#and there’s tension here from working with the rules they established at the beginning when they didn’t know how things were gonna go | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

blossomwritesthings · 2 years ago

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𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐞𝐬

pairing: jisung x fem!reader (afab)

genre: idol!jisung. estranged!jisung. softdom!jisung. needy!jisung. nearing breakup. hurt/comfort. angst. smut - MDNI, 18+ only. reader pov. established relationship.

content & warnings: explicit & strong language. mild thematic elements. lots of angst. mentions of estrangement/breakup. slight possessive behavior from jisung. pet names (princess, babygirl/babydoll, etc.). smut warnings below cut!!

word count: 9.4k

summary: things between you and jisung have slowly fizzled out within the past few months. the tension only gets worse after a heated argument that almost ends with your breakup, which ultimately forces him to prove to you how much he still truly loves you.

18+ warnings: dirty talk. oral (f. receiving). fingering. breast/nipple play. slight dom/sub undertones. strength kink. dirty thoughts. hair pulling. praise kink. slight dumbification kink if you squint. unprotected sex (keep it safe, my friends). slight perv behavior from jisung. mentions of masterbation. sweet lovemaking.

a/n: i randomly decided to write this this week after the idea popped into my head, and i was like... hmm, i wonder what would happen if ji's s/o was contemplating a breakup. and then one thing led to another and i found myself fangirling over the idea of jisung being an oral sex god lmao, so here we are!! 😂 also, YES, i'm FULLY on board with the idea of him loving the pet name 'princess.' 😩 lmk what ya'll think of this one... feedback and reblogs are much-appreciated! 🥰

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ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ʀᴇᴘᴏsᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ sɪᴛᴇs (ᴛʜɪs ɪɴᴄʟᴜᴅᴇs ᴛʀᴀɴsʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴs). © ʙʟᴏssᴏᴍᴡʀɪᴛᴇsᴛʜɪɴɢs ⤐ ᴀʟʟ ʀɪɢʜᴛs ʀᴇsᴇʀᴠᴇᴅ

Truly, your boyfriend was being very fucking unreasonable. Jisung had been working so hard, for so long, it was almost a miracle that he was still standing upright from all of the shit that he put his body through.

Produce music, work out, practice, perform, film, repeat.

Every. Single. Day.

Even you got sick of your job once in a while - so you couldn’t imagine what it was like for him, to wake up every single day and do the same grind over and over again.

But to your utter surprise, he seemed to love it. Sure, it was stressful as hell and toxic at times, but that just made it all the more precious to him, it would seem. Plus, it was a bonus that he got to experience such ups and downs of being an idol with his seven closest friends in the entire world.

However, there were many drawbacks to his busy lifestyle.

And one of them was the fact that he never seemed to catch a break - never seemed to be home long enough for you.

Even when he had a ‘day off’ on a rare occasion, he always filled his time producing new music, practicing a new choreo, or hanging out at the studio with Chan and Changbin.

And doing all of this didn’t help to make your relationship any stronger.

If anything, it left little time for the two of you to truly connect. Especially within the past few months or so. Mainly, you’d just see each other in passing throughout the workdays, as you came to and fro from your shared apartment. And when you guys weren’t rushing off to your separate schedules, you were fucking quick and effortless around the apartment.

At the beginning of the relationship, the sex had been amazing. Mind-blowing, even. Jisung knew his way around a woman’s body, and he wasn’t afraid to use his skills. His tongue was especially powerful - which you gave credit to his fast rapping skills for - and he liked using it on you to tease and tease until you were a sopping wet, begging mess underneath him. The flirt.

But that was a long time ago.

And now?

Well, let’s just say that the sex wasn’t that… mind-blowing anymore.

You couldn’t remember when it had started to feel different. But then one day, it just lost its unique touch. And then, the sessions changed from long nights of lovemaking in the bedroom to quickies up against the shower wall or on the kitchen counter.

There was this odd kind of… distance that was floating between the two of you. You didn’t know if Jisung felt it, since his mind was always so occupied with thoughts of his work and Stray Kids.

You, on the other hand? It was all you could think about. And every time he walked through the doorway of the apartment after a long, arduous day at work, your heartstrings pulled just a little tighter at the sight of his slumped form. Droopy shoulders, mussed hair, skin sticky with sweat from a workout or practice.

It just didn’t feel the same anymore.

It didn’t…

Didn’t even feel like your boyfriend cared about you.

The passion that had been there between you two at the beginning was erased, and in its stead was an odd, shallow kind of companionship.

Yeah, companionship. That’s what it was.

But definitely not romance.

So when you awoke from the long nap that you had been taking one Saturday night, your first thought was to peer over at the other end of the bed.

Empty.

Void of any life-

Of Jisung.

You let out a dry, humorless scoff. Typical

Your week had been jam-packed with work and it was so exhausting, so the nap had been much needed. Sitting up from your pillow, you ran a few fingers through your hair. In silence, you shuffled out of the bedroom and into the kitchen.

But you completely froze up at the sight of your boyfriend sitting at his desk that was placed in the corner of the small living room. You hadn’t expected to see him. It was only nine at night, and he was never home this early on a weekend night. He was hunched over his keyboard, nimble fingers flying across the keys as he typed, head bopping to a tune that was running through the large headphones he had on.

Just then your stomach rumbled, and you decided to pull your attention away from him. He was busy anyway, it’s not like he was going to talk to you. You made quick work in the kitchen and were soon sitting at the small, two-chaired dining room table with a plate of scrambled eggs and browned, pre-cooked sausages on a plate laid in front of you. You sipped on a tall glass of orange juice as you absently scrolled through your Instagram feed on your phone. Trying to pass the time away mindlessly.

You distinctly felt your boyfriend’s presence in the corner of the adjoining living room, but he was apparently oblivious to you sitting there, eating dinner. Alone. Just like you had done for the last- God knows how long.

You honestly couldn’t even remember the last time you two had shared a meal. And all at once, the eggs turned sour in your mouth. You swallowed around the painful lump in your throat, the tears starting to prick at the corners of your eyes.

“Oh- Y/N, I didn’t see you there.” Jisung’s voice rang out across the small apartment, and the sound of it momentarily forced your spine to go rigid, making you sit up a little taller in your chair. He didn’t even use any pet name when acknowledging you then - like he hadn’t done for a long time now.

Just… Y/N.

“What are you still doing up?” He asked. Like he expected you to already be in bed. To be sleeping and dead to the world.

Like he didn’t even fucking want you around.

“Was having dinner,” you started, voice a little scratchy from the unshed tears. You pushed away from the table, standing from your chair. “But I’m not hungry anymore.”

As you made your way back over to the bedroom, Jisung’s voice stopped you in your tracks. “Wait- you’re just… leaving the food there?” Not, where are you going? I’ve missed you. Come here, let’s talk. He only cared about the damn food.

You waved a nonchalant hand in the air back his way, “You can finish it, I don’t care.” And with that, you closed the bedroom door shut behind you with a quiet click.

Immediately, you sank to the floor. Face buried in your hands, violent sobs wracking through your body quietly.

Because where - and when - had it all gone so wrong?

A week passed after that, blurring and bleeding together into so many other similar ones of the past. Wake up, watch Jisung leave the apartment at six in the morning for work, then get ready for work yourself, spend most of the day at your job before coming home at seven, then make dinner, eat it by yourself, get ready for bed, fall asleep at nine.

These days, it was rare for you to even see Jisung enter the apartment at night. Sometimes, you wondered if he even came home anymore. Because truly, what was here for him anyway? He had no regard for you. He didn’t care at all, it would seem.

You were bustling about the bathroom, finishing up applying your moisturizer just before you slipped into bed for the night. Then all of a sudden, the door opened, and in filed Jisung.

He was already clad in his pajamas - baggy cream-colored sweatpants and a thin white cotton t-shirt. You were dressed in a matching set close to his, but your pants were shorts and your white cotton shirt was a crop top. You two had gotten the set the year before, as a cute second-anniversary gift. Like it really mattered now...

Jisung moved in silence, and then he was upon you, pressing your back into his muscular chest. He wrapped a loose arm around your waist and burrowed his face into the crook of your shoulder. “Need you,” he muttered against your bare skin.

For one indecisive moment, his words made you freeze up like a statue of stone in your place. Because frankly, it took you back so far in the past, you were suddenly blindsided by nostalgia. Of stolen kisses taken in corners, and heated whispers said in the dark of night, of hands exploring warm skin, and quiet pants falling from parted mouths. Of how he used to say such things to you when he was so desperate - so needy - for your taste.

But then you were brought back to the present. And you were reminded of the fact that he hadn’t said such words in so long, they now felt foreign on his tongue. And you two hadn’t been intimate with each other - quickie or not - in over two weeks. That’s the longest you had gone in… what felt like forever.

“Jisung- get off me,” you said in an annoyed tone, replacing your bottle of moisturizer on the bathroom counter.

He was still clutching onto you, pressing a few delicate kisses onto the skin of your shoulder. And against your better judgment, a quick shiver ran down the length of your spine. “Don’t play hard to get with me, now…” he said, his tone light a humorous.

Like nothing was wrong and everything was fine. As if he had been acting like the picture-perfect boyfriend for the past few months.

When in reality, all of those things were just downright lies.

“I said- get off of me!” The yell tumbled from your lips before you even realized what you were saying. And as you shoved away from his grasp, stepping back from the counter and out of the bathroom, the air around you instantly changed. From one of playfulness and slight desire on his part, to what you had been feeling at that moment. Bitterness, and… heartbreak.

“Y/N- what-” Jisung followed you out of the bathroom. His voice had an incredulous tone to it, as he was no doubt completely thrown for one from your sudden shift in mood.

“I’m just tired, alright? I want to go to bed.” You said curtly. You climbed into bed, resting your head on your cushy pillow, breathing in a sigh of relief at the comforting feeling of the thick downy comforter covering your bare legs. At least something in this hellhole of an apartment still gave you comfort.

And when you heard the bathroom door shutting quietly behind you, signaling that Jisung was finishing up getting ready for bed himself, the tension eased immensely from your shoulders.

Still, it showed that he had given up.

Like an absolute fucking coward.

And quite possibly, that hurt the most.

You fell asleep to the feeling of a single tear escaping out of one of your eyes, rolling down the side of your nose and across your cheek. Staining your pillow with wetness, just like every other night before, too.

“Can we talk?” Jisung said the next day. He shuffled out of the bedroom, the large backpack that he always used to carry his extra pair of clothes for practice and other gear of the like in hand.

It was early in the morning on a Wednesday, and you were busy in the kitchen preparing your breakfast to go. You didn’t have much of an appetite - for obvious reasons Jisung had no idea about - so you just decided to make some oatmeal and throw it in a thermos for you to eat when you got to work. The night before had left you in an odd sort of emotional limbo as soon as you woke up that morning, and your stomach churned painfully inside of you. With anxiety, and heartache.

Peering up from the strawberries that you were cutting to add to your breakfast, you shrugged your shoulders. “Yeah, what’s up?”

He took careful steps toward you, stopping when he reached a corner of the kitchen counter where he leaned one of his hips against it. “Did I… do something wrong last night?”

His question took you off guard so much that your head shot up from the cutting board. Because had he done something wrong? He hadn’t forced anything, but just the entire act of him expecting something from you after his poor treatment of you for so long… that’s what had upset you. Well, that and a whole host of other things. “No, Jisung, I already told you. I was just tired.” You lied to him with a straight face, as you turned back to your work, slicing through the red flesh of a strawberry with your sharp knife.

“You just acted like… I don’t know, you were mad or something,” he started, and out of the corner of your eye, you could see that he swept a hand through his midnight-black hair in a frenzied kind of way. Surely, his next words weren’t going to be ones you liked. “Are we… good?”

Your boyfriend had said a lot of stupid things in the past, namely when it came to telling absurd jokes. But this? Asking if you guys were on good terms when he had been sabotaging the whole relationship for the past few months with his shitty behavior? Now that was just downright ludicrous. “I don’t know Jisung, you tell me.” You decided to say, as you fit your cut-up strawberries in a clean glass container before placing it into your lunchbox.

“What does that mean?”

Your gaze shot up at his snippy tone, and immediately, it was like a switch was turned on inside of you. And then the words started flowing. “Well damn, Ji- I don’t know! How can we be ‘good’ when apparently, you despise me?!” You threw your hands up into the air exasperatingly, your voice rising and echoing across the kitchen. When you noticed him beginning to open his mouth to shoot back a retort, you rolled your eyes. “And don’t give me the bullshit of ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ because you and I both know that you haven’t done shit for this relationship for the past… I don’t know how fucking long!”

“Well every time I try to get close to you, you push me away!” Jisung shouted back, folding his arms across his chest. Almost like he was trying to protect himself from your words. Your blows. “Like last night- you just… shut down!”

“Did you ever think that I don’t want to have sex with a man who doesn’t even fucking care about me anymore?” You're clutching your fists together so hard that you feel your nails digging into the tender skin of your palms. But, you keep squeezing anyway. It helps ground you at the moment. Helps to keep the tears at bay that threaten to spill over with every word spoken.

“What the hell, Y/N-”

“And don’t fucking call me that!” You screamed, your voice finally giving out and cracking desperately. The tears were freely flowing now, racing down your heated cheeks that were blooming with a furious blush. “Y/N, Y/N, Y/N! It’s all you ever call me anymore! Well, I’m sick of it, okay?! Where’s the old Han Jisung? The one that actually loved me and showed interest in me and made love to me sweetly and called me pretty names?!”

Your gazes were painfully locked, and on his face, at that moment, you saw realization dawn upon him. It was so evident in the way that his dark brows creased slightly, the way his bottom lip quivered a little bit, and the way his eyes shone with so many emotions, but mainly- sadness, and... vulnerability?

Too embarrassed to stand there any longer and bare your whole, raw self to him for another second, you quickly grabbed up your lunchbox and made for the living room, where your purse was sitting on the edge of the couch. Then you were turning around and nearing the entryway, slipping on your shoes and coat - after all, it was the beginning of February and it was still cold as fuck out.

Funny, how Valentine’s Day was quickly approaching, and yet your long-time relationship with your boyfriend Jisung was falling apart right before your eyes. Just your luck, it would seem.

“Y/N, where are you going?” Jisung’s voice cracked with unbidden pain as you slipped your thick winter coat on.

And when your hand reached for the doorknob to leave, you felt fingers clutch desperately at your elbow.

“Please- let’s just-”

“Just fucking leave me alone.” You said in a quiet, quivering tone. Your shoulders were still shaking, the tears leaving trails down either of your cheeks.

A tender part of your heart squeezed achingly when you yanked your arm out of Jisung’s grasp. And a tiny, hopeless, strangled sound fell from his lips from behind you, just as you crossed the door’s threshold and barreled out into the cold morning air beyond.

All day, you couldn’t focus at work. You trudged through your routine wordlessly, filling out documents and signing off on things. But inside, your mind was drifting from one thing to another. Would Jisung be there when you returned home to the apartment that night? Or would you come home to a barren place, with him having taken out all of his things?

Did your fight mean that you guys had broken up?

Where did you two stand with one another?

Everything was so murky and fucked up, that by the time you finished work, you were glad that you would be home two hours later than usual. Maybe that’d give your boyfriend enough time to hi-tail it out of there before you met him once more. Before you had to relive all of the trauma and hurt all over again from that morning - from the last few months.

You took a deep breath, trying to compose yourself and steel your rising nerves, as you stood outside of your apartment’s front door that night. It was just past nine, and surely he’d still be at work. Surely, he’d be busy with the boys, practicing the night away, while you drowned in a pint of freezer-burned chocolate ice cream and tears on your bed.

When you opened the door, you immediately noticed how the apartment was quite dark. A tiny sigh of relief left your lips at the sight of shadows filling in the corners of the living room.

He wasn’t home, then.

Good.

And you couldn't remember the last time you had ever thought such a thing-

That your once-loving boyfriend wasn't home, and that that was a good thing.

The feeling quickly became sickening, and you swallowed around a thick lump in your throat.

After peeling your winter coat away from your sweater-clad arms and fitting your shoes back onto the small shelf that you kept near the door, you made your way out of the small entryway and into the kitchen.

But you stopped in your tracks upon the sight that you found there.

Your entire body seized up in surprise,

Spine going rigid,

Hands clenching and then unclenching at your sides.

For there, at the small dining room table, sat your boyfriend, Jisung.

A satiny, maroon-coloured cloth lined the wooden table, and you noticed the fine china that was placed on either side of the thing. The white proclaim plates were filled with what looked like Italian food - loaded with saucy pasta, roasted vegetables, and thick breadsticks. There were two crystal wine glasses too, filled to the brim with velvety red wine.

And at the centre of the table was a vase of flowers - it was bursting with a bouquet of crimson-red and baby-pink roses, sunset-orange daises, and pure-white baby's breath. Around the vase of flowers, laid a handful of candles, their bright wicks flickering in and out with the heat that quietly blasted throughout the apartment. No wonder why all of the lights had been turned off- to give way to the romantic ambiance of such a spread.

In an instant, your heavy purse slipped from your hands. You felt your heart leaping wildly inside of you, thumping against your ribcage in an almost painful kind of way. And only then, did your eyes find your boyfriend’s form in the dim lighting. He was dressed in a simple black long-sleeved t-shirt, the fabric tight around his toned chest. You noticed the black, tight-fitting jeans that wrapped around his legs, hugging every corded muscle flawlessly. His midnight-dark hair was styled messy, hanging low in front of his eyes, and your gaze caught on a thin silver chain that hung around his neck, showcasing his milky-smooth skin.

“Welcome home, baby girl.” Jisung’s voice came out soft and silky. Your eyes locked on his lips, as they moved to form the words. Then, he was standing up from his seat, nearing you ever so slowly. Like you were an animal he was hunting, and he was afraid he’d scare you off with the slightest of movements.

Your eyes found his in the darkness, and there, you saw an abundance of emotions- fondness, love, and… hesitance. “W-What is going on?” You managed to get out, limbs a little shaky as he came so close to you, you caught his scent. He always smelled of a mix of maraschino cherries and sweet lollipops. The smell was so lovely, yet it always did wonders to calm you down.

“Sit, baby.” He whispered. Reaching out, he took ahold of one of your hands and slowly pulled you towards the dining table. He pulled out your seat for you and helped you ease into the plush chair. Then, he was rounding the table once more and taking up his previous position across from you.

“What is all of this, Jisung?” You asked, brows raising in question as your eyes perused the spread in front of you. You hadn’t noticed the small tiered cake before, but the dark pink buttercream frosting seemed to glimmer against the candlelight, and instinctually, your stomach rumbled with hunger.

“An apology,” he began quietly. His stare was locked with yours across the table, and when he leaned over and grasped one of your hands, fingers sliding between fingers, your heart leaped in the pit of your chest. He squeezed your palm gently. “After… after you left this morning, I was a total fucking mess. Came into work practically bawling my eyes out like a stupid baby. The boys were so worried, and after they managed to get everything out of me, they helped me plan all of this.”

You squeeze his hand back, offering a tiny smile. A little kindness wouldn’t hurt, right? At least you could give him what he hadn’t given you in so long. “The setup is lovely. I… I honestly don’t know what to say…” Your voice trailed off, cracking at the end of your words. When you felt the tears welling up in the corner of your eyes, you bit down hard on your bottom lip to quell them from spilling down your cheeks.

Jisung cursed under his breath, shaking his head once, before speaking lowly, “You don’t have to say anything, darling. I’m the one who messed up, who fucked up colossally,” he said, shoulders quaking just a little bit from the sentiment of it all. His eyes were dancing with so much hurt and heartbreak, and at that moment, you wanted nothing more but to get up from the table and envelop him in a long hug. But no- for once, you weren’t going to give anything… for once, you were going to take. “I had no idea what you’ve been going through these past few months. I’ve just been so… caught up - obsessed - with my work that I failed to acknowledge the one thing tethering me to it all. And I’m so sorry. I realize my mistakes now, I understand what I’ve done.

“But… I know that you have no obligation to accept my apology. You’ve been putting up with my bullshit for so long, I wouldn’t blame you if you called it quits right now. And if you do decide to do that, you must know how I feel. I have enjoyed every moment that I've spent with you, while we were friends and lovers. And I’d never give it up for anything else in the world. I love you so, so much. And I never want to hurt you again, not like this.”

You were squeezing onto his hand so tight, you were sure your nails would leave imprints into his palm long after you pulled away. The tears were racing down either of your warm cheeks, your heart cracked open and bleeding with pain. Because the apology was truly genuine. You knew Han Jisung - had known him for so many years now - and you could automatically pick up on when he was telling a lie. But this? This was pure, unadulterated sorrow. He was so remorseful for what he had done, and the distressed look on his face clearly showed how he truly felt. The furrowed brows, the firm press of his lips, the sallow-colored cheeks, the misty eyes.

And suddenly, everything was made so very clear to you.

You knew exactly what you had to do.

“I forgive you.” The words left you quietly, but Jisung heard them nonetheless. Butterflies erupted in your stomach at the confession. Because you loved him too. And all at once, you understood that leaving him, ending the relationship, would just create even more pain for the both of you. And you weren’t a mean person. You cared for your boyfriend deeply and wanted to make things work out. “You really hurt me, you know? All of the late nights away from home, and then the heartless quickies. It became so… tiring, to not have a connection with you anymore. But, I want to try again. I want to make things right, and try and revive the relationship.”

You offered him and minuscule smile, and he mimicked your expression tenfold, the happiness blossoming across his face like an infectious disease. “Yes, yes, I’ll do anything, baby. Anything to save us.” He exclaimed faintly, bringing your hand up to his mouth and pressing a gentle kiss against your skin. A ripple of fire cast through your body at the contact of his lips. “But first, before we work out the details, can we please eat? I’m so hungry, I think I could eat an entire cow right now!”

A hearty laugh escaped past your lips at his absurdity. And almost instantly, it was like you were back to how things used to be - how the old Jisung used to be, the one that would crack jokes all the time around you, the one that would flash you a cheeky grin every other sentence, the one that always made your heart race wildly.

“Yeah, sure,” you looked down at your plate, trying to hide the smile that was practically lighting up your entire face, “the food looks great, the boys did a great job in helping you.”

“Mhm, I did most of it though,” he said in between a huge bite of pasta. “But you know how they get… especially Seungmin, always needing the credit.” He rolled his eyes at you, and you both burst out into a fit of laughter.

It felt good to let loose in front of him. To laugh your head off, without feeling like you were a burden. And in no time at all, you were digging into your serving of pasta, savoring the salty sauce as it coated your tongue in a mouth-watering kind of way.

“Can you hand me that knife over there?” Jisung asked an hour later, as he slotted a bowl into the dishwasher. You two were currently cleaning up the kitchen from the bomb that had been left off in the wake of him and the boys trying to make a romantic dinner for the two of you.

You leaned across the granite countertop and passed him the knife, before going back to wiping down the stove with a damp towel. You guys had passed the dinner with a mix of serious conversation and silly jokes. Over the meal, you guys had decided on what the future looked like. Jisung promised that he’d talk to Chan and his managers about it, but he was positive that he’d be able to leave work at least an hour earlier than he usually did every day. And you promised that you’d keep in touch with him if you were ever running late because of work. You guys planned to set every Friday night aside for the two of you to have a date, even if it was just staying at home and lazying around together, it was a time you'd get to spend together, just the two of you.

Neither of you had brought up the sex during dinner, and to be candid, you were a little too embarrassed to talk about it with him. You had no idea why, when you had been dating for so long. But, the idea of explaining your true, most-inner feelings about it all was quite… daunting, to say the least.

“Well, the cleanup is done, at least. I’ll have to clear the table tomorrow,” he said a few minutes later, just as he closed the dishwasher and started up a new cycle. You were leaning against the counter on the opposite side of him, your focus on your hands, as they wound and unwound the damp cloth between your fingers. “Thanks for all of the help, baby girl.”

At that, your head shot up, eyes wide as your focus locked with Jisung’s. “W-Why do you keep calling me that?” You stuttered out, mouth parted just slightly in surprise.

“Why?” He raised a dark, quizzical eyebrow your way, “you don’t like it?”

You felt a deep blush wash across your cheeks at his question, and your eyes flicked away from his that were slowly darkening. “N-No, it’s just… I’m not used to it, I guess.”

“Oh, so then you do like it…” His serious voice resonated out across the kitchen. And then he was moving closer to you until he was standing just a hairsbreadth away from your form. Slender fingers reached out, fitting underneath your chin and turning your head so that your eyes locked for what felt like the millionth time that night. “What else do you like, baby girl?” His pupils were dim and blown wide, the shadows in the room seemed to cast across his shoulders, cloaking him in unbidden desire.

“J-Just you, Ji.” You breathed out, as his fingers traveled away from your chin, before cupping your cheek.

“You’ll have to be more specific than that, darling.” Your boyfriend mused. His nails grazed across your feverish skin, sending a shudder to course down the length of your spine. “We never talked about the sex… but I assume there will be no more quickies?”

You swallowed, once. “No, I don’t like them. They’re- they’re not you, babe.”

“Really?” He asked, the heady scent of him filling your nostrils as he stepped closer to you. His hand left your face, as he clutched at either of your hips and helped ease you onto the kitchen countertop that was just at your back. Slotting himself between your parted legs, his fingers dug into the fabric of the tight jeans at your waist. “Then, what is me, baby?” He leaned into you, pressing a tentative kiss against your lips.

And holy fuck, did it feel good.

To have him so close to you,

So intimate.

Holding you so tightly to him.

The safety you felt in his embrace seemed to overwhelm you, and your shoulders shook a little bit with the love that radiated from his face just then. “Y-You love me, wholly and completely,” you began, as he pressed another kiss to your mouth. This one was a lot more passionate than the last and swirled the pool of fervency that was slowly building deep inside of you. “You m-make love to me sweetly.”

You leaned into him then, as his teeth ran along your bottom lip. Your mouth opened, and his tongue swiped at yours. A strangled moan flew from you, and he swallowed it whole with a groan of his own.

“Do you want me to make love to you sweetly now, baby girl?” He grunted in between your kisses. His voice was silky smooth, like the darkest of chocolates. And when your mouths unlaced from one another, a hot string of saliva trailed after his pretty, swollen lips.

Nodding your head desperately, you almost surprised yourself with the sudden earnestness that flooded through your entire system. Because truly, you had been waiting - wishing - for such a thing for months. And finally, your boyfriend was giving it to you. Not out of spite or hatred, but because he loved you. “Y-Yes, I want that so much…” You breathed, the blush erupting into a furious heat across your cheeks.

When Jisung’s lips spread into a knowing smirk, eyes alighting with a certain kind of fire, you had to forcefully press your legs together to quell the rising arousal that had been building in your core. In all honesty, it had been building since the moment had said he loved you, back at the dining table over dinner.

“Well, because I love you so much, and you've been so good for me tonight, I'll give in to you, darling.” Your boyfriend’s hands gripped your waist, hoisting you up from the counter and into the air. You wrapped your legs around his torso, as he led the two of you out of the kitchen and into your shared bedroom. The whole way, you clutched onto his shoulders tightly, heart racing with anticipation.

He laid you down atop the bed, and the silence took over. He said nothing, as he reached forward, taking ahold of your jeans zipper and single button and pulling them free. Then, all at once, he was shucking your pants off in one fluid movement, his eyes never leaving yours as he cast them aside on the ground. Jisung reached behind him, clutching at his shirt before hoisting it over his head and discarding it somewhere next to you.

You swallowed audibly at the sight of his bare chest. The only light shining in the bedroom was a dim nightlight plugged into the far wall near the bathroom, and its amiable hue cast an ethereal kind of glow across his tanned skin. The well-toned muscles on his arms seemed to shimmer in the light, the definition of his abs rippling with every breath he took. For the most part, during your quickies within the past few months, he hadn’t undressed that much. It mainly just consisted of him tearing his pants down, pushing your panties aside, and finishing within ten minutes. There was nothing romantic about it, which is why you absolutely hated it.

Biting your lip at it all, you squirmed underneath him. He liked your reaction to him, liked the way you ogled his chest. It was evident by the way a lazy grin broke across his face. “Your turn,” is all he said, before diving into you and pressing a fervent kiss against your mouth.

Within a few breaths, he had your shirt off and was working at unclasping your bra. At the thought of him seeing you naked save for your panties, panic suddenly started to rise into your throat. You hadn’t fully laid out in front of him in a very long time. What if he didn’t like what he saw? What if you were ugly to him after such a prolonged period of not seeing you?

“W-Wait,” you managed to get out, swallowing thickly. Jisung’s fingers instantly stopped at your bra clasp.

Worry started to fill his eyes as he said, “Do you not want to-”

“No!” You blurted out, a little too quickly for your good. Your hastiness was made clear then, and a tiny, pleased smile spread across Jisung’s mouth at the sight of it. “It’s just… what if you don’t like what you see?”

His eyes narrowed as he stared down at you, a frown darkening his face. “Why in the world would you ever even think that?”

Your breath turned shallow, limbs shaky at the swarthy look he was leveling your way. He had always hated when you doubted yourself- when you questioned his attraction to you and your body. “I-I don’t know… it’s just been, a long time since you’ve seen me like this, that’s all.” Your eyes pulled away from his defined chest, locking with his once more. “I’m worried you won’t… like what you see.”

Jisung didn’t allow you to say anything else then, as he tipped down into you and pressed a feverish kiss against your mouth. “Baby girl, don’t ever say such things like that again, I love you so much. You’re the hottest woman I’ve ever seen in my entire life.” He rumbled against your lips before his kisses began to travel around your face. He pecked the tip of your nose, both of your cheeks, and your forehead, before coming back to your lips. “Now, may I see you? Will you allow me to show you how much I care about you - how much I love you?”

You found yourself nodding your head in a frenzy, sucking in your bottom lip in anticipation. Your boyfriend flashed you a pleased smile before his fingers made quick work of your bra. Not five beats later, he had it off of you and laying on the floor near the bed. At the feel of being completely naked underneath him save for your soaked panties, you fought the urge to squirm and cover yourself up.

“Fuck,” he practically growled out the words at the sight of your bare form. “You’re so pretty, sweetheart,” his eyes trailed away from your exposed chest, locking with your eyes once more. “Love you- shit, love your body so fucking much.” He murmured against your skin, as he pressed a few kisses against your jaw.

“J-Ji-” you mewled at the feeling of his mouth traveling down the column of your neck. His teeth bit into the warm flesh, leaving love marks for the next day. His lips sucked down on your clavicle, fingers digging into your bare hips. Your hands found their way into his hair, pulling at the black locks hard as his mouth moved down the centre of your sternum.

“Always thinking about you- you know that, princess?” He mused against your skin, mouth circling one of your breasts with a smattering of kisses. “My mind always comes back to you in the dead of night, when I’m alone in the studio. I daydream about this very sight- having you under me, quaking from my touch alone.” Then his lips were hovering over one of your pebbled nipples, hot breath fanning against gooseflesh. “Because only I get to do this, right? Only I get to see you utterly bare like this…”

Your focus was completely on your boyfriend, as he pressed an open-mouthed kiss against your breast. “Y-Yes, only you get to have me.” You mewled out, clutching at his roots a little harder when his hot tongue darted out and drew a long stripe across your raised nipple. A hiss left your lips at the action.

“Shit, baby- love your tits so much,” he muttered in a quiet voice. His tongue swirled around your sensitive bud, then he was fitting his entire mouth over your mound, taking in as much of you as he could. He lapped and licked at your breast, teeth coming down to graze against your puckered nipple. You felt one of his hands leave your hips, and travel up your side until just stopping at your other breast. There, he filled his palm with your enflamed flesh, rolling your throbbing bud between his fingers. You were a groaning mess under his tongue, writhing with pleasure.

“F-Feel so good, babe,” you whispered, yanking on his hair and pressing his face closer to your chest as he continued to pay ardent attention to your breast.

After a few beats, he pulled away, mouth red and puffy, leaving a trail of hot saliva around your breast. “I fantasize about these all the time- imagining what it’d feel like at that moment to take your gorgeous nipples into my mouth.” His eyes flitted up to yours, which were still locked on where he was pleasuring your chest. “Fuck- almost every day, I pump myself dry to the thought of your beautiful tits bouncing up and down as you ride my cock so perfectly- as I spread your legs and take you fully, as I pound into your flawless little cunt from behind.”

“Y-You thought about me like that, even after all this time?” The surprise drips into your tone, cheeks heating up with rosiness as his head moves over to your other breast that his hand had been playing with. Your heart leaped wildly in your chest at his movements, and you felt the juices practically dripping out of your core, skating down the inside of your thighs. Because truly, you had never known. You had just assumed that, for the past few months, you’d never crossed his mind… after such a long period of the intimacy waning between the two of you...

He smiled against your skin, pressing a fiery kiss against your nipple that had yet to be lapped at by his tongue. “Of course I did, babydoll. You’re always on my mind- you never left it, not even for a single moment.”

You squeezed your eyes shut, savouring the way that he fit his mouth around you in a perfect kind of way. Your fingers shook slightly as you carded them through his silky locks, trying to get as close to him as possible. The moans fled from your lips freely, and the breath caught in your throat at the feel of his clothed bulge pressing against one of your thighs, close to where you needed him most. He was still clad in his tight skinny jeans.

“Baby- n-need you,” you whined after he had pulled away from your breast a few beats later, his face flushed with so much lust. His gaze locked with yours, pupils like twin pools of fire that were so fucking scorching, as he stared down at you, studying your kiss-swollen lips and fluttering eyelids.

“You need me, hmm?” He traced a single index finger down the middle of your chest, nearing your waist. “Where do you need me, princess? Tell me…” His finger trekked down one of your legs, starting to draw tiny shapes in the skin of your inner thigh. “You need me right here, on your thighs?”

“N-No-” you managed to say in a quiet voice. A velvety hush came over the entire bedroom, as you watched his finger slowly trace up your skin until the slim digit was just outside the line of your panties.

“You need me here, baby girl? Between your legs, touching your warmth?” He pushed the nude-colored panties aside a bit, and immediately, his finger was slicked with your arousal. “Damn it- you’ve soaked through this shit.” Jisung grabbed ahold of your panties and dragged them down your shivering legs before discarding them somewhere behind him.

“Wanted this for so long, Ji,” you started, a low buzz humming in your ears at the way his pupils darkened at the sight of your completely bare form. Finally.

He tipped down towards you, beginning to pepper light kisses against either of your thighs, nearing your throbbing core ever so slowly. “Oh, yeah? What did you want for so long, darling?” His voice was hushed against your skin, and you felt the desire churn in your core at the way he said the words in such a low register. The tone he only used on you - for you - late at night, when it was just the two of you, and he was filled with so much passion.

“Wanted you- face nestled into me, kissing my worries away, licking me clean.” A surprised squeak fled from your lips as soon as his mouth landed on top of your cunt.

“You’ve always had a thing for my tongue, haven’t you, princess?” Jisung said, his voice rumbling against your sensitive flesh and shooting a zap of energy to course throughout your veins. You felt him smirk against your lips, just as he delved into your heat.

And all at once, you were reminded of what you had been missing for so very long…

Slender fingers prying you open slowly,

Practiced thumb pressing against your puffy clit,

Kisses peppered up the length of your warmth,

Tongue drawing a stripe down your lips,

Before thrusting into you, tasting your very essence.

You bucked your hips against your boyfriend’s face, loving the way he twisted his tongue inside of you, the way he used his fingers to pry you open for better access, the way he traced circles around your clit. Every nerve ending in your body felt like it had been set on fire, and loud pants fell from your mouth every time he kissed you, every time he tasted you, every time he hummed against your exposed core in approval.

“Taste so fucking good, babydoll… like the sweetest candy on earth,” he growled after he had pulled away from you to catch his breath. This face was messy with you, lips glossy with your slick. The sight of his flushed cheeks and blown pupils alone was so fucking hot, a choked moan escaped from deep inside of you, and your hands frantically traveled down to the waistline of his jeans.

“N-Need you right now, baby,” you said, voice hitching slightly. It felt like your heart was beating a mile a minute against your ribcage, thoughts moving slowly inside your head like they were trapped in a thick vat of molasses. Your fingers flew at his zipper and Jisung was silent, as you worked his jeans and boxers off completely.

His cock sprung free instantly, the head red and swollen, precum dripping out of the slit and splattering onto the bed haphazardly. You swallowed audibly at the sight of his girth. It had been a while since you had gotten a clear view of… him. And, it was mouthwatering, to say the least. You reached out, palm open and supple, as you took hold of him.

“Damn it- baby… you intimidated by me?” He chuckled dryly, noticing how your mouth was slightly hung open in amazement. You pumped your hands up and down his length a few times, earning a string of curses from Jisung. “Fuck- any more of that and I’ll be a goner, princess.” He ripped your hands away from him and moved so that your fingers were positioned above your head.

Without any guidance, you opened your legs wider, as he slotted himself between you. He clasped down hard on your hands with one palm, while the other found its way back to your core, fingers caressing your inflamed clit. You held your breath in bated silence, waiting, and watching, as Jisung’s tip neared your entrance.

Then, he was sliding in with one fluid, effortless movement. Your mouth fell open, breath falling in short increments, at the fullness you felt slowly taking over your entire body. It was like absolute heaven, with him slowly bottoming out, the tip of his cock hitting that fiery, gooey spot deep inside of you.

“Alright?” Jisung’s deep voice broke you from your daze of lust. You hadn’t realized you had closed your eyes, and when they met your boyfriend’s face, there was a single crease in his brow. Like he was worried that he’d hurt you somehow.

“Feels so good- please, just, fuck me, Ji-” you whined, throwing your head back onto one of your pillows, a loud cry falling from your mouth as you felt him begin to move inside of you.

As he thrust in and out, in and out, the lewd sounds of your lovemaking overtook all of your senses - filling the room with skin slapping against skin, the smell of sex heavy in the air. Jisung set a fervent pace, reaching so far into you that every time he pulled back, and then shoved himself between your lips again, literal stars danced against the blackness of your vision.

“You like this, baby girl?” Jisung rasped out, as he pushed into you vigorously. You were a sopping wet mess, which made for slippery work between your legs. Still, Jisung didn’t mind, and it only seemed to edge him on even further. “Like when I fuck you nice and sweet? Is this what you’ve wanted all along, hmm?”

Nodding your head frantically, a scream tore from deep inside of you at the feel of his fingers pressing down hard on your inflamed clit. You were practically writhing from head to toe underneath him, your arms shaking as he held them up above your head. “Y-Yes, please… don’t stop…” Your voice came out breathless and airy, as he hit a particularly fiery spot inside of you.

“Oh trust me, babydoll, I won’t.” His hand continued to play with your reddened bud, as he rutted into you like a man who had been starved of sex for a fucking millennium.

Then, you felt him move on top of you, face nearing yours and lips kissing their way up the expanse of your neck, nearing your chin, before stopping at your mouth. He stopped just then, seductive breath fanning across your face.

“Kiss me?” You asked, voice high and squeaky in your throat. Because at that moment, with him so close to you, his cock buried so deep, his fingers abusing you so well, you suddenly felt so fucking vulnerable.

At the way you peered up at him with big, innocent eyes, your boyfriend immediately let go of your hands that he had been holding above your head. “Ah- baby, how can I ever say no to such a beautiful face- such a sweet voice?” He cooed down at you. Your fingers found their way into his onyx-colored hair again, slightly pulling at the roots.

Jisung’s scent - of maraschino cherries and sweet lollipops - overtook you, as he bent down, invading your space. The way his mouth captured your lips, tongue lapping at your own, did wonders for your throbbing heart. And all at once, you felt your high quickly approaching.

“Love how supple you get when I fuck you like this…” He whispered against your lips when you had both pulled away to catch your breaths. The charming, gentleness of his voice was a stark contrast to what the rest of his body was doing - how his hands now dug into either side of your hips, how he pounded into you so perfectly with a relentless pace. “So pliant and adorable- princess lets me take care of her well, yeah?”

He pressed another few kisses against your lips, smiling in between them at the nods that you gave him. “L-Love when you call me that… princess…” you confessed, a furious blush creeping over your cheeks at admitting such a thing. You had missed all of the pet names over the past few names. But that one? Princess? You didn’t exactly know why, but it just did something ethereal and magickal to your soul every time he called you by the endearing name.

“You are a princess, baby… my princess.” Jisung gripped onto your hips harder just then, slamming his cock into you so fiercely that a tiny, pathetic whimper left your mouth. “Now… can you be a good girl and cum for me, sweetheart?” He kissed you again and again, and you felt your heart swell up inside your chest from the gesture.

So charming.

So loving.

So soft.

And all at once, you were letting go. Squeezing your eyes shut desperately, galaxies exploding across the inside of your mind. Skin heating up so well, so quickly, that it felt like you had been doused in a pit of flames. Limbs shaking irrevocably, your core clenching around Jisung’s cock, as he chased his own high. You pulled at his silky waves, a string of moans rising from deep within you as you reached the peak of your arousal.

“F-Fuck, you take me so well- so perfect,” Jisung grunted somewhere close to your ear. In your daze of orgasmic bliss, you faintly heard him mumble praises. Praises about you, about your exquisite body, and your enchanting personality. But it was all lost on your ears amidst the dizziness of your fall.

Then you felt your boyfriend stiffen up inside of you, and his entire body shuttered from above as he finally found his release. You felt his seed coat your still-clenching walls, and a content sigh left you at the familiar feeling of it all. Jisung was a moaning mess on top of you, his voice growing so loud with his release, you were sure the neighbors could hear him. He hadn’t cum inside of you, without a condom on, in what felt like ages. And it felt like pure, utter euphoria.

Jisung continued to say soft praises into your ear as he rode out both of your highs, his thrusts turning shallow and sloppy. You moved your head, eyes opening, so that you could see the expression on his face- the tips of his ears were bright red, dark pupils were blown wide, a thin sheen of sweat coated his forehead, and his lips were pink and kiss-swollen.

“You’re so pretty, babe…” You surprised yourself by actually voicing your innermost thoughts. You had told him such a thing in the past, and almost always, he always batted it away. You reached up to tuck a stray piece of his messy hair behind one of his ears.

“You’re even prettier,” his tone was raspy from all of the groans that had fallen from his lips. He pulled out slowly then, and a small cry left you at the sudden absence of him. If you could, you’d love to live the rest of your days out with his cock buried inside of you. But alas, your dreams never seemed to come true. “Always look so celestial- like a little pixie faerie, whenever I fuck you…” Jisung flashed you an effortless grin, pecking one of your reddened cheeks, before stepping off of the bed and flitting over to the nearby bathroom to grab a towel for cleanup.

When he came back, the fuzziness around the corners of your mind was finally gone, and you were able to get somewhat of a grasp on your surroundings. On the way that he leaned down into you, so very close, to wipe a damp cloth against your sticky thighs.

“Love you.” You said at that moment. Silence had enveloped the room, as he made quick work of cleaning the two of you up. But your words seemed to crack open a little warmth into the sex-filled air.

Jisung’s head turned up and his gaze found yours, his sparkly, doe-like eyes widened slightly in surprise. A smile that mirrored yours just then cracked on his lips, and he was soon trekking over to you, where you were still sprawled out atop the bed's rumpled sheets.

“And I love you, too.” The last thing you saw before he took your face into either of his hands was his grin, and how it looked maniac-like. The last thing you saw was the look of pure adoration and love shining across his face, as he pulled you close to him and kissed you sweetly.

Because even though things hadn’t been that great between you for the past few months,

And even though he had been absent for a long time,

And even though your guys’ sex life had gone down the proverbial drain,

Things had somehow turned around.

He had turned things around.

With the beautifully-planned dinner, the delicious food, the tender words, the sweet kisses, and the much-needed lovemaking.

So things could only go up from here…

As long as you two guys had each other,

And as long as you kept fighting for what mattered-

For the relationship-

For each other-

Things would somehow work themselves out, eventually.

Fin.

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halfagone · 2 years ago

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Magnetism, Cont.

I am currently working on the outline for Magnetism (no I am not unnecessarily avoiding sleep, what are you talking about?) and find myself no closer to figuring out who I want to ship Danny with.

Keep in mind Danny can't be super old because his 'reign of terror', if you will, has only just begun and he's only starting to establish himself as an anti-hero after Everything. At the youngest he can be 16, oldest 24. That age can change depending on who he's shipped with, of course. (The younger he is, the angrier I make him. I make the rules and they will hurt you.)

I've seen a few ships thrown out there, and I've narrowed down a few possibilities. I'll even offer you what their ship dynamic would look like in the fic to help you choose wisely. ;3 Make sure to check UNDERNEATH the poll for the reasoning.

THINGS TO KNOW:

This fic will be rated Mature for blood and violence. And by violence I mean that Danny kills a FUCK ton of people, wow. Also, going along with the influence from the X-men's Magneto, there will be political commentary/deconstruction that can and will influence the tone and manner of the ship dynamics. Also, Ghost King Danny.

Jason/Danny - Anti-hero meets anti-hero, true love at first blood, baby. I think these two would get along the easiest, but they also would be very poor influences on one another. Jason is likely invoking Danny's bloodlust even more, only minimally helping him keep a cool head. However, this could also be a learning opportunity for Jason. It's his turn to see what his friends and family saw from him when he first started beheading people. Could either happen at the start of Jason's Red Hood career, or when he's closer to the family. Very flirtatious, very bloody.

Angst score: 5/10

Dick/Danny - There's a little more friction between these two, but at the end of the day, Dick sees the angry child he had been in the grieving, desperate version of Danny that he is now. Danny is very charismatic, matching Dick's charm. They talk around each other a lot, arguing their points constanly because Dick knows Danny doesn't really want this, but Danny knows this is the only way. Dick could be younger, only just beginning his career as Nightwing to match Danny's rising anti-hero career as well. However, this means we only get kid!Jason for the Batfam (and maybe kid!Tim). You could still have him at 24 like most of my fics, of course. Softer, lots of innuendos.

Angst score: 7/10

Bruce/Danny - Oh boy, here comes the Unhealthy, Unresolved Sexual Tension. The political and moral debates between these two make any onlooker believe they're either about to murder or fuck each other. I believe it was @thatrandomsarahchick that pointed out that Magneto has a thing with Professor X (which, you're not wrong about btw), and there were other choices technically, but the Big Three were the ones that stood out to me the most. I couldn't separate Clark and Lois, though, and honestly I think Danny and Diana would get along... a little too well. And thus, we get lots and lots of UST. Bruce knows Danny's anger all too well, which is why he wants to try to convince Danny to change his path, but Danny sees Bruce as too soft to kill, to do what needs to be done, and they are just so broken up over it. However, this would be set at, the earliest, Year Three so no Batfam other than possibly baby!Dick.

Angst score: 12/10 (Highest Score!)

John/Zatanna/Danny - Now these guys, hohoho, let me tell you... These guys are a shit show and a half. This throuple offers you some of the bloodiest, wildest fight scenes I will probably ever write. If you think Jason is a bad influence on Danny, then you are not prepared for what these three have going on. John is unintentionally egging Danny on, Zatanna is trying not to get everyone killed, and Danny is- quite frankly- unused to this kind of attention. More worldbuilding than political debates, honestly the least interesting of all the proposed ships. But still worth mentioning! Their ages have a wide range, however, with potentially a 14 year age gap between Danny and John, as he is the oldest. Zatanna would be between them.

Angst score: 4/10. Whump score: 8/10

Kara/Danny - Now this one is probably the most unique of the ships, just because it has some of the most noticeable impact on the plot progression. I believe it was @thevigilantspider that first proposed this ship for the fic. So in this case, Kara would have to be new to Earth. She's inexperienced with all that the planet has to offer, still grieving her planet, her people, and her family. She's getting used to how, ah, delicate humans on Earth are and just overall not having a super great time. So she would agree to find out more about this anti-hero to prove herself capable and get a feel of the political scene of the planet. This also means that she gets a very interesting lense on everything thanks to Danny, and it really shapes her as she continues with her possible hero career. I think Danny would be the most... Danny, for the lack of a better word, with Kara. However this means there is bound to be a lot of Emotional Hurt/Comfort.

Angst score: 8/10

(Do be aware that these angst scores are for the couples themselves, not the plot as a whole. The plot will be plenty angsty on its own.)

A great many things to think about. Think hard, choose wisely, my friends.

#dpxdc #halfagone's fics #i'd love to hear your reasons why #for whatever you choose

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aro-geo-turtle · 2 years ago

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TMA’s narrative structure and its reflection in character dynamics

With the end of @a-mag-a-day, I though it would be a perfect time to post this meta-analysis I’ve been thinking about for ages! Its always fun when a story’s ending wraps back around to its beginning in some way, and TMA dips into this a tiny bit via the “can I have a cigarette” moment, but I think the wider narrative structure and parallels in TMA actually get way more interesting than that. Long rambly analysis below cause I’m a writing nerd, and also remember this is purely my own personal interpretation.

I have three main points to make here.

A: season 4 is a twisted mirror of seasons 1 and 2, which act as a singular narrative unit, while season 5 is just like season 3 but more so in every way.

B: these parallels and mirrors between seasons are symbolized through Jon and Martin’s ever changing relationship.

C: the grand finale of Last Words feels like such an abrupt ending because it breaks the pattern established for how season finales are meant to work.

So let’s look at this chronologically:

Seasons 1 and 2 can be viewed a single unit in the overall narrative structure. They follow the same basic premise: Jon in his office at the Institute, alienated from his 3 assistants, trying to find out the truth about the supernatural. They both have a very slow pace, with only a handful of plot-furthering episodes among mostly world-building statement episodes. Then we have a cliffhanger leading into an action-packed climax, and then a calmer epilogue episode to clarify exactly what just happened and set up the new status quo for the next season. There are obviously differences (added supplementals, the paranoia, Gertrude’s murder, you know), but they follow the same general format. We also see the classic Jon/Martin dynamic established and shared between these two seasons: Martin reaching out to care for Jon, Jon rejecting and pushing him away.

Season 3: Status quo? Out the window! Jon’s out of the Institute, traveling the world, we’re gone from the traditional 3 assistants to 4. The goal is no longer vaguely learning about the supernatural, we got most of those answers from Leitner. Instead we’re building towards the Unknowing from the very beginning. And the pacing here speeds up dramatically. So much happens, plot moving forward most episodes. This is where Jon and Martin’s dynamic first changes, too, finally becoming a lot more friendly. Some parts of the format stay the same, though. The ending is still made up of high-action climax episodes followed by an epilogue episode to set up the next status quo.

Season 4 is a return to the format of 1 and 2, but all twisted and reversed. Jon is in his office at the Institute, alienated from his 3 assistants, but it’s a totally different set of assistants (Tim, Sasha, Martin to Melanie, Basira, Daisy). We’re back to the slower pace, but after the mile-a-minute speed of S3, it feels agonizingly slow, a waiting game. The characters spend a lot of time sitting around. We know how the supernatural works, and now Jon’s looking for answers on what he’s meant to do about it. Of course, S4 also sees the reversal of Jon and Martin’s early season roles. Now it’s Jon reaching out and Martin rejecting him. And then we hit the finale and the tension that’s built up all season suddenly snaps. Once again, it’s a high-action climax followed by a slower epilogue that sets up season 5.

Season 5 is obviously the biggest status quo change of all. Literally all the rules of the normal world are shattered. It’s season 3 but even more so. We’re not at the Institute (there is no Institute), we don’t have the typical 3 assistants (that role doesn’t really seem to exist anymore). Like with the Unknowing, we have a clear goal from the very start: get to the Panopticon, kill Jonah, bring the world back. While the pace of 3 is rapid-fire, 5 is a steady march forward, episode by episode. Jon and Martin are once again friendly, and even more so, have finally connected and realized their feelings. And then we get to the grand finale. I think the reason the ending feels so abrupt to me and many others is because it finally breaks the format of season finales. Last Words is the action-packed climax episode but it has no epilogue episode. It just ends.

So, yeah! Those are my points. I just find looking at this all very cool.

#Tma #tma meta #the magnus archives

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soursherbat · 2 months ago

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hi hello i adore your dynamic with shamura and lamb can i just kick my little feet and ask for you to ramble about them?

ABSOLUTELY YOU CAN!!! do u know what you're signing up for. i have so many thoughts about them,

so!!! i believe this all takes place over at Least a few years, likely a decade- at first, their dynamic is rather strained. shamura's guilt causes them to repeatedly push the lamb away and lash out at times, though they cannot fully distance themself from it.

shamura starts off as a dissenter, but in my au that's mostly because they're confused as to where they are, and rather upset about their fate in general- if i were forced into the cult of the one who killed my Entire Family i would be pretty pissed too!

but shamura can't force themself to hate the lamb like heket and narinder do initially, i believe they're very forgiving. in all of my saves ive solved their dissenting with a meal- so ive made that canon here! the lamb and shamura share a meal to establish trust, after all if you believed someone truly wanted to kill you, why would you share a meal?

ramzi even apologizes to them for everything he's done- something shamura can't even bring themself to do. they're forgiving, of course, but now they just feel even worse about how they've acted and everything they've done in their past... ramzi could have figured out everything much sooner if he'd read their mind, but he genuinely prefers to not read them, feeling that it's too intrusive.

and i mean, ramzi is always so nice to shamura, even when they're short with it in response. not to mention they feel as if they owe him their life, and he doesn't even make them work! they feel horrible for wanting to get away from him, but guilt and regret make you do irrational things.

ramzi doesn't know which of the bishops had the initial idea to cull the lambs, and frankly he didn't want to know. he's actually the one to approach shamura and ask if he's done something to make them hate it, which- well.

it makes shamura lose their composure and explain everything to him, creating an even bigger rift than before. he truly didn't want to know, he would have preferred to be ignorant about it, and now someone he truly had been developing feelings for tells him they're the reason his entire family and even his species is gone?

they spend some time avoiding each other while ramzi gathers his thoughts and decides to approach them once more, telling them that while he cannot forgive them, he'd try to in time. it's reasonable in shamura's mind, although it does sting to hear it from ramzi directly.

even after All of this, the lamb is nothing but accommodating to them. even moreso after, actually! he takes all of the bishop's ailments and disabilities very seriously, and works his hardest to help them recover how he can, but he's always paid special attention to shamura...

i can't lie, ramzi does play favorites a little bit. something about them drew ramzi in, and in my timeline they're the first to marry, despite starting on possibly the shakiest ground possible!

he does forgive them eventually, and that's when their relationship truly begins. everyone had always had a feeling there was some sort of tension between them, but it becomes so compounded after sharing a bottle of ambrosia that they can't hide their feelings for each other anymore and they decide to give things a try.

shamura is rather repressed, in my opinion- as the former god of war, reason ruled over all. they couldn't afford to let emotions get in their way, and they kind've fumble their way through their relationship with the lamb.

ramzi finds it all too endearing, and finds out very quickly that he enjoys their 'courtship ritual' which just involves them gently drumming their pedipalps and facial appendages on him like a real spider. they also give the best hugs in his opinion, what with their extra set of arms and all-

okay i need to stop now or ill write you an entire novel but honestly i think i should just write fics abt them at this point

#g.txt #THANK U FOR THE QUESTION AAAA #i love dumping about them #btw i have your lamb ref saved in my inbox >:3c definitely going to draw them soon!!!#lambura #lamura #lamb x shamura #oc: ramzi

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elizaellwrites · 6 months ago

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OC's Most Important Tag

Thank you @willtheweaver for tagging me here

Rules: Make a list (detailed or not) of the most important people, events, places, and anything else that shaped your characters into who they are, describing why.

Green for positive, Red for negative

Cameron Roiel

Important People

His Mother (Etesha)- Bold and determined, and a former member of Caldesaria's Royal Guard, Etesha was both a comfort and an inspiration for Cameron from a young age. Since his father was killed during the attack on their homeland, she did her best to raise him and his sister well on her own. Prepared to do what was best for her son, she supported him through his childhood health struggles and began training him herself once he was ready.

His Sister (Jaleya)- Jaleya was always someone for him to protect and care for, and while they had their disagreements like all siblings do, it was all put aside when Jaleya found their mother murdered in their home. Cameron watched as she devolved from her former self, struggling with her mental health after their familial ability allowed her to feel her mother's death at 14 years old. While he would support her as much as he could, watching her struggle so much was heartbreaking.

Amber Sagael- One of his earliest and only true friends at the academy, they were among the first of the younger generation to join the Observance system of the newly established Academy. A few years later, Cameron would serve as her second in command of their team, with their relationship only tested by her sudden resignation and distancing from their team.

Jacob Sagael- Starting as his junior on their team and annoying younger brother of Amber, Jacob would suddenly be thrust into the leadership position of their team following Amber's resignation. The leadership change and personality clash caused tension between Jacob and Cameron, which only grew worse with the news that Cameron's mother and Jacob's girlfriend had been murdered on the same night by the same person. Jacob soon fled the academy, dumping all his responsibilities onto Cameron while he was grieving his mother, amplifying the problems between them and forcing Cameron to be the sole foundation for their team as he was trying not to crack.

Important Places

Lietasae, Caldesaria- His childhood hometown, also the central capital of Ariya. His memories here were good, though few. He looks back at this time as the only stability he knew during his life.

Nelenai, Wotakour- As his family was just visiting the capital city of his mother's home territory, the attack that demolished their homeland and killed the majority of their people would occur. The streets of this city would go on to haunt his mind for years, stained with the blood of their people and crawling with dangers that they narrowly escaped with their lives. The trauma from this experience would have mental and physical effects that he worked for years to overcome.

The Academy- Cameron's family moved here during his recovery, seeing his improvement in the first few years they were there. Here, he would begin his training and would go on to follow in his mother's footsteps to defend and protect their people. He found purpose there and was well on track to becoming the most talented warrior the Academy's Observance system had.

Important Events

The Hecathian Genocide/Homeland Evacuation- Cameron was just shy of 6 years old when the attack on their people happened, sweeping across the territories and wiping out their people. In an unfamiliar city, and separated from his parents, Cameron would hold his sister close as he witnessed and felt death all around him. He had accepted that he would die that night too when an enemy warrior noticed them, but instead, she spared only their lives that night. After collapsing, he would wake up with his mother in a strange new world, with his father presumed killed during the battle.

Joining the Hecathian Observance (Defense Program)- The shock and trauma of the attack had chronic and long-lasting impacts on Cameron, leaving him nearly bedbound at times. For years, he would push to improve his own condition, challenging himself to have more mobility and to be able to truly live his life. Once he felt ready, he began the traditional warrior's training under his mother's watch. Empowered by his progress and finding purpose in the idea of defending their people, he would join the Observance system to perfect his skills and find more than the pain and turmoil he had known for years.

His Mother's Murder- His mother had always been his support and safe place to return to. As his surviving parent, mentor, and inspiration, the moment when he was called to her home that night was a walk of surreal despair. At 19, he was left alone, with his sister crumbling into herself. With his fragile world fractured, he had to go on, holding himself together for the sake of his sister and his Observance team who had also lost a member that night.

Tagging: @kaylinalexanderbooks, @illarian-rambling, @worldstogetlostin, @tildeathiwillwrite, and @paeliae-occasionally

#cameron is one of my favorites #he's seen so much #he's come so far #but his story is only getting started #he's not just the stoic peacekeeper #death haunts him #tag games #writing tag games #Cameron Roiel #oc stuff #my oc #legacy of the fallen characters

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virtue-and-beneviolence · 2 years ago

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Severance Pay

literally just Hanma getting hard while beating a man to death for 1.9k words (no reader, trust me you don't wanna be in this one anyway)

TW: Dark content?, tragically unproofread, generally violent themes, blood, shuji gets a little worked up lowkey, um shoe humping???thigh riding???kinda???, is that sexual assault? i mean yeah probably, shuji really gets off on the power here etcetc.

Note: yeah sorry about this, but cheers it's time to get drunk now.

Kinda dark content; Consume responsibly.

The end of the work day. The thrill of having a singular task unchecked, a task that you know you can manage with ease - maybe even enjoy. The feeling of saving the best for last.

That’s what was stirring in Hanma’s chest as he sat on a plush velvet stool at the bar of a vacant VIP lounge. He was in relatively high spirits despite the room reeking of desperation and sex and cortisol shed by unhappily wed businessmen taking advantage of the strip club’s menu of women. Dance music reverberated in his chest, rumbling comfortably like thunder before a lightning strike. A familiar message urging patrons to grab their last drink and settle their tabs was broadcast through the establishment with all the professionalism an exhausted bartender could muster.

The last job of the day was designed especially for him, a special case that Kisaki deemed deserving of Hanma’s special touch. A job that Hanma’s tendency for histrionics and drama couldn’t mess up.

The distant clang of metal slipping and clicking back in place brought Hanma to attention. His lithe muscles pulled taut with anticipation and a loose, sloppy smile of genuine pleasure replaced his neutral countenance and he turned to greet the newcomer, “Ah! I thought I smelled fresh blood!” Hanma joked, letting his cigarette bob lazily around his words. A younger man emerged from the shadow of the entrance way and paled from top to bottom. Hanma could all but hear the dice clatter in his brain, unsure if the gamble of dashing back towards where two huge bouncers stood guard was worth it. “Relax kid,” Hanma’s words lulled like an audible eye roll as he stood to his full height from a velvet stool, “s’a joke. Cool it. Ya made it just in time, Cinderella. Thought maybe you’d lost your faith in good ol’ big brother Toman.” The deep voice was deceptively chipper despite the trademark sarcasm.

Had it been anyone else making small talk in place of a playful greeting, the younger man might have laughed it off, played along, bowed and continued on following the rules of the organization he sought to leave. But the tower standing over him was Hanma Shuji and that tone didn’t match the unrelenting look of anticipation for something that couldn’t be predicted in his eyes. It didn’t match his reputation as-

“The Reaper.” Terror bolted the man’s feet in place. Prey always recognizes a predator.

“Oh now, now! The Reaper was my father! Please, call me Hanma - No, better, Aniki.” He looked up and exhaled a long smoke laden breath complete with eye contact so oppressive it was sure to strip any delusion the younger man might possibly have about where the power lay. “What’d I say? Relax! I’m only here for your exit interview.” Cue the last long drag of his cigarette, savored for a moment, “And, of course, to administer your severance pay.”

A stuttered breath of relief left the smaller man who finally followed the gestured order to sit across from Hanma. Anticipation built pressure in Shuji’s chest. He was in his element. Luring his prey into a false sense of security with the ease of a master, gently swirling his glass of whiskey and smiling widely when the younger man flinched as Shuji slammed the glass onto the fine wooden table harder than was necessary. Shuji choked down the manic desire to giggle as the proverbial rope of tension began to fray just as he uttered the words, “Shall we begin?”

–

Shuji’s fist repeatedly cracked into the younger man’s face. Hanma watched with delight from where he held his ex-kohai down on the glossy wood of the bar by the throat. Dull, meaty impact made way for wet crackling as Shuji made progress beating the now hardly recognizable face. Teeth were bent in, loose from the repeated abuse, bloodied by trauma and scraping and catching along Shuji’s own unprotected knuckles. When Shuji withdrew his hand, it was red and angry and dripping. A chill of excitement bordering delirium shot down his spine at the thought he couldn’t tell where his victim’s blood stopped and his own began.

The tall man laughed with his whole body at the sputtered attempts of his victim to beg and plead for mercy that Hanma had no intention to grant. At last, teeth spilled like Chicklets over the bar. Blood gushed from severely split lips with every slurred pop of his continued pleas. Finally tired of such repetitive work, Hanma gripped the man by the back of his head, fingers knotted in greasy, sweaty hair, as congealing blood cemented it in place. Hanma admired his handiwork close up. A pool of crimson collected in the man’s mouth and Shuji shook the younger’s head to watch the reflection of himself ripple and distort and pour in messy clotted rivers over swollen, broken lips.

“Spit at me.” He spoke with the tone of a command. It was neither a request, nor an option, but an order.

“N-niki, i-I,” came the gargled response.

“Ah, ah, ah,” He cooed as if to a child, “I didn’t ask.” Hanma gripped his swollen and battered jaw and his mouth split into a sadistic smile as he slammed the man's head down, triggering a gasp turned gagging, choking fit.

Hanma didn’t flinch when warm clotted fluid spotted his face over and over as the man coughed and sputtered. Thicker splotches ran down his cheeks then his neck to be absorbed by the exorbitantly expensive foreign silk of Shuji’s shirt. He didn’t react at all except to involuntarily roll his eyes back in some twisted relief. A throaty groan escaped him at the obscenity of the comforting ritual of feeling blood on his skin and the strain of someone desperately clinging to life beneath his grip. Shuji’s breathy giggle danced along his victim’s face. “So he can follow orders after all.” Windpipe held tightly with Sin, Punishment landed the final blow before his consciousness failed.

Hanma made short work of securing the young man to the bolted bar stool. He poured himself another glass of whiskey and stifled a chuckle at it landing in a sticky puddle as he put it down. Calling the man to wake was useless, he got no response until he cracked the back of his hand across the poor fuck’s face. Swollen eyelids split to show a sliver of bloodshot and pinkened eyes. Golden irises and a chiseled face decorated in streaks of slowly scabbing and dusting, darkness met the man. It sounded far away when Shuji spoke, “Stay with me sunshine. You want your severance so badly, ya gotta stay awake for it.” The gangster leaned down further and all but purred in his ear, “Show Aniki how hard you can fight for it, ah?” Two fingers pressed uncomfortably at the top and bottom of each swollen eye and spread the lids higher. “Eyes on me.” Tears cut clean trails through evidence of struggle and battery and diluted the blood in the corners of his eyes. Hiccuped sobs wracked the otherwise limp body worn out from struggling.

Shuji brought a knee to the man’s crotch and leaned more and more weight. Yells turned to screams that pitched higher and higher until Hanma was sure he’d destroy his voice. Beautiful vocals to the soundtrack of agony Hanma played. In this moment he was all powerful, the conductor of a symphony of his creation. God nothing got him off as much as this kind of power.

He ground his knee deeper. “Grind on it,” he demanded and to his sadistic delight, the man bucked his hips with whatever force he had left, desperate to please his tormentor despite the pain. Hanma wrapped a hand around his throat and smirked, “Humping my knee like a bitch in heat. Fucking pathetic,” He scoffed mockingly, gleeful at having so thoroughly broken his toy. He let it go on until the man’s muscles gave out before he made a show of pulling out two stacks of bills. In salt crusted eyes, he saw it.

Hope.

Hanma recognized it from countless other fights, other killings. Nothing brought him such elation as the moment his victim found it only to lose it. Hanma eagerly continued his show so that he might soon watch his favorite part.

With excessive force, Shuji forced his mouth open and ignored the clunk from previous dislocation or worse to shove the currency in his mouth. Watching the muscles of his throat pulsate helplessly around dry bills and retching uselessly satisfied Hanma’s sick need for entertainment enough to finally unstick his whiskey glass from the mess of the bar and savor a long sip. He grabbed the rest of the thick Hibiki whiskey and dumped it on his victim who writhed and let out muffled screams with renewed panic from pain wherever alcohol soaked into still-fresh wounds. He was caught up in the white hot sting to realize Shuji had flicked his lighter on and set the bills sticking out from his mouth. Panic reached a fever pitch when the heat of fire met alcohol sodden lips.

Shuji has always loved fire. Loved the way flames lick skin urging it to melt away under its intimate touch. Loved the colors. Loved the way it forced jerking, panicked movements from someone all too near it. He shunted a cigarette from his carton, “Can I bug ya for a light?” the cheeky bastard asked as if the man could hear him as he leaned in to catch enough of the flame to start with a delicious drag. He enjoyed the show with his cigarette from a loveseat a few feet away. It’d be a lie to say his dick didn’t kick in his slacks a few times.

He watched until he thought the flames might be burned into his eyes. Kisaki would be annoyed. Hanma’s eye prescription always suffers after he gets to teach a lesson this way. Eventually, Shuji got up and emptied five of six shots in his revolver starting from the legs and ending at the man’s throat.

On his way out, he casually holds the gun to his own head and flicks the revolver. He pulls the trigger mid step to see if this time he’ll join his victim in hell. But his head remains on his shoulders in one piece after the hammer kicks, so he hands the gun to the bouncer already equipped with a handkerchief, adjusts himself in his pants, and prides himself on a job well done.

–

A few mornings later, Kisaki casually opens the newspaper to find a photo of a generic man in his mid twenties in the obituaries. A kind man, it said, who always gave what he could. A sense of humor that could make anyone laugh. Died on the job, providing for his family. Survived by his wife and their newborn.

Ye so i posted that, cool.

I'mma tag anyone who acknowledged the post about this yesterday, big apologies if that wasn't actually interest as much as it was you being nice and supporting me and this is not fun for you

@a-nuisance-called-sam @citrusteaa @sin-and-punishment @kisa-rae @bertholdts--butt

lets maybe not acknowledge this happened

#damn i really ought to revise this.#fuck it we ball #Hanma shuji #tw: suggestive #tw: violence #tw: blood #i mean when i need more trigger tags than i know how to tag it for ppl to find it #i think i realize ive done something wrong here.#pls its very poorly written #so repetitve #i just needed to have him break someone for the joy of it #excuse me #ill see myself out #shuji hanma #hanma shuji~❤️#begging you to please tell me if you liked this #genuinely begging

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theuntitledblog · 6 months ago

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A Quiet Place: Day One (2024) - REVIEW

youtube

The unique and superb gimmick of seemingly invincible, blind aliens being drawn by the smallest of sounds was worked to perfection in 2018's A Quiet Place. 2020's A Quiet Place Part II, did what any good sequel should by expanding the world and upping the ante to compensate for the core concept beginning to lose its novelty. This film however serves as both prequel and spin-off and tells a story centred on a moment that A Quiet Place Part II gave us a look at in it's incredible opening sequence; Day One.

Of the Day One sequence in A Quiet Place Part II, I've previously stated;

"Our knowledge of what’s to come creates an edge of your seat tension that has us holding our collective breaths waiting for the inevitable. It’s no less effective when it does happen and director John Krasinski doesn’t hold back in an impressive set piece that is edge of your seat thrilling and intense but never sacrifices the scares."

One of my issues is that what Day One attempts isn't able to top what John Krasinski did in A Quiet Place Part II. What doesn't help here is that we already know what to expect and what's going to happen whereas in Part II we didn't know exactly plus we had familiar characters that we were already invested in. Director Michael Sarnoski tries to carefully to build to that moment with a clever and steady increase of activity both in terms movement and sound. But when the carnage began and the dust began to settle and the rules of A Quiet Place were re-established, I couldn't help but think to myself that I'd seen this before.

Don't misunderstand me, I love the concept and A Quiet Place: Day One is still a very good film that should be seen on the biggest screen as it has some superbly staged sequences that again make use of sound to provide some scares and tension. The most tense sequence for me involves a detour into the New York subway system. But my general feeling while watching this is that while offering solid thrills, I felt that it was lacking fresh ideas to the main A Quiet Place concept and just wasn't able to match the prolonged tension or scares that I felt from the first two films. Where the movie excels most and offers up something different is Lupita Nyong'o.

What the trailers didn't spoil beforehand is that Lupita Nyong'o's Sam has terminal cancer which instantly grounds the film in something that is emotionally relatable and connects us to her instantly. What's even more interesting is Sam's motivations given that for her survival is not an option. Survival however is an option for her cat and British Law student Eric (Joseph Quinn) whose chance encounter with the cat, brings him and Sam, albeit reluctantly together. Much of what they convey can only be done non-verbally and it's testament to both actors that you quickly become invested in them, their friendship and later on moved as Sam's condition continues to deteriorate. This is Nyong'o and Quinn's film and it's their story that gives A Quiet Place: Day One its own identity and reason to exist.

VERDICT

A Quiet Place: Day One lives up to its name with some tense set pieces and scares even though it's unable to bring anything new to keep its main concept fresh. It's elevated however by two great performances and an compelling and emotional human story.

4/5

ALSO SEE

#a quiet place #a quiet place part ii #a quiet place day one #a quiet place day 1 #michael sarnoski #2024 movies #2024 films #science fiction #horror #horror scifi #alien #alien attack #lupita nyong'o #joseph quinn #djimon hounsou #Youtube

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sloshed-cinema · 1 year ago

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Saloum (2021)

There’s something exhilarating about when a movie grabs the viewer by the scruff of the neck and shouts, “Come along fucker, I know exactly what I’m doing.” The opening minute or so of Saloum, shifting from hallucinatory imagery of a boy wading out into the river with sun and moon arrayed overhead to a kinetic and immaculately choreographed handheld tracking shot of the Hyenas of Bangui retrieving a drug lord from Bissau shows in miniature the genre swath the film will explore. Much of the first half of the film adopts the energy of a sharp, stylish crime thriller with precise and breathless camera work accompanied by splashy graphics in an experience akin to what you might get in a Quentin Tarantino or Guy Ritchie actioner. Nodding to but never leaning heavily on the tropes of the genre, Saloum traps its protagonists, already caught back on their heels and in the middle of nowhere, in a web of tension: the camp they find themselves at harbors many threats to their survival. A sequence of conversations builds a house of cards on a knife’s edge, any false move threatening to expose the Hyenas.

While it flits at the periphery in the form of nightmare sequences early on, the Hyenas’ arrival at a strange commune in remote Saloum isn’t actually wholly a coincidence. Ringleader Chaka reveals he has a dark past as a child soldier held captive by the man now running the camp. It’s here when the film transitions rather abruptly to a horror film: spirits are present everywhere here due to the cycle of violence and anguish in the space, of which Chaka’s child slavery/soldierdom is simply the latest iteration. The entities that plague the survivors are a little silly, resembling a swarm of bees or dense cluster of ash with horns, killed all too easily except for when necessary, and the exposition dump explaining it all is a touch rapid. But it’s almost impossible for these missteps to overshadow the raw charisma of the opening half. Let the spiritualism that has been hinted at in the flashbacks and in fellow Hyena Minuit’s shamanic advisory come roaring to the fore. A mere Western isn’t enough to contain this cycle of suffering, it has to be rendered even more operatic and exorcised.

THE RULES

SIP

A flashback begins.

Someone is knocked out by white powder.

Spooky specter!

BIG DRINK

Voiceover narration begins.

Location establishing text.

#drinking games #saloum #jean luc herbulot #horror #horror & thriller #crime #quentin tarantino #senegalese cinema

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serbaird · 2 years ago

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i keep meaning to make a post about the state of fereldan politics at the point of when this blog is set but words are so hard and also i'm afraid i'd end up writing it like an academic essay. so anyway, here's some vague thoughts that may get written up into a proper post at some point, for anyone interested:

between the blight and the events of inquisition, ferelden's nobility is pretty clearly on its last legs.

queen anora (and to a lesser degree, prince balfour) are aware of this and are also keenly aware of the old nobility standing in the way of the reforms they deem necessary to improve the lot of all who live in ferelden.

so what are you gonna do? make more nobles, that's right!

gregor is also benefitted by this, as he is sent to act as a page to a knight (where he receives the education that a minor nobleman's child might) and is later knighted himself, thus placing him on the lowest rung of ferelden's noble hierarchy.

throughout the latter half of anora's reign, there are indeed a great number of reforms introduced that do improve the standard of living throughout ferelden & work towards making the country a more equal place.

given that origins highlighted just how thoroughly shit a lot of the nobility is in ferelden, a great number of them feel threatened by these reforms, especially where they lessen the power that these old, established families had.

i think as well, while there is a precedent for commoners having been given titles, that's usually been as a reward for heroism, and slightly different to what anora and balfour do after the events of inquisition. this also irritates a number of old families.

the couslands' monopoly on ferelden's teyrnirs and their place as the most powerful family in the country also sets the old nobility on edge. given that balfour is married to the queen and a vocal supporter of the reforms, it doesn't take much of a logical leap to connect the couslands to the struggles of ferelden's old nobility.

this leads to tensions within court, though they are largely bubbling under the surface until queen anora's death.

with anora and balfour's daughter, morwen, generally favoured by the newer nobility and a few of the older families, the landsmeet selects her as anora's successor. this is not, however, without argument from dissatisfied nobles who believe that what ferelden should do is in fact return the theirin line to the throne. morwen's succession is not as comfortable as her supporters would wish it to be.

early in morwen's reign, before she has had a proper chance to consolidate her power and fully settle into her rule, the tensions begin to boil over.

pro-theirin nobles are able to locate an illegitimate child of cailan's, and conspire to place him on the throne and unseat morwen, despite the landsmeet having crowned her already. she is too much of a mac tir, too much of a cousland, and clearly of a mind to follow the example set by her parents. prince balfour even remains, in his later years, as a close advisor to her.

there are now clearly two separate camps within ferelden's court, those for morwen and those for a return to the past, which they believe is signified by a theirin on the throne. the first signs are starting to show of things coming to a head, and the golden age of ferelden that was ushered in by queen anora is clearly coming to an abrupt end.

a lot of this needs fleshing out / some adjusting and i don't have a proper timeline yet. but this is the general vibe. i just think it's fun that ferelden's golden age is immediately followed by some of the messiest political drama the country has ever seen , okay, thank you.

#lore.

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mskoreodyssey · 9 months ago

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[TLOK] Book One: Air (Fix)

Original-Novel: Info [Buy]

First 6 Episodes // Last 6 Episodes

Fix Book 1 by Tim Hickson

Rules

12 episodes // Fixing (not a full rewrite)

3 main issues on Book 1

They didn’t establish or give enough consequences to the oppression of non-benders.

The love triangle conflict doesn’t really work, so we need something else.

Korra’s arc is meant to be about her learning who she is without her bending, and Amon taking it away is a huge part of that, but we don’t get enough time to explore it.

[Episode 1: Welcome to Republic City]

The season opens with Korra living a contained, controlled life under the watchful eye of the White Lotus. She has a good grip on fire-bending, water-bending and earth-bending, but not air-bending, and we see she relies a lot on her passion and anger and independence as she fights and moves. “She's strong”, says Katara, “but she lacks restraint”. Korra, on the other hand, is stoked three elements down, barely an adult and ready to fill face the world. She longs for freedom and to do what the Avatar is meant to do right, fight injustice. This is the foundation for Korra's character arc, she's a prodigy who has had most things come to her in life easily. She's the chief's daughter, the prestige, the power. It's made her impulsive, a little unempathetic and makes her easily frustrated when she can't get things quickly, as well as overly reliant on violence and action rather than listening and understanding. Tenzin and his family arrive in the Southern Water Tribe with Korra, expecting him to teach her about air-bending and the spiritual side of being the Avatar. Only to reveal Republic City is unstable with tensions between benders and non-benders. And because of that, her training will need to wait. Korra insists that just means that's where she needs to be, the place with injustice and imbalance, but Tenzin refuses and leaves. That night, Korra escapes with Naga on a ship bound for Republic City. (...) Upon arriving in Republic City, Korra is astounded she's never seen so many bright lights before. But she soon finds herself in the poorest parts of the city, filled with the homeless, the drug afflicted, the impoverished. She sees a bending police squadron clearing out a city park, first peacefully and then with more of a threat, the non-benders scatter. In another place, one group tries to light a fire and to announce herself as the Avatar. Arriving in the city she conjures a fire for them and cease to sit down. But when Korra asks why none of them started a fire because surely one of them must be a fire-bender, they scoff. “They're all non-benders. You think you'll find a fire-bender down here. Make do, make mend”, an old man says. The others look at her nervously, as if they're a little worried she might come after them. But Korra, confused as to why people aren't excited at her arrival, leaves only for a Triple Triad gang member to begin extorting the group. Korra, inflamed with righteous anger, turns back to save the non-benders and does so, but destroys the surrounding neighborhood in the process. The place these people clearly called home... and nobody thanks her. Korra then enters a wealthier part of the city, but is stopped by a bender. “I saw where you came from. I don't want thieves around these parts.” The police close in around her, asking if there's any trouble. But when she threatens him with bending, the man backs off. “Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were one of them.”

(One of the major criticisms of season one was that it didn't show the inequality between benders and non-benders enough. We see a gang exploiting one person and that the council is maybe ruled entirely by benders, but not much else. We don't see real systemic issues that demand real systemic reform. This is one attempt to do that, to show a city divided into pseudo-classes with a deep cultural association of non-benders with stealing and crime. Something we see in the real world, leading to classist divides and creating stereotypes. I also wanted to show a systemic bias from the police to assist benders over non-benders being benders themselves. That it's not like the average bender is going out of their way to hunt down non-benders, but it's a lot more subtle in this society.)

The episode ends with Korra finding the pro-bending arena, this monolithic building that everyone seems to be heading towards. And she also finds one of a man's pamphlets, “Equality”, it reads. At which point Tenzin flies down to interceptor, blocking her path. “You know, word travels quickly when the Avatar is in town”, he says, a little frustrated. We then get a cutaway scene of Amon learning that the Avatar has arrived in the city as well, and that they must accelerate their plans.

[Episode 2: A Leaf in the Wind]

Tenzin takes Korra to Air Temple Island, away from the pro-bending arena. Much to her protestation, insisting that she return home. But she refuses, Tenzin storms away, frustrated. Korra then connects with Pema, Jinora and Ikki, who try to teach her some basic air-bending techniques. She doesn't learn much, but when Tenzin returns and spies Korra trying to learn, Pema comes up behind him and encourages him to let Korra stay. Tenzin goes to her, “I can't believe you followed me all this way when I specifically told you not to, but I'm impressed. So long as we can put that determination to good use with your studies”. Korra punches the air, fire bolts all around ecstatic. That night, Korra has her first dream of Aang in the past. Those flashbacks to Yakone, and like in the show, she's just going to get more of those dreams. The following day, Tenzin takes Korra for her first lesson. He impresses on her that air-bending is about attaining full control over yourself, your emotions, your body, by detaching yourself from the world and the things that affect you. Not holding on to the past and allowing yourself to change, not holding on to one idea of themselves. A freezing gust of wind hits them and Korra shivers. But Tenzin explains that they can even control their body temperature with careful use of their breath, which is why it didn't affect him.

(And keep that in mind because we're just going to set that aside for later.)

Korra tries to air-bend, but she doesn't move with the world around her, she relies on punching and kicking. Asserting herself on the world around her and as a result, she's beaten in that spinning boards test. She tries again and again and again, but fails every single time, getting more and more frustrated. She is not used to taking this long to get what is in her mind a very simple thing. At the end of the lesson, Tenzin tells her firmly that attaching oneself includes things like pro-bending, and he forbids her from going. Better from having tried and gotten nowhere, Korra sneaks out with Jinora to go and see the Pro-bending tournament. As in the show, she meets Mako and Bolin who are down a member, and she fills in. Tenzin arrives furious, but sees Korra putting the lessons he tried to teach her into practice in her own way during the tournament. And he starts to understand that she might have to learn this stuff on her own terms.

[Episode 3: The Revelation]

Tarrlok, another counselor in Republic City watched Korra perform and approaches her after the game. "You must be the Avatar. I've heard you're a natural, a true prodigy". He encourages her to join the council sometime, to sit in and hear about the politics of the city. "With the instability between benders and non-benders, that it'd be good to have the Avatar to help maintain order. I heard you dealt with this yourself first-hand, and I commend you". Korra wants to loving this praise, but Tenzin insists that she stay out of politics. It's here they're also approached by Asami, a non-bender and the owner of Hiroshi Industries.

(So there's no Hiroshi Sato in this rewrite, which I guess makes it Asami Industries, and that's because of our first major change. Asami is an Equalist, though she doesn't reveal that.)

She offers to sponsor them, noting it would be well worth having the Avatar's face for her company. Korra immediately hits it off with Asami, this charming, beautiful girl from a whole other world to her, who admires her skills and says that she sees value in the Avatar. And Mako initially refuses, insisting that they don't need her money. But Bolin presses that well, they're not going to make it very far without it. Reluctantly, Mako agrees. Korra wonders why Mako was so opposed to taking Asami's money, to which they explained that their mother was murdered by a group of Republic City non-benders during the riots a year ago. Apparently when this instability really kicked off, in that since then, Mako has found it difficult to trust non-benders. He describes a non-bender with a prosthetic leg and scarred arm, that he remembers the man's face and swears he will find him one day. Korra asks what he's going to do and Mako says nothing.

(I wanted to introduce this change because to be perfectly honest, Mako isn't that interesting. In the first series, Bolin is likeable and delivers comedic relief and heart to the story. Korra is an interesting conflicted character with a real arc. But Mako is brooding without much of a reason, no obvious flaw or goal to overcome in this story, he's a dollar shop Zuko. Here Mako's trauma in the past, and it's a trauma that does exist in the story, we're just modifying it a little bit. It really plays into the current narrative conflict and it provides a personal bias and arc for him to overcome his prejudice against non-benders. It's just enough to enforce those social divides and give a face to one side of it.)

Taking out Amon's pamphlet that she found at the end of the first episode, Korra insists that they look more into this divide. These equalists, this guy called Amon, especially if Tenzin isn't going to let her get involved in politics. As in the show, they piece together where it's happening and go to find the rally, here Amon reveals himself. He gives this brilliant speech about bending being the source of suffering and war in the world, and removes the bending of those same gang members who Korra fought at the beginning. As well as a couple of the policemen that she saw. Impulsively, Korra leaps up onto the stage to rescue the remaining victims. Horrified at the idea of losing her own bending, she fights Amon and his right hand man, referred to only as the Lieutenant. Who, like Amon, keeps his face hidden. But it goes terribly, and she has to be rescued by Tenzin, Tarrlok and Beifong's police force. In the course of that rescue, though, Korra witnesses some kind of police brutality. People are arrested for simply attending this rally. All of this only hardens Mako's resolve, that they need harsher measures to deal with the Equalists. In the aftermath, Lin Beifong rails against Korra for acting unilaterally like that. That they knew about the meeting and they were monitoring it from afar until she had to go and jump up and ruin everything. She coins it as typical teenage Avatar entitlement and ignorance, not knowing how things really work in a city like this. While Korra says that at least she did something, at least she tried to save people. Tarrlok, however, insists on forgiveness, "It is the Avatar, after all". Tenzin takes her away, but he's also angry, and although he empathizes with her frustration. He insists that the situation is complicated and it needs to be left to the professionals. "Professionals, I'm the Avatar. What's more professional than that?", she cries. But the episode closes out.

Amon’s speech (Fix)

My quest for equality began many years ago. When I was a boy, my family and I lived on a small farm. We weren't rich, and none of us were benders. This made us very easy targets for the water-bender who extorted my father. One day, my father confronted this man, but when he did, that water-bender took my family from me. Then, he took my face. I've been forced to hide behind a mask ever since. As you know, the Avatar has recently arrived in Republic City. And if she were here, she would tell you that bending brings balance to the world. But, she is wrong. The only thing bending has brought to the world, is suffering. It has been the cause of every war in every era. But that is about to change. I know you have been wondering, "What is the Revelation?" You are about to get your answer. Since the beginning of time, the spirits have acted as guardians of our world, and they have spoken to me. They say the Avatar has failed humanity. That is why the spirits have chosen me to usher in a new era of balance. They have granted me a power that will make Equality a reality. The power to take a person's bending away. Permanently.

- -

[Episode 4: To Fight or Not to Fight]

Tenzin tries to teach Korra more air-bending, but Korra can't focus. With everything going on, she just wants to go out and help with this stuff. She insists that the world gave her the four elements for a reason, not just air-bending. And at least she can use three of them to do something good and bring them on to justice, there are also further reports of benders disappearing off the streets. Korra sits down with Bolin and talks about how she just wants to help people, that she hates sitting around when she knows there's so much wrong in the world and she's just not sure how to help. Bolin tells her, “That sometimes you've got to fight, yeah, but sometimes you've just got to listen and learn, and sometimes you've got to wait before you can really make a difference”. Meanwhile, Mako tries to find an Equalist hideout. Asami comes across him while looking for Korra and offers to help, and he refuses it. But after struggling and getting nowhere, he reluctantly accepts the help. Beginning to trust non-benders again, he even flirts with her, and the two get along and laugh. And in turn, she provides a map of the city's underground infrastructure, tunnels and buildings, even the power grid, able to nail down where they might be by an unusual consumption of power. Asami insists that Korra and Bolin go with Mako if he really wants to do this, to help keep him safe. While Asami stays behind, insisting that although she wants to help them, she doesn't want her company to get caught up in a turf war. Sure enough, though, they find a huge weapons cache of these new electric gloves that the Equalists plan to use. But before they can call in Beifong, they're ambushed by the lieutenant who electrifies Mako and Bolin. Korra only just manages to fight her way out with them, and realizing the Equalists must be planning something big if they're collecting weapons like this. Korra challenges Amon on the city-wide radio system to a duel at Big Aang Face Island, which plays out exactly as it does on the show.

(It's a brilliant scene, genuinely one of my favorites in the entire show, with Amon taking her down easily and promising that he won't take away her bending yet because he has plans.)

Amon’s announcement

Good evening, my fellow Equalists. This is your leader, Amon. As you have heard, the Republic Council has voted to make me public enemy number one, proving once again that the bending oppressors of this city will stop at nothing to quash our revolution. But we cannot be stopped. Our numbers grow stronger by the day. You no longer have to live in fear. The time has come for benders to experience fear.

Korra’s Challenge

Amon, I challenge you to a duel! No task force, no chi-blockers, just the two of us tonight at midnight on Avatar Aang Memorial Island. Let's cut to the chase and settle this thing, if you're man enough to face me. Guess you're a no-show, Amon. Who's scared now?

Amon’s speech

I received your invitation, young Avatar. Our showdown, while inevitable, is premature. Although it would be the simplest thing for me to take away your bending right now, I won't. You'd only become a martyr. Benders of every nation would rally behind your untimely demise, but I assure you, I have a plan. And I'm saving you for last, then you'll get your duel, and I will destroy you.

[Episode 5: A Voice in the Night]

Korra is shaken by her confrontation with Amon and returning to Air Temple Island. She's suddenly starting to internalize for the very first time that she isn't necessarily the most powerful person in the world. Tenzin counsels Korra and tells her about how fragile he feels as well that as one of the last air-benders in the world. And at one point the only air-bender in the world, that it was a big responsibility. And for a long time, there was all he could ever see himself as the last air-bender. Until Jinora and Ikki and Pema came along, and he started to see himself as more than that, as a father. He links this in with air-bending by explaining that it's a lot to do with finding peace with oneself, not defining ourselves by what we can do for the world, by the role that we are born into, but recognizing we are valuable outside of that. Korra internalizes this a little and even manages to learn some more air-bending movements but confesses that she doesn't know who she is outside of the Avatar. That is all she has ever been, that is all anyone has ever really seen her as, and she's terrified of Amon because of that. Even pro-bending is based off her powers, she thinks that Mako and Bolin would drop her without them. Mako and Bolin overhearing her, assure her that this isn't the case. “We love you because you're fiery, you're our friend.” And Pabu comes up and sits on top of her head. But following that very escalation, Tarrlok opens a special task force with more powers to deal with the Equalists. Beifong opposes this, but Tarrlok tells her that it isn't her business. This is a council decision, it's for the safety of the city. Mako joins the task force, but Bolin steps aside, saying “No! Hey, this is going too far for me”. That, yeah, he's scared as well. But this will only make things worse between benders and non-benders, and it'll only make him on bolder.

(One of the most common criticisms of Season One is that the love triangle between Bolin, Korra, and Mako is distracting. And to be honest, it doesn't actually take up that much time. I rewatched the series, it's not that invasive. And it does make sense for Korra as someone who is developing her independence for the first time. She wants these kind of experiences, but it is also the only real character conflict within the trio, and I don't think it's a particularly great example of that. And I think that this would be a more interesting conflict. It's drawing on their traumatic history together, but it also deepens that wider conflict, giving more room for growth and personalizing it. Especially because neither of those romances really come too much in the end.)

Feeling a lack of purpose and fearing failure, Korra joins Tarrlok in hopes of reasserting her sense of self-worth, her role as the Avatar. Bolin and Asami are disappointed, and a rift develop in the group. At an operation that night, they burst into an Equalist facility and once again they face the Lieutenant. Mako is initially happy to see some success rescuing several benders who are being kept for Amon. But he begins to question his feelings towards non-benders after watching more brutality at the hands of the special task force. Even targeting people who just happened to be in the building, suspicions of them being Equalists. With a group of harmless civilians also being rounded up for questioning. In the apartment building, their raiding itself also partially collapses during the fight. When Mako goes to Tarrlok about this though, the Council just insists that it's crucial for law and order. That they had intel that Equalists would try to hide like this, hide amongst civilians. Mako looks away, nods, but reaffirms his dedication to the Task Force.

[Episode 6: And the Winner is...]

This episode plays out basically exactly the same as in the show. I think it was pretty good. Amon warns that if the Pro-Bending final isn't cancelled, there will be consequences. Beifong and Tarrlok swear to protect the stadium, the Wolf-Bats with foul play and the Equalists attack. Amon ascends from the sky, removes the Wolf-Bats bending, and though they fight, the Equalists do escape.

(Only one tiny change I will mention.)

In the midst of the fight, Korra tears off a section of the Lieutenant's clothing, revealing a tattoo of a small white lop-eared rabbit. Korra would have gotten a hold of Amon if not for the Lieutenant, shocking her at the last minute. Watching her as they ascend into the sky before they escape.

Amon’s announcement

Good morning, citizens of Republic City. This is Amon. I hope you all enjoyed last night's pro-bending match, because it will be the last. It's time for this city to stop worshiping bending athletes as if they were heroes. I am calling on the council to shut down the bending arena and cancel the finals, or else there will be severe consequences.

Amon’s speech

I believe I have your attention, benders of Republic City. So once again, the Wolf-bats are your pro-bending champions. It seems fitting that you celebrate three bullies who cheated their way to victory because every day, you threaten and abuse your fellow non-bending citizens just like the Wolf-bats did to their opponents tonight. Those men were supposedly the best in the bending world and yet it only took a few moments for me to cleanse them of their impurity. Let this be a warning to all of you benders out there: if any of you stand in my way, you will meet the same fate. Now, to my followers: for years the Equalists have been forced to hide in the shadows, but now we have the numbers and the strength to create a new Republic City. I'm happy to tell you that the time for change has finally come. Very soon, the current tyrannical bending regime will be replaced by a fair-minded Equalist government. You and your children will no longer have to walk the streets afraid! It's time to take back our city.

📖Hello👇Future👇Me✏️’s Legend of Korra

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ro-is-struggling · 3 years ago

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Masterlist

Here’s a list with all my works.

Here are the request rules and this is the list of characters I write for

Last updated: 12/24/24

English is not my first language!

600 FOLLOWERS CELEBRATION MASTERLIST

Marvel

~Bucky Barnes

NIGHTMARES

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Summary: Bucky is a free man. Free from Hydra and all that they put inside his mind. But that doesn’t mean he’s free from the past. It haunts him in his sleep and everytime he closes his eyes. Luckily he found someone who’s willing to put up with him.

Word count: 4600

Warnings: mentions of nightmares, insecurity, trauma and ptsd, hurt/comfort, mutual pining, angst. Bucky doesn’t think he’s worthy of love. Reader has mental powers. Starts out kinda sad but it ends up being really cute and fluffy in my opinion.

INCOMPLETE

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: When your relationship started to have problems you and Bucky agreed that the best thing to do would be to break up. At the time it had sounded like the only option you had left. But now, several months later, Bucky was beginning to wonder if he had done the right thing because the pain in his heart and the emptiness in his chest only seemed to grow with each passing day.

Word count: 2600+

Warnings: angst (with happy ending), one kinda intense kiss scene, fluff

TENSION

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: Bucky has been acting distant and you can’t help but think it’s your fault.

Word count: 1700

Warnings: angst (with happy ending), Bucky is a little harsh on reader, mentions of past trauma (reader’s parents had a shitty toxic relationship)

ENEMIES

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Summary: You and Bucky don’t get along. He hates you from the moment he found out you used to work for Hydra and has no problem showing it. Until one day after an accident on a mission he discovers the truth about your past and realizes that you two aren’t so different after all.

Word count: 5000

Warnings: angst, hurt/comfort, enemies to friends, Bucky and Steve are mean to the reader, mentions of past trauma (the reader was experimented on and tortured by Hydra kinda like Bucky), reader has powers that allow her to transfer people’s wounds on her own body and heal them using her own vital force, fluff (Bucky it’s a sweetheart in the end)

JEALOUSY

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Summary: An undercover mission in Madripoor of all places leads to rivalry, jealousy and unexpected confessions of love.

Word count: 6700

Warnings: takes place on the events of episode 3 o tfatws, mutual pining, jealousy, Zemo being a little shit, brief mention of reader’s backstory (she worked for a thief and smuggler named Fiona before joining the avengers), reader fake-flirts with Zemo, Bucky and the reader fight and it ends in light smut (just some kisses and over the clothes stuff), fluff

BETWEEN US

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Rogers!Fem!Reader

Summary: Zemo contacts you after escaping from prison because he wants you to help him stop the Power Broker. You thought he was crazy for thinking you would be willing to join him, but when he brought up the fact that it was a dangerous mission you had no choice but to accept his offer. You hated Zemo, but you weren’t willing to lose Bucky. He was the last family you had left.

Word count: 9400

Warnings: established relationship (Bucky and reader are married), angst, reader lies to Bucky, Zemo being a little shit and getting in everybody’s heads, Bucky’s insecurities, ends in fluff. Also reader is Steve’s younger sister and a super soldier

DANCE WITH SOMEBODY

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Summary: Bucky dances with you for the first time in 70 years

Word count: 1200

Warnings: pure fluff, mentions of the reader having some kind of healing power, set somewhere after caws so bucky is in control of his body but is having trouble remembering his past

UNDERCOVER TRILOGY MASTERLIST

Summary: Your first mission with the Avengers proves to be more difficult than you expected when you discover you have to go undercover with none other than Bucky Barnes. Spending so much time together posing as an engaged couple leads to the development of feelings that you fear will change your relationship forever.

Series Warnings: slow burn, mutual pining, fake dating, forced proximity (only one bed trope), mentions of the reader being insecure about her body, probably overuse of pet names (doll). Smut, praise kink, body worship, dirty talk, oral sex (f receiving), p in v sex, aftercare

ROAD TRIP

Pairings: platonic!Bucky Barnes x Reader, platonic!Steve Rogers x Reader, platonic!Sam Wilson x Reader

Summary: you annoy the shit out of Steve, Sam and Bucky—especially Bucky—during a long road trip.

Word count: 3400

Warnings: crack fic, humor, sharing beds, kinda fluffy

LOSE MYSELF

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Summary: Bucky can’t help but fall in love with his new neighbor even though every fiber of his beings tells him to stay away from her.

Word count: 4200

Warnings: song fic, fem reader, written from Bucky’s point of view, angst, mentions of insecurities and trauma (from Bucky’s side), mutual pining kinda, Bucky being a total simp for the reader, fluff

NEW LOVE

Pairings: Bucky Barnes x Female Reader, past Matt Murdock x Female Reader

Summary: after a long day at work all you want to do is curl up on the couch with Bucky and forget about the existence of the outside world. But things get complicated when the past catches up with you, knocking on your door and asking for your help.

Word count: 6600

Warnigs: mentions of the reader being a nurse, jealousy, talks of insecurities, mentions of blood, reader being afraid to love again, angst with a happy ending

BEING HOMESICK AND WATCHING THE WORLD CUP WITH THE AVENGERS HEADCANONS

Pairings: platonical Avengers x Reader, Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: Bucky senses that something is wrong with you but you don’t seem ready to talk about it. After watching you closely for a while he discovers that your sadness comes from missing your home country and decides to do something to cheer you up. One day you mention to him how excited you are about the World Cup and that gives Bucky the idea of throwing you a surprise party to watch the last game of the event together. In the midst of the tensions of the game, emotions surface and your feelings for Bucky are exposed in the most unexpected way.

Word count: 6600 total, 3700 (part 1) 2900 (part 2)

UNTITLED SHY!BUCKY X READER

Pairings: Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Summary: lately I can’t stop thinking about Bucky being shy around a girl he likes. The idea of such a tall, strong, imposing man turning into a nervous mess who can’t even look you in the eye drives me crazy. It’s the duality of the toughness of his exterior contrasting against the softness and tenderness of his interior that leaves me screaming, crying and throwing up. So I’m gonna write about it!

Word count: 2400 (This was supposed to be a drabble… ooops)

Warnings: a little angsty but with happy ending

TOUCH

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Summary: Bucky was not a fan of physical contact, that was something you knew about him even before you started dating him. What you didn’t know was how incredibly touch starved he was. That is until one lazy Sunday afternoon, when you take your relationship to the next level.

Word count: 4300

Warnings: SMUT MINORS DNI, porn with feelings, dry humping, overstimulation, kinda sub!bucky x gentle dom!reader, touch starved bucky, a little angst (it’s bucky duh), fluff

BREAKFAST IS SERVED

Pairing: Stucky x Female!Reader

Summary: Bucky decides to have you for breakfast. When Steve interrupts you, he asks him to join in and the both of them feast on you {Part 2 of Let Me Help}

Word count: 7800

Warnings: SMUT MINORS DNI, Porn without plot (like there’s literally no plot, just filth), dom!Bucky (trust me, it’s a warning), fingering, edging, oral sex (f & m receiving), penetrative sex, dirty talk, slight degradation/name calling (slut), cum play kinda, praise kink, overstimulation, threesome, fluff at the end. No real Stucky action, just them having their fun with the reader ;) (although Bucky kinda fucks them both in a way👀)

SELF CARE

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female!Reader (it can pass as gender neutral I think?)

Summary: Bucky always seemed interested in your skin care routine, so when one day he arrives tired and drained from a mission, you take the opportunity to show him the importance and benefits of self-care.

Word count: 2200

Warnings: established relationship, brief mention to Bucky’s past trauma, a fuck ton of fluff, my little knowledge of skin care lol

DARK SIDE OF ME

Pairing: Stripper!Bucky Barnes x Innocent!Fem!Reader

Summary: The plan you and your friends had come up with to celebrate your 21st birthday was simple: go to as many bars as you could in one night and stay out of the hospital. You weren’t a big fan of it, but everyone had done it and now it was your turn. However, things went off the rails quickly and you ended up being dragged to Heroes, a superhero-themed strip club. You thought it was a bad idea, until you met the cold, piercing blue eyes of the Winter Soldier and simply couldn’t look away.

Or the one when reader gets her first lap dance

Word count: 4400

Warnings: stripper AU, stripper!bucky x innocent!reader, suggestive tones, lap dance (I tried really hard), no actual smut, alcohol consumption, reader giving in to peer pressure, fem reader

~Matt Murdock

GIVE ME LOVE

Pairing: Matt Murdock x Reader

Summary: You and Matt have a complicated relationship. You swore you would never see him again. But you were weak and one night, fueled by alcohol, you decided to call him.

Word count: 1400

Warnings: light/implied smut (there’s some kissing and touching but nothing too heavy) so I’ll ask minors to not interact with this

YOU RUINED ME

Pairing: Matt Murdock x Female Reader

Summary: on a cold rainy night Y/N accidentally ends up standing in front of her ex-boyfriend’s house and remembers with sadness the last time she walked through those doors.

Word count: 3800

Warnings: fem reader, emotional infidelity (Matt is still in love with Elektra), breakup, unrequired love (the reader is still in love with Matt, but he has feelings for Elektra). It’s pure sadness with no happy ending

THE HELL WE BOTH MADE FOR EACH OTHER

Pairing: Matt murdock x Female Reader

Summary: You love Matt with all your heart, but you can no longer put up with the risks of his double life.

Word count: 2000

Warnings: ANGST like so much fucking angst, there is no happy ending only tears. Also I wrote this with a fem!reader in mind but I don’t think there is any direct mention to the reader’s gender, so keep that in mind!

~Peter Parker

FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN

Pairing: TASM!Peter Parker x Female Reader

Summary: Spider-Man was doing his night patrol when he heard the sobs of a lonely woman sitting on the sidewalk under the rain. He went over to help her, unaware that by doing so he was also helping himself.

Or the one where two lonely souls find comfort in each other.

Word count: 17000 (okay, hear me out! the story is split into parts so you can close it and come back later and you won’t miss anything)

Warnings: this is inspired by some of Peter 3 lines in No Way Home (about how he stopped pulling his punches) so there’s a lot of sadness over Gwen’s death, hurt/comfort, Peter being a flirty bastard, the reader doesn’t know Spider-Man’s identity for the most part, mentions of blood and injuries, Peter being scared of feelings, the reader getting attacked in the streets (but it’s very quick and nothing happens)

ANXIETY

Pairing: TASM!Peter Parker x Reader (I wrote this with Andrew’s Peter Parker in mind because I’m in my Andrew Garfield era but you can imagine the other Spideys if you want, it’s not too specific)

Summary: Peter comforts you after you had a bad day.

Word count: 1200

Warnings: mentions of anxiety and insecurities (nothing too graphic), Peter being a loving supportive boyfriend. I think that’s all but if I missed anything let me know!

OCEAN EYES

Pairing: TASM!Peter Parker x Reader.

Summary: Peter is captivated by your blue eyes.

Word count: 1200

Warnings: reader has blue eyes, fluff

~Steve Rogers

WOMAN LIKE ME

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Female Reader

Summary: You had the biggest crush on Steve, but you thought you were too different to work as a couple. Although that didn’t mean you couldn’t have a little fun with him.

Or the one where Steve is shy and you love to tease him.

Word count: 3000

Warnings: shy!steve (he’s so adorable omg), mutual pining, fluff but like a lot of it

ROAD TRIP

Pairings: platonic!Bucky Barnes x Reader, platonic!Steve Rogers x Reader, platonic!Sam Wilson x Reader

Summary: you annoy the shit out of Steve, Sam and Bucky—especially Bucky—during a long road trip.

Word count: 3400

Warnings: crack fic, humor, sharing beds, kinda fluffy

NASTY NAUGHTY BOY

Pairing: Shy!Steve Rogers x Female!Reader

Summary: An undercover mission puts you and Steve in a compromising position that will change your relationship forever.

Word count: 11300

Warnings: Set somewhere after Avengers 1. Shy!Steve, mutual pining, SMUT MINORS DNI, porn with a little plot (not really), dom/sub dynamics (kinda), dom!reader, sub!steve, oral sex (female receiving), p in v sex, unprotected sex, praise kink, hair pulling, pet names (baby, bad/good boy)

LET ME HELP

Pairing: Pre-Serum!Steve Rogers x Female Reader, Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Word count: 2900

Warnings: Set in the 40s (just cause I imagined this with pre-serum steve), SMUT MINORS DNI, inexperienced!steve x softdom!reader, somnophilia kinda so dubcon maybe? (Steve is asleep and the reader rubs against him), handjob, dirty talk, pet names (baby, good boy), there’s literally no plot just smut ;)

BREAKFAST IS SERVED

Pairing: Stucky x Female!Reader

Summary: Bucky decides to have you for breakfast. When Steve interrupts you, he asks him to join in and the both of them feast on you {Part 2 of Let Me Help}

Word count: 7800

~Stephen Strange

EXISTENTIAL CRISIS

Pairing: Platonic!Stephen Strange x gn!Reader

Summary: After Wong sent you and Stephen to investigate the multiverse you begin to worry about the idea that there are thousands of versions of you. Unluckily for Stephen, he is the one who has to endure your existential crisis.

Word count: 1700

Warnings: this is kind of a crack fic so humor, Stephen being annoyed by the reader, chaotic and dumb gn!reader (I think I didn’t use any pronouns or anything like that but if I did let me know so I can change that!), a supernatural reference (if you get it you get a virtual cookie)

~Johnny Storm

FIREPROOF SERIES MASTERLIST

Pairing: Johnny Storm x Female Reader

Series Summary: you and Johnny weren’t supposed to get along. You were the exact opposite of each other. While he was loud and outgoing, you were quiet and introverted. He loved to be the center of attention and you actively made efforts not to be. He had made a name for himself as one of the biggest players on campus while you stood out for your academic achievements. You hated guys like Johnny, and he had no reason to associate with people like you since you rarely shared spaces. And yet, against all odds, you were able to forge a solid friendship. In fact it was the contrast that made the two of you work so well. You called out his bullshit and he pointed out yours. You were a good influence on each other, no one could deny that. It was a perfect relationship, you knew all the bad things about each other and still chose one another….But what happens when romantic feelings start to flourish?This series is a collection of one shots that will give you a glimpse inside Johnny and y/n’s complicated relationship.

Series Warnings: slow burn, friends to lovers, mutual pining, a bit of angst, fluff, lots of cliches (like seriously, I was kinda playing the game of how many cliches can I put in the same story? lol) 2000s teen flick/ rom com coded (so I guess it’s a bit cheesy? read at your own risk!)

DCU

~Clark Kent

IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH

Pairing: Clark Kent x Female Reader

Summary: You’re terrified that your boyfriend Clark —the local superhero and most perfect man on the planet�� will see you sick, so you forbid him to visit you while you have a cold. However, when he shows up at your door saying he misses you, he proves that your insecurities were unwarranted.

Word count: 2200

Warnings: fluff, established relationship, reader being a little insecure, hurt/comfort kinda

BREAKFAST IN BED

Pairing: Clark Kent x Female Reader

Summary: Being married to a superhero was bound to have some tough times, you knew that well when you accepted Clark’s marriage proposal. However, the last few months were becoming too difficult for you as he was having trouble balancing his daily life and his responsibilities as Superman. Intentional or not, he was neglecting you and you were getting tired of waking up alone every morning. But just when you thought you couldn’t take it anymore, Clark surprises you with breakfast in bed and a talk that reminds you why you love him so much.

Word count: 1800

Warnings: a little angst, but mostly fluff

Harry Potter

~James Potter

HAPPILY

Pairing: James Potter x Slytherin!Reader

Summary: Overwhelmed by people’s negative opinions, you begin to think that your relationship with James has no future. However, when you try to break up with him, James reminds you what really matters: your love and happiness.

Word count: 1700

Warnings: a little angst, reader feeling unsure about her relationship with James, mentions of the marauders being not so great to reader (but nothing too bad). It’s mostly fluff (like really fluffy, James is a sweetheart in this)

OOPS

Pairing: James Potter x Female Reader

Summary: You’ve had a crush on James since the first time you saw him but never said anything for fear of being rejected. Until one day you accidentally overheard a conversation between the marauders that changed everything.

Word count: 2700

Warnings: fluff, mutual pining, James is kinda shy on this one, reader has a flirty personality or at least I tried to make her be that way,

DATING JAMES POTTER HEADCANONS

Pariring: James Potter x Female Reader

Summary: a little look into your relationship with James

Word count: 1100

Warnings: fluff, mutual pining, friends to lovers

JUST TO BE CLOSE TO YOU

Pairing: James Potter x Fem!Ravenclaw!Reader

Summary: You tend to James’ wounds after a particularly difficult Quidditch match.

Word count: 1100

Warnings: hurt/comfort, fluff, intense kisses, implied smut. Also I described james’ eyes color as blue because in my head he’s Aaron Taylor-Johnson

~Remus Lupin

ALWAYS

Pairing: Remus Lupin x Female Reader {marauders era}

Summary: After discovering that he is in love with his best friend, Remus does what he does best: run away. Blinded by fear of rejection for his condition, he decides it’s best to push Y/N away before she can hurt him. It’s what he’s done all his life to protect himself from people’s judgment. But after seeing the pain and confusion in the young girl’s eyes Remus begins to wonder if it was really a good idea.

Word count: 5000

Warnings: mentions to insecurities, Remus is afraid of the reader’s reaction to his lycanthropy so he pushes her away and is kinda mean at one pont, angst, hurt/comort, fluff

Stranger Things

~Billy Hargrove

BILLY X DRAMA QUEEN!READER HEADCANONS

Pairing: Billy Hargrove x Fem!Drama queen!reader

~Eddie Munson

HAIRCUT

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Reader

Summary: Bored with your looks, you made the impulsive decision to cut your hair yourself in your bathroom at home. When the job is done you’re not so sure you like the end result. But lucky for you, Eddie is there to assure you that you look beautiful.

Word count: 790

Warnings: none, it’s just fluff

~Steve Harrington

STAY

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Fem!Henderson!Reader

Summary: After discovering the truth about the Upside Down, Y/N Henderson joins his little brother in the final battle to close the portal and save Hawkins. In doing so, she finds herself teaming up with none other than Steve Harrington of all people and discovers a side of him she didn’t know he had. In the chaos of the battle he brings her comfort and makes her feel safe. That’s why when everything ends she doesn’t want to leave his side. So she does what everyone would do in her situation: invite him to spend the night at her place even though they are not friends.

Word count: 4700

Warnings: nothing I think, it’s just fluff, like really really fluffy. Steve is a sweetheart and comforts Y/N when she’s scared after everything she went through. They share a bed, do I need to say more?

THROUGH THE DARK

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Female!Reader

Summary: Steve gets attacked by Vecna but your voice guides him through the dark.

Word count: 2300

Warnings: SEASON 4 SPOILERS, angst, hurt/comfort, my take on Steve fears/insecurities, fluff

The 100

~Bellamy Blake

JUST FRIENDS

Pairing: Bellamy Blake x Female Reader

Summary: Trapped in space, alone and heartbroken, Bellamy and Y/N find solace in each other. As time passes, feelings begin to flutter between them. The only problem is that everyone seems to notice but them.

Word count: 4000

Warnings: set sometime between season 4 and season 5 (yk when Bellamy and the rest are on space), friends to lovers, mutual pining, hurt/comfort, fluff so much fluff, a little angst (Bellamy and the reader miss their friends on earth)

The Witcher

~Geralt of Rivia

THE PRINCESS AND THE WOLF Part 1

Pairing: Geralt of Rivia x Female Reader

Summary: A look inside the complicated love story between the runaway princess and the lone wolf that saved her

Word count: 5000

Warnings: slow burn, fluff, angst, mutual pining, really bittersweet, heavy narration and not much dialogue, female reader (use of she/her pronouns//reader is a princess), mentions of blood and injuries (reader heals Geralt’s wounds)

THE PRINCESS AND THE WOLF Part 2

Pairing: Geralt of Rivia x Female Reader

Summary: All she wanted was to show Geralt that she could be part of his world, that it was worth putting in the effort to build a future together. He was her true home, the person she belonged to, the one who gave her life purpose, and all she wanted was to share the rest of her life with him. But things were not so simple and the differences that separated them were far too many.

Word count: 15.500

Warnings: fem!reader, slow burn, fluff, a bit of jealousy and sexual tension, banter, mentions of blood and canon typical violence, angst at the end, my poor knowledge of the saga probably

THE PRINCESS AND THE WOLF Part 3

Pairing: Geralt of Rivia x Female Reader

Summary: Geralt returns to see his princess once again. Only this time he is not alone and after a year without communication he does not know if he will still be welcome.

Word count: 21.800

Warnings: slow burn, grumpy x sunshine (or more like grumpy x disney princess lol), miscommunication, angst, hurt/comfort, fluff, mutual pining, me trying to write domestic stuff, mentions of past trauma (for both Ciri and the protagonist/reader), Geralt Ciri and reader being a family, canon typical violence, my attempt at creating an original monster, some very long dialogues

SECRET ENCOUNTERS

Pairing: Geralt of Rivia x Female Reader

Summary: They know it’s wrong, but they can’t deny the desire and lust that overcomes them every time they are together.

Word count: 3900

Warnings: SMUT MINORS DNI, porn with a little bit of plot (not really), fingering, penetrative sex, mirror sex, rough sex, size kink, belly bulge, breeding kink, dirty talk, mentions of cheating (reader is engaged), fem reader (she’s a princess)

THE BALLAD OF ORPHEUS AND EURYDICE

Pairing: Geralt of Rivia x Fem!Nymph!Reader

Summary: Life was good when Geralt was by her side. They were in love and happy… Until they weren’t and she was left alone once again. After spending so much time under his protection, she had forgotten how dangerous the world was for creatures like her. Sad and heartbroken, she was unable to defend herself when the men came for her. Now locked up far away from her forest, she only hoped that her loved protector would come to her rescue.

Word count: 12.700 (it’s a long one)

Warnings: angst (with happy ending), major character death, reader gets imprisoned by a evil dude (I don’t know how to tag this lol but I think it’s important to mention that she’s forced to serve him), fluff (it’s not all sad, I promise), forest nymph!reader

THE CHASE

Pairing: Geralt of Rivia x Female!Reader

Summary: Geralt always tried to keep the wolf inside him caged in order to control his animalistic impulses, but with you that didn’t seem to be required at all

Word count: 3300

Warnings: SMUT MINORS DNI! Porn without plot, public sex (technically since they’re in the woods), rough sex, penetrative sex, fear play? (not really, but Geralt does chase the reader through the woods so maybe? adding it just in case!), scent play, size kink, breeding kink, dirty talk, biting (like there’s so much it’s a warning in this fic), fingering, possessiveness, a little fluff at the end, fem!reader

SAFER IN HIS ARMS

Pairing: Geralt of Rivia x Female!Reader

Summary: Since you were little you always dreamed of meeting a noble and brave knight, falling in love and marrying him to rule your kingdom together until the end of your days. But as you looked around at the men that had come to the banquet to ask for your hand in marriage, it was clear that those dreams were nothing more than a fantasy. Or at least that’s what you thought until fate crossed your path with Geralt of Rivia. The witcher, with his hard expression and cold stare, was the last person anyone would describe as warm or chivalrous. But not you. From the moment you met him, you saw nothing but kindness in his eyes. And when he managed to rescue you from the hands of bandits, you knew that maybe there was still some hope that your fantasy could come true —just maybe not in the way you had always imagined.

Word count: 13500 (not even sorry)

Warnings: hurt/comfort, angst, mentions of sexual assault (nothing happens but if it’s triggering for you I wouldn’t read it), protective!geralt, SMUT MINORS DNI, virgin!reader, inexperienced!reader, loss of virginity (not accurate this is just porn!), dirty talk, oral sex (f receiving), penetrative sex, creampie, aftercare, fluff

Criminal Minds

~Spencer Reid

SLOW HANDS

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female Reader

Summary: Spencer gets tired of pretending he doesn’t notice the way you look at his hands, so when you show up at his hotel room late at night he decides to ask you about it.

Word count: 6800

Warnings: SMUT MINORS DNI, porn without plot, hand kink, size kink kinda?, praise kink, Dom/sub dynamics (gentle dom Spencer x sub reader), dirty talk, pet names (good girl, baby, dirty little girl, slut), fingering, overstimulation, penetrative sex, choking, slight dacryphilia, a little fluff at the end, female reader, kinda rushed ending

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female!Reader

Summary: The three times you and Spencer managed to keep your relationship a secret and the one time you got caught.

Word count: 11700

Warnings: Garcia!Reader (but the reader’s race/ethnicity is not specified, she could be adopted idk), mutual pining, love confessions, reader being a little insecure at one point, suggestive tones, implied smut, possible 14x01 spoilers, canon typical violence, angst with happy ending, fluff

EARN IT

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female!Reader

Summary: While Spencer was away on a case, you had no better idea than to send him spicy pictures of yourself as a way to encourage him to work harder to get home fast. You ignored his warnings and orders to stop and now that he was back home it was time to face the consequences of acting like a spoiled brat.

Word count: 3300

Warnings: SMUT MINORS DNI, porn without plot, established relationship, dom!spencer, sexting, masturbation, bondage, dirty talk, cum eating, deprivation of touch used as punishment (if that makes sense? idk it’s just porn)

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