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hwavsg4ch4n · 8 months ago

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Awkward|| L.M

Note: hi guys, this is actually a music series (more info linked) bonus. I usually write multiple versions of a smut per song and choose which one fits the vibe the most. this one was actually supposed to be for SYNERGY (linked), but I reworked it and made it better for "Awkward". I haven't been here for a while and decided that I'm the kind of writer that likes to pop in randomly lol. I'm thinking about turning this into a mini-series separate from the music series. After you read this, please follow the link at the end and vote on the pole if you think this would be a good mini-series! ps. word count of 4,783... get a snack.

Disclaimer: I have decided not to no longer put any tags in my works to avoid unneeded spoilers. I will only warn when there are extremely triggering aspects in my work. Read at your own discretion.

Synopsis: You've been single for years, it's sad really. coming up with excuse after excuse as to why you should be okay. Then society introduced the appearance of 'soulmates', and somehow everything got worse. But then there's your boss, what should you do with him...

this is a mature work of fiction (18+), this does not represent any real-life figures, this is just for entertainment.

Music series bonus <masterlist>

You tilted your head back, gulping down the rich red wine as the brisk night air glided across your naked arms.

What was love? It was stupid, at least that’s what you always told yourself. Love is dumb, for the weak; and you weren’t weak. You wished you believed your thoughts, but you couldn’t help but crave love. What it felt like, sounded like, what it smelled like, what it tasted like.

Jealousy was a disease and you hated to admit that you were practically hospitalized and in a coma from said disease.

However, solidarity was alright sometimes. It was rewarding, no arguments, no having to worry what your partner was up to if they were taking care of themselves properly. You only had to worry about yourself… is it bad that was your biggest con to single life? Only having to worry about yourself.

You told yourself this for years. That was until early last year, when the CDC came out with a new phenomenon. They called it, soulmates. You thought it was corny. You watched as scientists explained the symptoms, and how it starts. How it feels, how you can differentiate your feelings blah blah blah, it was bullshit in your eyes. But not many felt the same.

The day after the news of soulmates reached the public, your office became littered with pairings. Mia from accounting and Felix in your branding apartment paired up instantly. Everyone saw that one coming. They were frauds, had to be, the CDC said their research is still new, meaning they’ll need long-term volunteers that they’ll compensate. That's when fake soulmates started appearing. You called bullshit when the news stated authentic soulmates are now being deemed rare. The CDC just wanted to cover its tracks, hiding another economic decline. Soulmates weren’t real.

Your loneliness grew worse because of your slight rebellion. You didn’t put yourself out there, scared someone would falsely claim you as a soulmate. It’s nights like this where you want to let yourself fall in line. Here you are, alone at the Valentine’s Day company party for another year, this time due to self-sabotage. You already hated this holiday, but of course, science had to make it worse. On the balcony sipping expensive wine your boss bought for everyone, you tried your best to drown out the jazz music and giggles as coworkers showed off their engagement rings.

Minho watched you through the glass door of the balcony with hesitancy. He tuned out the conversation he was dragged into. “Mr. Lee, what are your opinions on soulmates.” He looked at the second department secretary, taking in her inquiry, “I’m not quite sure.” He was telling the truth, he didn’t think much of it, if it was true great, if it wasn’t, it didn’t really affect him in any way, probably just another pity thing. The marriage statistic was getting low, he read it in a paper. Minho took one more sip from his whiskey glass before setting it down and excusing himself.

Everyone in the office knew that Minho, the COO of this company, took a liking to you; everyone was jealous in fact. The kind, extroverted, unmarried, painfully attractive man… liked you. The seemingly cold, work-a-holic, introvert of a woman. He’s liked you since before the news came forth with their studies, yet you were oblivious. Your self-esteem is so low that you wouldn’t dare to even think a man like Minho would see you in such a way, not when people are trying to claim the bachelor every day.

You looked over your shoulder as the balcony door opened. You smiled politely, “Mr. Lee, how are you?” You asked gently. He couldn’t help but smile at the sound of your voice, not even trying to hide the shivers that trailed down his spine at your tempt voice. “I’m doing well, but I couldn’t help but feel bothered when I saw you out here alone. Are you not cold, Ms. L/n?” You watched as he made his way next to you, leaning against the metal railing. He gazed at the city skyline, awaiting your answer.

You took another sip of wine. “It’s a bit chilly, but I can manage.” Short and simple, polite. That’s all Minho got from you. He's never wanted a person to rant to him for hours so badly, but that would be seen as unprofessional. He clears his throat, standing up straight. “Are you not having fun?” He asked. Maybe it was the wine that compelled you to answer him differently than you normally would. “To be honest, Mr. Lee,” He raised his brows, turning to you fully. “What is it?” You let yourself answer. “I don’t really favor office parties.” You chuckled before downing the last bit of your wine.

Minho frowned before biting his lip. “I hope it’s okay that I call you by your name,” He started, “Sure.” He gulped dryly before giving you an offer. “Would you like to get out of here, y/n?” You finally faced him, brows furrowed as your eyes lingered across his figure, taking him in.

White button-up, sleeves rolled to his elbows, black slacks, dark auburn hair fallen into his eyes, the eyes that were surveying you softly. It would be strange, to ride off into the night with your boss on the night the company is rumored to rename the festive party ‘soulmates night'. But you’ve had about 3 full glasses of wine, and you’re bored plus inquisitive.

“Where would we be going?”, he smiles.

After bidding an awkward goodbye to your coworkers, and avoiding questioning looks about the two of you leaving together; you finally made it to Minho’s car.

“Wanna catch a late movie?” Your head tilted in question, he drove out of the parking lot the humming of the engine fills the silence. Smirking to yourself in disbelief, you agreed.

The ride was filled with conversation, the longest non-work related conversation you’ve had with this man. He spoke of everything you didn’t think he’d speak of. How he missed home, how living in a bustling city was fun, but the sound of waves beat the sound of honking horns. You couldn’t help but ask him questions, you didn’t care if they were the right questions. You were comfortable, too comfortable. Was it the wine you downed? Maybe the grand looking air freshener in his car. It hurts your pride to admit that it might just be him. He smelled nice and spoke to you gently in that voice he would use to remind you of your lunch hour.

You took in a breath as his hands on the steering wheel came into view, “Oh sweet jesus”. You pressed yourself into the black leather seat. It’s the wine, it has to be the wine. Minho turned to you as he finished parking, “You ready?”

No one was there in the theater, no one but the two of you. You couldn’t focus on the movie, all you could focus on was how you were alone with Minho, completely alone with him.

You were zoned out until you were pulled back to reality. “Are you enjoying the movie?” He whispered, not looking in your direction, his eyes glued to the projected screen. You couldn’t help but ask bluntly, “What are we doing?”

Minho looked at you, you felt his gaze so you looked back. “Mr. Lee, it’s soulmates night.” He frowned, chewing on his popcorn. His heartbeat quickened, were you implying something?

It was dark, but you could see him like there was the light of a halo above him. “What do you wish we were doing, Y/n?” Why did he ask you that? Why did he ask like he wanted to fulfill a wish?

You looked away, parted lips and furrowed eyebrows. He couldn’t see your face properly, he took your silence as rejection, and maybe he read you wrong. “I don’t mean to upset you, I apologize. Let’s finish the movie, then I’ll take you home?” You didn’t want to finish the movie, you weren’t even watching the boring movie.

Your heart was pounding, was this what proper desire felt like? It felt different from your crush on the Grey’s Anatomy guy. Was this what being wanted felt like? But he’s your boss… You felt a surge of warmth, a shallow buzzing feeling accumulated in your fingertips, must be excitement. Your conscious almost coming alive, fuck it, give in. You did just that.

Biting your lip you breathed in deep, “I don’t want to continue the movie.” You stated in a whisper. You couldn’t see it clearly, but Minho grew worried, worried he scared you off completely.

“Oh- would you like to, would you like for me to take you home now, Miss. L/n?” He didn’t want to use your first name, afraid of abusing his power. It made you flinch, “I thought you said… you were gonna use my name from now on?” You whispered. Finding his eyes in the slim light provided by the screen.

He licked his lips, although it was out of his nervousness, the action made you gulp. “My apologies, Y/n.” you weren’t aware of it yet, but you held all the power at this given moment. He’d do anything you told him to with no question.

“I do want to get out of here, but I don’t want to go home Mr. Lee.” You said, standing up, and grabbing your purse. Minho stood up as well, eyes never leaving your form as he studied you for unspoken answers.

“I would like to see where my boss lives, I’ve always been curious.” your lashes fluttering, as you peered up at him with a quick pulse and sweaty palms. What if you read him wrong, what if he dismissed you and fired you on the spot? What if this whole ordeal was just because he pitied you for being single for every Valentine’s Day party?

“Well, I should let you overcome your curiosity, shouldn’t I Y/n?” He said with amusement. “After you.” He moved out of the way, letting you lead the way out of the theater.

You continuously asked yourself what you were doing on the drive to his house. Well, you knew what you were doing. You were lonely, and tired of it, taking up a messy offer that could end up in you getting scammed by this man. You’ll apologize in the mirror later. Hitting rock bottom was something you would worry about tomorrow. Your hazy mind only lets you think about his veiny hand gripping the gear shift.

What would happen if you took it upon yourself to place him where you wanted him?

Working up the courage, you sucked in a breath before allowing your fingers to trace his cufflinks, trailing your fingers around his wrist. His fastened pulse boosted your ego, looking to see his reaction. Minho remained focused on the road, with no intention of stopping you as he blinked and took more deep breaths than a calm human would.

You couldn’t help but lick your lips as you brought his hand to the warm flesh of your warm thigh, just under the hem of your black tweed skirt. Your blood pumped at the thought of how he’s letting you have your way. He wanted this too, to touch you. His hand was warm, and comforting. You liked how pretty it was on your skin, admiring the visual as your nails traced his veins.

Minho didn’t mean to squeeze, he did it subconsciously. He didn’t realize he did it until you gasped shallowly, clenching your thighs around his hand and looking up at him with the lowest gaze he’s ever seen from you.

“Sorry.” He muttered, rubbing his hand along the inside of your thigh in an attempt to soothe, not wanting to get you too worked up just yet. But his touch had the opposite effect. You didn’t want to wait anymore. It was known that Minho’s house was in the rich part of the city, all the way across town. Even Though it was a mere 30 minute drive, the distance felt like an eternity.

“Minho,” Minho gulped dryly. Your deep tone sent shock waves through his body, he enjoyed how his name dripped off your tongue. “Yes, Y/n?” His voice remained steady, not wanting to ruin something that could get so good. “I want you to pull into the park, I wanna watch the sky with you.” You whispered. Minho’s heart grew soft as you continued to trance his veins. He nodded silently, ready to take every command you asked of him.

You watched as he parked, the view of the city was beautiful, but that wasn’t your focus as of now.

There was a silence, loud, swallowing the city sounds in the distance. Your body shifted, rotating towards him. Minho turned to you, his grip on your thigh tightening slightly as he took in the view of you. “Kiss me,” Yes you were being blunt, and bold, but you didn’t care. Who cares?

You grinned as Minho pulled you on his lap, his strength not surprising you; considering how his arms looked way too confined in every dress shirt he owned. Your eyes shut as his lips collide with yours. Soft, buttery, warm, so so warm, and buzzing… your lips were buzzing. The feeling of him was clouding your judgment. Minho’s hands gripped your waist, pulling you closer. He tilted his head, kissing you deeper. Pulling back slightly, he watched as you followed him. Minho smiled, softly chuckling. You opened your heavy lids, growing shy to see his gaze. Your lips parted as he pushed you even closer, rubbing against the growing tent in his slacks, you jolted as your core began to buzz as well. Your lips molded with his once more, and the sounds of what you presumed to be fireworks sounded in the distance.

His breathing was heavy as you disconnected to catch your breath. Minho’s hands tilted your head to the side slightly, breathing you in softly, lips grazing your skin as you shuttered, your fingers gripping his sleeve. He licked his lips before kissing your collarbone, traveling up your neck, absorbing every gasp you let out.

You feel his hand slide to the back of your head, angling your face down so his eyes can meet yours as he lays his forehead on yours. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted you, y/n.” Your heart panged, searching his eyes for truth. He wanted you, Minho, your boss, wanted you.

Your hands traced his bottom lip, and you blinked softly, “Take care of me then, yeah?” You whispered. He smiled gently, gripping your jaw and pulling you back.

The both of you suck in a breath as Minho presses his lips to yours once more, his hand pushing your head impossibly closer. He wanted to feel you, meet with you in ways he’d only imagined. You were letting him give you what he thought was impossible for him. Truthfully, he would’ve liked to ask you out on a proper date. But this would suffice if it was what you wanted from him.

The two of you kissed for a while, gradually feeling and touching each other. Feeling what was never seen. Your body grew warmer, the buzzing centered to your stomach as you bunched up his shirt, wanting to feel his skin bare against yours. “Minho,” It didn’t mean to sound like a plea, “What is it? What do you want me to do?” His voice was breathy, low, needy, and ready to please. You couldn’t get enough. “Off.” You tugged at his collar. Barely even a second later, he began to unbutton his shirt. You wasted no time placing your hands on his sculpted chest once exposed, gulping as you stared at his skin. Absentmindedly gliding your manicured fingers across him.

Minho watched your every move, whimpering as your fingertips flicked his nipples. Your nails left gentle scratches, he licked his lips at the sight. He can’t recall ever wanting someone so badly, to the point he was painfully hard, closing his eyes and throwing his head back at the slightest touches you granted him.

You wanted his reaction intensively, feeling his twitching member under you as you pinched and rubbed his nipples. His chest rose and fell at a somewhat hurried pace, the tips of his ears grew red, and so did his lips as he couldn’t stop licking and biting at them. It’s not like the action helped keep him quiet. His heavy breathing began to get mixed in with soft whimpers.

You smiled, “Who knew you’d be so sensitive.” You mumbled. “Sorry… uhm. I’m not usually like this.” You grinned at his hushed awkwardness. “Trust me, I don’t mind.” You whispered back, your hands continued tracing the outline of him. One by one you left open kisses on his neck, traveling up behind his ear. You sucked at his warm skin, “I hope the secretary doesn’t see what I’m leaving on you Mr. Lee, I think she might have a crush on you.” You said playfully, smiling against his clammy skin, sucking another bruise. Minho’s hands travel to the bottom of your skirt in response, pulling the fabric to bunch at your waist. He squeezes at your thighs as you find the spot that meets his shoulder and neck, his breath shallows. His hips bucking as you suck and nip at the skin. You were hot to the touch, it heightened the feeling of you on him.

Minho isn’t sure how you got the one up on him, but he lets your hands wander to the buckle of his belt. He looks up at your face, your eyes full of determination as you swiftly take off his belt, unbuttoning his pants. He can’t help but smirk as he feels heat center in his stomach, “You’ve got me right where you want me y/n,” Your movements slow as you start to push his pants down to his ankles, “You’re the only one who’s ever gotten me like this.” Minho watches you bite your lip as he feeds into your ego. His eyes shoot down as you grasp his erection through his boxers. “Haven’t been this hard in so,” his voice shakes as your grip tightens “So long, fuck baby.” Your lips part at his words, looking up to see his head thrown back at the seat. You tap at his tip, the fabric starting to stick to his precum as you admire the bites you left on his skin.

“Minho,” You call out softly, he opens his eyes to see you staring at his member. The look in your eyes almost makes him ask if you want him to take over. Your eyes were glazed over, your lips pouty as you tug at his boxers, he smirks slightly. “I’ll get these out your way, sorry baby.” Your pussy clenched around nothing at the use of the pet name again, it feels so good to be called that, the buzzing shoots to your core before centering again. It almost felt like a boost of arousal, you were too enraptured by the man in front of you to care.

Your hands returned to his stiffened member as soon as it sprang free, you felt Minho tense at your touch. You looked up at him as you began to stroke him lightly. His eyes were hooded, he watched your hand quickly become slick with his arousal as you pumped at a careful pace. Minho licked his lips, noticing through his foggy mind how you still remained fully dressed. Your thighs only exposed because he decided to tease just once. Yes, his words earlier were to edge on your performance, but they were true. Minho has never been on the receiving end, he loved giving, if you told him to take over he’d do it gladly. More importantly, his need to please was strong, if pleasing you meant stepping back a bit he’s happy too. However, he didn’t anticipate his sensitivity to your touch. He hears himself whimper as your pumping speeds up, the rising heat traveling down to his member. He jolts as the pleasure intensifies. A hand hovers over your pumping one before holding himself back and placing it back on your thigh.

He’s starting to lose a battle, don’t cum, not yet, she’ll get bored soon and touch you somewhere else, don’t fucking cum. He chanted to himself, one of his hands moved to your ass, gripping as his other kept shelter on your thigh. You watched as he shut his eyes tight, his lips parting as he huffed out puffs of air. You smiled in triumph as he began to shake his head side to side, starting to lose his internal war, “B-baby… y/n, I’m gonna c-cum baby,” His voice was hoarse.

You tilted your head, sliding your pumping up to only his tip. His thighs jolted, his eyes opening as he started to look at you for pity. He only saw you looking at his dick dreamily, the heat in his stomach pulses. He swallows down his need to overcome you, opting to let himself relax.

Minho cursed, he groaned deeply, throwing his head back. His brain started to become unmanageably fuzzy.

“Y/n.” He whispered, licking his lips.

His smooth thighs flexed.“You’re so good baby,” Your lips parted at his soft whimper.

You grin, slowing down your pumping, giggling as he whimpered trying to fuck your palm the heat causing his tip to pulse. “You like me huh, Minho?” Your words were teasing. You were met with an eager nod. Cooing, you slipped off your underwear. You looked into his brown eyes, just when you thought he let himself surrender fully, he had some fight left in him.

He gripped your waist, biting his lip as he guided you over his throbbing member. You let him sink you down onto his warmth. You whimpered, Minho watched carefully, looking for signs of you needing him to take over. Only for him to get knocked down again, his brows furrowed as you brace a hand on his blushed chest, beginning to ride him. He stared at your clothed chest, your nipples hard enough for the outline to push past your bra and blouse. With heavy breaths his eyes traveled up your littered neck, finally landing on your blissed face. “Pretty,” He whispered, so soft you barely acknowledged it. His brain was swirling with only the image of you, the smell of you reminding him of a warm cabin.

You looked down at him, giggling at his starry eyes and beads of sweat, you were unaware of the state his mind was in. You were enthralled by the thought of him being so pliant. Never in a million years did you think your boss would be under you with a flushed face and a throbbing dick. You feel his dick pulse as he squeezes his eyes shut. Your hands make their way to his jaw, “Are you holding your cum from me, Mr. Lee?” His member throbs again. Your voice and playful words have him shaking his head, gripping your ass so hard you're sure there will be a mark, it stirs you on. “Want you to... To cu-cum first.” He whispered. Your walls flutter and tighten around him, Minho’s eyes snap open, lifting you off him, and you forget about his strength for just a moment.

You peered down to see his jumping member and quivering thighs, precum leaking and he tried to catch his breath. You didn’t let him, you swatted his hold away, ignoring his groan as you seethed him back into your warm hole. “Ah, fuck I can’t hold it, baby.” He rasped out, listening to how wet you were. You didn’t answer him, tuning out his winning, starting to chase your own high that's been building up while watching him. The buzzing started to spread. You gripped his shoulders, pushing yourself closer to him. Minho’s hand placed itself on your sweaty back, bracing himself. His other hand slid down to your thigh, grazing where he was buried into you. His grip tightened, spreading your slick puffy lips slightly. “Min, that's so good.” You whimpered. He hummed, burying his head into your neck. He shifted, widening his legs the best he could, and started to meet your thrusts.

Your mouth formed an O, tears forming in your eyes as he hit the gummy spot you never reached on your own. Before you knew it your body began to go numb from the pleasure, the buzzing reached every inch of you in what felt like a millisecond. Minho felt your muscles detense, he whimpered as he wrapped his arms around your waist. He chuckled tiredly at the sound of your babbling. You finally needed him, you were close and god knows he is too. He fucked into you like you’ve unlocked a different part of him.

“Gonna c-cum min.” You whimpered, “I know baby, I Know.” He pressed a kiss to your shoulder, feeling his self control finally coming to an end. He grunts, taking a hand and reaching between your radiating bodies. You moan so loud you're sure any late night hikers would be able to hear you. Your thighs shake as if it feels you’re physically experiencing the color red, the buzzing now being heard in your ears, distracting you from your release covering his thighs as yours shake. Minho grunts before he bites down on your shoulder, seeing sparks of deep green as he squeezes his eyes shut, spilling himself into you as he starts to hear crackles of fire.

When you close your eyes you're met with the visions of the man that’s under you. Images of his life, his milestones, you feel what he felt all in the blink of an eye. The images seize, and you’re yanked out of the dreamy state, catching your breath. You gulp, slowly facing him. His eyes meet yours, “Did you see that?” he whispered. You nodded, your fingertips still buzzing. “I-is this that soulmate thing?” his voice slightly above a murmur. Your body tensed, “What?” He looked into your eyes, he could almost feel your fear, “U-uh nothing.” He lifted you off him gently, ignoring what the sight of his release dripping from you did to him. Minho watched as you straightened yourself out in the passenger seat of his car. His eyes glanced at the foggy windows before returning to your now tense form.

Were you his… soulmate? He thought it was just a speculation that scientists made up to give the single population hope. He cleared his throat, putting his softening member back into his boxers, and lifting his pants up. “I’ll, uhm… I’ll drive you home.” Minho licks his lips nervously as he puts on his wrinkled button down. He looked at the time on his watch, 12:57am. He moves to turn on the engine.

“You believe them?” Minho glanced your way, taking in your question. “Do you believe what they say on the news?” He blinked, thinking of a proper answer as he started to drive out of the parking lot. “I mean,” He turned to enter the freeway. “If it’s on the news, there has to be some truth.” You took in his words, rolling down the window. “Y/n, the… symptoms that they described, that’s what just happened.” You frowned, looking out the window taking in his words. “I saw you, your middle school graduation,” you glower at him, his eyes were on the road, only glancing at you briefly. “I saw your first, and only relationship…” He paused, seeing your hands clasp together nervously out of the corner of his eye. He changed the topic, “When I… finished, I saw green, a forest green. And I heard fire, like a campfire.”

You gazed at his side profile. Without a word, you looked forward. You gave him the directions to your apartment.

As he pulled into your driveway, you grabbed your purse putting it on your shoulder. Minho said nothing when you opened the door as soon as he came to a stop, not even giving him a chance to put the car in park. You stepped out, your heels clacking on the pavement. You took in a deep breath before bending down, coming into his view again. You looked at his longing eyes, waiting for you to say anything to grant him peace of mind. “I’ll see you on Monday Mr. Lee.” With that, you closed his door. Gulping down anxiety as you steadily walk to the entrance of your apartment.

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#skz smut #stray kids #stray kids smut #skz x reader #stray kids x reader #lee know x reader #lee minho x reader #lee know #Spotify

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oh-no-its-bird · 4 months ago

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Ok, so. Smashing together my recent posts (stoner Itama / the secret Senju weed empire money / co-dependent twins Itama and Tobirama) to make a cohesive narrative:

So, Itama survives AU.

In this, Itama and Tobirama are twins. They're very close, arguably closer to each other than Hashi is to either of them.

Growing up, after Kawarama died, Hashirama found a new friend in his boy by the river. Meaning the twins were sort of left to mourn on their own, their older brother no longer as interested in playing with them. They got to be almost dangerously codependent, and their father only encouraged it bc they were also training to fight as a duo, and the codependency made the team synergy go crazy hard.

On that note, they're absolutely terrifying in battle together for sure. They're nightmares on their own already, but together?? Let's say that as long as they're fighting side by side, they're on the same level as Hashirama himself.

Itama grows up to be a scientist like Tobirama, but in a different field of science— ✨️plants✨️

Itama is like, a bioengineer for plants. He's crossbreeding the fuck out of these bad boys, finding ways to amplify certain traits in some plants, erase them altogether in others, or mixing them up for the best of both worlds. Full doctor Frankenstein plant edition

It's fun bc he often gets help from both of his brothers, and he's also able to help the both of them in turn!

Hashirama helps with growing plants, meaning Itama doesn't have to wait the years this research would usually take. He can go from nothing to having his final product in days flat when it should have taken a fucking lifetime to do. If he fucks up it's no stress bc as long as he has the seeds, Hashirama can just grow him a new plant to start from! All he needs is one single seed and an entire world of new possibilities is unlocked.

On top of all that, the mokuton can affect the plants in ways growing by regular time doesn't, so Itama also gets to play with special mokuton plants too

Then Itama can give Hashirama all sorts of new plants to potentially use in battle, tho Hashirama doesn't seem to want to use want against the Uchiha. But like. He has them!! And it's fucking terrifying!!! Plus they can just in general bond over being plant enthusiasts. If Hashi finds a cool new plant or vice versa they can get excited about it together

Tobirama understands all to most of Itama's research, at least in theory, and will often help with his experiments. Likewise, Itama also understands all to most of Tobirama's own research (at least in theory) and can help him in return. Having their own specific fields of interest, they're often bringing a fresh pair of eyes and different thought process to the others experiments, and it's great for them both. SO many results.

Itama is let in on most of Tobirama's projects, and even if he's not helping he generally knows what he's working on and vice versa. They have few secrets and its actually just in general very good for Tobirama specifically. Like, mentally and support wise.

Because Itama never died to serve as that final push over the edge, and was instead there to offer emotional support, Tobirama didn't turn to necromancy. (If he had tho, Itama would have been fully on board— sorry Hashirama) Instead, maybe he's spending that time being even more focused on cool time/space jutsu or something.

So like, all grown up he's a poison specialist with a major wind chakra attribute and minor fire attribute. His main weapon is a pipe, which he just smokes normally on top of using its smoke as a weapon. He can put so much pressure into the smoke that it becomes physical, and can then be used as a blunt force weapon (on top of ofc the smoke being used as just smoke, and having different effects on its own)

He's immune to a lot of his smokes effects, but has special extra powerful versions of most of his go to weaponized smokes that are so strong they work even on him. Obviously, he doesn't usually use these in battle, but they're there as a last resort

Fun sort of chain reaction attack where he disperses some super flammable powder or smoke then tosses in a single spark and it goes up like fucking fireworks. Or a cool combo attack where Tobirama provides hella fog with whatever water is nearby, and Itama condenses it so thickly that it chokes out their enemies without having to lift a single finger.

He can make like, platforms of smoke to stand on or use as shields, and he's especially good at deflecting and redirecting enemy attacks with carefully condensed smoke shields summoned up at just the right angles. Like, imagine you throw a kunai and it bounces off some invisible platform, then off ANOTHER invisible platform, and somehow its still gaining momentum (propelled by summoned winds or wrapped in a slightly solidified veil of smoke thats moving it on its own) and hits you right in the eyes

He absolutely fucks around with making all SORTS of custom effects with whatever he's smoking, which also brings us to the idea that got me here in the first place ->

Ok so the joke about the Senju having a secret weed empire where they sell ultra special mokuton weed, but it happens fr in this AU bc of Itama.

Stoner Itama deciding he can make the weed even better and forgetting what the word self-control means and making objectively the best weed in the naruto world. Ultra delux genetically modified mokuton grown senju weed.

Tobirama kind of gets on him for it at first (not liking the idea of mind-altering substances) but then tries some and stares dead silent at a wall for 10 hours then silently gets up, makes several scientific breakthroughs, then passes out dead on the floor.

They get Hashirama in on it and start mass producing, then start selling it and very quickly and mostly accidentally create a secret senju weed empire (oops?) which also gives them hella funds or the war and other things

No one can even reproduce their weed bc they need the Mokuton to grow it right, they have no competition in the market. AND their product safety/quality is insane bc Tobirama's perfectionist ass helps oversee it

Bc of Itama's interference, Izuna lives, and when they make Konoha the weed money means the first shinobi war doesn't happen bc they can afford to bribe officials they couldn't before (and probably have a uhh. Much more relaxed Kage meeting that year.)

You can't go to war with Konoha !!! That's where all the best ninja weed comes from !!!

Itama and Izuna get along really well actually. Izuna's cringe fail ass does NOT know how to smoke and refuses to admit it, he also becomes Itama's favorite test subjects for new product bc he and his brothers tolerance levels are insane so they need like, a normal guy to try shit on

As a person, Itama is one of those really friendly, charming, easy to get along with guys who seem to have a ton of friends— but when you look a bit closer you quickly notice that while many of those friends share their woes with him, he doesn't really with them. He has lots of friends but isn't really close to any.

He's a pretty good mix of his brothers, seeming friendly and cheerful like Hashirama but much more down to earth, and with the same ruthless streak as Tobirama underneath all the gentle mannerisms. He might be more ruthless than either of his brothers when it really comes down to it, but he's very slow to strike or anger, and virtually no one but his brothers and Touka really know he even has that side to him.

He's Konoha's lead poisons expert, is 100% aware and helping Tobirama with all of his especially fucked up experiments, and honestly that should tell you enough— but most tend to get distracted by the soft smiles and sleepy expression.

Art interlude ->

Anyways uhhh. All of this only exists bc I started thinking ab stoner Itama getting dumped face first into modern Konoha with Izuna, the two of them having been hiding after pissing off Madara for unimportant reasons. They don't realize they're not in their Konoha, and proceed to run from Madara (who they still think is mad at them)

Meanwhile Madara is losing his fucking MIND trying to chase down the ghost of his brother, and also some guy...? Who is that actually? He doesnt really give a shit tbh, Izuna oh god please come back here— ARE YOU FUCKING HIGH RIGHT NOW?

@fashionredalert : Zetsu lived in fear of Itama because itama would have made him into an edible That's why zetsu is two colors, itama smoked one half of him before zetsu managed to escape. One half intact the other half charred black

Please?? The closest hes been to death in years.

Itama was put on this earth to smoke everything he physically can, he hasnt been sober since he was 13, he no longer knows the meaning of fear or sanity. If it can burn he can smoke it

Hes holding one of those tiny Zetsu's going "Hey look at this fucked up plant I found :DD" then taking it straight into the weed lab

Zetsu specifically had him killed in canon bc he knew he'd grow to be too powerful pass it on

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derww · 19 days ago

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DAY 16: WOUND

CW: Suicides, god complex, unreliable narrator, dead dove

– I don't understand, – Vi states. He's almost annoyed – the key word is "almost." In time with his tapping on the table, a space storm is raging outside their base, – why?

The world that stretches out in front of him, despite its apparent minuteness, is detailed to the smallest things, a real work of art: from the way the crowns of the trees and meadow grass move in the wind to the finest elaboration of the texture of the stone. This is a masterpiece, a magnum opus, but it only further irritates Vi. He clicks his tongue and shakes his head. A ban message is displayed on the console in front of him.

– This won't work, – he grumbles, returning the world to the last savepoint, – this is wrong, everything should go differently, – and restarts the world, returning it to its usual state of complex synergy, – what the hell is wrong? – he asks, tapping his foot restlessly, while life is in full swing again in the world, similar to a very distorted reflection of the present. Somewhere out there, under the night sky, Vi hugs Zam and says how glad he is that he is there with them. His head is decorated with a floral wreath.

The real Vi paces, clearly bothered by circumstances, until he freezes, riveted by the sight of his double inside that universe, who strokes Zam’s head and wishes him sweet dreams. He thinks about the decision for a while, but then remembers that he knows better than anyone and sets himself up to make a spatial jump. However, there is nothing difficult about it – this time it is only an astral journey.

It's strange, being in the body of pseudo-Vi. Not because this copy isn't accurate enough, but because that's who he was while he was still a player. He has clear boundaries of body and mind again; his fur is hard somewhere, tangled somewhere, cut with bumps of battle scars, and his body stubbornly gravitates to the earth, as if depending on it, leaving him even too grounded. This all leaves an itchy discomfort – not enough to be outraged, but enough to be annoyed.

And he could disintegrate this Vi and embody his true image, or simply rebuild this body at the pixel level, unnaturally and arbitrarily distort it enough until he achieved the desired result. But he is not here forever, just for a moment for him and for this world, and he will need to return this body to the pseudo Vi in a sufficiently undisturbed state so that he does not go crazy. So he leaves it as it is. He's going home. He doesn't remember the way.

He's a bad actor, but playing himself is different. He's already lived through all of it. He won't make a mistake. And even if he does, he always has the opportunity to simply turn back time. He's not risking anything. What's the difference? Subz silently waves at him, and Zam sleeps on his shoulder, and it's all so peaceful that Vi feels annoyed. He says "Good night" to Subz and goes to his room, into the tangle of holes and catacombs with a black bed in the center of the bunker at the bedrock, and with a snap of his fingers materializes a book in his hand. On its first page, there is a direct request not to read further. He flips through it without hesitation.

And... Zam, looking at him from the pages of his personal diary, sounds happy. He shares how glad he is to be on the team, that he has finally found peace with himself and with the world around him and no longer feels the need to run away from anything. He describes their long walks and how they sleep together, intertwined in a tangle, about regular golf games with the Pangi and watching cartoons with the Planet, about leisurely evenings where he just allows himself to exist, and about the fact that he can finally start to draw. His life is good – no, his life is wonderful! He got out of the cycle of violence and found himself and people who love and appreciate him!

Vi smiles with satisfaction, closes the diary, and it disappears from his hands, returning to Zam's enderchest. That's good. That's great. Maybe he doesn't need to interfere at all? Everything is going smoothly this time. He can just admire the performance and then come back and never think about this stupid project again.

And hey, he's capable of playing himself! It's easy; Subz and Zam don't even notice anything. He participates in all their silly activities, hugs, and smiles and even remembers how to cook to bake them a cherry pie. And, of course, he looks at Zam from time to time, but he's fine, smiling and laughing and hugging him and enjoying life, and eventually Vi stops thinking about it. I'll stay here for a month, he decides, make sure of everything, and get out of here. He still had more important things to do, after all.

They have a game night right in the hall of the base – almost half of the server comes, and it's a lot of fun and all that, but Spoke stares at Vi all the time, without blinking or smiling. He does not try to talk to Vi, knowing that it is useless, and only stares, stares, and stares, absolute in his insignificance of meaninglessness. Vi smiles back at him. Not that this Spoke could do anything. He was just a mortal. Vi was the god.

He spends long hours just being with Zam – they help each other, spend time together, discuss anything, sleep, and just stay silent. Subz is also here at least half of the time, but Vi barely pays attention to it.

One day, he lifts the lid of an old piano. Has it always been here? What's the difference? Zam is also here, facing him, with an easel set up. He draws while Vi plays, and they both mumble a tune to themselves. Vi does not even remember what composition he is playing; his hands move by themselves from memory, as if he has no control over what is happening at all, and he just lets it be.

The ending leaves him unsatisfied, so he plays new and new melodies, taking them out of the trash of his muscular memory, skips the moment when Subz comes, and smiles, listening to the clear notes. Vi stops only when he no longer wants to play, and Zam and Subz applaud together and tell him how cool he is and how much they liked it, and Vi is instantly distracted from the piano, and the three of them are going on their planned fishing trip, but something pulls Vi to finally turn around before leaving and.

There is an easel in an empty room. On the easel is a canvas mounted on a stretcher. It is covered with catchy and thick acrylic. It's him – soft colors, fox ears, lowered hood. He's in a close-up shot, and he's smiling at the viewer. Behind his back is a tangle of blue, light blue, and purple.

Something is wrong, Vi thinks distantly, and his throat goes dry. Have I ever looked so happy?

***

Life goes on at the same pace. There's nothing going on here. No disasters, no battles. It's almost a vacation, Vi thinks ironically, and reaches out to poke Subz in the side. Subz, still asleep, grumbles with displeasure and turns over on the other side. Very little later, Zam brings them breakfast with unleavened bread and coffee in bed, and they watch a movie together and play UNO, and then they go back to bed and just lie around, lazily exchanging thoughts and ideas.

And this is... so good. just to be happy. Just to live. No violence, no deaths, no betrayals. A quiet life belonging only to themselves, in which there is no place for unfair play, in which there is no point in playing dishonestly. I don't know what went wrong before; Vi thinks and yawns, but now it's gone. As always, I saved everyone. A couple more days, and you can come back. Pseudo-Vi can handle it himself; it's nothing complicated.

He falls asleep without thinking about anything at all. He wakes up to the chilling hum of the ban. It doesn't take him long to find Zam hanging in his room.

What.

And he's- he's angry, he's annoyed, he's disappointed, and what comes through is he's confused. Thinking, Vi asks himself not why, but how he dared. He doesn't bother talking to Subz or taking the body out of the noose and instead calls up the console and rewinds time.

First, to the most recent savepoint. He talks to Zam, he gives him gifts, he does not leave him for a moment, and Zam is still gentle to him, and he is absolutely happy, but still – maybe not immediately, maybe after a couple of days, but he kills himself. Escapes his supervision. He stabs himself with a knife, he throws himself off a mountain, and he boils himself alive in lava. Vi puts himself on a suicide watch, and a week later Zam drowns himself in the sink. After that, Vi decides that he needs more time. He goes back on a week. Then on a month. And on and on and on, much earlier than the moment when he himself found himself in this scenario for the first time, and he does anything, and it's absolutely fucking useless.

WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU, he shouts at Zam, barely managing to take him off the noose this time. AREN'T YOU HAPPY. ISN'T THAT WHAT YOU WANTED SO MUCH? STOP BEING SO FUCKING STUBBORN.

This almost-real world crunches under his palms, crumbling into shreds, and Wormhole spins with all her might under their feet.

I'm sorry, Vi, Zam says bitterly, and his hands and face are covered with cosmic burns, I'm very, very sorry. He dies before Vi has time to ask him about anything else. He throws his corpse aside, restarts the world from the very first savepoint, and teleports away from here to his real base, which has become so alien. This time, Subz are here. He waves at Vi.

– I don't understand,– Vi repeats, clenching his fists in impotence and still staring at that world, – Why? Why? Why?

Subz looks at him with sad eyes and silently shakes his head. He seems to be... feeling sorry. But why pity him?

#lifesteal #princezam #fanfiction #d.fics #eclipse federation #vitalasy #itzsubz_#cw suicide #cw death #cw dead dove #hi dirk strider #lifestealtober2024 #i reeeally like how it turned out #but its pretty dark so proceed carefully

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gremlinaristocrat · 1 year ago

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Overthinking Sylvie’s Strategy

So, I know the Gio&Molly vs Sylvie fight in Ep2 was mostly about getting the protagonists to show off their personalities and powers . . . but I think if you read (way too far) into the strategy Sylvester uses it tells you a surprising amount about him.

Start at the start. Sylvie overhears our heroes talking about how they’re villains. Instead of sneak attacking them while he has the drop on them, he starts a dialog, to confirm they’re actually bad guys (and maybe to satisfy his own desire for drama and/or indulge in his sense of invulnerability). Gio responds by confirming he’s a criminal, calling Sylvie a kid and initiating combat.

It’s kind of overshadowed by what he does later in the fight, but the doc is pretty reasonable early on; I get the feeling he’d have been even more willing to talk things out if dealing with Indus’ stupidity and Mera’s manipulation hadn’t shortened his already-short fuse and made him Done with Trying To Talk To People.

Sylvie’s first move is to use sleep pollen like he did with Indus earlier; unlike all his other attacks, he doesn’t call its name when he uses it, probably to minimize the chances that his targets will figure out what it does in time to stop it. This is a 10/10 opener, with the potential to harmlessly incapacitate enemies and end fights before they start.

When that fails thanks to Molly’s quick thinking and Gio’s creativity, he follows it up with Counting Sheep. This is another solid decision, and unlike the last one, it actually works out for him: his minions swiftly swarm and overwhelm his opponents.

Pictured: Flawless Victory.

Note that – as far as I can tell – Sylvie has basically won at this point. Molly and Giovanni have no way to stop the sheep before they nibble and poof them into unconsciousness; all he has to do is stay the course.

And then our boy screws up. He banishes his own army – or maybe incinerates them, the animation isn’t clear on that point – in order to confront a twelve-year-old girl with her worst nightmare, while having no idea what that nightmare is or how he’d be able to use it.

He also picks this point to sacrifice his vantage point, achieving no obvious gain. I don’t think Jello did this on purpose, but it fits very well that Sylvie literally gives up the high ground for no reason – while forcing his opponents onto a different patch of high ground – at the same time he’s metaphorically doing that.

Let me psychoanalyze the psychoanalyst: what the hell is the good doctor thinking when he unleashes (almost literal!) hell on the adorable cosmic brownie? What’s going through his head when he passes up sure victory for the chance to re-traumatize a child?

Well, it’s possible that Counting Sheep drains stamina faster than it appears to (though he doesn’t seem winded after using it). It’s also possible that he’s worried about one of them using ranged attacks on him, and feels the need to end the fight ASAP. The magic system in EE is intentionally kind of loose and vibes-y, so there’s an endless list of possible excuses.

That said, I think the most likely answer to “what was he thinking?” is “absolutely nothing”. This whole thing looks like a (legitimately!) clever synergy-exploiting strategy he thought up a while back, rarely or never got to see in action, and is just unreflectively executing on even though a more humane approach would have straight-up let him win.

I didn’t notice this until the Youtube comments pointed it out, but I think it’s neat Gio never calls Sylvie a kid again after he finds out the doc has issues with it (except that one time he does it to signal that he’s putting on a show for the cops). He’ll mock you mercilessly, and maybe steal your stuff, but our glorious pink-haired overlord will not use That Word You Dislike to describe you once he knows you dislike it.

Anyway, back to the fight. Sylvie tries to negotiate with his prisoners in the Flame Vortex, since apparently his Psychology PhD never taught him that confronting people with their literal worst nightmares might make them unreasonable and/or push them to extremes. Gio escapes with Molly; Sylvie doubles down on the Nightmare Fuel; Gio responds by thwacking a ball of yarn at him.

This is another point at which – again, as far as I can tell – Sylvie has basically won. The fact that Giovanni resorted to such weird and desperate measures suggests Gio & Molly don’t have any better ways to attack or escape from their current position. All the alleged genius needs to do is take cover behind an exhibit and let his summons finish the criminals. Instead, he cancels his own winning move (again!) so he can summon Dr Beefton, escalating (again!!) in a way that doesn’t actually help him (again!!!).

Like, seriously, what was the plan here? There are a lot of words you could use to accurately describe Sylvie’s colleague/alter-ego/fursona, but ‘agile’ and ‘nimble’ aren’t among them; if Gio and Molly had decided to hold onto their high ground on general principles after Sylvie (apparently) fainted, or if they’d sprinted off in different directions instead of trying to stand their ground, what would he have done then?

From here on out, the beef revolves around Beefton. This tells us very little about Sylvie, except maybe in terms of how much frustration he’s repressing, and what being powerful means to him.

Pictured: What Peak Performance Looks Like

So, what does all this say about Sylvie? He’s clever, willing to hear people out, and merciful when he can get away with it; however, he makes dumb or pointlessly cruel decisions under pressure, and follows a prescribed plan instead of adapting to the enemy; will escalate when surprised or provoked, even when it’s counterproductive, choosing moves which feel strong instead of ones which make sense. In summary, he’s the world’s smartest dumbass, and (at least in this part of the story) acts more like a stereotypical cop than the actual cop character.

He’s getting better quickly, though. I think a lot of this is symptomatic of him being new-ish to fights, and especially new to fights where people get hurt and/or which last more than one move . . .

Yeah, it shows, and not in a good way.

. . . since he gets more flexible and responsive when fighting Mera . . .

Pictured: Character Growth

. . . though, uh, apparently not enough for him to realize that he could demoralize her and/or broker a truce by offering to remove her Epithet with the amulet if he wins.

Out-reasoned by the tweenager; that’s embarrassing.

#epithet erased #sylvester ashling #overthinking

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pietrodart · 5 months ago

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No one asked for it, but here it is: an impulsive post about each and all interactions Pietro and Emily ever had and an analysis of their dynamic as it progressed and regressed(and yes, I'm only doing this because I miss them).

First, let's start with the Uncanny Avengers stage and give a bit more context to what was happening in both of their lives.

Emily was first introduced in the Uncanny Avengers(2015) run, but even with little content we still got to have a lot of clues about what was happening in her life at the time: she was going through a dramatic change, a moment of transition and where her and her family were all struggling to get used to their new heritage and powers, and at the same time she was in a position of constant isolation in a team where all people knew each other but her, and Rogue hostilized her due to her Inhuman blood. Also, I would like to point out that Ivan, Emily’s grandfather, had cancer before becoming healthy very suddenly due to the terrigen clouds and the moment he became healthy he started traveling around the world, so Emily was alone while worrying for her apparently powerful brother. At the same time, Pietro was going through a moment of MCU synergy where he discovered Magneto wasn't his biological father and his personality became more outgoing for a while with the justification that now, without the ties to Magneto, he felt like commemorating their lack of relation – I think it's nice mentioning that Pietro also was in a good moment in life on where his relationship with Luna and Wanda was concerned.

Long description short: both of them were going through a major transition but in different ways and with different impacts.

The first time we see them interacting is on Uncanny Avengers(2015) #1 during a date by the end of the afternoon, on the same day where Emily was introduced to the public officially during a press event – an event she says she wasn't completely ready or prepared for. While Emily was having a bit of a bad day, Pietro was having multiple dates around the world. Again, they are both going through a phase of transition but in different ways and that contributes a lot to why they got closer; Emily needed someone and Pietro wanted someone.

During the date, Emily requested for Pietro to call her by her name instead of using the alias of Synapse and asked him to confirm that they weren't on a date since earlier that day Steve had asked her not to date anyone in the team, and she didn't wish to disappoint him. Pietro proceeded to say that they weren't on a date, giving emphasis on that denial even if it was a lie – not only was it very obvious that the setting was meant to be romantic, but he had also used with Emily the same conversation starter as the one he had used in his previous dates. After that, Emily ended up apologizing for the way her words came out even if her words weren't necessarily rude, adding that Pietro wasn't undateable.

She never implied that he was undateable before – she only said she didn't want to disappoint Steve, that's all. From what she said, it was easier to assume she was sounding more apologetic in the sense of “it's a nice idea but we can't” than “i don't want a date with you”. Emily was clearly trying her best to be nice and likable, going as far as over-explaining herself to avoid misunderstandings when Pietro was clearly not offended and was, at maximum, disappointed but remaining polite towards her. Pietro was the first person on the team to be gentle towards her without putting her in the position of the token Inhuman, actually treating her like a person(differently from Rogue and Steve).

During the date, Emily commented on how pigeons were bothering her ever since her earlier mission with the Avengers, where she used her powers to control a lot of them. After that, she fell back from her chair, being rushed to the hospital by Pietro before telling him that instead of going to the hospital, they should reunite the team and go to Boston.

I'm going to try covering all of their minor interactions as shortly as I can, but have in mind the fact that I'm very obsessed with them, so there's a chance I'll end up over-analyzing and making stuff up as it goes.

Their next interaction happened on the same issue but a few pages later, where Pietro asked if Emily was mind-linked to him, and for her to help cover more of the civilians in the area he was in. Something nice pointing out is that no one else tried including Emily in the mission: Rogue barely talked to her if it wasn't to bring up criticism over things out of Emily's control, and the rest of the team was indifferent to her(except Jericho, who kept being polite). But Pietro actually tried including her, requesting for help from her for something that feels almost stupid, since he could have taken those civilians out of there without asking for help.

Even if it isn't a big interaction, there are also a few interactions in issue #2: one where Emily tried speaking to Rogue and Pietro interrupted her, and another where Emily asked telepathically for Pietro to rejoin the team but froze when she realized he was in danger. Again, not big, but I did say I would cover all of their interactions.

After the end of Emily and Ivan's arc in Uncanny Avengers, Emily and Pietro are next seen interacting in the background of Black Knight(2016) #2, #4 and #5 where Emily appeared close to Pietro and with her hand on his shoulder, commenting with him about the situation they were in during that run and once again appearing closer to him than to others. Next there's their apparition in Squadron Supreme(2016) #3, where Pietro is seen protecting Emily over the rest of the team.

Things to notice: Emily was a very recent addition to the Uncanny Avengers at that time, so it made sense for her to not be so close to anyone in the team and only talk to them if spoken to or when wanting to pitch in on a plan, and it also made sense for other members to be concerned about her well-being during fights, but that doesn't really happen. No one talks to her and she doesn't talk to anyone, and no one else seems to want to lose time babysitting the new member except for Pietro.

Emily reacts to what Pietro says, even when it's unnecessary, and Pietro worries about Emily, even if it's also unnecessary. I believe that Emily acts that way because Pietro is the closest to a friend she had between her teammates – she refers to everyone by their hero names at that point, except Pietro, again –, so for her it was better to interact with him only.

And from Pietro's point of view it also made sense: Emily literally fell backwards out of nowhere during a date and was seen crying and obviously distressed after her first real mission, it would make sense for him to see her as more fragile and “in over her head” as Rogue said, and since she had been nice to everyone, why would he not help her, especially if he was clearly interested in her before to the point of asking her on a date?

(I'm adding this a little while after writing this part, but: Emily is also very inexperienced and distracted. Wade also ends up having to save her, but Pietro is the one that pays more attention to her safety. Adding too that Pietro is very reckless about the rest of the team's wellbeing, and he usually only acts when someone asks him to, differently from Emily who he helps faster.)

Now, I have covered all of their appearances outside of Uncanny Avengers but that happened during the same time space, so we can continue with their interactions on the main run.

In issue #8, it's possible to see Emily and Pietro in the same gym, but that's about all that we get until issue #13, where Emily revealed she had been amping up Pietro's healing abilities while he got better from an injury in a fight against Ultron, and is then shown giving him a tissue when his nose started to bleed. It's not much, just like most of their interactions, but it gets a bit better when they are mostly shown close or together after that interaction in specific.

Oh, and it's a turning point on their dynamic. Issue #13 comes a little after Scarlet Witch(2016) #8, where Pietro and Wanda argued and fought and Wanda told Pietro that she didn't want to be around him anymore: Pietro pretty much only ever interacted with Wanda, if we're honest. At the time he wasn't as close to Lorna anymore and the events of Civil War II could have probably affected his relationship with the Inhumans too, so I doubt there was anyone(other than Wade) visiting him in the hospital, since most of the people he knew had better and more important things to do – it's also probably the moment they grew closer.

Emily is there to help Pietro – not because he's Pietro, but because she's like that – when no one else is, in a time of his life where he's not only alone and distant from his loved ones, but also being called constantly by Red Skull, which took a very heavy mental toll on him. Her presence there, in the hospital, feels like the turning point of their relationship because it is.

After issue #13, we only see them interacting again on issue #16, with Emily failing to put Hulk to sleep and Pietro telling her to let go of that idea and focus on protecting the civilians. Note: Emily calls Pietro by his name, but Pietro calls Emily “Synapse”. We only see him call her Emily in issue #1, and I want everyone to keep that in mind until he stops using her hero alias to refer to her.

Minor interaction: in issue #17, Pietro and Emily are seen looking at each other and I think that's cute.

Time to talk about one of the most important issues! In issue #18, Pietro is mind-controlled by Red Skull and forced to attack the other members of the Uncanny Avengers team, taking each of them to the Avengers' mansion(which had been turned into a theme hotel). It's also shown another one of Red Skull's calls with Pietro: it was an awful moment, with Red Skull saying absolutely vile things, but it's also the moment that confirmed that Pietro was interested in Emily.

After another round of “let's torture Quicksilver”, Pietro was shown attacking each member without hesitating until it came to Emily, to who he apologized while crying before punching her. Again, Pietro called Emily “Synapse”, while Emily referred to him as “Pietro”.

Minor interactions: Pietro and Emily exchanged a few words in issue #22. Emily also mentions Pietro in issue #24 after trying to call him but being unable to reach him.

Note: By this point, Emily was closer to everyone in the team and only referred to Steve as “Captain America”, prefering to call everyone but him and Wasp by their legal names instead of aliases(Rogue is an exception, since she's…Rogue). Most of the team also referred to her by name.

After issue #18, their interactions remained being very small until issue #26, when the end of the run was approaching and both Emily and Pietro were getting more development. Pietro and Wanda went back to speaking after a messy case of possession and Emily expressed her worry as she saw Pietro be more stressed out, regretful and frustrated, not even caring to the fact she was eavesdropping on Pietro and Wanda's conversation. Later, when the team was attacked during the night, Pietro went after Emily and not only changed her clothes so she could fight but also stayed close to her while both of them made sure to not get separated, holding hands while being attacked. The fight lasted for two issues, and in issue #27 Pietro tried beating up Graviton after he threw Wanda into the air and attacked Emily.

Minor interaction: in the background of issue #26, Emily looks uncomfortable while close to the Maximoff twins, which I assume is because she's worried about Pietro.

Minor interaction: in the background of issue #28, Pietro and Emily were close together again and Pietro was shown looking at Emily with annoyance. I'm not sure what that panel meant to say, but Emily is seen shrugging off the glare.

Now, the last 3 issues of the Uncanny Avengers era and the ones with the biggest impact on their dynamic.

In Uncanny Avengers #28, Pietro and Emily went on another date, and that's when they mutually reached first name basis – up until this point, Pietro had only called her Synapse with the exception of a few rare moments. During that date, Emily shared her guilt about leaving the team while they saw each other and Pietro dismissed those worries, saying that they had probably not noticed their absence. He continued by saying that the “loud and obnoxious” members of a team got the glory while he and Emily were left to go out, and Emily replied by saying that it wasn't all bad. After that, she mentioned that she noticed how he had a lot on his mind – probably a reference to her eavesdropping earlier – and received the confession that he had missed her during the Darkforce event, which prompted her to question him for confirmation about his revelation before they were interrupted by a call from Rogue.

I'll move on quickly from this, but I find it worth to mention that it made sense for Emily to question Pietro and I don't believe that she was simply trying to hear him say it again, but that it was more out of disbelief: Pietro didn't spend time with Emily for Emily. Sure, they spent time together in the team, but while Emily had spent her time helping Pietro when he was in the hospital, he wasn't there for her when Cable was hospitalized(and yes, Emily spent a lot of time there. He was very important to her) or when Cable left, and though that was probably not his fault since he did have more important things to do, it makes sense that Emily said that because she truly didn't believe Pietro: he never showed anything that indicated that he could or did miss her.

A little after answering Rogue's call, Emily and Pietro went to meet the team for a reunion, to which Pietro complained saying he and Emily had more important things to do. Without getting permission to go back to their date, they stayed there until Jericho and Wanda revealed small creatures summoned with magic that they planned to use to rebuild the Avengers mansion, something that bothered Pietro and made him express his distaste for magic while Emily was in awe of everything.

In issue #29, it's revealed that Jericho's summoning of the creatures also made space for Juggernaut, who attacks the team unexpectedly. Pietro focused his attention on Emily, saving her from getting hit and earning reassurance from her when she says he doesn't have to do that to impress her, which he denied and said would only be “another byproduct of our impending victory”.

Emily was put on the ground by Pietro and he started giving out orders for a plan he had, wishing for both of them to get the spotlight since the team constantly ignored how useful they were(and he wasn't wrong) – but, unfortunately, the plan didn't work. Emily ended up getting hurt, and in issue #30, Pietro had his request to see Emily turned down while his teammates, including his own sister, said he had been the one responsible for Emily's injuries and that he had done enough for the day. After hearing those things, Pietro ran away but left a letter for Emily. In the end of the issue, Emily was shown crying after reading his words, and that's how their time in the Uncanny Avengers ended.

In Pietro's letter, he revealed he had turned to religion after being faced with his mistakes and said that he prayed for Emily's future, hoping that his actions hadn't taken away her beauty and grace and making it clear that he did not expect her to forgive him for what he did, since nothing he could write would take away her pain – except he was wrong. Emily was not in pain when she woke up, and had not cried after being hurt, and the only moment we see her cry after Uncanny Avengers(2015) #1 is when she read his letter.

His actions had hurt her physically, yes, but Emily had always been shown as clumsy: people had to save or guide her all of the time, at some point she would get hurt and there was nothing no one could do about it. That's the thing about being a superhero after all, so it was impossible for her to be an Avenger and never get hurt. What did hurt her was Pietro's absence, accompanied by the absence of the rest of her teammates too.

No one was there. The only thing left for her was a letter from Pietro, because they had taken away her chance to see him when she woke up too. Emily didn't even have her brother by her side when she awoke, but she showed in Avengers(2018) that she held nothing against Pietro, though he refused to see it.

After Uncanny Avengers(2015) #30 we only see Emily and Pietro interacting again in Avengers(2018) #677, but their interaction is quick and lacks their usual care or gentleness with each other. After Rogue refused to take Pietro with her and other heavy-hitters to a mission in Rome, arguing that she needed people she could trust and he was not one of those, Pietro decided to leave the room out of spite towards the way he was spoken to.

Emily, who had recovered from her injuries in Uncanny Avengers(2015) #30 only a short time before but was clearly feeling better enough to fight, ended up trying to speak to Pietro and was rejected since he “didn't want her pity” when she was clearly only looking to show him support: well, she was the one that got hurt due to his actions. She had the right to speak and say she wasn't angry or blamed him for it, but no one cared or respected her enough to listen.

It took 10 issues for them to interact again, and between that time Emily was not only traumatized by the knowledge that the heroes fighting were just “obstacles in a game” but also by Human Torch's death, something that made her more bitter as the run kept on going – they weren't close, but they were friends and Emily had already lost enough.

Their next interaction happened in Avengers(2018) #687, with Pietro wearing himself out because of something only he sees and Emily insisting for him to rest and attempting to use her powers for that, which he rejected and added that she shouldn't even talk to him after what he put her through. Emily finally gave voice to what she thought, reassuring Pietro that something like that was part of the job and that she was fine and didn't blame him, including the fact that it was impossible for them to always plan things with every possible bad eventuality; unfortunately, Pietro didn't listen, getting distracted when the beacon he was looking for ran past him again.

It's in Avengers(2018) #688 that their last interaction and their first kiss happened. Emily helps Pietro lose any blockages from his mind that could stop him from running faster, and before he could sacrifice himself to help save the world, they shared a bittersweet kiss and a few words.

Note: I won't elaborate on that kiss, but I don't like the way it happened. I'm happy they got to kiss, but at the same time it feels rushed and out of character for Emily.

There's not much to say now, I suppose. Emily and Pietro didn't interact again after Pietro's sacrifice, and though Emily is mentioned in Quicksilver: No Surrender #2, her mention makes it even more obvious that Pietro saw Synapse, but not really Emily. He apologized for hurting Synapse, but he didn't listen to Emily when she said she didn't blame him. When he talked about her, he called her Synapse, but when he talked to her, he called her Emily only because she requested that.

It's only in that issue that he is shown calling her Emily: “Emily, what an amazing woman. We might have had something if I hadn't screwed it up”, but that's not true. He didn't screw anything up. Emily clearly still wanted him, but Pietro didn't understand that.

Both of those characters deserved something better, but their story ended there. Still, if anyone wants to see more of them: Pietro was last seen in Scarlet Witch(2024) #2 and Emily was last mentioned in Death of the Inhumans #2.

Okay, so, that's it! I'm not sure if anyone will read this or agree with everything I said, and maybe I forgot something, but I'm pretty sure I covered all of their interactions. I'm sorry for any English mistakes or typos, English isn't my first language and I wrote all of this while busy with school exams. Thanks for reading!

reading list.

uncanny avengers(2015) #1, #2, #8, #13, #17-18, #22, #24, #26-30

black knight(2015) #2, #4-5

squadron supreme(2016) #3

avengers(2018) #677, #687-688

quicksilver: no surrender #2

#pietro maximoff #quicksilver #marvel #marvel comics #pietro django maximoff #synapse #emily guerrero #avengers #uncanny avengers

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elrondhalfelven · 6 months ago

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Do Rich Rider next!

1. favorite thing about them

oh i love him i love how he’s genuinely just a completely average guy - earth heroes “average guys” tend to always be super geniuses ie. peter parker. but rich is genuinely just a completely average normal dude. he flipped burgers when he wasn’t nova-ing! he barely scraped through high school (again, cause of the nova thing!). he was just a genuinely normal teenager with a complex cause of his super smart little brother. becoming nova was both the best and worst thing to ever happen to him.

2. least favorite thing about them

man is lowkey self-obsessed in the sense a depressed person is. everything is his fault, he’s pathetic, he’s wasting everyone’s time. he was like this even before he got powers - he clearly has self-worth issues that just get exacerbated the more he survives. clearly not the only person who clocked this because rich going into therapy was such a huge step!

3. favorite line

Holy shit he’s such an icon

“Let’s scream in his face anyway.” 🥺

“I pulled [Annihilus] inside out and saved the universe. What have YOU done lately, Tony?”

“Shut it, warcrimes.”

“I loved him too. You know that, right?” I’m UNWELL

“Please, Rich. I think you need to talk to someone about this.” “About the fan-sites?” “About the fact you’re dying.” he’s UNWELL

“Let’s review. Your ride is toast. I’m Nova. You’re dead. Allow me to demonstrate.” HOT.

4. brOTP

sam alexander. they’re brothers!!!

also the new warriors. that group tends to be ignored these days as a very formative time in Rich’s life - i’m due a reread, i’m part of the problem, i haven’t read that in over 12 years! but yeah, so many fond memories there <3

5. OTP

peter quill. they’ve just made so much sense forever

6. nOTP

idk if I really have one tbh? he’s not popular enough for these to form

7. random headcanon

Rich’s real superpower is that he’s actually turned into a surprisingly good cook. He finds the process quite relaxing. Which the guardians really appreciate because Pete “no patience” Quill burns everything because he gets distracted and, while they won’t admit it, they did grow accustomed to earth food while they were stuck down there.

8. unpopular opinion

Thank god he never made it into the MCU. Since 2006 has been going from strength to strength in the comics (a part from the few years when he was dead!). Since he came back in 2016/17 I don’t think anything he has been in has been bad. He either has the magic touch or he’s insanely lucky for dodging MCU synergy and having writers who clearly love him!!

9. song I associate with him

Fortress by Queens of the Stone Age

Watch me While I Bloom by Hayley Williams

10. favorite picture of them

juann cabal Rich is my little guy his big brown eyes <3

#thank you!!!!!

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kingsandbastardz · 1 year ago

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Sometimes I like comparing actors behavior/personalities outside of their roles to their in character roles, just to see where they are making some of their acting choices.

I don't usually follow actors so the following impressions are based off casual viewing:

All three leads are very confident, physical actors. Aero's dance background definitely helps.

On variety shows, they try to help Cheng Yi bc he struggles more than they do.

Cheng Yi sees variety show games as stressful hellscapes. But on a drama set, he's fully in control and confident. He isn't the type that thinks of snappy responses very quickly when he's put on the spot.

Joseph seems to be a very proactive, take charge personality and has good situational awareness. Friendly arguing and mildly bossing Aero around, including physically moving him. Will be super permissive with Cheng Yi failing at every game but if Aero messes up a single time... 💀 rip Aero. Not a cute personality type. In freeform situations, will direct others or talk/create ideas for group activities to do in front of the cameras. Verbally quick.

Aero is the second person that will take charge if ppl are passive but seems to prefer an active support role. Looks confident but imo he's not always on the same page as everyone, so ends up in situations where he has to mask awkwardness. Is totally ok with Joseph being assertive with him despite the age difference. In freeform situations, defaults to being physically helpful or doing stuff.

Thoughts on acting choices vs the actors naturally in the wild:

No proof, but I'm like 100000% convinced the bamboo holding/walking and the wedding dress hand holding were unscripted additions. Would not be surprised if you told me Aero was helping Cheng Yi maneuver on set or they were goofing off and the director decided to work it into the story.

The cuteness of Fang Doubing is a creation. He's not fluffy like that irl.

Cheng Yi mentioned that his speech is fast bc the director kept telling him to talk faster, so his rapid patter style is a product of him trying to maintain speed without being boring. His natural speaking pace and reaction time is slower than the role

Fang Doubing has a 'young lion' feel, like he is on the cusp of taking charge of everything with just a bit more time and training. I think that's some of Joseph's natural assertiveness at play.

Aero has said he got a nice high when he filmed a particularly dominating scene. He doesn't seem to be naturally like that. Physical stuff being his happy place definitely comes through in his fight scenes.

Cheng Yi's confidence on set shows when LLH/LXY becomes dominating on screen. You can tell he has zero doubts in himself

I don't know what experiences or parts of his personality Aero was channeling during DFS's gender subversive confrontations with Jiao Liqiao but it was fascinating. His (imo atypical and realistic) reactions made his worsening situation far more tense and believable than I expected.

Fang Doubing's yelling/being rowdy at DFS... seems to be a direct mirror of irl behavior, but more often, more prolonged and framed in a more mutually antagonistic, cute manner. Irl Joseph is just goofing and Aero takes it like a champ.

Chen Yi said he first met Aero during martial arts training sessions and that they didn't discuss their roles before they jumped into doing scenes together -- so I guess this means their synergy on screen just came naturally between them? (The director must have been so happy)

all 3 are team players with the way they support each other during variety shows, so I think that contributed to how they maintained their chemistry and push/pull for their characters

Other thoughts:

With Joseph's natural personality, I can see why he's interested in playing a villain. I think he could do something interesting with a bad guy that looks like a good guy. Sort of like DFS who has a lot of heroic qualities but looks like a bad guy? Just in the opposite direction.

#mysterious lotus casebook #my ramblings #di feisheng #fang duobing #li lianhua

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unmanageably · 7 months ago

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whats the tea on kd leaving the warriors? i was a casual fan at the time it happened so i don't know the situation

well... let me be brief (1/278)

lmao jk but.... well a lot! and most of it is speculation, etcetc ofc we'll never truly know until 20 years later when the last dance-esque documentary comes out about the warriors in the steph curry era lmao-- but the story goes like this:

kevin durant was the superstar of okc thunder and was steadily building up the franchise over the years to become serious contenders for a championship. they were always close, but had never quite made it. but with a good FO/org behind him, westbrook by his side, they were always really close— but again, as we all know, it was never enough (made the finals in 2012. lost. would make the playoffs but always got defeated). in 2016, they once again get really close at the western conference finals where they led the series 3-1 against the warriors. despite that they lose. a mere month later, he joins the warriors: a team that's obviously at the beginning of a dynasty— they won a championship in 2015 and made it into the finals in 2016. but more importantly, the team that beat kevin durant and okc thunder at the conference finals.

there were layers to this "betrayal" and to this day people still think this one decision "ruined the sport" (lol). people saw it as a betrayal on KD's part and it took an incredible hit to his reputation. you almost make it to the finals, you have an incredible teammate in westbrook by your side, an org that supports you and is willing to uplift you to your highest star potential, and you leave? to join the team that BEAT you? to the team that has steph curry, klay thompson, draymond green, andre iguodala?

already a hugely successful team without KD, but with him, it was undeniable. a superteam. yeah, a lot of team has duos or trios. lebron and kyrie, lebron and dwade, harden and cp3, etcetc. but this team was different levels. a whole team full. the team was 73-9 without KD. massively talented already. but now? steph, KD, klay as offensive threats. draymond and andre as defensive threats. insanely good roleplayers like shaun livingston.

everyone was livid. not just OKC fans. everyone in the league! the warriors, and KD's name specifically was tarnished. how disrespectful for the warriors to even think about creating a team like this. how disrespectful for KD to leave an org that's done so much for him. sports media was tearing into them, fans were tearing into them, they were quite literally, the most hated north american sports team. fans were burning jerseys, making videos threatening KD, etc.

we all know how KD with the warriors went. winning fixes all, right? arguably the most dominant team in nba history (2017 warriors vs 1996 bulls a common debate to this day), the warriors absolutely dominated the nba, and went on to win the 2017 and 2018 championships. KD finally gets his two rings and a FMVP. and the warriors still stay the most hated team in the league. you either loved the warriors or hated them! no in between. the narrative is that KD's rings were called into question because he "had a superteam" so they weren't "valid".

2018-2019 is when it all kinda starts falling apart. the warriors are plagued with injuries, and it's just clear they don't have the synergy and chemistry that they did before. it was most clear during a game against the clippers where draymond and kd visibly fought after a bad play at the end where draymond refused to pass to kd. draymond had allegedly yelled at kd and told him to just leave the warriors, and that they didn't need him (kd's contract was up that year as well). KD has said in later years that that argument was kind of like the ~last straw for him and the nail in the coffin for him leaving. he had already been having feelings of being "the odd man out"— though they were winning together and had good synergy on court, the core3 plus the other players were already a tight knit family long before he had arrived. after the incident with draymond, the team never really sat down and talked about it: just brushed it under the rug (dray was suspended for one game but nothing was talked about). KD felt like it was a slap in the face, all this stuff about how gsw is known for good team chemistry and good culture but they just wanted to brush that very public incident under the rug? after that he started playing more selfishly— less like how they would play as a team and more in isolation. KD gets injured during the finals, and as we know, klay gets injured as well: we lose the finals. we don't get the sought after three-peat. KD signs with the brooklyn nets and the rest is history.

i talked a lot about the beginning of KD signing on to the warriors because i feel like that was really the root of why he left. he became one of the most hated players in north american sports. his own fans tore into him. sports media all tore into him. calling him mentally weak, pathetic, etc. and does winning fix all? i feel like KD with the warriors was proof that... it doesn't. KD gets two rings that he basically sold his soul to the devil for AND two FMVPs and people still don't respect him. on top of that he wins it with the warriors: which has always been and will always be Steph Curry's Team. yeah he was integral to those wins, but you can't compete with how steph has built the dynasty, yk? what steph has given to the warriors.

so at the end of the day, the story goes like this: KD "betrays" okc by going to the team who beat him in the conference finals, creates the first real "superteam" in the nba (the superteam discourse is a whole other thing smh like teams aren't trying to do that now but i digress). the whole sports world is going in on him, he's basically sold his soul for these rings. he gets his rings, he gets his FMVP. but his legacy and reputation is still called into question: he's integral but still won his rings and his FMVPs on STEPH CURRYs team, not his. Steph's. on top of all the outside noise, internally he's not happy either. he doesn't feel protected within the team. he has beef with draymond, and steph/klay + the franchise will clearly always have their loyalty to draymond. he doesn't buy into the team culture anymore, and he feels like the odd one out. the only thing that could make him stay would be to keep winning more rings. but the two rings he has didn't fix anything. so why stay? what does he have going for him?

(he goes on to bounce between different teams, tries to build his own superteams but never comes as close as he did. meanwhile steph klay and draymond go through a tough two years, considerably the lowest two years in the steph/core3 era, and come out on top: they win the '22 finals, against a celtics team that had an 84% chance of winning the finals. they save their dynasty, their legacy. steph proves that he won a chip BEFORE KD, during KD, and AFTER KD as well.)

#gsw #ask me things #clearly i cannot be brief #so sorry it took me awhile lol im also in the middle of moving so i was like let me find time to sit down and yap #personally i feel very complicated feelings about KD and the warriors because those years were the most fun to watch the warriors imo #and ofc i loved winning as a gsw fan lol #but like. KD was clearly not happy #KD's legacy was on the line but... steph's was too #i mean to this day steph gets disrespected and people call those two rings of his not valid for the same reason they called KDs #except steph has two other ones without KD etcetc #but yeah. plus i feel that kd is very misunderstood and i like him a lot so very complicated. sometimes i wish he would come home...#to the bay... but i also know it would never be the same!#and i don't blame really anyone for how everything played out. it was doomed from the beginning so it was nice that we got 2 rings out of i #and if klay hadn't gotten injured we'd have a 3peat plus yk everything that went down w klay etcetc #but such is the case!

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caracarahoney · 3 months ago

Text

H.I.V.E. Birthday Bundle 2024:

With the best worst father with too many names, Cypher!

(And the color gold.) Buckle up folks, it's a long one!

Playlist- Not Afraid (You Should Be)

The Lab Era Mad IQs- I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME GUY.exe- Superfruit On The Run E.V.O.L.- Marina and the Diamonds Pork Soda- Glass Animals Lent- Autoheart Paranoia in B Major- The Avett Brothers Family Man Clusterhug- I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME C Sections And Railway Trestles- The Avett Brothers The Loss Paper Scars- Lovedrug Black Light- My Epic Cypher Is Born So Called Life- Three Days Grace Look Away- The Dear Hunter Me Against You- Three Days Grace Rumors- NEFFEX The Siege Absinthe- I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME Yin Yang- USS (Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker) NFWMB- Hozier All Alone Leopard- Jack Stauber Paul Newman vs. The Demons- The Avett Brothers Gone Rogue P.O.L.I.T.I.C.S.- MISSIO Wolf In Sheep's Clothing- Set It Off Bleeding White- The Avett Brothers Gone Forest Whitaker- Bad Books, etc.

Art:

I got a rabbit as my animal, which honestly fits- lots of cool symbolism there. Something, something, snares and escaping and prey animal vs predators, etc. I honestly think this man is motivated more by fear than he lets on. Fic: A Temporary Alliance (A negotiation leads to an effective, if begrudging partnership between Cypher, three girls… and a pilot in deep over his head.) Headcanons:

Extremely paranoid ever since he began working in the villain industry, and this only became exacerbated after Xiu Mei’s death. Also misanthropic and believed most people are more bad than good, though he recognized a few exceptions like his family.

Instead of a plain oval of glass, his mask was a modified helmet resembling a motorcyclist’s. Alongside gloves, it allowed him to cover every inch of skin to prevent anyone getting hair or fingerprints for DNA testing.

Had long hair ever since he entered G.L.O.V.E., as he became paranoid that someone would assassinate him while cutting it. As Wu Zhang, he cut it himself and kept it up in a high ponytail (when down, it was a little past his shoulders). After losing Xiu Mei, he didn’t keep up with caring for it as often and let it grow a few inches longer, tucking it into his helmet as Cypher and tying it up otherwise.

Wore his mask anytime he was around others during his Cypher era, including his own henchmen. If he ever needed to sleep– such as on long flights– he would sleep with it on and hold a gun the whole time.

Based his Cypher look on some of the Power Rangers-esque shows Wing would watch as a child; he would watch them with him sometimes as a form of easy bonding time.

Adored Darkdoom’s exploits and would tell Wing bedtime stories about him; took inspiration for the Kraken from Darkdoom’s vehicles.

Despised Xiu Mei at first after the Overlord incident, but acknowledged they were stuck together. Their escape from China was full of violence, running from enemies, assassination attempts, and the usual actiony antics. This is when they first learned to appreciate each other as they both saved each other a few times.

As a husband, Mao was less physically affectionate. He showed love through gift giving, usually by making Xiu Mei small robots or trinkets or buying her nice things. He was very aloof as a person in general, so she valued being one of the few people he would willingly be close to. They enjoyed having movie or tv nights at home more than any other kind of date, which they’d usually end with a cuddle on the couch.

As a father, he was distant, but hardworking and comparatively loving. He knew from his teen years that he wasn’t cut out for family life, but did his best once avoiding it was no longer an option. He preferred to do the “maintenance work” of the family (house work, handling paperwork, planning stuff, etc) behind the scenes while his wife handled the face-to-face parenting. After Xiu Mei’s death, he was emotionally negligent and occasionally verbally abusive whenever he and Wing would argue, but never lashed out physically. He feared how angry he could be as he grieved and would separate himself early to avoid outbursts, but the absences only made things worse.

After Xiu Mei’s death and a small depressive period, vengeance became his primary goal and he began training himself in combat. This is where some of his absences in Wing’s life came from and where Wing’s early fitness started, as he tried a few times to work out with his father to bond with him. Considering that Wu was always very upset when doing so, it never worked out. Cypher was roughly at Nero’s level in combat by the end and had some training with most weapons; he’s not a boxer and wouldn’t do well in a fist fight, but if he was armed or given the chance to strategize, he could be very dangerous.

Did not build his criminal empire from the ground up– he instead infiltrated and worked under another villain for a year or two before assassinating him and stealing his holdings, using a few robots he’d made to bolster his defenses until he was powerful enough to use his reputation.

Genuinely believed Nero stole Wing for hostage purposes, as he received a letter that appeared to be written by him threatening Wing after his disappearance. In reality, this letter was crafted and sent by Overlord to encourage Nero and Cypher to go to war.

Needed glasses or contacts; his vision wasn’t horrible and he could function without them, but he was prone to bad migraines without them. As Wu Zhang, he preferred contacts, but switched to glasses as Mao Fanchu. During his time at H.I.V.E., he would become very uncooperative if not provided with glasses and an occasional exam. Also had high blood pressure and other chronic stress issues, but knew how to manage them.

After the fall, he had to do daily physical therapy. Nero ensured he had equipment to do so (which was stored under his bed), but he struggled with chronic pain for the rest of his life. Also occasionally had chronic pain from Overlord’s blast, but this was less frequent. One of the closest relationships to amicable he had as Cypher did come from this though, as he developed an acquaintanceship with Dr. Scott.

After Overlord, he was a brontophobe (feared lightning in particular) and had a strong distaste for the color red despite using it as one of his cardinal colors. Also feared A.I.s and almost threw up at the sight of H.I.V.E.mind in Rogue.

Resented most supervillains’ “they’re disposable” attitude towards their technicians or low-ranking staff, especially as Cypher. He also preferred to avoid killing enemies’ staff, but did so to fit in and get closer to Number One, seeing it as genuinely necessary in his mission to save the world.

And finally, Prompts! (AKA my rejected fic ideas for this...) - Darkdoom the pirate finding siren Wu after the latter got in a scuffle with the infamous Captain Nero. - A student finds Cypher's cell and talks to him through the door. - In an AU where he survives, Cypher playing Battleship with Laura. - Wu Zhang and Xiu Mei fleeing from G.L.O.V.E. after the Incident. - Cypher arguing with Nero in his cell about bringing Overlord online too early.

Anyways, hope y'all had fun! Can't wait to see what you've all created!

#I have lots too say but alas too tired #got this in in the nick of time #h.i.v.e.#cypher #art time #fic time #i love this man so much #also thanks Mitch for the lovely event #this was so fun!#there will be more to the fic btw eventually #hive birthday bundle 2024

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sanstropfremir · 7 months ago

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ok nana unsubtly kicked me in the ass about this and i realized they were mostly done anyways so here we go! only four months late!

best stylings 2023 - first half

runners' up

rising - triples

there are two good stages with funky athletic wear, but it wasn't enough to bump it up to the overall category. mcountdown 230216, the show 230221

abyss - woodz

didn't promote it which is a shame, but the variety in the costuming for the different versions of himself is well done and it's a beautifully shot bottle mv.

moody - superkind

you got a fake member you gotta make it spooky!!! he's not real that's inherently spooky!!! anyways this is what i wanted them to do right off the bat some i'm glad they finally got my psychic memo.

golden hour - mark

absolutely fucking crazy. fantastic imagery. i think i talked about it earlier in the year but it's such a stupid and hilarious idea to make a whole diss track mv about a several year old meme and then actually make it strange and weird art. obsessed with it still.

sos - kang daniel

i'm also including the wasteland music sequence here because holy shit when this dropped i lost my mind. i'm always surprised by what kang daniel does bc i can never predict it, which over the last few years i'm coming to enjoy. and i absolutely did not expect him to produce basically an entire wild west mad max movie with equal the production value???? literally how did he do this. how. and then everyone paid it dirt??? it's an amazing mv and one of my faves of the year, the only reason it's not bumped up categories is bc although the styling was actually one of the only times tactical gear has been thematically relevant to a cb, its been so overused that it has no punch anymore, which makes me sad bc the tactical gear was good! and a good choice! and i feel bad saying it has no punch bc it should have!

small talk - kim sungkyu

we love when sungkyu acknowledges that he's annoying and a loser. all these outfits were so losercore. i loved this deviation from form for him; he's normally king wailer supreme, but he does smooth upbeat rock very well and it's a nice contrast with the capital y yearning that's in the bsides. it's only here bc he didn't promote much and i'm mad at him for putting dancing in the mv and then not dancing in any of the stages. mcountdown 230629, music core 230708, inkigayo 230709

ay-yo - nct 127

this is just here for taeyong's urchin outfit. well i'm a bit of liar it is actually a really fun early 00s inspired mv, but we all know the urchin outfit stole the show.

stamp on it - got the beat

i will hear NO slander against got the beat in this house, this was a great mv i love hot women planning a heist.

tricky house - xikers

FANTASTIC debut. does a really great job of establishing a character for them as a group and it's got such unique flavour. kq has made great use of their ateez money and also the lessons that they learned with ateez. i'm excited to see where xikers goes in the future, and since i'm writing this section from the future i can say that i do like where they've gone with full confidence. the only reason it didn't make the top list is bc the styling is kinda average for this era of kpop.

best overall

rose blossom - h1 key

youtube

i was aware of h1key before this but they hadn't really grabbed me, but damn this cb was so good. the mv is a nice mix of story and dance sections. plus a surreal section in the middle! and by virtue of being like the first cb of the year, they got the jump on this alt girl look that would be the dominating look for ggs this year. and i do think first did it best in this case, all the looks are smart with good group synergy and and a lot of creativity; when you do this type of alt-y punky style it's important that there's a diy element to it, which a lot of groups fail to grasp bc stylists are obsessed with luxury branding. h1key manages to avoid that mostly by being flops, but i'd like to believe its also bc their creative team cared about capturing the true spirit of the style.

stages: music bank 230106, mcountdown 230202, music bank 230203, mcountdown 230119, inkigayo 230108

tic tac - 8turn

youtube

honestly i was kinda ready to not like these guys since mnh shat the bed with chungha, but then i remembered that the mnh creative team is very good at their jobs, so here we are. this is one of the few debuts/cbs this year where every single stage was a hit and it was very hard to narrow down to just a few for here; lots of good emphasis on shape and colour and accent pieces with repeated motifs, which was a big part of the fashion in the 00s that they are remixing here. very strong debut especially for so early in the year and i'm looking forward to more.

stages: show champion 230208, mcountdown 230202, music bank 230203, show champion 230222, music core 230211, mcountdown 230223, music core 230225, inkigayo 230226

bonus: this absolutely hysterical 4minute cover (they even got the name bucket hats! not in the stage, but they had them in photos)

sweet juice - purple kiss

youtube

i'm not normally a fan of wes anderson or wes anderson inspired aesthetics because i find them too twee and perfect, but this wasn't too direct in it's inspirations and definitely had the spooky purki flavour. i really liked the uniformity of the costuming, both literally using uniform motifs and using the same fabrics; i really do miss the days when kpop costumes were design to actually be costumes with the group image in mind.

stages: mcountdown 230216, inkigayo 230219, music core 230225, music bank 230224, inkigayo 230226, music core 230304, inkigayo 230305

sour & sweet - bambam

youtube

bambam again proving that he's one of the few idols that knows his shit in terms of interesting styling. also if anyone knows where he filmed the mv/performance vid please tell me i need to know bc its so beautiful.

stages: mcountdown 230330, music bank 230331, inkigayo 230402, music bank 230407, music core 230408, inkigayo 230409,

bsides: music bank 230331, inkigayo 230409,

macarena - blitzers

youtube

i'm so so so glad blitzers got a bit more attention this year bc they deserve it and macarena was so good. perfect culmination of their goofy ass talents and the unusual creativity of their performance + creative directors. i'm even linking the mv teaser here bc its so goofy and offbeat and different. honestly i'd recommend watching as many of the stages as you can find bc they do different intros every time and it's very funny, but unfortunately tumblr has a link limit so i can't link them all.

stages: show champion 230426, music bank 230428, music core 230429, inkigayo 230430, inkigayo 230514, music core 230527

bouncy - ateez

youtube

yea yea yea nobody is surprised so sue me. this was a crazy followup to halazia and proved that ateez can deftly switch between serious dramatic performance and comedic but no less dramatic. i'm very happy to see how much work has been going into the main ateez mvs in the last year because it has very clear and striking direction that fits both their performance style and their creative ambition, as well as their growth as a group. also yea i'm not immune to neon cowboy shit.

stages: inkigayo 230618, music bank 230616, the show 230620, mcountdown 230622, music bank 230623, mcountdown 230629, music core 230701, inkigayo 230702

kick it 4 now - tnx

youtube

tnx had an absolutely banging 2023 and although kick it 4 now is has superior and more comprehensive production, love or die is also a very good cb, and both of them together have shown that they have a really good grasp on the genre of teen listlessness, from two different directions. kick it 4 now has been i think the most successful cb to actually capture the feel of first gen, and the creative team did a lot of extra work in order to pull that off. from all the graphic design to the goofy lil 90s style music show promos, to the styling, they had a clear goal and achieved it. i think it will be quite difficult for any other group to pull it off this thoroughly.

stages: music bank 230609 (the giant lyrics!!!), music core 230610, show champion 230614 (more giant lyrics!!), music core 230617, mcountdown 230622

shooting star + left right - xg

youtube

we all already know that left right was my most listened song this year, but the fact that the mv was b movie sci fi star trek themed? it's like simon made everything about this specifically for me thank you. xg blew everyone out of the water this year on every front; music, styling, choreography, you name it. i said i wanted groups to commit to their bits and i got it. they were completely unafraid to actually commit to the y2k nostalgia AND to harajuku styling; a lot of groups have weakly pawed at it but always back away due to the fact that harajuku and y2k are not actually 'pretty' fashion trends, which leaves their attempts half assed with no real understanding of why and how those trends happened. xg came saw and conquered the current trend in a way that only a japanese gg can do. my only annoyance is that they tone down the stylings when they promote on music shows, and i know why they do it, so it's not an annoyance at them, it's an annoyance at everyone else.

stages: shooting star - mcountdown 230202, con-tour 230217, the show 230221, inkigayo 230212, inkigayo 230205, con-tour 230224

left right - the show 230228, show champion 230222

circle - onew

youtube

absolute masterpiece. album of the year in every way. it's a profoundly beautiful unpacking of grief and the sadness that comes with acknowledging that things change, and the way that in that change life and humanity and story is eternal. a circle. the theatre imagery combined with the 60s style children's tv show use their similar but contrasting forms to illustrate the same point: something can be eternal and fleeting at the same time, and that heightens its value rather than diminishing it. the promo campaign was so thought out as well, i love the integration of the theatre imagery into the highlight medley and i highly recommend you watch it if you haven't. one of the best cbs from a solo artist in years.

stages: mcountdown 230309, music core 230311, music bank 230317, inkigayo 230319

ignore the fact this was almost five months late even though i started writing in like. november. i'm busy ok. it's planting season and i have to send so much post. the choreos post is the next most finished so that will probably be out before the styling second half one.

#is there even anyone left who wants to read these lmao. i mean other than nana since she was creeping my 2022 styling posts #kinda miss the pandemic days when we were all stuck on the internet but also no i do not #i'm trimming down on how much i do for these posts also since i dont have time to sift through all my saved links #just know there's a lot of one offs etc that are sitting in a mega playlist on my youtube.#im just focussing on the ones that made the biggest impact with me bc there's just so much its actually kinda crazy #text #kpop styling #what else did i even tag these as i dont even remember its been so long #kpop analysis #end of year posts #best of 2023

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isaut · 1 year ago

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hiiii, number 6 for a song?? 💗✨😚

reader is a cat burglar who teamed up with the troupe for a heist. phinks x reader.

send me a # and ill write a fic based on it!

you glance over at phinks from where he sits on your couch. it was a bad idea, bringing him back here anyways. not when the heist had went well, and everyone had dispersed, and he already looks at your with those big puppy eyes.

"what, we can't be friends?" phinks asks through a laugh that poorly hides his insecurity.

you laugh. "oh. we're not going to be friends."

"what makes you say that?" he asks. his thick fingers twirl around the tassel on your throw pillow. you like your place. it's tucked away. you hope phinks won't snitch. hope he won't show back up everyday. the idea of him with flowers or a boombox makes you cringe internally.

"you don't want to be friends," you say, bringing your drink up to your lips. it's one of those seltzers, made by a cheap beer company. tastes too much like fruit and sugar and like nothing at all.

"i mean, we can, we can keep in touch," phinks says. "i mean, like, you've got good synergy with us."

"i don't play well on teams," you say.

"you played well tonight."

"tonight, sure. but not in the future."

"what makes you say that?"

"there's too many of y'all," you say, shaking your head. "i could do one of y'all, but not all of y'all." it's not your m.o. to move around with a group, you prefer slinking around in the shadows, snatching diamonds and gems from above.

you like big and clunky. you like emitters. but they are too sold for your slippery hands.

"we can fuck tonight," you say, after another long pull of the bubbly drink, "but you’re leaving before sunrise."

#phinks x reader #mailbox💌#ask games #by ophelia #for val ehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe #<3 <3 <3

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a-goumang-ripoff · 3 months ago

Text

A (Hopefully) Small Rant on the Fengs Fight

So I got a small amount of inspiration to rant a bit more on Nine Sols even though I am like. Dead fucking tired.

So, the Fengs, Nuwa and Fuxi, to be entirely honest I really just feel bad for their fight. I've been seeing quite a bit of people disliking their fight for a variety of reasonings and I kinda think it's because of the placement of the fight. Entirely shoving story stuff out of the way, I feel like the fight would fare quite a bit better in the first half of the game, or at least more towards the middle, if it was tuned down a bit. I think the fight is pretty cool and decently impressive, but it has to put up with, what I consider, to be the 3 best bosses in the game placed around it.

Lady Ethereal starts off the second half of the game with a fight which is, to me, the most visually impressive fight in the game just in the moveset alone. She is my personal favorite, but I know she tends to be in the second/third place range for most people. Ji is. Well, Ji. It's a cool fight to watch and so satisfying to get down, it really gets you into a sort of flow state with how much you can memorize is moveset and perfectly counter everything he has. And Eigong is so mechanically impressive and her moveset is so cool and so fitting of a final boss in a parry game. They easily blow every other boss out of the water together

From what I know, Lady Ethereal MUST be done before fighting Ji or the Fengs. Ji can be done either before or after, though I think with grotto of scriptures having a full room that you see in Goumang's area, the game kinda nudges you towards them over the Fengs. Then after them, you are hit with Eigong, which is an especially insane fight compared to any of the ones beforehand. And the Fengs kind of just awkwardly sit in-between. They have a LOT to live up to, having to keep up with the surrounding bosses, and they definitely fall behind. Fuxi is slow and predictable; not a bad thing, but without outside gimmicks, it makes him bland and boring on his own. With Nuwa in the fray, the fight definitely picks up and I do have a lot more fun with it, but it kind of lacks a lot of that visual impressiveness of Lady Ethereal, it lacks the same smoothness Ji has, and it's not like Fuxi gets any less predictable or simple even with Nuwa's tricks.

I think it is a good fight and I had quite a bit of fun with it, but with how slow and predictable of a moveset Fuxi has, I feel like they should show up before the bosses pick their pace up, maybe like right after Jiequan or right before, if you tuned back Nuwa's abilities of course. I think it would give them a better light shined on them that isn't overshadowed by everyone else. Alternatively, speeding up Fuxi or complexifying his moveset (and reworking Nuwa to work with Fuxi better, she more interrupts him to let off her own thing and it throws an odd pause into the fight. I guess you could say it makes sense for Nuwa's personality, but I feel like part of the point of her and Fuxi's presence is the fact that they pair so well) could greatly improve the fight at where it's at now.

I honestly think that their fight strongly outdoes a lot of those early fights, Goumang's fight definitely isn't for me, but I will still criticize it for its strong lack of synergy between the two servants, they do their own thing and it's hoped that the AI makes it synergize, but it's quite evident they're separate fighters and it made the fight often create uncomfortable scenarios that don't feel like they have a proper solution. Yanlao's fight has like a grand total of two attacks you see constantly, one you see rarely, and an environmental hazard. And Kuafu's.. uh, I forgot the dude's name, but that fight is obviously just a tutorial boss, so it kinda gets a pass (but I think it could have been done a bit better rather than just making it a nothing fight). You throw a slightly tuned down Fengs fight in there and I feel like people would be losing their minds (exaggerating a bit).

Also, on a more negative note, maybe this is just me, but it was the first time I started to question a boss' attacks in this game. Most of the time the context just leads into the concept, y'know? Ji teleports around and throws a barrage of various almost supernatural moves at you? Yeah they're mysterious and an oracle and stuff, that makes sense. Lady Ethereal has the most insane stuff she throws at you? Yeah it's a dream, of course she does all that. Yanlao's crane has a fucking laser? A bit of a stretch but I just fought an ancient living weapon earlier so I'll allow it. But Nuwa's instrument.. summoning snakes? and throwing stuff at you? and summoning AoE fields? I'm really not sure where this is coming from-

All we've really gotten from them is they're rich and they're actors, so why does Nuwa have an instrument that just summons that stuff? It might just be a lost in translation sort of thing, I know they're named after characters in a myth and that myth had them making special instruments or something of the sort? I didn't really look deep into it, I did a quick google search and skimmed, but that would be my guess. Still though, it's the only time I've questioned that stuff in the entire game.

Anyway, I do think that the Fengs is honestly a good fight, coming from someone who has no hit them (it was hell). It just has some moderate flaws and is surrounded by fights that blow them out of the water. I would like to state, while I was talking about putting them earlier in the game, I obviously don't think that's a great idea, they have a lot of significance tied to them specifically in the story and it would certainly ruin the flow of the writing, it was more to state a point on the level of skill demanded of them and the comparative impressiveness of the fight.

Also while writing this I got a cool idea that I think would make the fight really cool. I mentioned the way Fuxi and Nuwa don't really work with each other earlier, I think a great idea could be making the fight mostly scripted. It would be a dangerous idea, easy to fuck up or make irritating to fight over and over, but I feel like it fits them as actors to have their fight and moves be scripted, it could also allow Nuwa and Fuxi to have a synergy that I don't think a boss can really have otherwise without becoming one boss with two hitboxes. I also think it could allow Nuwa to actually play music, she just kinda blasts single notes from what I can tell whenever she does an ability, I think scripting the fight could allow her to actually play full music while having it key into certain abilities (I think it can be done without scripting it too, but I love the idea of the two bosses known to be actors and put on shows having a scripted, almost rehearsed fight).

#I lied. It was not short.#nine sols #nine sols spoilers #nuwa nine sols #fuxi nine sols #the fengs #God I wish they utilized them better #the Totally Not A Sex House arena feels weirdly underutilized for their fight #Especially after Lady Ethereal's arena #But I don't know how the devs would utilize it more lmao

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