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mamaestapa · 1 year ago

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Morning Sickness, Baby Bumps, and AFC Championships, oh my!

•pairing: Joe Burrow x reader

•series summary: Y/n Hubbard, the younger sister of Cincinnati Bengals Defensive End Sam Hubbard, finds herself in a difficult situation after a steamy hookup with her brothers best friend, who just so happens to be the quarterback for the Bengals. In just nine months their lives will be changed forever. How will Y/n and Joe manage to to go through parenthood together? more so, how will Sam take the news he is going to be the uncle of his best friends baby?

•chapter summary: It’s AFC championship day!you talk to Joe for the first time since you broke the news to him and you discover a sweet surprise

•word count: 4k

•warnings: Pregnancy, morning sickness, vomiting, mentions of dildos (you’ll see-), language, the usual ;)

series masterlist

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January 28-29, 2023 (the actual game is not accurate. I didn't feel like going back and looking at play by play stuff lol)

2 months pregnant

"All right, everyone here?" Zac asked, rubbing his hands together and surveying the crowd full of players. The players, coaches, and other staff including you were all sitting half dead, in the film room of the Kettering Health practice facility, at 4 fucking am. Why were you all there at 4 am you might ask? Well, AFC championship is tomorrow, woo hoo! (Can you hear the sarcasm? You’re excited, just not excited to be here at four in the morning…) You really don't know why Zac needs all of you to be here at four AM if you’re not even leaving until nine? You sat between Sam and Tee, trying to stay awake as Zac was rambling on about the upcoming game. Joe was sitting to your right, next to Sam. Every once in a while, the two of you would glance at one another, your quick, blank glances speaking so many unspoken words. You could tell Joe was still trying to process the news that he was going to be a dad.

You groaned silently and shut your eyes in agony as as Zay pulled down a projector. You leaned over and whispered to Sam, "He made us all come here at four in the morning for this? I don't even need to be watching this shit." It’s true. There is absolutely no reason or benefit for you to watch film for the next four hours.

Sam scoffed, "Tell me about it...I spent all week watching film." Tee leaned over your body, "Diddo." he spoke lowly. Joe’s eyes widened as he looked at Tee. “Did you just say dildo?" he asked, horrified.

You snorted out a laugh. A couple guys turned around and looked at you. Then, Zac stopped talking. Your heart dropped at the sudden attention on you. You could feel your face start to heat up as you spoke, “Sorry coach, I-I felt a sneeze coming."

Zac shook his head, "S’all good. As I was saying..." You turned your attention back to the football players around you. Tee tried to suppress a laugh as he shook his head at his quarterback, “No you dirty minded fuck, I didn't say dildo. I said diddo."

Joe chuckled, “Oh. oops." You just shook your head as the two chuckled. You leaned back in your seat and ignored the childish men next to you, instead trying to focus on staying awake. There really was no reason for you to even be here. You could be in your bed right now, getting enough sleep before your flight to Kansas City, but no. Zac insisted everyone come to the practice facility for film. You shook your head as you heard the guys snicker beside you. You ignored them once again and went back to trying to stay awake.

Your attempts ultimately failed as you felt your head fall onto Tee's shoulder. You suddenly jerked your head up at the contact. "Sorry Tee..." you whispered as you rubbed your heavy, tired eyes. Tee wrapped a muscular arm around your shoulder, pulling you into him, "You're alright, babe. Get some sleep." You smiled softly, cuddling into his side and drowning out the sounds of Zac's voice as he explained the current selection of film.

About an hour later you woke up to a sudden feeling of nausea. This morning sickness thing really gets old quick...but it's so going to be worth it in about seven months. At least, you hope it'll be worth it.

You jolted your head up from Tee's shoulder, swallowing thickly and feeling a sour taste in your mouth as you did so. You brought your hand up to your mouth, covering it discreetly with a few fingers. Tee looked down at you, a look of deep concern appearing on his face, "You alright?" You nodded, "Yeah," you swallowed once again, stomach churning as the bile began to rise u the back of your throat. You didn't have long before you'd be throwing up. "I uh, I just have to go to the bathroom...girl problems." You lied as Tee let go of you and nodded, "Oh okay. I'll keep your spot warm." You winked in return, "Thanks, you're the best."

You discreetly got out of your chair and quietly hurried over to the bathroom, basically throwing yourself into a stall as soon as you got in there. You hovered over the toilet and immediately pulled your hair back as you retched into the toilet. You heard the door open, causing you to raise your head from the porcelain bowl. You wiped your mouth and took a deep breath, waiting to hear who was in the bathroom with you.

"Y/n?" you heard a familiar voice ask, "you in here?" You felt your heart drop as you heard him speak. "Y-yeah. I'm in here, Joe." You said shakily as you held your hand out under the stall for him to see. Suddenly, you felt another wave of nausea consume you. You groaned, "Oh god..." Joe jogged over to the stall and swung the door open. He quickly leaned down and grabbed your hair, holding it back for you and rubbing your back with his free hand as you coughed into the bowl. "There you go," he soothed quietly, "just let it all out."

You were a bit confused as to why Joe was in the bathroom with you. But you were even more confused over the fact that he was helping you, calming you down through your first round of morning sickness. You figured he'd need more time to process the news about the baby, but here he was, helping you out with the sickness caused by that same baby. You hurled once again, groaning into the bowl as the early morning nausea raged on. Joe couldn't help but grimace as he looked down at you. "I'm sorry, I really am." he said, his grimace turning to a frown as you brought your head up from the toilet. You reached up to flush the toilet, wiping your mouth at the same time. "No you're not." you said, taking a deep breath. Morning sickness was absoluetly exhausting. And being up since 3 o'clock in the morning didn't help either.

Joe chuckled and wrapped his arms around your waist. You leaned back into his touch, not even thinking about what you were doing. All that vomiting must have clouded your judgement. The two of you sat in tense silence for a moment before you broke it. "Why are you in here?" you asked softly. You felt Joe shrug beneath you, "You seemed a little frantic getting out of there," he cleared his throat, "plus, I know the first trimester can be rough with the whole morning sickness thing. Figured that's why you ran off..." You just hummed in response.

After a couple minutes of composing yourself, you no longer felt nauseated. You wiped your mouth one last and stood up from Joe's embrace. Joe stood the same time as you and backed out of the stall, so that you could leave. He watched from the stall door with soft eyes as you washed your hands and rinsed your mouth out. You turned to the side to grab a paper towel. Joe couldn't help the faint gasp that left his lips as he saw what was in front of him. You looked up at him through the mirror, confused as to why he was gasping, "Huh?" you asked. You swore you could see his blue eyes begin to well with tears. You turned around and looked at him, concerned, "What!?" "Turn to the side again." Joe instructed, gesturing for you to turn again. You gave him a funny look as you furrowed your brow in confusion, "O-okay?"

You did as Joe said. You looked at him through the mirror, unsure of what he wanted you to look at. He just pointed at the mirror as your eyes surveyed all over the mirror. You couldn't find what he was tearing up over; however, your eyes immediately widened when you finally saw what it was.

"Oh my god..." you breathed out, placing both of your hands on your belly. You flattened your shirt, discovering that there was now a very small bump where your previously flat stomach was. Your heart swelled as you looked at the little bump that was beginning to form. The bump that was only going to grow bigger and bigger as the months flew by. Your baby was finally starting to show and your pregnancy was really starting to feel real now. You looked up at Joe through the mirror once again, smiling widely. Joe had the same smile tugging at his lips.

"Well," he slowly made his way up to the sink, "would you look at that..." he said in awe, which you couldn't help but giggle. "I didn't think i'd show this early." Joe chuckled, looking down at your tummy, "Baby definitely decided to make an appearance today didn't he?" "He?" you inquired, eyebrow raised as you looked at the blonde. "Yeah, I think it's a boy." he shrugged. "Oh really? Are we placing bets already?" you said, smirking at him. Joe chuckled, "Maybe"

You smiled softly, looking down at your small baby bump. You looked back up at Joe, noticing how his blue eyes seemed to light up every time he looked at your belly. You knew you needed to talk to him about the baby and his reaction to your pregnancy. You needed to know what he was going to do and how he was processing the news of becoming a father. It would be easy to bring up since neither of you were really thinking about anything at the moment except for the life inside your womb.

"Joe," you said, your voice just slightly above a whisper, "we need to talk." Joe nodded, "Yeah, we do."

You took a deep breath as you saw his mouth open as if he was going to say something to you. He closed his mouth and just looked at you, neither one of you really knew how to start the conversation. You looked into his eyes and sighed softly. You decided to be the one to rip off the bandaid and get the conversation started.

"How are you doing?" you asked, referring to the baby news bomb you had dropped on him just days ago. Joe shrugged, "I'm OK. Still trying to process things." he said softly as he looked down at you. His blue eyes averted from your eyes and down to your belly. A small smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. "I know I said I wasn't ready to be a dad yet, but," he reached out for your hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, "I won't let you go through this alone, Y/n."

Tears began to well up in your eyes at his words. You blame the hormones, but really, they were tears of relief. You and Joe still needed time to process everything, but it was so good to know he wasn't going to abandon you or his baby.

"I still need some time, and I know neither of us are ready to be parents," he looked into your eyes, his gaze soft, "but we'll get through this together."

You smiled softly at him. Deep down you knew Joe would never make you go through parenthood by yourself, but it was still reassuring to hear him say it himself. There was a still a lot you and Joe needed to discuss regarding your pregnancy and your relationship, but this was a good starting point. And hey, you still have about seven months to figure everything else out.

"Thank you Joe." You spoke softly. Joe nodded and gave you a small smile in return, "Of course, Y/n. We'll talk more after the game, yeah?" You nodded, "Okay," you glanced at your watch, noticing that a lot of time has passed since you first went into the bathroom, "we should probably get back out there before anyone gets suspicious." Joe stood up straight from his leaning position on the bathroom counter, "You're right," he sighed, "we should probably go back out there. I don't feel like getting my ass called out by Taylor." You giggled as you pulled your leggings up higher to try and conceal the slight bump in your lower abdomen. The bump wasn't too big yet, so if someone asked about it, you could hide it by saying it was simply just period bloat.

Joe walked out of the bathroom before you did, so the two of you didn't come out and sit back down in your seats at the same time. You. waited a couple more minutes before exiting the bathroom, and quietly making your way back over to your seat. Tee looked up at you and smiled softly, "You okay? It took you a while in there." You held your hand up, stopping him, "Trust me, you don't want to know." He shuddered as he remembered what you told him when you got up to use the bathroom, "Yeah you're right, I probably don't." You just chuckled and sat back in your seat, listening to the rest of the Zac's film breakdown.

~time skip~

"Okay everyone" Zac said, gesturing out to all of you standing around, "we board the plane in ten. See ya on there!" You sighed, ready to get out of the airport gate and onto the plane.

"Hey Y/n, can I steal you real quick?" Zac asked, walking up behind you. You turned around to took look at the coach, smiling as you said, "Yeah, of course." You got up from your seat and followed him away from the crowd of players. He stopped in front of the coffee bar, you doing the same. "You sure you still want to come?" he asked, crossing his arms. You nodded, "Yes, definitely! Why wouldn't I?" He frowned softly as he lowered his voice, "I saw you get up and go to the bathroom. Morning sickness hitting you hard?"

Your shoulders fell in defeat as you let out a sigh. "Yeah, it is. But I'm fine now," you smiled slightly, "I probably won't be around eleven though, but I'll manage." Zac nodded, "Okay, just wanted to make sure. You don't need to do anything tomorrow except enjoy the game. Kate's got everything covered." You smiled, grateful that Zac handled everything, "Oh okay, great. Thanks coach." He smiled, "yup, thank you. I'll see you on the plane." Zac walked away, leaving you alone to walk back over to the guys.

"You guys ready to be AFC champs again?" you asked, smiling brightly as you got closer to the group. Sam smirked, "Hell yeah." Ja'Marr smiled as he fist bumped Sam, "We're goin' all the way again this season."

The Bengals and Chiefs battled eachother for the AFC champion title just last year, with the Bengals winning. This time however, the Chiefs were ready for their revenge against the boys in orange and black. As time neared to board the plane, you double checked and made sure you had everything you needed before boarding the plane. You had the option to have your own seat up front near the coaches, and coordinators, or you could sit with all the guys. After much whining and pleading from Ja'Marr and Tee, and them earning an eye roll from you in return, you decided to sit with the guys. They cheered as you walked down the aisle of seats, finding Tee with an empty seat next to him. You happily sat down next to him as you looked to see who was around you. In front of you sat Joe and Sam, while Ja'Marr and Evan McPherson sat next to you. As the plane started moving, you pulled out your phone.

"Hey guys, get in." you said, smiling as you held out your phone so it could get all the guys in the frame. You took a selfie with all five of them and posted it to your instagram story, along with the teams story. You shut your phone off, put your AirPods in, and drifted off into a much needed rest.

You woke up about an hour later to surprise, surprise another feeling of nausea. You looked at your watch checking the time, and sure enough, it was eleven AM. You groaned slightly as you felt a sour taste in your mouth, getting up and quietly making your way into the bathroom. Thankfully, almost all the guys had headphones on, and the planes engine was loud enough to drown out the sound of you throwing up. After cleaning yourself up you made your way back to your seat. As you walked down the aisle, you noticed most of the guys were asleep except for Joe, and a few others. You walked by his seat, acknolweding him by reaching out to gently squeeze his shoulder. You smiled softly as he looked up at me. Joe smiled and reached out, letting his hand graze your lower belly for just a couple seconds. You sat back down in your seat, leaning on your hand, and slowly drifting back to sleep for the rest of the flight to Kansas City.

~time skip~

"You guys have worked your asses off all year to get here. Go out there and make all that hard work pay off. Go out there and make me proud guys. But don't just make me proud. Make your family, your friends, your kids, and most importantly, your fans proud! Prove the haters, the doubters, the ones saying you wouldn't get to this moment ever again, prove them wrong! Go out there and kick some ass guys. I know you're all hungry for another AFC championship win, so let's go out there, and play like fucking champions today!" Zac yelled, finishing up his pre-game locker room speech.

Your eyes widened as you heard chanting and clapping break out in the locker room. You made your way out of the locker room tunnel and out to the Bengals sideline of the stadium. As you made your way out there, you waved to some of the fans in the stands. Normally a social media manager wouldn't get the attention of fans, but having Sam Hubbard as your older brother gets you a lot of attention--from fans and other players.

About fifteen minutes later, kickoff rolled around. The Chiefs received the ball first. You stood on the sidelines in your "Hubbard" jersey, black leggings, black boots and orange puffer jacket, watching as the defense went to work. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes faked a hand off to Pacheco, instead opting to throw to tight end Travis Kelce, who ran it in 15 yards for a Cheifs touchdown. The crowd in Arrowhead went wild, Cheifs fans already celebrating their 6, now 7, point lead. You watched as Joe jogged onto the field, ready to catch up. The Bengals offense took the field, looking flawless the first couple plays, until they got down to the 20 yard line. Joe Mixon took a nasty hit, and his return to the game was questionable. The Bengals took a time out after their lead back got injured. You made eye contact with Joe as he got a drink. You gave him a thumbs up. He smiled slightly before jogging back onto the field. The guys got out of their huddle just by a clap from Joe's hands. By the way the players were set up on the field, you knew that Joe would be throwing the ball.

"Turbo set hut" Joe yelled out his cadence. You stood on your tip toes to watch the scene in front of your. Just as you expected, Joe flawlessly threw the ball to Ja’Marr for a touchdown.

"Touchdown Cincinnati!" The announcer yelled.

"Yes!” You yelled, cheering along with Kate through the commotion in the stands. You high-fived Joe as he walked by taking his helmet off. He sat down on the bench and put his Bengals beanie on as a water boy put a black sideline coat over his body. The rest of the first quarter was pretty boring, as not much was happening. Same with the second quarter, except for the Chiefs making a field goal before half.

At half time, the Chiefs were leading 10-7. You stayed out on the sidelines with Kate as the guys went to the locker room. After halftime, the Bengals received the ball at kickoff. Trent Taylor ran it up to the 30 before getting tackled. Joe and the guys ran onto the field. They ran the ball for a couple of plays, which didn’t get them anywhere. At this point, the Bengals were at 3rd down, and Zac still wanted them to run the ball. You watched as Joe decided it wouldn't be good for them to run it, so he faked a hand off to Perine, and threw the ball instead. You held your breath, watching as Joe lofted the ball into the air. Tee caught the ball and took off running, but he was immediately knocked down. However, the Bengals did successfully get the 1st down. Joe went to throw the ball again, but he got sacked. After a couple plays, the team was at 4th down, with Zac deciding to go for it. Unfortunately, Joe’s pass was tipped and picked. Everyone on the Bengals sideline shoulders slumped, upset with the outcome of the play. The fans in the stadium went wild as a defensive player caught the ball.

Fast forward to the final five minutes of the 4th quarter...both teams were tied. The guys looked great the beginning of the half, but something seemed off toward the end. Joe wasn't throwing as consistently and accurately, and the receivers seemed to be out of sync. Even the defense struggled to keep up with the pressure and intensity of the Chiefs offense.

Sadly, the Bengals made a late hit, giving the Chiefs a brand new set of downs with 10 seconds left. Harrison Butker, kicker for the Chiefs, made the field goal, sending the Kansas City Chiefs to the Super Bowl.

Arrowhead went insane as the players celebrated on the field. Many Bengals players and coaches went out to the field to congratulate their opponents. You looked over at Sam and frowned, mouthing, “I’m so sorry.” He just shrugged and smiled sadly at you.

You could tell this loss wasn’t going to be easy on anyone.

~time skip~

You and Kate sat in the conference room set up in the stadium for post game interviews. The four players that would be getting interviews done from the Bengals were Coach Taylor, Joe, Ja’Marr and Sam.

Zac went first, talking about the outcome of the game and how the off-season would look for the team. You weren’t really listening to what he was saying, you just sat there and tuned out his voice as your thoughts ran wild. It was the off-season now, meaning you and Joe could focus on the more important things in your lives right now. The list too long to even begin naming…

You head perked up as you saw Joe walk up to the podium. You sat up a little straighter and listened carefully as the blonde did his post game interview.

"Hey Joe, we just have a few questions. How are you handling this loss? Joe nodded, "Yeah, we uh, it's tough. It’s tough to lose such a big game like this, but our guys are going to take this as a learning experience, and uh, come back next year better than the last." He finished with a nod, turning to look at the next reporter.

"Joe, after the first half...you threw that interception, got sacked, and your throws didn’t look good out there. Why is that?"

Joe had a slight look of disappointment on his face, but he wouldn’t let the reporters notice. You on the other hand couldn't help but frown at the reporters question.

“Yeah,” he nodded, “I will not be the first to say that I was not playing well the fourth quarter. I was trying to, to make plays out of something that wasn't there, and it ultimately lost us the game."

"You feel like you're the reason the team lost?" the reporter questioned. Joe nodded, "I do,” he sighed softly, “And uh, I feel that if I wouldn't have thrown that pick, maybe we would have won, but it's hard to say. They were the better team today, and our guys-,” he hesitated before he said, “we looked good at times, but, we definitely struggled that second half."

You couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Maybe if I would've waited to tell him about the baby after the game, he would've played better. You thought to yourself as you continued to watch Joe.

"Hey Joe,” he looked at the next reporter and nodded, “what do you think caused your team to underperform that second half?”

Joe shrugged, "I can't speak for the other guys, but for myself I can," he glanced at you as he said the following, "I received some very exciting, but also uh, nerve wracking, I guess you could say. Uh news a couple days ago, and I guess I was still focused on that.” He chuckled, making the reporters laugh too.

He composed himself and looked at the reporter as he continued, "but uh, the nerves from, from that and you know just the nerves from this game today really affected my performance. It’s huge to win something like this, and to go out there and perform the way that we did, the way that I did, it, it’s tough. But,” he sighed, “You can't blame just one person, it's a whole team effort. There were things that I could've done better, things our defense could've done better. Everyone could have been better.”

"Thank you Joe.“ A female reporter spoke up, “One last question, Joe.” he looked at her and nodded, setting his lips, “What’s this news you're talking about?"

Joe looked at you sheepishly before answering the question, "Well, I can't say right now, but you'll find out in the off-season for sure.” he winked. He smiled slightly at you as he said, “but I’m not going anywhere. I’m here for the long run,” he looked back at the reporters and continued, “you'll see us here again next year, better than ever.”

"Thank you, Joe."

"Yep." he nodded as thanked the reporters and walked off the stage.

You smiled to yourself, knowing he answered that last question for you. Joe wasn't going anywhere.

~time skip~

"Sam,” you said, laughing at your older brother, “that's my seat."

Sam sat down next to Tee on the plane before you could. “Well not anymore.” He chuckled, smiling smugly as he made a show to snuggle himself into the seat. You rolled your eyes and backed up slightly, "Fine,” you said, “I’ll l sit with Joe." You put your bag in the compartment above the seat, shutting it and looking down at Joe, who was seated in the window seat. “Sorry.” You smiled softly, sitting down in the aisle seat next to him.

Joe looked up at you, "You’re good.” he said, his voice soft. You sat back in the seat, getting comfortable as the plane took off. The plane ride was silent and somber. Almost all of the guys were asleep, except for a couple here and there that were spread out throughout the plane. You, however, were wide awake. You turned around to look behind you. Tee and Sam were sound asleep. You turned back to look at Joe and saw he was looking out the window. You frowned slightly and reached out, gently placing your hand on his knee. He turned his head at the sudden touch, a soft smile on his face as he looked at you.

"Hey Y/n." he said softly. You pulled your hand away, “How you doing?" you asked, your voice low so only he could hear you. Joe shrugged, "Ok I guess. I’m disappointed, I feel like I really cost us that game with that interception." You frowned at his response, “Awe, Joe, don't blame yourself. Seriously, you guys did great. Could you have played better? Yes. But that’s doesn’t mean the Chiefs were perfect. They struggled just as much as you guys did.”

He smiled softly, looking into your eyes as he nodded, “Yeah, I guess you're right."

“I’m proud of you guys either way though.”

“Thanks Y/n.” Joe said softly. The two of you just looked at each other, neither one of you saying anything for a few moments. After a couple minutes of silence, Joe sighed and spoke up, “I’m sorry if I worried you a couple days ago, when you told me about the you know…” he trailed off, “I still need time to process things,” he slowly brought his hand over to hover over your tummy, you gently grabbed his hand and placed it on your lower abdomen. The two of you smiled at each other.

“But I am starting to come around to this.” he said, his tone genuine. You placed your hand over his as you smiled warmly at him, “I am too.” You gently rubbed his hand with your thumb as you sheepishly looked up at him, “I have my first ultrasound in a couple weeks. You’re more than welcome to come.” Joe nodded, his blue eyes shining, “Send me a date and time. I’ll see what I can do.”

The two of you pulled your hands away and wished the other goodnight. Your thoughts wandered to what you had to talk about with Joe.

How would you tell your parents?

How would you tell Sam?

How would you tell his teammates, his friends?

Where will the baby stay?

How will you and Joe raise the baby since you’re not together?

There was so much to talk about these next seven months. But for now, it was comforting to know he wasn’t going anywhere. Even if you weren’t together, you and Joe would be raising this baby together.

hi loves!

some sweet moments in this chapter, and joes starting to come around to the baby…for now😏

i haven’t updated this series in a couple weeks and i apologize for that. i’ve been in a little slump, but i think i’m finally coming out of it :)

i’m hoping to update this again this week, along with the first part of the jealous joe fic that we’re all looking forward to! i cant wait to start that one, i’ve got some good things planned that i think you’ll like ;)

i hope you’re all doing well! thank you for your patience with me as i took a break from updating. i appreciate you all so much🤍🤍

tags: @dandelionwrites8 @joeburreauxsworld @theflawedwriter @mrsshiesty @ann288 @ijustcrypretty @theoneandonlyfanz @wickedfun9 @venus-b @hummusxx @stainednailpolishremover @a-moment-captured @alternativemadchen @erinmartin1987 @sirlewisworld @kkrenae @unhingedfangirl @sublimemusic-rebel @meameagirl @ilovejoeburroww @hallecarey1 @j-worlds-blog @blinkloverx3 @jordyn14 @kristencochefski1125 @emherb10

#joe burrow #joe burrow x reader #joe burrow x y/n #joe burrow x you #daddy issues #joe burrow fic #joe burrow series

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azures-bazar · 2 years ago

Text

Accommodating

Re-uploading this one shot because I wanted to add some changes. I'm experiencing a massive writers block tho, my inspiration is gone (my new job is taking most of my mental energy away but I love it lmao)

Here is some SOFT!Arthur one-shot, again, because boy oh boy it makes me want to write a full story about him going through our current era lol

Don't mind his absolute child-like fascination for modernity, I mean... it's cool to see our tough cowboy happy, isn't it ?

Arthur Morgan x GenderNeutralReader

Word count : 2.9k

Short summary : You make Arthur try some new technologies, and it’s quite funny to watch his large blue eyes gaze at them !

A/Note : I bought myself a galaxy projector not so long ago and wondered how Arthur would react lol. Don’t mind it !

Tags : cute, Arthur discovers modern things, mentions of Avatar, movie-watching, snacks, cute nicknames, cuddles, soft boah is in the modern world, men can also cry

A cowboy in the modern world… what a weird story to tell ! Arthur had been in your life for a few months already, slowly accommodating to your era. Sometimes, it was fun, sometimes it was almost scary, and, occasionally, it could be sad. You knew Arthur was an outlaw, a thirty-six, probably thirty-seven year-old man who had been abandoned on the top of a mountain, but he never really brought the subject to the table. In fact, on a few occasions, he would mourn the rest of his gang, he would mourn his friends he would never see again. You had done your best to cheer him up during his rather sad moments, but nothing could really fill that void.

Arthur missed these folks, a few names were frequently mentioned : Hosea, John, Tilly, Charles, Sean and Lenny. Six people he would describe at times, probably the six people he missed the most from his former life. A father-figure, his siblings, his closest friends… he often wondered what happened to them, to these people becoming distant memories he could only mourn. As of 2023, even little Jack was gone. You wished you could do something, probably beg for Francis Sinclair to come back and drag all these people he mentioned to your time… but Francis was long gone, not even bothering about stepping by your place anymore.

You knew Arthur loved drawing stuff, so you bought him a set of sketchbooks for him to practice. He would hole himself in your now-shared room, sitting on the edge of your window or on your bed, spending about one or two hours sketching figures, animals or even sceneries which appeared to be from a very distant era, mixed with modern buildings and figures he came across while wandering in the streets with you. You often left him alone for him to enjoy his solitude, listening to some blues while sketching his discoveries before he would head to you and proudly show you some of his works. One of your walls had a full set of Arthur’s drawings framed and displayed to the eyes of any guest coming in. After all… it was art ! And nothing could make Arthur more happy than receiving compliments about his sketches he often disliked.

Arthur still had some hard time getting used to a smartphone you had bought him as you thought it would be a good thing to keep in touch whenever you would be away from him. He nearly broke his phone’s screen twice, unable to understand why it would not switch on, struggling to send you correctly written texts. His large fingers did not help much, he would get easily frustrated by not selecting the right letter for his text. You absolutely adored each one of them, finding them incredibly cute by knowing how much Arthur wanted to do things like you. Sending a text usually took you a few seconds, whereas Arthur would roughly spend one minute writing a five-word sentence filled with typing mistakes, some of them being due to his autocorrector.

"Im misqing yoi, Y/N !" was an almost daily message he would send you

At some point, you saw an add of a galaxy projector while scrolling on some social media, right after telling Arthur he would probably get a lot of followers if he decided, by miracle, probably, to create an account for himself. He was handsome, had some sweet-looking traits and could easily model for some alternative brands. He often said he would never do such thing, finding his face too ugly to be shown to anyone. How wrong he was, he was probably the most gorgeous-looking man you had ever met ! But, somehow, you did not want to encourage him to post pictures of himself. Social medias were a rather dangerous place for healing minds, and Arthur still needed time. Besides, he would probably not even be able to post anything due to his lack of ease using his digital keyboard !

You bought that lamp later that night, it got delivered quite fast. You carefully unpacked your new tool and quickly headed to your bedroom, followed by Arthur who had stopped reading a book about extinct species as he saw you wander around your place with this curious thing you held. You calmly placed the lamp on your bed, reading the instruction manual while Arthur touched it several times, not understand what the hell this little thing was and what was its purpose.

"What’s that ?" Arthur asked

"It’s a galaxy projector." you answered.

"Why d’you need that ? Can’t you just look at ‘em stars from your window ?"

"Light pollution prevents it. These are often used to create a cute ambiance at home or to distract kids. Wanna give it a try ?"

"Sure."

Arthur sat on the bed as you switched all lights off, plugging your galaxy projector on, making a large blue and purple light come out of it, filled with laser dots representing stars. The background was moving a little, creating a wave effect which froze Arthur on place. He kept his head up, looking at your now star-covered ceiling. His surprised and mesmerised face was absolutely priceless ! His eyes were shining, his mouth remained half-open as he could not help but stare at these fake stars covering your ceiling. All his troubles were forgotten, making him return to a child-like state. It was such a beautiful thing to see !

"And it can also distract grown-ups." you smiled

Your cowboy-roommate did not even react. His attention was completely focused on the ocean of fake stars he had above his head ! Of course, Arthur knew what a projector was. It would have been awesome to see his reaction if he had never seen such thing before, he would probably have been trying to catch these laser stars like a cat and look confused. But, at the moment, his reaction was pretty cute.

You left Arthur alone in the room to buy a ready-made lunch at the local market. He had a phone and would call you whenever he would need your help, if he would get lucky enough to make his fingers touch the right icon on his screen. It only took you a few minutes to buy some finger food for the two of you to eat while watching a movie, you came back to find Arthur exactly where you had left him thirty minutes earlier, in the same position, with this same amazed facial expression blooming on his face. He was hypnotised by these lights enough to feel suddenly so lost as you opened the curtains of your bedroom.

"Wh… what’s going on ?" he said, placing his large hand over his eyes. "Damn sunlight…"

"I brought us some food. You wanna watch a movie ?"

"Yeah, why not ! Just… just let have my eyes back first, hun."

Arthur rubbed his eyes and shook his head while you smiled. You absolutely loved listening to him giving you cute nicknames, such as hun, sweetheart, lovebug… even calling you boo, sometimes, after he heard about that nickname while watching TV. It took him a few more seconds to leave your bedroom, keeping his eyes partly closed until reaching your living room, helping you placing all the food on the table, still looking surprised you did not have any forks or knives to eat these carrots, chips, mozzarella sticks and cucumbers. He glanced at the chips and took one between his fingers. Since his arrival in your era, he had never seen or had the opportunity to taste chips !

"What’s that thing ?" he asked. "Is that really food ?"

"Oh, that’s a potato chip."

"Really ? Just like fried potatoes ?"

"Yeah, just like fried potatoes, but smaller and thinner. We can eat them for snacks or very random occasions. Try it !"

Arthur nodded, taking a bite of the chip before smiling and taking more of them into his large hand. You could not help but chuckle at his sudden addiction to salty treats, wiping away a few crumbs stuck in his three-day beard with the tip of your fingers. He turned shades darker and smiled, gently taking your hand and rubbing it with his thumb as you launched the movie. Avatar, by James Cameron. Back in a day, that movie had been vastly acclaimed for its large technological progress, and was still pleasant to be watched to this day. You would take Arthur to watch the second Avatar movie someday soon in case he liked the first one.

"Are ‘em blue folks real ?" Arthur asked while pointing a Na’vi on screen

"No, they’re modelled with computers." you smiled, trying to explain Arthur about motion capture in the most easiest way. "Our technologies allow us to record actors and then modify their bodies thanks to computers to morph them into these blue folks, like you call them."

"Is there a planet called Pandora too ?"

"I don’t know. Probably ? The universe in infinite, and we didn’t explore much yet."

The gaze Arthur gave you was adorable. You could see his eyes shine with admiration, it was such a privilege to be able to witness an era which was more than one hundred years ahead of his time, despite its good and bad moments. You had tried your best to keep Arthur away from newspapers in order to help him remain in his rather innocent state of discovery, knowing that a simple glance at the news on TV would probably make him terribly sad and somewhat nostalgic of his own time.

It was quite unexpected, but Arthur cried during the movie. He cried because of its overall beauty, the story appeared amazing to his eyes, the soft melodies and choirs chanting in background soundtracks moved him a lot. He loved the bioluminescent effect of some scenes, the overall atmosphere of the movie, not taking his eyes away from your TV while wrapping his arm around your shoulders, gently kissing your temple at times. He adored that, he adored this moment. Having you close to him while being fully taken into this movie made him forget about all his past troubles.

"D’you also have ‘em guns ?" he softly asked

"Maybe… why ? You want one in case you’d come across blue people ?"

"Mmmm… yeah. Jus’ in case. I miss my good ol' revolver, sometimes."

You rested your head on his shoulder, somewhat amused by his sweet attitude. You would listen to his gasps, his soft squeals, his almost inaudible wows… you could not deny how adorable Arthur was. You could even hear him sniff, his chest trembling a little whenever a scene would be emotional enough to bring him to tears. Who would have thought Arthur could be so sensitive ? Those who knew him much more than you did. Hosea and Charles, for instance, and most probably John at some point, even Dutch. Just by looking at his drawings, you could have guessed he had a soft heart and high intelligence hidden underneath his rather menacing appearance.

The movie lasted for so long… you had time to check your phone about a dozen times while resting against Arthur whose eyes were glued to the screen. You did not even want to bother him, he was absolutely hypnotised by the movie and did not want to be bothered. You smiled at him as the credits rolled, noticing tears streaming on his cheeks as you teasingly poked them.

"Getting a little sensitive, huh ?" you smiled

"That was a beautiful show !" Arthur answered. "I loved every second of it ! Can we watch it again ?"

"Someday, we will. But... let's just take a break, okay ?"

Night came pretty fast, Arthur made you a lavender infusion, you found enough energy to work a little while Arthur sat on the couch and started sketching. Very random figures, some fantasy-like sceneries… and you. You could easily tell he was drawing you by looking towards your direction a few times, then proceeding to sketch something, and looking back again. Another artwork to frame, that was for sure !

"What are you drawing, cowboy ?" you smiled

"Well… I’m trying to sketch you, but I can’t get it right… you’re too gorgeous and my hand shakes too much."

"That’s… that’s really sweet !"

"I mean it."

What Arthur told you made your heart stop beating, you turned shades darker and hid your face behind your hands. Your smile widened enough to cause your roommate to move closer to you, carefully closing your laptop with a large smirk blooming on his face. He made you stand up, slowly uncovering your beautiful face before dropping a sweet kiss on your forehead.

"You’re making me melt, you know that ?" you smiled

"Let’s get you to bed so you’ll stop workin’ on your… weird machine here."

"It’s a computer, Arthur."

"Well, computer or not, you’re going to bed with me ‘cause it’s kinda late."

You shrugged, you didn’t notice how fast time had passed since you decided to get back to work ! Remote-working had its ups and downs, and Arthur had complained a few times about you staying up too late instead of going to bed and hide into his embrace. He could hardly sleep without having you next to him, and there were no ways to escape him that night. How could you resist these puppy eyes and insisting behaviour ? Your arms spread wide for him to lift you up while you dragged your legs around his hips. Arthur loved carrying you around your place, he could easily remain in shape by doing this almost on a daily basis ! You did not mind it. In fact, you loved having him carry you from a room to another. Bridal and koala style, as you called it, were your favourite.

Arthur calmly put you on the bed and proceeded switching all lights off while you changed into some more comfortable wear, slipping under your blanket as Arthur moved next to you and wrapped his arms around your waist. He took advantage of you turning yourself towards him to passionately kiss you before making you rest your head on his shoulder. You remained like this for a few seconds, in your pitch-black bedroom, up until Arthur cleared his throat.

"Erm… Y/N ?" he sheepishly asked

"Yeah ? What’s wrong ?"

"Would you mind… switching the galaxy lamp on for a bit ? I… I liked it and…-"

"Sure, sweetheart."

You gasped at your own sudden reaction. "Sweetheart ? Really ?" you scolded yourself, covering your forehead with your palm. You never dared giving Arthur nicknames, not finding anyone of them suitable enough for your time-traveling cowboy, his sole name sounded just fine, you would sometimes call him by his surname. Sweetheart came out of nowhere, and was well deserved !

"S-sorry." you stuttered

"Nah, it’s fine." Morgan responded. "I like ‘em sweet nicknames. "

Arthur smiled, deeply flattered by the nickname you just gave him. His heart pounded faster than expected as you calmly reached out to get the lamp and switched it on. A beautiful fake galaxy suddenly covered your ceiling, filled with laser stars which slowly moved along with the rest of the digital ocean of blue and purple clouds behind them. You analysed Arthur’s reaction and smiled at his sight.

"Why do you like this lamp so much ?" you smiled

"Oh… it just reminds of home." Arthur answered as he moved closer to you, allowing you to place your head back on his chest

"You never slept with a roof over your head before you came here ?"

"I did, at some point… but I got used to fall asleep while gazing at the stars from a corner of my tent, or sometimes from my bedroll when I was away. Gazing at ‘em moving above me was always calming."

"If you want, we could go camping this summer. Would you like that ?"

You heard Arthur moan a little, feeling his heart pound faster. Your head rose a little, allowing you to get a better view of Arthur’s beautiful face. Your hand caressed his chest, drawing circles on them while you kept gazing at him. His eyes kept staring at the ceiling until he felt your gaze, slowly turning his head to you.

"That’d be awesome." he smiled

There were many things left to discover, many things you wanted to show Arthur. The world was full of treasures, modern or ancient, cultures you wanted him to get familiar with, places to visit… Arthur’s health was back to normal, you could now guide him through your own era without bothering about any health issues he would encounter. Indeed, that man was not twenty anymore, but you were ready to do so much for him ! You were ready to guide him, to be with him. Beyond what Francis had first asked you. Your help turned into a beautiful blossoming relationship filled with embraces, kisses and… very noisy nights.

Switching this galaxy lamp became some sort of ritual every single night. Along with waking up to Arthur’s face and his hugs after you would come back from work, your daily embrace in bed facing a fake galaxy was your most favourite part of the day. At times, you would run your fingers into Arthur’s dirty-blonde locks, massaging his scalp with singing some song. Sometimes, he would do the same with you. You adored it, you adored him. No, you loved him… and did not have the courage to tell him just yet, but you knew this day would come soon enough. The world was filled with treasures, mysteries and beauty.

And Arthur was going to find out about them.

#arthur morgan #arthur morgan x reader #gender neutral reader #modern arthur morgan #red dead redemption 2 #rdr2 fanfic #rdr2 #modern cowboy #soft arthur is the best #azurestales #cute #fluff #rdr2 au #sweet arthur morgan makes my heart melt idk why #red dead redemption #arthur morgan fanfiction

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captainsophiestark · 1 year ago

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Untouchable

Platonic!Bobbi Morse x Reader

Masterlist - Join My Taglist!

Written for Fictober 2023!

Fandom: Marvel

Day 17 Prompt: "I never said it would be easy."

Summary: Bobbi Morse needs her best friend's help defending their record as the baddest bitches SHIELD's Ops Academy has ever seen.

Word Count: 2,103

Category: Fluff

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

I sighed as I settled into the cocoon of blankets I'd built in my quarters at SHIELD, a bowl of popcorn resting in my lap and my favorite show on my laptop. After running around the world almost dying for a month on a mission, I'd decided to take my first full day back at SHIELD HQ to rest, and absolutely nothing else.

At least, that had been my plan, until my best friend practically broke down my door barging into my room.

"Thank goodness you're back!" she cried, urgency in her tone. I just stared at her, bracing myself for whatever the hell she'd come in here to tell me. "We have a situation."

"Barbara Morse, I just got back from a month long mission-"

"Two new Ops recruits just beat our time on SHIELD's toughest obstacle course."

I stopped mid-sentence, popcorn and show forgotten as I stared at Bobbi and tried to process her words.

"Impossible," I finally decided, scowling. Bobbi nodded sympathetically.

"It should've been. Our record's held for years. But it just got beaten, by two barely-not-teen boys, no less. I don't think I have to tell you we can't let that stand."

"Damn right we can't," I agreed, setting my popcorn aside and throwing the blanket off of my lap. I stood, closing my laptop and going to my closet to change out of the pajama pants I'd been living in ever since I got back. "Give me like five minutes and I'll be ready to go."

"I'll go get the Quinjet ready to take off. Ops academy here we come."

We did our secret handshake that we'd come up with in our first year together at SHIELD academy, then separated to accomplish our missions. I made it out of my room in four minutes, jogging through the hallways to get to Bobbi faster. A few people waved to me and welcomed me back, but I didn't stop to chat. Bobbi and I had a new mission of peak importance to take care of, and we couldn't let anything get in our way.

For a long time, the SHIELD Ops obstacle course had been the end-all be-all of class credibility, outside of actual class rank. Recruits were expected to attempt it in pairs, and only the absolute best could make it through at all, let alone with any kind of speed. Bobbi and I had trained like maniacs until we'd blown the previous record out of the water, going down in history as the two best agents to ever take on one of the academy's hardest challenges. We coasted on that reputation for the rest of our academy career, and people still seemed impressed by it even though we'd left the academy long behind us.

Many had tried to break our record, and none had ever succeeded. One or two people had come close, but on the whole, our record seemed absolutely unbeatable. If two new recruits had come in and done the impossible, then they must've been incredibly impressive agents. And they also had to be stopped and reminded of Bobbi and I's supremacy immediately.

Bobbi brought the Quinjet in for a landing at the Academy not twenty minutes after she'd first burst into my room. The two of us marched through the hallways shoulder to shoulder, heads held high like we owned the place. And after graduating top of our class, we kind of did.

"Alright, let's see just what these two pulled off," I said, Bobbi and I slipping into one of our old classrooms and accessing the records for the obstacle course. I put their replay up on the projector, then went to take a first row seat in the auditorium with Bobbi.

"You should've brought your popcorn with you," she said. I laughed, but the laughter quickly died as the replay began.

These two first year recruits hadn't just managed to beat our record by a tenth of a second or two. They'd blown us out of the water by three whole seconds. Practically an eternity. And even worse, based on the end of the video, they clearly thought they were the hottest shit that SHIELD had ever seen as a result.

I swore loudly in the empty classroom.

"That was insane, Bob! How the hell do you expect us to beat that, especially since we haven't done this course in forever?"

"Hey, I never said it would be easy. But we have to do it, Y/N. We can't let this stand."

I groaned, rolling my eyes up to the ceiling before huffing a big sigh.

"Yeah, you're right. Do you want to do a few practice runs before we get an official timed one?"

"No, I don't. I think we go warm up in the gym, do a couple practice exercises in there, then go outside and crush that obstacle course and show everybody who's boss."

I nodded. "I like that plan. Alright, let's do this."

Thankfully, our favorite training room from our time at the agency was still here, and even better, empty. We did some stretching and warmups, ran through a few of the movements we'd need on the obstacle course, and then headed outside.

The dew of the morning still clung to the grass in the yard of the academy, and recruits ran in tight formation all around. Others trained on some of the smaller obstacle courses, or did pushups and jumping jacks. I elbowed Bobbi and nodded across the yard when I found the recruits who'd broken our record stretching out under a tree, preening like peacocks as their classmates surrounded them.

Bobbi and I shared a grin. They better enjoy it while it lasted.

"Agent Morse! Agent Y/L/N! This is a nice surprise."

Bobbi and I turned to find our absolute favorite instructor staring at the both of us, hands on her hips and a smile on her face. Agent Bailey was five foot nothing, but her strength, attitude, and experience made her seem larger than life. She was by far one of the most respected instructors across all of the SHIELD academies, and she was the only one Bobbi and I had really stayed in touch with. She'd even had us back once or twice to speak to her classes, when we weren't away on a mission.

"Agent Bailey! It's so good to see you!"

"It's good to see you two, too. Now, what brings you both back here? Don't tell me someone else poached you to speak to their class instead of mine?"

"No, don't worry. We would never," I said, giving her a bright smile. Bobbi nodded, then continued.

"We're actually back to reclaim our record on the obstacle course."

Bailey smiled, and clearly this wasn't a surprise to her at all. She started walking towards the start of the course, motioning for us to follow her.

"I figured as much. I wondered how long it would take the two of you to get back here once you heard." She stopped at the beginning of the course, hands on her hips as she surveyed us both. "Good. Those two who broke your record need to be taken down a peg. Their arrogance is going to get them killed, in the field if not here. They're in their first year and already think they're untouchable."

I frowned and glanced over at the tree where we'd spotted the agents in question earlier. They were still stretching, but they'd noticed us now, and were looking in our direction. I gave them a sickly sweet smile before turning back to Bailey.

"I'll time you both and make it official. Don't fail me now, you two."

With that, Bailey turned to take her place as an official administrator for the obstacle course test. I hopped around a little, bouncing on the balls of my feet and shaking out my arms. Then, I turned to Bobbi.

"You ready to do this?"

"Oh yeah. Those punks are never going to forget our names."

We high-fived, then turned to face the obstacle course, crouching a little, ready to launch forward as soon as Baily called start.

"On your marks!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a few recruits wandering over to watch us, looking confused. They'd be looking on in awe in a few minutes, if Bobbi and I had anything to say about it.

"Get set!"

I took a deep breath in before letting it out, the distractions fading away. The course ahead and my partner beside me were all that mattered. Laser-like focus and efficiency was the order of the day.

"Go!"

Bobbi and I launched forward into the course, two women on a mission. We worked like a perfect machine, almost reading each others' thoughts as we launched over one obstacle and stopped to help the other right behind us. We didn't hesitate at a single challenge, and every time my muscles felt a little tired or a little upset at what I asked of them, I pushed right through. There was no room for hesitating, or slowing down, or pausing. No room for error.

After dancing through a few portions that tested agility and literally swinging through a few others that tested strength, Bobbi and I reached the final challenge, a massive wall that we had to scale before our run could be deemed complete. We hit it at a dead run, Bobbi launching upwards just ahead of me and holding out a hand to help me reach the first level. I used the momentum and her help to make it to the second level, and we continued steadily, working in perfect sync as we neared the top.

A button to stop the time sat waiting for us at the top, with Agent Bailey standing right behind it. Bobbi and I had to hit the button at the same time, or the clock would keep running. It was the final piece, the final test of how well we could work together and remain in sync even through exhaustion.

I made it to the top, turning back to hold out a hand for Bobbi. I pulled her up while she climbed, and as soon as she made it to stable footing, I turned on my heel and ran for the button. I could feel Bobbi a half step behind me, closing just in time as I reached out my hand.

As one, our hands slammed down on the button, Bobbi's already on top of mine as we made contact. The button lit up to tell us the clock had come to a stop, and we both looked to Bailey with hopeful, expectant looks.

All around us, as the world outside the obstacle course came back into focus, the recruits training in the yard stood staring up at us on the platform. I noticed the two boys at the front of the crowd, watching Bailey with bated breath as intensely as me and Bobbi. A moment later, Bailey raised her arms and shouted:

"We have a new course record!"

"YES!"

"LET'S GO!"

Bobbi and I screamed and jumped up and down, immediately wrapping each other in a tight hug. I laughed, a joyous, almost disbelieving laugh, and when we pulled apart Bobbi was absolutely beaming at me.

"Agents Morse and Y/L/N have set a new record by a margin of two point seven seconds."

"HELL YES!" I screamed. Bailey gave us each a small smile, then her face dropped back to her usual no-nonsense baseline.

"Their time and a replay of their run will be posted and available within the hour. Everyone else, back to your exercises! You're not here to stand around all day!"

Slowly, the crowd of recruits started to disperse. The two boys who'd held the record for all of a few hours stared up at us in awe until their instructor came to pull them away. I shot them a wink and a wave.

"Nice work, partner," said Bobbi, smiling as she leaned in and bumped her shoulder against mine. "I guess we've still got it."

"Of course we've still got it. We're the dream team, absolutely unbeatable."

We shared a smile. After a second, Bobbi sighed, stretching out her arms and taking a few steps towards the easy way down from the platform we'd climbed up to.

"So, wasn't it worth it that I dragged you out of bed this morning?"

"Worth it? Yes. Enough to make me stay up and about when I've been in a safe place to relax for the first time in a full month? Hell no."

"Mind if I join you in your relaxing? I'm not due to ship out for another mission until the end of the week."

I smiled. "Sure thing. But I'm not sharing my popcorn."

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

Everything Taglist: @rosecentury

Marvel Taglist: @valkyriepirate @luv-ghostie @songbirdcannabe

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rallentando1011 · 1 year ago

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Risetober 2023: Day 19 - Scary Movie

Watching a scary movie, in essence, was a simple task. Put on the movie, sit down, allow yourself to have a good scare, and continue on with your life.

In the turtles’ home, however, the process was not so convenient.

Firstly, the brothers had to find themselves all in the lair with free time all at the same time. With Donnie constantly tinkering in his lab, Raph venturing out on solo missions, Mikey experimenting culinarily, and Leo doing… whatever Leo did in his spare time(mostly read comics, or practice with his swords, or portal to random locations, or do whatever thought came to his mind on a particular day), getting all of them together was not an easy feat.

Then came the issue of coming to a consensus of what to watch. The typical, go-to was Jupiter Jim or Lou Jitsu films, but even the most basic options sparked debate. When the brothers would talk about which movie to watch, it would raise the issue of which movie of the respective franchises was the best. This yielded one of two outcomes: A, Mikey, Leo, Raph, and Donnie got so invested in defending the movies they enjoyed that the projector was used for a thorough, powerpoint analysis of the movies instead of playing the actual movies, or B, the brothers could not decide on one movie to watch and engaged in a day’s long marathon instead. Neither option was ideal.

Although, occasionally during the spooky, autumn time of the year, the brothers switched up their agenda and turned to the steadfast medium of horror.

Well, not quite horror. They mostly partook in campy slasher films with little to no blood or gore, but they were horrified every time nonetheless.

After taking about thirty minutes for everyone to settle, the brothers would start the film.

Donnie’s preferred seat was one of the bean bag chairs nestled in the projector room, where he would not even wait past the opening credits to get on his phone.

Leo and Mikey placed themselves on the couch, both resolving to not get scared and go to their oldest brother this time. Each of them had their own blanket to cozy up in.

Raph sat himself down on the floor, both to have space and to view the movie better.

As the suspense of the cold open started to build, Raph soon didn’t have much space.

Mikey had slunk down from the couch first, feeling frightened at the first dissonant chord from the score.

Raph put a comforting arm around his little brother and, before he knew it, he put his other arm around Leo, who had also joined him on the floor.

Leo chalked it up to just not wanting to sit alone. He definitely was not frightened.

Just as Leo joined them, the killer appeared on the screen and scared all of them out of their wits. All of the brothers let out a yelp and held onto each other.

Except Donnie, who was half-asleep and still disinterestedly on his phone.

Raph felt the urge to cover up the eyes of his teddy bears, who were sitting on his lap, but he just held onto his brothers and held back fearful tears.

Mikey couldn’t even watch it. His hands covered his eyes and stayed firmly planted there. Except for when he peeked at the projection.

It took a lot of resolve for the brothers to even get to watching scary movies, not to mention getting through them. But the most strenuous part of the scary movie experience was the paranoia each of them felt following the film. So, every time after watching movies of such intense degrees, all four turtles found themselves sleeping in the eldest’s room.

(@sariphantom)

#rottmnt #rottmnt fanart #save rottmnt #rise season 3 #risetober #risetober 2023 #sariphantom #save rise of the tmnt #unpause rottmnt #rise of the tmnt #rottmnt donnie #rottmnt mikey #rottmnt raph #rottmnt leo #rise tmnt #Scary movie

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mushroom-punk · 2 years ago

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the renfield movie review.

After getting rained on, having our first movie theater’s projector break, and having to drive to a different theater, I have finally watched Renfield (2023). ...and it was...fine? The movie’s overall tone is campy and fun, and it never takes itself seriously. It’s writing is horrible, god its so bad - the characters say exactly what they’re thinking at all times, and no emotional arc feels earned or fought for, there are no stakes (haha). But due to how silly the film is, this never makes it hard to watch. Nicholas Hoult truly shines in this movie and makes each scene with him engaging and fun. But god the writing. More thoughts bellow!

I think this movie’s biggest flex is its art direction, with over the top set pieces that create this nasty atmosphere that hangs over the whole film. Its like a grimy combination of The Lost Boys and The Phantom of the Opera. This is all complimented by the score. Without spoiling anything, there’s a moment where Dracula is monologuing and a sinister, orchestral rendition of Swan Lake plays, another reference to the 1931 movie it’s so heavily based off of. Although, it does get points of for the worst use of “na na na na” by MCR I’ve ever seen. It’s second best quality is certainly Nicholas Hoult, who took the shitty script he was given and really made something good with it. There’s a moment when Awkwafina’s character is on the phone, telling another character how fucked up Renfield is - who is sitting in the background cutely drinking some tea. Another detail I really appreciated about Hoult’s performance was the unexpected intensity with which he delivered some lines. On top of keeping Dwight Frye’s iconic laugh, it’s clear Hoult cares deeply for the source material and, if the script was better, I think he could have done a compelling book-accurate Renfield. NICHOLAS CAGE ITS NICK CAGE BABY HE WAS AWESOME ITS NICHOLAS CAGE! His portrayal of Dracula is fun and nasty as hell and might have fucked Ben Schwartz’s mom? The down side to having a movie that uses stylized hyper violence is that any threats of violence Dracula makes don’t really stick. Oh you’re gonna be violent? This is the violence movie! This isn’t an effective threat, you’re not scary! Contrasting this, the few moments where Dracula is simply talking to Renfield, acting like a real-world abuser and not the cartoon villain he is for most of the movie, are eerie and off-putting. Awkwafina’s there. Onto the bad. This film has no stakes, there are few things Renfield can’t slice apart or Awkwafina’s character can’t shoot, and due to the stated hyperviolence, Dracula never feels like a real threat to anyone except the main cast. The characters state what they feel, they experience something, and then state that they feel different in detail. I’ve mentioned that it’s extremely frustrating that 2023′s Renfield is not written with psychosis in mind, and how this is made worse by its use of pop-psychology terms and the labeling of Dracula as a narcissist - a real condition that doesn’t make the people who have it inherently bad or abusive. This is still true, in fact the frequent references to the 1931 film, while well done, simply reminded me of what Hoult’s performance could have been. The poor writing is this film’s largest downfall, it betrays the heart Hoult brings to his role and its art department. ....however, none of the pop-psychology ever seems to really...do anything effective? Yes, Renfield literally calls Dracula a narcissist and they never really discredit it, but its also shown that calling him all these things and using snappy language doesn’t actually do anything. What does help Renfield the most is finding community and bonding with other people who have experienced abuse. What helps him is talking to people about it and realizing he isn’t alone, which I think is a pretty decent take. I’m going to watch it again when it’s uploaded to my pirating site of choice, but overall it felt more like a criticism of pop-psychology, rather than a celebration of it. Oh and also that the most effective thing you can do to get out of an abusive relationship is to beat the shit out of your abuser with your best friend. 6.5/10.

#renfield #dracula #vamp posting #nicholas hoult #im so tired

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muse-write · 1 year ago

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The Starsail

Here's my Inklings Challenge (@inklings-challenge) for 2023! It's not exactly what I hoped it would be, but I don't see myself having much time to work on it over the next couple of days. I expect to be able to give it a more natural ending sometime soon, just not before the 21st, so look out for that.

Lieutenant Pekka met him at the atmospheric lock at the top of the gangway, saluting him sharply with the flat of his shimmering blade. “Welcome aboard, sir.”

“My ship in one piece, Thom?” Captain Vadya clapped him on the shoulder, the clang of his gauntlet star-hard against the links of the lieutenant’s mailshirt. Lieutenant Thom Pekka hurried after him as he moved up the deck toward his office, filtering through the list of data hovering in front of them at a practiced speed.

“Mostly, sir. The sails are fixed and replaced with new synthweave, the hull has been modified with facet-steel, and the kitchen has been restocked with…” He made a face. “…The best ration-packs the Center has to offer. Quite a treat to look forward to, I’m sure. That nebula-rip tore through some roping, but we’ve got men working on it.” When the Starsail had limped into Sula’s main war-port in front of the Center of Administrative Warfare, they had feared the repairs might take weeks. Captain Vadya blew out a sigh of relief and turned a quick grin onto his first lieutenant.

“If some roping is all we lost, Thom, I’m a happy star-knight.” He continued to his office, the data visualization scattering away from the interference of his passage through it, and Pekka, with fond exasperation, swiped it back together again and pocketed the projector.

“Where are we off to now, Captain?”

Nem Vadya paused in front of his door. “That’s a good question, Lieutenant. It’s one I won’t answer until we’re well on our way. Just trust me, huh?”

Pekka was quiet for a moment. He’d been friends with Vadya since they were children. His trust was hardly in doubt. “Another disagreement with the Admiral, sir?” This came out tentatively, with just a hint of distaste.

Vadya’s grin this time was a bit more strained, but no one could have noticed except Pekka. “Believe that if you want. Let’s just say…clear the records of our ship’s departure, and mask our trajectory. This mission is…perhaps not advised.”

Pekka’s knuckles whitened. “Heading for danger, sir?”

Vadya laughed now. “Danger finds me, Thom, I promise you!”

“Yes, of course, sir,” Pekka agreed, knowing when to pick his battles with Captain Nem Vadya and already mentally reviewing their medical inventory.

Nem Vadya shut the door to his office and leaned against it with a sigh. He was back on his ship, the familiar blue waves of his wallpaper greeting him, and the vastness of space stretching out past his window beyond the lights of the war-port. Still, he was full of nervous energy that wouldn't be relieved by the wonder of space.

He reached into the pocket of his synthweave cape and took out his mother’s note.

My dearest Nem, it read,

I and your father are proud of your accomplishments in Sula District 3974, and wish we could have been there to greet your return in Sula proper, but unfortunately we were called away by your grandfather’s most recent crisis of health. I shall send another note concerning his state as soon as I can.

Of more pressing concern is the second letter included in this envelope. It has been four years since Zyn was taken into custody of the King’s Police, and in all that time I have not been able to gain entrance to see or speak to him. In the included letter is what I and your father wish him to know. With your advanced stature in the King’s Armed Forces, I have hopes that you will be able to give this letter to him. I know your opinion of your brother, but have pity on the grief of a parent, and do what you can.

Vadya pursed his lips. Thus had been the purpose of his meeting with Admiral Jent, which had come to naught; visiting with Zyn Vadya, traitor of the Galactic King, was firmly prohibited. “You know the rules, dear boy,” the Admiral had said, softening a bit. “Traitors, especially to the extent of your poor brother, are sentenced to a solitary life. That is their punishment.”

Vadya knew the rules quite well; he had never once wished to break them, much less for the sake of his murderous younger brother. But this letter from his mother, while restrained and pleasant, carried her unique brand of desperation; he could practically see her composure cracking.

His father had added a short post-script:

Nem, all of the above. I love you. I trust you to do what is right.

Which was about as wordy as his father got. It made Vadya’s heart warm; his father likely had written those words with hands aching from pulling sheets of facet-steel from the compressor for ten hours, and he’d probably had his customary glass of takka immediately afterward.

Vadya sighed and brushed his hair behind his shoulders, staring out at the void of space they’d soon be setting off into. 400 lightyears away the prison planet of Wintral slowly burned itself up beside the ever-expanded sun of the same name. And on that planet sat his younger brother, one-time failed assassin and revolutionary. And since there was no way to legally get their parents’ letter to him through the right channels, well…

Vadya would be leading his crew in an attempted prison break.

~~~~~~

By 21:00, the small mess hall was full, even with only the 14 crew members he’d chosen to accompany him out of the usual 35. They had gathered for dinner and celebratory drinks, cheering finished repairs and a fine cast-off. The depths of space were too dangerous to have real alcohol on-board, but the War Center had provided the standard limited amount of ferment-packets, which provided an extremely short-lived buzz that felt nowhere near the same.

Vadya watched as men and women laughed and clanged metal cups together, staring through the atmospheric shields at the stars passing by at a sedate pace. Whether they knew where they were going, or what they were in for, they were pleased to be off-planet after a week of inactivity.

Vadya had spent that week meticulously planning.

The mess hall was small and hot, and his flight uniform was stifling, even with his hair pulled back. He fidgeted. On Wintral, the prison had to be ten times this uncomfortable.

The thought made him still. His appetite, already small to begin with, was gone completely. He picked at the freshest of the ration-packets, and he had been doing so for half an hour without making much of a dent when there was an outcry on the other side of the mess hall. Vadya sighed, already moving to rise as Pekka hurried over to him, his eyes wide and his face contorted in that expression that meant he was apologetic but too duty-bound not to go through with the action.

“Captain, sir, midshipman Temner has captured a stowaway, sir.”

Vadya paused. “A stowaway? How did they get past the sensor beacons on the gangway?”

Pekka shrugged helplessly. “You’ll have to ask her, sir.”

Her. That made a bit more sense; Sula was not a planet known for its kindness to women and girls. After a short hesitation, he unbelted his sword and blaster-holster and set them on his chair. Pekka paled. “Sir…”

“Leave it to me, Lieutenant,” Vadya said gently but firmly, and moved past him to join the huddle of bodies that had formed on the far wall. When they noticed their Captain approaching, his crew swiftly made room. It was enough to let him see the ‘her’ they were all so curious about.

She was a young woman, barely more than a teenager, perhaps 20, if that. She crouched by the wall, hands wrapped defensively around a small roll, one that had already been micro-risen. Her clothing was odd, not at all what someone should be wearing when the radiation of an atmospheric shield was all that separated them from the vacuum of space—a white blouse, plaid skirt, and sensible shoes were all well and good, but not on a starship.

This was all somewhat unimportant against the obscenities she was yelling at them. She directed these first at the largest of the men standing nearby, then more fiercely at Vadya as he approached. He stopped, belatedly realizing just how this might look to her, then after some deliberation he knelt a few feet in front of her. She went pale and her mouth snapped shut, teeth grinding together. Her glare remained as fierce as before.

Now that she was quiet, he took the opportunity to speak. “I’m Captain Nem Vadya. You’re on the starship Starsail. I hear you’re a stowaway?”

Her hands clenched around the roll she gripped. “I’m not supposed to be here,” she bit out. “You won’t believe me, but I’m not supposed to be in this world.” She bit her lip. “I swear, I’m only on this stupid ship so I can get home.”

“The Starsail’s not stupid,” Vadya corrected absently, turning her claim over in his mind. He’d heard stories in the far reaches of the system, tales of portals and wormholes, and after everything he’d experienced, someone coming from another world wasn’t the oddest thing out there. But was she telling the truth?

He observed her for a moment—her curly hair slipping out of its bow, her cheeks flushed with anger and panic, the tear-tracks almost hidden on her face—and abruptly decided it didn’t matter. She was here, after all, and he had his own mission, and they wouldn’t be going toward a portal in the far reaches of space any time soon. If she wanted to get home, she’d have to find another way. For now, she was stuck here.

“Why did you choose this ship?” he asked as gently as he could. No doubt Pekka was already tallying up the amount of rations one extra woman would use.

She gulped. “I don’t know, it was just…the closest one. I would only have one chance.” She glanced at the group behind him. “And there were women, so I thought…” She trailed off, but he saw her point.

“Well, unfortunately, you chose wrong. We aren’t headed toward a portal, or a wormhole, or anything that will allow you to get back home.” He met her dark eyes, noting the fear and anger and utter, utter bewilderment there, and wished he could comfort her. “I cannot tell you anything else. My crew trusts me. Will you?”

Tense silence.

It was broken in only a few seconds as Litt, the navigator shouldered his slight frame through the crowd. “And what business do we have with her, a stowaway who doesn’t even dress for a spaceflight?” Vadya observed Litt for a second. Belligerent and hotheaded he was, but not merciless, even as he glared at the girl. And Vadya saw his point. Taking stowaways on a dangerous journey into the edge of known space was not ideal, but there was nothing else to be done.

Turning from the girl, he addressed the crew. “Our business, Litt, is to take care of people who come running to us for help. We can’t take her back now, anyway.” The obvious reason his crew would come to was the time wasted, and he didn’t say the unspoken part out loud–that this spaceflight was completely off the record. “Ruka.” He singled out one of the female crewmembers, one he knew would be a stern companion but not an unkind one. “Take the girl and find her a suit and some real food. She’ll bunk with you in the womens’ cabins. She says from another world; please explain anything she needs to know, using your own discretion. And keep her safe; she chose perhaps the worst ship possible to make her escape in.”

The girl lifted her chin and met Vadya’s eyes. “And a weapon? Could I be permitted one of those?”

He surveyed her: slim, almost delicately weak. But only almost.

He liked to think he had an honorable crew, but he knew what young men were wont to do for long voyages away from their home planets. And this girl was terrified, of him not least. The least he could do to gain her trust was to show some back.

“Ruka, give her one of your knives.”

The knife Ruka offered was a sensible pocketknife, a cheap one of Prithane make but imminently serviceable. One Ruka and her interminable sense of duty wouldn’t feel badly about dying at the blade of. The girl took it, looking relieved.

Ruka started for the door, but before she followed her, the girl turned to Vadya. “My name is Cassia. And…thank you.”

~~~~~~

It would take them time to get to Wintral, as well as many stops to refuel. Though Pekka didn’t know their exact destination, Vadya had given him information enough to allow him to make an accurate list of fueling stations and their general trajectory. Those fueling stations would only get more infrequent as they reached the edges of known space. Pekka was flitting about here and there stamping out the myriad of crises that came with crewing a warship with a skeleton crew of 14.

In general, the first few days passed in a peace so uncharacteristic that it was almost boring, and the crew was getting restless. There had been entirely too much time to think about the state of their mission and the mysterious stowaway from another world quietly keeping to herself in the women’s dormitories.

Vadya himself was not exempt from this, and sometimes wished that Thom was a little less capable just so that he had something to do other than sit in his office and stew over his mother’s letter. A week into their mission, he summoned Cassia to his office. She appeared at his door dressed in the standard silver armored flight suit—not entirely necessary inside the pressurized cabins, but a useful precaution to take.

He had prepared a carafe of coffee and poured her some. “Cream?”

She hesitated, but she seemed less suspicious than she had the last time they’d met. “Please.”

“I guess Ruka has put in a good word for me,” he chuckled.

Cassia sipped the coffee in lieu of an answer. “Why have you called me here?”

Vadya sipped his own mug of coffee and gathered his thoughts. “How did you get to Sula?” he asked first.

Cassia’s fingers went white at the knuckles. “Please don’t answer my question with a question, Captain.”

Vadya observed her—the meticulously combed hair, the brown eyes set in a round, pretty face. There was nothing at all, beyond her dark hair and relative short stature, to set her apart from the Sulian people. “I and my crew are setting out on a particularly dangerous journey,” he relented finally. “I wonder if perhaps you’ve been sent to help us with it.”

She scoffed. “Help you? I was walking home from work looking forward to seeing my sister when a wind swept up around me and dumped me in the middle of a back alleyway. I thought I was still at home until I saw…one of your kind, whatever you are.” Her voice trembled a bit. “It was autumn at home. My favorite season.”

He didn’t know what that meant, but he put it aside for now. “So it wasn’t a portal or wormhole which brought you here.” Not one he’d ever seen, anyway.

Her eyes flashed. “Well, what else could have? I’ve read Lovecraft! Lewis!”

He had opened his mouth to respond when a horn sounded through the speakers in his office, followed by the sound of running footsteps and Thom bursting through the door to pant out, “A sonar-dragon, sir, to port!”

Vadya tensed and rose, coffee and Cassia forgotten. “How large?”

Thom turned grim. “Large enough. Drij shot it in the eye as soon as it turned up but it’s stubborn.”

“Well, thank the stars for Drij’s aim,” Vadya muttered, heading for his armor and assembling it. “The shields?”

“Weak but holding.”

“Recharge them to full power.” Atmospheric shields wouldn’t keep out a physical obstacle larger than a small asteroid, but if they tuned them right it might affect the sonar-dragon’s hearing. “Cassia, stay here.”

“Don’t worry,” he heard her mutter under her breath, “do you think I’d go out there?” He grabbed two pairs of deafeners on his way out and threw one to Thom, who paled but clipped them onto his ears. Vadya kept his in his hand until he’d strode out on deck and faced the chaos that awaited.

A skeleton crew was little match for a sonar-dragon, but they were putting up a fine struggle. Blasters and starswords combined made up a formidable armory, but the sonar-dragon, as stated, was large enough that a crew of 35 would have been hard-pressed to keep it at bay. Starry mist streamed from the hole Drij had gouged in its eye, but the other was bright and golden and stared down Vadya as soon as he exited the cabin.

Vadya ignored it for now, taking a glance over his ship. The main-mast was in one piece and the synthweave sails were intact, though that hastily-repaired roping was showing signs of strain and fraying. Through the deafeners, he couldn’t hear the chaos, but he could certainly see it—and Litt’s body lying still against the navigation center in the middle, a wound in his head bleeding freely.

Vadya’s anger burned cold. He had chosen these knights for a reason—they would be the least likely to have something to lose in the event they didn’t return. But he hadn’t intended to get any of them killed, and by a sonar-dragon, at that.

The atmospheric shields glimmered above them, visible now that they’d been recharged to full power. The effect on the dragon’s hearing he’d hoped for didn’t seem forthcoming. His heart sank: there was only one tried-and-true method to slaying a sonar-dragon. With another burst of sharp anger Vadya threw the deafeners onto the deck and met the dragon’s gaze.

The sonar call of the dragon, though just on the edge of hearing, resonated through him and the ship’s hull, a pitch scientists had fought to explain for years. Immediately, the dragon’s mind—if it could be called that, for it was a mind as much as a sonar-dragon was really a dragon—touched his, sliding and slithering through his emotions and pulling on them one by one. The anger was the first to go numb, and then the concern for his crew, and the burning curiosity about Cassia, and his concerns for the quest ahead.

Vadya stood there silently struggling not to protest throughout.

Then the dragon found his memories of his brother and pounced eagerly. There went the hatred, gone cold and fizzling in his chest, and then the confused anger, and then the despair, and then the small bit of worry Vadya hadn’t even realized had been there until it went dark. The dragon stumbled over the tiny burning flicker of love still remaining and grasped at it, a bit lethargically, sluggishly, to swallow up.

No, Vadya willed as strongly as he could, no, you will not have that.

And now that the dragon was thoroughly sated, finally full, had gotten its meal, it relented. It backed away from the ship. Before it could go, Vadya wrenched on that mental line connecting them, bound together with the sonar hum, dragged the dragon’s form close enough to him that he could see the galaxy that swirled in its one remaining eye, and stabbed his starsword through its temple.

The emotions the dragon had just swallowed up were released as it died, filled Vadya until his legs were weak with all of them at once, like someone had wrung out a sopping sponge straight into his nerves, and someone shoved Vadya’s discarded defeaners over his ears just in time, as the dragon let out an angry bellow, its pitch—reputedly—enough to knock an entire crew unconscious.

The form of the dragon fell still and silent, and after a few minutes Vadya took off his defeaners. The crew followed suit, and the next thing Vadya heard was the cheering. Drij slapped his shoulder, Ruka saluted him sharply, Pekka hovered anxiously.

Vadya took a couple of steps away, feeling more worn-out than he could remember even after his most hard-won battle. His legs threatened to collapse under him, and seeing it Pekka threw an arm around his shoulders to support him. Just before he let himself be led into his quarters, Vadya threw a look at the dragon’s corpse. “Get that thing off my ship.” His voice was a little monotone, but he couldn’t muster up anything beyond the weariness and jittery nerves that had overtaken him.

Pekka took him to his office, but moved past it into his actual room. Vadya groaned as he lowered himself gingerly down onto his bed. “That was more difficult than the Admiral’s stories made it sound,” he admitted, grateful to be sitting.

Pekka looked him in the eye. “You killed a sonar-dragon. A big one, too.”

Vadya shrugged uneasily. “Don’t mention it.”

“Oh, we will.”

Vadya realized belatedly that he was shuddering and that Pekka’s arm was still wrapped around his shoulders. “Do you need anything, Captain?” he asked quietly.

“Just…time,” Vadya replied, equally as quiet. At least he was able to put a little bit of inflection into that one. “Thom, don’t ever get your emotions dragged out of you and then pushed back in all at once.”

“I’d sleep it off if I were you,” came a voice from the doorway connected to his office. Cassia, true to her word, must have stayed back. She held out a cup of coffee. “Here. I can’t see how drinking something warm won’t help. Wish it was tea, but then, I’m British through and through.”

He pushed past all the extra confusion everything she said seemed to cause him and took the coffee. All told, it probably hadn’t been thirty minutes since he’d made the carafe, and it was still warm and pleasantly bitter. It energized him just a little bit. He turned to Pekka. “Go and make sure they’ve gotten that quantum-warped dragon off this ship. And, Thom…Litt?”

Pekka gave him a sad smile. “Dead on impact, sir. The dragon got him over the head.”

“Tonight, cryofreeze, then. I’m sure he went out fighting. His family deserves a real body to mourn when we get back.”

“Aye, sir.” Then Pekka, with a courteous nod at Cassia, went out into the hall, leaving the two of them alone.

Cassia tapped the hilt of her knife nervously, shifting her weight back and forth. For his part, Vadya sat still, sipping his coffee while he waited for her to speak and feeling his emotions resettle themselves gradually, each slipping back into its spot one by one. “What was that thing?” she asked finally.

Vadya tried to stand, but his legs were still shaky, so he lowered himself back onto the bed with as much dignity as he could. “Sonar-dragon. They’re hungry all the time. They feed on emotions. Hence…” His gesture encompassed the whole of him, sitting there shuddering in his room instead of commanding his ship. “They aren’t actually dragons,” he thought to add. “Just appear that way. They need a form, you see.”

“And…will we come across another one?” she asked.

“We didn’t think we’d come across that one,” he pointed out. “Wintral is just on the edge of explored space, as distant from civilization as you can get without shoving it into the unknown galaxies. After the next refuel, we’ll enter warpspeed and it should take us three years. Warpspeed will protect us a bit. I don’t know what’s going to happen beyond that.”

Cassia shook her head. “Warpspeed? What’s…no, you said we’ll be on this quest for three years? And you told no one?” Her voice sharpened. “I really did choose exactly the wrong ship to board, didn’t I?”

“Don’t get angry at me,” Vadya snapped back. “This is a Royal Sulian Warship, you should have gone for a merchant vessel if you wanted a nice relaxing ride to the next wormhole to throw yourself into.”

Cassia looked as though she had a response to that, but she bit her cheek. “What’s the real reason you’re doing this? Going to Wintral?”

Vadya closed his eyes. “It’s complicated.”

“And I’m stuck here for the next three years,” Cassia reminded him, “so I’d like to know what the plan is. And I think your crew would probably like to know why they won’t see their families for six years, and why they're down one.”

Vadya gritted his teeth, already regretting his decision to take in this strange girl. “I’ll tell you, because you deserve to know. But you won’t say a thing to my crew.”

He explained his mother’s letter, and went—briefly, because his emotions about it still hadn’t settled—into his brother’s history, and his intentions to bring him the letter, since the proper channels didn’t seem to be an option. Any other intentions he had he kept to himself.

The coffee was long since gone, and Cassia fiddled with her empty mug. “It’s not much of a plan,” she commented finally.

“I know how I’m going to get in and how I’m going to get out, and what I’m there to do. That’s all I need.”

Cassia brushed her hair behind her ear, her dark eyes serious. “Back at home, I was studying statistics. If I had the numbers I could tell you the odds of this working to a decimal point. Right now I'll at least hazard a guess that they wouldn’t be high.”

Vadya stared at nothing. “I don’t need the exit plan to work. It’s just going to be me in there, anyway. The crew will be able to escape.”

“And when it’s reported that Captain Nem Vadya of the Starsail has been arrested for a security breach?”

Vadya met her eyes. “I’ll be thrown in jail to be forgotten, my brother will have heard from his parents for the first time in seven years, and all 13 crewmembers on board this ship will be able to plead complete and utter innocence. If you tell anyone, you’re endangering their lives.”

#inklingschallenge #theme: visit the imprisoned #theme: shelter a stranger #genre: space travel #team: lewis #story: incomplete

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tomorrowxtogether · 2 years ago

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TXT Talk About Temptation, Identity, and New Album “The Name Chapter: Temptation”

The quintet's new project is both a homecoming and a new adventure for the South Korean group.

In 2019, Tomorrow X Together (TXT) captivated audiences by unveiling the concept trailer for The Dream Chapter: Magic. The mesmerizing video served as the introduction for their first official comeback. It showed the then-rookies executing gravity-defying choreography against an ever-changing backdrop, playing with perspective and illusion with only the help of a projector. The blank canvas was an instant hit among their dedicated fandom, known as MOAs, and the general public and foretold just how artistic TXT's journey would be. Four years later, the South Korean quintet revived the format with the concept trailer for their fifth EP, The Name Chapter: Temptation.

Two months before Temptation's official release on January 27, 2023, the trailer for the quintet's new chapter premiered on HYBE's YouTube channel, transporting viewers back in time with immediate callbacks to their beginning. Except this concept is different, and TXT are all grown up.

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"We really thought about how we could [best] express the theme of temptation in our concept trailer visually, and I think it [naturally] came out similarly to Magic during the process, with the projection mapping and everything," Taehyun, who does much of the talking for the group, tells Teen Vogue over Zoom from Seoul two weeks before the album's release. "Many people like our concept trailers, like in Magic and Freeze, because we add some really cool elements to them [so we think long and hard about them]."

Though similar visually, a thin line separates Magic and Temptation thematically. If Magic was an ode to innocence, Temptation is an ode to its loss. These two sides of the same coin kickstart a new chapter in TXT's ever-expanding book, the third after Dream and Chaos following brief pitstops for Minisode 1: Blue Hour and Minisode 2: Thursday's Child. "Story-wise, The Name Chapter is about a phase where you solidify your identity and your name as you grow into adulthood," Taehyun explains, noting the overlap. “We try to express that temptation where you just want to settle for now and don't want to grow up anymore.”

As a motif, temptation is a tale as old as time. In Greek mythology, temptation serves as the driving force for multiple stories, from the Sirens to Pandora. In the Book of Genesis, it's temptation that ultimately gets Adam and Eve cast out from the Garden of Eden. Beyond religion and myths, temptation has also been a familiar trope for playwrights like Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare, and many after. Temptation is everywhere, and it's perennial. In TXT's universe, "temptation means you choose something that is not helpful for the future," Taehyun explains. “Falling into that choice is the temptation.”

While it is true TXT go back to their roots with The Name Chapter: Temptation in more ways than other — going back to their tried-and-true "intricately interconnected" whimsical concepts and veering heavily onto theatrics and storytelling with Peter Pan-inspired elements — in other ways, they explore uncharted territory.

After just one listen, it's not hard to discern that The Name Chapter: Temptation is TXT's most experimental album, exploring new genres we haven't yet seen from the band. Kicking off the five-track project is "Devil by the Window," a song produced by BigHit Music's very own Slow Rabbit and mixed by Grammy Award-winning engineer Manny Marroquin. Heavy on bass, "Devil by the Window" traffics in extremes, incorporating snaps, claps, rocky hi-hats, and glitchy noise scratches with subtle whistles, murmured vocals, and layered harmonies. The push and pull share some DNA with last year's "Good Boy Gone Bad."

The track is TXT's second official release featuring all-English lyrics, not counting "Cat & Dog" and collaborations. Taehyun says that was still a challenge for the group. "As Koreans, it's really hard to bring out the right vibe because of the accents when you have to sing in English," he explains. “It's really hard to bring out the detailed emotions and the vibes. But I think all the members did a really good job in recording the 'Devil by the Window.'”

"Devil by the Window" acts as a prelude for the title track: "Sugar Rush Ride," Hueningkai's favorite. "We always like to challenge ourselves with new style and sound, and we did exactly that with this song. The song plays a line from the Korean traditional folktale 'Chunhyangjeon,'" the maknae of the group shares. He also explains how the performance, which includes a tsundere-esque killing point move involving their index fingers, also borrows elements from traditional Korean dance. "I really like the song. I think it shows different styles and genres in the most TXT-ish style."

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"Sugar Rush Ride" is the safest offering from the bunch. It's straight-up saccharine dance pop with instantly catchy funky guitar riffs and booming drum and bass. The real punch line comes with the bridge and chorus, with a whistle and echoed "gimme mores" that would be insidious if they weren't so sweetly tantalizing. Among the credits, there's one name MOAs will surely recognize: Salem Ilese. The group says the opportunity to work with the singer again arose naturally after sharing the stage in the U.S., Korea, and Japan last year. "She's a really good friend, a really good player, and a really good maker," says Taehyun. “She really has a knack for writing melodies and lyrics. She's the best.”

The official featured artist on the album, however, is Coi Leray, who jumps in on "Happy Fools." Also a Slow Rabbit production, like the previous two tracks, "Happy Fools" features writing credits from all the members. The track kicks off with a Bossa Nova-inspired elevator rhythm which quickly transforms into upbeat R&B with a camouflaged flute as the base. "I wrote the top line for 'Happy Fools' and all the members contributed to the lyrics," Yeonjun says of the track. "It's again, our story, so I think it expressed us well. I think it came out really well. When I listened to the song, I could see just how much our members have grown as artists and lyricists."

The next track, "Tinnitus (Wanna be a rock)," is the indisputable highlight of the album. It's TXT's take on Afrobeats, produced by Dystinkt Beats and Grammy-nominated Smash David, and features creative contributions by Taehyun and Yeonjun. After a suave kalimba intro, an engulfing bass-heavy drum beat and a distinct clave rhythm take over the sound, with the members' vocals layered over assorted adlibs for a fun element. On top of the percussion, the use of repetition in the bridge and chorus makes the track even catchier. Definitely a song that calls for headphones. Taehyun says the members were extra excited about trying out this new genre, but they were also extra careful, as a misstep could “ruin the vibe and the quality of the song.”

The closer for the album is "Farewell, Neverland," another explicit Peter Pan reference. "Farewell, Neverland" is a Latin-inspired ballad led by the strumming of an acoustic guitar and a cajón-style percussion swaying the beat, with heavier impacts and electric guitar joining the mix later on. Produced by Carson Thatcher, this track is the second "hitman" bang contribution on the album and also happens to be Soobin's favorite. "When I heard the recording for the first time, I got goosebumps because I could just imagine singing this song with our MOA at our show. I think MOA will feel the same when they listen to it," the group's leader shares.

"As we challenged [ourselves with] different genres for this album, I think all the members now have a more diverse spectrum [when it comes to] expressing ourselves," Yeonjun tells Teen Vogue. Beomgyu adds: “Since we try different concepts for every album, I think I'm more confident that I can pull off any concept now. I think that's what makes us grow, trying new things and taking on new challenges.”

The topic of variety rings true for the songs but also for the project's concept photos, which caused quite an uproar as they were revealed. "We usually share our ideas with our visual team and work with them throughout the process," Soobin shares about coming up with these concepts. Though very distinct from one another, all concepts are all intertwined in the music video for the title track. Still, each member has their favorites.

For Soobin, "Daydream" takes the crown. "It has a dreamy yet sexy aesthetic which I think suited all of our members really well," he explains. Beomgyu, on the other hand, favors "Nightmare" because "it's supposed to look like some kind of a beautiful nightmare that is colorful and sweet like 'sugar rush'" and that “captures the overall mood of 'Sugar Rush Ride' really well.” Yeonjun and Hueningkai do not share their preferences, but Taehyun does not hesitate to pick "'Farewell" as his favorite. "This concept is about the very moment of saying goodbye to temptation," he elaborates. “The concept clip had a lot of close-ups, and it was really important that we show the complexity of emotions on our faces when the video was shot. I think all of our members pulled it off very well.”

The Name Chapter: Temptation is the first notch in TXT's belt this year after successfully wrapping up their first world tour and landing a historic Lollapalooza performance in 2022, two feats they're immensely proud of. Their second world tour, Act: Sweet Mirage, is already slated for a March start, with 21 stops across Asia and the U.S. already locked and a "more to come" promise. "If the opportunity allows, I hope that many people recognize us and listen to our music in 2023," Taehyun shares. "Also, we were invited to the AMAs in 2022, but if we go again, I want to perform." That seems like the next natural progression for a group that likes to take it one step at a time.

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