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shadowsndaisies · 4 months ago

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the hard deck: too observant to play dumb (pt 1)

wc: 1.7 k

synopsis: how the arrival at the hard deck went

main masterlist

athena-verse master post

a/n: hey yall! so fun fact it has been 8 years since I started this blog, and as a little thank you, I have a 3 part update to the athena-verse, the whole thing comprises the hard deck scene from the beginning of the movie and will end basically where athena settles debts starts. as always I hope you enjoy, and let me know if you want to be added to the tags!

You'd been standing with Jake and Javi when Nat finally walked in.

"Athena! I've been looking for you!" she shouts, pulling your attention away from the pool table you'd just set up with Javi.

"Oh shit, sorry 'Nix," you offer a half smile.

"Answer your god damn for when I call you," she groans, pointing menacingly at you.

"Yes, Ma'am," you mock salute before noticing the two men behind her. "Looks like you made new friends just fine though," you offer jokingly.

"Payback, Fanboy. Meet Athena, smoothest flier you'll ever see," Phoenix introduces, and you smile warmly at your friend before offering your hand to the two behind her.

"Nice to meet you fellas," you greet.

"High praise coming from Phoenix," Fanboy notes, shaking your head.

"Highest of the high, actually," Payback adds on.

"Yeah, well, there's almost no one I'd rather have on my wing than 'Nix," you compliment back. You were going to ask how they knew your friend, but someone else interrupted you before you could.

"Yo, are we playing or what?" you roll your eyes as you turn back to where Jake and Javi are standing and gesture to the three in front of you; you realize Jake is hunched over the table, lining up his next shot.

"I'm playing nice, Seresin. You should try it," you prod, and Javi manages a slight smirk at Jake.

Jake looks up and makes eye contact with you while landing a ball in a corner pocket, and you can't help but roll your eyes again, cocky bastard. When he straightens, he finally notices what has caught your attention. "Well, what do we have here? If it ain't Phoenix, and she found new friends," he smirks, walking around the table in your direction. "And here I thought we were special Coyote. Turns out the invite went out to anybody."

It's almost like a switch is flipped, you realize, watching as Jake now interacts with others. Cocky attitude inflating his ego in a way that was so Hangman but not necessarily Jake. Nat didn't believe you when you tried to explain that you saw past it, and that's why you were friends. She was confident in her reading, which fair, especially when he acted like this.

"Fellas this here is Bagman," she introduces, and you can already tell it's going to be a long detachment spent between your two friends, especially since they hate each other.

"Hangman," he corrects, tone slightly barbed.

"Whatever," Phoenix makes a face at him and rolls her eyes when she looks at you as if to say, C'mon Athena, don't you see what I'm talking about? "You're looking at the only naval aviator on active duty with a confirmed air-to-air kill," she adds on, turning back to Jake.

Your eyes narrow at the compliment-like a statement; however, you don't trust it for a second.

Hangman smiles, "Stop," he muses as he settles down beside you, bumping your shoulder with his as he does, full of pride like a peacock strutting his feathers.

"Mind you, the other guy was in a museum piece from the Korean War," she clarifies, and you nod; you felt this was where she was taking it.

"Cold War," Coyote corrects, always one to back up his friends.

"Different wars, same century," Payback interjects.

"Not this one," Fanboy tacks on.

"Who're your friends?" Coyote asks, eyes dancing over the two on either side of Phoenix.

"Payback."

"Fanboy."

Both aviators introduce themselves with a simple nod, and you can't hide your smile of amusement. The testosterone was off the charts, and Nat was leading the bunch.

"Hey Coyote," she greets, eyes darting to Javi, and you fight the smirk at the look in her eye.

"Hey," he greets, dragging out the 'ey' a bit, and your eyes dart over to Jake just to find a knowing look already focused on you.

"Who's he?" Nat asks, nodding to the side.

"Who's who?" Coyote's brows had furrowed down, and then Nat turned to look at the quiet Aviator in glasses who'd been munching on peanuts while you played pool.

"When did you get in?" Coyote's voice floats over from behind you as you take a moment to observe your silent comrade.

"Oh, oh I've been here the whole time," he admits, and your brow quirks, and quickly you turn to look over at Jake.

"Man's a stealth pilot," you muse gently, and even Nat cracks a smile.

"Literally," Coyote nods.

"Weapons systems officer, actually," he corrects, and your lips twitch; he's adorable, you decide immediately.

"With no sense of humor," Jake huffs out.

You elbow him, and he gasps before standing and handing off the pool cue to Nat.

"What do they call you?" you ask, voice sweet.

"Bob," he answers, offering a hesitant smile in response to your wide one.

"No, your call sign," Payback clarifies.

He seems to hesitate, "uh.." he trails for a second, and you can read the nervous energy easily. "Bob," he repeats, and you frown a bit at the cautious undertones of his voice.

"Bob Floyd?" Nat asks. "You're my new backseater? From Leemore?" her tone had turned a bit incredulous. The smothered chortles from Payback and Fanboy were not nearly as covert as they seemed to think it was, based on the glares Nat was sending them.

"Looks like it, yeah," Bob confirms, and that nervous undertone is still there.

Nat pauses and looks at you. You tilt your head knowingly, and she nods, turning to the back seater.

"Nine ball, Bob. Rack 'em."

"Uh.. kay, yeah," he nods, standing and taking the pool cue outstretched in Natasha's hand.

You pat your friend's shoulder knowingly before turning to look for Jake. You spot him at the bar and start walking that way. You pause, though, when you see him talking to Penny, and then you realize who was on the other side of her and, most likely, who had just caused the bell to ring. Leave it to your dad to piss off the woman who loved him through his worst and best without even trying.

You're so focused on watching the interaction at the bar you miss it when he walks in.

"Bradshaw! That you?" Nat's voice rings out over the noise of the bar. It's only now starting to get busy, and you can't help the way your head snaps over to him.

You'd knew he'd be here. He said as much in his email, but being confronted by him and the past you avoided was something you decided then and there that you weren't ready for.

You're stuck, frozen, watching him interact with Phoenix.

"This is how I find out you're stateside?" she asks before lining up to take her next shot.

"Yeah I thought I'd surprise you," he responds with an easy camaraderie that you hadn't realized existed with the woman you considered to be one of your closest friends these days.

He's looking around the bar, not having spotted you yet, when Nat lets out a hum, taking her shot. Obviously, she lands another in the pocket; this was Phoenix we're talking about. She manages to hit Bradley in the gut with the end of the pool cue, forcing him to keel over a bit.

A petty and vindictive piece of you takes pleasure in that. But another piece, a little girl, she aches for the easygoing relationship and the best friend she once had.

"Guess I surprised you back," she smirks, facing Bradley.

He nods at her, "it's good to see you," he manages to huff out, slowly standing back up.

"It's good to see you too," she smiles, and he lays a gentle hand on her shoulder, and you have to turn back around.

You're counting your breaths again, focusing on what you can see, touch, hear, taste, and smell. You realize too late that Jake's analyzing you. He'd seen how you stiffened up and focused on the interaction, and he saw how you forced yourself to turn around, away from Bradley.

He grabs the beers Penny offers him and a glass of something else, says something to Penny, you think, and then turns back, walking toward you. He places the glass in your hand with a whispered "G&T."

"Thanks," you manage to spit out.

"Where's your head?" he asks, voice still low, and you know that right now, no one is paying attention to the two of you.

"A little too far off the ground," you admit; it wasn't worth the effort to lie to Jake; generally, he saw through it anyway.

You notice how his eyes dart past you, looking at Brad and Nat, but he doesn't ask you about it. Instead, he asks, "What do you need?"

"Time machine?" you ask, eyes finally meeting his straight on instead of jumping around like they had been. He was good at that, asking the right questions; probably a perk of learning how to piss everyone off is also knowing when to pull back.

"Fresh out, I'm afraid," the drawl in his Texan accent always appeared early in the morning and late at night, but also when he drank. Your favorite appearance was in the whispers when he talked low, and it just tended to bleed into every word; it made you think of Jake the football star, Jake the kid who grew up on a ranch, a version of the man before you, you never got to meet.

"Then I guess I'll have to just… manage," you muse sourly.

"You always tend to do better than just manage, 'Thena," he reminds you.

"I don't know about that, at least not this time," you admit.

"This got something to do with Bradshaw?"

"You're too observant to play dumb," is how you answer.

"What, is this a kiss and not tell situation?" There's a cloud in the green of Jake's eyes as he asks, and you're tempted to answer, but quite honestly, you weren't sure if there was a statute of limitations on don't kiss and tell, and you're not sure if your first kiss when you were 13 counts.

"No, it's a different kind of history," is what you actually say. "I'll be okay, you go on though, I just need a minute," you urge.

Jake hesitates, not at all sold on what you'd said, but slowly, he takes a step forward and then another until he's approaching the pool table again.

...

everything: @butterfly-skinnylegend

athena’s tags: @omgbrianab @smoothdogsgirl @bazellawriz @sbrewer21 @inky-sun @djs8891 @rory-cakes

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cerastes · 1 year ago

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hello dreamer! as someone versed in specter lore, i was hoping you could possibly clarify why guard specter is in a nun outfit. was it just something the church of the deep stuck her in? laurentina was into sculpting, dancing, and fighting and cherished ideas of beauty. she was always even in her "worst" state as the ill specter truly devoted to assisting her friends and being a reliable fighter. did she cling to the nun for grounding or identity during a time when she had very little, or what?

It's due to the aggressive, high intensity brainwashing she was subjected to by the Church of the Deep, alongside their Originium experiments.

The main thing to remember about the whole Laurentina-Specter situation is that the Church of the Deep were winging it. Never before had they managed to capture an Abyssal Hunter, and Laurentina was patient zero for them. After being completely exhausted, battered, and weakened from covering the Third Company's (this being Ulpianus' and Skadi's team) advance towards Ishar-mla against overwhelming odds, enough that the entire rest of the Second Company except Gladiia and herself died, Laurentina got washed up to the coast, where the Church happened upon her. Not really knowing exactly what makes a Hunter click beyond surface level appreciations, they made her their guinea pig.

Amaia and Quintus both express immense surprise at her having survived the experiments at all, because said experiments involved, among other things, injecting enough liquified Originium into her spine to infect a small country (literal, non-hyperbolic assessment). Laurentina's main card, after all, is her sheer resilience.

As it has become clear by now, Originium has a will or some sort, and it's impossible to say how sentient it truly is, but it Really Doesn't Like Us. It's why Nightmare and Ptilopsis, for example, hear voices telling them to do awful things. Laurentina was subjected to some hardcore brainwashing at the hands of Amaia and Quintus. If you ask me, the underlying theory was most likely "through brainwashing and the intrusive presence of Originium in her psyche, could we make a loyal soldier out of a Hunter?".

Throughout the time they had Laurentina, the answer would be no, because Laurentina is resilience given shape. Keep in mind, the liquid Originium was injected directly into her spine, so her mental faculties were severely impacted and, compounding with the brainwashing, it made her go almost insane. At some point, Kal'tsit happened upon this particular state of affairs and rescued Specter. We don't know the particulars of that event, other than Kal'tsit rescued Laurentina personally and took her to Rhodes Island, and through Specter's Files, we know she was still clinging to sanity at this point, and it was mid-interview with HR that she went fully "insane" AKA Laurentina went dormant and the Specter took over. This is also entirely consistent to how Laurentina's mental resilience works, as we'd eventually out in Stultifera Navis: When they finally reached Rhodes Island, they were too far from the ocean for Laurentina's Seaborn genes to function at a high enough output to push back at the brainwashing-and-originium combo (conversely, this is how she temporarily regains her sanity at the end of Under Tides: proximity to the ocean and enough stumuli; it's a bit different in Stultifera Navis, but it follows the same principle).

The choice of outfit, that being a nun's attire, stems from the brainwashing she was subjected by the Church of the Deep. During and after Under Tides (Specter OP Record 2), she keeps it on as a matter of convenience more than anything: She knows she's on borrowed time, and that she'll go dormant again soon, so she wants to get as much done as possible while she's still herself: Go assist Rhodes Island Elite Operator Misery with a dicey situation, have a brief but important chat with Skadi so Skadi can forgive herself already, spend some time with Gladiia, talk with Closure, and finally, talk with Doctor, specifically about not even thinking of taking it easy with her, and to keep sending her out to as many fights as possible, because if they don't, they deny her her purpose, the very last thing she has (until she does in fact awaken for good, that is, but at this point, that seemed an impossibility).

It's less about her clinging to the nun look for grounding as much as, even if she couldn't help but be dressed in the way of her captors, even if she wasn't in control of her actions, in control of her body, in control of her mind most of the time, Laurentina, being defined by unrelenting resilience, doggedly clung to whatever she could, to make sure she was never fully controlled, influencing the Specter even as she lay dormant: One could surmise that, being caught between the immense influence of Laurentina's willpower and the overpowering brainwashing of the Church, this lead to Specter behaving as she did: During combat, a silent, mumbling war machine that unfailingly followed the orders of her rescuers -- Rhodes Island -- to the letter, even if it hurt her or put her in danger, and outside of it, an unstable but harmless lady that would say some concerning things here and there but never really act on them. Hilariously enough, as we'd eventually find out, the 'psychotic' outbursts Specter had, such as saying that all things are meant to be cut in pieces, were actually reflections of Laurentina and not any insanity. The Specter, without any influence from Laurentina, is simply a faithful, devoted follower. It's Laurentina's influence that brings out those bursts of violence from Specter.

The "identity during a time when she had very little" is her fighting on behalf of Rhodes Island, and fighting at all: Again, check out Specter's Operator Record 2, it answers a lot about Laurentina in a pre-Unchained world, she herself explains how, even if she loses absolutely everything, even her body and mind, she WILL make sure that her body remains a useful tool of combat for you if that's all she can do, and that to care for her, baby her, and keep her away from combat would be the ultimate insult you could throw at her, because you're denying her her last wish and ultimate purpose as an Abyssal Hunter, and as Laurentina.

#arknights #specter #laurentina

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novemberfyshenuke · 9 months ago

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Trigun AU

I was crying over my exams, so I went ahead and doodled a little more on the dentist au to cope. Here are the headcanons I came up with lol

Livio

Originally, Livio was meant to be a coworker or even an assistant to Knives in his clinic but I had a revelation. I think there's two things he is most likely to be: A dancer and self defense trainer. No one really expects a bulky guy like him to be so free flowing like that. I think it brings such a fun vibe to him.

He has a space above Knives' clinic and can often be seen picking up children from the ground floor.

He grew up in the church with Nico so he's someone who values God.

He slouches as if to make him smaller. The guy struggles to be stern with his students.

Razlo

Razlo is most likely a prosecutor. Livio grew up in a dangerous and terrible environment before he was brought to the church, so Razlo can be fiercely protective over him. That doesn't mean he hasn't hurt him at some point.

Razlo is musically skilled. I like to think the two of them have a thing going on where Razlo starts playing a random tune out loud and Livio's starts vibing to that.

Meryl

She's a journalist. Well, more like a blogger. Milly and her grew up in the same neighborhood and that's how she met Roberto. In her mind, she admires him and his job. As she grew older though, she did come to realize Roberto isn't the flawless role model she always thought of.

She's very perceptive and quite the smart cookie, but tends to get ahead of herself when she's too excited.

Loud unintentionally. It does benefit her with her work at times, but hanging out with friends? Just bury her six feet under, won't you?

She's studying accountancy because. Just because. I see her being stressed out at the data she's had to recompute for the past hour because Vash is being too loud.

Milly

MY GIRLLLLL

She works part time in a cafe/ restaurant her family owns

Roberto is her uncle (DON'T ARGUE WITH ME)

She's really strong from the amount of groceries and stocks she's asked to carry by her family

Also studying accountancy because she saw how determine Meryl was with her studies.

I guarantee you she finishes the homework first and Meryl asks to doublecheck her answers to see if she (Meryl) got it correct.

Many would call her naive but really, she just likes seeing the good in people. Her parents raised their kids that way afterall.

Her family's restaurant is where the gang hangs out most days.

She's really into motocross and that's how she and Nico bonded over.

Isn't really sporty but will definitely join and demolish you in basically any sport. Basketball? Just try dunking that ball when she's guarding. Hockey? Bro those bruises are going to hurt.

She's got really good luck and she's also really good at board games.

She does tend to get overly emotional though and acts before thinking. Meryl is always quick to swoop in and steady her in these situations.

Nicholas D. Wolfwood

He's an actual priest. I know he has a lot of repressed feelings because of his duties. I mean. His entire inner monologue is just, "You shine so unbelievably bright. You create hope for the people around you like the very god I worship. But it's not like I'd kiss you on the lips or anything or...or whatever."

He's definitely looks older than he actually is.

Weak lungs when he was a child and he's still on medication. That doesn't stop him from smoking though. Everyone around him is always telling him to stop but his response is always, "They didn't fix my lungs just so I don't make use of them."

He can't grow a beard. The best he can get is his stubble and so he is so envious of Roberto's.

He's always dropping bible verses and then gets corrected by Knives about certain facts from the book. He hates him for it.

Legato

He's a fashion designer. He loves being in the field just not as the main focus anymore.

Elegant af in public and yet so unhinged with his crew.

He's got a wonderful voice; probs does voice acting on the side for animated shows/movies.

I like to think everyone takes a look at his work and then research him only to be jumpscared by his alt lifestyle on instagram.

He's cringe as hell to his friend group ngl. He'd sing his early 2000s Avril Lavigne in that overtly cartoonish emo voice.

He's a little obsessed with getting Knives to model for him after they shared one class in college.

Elindira

An influencer and Livio's business partner.

Much stricter on lessons and I think that's why they're compatible.

She's also a lawyer, because I can see her fighting an argument for Livio and winning.

She's very mature...when's not with Legato. Then they immediately link and start bickering like siblings.

She's the type to use a number of pet names for everyone.

Red sportscar. Red lipstick. In her pajamas and wearing cat-eyed shades while holding her head because of the hang-over she has but she still has to pick up the tiny menace from middle school. (Zazie)

She's a wine aunt and you can't convince me otherwise.

Never had a bad hair day in her life

Terrible blunt about things it honestly causes more harm than good but she won't ever lie to your face.

Vash

He likes collecting happy meal toys and displaying them in a glass cabinet in the family house dining room. This has translated to him collecting every single mascot figurine from business partners and local businesses around the area.

In high school, he worked part-time promoting Milly's family restaurant by spinning a sign around in a beat up rented mascot suit. No one will ever know who the kid behind that giant dog head was.

Mama's boy...cough

He dresses like an 80s rockstar or a biker but he's never actually approached a bike because of Mama Rem's constant helicopter parenting.

People just assume he's a 'bad boy' because he has a piercing and is a little full of himself at times.

When he's not interning at Knives' clinic, he's an emergency medical volunteer.

He's always been more of an 'I excel in theory but not in practice' guy.

He once made a patient's gums bleed and had them sobbing because he was too focused on getting on with the procedure he messed up the prep work.

Sneaks candies from the jar on top of Knives' desk

He has a prosthetic because I think it's funny for boyfailure no.1 to randomly have the batteries die or it doesn't function correctly.

Dyslexic and was quite sensitive as a child so he often got picked on.

Knives

Boyfailure no. 2 is a well-known specialist who's always rebelled against his mom but still ended up following her footsteps in the field.

He's lazy. He really feels disgusted having to stick his hands in someone's mouth cavity, but dang does his morbid curiosity always win.

I like to think he's mellowed out here because Vash and him watched My Little Pony and at the same time Superbook. He's like super confused and yet enlightened by all these moral stories and going, "Yeah, you're right, Jesus. Twilight Sparkle did deserve better!" or something...

His older cousin, Tesla, always picks on him for going by Knives rather than the name their mom picked out for him.

Do I think Knives is a kid who decided to pick a chosen name when he was 12? Yes. Yes I do.

He excels objectively and fails miserably when it comes to subjective things.

He wears sandals. Rem always got him and Vash those Velcro strap shoes so he, although he doesn't want to admit it, doesn't know how to tied his laces. He also refuses to search it up because he's convinced himself that Vash has this wagered war of who learns from the youtube video first.

He has difficulty accepting affection despite having Vash and Rem around because as a child, Vash came first. He needed to be prioritized.

Imma get to the others another time.

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nogenderbee · 1 year ago

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i love your works and writing sm!! aahhh >o< may i request for kanade, nene and ichika singing the song "Therefore you and me" with their s/o who is a guitarist? tyyy!!

Awwwh thank you! And of course you can! Also I hope you don't mind one-shot, I just thought it'll be more interesting like that ^^ I honestly still have no idea if I got the right song but hopefully I did and it turned out alright!

Also so sorry if it turned out a bit too short-

♡˗ˏ✎*ೃ˚ 𝕐𝕠𝕦 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕞𝕖 ₊˚ˑ༄

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ Ichika, Nene, Kanade singing "Therefore you and me" with guitarist!reader

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ fluff

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ @bleachtheidiot @prsk-krow @bl4cktourmaline @hearts4gf @modyuki @hakulivesformusic

You and Ichika were having your classic practice date when both of you just played ransoms songs which happen to be mostly Miku songs on guitars and sometimes even singing them!

You decided to surprise your girlfriend by randomly playing one of the songs that always caught your heart, "Therefore You and Me", also known as "Yueni Yuu en Mi". At first she looked at you in slight confusion but soon recognizes the song and grabs her own guitar swiftly joining your play. As for singing, she let you finish first verse with admirable smile and joined you in the chorus.

As for second verse, it was you who let her take the main part as you sang side lines.

"hitori no ohashi ♪~~"

"sun tarazu de ♪~"

"hitori no kutsu ♪~~"

"chikara busoku de ♪~"

It's easy to say both of you had lots of fun doing so! And surprisingly, you didn't even talked about who sing what part in song and yet you were guessing extremely well! As if you had plenty of practice when it was just random song you thought of in the moment.

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

You managed to convince Nene to do a mini concert with you! You know she's not the most confident when it comes to private concerts like that, and it's rare to even catch her humming when she knows there's someone else around. But since she asked you to help her with confidence a bit... that's actually a great practice!

The moment you two were together, you grabbed your guitar and notes.

"Ready Nene?"

"Y-Yeah... I think so..!"

And that was the moment when you began to play! It was a while untill she began to sing along. In fact, it was a bit awkward at first but soon she got comfortable and you could hear she was singing a bit more confidently now.

"eien ni eien ni eien ni raburabu? ♪~~"

It was honestly admirable sight because you could for once see her relaxed. Maybe it wasn't anywhere need public solo concert but it definitely was your special moment and one big step forward for your girlfriend!

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

The idea of singing something together was honestly just a random thought that popped into your mind... You were just hanging out at Kanade's place with your guitar on your lap since you wanted to have some sort of entertainment as your girlfriend creates her music, and maybe even help her get some nice ideas!

"Hey Kanade! Wanna sing 'Yueni Yuu en Mi' with me?"

"Ah- sure, why not! I guess it's time for small break..."

And that was honestly the answer you wanted to hear! So as soon as you hears it, you grabbed your guitar and without second thought began to play the well known song. And your girlfriend for one, was more than happy to sing it along with you!

"yueni yuu en mii yuu en mii yuu en mii, raburabu ♪~~"

You knew the gray haired girl hat soothing voice but this song was literally perfect for her voice! You had to be careful not to fall asleep or loose the tempe to her voice.

Well... maybe if you ask she'll agree to hum this song as you nap next to her?

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

Affiliation with @virtualbookstore

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patchworkgargoyle · 3 months ago

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oc fic: won't you stay with me?

Belatedly sharing this here, but this was written for my dear friend Read's (@amusingdisplacement) birthday back in August! Happy birthday again!! <3

The Cast Keziah: non-binary/GNC OC, Read's Dominik: transmasc OMC, mine Context: set in the very early days of the peace of mind verse, but you don't need to have read anything else to read this. Both characters are 17-18 years old. Please mind the content warnings, they come into play right away. Title from Call Your Mom by Noah Kahan, dividers by @/saradika-graphics. Rating: T || Words: 4,899 || CW: transphobia; misgendering; allusions to abuse, conversion camps, and suicidal ideation; So Much Angst I’m So Sorry

“I cannot believe the mouth on her–”

“You get back here right now!”

Dominik slammed the door to his aunt's house, the glass of it shaking, muting the shouting he was leaving behind with increasingly rapid footsteps. Blood and breath roared in his ears as he broke into a run. The soles of his chucks slapped against the sidewalk.

He needed to go. To run. To get the fuck away from here. It was that or listen to the terrifyingly calm voice that lurked under the furious mess of his thoughts. He bolted instead.

Driven by instinct alone, he veered onto the path that led between all the dull suburban homes and hoped his parents weren't trying to follow him. They would never go so far as to run after him, they'd never cause such a scene, but he wouldn't put it past them to patrol in their car around the neighbourhood he was running to. His head start would only get him so far, especially when he hadn't stopped to tie his shoes.

Dom felt the jerk on his foot too late. Laces trapped under his other foot, he went sprawling across the trail. He barely caught himself on bony palms and joints, managed to only graze his chin, teeth clacking, instead of his face. It forced up a sound he choked down, desperate to keep it inside until he could get to Keziah. Panting, he scrambled to his feet, shoved the laces down beside his ankles, and stumbled back into a run.

By the time he got to their neighbourhood his chest was burning. Every breath left his throat raw. His legs and feet ached. To run the whole way was stupid but he couldn't fucking slow down.

Before he broke out into the main street, Dom stalled in the gloom between houses. The yellow streetlights had flickered on moments ago, pools of buzzing light drawing moths to the quiet road. He could feel that awful buzzing under his skin. A car going by made him flinch, but, thankfully, it wasn't his parents’ sedan. Nothing else drove by, so he made one last mad dash.

The familiar houses were a blur. None of them even registered until he spotted the one he needed to see. He ran faster, nearly losing a shoe when he thundered up to the door, knocking rapidly before he let himself in with the key he'd been given.

Ma de Leon's confused voice could be heard from the living room. “Dominik? What's wrong?”

But Dom didn't answer, just kicked off his stupid fucking shoes gasped out, “Ziah?”

“In their room, sweetie, but what—hold on, what happened to your hands?”

Again he didn't answer. He was too focused, too panicked. He took the stairs two at a time and let his sore feet automatically carry him to the right door, cracked open enough for faint music to filter through.

Kez sat up in zir bed, already in pajamas and a bonnet, setting zir magazine aside and frowning as soon as ze saw him in the doorway. “Dom? Wh—whoa–!”

His legs nearly gave out from relief, but he cut them off by all but tackling them. As soon as Dom felt Ziah's arms around him, as soon as he could curl up into their body and tangle himself around the one person he loved and could trust, the unbearable, horrid weight in his chest finally cracked him open.

“Ziah,” he croaked, and that was it. The tears spilled over, his chest hitched and shuddered, and the sobs he'd locked away ripped out of his rough throat. Dom dug his fingers into Kez and clung so hard it must have hurt, but ve just held him tighter and pressed vir head into his. Fuck, he hated this. Hated all of it. Despised forcing Kez to hold his jagged edges together like this. But he didn't have anywhere else to go, and that voice was rising to the surface, and nothing felt right or safe until he got here. He needed Ziah too much to have done anything else.

Ze held Dom through all the shaking and sobbing and hiccups. He had no clue how long they stayed like this, wrapped up like they were one being, trying to be the thing humans were before Zeus split them in two. At one point Ma de Leon checked in and Dom heard a half-whispered what happened, and felt Kez shrug and shake their head. Later, the phone rang downstairs, but Kez ignored it, and Señor de Leon’s indecipherable voice echoed up the stairwell.

This whole thing was so stupid. He felt guilty for barging in on Kez’s night like this. Making such a big fucking deal out of something he’d known forever. It shouldn’t feel like he’d been slapped in the face by a bus, but his parents never seemed to run out of ways to rip his heart out and make it feel like it was his fault they crushed it in their hands.

When Dom finally wore himself out—sobs reduced to loud, wet sniffles—Ziah let out a long breath and kissed the top of his head. Their grip on his relaxed enough to start rubbing up and down his back. A shuddering sigh, and Dom went limp against them.

Quietly, his voice hoarse, he said, “Got snot on your shirt.” He felt Kez’s tiny laugh.

“Yeah, I can feel it,” ze said. “S’okay, though.” Neither of them spoke again for a few moments. Dom focused on breathing without his chest hitching, mostly failing. Now he could actually feel the places he’d scraped raw when he fell as his hands, arms, and knees throbbed. Kez just kept running their hands along his back. But then he felt Kez inhale like ze was going to say something, pause, and then do it again. He braced for it.

“What happened, Nikki?”

Dom grit his teeth, screwed his eyes shut against a fresh wave of tears and tightness under his ribs. “My parents happened, what else,” he forced out through the painful lump in his throat.

“I thought they were leaving you alone?”

Swallowing the tension down, he scoffed bitterly. “Nope. Turns out Aunt Linda was keeping them updated on every-fucking-thing I did all summer. I knew it, kinda, but…”

“What a bitch,” Kez spat.

He laughed hollowly. “Uh-huh. The haircut was the final straw.” Kez ran a soothing hand through his thick, dark hair, which they’d cut short a few days ago and their Mama had fixed up after. “She’d told them about it when I went to school yesterday and they ambushed me when I got back today. Said I should’ve gotten over this phase already, they’d been forgiving about the ‘boy’s clothes’ even if it was embarrassing for them, but this was ‘one step too far,��” Dom mocked with a sneer, but the disgust and anger fled quickly, leaving him feeling… empty. “They just fucking… screamed at me about how I should get my head on straight already. I–I yelled back but they wouldn’t fucking listen.”

Kez’s hands paused as he spoke, nails digging in for a second when he’d mentioned his parents’ embarrassment. “They’re fucking awful,” she said, voice flat but low and furious.

“I left the worst for last.”

“Is it going to make me want to kill them harder?”

“Yep.”

“Great. Fantastic. What did they do.”

As he worked up the energy to tell zir, Dom found himself feeling oddly removed, distant. The music from Kez’s stereo faded out, the pattern on zir pjs right in front of his face blurring. He felt like he was back in his aunt’s living room again, his mother slapping the pamphlet down on the coffee table between them and pointing at it with her tastefully manicured fingernail while his blood ran cold.

“She threatened to send me to a camp if I didn’t go home immediately and stop this nonsense,” he said tonelessly. Ziah went stiff in his arms. “So I told her she could shove that fucking pamphlet so far up her ass it’ll come out of her mouth covered in shit and ran.”

That got a short laugh out of Kez, but they were still tense, gripping the back of Dom’s too-large shirt. “You were right, I’m going to fucking murder them.”

“Yeah, get in line,” he joked, half-hearted.

“Was–” Ze paused, clearly debating whether ze should ask this or not. “Did they bring…?”

It took a second to realise what they were asking, but when it clicked Dom’s face twisted as he was shoved back into himself, only to feel every bit of guilt and grief and rage flooding back into his throat. “He looked at me like I was disgusting, Ziah,” he choked out, chest heaving around a shaky inhale, and he started crying again. Kez’s arms tightened almost painfully around him.

Ziah’s voice was thick when they said, “I’m sorry, Nikki. I’m so sorry.”

Calming down this time was faster, but only due to how exhausted Dom was. He felt hollowed out but heavy, leaden enough that Kez should be struggling to hold him. Their arm under his torso must have started to go to sleep by now, but they didn’t move or complain and he added that to the list of things he felt guilty about tonight. And he was about to add a few more.

“Could… could you drive me to my aunt’s so I can get all my stuff?” he asked.

“You have clothes here though. Or, are you going to actually stay here?”

He shrugged. “Might be easier to get it all while it’s dark. And if I wait my aunt might lock the window, if she hasn’t already. Or my parents might trash it all.”

Kez finally pulled away to be able to look at Dom, smiling with relief. Despite everything, they were excited by the thought of Dom finally staying with them. “Sure, let's go. I’ll tell Mama I’m borrowing the car.” They pressed a few kisses to his lips which Dom returned gratefully, both of them reluctant to let the other go. Outside the shelter of Kez’s body Dom could feel the tear tracks and snot making his skin tight.

They both clambered out of Kez’s bed, Kez linking their fingers with his to lead him downstairs again, socked feet a quiet staccato on the steps. The house was dark now, but there was a low glow of warm light from the kitchen. Dom didn’t think to look at Kez’s alarm clock to see the time, but he guessed they’d been up there for a couple hours.

Ma and Señor de Leon were talking in low voices in the kitchen by the light of the range hood, but paused when he and Kez came into view. “How’re you feeling, mijo?” Señor de Leon asked, a kind tilt to his head, and though the endearment eased something in his chest, Dom could only shrug, not quite able to meet his eye.

“Come here and let me see those hands, Dominik.” Ma de Leon gestured with her own hand, and Kez made a noise of confusion. Pulling his hand up by their tangled fingers, ze bent his wrist to expose the raw, reddened skin of the heel of his palm, to motion making him wince.

“Nikki. What happened?”

Embarrassment coloured Dom cheeks and he pursed his lips. “I didn’t tie my laces…”

Rolling their eyes, Kez sighed and mumbled an oh my god before pushing him towards their mama. “You should have told me.”

He rolled his eyes in return as he stumbled towards Ma de Leon, who said, “Better now than never,” as took him by the wrist and guided him to the sink, an open first aid kit already waiting. She was firm, but kind, as she ran his hands under warm water, held him still while she sanitised the wounds, abraded skin stinging from the alcohol. “Your parents called,” she said after a moment. He tensed automatically, heart rate racing. “I know, but we told them we’ll take care of you, alright? You can stay for as long as you need.”

She tried to look at him, but Dom’s eyes flicked to the floor. She hummed.

“Mama, can we borrow the car to go get his things?” Kez asked. “We should do it before they lock him out or something.”

Ma briefly looked at Señor while she bandaged Dom’s hands, and whatever married people telepathy occurred had Señor on his feet with a groan. “Alright, but be safe. Don’t go climbing into windows if there’s a patrol car in the neighbourhood.”

“Yeah, we aren’t stupid,” ze shot back with a smile, following their dad to the foyer.

Dom’s hands were released, and Ma nodded with her chin that he should follow, so he scurried after them. He liked Kez’s parents, but they were so drastically different from his own that he always felt wrong-footed around them, afraid that if he did one wrong thing that kindness would vanish. It wasn’t like he’d ever done anything to deserve it.

Señor traded the keys for Kez’s bonnet while Dom slipped into his shoes and tied them. As Kez opened the door, Ma de Leon rounded the corner and held the first aid kit out to Dom.

He frowned. “Uh–”

“Just in case,” she insisted, one eyebrow raised at him. Confused as he was, Dom wasn’t about to refuse it, so he took it with mumbled gratitude and followed Kez out the door.

The drive was spent keeping an eye out for police, but they didn’t see any on the extra lap they took around his aunt’s neighbourhood. While all the lights were off at the house, and Dom’s parents�� car wasn’t there anymore, Kez still parked a few houses down, under a tree.

From there, sneaking in was easy. They’d done it so much that it was second nature to scale the wisteria trellis and wedge his window open. Dom could never tell if his aunt was aware they’d been doing this; it wasn’t like they were that careful about the plant, but she had never locked the window, and tonight was no different. When the window slid open, Dom sighed, let his head hang for a moment, before hauling himself in and pulling Kez in after him.

All he had to carry stuff—that they could still bring down the trellis—was a backpack and messenger bag, so Kez silently took his backpack and started filling it with some of his clothes, while Dom grabbed important shit. IDs, pictures of him and Ziah, the one picture of him and his brother, his secret cash stash, a couple books and knick-knacks. Last minute, he grabbed the cellphone that was still under his parents’ plan, but he was going to use that shit until they noticed and cut it off. Getting back out with the bags was harder, but they made it to the ground safely, and booked it to the car.

“Holy shit,” Dom laughed, running on the last of his adrenaline, “I can’t believe it worked!” He flopped back into the passenger seat and put his hands over his face. “You just pulled a heist in your pyjamas.”

“I did. Only for you, Nikki. If I put a hole in them I’m going to make you mend it,” Kez teased, sagging into the seat. “I’m so fucking glad the window wasn’t locked.”

“Fuck, me too.”

Dom turned to smile at Kez, his heart swelling at the sight of his best friend grinning back, gap-toothed and gorgeous. He loved them so much.

“Let’s get you home,” they said, smile widening, and Dom’s heart sank to the floor.

He was dreading this. And Kez saw it on his face.

“...Dom?”

Floundering, and after a couple false starts, Dom made himself look at Kez and whispered, “I have to go, Ziah.”

“No.”

“Ziah–”

“You can’t.”

He almost choked on the words. “I can’t stay with you.”

“Why?” Ziah’s face was a mess of anger and panic when they rounded on him. “Why do you always refuse?! You’d be safe and okay and I love you, Nikki, you can’t leave–!” Zir voice broke a bit and ze looked away, jaw muscles tensing and their hands gripped the steering wheel hard enough to make the plastic squeak.

Dom had never felt more like scum in his entire life. But he’d thought it through. His mind was made up.

“I–if I stay, my parents could still get me back, call the police on your parents or… or, I don’t know, something else shitty. And if that doesn’t work, my mother could probably bribe the hospital board to make Mama’s work awful, or get her fired.” He didn’t know if that would work, but she’d done similar enough things before that he could see it happening, and just the thought of being the cause of something like that made him feel awful. He couldn’t bear it. “They… if I stay, they’re going to do anything to get me back and… fucking fix me,” Dom spat.

Ziah stared out the windshield. When ze blinked, Dom saw tears rolling down their cheek, briefly catching the light like a tiny star winking out on zir dark skin. The corner of zir lips twitched downward, and they swallowed.

“Fine.” Their voice shook. Somehow, Ziah giving in just made Dom feel worse. “Where are you going?”

“I don’t know. Thought I’d bus to San Francisco. Or LA.”

At barely a whisper, Kez asked, “Does it have to be tonight?” And Dom’s heart smashed to bits.

“They might warn the police I’m a runaway risk if I wait.”

“You are a runaway risk,” they accused.

Dom grimaced, turning his gaze to the floor. “I’m so sorry, Ziah,” he said.

“If you were that sorry, you’d stay.”

His nails dug into the strap of his seatbelt. Dom had no response, remorse sticking his tongue in place. The following silence in the car was oppressive and only interrupted by a sniff from Kez.

Then they started the car, got into gear, and pulled into the street. The drive was terrible, only because neither of them could speak. Dom couldn’t look at Kez, even when they came up to the four-way stop that led either to the city centre or to Kez’s neighbourhood and Kez paused for way too long before driving on towards the city.

The small, dingy bus station held a few tired people. The schedule above the ticket kiosk said a southward bus would be arriving in an hour. Kez hovered by Dom’s side and he paid for his ticket, and when they sat in the uncomfortable plastic chairs, ze hit him in the stomach with the first aid kit.

“You forgot this in the car.”

Dom frowned at it again. “Mama didn’t give it to me–”

Scoffing, Kez crossed zir arms and glared at the man behind the kiosk for the sin of selling Dom his ticket. “Yes, she did. I thought it was weird, but I guess she figured you out before I did.”

The red canvas stood out against his blue jeans. He squished the sides of it, the zipper digging into the pads of his fingers. How had she known? Without another comment, he stuffed it into his messenger bag and sat back to wait out the hour.

“You… you don’t have to wait with me,” Dom said after hearing Kez huff.

“Fuck you.”

And that was all they said until the bus arrived. Eventually Kez had slumped sideways in vir chair so their shoulders touched and Dom leaned into vir, unable to resist hooking their pinkies together. Kez twitched like ve wanted to pull away, but instead squeezed his finger tight and did not let go, letting him feel welcome to hide his face in vir hair. The gesture both hurt and eased a little of the fear that he’d irreversibly fucked this up; Kez was pissed at him, but still loved him anyway. Even if he was leaving.

The loudspeaker fuzzed to life and announced, “Southbound bus 3095, destination Los Angeles, arriving in ten minutes. Please have ID and tickets ready for boarding.”

Kez’s pinkie squeezed tighter and Dom kissed the side of their head.

He didn’t want to go. God, fuck, he didn’t want to leave them and he despised himself for going anyway.

The other people in the station rose and started forming a line by the door to the bay, their quiet chatter filling the room. Dom tugged on Kez’s finger and got them both to their feet, holding hands as they joined the line. The bus pulled in, the doors opened, and Dom dully marched with Kez into the cool, early autumn evening.

“Text me every day,” Kez said hoarsely as the doors drew closer. “No. Call me every day. Text me every hour.”

Dom’s short laugh was tight. “Okay, I will.”

“Fucking promise.”

“I fucking promise.”

“Don’t get cute with me, that promise has to be real,” Kez sniffled.

“It’s–it’s a real fucking promise.”

Kez’s grip on his hand was getting painful. “Good.”

On the platform of the bus bay, people were dropping off their luggage and saying their goodbyes if they had someone to say goodbye to before the driver checked their tickets and let them climb the stairs to the bus. It was an organised commotion that Dom was hesitating to join. He fully stalled a few feet away from the driver, his bags a thousand pounds and threatening to drag him to his scuffed up knees. The people behind him grumbled and began to file past him.

“You can still stay.”

Kez sounded so small that he finally looked at them for the first time that whole hour. They were crying again, shoulders shaking as they tried to keep their misery under control, giving him a pleading look that completely broke Dom down again. He let out a small wounded noise, dropped his backpack and reeled them in, both of them wrapping each other up so hard it squeezed the air from their lungs.

“I love you, Ziah. I l-love you so much, I’m sorry,” he croaked.

Ze buried zir face in his neck. “I love you too, Nikki,” Kez managed to say, “even if you’re a giant idiot.”

Dom’s laughter was wet. He didn’t have a comeback, they were right.

“Last chance, kids,” the driver called out. Dom pulled back and saw that everyone had boarded, the luggage almost all loaded, and swore under his breath.

“One second.” Seeing the driver sigh, but nod, Dom cupped Ziah’s face between his palms and kissed zir. Their tears mixed on their faces and Kez dug zir fingers into his neck and kissed him back. It was a little messy, a lot desperate. “Love you,” he whispered, and Ziah could only nod.

Dom stepped back. They kept a hand on each other for as long as they could, but three steps and their hands fell away. He kept looking over his shoulder at Kez as the driver checked his ticket and ID with an amused smile, and he climbed inside, quickly finding a lucky seat on the opposite side of the bus. Kez jogged around so ze could still see him, and they watched each other as the bus rumbled to life, backed up, and began to pull away. Kez followed it along the platform, and Dom put a hand over his mouth to stifle his sobs, refusing to look away.

He watched the spot where Kez disappeared behind the building for a long time afterward.

did u know that mama put cash into the kit

I thought she might have

Probably knew youd be stupid about taking it

…

thank her for me?

I will

san fran is really cool

so many bars

You better be drinking responsibly

ok mom

F u

im being safe Ziah

made some friends too

not as great as u tho

No one is.

Dom if you don’t text me back in two days I’m calling the police

Dom

Nikki please

sry sry im okay im alive

guess the fucking parents saw i was using my phone finally

You can’t disappear like that!!!

couldnt afford new plan for a bit

might be hard for me to text evry day ziah

im sorry

…

Please text when you can

Love you

i will. love you too ziah

guess what

finally fucked someone with a dick for the first time

And?

it was fine

dude was weird about my tits

Gross.

ya.

but this way i dont have to pay rent

…That sounds really safe.

its fine!

anyway. he did this thing

im on t!!!

OMG

How??

found a clean reliable hook up

couple guys i know use their stuff

taking it slow

low doses

I’ll ask Mama for any tips or warning signs

Be careful

Dominik

Nikki

I miss you

i miss you so much

DRAG SHOWS ARE GREAT

Tell me everything

Jealous btw.

did u know drag kings exist??

Yes, you goof, I did

LA fucking sucks.

miss you

Miss you too

School fucking sucks without you

im sry

It’s fine. Just miss you.

miss you too

any new rumors about me?

I started one about you joining the circus

that sounds fun

hows college apps going?

Uhg.

that good huh

youre gonna do great ziah

every college is gonna want you

Maybe.

Hate doing this without you though

this guy named kenny is letting me stay with him and his husband

Are they hot?

nah theyre old. like really old

kenny called me a lost waif. hes annoying. and rude.

So you’re getting along great then

>:(

UR rude

whatever

theyre letting me work under the table at their bar too

So either they’re great people or they have evil plans

theyre good people

they do these burlesque shows at the bar

Nikki it’s been a Month please

Please be okay

DOMINIK

im alive im sorry i love you

Are you okay???

i love you too

What happened??

got into something with someone

im fine now

he was a shitbag but im okay

What’s his fucking name?

ziah its over it doesnt matter

punched him so hard he fell over tho that was great

I love you Nikki

I miss you

love you too miss you too

fucking promise were gonna see each other again soon ok?

Okay. Fucking promise

A year was a long time, Dom decided. It wasn’t really. It had gone by fast. But it was a long time to be away from Kez. Too fucking long.

If he hadn’t left, he wouldn’t be lying on the sidewalk outside the shelter clutching at his ribs, his face red and sore and probably going to turn a beautiful shade of purple. Trying to sit up, he inhaled sharply, biting his lip but immediately regretting it when it pulled on the part that split open.

He was such a fucking moron. He should’ve kept his mouth shut. Should’ve stopped himself, because he knew it would get him kicked out of the shelter for misconduct and beaten by the assholes he’d shouted at.

Dom tried to get up again and grunted through the pain until he was on his feet again. At least they hadn’t mugged him. It’d be too obvious for them to go back to the shelter with his bass and amp in tow.

Fuck. There weren’t any more shelters open. This one had been his last chance at a good spot to hunker down at while the weather got colder.

He had to bite the final fucking bullet. He was 18 now, if he went back his parents couldn’t do shit about it.

He didn’t want to go back. Not like this. He was pathetic as fuck like this.

There were no other options.

Kez would be at college by now though. They wouldn’t have to see this.

Pulling out his shitty, busted up phone, Dom stared at it like it would magically have data again if he just glared hard enough. It didn’t happen, of course.

Shit.

Dom shifted his bag further up his shoulders and picked up the amp with his good side, picked up his bass in the other hand with a pained wince, and started walking towards the nearest pawn shop.

The familiar house loomed above him, silhouetted by the sun setting behind it. Though the curtains were drawn, he could still briefly see the silhouettes of the family inside, milling around as they set up for dinner.

Dom didn't want to be here.

This was such a dumb idea.

But he raised his hand to knock on the door anyway, hearing the voices behind the door but not fully realising who it was, because it couldn’t be them. Then the door opened, and panic and relief and shame and joy in equal, chaotic measure overwhelmed him. So of course, he said:

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

"...don't want whatever you're selling—Dom?"

The next thing he knew, he was on the ground in front of the de Leon’s house, a familiar weight on top of him, clinging to him, and through the ache in his ribs and the awful storm of emotions in his chest Dom finally felt a missing piece of himself click back into place where it belonged.

#ocs aweigh #goth babygirl dom #keziah #domkez #ofic #niko's notes #its funny i looked at the tags of my other domkez fic and theres two tags that read #do not separate and then (unless its for the angst)#here's why

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arcticgraverobber · 6 months ago

Text

I just finished: Resident Evil 4 Remake - Separate Ways DLC!

The original Separate Ways DLC didn't seem like much more than a throwaway excuse to add more content - the answer to what Ada was doing all that time during the main game being: exactly what you expected her to be doing. I'm happy to say the remake is anything but, and likely surpasses the remake in my mind.

The voice actor change was something that I largely didn't notice in the main game - the controversy is not something I particularly want to talk about but from what I have seen it does make seem to make sense to change to a more appropriate actor, even though that may not be the actual reasoning behind Capcom's decision. Playing the DLC I went back and forth on how I felt about the new VA, initially thinking that I just hadn't noticed how bad she was in the main game because Ada has fairly little screen time. However, while I would've preferred someone more in line with the previous pefromances, allowing consistency within the 'remake verse' as it were, as I played more of Separate Ways I softened up on the potrayal - I think some of the more throwaway lines may have been a little flatter, but that can possibly be put down to this being a DLC and thus having tighter time constraints. Contrasting the lines that are repeated from the main game she sounds a lot better, and some of the performances later in the game are particularly memorable - in fact, overall this game has made me much more interested in Ada Wong as a character.

This is also the first time Albert Wesker has been shown in any meaningful way, and whilst I enjoyed him well enough (though disappointed it's not DC Douglas) I feel like this may not be the best way to introduce him to players only familiar with the post 7 games. I do think it's important that these games stand on their own - and I really don't think this is enough of an introduction to go in to 5, as the end of the game seems to imply. My hope is that they at least put out a remake of the original, if not Code Veronica as well.

The DLC also introduces new abilities for Ada, unlike the original, where the main difference in game play was simply that you had slightly different weapons than Leon. Ada now can use here grappling hook both to move quickly to certain predetermined locations, and also to perform melee attacks on enemies from further away. While the change is fairly minimal, paired with new attack animations it's enough to make you feel more agile and fluid, suiting Ada's character.

Ada seems to have had quite a change in this - previously always the enigma, Separate Ways gives us just a little more of an insight into her background, and develops her as a character more than any of her other appearances. While a mysterious figure can be compelling for a while, it loses it's charm when it becomes clear that there are in fact no hidden answers to be found in the first place. Simple things, like Ada remarking that she thought she was 'done smelling burnt bodies' or her disobeying of Wesker's orders are enough to develop her beyond simply being a mysterious femme fatale.

This is certainly a good step if they are planning on also producing a remake of 6 after 5, though I still really hope they don't go straight to that. Separate Ways however, stands on it's own well, and again, maybe even surpasses the main game in my estimations.

Significance: 1/3

Grade: A

#game reviews #games #reviews #videogames #horror #horror games #resident evil #biohazard #biohazard 4 #resident evil 4 #ada wong #albert wesker #resident evil 4 reamke #biohazard 4 remake #action #shooter #third person shooter

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auxiliarydetective · 9 months ago

Note

Be My Mirror, 4, 5, 6, 7 for Mihawk and Aurelia! (sorry I keep asking for them lmao I just love them together so much)

Never apologize for asking about Mihawk and Aurelia. They govern my mind and I will always be happy to answer asks about them!

4. Who is constantly teasing the other? How does that person react?

They both love to tease and they both do it constantly. Whenever one of them notices something to make a sly little comment about, they will, and the other will most definitely fire back. Bickering is one of their main love languages.

5. Who's more physically affectionate?

Surprisingly enough, it's Mihawk! He's practically always the first to have his hands somewhere on Aurelia's body, partially because she's so freaking beautiful, partially because he has a huge possessive streak and likes to constantly assure himself that she's his. Also, he may or may not be at least a little bit of a cuddlebug, but the world will never know. Outside of those castle walls, he's cold and disinterested, but when he's home with Aurelia, he'll constantly be kissing her, holding her close by the waist, dancing with her... Anything to feel her close to him.

6. Who's the better cook?

I'd say it's probably Mihawk. Both of them can probably cook, but somehow, I think Mihawk is just better at it. I don't know, I headcanon him as a pretty good cook. Plus, he knows just what wine to pair with the meal!

7. Who's the bigger flirt? How do they handle being flirted at? Do they blush easily or get nervous?

At first, it's Aurelia by far. The first few months or so, Mihawk basically doesn't flirt with her at all without some liquid courage because the man is nervous. Aurelia might as well be a goddess to him and he's not about to lose her or upset her. He also gets pretty flustered whenever she flirts with him. Blushing, yes, but mainly just straight up forgetting what he was originally thinking about. His brain just completely short-circuits. After they've been dating for a while, he does get used to it though and also gets more comfortabel with flirting back, but Aurelia is still the bigger flirt. Her tongue is still just as magical as when it all started. She can make the World's Greatest Swordsman fold with just her words.

There you go, the One Piece verse's Gomez and Morticia Addams! Hope you're having a fantastical day <3

▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄✼▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ Taglist: @starcrossedjedis @oneirataxia-girl @daughter-of-melpomene - let me know if you’d like to be added or removed!

#one piece oc #opla oc #oc: dracule aurelia #otp: bloodstained gold #ask #evie's ask extravaganza

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daystarsearcher · 7 months ago

Text

Thanks for the tag @envexenveritas. Saved it for the weekend when I had a bit more time and brainspace:

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

481,422 (Damn, if I wrote this much on my original fic, I could have a second novel done by now)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Currently, Doctor Who/Big Finish and Holby. In the past I've written for Star Trek: the Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space, and I went through an intense Law and Order: Criminal Intent period in college.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

The World Has No Place In Our Bed: Doctor Who, Kate/Osgood. You all love a fake marriage fic!

So Then This Happened: Doctor Who, Kate/Osgood PWP. There are things I'd change about the writing in this, but I guess you all like it!

Empty Spaces: Star Trek: the Next Generation, I looked at the whole Lal situation and decided to make it worse. People love being sad about Data, and who am I not to oblige?

Ghosts in the Machine: Doctor Who, TARDIS POV. One of my earliest fics and I still love writing her POV.

I Know My Sister Like I Know My Own Mind: Doctor Who, Kate/Osgood with Bonnie as the wingman. This was a fun one to write that I still have a soft spot for but kind of surprised to see it crack the top 5!

I do think it's very interesting how this differs when compared to comments. There's definitely a bias toward fluff for kudos (even the sad Data story ends on a hopeful note), while I get more comments on angst. (And I tend to get the BEST and most detailed comments on my absolutely unhinged stuff.)

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes! But I try to give it at least a week before I respond. If I respond to one right away, then I'll feel guilty for not responding to others right away, and then it starts to feel like a responsibility rather than a fun interchange of ideas and gratitude, and I don't want it to feel like that! Anyway, that's more info than you needed about my OCD but that is why I take awhile to respond. I do adore comments and often reread them when I am feeling down.

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

Hmmm, I have been trending towards endings with a tinge of hope, so even though Two Birds in A Cage may be my darkest fic overall, I don't think it wins this. In my Osgood Must Suffer verse, Nor Yet Favor to Women of Skill ends in a really dark place with Osgood totally brainwashed, yet the sequel It's True the Girl They Speak of Died sees her reaching for recovery. Similarly, in the Modern U.N.I.T Infernoverse, The Pieces That Get Sacrificed ends on a dark note, but Chess sees the promise of working towards a better self.

I think we have to reach back to some of my earlier, more edgelordy work, like Snuggle for LO:CI, which is just an autopsy of the two main characters, or Goodbye to Ugly Words and Yesterday and Everyone You Knew and Were, which sees Odo losing every bit of his hard-fought individuality and identity. Oh, or Vermin in the Lower Zoo, my AU of an evil First Doctor, that's a pretty dark ending.

Oh, wait, no Plaything, my AU of Pyramids of Sutekh where I slowly strip away everything the Fourth Doctor loves. Oh wait, no, final answer: Careful the Wish You Make: Wishes Are Children, in which I do the same thing to Sarah Jane, but worse.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Hmm, what makes an ending happier, the overall level of happiness or the contrast to the sadness or pain earlier in the story? I think this question is going for the former, so I'll say either Come to Me Softly, Come to Me Sweetly or The Completely True and Canon Story of Oswin Oswald Seduced Jo Grant, or Jo Seduced Her, or Something.

(Or if you want *waggles eyebrows* happy endings, maybe Respectful Discourse on Power Dynamics in the Workplace?)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not really! I feel like I've maybe got one or two mean comments on a fic on FF.Net over the years, but nothing memorable. Edit: oh, I remember! One person got sooooo mad at my characterization of Goren and Eames in Give and Take. Sorry, buddy, people are going to have different opinions about characters than you and write porn about it!

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

Fuck yes I write smut. It's one of the great joys of my life. I write predominantly F/F these days, though I've written quite a bit of of F/M, and a sprinkling of threesomes. I've made liberal use of the BDSM tag, and I like things that play with power dynamics and trust.

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

A few! One of my first fics was a cracky crossover, The Good Ship [Name of Ship]. I also did a LO:CI/X-Files crossover so Eames and Scully could have sex. It's not my favorite genre, but I'll do it for humor and/or smut.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I'm aware of, but it would be a great honor!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not really, but The Good Ship [Name of Ship] was written with the input of my best friend from high school, and she (with her fanfic author name) and some of her favorite characters do star in it. This is an important developmental stage for teen fic authors and I refuse to be embarrassed about it.

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

Impossible to choose. But have this handy summation:

Picard/Crusher, Odo/Kira, The Doctor/Sarah Jane, Bernie Wolfe/Serena Campbell: these ships changed me as a person and filled my heart to overflowing with yearning, making me believe in love across time and space and alternate universes

Kate Stewart/Osgood: I want the older authoritative one to top the shy nerdy one. A lot.

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

I am fully committed to eventually finishing every WIP. That said, it has been over a decade since I updated Loyalty's Price and that one has some intense worldbuilding that I would have to recall or rebuild from scratch, so uh, don't hold your breath for any updates soon.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I feel good about my ability to replicate character voice and to situate emotions in the body as physical sensations.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

My god, the amount of times characters speak hesitantly, as if their words are testing a fragile sheet of ice, or touch each other carefully, as if the other is wet paper that might tear, or a dozen other metaphors that my brain has just decided to go to constantly. You absolutely see this with published authors all the time so I don't feel bad about it, though, just amused at my dramatic-ass self.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

Not something that's come up a lot for me, but I would treat it the same as using another language in original work--seek out a real human to proofread, offer something in exchange for their time.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

My first fic was a Star Trek: Nemesis fix-it fic written in a spiral notebook in high school.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

This changes all the time depending on what mood I'm in, but right now I quite like Chess.

Tagging @ktlsyrtis and @bonnissance if you're up for it!

#tag game #fanfiction #writing

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pleasemyshipsdonotsink · 1 year ago

Text

Chihayafuru fancomic of Shinobu and Arata

Don't know how the original author of Chihayafuru sees this pairing, but eversince the endin' of manga and even before I've got a constant feeling that they could be an endgame, eventhough there were so many fans opposing this fact. I simply had to draw it. My mind is bathing in the sea of ideas for these two. I tried to keep characteristics of both of them like it was shown in the manga and nail their possible reactions how they'd be if the story continued. If there's no suitable fanfic or fancom, it's best to do it yourself.

To explain the possible misunderstandings in the fancom:

Shinobu wants to confess to Arata, but she doesn't know how and when. The night before, she stares at the cards and one of the 100 poets starts talking to her. That poet is Fujiwara no Sanekata. He suggests her that the best way to confess one's feelings is to do it with honesty, using the original way of an individual. There she decides that she will choose a card which best explains and expresses her feelings towards Arata and then she'll give it to him. She chose Fujiwara's poem (poem 51): When I must hide these burning feelings, I feel as though my body is on fire with Ibuki mugwort.

かくとだに

えやはいぶきの

さしも草

さしも知らじな

燃ゆる思ひを

(i've never learnt kanji so i hope i drew it right in the comic and deeply apologize if not)

There's one more poem that i used and that's Shinoburedo. It's mainly because it's Shinobu's card and secondly because this poem gave me the main idea for the drawing in the first place.

Taira no Kanemori Shinoburedo Iro ni ide ni keri Waga koi wa

Mono ya omou to Hito no tou made

Though I would hide it, In my face it still appears-- My fond, secret love.

And now he questions me: "Is something bothering you?"

忍ぶれど色に出でにけりわが恋は

物や思ふと人の問ふまで

As she prepares to give the 51st card to him, she recites herself verses of the Shinoburedo poem (that poem'd definetely calm her down), because she realises that she's starting to blush and that it's not simple to hide her feelings anymore, and that those feelings of hers won't be a secret anymore, At the end the one to finish reciting is not her, but Arata, who brings ancient poetry into reality, giving an opening chance for Shinobu to give him the confession and the answer Arata's expecting.

Sources for this fancom:

#anime #fanart #fan comic #fan manga #chihayafuru #chihayafuru manga #shinobu wakamiya #arata wataya #taichi mashima #chihaya ayase #shinobara #arata + shinobu #taichihaya #taichihaya 2023 #fandom ships #karuta #ogura hyakunin isshu #japanese poetry

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neowinestainedress · 30 days ago

Note

Hello! Inferno girly here.

I was actually talking about a whole new fic. The idea of ghost face woke something in me to be honest cuz honestly I haven't seen many of them and they're something rare for me beside the usual omega verse fics (no offence to those, I love them but I feel like they're so many and a little bit overrated)

I thought about the ghost face to be only a costume and for the break-in plot to be only their way to hide their identity (I have a problem when men have something on their face while doing it(especially those nerdy glasses🛐) ) and for the party party yea plot it can be a costume but also to be their personality like in that one inferno fic where they are different creatures at a party (sorry I forgot the name😔)

You can take your sweet time, don't have to rush this ill be glad to read it even at the middle of next summer if it's written by you really

Thank you for the Ao3 thingy, I'll definitely work on it since tumblr is getting a little bit boring (no offence tumblr, I still love you). I'm in this fan fiction world since wattpad was popular, I even paid for wattpad plus, but Ao3 was my least favourite tbh but I'll try to do something on that side.

I really appreciate you and your works. Love you sm🩷 Fighting!!🙋��‍♀️

love that you’re the inferno girly now shdjjd

okay so i got it right, i just wanted to make sure. i think they’re popular in other fandoms but not in the nct one which was so weird for me because you can come up with so many combination of them it’s such a fun concept for this season but i haven’t seen any, at least on tumblr 😭 (i have mixed feelings with omegaverse that’s why this one i have in mind would be the first one i do)

my brain is already imagining thing. like imagine if she decided to stay at home after they repeatedly asked her to go to a party (an halloween one if i can do it in time or just a party) and so they decide to break-in with the costume on. since it’s two of them i can’t make it something discussed before but they do it because they saw something on her internet search or she confessed a kink while drunk and so they decide to bring the fantasy to live and there would be so much teasing once she finds out who’s under the mask. (don’t worry here it’s a safe space i have a problem with it too (and i agree with the glasses too)) okay but now that you talked about glasses idk why i thought about jisung 😭 maybe he could be the shy friend who would never do something like this but jeno (or someone else idk) convinces him that it’s fine and the mc will be fine with it??? (i’m always afraid nerdy, shy jisung is an overdone trope but it seems like a fun idea here). yeah surely not killers but maybe they’re both a little possessive over the mc in their own ways. (don’t worry, i got it anyway, it’s sweet deception)

thank you, let’s hope i can come up with something good!

same, i started on wattpad (tbh i was also on two other sites, one is italian and i don’t remember the name of the other) but tumblr has been my favorite for the last few years before it started sabotaging me*, posting a fic it’s like a battle and i’m tired to do it everytime. ao3 doesn’t have an algorithm but for me it’s paradise because if you search for something you WILL find it. the only tags you can use here are the basic smut, fluff and angst one. i wanted to make a post to try to explain how ao3 works but then i never did. anyway here’s an useful link with the main answer about how it works and how to navigate the site, maybe it will help!

thank you for the support! love you 🩷

* i don’t think tumblr has problems with ME but post don’t show up in the tags, the whole label thing, links break the post most of the time, i just generally feel like it’s dying and i know i’m not the only one who thinks that, especially artists and writers are running away from here

#anon answered

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saltscars · 3 months ago

Text

Independent and highly private and selective Forgotten Realms oc Eponis Varro. Main verse in BG3, with more verses to come. Low activity. Mun is 25+, GMT(+1)

meme tag, headcanons (mage hand specific headcanons)

Drafts and asks: 6

Replies in queue: 0

Rules and muse under the cut

Rules

Hello !! My name is Nori. I'm 27 and live in the UK. This is a more casual blog for my girl Pony, with most of my attention being used for my main blog, @tamedstray. With that in mind, I want to keep my rules equally casual.

Mutuals only and highly selective. This helps me manage my anxiety here. If I choose not to follow you, I promise you, it's never personal. There are more people I want to write with than I have time to accommodate. Right now, I am keeping this blog below 20 mutuals.

Plotting and ooc communication really helps !! Please, don't be shy <3

Always remember that this is a hobby. I will never judge someone for deleting things or taking a break. I ask for the same patience. This place is free of pressure and petty drama.

Prompts are the best way to start writing with me! I answer everything I can, though sometimes delete asks when I'm feeling burnt out. If that's the case, I'll mention it on the dash.

Feel free to drop treads no questions asked ♡ I only ask that you inform me if you want to drop a plotted thread, thank you!

I'm not fussed about matching length. Outside of banter, a paragraph is fine. As long as I've got something to work with, I'm happy.

Dossier

Name: Eponis "Pony" Varro

Race: Human

Gender: Cis female (she/they)

Age: 29

Date of birth: 28 Nightal (December)

Background: Former pirate

Orientation: Bisexual

Class: Swashbuckler

Occupation: Information trader, occasional adventurer

Appearance

As wild as the stormy sea, Eponis is not intimidating through appearance alone, but through infamy. Deep tanned skin and dark locks that fall in untamed waves over sharp features and keen brown eyes. Marked by long scars, clawed across the contours of her left cheek, grazing her lip. Her right arm is covered in tattoos, though her left arm has been amputated above the elbow; Eponis uses an enchanted armband to cast a permanent form of Mage Hand that can carry up to 15kg (30lb.) Multiple facial piercings with silver jewelry (tba.)

History

Eponis was raised by her Aunt and Uncle, who imbued the young girl with all the skills they could afford to train her in. Curious and brave from an early age, she would travel into town to loan books out from the library; at first, just however many her small arms could carry, and then later, as many as the library would allow. She developed a passion for seafaring and star maps from an early age. Once she turned 17, she set out on her own.

She takes up residency upon a trade ship, quickly learning the ropes (ehehe) as she works her way up the ranks. However, the ship would eventually be hijacked by pirates. Eponis would plead for her life, hoping her potential as a navigator would be of value. The captain, a drow woman named Nervara, took a liking to her, choosing to spare Eponis' life if she would join her crew. Eponis accepts.

For years, Nervara groomed Eponis into a life of piracy. She enjoyed the adventure, and took to pickpocketing and gathering secrets whenever they would dock. Eventually, she would become Nervara's lover, and later, second in command.

After several years of raiding the Sword Coast, Eponis would long for the life she had originally set out to sea for. As much as she enjoyed the life Nervara had given her, Eponis still dreamed of being an honest adventurer and treasure hunter, dedicated to finding and preserving history. However, Nervara would rather kill Eponis than allow her to leave.

The two argued for weeks before docking at their next city. Shortly after arriving, however, Eponis is arrested for theft and piracy, sold out by Nervara. She spent many years in prison before escaping at age 24. Eventually, she made her way to Baldur's Gate where she began gathering and selling secrets across the city, hoping to stumble upon any information that will lead her to Nervara.

Just as Eponis finds the trail she's been tracking for years, she finds herself once again forced onto a ship. Only this time, it's a Mind Flayer nautiloid.

Personality

Chaotic neutral. The purely good intentions Eponis set out to sea with were buried there years ago. A playful tune to her voice does not mean she likes you, it merely means she is having fun with you, potentially at your expense. She is suspicious of everyone, but demands that others trust her. She won't betray an ally without good cause. Any relationship that isn’t purely business poses a threat to her sense of security. What free time she has, she spends buried deep in a story.

Eponis has a need to feel in control of things. She likes to lead any project she’s involved in and take in every detail. She enjoys the power information can bring her, feeling it makes her less susceptible to being used by others. Her main goal is to eventually track down Nervara and kill her.

Eponis’ past is always with her, even the good parts, so she tries to make time for her love of history by exploring ruins when she can.

Positive traits: Intelligent, charismatic

Neutral traits: Private, discerning

Negative traits: Stubborn, irritable

Likes: Adventure, travel, new challenges, reading

DIslikes: Vulnerability, feeling controlled or restrained

#pin.

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panda-writes-kpop · 2 years ago

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Best era for each dreamcatcher member?

This was such a fun ask to answer! It was a bit hard for some of the girls, as I felt they had fit in multiple eras, but I went with my gut and picked what I thought fit best with each girl. I did provide a bit of reasoning and fun, no harm intended commentary on each of my choices, so I hope you got your questions answered!

Obligatory @ for the Paladins because if I had to spend 45 minutes doing this, then they have to as well. :) @neon-city-dreams @kingmaker-a @foolish-sparrow @sanccharine I love you all a lot, so I hope you have fun doing this! 💖😉

Also, I went from oldest era to newest era instead of member order because I felt like it would be a fun change of pace! :) ( I put a readmore because, as expected from me, I wrote way more than I need to.)

Yoohyeon - Fly High (Prequel)

Gonna be honest, it was between Fly High and You and I, but I had to go with Fly High because I like Fly High more

Her stage presence is immaculate this era - as it is every era, but I think she shines most in brighter concepts than darker ones.

I think the styling fits her the best this era

I just really like her voice on Fly High. I couldn't exactly tell you why, but I do tend to really enjoy her vocal performances on brighter songs.

I'll never forget the first time I watched this MV and saw Yoohyeon kill the spider with the magnifying glass - it was both traumatizing and iconic.

Siyeon - What (Alone In The City)

The way she sings the chorus is so addicting, and the chorus itself is super catchy too.

Like, her voice starts to sing the chorus and then I'm fully immersed in the atmosphere of the song.

I really like how she was styled this era!

I think this was the era that I started to notice how fantastic Siyeon's stage presence is

Ms. Lee Siyeon is one of the main reasons why I enjoy Wonderland so much - her voice and energy perfectly match the song. It's so hard to take your eyes off of her whenever they perform this song!

JiU - Piri (The End Of Nightmare)

Red-haired idols have a chokehold on me, and yes, I know it is extremely unhealthy (part 1)

Iconic pre-chorus + post-chorus

"Pil-lil-lil-lil-lil-lily" *Katie tries and fails to do the hand choreography*

The dress they gave her was so pretty, like I don't even care that the styling was mostly that outfit in different colors, please give me more-

The B-sides 'And There Was No One Left' and 'Diamond' really show off her beautiful vocals so much. <3

Dami - Scream (Dystopia: Tree of Language)

Ah, yes, the one everyone was waiting for LOL.

Her "Devil eyes come" part still has me in a firm chokehold, and I have to repeat that part multiple times before I can listen to the song like a normal person.

I also am being held in a chokehold by her Red Sun and Black or White raps, but I am not complain because those really are some of her best verses to date.

I really am in love with her hairstyle and hair color this era.

The styling for this era - for all of the promoted songs - really is some of the best styling for Dami in my opinion. I'm already a sucker for women in suits, but Dami's Red Sun dresses? Whew, that really helped place her in the ultimate bias spot. I'm not joking you - I have a picture of her in one of those Red Sun dresses as my home screen on my phone.

SuA - Boca (Dystopia: Lose Myself)

Okay, listen, I know I might get dragged for not putting Dami here but hear me out-

I love SuA's voice in the pre-chorus, it's so beautifully haunting - I love it!

Whoever decided that she should dance in the rain with wet hair and a soaked dress needs a raise ASAP-

The concept photos and outfits this era really play to SuA's visual strengths - her strong jawline really compliments the make-up and outfits they put her in.

'Too many angels dying now, I'm gonna change your mind~" Pure iconic-ness right there. Like the queen she is, SuA is lifted above all of us to show how good of a vocalist she really is. No further explanation needed, your honor, I rest my case-

Handong - Odd Eye (Dystopia: Road To Utopia)

My girl came back with a BANG, like my god-

Handong's chorus part plus her part in the bridge are some of the best parts in the song.

I liked the styling for Odd Eye, but whoever decided her outfits for Wind Blows also needs a big ol' raise

Iconic Handong Wind Blows Chorus + she sings part of the chorus and then leads part of the post-chorus dance break!

Hair color was immaculate on her - I hope she goes back to that color again, it so complimented her

Gahyeon - BEcause (Summer Holiday)

Red-haired idols have a chokehold on me, and yes, I know it is extremely unhealthy (part two)

Facial expressions, stage presence, and acting was on POINT by Gahyeon

Styling complimented her visuals a lot - the space buns and the dresses are my favorite styling this era for her

Gahyeon chorus part is so good and catchy - I always sing along to it!

Is a major part of the iconic intro choreo, and the outro choreo has her as the center AS SHE SHOULD BE-

*BONUS!* OT7 - Maison (Apocalypse: Save Us)

Is it here because they got their first and second win because of this song? Yes, absolutely, but I still have more reasons as to why this is my favorite OT7 era.

Handong has now joined the league of "red-haired idols have a chokehold on me, and yes, I know it is extremely unhealthy"

Jokes aside, this is my favorite OT7 era in terms of styling and hair colors/styling - Yoohyeon's cookies 'n cream hair (I don't know how else to describe it, but it's cool as hell), Gahyeon's short hair, and the white goddess-styled dresses were some of my favorite parts.

DAMI CENTER INTRO I REPEAT DAMI CENTER IN THE INTRO THIS IS NOT A DRILL PEOPLE-

Despite what a lot of people say, I think Maison is a complete bop - it's such an earworm, the chorus is so catchy, and that song has one of the best outros I've ever heard.

Group B-sides are fantastic - Locked Inside A Door is like a classic DC b-side to a T which makes it so good, Starlight is the song I've been waiting for them to make since I got into them and oh my goodness did they exceed my expectations tenfold, Together is so fun and bouncy - I definitely get why people say it's club music, and Always is a beautiful ballad that shows off their fantastic voices.

The solo songs were excellently crafted and perfectly showed off their personalities! I don't think I could pick a favorite even if you forced me to - there's too many interesting, catchy, and excellent parts of each song that makes them incomparable to each other (at least to me)

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mattzerella-sticks · 3 years ago

Text

So I think I know my main pain point about this 'Gotham Knights' show - it's not a Batman show.

However, from what I've been seeing and reading, it's being marketed as a Batman show...

Except it's not. It's a show about Gotham.

On one hand I get why they can't market it as a Gotham show because, looking at the cast descriptions available to the public, 2 of the main characters (Terry/Tommy/Tyler Wayne and Duela Dent) feel like characters that already exist but couldn't be used - Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle. And the former is Batman's 'son' and investigating his murder, so technically it is a Batman show.

And when you think about that and ask "Well, why couldn't we get a series where a young Bruce Wayne gathers a group of teens to help solve his parents' murder, one of them being Selina Kyle?" You realize... thats already been done before. With Fox's Gotham.

And that's when it clicked that is the the CW's answer to Fox's Gotham and possibly the HBO Max series coming out soon about the Gotham PD from the Battinson verse.

Which then can explain why we're getting a new character who isn't one of the original Bat-sons, besides projects being developed with others in (i.e. potential Gotham Knights movie with first 3 robins and batgirl), every other established Wayne child already has a personality. Terry/Tommy/Tyler's personality is "Bruce Wayne". That's it. He's Bruce. He was invented so they could use Bruce without using Bruce.

That's not to say this is what the showrunners have planned officially, but it makes the most sense since they aren't using Damian or Duke - though I truly hope that's not the case. Because he should have his own personality, like Dick, Jason, Tim, Damian, and Duke. It won't be fun if it's an obvious copy of Bruce.

Same as how Duela seems like a copy of Selina Kyle, to the point there's no value of having her be the Joker's daughter except for the tension (possibly romantic 🤢) between her working with Batman's son. Or, God forbid, we find out she really did kill Bruce but it was an accident (robbery gone wrong, and either she kept it a secret until now or forced herself to forget and it was covered up).

They could've used wholly separate characters that had no relation to Bruce or Joker but are interested in solving the mystery of Bruce's death and then discover he's Batman. Gotham Academy came to mind at first but another group, recently created and with no history either, would've been the Brat Pack from Titans Academy - three orphans who solve mysteries, one of which was injected with ManBat serum so he's part bat. Why couldn't we have them instead of Tyler/Terry/Tommy Wayne and Duela!

Which is why the most exciting element, to me, in this show are Carrie, Cullen, Harvey and Harper since there are established expectations that I'm looking forward to see being brought to the live screen.

But I don't want to see Two-Face's creation because, again, this falls into the idea that this is a show similar to Fox's Gotham where we are seeing how villains in Gotham established themselves before Batman hit the scene, and played with the argument that "oh, Batman only made things worse because people dressed up in response" by going "actually, these people were getting progressively worse and cartoonish, Batman came on the scene after". I would rather, if we are getting Harvey and not Two-Face, at least have recognition and history that Harvey was once Two-Face, and this is set some time after he has reformed and 'earned back Gotham's trust' then it be like Two-Face hadn't existed yet. Mainly because, if this is a show about legacy and inheritance, they should lean from an earlier model for the show - Batman Beyond - and give the new Bat-Son a new rogue's gallery inspired by predecessors (like the gang of Jokers or that crew), as well as original enemies (like Gotham did with Fish Mooney for Gordon and BB's Doctor Phosphorus and Inque). So far, the only villain we are aware exists in this show is the Joker which... of course. Any others? Not that I'm aware of. If this is Harvey Dent, then we know Two-Face isn't.

Plus it'd be more interesting if this was a reformed Harvey instead of a fresh Harvey, just because it gives us an interesting, not seen as much characterization of the character.

TL;DR I am grappling with being excited for Gotham Knights and being annoyed with it because, while I'm excited for most of the main cast, the way this story goes and choices that were made and can still be made might ruin it - and I've been burned too many times before so I don't have high hopes

#gotham knights the show #gk spec #harvey dent #two-face #if the publications are true though im aware they arent always #i mean im thinking back to when they said Dean and Cas had love interests in s10 and how wrong those were #and even recent about Tyler and Duela being Dick and Stephanie #but it is weird we are getting one new character in a sea of established characters #WHICH AS I TYPE MAKES ME UNDERSTAND MY OTHER ANGER AT TYLER #this smells of OC self-insert fanfic and i hate those types of fics lol #because OC leads to OOC especially when you make the OC a main character #and I have THOUGHTS and FEELINGS about DC and especially Batman #batman is one of my special interesrs lol #and it's not like they can't do a series set after Bruce's death #Black Canary Breaking Silence by Alexandra Monir was set after Batman's death and even adjusted characters' canon to fit the story #like bringing Oliver Queen to Gotham and having him and Dinah be teens and younger than Bruce #as well as using established villains such as Court of Owls and Penguin without making it appear like they were just starting out #drop a new character with no ties into the middle of thr story don't give us a character with all these connections and have the story strt #gotham #dc comics #dcu #dceu

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polar-stars · 2 years ago

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Don't know if anyone has asked before, but do you have any This-gen/Next gen HCs that will stick with you no matter how many AUs you think of?

Sorry for answering this so late!

Y'all probably can't hear this anymore at this point, lol, but I am have one hundred percent successfully convinced myself that Etsuya Eizan has a long-lived crush on Nene Kinokuni in canon, which does carry over into whatever AU or scenarios I come up with because idk man, it just feels so right to me at this point.

It is in the little details...like how he barely ever fights back when she calls him out on stuff, how he does not seem to mind the thought of her beating Soma instead of him even though going up against Soma is his main reason for participating in the RDC in the first place... Also I just generally feel like that she is very much his type of woman (intelligent, cold, capable of murdering people with just one glance, hair as green as American cash).

Nene returning those feelings is a different question and I don't think she always would in the AUs I come up with? (I have already written a story in a different...timeline (I think?) than the one I usually work in, where she doesn't) Even if it is (obviously) my most preferred outcome ahdhfghg. But yeah, Eizan? Head over heels for her in every single universe!

For another headcanon, which is possibly a it more silly but which I vehemently stick to regardless is the headcanon that Momo is a "shipper" so to speak, who "ships" her friends with each other.

aFDHFH listen...Momo is all about predicting what is "cute" and I think she would deem herself capable of also predicting and figuring out what the "cutest" matches are ashfhf so yeah.

In "SnKimiko-Verse" but also many other 'verses

Bringing the OTP back yet again because I love to be annoying...One thought I like especially is that Momo first made the prediction that Etsu-Nyan and Kinokuninyan are going to end up together someday which Somei replied to with "You're insane". Most people doubted her, but Momo was just like "You'll see <.<"

And yeah, Momo "the Shipper" is a headcanon that I feel is sticking with me in each and every AU I'd come up with...

Lastly another headcanon that I am never going to let go off, no matter the verse, is that Takumi and Ikumi can both dance PHENOMENALLY well!

I am sure there's more I can name if I dig deeper through my brain...but I hope those were entertaining enough for now 😌

#Shokugeki no Soma

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violetarks · 4 years ago

Text

Just A Game: Shouldn't Couldn't Wouldn't

Anime: My Hero Academia

LEVEL DOWN | MENU | LEVEL UP

"Shinso, you don't want to watch with us?" Uraraka questioned, settling down in between Todoroki and Midoriya.

The man shook his head. "No. You guys are probably gonna' watch some boring rom-com." He joked, brushing a hand through his hair.

It's been two days since he last spoke to Y/N.

They were completely cut off from each other. No, they didn't delete their numbers off of their phones, but they weren't talking at all. It gave Y/N time to cool off and work on her song as well as stream sometimes. Shinso worked on streaming by himself and helping others with their videos.

"Y/N came out with a new song!" Uraraka giggled out in excitement, turning on YouTube on the TV, "Only the music video is out for now, but I heard all her friends helped to film it!"

Shinso visibly tensed up at her words. They hadn't mentioned anything about Y/N to him, just guessing that they were having some trouble. But it completely went out of Uraraka's head as soon as she read Y/N's Twitter post that said ''Shouldn't Couldn't Wouldn't' is out now on my YouTube channel!! Go check it out or else I'll send Bakugou after you 😡😡😡'.

Shinso sighed out, "I'm good. I need to make some lunch for us anyway."

They said their 'thank you's to Shinso as Iida told him to be careful in the kitchen. He stood in the kitchen for a while, mind going to Y/N. She looked so hurt when he admitted he lied. And maybe she would've felt better if he just poured out why he felt this way, to lie and such.

The chatter of Todoroki, Midoriya, Iida and Uraraka died down at the girl pressed 'play' on the TV.

Shinso stood behind them in the living room doorway. He didn't want to sit with his friends right now. He just wanted to be alone and watch the music video.

The music came out gently at first. The plucking of the strings on the electric guitar was simple. It sounded like the feeling of falling. The video started out on a blank screen, the words 'Shouldn't Couldn't Wouldn't' on the black background. Underneath showed the people's names.

Vocals: L/N Y/N, Kirishima Eijiro

Guitars: Kirishima Eijiro (lead), Kaminari Denki (back-up electric), Jirou Kyoka (bass)

Drums: Bakugou Katsuki

Cameras: Ashido Mina, Sero Hanta

And then the drum beat came in behind, slowly at first as the first verse came up.

"'By now I got your bad habits all memorized, like, when I know you need me most'," Y/N sung, hand on the microphone as she tugged the wire behind her, "'You go and shut me out, figures, you Gemini."

They decided not to film a big music video, just one in the studio. They got Mina and Sero to dl the camera work, and God, did they do a great job

"Wow, she can really sing!" Midoriya commented before Uraraka quieted him down. She was a huge fan of Y/N's.

"'And I'm not sayin' that I've got, all of the answers, but,'" She kept going, Mina's camera panning to Kaminari who was focusing on the guitar at the moment, "'Boy, I've been in love before'."

Jirou had sung in the harmonies, adding in the ones they agreed on. It sounded like honey.

He wondered who she was in love with before him, and if they did a better job. Y/N admitted that she wanted to be more than friends with Shinso, and he blew it. Maybe the other person who loved her treated her better.

"'It's not always peachy, look, life ain't that easy,'" Y/N kept going, tapping her foot in beat with Bakugou's soft drumbs, "'But one thing I know for sure is it—'"

"'Shouldn't,'" She sung lightly with Jirou behind her, looking up to the camera with a completely 'done' expression, "'Be this hard, you couldn't, DTR. Oh wouldn't, it be nice, if we could stay friends? But we shouldn't.'"

The camera caught how Kirishima and Bakugou glanced at each other before at Y/N. It wasn't very discrete in the shot of the whole band.

Shinso clenched the fabric of his sweater as he watched her. She was gorgeous, on and off camera.

"Y'know what? I couldn't." Y/N went on, one hand brushing the back of her neck whilst the other held onto the microphone, "'Nough's enough. If I had your heart, it wouldn't be this... hard."

She looked deep in thought and would've stayed that way if it wasn't for Kirishima's little riff on his guitar.

Shinso noticed how she looked to the ground, swallowing before looking back up to the camera with a small grin.

She began to walk around the studio, tugging the wire behind her. "You wonder why suddenly, I'm coming off indifferent." She chimes, shrugging her shoulders innocently, "'What you don't seem to understand is..."

She stood next to Jirou, who was smiling at her friend. She hadn't seen Y/N this passionate about a song in ages. Jirou didn't like the intention behind it, but she always loved seeing Y/N give her all.

"It's not anything you said, it's everything you didn't. Ooh," Y/N spoke, glaring at the camera as Jirou harmonised with her. It was obvious who she had in mind. She hoped he saw this.

Shinso definitely did, he was feeling his heart rate increase slowly as she spoke. She meant every word she said and Shinso had the front seat to who she meant it to.

"Yeah, you." She sung, waving a finger in the air, "You always answered with, more questions to questions that scare you."

Y/N stood in the middle of Kirishima and Kaminari, tilting her head down to the camera. She wore a face that said she was truly angered, but was hiding it behind her smile. But it fell for the next line.

"We're not always peachy, look, love ain't that easy." Y/N stated, Bakugou in the background of the shot twirling his drumsticks in between his fingers.

"But one thing I know—" Y/N struck her fist up into the air, as did Kaminari and Kirishima, "I know it for sure that it!"

"Shouldn't," Jirou came in as Y/N finished the climax of that line.

"Be this hard, you couldn't," Y/N went on after taking a deep breath, pulling the mic back to her lips, "DTR. Oh wouldn't, it be nice if we could stay friends? But we shouldn't!"

Kaminari had whistled in the background at her voice. Y/N sung this chorus with so much more heat and push, making it sound less soft and passive-agressive than the last. Making it now — just agressive.

But Kirishima and Bakugou focused on their instruments. They knew how much Shinso hurt her. Which is why they encouraged her to sing this song for the album, it would help her get all this hatred out of her system.

"Y'know what? I couldn't!" She called, hand in her hair as she went over to Kirishima. As Sero's camera followed her, she leaned her arm against Kirishima's shoulder. "'Nough's enough! If I had your heart, it wouldn't be this hard."

Bakugou's drumming was the main attraction in the music background for the third verse.

"I drank too much tonight to not try to call you up." Kirishima finally joined in, singing into the microphone that stood in front of him. He worked with Jirou to help get his voice to suit this song better. "I mean, that's what our phones are for."

"Even Kirishima? Damn, they're all talented." Todoroki commented, sipping from his glass as Uraraka shifted in her spot.

She squealed, "Oh my God! People are gonna' go crazy over this! A duet between Kirishima and Y/N!"

Shinso didn't like that. The idea of Kirishima and Y/N together right after they broke it off, as friends. He wanted a second chance to make things better.

Mina's camera showed Kaminari throwing up a fist to cheer on his best friend, Jirou smiling at Kirishima.

It made the red-haired boy grin through his singing. "Not one for titles, girl, in other words — terrified." He said, seeing Y/N lift herself off of him to whisper to Bakugou about something.

Shinso was terrified. He hated to admit it. Perhaps that was why he could lie. Because he was scared.

The next line made him blush red. "That pussy kicked my rules out the door."

Y/N only grinned at him.

Shinso felt his heart ache.

Kaminari wrote that sentence. He wrote all of Kirishima's lines. Which made Jirou and Y/N laugh in rehearsals.

Kirishima shook his head, Sero's camera now focusing on him. "I could take more shots or I could take you, off your blouse." Kirishima sung as Y/N came back to her spot, still watching him, "My favourite parts of fucking is either when I'm done or when you're walking out my house."

Again, Shinso grit his teeth as he listened to those lines.

But why? Y/N wasn't his.

Jirou had hit Kaminari for writing that line as he claimed it was too late to change it now.

As Y/N twirled the microphone wire in between her fingers, Kirishima closed his eyes and went on, "You don't pick up when I call unless I call you 'mine'. But one thing I know is it—"

"Shouldn't!" Y/N came in again, taking the last chorus again with Jirou. Kirishima went back to focusing on his guitar.

He tried calling her. She didn't pick up. Ever. Maybe because she was filming and editing, or because she didn't want to waste the time on him.

"Be this hard. You couldn't, DTR. Oh wouldn't, it be nice if we could stay friends? But we shouldn't..." She sung, tilting her head to the side with closed eyes.

Y/N held onto the microphone tightly as Jirou watched her intensely. "Y'know what? I couldn't! 'Nough's enough!" She sung loudly, mic pulled away a bit to prevent peaking, "If I had your heart, it wouldn't be this..."

She took a deep breath in before letting it out in the song. "Hard — ah, ah, ah—ah, ah, ah..." She sung in melody with Jirou, closing her eyes with knitted brows. She was about to burst. "Oh, woah, woah—Hard, ah, ah! Mm!"

When Y/N opened her eyes, she stared at the ground. The drumming was dropped and the only one playing was Kirishima, the lead guitarist for the song.

She sighed, "It's not always peachy, look, love ain't that easy. But one thing I know, for sure is we... shouldn't."

The music stopped and was replaced by Kaminari's cheers. They finished the take in one go. He set his guitar down and ran up to the girls, engulfing them in giant hugs as he complimented their voices.

Y/N giggled, hugging back with Jirou, who looked madly annoyed. Bakugou only came towards them at Y/N's whining, telling him to be a team player. He allowed her to wrap an arm around his neck, saying how good his drumming was.

The last to join the hug was Kirishima. He stood in front of Y/N, placing a hand on top of her head and ruffling her hair. She complained about it until he rested a kiss on her forehead.

That's where the video cut off.

Shinso squinted at the TV before overhearing Uraraka compliment how well they sang and how great they performed all together. She always loved their friendship group.

Iida said something about the camera work and how the transitions were smooth.

Midoriya liked how they seemed relaxed all the time during the recording.

Todoroki mentioned how it kind of hinted to Kirishima and Y/N being a couple.

Shinso walked back into the kitchen.

Fun Fact: Y/N and her best friends really only met through Kaminari spilling his tea over Y/N's shirt at the cafe they all coincidentally studied at. She had her music playing through her headphones, which is why Jirou had introduced herself since she liked the artist too. Kaminari and Mina cried over ruining a pretty outfit. Kirishima apologised for their behaviour. Bakugou hit the two for their actions. Mina invited Y/N to come to their table and pay for her food in return.

TAGS: @just-some-stars @freyafolkvangr @headfirst-halo @wotsitgirl @falling4fandoms @katsuki-bakuhoee @adorable-punk-superheroes @firecet @ouijaeater15 @swoonhui @thegalxe @caitff @camry-orphanaccount @angelofdarkness1020 @someweirdshitman @jazzylove

#shinso hitoshi #shinso #shinso hitoshi x reader #shinso x reader #shinso smau #shinso hitoshi smau #my hero academia #mha x reader #mha #mha smau #anime #anime x reader #anime smau

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