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humanitys-strongest-bamf · 6 months

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hi, can i request a post-war drabble wherein levi's son shyly asks his dad if he could help him get an undercut too? 🥺 he looks up to his dad a lot so he wanna be like him 🥺

y'know i hope that fact that these are starting to turn into oneshots can make up for the fact that it's taking a minute for me to pump these out 🥹

A Clean Cut | 2K Follower Event | Post-War Dadvi Oneshot

✧ word count ➼ ~1k ✧ notes ➼ post-war, fluff

Some families went out on weekends. Others would have movie nights or travel.

Yours just ended up cleaning the house. It needed to happen. With how fussy Levi could get about the state of the house and how quickly it gets chaotic due to the fact that you had an adolescent running around the house with his friends constantly, cleaning was a multi-weekly thing.

You were currently mopping the kitchen while Levi sat on the couch folding the laundry. It was something he could do while sitting on the couch. Plus, he could easily get your son involved in helping. Levi folded the laundry into stacks, and your son would go place the folded stacks into their appropriate locations.

You glanced up as you saw your son dutifully getting up every now and then with a freshly folded stack of laundry before disappearing into one of the bedrooms to organize the fabric into the drawers. He had the same jet black hair as Levi, and given the fact that he was almost as tall as Levi now, you would occasionally find yourself confusing the two when they popped up at the edge of your field of vision.

He looked up to Levi a lot, fascinated by the fact that his dad was a core soldier in the War. You were able to tell that he was always trying to model himself after him, picking up similar cleaning and eating habits, and even subtly modeling his outfits after his. It was cute, although Levi was more oblivious to it than you were.

Levi glanced up at him, noticing that he had fallen quiet and had just been staring at him for the past 5-10 minutes.

"What?" Levi asked with a raised eyebrow. "If you're impatient for another stack, go help your mother with sweeping or start wiping the dust off the tables."

"The tables are clean."

"If I find a single speck, I'm making you do the whole house all over again."

It was hard to tell if Levi was being serious or joking.

"Dad...can I ask you something?" he asked timidly.

"Yes, I will actually check the surfaces and will make you do it again."

Your son rapidly shook his head. "It's not that! It's..."

"It's what?"

"...can you help me cut my hair?" His voice was getting quieter each time he spoke.

"What's wrong with your hair now?"

Levi was able to vaguely notice that he was hunched over and avoiding eye contact, as if he was embarrassed about something. It was endearingly similar to the way that you reacted when you were wanting to ask him about something, but were too embarrassed to do it right off the bat.

"Spit it out already."

Levi leaned forward a bit as your son began to speak, but it was barely audible.

"What?" An annoyed tone was already creeping into Levi's voice in response to your teenage son mumbling incoherently.

"...was wanting an undercut like yours," he finally forced out, looking off to the side, with color rising up to his cheeks as he stuck his bottom lip out in a pout.

Out of all the reasons that Levi could think of as to why your son would suddenly want a haircut when it looked perfectly fine, this was not one of them. His face immediately went from an unamused and slightly annoyed expression to a softer, reassuring one as his lips slightly upturned into a small smile.

Levi moved his bad knee up and down a few times, noting that his leg wasn't hurting too badly. It'd probably do him some good to take a break anyway.

"C'mon," Levi gestured for your son to follow as he began pushing himself off the couch. "I'll style it in the tub for you so your mother doesn't start throwing a fuss over the fact that she just swept."

"Oh shit, I forgot!" your son blurted out, covering his mouth once he realized he cursed out loud.

Levi slightly glanced at him for the verbal transgression, but otherwise didn't really care.

"Don't let her hear that."

"Mom says the same about you!" he protested.

Levi's eyebrows furrowed into a frown. "Says what about me?"

"Nothing!" your son exclaimed, which only earned him an overly suspicious look from his father.

After helping Levi step into the tub, he took a seat at the edge, with Levi sitting down on the stool that had been placed into the tub so that he wouldn't have to be on his knees as he trimmed your child's hair.

"Dad," your son eventually spoke up after a few minutes of silence as Levi got to work, "can I ask you something?"

"Hmm?"

"What was living in the Walls like?" he asked curiously. "When the Titans were alive? What was it like?"

Levi was quiet for a while as he tried to formulate his thoughts. The war against the Titans was certainly not one that one would want to remember or willingly bring up, but many of his comrades had fought next to him. No matter how you put it, the time before the Rumbling was a significant one that he didn't want to forget.

"...complicated," he eventually said. "We were doing a lot more than cleaning the house even on simple days."

He paused as he continued styling his hair.

"Maybe we'll take you to visit again once you're done with school this year."

After a few more minutes of quiet snips of the scissors against your son's jet black locks, Levi sighed and put the scissors down.

"All done," he announced. "Go take a look. Don't come crying to me about having to shave your head if you don't like it."

Levi watched as your son got up to run to the bathroom mirror in a mix of anxiety and excitement after Levi made his comment, his face lighting up once he saw his reflection.

If you were struggling with not getting them confused before, you were definitely going to struggle with it now.

#: @chaotic-on-main @levisbrat25 @leviismybby @moonmalice @averysmolbear @cathybarn @tclbts @emiwhore @bejewelledd @sad-darksoul @ackermendick @aomi04 @apolloshaiku @laraackerman @pulpolicia @raenacreates @nube55 @roseofdarknessblog @noctemys @sixpennydame @sleepyfairyxo @heichoucleanfreak @svftackerman @catskze @nixie-writes-aot @la-undercover-latina @v4mp-wife @darkstarlight82 @professorweezy @braunsbabe @lovedbylevi @levis-squishy-cheeks @dumbfound-princess @deepzombieyouth @evas-leslas @lucysarah-c join my taglist! and lmk if you wanna be taken off :3

#levi x reader #levi ackerman x reader #levi heichou x reader #captain levi x reader #follower event #levi fluff #levi #levi ackerman #levi heichou #captain levi #attack on titan #aot #shingeki no kyojin #shingeki no kyoujin #snk

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natureismynature · 9 months

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Oh fuck it- I did the analysis.

Anyway, I want you all to remember that this is me talking about CHARACTER MENTALITY. This is me analyzing these characters' THOUGHT PROCESSES about the whole situation.

This is not me victimizing anyone, this is not me making EXCUSES for anyone, and this is DEFINITELY not me blaming Tazercraft for the other islanders' thoughts and actions. This is just me looking at relationships and characterization.

Okay, so the whole "Tazercraft situation" is an interesting one. They were betrayed, they were forced to relive their trauma, they lost a dear friend in the process, and so many more things. And we know that the person who arrested them, Foolish, doesn't understand how severe his actions were. He did that for FUN, with little to no remorse at first. But for some reason, the Islanders aren't that mad at him? Why? Why aren't they hounding on him? Why aren't they pissed? Why aren't they trying to save Tazercraft? Why aren't they avenging them?

Well, because if you look at it, the Islanders know Foolish more than they know Tazercraft. Yes, they're all friends, but Pac e Mike aren't as, well, *close* to the other residents compared to Foolish. Yes, they organize a lot of events for all the Islanders to spend time together and have fun, but most of the time, they're building said events together rather than speaking with the others. It's not very common that Pac and Mike have deep and personal conversations with the other Islanders, but Foolish is almost always the emotional support himbo. And yeah, Foolish used to build a lot too, but lately, he's been spending more time with the others just bonding and talking and getting to know them.

My point is, almost NO ONE knows Tazercraft outside of "The guys who makes cool games and give haircuts". While everyone knows Foolish as more than "The silly guy who builds things."

The only people (that aren't Brazilian) who I can think of that are very close to Tazercraft outside of their events, are Etoiles (he wasn't informed when they were taken, he's clueless of the situation), Fit (he's the ONLY one who's truly angry at Foolish to the point of considering murder), and Foolish himself. It would be kind of hard to find a justifiable way to be very mad if you know almost nothing about the victims (and this is not me blaming Tazercraft, this is just me looking at how people in general would react to situations like this)

Now that we've talked about the Islanders' relationship with TC in general, let's talk about specifics.

Cellbit, why isn't he mad? Well, because he WANTS to believe in Foolish. He wants to TRUST in Fooish. Because they were friends first before they were in-laws. Foolish was the one who stayed by him when he was at his lowest. The one who kept him sane by being more insane than him. And if you guys remember, he's still under the impression that Foolish is doing this to protect Richas. Cellbit's SON. Plus, he BELIEVES in Tazercraft. "They got out before, they can get out again." (Also, let's not forget that he's probably a sleeper agent and was instructed not to intervene with it)

Forever, why isn't he mad? Now for this one I'm gonna talk meta. Well, similar to Cellbit, he's under the impression that Foolish is doing this for Richas. But unlike Cellbit, he's not fully convinced. ALSO unlike Cellbit, he doesn't really know Tazercraft that much, he doesn't share the same history as they do with Cellbit and Felps. Now that we've established that, let's talk meta. qForever treasures his family, we know that, but the last time he lashed out due to strong emotions, the FANDOM attacked ccForever. You think he'll act strongly again after that? He's controlling himself this time. Bidding his time, waiting for the bomb to drop, waiting for the truth to come out, so he doesn't make mistakes again.

Badboyhalo, why isn't he mad? Well, because he doesn't know Tazercraft (he often forgets who's Pac and who's Mike) and he's best friends with Foolish. As much as he wants to be impartial and fair on his judgment, he's still biased. He wants ANYTHING than to believe that Foolish is doing this by his own volition. He's trying his damn best to find anything to excuse Foolish's actions. His reaction when Foolish told him the truth was "Then why is everyone mad at you?" because to him, it's just normal Foolish behavior to sell out his friends for a gun.

Richarlyson, why isn't he mad? Because he's a literal CHILD. A child that is hopeful and loves his grandma very much. He's very close with Foolish, he copes through jokes, and has already lost so much. He doesn't want to lose his trust on Foolish too. So for now, he'll give him the benefit of a doubt.

Fit, why didn't he tell anyone that he found Pac and Mike? Well, because he could be putting his beloved son in danger if he said that. It was RAMON who asked him to keep it a secret. He has things at stake too. He cares for his friends, he's rightfully angry at Foolish, but he would never risk Ramon's life.

Jaiden, why is she siding with Foolish? Well, because she was lied to and she sees him as a trustworthy friend. She knows how it feels to be suspected by every, to be made an errand girl by the Feds. She thinks Foolish is in the same situation and wants to be there for him like many people were there for her.

Aypierre and Phil don't really have strong bonds with Pac and Mike so we can't really expect anything from them. They themselves are pretty out of touch with other players as well most of the time.

Now, let's talk about the "they would have been thrown in jail either way" sentence that the Islanders have been throwing around. They've been saying this because, well, it's the truth. No matter what, Pac and Mike would have been thrown in prison. The Islanders are just confused on why it had to be Foolish who arrested them. They all know of the illegal things that Tazercraft has been doing, and they all know what happens to people who break the rules, which is why no one was surprised when their illegal acts caught uo with them. I'd like to point out that the first person to be jailed was Maximus, and as far as the Islanders know, jail in the island isn't so bad because Max got out fine after a day. They're not AWARE of how fucked up the actual prison is because Max didn't experience what Pac and Mike did. I'm sure that if they finally see Tazercraft again and hear of the horrors they had to go through, people would be more angry and wary if anyone else gets imprisoned.

Tl;dr:

At the end of the day, it all boils down to biases and ignorance. The Islanders know nothing about the prison and they're very aware that Foolish would sell out his friends for free shit. They are not surprised about his actions because he was never shy to say he'd do anything for free things. And they are not that worried because they don't know how bad it was in the prison. They were all lied to, and they are all friends with Foolish. But I'm sure that if they hear the full story from Pac and Mike's side, they'd have a LOT to say to Foolish.

#qsmp #timb talks #foolish gamers #rambles #qsmp tazercraft #qsmp cellbit #qsmp forever #badboyhalo #qsmp jaiden #qsmp richarlyson #qsmp fit

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xxnomadsxx · 3 months

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Nomads AU! That what if before timeline I mentioned a while back on a poll! Part 1

The story goes the same in band together (John comes in they get Bruce then get Clay) just without branch being there. There was a lot of worry and concern going on about Branch’s whereabouts, but eh they’ll deal with it later. Anyways they just got Clay and now THEY HAD TO FIND BITTY B!…wherever he might be. So they try and find anyway to locate Branch, but after searching through old memorabilia they do find his old glasses and basically try the same method they did with Clay (look it worked so might as well keep using it) so Rhonda got a faint trail of Branch (almost nonexistent) and after some hustling they end up in some very overgrown woods. They sorta just wander around looking and shouting for Bitty B/Branch. The hunt goes on for a while till…

THEY WERE CAUGHT!!! Rhonda basically got led into a trap with some tasty berries and immediately got caught. Soon the brothers and Poppy plus Tiny left Rhonda to figure out what happened, when all of a sudden…they were surrounded by cloaked figures that circled them. All of them were different shapes and sizes but yet troll sized (weird right?) the gang was startled John and Clay got ready to fight (Clay definitely learned how to fight while living with the putt putt trolls) Bruce was making sure tiny was safe, while Poppy was….scrapbook a friendship card (she doesn’t take danger that serious…but she’ll learn, probably)

Soon the cloaked figures stopped once they realized… those were trolls?! Actual colorful trolls (they don’t see many colorful trolls anymore) soon some of the cloaked figures revealed themselves to the gang and….. they were grey trolls?! (When I tell you Poppy had a mini heart attack in that moment) I mean how could this be, a grey troll? Those are hard to come by, not to mention there were tons! Plus some really weird feral looking things were sorta eyeing the gang (the feral(trolls?) were totally going to eat them) then the grey trolls decided they should bring them to the leader. Yea at this point the gang was to flabbergasted by the fact there were grey trolls here! that they just kinda were too shocked to think right and just followed them. Poppy soon got out of her funk asking a bazillion questions and trying to “cheer” up the trolls (she was kinda insulting them but similar to how she was with 1st movie Branch) all the grey trolls ignored her.

So once they got to there leader’s bunker (yes Branch still has a bunker) they started trying to get him to come out to see the guests they had. But once Branch came out and saw HIS brothers just there standing in front of him he freaked out. At first he was shocked just frozen but once his brothers asked who HE WAS! That was when he freaked out, he screamed and shouted at them how they left him to fend for himself that he was alone and they had the audacity to FORGET HIM!! This was the moment every built up emotion hit the brothers. Standing in front of them was there baby brother, as a disheveled mess, leaves in a natty messed up puffball of a haircut, a face littered with scars and stress lines, not to mention he looked like he was going blind in an eye (they didn’t see much of his body but it would just make them feel worse with how many scars the poor troll had) none of them were even able to handle the fact that their baby brother was…. Grey.

All the brothers were ready to break down they saw this troll who was nothing like the happy baby they left instead a sad grey troll. The brothers were going to be kicked out until John told Branch Floyd was in danger. Floyd may have still abandoned Branch, but Branch didn’t want his brother to die. So he agreed to go then a lot of time gets spent with him struggling to actually leave the village without the tribe with him (he’s very paranoid about what could happen) during this Poppy tries to “cheer” up the grey troll (which gives her a bad impression on branch as she acts very similar to 1st movie poppy) she then tries to throw a huge party to bring up the mood it does not go well (the scene is very similar to world tour with the country trolls) after Branch is ready to leave and officially annoyed by his brothers trying to cheer him up as they try to either have a very sad awkward conversation, or they treat him like a baby similar to how they treat him in the movie but it’s more awkward cause he is a complete stranger to the brothers and veeerrrrryyyy aggressive (he growls and hisses at them)

He struggled actually leaving the village but once he was assured by his brothers it was for Floyd he put his second in in command in charge and left it was sorta similar to the Poppy and Viva scene where she wouldn’t leave but if it worked.

(Poppy was very excited BITTY B was found and was getting on every one of branch’s nerves the brothers were conflicted to say the least)

I’m really sorry I’m making a part 2 because I have a lot to say but the next part will be about the bus ride to mount rageouse and saving Floyd.

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mistress-riddle · 10 months

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𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐒𝐔𝐑𝐄?

cw. sirius black x reader. cursing. humour. smth unserious being treated seriously bc sirius is involved and he’s dramatic.

a/n. icl this was inspired by my ben barnes binge yesterday.

a shaky exhale sounded from a place nearby and you lifted your head from lazily skimming a magazine to direct part of your attention to your boyfriend hovering by the couch with a worried expression settled on his pretty features.

“you alright there, siri?” you ask, your eyes went back to looking over the page you were previously on before flipping to the next, not too bothered by sirius’ presence.

“babe, i think i’m finally ready.”

all of your focus was funnelled to sirius but your gaze remained on the colourful paper as you cleared your throat “what are you ready for, honey?”

another exhale escaped his lips, hands clutching at each other and he sets his face to express determination “i’m ready for you know what.” he takes his bottom lip between his teeth.

discarding the magazine, you stand up to face sirius, hands darting to hold his own “i’m glad you trust me to do this for you, sweetie, it’ll be alright and over before you know it.” you release the grasp to place one hand on his cheek, and drag your fingers through his wavy hair.

“be gentle with me, please.” his voice verges on a pleading tone, eyes holding a desperate undertone behind them. his hand escapes your 2-hand clutch to hold your left hand in his right, and your right hand that was gliding through his tresses in his other.

“of course, anything for you, dear.” long gone was their usual teasing and bickering and in its place came compassion and softness. this was a huge deal.

“thank you, love.” you guide him to your bathroom and get him seated on the stool before the large mirror.

“give me a sec, hun.” you pat his head before leaving him to search the required items. doubt begins to build within him once more but he works harder to push it down with a gulp and you’re by his side a few moments later “okay, we can always stop if you don’t want to do this siri, don’t let your friends force you to do anything you don’t want to do.”

“please, just get it over and done with.” he almost cries and you shake your head, giving him a back hug before tapping his shoulder in understanding.

“it’s okay baby, i’ll love you the same regardless.” sirius appreciates the sentiment, eyes blinking in gratitude, finding comfort in holding your hand tightly “alright, close your eyes, i’ll be quick.”

sirius complies, lashes fluttering as his eyes close shut and he finds himself grasping at your thighs from behind you for comfort, you let him be for the time being as it was yet to be a hindrance to your procedure.

around 20 minutes later your hand grasped sirius’ jaw and he looked up at the mirror, gazing wide eyed at the reflection it presented. “holy shit...” he ran his fingers through his hair once or twice (probably 10 times) and turned to face you so quickly he might’ve gotten whiplashed in the process “is it possible that i look even better?”

“yeah, this is actually unfair,” you sigh, arms crossing as you study his appearance “i guess i should be happy that i’m so lucky.”

“and here i thought not having long hair would make me look...” he grimaces “average.”

sirius whose hair was close to growing past his shoulders now donned a haircut that did not pass the nape of his neck. he hasn’t had hair this short since his 3rd year at hogwarts, choosing to instead grow it long because he believed he looked better that way plus it annoyed his mother (a well added bonus if you asked him).

“you’re so annoying, you know that?” you roll your eyes, lightly shoving him before retreating to your bed and you can hear sirius following you.

“yeah, you tell me that every day,” he proudly claims “it’s part of my charm.” he winks.

“you said that about your hair but that’s currently in the bin.”

“but with my devilishly good looks i’m bound to look amazing with any hairstyle, who would’ve known that long hair was just inhibiting my full potential?” sirius was so quick to find another mirror located in your bedroom and admire his new hairdo.

“i hate the fact that i can’t even argue on that, you handsome motherfucker.”

#sirius black x reader #sirius black headcanon #sirius black imagine #sirius black one shot #harry potter scenarios #harry potter crack #marauders #marauders x reader #sirius black x you #sirius being sirius #sirius orion black #sirius black #sirius black scenario

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poordeadsejanus · 5 months

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from baby to brutal: coriolanus snow's hair transformation throughout the ballad of songbirds and snakes

something that i find so interesting as a physical marker of coriolanus' change into snow is his hair.

the progression we see him go through, from those nice soft curls, to the buzzcut, to the platinum bleach and tone really remind me -- and walk with me here -- of when babies/little kids get their first haircut and how the new growth changes their hair.

for instance, when a family member of mine was really young, they had super soft, thin, and curly hair; we were all convinced they would just have curly hair forever. but them, they got their first hair cut (cut down really short), and from that moment on, the hair grew in much thicker and noticeably straight. baby hair is always so soft and fine, and it's when they start to grow up that it begins to change, especially when the first cut snips all of the baby hair away. it's a marker of change, of growing up (and, i suppose to be a bit cynical, losing the innocence of youth).

okay so, back to coryo. we first see him with the golden, loose curls.

this is when he's more naive to the realities of the world, when he still has not become the hardened man we know later on. still innocent i suppose you could say -- well, as relatively innocent as coriolanus snow can be. [more below the cut]

even when he's a child, the hair is loose and similar to the way he wears it when he's older. almost as if it's showing us that he's sort of stuck in this perpetual state of paranoia, fear, and the single-minded sort of thinking common in children, but exacerbated a million times in adult coryo.

next we get the buzzcut. and there is much to be said about this.

so, first of all, we're seeing a cutting off of the baby hair, representing him letting go of his old life, his childhood, that last bit of good he had going for him. he takes a turn for the worst. this is when he starts to experience life outside the capitol and everything goes awry.

the idea of a haircut in general is supposed to be a renewal, a starting over, an embrace of change. but obviously that's not really what this is for him because he does not choose to cut his hair. a forced haircut -- and it is; there's a scene in the movie where he's getting sheared and he has this sort of glassy look in his eyes that just screams 'i do not want this so maybe if i tune it out it'll stop happening' -- is essentially the exact opposite of all the things a haircut is supposed to be. it's taking choice entirely out of the hands of the person. no more is it about a new beginning and a change made by the self, it is a forced change inflicted on someone: effectively a 'this is how it is now, deal with it'. really having something as personal and vital to your autonomy as hair being forcefully changed (or removed) is a completely violation of the self, both outer and inner.

plus, in this specific context, it's a military cut. it's meant to symbolize conformity and the putting aside of your own self to become part of something bigger than the individual. (and really, i don't think i need to explain why that is something coryo is not happy about). for someone so set on his great exceptions and bright future as an individual with power and status ("coriolanus snow, future president of panem" tbosas, 11), becoming a faceless grunt doing menial labour is not fulfilling the expectations both he and others have for him. this haircut is about conformity, making coriolanus into someone completely anonymous and without power.

the power loss is both literal, but also more metaphorical in it's ties to the hair loss, because crassus had that same white hair as him, so cutting it off, down to the bare bones of it, takes away that connection and identification that he had with his father and the larger snow reputation in general.

okay, last thing about this buzzcut. obviously, when sejanus shows up on the train -- or in the barracks like in the book -- he too has his hair buzzed, so you could assume that he's experiencing the same sort of identity crisis and helplessness as coriolanus, but i'd actually argue otherwise. of course, we can't actually know because coryo's narration is heavily biased so we couldn't ever hope to actually know sej's true thoughts, but i think for sejanus it actually might function as a sense of freedom. he's joined the peacekeepers, he's out of the capitol, he can make a difference. it's about his freedom to become someone anonymous (not tied to the plinth name), whereas coryo's is the exact opposite; a loss of freedom and the snow name. it's a punishment for coryo to become no one, but a relief for sejanus. and while the haircut is required regardless of personal feelings on peacekeeping, sejanus' haircut would've been much less of a violation because he signed up for it. it's not something he's being held in place and forced to do. he can shear his hair and shed the capitol life, and embracing anonymity, becoming a piece in something bigger than himself, whereas for coryo, this isn't something he chooses. a choice for sejanus and a punishment for coriolanus.

[and isn't that sort of the piece of their contrasting characters? one desperately seeking to distance himself from the capitol and his family name, and one clawing and fighting and killing to get back to that very same thing...]

now, finally on to coryo's final evolution in the movie: salon-fresh bleached and toned haircut.

to get back to the baby hair metaphor: the baby hair has been shorn, and the adult hair has grown back differently (or it is styles purposefully differently). this symbolizes a loss of that innocence and childhood that he was clinging to, represented by the curls. but we are also past the violation of the buzzcut, where he was deeply uncertain and off kilter -- an identity crisis. now, his hair has grown back, and this is pretty much the style we see in all the way up to thg trilogy and donald sutherland's snow.

it is pushed away from the face (very unlike the baby curls we see, which constantly are in/over his face), showing us that he is not clouded by those same childish things that he was before. it is more structures and carefully styled, displaying discipline and order.

i'd be curious to know if he straightens it in these early years post-lucy gray as a staunch refusal to even slightly be similar to how he was before. because president snow as we see him has some of that wave back. this is a super "plate of corn" moment, of course, but it is something i was thinking about.

also, this new hair is obviously meant to be a nod to crassus' hairstyle: emulating the man he wants to be. the hair is more straight, pushed back away from the face, very structured, for both crasus and snow.

the change is very clearly marked and meant to be very obvious, showing us coriolanus' transformation and his descent into villainy. it's done so masterfully, both obvious and subtle at the same time. the movie did such a spectacular job giving us insight into coriolanus' transformation in so many ways, particularly with the costume choices / colours, etc. and obviously none of this would mean anything without suzanne collins' phenomenal writing in the first place.

subtle visual representations of character transformations you are so special to me <3

#so much rambling but much to be said #this could've be even longer #i just like to talk i think #coriolanus snow #coryo snow #crassus snow #tbosas #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #suzanne collins #tbosas meta #coriolanus snow meta #president snow #snow lands on top #tbosas costuming #the ballad of sonbirds and snakes meta #mine

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southernbluebellereader · 1 year

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Routines Part 2

Part 1

COD MW2 Taskforce 141 x F! Southern Hair Dresser Reader - Not the same as the Southern Cook Reader

Captain John Price, Lieutenant Simon "Ghost" Riley, Sergeant Johnny "Soap" MacTavish, Sergeant Kyle "Gaz" Garrick x F! Southern Hair Dresser Reader (COD MW(2))

Warnings: Suggestive actions/language. Slight bullying.

Word Count: ~1,099 words

Summary: Y/N opened up a little salon close to the base where the Taskforce 141 are stationed and there is now a platonic relationship between them and it's always fun bringing in rookies for their first hair cut.

Master List (Tag list at the bottom)

“Why is there a dog in my salon, Simon?”

“Needs a haircut.” Simon ruffled the fur on top of Riley’s head, earning a tail wag from him.

“Yeah, I can see that, but I caint groom pets.” Y/N kept herself at a distance, not being too fond of dogs. She swallowed hard and kept her eyes on Riley, who kept looking around the salon with curiosity, but remained at Simon’s side.

“You cut hair, don’t ya’?”

“Yeah, but I cut people hair, Simon, I ain’t know how to cut dog hair. Plus… Dogs and me don’t really go well together.”

“He’s trained,” Simon chuckled, taking note of her remark while chuckling, not initially seeing an issue, “But whatever you say. I still need a haircut.”

“Your hair I can cut, Simon,” Y/N smiled nervously, still keeping her eyes on Riley. She had no reason to be distrustful of the dog, he’s trained, according to Simon, “Please leave him by the door, and have a seat.”

Chuckling, Simon did as he was told, for the most part. He sent Riley to the couch by the seating area, earning a gasp from Y/N, “Um, Simon, he’s not going to take a shit on my couch is he?”

—

“Mr. Garrick!” Y/N nearly jumped up from her client chair when she heard the bell above her door and saw Kyle walk in, damn near falling over until Kyle caught her, “You alright, sweetheart?”

He chuckled as he helped her to her feet, earning a small blush from the little hair dresser, “Y-yeah, I’m good. Thanks. Got scared, that’s all.” Y/N adjusted her clothes and composed herself as she watched him take his cap off, scratching his head slightly, “Fancy a cut, Mr. Garrick?”

“Yeah, a shave too if you don’t mind,” Kyle said sheepishly.

“Aight, to the chair you go.”

“W-what?” Kyle looked at her slightly confused then blushed slightly when Y/N pointed to the salon chair that Y/N almost fell out of.

“So I can cut your hair, Mr. Garrick,” Y/N chuckled as she put on an apron, “Now, go on. You here for a haircut, ain’t ya’?”

Kyle did as he was told and allowed her to drape the cape over him, and allowed her to work, remaining silent to not distract her, just watching her work.

“You know you can talk, right? I don’t bite,” Y/N chuckled as she continued her work.

“Y-yeah… I know, just been a while.”

“I can tell. You been away on a mission?”

“Yeah…” He seemed more quiet than usual. Y/N didn’t want to pry too much, but she also didn’t like cutting in silence.

“You good with cassette players? Mine quit working the other day, you think you can fix it, Mr. Garrick?”

Kyle’s eyes lit up slightly, taking her up on her offer, “Yeah, I suppose so.”

Y/N smiled at him through the mirror as she continued her work around his head, working on his neck, “Sounds like a plan, just don’t break it any more than it already is, my Daddy gave me that little thing.”

“I’ll do my best, Miss Y/N.”

“Y/N is just fine, Mr. Garrick.”

“Only if you start calling me Kyle.”

—

“What’s that smell?” Johnny scrunched his nose as he and Kyle entered the salon, remnants of hair spray was in the air.

“...because like Mama said, the higher the hair, the closer to God,” Y/N chuckled as she finished spritzing hairspray on an elderly lady’s hair, adjusting minor details in her hair, “And now you’re all ready for your little date with your man, ma’am.” The lady thanked Y/N profusely as she admired her new hair-do. She paid Y/N and left the salon with a smile. But not before she gave Johnny and Kyle a quick wink and whispered loudly, “You’re lucky she knows what she’s doing.”

Kyle chuckled as Johnny kept scrunching his nose in an attempt to keep himself from inhaling the hair spray fumes as he headed towards one of the other hairdressers to get his mohawk touched up. Handing her the cassette player she’d asked him to fix, “She’s good as new, Y/N.” Y/N clapped her hands and gently took it from his hands so that she wouldn’t drop it, but instinctively hugged Kyle, “Oh thank you! I’m so excited!” Blushing slightly, Kyle hugged her back, “Well, you gotta see if it works now.”

Blushing slightly, he turned his head and hugged her back, glad that he wore his cap today. Y/N quickly put it on one of the tables and popped a cassette into it and pressed play. Y/N looked at Kyle and Johnny with wide eyes, a wide smile appeared on her face when Aretha Franklin’s voice began to sing on the little cassette player.

Y/N squealed and nearly jumped up and hugged Kyle once more, “Oh thank you thank you!”

Kyle quickly caught you and grounded the both of you so neither of you would fall. Johnny and the hairdresser chuckled in amusement. Kyle wonders if she had other things that needed fixing.

—

“Y/N.”

“John.”

“What is this I hear about you having Kyle be your personal fixer-upper?” The Captain crossed his arms as he stood beside Y/N as you gave rookie after rookie the obligatory buzzcut.

“What?” Y/N looked up at the Captain in amusement, a little smile on her face. “I asked him if he knew how to fix cassettes, he said yes, and he did.”

“Uh-huh?”

“Then I told him the plumbing for one of the hair-washing stations was busted- and he done fixed it too, I ain’t even ask him!”

“Oh yeah, what else?”

“Hm? Let me think…”

The Captain took a deep breath, then chuckled, “Actually, don’t tell me. Don’t make him do more work than he needs to.”

Y/N’s eyes shot up at him, “Ok well, we have a deal: I deal with y’all’s little rookies, and y’all fix my stuff that keeps breaking every time one of y’all come up in here.”

After a moment of silence, both Y/N and Price smiled in amusement. Once Y/N had finished with the last rookie, Y/N stood beside Price as he rounded them up, “Alright ladies, you know the drill.”

In unison, the rookies saluted Y/N shouted: “Thank you, ma’am!”

Price stayed behind, watching as they walked out, then looked at you, “Thank you, Miss Y/N.”

“It was a pleasure, sir. You want your shave?”

“Please?”

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

Tag List

@ateliefloresdaprimavera @galagcica @sweetybuzz25 @wisedinosaurpolice @itsasecrets-things @ronbon @lieutenantlashfaz @piper570 @shuttlelauncher81 @thanksbutno98 @gabriellathegreat @kult6 @loadedberetta @sarahs-secrets2 @whore4dilfs @addy3114 @ollie71526483 @blueoorchid

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i-literally-cant-with-this · 6 months

Text

Part I ::: Dad's Best Friend, Reiner

Part II

Yep. I'm pumping out more Reiner stuff. Yesterday (Nov. 6) was my birthday and I couldn't get enough of the man. So I started writing again today and he was just wrecking my brain. STILL proofing. My laptop went a little haywire. This will be straightened out by tomorrow afternoon. Thanks for your patience ♡.

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This will be in 2 parts. I'll attach links as I post and finish them up.

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Warnings ::: Flirting with your dad's friend, older man kink (newly discovered, kinda?), accidental exhibitionism, accidental voyeurism, accidental kiss, erection. Implied plus size//chubby reader The good stuff (HA, listen to me) will be in the second part. That's already almost done. I'll probably post that tomorrow morning or afternoon. Enjoy!!

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Part I WC ::: 2,557

It was Thanksgiving break and you were heading home from college. It's always been a big deal with your family to have everyone over to their home and have them leave well-fed.

Well, it was, anyway. Since your mom left last year, it's fallen entirely on your dad's shoulders.

But this was his time to shine. His time to show you and everyone else that he could go above and beyond the regular turkey dinner. You were a little nervous about it. He didn't exactly have the best track record when it came to cooking turkey. But you'd be here to help him out however he needed.

You and your dad's best friend, Reiner. There wasn't a holiday that he hadn't been around. In fact, there weren't any special events that you couldn't remember him being at. He was sort of like a second dad to you. If you had to put a label on it, that's probably what it'd be.

It's been over 4 months since you'd last seen him. You were both at your dad's house on the 4th of July. You stopped by to have a quick burger before you went back to your dorm room. All you remember is that his best friend was really, really drunk, and really happy to see you.

You called your dad as you hit a red light.

"Yell-o?" The voice at the other end of the call said.

"Hi, dad. I'm on my way. I'll be there in less than 30. Do you have everything you need for the great cook-off? Let me know, I'll call when I get clo--"

"Hey! Hey, y/n. It's Reiner, your dad's --"

"Oh! Hi, um, Reiner. My dad's ... best ... friend. W-where is he at?"

"He had to run to the store to pick up a few last minute things. But he'll be back. Either before you're here or right around the same time. S' I guess, just keep coming, uh, home. I'll be here. We'll be here, I meant. See you soon, sweetheart." He said before hanging up. "Y-yeah, ok. Rei-, um, ok. Bye, see you soon."

You suddenly felt really hot in the face. Was his voice always that provocative? Did it always sound like that when you talked to him on the phone? So deep and alluring? Snapping your head from your daydream as the car behind you honked at the green light you were mindlessly sitting through, you drove on to your childhood home. Not sure what you're in for when you get there. But feeling a little giddy about it, all the same.

Pulling into the driveway, you didn't see your dad's truck. But you saw Reiner's. It wasn't huge, but it took up over half of the drive. You loved the color; a deep blue. So dark you couldn't really see your reflection on the side of it. It was nice.

"Hello? I'm here. Dad? Are you home ye--" you called out to your dad. But he wasn't there. It was just his friend, still. Just you and his friend.

"Hey, sweetheart! Welcome home! S'good to see you, baby girl!" Reiner came to you with open arms. You looked at him. He wore a nicely fitting light blue button-up shirt. It was accentuating his very large, muscular arms. Shit, did he always look like this? His hair was a little longer than you remember it being. But it was slicked back as much as he could get it. It was in that awkward phase between too short to get it to do what he wanted and should he get a haircut. You thought it looked fantastic. Even the little bits that hung down against his forehead.

You let yourself be wrapped up in his arms as he pulled you into a close, tight, and very warm embrace. His body was so hard and so soft, simultaneously. It made your head spin.

A little while later you realized he'd already let go but you hadn't, so he kept hugging you until you were ready for him to loosen his arms. He chalked it up to you missing him or missing your dad after being gone from the house for school.

"You ok, sweetheart? *Heh* I don't remember you ever letting me hug you like this. But that's ok. I don't mind. I'm happy to fill in for any dad energy--"

Dad energy? No. No no no no no. You thought. This had nothing to do with 'dad energy'. Maybe 'daddy energy'.

"Not 'dad', god. I just ... s'just, well, guess I missed you. Dad energy. God." You laughed. He leaned down and brushed your hair from your face and kissed you on the cheek. Twice. You hoped he wouldn't notice how your heartbeat quickened. Or your breath got caught in your throat. Or how your face turned a deep shade of pink.

"You good, baby girl?" Nodding you put your hands up on his pecs and it took every ounce of will power to push him away from you. All you wanted to do was drop to your knees and lick his stomach. Just for starters.

"Hello? I see my daughter's car in the driveway! Where is she?" Reiner dropped his arms and let his hands glide down from the curves in your waist and turned quickly. You saw him start to adjust something, but your dad's voice drew your attention away from his best friend tucking his cock away.

"Dad! Hi! Happy Thanksgiving, pops. Thank you for doing all of this."

He hugged you and kissed the top of your head. "Well, I wouldn't be doin' this if it wasn't for my dumbass friend over there. He insisted that I do this. Y'know, to keep things 'normal' and to entice you to come home for a nice meal."

You looked at Reiner. He shrugged his broad shoulders. Fuck, how had you not noticed how hot he was before today?

"Well, thank you. Both of you. I can't wait to get started on everything. Are you working over the break?" Your dad was a veterinarian and often the one who was on call over holidays. Even on his vacations he'd still find the time to work for his patients. He was just that kind of person. You always admired it about him.

Your dad sighed. "I think you already know the answer to that, baby girl." Reiner's head whipped around at the sound of your dad calling you what he had called you minutes before. Maybe he should lay off.

But your dad called you that. Reiner has been practically a part of the family for over 25 years. He decided to try it out in front of your dad to gauge his reaction to the pet name. He'd go from there. It just had to be the right time.

"Don't worry, though. I sent home fliers about all the foods animals should stay away from over Thanksgiving. And how they shouldn't have bones that can get lodged in their throats."

Reiner choked on his beer. "Shit, shit. Sorry, {Dad’s name}. I ... *aheh*, shit. Never mind. Sorry." You and your dad stood there looking at Reiner, puzzled. You knew what he was choked up about. But your dad was most likely clueless. And that's probably better for everyone.

It was around 8pm and your dad and Reiner were watching football and reliving their high school days. Reliving their game nights when they were in (what they felt like) was the prime of their lives. Reiner jumped up from the second recliner that your dad moved in for him after your mom left. "Go. Go. Go go go go go go!!! YES!! Whooo! Fuck, I love this team." His honey-colored eyes met yours and you couldn't help but get all bubbly in your tummy at the slight squint as he smiled so widely. He genuinely looked the happiest you've ever seen him. And for some freaky reason, that made you happy, too.

"I'm going to grab a shower and go to bed. Can I bring you guys another beer or anything?" You asked, still maintaining eye contact with Reiner.

He shook his head, "'S fine ..." Now! He thought. Now is the perfect time to test out calling you baby girl in front of your dad! "Think I'm done for the night, baby girl." He waited for the ramification of calling you such an intimate thing. But it never came. Your dad just followed suit, "Yeah, I'm 'bout to turn in too, sweetheart." You nodded with heavy lids at Reiner and rubbed your thighs together the whole way as you walked to your room.

Sitting on your bed for a minute, you did your best to compose yourself after that pithy exchange between the two of you. If you could even call it an exchange. All he did was look at you while you asked if they wanted anything before you went to get cleaned up and tucked in for the night.

Maybe it was the way he hung on to the gaze. How he lured you in to maintaining the shared glance. No, it was more than a glance.

You stood inside of your room, feeling no relief whatsoever, and pulled your t-shirt over your head and tossed it on the chair. Unhooking your bra, the little clasp in the front separated without much effort.

All you could think about was Reiner's hands on you. How would he take your bra off? Would he do it slowly and make you wait as he teased you? Would he be frantic and grab and pull it off?

"Fuck. I, I gotta stop. Gotta get a grip on this shit. Goin' to drive myself nuts." Slipping your jeans and panties off in one motion, you kicked them aside and left them on the floor by the standing mirror near your desk. There was a small wet spot on your panties that could only be from one thing: Reiner.

Looking around your room for your bathrobe, you remember that you saw it hanging in the bathroom down the hall. "Sh- shit. Ok, g'na make a run for it. I'm just going to run for it. They're both in the living room watching football. I can do this." You bounced on your toes a couple of times to hype yourself up for the mad dash you were preparing to make. Slowly, you opened your door and stuck your head out to survey your surroundings.

"H-hello?" You whispered, testing the population. "Ok, 'm gonna ... gonna go ..."

From out of nowhere, Reiner's face popped into yours as you stood there, naked as the day you came into this world. Oh, how he tried to not let his eyes wander from your blushing face down the front of your body. But he couldn't. He couldn't make himself look away. He was hypnotized by your curves. How your thighs nestled together. Your soft stomach. The soft, silvery glow of light stretch marks.

"F-fuck, sorry! I'm so sorry!" He shouted. "I came to tell you that your dad had to go out on an emergency call for someone's horse. Broke its leg or somethin'. Sssshhhhit. I'm sorry. I'll go now that you know where he's going to be."

He was so flustered he couldn't bring his eyes around to yours. He just stared awkwardly at the floor, hoping you wouldn't see how hard he'd gotten over something so simple and awkward as bumping into you at your bedroom door that you were about to make a break from. Granted, you were naked.

"Oh god, Rei-ner! Oh my god!" You yelled back. But it was more out of sheer surprise than embarrassment. Ever since he answered your dad's house phone today, you couldn't get his voice out of your head. And when he hugged you, it was impossible to forget what his arms and hands felt like on you. There’s a 99.9999999% chance you’ll never forget how he smells. But you couldn't really act like you enjoyed exposing yourself to him. Could you?

Reiner finally found his footing and looked you in the eye. He saw your eyes and felt bad that he made you feel uncomfortable. But he couldn't help but notice how your nipples pebbled in the cold air. How they were a lighter shade of pink than he expected. He just wanted to cup them in his hands and roll them between his fingers. Fuck.

"I-I'm sorry. I thought you and my dad were still in the living room watching tv. I - ugh. Fuck." You turned back and grabbed your throw that lay across the foot of your bed and wrapped yourself up in it. You couldn't get away from him fast enough, but he stood right in the doorway.

"S'ok, sweetheart. It's alright. I just came to let you know that your dad's gone and that I'll be here. Least until he gets back tonight. Just lettin' ya know." He smiled his dazzling smile and you felt your heart skip a beat. "I can come back later and ... and ... you can leave your door open." He stuttered out, not entirely sure what he was suggesting. "You can leave it open while you're getting dressed or whatever. So you don't have to worry about me barging in again."

You nodded, "O-ok? That sounds good, Reiner." You whispered, holding the throw clutched to your chest, you managed to look up at him.

"So, are we in agreement that your dad doesn't have to know anything about this?" Reiner asked and you laughed. "Yes, oh my god, that would be mortifying. Let's just keep it between the two of us."

"Ok, sweetheart. Can do." He leaned down and let his lips sit on your left cheek for far longer than a simple smooch should have lasted. As he was pulling back, you turned your face and looked up at him. What you didn't know was he was going to do the same thing to your other cheek and your lips met with his.

They were so soft and warm. You weren't expecting to actually kiss him when you did this. You were going to say goodnight and slip passed him down the hallway. But instead, you just stood there. Initially wide-eyed, your mouth puckered out slightly. When did that happen? When did you push your lips out to meet his?

Reiner stepped back slightly. He didn't look like he was in as much shock as you. But he had a stupid half-grin on his face where your lips had just been. Like his little scheme had panned out perfectly. You couldn't believe you'd just kissed Reiner. Your dad's best friend. He was practically family. Even if it wasn't on purpose.

You both stood there for a moment longer. You couldn't believe how amazing it felt to kiss him. His lips were so sweet and perfect. But you knew it couldn't go any further. Your dad would lose his shit. And Reiner was his best friend. And he was old. Well, not old. But older.

"I, um, I'm going to hop in the shower." You said, quietly. "Yeah, yeah, I'll leave you to it. Sorry, baby girl." He turned on his heel and walked back down the hall.

He didn't sound like he was sorry. He sounded excited. Like he was about to win some kind of prize.

And that prize?

Was you.

Taglist ::: @darkstarlight82 @callm3senpaii @reinerswarrior

#reiner smut #reiner x y/n #reiner x you #reiner x reader #reiner aot smut #reiner attack on titan smut #attack on titan smut #aot smut #reiner braun #reiner braun x you #reiner braun x y/n #reiner braun x reader #aot reiner braun #aot reiner #reiner braun attack on titan #plus size reader x reiner #chubby reader x reiner

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thebarontheabyss · 5 months

Note

this is a question I like to ask a lot of my fav IF writers, but do you have any songs you feel describes the ROs?

What an excellent question. Let’s goooo 🎶

For Death, it's gotta be “Blindness” by Metric (also just my fave band, period)

What it is and where it stops, nobody knows

You gave me a life I never chose

I wanna leave but the world won't let me go

Almost every line from this song encapsulates the essence of Death. The burden, the doubts, the feeling of helplessness.

I was a blind fool

Never complained

All the survivors

Singing in the rain

For our Devil, “Runner” by Djo (yeah, Steve from Stranger Things, and his music slaps) is the perfect fit. It's like it was written for Lilith/Damian.

Those that try

Those that don't

Now you act surprised that you're alone

Dishonestly is honestly

The mark that you must live with

I mean, this is just Lilith/Damian for me - a nihilistic soul with a whisper in their mind: Try.

Love and hate decide

Money, murder, lies

The future is the same

Why try?

Try. Try. Try.

And for The Witch, “Giving In To The Love” by Aurora just feels right. (Plus, I totally picture them with her haircut.)

And if I'm not loved,

I guess that I am cursed,

I gotta know how to beat it, beat it first

The ambitious drive and that hidden desire for connection. Really makes me think of Morgan/Morgana.

If I'll be somebody,

I'll never let my skin decide it for me,

I never had the world so why change for it?

This was fun. Should i make second part for the crew?

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sodium-chloride-blog · 9 months

Text

Forgot to type up the red team face hc's thought process, but I'm back from Quebec now, so...

Sarge was — fittingly — the biggest enigma. His design came to me almost instantly, and he went through basically zero changes. Somehow I realized there wasn't really anything for me to add except for maybe a few extra scars as time went on. The first design felt accurate right off the bat.

Somehow I just knew the first design I drew up for him was also the only design necessary. dude just looks like that.

I had a bit of a harder time figuring out what to do for Grif, but I had a few designs I had in mind and used them all the same way I did for Tucker.

Shorter hair in BGC like everyone else, except I gave him some stubble too because Grif would 100% rarely ever bother to shave.

Obviously added the stitches where Sarge used bits of Simmons to stitch Grif back together.

Hair grown out by the time the Recollection trilogy starts up, casually tied up in a messy bun because Grif definitely wouldn't put in the effort to cut it.

Finally a full on ponytail and much more facial hair by Chorus by the time he's matured and gained some confidence.

I was admittedly a little conflicted on whether to give Grif a bun for Recollection or Chorus, since putting his hair up might have been visually symbolic of his character development as he starts to put in effort for things/people he cares about. I'm still unsure if I made the right call leaving the bun in Recollection Grif's design and letting his hair grow out in Chorus.

Lopez is just Lopez lmao

Simmons felt somewhat easier since I had a clearer idea of what I wanted him to look like from beginning to end.

Same military-appropriate length haircut in BGC as everyone else.

Freckles because they just fit perfectly on him.

Awkward nerd smile, complete with dimples and long face/nose for maximum nerdy charm (or lack thereof).

Slightly grown out hair but not too much by Recollection, plus he has the cybernetic replacements on his face now. I tried to make the pupil on his cyborg eye more rectangular than his natural eye but I don't think it's very noticeable.

Finally grew out his bangs. I was torn between this haircut and the shorter, nerdier one, so I used them both. Plus he finally grows some facial hair by Chorus as he matures into his own person.

I like the idea that Simmons gradually growing his hair out past what the acceptable length is in the UNSC is a good representation of how he's grown as a person and doesn't adhere to the rules as strictly as he did in BGC. Something about becoming less of a suck-up and gaining confidence in his own choices and leadership.

Thought it would be a neat detail that he eventually gets a scar through the eyebrow that matches the one I gave Sarge.

Please please PLEASE tell me someone noticed where Grif and Simmons are each looking.

I struggled with Donut's design the most since he seems to have the most variation in design. I knew I wanted baby-faced blonde for BGC but coming up with a design that felt right afterwards was rough.

I ended up going through a few sketches for Donut before settling on a face with rounded cheeks and nose for a sort of boyish look.

By Recollection he has the face scars thanks to the plasma grenade. I ended up keeping Donut facing left even though it covered the hearing aid since I didn't want to throw off the balance on the page. (sorry)

I also had to give him an ear piercing. I just had to.

Some hair probably got burned off thanks to the explosion, so I imagine Donut probably gave himself an undercut on the undamaged side to make the hairstyle symmetrical. I don't think Donut had access to any hair dye during Recollection, so chances are his roots started to grow out.

By Chorus I wanted him to fully accept his face scars, so he ditched the eyepatch by then. Self love, baby.

His eyebrow on his scarred side has somewhat grown back by then, but not completely. The same goes for Donut's hair, though I imagine it grew out just enough for Donut to settle on a very stylish slicked back undercut, cuz y'know. 🫳💁‍♂️✨🌈

Donut got most of his character development post-Chorus during The Shisno Trilogy which is... Technically retconned now(?) thanks to Reconstruction coming out this Fall, so the last design for Donut probably would have fit season 15-17 more than Chorus when he really grew into his own. However, I think the design still works for Chorus to show how he matured over time.

ngl I kinda just threw something together for Doc. I couldn't really think of a design for him since there's a LOT of variation online. I'm not entirely happy with it, but it'll do for now unless I come up with something better later.

Maybe I'll draw more rvb characters sometime... Maybe the AI?

#red vs blue #rvb #sarge #dexter grif #lopez the heavy #dick simmons #frank dufresne #franklin delano donut

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stardustviolet · 3 months

Text

“I was at the supermarket, picking up some little pre-mixed martinis to enjoy in the sun, when I sensed the store manager hovering behind me. “Got any ID for that?” he asked, sighing protractedly. I didn’t. “But I’m 30 years old,” I said, motioning towards my face. “See? 30.” He laughed as if I were an over-confident sixth grader trying my luck. “Yeah, I don’t think so,” he said, scooping up the cans. “Sorry, no can do.”

Right then I felt like kicking over a nearby cereal display, spilling Shreddies everywhere. Think I’m a teenager? Watch me act like one, then. But I’m 30, so…my impulse control kicked in.

People love to say “consider it a compliment!” when you get mistaken for someone a lot younger, but I don’t at this point. I graduated from college nearly 10 years ago. I’ve worked as a journalist and editor for almost as long, been in multiple relationships, and navigated intense life experiences. I own a Hetty hoover. I’ve published a book. I remember AOL! When someone says I look younger than I am, what I really hear is: None of that counts. I still don’t take you seriously. Not that people in their 20s don’t get taken seriously, but I’m a different person to who I was at 24, 25, even 26. I want that to show, externally.

I don’t think I actually look physically younger than 30. But—like other millennials—I possibly give off a younger “energy.” My arms are covered in stick ’n’ pokes from my 20s. I look at ease in a cozy hoodie and low-slung jeans. Plus, I barely scrape 5’2”. The way I speak and hold myself hasn’t changed much in the past few years. And I’m not alone in this: my friends, who are broadly the same age as me, could easily be five years younger. My fiancée is a full-time musician with bleached blonde hair and a penchant for motocross jackets. As a kid, I didn’t picture 30 looking like this. My high school teachers were 30. We definitely look different from them. We act differently from them, too.

Much has already been said about millennials’ inability to “grow up.” We’re lambasted for not owning homes or having kids soon enough (who can do either of those things unless you have a hefty two-income household and/or an inheritance?). We’re living with friends and roommates like overgrown students for a lot longer (plenty of my single friends can’t afford to live alone). And things like marriage, or toiling away in the same career, appear to have lost their shine for many. Even so, that doesn’t explain why we don’t always look like the 30-somethings of yesteryear—or why I can’t get served a pink martini in my local supermarket.

I’m not the only person to be mulling this over. TikTok is overrun with videos about why millennials don’t seem to be aging “normally” (“why don’t millennials age?” currently has around 19.4 million views on TikTok). Some have hypothesized that it’s because “tweakments” like filler and botox are cheaper and more widely available now. Others have joked that it’s because millennials “have depression, so we’re indoors all day, and we don’t let the sunlight age our skin.” Still others have wondered whether it’s due to camera phones, and the fact that we see ourselves more often than ever before, meaning we pay more attention to our looks and outfits. Or maybe we are aging normally, we just don’t think we are, so we don’t act like it.

There are likely countless reasons for this time-body-mind warp. One of my personal theories is that our image of a “real adult” is simply outdated, and fails to take more recent style and culture shifts into account. Your parents and grandparents didn’t post photo dumps, wear athleisure in the workplace, or DM their colleagues “lmao” in their 30s. But frames of reference evolve constantly, and that’s what 30-somethings are like now. You don’t just suddenly get a cropped haircut and start saying the word “trendy” as you age. We’re stuck with an image of a 30-something that is no longer relevant. I’m sure Gen X—the Britpop kids, the ravers—didn’t always resemble dads. It must have taken a moment to catch up.

Before I continue, I must add: I’m well aware that age is mostly meaningless, and that attaching labels to a person based on an arbitrary yearly marker is a disservice to their individualism. I know that most people don’t actually “feel” their age, because they just feel like themselves (same here). And I am so much more interested in a person’s mind than how old they are. But that doesn’t mean I am not intrigued and curious about how I appear to others now that I’m in my 30s. I find myself fearful of becoming a Benjamin Button-like character—like when you google a child actor and they look the same as an adult, just weird and with facial hair. Are millennials like child actors? Stuck, and frozen in time, forever?

One of the most frightening things about existing is that the world keeps spinning and time keeps hurtling onwards. Stop, you feel like protesting, I’m not ready yet, I’m not ready. But the universe does not hear you, and it doesn’t care anyway. That’s the great tragedy and gift of living. We all move forward. And one day soon, Gen Z will wake up and they will be middle-aged, and Gen Alpha will have children of their own, and their grandparents will not be wearing slacks and cardigans and taping money to Christmas cards. They’ll be wearing Juicy Couture and Post Malone Crocs and sending skull emoji reacts to their grandkids’ messages.“

#millennials #millennial #gen y #generation y

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yellowkitkieran · 9 months

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hiiii i have a kt request 🫶🏼 can you please write something where andy’s invited kieran and his gf to his house and it’s the first time that kieran’s taking someone with him and he’s nervous? (+can we also get andy teasing kt? that’s always fun) ignore this rq if you don’t like it but PLEASE WRITE SOMETHING FOR KIERAN ANYTHING PLEASE

thank youuu

Settle the Nerves (Kieran Tierney)

Masterlist

Word Count: 2.7k

Kieran Tierney doesn't get nervous. Not before cup finals, not before scotland matches in front of a packed house, and definitely not when one of his best mates invites him over.

Definitely not, especially when he's been given a plus one.

Andy Robertson's dinner parties are always heaps of fun. When it's just the lads, it's normally the entire scotland squad that shows up to either celebrate a win or console each other after a loss. They're a tight knit group- win or lose, it's nice to have the support in place. Those ones are always full of story telling and drinking, and usually end up with half the squad sleeping off various intensities of hangovers in some of the guest rooms.

This time it's different. It's nearing Christmas, and it's set to be a feast this weekend, kicking off the holiday season for any of the lads that can make it. Amdy's wife and daughter will be there, which means it'll be tame- a fact Kieran doesn't mind at all. And this time, your name was included on the whatsapp message next to his own.

It's not that he doesn't want to bring you along- he does! Of course he wants to show you off, but he's also terrified the lads will scare you off with old stories of him. Despite only dating for a few months, you mean far too much to Kieran for him to entertain the possibility of something going wrong.

You're more excited than he is, that's for sure. You haven't stopped talking about it since he mentioned it in passing a few weeks ago. Picking out your dress was a task in a half you told him- enlisting multiple of your closest friends to help make sure it was perfect, not too over the top and not too scandalous. Whatever you picked, Kieran is sure he'll love it… and also sure you'll steal the show.

And now as Kieran stands before the closet in his childhood house, he finds himself wishing he'd brought his Arsenal cufflinks from his home in London. Instead he'll have to use the little rose ones of his father's, which he doesn't really mind, it's just that they've got sharp edges and they'll be harder to fiddle with at dinner. He's gotten good at hiding his tics in public settings. The occasional post match interview at Arsenal wiped that out of him quite quickly.

A knock on his door startles him and he curses under his breath when he drops the little velvet box, sending the cufflinks flying. "Yeah? Who's it?"

"It's me, babe. Are you almost ready?" Kieran sighs, scooping up the jewelry from under his dresser and sliding the links through the holes at the cuffs in his freshly pressed black dress shirt.

"Yeah love, I'm about done. Just have to get my shoes on and I'll be ready. Mum and dad gone already?" They'd informed Kieran when you arrived that morning that they'd be spending the weekend with a family friend across the countryside, so you had the house to yourselves.

"They left ages ago, Kieran. I'll wait in the foyer, yeah? Hurry up though! I can't be late to meet your mates!"

Kieran quickly finishes buttoning his top, throws on his slacks, and ties up the laces of his Oxford shoes- the ones he hates because they pinch his toes- and checks his hair one final time in the mirror. He looks decent enough, he needs a haircut but his barber back in London can't squeeze him in for another week. He'll get to it eventually- right now he has a party to attend.

Maybe he can come up with an excuse not to go. His throat is bothering him- yeah, scratchy like he's coming down with something. Kieran scratches the stubble under his chin; that idea won't work. You'll see right through him, since it's the same excuse he always uses.

"Right, let's get on with it then." Kieran tousels his hair one final time before opening his door. He expects to find you waiting. Instead he's greeted with one of his favorite sights: your curves.

Before he's taken a single step, the rich emerald green at the hem of your floor length gown distracts Kieran. He allows his eyes to trail up, up, up over the curve of your backside to where the gown fades to a deep black, dotted through with small dust like crystals that catch the light. The second Kieran steps out of his room you turn, flashing him a brilliant smile. It's then that Kieran finally is allowed a view of you in your full glory. He grins, immediately drawn to the deep v neckline that he swears ends only a few inches above your navel.

You spin, the flared skirt swishing with the motion. "Well, how do I look? Think your friends will be impressed?"

"Mouthwatering," Kieran murmurs and means it literally. He'd be drooling if he had an ounce less of self control. You step towards him and he lays a gentle hand on your waist, conscious of leaving the satin fabric wrinkle free. "I'm not sure I should let you out of the house, let alone meet all my mates." Kieran leans forward to pepper the underside of your jaw with kisses. You tip your head back after the first, trying to get away, though he'll chase you tirelessly. He holds firm on your waist now, refusing to allow you to leave him high and dry.

"Kieran," you whine, dragging out the last letter for a few seconds. "We're gonna be late. You took too long getting ready-"

"Because I knew you were gonna look absolutely bloody gorgeous, and I had to compete somehow-"

You push at his chest, hard enough that he breaks away with a sigh. "And because of that we have no time to be distracted by kisses. We have to get going! Andy's waiting for us!"

As you drag Kieran to his car, all he can think about is marching you right back inside. For the entire ten minute drive, his hand never leaves your thigh. Sometimes he lays it flat and lets his warmth soak through the thin fabric, and once in a while he traces shapes with feather light fingertips. If nothing else, at least you've distracted him from the ball of nerves that's settled in his gut. Until he parks his Audi outside Andy's house, that is.

Kieran stumbles up the stone path after you, using your grip on his wrist to propel him along at your speed. You raise a fist to knock on the white painted door but Kieran reaches for the knob and opens it before you have the chance.

"-be here soon darling, if you could just finish picking up your toys? Thank you my love- Kieran!" Andy, previously crouched down to speak with his three year old daughter, claps Kieran on the shoulder. "Well don't you clean up nicely! And this must be your girlfriend- hello love, great to finally meet you. This one never shuts up about you and I must say, I can see why!"

Kieran's cheeks blush a furious shade of pink. "Come on mate, don't start already!"

"You're pretty." The soft compliment comes from the toddler hidden behind her fathers legs, clutching his dress pants in her tiny fists.

You crouch to be eye level with her, not a second thought about it. Kieran's heart swells to double it's size when you murmur, "Thank you sweetheart, you're ten times prettier than I am though. Your dress is gorgeous! I love the fluffy pink skirt!"

Noticing Kieran's wistful look, Andy leans in to whisper, "you'll have one of those soon enough mate. Especially if you keep looking at her like that."

"I- what? Cut it out! It's only been three months mate- I'm not thinking like that!" Actually, he is thinking like that. Has thought of that plenty of times. You, holding a baby, cooing at his daughter, who would look just like you. A few years later, maybe a boy as well- and that would be enough for him. Kieran loves you, and he told you as much on your fourth date. He's reiterated it every day since then, and you've always returned it with the same enthusiasm.

"Oh you're so in love mate," Andy coos, poking Kieran's side. "Just say it! You love her- the lads are gonna love it!"

Kieran scowls at his friend, "Oi leave me alone Robbo! Like you weren't smitten with your missus the second you saw her!"

Andy glances over his shoulder and smiles at his wife, a beautiful brunette woman who matches his chaotic energy perfectly. Andy was transparent from the beginning, telling the team again and again that he'd marry her- and he did, three years ago, at one of the most love filled ceremonies Kieran has ever attended.

"I mean just look at her mate, how could I not be? That's my gorgeous wife in there!" Andy whistles and she grins at him, wagging her towel at him before taking the last dish out of the oven. "Your lassie will be your missus soon enough, Kieran. I've not seen you so starry eyed anywhere but a football pitch."

Kieran rakes a hand through his hair while he watches you follow Andy's daughter down the hall. The little tyke insisted on showing you her stuffed animal collection and really, how could you say no?

"Look, just… don't say anything yeah? I love her, I do, and I'm terrified of messing this up. And can you help me keep the lads in check too when they get here? I don't want them scaring her off."

"I've already told them to behave, and with Mila here I'm sure they will… speaking of my daughter- Mi!"

Mila pokes her little head out of her room with a brilliant grin. "Yes, daddy?" Kieran would fold instantly if he were in Andy's shoes. Instead, his friend holds firm with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Did you steal Kieran's friend from him?" When Mila only giggles, Andy clicks his tongue. "What did daddy say about that?"

"Umm… to not to?"

"Andy it's fine," Kieran murmurs, knowing that you love children of all ages and are probably perfectly content to hang out and have a tea party. "Honest, she won't mind."

Andy sighs, scowling at Kieran in a way that makes him feel as if he's the one being scolded. "Alright, but after dinner you're getting tucked in and watching Frozen in the theater room, okay?"

"Okay daddy! Now I have to pour the tea- bye!" Your laughter permeates through the slammed door. A smile creeps onto Kieran's face; he'll never not love that sound.

For the next twenty minutes, Kieran helps Andy set the table, pick out a few bottles of wine, and pours himself a glass for good measure. Since he'll be driving he'll cap himself at just the one, but you'll be free to have as much as you want.

McGinn and McTominay are the first ones to arrive, with half a dozen other lads coming by soon after. Kieran is mid conversation with Scott when an arm snakes around his waist and your head rests on his shoulder.

"Sorry mate, one sec-" Kieran turns and kisses the crown of your head, murmuring "Alright yeah?" And waiting for your nod before turning back to his friend. "Scott, this is my girlfriend." Independent as ever, you take over the introductions and shake Scott's hand after giving him your name. Kieran can't keep the proud smile off his face. Despite his nerves, he's proud to call you his.

"I was just telling Kieran how I'll never forget the time he had to streak through the changing room-"

"Scott," Kieran half growls, having warned him already not to bring anything like that up. Why couldn't he pick a story like the time Kieran slipped on the pitch and nearly broke his ankle instead? That one was far less embarrassing. You don't need to know all the silly little details.

But when you tip your head back and laugh and the arm you have around his waist goes tighter to ensure he doesn't materialize into a ghost and slip away, Kieran forgets why he was worried in the first place. "Were you? Kieran never shares his fun stories with me… please, do tell!"

Scott launches into his story, starting again from the beginning. You watch with curious eyes, laughing at the right parts and nodding at others. Kieran's attention is locked on you. On the way your eyes crinkle, on how your laugh draws in anyone in a five meter radius. Kieran's arm winds possessively around you, hand settling on the curve of your bum as a fes of the other lads join the conversation. Will any of them try to steal you? No, of course not- they all know you're Kieran's and none of them would try changing that. It doesn't stop the primal side of Kieran's brain from wanting to make it perfectly clear who you belonged to.

By the time everyone's arrived and sat down to dinner, you've made friends with the whole squad. Kieran had no doubts about that- though his nervousness has quieted down and he's much less scared about being embarrassed. How can he be, when you reassure him with a kiss after each story? One to his jaw, another to his cheek- you leave him looking forward to the next story solely so he can have a bit more affection from you.

During a lull in conversation, Kieran refills your wine and leans over to kiss your temple. "Having fun my love? You seem like you're enjoying yourself, if those rosy cheeks say anything."

Your hand rests on Kieran's thigh under the table, the muscle going tense under your touch, "mmhhmm, I'm having loads of fun! I love you baby… you're so pretty- I love hearing stories about you!"

"Oh, you're tipsy already… you're adorable." Kieran kisses the crown of your head twice. "I love you darling, are you gonna make it through this dinner without falling asleep?"

You push against Kieran's hand when he brushes his knuckle under your eyes. "Mmhhmm I'll be okay- I'm supposed to have another tea party with Mila after dessert. I can't miss it!"

"Alright baby, if you say so," Kieran murmurs before leaning in to give you another kiss. Andy slaps the table from a few seats down, his bellowing voice breaking above individual conversations.

"Oi, Kieran! Quit snogging your missus at the table will ye? My daughter is present!"

Kieran smiles sheepishly at your Mila, who's mum has slapped a hand over her eyes. "Sorry Mila- uncle Kieran promises he'll behave now." As Kieran speaks, he snakes a hand under your arm and rests it high on your thigh. "Anyway, have you lassies heard about the time Andy had to stand on boxes for a set of kit release photos?"

Andy groans, "I'm always at the front- I was bloody sick of it! It was only for a few photos, I just needed a little boost!"

The rest of the night is filled with banter and stories of all sorts. You're too far gone for that tea party you promised Mila, so Kieran scrawls a rain check on a note for the toddler to cash in at a later date. Kieran herds you home, carries you to his bedroom and sets about getting you dressed and ready for bed. Once you're comfortable in one of his shirts and cuddled into his side, he kissed the crown of your head a million times.

"Keyyyyyyyyy don't do that- you're making my head spin!"

"Ah, sorry my love… you're drunk hmm? That's alright, I'll look after you. You just sleep yeah? I love you, sleep tight my darling." Kieran presses a soft kiss to the center of your forehead before you tuck your head under his chin. As your soft snores and gentle breathing lull him towards sleep, he's not sure what he was so nervous about in the first place.

#kieran tierney fantasy #kieran tierney fanfic #kieran tierney imagine #kieran tierney #kieran tierney fic #kieran tierney fanfiction #kieran tierney oneshot #arsenal fc #jac writes #forbidden fruit

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my-decade · 2 months

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my thoughts on Netflix's ATLA live action

As an adult who watched this show growing up and was there for the countdown to the comet (iykyk!!) I have thoughts!

Best: Zuko. angsty, teenage boy depression, father issues, determined to a self-destructive degree. The actor is great at capturing all these facets of Zuko's conflicting, complex character. Really great with the choreography/martial arts too. Its not easy to pull off Zuko's mostly shaven but with a ponytail haircut, but this actor manages it. And yes, the opening scene with him seeing the beam of light from the iceberg and saying, "Finally." did give me some chills. Honestly the actor just captures Zuko really well. Great casting.

Worst: Katara. has the personality of an elegant yet unassuming well watered house plant. Its more because of the writing than the actress… she's doing her best with this depressing egg whites version of Katara she's had thrusted upon her. It's not going to be convincing when Toph comes along next season and calls her sugar queen.

Aang: never has any fun. spends every episode staring into the distance being sorrowful and melancholic. *teardrop rolls down cheek* he is a depressed 40 year old in the body of a 12 year old. He has no fun side to him anymore- an important side for a 12 year old kid to have! Also spends the entirety of season one (you know, titled "water"!) and doesn't learn a lick of waterbending, not even from Katara, who spends a lot of it learning from the waterbending scroll!! Why??? However the actor is doing a great job and I think he captures Aang's essence really well. He is young and I think next season he will improve a lot.

Sokka: I almost forgot to write thoughts down for him, which I think says more than anything else. He's essentially been boiled down to the same old overprotective big brother, but now he comes complete with daddy issues. It's a little hilarious that Katara's worst memory is watching her mom get burned alive by a firebender soldier while Sokka's is hearing his dad say he's disappointed with him. Kind of ruins the moment tbh. They really took all the fun aspects of the main Gaang and dulled them down completely, its sad. At least he's cute though- and imo, the chemistry with Suki's actress was there.

The previous avatars: every single one meets Aang just to berate & yell at him and tell him he shouldn't have friends and where has he been for the past 100 years without giving him a second to speak. What?? Sadly it seems any dignity, grace, or wisdom the previous avatars had in the original, has been completely wiped out in this live action. Also, this idea of them telling Aang about things that are going to happen makes no sense. Did no previous avatar tell Roku his friend was going to betray him, let him die on the island, and start a 100 year long war? Also the idea of Aang being able to communicate ONLY if he's in one of their temples is stupid. What is the point of the avatar state, then? Will Roku be able to teach him anything at all?

Princess Yue: yes I wrote an entire paragraph about her lol. She is one of my favorite minor characters. I think they wanted her to look so accurate to her original counterpart that she just looks too much like a cosplayer, with such a stiff and lifeless looking wig. This is the one and only time I will concede I prefer M. Night's version of Yue as far as costuming goes, though both funnily enough forget her eyebrows shouldn't be dark. The actress was fine. But this version of Yue is quite a different person from og Yue, I can't really compare. Plus, it feels like we see her for a good 10 minutes before she dies for the moon spirit. I couldn't buy into her and Sokka having feelings for each other because it felt like they knew each other for a good 2 hours at most. Ideally, I think these two versions kind of fused together would be perfect.

Azula/Mai/Ty Lee: Grouping them together because. Azula is the most unconvincing out of the characters for me. I don't buy that this girl is supposed to be the princess Azula for a second. I'm neither intrigued nor intimidated, and that's pretty bad as Azula was one of my top favorite characters from the original. The costume is fine, the wig feels cheap, her dialogue is horrendous, the actress can't convince me. Azula isn't smart or cunning, sharp, or collected, and her "working with Zhao" just made her look dumb when the entire plan flopped. She is a whiny, petulant little girl stamping her feet in every other scene. It's not for me. Also, the way her relationship with Ozai is depicted here makes Ozai look like a loser, too. It's like they want us to not be afraid of either of them.

As for Mai and Ty Lee. Ty Lee is fine. She looks okay, the actress is fine for how little we see her. On Mai, the wig is just so bad I don't get what happened. It's like they're struggling on the line of being realistic with the styling, or leaning completely in cartoon-character-came-to-life. I don't think the actress for Mai here was a good choice.

Dialogue: the worst part of this show. When they're not completely quoting word for word from the original, it's.. just bad. Everything is always exposition and thats not good. The few moments that aren't are just... idk.

CGI: not bad. I was expecting worse. Fire, earth, and air all look great. Water feels a little slow, mostly when its just water and not ice but that can be improved I assume. Koh was pretty cool, as was Wan Shi Tong.

Settings: Beautiful!! Omashu looked great. South and North water tribes looked great. Ozai's throne room looked incredible and I was annoyed every time we see it, he is just standing around and not sitting on his throne. It just reminded me how amazing the buildup to Ozai and Azula's reveals were in og season 1.

Costume: Its either a hit or a miss. There's strangley not much in between. Aang, Katara, Sokka, Zuko, Iroh, June, Ozai, Jet, Suki, the Kyoshi warriors, all look pretty great. Then you have characters like Azula, Mai, or Yue, who just look like half decent cosplayers. It kind of takes you out of the moment when it looks like the person is a cartoon character, rather than just a normal person. For example, compare how Katara looks compared to Azula.

Music: of course it was fantastic. A lot of it (I think most) was from the original show, which has one of the greatest soundtracks an animated show has ever had imo.

Final thoughts: Ultimately, it was kind of what I was expecting. You can't condense 20+ episodes worth of development into 8 and expect it all to flow perfectly. However, there are also a lot of changes that really don't make sense to me. I am very curious to know how on earth they will do seasons 2 and 3, as season 1 is the slowest in pace compared to the next two seasons. The original's finale was split into four episodes! Unless they add more episodes for next season, it's going to be a big jumbled mess of lore being shoved into our faces. I am also concerned about Toph. The Gaang so far has been stripped of their fun/unique personality traits. Is Toph going to be the same?

#atla #avatar the last airbender #netflix's atla #personal

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lostfirefly · 4 months

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You’ve Got the Same Dream as Me (Ch.8)

Hello, kiddos! The idea for this fanfic came to me from a dream (again) I had about a month ago. Тhe main characters were T. Cruise & H.Cavill (don't ask me why), but with a light hand they have been replaced. The main action of the dream took place somewhere in the sands. Аlthough this fanfic will feature Sir Crocodile and our beloved Buggy, the action shifts to the desert. No marines, ships etc. The devil fruit's abilities are preserved. Catch the Mummy and Indiana Jones vibes :) Different titles and names from the original source material will be used to emphasise the general OP's vibe.

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

And thank you to my dear @yujo-nishimura and @laurasoretta for believing in me :)

Description: Catherine, a librarian who is searching for the trail of her sister who went missing on an expedition. Notes in books and diaries lead her to Cairo. There she finds a retailer from an artifact shop who, in exchange for selling her a map and equipment, insists that Catherine take her along. They get into a little (or maybe a big) adventure..

Warnings: Catherine is still angry about the phrase Buggy said in Ch. 7 (he's a vulnerable idiot). That's why she can be a little annoying. F words. Croco x OC are two assholes. Adventures and fun are still here. Buggy x OC, Sir Crocodile x OC. Hope you enjoy it!

Words: 3262 (omg!)

The title is taken from «You've Got the Same Dream as Me» (Sonya Belousova & Giona Ostinelli) (One Piece, Netflix)

Taglist: @gingernut1314

✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

• Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7

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"Oh, hi, sister!"

"Oh, hi, sister? Jules, are you fucking kidding me? You’ve been missing for almost two months, I come looking for you, and all you can say is, "oh, hi, sister"? Catherine could hardly contain her anger and slowly approached Jules. "What are you doing here? And why are you with the beehive?"

"Well, after breaking up with Pete, I decided to go on an expedition to clear my head.. There I met a man with a funny haircut in the shape of a three. He offered me an interesting case and good money. And this nice man is his boss", brown-haired girl said with a smile.

"Oh, God! Could you please shut up?" Rika said with annoyance. She walked up to Jules and pushed her towards Catherine. "Welcome to the team of misfits."

"Heeey", Jules squealed.

"All right, ladies and the clown. Enough of this chit-chat and all this drama. Now you put your brains together, if you have them, read your maps, your diaries, and tell us where we're going next."

Crocodile approached Rika.

"You've done a great job, my love. Look and learn, clown, what kind of woman you should choose", Crocodile said with a sneer and kissed Rika again eagerly.

"Thank you! But I want to remind you that you hurt me at that old man's house," Rika returned the kiss.

"It's still ew", Catherine said with disgust.

"Oh, fuck! You've tired me out this week," Rika stopped kissing Crocodile, approached Catherine and grabbed her shoulder. "You know how many times I wanted to punch you in your pretty face, so you'd finally shut up. Now be a good girl, go back to your loser's place and do what you've just been told."

"And when did you have time to contact Crocodile, Rika?" Buggy asked, taking Catherine’s hand and leading her behind him.

"About a month ago, why? Do you feel bad about me not being with you or something? No, thanks. I found the real man."

"Hell, please, no. Just curious. I don't understand why you need me."

"Oh, are you trying to sneak out, my clown boy? Well, somebody had to get us in here. Crocodile doesn’t know the exact way, and you've been here before, albeit from the other side, and you have our box. Plus, I knew you'd fall for the treasure and, obviously, the girl. So. Sorry, buddy."

"Will someone tell me what's going on here?" suddenly asked Jules and glanced at Buggy, "and who are you?"

"They are," Catherine pointed at Crocodile and Rika, "two bastards. And that brown-haired bitch I met at the airport. She gave me a flight ticket. And he..."

"What do you mean, she gave you the ticket?" Buggy interrupted Catherine and looked at her in surprise. "Did you just take the fucking ticket out of that girl's hand? Did you really think a random stranger would just give it to you?"

"Well...," she looked at him with round eyes and shrugged.

"God, you're even dumber than I am," he rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Oh, yeah! And this is coming from the 'I don't need a plan' person," Catherine mocked Buggy, standing behind his back.

"That's enough!" Crocodile stepped closer to them. "Listen, clown. Please tell your girl and her sister to tell us where we need to go. Otherwise…"

He grabbed Jules with his hook.

"Okay, okay!" Catherine said, "I'll do what you want. Just don't touch her".

"Catherine, don't!" Buggy hissed.

"I’m not gonna let some guy with the hook hurt my sister or you," - she said in a whisper and blushed slightly. "Come on, Jules. Let's take a look at the map".

"Good girls. Laura, honey, stand next to that fucking clown. He's got powers and he could easily make a run for it," Crocodile sat on the floor and lit a cigar.

"As you wish, boss."

Catherine and Jules sat on the cold rocks, shining flashlights on the map and diary entries. A light breeze walked through the space. They spent a long time going over the pages with their hands.

"Look," Catherine pointed to the coordinates in the diary. "We were here, here, and here. I think we're here now, right? The map’s drawn the path."

"First of all, I'm shocked at what's happening. What's going on? Second of all, what do you mean, the map's drawn a path? And third," Jules smiled wryly, "who's that guy with the red nose?"

"Fuck! I'm begging you, let's first get out of this fucking cave or wherever we are now. This is all your fault. If you hadn't disappeared, I wouldn't have come here and I'd be sitting at home with coffee right now, and everything would be fine."

"Hey, I apologize for interrupting your family drama, but did you find anything?" Buggy squatted down next to them.

"Not yet. Why are you asking? Oh, you're worried you're gonna miss out on the treasure now? And then you can't get a girl for one night at the bar?" Catherine mumbled, turning the pages.

"Why are you so mad?" he asked in surprise.

"I'm not... I don't care about you and your late-sex life, actually. You could go out and fuck every girl in town in one night."

"Oh, wow, right to the heart!" he exclaimed in a mocking tone, but he changed it quickly. "Hey, listen. About what I said.. I want to ap--"

"How much longer are you going to suffer bullshit?" Crocodile asked with annoyance. "Any news?"

"Don't yell at me, the beehive! No upd.. Uh, wait. Buggy, hold the flashlight, please", Catherine ran her hand over the sheets and mumbled something to herself. "Hey, the hook man. Do you have the book with you?"

"Of course. Laura, give it to her," Crocodile said with a low voice.

Laura went to the bag, pulled out the book and handed it to Catherine.

"Thank you, bitch," Catherine barked.

Reconciling the entries in the book and in her diary, Catherine continued to mutter something to herself and surveyed the space. She ran the fingers of one hand over the pages, the other hand drawing some shapes in the air.

"What is she doing?" Jules asked Buggy with a whisper.

"I have no idea, I thought you knew. She’s your sister."

Rika and Crocodile watched Catherine's strange movements intently.

"I got it!" - Catherine jumped up abruptly, grabbing the book and diaries and walked quickly forward. "Jules, look at the map. Are there any changes now?"

"I see nothing," Jules said, looking closely at the map.

"Honey, you'd better tell us where to go next," Crocodile walked over to Catherine and took her firmly by the neck.

"Hey, let her go," Buggy walked over to Crocodile.

"Or what? All right, I can't cut you. But I can cut her. I can cut her sister. Or kill. You're not in a very good position right now, clown. So, save your heroics for some petty squabbling amongst lowlifes like you."

"You can threaten me as much as you want, I don't give a shit about it. But if you lay one finger or your hook on either of them…"

"Then what? Are you gonna kill me?" at that moment, Crocodile's hand began to turn to sand.

"Stop! Please!" Catherine took Buggy's hand and gave him a hard look. "It's okay. I’m fine. Anyway, the beehive, I have bad news for you. The map is useless now until we get out of here. It only points the way in daylight and, as I understand it, in direct sunlight. So, we'll follow the path where the road is drawn now, and if there's nothing further, we'll go blind."

Rika came over to Jules and looked at the map.

"I hate to break it to you, my love, but that bitch is right. So far, the path's partially drawn. I don't know why the fucking thing didn't draw it all the way through. You're not so stupid, are you, Catherine?"

Catherine rolled her eyes and started packing.

"What was that? His hand turned to sand. And what does that big man mean when he said he can't cut that guy?" she asked with horror in her voice.

"Ah, it's a side effect of the devil fruit," Catherine waved her hand, "I'll tell you later."

⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭

They walked along the winding rocky paths for over an hour, lighting the way with torches. The wind continued to blow through the cave, bringing smells of damp and rot.

"God, I don't want to die in a cave and lie here like some pharaoh", Jules muttered to herself, shifting her feet heavily, "And at first that man with the hook seemed so nice."

"Bastards always seem nice at first. Don't they, Buggy?" Catherine cast a glance at the clown and adjusted her bag.

"If you have a problem with me, cotton candy, just say so," he said in a surprisingly calm tone.

"I don't have a problem with you, and I don't want to talk to you," she snapped.

Jules looked at them questioningly.

"But you keep doing it, Cathie-pie", he said with a slight irony in his voice. "One minute you're mad at me, and the next..."

"Shut up, please, I hate you," she interrupted him with a quiet growl. "Shit, if you knew how much you piss me off, silly clown, I'd.... Ouch!"

Catherine didn't realize she'd hit a stone wall.

"What the hell?" she touched the space in front of her.

"Are you okay?" Buggy put his hand on her back.

"What? Yeah, I'm fine... But..."

"What happened?" Crocodile's voice came from behind her. "Where are we?"

"I don't know...," Catherine shone the torch on the wall. "We couldn't have lost our way. We could have taken a wrong turn… in theory... There are a million paths."

"We could have taken a wrong turn, huh? Are you kidding me?" Rika took two big steps and grabbed Catherine's arm. "I swear to God, I'll rip your head off if you take us down the wrong path."

"Get your crocodile hands off me!" Catherine tried to throw off Rika’s hand. "We're in a bloody ancient cave in the middle of Egypt. You think there's only one way in a cave like this? I’m really sorry that it's not lit up like a fucking highway. Just give me a minute. Jules, the map!"

Rika let go of Сatherine's hand and continued to stand by her side.

"That's why I love you, baby. For your temper," Crocodile walked over to Rika and put his arm around her waist.

"It’s still ew, by the way," Catherine snorted and stared at the map. "Jules, the diary! Buggy, please, hold the torch. One more riddle is written here..."

Check the wall, and touch the floor,

It can help to open the door.

You'll be helped by a pillar of fire.

Just take it up a notch higher.

"And what does it mean?" Crocodile asked.

"Well, you're supposed to be the smartest guy here, so think about it", Catherine said mockingly.

"I'm sick of you!" Crocodile hissed. "Laura, I think our redheaded smarty-pants is a little out of touch. Maybe a gun would help. Will you please point that pretty thing at her little sister?"

Laura took out a gun, cocked the slide and put it to Jules' temple.

"You’re truly a piece of shit," Catherine whispered. "If the four of you want to get to the treasure, shooting somewhere in the dungeon is not recommended. You'll turn to sand and escape, the clown will fall to pieces and escape too, and the four of us will be crushed by something heavy. No offense, but that's not how I pictured my demise."

"Very funny, yes," Crocodile grinned. "Now go to your blue-haired friend and open the door."

"Check the wall, and touch the floor.. a pillar of fire. Jules, Buggy, obviously, we need to check the walls and floor with the torch or the flashlight, there must be some clues there," Catherine said this with undisguised admiration.

"I think you're beginning to like this whole treasure hunting thing," Buggy said with a grin.

"No, I just want to go home and be away from you," Catherine tried to sound serious.

With the torch, Jules and Buggy lit every millimetre of the wall. Catherine sat on her knees and ran her hands over the floor.

“You know, Crocodile, I know you're kind of mafia, but maybe you could help. The sooner we get out of here, the sooner you can get your gold”, Catherine said, probing the stone tiles in the darkness. “Check those rocks you're standing on, please.”

Crocodile snorted. Rika nodded her head slightly and they began to check the floor beneath them.

"There are some drawings here," Rika said.

"Yeah, and there are some on the wall, too," Jules mumbled.

Catherine sat down on the stone floor, Crocodile sat next to her. They both stared at the book. Rika and Buggy watched them both warily.

"Look, the hook, you see, one of the slabs in the book is marked with a sign. That's how the ancient Egyptians labelled something like a button, if I'm not mistaken."

"Buttons? To what?" Crocodile looked at Catherine questioningly.

"I don't know. Maybe it's your treasure behind the door, maybe it's sarcophagi with mummies or a bunch of man-eating scarabs. But you see, there's a drawing here. It's a diagram. We have to click on the pictures on the wall and the floor in the right order, I guess... But we need to find some kind of lever that activates it all."

"And if we press in the wrong order, then what?" Crocodile asked in a quiet voice.

"Well, then we have a good chance of turning into mummies, and in a few hundred years local kids will be scared with scary stories about us." Catherine said, barely containing a nervous laugh. "Yes, I've always dreamed of dying next to the sandman and the clown."

Crocodile stood up and offered Catherine his hand.

"Thanks, I guess," she said with surprise in her voice. "Okay, guys, we need to find a lever, a big button or something..."

Catherine and Crocodile continued to look at the book and diary while Laura, Rika, Buggy and Jules were exanimating the walls and floor.

"People, there's another sign here," Laura said, lighting an obscure symbol with her torch.

"Wait, that's...," Catherine sat down next to her, "it's Seth's sign."

"How is Seth?" Crocodile asked.

"God, сome on! You're in Egypt. It's an Egyptian god."

"Then what do these symbols mean?" Jules' voice came from the wall.

Catherine approached her.

"Jules, sister, hold the book. Buggy, hold the torch and the diary," she began to run her hands over the wall and the pages again, muttering something to herself.

"Anything?" Rika asked, coming up behind her.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute, don't distract me," Catherine waved her hand away. "Guys, I get it. Look, these aren't just symbols. It's a puzzle. But not just a puzzle, a puzzle of myth. And a note that says "Beware of Seth".

"What myth?" Buggy asked in surprise.

"Osiris and Isis," Catherine said affirmatively.

"And what's it about?" Laura asked and Rika said together.

"Come on! Seth killed Osiris, Isis' husband, chopped him up and hid him in different places. Buggy, by the way, if you bother me, I'll do the same to you," she said with a slight smile.

"I'm sorry, what?" he raised his eyebrows.

"Isis went in search of her husband's parts. The symbols on the wall and floor match the ones in the book. And if you look in the diary, you'll know in what order to press the buttons."

"But what does this have to do with Seth?" Laura asked. "You know, I don't know much about all these Egyptian myths, but it seems to me that if something is mentioned in the text, you should take it into account."

"Seth is the god of storms and deserts, that doesn't make sense," Jules said.

"But he was also considered the god of deception," Catherine whispered. "We need to press these slabs in reverse order. We have to find the lever and then start this infernal mythological machine."

"There's something like a wheel in here, but to be honest, I don't really want to touch it," Jules said with excitement in her voice, pointing to a small object.

Crocodile and Buggy approached the wheel. Turning it a few times they both looked round.

"And now what?" Crocodile asked.

Catherine looked at the book and started pointing with her hand.

"Now we have to press the slabs in reverse order, that's what Laura, you over here, Jules, you over here, Rika, you on that slab, you two stand over there at those two slabs closer together. Just in case there's a door, of course."

She sat down on the ground, put the book next to her, and started rambling again.

-Feet.. Arms... Body... Arms... Legs. Okay, first brown-haired bitch Rika. Then Jules. No, no, no, no.. first Laura. Then Rika. Then Jules. Then beehive. Then Buggy."

In that order, everyone pressed the slabs.

"And what? Nothing happens. Are you sure you got it right?" Buggy asked with a distinct annoyance in his voice.

"I-I.. I don't know, I hope so."

"If you decided to trick us...," Rika moved with a quick step towards Catherine.

Suddenly they heard a strange noise and the floor started to wobble.

"Please tell me it was you who ran so hard," Catherine said with fear in her voice, getting up from the floor. "Oh-oh, that's not good."

Slowly the walls began to fall down. The floor began to move more and more.

"What's with the door?" Rika shouted.

"It won't open," Jules hit the wall with her hand.

"Oh-oh, that's too bad!" Catherine looked around, dazed with shock.

"Are you sure you read it right?" shouted Crocodile.

"Do you really have to ask that now?" Catherine yelled back.

The heavy stone door began to open slowly. Crocodile and Buggy tried to pull it to move it, but to no avail.

"Yes! Yes! It's opening!! Hurry!" Jules took Laura's hand, and they slipped through the narrow passage.

"Catherine, hurry!" Rika grabbed her arm and dragged her towards the door.

The floor began to slowly collapse. From the bottom of the cave came the muffled sounds of stone hitting stone. Catherine noticed the book that had been left on the floor.

"The book!" she broke free of Rika's grip and ran to get it.

"Rika!" Crocodile turned into sand and picked Rika up.

"Oh, Catherine, this was a bad idea. That's the dumbest idea ever," she muttered to herself as she watched the floor fall down in bigger and bigger chunks.

Suddenly, she felt someone pick her up and book.

"You will be the death of me, cotton candy!" Buggy's flying torso threw her on his shoulder and carried her to the door.

"Damn you and your chop chop abilities," she said, exhaling as she watched the remnants of the floor fall into the abyss of the cave.

As soon as everyone was behind the door, it closed.

"Is everyone alive?" Rika asked, lighting a torch from the wall.

"I think so," Laura and Jules squeaked in unison somewhere.

Buggy lowered Catherine to the ground and put his body back on his feet. She looked around.

"Well. I have two bits of news. One, we're all alive. The second is that the way back is cut off".

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watchmenanon · 1 year

Text

THE ‘STRANGER THINGS’ BOYS ARE OUR ‘NYLON GUYS’ SEPTEMBER 2017 COVER STARS

If anyone understands the sudden shift from “not fitting in” to “one-million-plus followers,” it’s these guys.

The following feature appears in the September 2017 issue of NYLON Guys.

Finn Wolfhard just couldn’t resist. Despite needing to be camera-ready for his NYLON photo shoot, the 14-year-old star of Stranger Things decided to suck on a blue Warhead anyway, and now he’s paying the price. “All these sets have candy on them, and I can’t help myself. It was a mistake,” he admits, sheepishly trying to scrub the cerulean stain from his tongue with a miniature toothbrush. To his right, Gaten Matarazzo wears a gray T-shirt that reads, uh oh! did my sarcasm hurt your feelings?, a slogan worthy of Dustin Henderson, the lovable wisecracker he plays opposite Wolfhard on the hit Netflix show. Matarazzo, also 14, is getting his trademark tangle of curls straightened, much to the delight of Noah Schnapp, who, at 12, is the youngest in this group of breakout stars that has helped make Stranger Things the most obsessed-over show in Netflix’s boundless roster of original series. Missing is Caleb McLaughlin, the energetic 15-year-old who plays Lucas Sinclair, but he’s on his way over in a black car, having just arrived from Los Angeles, fresh off an appearance at the BET Awards.

It’s the first time the boys have been together in several weeks, and none of them can pinpoint exactly when they were last in the same room. Ever since Stranger Things became a cultural phenomenon last summer, they’ve been swept up in a whirlwind of red carpets, talk shows, and fan conventions. And as the premiere of the sci-fi and horror fantasia’s top-secret second season nears, this summer has been overtaken by a flurry of promotional duties. Next week, while most kids their age are cooling off in pools or testing out the latest in roller coaster technology, Matarazzo and McLaughlin will be at Denver Comic Con, signing autographs and posing for selfies with wide-eyed fans. A few weeks after that, all four will find themselves inside the hallowed Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con, where they’ll premiere the thrilling trailer for Season 2 to rapturous applause.

But on this day, even though they’re technically at work, the boys still find time to goof off. They are, after all, best friends—like brothers, even, they say—and there’s a lot of catching up to do, memes to be shared, and jokes to be cracked. “We used to call Noah ‘Señor Biebs,’” Matarazzo offers at one point, due to Schnapp’s Season 1 bowl cut and its resemblance to the former haircut of a certain Canadian pop star. “He hates it!” he says, just before he sticks his finger into Schnapp’s ear (playfully, of course).

Inside the bright and breezy photo studio on Manhattan’s West Side, publicists abound, but because these budding stars are still minors, there are also parents. It’s an unusual sight, and a reminder that despite having very grown-up jobs, they’re still not old enough to drive. Wolfhard, the Vancouver native who plays Mike Wheeler, is here with his father, as is Matarazzo, who hails from Little Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey. Schnapp and his parents came in from Westchester County, north of the city. When McLaughlin, who grew up in Carmel, New York, finally arrives lugging a suitcase that’s almost as big as he is, he’s accompanied by his father, a burly man in an Atlanta Braves cap who goes around the room with his son hugging the other parents, a reminder of how tight the makeshift family has become since this odyssey began more than two years ago.

Stranger Things premiered as an underdog. Its creators, the twin brothers Matt and Ross Duffer, were unproven talents who had previously written for the Fox sci-fi series Wayward Pines. Except for Winona Ryder’s comeback as a grieving mother searching for her missing son, the cast was composed largely of unknowns and newcomers. But thanks to its double dose of supernatural intrigue and a nostalgic ’80s-tinged glow, along with a miraculous performance by a young British actress with a shaved head, Stranger Things quickly commandeered the pop-culture conversation in a way that few shows have done. In July, the show received a staggering 18 Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series.

Created by the Duffers in the spirit of the Amblin-era entertainments they were raised on, the eight-episode first season is set in 1983 in Hawkins, Indiana, and unravels the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Will Byers, played by Schnapp, who vanishes in the first episode after an encounter with the show’s resident boogeyman, the otherworldly creature known as the Demogorgon. As Will’s three misfit best friends—Mike, Lucas, and Dustin—embark on a quest to find him, they uncover an alternate dimension they dub The Upside Down, and a sinister government conspiracy that may be responsible for opening it. They also befriend Eleven, the feral girl with telekinetic powers embodied iconically by 13-year-old Millie Bobby Brown.

Stranger Things began filming its second season under very different circumstances than the first. What once felt like a scrappy production free of scrutiny from outside sources suddenly had the mood and atmosphere of a major Hollywood blockbuster. “Netflix knew it would be a good show,” McLaughlin says, “but they didn’t realize how big it would be and that the whole world was going to freak out about it.” Because of that intense interest from both the network and the public, the set suddenly had a noticeable security presence shielding it from nosy onlookers and paparazzi, while network executives showed up to make sure their prized racehorse was galloping along. Suddenly, there were expectations. “We raised the bar pretty high with the first season,” says Matarazzo. “There was a lot more tension on set, in that we really needed to make sure it was good.”

When Season 2 premieres on October 27, a year will have passed since Eleven sacrificed herself to defeat the faceless Demogorgon and save the boys, in the Season 1 finale. Trying to squeeze spoilers out of Wolfhard, McLaughlin, Schnapp, and Matarazzo is useless. Extensive media training, including detailed notes on what they can and can’t discuss, have transformed them into a rare breed: teenagers who can keep a secret. What they can say: Season 2 is bigger, darker, and scarier. There’s also a new character in town, played by Sadie Sink. (According to the Duffers, Millie Bobby Brown was “relieved” to have another girl on set.) “She’s a skater, sort of a punk girl, and she slowly becomes part of the group,” says Wolfhard, who also says his character will be depressed and “a loner” in the wake of Eleven’s disappearance. What they can’t say: pretty much everything else. But it’s not just scoop-hungry journalists who harass them for info. “Whenever you get recognized by fans, most of the time they ask you if you’ve got any spoilers for Season 2, and I’m like, ‘No, none, not at all,’” says Matarazzo. “It’s definitely kind of stressful.”

One of the biggest changes for the new season is the expansion of Schnapp’s screen time. Because his character spends much of the first season trapped in an alternate dimension, Schnapp spent a good deal of time at home in New York while everyone else filmed in Atlanta. “Last year I would drive up to the studio and everyone would be like, ‘Hey, Noah, we’ve missed you! How’ve you been?’” says Schnapp. “This year was a lot easier because last year, I’d have to go in and out of school, and that was hard. This year I could focus.”

Although he’s rescued from The Upside Down, we last saw Schnapp removing a slithery creature from his mouth, a telltale sign that not all is well with Will Byers. For Schnapp, whose character mostly communicated through Christmas lights in Season 1, the new episodes meant new challenges as an actor. “Shawn Levy, one of our directors, was telling me, ‘Noah, you have something really big this season. We have a lot in store for you, and you should get really excited,’” he says. Schnapp felt the added pressure, and would sometimes text his TV mom, Ryder, for extra help with particularly emotional scenes. “We knew we needed a strong actor in case the series moved forward into a second season, because we knew he was going to be a centerpiece,” says Matt Duffer. “We needed not just a good actor, but a really, really good actor.” Schnapp rose to the occasion, according to the Duffers. “Shawn [Levy] was like, ‘We’ve had a Ferrari sitting in the garage all of Season 1, and now the fucking garage doors are open.’”

The Duffers knew that casting child actors, who have a tendency to favor exaggerated performances over naturalistic ones, would make or break their show. “There’s really nothing worse than a bad child performance,” Ross Duffer says. “You couldn’t have any weaknesses, or the eight hours would be excruciating.” Along with their casting director, the Duffers saw what they estimate to be 900 kids, an undertaking they say was easier than it sounds because they could tell within the first few minutes if the actor had what they needed. “You’re looking for something authentic, and most kids don’t have it,” says Ross. “There are the ones that are obviously well-trained, but they feel too Disney, like they’re winking at the camera.” What the Duffers found with their four young male stars were kids who seemed like actual kids.

Matarazzo was the first one cast, his audition so impressive that he found out he got the part on the way back from the airport. “We didn’t really even know who the Dustin character was until we found Gaten,” says Matt Duffer. “He was sort of a generic nerd with glasses. He was a stereotype.” Matarazzo, whose sense of humor inspired the Duffers to transform Dustin into the show’s primary source of comic relief, has grown up with a condition known as cleidocranial dysplasia, which stunts the development of bones and teeth. “We wanted to make a show about outsiders, about kids who didn’t fit in and who were bullied and made fun of,” says Matt. “Gaten was really able to tap into all of that.”

McLaughlin and Matarazzo had known each other from their days as stars in two of Broadway’s biggest shows. Matarazzo portrayed Gavroche in Les Misérables, and McLaughlin played Simba in The Lion King. They’d often see each other in a park frequented by “Broadway kids,” as Matarazzo calls them. “When I found out Caleb had gotten Lucas I was like, ‘Caleb? Where do I know that name from?’” he recalls. Wolfhard and Schnapp established an early connection, too—sort of. “He doesn’t remember me, but I remember him,” Wolfhard says. “Because I asked him what other projects he had done, and he said, ‘I was the voice of Charlie Brown in The Peanuts Movie.’ I was like, ‘What?! You’re Charlie Brown?’ I was so pysched about that.”

Although they had all crossed paths during the audition process, usually around the hotel pool or at chemistry reads, it wasn’t until they arrived in Atlanta to begin production that all four boys, along with Millie Bobby Brown, found themselves together in the same room for the first time. If there was a first-day-of-school feel, it made sense: They met in a classroom, which is where the young cast of Stranger Things still spend most of their time when they’re not filming. That grueling schedule means the only opportunities they get to really mess around are between takes, and sometimes during them. “We have laughing problems,” says McLaughlin. Matt Duffer elaborates: “We definitely have an issue, where we can’t get through a take without someone busting up. They’re always making each other crack up—the number of takes ruined by laughter is in the hundreds.”

Schnapp was at summer camp when Stranger Things dropped on Netflix. He wasn’t allowed to have his phone, but shortly after the series premiered, one of his counselors happened to check his Instagram account—80,000 followers. The next day it was 85,000. “I was like, ‘Wait, what’s going on?’ I think I was at one follower before that,” Schnapp says. Wolfhard also remembers that odd rush of watching his followers skyrocket and realizing his life was changing right in front of his eyes. McLaughlin felt his anonymity evaporate the first time he was recognized. “In L.A., this kid came up to me and was like, ‘Hey, are you Caleb Reginald McLaughlin?’” he says. “And I’m like, ‘What? You know my middle name? That’s nuts.’”

The connection between the boys is strengthened by the surreal turn their lives have taken, circumstances that most kids their age can’t relate to. When Matarazzo, McLaughlin, and Wolfhard met Barack Obama last October, as guests of the White House’s South by South Lawn festival, the former president, who’s a fan of the show, told them he especially enjoyed their on-screen camaraderie. That bond exists offscreen, too, and has only gotten stronger with every award show and panel. “They really are my best friends,” Matarazzo says. “We can relate to each other a lot more than other people can. People try to understand everything that goes on, but they can’t unless they’ve been there.”

“I don’t think any of the kids would say that our friendship is similar to the friendships they have back home, because it’s not,” says Wolfhard. “No kid has ever really had an experience that I’m experiencing right now—it’s a unique sort of friendship.”

Wolfhard is careful not to bring his work home with him. “If you go home and all you talk about is acting, then you’re a douchebag,” he says. “Your friends don’t want to hear about your professional life, they just want to mess around.” Plus, when you’re 14 years old, talking about work is never cool, even if it involves facing off against a faceless interdimensional demon. The boys are also learning that with a great number of Instagram followers comes great responsibility. “We have to be more cautious with what we say on social media and in public,” says McLaughlin, who was shocked to lose followers after he openly rooted for the Golden State Warriors during the NBA playoffs.

While Netflix has yet to make an official announcement, a third season of Stranger Things is a given, meaning the boys are all but guaranteed to live out their teenage years on one of the most popular shows on television. The Duffers, then, will have to follow in the footsteps of long-running properties like Game of Thrones and the Harry Potter franchise in making sure their child actors don’t grow up faster than their characters. “It’s terrifying,” Matt Duffer says. “I shouldn’t even be highlighting this, but if you watch Season 2, they’ve grown from Episode 1 to Episode 9. I’m terrified one of them is going to have a major growth spurt basically in the middle of shooting. But as long as they’re growing outside of the course of our shooting, I’m not too worried about it, because we just have to build it into our story. As much as you would like to keep some of it more continuous, every time we take a break between seasons, we have to make a year time jump at least.”

All four actors say that they want to remain in show business into adulthood. Wolfhard, who obsessively studies the filmmaking process while on set—he’ll star in the remake of Stephen King’s It, in theaters this month—is eyeing a multihyphenate career as a director, actor, and musician. Back at the photo shoot, Matarazzo and Schnapp gather around his iPhone to watch a video Wolfhard co-directed for a friend’s band, Spendtime Palace. Earlier this year, McLaughlin, who is a trained dancer, played a young Ricky Bell on the BET miniseries The New Edition Story, an experience he describes as “historic.” Matarazzo wants to continue acting, but not forever, and is keeping an open mind about other aspects of the industry. Schnapp, who took his first acting class at the age of six, describes winning the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series as one of the greatest moments of his life, and is doing exactly what he wants. (The boys, who describe the awards as “very heavy,” keep them in their bedrooms, except for Matarazzo, who has been meaning to retrieve his from his grandparents’ house. )

“They all love what they’re doing,” says Matt Duffer. “They love coming to set, they love working, they love acting. In terms of the fame thing, it’s a side effect that I think some of them are more into than others. You’re worried about, ‘What if they realize this isn’t their true passion?’ They’re so young. But this year those fears went away. They’re all very committed to this. That’s the important thing, that they enjoy what they’re doing. And that they’re passionate about it.”

#noah schnapp #will byers #finn wolfhard #mike wheeler #caleb mclaughlin #lucas sinclair #gaten matarazzo #dustin henderson #st articles #byler #<target audience

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