#I'm just too scared to check the source material

[kiragecko]

[Comic panel of Babs as Batgirl and Strix, a former Court of Owl's Talon. Strix holds up a pad with, "🤍 I hart your yelow boots 🤍" written on it.

Batgirl responds with a confused, "Uh. Thanks?"

End ID.]

Secret Six #12 - “The Violence in Silence” (2016)

written by Gail Simone art by Dale Eaglesham, Tom Derenick, & Jason Wright

[runningfrom2am]

cold nights // part eleven

summary: may the odds be ever in your favour.

pairing: coriolanus snow x fem!reader

wc: 3.9k

masterlists / nav / requests

tags/warnings: tribute!reader and mentor!coriolanus, r is very sweet (too kind for this world. literally.), sunshine x grumpy trope kinda, he falls first, violence typical for the source material, indirect suicidal ideation (she's losing it just a little), r is very smart (as she should), district twelve!reader.

a/n: the games are almost over...

series masterlist // playlist

You climb up out of the hole in the floor you had first entered with Jessup over a day ago, peeking carefully over the edge. Coral and Mizzen were standing guard at the vent exits in the stands, too distracted to notice as you wave at Reaper, trying to catch his eye.

You had spent the past half hour dragging Jessup toward the exit, you wanted to help, but you couldn't get him up the rocks you stood on now; not with the weakness of hunger leaving your hands shakey and the wound on your leg making it nearly impossible to move much on your own.

"No, no... Come on..." Coryo groans to himself, shaking his head at you as you try and grab your enemy's attention. Clemensia wasn't there, but if she was, he knew she would be laughing. He thought you might have been dead in those vents, especially after watching the other two tributes go in after you. You were alive, but seemingly not for long.

"Reaper." You whisper, your voice almost silent. The air carries his name to him and he turns his head to look at you. He tilts his head, standing and reaching for his blade, but you're not scared. You duck back down quickly before Coral or Mizzen hear his footsteps and look to see where he's going. They wouldn't go after him, not yet, but they were absolutely after you.

You check to make sure he's still coming before climbing back down to where you left Jessup.

The District Eleven boy peers over the edge to make sure this isn't some kind of trap, and you sense his hesitation. "Can you bring him up?" You whisper, kneeling again next to the body of your friend. "I couldn't get him up, but he deserves to be with them. He needs his dignity. Please, Reaper."

His expression softens and he nods solemnly, climbing down. "You can kill me, if you want." You say softly, and he looks at you confused as he hoists the boy up in his arms. "I'll go with you. Just, lay me with him. Please?"

He sighs, shaking his head softly before climbing up with Jessup draped over his shoulder. You follow, limp in every step as you make your way across the floor toward your demise. Head held high.

Coryo is clutching the edge of his desk as he stands over it, shaking his head. He looks back at his cousin, only briefly enough to catch the tears forming in her eyes at what they both know is about to happen.

"Can I... Can I say something first? For them?" You ask, just as Coral and Mizzen realize at the same time that you're out in the open, no longer hiding.

"I'm not going to kill you." Reaper mutters, shaking his head as he pulls the fabric over your friend's body.

You look at him with tears in your eyes, offering a smile. Coryo knew that smile, one of realization and fear. The very same one you had on your face at the reaping. "No..." He shakes his head at you, pleading with you to just run.

You look away from Reaper as Coral is climbing down the wall, clearly intent on getting to you.

"I'm sorry about Dill." You tell him and he's already gripping his weapon tighter, ready to defend himself. You could see in his eyes he didn't want to.

He looks at you, respect being the only descriptor of what's behind his gaze as you kneel before the flag of the country that had so deeply wronged you.

"One summer Sabbath day I strolled among the green mounds of the village burial-place;" You start, closing your eyes in attempted acceptance of what was to come. "Where, pondering how all human love and hate find one sad level..."

What you and your mentor are both expecting doesn't come as the two tributes get closer, and shockingly to him, Reaper steps between them and you, blade held tight. He's armed to defend the eulogy all of those kids deserved which only you could offer.

"And how, soon or late, Wronged and wrongdoer, each with meekened face, and cold hands folded over a still heart," Your voice begins to shake. "Pass the green threshold of our common grave, Whither all footsteps tend, whence none depart, Awed for myself, and pitying my race, our common sorrow, like a mighty wave..."

Coryo is angry when the face of Dr. Gaul interrupts your eulogy on the screen. He would miss your last words, your death. He couldn't even be there in your final moments, and it made him sick. However, it was the respect you deserved. As she talked on about the death of his classmate from the bombing, he hoped the cameras wouldn't show you at all. Just your body covered by the fabric of the flag, a new figure wrinkling the material, occupying the space underneath it next to Jessup.

"I swear to you here and now, before the sun goes down tonight, a rainbow of destruction will engulf our arena. Even if it means there is to be no victor in these games." Dr. Gaul's words finally pique your mentor's interest, memory, and realization coming back to him. He quickly taps through his communicuff, typing rapidly and hitting send before rushing out of the hall. He promised you he would do everything he could. The least he could do for you was stay true to his word.

"Well, those were some lovely last words." Coral laughs bitterly and you just hum.

"They are for you as well, should you see it fit." You tell her, opening your eyes but making no effort to flee, palms resting on the battered and bruised skin of your thighs.

She chuckles, shaking her head. "No, no. The difference between me and all of you is that I'm gonna win."

You watch as Mizzen looks away from his ally, eyes landing on the ground and Reaper clenches his jaw.

"Swept away all my pride, and trembling, I forgave." You finish off the poem, looking back down to the red sheet in front of you.

"What are you even talking about?" Coral asks. "Genuinely, what do you mean? I'm sick of this. I don't understand a thing you say!"

"I forgive you, if you win." You tell her in plainer terms, tilting your head. "I hope you can forgive yourself, that is all."

"No forgiveness needed." She says through gritted teeth, raising her trident as she moves to run at you.

You close your eyes again, tipping your head back and letting out a slow breath to combat the intense beating of your heart.

Again, the pain doesn't come as you hear the clashing of weapons just next to you, and the subtle hum of approaching drones.

Looking up behind you, you see several flying in a row and you duck quickly enough as it flies toward you for it to just miss you. You scramble to get up, ignoring the chaos around you as one by one, the water bottles fly into the other tributes. Reaper was much better at dodging them than the other two were, and you can't help but view it as some kind of justice. If Coryo was sending them in one after another as some kind of distraction, to save you, you were glad Reaper wasn't being harmed in the process.

It must have been Coryo. All of them seem to circle in on you, and as you spin out of the way they take out Mizzen and Coral just enough to buy you time. Their mentors had clearly been less generous; to you, their efforts to evade the flying metal drones were pointless.

The last one is different, coming in moments later than the others as Coral and Mizzen struggle to get back on their feet.

You drop down to let it fly over you, scrambling for the small container that looked like the previous ones that had contained a note. You grab it and run into the debris in the middle of the room, using it to hide while you open the note.

"Get up high. No time. -C"

You look out the side facing the other tributes you just ran from. "How did you let her get away?" Coral spits at her ally, once again uninterested in going after Reaper. "You're useless!"

You shake your head, slowly shuffling over to the other side. Looking across the floor and up to the stands, you think you could make your way up to the rafters. You take a deep breath. You have to run.

You're working up the courage to do it when a loud whirring sound comes from above you. Now's your chance- they won't hear you, so you might buy yourself a few extra yards. You're glad you did when you look back at the large tank being lowered down onto the pile of rubble you were just under, the wind whipping your hair around and in your face.

Coryo must have been warning you about whatever that is, so you run as fast as you can on your injured leg, feeling blood soak through the material again with the exertion. You quickly scale the wall, not looking back again as you quickly climb the stairs to the back of the stands. You stop at the top, adrenaline coursing through your veins with every heartbeat as you reach down to untie the scarf with frantic hands.

You glance down as you do, surveying the arena just as Wovey walks out. "Is it over? Can we go home now?"

"Wovey..." Reaper warns, having taken your spot kneeling next to the bodies that are now exposed from the wind.

"Wovey!" You call to her and she doesn't even turn to look at you. "Wovey, come up here, sweetheart! Quickly!" You try to mask the urgency in your voice, already descending the stairs again to try and get to her. Then you stop yourself when you get to the railing.

What would be the use in helping her now? That was your gut instinct, but if you saved her, you would have no choice but to take your own life if you were left the only two survivors of whatever came out of that tank. Or would you? The you who boarded the train to the Capitol would do it in a heartbeat, but she was someone else now, hardly more than a voice in the back of your mind.

You're still facing this internal battle as the tank shatters, thousands of snakes pouring out over the ground as Coral and Mizzen attempt to follow the same path you did up into the stands. It's too late for Wovey, so you turn to run back up the stairs.

You didn't realize how fast snakes could be. By the time you reached the top, they were already climbing the base of the stairs below you, right behind Coral.

"Y/N! Wait!" She cries out helplessly as you're backed against the wall.

The old you would be mortified at the smile that forms on your face as you watch her stumble, allowing the snakes to reach her. "No... Y/N, please... I'm begging you." You just stare at her, tilting your head and still fighting the smile on your lips. "No... It's not fair. It's not- it's not... I can't have killed them all for nothing."

"The wheel is come full circle." You quote, "Don't you see, Coral? It was always going to be for nothing." You're unsure if she even hears it before she goes limp.

You don't have time to revel in the irony, though, looping the bloodied scarf over the beam above you and hoisting your feet off the ground just in time to avoid the snakes. They climbed the wall, so you don't stop there, swinging your leg over and pulling yourself up, standing on unsteady legs to shuffle across to the next point where you can get higher.

Coryo watches as you climb higher and higher into the remains of the crumbled ceiling, huffing from just having run back into the crowded hall. When would Dr. Gaul call it? You had escaped, and you were clearly the only one left by the time you got so high you couldn't walk in the rafters anymore, having to tie the scarf on both sides of a pipe to build a makeshift hammock for yourself that you just squeeze into enough to sit on.

You can finally catch your breath, gripping onto the bar you're hanging from and resting your head against it.

"She cheated! She shouldn't have even been allowed to bring that in!" Festus cries out, clearly upset by his own tribute losing.

"Wearing clothes is cheating now? If you had it your way they would all be sent in naked, right?" Coryo spits at him, gesturing to the screen and turning to look up at Dr. Gaul in the stands. "Get her out!"

"There's two tributes unaccounted for." She shakes her head.

"Yeah, they're dead by now! You saw the snakes go in there!" He argues, gesturing to the screen. "She's won, Dr. Gaul. Please." She eyes him skeptically.

"Get her out!" Tigris stands, having his back without any hesitation.

Dr. Gaul raises a hand to silence the room as others start to voice their agreement. "Tomorrow morning we will send people in to search for the other two tributes." She states, leaving no room for argument as she steps out.

Coryo huffs, shaking his head and walking over to his cousin. "What do I do?" He asks her quietly as she stands to speak with him.

"I think we just have to wait it out, Coryo..." She answers, reaching up to rub his shoulders. "It's not ideal, but she can survive one more night. No one can hurt her now."

"With all those snakes in there with her? I wouldn't be surprised if those snakes grow legs in the night and climb up there."

"Coryo, they won't." She assures him. "All we can do is wait."

Sitting up there for hours with no signs of help coming has made you feel incredibly lonely. Your mentor can't send you anything, there's no shot you would catch it or even be able to move out of the way. That is, if he was even still watching. The sun had set a while ago, he should have gone to bed by now.

You yawn and rub your eyes, back cramping from holding your weight the way it has for so long. You sigh, gently tapping your forehead on the cold metal bar you're hanging from in a weak attempt to keep yourself awake. If you fall asleep, that could mean your death. You'd come too far, sacrificed too many of your morals to lose now.

You regret what you had said to Coral before she died. You regret not trying harder to save Wovey. You regret setting the salt trap on Treech and Tanner in the vents, though your overtired and malnourished mind is still convincing you it was just table salt. You regret not helping Jessup while you still could have. You wonder if Coriolanus regrets what he did to Bobbin.

You take the compact out of your pocket, slowly and carefully. You turn it over in your hand for a moment, mulling over everything you had done. Even in one day, you had tossed away everything you stood for. You felt like you weren't even yourself anymore.

Coryo yawns as he looks over the book in his hand, rubbing his eyes before returning his gaze back to the screen when he catches your movement in the corner of his eye.

You're opening the compact, staring into it with such intensity that he truly cannot tell what you're thinking. He couldn't see if it was empty or not, but he hadn't seen you touch it until now and the angle at which you were holding it without powder pouring out made him assume that the boys in the vents were not likely dead from snake venom.

Coryo is quickly doubting what is left of the powder he gave you when a tear falls from one eye, steadily sliding over your dirtied skin. No. She wouldn't- not when she's already won, right?

Maybe it's because you hadn't heard from him that you felt so alone. Before he can think over the consequences of possibly knocking you down from the rafters he's sending you more water. Just so you know he's there.

The leftover residue of the salt that was inside the compact was looking like it could help. On what level, you didn't fully understand anymore, but you knew that if you just smelled what was left of it, you would feel better. You would be free of your regrets and would be home in an instant; such a tempting thought was hard to resist.

Coryo couldn't be more pleased that as you began to lift the metal compact toward your face, the drone flew in and missed you just close enough that it knocked the compact out of your hand, throwing it to the floor below you.

You hadn't heard it coming, completely zoned out. You blink a few times, looking around and watching as the drone gets caught in the rafters and falls into the stands, the water bottle shattering in the process.

The crazed, evil look in your mentor's eyes is another thing able to keep you up by this point. It didn't look like the boy you knew at all. It's like your Coryo wasn't even there- it was Coriolanus. But now, he was still with you. The irony of it isn't lost on you, and you find yourself laughing. 

Coryo was no longer Coryo, and you were no longer you.

"Coriolanus, can you hear me all the way up here?" You call out, expecting nothing anyway.

No response, but in Heavensbee Hall Coriolanus is taking a breath of relief, having seemingly prevented you from taking your own life. You were so close. He wouldn't lose you now.

"His sword, death's stamp, where it did mark, it took. From face to foot he was a thing of blood, whose every motion was timed with dying cries!" Your laughs quickly devolve into sobs, tears warming the cold skin of your cheeks. You thought you knew him. You thought he cared for you, and that was crushed so quickly that you ran.

The hairs on the back of his neck stand up as he watches, completely unable to help you while you clearly fall apart.

"Do you regret it?" You cry. "Coriolanus? Is that who you are?"

"No..." He mumbles in response.

"I thought..." You sniff. "I thought you were good."

He remembers what Tigris told him that very same night. That he wasn't full of hate like his father. That he could be good. That he is good. He did what he had to do to survive, and his heart physically hurts hearing you say that you saw something different. He remembers what you wrote in your note that he shouldn't have read yet. You believe- believed he was good too. Even just knowing that you changed your mind makes his stomach turn.

You're quiet for a few moments before you continue. "But I can't blame you for what you did..." You say, so quiet that the microphone hardly picks it up at all. "I am no better."

Coryo furrows his brow. You were so much better. He's almost certain that your kindness, your purity is one of the only reasons he feels regret for his actions at all.

"I wish it was me." You cry out. "It should have been me!" You're screaming now, your anger finally eating away at you.

He shakes his head at you, grateful that he is the only one still around.

"What if this cursed hand were thicker than itself with brother's blood? Is there not rain enough in the sweet heavens to wash it white as snow?" You sob out every word, begging the universe to forgive you for what you had done. This night was your karma. Without that compact, it would go on forever. "Please..."

All he can do is return to the book, trying to remember you as you truly are, hardly taking in a word of it as he reels over what to say to you come your freedom in the morning.

The sun is rising, finally, when you look down and see the piles and piles of lifeless snakes. They must not have survived the night. It was too cold.

Hesitantly, you shimmy your way down the bar so you could climb back down, getting close enough to see if they really were all dead. You pick up a piece of broken cement from on top of one of the beams, tossing it down onto the large pile of snakes on the stairs. Almost no movement. As you scan the arena, you don't much slithering. It's quiet. Seems safe enough.

You jump down quietly onto the stairs, finally able to fully stretch out. It felt so good as you walked down even with the wound on your leg, making your way over to where you had seen the compact fall the night before. You take a few minutes to find it under the arena seats, before pocketing it and sliding down the same rubble pile you climbed up last night. That was the longest night of your life. Your eyes were puffy from crying for hours, lips dry from dehydration, and your skin felt clammy from your body trying to keep itself warm all night.

You walk across the ground, stepping carefully over all the dead snakes, turning and waving to the camera, plastering on your smile. You were exhausted. You needed something. Anything.

But nothing would come. You frown, looking around again. You settle just for wandering, once again tying the scarf around your waist. Coryo must hate you for what you said. You shouldn't have been so mean about it, but you were angry- hardly even yourself anymore. Or maybe he was just sleeping. He said he would be with you the whole time, but it would be nice to know that he at least went home to get some rest.

Even when you were angry, when he had taken what you needed from you last night, it was hard to deny how much you still cared for him.

As you walk in circles around the centre of the arena, you're startled by some of the snakes beginning to move. Or maybe they always had been moving, and you just weren't observant enough from being so overtired. They make no effort to attack you, though. Minding their own business even after the fervor at which they hunted everyone last night.

Scanning the large pile of rubble in the middle to see how many snakes were seemingly coming back to life, you tilt your head as your eye catches on something white. A piece of paper, unfolded on the ground next to where the tank used to be. You have to step past dozens of snakes to get there, curiously picking it up. Any living snakes made no effort to bite you as you grabbed it and turned it over in your hand. It was your note, the one you asked Sejanus to give to Coryo before you entered the games.

You look around, unsure how this could have gotten in. Maybe he had dropped it while he was here the other night, but you weren't sure how a single piece of paper could have gone unnoticed that long.

You reread it as you make your way over to where Lamina and Marcus had been, climbing up so you could lay down there while you wait for rescue to come.

taglist: @soulessjourney , @that-veela-girl ,  @dreamyysouls , @rockstarbfs , @maysileeewrites , @baybieruth , @kitscutie ,  @fratboyharrysgf0201 , @totallynotkaibiased , @stelleduarte , @secretsicanthideanymore , @bejeweledreverie , @drewsandsebastianswife , @niicole-87 , @queenofshinigamis , @innercreationflower , @nallasstuff , @scorpiolystoned , @iovemoonyy , @thatmarvelchick19 , @wearemadeofstardust0 , @regulusblackcore , @puredreamagination , @fantasticchaosthing , @becauseseaotters , @secretsicanthideanymore

okay suddenly tumblr isn't letting me tag more people than this so i just made some cuts unfortunately :') i just left the max amount of people i could whose users i recognized and see in my notifs all the time :) if you're not on here and you should be i'm so sorry!

also this taglist is closed now!! if you’d like to get a notification when i update, turn on my post notifications!! i promise i won’t spam y'all :,)

[13as07]

Weekend #1

(Neji Hyuga & Shikamaru Nara)

[Artwork is not mine! Credit to BM (?). Sorry, I couldn't find the original source but I really liked it so meh]

Requested by: xxziggy

Word Count: 3,462

Warnings and/or Pre-Notes:

First half is a lot a bit smut so be warned; not a full smut cause I wasn't feelin it for whatever reason

Love triangle (obvs)

Fingering (female receiving)

Blindfold

Temperature Play (Lighter/Ice Cubs)

Hickey

Getting called "pet"

Not me accidentally making this a nature (growing up with Shika) vs nurture (Neji taking care of you) situation

———————————————————————

     "This is such a drag," Shikamaru says as soon as I open my front door.

"If you don't want to help me pick out a swimsuit, I'm sure Ino will," I grumble, leaving the door open as I walk away.

"You always say that she 'likes anything you try on' and that 'Ino is no help' so, no. This is less of a drag than listening to you bitch for the whole weekend," he grumbles back, closing the front door before trailing after me.

Shikamaru and I are friends... a little more than friends. Fuck buddies, we're fuck buddies. We hook up from time to time but that's what friends are for, right? Hookups and opinions. And late-night snack runs.

"I think you should just stick to the yellow one you wore on last year's weekend trip."

"And I think you're stupid. I can't wear the same one I wore last year."

"Why not? I've worn the same swim trucks for the past three years," Shika groans, feet dragging as he follows me into my room, closing my door behind himself.

"Because I wore it last year! All the other girls are going to have new ones so I need a new one. I can't be the only one without a new swimsuit," I tell him, ushering him toward the bed.

"You girls have the weirdest rules about clothes," he grumbles, flopping on his back with his feet rested on the floor, and knees bent at the edge of the mattress. "Just wear the yellow one. Your titties look good in it."

"Thanks, Shik. That's what every girl wants to hear," I say sarcastically, rolling my eyes as I dig through my closet for the four or five suits I bought. He throws up a thumbs up, the promise of his eyes being closed and him being half asleep paired with it. What a lazy sass of a friend I have.

"Okay, there's four of them."

"Great," he mumbles, drawing out the word.

I ignore his sarcasm, stripping my clothes off as I decide which one to try on first. "Alright, this one is a black one-piece," I narrate, wiggling myself into the material.

"Hey, here's some crazy shit," Shika says, sitting up right now. "When I look at you, I'll be able to see the style and color of it."

"Hey Shik?" He lets out a hum, the feeling of his eyes coating my back as I check myself out in the mirror. "Stop being a douche."

He rolls my eyes at me, resting his arm on his knee, and his head on his hand. "Do a little spin," he grumbles, a finger on his free hand making a circle in the air. I do as I'm told, slowly spilling so Shikamaru can check the swimsuit out. "One-pieces are for grandmas and women without body confidence. No."

"That's a little harsh."

"Do you want me to sugarcoat it like Ino?"

I grumble out a no, tugging the suit off myself. Shika's eyes stay locked on my nudity, sights ping-ponging alongside my movements until I turn back around. "The next one is also a one-piece - "

"No."

"Shik - "

"I already told you no. You are a hot chick with a hot body. Show it off or else my weekend will be a waste."

"No, it won't be a waste. You can googly eye Ino or Tenten or Hinata or Sakura," I point out, flipping between which of the remaining two to try on next.

"Ino would pretty much be incest, Tenten scares me, Sakura has too much attitude, and Hinata doesn't have enough attitude," he explains, rolling his eyes at me again. I swear, one of these days I'm going to poke his eyes out.

"Alright, the third is a string bikini, it's powder blue and I think it makes my ass look good," I ramble, tying the strings the best I can alone. "What do you think?" I ask, doing another slow turn.

"No," he pushes out, shifting his position as he adjusts his pants. "You look..."

"Hot?"

"Easy."

"Easy?!" I yelp, crossing my arms across my chest as I glare at Shikamaru. "I'm not easy!"

"I didn't say you were! I just said that... you look easy," he mumbles the last three words, eyes locked on my chest as he adjusts himself again. "Are you easy?"

"No! What the hell, Shik?"

"You should be... easy. Like... right now. For me."

"I asked you over to pick a swimsuit, not for a fuck," I grumble, slowly walking towards him. "This isn't picking a swimsuit," I continue, using my knee to push his open before sliding between his legs.

"The... the fourth one," he mumbles, fingers curling around the thin material, sliding back and forth as his eyes drink me up.

"You haven't even seen it yet," I complain, crossing my arms over my chest again, trying to hold onto my anger that's being drained by arousal. "How do you know it'll look good?"

"You look good in everything. You look better in nothing, though," Shika tells me, eyes still jumping around as he tugs the flimsy material to the side, leaving me exposed for him to enjoy. "Though, you also look really good in this swimsuit."

"Then I'll wear this one."

"No!" He races out, eyes snapping up to my face, his face scrunched up. "I mean... no, you still look easy."

"Do I look easy or is someone getting a little jealous?" I tease, cupping his chin and forcing him to shake his head yes. "Aw, is Shika worried he's going to lose the 'fuck' benefit of being m buddy?"

"I'm not that shallow," he mumbles, rolling his eyes at me again. "We're friends cause I like being friends. Not because you let me hit it on occasion."

     "Then I'm going to wear the swimsuit."

     "Pack the goddamn swimsuit and I'll set it on fire."

     "Set it on fire and I'll go skinny dipping all weekend."

     "Or," he starts, a single finger slowly cruising through my folds, landing on my clit to rub light circles into it. "I can make you cum and in turn, you wear the fourth swimsuit."

     "Ya alright," I give in, decking down to press a kiss against his lips. Shika's finger pushes into me, lightly curling against my walls as our lips dance against each other. "I have a question." He hums in acknowledgment, sliding kisses up and down my stomach as he curls another finger in me. "Did you only agree to my fashion show so we could fuck?"

     "Oh, ya. I'm not going to get any this weekend so might as well empty out now so I have a little more control while you girls walk around half naked," he admits, a third finger added before he starts thrusting them in and out of me. Shikamaru's tongue slides out, slowly trailing from the string of my bottoms and stopping at the connection string of my top. "Take your top off."

     "Demanding, aren't we?" I mock, tugging on the skippy strings and letting the material tumble to the floor. "You're such a tit guy."

     "I'm an ass guy too," he says, squeezing my butt with his free hand before it jumps up to my breast. He toys with my nipple, rolling it between his fingers as his mouth sucks on the other one. After some time he switches his places, eyes flicker up for a moment. "You take forever," he groans, pulling his touches away from me.

"My bad, two-pump-chump," I grumble, a yelp spilling from me when Shikamaru grabs me. His arms wrap around my legs, tugging me onto the bed. "Shika!" I giggle, back landing against my mattress as he settles between my knees.

"Yes, Pet?" He murmurs, tongue sliding across my inner thigh. I toy with his hair, rubbing my nails gently across his skull, pulling a soft whimper from him. "I hate how well you know me," he groans, undoing the strings of my bikini bottoms, and dropping them on the top left on the floor.

"No, you don't," I tease, dropping my hands down to his shirt, and tugging him up my body before I start pulling it up. Once he's free from his shirt, his necklace hangs between us, dangling in my face. God I swear, I don't know what it is but it's so hot.

"You're not paying attention to me. What a drag, you're not even into it."

"I am," I hum, lifting my hand, and using a finger to toy with our clan pendent. "I'm just getting a little bored with our routine."

"The fuck am I supposed to do with that?" He grumbles, shifting his weight back and forth between the hands pressed next to my head.

"I don't know, you're the genus here, not me."

Shikamaru lets out a long, deep sigh of annoyance, his eyes falling into their 'I look pissed but I'm thinking' look. His brows are pressed together, eyes set forward and slit. "Are your parents home?"

"No."

Silence falls between us again, Shika's eyebrows shifting as the gears in his head turn. "If I blindfold you are you going to lose your shit?"

"We're known as the Shadow Clan. I think I'll be okay with a little bit of darkness."

With that, Shika climbs off of me, his focus shifting through my dresser drawers. He stays silent when he finds my Shinobi band, carefully tying it around my eyes before whispering in my ear. "I'll be right back. Just chill."

I do as I'm told, relaxing in bed as I wait for him to return. It doesn't take long for his aura to fill my room again, my curiosity sparked by what he'll do. "What do you have planned, Mr Genus?"

"If I told you," he starts, the feeling of his breath sliding over my pussy startling me a bit. "It would ruin the plan, Miss I'm Getting Bored." My thighs are gripped, being tugged further apart. "Make sure you tell me if you're not good."

"I know, Shik."

"Just making sure," he mutters, brushing kisses against my thighs again. As the kisses roll around my skin, I'm slowly lulled, the gentleness of Shikamaru threatening to put me to sleep.

The sound of a click fills my senses with the feeling of heat licking at my thighs. "What the fuck, Shikamaru!" I yelp shoving his hand away.

"Is that a 'surprised' fuck or a 'I don't like that' fuck?" His voice is followed by soft clinking. The sound is followed by something chilled pressed to the spot previously accompanied by some kind of flame.

"Surprised fuck," I murmur, shivers running up my spine as the chilliness melts, dripping down my skin. It's an ice cube, isn't it? And the click and flame combo was Shika's lighter. What a smart but bored man.

"Mmm, good," he mutters, dropping the ice cub, making them clink against each other again. His tongue slides across my leg, lapping up the water left behind. "Is this exciting enough, Miss Bored?"

"Yes, Sir."

He hums again, climbing up my body. "Alright, you needy girl. I'm going to rest in you until you're worked up enough cause you're too much work."

"Lair, you just want to feel me pulse around you," I tease, my hands crawling down his body. Shikamaru has stripped since I've been blinded, sparking my excitement even more.

His necklace taps against my skin as he moves, the feeling of his lips mapping out his slow climb. "So what if I do? We're doing this because - "

"Hey, Sweetie? Are you home?" My mother's voice rings out, pulling a disappointed sigh from the both of us.

"You need to move out," he grumbles, tugging the headband off my eyes as he crawls off of me. "For now," he starts, mouth clinging to my throat, sucking on my skin as hard as he can. "We're going to greet your mom, excuse ourselves for lunch, and then we're going to continue our new game at my place," he finishes before sucking on the same spot, promising to leave a dark bruise on my neck.

     "Shik," I whine, knotting my hands around his ponytail before I try to pull his lips off me. "You're going to leave a bruise."

     "Ya, that's the point," he grumbles, his tone not matching the smile being pressed against my skin.

     "So much for not being jealous," I tease, managing to pull Shikamaru off me, a loud pop following the loss of his suction.

———————————

     "Nara-Chan!" Neji calls, waving at me as his squad and him walk towards our squad. "You look... good," he mutters, eyes jumping over me before he gives me a closed-eyed smile, a soft pink dusting his cheeks.

It's an open secret among our generation that Neji has started forming a bit of a crush on me. With the aftermath of the war, neither one of us has had the time to move the relationship past playful flirting. Though, hopefully, after this weekend that won't be the case anymore. The soft rumor of Neji asking me out filtering around helping that.

Every year, the twelve of us have taken a weekend away from the village to go do something other than work. It usually ends up being all of us camping near a river or lake and just spending the weekend relaxing. We're doing that again this year, hence picking out a swimsuit yesterday with Shika.

"Hey, Nej," I greet, returning his wave as he settles in front of me. "Are you excited for the trip?" He hums a yes, eyes not-so-secretly climbing my form again. His eyebrows scrunch when he gets further up my body, making me a bit concerned. Is there food or something on my shirt?

"Hello," Shikamaru's voice rings out as my eyes jump down, checking for a stain or leftover crumbs from the chips Choji and I shared. "What's up, Neji?" He asks, stopping next to me as he greets our friend. Shika's hand jumps up, tapping against my neck before his focus shifts back to the pleasantries Neji and him are sharing.

My eyes flutter towards a smug Shik, cockiness waving off of him. Why the hell was Neji looking at me so weird? Why did Shikamaru tap my neck?... oh.

Heat blooms across my face as I remember the dark hickey present on my neck. The very dark and very big bruise Shikamaru left behind yesterday.

"Anyway," Neji says, tugging me out of my thoughts and embarrassment. "Do you want to walk with me, Nara-Chan?"

"Yes," I rush out quickly, the heat on my face now from being flustered instead of embarrassed. "I... um... yes, I would like to walk with you," I correct, keeping my tone soft and even this time.

"Great," Neji says, sending me another smile. "I'm going to go greet the others. I'll come find you when we're ready to go, alright?"

"Alright," I murmur, smiling back at him. My eyes trail after Neji, watching him walk away to greet the rest of my squad and his cousin's squad that just showed up.

When my eyes shift back to Shikamaru, who's gloomy, arms crossed over his chest, and a glare shot toward Neji. I swear if he was any moodier a storm cloud would form over his head. "You're walking with Neji instead of me?" He groans, the heat of his glare still stuck on the other man.

"Ya. You're walking with Choji anyway. Why do you care?"

"I don't!" He snaps out, his anger pointed toward me instead of Neji. "Okay, maybe I do," he grumbles, eyes softening as he rolls them at me. "You're pretty blind, do you know that?"

"Why? Because I have more friends than just you?" I tease, laughing at his shocked face as I walk away to greet Shino's squad.

———————————

     I nod along to the story Tenten is telling me, half paying attention as I look at the scenery. Most of the girls have switched to being carried, not because we're tired but because we're lazy and the guys all have a complex of wanting to be better than the others. So, Lee is carrying Tenten, Kiba is carrying Hinata, Shika is carrying Ino, and Neji is carrying me. Naruto offered to carry Sakura but that ended with him getting a bruise or two.

     "So ya, I packed two swimsuits cause the guys are no help," Tenten grumbles, rolling her eyes before she playfully glares at Neji.

     "If it makes you feel any better, Shikamaru wasn't much help picking out my swimsuit either," I tell her, the both of us giggling at the guys' incompetence. "I think you should go with the red one though. You always look good in red."

     "Alright! Break time!" Shino's voice rings out, paired with a hand clap. The bug shinobi - like always - has declared himself in charge because he's 'older and wiser' than the rest of us. The real reason he's in charge is because Neji doesn't want to put up with Naruto and Shikamaru is too lazy to do it, but none of us are going to tell him that.

     We all settle to the side of the path, a few of the guys decking into the forest for a pee break. "Are you ready to get down?" Neji asks, his head tilting backward to look at me.

     "Ya, I should probably stretch my legs and give you a break," I answer, wiggling around on his back. He bends down a bit, shorting my jump off him. "Alright, Nej-man," I chirp, stretching myself out. "How much longer until we're to the spot?"

     "I would say an hour. Maybe two depending on if we stop again or how many... issues Naruto has," He says, stressing the word 'issues' as his eyes bounce toward the blonde boy.

     "That's not too bad," I mumble, sinking to the ground to sit under one of the trees. I rest my head against the bark of it, my eyes falling closed to give them a break from the sun.

     "Nara-Chan?"

     "Neji?" I hum, slowly opening my eyes again.

     Since I've closed my eyes, Neji has pulled out a water bottle. The top off and wrapped up in his hand. "When was the last time you drank water?"

     "Uh..." I murmur, having to take a second to figure out the answer. "I don't know. Before we left I think."

     Neji lets out a disapproving hum, paired with an equally disapproving look. "We have been out in the sun and the heat all day. You need to be drinking water."

"It's fine. When I'm thirty I will. It's not that big of a deal."

"Yes, it is. Dehydration is a big deal and not something I want you to suffer with," he lectures, sinking to kneel in front of me. "Now, open your mouth Nara-Chan," Neji says, his hand resting under my chin, tipping my head up. Reluctantly I snap my mouth open, eyeing the barely older man. He tips his water bottle, water-falling the liquid into my mouth.

"See? Isn't that better?" He mutters, his eyes locked on my neck again as he sets the bottle down. Neji's eyes shift, locking in mine. When I try to break the staring contest, he uses his hold on my face to put it back in place. "I'm waiting for an answer."

"Oh... um, ya. That's better," I finally answer, my breathing suddenly feeling more labored. Thoughts that would turn Neji red flicker through my mind for a moment. I guess Lee wasn't lying when he said his friend was planning to focus on forming our relationship this weekend.

"Good, now please excuse me," Nej says, squeezing my face gently before dropping his hold on me. "I will be back," he mutters, packing his water bottle back in his bag before disappearing into the trees.

"What the hell was that?" Ino shrieks, her sudden presence next to startling me.

"I don't know," I answer, my voice pitched and mind running wild.

"I don't either. What I do know is that Shikamaru is pissed off again," she tells me, shrugging towards the small circle of Shika, Shino, and Kiba a couple of paces away.

Ino is right. Shikamaru's eyes are locked on me, sight intense as he stares at me, occasionally glances at the spot Neji disappeared from. His arms are crossed too, jaw locked, and the gears in his head turning again. I was kidding when I was poking fun at him for being jealous. I'm starting to think it's not a joke anymore.

Dear Lord, this weekend isn't going to play out smoothly, is it?

———————————————————————

[wispscribbles]

hi i just discovered your beautiful art so i obviously needed to scroll down your whole blog to catch up on everything you posted haha

i just wanted to say that i got way too emotional after reading that post of yours regarding mw3 and your mental health… on one hand i’m so sorry that you felt that way, but on the other i feel it with my whole heart

ghoap content especially for me helped me these past few months with my mental health in ways i would never have expected, it was my solace and inspiration, i started working out too and got back into drawing, got a lot better at it as well!

but unfortunately i get way too fixated on fictional stuff and there comes a time that my brain switches up and connects the things i liked and comforted me with things that make me extremely uncomfortable and stressed out, especially if i fall down a fandom rabbit hole that i would never have searched up, beacuse i know myself, i know my limits and triggers but i feel like i’m not a part of the fandom if i don’t like and interact with every single headcanon, art and ship

these past days i was really down because of that, and the things i read (why did i do that???) and now when i think of ghoap i think of that stuff and im scared that i alienated myself from the one thing that made me happy

but discovering your art and with that your post reminded me that im not alone in these feelings, even if it’s not the same exactly, and i wanted to thank you, for sharing your thoughts that time i guess haha <33

((sorry for rambling))

Long reply under 'keep reading' !! CW: talk of triggers and MCD

Always feel free to ramble my way!!! How nice you could find some comfort in my art and ghoap stuff. Especially in my mw3 post. I've been considering deleting it a few times, but hearing it maybe helped to read in some way makes me happy I left it up.

I get where you're coming from - I very much use these fictional characters as a safe space, but ppl view them very differently. There's room for it all, "don't like, don't interact" is very much a policy I agree with. It's important to mute words and be aware of your own triggers as you browse stuff in this fandom, because there's such a wide variety of stuff out there. You do NOT have to interact and agree with every thought people have on this ship, that's impossible and super stressful. There's plenty of stuff and headcanons I don't vibe with. There are no 'requirements' that you have to meet in order to enjoy fiction.

It's part of why I enjoy ghoap - that their dynamic resonates and has sparked so much creativity and outlets for so many - but it also means there's gonna be a lot of stuff u don't necessarily agree with or feel comfortable with. For example, a lot of folks use the MCD in mw3 as a way to explore grief, which I think is really cool, but on a bad day that could potentially get my brain in a bad headspace, so I only check out that art and those fics when I feel okay. There's also a bunch of stuff I'd never want to interact with, and that’s fine !!

I'm personally quite vanilla and a sucker for exploring the softer, more domestic aspects of these characters. It's what brings me joy. I know there are parts of this fandom who don’t vibe with what I make at all, and would call it untrue to the characters. Some creators enjoy exploring the more violent or toxic sides to the source material. That's just how it is, we all need different things from fiction. As long as we're capable of chilling in our respective sandboxes, then all's good.

But if you're like me, and enjoy the softer things, then definitely be aware and careful while exploring this ship and fandom. I've seen takes on these characters that are so far removed from how I view them, that they're basically the complete opposite, and it can leave a very bad taste, especially if you're the type to hinge your safe space on fiction.

Just... be mindful of yourself and your potential triggers, be respectful and don't interact with things that make you uncomfortable to the point of feeling unsafe. Shape your own online experience to your best ability.

Hope you're doing okay and still find joy in ghoap <3

[abby118]

It makes me so happy to see I’m not alone here. Honestly the Loki fandom is so fucking isolating, and I feel like if you say you prefer Pre-series Loki/Loki Prime whatever….you get shit flung at you. This fandom has done a really good job at making me scared to share my opinions. (Hell, I can’t even criticize the TVA without “UWU THE TVA ARE SMOL ANGST BLORBOS WITH TRAUMA! THEY’RE LOKI’s WHOLESOME FOUND FAMILY WHO HELPED HIM!!!”) It’s helped me a little bit to remember Loki in the series is a variant of our boy, because like…he’s literally nothing like Loki in the slightest and no offense to the fans, but it feels like a majority of them haven’t even TOUCHED the previous films. (Literally saw a post calling them old and outdated.)

Thank you for this blog. 🥺

Ooh yes, mhm. It can be isolating, for sure, but I also think we're fortunate that it did split into pre and post ragnarok eras of the fandom because some fandoms die when its source material gets retconned. I definitely relate to the opinion aimed towards the new "fans"; they're one of the most disrespectful and meanest people I have had the displeasure of interacting with in fandom spaces and I've been on this site for a while now.

And no, the character in the series is not a variant of Loki. The *only thing they share is a name, which has been stolen from the original character it rightfully belongs to, with the intent of cashing in on the fans. I refuse to refer to him as the same character. *They do share the same actor too, and as much as it hurts to say it, because Tom Hiddleston has been my favourite actor since I can remember - I was literally 9 when I joined the fandom when T1 came out..(for context, I'll be turning 22 this year), I no longer relate to how he views, or seems to view, Loki. And don't get me wrong, he will always be the person who played my favourite character, that will not change, but I do not see his interpretation of Loki as my own anymore. It doesn't even match his old one. And I know I'm not alone in feeling like this.

The TVA is a topic I don't have the energy to get into but it is beyond problematic. I'll just say that, I'm sure we all know what I'm getting at there. And I wouldn't even say it "feels" like the newer people haven't touched the movies. I have spoken to a few of them and it is an actual thing, apparently. Some of them started with ragnarok...which does explain a lot...and never bothered to check the original ones. And then they complain about feeling unwelcome among the fanbase, I wonder why that is, huh? - "I feel like if you say you prefer Pre-series Loki/Loki Prime whatever….you get shit flung at you. This fandom has done a really good job at making me scared to share my opinions."

Don't listen to them. Block them. They are not interactions that would bring you enjoyment or any sort of positive feeling and that's not what fandoms are supposed to be like, trust me. If you genuinelly feel upset about people's takes and opinion aimed towards you, you have every right to avoid them. Tumblr has no algorithm and blocking is nothing but curating your experience, you don't owe anything to these people. I, myself, have done this, including filtering tags, and it is so much more peaceful than when I rejoined (beacuse I changed blogs). Still, no longer being able to go to the main tag is incredibly sad.

Find a group of people you can interact with, follow the tags that are more specific and avoid what doesn't benefit your fun here. And thank you for being here, really. Especially for reaching out 💚🖤 I'm very glad you like my blog. I'm just doing my own thing, which in my case, means trying to stay true to the fandom I loved and enjoyed (and still do) from years ago, regardless of the notes or what people say. Because, at the end of the day, all that matters is your own enjoyment. I'm trying not to post too much negativity towards post2013 despite having a lot to say because there are blogs who do that, and do so well (thank you guys), and we need one that's focused on the good things too, but sometimes it really is needed. So thank you for the opportunity.

[snoozepotato]

We’ll Be Fine -12- (Simon ‘Ghost’ Riley x f!Reader)

Disclaimer: I do NOT own the original source material or any of its characters.

she/her pronouns

Category: slice of life, slow burn, mutual pining

Warnings: lil creepy, stalking, swearing, FLUFF

Masterlist

Summary: It's cold working in some of the other server rooms, Ghost finds you trying to warm up and gives you his sweatshirt.

Part 12

~PLUSH ARMOR~

Generally speaking, you don't mind the cold, but today was an exception. Currently, they have you stationed in the basement, for some that might mean dealing with loads of paper documents. But not you, for you this meant the clean room.

The COLD room. 

They keep the temperature low because the sensitive machines down here put off so much heat, computers and heat don't mix. It's not that cold, but combined with your bad circulation once you get cold you tend to have a difficult time warming back up. This kind of work really makes you appreciate the lax atmosphere of the old server room upstairs.

You had been wearing a ‘bunny suit’ all day, you get the purpose, but you're beyond grateful to finally be rid of the protective gear. Despite being back upstairs you can't seem to warm up, and regretfully you hadn't thought to bring anything warmer to change into.

Frustrated, you decide to grab a cup of tea and make sure everything is situated upstairs before turning in for the night. It's been a long day and you're exhausted, but thankfully the areas pretty much cleared out due to the lateness of the hour. After making your tea you head off towards your usual room, and can't help but take notice of the eerie quiet atmosphere of the hallway.

The sense that you're being watched.

Pace quickening in the slightest, you're all too grateful to finally arrive at your destination. Scanning your badge and leaving the door slightly ajar, with no intention of staying for very long. Reaching over to flick on the first of two light switches, illuminating half the lights, basking the room in a dim glow.

Heading over to a server console and skimming through the menu, checking to be sure everything is running smoothly. A shiver runs up your spine and you grumble in frustration, quietly cursing the basement work that felt like punishment. At least you had your tea to look forward to, you ponder as your attention is suddenly drawn to the other side of the room.

Looking up from the console to find the silhouette of a massive figure standing beside your desk. Your heart drops into the pit of your stomach at the sight of the intruder. Before they slowly lean forward into the light casting down from above. The warm relief spreading through your chest as those dark eyes of his catch yours.

Ghost

“You fucking scared me!” you exclaim, the initial anger washing away as you let out a stiff laugh, shooting him a weary smile.

how did he know you’d be here?

“Noticed the light was on,” He retorts as if he conjured the question in your gaze. The sight of his imposing figure lurking in the muted light, it's almost like he’s stalking you.

“Sorry,” you apologize for your sudden outburst, taking a moment to rub your hands together in an attempt to defrost the chilled digits before going back to typing.

“You alright? you look-,” he pauses, looking away like he's contemplating something.

“Ya, I'm fine, just recovering from working downstairs in the cold room,” you interject before he can continue. Marginally warmer hands back to typing as your gaze returns to the screen.

“Done for the day but I can't seem to kick this chill,” you murmur thoughtlessly, fingers clicking away on the keyboard as you input the last of your data into the console.

His lack of response draws your attention from the screen. Looking across the room to find the masked man has vanished. He must have slipped out while you were distracted. You part from the servers to make your way over to your tea, but something seems out of place.

Peering around your desk you find Ghost’s sweatshirt slung over the back of your chair. Your gaze is fixated on it a moment before reaching out to rest a hand on the worn material, it's still warm… He seriously just took it off and left it here for you without saying anything?

Glancing around the room suspiciously you pluck the garment from your seat, slipping the sweatshirt over your head without much thought. It's enormous, you’d been expecting as much but hadn't quite grasped the scale. You were swimming in it, absolutely drowning in fabric. But, oh my goodness is it warm. Hiking up the sleeves to free your hands, you grab the mug off your desk and head off to your room.

You'd say you were happy no one was around to see you like this, but what you were sporting earlier was far worse in comparison. The quiet of the hallway seems a little less sinister now. There's still that sense of being monitored, but it subsides the moment you're shut behind the safety of your door.

Setting the tea down at your desk, and dressing down for the night. You turn off the light and nestle into your bed, completely ready to surrender yourself to sleep. Still clad in the oversized garment that keeps you warm despite your thin blanket. You lazily slouch down against your pillow, head sinking below the collar, taking in a deep breath.

‘It smells like him,’ you mentally muse. Rolling over onto your side, as warm color pools in your cheeks. Drifting off into a pleasant slumber, the plush armor shielding you from the nightmares that lurk in the shadows of your subconscious.

Your tea long forgotten.

There's nothing better than a giant sweatshirt, thanks for reading &lt;3 <3

@tallrock35 @violet-19999 @hypernovaxx @k4marina @sebsbee @d4z01

[bananacorn-limeade]

1961's The WORLD of ICE and FIRE

I'm going to do it. I'm going to self-indulge!

The Roger Corman ASOIAF production post is mostly just a novelty, but since I'm me, I have a lot of FEELINGS and OPINIONS about this cast. Naturally.

Anyway. Here's how well I think the actors in my post would play their roles, from worst to best.

#19, Worst: John Ashley as Robb Stark

You know how Ben Affleck has a face that knows about emails? John Ashley has a face that knows about sock hops. Woefully miscast.

#18: Tor Johnson as Gregor Clegane

God love the big guy, but I've only ever seen him make this face. Also, despite his repertoire of roles suggesting otherwise on paper, he just doesn't seem like a mean guy.

#17: John Agar as Jaime Lannister

Another terrible choice. The only reason he's not ranked as worst is because his soulless performance would make viewers interpret Jaime as an absolutely irredeemable sociopath, which at least would be... uh, interesting, I guess.

#16 Robert Reed as Renly Baratheon

Renly, but only if he was the most boring Baratheon. Go ahead, try to picture Reed eating a peach. You can't.

#15 Dawn Bender as Arya Stark

Aw, she'd try. But I feel like her attempts at Arya's fire would mostly come off as petulance.

#14 Richard Carlson as Ned Stark

Sorry, what? I fell asleep for a minute there.

#13 June Kenney as Daenerys Targaryen

Kenney would try her level best, but you know Corman would do a terrible job incorporating her storyline with the main plot, so she wouldn't have much to do except lounge around on mildly offensive orientalist sets and talk to her force-perspective dragon puppets. (Stop-motion you say? What, you think American International is made of money?)

#12 Dolores Faith as Sansa Stark

Again, no knock to Faith, but as with Daenerys, I think a 1961 production would flatten Sansa's character away to nothing. She'd get to pine and wear some nice dresses.

#11 Anthony Dexter as Petyr Baelish

This guy can play oily like nobody's business (check him out in 1962's Married Too Young), but 5D-chess-level deviousness might be beyond him.

#10 Michael Dunn as Tyrion Lannister

Full disclosure: I'm plopping him in the middle because I've never seen him in anything! The only little person I've personally seen in Corman's movies is Billy Barty (playing an actual, literal imp), and Dunn was someone I found who was said to play much meatier roles. In general, I think the depth of Tyrion's character would seriously challenge 1960s casting directors who were used to casting little people in jokey roles or as something less than human. One of many problems they'd have with the source material, no doubt.

#9 Lon Cheney Jr. as Sandor Clegane

Here's another actor who would do the best with what he was given - which would be an essentially empty role. This Sandor would be a beast used only for jump scares, with too much rubber over his face to ever show an emotion.

#8 Glen Langan as Stannis Baratheon

Langan would be serious, but dull, with lots of droning sermonizing. In other words, perfect. Still boring though.

#7 Basil Rathbone as Tywin Lannister

Who better to play a role totally owned by Charles Dance than an actor who's even Charles Dancier? The only reason I'm not ranking this legend higher is because I do think he'd kind of sleepwalk through this role, especially at this stage in his career.

#6 Raymond Burr as Robert Baratheon

The future Mr. Perry Mason was damn good at playing hard-drinking, prowly, "beastly" men. See him in this fabulous trailer for 1951's Bride of the Gorilla (spoiler: Burr is the gorilla). Of course, for this production, he'd be about 10 years on from that virile role, but that's perfectly on brand for Bobby B.

#5 Michael Landon as Jon Snow

Landon's tortured James Dean era would be a great fit for angsty goth teen Jon, though he might have trouble keeping his feelings as hidden as Jon does.

#4 Allison Hayes as Melisandre

Should she be ranked this high? Eh, maybe not, but this woman is a goddamn B-movie bombshell goddess. Her Red Woman would be a little less mysterious, sure, but her perfectly arched eyebrows and bullet bra would do R'hllor proud all the same.

#3 Marie Windsor as Catelyn Stark

They didn't call her Queen of the B's for nothing. Windsor always did great with roles that call for strength and verve. She'd be a fantastic Cat, and - dare I dream it - an even better Lady Stoneheart.

#2 Jack Nicholson as Theon Greyjoy

Now this would be fun. If baby Jack Nicholson had half the presence and charisma he would show in later movies, his Theon would be legendary.

#1 Coleen Gray as Cersei Lannister

If I can get Tumblr to understand one thing, it's how much Coleen Gray would absolutely eat in the role of Cersei. She's beautiful. She's a schemer. She's a helpless victim. She's back for revenge. I challenge anyone to watch her insane, murderous, fierce, gorgeous, duplicitous performance in 1960's otherwise pretty terrible The Leech Woman and not come to the same conclusion. I'm serious. There would be no survivors. 👑

[andsoigotabutterfly]

Moving out

@toournextadventure Thank you for the amazing source material, that you made! love your writing! Keep it up!

a.n.: English is not my native language, but I tried my best this time too. May be bad also not just because of it, but because I rushed it a little. Needed to get it out of my system.

a.n. nr. 2.:This fiction is of an other fiction: Everyone but Her by the former mention. I guess you already read that if you are reading this, but if you don't then make sure to check it out.

a.n. nr. 3.:THIS IS FOR ALL THE MARCUS HATERS. I LOVE YOU ALL!

a.n. nr. 4.:While I was writing this, I didn't plan on making it hurt like this. It just somehow came naturally. Also I didn't want to write it this vividly, but it just felt RIGHT.

a.n. nr. 5.: Jericho here is literaly replaced by Woodsboro. Just because I wanted to. Some of the places stayed, like Wheathervane, but the rest is Woodsboro.

warnings: child abuse, very vivid abuse, blood (lots of it), very graphic violent scenes, birb unhinged, hurt (sooo much hurt) (bit comfort afterwards) I may have left some out, sry I'm not good at this yet...

word count: 4138 (sry)

Two new bruises. That’s what you got from your dad for defying him at the table yesterday evening. Luckily, you were great with makeup. You could easily paint over the purple patch, that made its way visible on your face. The other one was by your ribs. You would need to avoid hugging today. After making your scars disappear, you put on your Nevermore uniform and got ready to go to school.

You could have lived in Nevermore, if your parents weren’t so obsessive about you living with them. Woodsboro wasn’t that bad. You had friends here and a beautiful, great girlfriend. It was still a mystery to you, how Tara fell for you. She was a normie and went to Woodsboro high. You would have gone there too, but you begged your parents so much, that they finally gave in. Still, you needed to live with them.

When you and Tara met, it was in a small café called Weathervane. You expected her to be just as the other normies from her school; violent, prejudiced, and a colossal jerk. To your surprise, neither she, nor anyone from her friend group met these qualifications. You quickly got along with them and not far after that; she asked you out. It has been a year since that and you couldn’t be happier with her. Sure, she got a little possessive over you sometimes, but she did everything with care and love.

As you got out of the house, you silently closed the door behind you. Marcus wouldn’t get up for another hour, so you needed to stay as silent as possible. Otherwise, you would meet the same fate as yesterday evening. He did it, because he loved you.

‘He does it because he loves me.’ you repeated to yourself in your mind.

Sometime flew by when a car finally arrived for you. Weems smiled through the window. You forced yourself to smile back on her, as you got in the car, and gently hugged her. There was an agreement between her, and your parents. You would get to go to Nevermore, but she needed to take care of how you get there each morning and get back to Woodsboro after classes. She gladly transported you around. You offered to fly there and back, but Marcus wouldn’t hear of it.

You stayed silent during the drive. She didn’t disturb the silence, which you were grateful for. At home, there was always some fighting going on. Whether it was between Nicky and your father, or someone else, there was always something. Last year Nicky graduated, so he didn’t come with you since the year started. You still missed his presence.

When you arrived, she said that she’ll see you around, then went to her office. It was still half an hour ‘till classes started but you didn’t mind. It was time to find your friends and annoy them. Your first victim would be Yoko.

You found her in front of your classes room. With your immense sneaking skills, you tried to walk silently to her, and try and scare her, but were caught in the middle of the process.

“You know that doesn’t work on me, right?” she asked.

“Worth a try!” you smiled.

She opened her arms for a hug, which you took slowly.

“Ok, what is it his time?” she asked, immediately spotting your carefulness.

“I fell down the stairs at home. My ribs hurt like hell…”

“Fell, or were pushed?”

“Fell.”

You couldn’t see her eyes behind her black sunglasses, but her eyebrows were raised high. She clearly didn’t believe you, but she didn’t push it. Then she smiled menacingly and tilted her head so she could look behind you. Before you could react, two hands wrapped around your body, and you were dragged in a tight hug. A small groan escaped your mouth, as the pain hit you. You looked down on the hands that were gripping you. The nails were painted in the colours of a rainbow.

“Hello there, little bird!” Enid said from behind you.

“General Grievous!” you quoted back immediately. Yoko snorted as a reaction.

“Guess what!” Enid said.

“You wolfed out finally?”

“No…” she said, her enthusiasm dissipating. She finally let go of you. The joy in her eyes almost spilling out. “I’m finally getting a roommate!”

“What?! No way!”

“Yes way! I won’t finally be alone!”

“Who is it?”

“Someone new.” Yoko said, “She gets transferred here from Woodsboro high.”

“She’s a bit crazy, but I can deal with that.” Enid continued, ”Her name is Wednesday Addams. Almost nothing to be found of her on the internet, no social media, nothing.”

“Wait, I’ve heard of her. Tara told me she almost killed someone in her school!”

“Well, then we heard the same. Apparently, she dumped piranhas in the pool where the water polo team was practicing.”

“You’re gonna’ be ok, right?”

“Sure, no problem. Just a maniac out of the ocean of them…”

“Still, I’m so happy for you!”

“Thanks. I won’t be a lone wolf after all. Even if only in the roommate department.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The hours flew by beside your friends. You and Enid got over every possibility of this new girl. Which groups she may join, and who she’ll be friends with (beside Enid of course). In between breaks, you hang out with the whole group in the quad. Enid tried to subtly flirt with Ajax, but he just wouldn’t get it. Yoko and you would talk about everything and anything. When Ajax wasn’t in a conversation with the groups wolf, he would tell dumb jokes to Kent, who would laugh his arse of on them. They were cute.

You were looking forward to the afternoon, even if it meant leaving school. You had arranged a date at the Weathervane with Tara. You wanted to celebrate the anniversary at the same location you two met. You even managed to reserve the whole café for the event. Tyler was eager to help.

The day ended with one of Ms. Thornhill’s hours. You almost fell asleep with the plants that were all around you. When she finished her class, you almost didn’t notice it. Luckily, Yoko was there to get you up on your feet. You sent a sad smile to her, said your goodbyes than went out the front door. Weems was already waiting on you before the car.

“Get in young lady, you don’t have all day! Someone is waiting for you…” she said, smiling.

“How do y-“ you started asking, but she shook her head.

“I remember the day when your smile couldn’t be rubbed of off you. I know what day it is.”

You tried to hide your blush as you stepped in the car. She was so caring and nice. You didn’t know what you did, to deserve this.

“So? What do you have planned for her?” she asked teasingly.

“Well, I asked Tyler to allow us to have a little alone time in the Weathervane and helped me practice my café art skills. I’m going to serve her, her favourite café, with a bowie knife on it, since she is obsessed with Stab…” you started. Then you went over the whole plan. Weems was just smiling and nodding the whole way as you went into the depths of your plans. When you finished, she made a few suggestions, which you took even without realizing you did. She was right, like always.

When you got home, you thanked her for the ride, and got out of the car. She wished you luck, before you closed the door, and then you watched her drive off. When you couldn’t see her car anymore, you turned to your house. You took a deep breath, then opened the door, and stepped in.

Burnt smell hit your nose. Something was burning. You ran to the kitchen and noticed smoke coming out of the oven. Quickly you grabbed something to cover your hands with and opened it. You took out its content and placed it in the sink. Nothing remained from its original form.

“What do you think you are doing?!” Marcus’ voice came from the kitchen door.

“I- I smelled something burning and came in to-“ you started but were cut of with a hit to your chest. It took you off guard and you stumbled back into the open oven’s door. The burn stung your leg as you fell off balance.

“Now because of you, our lunch is doomed.” his voice was plain and seemed calm. You feared this voice. It meant he was furious. “Clean it up.” he commanded, then went back to whatever he was doing.

“Yes sir.” you mumbled as you got up from the floor. You hissed when you put weight on your leg. The new burn was bad. From the sink, you dribbled some cold water on the mark, and got to work. After you cleaned up after “your” mess, you went upstairs and changed into comfy clothes. When you got ready you took a painkiller, and explained how you will get home to Marcus.

“Seven thirty at the latest.” he said looking strictly.

“Yes sir.” you said, then turned around, and went outside.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The air was cold and chilly. A slight breeze made its way across the town. As you made your way to the café, you got sink in your thoughts. ‘He loves you.’ But why then? He’s just showing that he cares about you this way.’ Be angry. ‘Don’t. It’ll only make things worse.’ The only thing that got you out of this vicious cycle was the thought of being together with Tara. What a date this was going to be.

You arrived at the café the moment you were supposed to. It was five o’clock and Tyler was already closing for you. When you stepped in, he smiled at you and greeted you with wide arms.

“Hello Y/N.”

“Hey Tyler. How’re you?”

“No need for small talk. I’ve prepared everything for you. Here are the keys.” he threw them to you. “Don’t forget to close up when you leave!” he said and started getting out.

“Thank you.” you said with so much sincerity in voice you surprised even yourself.

He looked back at you, a little worriedly, then nodded. “No need. You’ve helped me too; I’m just repaying the favour. Good luck!” he said as he backed out of the café.

When he left, you got behind the bar, and checked the things for yourself. You trusted him, but wanted to be sure everything is perfect. You lit a candle at her favourite table, and placed two plates there. You asked her here for quarter past five, so patiently waited. Of course, she arrived earlier, noticing you immediately in the building. Your heart melted at the sight of her. The perfect brown eyes, her skin, that reflected the candle light and her brown gorgeous hair. God, you loved her.

She made her way through the café to you, admiring the work that you put in it. When she reached you, her lips crashed on yours again, for what felt too long. Her hands, roaming your body searching at the back of your dress. You pulled away to look into her eyes, then pulled of your shirt, to remove the harness. Your wings sprung out, and you almost struck down the mugs that were displayed on the shelves. You pulled your shirt back, and went back to her lips, while her hands gripped at the base of your wings, making them shiver with excitement.

“I’ve missed you…” she said softly.

“Me too. But this!” you gestured dramatically “will be worth the wait!” you finished with a smirk, then pulled back behind the counter and started making her coffee. She was surprised to say the least when she realized what you were doing. When the latte was ready, she reached for it, but you gently hit her hand, still grinning. She raised an eyebrow, and patiently waited for you to continue. You took out the powder from its place and started working. Her eyes widened the moment she realized what the art was. Her mouth dropped and admiration made its way to her eyes. You couldn’t stop smiling. When you were ready, she awarded you with a kiss.

“Since when do you know how to make coffee art?”

You gasped. “Dear, I’m a natural. What did you expect?”

She laughed, then took the cup to the table inviting you with her eyes to join her. You put up a finger and went to the fridge. When you opened it, you found two plates both with a little cake on them. You took them out and closed the fridge with your leg as you made your way to her. She shook her head, the smile from before widening on her face.

“You’re spoiling me!” she said laughing.

“Just a little. Nothing you can’t take.”

“Did you learn to make the cream too?”

“I must admit that indeed I tried but failed miserably. No. This was made by Tyler. But I did help with grating the lemon!”

She smirked at that. “I knew you weren’t perfect.”

“Excuse my ass Ms. Perfect, but I think you stumbled just as deep as I am when you asked me out. This is on you!”

“As was the test that you wrote an F on because you couldn’t think of anything else but my face?”

You gulped for a moment. You weren’t thinking about her face that day. “We’ve agreed that you really did cause that.” you said challenging her. Then you facepalmed. “Oh wait. I forgot the strawberries!” you tried to get up way to quickly. This made you hiss in pain.

“What is it?” Tara asked immediately, concerned.

“Nothing-“ you started, but were cut off. Why did you let everyone cut you off?

“You know you can’t lie to me. What is it?”

You rolled your eyes then with another too quick move you pulled up your jeans. This made your ribs hurt, and you instinctively pulled your hands to the source of the pain. You saw her worry go to despair, to realization than to anger. You knew you fucked up.

“Y/n this can’t go on like this. You need to do something about him!”

“What?!” you snapped back, a little too harshly. You regretted it already.

She stayed silent for a moment. “Move in with me.” she said so softly, it hurt.

You laughed at her for a second, then you realized she was being serious. Your mouth dropped and you felt like your legs couldn’t hold you anymore.

“I wanted to ask this after our date, but now I feel like I need to tell you. You need to get out of there!” her voice was shaking with hope and anger.

“Tara…”

“Y/n they don’t love you.” They do! “What they’re doing to you is insanity!” It’s their way of… “I love you!”

“It doesn’t work that way Tara.” you said when you finally got your thoughts together. “How would we pay for ourselves? How would I go to school? By the law we need a guardian! Who would that be?”

“Nicky. I already talked with him; we only wait for your approval. My mother left a whole lot of money behind, so while she is off, doing god knows what, I can do what I need. I talked with Ms. Weems too and agreed to work something out with you present.”

You couldn’t believe her. This was too much. Strawberries. You needed to get strawberries. You turned around and went to the fridge for them, not even hiding the pain in your legs anymore. You took them out and went back to her, placing one gently on her lemon cake. She was looking at you worriedly.

“Babe please think about it.” she was pleading. How did this happen?

“Can we get back to our anniversary?” you asked gently.

She nodded slowly. It took some time but you both got over the topic that was now hanging above your head.

Your plan worked wonders. After you finished in the café, you locked up and went through Woodsboro arms in hers. You took her to the places where your milestones happened. The main square; where she asked you out, the woods’ edge; your first kiss and then her house; where you confessed. The whole way, you were talking about different subjects, avoiding Nevermore and your parents. Somehow she managed to start rambling about Stab, so the last hour was you nodding over her theories and possible continuations. When you reached her house, you kissed her hands saying your goodbyes. She took your face in her hands and kissed you deeply, looking at you with heart eyes, full of anticipation.

“I’ll think about it.” you finally promised. Her face lit up, and she kissed you again. Then you looked at your watch. 7:31. ‘Fuck, I’m late…’ “I need to get going. See you tomorrow!” you said, with a last kiss, then made your way quickly back to your house.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was 7:47 when you got home. You feared stepping into the house. When you did, you knew you should’ve stayed outside.

“Where were you?!” Marcus’ roar filled the whole house.

“I’m sorry sir, I lost track of-“ you stopped at the hit that he gave you. He struck your former bruise on your ribs. Your face filled with hot-red anger as the air left your lungs. You knelt in pain, not to collapse completely.

“Get inside. Now!” his voice plain, filled with hidden fury.

You got of the floor. You heard his belt being taken of, and your heart filled with fear. Then your back cried out in pain, as the metal hit right between your wings. Your breath hitched and your heart felt like it was a race car, running way too many miles per hour. You heard before you felt, a second hit aimed at your wings this time. You cried out in pain.

“When you live with me, you abide my rules!” another hit. ‘He loves you…’ “You hear me?!”

“Yes si- “another hit. You stumbled down, your breath on the ground. You heard another coming when the phone rang across the room. After it hit, you heard him pulling back.

“We’re not done here.” he said, as he stepped away, to get the phone.

You knew your back was bloodied and bruised. The tiniest movements hurt like there is no tomorrow.

“Sorry sir, I think you have the wrong number…” you heard from the other room.

Move. ‘Don’t.’ Do something. ‘You deserve this.’ No, I don’t. ‘Let him finish.’ Run.

You heard the front door silently close, but you didn’t look up. You head was still hitting the ground.

“Are you threatening me?” Marcus’ voice was in disbelief.

“No… I am watching you…” a mans voice came behind of you. This made your head snap back. You would’ve recognized that voice anywhere. Tara made you watch Stab way too many times to miss it. A black figure was standing with his back against you, knife glistening in his right hand. You wanted to scream, to back away, but your body wouldn’t move.

“What do you mean, watching me?”

“Guess.” he said, voice raised, clearly meant to be heard by him now. He quickly surged forward, catching Marcus by surprise. He cried out in pain. It sounded… It sounded good.

“What do you want?!” Marcus asked in complete shock.

“I want to carve someone up like a pig. You happened to be the closest!”

“T- There are others in the house!” he said without hesitation.

‘What?!’ you couldn’t believe what you heard.

“Oh, yes? Who would that be?”

“The freak in the living room! She- She was here before you. Wanted to rob me!” your heartbeat stopped. ‘He said what?!’ You felt your pulse start again. The thrumming in your ear was so load you thought you would go deaf. Your muscles tensed one by one, each filling with hot, burning rage. You got up to your feet, and went to the corridor to take a look a the scene. Ghostface had tackled Marcus and had him pinned to the floor through his hand. Marcus’ side had a deep, clean cut on it, the fabric above it torn apart. His eye, glistening in fear and horror.

“Here I was, thinking that was your daughter…” He played with his voice in a very familiar way.

“No!” he barked out immediately. “How would I b-“ he was cut short with another stab to his chest. He cried out for help, tears falling down his face.

“Looks like I was wrong in more than one way. Smiths do cry after all! What a beautiful sight! How endearing…” He twisted the knife in his chest.

“Take her…” his words were muffled by his own blood spilling out of his mouth.

‘He doesn’t love me…’ you huffed. This got both their attention. You were leaning onto the doorframe holding your head with your hand. ‘He doesn’t even give a fuck about me.’

With Ghostface looking up at you, Marcus took the opportunity to hit Him in the chest. This made Him loose His balance over him, and stumble back. The scarred man pulled the blade out of his chest and while spitting blood on the intruder, he jumped Him. As they fell to the ground, you stepped away still locked in your own thoughts.

“Lwets swee yourh fhace bhitch!” Marcus spitted out of his mouth, blood dripping over his attacker’s mask as he tore it off.

For a moment, Marcus looked surprised his tears mixing with the blood on his face. Ghostface was a girl. How was he beaten up by a girl?

You froze down in shock. Tara your love and girlfriend was under Marcus, her eyes filled with hatred and anger. She hit him on the side, but it did nothing. She continued to struggle against him effortlessly. Marcus raised her knife, to strike her down. You didn’t think about what you did, you just did it. As your boot hit his side, you didn’t feel anything. As you got on top of him, disarming his right hand, you felt nothing. As did you, when he called you what he did with Tara, just moments ago. But the moment your fist hit his face, you felt relived. So, you did it again. And again. You didn’t know how many times you struck him; you just knew it felt good. You did it, until his face didn’t look human. Until it looked like a deformed and defiled remnant of a once humanoid being.

You didn’t notice that you were screaming the whole time, each strike raising your voice and power. It was a good thing Marcus made the walls of the house soundproof. He didn’t expect to hear you scream of joy. Your throat hurt, but it hurt so sweet. You didn’t feel your hands after you stopped to look at him. You searched for the knife, then when you found it, raised it as high as you could and stabbed him in the face. Then you pulled out and did the same to his chest and heart. You felt his ribs break and the knife hitting a muscle. You could only hope, it was the right one.

As you panted above him, you felt a gentle hand soothing your shoulder. When you didn’t pull away, she hugged you and started telling you kind words. You didn’t hear any of them. Just his screams and whimpers for mercy. It felt. It felt so good.

When you finally looked away you hugged her back and started sobbing on her shoulders immediately. She held you tighter, placing gentle kisses across your face.

“It’s okay.” she said lightly. “He’s gone…”

You started crying. Helplessly and unstoppably. Her scent filled your senses, finally calming you down. You didn’t know how much time you spent in her arms, but you cried your heart out on her. She was there and would never let you go. She tensed up for a second, when you both heard the door open. You snapped your head back, taking the knife out of Marcus’ body. You dropped it right away when you saw Nicky. He didn’t question a thing just went to you, knelt down and took you in his embrace. Tara soothed your back and your wings. She avoided the parts, that were cut up by his belt.

When you stopped crying you stood up and looked down at him. All your fears and hurt gone. You felt free. “I love you too.” you finally said back, looking left to Tara.

She stood up beside you, placing a kiss on your cheek. “Now will you move in with me?”

[unskilledpoint]

What death causes the most frequent nightmares?

Surgical tools are fucked up. Dentistry tools moreso. Which makes sense. Flesh and muscle are hardy. Teeth are as strong as bones. Stronger actually, due to the lack of living material within. One would need quite sharp tools to operate with. Hence the fucked up-ness of dentistry tools. But a person can do a lot more than dentistry with them y'know!

It especially helps when one is under a decent dosage of tetrodotoxin, often sourced from pufferfish. By blocking the transfer of sodium ions between cells it causes paralysis in the muscles.

Not exactly something you wanna be under whilst being wheeled off on a stretcher into a killer dentist's office.

The first thing you see is the white. The glaring, harsh and cold white. It's almost blinding, really. You count the tiles in the ceiling. 48. You count the teeth in your jaw. 32.

Sterile. You can smell the cleanliness. The rubber cuts through the air, a sickeningly blunt smell. Bubblegum. From the mouthwash used. Kids mouthwash.

The lights. Have I mentioned the lights? The bright white lights glare down from bright white ceilings in a bright white room so sterile it smells of death.

The chair is hard. A bit of stuffing pokes out of the cold blue faux leather. You try to poke it in. No use. Tetrodotoxin, remember? You can't move.

The lights flicker a little. The metallic hum in the background continues unwaveringly. You never forget that buzz, not once, not ever. The buzz is everywhere. You hear it all the time. In your room, the forest, someone else's house. A reminder your always an inch away from death.

Of course, it's also a reminder that there's been worse. Later on, you'll say, hey. This is bad, but at least I'm not there again!

But now isn't later on. Now you're here. And here you hear the clinking of metal. Some plastic crinkles. Dentist tools poking through their wrapper.

Your breathing gets heavier, ever so slightly. You can feel the way your hearts beats in your chest, pumping blood, in perfect rhythm with the pounding of your ears.

You lie to yourself. This is fine. This will be okay. This iss just like your normal deaths.

You're good at lying. See? You've even fooled yourself.

For a second, anyways. You're good at detecting lies too. Then the sounds of blood return.

Rubber gloves. You can taste it. The cold metallic buzz is in your mouth. And pliers. Held by a slightly shaky hand.

You're scared now. Terrified.

Crunch. It's sickening how fast that was.

Time passes by. The metallic taste gets stronger. You're choking on it. You don't know where your teeth went. Something red spills. A welcome difference from the artificial blues and whites.

The corners of your vision are red. Red like that liquid.

Some moments later, you wake up in your bed wondering how much was real.

You check the ceiling. Wood. You can't count those. You check your teeth. 32. Sharp as ever.

You're shaking. Why? It was just a dream. Pathetic.

And then you decide it's not worth it to go back to sleep.

Of couuuuuuuurse, some of that iiiiiiiis probably a lie! Maybe. Probably. Yes.

Aaaaaaaanyways, hope that settles your question!

[applestorms]

responding to this post about fanfiction from cryptotheism in my own post since i can't add it in a reblog apparently:

this is a really interesting analysis. someone else has probably said this in the notes (i'm kinda scared to check there =3="), but to give my own take:

i think what you're picking up on here comes from the fact that all fanfiction is inherently based on another story, and therefore is fairly preoccupied with responding to that story in one way or another (both positively & negatively). in my own experience of reading it, the best fanfictions are the ones that seem to truly understand the source text, not only in terms of the pieces (characters, settings, etc.) but how they function together and why that does or doesn't work, which is typically demonstrated by taking those pieces and reworking them to fit an entirely different context. this seems to be why characters are so often the main thing that carries over from the source material while the context can change so drastically: character's are some of the most obvious "parts" within the greater "machine" of a story, and are also the part that people get the most attached to (and thus do the most deep analysis of), so changing the setting (often with an AU/alternate universe) is a quick and easy way of changing up the location of each part while still trying to see if you can keep the machine running smoothly.

my argument is thus that fanfiction just as much an analysis of the original story as it is it's own attempt at a creative work, and some of the best fanfictions are the ones that begin with strong analysis. the creation of an entirely new symbolic language just isn't as necessary in that context, since it's more about understanding why the original did or didn't work, what characters or ideas or (at least in some fandoms) ethical/philosophical claims were strong or ultimately failed. "[s]et dressing, objects, even actions," are thus less important overall since the ultimate goal in the vast majority of cases is character study.

to clarify, this kind of analysis i'm getting at isn't just about "what could make the story better," though that may definitely be the case in fandoms where people ultimately feel failed by the original story (e.g. harry potter, game of thrones; the somewhat infamous homestuck fic theater of coolty kinda does this too, actually, since it's more of a character study of the creator than any fictional characters), again it's more out of understanding & refiguring the original pieces, approvingly or critically.

i will say this though, it seems a bit harsh to say that most fanfic authors have never done any deeper study of other literature or poetry. i dunno, that's certainly the case for some of it (just as it is for any other type of writing tbh), and there are a lot of younger fanfic authors that maybe haven't had the time to delve into much more literature than a high school english class offers, but that does feel like a strong judgement to make overall. if the goals of the medium itself are different since it's not "original" fiction, it doesn't seem fair to try and judge it by the same metrics, or to make a judgement of character of the authors themselves when their ultimate objective is just an entirely different thing.

to give a more specific example of a fanfiction where the author has clearly done some studies outside of the work itself, detective pony (two links there) is a now infamous homestuck fanfiction that has gained a lot of traction in recent years after video productions of it were created by naked bee (makes more sense in context, i swear). it utilizes a ton of references to other more formal philosophy and literature, but what i think makes everything work, fundamentally, is the fact that all of those references and the over the top prose is done within the context of what is essentially a character study, which becomes very clear by the end of the story. of course, this is just one potentially outstanding example, but again i think this gets at what i'm saying about the ultimate goals of fanfiction.

TLDR: the goal of fanfiction is, more often than not, analysis of the original work (and specifically character study, typically) just as much as it is the creation of a new story, which means that it may be more useful to adjust our appraisal of it accordingly, rather than trying to judge it by the same metrics as original (well, "original") fiction.

[aro-ace-menace]

Is it weird that I'm scared comments on my fic are too good to be true?

Let me explain; last week I posted a fic on Ao3, nothing special, just a F/F College Au long around 5000 words.

I didn't expect it to blow up or anything, but suddendly I got two extremely positive comments and I was really happy. Out of curiosity I checked the two accounts and neither had anything regarding that fandom and as I re-read the comments they felt very general and I began to think that they weren't actual comments, if you know what I mean. For example, one said:

I'm in awe of your ability to capture the essence of the original source material while still adding your own unique twist. It's pure genius!

But I literally added barely anything from the original other than the characters.

Could it like bots or something? I'm not sure because they both seem like still active accounts, so I don't really know.

Sorry for the rant, I'm just a new writer (this was the first serious fic I've ever posted without deleting it) and I don't want the only comments on my work to be bots, even though I don't really know why would there be bots on Ao3

(sorry for any mispelling, english isn't my first language)

[boogiewuu]

Fortune's drop

This is a part of the backstory of one of my obey me oc, Desdemona, an angel with cursed eyes who soon will completely change her life.

Tw: mentioning of blood, gore, dead people

Please, remember that this is an Original Character's backstory, nothing here is canon.

I'm sorry for the grammar errors you might find but English isn't my first language.

You can find the complete cover post drawing here if you want to check out some drawings about it

«remember this...»

Why there are so many voices? What's happening out there?... I can feel the floor trembling under my feet... the cold wind crashing on me behind my back like an upcoming storm, this the first time I could feel this here in the Celestial Realms.

«...for any reason...»

My lungs are taking less oxygen by the time... Why my hands are shaking so much? The pressure on my body is pushing me down.

«...you must tell...»

Am I sick? Am I about to die? Is this the moment when your life is taken away from your own body?

«...that you're blind.»

.

.

.

For all my life, I was forced to wear a mask, or a "crown of vision" like my father said to me the first time I had to put it on. No light could go through the thin and metallic layer of that angelic artefact. Why do I wear this? Father said so... And he explicitly said I can't take it off, under any circumstances, my eyes must be hidden from the world. I don't know why... Back then, I was too little to understand the horrible faith my life was twisted on. I don't even know how I look, or how my family look because for it. I just know I have a very long hair because Mother loves to comb them for me, probably she even made me some strange yet angelic hairstyle multiple times without even got the chance to see that.

I hate this.

I hate all of this.

For all this lie, I can't have many friends. I met some angels who were kind to me and tried to make me more comfortable with my condition... but I always felt horrible, useless... I wasn't complete. How can I have friends if I can't even know how they look like? I can't see, so I can't fly like all the angels do or swim... How frustrating is it. I could hear their wings flapping in the sky while playing... And I was there on the ground, in silence. I was living a loop... From the minute I was awake to the moment I was asleep, because all the angels had one particular job... But what job could have a blind angel of fortune when there is another one who was actually able to see? When I tried to talk about it to Mother and Father, they said I shouldn't care about it... They could be my friends... I had already my twin who I can play with.

I'm feeling like another bird on a cage.

One day, something different happened, a break in the loop. There was too many strange sounds in the distance, so I tried to reach the source of it but, out of nowhere, an hand grab mine firmly and pull me on the opposite of my direction. «Follow me!! I got you!! Don't take off your mask!!» the person kept yelling... It was my brother's voice. I couldn't stand behind his steps... We both started to running but he should be my eyes for see the safer path, but he was just... Scared... So his priority was survive, running as fast as possible...but I kept falling on the ground. I could sense the angelic aura of my brother growing... He's been trying to use the magic to protect us but seems like both my fortune and his aren't helping like it should be...

Interesting.

I didn't knew emotions like this could ever exist... The nerves running down your spine... The drops of sweat mixing with the dust painting your hot face... And the new sounds were something else too. I kept heard many times breaking sounds of all the type you could even imagine... I believe there were even the cuts of visceral material too. I could smell something burning like meat and wood. I could heard screams but they weren't joyful and the heavy breathing of many people... The splitting sound of some liquid crashing on some surfaces and the finals drops. Something surely was happening. All of this was new to me...

And my curiosity kept me hunger for new sensations.

But my brother doesn't want me to go where the sounds come from... I wonder why?

Aren't these sounds amazing? Why my brother wanted me to cover my ears and pretend I didn't heard a thing? They are so different from the usual stuff...

...why my brother was acting like Father? Why I can't see? And why I'm the only one who has the eyes covered? That's not fair at all!!

My head was spinning... I think I was still running, but all these questions about the forbidden stuff was taking control over my thoughts...my lungs were killing me and I could hear my heartbeat speeding up, I could feel it in my chest. I hit something with my feet and I felt faceplate on the ground... I searched the warm hand of Madoc, calling him back... But there was no response. I didn't have enough strength for get myself up, so I stand there like I was sleeping. My skin could feel the soft leaves landing on the floor and the wind come back running through my hair.

I was outside? I could hear them, the angels screaming and the clicking of the metallic weapons... And I was there, landing on the grass, with a weak body, vulnerable.

After some time, I took back my stamina and managed to stand up on my bare feet, waving my arms around to feel the nearest obstacles but I was in an empty zone... But where? I felt a warm liquid falling on my face, wetting my skin. What is it? I touched the tear with the index and put it under the nose... It doesn't have a smell. I tried to put it on the top of the tongue... It tasted sweet yet nothing came up to my knowledge. I tried to follow the trace with the fingers and there it is. A burning pain on the skin on my forehead but my fingers where full of that sweet liquid. My finger was barely touching a cut who seems incredibly huge... My face was half covered with it...

Blood.

Oh dear Lord... My tongue tasted my own blood? Angels shouldn't even touch or see the blood, and look at what I did!! Oh, if Father would've see me, I was easily grounded for the rest of my immortal life!!

Wait... My Father isn't here, no one is here except me. I was lost and alone, if everyone was running then there's must be a danger near us... I need to run...

I need to see.

My hands shakily took the corner of the metallic mask... My heart pounding on and on. My first time see the world where I lived until now...

I have to... Or I won't be able to survive

The mask went slowly separated from the bandages over my eyes and drop it on the ground making a little jingle with the pebbles behind the leaves. I'll finally be able to see everybody...

I started to unwrapped the many layers of the dirty bandages, full of dust, blood and sweat.

That's it. Now, the only thing between the world and my eyes were the eyelids. Nothing more, nothing less.

.

.

.

The bright light of the sun blinded me for a second. My eyes were never need exposed my the light like this... I had a hard time to make them get used to, but was worth it. The world was beautiful... All the colours I only could learn weren't just words!! Ohhh I'm dreaming!! The sky was full of dark clouds, making less light going through, white feathers were falling like snow and cover all the ground around me. I looked at my hands with my own blood stained on, painting my caramel skin with a dark red.

So this is the world I've been living on for thousands of years!! Why everybody tried to hide this from me??

I heard again that melodic screams on the distance... I ended up searching with my eyes. Look up. In that gray sky there were other angels with their golden bright armor and their weapon on their hands.

They were covered with red, their armor, their weapon, their skins... Even those beautiful white feathers on the wings had blood stinks.

Angels don't attack or hurt other creatures... But that blood surely wasn't their.

I was petrified... The world was always like this? That would explain why Father and my brother tried to keep me away though.

The Angels were up to me, they took a big opening of the wings and then down, targeting me with a surreal velocity, I couldn't move... My eyes were locked on them.

They seems so determined...

I'm about to die, aren't I?

The world become soundless. The spears of the two angels were one feet close to me, yet the world seems so slow... I wonder why.

The Angels were looking at me, directly in my eyes... They had an peculiar expression, a mix of surprise and pain, yet they were looking be enchanted by the meeting of our eyes.

My lungs were running off oxygen, it was hard to breathe, blood were running down their nose, then their mouth... but that gaze weren't going away. I could feel a shock down my spine, my hands shaking again and my facial muscles reacts, I couldn't help but softly smiles and that view. They were petrified like statues, their pupils disappeared, trembling under the layer of tears. I could heard the crackling sound of their jaws opened willing to screaming until their vocal cords would be tore apart.

That twisted expression... I never knew a creature could have such an expressive face. The time looked frozen but I knew this was just my perspective... Their body hardly avoided me, crashing on the floor with enough force to destroy the splendid grass near us. They painted the ground with a scarlet red and that wet breaking sounds again... But in a combo. They turned red and purple... But I couldn't help but notice the broken bones coming out the skin like spines...weird. They looked in pain... But right now, their body was twisted like an origami.

They're no longer alive, that's for sure.

The noises, the screams... That chaos never stopped in the distance. They were full of rage and fear, I could feel the fear in those... But they were full of life and colours too,and that was new.

A twisted way to show everybody that they were alive, and God only knows they will fight for that life with teeth and claws.

Those voices, oh I recognize those voices... My friends were living this moment against everybody else. They were fighting not only to survive... But to live too. To be free. Free like me.

I wasn't alone to feel this way, huh?i my gray sky... I couldn't fly so I had to help on the other half... but the curiosity and the fun was taking me over. Those angels understand my will... They'll having so much fun

I must join... I will join.

.

.

.

I kept repeating me those words... I was covered in all the shades or red the blood could take, I wasn't trained for battle so of course I couldn't survive without having several cuts. My spear was severely damaged by all the angels' bones I destroyed, my clothes were all ruined too, if I knew angelic clothes were this uncomfortable for fighting, I would change it many years ago. Angels couldn't recognize me, but one look and I'll found them dead on the ground like they've been in overdose.

So, the curse on my eyes was really this bad? A common folk you would stare at them for too long, they died in a pot of blood?

I was taking deep breaths, while my hand was covering a bloody cut on my shoulder, I was controlling around me and then I saw that scene...

Two angels, flying towards themselves... The bigger angel had ginger and short hair while the smallest had blue hair with some white hair on the bottom of them. The ginger one was flying holding the blue one, but the other angels was standing an hand on the back of the big one. When I looked on the same direction on the angel's hand, I noticed something else. It was a girl, flying near them... But the second I was watching, that same girl was hitting in the back, falling on the void like a dead bird.

And I was there... Watching in silence that scene.

She wasn't even fighting... And yet, she was hit by this war, and that same girl was falling into the void like she deserves it. How many angels had the same faith of that girl?

I couldn't move a single muscle... What a bad timing to stay there and think.

An enemy took me from behind, I woke up form the shocked and we ended up fighting. He had a Dagger and I had my cursed eyes. I got stabbed many times, but I managed to block his head with my hands and forced it to watch my eyes. Soon enough, he was screaming and vomit blood, but loosing the balance was a fatal act.

His body pressed me down, until we both fall from the edge of the clouds. My face turned pale as we were falling... I took off of me that body and tried to use my wings to reach the surface, but nothing was worth it. More we were going down, more speed we acquired... It was an endless fall, the air was burning my lungs. I couldn't breathe, the pressure was crashing me... My wings couldn't take this. An excruciating pain was hitting my back!! My wings!! I could feel them unravelling my skin... I couldn't hear anything, not even my screams and my cries. I could feel my skin burning, my halo were melting on my face.

All of this couldn't happen If I didn't took off my mask... I shouldn't been fight with those angels, it wasn't non of my business. My friends... Are they dead? I didn't hear them anymore... And I'm going to do the same.

Did I deserve it?

.

.

.

I lost consciousness for who knows how much days or years, I was rotting in the deepest seabed. I didn't know how I was alive or where am I... But something was telling me "someone had other plans for me." Something grabbed my arm and pulled me up, reaching the surface. When I was feeling the ground again, I put my face on the ground, starting to coughing, let the water free my lungs. «where am I?» the only thing I could say. An unfamiliar voices started to talk to me «you're in the Devildom, the reign of demons. You're lucky to be alive.» says the voice. It was a deep male voice, one of that voices you can hear trembling inside you, and I doubt it was an angel...

«Are you... going to kill me?» I asked, trembling, making the demon laughed «I can... but why should I do that?» he asked, but I couldn't reply «what's your name, fallen angel» «...I have no longer a name...» I reply, I know my name... But why should I keep using that name? «...then, how the others angel used to call you?» «The Fortune's pearl... I used to bring good luck» I whispered with a low profile «looks like your luck didn't make it... you looks more of a misfortune demon» commented the demon, I felt a touch on the back «what happened to your wings and your eyes?» asked in a low voice, I let out a single gasp «I... lost my wings during the fall. And for your safety, I need to cover my eyes.» the demon didn't reply, but I felt a strip of cloth on my face, that startle me for a moment, but as soon as I felt my eyes been covered, I slowly high my head towards the demon and thank him «...You're a demon now, you're under my responsibility. Come with me so we can heal you from your wounds» says the demon «for now on, you'll be Desdemona... the misfortune's pearl.» a little giggle escaped from my mouth, a little tear goes on my cheeks, I'm finally worth it for a job

«seems like you really have plans for me...»

[astralfrontier]

I write horror fanfiction when I'm not at this job. The common scenarios run through my mind immediately. It's not rational - it's a way for my mind to cope with the actual shock of something like this actually happening - but it's happening.

Evil doppelganger - alien infiltrator - government clone - shadow archetype -

I toss my duplicate the candy bar I'd bought at the vending machine. Without missing a beat, he catches it in mid-air and promptly places it on the desk beside him. Nobody else looks around. Nobody notices.

Okay, so it's like that. He's solid - the candy bar didn't hit the ground - nobody looked at me weird for tossing a candy bar into empty space - but also, nobody noticed that there's two of me.

Terror gives me bravado. "Well since I'm working already, I guess I can go home," I announce aloud. "You do the work, I relax and get paid. Perfect solution, huh?"

I turn, intending to go for the door--

There's my manager. There's his doppelganger, next to him.

"Oh, Charlie," he says affably. The doppelganger waves cheerfully.

Wait, which is which--?

"You were out the day They came," he explains. "New policy. They aren't real people, but They can do the work. HR checked with Legal. No right to work problems. But since you can do the work too..."

His doppelganger finished the thought. "Double the productivity. Don't you see? We pay you once, but we get output from two of you."

"I could just leave," I say.

"At which point we'd be forced to terminate your employment," my manager says. "After all, an employee that doesn't come to work shouldn't get paid. Only logical, right?"

"Only logical," the manager-doppelganger agrees with a hearty laugh.

My mind races. "The police - the government -"

"Who will they believe?" the manager asks. "The courts are striking down employee rights, from DEI initiatives to benefits. Ultimately, the tide of history is with us."

In my shocked state, I try a different tactic. "Seats - desks - computers - your material expenditures have just doubled."

"You've got us there," my manager agreed.

His doppelganger was more optimistic. "But we're sourcing laptops and chairs. Lots of companies have performed big layoffs. Always do when there's an economic downturn. Lots of supplies in warehouses, just waiting to be snapped up."

My manager gestured back at my own doppelganger, who'd returned to his work. "In the meantime, you'll just have to pair up."

The manager-doppel turned to his counterpart. "You didn't tell him about--"

"Oh! Of course. We might be pairing you off with someone else not yourself. Different attitudes, different perspectives, you know. Diversity!"

I looked back at the desks on the floor. Yes - more and more, I could make out that my fellow employees were paired off with doppelgangers. I hadn't noticed it at first - they'd just been a sea of faces - but now I knew where to look.

My doppelganger gestured at his computer screen. "Tell you what. I'll email you the link to the spreadsheet and you can review the sales figures on your phone. How does that sound?"

I slumped against a nearby wall and stared into space.

No wonder I was taking this so well. Invading doppelgangers? Why wasn't it scaring me more?

Because I'd already been living with a monster. I'd simply gotten used to it.

You arrive at your office only to find yourself already sitting behind your desk

[jacks-manidiary]

helloooo

I'm newly awakened as Quackity/fictionkin but i don't remember shit from my timeline

any tips on remembering stuff or fun memories from your own tl you wanna share?

- Q 💫

Oh boy, don't know if you've come to the expert here for advice. I&'m going to be saying this from a fictionlink perspective, but maybe it will help you with your 'kin issues too. Just don't worry much about forcing memories! They're not a necessity.

I&'d say do the obvious. Rewatch the source material, try to imagine in detail how it felt in the moment to be going through these events. Let it sit with you and give yourself time. Make logical guesses to what you must have been doing during the times you can't remember. There's no shame in such reconstruction! Memories are imperfect and if you need to know what happened during a certain time, it's perfectly fine to assume.

Talk about what happened in first person. Start a diary like I& did! Check in with yourself whether the things you know sound right. And if just asking yourself if something happened doesn't give you an answer, you can try assuming whichever story you like best and seeing if that gets a response.

Memories are often tied to sensory experiences. Try seeking out some foods, smells, scenery, anything that you could have eaten or felt during a given period of your life and seeing if that brings to mind anything.

...yeah. As for me&? Um, I& don't have a lot of memories at all either and the ones I& do have aren't what one would call "fun". The biggest one is the hotel, I& constantly think about my& time in the hotel and mull over those feelings. I& remember just sitting in the kitchen (in this life) alone late at night and realizing with terror that it felt like I& was back at the hotel again. Scared me& to bits. Yeah.

I&'ll be watching my& early streams this weekend though, and so I&'ll likely have a much clearer picture of the days in Manifoldland since those were happening before I& even got into DSMP in this life.

[mlm-mod-taka]

Can I have Byakuya jealousy hc x gn reader (why tf did I write it like I'm ordering food)

JEALOUSY HCS • byakuya x gn reader

haha, its alright! straight to the point asks are always good to receive /gen. i hope i did this okay, enjoy!

tws/cws: mentions of yandere and manipulation. (not towards you.)

|| -> mod taka <3

he doesnt show it that much, but he does get jealous very easily. since its expected of him to be more calm and collected, he rarely expresses it.

there are times where you can tell that he's on his last nerve, its not obvious unless you know him well. but there are certain signs that will show if he's annoyed.

if he says more mean and witty remarks than usual, also glaring at the person with disgust in his eyes, then hes probably jealous. he can get away with being more mean since he's usually like that, but because youre with him it sticks out to you.

doesnt really try to find a reason to drag you away from them. he's byakuya togami, he can and will command you to come with him to the library while youre in the middle of a conversation with the other person.

if they even think about arguing back to him taking you away, think again. he'll immediately shoot down that idea in their head by insulting something that is very personal to them. while theyre trying to think of a response to his comment, he'll quickly rush you to the library.

would definitely run a background check on the person, he has the sources and connections for it, so why not? its partly because he wants to go confirm that theyre not dangerous to be around, and so he has some more material to belittle them with.

straight up just tells you to stop hanging out with them. if you refuse, then he'll be really salty. byakuya doesnt love it when people he cares for go against what he thinks is better for them, so he looks for a different solution. he doesnt want to force you to do something you dont like, so he'll do it for you.

will talk to the person in private, and "lightly" implies that he'll ban them from any establishment that the togamis have a share in, which is almost every big company in the world.

if they still wont back down, then he'll just stick to you until they get intimidated enough to keep their distance and know their place. byakuya will be by your side more than usual, and stare whenever they try to talk to you.

he doesnt want to be too controlling, so he lets you talk to them for a little, before scoffing and dragging you away when his patience for their flirtatiousness wears thinner.

knows how to manipulate people into giving in, he doesnt use this on you, of course, but he does use it on the people that are actively trying to take you away from him.

that sounds very yandere-ish, but he doesnt do so to people youre genuinely close with, only to those who think that they have the power to steal you.

will tell the person that they know something that could ruin their future, whether it be something as small as petty theft, or much larger, he knows all their secrets, and are ready to exploit them if they dont leave you alone.

actually does go through with the ban, so its really a snap to reality when they cant go to the big malls anymore because byakuya informed the staff of your appearance.

with byakuya constantly insulting them, the fact that they cant go to many of the big establishments anymore, and the pressure of him knowing their big secret, they will give up and distance themself from both of you.

when you notice and ask byakuya if he did anything to scare them off, he'll reject the idea and say that they mightve been too mentally weak when interacting with someone like him. while you do know that thats probably not the case, you ignore it, knowing that he wont budge.

he smiles to himself as he realizes his plan worked, and they werent bothering you at all anymore. he felt the relief of knowing that no one is trying to steal you from him, which made him feel great.

[plan-d-to-i]

Hey, sorry if it's not one of the things you follow. Have you seen oath of love (Yang zi/Xiao zhan one), like i failed to watch so much immaturity and childishness.

Have you had a chance to check the novel, is novel also this teenagerish !?

I really wanted to pick a chill novel but now i am scared to waste my time if novel is also like that.

I'm sorry about the delay I was actually reading the web novel when I got this (because I too wanted to understand if this was on the script writers or the source material lol) and I wanted to get a little further in before answering! I already shared my er... feelings about the show here as I was watching it:

As for the og story it's nothing like the drama. It's not necessarily something I would randomly pick up for myself to read but it's not the nonsensical, puerile chaos that the show is. *Spoilers below*

The couple in the web novel are well adjusted. The FL is not a ditzy idiot. The Dr. isn't some purell addicted, socially awkward person who needs the FL to teach him how to do surgery again and enjoy life and succulents. He's quite cheeky. Mr Lin isn't a dick!!! (He also doesn't die! unless the author posted some update I missed) He's just spoiled and quite funny and endearing! Lin Zhixiao doesn't even play the cello! She picks a small instrument bc it's easy to carry around so like 90% of the show that has her lugging around that big ass cello case bc cello is life...- why? _(:3 」∠)_. She's not a musician she's a geologist. Dr. Gu goes to Germany! She travels for her own studies bc even though they love each other they don't want to sabotage each other's enrichment. Their relationship survives the distance! DUH. There's a small commotion w a patient in the beginning but nothing comes of it. Lin Zhixiao notes especially that tv dramas are full of shit for making big deals about scenarios like that bc nothing happened "irl", the Dr wasn't penalized. It's basically just a really mellow, slice of life, situation about these two people growing towards each other, and fitting comfortably together, without much drama and conflict. I understand if the screenwriters needed to amp it up for TV but this brings me back to my previous questions - why is it so hard for tv writers to just write moderately intelligent characters engaging in moderately realistic behavior?! (;´༎ຶٹ༎ຶ`)