go back to my work, thanks for everything I really needed to talk to someone and distract myself"

I looked at Steven tenderly, thinking that I was probably the only person he could talk to broke my heart.

"Anytime Steven. Anyway, I also have to go back to work, the time flies by when you talk"

I left a tip on the table and was about to go to the library when Steven stopped me with a question.

"Would you like to visit me one day at the museum? It's that I always visit you...-"

"I'd love to"

We said goodbye with a smile as if we were lifelong friends and each one went their own way to continue with their work on that beautiful afternoon in London.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Sorry if it was boring and there wasn't much interaction with Steven but this is just the first part of the story

#marvel #marvel cinematic universe #imagine #one shot #marvel mcu #mcu #x reader #female reader #story #short story #fiction #stories #writing #steven grant #steven grant x reader #steven grant x you #steven grant fluff #steven grant fanfiction #jake lockley #moonknight #khonshu #moon knight system #marc spector #marc spector x you #marc spector x reader #marc spector fanfiction #marc spector fluff #marvel series #marvel movies #marvel comics

[jagawriterr]

Pairing: Celtic x (fem! Assasin) Reader Word count: 4545 Warnings: Violence, blood, NSFW (+18 only), unprotected sex, pregnant. A/N: Thank you the request @reiketsunomizunomegami I really like your idea and I tried my best to meets your expectations. Masterlist

You adjusted your swords, gleaming in the sunlight, for the last time, zipped up all possible fasteners on your jacket, and took your first steps on the frozen ground of Antarctica. Realm of eternal ice.

Amidst the harsh winds and heavy snowfalls, one shape lurked slowly across the wasteland. You were walking in heavy snow boots, but the trace of them almost disappeared after a short while. The march continued and you were surrounded only by frost and the whistle of the wind.

Alone.

In a dead world, in a sliding march, step by step. You've studied the map so much that even if you had it with you, it wouldn't do any good in such a wasteland. You don't know how long you marched like that, in silence, you didn't count it, because it didn't matter much. Your energy grew with each step. The feeling of endless emptiness and the sound of the wind in your ears caused your instinct to slowly open up to the surroundings. He gave the impression that he would soon be useful for something. It will put you into a state of numbness, or the desire to chase an unknown threat that you will eventually find.

The toil made no impression on you, because you knew you were close. The closest you've ever come to discovering what you were really called to do. You were a killer, the best at your trade, there was only one reason for being here in this endless icy desert. Killing. It was your only satisfaction, the only way to finally be yourself. You adjusted your swords again, you could feel the snow tearing through them and the whistle of the wind that was blowing hard through your bare, jet-black hair.

The road you took to your destination was arduous. In the land of the eternal day, time lost its meaning. The snow crackled underfoot like the sound of broken bones, and the wind howled like the damned. From time to time you looked around this endless desert covered with eternal snow and did not believe that this journey could be so long and arduous. The sun seemed to shine with redoubled power.

The snow reflected the light, and the wind had no protection against it, and you couldn't really see anything but what you could see right in front of you. You squinted your eyes as you felt the snow invading your eyes, making itself in every crevice of the exposed skin of your face. Despite all this, you had to keep walking. You had to wade through this endless disorder and chaos to finally reach the Ancient Pyramid, which was your goal from the very beginning of your journey.

You were in the middle of the white wasteland, the wind had stopped, the snow glistened reflecting the light of the sun that emerged from behind the storm clouds. The storm had subsided, and only the furious red sun remained on the horizon. It warmed the patches of your face, enveloping you with its light.

Night has come. The gale returned with it, and again the ice crystals stormed every crevice of your costume. The howling came back and became even more twisted, surrounding you on all sides and getting closer all the time. You felt like it was playing with you. An indescribable clatter of primal instinct fused into a powerful parody of something beyond the human imagination.

It couldn't be the cry of an entity known to nature, the whistles of the whipping wind only reinforced the unreal feeling that drove you insane. The awareness that it was close made your vigilance increased. You snapped out of your body's numbness and reached for your swords. The whistle of the wind joined with the whistling of sword blades that cut the space like razor blades. The snow was falling gently on the hilts of the swords you held tightly in your gloved hands.

It spun around as if trying to sense the prey and at the same time trying to surround it. You were stung by that howl, but you didn't buckle under the pressure of different sounds, growls, moans and whistles of the wind rushing into your ears. You were balancing between reason and instinct.

It's that simple. Bend the knees, straighten the blades of the swords, and strike. You were replaying the sequence in your head when you heard the swish again, but closer this time. You felt a tingle on your skin, the blade of one of your swords trembled, you knew that in a moment, he would attack. Your attitude changed, you were alert, despite the gusting wind, the whistle in your ears and the snow falling into your eyes, your instinct sharpened, and your imagination suggested all sorts of shapes of this something that was swirling behind the curtain of snow and ice falling on the frosty ground.

You curled your toes, tightened your grip on the blades of your swords. Your eyes and hearing followed the sounds of the creature that tossed between you and the thickly falling snow. There was a sudden silence, the wind stopped and your body went numb with the cold. You wandered again where consciousness mixed with imagination, for just one moment. And it only took a moment.

He hit you hard. You didn't have time to dodge when his body pressed against you and sent you falling into a snowdrift. You screamed, but in this dark white desert no one can hear you scream. It's just you and him. The only guests in this icy darkness.

Snow fell into your eyes, you felt an impenetrable cold that was unlike anything you had felt before. You stood up quickly, feeling this was your only chance to finally attack. You were closer to his meaty body than you really thought. You could feel his heavy breathing, the snow bending under his feet. His steps betrayed him, and even though the wind and snow kept you apart, you knew he was there.

Your mind was clear now. You knew exactly where to hit, in the stomach area. It passed through the snow and frost like a shadow, perfectly adapting to its surroundings, testing you, your skills and even your wits and strategy. You didn't betray yourself, with one move your swords passed through the fleshy body, which stopped right in front of you for a split second.

You looked at him, a little in shock maybe a little in disbelief, but you were aware that he was not of this world and that's why you are here. It was your mission that led you to this icy wasteland they call Antarctica. The search finally brought the first harvest. Impaled by your two swords, the xenomorph writhed in agony. The sound of wind and snow was interrupted by a loud clatter from the mouth of the black monster. His jaw moved one last time before giving up the ghost.

***

You were making your way through a hill covered with snow and ice. You stood on a ridge where the glow of the pyramid you were looking for shimmered in iridescent reflections of light. This artifact left by the Ancients saw many things and held many secrets and creatures like the one you fought two days ago.

The feeling that it was all just beginning still haunted you and despite your discipline, you felt a lump in your throat. The sunlight was hitting your eyes with all its force. Despite the cold, you could feel the excitement spreading through your body the closer you got to your goal. The closer you got to the Pyramid, the more agitated you felt and thirsted for more blood. Adrenaline in your body began to buzz, circulate in your veins, your heart began to beat faster, and you breathed faster. You were walking along the fissure towards one of the shores of the stone Pyramid. In the depths of the desert white plain, you saw nothing but a white fluff that gently floated as the wind pressed against it. You shivered as you reached the entrance to the building.

***

It was damp and warm inside, the stone-clad walls took on a dark depth of the room that made you feel uncomfortable. Huge statues flanked the entrance, holding torches that gently illuminated the room. The cold entering the large hall stopped you for a moment. You shivered as you felt someone's presence. You knew that there were more of these creatures and you were aware that they could attack again. You were impressed by them, you didn't think that fighting them would be so exciting and that's why you wanted more of it. More of that adrenaline that was still pounding in your veins. And you even stopped being bothered by the unbearable cold that covered your whole body, from your toes to the very top of your head.

***

Walking along the forked corridors, you remembered the plans of the building, thanks to which you could explore the secrets of underground passages and corridors that led to the deepest places of the pyramid. You heard the murmurs, moans of the whipping wind in the cracks of the icy walls, the howl you heard two days ago was back, it was soft, but with every step you took it came closer and closer to you. They already knew you were here. They felt your presence, the softness of your body, its warmth and vibration.

You felt the ground tremble with each step you took. You reached for your swords, your hands gripping the hilts tightly. At first, you heard only the steady thud of your boots, but with each step you took, you felt that you were falling right into the middle of the battlefield. You saw a bunch of xenomorphs that invariably attacked the powerful stranger.

It was the second the black creature hit you in the side, it was enough to make you tense like a string. Being here, you joined the group of warriors who fought against monsters that wanted to occupy the entire pyramid area, and maybe even spread to the entire continent, or even worse, the entire planet. You've realized this is a war you're already a part of. Your swords did their duty, cutting the fleshy flesh of your enemies to pieces, and yellow gore and guts began to fill the stone floor.

You clenched your jaw and let out a breath. You hit one of them, the clamor spread around, steam billowed from its jaws, and its body and tail thrashed relentlessly as you impaled it on one of your swords. You pressed against him, finally pinning him against the icy wall. With nothing to lose, you struck the final blow that killed the monster.

***

This time it hit him, he doubled over from the hit in the stomach, finally moved and staggered around the hall. He didn't have time to realize that the xenomorph wrapped its tail around his leg and threw it hard on the ground. It clattered against his back, the armor around his chest protecting him. He rolled onto his stomach, knelt, then got up and was knocked to the ground again. With clumsy movements, he got up, but again the monster knocked him to the ground. It took him off the ground a few meters and he fell with a clatter to the cold floor of the hall. The xenomorph's cry of triumph came from his throat, crashing into him with such force that Yautja shot air from the mouth, which was tightly covered by the mask. He tried to roll onto his stomach, he felt pain and cold, and just when he thought it was over, he saw a woman rushing at the monster that wanted to deal the finishing blow. He heard the crack and knew she had snapped him in the middle, saw her kill him in cold blood as she turned to him and stared at him with her unreadable gaze, searching them for some of the empathy that was so characteristic of the human race. He saw nothing in them but emptiness and an icy stare. Again, he felt something grab him by the ankle, as if a steel cable had wrapped around his leg and he was being pulled upward. Then he heard a crack and wondered if it was his bones or if the ground was cracking from being tossed around like a rag doll. He was able to see only the arm, and actually the entire torso, and soon after he lost consciousness.

***

You saw the long tail writhing under the Predator's feet, which finally picked it up and started tossing it around like a doll, you heard the crack of breaking bones. The sight made you open your eyes wide, but not sparing a moment, you ran towards the enemy and hit him with your shoulder, so that he could lose his balance and he fell to the ground. You pressed against him even though he was resisting. You saw the Predator, who lay lifeless on the ground, you felt it was necessary, finally you managed to overcome the thrill of excitement and gave him a fatal blow to the head. There was silence, moans and howls ceased, and the xenomorph's head hit the floor to become your next trophy. "Fuck," you said to yourself as you saw the Predator lying motionless, battered and bruised, bright green blood flowing from his wounds. This time you had no idea what to do, but you certainly wouldn't leave him to his fate

You tried to get him off the ground, but you weren't strong enough to do it. His body was limp, he slowly regained consciousness when you wanted to take his mask off your face out of curiosity. He took your hands in yours, you sucked air into your mouth as you saw him remove the mask from his face by himself to get rid of unnecessary ballast. After a moment you saw him, the little spikes on his lower jaws arranged neatly in a row, from smallest to largest. His small eyes looked at you with a curiosity that has never been as strong as now. Your face was shrouded in a light mist of dew and the steam you exhaled made him see you out of focus, but he was captivated by your beauty. The flawless red of your cheeks, strands of hair unruly coming out from under the hat and jacket.

You helped him up, his body was giving him a hard time. The wounds hurt like hell, but he had to get up to at least try to move. He fell. You supported him, you helped him as best you could, and wanting to help him, you decided to find shelter so that you could heal him. You always had a bandage kit in your jacket pockets that you might be able to cover his wounds with.

After carefully considering which way you needed to go, and finding your way to safety in your memory, you took his arm again and walked slowly towards the nearest fork in the tunnels. Another turn, then right, then left, and right again, and you were finally there. Nobody will find you here.

With each passing minute he felt worse and worse, but you reassured him that you would be able to heal him. You took care of him the best you could. You laid him gently on the ground, leaning against the cold stone wall. His jaws slowly moved to different sounds that you couldn't quite decipher. You looked at his wounds, which were oozing more and more blood. You pulled out all the medical kit you had and began to slowly bandage his wounds.

You gripped his ankle gently, dousing it with hydrogen peroxide and bandaging it, as you do with every other wound on his body. This is the first time you've seen such a strange creature. You'd mistake him for a human in stature, but upon closer inspection his skin was completely different. Strong, thick and brown, slightly mottled in places. At the most sensitive areas of the body, the spots were larger and brighter. His chest moved slowly in time with his heartbeat. He shivered when he felt your hands on his belly. It was velvety to the touch, those parts of his body more delicate than the rest. You took off his shoulder pads, shin guards, plasma cannon, and the remnants of his breastplate. From his mouth seemed to hear a slight scratching, moaning. Despite the fire that was smoldering around you, he was damn cold. You covered him with your thick, down jacket.

Time passed, day after day, and only the moving sun clearly announced the process. A storm was raging outside, the moans and whistling of the wind reaching your ears, tearing through the cracks in the thick walls that shielded you from the world. In the distance, you heard a howl, a steady rumble, moans of slaughtered animals and a loud roar of a plane taking off. You walked to the crack in the wall and looked at the sky, among the blowing frosty wind and snow, you managed to see only white lights shining in the dark sky, shrouded in storm clouds. Their brilliance blinded you, made you feel uncomfortable, and when you looked at your companion you realized that they were his brothers. They gone. They flew off with a boom of unimaginably high notes that made your ears ring. Blood swelled at your temples and you felt a headache. You sat next to him, shrouded in the light glow of a dream that slowly nestled in your mind. You closed your eyes, trying hard not to fall asleep but finally gave up.

You woke up very early, checked his wounds while he was still asleep. You carefully studied his face covered in wrinkles and small spikes. His mandibles moved calmly, his eyes half-closed moved with sleep. And then you saw something more in him. Something special that made you feel incredibly blissful and peaceful. Your senses were failing you in his presence, the awareness that he was here was dizzying. It made you drown in your dreams of him and you knew he felt it too. You saw him open his eyes slowly, look at you and see you take off your thick sweatshirt. Your nipples, slightly purple in their protrusion from the cold, invaded his memory, his eyes flashed. You saw fireflies in his irises, and his pupils dilated quickly, he jumped up suddenly, hissed under the pain that hit him. He saw your breasts so velvety, so perfect, he took them in his hands. You felt the cold of the room and the warmth of his fingers penetrating your folds. Your euphoric body screamed and more, craved that touch.

Moans of the wind mixed with your breath, shrouded in a haze of pleasure and desire for more. More of those caresses, more of his hands caressing your breasts, his liquid thick skin that made you shiver. He snuggled his head into your bare breasts, slipped his tongue out of his jaws and slowly began to lick your nipples hardened with cold and excitement. He seemed to know exactly what he was doing. You felt his whole body as his tongue roamed your wet and naked skin. A wave of heat took over your whole body, you moaned with pleasure staring at his fleshy tongue leaving wet traces on your naked skin.

This fire consumed you completely, dragged you into the depths of euphoria and lust. He grabbed you by the waist, exhaling air from his mouth, looked at your ecstatic face and slowly took off the rest of the clothes that remained on your body. You knew it was going to end like this, the atmosphere in the room was getting so thick you could cut it with a knife, and you and he slowly felt the irresistible need to get to know each other. Your feelings changed for him, and the tenderness he greeted you in his arms was like coming home. His calm and steady breathing soothed you, and you were still engulfed by the fire that was forming in your intestines and driving you crazy.

You were naked when he took off the codpiece and the rest of his armor that covered his hips. You looked at him, sitting in front of you and inviting you into a world of pleasure. You sat astride it, your body felt the impenetrable cold that enveloped you all awakening you from the stupor. You leaned against his chest, grabbed his cock and felt a huge wave of excitement as he entered you all. Finally, your body tense like a string let go, you curled your toes, tightened your buttocks and began to move to the tune of your hearts. The wind did not stop whistling between the cracks, and individual snowflakes fell into the room, to melt after a while on the ground or your hot skin.

Your movements slowly got faster, he gripped your buttocks hard and you felt him penetrating you hard with his big and swollen cock. His face expressed it all, light wrinkles accentuating his ecstasy, a soft clicking turned into a loud growl and wheezing. He tightened his grip on your buttocks and began to slowly take the initiative, moving your hips faster and faster. A loud moan escaped your lips and an explosion of euphoria made you feel your folds bursting with the feeling that you were about to explode. Your pussy tightens around his circumference, causing him to thrust into you with increasing force. Tension alternately comes and goes, sweat breaks through the folds of your body and heat spreads all over your insides. Hish's claws dig deeper into your buttocks, you feel the tension build up in your gut and slowly trickle down towards your temple. Your breathing quickens again, the energetic hip movements slow down, become sloppy, and you feel your core fill with ecstasy. You know that this is the moment, this force that is not worth fighting with, but surrender without a fight and stay in this feeling even though you want even more. You feel the orgasm fill your core as your pussy tightens around its circumference, feel the walls of it as it enters and exits without remorse as it finally loses its grip and tightens its grip on your waist, squeezing your body tighter. Leaning against his chest, you feel him filling you with his life-giving juice. The energy slowly leaves you, sits on it, exhaling hot air from your mouth, steam settles on the stone walls of the room, forming small droplets of water.

The fire was dying out and the sun was already over the horizon. You heard a sudden bang and thud, you quickly got up from the ground, dressed and ran out of the room. You didn't expect to find what you saw there, and it was a huge ship that landed near the pyramid, and from it emerged creatures unknown to you. You looked at them more closely as Hish, still slightly limping, approached you. Celtic mumbled something under his breath, pointing at the ship with his finger. He approached one of his kinsmen to report everything that had happened after the last ship left the planet. The Alien Predator looked at you with disapproval, the Other Predators looked at you with contempt in their eyes, and you, adjusting your swords on your back, felt that you had to be careful. They also did not welcome your Predator with enthusiasm, they even rejected it. They were stunned when they discovered what really happened in the pyramid. How much Celtic felt despised and abandoned by his own people could be seen from his very attitude. The helmet hid his face, but you could feel the fumes of resentment towards his companions.

He decided to take you with him and, sparing no time, he dragged you on board the ship, which you flew above the clouds and flew to his home planet. Celtic knew perfectly well that when he really told everything about you and how you killed all the xenomorphs, he would regain the trust of his tribe. In this way, he will regain the respect of his clan, and you will be able to join him by becoming his companion.

You felt subconsciously that what you were doing was not easy, but making Celtic happy was your dream. You've fallen in love with him since you met, you felt like it wasn't possible, but it was, that feeling of emptiness that still haunted you was gone. All that's left is the euphoria of that close-up and the memory you'll never get rid of. The sight of him, when he stunned you, his every move made you feel shivers on your skin. The other you are gone, cold, emotionless, now you are a completely different woman. Just as strong and powerful, but with more feelings and emotions that made you love everything on Celtic's home planet.

You've been here for a year. Your life looks completely different than the one you led on Earth. Here your life was much simpler, you proved yourself worthy of belonging to the clan and you were bound to it. You loved each other more than anything else, and your journeys to distant lands delighted you. You saw the star-studded sky, the nebulae tearing through the void of space, and his hot and naked body making waves of excitement ripple through you.

***

Your big belly has been visible since he left the stack after the last mission. He walked over to you, snuggling into your velvety body. A soft moan escaped his jaws, touched your belly, and looked up at your beaming smile. He knew you were happy, he was so proud of you for proving yourself to the great council, and he loved you like no one else had ever loved before.

The day of the birth was coming. All you could hear in the area was your screams and moans, which shattered the silence to pieces. You were lying on the bed, in front of you was a Yautja woman medic. Your sweaty and wrinkled face was reddened by the intense cramps and fatigue that had let you down suddenly and without warning. You sighed as she told you to push again. The sheets on the bed turned red, your pain was all you felt, and her hands held the head of the slowly emerging baby. Giving birth was the biggest challenge of your life and nothing was like the pain that tore you apart as the babies slowly came out of you one by one. There were four of them. Little bundles that screamed beyond their strength when Di'dta finally placed them next to you. Three gorgeous boys and one beautiful girl were your whole world and you never expected it all to lead to this place. Celtic moved closer to you, your body sticky with sweat, cupped your face and kissed your forehead gently. He looked at your children and smiled at them.

You were family.

#yautja #predator x human #predator x reader #smut #yautja x fem reader #yautja smut #monster fucker #celtic predator

[babygirlgarrus7]

Dust and Echos

(not my gif, belongs to @north2445 )

A/N: I watched the trailer and WOW i can NOT believe our husband is back! So I am excited to write this fic!

Ikora has asked you to come and meet her and another to discuss the next mission. Little did you know it would be an echo from the past.

Warnings: angst (TONS of it), fluff, and swearing

Masterlist

Destiny List

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You were called to go to meet her to brief you on your next mission. Your Ghost kept going on and on about how the readings of this planet was off, which you took note of also. It was way too odd to not notice the wavelengths.

However, it isn’t the most odd. You have battled many different enemies and how the Light is becoming more and more difficult, powerful, confusing. When fighting the Witch Queen, it wavered you a bit, having to fight the enemies that you never thought of them being able to do the things you could. Even blacking the light for dark uses. You couldn’t say anything sense you can wield it yourself.

Then almost having the second collapse happen to some lunatic that the witch warned you about. The return of the Witness, which led you to a planet called Neomuna a cyberpunk feel of the city, working along with others that called themselves the Cloud Striders. It almost succeeded by one of the pyramids that come about, which wasn’t the first time that you have seen these pyramids.

You have seen it all so it didn’t surprise you about the odd readings. When arriving the planet it was sunny, green, mountains. It was beautiful, until you saw in the distance a purple pyramid shape floating in the air. You bit your lip. “That isn’t good.” Your ghost commented looking over at you.

“Yeah.” You muttered nodding your head, steering your ship to the location.

When approaching you saw Ikora standing in a mouth of a cave, you pulled up having your ghost transport yourself out, landing on the ground. She smiled before showing some nervousness. “Hello Guardian,” She said walking towards the edge. “Glad you can make it.”

“Of course.” You said standing next to you.

“We don’t know what this is,” She said facing the purple mist. “I want you to figure out what it is, you will be having some help of course.” That’s when you heard footsteps. Before you turned to face the footsteps Ikora turned to you. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. It was sudden. I was surprised as well.”

You were confused until you turned around. Your heart stopped, you wanted to throw up, you wanted to cry, yell. Cayde. Your ghost looked over at you then Cayde, he wasn’t different looking besides the light blue glow around his eyes and mouth.

“Oh no. There’s nothing I can…I’m sorry.”

His chest had a hole in it. He looked like shit, usually you would give him shit. Tell him that he would need to get some make up to slap on. This time you couldn’t muster a noise, words, nothing. Panic. Pure panic.

“Listen y/n…this ain’t on you.”

You were there when Cayde blamed himself about Andal, you watched him become bitter for a bit. He was also not happy about the fact that he made a bet to be on the Vanguard if Andal died. However, it was because he went and fought Taniks without him. Now this is you, you were going to be like him. Bitter. You can’t loose him.

“We can fix this, we just have to get Sundance pieces. Just please please stay with me.”

You remembered when you saw him after the Tower was taken over on Nessus, you ran to him and hugged him tight. Him chuckling and calling you his dove, due to you being beautiful and at the time innocent. Inside joke. Him tell you to stay with him, up until he knew that we had to meet Zavala and Ikora to fight.

“We will take the Reef by storm.”

Both you and Cayde laughed lowly when dancing on top of the tower, you both heard the towns below play some melodies, after bringing back the Traveller from the Red War. That’s when Cayde told you he loved you. Actually loved you.

“I refuse to bury any more friends.”

You carried him, he should have been heavy but it wasn’t. Your emotions were off, you couldn’t think. Just fuzz. When returning, the cries, gasps it was too much to place him on the bed, covering him with the satin cloth that had the Vanguard symbol.

“Uldren Sov is mine.”

And he was, died from your own hands, with his gun. Ironic. You held the gun looking at Uldren before pulling the trigger. After you did, you stood there for a while, watching the smoke slowly leaving the barrel. Thinking how the smoke was suppose to be your anger and guilt leaving it. But it wasn’t. He wasn’t here.

He is here. You tried to think of you were stuck in the pyramids. One of them. Maybe this is a nightmare, the Queen is torturing, she had to. It’s a spell. A lie. He is dead. He stopped inches away from you. Inches. You could reach out and touch him.

“I will leave you two at it.” Ikora spoke softly before walking up on the ridge.

Cayde carefully looked over you, barely remembering who you are. He knew the feeling when looking at you, knowing you are a Guardian that was under his command. However you were the one he loves. Loves. He didn’t know what to say, didn’t know how to explain.

“You’re dead.” You whispered your helmet barely making the words out.

Cayde chuckled. “I’m kind of hard to kill, you should know that y/n.”

Your ghost floated to him. “Is it really you?” You knew your ghost was making a quick scan before looking shocked. “It’s him.”

Cayde moved around to come to you, you tensed up as he came into your space. He grabbed your chin with his index and thumb. Having you look up at him. “I have been begging the Traveler to come see you again. Pretty sure I annoyed the hell out of it,” You felt the tears prick your eyes. You could feel him. Actually feel him. You focused on how his hand went to your hip and the other cup the side of your cheek. You didn’t even realize how long he was standing there waiting for you to answer. “It’s my hair isn’t it?”

You chuckled and looked down grabbing his hand from your cheek. “I missed you so much.” You voice cracked as you looked back up at him. “You died and I…” You couldn’t finish as memories came back and forth between his death and now.

“I know. I’m so sorry. I wish I could have been here. To be with you. To get out of the damn tower.” Cayde chuckled placing his head on your forehead. “I don’t know how I am here but I am now. We can do this together dove.”

You smiled holding him closer.

#destiny 2 cayde 6 #cayde-6 #cayde #cayde 6 x reader #destiny the game #cayde 6

[deadbydangit]

Hi there! I hope you are having a fantastic day :) I’m such a big fan of your work and this is my first ever ask! I was wondering if you can do a scenario where the killers discover their s/o, who looks entirely adorable and innocent, can actually fight really well and is potentially stronger than them? Can you write this for Ghostface, Pyramid Head, Michael Myers and Wesker? Thank you so much!!!

I can absolutely do that. I actually did something like that before. I'm so sorry this took me a while. I've been rather anxious and depressed lately and just haven't felt creative. Since there are more than three it will be shorter.

With a Sweet but Strong Reader

Ghostface, Pyramid Head, Shape, Mastermind

Ghostface

He saw through you before anyone else.

No one is that sweet and kind.

Your innocence had to be a mask.

Not without some secrets.

And it's his obnoxious mission to find those secrets.

And secrets you did have.

You were strong!

Stronger than him.

He certainly isn't the strongest in the realm, but he isn't the weakest.

Which was a big shot to his pride.

Which might not be a bad thing.

He needs that every once in a while.

But, hey, it might be helpful once in a while.

Pyramid Head

He loves the sweet innocent person you are.

You're so snuggly and cute.

But when he finds out how strong you are?

He's actually really glad.

And impressed.

The fact that you can carry his sword so easily.

So cute.

But that also means you can defend yourself.

And he isn't nearly as worried about you when he isn't with you.

However, that sweet innocent attitude could put you in danger.

So he wants you to be vigilant.

Shape

Small and innocent.

Two things he isn't.

Everyone wonders how you two ended up together.

But you still are.

It's a mystery.

He's strong.

He knows it.

But seeing you even stronger?

He feels... something.

He doesn't usually feel things.

So, safe to say, he isn't a fan.

If he could make you not strong, he would.

But he knows he can't.

It's also somewhat of a relief.

At least you can protect yourself when he isn't around.

Mastermind

How sweet are you.

And he adores it.

Your innocence is really endearing.

He wants to see the other side of you.

He wants to see your strength.

And this man will do anything to release that strength.

Spontaneous sparing sessions.

Training.

Anything.

He has his reasons.

Reasons he won't tell you.

But it's good reasons.

Just listen to him.

#dbd imagines #dbd ask blog #dbd x reader #dbd killer #dbd ghostface #dbd mastermind #dbd shape #dbd pyramid head

[deathmetalunicorn1]

Well, this is inspired by that popular video game called Dead by Daylight, basically it's like you've seen a marathon of all kinds of supernatural and very scary serial killers from American franchise chains, and… Then you have a nightmare where you are with three other people running for your life trying to activate mechanisms to jump into a hatch and escape the killer, but… How sadly and comically not a nightmare, a spider-like hook-legged deity brought you to this hell come to life, because she felt bored.

Sorry, I just wandered into the real gist of the game… but that's it, you're in a group of four humans (prey) and you have to come up with a tactic to activate five generators and escape through a hatch or survive as long as possible. .. whichever comes first.

Well…..Imagining that Y/N was just hanging out in a small meadow next to her house with her adoptive family from RoR, it would be a real nightmare for the teenager to now be running from Ghostface or Kazan Yamaoka (The Oni). And suddenly stop her career and remember that in her family there are more dangerous characters and she's like:

-Y / N holding a traffic sign that found some blood from the subject that was chasing her, she gave the killer a good blow- Y/N: Well, you screwed yourself, idiot!! For me this is like a Saturday morning with Loki!

-And to see the faces of her family (who went to "rescue" her) while she proceeded to hunt the murderers in their territories within that strange dimension, while the other humans in the human camp only looked at the teenager from afar. and then to the recently arrived giant family-

Average Human: What do you feed that woman?

Bonus: *Y/N managed to break most assassins, new minions unlocked

I love this game, but I can’t play scary games, I’m too much of a weenie. But I do love watching other weenies play it! It makes it funnier when other people are getting scared and not me.

-It was just a normal, quiet day for you; enjoying the warm sunshine in a meadow nearby your house, getting away from the massive barbeque your massive adoptive family decided to have, just for a bit.

-You yawned deeply, leaning back on your hands as you stared up at the fluffy clouds drifting by that you could see through the tree tops.

-You heard something behind you and you quickly dodged as a man with a hockey mask tried to stab you in the neck, “What the fuck?!” you were able to roll out of the way and your eyes instantly widened, seeing a portal behind this masked man, opening into another dimension.

-You dodged more of his swipes as he tried to attack you, easily defending yourself before you managed to get a good shot in and punched him hard in the throat, sending this unknown man to the ground.

-Several teenagers ran out of the portal, looking roughed up and looking like they were being chased before you saw several more masked individuals, all varying in shapes and sizes and all holding various weapons.

-One of the girls told you to run as one of the largest ones, who had a pyramid shaped head, charged at you, holding a bloody stop sign.

-You quickly leg-swept him and took the stop sign, swinging it like a baseball bat with a war cry, taking him out before charging at one of the men who was wearing all black with a white ghost like face.

-One of the other villains shouted, “What the hell? Why are you so strong?!”

-You grit your teeth together before sneering at him, “Please, you pussies are nothing compared to the training sessions I have with Lu Bu, Thor, and Loki!”

-Your family, hearing the shouts, saw the group of teenagers as well as the masked villains with you in the middle of them before Adam shouted, “We’re coming Y/N!!”

-Your family could only stare in awe as you easily swung the stop sign around, decapitating one of the villains, Loki was holding his cheek with one hand and the other was taking a photo, “You’re doing great sweetie!”

-One of the teenager boys was gawking before pointing at you, looking up at Hercules, “What the hell do you feed her?!”

-Once they were all dead, Zeus told the teenagers to go back to their own dimension, thank you profusely for, while you were rather confused about why, as you were just defending yourself against these weirdos.

-You waved goodbye to them as the portal closed before you turned, “Is the grilled corn ready yet?” Buddha grinned, ruffling your hair, “They should be done by the time we get back!”

-You cheered, making many in your family laugh, while others ruffled your hair as well, proud to see you handling yourself in a fight, which made you beam.

#record of ragnarok #ror x reader #ror loki #ror heracles

[lostfirefly]

Life Must Have It's Mysteries (Ch.4)

Nobody asked me, but the thought of sending my beloved couple on a new journey didn't let me go. Welcome to a new adventure! No idea how many chapters there will be :) Pain continues leading me to art :)

English is not my native language, errors may occur. As always, feel free to share your thoughts :) Masterlist is here.

Description: Our heroes sneak into Baroque Works Castle and stole the map!

Warnings: Fun, fluff, a little scolding, adventure! Shitty shit again:)

Words: 4403 (sorry again)

Buggy x OC from my “You’ve Got the Same Dream as Me” series.

Taglist: @gingernut1314, @operationroots, @hey-august, @rorywritesjunk, @yujo-nishimura (I hope you still like it!)

The title is taken from “Life Must Have It's Mysteries” by Hans Zimmer (OST Inferno).

✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3

✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

“Run? Run? Where? That big baby is blocking the road we came!” Catherine was in a slight panic, pointing her finger at the big man.

“Then we'll find another one!” Buggy grabbed her arm and dragged her along. All Catherine could do was yell “oh, my God.” 

They reached another hallway and started looking around. Buggy pulled her behind a column and covered her with his body. 

“Catherine, now would be a good time to turn on your whole brain and think about where in houses like this your favorite Egyptian pharaohs could have made an extra exit. Mister 4 doesn't have powers, but if he hits with his bat, it won't be good.”

“Mister 4? What a stupid name!” She exclaimed.

“Seriously? Now?” He looked at her, trying to read the answer in her eyes to this stupid expression.

They heared the sound of a lot of footsteps, which were getting closer and closer. 

“Where to go?” Buggy asked, looking at Catherine. 

“I... I don't know!!” She grabbed her head. 

“Catherine, please, focus!” 

“Uh, wait. Wait! If this house was built on the pyramid principle, the building should be oriented on the south pole-north pole axis. Typically, emergency exits in such buildings were in the south. But given that they mixed up east and west, the exit should be on the north side of the building.” 

“Then let's try the north way.” He peeked out from behind the column and checked the path. “Clear, let's go.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her along again. 

“Oh, my God! I’m tired of running!”

They had reached the turnoff when a man's voice came from outside.

“Buggy the Clown!”

The man who had a number three on his head made from his hair stood behind them. The man with the number four on his clothes also approached him. 

“You know him?” Catherine asked and looked at Buggy with wide eyes. 

“Uh, sort of.” He shrugged his shoulders. 

“I haven't seen you since prison.” Said the man with the number of three. 

“Holy crap! You know, you should definitely tell me about this!” Catherine punched Buggy in his shoulder. 

“Is that what you want to talk about right now?” Buggy looked at her and gently shoved her behind him, as Catherine searched with her eyes for a way forward. 

“Holy shit!” She squealed. 

The man in ballet clothes appeared from the other side of the hallway. 

“Why does he look so... How he looks like…” She asked, pointing at the man with two figures in the shape of swans on his shoulders.  

“What are you doing here? I thought we talked about this last time.” Said the man with the number of three.  

The question 'what' was read in Catherine's eyes as she shifted her gaze from Buggy to the men. 

“You won't believe! I took the wrong road.” He smiled and made two small steps back. 

“Yes, it's very obvious. You were clearly on your way somewhere, and then suddenly… you're standing in the middle of the hallway of our headquarters.”

“Well, uh. What can I say, Mister 3? That's me!” Buggy chuckled.

“Mister Three? Who comes up with these stupid names?” Catherine screamed loudly, rolling her eyes. “And you're probably Mister 2, judging by the originality of the names here.” She pointed a finger at the man in ballet clothes. He looked surprised. 

Mister 3 glanced at Catherine. “So, Buggy, why are you here?”

Buggy slipped his hand into the pocket of his denim jacket. Mister 3 spread his legs slightly and stretched out his arms, which began to turn to wax.

“Fuck me!!!” Catherine goggled at his wax hands. “What the fuck is that?”

Mister 3 made a sudden movement with his hand, creating a long wax lasso, and wrapped it around Catherine's leg. 

“Let her go!” Buggy said loudly, taking three knives out of his pocket. 

“Oh my goodness, Buggy! Would you at least say that you carry such things with you?”

“Catherine, shut up, please!” He hissed at her. 

“Oh! Now I see who is she!” Mister 3 jerked his wax lasso sharply, knocking Catherine to the floor and pulling her towards him.

“Fuck!” Buggy abruptly dropped the knives, separated his both arms and grabbed Catherine by the belt on her pants. 

Catherine forcefully began to pull her leg out. “Damn!! I'm so sick of your fucking devil fruits! Let me go!” 

Mister 3 pulled Catherine back toward him. She jerked her leg sharply, and she managed to free it. She quickly stood up, and Buggy’s hands pulled her back to him. 

He attached his hands, took her hand and began to lead her behind his back. “Catherine, on the count of three, run.” He said quietly. 

“How? That ballet dude blocked the way! And what about you?” She asked with concern in her voice and squeezed his hand. 

Mister 3 began turning his hands into wax again.

“I said run. I'll deal with him. And don't let him touch you with his right hand.” Buggy pointed with his eyes at Mister Two and began to pull Catherine away from him with his hand. 

“No, please. I’m not going wit..” She whispered. 

“One… Two... Three!”

Catherine reluctantly let go of his hand and ran quickly. Buggy turned around and sent his knife towards Mister 2, who tried to grab Catherine at that moment. He dodged and she managed to sneak past him. 

She ran two hallways and stopped. 

“Fuck! Fuck!” Catherine felt the paper in her hands. She didn't even notice the map shoved into her hand. “Fuck, Buggy, where are you?” She looked hopefully in the direction from whence she had come running.

Catherine looked around and saw the outline of a door in the wall. She quickly walked over to the drawing, running her hand over it. 

“The exit!” 

She waited briefly for a few seconds, taking two deep breaths. 

“Oh, Catherine, you're going to regret this!” She held onto the wall with her hand and quietly walked backwards. She walked through one hallway when suddenly she saw a small flash. 

Catherine ran forward sharply and slammed into Buggy.

“You're alive!” She threw her arms around his neck. “Thank God! Are you hurt?” Her eyes surveyed his face. 

“What's going to happen to me?" He hugged her.  "Are you okay?”

“Yes!” Catherine ran her hands over his shoulders. “I saw the flash. I thought you.. What was that?”

“Well.. A failed attempt to launch my Muggy Ball.” Buggy scratched his head.

“Your what? What the hell is that thing?” She hit him lightly on the arm.

“Not now, Catherine, not now. Okay. Where do we go next?” 

“I saw the door over there!” She pointed in the right direction. “I'm more than sure it's the exit which we are looking for!” 

“Well then, let's run that way! Hang on!” 

He threw her on his shoulder again and ran in the direction she pointed. They reached the right place. Catherine jumped off his shoulder and began to run her hand over the drawing. “How on earth do you open?”

They heard the sounds of approaching footsteps again. 

“Catherine, hurry!” Buggy took the knives in his hand again and placed them between his fingers.

She was walking from side to side, clutching her head. “Wait! If there's a Shen in this building, it's also a sign of eternal protection. Eternity is infinity, right?” She looked around the wall. “Buggy! Up there! See the little stone at the top! And here, if you look closely, is a drawing of infinity on the wall. We need to guide this stone through that drawing.” 

“Look, baby, if your theory's wrong, you will have a chance to sit in those places from where I escaped.”

“You know, we're going to have a lot to talk about.” She said, periodically glancing over his shoulder towards the sound of footsteps.

Buggy detached his hand and sent it up to a tiny stone that stuck out of the wall. He ran it in the pattern Catherine had pointed out and brought the stone to the floor. 

“Now what?” He asked, looking back toward the sounds that were getting closer and closer. 

“I didn’t install these doors, Buggy! I don’t know how they open! Let's try pulling it!” 

They put their hands on the door and tried a few times to move it sideways. 

“It's not working!" She clasped her hands. " You know, when I decided to start a relationship with you, I didn't think I'd end up in a fucking prison from which, as it turned out, my boyfriend escaped!!” She kicked at the door with all her might in frustration.

They heard a heavy sound.

“It's open!!! It opened!!!” Catherine screamed happily.

“See? You being a little evil has helped us again!” He clicked his tongue and winked.

“Screw you, fucking clown!” 

“Yeah, yeah! You’ll yell at me later! Hurry!” Buggy took Catherine's hand and pulled her into the passage.

Just as they ran for the door, it closed. 

“Well, now I suggest we run for the house exit!” He threw Catherine on his shoulder again and ran down the dark corridors. 

They got out onto the street, climbed over the fence and ran to the car.

“Hell, yeah, Cathie-pie, we're on our way to the treasure!!” Buggy shouted cheerfully as he got into the car. 

“That's all great, but you owe me new sneakers now, Buggy the Clown! That wax man stole one sneaker from my favorite pair.” She showed one socked foot. 

⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭

They were on the road for a little over an hour.  

“Okay. We are now somewhere between Little Garden and Whiskey Peak. Our next stop is in four hours. Good thing you and I stocked up on food and booze.” Catherine threw the map and notebook into the glove compartment of the car, put her feet up on the dashboard, looked at him and stroked his red and white striped bandana. “Hungry?”

“Nah.” 

Suddenly they heard a pop from under the hood. 

“What the fuck?” Buggy stretched his back and tried to understand where the sound was coming from.

“What happened?”

“I don't know!” He jerked the gearshift lever. 

The car went a few more meters and stopped. 

“What the fuck?” Buggy turned the keys in the ignition, pressed the clutch and gas pedals. “Fuck!” He jumped out of the car and looked under the tires first. 

“What's wrong?” Catherine got out of the car. 

“I don't know!!” She could hear the irritation in his voice. “Cathie-pie, push the black and red button near the steering wheel, open the hood for me.”

Catherine climbed up to the steering wheel through her seat. “Done!”

She went back to him. He opened the hood and started checking every detail. 

“Look at you. Checking your car. God, you are so sexy right now.” She leaned on the car and smiled. 

“Please, Catherine! Not now!” He barked loudly. “Shit. The cable and the strap came off.”

“Can you fix it?”

“Fuck! Just fuck!” He slammed the hood, then kicked the radiator grille. 

“What are you so nervous about?” She moved closer to him and wanted to hug him. 

“I said not now!” He yanked her arm away with a growl, stepped back a little, kicked the front tire twice, and leaned his head into the car. 

She tiptoed over to him and put her hand gently on his back. “Buggy Bear, what's wrong?” 

“Could you please don’t call me that!” He barked loudly, walked towards the trunk and sat on the ground.

Catherine tiptoed behind him and sat down on her knees next to him.

“What happened?” She put her hand on his shoulder. 

“It never works out!” He whispered and was almost sobbing. 

“What?” 

“Nothing ever works out. He would have always succeeded…” He continued mumbling to himself. 

She crawled on her knees a little closer and hugged him. “Are you talking about the one whose name we don’t mention? Nah, it wouldn't have worked out for him. You know why?” She stroked his head. “He doesn't have our tandem. Look at how good we are. You and me. We stole the map from these… Moron Words or whatever they are. We've gotten so far together. Because you're in charge of strength and defense, and I'm in charge of brains! What's he got? Nothing. So you're the winner, my little bear.”

She put her head on his shoulder and took his hand. 

“I'm sorry.” He wrapped his hand around her waist.

“Oh, never mind, it's okay.” She looked at him and stroked his cheek. “Can I call you Buggy Bear again?”

“I don’t even understand why I allow you to call me that. You know that I’m against this nickname with every fiber of my soul!”

“And you perfectly know that I don’t care.” She pecked him on the lips. “So what's up, my blue-haired hero? How long will it take you to fix the car?”

“Well, it's gonna take two or three hours for sure. I want to check all the details under the hood. But I'm afraid we're not going any further today.”

“Well, we'll just spend the night here.” She looked around. “There's not a soul around. There's a sandy hill for our two old backs to lean on. We'll make a fire, and I’ll make your favorite hot dogs. Pretty cool, huh?” 

While he rummaged around under the hood, Catherine found a small amount of twigs and looked in the trunk for matches.

“I found some papers here, I'll take some for the fire, ok? Oh, wow! You got newspapers from years ago." She took the newspaper in her hands and straightened out the sheets. "Hah, Orange Town News. Look at this. So much interesting stuff was going on three years ago. Exhibitions, concerts, even fights. Oh, look! The page with the headline "Wanted”. Sounds intriguing! Well, well. What do we have here? Wow! So many faces.”  

Buggy tensed and quickly moved towards her. “Hey! Give me that!”

Without looking up from reading, she took two steps along the ground. “Someone with the name Mihawk. Oh, he's cute. Kuro. Why are they looking for the butler? Did he steal an expensive tea set since they give so much money for it? Arlong. Oh, I remember that name. Bug...”

“Catherine! Give it to me!” He snatched the papers from her hands. 

“...gy the Clown??!!” She looked at him with surprised eyes, and it seemed she even stopped blinking. “It's you!”

“No, it's not me. This is a different Buggy!” He began to fold the newspaper.

“Are you taking me for a fool? Believe me, the world couldn't handle two Buggies. It would just collapse instantly.” Catherine hit her palms, showing an explosion. 

“For the last time, it's not me!!”

“Yes, it's you. No offense, but I don't mistake you for anyone else thanks to one of your distinctive features.” She jabbed her finger at the picture in the paper. “You know, I'm getting more and more questions. There's a $15 million bounty on your head! What have you done that's worth so much money?”

“Doesn't matter.” He threw the newspapers back into the trunk, and walked back to the engine. 

“My little Bear!”

He was annoyed. “You could have asked first what you can take in the trunk and what you can't. After all, I can have my personal stuff.” 

“Oh my God!" Catherine rolled her eyes. "You're an emotional hurricane today, Buggy!” 

“Could you please.. listen to me for once in your life! I don't want you to know. Is it clear?” He hissed through his teeth.

“What did I do? It's just a fucking newspaper. Stop overreacting!”

“Oh, fuck you!”

Catherine stood next to the car and waited about fifteen minutes, then quietly approached him and gently placed her hand on his back. “My love, let's talk. What happened? Why did you react like that?”

He didn't answer. 

“Are you not gonna talk to me at all?”

Buggy silently removed her hand from his back and continued to mutter something to himself.

“Oh, well, the hell with you, fucking clown. Our drama queen got mad over some nonsense!” Catherine barked back at him, turned around and went to the place to prepare a fire pit.

She sat on the sand near the sand hill for an hour, drawing lines with a stick on the ground. She looked at Buggy, who was walking from trunk to hood, occasionally swearing at the engine.

Catherine exhaled, stood up, and slowly walked over to him. "How's it going?" 

He didn't answer anything.

“Are you still offended? I'm sorry if I said or did something wrong. I was just a little surprised to see your face there.”

“Uh-huh.” 

“But I don't care about that poster if it scares you.” She took another half step toward him, putting her chin on his shoulder and gently rubbing his head. “Bzzz… What are you doing?” 

He exhaled heavily, looked up at her, and started laughing. 

“Why are you laughing?” She asked and spread her hands in confusion.

Buggy turned his back to the hood and pulled her closer to him. Catherine immediately wrapped her arms around his neck. 

He looked into her eyes and smiled. “How do you make it, so I can't be mad at you for more than ten minutes?”

“Ten minutes? Oh, come on! You didn't talk to me for an hour. And sometimes at home, you sulk at me for two hours! You always walk from corner to corner grumbling, and at this moment you look like a sullen cat!” She made a grumpy face imitating him. 

“My little shit!” He took her hand and kissed it. “I’m sorry!”

“Oh my gosh! I will probably someday make the Earth rotate against its axis. Buggy the Clown apologized twice in one day!” She pressed her forehead against his and said quietly. “We did good today, yeah? We had two fights in less than an hour. We're going for the personal record.”

“I.. did--”

“Oh! Don't worry, my silly clown.” Catherine stroked his head and kissed him on his cheek. “This is a relationship. This shit happens sometimes. We're just getting to know each other better, that's all. Besides, if life with you was like a world of pink ponies, I'd go crazy.” 

He kept his eyes on her for a long time, slowly running his hands down her back. “Why are you with me? I think you could have found someone better th..”

“Ts!” She pressed her finger to his lips. “I told you. I don't need anyone else. I found the best guy who made to keep my heart beating. Why does it bother you?” 

He only shrugged his shoulders.

“Alright, we’ll talk about this later. Okay! I’ll grab a beer and gonna make a fire now. I'll grill sausages for your favorite hot dogs. And if you're not mad at me anymore, finish up here and come to me, okay?”

He nodded. 

“Love you, my Hurricane Buggy!” Catherine pecked him in his nose. 

“Love you too, my cotton candy.”

She brought beer from the trunk, made a fire, and glanced at him from time to time while she fried sausages. “Are you coming? It's almost done.”

He closed the hood, shook off his hands, took a plaid from the car, came to Catherine and heavily exhaled, collapsed on the ground next to her. 

“Tired?” She ran her hand over his head. 

“Nah.”

“Do you want mustard or ketchup on your sausage?”

“Both!”

“Then open the ketchup for me, because I can't do it.” Catherine tried to open the bag with her hands. 

“Give it to me.” He took the ketchup packet from her hands, pulled a knife out of his denim jacket pocket, cut off the tip, and handed the open packet into Catherine's hands. 

"Mmm, delicious." Buggy slowly licked the remaining trace of ketchup off the knife several times.

Catherine looked at him, froze for a second, feeling goosebumps run down her back. "I hate you!"

He looked at her questioningly. “What for now?”

Catherine put a sausage in a bun, sprinkled it all generously with mustard and ketchup, and put the hot dog in his hands. 

“Here you go, my blue-haired hero.” She opened two bottles of beer. “How's your hot dog? Tasty?” 

Buggy nodded and sipped his beer. Catherine watched him happily eating the bread and sausage, and ran her hand over his bandana. 

She couldn't resist and kissed him on his cheek five times. “You're so cute!” 

He immediately became red as his nose. 

Finishing the hot dog, Buggy set the beer on the ground and threw the plaid over Catherine's shoulders. 

“Let me in here!” She spread his legs, rolled over his foot with an "ouch!” and heard “baby, why can't you sit like a normal person”, sat down between them and pressed her back against his chest. “That's much better.”

He hugged her instantly. 

“Look at this! So beautiful!” Catherine ran her hands over his arms. “Why haven't we done this before? Sometimes we should just go somewhere in the desert. Make a fire, eat sausages and look at the stars. Just you and me.”

“If you want to, and it will make you happy, we will do it. I’ll do anything to make you the happiest girl in the world, my Cathie-pie.” Buggy took her hand. “See that bright star over there?” He pointed at the sky with their hands holding together. 

“Yeah.”

“That's Sirius.”

“Really?”

“Honestly? I have no idea.”

Catherine laughed, then suddenly sighed heavily and ran her fingers over her wet eyes.

“What's wrong, my cotton candy?” He asked with concern in his voice.

“I.. I  don't know. I thought how sad that my parents had died. I miss them. They would have loved you.”

“I don't think your parents would approve of a relationship with a freak with a big nose.” Buggy answered quietly and ran his fingers over her arm.

“Don't say those terrible things about yourself. You are handsome, funny, you take care of me. You love to surprise me. Although you're noisy, overdramatic and sometimes your surprises are ve-e-ry strange.” Сatherine sighed heavily again. “I would really like for you to meet.” She felt how he hugged her tightly and pressed his cheek to her temple. “My mom would be happy for me. After all, her daughter found a mysterious man who’s worth 15 million dollars.”

“Please, don't!” Buggy rolled his eyes.

“What? I'm.. I'm curious. You told me about your trainings on the island and everything else. But you didn’t tell me why you cost a lot of money. Although, I would give more money for you! 15 million isn't enough. 3 billion is fine. And I would also include you in some powerful organization. You would be the most important person there. But if you don't want to tell me, it's okay. Just for your information, I think it's cool. And by the way, you look so hot in that poster.” Catherine took his bottle of beer and took a sip. “What if you really are some kind of scary pirate? I've loved stories about them since I was a child. My father used to tell me a lot of tales about them. You know, we sometimes spent the whole evening in bed rereading "Treasure Island".”

He kissed her temple. “Now that explains a lot.” 

“Oh! Wait, wait! What if somewhere in the port of Cairo your ship is docked. And someday you will show it to me, and then you will take me somewhere far far away.” Catherine smoothly pointed into the distance with her hand.

“Cathie-pie, baby, please. Stop.”

She kept silent for a moment. “Do you think we're gonna find that blue diamond?”

He exhaled and put his chin on the top of her head. “I don't know. I hope so. But even if we don't, it'll be one of those stories that we will remember when we grow old. Together.” Buggy quietly accented the last word.

“Judging by the gray hair on your temples and eyebrows, you will grow old before me.”

“Little shit! I'm not much older than you!” He kissed her temple twice.

“Don't you think this reminds you of that adventure we had? The day I found out about your chop chop thing. We were sitting in the desert by the fire.” She ran her finger over his knuckle.

“Of course I remember. That evening when I had my first click.”

“What?” Catherine looked at him in surprise.

His face changed as he realized what he had said. “Fuck! I let it slip.” Buggy seemed a little bit scared.

“Did you fall in love with me then?” Catherine didn't take her eyes of him.

“No, I fell in love with you later. You pissed me off then. Because you were always being hysterical and nagging me. But that day, I didn't understand why a nice girl like you cared about me. And you still do that. And I still don't understand it, though.”

“Well, because you saved that nice girl from a scary man and she couldn't ignore it. Then you saved that nice girl again. And then again. And then somehow that nice girl ended up falling head over heels in love with you. And just you to know, that girl loves taking care of you.” She stroked his cheek and squinted her eyes playfully. “First click… That's interesting. Can I ask?” 

“Oh, no! Please, stop asking "when did you fall in love with me" questions.” Buggy looked at her with puppy eyes.

“Why? I'm so interested! Okay, I'll ask you later!”

She invited him with her finger to tilt his head closer to her and kissed him on the lips. She broke the kiss and looked into his eyes. 

“You're not leaving me, are you?” Buggy asked with a note of fear in his voice.

“Of course no. I'm so glad I met you, my silly clown. And I'm so glad you didn't let me go home.” She tucked her legs in, curled up, snuggled comfortably under his armpit and covered him with the plaid. “I love you so, so much, my Buggy Bear.”

“You tell me that every day, cotton candy. Aren't you tired?”

“Oh, shut up, I'll say it as many times as I want.”

#one piece #buggy the clown #buggy x oc #oc fanfiction #oc character #buggy the clown x oc #buggy live action #one piece live action #buggy one piece #opla buggy the clown #buggy fanfiction #buggy fic #buggy x catherine #opla buggy the clown x reader #buggy the clown x reader #opla buggy the clown x you #buggy x female reader #buggy the clown x you #opla buggy x reader #buggy x you #buggy x reader #one piece au

[grantspectortrash]

I have a moon knight request!! Steven Grant x Reader where they go on a trip to Egypt and Steven decides to have a date night with the reader and he dresses as Mr Knight, and flies you like he does in the show up to the pyramids of Giza, enjoys the view with you and then smooches you

((this is so cute and fun!! hope you enjoy this lil piece of work & sorry it took so long!))

Fly Me To The Moon

summary: read anon request above, pairing: Steven Grant x Reader

word count: 1.6k

"Steven how on Earth did you manage to pay for all of this?"

You stand in a luscious hotel room, with a four-poster bed, an en suite bathroom and a window view that is unbelievable - you can see the pyramids of Giza right from where you’re standing.

"Well," Your boyfriend Steven is stood behind you, his face a picture of pure delight and his hands all fidgety with excitement, "Marc and Jake may have helped...they wanted to, y'know? Treat the lady."

He smiles at you, all gorgeous and endearing, and your heart melts.

Having one boyfriend was wonderful, but having a boyfriend who shared his body and mind with two other men, who also cared and loved you deeply, was truly incredible. You knew, technically, they were all your boyfriend, but you had met Steven first - on that day in the museum - and he was the one who asked you to be his girlfriend so, technically, it made sense.

“You’re always full of surprises.” You make your way from the window over to him, where he’s standing in the middle of the room. You pull him in for a kiss; he wraps his arms around your waist and your hands find his face, grabbing at him until your lips are smushed together and you can’t breath properly but it’s okay, you’d give up oxygen to kiss Steven all day. It would be worth it.

"Sweetheart-" Steven tries to pull away, but you pepper him with kisses across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose, making him blush profusely. He laughs at you. "Love, please."

"Okay, okay." You hold your hands up, stepping away from him, "I'm done."

There's that smile on your face again, the one only Steven could ever bring out. He looks at you - all big, brown eyes and pink lips - and grins like a Cheshire cat.

"I have another surprise for you."

Your eyebrow quirks, "You do?"

"Date night."

"Oh my gosh," You beam at him, "Really?"

Steven nods, a smile on his face that seems slightly too cocky. It reminds you of Marc, and that worries you. Marc was always up to mischief when he had "surprises" for you. "Go get changed and then we'll go out, yeah? It'll be the best surprise ever."

You oblige, not wanting to turn down the offer. It takes you twenty minutes trying to decide what would be appropriate; you try to badger Steven for clues but to no avail - that man was good at keeping a secret.

It takes you another twenty minutes to get changed.

"There's not a time I need to be ready by, is there?" You half-yell from the bathroom as you fix your hair.

"Nope." Steven calls back and you can practically hear the smile in his voice.

Once you're ready you leave the bathroom to find Steven standing in the middle of the room once again, but this time he looks different. He's got his suit on - the suit.

Without his mask, the suit could pass for just a normal everyday suit, if people ignored the hieroglyphs and the Khonhsu-symbol waistcoat buttons.

"What is this?" You ask, puzzled, "Is there something wrong?"

Steven reaches an arm out to you to take your hand. "No love, nothing's wrong."

You frown, "Then why-?"

"Do you trust me?" Steven cuts you off. He looks like a giddy school kid, all rosy-cheeked and grinning ear to ear. Even like that you think he looks undeniably gorgeous.

"Of course I do baby."

He pulls you closer to the window, where for most of the evening the curtains have been pulled. He opens them with his spare hand where the dark night waits. Below there's lights of all shapes and colours in the streets, and the pyramids are lit up ready for a spectacle.

The nightly show has spotlights, lasers and image projectors for tourists to visit once the sun set. It looks beautiful, even from afar.

"Is that where we're going?" You smile at Steven, squeezing his hand.

He licks his bottom lip and kisses your forehead, "Yes and no."

You're about to ask what he means, when he opens the window as far as he can. Just below is a small ledge, one that's only there because it's the roof of the hotel's porch entrance. Steven looks down, looks back at you, and starts climbing over the edge, your hand still in his.

"Steven! What are you doing?" You're confused - Steven was never this daring. Perhaps it was the way he looked in the suit, or the crazy adventure of it all, but you think that Steven is the sexiest he's ever been.

"It's okay. You said you trust me, yeah?" He's got himself out of the window now, his feet safely planted on the ledge. He's not let go of your hand, and you're still inside your hotel room, looking down at him. His eyes stare up at you and they're hard to resist.

"Let me guess, it's not a surprise if you tell me what we're doing, right?" You roll your eyes but follow Steven's lead, swinging one leg over the window ledge and letting him safely get you down. He holds your waist for support and once you're both outside the room, you wonder where the hell you'll go from there.

"You see the pyramids?" Steven whispers to you, pointing specifically at the tallest one.

"Is that a trick question?" You laugh and Steven pokes your ribs in jest.

"Oi." He chuckles, "Just humour me."

You sigh dramatically, trying to ignore the adrenaline in your veins and the way your heart's pounding. What was Steven thinking? "Okay, fine. Yes I see them."

"Good. We're going to the top, alright, love? Is that okay with you?"

"Okay with me? Of course it's okay but how on Earth are you going to do that? It's-"

You're about to say it's impossible, but then there's that look on Steven's face again, a look that is so familiar. So very Marc. And you suddenly Steven's arms are moving, pulling tighter around your waist until you're facing him and you can practically feel the excitement coming off Steven like electricity.

“Marc!” Steven yells and you’re confused.

And suddenly your confusion turns to panic and you’re surprised - the first surprise of the night.

Steven’s suit morphs, turning into the ceremonial armour of Khonshu’s temple. The mask dons Steven’s face and a cape appears and suddenly Steven takes a leap, one you think will have you ending up on the floor in a splat. But, it doesn’t.

You squeal and yell and hold onto Steven for dear life because if you don’t, that would be one nasty fall.

“Hold on love.” Steven’s voice is loud in your ear even with the mask on and you think about how stupidly endearing he is - as if you weren’t going to hold on.

It takes all your strength to open your eyes, to notice the way Steven’s body moves and the cape reacts. Realising you’re flying and, oh my god, it is as much terrifying as it is exhilarating.

You’re high, so high you think maybe you could touch the moon, and then, the suit changes and you think you’re done for. You think you’re going to plummet, and the second surprise comes: you don’t.

You don’t fall or crash or die, you glide. Straight to the pyramids of Giza.

And just like that it’s over. It’s an impressive landing, one that involves Steven’s body cushioning yours and there’s a slight roll to it but you both make it in one piece and that’s the main thing.

You’re out of breath and panting, basically lying on top of Steven with your back against his chest.

“You okay? Love?”

“Yes.” You pant. “Yes.”

It takes you two minutes to get over the second surprise and start appreciating the third one. You sit up, shakily, and behind you Steven stands.

“We’re on a pyramid.” You state, craning your neck to look up at Steven. He’s stopped grinning like a goofball and his eyes are scanning your face, trying to pick up any discomfort you might feel.

“Is that okay? We don’t have to if you don’t feel safe it’s just-”

And there he is, the old babbling Steven you knew when you first met. You stand, holding a finger up to shush him, and he stops talking.

“It’s perfect. Scary as hell, but perfect.”

You realise you’re standing on one of the pyramids of Giza. You. On a pyramid. Your feet finally work again and you take a step towards Steven, trying to not focus on how high up you are right now, or how you’re going to get down.

“Wanna just watch?” He asks, and the two of you stand there, taking in the view and watching the night show from above.

You get washed in colour and lasers zip around your feet. You can hear music and you can see the city below as well as the stars and moon above. It feels surreal.

“Let’s stay here forever?” You whisper, while Steven’s arms wrap around you, holding you tight. The white of his suit shines in the moonlight.

And you stay there for a long time, maybe not forever like you’d hoped, but long enough for you to know that you are never going to forget this moment. Not in a million years. Not in a hundred million.

“You’re perfect, Steven Grant.”

You kiss then, there on top of a pyramid while the whole world passes by not even knowing of the joy you feel. It’s a good kiss, and you think how nothing could be better than a surprise date night with the one and only Mr Knight.

-

taglist: @later-gators12 @alicetweven @toracainz @bristark616 @insomniacfigure @allthingsvicf @leh2393 @minetticatinwonderland @elles-mind-palace @christineblood @fandxmslxt69 @sir-knight-slytherdor

#moon knight #steven grant #steven grant x reader #steven grant fanfiction #steven grant fluff #moon knight fanfiction #steven grant x you #grantspectortrash answers

[sundayswiththeilluminati]

I’ve had a spinfoil theory for a while now, that doesn’t have too much basis for it, but it’s worth handing off to the resident Rasputin fan here to see their take on it.

So, we know that Rasputin very much did not shoot the Traveler. He had plans to, and he was convinced to some degree that it would work, but he never did.

What if it wasn’t the Traveler he shot, though?

When he confronted the Witness at the Gate of the Garden like how we did, he got out of there somehow, and I don’t think collapsing into a heap on the floor for naptime would have saved him there.

First point is, the Lunar Pyramid is on the moon, same as the new Gate. I know the keyword there is ‘new’, but with how Vex stuff works, for all we know, once a place becomes a Gate, it was always a Gate, bear with me there.

Second, that would have been the same general area that Rasputin had LOKI CROWN pointed, whatever it was. We know the Witness didn’t intend on pulling any punches with the Collapse, so Nezarec could very much have been leading the charge straight against the Traveler.

Third, we know that all of the Pyramids are linked to one another and the Witness through the Egregore, so it could stand to reason if a Pyramid was disrupted, it could break the Witness’ focus, even just momentarily.

And fourth, we’ve seen how the Cabal can adapt to paracausal forces and counter them, and it’s Rasputin’s job to be paranoid, I could buy that he had the Traveler studied just for the sake of always having a silver bullet in case it went rogue. Keyword, singular, silver bullet.

What I’m thinking is, what if, during the final moments of the Collapse and Rasputin’s duel, he made the choice to redirect LOKI CROWN’s firepower at the Lunar Pyramid and put that to ground instead of the Traveler? Severing the Witness’ connection like that, even momentarily, would’ve been enough for him to initiate MIDNIGHT EXIGENT.

That’s a lot, I know, but I feel Very Strongly about Rasputin being able to stand up to paracausal forces in any way shape or form even if Destiny’s going to boil down to ‘Light and Dark Good, Everything Else Unimportant’, and thinking of him having a victory like that gives me a bit of vindication. Would love to hear your thoughts.

I can’t imagine Rasputin having anti-paracausal weaponry and not at least trying it against the Pyramid Fleet the way he tried everything else. Odds are good that Rasputin launched LOKI CROWN, or reused its assets under another name, against the Witness. He may have repurposed it into the SURTR DROWN mentioned as "in progress but negative effect." Keeping the Traveler from leaving would be a lower priority at that point than just finding something, anything, that worked. And if he did end up in a face-to-face where the Witness, let’s say, took offense at Rasputin’s rejection of the honor of Disciplehood, kneeing it in the balls with a nuclear warhead would be the best way for him to escape. But from what we've heard so far Nezarec's Pyramid was hurled into the Moon by the Traveler's detonation, and it’s not (yet) canon that Rasputin ever met the Witness at all. I'd like to give Red at least partial credit for the kill on Nezzy, but until we get more details I can't justify it.

I will die on the hill that Rasputin is too big not to be at least a little paracausal. If Darkness “comes from within” and the eliksni can directly manipulate ambient Light then I don’t see why Rasputin needs a permission slip from a beachball to go ham. Paracausality is fundamentally a matter of thought and will and Rasputin has both of those in spades. Arguably he’s never been anything but thought and will. And are we really pretending that a couple kilometers of ice is all it takes to stop a Worm God? Rasputin kept Xol pinned, not that glacier. He says he doesn’t understand it, but neither do Guardians and we manage just fine. Honestly I think the main reason he doesn’t use it is because his story arcs go very hard-scifi and the writers avoid the space magic. This season will put that to the test though and I can’t wait for the results.

But even without direct paracausality Rasputin can and should be able to step to paracausal threats. The Hive die to an orbital laser strike same as everyone else (even if they sometimes come back). The Cabal have built Light- and Darkness-suppressing tech, and if they can work it out, Rasputin can too. He also had some serious weaponry during the Golden Age, and not just "secular" stuff.

In the message outlining LOKI CROWN Rasputin discusses "full caedometric and noetic release," and in another lore card he’s moving an “annihilation-pumped caedometric weapon” into place. "Caedometric" is not a real word, but we've seen it a couple times in Destiny. It literally translates to “cutting-measure” or “to cut the measure” and I think it means weaponry that directly warps spacetime, similar to the Culture’s “gridfire”: damage done by invoking the mass-energy structures underpinning space. Caedometric weapons are also wielded by the Ecumene in its fight against the Hive - this is some very advanced tech - and said weapons are only authorized when the Ecumene orders “maximum theater overkill.” The potential for collateral damage is likely very high. They work, too: they can’t kill Oryx, but the Ecumene’s forces slay him in the material world often enough to force him back to his throne. Rasputin’s caedometric weapons are likely much cruder and weaker than the Ecumene’s, like the first nuclear weapon compared to today’s - but it’s still, y’know, a nuke.

Noetic weapons are for another type of battlefield. “Noetic” means relating to the mind or to knowledge itself, and this is Vex stuff: weaponized patterns that infect, corrupt, or just plain destroy the mind. It’s one of the contingencies covered in the Codes & Procedures handbook for the K1 Anomaly, which warns of:

NOETIC EVENT. A canary panel has detected a noetic event, including substrate-free syntactic replicators, adversarial inputs, oncomemes, Vex-type viral semiotic signifiers, and frequency-based heuristic exploits.

Oncomemes. What a fantastic word! “Onco” means “cancerous.” Cancerous memes. That covers a lot of memes, really. Rasputin had weaponized memes. He faced the Vex, and he learned from them.

So both caedometric and noetic-type weapons are a) very advanced, b) bad news, and c) part of Rasputin’s arsenal. Neither is explicitly paracausal, but both can be wielded against paracausal entities. 

Paracausal weapons did show up during the Golden Age. When Elsie decides to shut down Clovis’ Vex gate by any means necessary, she goes to a research institute dedicated to the Traveler and secures a “topological thought,” an “irreal artifact of the Traveler’s Light,” as the core of a weapon to hard-crash every Vex on the forgeworld. Elsie Bray is brilliant and clever, and when it comes to paracausality it helps to have a mind driven more by the subjective than the objective, but if Elsie could hotwire a paracausal bomb in a couple days I think Rasputin could work out the same idea at some point during the Golden Age. The stumbling block here is the acquisition of said irreal artifact. “Irreal” is a synonym for “unreal,” but in philosophy has more specific connotations of being incapable of existing at all in this reality - not simply “unreal” like a unicorn, but “irreal” like incompatible with our spacetime. While Rasputin could requisition whatever he liked, he probably couldn’t make an “irreal” thing. A finite number of artifacts means a finite number of weapons, and if they all came from the Traveler that’s one of the only sources Rasputin couldn’t commandeer. 

So if Rasputin did make paracausal weapons, he would only have a few. I can’t imagine he had a lot of chances to test them, and since it’s paracausal simulating it can only go so far. That would give him a small supply of unique weapons whose efficacy (and side effects) he can’t be sure of. In that case setting them up as a failsafe against the Traveler is the most logical use. The Traveler is the entity most likely to need paracausal weapons to bring it down, and if he has to fire on it then so many other things have already gone wrong that the potential fallout is the least of his problems. Hence this is probably the arsenal he deployed as LOKI CROWN.

In the end I don’t think Rasputin ever expected to use LOKI CROWN for its original purpose, and not because he had faith in the Traveler. I think he intended for the Traveler to intercept and decipher this message, or to observe and decipher his creation of LOKI CROWN, and infer his intent. His ultimate goal wasn’t to ambush the Traveler, but to threaten it. The operation’s real purpose is outlined in the same transmission: “Coerce pseudoaltruistic [O] defensive action,” or in other words, “Make the Traveler defend humanity.” Rasputin didn’t plot to kill the Traveler, at least not in this message. In this message Rasputin put a gun on the table and said, “If shit gets real, you’re staying here to fight. That can happen the easy way or the hard way. Let’s take the easy way, hm?” Rasputin doesn’t want to actually attack the Traveler, since that would both use up his arsenal and compromise its ability to defend humanity. But he also doesn’t trust it. He wants insurance in case it starts looking for the exit. So LOKI CROWN had to be a viable threat, but at the same time Rasputin expects the Traveler to pick up on said threat and be rational (or altruistic) enough not to force him to actually pull that trigger. And one way or another the Traveler did stand its ground. So at some point he likely took that system apart and threw it at the Pyramids the way he threw everything else.

#Destiny 2 #the Warmind Rasputin #Season of the Seraph #not really though #more or less took this as a chance to ramble about weapons #hope we aren't seeing them from the wrong end... #good question though #ra ra Rasputin Mars' greatest war machine #output generated #loremind #this is the wager of existence

[wenella]

Zhu Yilong: No time to swell

EN translation of Zhu Yilong's Esquire Sept 2018 Cover Issue Feature Interview by wenella

朱一龙：我来不及膨胀

Zhu Yilong: No time to swell

ESQ: When did you realise that you became popular?

Zhu Yilong: I was filming (note: My True Friend) so I didn't feel anything... But when I went to record Happy Camp in Changsha, I was shocked to see so many people at the airport. Even the police was mobilised.

ESQ: Your fans praise you for maintaining the integrity of your acting despite a bad script. How did you do it? What do you think of imperfect dramas?

Zhu Yilong: I managed to develop pretty good tolerance over the years. If the script isn't great or is illogical, I will sort out the character's development and his lines to make it better. If not, it will be impossible to act.

ESQ: How do you feel about your previous acting experiences?

Zhu Yilong: How many good dramas are produced in a year now? Good dramas that excite audiences, that are praised by the industry, that feature excellent actors & directors? Probably one drama a year? With such limited good productions, it is hard for actors to land themselves in good roles. In fact, even though many actors are constantly acting in new shows, they rarely get the chance to play a role that they they really want. Well, one can choose to say, "I will not act if it isn’t a role that I like." But if you don’t act, who will approach you with roles in the future? If I didn’t accumulate a decade of acting experiences after graduating, how can I be sure that I will do well when I receive a a good script? Hypothetically, I could have taken up my role in Guardian even as a fresh graduate, but the result would definitely be different.

ESQ: Probably a tricky question; what motivated you to create your role as Savage in Hunting Savage (2011)?

Zhu Yilong: I was quite resistant initially. I thought, a savage? How do I play a savage? When I first started, I felt that I had to sort out the character's story. I was on very good terms with the director and we came to a consensus: let's just have fun. And we did.

ESQ: What did you learn from this experience?

Zhu Yilong: That all actors need experiences like this. It will help to build your resilience. After filming Hunting Savage, I found it easier to face other problems. I mean, what problems? If I can play a monkey and shoot illogical dramas, how difficult can these problems be? Therefore, whenever I encounter any problems with my scripts now, it isn't as devastating as before. I am able to resolve the issues. I have a better mindset and I do not shy away from any difficulties or challenges.

ESQ: Can you share if there were any dramas or roles played by you that were integral in shaping your acting style and approach?

Zhu Yilong: There are three shows. "Family Banquet," "Love for Three Lifetimes," and "The Story of Minglan."

Let’s start with Family Banquet. Feng Douzi’s personality is really different from mine. He is a bad student and all he wants to do is to make money. He sells houses, gets into illegal pyramid schemes; well, he is basically a rascal. I was only a year out of college when I played this character.

Looking back, I was glad that I did it. I can’t possibly do aloof and cool roles all the time. When I acted as Chi Rui in Love for Three Lifetimes, I wasn’t confident as I had very few lines. At that time, audiences often criticized actors for being expressionless. I mean, everyone loves animated and vivid performances, but Chi Rui was written as an aloof, icy, and expressionless character; what could I do about it?

ESQ: So it became a test of your emotional scenes......

Zhu Yilong: Yes, but audiences probably weren't able to understand this. I was very worried during the filming and kept discussing my scenes with the director. In the end, I didn't express Chi Rui's emotions through his facial expressions, but internalized them instead. I took his love & hatred to extremes and differentiated them.

ESQ: How did "The Story of Minglan" impact you?

Zhu Yilong: I tried to do something different in The Story of Minglan; that is, I did not design anything for my character. In the past, I had to be sure of the character’s logic and development before the filming and hence, I'd prepare extensively for my role. This was to ensure that my acting was consistent & logical. But Qi Heng had very limited scenes and the director had full control over the drama's pace. It was hard for me to tell what the eventual result would be like, so I couldn't follow my instinct.

ESQ: So what did you do this time?

Zhu Yilong: I didn't prepare much. When I first joined the set, I kept discussing my role with the director. I asked Director Zhang Kaizhou, "So what do you think of Qiheng?" I trusted him a lot. Director Zhang was very insightful and had a totally different personality from Qi Heng. Thus, he was able to look at this character more objectively. I adjusted my acting according to his demands. And as the filming progressed, I kept reminding myself to be more open-minded.

ESQ: What do you think of the relationship between an actor and good looks?

Zhu Yilong: Firstly, I don't think they contradict one another. There is no correlation between good looks and acting skills. Some genres require actors to look good. If not, it would be hard for the audience to accept them as the character. In film and tv, being good-looking can help an actor enhance the character's charisma, but this is also dependent on how the actor uses his good looks. He can’t behave in a way that impresses on audiences that all he does is to try and look good.

ESQ: You acted in a theatrical adaptation of “Devils on the Doorstep” (Dir. Jiang Wen, 2000) in college?

Zhu Yilong: Yes! I played Er Bozi (Second Neck) and all my lines were in Tangshan dialect. “I have a mouth just like my mum’s; it can’t keep secrets.” The previous version was played by Huang Bo. Several students from my cohort are particularly fond of director Jiang Wen, so we produced a new version.

ESQ: You're different from Jiang Wen. He's more flamboyant than you.

Zhu Yilong: Actually, we are pretty similar. I think flamboyance stems from one’s confidence. If you are like Jiang Wen and made a successful film such as In the Heat of the Sun (1995), you should express yourself confidently; your ideas are probably right as whatever that you say is based on the success of the work. However, if you insist on flaunting despite not having what it takes or if you think that being ignorant is cool, it is impossible for you to gain the recognition of others.

ESQ: Have you ever taken risks in your acting?

Zhu Yilong: I've always taken risks, but not without fear. I think I was a bit more daring when I first started filming. I thought that no one would watch those late-night movies on TV anyway, so I experimented with different acting styles.

ESQ: You’ve picked up some acting techniques by now, such as swallowing fake blood before puking or playing lame by stuffing a rock in your shoe. Why don't you try a smarter method instead? For example., you can get a sense of how it feels to be lame for a few days and you remove the stone from your shoe during the actual filming.

Zhu Yilong: I don't think there are any short cuts to acting. I can definitely try the smarter method. However, after reading the interviews and biographies of foreign actors, I realised that I haven't been able to immerse myself in my role as much as they did. This is something that I hope to achieve. (The former method) may be more harmful for my body, but I feel that it is more meaningful as I get to immerse myself in the character during the filming. If not, what is the point of acting? Using short cuts and techniques? What’s the point?

ESQ: You've played a lot of roles that are very different from yourself. Looking back, do you feel surprised by your performance? Do you feel a sense of accomplishment?

Zhu Yilong: To be honest, those roles aren’t great. I think the characters are rather superficial. Actors can express a range of emotions and play a variety of roles, but it takes a lot more to make a character deep. No actor can play one role today and another role the next day. Every role is contingent on one's experiences; you need to invest time to experience a character’s life.

ESQ: Have you been this sober since you were a kid?

Zhu Yilong: I don't know. In retrospect, it might have something to do with my dad. My dad loves to talk to me about life & values. When I was 13 years old, my dad dragged me into the snow on New Year's Eve and told me that "people need to decide how to lead their entire life." My dad is a loving father; he has never scolded or hit me. Whenever my dad was in a good mood, he’d come to pick me up from school and took me to play games. My mum would chase after us and drag me back home. She’s pretty strict.

ESQ: Your parents treat you very differently.

Zhu Yilong: Yes, I looked better when I was a child. I had curly hair and big eyes. My mum loved to tie my hair into a ponytail, apply red nail polish on my nails, and dress me in skirts or dresses. My dad, who used to practice Sanda, was very upset with my mum over this. He threw me into a Sanda training team as a way of developing my masculinity. Looking back, parental education has a direct impact on a child's development.

ESQ: You said you want life to be simpler, but characters you play to be more complicated. Why?

Zhu Yilong: Because I’m lazy (laughs). Life is so complicated every day. There are so many things to think about, it is tiring. I like a simple life; to keep interactions with people simple. To keep things simple. As for my roles, I like them to be more complicated & layered. I don’t want to play a role that will allow people to predict what will happen to him in the last episode just based on the first.

ESQ: Some people say that your generation of actors debuted at the wrong time.

Zhu Yilong: When we just graduated, the main characters on TV were played by actors such as Sun Honglei and Zhang Jiayi. We could only play their son or younger brother. We didn't have opportunities to play more sophisticated characters as we weren’t senior enough.

And when we finally made it into our 30s to play the roles that we want, audiences seem to prefer very young actors. It is as though we have missed out on something.

ESQ: Do you feel upset?

Zhu Yilong: Not really, I don't think too much about this. I'm neither a young fresh meat nor a veteran actor. If I can't play the role I want, I'll just try something else. I mean, I've played a monkey before, there is nothing that I can’t act, right?

Post translation note: It warms my heart to read a 2018 article and realise how Zhu Yilong has grown closer to his acting goals since then. This interview was probably done in Aug 2018 after Guardian concluded. I like it because it focused a lot on getting Zhu Yilong to express his views on the craft of acting, rather than to answer the usual (and meaningless) questions regarding “high traffic stars” or “idol vs. actor.” Happy reading. If you want to re-translate this thread into another language, pls DM me for permission and credit + share the link to the original post. Thanks!

#zhu yilong #朱一龍 #朱一龙 #guardian #zhuyilong #wenella #the story of minglan #zhen hun #鎮魂

[mattypattypinky]

🎀Vector and Megamind Friendship Headcanons🎀

🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀🎀

They probably met at a villain convention. Megamind has a booth and Vector wanted his autograph. Megamind would recognize him and get excited.

Vector would ask Megamind to sign his Squid Launcher and Megamind would recognize him.

"You stole the great pyramid of gieeeyza."

"It's giza."

"It's what?"

And Vector would give him a full history lesson since some people think the pyramids are made by aliens, and Megamind is an alien. They'd have a full conversation about it.

Vector would be FASCINATED by Minion. He's a fish. He would love Minion. He'd ask Megamind how he taught the fish to talk, then he'd examine the suit. "What subspecies of carp are you???" and poor minion is just... so nervous and confused😭

Megamind would be fascinated with Vectors weaponry. He'd want to inspect his weapons. He wasn't aware sealife was such good weapons. He'd also be fascinated on how he fit them in the weapons as well.

"If I shot minion out of a gun, would that be affective?"

"Sir!"

The conversation would drift from autographs to marine life. Megamind has probably never seen many marine life as he lives in a large city, and probably hasn't had the time or effort to study or see much sea life. Vector would infodump about sealife, and the giant creatures of the deep blue, and Megamind would be simply fascinated by the idea of such monstrously large creatures even existing. Nobody has ever told him monsters were on this planet.

Vector would offhandedly mention a really cool level in Mario 64 that showcases it, and Megamind would be very confused as to what Mario 64 is, causing Vector would be so distraught that Megamind has never played Mario 64, so he offers to let him play it with him at his place and invites him to his fortress.

I feel like he'd be terrified of Fish (Vector's Shark), as the shark has a tendency to run into the glass, as well as it just being a large creature he has never seen before in person. I feel like Vector would have to explain what his shark was, and the entire time Megamind visits on his first visit he's anxious because theres a giant sea-monster under his boots basically while he's trying to learn what Mario 64 is. And what a Wii is. And anything else Vector throws at him.

Megamind would be absolute dog-shit at Wii Sports and Vector would NOT TAKE it easy on him.

Megamind would be fascinated by how much Vector brands. I mean, he has carpets with a giant V on it, toilet paper with a giant V, a toilet with a V, his fortress has, from what I can see, three visible V shapes on it. Megamind would be so interested in the branding opportunities of putting ones First Letter all over the place. Vector would fully support the idea of Megamind putting M on things he owns.

Megamind wouldn't want to use the Vector brand toilet paper because it's not his brand. 😭

Vector would shit talk Gru to Megamind, and Megamind would be clueless the entire time he is doing so. I mean, Megamind would be clueless with 90% of what Vector talks to him about.

Speaking of clueless, Vector doesn't know how to microwave food. And neither does Megamind. I feel like Vector would up and boast about the fact that he knows how to do it (Although he does not) And Megamind would be fascinated and amazed and look up to him for it, causing Vector to have to do all of the cooking and house work stuff when Megamind is around (Because Megamind really wants to watch how he does it)

Vector nearly burns the food in the microwave and lies and says it's supposed to happen like that to save his ego. Megamind took that and ran. I bet he burns his food all of the time because of Vector😭

Despite being so different they're also so alike. I feel like they'd want to be best friends. They'd also really want to match. I feel like Vector would bring up the idea of matching outfits or matching pajamas at a sleep over, and Megamind would hop on it like no tomorrow. Imagine those two having a boys night wearing matching shark PJs.

"OH MY GOSH, LET'S GET MATCHING SHARK PAJAMAS AND WATCH MY LIVE SHARK CAM"

"that is the coolest thing I have ever heard"

Vector would tease him about his romantic/partner / love life.

He'd be like HOWS YOUR GIRRRLLFRIEND / BOOOOOYFRIEND / PARTNER blah blah 😭😭😭

They'd have such a boys night sleepover friendship

Megamind would offer to paint Vectors finger nails black because he paints his black and Vector would probably get so excited (He'd want them orange)

I guarantee they go in joyrides in Megaminds invisible car. They probably prank Gru with it.

please ppl of the community please enjoy this I need to see more stuff with them being brotherly/friendly

little girl sleepover vibes yet they're both grown men

#despicable me #vector headcanons #despicable me headcanons #despicable me vector #vector perkins #megamind #megamind headcanons #megamind and vector friendz #please god i need to see them interacting #they'd be besties #pls #mattypattypinkyposts #🦈🌙

[stevenspector]

Happy Moon Knight Thursday! Did y'all like episode 4? I sure did! I especially liked that Steven got to use his knowledge for Egyptian history and mythology! And that we got to see so many cool details and nods to said history and mythology! Which, of course, led me to do another deep dive and research into topics. Have fun with more Moon Knight rambles about the details in episode 4

Starting with: "The Eyes of Horus"

First off, this scene begs the question of just how many times Steven has drawn the eye? Because his movements were smooth and that eye looked great. Now onto the eye of Horus. It stems from the conflict between Horus and his uncle Seth who were rivalling about who would be the successor to the title of "King of Gods" after Seth killed the former King, Osiris; his brother and Horus’ father. It’s one of my favourite stories and I could get into all of it, but I won’t. I'll just say that it’s both very interesting and very entertaining. During their conflict, they had a fight in which Seth took out Horus’ eyes in order to defeat him and make him unable to take the title. Now, this is where it gets interesting for the plot. Horus gets his eyes back with the help of another deity. Who that is tho is up for different interpretations and retellings of the story. Some say it was Hathor who healed him and gave him another pair of eyes. That would be a cool connection since we have met Hathors avatar! And they helped Marc and Khonshu previously. Other retellings on the other hand have Thoth replace his eyes. Thoth himself is known to be associated with the moon which would fit with, well, Moon Knight. We also see an ibis statue in the tomb later on, next to the sarcophagus, which could potentially represent Thoth as well since he is often depicted with an ibis head. In general, the eye of Horus itself represents healing and regenerative properties which is why it was chosen for the shape of the tomb, as Steven states. Additionally, the eye is connected to the moon as well. It is said that one of his eyes represents the moon and the other the sun. So we have another nod to the moon (knight). If you wanna get a nice rundown of the story, I can recommend The History of Egypt Podcast

Secondly: "The Heka Priests and a God™"

Heka was the god of magic and medicine. His most devoted followers often were doctors. In the scene were the Heka priests are introduced however, we also see this drawing on the wall. There’s another god next to them and yes, i did look into who that could be for WAY too long. My conclusion is that it could be Khnum. The only thing not fitting is him being depicted with a disc above his head, yet everything else matches up. Khnum is the god of cataracts, pottery and creativity, but he started out as the guardian of the source of the Nile River. Fun Fact perhaps: The full name of Khufu, a pharao of the fourth dynasty, who commissioned the Great Pyramid of Giza (or at least is widely accepted to have done that) is Khnum-Khufwy or "Khnum is my Protector". Do with that info what you will. And lastly: "The Tomb of Alexander the Great"

In general, I really loved the tomb scene. For one, because of how excited Steven is to see all the relics and then he also finds out it’s the lost tomb of Alexander the Great? That's an interesting twist! Another fun fact perhaps: the tomb and dig site in the show are in the Siwa-Desert which is also where Alexander’s tomb was supposedly found. Egyptian officials claimed to have identified his tomb at the Siwa Oasis in 2021. But from what i’ve read it’s not actually completely confirmed. Alexander having been Ammit’s avatar could even make sense if you look at his life and “accomplishments”. He started and fought many battles and wars, conquered many lands, killed many people and believed he was in the right to do so. It would fit in with what Harrow wants to do. Which is to kill people for a cause he believes to be good and righteous.

So in conclusion: I love Moon Knight and it's details

#moon knight #moon knight rambles #more moon knight rambles #mcu moon knight #so many thoughts #marvel moon knight #moon knight 2022 #moon knight series #i love steven grant so much #steven grant #moon knight thursday #moon knight thoughts

[istumpysk]

Operation Stumpy Re-Read

ADWD: Daenerys I (Chapter 2)

The circus is back in town.

She could hear the dead man coming up the steps. 

What an opening line.

+.+.+

"Khaleesi," whispered Irri, "you must not touch the dead man. It is bad luck to touch the dead."

"Unless you killed them yourself." Jhiqui was bigger-boned than Irri, with wide hips and heavy breasts. "That is known."

If that's the case, Arya's screwed.

Jhiqui was bigger-boned than Irri, with wide hips and heavy breasts.

What am I supposed to do with this information, George?

+.+.+

Dothraki were wise where horses were concerned, but could be utter fools about much else. They are only girls, besides. Her handmaids were of an age with her—women grown to look at them, with their black hair, copper skin, and almond-shaped eyes, but girls all the same. 

Out of stock: self-awareness.

+.+.+

"What could a eunuch hope to find in a brothel?"

"Even those who lack a man's parts may still have a man's heart, Your Grace," said Grey Worm. "This one has been told that your servant Stalwart Shield sometimes gave coin to the women of the brothels to lie with him and hold him."

The blood of the dragon does not weep.

:(

+.+.+

I am still at war, Dany realized, only now I am fighting shadows. 

+.+.+

Daenerys pushed her hair back. "Find these cowards for me. Find them, so that I might teach the Harpy's Sons what it means to wake the dragon."

Hehe.

+.+.+

Selmy was training knights for her, teaching the sons of slaves to fight with lance and longsword in the Westerosi fashion … but what good would lances do against cowards who killed from the shadows?

+.+.+

Viserion sensed her disquiet. The white dragon lay coiled around a pear tree, his head resting on his tail.

[...]

"You should be hunting with your brothers. Have you and Drogon been fighting again?"

Are the dragons not getting along? That's so unlike them!

+.+.+

Her dragons were growing wild of late. Rhaegal had snapped at Irri, and Viserion had set Reznak's tokar ablaze the last time the seneschal had called. I have left them too much to themselves, but where am I to find the time for them?

That might be foreshadowing unpleasant things for Reznak and Irri.

+.+.+

They are all three growing. Soon they will be large enough to bear my weight. Then she would fly as Aegon the Conqueror had flown, up and up, until Meereen was so small that she could blot it out with her thumb.

If only I could skip ahead to Daenerys blotting out Meereen and moving on.

+.+.+

Only then did Dany go back inside the pyramid, where Irri and Jhiqui were waiting to brush the tangles from her hair and garb her as befit the Queen of Meereen, in a Ghiscari tokar.

The garment was a clumsy thing, a long loose shapeless sheet that had to be wound around her hips and under an arm and over a shoulder, its dangling fringes carefully layered and displayed. Wound too loose, it was like to fall off; wound too tight, it would tangle, trip, and bind. Even wound properly, the tokar required its wearer to hold it in place with the left hand. Walking in a tokar demanded small, mincing steps and exquisite balance, lest one tread upon those heavy trailing fringes.

🌺 metaphors 🌺

+.+.+

Dany had wanted to ban the tokar when she took Meereen, but her advisors had convinced her otherwise. "The Mother of Dragons must don the tokar or be forever hated," warned the Green Grace, Galazza Galare. "In the wools of Westeros or a gown of Myrish lace, Your Radiance shall forever remain a stranger amongst us, a grotesque outlander, a barbarian conqueror. Meereen's queen must be a lady of Old Ghis." Brown Ben Plumm, the captain of the Second Sons, had put it more succinctly. "Man wants to be the king o' the rabbits, he best wear a pair o' floppy ears."

Why? Why would you do that?

Many have theorized that Galazza Galare is the Harpy, so we'll keep an eye on that.

+.+.+

Irri fetched her crown, wrought in the shape of the three-headed dragon of her House. Its coils were gold, its wings silver, its three heads ivory, onyx, and jade. Dany's neck and shoulders would be stiff and sore from the weight of it before the day was done. A crown should not sit easy on the head. One of her royal forebears had said that, once. Some Aegon, but which one? 

I'm only now noticing those match the colours of her dragons.

Who else was it that struggled with a heavy crown? Oh right, Robb.

+.+.+

Five Aegons had ruled the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. There would have been a sixth, but the Usurper's dogs had murdered her brother's son when he was still a babe at the breast. If he had lived, I might have married him. Aegon would have been closer to my age than Viserys. 

Marry him or kill him.

And I believe marriage is no longer an option.

+.+.+

They will kill me too if I allow it. The knives that slew my Stalwart Shield were meant for me.

+.+.+

She had not forgotten the slave children the Great Masters had nailed up along the road from Yunkai. They had numbered one hundred sixty-three, a child every mile, nailed to mileposts with one arm outstretched to point her way. After Meereen had fallen, Dany had nailed up a like number of Great Masters. Swarms of flies had attended their slow dying, and the stench had lingered long in the plaza. Yet some days she feared that she had not gone far enough.

Oh my god.

+.+.+

They had freed their slaves, yes … only to hire them back as servants at wages so meagre that most could scarce afford to eat. 

While I'm sure she keeps them well fed, I do want to point out it's not clear whether Daenerys pays the Unsullied.

Visiting brothels after two cities have been plundered is not evidence.

+.+.+

Those too old or young to be of use had been cast into the streets, along with the infirm and the crippled. And still the Great Masters gathered atop their lofty pyramids to complain of how the dragon queen had filled their noble city with hordes of unwashed beggars, thieves, and whores.

The raggle-taggle host of freedmen dwarfed her own, but they were more burden than benefit. Perhaps one in a hundred had a donkey, a camel, or an ox; most carried weapons looted from some slaver's armory, but only one in ten was strong enough to fight, and none was trained. They ate the land bare as they passed, like locusts in sandals. Yet Dany could not bring herself to abandon them as Ser Jorah and her bloodriders urged. I told them they were free. I cannot tell them now they are not free to join me. She gazed at the smoke rising from their cookfires and swallowed a sigh. She might have the best footsoldiers in the world, but she also had the worst. - Daenerys IV, ASOS

+.+.+

To rule Meereen I must win the Meereenese, however much I may despise them. 

Gosh, I wonder why this won't work out.

+.+.+

Reznak and Skahaz waited atop the marble steps. "Great queen," declared Reznak mo Reznak, "you are so radiant today I fear to look on you." The seneschal wore a tokar of maroon silk with a golden fringe. A small, damp man, he smelled as if he had bathed in perfume and spoke a bastard form of High Valyrian, much corrupted and flavored with a thick Ghiscari growl.

A little too obvious for my taste.

+.+.+

"How can I punish them when I do not know who they are?" Dany demanded of him. "Tell me that, bold Skahaz."

"You have no lack of enemies, Your Grace. You can see their pyramids from your terrace. Zhak, Hazkar, Ghazeen, Merreq, Loraq, all the old slaving families. Pahl. Pahl, most of all. A house of women now. Bitter old women with a taste for blood. Women do not forget. Women do not forgive."

Kind of like Arya, Lady Stoneheart, and the Sand Snakes. That might be Galazza Galare evidence.

Also, poison is a woman's weapon, so let's try to remember House of Pahl when the locusts arrive.

+.+.+

Women do not forget. Women do not forgive."

No, Dany thought, and the Usurper's dogs will learn that, when I return to Westeros.

Tywin and Ned are dead, who is going to learn this lesson exactly?

+.+.+

"Your Grace has not asked for my counsel," said Skahaz Shavepate, "but I say that blood must pay for blood. Take one man from each of the families I have named and kill him. The next time one of yours is slain, take two from each great House and kill them both. There will not be a third murder."

Reznak squealed in distress. "Noooo … gentle queen, such savagery would bring down the ire of the gods. We will find the murderers, I promise you, and when we do they will prove to be baseborn filth, you shall see."

Reznak is either a sensible counselor, or he's trying to protect nobles that oppose Daenerys.

I'll eat a shoe if Reznak is the perfumed seneschal, but I'll try to stay unbiased.

+.+.+

The seneschal was as bald as Skahaz, though in his case the gods were responsible. "Should any hair be so insolent as to appear, my barber stands with razor ready," he had assured her when she raised him up. There were times when Dany wondered if that razor might not be better saved for Reznak's throat. He was a useful man, but she liked him little and trusted him less. The Undying of Qarth had told her she would be thrice betrayed. Mirri Maz Duur had been the first, Ser Jorah the second. Would Reznak be the third? The Shavepate? Daario? Or will it be someone I would never suspect, Ser Barristan or Grey Worm or Missandei?

Cersei, is that you?

Remember, she hasn't been warned by Quaithe yet. At no point in this chapter are we given a reason why Daenerys doesn't like Reznak. He only gives her sound advice.

I'm trying to spot a pattern with the names she listed, but I can't see anything. Love the Missandei appearance though!

+.+.+

Lord Ghael had a mouth of brown and rotten teeth and the pointed yellow face of a weasel. He also had a gift. "Cleon the Great sends these slippers as a token of his love for Daenerys Stormborn, the Mother of Dragons."

Irri slid the slippers onto Dany's feet. They were gilded leather, decorated with green freshwater pearls. Does the butcher king believe a pair of pretty slippers will win my hand? "King Cleon is most generous. You may thank him for his lovely gift." Lovely, but made for a child. Dany had small feet, yet the pointed slippers mashed her toes together.

Aw, the slippers don't fit. Too bad, Drizella.

They brought her new shoes as well, slippers of soft grey doeskin that hugged her feet like lovers. "You are very beautiful, my lady," the seamstress said when she was dressed. - Sansa III, ASOS

x

There was snow in her hair and her right shoe was missing. It must have fallen. - Sansa VII, ASOS

+.+.+

It was not that Dany harbored any love for Yunkai. She was coming to regret leaving the Yellow City untaken after defeating its army in the field. The Wise Masters had returned to slaving as soon as she moved on, and were busy raising levies, hiring sellswords, and making alliances against her.

Shocking developments in Slaver's Bay.

+.+.+

Cleon the self-styled Great was no better, however. The Butcher King had restored slavery to Astapor, the only change being that the former slaves were now the masters and the former masters were now the slaves.

If I had to summarize her arc in one sentence. . .

+.+.+

"I have. Five times. Have you brought new arguments?"

"Old arguments," Hizdahr admitted, "new words. Lovely words, and courteous, more apt to move a queen."

"It is your cause I find wanting, not your courtesies. I have heard your arguments so often I could plead your case myself. Shall I?" Dany leaned forward. "The fighting pits have been a part of Meereen since the city was founded. The combats are profoundly religious in nature, a blood sacrifice to the gods of Ghis. The mortal art of Ghis is not mere butchery but a display of courage, skill, and strength most pleasing to your gods. Victorious fighters are pampered and acclaimed, and the slain are honored and remembered. By reopening the pits I would show the people of Meereen that I respect their ways and customs. The pits are far-famed across the world. They draw trade to Meereen, and fill the city's coffers with coin from the ends of the earth. All men share a taste for blood, a taste the pits help slake. In that way they make Meereen more tranquil. For criminals condemned to die upon the sands, the pits represent a judgment by battle, a last chance for a man to prove his innocence." She leaned back again, with a toss of her head. "There. How have I done?"

I don't know, that all seems pretty logical to me?

+.+.+

He might be handsome, but for that silly hair. Reznak and the Green Grace had been urging Dany to take a Meereenese noble for her husband, to reconcile the city to her rule. Hizdahr zo Loraq might be worth a careful look. Sooner him than Skahaz. The Shavepate had offered to set aside his wife for her, but the notion made her shudder. Hizdahr at least knew how to smile.

I'm not presenting a new theory here or anything, but this entire chapter is one Daenerys hypocrisy after another, so just to be safe I'll highlight that, in case Daenerys suggests something like that to a male character in the future.

He might be handsome, but for that silly hair.

You're in love with Daario Naharis.

+.+.+

Grazdan, she had been forewarned, was a cousin of the Green Grace, whose support she had found invaluable. The priestess was a voice for peace, acceptance, and obedience to lawful authority. I can give her cousin a respectful hearing, whatever he desires.

What he desired turned out to be gold. Dany had refused to compensate any of the Great Masters for the value of their slaves, but the Meereenese kept devising other ways to squeeze coin from her. The noble Grazdan had once owned a slave woman who was a very fine weaver, it seemed; the fruits of her loom were greatly valued, not only in Meereen, but in New Ghis and Astapor and Qarth. When this woman had grown old, Grazdan had purchased half a dozen young girls and commanded the crone to instruct them in the secrets of her craft. The old woman was dead now. The young ones, freed, had opened a shop by the harbor wall to sell their weavings. Grazdan zo Galare asked that he be granted a portion of their earnings. "They owe their skill to me," he insisted. "I plucked them from the auction bloc and gave them to the loom."

Dany listened quietly, her face still. When he was done, she said, "What was the name of the old weaver?"

"The slave?" Grazdan shifted his weight, frowning. "She was … Elza, it might have been. Or Ella. It was six years ago she died. I have owned so many slaves, Your Grace."

"Let us say Elza. Here is our ruling. From the girls, you shall have nothing. It was Elza who taught them weaving, not you. From you, the girls shall have a new loom, the finest coin can buy. That is for forgetting the name of the old woman."

I better not catch you forgetting anyone's name in the future.

She just pissed off Galazza Galare's cousin.

+.+.+

A rich woman came, whose husband and sons had died defending the city walls. During the sack she had fled to her brother in fear. When she returned, she found her house had been turned into a brothel. The whores had bedecked themselves in her jewels and clothes. She wanted her house back, and her jewels. "They can keep the clothes," she allowed. Dany granted her the jewels but ruled the house was lost when she abandoned it.

Ahem.

+.+.+

A former slave came, to accuse a certain noble of the Zhak. The man had recently taken to wife a freedwoman who had been the noble's bedwarmer before the city fell. The noble had taken her maidenhood, used her for his pleasure, and gotten her with child. Her new husband wanted the noble gelded for the crime of rape, and he wanted a purse of gold as well, to pay him for raising the noble's bastard as his own. Dany granted him the gold, but not the gelding. "When he lay with her, your wife was his property, to do with as he would. By law, there was no rape." Her decision did not please him, she could see, but if she gelded every man who ever forced a bedslave, she would soon rule a city of eunuchs.

The Ned, Lyanna, and Rhaegar is strong on this one.

+.+.+

A boy came, younger than Dany, slight and scarred, dressed up in a frayed grey tokar trailing silver fringe. His voice broke when he told of how two of his father's household slaves had risen up the night the gate broke. One had slain his father, the other his elder brother. Both had raped his mother before killing her as well. The boy had escaped with no more than the scar upon his face, but one of the murderers was still living in his father's house, and the other had joined the queen's soldiers as one of the Mother's Men. He wanted them both hanged.

I am queen over a city built on dust and death. Dany had no choice but to deny him. She had declared a blanket pardon for all crimes committed during the sack. Nor would she punish slaves for rising up against their masters.

The Aegon is strong on this one. What a shit show this is.

Nor would she punish slaves for rising up against their masters.

I forget a lot of things, but I won't forget that.

Edit: I should be put in jail for not bringing up Mirri Maz Duur. Thank you, @aegor-bamfsteel and @agentrouka-blog!

+.+.+

When she told him, the boy rushed at her, but his feet tangled in his tokar and he went sprawling headlong on the purple marble. Strong Belwas was on him at once. The huge brown eunuch yanked him up one-handed and shook him like a mastiff with a rat.

+.+.+

"I am only a young girl and know little of the ways of war," she told Lord Ghael

x

It might … though if we were to reopen the pits, we should take our tenth before expenses. I am only a young girl and know little of such matters, but I dwelt with Xaro Xhoan Daxos long enough to learn that much. 

x

A coppersmith had fashioned her a suit of burnished rings to wear to war. She accepted it with fulsome thanks; it was lovely to behold, and all that burnished copper would flash prettily in the sun, though if actual battle threatened, she would sooner be clad in steel. Even a young girl who knew nothing of the ways of war knew that.

This is irritating the shit out of me.

If you're a young girl who knows little of the ways of war, stop what you're doing.

+.+.+

Irri slid the slippers onto Dany's feet. They were gilded leather, decorated with green freshwater pearls. Does the butcher king believe a pair of pretty slippers will win my hand? "King Cleon is most generous. You may thank him for his lovely gift." Lovely, but made for a child. Dany had small feet, yet the pointed slippers mashed her toes together.

↓

"It would be my pleasure," said Dany, admiring the glimmer of the gold and the sheen of the green pearls on Cleon's slippers while doing her best to ignore the pinching in her toes. 

↓

The slippers the Butcher King had sent her had grown too uncomfortable. Dany kicked them off and sat with one foot tucked beneath her and the other swinging back and forth. It was not a very regal pose, but she was tired of being regal. The crown had given her a headache, and her buttocks had gone to sleep. 

Ah shoot, despite her best efforts, she just couldn't see it through.

+.+.+

"It shall be done." Reznak turned to the petitioners. "Her Magnificence the Queen has consented to compensate each of you for the animals you have lost," he told them in the Ghiscari tongue. "Present yourselves to my factors on the morrow, and you shall be paid in coin or kind, as you prefer."

The pronouncement was received in sullen silence. You would think they might be happier, Dany thought. They have what they came for. Is there no way to please these people?

Is this really her first chapter?

Where will we be by the end of this book? Lol.

+.+.+

"What is it?" Dany asked. "Do you have some grievance to lay before us, some petition? What would you have of us?"

His tongue flicked nervously over chapped, cracked lips. "I … I brought …"

"Bones?" she said, impatiently. "Burnt bones?"

He lifted the sack, and spilled its contents on the marble.

Bones they were, broken bones and blackened. The longer ones had been cracked open for their marrow.

"It were the black one," the man said, in a Ghiscari growl, "the winged shadow. He come down from the sky and … and …"

No. Dany shivered. No, no, oh no.

"Are you deaf, fool?" Reznak mo Reznak demanded of the man. "Did you not hear my pronouncement? See my factors on the morrow, and you shall be paid for your sheep."

"Reznak," Ser Barristan said quietly, "hold your tongue and open your eyes. Those are no sheep bones."

No, Dany thought, those are the bones of a child.

Hazzea. The child's name was Hazzea.

Final thoughts:

I don't know about you guys, but I think it would have made more sense if a council of Meereenese were helping make these decisions.

At the very least can we get her a Maester Luwin?

-> return to menu <-

#operation stumpy re-read #adwd #daenerys i

[taminoarticles]

— Tamino for CRUSH Fanzine, Issue 14 / 2018 (x)

Tamino (Habibi)

Photographed by Nicolas Wagner Interview by Ariel Kenig Styled by Marie Revelut Tamino is wearing Ann Demeulemeester

I'm crazy about him. His music is like a shock to the system. His name is Tamino, and I met him via CRUSHfanzine’s co-editor, Nicolas Wagner, who decided to shoot my new crush while he was in Paris. But Tamino is not only a crush. We could call it love, admiration — the ultimate crush. I am reminded of those rare times when discovering an artist forces you to compare his immensity to others. To err is human, I guess. And yet, when faced with two figures, two faces, two pyramids, the brain needs to differentiate shapes and shades in order to better recognize them. I met Tamino, asked him a few questions. I had a serious look on my face. It didn't last long. Not long enough. Here is my transcript…

“My paternal grandfather died when I was 5 years old. He lived in Cairo. I was always familiar with his songs, primarily via cassettes that my mother would play me when I was little. She thought it was very important that I know where I come from. It's a little strange to see him on YouTube. My dad takes care of those types of things, but it's not easy. My grandfather never really thought about his legacy. There are other singers, like Abdel Halim Hafez, who are still alive and are better known today than my grandfather. His music is everywhere. It would probably be a good thing if my family took steps to showcase this heritage. My grandfather was the first Egyptian singer to play electric guitar on stage. He listened to Elvis Presley… he wrote part of his music himself. As for myself, I write alone. And I do almost everything all by myself. I've been working with a producer whom I met two years ago, on an EP at first. We had such good chemistry that we re-recorded my song “Cigar” together. I told him about my video concept, of that skeleton that stars in the clip, and he produced the song with that idea in mind. That's what I like about him and the guy he's in a two-man band with: they think not only in terms of sound, but of entity. They want to capture the essence of an artist and take it to such-or-such particular idea they have of him, portray him in this or that way, and in my case, take the project to quite majestic heights. You may find it funny, but I don’t write “sad” songs. I mean, I'm not telling the story of a guy sitting alone on his bed with his guitar... I like more epic, more “regal” things. I love Belgian surrealism, that I connect in my work to more Eastern or romantic references. For me, it's a logical juxtaposition... I've not been to Egypt for five or six years, but I'm going back next week. I can’t wait. I like to go closer to the Red Sea, in the less touristy places. I don't have a TV, I don't read the press, and I deleted my Facebook account. I stay abreast of what's happening in Egypt via YouTube. It's strange for me to see that these wars that are rocking the Arab world have existed for thousands of years…

Facebook has too many distractions. I need to stay focused in some sort of flow, to work every day for a long time, whether I end up writing only two sentences or an entire melody. All in all, if you include all the projects and bands in which I participated, I must have written over a hundred songs. For my album, we recorded 18, of which we'll keep 11 of 12. Right now, we're working on mixing it. I studied at the Conservatory, in the popular music department, which gave me a lot of freedom. I worked on my Voice and I continue to maintain it. I am careful not to scream in bars when the music is too loud. It’s easy to end up screaming without even realizing... Although these days, I don't go out much... I don’t have the time. And I have no personal life! [Laughs.] It’s true, it's crazy. I am 21 years old. My life is a little different. You're never around, and when you come out, your friends are surprised: “What? I thought you were in a relationship, I thought you moved.” I don’t feel the age difference with the people I work with. When I was younger, I was very shy, and at the same time, I needed to express myself. It was a weird combination. Nowadays, I'm lining up the tour dates. Our last concert in Paris, at La Maroquinerie, was very moving. My two musicians cried in the middle of the concert. I was getting dewy-eyed myself. It was so intense, to be so well-received in another country. I was reminded of one of our first concerts in Belgium... I think the album will be both an extension of the EP and a synthesis between two themes: romance that can both lift you up and make you vulnerable because you can fall at any time, and indifference to life, in the meaning we give to it, our investment in it. Everyone has a dark side but… I don't know... I do not only write somber music, but I know myself a little bit, so… It's sometimes cumbersome... When you spend too much time looking in the mirror, you end up doing nothing... Sometimes, it's better to just “do,” and the song may tell you something about yourself. A song written in twenty minutes, without too much thinking. This earring? I found it in an old cupboard. It's my mother’s. I'm not sure that she ever wore it.

#tamino #tamino amir #crush fanzine #article #interview #english #2018 #with photoshoot #original text #HUGE thanks to mahdisehel on instagram for sending this to me!! and for not finding my out of the blue dm weird i am forever grateful #tumblr has a character limit for each block so i have to split the text up #i like this interview!! #i can finally rest easy

[ospreyeamon]

Omelettes on the Roof

Fandom: Star Wars: The Old Republic

Characters: Lys’trel (Sith Inquisitor), original slave characters

Content Warnings: Canon-Typical Slavery, Orbital Bombardment

The slaves walked down the middle of the streets of the darkened city. Nobody was above ground to stop them. There were soldiers somewhere – far away – manning ground to orbit defences. All the other Imperial citizens were in the shelters or had fled by speeder. A family of Talja foxes hurriedly crossed between laneways.

Blackout curtains and tinting smothered the windows. Only the dim red emergency lights had been left on. Lys’trel had never seen stars so bright. Her eyes poured over nebula and constellations she couldn’t name, searching for the Republic squadron of the sirens’ wailed warnings, as Delph’rina pulled her forward by the hand. She saw leather-winged otocalt but no star ships.

Or perhaps she did. One star was moving smoothly and swiftly while the others remained still around it. Was that a ship?

“Maybe, summer bud. Try not to worry. What will come will come.” Delph’rina’s lekku made a gesture of reassurance but her fingers tightened around Lys’trel’s.

Old Xannel called out in the Muttering Tongue from ahead of them, voice loud to be heard over the sirens. “Here here! Middle lyceum, middle building!”

Lys’trel translated for Yath Jarkey who was walking on Delph’rina’s other side. He was new and only spoke Basic and Ryl.

They turned off the street into the dim park surrounding a complex of three storey buildings. Shrubs edged paved paths that led off to a little garden on one side and a strangely shaped collection of bars and platforms on the other.

Lys’trel had never been inside a school before. She tried to imagine what it would be like full of children.

“Canteen unlocked!” said Old Xannel with triumph. “I knew that a lyceum would be our best bet,” Old Xannel continued slipping into Imperial Standard. “They haven’t changed at all since I was young – the locks are still terrible.” Old Xannel continued regaling Little Xannel and Storm Wind and Lan-Rao with tales of a free-born childhood spent learning music and sports and forbidden sweet bartering.

Somebody else had gotten to the kitchen before them; the doors were open, the cupboards were open, and there was a spilled box of something which crunched beneath Lys’trel’s feet spread across the floor. Lys’trel and the other children were set to work shutting the outside doors and attempting to pin coverings to the windows while Delph’rina, Old Xannel and the other grown-ups turned one of the lights on and began taking stock of what was left in the fridges.

It was a great haul. There was even fresh fruit to eat while the grown-ups argued about what to cook.

Lys’trel savoured every moment of every bite. The sweet smell as she brought the fruit up to her mouth. The feel of her teeth breaking through the thin skin to the flesh beneath. The sticky drip of the juice down her chin.

Old Xannel and Delph’rina made them wash their hands afterwards. They had decided to fry omelettes because there wasn’t enough time to bake anything.

She, Delph’rina and a few others took their omelettes and hot tea up to the roof of the building next to the kitchen. The roof was surrounded by a metal mesh cage but there were benches and even a water fountain around the side of the stairs. A glow-spider had strung a shining web in one corner.

It was cold but Lys’trel wanted to watch the sky. Delph’rina and others wanted that too.

Lys’trel ate her portion of the omelettes slowly, the bite of hunger having been sated earlier by the fruit. It was rich and good; egg and cheese and crunchy red vegetable.

While they feasted, she took in the view. From the top of the lyceum building, you could see the city centre to the west, towers and pyramids faintly outlined against the horizon. To the south were the important factories slaves never came out of on the rare occasions they were ordered in. To the north stood forested mountains part of their work group had decided to make towards, knowing they might never even reach the foothills.

The sky yawned above it all, a bright abyss. There were more ships moving now. Bright flashes. A star falling, breaking apart.

Delph’rina put her arm around Lys’trel as she licked the last traces of omelette from her fingers.

“Knew I might die in the war,” sighed Yath Jarkey, his lekku curled in grief. “Never thought it would be like this. No blaster in my hand, not an Imp in sight. Killed by our own people. But– at least it’s not for nothing. No more bombs for the Imps.”

Lys’trel was overcome by tears. She was never going to find her mother. Delph’rina was never going to see her son Otho’rina again.

Delph’rina and Yath Jarkey were upset and speaking low and quick. She dug her nails into her palms, curled up and tried to muffle her sobs. It hurt. It hurt.

Suddenly, Delph’rina gasped, her fingers digging into Lys’trel’s shoulder. She looked up, her breath catching in her throat.

The eastern skyline had been pieced by burning light – fire red pocked with flashes of white. A grey shadow rose around it. Above, more lights streaked down towards the horizon.

“They got the depo.”

Sound crashed over them like the bursting of a pressure drum. The glow-spider and its web were thrown across the cage. Lys’trel vainly tried to muffle her ear-cones with her hands.

The dark cloud grew and grew, blotting out the starlight beyond it. Light silently bloomed inside it for several long seconds before fading away, gone completely before the noise of the impact reached them.

They waited and waited. Lys’trel realised she had stopped breathing, frozen in silence as if bombs were stalking predators that might be hidden from. The cloud plume in the east billowed up and out, ever larger, but no more explosions came.

In the morning the sky was dark with earth and smoke, the sunrise glorious. In the morning they were forced back to work by harried masters – futilely cleaning the settling dust that choked the air – while public holo-displays played footage of bodies lifted from the cracked ground of cities to the east. In the morning they were still alive.

#Meanwhile in a Galaxy Far Far Away #swtor fic #oc: Lys'trel Kallig #star wars the old republic #slavery cw

[kogo-dogo]

Who is motaro and how did they steal his legs?

I AM SO GLAD YOU ASKED THANK YOU. MOTARO WAS MY MANS WHEN I WAS EIGHT.

SO, Motaro is a centaur. Or, as the creators of MK say it, “a Centaurian.” They’re a race of monsters who live in a world called Outworld that was conquered/turned into a dystopian wasteland by an evil emperor named Shao Kahn. A lot of the Centaurians ended up siding with Kahn because… I dunno. Intrinsically evil? Ed Boon just really liked throwing around “just because I said so” back in the day.

Motaro ends up becoming one of Shao Kahn’s big, bad bodyguards and he is, to this day, regarded as one of the most unfair fucking bosses in the series. The early arcade games were already designed to eat your quarters, and Motaro was this big, bulky fucker who took up a third of the screen, had an AI that told him to block everything, a sweep attack that could hit you ANYWHERE on the screen if you had your feet on the ground, attacks that did massive damage even if you were blocking, PROJECTILE ATTACKS, and… look. The point is that you had to basically cheat to beat him on the hardest difficulty. And that when Trilogy came out on PS1 and you could play as him, I would legit use him in every fight against my friends because I wanted to WIN.

Well. They killed him off after Trilogy. MK fans lived in a magical world of bosses they could actually fairly fight and the world was good (ish. Goodish. A lot of the early 3D games sucked).

Then comes Armageddon. Armageddon was supposed to be this big, awesome 3-D equivalent of Trilogy where they just got every character up to that point and threw them in a game. The plot? People are coming from everywhere to fight over a pyramid, and everyone’s invited.

Even Motaro because, well, they’re bringing everyone back and he’s a L E G E N D.

Except, this is in an era where MK is doing everything via really awkward motion capture, which they hail as groundbreaking but is really just… stiff and weird? And has the drawback of “everything needs to be people shaped to work right.”

Guess who isn’t people shaped? If you guessed the gigantic, hunch-backed centaur with the gigantic metal scorpion tail, you’re correct!

So, to explain why he HAS to be people-shaped, they essentially wrote this bullshit explanation of, “Oh, the magic of the realms and the pyramid and evil has altered his body so that he only has two people legs now!! His quest is to… get his legs back? Go, Motaro! Get your leggies!!”

And so you end up going from this:

To this:

And to be blunt:

#kogoramble #mortal Kombat