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runningfrom2am · 1 year ago

Text

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 :,)

#tbosas #tbosas x reader #tbosas fic #tbosas fanfiction #hunger games #thg #thg series #thg fanfiction #the hunger games #coriolanus snow #coriolanus snow x reader #coriolanus x reader #coriolanus x you #coryo #coriolanus fanfiction #coryo x reader #snow lands on top #coryo snow

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swagginmun · 7 months ago

Note

Hello!

I just wanted to tell you that your art and way of storytelling is AMAZING. You're one of my biggest inspirations, and one of the people who got me into LMK (which I am very grateful for! Thank you so much)!!

I also have two questions for you (if you're not too busy! I dont want to bother you-)

What's your process for making illustrations? Yours look so pretty and they are so wonderful to look at!

And, what's your tips for anyone who wants to make a LMK fan-comic, but is a little scared to get something wrong? (Like good representation and cultural no-nos for example. I've done research, but the internet can be a little confusing and messy about topics like this, so I wanted to ask for help!)

I do hope that I'm not bothering you in any way!

Have an amazing day/night!

This is an oldie ask, apologies, but I do have a better way to answer this now! Typically, when I work on my pieces, I have 4 main phases: Roughs, Lines, Flats, and Renders! I'll use this Nezha piece as an example!

My Roughs stage includes getting references, color themes I may want, and feeling out the general vibe I want out of a piece! For this one, I really wanted to push Nezha's face expression (my main) as well as try to emphasize the speed at which he was moving.

Once I do that, I try to space out everything in the background, and refine the sketch with one more rough draft before moving on to the lines!

The Lines stage is pretty self-explanatory: this is when I line everything and make additional changes I may not have thought of from the Roughs stage: For this one in particular, I remember wanting to add details of more wear and tear, such as the sash being a bit damaged, or his bracelet getting cracks, or his face being a little scuffed up.

Next up: Flats! This is when I would flat color, as well as adjust the lineart to have colored lines (its already colored in the prior screenshot, but my lineart starts out all black) I find coloring the linart helps make the colors feel more "lived in" for lack of a better phrase

Finally, the render portion, which usually starts with the BG for me most times; I find if I know the environments colors/lighting it helps concrete where light is affecting the characters

This is your overlays, mutiply, and shine layers in action! Flat coloring makes my soul itch, but rendering really helps quell that pain for me; esp if I get to work with gold/hair shine! I hope that was helpful! And as far as advice for respecting cultural-related things, honestly, as an American I don't know much in the realms of specifics, but I do know to try to have basics understood, which I gather from what has been made thus far within LMK, reading the source material/fact checking information I come across, my own experience of being black in America, and reviewing travel advise funny enough. I wish you a good luck with your artistic journey homie!

#swagginasks #i have so many asks from 2023 #soRRY I am easily #swamped #:')))

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olderthannetfic · 4 months ago

Note

I'll be the first person to talk about how AO3 is just that, an archive. How there's no algorithm. How there's no point in constantly being the "first" (most recent) work in the ship/fandom/character/etc tag. How it's NEVER rude to leave a genuinely kind comment on any work, no matter how old or how new it is. You comment 10+ after the post date? Awesome. You comment -10 minutes after the post date? Awesome.

But I'm having a hard time taking my own advice! I recently came out of a huge slump and started posting again for a longfic for a pretty popular pairing, a pretty popular fandom, and a pretty popular trope. I haven't gotten many comments/kudos yet -- which is fine, I'm just so happy to have my motivation back -- but the thing is is that I'm literally posting multiple chapters a day. (By multiple I mean two or three, so nothing TOO insane.) Now, the nature of the work is that most of the chapters are pretty short (I'm too scared to say what it is out of fear of revealing myself, but I will say it's NOT a drabble/etc collection or anything word-count based. it's more similar to something that is meant to parallel the length and format of the source material.) But I still have this weird insecurity that I'm pushing my fic on people who don't give a fuck, that people who check the tag multiple times a day are just getting annoyed and thinking "I've had enough of this guy."

And that's alright! They can block and/or mute and/or filter! I've certainly felt that way before seeing fics that I'm not-so-interested in constantly being the forefront of the tag. I just scroll on, and maybe think to myself, "well good for that author for having a schedule". I'm not necessarily venting about my feelings themselves, but moreso about the nature of my feelings...I almost feel like I've become "algorithm-pilled", if that makes sense? Like I'm so hung up on this, I keep worrying people are gonna think I'm just constantly posting in order to be on top. And I'm not, and they're wrong if they think that, and again, I really don't care in the long run if people jump to such wild conclusions, but it's like...ugh. I would not have cared about this even a few months ago. I truly do not know what is wrong with me and why I'm suddenly fussing so much. Maybe it's almost a "stage fright" thing because I'm returning to the work after so long. Maybe I just need to comfortable again.

(I didn't necessarily send this for reassurance, but I am happy to have comments that gently poke fun at how much I am over-reacting ha. I'm mostly just rambling in general because I don't want to post this on my actual tumblr, which is linked to my ao3.)

Alas, logic and emotions rarely line up.

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kiragecko · 8 months ago

Photo

[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

#described #now #of COURSE I love Strix #you all know that #she's a nonverbal former weapon learning about her own humanity #she's written by gail simone #who I trust with this sort of stuff #I'm just too scared to check the source material #because secret six is a LOT #and then I haven't heard great things about that birds of prey run

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13as07 · 1 year ago

Text

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?

———————————————————————

#naruto shippuden #naruto shippuden oneshot #naruto shippuden x reader #naruto shippuden smut #shikamaru nara x reader #shikamaru nara oneshot #shikamaru x reader #shikamaru nara smut #shikamaru oneshot #shikamaru smut #shikamaru nara #neji hyuga oneshot #neji oneshot #neji hyuga x reader #neji x reader #neji hyuga

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marzipanilla · 5 months ago

Note

Re: your tags; I know very little about the Invincible comics and I'm curious about the differences between them and the show, and how you think they're handled?

(p.s. I'm the one who commented on your time loop Debbie fic recently and I just wanted to say once again how much I like it :D)

Hey there ! Thought I recognized your name. Thanks. : D

Sure. I can ramble insanely about this lol I'll stick with just comic stuff that has been covered by the show so far, with a few mentions to things that seem to currently be absent since the comics had already mentioned them by now, so they could show up, could not- might be mild spoilers.

If you're curious about other stuff check out this tag (which I'll also add to this post) where Stove and I just theory craft and world build and ramble about the show in general.

Rest under the cut bc I can talk a lot lol

In general if you're also just looking for broader stuff about the themes and ideas that really could be present in Invincible but aren't- if you aren't familiar, Overly Sarcastic Productions is a YouTube channel that does video essays and they have a great one about the Superman trope, and they also cover Homelander and Omni-Man in it- and what they talk about in there about the politics and symbol of what a 'Superman' character really represents is just great and definitely something I think the writers could have integrated more. Again, this is a 20 year old piece of media that has one of its original creators attached to it- and he has flat out said he hoped to fix/tweak some things in it! Where I think Invincible is really beginning to fall flat is trying to adhere too much to its source material rather than being willing to use it as a basis for telling a better story, which seemed like something they were willing to do initially but has since tapered off.

I read from someone else that 'Invincible' is called that bc it's about Mark's indomitable spirit and nothing to do with his sort of invulnerability, and while I agree with that sentiment I think the comic and the show sort of lose sight of that. Like, stumbling blocks learning curves yes, but it IS very funny to go from S2 ending 'I need to learn to control myself' Mark to S3 'lose my shit and blender everything that stresses me out/threatens me' right up top.

But to try and go more in order...

S1 is the largest deviation from comic canon in that it added a lot. Darkblood being relevant, Cecil (who isn't introduced until after Nolan reveals himself in the comic), the entire investigation into who killed the Guardians, Amber being a fleshed out character. Debbie is much more of an accessory than a character in the comics (none of her talks w Mark about being a hero exist, none of her talks w Nolan about teaching him about Earth are in it) so pretty much anything that happens with her in that season is brand new. As is the support group and her near suicide in S2. I fell in love with Debbie in S1, and like you, her dynamic w Nolan is pretty much my one major investment in the narrative. And then after I watched S1 I read the comics, and uh.. yeah. Was not particularly pleased with what I read.

In the show Nolan is clearly shown struggling with what he is doing and is also very much an alien who had to learn through his relationship with Debbie about Earth, intimacy, and empathy. Nolan in the comics is more or less the perfect image of a family man (who seems to have figured everything out about Earth on his own) who raised his son and brings home the bacon (Debbie is a housewife in the comics, getting into real estate only after Nolan leaves). He also doesn't have the 'save planets vs save people' mentality that he does in the show. Comic!Nolan genuinely helps everybody all the time, no complaints, and definitely was never shown dropping a guy to scare information out of him.

The reveal happens later in the narrative and is much more sudden and jarring. Nobody suspects him (he wasn't injured, he just kills them all in one page of the comic and then goes about his day) yet he is arguably MUCH more callous in the comic once the truth comes out. Though he doesn't put Mark's head through a train. I think the hesitancy and the difficulty and the very ridiculous attempt to try and keep Debbie with him in the show is better for the over all narrative, though on a micro level I don't really have a preference for one over the other- Nolan is just arguably a different guy in the comic (I would say Mark and Debbie are as well).

His time on Thraxa is where a pretty massive change between the two is present. In the comic, Nolan has ~two weeks to hold his breath in space before he'll suffocate (just the amount of time we're given adult viltrumites can hold their breath for) and there is no suicide attempt- he just lands on Thraxa bc he stumbled across it and they put him in charge bc he's old. He also planned to take over and give the planet to the Viltrumite Empire as a mea culpa for fucking up on Earth! He eventually elects not to do this and sends for Mark to help him with his brother et al.

I do prefer the change the show gave us, suicidally depressed guy falls into being a hero and maybe starts to get his shit together. It gives a much better weight to the fact Earth did affect him and he is still carrying it around. Mark also breaks down into tears and begs his father to come home so they can all be a family again, which thank god they changed that. Mark doesn't express much in the comic aside from one snarky comment about his dad moving on real quick (which Nolan tells him to shut down because 'I'm still your father' and Mark shuts up). When asked about Debbie, in the comic Nolan just says 'I don't want to talk about your mother' and Mark drops it, not even defending her like he does in the show. (Debbie just becomes a passed out on the floor alcoholic in the comic until Mark yells at her one day and then that makes her get her shit together, which like, very glad they changed that, though I could have stood to see her drinking getting a little closer to what happens in the comic just bc I'm a sucker for characters I like suffering)

The show also did everything in it's power to make Andressa a person with feelings, and honestly I applaud the attempt but unless literally anyone bothers to mention her again why. She is such a plot device. In the comic she says 'it's an honor to be mated to him' re: Nolan and definitely doesn't have any long speeches about falling in love so hard she was apparently willing to overlook the guy having beat his last kid near to death and demeaned and abandoned his last spouse- and look, I will always be on the fence about how much Andressa actually knew about what happened and how it was presented to her bc what the fuck. Whatever was going on in Nolan's head when he decided to get remarried and have another kid is something that is genuinely never addressed in the comic and the show currently has a chance to rectify this, but who knows if they will.

I do all I can to warn people that I am definitely not unbiased and Oliver bugs the fuck out of me. There is a 'common' most hated character in the series, and I am ambivalent about them, but I fucking hate Oliver.

So far, his integration into Debbie's life on Earth is the one thing that was handled with a lot better grace, while I still find his entire story line very obnoxious. In the comic, Mark drops Oliver off at her house so he can go talk to Amber and when he comes back Debbie is just like 'I'm adopting him bc clearly as a mother I cannot resist taking care of a baby!'. The show let's her have feelings about it at least, but I still am mad that it didn't just have Mark single-father his brother. Just. Just fucking do it. The comics practically never showed Debbie actually raising/interacting with Oliver anyway. I am pretty sure the GDA tutor and Oliver have more back and forth dialogue with each other... like.. they literally just dumped this kid off on Debbie then never showed her actually raising him. The show is having her be more active with him, but it is in such an coddling mentality that I'm still not sure how I feel about it.

I AM baffled by her very mild response to him killing the Maulers, and it makes me nervous about what they plan to do with her. Debbie basically doesn't have any storylines going farther into the comic (her getting a job is really the one thing she ever does that's about her) so unless they start making shit up like in S1 she is going to becoming very extraneous, very quickly. Which is very saddening to me because I loved her so much in S1. Her revealing Mark and Oliver's identities to Paul in the comic is much more of a screaming match between her and Mark so I am very glad of the show's change there. My biggest gripes about her relationship w Paul in the comics has yet to come, so, we'll see if the show fixes anything there or not. Mostly though I do wish they were willing to completely rewrite that and just let her be single and have friends for a bit.

I think the show is just drawing out some things with Oliver, as he was more upfront at this point in the comics about being alien on an alien world he had no stake in, but at the same time the comics only ever seemed to use it as a shallow excuse rather than deep dive into what that could mean for the character.

Like, are you telling that 1) - he is just genetically predisposed to being a killer, which- WILD ass take to have in a narrative that so heavily features Nolan, a guy whose ENTIRE arc is about getting away from the edicts he was raised in and being able to change (not to mention the utter lack of this type of behavior in any Thraxan) or

2) he just picked that mind set up somewhere. To which the question begs, where? Supposedly he was raised by the (at the time) most emotionally available and non-homicidal version of Nolan there was, and Andressa, who very much was not presented with such a mindset. Mark and Debbie clearly didn't impart this to him! And the show fumbled here! Because they could have focused on the Levy attack. (Debbie does not get into a brawl w him in the comics, he just breaks her arm) They could have had him talk about that and how it shaped how he views 'bad guys' and what they're capable of! (in the comics Oliver remembers everything from when he was a baby) but no.

He's just special so he should get to kill people??

He could have been a fascinating way for Mark and him to explore what being children of an invader left on worlds that were invaded and given the legacy of the people who were conquered/near conquered from their mothers while struggling with being viewed as the invader their father was by everyone. but no. He's just an obnoxious child.

The show thus far has not brought up/has potentially written out the 'viltrumites are predisposed towards RAGE' thing that the comic had already brought up a few times by now. Which, they could be holding on to as a ~reveal for Oliver and Mark's smashy smash behavior, but dear god, we don't need biological determinism in a story about people changing. And they are aggressively screaming about reform and redemption these three episodes, so again, I would be very disappointed if the show did decide to include this.

While the reforms in the episode were weirdly presented as quasi-brainwashing, there were several times in the comic in which things like prison reform and changing how prisoners were handled were actually discussed in an interesting way so I'm hoping the show actually manages to keep that. Though at the end of the day, I never found Invincible's attempts at presenting multiple sides to a moral argument all that well done. But this IS a kick-punch universe and pretty much all problems are solved by kick-punching, and there is a point where I am just like 'yup. this is that kind of media and finding the line of where they could improve why they're kick-punching vs why are you kick punching this problem to begin with' can be wobbly.

Cecil's backstory wasn't altered in any way, and I get why a character like him is the way he is- but yeah, overall, there are basically not a lot of times where any other stances on hero'ing are really discussed. The narrative does ride real close to protagonist centered morality at times. Which is frustrating, because, no Mark, you just have no experience with this situation and no counter argument to what people are telling you!

When Eve quits heroing in the comics she goes to Africa, because this was the early 2000s and 'help people in Africa' was just what people said when they were going to do humanitarian work. What was she doing in Africa? Who knows. She was there. Very glad the show changed this. She also never went to college, so it'll be interesting to see where that story goes. Her entire kerfuffle in Chicago with the sink hole was also totally new to the show.

Of course, unless you were Mark, Allen, or Nolan, there was very little for you to do in the comics- so again, they're going to have to start adding stuff or things are going to get boring for a LOT of side characters fast.

God okay this got very long, if there was anything you were curious about that I missed let me know xD

#invincible chatter #ask #when I said I could ramble I meant it lol #kinda wank ?? not really intended as it

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tagedeszorns · 2 months ago

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That's really nice to know

Honestly I didn't wanna say the woke thing even cuz well...., it's a complicated thing, I hope I didn't tick off any wrong trigger, since the word woke and the situation surrounding it is varied and I'm not sure what exactly it's even about, it's also because I recently used the word and a mutual I really enjoy being friend with got the wrong idea about me and well we're broken up now, so yeah ༎ຶ⁠‿⁠༎ຶ

So I might say offensive things about the subject matter relating to woke and I prefer to refrain from it, to clarify, what I said about the woke crowd is just me recounted about what I heard and see, I do not in any way agree with that and I know nothing much about it further than that

I actually have a pretty good English skill, I just don't know where to read the novels in English for free, yeah I don't exactly have the funds for it so I usually opted for the free choices, problem is, I don't know where to look at all, it's like being in a supermarket and you don't know where to find what you want and you're scared to ask the employees cuz it might bother them

Also my taste is very much diverse or Jack of all trades hence I get distracted a lot and also overhype myself by the tiniest things in the franchise, like I want to know about the worldbuilding but also the characters, the factions, the politics, the naming convention cuz my god they got lots of Latin naming and I'm so into that too, also I wanna find out about the aliens and the sex demons and- yeah my taste in Fiction is one hell of a spectrum that I find maneuvering really fun but also really confusing sometimes

Would you believe if I say that I'm into the lore also because I wanna read the smuts? That I'm here for the hot big men, size kink and monster fucking? Yeah cuz knowing the lore makes the fanfic reading experience better for me and it's more immersive that way without getting confused about some of the big words, I always check fandom first and not the source material when I'm into something new cuz enjoying something alone is fun, having someone to enjoy it with is even more fun!

I probably sound like a weird kid to you lol, I get blushy and embarrassed when I'm on the verge of something greater to get into so I would try to calm myself down from the hype first before actually getting into it, my god I feel like a blushing schoolgirl everytime I'm in a new stuff, must be because my brain is engineering ideas and the creative juice is flowing when that happens and the potentials to be able to talk to new great people is always stimulating and exciting y'know, like how I'm feeling sharing with you for example

A lot of more conservative people use "woke" as a derogative term. But it just means "being aware of injustice and willing to do something against it". So it's a term for people fighting for equal rights and a better future, against climate change, fascism, war and capitalism. For the rights of queer (especially trans) people and other minorities. But for those conservatives taking care of each other always is socialism and stands in the way of their greed. So, well, yeah. We're very woke around here and people using it as an insult can go fuck a cactus. 😁

Let's just say there are multiple ways to get the novels on the High Seas. You just have to look for it. But there are also a few free stories appearing now and then on the Black Library website, so you can snatch them up.

I'm very happy you want to get to know the lore to enjoy the fanfics better! That's a great motivation.

Please don't hesitate to ask questions! There's a big pool of specialists for all Warhammer factions here and all of them love answering questions!

#warhammer #warhammer 40k #Fandom #Newbie

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abby118 · 11 months ago

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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.

#anti loki series #anti loki show #anti ragnarok #2011-2013 Loki supremacy #abby talks

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bananacorn-limeade · 2 years ago

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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. 👑

#asoiaf fan cast #old movies #mst3k #mystery science theater 3000 #rifftrax #asoiaf shitpost #asoiaf meme #b movies #roger corman #cersei lannister #jaime lannister #tyrion lannister #tywin lannister #sansa stark #robert baratheon #stannis baratheon #renly baratheon #asoiaf

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struckwithlove · 3 months ago

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Sneak Peak 2

The Sun, Your Blood, Our Souls

Demon!FMC x Sanemi

Here’s my first full chapter sneak peek! This is currently chapter 4 in the series. The contents are subject to change during the full release. Please let me know what you think. Constructive criticism is welcome!

The ceiling above me is white and featureless. There are no imperfections in it. I can say this for certain after staring at it for a few hours. Sleep had eluded me, the ceiling becoming my only source of entertainment, and a poor one at that.

I turn over in my bed to stare at the bookshelf, my golden hair falling across my eyes. 'Human Anatomy', 'Natural Remedies: Uses and Limitations', 'Proper Wound Care'. All medical textbooks. God forbid someone wants to do something other than study during their stay here.

The material of my new clothes is rough under my fingers as I fiddle with the collar. There's too much clothing on me, it's too restrictive. I pull at the collar to get it away from my throat. Long sleeves and long pants don't suite me at all. Not to mention they're completely white, just itching to get dirty again. I guess it's the best color when you're in a hospital. No dirt or germs can hide on white.

Eventually, the light in the room shifts from the silver of moonlight to the golden of sunrise. About damn time. 'Disinfecting and Sterilizing' was becoming very tempting.

I jump out of bed, ready to start my day. I head out of my room and pause, not sure where the trio of slayers are. They had been wounded, bleeding. Following the scent of blood should lead me to them. An inhale brings the metallic scent to my nose, so I follow it. The sound of commotion hits my ears on my approach to their presumed location.

A plain looking slayer bursts out of a side door in a hurry. The sight of me seems to terrify him more than he already was. All that comes from him is a screech as he runs down the hallway and out of sight. What the hell was that guys problem?

I come to a stop at the open door. The boys are laid up in bed, Shinobu seems to be talking to them.

"Ah, Himari, you arrived just in time." she says with a smile plastered on her face. I don't have time to check on the trio before she ushers me past the door, leading me down the hallway.

"We have a lot of experiments to get through today, so I want to get started as soon as possible."

Pushy. "What did you want to start with first?"

"I was thinking about testing your blood first. I want to see how it reacts when mixed with human and demon blood." she says with anticipation in her voice.

Her quick steps eventually lead us to her laboratory. The equipment inside strikes me as old for some reason. She gestures towards a chair next to a workbench with a microscope on it.

She grabs a syringe and inspects it. "I'm going to start by taking some of your blood. I hope you're not scared of needles."

I push up my sleeve to expose my forearm. "I'm not."

She holds my arm as she sinks the needle into my skin. I watch as the vial fills up with my blood. Gratification crawls through my mind watching the blood leave me. Do I like the sight of my own blood?

I guess I do. And how could I not? It's such and exquisite color.

She withdraws the needle from my skin, syringe full of my blood. The hole in my arm instantly closes up.

Shinobu places a drop of my blood on a glass slide before putting it under the microscope. She looks at it for quite a while, face contorting into emotions you don't want to see when someone is looking at your blood.

"What's the diagnosis doctor?" I quip, trying to break the tension.

She takes a moment to respond, perhaps unsure of herself. "Well, your blood appears to be normal, except for one thing. It looks like there's particles of…metal, floating around in it."

"I don't think that's supposed to be there."

She mutters an "obviously", before she writes down her findings on a notebook.

"Next, I'm going to mix some of your blood with human blood. Aoi was kind enough to donate."

"Wouldn't it be easier to use your own blood?"

"It would."

She doesn't elaborate beyond that. Keep your secrets I guess.

A drop of human blood is added to the slide. Shinobu's face instantly lights up in surprise. "Oh my, your blood cells exploded!" She scribbles in her notebook. "Perhaps you're allergic to human blood. Fascinating."

Yeah that's fascinating alright. Fascinating enough that I kind of don't want people to know about it. It could be used against me, maybe even kill me. Although, maybe having a weakness will make people see me as less of a threat. I'm sure Shinobu will share this information with the Hashira. Maybe this can be used to get closer to Sanemi, make him underestimate me when I decide to come for him.

She discards the slide in the trash can next to her. Another slide is set on the microscope stage, my blood already on it.

"This time I'll mix it with some of Nezuko's blood."

The syringe that was next to Aoi's is picked up, and a drop is added to the slide. She watches through the lens intensely.

"Nezuko's blood cells are exploding now!" She furiously writes down her observation in the book. After she's written to her satisfaction, the slide is discarded.

Shinobu turns to me with a big grin on her face. "Well, I wasn't expecting these kind of results. Your blood is truly fascinating."

"Do you have anything else you want to test?"

"Yes, but I'd like some time to analyze the results and possibly formulate more experiments. You're free to go for today."

Not wasting any time, I hope out of my seat and stroll through the door. I make my way back to the room where I last saw the boys.

Tanjiro greets me with a smile as I walk through the door. "Ah, Himari, it's good to see you."

The other two don't bother to greet me. Inosuke seems rather down in the dumps for some reason, and Zenitsu is crying as usual.

"Do you mean that in a 'It's actually nice to see you' or a 'I'm so glad the Hashira didn't kill you' kind of way?"

A smile lights up his face, finding my joke funny. "Both, to be honest. Me and Nezuko had already been given permission to travel together, but you hadn't. I was certain they were going to kill you."

"I was deemed too important to kill just yet. And you won't believe who vouched their life for me."

"Was it Sanemi? I saw that you two had the same mark on your throat."

"Oh absolutely not! I'm pretty sure he wants nothing more than to kill me. But I can work on that. I'm very likeable." I smirk. "It was Kagaya himself! The leader of the Demon Slayer Corps vouched his life for me! Can you believe it?"

"What! Really?" A thinking face popped onto Tanjiro for a moment. "Maybe he saw something in you. He gave off an all-knowing feeling. Although that would be impossible, he's just a human."

"Before I left he said he saw great things in me. I'm not sure what he meant by that though."

"Well, whatever he meant, he must want you to get stronger. Maybe he wants you to be a demon slayer?"

"I was thinking exactly that. I can't think of a better way to achieve that goal."

"So you'll be joining us for training?" He looks at me hopefully.

"Of course I will."

"That's great! I heard we're gonna start training tomorrow, but it's just gonna be me and Inosuke joining you. Zenitsu was almost turned into a spider, so his limbs are too short for training at the moment."

One of my eyebrows lift up, questioning "Is that why he's crying?"

With a shake of his head he answers "No, he's crying because the medicine to turn him back to normal is nasty."

"Haha. That should be the least of his worries."

"Easy for you to say! You don't have to take it!" Zenitsu says through his tears.

I turn back to Tanjiro. "I'll leave you guys to rest up. I need to find a pair of scissors."

I head out the door before I can be questioned further, beginning my hunt for some scissors. I'm in the mood for arts and crafts tonight.

#sanemi shinazugawa #demon slayer #kimetsu no yaiba #sanemi shinazugawa x oc #fanfiction #fanfic #kny fanfiction

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